mtvU

A founder of the grassroots organization Blackout Arts Collective and a youth organizer for the Brooklyn college community partnership, K. Bain has earned critical acclaim for his album City of God. A West Coast artist who lists genres from hip-hop to rock to pop amongst her influences, Colette Carr brings her debut single to the Freshmen. Well known for their high-energy live shows, Mr. Brady, Johaz, Brea, and DJ Artistic form the hip-hop group Deep Rooted. Currently touring with Noah and the Whale, 21 year old Robert Francis released his debut LP One by One this past summer. Each member of The Vanguard came from a different corner of the world to converge in New York and form their quintet’s eclectic sound.

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With outstanding support in the comments section and a celeb-studded video, the boys from Elevation took a rousing lead towards the end of the week to win this round of the Freshmen. Their video will now be added into on-air rotation. I would like to thank everyone for keeping their thoughts so positive this week and showing support for the artists they loved, rather than unkind words for the ones they did not. It was lovely to see. Check back on Monday for a new chance to vote on a whole different set of tunes and follow me and mtvU on Twitter for more musical updates.

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A quintet from Georgia, the boys of Elevation are following up the release of their first LP Strangelove with a national tour. Originally from the West Coast, the quintet The Little Heroes are here at the Freshmen with their sophmore album Thank You. Sliimy is a French artist who garnered buzz for his first American single “Wake Up” and released his debut album Paint Your Face at the beginning of the fall. Formerly known as One Year Nothing, this quintet from upstate New York returns as The Sunstreak with their LP Once Upon A Lie. After being a member of numerous hip-hop groups, Toki Wright continues to be an avid promoter of social change and a solo musician with album A Different Side of the Mirror.

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The winner this week is Chalie Boy. His video will be placed into on-air rotation this week. I’m cutting straight to the point because I am a bit discouraged with the loads of disparaging comments that we received this week. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s no reason not to be kind to one another. Lots of artists have lots of fans who all come to the site to vote fair and square. If your favorite artist is not pulling ahead than do more to show them support. Write a blog post, tweet the link, tell your friends. Simple as that. So double congrats to Chalie Boy for not only pulling off a win this week, but having fans who did him justice by doing so respectfully. Have a great weekend. Hope to see you back Monday for a new round of a Freshmen and a positive attitude.

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A Brooklyn band known for their soulful sound, the Amabassadors will soon be releasing a self-titled EP. Originally a member of The Freestyle Kingz, Chalie Boy has gone solo with his debut album Makin My Way 2. Originally from Minneapolis, Minneosota, the group Solid Gold earned critical acclaim and much buzz for LP Bodies of Water. Named for the front woman, band Lissy Trullie released their EP Self-Taught Learner earlier this year. All childhood friends, the group Vedera return with their third studio album Stages.

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Quite a show was taking place in the comments section this week! Craziness. First off, just a reminder to all try and be respectful of one another’s musical taste and differences. Yes, at the end of the day this is a competition. But that doesn’t mean we can’t keep open minds and try to appreciate other artists. Second, despite rousing support for Chino and Hotspur… Hotspur eventually took the lead and won this week’s Freshmen. Their video will be placed into on-air rotation next week. Congrats to Chino as well though. It was a hard-fought battle. Monday will bring a new round of Freshmen so check back then and in the meantime have a wonderful fall weekend. Follow me and mtvU on Twitter for musical updates!
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Matt Hires is a 23 year old Florida native with a sweet voice, displayed on debut album Take Us to the Start. After working on their album for the past two years, Hotspur was wildly excited to release You Should Know Better By Now in June. A master at mixing genres, Chino Maurice brings his unique style of funk to mtvU’s Freshmen. Pill’s track “Glass” is the first release off his upcoming mix tape 4075: The Refill. Hailing from upstate New York, Super 400 is fresh off the release of their album Sweet Fist.

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Although comments came in for a variety of artists this week, Davenport Cabinet stormed the polls with an overwhelming amount of votes. They take the win hands-down and will be added to the on-air rotation next week. What I find to be particularly interesting about their victory is that all the footage for the video was submitted by fans via the band’s MySpace account. They gave to the fans and the fans gave back. Nice work all around. I hope all of you have a lovely weekend. Check back in Monday for a new round of Freshmen and in the meantime you can follow mtvU (and me!) on Twitter.

Davenport Cabinet is a side project of Travis Stever’s, normally of Coheed and Cambria. He has released two albums under this moniker including the most recent being Nostalgia in Stereo. After releasing several mix tapes to great critical acclaim, hip-hop artist Esso is set to drop his debut LP Evolved. Jason Drisker originally hails from California and recently released his latest EP Opposite of a Gangster. Kate Earl is an Alaskan-born singer/songwriter who has brought the sweet melodies of her self-titled album to the music scene. Rob Murat is an R & B artist and producer looking to bring something different to the table.

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Voters have spoken and the consenus is… animation rocks. Jupiter One had resounding support for their video this week, which will now be placed into on-air rotation. I am really loving that this video got top pick because it doesn’t even feature the ACTUAL band and yet, it was so beloved. Pretty cool. It was also good to see that the Girls’ video got a decent amount of attention as well. That song is a lot of fun. Speaking of fun, have a good weekend. Check back in Monday for a new round of Freshmen and don’t forget to follow me and mtvU on Twitter.
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