Game Made $3 Million From His Dating Show (She's Got Game)

Game has a dating reality show airing on VH1 right now titled 'She's Got Game', where he finds a girl for himself...sort of like The Bachelor reality show. And before this, he had another reality show with his baby mama, Tiffney, titled Marrying the Game. A lot of people try to look down on rappers that go the reality TV way, and during his latest interview on The Breakfast Club show, Charlamagne Tha God asked Game (last week) if he feels he has lost some respect as a dope rapper for doing the dating reality show, and he said...

First Week Sales Prediction of "Shady XV" Album

As a 15 years celebration of his label, Shady Records, Eminem is dropping a Shady Records compilation album which will include classic songs from artists signed to the label, and those that were on the label in the past. The album is going to be a double disc album; one disc will contain old songs from Shady Records artists over the years, and the other disc will contain some new songs. I predict that the album would sell between 350-450k first week.

The album drops next week Monday, November 24th, the same day Rick Ross's Hood Billionaire album is also set to hit stores. 

Trinidad James Gets Dropped From Def Jam Records

Yup! A tweet posted by Trinidad James suggests this. He is now official 'labeless', and mush more than that, he does not have any money. Read his own words below.

I should tell yall. I got dropped by the Label. My Album is now free. If u hear ur beat or verse on it. I hope u want dap cuz i got no money
— Trinidad Jame$ (@TrinidadJamesGG) August 2, 2014

Hmm! That's what happens when Major labels go about signing artists based off of just one hit song. Trinidad James had his All Gold Everything popping in 2012, and Def Jam snagged him up not concerned whether or not he could make another hit after that, or make a full length album.

Fashawn to Feature Nas and Aloe Blacc on First Single off Ecology

New Mass Appeal Records artist, Fashawn is currently working on his second album and first on his new label. After making his own version of Nas's Illmatic (Ode To Illmatic) 4 years ago, little did the he know that he would one day get signed to his idol's label. In his latest interview with HHDX, he spoke on how the first single off his upcoming album (The Ecology) will feature Aloe Blacc and Nas. 

"The record with Nas and Aloe Blacc is a monster. That record is a monster. That song is a monster...If you would have asked me five months ago, I couldn't even imagine making a song like this with artists of this caliber. That's probably gonna be the first song you hear off The Ecology. Everything has evolved...I'm so happy I took my time with this one, especially in the climate of Rap." 






I can't wait to hear that, cos I know it will be very musical. The problem most rappers have is that they just rap...rap, and rap some more, they don't know about the other intricate details of making 'a song' that people can actually enjoy listening to and probably memorize. I am not talking about going pop, but making a song with a good hook/chorus, and good beat, and good production overall. 


In case you don't know him, Fashawn is a rapper from the west coast (Fresno, California). He dropped his first album, Boy Meets World in 2009, and was featured on XXL's Freshmen Cover the following year. His second album, The Ecology is set to drop on September 30th. 

BET Awards 2014 Winners List

This year's B.E.T Awards went down over the weekend, and there were no real surprises. I guess that's why I didn't post up the winners on time. Well, I guess since it is Black Entertainment Television Awards, artists from other races don't have the criteria to win, even if they deserved to win. Anyway, below are the list of winners at the just concluded 2014 BET Awards. 

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist: Pharrell Williams

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist: Beyonce

Best Male Hip Hop Artist: Drake

Best Female Hip Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj

Best Movie: "12 Years a Slave"

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor

Best Actress: Lupita Nyong'o

Best Group: Young Money

Video of the Year: Pharrell Williams, "Happy"

Video Director of the Year: Hype Williams

Best Collaboration: Beyonce featuring Jay Z, "Drunk In Love"

YoungStars Award: Keke Palmer

Best Gospel Artist: Tamela Mann

Best New Artist: August Alsina

Coca-Cola Viewer's Choice Award: August Alsina

Nas Signs Boldy James to Mass Appeal Records

A couple of months ago, it was announced that Nas was starting a new label, Mass Appeal Records with Peter Bittenbender. Now, Nas has signed Detroit rapper, Boldy James to the imprint. Below is what Nas said to confirm this when he was asked about the deal recently on Hot 107.5. 







"All day, yes sir. He spit. He just spit straight raw straight outta the D. Everybody know what it is in the D, and my man right there, he's flowing. It's just easy. It's just easy to see the talent right there and I just wanted to be associated with that. ... I've been hearing what he's been doing and found out he didn't have a deal. When I found out he was still free, I was just trying to see if he was ready to get down with this thing and go all the way with Mass Appeal and I think it's a perfect connection."

Once Nas's contract expires with Def Jam records (in some weeks or so), he will be signed to his own label, Mass Appeal Records. The label would be distributed by RED Distribution, which is under Sony Music. Other artists signed to Nas's Mass Appeal Records include, Bishop Nehru, and Fashawn. Let's see what Nas can do with this label. Ill Will Records didn't do too well back in the day. But I believe he will get it this time around. At least he is signing lyricists like him, and not friends out of sentiment. 

Stat Quo Speaks on Advantages of Indie Over Major

A lot of artists are going the independent way, and saying 'fuck you' to the major labels. Why sign to a major label to get a $500k advance, and get 35 cents off each of your CDs sold, when you can put up the music on iTunes yourself, and keep up to $5 on each CD sold to yourself. Former Shady-Aftermath artists, Stat Quo, during a recent interview with HHDX, spoke on the advantages of being Independent over being signed to a major label.







“You can put your own music on iTunes. iTunes takes 30 percent of it. That means essentially if they sell it for $9.99, you’re getting $7. Even if you go through an online distributor, they take 20 percent and you get 80 percent of it. You’re still winning. If I sell a CD, and lets say that I’m just putting it on iTunes, I’m getting $7 in my pocket for every CD that I sell. Whereas if you go through a label, what do they give you? A dollar? Some change? A label is only good at building your brand to where you can go all over the world and be who you are.”





True, established acts that have money saved up are better off going the indie route. I hope Stat Quo and Game can pull off that 'The Firm Records' they started together a couple of years ago, so Game doesn't have to sign with Cash Money. I am a Game fan, and I know that at this point in his career, he can barely go platinum with an album again. If his albums are flat-lining at about 300k sold, it will only be wise to go the indie route. Even if he doesn't sell that much with the indie deal, and he sells just about 150k copies total, it is still a good look...that is about $750k made off the album if he got $5 off each CD. He wouldn't even get that much if his album sold a million copies on a major label.

Ice prince Takes Side Of Record Labels in Battle With Artists in Nigeria

The last couple of months has seen a lot of artists cutting ties with their Record Labels, mostly because of problems with contracts they signed when they were hungry. From Wizkid, to Brymo, to Chuddy K, to most recently, Vector. All the names i mentioned left their labels or are currently having problems with the record labels they are signed to. Check out rapper Ice Prince's tweets on this issue below-

This is what I have been saying for the longest time. For anyone to invest millions in you before you have made it big as a musician is a risk. But some artists don't always want to understand that. Once they blow up, they believe they are being cheated, even though they signed the contracts with their own hands. Artists have to realize that the record labels are into a business of grooming artists, and they ofcos have to reap from where they have sowed. Some make losses, but if they make astronomical profits from an artist, it is all good. It is only for a period of time...most times, like 4 years.