(MENAFN- Arab Times) NEW YORK March 20 (Agencies): Hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons announced plans Thursday for a Broadway musical that aims to span the history of the rap musical genre. Simmons who has worked with many top rappers as a producer and chairman of the Def Jam label said that the musical would feature some of the greatest hits since hip-hop broke into the mainstream in the late 1980s.
The musical to be called ''The Scenario'' aims to premiere in New York in late 2016 said Simmons who will serve as a producer. ''Hip-hop''s explosion was fueled by a generation with an incredible hunger to discover new ways of expression'' Simmons said in a statement. ''It felt like such a natural fit to weave the best of these sounds and stories into an energetic and thrilling musical that would transport audiences through one of the most innovative artistic movements of our time'' he said. Simmons has previously branched out into publishing television and cinema notably as a producer for the 1996 remake film ''The Nutty Professor'' starring Eddie Murphy. ''The Scenario'' will be based on an original screenplay written by Dan Charnas a longtime hip-hop journalist who wrote the book ''The Big Payback'' on the business of the genre. The announcement comes amid the commercial success of the musical ''Hamilton'' which looks at the life of Alexander Hamilton one of the US Founding Fathers through the anachronistic lens of hip-hop. ''Hamilton'' directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda is sold out through its run at an off-Broadway theater through May 4. Its opening night on Broadway has been scheduled for August 6. Even though Madisen Ward is in a band with his mother when the duo performs onstage he sees her as something else: a musician. Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear consist of 26-year-old Madisen and his mother Ruth. The duo has been building buzz at coffee houses for nearly six years in their hometown of Kansas City Missouri with their striking folk-roots sound. It led to a recording contact signed in October with Glassnote Records the home label to Mumford & Sons and Phoenix. They''ve already performed on ''Late Show with David Letterman'' and will release their debut album on May 19. ''When we''re playing together I don''t look at Madisen my son I look at my fellow musician'' Ruth said in an interview Wednesday. ''He can get mad at me and it won''t affect me well a little bit'' she adds as Madisen laughs and says ''And vice versa.'' ''I hate to say it it''s kind of not really mother and son that much whenever we play music. And then as soon as we come off we''re right back'' Madisen said. ''When it comes to the business we''re being business people.'' Madisen is the chief songwriter and lead vocalist of the group. Ruth who sings as well edits the songs and vocals with her son to round out their sound. And they both play guitar. ''We are hard on each other though'' he said after taping a Daytrotter session at Danny''s Studios in Austin Texas one of many performances slated around the South by Southwest festival. ''People see us as a family and they think ''Oh it''s just so much love'' and I''m like ''Family is the most blunt most real experience with another person you''re going to have.'''' Their honesty - and directness - pierces throughout the 12-track ''Skeleton Crew'' which they recorded in Nashville this winter with producer Jim Abbiss (Adele Arctic Monkeys). Ruth a veteran performer has recorded albums played in bands and sang solo since she was 19. She said she initially grew up listening to Motown but that changed when her brother introduced her to acts like Crosby Stills Nash & Young Simon & Garfunkel and Peter Paul and Mary. One Direction star Zayn Malik quit the world tour of the British-Irish pop phenomenon due to stress a spokesman for the band said. Malik 22 is to return home to Britain as the rest of the band go on to play shows from the Philippines to South Africa through Europe and the United States. ''Zayn has been signed off with stress and is flying back to the UK to recuperate'' a spokesman for One Direction said. ''The band wish him well and will continue with their performances'' in the Philippines and Indonesia. The announcement came after pictures of Malik who is engaged to Little Mix popstar Perrie Edwards were widely shared online showing him close to another woman. One of the pictures showed him holding hands with the blonde while in another the two posed with his arm around her stomach. View gallery Zayn Malik of One Direction pictured during the American&… Zayn Malik of One Direction pictured during the American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live ... Malik spoke out against speculation about their relationship by declaring his love for his fiancee. Jazz great Wynton Marsalis and the French pianist Helene Grimaud will be among the performers as New York''s Caramoor festival turns 70 this year. Caramoor launched in 1945 as World War II was ending each summer brings performances of opera and a range of other genres to a Mediterranean-style estate some 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Manhattan. The 70th anniversary season will run from June 20 to August 2 and feature performances by trumpeter and jazz scholar Marsalis and Canadian violinist and conductor Peter Oundjian the festival announced Thursday. ''Caramoor its gardens and its aspirations are symbols of dedication to and respect for the highest values. Its beauty unites us all in our passion for creativity'' Oundjian who is music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra said in a statement. The festival''s artist-in-residence will be Grimaud the French pianist known for her bold and unorthodox interpretations of classics. The bluegrass stars Sara Watkins Aoife O''Donovan and Sarah Jarosz will bring their trio to the festival after a European tour. Other highlights include a performance by the folk rocker Lucinda Williams as well as the premiere of a work by composer Christopher Theofanidis.
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