Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Drake Receive RIAA Award Plaques

Cash Money Records Annual Pre-Grammy Awards Party was held at The Lot on Saturday night in West Hollywood, CA. The whole Cash Money crew was on hand for the festivities.

Photo links:
Wire Image
Getty Images
Film Magic
Corbis Images

Cash Money Plaque To End All Wall Plaques

Spotted at ozone, courtesy of Derick G.

Drake Live In Winnipeg Concert Review With Set List

As reported by Darryl Sterdan at Sun Media / Canoe Jam

WINNIPEG - There's a difference between phenomenon and phenomenal. And I'm not talking about two letters.

I'm talking about five letters: D to the R to the A-K-E. The Toronto rapper born Aubrey Graham is clearly a sensation — along with a lady named Gaga and a kid named Justin, he's the hottest thing in music right now. Dude was nominated for Grammys and took home Junos even before his debut album Thank Me Later — which has already gone platinum — dropped last month.

Impressive? Indisputably. But as a performer, well, let's just say that the 23-year-old hip-hopper clearly has plenty of charisma and raw talent. But just as clearly, he still needs to up his game before he can truly hold his own in the bigs.

Not that Drizzy was slacking when his Away From Home tour stopped at Centennial Concert Hall Wednesday night. With the help of a boombastic PA that shook the building like an earthquake, a stroboscopic light show that was blinding and blazing, and a funky quintet (including a fleet-fingered DJ) that pumped out the jams, Drake and a sold-out crowd of 2,300 teenagers turned the classy confines of Centennial Concert Hall into the city's largest nightclub for 70 fast-moving minutes.

"Tonight's so special," the black-clad Drake claimed after taking the stage an hour late (which isn't too bad for hip-hop time). "They finally let me come back to Canada. I'm gonna ask you to do one thing — just show me a good motherf---ing time."

Set List:

9 AM in Dallas

Forever

Unstoppable

Show Me a Good Time

Lust for Life

Fireworks

Money to Blow

Lose My Mind

I'm Going In

Every Girl In the World

Bedrock

Unthinkable

A Night Off

Successful

Say Something

Fancy

Find Your Love / Paris Morton Music

Best I Ever Had

Free Weezy

Over

Read the full concert review here:
Drake in Winnipeg

(video courtesy of FreshNewMusikTV & madups77)

Glasses Malone - 'I Get Doe' Ft. The Cataracs (video)

From the oft-delayed Beach Cruiser album, Glasses Malone does his best ghetto Robin Hood in this video for 'I Get Doe.'

Juvenile & Mannie Fresh Deliver Hometown Tunes Live At The Jazz & Heritage Festival In New Orleans

via The Times-Picayune

Both Juvenile and Mannie Fresh have new albums out from late 2009, but Sunday (May 2) at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage presented by Shell, the rapper and DJ -- who go back almost 15 years as Cash Money Records label mates -- stuck largely to the old school.

It went back even farther than that at the set's opening on the Congo Square "My Louisiana" Stage. DJ Mannie Fresh did not, actually, DJ at all during the set; that was left to Leroy "Precise" Edwards, who produced Juvenile and Mystikal's earliest tracks, and DJ Wop, who's been running with Fresh since the early 80's, spinning at block parties with the New York Incorporated hip-hop crew.

After a verse from "Go DJ," and the Big Tymers' "Still Fly," Fresh invited out rapper Gregory D, with whom he'd put out an album, "D Rules The Nation", in 1987.

"Me and this dude basically started this," Fresh explained, grinning. The larger-than-life Gregory D replied, "I knew Mannie Fresh wasn't gonna come out to the Jazz Fest and not invite Gregory D!"

A bass player slapped his strings as the two performed their 80's local hit "Buck Jump Time," a shout-out to New Orleans projects, local references and in-jokes with a second-line tuba bass line and a syncopated beat. Then Juvie took the stage and fast-forwarded things ever so slightly, with "400 Degreez" (1998) and "Set It Off" (2000).

Juvenile detoured to the present once, with "Gotta Get It," the second single off of last fall's "Cocky And Confident," but for the most part, he and Fresh stuck to their old catalogs, sparring and joking easily as if the stage were their living room.

"This is the greatest hits of Universal Juvie right here," he said. "Did we forget anything, y'all?"

The mood was briefly somber as Juvenile gave shout-outs to two late Cash Money artists who were killed in the 90's, Pimp Daddy and Yella Boy of UNLV. He then performed "Slow Motion," a collaboration with Soulja Slim that became a posthumous hit when Slim was killed before its release in 2003.

The only off-kilter moment was the introduction of So Fresh, a gangly, teenage-looking rap duo from Metairie currently working with Fresh. Gesturing and jumping like an extra-spastic version of the Beastie Boys, they performed a song that seemed to be about being excited to turn 21, so that they could drink Jagermeister and throw up. It was very hard to tell if it was a joke.

Thankfully, their song was as brief as it was confusing, and it was back to back-in-the-day. The closer was the party-pumping "Back That A-- Up" (little attention was paid to language at Congo Square during Juvie's set) seguing into "Drop It Like It's Hot." Even in the light mist of rain and gusting wind, the crowd did as told.

Photo links:
Getty Images
Wire Image
Film Magic

(Video courtesy of BillyHarrellH20)

Lil Wayne Shoots A Gaggle Of Music Videos Before Heading Off To The Clink

While everyone was in town this past week for Super Bowl festivities in Miami, Lil Wayne got to work filming several videos at a time, before he heads off to jail tomorrow.

The above video is Tyga's "I'm On It" which features Wayne, Drake, Juelz and the other Young Moneyites.

Photos from each video shoot here:
Jeevans World - Trae Tha Truth ft. Rick Ross & Lil Wayne "Inkredible"
Ozone - Trae Tha Truth ft. Rick Ross & Lil Wayne "Inkredible"
Ozone - Lil Wayne "Da Da Da"
Ozone - Young Money "Roger That"

Lil Wayne 'Rebirth' Projected To Sell 140K-150K First Week

According to Hits Daily Double based on first day sales and the digital round up, Lil Wayne 'Rebirth' is on track to sell between 140k-150k first full week of release. The Hits Daily Double numbers will become more firmer a day prior (on Tuesday, February 9) to the Nielsen/Soundscan (the industry standard) numbers as we will see next Wednesday, February 10.

A far cry from 'Tha Carter 3' sales of 1 million, but let's be fair. The album leaked before Christmas, Wayne took to guitar playing, it got bumped too many times and hip hop sales are in the toilet. Considering all this, it's right in the pocket with the current trend in sales. Although, 50 Cent may regenerate his bragging rights again as 'Before I Self Destruct' sold 160K first week.

Can Lil Wayne do some last minute promotions to boost sales for 'Rebirth'? Rolling Stone Lil Wayne cover issue may help, but time is ticking fast, his jail time starts Tuesday, February 9.

Lil Wayne: Yale Student Declares 'The Rebirth' DEAD

Commentary by Yale student and writer for the Yale Daily News Jordan Schneider.

Lil Wayne, why you do me like this?

You were my portal out of the Manhattan prep school universe. You were the perfect rapper to give a white Jew rocking 6 inches of blond curls some cred.

Lil Wayne, you gave hip hop nerds a reason to love a rapper who rarely wandered from the hip hop trinity of making money, f**king b**ches, and blowing trees. Your ever-mutating flow and ADHD wordplay on the mixtape Drought 3 wound its way into my heart. It was clever enough to give white fans cover to appreciate rap that wasn’t ‘conscious,’ but just hot.

See the line: “How come every joint be on point like a harpoon/How come every bar stand strong like a barstool/How come every line is so raw you gon’ snort two?” Who else would go from Moby Dick to coke in three bars (without taking into account the adopted Creole accent)?

The night before graduation, I went to Bridgeport to see you perform two days before the Carter 3 dropped. I picked up a Carter 3 album T-shirt, and when I wore it people from all races would stop me on the street and acknowledge Weezy’s transcendence. With you, it wasn’t like “what can this white boy know about N.W.A”: my hip hop fandom and beatboxing habit no longer felt like that of an outsider.

Weezy, I understand how in the rap world ‘musical miscegenation’ is much more accepted, as artists sample the likes of Justice (Wale) and Empire of the Sun (Wiz Khalifa). But on Rebirth, you take your cues from Smash Mouth, Evanescence and Blink 182 while adding an overwrought helping of autotune. Your recent No Ceilings mixtape made it clear that you haven’t lost your flow, but you make me lose faith when one of your choruses is “f**k you (f**k you!) get a life (get a life!).” The production sounds like a hard rock song not good enough to make it into Guitar Hero. I maintained the hope that you might have been using this rock phase as a medium for social commentary, but when you title a song “Ground Zero” and the bridge repeats the disturbing “Jump-Jump out a window/Lets-Lets-Lets jump off a building baby,” I really don’t know what emotional planet you’re from. A lot of this record is just dumb.

So where does this leave us? You get some credit for being willing to take some time off from defending your “Best Rapper Alive” title, and choosing such an audacious project as the send-off for your upcoming yearlong jail term. But what of your cross-racial appeal that garnered me so many approving nods? Will people think I actually like this “dope boy with a guitar?”

Weezy, you didn’t need a Rebirth.

Young Money & Cash Money Alumni B.G., Juvenile Share The Stage In Lafayette, LA

Not an official reunion, but a very unpublicized event with the Cash Money and Young Money crews joining forces on the Lil Wayne 'Before I Go' tour stop in Lafayette, LA at the Cajundome on January 8.

The Cash Money festivities begin with B.G. then Juvenile start at the 1:45 mark and go from there.

the Photo links are just of Lil Wayne's set:
Getty Images

Drake Helps Out Lil Wayne At Last Date Of The 'Before I Go' Tour

At the Desoto Civic Center (Sunday, January 10) in Southaven Mississippi, Drake comes in to save the day for Lil Wayne at the 2:07 - 4:45 mark and Birdman pops in some time after.

PHOTOS:
Young Money HQ
Lil Wayne HQ

Lil Wayne, Young Money & Lil Flip On Stage Backstage In Beaumont, TX With C. Stone

At Ford Park Arena in Beaumont, TX - Tuesday, January 5 Young Money crewsters Mack Maine, Short Dawg, Gudda Gudda, T.Streets, Lil Twist & the wandering Birdman also in the building, but no Nicki Minaj.

Lil Wayne 'Before I Go' Tour Dates:

Jan. 7 (Thursday) – Allen Events Center - Allen, TX
Jan. 8 (Friday) – Cajun Dome - Lafayette, LA
Jan. 9 (Saturday) – Alltell Arena - Little Rock, AR
Jan. 10 (Sunday) – Desoto Civic Center - Southaven, MS

Catch Lil Wayne, while you can...

B.G.: Hometown Paper 'Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood' Album Review

via New Orleans Times-Picayune

"Too Hood" is B.G.'s first studio release since '06, and he takes a minute to address the absence on the track "Back To The Money": "Everywhere I go, they ask me, Gizzle, where you been/ You ain't looking hard enough, I tell 'em, look again."

In real life, B.G. moved his family to Detroit for two years after Hurricane Katrina. He wanted a break from the New Orleans scene even in evacuation.

"I didn't want to be where everybody else was at," he said. "There was just too many people that I knew in Houston and Atlanta and I just wanted to go a little further away."

"Too Hood" languished in music-industry limbo for almost two years. The rapper T.I., who has an executive producer credit on the album, helped B.G. put together his deal with Atlantic Records. But T.I. was arrested on federal gun charges in October 2007. B.G. suspects that Atlantic was nervous about putting out his album without T.I. being available to help promote it.

"I'm used to dropping an album a year, every eight, nine months. I guess they figured I needed T.I. to hold my hand. But T.I. went to the CEO of Atlantic and was like, 'I grew up on B.G. B.G. can carry his own weight - he's a legend in the game.'"

The hottest songs on the album find B.G. reaching into the wayback machine for heavy-hitter production chops. Craig "KLC" Lawson, who cranked out hits in the '90's as part of No Limit Records' Beats by the Pound team, and Cash Money Records legend Mannie Fresh each produced two tracks. "My Hood," a pledge of allegiance to the New Orleans streets, is buoyed by Fresh's trademark shiny synthesizers. KLC's "Hit The Block & Roll" features a sample that might be the best use of a screaming electric guitar in hip-hop since producer Rick Rubin (via Slayer) helped the Beastie Boys fight for their right to party. If anyone questioned B.G.'s star power, "Too Hood" is the high-wattage answer.

Read the full album review here:
B.G. keeps it street on a new album, 'Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood'

Lil Wayne Bids Adieu At Home Town Concert

(video courtesy of Linzwats1214 & HipHopRapper420)

Lil Wayne 'Farewell' Tour Dates:

Dec. 31 (Thursday) - San Diego Arena - San Diego, CA
Jan. 1 (Friday) – Don Haskins Arena - El Paso, TX
Jan. 2 (Saturday) -Tucson Convention Center - Tucson, AZ
Jan. 5 (Tuesday) – Ford Park Arena - Beaumont, TX
Jan. 6 (Wednesday) – Travis County Expo - Austin, TX
Jan. 7 (Thursday) – Allen Events Center - Allen, TX
Jan. 8 (Friday) – Cajun Dome - Lafayette, LA
Jan. 9 (Saturday) – Alltell Arena - Little Rock, AR
Jan. 10 (Sunday) – Desoto Civic Center - Southaven, MS

Young Money On Track To Sell 120K-130K First Week Sales

According to Hits Daily Double based on the first day sales round up, Young Money album 'We Are Young Money' is on track to sell between 120k-130k first week of release.

The Hits Daily Double numbers will become more firmer a day prior (on Tuesday, December 29) to the Nielsen/Soundscan (the industry standard) numbers as we will see next Wednesday, December 30.

Lil Wayne Takes Center Stage At Dodge Arena Texas Concert Recap

Lil Wayne first concert date of his tour before he heads off to jail in February 2010.

As reported by Zack Quaintance at The Monitor

Lil’ Wayne played for about an hour and a half Thursday (Dec. 17) at Dodge Arena, playing hits that included “A Milli,” “Mr. Carter,” and “Lollipop.” There’s a perception that hip hop as a genre doesn’t translate well to live shows. That’s not the case with Wayne. Instead of the standard show – featuring a rapper, hype man, and DJ — Wayne brought the band and a collection of guests. He did things his way, and it’s the same way he has gained such a massive following.

Think back three or four years ago, when artists still made a fair amount of money selling records. In those days, Wayne was busy making about a billion mix tapes and distributing them for free. Why would he do such a thing?

Possibly because he envisioned this day — where he would stand on stages at places like the Dodge Arena. He would slap hands with people in the front row as thousands chanted “Weezy, Weezy, Weezy.”

He seemed especially pleased when he delved into rock, a genre Wayne often tinkers with. Even though he had the excellent band behind him, Wayne played electric guitar himself for a couple songs, including a cover of Aerosmith and Run D.M.C.’s “Walk This Way.”

The crowd erupted when he slung the axe over his shoulder. Wayne’s guitar skills are debatable. He looked like a kid at a high school talent show concentrating intensely on every note. But that wasn’t the point. Weezy was having a blast up there and doing whatever he felt like. The feeling carried over to the audience.

People stood on chairs, waved their arms and cheered every time he looked their way. A superstar with the world watching him had come to South Texas, and he loved every second of it. They couldn’t help but thank him.

Read the full concert review here:
The Monitor - Lil' Wayne puts on larger-than-life show at Dodge Arena

PHOTOS:
The Monitor

more fan shot footage below.









Lil Wayne Tour Dates:

Dec. 18 (Friday) – Laredo Entertainment Center - Laredo, TX
Dec. 20 (Sunday) – American Bank Center - Corpus Christi, TX
Dec. 26 (Saturday) – Phillips Arena - Atlanta, GA
Dec. 28 (Monday) – New Orleans Arena - New Orleans, LA
Dec. 31 (Thursday) -San Diego Arena - San Diego, CA
Jan. 1 (Friday) – Don Haskins Arena - El Paso, TX
Jan. 2 (Saturday) -Tucson Convention Center - Tucson, AZ
Jan. 5 (Tuesday) – Ford Park Arena - Beaumont, TX
Jan. 6 (Wednesday) – Travis County Expo - Austin, TX
Jan. 7 (Thursday) – Allen Events Center - Allen, TX
Jan. 8 (Friday) – Cajun Dome - Lafayette, LA
Jan. 9 (Saturday) – Alltell Arena - Little Rock, AR
Jan. 10 (Sunday) – Desoto Civic Center - Southaven, MS

(video courtesy of K3vinBacon & mandy14465)

OOPS: Amazon Accidentally Ships Lil Wayne 'Rebirth' To Pre-Ordered Customers

via Billboard

While most of Lil Wayne's fans will have to wait until at least February in the New Year for his often-promised and often-delayed "Rebirth" album, about 500 Amazon customers who pre-ordered the album are enjoying the record already, thanks to a shipping mishap.

According to sources and an e-mail to Billboard from an Amazon customer, the online merchant sent copies of the album to some customers who pre-ordered "Rebirth." The album began arriving in mailboxes on Monday, Dec. 14, despite a change in the street date from Dec. 21 to February 1.

The release date change - the sixth time "Rebirth" was pushed to a new date - was made last month by Universal Motown, the distributing label for Cash Money, and its distributor Universal Music Group Distribution. Universal Motown and UMGD recalled the album, but roughly one million units were manufactured and about one-third were shipped to accounts when the decision was made to pull "Rebirth" from the schedule, sources say.

Although Amazon received the word to return the Lil Wayne album, supposedly about 500 copies were sent to customers. An Amazon spokesman didn't respond to an e-mail request for a comment.

Cash Money and Universal executives felt that the album hadn't received the proper set-up and decided to hold-up the release yet again, sources say. The album was initially supposed to be released April 7, but was pushed back to May 19 and then Aug. 18. And when that date came it went, the release date was pushed to Dec. 15 and finally Dec. 21, before the latest turn of events.

While its known that the album has been delayed to allow for proper set-up, some sources indicate that the album may be worked on some more, possibly with new tracks being added. If that's the case, then the Amazon customers who already received the album may have a collector's item on their hands.

Read the full article here:
Billboard - Amazon Ships Lil Wayne's 'Rebirth' Months Ahead Of Street Date

Lil Wayne & Juvenile w/Mannie Fresh Schedule Hometown Concert Appearances

via Nola

Homegrown rap superstar Lil Wayne is slated to headline the New Orleans Arena for the second time in less than 12 months on Monday, Dec. 28.

With additional dates as follows:

Dec. 17 (Thursday) – Dodge Arena - Hidalgo, TX
Dec. 18 (Friday) – Laredo Entertainment Center - Laredo, TX
Dec. 20 (Sunday) – American Bank Center - Corpus Christi, TX
Dec. 26 (Saturday) – Phillips Arena - Atlanta, GA
Dec. 28 (Monday) – New Orleans Arena - New Orleans, LA
Dec. 31 (Thursday) -San Diego Arena - San Diego, CA
Jan. 1 (Friday) – Don Haskins Arena - El Paso, TX
Jan. 2 (Saturday) -Tucson Convention Center - Tucson, AZ
Jan. 5 (Tuesday) – Ford Park Arena - Beaumont, TX
Jan. 6 (Wednesday) – Travis County Expo - Austin, TX
Jan. 7 (Thursday) – Allen Events Center - Allen, TX
Jan. 8 (Friday) – Cajun Dome - Lafayette, LA
Jan. 9 (Saturday) – Alltell Arena - Little Rock, AR
Jan. 10 (Sunday) – Desoto Civic Center - Southaven, MS



via New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Juvenile w/Mannie Fresh handling DJ duties is scheduled to perform at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival the weekend of April 29 – May 2.

and the Associated Press

Though dotted with major national acts, the festival is made up of more than 80 percent Louisiana artists such as The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Pete Fountain, Dr. John, rapper Juvenile, Trombone Shorty and Buckwheat Zydeco.

Nicki Minaj Interview With DJ Whoo Kid On Shade 45 Radio

Rihanna Storms Off At Cash Money Party In London

Rihanna seen here earlier supporting Cash Money recording artist Jay Sean at the Cash Money Party held at the Royal Exchange Building In London, UK on Friday November 27.

via the London Mirror

SHE FLEES PARTY AFTER CHRIS BROWN TRACK

Cash Money records broke the bank to secure Rihanna as guest of honour at their lavish UK launch party - so it's a pity someone forgot to tell the dozy DJ.

Rihanna, who was in London ahead of her incredible performance on last night's X Factor, had barely sat down when the DJ played a track by her violent ex, Chris Brown.

So she gathered her posse and stormed off.

It left party organisers fuming. Well, they had splashed out on £100,000 worth of Cristal champagne to impress their VIP guest at the Friday night bash, thrown to celebrate the launch of Jay Sean's album, All Or Nothing.

And they had worried that Rihanna, whose latest album is Rated R, might not show up.

Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams - founders of US hip-hop label Cash Money - had been anxiously checking their bling-encrusted watches from the moment they stepped out of their Rolls-Royces and into the Bank venue.

As the clock struck 1am, Rihanna finally strutted in, past fellow celebrity guests Ice-T, Alexandra Burke, Jamelia, Alesha Dixon and JLS, and took her VIP table in the corner.

Rihanna, who was wearing a slinky, cleavage-enhancing trouser-suit, hugged pal Jay and apologised for being late before reaching for a glass of champers. Minutes later she was grooving to his performance of Down and then the dunderhead on the decks suddenly spoiled her good mood.

Hearing her ex being played, Rihanna, 21, stopped dancing, returned to her table, told her entourage the party was over and left.

Our spy tell us: "It was a massive night for Jay.

The Cash Money boys had wanted to give him a homecoming celebration to remember and they wanted everyone talking about the label's launch party in the UK for a long time.

"Getting Rihanna there was the icing on the cake. Who knows what possessed the DJ to start playing Chris? It was such a dumb thing to do. Rihanna had looked ready to party as she chatted with Ice-T. But as soon as that song came on, she sat down and raised her eyebrows.

"She couldn't believe how insensitive the DJ was. She thought he probably played it to get a reaction. She wanted to leave there and then."

At least the smile was back on Rihanna's face on Saturday when her brolly blew inside out on the way to Bungalow 8. You'd think that by now she'd have learned to control her Umbrella... ella... ella!
(source)

Photos from the party:
Rex Features
WENN Photo
DJ Semtex
Derrick G

Lil Wayne Set To Play A One Off December Show In Texas

via the Brownsville Herald

Lil’ Wayne will perform Dec. 17 at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, venue officials have announced. Tickets go on sale Monday, Nov. 30, at Ticketmaster outlets and the Dodge Arena box office.

Lil’ Wayne ranks among the top active hip hop artists in terms of both sales and critical acclaim. Last summer, singles off his Tha Carter III album blasted from the radio, clubs and car stereo systems. He’s widely praised for his creative word play, and his distinctive, raspy New Orleans drawl make his rapping easy to identify.

His follow up to the mega-successful Tha Carter III is scheduled to debut Dec. 21. Wayne, who has occasionally tried to play electric guitar during concert and festival performances, has said this disc marks his rock debut.

Rumors are flying about the album --– he pays homage to The Beastie Boys, he collaborated with Fall Out Boy, he raps over instrumentals that sound like Coldplay --– but it’s hard to predict anything with Wayne.

For more information:
Dodge Arena - Lil Wayne

Related:
Lil Wayne's Guilty Plea Could Affect CD, Tour