Modiba
Encyclopedia
Modiba is a New York City
-based independent record label, production company, and music publishing company focused on international artists and social activism. The label was started in 2004 by Wesleyan University
seniors (at the time) Eric Herman and Jesse Brenner . The initial success of the company's unique formula of top Afro-centric music and social activism allowed them to expand this formula further to artists all over the world, especially with the 2008 release of Modiba Publishing+. The record label currently represents Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Toure
, Brazilian fusion band Nation Beat, and Sierra Leone
's mega-star hip hop
and dancehall trio Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew
, while their publishing division handles the licensing of over 100 artists from around the globe .
Modiba Productions began when Wesleyan University seniors Eric Herman and Jesse Brenner created an Afrobeat
compilation CD, the profits of which were donated to humanitarian workers in Darfur
. The album was called the Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project (ASAP), and its widespread success has raised over $140,000 for Save the Children in Darfur . In 2007 Modiba signed its first artist, beginning the career of Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Toure
, son of the legendary Ali Farka Toure
. The company released his widely acclaimed self-titled debut, and, in line with their humanitarian mission objective, donated 10% of the album's proceeds to their Fight Malaria campaign in Toure's hometown, Niafunke
.
Modiba's international reach broadened into the African Diaspora
with the signing of the Brazilian-American band Nation Beat. The band fuses the traditional music of Brazil
with the folk music of the Deep south in the United States and has released two albums under Modiba's representation, Maracatuniversal and Legends of the Preacher . 10% of the profits from Legends of the Preacher are donated to Corpos Percussivos, percussionist Jorge Martin's organization for teaching arts and culture to the street children of Reclife, Brazil. The band has enjoyed widespread success, being featured on NPR and on stage with Willie Nelson
at his 2008 Farm Aid
benefit concert . The record label's most recent project is the anticipated global release of Sierra Leone's superstars and top hip hop artists Bajah + Dry Yai Crew. The group was most famously featured in the film Blood Diamond
, starring Leonardo DiCaprio
, but their popularity has also earned them the support of artists like Talib Kweli
, Moby
, and Wyclef Jean
. Their first album is slated for release in 2009 under Modiba Productions.
In 2008, Modiba officially launched, with the help of staff member Eileen O'Neill, Modiba Publishing+, a sector of the company that handles the licensing of an array of artists for use in various forms of media, including advertisements, television shows, and movies. This endeavor has enlarged their global range considerably, officially adding 35 artists from around the world to their catalog, and handling licensing in some form for over 100 artists . Modiba Publishing+ operates in conjunction with Evergreen Copyrights and aims to change the way the United States views international music. The "plus" in the division's title refers to the additional services Modiba offers in addition to publishing, including consultations and original music composition .
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based independent record label, production company, and music publishing company focused on international artists and social activism. The label was started in 2004 by Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
seniors (at the time) Eric Herman and Jesse Brenner . The initial success of the company's unique formula of top Afro-centric music and social activism allowed them to expand this formula further to artists all over the world, especially with the 2008 release of Modiba Publishing+. The record label currently represents Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Toure
Vieux Farka Touré
Boureima "Vieux" Farka Touré is a Malian singer and guitarist. He is the son of Grammy-winning Malian musician Ali Farka Touré.-Biography:Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981 to Ali Farka Touré...
, Brazilian fusion band Nation Beat, and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
's mega-star hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and dancehall trio Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew
Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew
Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew are a hip hop crew, originating in Sierra Leone, Africa, and currently living in New York City. The group are superstars in their native country, filling the national stadium for headline performances, and are currently working on their international debut album...
, while their publishing division handles the licensing of over 100 artists from around the globe .
Modiba Productions began when Wesleyan University seniors Eric Herman and Jesse Brenner created an Afrobeat
Afrobeat
Afrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name, who used it to...
compilation CD, the profits of which were donated to humanitarian workers in Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
. The album was called the Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project (ASAP), and its widespread success has raised over $140,000 for Save the Children in Darfur . In 2007 Modiba signed its first artist, beginning the career of Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Toure
Vieux Farka Touré
Boureima "Vieux" Farka Touré is a Malian singer and guitarist. He is the son of Grammy-winning Malian musician Ali Farka Touré.-Biography:Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981 to Ali Farka Touré...
, son of the legendary Ali Farka Toure
Ali Farka Touré
Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues...
. The company released his widely acclaimed self-titled debut, and, in line with their humanitarian mission objective, donated 10% of the album's proceeds to their Fight Malaria campaign in Toure's hometown, Niafunke
Niafunke
Niafunke might refer to either:*Niafunké, a Cercle in Mali**Niafunké, a town in Mali*Niafunké, and album by Ali Farka Touré...
.
Modiba's international reach broadened into the African Diaspora
African diaspora
The African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
with the signing of the Brazilian-American band Nation Beat. The band fuses the traditional music of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
with the folk music of the Deep south in the United States and has released two albums under Modiba's representation, Maracatuniversal and Legends of the Preacher . 10% of the profits from Legends of the Preacher are donated to Corpos Percussivos, percussionist Jorge Martin's organization for teaching arts and culture to the street children of Reclife, Brazil. The band has enjoyed widespread success, being featured on NPR and on stage with Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
at his 2008 Farm Aid
Farm Aid
Farm Aid started as a benefit concert on September 22, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, held to raise money for family farmers in the United States...
benefit concert . The record label's most recent project is the anticipated global release of Sierra Leone's superstars and top hip hop artists Bajah + Dry Yai Crew. The group was most famously featured in the film Blood Diamond
Blood Diamond (film)
Blood Diamond is a 2006 political thriller film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou...
, starring Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
, but their popularity has also earned them the support of artists like Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
, Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, and Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
. Their first album is slated for release in 2009 under Modiba Productions.
In 2008, Modiba officially launched, with the help of staff member Eileen O'Neill, Modiba Publishing+, a sector of the company that handles the licensing of an array of artists for use in various forms of media, including advertisements, television shows, and movies. This endeavor has enlarged their global range considerably, officially adding 35 artists from around the world to their catalog, and handling licensing in some form for over 100 artists . Modiba Publishing+ operates in conjunction with Evergreen Copyrights and aims to change the way the United States views international music. The "plus" in the division's title refers to the additional services Modiba offers in addition to publishing, including consultations and original music composition .