Sinbad - Live In Concert

XXL Editor Elliot Wilson

For years there have been controversies behind the scenes of The Source. The magazine is owned in part by a rapper named Benzino. He forced his projects into the pages of the magazine as well as forced favorable ratings on his projects when the in-house writers felt that the music he was producing was sub-par. Over the past 10 years, this has lead to several editor-in-chief changes as well as its fall from the being the number one hip-hop magazine. The magazine’s popularity fell even more when Benzino declared war on Eminem three years ago by putting out songs dissing him seemingly for no reason. The war of words lasted two years and resulted in Interscope pulling all of its advertising money out of the magazine and refusing requests for interviews of any of the label’s artists which include Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, The Game, along with Eminem to name a few. These are basically the most popular and successful hip-hop artists in the past few years.

There to pick up the slack was XXL, a hip-hop magazine that debuted in 1997 to a crowded magazine market. When the magazine first dropped, they relied on ex-Source staffers to give it the commercial boost it needed, but it wasn’t doing too well. But after working out some kinks, toughing it out while other magazines closed shop and hiring Elliot Wilson, who was known for his work at the popular mag Ego Trip, as Editor-in-Chief in 1999, XXL started to climb up. But the magazine got an extra enhancement when The Source started feuding with the entire Interscope camp. XXL jumped in and put Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent on the cover of their magazine in the middle of the Source and Interscope feud, propelling them up in sales.

XXL Cover featuring 50 Cent

XXL magazine is now the top hip-hop magazine as The Source continues to flounder, having three editor-in-chiefs in the past year and facing lawsuits from former staffers. XXL and Wilson are looking to expand the XXL brand name by putting out a compilation album, XXL Raps, featuring some of the more unheard album cuts from some of the most popular artists in the industry.

"I just felt it was time to do something different to just sort of expand the brand at this point," Wilson said. "We lived up to what we said we were going to do which was become the number one hip-hop magazine and I still feel like there’s a ways to go in developing the brand. Anytime you replace the first of its kind (The Source), it’s an uphill battle so I felt that the album was a good step towards exposing the brand to new audiences."

One of the most noticeable things about the album is the number of Interscope artists featured on it. Eminem, 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and Obie Trice are all Interscope artists and are under the Aftermath/Shady/G-Unit Records umbrella headed by Dr. Dre.

For the past couple of years, ever since The Source started feuding with Interscope, XXL has been criticized for showing favoritism to Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and all their affiliated Interscope artists. Some fans even say that Interscope is putting a little something extra in Wilson’s pocket to get their artists featured on the cover of the magazine every couple of months. In the past two years, 10 of XXL covers have featured either 50 Cent, Eminem, The Game, or affiliated artists; six of those covers were in 2005 with Eminem, 50 Cent, and The Game going back to back to back in January/February, March and April. What’s with the supposed favoritism?

"Obviously the magazine is not owned by [Interscope head] Jimmy Iovine, it’s owned by Harris Publications and no one’s making me put 50 Cent on the cover, I’m choosing to put 50 Cent and [affiliated artists] on the cover," Wilson said. "I do it because he remains relevant to the culture and what’s going on and whether people see his movie or don’t see his movie, he’s continually doing things that impact the culture. He’s a controversial figure that people have proven to me that they want to read about. I found ways to package it and sell it and do him and Eminem and Game and those are three of the biggest artists in the past couple of years and they all happen to be on Interscope and Dr. Dre also.

"I just feel I’ve packaged it well and done it at the right times and the results have always been there. And when it stops selling I’ll stop doing it. It’s as simple as that. It’s a business and I’m a national magazine and those are the artists that people want to read about."

XXL Cover featuring Eminem

And the numbers shows he’s done no wrong. The issues that feature artists like 50 Cent and Eminem are some of the best selling issues the magazine has. The current issue for January/February features 50 Cent once again with his G-Unit crew and Wilson predicts that it will be the best selling issue of the year hands down.

"It’s a hard balance but I feel I’ve made the right choices cover-wise and I love to continually document these people, document them on the inside and find ways to stay on top of everything," Wilson said. "It’s a balancing act obviously but I have no shame, I mean if I do 50 Cent and 50 Cent kicks Game out of the group and no one spoke to Game, why shouldn’t I go to speak to Game again? What if Eminem is ready to talk about being in rehab and wants to give an exclusive story to that, I shouldn’t do it because I did an Eminem cover last year? I mean I think you still got to deal with who the bigger people in the music are, and if they’re doings things that are making headlines and impacting the culture continually, it makes sense."

Want other artists featured in the magazine? Wilson said to write letters. The magazine gets the most response whenever he puts someone like Dr. Dre or Eminem on the cover, but he hardly hears anything when independent artists like Little Brother, Madlib, or MF Doom are featured.

XXL Cover featuring The Game

So like that he leaves it in the readers’ laps, like every editor should.

"I’m a journalist, I’m not a gangsta, I’m not a killer, not a thug, never tried to be. I never claimed to be anything that I’m not," Wilson said. "I just work hard and I put out a good magazine."

King has mixed traditional blues, jazz, swing, mainstream pop and jump into a unique sound. In King's words, "When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille."

King continues to tour extensively, averaging over 250 concerts per year around the world. Classics such as "Payin' The Cost To Be The Boss," "The Thrill Is Gone," How Blue Can You Get," "Everyday I Have The Blues," and "Why I Sing The Blues" are both concert and fan staples. He has said repeatedly he will keep on singing, playing and bringing joy to the world as long as there's breath in his body. We can all only hope that B.B. King will bring it on for many more years to come.

Tickets are on sale at all Ticketmaster ticket centers and the Paramount Theatre box office. Tickets are $45 and $65 plus applicable service charges. Ticket prices include parking for the Plaza Parking garage located on the corner of 18th & California (one and a half blocks north of the Paramount Theatre). Patrons must present concert ticket stub upon exit of parking garage.

To charge tickets by phone, call 303-830-TIXS or 719-520-9090 or visit www.paramountdenver.com.

Sinbad

Sinbad never tells jokes "I don’t know any," he admits. He stalks the stage, telling real-life stories. He doesn’t deliver payoff lines; he slam-dunks them. His comedy is large, physical, and impetuous. Psychologically, he jams us, poking holes in our lifestyles. His stories mirror our foibles. His is the explosive energy of the neighborhood; his phrasing is manic, musical and right on time. He doesn’t write his material; he relives it as he remembers it.

Sinbad made his big screen debut in the 1991 gridiron comedy Necessary Roughness. His other motion picture credits include a starring role in Houseguest and a cameo in Coneheads. He was the voice of the canine Riley in Homeward Bound II.

On television, he starred in the title role of The Cherokee Kid on HBO; was star and executive producer of his Fox TV sitcom, The Sinbad Show and Sinbad’s Summer Jam Weekend IV airing on HBO. Sinbad’s Summer Jam won the prestigious NAACP Image Award consecutively for two years in the "Most Outstanding Variety Series/Special" category.

Sinbad recently played the role of a cold-hearted loan shark Odell on the gritty TV series Resurrection Blvd. The Odell character was decidedly not a nice guy, but instead, a ruthless businessman who wasn’t above using strong-arm tactics to lean on deadbeat debtors.

Sinbad, who has built a loyal following with sold-out comedy shows and has gone from being one of America’s best-loved and funniest comedians to national stardom on television and movies, brings his observations to the printed page. From love to layaway, parenting to primping, weight loss to the World Wide Web, Sinbad’s Guide To Life (Because I Know Everything) has been published by Bantam Books.

Sinbad is an active board member for Inner City Games and his alliances with Intel Corporation and BreakAway Technologies have supported the opening of Computer Clubhouses nationwide. Sinbad serves as an Ambassador to community focused technology solutions because he believes no one should be left behind in technology training. As a spokesperson for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), Sinbad encourages minorities to pursue studies in science, math, and engineering.

Tickets to the Sinbad, Live In Concert are on sale now for $40, $45 and $50 (plus service charges) at www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster centers. To charge by phone, call 303-830-8497 or 719-520-9090.