The Hip-Hop Herald 10.30.08

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 10.30.2008

Jennifer Hudson's family tragedy, the new T-Pain car coming to a store near you, Johnny Cash gets the hip-hop treatment, some new mash-ups, a new album title from Jadakiss and is Lil Wayne signed with Jay-Z or not?

With the disarray at home, I decided to go to the McDonald's drive through for dinner last night. I probably shouldn't have gone wearing my hockey mask that I'm using for a Halloween party on the weekend, but I needed a laugh. Well, it WAS somewhat funny, but they almost dropped my food in the bushes so I guess next time I'll just stick to sunglasses.

I'm home alone today, and I fully intend on making use of that by having a Godfather marathon of my own. The DVDs have been sitting gathering dust for over almost a month now and I'm DETERMINED. I have my DETERMINED face on too.

I'm also getting into Keak Da Sneak because it's ENERGETIC AND IT GETS ME WILD!!!

But I'm rambling, onto the news!

The News

Top Story

Jennifer Hudson's Family Tragedy



On Friday afternoon, a cousin who lived nearby found the bodies of Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother in their Chicago house.

A suspect is in police according to the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune. Police took Hudson's brother-in-law, William Balfour into custody in connection with the shooting. The 27-year-old was out on parole after serving time for several violent crimes, including attempted murder and carjacking. Balfour had been on parole in 2006 and would have completed parole next year.

Chicago authorities consider the double homicide a case of domestic violence. Balfour was involved with Hudson's sister Julia, who identified Balfour as her husband on a MySpace page. Balfour also lived at the residence where the shooting took place.

Hudson's nephew, Julian King, was declared missing after police investigated the scene. Chicago police have since confirmed that they have found the body of a child that is the same age as Julian King. According to sources, the body was found inside of the white Chevy Suburban that police were seeking, which was owned by Hudson's murdered brother, Jason Hudson.

At press time, the medical examiner has not made a positive ID on the body. Over the weekend, Hudson and her family had offered a $100,000 reward for the 7-year-old's safe return.

According to media sources, the Cook County medical examiner's office confirmed that Hudson identified her mother and brother's bodies yesterday.

Barack Obama his expressed his condolences via a statement issued over the weekend.

"Michelle and I were absolutely heartbroken to learn about this unimaginable tragedy and we want Jennifer to know that she is in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time."

He also added the was:

"trying to get a phone number to call her at this tragic time. She is somebody who has campaigned for me, she also lives in my community. So, we're really going to have to ... help her and pray for her and her family during this difficult time."

My condolences to her family at this time.

The T-Pain Car!

Billboard reports Apple and Rides magazine reached out to formulate a co-branding partnership with T-Pain for the new Apple/Hyundai designed car, the Digital Genesis. The companies are preparing a few grass roots events in promotion of the car, which will include T-Pain's music.

Early reports of the Genesis have the Korean automaker including an abundance of technological advancements in their latest vehicle. The Genesis is equipped with three computers-two Mac mini's and a Macbook Air-as well as an iPod Touch, iPhone and two wireless keyboards that slide out of the rear of the front seats. The base price for the Genesis is $30,000.

Because damn, we need more distractions whilst driving you know.

Apple and Hyundai will formally announce the launch of the Genesis during an event later in the fall. Event attendees will receive Apple download cards, with which they can use to download tracks from T-Pain and other artists on his Nappy Boy digital label. In addition to their customized version of the Genesis, T-Pain's co-manager, Mike Blumstein, says they have created signature T-Pain eyeglasses with Oakley, which will also be released later in the fall.

What's the automotive equivalent of an auto-tune? Every car should come equipped with one. Possibly something that makes the car sound better than it is…A BIG-ASS EXHAUST PIPE!



A Couple Of Mash-Ups

Johnny Cash Gets The Hip-Hop Treatment

Johnny Cash's music will undergo a drastic change early next year with the release of Johnny Cash Remixed, an interpretation LP featuring a plethora of today's top Hip-Hop and dance acts. The project is being supervised by Cash's son John Carter Cash, who insisted to Billboard.com that the album is a work his father would have welcomed.

"Dad would have loved this remix record. While it stays true to the original recordings, this CD touches on the undiscovered ground. This is what my father was about; staying true to tradition while creating groundbreaking new music."

I'm glad that there's a relative on board as usually this can ground projects like this from getting TOO ‘out there' in terms of collaborations or producers. Although, that never stopped Loyal To The Game from getting out of hand…

Snoop Dogg's rendition of the Cash classic "I Walk The Line" is promoted to be the disc's highlight, and includes production from Snoop's new production team QDT, comprised of Teddy Riley and DJ Quik.

"If you take your time and listen to it, country music is very similar to rap," Snoop reasoned. "Johnny Cash is the one who stood out to me. I love his style, his swag, the songs he made."

Snoop's experimented a bit with country music before with "My Medicine" off Ego Trippin' which was a surprise highlight for me. Interestingly, at one point, the song was going to be called "Johnny Cash".

Pete Rock will tackle another Cash signature track in "Folsom Prison Blues," a narrative song some have argued is a precursor to gritty, street music genres like Gangsta rap.

Also packaged with the release will be a DVD documentary detailing the project's progress through various studios such as the deceased legend's Cash Recording Cabin in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Johnny Cash Remixed is set for release on January 29 via Compadre Records.

Jay-Z & Coldplay

The recent release of Coldplay's "Lost" remix featuring Jay-Z has inspired a new project which crafts previously released material by both acts, into completely new material. The project, titled Viva La Hova, is the brainchild of frequent collaborators Mick Boogie and Terry Urban.

"Jay and Chris [Martin] represent all that is right with modern music and art and have collaborated a few times in recent years to great results," Mick Boogie said. "So why not extend that concept over an entire album? I thought when Danger Mouse did the Grey Album, it was just remarkable. And while I didn't like every song on there, when it was on, it was absolutely some of the most amazing stuff I had heard. Same with the Jay-Z/Linkin Park project. So we tried to take a collaboration that was already organic and make it real and also extend that quality level throughout the entire project."

Honestly, I think it was just a matter of time too until something like this came along. They might even make something official in the near future.

In addition to landing their own talent as producers, Mick and Urban recruited the talents of progressive and up-and-coming producers who they felt best grasped the concept they were aiming for. The producers, including 9th Wonder, The Amps, Cookin' Soul, Gooch, The Kickdrums, and nVMe were each assigned samples and snippets of Coldplay songs from which to create new tracks.

The results where then painstakingly matched up with Jay-Z lyrics to create the finished songs "No Love "Hola Blanco," a combination of Jay-Z's "Hola Hovito" and Coldplay's "White Shadows."

"As we began piecing together the correct verses to match the correct beats, it became clear how truly amazing this project really is," Mick Boogie boasted "This is what real music is supposed to sound like. The lyrical elegance of Shawn Carter, the vocal magic of Chris Martin, the finely tuned instruments of Coldplay, the creative visions by our team of producers, and lastly, our analysis of which Jay verse best fit each track. If you love Jay-Z and you're not into Coldplay, this is for you. If you love Coldplay, but don't mess with Hip-Hop, this is for you. If you love all good music, this is definitely for you. We hope this project bridges the gap between genres, fans, and generations."

Mick Boogie and Terry Urban previously collaborated on similar mash-up projects, including The Graduate, a combination of Kanye West lyrics and 9th Wonder beats. I'm yet to listen to this, but from the random snippets I did listen to, I should be kicking myself.

The Jay-Z / Linkin Park album actually got my cousin into hip-hop music…before he fell into the trap that is ringtone rap. Poor kid, he's at that age where EVERYTHING is ‘hot'. I suppose he's yet to become jaded with the sorry state of the genre when the, ahem, ‘genius' behind "Crank That" goes Platinum, and Nas is about to fall out of the Top 200 albums chart.

Common's Album Pushed Back To December

Originally set for release in November, it's now set for release December 9.



50 Cent To Produce Jam Master Jay Documentary

50 Cent will be serving as the executive producer of an upcoming documentary, which chronicles the life of Jam Master Jay. According to MTV, the documentary is titled Two Turntables and a Microphone and features interviews with various people who were close to Jam Master Jay including 50 Cent, Onyx, Rev Run and Russell Simmons.

Jam Master Jay played a major part in the early stages of 50 Cent's career. He was shot to death in his Queens studio in 2002 and his murder has not been solved.

"It's not a random act of violence. People just don't walk in your studio, shoot and kill you with several other people around, and no one knows anything," 50 Cent said. "I believe the documentary sheds light on it - a little bit. It creates a clearer picture of what actually happened at that point. People just heard, 'Jam Master Jay got shot.' They don't understand the circumstances. (The film) creates some clarity."

A release date for the documentary was not revealed.

Jadakiss Changes Album Title

Jadakiss was forced to change the name of his upcoming solo album after receiving negative feedback from retailers. The project, formerly titled Kiss My Ass has been officially changed to The Last Kiss.

"I had to change the name of my album," 'Kiss explained in an interview with video show The Best of Both Offices. "Kiss My Ass wasn't testing well at retail. Not even with the exclamations or none of that. So we had to switch it to The Last Kiss."

After changing the title to The Last Kiss, fans felt that this was his way of signifying that it would be his last solo effort. Jada has been quick to dispel any fears of his retirement:

"Some people asked me is it my last album. Nah, it's just ... the first album was Kiss The Game Goodbye, the second one was The Kiss of Death, so this one was The Last Kiss. It's the closing of a trilogy... It's the last time ‘Kiss' is going to be in the album titles. This is why this is The Last Kiss."

Jadakiss also revealed that he will be collaborating with Young Jeezy on a track, and that he is a few songs away from finishing the album. He also said that he may use the title Kiss My Ass for a nearly completed mixtape he plans to put out sometime in the very near future. The Last Kiss is set for release on December 9th.

Remember when Ol' Dirty Bastard had Nigga Please? Given the title was censored in a way on the cover, but still…

Lil Wayne Rumors False!


My sister is in love with Wayne's teeth…she always was an odd one

Representatives for Lil Wayne officially rebutted reports that he has signed with Jay-Z's newly launched Roc Nation label. The rumors began on October 27 when an entertainment site (I think it was angryape.com) reported that the superstar New Orleans emcee had signed with Jay-Z for a flat rate of $5 million, and would release a new version of Tha Carter III in early 2009.

A new version of Tha Carter III is still rumored to be in the works though.

Roc Nation is the cornerstone of Jay-Z's $150 million partnership with concert promoter Live Nation. To date, Jay himself is the only Hip-Hop artist signed to the label. The rebuttal comes as Wayne is receiving backlash from fans for missing two high-profile concert appearances in the last two days. On October 26, Wayne abruptly no-showed a headline concert featuring Ludacris, T-Pain, and Rick Ross after being dissatisfied with the venue's sound system.

The angry crowd of 8,000 fans was offered full refunds, and many left before the show's conclusion following the announcement. While Ludacris did his best to salvage the show, concert officials report the Atlanta rapper was greeted with loud Wayne chants throughout his set. On October 27, Li Wayne again no-showed a concert in Boston for JAMN's 94.5 Monster Jam.

The concert was set to feature Wayne and Jay-Z as co-headliners. However, reports allege the New Orleans native refused to perform once notified his camp would be screened per the venue's security regulations. Forced to improvise, Jay-Z took the stage early and was supported by additional performances from Ne-Yo, Yung Berg, Brandy, Ray J, and Jadakiss.

I have to say, an improv and longer Jay-Z concert isn't exactly something I'd be disappointed with. Just leave Yung Berg at home next time, he's heading for another ass beating. Well, he hasn't had one in about two weeks, so he's overdue you know.

50 Cent Talks Another Sales War



After last years album sales showdown between Kanye West and 50 Cent, many are expecting a similar showdown this year, due to the closeness of the album release dates.

"There's no comparisons in us as artists", 50 Cent told MTV. "We're almost the yin and the yang, it's almost the opposite. It almost was taboo for you to make a love record from a Hip-Hop perspective. That was actually reserved for LL Cool J and "I Need Love" and "I Can Love You Better." He was the only Hip-Hop artist that actually did that prior to what I see coming from Kanye, and for him to make an entire love album. Like it's pretty much based on love and Auto-Tunes, 808's, and heartbreak. I can't wait to see what this does."

Last year, Kanye West's Graduation sold a little over 300,000 more copies domestically than 50 Cent's Curtis in first week sales. 808s And Heartbreak will be released on November 25 and Before I Self Destruct will be released on December 9.

For those who still cling to the "50 Cent sold more worldwide than Kanye did" argument, I'd like to tell that Sydney did not have ANY COPIES of Graduation ANYWHERE for the first week it was out. I visited about 15 different shops, in three different areas too, so it wasn't just my area. No, we hadn't sold out either as one person suggested to me.

Anyway, I'm going to give some more thoughts on Kanye's album next week.

M.O.P. And John Cena Involved In Lawsuit


Hey look, it's Snoop Dogg!

John Cena has found himself at the center of a tangled, new copyright infringement lawsuit over his use of an M.O.P. sample. According to a lawsuit filed by publishing administration firm The Royalty Network, Inc. Cena, the WWE, Sony BMG Music, Stephanie Music Publishing and Cherry Lane are accused of unauthorized use of the sample from M.O.P.'s 2000 hit "Ante Up."

At issue is a line described in court documents as "a distinctive freestyle rap - 'BRRR Abado'," the infamous war cry which appears at the beginning of the track. The same line appears three times in Cena's song "The Time is Now", his current entrance theme.

Ok, well I KNOW I've heard it somewhere, but my version of "Ante Up" doesn't actually have that bit, it just has Funkmaster Flex refusing to shut the hell up. But yeah, I do know the bit they're talking about…maybe it's on the remix I heard it.

Royalty Network is pursuing the lawsuit on behalf of M.O.P.'s long time manager - Laze Elliot - not M.O.P. The Royalty Network represents Elliot through an agreement his publishing company, Blind Man's Bluff Music.

Because of a 1993 recording agreement between Elliot's Blaze Entertainment and M.O.P., the publishing company has a 50 percent stake in the group's 2/3 ownership of the song, with the additional third belonging to producer D/R Period. In December 2004, the law firm of Pryor, Cashman, Sherman and Flynn requested that Blind Man's Bluff release the sample through a "gratis license," meaning that they would forfeit all royalties tied to the use of the sample. That request was denied.

According to the lawsuit, an unauthorized employee of Next Level Music would later grant the request, allegedly, a company co-owned by D/R Period. However, he had allegedly already signed away the licensing rights of his minority interest in the song, giving a company named Spirit Two Music, the sole control of those rights. This, in turn, made the sample clearance null and void, as someone who held no rights to it gave it to the WWE.

The Royalty Network is seeking to have John Cena's "The Time Is Now" destroyed.

BUT WHAT WILL JOHN CENA COME TO THE RING TO???????

They are also asking for compensatory damages equal to $750 to $30,000 for each time the song has been used, for a grand total of no less than $150,000.

That's crazy, just think how many times he's come to the ring since the song was created.

At press time, M.O.P. member Billy Danze declined to comment on the lawsuit, as he was examining the details surrounding it.

New Biggie Documentary

On the heels of the motion picture release of Notorious, comes an inside look at the "real" Christopher Wallace in the documentary Biggie Small: Rap Phenomenon.

Biggie Small: Rap Phenomenon is produced by Biggie's close friend Damion Butler, known to some as D-Roc and directed by April Maiya. The uncut documentary will come straight to DVD and include home video from D-Roc as well as unseen interviews.

Stephen Bolles, Media Director of Gold Dust Media said this documentary offers a new perspective on the late Hip-Hop icon: "There are a lot of documentaries dealing with the drama of [Biggie's] life or his beef with the West Coast, but this documentary offers an inside look at the real Biggie, on and off stage."

The documentary features interviews with Biggie as well as appearances by D-Roc, Diddy, Lil Kim, Lil Cease, Jay-Z, L.O.X., Damon Dash, DJ Enuff and Datwon Thomas. Mr. Bolles said the film offers a complimentary look to Biggie compared to the upcoming motion picture Notorious. "[That film] is the Hollywood take on Biggie's life, whereas [Biggie Small: Rap Phenomenon] is the raw footage; it's like the two sides of a coin."
"The DVD will also offer insight into Biggie's dreams and aspirations as interviews delve into more personal subject matter," Mr. Bolles said.

The film hits stores January 27, 2009 on Gold Dust Media.

Sales Figures

T.I. drops two places to Number 3 this week, with 93,400 copies of Paper Trail sold bringing his total to 971,000. Pending some disaster, he should be Platinum next week. Lil Wayne and Ne-Yo hold fast with Wayne selling only about 500 copies less than last week, bringing his total to 2,601,600 whereas Ne-Yo breaks the 500,000 mark with 30,700 copies sold, with a grand total of 521,500.

Young Jeezy and The Game are also still lurking around the Top 25, with Jeezy moving just under 21,000 copies of The Recession this week, bringing his total to 561,000. Game is doing well, considering he doesn't really have a single active on the radio with 16,400 copies sold this week, with a grand total of 531,800.

Much further down the charts, there's Nelly with Brass Knuckles selling 5,600 copies, bringing his total to 152,300. DJ Khaled hasn't seen success like his previous albums either, selling around 4,200 copies, with a total of just 97,500. Meanwhile, Nas is looking to drop out of the Top 200, selling only 2,800 copies this week, bringing his total to 407,100, still far from a Gold plaque.

Next week there's Prodigy's collaboration album and Black Milk to debut. Everything seems to be on hold until November and December though.

Before We Go…

Time for The Godfather. Catch you next week!