Neo Soul Cafe to Host ‘Dallas Soul Music Conference’ at Erykah Badu’s Black Forest Theatre

by Shawn Williams of Dallas South

This weekend, Neo Soul Cafe is hosting the Dallas Soul Music Conference at the Black Forest Theatre. The event is scheduled for April 27-29, with Erykah Badu serving as host of a concert that will be held on Saturday night.

Neo Soul Cafe founders Frances Jaye and Velisa Crayton plan to bring together independent artists, promoters, media entities, as well as established artists from across the country. The conference will serve to educate independent artists in the areas of exposure, distribution, and promotion of their music during various panel and forum discussions.

The Dallas Soul Music Conference will also give back to the community with a donation to the Dallas non-profit organization, B.L.I.N.D. (Beautiful Love Incorporated Nonprofit Development), which was founded by Ms. Badu in an effort to revitalize South Dallas. Proceeds will be dedicated to support B.L.I.N.D.'s "Community Beyond" project.

Scheduled to perform at Saturday Night's Boho Soul Music Meltdown are Fertile Ground, Choklate, and Darrien Brockington. Local Hip Hop trio P.P.T. is on tap to appear at the conference on Saturday afternoon. According to PPT member Pikahsso's MySpace Page the group will go on at 2:00 p.m. As a matter of fact, check back this week for a really nice interview Pikahasso granted Dallas South in anticipation of their upcoming set at the Black Forest. The conference will wrap-up with an Acoustic Soul Brunch at Brooklyn Jazz Cafe featuring a live performance by Rhian Ayanna.