Kanye West and 50 Cent To Battle It Out On 9/11
Def Jam has confirmed that Kanye West's new album, "Graduation", will now hit record stores September 11th, the same day as 50 Cent's new album "Curtis".
Kanye's "Graduation" was originally slated to hit stores on August 21st. The album features the lead singles "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Stronger".
50 Cent's "Curtis" album was originally scheduled for release on June 26th but was pushed back until September 4th. Then last week Interscope announced that the album had been bumped back yet again to September 11th. 50's album features the lead singles "Amusement Park", "Straight To The Bank" and "I Get Money".
Pras Says Fugees Reunion Is "Dead"
In an interview with Billboard.com, Pras expressed frustration about the status of the long-awaited Fugees reunion, which seemed on track as of last fall. "We went in the studio and recorded a couple records that were incredible. But, to put it nicely, it's dead," says Pras. "Me and Clef, we on the same page, but Lauryn [Hill] is in her zone, and I'm fed up with that sh*t. Here she is, blessed with a gift, with the opportunity to rock and give and she's running on some b*llshit? I'm a fan of Lauryn's but I can't respect that."
In other news, "Skid Row," a Screen Media documentary, finds the Fugees principal living as a homeless man for nine days on the infamous Los Angeles strip of the same name. The film opens Aug. 24 in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
"A couple of years ago, a few friends of mine and I were playing Scrabble, and one of them came up with the idea to shoot a documentary about skid row," Pras tells Billboard.com. "I thought he was trying to distract me 'cause I was about to make like 100 points, but he wasn't."
Last year, after two weeks of filming, a month of pre-production and another two weeks of editing, "Skid Row" was ready to be seen. "I went in with the notion that it'd be easy, but then you get there and you realize it's a whole other world and that ignorance is bliss. Most people think homeless people are on drugs or lazy, but that is far from the truth," says Pras. "I left with a completely different mindset on the situation."
While on the streets, Pras endured rats crawling over his belongings and a stream of dope fiends doing drugs. But he also made a few friends, some of whom have passed away since filming. "I just got a call last week. One of the guys that used to be a heroin addict and helped us, he died of an overdose," he says with a tinge of sadness.
Kanye Adresses Beanie Sigel, Homophobia in Hip Hop, and More On Hot 97
G.O.O.D. Music’s Kanye and Common stopped by Hot 97 yesterday to have a sit down with Angie Martinez.
Kanye and Common discuss their favorite artists naming Andre 3000, Lil Wayne, and Dr. Dre amongst others. Kan also took the time to address the comments made by Beanie Siegel regarding his style. If you don’t remember, Beans attacked Kanye’s style claiming he could not respect him because it wasn’t “gangsta.”
Kanye told Angie Martinez, “It really threw my day off. If that’s your [Bean's] opinion, why wouldn’t you come to me? He’s definitely helped me in other situations. I’ve never said anything to bring anybody else down. It’s so disrespectful, it has to be approached. I’m not beefing with Beanie – I don’t do that.”
Click here for the audio.
State of New York To Recognize 1520 Sedgwick Avenue As Birthplace Of Hip-Hop
The State of New York is set to recognize 1520 Sedgwick Avenue as the birthplace of Hip-Hop and will be considered a landmark.
Organizers will hold a press conference Monday July 23rd announcing New York State.Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation have approved a July 2nd application to make the site eligible to be considered a historic landmark. The office says the site "meets the eligibility criteria being that it is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history."
1520 Sedgwick Avenue will be eligible to be recognized as a national historic landmark by the State and National Register of Historic Places.
The press conference takes place 9:30 a.m. at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the South Bronx.
G-Unit Records to Appoint New Virtual CEO
In anticipation of 50 Cent’s upcoming album Curtis, G-Unit Records, with the help of virtual online community Weblo.com, are searching for a new “virtual CEO.”
From now until August 28, the Weblo member with the most referrals into the virtual G-Unit Community will be named the new “virtual CEO” of G-Unit Records.
Depending on the number of referrals a user generates, they can also achieve VP status, A&R status or Intern status. In addition to their title, the new CEO will receive a custom banner for their MySpace page denoting their position, a customized G-unit Records employee badge and a G-Unit prize pack.
The virtual exec will also work with G-Unit’s official crew to promote Curtis, which is due in stores on September 11.
QUEEN LATIFAH COMMENTS ON REMY MA ARREST
Sister 2 Sister magazine editor Jamie Foster Brown caught up with Queen Latifah on the red carpet premiere of “Hairspray” and asked for comments regarding the recent attempted murder charges of her hip hop cohort, Remy Ma.
"It's an unfortunate situation, because there's so much gun violence that's already taken out so many of our kids, so it's tough when it's someone who's famous," Latifah told Brown. "I mean, I've gotten in trouble for having a weapon in the past for my protection. It wasn't the right way to go about it, and I learned from that."
Meanwhile, Latifah was accompanied to the “Hairspray” premiere by her longtime personal trainer Jeanette Jenkins, who has been rumored to be, well, more than just her personal trainer.
Asked by Brown if she has a boyfriend, Jenkins would only say, "I'm in a relationship. I have been for a long time," before rushing off down the red carpet, reports the New York Post.
DTP Drops Celebrity Chick
DTP will be hosting an exclusive video premiere of its new video, Celebrity Chick featured on the forthcoming compilation “Strength in Numbers”, exclusively on DTPrecords.com tonight at 8:30pm EST.
The video features new artists Steph Jones, Smallworld and the veteran duo of Ludacris and Chingy. Along with the online premiere of Celebrity Chick, DTPrecords.com will be launching their new video section, including exclusive behind the scene footage from the video shoot. This includes interviews with all Celebrity Chick artists and director Chaka Zulu. Fans and users of DTPrecords.com will be able to participate, for the first time interactively in this launch event.
Through a partnership with Revver, fans will be given a code to embed and host the video and an exclusive DTP designed widget on their own web pages and social networking sites. The widget will not only allow them to see the video, but automatically feed updated content as it is posted to the DTPrecords.com
The compilation album Strength in Numbers will drop August 28th. It will feature all of DTP’s new artists- Smallworld, Willy NorthPole, Serius Jones, Brolic D, Steph Jones, Playaz Circle and Block X-change. Fans will also hear new music from DTP veterans Ludacris, Shareefa, Bobby V, Lil Fate, Shawnna, I-20, Field Mob and the return of Chingy.
Mobb Deep's Havoc Readies Solo Debut
After 14 years in the game with Mobb Deep, producer/rapper Havoc is finally dropping his early-anticipated solo debut, The Kush, on indie label, Nature Sounds.
Due to a hectic work schedule as one half of Mobb Deep, Havoc never has released a solo record, but he always wanted to, says the rapper. His work as a producer and half of a platinum plus group kept that dream on the backburner for quite some time.
"I was always ready [to drop a solo album], but the reason why it took me so long is because the timing wasn't right," explains Havoc. "I was always working on Mobb Deep material and working with other artists and I used a lot of the material I was going to use for a solo LP for Mobb Deep records."
That all changes in September, the month The Kush drops.
Havoc's debut has been talked about for years by the group's fan base. Over the years, Havoc's eerily chilling production has influenced countless producers, set the bar for NYC producers and become the identity for the "Queensbridge sound." That trend continues with new record, as Havoc handles the album's production in its entirety, and he keeps it grimey. "Basically, The Kush is dark and gutter, I really wanted to go that direction," he says.
Instead of littering his solo debut with numerous guest appearances, Havoc choose to keep things entirely in-house and make it an all-family endeavor by design. "Besides Prodigy, I did not want a bunch of big stars on it, as it would have taken away from the real objective of the LP, which is grimy and down to earth," said Havoc.
The Kush is slated for release September 18.
The final tracklist is as follows:
"NY For Life"
"I'm The Boss"
"By My Side" ft. 40 Glocc
"One Less Nigga"
"Ride Out" ft. Nyce
"Balling Out" ft. Un Pachino
"What's Poppin' Tonite"
"Class By Myself" ft. Nitti
"Set Me Free" ft. Prodigy & Nyce
"Be There"
"Hit Me Up" ft. Un Pachino
"Get Off My Dick"
IFC Partners With R. Kelly For 10 New "Trapped In The Closet" Episodes
IFC is making a push into originals, acquiring R. Kelly's music-world sensation "Trapped in the Closet" and collaborating with the artist on 10 new episodes.
The net is expected to announce at its TCA session this weekend that it will air the original 12 episodes of the series, which became a viral hit on the Internet after radio stations began playing the audio version in 2005. The entire 22-episode run will also stream on IFC.com.
Series, which Kelly wrote and toplines, centers on the romantic and other trials of a character named Sylvester. "Trapped" is an early entry in a genre known as hip-hopera -- a rock opera with hip-hop themes.
Kelly said IFC made sense as a platform for the property, which may in fact be more of a classic serial than a movie, because he's "always thought of 'Trapped' as an independent film."
Series is part of what IFC general manager Evan Shapiro said is the net's transition away from showing only independent film. "What we want to do is go from an independent film channel to one that is the voice of independent culture," he said.
Upcoming Season Of 'Pimp My Ride' To Be Last
MTV has announced that the upcoming season of Pimp My Ride will be the last for the network.
The final eight episodes of Pimp My Ride will air this Sunday (July 22) at 10:30 pm on MTV.
The hit show will be replaced with a new auto-makeover themed competition titled Trick It Out.
Trick It Out will premiere at 10:00 PM on Sunday as well, before the final eight episodes of Pimp My Ride air.
The episodes were previously aired during a June 9 marathon of Pimp My Ride.
The Pimp My Ride brand is still strong around the world, as it is aired on a number of MTV channels worldwide, including Germany, Poland, Austria, Italy, France and others.
Both Fat Joe and Lil' Jon have hosted international versions and rap star Nelly is currently in negotiations to host a South African version of the Pimp My Ride.
Pimp My Ride's replacement, Trick It Out, is a reality style series hosted by former American Idol contestant Becky O'Donohue.
Each week, two crews of four makeover specialists from some of the top shops in the Los Angeles area go head to head in an attempt to create the most unique vehicle.
Both teams are given similar cars, a theme, 10 days and $15,000 to customize a vehicle into a respectable ride.
The winning team keeps their customized vehicle, as well as the losers tricked out ride.
Trick It Out airs at 10:00 PM Sunday and the final season of Pimp My Ride follows, at 10:30 PM.
Gwen Stefani Files Lawsuit Against Forever 21 Retail Outlet
Gwen Stefani has filed a lawsuit against Forever 21, claiming the retail chain stole a design from her Harajuku Lovers line.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims that Forever 21 is marketing, promoting and selling products featuring a design that is "virtually indistinguishable" from the heart logo used by Stefani's L.A.M.B. offshoot — with "Harajuku" simply changed to "Forever" and "Lovers" to "Love." Since the small text change is "inconspicuous," the lawsuit claims, it's "unlikely to go unnoticed by a consumer" and is "confusingly similar."
Harajuku Lovers alleges false destination of origin, trademark infringement, dilution and unfair competition against the chain, and seeks not only monetary damages but also Forever 21's profits and gains, since the company claims the co-opting of design caused the originals to lessen in value.
LEBRON JAMES TO HOST ‘SNL’ SEASON PREMIERE
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It’s official, LeBron James will welcome viewers of “Saturday Night Live” to a new season of the long-running series in September, reports Daily Variety.
The 22-year-old NBA star, announced Wednesday as host of the season premiere, follows Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and his childhood idol Michael Jordan as prominent athletes who have hosted the sketch comedy show.
Last week, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward received positive reviews for his work co-hosting ESPN’s ESPY Awards with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. James appeared in several skits and performed a spoof of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" with rewritten lyrics about his own fame.
In the meantime, James is headed to minicamp with the U.S. national team as it begins preparations for next month's FIBA Americas tournament, the regional qualifier for the 2008 Olympics.
Big Boi Talks "Who's Your Caddy"
Outkast member Big Boi recently chopped it up with SOHH about his role in the upcoming comedy Who's Your Caddy?
In the flick, Big Boi (born Antwon Andre Patton) plays a rap mogul from Atlanta who tries to join a conservative country club in the Carolinas but runs into fierce opposition from the board President.
"[It's] one of the funniest movies you ever seen," Big Boi said. "They called me and offered the role and when I read about 5-6 pages of the script, it was hilarious. It's funny, it's gonna live up to the hype. People are gonna love it."
The flick, which opens in theaters on July 27 also stars Faizon Love, who played alongside Big Boi in Idlewild, Lil' Wayne, and Tamala Jones.
T.I. Reigns Supreme, Amy Winehouse & Fergie Play Musical Chairs
In this week's Hip-Hop & R&B Charts, T.I. retains the title, Fergie creeps into the Top 10 and Amy Winehouse is on track to go plat.
In his second week on the charts, T.I. holds on to the No. 1 spot. T.I. vs. T.I.P. shelves off a very impressive 175,000 discs this week, pushing the album's total sales to 643,000 copies. So far, the set is rap's highest selling album of 2007.
Fergie floats three spots up to No. 8. According to Nielsen Soundscan, The Dutchess shifts 50,000 CDs in its 43rd week. Thus far, the album has sold a total of 2,228,590 copies.
Amy Winehouse takes a step down to No. 9. Back To Black scans 49,000 discs this week, bringing the album's total sales to 865,010 copies.
Kelly Rowland, who debuted at No. 6 last week, trips to No. 13. Ms. Kelly reels in 40,450 units in its second week. To date, the album has sold 123,200.
Posted at No. 17 is T-Pain. Epiphany hauled in 37,940 units this week, bringing the album's total sales to 439,500.
A step behind is Rihanna at No. 18. Good Girl Gone Bad shells out 37,490 discs this week. The album's tally stands at 420,150.
R. Kelly slides nine spots to No. 24. Double Up moves 27,718 units in its seventh week. Thus far, the album has sold a total of 734,210 copies.
A sharp decline in sales pushes Fabolous further down the ladder. Hanging at No. 25, From Nothing To Something reels in 27,120 units this week, bringing the album's tally to 319,430.
At No. 28, Ne-Yo continues to keep cash registers ringing. Because Of You rings out 25,010 discs this week. The album's tally stands at 660,290.
Timbaland raises five seats up to No. 37. Shock Value sees a slight increase in sales as it lugs in 19,350 copies this week. After 15 weeks, the album has sold a total of 450,260.
Justin Timberlake moves two slots down to No. 39. FutureSex/LoveSounds has moved 3,411,520 units thus far, with 17,890 representing the week-in total.
Akon continues to stay alive in the marathon at No. 41. Konvicted picks up an additional 17,420 units this week. The total for the album reads off at 2,527,670.
Tumbling thirteen spots to No. 42 are The Shop Boyz. Rockstar Mentality scans 17,050 copies this week. The album's tally stands at 120,610.
Also dropping drastically is Robin Thicke from No. 39 to No. 50. Evolution Of Robin Thicke reins in 14,050 discs this week, bringing the album's total sales to 1,292,680.
Beyonce holds down the fort at No. 54. B' Day moves a strong 12,810 units this week. To date, the album has sold 2,795,030.
Refusing to budge from the No. 55 spot is Corrine Bailey Rae. Her self titled album nets 12,780 copies this week, pushing the album's total to 1,620,140.
Chrisette Michelle leaps seventeen spots to No. 58. I Am racks up 12,240 discs in its fourth week on the charts. So far, the album's tally stands at 62,540.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony sinks seven levels to No. 60. Strength & Loyalty pulls in 12,020 copies this week, bringing its total to 340,650.
Toppling fifteen spots to No. 63 is DJ Khaled. We The Best cashes out 11,520 discs this week. So far, the set has sold a total of 154,640 copies.
Further down the totem pole, Joss Stone sits at No. 76. Introducing Joss Stone notches 9,280 in sales this week, bringing the albums total to 459,240. Young Jeezy and the U.S.D.A crew plunges sixteen slots to No. 85. Cold Summer rings in 8,130 units this week. To date, the album has sold 235,100 copies. Tank's slide down the charts continues, he slips twenty six spots to No. 87. Sex , Love And Pain moves 8,070 discs this week, bringing the albums total sales to 257,920. Musiq Soulchild wraps the Top 100 at No. 99. Luvandmusiq scoops up 7,270 units this week. So far, the album has sold 463,650 copies.
Next week see if Guru and Big Shug are able to make an appearance on the Hip-Hop & R&B Charts.
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