|
| Three Six Mafia Keeps Mobbin'
Three 6 Mafia continues to hold down the No. 1 spot on Billboard magazine’s Top Independent Album’s chart with their new release, When The Smoke Clears Sixty 6, Sixty 1. The album was certified with sales in excess of 500,000 units (gold) on July 12 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The Hypnotize Minds / Loud release has been on the charts for seven weeks.
Triple Six affiliate, Project Pat, enters the charts at No. 14 with his first underground album, Murderers & Robbers on Project Records.
With new albums, from La Chat, T-Rock and Gangsta Boo scheduled to drop in the coming months, the Hypnotize Minds camp is making case for itself as the premier outfit from Memphis.
The questions many in the regional music arena are asking: Where are 8-Ball & MJG? When will they drop a new album? Is MJG leaving Suave House? Can they bounce back from the disappointing In Our Lifetime?
Hot 104 Ying Yang Twins “Whistle And Twurk” To A Universal Beat
Atlanta-based rap group Ying Yang Twins are the newest additions to Universal Records’ rap music roster, the label reports.
According to Michael “DJ Smurf” Crooms, CEO of Atlanta’s Collipark Records, the group didn’t find Universal, Universal found them. “We worked the single in the southeast region with only a $45,000 video to support it visually and it started to win,” said Crooms. “Soon we had all the major labels interested. At the end of the day, Universal came to the table with the best distribution offer and a genuine interest in the full album.” Crooms cites Universal’s succes with Cash Money Records, and most recently with Nelly, as evidence of them being in “the right place.”
The Ying Yang Twins’ debut single, “Whistle While You Twurk” was released independently by Collipark Records Feb. 8 and has sold more than 180,000 units according to SoundScan. The single also peaked at number one on Billboard’s rap singles charts and remained there for five weeks without any major label support. The group’s Collipark/Universal debut, titled “Thug Walkin,” is set to hit stores Aug. 29. The album’s name comes from the group’s philosophy of living day to day in the east Atlanta area of Georgia (not to be confused with East Point).
“We call the album “Thug Walkin” because that’s what we do every day of our lives, thug walking,” says Eric Jackson aka Kaine. “Our definition of a thug is just somebody trying to get through life in the ghetto.” The album’s next single will be “Ying Yang In This Thang,” featuring Hoodrats.
Source = ManHunt Gangsta Boo Discusses Female Rappers
These days it seems like female MCs come a dime a dozen. It's commonplace for every hip-hop crew to have a female, and collectives like the Ruff Ryders, Flip Mode Squad and Major Figgas are prime examples.
In a recent interview with Hookt.com, Three 6 Mafia member Gangsta Boo discussed being the only female MC in her group, which she says they were the first to do. "I ain’t gonna lie. I think we started that shit," Boo told Hookt.com about the rise of female MCs in male-dominated hip-hop crews.
"Because in the past there would be females down with a camp, but she would be spotted on just one or two songs. But I’m in the group. I’m on every song. So I’m ranking just like the niggas rank," the Memphis native added. "If you feel it’s your time to be the only female in the group and to rank like them, then rank. If you feel that you got enough skills to hold your ground and stand in a male rap group, I can’t say anything but more power to you ‘cause I’m going to do it."
Gangsta Boo's as-yet-untitled new album is tentatively scheduled for an October release. The project is the follow-up to her 1998 solo debut LP, Enquiring Minds.
Source=Hookt.Com Drama
Check out this interview with Drama, done by Jamz Magazine. Click here for the interview.
UGK Battles Jive Over New Album
With stellar guest appearance’s on Jay-Z’s "Big Pimpin" and Three 6 Mafia’s current hot joint, "Sippin’ On Syrup," Port Arthur’s dynamic duo of Big Bun and Pimp C (collectively known as Underground Kingz) are gradually working their way back into the hip-hop spotlight.
UGK’s recent collaborations have many of their fans salivating for the group’s long overdue fifth album, Dirty Money. Sources close to the group have stated that the new album has been completed, but that UGK’s label, Jive Records, is currently not in possession of the master DAT. Apparently, there has been some dispute over money the group feels is owed to them in their contract. Jive, on the other hand, is allegedly refusing to pay until they have the new album in hand.
At press time, the stalemate had not been resolved.
While 8 Ball & MJG and, to a large extent, Master P get the bulk of the credit for the "Dirty South’s" emergence as a major player in the recording industry (Outkast is undoubtedly the most-respected southern rap group, but they are also the least influential among their regional neighbors.), UGK actually laid the blueprint for the post-Geto Boys southern rap scene.
The Texas crew gained national attention in 1992 with the underground cult-jam "Pocket Full Of Stones," but soon faded from the spotlight after 1994’s "Front, Back & Side To Side."
Fans can catch UGK in guest shots on Ace Deuce’s upcoming Southern Gutta Butta, the new Texas Ni**as & Esses album, Clicka and Outkast’s fourth release, Stankonia.
Here are UGK’s upcoming live dates.
Source=Hot 104
Rap-A-Lot Refuses To Sell Out
"It started when I worked at a bank," explains James A. Smith aka J Prince, as he begins to reflect on the whole inception of his musical brainchild, Rap-A-Lot Records.
"I would come home from work at lunch and these two boys were always rapping. I told them if they went to school, I would help them get started in music. I was just trying to get them to go to school."
Once that accomplishment was achieved, Prince did exactly as he had promised ...
Smith, founder and CEO of Rap-A-Lot Records, began traveling down this particular path at the request of a few "young homies" in the hood. As James tells it, these young homies were skipping school at the time and saw him passing through. They stopped him and asked him to back them on their venture into rap music.
"I told them to go to school and meet me after school at my house and practice everyday and I'll support y'all in rap. That was basically the beginning of Rap-A-Lot," says Smith.
In 1991, the Geto Boys released their fourth album, "We Can't Be Stopped". More importantly, this particular album carried the platinum selling single, "Mind Playing Tricks," which also led to the album going platinum. This one song forever altered the way "boys from the South" were viewed in the rap game. New York City was finally listening. Lately, the "original" southern dynasty has been overshadowed by upstart labels. Labels that took advantage of the avenues Smith opened over a decade ago.
In many ways, Rap-A-Lot has never really gave much of a damn how it was perceived by a mainstream audience that made multi-millionaires of No Limit's Master P and the Williams brothers of Cash Money Records. With the exception of the consistently platinum Scarface and gold Chicago import, Do Or Die, the casual head might easily look over the Houston imprint. Some have even asserted that the legendary label has fallen off. A writer for VIBE magazine once quipped, "(Compared to No Limit and Cash Money) Rap-A-Lot's two page ads look cheap." Don't call it a comeback, but Smith has beefed up his roster and is preparing to once again drop hotness in the Y2K.
In addition to Face's Last Of A Dying Breed and Do Or Die's Victory, look for eleven new albums from the Rap-A-Lot stable. Willie D, who is set to enter the boxing ring against former Light Heavyweight and Middleweight champ Reggie Johnson on December 18th, will drop Loved By Few, Hated By Many and join Scarface for the new Geto Boys LP. Yukmouth of the Luniz will return with Thug Lord as will Tela with his third solo effort, The World Ain't Enough. Devin, who is currently blowing the spot on Dr. Dre's No. 1 album, Dr. Dre 2001, Snypaz, Hoodlums, Fatal, Doracell and Caine will also deliver new material in the coming months.
In Smith's opinion, "That's the secret to Rap-A-Lot, Rap-A-Lot wasn't built to become a billion dollar revenue source. I knew every act or artist that I signed wasn't going to be gold or platinum sellers, but I built this label for everybody to make money. My focus was bigger than just gold or platinum groups. Through this record industry, I saw an opportunity for non-college bound, difficult to employ individuals to make maybe $100K or even $60K a year... legally."
Source=Hot 104
Geto Boy Willie D Set to Seek and Destroy
Houston, Texas rap veteran Willie D. is returning to his new found career as a professional boxer. Willie D. will fight John Harmon on Friday, June 30th at the Riverside Centroplex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The fight will be broadcasted live on ESPN at 8 p.m. EST. Light heavyweight champion Roy Jones and fellow Geto Boy Scarface will be in his corner. After the fight, Scarface and Willie D. are rumored to be performing at the after party. The Geto Boys last' album, Da Good, Da Bad, & Da Ugly was released in 1998. It featured the single, "Gangsta (Put Me Down)."
Source=Vibe Magazine
Three 6 Mafia
When The Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1,” the latest offering from southern rap group Three 6 Mafia has cracked the Billboard 200 by landing at number six in its first week out, right under Kid Rock and ’N Sync beating out Creed and matchbox twenty. Ken Gullic, VP, Sales, Loud Records credits an aggressive marketing campaing to the album’s succes, “Beyond the southern states -- the nation has clearly embraced the group with ‘When The Smoke Clears...’,” he said. “The initial shipments have far exceeded our original projections. When you’re selling Three 6 records in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, you’re no longer preaching to the converted. We took no markets for granted and opened up some new ones!” In addition to increased record sales, the group has benefited from increased radio airplay for “Sippin’On Some Syrup,” the album’s first single. Three 6 Mafia is currently on a national promotional tour promoting “When The Smoke Clears...”
Source=Man Hunt
Pimp & Bun In Da NYC
Them trill-azz Texas niggas UGK are still poppin' up on every album (Three 6 Mafia, Mddl Fngz, Shaft Soundtrack) but their own, adding to their already huge rep in the process. New York will get probably its first chance to check 'em this week as them boyz perform with Jay-Z at the Garden.
Source= AKA
Hypnotize Minds
Check out this interview with Juicy J at the Hypnotize Studios, done by Remington Steel. Click here to read the interview. Also Three Six hits number six on the top 200 billboard for their 'When the Smoke Clears' album.
|
; ; ; : : : : ; ; ; : : : : ; ; ; : : : : ; ; ; : : : : ; ; ; : : : : ; ; ; : : : : ; ; ; : : : : ; ; : : : : ; ; : : : : : : ; ; : : : : ; ; : : : : ; ; : : ; : : |