Rhymefest In The Studio With Just Blaze

Rhymefest - El Che on dN|Be Entertainment/EMI arrives May 18.

Saigon: Free And Clear With Atlantic Records Takes His Masters With Him

via Soul Culture

“I own the masters… It was worth the wait.”

Speaking from a hotel lobby in Central London last night, Brooklyn emcee and Entourage star Saigon reveals to SoulCulture.TV that after battling them since 2006 he has now officially been released from Atlantic Records.

Calling it “a good release, a fair release” the rapper comments, “Moving forward, I’m not gonna position myself to where I’m just somebody’s artist and they can have me just sitting around not able to put out music… I’m gonna play the game by my rules. When I was talking about quitting it was moreso saying that: I’m quitting playing it their way, I’m doing it my way from now on.”
He goes on to talk about better record deals, the business backbone of successful artists and the benefit of having a strong team.
Now that he owns the masters to The Greatest Story Never Told, we may actually be hearing it soon…!

Maino 'All The Above' Single Certified Platinum

Even though it's a single, at least someone in the rap world is getting a platinum certification.

via press release

NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 10/02/09 -- "All The Above (Feat. T-Pain)," the breakthrough hit single from Hustle Hard Entertainment/Atlantic recording artist Maino has just received RIAA platinum certification, marking digital sales in excess of 1 million.

Produced by Just Blaze (T.I., Jamie Foxx, Saigon) and Nard & B (T.I., Plies, Ludacris), the track was an out-of-the-box sensation upon its June release, scoring the highest first week single sales for a new rap artist since Flo Rida's "Low." The single went on to become one of the summer's biggest hip-hop radio hits, riding high on the Rhythmic Top 20 and Urban Top 40 (having impacted as the #1 most added single at the format).

The "All The Above" companion video has also proven a runaway success. The clip had its multi-platform premiere across the MTV networks (including MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, and MTV.com) and was featured as MTV Jams' "Jam of the Week." At BET, "All The Above" remains in "Heavy"
rotation after a Top 10 run on the 106 & Park countdown.

"All The Above" is just one of the many highlights on Maino's debut album, "IF TOMORROW COMES..." Stacked with a broad spectrum of bangers, the album makes an indelible first impression of a serious new hip-hop star. The first major label debut to be released by a new Brooklyn-based rapper since Fabolous' 2001 classic "GHETTO FABOLOUS," "IF TOMORROW COMES..." sees Maino showing off his unadulterated candor and staccato flow on such recent singles as "Hi Hater" and "Million Bucks (Feat. Swizz Beats)." In total, the tracks on "IF TOMORROW COMES..." have logged combined digital sales in excess of 1,000,000 -- an astounding tally for a new hip-hop artist.