NEW YORK/BOSTON, MA, April 19, 2006 — Essence's Take Back the Music campaign and Boston's Berklee College of Music have narrowed the search for the newest stars in hip-hop. Ten songs from more than 100 that were entered in the first ESSENCE and Berklee Take Back the Music Hip-Hop Songwriting Contest have been chosen as finalists and the tunes are now available at Essence.com for listening.  The public is also invited to vote on their favorite in an online poll. 

The 10 final songwriters are:

• Jacob "Icee Jake" Bragg, 15, Columbus, OH
• Janelle "Lyric Jones" Clinton, 17, Mattapan, MA
• George "Chaos" Clark, 15, Cincinnati, OH
• Anthony Heard, 17, Philadelphia, PA
• Nyles "Lil Witness" Houston, 15, Brockton, MA
• Jamaar Jackson, 16, Montgomery, AL
• Landyn Jackson, 17, Detroit, MI
• Victor Presson, 16, Derwood, MD
• Brittany "B-Dangerous" Whittakar, 16, Covington, KY
• Da' Rayia Wilson, 17, Claymont, DE 

Five winners from the group will be selected by a panel of seven hip-hop celebrity judges and Berklee music scholars - including: MC Lyte; ?uestlove; DJ Jazzy Joyce; Berklee Professor Pat Pattison, who teaches lyric writing; Berklee Assistant Professor Michael Hamilton, who teaches hip-hop writing and production; Brian "Raydar" Ellis, 2005 Berklee graduate and Brick Records artist; and Anjulie "Starz" Gonzalez, Berklee Songwriting major.  The five winners, who will receive free music education from Berklee, will be announced in early May. 

Unsigned musicians, producers, or songwriters ages 15 to 18 entered their original songs in the contest earlier this year. Judging is based on clever, innovative lyrics, as well as melody and composition. Prizes include: Grand Prize: Two winners will be admitted into the 2006 Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program and receive a full scholarship, including tuition and room and board (Valued at $5,925); Second Place: One winner will receive a tuition-only scholarship (Valued at $3,595); Runners-Up: Two runners-up will each receive one online music course at BerkleeMusic.com (Valued between $595 and $1,250).

ESSENCE's Take Back the Music Campaign, an in-depth examination of the ways in which Black women are depicted in popular music and videos, was first announced in January 2005, and continues its effort to promote balance in mainstream hip-hop's messages as the two groups announce their first-ever hip-hop songwriting contest.

About Essence
With more than seven million readers, ESSENCE is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women. Published by Essence Communications Inc., it is the leading source of cutting-edge information relating to every area of African-American women's lives. For over 35 years, ESSENCE has celebrated personal achievement, chronicled social movement, documented struggles, showcased beauty, defined and set trends and illustrated the incredible journey of a resilient and splendid race. Additional information about ESSENCE is available at essence.com.

About Berklee
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principal that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music (be it hip-hop, rock, jazz, country, gospel, electronica, Latin, or funk). For 60 years, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today—and tomorrow. 

Press Representatives:
Sheila Harris, ESSENCE (212) 522-1089
Ra'Chelle Rogers, ESSENCE (212) 522-2724
Allen Bush, Berklee College of Music (617) 747-2658