Search Results for: every time i die

There is no such thing as gut-check time for Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. He has to be a trooper at all times. Along with the normal artist concerns like squabbles with his label (his 1999 debut, Power of the Dollar, was heavily bootlegged and Trackmasters/Columbia never released it), producers and other rappers (he and Ja Rule have fought on and off wax), 50’s been stabbed, shot in the mouth and had to move away from his hometown to ensure his safety. But the Queens, New York, native says things could not be better. “I’m not bitter at all,” the 25-year-old… Read more »

Fresh from her appearance at last week’s Grammy awards, pop diva Celine Dion took the stage on Sunday night in her first performance as a headliner since setting aside her meteoric career two years ago to start a family. Dion, a French-Canadian who had a baby boy with husband-manager Rene Angelil, performed about a dozen tunes along with guests Destiny’s Child and Brian McKnight at Hollywood’s Kodak Theater, where the Academy Awards will be handed out later this month. When she announced her temporary departure from the music scene at the end of 1999, Dion was the world’s top selling… Read more »

Lance Bass may not get to space as quickly as he’d like, but he shouldn’t worry; his band’s already in the stratosphere, and they didn’t even have to leave Portland to prove it. ‘NSYNC’s Celebrity tour kicked off Sunday at the city’s Rose Garden arena, and glitter-gelled eyelids twinkled in the night as thousands lined up for entrance, though new security measures (full bag check, metal detector wands and pocket-emptying for all) slowed things down considerably, and made not a few young girls cry, as they were forced to leave all posters, flowers and other small gifts for the boys… Read more »

Forget J-Lo’s naval and Eminem’s foul mouth. The 44th annual Grammy Awards Wednesday had weightier issues to contend with as artists and performers sought to soothe the nation with humor and song after a year of turmoil within the music industry and in the United States. From heightened security, to performers’ songs and to host Jon Stewart’s jokes, the devastating attacks on America of Sept. 11 hovered in the background of the music industry’s most glamorous night. When Stewart came onstage at the Staples Center, he walked through a dummy metal detector, which gonged off and sent huge security guards… Read more »

Michael Jackson’s Neverland Entertainment has invested $15 million-$20 million in Mark Damon’s production and distribution company MDP Worldwide, making Jackson and his new producing partner Raju Patel major shareholders in the company. As part of the deal, MDP will operate a new division, Neverland Pictures, headed by Jackson and Patel along with key executive Lawrence Mortoff. The company plans to produce a range of projects with a focus on family films and reimaginations of classics, some of which might be directed by and/or star Jackson. The venture was announced Sunday night during a private dinner reception at Damon’s hillside Benedict… Read more »

The Eagles, Billy Joel, No Doubt, the Dixie Chicks, Eddie Vedder and others are playing a series of benefit concerts the night before Wednesday’s Grammy Awards for a unique cause: each other. The four Los Angeles concerts Tuesday, to benefit the Recording Artists Coalition, represent a shot across the bow of the recording industry from the people whose work it markets. The artists are demanding new relations with record labels, including fairer contracts and more oversight of accounting practices. “It’s time that the artistic community grows up,” said singer Don Henley, who urged artists not to ignore the business of… Read more »

Toward the end of Ben Folds’ tour last fall in support of his Epic solo debut, “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” the jumpy piano player decided to take the stage solo for a few dates at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. As the artist tells Billboard.com, what transpired on stage was magical, which made the decision to go on the road for his first ever solo tour that much easier. “All of my old songs and everything I’ve ever written, I’m just playing them at the piano and realizing that they’re giving me the same chill that caused them to be written in… Read more »

What was supposed to be a peaceful, private gathering of the West Coast hip-hop community on Thursday turned into a heated four-hour open-mic assembly dominated by two very different sermons: one from Minister Louis Farrakhan and one from Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight. Tempers flared at the West Coast Hip-Hop Summit inside the posh ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel when Knight spent much of his time at the podium insulting everyone from Dr. Dre, Eminem and Master P to Janet Jackson, women and homosexuals. Knight’s tirades prompted a few outbursts and resulted in several people storming out… Read more »

Eight years ago, President Clinton made headlines on MTV, not with some sober policy initiative, but an infamous reply to a 24-year-old’s impertinent question about whether he preferred “boxers or briefs.” (Mostly briefs, came the answer.) Tonight, MTV offers a new political forum – for a more world-conscious post-Sept. 11 age – in what’s billed as a “global discussion” with Secretary of State Colin Powell. Experts say the session is a smart “brand-building” tool that helps the cable network solidify its status as an outlet for political expression – and not just music videos – among the nation’s youth. “Teens… Read more »

When they finish the Projekt Revolution Tour, which also features Linkin Park, Cypress Hill and DJ Z-Trip, Adema will join Alien Ant Farm, Fenix TX, Glassjaw and others on the already-in-progress SnoCore Festival, which runs until March 30. After that, the band will likely tour on its own through the end of the year. Some bands in such a position long for all those seemingly endless months to pass so they can get home and work on new material. Adema, however, plan to write their next record while they’re on the road, and they’ve already got three complete songs and… Read more »