Kansas City, MO -The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) is set to move to a new groove with the Tuesday, March 24 nationwide release of True to the Game, Vol. 1 the museum's long-awaited Hip-Hop salute to the Negro Leagues compilation CD.
The music project, developed in partnership with New York City-based Stadium Entertainment, features some of the industry's biggest names lending their voice to pay tribute to the legacy of the Negro Leagues. A portion of proceeds from every CD sold benefits the NLBM.
True to the Game features 14 blazing original tracks from an All-Star roster of platinum and multi-platinum selling artists paired with emerging new artists. The line-up includes: Yung Joc, Raiyn and Talib Kweli, Tay Dizm, T-Pain and Rick Ross, Macy Gray and Marsha Ambrosius, GLC and Kanye West, Sam Chris and Big Boi (from the group Outkast), Mikkey Halsted and Klass, Ziggy Nina and Chingy, Porta Prince and Ray J, Jarvis and Ludacris, Mario, DJ Pharris & Shawna & Paul Wall & Lil Scrappy, Brandon Hines, and Hustle Boyz and Snoop Dogg. All the music on the CD is suitable for listening audiences of any age.
The current single, The Big Screen, features Hip-Hop icon Kanye West and his protégé GLC (both shown in photo, right) who is an emerging voice in urban music. GLC, a childhood friend of West, had previously appeared on West's critically acclaimed releases The College Dropout and Late Registration. West and GLC were the first artists to agree to participate on the True To The Game project. Simultaneously, a new track titled, Still Hurts, by Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, producer and actress, Macy Gray and Marsha Ambrosious, formerly of the Grammy-nominated group Floetry, has been serviced to radio stations across the country.
"The development and release of this CD is a milestone moment for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and demonstrates the progressive thinking and entrepreneurial spirit of the organization," said Bob Kendrick, vice-president of marketing for the NLBM. "Our goal is to use the pervasive power of Hip-Hop to give voice and introduce the story of the Negro Leagues to a new generation while creating a non-traditional stream of revenue to support museum operations."
The groundbreaking music project, three-years in the making, is licensed by the NLBM in partnership with Stadium Entertainment and is the first of a planned four volumes of releases from the label in support of the NLBM. Music industry veterans Gary Katz, Camille Barbone and Jerome Mas founded Stadium Entertainment in 2006.
According to Barbone, who formerly managed Madonna, the company was created in response to the "need to create a new paradigm in an industry that often forgets that its reach and power comes with certain responsibilities." The goal of the company is to use part of its revenue stream to support a wide-range of philanthropic and social justice organizations, while attempting to "edutain" consumers who aren't aware of important issues like the legacy of the Negro Leagues. As Barbone further explains, "We've created a new business model where the artists, their music and worthy charities can come together to create entertainment projects that have a profound impact on the lives of others."
True to the Game, Vol. 1 will retail for $14.99 at the Extra Inning Museum Store and on-line at NLBM.com starting March 24. Look for it here or anywhere music is sold across the country.
Link here to purchase True to the Game.
http://www.nlbm.com/ns/ProductDetail.cfm?PID=548
