(AllHipHop News) Brooklyn rapper Troy Ave was getting slammed on social media after reports came out that his latest album Major Without A Deal sold under 4,500 units in its first week. According to Complex, the project only pushed 30 physical copies in that same time frame.
With his name still trending on Twitter, Troy responded to all the talk about his low sales numbers. The “Bang Bang” rhymer defended his indie album’s lack of commercial success and countered his critics by claiming he made around $120,000 in the last seven days.
Major Without A Deal was released independently via BSB Records. Troy’s follow-up to 2013’s New York City: The Album hit digital stores on Friday, June 5. Most albums typically drop on Tuesday and sales numbers are calculated over a week long period. MWAD only had three days at retail before the final totals were tallied for that week.
UPDATE: Troy Ave’s “Major Without A Deal” Album Only Selling 30 Physical Copies First Week Are Inaccurate – Read an updated report here.
Last night Neff Headwear x PacSun held the launch party for three time Grammy-nominated Def Jam artist Jhené Aiko’s Soul of Summer Collection at Skyspace Los Angeles located on the 71st floor of the U.S. Bank Tower in Downtown LA.
The collection marks Neff’s first womenswear collaboration with an artist and will be available mid-June in PacSun stores nationwide. Special guests in attendance included: Lance Gross (actor/model), Matt Barnes (NBA player), Shaun Neff (CEO, Neff Headwear), Christina Milian (actress/singer), Laura Govan (TV Personality) and more.
Jhené delivered a powerful acoustic set while guests enjoyed specialty Hennessy V.S cocktails including Jhené’s Ginger Soul of Summer. As a special treat, iPad stations were setup for stargazing powered by mobile app SkyView.
For a look at the entire collection, Neff created an intimate behind the scenes video highlighting Jhené’s inspiration for the designs.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Jhene Aiko performs at Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Jhene Aiko attends Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Jhene Aiko performs at Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Jhene Aiko performs at Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Jhene Aiko attends Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Neff Founder Shaun Neff (L) and Jhene Aiko attend Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Neff Founder Shaun Neff attends Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Jhene Aiko performs at Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Jhene Aiko (L) performs at Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Jhene Aiko attends Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Neff Founder Shaun Neff (L) and Christina Milian attend Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Jhene Aiko performs at Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Jhene Aiko performs at Neff Headwear x PacSun presents Jhene Aiko’s “Soul of Summer” Evening with Hennessy V.S at U.S. Bank Tower on June 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Hennessy V.S)
As Papoose prepares to release his “You Cant Stop Destiny” album, Pap drops lead single “Mobbing” featuring Troy Ave. Produced by Havoc (of Mobb Deep). Pre-order “You Cant Stop Destiny” now on iTunes.
The non-profit community organization ARTs East New York, in conjunction with reNew Lots, is presenting a 2-day event in Brooklyn this Saturday and Sunday. The free cultural series “reNewal Weekend” is held on the second weekend of every month, and June’s festivities are centered around the theme “Pass The Mic: Exploring Hip-Hop’s Generational Gap.”
“Pass The Mic” explores the generational divide within Hip Hop culture: music, art, fashion and methodology. The event will include an open mic/spoken word session, DJ sets by DJ Evil D and DJ Basiq, traditional African percussion playing by Asase Yaa Entertainment and The Nubian Messengers, movie screening of Flex Is Kings, and several Hip Hop artists performing including Kirk Knight of Pro Era.
Saturday’s schedule will feature a Hip Hop Panel moderated by Jineea Butler, founder of The Hip Hop Union. Def Jam’s first female rapper Nikki D, Brand Nubian member Sadat X, and Sisterhood of Hip Hop star Nyemiah Supreme are set to be panelists.
“reNewal Weekend – Pass The Mic: Exploring Hip-Hop’s Generational Gap” takes place Saturday, June 13th 1-9 PM and Sunday, June 14th 3-6 PM at 170 New Lots Avenue, Brooklyn New York. For more information visit the event’s Facebook page.
With a couple releases already under his belt in 2015, chief waKiL looks to carry the momentum into the summer in unshakable fashion, even if it’s by any means necessary. The latest release from the Kansas City upstart has not only secured a placement in Season 2 of Power, but it also comes with an extra degree of focus that helps personify the hunger of waKiL. “B.A.M. (By Any Means)” can be described as the modern day ode to Robin Hood, with the focal point surrounding the idea of taking what’s yours. Expect chief waKiL’s album to arrive in the fourth quarter of this year.
Travis Scott stopped by The Cruz Show to talk about the creation process his new album Rodeo, why he yelled at a cameraman on the Summer Jam stage, and what he has in store for his upcoming tour. When asked about the features on the project, Travis wanted to keep them a secret, but knowing who he works with this should be a great debut.
Brooklyn MC Joell Ortiz drops a collab release with producer extraordinaire !LLMIND. The release dubbed Human is due out July 17 and is precluded by the single release “Latino Pt. 2” with his fellow Latino MCs, Emilio Rojas, Bodega Bamz, & Chris Rivers.
“I had a record on my very first album called ‘Latino.’ It meant a lot to me because I’m very proud to be Puerto Rican and a Latino that made it in this game. With that being said, I know exactly how tough it is to get into the hip hop scene and be respected/validated when you’re a Latino. I wanted to give Bodega Bamz, Emilio Rojas, and Chris Rivers the opportunity they so well deserved,” Joell Ortiz explained.
Saul Williams is one of the most prolific, yet slept on artists of our time. The poet firebrand drops the video for “Burundi,” an intensely political visual representation of his dense lyrics. Check it out…
Atlanta, Georgia was the launching pad for successful Rhythm & Blues acts such as Usher, TLC, Monica, and Ciara. The next songbird set to take off from the ATL is ISO Music Group artist Natasha Mosley.
With Blues and Soul embedded in her DNA (she’s a relative of legendary singer Bessie Smith), Mosley took her experiences singing in church with her when she became part of The Feisty Girl Project. She later joined another all female group, Juice, which was started by former Xscape member Tameka “Tiny” Cottle.
Eventually, Mosley decided to break from harmonizing as part of a troop, and the young singer-songwriter stepped out as a solo performer. Her new turn led to providing vocals for songs with Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, Tyga, and YG, but the crowning moment so far in Mosley’s career is her debut album Rose Hall.
The 17-track introduction features production by FK1, K.E. On The Track, and Atlanta’s own Zaytoven. Natasha and Zay cliqued so well together the duo is planning to unleash even more musical collaborations in the near future.
AllHipHop.com connected with Natasha Mosley for the “3 Questions” series. The interview includes the “Anything” starlet discussing some of her most memorable work with other musicians, her favorite girl groups, and three talents she has already conquered.
Out of all the Hip Hop artists you’ve collaborated with, which one was the most fun to work with?
Honestly, I enjoyed all the collabs I’ve done, because I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really amazing artists. However, I did shoot a video with Tyga for my single “Tattoo” which was fun because he was really funny and easy to work with. And Zay and I always have a blast. We vibe so well we ended up recording an entire project together called Naytoven, which will be out later this year.
Rank the following girl groups in order from best to worse: The Supremes, En Vogue, TLC, Destiny’s Child, SWV, Danity Kane, and Xscape.
I’m a fan of them all and grew up on most of them, whether it was my taste or my parents. And I’m a huge Beyoncé fan, so this is really just an unfair question for me. As a female artist, I know how hard it is for our voices to be heard, so I have too much respect for these artists and women to say who’s the best to worse. But I will say TLC and Destiny’s Child are my all time favorites. And I have to give respect to the Supremes, because they paved the way for us all.
On your single “Anything,” you say, “Anything she can do, I can do better.” What are three things you know you’re one of the best at doing?
The three things I know I’m one of the best at are singing, cooking and making people smile.
First Lady of Royce Rizzy’s Private Club, Salma Slims, has just finished her project. After coming back from a promotional tour in Gambia; Salma Slims is back as she releases “Shady” produced by Smitti, from her new project titled Diary Of Salma Slims.
Killa Kyleon has proved that he can rap for 30 days straight, no breaks, murdering every track he encounters. Today he teams up with No Genre artist, Scotty ATL to offer up a bonus. 11 years after its release, two of the most talented artists to touch a mic take on “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” by Outkast.
Dark Lo speaks with Mikey T The Movie Star an shares his memories with Chinx before his passing , touching on how they met one night in the studio and had a instant respect for each other. Lo speaks survival in a hood full of haters and petty murders over your star status. Dark Lo also explains his goals to get his family out but he will never fully leave, he plans to give back to the community on a regular basis not only Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Straight out of Jacksonville, FL comes a new artist named Mob Squad Nard. Nard puts his spin on Meek Mill’s standout record “Dreams & Nightmares” with his gritty and raw sound. Listen to the track below and stay tuned for more from this up and coming Florida emcee.
Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill claim to be so in love right now. Minaj has expressed that she is over her ex Safaree, and she has truly moved on. Meek Mill says he and Nicki have been dealing with each other for a year and some change. Does this mean that Nicki’s relationship with Safaree overlapped her relationship with Meek Mill? Was Meek Mill at one point the side….never mind.
Do you think their relationship is real, or is it all just a publicity stunt?
Born in California, Hefna Gwap eventually relocated to New York where he began to grow his Elegant Caviar imprint that was launched with producer Lord Plawz. Having already worked with the likes of Cardo, Kehlani, Roscoe Dash, Aaron Cohen, and more, the Bay Area rapper has recently taken his music creation to Atlanta to help push his sound to the next level. They say there’s no better time than the present and that old adage proves to be true for the rising artist. In preparation of his impending DJ Scream and TM88-hosted mixtape, Gwap utilizes production from Lord Plawz and former 808 Mafia rep TM88 on “Right Now,” which comes to us as a part of the #WestblockWednesdays weekly series. Expect Hefna’s new mixtape to arrive July 15th.
(AllHipHop News) The annual “XXL Freshman Class” selections always spark debate about certain people that make the list. The 2015 edition’s most talked about choice is G-Unit member Kidd Kidd.
The New Orleans native’s name was trending on Twitter after this year’s choices were announced, mostly because users questioned how an artist that has been around since the early 2000’s could be considered a “freshman.”
XXL’s Vanessa Satten stopped by the Sway In The Morning radio show to discuss the 2015 Freshman Class. The publication’s editor-in-chief explained that Kidd Kidd was voted in as the “People’s Choice.”
“I think we had over 240,000 votes from 139 countries. Kidd Kidd got the most votes,” said Satten. “The ‘tenth spot’ always surprises. From Jarren Benton to Dizzy Wright to Iggy Azalea, it always kinda surprises us. But we go with what people vote for.”
As far as the longevity of Kidd Kidd’s career, Satten mentioned the “Big Bankroll” rhymer has yet to release a solo album, so he is presumably still eligible for the selection. But would he have made it if he was not voted in?
“I’m not sure, because we had a lot of people up in that last spot. Some of the names are thrown around, some are not,” stated Satten. “But that’s why the tenth spot is so cool and kinda controversial at the same time.”
According to Satten, Lil Herb, Skizzy Mars, and Denzel Curry were among the finalists for the 10th spot. The other nine chosen for the 2015 edition were Dej Loaf, Tink, Shy Glizzy, GoldLink, Raury, OG Maco, K Camp, Fetty Wap, and Vince Staples.
