Video After The JumpWho says real men don't cry? Allen Iverson, a sure fire Hall Of Famer and also one of the toughest players to ever play in the NBA let his emotions get the best of him during a press conference announcing his return to the Philadephia 76'ers. A.I. wanted the world to know that he came back to prove he still has what it takes to dominate the game.
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Vibe Reports
The Jigga Man is not the only MC with the skills to spit well into his golden years. While we wait for Q-Tip, Redman, and Ghostface Killah to cross the big 4-0 in 2010, here are five vets who prove they are not ready to go gentle into that good night.
Raekwon
Age: 41
O.G. Status: The Chef and Staten Island crew first warned the rap industry they were "nothing to fuck with" on their riveting 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Two years later, Raekwon unleashed what many critics view as the most impactful solo album from a Wu-Tang Clan member--Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. The aftermath? Rae's cocaine-laced street lyricism took crime rhyme to daring, uncharted heights producing one of hip hop's true storied works.
Why He Shouldn't Hang Up The Mic Just Yet: Almost 15 years later, Rae proves that the long-delayed, but scarily focused and verbally relentless sequel Only Built For Cuban Linx... Pt. II was well-worth the wait. What took you so long?
Show & Prove: Raekwon keeps it grimy on "Surgical Gloves."
Rakim
Age: 41
O.G. Status: By the time Eric B & Rakim's 1986 game-changing Paid In Full dropped, the God MC had already re-imagined the course of hip hop, creating a complex rhyme cadence, elevated verbiage and a labyrinth-like flow that would be praised, dissected and followed by MC's for the next 20 plus years. Yeah, he was that good.
Why He Shouldn't Hang Up The Mic Just Yet: Because Rakim is not resting on his legacy as rap's most influential lyricist. On his third solo effort, The Seventh Seal, the Microphone Field still aspires to greatness, crafting layered, rewind-worthy lines (over somewhat lackluster production; but that's another story) that rappers half his age could only dream of.
Show & Prove: Rakim delivers the goods on "Satisfaction Guaranteed."
KRS-One
Age: 44
O.G. Status: Blastmaster helped give birth to gangsta rap (Boogie Down Productions' Criminal Minded, 1986); penned the most celebrated diss record of all-time not named "Ether" ("The Bridge Is Over"); made social consciousness cool (KRS led the all-star "Self Destruction" charity single in 1989 in response to rising violence in urban communities); and provided the template for hip hop longevity well into the '90s.
Why He Shouldn't Hang Up The Mic Just Yet: Listen to KRS-One's defiant collaboration with legendary Brooklyn spitter Buckshot (this year's confident Survival Skill) Does he sound like a man ready for his gold watch?
Show & Prove: KRS-One shuts down the BET 2009 Cypher.
Posdnuos
Age: 40
O.G. Status: After you ponder the staggering realization that De La Soul is currently celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their 1989 landmark introduction 3 Feet High And Rising (where did the time go?!!!), do yourself a favor and Google any verse from group member Posdnuos. What you will find is a criminally slept on talent who is as lyrically layered (and at times perplexing) as he is honest.
Why He Shouldn't Hang Up The Mic Just Yet: Check out De La's Nike-backed Are You In?--part of the athletic shoe giant's acclaimed Original Run series. Pos hasn't lost a step.
Show & Prove: Plug One makes you a believer on "Big Mouf."
LL Cool J
Age: 41
O.G. Status: His game-changing debut Radio launched hip hop's most storied label Def Jam. Twenty-five million albums later, LL is a bonafied music icon.
Why He Shouldn't Hang Up The Mic Just Yet: We can forgive him for his uneven Def Jam swan song Exit 13 (2008) after hearing a hungry LL on his mixtape The Return of the G.O.A.T. Hey, maybe he'll even find time to get back in the booth when he's not busy with his gig on CBS's NCIS: Los Angeles.
Show & Prove: LL goes in on "Laptop Gangstaz."
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Video After The JumpAfter all the allegations, affairs, and payoffs, something funny finally comes out of theTiger Woodscheating saga. HalfDayToday.comremixed Tiger's voice mail to one of his jump offs into a hilarious slow jam. Props to them for the lols.
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MTV Reports
Former Pretty Ricky singer Pleasure P has responded to child-molestation allegations against him that surfaced this week on an Atlanta blogger's personal Web site.
In the post, an anonymous reader sent a message claiming Pleasure P (real name Marcus Cooper) inappropriately touched younger family members; several documents alleged to come from a settlement were also posted on the site, as well as disparaging tweets from the daughter of the attorney who allegedly represented the singer.
The former Pretty Ricky star took to his personal site to issue a statement that staunchly refutes the accusations, calling them "100-percent false" and "vile."
The singer also denied knowing Ashley or Laura Goldstein, whom the Twitter updates were attributed to. Pleasure P said he was never represented by an attorney by the name of Goldstein.
"All of the recent rumors and accusations that are being circulated about me are 100-percent false," the statement reads. "They are disgusting and vile, and they are being spread by individuals with their own sick agendas. The purported documents that are also being circulated are forgeries. I have never met or known anyone by the name of 'AGoldstein' or Laura Goldstein or Ashley Goldstein, which I believe are fictitious names. I have never been represented by an attorney named Goldstein. For someone to go to such depths to assassinate my character and slander my good name is truly criminal. My attorneys are investigating this matter and will take all necessary and appropriate action to protect my name and reputation."
According to the allegations, the case against Pleasure P reportedly took place in 2004 and a settlement was later negotiated. The information in the blog also notes that the singer was instructed to attend counseling and perform community service. The anonymous tipster claims the singer never paid his legal bills and as a result, his attorney's assistant, also his daughter, tweeted about the court documents.
The news comes on the heels of Pleasure P receiving multiple Grammy nominations for his solo debut album, The Introduction of Marcus Cooper, released earlier this year.
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TMZ Reports
Sources tell TMZ Rachel Uchitel did not make any financial deal with Tiger Woods -- and there are two reasons she torpedoed her scheduled news conference yesterday -- fear and secrets.
Sources say in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, after many phone calls back and forth between Rachel, Tiger and their reps, Rachel decided not to come out fighting at a news conference. She walked away without taking a cent from Tiger Woods. One very connected source said, "This was absolutely not about money."
Sources say Rachel became "scared for her safety" because she knows so much about Tiger, his alleged affairs and a variety of other Woods matters. We're told Tiger confided in Rachel ... she knows specifics about "other women," as well as information about Tiger's marriage.
The sources were quick to point out, Rachel does not fear Tiger, as much as she fears all the other people caught in what is becoming a very large net.
Rachel, we're told, just wants to disappear for a while.
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Video After The JumpBallerStatus Reports
Nas was apparantly busted on a DUI charge back in September and was later released.
According to TMZ, the rapper (real name: Nasir Jones) was riding with his brother in Georgia in September, and was pulled over after police spotted his Cadillac Escalade truck driving erratically on the interstate.
During the routine stop, police smelled marijuana from inside the vehicle, and asked Nas to step out of the vehicle. He then performed a field sobriety test on Nas, which he failed and was subsequently arrested.
An arrest report said Nas had "droopy" eyes and was unable to fully complete several tasks, including standing on one leg.
The arresting officer described Nas at the time as having "redding of the conjunctiva in both eyes, rebound dilation in both eyes, a green tongue with raised taste buds, and his pulse was raised to 116 beats per minute."
He was taken to a nearby police station, where he was charged with one count of driving under the influence and released.
Nas reportedly admitted to smoking marijuana two hours prior to being pulled over. His brother (real name: Jabari Jones) was also arrested when police seized a bag of marijuana belonging to him.
While TMZ says he was cleared of the charges, other reports indicate that Nas is scheduled to appear in court at a future date.
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HipHopWired Reports
It's funny how perception does a full tailspin as a person becomes progressively famous. As an artist continues to get the embrace of the mainstream, especially those in Hip Hop , questions begin to arise as to how they were able to claim that success and there is even speculation that is business being dealt with evils.
Since “D'Evils,” Jay-Z has been heavily scrutinized by many that feel as though he looks at himself as God and as a member of a secret society that is trying to usher in a new world order.
Churches have been the venue for preachers to find “hidden message” within his music such as “Luficer” where he allegedly proclaims, ‘Murder, murder, Jesus, Jesus.
Pastor Claims Jay-Z Song "Lucifer" Has Demonic Message
The most recent attack is from a young youth pastor that made the claim that “Empire State of Mind” was telling people that they cannot depend on Jesus to save them.
Youth Pastor Calls Jay-Z Out For Dissing Jesus On "Empire State Of Mind"
Even the visual for “Run This Town” was interpreted by some as his imagery for the world once a new order is finally established, if it's not already in the process.
50 Cent recently spoke with Rolling Stone and made the statement that Jay-Z only looks for his own best interests and has a mentality as though he's above everyone else.
“He has a king complex, he thinks he's fucking Jesus, you know what I mean? This J-Hova shit."
Usually known for his subliminal shots instead of attacking a problem head on, the rapper has finally taken the direct approach to the latest to make the statement that he goes against God.
Back in 2006, hoping to finally dead the allegation, the rapper conducted an interview with radio host Egypt on New York's Power 105.1 to address the allegations that have been made against him.
At the time, a man known as Craig Lewis of EX Ministries developed a DVD titled, The Truth Behind Hip Hop, labeling Jay as a culprit in working with the devil.
“He should be arrested, seriously. My position is not unlike anyone else who ascends to the top of their field. That comes with the game. But that's crazy. That might be the craziest one I've had.”
Although not a man to find his way into the church to praise, he adds that he still maintains a relationship with God no matter what his particular opinion is on religion.
“Nah, I'm more spiritual that [having] organized religion. I have a personal relationship with God…I believe in karma, I believe in cause and effect…but religion, I have my opinions about religion.”
From throwing up the diamond signs, “symbolizing” pyramids to secret handshakes between himself and Nas to rumors of him being a Freemason, the rapper has been the poster child to what some would perceive as being a hidden evil consuming the Hip Hop world.
People feeling that he has the ability to fire Charlamagne Tha God and keep Chris Brown from performing are all indications of the fact that some look at Hov as having the power to have complete control over what goes on in music.
Jay-Z doesn't stand alone as being under fire of devil worship as rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Bone Thugs and DMX have allegedly negotiated with the force of darkness in order to make it in the music world.
Religion, an aspect of life meant to instill some sense of hope and a desire for a better life has been heavily misconstrued as time had progressed. How can a person find belief in something when others are so quick to shun the idea of individual beliefs and opinions?
Condemning an artist's success to embracing evil is what causes such a separation throughout the country and the world.
Lack of understanding and an unwillingness to comprehend difference is a weak trait to have an feed to others.
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Video After The JumpDailyFinance.com Reports
Count me among those who do not think highly of people who have extra-marital affairs. The "good news" is that society has a way of making people pay for such transgressions, especially if you are a guy who makes a hefty living hitting little white balls around grassy landscapes. In the case of Tiger Woods, whose middle-of-the-night car accident last week brought to light allegations that the golfer was involved in an affair, the payment is pretty steep.
Not only has Woods issued a public apology on his web site, but the The Daily Beast reports that he will pay his wife, Elin Nordegren, $5 million upfront and another $55 million to persuade her to stay in their marriage for another 24 months.
Like many couples with tens of millions of dollars in their bank accounts, Woods and Nordegren have a prenuptial agreement -- and a big one at that. US Weekly reports that the prenup is worth $300 million, but other news outlets say it's a more modest amount. Either way, Nordegren was already entitled to a nice chunk of change.
According to The Daily Beast, the pre-nuptial agreement they signed in October 2004 would award Nordegren $20 million just for sticking with Woods for 10 years. But now that allegations of affairs with two women -- Jaimee Grubbs and Rachel Uchitel-- are making headlines, it looks like that contract is being tossed out the window and the couple are negotiating new, more lucrative terms for Nordegren.
Instead of waiting until 2014 for her $20 million payday, Nordegren will only need to stay married to Tiger until October 2011 and by doing so, will get more than twice what she was entitled to under the original pre-nup, according to The Daily Beast. The new agreement would also pay Nordegren more if she stayed even longer -- a staggered schedule of payments over five years that could top $75 million.
Getting that grand sum of $80 million (the $5 million she's getting upfront, plus the $75 million in the new pre-nup), however, will require Nordegren to stay with Tiger for another seven years, show up with him at social events and in public as if they were still the perfect couple, and sign a nondisclosure form that will prevent her from ever telling her story.
From Tiger's perspective, this is probably a good deal. After all, $80 million is a mere 8% of his $1 billion in career earnings as calculated by Forbes. An earlier Forbes report indicates that Woods has won more than $80 million on the golf course. Annual prize money, Forbes says, accounts for under 15% of his income. Sponsorship deals with Nike (NKE), Accenture (ACN), AT&T (T), Gatorade, and Procter & Gamble's (PG) Gillette pay him at least $100 million a year.
For now, all these sponsors are sticking with him. The jury is still out on whether they would view a serial adulterer as a good image for their products and services over the longer term.
So if Tiger can pay $80 million to stay married to Nordegren and somehow buff his image back to where those sponsors will want to keep forking over the cash, it would be a good investment. Of course, Tiger would still need to keep winning golf tournaments.
Elin
Meanwhile, I wonder whether he thinks his extracurricular activities were worth the price he's paying in Nordegren's eyes.
Video After The Jump
From TrueCrimeReport.com
13-year-old Hope Witsell was like any other girl from the distant, rural suburbs of Tampa -- blond, perhaps a bit awkward and pimply, and desperately trying to make herself shine for the boy she was sweet on.
So, as 13-year-olds are prone to do, she made a very bad move. She sent the boy a picture of herself topless. As you can imagine, this didn't turn out so well.
Someone using the boy's phone intercepted the photo. And he naturally had to share this treasure with everyone else. Soon, the picture was not just a must-see at Beth Shields Middle School, but at surrounding schools as well...
It got Hope the attention she craved, but not in a good way. Her friends would surround her like body guards as she walked the hallways at school, trying to fend off the cruelty of classmates as they yelled "whore" and "slut."
"The hallways were not fun at that time," friend Lane James told the St. Petersburg Times. "She'd walk into class and somebody would say, 'Oh, here comes the slut.' "
The taunting no doubt got to the girl. "Tons of people talk about me behind my back and I hate it because they call me a whore!" she wrote in her diary. "And I can't be a whore. I'm too inexperienced. So secretly, TONS of people hate me."
Hope Witsell
School officials discovered the photo shortly after the spring semester ended. The A and B student would be suspended for the first week of the next school year, administrators told her parents. Mom and Dad responded by grounding her for the summer.
But she was allowed to attend a Future Farmers of America convention in Orlando. That's where Hope fell to stupid decision-making again. The boys staying across the hall badgered her for a photo of her boobs, and she eventually complied.
When school began this fall, administrators banned her from being a student adviser to the farm group. And Hope admitted to her parents that she was now being unmercifully ridiculed as the local skank.
In September, school counselors found that she'd been cutting herself. Unfortunately, these were paint-by-the-numbers education people. They did have her sign a "no-harm contract," agreeing to talk to an adult whenever she felt like cutting, but for some reason they didn't see fit to contact her parents.
"I'm done for sure now," Hope wrote in her diary the next day. "I can feel it in my stomach. I'm going to try and strangle myself. I hope it works."
Her mom went to Hope's bedroom that evening to kiss her goodnight. That's when she found Hope hanging from from the canopy of her bed, a pink scarf tied around her neck. She was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
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Video After The JumpMTV Reports
LOS ANGELES — Rihanna is back on the scene with her latest album, Rated R. In the weeks leading up to its release, the singer released a few videos, did numerous interviews and even hit the stage at several shows — her own in London, two with Jay-Z (in New York and Los Angeles) and a sexy performance at the American Music Awards.
Now Rihanna is ready to take her Rated R act on the road for a full-fledged tour, and she promises that when the trek starts next year she's going to give concertgoers a real show.
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AllHipHop Reports
The Vatican has released its list of favorite songs for MySpace’s new streaming service MySpace Music, which launched today (December 3).
Surprisingly, one of the 12 tracks is Tupac Shakur’s song “Changes,” which was released in 1998 on Shakur’s Greatest Hits album, which was released in 1998.
“The genres are very different from each other, but all these artists share the aim to reach the heart of good minded people,” The Vatican wrote on its official MySpace Music page.
The list was compiled by Father Giulio Neroni, artistic director for St. Paul’s Multimedia, a church publisher.
Tupac’s track is included alongside artists like Mozart, Dame Shirley Bassey, Fleet Foxes and Pope Benedict XVI himself.
The entire list is below:
1. Advocata Nostra – Music From The Vatican. From the album Alma Mater featuring the voice of Pope Benedict XVI.
2. Uprising – Muse. Single from the album, The Resistance.
3. Causa Nostrae Laetitiae – Music From The Vatican. From the album Alma Mater.
4. Il Mare Mi Salva – Rossomalpelo. Song from the band led by contemporary Italian singer songwriter Serge Gaggiotti
5. After The Rain – Dame Shirley Bassey. From the album The Performance.
6. Coexist – Nour Eddine. Song from Moroccan Musician, based in Italy.
7. Don Giovanni – Mozart.
8. Rafaele Merry Del Val – Lorenzo Perosi Inni Mottetti e Canzoni, Pablo Colino & Coro Academica Filarmonica Romana.
9. He Doesn't Know Why – Fleet Foxes.
10. Changes – Tupac Shakur.
11. Regina Coeli – Music From The Vatican. From the album Alma Mater.
12. Mi sarete Testimoni – Santo Subito! (DVD). Music DVD embodying the voice and image of The Pope.
Tupac Shakur "Changes"
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Posted by Mr.I Get It on December 3, 2009 at 1:20pm
“When you say something as vague as ‘Men lie, women lie, numbers don't,' how do you take that as a disrespect, a response. If we did look at the numbers, you'd see I did his career, my first two records.”For some reason, when Jay-Z says something, other rappers seem to almost get a little heavy-hearted and sensitive about it and feel the need to lash out.As Hov continues to use the phrase ‘Men lie, women lie, numbers don't' as an easy route to derail any diss coming at him from other artists, some have yet to prove Jay wrong.With the release of The Blueprint III, Jay has etched himself in for achieving yet another number 1 album in his catalogue and has already reached platinum status as his detractors are clawing just to say that they have a gold plaque for their latest album.The low numbers projected for 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct haven't affected the rapper, according to him, as the response outweighs the sales, but Jay's catch-phrase must have left its mark when he uttered the words during this year's American Music Awards.While on tour with G-Unit in Paris, the rapper was able to speak on the idea of numbers and comparing his track record with Jay's so far in their musical careers.“I did what he did in 15 years in 4 years. Like the numbers, you don't wanna talk about the numbers.”Referring to his first and second albums which totaled around 15 million copies, his offerings since have seen a steady decline, whereas Jay started off slow initially, but has since established a foundation and has yet to not nab a platinum record so far in his career.These two have had a love/hate relationship since Fif came through the gate with “How to Rob." Lyrically, the two may be in two different places mentally, but financially the two have battled for years and established themselves as major components in Hip Hop.An artist such as 50 Cent, who was known to gloat over his success in mainstream sales seemed to be silenced once the theory of platinum status first week was shattered, due in part to a major leak almost a month before the actual release.Where the soap opera drama of the two will go from here is uncertain. Whether they make up or continue to throw jabs is uncertain, but the fight for the crown will not stop until Jay or 50 can proclaim that they truly run New York.
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Reuters Reports
After much speculation following the release of a song titled "Acapella" on the Internet last week, singer-songwriter Kelis has announced that she has signed to Interscope Records through Will.i.am Music Group.
Her as-yet-untitled album features production from the Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am as well as Free School, Boyz Noize, Burnz, DJ Ammo and David Guetta, who produced the above-mentioned retro-dance track.
Kelis' last label deal was with Jive Records, and she reportedly was dropped in late 2007. Earlier this year, a pregnant Kelis filed for divorce from her husband, rapper Nas. In July, a judge ordered him to pay Kelis, who has since given birth to a baby boy, nearly $44,000 in monthly support.
Kelis is best known for her 2003 single "Milkshake," which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart and sold 883,000 digital downloads, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The track is from her best-selling album, "Tasty," which sold 535,000 copies.
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Associated Press Content
ATLANTA — Lil Wayne is facing a year behind bars in February, but don't expect either the rapper or his label, Cash Money, to fall off the radar in his absence.
Birdman, who is the co-founder of Cash Money, already has a plan in place to keep both the label and rap's top-selling artist in the limelight. Birdman recently released his own album, "Pricele$$," and a new Lil Wayne CD is planned for release soon; albums by rappers Drake and Bow Wow are to come early next year. They also have the hot singer Jay Sean, who had a No. 1 hit with Lil Wayne, "Down."
Still, Birdman's biggest concern isn't about Cash Money — he's grappling with how to deal with the pending imprisonment of Lil Wayne, who pleaded guilty last month to an illegal weapons charge. Birdman discovered the 27-year-old rapper at age 11 and often refers to him as "my son."
___
The Associated Press: What is the premise behind your CD's first single, "Always Strapped," featuring Lil Wayne and Mack Maine?
Birdman: My philosophy for "Strapped" ain't just about a gun. You could be strapped about life. I think people just took to it. The music and beat was hot, the content of the song. All of it.
AP: Where do you see yourself fitting in the rap paradigm — obviously Lil Wayne is on top. Do you care anymore?
Birdman: I love to still do it. I could be doing a lot of other things. But I love being an artist. I love the other things like dealing with my son Wayne and his music. It's half and half.
AP: Lil Wayne emerged as the best-selling figure in music after last year's success of "Tha Carter III." Now, he'll have to spend a year in jail. How do you think being incarcerated will effect his career?
Birdman: My son is the most rapping (expletive) on earth. But at this point, I don't care about that. Forget rap. It's about him right now. I got to deal with a situation I've never had to deal with in my life. It ain't cool with me, but we have to live through it.
AP: After Lil Wayne left the courthouse, what kind of advice did you give him?
Birdman: To keep doing what he loves — music. That's the only thing we've got. You take that away from us, we really don't need to live. Music, that's the only thing that gets the stress off your mind to make you feel better. It's how good it sounds after you've done it. The enjoyment of it.
AP: Will Lil Wayne continue to release music while he's in jail?
Birdman: Of course. I don't know how many, bruh. It's up to him. It's his world. My son is his own boss. Whatever he wants to do, we'll back him up.
AP: Lil Wayne is easily the mainstay for Cash Money. When he's gone, will your record label suffer?
Birdman: Not as a company. But we will suffer in losing my son Wayne, who we love. Him as a person means more to me than anything.
AP: Up-and-coming rapper Drake is becoming more popular. Do you see him being a bigger star than Lil Wayne?
Birdman: Drake is already a superstar.
AP: But as big as Wayne?
Birdman: That's 20 years from now. Hopefully, he'll be bigger. That's what we're striving for. We ain't tripping. We're working hard for him to be bigger than anyone else. We want the best for him.
AP: How does Cash Money compare to other rap label empires?
Birdman: Now, I don't see any top labels. I look around and see all those people who did it before me. To me, the labels, I don't see no company with constant success with a clique. At some point, there was a lot of people doing this. It used to be crowded. I see a lot of people who have done it, and now don't see them.
On the Net:
Cash Money Records: http://www.cashmoney-records.com/
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Video After The Jump
Drake has had an amazing run in the rap game in a very short amount of time. The Young Money artist spoke from the 52nd Grammy Award Nomination Show about how he and friends from Toronto made his initial mixtape and believed strongly it would work. The Grammys will air on CBS January 31, 2010.
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XXL Reports
XXLMag.com has learned that Dipset Capo Jim Jones has left Columbia Records and recently signed a deal to release his next solo studio album on E1 Music, formerly known as Koch Records. According to the contract, the Harlem rapper will also drop a mixtape vie E1 as well.
Jones has a long history with the E1. Along with releasing a handful of records on the imprint, last January he was appointed vice president of urban A&R.
“Jim Jones put Koch on the map,” label prez Alan Grunblatt said in a prior statement. “He truly knows what it takes to make a hit record. I am thrilled to be working with him for many years to come.”
Jones’ as-yet-untitled new album is set to hit shelves in spring 2010.—Jesse Gissen
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Videos After The JumpL.A. Times Reports
Beyoncé's "Halo" just got a lot brighter: R&B's reigning diva collected a field-leading 10 Grammy Award nominations including album of the year for her "I Am . . . Sasha Fierce" double CD and record for the single "Halo" on Wednesday.
The live nominations show, which set the stage for the Jan. 31 awards night, generously recognized her and two other young women who had stellar years in the pop world: country-pop singer and songwriter Taylor Swift and New York pop provocateur Lady Gaga. The three combined for 23 nominations. All three showed up in the top Grammy categories of album, record and song.
Swift, whose "Fearless" is the top-selling album of 2009 to date, was recognized for her single "You Belong With Me" as record of the year, which awards vocal performance and production. Also nominated in that category are "Halo," Lady Gaga's "Poker Face," the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" and Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody."
In yet another year of sales decline for the record industry, voters relied more than ever on artists who still managed to score gold and platinum record sales. Top categories were largely focused on a few artists and albums, with the Black Eyed Peas, R&B singer Maxwell and rapper Kanye West collecting six each.
"Poker Face," "You Belong With Me," Beyoncé's hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" and Maxwell's single "Pretty Wings" got nominations for each of those songs' writers.
In the album of the year competition, "Fearless" and "I Am . . . Sasha Fierce" are vying with the Peas' "The E.N.D.," Lady Gaga's "The Fame" and, in perhaps the biggest surprise at the top, Dave Matthews Band's "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King." U2, traditionally a favorite in the album field, had to settle for a rock album nomination for the Irish quartet's latest, "No Line on the Horizon."
And after several years in which British acts have figured prominently in top categories, Recording Academy voters went virtually all-American with this year's key nominees.
Acts vying for the title of best new artist Southern rock group Zac Brown Band, Georgia R&B singer Keri Hilson, New York duo MGMT, L.A. indie rock group Silversun Pickups and British alt-pop duo the Ting Tings.
Keri Hilson
Other multiple nominees include Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell and West with six apiece, Lady Gaga, rapper Jay-Z, and French DJ and electronic music producer David Guetta with five each.
West, however, appeared in none of the most prestigious categories, collecting most of his nods for rap collaborations.
Still, he fared better than Eminem, whose "Relapse" brought him back into the pop world with an uneven but occasionally brilliant look at the wild swings of his life in the five years since his previous studio collection. He took three nominations, for rap solo, duo or group collaboration and rap album.
The night's multiple nominations were especially sweet for Maxwell, whose last album came out in 2001.
"I'm just beyond," he said backstage. "I've been gone for eight years. I've been throwing out my trash and buying my milk. . . . To come back and make a record based on my own living experience . . . and to have this kind of reception, I feel like I've already won."
He also gave a shout-out to the album format, which many have predicted is on its way out in the iTunes-iPod age of downloaded singles.
"I wanted to bring back the idea that there was this thing that was a record, a body of work as opposed to three minutes of you shaking your butt on the dance floor somewhere," Maxwell said.
Maxwell
Guetta's album "One Love" has sold less than 50,000 copies, but benefited from his teaming with various Western pop acts, among them Black Eyed Peas producer-songwriter will.i.am. "The chemistry," said the Frenchman in halting English, "it's even more crazy than me. We just make music for fun. This guy selling millions of albums, spends time with a guy like me . . . just for fun?
"We're Nashville boys . . . so we'll pull for our locals: Taylor Swift [and] Sugarland," Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill said backstage. The group's "Use Somebody" not only gave nominee presenter George Lopez an excuse to drop in a Tiger Woods joke, but more significantly generated four nominations for the hard-hitting Southern alt-rock band. "You always hear the cliché, 'it's an honor to be nominated,' " Followill said. "It really is a good feeling. . . . To get four, that's pretty crazy."
Three of Swift's nominations came in country categories, including the female vocal category alongside more seasoned and technically accomplished singers Martina McBride, Lee Ann Womack, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. That's likely to set her up for more barbs like those she was pelted with following her win in that field at the recent Country Music Assn. Awards.
But Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles had nothing but praise for Swift on Wednesday. "Taylor has done a lot for the country genre. She brought a lot of young people to country music. When I was 20 years old, I was playing clubs, learning how to drink Jim Beam and Coke."
The Peas' will.i.am acknowledged the sea change the business is undergoing and how his group has adapted.
"To have a No. 1 song for six months is a big accomplishment," he said of "I Gotta Feeling." "We thank all our fans, our team, our management for going out there and trying new things. You can't just pretend it's 1998, come out with a song and do a video. You have to really collaborate with your fans. . . . It's a new day."
Black Eyed Peas
Nominations were announced from Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. Awards will be announced Jan. 31 at Staples Center in a ceremony to be telecast on CBS. Awards are determined by more than 12,000 voting members of the Recording Academy from eligible recordings released between Oct. 1, 2008 and Aug. 31, 2009.
Maxwell At 52nd Grammy Nominations
Keri Hilson At 52nd Grammy NominationsBlack Eyed Peas At 52nd Grammy NominationsDrake At 52nd Grammy NominationsSong Of The Year Nominees for the 52nd GRAMMY AwardsRecord Of The Year Nominees for the 52nd Grammy Awards
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