@2pac #live #coachella see how they did it #via @smarterhiphop

Tupac hologram at Coachella -- you've seen the footage. Here's how it was done

By now you've seen Tupac's performance with Snoop Dogg last night at Coachella. The legendary rapper was brought back to life by Dr. Dre's production company in collaboration with Digital Domain, James Cameron's digital production company, and AV Concepts, a company based in Tempe, Arizona, using a Musion Eyeyliner systems. The late rapper was brought back to life employing a theatrical illusion known asPepper's Ghost. 

This morning, we caught up with Smith, who co-founded AV Concepts in 1987 with Fred Mandrick, to find out more about the process of bringing Tupac back to life last night, how the whole thing came together and what Smith's company's involvement was in the project. While there were some specifics he simply couldn't divulge, he did give us some great insights. Page down to see what he had to say.

In essence, the process involves taking high-def images and projecting them onto Mylar film that is positioned at a 45 degree angle to create images that appear to be three-dimensional: "You're driving down the freeway, and you have a pack of cigarettes laying on the dash of your car," explains Nick Smith, AV Concept's co-founder, "reflects up and it looks like the cigarettes are floating above your hood in front of you. It's a light technology with a reflective technology. The light reflects the image back into something that makes it look like it's standing up. Your windshield raised at an angle like that creates that same effect."

In 2005, Gorillaz teamed up with comic book artist Jamie Hewlett, who created the band's graphic alter-egos, and Passion Pictures, to become one of the first (if not the first) musical acts to use the technology at that year's MTV Europe Awards, before making another appearance the following year at the Grammys, which also featured a virtual Madonna.

While last night's resurrection of Tupac is the first posthumous performance many folks have seen, in 2006, the U.K.-based company SquareZero Ltd., who itself first started working with the technology in 2006, similarly brought Frank Sinatra back to life to perform as a gift for Simon Cowell on his 50th birthday, in addition to breathing life back into the late Paul Arden at Cannes in 2010, and animating Christina Aguilera in February of last year for a fragrance line.

#Nowplaying Money on the Table @young_donuk ft @bobiilewis & mo #Officialvideo #BeEpic #via #youtube @smarterhiphop #videodjs

20 year old Bobii Lewis is a singer/songwriter/rapper/producer from London with a soulful silky voice, charming attitude and a winner’s mentality. He has recently been acknowledged in The Sun newspaper by American singer and X Factor affiliate Sinitta as a future star. We caught up with Bobii on his current projects…

At such a young age you are already being tipped to be the ‘next big thing’. How have you got to where you are today?

I have been working really hard sacrificing a lot of time perfecting my craft and  building up material with the belief that it will pay off.  Also, I have taken advice from the right people and applied it in ways  that has helped me to come to where I am today.

What’s it like being mentored by Sinitta? Have you ever been tempted to audition on the X Factor?

Sinitta has a very down to earth character and I really appreciate all  the support she’s given me but the key person in my development has been my manager. Although I enjoy the show, I have never thought of being a  contestant on the X Factor, I would rather come up through the ranks on  the UK scene and develop accordingly.

Your voice appeals to a range of genres but which is your favorite?

I’ve always loved slow jams and soul music but I’m always experimenting  with different genres as I am a fan of all types of music.

Who are you influenced by in the music industry, past or present?

I admire Kanye’s style of music in general but his first album College  Dropout was the biggest influence on me. A range of singers like, Bob  Marley, Michael Jackson, Boys 2 Men and Musiq Soulchild have also been a great influence on my music.

What’s the next in the pipeline and where can we see you?

I’m currently in the middle of a mash up series (a set of 5 videos  released on YouTube every 2 weeks) and there are two more to come to  complete the set which can be found on my  Youtube Channel . I am also featuring on a track that’s  currently picking up interest from radio and TV with Young Don, Joe  Black and Cerose, “Money On The Table”, (see video below). I haven’t got a string of dates  at the moment but if you want to know where I’m performing then follow  me on Twitter or join my fan page on Facebook  to be the first to know.

#NowPlaying Tony Montana @1future #officialvideo #BeEpic #via #youtube @smarterhiphop #videodjs

Future (born Navyvadius Cash), is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently signed to the record label Epic Records.Nayvadius Cash grew up in Kirkwood, Georgia and was given the moniker "The Future of Rap" by his local crew.^[1] His cousin, producer Rico Wade ofDungeon Family, encouraged him to sharpen his writing skills and pursue music.^[2] From 2010 to early 2011, Future released a series of mixtapes including 1000, Dirty Sprite and True Story.^[2][3] The latter included the single "Tony Montana", on which he raps with a fake Cuban accent in an attempt to approximate the voice of the main character from the Scarface film.^[3][4] During this time, Future also partnered with Gucci Mane on the Free Brickscollaborative album and was the featured artist on YC's single "Racks".^[1][5]

Future signed a major label deal with Epic Label Group in September 2011, days before the release of his next mixtape, Streetz Calling.^[6] The mixtape was described by XXL magazine as ranging from "simple and soundly executed boasts" to "futuristic drinking and drugging jams" to "tales of the grind."^[5] Jordan Sargent of Pitchfork Media remarked that on the mixtape, Future comes "as close as anyone to perfecting this thread of ringtone pop, where singing and rapping are practically the same thing, and conversing 100% through Auto-Tune doesn't mean you still can't talk about how you used to sell drugs. It would almost feel antiquated if Future weren't amassing hits, or if he weren't bringing some subtle new dimensions to the micro-genre."^[4]

Though Future had told MTV that Streetz Calling would be his final mixtape prior to the release of his debut studio album, another mixtape, Astronaut Status, was released in January 2012.^[7][8] XXL's Troy Mathews wrote, "While Astronaut Status is up and down and never really hits the highs like 'Racks', 'Tony Montana', and 'Magic' that fans have come to expect from Future, it’s apparent that he’s poised to continue the buzz of 2011 humming right along into 2012."^[9]

Future was selected to the annual XXL Freshmen list in early 2012.^[10] His debut album Pluto, originally planned for January, is scheduled to be released on April 17.^[11][12] It will include remixes of "Tony Montana" featuring Drake and "Magic" featuring T.I..^[13] According to Future, "'Magic' was the first record T.I. jumped on when he came outta jail. Like, he was out of jail a day and he jumped straight on the 'Magic' record without me even knowing about it."^[13] The track became Future's first single to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[14] Other collaborators on the album include R Kelly,Snoop Dogg and Trae Tha Truth.^[15]

#nowplaying Go Harder - @1future #Officialvideo #VIA @Smarterhiphop

#NowPlaying Go Harder - @1future #Officialvideo #VIA @Smarterhiphop  #VideoDjs 

#Nowwatching #extrafly by @vinnychasenyc #OfficialVideo #NYC TO #ATL #Via @SmarterhHipHop

#Nowwatching #extrafly by @vinnychasenyc #OfficialVideo #Via #Videodjs @SmarterhHipHop

#nowwatching aka shawn - what is you sayin #officialvideo #DALLAS 2 #ATL via @smarterhiphop

#nowwatching aka shawn - what is you sayin #officialvideo #videoDJ via @smarterhiphop

#BlackHistoryMonth Being Black Is The New Power OF 2012 Believe

Welcome to Great Knowlege of the Truth! Celebrate Black History Month 2011 & learn about the men, women, & events that shape the African American community! THIS IS NOT JUST AN ORDINARY MONTH THIS IS A MONTH WERE WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT  HISTORY HOW BLACK PEOPLE  WHO ONCE were SLAVES HELPED BUILD THIS COUNTRY to WHat it is today they had to fight TO BE EQUAL CITIZENS AS WE ARE TODAY. THIS IS OUR HISTORY AND were we ARE TODAY! African-American history is the portion of American history that specifically discusses the African American or BlackAmerican ethnic group in the United States.

BLACK HISTORY SOMETHING THEY DONT WANT ANY ONE TO REMINBER! African-American history is the portion of Americanhistory that specifically discusses the African American or Black American ethnic group in the United States.

The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. That September, the Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by black Americans and other peoples of African descent. Known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham LincolnFrederick Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures. and In the decades the followed, mayors of cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing Negro History Week. By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the Civil Rights Movement and a growing awareness of black identity, Negro History Week had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses. President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history." Since then, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme. In 2010, the theme focused on the history of black economic empowerment and recognized the achievements of the painter Jacob Lawrence, the entrepreneur Annie Malone and the National Urban League, a civil rights organizationThis is a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr for fighting for us and having to courage to do so !!!!!! Celebrate Black History Month 2011 & learn about the men, women, & events that shape the African American community!!!!!

Get ready to Celebrate Black History Month 2012 with @smarterhiphop

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.