New York city is the east coast Hollywood, the legendary island of the music business.
It has its own form, art and image.
Without surprise Mirror Image helms from New York City and reps it with their BX stance.
Susan and Jesse Vasquez are a set of twin songbirds who's flow and vocal composition blow many out the water. Their curvacious looks and swagg sets them apart from the average and the regular and brings forth a new form of soul music.
I got a chance to travel with these beautiful ladies to Albany, New York for a show at Siena College, where they held down the colleges annual Latin event and left the audience asking for more. They hop in the Range Rover and turn up the music, break out into synchronized singing and continue to bless my ears with smooth ranges my eyes could even hear.

Nothing is worse than when you are in car with a person who claims to sing but cracks your window, right?! we have all been victims of that.

This was the far case. At one point I literally wanted to turn pause the song so their melancholic voices can over rule Cassie's "Official Girl". What do you think of Cassie? I ask them. Without a pause Jesse aka J. Harmony answers, "I like her but don't feel she is promoted right."
This assures me that not only are they in tact with vocals, they are also aware of the business and the rules to this game.
This is a talent on its own.

The ladies get to campus on a chilly Saturday evening and set to star mode. They change into matching jumpsuits which complement their every curve and sparkle on the make up, which is never too much but just enough to accentuate their seducing features.
The crowd awaits and they are ready to give Siena College a show they were not ready for.
From reggaeton beats to high energy bangers the ladies have them on their feet and dancing away. The boys are in awe with Mirror Image's swagg and the ladies join them in anthems.

These girls were made for this.

After the greetings and photo ops they thank everyone gracefully for their support and head back to the transition. They sachet themselves back to the Range Rover. The music is first and foremost on again and they continue to charm me with their octaves all the way to the hotel.

The energy they shared with the audience was captivating, the way they calmly greeted and humbly smiled with everyone, from the campus to restaurants to hotel staff makes them even more memorable.

They are back in their rooms and back to being regular girls who take pictures through the hotel, enjoy the late night snacks and the fun joking moments with management.
This all remains as the everyday life of Mirror Image, they love it, enjoy it, breathe it and sleep it, twin songbirds from the BX who are awaiting their legendary spot they deserve.

They are patiently waiting to blow.... Ladies and gentleman welcome to the Mirror Image show!


www.myspace.com/mirrorimagenyc
http://extravagangstaradio.ning.com/pro ... RROR1IMAGE

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Ok, let’s get down it. First off, anybody who says they enjoy riding on public transportation are LIARS!!!

People I must warn you, don’t get on a bus if you don’t have a set of headphones to escape to. Nothing is worse than listening to somebody’s nonsense (and may I say keep that embarrassing info to private area conversations) of how you’re going on a date with this guy you met on facebook…are you serious? Why would anybody want to let strangers know that they like to date other strangers? Oh wait, I think I may have just answered my own question with that very question.

As the days, weeks, months, hours, and seasons pass by, I continually have to ask myself: “Saphira, why the haven’t you gotten your driver’s license yet?”
It’s the convenience of my downtown living… I can walk everywhere. But there are those weekly, yes weekly, commutes to here and there where I need to hop on the OC Transpo.

It’s bad enough to have to shell out 3 bucks to sit in an already defiled from the last persons bum soil seat, crying babies, preteens who think it’s cool to yell out profanity to make them feel like superstars. BODY ODOR that’s unimaginable, and riders that think its ok flatulate silently. Just because we can’t hear it, doesn’t mean we can’t smell it… Do not forget the cheesy couples who think its “romantic” to canoodle on the bus!

On top of that you have the groggy bus drivers who grunt at you when you say hello. They don’t help senior citizens on and off the bus, either try to kill you while on route or speed off without you. All the while looking directly at you in your eyes with a little glimmer of evil; “Yes! another sucker misses their bus ride!” Do you know how many jobs I’ve almost lost because of evil bus drivers?

One thing I must point out though, in between the not so nice drivers I must make a note that these days OC Transpo drivers are getting younger and hotter! And hey, that’s ok with me, it’s the only upside to paying 3 dollars to ride. Then it gets me to thinking, if that was one of the reasons why I ride, does that make me a “John” in the world of bus-riding????

Whatever it is, I’ve made the decision to really get on this driver’s license band wagon. I’m eons past having it; and eons beyond eons over public transportation.

Truthfully Yours,
Saphira Daenyx

Do you agree with Saphira???

admin@diamondsinthecity.net

Open Your Ears




To all the people who said that Lauryn Hill lost her cool, when it came to her musical growth. You were so obviously blinded by the mainstream of music and her rumored meltdowns to appreciate that her acoustic style was burning it up!

The voice of an angel with the flow of a river; Lauryn Hill is one of the most talented songstresses to grace the globe with her talent.

She decided to retire from the fantasy side of the industry, and channel her energies to what really moves her. The deepest she can be. The strumming of her guitar accompanied by her soulful, raspy melody can bring water to the eyes. Raw emotion drips from this MTV Unplugged special as she begins to cry during her performance of “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind.”

Everybody has been so focused and all the drama in her life, that they’ve failed to OPEN THEIR EARS and hear the emotion that her personal battles are unleashing into the mic. Just because she's not willing to conform herself to fit into exactly who everybody else thinks she should be, or what people remember her to be; and has finally realized what she’s truly all about, how does that equal a "melt down"? I don’t call that a meltdown, I call that self discovery. I’m sure we’re not all the same person we were ten years ago. I know I’ve gone through my share of drama that has made me who I am today.

She quoted at a concert in Oakland last year: "I can't fit into a stereotype that makes me comfortable for you," ……If that makes me feel uncomfortable to you, I need to find some new company."

She also stated during her MTV performance, one of my favorite quotes: “Fantasy is what people want, but reality is what they need……and I’ve just recently retired from the fantasy part.” She also mentions about how she’s just rolling along until she finds people who can appreciate what she’s doing now.

Well Lauryn, you’ve found me! Her voice may crack, and she may sometimes draw a blank to what her next line is, but one thing that cannot be denied LAURYN HILL CAN BLOW!
Download it, buy it, Youtube it. However you do it, everybody could use a little Lauryn Hill in their lives. MTV Unplugged special. If her voice doesn’t move you, then you need to get moving……

I’ll take a side of Ms. Hill w/ my steak.


~ Nicole Davids

feedback at:

admin@diamondsinthecity.net

Pebbles Amongst OUR Diamonds

What’s up people, I’m here for your weekly dose of keepin’ it real! So get ready for some reality checks. Here we go!

What’s up with these 30+ never gonna get there rappers? Seriously, I’m not trying to crush your dreams; I’m trying to make you open your squinted eyes. If you’re past the age of 25 and your tunes aren’t spinnin’ in the club, or playing on the radio; TIME TO PACK UP THE MIC AND STICK TO KARAOKE NIGHTS.

Not to say that some of these dudes can’t throw it down on the mic. That’s not the point though....If a woman is 67 years old is she gonna start stripping cause she did it when she was younger?? I highly doubt it, and the ones that do, have a serious problem to pay for. Get it? You may have some talent, but you need to start channeling it into ANOTHER direction. Find talent, mentor talent, but please STOP trying to be the talent. We get it. You were hype in 1992, and then your career died in 1993, and 20 something years later you’re still trying to revive your DEATH. Only God can give you life again, and it’s quite evident, that he agrees with your rap death; so CHILL…..

Now there’s nothing wrong with getting together with your people, and drinking, coolin’ out, having great times, and freestyling for fun and all of that. That is one of my most favorite pass times. If you want to record for fun, just for something to do: I’ll bring the drinks baby, rock on! But at the end of the day: That’s all it’s gonna be. Was Snoop still grindin’ to get noticed at age 24?? NO! The man was already deep, deeep in the game by that age. If you start young, make it, and are still cruisin’, by all means keep your booty doing shows, and keep your booty in the studio. You’ve obviously got something going on. MORE POWER TO YA

It sickens me when the REAL talent gets interrupted. These dudes are the PEBBLES AMONGST OUR DIAMONDS. Stick to writing, stick to producing, but stick a fork in it, because your delivery does not shine. If anyone is offended then I’ve done my job; because maybe it will let you evaluate your own rappers delight situation and see where you’re at.

It sucks because the ones that are confident in themselves, know this article need not apply to them….For the rest, I’ve written a rhyme: “But then we have the ignorant, desperate- to- be’s, won’t give it up at the age of 43. Lookin’ with they puppy eyes, with you tryin to plea: ‘Please, please, please just see the rapper in me.’ I swear that I’m legit, how else I roll with posses?’ They the baddest in the city, no like they suck literally. Don’t call me the dream killer; just refer to me as lady reality, giving you the truth, a piece that everybody fears to see”. Now that I’ve put this in rhyming, y’all look out for my cd reaching in 2020! So I’ll be about 39 when it drops. I already rhymed earlier on in this article, so I’m a rapper now, and I will die reaching for it.


Truthfully Yours,

Saphira Daenyx

Do you agree with Saphira??...Let us know

Admin@diamondsinthecity.net

When the 80's had the rope chains, British Knights and Kangol hats, fresh was an understatement. Fast forward to the 90's where rugged Timb boots and baggy jeans were fashion must haves in hip hop, now is the new millennium everything goes. Freedom of speech has been taken to another level, what you are and where you wanna be. Designer names and the Internet influence are visible in almost every artists wardrobe.
So is only right the Bronx's next generation, 950Plus, staple themselves as the Flyest Dudes on the planet.
Having over 300, 000 hits on www.myspace.com/950plus, features on Bridgez and E2K magazines, a European tour and over 350 shows under their belt, all at the tender age of 22, Prince "F.Ezzy" Suarez and Sean "Young Duse" Barrero are a product of this fresh era. They clearly state they are swagger and in the bronx is where it all started.
Their ear candy music has touched fans from Venezuela to Czech Republic, but it is the new wave of technology, myspace.com, responsible for half the shows they have under their belts and for just as much for their success. "If I wanted to sell a 950 Plus CD to a young boy out in the most rural area in Africa, I can", states The Ave Records Co-CEO and 950Plus Co-Manager, David "De-Kutz" Aviles. This is the kind of power technology has breaded.
950Plus does not find it difficult at all to relate to fans because, just like the fresh gear they sport, they stay relevant. Whether is blaring out constant bangers out the studio or sporting the new gold foil Coogi hoodie in stores, the power they behold and how they have used it to their advantage is something no one would've ever predicted at the time Biz Markie was saying hes just a friend.
950Plus has surrounded themselves with some of those responsible for paving the way for the new generation they now represent. They proudly name A.G. from DITC (Diggin' In The Crates) Crew as one of their earliest influences, and now being signed to his Tha Ave Records is icing on the cake. They keep themselves grounded with a circle of people who share the same ambition and that is to make it. Surrounding themselves with entrepreneurs has resulted them to adapt a recipe for success. This to them is to be themselves, do as you believe and never quit.
This is the same drive visible in Jonathan "J.O." Molina, Label Associate for The Ave Records. being a product of the Bronx himself he feels a duty to make 950Plus a staple in hip hop. Having just 2 years experience in the promotions world, his parties and events have snowballed into over 13,500 hits on his myspace page and over 2000 Facebook friends. This has helped him establish a network for himself major labels would love to formulate. Walking in the room with his own set "estilo"(swagger) at hand and his hunger for success in the other, he knows how important the sacrifices are to complete his goals. Staying present in all meetings, communicating ideas clearly and getting online is how he promotes 950Plus. "Do what you know, do what you learn and find a theory", he says. 950Plus is what he knows and the era of cyberspace is what he learned.

950Plus new single "WOW" has been doing just that. WoWing fans from Bridgeport, CT, 116th Festival to Red Bull and Kokonuts events thorughout New York City. The Flavour Flav sampled master piece is making this platinum number offical and like the great JayZ said, "numbers dont lie", this means 950 is the truth.

Hip Hop is not avoidable. It can be tampered with and shifted but it will always fall back into where it started. In this case the Bronx would've never thought it would birth such power, where technology, fashion, talent and knowledge unite in a form of entertainment. 950Plus is just that. A lot of artists have broken barriers but not many have marketed this business the way 950 does. After 7 years strong, no show is a bad show because to them someone will always be watching. Whether is the Puerto Rican Day parade or a college performance, the show doesn't stop there. They are determined to brand themselves and have you listen. Either through your speakers, computer, television or print, they gonna bring you that breath of FRESH air.

Shout out to the Bronx!

Check out the new 950 Site
www.950plus.com

New Single "WOW"
http://www.imeem.com/people/OZicdl2/mus ... 04_wowwma/

http://www.myspace.com/950plus
http://www.myspace.com/950plus2


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