Alja Jackson: The Prettiest Girl is currently the newest Music Phenomenon that isn’t new. A seasoned professional in the business, Alja has been putting it down for quite some time. With writing credits from: Missy Elliott to P. Diddy to Beyonce to Trey Songz, this pretty girl has been around the block and back in the game. A prolific composer/producer/rapper/singer/songwriter, she has a tremendous arsenal of creativity, punch & swag to carry her for many decades in the music industry. Alja puts one in the mind frame of such greats as: Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Amel Larrieux, Jay Z, just to name a few… But, she is simply ALJA JACKSON!!! Meaning: she is a queen in her own right already in the game. And what a hardworker!!!

Now it’s ALJA JACKSON’s turn!!!

In addition to penning hits for other well-known artists, Alja Jackson has been putting it down in the studio. She has multiple mixtapes to her credit: The Prettiest Girl Mixtape, Contra-Brand Mixtape, and The Pretty, Bad, and the Ugly Mixtape. Needless to say, they are all beyond amazing. The girl has fire power. Pay attention people!!!

On Wednesday, July 20, 2011 Alja Jackson held her private listening session at Soul Asylum Studios in Atlanta, Georgia for her new album, Stilettos & Steel. The drop (on her own imprint: LEFTFIELD PRODUCTIONS) is a mixture of hard hitting hip-hop joints, smooth ballads, and some pop appeal. It’s like a Gumbo. On this release, Alja wrote, produced, engineered, composed, etc. She just had her hands all in the pot, and we like it like that… Do your thing Alja “The Prettiest Girl” Jackson. Oh, that’s MISS JACKSON; if you nasty…

Check out the video of Alja Jackson Private Album Listening Session:

Shout out to: Alja Jackson, Erskine Isaac, LeftField Productions, Nefarious, G & S Records, Inc.

story by: Cutty Shark
video shot by: Ingrid Allen
video edit by: Cutty Shark

THE GRAY AREA LIVE VIDEO – ZAC STUDIOS

Last week former MTV Reality Diva, D.Woods unleashed her long awaited EP – The Gray Area at a private listening session at Zac Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. The Gray Area is now available for the world to enjoy on iTunes. Special invited Celebrities, Media & Tastemakers listened to tracks from The Gray Area as we sipped on specialty drinks provided by Grey Goose. In the session, D.Woods also unveiled her own brand: WoodGrane Entertainment to the world. “If any of y’all follow me on twitter you’ve probably seen me talking about I was mobbing on the A; I was mobbing on L.A.,” D.Woods said. We been flash mobbing on y’all.”

The Gray Area is a six-song EP released on iTunes on July 12, 2011. D.Woods has worked tirelessly to continue to better her inner self, as well as her craft. She’s ready to show and prove to the world that she is beyond serious about her God-given talents of: Acting, Dancing, Singing, Writing, etc. “I felt like I had to show everybody who had question marks what I’m all about!”

photo credit: Eugenia “Stellar” Williams

A few of D.Woods’ celebrity friends came out to support her on her special night: SoSo Def Recording Artist, Dondria, Brandi D. (formerly of group, Blaque), DJ Trauma, Roscoe Dash, Life Da Great, and Wale. Let’s not forget Producer, Simon Illa who is responsible for producing The Gray Area.

D.Woods will have her official EP Release Party for The Gray Area on Thursday, July 21, 2011 at the Wet Bar at the W Hotel in Downtown Atlanta.

Note: I’m writing this piece while listening to the album: Just Like You… Love It!!!

When we first got a glimpse of Keyshia Cole, she was a 21-year-old young woman from Oakland, California dealing with a tremendous amount of misfortune in her life. However, this was the very indication that she needed to realize that things were about to change in her life. She came out the gate with the single, ‘I Changed My Mind’ featuring Kanye West. Keyshia was gritty; real, and you could tell that she was passionate about her music. By the time she dropped her first album ‘The Way It Is’, the world was ready for her sound. It was no surprise when we learned that Keyshia Cole wrote or co-wrote on every song. Over a million album sales later, Keyshia Cole was now a mainstay in the industry!!!

Cole dropped her second studio album, ‘Just Like You’ (in which is still getting heavy rotation in my ipod) in September 2007 to rave reviews. The 15-track album showed her growth from the first album, as well as in her personal life. By December 2007, ‘Just Like You’ was certified Platinum!!!

By the time ‘A Different Me’ was released on December 16, 2008, everybody was waiting in line to purchase the next Keyshia Cole drop. On this album, she focused less on pain and more on being a grown woman; finding her way in life. You know, getting to know herself. By this time she had been wrecking stages all over the country! ‘A Different Me’ sold over 300,000 copies in the first week. And… Of course, it’s certified Platinum!!!

When Keyshia Cole walked into Patchwerk Studios on December 17, 2010 to talk about her fourth studio album ‘Calling All Hearts’, she was glowing. She dispersed an aire’ of positivity into the room. It felt like: Confidence, Growth & Maturity. I got a chance to listen to the entire 11-track album before she arrived. It’s honestly the bomb! And of course, we want to make this one 10x Platinum (Diamond Status Babayyy)!!!

Check out Keyshia Cole’s LIVE interview below: