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

Producers L & X Music On Crafting The J. Cole 'In The Morning' Beat

via crate kings

Brooklyn production duo L & X Music share their thoughts and experiences on crafting the beat for J. Cole 'In The Morning' featuring Drake on the Friday Night Lights mixtape. What are their thoughts on music programs, FL Studios, Logic and gear like the AKAI MPC, Yamaha Motif, Open Labs Neko, using live instrumentation and more.

Drake Performs Live In The UK 1st Time 1st Date In Glasgow, Scotland

via the Independent Live at the 02 Jan. 4th, 2011.

"It's been one of the greatest experiences of my life, playing my first international show for you," said the Canadian actor-rapper Drake, towards the end of his set, before pointing out that unidentified timekeepers were warning that he had run over. "I waited my whole life for this," he said, "so if they wanna fine me, if they wanna penalise me, I don't care." It was only half-past ten, though, so there seemed little danger of his turning into a pumpkin.

Aubrey Drake Graham talks the talk, but there is an air of controlled professionalism just below the surface. This is not surprising, given that the 24-year-old Torontonian made his name as an actor, most notably in the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. His latest role, as a No 1 album artist in the US and Canada with last year's Thank Me Later, has been played to perfection, featuring collaborations with Kanye West, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Timbaland and Rihanna. (The last, "What's My Name?", provided his biggest hit.)

Possibly due to the postponement of planned UK dates around the time of its release, Thank Me Later was not so successful here. The positioning of this debut British tour so close to the New Year, then, suggests that Drake is keen to build a following before the release of his second album in the spring. This was a gig which made an impression. It was not always a good one, but it staked his claim as an arena-filling artist to watch in 2011.

His entrance, featuring a cool strut on to the stage under the amber glow of a video-screen sunrise and a modern take on the James Dean uniform of scruffy denims and black leather jacket, was designed to get his female fans onside. "Forever" and "Up All Night" were serviceable big-room hip-hop openers, giving way to a lazy, top-down r'n'b groove through "Unstoppable" (first line: "I'm Drizzy and I ain't perfect") and the staunch and heartfelt meditation on fame that is "The Resistance".

The show had been enjoyable, if not mindblowing, when a series of slips into tired rap orthodoxy threatened to derail things. "Successful" came with musings that it was all about the "money and the cars/ cars and the clothes/ the hos... especially the hos"; "Every Girl" featured the charming line "I just can't pick one so you can never say I'm choosy"; and "What's My Name?" was prefixed by a giggling, teenage-boy description of how Drake liked to "treat" a girl in bed.

Such sentiments sit somewhere between dumb and downright sleazy, and they cheapened the many highs of the show. "Bollywood Flow" and "Shut it Down", for example, exercised some of the futuristic electro nightclub glamour that fans of Kanye West will know, while the joyous "Best I Ever Had", and particularly a wonderful coda to "Miss Me" which saw Drake spend five minutes giving personal shout-outs to dozens of individuals in the crowd, were lovable and inclusive set pieces.

After that rebellious turn against whoever was tapping their watch in the wings, the anthemic "Over" cascaded through an array of positive lyrical messages, a mighty turn from the full backing band, flaring neon lights and a flash of fireworks at the finale. For a show which wasn't without its sour moments, it made for a sweet ending.

Drake J. Cole as special guest UK Dates:
Fri 01/07/11 - London, United Kingdon - HMV Hammersmith Apollo
Sat 01/08/11 - London, United Kingdom - HMV Hammersmith Apollo
Tue 01/11/11 - Manchester, United Kingdom - O2 Apollo Manchester
Fri 01/14/11 - Birmingham, United Kingdom - The NIA

(video courtesy of JodieOHanlon, BhoyMarkyB and CheyChez)

more video below.

Drake Requests "Free Weezy" Live At Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival

Above Ground Magazine said this about yesterday's Drake Seattle performance:

Drake came out to a slightly larger crowd than J. Cole, and for the first three tracks, had the crowd in the palm of his hand. With his music made for the big crowd, and a band backing him, Drake was exciting and completely natural…and then his set took a turn for the strange. In addition to his clear infatuation with his big brother Lil Wayne, the crowd heard this name at least 50 times, Drake proceeded to bring an 18 year old girl on stage, and almost gave her the Akon treatment. Dancing with her and kissing her on the neck, the crowd was slightly confused for a few minutes. After this, his performance lacked energy, as he entered into all of his slower songs, which were not performed with the most confidence. Maybe he should have kept it in his pants for a few more tracks.

Photo links:
Film Magic

(video footage courtesy of seattlesarachan)

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)

Hot 97 Summer Jam 2010 Internet Round Up

Stories:

New York Daily News - Hot 97's Summer Jam starts season off right with Drake, Nicki Minaj at New Meadowlands Stadium

MTV - DJ Khaled Tells How He Ignited Hot 97's Summer Jam (with video)

The Boom Box - Ludacris, DJ Khaled Tear Down Hot 97's Summer Jam 2010

Hip Hop DX - Drake, Nicki Minaj, DJ Khaled Rock Hot 97's Summer Jam

BET - HOT 97’s 2010 Summer Jam Recap

All Hip Hop - Drake, Gucci, Rick Ross, Other Stars Perform at Sold Out Summer Jam

Billboard - Drake, Trey Songz, Usher, DJ Khaled Heat Up Summer Jam Show

New York Times - Few Hometown Heroes at a Hip-Hop Showcase

New Jersey.com - Summer Jam 2010: Lots of familiar faces, and a few great new ones

SOHH - Jim Jones Gets Shut Out Of Hot 97's Summer Jam, On-Stage Dipset Reunion Crumbles

Photo links:
Wire Image

Video:















(video courtesy of solokee, Peter Rosenburg & TeenDiariesOnline)

Drake Live At The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Concert Recap

As reported by Susan Langenhennig / The Times-Picayune

Drake is a ladies man, no doubt about it.

About 20 minutes into his 6 p.m. close-out set at the 41st annual New Orleans Jazz Fest (Saturday, April 24) presented by Shell, the Canadian-born rapper decided to pluck one lucky woman from the audience to join him on stage for a dance. The heavily female, mostly under-20 crowd responded with what could only be described as Beatles-era shrieking.

"Now ladies, you have to know, if you come up here, anything is liable to happen," he teased as he scanned the faces for volunteers.

Despite all that bluster, the 23-year-old rapper was a perfect gentleman when Jade, the young lady - or should I say girl - who caught his eye was handed up to the platform.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Seventeen," she responded.

At that, he kissed her on both cheeks and forehead and sent her on her way.

When he wasn't romancing the ladies, Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham, was rocking an R&B-infused rap set. Dressed all in black with spotless white tennis shoes, he perched at the edge of the stage. Launching into "I'm Going In," he gave a shout out to New Orleans (incarcerated) rapper Lil Wayne, calling him "My Big Brother."

For his final song, Drake segued into "Say Something," prompting the crowd to break out in a collective bounce that sent plumes of muddy brown water splashing up in waves, just as the sun began to set.

Photo links:
Film Magic
Wire Image

(video courtesy of stopandhearthemusic)

Drake Live In East Lansing, Michigan State University

Drake performed Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan Wednesday, April 14.

Drake 'The Away From Home Tour' Dates:
April 15 – Rochester Hills, MI – Oakland University
April 16 – Morgantown, WV – West Virginia University
April 21 – Orlando, FL – University Central Florida
April 22 – Greenville, SC – Furman University
April 23 – Nashville, TN - Vanderbilt University (Rites of Spring Fest.)
April 24 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
April 26 – New Orleans, LA – University of Missouri-Kansas City
April 27 – Lexington, KY – University of Kentucky
April 29 – Lowell, MA – University Mass Lowell
April 30 – Syracuse, NY – Private Location
May 1 – Boston, MA – Private Location
May 4 – East Rutherford, NJ – Bamboozle Festival
May 5 – Towson, MD – Holy Cross
May 6 – Cheney, PA – Towson University
May 7 – Ithaca, NY – Private Location
May 8 – Plymouth, NH – Private Location
May 12 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
May 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia

(video courtesy of classof2006kiwi)

Boi-1da: Music Producer Video Interview With DTP Artist Small World

(video courtesy of Brook Millz)

Jay-Z, Lil Wayne: More From The Madison Square Garden 2010 BP3 Tour NYC

Here's what another major press outlet, New York Post said about Jay-Z triumphant return to NYC on his BP3 2010 concert tour:

Through the entire concert, Jay paced the stage like an unleashed tiger, while images that illustrated his music flashed overhead on the mock skyscrapers.

The video graphic work during this show was so good, had Z not given as dynamic a performance as he did, he might have been upstaged by his own visuals.

He wasn't.

In fact, his presence conjured the same kind of concert excitement and pure devotion that Sinatra managed to extract form his fans years ago and that Springsteen draws from his army today. As sacrilegious as it may seem, with everyone in Madison Square Garden raising their arms and pressing their hands together to make a diamond shape to praise Jay-Z, it's as if the audience was experiencing the second coming.

In New York, the rapper's hometown, Jay couldn't do any wrong. The early peak was when he belted "Empire State of Mind," which made the house churn.

New York Post - King of NY-Z



And lots to be said about Lil Wayne's guest spot at the Garden:

With a courthouse fire giving Lil Wayne at least another day’s reprieve before going to jail on gun charges, Weezy enjoyed his surprise freedom by making what will likely be his last pre-incarceration live appearance at Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 tour stop in New York City last night. After Jay-Z handed the mike over to his tourmate Young Jeezy about 45 minutes into his set, Jeezy informed the crowd of Weezy’s unexpected situation and brought out Wayne’s Young Money teammate Nikki Minaj, dedicating “Bedrock” to Tha Carter III rapper.

Rolling Stone - Lil Wayne Cameos at Jay-Z Show After Evading Jail One More Day

More fan shot footage below.













(video courtesy of LegendsUnlimited,1SHOT2002, joylorraine505, FRANK2HOT4U & Danared234)

Related:
Jay-Z Hometown Show At Madison Square Garden Concert Recap

Jay-Z's BP3 2010 Tour dates:

Mar 03 Washington, DC - Verizon Center
Mar 05 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
Mar 06 East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center
Mar 07 Norfolk, VA - Scope Arena
Mar 11 Boston, MA - TD Garden
Mar 12 Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
Mar 14 Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
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

Jay-Z Hometown Show At Madison Square Garden Concert Recap

via MTV

NEW YORK — There is always palpable exhilaration whenever Jay-Z plays Madison Square Garden. Tuesday night (March 2) was another sold-out show at MSG as Hov's Blueprint 3 Tour arrived in town.

After Trey Songz played up to the ladies with his set, there was a short intermission. Like lightning -- boom! The Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" video began playing on two big screens that hung over the stage, and a 10-minute countdown began perfectly in sync with the classic hip-hop track. Hova chants started several minutes prior to that.



Finally, with no time left on the clock, Jay's music began. He was greeted with a deafening roar of approval. "Feel it coming in the air," Rihanna's recorded voice from "Run This Town" blasted through the arena.

Jay rose from underneath the stage, rolling his head around his shoulders like a young Mike Tyson getting ready for a prize fight. Jay, like Tyson in the '80s, knows he's a dominant force in any ring, any arena, but especially at the Garden, he's unstoppable.

Jay then brought out Memphis Bleek and told his former neighbor in the Marcy Projects he wanted him to see something special. Like a wizard, Jigga waved his hand around the arena and made fans scream.

"I wanna be careful how I phrase this, because it's one of my heroes," Jay said. "Madison Square Garden used to be Run's House. But 'Run's House' is now on MTV. Madison Square Garden is now 'The House That Hov Built.' "

His assertion was backed up with triumphant showings of "On to the Next One," "U Don't Know," "99 Problems" and "Show Me What You Got."

"Empire State of Mind" felt special in the Garden. Jay's performance of the record filled the arena with hometown pride. It's the closest feeling the crowd at the Garden will get to the Knicks winning the championship ... at least until LeBron James signs with the team next year (fingers crossed).



James was in attendance, along with his Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Shaquille O'Neal, Rick Ross, Gwyneth Paltrow, Diddy and Cash Money Records CEO the Birdman. Birdman was on hand to cheer on his "son" Lil Wayne. Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj had the show-stealing moment as part of Young Jeezy's set. The Snowman also brought out Akon.

Jeezy came out about 40 minutes into Jay's show, and the two did "Real as It Gets" from Blueprint 3. After handing Jeezy the keys to MSG for a while, Jay came back and traded rhymes with his Southern partner on the remixes of "Put On" and "My President." Trey Songz came out with Jay as well to help out on "Heart of the City" and "Already Home."

The Blueprint 3 Tour stopped with an "overtime" session that saw Jay take his fans back as far as the Reasonable Doubt days with "Ain't No N---a" and "Can I Live."

"Am I going too far back? This moment is only for us," he added of himself and fans of his first LP.

Hov then brought it up a few years for "Big Pimpin'," with Jay urging everyone to wave whatever they had from rags to bandanas to hats in the air, Carnivale-style.

"I don't take it for granted," Jay said of the fan love. "I appreciate everyone in the building tonight. Thank you, and I hope we return the love tenfold.

The legendary MC then asked to do one more record: "Encore."

Hov is going to be in the Tri-State Area with a few shows during these next two weeks. He plays Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel as well as the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island next week.

Photos:
Getty Images
Rex Features
Miss Info
Patrick McMullan
Metro NY

After party photos:
Getty Images
Wire Image
Film Magic

(video courtesy of mistertroyf)

Jay-Z's BP3 2010 Tour dates:

Mar 03 Washington, DC - Verizon Center
Mar 05 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
Mar 06 East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center
Mar 07 Norfolk, VA - Scope Arena
Mar 11 Boston, MA - TD Garden
Mar 12 Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
Mar 14 Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
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

Drake, Common And Others At NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Dallas, TX

Photo links from NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Presented By Final Fantasy XIII with Drake, Common, Chris Tucker, Michael Rapaport and others in Dallas, TX here:
Getty Images
Wire Image

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"

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

Drake: Miami New Year's Eve & Activites With Video & Photo Links

It's a little distorted, but some what discernible to post here from Drake's appearance at last night NYE festivities in Miami, FL.

PHOTOS from Drake appearance at Cameo New Year's Eve in Miami Beach, FL:
Star Traks Photo
the 305.com

Drake multimedia promoter mini/prep presentation for the show at Cameo:
Drake at Cameo

And the night before, Drake is hanging out with Young Jeezy, Fabolous, Akon and others at Lebron James' Birthday Bash.

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.

Drake: Interview With Nashville's Vanderbilt University Newspaper

via Inside Vandy (Versus Magazine section)

Versus Magazine: This is not your first trip to Nashville, correct?

Drake: No, it’s not. Nashville is a great city and my father lives in Memphis, so I used to drive down here all the time in this Mercury Cougar [laughs]… and that’s where I got a lot of music knowledge, actually. My dad used to give me 30 minutes to play hip hop on the 24 or 25 hour drive — he’d let me put on rap tapes and then he’d make me listen to Marvin Gaye, The Spinners … that really penetrated my mind as a young kid. So, yeah, the whole state of Tennessee is very valuable to me.

VM: There were a couple interviews where you said the money wasn’t the most important thing. And obviously you’re very in control of your career, and it just strikes me that you’re very smart in that a lot of people in the position that you’re in will just sign away everything just to have that shot.

Drake: I always saw the value of what we can build on our own. We did “So Far Gone” by ourselves, really. My managers hadn’t even heard of it until it was out two days later. It was important to me to keep that grassroots feel. All I really wanted was creative freedom, and a lot of people could not offer me that, so I took the situation and considered that. There is nobody that can come to me and say, “We need this album on this day,” there’s nobody that can come to me and say, “The cover has to look like this,” “You have to dress like this,” there’s nobody that can tell me what to rap about or what shows to go to, there’s nobody that can tell me anything. If you have an opinion, of course I will listen to it, but there’s no one that controls my position in this game. And that way, if I make a mistake, I get to look at myself in the mirror and go, “You gotta pull it together.” Because I don’t like being able to say, “It was that guy’s fault.” I want to learn from my mistakes.

Read the full Drake interview here:
Inside Vandy - Q&A with Drake: "'Are we crazy?' And it took a while…it takes a while."

Drake - 'Thank Me Later' on Young Money/Cash Money/Universal is slated for February 16, 2010.

Boi-1da: Music Producer Talks Drake And More

via Hip Hop Canada

Boi-1da has been an influential part of the current growth happening in our industry. As the beat maker behind the Billboard chart-topper “Best I Ever Had” and the current banger “Forever” featuring Kanye West, Eminem, Lil Wayne and Drake – 1da is creating an international presence. I had to chance to go to 1da’s house and really get a glimpse into what his world is like (Shout-out to his 10-year old brother, Mikey who does the best Lil Wayne impression).

HipHopCanada celebrated with Boi-1da on October 16th at Embassy nightclub in Toronto as he turned 23 years old.

HipHopCanada: Congrats on the Grammy pre-nominations – where were you when you first heard the news?

Boi-1da: I was in LA in my hotel room and then HustleGRL told me. I was shocked.

HipHopCanada: Who was the first person you told?

Boi-1da: My sister.

HipHopCanada: How has your family responded to your success?

Boi-1da: Before they were sceptical that someone is going to make it when billions are doing it – but my dad has known Drake for years, so he sees the big things he’s doing. He finally acknowledges that we’re doing really successful things – except that my brother says I’m too famous to hang around with him.

Read the full interview here:
Hip Hop Canada - Featured Producer: Boi-1da - Exclusive Interview

MTV's Hottest MC In The Game #1-5

MTV Hottest MCs In The Game roundtable conclusions:
Jay-Z Is The Hottest MCs In The Game!

MTV Hottest MCs In The Game roundtable conclusions:
Lil Wayne Rocks The Hottest MCs In The Game At #2!

MTV Hottest MCs In The Game roundtable conclusions:
Drake Soars Into The Hottest MCs In The Game At #3

MTV Hottest MCs In The Game roundtable conclusions:
Kanye West Is The #4 Hottest MCs In The Game!

MTV Hottest MCs In The Game roundtable conclusions:
Rick Ross Bosses Up As The #5

Drake signs with Lil Wayne label Young Money thru Universal Republic

It has been speculated for months as to who would sign the hotly touted emerging rap phenom known as Drake. Now all bets are off as Young Money, the boutique label of rap superstar Lil Wayne, has sealed the deal. In an arrangement with Cash Money/Universal Republic, Drake will now be able to conquer the world.

Read more about the signing announcement HERE

(article courtesy of billboard.biz)