On a side note, I do kind of wish he got some camera time while there (performance or otherwise).
Questlove DJing in DC this Thursday
Washington, D.C. National Mall, This evening of fun and dance with Soul Train will begin with a discussion, led by NMAAHC museum curator Tuliza Fleming about Soul Train brand’s historical significance in pop culture.
Following this discussion, Tyrone Proctor (an original Soul Train dancer) along with Urban Artistry dancers will give a short lesson with some classic Soul Train dance moves for everyone.
To cap off this exciting evening, DJ Questlove will hold a Soul Train dance party so EVERYone in attendance can get down!
Be sure to visit the events schedule to learn more about this event as well as our many other Folklife Programs that are going on during the Festival: http://www.festival.si.edu
G.O.O.D. Music Officially Joins Def Jam
#DEFJAMBACK Wit the debut release of Big Sean’s album Finally Famous tomorrow, Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music is now under the Def Jam umbrella. The album will serve as the first release via the partnership. Says Chairman Barry Weiss:
“As a recording artist and a producer over the past eight years, there is no one who has made a greater impression on the game than Kanye. We look forward to working closely with the new and established artists that he will be bringing to G.O.O.D. Music, which is already off to an impressive start with Big Sean.â€
President and COO of IDJMG Steve Bartels says:
“Kanye’s genius has been proven time and time again on records and onstage. He not only pours it out for himself, but he has made the difference with his presence on innumerable projects with other artists who are indebted to him. Kanye is an integral core member of the IDJ family, and G.O.O.D. Music continues his unselfish tradition of bringing along great new artists to the forefront.â€
DJ Khaled We The Best Forever Tracklist
Album in Stores July 19 2011. Preorder here
1. I’m On One Feat. Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne
1. I’m On One Feat. Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne
2. Welcome To My Hood Feat. Rick Ross, Plies, Lil Wayne &T-Pain
3. Money Feat. Jeezy &Ludacris
4. I’m Thuggin Feat. Waka Flocka & Ace Hood
5. It Aint Over Til It’s Over Feat. Mary J. Blige, Fabolous Jadakiss
6. Legendary Feat. Chris Brown, Keisha Cole & Ne-Yo
7. Sleep When I’m Gone Feat. Busta Rhymes, Cee-Lo & The Game
8. Can’t Stop Feat. Birdman & T-Pain
9. Future Feat. Ace Hood, Meek Mill, Wale, Vado & Big Sean
10. My Life Feat. Akon & B.O.B.
11. A Million Lights Feat. Tyga, Cory Gunz, Mack Maine, Jae Millz & Kevin Rudolf
12. Welcome To My Hood (Remix) Feat. Ludacris, T-Pain, Busta Rhymes, Twista, Mavado, Birdman, Ace Hood, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Bun B, The Game & Waka Flocka
Props: RR
Common Signs With Warner Bros.
XXL got word that Common has inked a deal with Warner album’s release. Not release date set yet.
Curren$y – Weekend At Burnie’s (Alternate Cover)
Drops 6/28 on iTunes. Spotted on D-Dot Omen.
Cee Lo Green Drops Out Of Rihanna’s Tour
From Rap-Up:
Fans who’ve yet to catch Rihanna’s “LOUD†tour won’t be hearing the soulful sounds of Cee Lo Green. The “F**k You†singer has exited from the pop star’s tour due to a busy schedule.
A rep for Cee Lo’s management told The New York Times that the Lady Killer’s hectic schedule including coaching gig on NBC’s hit show “The Voice†and preparations for a book and new music have cut into his time. He also recently announced that he and Danger Mouse were recording a new Gnarls Barkley album.
“He always puts 100 percent into his work and with the requirements and time commitment to ‘The Voice,’ on top of heading back into the recording studio and an upcoming book, he feels that he wouldn’t give his fans the show that they deserve,†stated his spokesperson.
Roc Nation rapper J. Cole remains the supporting act on Rihanna’s tour, which touches down in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York over the next few weeks.
Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label
This September, Rizzoli will release “Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label†written by Bill Adler and Dan Charnas, with a preface by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons.
“This is the story of Def Jam in the words of its artists and top executives, taken from interviews and seamlessly told as a narrative of no-holds barred recollections and anecdotes, made even more compelling by the fact that Def Jam is one of the last great record labels to enjoy the widespread cultural influence that it does, in light of the increasing digitization of music. Def Jam celebrates a label that defined hip-hop and whose impact extends beyond its incredible roster of recording artists to all areas of culture–fashion, lifestyle, cinema, art–impacting the music business and pop culture forever.â€
Artists LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Rihanna and Kanye West are all featured, amongst others, alongside memorabilia from the archives and photos by the likes of Albert Watson, Glen E. Friedman, Jonathan Mannion and Annie Leibovitz. Furthermore, the book was designed by Cey Adams, Def Jam’s founding creative director. – High Snobiety
Jill Scott Covers Billboard
Well Damn, Ms Jill Scott looking good these days. Jill graces the cover of the latest issue of Billboard magazine. Make sure you cop her new album if you haven’t did so yet. Good Project pick it up right here
Kreayshawn To Direct Red Hot Chili Peppers Video
This almost sounds like an April Fool’s joke. In June. She is everywhere. Spotted on Hip-Hop Leak:
Kreayshawn has a knack for creating visuals, ever since the age of 10, and she’s sharing her talents with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The 21-year-old ‘Gucci Gucci’ creator has been tapped to direct the band’s video for ‘The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,’ the first single off their forthcoming album, ‘I’m With You.’
MTV reports that the respective labels each act is signed to — Kreayshawn to Columbia, Chili Peppers to Warner — confirmed the news. While little information has been given regarding what the clip will look like or its premise, chances are it will be up to par, considering the pint-sized, tattooed mic holder is a former Berkeley Film School student and has directed visuals for the likes of West Coast rapper Lil B.
Before she was recognized for her unique spin on the rhyming word, Kreayshawn was set on standing behind the camera. “Well, I had the little cameras and stuff. I have all these videos of me [saying], ‘I’m gonna do a documentary on men,’ and then film all the guys in the house and be like, ‘They got hairy feet,'” she tells the BoomBox. “S— like that. I’ve been pretty smart with the visionaries. I went to Berkeley Film School. I always want to take classes. I don’t think I have enough time to enroll into a whole commitment like that. I’m always down to learn.”
Kreayshawn will embark on a new tour commencing in August, where she’ll perform her brand-name blasting track ‘Gucci Gucci’ as well as her new song, ‘Rich Whores.’ Check the Bay Area artist’s tour dates below.
8/18: New York, N.Y. – Highline Ballroom
8/19: Chicago, Ill. – Bottom Lounge
8/25: San Francisco, Calif. – Slim’s
8/27: Los Angeles, Calif. – The Roxy
9/24: Philadelphia, Penn. – Popped Fest
Check Out I Got It 4 Free’s New Logo
Check out our homie new logo from Igotit4free. She aint playing yall ha! You want those Lebrons South Beachs, She got it for free. You want that Redberry, She got it for free. You want that Ipad, she got it for free. You want a successful music career? Ah, you got a Budget? Ha! Make sure you follow her now Igotit4free.
Eminem “Space Bound†Video Drops Tmw
This was shot back in February . and the long-awaited video is finally coming out tomorrow at 5pm on iTunes and Saturday night/Sunday morning midnight on Vevo.
Freddie Gibbs x Statik Selektah x Daz – Rap Money
The project (which was completed in 24 hours over Ustream) is dropping midnight. Check out the tracklisting after the jump.
1. Intro ft. Slaine
2. Lord Giveth Lord Taketh Away
3. Rap Money ft. Daz
4. Affiliated ft. Reks & PUSH! Montana
5. Wild Style ft. Termanology & Fred The Godson
6. Already ft. Trae Tha Truth
7. Keep it Warm For Ya ft. Smoke Dza & Chace Infinite
Buju Banton Sentenced To 10 Years
From SeattlePI:
A federal judge sentenced Grammy-winning reggae singer Buju Banton to 10 years in prison Thursday, the lowest sentence legally allowed for his role in a large cocaine trafficking deal in 2009.
The 38-year-old Jamaican recording artist got a break when U.S. District Judge James S. Moody threw out a gun conviction, which would have added another five years to the minimum sentence. Banton’s attorney, David Markus, said with time already served and good behavior, he could be out in six years.
Read more after the jump.
In a statement he wrote after the sentencing, Banton — whose given name is Mark Myrie — thanked family, fans and supporters from around the world who flooded the court file with letters of support.
“The days that lie ahead are filled with despair, but I have courage and grace and I’m hopeful, and that is sufficient to carry me through,” he said in the statement, which was read by Markus. “The man is not dead. Don’t call him a ghost.”
Banton, dressed in gray jail scrubs and shackled at the ankles, did not speak in court and did not react when Moody announced the sentence. The tall, thin, dreadlocked singer blew a kiss and waved to his subdued supporters as he was led away.
In his Caribbean homeland of Jamaica, radio stations played his songs nonstop Thursday, including “Not an Easy Road” and “Untold Stories.”
Jamaican disc jockey Bunny Goodison said the husky-voiced singer, who has long been a top star in his homeland with his brash reggae-rap hybrid of dancehall music and a more traditional reggae sound, was “the best at what he did during the last 20 years.”
“The loss of Buju for 10 years will be a tremendous blow to the industry,” Goodison said in Jamaica’s capital, Kingston. “The quality of his music and the message of his songs, which often dealt with the essence of being black, was unparalleled during his time.”
A jury found Banton guilty in February of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and using a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. Moody threw out the gun charge, acknowledging that Banton had no idea others involved in the conspiracy were carrying guns, which was the basis for the charge. He was not convicted of carrying a weapon himself.
Markus contended that Banton deserved a lower sentence because of his limited participation in the drug buy, his charitable work in Jamaica and his otherwise clean record.
But prosecutor James Preston argued for a longer term, contending that the cocaine deal would not have gone down without Banton’s participation. Moody agreed that Banton’s participation was key to the deal but declined to increase the sentence.
Preston acknowledged it was a sad day for Banton’s fans but noted the distinction between the joyful reggae artist Buju Banton and the drug dealer Mark Myrie.
“He has brought this sadness to these people,” Preston said in court, acknowledging Banton’s supporters who filled the gallery. Preston declined to comment afterward.
Preston argued during trial that Banton portrayed himself as a broker of drug deals in several conversations with a confidential informant. Preston said Banton thought he was getting involved in a “no-risk” deal in which he would introduce a friend to a confidential informant and then collect money from drug transactions.
Prosecutors acknowledged that Banton did not put any money into the drug deal nor did he ever profit from it. Markus characterized his client as “a big talker” who admitted to trying to impress the confidential informant but wasn’t involved in any drug deal.
Much of the case hinged on meetings and phone calls that were video- and audiotaped by the informant, who was working with the Drug Enforcement Administration — and who made $50,000 in commission after the bust.
In one video, Banton could be seen tasting cocaine in a Sarasota warehouse on Dec. 8, 2009. But he was not present during the actual drug deal on Dec. 10 that led two others to be arrested. Those two men later pleaded guilty.
Banton testified that the informant badgered him after they met on a trans-Atlantic flight in July 2009 and insisted they meet to set up a cocaine purchase. He said he was so uninterested in the informant’s proposals that after they met twice, Banton didn’t return the man’s phone calls for months.
Markus said he plans to appeal.
“This fight is not over,” Markus said. “We will keep fighting for him. Mark Myrie is my brother, and I’m going to keep fighting until they tell me to stop.”
Among the dozens of letters of support in the court file were those from several of Banton’s 15 children wrote, a Jamaican government official, an NBA player, other reggae artists and actor Danny Glover, who called Banton a “role model, philanthropist and spiritual leader in the community.”
“Your honor, Mark Myrie is not a drug dealer,” Glover wrote. “Society would not benefit from his incarceration.”
Banton’s oldest son, also named Mark Myrie, wrote that his father “puts hard work, sweat and tears into his music and that is what (he) ‘puts on the table,’ it has never been drugs….The situation is just an example of our mere imperfections as people, being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Banton remains wildly popular in Jamaica, and his trial — his second over the drug accusations — was packed with supporters that included other well-known reggae artists. The first trial ended in a mistrial last year after the jury deadlocked.
Shortly before his conviction in February, he won a Grammy for best reggae album for his work entitled “Before the Dawn.”
Lil’ Wayne Is Not A Fan Of ‘Dear Anne’
From XXL:
A couple of weeks ago, Wayne’s collaboration with Swizz Beatz titled “Dear Anne (Stan Part 2)†hit the internet and found the charismatic Miami transplant pledging devotion to his number one fan. And while Weezy says he’s heard accolades from his real life fans as well as his Young Money camp, Lil Tunechi isn’t sold that the song will make the cut for his August 29 release Tha Carter IV.
“That was actually a record for Tha Carter III that just leaked,†Wayne told XXL last week in Miami’s Hit Factory. “It leaked out and everybody’s thinking that it’s going on Tha Carter IV ’cause I was actually gonna put it on Tha Carter IV . But I had been listening to it and didn’t like it. I don’t like it ‘cause the song, all the verses are old. And me being a perfectionist, I hate going with old verses.â€
Wayne’s right hand man Mack Maine and manager Cortez Bryant have expressed different sentiments. “Mack and Tez and them, they love it,†he said. “They be like ‘Man, you trippin, you killed it.’ I be like, ‘Did you hear what I just said? I don’t wanna do that anymore.’ But I heard that the ‘Anne’ song has been getting buzzed up and everybody’s buzzin’ about it so it might end up one of those you might have to put on the album, you know what I mean. But I ain’t trippin’ on it like that; I don’t like the song. I love the beat; I love the idea. I don’t like my execution. I don’t like what I did, I don’t like how I delivered on it. The idea that I had for it, I didn’t accomplish that, what I thought I was gonna do. ‘Cause I was tryna make it a situation song. And I just don’t like it.â€
Monica Dropping New Album In October
From Rap-Up:
Monica is giving birth to New Life this fall. The R&B singer has announced a delivery date for her 7th studio album.
The follow-up to the Grammy-nominated Still Standing, which entered at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart last year, is tentatively slated for an October 4 release. It will include production from Missy Elliott and Polow Da Don, with the first single due in as soon as two weeks.
“The label [J Records] has asked me, do I want to take an October 4 date,†Monica told fans during a Ustream session. “Over the next month I’ll decide because as of right now, we’re pressing up the new single and trying to get some clearances which are very difficult, so if anything changes it will only be because of that. We’re working on it and I’m thinking that I will keep that October 4 date.â€
The mother of two, who wed Lakers player Shannon Brown last year, is in a happy place and that reflects in her new music. “You get to hear some different flavors, but it’s definitely R&B,†she shared. “I think when you’re in a happy place, you’re able to do your job a lot easier.â€
Once again, she will be sharing her life experiences on the album. “I talk about a lot of different subjects, whether it’s love, heartache, happiness, family,†she added. “The music will be a lot like Still Standing in the sense that it’s real and really about things that I’ve experienced, but it also from a very mature place. The greatest thing that happened to me is to learn forgiveness and acceptance. In this state of mind it’s easy for me to make music about where I’ve been and where I’m going and do it in a positive manner.â€
A tour is also in the works, but Monica did not disclose further details.
Missy Elliott Has Graves’ Disease
From SFGate:
Hip-hop star Missy Elliott has revealed she has been quietly suffering with a major autoimmune disease.
In 2008 the “Work It” hit maker was diagnosed with Graves’ disease — a disorder that affects the thyroid — and she admits the symptoms came on so fast, she almost lost her ability to do everyday things like drive and write.
She tells People magazine, “I was (driving and) trying to put my foot on the brake, but my leg was jumping. I couldn’t keep the brake down and almost crashed. … I couldn’t write because my nervous system was so bad — I couldn’t even use a pen.”
And after suffering a slew of other side effects, including hair loss and mood swings, Elliott turned to radiation, which ultimately improved her condition.
She adds, “I’m 30 pounds lighter because I’ve been exercising. My thyroid is functioning, so I haven’t had to take medication in about nine months. (But) you live with it for the rest of your life.”
Diddy Settles Civil Suits From 1999 Club New York Shooting
From the NY Post:
Now it’s less money, less problems for Diddy — the hip-hop honcho has quietly settled all civil actions against him stemming from the infamous shoot-’em-up at Club New York more than a decade ago, The Post has learned.
Sean “Diddy” Combs, his former protégé Jamal “Shyne” Barrow and the now-defunct Times Square hot spot struck a deal earlier this year with three clubgoers shot by Barrow in the notorious 1999 melee, court records show.
The exact terms of the settlements were unknown because of confidentiality agreements between the parties, but former Club New York owner Michael Bergos, who did not sign the confidentiality deal, said the most seriously injured victim, Natania Reuben, was paid $1.8 million.
Read more after the jump.
Reuben, 40, was shot in the nose and suffered seizures because of seven bullet fragments still lodged in her face.
Two other victims were paid $500,000 and $50,000. Bergos said he was unsure who paid what amount in the deal, but Barrow’s and the club’s shares were picked up by insurance companies, while Diddy — who was acquitted in the criminal case related to the brawl — had to pay out of pocket because his insurance company had gone belly up.
A rep for Diddy declined comment.
Reuben’s lawyer, Debra Reiser, also declined comment, saying, “My client wanted the confidentiality agreement because she didn’t want any further publicity. She’s been victimized enough.”
Bergos said he refused to sign the confidentiality deal “because I did nothing wrong and I may need to talk about [the incident] sometime in the future.”
The shooting occurred Dec. 27, 1999, when Combs was still known as “Puff Daddy” and dating Jennifer Lopez. Bergos said Combs, Lopez, Barrow, Combs bodyguard Anthony “Wolf” Jones and others went to the then-hot spot to celebrate signing Barrow to a record deal.
The night turned ugly when Combs’ crew exchanged words with another clubgoer, Matthew “Scar” Allen.
Barrow pulled out a gun and started firing away. He was later convicted of shooting two bystanders.
“It felt like a flaming hot sledgehammer hit me in the face,” Reuben, a beautician and mother of two, testified during the criminal trial.
Barrow served nine years in prison and was deported to his native Belize after release.
Bergos said he’s considering an offer to write a book about his travails.