Jackson 5 Get The Remix Treatment
09:00PM ET March 19, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Ever since the King of Pop passed away 9 months ago, the market has been flooded with Jackson related material. However very few of them have been as interactive as the new Jackson 5 iPhone/iPod Touch application by Universal Music Enterprises and EMI Publishing and Zooz Mobile.

The ZOOZbeat Jackson 5 Remix iPhone app allows users to remix classic Jackson 5 songs by shaking, tilting or tapping the screen. Users can create and combine Michael Jackson's vocals with track and upload their creations to the company's website and com and share with friends via Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.

The company is also running a contest where contestants can win cash prizes as well as Jackson memorabilia.

The app dropped earlier this week and is currently available in the iPhone app store.

Akon Launches Konvict Fragrance
03:00PM ET March 19, 2010
Contributor : Jecquea Howsie
A Rocky Williform Company

A long way from the prison walls that allegedly used to confine him, Konvict music front-man, Akon, figured out a way to triple his money. Like many celebrities, he's decided to launch a fragrance.

If you are a big fan of Akon or jail picking up Akon's newest scent-with matching handcuffs, should do the trick. Although the cheaper version sells for $35, Akon reportedly has an upscale version called Aliaune (his given first name) on the way for $55.

Unlike many other celebrities, Akon's deal is not a licensing deal. The singer will independently produce his own lines through a newly-formed company called Konvict Cosmetics Int'l.

Erykah's All About The Romance
12:00PM ET March 19, 2010
Contributor : Jecquea Howsie
A Rocky Williform Company

Erykah Badu is back with a vengeance; her new album New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh drops March 30^th.

As an album that "taps" into Erykah's emotional side, focusing on romance and relationships, Erykah says, "With Part I, I was standing at an apex, looking at what was going on around me politically, socially, and economically," she explained. "With Part II, I'm hovering over me, looking at what's going on inside of me."

The album's artwork reflects Badu's state of mind. It pictures her with a literally open mind. The artwork is made by EMEK, the artist who previously designed cover art of her New Amerykah Part 1.

Badu will be appearing on several talk shows starting March 25 including Jimmy Kimmel, Wendy Williams and Chelsea Lately.

Rude Boy Goes #1
06:00AM ET March 19, 2010
Contributor : Madame C
A Rocky Williform Company

R&B and pop sensation Rihanna has bagged her sixth number one single to date since she debuted as Jay-Z's protégé in 2005 hailing from the small island of Barbados with her debut album Music of the Sun. The island beauty's latest single "Rude Boy," an up-tempo and flirtatious track, has inexcusably bypassed other singles in the nation and currently sits at the top spot.

This recent accomplishment is noteworthy as her latest album Rated R was dismal in sales compared to her past releases which were instant hits. Many believe that the album's dark and gloomy concept did not sit well with fans and listeners alike. Yet, must we not forget the tumultuous and horrific place the singer was in a year ago as a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of one-time boyfriend and singer Chris Brown. It might be safe to say that Rated R was a therapeutic album of healing and "Rude Boy" is a ray of joy in an album saturated in pain.

The singer is currently in the studio working on her follow-up album and has been reported to be collaborating with talented singer and songwriter Sean Garrett. Nevertheless, with six number one singles and counting, Rihanna can be as rude as she wants to be.

Sade Turns Drake Down
06:00AM ET March 19, 2010
Contributor : Madame C
A Rocky Williform Company

New kid on the block, rapper Drake literally has the world at his fingertips. The talented MC can literally have anything he asks for, from covering your favorite magazine, having numerous endorsement deals, songwriting credits, and features to having the backing of some of music's elite-all except one that is.

Earlier this year the rapper professed his longing and desire to collaborate with the legendary soul singer Sade on his upcoming debut studio album, Thank Me Later. Amid numerous interviews of a gushing and anxious Drake, Sade declined his offer, breaking the rapper's musical heart. The renowned soul legend said about her refusal:

"I've never collaborated because I've always avoided working outside my safety zone — I can be exactly who I am and can fail or succeed within the moment. I feel safe working like I do. I wouldn't want to work in a situation where I am expected to deliver, because I think I wouldn't deliver."

The mysterious and somewhat mystifying singer rarely collaborates with other artists, so when Drake received the news he understood. Perhaps he will just have to prove to Sade that he is indeed worthy of collaborating with after the release of Thank Me Later which is expected this May. Drake said of being rejected:

"Other people's visuals, other people's songs, stepping outside your zone can jeopardize your brand. It can bring you down as opposed to bring you up. I personally feel we could have done something amazing. But I don't think she really knows who I am, really, my genre of music. I put it out there. It was more of a hopeful thing. It was a very early stage where I was at when I said that I was hoping. One day. Maybe after this album comes out." Apparently Drake didn't catch wind of Sade saying she was feeling Raekwon's OB4CL2 album. This proves that she is definitely aware of the genre.

There just might be hope for a future collaboration between the budding rapper and the historic singer. Yet again, it might be wise not to hold your breath.

Precious Continues Winning Ways
06:00AM ET March 19, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Precious is continuing to dominate America's consciousness. The film recently won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay and it now ranks number 1 in DVD sales and rentals. Precious sold 1.5 million copies and topped both Amazon and iTunes rental charts.

Thus far Precious has grossed $47.5 million to date during its theatrical run.

50 Reveals More Details On New Album
09:00PM ET March 18, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

50 Cent has clearly reached the point in his career where he is willing to experiment with his music and do something different from the "aggressive content" his fans have become accustomed to. While touring the UK, 50 began recording dance/techno music for his upcoming album Black Magic.

"My Black Magic album, I've been listening to a lot of different kinds of music. I just want to create something that's outta the box," 50 told radio host Tim Westwood. "It ain't the same style, same kinda music. I'm using different song formats. I'll write a rap song in a sequence of a different kind of record...To write it in a different format, instead of writing it the way the traditional rap record is written, it's to experiment with different things. It's still hip-hop music, still 50 Cent content, it's just written in a different way..."

There is no release date as of press time for 50's new album.

Big Pooh On March Madness
03:00PM ET March 18, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

In addition to his duties as one half of the rap duo Little Brother, Big Pooh is also a big sports fan and he will be sharing his thoughts on the March Madness NCAA basketball tourney via a blog on slamonline.com

In the first entry Pooh introduced himself to those who may not be familiar with him. "I'm a sports fanatic, especially basketball," Big Pooh blogged. "I grew up in the D.C. area and my allegiance has always been with the hometown teams. I pull for Georgetown and Maryland, although I lean towards Maryland if they were to ever meet head-to-head in the NCAA tournament."

The NCAA Division 1 basketball tournament began earlier today and will continue throughout the month until a champion is crowned in Indinapolis, IN.

Pharoahe Monch Joins Duck Down
12:00PM ET March 18, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Pharoahe Monch's upcoming third solo opus W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) will be distributed by Duck Down Entertainment. Monch previously announced that he would be leaving his SRC to distribute W.A.R. through his own imprint, W.A.R. Media due to his desire to leave the major label machine

"I'm incredibly excited about my upcoming release W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) and my new partnership between my company W.A.R. Media, LLC, and Duck Down Music," Monch told allhiphop.com. "This album deals with conflicts and resolutions of the spirit, the soul, the government, and the industry among other things."

Monch is in the process of working on W.A.R. and says the album which features production from M-Phazes, Marco Polo, Mike Low, Fatin, Lee Stone, Exile should be ready by summer of this year.

Ludacris Celebrates 4^th #1 Studio Album
06:00AM March 18, 2010
Contributor : Madame C
A Rocky Williform Company

It has certainly been a week of big wins for Atlanta's own, Ludacris. The rapper has just earned his fourth number one studio album in the country with Battle of the Sexes. The rapper battled 199 other albums to take the number one spot on Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart, with 137,000 units sold within its first week. This is quite an achievement not only for the rapper but for Hip Hop as the climate of the industry has become somewhat somber especially with sales.

Battle of the Sexes is Ludacris' 7^th studio album and is the first rap album to top the charts in 2010 following Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 which debuted at number one in October 2009.

This achievement is just days after Ludacris earned his fifth number one single with Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart," tying the record with entrepreneur and CEO Sean "Diddy" Combs in being the first rappers with five number one pop singles.

"How Low," the first single from Battle of the Sexes, has since gone platinum in ringtone sales, with over a million sold, before the album was even released. It is apparent that Ludacris spoke his success into existence since proclaiming and projecting this milestone on "Number One Spot" from 2007's The Red Light District, rapping,

"Keep it goin it won't stop! (What you doin man?)
I'm comin for that number one spot!"

Indeed, you have Luda. Indeed.

Jay-Z Rock Ties
06:00AM March 18, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Jay-Z has rocked out with U2's Bono, Coldplay's Chris Martin and Lenny Kravitz, now, he can add Jack White to that list.

In an interview with GQ The White Stripes singer Jack White said that he and Jay have recorded something incredible.

"I just did a record with Jay-Z," he noted. "We did a song together a few weeks ago. It was incredible. I played him something that I've been kicking around for a while and he immediately came out with words for it. It's unbelievable-sounding."

It is not clear if the record will be featured on Jay-Z's next album or the next White Stripes project.

Waka Flocka Violates Probation
09:00PM ET March 17, 2010
Contributor : Madame C
A Rocky Williform Company

It appears as if the recent trend in hip hop is to adorn metal bracelets and spend time in the slammer. Just months after being victim to an attempted robbery and being shot in Atlanta, GA, Gucci Mane's protégé, Waka Flocka Flame is following in his mentor's footsteps of breaking the law.

Waka Flocka Flame, whose government name is Juaquin James Malphurs, is being held in a Houston County jail in Georgia for violating his probation. He was formerly placed on probation in Atlanta for possession of a sawed-off shotgun and has since been recently jailed for violating the terms of his probation by leaving the borders of Georgia without legal consent. The rapper has been illegally performing his recent hit, "O Let's Do It," at venues across the nation.

The 23-year-old rapper is being held without bail and is due to appear in court in a matter of weeks. This recent news follows the completion of a recent video shoot of a remix to his chart-topping "O Let's Do It" featuring Sean "Diddy" Combs, Rick Ross, and a currently jailed Gucci Mane. Waka's song, "O Let's Do It" is garnering heavy airplay and will continue "to do it" as the rapper sits in a jail cell.

Waka's arrest makes him the umpteen rapper to be placed behind bars. His mother and CEO of So Icey Entertainment, Debra Artney could not be reached for comment.

Chamillionaire Gets Release Date
03:00PM ET March 17, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Chamillionaire's long-awaited third album, Venom got an official release date this week for June 22nd on Chamillitary/Universal Republic.

In the meantime Cham and his partner Paul Wall embark on their "In Love with My Money" tour starting tonight in Austin, TX. The tour will make stops at L.A.'s House of Blues and route through 19 other cities including Vegas, San Francisco and Portland.

Stay tuned to HHB for album artwork, single information and tracklisting for Venom.

Justin Bieber Headlines 1^st Tour
12:00PM ET March 17, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

America’s favorite little guy Justin Bieber will head out on tour this summer for the first time in support of his sophomore album My World 2.0. The 16-year-old pop sensation’s fans will have a chance to see him first as pre-sale tickets will be held via the musician's fan club, Bieberfever.com on March 18 at 10 a.m.

He will be joined by Sean Kingston as a supporting act.

Full tour date information:
Wed 06/23/10 Hartford, CT XL Center
Thu 06/24/10 Trenton, NJ Sun National Bank Center
Sat 06/26/10 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena
Sun 06/27/10 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheater
Tue 06/29/10 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
Wed 06/30/10 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
Fri 07/02/10 Moline, IL i wireless Center
Sat 07/03/10 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Omaha
Mon 07/05/10 Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Theatre At Grand Prairie
Tue 07/06/10 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Thu 07/08/10 Broomfield, CO 1STBANK Center
Sat 07/10/10 West Valley City, UT The E Center
Tue 07/13/10 Everett, WA Comcast Arena At Everett
Wed 07/14/10 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena
Sat 07/17/10 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
Sun 07/18/10 Reno, NV Reno Events Center
Tue 07/20/10 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE
Wed 07/21/10 Paso Robles, CA Grandstand @ California Mid State Fair
Sat 07/24/10 Las Vegas, NV Planet Hollywood Theatre For The Performing Arts
Sun 07/25/10 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena
Wed 07/28/10 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Thu 07/29/10 North Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena
Sat 07/31/10 Memphis, TN FedExForum
Sun 08/01/10 Lafayette, LA Cajundome
Wed 08/04/10 Orlando, FL Amway Arena
Thu 08/05/10 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center
Sun 08/08/10 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
Mon 08/09/10 Duluth, GA The Arena At Gwinnett Center
Wed 08/11/10 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Thu 08/12/10 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse
Sat 08/14/10 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
Sun 08/15/10 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills
Sat 08/21/10 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Sun 08/22/10 London, ON The John Labatt Centre
Tue 08/24/10 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
Wed 08/25/10 Albany, NY Times Union Center
Fri 08/27/10 Providence, RI Dunkin' Donuts Center
Sat 08/28/10 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Sun 08/29/10 Syracuse, NY New York State Fairgrounds
Tue 08/31/10 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena
Wed 09/01/10 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
Fri 09/03/10 Essex Junction, VT Champlain Valley Exposition

Wayne Wanted In Arizona
06:00AM ET March 17, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

An Arizona judge issued a bench warrant Tuesday for Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne after he failed to appear for a hearing on drug and weapons charges the only problem is, he's always in jail.

Lil Wayne was arrested in January 2008 at a border checkpoint after authorities say they found cocaine, Ecstasy and a handgun on his tour bus. However he plead not guilty to the charges.

Tilson said he has filed motions to have Lil Wayne's March 30 trial date vacated, and asked the court that his client be allowed to appear in Yuma when he finishes his New York jail sentence.

Michael Jackson Estate Signs Big Deal
06:00AM ET March 17, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Michael Jackson's estate signed the most lucrative record deal in history by agreeing to a seven year contract with Sony Records worth an estimated $250 million.

The contract Sony access to MJ's back catalog (for two additional years on the existing deal) granting them permission to release unreleased music from the King of Pop.

The deal also calls for 10 additional CD's of old and new Jackson music.

Jackson's catalog has sold 31 million records since his death some 9 months ago.

Akon Branches Out
06:00AM ET March 17, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

According to thesundaily.com R&B superstar Akon will be contributing to the soundtrack for an upcoming Bollywood movie. Akon's song will be featured in the film RA.One, a sci-fi action film currently in production starring Shah Rukh Khan as a flying superhero and actress Kareena Kapoor as his love interest.

Akon will sing in the local Hindi language on the track and appear in the video for the song.

"India is my next focus area," Akon told reporters. "I want to try different things, want to explore ... want to enjoy my work. We have the same kind of entertainment; the only difference is of tradition and language."

Props to Akon for taking his flavor to an international level.

Lil Wayne Goes Gold With 'Rebirth'
09:00PM ET March 16, 2010
Contributor : Madame C
A Rocky Williform Company

Rocking an orange jumpsuit and sitting in a jail cell has not stopped Lil Wayne from topping the charts and selling records. His latest rock-inspired album, Rebirth has just been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Rebirth has sold over 500,000 copies since it debuted five weeks ago at number 2 on the Billboard charts, selling 176,000 copies in its first week. The album has spawned chart-topping singles including "Prom Queen," "On Fire," and "Drop The World" featuring Eminem. The album's next single will be "Knockout" featuring Nicki Minaj.

Trading 808s for guitar riffs, many critics were hesitant of the rapper entering new territory with this album's sound but it is apparent anything that Lil Wayne touches turns to gold. Literally.

Jay-Z Expands Tour
03:00PM ET March 16, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Jay-Z has added a few dates to his already busy international schedule. Already scheduled to play a few large festivals in the UK in June, he has added more dates in Germany, France, Scotland, Switzerland and Ireland to the tour.

Here is the full slate of Europe dates:
6/4/10: Rock am Ring, Germany
6/5/10: Rock im Park, Germany
6/6/10: Paris Bercy, France
6/7/10: Manchester Arena, UK
6/9/10: Birmingham LG Arena, UK
6/11/10: Isle of Wight, UK
7/2/10: Eurockéennes Belfort, France
7/4/10: Wireless, UK
7/9/10: Oxygen, Ireland
7/10/10: Frauenfeld, Switzerland
7/11/10: T in the Park, Scotland

Luda Ties Record
12:00PM ET March 16, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Ludacris reached a milestone last week when Taio Cruz single "Break Your Heart" reached number one on Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Luda believed he became the first rapper to have 5 number 1 pop singles but quickly found out that he had just tied the record.

Luda tweeted about a call he received from frequent collaborator Diddy clarifying his error. "That nigga Diddy just called me & said "Nigga I got 5 # 1's on Billboard too & I ain't goin out without a fight." Now I gotta get 6! It's on."

Here are the songs that tied Luda with Diddy:
Taio Cruz Ft. Ludacris "Break Your Heart" (March 11, 2010)
Fergie Ft. Ludacris "Glamorous" (March 24, 2007)
Ludacris Ft. Pharrell "Money Maker" (October 28, 2006)
Usher Ft. Ludacris & Lil Jon "Yeah!" (March 6, 2004)
Ludacris Ft. Shawnna "Stand Up" (December 6, 2003)