If you needed some hope and inspiration, Carnegie Hall gave just that this past weekend!
Jetsonmade recently announced the launch of BoyMeetSpace – a music education program inspired by his label. BoyMeetSpace Academy takes aspiring producers through a six-week course where they’ll learn about the beat making process, as well as be provided with the resources and tools to establish a successfully career in music while receiving one-on-one feedback from music industry playmakers.
Notable names that will join Jetson at his academy are Tay Keith, Pooh Beatz and WondaGurl. Artists from Jetson’s label including 1st Class and Neeko Baby will also help guide students as they get up close and personal with the inner workings of the music industry.
Those who enroll could also receive college accreditation for the program as soon as next year. Jetson plans to team up with universities across the country in the near future.
We got to sit down with Jetsonmade to talk more about the creation of BoyMeetSpace Academy, his thoughts on higher education, what truly makes an artist and producer’s sound unique and what it’s like producing for some of the biggest stars of today.
You can find out more about Jetsonmade and how to join BoyMeetSpace Academy here.
Spoiling a crowd that is already well familiar with the highest levels of human creativity and talent, soprano Rosa Feola and tenor Stephen Costello still offered their very best with an intimate recital including excerpts from Rigoletto by Verdi and L’Elisir d’Amore by Donizetti. The recital, punctuating a joyous dinner, was rife with deft humor, astounding vocal power, and charming actions. Even without translation, the story was easy to follow thanks to the rich animation of the performers.
These performers, coming straight from the Metropolitan Opera, managed to create a rich atmosphere out of nearly nothing and defined setting and story by voice and a single prop: a bottle of wine from The Duckhorn Portfolio, the wine choice of the evening. It felt spontaneous and deeply engaging, it was a performance that revealed the diverse talents of today’s opera stars. Pianist Katelan Tran Terrell accompanied on the piano.
Within the dining room of New York City’s legendary Union Club, an air of charm and optimism pervaded. The Salzburg Festival is, without a doubt, the most important performing arts festival in the world. It is unique for combining all types of performance works such as opera, drama and concerts as well offering innovative and refreshing interpretations of a enormous selection of works. Tickets to performances are cherished and go quickly.
“Since its founding more than 100 years ago, the great American tradition of supporting the arts through private philanthropy has enabled the Salzburg Festival to implement artistic projects and other major initiatives which would have otherwise been impossible,” said Dr. Kristina Hammer, the new president of the Salzburg Festival and keynote speaker at the New York Gala.
As part of the celebrations, the evening co-chairs Carole Bailey French and John French III, welcomed their guest of honor, Peter Gelb, the general manager of The Metropolitan Opera. This was an important point of recognition because The Met and Salzburg Festival have had a long and fruitful engagement together.
Peter Gelb speaks at Salzburg Festival Society Gala
“The Met and Salzburg [Festival] have a healthy symbiotic relationship,” opined Gelb, “in those months during fall, winter, and spring when the Salzburg Festival is not in session, The Met is there to help fill the gap. My personal history with the Salzburg Festival goes back to the time when it was still being ruled imperiously by Herbert von Karajan.
John French III presented both Kristina Hammer, the newly installed as the president of the festival, and Peter Gelb, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, with a hand-blown engraved decanter by artisan Simon Pearce.
The uniting factor in the room was the overwhelming appreciation for the traditions of the Salzburg Festival, along with the curiosity of what is to come under Dr. Hammer’s direction. Dr. Hammer expressed particular enthusiasm for supporting younger members of the public who wish to fund or participate in the festival, including through programs like the Young Singers Project as well as other programs strictly for young people.
For those in the US, the Salzburg Festival Society is an appropriate point of entry to the festivities. The Society is the liaison between the Salzburg Festival and its American friends and patrons, providing members with exclusive access to events and services related to the Festival. Support starts at $1,500 and grants, among many other benefits, two tickets to up to 15 performances at the festival, typically held in July and August.
Guests at the Gala included Salzburg Festival Society president Nabil Chartouni and his wife Samantha, as well as board members Isabelle Harnoncourt-Feigen, Maria Hernandez with Joel Bell, Alexandra Kauka-Hamill, Isabella Ponta, and Sana H. Sabbagh, as well as Afsaneh Akhtari, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Elizabeth Stribling, Barbara Tober and more.
The evening’s generous sponsor was Bank of America Private Bank. Rolex was a Gala Benefactor and Global Sponsor of the Salzburg Festival.
Richie Akiva came into Art Basel full force and claimed Miami with the hottest parties and events, undisputed. The hospitality giant and NY nightlife King, held Basel pop ups starting with Stone Island on November 29th and included celebrity stacked nights at GALA Miami nightclub, Socialista at Cipriani Miami on December 1 and December 3, and even a mega Yacht party on November 30th. There were definitely more, but we lost count.
Akiva marked his rank on Basel 2022, seen out nightly and all around town with an A-List crew.
GALA Miami, the hottest new and exclusive South Beach nightclub by JoJo Lahoud and Marco Garcia, partnered with Akiva for an unmatched weekend of talent endlessly flowing nightly and posted up across all the VIP tables. DJ sets included Jus Ske on Friday night and Stevie J on Saturday, with Ruckus guest popping into the booth . The flow of talent at GALA included Kim Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian, Foodgod, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott, Hailey Bieber, Serena and Venus Williams, Hassan Whiteside, Griizy, Shay Mitchell, Bella Thorne, Frida Aasen and Tommy Chiabra, Miguel, Cash XO, Floyd Mayweather, Eiza Gonzalez, Hailee Steinfeld, Beau Casper Smart, SAINt JHN, Zack Bia, Gastaad Guy, Yung Taco, Victor Cruz, Eric The Jeweler, Larsa Pippen, Marcus Jordan, Dixie D’Amelio, Patrick Carroll, JR Smith, Alesso, Tobey Maguire, and the list goes on….
If you missed the GALA late night parties, was there even a point to be in Miami last weekend? Perhaps, because Akiva also had just as many VIPs out at Cipriani’s Miami Socialista lounge for his earlier evening sets. On the 1st, Zoe Kravitz celebrated her birthday at the waterfront lounge, partying along side names such as Eiza Gonzalez, Hailee Steinfeld, Jamie Chung, and Hailey Bieber all hanging in their intimate VIP area, as well as Venus and Serena Williams, Adrian Grenier, Phillies’ owner John Powers Middleton, Vincent Laresca, Tobey Maguire, Frida Aasen, Tommy Chiabra, and more. The Socialista party reconvened on Saturday night for a second installment, December 2nd, in which Akiva did a double header.
Stone Island was the kick off of Akiva’s week at the RC Cola Plant on the 29th for the 40th anniversary with a performance by Jamie XX, and the likes of Jared Leto, Miguel, Odell Beckham Jr, Vivi Nevo, Danny A. Abeckaser, James Goldstein, Riccardo Tisci, and Venus Williams, among several other bold faced names, with DJ sets by Tomas Station and Jonny Rock, and many more. The event was co-hosted by Ronnie Madra, Steven Kentucky, Lucciano Grey and Skylar Hauswirth.
His lineup then followed on the 30th with a super VIP party on the VAVA Mega Yacht, for a party we hear went all night following Sean Penn’s Core Response Gala. The guest list of the yacht deserves an award in itself, ranging from A-Listers like Jared Leto to supermodels, athletes, influencers and a slew of notables, and we hear no phones were permitted. Akiva knows how to throw a bash, as we hear guests were greeted with white glove service.
The Knockturnal continues to bring you the hottest nightlife and event insider info. in all top cities. Follow us for more on instagram.
Photo gallery above from Gala Miami, exclusive images by World Red Eye / Seth Browarnik. Head to World Red Eye for more images from Gala, Stone Island and Socialista.
Singer and Songwriter Rowan Drake recently released his single Hollow on November 18th.
On Saturday, November 19, 2022, at The Ned NoMad, Busta Rhymes hosted a private EP Album Release party taking over the entire Jazz Club level of Akiva’s Members Club and hotel, a popular New York hotspot. The party, of which guests entered through The Library Room which was filled floor to ceiling with red and black balloons, went from Midnight to 4:00am, with an exclusive guest list of Busta‘s personal invitees celebrating all evening. The party was to honor his new album, “The Fuse Is Lit,” as he toasted with guests into the late night hours.
Other music artists and industry notables at the bash included Dave East, DJ Suss One, Rowdy Rebel, Spliff Star, Giggs, Badius, Capella Grey, Tr Trizzy, Hustle Hard Herbie, Eric The Jeweler (Eric Mavani), Murda Mook, DJ Scratchator, Nicole Mitchell Murphy, Stacie J, Gianni Credle-Harrell, and more.
“The Fuse Is Lit” EP has been trending on the charts, released on November 18th. The album includes a collaboration with Swizz Beatz as producer, and special guests Conway The Machine, Capella Grey, Big Daddy Kane & more.
Busta, all smiles all night, was draped in a powder blue custom Chanel suit and matching puffer jacket ensemble highlighted by red Chanel stitching, a red turtleneck and gold button details. The rap mogul was draped in gold jewelry, his hands donning oversized gold, diamond and ruby rings, for a show-stopping look.
Busta took to the mic once the room was full, noting “I didn’t have a DJ until 8:00pm, shout out to Blends, and a venue until 72 hours ago, okay..ok… let’s be straight, 48 hours ago.., I called my brother Richie Akiva and he pulled off a lot for me, not going to sugarcoat it, love that man.” Guests continued to cheer and shout out their pal Busta, everyone so excited for his EP. He also went on to give additional speeches, and noted “Now I am going to say a few things. First, I AM HAPPY. I have been working on final touches of this EP release for the last 48 hours, and right now I am super in love with being an artist first and when it comes to the creative space especially. When you have real friends and real love and relationships in your life, that just makes all things next level.”
A special DJ set was performed by Busta‘s pal DJ True Blends.
The Ned NoMad continues to have an endless flow of VIPs through its doors, with Dave Chappelle hosting his SNL party the weekend prior, of which Busta and Miguel were both present and performed.
Richie Akiva has been at the forefront of New York hospitality since he opened Butter, followed by Up&Down, The Darby and 1OAK. The Ned NoMad is his latest chapter of an evolved career, bringing New York his latest vision of curated hospitality and nightlife, through the doors of the exclusive Members Club, Hotel, and private lounge.
Exclusive Images from Busta’s EP Release Party. Photo credit: Johnny Nunez
Two-time Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer Poo Bear recently released his album, The Book of Nabeel, on November 18th.
Independent, multi-faceted artist QUIN offers a preview of her new project, “SCORPIA” (feat. 6LACK) at a listening party!
This was a moment full of a lot of heart!
It has been 20 years since the phenomenal release of Eminem’s semi-biographical feature 8 mile and it has only grown in relevance with the forthcoming years.
I, for one, have always been a huge fan of Eminem. I appreciated his lyricism and artistry as a rapper and his body of work has only grown exponentially since the release of the film.
The film takes place in Detroit where a young man named Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith (Eminem) attempts to break out into the rap scene. It becomes difficult for him as he is the only white man to attempt to compete in the 90s to early 2000s zeitgeist.
This film had the muster and energy that you would expect from any high-octane Eminem single off of one of his fire albums.
This film proves to be a gritty and raw look at the life of a young man making his way through a strange and dangerous world in Detroit. Its realism is what contributes to its artistry and makes it a thing of beauty that other hip-hop movies like Get Rich or Die Tryin’ failed to achieve.
8 Mile is a feat in, not only the film genre, but also in songwriting, as Eminem became the first rapper to win an Oscar for Best Original Song. “Lose Yourself” is easily one of the greatest rap songs of the decade if not the century. It is played in every gym and almost every motivational video for a reason.
The song has a unique quality that has remained ubiquitous in its use wherever it is played. The song, much like the film, deals with struggle and perseverance with a message of never giving up no matter what happens.
That is what everyone needs to keep the drive and spark inside of them burning. It’s the only thing that gives up hope for a better tomorrow. That’s what keeps me up and running throughout the day.