Michael Jackson: Jumps in Radio Play & Album Sales, Possible Jackson Family Tour?

Not only has Michael Jackson's radio airplay jumped 1,735% but three of his albums, Number Ones, The Essential Michael Jackson and Thriller, are reported to have sold around 100,000 copies each last week.

A tribute/reunion tour featuring Janet Jackson and the Jackson Brothers is rumored to be in the works.

LL Cool J & Rachel Roy Pay It Fashion Forward

LL Cool J & Rachel Roy @ Pay It Fashion Forward

LL Cool J, with special guest Rachel Roy, presided over festivities at the 2nd Annual Pay It Fashion Forward event including honoring multiple individuals and organizations doing good while creating fashion.

LL Cool J Throws Psychic Gang Signs

2009 Pay It Fashion Forward Honorees:

--  I/denti/tee started through a partnership with Edun Live, creating music t-shirts profiting African workers as well as publishers and song writers. The t-shirts are made from local, African-grown cotton and feature licensed lyrics produced by African artists.
--  Linda Loudermilk started a luxury and eco lifestyle brand where her fine designs are all made from sustainable fabrics that she has researched and developed.
--  Philanthropist boutique, founded by Jessica Moment and Sally Fowler in 2008 in San Francisco, donates 100% of its sales directly to charities that combat poverty in the bay area.
--  Chloe Jo Berman of Girlie Girl Army is a fashion personality who is spreading her eco-friendly lifestyle message to the masses through her eco-friendly fashion blog.
--  JONES APPAREL GROUP was recognized for its charitable contributions including Jones New York in the Classroom, Shoes on Sale, JAGreen, and Anne Klein's involvement with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

[Photos: PRNewsFoto/Fashion Delivers]

Lil Jon I Do Rapper Contest Video

Lil Jon I Do Rapper Contest

Jamie Foxx Hosts BET Awards '09 Featuring a Gazillion Stars

Jamie Foxx Hosts BET Awards '09

Yes, gazillion is the technical term for too many stars to count. I was checking out this press release for the BET Awards '09 and couldn't really decide what angle to feature in the headline for such a show. I could call it a stop on the Young Money Tour. Or I could speculate about whether or not Queen Latifah will rap or T-Pain will give up his vocoder or Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige will partner up. But there's just too many angles to choose one:

"Tune in to BET on Sunday, June 28 at 8:00 p.m. for the BET AWARDS '09, hosted by triple-threat Jamie Foxx and featuring phenomenal performances by the host himself, Kanye West, Beyonce, Queen Latifah, Soulja Boy, Keri Hilson, T-Pain, Mary Mary, Ne-Yo, Maxwell, Fabolous, Keyshia Cole, Monica, Young Jeezy, Johnny Gill, King of Hearts, Three of a Kind, Three the Hard Way, Travis Barker, Trey Songz and Tyrese -- with the most anticipated performance of all coming from cultural icon Jay-Z."

Plus lots of special appearances. Should make for fun tv or, in my case, YouTube viewing.

Official Site: BET Awards '09

[Photo courtesy BET NETWORKS.]

Over at Hip Hop Press:
BET AWARDS '09 - Featuring the Brightest Stars of Music, Sports
and Entertainment - Hosted By Jamie Foxx

Rik Cordero's Inside A Change to Premier at New York International Latino Film Festival

Rik Cordero's Inside A Change Premier Poster

Rik Cordero's second feature film, Inside A Change, with appearances by Joell Ortiz and Consequence, is scheduled to premier at the New York International Latino Film Festival on July 30th.

Hip Hop DX has the first review.

NYILFF Commercial

Bonus: here's a commercial for the Festival from McCray Media + Co.

Young Money Tour Schedule: Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy & Drake

The Young Money Presents: America's Most Wanted Music Festival featuring Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy & Drake is gosh darn big!

America's Most Wanted Music Festival Tour Schedule:

7/27/09 SCRANTON, PA. TOYOTA PAVILION
7/29/09 SARATOGA, NY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
7/30/09 PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE PAVILION
7/31/09 PHILLY SUSQUEHANNA BANK CENTER (CAMDEN)
8/1/09 NYC JONES BEACH
8/2/09 V. BEACH VERIZON WIRELESS AMP.
8/4/09 TORONTO MOLSON AMP.
8/5/09 MONTREAL BELL CENTRE
8/6/09 CLEVELAND BLOSSOM PAVILION
8/7/09 D.C. NISSAN PAVILION
8/8/09 RALEIGH WALNUT CREEK AMP.
8/9/09 ATLANTA LAKEWOOD
8/12/09 PHOENIX CRICKET WIRELESS AMP.
8/13/09 LA TBA
8/14/09 IRVINE VERIZON WIRELESS AMP.
8/15/09 OAKLAND SLEEP TRAIN AT CONCORDE
8/17/09 VANCOUVER GM PLACE
8/18/09 EDMONTON REXALL PLACE
8/20/09 DENVER FIDDLERS GREEN AMP.
8/22/09 HOUSTON CYNTHIA WOODS MITCHELL PAVILION
8/23/09 DALLAS SUPERPAGES.COM CENTER

Over at Hip Hop Press:
Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy and Drake Announce Young Money Presents: Americas Most Wanted Music Festival

Tour Schedule: Jabbawockeez Join New Kids On The Block

I wouldn't have mentioned the New Kids On The Block Tour but they've added the Jabbawockeez!

New Kids On The Block Summer Tour f/Jabbawockeez Schedule:

June 16: Saratoga, N.Y. (Saratoga Performing Arts Center)
June 18: Uncasville, CT. (Mohegan Sun)
June 19: Mansfield, MA (Comcast Center)
June 20: Montreal (Virgin Festival)
June 21: Toronto (Molson Amphitheatre)
June 23: Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Blossom Music Center)
June 25: Clarkston, MI (DTE Energy Music Center)
June 26: Tinley Park, IL (First Midwest Bank Amphitheater)
June 27: Cincinnat, OH ( Riverbend Music Center)
June 28: Noblesville, IN (Verizon Amphitheater)
July 1: Maryland Heights, MO (Verizon Wireless)
July 2: Memphis, TN (Mud Island Ampitheater)
July 3: Valley Center, KS. (Hartman Arena)
July 7: Auburn, WA (White River Amphitheatre)
July 9: Concord, CA (Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord)
July 10: Irvine, CA (Verizon Wireless Ampitheater)
July 11: Las Vegas, NV (The Pearl)
July 12: Phoenix, AZ (Dodge Theater)
July 15: Englewood, CO (Fiddler's Green)
July 17: Dallas, TX (Superpages.com Center)
July 18: Woodlands, TX (Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion)

Over at Hip Hop Press:
JABBAWOCKEEZ SET TO DANCE ON THE BLOCK
WITH THE NEW KIDS SUMMER TOUR

The 5th Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival

5th Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival

The 5th Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival is set to take place this Thursday through Saturday, June 18th through 20th, with the main event on Saturday.

If you're in the area and haven't gotten your tickets yet, go here for information.

Over at Hip Hop Press:
Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival Photo Exhibit June 18th
Media Alert: KICK OFF EVENT FOR FIRST ANNUAL
MINDS BEHIND THE MUSIC SUMMIT [June 16]

Battle of New Orleans: Mos Def Squad vs. Whoever Crew

I dig Mos Def. He's more consistently real in a meaningful way than anybody else I can think of with that much media attention. Here's his proposal for a "Battle of New Orleans" culminating in a faceoff of the G.O.A.T. rappers because he feels that if you're claiming to be the best you should be willing to put your skills to the test:

"The battle would take place at the Superdome in New Orleans and would settle all discussion. There would be a variety of battles, including the marching bands from Grambling and Morgan State duking it out, breakers from Korea going against those from France, a battle of the beats between Swizz Beatz and Kanye West, and finally an MC battle between teams of five."

Mos Def picks "myself, Black Thought, MF Doom, Jay Electronica and Nas" versus "Jay, or Kanye, or whoever."

Exactly. Whoever.

Lauryn Hill European Tour Cancelled for "Health Reasons"

Lauryn Hill Cancels Entire European Tour

I miss Lauryn Hill.

c/o pop - the Pop Culture 2.0 Convention

The c/o pop convention bills itself as a "Pop Culture 2.0 Convention" and a "Business Forum for the Creative Industries" that is "directed at anyone involved in planning and shaping the future of music":

"As a cross-sector network and communication platform, c/o pop brings the protagonists of the creative industries together with companies from the music and entertainment sectors and provides them with a forum for intensive dialogue and exchange."

"The c/o pop Convention programme is dedicated to the far-reaching change that is currently rocking all areas of the creative industries. A conscious decision has been taken to focus on music, but music as a work of art, a cultural asset, a product and a service, content, an add-on, a cross-media tool, an innovation driver and pacemaker in technological and societal development, and, not least, music as a lifestyle and attitude."

It's happening August 13th and 14th in Cologne, German and is part of a larger gathering happening August 12-16. The primary language for panels and workshops is English so don't be scurred, America!

Music & Advertising: Converse CMO, Steve Stoute + Lady GaGa, Surviving This Downturn

Highlights from this week's Billboard and Adweek Music & Advertising Conference:

Live [Tweets] At Music & Advertising

Cottrill [converse cmo]: "done a lot of research to see if a 50 yr old wearing [chuck taylors] offends a 16 yr old wearing them. It just doesn't."

Converse "flipping our marketing model. Less big campaigns. More local stuff, stuff that gets closer to the artists," says Cottrill.

Music & Advertising Keynote: Translation's Steve Stoute

"We just signed Lady GaGa, and we're treating her like a brand. We're treating her exactly like we treat Samsung, like we treat Target. We're treating her exactly the same way, building her brand story, finding the right partnerships, etc. So we're turning the model around differently. We always represent the brands, but now we're actually going to represent the artist as brand, which is new and exciting for the company."

Secrets of Agency Music Producers & Supervisors

Against the backdrop of a decline in advertising dollars, creative content firms are just one casualty among many. "We've never been busier and never made less money," Marc Altshuler, managing partner, Human, says about the company's ability to function in the current economic climate. The idea is to be the last man standing when the money starts coming in again. All panelists agreed that it is just a matter of maintaining relationships while weathering the storm.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Getting New/Unknown Acts into Commercials

DJ Hero Party: TRVSDJAM & Warren G, Jay-Z & Eminem

That must have been a wild evening:
Eminem, Jay-Z Share Stage For 'DJ Hero' Party

Over at Hip Hop Press:
MultiVu Video Feed: JAY-Z, EMINEM AND DJ HERO CELEBRATE GROUNDBREAKING COLLABORATION IN SURPRISE PERFORMANCE
KICKING OFF E3

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
DJ Hero: Trailer, DJ Shadow Screenshots, Jay-Z & Eminem Sign On
DJ Hero Coming in Fall, New Turntable Controller Photo

MySpace Music Sponsors Eminem's Relapse Release

500 people who survive or have proxies that survive the mad rush for tickets later today will get to enjoy a free event, MySpace Music Presents The Relapse with Eminem.

Here are the basic details:

"MySpace Music Presents The Relapse with Eminem" event will be held at the MotorCity Casino's Sound Board theater in Detroit [on Tuesday May 19th]]..."

"A lucky group of MySpace users will be able to attend the highly anticipated event for free. All details can be found on Eminem's official MySpace Music profile at www.myspace.com/eminem. Beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET today, 500 tickets will be available for pick-up on a first come, first served basis at Record Time (27360 Gratiot Ave, Roseville, MI 48066), the famous Detroit-area record store."

Good luck, whoever goes for it, and watch your back!

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Eminem's Relapse: Resistance iPhone/iPod Game Trailer
Monetizing Pill Poppin': Eminem on VIBE Real Rap Cover,
Relapse Album Art, Popsomp Hills Rehab "Viral"

Olifant Vodka to Sponsor Blazed & Confused Tour

Olifant Vodka will be the  "title sponsor" of the Blazed & Confused Tour featuring Snoop Dogg, Slightly Stoopid, Stephen Marley, and Mickey Avalon and opening July 10th in Las Vegas.