Steve Haruch of Nashville Scene posted a cool clip of No Doubt performing "Stand and Deliver" with Janelle Monae and Hayley Williams of Paramore. Check it out.
(Columbus, OH) 29 June 2009— Michael Shank Racing will sport a new look when the team returns to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway in July for the Brumos Porsche 250 as Sean John Fragrances and Lab Series Skincare For Men have partnered with the team for the intense one-day race weekend at the “World Center of Racing.”
The two hour and thirty minute event marks round 7 of the 2009 Rolex Sports Car Series championship, and will precede the NASCAR Sprint Cup Coke Zero 400 on July 4th.
The No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley of Mark Patterson and Oswaldo Negri, which started the 2008 Rolex 24 At Daytona from pole position, will once again carry its familiar distinctive black and orange livery, but for the Daytona race will also be boosted by the presence of signage from Sean John’s, Unforgivable and Lab Series Skincare For Men on the wing, nose, sides, and in-car camera locations on the Daytona Prototype.
“We are looking forward to carrying the colors of both Unforgivable and Lab Series Skincare For Men at Daytona next month,” said team owner Mike Shank. “We’ve always had really quick cars at Daytona, and were on the podium there for the Rolex 24 in 2006, so we’d like nothing more than to finish up front with two power brands such as Unforgivable and Lab Series. Having the Rolex Sports Car Series race before the NASCAR event is a great chance for us to show the NASCAR fans what kind of show we put on, and everyone is excited about this opportunity.”
“Having the opportunity to partner with the Daytona team is truly exciting for the entire Sean John Fragrances team,” says John Demsey, Group President The Estee Lauder Companies. “We are looking forward to seeing Sean "Diddy" Combs' award-winning fragrance, Unforgivable, proudly displayed on the Michael Shank Racing Car and hopefully taking the top prize on July 4th."
“This is the first time Lab Series Skincare For Men is involved in an auto racing event and we are thrilled to partner with Michael Shank Racing,” says Richard Sawyer, Spokesperson and International Education Director, Lab Series Skincare For Men. “Lab Series Skincare For Men develops high-tech, high-performance skincare products which is why it was a natural fit. Their high-performing team is as serious about racing as we are about men's grooming.”
“It is always exciting to get new people involved in the Rolex Sports Car series, whether they are friends, family, business associates, or new partners like we have in Sean John and Lab Series,” said driver Mark Patterson. “And especially someone like Sean “Diddy” Combs, who has long shown his admiration for fast cars, competition, and perfection in his work, just like the teams in the Rolex Series. We certainly hope to make a significant impression with a strong run for them at Daytona.”
The essence of sexiness and elegance, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Unforgivable is a uniquely rich scent that defines the Sean John lifestyle. Made from the most premium and luxurious ingredients on earth and packaged in a sleek, elegant bottle, Unforgivable’s combination of breathtaking, addictive, slightly dangerous scents satisfies the most masculine of men and draws in the chicest of women.
A global leader and authority in men’s skincare with a presence in over 55 countries and territories worldwide, Lab Series Skincare For Men was introduced by The Estºe Lauder Companies Inc. in 1987. Solely dedicated to men and their skin’s unique needs, the brand’s elite team of scientists develops high-performance, technologically advanced skincare, hair and shaving essentials to keep men looking healthy, comfortable and well-groomed.
According to the Twitter of Capricorn Clark, Global Brand & Viral Marketing Director for Sean Combs/Bad Boy, this is the video for "Better On The Other Side (MJ Tribute) (download for free), The Game's tribute to Michael Jackson which features Chris Brown, Diddy, Boyz II Men, Polow Da Don and Mario Winans.
The video description says that the footage is from the hospital, the house where Michael Jackson was living and the studio where the track was recorded. Diddy is not featured in the video, though one clip shows a cell phone receiving a call from Diddy.
Mashable's Pete Cashmore reports that Diddy's Twitpic account was hacked today and used to post a fake announcement claiming that he had died. It looks like it was quickly cleaned up, though and Sean Combs is, of course, very much alive.
Unfortunately, some of the music was not given a file extension and needed to be set to be a .wma file instead of .mp3. Since a lot of people don't know how to do this, this led to some fans being unable to listen to the tracks. So, I decided to offer to help Ms. Dennis tonight, by offering to convert the songs to .mp3 and put them all in one easy to download package. She took me up on the offer and here it is. The package includes "Flight 2304," "Sabotage," "Look No More," "Use 2," "Back Up" (a track I like a lot!), "Ride Out" and "Let's Get Down."
As we reported live yesterday, Day26 was given the Best Group award at the 2009 BET Awards and then performed "Imma Put It On Her." Diddy jumped on the stage to congratulate and embrace the guys and show off the hardware. Check out the full footage below.
I usually take a pass on mentioning random mixtape tracks that sample Biggie, but this track is worth a look. 50 Cent has sampled "Suicidal Thoughts" by The Notorious B.I.G. to create "Suicide Watch." He leaves some of Biggie's vocals on the chorus, trading lines with him. You can listen and download below.
Day26 was just given the Best Group award on the 2009 BET Awards. They dedicated it to Michael Jackson and his family. Diddy jumped on stage to show off their award and and then they broke into a Diddy and Yung Joc-less performance of "Imma Put It On Her"
Vibe's Brad Fete has a new track from Cassie called "Up in Here." It sounds a bit like a rough cut. Unlike Fete, though, I've enjoyed the majority of the potential songs we've heard from Cassie's new project. We'll see what ends up on the final cut, though.
Jeremy Mullman of AdAge.com reports that, according to sources, Diddy and Ciroc parent company Diageo have spoken about Diddy potentially working with their Guinness and Red Stripe beer brands. Nothing is imminent, but Mullman suggests that a deal would "most likely involve a U.S. multicultural initiative on the brands," rather than the sort of overall brand leader position that Diddy has held with Ciroc.
CIROC Ultra Premium Vodka, the "Official Vodka of Summer," and Sean "Diddy" Combs today have invited Tanya Vinson of the United States Air Force to serve as Diddy's personal guest as he celebrates our nation's independence during his world-famous White Party on July 4, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, which this year is co-hosted by 'Malaria No More,' a non-profit, non-governmental organization determined to end the malaria crisis in Africa.
As a sponsor of the event, CIROC Vodka launched a program in April to honor several American service men and women with entry to this exclusive event. The grand prize winner, Tanya Vinson, has received the ultimate CIROC White Party experience for two, including round trip airfare, hotel accommodations, and transportation, in recognition of her outstanding commitment to the armed forces.
"As we celebrate Independence Day at this year's White Party, it's only fitting that we show our gratitude for the heroic men and women who protect our freedom every day," said Combs, who entered into a strategic marketing alliance with the ultra-premium spirit more than one year ago. "I am proud to honor our military by personally hosting Tanya at my Fourth of July White Party."
A staple on the celebrity party circuit, Diddy's White Party is revered as one of the most sophisticated and stylish events of the year. Although traditionally held at the end of summer, this year's fete - themed 'We Are Family' - will occur on Independence Day in honor of our nation's independence and the historic presidential election.
Ms. Vinson, a recruiter in the United States Air Force, holds what has become one of the toughest jobs in the military. As one of the faces for this branch of service, she is tasked with replenishing the ranks of our military during one of the most challenging times in our nation's history.
The maker's of CIROC Vodka would like to remind all consumers to celebrate life responsibly this Fourth of July. Use a designated a driver. Those without a designated driver can text "DRIVESAFE" to 44264 from their wireless devices to receive taxi information in their area.
Diddy's Twitter has a free download for a new Michael Jackson tribute record called "Better On The Other Side (Tribute to MJ)" by The Game featuring Chris Brown, Diddy, Polow Da Don, Mario Winans, Usher and Boyz II Men. Check it out, it's a cool track. Game has an interesting line in his first verse:
First thing I did when I heard was call Puff, 'cause him and Mike tried to stop the beef between us. Who is us? Me and 50. That beef is dead.
The music video for Day26's "Truth is a Lie" has premiered on Yahoo! Music. This comes just a day after the premiere of the video for "Girlfriend." Check it out below.
Michael Jackson passed away today. He was 50. He was a tremendous talent, which goes without saying, and his accomplishments were immense. He inspired a generation of entertainers. He’ll be missed. For more of my thoughts, please see my personal blog.
Various members of the Bad Boy family weighed in on the events of today on Twitter. Here is what they had to say:
If you weren't singing, what would you be doing?
I wanted to go to John Jay for pre-law. I got sucked into the music industry right out of high school and I never looked back, but law was my other dream.
"Making His Band," the new reality show where Diddy will be putting together a band to support him on an upcoming tour, will premiere on July 27 at 10 PM ET on MTV.
Cheri Dennis' MySpace features several new tracks from the singer, including one that hints at a mixtape. They are "Flight 2034," "Sabotage," "Look No More," "Use 2," "Back Up," "Ride Out" and "Down." "Back Up," at least, had previously circulated online.
As previously reported, the music video for Day26's "Girlfriend" premiered on Yahoo! Music today. Watch it below. The video for "Truth is a Lie" will debut tomorrow on the same site.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today. Day26's "Forever in a Day" and Gorilla Zoe's "Don't Feed Da Animals" fall off of The Billboard 200, as there are mixed results across the board.
Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
47. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 45).
49. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (down from 37).
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Catalog Albums
5. "Ready to Die" by The Notorious B.I.G. (down from 3).
12. "Life After Death" by The Notorious B.I.G. (up from 7).
14. "Greatest Hits" by The Notorious B.I.G. (unchanged).
Top Rap Albums
21. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (up from 22).
As 50 mentioned, the track samples Jay-Z's "Where I'm From" and features a rap, repeated once, by Biggie. It's from "My Downfall," a track that featured Diddy from the late rapper's "Life After Death" album. It begins with "ain't no shook hands in Brookland." We don't know if this is the final version of the track or not.
Bad Boy is making attempts to get the track removed from the outlets that have posted it. For this reason, in line with our User Guidelines, please do not post links to the track, whether for download or for streaming. Once an appropriate link is available, I will post it. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation.
On Jordan McCoy's Twitter, she mentioned that "Rockstar" was featured on ABC Family's "Make It or Break It." It's unclear if it was featured on tonight's season premiere or if it'll be on more than that.
Gorilla Zoe has been interviewed by Vibe as part of the publication's 60 Rappers in 60 Days feature. He mentions that after "Echo," he'll go back to work on his third album, titled "King Kong." He also mentioned that a third Boyz N Da Hood album is planned.
DX: While we’re on the subject, there were rumors that Puff wanted that new L.O.X project. Will you be back in business with Puff anytime soon?
Sheek Louch: That’s definitely true. I don’t know if you seen when he came on [106 & Park] with us, but that’s how it started, so yeah, that’s how the conversation got started. I think it would be a dope move. I know some people out there are probably like “Yo, why would they go back to him?” ... We’re grown now. No man can do anything to me if I don’t let it happen. Whatever happens, I have to put blame on myself first before I blame anyone else. And not saying that he’s going to do that or anything like that. We’re all in a better space now and I want to learn to make that big money and do it real big. So he’ll be dealing with us with this album. He wants to put the project out and add his part on to things but we’re going to do what we do and deliver that fire. S***, we all come too far not to be able to do what we do. ...
DX: Between the promo for No Security and Jadakiss working his solo album how much longer will fans have to wait for that new L.O.X. project?
Sheek Louch: If we get things worked out with Diddy, it’ll be out by like Christmas time. He wants to put it out by Christmas and personally, I think that would be a great Christmas present for the fans, us, him and the state of Hip Hop, period. Nobody out there can say that wouldn’t help fix the game. I’m not saying change the game, but help lean it back towards the right direction. ...
I think it would be a dope move. If we get things worked out with Diddy. So, it's not a done deal, yet.
The lines that may have caused these reports are "That's definitely true." and "So he’ll be dealing with us with this album." For the first quote, I think he was just confirming that, to quote the interviewer, "Puff wanted that new L.O.X project." For the second, "dealing with" them could mean any number of things. He doesn't have to sign them to work with them on the album, as an artist, producer or just in providing some direction. They may sign with Bad Boy (and I would like to see it), but it hasn't happened just yet.
As riveting as her music is, a big question looms: Is Janelle Monáe too weird for mass consumption?
“I don’t worry about those things,’’ she says the next day, still suited up and regal after a string of interviews. “As artists, we have to focus on creating art. There’s a saying that Claude Monet had and I totally agree with him. He said, ‘People discuss my art and pretend that they understand it, as if it was always meant for them to understand.’ All they simply have to do is just love it - or hate it.’’
Check out the clip below for Funkmaster Flex interviewing 50 Cent. The part you'll want to skip to is 9:41. Out of the blue, 50 asks Flex if he's heard any of Diddy's new music? He goes on to say that he's got a track with the beat from Jay-Z's "Where I'm From" off of his "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" album. Interestingly, that track was produced by Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie and Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, members of The Hitmen at the time.
50 goes on to say that he likes it, saying "I'm mad that I like it." He added that Biggie raps on it (we already knew Biggie was featured in some way, but not definitively that he rapped) and Diddy is singing. "He was hitting notes. Listen, he was hitting notes on this joint. And it ain't no autotune, he's actually singing on the record and he sounds good. I can't believe it. I didn't know he had that in him. I knew he could produce other singers, but for him to be in there like that, I was like 'oowee.'" Diddy confirmed that 50 was talking about "Angels" on his Twitter. You have to watch the clip to get the full effect.
After that part, though, continue to watch to hear 50 talk about the Mase situation way back when, sharing a story about Diddy, 50 Cent and Jimmy Iovine talking in a restaurant, where Diddy wanted $2 million for Mase. 50 says Iovine said that Mase isn't worth $2 million with $2 million in his pocket. But, Iovine offered to give his profits on the album to Diddy, 50 and Mase. But, Diddy still declined.
At one point he says that "Puff is foul," but after he explains what he meant, it just sounds like good business. Of course Diddy wants to get a lot for Mase - why wouldn't he? 50 suggests that Mase did something to Diddy, as far as taking money and not delivering and that is why Diddy wanted to make sure to get a high price for him. It's 50's side of it, but if it's true, it's basically what I said back when that was going on.
At any rate, the story here isn't Mase, but "Angels." I am really looking forward to hearing the track.
Following the initial announcement about Diddy's annual White Party being dedicated to promoting awareness of the Malaria No More charity and the launch of a mini-site, Diddy has released a video talking about the cause. Check it out:
Check out the clip below for audio from a Cassie interview with WPGC 95.5's DJ Heat. I was critical of Cassie when she blamed Gmail for the picture leak, so I'm going to give her credit here for saying that she just shouldn't have e-mailed them.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today. Gorilla Zoe's "Echo" gives some ground, but "Day26's "Imma Put It On Her" and Cassie's "Must Be Love" both make steady moves upward.
Albums
The Billboard 200
167. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (down from 140).
176. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 151).
Billboard Comprehensive Albums
195. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (down from 157).
Top Soundtracks
23. "Notorious: Music From and Inspired by The Motion Picture" by Various Artists (re-entry).
On seanjohn.com, a Malaria No More mini-site has launched. Previously, we reported that Diddy's annual White Party would be in support of the charity and that charity t-shirts were available for purchase. So, this is an extension of that.
Clinton Sparks has just released a new mixtape available via free download on his blog. It's called "SmashTime Radio Vol. 6: Las Vegas Edition" and it features "Ciroc Star (Logan de Gaulle Mix)" by Chester French featuring Diddy and Jadakiss. It's a dance mix reworking of the original.
The album also has an interlude by Diddy called "Y'all Tired Yet." It's basically a snippet of "Get Off" (the "Press Play" bonus track) with new music behind it.
In honor of June 20's World Refugee Day, Jordan McCoy debuted a new, original song on her YouTube channel as part of her Acoustic Tuesdays. It's called "Sick and Tired."
MuchMusic.com reports that Diddy is involved in the next Clipse album, "Till the Casket Drops." It's unclear what the involvement is, but the set is due out this fall.
Via press release, Diddy has announced that his annual White Party will take place in Los Angeles on July 4. The theme is set as "We are Family." The party will be co-hosted by friend Ashton Kutcher.
At the party, attendees will be educated about Malaria No More, a charity that Kutcher has been involved with. Along with that, a special Sean John t-shirt has been created to benefit the charity, available from seanjohn.com. It's $40 and $20 of the purchase will go to Malaria No More.
I'm happy to say that I'll be back at this year's edition, which runs from October 15-17 in Las Vegas. I'm on four panel proposals, so I am hoping to speak, as well as do another book signing this year, if they'll have me. But, it'll be a fun event no matter what happens!
I wanted to mention this for any of the bloggers that read this blog - they have great programming that applies to bloggers in general, but they also have specific sessions that apply to music or entertainment bloggers, as well. Beyond blogging, a myriad of subjects are covered, as well - social media, marketing, business, writing and much more. I'd love to meet some Bad Boy Blog readers there and, to that end, I wanted to offer you a coupon code.
When purchasing through their site, use the coupon code IFROGGYVIP for 20% off. Their rates increase on July 1 (though the coupon will still be good after that), so if you are thinking of coming, now would be the best time to buy the ticket for the least amount of money. I hope to see you there!
SoJones reports that Sean John has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with El Corte Inglés, a higher end department store in Spain. The line will be featured in specially designed locations in their stores - the first such arrangement debuted in March and it will be in 15 locations by 2010, according to SoJones.
On Monday, I reported on a fan led petition to get Day26 added as a performer to the BET Awards. At the time of writing, there were 2,287 signatures. As of now, there are 3,315.
There's good news: a bulletin on Day26's MySpace announced that the group had been added to the performer slate for the pre-show, which begins at 6 PM ET on BET on June 28. The awards themselves begin at 8 PM ET. While there may be some disappointment that the group did not make it onto the main stage - this is a good thing and fans should be appreciative of BET. After all, no spot is guaranteed. So, tune in and watch on June 28.
Check out the clip below for behind the scenes footage at the shoot for Cassie's "Must Be Love" music video shoot featuring Diddy. It includes Cassie, Laurie Ann Gibson, stylist Derek Roche (as seen on I Want to Work for Diddy).
David Lipke of Women's Wear Daily reports that the winners have been selected. They are Antonio Cannon from Chicago and Jeffrey Miller from Burbank, CA. Read the full article for more details and for a picture.
The new video for Cassie's single "Must Be Love" (featuring Diddy) premiered on MTV.com today. Check it out below. I definitely like the wall concept. It's an interesting video.
Head over to The Source to listen to the remix to Rick Ross' "Magnificent." It features John Legend, Big Boi, Special Ed and ad libs by Diddy. It has a nice sound, for sure.
Well, Que's back again. Today, on his Twitter, he reaffirmed that the second single would be "Your Heels" and that they will be shooting the video on June 29.
HipHopDX's Danielle Harling reports that, in an interview with HOT 97's Miss Info, Jadakiss revealed that The Lox will meet with Diddy in a "couple of weeks" to discuss the possibility of the group's next album being on Bad Boy.
In April, Jadakiss told MTV that Diddy had made them an offer. As I said then, I'd love to see it - if it was a real Lox/Bad Boy album with Diddy on board, influencing it's direction. I don't want a half-hearted return where they just do whatever they want and that's what we get - I want a full Lox/Bad Boy album.
In a video interview with Thisis50 (watch it below), Day26 discusses their album title, working with Diddy and more - but, perhaps most notably, the rift between the group and Donnie Klang was again a topic and Que and Mike took the opportunity to throw a bit more fuel on the fire.
Last month, speaking to Hardknock TV, members of the group (most notably Que, Mike and Robert) took turns criticizing Donnie Klang for remarks made on the Making the Band 4 finale, which seemed to be a bit misinterpreted. Overall, it seemed ugly and uncalled for.
So, all has been quiet on this front for more than a month, until now. Asked about the situation by Thisis50, Que and Mike jumped on it and it was a little awkward. Robert, Willie and Brian are all pretty silent as Mike and Que talk.
I talked to Willie over Twitter when the first situation broke and, though he wasn't a big part of it, he acknowledged it was "stupid" and said the group was sorry. Indeed, in this video, he says that he called Donnie and apologized for his part in it, saying that Donnie's problem was more with MTV than with them. But, as he's talking, Que interrupts and talks over him, implying that Donnie said things about Que and his family behind the scenes. I wonder how long this will be a topic - hopefully they'll have a sit down, clear the air and move on.
On his Twitter, Bad Boy producer Amadeus told Bad Boy Blog that he would be a judge on the upcoming Diddy helmed MTV reality show, Making His Band. (Previously: Diddy: Pre-Production Begins on "Making His Band"). He'll also work as a musical director for the show. A premiere date has not yet been announced.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today. Most notably, "Echo" continues to move up, reaching new highs on several charts.
Albums
The Billboard 200
140. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (down from 104).
151. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 140).
Billboard Comprehensive Albums
157. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (down from 112).
175. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 166).
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
28. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (up from 33).
29. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (up from 30).
For P. TwittyTV episode number 44, Diddy gives a brief tour of the backlot on a break from filming "Get Him to the Greek," accompanied by D-Roc. I thought it was an interesting clip and that the advice in it was pretty good, so I wanted to share it.
Donnie Klang will be featured on the El Diario Newspaper float at this year's Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York, NY on June 14. The parade runs from 11 AM to 4 PM and the route is 5th Avenue and 44th Street to 5th Avenue and 86th Street.
The day before, June 13, will see Klang take the AMOR Stage at 122nd Street and 3rd Avenue at 12:30 PM ET as part of the 116th Street Festival.
The Bad Boy MySpace reveals that Cassie will be on BET's 106 & Park on June 16 to premiere the new video for "Must Be Love." The show starts at 6 PM ET.
The petition has received support from Day26 members, Dawn Richard and others. As of writing, the petition has 2,287 signatures and I signed it from the @badboyblog account.
Warning: This is nothing on Ms. Green or even twitition as they may have the best of intentions, but just as a matter of Twitter account security, while I would encourage you to sign the petition, I would also encourage you to change your Twitter password immediately after doing so. The twitition site itself is relatively unestablished, with the Day26 poll accounting for roughly 40% of the signatures added to all twititions on the site in it's history.
When you sign it, you automatically follow the site's Twitter account without them telling you and this is not something that inspires confidence. So, what I would say is to sign it if you want, but then change your password and know that you are now following them.
Voice Online has published (republished?) an interview with Diddy from 2006 (the article says 2005, but the Diddy and Snoop tour that it references actually started in 2006). I thought some of the answers were interesting, so I wanted to pass it along. Here's one:
What track do you love to perform the most? – Including tracks from Snoop’s set I would say the first record ‘Victory’ has always been my favourite set. It’s a song that I do with Biggie and a song that represents Bad Boy. The song that I love performing the most with Snoop is ‘Beautiful’ because I get to sing Pharrell’s part and I can just dance around and have a good time.
In an interview with KIIS-FM's JoJo, Cassie talked about the picture leak and her hair and said that her album was slated to be released at the end of 2009. The clips are below.
In the first one, Cassie blames Gmail for the picture leak and for song leaks in the past, but to me, it sounds like she is not well versed in technology, which is fine, but because of that, she may be blaming the wrong party. I have no way of knowing for sure, but I can take a good guess. What it sounds like is that she took the pictures and e-mailed them to someone using Gmail. As is standard for e-mail programs, unless disabled, a copy of the message was kept in her Sent folder.
For whatever reason, she stopped using this account, but did not delete it. And the pictures sat in her Sent folder. Through some means, someone gained access to her account. Perhaps she had an easy to guess password, perhaps she had given access to it to someone "just once" to access an e-mail, etc. One popular way that this can happen is through the password recovery feature. Gmail keeps a secondary e-mail for you, on file, in case you forget your password, etc. so that they can contact you with it.
On the Amazon.com product page for D-Block's "No Security" album, you can listen to a snippet of "Hello," which features Red Cafe. The snippet does not include any part of Cafe's verse, however. The album will be released on June 9.
Diddy posted on Twitter a free download link for a club mix of Cassie's "Must Be Love" that blends the track with "Gimme the Loot" from The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album, "Ready to Die."
In the video below, Gorilla Zoe gets his first look at a new t-shirt bearing a lyric from Algierz that features a line from "Hood Figga." "I can eyeball purp. I am not you jerk," reads the front The back features Gorilla Zoe's signature and some branding. It comes in black and purple and you can buy it online.
In the video clips below, Diddy shows you how to make a "Diddy" (Ciroc and lemonade) and an "O.G. Diddy" (Ciroc, lemonade and Welch's grape juice), with assistant David James on hand to mix.
Yesterday, we reported that group member Willie Taylor had said on Twitter that Day26 had shot videos for "Just Getting Started," "So Good," "Girlfriend," "Then There's You" and "Truth Is A Lie."
You can add "Perfectly Blind" to that list, as well, as he posted on Twitter that the video for the song was "really nice." It is unclear when these videos may start to materialize and become available online.
EURweb.com reports that, in the latest issue of The Source, Diddy is featured in the Power 30 - the magazine's list of the 30 most powerful players in hip hop.
Victoria Yue of Medill Reports: Chicago has a story on "Bring Your 'A' Game," a documentary that will be airing on BET on September 13. Aimed at motivating youth, it features Diddy, Chris Rock, Lupe Fiasco and more.
According to the Twitter of Willie Taylor of Day26, the group has shot videos for a number of tracks from their second album, "Forever in a Day," including "Just Getting Started," "So Good," "Girlfriend," "Then There's You" and "Truth Is A Lie." It's unclear if any of these tracks is their second single.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today. Gorilla Zoe's "Echo" and Day26's "Imma Put It On Her" continue to move up the charts, with the former reaching a new high on the Hot 100 at 67.
Albums
The Billboard 200
104. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (down from 82).
140. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 132).
Billboard Comprehensive Albums
112. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (down from 84).
166. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 147).
In the post, as an aside, I mentioned that Aasim had twittered that he was disappointed he wasn't on it. He updated that message to say he really wasn't angry because him and Ness have a "Must Be Love" remix coming out, too. We'll keep our eyes peeled!
Forbe has released their 2009 list of The Celebrity 100 - the most powerful celebrities in the world. They ranked Diddy at 35 and conducted a short interview with him for a video feature that you can watch below.
Check out our audio player for the new remix to Cassie's "Must Be Love." The track features Busta Rhymes, Day26 and Red Cafe along with a few ad libs from Diddy, whose verses were removed for the remix.
Some Day26 will likely note that the group recorded a demo version of "Must Be Love" at one point, that leaked online. That sort of thing happens, but sometimes people can't look past it. The Red Cafe verse was previously featured on another remix of "Must Be Love."
Aasim wrote on Twitter that he was disappointed to have not been included.
Mesfin Fekadu of the AP talked with Day26 about the group struggles that were broadcasted on Making the Band 4, as well as "Forever in a Day."
"With the whole Danity Kane situation, that was like a shock. Well, of course we knew what was going on because we were on the inside, but they pretty much left their fans high and dry," Brian Andrews said in a recent interview.
Added Willie Taylor: "They kept their thing a secret, we didn't."
Atlantic Records has released a clip featuring Janelle Monae, alongside other Atlantic Records artists, talking about the labels black music history for Black Music Month.
Following the excellent D-Dot interview on RockMeTV where D-Dot mentioned that he'd recently been producing for Diddy and Cassie (or that's what it sounded like), I sent him a note on Twitter asking if he was on "Last Train to Paris."
He replied, confirming that he was and that he had done a song called "My Heart." Thanks to him for getting back to me. I'm definitely excited to hear this.
RockMeTV recently talked with former Bad Boy producer (among other things) Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie and the five part video interview (all five parts embedded at the bottom of this post) is definitely a must watch for long time Bad Boy fans.
In part 1, he talks about how he developed his production skills and came up in the industry. In part 2, the subject turns to ghost producing and ghostwriting, producing vs. beat making and his relationship with Kanye West. The part about "ghost" work was very interesting to me because Angelettie said something that I've said to people a million times: if you are credited in the album book and, as such, given your publishing and your royalties and all of that - you are not a ghostwriter. If you see something, it's not a ghost. Songwriting is an art and part of the music industry.
When he talked about what it means to be an actual music producer, he had some interesting thoughts, as well. Here's what he said:
"Making the beat does not make you a producer. It makes you a beat maker. A producer is Jermaine Dupri. A producer is P. Diddy. A producer is Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie. A producer is now Kanye West. A producer is now Pharrell. Because I've experienced guys that have, back in the days, that have just given beats and heard their records for the first time when it was on the radio and it became a smash and they run around saying they produced that. No, you did the beat for that one third - or eighth - of the portion that it takes to make a hit record. That's like Ben Roethlisberger for the Steelers, who I love by the way, saying 'I won the Super Bowl.' 'We' won the Super Bowl."
In part 3, he was asked about the current Bad Boy sound with the host Gemini Keez saying he thought something was missing, but Angelettie had a great answer about the need to evolve and that it's a credit to Bad Boy to even still be around. It sounds like he's produced some new music for Cassie and Diddy. "My career started in 1990 and it's 2009 and I'm still here producing for Cassie and Puffy and I did Fat Joe, wrote a song called 'I Won't Tell," he said.
In a clip on 247HH.com, Gorilla Zoe has a brief interview and, in the middle, he freestyles on the beat from "Brooklyn Go Hard" by Jay-Z, off of the "Notorious" soundtrack.
I've now managed to get my hands on a copy of the "Sideline (Dance Mixes)" CD. The original version was produced by Nasri Atweh for Three Piece Productions and Adam Messinger (previously: Adam Messinger and Nasri Atweh to Work on Marina Chello Project). The individual dance mix production credits are as follows:
Below, check out the latest issue of Boys+Clothes Magazine, including a feature on Red Cafe. It includes some risque content, as well as an explanation of Red's popular catch phrases "It's moving" and "What else?"
