Tony Yayo blames Interscope for G-Unit downfall

When they first arrived in the game, no one crew was hotter than G-Unit. Led by 50 Cent, they quickly took over the rap game. Some of their success was credited to the promotion of their distributor, Interscope Records. But, later 50 Cent revealed that Interscope did nothing besides ride the wave like the fans.

In 2006, the miraculous ride for G-Unit was coming to an abrupt end. Albums from Lloyd Banks and Young Buck flopped and 50 Cent’s album did not fare much better, either. Critics point to many reasons for the decline in G-Unit’s popularity, but it all boils down to Interscope Records not putting forth an effort. When Roc-A-Fella was on its run, Def Jam did everything in their power to make sure Jay-Z went platinum each time. But, Interscope did not do that for 50 Cent.

Due to the constant delays of Curtis, 50 Cent openly stated that he would begin searching for a new label home. Following the release of his next album, 50 Cent did just that. G-Unit went from being on top of the game, hitting a peak in the 2004-2005 period, but after Game left, so did the support of Interscope Records. Tony Yayo noticed this, just like the rest of the crew. That is the main reason that he left, over two years ago.

When Tony Yayo released his debut album, Interscope did all that they could to promote it, but when it was time for his next album, they put him on the backburner. In between his album releases, G-Unit went from being on top to being an after thought. But, Yayo feels that if Interscope Records had continued to promote the G-Unit brand that it would still be recognizable. But, the fact that they quit on G-Unit led to G-Unit quitting on them.

50 Cent, the G-Unit group, and G-Unit Records are off of Interscope Records entirely and 50 is searching for distribution with an independent service. The first album to be released when a new deal is established will be the long-awaited sophomore album from Tony Yayo.

Kid Cudi avoids Fame

Early last year, Kid Cudi achieved international fame. To many, that is the dream of a lifetime. But, to Kid Cudi, that just is not his dream. He wants to continue to make music, but he wants to still enjoy the simple things out of life. That is one of the prices when achieving fame. Kid Cudi is passionate about his music, but he never wanted to be famous.

While Kid Cudi did not want to become famous, only months before the release of his second album, he is one of the hottest topics in entertainment. Kid Cudi often makes news because he threatens retirement every other day. If it is not that, he has beaten up someone or has been framed for crimes that he did not commit.

Unexpectedly, Kid Cudi has become one of the central figures in rap music. He has been picked by many as the future of hip hop, whether he likes it or not. Despite all of the attention and the hype that Kid Cudi receives, he never wanted any of it. Recently, he talked about his new found fame and he said that he never wanted to be a “larger than life figure.” All that Kid Cudi ever wanted was to make music.

Kid Cudi plans to release his next album later this year on GOOD Music and Universal Records.

Bun B will release “Trill OG” on Universal Records

For the past few years, Bun B has been releasing his music through Asylum Records. He made the move during the period in 2005-2006 when a lot of big-name rappers went independent. At the time, they said that indie was best, but Bun B is the first one to return to a major label.

After five years on the independent circuit, Bun B is joining Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Chamillionaire, and other big names at Universal Records. There is no word about Trill Ent. being included in this move. Bun B says that he will remain on good terms with Asylum and the entire WMG.

Bun B said that he simply outgrew Asylum Records. Now that he is with Universal, he does not have to focus on the promotion and distribution of his next album. Strangely enough, he boasted about the freedom of handling his own promotion and distribution when he first made this deal. Apparently, all of this ended up being too much on Bun B, so he has decided to return to a major-label deal.

The next album from Bun B, Trill OG, will be released on May 25, 2010 on Trill Ent./Universal Records.

Ja Rule will give More Details about New Album at Birthday Bash

After six years of waiting, there are only a few months in between Ja Rule’s new album and now. There have been many album title changes and many release dates. Now, Rule says that he is in complete control and he will make sure that he releases Venni Vetti Vecci 2010 before the end of this year.

Obviously, that is the main reason that Ja Rule decided to call the album Venni Vetti Vecci 2010. The album has been in the works since last January. While he has been in the studio for over a year, details about the album have been kept quiet. He plans to release the album with no warning.

With Ja Rule’s birthday at the end of this month, he wants to have an extravagant bash to celebrate him turning 34 years old. To mark this party, he plans to announced the full details of the album. So far, all that is known is that Rule will be working with Irv Gotti and DMX. The label situation has been speculated, but no one knows for sure how this album will be released.

Next week, at his bash, Ja Rule will let the public know everything that they want to know about Venni Vetti Vecci 2010. With this news will also come the album’s release date. An official release date has yet to be released, but Ja announced that the album would come in June. His original Venni Vetti Vecci album was released on June 1.

Juvenile caught with Marijuana

Fresh off the release of his ninth album, Cocky & Confident, Juvenile is back in the news. However, this time it is not for anything good. Yesterday, he and some members of his camp were caught in possession of Marijuana.

Juvenile and his assistant, Leroy Edwards, were at his home when a neighbor called the police. They smelled strong fumes of Marijuana coming from the rapper’s home. When the police arrived at Juvenile’s home, both he and his assistant met the officers at the door.

The smell of the Marijuana was still strong and it could be smelled on the body of Leroy Edwards. That, alone, gave the police officers probable cause to search the home of Juvenile. The official police report says that “the presence of marijuana was strong.”

During their search, the police officers found a small bad of marijuana in the kitchen drawer. Juvenile would tell the officers that the bag belonged to him. Both he and Leroy Edwards were charged with misdemeanor charges and sent to jail. They did not stay long, as they were able to post bail.

What if Tupac Shakur had never Died: The Notorious B.I.G.

Arguably, the person affected the most by the death of Tupac Shakur was The Notorious B.I.G. Both rappers died in the same fashion and both of their deaths are unsolved. The death of Biggie was a knee-jerk reaction to the death of Tupac. Whoever was behind the murder of Biggie felt that Biggie was behind the death of Tupac. Sadly enough, that was not the case. There are plenty of rumors about why The Notorious B.I.G. was assassinated, but it all winds back up to the fact that he is gone.

When The Notorious B.I.G. first debuted, East Coast hip hop was struggling. Because of his friendship with Tupac Shakur, he was accepted by hip hop fans from all over. Tupac would show the ropes to Biggie and he became a star. His style was unique because he was a big person that portrayed the role of a playboy. In many ways, his style was similar to that of Tupac’s. Over time, Biggie would become the biggest rapper in the game. His only competition was Tupac.

In 1994, both The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac were recording at the Hit Factory in New York, but they were in different rooms. Biggie was said to be a few floors higher than Tupac, who would end up being shot while at the studio. It had been two years since the rappers had the chance to hang out. Because he turned Puff Daddy down when he offered to sign him to Bad Boy, Tupac felt that Biggie was in on his shooting.

Despite denials from Biggie and the Bad Boy camp, Tupac declared war and he signed with the infamous Death Row Records in response. Death Row was the first hip hop dynasty and Bad Boy had quickly become the second one. Never before had rappers come together to dominate the music industry the way that Suge Knight was with Death Row. When Bad Boy rose to become another hip hop dynasty, he felt as if they were infringing on his territory.

Because Puff Daddy had moved in on his turf, Suge Knight had a personal vendetta against the entire Bad Boy camp. When he discovered that Tupac Shakur was also upset with the camp, he used this to his advantage. Suge Knight would soon sign Shakur to Death Row and they declared an all-out war on Bad Boy Records. While Tupac had a conscience, Knight simply wanted to remove Bad Boy from the top spot and he did not care how it happened.

Tupac would soon become consumed with feuding with The Notorious B.I.G. and his crew. Biggie, on the other hand, was hoping that the feud would blow over. But, Tupac felt that the entire Bad Boy crew, including Biggie, had tried to take his life. Had there not been so many people in the middle, the truth could have been revealed. But, Suge Knight was constantly in his ear talking about his issues with Bad Boy.

While Biggie had hoped that the feud would die down, his wife, Faith Evans, who was separated from him, at the time, decided to help smooth things out. She went out to Los Angeles, where she met Tupac Shakur. They were said to have hung out and became fast friends. At the time, Tupac was recording a new album and he invited Evans to sing the hook for one of his songs. An agreement was reached and she recorded with Tupac.

However, once the song was released, Tupac claimed to have had sex with Faith Evans, while she was still married to The Notorious B.I.G. He boasted about this on his infamous diss record, “Hit Em Up.” In the first verse, Shakur raps, “you claim to be a playa, but I f*cked your wife.” This is something that Faith Evans denies to this day. It was then that she realized that in those types of situations that it is best to just stay out of it. At the time, she could not see that Tupac had used her for the publicity.

Later that year, Tupac Shakur would be shot to death in Las Vegas, Nevada after watching a Mike Tyson fight with Suge Knight. Immediately, the hip hop world looked to Bad Boy Records. After all, they were the sworn enemies of Tupac Shakur. A direct response never did come from their camp, but surely; Biggie was not a happy camper when he heard “Hit Em Up.” After his death, Biggie was one of the first rappers to send out condolences. He said that he could never be mad enough to wish death on anyone.

Only five months after Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas, The Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down in Los Angeles. Following the death of Tupac, Biggie began receiving random calls from people who said that they were going to kill him. He had received many warnings from the Blood gang in Los Angeles to stay out of their city. As a result, Biggie reached out to the Crips gang in Los Angeles for protection. It is said that either of these gangs were behind the death of B.I.G.

But, had Tupac Shakur survived those shots in Las Vegas, or had the situation never happened, things for Biggie would have been very different. Perhaps had Tupac been shot and had gone into the coma, Biggie would have reached out to Tupac. Had he eventually pulled out and returned to the music industry, he and Biggie may have collaborated. With Tupac and Biggie on the same side, eventually Suge Knight would have been convinced to end his issues with the personnel of Bad Boy Records.

At the time, Biggie was just preparing his album, Life After Death. Both he and Tupac often rapped about death and he would have been the perfect match for the album. Many people do not know about the other minor feuds that Tupac had with other New York rappers. If Biggie was able to convince Tupac to chill out, he may have let a few rappers off of the hook. Biggie was said to have wanted to retire in the year 2000. Tupac, on the other hand, planned to rap as long as he was breathing.

Perhaps, Tupac Shakur could have convinced The Notorious B.I.G. to continue rapping and a collaboration album may have been born from their strong chemistry. But, there is also a chance that Tupac would have continued his feud with Biggie and the entire Bad Boy empire would have crumbled with Tupac becoming a lot like 50 Cent and Biggie becoming a lot like Ja Rule with a G-Unit/Murder Inc.-type feud that the people would eventually become tired of.

One thing that can be said without any doubt is that had Tupac Shakur had not died on September 13, 1996 is that The Notorious B.I.G. would have not have died on February 9, 1997.

Jadakiss helps revive FUBU

In the late 1990s, FUBU rose to become one of the top brands in urban wear. The attire that the brand featured was worn by all of the top black entertainers. However, it did draw criticism for being marketed solely to blacks. It was then that the creators of the brand let it be known that it was for everyone. But, FUBU was the first black-owned clothing line made for black people.

FUBU continued its strong run into the mid-2000s before falling off. By 2004, the brand had been beaten out by competitors, such as Phat Farm and even Southpole. Before long, FUBU was no longer featured in commercials or carried in stores. It has been almost ten years since anyone has even mentioned FUBU.

The owners of the clothing company hope that Jadakiss can change their fortunes. The hip hop star already has a deal with Coogi, a rival of FUBU. But, his endorsement with Samsung, the parent company of FUBU goes right in line with his next venture. Jadakiss will soon be using his hardcore appeal to attract fans to a revived FUBU brand.

Commercials featuring Jadakiss should soon be hitting television screens.

Tony Yayo talks New Album

For his sophomore album, Tony Yayo is working independent. As many already know, G-Unit Records is no longer operated under Interscope Records. The only artist still signed to G-Unit/Interscope is Young Buck. With the way things are looking, he may never release another album, so he is as good as retired. Meanwhile, it has been four years since Tony Yayo last released an album.

Initially, Tony Yayo was supposed to release a new album in 2007, but that was around the time that G-Unit had their falling out with Interscope Records. Because he was the lowest-selling artist on the G-Unit label, it was Yayo’s album that ended up being pushed back. While the label was working with Interscope, they expected all of the G-Unit artists to fit into a certain niche. All of which, including Yayo, had different ideas.

Now, he is off of Interscope Records, along with the rest of G-Unit Records. Label CEO, 50 Cent is now picking the pieces back up. He has invited Sha Money XL back into the fold and he said that he is going to land the label a deal with an independent distributor. Regardless of a distribution deal, Tony Yayo wants to begin recording his new album. The recording process has already started and he has some surprises in store.

For collaborations, aside from the expected work with 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo wants to record with Twista, Bun B, and Cormega. He has relationships with all of those artists, but Interscope did not want to see him working with those types of artists. With Interscope off of his back, he now has freedom with collaborations. Tony Yayo has to wait for 50 Cent to go ahead and secure a label deal and then he can set a release date.

Tony Yayo expects to release his untitled album this summer.

50 Cent is willing to sign Knoc-Turn’ Al to G-Unit

All of the support that 50 Cent used to have has slowly gone out of the window. When he first came into the game, he was able to turn everyone against Ja Rule. That was an incredible feat because Ja was ruling the game. After he took out that beast and his entire crew, 50 Cent felt unstoppable. But, he crumbled from his own weight and he has had some feuds that he just could not win, like his current feud with Game.

When he declared war against Game, 50 Cent hoped that everyone would turn on him. Instead, he saw his support team of Eminem and Dr. Dre turn blind eyes, while he was accepted more by the hip hop community. Game has been able to use 50 Cent’s enemies to his advantage. Last year, Game was able to get Ja Rule and Fat Joe to join him on the remix of Rick Ross’ “Mafia Music.” 50 Cent usually gets his way, but not with Game.

Knoc-Turn’ Al feels as if he should have been in Game’s position. He said that no matter how he felt about 50 Cent that he could have stayed with him. For the most part, Knoc feels that Game is unappreciative of the opportunity that 50 Cent provided for him. Knoc is also upset that he lost his spot with Dr. Dre because of Game. His single, “The Knoc,” only received minor radio play and it did nothing to boost his profile. But, when Game came out, he blew with 50 Cent fame.

That, more than any other reason, is probably why Knoc-Turn’ Al decided to set the record straight about Game. The statement that he made led to Game issuing a challenge to Knoc. So far, he has accepted the feud, but he has not recorded a diss record. But, if he chooses to do so, 50 Cent wants to let Knoc-Turn’ Al know that he is willing to help. Although 50 Cent no longer has the support of Interscope Records, he still has plans of reviving his crew this year.

While Knoc-Turn’ Al never quite caught on, he was never given a true chance. Now that he is finally off of Interscope, 50 Cent feels like superman. 50 Cent is willing to take the time and sign the established Knoc-Turn’ Al to G-Unit West to get that movement going again. Despite things looking bad, 50 Cent does envision G-Unit taking the world by storm once again.

Was T.I. ever King of the South?

Until he re-emerged in 2003, not too many people knew who T.I. was. He released his debut album in 2001, but the album flopped. At the time, he was signed to Arista Records, but they soon removed him from their roster. With no label deal, T.I. returned to the streets and back to hustling. Along the way, he also appeared on various mixtapes in hopes of being signed by a major label. His big break came in 2003, when he was featured on BoneCrusher’s “Neva Scared.”

The song became a hit during the summer of 2003 and T.I. landed a deal with Atlantic Records, but he also negotiated a deal that allowed him to have his own label under Atlantic. To this day, he credits the creation of Grand Hustle Records as the smartest move that he has ever made. Once he got everything in place, T.I. began recording his second album, Trap Muzik. The album caught on with fans after the release of “Rubberband Man.”

It would be on his breakthrough album, Trap Muzik, which T.I. would begin referring to himself as the King of the South. But, taking a closer look a hip hop in 2003 proves that this may not have been the case. While T.I. was notable, he was far from the most popular rapper from the South in 2003. At that time, Ludacris still had a stranglehold on the Southern game. When T.I. was just getting started good, Luda was promoting Chicken N Beer, his crowning achievement.

The following year, T.I. began feuding with Ludacris and Houston rapper, Lil’ Flip. Flip often stated that T.I. was not even the King of Atlanta, let alone the King of the South. He said that both titles belonged to Ludacris. In 2004, both Ludacris and Lil’ Flip had higher charting singles and higher-selling albums. Again, T.I. was notable, but his numbers were unlike the numbers of a king. Still, the region was dominated by other artists.

Because of his prison sentence, people are saying that T.I. lost his crown of King of the South, but being fair, he probably never held the title. In 2006, he set records with the release of King, but he was overshadowed by Chamillionaire. His album, The Sound of Revenge, was released in late 2005 and it would end up selling in 2006. The second single, “Ridin’,” would become the anthem of 2006, while T.I. posted a big hit with “What U Know” and “Why U Wanna.”

The following year, T.I. was still relevant, while Chamillionaire’s wave blew over, but T.I. was still overshadowed by Yung Joc. His sophomore album, Hustlenomics did not sell as much as T.I.’s 2007 release, T.I. vs. T.I.P., but his singles generated more buzz than T.I.’s music. In 2008, he emerged as a hitmaker and his album, Paper Trail sold well. Many people view that album as the defining album of T.I.’s career, but it was overshadowed by Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III.

A lot of people have jumped on the T.I. bandwagon and agree with him being King of the South, but each year there is always someone doing better than him. Lyrically, the only Southern rapper that can compete is Lil Wayne, but as far as popularity goes (which does count), T.I. loses every year. Still, he is a force in the game and is in the top five, regardless of geographic region. But, even at his peak, T.I. was still number two to Lil Wayne.

Perhaps, T.I. was never King of the South; maybe he was a prince that may one day inherit the throne. With a new album coming later this year, he may finally earn that title.