Quincy Jones III’s QD3 Entertainment is preparing a new DVD titled Who Shot Ya, a documentary that examines violence in Hip-Hop.
Who Shot Ya will also feature a number of well known rappers discussing their personal experiences of being shot and the impact gun violence has on minority communities.
The release is the first in a multiyear DVD distribution deal QD3 Entertainment recently struck with Genius Products.
Genius, which is 70% owned by the Weinstein Co., handles the distribution, marketing and sales for popular brands like Dimension Films, ESPNR, Animal Planet and others.
Under the terms of the deal, Genius will distribute two QD3 titles per year.
The pact is part of Quincy Jones III’s goal of expanding his QD3 combines his brands into a multitiered, interactive experience and and platform.
“We have a broadband channel, and a channel on Comcast,” Jones told AllHipHop.com. “But we are trying to tie it all together- the DVDs and the music. It’s kind of a hybrid, because the CD is a novelty now. I mean, kids spend their time on the Internet, so we are trying to accommodate that lifestyle. So it’s in the works. People can visit my site, www.qd3.com for now, to keep up with what I’m working on.”
In addition to Genius distributing two QD3 Entertainment titles per year, QD3 will also acquire finished titles for sole distribution by Genius, under the QD3 name.
Quincy Jones III’s QD3 Entertainment has produced a number of successful direct-to-DVD releases, including the popular Beef I, II, III and IV, Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel and others.
Jones III is the son of Quincy Jones Sr., a living legend who has worked with on numerous historic recordings with artists as varied as Sarah Vaughn and Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson and Big Daddy Kane.
On the business side, Jones Sr. was one of the few high ranking black executives at a major record label [Mercury] in the 1960’s where he churned out pop hits like “It’s My Party,” “Judy’s Turn to Cry” and the classic “You Don’t Own Me” by Leslie Gore.
In addition to blockbuster albums like Off The Wall and Thriller by Michael Jackson, Jones has been a supporter of Hip-Hop music since its recorded history featuring rap on the title track to 1979’s#### album The Dude.
Jones Sr., the seasoned veteran, offered some AllHipHop.com some encouraging words to the Hip-Hop community.
“In a lot of ways, Hip-Hop invented the expansion model, because you didn’t see people in Rock & Roll doing perfume lines and clothing lines,” Quincy Jones Sr. told AllHipHop.com. “I think this generation is much more entrepreneurial than my generation was. We didn’t know enough about the business, but this generation is on top of things, business wise. I think if we could merge the heart and soul with the entrepreneurial side of this generation, it’d be over.”
QDIII Entertainment’s Who Shot Ya is due in stores in 2008.