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I don't usually comment on all of the nonsense that is posted on gossip or gossipish sites, but this is just so utterly and hilariously dumb that I didn't want it to just pass bye. Yeah, let's take a photo, taken at an odd angle, of someone sitting, that makes them look fat and call them fat. Nice one. Look at the picture here of him standing up. Same outfit, same day.
lol. Why is it dumb? Diddy is on an international tour performing. Do you have any idea how hard he's going at it during those shows? They are an intense workout. Even when he's not performing, he's always on the go. He could eat 10 cheeseburgers and it wouldn't mean a thing. Moving on...
Danity Kane will be chatting live on TeenMusic.com on April 4 at 5 PM ET.
Via their MySpace.
Harve Pierre and Gwen Niles were on Spotlight 25 last night. It featured Louise, an attorney trying to start her own practice. They met with her to discuss artist representation and for her to show them an artist.
Via Bad Boy's MySpace.
From SFGate.com:
Snoop Dogg and Sean "Diddy" Combs were forced to scrap a tour of Britain after authorities denied Dogg a visa, according to a statement Tuesday. ...
"With late notice of Snoop being denied a visa, time has ran out and it is too late reconfigure the show," the statement said.
Here's what Diddy had to say:
"Snoop had (already) received the proper papers (to allow him to enter the UK) - it was the reason we decided to go ahead with the concerts - so when we heard he'd been denied we were extremely surprised," Puff told us. "Especially as the concept of this tour is about bringing people together and stopping violence." ...
"I was flying in Elephant Man, Cassie and Fat Joe. I wish the government had changed their minds," he said, before assuring fans this isn't the last they've heard of the 'One Love Peace' tour.
Watch the video from the crowd below. It's of Harve Pierre presenting the group with their platinum plaques.
Via Carmelo at BadBoyForever.com.
"Life After Death" was released 10 years ago today. It's Bad Boy's best selling album of all time. It's a shame they don't really seem to be anything anything to celebrate 10 years.
Via mastercrook at Notorious Online.
From jimmymac:
Bryan got the part as co-host on cartoon network! They have scheduled that for an august release now! Tune in to see Bryan because they want to follow him while he is on tour with B5! ...
B5 is Featured on "MTV's sweet 16" for NFL great Ray Buchanan's Daughter "Destiny"! It will be aired in April! B5 has some great camera time on this one unlike the last!
From Ticket:
British authorities denied rapper Snoop Dogg a visa for a series of planned concerts, publicists for his tour said in a statement Saturday. ...
Whatever the outcome, a planned concert at London's Wembley Arena on Tuesday will go ahead with P Diddy and the rest of the show, she said.
I just noticed this. If you look closely at the sticker on the cover of the EU version of "Greatest Hits" pictured there, you'll see "Plus 2 brand new unreleased songs and international exclusive access to download Mo Money Mo Problems".
Look at this. Biggie and ODB. Looks like Diddy and maybe Lil' Kim in the back, too.
Via Notorious KEL at Notorious Online.
From SOHH.com:
"I have no plans to work with Yung Joc anymore whatsoever," he laments. "He do what he do and I do what I do. When you deal with people who call themselves CEO's and they put the business between the artist and the producer, it messes up the chemistry. When a record makes a lot of money, people who don't even have nothing to do with the record get to playing tug of war. It's one of those situations where it gets sticky. It wasn't my intention to have it go down like that because I broke the dude, but it goes down like that sometimes. That's the game."
I would guess that that CEO comment was probably directed at Block, but... oh well. Not that big a deal.
Via JungleCity at BadBoyForever.com.
The version of "Five-0" on Elephant Man's MySpace is a little different from the one we have here at BBB as Diddy talks again toward the end.
Via boyzndahood at BadBoyForever.com.
MTV has an article on "Life After Death":
"I can't tell you what his favorite song from Life After Death was," D-Dot continued, "but I know he loved 'Going Back to Cali,' I know he loved 'You're Nobody ('Til Somebody Kills You).' I know he loved the joint he was singing on, 'Playa Hater,' because he loved singing. He loved 'Ten Crack Commandments' because he knew that was hip-hop classic. When he finished that, he said, 'This is going to be a classic for n---as.' I think he knew that if he was around to support it, it could be possibly the biggest-selling album, close to Thriller sales. It still sold 10 million [copies,] and he was dead when it came out. Imagine if he was alive to support it and do the tours and movies that was set up for him. He never even got a chance to perform any songs on the album.
"He was a student of hip-hop, and he really just wanted to be the best MC ever. That's really the legacy of Biggie," D-Dot concluded.
Here is a review of "Ridin High" from Memphis Commercial Appeal:
The pair also stay true to their favorite themes -- cars, marijuana and sex -- though one imagines there is considerable pressure on them to project a more presentable image for Top 40 radio. (Bad Boy has simultaneously released a "clean version" of Ridin' High that omits some of the raunchier tracks.) But it would be a shame to let priggishness get in the way of enjoying a song like the title track, one of the most infectious 8Ball & MJG have ever produced. Ridin' High may not be as satisfying as Living Legends, and it has some filler. But the handful of tracks that rise above it all are among the best things 8Ball & MJG have done. Long live the new kings of Memphis rap.
From Metro.co.uk:
"Me and Snoop ain't making a single dollar on these shows," he told the Star. "In fact we're losing money, but we wanted to come to Europe anyway. It ain't about the money for me anyway. It's about a party. It's about making these people have a good time for two-and-a-half hours.
From XXLMag.com:
A group of Los Angeles detectives have filed a lawsuit against the city seeking to end, what they call, “warrantless searches” of their workspace.
Via mastercrook at Notorious Online.
Keep in mind, folks, that these are tentative - really tentative - release dates. Most or all of which will probably change. But, here we go:
June 12, Boyz N Da Hood
June 19, B5
June 26, Elephant Man
July 10, Yung Joc
September 18, Cassie
September 25, Danity Kane
Remember now, the keyword is tentative. Don't get upset when these don't happen, because they won't, most likely.
Here are the Bad Boy spots on the latest Hot 100:
15. "Last Night" by Diddy (up from 17).
87. "1st Time" by Yung Joc (down from 82).
The Nottingham, UK date for the Snoop/Diddy tour has been moved back a day, from April 2 to April 3.
Via Bad Boy.
HOT 97 is holding a contest where the winner will be able to skip the lines for Making the Band 4 auditions and audition for Diddy.
You can listen to it on his MySpace.
Here are Bad Boy's latest SoundScan numbers:
8. "Ridin High" by 8 Ball & MJG, 50,000 (50,400 overall, debut).
15. "Greatest Hits" by The Notorious B.I.G., 38,700 (138,200, down from 1).
80. "Press Play" by Diddy, 9,500 (573,368, down from 75).
NR. "New Joc City" by Yung Joc, 2,800 (910,300).
NR. "Danity Kane" by Danity Kane, 1,700 (898,400).
NR. "Cassie" by Cassie, 800 (307,400).
NR. "Duets: The Final Chapter" by The Notorious B.I.G., 800 (1,084,300).
Dr. Glenda E. Gill, professor emerita of drama at Michigan Technological University, will present a lecture titled "P. Diddy and Walter Lee Younger: Brothers and Saints" at Tuskegee University. It will be at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center Auditorium on March 28 at 3 PM. The lecture will discuss Diddy's portrayal of Walter Lee Younger on Broadway.
Watch below (warning: vulgar language).
An ad on the Diddy MySpace introduces "Sean John Eyes", a new eye ware line from Sean John.
From the AllHipHop.com Rumors section:
Babs is starting her own female rap crew, I heard. I don't think this is like the Remy/Shawnna/JackI-O thing. This is for new rappers.
Trying to find out more/confirm. I'll post again if I hear anything...
Someone from The Independent spent a couple of nights on the Diddy/Snoop tour. The result is this article which is a great read.
All the same, it must feel strange to them to be playing to so many white, middle-class people on this tour.
"I'll be honest," says Diddy. "It's always been young white kids. People in hip-hop never wanted to accept that, but it's true. Young white kids have been rebelling, sneaking out of the suburbs, and coming to the shows for years. And they're going home right now to turn up our music in their bedrooms. Hip-hop is something you can't stop - it ain't got no colour lines." ...
What's the point of Diddy's growing business empire: the fragrance, the clothes, the TV shows? Is it all about the money?
"It's not about making money," says Diddy. "If money was my only motivation, I'd be a billionaire right now. It's about appreciating and respecting the hip-hop culture. The other big conglomerates - the Fortune 500 companies - they don't respect hip-hop. They don't, like I do, make things especially for hip-hop."
But the money's still good? "Oh, the money's great," says Diddy, while Snoop laughs. "But I'm showing young people that they can empower themselves in a legal way. The money I make is legal. You got to understand that where we come from, that's a blessing." ...
"I'm not going to say that, compared to everyone else, I'm the best," he says. "I see myself more as PT Barnum. I'm the ringleader of the circus: the producer; the entertainer; the dancer; the vibe motivator. I don't really compete with the other guys who say, 'I'm going to lyrically massacre you.' I just like to get people moving and grooving.
"But look at my career in black and white. It's undisputable. Look on Billboard at the three pages of hits I've had. I'm not being braggadocious - it's just important that you state the facts when you talking about someone, and what they mean, and who they are."
Hal Boedeker reports that the episode of " Coversations with Carlos Watson" with Diddy will be on this week. Check the TV schedule for times. There is a clip from the episode here.
From Entertainmentwise.com:
Diddy has struck up a friendship with Coleen’s fiancé – England international Wayne Rooney, after meeting through the Beckhams at their World Cup summer party. Rooney successfully bid to spend a week with the rapper. ...
A source told The Sun: “It was looking like Coleen’s 21st would be a let down…Diddy rescued the situation by making a special effort to turn up on the night.”
You can listen to and download the track at D-Dot's Myspace.
Thanks Theo.
AllHipHop.com has a review of "Ridin High":
If you really enjoy the gritty street sound of 8Ball & MJG, you will enjoy this album. The veteran teams possesses enough lyrical flair and production punch to sway those not too keen on Southern tinged Hip-Hop. Consider Ridin High a trip worth taking.
You can listen to the track at AllHipHop.com.
I'm not sure how big a deal this is, but the nominees for the 2007 Urban Music Awards have been announced. Here are the Bad Boy nominations:
Best Album: "Press Play" by Diddy.
Best Collaboration: "Last Night" by Diddy featuring Keyshia Cole.
Best Entrepreneur: Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Best Female Group: Danity Kane.
Best Music Video: "Long Way 2 Go" by Cassie.
Most Inspiring Act: Diddy.
Vote here. The awards ceremony will be held on July 7 in New York.
Via diddy dav at BadBoyForever.com via ThugLifeArmy.com.
According to the LOS MySpace, LOS and Cheri Dennis will be performing at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore on June 2.
HipHopDX.com has an interview with 8 Ball & MJG.
HHDX: Ha ha, ok. Where does 8Ball and MJG fit into the overall Bad Boy legacy?
MJG: I don’t think we fit. I think this was just something, cause its really Bad Boy South, Bad Boy South was created when 8Ball and MJG came along, so I guess that kinda speaks for itself that we really not part of the Bad Boy legacy.
8Ball: Yeah I don’t think we fit, because I done read a lot of interviews and uh, they never mention us as part of the roster, you know, we never get mentioned as a part of Bad Boy, you know, unless we mention it. So, I don’t think we fit.
More, huh... who is they?
I've been waiting to talk about this as I wanted to try to make sure that the interview was genuine. Apparently, it is. So, head on over and give it a read.
This interview defies common sense. It's embarrassing. It's embarrassing for Bad Boy, it's embarrassing for everyone who worked on "Ridin High", but most especially, it's embarrassing for 8 Ball & MJG. In an interview released the day after your album is released, how do you complain about the label that released it and the producers that worked on it, out of the blue, and say that you want off of the label for your next release. How do you do that?
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This may not be new, but I just noticed that on Buckwild's MySpace, it says that he is working on a track with Aasim.
The Making the Band 4 MySpace mentions that the venue for the NYC audition on March 24 will be rebel.
NobodySmiling.com has a review of "Ridin High:
This whole album is about whoopin a**, pimpin’ h***, busting guns, strippers, cognac, blunts etc, etc but I like it. It’s well put together. The production presents a soundscape that is varied covering all regions of the south with crunk fight music, laid back chill music, downtempo seduction tracks, and bouncy club tunes. It becomes apparent Bad Boy South has a stable of producers cooking up heat about six tracks into the album. Lyrically, 8Ball and MJG won’t astound you or go over your head with complex similes and metaphors but provide simple straight forward lyrics but not so simple a 3 year old could spit them. The album could be about 4-5 tracks shorter but there’s enough heat on here to ride to through the summer. It looks like the living legends have found a cozy home with Bad Boy South and have managed to put together a dope down south album.
Via 8 Ball & MJG's MySpace.
Atlantic Street has new release dates for the B5 and Boyz N Da Hood albums, it looks like. They have Boyz N Da Hood listed as June 12 and B5 listed as June 19.
Via boyzndahood at BadBoyForever.com.
Check out a couple of new tracks in our audio player to the middle right of this page. They are "Everybody Know Me" by Boyz N Da Hood and "Five-0" by Elephant Man featuring Wyclef Jean. Both tracks contain intros from Diddy.
Cheri Dennis will be performing at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT on March 29. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased here. The show also features Joe and Ryan Leslie.
Via Ryan Leslie's MySpace.
MP3.com has an interview with 8 Ball & MJG:
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
We gonna do us. We gonna do us. No matter what, you know what I'm saying. I think it's like a bunch of our—it's like a compilation of all of our greatest underground s*** ever on this album, man. You know, the tracks are real big and the subject matter is just straight gutter, man, you know.
Nice. And who you guys working with in terms of production and features and stuff?
We got production from Lil Jon, Jazze Pha, Sean Dre. We got the title track "Ridin High," Big D from Miami did that. DJ Nasty from Orlando, he did the "Relax and Take Notes." Young Zo did the track "Clap On" with Yung Joc. Yeah. And we got Shorty Red, he produced a song called "Hickory, Dickory, Dock." DJ Toomp produced a song called "Worldwide." We got Juvenile on the album, Pimp C, Killer Mike. And just a lot of Eightball and MJG really, though, bro.
Via their MySpace.
From delawareonline:
Fire Eye Entertainment and the University of Delaware's radio station WVUD 91.3 will host the Battle of the Emcees April 20, an annual event featuring rappers from the University of Delaware and elsewhere competing for a $1,000 grand prize.
Fire Eye Entertainment has produced events for UD, New York radio station Hot 97, Spelman and Morehouse colleges, Honey magazine and others. Confirmed guests for this year's event include representatives from Bad Boy Records, Roc-A-Fella Records, Circuit Tv, Sony Urban Music and other prominent entertainment companies.
Bad Boy's latest SoundScan numbers are as follows:
1. "Greatest Hits" by The Notorious B.I.G., 99,200 (99,500 overall).
75. "Press Play" by Diddy, 10,700 (564,900).
NR. "New Joc City" by Yung Joc, 3,100 (907,500).
NR. "Life After Death" by The Notorious B.I.G., 2,500 (4,483,900).
NR. "Ready to Die" by The Notorious B.I.G., 2,200 (35,700).
NR. "Danity Kane" by Danity Kane, 2,100 (896,700).
NR. "Cassie" by Cassie, 900 (306,600).
Two notes. First, don't forget that LAD was a double album. So, I believe that that just counts both discs as one. It's not as simple as multiplying it by two as the clean version of LAD was just one disc. Also, I believe the Ready to Die numbers are for the remaster. This is because of the sample issues that ceased sales of the album. I am not sure if they released the original RTD again without the samples, but I know they did the remaster. So, they might just sell the remaster. In which case, that low number makes since, being that the remaster never appeared on the Billboard 200.
Here are Bad Boy's latest spots on The Billboard Hot 100:
17. "Last Night" by Diddy (a new high, up from 23).
82. "1st Time" by Yung Joc (a new high, up from 90).
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the latest Billboard 200 chart.
1. "Greatest Hits" by The Notorious B.I.G. (debut).
75. "Press Play" by Diddy (down from 69).
One year ago today, Bad Boy Blog launched. It's been a good year and I didn't want it to pass without a mention.
I also wanted to thank everyone who regularly visits and supports Bad Boy Blog. A big thank you to all of the people that have helped us report accurate, interesting information - all of the artists, managers, producers, label people, PR people and so on and so forth. Thanks!
We've got some interesting stuff in development that I will be able to talk about in time. I look forward to seeing what the next year brings, for both Bad Boy Blog and Bad Boy Entertainment.
Thank you.
My copy of "Ridin High" just arrived. The insert is a full cover insert (rather than the smaller inserts that have been included usually). One side is for Sean John and one side mentions "Press Play", "Danity Kane", "New Joc City", "Cassie" and "Greatest Hits". Its says that B5, Boyz N Da Hood and Yung Joc are coming soon.
Alonzo Mathis produced "Clap On". Alonzo Mathis is the real name of Gorilla Zoe, a member of Boyz N Da Hood.
"Alcohol P**** Weed" was produced by Diddy and Mario Winans. Good to see a track from them. Used to happen all the time... now, it's fairly rare.
"Pimpin' Interlude" was produced by Kenan Thompson and Conrad "Rad" Dimanche. Is that the comedian Kenan Thompson? I grew up watching "Kenan & Kel", "All That" and all of those shows...
Our release production history page has been updated to be up to date with the release of "Ridin High".
Big news today as The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Greatest Hits" has debuted at #1!
Last week marked the 10th anniversary of Notorious B.I.G.'s death and Bad Boy Records' release of Greatest Hits, a collection of 17 tracks from the rapper. This week, the LP sits atop Billboard's top 200 sales chart, earning the late, great Biggie a third #1 debut — though it generated far fewer scans than most of his previous efforts. ...
Greatest Hits, however, just cleared 99,000 scans, meaning that for a third-straight week, not a single album on Billboard's top 200 hit the 100,000-sold mark, according to the latest SoundScan totals.
Regardless of the sales numbers - #1 is #1. Congrats to everyone involved in the project. I'm pleasantly surprised.
This gives Bad Boy it's 3rd #1 album in less than a year ("Greatest Hits", "Press Play" and "Danity Kane"). This is history. Bad Boy has only been able to do this one other time and that was back in 1997 with "Life After Death", "No Way Out" and "Harlem World". Bad Boy has never, in its history, released 4 #1 albums within 1 year of each other. If they can do so by August 21 of this year, it'll be a first. It won't be easy, of course. Releasing a #1 album is hard. The first chance at it will be with "Ridin High" but that is pretty unlikely. Not that it's not a great album, but how many #1 albums have 8 Ball & MJG had?
It's just the 4th time that Bad Boy has had back to back #1 albums, following "We Invented the Remix" and "Bad Boys II: The Soundtrack"; "No Way Out" and "Harlem World" and "Life After Death" and "No Way Out". If "Ridin High" happens to debut at #1 (again, very unlikely), it will be the 2nd time that Bad Boy has released back to back to back #1 albums, after "Life After Death", "No Way Out" and "Harlem World".
Listen to it at XXLMAG.com.
The new issue of KING Magazine has a Biggie feature. In it, they attempt to clear up some myths and rumors about Biggie. See here for some info. One of them:
MYTH: Biggie was preparing to follow-up Life After Death with a triple album to expedite his departure from Bad Boy.
TRUTH: “It was just talk. His thing wasn’t trying to get out of Bad Boy. ‘Let me wrap my albums up and bounce on [Puff],’ Big wouldn’t have done that. Big was a loyal dude; back then, he and Puff had a relationship no matter what, beyond business. He could have taken Junior M.A.F.I.A. to Puff, and he would’ve signed us on the strength, but he wanted to get his own thing established, do for us like Puff was doing for him. He was
still gonna show loyalty to Puff, though.” —Lil’ Cease
Via jim_bean at Notorious Online.
"Ridin High" by 8 Ball & MJG was released today. It's the second Bad Boy release for the duo, following 2004's "Living Legends". The first single from the album is " Relax and Take Notes". The second single will be " Crusin'".
This release comes only 1 week after the release of "Greatest Hits" by The Notorious B.I.G. This is just the 3rd time where Bad Boy has released albums in consecutive weeks. The other times were "Ready to Die" and "Project: Funk da World" and "Kima, Keisha & Pam" and "Room 112".
Here is the tracklisting for the album:
1. "Intro".
2. "Relax and Take Notes" featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Project Pat.
3. "Ridin' High".
4. "Turn Up the Bump".
5. "Cruzin'" featuring Three 6 Mafia and Slim of 112.
6. "Whatchu Gonna Do" featuring Pimp C.
7. "30 Rocks" featuring Diddy.
8. "B*** J** Interlude".
9. "Hickory Dickory Dock".
10. "Runnin' Out of Bud" featuring Killer Mike.
11. "Clap On" featuring Yung Joc.
12. "Alcohol P**** Weed".
13. "Pimpin' Interlude".
14. "Pimpin' Don't Fail Me Now" featuring Jazze Pha and Juvenile.
15. "Worldwide".
16. "Take It Off" featuring Poo Bear.
17. "Memphis" featuring Al Kapone.
18. "Get Low".
19. "Stand Up".
Buy it now at Amazon.com.
I've just been told that G. Dep is no longer on Bad Boy. Of course, this is not a big surprise as it already seemed like he was, but I didn't want to do anything without official confirmation.
I'm sorry to hear it, but that's the way it goes. Definitely a fan of his work while with Bad Boy. Good luck.
HipHopDX.com has an interview with Biggie's daughter:
HHDX: There was a lot that hip-hop pulled from B.I.G. before and after his passing, but not too many people got to see the personal side of Frank White. So, for those who were the die-hard fans – what is something that no one would know about him?
T’yanna: I would have to say that for anyone who thinks that he’s all what he says in his lyrics… that he’s all rough, tough and hard, you’d be surprised. He was a sensitive guy. He was always in a happy mood around us. He loved everyone that he was close to. I know that in documentaries or specials, you’d see that he was a funny man. You could always hear him telling a joke… all the time.
The New York Times has a review of "Ridin High".
“Turn Up the Bump,” produced by Danja, has an angry-hornet synthesizer line and plenty of trash talk. (MJG takes aim at Chrysler-driving exaggerators, explaining, “A 300 is not a Bentley, an apartment not a house/A Geneva not a Rolex, you know what I’m talkin’ ’bout.”) Meanwhile “30 Rocks” is a marvelously tipsy-sounding ode to the nightlife, and “Relax and Take Notes” uses an old Notorious B.I.G. sample to anchor a pugnacious club track.
Back in the mid 90s, Bad Boy signed Jerome (also known as Lil' Jerome), a pre-teen R&B singer from Akron, Ohio. After a couple of years on the label, he released his first single, "Too Old for Me", which was also the first single for "Bad Boy's Greatest Hits, Volume 1". The song was remixed at least twice, into an "R&B Remix" and a "Shorty & Nore Remix" featuring rapper N.O.R.E. with Diddy on the ad libs. Personally, it's one of my favorite Bad Boy remixes.
His first official appearance may have been "Crush on You" a song featured on the Bad Boy compilation, "Nothin' But the Hotness in '98". He also appeared on the Belly soundtrack with a remake of Stevie Wonder's "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer". Two other songs, "No Disturb Sign" (another favorite of mine) featuring Heavy D and Diddy and "Dear Ivette", were also released. And, after that... he just seemed to disappear. He was dropped from the label and I never really heard anything about him again. I always wondered... what happened?
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Well, after scanning all oft he weekly circulairs... it looks like there are no store bonuses for "Ridin High", unfortunately. Pre-order it at Amazon.com now.
You can listen to snippets from "Ridin High" at the Circuit City site.
Vibe has a nice Biggie tribute video featuring appearances from Diddy, Doug E. Fresh, Mister Cee, Matty C., Chico (from Junior M.A.F.I.A.), Groovey Lew, Bert Padell, Banga (Junior M.A.F.I.A.), Easy Mo Bee, Kool Herc, Russell Simmons, Jim Jones and more.
Via jim_bean at Notorious Online.
"Hustler's Prayer" is a song produced by DJ Green Lantern that took Biggie's verse and added in Jim Jones. Even thought some had labeled it as "not on Duets" and what have you, I hadn't thought it was for Duets. But, last night when he got on HOT 97 during the Biggie tribute, Jim Jones said that it was.
Cee: And this is a record that was supposed to have been on the Biggie Duets album, correct?
Jones: Yeah, yeah, we tried to get it there. I think we didn't make the cut off.
In honor of it being the 10th year since Biggie's passing, Vibe brought out a couple of old articles.
"I didn't know he was gonna be this large," says Mark "Gucci Don" Pitts, the Notorious B.I.G.'s manager, driving the black Lexus that doubles as his office. Pitts, 25, is a former employee of Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment who left to represent Biggie independently in 1993. "Damn," he says, thinking back on the past 24 months. "I can't believe we blew up that quick."
It's hard to believe that someone who has seen so much could have such young eyes. But the eyes of Sean "Puffy" Combs, bright, brown and alert, reflect the stubborn innocence of childhood. His voice, however, tells another story. Sitting inside the control room of Daddy's House Studios in Midtown Manhattan, dressed in an Orlando Magic jersey and linen slacks, Puffy speaks in low, measured tones, almost whispering.
How much drama can a picture with Diddy create? Pitchfork has an article talking about what happened when El-P (a "groundbreaking artist, virtuosic producer, profound lyricist, label founder, A&R maverick and underground icon", according to his MySpace) took a picture with Diddy.
CNN.com has an article on the Diddy and Snoop European tour.
Snoop Dogg, 35, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, said Notorious B.I.G. would be amused to see the two musicians linking up.
"He is going to be smiling when he sees me and Puff (Combs) on the stage today," said the California rapper.
"That is all that matters, that the spirit of hip-hop lives on. Everything that was not right, we are getting right."
The "rivalry" part of the article is kind of blown up, I think. Snoop and Diddy have been pretty cool for a long, long time.
I just wanted to highlight this from HHNLive.com's interview with T'Yanna Wallace:
Quinton: How is your relationship with Diddy?
T'Yanna: That's my uncle Puff, I love him. He's busy a lot though. When he doesn't get to talk to me or my brother as much as he can I know it's not personal. It's because he's really busy all the time, but I love him for that.
Quinton: You know Puff is a hustler!
T'Yanna: [Laughs] Yeah!
I just thought it was nice to hear. After Biggie died (especially after the first few years of him being gone), some people really got into speculating all sorts of nonsense. Biggie wanted to leave Bad Boy, Biggie wasn't friends with Diddy, Biggie wanted to sign to Death Row, etc. etc. etc. At the end of the day, if you listen to what Biggie said himself, you get a pretty clear picture.
So, it's been 10 years since Biggie passed. Today, my thoughts are with his family and everyone who was close to him.
When Biggie died, I was 12 years old. I don't even remember knowing about it, to be honest with you. I wasn't a Biggie fan, yet. Puff Daddy made me a Biggie fan. I got hooked on Bad Boy music in 1997. I'm not sure what the first track that I caught onto was... it may have been "Mo Money Mo Problems"... it may have been "I'll Be Missing You"... could have been "Feel So Good"... or maybe even "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"... I forget, but it was all of them, truly. There was Puff Daddy, there was Mase... and there was The Notorious B.I.G. Puff Daddy made it so that I had to know Biggie.
After discovering Puff Daddy, I eventually made my way through the entire Bad Boy catalogue, including Biggie, from Life After Death to Ready to Die to guest appearances. And, at first, I liked some of it, but I wasn't into most of it, if I recall. As I got older, that changed. I got more into Biggie and became the big fan I am today. But, as you can see, I wasn't a fan of Biggie until after he died. Kind of a shame, really. But, I can't be mad I wasn't born 5 years earlier.
I've seen people say, in some tributes and over the years, obviously, that Biggie would be upset if he saw hip hop today. I've heard people say that he wouldn't do a song with so and so... wouldn't do a song with KoRn or Slim Thug or whoever was a featured artist on "Born Again" or "Duets: The Final Chapter". I don't think that's true. I think if we could ask him what he thinks, he'd be happy. Biggie was not someone to simply only work with a certain type of artist. I've read interviews, read articles and he seemed to me to be the type of the person who would experiment, try new things, innovate. Would he have wanted to do a song with KoRn? Who knows? Maybe not. But, I think simply dismissing it is to not fully understand what Biggie was, which was an artist.
When people say they miss Biggie, if they really do, there are two things that they miss. They miss the person - and they miss the artist.
Rest in peace.
In addition to some of the ones I've already mentioned, there are so many Biggie tributes out now - as there should be, of course. What I'm going to do is summarize all of the good one's that I have gone across. So, put a good hour or two aside and proceed...
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Here are Bad Boy's positions on the latest Hot 100:
23. "Last Night" by Diddy (a new high, up from 29).
57. "Tell Me" by Diddy (down from 52).
90. "1st Time" by Yung Joc (a new high, up from 97).
The next 8 Ball & MJG video will be for "Cruisin'" featuring Three 6 Mafia and Slim of 112.
Check out the Nissan site for a series of Diddy parties that will be hosted in Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo and Kobenhavn.
Via SeanJohn at BadBoyForever.com.
Biggie is on the cover of the latest issue of Blender.
From his MySpace:
TAMPA: Thursday March 15th
Venue: Green Iguana
9202 Anderson Road
Tampa, FL 33634
Tel # 813-288-9076
ORLANDO: Friday March 16th
Venue: Destiny Nightclub.
7430 Universal Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32819
Tel # 407-351-9800
MIAMI: Saturday March 17th
Venue: Bongos Cuban Cafe
601 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33132
Tel # 786-777-2100
Updating a previous story, they have named some specific venues for the new audition dates.
On March 24, they will be in New York City (venue still TBA) and Birmingham, AL (Club Red).
On March 31, they will be in Memphis, TN (Plush) and Norfolk, VA (The Granby Theater).
The New York Daily News has an article on Mister Cee's HOT 97 Biggie tribute show.
But in the tradition of radio, he says, his annual tribute to Biggie, aka the Notorious B.I.G., tomorrow on Hot 97, 8 p.m.-midnight, won't be a wake. ...
Biggie's murder, which remains unsolved, will also be marked at WWPR (105.1 FM), which will have a Biggie Mix tribute on the morning show with Ed Lover, Egypt and Donnell Rawlins. Power will also play one or two Biggie cuts an hour all day.
Here are Bad Boy's SoundScan numbers for the past week:
69. "Press Play" by Diddy, 11,200 (554,200 total).
NR. "New Joc City" by Yung Joc, 3,500 (904,400).
NR. "Danity Kane" by Danity Kane, 2,900 (894,600).
NR. "Cassie" by Cassie, 1,100 (305,700).
Update: The ranking was 69, not 68.
So, my copy of "Greatest Hits" arrived a few minutes ago. Here are some random thoughts and information on the artwork, inserts, etc.
First, I know a lot of people don't like the album artwork... but I do. There can be beauty in simplicity and there is here. I like it.
A sticker on the front of the album stated that it includes "3 new tracks". These are "Running Your Mouth", "Want That Old Thing Back" and ... "One More Chance/Stay With Me Remix"? What?! There was a video for that last track, it was a hit. It's not new. Someone dropped the ball there.
The booklet itself is very nicely done. It includes a lot of nice pictures of Biggie, including some of him as a kid.
There is an insert, as well. One side for Sean John, one side featuring "Press Play", "New Joc City", "Cassie", "Danity Kane", "Christian Daniel" and "Ridin High". It says that B5, Boyz N Da Hood and Jordan McCoy are coming soon.
The thank yous part of the booklet was done poorly and it's really a shame. Reading Diddy's thanks... they just copied Diddy's thanks for "Duets: The Final Chapter". It has him thanking "the artists" which include 2Pac, Bob Marley, Slim Thug and... well, everyone on Duets. How does that happen? I just don't know. I know, it's just the thank yous, but it is embarassing, really.
A new 8 Ball & MJG site has launched. Pretty standard fare for Bad Boy artist sites. Sections for news, video ("Relax and Take Notes" video), downloads (buddy icons and wallpapers), bio, appearances, a sign up link (doesn't lead to anything now) and a link to their MySpace. You can also listen to "Relax and Take Notes", "Clap On", "Ridin' High" and "Cruisin'".
Here is the tracklisting of "Ridin High" from iTunes:
1. "Intro".
2. "Relax and Take Notes" featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Project Pat.
3. "Ridin' High".
4. "Turn Up the Bump".
5. "Cruzin'" featuring Three 6 Mafia and Slim of 112.
6. "Whatchu Gonna Do" featuring Pimp C.
7. "30 Rocks" featuring Diddy.
8. "B*** J** Interlude".
9. "Hickory Dickory Dock".
10. "Runnin' Out of Bud" featuring Killer Mike.
11. "Clap On" featuring Yung Joc.
12. "Alcohol P**** Weed".
13. "Pimpin' Interlude".
14. "Pimpin' Don't Fail Me Now" featuring Jazze Pha and Juvenile.
15. "Worldwide".
16. "Take It Off" featuring Poo Bear.
17. "Memphis" featuring Al Kapone.
18. "Get Low".
19. "Stand Up".
You can listen to tracks 2, 3, 5 and 11 in our audio player to the right. You can listen to track 8 at their MySpace.
This tracklist differs from the one we saw previously in that "Like This, Like That", "F*** That", "For an Outfit" and "No Joke, No Lie" have been removed. Meanwhile, "30 Rocks", "B*** J** Interlude", "Hickory Dickory Dock", "Clap On", "Pimpin' Interlude" and "Worldwide" have been added.
Via boyzndahood at BadBoyForever.com.
From MTV.com:
"The mixtape is not really focusing on his singles," said Cee — Bad Boy's Greatest Hits disc, dropping Tuesday, will serve that purpose. "You're not gonna hear 'Hypnotize' and those type of records, but it's focusing on guest appearances. All the guest appearances he's ever appeared on. Original versions. Nothing remade, original duets he's done with other artists. Then you have the freestyles he's done. The freestyles done with me or other DJs like DJ Enuff, Funk Master Flex. Then also, there's some original versions to songs. There's some songs you're gonna hear that you've heard the album versions, but you never heard it with the original track.
"There's also some live stuff," he added. "Live from Madison Square Garden, Philly, London. It just really shows the short amount of time Biggie was here, the amount he's done. It's over 70 songs and a double-CD. I also want to big up my man DJ Whoo Kid. He's been helping me out to get back in the fold of doing what I gotta do to get back out in the mixtape circuit. It's probably gonna be the last mixtape I ever do. I hope people cherish the way I am."
It's called "The Best of Biggie: 10th Anniversary Mixtape".
AOL Music has a tribute to Biggie. They have some DJ remixes of Biggie tracks, the full "Greatest Hits" album up for listening, a lyrics quiz and tribute video where Jadakiss, Styles P., Mister Cee and the founders of AllHipHop.com (Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur) talk about Biggie.
Styles and Jadakiss said that the day before he died (also the first time they'd been in Los Angeles), Biggie said he loved 2Pac and Jadakiss said that Biggie said he was gonna stay in Caulifornia for another month.
Mister Cee said that the "Hypnotize" video was who Biggie really was. When it came to pick favorite albums, the AllHipHop.com guys both picked RTD, but Mister Cee, Jadakiss and Styles P. picked LAD.
Mister Cee on posthumous work:
... If Bad Boy Entertainment has more Biggie material, they're going to try to put out another project. Business is business. And we don't know if Biggie would have worked with an Eminem if he was still alive, we don't know if Biggie would have worked with a T.I. if he was alive. Or whatever the case is. But, the fact of the matter is that those types of artists is what's current and what's hot right now. You have to be realistic on trying to connect Biggie to the current audience.
Diddy was on 106 & Park today to talk about Biggie and "Greatest Hits" and what have you. He did drop one bit of really interesting news - they are going to do a concert on Biggie's birthday (May 21) to celebrate his life and "everybody is going to be there." He said "hopefully" it would be at the Garden and to stay tuned. So... we'll see. Whatever they do, please sell a DVD for it!
He was asked what his favorite Biggie tracks were and he said "One More Chance" (I presume he means the remix) and "Who Shot Ya". "Who Shot Ya" is a pretty interesting choice when you think about it.
He was also asked what Biggie's favorites were. He said "One More Chance" (again, I'm thinking the remix) and "Brooklyn's Finest".
Just watching 106 & Park (Diddy will be on in a sec) and they mentioned that they'll be doing something for Biggie on Freestyle Friday on 106 & Park.
I was just watching the end of Rap City and Juelz Santana said that there will be a B.I.G. tribute on the Friday episode.
The official "Greatest Hits" site has opened a bit more (although not much more). They have an audio player where you can listen to clips of "Want That Old Thing Back",
"One More Chance/Stay With Me (Remix)", "Juicy", "Running Your Mouth" and "Notorious Thugs".
SOHH.com has a link to listen to the whole album care of Atlantic Records.
Updating a previous story, the person who accused Diddy of assault recently in Hollywood has now filed suit.
From CentreDaily.com:
Gerard Rechnitzer is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit, which was filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
From stuff.co.nz:
... the police spokesman said he could not confirm that Combs, 37, was the subject of the investigation. Combs' lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, called the lawsuit "completely baseless".
From CNN.com:
"It is just another example of an opportunist seeking to fabricate a lawsuit based on a flat-out lie to try to take advantage of Mr. Combs' celebrity status," Brafman said in a statement. "Mr. Combs did not hit anyone, and Mr. Rechnitzer suffered no injuries or damages whatsoever. There is no case. It is that simple."
Today sees the release of "Greatest Hits" by The Notorious B.I.G. After "Ready to Die", "Life After Death," "Born Again", "Ready to Die: The Remaster" and "Duets: The Final Chapter", this may very well be the last Biggie album that is ever released.
Here is the tracklist:
1. Juicy
2. Big Poppa
3. Hypnotize
4. One More Chance/Stay With Me (Remix)
5. Get Money
6. Warning
7. Dead Wrong
8. Who Shot Ya
9. Ten Crack Commandments
10. Notorious Thugs
11. Notorious
12. Nasty Girl
13. Unbelievable
14. N***** Bleed
15. Running Your Mouth
16. Want That Old Thing Back
17. F****** You Tonight
You can buy it at Amazon.com.
MTV has a great feature article on Biggie. The article features words from Biggie, Busta Rhymes, Keith Murray, Mark Pitts, Clark Kent, Chris Rock and D-Roc. There is a bunch of interesting tidbits in there, so give it a read.
Via matrix at BadBoyForever.com.
I just wanted to mention that I just finished a large update of the music video data on the releases page. Dead links have been removed and all of the links to videos on that page are working as of this second.
On another note of disappointment, I just did what I do the Sunday before every Bad Boy album is released... I checked all of the fliers and websites for store based bonuses. You know, bonus tracks, DVDs, etc. After checking iTunes, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy... there does not appear to be a single store based bonus available for "Greatest Hits". So, if you were going to look, hopefully I've saved you some time.
Of course, all of the songs have already been released, but I thought I'd mention that you can listen to snippets from "Greatest Hits".
I just went to look on iTunes for "Greatest Hits" and... I couldn't find it. We are now 2 days before it is being released and it's not on iTunes. I just don't get it.
So, I was on Wikipedia last night and the entry for "Greatest Hits" mentioned that Foxy Brown is not on the "Greatest Hits" version of "Running Your Mouth". After listening to the audio that has been released, that does appear to be the case.
For those that don't know, "Running Your Mouth" (with Foxy Brown) was released on a Target bonus disc when "Duets: The Final Chapter" was released. "Want That Old Thing Back" was also on that bonus disc.
The Recording Industry Soundbank mentioned that this was the first single for "Greatest Hits". Although, as of now, it doesn't look like they are going to make a video for the track, as I had suggested.
Listen to this track in our audio player to the right.
From the Making the Band 4 MySpace:
New York City and Birmingham, Alabama on
Saturday, March 24th
Memphis, Tennessee and Norfolk, Virginia on
Saturday, March 31st
Venues are to be announced.
Judges include Michael Bivins, Joe, Laurie Ann Gibson and Bryan Cox.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the latest Hot 100 chart:
29. "Last Night" by Diddy (a new high, up from 42).
52. "Tell Me" by Diddy (up from 53).
97. "1st Time" by Yung Joc (re-entry).
How high will "Last Night" go? Could it become Diddy's 10th top 10 single? (If you include "Come With Me" and "Shake Ya Tailfeather").
On the latest Billboard 100 chart, "Press Play" jumped up 25 spots, moving from 100 to 75.
Check out our audio player to the right to listen to "Freestyle (This is Why I'm Hot)" by Yung Joc as well as "Cruisin" by 8 Ball & MJG featuring Three 6 Mafia and Slim from 112.
As an update to our previous articles, a BBC article mentions that the judge actually did rule that the use of Diddy on MySpace and YouTube is a violation of the agreement.
Lord Justice David Kitchen ruled the use of the name Diddy on the MySpace and YouTube websites was a breach of the agreement but Mr Combs' control over them would now be the subject of a full High Court hearing, which has been scheduled for October. ...
A spokesman for P Diddy described the decision not to issue an injunction against the rapper as a "victory for common sense".
This is also kind of funny, where the judge broke down the lyrical content of "The Future".
The judge ruled: "The second verse (of the song) refers to Mr Combs as 'Diddy' as he invites the listener to 'mainline this new Diddy heroin'. Mr Combs expressly refers to iTunes and asks the listener to 'Download me in every resident'. He refers to his CD as 'my CD's in 3-D holograms', and finally refers to his shows with the words, 'the live show's a hard act to follow, man'.
"I see this as straightforward advertisement by Mr Combs of his CD, his songs which can be downloaded from iTunes and his live shows, all under and by reference to the word 'Diddy'."
lol. Good stuff. Of course, Diddy can be Diddy in all countries that are not the United Kingdom, as far as I know. So, the lyrics aren't important... on any CDs that are released outside of that country.
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