UMe’s Urban Legends division will present live DJ sets, new mini-documentaries about
James Brown and new releases of re-mixes of classic songs as part of Black Music Month.
Debuting today on the Godfather of Soul’s official
YouTube Channel is the trailer for
Funky Drummer, episode one of a new three-episode animated mini-series
Get Down, The Influence Of James Brown. Narrated by
Questlove and featuring
Lord Finesse and
Wax Poetics magazine’s
Andre Torres, the series was created by UMe along with
Dreambear.
Funky Drummer premieres 7/10.
To celebrate the release of
Funky Drummer, DJ Premier will do a special DJ set on his
official YouTube channel, at 4pm PT/7pm ET, paying homage to Soul Brother #1.
On 6/24, a
YouTube Livestream Session will feature
Natasha Diggs performing a live DJ set honoring
Janet Jackson and
Motown State Of Mind will be released as an exclusive
45 RPM box set containing seven 7-inch records remixed and reimagined by legendary rapper and hip-hop producer Lord Finesse. Two days later,
Motown/UMe will digitally release
Motown State Of Mind,
“The musical and cultural impact that these artists continue to have on a global scale is immeasurable,” said
Katina Bynum, Executive Vice President of East Coast Labels, Urban, UMe. “UMe and Urban Legends are honored to work with the genre-defining artists, both past and present, who break new ground and prove that music will always thrive, inspire and offer the foundation for generations to use to build on and create their own art and identity.”
Urban Legends is reimagining and relaunching a digital space for interaction and engagement with fans from on-going livestream tribute shows, content series and curated collections of vinyl. They are also involved in
Def Jam’s
three-part series on photography.