Chasen Hampton

On March 8, Tony Lucca played the Brighton Music Hall on the Digital Vein Tour. Tony brought up a few special guests to sing a few songs with him as well. New England native, and season 1 winner of the voice, Javier Colon, as well as fellow Mickey Mouse Clubhouser, Chasen Hampton. - Music Existence (Live Show Gallery) Written by Caitlin Dunn

Chasen Hampton – I Can’t Breathe ft Reks & Dutch Rebelle produced by American Antagon1st and directed by Rose Glen Entertainment

In light of the recent police abuse of force outrage sweeping the country. Chasen Hampton sings out “Enough’s Enough” on this powerful hip-hop anthem. Featuring Boston heavy hitters REKS, Dutch ReBelle and producer American Antagon1st all bringing their own views and experiences to the track, “I Can’t Breathe” was written for the people marching for our rights, freedoms and humanity past and present. A reminder that we are supposed to be “One Nation Under God”, we all need each other & it’s time to #MakeAChange - HipHop Back In The Day Buffet

Ten-year old Wesley Ryan would have given anything for a phone call from Chasen Hampton. As a member of my favorite pop group of the 90s, The Party, Chasen would have been on the receiving end of such riveting questions as “How do you get your awesome hair that high”, “Can you teach me some of your fresh choreography”, and “Where does Tiffani get those fabulous hats?” Luckily, I wouldn’t get that phone call for another twenty-five years. I say luckily because I now have a much deeper understanding of what it must have been like to record my favorite pop songs during a very non-pop-friendly time in radio. I’ve grown quite a bit since 1990, and I’m not the only one. I need look no further for proof of that than Chasen’s new single, “I Can’t Breathe”.

Even a year ago, I wouldn’t have thought anything would preempt my Party-related questioning of Chasen, but the story of “I Can’t Breathe”, an organic collaboration between three very different voices, was absolutely the first question I needed to ask. “In trying to find my musical outlet here in Boston…I’d fallen into this hip hop community.” That community included two very popular underground artists with a tremendous following and massive amount of respect between them, REKS and Dutch ReBelle. After spontaneously offering a hook for one of their songs, the two artists were impressed enough to give Chasen some tracks to look over. A broken ankle and unprecedented Massachusetts winter subsequently left him camped out on the couch with nothing to do but watch the endless footage of racism and violence we’ve all been subjected to for the last few months. The facts of everything that’s been happening, from the riots in Baltimore to the death of Eric Garner, have been horrible enough, but it was the media’s role in creating fear, furthering stereotypes, and oversimplifying people by their race that frustrated Chasen the most. “I was just stuck to the TV watching the same car burn over and over again…it was like they were playing people like puppets and I was like ‘man I can’t breathe. That’s where I came up with it; I was like literally I can’t breathe from all of this negativity.”

The song doesn’t pull any punches or avoid any aspect of the very complicated issues at hand, and Chasen was aware that even a project combining people of different backgrounds and simply seeking to inspire change and positivity might be controversial. So he made sure to test the song to see what kind of reactions he would get from those he trusted most. “I played it for my mom and other people who I knew support the police, I played it for people who I thought might be offended. And my mom other people said ‘This is important, you have to get this out.’” The video, too, would surely be controversial, as it included actual footage of the shooting of Walter Scott and other difficult-to-watch real moments from the past few year. Chasen understands that seeing the footage may upset people who have to live with and deal with racism on a daily basis. His response to that demonstrates his empathy for them and also his feelings of responsibility as an artist. “Honestly, I’m sad for those that get disgusted. The video maybe isn’t for them because…they get it. This is probably more for the white people who don’t see that in the press and need to see it”. He described showing his father footage of a handcuffed black male being beaten up by police officers (both white and black), and his father’s subsequent shared feelings of disgust and understanding that it needs to be seen. “I’m disgusted (too). I’m an artist and that’s what I’m supposed to do. Take my environment, put it out, and put it on paper”. Asked what we should do after art and other mediums bring the issues to our awareness, Chasen’s response is equally insightful. “Dialogue is everything. Communication is everything in life. Even if you don’t agree that’s fine. A lot of times by having that communication you will find the common ground.”

Racism and violence aren’t topics you probably associate with your memories of The Party, and while those were indeed simpler times (or they at least felt simpler to our younger selves), Chasen acknowledged that The Party had always been intentionally socially aware, recording songs like “All About Love”, “Peace, Love, and Understanding”, and “My Generation”. “We were trying to be politically conscious because each person in the group was so different. You know when you’re a kid too you’re trying to find yourself…I remember Albert’s neighbors were Muslim and reading the Quran at one point, Tiffani was from Barbados, DeeDee was Catholic and Filipino, Damon was Catholic and Italian, I was fully into my Native American background, so we were always trying to teach each other about each other’s race and religion.” That diversity was a huge part of The Party’s appeal, but it was also a part of their struggle for respect. A mixed gender and race pop group influenced by different musical styles was unheard of in a time where music was supposed to be easily categorized and labeled. “You know there weren’t ready for it man. As stupid as it sounds, when they would tell radio stations we were coming to town…they didn’t want any part of it”. Chasen went on to describe that in a pre-Britney, Christina, and Justin world, being teenagers and being from Disney was also a radio curse. “When they would release our singles to the radio stations, it would just be a black label…that’s originally how they got “Summer Vacation” on. It was only when audiences responded so positively to the music that they would identify themselves to the stations.

And the resistance to a fresh approach on pop music wasn’t relegated to just radio. Even within their own record label, there was some early pressure to keep each member singing the music with which they were most easily identified. “When the label first signed us, they said…’Damon’s gonna rap, Albert’s gonna do the R&B, Chase is gonna do rock’. They kind of tried to do that in the beginning and then we really kind of fought it”. So by the time the third album was being recorded, they were given more freedom to write and sing in different styles, leading Chasen to write and record one of my personal favorite Party tracks, “Needin’ Someone”. “I was real big into Toni Tony Tone back then…the guy who I wrote that with (Cliff Magness) wrote with Wilson Phillips and Quincy Jones.” As Chasen described being dropped off at the houses of some of the best producers in the business, it’s clear he feels very fortunate to have had those early opportunities. Those learning experiences would come in handy sooner rather than later, as The Party ended after only a few short years in the music industry. “You could say we were ahead of our time or we were behind our time at that point, but everything comes around again, and we were in the wrong place at the wrong time with The Party.” As proof that marketing pop in a post-NKOTB but pre-NSYNC world was difficult, Chasen shared that their fan club was run by the same guys who were doing fan clubs for Pearl Jam and the Black Crowes, who no one had heard of back then. “Even though we were doing pop music, I was more into rock. And that was the Seattle sound basically at that point, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, you name it. And when Nirvana hit…forget it. That’s what kind of killed The Party, that scene. I wish we would’ve kind of stuck with it and realized it all came back around again.”

Instead, the members of The Party parted ways, and Chasen continued with his love of rock music with the band Buzzfly. “All we really wanted when we were in The Party was to have a band…to have that freedom to have a live band was just something I needed for my soul. I needed to do that and that was just great. Honestly it was a great musical education for me as well.” He went on to describe the education he got constructing the music with the band members and his own evolution as a songwriter. “It’s a skill you can’t really go to class for, or at least I didn’t go to as a kid when I was doing dance lessons and acting and stuff like that.” The Buzzfly experience also helped him as a solo artist, when he released Something to Believe in 2007, and his captivating, bluesy Drugstore Girls EP in 2010. “That’s my heart…As a kid coming from Oklahoma, growing up on a farm with my cousins and uncles, that’s the kind of stuff they’d keep playing to me on the radio, bluegrass, steel guitar…” He described the “full circle” experience of getting back to his roots as a very important step for him as an artist.

Though they all went on their separate musical journeys, all of the members of The Party, and the larger MMC for that matter, feel a camaraderie and shared experience that keeps them supporting each other. As he described his happiness for the recent success of Voice alum Tony Lucca, and other MMC pals like Josh and Dale, he beams with pride and admiration for all of their accomplishments and determination. “If I literally had the money that I wish I had I’d been helping all those guys, because I know their talent. They went through 100,000 kids to find 12 and then eventually 22 altogether. Every one of those kids, even the ones you never heard about again, has a talent that is so special”. Fans of the MMC couldn’t agree more, as we followed the careers of all of the alumni for decades, with some (like yours truly) holding out hope that The Party would one day reunite. So I was happy to share with Chasen that I indeed “lost my shit” when I heard the news of their reunion. He laughed and shared his excitement. “It’s always sounded good, but ya know there’s so much to live up to, that was such a special experience for us that we would hate to tarnish it in any way, but the opportunity came up to do some songs and come together…and yeah, man we were stoked”.

Having just released a few singles (the fantastic “L.A” and “Give It”, which are available on iTunes), Chasen assured me that more music from The Party could potentially be on the way very soon. Not only that, but he’s currently working with rapper Termanology and will likely release another EP of his own soon as well. After chatting more about teaching, dancing, and music, we ended the interview with Chasen wanting the fans he’s gained from all of his diverse musical experiences to know what their support means to him. “It’s heartwarming and good to know that these people have been with us this long…we’re just so lucky and blessed to have that opportunity”. So know that your patience and dedication has paid off Party fans. It’s not only appreciated, but it will hopefully keep Chasen motivated to share more of his talent with us for many years to come. You can keep tabs on Chasen’s latest by following him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/XxChasenxX and as always, thanks for supportin’ my own musical journey at The Hub! - Wesley Ryan's Music Hub

From Emmett Till to Trayvon… We Have Been Here Before and We Still Can’t Breathe
(Interview with Chasen Hampton on His New Single “I Can’t Breathe”)
by Gloria Y.A. Ayee | @GloriaYAyee | special to NewBlackMan (in Exile)

“I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe…” These are the final words uttered by Eric Garner, a 43 year-old African American man, as he was being arrested and wrestled to the ground in a chokehold by a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer. Garner’s death is one in a long, troubling history of abuse of power, police brutality, and violence against Blacks in the United States.

“I Can’t Breathe,” a powerful Hip-Hop anthem by Chasen Hampton (featuring REKS, Dutch ReBelle, and Antagon1st), which was released in March 2015, addresses the pain of a society that can no longer breathe, literally and figuratively speaking, as countless lives continue to be lost through senseless violence and brutality. In an exclusive interview for NewBlackMan (In Exile), Hampton spoke about the process of writing “I Can’t Breathe.”

Hampton says that he wanted to express his frustrations with what he viewed as race baiting from media outlets in their coverage of stories about protests and rioting in response to police brutality and violence against Blacks. “I was fed-up and disgusted,” he says. Hampton realized that he could no longer remain silent, and he needed to take a public stand.

Hampton is an American actor and musician, who began his career as a Mouseketeer on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, and later went on to become a member of the pop band, The Party. After a recent move to Boston, Hampton became heavily involved in the local Hip-Hop scene there. Hampton, who has always played it safe with his music, describes himself as someone who is not “one to rock the boat.” He generally stays away from making political statements, but has been deeply moved and disturbed by media misrepresentations, and a general absence of healthy dialogue on race issues in the country as a whole.

Hampton views “I Can’t Breathe” as a way to stand up for the truth. The American Antagon1st produced track features backpacking rapper REKS and Haitian-born Dutch ReBelle. Each artist wrote and recorded their verses on the track separately, allowing them to provide social commentary from their own unique perspectives. REKS and Dutch ReBelle both display lyrical prowess on their individual verses and Hampton’s strong vocals are a standout on the track, serving as a haunting reminder of the lives that have been lost. “No more. Enough is enough, it’s time to make a change,” Hampton sings.

Hampton, who is of Cherokee and Sac-Fox Native American descent, understands the troubling history of race relations in the United States, and knows that he has a unique platform through which he can speak out about injustice. He argues that in order for our country to move forward, no one should turn a blind eye when there are people crying out that they cannot breathe and asking that society as a whole acknowledge that Black lives matter.

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Gloria Ayee is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at Duke University. She is also a freelance entertainment journalist and has contributed to The Root and Billboard.com.
Posted 28th April 2015 - Duke University NewBlackMan (in Exile) Mark Anthony Neal

With the recent exposure of police brutality and abuse of power, Chasen Hampton drops an American Antagon1st produced track titled “I Cant Breathe”. MCs Reks and Dutch Rebelle join Chasen on the moving Hip Hop anthem to rhyme about the experiences and the effects of police brutality and abuse of authority in their lives. In the first verse Reks message is about how times have not changed as much as we may think they have and how he battles with what to tell his son about growing up as a black man in America .

“We been here before, from Emmett Till to Trayvon
my momma prays on, same scenario plays on
we here, they gone we bury ’em young
Try telling my son he don’t need to worry ’bout putting that hoodie on
Could we learn could we grow? just don’t know anymore
I’m watching them videos, police is outta control
Give me one reason at all to believe in the laws “

On the second Verse, Dutch doesn’t play shy as she sheds light on the accountability we must take for ourselves as people and leaders.
” Some of yall lost but don’t wanna be found
Kings and Queens but don’t wanna be crowned
Aint no need for the wannabes now
If you aint gone; lead when it really go down
F*cked up that i came to the states for this
Care less ’bout who cares that I’m stating this.”

Check the song as well as its visuals and let us know what you think! - Killer Boombox Written by: JasminRae April 22, 2015

Britney Spears has a rodent in her past. His name is Mickey. More than four decades after the show first debuted, it surely would have warmed the heart of Walt Disney (whose original Mouseketeers included beach-movie princess-to-be Annette Funicello) to know that today's biggest teen idol is an alum of the "Mickey Mouse Club.

" Also on intimate terms with the world's most famous mouse are Christina Aguilera, "Felicity" star Keri Russell and 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake and J.

C. Chasez. All five of these young stars were Mouseketeers on the "All-New Mickey Mouse Club," which aired on the Disney Channel from 1989 to 1994. During their time on "MMC," as it later became known, they and their fellow cast members learned to sing, dance, do sketch comedy and make music videos - essential elements of a contemporary pop star's career. "It was like 'Saturday Night Live' for kids," says Aguilera of her two "MMC" years. "You got experience for what it's like in a recording studio. You got in-front-of-the-camera experience and exposure. And you got what it was to be on a working schedule.

" So far, five "MMC" grads have attained superstardom, but nearly three dozen kids passed through the cast and another wave of talent is rapidly approaching: Singer Rhona Bennett is poised to release a solo album on Sony. Actor Ryan Gosling was featured in "Remember the Titans" and has his first starring role in next year's "The Believer.

" Mylin Brooks has become a pop star with a top-selling career in Asia. Deedee Magno starred in "Miss Saigon" on Broadway for nearly two years. Nita Booth managed to turn her mouse ears into a tiara: She was Miss Virginia in 1998. Talent with a twinkle "I guess the casting director was really good or something," says Spears, when asked why so much talent has sprung from one place. "Yeah, it is really strange. Maybe the show was just a really good show. It really motivated all of us. And you can see that from what we've done.

" The show even touched a few big names who didn't actually make it into the cast: Teen heartthrob Nick Carter was invited to the final round of the show's "audition camp" but decided to join The Backstreet Boys instead. Songstress Jessica Simpson was a finalist who just missed the cut but later emerged as a sensation in her own right. All that talent was not easy to find - these kids weren't discovered slurping milkshakes at the Dairy Queen. Instead, they were rounded up in a series of cattle calls, which took casting director Matt Casella across the country looking for teens with the right balance of looks, talent, charm and willingness to uproot their entire family and relocate to Orlando, Fla. "I knew how special these kids were when I saw them," says Casella, who saw 20,000 kids during four years of auditions. "There was sort of an eagerness and a sparkle in their eye that said, 'I want it.

' " The young people thrown together on the set quickly formed tight bonds. After childhoods in which being an actor or model was considered an odd aspiration, they were finally among kindred spirits. And many of them lived next door to one another in apartment buildings in Kissimmee, Fla., near the studio. "We all got along like brothers and sisters," Aguilera recalls. "We became like family. It was cool for me because I was in with a bunch of kids who really enjoyed performing and had dreams of doing it in the future. Where I come from, kids were really into sports, and I was the only one really into music.

" Hamster actors Days at "MMC" were spent rehearsing, in dance and acting classes or in brief but concentrated school sessions. Forbidden to eat sweets lest they become hyperactive, some of the cast resorted to raiding the caterer's secret stash of chocolate. Others worked out their energy with free rides on the Disneyworld roller coasters. Romance, too, was alive on the set. Among the lovebirds were Keri Russell and Tony Lucca, and J.

C. Chasez and Nikki DeLoach. But getting close to future sex symbols wasn't always as exciting as it sounds. "Every time I think of Britney and Christina, they're sort of like these love goddesses now," Gosling says. "But I did a sketch with them where I was a giant hamster and Britney was a giant hamster and Christina was a giant cockatoo. I just can't see them the way the rest of the world does.

" And while the dozen former Mousketeers interviewed for this piece all remember their experience fondly, a few, especially those who stuck around for all five years, got fed up with their lack of input in the creative process. "Between the ages of 15 and 18, you think you know everything and you truly believe that in your soul, and to hear 'no' again and again and again is very difficult to take," says Marc Worden, who was recently featured in "Nash Bridges.

" "We saw 'Saturday Night Live' and 'In Living Color,' and we wanted to emulate that. I dance around it, because Disney is a very powerful company. But that's the truth. We were controlled.

" Happy Fla./Harsh L.

A. When Disney canceled the show, the cast members went their separate ways. A few headed straight to Los Angeles to find work. A small group, who had formed the dance-pop act The Party, continued to tour and record. But most just went back to high school and resumed "normal" lives. The cast members who quickly found new projects were the lucky ones. Chasez and Timberlake soon found success in 'N Sync, but most Mousketeers discovered that, despite the tough standards at Club Mouse, Disney had coddled them when compared to the rest of Hollywood. "Every single day was a happy day," DeLoach says. "I was a little kid going through life in this playland. And then I stepped out into a different world in L.

A. All of a sudden, it was, 'Whoa, I don't know about this.

' You felt like you had been in a big bubble. You had no idea what business was like on the outside.

" Even though being a Mouseketeer now has some cachet, having "MMC" on your résumé was not terribly cool in 1996. "When we first left the show, we were apprehensive to put 'MMC' on our résumés because of how people might perceive it," Lucca says. "But over the course of the past five years, that's changed dramatically. That's now the first thing we mention. It's funny how that goes. It's definitely now something of an asset.

" With so many members in the cast, it's surprising that almost all of them are still involved in the entertainment industry. This year, several graduated from college theater and film programs. Others are still working their way up the ladder of commercials and television pilots or trying to land record deals. The best place for a former Mousketeer sighting is at one of the fairly frequent shows put on by Lucca, Matt Morris or Chasen Hampton's band, Buzzfly. Their shows at L.A. clubs such as the Viper Room have become the centers of mini-reunions, where everyone from stars like Russell and Chasez to still-hopefuls like Pampolina and DeLoach get to say hello to old friends and catch up. But no matter how famous they have become, all fondly remember the show that gave them their first break. It helped make them stars, even if it also made them dress up as turtles. "For me, it was this huge playtime," says Brooks, who is readying her third album. "When I watch the tapes, I sometimes get a little emotional because I miss those people, and I miss the things we used to do. - NY Daily News

In this episode of The Tiara Talk Show, former Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeer and member of The Party, Chasen Hampton, chats with host Tammy Tuckey about being an official Mouseketeer for The All New Mickey Mouse Club in 1989, the many celebrities encounters at Disney’s MGM Studios (from Audrey Hepburn to Bill Murray), the infamous MMC pie fight on the Studios backlot and more!

Visit Chasen Hampton’s official website here: www.chasenhampton.com

(Listen to podcast in link above) -

By Musicnews

Local musical favorites Ben Babylon and Chasen Hampton will perform at Open Borders, the new performance venue and art gallery in Thousand Oaks, from 1:00-2:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 17. Admission is free.

Babylon, a 13-year-old singer/songwriter, is the son of the late Guy Babylon, who was Elton John's Grammy-winning keyboardist and arranger for 21 years. Following his father's untimely death from a heart attack in 2009, the young Babylon began to attract attention for "Goodbye Superman," an epic song he wrote in his father's memory, which is available on iTunes. He is currently working on his first album of original songs, in collaboration with three members of the Elton John Band: lead guitarist Davey Johnstone, bass player Bob Birch and percussionist John Mahon. Babylon plans to perform some songs from the album at Open Borders.

Joining Babylon on stage will be singer/songwriter Chasen Hampton, one of Babylon's former teachers at Rock Nation School in Agoura Hills. Hampton, who recently released his second album, "Drugstore Girls," gained fame in the early 1990s as a teen Mouseketeer on the hit TV show The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he worked with such future stars as Britney Spears, Keri Russell, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and others.

In the mid 1990s, Hampton was signed by Hollywood Records as part of a new musical group called The Party, and toured with such acts as Taylor Dane, Vanilla Ice, High Five, Das Effect and C+C Music Factory. That experience enabled Hampton to work with leading record producers including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Teddy Riley, Jelly Bean Benitez and others. The group's biggest single, a remake of Dokken's "My Dreams," made the Top 20 chart in Hits Magazine.

Although not a duo, Hampton and Babylon have performed together at many venues, including last year's Ventura County Fair, The Canyon Club, House of Blues and The Mint. Their July 17 appearance will be their first at Open Borders.

Open Borders is a non-profit music, arts and digital media venue in the former Borders bookstore at 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, California 91360. For more information about Open Borders, visit www.OpenBorders2011.com. For information about Ben Babylon, visit www.BenBabylonMusic.com. For information about Chasen Hampton, visit www.reverbnation.com/chasenhampton. - Ventura County Star

Chasen Cord Chase Hampton (born January 12, 1975) is an American actor, singer, and musician. Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Hampton began his career as a Mousketeer on The All New Mickey Mouse Club. As a member of the teen pop group The Party, Hampton also released four albums with Hollywood Records, charting four hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The remake of the Dokken track In My Dreams was the highest charting single, reaching #34, and is perhaps the best known hit from The Party. Hampton currently is the vocalist of the rock band Buzzfly, as well as a solo artist. Beginning February 2011, Chasen is set to tour the southeastern US in support of his 2010 solo release, Drugstore Girls EP. - Readings, Australia's Own

Southern Californian fans of Elton’s late keyboardist, the Grammy-winning Guy Babylon, can see his astounding son, Ben, perform some original songs with Chasen Hampton this weekend.

The 13-year-old singer/songwriter, whose stirring tribute to his father, Goodbye Superman, is available on iTunes, will be appearing at the new Open Borders performance/art gallery from 1:00 – 2:00 pm on Sunday, July 17. The concert is free.

Ben is currently working on his first album of original songs, in collaboration with three members of the Elton John Band: lead guitarist Davey Johnstone, bass player Bob Birch and percussionist John Mahon. Babylon plans to perform some songs from the album at the show on Sunday.

Joining Babylon on stage will be singer/songwriter Chasen Hampton, one of Babylon’s former teachers at Rock Nation School in Agoura Hills. Hampton, who recently released his second album, Drugstore Girls, gained fame in the early 1990s as a teen Mouseketeer on the hit TV show The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he worked with such future stars as Britney Spears, Keri Russell, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and others.

Open Borders is a non-profit music, arts and digital media venue in the former Borders bookstore at 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, California 91360. For more information about Open Borders, visit Open Borders 2011. To find out more about Ben Babylon, visit Ben Babylon Music. - Elton John Official Site