J Dilla "Diamonds"
Friday, June 15, 2007
News For 6-15-07
Lil Wayne pushes Tha Carter 3 back!
Rapper Lil Wayne was scheduled to drop his anticipated album Tha Carter 3 at the end of this year according to Universal Records’ latest schedule. Wayne has now changed his mind and decided to drop the album in the 2008, disappointing a lot of fans. MTV caught up with Wayne recently, who explained his decision.
November 2008?” Weezy scoffed last week in Miami when asked if his reps’ idea for his release date matched his own plans. Even though he was kidding about the Lp coming out at the tail end of next year, he was very serious about maintaining what he said earlier this month: He does not want to put out his highly anticipated project anytime in 2007.
Who can his fans, who have been consuming his mixtapes, like The Drought 3 thank for this delay? St. Lunatics frontman, and fellow labelmate, Nelly.
“A lot of things [are] coming out this year,” Weezy explained. “My artist Currency, I don’t wanna drown him. Then I’m on a lot of people’s stuff. A lot of people want to use the songs I’m on as singles. That would be a quick, ‘No, reject,’ if my album was out. I don’t like that. I want all that to be when I come out. Plus I was given advice by my big brother Nelly about how to do that. He said, ‘You gotta make them want you.’
“I got a song with Enrique Iglesias and people who sell a million records on their own,” he continued. “Then I got songs with people from the ‘hood. I got songs with everybody. Put their fans with mine, [I got] 5 million [albums sold]!”
50 Cent's Golden Water
50 Cent is worth a lot more than his name suggests, Forbes reports. A year ago, Forbes profiled Fitty, who parlayed his thug image into a business empire including a deal with Glaceau, which named a flavor ( Formula 50 )after him in exchange for equity in the company.
The rapper said he thought the label had promise and could one day be gobbled up by Coke.
Original reports were of 50 Cent making up to $400,000,000 for his 10% stake of the company off the sale of Glaceau Water to Coca Cola. Following the news a spokesperson for Energy Brand released a statement
“While 50 Cent and many other world re-known celebrities have very lucrative and fruitful partnerships with our brand, any report stating personal figures of ownership in our company are erroneous at this time. “
New information reported by New York Post the Coca-Cola’s $4.1 billion agreement to buy Glaceau, maker of Vitamin Water, is making him $100 million richer.
Chamillionaire gets caught by the "Hip-Hop police"
With his new album “Ultimate Victory” right around the corner, Chamillionaire has revealed his lead single, the Slick Rick-featured “Hip-Hop police”. He spoke with MTV recently about the song’s concept, and the creative process that goes into making a Cham album.
“I put myself in my own type of vibe,” he explained. “I separated myself from everybody and just concentrated on music. I never had that before. I’ve always had that with my mixtapes — there’s never anybody in the room. But with albums, there’s always people in the room giving different opinions. This time, I just went in there and did everything. When I was done, I let people hear everything. That was a better working process for me.”
“I try to do a lot of records like that on the album that are still jamming records but still have social commentary on them,” he said. “The ‘Hip Hop Police’ record is like a ‘Murder Was the Case’ record. It’s really a concept record. ... Most records now are dance records or for the club. It’s so much of that, I need to go a different direction. I think that’s why I decided to come with ‘Hip Hop Police.’
“It’s automatically different because Slick Rick and Chamillionaire, that’s automatically gonna raise eyebrows,” he added. “Slick Rick has always been one of those guys real good at telling stories. That’s what we’re doing … telling a story about a murder. The metaphor means, nowadays, just loving hip-hop and being a rapper and loving music is the same as committing a murder. ... With all the controversy surrounding rap, that’s what the record is about.”
Cham, well-known for his voice-skills, plays both himself, and the law enforcement within the song as well. “I get arrested, I’m arguing with myself,” he said. “I play the part of the police officer also. I’m trying to pin a crime on myself. The police is saying, ‘We looked at the car, we seen the Chronic you had, we seen the Clipse you had. The Diary, The Blueprint. But … if you think about it, ‘the Clipse’ is the Clipse’s CD. The Diary is Scarface’s CD. The Blueprint is Jay-Z’s CD. The Chronic is Dr. Dre’s CD. It’s hip-hop stuff. A lot of hidden stuff. Then, at the end of the song, they say, ‘We’ll give you a lighter sentence if you pin the crime on your homie.’ That’s when Slick Rick comes in.”
Cham seems to be looking to recreate his early success, as he will once again collaborate with Krazyie Bone for the track “The Bill Collector”. “It’s kind of the same formula,” he said of his new track with Krazyie. “Play-N-Skillz produced it, the guys that produced ‘Ridin’.’ It’s called ‘The Bill Collector.’ People might ask you for a favor. People that owe you money, it’s time to pay up. What reminded me of that is a record Krayzie had with Bone Thugs back in the day called [‘Mr.] Bill Collector.’ I ain’t gonna lie — that kinda inspired me.”
Cham is also feeling a new level of celebrity, as his Grammy-winning hit “Ridin Dirty” was used in the HBO hit show, “The Sopranos”.
“Once they hit me and told me they wanted to use it in ‘The Sopranos,’ I thought it was dope,” he said. “That’s one of them records that, three years from now, people still going to try and use it for something. A lot of people hit me about ‘The Sopranos’ thing, but nowadays not much can surprise me. I seen so many things, man.”
Lloyd Banks is missing in action
In a recent chat with MTV.com, Sha Money XL answered questions about G-Unit member LLoyd Banks recent lack of success, and what could be done for him to improve. 50 Cent even accused Banks’ laziness to be a reason why “Rotten Apple” did underwhelming numbers.
He said that?” said Sha. “I didn’t read the article yet.” “His original rap name was Lazy Lloyd, so his demeanor is laid back,” Sha said. “He’s the most humble one out of all them. He does have to get with the ‘time to do press’ [artists’ business responsibilities] and all that. You have to put your heart into it. His original [stance] was to just rap. It’s more than that.”
Sha also claimed that Rotten Apple may have faltered due to G-Unit’s involvement with other things, including beef. “It went from G-Unit being the hottest shit to now niggas is nitpicking because of all the outside shit going on,” Sha said. “The violence, the arguing, the hate, the divide-and-conquer. All that takes away from what we need to focus on: the music.
“The industry scorned him because he’s a rapper’s rapper,” Sha Money continued. “He doesn’t sit through marketing meetings and know the politics of radio — or even the little backlash coming. When Banks came out, he had to fight a lot of hate. It wasn’t based on music no more; it was the politics.”
Sha Money keeps his hopes high for Banks’ future though, saying “The album he’s working on is amazing and he’s coming back like Jay-Z after ‘Sunshine,’” he said. “[Sometimes] you get that one album that don’t connect, but Banks’ fans is still with him. He’s still touring and doing shows like shit is all the way right. He’s coming to beat their heads in — he on some lyrical exercise.”
Rapper Lil Wayne was scheduled to drop his anticipated album Tha Carter 3 at the end of this year according to Universal Records’ latest schedule. Wayne has now changed his mind and decided to drop the album in the 2008, disappointing a lot of fans. MTV caught up with Wayne recently, who explained his decision.
November 2008?” Weezy scoffed last week in Miami when asked if his reps’ idea for his release date matched his own plans. Even though he was kidding about the Lp coming out at the tail end of next year, he was very serious about maintaining what he said earlier this month: He does not want to put out his highly anticipated project anytime in 2007.
Who can his fans, who have been consuming his mixtapes, like The Drought 3 thank for this delay? St. Lunatics frontman, and fellow labelmate, Nelly.
“A lot of things [are] coming out this year,” Weezy explained. “My artist Currency, I don’t wanna drown him. Then I’m on a lot of people’s stuff. A lot of people want to use the songs I’m on as singles. That would be a quick, ‘No, reject,’ if my album was out. I don’t like that. I want all that to be when I come out. Plus I was given advice by my big brother Nelly about how to do that. He said, ‘You gotta make them want you.’
“I got a song with Enrique Iglesias and people who sell a million records on their own,” he continued. “Then I got songs with people from the ‘hood. I got songs with everybody. Put their fans with mine, [I got] 5 million [albums sold]!”
50 Cent's Golden Water
50 Cent is worth a lot more than his name suggests, Forbes reports. A year ago, Forbes profiled Fitty, who parlayed his thug image into a business empire including a deal with Glaceau, which named a flavor ( Formula 50 )after him in exchange for equity in the company.
The rapper said he thought the label had promise and could one day be gobbled up by Coke.
Original reports were of 50 Cent making up to $400,000,000 for his 10% stake of the company off the sale of Glaceau Water to Coca Cola. Following the news a spokesperson for Energy Brand released a statement
“While 50 Cent and many other world re-known celebrities have very lucrative and fruitful partnerships with our brand, any report stating personal figures of ownership in our company are erroneous at this time. “
New information reported by New York Post the Coca-Cola’s $4.1 billion agreement to buy Glaceau, maker of Vitamin Water, is making him $100 million richer.
Chamillionaire gets caught by the "Hip-Hop police"
With his new album “Ultimate Victory” right around the corner, Chamillionaire has revealed his lead single, the Slick Rick-featured “Hip-Hop police”. He spoke with MTV recently about the song’s concept, and the creative process that goes into making a Cham album.
“I put myself in my own type of vibe,” he explained. “I separated myself from everybody and just concentrated on music. I never had that before. I’ve always had that with my mixtapes — there’s never anybody in the room. But with albums, there’s always people in the room giving different opinions. This time, I just went in there and did everything. When I was done, I let people hear everything. That was a better working process for me.”
“I try to do a lot of records like that on the album that are still jamming records but still have social commentary on them,” he said. “The ‘Hip Hop Police’ record is like a ‘Murder Was the Case’ record. It’s really a concept record. ... Most records now are dance records or for the club. It’s so much of that, I need to go a different direction. I think that’s why I decided to come with ‘Hip Hop Police.’
“It’s automatically different because Slick Rick and Chamillionaire, that’s automatically gonna raise eyebrows,” he added. “Slick Rick has always been one of those guys real good at telling stories. That’s what we’re doing … telling a story about a murder. The metaphor means, nowadays, just loving hip-hop and being a rapper and loving music is the same as committing a murder. ... With all the controversy surrounding rap, that’s what the record is about.”
Cham, well-known for his voice-skills, plays both himself, and the law enforcement within the song as well. “I get arrested, I’m arguing with myself,” he said. “I play the part of the police officer also. I’m trying to pin a crime on myself. The police is saying, ‘We looked at the car, we seen the Chronic you had, we seen the Clipse you had. The Diary, The Blueprint. But … if you think about it, ‘the Clipse’ is the Clipse’s CD. The Diary is Scarface’s CD. The Blueprint is Jay-Z’s CD. The Chronic is Dr. Dre’s CD. It’s hip-hop stuff. A lot of hidden stuff. Then, at the end of the song, they say, ‘We’ll give you a lighter sentence if you pin the crime on your homie.’ That’s when Slick Rick comes in.”
Cham seems to be looking to recreate his early success, as he will once again collaborate with Krazyie Bone for the track “The Bill Collector”. “It’s kind of the same formula,” he said of his new track with Krazyie. “Play-N-Skillz produced it, the guys that produced ‘Ridin’.’ It’s called ‘The Bill Collector.’ People might ask you for a favor. People that owe you money, it’s time to pay up. What reminded me of that is a record Krayzie had with Bone Thugs back in the day called [‘Mr.] Bill Collector.’ I ain’t gonna lie — that kinda inspired me.”
Cham is also feeling a new level of celebrity, as his Grammy-winning hit “Ridin Dirty” was used in the HBO hit show, “The Sopranos”.
“Once they hit me and told me they wanted to use it in ‘The Sopranos,’ I thought it was dope,” he said. “That’s one of them records that, three years from now, people still going to try and use it for something. A lot of people hit me about ‘The Sopranos’ thing, but nowadays not much can surprise me. I seen so many things, man.”
Lloyd Banks is missing in action
In a recent chat with MTV.com, Sha Money XL answered questions about G-Unit member LLoyd Banks recent lack of success, and what could be done for him to improve. 50 Cent even accused Banks’ laziness to be a reason why “Rotten Apple” did underwhelming numbers.
He said that?” said Sha. “I didn’t read the article yet.” “His original rap name was Lazy Lloyd, so his demeanor is laid back,” Sha said. “He’s the most humble one out of all them. He does have to get with the ‘time to do press’ [artists’ business responsibilities] and all that. You have to put your heart into it. His original [stance] was to just rap. It’s more than that.”
Sha also claimed that Rotten Apple may have faltered due to G-Unit’s involvement with other things, including beef. “It went from G-Unit being the hottest shit to now niggas is nitpicking because of all the outside shit going on,” Sha said. “The violence, the arguing, the hate, the divide-and-conquer. All that takes away from what we need to focus on: the music.
“The industry scorned him because he’s a rapper’s rapper,” Sha Money continued. “He doesn’t sit through marketing meetings and know the politics of radio — or even the little backlash coming. When Banks came out, he had to fight a lot of hate. It wasn’t based on music no more; it was the politics.”
Sha Money keeps his hopes high for Banks’ future though, saying “The album he’s working on is amazing and he’s coming back like Jay-Z after ‘Sunshine,’” he said. “[Sometimes] you get that one album that don’t connect, but Banks’ fans is still with him. He’s still touring and doing shows like shit is all the way right. He’s coming to beat their heads in — he on some lyrical exercise.”
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
News For 6-5-07
Saigon Lashes Out Against Atlantic Records
With his long awaited debut album, The Greatest Story Never Told, sitting in limbo at Atlantic Records, Saigon expressed his frustration on his MySpace page last Friday (June 1). The following post on his blog, entitled “Saigon vs. Atlantic Records: Round 1,” is as follows.
“Pleassssse don’t believe that the hold up of my album has ANYTHING to do with me or my work ethic or my rate of producing GREAT music. If you go to YouTube and type in JBTV Saigon, you will hear snippets of my album that Atlantic doesn’t seem to have the desire to release. I just think the once great Atlantic Records has been belittled down to a home of ringtone making artists, like they sign the great jingle writers and real artist like myself don’t get a chance to showcase my musical abilities. I feel like Tupac now — it’s me against the world. Thank God artist such as Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin (Atlantic artist) weren’t signed in this day in time. They would’ve never seen the light of day. Not to worry though, my fans WILL hear my entire album very soon whether they put it out or not. If they don’t I will and let y’all be the judge of if the music is GREAT or not. I am putting out a brand new song right here, titled “What A Life” featuring Tre Williams from Ill Will Records. You can hear it first, here on MySpace. Look forward to hearing more exclusives from me. I’m beginning to think that being my album is geared toward the betterment and not the destruction of my people, the powers that be don’t wanna release it. ‘Cause I know its not the skills. I am the MOST RELEVANT RAPPER in THE WORLD by far when it comes to my people. Unfortunately, they only care about $$$$. Oh well, welcome to America. Greatest Story Never Told coming this summer…regardless.”
The Game Charged with Three Felonies
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office formally hit The Game with three felony charges on Monday (June 4). According to website TMZ.com, the Compton native was charged with possession of a firearm in a school zone, exhibiting a firearm in the presence of an officer and making criminal threats. The charges stem from a February 24 incident during which it is alleged that the rapper brandished a weapon during a pickup basketball game at the Rita Walters Educational Learning Complex in L.A. According to authorities, Game punched an unnamed victim before retrieving a gun from his red Cadillac Escalade and threatening to shoot the person. His arraignment on the felony counts is scheduled for Tuesday (June 5). If convicted, Chuck Taylor faces at least five years in prison.
With his long awaited debut album, The Greatest Story Never Told, sitting in limbo at Atlantic Records, Saigon expressed his frustration on his MySpace page last Friday (June 1). The following post on his blog, entitled “Saigon vs. Atlantic Records: Round 1,” is as follows.
“Pleassssse don’t believe that the hold up of my album has ANYTHING to do with me or my work ethic or my rate of producing GREAT music. If you go to YouTube and type in JBTV Saigon, you will hear snippets of my album that Atlantic doesn’t seem to have the desire to release. I just think the once great Atlantic Records has been belittled down to a home of ringtone making artists, like they sign the great jingle writers and real artist like myself don’t get a chance to showcase my musical abilities. I feel like Tupac now — it’s me against the world. Thank God artist such as Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin (Atlantic artist) weren’t signed in this day in time. They would’ve never seen the light of day. Not to worry though, my fans WILL hear my entire album very soon whether they put it out or not. If they don’t I will and let y’all be the judge of if the music is GREAT or not. I am putting out a brand new song right here, titled “What A Life” featuring Tre Williams from Ill Will Records. You can hear it first, here on MySpace. Look forward to hearing more exclusives from me. I’m beginning to think that being my album is geared toward the betterment and not the destruction of my people, the powers that be don’t wanna release it. ‘Cause I know its not the skills. I am the MOST RELEVANT RAPPER in THE WORLD by far when it comes to my people. Unfortunately, they only care about $$$$. Oh well, welcome to America. Greatest Story Never Told coming this summer…regardless.”
The Game Charged with Three Felonies
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office formally hit The Game with three felony charges on Monday (June 4). According to website TMZ.com, the Compton native was charged with possession of a firearm in a school zone, exhibiting a firearm in the presence of an officer and making criminal threats. The charges stem from a February 24 incident during which it is alleged that the rapper brandished a weapon during a pickup basketball game at the Rita Walters Educational Learning Complex in L.A. According to authorities, Game punched an unnamed victim before retrieving a gun from his red Cadillac Escalade and threatening to shoot the person. His arraignment on the felony counts is scheduled for Tuesday (June 5). If convicted, Chuck Taylor faces at least five years in prison.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
News For 6-2-07
Ontario Teen Steals Kim Mathers’ Phone, Calls Eminem
An 18 year-old aspiring rapper from Windsor, Ontario recently found himself in hot water after calling Eminem from his ex-wife’s cell phone. According to the Windsor Star, Kyle Pratt stole Kim’s phone while she was smoking a cigarette in front of his family’s Windsor bingo hall. Pratt took the phone about a month ago and returned it shortly thereafter, but he copied down the personal numbers of Em and Obie Trice before handing it over. A short time later, Pratt decided to call the Detroit rapper and ask him to listen to his demo. “He was a real a–hole,” Spratt said. “He pretended it wasn’t him and he did a fake voice.” After the call, Pratt was contacted by the Detroit Police and was told to quit harassing the superstar rapper. Pratt, who recorded his conversations with the police and Em, then used the recordings on a song called “Slim Sellout,” which he posted on his MySpace page. The song attracted 1,400 hits to Pratt’s page, but was removed on Wednesday, and on the same day, the teen received a visit from Windsor detectives. Apparently, Kim Mathers was concerned that Pratt was going to post pictures of her children from the phone on the internet. Pratt denies the allegation and says it was all a misunderstanding. “She assumed that I took pictures off her phone, which I did not. (The police) said that Kim thinks that I’m going to put out pictures of her kids that were on the phone, which is not true.” Mathers declined to press charges against the young man, who lost his job at the bingo hall, saying he had already suffered enough.
Def Jam Records Upsets North Carolina High School
On a recent trip to a Charlotte, North Carolina high school — Myers Park High — Def Jam Records and their promotional team handed out free gifts, such as umbrellas, posters, lip-gloss and CDs. But according to WCNC.com, the school, as well as student’s parents, complained that CDs with vulgar lyrics were handed out without their approval. The trip by Def Jam’s promo team, which was approved by the school, was supposed to be a reward for students with good behavior. But according to Assistant Principal Carlos Grant, “They handed out some things that we were not aware of, definitely vulgar.” Subsequently, the school banned Def Jam from the campus and sent out phone calls to student’s parents letting them know what happened. “I don’t think they’d be very happy at all,” Grace McEwen, a student told WCNC. “My mom would probably complain.” McEwen’s mother, Grace, feels the school’s intentions were in the right place and blames the Def Jam promo team. “I think the school did it [in a] well-intentional manner,” Grace McEwen told WCNC. “I’m not upset with the school. I’m upset with the individual who took advantage of the situation.”
Kanye plans to "Graduate" sooner than expected
Following the release of his widely acclaimed “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” mixtape, news has come that Kanye West is planning to release his new album “Graduation” early.
Originally slated for a September release, according to Def Jam representatives, “Graduation” will now hit stores some time in August. His 1st single/video from the album, the West/ DJ Toomp produced & Hype directed “Can’t Tell Me Nothin” debuted on his site last Friday.
One of the most anticipated albums of the year, it is said to include collaborations with with his G.O.O.D music family, and even Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Nas Collabos With Dead Prez
In a recent interview with MTV News, conscious Hip Hop duo Dead Prez revealed details of their numerous collabos with Queens MC, Nas.
“We’ve done quite a few songs with Nas,” said M-1. “We have had a relationship for years. Stic had did a song with just him on it. And I did a song with just me and Nas on it. I don’t know when it’ll surface yet.”
Though the duo’s voice has been relatively absent in the mist of controversy such as the Don Imus Scandal and the Sean Bell Shooting, M-1 says he and Sticman have their fair share to say.
“People don’t have political clarity. And young people are not clear on their positions and not able to speak. I don’t know if you consider me young or not,” said M.”
I can tell you my position comes from an informed political stand. ... A lot of positions are ambiguous. ... The leadership has not emerged to be present enough to speak out … I’d be interested to see who does have a position that could give clarity to what is happening now”
“Al [Sharpton] and Russell [Simmons],” he continued. “I think they are more into ambulance-chasing than actually grinding out [a] position that makes sense. I think it’ll take some sincere forces that don’t have any interest in anything other than changing our community and making things better.”
The duo, who are currently looking for a label to release their next joint project will be releasing a couple of records in the near future.
Stic is currently putting the finishing touches on his solo lp.
50 Cent hooks up with Gizmoz
Digital avatar service Gizmoz has expanded their market as of late, investing over $6 Million dollars into venture capital funding, and brokering deals with several mainstream artists, most notably, 50 Cent. Gizmoz software offers the user the capability to create talking, animated avatars which are able to deliver personalized messages.
Gizmoz entered an agreement with 50 Cent and other artists to use their voice and likenesses to coincide with their software launch. They intend for most users to utilize the program for leaving MySpace messages, which visitors will be able to scroll through, and listen to.
An 18 year-old aspiring rapper from Windsor, Ontario recently found himself in hot water after calling Eminem from his ex-wife’s cell phone. According to the Windsor Star, Kyle Pratt stole Kim’s phone while she was smoking a cigarette in front of his family’s Windsor bingo hall. Pratt took the phone about a month ago and returned it shortly thereafter, but he copied down the personal numbers of Em and Obie Trice before handing it over. A short time later, Pratt decided to call the Detroit rapper and ask him to listen to his demo. “He was a real a–hole,” Spratt said. “He pretended it wasn’t him and he did a fake voice.” After the call, Pratt was contacted by the Detroit Police and was told to quit harassing the superstar rapper. Pratt, who recorded his conversations with the police and Em, then used the recordings on a song called “Slim Sellout,” which he posted on his MySpace page. The song attracted 1,400 hits to Pratt’s page, but was removed on Wednesday, and on the same day, the teen received a visit from Windsor detectives. Apparently, Kim Mathers was concerned that Pratt was going to post pictures of her children from the phone on the internet. Pratt denies the allegation and says it was all a misunderstanding. “She assumed that I took pictures off her phone, which I did not. (The police) said that Kim thinks that I’m going to put out pictures of her kids that were on the phone, which is not true.” Mathers declined to press charges against the young man, who lost his job at the bingo hall, saying he had already suffered enough.
Def Jam Records Upsets North Carolina High School
On a recent trip to a Charlotte, North Carolina high school — Myers Park High — Def Jam Records and their promotional team handed out free gifts, such as umbrellas, posters, lip-gloss and CDs. But according to WCNC.com, the school, as well as student’s parents, complained that CDs with vulgar lyrics were handed out without their approval. The trip by Def Jam’s promo team, which was approved by the school, was supposed to be a reward for students with good behavior. But according to Assistant Principal Carlos Grant, “They handed out some things that we were not aware of, definitely vulgar.” Subsequently, the school banned Def Jam from the campus and sent out phone calls to student’s parents letting them know what happened. “I don’t think they’d be very happy at all,” Grace McEwen, a student told WCNC. “My mom would probably complain.” McEwen’s mother, Grace, feels the school’s intentions were in the right place and blames the Def Jam promo team. “I think the school did it [in a] well-intentional manner,” Grace McEwen told WCNC. “I’m not upset with the school. I’m upset with the individual who took advantage of the situation.”
Kanye plans to "Graduate" sooner than expected
Following the release of his widely acclaimed “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” mixtape, news has come that Kanye West is planning to release his new album “Graduation” early.
Originally slated for a September release, according to Def Jam representatives, “Graduation” will now hit stores some time in August. His 1st single/video from the album, the West/ DJ Toomp produced & Hype directed “Can’t Tell Me Nothin” debuted on his site last Friday.
One of the most anticipated albums of the year, it is said to include collaborations with with his G.O.O.D music family, and even Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Nas Collabos With Dead Prez
In a recent interview with MTV News, conscious Hip Hop duo Dead Prez revealed details of their numerous collabos with Queens MC, Nas.
“We’ve done quite a few songs with Nas,” said M-1. “We have had a relationship for years. Stic had did a song with just him on it. And I did a song with just me and Nas on it. I don’t know when it’ll surface yet.”
Though the duo’s voice has been relatively absent in the mist of controversy such as the Don Imus Scandal and the Sean Bell Shooting, M-1 says he and Sticman have their fair share to say.
“People don’t have political clarity. And young people are not clear on their positions and not able to speak. I don’t know if you consider me young or not,” said M.”
I can tell you my position comes from an informed political stand. ... A lot of positions are ambiguous. ... The leadership has not emerged to be present enough to speak out … I’d be interested to see who does have a position that could give clarity to what is happening now”
“Al [Sharpton] and Russell [Simmons],” he continued. “I think they are more into ambulance-chasing than actually grinding out [a] position that makes sense. I think it’ll take some sincere forces that don’t have any interest in anything other than changing our community and making things better.”
The duo, who are currently looking for a label to release their next joint project will be releasing a couple of records in the near future.
Stic is currently putting the finishing touches on his solo lp.
50 Cent hooks up with Gizmoz
Digital avatar service Gizmoz has expanded their market as of late, investing over $6 Million dollars into venture capital funding, and brokering deals with several mainstream artists, most notably, 50 Cent. Gizmoz software offers the user the capability to create talking, animated avatars which are able to deliver personalized messages.
Gizmoz entered an agreement with 50 Cent and other artists to use their voice and likenesses to coincide with their software launch. They intend for most users to utilize the program for leaving MySpace messages, which visitors will be able to scroll through, and listen to.
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