The Hip-Hop Herald 04.24.08
Posted by Patrick Robinson on 04.24.2008
Nas' new single that's raising eyebrows, R. Kelly can't escape his past, 50 Cent and Young Buck begin their War of Words, and an entire album in reverse? Plus: What Lil Wayne charges for a guest spot, and this week's Sales Figures!
Is it just me, or has anybody noticed that there seems to be a distinct lack of lead singles for albums coming soon? "Lollipop" has been out for a while now, same with Ja Rule's "Uh Oh" and Lil Mama had to release three before she finally managed to get a release date. There's also been in recent months, a lack of that BIG single that captures the airwaves in a strangle hold. You could make an argument for "Low" by Flo Rida (HA) but the last tracks I can remember, that people were playing absolutely EVERYWHERE for MONTHS were "In Da Club" by 50 and "Yeah" by Usher.
I think it's because these tracks didn't rely on the formula we're seeing emerge today. That being, either; Timbaland, Polow Da Don or The Runners on the beat, Akon or T-Pain on the hook and the accompanying dance to go along. I'd like to see the numbers "Yeah" would do if it were to be released new today where the focus is being placed on ringtone sales over physical single sales. I bet we'd see a record being set at least.
Anyway, today's Top Story is about a lead single, one, which is bound to raise many eyebrows.
Not quite like this though
The News
Top Story
Oh Nas…
As most of you know, Nas is coming out with an album titled Nigger in well, July now. Despite the hype that he's been fuelling since as early as October last year, there has been little information available regarding the project. Usually by this time, there has been a lead single, or a potential list of Producers and Guest rappers available. Only recently, have these details emerged and only on Monday was the first official track of the album released.
Needless to say, I wouldn't suggest playing this track at work unless you have headphones readily available.
If that audio file decides not to work, you can click here and listen to it.
If this is the direction the album is going in…I'm honestly not too sure if it's going to be readily embraced by any retail outlets. I'm sure most will sell it, but I can hardly see many of them wanting to order hundreds of thousands of copies from the manufacturers. While Nas himself would probably tell you he doesn't care about sales numbers, but rather getting the message out, he's honestly going to have a difficult time getting that message across if he only moves say 100,000 copies due to retail outlets not wanting to stock the album.
I understand what Nas is trying to accomplish by calling the album Nigger and making a track like this, and some of the points he makes are valid, but there's a limit before people listening are going to begin feeling uncomfortable.
I'll reserve judgment of the album when I hear more from it but again I have to admit that if this is the direction he wants to go in, he's going to find it difficult to get his message across.
On a completely derailing note, every time I listen to this track, I imagine the word "nigger" replaced with "llama" and "The Llama Song" playing instead. I know, my head isn't quite right.
The Clan Back Together?
It appears as if the internal turmoil in the Wu-Tang Clan may be over. Last Wednesday, the group reunited together on stage for the first time since August 2007 at New York's Irving Plaza.
File this one under "I'll believe it when I see it" as there are a large number of projects coming from The Clan this year and it will be interesting to see the degree of participation each member has on their album. Most anticipated would be Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, which RZA has been heavily involved in alongside Dr. Dre. There are also scheduled releases from Method Man and GZA to look forward to.
I'll be especially interested to see how Raekwon acts after his album is released. If it looks like a failure, I can easily see him blaming RZA and citing the 8 Diagrams project as prior evidence for RZA's shortcomings.
LEAVE R. KELLY ALOOONE!
I would pay to see somebody do a Chris Crocker like video for R. Kelly after this.
Back in February 2002 (yeah, that's six years ago…) a sex-tape of R. Kelly and an unidentified female who was supposedly aged 14 was sent to the Chicago media by an unknown source. Along with this particular case, there are 14 charges of child pornography direct at R. Kelly and to make matters worse, the prosecution has put forward a motion to introduce evidence from previous crimes Kelly has supposedly committed.
One part that is getting attention is his marriage to Aaliyah. In 1995, the pair was supposedly married despite the fact that Aaliyah was only 15 at the time. While both parties denied the rumors, Vibe magazine eventually published a copy of the marriage license which showed Aaliyah's age falsely listed as 18. It is this factor the many attribute to the annulment of the marriage only a few months later.
I have to wonder, why exactly has it taken this long for the trial to take place? If I was in his position, regardless of whether or not I was guilty or innocent, I think I'd want this whole ordeal to just be over already. We've been making jokes about it for YEARS now, and they're pretty much all played out so what do we do now?
Anyway, on a related note, Kelly is preparing his thirteenth studio album for a summertime release this year.
Stop Throwing Bottles!
A month doesn't go by when you hear about some drunk-ass fan or disgruntled idiot throwing a bottle on stage at the performer.
In a cruel irony, whilst on tour for the "Stop The Violence" movement, KRS-One was hit with a bottle by an angry fan during his performance in New Haven. KRS remained calm however, urging the crowd to ignore the incident and let it go "Let it go. When negativity comes your way, let it go,".
He was later treated for dehydration and a fractured hand as it had swollen up and become painful during the last 15 minutes of his show. Doctors and managers alike have urged KRS to postpone some tour dates while he rehydrates and his fracture heals. Despite his request not to press charges against the fan, KRS' management team and staff of the nightclub have urged him to have the fan arrested for legal purposes related to the postponements.
You can appreciate where KRS is coming from, but I honestly think it's a good idea that they press charges in related to the postponements as if they DON'T, it leaves them wide open to further lawsuits from venues or promoters due to loss in revenue after he essentially cancels his tour dates.
The following is a list of dates he has had to postpone.
April 19. Panel Discussion and Performance at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
April 21. Performance at Harper's Ferry, Allston, MA
April 22. Performance at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence, RI
April 28-30. Community Meetings and Planning, Chicago, IL
Gnarls Barkley…esrever ni?
Ha! See what I did there? Ahem.
Gnarls Barkley are fairly well known for their eccentric sound and Danger Mouse himself is known for bringing a very unique type of production to the table but this may be the most ‘out there' thing they've done yet.
Available for free download from www.fronttobackbacktofront.com, elpuoC ddO ehT is a singular track that is their entire album, The Odd Couple in reverse, starting from the end track.
I'm yet to hear it, but I'm fairly confident that Danger Mouse has added his own touch to the track so that it doesn't sound like complete garble and is somewhat intelligible. Still, I'm looking forward to giving it a listen.
Ok, this has nothing to do with anything, but it's a funny-ass picture so it's going in
And So It Begins…
After the announcement was made the Young Buck was officially ‘out' of G-Unit, there was a predictable calm before the storm of words began.
On Friday however, 50 did his best to slander Buck in an interview with MTV. 50 alluded to Buck having a possible drug problem saying " Buck's probably high right now" mentioned that Buck uses cocaine and ‘syrup' to get high. Elaborating, 50 said "He doesn't even get high anymore — he just maintains his [high]. You have to get sober to be high. When they say, 'Party like a rock star,' he goes beyond what they are talking about. Multiple, different shit."
Banks and Yayo, being the good little soldiers they are back 50 up:
"We feel the same way," Banks said. "If 50 gets resistance, we get the same resistance."
"50 took him and made him who he is today," Tony Yayo said. "Where I'm from, you don't bite the hands that feed you. I just get confused. I just remember not having nothing. I never will bite the hand that feeds me."
Buck broke his silence on Monday releasing a track called "My Interview". Some excerpts from the track:
"I heard the same things you heard like 50 kicked him out / or Buck sniffs coke and he flips out / it's too late, the whole world know what I be bout,"
and
"Abel was the youngest but Cain was the oldest / Cain had the money but Abel stayed focused / I came around and Able got closest / Cain got jealous started showing his emotions."
Cain and Abel were brothers and according to the Bible, the first sons of Adam & Eve. Cain commits the first murder, killing his brother Abel after God accepts a sacrifice made by Abel, but not one made by Cain. Regardless of whether you are Christian or not, those are some damn good lines he's got there.
Buck is preparing on releasing a new mixtape titled Honorable Discharge: Cashville Chronicles later this month as well as a DVD A Billion Bucks which follows Buck through everyday life in June.
Despite all this though, there is still a track supposedly scheduled featuring Buck to appear on G-Unit's next album, titled T.O.S. (Terminate On Site).
Game Confident About L.A.X.
Game's next album, titled L.A.X. is currently set for release on June 24. 50 Cent has threatened to block the release of the album if it will drop on the same day as G-Unit's group album, mentioned above.
"We have no intentions to move our album date of June 24," a representative for The Game said. "If we do move it, it will be 50 Cent and G-Unit's lucky day, but I doubt if The Game is into answering G-Unit's prayers."
50 believes though that if the two albums do go head-to-head, Game's release will be no competition:
"I'ma wait a little, then I'm just gonna push his album back," the rapper told MTV.com. "I don't think there's anyone that would legitimately look at him like it's a competition, him versus G-Unit. It just doesn't make sense. I make money every time he releases an album. He signed a five-album deal. He's only on album three."
That's true and rather unfortunate for Game. In regards to the sales race, I'd be inclined to release my album a week before my opponent. That way, you're capturing a large number of sales by people who can only buy one album or the other and are more inclined to buy the first one available to them.
Sales Figures
Coming in at Number 1 this week is Mariah's new album selling 462,000 copies, a little less than I thought as I was predicting around 500,000 but nevertheless, very impressive. Rick Ross is slowly losing momentum, moving 27,000 units this week placing him at Number 11. That Gold plaque is in sight as Ross' total is now around 443,000. Likewise, Danity Kane creeps closer to a Gold certification as this week they sold 23,000 copies, making their grand total 422,000.
Also, shy of a Gold certification is Lupe Fiasco. Coming in at Number 80 and moving just under 9,000 units, Lupe's grand total is still only 460,000. Snoop Dogg's Ego Trippin' looks like it will be the worst selling album of his career as 14,000 copies sold this week places his total at 278,000. Ray J, after debuting at Number 7 last week, has dropped to Number 35 this week with only 15,000 sold, bringing his total to just under 55,000.
Just out of the Top 25, we have Day26, their self-titled album moving just over 19,500 copies and Flo Rida who comes in at Number 31 selling 17,000 copies.
Next week, we'll see new albums from Prodigy, Atmosphere and Keith Murray. Will any make a significant impact on the charts?
Quickies
Lil Wayne supposedly charges on average $100,000 for a guest appearance, and has never charged less than $75,000.
Scarface is preparing a whopping 37 track Greatest Hits compilation release for sometime later this year.
Likewise, 8Ball & MJG are preparing their own Greatest Hits compilation titled We Are The South (Greatest Hits) release scheduled for May 13.
After spending 8 months in prison, Foxy Brown was released on Friday in time for her fourth studio album, Brooklyn's Don Diva also scheduled for release on May 13.
Earlier reports had Remy Ma's sentencing date set at April 23 but it has now been moved to May 13 at 10:00am. What's with all the May 13 love?
Despite two Gold albums under his belt, Omarion has been dropped from his label Columbia Records. So far, rumors have him signing with either Capitol Records or Motown Records.
Immortal Technique has a new album planned for June 24 titled The 3rd World which will be his first since Revolutionary Vol. 2 almost five years ago.
Ne-Yo is also planning a release for June 24, his third album titled Year Of The Gentleman will be a break from the traditional R&B sound heard on his first two albums.
Ja Rule's next album, The Mirror finally has a release date of May 6 with the next single possibly being "Father Forgive Me".
The following is a list of artists who are currently scheduled to appear at the Rock The Bells festival this year:
Nas, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, A Tribe Called Quest, Rakim, The Pharcyde, Mos Def, De La Soul, Method Man, Redman, Immortal Technique, dead prez, Murs, Kidz In The Hall, Spank Rock, Santogold, Kid Sister and Jay Electronica. Bloody hell it sucks living down under sometimes…the only thing that will cheer me up is this:
Before We Go…
Well, that's all for another week folks. There's a hell of a lot of upcoming releases in May and June so hopefully we won't have to see so much Timbaland in the future.
