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Hip-Hop and Rap News
Death Row Record Set For April 18th Relaunch
E1 Entertainment, formerly Koch Records, is planning to relaunch the once
great West Coast label Death Row Records on April 18.
The relaunch will see Death Row releasing a three-track sampler containing
unreleased songs on Record Store Day, the April 18th event celebrating independent
music and retailers.
The sampler, which marks the first Death Row release containing new music
since 2007's "15 Years on Death Row," will feature Crooked I's "Hoodstar," Danny
Boy's "Do What You Do" and Petey Pablo's "Pay For The P***y."
The latest incarnation of Death Row Records is set to begin releasing new
music from is catalog of 7,000 unreleased tracks from the likes of Tupac Shakur,
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg as early as this fall
Coolio Charged With Crack Possession
Rapper and reality TV star Coolio has been officially charged with possession
of crack cocaine and battery following his arrest at Los Angeles Airport a
week ago.
Coolio, real name Artis Leon Ivey, was arrested on March 6 after authorities
found the drug and a crack pipe in his luggage.
45-year-old Ivey was charged with a felony count of possessing cocaine base
and a misdemeanor charge for possessing the pipe. He was also charged with
battery after he grabbed the arm of a member of airport security in an attempt
to stop them searching his baggage.
If convicted Coolio faces up to three years in prison. He is due back in court
on April 3
Eminem Sets Release Date For "Relapse"; Announces "Relapse
2"
Eminem has finally set a firm release date for his new album, ending a four
year absence from the music industry.
The rapper's label announced last week that "Relapse" (Interscope/Aftermath/Shady)
will be released on May 19 and added there will be a follow-up album before
the years end.
The first single from the album, "Crack A Bottle" featuring 50 Cent
and Dr. Dre, is currently sitting at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and according
to the label there is a video in the works.
"A lot of people were expecting Relapse to drop last year," Eminem
said in a statement. "I was one of them. Then Dre and I went back in the
studio in September for a few days, and that turned into six months. We were
on such a roll; we wound up with a ton of new music produced by Dre. Putting
out Relapse 2 will let everyone get all of the best stuff."
Cash Money Records Hit With $2 Million Lawsuit
Former Cash Money Records producer T Mix has filed a lawsuit against the label
claiming he is owed more than $2 million for his work with artists such as
Birdman and Lil Wayne.
Courthouse News Service is reporting that T Mix, born Tristan Jones, filed
the lawsuit last week in New Orleans alleging he had an exclusive production
agreement with Cash Money Records between November 2005 and 2007 in which he
produced tracks for Birdman's "5 * Stunna" album, Lil Wayne's "Tha
Carter II" and the Birdman / Lil Wayne collaboration "Like Father,
Like Son."
The lawsuit claims that Jones was entitled to production royalties from every
unit sold, but has only received a portion of said royalties. He alleges that
Cash Money Records have made more than $30 million from his work, while he
has received just $187,850 to date.
Jones is seeking damages of more than $2.25 million for breach of contract
and legal fees.
Snoop Leaves Interscope; Plans MTV Album
It is being reported that Snoop Dogg has left Interscope Records and signed
a new multi-rights deal with MTV, who will distribute, market and promote his
next album "Malice in Wonderland."
"Malice in Wonderland" is set to feature production from Pharrell
Williams, composer Lalo Schifrin and longtime collaborator Dr. Dre.
"We're in the process of trying to help him [Dr. Dre] with the 'Detox'
record and working on mine at the same time," Snoop Dogg told Billboard
at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
Snoop's previous album, 2008's "Ego Trippin," sold 382,000 units
in the United states. The album's lead single "Sensual Seduction/Sexual
Eruption" has sold 869,000 digital downloads.
"Malice in Wonderland" is due to be released later this year.
DMX Placed In Solitary Confinement
Rapper DMX has been placed in solitary confinement at Arizona's Maricopa County
Detention Centre after getting into a verbal dispute with a guard.
The Associated Press is reporting that DMX, real name Earl Simmons, who is
serving 90 days for three felony charges, refused to report for his prison
job.
Simmons is also said to have missed a scheduled medical appointment and got
angry when he attempted to get his medicine an hour after his scheduled time.
DMX is then reported to have got verbally abusive when a supervisor tried
to diffuse the situation resulting in the rapper being placed on 23 hour lock
down and being placed on a bread and water diet.
He is likely to remain on lock down for the next month.
Twista Signs With EMI
Following his departure from Atlantic Records in 2007, platinum selling rapper
Twista has signed a new joint venture with EMI Global Music Services creating
a new home for his Get Money Gang Entertainment imprint.
One of the first projects from this deal will be Twista's sixth studio album, "Category
F5," which is scheduled for release on June 16.
"Category F5" will feature production from the likes of Jim Jonsin,
The Tastemakers, Street Runner, Good Will, MGI, Toxi and Traxster, as well
as guest appearances from Akon, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Kanye West, Static Major
and Bobby Valentino.
Twista's last album, "Adrenaline Rush 2007," has sold around 123,000
copies in the United States to date.
Lil Wayne's "Rebirth" Rock Album Due April 7
Multi-platinum selling rapper Lil Wayne has announced the release date for
his upcoming rock album "Rebirth."
The album will hit stores on April 7 with the first single, "Prom Queen," making
it's online debut on January 27 following a live stream of the rapper's concert
in San Diego.
Lil Wayne announced to MTV at last year's BET Awards that this album would
take a change of direction.
"I don't know if we're gonna release Tha Carter IV now," he told
MTV. "I think we're gonna release Tha Carter III — a new Carter
III with none of the same songs, though. None of them. Not one! We don't wanna
call the [next album] we got coming out Tha Carter IV. That was the dilemma
we were in. We want Carter IV to be what everybody wants it to be.
"This is something brand new, so we don't want it to be some experimental
thing, 'cause some people are not gonna like this. I don't want them to not
like Tha Carter IV. But I do have an album coming soon, very soon, and it's
gonna be called ... Tha Carter III: The Rebirth. The birth of a new beginning."
Source: MTV
Afeni Shakur And Amaru Entertainment Sued Over Tupac Biopic
Afeni Shakur, mother of the late Tupac Shakur and executor of Amaru Entertainment,
has been hit with a lawsuit from production company Morgan Creek over the rights
to a biopic about the rapper.
Morgan Creek allege they began negotiations with Amaru in November for life
rights to the untitled project claiming a written contract was created which
Amaru is "refus(ing) to honor and perform a contract of a production of
the film based on the life of Tupac Shakur."
Amaru's legal team are denying any such deal was established:
"There is no agreement with Morgan Creek, there never was, and there
never will be," said Amaru attorney Skip Miller.
According to Miller, Amaru have been in negotiations with several studios
to produce a biopic on Tupac Shakur and Morgan Creek are attempting to a possible
deal with another company.
"They have scared away Paramount, Fox and others, and we are going to
sue them and recover millions (in damages)," Miller added.
Sources close to the negotiations indicate the relationship between both
parties broke down in January when the Notorious B.I.G. biopic "Notorious" was
released and performed worse than expected.
Notorious Movie Grosses $21.5 Million In Opening Weekend
Despite a shooting during a showing in North Carolina and stiff competition
from Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino," the Notorious B.I.G. biopic "Notorious" has
grossed $21.5 million in its opening weekend in the United States.
"Notorious" came in fourth for the weekend behind "Mall Cop" ($33.8
million), "Gran Torino" ($22.2 million) and "My Bloody Valentine
3-D ($21.9 million).
The movie may have come fourth overall, but it did manage to score the bst
per screen average of $13,126 from its limited 1,638 screen release. This week's
top seller "Mall Cop" only generated an average of $10,751 from 3,144
movie theatres.
"Notorious" tells the story of rap legend Notorious B.I.G. chronicling
his rise to fame from the streets of Brooklyn to his untimely death in 1997.
"It's a very high quality film, and it's compelling look at a compelling
cultural icon who, like many cultural icons, left way too early but left an
indelible mark on society," said Chris Aronson, senior vice president
at 20th Century Fox.
C-Murder Ordered To Remain In Jail
New Orleans, Louisiana rapper C-Murder has been ordered to remain in jail
after it was alleged he broke the rules of his house arrest.
During a court appearance on Wednesday authorities revealed that they lost
signal from the rapper's monitoring device for around 10 minutes early on Monday.
According to the Associated Press, Sheriff's deputy Mike Dawson testified that
he had been notified by an electronic monitor that the rapper had left his
house. When Dawson called the house, C-Murder's fiancé Sabrina Green
answered the phone and then handed it to him. Dawson claims that while he was
talking to the rapper on a portable phone he heard the monitor reacting as
if he had just re-entered the house.
Attorney Ron Rakosky claimed the rapper had been asleep when the signal was
lost and blamed an equipment malfunction.
Miller is set to face trial for a second-degree murder charge relating to
the shooting of 16-year-old Steve Thomas, who was killed in a 2002 nightclub
brawl in Harvey.
C-Murder, real name Corey Miller, had been placed under house arrest as part
of the terms of his $500,000 bond.
During Wednesday's hearing, State District judge Hans Liljeberg ordered that
the rapper must remain behind bars and doubled his bond after it was reported
he had left his residence for a few minutes on several occasions since October.
"I don't think it's terribly unjust for the defendant to await trial
across the street," Liljeberg said.
Jermaine Dupri Leaves Def Jam Records
Jermaine Dupri's role as President of Island Records' Urban Music Division
has come to an end just two years after he took up the position.
Dupri was hired in February 2007 to oversee and develop the label's urban
music reporting directly to Def Jam Records chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid
and President of Island Music Steve Bartells.
In April 2008, Island Def Jam created TAG Records, a collaborative promotion
effort between the label and Procter & Gamble's TAG brand, which was headed
by Dupri. The new imprint allowed artists such as So So Def/TAG's Q to promote
music and TAG body spray in various forms of media.
Dupri's departure from Island will not affect his role at TAG