subject: Bill Cosby Tickets - Bill Cosby Recruits Hip-hop Artists For New Cd [print this page] The name Bill Cosby is more commonly associated with the Cosby sweater as opposed to hip-hop music, but the comedian's latest album serves up socially conscious hip-hop tunes nonetheless. Titled Bill Cosby Presents the Cosnarati: State of Emergency, the independent project arrived via a virtual town hall meeting in New York on Oct. 19 and doesn't feature Cosby himself singing or rapping, as he lets guest rappers man the mike. The Cosnarati Band and the comedian/actor/author premiered several songs from the album at the live event, which was presented with Ustream and aired on urban radio station Web sites across the nation as well as Cosby's Facebook page and official website.
Songs from Bill Cosby Presents the Cosnarati: State of Emergency were made available for digital download on Oct. 20, while the album will be officially released in physical and digital form on Nov. 24. According to Billboard online, the album is the "aural companion" to the 2007 book Cosby co-wrote with Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint titled Come on People. State of Emergency was produced by Cosby's longtime musical collaborator William "Spaceman" Patterson and features guest rappers and activists Brother Haz, Supa Nova Slom and Jace the Ace spitting rhymes about themes like frustration, respect for women and incarceration.
Cosby, who dreamt up the concepts for each song's story, recently told Billboard that the lyrics resonate with the frustration and anger felt by many people, saying, "I came up with ideas and asked them to think deeper, but I didn't have to push. It was like, 'Thank you, Dr. Cosby. We want to do this.'" While the veteran comedian has experienced somewhat of a backlash from the African-American community due to some controversial statements he has made, he stands firm in his beliefs, telling Billboard, "People who don't want it to succeed will say I'm a curmudgeon who doesn't like poor or young people. But these rappers are young males running down the truth about the urban side of life. It's time for a change."
The "urban side of life" is something Bill Cosby has experienced first-hand, as he emerged out of a Philadelphia project and began perfecting his standup routine in the 1960s. Cosby's best-selling comedy albums garnered the entertainer five Grammys, with eight of them achieving gold status and five going platinum. Rather than simply testing the waters in the acting pool, Cosby dove in head-first, becoming the first African-American to co-star in a dramatic series with his role in the television show I Spy.
After winning three Emmy Awards for I Spy, Cosby was given his very own sitcom in the 1980s, the now-cult classic The Cosby Show. The series was known for rescuing the NBC network from ruin and delivering the family sitcom in an exciting new format. Cosby has been busy since his eponymous show went off the air, writing best-selling books and starring in hit movies, but he continues to deliver standup comedy, as well. Check online for Bill Cosby tickets to see him live!
