The recording business hopes to boost waning sales by launching the “ringle” in select offline stores like Wal-Mart and Target. Get ready to pony up $6 (!!!) for three songs, a cardboard sleeve, and a ringtone download code. In other news, the EFF is outraged.

read more | digg story

Hip-hop now faces a generation that takes gangsta rap as just another mundane marker in the cultural scenery. “It’s collapsing because they can no longer fool the white kids,” says Nickels. “There’s only so much redundancy anyone can take.”

read more | digg story

A unique educational Hip Hop program is being offered at a public charter school in South Los Angeles. The Global Awareness through Hip Hop class, now in its second year, is taught by the course’s creator, Sebastien Elkouby, and is one of the only full time educational Hip Hop programs in the country being offered as an elective course to 7th and 8th grade students.

Hip-Hop artists

Elkouby, founder of the Urban Youth Empowerment Foundation, an organization which uses Hip Hop culture as a tool for youth empowerment, created this program to address the educational crisis that affects more than 50% of inner-city middle and high school students. As similar statistics are observed in many cities across the nation, it became clear that a new method was needed to reach students with poor grades at risk for dropping out.

Elkouby says, “For a variety of reasons, these students feel completely disconnected from the traditional educational process and, ultimately, they give up. This program helps students develop critical thinking skills by using Hip Hop to analyze pop culture media and social movements, while simultaneously teaching students language arts, history, social studies, cultural diversity, geography, and health.” He adds, “Using Hip Hop as a medium to reach students makes sense considering they have such a strong connection to its culture. Last year’s success of the program confirms it works.”

The Global Awareness Through Hip Hop course is offered for the entire school year beginning August 27, 2007 through June 22, 2008.

Source: prleap.com

Hip-Hop artists

Justin Timberlake will join “Weeds” star Romany Malco, Verne Troyer and Jessica Alba in the new Mike Myers comedy “The Love Guru”.

As previously reported, Myers plays Pitka, an American who was left at the gates of an Indian ashram as a child and raised by gurus. After moving back to the U.S., he gains fame in the world self-help and spirituality. He attempts to settle a dispute between hockey star Darren Roanoke (Malco) and his estranged wife. After the split, Roanoke’s wife starts dating Grande (Timberlake), threatening her husband’s career. Alba plays Jane Bullard, the team’s owner, while Troyer plays Coach Cherkov. The Paramount Pictures/Spyglass Entertainment film opens June 20, 2008, and will begin shooting next month in Toronto.

Source: www.eurweb.com

Calling all women! If you’ve always wanted to be in a music video with Jennifer Lopez, now’s your chance. Lopez kicked off a national casting call on Thursday in NYC for a person to appear in one of her upcoming music videos. NYC is the first of six cities that will have casting calls. Those unable to make it to the casting calls in person are invited to submit a 30-second audition video of themselves dancing, to an online website.

Browse All Jennifer Lopez songs

The initial NYC audition was limited to 200 people who have the opportunity to show off their dance moves in a 30-second audition. Jennifer Lopez was on hand to kick off the dancing competition, and was joined by her choreographers Rich and Tone, who judged.

After this competition, New York City choreographer Shane Sparks will continue on to the following cities and will hold similar auditions around the U.S. One lucky finalist will be chosen from each city. The cities and dates for the music video dancing auditions are:

* Dallas — Aug. 30th
* Atlanta — Sept. 6th
* Miami — Sept. 7th
* Chicago — Sept. 20th
* Las Vegas — Sept. 28th

Realizing that not everyone can attend these dance auditions, Secret Deodorant has made it possible for hopefuls to submit their 30-second audition video online. Four lucky finalists will be selected from those who have submitted their video online. This video must be taken within the past six months, should only include the person that is entering the contents, and must be received by September 28th. The dance routine must be performed to one of the following Jennifer Lopez songs: If You Had My Love, Play, Waiting For Tonight, Jenny From the Block, Get Right and Do It Well. A complete list of rules is available at http://www.secret.com/byh/OfficalRules.do.

On October 22, 2007, the names of the finalists will be announced. One of these lucky women will have the opportunity to appear in a music video with Jennifer Lopez and that person will be chosen by the public. Dance videos of the finalists will appear on the website, http://www.becauseyourehot.com, where visitors can vote for their favorite dancer. Voting will be open to the public and will take place between October 22nd and November 2nd. The grand prize winner will be announced the week of November 12th.

Sorry, men. While many of you may want to dance with Jennifer Lopez, or appear in a music video with her, this competition is restricted to women only.

Browse All Jennifer Lopez songs

Source: www.associatedcontent.com

Rapper 50 Cent says he will give up his solo career if his new album, Curtis, fails to outsell Kanye West’s latest effort, Graduation, both to be released Sept. 11.

“Let’s raise the stakes,” 50 Cent, born Curtis James Jackson, told hip hop website sohh.com.
Rapper 50 Cent, seen here in January 2007, says he’s the underdog in the hip hop music industry while Kanye West wins all the music awards.
(Seth Wenig/Associated Press)

“If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on Sept. 11, I’ll no longer write music. I’ll write music and work with my other artists, but I won’t put out any more solo albums”

Strangely, the 32-year-old singer admits he was collaborating with West recently — although neither musician’s albums will feature that work. 50 Cent said he wanted to create “a new direction” for his music by working with West.

But that hasn’t stopped him from issuing the pledge, saying he’s up against a perception that he’s the top dog.

“I’ve worked myself into a space where I’ve become the favourite … Everybody roots for the underdog when he goes against the favourite.”

Last week, 50 Cent challenged West to a debate about who was better but West dismissed the challenge, calling it silly.

“When I heard that thing about the debate, I thought that was the stupidest thing. When my albums drops and 50’s album drops, you’re gonna get a lot of good music at the same time,” West said at the time.

In a long interview with the hip hop news site, 50 Cent says that he is, in fact, the underdog in the industry.

“The people who give out trophies, pick [Kanye West] because he’s safe,” said the Queens rapper, who has no trophies for his efforts.

“But my projects may be making a way bigger impression … by actually selling. That’s an indication of the public’s interest.”

West has six Grammys under his belt including two Best Rap Album trophies for 2005’s The College Dropout and 2006’s Late Registration as well as a Best Rap Song award for Diamonds from Sierra Leone (2006).

50 Cent’s last full-length solo effort, 2005’s The Massacre, was the best-selling release of that year — topping 1.14 million copies bought in the first week. However, his recent singles, Amusement Park and Straight to the Bank, released this spring, have flopped.

In 2005, he starred in a movie based on his life, Get Rich or Die Tryin’.

With files from the Associated Press

Source

50 Cent downloads

In the singels chart:
1st place: Fergie - Big Girls Don’t Cry
2nd place: Ricki-Lee - Can’t Touch It

In the albums chart:
1st place: Fergie - The Dutchess
2nd place: Pink - I’m Not Dead

Jay-Z earned his money with Def Jam Records (as president) and number of business ventures.

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Second place in Forbes.com’s Hip-Hop Cash Kings list - 50 Cent.

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