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You are currently viewing the archive for November 2008.
Update: Part 2 has been posted.
Back in August, we published an interview with Day26, where we covered a myriad of topics, including Making the Band, Laurie Ann Gibson, the group's album and more.
Here is the first part (of two) of the raw audio taken from the interview, which was conducted over the phone. It's a great, funny interview. So, if you are a Day26 fan, definitely check it out. I'll post part 2, including the hilarious NBA team discussion, at a later date. You can read the text version in full now.
Day26's holiday single, "This Christmas," will be available for purchase on iTunes on December 9, according to a bulletin from the MySpace of Will from Day26. For now, you can listen to it in our audio player.
MTV News' Shaheem Reid has a pair of articles discussing T-Pain, the Auto-Tune effect, Diddy's new album and more. Read the articles for the full details, but here are the parts that I found to be the most interesting.
"Diddy actually gave me royalties on this album just for using Auto-Tune. He signed the contract and everything. If I can do that with Diddy, somebody else better be signing something. It's Diddy. He didn't have to involve me at all. ... I'm writing and producing on his album, and he gave me extra royalties on top of that for using something I just brought back." ...
"I gave him eight tracks," Pain said. "Eight songs. I don't how many he's gonna use, but I'll tell you how many I gave him. He's doing a little more singing. He's more like the Euro style. He's keeping it hip-hop but bringing some Euro in it. Very electronica."
Here's a clip of Pain talking about the royalties:
... before "Lollipop" and before T.I. had a singing hit with "Whatever You Like," Diddy surprised everyone in 2006 with his singing on the sleeper blockbuster "Last Night." Chairman Combs recently revealed to MTV News that his next record will be singing-heavy. ...
"At the end of the day, it's about hit records," Diddy said. "Whether he's singing on it, he's going to the left, he's going to the right, his base is energized. He's gotta energize his base on the hit records they already bought from him. You gotta hit them with hit records. A hit is a hit. If Kanye's 'Heartless' breaks through, it ain't because he's singing, not singing, it's a controversy with the Auto-Tune it's because it was a hit record."
Finally, here's Diddy and T-Pain in the studio with Diddy breaking it down for everyone.
It goes without saying that I cannot wait for the new Diddy record.
Diddy, Auto-Tune in tow, is featured on the star packed remix to Busta Rhymes' "Arab Money." The song also features Ron Browz, Swizz Beatz, T-Pain, Akon and Lil' Wayne. Check out the video below that includes some of the recording session (warning: inappropriate content). Diddy's verse is solid.
Via Tapemasters Inc.
Check out the clip below, which features Diddy introducing a "mini-movie" to promote the new "I Am King" fragrance. Diddy also calls this his audition tape in his effort to become the first black James Bond.
USA TODAY's Anthony Breznican has a feature on "Notorious," with quotes from rapper Gravy, who plays Biggie in the film. The article also includes an exclusive clip from the movie.
Que of Day26 has a new YouTube channel: StarQTv. The videos on the channel advertise a new website at starqtv.com, but nothing is at this address at press time.
In a few of the videos, he previews some new music that he has written. The tracks are titled "Raisin in the Sun," "Sail Boat" (or "Purple Christmas") and "Gears of War." In the video where he plays "Gears of War," he mentions that he'd like Justin Timberlake to record the track. Here are the videos:
Diddy jumped on the remix to Joe's "Triple Black Room" with an opening rap verse. As you may recall, Joe was a judge during the opening season of "Making the Band 4." Wikipedia says that this track is on the deluxe edition of the album, possibly available at Target locations. But, I don't trust Wikipedia, so please take that with a grain of salt.
Singersroom reports that, according to a network source, Diddy and Aretha Franklin are talking about partnering on an "American Idol" type reality show where Diddy and Franklin will select the winner, rather than putting it out for a public vote as "Idol" does. Treat this as an unconfirmed rumor at this point. I usually wouldn't mention it, but Singersroom is generally pretty solid. I'm trying to see what I can find out. Stay tuned.
Check out our audio player for a holiday track from Day26, "This Christmas."
A new duet from Que of Day26 and Dawn Richard of Danity Kane has been released (or, perhaps, leaked). It's called "Broken Promises" and it's not immediately clear if this is an actual single or just the result of a writing session between the two - hence, a reference vocal, meant for sale to other artists.
According to the ClockWork Entertainment MySpace, Danielle Keaton and Lindsay Taylor have been added to the lineup of the revamped Dream, joining Jordan McCoy and Hunter Pecunia. Both Keaton and Taylor in various guest spots in movies and on television.
It is unclear if this is the final lineup for the new group or if they are still auditioning for a fifth member. Understandably, a request for comment on Thanksgiving Day was not immediately returned. I'll report back when I hear back.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today.
Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
41. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (a new high, up from 46).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
41. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (a new high, up from 46).
Hot Rap Tracks
22. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (unchanged).
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop
31. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 30).
The video below follows Will Castro, owner of Unique Autosports, as he meets with Diddy to plan and then execute on the customization of a pair of Jeeps for the Bad Boy CEO.
Via Chase N. Cashe.
The video below features Tanisha Scott, the choreographer for "Notorious," talking about her work with the actors. Her job was to get them to move like Biggie, Diddy, Lil' Kim and whoever was being portrayed.
Here's the video for "Waddle" by Gorilla Zoe featuring Gucci Mane. I think this is something to hold people over until the video for "Lost" gets done.
HipHopDX has an interesting interview with Gorilla Zoe.
In addition to an advancement of his rhyming abilities, Zoe also revealed to DX that he plans to switch it up slightly on Animals from his largely hood-oriented and club-centered subject matter.
What Ive learnedyou aint gotta talk about the same s*** everyday, he said. You aint gotta go to McDonalds everyday. Go to Burger King, man. You want burgers, switch up, man, go to Wendys. Give the folks a different flavor.
Humans are emotional creatures, he continued. Why would you play off [just] a couple emotions? You look at [Hip Hop now], every song gotta be about getting high, making some money, buying some cars, shopping, going to the club, popping some bottles, f****** some b******, and doing it [all] again tomorrow. Every song aint gotta be like that. So definitely with this album Im touching [on] a lot of different s***.
Our audio player has three new tracks from Elephant Man, titled "Stroke Me Slow (Remix)," "Now" and "Sky High." On the "Stroke Me Slow" remix, Ele is joined by Neo and Sulan.
Erin MacLeod of Pitchfork has their 2008 "The Year In Reggae/Dancehall" feature. Elephant Man is highlighted multiple times, including two mentions in their top 15 tracks of the year ("Gully Creepa" and "Nug Linga").
3 News has quotes from Christopher "C.J." Wallace, Jr., Biggie's son, on his role and acting in "Notorious," the upcoming bio pic about his dad.
During a chat with his grandmother Violetta Wallace, in the December issue of Interview magazine, the young actor says: "My mum told me some of the stuff he used to do. Like how he rubbed his nose sometimes. And then I got some of my character's scenes six or seven months before we actually shot the film, so I went over that stuff a lot."
FirstShowing.net has the poster for "Notorious," chosen after an online vote. Check it out below.
Via FirstShowing.net.
Yung Joc is featured on a new single from Atlanta based R&B group I15. It's called "Too Much Swag."
Below, check out a video blog from Dawn Richard of Danity Kane. She says that this is but the first of a weekly video blog. The first one doesn't contain anything particularly newsworthy, outside of the fact that she is writing for Cassie, Danity Kane and Day26.
HipHopDX reports that music producer Easy Mo Bee is working on the "Notorious" film, though it's not 100% clear what his involvement will be.
Friday afternoon, the producer who's also worked with Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick and Miles Davis, told HipHopDX, "There's some people in my camp who got in touch with the makers of the movie, and just kinda, almost demanded I be a part of it." Laughing, Mo Bee continued, "Because I played I played such an integral role in the start of everything with Biggie, and everybody I know, everybody in my camp - everybody was like, 'Yo, why aren't you down with [the film?]. So I mentioned that to my camp, and they just went to work. And then I thought, 'Yeah, you are supposed to be down with [the film]."
David Gelles of the Miami Herald reports on the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship's National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, where Dia Simms served as a judge.
Simms, the general manager of Bad Boy's Blue Flame Marketing & Advertising division, is quoted in the piece.
Simms said the judges used tough standards to evaluate the students. ''We were asked to look at them as if we were angel investors,'' she said. ``We were looking at what was scalable, and what we could walk away with and start a viable business.''
Among the finalists, Jessica stood out. ''The difference was her numbers,'' said Simms. ``They seemed very realistic. Her delivery and marketing plan and material costs were very close to what I would have guesstimated. She seemed like she could walk away and hand her plan to someone and they could execute it.''
The Fashion Time Magazine reports that singer Rihanna wore a Zac Posen dress on the red carpet at the 2008 American Music Awards.
According to a bulletin from Janelle Monae's MySpace, she will be performing in Santa Monica, CA on November 29. The venue is Dakota on 1026 Wilshire Boulevard. Doors open at 7 PM. For free entry, you can RSVP to LIST[at]LionessLA.com.
According to a MySpace bulletin, Nelson will be hosting a party at Touch in New York, NY, on November 28. It's located at 240 West 52nd. Mention "Nelson's Guest List" at the door for complimentary or reduced admission.
Here is a press release with a number of news items tied to the launch of Sean John's latest fragrance, "I Am King."
SEAN DIDDY COMBS REVEALS NEW I AM KING FRAGRANCE IMAGE ON TIMES SQUARE BILLBOARD
New Image replaces iconic Sean John Campaign for several months
November 24th, 2008 - Sean John Fragrances, creator of Unforgivable, the top selling mens and womens scent, today unveiled the campaign image of Sean Diddy Combs newest mens fragrance, I Am King, on what continues to be the largest billboard ever to hang in Times Square, The new campaign will also appear on Los Angeles prestigious Sunset Boulevard, as well as other marquis billboard locations in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. The billboard portrays Sean Diddy Combs dressed in a sleek, white tuxedo, with an image of his new mens fragrance, I Am King. Impeccably put together, he is the ultimate man of power. He is daring and mysterious, refined and sexy. The new fragrance advertisement will replace what has become one of the most well known images in New York City, where Combs holds his fist triumphantly in the air.
Located at Broadway and 47th Street, the billboard is front lit, screened vinyl canvas measuring 172 X 54 feet and can be viewed while heading downtown.
Sean Diddy Combs said, I am really proud of the new billboard and of the message that it conveys to everyone who gets to see it. I AM KING is not just about me, but every man. We are all descendants of kings. And if all men believe in that, we can accomplish anything. This image pays tribute to that belief, that ideal.
Only Sean Diddy Combs could debut I Am King, a scent designed to inspire those who dream big and aspire for greatness. I Am King makes the ultimate statement for todays ambitious go-getter: Here I am, in all my glory. Smell the power. Feel the success. It represents a lifestyle everyone desires to live: exclusive, its about greatness, being at the top of ones game. Its for the achiever, the inspirer, the visionary. I Am King is about a mans strength and style, his passion and taste for life. A hunger for the extraordinary to believe in a dream.
I Am King empowers the modern man to take on the soul of a king and conquer his biggest dreams. It is only fitting for this image of empowerment to be displayed in the most sought after site in the world, Times Square New York. The billboard image and location reflect the true power and prestige of the fragrance, the man behind it and the men who will wear it.
An untraditional fresh fruity woody scent, I Am King combines clean notes with sensual fruits and warm skin nuances. Impossible to ignore, I Am King subtly surrounds the wearer in fresh comfort and attracts women to encounter its power. The bottle, shrouded with a chrome cap, incorporates sleek edges with a hint of classic style. It is pure luxury encased. I Am King embodies the Sean John lifestyle.
Sean John Fragrances will debut the power scent in December 2008 for the holiday season exclusively at Macys nationwide, before rolling out to department stores in February 2009. I Am King suggested retail price is $57 USD for 1.7 oz EDT and $74 USD for 3.4 oz EDT. I Am King aftershave balm suggested retail price is $54 USD for 3.4 oz and will be on counter in February 2009 for Valentines Day; I Am King shower gel suggested retail price is $25 USD for 6.7 oz and the deodorant suggested retail price is $18 USD for 2.5 oz; both items on counter in May 2009 (pre-cursor to Fathers Day). Additionally, I Am King Limited Edition, a 3.4 oz EDT with storybook featuring I Am King visuals and housed in a signed lucite case, will be also available exclusively at Macys for $100 USD.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today.
Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
92. "Day26" by Day26 (down from 66).
Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
46. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (up from 47).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
46. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (up from 47).
Hot Rap Tracks
22. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (unchanged).
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop
30. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (unchanged).
We'll now have a short coverage break here at Bad Boy Blog. It will be fairly quiet until the end of next week, unfortunately.
I appreciate your patience and thank you for visiting Bad Boy Blog.
Finally, we have some details on the soundtrack for "Notorious," the upcoming film about the life of The Notorious B.I.G., in theaters January 16.
According to Biggie's MySpace, the soundtrack will be released by Bad Boy Records on January 6. It will feature classic Biggie as well as new music from Jay-Z, Jadakiss and more. It will be the second movie soundtrack that Bad Boy has released, following 2003's "Bad Boys II: The Soundtrack."
However, the most exciting part is that the post mentions that it will include Biggie's demo. The full and official demo has long been sought after by Biggie fans and collectors and the premise of it being available, in full, CD quality audio, on a major label release, is a big deal. Previously, tracks have leaked online or on mixtapes that have claimed to have been from the demo, but they are generally in poor quality or include the DJ talking over them. Plus, it's uncertain as to if any or all of these were actually from the demo. So, this could be a great thing.
The question is: what tracks make up the demo? What demo is this? Is it the one that was sent to Matteo Capoluongo (a.k.a. Matty C.), then at The Source?
Regardless of the uncertainly, this is definitely exciting news and I've reached out to some people to see if I can find out more. Stay tuned.
According to The Notorious B.I.G.'s MySpace, "Notorious," the film about Biggie's life, is in line for a DVD release date of May 5, 2009. The movie will be in theaters on January 16.
From BroadcastNewsroom:
Teen heartthrobs The Jonas Brothers, R&B chart-topper Chris Brown and hip hop star Lil Wayne will battle each other for top honors during video on demand service Music Choices inaugural Most Demanded awards show. ...
HIT LIST/POP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Danity Kane -- Damaged
Jonas Brothers --Burnin Up
eona Lewis -- Bleeding Love
LOL! VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Mariah Carey -- Touch My Body
Snoop Dogg -- Sensual Seduction
Yung Joc -- Coffee Shop
The award show will be available on demand for one month, starting on December 1, to Music Choice subscribers.
Barry Anderson of The Pitch Kansas City has a review of the November 11 New Kids on the Block show at the Sprint Center. This part caught my eye:
Also included in the package was a tribute to Those Who Were Lost. This wasnt a present-day retrospective of who had died recently but rather a montage of the really important ones: like Frank Sinatra, Biggie Smalls and Lisa Left Eye Lopes.
Gorilla Zoe's second album, "Don't Feed the Animals," has been pushed back to March 17, 2009. The cover for the album has been released:
I spoke with someone at Bad Boy to confirm that Diddy's somewhat odd placement of the phrase "turn off the lights" at the Total Request Live finale had no deeper meaning outside of, you know, turn off the lights. Save electricity.
According to Diddy's MySpace, Day26's third single will be "Come With Me," following "Got Me Going" and "Since You've Been Gone." Check out the cover below.
Back when I interviewed them in August, the subject of a third single came up. "We might go with "Are We In This Together?" or "Co-Star."," Willie had said.
Andres Tardio of HipHopDX reports on a humorous exchange between Diddy and 50 Cent at the Total Request Live finale. It was centered around 50 Cent's new reality show, "The Money and the Power," which is on MTV. The show has a similar theme to "I Want to Work for Diddy."
"Yeah, I see what you're doing," [Diddy] added before giving props. "Get off my channel! ... Nah. I love the show, man. I think it's important [that] if you see your friends getting into an area, they do it the right way. My man did his show the right way. If you haven't seen it, make sure you check it out."
New York Magazine's The Cut has ranked their favorite underwear ads of all-time. The Sean John campaign featuring Nelly is included in the list.
StarMaker, Diddy's latest reality TV project, will be premiering on MTV on January 26, according to his MySpace. Through the show, he will be searching for both male and female solo artists, from any genre of music.
According to Diddy's MySpace, the Making the Band 4 bonus episodes will be premiering on February 11.
HipHopDX has an interview with Cassie.
DX: When folks were saying you got dropped from Bad Boy, what was your initial conversation with Puff like? Did it ever get to that point?
Cassie: Um, I actually had only heard stuff like "Oh, she needs to be dropped!" I had never actually heard that I was dropped because I think I would have known before any one else. I know there were petitions that people put signatures on and shit like that. That was the only thing I heard. I never actually heard about being dropped. But, there were rumors that I was leaving. Crazy stuff.
Brandweek has a feature on Diddy's work with Ciroc Vodka.
Back in 1958, Eisenhower was in the White House, a postage stamp cost three cents, the U.S. launched its first satellite and, coincidentally or no, Frank Sinatra released "Come Fly with Me." That was exactly 50 years ago, but now, in the era of Barack Obama, 42-cent stamps, iPhones and Web 2.0, the song is still as crisp and confident as a pressed collar. That, no doubt, is why the marketers at Diageo's vodka brand, Ciroc, have reached up to the classics shelf and pulled down a tune like thisone so evocative of ice-cold martinis and suave bachelors. But, of course, they needed a stand-in for Ol' Blue Eyes (who's booked for eternity, of course), and they found it in music, fashion, fragrance, restaurant and entertainment mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, whose presence smolders in "The Art of Celebration," the recent spot from Diddy's in-house marketing posse, Blue Flame.
Diddy has the record for the most appearances on Total Request Live, over the years, with an amazing 37. So, it was no surprise that he stopped by to make it 38 on the finale of the long running MTV show.
Here are clips from the two great Diddy related features. The first is a look at some of Diddy's greatest TRL moments, including some great blasts from the past (like The Skool Boyz).
The second is a montage of the things that Diddy has promoted over the years. And they even give him some time at the end to promote current projects.
After promoting "I Am King" and "Notorious," he ends with:
"... my new album in June. Turn off the lights... kids turn off the lights, save energy."
Does "turn off the lights" have some meaning here? The way he said it, it almost sounded like an album title. But, then he talked about saving energy, so maybe it is strictly an environmental thing? In any case, I've reached out to someone at Bad Boy to confirm that.
For more coverage, check out MTV's TRL site as well as articles by Shaheem Reid, James Montgomery and Tamar Anitai and just Montgomery.
Check out "That's That S***" from Big Gee on his MySpace.
Bad Boy A&R Daniel "Skid" Mitchell has launched The New AnR. He describes the site as "an attempt to explain what the duties and responsibilities and life of an A&R trying to make hot records and find new talent." In a MySpace bulletin announcing the site, he says that he wants to help people make better music.
A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire. Generally, it's an individual or department at a record label who is at least partially responsible for talent discovery and development. If you are looking to get signed by Bad Boy, I believe that it would be worthwhile for you to join this site.
From the press release:
The Black Business Student Association (BBSA) at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business has announced that Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated film director, producer, writer, and actor Spike Lee will deliver the keynote speech at the Association's Alfred L. Edwards 33rd Annual BSSA Conference, Dec. 4-7, 2008.
Lee, best known for his films Do The Right Thing and Inside Man, along with recently released Miracle at St. Anna, will deliver his speech at the conference's Gala Banquet on Saturday, December 6th. Speaking to over 300 attendees, Lee's speech will focus on the theme of this year's conference, "Building your Legacy: Achieving Personal, Professional and Philanthropic Success," discussing the ways in which conference participants can create personal roadmaps toward success.
Building upon its theme, the conference will feature a series of workshops and panel discussions hosted by leaders in the fields of finance, marketing and entrepreneurship, as well as include breakfast and lunch keynote speeches by Derek Ferguson, Chief Financial Officer of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group, and Jim Reynolds, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Loop Capital Markets.
"We are honored and excited that not only Spike Lee, but also so many other accomplished leaders have agreed to join us and help each of us better understand how we can leverage our passions and unique experiences to make a lasting impact on the African American community," said Michael Pittman, a conference co-chair.
Janelle Monae's Gap promo campaign has gone live on a special MerryMixIt! site. She is featured in a pair of remake commercials. The first is "Winter Wonderland" where she is joined by a dancing Jon Heder. Unfortunately, the video embedding features appears to need a little work, so I am not going to embed it into this post. However, you can watch it here.
The second is "Jingle Bells," ( ArjanWrites.com was right) where she participates in a mega mix of the classic that also features Trey Songz, Flo Rida, The Dixie Chicks, Freddy Rodriguez, Romany Malco, Jason Biggs, Heder, Selma Blair, Rainn Wilson and Sandra Bernhard. Watch it now.
In addition to viewing the commercials, you can also create your own mix of "Jingle Bells" by selecting the people you want to see through their Merry Mixer. It's limited in flexibility, but you can choose Ms. Monae as the singer two out of three times (for the chorus and first verse), which will allow you to see and hear more of her than you did in the official commercial. For your viewing pleasure, I mixed this up and it's available now. Judging from the link that they gave me, mine is the ninth mix to be created.
In all, I'm really liking this campaign. Good sound, good visuals. It's a great opportunity for Ms. Monae.
Entertainment Tonight reports that Diddy will guest star in two episodes of "CSI: Miami" in early 2009.
He will play a federal prosecutor who clashes, professionally and personally, with Horatio Caine (played by David Caruso) and his team.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today. It was a mixed week for "Lost," as it fell in some categories, but also gained in others.
Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
66. "Day26" by Day26 (up from 69).
91. "Welcome to the Dollhouse" by Danity Kane (down from 83).
Songs
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
15. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 4).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
47. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 44).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrents
27. "Since You've Been Gone" by Day26 (down from 25).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
47. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 44).
Hot Rap Tracks
22. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (a new high, re-entry).
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop
30. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (a new high, up from 34).
From The Wall Street Journal:
Mr. Combs said the campaign for the $57 fragrance called "I am King," which is licensed by his Sean John fashion label to Estee Lauder Cos., will telegraph black success.
"When you see Barack Obama, you see a strong, elegant black man and when people see my ad, it's almost like that's the trend," he said in an interview.
"Warr," a brand new track from Elephant Man, has just been added to our audio player.
ArjanWrites.com reports that Janelle Monae will be featured in the "Merry Mix It" holiday ad campaign for Gap stores.
According to the press release, the campaign is slated to debut online, in Gap stores and in movie theatres, on November 13.
While ArjanWrites.com notes that Janelle will be participating in a special remake of the holiday classic, "Jingle Bells," the press release indicates that it will be just Flo Rida and Trey Songz. At any rate, the song will presumably be on the "Merry Mix It" website on Thursday.
This is yet another rumor that I haven't mentioned because of, at best, questionable sources, but Cassie confirms that she is not joining Danity Kane.
Yung Joc is featured on a new single from Traeyon, called "Up and Down." According to the singer's MySpace, he is signed to Joc's Swagg Team imprint.
Our audio player has a new song from Mario Winans, featuring Kelis. It's called "He Don't Know."
Someone needs to tell Cassie that blogging is a medium, but a style. "Blog" doesn't equal gossipy trash unless the person writing the blog wants gossipy trash. There are plenty of blogs that practice responsibility and restraint. Like this one.
I wish they would have captioned the people in this video as no one is going to know who most of them are - including me. Fun video, though. Seems like most think they won't last - and more people think Mic will last longer.
Allen Starbury of BallerStatus.com reports that Gorilla Zoe is said to be featured on Berg's upcoming debut album, "Language Arts."
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today. "Lost" continues it's growth. Though it dropped in a few categories, it gained in the biggest one: the Hot 100. It debuts on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, just four slots away from a spot on the big chart.
Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
69. "Day26" by Day26 (down from 62).
83. "Welcome to the Dollhouse" by Danity Kane (down from 69).
Songs
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
4. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (debut).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
44. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 42).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrents
25. "Since You've Been Gone" by Day26 (down from 19).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
44. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 42).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay
25. "Since You've Been Gone" by Day26 (down from 19).
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop
34. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (a new high, up from 35).
Sixshot.com has an interview with Ness.
Sixshot.com: Do you think your appearance on Making Da Band best prepared you for a career in the music industry?
E. Ness: Yeah man, because it was a lot of hard work, determination, and you gotta believe. I had to sound like Im preaching, but its really what you make of yourself man. Go read the 48 Laws of Power man, you really gotta do your reading and do your thing. Your really gotta dig in the bag and do your homework. You gotta be a hustler, the system dont really want you to get that paper so I got my hands in everything.
Im actually reading a script to do the Larry Davis story, so shout out to that. Im doing the acting, Im just doing everything man. Shout out to Exponent, and everybody signed and unsigned. Shout out to Gillie, Peedi Crakk, Freeway, Hollow Man, Chic Raw, Joey Jihad, Reed Dollaz, Vodka, Cyserro, Tone Trump we got a movement going on in Philly and people need to shed light on what we doing.
whudat has pictures from Diddy's 39th birthday party held on Wednesday night. Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Ben Stiller, Keyshia Cole, Ne-Yo, Dallas Austin, Ice-T, Cassie and Rocsi, among others, were on hand.
From People:
"I was straight up crying," he confesses. "I was with my kids. It was a beautiful thing. I just thank God my prayers were answered." ...
"I don't know why God blessed me by having my birthday [on Nov. 4], but we're here to celebrate 80 percent of Obama being elected and 20 percent my birthday," Diddy told reporters Wednesday night at a celebration sponsored by Ciroc Vodka at Mansion nightclub in New York.
From the press release:
BET J bridges the worlds of music and virtual reality to bring viewers its first ever awards show, the BET J VIRTUAL AWARDS, slated to premiere on BET J on Tuesday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET, followed by an encore online broadcast at 10:00 p.m. ET on BET.com. Hosted by critically-acclaimed actress Nia Long and comedian Chris Spencer, the "virtual" broadcast will feature red-hot performances from Washington, DC, New York and Atlanta hotspots -- all from a stunning, ground-breaking virtual environment!
The BET J VIRTUAL AWARDS perfectly blends the "traditional" awards show with today's cutting edge technology. The star-studded special will showcase an esteemed lineup of 16 nominee categories that pay homage and accolades to today's music newcomers and veterans, as well as other celebrities making unprecedented moves in film.
BET J also gives viewers an opportunity to showcase their own musical talent by performing their own rendition of one of the five nominated songs in the special user-generated "My Time Online" category. Beginning Wednesday, November 5 - Wednesday, November 12, viewers can log onto www.bet.com/betjvirtualawards to upload their videos which will be judged by a celebrity panel of judges. The winner will be presented with their own BET J VIRTUAL AWARDS statuette and have their acceptance speech air during the awards show. ...
Best Caribbean Artist:
-- Alison Hinds, RCG/ Black Coral/ 1720 Entertainment
-- Elephant Man, Bad Boy Records
-- Fay-Ann Lyons, VP Music
-- Machel Montano, Ruf Rex Productions LTD. / Xtatik LTD
-- Morgan Heritage, VP Music
-- Mavado, Greensleeves Records
iStandard Producers has an interview with Bad Boy A&R Daniel "Skid" Mitchell.
What advice can you give a new producer or songwriter when it comes to perfecting their craft and getting music heard and hopefully placed some day?
Listen to people who can help you and fix what they say and send it back /follow up is the name of the game
What's next on your plate Skid?
Cassie, Marina Chello, Aasim, Ness, Janelle Monae
Followed by cameras, Diddy voted in New York on Tuesday morning. Afterwards, he spoke with the AP.
"I felt like my vote was the vote that put him into office. It was down to one vote, and that was going to be my vote. And that may not be true, but that's how much power it felt like I had," the hip-hop mogul said. ...
Diddy said he believed he was potentially making history by voting for the first black president, and also felt the weight of the past in the voting booth.
"I'm not trying to be dramatic, but I just felt like, Martin Luther King, and I felt the whole civil rights movement, I felt all that energy, and I felt my kids," he said. "It was all there at one time. It was a joyous moment."
Some people are giving him grief for saying it was his vote that put Obama into office. Except, he didn't say that. He said it "felt like" it was his vote - and that that may not be true, but that's the power he felt like he had. He's testifying to the power of voting, that's all. Here's some video:
Rap-Up.com reports that Cassie has been in the studio writing with Dawn Richard from Danity Kane, working on Cassie's upcoming release.
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Reportedly, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Sean ''Diddy'' Combs, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Ben Affleck are among those advised to skip the Chicago festivities and focus on attending the expected Obama inauguration in January.
''There really only needs to be one star in Grant Park, and that's Barack,'' said the source, a high-profile elected official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, since he's not authorized to speak for the campaign on this issue.
''There will be plenty of time for a new President Obama to be surrounded by famous fans, all hopeful about a new administration.''
Here are the covers for Gorilla Zoe's "Lost" - with and without Lil' Wayne.
Our audio player has a pair of new tracks from Elephant Man, "Dancing Paradise" and "It Good."
Sky News has coverage of the Philadelphia Obama voting rally that Diddy attended and Fox 28 has a quick write up (with video) on the one in Columbus, OH.
According to Diddy's MySpace, Janelle Monae will be featured in Rolling Stone's "Hot Issue," on stands November 28.
Sean John's new website launched today. It's nice, but as always, it'll be in how it is maintained and not so much how it looks right now.
The "Fantastic Edition" (as previously reported) of Janelle Monae's "Metropolis: The Chase Suite" was released on iTunes on October 28. It features an alternate, green cover. In addition to the 7 tracks on the "special edition," it has the following:
8. "Violet Stars Happy Hunting! (The Jetson's Mix)"
9. "Violet Stars Happy Hunting! (Live)" (Video)
10. "Sincerely Jane (Live)" (Video)
11. "Many Moons (Extended Version)" (Video)
Diddy has been named to DNR's Power 100. The list aims to honor the 100 most powerful people in mens fashion and retail. It is topped by Ralph Lauren. Diddy comes in at number 24.
Updating a previous story, a source at Bad Boy has confirmed that the "I Am King" fragrance will be available in London in December. Stateside, Macy's will have it exclusively from December through January 31. It will launch worldwide following this.
Diddy will be hosting a dinner at FIFTY in London on November 19, welcoming 50 leading business people from various industries, inviting them to support the Sean John Progression with The Prince's Trust. The Sean John Progression aims to provide disadvantaged youth with the opportunity to work for Sean John branded businesses, as well as other companies.
The AP and Sun-Sentinel.com have reports from the voter rallies in Florida, attended by Diddy, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and Kevin Liles.
"It's bigger than us," Combs said. "We have to do it for our children, we have to do it for the people that died for us to have the right to vote."
The Wondaland Arts Society blog mentioned that Janelle Monae was featured in the November 1-2 issue of The Wall Street Journal. They have a scan and the article is online, as well.
In an interview on DJBooth.net, Play from Play-N-Skillz mentioned that Yung Joc would be featured on their upcoming album, "Out Tha Box."
DJ Booth: We already know, Play, that Lil Jon, Bun B, and Krayzie Bone are gonna be on this album, cause theyre all featured on the first single. Who else is gonna be joining you guys for this project, and, is it completely, wholly, self-produced?
Play: As of now, yes, weve done the whole album. I would like to work with different people, havent got around to it. Mannie Fresh, very good friend of ours, I would love for Fresh to come in, and he wants to do some stuff. Cool and Dre, theyre homies, too, I think that theyll get down, Polow, but who knows, on the production side. As far as guest appearances, Talib Kweli, Slim from 112, Yung Joc, Akon, Paul Wall, Slim Thug man, theres so many people Sean Kingston, Ray J, Tego Calderon, my girls Nina Sky, Pitbull, Tum Tum. Theres so many people. Its not a compilation, but its like
According to his e-mail newsletter, Diddy will be appearing at voting rallies today in Philadelphia, PA, Cincinnati, OH and Columbus, OH. Here are the details from his MySpace.
11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m.
"Promote The Vote"
LAST CHANCE FOR CHANGE RALLY IN PHILADELPHIA
Location: N. Broad Street between W. Susquehanna Ave and W. Dauphin Street Philadelphia, PA
3:35 4:35 p.m.
VOTE FOR CHANGE RALLY IN CINCINNATI
Location: Schmidt Fieldhouse
Xavier University
3900 Winding Way
Cincinnati, OH 45229
6:30 7:30 p.m.
VOTE FOR CHANGE RALLY IN COLUMBUS
Location: Maymee Moore Park
Martin Luther King Jr. Performing & Cultural Arts Complex
867 Mount Vernon Avenue
Columbus, OH
Zac Posen has launched Fashion the Vote, an initiative aimed at getting people to vote while also being fashionable. He wants you to take a picture of what you will be wearing on election day and submit it through the site.
"I am doing this because I want to make a difference, and I want to encourage people to get to the voting, vote for Obama, and have fun and look good doing it," Posen told WWD.
Via Cityfile.
"Slingshot Ness" has been added to Ness' MySpace. There may be some other tracks you may not have heard, as well.
According to his MySpace, Ness will be having a birthday party tonight at Cebu on 123 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. The party goes from 10 PM to 2 PM.
Diddy will be featured on T-Pain's third album, "Thr33 Ringz", set to be released on November 11. He provides the intro to "Change," a song that also features Akon and Mary J. Blige.
Our audio player has a new Yung Joc song called "Posted at the Store." It features Gucci Mane and Yung Ralph.
According to his MySpace, Diddy will be participating in a pair of Barack Obama voting rallies in Florida on November 2. Here are the details:
Last Chance for Change Rally with Mary J. Blige, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Kevin Liles
Fort Lauderdale War Memorial Auditorium
800 NE 8th St
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Doors open: 12:45 PM
Rally begins: 1:15 PM
Last Chance for Change Rally with Mary J. Blige, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Kevin Liles
Harry T. Moore Memorial Baseball Field
Florida Memorial University
15800 NW 42nd Ave
Miami Gardens, FL
Gates open: 2:45 PM
Rally begins: 3:15 PM
There are also rallies on November 3 in Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Columbus, OH, but it is unclear if Diddy will be participating in these.
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