(AllHipHop News) The reason there will never be anything truly perfect is because there will always be someone to find a flaw in the most beautiful art. Today (February 27th), Pharrell addressed the recent criticism over his upcoming album G I R L not having any Black women on the cover.
During his interview on The Breakfast Club, Pharrell says he he was disappointed in the backlash due to the fact that his mother, a Black woman runs a part of his business and his wife, Helen Lasichanh, is also Black. While using the chorus to the song “Mona Lisa” from his new album, Pharrell explained why it is ridiculous to interpret his album cover as racist:
The one thing I was trying to help change is this crazy statuesque standard of you have to white, fair and thin to be beautiful. You know my next single goes ‘Not even Marilyn Monroe, Cleoprtra, see. Not even Joan of Arc, that don’t mean nothing to me. I just want a different girl. ‘
“Mona Lisa” is set to be Pharrell’s next single, according to the singer. Pharrell also revealed that he 12 Years A Slave dark skinned actress Lupita Nyong’o that “her skin was flawless” at an Oscar’s luncheon.
Check out a preview of Pharrell’s The Breakfast Club interview below:
“On my temporary interest, omitting commitment/I swear this visionary sh*t is preventing the vision”
A little over a month and a half since releasing his self-produced debut album Dancing With The Devil , Alexander Dreamer returns with “For The Record”. The somber beat with wispy guitar strings, pulsating bass and sedative drumline is a perfect backdrop for Dreamer to keep all of his life on the record for this introspective track.
Cultivating a signature sound of simplistic-soul, 9th Wonder is one of Hop’s studied preservationists. Reared in the Douthit household where faith was revered, family was cherished, and work was championed, 9th’s character was fortified. An insatiable love for the arts ignited as his depth of talent flourished.
That talent manifests as his fingerprints continue to shape the genre and the classroom. He’s served at North Carolina Central University as an Artist-In-Residence, the celebrated Duke University as co-teacher of “Sampling Soul,” and at the esteemed Harvard University as a Hip-Hop fellow in the Hip Hop Archive.
The wizard-behind-the-boards easily imposed his will on some the genres most celebrated albums. Possessing the self-discipline to thrive in the entertainment industry, to impact the future in the classroom, and to love his home-based legacy, his enduring actions constitute why he’s become the world’s latest wonder:
AllHipHop: There’s almost 24 hours in a day. Given that you’re a family man, a Producer, a Record Exec., an Educator, a DJ, and an MC; how are you learning to better balance your time; in what ways does delegating your different professional obligations help with sustaining your personal responsibilities?
9th Wonder: Well, the wonderful thing about all the jobs that I hold—they’re all under the umbrella of music. If I was a plumber, an electrician, a banker—you know, it wouldn’t make sense—but I can keep all mu focus on music and dealing with musical things, you know what I mean. Even my children are so in love with music. When it comes to my family I can still keep a piece of my musical-self. You know, that’s how I keep focus. I don’t have vices; I don’t smoke and I don’t drink. I don’t have a lot of things that take my mind off what I need to be thinking about. So, that’s how I balance it all.
Recently music celebrated with awarding its Grammy awards. According to 9th Wonder, within the last three years, what was the last Hip-hop album that possessed both the production and lyrical content to earn a classic title; what’s your favorite track from the album?
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City! There’s a lot of joints that I like. I like “Compton” that Just Blaze did. Man, I like “B####, Don’t Kill My Vibe.” There’s a lot of joints that I like on there. I like the single, “Swimming Pools.” I like “Sing About Me.” Kendrick is very sincere when it comes to his song-making. He put together a concept album. In this day-in-time concept albums are few-and-far-between. You know, young kids don’t know anything about concept albums. He put together a concept Rap album that you listen to all the way through. So, I’m proud of Kendrick.
You’re quoted as saying, “Educating the youth on where Hip-Hop comes from and the history of it, using the records we use, gives Hip-Hop a longer life. I decided to become an advocate of that.” To date, what aspect of Hip-Hop has become the most important to you?
Now, to me, the most important aspect of Hip-Hop is the preservation of it—the institutionalization of it. Getting it into different universities to make sure it’s being studied from now on. That’s the most important thing to me. You know, I’ve done beats, I’ve rhymed a little—I’ve worked with rappers, I’ve worked with Jay[Z]—I’ve done that.
Now, how can I extend Hip-Hop to have a longer shelf-life? And how can I make sure that we are the ones that’s teaching the culture correctly. So, when it comes to Hip-Hop that’s my biggest project. Right now, at this moment, I want to make sure that it’s studied the right way and taught by the right people.
From your creative efforts what bottom-line-truth do you hope resonates with others?
Just how to be an inspiration—how to be inspired and how to inspire people. Inspiration, it’s a chain reaction. It’s a chain event—something that’s been happening for centuries. It’s been passed down from person, to person, to person—everybody has an inspiration. Whether it be your mom or your dad, whether it be your homies on the block—you always have somebody you look to as a mentor—or somebody that you look to who gears you in a certain direction.
And that’s what I get a lot from people is that I’m somebody’s inspiration. But DJ Premier is also mine, Pete Rock is also mine, the Beatminerz is also my inspiration. My mother is my inspiration, my brother is my inspiration, my kids are my inspiration; so, it’s like you have to take all that inspiration and energy and pass it on to the next person. That’s just how the universe works. It just works like that.
Until the next time, what would you like to share with your supporters?
Support the musicians. Support the people that you wake up listening to every morning and listen to every night. You know, they’re a big part of your life. They always say, the saying goes, “without music would we know each other?”
So, support people who help you know other people. They help create memories for you. Support those people; those are the people who help drive your emotions. When it comes to just feeling good, they help drive everything. If you’re at a cookout, or a party, of if someone is getting married, or whatever—music is always there!
(AllHipHop News) Pharrell currently has the #1 song in the country and is four days away from releasing what should be his first Billboard 100 #1 album and was ready to quit 8 years ago. In a recent interview, Pharrell explains how he was unhappy with his debut album, how he instantly knew the title for G I R L and more.
On July 25th, 2006, Pharrell released his solo debut In My Mind and sold 143,000 copies the first week, over 100,000 copies less than The Neptunes’ 1st week sales for 2003 Clones album. In his interview with GQ, Pharrell says In My Mind had no purpose and he ultimately did not like the finished product:
Talking about the money I was making and the by-products of living that lifestyle. What was good about that? What’d you get out of it? There was no purpose. I was so under the wrong impression at that time.
Afterwards, Pharrell revealed that in retrospect he was unhappy during that time period and decided “the solo-artist path was not for me.” Pharrell later admits that his intentional reclusion from the solo spotlight was meant as training to understand how to make music with purpose:
So when I write a song on In My Mind called ‘How Does It Feel?’ ”—that’s the one that goesSee me on the TV, the cuties they wanna f###—“man, what was I talking about? That wasn’t joy. That was just bragging. I wanted to be like Jay. I wanted to be like Puff. Those are their paths. I got my own path. But I didn’t know what my path was. I knew that I was meant to do something different. I knew that I needed to inject purpose in my music. And I thought that was my path. I didn’t realize that like, from ’08 up until now was like, training. Like, keep putting purpose in everything you do. Don’t worry about it; just put purpose in there.
The interviewer reveals that back in late January, Pharrell was discussing a potential horse-themed song he produced for Usher while on the phone with the singer. Apparently, Usher was set to shoot a video for the Pharrell-produced song and wanted to debut it at the start of the Chinese New Year, which this year is “Year of The Horse”. Pharrell compares Ginuwine’s classic 1996 song “Pony” with Usher’s as-of-yet unheard horse-inspired song:
Now, that was Ginuwine. We’re talking about you, and bringing you to the rodeo world with a record that gives you the license to do that.
Pharrell later says ““I f*cking held a lamb in a Robin Thicke video and people were into it” in order to convince Usher to not worry about when he will release his song and video.
(AllHipHop News) When you are the most successful artist on the Billboard charts in the past four years, you need to innovate. Rihanna will attempt this as her upcoming release will be a concept album based on an animated film she is starring in.
The film, Home, is sci-fi animated film from DreamWorks based on Adam Rex’s 2007 children’s book The True Meaning of Smekday. In a conference call on Tuesday (February 25th), DreamWorksAnimation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced Rihanna’s new album will be based on the movie about an alien invasion and a love connection between Tucci(Rihanna) and an alien:
In addition to her starring role, Rihanna will record the score for the movie and release an original concept album with songs from the film
The film will also star Jennifer Lopez and Steve Martin. This will be Rihanna’s first acting role since her appearance in This Is The End in 2013 and will mark her debut as a voice actor for an animated character. This album will also mark her fifth consecutive album release since 2009.
I don’t know what is up with rappers these days! The Game and Kanye are supposed to be cool. They have worked together in the past and all that good stuff. AND YET, that has not stopped Jayceon from opening his mouth about something that probably shouldn’t be talked about – that is if you care. But, I’m thinking Game don’t. In a recent interview with The BBC, the Compton rapper suggested that he and Kimmie K did something at McDonalds.
Here’s what he said as he denounced that he and Khloe were an item:
‘Those are just rumours,’ he told DJ Charlie Sloth on BBC Radio1Extra. ‘It’s funny man cos me and Khloe we’re cool. People don’t know, but I’ve been knowing Khloe for 12 years – you know what I’m saying? I went and dated Kim for a while. A little short while. Me and Khloe are cool.’
Past romance: The Game, pictured leaving the the BBC Radio One studios on Tuesday, said he once dated Kim Kardashian but denied romancing Khloe
‘You done a thing with Kim?’ asked Sloth.
‘A little bit. A long time ago,’ replied the 34-year-old hip hop star, real name Jayceon Terrell Taylor.
‘Adult wrestling or adult cuddles?’ Sloth persisted.
‘You know what it was. We went to McDonalds twice,’ said The Game. ‘Pulled up in a drive thru.’
When quizzed whether the romance took place before Kim’s infamous relationship with Ray-J, The Game claimed not to remember and seemed keen to distance himself from his dating past.
HMMMMMMMM…Honestly, with Kim’s track record of brothers, I wouldn’t doubt Game wasn’t appealing when he was “hot” in the streets. I’m thinking they did some “making out” and Game kept it open so that he’s not a true slime ball. So, I’m wondering if Kanye will rant about The Game like he rants about journalists, bloggers, paparazzi, Sway, Charlamagne, fashion, and midgets?
We’ll see.“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
Diddy reminds us that he’s the major shot-caller and with this Ross assisted track, it’s not hard to deny he’s a boss. You’re a lil n*gga, Gary Coleman, LOL!
(AllHipHop News) Oscar nominated actress Taraji P. Henson is reuniting with her Hustle & Flow costar Terrance Howard in the upcoming FOX program Empire. Henson will star in the lead female role of Cookie Lyon on the Lee Daniels (Precious, The Butler) created series.
Empire is a family drama centered around a Hip Hop record label. Howard plays the head of the label, and Henson will star as his ex-wife. The two characters will be battling over money and the issue of their musical son’s (Jussie Smollet) homosexuality.
The show is being written by The Butler screenwriter Danny Strong. Daniels, Strong will produce along with Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo.
(AllHipHop News) The ongoing legal battle between Def Jam Vice-President of A&R Abou “Bu” Thiam and his ex Ariel Hakim may lead to several high-profile artist’s financial information to enter the public arena.
According to a report by Radar Online, Hakim is seeking more child support from Thiam for their daughter. She believes that he is making more than the $30,000/month he claimed.
Her attorneys are asking for “all documents of any participation of employment with Def Jam Records” as they relate to performers Jay Z, Kanye West, Rihanna, Young Jeezy, Lady Gaga, T-Pain, and others.
The notice is also requesting all of Thiam’s income and investments going back to when the couple separated in 2010 up until the custody trial. That information Hakim wants includes Thiam’s salary paid, commissions, bonuses, expenses, business tax returns, documents of business deals, evidence of gifts or loans, and other compensations.
Thiam served as co-CEO of Konvict Muzik with his brother Akon. He also inked a joint-venture distribution deal between Island Def Jam and his Bu Vision. Thiam oversaw A&R for Rihanna’s Loud and Jay Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne albums as well.
The custody case is scheduled for April 7, 2014 in Georgia.
When Dame Dash starts talking you have two options: 1. shut up or 2. shut up and record. In AllHipHop’s exclusive interview with the always loquacious entrepreneur, Dash reveals to us his tips to becoming a successful businessperson through his retelling of good, bad and ugly business stories. Check out Dame Dash’s Rules For The Successful Businessperson below:
Don’t Invest Unless Your Heart Is In It
By the summer of 2010, Curren$y, Stalley and Big K.R.I.T. performed at Dame Dash’s Blu Roc Festival, made music videos with his Creative Control and were frequent visitors of Dame’s DD172 organization. By Spring of 2011, all had signed major label deals. By February of 2012, less than two years after first working with Curren$y, Dame Dash was sued for releasing Muscle Car Chronicles following Curren$y’s signing with Warner Bros, which entitled the label to exclusive rights to his music.
I only invest in my friends. I didn’t invest in Curren$y, or Stalley or any of them. They were just coming around and making music.
Back in 2012, Dame’s attorney stated “Curren$y’s defection from DD172 caused my client to suffer damages in excess of $5,000,000 to his business reputation.”
All those guys, I gave them platforms, from K.R.I.T. and on, but when they got hot, I didn’t see them no more. [Laughs] I don’t know, I must be that creative sucker. They all came through, got deals and never came back and broke bread with me. I don’t know, seems like the artists sometimes turn into corporate once they get with corporate.
Don’t Be Afraid To Sue
Dash’s old business partner Jay Z once said “rap game, crack game, ain’t that different, ya know” and could have interchanged “crack game” with “film game” and Dash might still agree. Following Roc-A-Fella Records’ 2004, Dash spent a considerable amount of his money investing in two movies: the Lee Daniels-produced The Woodsman and the Lee Daniels’ directed Shadowboxer. A decade after his first investment in a Lee Daniels project, Dash says Daniels’ duplicitous business actions have been so “flagrant” that he may be forced to break a rule he seldom has in the past: sue another Black man.
Be Corporate Without Being Corporate
Here’s an overview of the two sides of Dame Dash’s life from 2008-2013:
Side A
-Sold 50% stake in Rachel Roy to Jones New York (June 2008)
– Started DD172 and Executive Produced a Billboard Top 10 Rap Album Blackroc (November 2009)
-Relaunches Roc-A-Fella Records (w/ Curren$y’s Pilot Talk as first release) (May 2010)
-Started motor oil company called Dash Motors (September 2011)
-Opens 1st art gallery in Hong Kong, Poho 66 (March 2013)
-Beanie Sigel Alleges He Has Documentation Showing Dame Dash Stole $11 Million From Him (December 2010)
-Admits He Owes Over $2 Million In Tax Debt (August 2011)
-Sued by Curren$y over illegally releasing Muscle Car Chronicles after Curren$y signed with Warner Bros. (March 2012)
-Claimed To Be On Verge of Eviction Amidst Financial Debt (May 2013)
Both sides make up the entirety of Dame’s life, however what is not as publicized is Dame’s quiet formation of a mutlilayered media company:
What I have been doing the last five years is lining everything up where I can do every single thing on my own. From making music, making fashion, making movies, everything. I don’t want to have to ask somebody to cut me a check to make a record. I didn’t want to have to ask someone to cut me a check to make a movie. I definitely did not feel like asking someone to cut me a check to be doing fashion.
According to Dame, public perception is often times skewed and should not influence a successful businessperson’s actions too drastically. However, Dame also accepts the racial aspect of the skewing of public perception for successful Black businessmen but laughs it off:
Demand Respect
By 2003, Dame Dash’s legacy was that of a volatile record label head with a penchant for aggressive persuasion techniques(to put it lightly) and five years ago the world got a taste of that side of Dame. In the infamous footage of Dame Dash berating Def Jam employees, Dash claimed “they trying to take our franchise from us” as Def Jam execs held a marketing meeting regarding Jay Z and failed to inform Dame via telephone(he admittedly did not check emails back then).
You have to understand, I put Kevin Hart in business. I put Lee Daniels in business. I put Jay in business. I put all these people in business. I don’t feel a way. I don’t feel no connection with making money with them moving forward but I do expect a certain level of respect.
Creativity Is King, Trust Is Queen
In the past 10 years, Dame has had former artists, directors, record label execs and even his ex-wife has had issues with him, but Dame still understands the value of trust. Dame’s continued trust is a result of a man who says his business model is to “do cool sh*t and then once I do it I figure out how to monetize it”. Dame understanding that paradox of being independent is that in order to truly achieve it you need other people:
I start companies, I create companies, but my agenda is not to run them because there are too many companies that I have under my umbrella. First, I’ll run the cash register, figure out how to run the store. Then I’ll hire somebody so I know if they robbing me or not. But, I can’t sit in the store all day.
Dash says his Poppington Art Gallery, curated by Raquel Horn, David Chang and Dave Barnett, is an example of the good that can happen when blind trust meets creativity:
(AllHipHop News) At one point in the 1990’s Master P and his No Limit Records were one of the most dominating forces in Hip Hop. With tracks like “I’m Bout It, Bout It” and “Make ‘Em Say Uhh!” the No Limit tank was running through the streets.
Master P also made a huge mark on the music industry for the business moves he established for his label. The New Orleans legend signed an unprecedented deal with Priority Records that reportedly included P earning 80%of the wholesale price for every album sold and 100% ownership of all the master recordings.
“I ain’t trying to be the best lyricist. I’m just trying to make music that people could feel,” Master P tells VladTV. “But I am the best businessman. I feel I am the best hustler in the game.”
Master P also shares his take on what he sees as the wrong way some of the newer artists are hustling. After 75 million albums sold, the creator of Ghetto D thinks it is his work ethic that makes him the G.O.A.T. of street Hip Hop.
“I come from the streets. When you’re hot that’s when you keep on hitting. These artists nowadays, they get a hit song and that be it. They think they can chill. That’s when you gotta work more,” said P. “That’s why I call myself the Michael Jordan of this whole street Hip Hop industry.”
(AllHipHop News) As Pharrell Williams gets set to release his second solo album G I R L next week, the lead single from the LP just took over the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. Pharrell’s “Happy” is now the number one song in the nation.
“Happy” is Pharrell’s first #1 as a lead artist. It is also the first #1 by an African-American lead artist since 2012.
Skateboard P did reach the pinnacle of the Hot 100 in 2013 as a guest on Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” His previous appearances on Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and Ludacris’ “Money Maker” gave him number one singles as a featured artist as well.
Pharrell leads another chart. “Happy” spends a third week at # 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs tally. The single is also featured on the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack and is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
(AllHipHop News) The Roots last release Undun was a concept album that centered around the fictional character Redford Stevens. The project was a critical success earning the group a Metacritic rating of 88/100 (universal acclaim) and a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.
Emcee Black Thought tells XXL that The Roots’ next project will also be conceptual. Unlike Undun, And Then You Shoot Your Cousin will present several characters in the storyline instead of focusing on just one.
“It’s not just about just one kind of character, we create quite a few different characters in this record,” said Black Thought. “It’s satire, but in that satire it’s an analysis of some of the stereotypes perpetuated in not only the Hip Hop community, but in the community.”
Besides telling a complete story,The Roots next LP will also be similar to Undun in running time. And Then You Shoot Your Cousin will come in close to Undun’s 38 minutes of music.
“I think right now it’s at maybe 34 minutes; there may be one or two musical things added on to the record that I know is the record at this point. But I don’t think it will be any longer than 36 or 37 minutes in its entirety,” stated Thought. “It’s short enough to digest, but it’s gonna be dense.”
And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is expected to be released sometime this Spring. An exact date has not been announced yet.
(AllHipHop News) It appears the TDE 2014 takeover is beginning. The label’s first official LP of the year is opening with sale numbers that are expected to land it at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.
According to Billboard, Schoolboy Q’s major label debut Oxymoron is predicted to sell between 150,000 to 160,000 copies opening week. Those totals would be enough to make the project the best-selling album in the country.
Neither of Q’s two previous albums, Setbacks and Habits & Contradictions, were able to break past the 100 spot on the chart. With his latest effort being released through Top Dawg/Interscope and coming on the heels of fellow Black Hippy member Kendrick Lamar’s platinum selling good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Schoolboy managed to reach a much larger audience with Oxymoron.
Another Hip Hop artist is most likely going to enter at number 2 on the 200. Kid Cudi’s surprise album Satellite Flight is predicted to sell around 90,000 units. Cudi did not announce the date the LP would be released until hours before it hit iTunes.
(AllHipHop News) Rick Ross has quickly responded to a potential firestorm of controversy over a line in his new album that refers to Trayvon Martin.
On the song, “Black and White,” the rapper spits a rap that seems to disrespect the memory of the slain teenager.
Too close to a ni**a as a mother**king bomb
Trayvon Martin, I’m never missing my target
B*tch ni**as hating, tell me it’s what I’m parking
Wingstop owner, lend me pepper aroma
Young, black ni**a, barely got a diploma
Ross told VIBE that the matter has been misinterpreted and he’s simply using creative license in the song.
“It’s so important that today, on the two-year anniversary of the death of Trayvon Martin, we never forget that tragedy. I’m never going to let the world forget that name. In my song ‘Black and White’ off Mastermind I say, ‘Trayvon Martin, I’m never missing my target’. There I’m reminding people that if you’re a black person or a person of any color for that matter in this country, you have to be accurate, whatever moves you make, stay accurate. Even when you’re walking down the street, playing music from your car, you have to stay on point.”
Ross continued to explain.
“Black men are being killed and their killers [are] beating the trial. It hasn’t been this much violence against black men since the ’60s. I am Trayvon Martin, we’re all Trayvon Martin. He was from South Florida. That could have been me or one of my homies. So, stay alert and never miss your target. Whatever that target may be. Getting out the hood, providing from your family. Stay sharp. Stay alive. Trayvon, Rest in Peace.”
Last year, Ross was embroiled in a scandal where he seemed to advocate date rape. The scandal caused the the MMG boss to lose his endorsement deal with Reebok.
