Fifa Street track hits virtual streets

“Fou Ho” from Sur-Choc has remained one of the most enigmatic tracks from the Fifa Street game. The tune was picked up after becoming a runaway hit in the clubs of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The makers of “Fifa Street 2005″ were looking for a track with a gritty feel. Sur-Choc are one of the creators of the heady Zouglou style in Ivory Coast, whose best-known act is Magic System. The band records nutty dance tracks with a rough street feel.

Yet despite touring in France and elsewhere, Sur-Choc’s material is been hard to find. We are currently trying to find information about their tours.

Boy George slammed by Culture Club

Since he left the band, Boy George has been highly critical of the members of Culture Club. Since they announced that they were re-forming for a 20th anniversary tour, he stepped up the criticisms after refusing to take part. But the band is hitting back. The limit was reached when Boy George accepted an award from Q Music for the song “Karma Chameleon”. Interviewed by the BBC, bassist Mikey Craig was hurt: “We should have been there,” said Craig. “George wasn’t the sole writer of the song. We wrote collectively. At the end of the day, Culture Club was very much ours as well as George’s. He was the visual impact that everyone got, but there was a hell of a lot behind it,” he said.

Boy George, meanwhile, is continuing his career as DJ after a spell in New York and a noted run-in with the police for possession of cocaine. Check here to listen to the recent single “Look Pon U”.

“Bunny” Benaissa sells rap video

Rappers are doing it for themselves! Although there is a perception that rap artists roll around in Mercs drinking Crissy with their female companions, the reality is different. In Europe particularly, they have only themselves to rely on. There are big labels, but rap is not their priority.

So performers have to make sure their name is out there, by doing shows and promoting their work. “Bunny” Benaissa is a Moroccan-born rapper working in Germany. In addition to producing his own material, he also produced a clip for the track “Set Language”. Is this the way forward? For many performers, the answer is “yes”. But it means that they must become mini-labels in their own right. And not everyone has what it takes to produce videos, promote endlessly, book gigs, etc. <>

<>What’s cool in the case of Benaissa is that if you download the track (for just 25c), you can sell it from your own site, blog or mailing list. Check it out.

Hank Williams notebook worth $250,00?

Ask yourself how much can a notebook be worth? In the case of one of country music’s best-known songwriters, the answer is quite a lot. $250,000, in fact. Music publisher Sony/ATV has filed a lawsuit against a pair of collectors after reading that Stephen Shutts and Robert Reynolds (the Honky Tonk Hall of Fame) had acquired a notebook containing lyrics and notes by the late Hank Williams (the writer of “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “Cold Cold Heart”) from a lady in Nashville. Sony/ATV claim it was stolen and would like the notebook back. For more details, visit A-Lyric.com.