Search Results for: Jay Som

It’s finally happened. After putting up with Celine Dion, Rod Stewart and Shania Twain, someone representing the kids has made it to the top. It only took Eminem five days to sell over 79,000 CDs, last week, so imagine what a full week of sales could do? After a full seven days, Em took over the top spot selling 82,300 CDs, blowing away Twain, who was #1 last week. The controversial rapper has gone more than platinum in both Canada and the U.S..in just under two weeks, which isn’t much of a surprise as he is one of the most… Read more »

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – The evolution of digital downloads marks another milestone on November 23, 2004, with the debut of UMe Digital, the world’s first all-digital download label from a major music company. UMe Digital product – individual songs, EPs, and full-length albums – will be distributed exclusively online. With its unparalleled music and video marketing capabilities and the power and scope of UMe to place songs in films and TV shows and commercials, UMe Digital offers unprecedented access and exposure for artists. The releases on UMe Digital will be consistent with UMe’s philosophy of marketing established acts and acts… Read more »

It’s not homicide authorities are investigating over at the rap label formerly known as Murder Inc. Instead, federal investigators are slowly putting the pieces together of an alleged dirty-money operation-with some big names in the rap world involved. On Wednesday, cops arrested the manager of the label’s flagship rapper, Ja Rule. Ron “Gutta” Robinson, 29, was rung up on money-laundering charges in federal court and released on $500,000 bond. The 29-year-old’s legal rep, Stacey Richman, told the Associated Press her client would fight the charges against him. The indictment specifically alleges Robinson conspired to launder more than $1 million between… Read more »

Los Angeles – Given such song titles as “Baby Hold on to Me,” “Can You Handle It,” “The G Spot” and “U Got That Love,” the general theme of Gerald Levert’s music is easy to divine. His brand of sensuous R&B has provided romantic sustenance to a devoted fan base ever since his 1991 solo debut, “Private Line.” But Levert takes an unexpected turn on his eighth solo outing, “Do I Speak for the World?” As the title implies, the Nov. 30 release finds the 38-year-old singer/songwriter/producer pursuing more socially conscious topics: patriotism, activism, religion and the future of mankind.… Read more »

Los Angeles – Will it be a blue Christmas in the music business? The first eight months of 2004 were a romp, when labels and retailers were measuring their progress against the soft numbers from the first two trimesters of 2003. The question looming then was how numbers would hold up when we got to September, which was the point last year when same-week increases bloomed for the first time in almost three years. The answer so far? Not so great. Even with collective sales of this week’s top 10 on the Billboard 200 outweighing that from the comparable week… Read more »

After making his final appearance with Jay-Z last week on their ill-fated co-headlining tour, R. Kelly made a different sort of appearance on Thursday (November 4) – in court. In a procedural victory for the R&B singer’s defense team, the Chicago judge presiding over Kelly’s child-pornography case granted the defense’s request to have a hearing to determine the alleged victim’s age. While the prosecution has alleged that the female in question was 14 years old when the tape was made, some of the defense’s actions – such as when Kelly’s attorney Ed Genson previously argued in written motions that it’s… Read more »

Giant On The Beach (Rainbow Quartz/Fusion III) The Grip Weeds are yet another band whose music spans several eras. While Giant On The Beach is wrapped in layers of ‘60s fuzzed out guitar and backward tape loops, the band are also heavily rooted in the psych pop revival of the ‘80s, recalling such bands as The Rain Parade and The Playn Jayn. There’s a real nod towards the power pop jangle of ‘90s groups like The Smithereens or The Rave-Ups, but best of all, The Grip Weeds have taken all these elements and crafted some really catchy songs, including “I… Read more »

Miami – WHO: Multi-platinum superstar hip-hop artist/producer Missy Elliott WHAT: After 33 days and 26 cities in 10 states on the road, The Hip-Hop Team Vote GOTV Bus Tour, a national joint effort by HSAN and America Coming Together (ACT) to increase youth voter turnout in the presidential election, tomorrow November 2nd, the southern Bus will pick up youth from all over the Miami area and take them to the polls. Missy Elliott will get on the Hip-Hop Team Vote GOTV Bus and drive with some of the kids to a polling place where she will encourage young people to… Read more »

Bad Religion bassist Jay Bentley is generally a pretty easy-going guy. Interviewing him is usually like sitting through a comedy routine where any and all taboos are duly mocked. On this occasion, though, Bentley isn’t so laidback – and you can hardly blame him. He’s consumed by the problems within America’s political climate. Fearing the ever-looming November 2 U.S. Presidential Election date (which takes place the day Bad Religion play in Montreal), Bentley doesn’t really want to talk about anything else. “My job right now isn’t to play music,” he grunts. “It’s to get a new president in office. Half… Read more »

In Britain, Busted are headlining stadiums. In America, the pop-punk trio are playing parking lots outside stadiums. So which do they prefer? Prepare to be surprised. “It’s awesome at gigs here, because you kind of have to win the crowd over,” bassist Matt Jay said recently. “Like in England, it’s awesome and stuff, but we could just go ‘Bugger!’ and they would go ‘Yeah!’ Which is awesome, but here, you really have to work hard.” “It’s nice to kind of see the first-time reaction of the crowds again,” guitarist James Bourne added. “It’s like it’s a little déjà vu of… Read more »