Saturday, February 28, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Donald Glover May Be Dropping Childish Gambino As Stage Name
When he acts, Donald Glover goes by Donald Glover. When he raps, he’s Childish Gambino.Glover was wearing his acting hat on the Today Show, promoting the movie Lazarus Effect, which drops Friday.
But he made a reveal concerning his rapping career during the discussion.
“I guess Childish Gambino is like a period of my art time, and I want to have periods in my life, so I feel like Childish Gambino is a period that should come to a close,” he said. “I like endings.”Glover added that he thinks he still wants to make music, it just won’t be as Childish Gambino.
The 31-year old had a nice run with Gambino. His two studio albums Camp and Because Of The Internet sold decently and got good reviews. The latter even received a 2015 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. He also dropped a bunch of well-received mixtapes.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
The Breakdown of Drake’s Record Deal with Cash Money/Universal
Nothing against Cash Money but they have a horrible reputation with handling artists’ money. Cash Money drove away the Hot Boys (Juvenile, BG, and Turk) and Mannie Fresh–the producer who single-handedly built the sound of Cash Money Records–because of alleged financial mismanagement. Sorry, but if four different dudes leave your label for the same reason then something fishy is definitely going on.
Needless to say, I was skeptical that Drake would get a good deal signing with Young Money. After reading an L.A. Times Music Blog article detailing the mechanics of Drake’s deal, my skepticism has been put to rest. I’m actually pretty impressed.
Here’s the breakdown of Drake’s record deal:
- Drake is signed with Aspire/Young Money/Cash Money Records and is distributed by Universal
- Drake got a $2 million advance (I’ll give you a moment to read that again)
- Drake retains the publishing rights to his songs and only pays 25% of his music sales revenues to the label as a “distribution fee”
$2 million is a big advance to pay back but considering that Drake’s first album Thank Me Later will probably be the best-selling R&B/hip hop album next year, I don’t think he’ll have much trouble clearing his debt.
Major props to Drake’s management team (Hip Hop Since 1978 and Cortez Bryant) for negotiating a fair deal for their client. Cortez Bryant also manages Lil Wayne and Hip Hop Since 1978 represents Kanye West. Clearly Drake has a great group in his corner. With that kind of backing, Drake’s career is only just beginning.
Lesson for the Day
Here’s the lesson I want you to take from Drake’s record deal:
Record labels do not control the music industry anymore. Artists (once they have proven their talent and profit potential) are in a position to strike the kind of deal that fits their goals and their vision. Drake proved his profit potential with the 600,000+ digital sales of his single “Best I Ever Had”, which was available for free (on his mixtape So Far Gone) four to five months before it was released on iTunes.
Essentially Drake hired his record labels (Universal/Young Money/Cash Money/Aspire) to distribute his music in stores. Drake’s record labels do not own the masters to his music and they do not control his career, he does (with help from his management team, of course).
Obviously Drake did not sign the first deal that was offered to him. If he did he would have regretted it and he never would have gotten the spectacular deal he has now.
You might not have Drake’s management team but you do have common sense.
With that in mind, would you sign a recording contract that leaves you with 0-50% ownership of YOUR masters and YOUR publishing rights? Would you sign a deal that says you only earn 10-18% of YOUR record sales? Would you sign a 360 deal that allows your record label to automatically earn 50% or more of YOUR touring, merchandising, and film/TV licensing revenues?
OF COURSE NOT!
But you know what? All of those things I mentioned come standard in a typical record contract. The powers-that-be in the music industry set this whole system up in their favor, not yours. But while their minds were busy focused on screwing artists (that’s you!), they forgot one important little detail:
Record labels need you–you don’t need them. No record label can operate without an artist roster (or at least a catalog of past hits). What can a record label do if they have no arists to market and no music to sell?
See how badly they need you?
With the internet (and a little bit of money to invest in your future) you have all the tools you need to record, distribute, and promote your music. So why would you ever pay a record label over 75% of the record sales for songs/albums you write?
Be smart. Don’t do it.
Alright students I hope you’ve learned your lesson for the day. Now go out, be independent and make some music!
AUTHOR:
Dexter Bryant Jr. (DbryJ)
DbryJ Music Media
Monday, February 16, 2015
Drakes New Album Projected To Be #1 on Billboard!
Out of know where, Drake released his latest Album "If You're Reading This It's To Late" this past Friday and it's expected to to sell over 400,000 in it's first week. His album sales projection is the closest Hip-Hop/R&B album to compete with Beyonce's self-titlded album that sold over 600,000 in it's first week. Click Here for the full story on Billboard.com.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
They Will Wake: The Jacka Leaves Behind a Legacy Meant to Extend Beyond the Bay Area!
The Jacka was born Dominick Newton in 1977 in Arizona and raised in Contra Costa County, Calif.—the Bay Area. What drew him to hip-hop initially, he once told me, was its imagery: "These dudes look ill! I wanna look like that, I want my hair like that, I wanna do everything they're doing. Big Daddy Kane was ill. Before he actually came out, he had like hella posters everywhere. He had these fat dookie ropes on, he was sitting around like he was the king."
Though the style grabbed him at first, Jacka was also drawn to hip-hop's musicality. As someone raised deep within the culture, an understanding of its building blocks was baked into his art. His smoky delivery unfurled above the track, suggesting the relaxed cool of behind-the-beat pioneers like Slick Rick. His raps were full of the harrowing, hard-boiled street stories of a life lived illegal, a narrative style similar to Queensbridge MCs like Cormega, with whom he would eventually collaborate. But he was also drawn to California's tradition of political agitation, his militancy a spiritual descendent of the Black Panthers and rappers like Kam, Paris, and Ice Cube. His distinctly smooth, nonchalant rapping—delivered in the same effervescent voice with which he spoke—seamlessly synthesized these influences into a truly singular style.The Jacka had many strengths as an artist: a gift for melody and songcraft, the ideal rapper voice, unflappable swagger, and a sixth sense for beats.
The Jacka's initial attraction to Islam, a spiritual transformation that began when he was 8 or 9 years old, was sparked from a similar place as his attraction to hip-hop. A young Dominick watched as a friend tried to bully a group of Muslim kids and found more than he'd bargained for: "They got in their ranks, formed a lineup, biggest in the front, smallest in the back, and they was not playing, they was about to fuck my boy up," Jacka said. "And I seen that unity, and I said, you know what, I wanna be a part of that. So ever since that day, I would tell people I was Muslim." He became more serious about his faith after spending a year behind bars, something he would talk about often in song, as on the last verse of 2009's "Dopest Forreal": "Changed my state of mind, read the pages all night long." He soon changed his name to Shaheed Akbar.
Jacka initially made his name as a member of the Mob Figaz, a five-man group based out of Pittsburg, Calif., a city in the East Bay area. Fed-X, Rydah J. Klyde, Husalah, and the Jacka were childhood friends; AP9, who was from San Francisco's Fillmore district, joined later. The controversial gangster rapper C-Bo helped put the group on in the late 1990s, releasing C-Bo's Mob Figaz in 1999. After a stint behind bars, the Jacka's own solo album followed in 2001. Riding high off street money, Jacka mixed the record at New York's Hit Factory and traveled the country to promote it, an album that showed a glimmer of the artist he would soon become.
At the time, the Bay Area wasn't quite as creatively flush as it had been in the past. Mac Dre was rebuilding his career after being sidelined in the mid-'90s by legal issues, laying the foundation for what would become the Hyphy movement. But as the Mob Figaz developed their respective solo careers, the crew—particularly Rydah J. Klyde, a disciple of Queensbridge hip-hop—was drawing more upon East Coast influences. Said Jacka: "At that time, New York really had it on smash. They were the dudes who really had the dope ill sample beats, and the young niggas had real bars." The early Mob Figaz were loyal Bay Area partisans, but their work blended the region's slang and prominent basslines with the aesthetic approach of East Coast artists.
This led ultimately to the Jacka's placement on Cormega's Legal Hustle compilation in 2004 with the song "Barney (More Crime)," a record that channeled Jacka's real-life struggle between music and the streets. The record "broke" the Jacka—to the extent that he would break outside the Bay Area axis—among hip-hop aficionados, who were introduced to a new brand of wistful, often tragic street rap that tapped a similar emotional vein as the work of Cormega, Tragedy Khadafi, and Nas.
At this point, things had started to come apart for the Mob. King Freako, a close associate and rapper who'd been down with the group, was killed right in front of the Jacka. In 2004, the Mob Figaz met with Mac Dre, who planned to sign them to his burgeoning label, Thizz Entertainment, and transform them into national stars. That same year, Mac Dre was killed suddenly in Kansas City. Meanwhile, many of Jacka's friends had been arrested, and the money he'd used to promote his first album dried up. "All I could do was make skill pave the way," he said. In 2005, four years after his debut, the Jacka and producer RobLo crafted The Jack Artist, an album now celebrated as the canonical classic of the Jacka's large and chaotic discography.
Although I'd listened to Legal Hustle at the time it was released, it wasn't until the following year that I caught on to the Jacka. In 2005, Houston was hip-hop's biggest media story; Hyphy was still a year away, and when it came, the focus was wholly on the manic production style of Rick Rock, and the general Bay culture, rather than the rap auteurs most beloved at street level. A friend sent me a copy of a split mixtape between Lil Keke—a well-respected Houston rap star—and the Jacka, whose name I didn't recognize. Although I listened for Keke, it was the Jacka's "Pigeon on a T-Shirt" that jumped out, in part for its mournful production. Especially striking was the vivid imagery of the chorus: "Last nigga had beef with the Jack, I make him wonder why the last sound he heard had to sound like thunder."
The Jacka had many strengths as an artist: a gift for melody and songcraft, the ideal rapper voice, unflappable swagger, and a sixth sense for beat selection that was neither trend-hungry, nor overly "left field." But the centerpiece of his music was his writing. Whether on his "classic" albums, his spottier unofficial records, or guest verses for the many Bay Area artists with whom he would collaborate, his lyrics often reward close reading.
One reason was the evocative power of his imagery, which would jump out in three-dimensions: His gun doesn't shoot, it sounds "like thunder," or pops "like meat in the pot frying." The coke isn't simply strong, it wakes you up "like a clip to your face." If you don't do coke, he'll wake you up "with a bang through the windshield." His writing had a three-dimensional punch, his actions a kinetic force.
At the same time, Jacka was a subtle writer, one for whom style and content were closely intertwined. There's an internal consistency to the Jacka's output; like 2Pac and other street rap auteurs, every verse reflected upon who he was as a coherent personality; there was no cynical cycling through song "types," creating conscious records that balanced the street. Instead, everything was fully integrated through his own persona. This meant even a quick 16 on a song like 2007's "Mob Shit"—from his unofficial The Jack of All Trades—would be as consistent with his worldview as more self-evidently "conscious" material. After three other unnamed rappers spit aggressive verses ("Block life, nigga fuck a job, bust raps or them straps, hit licks and rob!"), the Jacka enters rapping as a boastful Cali hardhead: "I scrape the streets, fuck peace, I got hella shit that'll leave you hella stiff." But the verse ends unexpectedly, twisting suddenly from threats into existential after-effects:
Got your brains on the 7-inch screenAnd it ends on that note. Notice the subtle poetic shift from cleaning up physical evidence to cleaning out the bottles of cognac, ending with a stark image the liquor can't erase. There's no didactic explanation that killing is bad; after all, in the world the Jacka is writing from, killing is simple reality, not something that can be hectored into non-existence. But what he can do is rob it of its glamor.
I woke up this morning so yo I know it's not a dream
Now I gotta shower for an hour
No trace of the gunpowder,
No trace of the rallo
Cleaning out bottles of Remy just to hide the thought
Of this nigga laying on his back leaking a river.
This realism is at times incredibly discomforting: It's difficult not to wonder about the Jacka's own history, and the psychological scars with which he wrestled. He seems uninterested in exaggerating his own story—occasionally emphasizing that his one year behind bars wasn't even real time—which only serves to underline his transparency. The distance between this humble approach and the terror of his experience creates a powerful emotional impact. One verse (which has also appeared on a collaborative record with Akron, Ohio, rapper Ampichino), from Broad Daylight's "Coulda Did Better," sketches his torment in vivid terms:
The people wanna lock a nigga up cuz I'm young and I'm lethalThe Jacka's frequent ruminations on death and murder don't feel cynical or callous as much as they do therapeutic. Although an undercurrent of tragedy runs as a constant throughout his catalog, his music was not totally dark. There's an exuberance, especially early on, for not just the spoils of victory, but for playing his part in a larger history. On 2006's "Sicilian Breeze," he raps about being "missing in action, on resorts just relaxing, looking in the water while the dolphins is passing," before shifting suddenly back and forth through history in snatches of anecdotes, an aggregation of the moments that placed him there: "'91 I seen the killers with the curl on top, 2-6 and Cutty had the fiends on hop, back then moms threw away her dreams for rock." "I'm in NYC standing by what used to be towers...interrogation from the boys was my quietest hour," "I used to be young, hanging around cowards, acting like gangsters, trying to figure out what my style was."
Attempted murder on a cop, all it did was feed my ego
Seen a generation rot pushing hop through a needle
Generate the block with a plug from Mexico
Put it in a box, overnight the shit to Frisco
I been through a lot, first time I shot a pistol
Wasn't in the air, but I wish it could have been so
'Stead of in a man with the same color skin tone
As he grew older, his music honed in on a purposeful moral conscience without sacrificing its immediacy or populist appeal. On records like Mob Trial 3's incredible "African Warrior," the Jacka's writing was at its evocative peak: "I would really like to say a lot more, but I'm holding back/Because they shoot our heroes down when exposing facts/Rather see me in they war killing foes with straps/Or with a sack of dope killing fiends with that/Or anything to keep me from my dreams I guess." The song opens with an indictment of the music business' inability to see his vision: "The major labels blind, they don't even know what's up/They let a real nigga pass 'cause they dumb as fuck."
While the labels were indeed blind, in one sense it's hard to blame them: The Jacka's catalog is deep and difficult to wrap one's head around. In addition to his official solo albums (2001's The Jacka, 2005's The Jack Artist, and 2009's Tear Gas), there are unofficial albums, official mixtapes, unofficial mixtapes, guest spots, and collaborative releases. Much like the work of Max B, Gucci Mane, and other rappers of his generation, the best understanding of their work comes not from one or two great albums, but through an immersive investment.
While he's largely considered a marginal figure due to a lack of mainstream attention or cool cosigns, the essence of the Jacka's creative work is so substantial it's difficult to imagine a future where the true extent of his accomplishments won't be recognized. It was an optimism he shared throughout his work, as in the close of "This Time I Want It All," from 2011's Mobbin Thru the West.
We was real, but when I'm gone, I wonder what they'll say
When all I ever did is try to make it the ill way
Since I was a kid they been sleep, but they will wake
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015
Drake Is Spending His Sunday Night at a Rap Battle Event Instead of the Grammys!
Image via HotNewHipHop
With the 2015 Grammy Awards in full swing, there seems to be one rapper missing from the night's festivities: Drake.Drizzy, who is hosting and participating as a judge in KOTD’s Blackout 5 in Toronto this weekend, had better things to do than attend the Grammys. Drake looked like he was cool with staying home and attending two days of rap battles.
He spent part of his weekend talking and ding with OB O'Brien.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Drake Wants To Do Battle Rap But Feels Held Back By Corporate Obligations!
Drake is presenting the King Of The Dot battle rap event ‘Blackout 5′ in Toronto tonight.Last year, Drake was making noise about stepping in the battle rap ring himself, and even challenged seasoned battle rapper Murda Mook. During yesterday’s press conference for King Of The Dot Drizzy was asked if he sees himself participating in battle rap anytime soon.
“I love to enter the scene. It’s tough for me because it’s sort of a no hold barred competitive interaction,” Drake explained. “The problem with that is that I have to go back to my life after that. I’ve always struggled with that as far battle rap goes, I would love to get into the scene. But I have obligations — I might say something, somebody might something about me — it just kind of makes it tough when I have corporate stuff going. I think one day I might do it. I don’t know if Mook deserves it.”Jab at Mook aside, do you think Drake has what it takes to be a battle rapper? He later added “I definitely have a phone with a folder full of bars for somebody.”
Drake talks battle rap at about the ten minute mark of the video below.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
#RIP Bay Area Rapper ‘The Jacka’ Killed In Oakland Shooting
A Bay Area rapper was killed in a shooting in East Oakland Monday night.
KPIX 5 Reporter Christin Ayers confirmed that the shooting victim was 37-year-old Dominic Newton, a rapper who went by the stage name “The Jacka.”
Witnesses said they heard several shots fired around 8:15 p.m. on MacArthur Boulevard by 94th Avenue.
So far, no suspects have been identified.
According to AllMusic, The Jacka is originally from Pittsburg and began his rap career in the late 1990s as a member of Mob Figaz, before launching a solo career in 2001.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Lil Wayne’s Lawsuit Against Birdman Is Filed And It’s For $51 Million
Last week, Lil Wayne’s lawsuit against Birdman was for $8 million and was a rumor. Today it’s for $51 million and for real.
TMZ claims they’ve seen the lawsuit Wayne has filed against Baby. According to the tabloid, Wayne is suing for his freedom — which he says he is entitled to because Cash Money violated his contract by not paying him his advance on Tha Carter V. Then he also wants the $51 million for his trouble.
The $8 million figure brandied about last week refers specifically to the advance on Tha Carter V that he has yet to receive. He was also supposed to get another $2 million after the album was completed.
Additionally, Weezy wants the judge to declare he’s the joint copyright owner of all Young Money recordings, which would include Drake and Nicki Minaj.
It’s been said Baby only starts negotiating when the legal threat against him is real. So we’ll see what happens now.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
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