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JULY 24,1997 AUGUSTA FOCUS
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ETony Mercedes —
& ‘ & ®
Keeping things bass-ic
Former Augustan Tony Mercedes
has been the catalyst behind some
of the most influential Bass records
since its inception; most recently
the overwhelming success of
“MyßabyDaddy” from theDis Bass
Game Real album. In the first week
of its release, “MyßabyDaddy”
gained an audience of over four
million listeners. It entered the Top
100 at The Box in just three days
and MTV added the viduo to its
rotation without one record being
sold! To date, “MyßabyDaddy” has
been the most phenomenal success
under the Tony Mercedes umbrella
of hits.
Mercedes’ label, Tony Mercedes
Records, also gave us, as a joint
venture with Bellmark Records,
“Dazzey Duks.” “Dazzey Duks”
(Duice) was certified triple plati
num by the RIAA. The next note
worthy record was the platinum hit
“Donkey Butt” by 12 Gauge. This
song was adirect result of a venture
between Tony Mercedes (Cash
Money Brothers Records another
Tony mercedes label) and Scotti
Brothers Records. Mercedes was
also the liaison between Tag Team
and Bellmark Records. This rela
tionship produced the timeless and
very successful “Whomp There It
Is” which sold over eight million
units. Mercedes’ next Bass success
was a partnership wit So So Def/
Columbia on “Whatz Up Whatz
Up.” This summer smash, along
with two other Tony Mercedes
Recordsreleases on the project, was
the motive behind the creation of
the So So Def Bass All Stars compi
lation which achieye@pold-plussta
tus.
Lawyer tumed lyricist offers unigue counsel
By Regina Lynch-Hudson
SPECIAL TO AUGUSTA FOCUS
; ATLANTA
' Audra Woodard was barely out of
law school when she began to mas
termind a detour from a high
falutin' career as an attorney to a
performing wordsmith. A changed
focus, internal needs to teach,
preach and change the world, and
total disdain for legal connivance’s
have placed AUDRA! on an over
night fast-track as a balladeering
rap styled poet. As part of a wave of
newflangled urban acts, AUDRA!
enthralls the audiences in comedy
clubs and jazz cafés with the same
in-your-face confidence and non
stop charm that Johnnie Cochran
parades in courtrooms.
- Overflowing with an endless rep
ertoire of self-penned material, the
twenty-something graduate of In
diana University School of Law com
bines theatrics, poetry and humor
to dcliver performances that are
scamless and rapturous. “My mes
sages are from the heart,” says
AUDRA!, who is self-described as a
motivational poetic lyricist. What
¢ver hertitle, when thesvelte model
type figure steps up to the micro
phone and jabs audiences with her
penetratinginterplay, using expres
sive body language to shape and
mold cach statement—the crowd is
ecstatic. Known by her first name,
always accented with an exclama
tion denoting her explosive style,
AUDRA! never ceases to leave au
dicnces witha positivemessage that
reflects real world issues.
. As a product of some of the
nation’stoughest neighborhoodsin
Chicago and Los Angeles, the ambi
tious only child of a single parent
talks prose that touches both sides
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Tony Mercedes: Enjoying the ride on his new label.
The impressive track record of
Tony Mercedes convinced the Arista
family to offer him a distribution
deal with a strong emphasis on the
dance genre. Clive Davis and L.A.
Reid are collectively excited about
their new addition to the family.
15
Pl
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, -
of the tracks. In her fiery verse,
“Prove It!”, she boldly tells her cul
turally embellished brothas and
sistas that she doesn’t have to dem
onstrate racial pride through su
perficial facades, but selects to
pay homage to her ancestors and
generations to come in ways that
count. “We tend to look for some
semblance of validating who we are
through our dress, and it goes much
deeper than that. Just because I
Mercedes is equally excited about
this new relationship. “I sat down
with L.A. who took it upon himself
to share my vision by endorsing
what I'm doing. This venture is not
only based on my track record in
the music business but more im-
Audra
Woodard
As a product
of some of
the nation’s
toughest
neighbor
hoods in
Chicago and
Los Angeles,
the ambi
tious only
child of a
single par
ent talks
prose that
touches both
sides of the
tracks.
have a J.D. behind my name and
don’t coil or dread my hair doesn't
mean that I am not as culturally
awareas the next person.” “Tug-O-
War” is an explicit ode to black
men, which recognizes their
struggles, while pinpointing the
media as a culprit in fabricating
false imagery. In “To My Sista,”
AUDRA! inspirits black women
with the fuel to bond on myriad
levels. “My pieces do not put either
art ¢ music e literature o theatre
portantly it is based on one execu
tive believing in and supj.crting
another.”
Midas-touch Mercedes continues
this unique style of dance music on
his first Tony Mercedes 1. -ords/
Arista Records release Dis Bass
Game Real. The project embraces a
star-studded list of nothing but the
best of multi-platinum artists in
Bass music including stars like
Luke, the 60 Boyz, LA Sno (Duice),
JT Money (Poison Clan), Charles
“Da Real One” Trahan and the
Southsyde 8.0.1. Z. Dis Bass Game
Real also introduces several new
comers with a buzz like Dana,
Kinsuifeaturing DJ Laz (bi:!: from
Miami) and B-Rock and the Bizz.
Dis Bass Game Real has helped
establish a place for artists that
would have little to no chance of
getting on a major label. Today, the
have an outlet by possibly coming
through the Tony Mercedes/
LaFace/Aristasystem. According to
Mercedes, “Bass music will not grow
unless companies come to the table
and provide promotion, publicity,
retail and video support.
The next generation of Bass style
dance artists depends on the suc
cess of Dis Bass Game Real and
similar albumsthat have major dis
tribution muscle behind them.
Working with LaFace is an ideal
situation because they recognize
my specialty. The company hastruly
allowed me to lead while they’ve
followed with a strong, aggressive
supportteam. Thisaction hasgiven
me room to plan and implement a
grassroots tampaign that will ulti
mately make everyone a winner.”
sex down, but uplifts, and forces 1.
to delve into our identity, habit:
attitudes and outlook.” The gift ol
gab, and a knack for forcing folks to
look at opposing perspectives are
skill the lawyer turned lyricist has
fine-tuned. The rumple in the audi
ence may oftentimes be ‘No, she
didn’t say that,” but audacious
AUDRA! is on a fearless mission:
challengingustoprobeforthetruth
within ourselves.
AUDRA"s unmistakable voc-!
style has deemed her America’s
hottest new spoken-word act. Rank
ing up there with the ready-made
Sekou Sundiata, selected to per
form in Black Expo 97, “Industry
Nite” sponsored by the Atlanta
Entertainment Association, was
winner of Atlanta Amateur Night
97, was featured in The Atlanta
Journal Constitution, as well a..
having opened for Brooklyn based
Real Live Poets at the Virginia
Beach Arts Festival. A live perfor
mance on cable television show
Community Showcase, prompted
producers to hand over the host
position to AUDRA!. Says AUDRA!
of the appointment, “Because At
lanta is the new hotbed for R&B.
hip-hop and alternative artists, it’s
exhilarating to interview local tal
ent.”
Empowered with sales and sev
appeal, AUDRA! is a natural for
showbiz. With attorney/husband
Donald Woodard handling her le
gal affairs, and a line of T-shirts,
baseball caps, and groove-wear bax -
ing her sensuous logo forthcoming,
AUDRA! is commercially anchored
for celebrity status. A debut album,
motivational cassettes, and a na
tionwide tour of coffeehouses, festi
vals, clubs, and college campuses
are in the blueprints for the sultry
messenger.
lQuad Fest IV crew
ready to rock Augusta
)
The Bass, the whole Bass,
and nothing but the Bass.
(Above) B-Rock and the Bizz,
(Right) Dana Harris.
On Saturday, July 26, the Quadfest
IV Bass Reunion Tour will be in full
swing at the Augusta-Richmond
County Civic Center. Hea'dlining the
event will be bass music stars B-Rock
and the Bizz, Dana Harris, DJ Taz and
the Southsyde 8.0.1. Z. Tickets are
$15.00 in advance and $18.50 the day
of the show. The music starts at 8:00
p.m.
Appleby Garden series
presents final concert
The Evenings in the Appleby
Garden Concert Series will con
clude its 1997 season with a per
formance by All That Jazz, di
rected by Wayne Hoey. The
group will perform at 8 p.m., in
the garden of the Appleby
Branch Library, 2260 Walton
Way. Guests should bringalawn
chair or blanket to sit on, and a
limited number of rental chairs
will be available. In case of rain,
the concert will be held on the
porch or inside the library.
All that Jazz will perform in
place of the Augusta Chorale,
Mr. & Miss Augusta Mini Theatre
contestants vy for arts crown
Thirty contestants are vying to
become Mr. & Miss Augusta Mini
Theatre for the 1997 - 1998 school
year. The Crowning will take place
on Thursday, August 7, 1997, 7:30
p.m. at the Grover C. Maxwell
Performing Arts Theatre where
the Theatre will present its Tal
ent Scholarship Performances.
Tickets, $lO adults and $5 stu
dents are on sale at the Augusta
Mini Theatre.
The contestants, students of the
Theatre will perform piano, flute
and drama pieces. The mistress of
ceremonies will be a former Mini
Theatre Student, JaQuitta Will
iams, 5:00 news anchor at WRDW
Television.
FOCUS your special luncheons or
dinners in a fine restaurant. Visit BL's
Restaurant at 1117 Laney-Walker Blvd.
or call (706) 828-7799 to arrange
your celebrations. '
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which was originally scheduled
to perform. All that Jazz is a
group composed of local perform
ers. They will entertain the au
dience with a variety of selec
tions ranging from the old Big
Band standards to the contem
porary sounds of today’s jazz.
Now in its forty-third season,
the concert series is a free gift to
the community from the Au
gusta-Richmond County Public
Library. It is made possible
through the Scott B. Appleby
and Annie de Prairie Appleby
Trust Fund.
Persons wishing to donate in
the name of one of the students
should send donations along with
the name of the student(s) to:
Augusta Mini Theatre, 430 Bth
Street, Augusta, GA 30901-2249.
Donations are tax deductible.
Funds raised will go into the
Theatre’s Talent Scholarship
Funds to cover tuition cost for
low-to-moderate income students
desiring to enroll in the Theatre.
The sponsors are WRDW Sports
Radio 1480 “The Fan,” Augusta
State University, WBBQand YlO5
Radio Stations. WFXA Foxie 103
and 100.9, WAKB 96.9 “The
Touch,” WTHB 1550 AM “Gospel
Alive” and Sanford Loyd, C.P.A.