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West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar can pop his
collar extra hard as reports claim the Aftermath Records stud has earned
"Rapper of the Year" accolades from popular men's magazine GQ. In its new GQ Men of the Year issue, K. Dot receives the honor over notable hip-hop acts like Kanye West, Jay Z and Lil Wayne.
Kendrick Lamar: Rapper of the Year Every member of rap's Mount Rushmore dropped new albums in 2013--Kanye, Jay Z, Drake, Eminem--but
it was another MC altogether who stole the crown, and he did it with
just a handful of verses: Kendrick Lamar, the latest--and possibly
greatest--rapper to come straight outta Compton. (GQ)
"When I was coming up, I always stated I was a king because I
knew who I was. That's like knowledge of self. So with [Kendrick] being
a king, he's a king, Jay's a king, Ye's a king but there are some cats
that are not kings. You got to be a prince sometimes before you can be a
king," Diddy explained in an interview. "Kendrick is deserving of his
crown because he took hip-hop and put it on his back so crazy and has
given birth to a whole type of real hip-hop generation that we needed to
come back and it came from a cat that was, ironically, from the West
Coast. He went back to the essence of what hip-hop is about." ("Big Boy's Neighborhood")
"What he's doing right now, it's pretty f*cking incredible,"
Eminem says of Lamar, sounding genuinely excited. "He seems like this
kid that's just full of life and happy to be here. The impact he's had
over just the last couple of years. it's been really fun for me to
watch." (Billboard)
"[The upcoming tour with Kendrick?] Yeah, it's one hundred
percent, it's one hundred percent. I'm just looking forward to the
opportunity to speak to this brother as much as possible. That, those
conversations are going to be more than I even said right here. Because
he's one of our future messengers. You know? And I'm going to give him
those jewels." (BBC Radio 1)
Lorde
has signed with Songs Music Publishing in a worldwide deal that
includes her debut EP, “The Love Club,” top-selling full-length “Pure
Heroine” and future recordings. The deal, which is worth $2.5 million, according to a person familiar
with the terms, caps off a highly competitive, months-long bidding war
in which over a half-dozen top publishers were courting the 17-year-old
singer (born Ella Yellich O’Connor). It follows the breakout success of
her single “Royals,” which this week extends its reign on the Hot 100 to
six weeks.
Other publishers in the race include Kobalt, Sony/ATV, Universal
Music Publishing Group and Spirit, according to executives who spoke
with Billboard.
Songs executives would not comment on deal terms.
Songs
founder/CEO Matt Pincus credits the win to the company’s president and
head of A&R Ron Perry for his tireless efforts in meeting with Lorde
and her managers, Scott Maclachlan and Tim Youngson, on virtually all
dates of her U.S. tour.
“She could have signed anywhere she
wanted to sign, and I don’t know what other people were offering, but as
we often say -- music publishing is about relationships and it’s about
people,” Pincus says. “Ron really connected with Ella and vice versa,
and it’s really a tremendous opportunity for us. I’m incredible proud to
be Ella’s publisher -- we think she’s a once-in-a-generation type
artist.”
Perry estimates he’s seen somewhere between 10 and 15
Lorde concerts, including Monday’s showcase at VH1’s You Oughta Know
concert in New York and Tuesday’s “Live On Letterman” taping at the Ed
Sullivan Theater.
“My A&R guy Corey Roberts picked up on her in January, and sent
me an email saying, ‘Stop what you’re doing,’” he says. “That was pretty
ballsy considering he just started working for us six weeks prior. But I
did, I flipped out right away, I played ‘Royals’ for Matt and he heard
the first 12 seconds and was like, ‘That’s a hit.’”
Though the
deal was only officially signed on Nov. 7, Lorde’s 17th birthday, Perry
has already introduced the singer to fellow Songs clients like the
Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) and Diplo for potential collaborations. “She’s gonna be a really big songwriter outside of Lorde,” Perry
says. “She’s going to have a lot of big songs out there as Ella, and
it’s a great feeling that we can be at a place that understands music
comes first and foremost.”
Songs, which was founded in 2004, has
an expanding catalog of songwriters and producers that includes Diplo,
Nelly, Pharrell, the Weeknd, Conor Oberst, M83’s Morgan Kibby and DJ
Mustard (B.o.B.’s “Headband,” Tyga’s “Rack City.”)
Lorde became
the youngest solo female artist to top the Hot 100 in 25 years last
month, and the first female in 17 years to reach No. 1 on the Hot
Alternative Songs chart in August. Prior to the Songs deal, “Royals”
scored a major global synch from Samsung, which licensed the track for a spot announcing its Galaxy Gear products.
Spotify continues to grow in popularity, but the music streaming service still needs to prove its mettle as a business.
The Sweden-based company has been hit with a class action lawsuit in
San Francisco by a subscriber named Melissa Bleak who claims that
automatic renewal charges to her premium account violate a California
law requiring affirmative consent.
According to the complaint, when users upgrade to a premium plan that
provides access to music on any device, customers are informed on
Spotify's website that "if you do not cancel your subscription before
the end of the free trial the credit card you provide will automatically
be charged the Spotify Premium subscription fee of US $9.99 + $0.00
sales tax per month, until you cancel. You can cancel at any time by
logging into your Spotify account and following the cancelation
instructions."
Customers are further informed that they are authorizing Spotify to automatically bill their credit card each month.
"In the Premium Plan notice Defendant failed to provide a hyperlink
to the Terms, and the Terms are not referenced at all on the Unlimited
Plan notice," says the lawsuit. "Moreover, Defendant failed to provide a
box to check or any other method by which Plaintiff's and Class Members
could provide their affirmative consent to Defendants."
Spotify declined comment.
The company, which earlier this year said it had six million
subscribers and 24 million active users, is reportedly on the verge of
raising more than $200 million in new funding. With deals with large
record companies including Sony, EMI, Warner Music and Universal,
Spotify's revenues have grown nearly fourfold in the last two years to
almost $600 million, but with heavy licensing costs, its losses have
widened to more than $75 million a year.
The company has also recently made partnerships in the TV space,
including a cross-promotional deal with Bravo that allows users to see
playlists for "The Real Housewives" and other shows.
"He's five years sober, so things are a lot different. But
it's not as different now as it was when he first went into recovery.
There was a time during that period where I felt like I was sort of
meeting him again for the first time. He came out of this like horrible
spell and he just wasn't himself. But then as I got to know him again as
he is now. It's been really great. It was hard to connect with him when
he wasn't present. And now [that] he's present, he's a much better
partner. I think his art's a lot better and we have a lot more fun doing
it. Our relationship both professionally and as friends is stronger
than ever." (Billboard)
"It was horrible. It was difficult in a lot of ways. It was
sad because of his condition and we were worried about his health first
and foremost, but beyond that. Trying to keep everything running when
you don't have a partner who is so important to the brand that you've
built together and he's just not present and unable to contribute, it's
just... very difficult. But we were definitely most worried about his
health and wellbeing." (Billboard)
A couple years ago, former Shady Records artist Cashis talked about Em extending a hand to help out with his own drug addiction problem.
"First time I met Em, in the studio in Detroit, I had a vial
of like 80 Valiums and I popped em all in like a day and a half. He was
like "D*mn, dog you might wanna get some help. Let me know, I can help
you out, discretely,' " the rapper explained. "I was like 'Nah man.
Where I'm from, what would I look like?' I got off it my own, and later
on, I found out -- like the rest of the world -- Em was getting off of
it. During that time, I just quit talking to everybody dog. I didn't
talk to no friends, family." (Baller Status)
Back in 2010, Slim Shady said his past drug woes had a damaging impact on his music-making abilities.
"I had to learn to write and rap again, and I had to do it
sober and 100 percent clean. That didn't feel good at first...I mean it
in the literal sense. I actually had to learn how to say my lyrics again
-- how to phrase them, make them flow, how to use force so they sounded
like I meant them. Rapping wasn't like riding a bike. It was [as much]
physical as mental. I was relearning basic motor skills. I couldn't
control my hand shakes. I'd get in the [recording] booth and tried to
rap, and none of it was clever, none was witty and I wasn't saying it
right...It was four or five months after I'd been clean when I started
to get a glimmer of my writing skills back. I don't remember what song I
was working on specifically, but I do remember getting feeling back in
the music. I realized I wanted to do this again." (New York Post)
"I thought it was going to be a three-person panel," Carey told Hot
97. "They gave me a nice dangling monetary moment, and I was just like
... 'Okay. Randy Jackson will be there. I've known him forever, he used
to play bass for me. Like, this isn't a big deal. This will be nothing.'
But it wasn't that ... It was like going to work every day in hell with
Satan."
Carey didn't say by name that she was referring to Nicki Minaj, but one could infer, especially after their very public spats.
Carey then laughed and said, "I'm just playing. It didn't affect me
that much. I was disappointed." Carey went on to say she loved the
contestants and was disappointed when they didn't move on for "political
reasons."
Carey served as a judge on "American Idol"
alongside Minaj, Keith Urban and Jackson during Season 12 of the
series. Minaj, Jackson and Carey are not returning to the show as
judges, but Jackson will be be a mentor during Season 13. Urban will be
joined by Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. for Season 13. "I like being in the studio better and going on my own tours, etc. So we're going back to that," Carey said.
As
Guy Oseary and Paul McGuinness prep a $30 million deal to merge their
management companies under Live Nation, more details have emerged about
the pair’s respective plans.
U2, McGuinness’ top client at Principle Management, is prepping a new
album set for tentative release in April on Interscope. Danger Mouse
has been producing the set, which was recorded primarily at New York’s
Electric Lady Studios. Oseary has already been leading discussions in
the advertising marketplace as the band seeks potential brand partners
for a planned Super Bowl commercial announcing the new music. According to executives familiar with the parties’ plans who spoke
with Billboard, Live Nation’s deal to acquire Principle and Maverick is
valued at $30 million, and has not been completed. Under the arrangement, McGuinness would become chairman of Principle Management,
while Oseary will assume day-to-day management of U2, as he has already
for several months, Billboard has learned.
In a statement to the New York Times, which first broke the news
of the Live Nation deal, McGuinness said: "It could be seen as slightly
poor etiquette for a manager to consider retiring before his artist has
split, quit or died, but U2 have never subscribed to the rock and roll
code of conduct. As I approach the musically relevant age of 64 I have
resolved to take a less hands-on role as the band embark on the next
cycle of their extraordinary career.
"I am delighted that Live Nation, who with Arthur Fogel have been our
long term touring partners, have joined us in creating this powerful
new force in artist management. I have long regarded Guy Oseary as the
best manager of his generation and there is no one else I would have
considered to take over the day-to-day running of our business.”
The two companies will be housed under Live Nation’s management arm
Artist Nation, a division of the company that manages more than 200
artists but has notably lost money in the first three quarters of 2013.
Revenues were down 13% during the first nine months of 2013
year-over-year, according to the company’s earnings released Nov. 5, to a total of $261.1 million this year versus $298.6 million in 2012.
Prior to the acquisition, Oseary and McGuinness had already done
plenty of landmark business with Live Nation. In 2008, U2 inked a
12-year deal with the company that included worldwide touring,
merchandising and its U2.com website, though with no rights to the
band’s recorded music or publishing.
The year prior, Madonna inked a 10-year 360-deal with Live Nation
encompassing new studio albums, touring, merchandising, fan
club/website, DVDs, music-related TV and film projects and associated
sponsorship agreements. Though Live Nation initially intended to
exclusively release new music from Madonna, the company aligned with
Interscope in 2011 for a three-album deal (valued at $40 million)
beginning with 2012’s "MDNA."
Oseary has also maintained an office in Live Nation’s Beverly Hills
headquarters for several years, though he spends most of his time
working out of a home office at his estate in the Hollywood Hills.
The Maverick/Principle news comes on the heels of Scooter Braun’s $120 million fund to
invest in a consortium of music management firms, using proceeds from a
fund led by Overland Park, Kan.-based investment firm Waddell &
Reed Financial. Braun’s initial partners include Drake managers Oliver
El-Khatib Adel and “Future The Prince” Nur at October’s Very Own; Troy
Carter and his Atom Factory clients John Legend, Lindsey Stirling and
Priyanka Chopra; and Jason Owen, whose Sandbox Entertainment manages top
Nashville talent like Shania Twain, Little Big Town, recent CMA winner
Kacey Musgraves and rising Warner Nashville duo Dan + Shay. Those
artists will join a roster at Braun’s SB Projects that already includes
Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, The Wanted, Cody Simpson and Martin
Garrix.
Such recent waves of consolidation in the management space suggest
efforts for thought-leading executives like Oseary, Braun and Carter
(who appeared in a Billboard cover story
this past April) to leverage their clients’ combined clout for better
negotiations with digital service providers and more fluid investments.
One source familiar with Braun’s plans said the management coalition’s
model was focused on investing cash in the managers’ firms upfront so
that artists could collect more revenues on the back-end.
“That money could then be used for artists’ revenue streams and new ventures,” the executive said.
Diehard Jay Z fans wishing they could attain a piece
of history will have their chance this weekend as reports claim Young
Hov's old apartment building has a vacancy.
According to reports, interested buyers can show off their love of Jigga Man for nearly $900,000.
In 2009, Jay-Z immortalized Brooklyn's 560 State Street by
mentioning it in his anthemic "Empire State of Mind". "Took it to my
stash spot, 560 State Street/Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons
whipping pastry," he rhymed, recalling his rise and realization of the
American dream. Unit 2C in the Boerum Hill building is currently on the
market for $869,000, featuring two bedrooms and one-and-a-half bathrooms
within 1,060-square-feet. There's a open house at 1 p.m. this Sunday,
and if any brokers still refuse to use the fact that Jay once lived in
the building to sell this place, they're losing. Hard. Though it's not
the same unit (Jay-Z apparently lived in 10B), that's still a pretty
unique selling point. (Complex)
The Clinton Hill apartment where the Notorious B.I.G. grew
up went on the market yesterday for $725,000, the Intelligencer reports.
The decor looks more like it suits an elderly couple than a hip-hop
all-star, but remember he hasn't lived there in decades--even though
tour buses of devotees regularly make pilgrimages to the site. Located
in a multi-family townhouse surrounded by others just like it, 226 Saint
James Street #3L is a 3BR/1BA unit on a tree-lined street. Back in
2004, it sold for $424,866, according to Streeteasy, making this a hefty
flip if buyers jump at the chance to live where a small Biggie Smalls
(before he was even called that) hung his hat. (Curbed)
Asked if she was aware of the condo's significance in music,
listing agent Judith Lief said this morning, "You must be kidding. I
am." Lief told Daily Intelligencer that "very lovable people" own the
place and she wouldn't want its past to affect its future. "The tour
buses that come by regularly are enough," she said. "I don't really know
yet what impact, if any, [Biggie's looming presence] will have on the
sale. I think it'll be notable, but I don't know if novelty translates
to a purchase." (NY Mag)
Prior to going up in flames last week, rap star Eminem'sDetroit childhood home hit the real estate market this year.
The home where Eminem spent most of his teenage years is on the auction block. WWJ's Sandra McNeill
stopped by the house on Dresdan Street on Detroit's east side. The
Michigan Land Bank has put the homeonce owned by the rapper's mother,
Debbie Nelson, up for sale. The brick bungalow sits behind tall weeds
and is boarded up in a block where nearly every home appears to be
vacant and some stripped of anything valuable. (CBS Local)
