Latest news with #N.W.A.
Otago Daily Times
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Obituary: Roy Ayers, musician
Roy Ayers, US funk, soul and jazz composer and vibraphone player, during a live concert performance at the Kool Jazz Festival, at the Riverfront Stadium in Cincinatti, Ohio, USA, in July 1976. Photo: Getty Imaes Jazz composer Roy Ayers was as known for the music his songs ended up in as he was for his own work. Mary J. Blige, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Mos Def and Ice Cube all sampled the vibraphonist, keyboardist, composer and vocalist's 1976 Everybody Loves the Sunshine, and Ayers believed that he had more sampled hits than anyone, even the much re-utilised James Brown. The Los Angeles-born Ayers started out as a session player in the 1960s but found fame after striking out on his own. His blend of jazz and funk struck a chord just as disco was emerging and songs like Running Away and You Send Me were hits. Ever in demand as a musical collaborator, Ayers worked with artists as diverse as Rick James and Tyler the Creator. Roy Ayers died on March 4 aged 84. — APL/agencies
CBS News
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Ice Cube honored at Hollywood TCL Chinese Theatre handprint ceremony
Los Angeles native Ice Cube will leave his mark at a hand and footprint ceremony at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday. The 11 a.m. ceremony honors the rapper, songwriter and film star notably known for his lyrics on N.W.A.'s 1989 album, "Straight Outta Compton." Along with the ceremonial honors, the 55-year-old is set to announce his first domestic headlining tour in over a decade. The Truth To Power: 4 Decades of Attitude tour kicks off on Sept. 4, with a Sept. 28 Los Angeles Arena performance. The rapper recently showed some LA love performing "It Was a Good Day" ahead of the Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series Game 2. He again wore Dodger blue to celebrate the World Series champs, belting out "It Was a Good Day" to a stadium full of celebratory fans and players. Born O'Shea Jackson Sr., he formed his first rap group C.I.A. in 1986, and in 1987, he joined Dr. Dre and Eazy E to form the gangsta rap group N.W.A. Cube left N.W.A. in 1989 to launch a solo rap career and team with other artists. He started his film career with a role in director John Singleton's 1991 feature debut of "Boyz n the Hood," named after a 1987 rap song that Ice Cube wrote. One of the speakers at Tuesday's Hollywood ceremony includes Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., who portrayed his father in the 2015 N.W.A biopic, "Straight Outta Compton." Comedian and actor Mike Epps will also speak at the ceremony. Epps co-starred with Ice Cube in a series of comedic films, "Next Friday," "Friday After Next," "All About The Benjamins" and "Lottery Ticket." N.W.A was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. Ice Cube has released 11 studio albums. Each of the first five were certified platinum and the next two were certified gold. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Roy Ayers, a jazz legend who influenced hip-hop and R&B musicians, dies at 84
NEW YORK (AP) — Roy Ayers, a legendary jazz vibraphonist, keyboardist, composer and vocalist known for his spacy, funky 1976 hit 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' that has been sampled by such R&B and rap heavyweights as Mary J. Blige, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Mos Def and Ice Cube, has died. He was 84. The Ayers family said in a Facebook post that he died Tuesday in New York City after suffering from a long illness. 'He lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed,' it said. Ayers had 12 albums land in the Billboard 200 album charts, the highest being 'You Send Me' in 1978 at No. 48. His 'The Best of Roy Ayers' spend 50 weeks on the Contemporary Jazz Album chart. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. His music never went out of style, appearing in the 2019 'Queen & Slim: The Soundtrack.' His song 'Running Away' propelled A Tribe Called Quest's 1989 opus 'Description of a Fool,' and the song was sampled by Big Daddy Kane and Common. Ayers was heard on Tyler, the Creator's album 'Cherry Bomb' and Erykah Badu's 'Mama's Gun.' 'Well, I have more sampled hits than anybody," he said in a 2004 interview with Wax Poetics magazine. "I might not have more samples than James Brown, but I've had more sampled hits. Oh, man, and there's a few I don't know about.' One of Ayers' most popular albums was "Lifeline," which peaked at No. 9 on what has become the Top R&B/Hip-hop chart in 1977 and contained the hit 'Running Away,' which peaked at No. 19 on the R&B chart and became a massive club hit. During a visit to Johannesburg in 2017, Ayers offered some rhythmic advice for youth in the city's Soweto area: Get serious, be inspired, rap on, keep on and 'eventually you'll get it.' 'You guys, you have to pick your plateau. Get serious about everything,' said Ayers. He also named a few musicians who have inspired him: Nigerian Fela Kuti ('he was really like a genius'), Herbie Mann ('he taught me the business') and Miles Davis ('He was the coolest. He was the grandmaster. He was out of sight'). After debuting on record with hard bop tenor saxophonist Curtis Amy's group in 1962, he teamed with jazz flutist Mann to record three albums for Atlantic Records — 'Virgo Vibes,' 'Stoned Soul Picnic' and 'Daddy Bug' — and wrote and produced the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film 'Coffy' starring Pam Grier. He also moved on to work with David 'Fathead' Newman, the tenor mainstay of Ray Charles' great '60s orchestra. In 2017, he appeared alongside such acts as Tom Petty, the Shins, Alabama Shakes, Charles Bradley and William Bell at the eclectic Arroyo Seco Festival in Los Angeles. Ayers is survived by his wife Argerie, and their children Mtume and Ayana Ayers.
The Independent
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Roy Ayers, a jazz legend who influenced hip-hop and R&B musicians, dies at 84
Roy Ayers, a legendary jazz vibraphonist, keyboardist, composer and vocalist known for his spacy, funky 1976 hit 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' that has been sampled by such R&B and rap heavyweights as Mary J. Blige, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Mos Def and Ice Cube, has died. He was 84. The Ayers family said in a Facebook post that he died Tuesday in New York City after suffering from a long illness. 'He lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed,' it said. Ayers had 12 albums land in the Billboard 200 album charts, the highest being 'You Send Me' in 1978 at No. 48. His 'The Best of Roy Ayers' spend 50 weeks on the Contemporary Jazz Album chart. His music never went out of style, appearing in the 2019 'Queen & Slim: The Soundtrack.' His song 'Running Away' propelled A Tribe Called Quest's 1989 opus 'Description of a Fool,' and the song was sampled by Big Daddy Kane and Common. Ayers was heard on Tyler, the Creator's album 'Cherry Bomb' and Erykah Badu's 'Mama's Gun.' 'Well, I have more sampled hits than anybody," he said in a 2004 interview with Wax Poetics magazine. "I might not have more samples than James Brown, but I've had more sampled hits. Oh, man, and there's a few I don't know about.' One of Ayers' most popular albums was "Lifeline," which peaked at No. 9 on what has become the Top R&B/Hip-hop chart in 1977 and contained the hit 'Running Away,' which peaked at No. 19 on the R&B chart and became a massive club hit. During a visit to Johannesburg in 2017, Ayers offered some rhythmic advice for youth in the city's Soweto area: Get serious, be inspired, rap on, keep on and 'eventually you'll get it.' 'You guys, you have to pick your plateau. Get serious about everything,' said Ayers. He also named a few musicians who have inspired him: Nigerian Fela Kuti ('he was really like a genius'), Herbie Mann ('he taught me the business') and Miles Davis ('He was the coolest. He was the grandmaster. He was out of sight'). After debuting on record with hard bop tenor saxophonist Curtis Amy's group in 1962, he teamed with jazz flutist Mann to record three albums for Atlantic Records — 'Virgo Vibes,' 'Stoned Soul Picnic' and 'Daddy Bug' — and wrote and produced the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film 'Coffy' starring Pam Grier. He also moved on to work with David 'Fathead' Newman, the tenor mainstay of Ray Charles' great '60s orchestra. In 2017, he appeared alongside such acts as Tom Petty, the Shins, Alabama Shakes, Charles Bradley and William Bell at the eclectic Arroyo Seco Festival in Los Angeles. Ayers is survived by his wife Argerie, and their children Mtume and Ayana Ayers.
Associated Press
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Roy Ayers, a jazz legend who influenced hip-hop and R&B musicians, dies at 84
NEW YORK (AP) — Roy Ayers, a legendary jazz vibraphonist, keyboardist, composer and vocalist known for his spacy, funky 1976 hit 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' that has been sampled by such R&B and rap heavyweights as Mary J. Blige, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Mos Def and Ice Cube, has died. He was 84. The Ayers family said in a Facebook post that he died Tuesday in New York City after suffering from a long illness. 'He lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed,' it said. Ayers had 12 albums land in the Billboard 200 album charts, the highest being 'You Send Me' in 1978 at No. 48. His 'The Best of Roy Ayers' spend 50 weeks on the Contemporary Jazz Album chart. His music never went out of style, appearing in the 2019 'Queen & Slim: The Soundtrack.' His song 'Running Away' propelled A Tribe Called Quest's 1989 opus 'Description of a Fool,' and the song was sampled by Big Daddy Kane and Common. Ayers was heard on Tyler, the Creator's album 'Cherry Bomb' and Erykah Badu's 'Mama's Gun.' 'Well, I have more sampled hits than anybody,' he said in a 2004 interview with Wax Poetics magazine. 'I might not have more samples than James Brown, but I've had more sampled hits. Oh, man, and there's a few I don't know about.' One of Ayers' most popular albums was 'Lifeline,' which peaked at No. 9 on what has become the Top R&B/Hip-hop chart in 1977 and contained the hit 'Running Away,' which peaked at No. 19 on the R&B chart and became a massive club hit. During a visit to Johannesburg in 2017, Ayers offered some rhythmic advice for youth in the city's Soweto area: Get serious, be inspired, rap on, keep on and 'eventually you'll get it.' 'You guys, you have to pick your plateau. Get serious about everything,' said Ayers. He also named a few musicians who have inspired him: Nigerian Fela Kuti ('he was really like a genius'), Herbie Mann ('he taught me the business') and Miles Davis ('He was the coolest. He was the grandmaster. He was out of sight'). After debuting on record with hard bop tenor saxophonist Curtis Amy's group in 1962, he teamed with jazz flutist Mann to record three albums for Atlantic Records — 'Virgo Vibes,' 'Stoned Soul Picnic' and 'Daddy Bug' — and wrote and produced the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film 'Coffy' starring Pam Grier. He also moved on to work with David 'Fathead' Newman, the tenor mainstay of Ray Charles' great '60s orchestra. In 2017, he appeared alongside such acts as Tom Petty, the Shins, Alabama Shakes, Charles Bradley and William Bell at the eclectic Arroyo Seco Festival in Los Angeles.
