FIVE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE BERKLEE SCHOLARSHIPS
Yo-Yo, Pete Rock, Roxanne Shante among judges
BOSTON, JANUARY 15 , 2008—ESSENCE's Take Back the Music campaign and Boston's Berklee College of Music are again looking for the next generation of hip-hop stars. Take Back the Music, examining since 2005 the ways in which Black women are depicted in popular music and videos, continues to promote balance in mainstream hip-hop's messages, and remains the inspiration behind the third songwriting contest.
Three winners in the Berklee/Essence Take Back the Music Hip-Hop Songwriting Contest will receive scholarships to attend a high school music program at Berklee this summer, and perform at the 2008 Peace Hip-Hop Festival at Boston's City Hall Plaza. Two runners-up will study online at Berkleemusic.com at no charge. Entry forms and contest details are posted at ESSENCE.com/takebackthemusic and Berklee.edu.
Students 15 to 19 who are unsigned songwriters and/or producers have until March 10, 2008, to submit their original songs. Judging will be based on innovative lyrics that convey a positive message, as well as melody, and composition. A panel of hip-hop celebrity judges and Berklee music scholars will select the five winners. Judges include Yo-Yo (Grammy-nominated rapper, advocate for female empowerment), Pete Rock (rapper/DJ with credits as a solo artist and with CL Smooth, renowned producer), Roxanne Shanate (pioneering MC once with the Juice Crew, now mentoring young women rappers and practicing psychology). A group of Berklee scholars will be announced soon.
Three winners will attend the 2008 Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program (July 12 – August 15), which immerses students in performance, music theory, and music technology, while electives focus on songwriting, music synthesis, and music business. Two of the three winners will receive the Grand Prize of a full scholarship, including tuition and room and board (each valued at $6,930); while the Second Place winner will receive a tuition-only scholarship (valued at $4,130). These three winners will also perform at the 2008 Peace Hip-Hop Festival on August 2, at Boston's City Hall Plaza.
Two runners-up will select from a diverse catalog of courses for online study at Berkleemusic.com. Courses are valued between $695 and $1,195.
Contest Winners Find Success The 10 finalist songs from last year's contest were posted on both ESSENCE.com and Berklee.edu, and were heard by more than 27,000 listeners. Two of last year's winners were interviewed about their positive songs live on MSNBC. Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino invited the winners studying in Boston to perform their songs backed by a group of Berklee students at his 2007 Peace Hip-Hop Festival, headlined by De La Soul and Slick Rick. Additionally, 2006 grand- prize-winner Da'Raya Wilson, who didn't know about Berklee before the contest but found a place to work on her dream of a career in music when she did, is now in her first year there on a full scholarship.
About Essence Communications Inc.: Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the leading media and communications company dedicated to African-American women. With a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online, the Essence brand is "Where Black Women Come First". The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Music Festival, Women Who Are Shaping the World Leadership Summit, Window on Our Women (WOW I & II) and Smart Beauty I, II & III consumer insights, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD) via Essence Studios. For 37 years, ESSENCE magazine, which has a readership of 8.2 million, has been the leading source of cutting- edge information relating to every area of African-American women's lives. Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at Essence.com.
About Berklee Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principal that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music, be it hip-hop, rock, jazz, country, gospel, electronica, Latin, or funk. For 60 years, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today — and tomorrow.
About Berkleemusic.com Berkleemusic.com is the continuing education division of Berklee, delivering online access to its acclaimed curriculum from anywhere in the world. Berkleemusic's award-winning online courses and certificate programs are accredited and taught by the college's world-renowned faculty, providing lifelong learning opportunities to people interested in music and working in the music industry. The online school offers more than 100 online courses and programs in many areas of music study, including Hip-Hop Writing and Production.
Press Contacts:
Allen Bush, Berklee College of Music (617) 747-2658
Sheila Harris, ESSENCE (212) 522-1089
Ra'Chelle Rogers, ESSENCE (212) 522-272
