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1st Listen Presents: Louisiana Ca$h! Nov 13, 2009

The first memories of music for Louisiana Ca$h were watching his mother and uncle dance to the sounds of Bobby Womack, Barry White, and Gerald Levert in their, Louisiana home. He was also a huge fan of Kriss Kross and Mystikal, and wrote his first raps over songs from the latter’s album, Unpredictable, when he was just nine.

Born and raised in Jonesboro his family moved to Grambling where the change of scenery had a positive effect on Ca$h especially given that the local middle school and high school were located on the Grambling State University campus. "I was just a little bad when I moved to Grambling," he says. "Being a hothead, I would get in fights. But being surrounded by that college atmosphere, you could see people who were actually successful. So I saw a whole new aspect of life."

With a newfound focus, he became an honor roll student and star athlete, collecting all-state honors as a point guard and sprinter, and eventually received a basketball scholarship to Northwestern State University. During his first semester he also continued to pursue music as part of the duo, Cook N Cash and scored a regional smash, "My Jam," that got airplay in Dallas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. "I was doing shows and I’d have to go bac...

1st Listen Presents: YOUNG & DIVINE! Nov 6, 2009

Albany pop-punk trio Young and Divine have weathered enough ups and downs during their two-year career to trade war stories with bands three times their age. But JP Clark, 23 (vocals/bass), Jake Mai, 23 (guitar/vocals) and Joe Bortscheller, 22 (drums) channeled every drop of experience into their irresistible, melodically stellar, upbeat self-titled RCA debut, which is set for release in late 2009, and the album is a welcome blast of positive energy and amped-up rock that isn't afraid to get serious, too.

The band got its start when Clark grabbed the drummer he befriended in a college psychology class — the one with the bleached-blond five-inch mohawk, Bortscheller — to play on the songs he'd been working up by ear (he doesn't read music). The group took off quickly as a four-piece, but Clark and Bortscheller soon found themselves in the market for a new bandmember to complete what was now going to be a trio. They found their missing piece in a literal digital haystack: MySpace.

"I was living in Texas where I'm from, and I got a random friend request from these jokers," laughs guitarist Jake Mai. Their energetic, catchy sound had him hooked and Mai quit his job and flew to Albany to join the band, giving Young and Divine t...

1st Listen Presents: CHALIE BOY Oct 16, 2009

When much of your buzz can be attributed to one song, it may seem like you’re an overnight success story. But for Chalie Boy, his odyssey to become the next Lone Star State rap superstar began way before his bouncy, self-esteem boosting anthem, "I Look Good," took over Texas' airwaves this year. His desire to ascend to the top is nine long years in the making.

Raised in Calvert, Texas, Chalie’s musical tastes were shaped by various influences. His mother, a schoolteacher who played piano at church, got him involved with the Church Choir when he was three. In addition to showing him how to sing in tune, she taught him about song structure and tempo. His father exposed him to blues artists like Bobby Bland, B.B. King, and Johnny Taylor, while he devoured the sounds of Run-DMC, Sugar Hill Gang, and Grandmaster Flash with his friends.

However, Chalie’s desire to rhyme didn’t materialize right away as he focused on his grades and playing football, golf, and tennis. He began dabbling with bars when he was a junior in high school after a Texas legend gave him creative inspiration. “Around the time I was really tough on my UGK,” he recalls. “I’m a big fan of Bun B and his whole style and how he brought words out. He’s a real smart...

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