Vice President - Emeritus
Poet in Residence
Director of Artist Development
Spoken Word and Rap Music
Oscar Brown, Jr., served as Vice President, Poet in Residence and Director of Spoken Word and Rap Music for NETunes.
Mr. Brown is considered by many to be the father of Rap music. A successful lyricist, poet, songwriter, playwright, actor and vocalist, Oscar Brown, Jr., first gained national attention in 1960 with the release of Sin and Soul, his critically-acclaimed debut album for Columbia Records.
Soon to follow on the Columbia label, Between Heaven and Hell (1962), In a New Mood (1962) and Oscar Brown, Jr., Tells It Like It Is (1963). Mr. Oscar Brown, Jr., Goes to Washington (1964) and Finding a New Friend with Luiz Henrique (1966) were subsequently released on the Fontana label with Joy with Jean Pace and Sivuca (1970) on the RCA Victor label and Movin' On (1972), Brother Where Are You? (1974) and Fresh (1974) on the Atlantic label. Mr. Brown's most recent recordings are Oscar Brown, Jr., Then and Now (1965) on Weasel Disc and Sin and Soul... and Then Some (1996) on Sony.
Mr. Brown's original plays include Kicks & Company, Joy '66, Summer in the City, Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow, Opportunity Please Knock and the musical Big Time Buck White which appearing on Broadway and featured Muhammad Ali in its title role.
Oscar Brown, Jr., has served as Artist-in-Residence at Hunter College, Malcolm-X College and Howard University. He has starred in the hit production of Evolution of the Blues and featured in the Emmy-Winning CBS special Oscar Brown is Back In Town. He hosted the 13-week PBS program From Jump Street: The Story of Black Music and was a regular cast member of the hit television series Brewster Place starring Opra Winfrey. He has also appeared in numerous other roles including episodes of Roc and the PBS special Zora Is My Name written by Ruby Dee.
With his unique and theatrical presentation of music, lyrics and poetry, Oscar Brown, Jr., has shared the bill with such legends as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderly.
His performances typically garner the most outstanding of reviews. Howard Reich, of the Chicago Tribune, describes Mr. Brown as "mesmerizing" while Entertainment Today's Scott Lenz calls Oscar Brown, Jr., a "Jazz vocalist exgtraordinare". Peter Watrous, of The New York Times writes, "Mr. Brown is an astonishingly gifted and imaginative performer who brings a comprehensive world view to the stage."
Oscar Brown, Jr., died on Sunday 29 May 2005 at the age of 78. He remains an inspiration for jazz, blues and rap artists worldwide.
