Jay-Z is in negotiations
with a major wireless handset manufacturer and will create a "black"
cell phone, which will be available in December.
The "black"
cell phone is in line with the mogul’s "black" theme, centered around
the release of what he calls the final solo album of his rap career.
The black version
of his S.Carter sneaker has been moved up to November 21, while The Black
Album, which was slated to drop November 28, was bumped up to November 14
due to rampant piracy online and street bootlegging.
Even with the release
date being moved up by two weeks, the demand for both Jay-Z’s The Black Album
and G-Unit’s Beg For Mercy, proved to be immense.
Both titles violated
their official street release date and major retailers had the albums on the
shelves as early as Tuesday, the same day that Tupac Shakur’s Resurrection
soundtrack hit the stores.
Jay-Z is on pace
move 400,000 units, which could edge out Shakur’s release on Billboard’s Top
200 Albums Chart.
Resurrection
is on pace to move 350,000 units, but sales may spike due to the release of
the accompanying film to theaters nationwide.
G-Unit is expected
to take the number 3 position and move close to 300,000 copies.
