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What started out as a music industry buzz that piqued interest and inspired discovery has now blossomed into the most extraordinary debut of the year. This week R&B soul prodigy Alicia Keys debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart with her self-penned album Songs in A Minor, selling over 235,000 copies. It was released by J Records on June 26th, 2001. The music world has literally opened their arms to this artist – radio stations are pounding her debut single “Fallin”‘ exploding the national audience to over 40 million in just five weeks, while MTV from the very… Read more »

It was heavy metal heaven Saturday at the sun-baked Blockbuster Bowl as an estimated 50,000-plus headbangers took in this year’s 12-hour-long edition of OzzFest, featuring a strong roster of young rock outfits and headlined by the granddaddy of metal bands, Black Sabbath. The main stage, the largest of three, got rolling mid-afternoon with Taproot, Mudvayne and former Ozzy Ozbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde offering varied styles of heavy rock under a blinding sun that pushed temperatures to around 100 degrees. Occupying the middle of the day was Crazy Town, whose members sent numerous shout-outs to the other bands on the bill;… Read more »

Punk-funk rockers 311 have earned the third top 10 debut of their career with the arrival of their sixth album, From Chaos, on the Billboard 200 album chart. The group’s Volcano Records debut claimed the Number 10 spot, selling more than 82,000 copies, according to sources. Nick Hexum, 311’s frontman, tells LAUNCH that he knew they were on to something with From Chaos, just based on the reaction by fans since the album’s release last week. “We’re definitely having the strongest reaction of any debut ever, you know, because, our breakthrough album, our third album, took over a year to… Read more »

Hot on the heels of new releases from such established superstars as Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, Virgin Records America is releasing seven key albums from developing artists the label hopes will follow in those multi-platinum footsteps. Ranging an eclectic musical spectrum from Pop-R&B to Urban-Alternative Rock to World Music, these artists reflect Virgin’s commitment to unique yet accessible music for which the label has become known. Forming the all-star rookie line-up are: Nikka Costa – All ears piqued when Tommy Hilfiger’s slick commercial hit TV screens last year, featuring that funky, rhythmic bassline from Nikka’s debut single “Like A… Read more »

D12, Eminem’s original Detroit rap crew, opened at number one with its debut release, Devil’sNight. The disc was produced by Eminem and prominently features the rhymes of the controversial hip-hopster. D12 (short for the Dirty Dozen) is the first group on Eminem’s Interscope-distributed Shady Records. “We made a pact years ago,” says Eminem. “Whichever one of us gets signed comes back for the rest.” For the week ending Sunday, Devil’s Night sold 371,000 copies, according to SoundScan. The numbers were significantly lower than the 500,000 million retailers predicted and the 1.76 million first week enjoyed by Eminem’s last solo effort,… Read more »

It’s the kind of small moment on which rock ‘n’ roll history turns. It was Fall, 1978. The Ramones had just completed their fourth album, “Road to Ruin,” and the band felt certain it had recorded a hit single: the impossibly catchy “I Wanna Be Sedated.” But the band was overruled; label executives opted for another track, “Don’t Come Close.” That single quickly disappeared, along with the Ramones’ hit-making aspirations. “We really wanted ‘I Wanna Be Sedated,”‘ recalls guitarist Johnny Ramone. “But the record company picked the singles.” So the No. 1 hit in November 1978 instead was the fluffy… Read more »

Eminem’s mother may be indecisive regarding her defamation lawsuits against her son, but a Michigan judge didn’t have that problem last week. In a June 20 letter, according to lawyers for both parties, Macomb County Circuit Judge Mark Switalski denied a motion for reconsideration of a $25,000 settlement Debbie Mathers-Nelson accepted last month in the pair of lawsuits she filed in September 1999. She sought more than $10 million in punitive damages from her estranged son. Mathers-Nelson said in February she planned to drop the lawsuits, then accepted the settlement in May. She later said she was pressured to settle… Read more »

Compared to a year ago at this time, MTV and Eminem are locked in a very reluctant embrace. MTV has agreed to play a new video by Eminem’s group, D12, but only during the overnight hours and only after several days of negotiations with the rap star’s record label, Shady Records/Interscope Records. The video for “Purple Hills,” the album’s lead track, had to be cleaned up to minimize overt drug references, MTV spokeswoman Jeannie Kedas said on Tuesday. “We had a dialogue with the label and they provided us with an acceptable version for our air,” she said. MTV will… Read more »

While Radiohead’s latest album, Amnesiac, is destined for RIAA certification after selling more than 232,000 copies its first week, the Oxford-based quintet is also going for the gold with the song “I Might Be Wrong.” The International Olympic Committee will use the track in upcoming TV spots for the Winter Games taking place in Salt Lake City in February, according to drummer Phil Selway. The spots will feature narration over segments depicting snowboarders, skiers, ice skaters and other winter athletes in action. If marrying the geeky genius of Radiohead to sports seems odd, well, it is. “It’s a bit of… Read more »

Xzibit had just flown to New York on Sunday after bringing the ruckus all night at a Baltimore concert, and he was in desperate need of a quicker picker upper. “I didn’t even know it was Sunday,” he told one of the members of his small entourage on the way to breakfast. “I just went to the [Loud Records] office and they were closed.” The best way of waking up for the Golden State mic warrior isn’t Folgers coffee. All you have to do is let him know you’re not an L.A. Lakers fan. “How can you not like the… Read more »