Tuesday 24th February 2009 is Mardi Gras, and to celebrate, we've got an exclusive cut from Hot 8 Brass Band to give away absolutely FREE. Appropriately entitled "Steamin' Blues", this track is only available for one week. To celebrate our new partnership hit the link and head to the Tru Thoughts site to download this amazing joint from New Orleans' finest, and get into the Mardi Gras spirit.

Last night, UK singer Duffy swept the British music awards ceremony, taking home 3 awards! She won for best British Breakthrough Act and best British Female Solo Artist , and her album Rockferry won for best British Album . This time last year she was playing small clubs in London but last night emerged as one of the world's ­leading acts following international record sales topping 5m. "I used to watch the Brits at home with my sisters every year," Duffy said....

Photo of Theophilus London (c) Gina Erdmann Let's be adults about this - I'm fat. This isn't insecure Bridget Jones whining. I've honestly packed on some pounds. At first it was kind of cool. When I rush downstairs my belly fat quivers. Kinda like the stomach flip you get when going down a rollercoaster. If I jerk my head to the left, the right side of my body jiggles. Sorta like there's a waterbed underneath my skin (groovy). Every morning I play the challenging game of "stuff the...

In a spectacular display of performance perfection, Grammy nominee Janelle Monáe showed the crowd at Skybar at Mondrian in LA that she was more than worthy of the “Best Urban Performance” Grammy, regardless of the final outcome the following night. Giant Step is pleased to have brought you Janelle for a one-off treat in Los Angeles. She certainly made it a night to remember, diving into the adjacent pool for a swim and climbing a tree for kicks! Check it out below:

Celebrating The Florida Room's 1st Anniversary at Delano in Miami, Giant Step brought together the Grammy Award-winning De La Soul with Brendan O'Hara & The Big Bounce. We have a few photos and a video from the night for your viewing pleasure. Watch as De La Soul throws down to an incredible crowd; it was quite a night.

Mixtape king J.Period linked up with hip hop legends De La Soul for a new remix, "Excursions 2009 (Tribute Mix)," which is featured on the unprecedented J Period mixtape of Q-Tip's music, The [Abstract] Best, Vol. 1 . In response to how this historic reunion took shape, De La Soul's Posdnuos told HipHopDX, "Q-Tip is my family and I've known J. Period for some years now, so coming to the call of being a part of this wasn't a question." Cop it for free here: Excursions 2009...

J Period's mixtape madness continues with his tribute to Q-Tip on Feb 3rd, available as a limited-time-only download on www.jperiod.com . Following the release of The Renaissance and the exclusive freestyle "Q-Tip for President", Q-Tip has contributed to J Period's upcoming mixtape, which features new music recorded exclusively for this project. Artists include Q-Tip, De La Soul, Black Sheep, Talib Kweli, Black Thought, Skillz, Pharoahe Monch, Busta...

Singer-songwriter John Martyn, an innovator and influential musician known for his folk, funk, blues and jazz fusion, died in Glasgow today at age 60 from an unknown cause. With a career spanning 40 years and 20 records, Martyn began it all with the single "Solid Air," a tribute to composer and friend Nick Drake. His lyrics and music closely mirrored his life, chiefly revolving around drugs and drinking; many of his songs are deeply autobiographical, especially the ending of his...

John Forte is home! After serving half of his 14-yr sentence for possession with intent and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, he was granted an official Presidential pardon and returned home on December 22, 2008.  After 7 long years away from his family, friends and the rest of the world, John was eager to start embracing life again - on his first night home from prison, he was already back in the studio recording. Talib Kweli joined him by contributing to a reworked Kanye beat,...

globalFEST Photographs by Benjamin de Menil Click for Flickr photo archive This is the season of new beginnings all over the world and fueled by the excitement and anticipation of President Barack Obama's new incumbency, the ever-expansive and felicitous 52nd annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference ('APAP' -