M.O.P.’s latest
single "7:30" has been picked up by CBS Sports and The New York Knicks
and the song will be included in various promotional spots. The song is taken
from M.O.P.’s upcoming G-Unit release reportedly titled Yearly Physical,
which is slated to hit stores in May 2007. The video for the song is being edited
and will hit video outlets nationwide on Mar. 1. In related news, M.O.P. has singed
on to promote the Sizzurp brand of liquor. Sizzurp, which was sold to Straight
Up Brands last year, will be featured in M.O.P.’s music videos, on tour worldwide
with tour van wraps, stage banners and "on-stage pours." M..O.P. is
also in the process of planning their first worldwide tour. Rapper
Nelly hasn’t released a CD since 2004’s double release, Sweat and Suit,
but he’s still St. Louis’ all-time best selling artist. Nelly has sold more than
22 million records world wide – more than St. Louis natives Chuck Berry, Tina
Turner and jazz legend Miles Davis combined. Additionally, the rapper’s 2000 release
Country Grammar has sold over 9 million copies, making it the biggest album
to ever come out of St. Louis. Sheryl Crow is the region’s best-selling female
artist, with 16 million records sold. Grandmaster
Flash has been selected to perform at the 2007 Ingenuity Festival of Art and Technology
in Cleveland this July. The third annual event takes place July 19-22 and celebrates
the mixture of art and technology. Organizers had sought to book Flash for the
event since its inception in 2004. "I think somebody like Flash is sort of
a product of the intersection between art and technology, the consummate DJ. He’s
sort of an icon of what Ingenuity is," Festival director James Levin told
Cleveland’s Plain Dealer. "Also, as an artist, there are few that really
transcend racial, ethnic, cultural and age barriers as much as somebody like Flash."
The 2006 Ingenuity Festival takes place in the Playhouse Square district and is
expected to draw over 80,000 visitors. All outdoor activities are free, while
weekend passes to indoor technology events are $25. Loud
Records’ founder Steve Rifkind and music industry executive Lee “Skill”
Resnick have announced a strategic alliance between Rifkind’s marketing company
SRC and Resnick’s SouthEast Music. The new company will specialize in creative
marketing and promotional strategies to reach the urban consumer and build brands.
"This pairing between Lee and I is a long time coming," Rifkind said.
"His ideas about Urban marketing are a logical extension of my own street
team concept in the early ‘90s. This combination is the perfect example of
the whole being stronger than the sum of its parts." The new company’s client
list includes labels like Jive, Aftermath, Geffen, Def Jam, G Unit, Warner Bros.
and others.