ProHipHop: Hip Hop Marketing & Business News

Commercial for Jay-Z's American Gangster Album

Jay-Z American Gangster Commercial

"If it wasn't for this, there would be no that."

I'm not sure what that line from the commercial for Jay-Z's American Gangster album really means unless they are truly going to play it like Jay-Z was once big time in the drug trade and that's what led him to being bigtime in the music industry.  I guess that means I'm going to actually have to find out some details since I've always assumed he was just grinding and that's the illegal equivalent of working at Burger King.

Nevertheless, it does seem like Jay-Z's artistic process of buying into such fantasies of criminal kingpin action has gotten him to a much more fun place than all that manufactured Kingdom Come excitement.

Via Nah Right.

Sean "Ciroc" Combs: Let The Diddy Deluge Begin

Announcing the Ciroc Deal on DiddyTV

Beyond the initial press release, here are some Diddy quotes from the AP regarding his 50/50 Ciroc vodka brand management deal with Diageo:

"It is not an endorsement deal...This is something that will have my daily attention."

"I'm not just a celebrity endorser, I'm a brand builder. I'm a luxury brand builder."

Diddy says he will "focus on attracting 'movers and shakers' to the line":

"They're looking for something that tastes like their lifestyle..It's that trendsetter, that hipster, someone who's looking for luxury and looking for something better"

"I can't overhype someone into loving vodka," he said. But once consumers actually taste Ciroc, "I think we can convert a lot of people."

So how do you convert people on taste with a liquor that's known for it's lack thereof?

You call Diddy!

Actually folks in the know say there's quite a clear difference if you drink it straight up.  Here's what an informal taste testing group had to say about Ciroc Vodka's distinctive taste:

The hoity-toity accent circumflex reveals Cîroc's nationality, and a smartly tapered purplish bottle hints at the spirit's source—grapes grown in the Gaillac and Cognac regions of southwest France. Grape-based vodkas are something of a novelty, and Cîroc, which was introduced in 2002, has positioned itself as a clear alternative to its wheat-based competitors, running clever advertisements that urged drinkers to "go against the grain."

But is Cîroc's taste distinctive enough to win us over? As it happens, the panel did pick up on this vodka's "viney, stemmy aftertaste," as well as "hints of orange and anise." And most of us agreed that the shots "went down smoothly" with "very little burn" and "a clean, crisp finish." In the end, though, we concluded that Cîroc was too distinct for its own good—that it was "a grappa, or eau de vie, trying to pass itself off as a vodka."

No word on how that translates into a mixed drink but it sounds like folks would notice the difference in taste in a drink made with a vodka-like "grappa, or eau de vie" than the same drink made with a less noticeable vodka.

That could be a good thing if folks encounter Ciroc in the context of the Diddy deluge, i.e., they'll be expecting something distinctive rather than wondering why their drink tastes funny.

So Where's the LA Equivalent of Nah Right or Real Talk NY?

Of all the urban centers one would think that Los Angeles would have somebody rivaling high volume New York oriented blogs like Nah Right or Real Talk NY.

Tell me it's a gap in my knowledge or tell me it's a gap in the blogosphere.

If it's the latter:
Tell me I should move to North Hollywood and kick this ProHipHop game into another dimension.

That would be hilarious for far too many reasons and so probably a really great idea!

Lil Wayne on Tha Carter III: The Leak

Shaheem Reid has an interesting discussion with Lil Wayne regarding leaks and bootlegs and how he's dealing with them for Tha Carter III.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III Cover Art

Movie Widget: American Gangster

American Gangster Widget

I haven't done much with American Gangster, the movie, though I've been meaning to do a roundup. But maybe posting an American Gangster widget will help fill in the gap.

Hello New World: The Clipse Sign With Columbia

The Clipse have left Jive Records and Star Trak Entertainment and signed with Columbia Records to a "five-year, 50/50 profit-sharing arrangement...for Re-Up Gang Records".

More from Billboard:
The Clipse will own the masters for its Re-Up Gang artists, Ab Liva and Sandman. Next year, the Clipse will issue a Re-Up Gang album as well as a new studio disc, but for the first time, the latter will not be produced solely by the Neptunes. Instead, the brothers are anticipating working with Timbaland, Danjahandz and Dame Grease.

RZA Breaks Down Wu-Tang Biz, Planning Hip Hop Movie

RZA breaks down the business of the Wu-Tang Clan in a rather amazing interview in which he discusses a lot of personal Wu-Tang business as well as his future plans.

At one point they're talking about ODB and it gets pretty heavy.  The interviewer asks if he minds continuing and he says:
Of course this touches me. But we don’t have to change the topic, because nobody is asking me stuff like this.

"Nobody is asking me stuff like this."

Any U.S. hip hop journalists want to explain that one?

At the end he drops some pretty big dreams but I'm pretty sure we can count on seeing this one:
In a few years I want to make a hip hop movie. 8 Mile was already pretty good, but personally I was missing a bit more pure hip hop. I want to bring the culture to the big screen.

I'm not really quoting from the business aspects because there's so much in the interview that's quotable and on-target for ProHipHop that all I can say is, if you're wondering about Wu money, go read this interview.

Via Nah Right Lite.

A Note to 50 Cent & All Hip Hop Homophobes

I can't speak my mind freely here, despite how it may appear, so I've responded to 50 Cent's new attack on Kanye West at Hip Hop Logic:
F*ck 50 Cent & All Homophobes in Hip Hop

I just want to make sure people know where I stand in case this goes where I think it's going.

Update:
Here's the diss as requested via Miss Info.

Little Brother On Tour: Marketing & Merchandising

Little Brother Tour Bus

Little Brother is on tour supporting their newly released album Getback and Vibes and Stuff got to enjoy their performance in Toronto.

More importantly for our purposes Del focuses on the business aspects regarding marketing and merchandising as well as pointing out that these guys are great showmen.

I saw them in Austin years ago without 9th Wonder and Phonte and Pooh totally killed it.  They're very much entertainers with a generous quality onstage in sharp contrast to some of the begrudging nonsense that is so easy to find at rap shows.

Join The Getback Army

Del points out that the Little Brother Getback shirts also now state "On the road with Zune".

While browsing Little Brother's MySpace page for promotional graphics I found myself enjoying pics of the Getback Army in the photos section.  That graphic really catches the eye and their fanbase looks pretty cool too.  It's a simple yet strong example of putting your fans at the center.

Discussion Continues Regarding Crank That (Soulja Boy)

Thaddeus Clark digs in to the topic of the popularity of Soulja Boy.

TC makes a good point that no one's actually explained it in previous blog posts and then he manages to not really explain it himself but does return the discussion to the music while apparently discounting the dance craze as an interesting phenomenon.

Sorry but going through a list of things that Crank That has (hook, danceability, etc.) is pretty much the same as saying he succeeded on YouTube by following the same template everybody else is using and then producing a generic list of attributes to explain that success.

If you're going to say it's a hit because it profiles like a hit then you really should be willing to explain why you can't just take a list and get a hit.

TC and RK get into an extended discussion including some other folks in the comments section that's also worth a look.

Back at ProHipHop the discussion in the comments took an academic turn with MIT's Xiaochang Li weighing in.  Plus, Hashim stops in to raise the specter of the Black Swan!!!

Actually, the Black Swan concept is worth considering, i.e., the Crank Dat phenomenon may be an exceptional event from which little can be learned, though I disagree.

I do want to point out that I haven't attempted to explain the phenomenon myself.  I've been discussing methods of researching the phenomenon and pointing to a specific aspect that I felt was discounted in previous posts as well as emphasizing that, yes, it's got to rock to be a hit.  If I've made it look like I've been answering the question, "Why?" rather than the question, "How do we get to why?", then I've been misleading.

On the real, though, if the YouTube dance craze aspect didn't exist, it would just be another big hit and we wouldn't be discussing it.

Smif N Wessun Digital Lyric Album for The Album

Smif N Wessun Digital Lyric Album

The above digital lyric album features the lyrics for Smif N Wessun's recently released The Album.  If you click through you'll be taken to a digital document that allows you to "turn" the pages and looks quite nice.

Ian really likes the digital lyric album as a marketing tool.

Over at VidRap:
Smif N Wessun f/Rock & Joell Ortiz - Stomp
Smif N Wessun f/Chuckii Star - Gotta Say It

Smart Editor: Web Results While You're Typing!

Programmable Web discusses Smart Editor a very cool app for any writer and maybe a lot of websurfers.  You write in a box on the left and it brings up related web links in a box on the right.

Try something poetic.  I found some very cool things.  Ok, then I found some boring things but it's a fun tool.

Official Site:
Smart Editor

Week 7: Crank That (Soulja Boy) No. 1

If he's a one-hit wonder, Soulja Boy's having a great ride as he enters his 7th week at no. 1 on the Hot 100 singles chart.

The problem with the one hit wonder predictions is that the folks I see calling him a one-hit wonder simply don't like what he's doing.  References to the Macarena miss the larger dance boom largely fueled by hip hop that is not only expressing itself through YouTube and similar outlets but also in less visible means in hip hop dance classes and dance teams around the country.

He could still be a one-hit wonder but, if I had to make a choice, I'd go with the dancers.  They're in takeover mode right now at a time when a whole lot of us are pretty darn sick of people who think they deserve respect for having been a peon drug dealer on the corner.

Top 10 Singles on the Hot 100:

1. Soulja Boy - Crank That (Soulja Boy)
2. Chris Brown - Kiss Kiss
3. Timbaland - Apologize feat. OneRepublic
4. Alicia Keys - No One
5. Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
6. Kanye West - Stronger
7. Baby Bash - Cyclone feat. T-Pain
8. Kanye West - Good Life feat. T-Pain
9. Rihanna - Hate That I Love You feat. Ne-Yo
10. Timbaland - The Way I Are feat. Keri Hilson

ReverbNation Adds TuneWidget to Artist Tools

TuneWidget for Troya

I've been checking out ReverbNation and their services for artists after being informed of their new TuneWidget and I think they're well worth a look for indie artists.

If you go to Troya's ReverbNation page you'll see a group of tabs right below the first blocks of information on the artist.  Those are a good way to get a sense of some of what you can do with ReverbNation though I haven't looked closely at the full range of tools now available.

The widgets offered to artists are clearly quite useful with the above TuneWidget the most recent offering and, as you'll see if you click through from Troya's page, additional widgets include Music Players in two sizes as well as some nice Show Schedule widgets with a tour map option.

Why I chose this artist's widget in case you're wondering how to pitch ProHipHop:

I decided to choose an artist from Wilson, NC when picking out a TuneWidget because I've been looking quite closely at their attempts to encourage development in their Historic Downtown and because they are installing city wide municipally owned fiber optic internet access throughout the city.

That would be hard to pitch since you wouldn't know that.

I picked Troya because she was the only woman in the small group of Wilson, NC artists at ReverbNation.

That's easier to pitch.  I support women in hip hop at almost every opportunity so they get privileged when I pick something like a widget or an album cover for a post.

However, if you've followed ProHipHop's coverage of such things, you'll probably realize that one of the best ways to get an artist featured on the site would be to tell me about a really awesome service that I haven't covered.  That way your widget is the one I feature and all my other little quirks get taken out of the equation.

Know what I mean?

Slow Week for Albums

Kanye West's Graduation is still in the top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 album chart but that's about it this week.

Top 10 Albums on the Billboard 200:

1. Bruce Springsteen - Magic
2. Kid Rock - Rock N Roll Jesus
3. Rascal Flatts - Still Feels Good
4. Josh Groban - Noel
5. Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light
6. Reba McEntire - Reba Duets
7. Soundtrack - High School Musical 2
8. Santana - Ultimate Santana
9. Kanye West - Graduation
10. Colbie Caillat - Coco

"Official" American Gangster Mixtape

I'll take Ian's word on its status but he's got the link to what is said to be the official American Gangster mixtape, An American Gangster: The Mixtape.

Please Don't Use Indie Bible Data for ProHipHop, Hip Hop Press, Hip Hop Logic or netweed Contacts

Back in August I got a note from an Indie Bible editor informing me that I needed to update my info for the upcoming edition.  I wrote back about two weeks later, didn't make contact, lost it in the flow.

It must be out because that's the only thing that would explain the rush of contacts I'm getting at the wrong email addresses.

As I write everybody when this occurs, please don't send press releases, newsletters and other generic material to my prohiphop.com email address.  In addition, please don't send such pr to any netweed.com email address except for the following.

PLEASE SEND ALL HIP HOP PR AND HIP HOP PR ONLY TO:
hiphoppress@netweed.com

On a related note, despite what is now an inaccurate listing:

PROHIPHOP HAS NO ARTIST REVIEWS AND VERY RARELY DOES ANY INTERVIEWS OF ANY SORT.

IN FACT, NO ONE AT PROHIPHOP HAS ANY AESTHETIC FEEDBACK TO SHARE.

EVERYBODY AT PROHIPHOP [i.e., Clyde] LOVES MUSIC BUT IS CONTRIBUTING IN OTHER WAYS AND HAS OBSCURE MUSICAL TASTES SO IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, STASTICALLY SPEAKING, ODDS ARE WE'LL THINK YOUR MUSIC SUCKS.  BUT WE WANT TO HELP YOU ANYWAY.

Seriously, how many bloggers are trying to help people despite the fact they probably hate their music?

I can't think of any other than me.

But enough about me.  Let's talk about you.

Using Indie Bible data or any such data is a mistake without, at the very least, spot-checking the entries for accuracy.  You thought that buying it meant it would be updated properly?  You still have to evalute your purchase.

Let's look at the email I received today that inspired this extended rant.

This is an excerpt from an obvious form letter from Trevor Lyman, founder of MusicSUBMIT.com:

After checking out your site, I found you accept submissions from Hip-Hop artists. You would definitely make a valuable reviewer for our artists, and I'd love to start a relationship with you.

You mean, after not checking my site, you sent a form letter to a list you had purchased.  And I think the "relationship" ends here.

Please don't set yourself up for ridicule.  You're only baiting people like me to point out the obvious.

Update:
I got the same personalized mass mailing from MusicSUBMIT at Hip Hop Press where I only post press releases!

Groove Mobile Features Aceyalone's Can't Hold Back

Aceyalone Track Featured on New Service

Groove Mobile and The Orchard have launched what they term the "first-ever full track, off-portal download available in the U.S."

Is that true?  I guess the tech guys will know since this new feature of Groove Mobile's platform is debuting at the CTIA Wireless conference this week in San Francisco.

Of relevance at ProHipHop cause Aceyalone's Can't Hold Back is the debut offering.  Given widespread concern over the decline of rap album sales, things like new mobile offerings are worth watching because they frequently feature hip hop artists.

Diddy Goes 50/50 With Diageo for Ciroc Vodka

Sean Combs has quite an interesting deal with alcohol company Diageo regarding Ciroc vodka:

Under the terms of the deal, Combs and Sean Combs Enterprises will take the lead on all brand management decisions for Ciroc, while sharing in the future profits of the growth of the brand. This exclusive US multi-year collaboration, which calls for a 50/50 profit split, is a first for the spirits industry and could be worth more than $100 million for Combs...As part of the new alliance, Combs will take the lead on brand management decisions, including marketing, advertising, public relations, product placement and events.

That's a great way to leverage Diddy's marketing and promotional abilities.  Cut him in and unleash the phenomenon.

Official Site:
Ciroc Vodka

James Andrews on DJ Jazzy Jeff's Digital Prophecy

The KeyInfluencer James Andrews is now blogging at Fast Company.  He's off to a good start with a post titled The Digital Prophecy Of DJ Jazzy Jeff:

As a globetrotter Jazzy Jeff has first hand knowledge of what is happening around the world with the music business, evolving distribution shifts and consumers who love quality music. Around 7 years ago Jeff came home from a month long run of Asia and called me to say, "It's over for the record business" after walking by a street vendor who had rows and rows of MP3 discs for sale of any artist you could imagine. Jeff said of this experience, "When I saw my Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince entire collection for $5, I knew it was over."

DMX Appears in Father of Lies on DVD

Father of Lies - DVD

DMX appears in Father Of Lies with Vivica Fox and Clifton Powell which will be available on DVD October 30th.

Official Site:
Father of Lies @ MySpace

Len Burnett Leaves VIBE for UPTOWN Magazine

Len Burnett, Vice President, Group Publisher of VIBE Magazine, is leaving the VIBE Media Group to build UPTOWN Magazine, a "lifestyle magazine targeted towards the affluent African American consumer".  Burnett cofounded UPTOWN in 2004 with Brett Wright.

As now expected of almost all magazine sites, look for blogs and a social network, among other features:
In 2008, Uptown will launch several new properties including new events and an expanded broadband presence which will have social networking as well as many unique features for travel, blogging and commerce.

Update:
Influential Sushi says:
If you are reading this from Vibe Magazine, call a recruiter or headhunter quick, the ship is sinking!

Official Site:
UPTOWN Magazine

Grinding: Chamillionaire in India, Ghostface Hat on Ebay

A fan almost passes out at a Chamillionaire event in India.

Ghostface is out west and says he's auctioning his hat on Ebay but good luck finding the auction.

Via Boo Goo Doo Boom.

50 X 50: 50 Cent in His Own Words

50 X 50: 50 Cent in His Own Words

Though apparently released October 2nd, we're just now hearing about the new 50 Cent "scrapbook" called 50 x 50 because 50 is just now promoting it.

Update:
Co-author Noah Callahan-Bever, editor-in-chief of Complex magazine, spoke with NPR about the book soon after its release.

To Understand Soulja Boy's Success Go Beyond the Web

Oh Word's Rafi Kam makes some good points in critizing both Lynne d Johnson and Xiaochang Li regarding their thoughts on the success of Soulja Boy's online marketing featuring YouTube.

However, in all fairness, Lynne's post is a "look over here and start paying some attention" post while Xiaochang is a straight-up academic.  She'll work through it piece by piece and we can forage for useful bits along the way or gain deeper understanding if the work matures but it's a mistake to expect her to produce anything immediately useful.  That's like hoping to find some ripe tomatoes or fresh flowers when you're still clearing out the rocks from a new garden bed.

Unfortunately, after a promising introduction that successfully paints a clear picture, Rafi doesn't offer much more than don't target 13 year old white girls and there's not much new here for "your average indie musician" who is "just looking to use the technology to get their music [to] an audience".

Honestly, if you just see technology as a distribution medium or a marketing tool, then you're missing what's going on and haven't adjusted to the current media environment.  And I would guess that Rafi would tell you the same thing if he wasn't focusing on other concerns.

As Rafi notes, chartreuse does make some useful points around the targetting of 13 year old white girls, though leaving you to work out the details for yourself unless you want to hire him.

What do I have for you?

I'd say take a much closer look at the dance craze and try to understand what that's about and how that fueled the Crank Dat phenomenon.  Don't just use it to sketch a pretty picture at the beginning before moving to the more comfortable issue of technology.  Find out about dance.  Think about the fact that people often equate dancing with not thinking, with being fully in the moment, with being fully alive.

But also remember Chuck D's lyrics about reaching the bourgeois and rocking the boulevard.

Public Enemy was the best when their beats not only rocked but brought cutting edge sounds into the mix.  And those that still wanted to think had plenty to work with.

If you really want to understand the Soulja Boy phenomenon, you have to go much further than how one works the web to one's marketing advantage.  You'll have to consider actual fans and their actual experience of the music and the place of that music in their actual lives.

And if you really do want to target 13 year old white girls, then hit up Rafi or chartreuse, they seem to know a lot about the topic.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Hitwise Called Soulja Boy's Success Back in May

Media Pros: Paul Conley Says It's Time to Choose Sides

Paul Conley has an inspiring call to independence for B2B professionals called All You Need Is Love that is relevant to all media workers:

Close observers of B2B media have seen two very different visions emerge of what it means to be in this business. First, there are the new voices -- standalone journalists, bloggers and others who write because they feel passion for their subject.

Second, there are the new investors -- private equity firms and leveraged-buyout specialists who look at B2B media as a series of "properties" and "products" that need to cut costs, grow revenue and then be resold again and again.

In the middle are the professionals of B2B -- the editors, reporters, designers and other foot soldiers of our industry.

And to those people I say the following: It's time to choose sides.

1995 Sprite Commercial With Pete Rock & CL Smooth

Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Sprite Commercial

Via kanYe "beating celeb bloggers at their own game" West.

Cassidy Spoken Word Promo for B.A.R.S.

Cassidy B.A.R.S. Album Teaser

Cassidy shares a spoken word moment to promote the November 6th release of B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story in a nicely done video by Konee Rok.

Interpublic Acquires Steve Stoute's Translation Consulting

AllHipHop.com is reporting that the Interpublic Group has acquired Steve Stoute's Translation Consulting and Brand Imaging.

A topic of discussion since last spring, the impending deal recently got a quick look from Advertising Age.

The Pack's Swear They Do Meets Travis Barker's Famous Stars and Straps

The Pack f/Eddie Rap Life & Terry Kennedy [production: Travis Barker]
- Swear They Do

I don't know the backstory on this song but The Pack's Swear They Do video above features Famous Stars and Straps clothing and possible skate team members or the like in addition to The Pack, guest artists and Travis Barker.

Given that The Pack initially caught the public's eye with Got My Vans On, they're building an impressive early history of product placement, paid or not.

Whatever Happened to Def Jam Mobile?

Def Jam Mobile launched in 2005 and later disappeared without a trace.

What happened?

When Your Scene Sucks, Turn It Into a Virtue

James Montgomery on the difference between SXSW and CMJ:

Unlike South By Southwest — the Marathon's bratty, down-South brother (which, in the minds of many, has surpassed the elder as the premier fest in the States) — CMJ is a musical festival for people who actually like music festivals and all the headaches and heartbreaks that come along with them. There is no Sixth Street (the Austin thoroughfare that hosts the majority of SXSW's action) to speak of, no label-sponsored cocktail hours at swank Texas hotels, no delicious Bar-be-que to demolish. SXSW is easy, sort of like an industry-wide booze cruise with bands playing on the pool deck. CMJ is complicated, a sometimes-miserable mess, with bands playing in apartments in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

That reminds me of my father and the many miles he had to walk to school with no shoes or one shoe and some socks and how that made him truly appreciate his education unlike me who got to ride the bus.

Never mind.  I just can't match the ridiculousness of that statement.

Parties From the Past: Courvoisier & Young Jeezy

Jermaine Dupri & Young Jeezy Celebrate w/Courvoisier

Belated news from Courvoisier regarding their sponsorship of one of Young Jeezy's birthday and fashion line launch events late last month.

Must have been a great party cause that bottles looking a bit blurry!

Columbia's Free Hip Hop & RnB Mobile Video Channels

Wyclef Jean Free Mobile Video Channel from Columbia/mywaves

Columbia Records and mywaves are teaming up to offer free artist video channels via www.mywaves.com/m apparently featuring hip hop and RnB:

Consumers will be able to watch video from artists including Wyclef Jean, Bow Wow, Omarion, Three 6 Mafia, Lyfe Jennings, and Nas from their cell phones, free of charge.

No disrespect to mywaves but this looks like a big step up for them in terms of content based on what I'm currently seeing at www.mywaves.com/m though their overall offerings are broader.

Hitwise Called Soulja Boy's Success Back in May

Lynne d Johnson opens up at Black Web 2.0 with the topic of Soulja Boy's web marketing and Hitwise's early call on his success based on web traffic patterns.

Have to be honest, though, I hadn't really picked up on Lynne's huge interest in Souljah Boy's web game but it's communicated strongly and clearly in this case.

She also references an extended post at MIT's Convergence Culture Consortium titled Hustling 2.0: Soulja Boy and the Crank Dat Phenomenon with additional resources.

Blogger Xiaochang Li follows that post with "Meet me at my crib . . .": Reading the official "Crank That" video.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Souljaboytellem.com: Soulja Boy's Dot Com Marketing

More from Lynne d Johnson:
A Study: Soulja Boy and Web Marketing & Distribution, but Don't Forget Radiohead

Sneaker Magic at Sneaker Pimps NYC 2007

Real Talk NY has video of Nas performing and sneakers showing off plus more pics of sneakers including some unique artistic creations from the recent Sneaker Pimps NYC 2007 event.

Official Site:
Sneaker Pimps

American Gangster Live Tour: Jay-Z Plays Performing Artist

Good luck seeing Jay-Z on tour.  He's in the process of perfecting the role of the performing artist who appears just long enough to produce a decent concert dvd.

Update:
AllHipHop has more on the tour.

RZA Responds to Ghostface, 8 Diagrams Pushed Back

RZA's Response to Ghostface

Mixtape Monday brings all sorts of NY goodies, from Nas to Cam to American Gangster.  Most importantly, they've got RZA's statement to Ghostface regarding the conflicting album dates and the news that the Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams album has been pushed back to December 11th.

RZA responds:
"The blame can't fall on me like that," RZA said about the dueling release dates. "Wu-Tang Clan is a bunch of brothers working on one common cause. ... We planned to put that record out in September, then October, and it kept getting pushed because it's just a lot of work, yo. ... I wasn't really conscious [Ghost] was dropping an album on December 4th, but yesterday we moved our [group] record from the 4th to the 11th. We gave that spot to Ghostface ... because of how he felt. ... I had to make that call. [SRC label head] Steve Rifkind also, he was getting bashed up by Ghost [in the Mixtape Monday interview]. So ... we moved.

"We didn't have him move, we moved," RZA continued. "I think that shows the kind of bigger men we could be. Ghost is my brother, [I] love him to death. But we're in this business, and it's hard to kind of discern what's right and what's wrong. ... But I will say that, when it comes to a Wu-Tang Clan album, I plan on making it a 60-, 90-day type of schedule. ... It turned out to be a 200-day schedule ... and I didn't want to wait until next year [to put out 8 Diagrams].

"But Ghostface, we moved it to the 11th. You got that 4th. Do your thing right then, double up [the] next week, make mad cream this year, family."

RZA remains the man.

Hip Hop Album Releases for Oct. 23: Bizarre, Grim Team, Hangar 18, Hurricane Chris, Jermaine Dupri, Junk Science, King Britt, Lil Mama, Little Brother

Jha Jha - Git It Girl

Rumor has it that Weekly Hip Hop Albums may soon return.

The following new releases are available from Amazon.

7L & Esoteric - Egoclapper
Ap.9 - The Mob Movement
Bizarre - Blue Cheese 'N' Coney Island
Duna - Crack Baby
Famouz - Ghetto Passport
Grim Team - Once Upon a Time in America
Hangar 18 - Sweep the Leg
Hell Razah & Blue Sky Black Death - Razah's Ladder
Hurricane Chris - 51/50 Ratchet
Jermaine Dupri - Y'All Know What This Is... The Hits
Jha Jha - Git It Girl
Junk Science - Gran'dad's Nerve Tonic
Killa Sha - God Walk on Water
King Britt - The Philadelphia Experiment Remixed [Import]
Lil Mama - VYP: Voice of the Young People
Little Brother - Getback
Lord Infamous - The Man, The Myth, The Legacy
Prefuse 73 - Preparations
Sole & The Skyrider Band - Sole And The Skyrider Band
Witchdoctor - Diary of an American Witchdoctor

For a database of upcoming and past releases with updates,
please see Hip Hop Albums @ netweed.

Hypebot: iTunes, Amazon MP3 Store, MP3 Spam, Sony & KIDDI, EMI & WEA Execs, Napster, Radiohead, Indie Top 200, Music 2.0, Music Biz Bookstore

Music industry news from Hypebot:

iTunes dropped the price of DRM free downloads from $1.29 to 99 cents and says its adding more DRM free indies.

Strong sales at the new Amazon MP3 Store could make it second only to iTunes and a new affiliate program that pays 20% of sales could help.

BEWARE: OurDigitalMusic.com has a story on spammers using mp3's to get past filters. Not good news for an industry where trading mp3's is a daily part of our jobs.

Sony and Japanese mobile provider KIDDI partner to make music easily playable across both platforms.

There were executive shuffles at EMI Publishing and WEA Distribution.

Napster released version 4.0 with some new features, but will anyone really care?

As Radiohead's P2P numbers climb some consider their "pay want you want" release a failure. But is it?

The Coalition Of Independent Music Stores Top 200 Chart.

Here's a slideshow of hot Music 2.0 sites and services.

Hypebot opens a New Music Business Bookstore.

See ProHipHop's Hypebot Industry News category for past roundups.