Though the rumors said the opposite, there were absolutely no yachts or anything over-the-top when singer Alicia Keys and producer Swizz Beats tied the knot in a private ceremony Saturday in a private home on the Mediterranean Sea.

Talk about an amazing destination wedding!

Keys wore a Grecian-inspired Vera Wang dress and carried a bouquet of purple calla lilies. Swizz was decked out in a Tom Ford tuxedo.

And check this out: the couple’s friend Dr. Deepak Chopra presided over the nuptials.

Keys and Swizz are also expecting their first child together, have been together since fall 2008. The good news about the baby was announced in May!

We wish this happy couple, and soon-to-be parents all the happiness in the world!

From stealing the spotlight during Award shows to saying he’s the new Prince of Pop, Kanye West has a tendency to speak before he thinks.

But who would’ve thought that something as innocent as Twitter could lead to such a huge issue. And that is what Kanye has done, stirring an international controversy.

Celebrities who are on Twitter normally follow one another and other industry people. You rarely see a celeb following a fan or a “common person.” But low-behold, Kanye always does the opposite, as he chose to follow a British teenager, Steven Holmes.

Holmes, at first, was ecstatic about Kanye West decided to follow him.

This leads us to ask:
- Is Holmes an amazing producer? No.
- Is Holmes an unknown stylist/designer? No.
- Is Holmes an MC who’s talent is yet to be untapped? No.

He’s just a normal teenager, living a normal life, and following celebrities on Twitter.

Holmes, a student from Coventry, England [who's Twitter username is ste_101], responded to Kanye’s follow by Tweeting: “Holy *&$% bro thx for following!”.

And on top of that, Kanye replied, “You are the chosen one dun dun dun dun.”

Seriously?!

When this became public knowledge, that’s when all the ‘drama’ started for Holmes. In an exclusive interview with the Coventry Telegraph, Holmes says he was, “immediately barraged through Twitter” and that his, ” phone with requests from media organizations.” He says he turned down interviews with the BBC, CNN, and New York Magazine, among others.

Frankly, I think that’s very rude on the media’s end!

Kanye started to follow Holmes on Saturday night and since then, he’s been receiving messages from people who want to get Kanye’s attention. Holmes told the press, “I didn’t want to talk to any of them. Fame has never appealed to me. It’s vacuous.”

Well hopefully Kanye, and other…

How can anyone forget the charming, charismatic, talented…and yes, super-cute, contestant, Anoop Desai from Season 8 of American Idol?

I will bluntly say that he was my favorite contestant on the show. Not because he was of South Asian origin, but because he had the passion for music. You could see it on his eyes and hear it in his voice when he stood on that stage.

It was the loss of his close friend, Eve Carson, which pushed him to audition for Idol. On March 5^th, 2009, during the broadcast of the Wild Card round, Desai gave a shout out to his alma mater and mentioned Eve, as it was the first anniversary of her death.

Because of Anoop, Idol has their first-time ever, Top 13 contestants. From there he went onto being in the Top 6, singing his way into the hearts of millions across the nation, and countless fans across the world.

Desai was accepted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his senior year of high school, he auditioned for and was accepted into the UNC Clef Hangers, the male a’capella group, which was founded in 1977. During his junior year at UNC he was the group’s Music Director and the group’s President during his senior year. Today he is the President Emeritus of the Clef Hangers.

It goes without a doubt to say that singing is in Anoop’s blood. This year I had the pleasure of being introduced to Anoop through a family friend and it was awesome. I picked up the phone and he was like, “Hey, this is Anoop!” Never had I met someone so humble, down-to-Earth, and sweet! With some time in between promoting his debut album, All Is Fair, I had the chance to…

Sonu Kakkar is a voice behind many hit songs. She started singing at the age of 4 & ½ and since then, music has become her drive, passion, determination & career. From working with acclaimed producers such as AR Rahman to an independent album in the works, she is a multi-talented woman! I recently had the chance to sit down with Sonu and talk about music, movies and much more!

Sonu, I’d like to say it’s a pleasure to sit down & chat with you. I read that you started singing at the age of five; tell us a little bit about how you got involved in singing.
It’s my pleasure dear :-)  Well I started singing at the age of 4 & ½; I used to sing Mata’s Bhajans in bhajan sandhyas. Music has been something I can’t live without and since childhood I had a dream to become a playback singer.

It was after you moved to Delhi that Bollywood music director Sandeep Chowta saw your singing talented in a contest and the final result was the hit track Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo. Tell us about your experience recording your song and how you felt when it became so popular!
Well it was an amazing experience recording a song for Mr. Sandeep Chowta whom I’ll be thankful forever, and that too for a film it was like a dream come true for me because it was my dream to become a playback singer. I was on cloud nine when I was recording Babuji and can’t tell u how happy I was when it became so popular. It feels really great to see people dancing to my song all over the world.

Since then you’ve become a regular playback singer in Bollywood, with such songs as “Bareilly Ke…

Serese is a combination of three personalities – Mandee, Anita & Anu, attitudes and vocal styles. They are three fiercely independent young women who together, form the femme fatale group Serese. The talented trio was discovered by Entertainment Executive Richard Pascoe from RP Management and they have been busy making a name for themselves ever since.

Last year alone, Serese were awarded with an Asian Music Award nomination and they stole the show with their opening performance at the 2009 MTV Music Awards in Asia.

With their recent success, the girls are back with their latest track Feelin’ Myself, where they are truly “…in the zone.” The song is going to be a summer smash and DJs at the clubs will be making the girls dance all night long with this track.

I got an E-mail from Mandee this morning and she wrote, “I know it’s been a long time since we’ve been in touch hope all is well with you. The album is almost done and we are looking to release by the end of this year!”

In regards to the album Mandee said, “I’m so happy with it and can’t wait to come over to your side and let everyone get a look into the world of SERESE! It’s about time rite…”

And yes, she’s right! It’s about time that the world heard from SERESE! In the meantime check out some old favorites from the girls! We’ll be sure to let you know when the new track is out so you can take a listen!

RKZ describes his new mixtape, “Dark Night of the Soul,” as his “most personal project to date.” This can definitely be ascertained from listening to it, giving us a whole new perspective on one of the U.K.’s youngest and freshest MCs.

With his last mixtape, “Mr. Entertainer: The Mixtape,” RKZ established his unique flow and made himself a name on the urban Desi scene. Since then, we’ve seen him featured on this DJ Dips’ “This DJ” alongside MC Rax (not to be confused with Raxstar, Menis, Horizon, and the Barracuda, Swami Baracus), with a really hardcore verse, showing that he can keep up with the best of the Asian MCs.

“Dark Night of the Soul” starts off with an introduction that hits really hard and wastes no time in establishing the theme of the mixtape. “Sick and I’m vindictive//You runnin’ scared yet?…”Now I teach the truth//And now I speak sense//And now I’ve seen you in another light//Hence I’m sittin’ out until my name never dies…”

That’s something I’ve always enjoyed about RKZ, the rawness of his lyrics are refreshing to hear after a terrible amount of simple, club-oriented, absolutely meaningless rap that even a lot of Desi MCs are guilty of. RKZ is speaking his mind, without (excuse the French) giving a f*** about who thinks what about it.

The beauty of this mixtape lies in it’s lack of intent to be some sort of a commercial phenomenon. It was a collection of songs RKZ did with people who were close to him, and he felt he wanted to spit the truth with.

Just recently on DesiHits, I read an article on bringing hip hop to India, and whether or not it would work. He quoted the New York Times, in their article about Akshay Kumar collaborating with Snoop Dogg, which said that “While a few Western acts like Madonna and Coldplay also sell well in India, Hip-Hop has traditionally had limited appeal.” Now here’s the thing, India itself is not exactly the market for hip hop. For those of you that have been there, I’m sure you can see that. It’s not something that can be instantaneously sprung on a community that doesn’t have the context for that sort of music.

I’m going to stray a little bit and talk about the evolution of the genre of Desi Hip Hop. When I was growing up, the only Indian rapper I could name was Baba Sehgal, and while he gave us some enjoyable tunes (Dil Dhadke), he wasn’t exactly pushing any boundaries on the hip hop front. In recent years, Indian rappers seem to be dropping out of the woodwork. I could honestly write for an hour and probably not list every Indian rapper I know. A lot of it began in the U.K., when RDB and other “bhangarage” producers were popularizing MCs like GI Jatt, MC Rydem Ryda, Lightnin MC, E=MC, and of course MC Metz & Trix. Then they began emerging in the U.S. and Canada, and if you’re familiar with the urban Desi scene, you know names like Nivla, Kidd Skilly, Bohemia, Blitzkrieg, and GOP Virk.

The problem is that these days, any fool with a microphone and Audacity (excellent program, by the way…it’s what I use) can record music and post it on the internet. I wish I had a nickel for every time I came…

Xplicit Desi Vibes has grown to become one of the most known underground production groups in the US. Founders Vimal Patel (DJ Desiplaya) and Prerak Patel (DJ P) have worked very hard to bring XDV to the status it’s at now.

Their music can be heard around the world by thousands of fans, mixing the latest of Urban tracks along with the hottest South Asian tracks. These young DJs are, without a doubt, tomorrows music elite. They have created an impressive remix of tracks and now are moving forward to promoting and producing music along side with some of the biggest up and coming South Asian artists. From linking up with IshQ Bector to Baba Kahn, Xplicit Desi Vibes has done all that AND more!

2010 marks The Final Chapter for Xplicit Desi Vibes.

DJ Desiplaya stated, “XDV went from a hobby to a passion to an international name through the hard work of our team and the support from all our fans. Without them, we wouldn’t have reached the level of success that we’re at now. Our mixtapes have over 50K downloads and people are always waiting for the next release. It’s been a great ride. It’s sad to see XDV releasing The Final Chapter, but who knows, maybe a few years from now, we’ll make a big return with a huge bang!”

So the question at hand is: What will happen once The Final Chapter releases? Who knows, but in the meantime, you can check out the first single to release from their last mixtape. The track is called Desi Love [DJ Desiplaya featuring Snoop Dogg & Deevani].

The mixtape is set to release this summer, so be ready to have some new jams to bump in the car while you’re headed to the beach or taking that long road trip across…

It came with much surprise when I heard that the BBC would be cutting their Asian Network, it came with much surprise. Since its establishment, the BBC Asian Network has grown to become one of the largest platforms for South Asian artists & producers to showcase their talents. From rising producers to established, award-winning artists, the BBC Asian Network has become a home for us all.

We’ve spent our weekdays listening to Adil Ray catching up with Bollywood stars and jamming away to Sonny Ji’s Bhangra Mixtape. Many of us have partied our way to the clubs with DJ Kayper as she mixes the best of Hip-Hop, R&B, Reggae/Dancehall, 80’s and Soul with Bhangra & Bollywood tracks. And it goes without saying that we’ve created much love for some of our favorite Asian Network hosts like Bobby Friction & Nihal.

Without a doubt, the BBC Asian Network and all the hosts have been our support from day one; it’s time that we help them out when it’s most needed. I request that you please sign the petition to save the BBC Asian Network. It will only take 10 seconds to do so, and you’ll be helping the South Asian music industry in a large way.

Thank you for your time and let’s save the BBC Asian Network!

Sureet Sandhu is a name quite familiar to music enthusiasts here in the US. And after a two year hiatus, he’s back with a bang as he releases his next mixtape, Renegades Volume 4: Forever.

We asked Sureet about the new release and he said it, “features some great established and up-and-coming South Asian Artists such as Sir Aah, Raja Wilco, Swami Baracus, Pacifik, Seminar, Kaly, Ko the Timeless, Ajaxxx, and many more!”

Well, that right there is a mouthful!

One of the tracks on there which I really enjoyed when I heard it for the first time was It Was Written, featuring Young Pharaoh, produced by Sureet Sandhu and P. Nox Productions. Sureet says that the beat is a mix of “hip-hop on a conscious tip.” Continuing that the beat is also quite, “melodic and emotional, which I think is portrayed by the acoustic guitar riff. The drums are mainly arranged using “can” sounds, which gives it that sense of rawness.” As powerful as the beat it’s self is, Young Pharaoh portrays and depicts true emotion just through the chorus of the song which is, “Sometimes the bad guy wins and the good die young, life is like a test, judgment day gonna come, it was written, whether pain or love, no excuse for the actions, only God can judge.”

Another song which I really enjoyed listening to was 2 The Top, by Ajaxxx. His energy is felt from the start of the track when he raps, “I’m back on the beat by Sureet, and it’s heat…I’m knee deep in the vibe, so put it on repeat.” He continues to rap, “Sureet hit me off, now I’m back to my business…I’m back to the rap, act two, don’t miss it.”

But enough of me talking about all these tracks. I asked…