Connected Music Group presents...Da Groove

Sunday morning, God is Good!! I just want to say thanks to everyone who made Connected Music Group presents "Da Groove" such a great production the past 2 days. Thanks for Alps for letting us shoot our TV show there!! There are so many people involved behind the scenes, THANK YOU to ALL!!!

Drizzy and Nicki Minaj Speak

Drizzy talks about his biggest regrets with "Thank Me Later," and Nicki Minaj finally unveils the title to her highly anticipated debut album.

Even though Drake's debut album album Thank Me Later garnered critical acclaim and went on to sell over 880,000 copies, the Toronto rapper says he still has some regrets about the album's final outcome. Chief among these gripes is that the song "9 A.M. in Dallas" was unable to make the cut. According to the Young Money star, the song would have been the perfect intro to the album, but was unfortunately recorded the very day the album was to be mastered.

"The saddest part to me is that I would have made '9 AM in Dallas' the intro for the album, but I did it the day of mastering, which is crazy, so it couldn't make the album," he told MTV. "That's probably my greatest upset, was the fact that it couldn't be on the physical disc and be a part of that album."

Drake also bemoaned the numerous leaks prior to Thank Me Later's June 15 release. He says that the premature leaks of songs like "Shut It Down" and "Darlin'" - which ultimately did not make the album's cut - proved to be irksome, but not wholly detrimental to the album's overall quality.

"[The song] 'Darlin'' was a loss just because it was never mixed, and every time I hear it in the club, you can never really hear the words," he explained. "Most of the music we held for a long time, and the stuff that did leak, it was pretty good references. It wasn't anything I was too upset about. 'Shut It Down' leaking early was painful. I think it could have been a bigger record had it not been out there so long."

While Drizzy is enjoying his own solo success, fellow Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj is gearing up for the November 23 release of her debut LP. Now, during a recent Ustream session, the Queens emcee announced that her debut will be titled Pink Friday.

“To carry on a great tradition of Black Friday, we are going to switch it up this year in honor of the Nicki Minaj album and call that day Pink Friday, and call my album Pink Friday," she said.

Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 8/1/2010

Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 8/1/2010



Tech N9ne's third collabo's album comes in ahead of Fat Joe and Slum Village, but Crack gets a Top 30 debut, while Eminem finally lets go of #1.

Eminem's Recovery finally let go of #1 - to Avenged Sevenfold. Rick Ross was close behind, however with almost 63,000 units moved of Teflon Don. The Def Jam rapper's fourth official album features work from veterans such as No I.D., DJ Clark Kent and Cee-Lo. Drake's Thank Me Later fell to #5, as Justin Bieber joined the party at #4, climbing from #6 last week.

Usher's Raymond v. Raymond slid just one spot after climbing nine the previous week. The veteran Pop entertainer's "divorce album" is marching its way to a platinum plaque for Mr. Raymond and his longtime backer, LaFace Records. The album will feature two deluxe/additional material releases next month.

This week's biggest surprise came courtesy of Kansas City's Tech N9ne. No stranger to the charts, Tech's third offering of "collabos," this one called The Gates Mixed Plate got a Top 15 debut. Strange Music has had an impressive year on the Top 200 for an independent, with Tech joining Brotha Lynch Hung and Kutt Calhoun, who appeared previously. The Gates Mixed Plate features Glasses Malone, Devin The Dude and Jay Rock, among others.


* Please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandth.

Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)

Rank Artist Album This Week Est. Total
2
Eminem
Recovery
159,000 this week
1,828,000 total

3
Rick Ross
Teflon Don
63,000 this week
239,000 total

5
Drake
Thank Me Later
34,000 this week
915,000 total

12
Usher
Raymond v. Raymond 18,000
974,000 total

13
Tech N9ne Collabos
The Gates Mixed Plate
17,000 this week
107,000 total

Outkast's Big Boi slid to #23. His critically-acclaimed Def Jam debut, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty features artists such as T.I., Gucci Mane and Too Short, with production from Organized Noize, Scott Storch and Lil Jon.

Fat Joe debuted on the charts this week with The Darkside Volume 1. The release marks Joe's debut with E1 Entertainment, and features work with DJ Premier, Just Blaze and Too Short. The darker-themed album has critics comparing it to Joe's first three albums. Despite the strong praises, the work debuted at #27, with approximately 12,000 units sold.

The Roots' acclaimed How I Got Over marches towards 150,000. The Def Jam release features extended Roots family Dice Raw, Truck North and others, in addition to Blu, Phonte and Peedi Peedi. Former Young Money and No Limit Records artist Curren$y fell 56 spots last week with his Def Jam-distributed Pilot Talk. Produced by Reasonable Doubt architect Ski Beatz, and featuring Mos Def and Jay Electronica, the New Orleans emcee is sitting just under 20,000 units overall.

What's billed as their last album, Villa Manifesto cracked the charts by Slum Village. Another E1 release, Manifesto features remaining SV members T3 and Elzhi, along with archival work from J Dilla and Baatin, and the controversial inclusion of Dilla's brother Illa J, and producer Young RJ. Although the album has been met warmly critically, fans have reacted very differently to the lineup changes of the potential curtain call from true independent Rap icons.

Rank Artist Album This Week Est. Total
23
Big Boi
Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
13,000 this week
120,000 total

27
Fat Joe
The Darkside Volume 1
12,000
12,000

53
The Roots
How I Got Over
7,500 this week
113,000 total

142
Curren$y Pilot Talk
3,300 this week
19,000 total

171
Slum Village
Villa Manifesto
2,700
2,800

Will Fat Joe go Top 5? Can Slum Village get the fanfare necessary to make another album?

Chamillionaire Signs a 50/50 Deal With Universal

Chamillionaire Reveals He Has A 50/50 Deal With Universal, Talks Technology

At a talk at Stanford University, Chamillionaire opens up about his unique contract, and how he got the leverage to demand it.

Platinum rapper Chamillionaire recently spoke at the Social Currency CrunchUp at California's Stanford University. In a technology setting, the Houston veteran expounded on his existing fan-base, created through online services like Shoutcast.com, prior to his signing with Universal Records. By way of his base, Cham said that he has an extremely artist-friendly contract dating back to 2004 or 2005. "I have a profits-sharing deal with [Universal Records]. Most artists don't [have such a deal], most artists make pennies on the dollar. I don't make that. I make what the label makes," he revealed, before clarifying that he has 50/50 share in net profits.

The former partner of Paul Wall revealed that through his website Chamillionaire.com, and iTunes-topping performance of "Ridin' Dirty," he was able to secure this venture. "If I'm spending money, I want my money back just like [Universal does] if they're spending money. At the end of the day, I make what they make. That's not necessarily normal for an artist, but when I came into a major label, I had leverage." The rapper was asked if given the change of climate since his 2005 success would make him do things differently in hindsight. "To say that I would go back [and not sign with a major label], I can't say that...I have made millions and millions of dollars with Universal [and their] corporate structure," said Chamillionaire, who remains a Universal Republic artist, alongside Lil Jon and Distant Relatives.

Chamillionaire did speak candidly about the contract structure at the labels. "Because the industry's doing so bad right now, I think most contracts are designed for artists to fail," he said. Based on his generous contract, the rapper who says that he'recouped his Sound of Revenge and Ultimate Victory releases, admitted he checks Universal's accounting, "I audit them."

Almost three years removed from a proper release, Chamillionaire also stated that he's watched his label change for the worse. "Corporations are struggling. And for somebody like me, [Universal as a major label] just doesn't seem that major anymore," he said. "They should have been more aware of what's happening. That's why I come to tech conferences, so I can see what's next. They spend their money [on sending people] to the clubs right now, and I think they should be here." The rapper said he watched entire departments at labels dwindle to staffs of five, losing personnel that had a lot to do with his own success.

In the interview, Chamillionaire also speaks on his thoughts on rims, and which cell phones he uses, and why.

Da Groove Casting Call

Auditions!! 20-30 females, above average, attractive model type! 18+, Bubbly personaility w/ availability to shoot Aug. 13,14 2010..for new innovative Urban/Dance/talk show.."Connected Music Group presents Da Groove" tv show..dancers and guest panel spots available. This Thurs 8/5.. 6:30-8:30pm..2697 International P..........KWY "parkway Two Building" suite 100-2 Va.Beach near Lynnhaven mallon