Eve's New Album Pushed Back Until 2008
Originally scheduled for release on October 16, Eve's new album has been delayed until 2008.
A spokesperson had no comment on the reason for the delay.
The first singles from the album, "Tambourine" and "Give It To Me" Feat. Sean Paul, have been met with lukewarm response. "Tambourine" saw modest chart success on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at No. 17.
"I wrote this album after a breakup," Eve told Billboard in June. "So it's very 'Look who's single' and flirty. I wanted to make a happy, good summer album, that you can play when you're getting ready for the club ... Though a lot of my rhymes were entertainment [before], I was definitely much rowdier at that time. I've learned how to curb my temper."
Lupe Fiasco Tries To Reaffirm His Spot
Barely a year after the release of his Grammy-nominated Food & Liquor, Lupe Fiasco is prepping to drop his sophomore disc, The Cool. SOHH caught up with the lyricist to revisit his debut's missteps, the execution of his follow-up CD, and the drama surrounding his incarcerated partner, Chilli.
SoundScan numbers aside, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor was quite successful. The LP garnered critical acclaim and received three Grammy nominations, including two for its lead single, "Kick Push." Still, the Chicagoan feels he has much to prove.
"I don't think we made enough of an impact to go away," Lupe said regarding the short gap between his freshman and sophomore albums. "I think if I go away, people will forget about me. So I gotta come back and hit them with another one...to just reaffirm my position. I think people are kinda uncertain about Lupe Fiasco. I don't think I'm that strong of a brand yet. It's coming though."
"We didn't get to do everything we needed to do on Food & Liquor," he continued. "From the leak, to going back in, to the period of time in between that and sample clearances, everything kinda hit at the 14th hour. It really kinda set us back as far as what I wanted to accomplish. The Cool is different because we got the opportunity to do that, to sit back, do everything we wanted to and see it through its fruition."
The Cool is slowly coming together and features production contributions from Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, Patrick Stump of rock band Fall Out Boy and in-house producer, Soundtrack. Fiasco will be executive producing the effort along with his incarcerated 1st & 15th partner, Charles "Chilli" Patton. Patton was sentenced to 44 years on drug charges back in June.
"His [Patton] appeal is going next month," Lupe revealed. "And hopefully he'll be home either this time next year or a little bit before this time next year to come back and fight it all over again on appeals, but this time with less charges and hopefully more stuff in our favor."
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool is scheduled to hits stores December 18.
Saigon Finally Dropping Debut Album
He made headlines earlier this week for his run-in with Mobb Deep,but Saigon isn't focused on the beef -- he's focus on his long-awaited album, which he revealed recently now has a release date... finally.
The New York rapper phoned into MTV recently where he revealed that his Just Blaze-produced long overdue album, The Greatest Story Never Told, is scheduled to hit shelves December 4.
According to Sai, he's confident his buzz is up enough to come out during the fourth quarter. "I feel good about the timing, and I'm totally confident about coming in the fourth quarter with the big dogs," Sai told MTV.
Sai and Just Blaze filmed a video for the rapper's first single, "Come On Baby," in New York during September with director Edwin Decena.
He also recently leaked a remix of the track featuring a guest verse from Jay-Z, which he played at Jay's 40/40 sports club in Manhattan on Saturday night (September 29), according to MTV.
Wu-Tang's "8 Diagrams" Release Date Moved
The release date for Wu-Tang Clan's highly anticipated new album "8 Diagrams" has been moved from November 13th to December 4th.
The reason given for the delay was the clearing of a Beatles sample that is being used on the album track tentatively titled "My Guitar". The song features an appearance by Dhani Harrison, son of Beatles member George Harrison.
"8 Diagrams" was originally expected to be released in September of this year but has seen various delays.
The album's street single, "Watch Your Mouth", has already circulated widely online and in the streets.
Sizzla & Elephant Man Concerts In Toronto Cancelled Amidst Protests
Toronto concerts scheduled for last Friday (September 28) and this Friday (October 6) featuring Sizzla and Elephant Man respectively have been cancelled amidst protests over each artists perceived anti-gay lyrics.
The Toronto Star reports the cancellations follow outcries from a coalition of some 20 organizations known as Stop Murder Music Canada, who pushed to have Sizzla and Elephant Man banned from entering the country, citing their music as hate propaganda.
"They shouldn't have been allowed to get visas to perform in the country," Stop Murder Music founder Akim Larcher told the Star. "It's not about censorship or artistic freedom. That stops when hate propaganda is involved."
Prior to the cancellations, police had already said they would have a presence at each concert listening for hate speech.
"The record companies have supported these artists and they have a responsibility not to release those tracks anymore and to remove their CDs from shelves," Larcher said. "They need to be aware to make sufficient steps that their songs does cause harm in society. We're calling for a Canada-wide boycott of those artists to take the necessary steps to renounce violence against gays and lesbians."
At the time of the cancellation, ticket sales for Elephant Man's performance were poor, with only one-third of tickets sold.
TYRESE AS THE GREEN LANTERN?
Warner Bros. has not confirmed, but word has it that Tyrese Gibson is in the running to play the role of Green Lantern in the upcoming "Justice League of America" film, reports the Web site Mania Movies.
Last week, Variety reported that Jessica Biel had dropped out of contention for the Wonder Woman role. However, Ryan Reynolds is still considered a front runner for playing The Flash.
Warner Bros has already said they will not confirm any casting choices for individual characters until a full ensemble cast has signed on the dotted lines.
Green Lantern is a DC Comics character who possesses a "power ring" that gives the user great control over the physical world as long as the wielder has sufficient willpower and strength to wield it.
Tyrese has at one time or another been considered to play big screen versions of comic book characters, including John Singleton's "The Black Panther" and "Luke Cage" projects.
Jim Jones & Juelz Santana Headline "Stay-In-School" Concert
Dipset rappers Jim Jones and Juelz Santana will team up with a host of entertainers, sports stars and industry executives for the 2nd Annual Stay-In-School concert at Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom on October 17.
Along with Jones and Santana the concert will also feature performances from New York rappers Papoose and Red Cafe, R&B sister act Nina Sky, teen sensations Lil Mama amd Jason Fox and Hot 97's DJ Envy as well as appearances from Warner Music Group executive vice president Kevin Liles and New York Knicks legend John Starks. The event, which will be hosted by HOT 97 and MTV personality, DJ Cipha Sounds, will be held from 5 to 8 p.m.
"Our goal with this event is to show our children through entertainment that education is important," said Tonya Lewis, executive director of Entertainers 4 Education Alliance (E4EA), via a statement. "The goal of this event is to raise awareness of the alarmingly high dropout rate in the United States and send a powerful message to over 2500 New York City inner city youth encouraging them to make smart choices about their future and to stay in school."
According to Lewis, the dropout rate in New York City is at a "shocking all-time high:" 49% of NYC's Public High School students do not graduate from high school, with 500 students dropping out each day. New York State has the highest dropout rate for Black and Hispanic students in the nation.
Jones was involved with a similar educational initiative in January of this year, when he partnered with E4EA for the "Achieve Your Dreams Poetry Contest."
New CDs From J. Holiday, Trey Songz, Soulja Boy & Boyz N Da Hood Hit Stores
New albums from J. Holiday, Soulja Boy, The Federation, Boyz N Da Hood and Trey Songz are hitting record store shelves today (October 2); while the hype hasn't reached 50 Cent vs. Kanye West proportions it should be interesting to watch R&B and hip-hop bump heads this Super Tuesday.
Capitol Records signee J. Holiday has been making a lot of noise since arriving on the scene. The R&B newcomer is off to a huge start thanks to his #1 single, "Bed" and a spot touring with Keyshia Cole. In a recent interview with SOHH Holiday emphasized the importance of holding his own on his debut Back of My 'Lac.
"You can still make good music and good albums without chasing names, because a lot of people are using names and collabos to sell their albums nowadays because they can't stand on their own two feet," Holiday said
The momentum couldn't be any bigger for 17-year-old Mississippi rapper Soulja Boy, whose debut album souljaboytellem.com has finally arrived. Boosted by his #1 hit single "Crank Dat (Soulja Boy)," the rapper has sparked a nationwide dance craze so powerful that even 50 Cent couldn't resist the urge to perform it. Yet despite all the haters, SB told SOHH that's he's not a one-hit wonder.
"Ain't no one hit wonder status, ain't no ring tone rapping," Souljah Boy exclaimed. "People are going to have to realize that it's real talent here and whether you're a hater or a fan, you're going to have to accept and realize that, like it or not."
Back on the R&B front Trey Songz makes his return with Trey Day, his sophomore album on Atlantic Records. Songz hit a high note last Spring with first single "Wonder Woman," but his follow-up "Can't Help But Wait," has been stuck at #26 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Charts. Despite going up against newcomer J. Holiday, Songz has been confident about his comeback, telling reporters "You can feel it in the air, that people is waiting for my album to come out."
Also back for the second time, Atlanta trap rappers Boyz N Da Hood, whose album Back Up N Da Chevy follows their block-hugging self-titled debut. The lineup this time around has changed, with Gorilla Zoe stepping into the spot vacated by Young Jeezy, but Zoe and fellow Boyz, Big Gee, Duke and Jody Breeze are spitting the same brand of Southern street music that won earned them a following in the hood. Back Up N Da Chevy features guest appearances from Ice Cube, T-Pain and Yung Joc.
It's Whateva, the follow-up album from Bay Area trio The Federation marks the group's first release on new label home, Warner Bros. Credited with helping pop off Northern California's Hyphy movement, the group has experienced some delays with their second release. But after pushing back the release date multiple times Its Whateva has finally arrived with appearances from Snoop Dogg and Travis Barker of Blink 182.
0 comments:
Post a Comment