The Bling King WholeSale

Mos Def Album On A Shirt July 2, 2009

Mos Def is selling T-shirts as his new album instead of the usual CD/DVDs.  Fans who want to buy Def’s latest album will get a shirt instead of a disk.  The shirt will go with a cover art on the front and a track list on the back side just like a regular album.

So where will one get the tracks to listen to?  The shirt will each come with a unique code to use in order to download the album off the internet for free.  T-shirt sales start rolling this month.

This is a very unique way to promote and distribute an album in the music industry.  This concept might be the first of an un-traditional way to sell tracks.  The concept may just work for Mos Def.   Sales of his album The Ecstatic have gone over 40,000 units.  Soundscan says it will consider the T-shirt sales as album sales.

The Latest Albums From RnB July 1, 2009

Alicia Keys

Famous RnB artist Alicia Keys is set to release her new album late this year.  She has been busy recording the tracks of her latest project in the studios.

Keys is expected to promote her latest album by performing at the Cayman Island Jazz Festival on December 5.

She tweeted this after finishing work from the studio:

“Just finishing at the studio…..WOW! love this one! thought 4 the day/night When we r open 2 change, a world of change opens 4 us!”

“Thank u 4 all the love about the new record! I’m so excited about it too!!! Exploring new sounds & letting the heart lead the way….”

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Chris Brown

Chris Brown is set to release his new album with singer and songwriter Keri Hilson.  Despite his legal issues with another RnB artist, Brown  is not letting this in the way.  The talented musician is still bent on making a major comeback this year.

The two artists (Brown and Hilson) have already worked together on songs like Superhuman and Young Love.

Hilson has this to say:

“He contacted me like four or five days ago.  Us working together will probably be the first project I’ve worked on as a songwriter in a while.”

“It is unfortunate what they are going through, but I always feel like if you’ve ever had a fan base, you’re really only one song away from appeasing that fan base.Whether that song is autobiographical or whether you want to talk about that or not, you’re just one hit song away. And that’s what I think of the industry in a nutshell.”

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R. Kelly

“I’ve been in the biz 17 years, so everyone is used to me naming my records. So I wanted to mix it up a little. I want whoever listens to the record to call it what they want, name it themselves based on what they feel listening to the music.”

This was what R. Kelly had to say for his latest album dubbed Untitled.

Kelly just recently released a mixtape with DJ Drama and DJ Skee last June to create some buzz for his new LP.  Number 1 Fan is one track that is reported to appear on the new album that is scheduled for release on September of this year.

2009 BET Awards June 29, 2009

LOS ANGELES – The BET Awards last night became more like a commemoration night as fans and even a number of the biggest stars in Hollywood turned in to honor Michael Jackson. The telecast was completely revamped to recognize the legacy of MJ.

Hosted by Jamie Foxx, the famous star started the the show with a dance choreography from Michael Jackson’s iconic “Beat It” video in front of the star-studded crowd. While performing his hit “Blame It”, the actor also incorporated some of the Jacksons’ dance hit “Blame It On the Boogie.” All throughout the show, Foxx regularly turned up in some of MJ’s signature looks, like the wide-collar black leather outfit from “Billie Jean.”

On one performance, Ne-Yo and Foxx performed a somber version of the Jackson 5 classic “I’ll Be There,” as photos of Jackson flashed across the screen.

While artists went on to perform their own hits, most made sure to incorporate into their performances some from the man who has influenced them a lot. The crowd at one point was heard chanting, “Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson!”, when Keri Hilson was performing.

Estelle , Sean Paul and Alicia Keys were among the celebrities who donned single gloves as part of their ensembles to honor the King of Pop.

Many of the celebrities’ comments were made in tribute to the pop icon Michael Jackson.

“He’s the man who made it possible for me to be on the stage; I love you and I miss you,” commented hip hop star Ne-Yo, who sang, “Lady In My Life,” one of MJ’s famous songs.

“We all know none of us in this room wouldn’t be here for Michael Jackson,” said Lil Wayne, as he was up on stage to receive his award for best male hip-hop star.

“This is for you, Michael Jackson,” Beyonce said on receiving her award for best female R&B artist.

Ciara, dressed in a jacket that had Jackson’s signature military epaulets, touchingly sang Jackson’s very popular humanitarian anthem, “Heal the World,” Backstage, Ciara was very emotional as she recounted talking on the phone with her idol and how she regrets that she never got to meet MJ. “He meant so much to me,” she said while crying.

Though he did not appear on stage during the awards, Joe Jackson, the singer’s father, was at the show to represent the grief-stricken family. “I just wish he could be here to celebrate himself,” Mr. Jackson said on the red carpet. “Sadly, he’s not here, so I’m here to celebrate for him.”

“Michael Jackson’s incredible influence stretched across genres, races and cultures, he had a unique place in the world of black entertainment. His influence is arguably most visible in urban music, seen in stars like Usher who mimic his dance moves, to Ne-Yo, whose music is marked by its Jackson-isms. But that influence went beyond music: Jackson was black America’s biggest star, who broke racial barriers that allowed for so many other superstars to follow.”

The night ended when Janet Jackson, perhaps the late star’s closest in the family, made her first appearance in public since her brother’s shocking death.

“On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support,” she said. “We miss him so much, thank you so much.”

“To you, Michael is an icon,” a somber Janet Jackson told the audience at the end of Sunday’s BET Awards. “To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in all of our hearts.”

Hip Hop Cognac June 25, 2009

While most celebrities venture into the restaurant or apparel business as their means to rake in other sources of income, famous rapper Ludacris boldly went another way, opting to go into cognacs.  Ludacris’  latest endeavor was announced publicly this week at no other than Bordeaux, France where famous cognac brands come from.  The announcement made at the Wine and Spirits show, Vinexpo, mentions this as a joint venture between Ludacris and Kim Hartmann, owner of the Birkedal Hartmann Cognac.  Conjure, the label that this cognac brand will go under, will be targeted for the urban market.

The famous Atlanta hip hop artist was seen in France last January, spending a week experimenting with over 40 cognac flavors before coming up with the new cognac flavor intended for his market.

“It’s not just me attaching my name to it. Whenever I involve myself in a business, I submerge myself in it. I wanted to learn as much as possible. It was great. It gave me a new appreciation for Cognac,” stated Ludacris.

Cognac has long been associated with the hip hop community, and referenced by  rappers such as Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Tupac in various songs.  About 60 to 80 percent of cognac sales are estimated to be from African Americans, in the US market alone.

The first batch of Conjure is due to ship in Europe on July 1st.  Ludacris is planning to import about 1 million bottles into the US by September this year.

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