Derrick N Ashong & Soulfège Announces New Track "AFropolitan" + DNA Teleconference

After a year-and-a-half in the studio, we're preparing to release the new album "AFropolitan" this Fall! To give you a taste of what's to come we're offering a preview copy of the title track "AFropolitan" as a free download. Check out the song & leave us a comment here:

http://www.derrickashong.com/dnablog/2011/6/14/afropolitan.html

Feel free to share it with friends & fam!

Also this Friday, June 17th at 12pm ET DNA will be sharing his thoughts on the power of artistry & technology in activating our generation culture as part of the Ultimate Men's Summit (teleconference). Both men AND women are invited to participate in the session entitled - Popular Culture Can Change the World: Inspiring, Engaging and Activating Our Youth.

Here is the link to join DNA’s session:
http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=20419338

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Hanging w/ Oprah

Right, so this was definitely one of the most surreal experiences of my life to-date. I'm not going to say much more about it until "after" this airs (just in case I come out sounding like "Howdy-Doody" and I need to come up w/ a litany of bad excuses). 

Suffice it to say I felt simultaneously "over-the-moon," "under-the-gun" and "happy as a squirrel in your world," when I had the chance to sit down and chat in-person with Oprah Winfrey a few weeks ago.  I can still hardly believe it, but for your sake & mine we have proof! ;) You can hear our hour-long interview on her radio show this coming Monday 11/23.  Peep the details in the note below that we just sent to our mailing list.  Things are definitely getting interesting...

All smiles,

D.N.A

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So remember this summer when we kept telling you about DNA going to hang out with Gayle King on her Oprah Radio show? And do you remember that time when Oprah called in from Copenhagen to say wassup to Gayle & D? And do you remember how he was blushing like a baby boy when Oprah said "Hi Derrick" on the air (how do you blush on the radio anyway)? Well that was just the beginning...

A few weeks ago we got a call from Harpo with an invitation for D to come out to Chicago to meet Ms. Winfrey in person! This Monday Nov 23 at 11a & 4p Eastern Time (8a & 1p Pacific), you can tune into Oprah Radio to hear Oprah's hour long sit down with DNA. Yes you read that correctly, a FULL HOUR of Oprah and DNA, one-on-one, talking life, art, music, politics, social change and more! And since it is the holiday season and this very excellent news has put us in a very excellent mood, we also have a gift for all of you.

Here it is, your link for a FREE 30 day trial to Sirius/XM that you can sign up for and listen online.

https://home.sirius.com/sirpromosetupview.do?utm_campaign=SIR30DAYTRIAL&utm_source=HNXM&utm_medium=web

There is a world of "wonderful" happening right now and we want to share the experience with you all. What we need from YOU is to TUNE-IN and to SPREAD THE WORD. Be sure to INVITE EVERYBODY and their momma to this  facebook event so they can check it out too!

"See ya" on Monday!

peace,
fam

Book Review of "Say You're One of Them" by Uwem Akpan on Oprah.com

Wassup Ya'll, A book review that I wrote for Oprah's Book Club selection: "Say You're One of Them" by Uwem Akpan has just gone up on Oprah.com. Check it out:

www.oprah.com/article/oprahsbookclub/pastselections/20091028-obc-derrick-ashong

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The Invention of Lying

Hello o' blogolicious ones. Forgive the long absence but I've been busy HyperTweeting away on a couple of other sites. A certain J Gramling has been sweating me about doing real blogging so fiiine. I am dusting off the old digital opinionator and will be sharing some thoughts on life, the universe et cetera. For the first destination in this literary excursion I'd like to talk cinema. Last week I went w/ a particularly excellent friend to see "The Invention of Lying". I went because it stars Ricky Gervais, the creator of the original British version of "The Office" and because Jennifer Garner made it sound super cool on Leno a few weeks ago. Mind you I had very little idea what it was about. I thought it was about a world where people have not developed the ability to lie, and all of a sudden one guy does. Turns out I was correct. Kudos to the people who made the trailer: Anyway the movie was great! There were a few elements of it that were a bit obvious (I saw the pizza box tablets coming a mile away), but it was still a sweet and heartfelt take on aspects of our human identities that we largely take for granted. The concepts of film, religion & advertising are particularly interesting in a world where people are only capable of saying what truly "is", with little to no room for interpretation. Dating is in a class all it's own (after seeing this flick, I'd like to give a major "thanks" to all the women who have lied to me over the years). Ultimately I loved the film because the chubby, middle-aged White guy makes out well in the end, and I can relate to that. I also dug the prism the film puts on the whole idea of creativity and it's impact on so many aspects of our lives. In some ways the truth becomes a canvass on which we paint our own interpretations of the world around us. When in doubt, let sleeping dogs lie on pizza boxes. D.N.A

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The Art of Politics

I did an interview earlier this week for Harvardwood, exploring some of the current trends in the campaign and some key issues facing the nation. It's a 45min full-length, unedited, uncensored response to some live questioning and covers topics from the role the Media & the Arts in politics to the ongoing propagation of lies by the McCain/Palin ticket in this campaign. I'll see if I can get the source vid from the interviewer and chop it into smaller pieces, but for now here's the whole hog. Get informed, get involved and let's go out there and WIN this thing!

D.N.A

O'BIDEN '08

Video is no longer available

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