Last night, I had the privilege to check out Jay Electronica performing live in West Hollywood, California at the Key Club. Back in April, I witnessed Jay on the Paid Dues Festival concert stop, but was looking forward to a more intimate show that a smaller venue provides. I arrived at the club at 11:30 pm and security checked me relatively quick, as most people were in the club already. With no lines to worry about, I got in and worked my way up to a good vantage point to witness Jay's well reputed show. The club was packed to the brill and the crowd was ready for whatever Jay was going to throw their way, lyrically and spiritually. Yes, this was hip hop church and the parishioners were more than ready to receive Jay's sermon.
Jay arrived on stage and started with the Just Blaze produced track 'Dear Moleskine' (view below)
Current Los Angeles Clippers and former Hornets' NBA player Baron Davis was in the VIP section within a mere foot from me. Baron and his crew were evenly placed and had a bird's eye view of Jay Electronica's on stage performance. Jay mention that Baron was in the building several times, as well.
Then Jay broke out a new song that he didn't perform per se, but gave the crowd a brief taste. Jay let everyone know that he would unleash this new diddy on his Birthday, September 19th. (view above)
Then the real action started as Jay invited everyone on stage while he performed 'Exibit A', 'Exibit C' and other tracks. A bold move on Jay's behalf, but the audience loved it. (view at top, above and below)
After Jay jumped into the crowd performing his last song, it seemed like he turned into hip hop's version of Harry Houdini because 'poof' all of the sudden he was gone - which abruptly concluded the show. The show clocked in around 45 min. I wouldn't necessarily say I was short changed by the short set. As with a professional act as Jay Electronica comes, what also comes with it is the hype builder component too, by leaving us wanting more. And we certainly did.
Check out another fan xIgnantx, who was also at the show photo link: Flickr
** Black MilkAlbum of the Year on Fat Beats out next Tuesday! **
When you call your fourth full-length "Album of the Year," you're asking to be evaluated on the toughest metric possible. And indeed, the new album from Fat Beats-signed Detroit production wunderkind Black Milk plays out like a legacy bid -- an attempt to place him on the all-time A-List alongside his legendary production predecessors: Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and the acknowledged Motor City messiah J Dilla.
Comparisons to the late James Yancey have accompanied Milk since the first half of the last decade, when he became one of Slum Village's go-to producers in the wake of Dilla's departure. Often branded Dilla's rightful heir, the 27-year-old born Curtis Cross has certainly inherited his knack for knocking off-kilter drums and turning soul samples spectral. And like Dilla, Milk's production prowess outstrips his rhyme skills.
Which is not to say that Milk is lackluster on the microphone, but merely limited. His voice and flow are above average, and he nimbly hurdles through the tricky measures of his zig-zagging beats. But while often witty, his battle-rap boasts rarely transcend the underground tropes that have endured for a decade-plus (i.e. elliptical raps about being good at rapping). The chief exception is "Distortion," a poignant meditation on death that reveals Milk's capabilities when inspired. Yet when the topic shifts to pro forma love jams ("Oh Girl" "Over Again"), his neo-soul tinged sounds intuitively shift away from his strengths (adamantine production that distills the thrashing cold and steel wool-rugged feel of Detroit).
With very few notable exceptions, most of hip-hop's greatest albums produced by rapper/producer hybrids have either come in groups (Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Slum Village, EPMD) or solo albums that featured a guest rapper on nearly every track ("The Chronic"). Rightfully cited as Detroit's best producer, Milk has his pick of any MC adjacent to the Great Lakes. And when he chooses to tap his contacts as on the Elzhi and Royce Da 5'9-featured "Deadly Medley" and the Danny Brown-aided, "Black and Brown," the results live up to his lofty aspirations.
But too often, he seems in love with his own genius, letting instrumental codas ramble on into bloated prog territory, with three of the album's 13 tracks clocking in or beyond the 5-1/2-minute mark. "Album of the Year" is a good record -- Milk is far too talented to turn in anything subpar. Yet it isn't the career-defining masterpiece that the Detroit disciples that litter the underground had hoped for. Then again, settling for album of the month isn't too shabby. (source)
7:30 P.M.: Jay-Z Bailing Afterward? Word among show personnel is that Jay-Z will be immediately exiting the stadium upon completion of his set -- in other words, no appearance during Eminem's set. He'll be headed to his waiting Gulfstream jet to fly home to New York, then return for the second show. Wife Beyonce is here in Comerica Park.
Jay-Z is waiting for darkness before taking the stage, to accommodate film crews who are chronicling the show. NOTE: Sources later said Jay-Z might have stayed backstage after all.
8:30 P.M.: A Fleet Of Escalades With the Beastie Boys cranked on the stadium PA, there are seven minutes until Jay-Z's set. The rapper and his posse just arrived in a caravan of Escalades behind the right-field wall.
8:37 P.M.: Heavyweights Expected Among the expected guests during Eminem's set: 50 Cent, Dr. Dre and Drake.
8:40 P.M.: The Countdown Curtains have come down, lights are off. An onscreen countdown clock gets fans roaring: 50 seconds 'til Jay-Z hits the stage.
8:45 P.M.: Jay Starts Rocking With a blast of lights and an epic, squalling rock lick, Jay-Z took the stage at 8:40 p.m., alone at center stage delivering lines from the opening of his 2000 album "The Dynasty: Roc La Familia." Upon the song's conclusion, he urged show directors to bring the house lights up. "Just give me two minutes -- I've gotta take this all in," he said, grinning as he took in the crowd of 40,000-plus. "This is hip-hop music and this is how far we've come."
9:40: Frenetic Set Pauses To Honor Fallen Stars Jay-Z, dressed in black and wearing a Yankees cap, has been whipping through a loud, fast-paced set, backed by a tight live band and a massive high-def video screen. This is his stage, but he's been happy to share the spotlight: Young Jeezy and Memphis Bleek have already joined him for onstage collaborations, and Jay devoted a lengthy segment honoring fallen music stars such as Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur and Detroiters Proof and Aaliyah. Hot songs like "Big Pimpin'" and swaying numbers like "Forever Young" have been interspersed with abbreviated medleys of tunes such as "Hard Knock Life" and "A Dream." With taupe-tinted Detroit images projected behind him, he delivers a jazzy rendition of "Thank You."
10 P.M.: Entering 'Empire State Of Mind' -- 'I'm Going To Take You Home' Jay-Z heads into the homestretch with an appropriately epic-sized "Empire State of Mind." "I'm going to take you home -- my home," the New York star tells the receptive Detroit crowd. Minutes later, grinning wide, he closes up his set with a jazz-laced performance of "Numb." "I had an incredible time with you," Jay tells the Comerica Park crowd. "This was one of the best experiences of my entire life."
10:05 P.M.: Jay-Z Killed It; Eminem Up Next Jay-Z has left the stage. Everything is about 15 minutes behind -- Eminem is expected to go on at about 10:45 p.m. There's a low buzz around the ballpark as fans take in what they just witnessed: an impressively energetic set that found Jay-Z killing it onstage.
10:35 P.M.: First Eminem Performance In A While Lost in the buildup to this week's shows was an important reality: Eminem hasn't spent much time on a concert stage lately. Until Thursday night, the self-confessed studio hermit had played just four full sets since his Comerica Park show in 2005 -- all festival appearances. This first hometown show in half a decade presented a vastly different sort of challenge.
10:36 P.M.: Eminem Builds Ferocious Energy Eminem, a Detroit Tigers hoodie draped over his ballcap, hits the stage for a fierce performance of his new "Won't Back Down." It's already a different vibe than the one set by Jay-Z : sharper, grittier, darker. He's got the microphone gripped tight as he tensely paces the stage, occasionally glancing out to soak in the sea of bodies in front of him. You can practically feel his heart and adrenaline coursing as he takes in the moment.
10:47 P.M.: Trick Trick Joins For 'Welcome To Detroit' A grinning Trick Trick, clad in white, has bounded onstage to join Em for a bumping version of "Welcome to Detroit," a montage of Motor City imagery rolling on the big screen behind them.
11:10 P.M.: D12 Helps Em Walk Through The Catalog About 30 minutes in, it looks to be an eclectic, career-spanning set, as members of D12 occasionally make their way onstage: Em quickly dips back in time, ripping through 1999’s “Kill You” with slinky backing from the live band behind him. He jumps through the years, placing older tunes (“Cleaning Out My Closet”) next to songs from his new “Recovery.”
11:12 P.M.: An Assured Pace; B.O.B., Drake Come Out Opener B.O.B. has returned to the stage for his Eminem duet "Airplanes II." The songs are rolling one after another now: "Kill You," "The Way I Am," "So Bad," "Stan." Eminem is locking into a confident groove. The early tension is growing into a self-assured command of the stage, as the rapper pumps his fists to exhort the crowd. A clean-cut Drake is the next guest out, joining Eminem for a run through their hit "Forever."
11:25 P.M.: Working Hard With 50 Cent The stars are definitely out on a Thursday night in Detroit : Now it's 50 Cent onstage with Eminem, working through a head-bobbing rendition of 50's "Patiently Waiting." The stage lights drop to reveal 50's illuminated jacket. He continues his cameo with a booming "In Da Club" and the night's latest exhortation that fans put their hands up. Em has certainly put in a shift: It's a gorgeous, mild night in Detroit, but his gray T-shirt is completely drenched in sweat.
11:40 P.M.; No Rihanna, But Lady Gaga Expected Tomorrow Eminem launches into the summer's biggest single, "Love the Way You Lie." Ironically, it might be the first disappointment of the night for some fans: confirmation that studio partner Rihanna is not on the night's guest list. But another female star is expected to be here for Friday night's show: Lady Gaga. The pop star is in Milwaukee tonight, but is headed this way for her Saturday show at the Palace. Folks behind the scenes say she'll spend her Friday night here at Comerica Park, though it's unknown if that's onstage or off.
12:07 P.M.: Encore Ends With Fireworks Having closed his regular set with the anthemic "Not Afraid," Eminem has begun his encore: a pulsing rendition of "Lose Yourself." With the city skyline glowing behind him, the biggest Detroit music act of the past quarter-century rolls through his signature song. It's the biggest moment in a night of big ones. The self-empowerment of "Lose Yourself" couples neatly with the strength-through-humility of "Not Afraid," and with a shot of colorful fireworks, Eminem ends his show on a potent, inspirational note.
Here's what the Detroit News had to say about Mike Posner's performance at the Warped tour's stop in Detroit on Saturday, July 31st:
Posner's early evening set -- he played at 5:15 -- capitalized on the burgeoning buzz the Southfield singer has built around his hit summer single "Cooler Than Me," which closed his set. Posner brought out Detroit rapper Big Sean for both "Cooler Than Me" and "Smoke and Drive," whipping up the already-amped crowd. Posner, whose debut album is due Aug. 10, told the crowd he has big plans, and the show indeed felt like a stepladder to greater success. Before they broke into the stratosphere, both Kid Rock and Eminem logged summers on the Warped Tour.
Prior to his set, Posner joined Florida rockers We the Kings during their set, singing his part on "She Takes Me High" before diving into the crowd. Later, lines to meet Posner in his on-site tent stretched more than a city block.
Be sure to catch Mike Posner on this year's Van's Warped Tour, dates in the link below: 2010 Van's Warp Tour dates
Young Jeezy headed up to Detroit's Chene Park (Friday, July 30) to test the live waters as a headlining artist. Jay-Z BP3 Tour run was the last time Jeezy came thru Detroit in March of this year. Welcome back!
In a new, behind the scenes video released on Eminem's official site, the rapper gives fans an exclusive glimpse into the cover art for his album Recovery.
The video shows Em braving the cold and shedding his jacket to take pictures in the 33 degrees weather while making sarcastic jokes to the photographer Nigel Parry, saying "Oh man, listen, take your time, listen, I am enjoying the weather so f---ing much!"
The notoriosly Detroit based rapper goes on to explain what the cover means to him: "It symbolizes, like, what my life is like right now because of the fame, but also kind of how I've had to remove myself from society a little bit, pull back to conquer my demons, my addiction and that whole thing, it also symbolizes me never leaving Detroit, you know? I'm kinda just sitting in the middle of Detroit, watching TV. And it's kind of my living room, where people are just walking by."
The video ends on a light note, first with Em and crew getting ready to shoot the second cover for the dual covered album, as well as a jokingly ranting Eminem keeping the crew from loading into the van, and standing in the cold while spouting off self help mantra's such as "You gotta take it one day at a time,".
Also at the end is the promise for additional behind the footage scenes from Recovery in a second episode.
Music producer auteur, Black Milk reminds us why he's the most acclaimed underground hip hop producer around in this trailer for his upcoming album Album Of The Year on Fat Beats out September 14th.
Black Milk along with his trusted live band made up of AB on keyboards/vocals, drummer extraordinaire Daru Jones and some of Detroit's finest musicians including vocalist Melanie Rutherford are expected to deliver one of 2010's most anticipated releases. Count on Black Milk to stretch the boundaries of hip hop on this one.
Black MilkAlbum Of The Year on Fat Beats set to drop July 27.
01. 365 02. Welcome (Gotta Go) 03. Keep Going 04. Oh Girl ft. AB 05. Deadly Medley ft. Royce Da 5’9 and Elzhi 06. Distortion ft. Melanie Rutherford 07. Over Again ft. Monica Blaire 08. Black and Brown ft. Danny Brown 09. Round of Applause 10. Warning (Keep Bouncing) 11. Gospel Psychedelic Rock 12. Closed Chapter ft. Mr. Porter
Detroit rapper Eminem just can't keep himself out of the media these days.
He just announced an ultra high-profile pair of September concerts with fellow hip-hop luminary Jay-Z and "Not Afraid," the fist single off his upcoming album "Recovery," debuted at number one in the Billboard Hot 100 today, becoming the 16th song ever to do so.
So it's no surprise that when Eminem is spotted anywhere, people make a big deal about it.
Such was the case when bystanders came across Em filming the video for "Not Afraid" in Newark, N.J. last week.
Dozens of videos made their way onto YouTube, showing the rapper wearing a black jacket and shooting several scenes around the downtown area of the city.
Eminem was reportedly shooting the video on May 5, but there is no word on when the video will be released or what the theme of it is.
"Recovery," Eminem's seventh studio album, will be released June 22.
Hayes: From the first time I ever heard music, I was hooked. It goes back as long as I can remember. As soon as I heard music, I felt it in my blood and knew it was a part of me.
Dubcnn: So then, you knew from pretty much early on that music was your destiny?
Hayes: Hell YEAH!
Dubcnn: Coming out of Detroit, Michigan, whose sound(s) did you grow up listening to?
Hayes: Whoever I grew up around, who I looked up to, and whatever was going on around my (way), was my influences. I got my style from what was going on around me in my life, and what was going on in Detroit.
Dubcnn: Define what exactly it is that you do when you pick up a microphone?
Hayes: I just say it’s good, interesting, and I hope you all like it. I don’t know how to explain it more than that, but I really hope you like it!
Dubcnn: How did you actually manage to get two of the best producers in the biz, Dr. Dre and Timbaland, to take notice, and ultimately jointly sign you to both of their respective imprints; Aftermath Entertainment and Mosley Music Group, through Interscope Records?
Hayes: I've known Tim and Dre for a long time. Me and Dre was on Detox, and one day we was just chilling, we was sitting on the couch -- I don’t know if we was watching a football game or a basketball game -- and Dre was like, “Yo, I was thinking ‘bout signing you, you want a record deal?” I said, “Yeah, my nigga, YES I do!” And then, me and him was out shooting dice one night at Jimmy’s club, and Tim came in and asked us, “Hey, what the fuck are you guys doing?” And Dre said, "We were about to do an album together." And Tim said, ‘I’ll fuck with Hayes. Let’s do it together, we’ll make it huge, Dre!’ And after that, we started working, and it’s been going on ever since. I couldn’t believe it was happening.
Dubcnn: Damn, that's amazing! Now, as a precursor of sorts to your “official” solo offering, you just dropped your 3rd street-tape, The First 48. For someone who has not heard it yet, what would you say can be expected from it?
Hayes: I would say get you a copy, check it out, and let me know what you think of it. It’s available for free download on my website, www.iamhayes.com
Dubcnn: Oh, okay. So, have you titled your highly anticipated, forthcoming Aftermath Entertainment/Mosley Music Group/Interscope Records' debut yet?
Hayes: I haven’t titled it yet. It’s a work in progress.
Dubcnn: Will Dre and Tim be handling/sharing all of the album’s production?
Hayes: Dr. Dre will be doing half the production, and Timbaland will be doing the second half.
Dubcnn: Nice! Well, what has it been like working in the lab with these two studio geniuses/living legends?
Hayes: It’s been beautiful. They are both brilliant. They both have their own style, and they both come up with the craziest, most original material. It’s amazing.
Dubcnn: I bet! So, describe a typical studio session when working with Dre and Tim? Are they both very different when it comes to crafting in the lab?
Hayes: Great is great. You spell it the same way every night. There is no difference between great and great. They both do things that you wouldn’t hear or see. It’s always unpredictable. Exciting and unpredictable, always a pleasure.
Dubcnn: Are there any special cameo appearances to look out for?
Hayes: I love so many artists that I’m gonna take it how it comes. I know Dre and Tim got their own vision. I have a wish list, but it’s too long. I just love everybody that’s talented, and there are so many great artists I’m going to let it fall into place.
Dubcnn: What has been the key to your success so far?
Hayes: God. I don’t never make any choices on my own, I trust the eyes of faith. When you do that, it can go anyway. God is stronger than me, to take me where I’m going. I just sit back and let the Powers that Be lead me to where they want me to go. And then, everything always works out right.
Dubcnn: That definitely seems to be working in your favor! With that being said, what is your 5 to 10 year plan in entertainment?
Hayes: I’ll probably be doing whatever I love. And this is the crazy thing about doing what you love: If you ask the average person what they want to be doing in 5 to 10 years, they will probably tell you they want to do something they not doing. Why wait 5 to 10 years to do what you want to do now? You can do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it. I love music, and I love being creative. So, I’ll be doing something creative, and something I love, 5 to 10 years from now.
Dubcnn: Makes sense! Well, you've been on the road quite a bit lately with Timbaland, so what’s the live show element actually like?
Hayes: It’s like praying not to get booed! It’s like a constant prayer to not get booed off stage. *Hayes chuckles* I like performing. I’ll probably be an artist that performs with just a mic attached to me. I like to take the accessories away, so I feel like I’m really interacting with the people.
Dubcnn: I hear you’ve been writing and assisting with Dr. Dre on his long overdue, anxiously awaited DETOX LP. How much involvement do you have? What can you divulge or reveal about this top secret, years-in-the-making opus?
Hayes: I work with Dre everyday, that’s my man, so I don’t have nothing to reveal at all.
Dubcnn: Damn, more secrets! Well, are there any other mixtapes or cameos on others works to look out for from you in the meantime?
Hayes: No, me and Dre finishing the first single from my album. Be on the look-out for that in the next couple weeks.
Dubcnn: Do you have any closing thoughts?
Hayes: Yeah, Life is all about living. And, Life is short. So, do what you love and LIVE now! (source)
SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 14 -- The much-anticipated new album from Eminem, Recovery (Aftermath/Interscope), will be released June 22, 2010, it was announced today by Interscope Records. On Recovery, his seventh major label studio album, Eminem has reached out to an exciting list of first-time collaborators, including DJ Khalil, Just Blaze, Jim Jonsin and Boi-1da, among others.
Eminem releases Recovery just over a year after his last album, 2009's Relapse. Relapse put the cap on an impressive ten years of recorded output, and contributed to Eminem being the biggest selling artist of 2000-2009. In recognition of this, Neilsen SoundScan named him their Artist of the Decade. Relapse entered the charts at #1 and, at nearly double platinum, was the best selling rap album of last year. It also earned Eminem his 11th Grammy award, winning in the Best Rap Album category. Relapse's first single, "Crack A Bottle" from Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (Eminem's second #1 after 2002's "Lose Yourself") and set a SoundScan record at the time of its release for opening week download sales (418,000). The album also spun off two other hits; the Top 10 "We Made You" and Top 20 "Beautiful."
"I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year," remarked Eminem. "But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title."
A sold-out Palace crowd of 15,000-plus was in a Jay-Z state of mind Sunday night, as rap's top performer brought his rousing BP3 tour to Auburn Hills (Sunday, March 14).
Backed by a massive 10-piece band that included a three-piece horn section and a wall of video screens fashioned into a city skyscape, Jay -- dressed in his standard-issue all black everything -- took the stage to "Run This Town," one of several hits lifted from last year's "Blueprint 3" album.
He rolled into his verse from "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," positioning himself at center stage, where he stood still, shifting his weight from his front to his back foot, motioning through the lyrics with his hands. A suite of "Blueprint 3" tracks followed, with Jay working both sides of the stage and looking customarily cool behind a pair of darkened shades.
That wealth of material certainly worked to Jay-Z's advantage on Sunday, allowing him to survey an entire career of flavors and forms from the in-your-face material of his 1996 debut "Reasonable Doubt" -- including a particularly hot "Can I Live" -- to mainstream crossover fare such as the show-opening "Run This Town," "Empire State of Mind" and "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)." He mixed tight medleys with full-length song performances, confidently swaggering through favorites such as "On to the next One," "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," "99 Problems," "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" and "Swagga Like Us" and issuing his trademark command -- "Bounce!" -- to keep the Palace crowd rocking from note one to the final bows. And he kept things even more "real" by ending several of the songs with forceful a capella raps
He had a little help, too. Memphis Bleek served as Jay-Z's hype man for about a third of the show, while opening act Trey Songz sang during "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and "Already Home." Young Jeezy's appearance during "Real As it Gets" led to a 25-minute solo set that somewhat stalled the show's momentum, but Jay-Z brought the energy back quickly with "My President."
Mar 16 Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena Mar 18 Chicago, IL - United Center Mar 19 St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center Mar 20 Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse Mar 22 Denver, CO - Pepsi Center Mar 24 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion Mar 26 Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
It's one thing to say you love Detroit, and the Black Eyed Peas certainly did that at the Palace of Auburn Hills Tuesday night (March 9). They name-checked everyone from the Supremes to Eminem to J Dilla, and stated and restated the city's importance as if they were running for mayor.
But it's another thing to prove it, and they did that when they brought out the Son of Detroit himself, Kid Rock, for a late show run through of his 2008 smash "All Summer Long." Wearing a Burberry-type jacket and a giddy, oversize smile on his face, Rock sauntered onto the stage in front of the sold-out crowd of 15,000 and offered up a loose take on his hit, while joined on the stage's long catwalk by the four Peas. When he jumped the gun and came in early on the last verse he stopped himself and said, "did I (mess) that up?" He then waved off his mistake and exclaimed, "it's Detroit!" and finished the song in style. Rock's cameo may not have technically fit into the flow of the show at all, but who cares, it's Detroit! It solidified the wall-to-wall party that was the two-hour show, which achieved lead Pea will.i.am's stated goal of transforming the arena into a nightclub.
Singer-songwriter Anita Baker faces the threat of jail in a contempt hearing today in Wayne Circuit Court after refusing to sign documents that could turn some of her music royalties over to her ex-husband.
The emotionally drained eight-time Grammy Award winner never read the documents she objected to because she had been crying for two days, her lawyers explained. She was unable to "digest" the documents even when given a chance to read them in court Wednesday (February 24).
"I've been in the music business more than 20 years. We are talking about a multimillion-dollar business," said the 52-year-old Grosse Pointe mother of two teen sons.
Wayne County Chief Family Court Judge Lita M. Popke had ordered Baker to explain why she hadn't followed orders to sign letters giving a court-appointed expert on music industry contracts authorization to seek information from record companies about payments for the music she has written and performed.
By the end of a long hearing Wednesday that included frequent interruptions from Baker fretting about going to jail and asking for a chance to testify under oath, the judge ordered her to return Friday morning and sign the letters or face jail.
"Frankly, I haven't heard anything that amounts to an appropriate legal objection to signing these letters," the exasperated judge declared Wednesday. "I'm very upset that we have been here all day saying she isn't going to sign something she hasn't read."
Baker complained that "experts" have dominated court proceedings since her divorce from Walter Bridgforth Jr. in 2007, and she wanted to speak directly to the judge. Detroit entertainment attorney Howard Hertz, who represents Eminem, among other clients, was appointed by the judge as a music contract expert in an effort to settle the dispute.
"I'm being muzzled," Baker complained. "My attorneys agree that I know more about music contracts than they do. But I'm not allowed to talk. I invented my music out of thin air, but they have to talk for me, 'This little woman can't talk.' If I'd invented Ford, they would talk to me.
"If the judge tells me at the end of the day that I have to sign, I'll comply. But I want her to hear my side. I'm not saying I'm right. I just want to be heard."
The judge, who accused Baker of causing delays in the case for more than a year, ordered Hertz and Bridgforth's lawyer, Hanely Gurwin, to bill her for the time they spent in court on Wednesday.
Her divorce from Bridgforth called for an even split of royalties from two albums made during the couple's 20 year marriage; 'Giving You the Best I Got" in 1988, and "Rhythm of Love" in 1994.
During this past weekend’s “Saturday Night Live” episode, Insane Clown Posse rapper Violent J’s phone was ringing off the hook.
The reason? “SNL” featured a spot-on parody of an infomercial created earlier this year by the Detroit rap duo for its Gathering of the Juggalos event, an annual weekend-long, over-the-top extravaganza of music and other assorted mayhem.
Violent J’s reaction when he saw the skit?
“Hilarious.”
The original Gathering of the Juggalos infomercial — which was unveiled at the group’s Web site about a month before the 10th anniversary of the event this past August — stars Violent J’s girlfriend Sweet Suga Slam and the group’s DJ, DJ Clay, while a monster-truck-styled voice narrates with a distinctly outrageous ICP flavor. The infomercial brags about a seemingly endless list of musicians, wrestlers and carnival-style fun that were to be featured at the Gathering.
“Right when we posted it, we saw that it was getting a lot of views,” Violent J said. “Then it was featured on the G4 network’s ‘The Attack of the Show.’ They made fun of it, too.”
Then came the “SNL” skit, which has had the Web buzzing — and folks comparing the parody to the original.
If you haven't yet heard of (Mayer) Hawthorne, chances are you'll be instantly hooked. He's a dreamily original artist, who draws on the noblest traditions of Motown and soul, with an alluring modern quirkiness – a trick last pulled by Amy Winehouse.
Hawthorne's unique "sound" and manner combines the timeless elegance of Barry White or Marvin Gaye with the raised eyebrow of, say, the Divine Comedy. You don't have to take my word for it, either. Ask, oh, Ashton Kutcher and Perez Hilton, or Mark Ronson and Snoop Dogg. They have all recently pegged A Strange Arrangement among the best new records of 2009.
"Soul music isn't the only place my sound comes from," he says. "When I mix drums, for example, I'm not trying to mix them like Smokey Robinson. I want them to sound more modern. I also listen to heavy metal, like Tool and Helmet and Iron Maiden. And some of that comes out in the album, too. You've also got a wailing guitar solo on a track called "Green Eyed Love" that you'd never hear on, say, a Motown record."
He recorded the first Mayer Hawthorne track in his bedroom, playing all the instrumental parts, singing all the vocals, and mixing them on basic equipment ("Mayer" is Cohen's middle name, "Hawthorne" is the street he grew up on). A handful of two-track demo CDs were made, passed to friends "for a sort of joke," and forgotten about. In 2006, Cohen moved to Los Angeles in an effort to make a living out of hip-hop, with a group called Now On. One night last year, he was introduced to music mogul Chris Manak (aka "Peanut Butter Wolf") who owns the influential LA label Stone's Throw Records. Mayer Hawthorne came up in conversation.
"My friend, who introduced us, mentioned it," recalls Cohen. "I was a bit pissed-off, because I was trying to pump my hip-hop career, but I sent the songs to Peanut Butter Wolf anyway. About a month later, he emailed saying, 'I just listened to the tracks. This is awesome... who wrote them?' He couldn't believe they were my tracks. He thought they were old songs I'd got the rights to." Soon afterwards, Hawthorne was signed-up by Stones Throw.
Eminem's comeback year of 2009 was expected to include the release of two new albums.
That turned out to be only partially true.
"Relapse," the Detroit rapper's first original studio album in more than four years, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart in May and eventually went platinum.
The plan then was to release a follow-up disc, entitled "Relapse 2," in the second half of the year.
Instead, Eminem and Interscope Records announced Thursday that "Relapse 2" will drop in 2010, and a CD called "Relapse: Refill" will come out on Dec. 21.
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