The fight over unreleased 2pac material

Tupac Shakur Afeni Shakur Suge Knight

The mother of late rapper Tupac Shakur is trying to stop his former record label selling unreleased recordings as part of a bankruptcy settlement.

Afeni Shakur is seeking an injunction in a bankruptcy court claiming Death Row Records is attempting to sell material that belongs to his estate.

Unreleased material should have been turned over to the estate as part of a 1997 agreement, her lawyer said. The court is expected to consider the request in the next month. At the same time, it will decide whether Death Row should be allowed to release an album with the unreleased tracks to help pay its debts, according to Ms Shakur’s lawyer Donald David.

After Tupac’s death, Death Row and the rapper’s family settled for an undisclosed sum amid allegations that the label had defrauded Shakur. But Death Row’s fortunes - and those of its owner, Marion “Suge” Knight - started to slide after the shooting in 1996.

In 2005, Suge Knight was ordered to pay $107m (£51.8m) to a woman who claimed she helped found the record label, but was forced out once Knight realised how lucrative it had become.

Knight sought bankruptcy protection in April 2006, claiming debts of more than $100m (£48.5m) for both himself and the record label. Last month, the rap mogul placed his seven-bedroom home on the market for $6.2m (£3m) as part of his financial overhaul.

Afeni Shakur was an important member of the Black Panther Party editing and writing columns for the Panther Post with cunning that it misled the FBI to believe that the Black Panther Party was defunct, while in fact it was growing. While pregnant with Tupac, she was incarcerated for withholding information that could have led to the arrest of leading members of “Panther 21″. While in prison, Afeni Shakur reportedly obtained a court order to have one boiled egg per day because the food within the jail was unfit for an expecting mother. Since her son’s death she has overseen Tupac’s unreleased material. By bringing in the best producers Tupac has sold millions of albums posthumously. Afeni has revealed this month Tupac recorded 147 songs when he was on Death Row Records.

Is R’n'B / Rap the new prog rock?

R'n'B Rap the new prog rock

Someone once said rap was the new punk rock.

Early hip hop was an independent truth from the streets and has often been credited with helping to reduce inner-city gang violence by replacing physical violence with hip hop battles of dance, rap and art.

During the early 1990s however, a commercial strain emerged with many rappers boasting about drugs, weapons, misogyny, and violence. Socially and politically conscious hip hop has long been disregarded by mainstream America in favour of a gangsta, bling/ego, indulgent rap and R’n'B.

Unfortunately, what started on the streets in reaction to events of social injustice and individual and communal alienation is now, according to many observers, an orgy of ego and excess.

Rewind back to late seventies UK. Punk bands stood aggressively against the excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. Windswept guitar histrionics, gushing key boards, lyrics full of mystical allusions and song titles bearing no relation to the music.

The icons for the era would be Yes, ELP and King Crimson. But more credible characters weren’t without blame, as one modern critic has said, “without doubt the most singularly pernicious and damaging influence on the shape and future direction of pop is the Who’s ‘Tommy’. After ‘Tommy’ no one wanted to say in 3 minutes what they could drag out over as many hours. It introduced the era of the rock opera and the concept album, the most celebrated vehicles of rock’s demented pretensions.’

But the critics of the day were seemingly fooled; “listening to an early test pressing round Bob Fripp’s flat the other day, it was impossible not to be awed by the sheer scope and size of the music. It has scale and grandeur unparalleled in rock, and its inner complexities rival those of the great classical composers. You get the feeling that if Wagner were alive today he would be working with King Crimson.”

So what has this got to do with now? Well, there are parallels between what we have now and what punk was reacting against. The great and the good of Hip Hop and R’n'B seem to be intent on highlighting their wealth and possessions in their music and videos. They have a tendency to seek out others of a similar standing and talent to perform collaborations and, even worse, supergroups. We even have a mimicking of the dreaded concept album with the insertion of meaningless skit or filler tracks in rap albums.

If you’re not bored with the bling-dulgence of rap and R’n'B there’s the boy bands, the girl bands, the re-issues, the re-unions, the stadium bands, the c*ck rock and c*nt rock.

“Sometimes the most positive thing you can be in a boring society is absolutely negative.”
Johnny Rotten

Kanye West and 50 Cent albums release date coincide on 9/11

Kanye West vs 50 Cent

Kanye West’s Graduation and 50 Cent’s Curtis will share the same release date.

Pushing back of both stars’ third albums have meant a release coinciding on September 11th.

Graduation reportedly features Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Jon Brion, among others. The album’s lead singles, “Cant Tell Me Nothing” and “Stronger,” are currently being play on US radio.

50 Cent has questioned West’s sexual orientation. “He said because he was raised by his mother, he has feminine ways,” said 50. “That right there is who Kanye West is to me. That statement is stuck in my head. He said it like he meant it”.

“He puts together witty phrases and he’s a great talent as a producer. By listening to the record, I don’t know who he is — I know he’s been in a car accident, that’s what I know.”

He has also described the rapper’s music as non-threatening “I feel like Kanye West is successful because of me. After 50 Cent, [hip-hop fans] was looking for something non-confrontational, and they went after first thing that came along. That was Kanye West, and his record took off.”

He has also disagreed with West’s infamous statement that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

In response Kanye West has either maintained a dignified silence and has actually praised 50 Cent claiming that he deserves more credit at award ceremonies.

Talking about the 2004 Grammys, he said, “I remember being there and Evanescence won… and it’s like ‘who?’” Kanye told MTV’s TRL. ”

“When that first album came out, it was 50 Cent by a mile. How could you have the audacity to let anyone [else] win? He was a sure win for any competition he was in so anything he didn’t win that year, he was robbed.”

Surprises in back catalogue sales

Apart from the obvious Beatles, the Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, etc., vintage Metallica, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Guns ‘N Roses and compilations sell well, according to Nielsen SoundScan catalogue charts which measure how well physical albums older than two years old are selling in the US.

AC/DC’s “Back in Black” (1980) last year sold 440,000 copies and has thus far sold 156,000 this year. Those numbers would make most contemporary CDs a success. Metallica’s self-titled 1991 album is altogether the second-biggest selling album of the Nielsen SoundScan era, which began in 1991. “Metallica” sold 275,000 copies last year.

Bon Jovi’s greatest hits collection “Cross Road” last year sold 324,000 copies, while Guns ‘N Roses “Appetite for Destruction” (1987) sold 113,000. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” (1996) continues to be a holiday favorite; it was bought 289,000 times last year.

Greatest hits compilations account for the majority of vintage best-sellers. Artists that commercially peaked in the ’80s or ’90s that have had lucrative best-of collections include Garth Brooks, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tim McGraw, Creed, Queen, Tom Petty, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Def Leppard, Aerosmith and Lionel Richie.

U2, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Celine Dion, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Dave Matthews Band and the ever-touring Jimmy Buffett also all continue to sell large amounts of old records. Michael Jackson still has a desirable back catalogueue. His best selling “Thriller” moves over 60,000 copies a year and his “Number Ones” collection yielded 162,000 sales last year.

“Young fans aren’t excluded from catalogue sales – especially the ones who really get interested in music,” says Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts at Billboard Magazine.

Not everything maintains long-term success. Asia’s self-titled 1982 album was the biggest seller of 1982, but only sold 5,000 copies last year. Whitney Houston’s 1985 debut, also self-titled, was 1986’s top album, but now sells about 7,000 a year.

The same trajectory has befallen past mega-hits like Ace of Base’s “The Sign,” Bobby Brown’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and the Spice Girl’s “Spice.” And one of the best selling artists of all time, Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut sold a measly 5,000 copies last year. The Backstreet Boys’ “Millennium” managed only 9,000 sales.

And conversely, some critical hits that were trounced on their initial release by the likes of ‘N Sync can claim a measure of commercial superiority. The Flaming Lips’ “Soft Bulletin,” often hailed as one of the best albums of the `90s by critics, sold a solid 38,000 copies last year.

Radiohead’s legendary “OK Computer,” currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary, last year sold 94,000 copies. Nirvana’s “Nevermind” has done even better; it sold 143,000 copies in 2006.

Current events can alter the charts. When Ray Charles died, his older albums spiked for months, says Mayfield. A new album from Alanis Morissette would surely increase sales of her 1995 disc “Jagged Little Pill,” one of the best selling albums of the past 20 years.

Likewise, recent reunions of the Police and Genesis can be expected to increase sales of their catalogues. The Police’s 1986 compilation “Every Breath You Take” has already doubled its already strong 2006 sales by selling 107,000 copies so far this year.

Many well-regarded albums continue to do healthy business, including: U2’s “Joshua Tree,” Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic,” Beck’s “Odelay,” Wu-Tang Clan’s “Enter the Wu-Tang,” the Clash’s “London Calling,” Weezer’s “Weezer,” and the Pixies’ “Doolittle.” Each sold at least 20,000 copies last year.

Still, many albums that are consistently revered on critic top-ten lists of the `80s and `90s have not sold much. Joy Division’s “Closer,” the Smiths’ “The Queen is Dead,” My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless,” and REM’s “Murmur” all sold 12,000 copies or less last year.

Many of rap’s most historic albums don’t enjoy the catalogue sales that those from rock’s heyday do. Public Enemy’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” sold 15,000 copies last year; Beastie Boys’ “Paul’s Boutique” sold 22,000; and Run DMC’s “Raising Hell” sold far less than both.

So far this year, catalogue sales are down 11.7 percent, but that’s stronger than overall sales, which are down 14.7 percent. It’s a major portion of the music business. This year’s total catalogue sales may accounts for about 40 percent of all albums sold physically and over 60% of all download sales in the U.S.

Prince’s free album giveaway angers industry

PrincePrince launched his new Planet Earth album as a free giveaway with a national Sunday newspaper in the UK and has drawn widespread condemnation from music retailers.

The 10-track CD was available free yesterday’s newspaper which usually sells 2,300,000 copies in the UK (an edition containing a giveaway of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells album earlier this year sold 2.6m copies, while the edition that carried news of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales sold 2.8m copies).

“It’s all about giving music for the masses and he believes in spreading the music he produces to as many people as possible,” said Mail on Sunday managing director Stephen Miron. “The Mail on Sunday is the biggest distributor of albums in this country, we are saying to retailers we would be happy to engage in dialogue.”

One music store executive described the plan as “madness” while others said it was a huge insult to an industry battling fierce competition from supermarkets and online stores.

“It would be an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career,” The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) co-chairman Paul Quirk told a music conference. “It would be yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music.”

Prince, whose Purple Rain sold more than 11m copies, also plans to give away a free copy of his latest album with each ticket sold for his upcoming string of concerts in London.

Cee-Lo promises new Gnarls Barkley CD by Christmas and reunites with Goodie Mob

Cee-Lo with cool shadesCee-Lo Green recently spoke about his upcoming projects including a new Gnarls Barkley record and a comeback album with former group Goodie Mob.

In a recent interview with Billboard, he confirmed that he has re-united with Goodie Mob for a new CD. They broke up after 1999’s World Party.

Cee-Lo is also working on Gnarls Barkley’s sophomore album with Danger Mouse which is due for release in December. Cee-Lo told Billboard that the duo will not market or promote the project like they did with their debut album, St. Elsewhere. The duo will also not be embarking on a tour to support the album.

“Gnarls is something we want to salvage. It’s not to be exploited or auctioned off to the highest bidder,” Cee-Lo explained. “It will be revered and sought after. Somebody from my generation has to be the Dylan and Tom Waits – these iconic figures who never exploit themselves or stretch themselves too thin.”

Cee-Lo started his music career in his church. He’s delved artistically into drawing, dancing, DJing, and fashion throughout his life, not wanting to be narrowly defined as an artist. He also announced that he has been working on his third solo album. No release date has been set.

Apple may release a Beatles Yellow Submarine iPod

Beatles Yellow Submarine iPod

There were rumours about a Beatles Yellow Submarine iPod earlier this year. However, according to music industry consultancy Music Ally, the Yellow Submarine iPod may be back on now that the iPhone launch is out of the way.

What’s more, it may be launched to tie-in with Beatles tracks finally going on sale on Apple’s iTunes Store, possibly as a one-month exclusive before becoming available through rival digital music services.

Apple Inc’s Steve Jobs’ highly public nod to the Beatles (playing “Lovely Rita” on the iPhone) during his January 9, 2007 Macworld keynote fuelled widespread speculation about a deal to sell Beatles songs on iTunes. Of the matter, Steve Jobs said “We love the Beatles, and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks. It feels great to resolve this in a positive manner, and in a way that should remove the potential of further disagreements in the future.”

New Wu-Tang album could include old ODB out-takes

New Wu-Tang albumWu-Tang Clan will unleash their first album since 2001, The 8 Diagrams, in October. The track “Life Changes” is a tribute to late clan member Ol’ Dirty Bastard. “He left a piece of himself in each and every one of us,” group member RZA tells Billboard.com. “Even in the performance of some of the lyrics, you’ll hear a style or attitude that he injected.”

The album also features guest spots from System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian and Rapper Q-Tip, and RZA is toying with an ODB outtake that was originally recorded for the group’s seminal album, Enter the 36 Chambers. “I lost it, because the DJ who handled my equipment back then, we just got disconnected,” he said. “He actually found the tape about eight months ago and flew out to California with it. The problem is, it doesn’t sound all that great, because this was 1992 or 1993 when it was recorded. But ODB’s performance is f*ckin’ immaculate. So maybe I can find some software to restore it and put it on as a bonus track.”

Lyrics of Us Placers from CRS

Pharrell Williams, Kanye West & Lupe Fiasco

Chat, news, views about Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams collectively or individually. Follow the link to have your say on CRS!

The sample is taken from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke’s The Eraser from the album of the same name, which is mostly about climate change. The much sampled song has already been remixed twice; once by Ellen Alien and once by Stretch ‘n’ Vern.

It was released on an unofficial mixtape entitled “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” - which also features tracks sampling Daft Punk and Peter Bjorn and John - under the name of ‘CRS’ or ‘Child Rebel Soldier’: the collective name of Lupe, Pharrell and Kanye.

Still no news about any forthcoming releases from the supergroup.

(Feat. Kanye West, Pharrell & Lupe Fiasco)

(Lupe Fiasco)
Yeah, Just a lil bit (just a lil bit) And it goes
Lifestyles of the rich and famous
Bought a big house and a whole lot of rangers
A fresh new couch and a whole lot of trainers
A closet full of clothes and some brand new dangers
And
Some Mexican floral arrangers
A great big TV that’ll entertain us
Some colorful commissions for some high paid painters
Someone to take the wrap so that I stay stainless
And
A new relationship with a banker
Two pinky rings for my manicured fingers
A trained German Shepherd that bark when it’s angered
To watch my possessions and look out for strangers
And
A 50 foot yacht with an anchor
Young supermodel that shall remain nameless
Ups and the downs, the sames and the changes
All the money in the world don’t make it painless (no)

(Chorus)
(But they love it and they love it)
The more you try to erase me
(And they love it and they love it)
The more that I appear, oh
(and they love it and they love it)
The more, the more you try the eraser
The more that You appear

(Kanye West)
(Plain Pat what up?)
Lifestyles of the broke and famous
Let you know how crazy this game is
Look at all the new beautiful faces
At home supermodel, myspaces
Long for their shot on the TV screens
American Idol never seen these dreams
Just last week they want to see ID
Now they got you in VIP, huh?
How many people almost famous
You almost remember what they name is
Like “Hey, didn’t you play in..? No it couldn’t be, quit playin”
I try to keep that balance
After MTV that’s a Real World Challenge
Back on that train
Never to be heard from again…

(Chorus)
(But they love it and they love it)
The more you try to erase me
(And they love it and they love it)
The more that I appear, oh
(and they love it and they love it)
The more, the more you try the eraser
The more that You appear

(Pharrell)
G.R.I.P P.I.M.P
I, any spelling bitch come on that’s me
I bring a burning sensation to the urban eye
Like an eye-drop of Turpentine
You can listen to the serpent, fine
But the earth got gas once it burps its fire
Someone around me they talk about degrees
Not G.H.G, how to cook a quarter ki
Talking all nasal, he ain’t over that cold
No glove scrub, Manny just over that stove
Perfect paradigm
Wrong place wrong time
Should have been Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline
Number one chemist
Look at him no blemish
Egg shell off white like a DuPont finish
Young, dumb, high strung, who could handle us
I wonder how Gods gon’ paint today’s canvasses
Cause who knew that day that man would just
Go to VA with a Tec and spray campuses
What a way to see the cover of Time
I know that nigga wish he was standing in line
To see it….As if he didn’t do it.

(Chorus)
(But they love it and they love it)
The more you try to erase me
(And they love it and they love it)
The more that I appear, oh
(and they love it and they love it)
The more, the more you try the eraser
The more that You appear

Logo attached to song on P2P networks

Sprint logo - you will see this when listening to the Plies mp3Atlantic Records and Sprint have inked a groundbreaking new deal where the telecommunications giant will underwrite a new song that will be distributed via P2P file-sharing networks. According to the New York Post, the Sprint name and logo will be embedded in the file and appear on a listener’s computer screen or MP3 player when the song is played.

ArtistDirect’s MediaDefender will release 16 million copies of a song by Rapper Plies on P2P file-sharing networks in return for a “substantial six-figure” fee. The Sprint logo is permanently attached to the song and will show up on screen whenever the tune is played in any possible medium.

ArtistDirect CEO Jon Diamond spoke about the deal has disclosed that MediaDefender is in talks with a number of artists and labels, and similar deals could be announced in the near future. Diamond added that the initiative generates ad revenue for the labels, curtails music piracy and lets name brands attach themselves to key artists.

Next Page →