Memorial Day Weekend Miami Style With Young Jeezy And DJ Drama

Young Jeezy and DJ Drama take an opportunity to relax and enjoy the long Memorial Day Weekend in every rapper's favorite play vacation spot Miami. The boys relax with a pool party and why not? New CTE representative, Freddie Gibbs on hand as well.

(video courtesy of Spot of Grand Hustle)

Producers Cool & Dre Interview

Get caught up with music producers Cool & Dre talking about their newly inked deal with Interscope, working with The Game on the upcoming Red Album and more.

(video courtesy of NBC Nightside Nightcap Miami / Halo Media Entertainment)

The Runners Sign With Warner/Chappell Music To Worldwide Administration Agreement

via the press release

Warner/Chappell Music, the global music publishing arm of Warner Music Group Corp., announced it has signed a worldwide administration agreement with The Runners, the hit production team comprised of Jermaine “Mayne” Jackson and Andrew “Dru Brett” Harr. As part of the agreement, Warner/Chappell will administer both Jackson’s and Harr’s interests in all of their future works and select catalog titles.

The Runners have built a solid reputation as a leading hip-hop production team and have also achieved critical and commercial successes in both Pop and R&B. They work across an expanding range of musical styles and collaborated on hit songs for a number of popular songwriters and producers, including Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, T.I., Trey Songz, Rick Ross, Usher, Chris Brown, Akon, Keyshia Cole, Fabolous, Ludacris and Mary J. Blige.

Mayne and Dru are extraordinarily talented songwriters who started out with great success in the hip-hop world. To see them expand the scope of that success into a broader range of musical genres like pop and R&B is especially exciting. We are proud to have them join the Warner/Chappell family and look forward to opening new doors for them.
- Scott Francis, President, Warner/Chappell Music, and Chairman and CEO, Warner/Chappell Music U.S.

We are excited about creating lots of smashes together.
- Jermaine “Mayne” Jackson

It is gratifying to be in business with a publishing company that has the resources and talent to allow us to have continued success.
- Andrew “Dru Brett” Harr

¡MAYDAY! 'Stuck On An Island' Release Set For Release October 12th

via the press release

October 12 marks the latest release from Miami-based hip-hop collective ¡MAYDAY! entitled Stuck on an Island (¡MAYDAY! Music). Stuck on an Island is the follow-up to 2009’s teaser EP Technology, both of which blaze with an upbeat, tightly wound energy that keeps the listener grooving with its slick production and singing along with its ultra-catchy hooks. The album’s title pays homage to the trials and tribulations the band has faced trying to "escape" Miami. Producer/guitarist Plex Luthor explains: “Miami is paradise, but at the same time the geography has always made us feel like outsiders in the larger pond. We want to get our music to the masses, but sometimes the walls around the port of Miami make it difficult to break out. We want to make sure the world knows musicians from this city can compete culturally with the best of them.”

While Stuck on an Island is only ¡MAYDAY!’s second full-length album, the band has consistently turned out addictive urban alternative tracks that have permeated the local Miami music scene and beyond, grabbing the ear of hip-hip impresario Lil’ Wayne who used the group as his personal band in the videos “Get a Life,” “Da Da Da” and “On Fire.” ¡MAYDAY! also collaborated with Cee-Lo on the hit song "Groundhog Day" from their self-titled debut of which mtvU said, “Like Gorillaz covering Gnarls Barkley, the gospel funk-hop assault of the ¡MAYDAY! single “Groundhog Day” would be enough for most to base a career on.” The music video logged over 2 million hits on YouTube in its first two days and made the band a breakout success story, garnering attention from the New York Times, MTV and URB Magazine. They went on to share stages with Daft Punk, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Method Man, winning over audiences around the country with their high-octane live show.

The dynamic songs Stuck on an Island call to mind a who’s who of alt-hip-hop’s most cutting edge and creative stars like Gnarls Barkley, N*E*R*D or Lupe Fiasco. Tracks like “I’ll Be Gone,” “Picture Perfect,” “No 1’s Looking,” “Worse Case Scenario,” and “Make a Living” form the backbone of an album of diverse styles that always manages to surprise and never ceases to get your head bobbing and your body moving.

The stunning cover art for Stuck on an Island was rendered by Jeff Dekal with creative input from all the members of the band. Using several types of media to give the image a lifelike quality, the scene is meant to depict the band’s feeling of isolation, and the small details - the guitar inputs plugged into Plex Luthor’s arm, and the futuristic shades they all wear - highlight that the band’s distinctive style.

¡MAYDAY! is: guitarist/producer Plex Luthor, MCs Wrekonize (you might remember him from MTV Battles) and BernBiz, bassist/keyboardist Gianni Ca$h, drummer L.T. Hopkins and percussionist Nonymous

Track listing for Stuck on an Island:

01. I’ll Be Gone
02. Stuck on an Island ft. 7King
03. No 1’s Lookin
04. Lost Highway
05. Broads & Freqs
06. Transparent ft. Snave Nair
07. Freak Show
08. Smoke & Mirrors
09. On 2 Somethn ft. Jovi Rockwell
10. Worst Case Scenario ft. The Money Making Jam Boys

More info:
¡MAYDAY! website
¡MAYDAY! Myspace
¡MAYDAY! Twitter

Rick Ross Ft. Styles P - 'Blowin' Money Fast B.M.F.' (video)

Filled with folklore and Maybach Music merriment, Rick Ross serves up a video slice from Teflon Don - "B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast)" with cameos from Triple C's, Fabolous, Bun B, Diddy, Jadakiss and more.

Photo Links:
Getty Images
Wire Image
Film Magic

Rick Ross Teflon Don on Island/Def Jam/Maybach Music arrives July 20.

DJ Nasty Hot 97 Summer Jam 2010 NYC Video Recap

Related:
Hot 97 Summer Jam 2010 Internet Round Up

Phil Ramone and Pharrell Williams: Keynote Session At The International MEIEA Conference

Phil Ramone and Pharrell Williams Keynote Session at the 2010 International MEIEA Conference hosted by the University of Miami and held in Coral Gables, Florida, on Friday March 26th, 2010.

Photos:
Phil Ramone and Pharrell Williams

Dr. Dre And Jay-Z In Studio Pic

According to Nah Right, the picture was taken February 21, 2010 in Miami, the day after BP3 tour kicked off in Florida.

DJ Khaled Gives The Shirt Off His Back Promoting 'Victory' Album In The Streets Of Orlando

DJ Khaled - 'Victory' on We The Best/E1 arrives in-stores tomorrow March 2.

Ted Lucas: CEO Of Slip N Slide Music Label Miami Business News Feature Story

via Miami Herald

That's the hip-hop gospel of Ted Lucas, the Miami-Gardens-boy-turned-music-entrepreneur, leader of the independent label that helped put Miami rappers on the map (Rick Ross, Plies, Trick Daddy, Trina, etc.).

The evidence of Slip N Slide Records' success is scattered across its South Beach offices. A framed magazine cover here, a platinum record there. There are so many platinum awards that Lucas crams the extras into the space between a couch and wall.

But what he really wants you to know is that a hit record can change your life.

The saying hangs from several walls scattered across the building, along with other pieces of advice, like ``a hook makes a hit record.''

``We're not sleeping at all,'' he says on a short break one Friday afternoon, after rattling off a list of releases he has scheduled for this year.

``We've got to make great music and work harder.''

Lucas has told the story of his success before. Sitting inside his recording studio, he tells the narrative with ease.

He grew up near what is now Sun Life Stadium and dreamed of playing professional football.

Read the full story here:
Miami Herald - Miami hip-hop producer reveals secrets of his success

Jay-Z BP-3 2010 Tour 1st Night BankAtlantic Center Sunrise, FL Concert Recap

(photo courtesy of Sayre Berman / Miami New Times)

As reported by Adrian Ruhi at the Miami Herald

Rarely do superstars Diddy, Beyonce Knowles and Alex Rodriguez experience what it's like to be on the other side of the big stage. But at the BankAtlantic Center Saturday (February 20), the three watched as Jay-Z kept a sold-out crowd on its feet for almost two hours.

The Sunrise, Fla. venue, renamed the Jay-Z Center for the first night of the rapper's nationwide BP3 Tour, pulsated with every bassline and guitar lick emitted from his 10-piece band, the Roc Boys.

The 40-year-old Brooklyn-bred mogul, born Shawn Carter, rose from under the stage to the brooding piano chords and rolling drum snares of Run This Town. As per the song's lyrics, Jay-Z and his band band wore ``all black everything.'' A New York Yankees fitted cap and Wayfarer sunglasses concealed the face of the rapper, who has tried to keep his personal life -- including his marriage to Beyonce -- as low-key as possible.

The show's staging was anything but subtle, though. The Grammy winner's backdrop was a giant screen shaped as New York City's skyline, with visuals reflecting the songs' music videos and lyrics.

Jay-Z's performance was worthy of his stature as an artist: He has the record for the most number one albums on the Billboard 200 charts, recently ousting Elvis Presley with his 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3, for which the tour is named after. Onstage, he commanded the band, the microphone and the audience.



The first half of the set was the strongest: He barreled through a mix of hits (99 Problems and I Just Wanna Love U), album cuts (Already Home and U Don't Know) and remixes to other artists' songs (Kanye West's Diamonds From Sierra Leone and Snoop Dogg's I Wanna Rock). He was assisted by long-time protege and sidekick Memphis Bleek for the early half, as well as up-and-coming singer Bridget Kelley. The latter, signed to Jay-Z's new Roc Nation label, provided vocals on the underrated 2001 soul jam, Heart of the City (Ain't No Love), and filled in for Alicia Keys on Empire State of Mind, the ode to New York City that was Jay-Z's first number one single as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

But the BP3 Tour wasn't without its flaws: Towards the end of the first half, he began losing his voice, and noticeably stopped to drink water. The three-piece horn section, crucial to songs like Show Me What You Got and D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune), was essentially muted.



The problems only continued as Atlanta-based rapper Young Jeezy emerged for Real As It Gets. Billed as a special guest of the tour, Jeezy should have been an opening act instead of a halftime sideshow for the vastly more talented and better performing Jay-Z. Whereas Jay clearly enunciated every word of every song, Jeezy rarely finished a line.



At 30 minutes, Jeezy's set was bloated and hampered the rhythm of the show (although it did give Jay an opportunity to rest his hoarse voice). Even with the Roc Boys doing a superb job of backing Jeezy for songs like Hard and Put On, it took Jay re-emerging for My President for the crowd to get back into pace.

Dirt Off Your Shoulder was preceded by a comical video clip of President Barack Obama quoting the song during a speech. As if to imply his dominance in hip-hop, Jay-Z instructed his DJ and studio engineer, Young Guru, to play more of his hits, which led to a brief medley of a dozen more songs he could have easily performed in his main set.

Between the crowd sing-along of Big Pimpin' and the show ending Encore, Jay-Z took time to acknowledge the audience.

``I'm not jaded, I appreciate every one of you being here,'' he said, as he removed his hat and sunglasses to reveal his face for the first time. He spent the next several minutes identifying individual fans and personally thanking them for supporting his career.

It was a surprisingly humble moment: One of the most successful -- and wealthy -- musicians of the modern era, showing his appreciation for the people that helped him get to this point in his career.

Earlier in the night, Virginia R&B singer Trey Songz and his five-piece band opened the show with a 35 minute set of hypersexual slow jams like I Invented Sex and Say Aah.

Photos:
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Corbis Images
Film Magic
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Miami New Times
WENN Photo 1
WENN Photo 2

More fan shot footage below.







(video courtesy of TheShayScene, bluefairy1971 & PressWrap)

Here is the setlist from the show:

Jay-Z set (first half)

Run This Town
Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix) (Interlude)
On To The Next One
D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
U Don’t Know
99 Problems
Show Me What You Got
I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
I Wanna Rock (Snoop Dogg remix)
Jigga My N****
Hovi Baby
N**** What, N**** Who (Originator 99)
Public Service Announcement
Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love) (featuring Bridget Kelly)
Dear Summer (Interlude)
Already Home
Empire State Of Mind (featuring Bridget Kelly)
Real As It Gets (featuring Young Jeezy)

Young Jeezy set:

Medley: (Get Ya Mind Right, Bottom Of The Map, Welcome Back, Dey Know [Remix], I’m Goin’ In, Who Dat, My Hood, Bang, Trap Star)
I Luv It
Go Crazy
Hard
Crazy World
Go Getta
Soul Survivor
Put On
My President (featuring Jay-Z)

Jay-Z set (second half)

Dirt Off Your Shoulder
Swagga Like Us
Thank You
Medley: (Fiesta [Remix], Excuse Me Miss, La-La-La [Excuse Me Miss Again], Venus vs. Mars, ‘03 Bonnie & Clyde, Ain’t No N****, The Best Of Me [Remix], Money Ain’t A Thang, Lucifer, Where I’m From, Some People Hate, Hate)
Can I Get A…
Big Pimpin’
Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
Encore

(source - Miami Herald)

Jay-Z's BP3 2010 Tour dates:

Feb 22 Houston, TX - Toyota Center
Feb 23 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
Feb 25 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena
Feb 27 Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
Feb 28 Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum Complex
Mar 02 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
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

Kelis 'Acapella' Live Debut Performance In Miami, FL

Kelis, best known for enjoying bringing the boys to the yard, was the guest star at Club LIV in Miami, FL Wednesday, February 10.

Kelis accompanied by DJ Skeet Skeet and a live drummer debuted her new song 'Acapella' produced by David Guetta from her up coming album 'Fleshtones.'

Photo links from the event here:
Rex Features
Star Trak Photos
NBC Miami

(video courtesy of appollomsays)

Nas & Goodie Mob Live In Miami, FL Concert Recap

Photo courtesy of Manny Hernandez / Miami New Times

As reported by Esther Park at the Miami New Times

Mayday!, Goodie Mob, and Nas at The Arsht Center Miami FL - Friday, February 5, 2010

The Arsht Center was definitely up late that Friday evening as the show was pushed back to a start time of 10:30 p.m. to accommodate the heavy-loaded BET Haiti benefit concert at the nearby AAA. Nevertheless, the crowd quickly staggered in and filled up the center's Knight Concert Hall, where they were greeted with a 20-minute opening set by local hip-hop supergroup MayDay. With an actual band set-up, Mayday truly gave a stellar performance as Plex took his beat-making skills to the keyboards, and MC Wrekonize and Bernie rhymed and sang their hearts out.

Immediately following Mayday's opening set, it was no surprise that clearly, a good portion of the audience came out just to see the next group in the flesh. Goodie Mob, the first hip-hop group to come out of Atlanta and to coin the phrase "Dirty South," has been in an unofficial hiatus for well over a decade. But finally, after much gossip and hip-hop pseudo-beef, this year marks the group's long-awaited reunion tour.



All four original members, Big Gipp, T-Mo, Khujo, and Cee-Lo Green (better known now as the other half of Gnarls Barkley) took the stage in full glory. The crowd went crazy as they performed an over-the-top, energy-filled 40-minute set filled with all their classics like "Soul Food," "Dirty South," "They Don't Dance No Mo", and of course, the era-specific 1995 hit "Cell Therapy." Laced throughout were also some entertaining segues like a 2 Live Crew tribute that got the crowd of more than a thousand screaming, "Heeeyyy, we want some pu******y!" Cee-Lo also did an emotional a cappella version of his Top 40 single with Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy," that had everyone singing along.



With such an intense set by such a legendary group, everyone was curious as to see how Nas was going to top this one. As the audience chanted "We want Nas," the concert hall's lights went black, only to illuminate DJ Green Lantern as he dropped the first beat . In walked the legend himself, proclaiming "Hip-hop is dead," before launching into the song of the same name. The banging guitar riff from the Will.I.Am-produced track shook the floor as Nas recited the lines that he'll "roll into every station and wreck the DJ!"



The ultimate lyricist then went straight into his classic songs from his debut album, Illmatic. From "New York State of Mind," to "Life's a Bitch," to "The World is Yours," every hip-hop head was seen mouthing each syllable, word for word. Midway into the Illmatic set, as Nas finished up "One Love," in walks Mr. One Love himself, Damian "Junior Gong" Marley. It was no surprise as these two have been working heavily on their joint album, Distant Relatives, that's set to drop next month.



The audience was blessed to hear two new singles off the album, "As We Enter" and "Only the Strong," both evoking great chemistry onstage. As Nas took a short breather, Damian took over and invited his older brother and mentor, Stephen Marley, to the stage. They in turn did a quickie version of Damian's hit single "The Mission" as well as his bumboclout money-maker "Welcome to Jamrock."



Then the brothers acknowledged the time, literally -- several minutes past midnight, it was now February 6 and their father's birthday. As Bob Marley's song "One Love" filtered through the hall, everyone shot up their lighters and the scent of sensimillia was inescapable. The Damian-Nas combo ended with their song "Road to Zion" that had everyone singing along the chorus: "Got to keep on walking on the road to Zion."



Back to just Nas again, it was time for more hits: "If I Ruled the World," "I Can," "Made You Look," "Hate Me Now," you name it, he rapped it. It was clear that his fans were out in full force; the room looked like a lyric-reciting army. And just like that, he was off. He thanked the crowd, thanked Miami, thanked Damian for coming through, thanked Goodie Mob for reuniting and, as Jay-Z would say, he was "onto the next one."

(video courtesy of Kris Martin, manolletes & itsjewels1)

Cool & Dre Interview

Urswurve caught up with the critically acclaimed production team Cool & Dre in the American Airlines Arena StarBox at the Heat vs Bobcats game in Miami. Dre talks about their work on Lil Wayne Rebirth album and upcoming Baby & Lil Wayne album Like Father Like Son 2.

Rick Ross Celebrates Birthday In Style At Yacht Party Mixer In Miami

Chad Ochocinco, BET’s Debra Lee, Spike Lee and Triple C’s were just a few of the guests on board the Venetian Lady yacht to celebrate Rick Ross’s birthday.

Photos here:
Wire Image
Exclusives Access - Teflon Don’s Birthday Mixer
Ozone - Rick Ross’s Birthday Party/Yacht Party in Miami

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"

Nas Interview With 944 Magazine, Schedules Show With Goodie Mob In Miami

944: Let's get into this. Your collaboration with Damian Marley, Distant Relatives, is coming out next month, right? I know it's a nod to Africa, but do you want to tell folks how the idea for the LP actually came about?

Nas: It was the music, man. It was the music.

944: You guys first collaborated on the Welcome to Jamrock’s “Road to Zion.” Is that what inspired you to do a whole LP?

Nas: Yeah, yeah. It started as an EP and then we just didn't stop recording.

944: How long were you in the studio altogether?

Nas: We started last year. So it’d be off and on.

944: Whenever you had some time?

Nas: Yeah.

944: You did some “Rock The Bells” shows last summer, right? Are you going to take this back out on tour?

Nas: Definitely. Last year was like warm-up. We got to headline “Rock The Bells” and it was like a complete warm-up with just feeling out, testing some of the songs. Not even tested, just did a few new tracks. So we were just getting ready.

944: That's great. What do you think are the advantages of teaming up with somebody that is out of the hip hop realm?

Nas: It's all kinds, because they bring you into a world that you aren't too familiar with, and they weren't too familiar with you now. It's cool to meet new audiences and people, for both. There are big fans of his and big fans of mine. They are distant relatives too. They were already kind of knowing who we are and knowing what we do, so now we are just getting ourselves reintroduced. It's not so much of me going to his fans or him coming to mine. It's creating a new audience for us altogether.

944: That's cool. This is the first time you've collaborated for a whole LP, right? Do you see yourself doing this in the future with some other kind of people? Was the experience good?

Nas: If it feels right, 100%. Yeah.

944: It really is setting a new pace with things. It's not reggae, it's not hip hop. Like you said in another interview, “It's all new music.”

Nas: Right, absolutely. There was this African music in there, and it just provokes us to talk about things that have to deal with Africa. When you think of the world and natural disasters, Haiti, and Venezuela or India, or wherever, you think about what we're up against – who knows what the future holds? All the people and their small differences, over color of whatever or politics or Democrats, Republicans, the Tea Party crazy people… I'm starting to realize there's something greater than our small time differences. They fucking created that to bring us together. Some of it starts with just realizing where we're all from. If you don't like this person or that person. Check it out. Everywhere as far as we know, it started in Africa and we're all one family. So that was just a perfect theme for this record. We shared the same opinions about a lot of things.

944: You guys did a great job. But there hasn't been any new Nas solo stuff since 2008's record. You have some new stuff coming up?

Nas: Yeah. Defnitely. Right now, I just want to focus on this right here. I'm definitely coming after that. (source)

Also, Nas has schedule a one off show with Goodie Mob on Friday, February 5 in Miami, FL Super Bowl weekend.

For more info:
Nas & Goodie Mob - Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts

Jullian Boothe: Interview With Slip N Slide Records VP Of A & R

via PMP Worldwide

PMP: Talk about the distribution breakdown because you have certain artists that are signed to different major labels

Jullian Boothe: We have Trina, Mike Bless, Jagged Edge and my dude Duece Poppi all going through EMI now as part of a new deal we did with them. We picked EMI because they have worldwide distribution and we have a great deal with them so structure-wise it was more beneficial for us to go that route. We love our deal with Def Jam and we love our deal with Atlantic but financially now were moving toward the future of building Slip N Slide as a brand that can stand on its own two feet were we can do everything in-house. So I'm good with going that direction especially when it comes to the new artists we're signing now.

PMP: What do you feel are some of the biggest changes occurring in the urban music landscape going into the new decade?

Jullian Boothe: Right now you really have to build superstars there is no longer any space for mediocre artists that can only make one great song and that's it. Back in the days one-hit wonders, if handled correctly could really live off of that one record for years like Tone Loc and Sir Mix-A-Lot. They sold millions of copies so everybody 30 years old and up can still remember being 16, 17 years old hearing one record on the radio you love and then running right to the record store the day it came out to buy the album. Even if the album wasn't hot you had no choice but to purchase it to hear that one song you love. Those days are over now so if you come out now with a half-ass album you're not going to sell any albums.

The only people selling now are artists that are making classic albums and you can really count on your hand how many artists went platinum in 2009. You got Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas and a couple of others. Everybody else sold fewer than 500,000 copies which is crazy. The way Slip N Slide is structured we have to spend less in order to make a profit now. It's all about watching what you spend and really looking for an artist that can do everything. I'm looking for an artist that can act, sing, write and produce. If you can only sing that might not be enough because you can have a no #1 song and sell no units. So there has to be other avenues the artist can exploit in order to maximize the revenue potential.

PMP: What's your view on artists that can sell a couple of million digital singles but not go Gold or Platinum when it comes to album sales? Are the digital singles enough to consider the project a major success?

Jullian Boothe: It's enough if you're using the artist for that one song. The whole thing about the music industry is you want to build an act up to the point when they're on their 3rd, 4th and 5th album you (the label) don't have to spend as much because they're established now. When you have an established artist such as a Jay-Z for example his fans will go see him in concert regardless of whether he has a song out or not because you know his body of work. Everybody already knows who Jay-Z is. Now you may hear a new song which sold a million records but you're not going to see that artist in concert because you like the song but you barely know the artist name much less care about them enough to see them live. You will jam to it if you hear it on the radio but if they're in town why would I want to go see them, there's not enough appeal until you're exposed to a body of work from them over a period of time. The artist has to build a reputation of putting on a great show so people will feel they're missing out and put their money up to be a part of the experience

PMP: So the main objective is to blow the artist up without breaking the bank...

Jullian Boothe: Exactly!

PMP: Has this lead to you looking to work with newer talented writers and producers who can provide the same hit material but at the fraction of cost?

Jullian Boothe: I like working with new producers and writers because of the hunger they bring. I love to see new artists and producers blossom from not having a dollar in their pocket to becoming a millionaire off of one song. The new guys usually come harder than most of the established ones but there are a few vets that are willing to work with me no matter how big they are. I tell them 'look I can't afford to pay you $100,000 for a track anymore, its just not financially feasible' and they're still willing to be in 100% so that's a good situation.

If you check the new Trina and Jagged Edge projects you will see new faces pop up on the production side that I've been using. With Jagged Edge's new single (Tip of My Tongue) there is a new producer that nobody knows (Mad Skrews) but I love to give new guys a shot because most people wouldn't even take their phone call.

Read the full interview here:
PMP Worldwide - Jullian Boothe VP A&R/Slip-N-Slide Records

Amerie Celebrates Birthday In Miami, FL

Photos here:
Star Traks Photo

Keri Hilson Rings In The New Year At Karu & Y Miami, FL

PHOTOS:
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