Dear Music Enthusiast,
My name is Taura Love. Formerly, I was a music journalist (VIBE, The Source, URB, RapPages, UK’s Hiphop Connection, etc.) and an indie PR/Marketing specialist (Ultramagnetic MCs, Biggie Smallz/BadBoy, Company Flow, Mos Def, Jurassic 5, Cut Chemist, Blackmoon, etc.). I imagine that some of you may know me as “T-Love”–the female emcee from South Central Los Angeles who released her own EP in 1998 titled “Return of the B-Girl” (featuring Kool Keith aka “Dr. Octagon”, Siah & YeshuaDaPoED, Chali 2na). And some of you may have never, of course, even heard of me. But that aside, the overseas success of my first-ever project is what lead to my becoming “the disgruntled B-girl who moved to Europe in order to become a happy blues singer”. The overwhelming European support is what also sparked me to move to London, England and record my first album, “Long Way Back” (Pickininny/Virgin).
Despite the huge buzz, plus nothing but stellar reviews in USA press/media, this first album (featuring Dwele, the late JayDilla, The Herbaliser, Chali 2na, Music Man Miles of The Breakestra, etc.), was never officially released there, nor even in the United Kingdom, but in the non-Anglophone markets of Virgin-France and Virgin-Japan. By the time “Long Way Back” was released in 2003 and began receiving critical acclaim, I had already officially retired from MC-ing. Which is why, to this day, I have never done a big tour or a music video.
See, instead of squandering the advances which Virgin/USA and Universal/London (my former publisher) extended to me; or instead of even re-investing back into my own album and/or “rap/music career”, I made the shrewd decision to put all the money (except for the producer fees I paid to JayDilla)–into “non-music/entertainment industry” investments. Sure, I took losses. Financial. And personal: My first child died and all the doctors said I would never be able to have another.
But who would have “thunk” that euros would eventually become an official currency, given that in the year in which I acquired the stock, “EU” (European Union) didn’t even exist yet? And who would have “thunk” that I would have been able to beat all medical odds, and give birth to a beautiful and healthy 9-pound baby boy? Since 2003, my priority has been my son, and my capital investments.
And now it’s 2010, and I’m back in pursuit of what I have always dreamed, since I was a little girl. No, not being an artist/biz manager, a rapper, or even a singer. No, not winning a Grammy, nor an Oscar. But just to have enough money to support myself, so that I can afford to market, produce and release ONLY the music which I like and have faith in–without having to worry about starving to death. A music career 100% free of all the “creative-meddlesome” A&R/record label intervention. One where all the expensively-priced middlemen (ie, lawyers, managers, accountants, studios, etc.)–have been completely removed from the equation. A career where I never have to worry about the “current trends” in popular music. A career where I can forever remain “picky” about the music I create.
So please take a moment to listen to and/or download this teaser (mixed by DJ Damage of the French indie hip-hop group, Jazz Liberatorz).
http://soundcloud.com/pickininny/picki-people-compilation-teaser-by-dj-damage
It features snippets from my new project, Taura Love’s Picki People Compilation Volume ONE (Pickininny/Brawl Records). If you dig the music and/or feel you would like to support this worldwide music movement called Picki People, then, by all means, let me know if you prefer digital (MP3s) or physical product (vinyl, CD). Should you prefer physical product, then please forward me your address.
Many thanks in advance.
with love,
love,
T-Love (aka “Taura Love”)