"Champagne," a new song by The-Dream featuring Diddy, appeared online today. In a Twitter message that appears to have been cut short, The-Dream acknowledged that the track was out and mentioned the FBI:


Diddy appears with a short rap verse toward the end. Interestingly, he mentions "Bad Boy Management" at the end of his verse, which closes with:

"Holla at Dream 'bout the 4th LP
Bad Boy Management, show us the money"

Diddy and The-Dream also worked together on a track for Dirty Money's "Last Train to Paris" (read our ultimate guide), titled "Change." The-Dream called it "the best male record I've written."

Back in January of 2009, reports surfaced indicating that Diddy would provide an album for then recently retired actor Joaquin Phoenix. It was suggested that the move may have been a hoax, but both Phoenix and Diddy confirmed plans to work together.

All the while, Casey Affleck was recording the journey and 24 Frames, the film has been screened for some potential buyers. 24 Frames suggests that buyers are unsure as to whether Phoenix is acting or if he is genuinely pursuing a career in music. In one scene, they say, Phoenix is attempting to convince Diddy to produce his album, but he "is not terribly interested."

MTV's Eric Ditzian refers to the film as a "mockumentary," but Affleck maintains that the film is legitimate, according to an interview with ABC News Now's "Popcorn With Peter Travers."

Via Elizabeth Snead and Daemon's Movies.

Vibe has a "long convo with Janelle Monae" while Ruby Hornet has a video interview. Check out the latter below.

Just a day after the release of Dirty Money's "Last Train to Paris," Diddy will appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on June 29. This, according to the official Diddy/Dirty Money website.

According to the Diddy/Dirty Money official website, Diddy will be appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 26 and he'll be bringing along Janelle Monae. The listing says that he "introduces new Bad Boy recording artist Janelle Monae to the world." Check your local listings.

Janelle Monae spoke to Soul Culture on the meaning of her single "Tightrope" featuring Big Boi. Check it out below.

In a video on her official site, Janelle Monae talks about her upcoming album, "The ArchAndroid," it's story and inspiration for the set.

Here is the teaser for the upcoming "Tonight/Love Come Down" music video by Fabolous featuring Red Cafe. The songs are from his "There is No Competition 2" mixtape (free download). The second track is Fab's take on the Dirty Money single of the same name.

Warning: some vulgarity and inappropriate content.

Author note: When I heard the news that Diddy would be launching a blog at diddyblog.com, some feedback on potential issues sprang to mind and I wanted to write about them at Bad Boy Blog. I then thought it would be fun to write this post in a letter format. The main idea is to offer some suggestions to Mr. Combs himself, but perhaps more likely, to the digital people at Interscope or Bad Boy - whoever is responsible for the development and maintenance of diddyblog.com. I don't actually expect Mr. Combs to read it, but you never know.

Dear Mr. Combs,

My name is Patrick O'Keefe and I am the author of Bad Boy Blog, the leading source of news and information about your company. I am a huge, huge fan of your work (since 1997) and you are an inspiration to me professionally. Beyond that, I am also a published author and I have been in this whole online community and social media space for 10 years now. I travel around the country and speak at conferences and events about these issues.

I was pleased to hear that you were planning to launch a blog at diddyblog.com. I look forward to reading, subscribing and linking to it. Drawing from my experience in this area, as well as my familiarity with you and your work, I wanted to offer you some suggestions that you might find useful as you develop this project.

» Read More

According to the official site, Dirty Money's new music video for "Hello Good Morning" will premiere on May 13 on BET's 106 & Park. Dirty Money will be on hand for the show, which starts at 6 PM ET.

See also: Music Video Trailer: "Hello Good Morning" by Diddy/Dirty Money featuring T.I.