VIDEO: Kardinal Offishall - Dangerous ft Akon (Live @ Summer Jam)

NEWS: DJ Khaled Starts New Label

DJ Khaled has announced a new label deal for We The Best Music (I just e-rolled my eyes) with Def Jam. My guess is we'll see some posse cuts with Young Jeezy, Fat Joe, Akon, Lil' Wayne, T.I., T-Pain, Rick Ross and the other usual suspects. Even his press release reads like a bad SNL skit.


"I'm proud to be a member of the Def Jam family," said DJ Khaled. "Def Jam has been and still is one of the most important institutions in hip hop AND music as a whole. I am extremely honored and excited to be a partner with them in We The Best Music. I look forward to creating great music and continuing the success. LA, Shakir and Lenny S are you ready? I am!!! Let’s go!! Caaaaassssshhhhh Flooooowww!!! And remember....We global....global, we're international.....international! We The Best Music/Def Jam....get ready for history!!!"

NEWS: Island/Def Jam Trying Hard To Fail

Discussion time. "No, sorry. Island Def Jam has disabled embedding on all their videos." This was the comment I received from a third party publicist trying to do their job promoting a video for their client Island/Def Jam. My reply was:
"That means Island Def Jam has disabled all viral and/or blog promotion on all their videos. They understand this?".

I simply can't imagine what is going through these executives' heads? This also happened last week when Jay-Z's 'Pray' video was released, only from the Roc-A-Fella website with a puny banner ad to capitalize on the visitors? Eskay put his finger right on the sore spot and scolded the company with surgical precision for it's ignorant strategies (read here).

I feel bad for the publicists getting cuffed in their efforts to supply press outlets with content. And you know they know. They have to send emails knowing no one will write anything about the content as it cannot be integrated into any publication. Nice going Island/Def Jam. Why even make a video if you're going to fight a large section of your promotional machine and unable them to promote your content? Last time I checked the accounting methods applied music videos still were categorized as 'promotional expenses'.

Lets look at it in black and white. Do you want your artists/music promoted? Then make tools available for press to be able to promote your content. There is no possible good outcome in the scared tactic of keeping the content to yourself as a label. Because, 1. It will be ripped and uploaded to youtube/dailymotion. (See below for the video in question, where the rip already racked up 500k views.) 2. If it wouldn't be ripped, it means no one will find out about the artist. Neither seems like a good business strategy. It blows my mind that this common sense hasn't penetrated the Major Label world. It's not like I'm advocating free downloads or anything, just making promotional tools available to press and artists.

DJ Felli Fel - Get Buck In Here ft Akon, Ludacris, Diddy, & Lil Jon

VIDEO: DJ Felli Fel - Get Buck In Here ft. Ludacris, Diddy, Akon & Lil Jon

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Ludacris has the strongest MC voice out there right now.

NEWS: Kanye West, will.i.am & Akon On Michael Jackson Re-Issue

The Kanye West remix of Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' could actually be pretty dope.


Kanye West, Akon, and will.i.am have contributed remixes to the 25th anniversary commemorative issue of Michael Jackson’s classic Thriller album. [...] West has remixed “Billie Jean,” while will.i.am reworked two tracks–”The Girl Is Mine” and “P.Y.T.” Meanwhile, Akon and will.i.am are both featured on “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” More here.

NEWS: Akon Charged With 'Endangering The Welfare Of A Minor'

Akon doesn't usually get any play on here, but this is too absurd to not post. Akon was charged with 'endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment' in fan tossing incident (see video below). It's the girl who functioned as the landing platform for the guy tossed off stage that is now suing. "Hip-hop star Akon has been charged by police after a fan said she suffered concussion when he allegedly threw a teenager off stage, hitting her. Audience members at the concert told Associated Press a spectator lobbed something at the singer and Akon asked the crowd to point out the culprit. A security guard picked out a 15-year-old and sent him up to the stage, where Akon is said to have picked him up onto his shoulders and threw him into the crowd." More here.

You know that Akon and R. Kelly are somewhere going back and forth secretly putting together a super group with a name like 'A Minor Problem'. Lead off single: a cover of Sam Cooke's 'She Was Only 16'.


Via DailySwarm.

VIDEO: 50 Cent - I Still Will ft. Akon

Tha Formula: 50 Cent + R&B Singer = Single. This time it's Akon on 'I Still Will'. The first 45 seconds of the video focus on the 'I Get Money Remix'.

VIDEO: Wyclef Jean - Dollar Bill (Remix feat. Lil' Wayne, Akon, Raekwon)

The remix to Wyclef Jean's Dollar Bill aka Sweetest Girl features Raekwon and a somewhat oddly placed 'C.R.E.A.M' sample. This is not the full video, but merely a preview. See the full video for the original version below the remix. Lil' Wayne seems like a fan boy in this video, which kind of makes me like him more.

Making of the video for the remix featuring Raekwon


Dollar Bill (Sweetest Girl) ft Akon, Lil' Wayne & Niia

LISTEN: David Banner - Spare Clips (Full Mixtape)

DOWNLOAD David Banner - Spare Clips: The Mixtape (MP3) via TSS


I've been wanting to be a fan of David Banner's for a long time, but I always liked him as a public person more than as a rapper/producer. This mixtape showcases a few new elements and features Snoop Dogg, Akon, Lil’ Wayne, Bun B, Lil Jon, T.I., Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Pimp C, E-40, Lil Boosie, and others.