It was only a matter of time before Maino’s record label, Millennium Records, poisoned his mind into doing something like this. The convo probably went something like, “You struck platinum by being hardcore and street. Imagine what you could do if you really crossed over!” And then the walls bled, the sky turned black as sackcloth and “That Could Be Us” was born. Read the rest of this entry »

The game is littered with foreseeable collaborations these days but when there’s a benefit for all parties involved, plenty good can come out from the setup. Jeremih is the underrated underdog of Hip-Hop/R&B hooks and Diggy Simmons is the youthful rhymeslinger with a fanbase ripe for the picking. Together they make magic on “Do It Like You,” Read the rest of this entry »

Diggy and his team of ghostwriters already “borrowed” plenty of elements to create “Copy, Paste,” so why not plagiarize the video concept on top of that? The debut visual from the test tube rapper features his entire steez being manufactured in a lab, à la 50 Cent from the “In Da Club” video right before he breaks off into a face palm-inducing Usher dance segment. No idea’s original but creativity hasn’t totally perished from the planet. Read the rest of this entry »

No one wants to see Diggy fail.

He’s the kid whose bloodline gives him automatic clearance into whatever avenue he would eventually decide to venture into. Since his face was recognizable well before his cornoration, his reserved spot doesn’t rub anyone the wrong way. Read the rest of this entry »

Graphics By Talia

Imagine a label that’s figured it all out.

Imagine the record execs sitting at a board meeting, looking at their financial numbers, in a panic over the state of the company and the music industry in general. The company’s Hip-Hop sales have struggled – a waning roster thinned out by incarcerations and mental breakdowns has crushed the label’s star power. No matter how much money they pump into a Hip-Hop album, and how many fans artist A seems to garner, the label can’t seem to get numbers above 100K. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve never been one of Lupe’s Lasers, Losers or Sun Beams or whatever his loyal contingent of protesting diehards call themselves. But I’ve been a pretty big Lupe fan. Watching his career path over the last three years has been depressing. We all know about the label dispute, the anti-blog rants and the lackluster leaks, but Lasers was supposed to be the light at the end of the tunnel. Read the rest of this entry »

It appears as if Da Kid Wiz is giving the major label route another go, as this video interview confirms Khalifa’s freshly-inked inked deal with Atlantic Records. After turning down Rick Ross’ personal contract offer, the MC also known as George Jetson’s boss tells MTV’s Sway the reason he was ready to make the move was that his vision as an artist had finally unraveled. Read the rest of this entry »

There was a time when I would have fought hard for Lupe. Now, not so much. That’s not to say I’m not a fan of dude’s work and won’t support it when the time comes because I will. As in a lot of cases though, the reasoning for Lupe’s new album being held hostage for the past year isn’t his doing at all. It’s Atlantic Record’s. For months, Lupe fans have been up at arms about the lack of action surrounding his highly anticipated third project, Lasers. Read the rest of this entry »

Bobby Ray’s inspirational hit with Hayley gets the strobe light treatment. I see a Jim Jonsin’ cameo in here as well. No Billboard reports needed to determine this chune’s greatness; it passed the in-house charts kept @ the Gotty™ house. Read the rest of this entry »

While young Bobby Ray got Tip on one track for his Adventures…, this one had to get the snip-snip because Coldplay hates all rappers not named Jay-Z and Kanye. Stick it at the end of the album as you pre-order it, bump it, love it–whatever. The man child has the #1 single in the country. Like the song’s co-star once said, “Big ‘tings poppin.’” Read the rest of this entry »

In a time when “superstars” are far and few between, every element of the machine is getting behind Bobby. MTV’s full-fledged support? Check, as he’s their PUSH (Play Until Someone Hears) artist of the week. Atlantic? Check, otherwise we’d be offering this for download instead of a stream. The early response to the album from those who’ve heard it? It’s sounding like all of the expectations will be met. So the setup is there. And as “Nothing On You” continues its mash on the charts, I would expect the Hayley Williams-assisted “Airplanes” to follow suit soon enough. So, yes, the stars are aligned for super to happen. Read the rest of this entry »

More complex than a locomotive. Able to strum Stratocasters with a single touch. Simultaneously mending R&B & Hip-Hop in a single alto note–it’s Bobby Ray!!! No superhero is complete without their superpowers and B.o.B. just so happens to possess the gift of music hypnosis. Read the rest of this entry »

High off the announcement of his signing with Atlantic, the lil’ homie Donnis hopped in the booth and let a few bars fly to Rob’s aptly-titled track. It hasn’t even been a year since we met dude down in Austin and he’s already gotten to this point. Funny thing is, even back then he would have told you this day wasn’t too far off. Read the rest of this entry »

Ten some odd years ago, Christopher “B.G.” Dorsey undoubtedly had the same easygoing persona, but his star status was definitely on another echelon. At the height of their popularity, B.G. was instrumental in helping Cash Money Records shift from entrepreneurship to empire before internal rifts, legal turmoil and drug addiction threw him of course. Bent on never reclaiming what once was, the original Hot Boy unveils Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood, which spits in the face of commercial radio while coincidentally returning the B.G. of old into the fray. Read the rest of this entry »

This should be interesting.

Weary of possible leaks, Jay-Z is rumored to be hand delivering The Blueprint 3 to Atlantic Records label brass in London upon completion.  Read the rest of this entry »