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Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today. The release of "Notorious" on DVD sends Biggie back up, "Imma Put It On Her" stalls, "Forever in a Day" holds modestly and "Echo" continues it's upward trend.

Albums

The Billboard 200

8. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (down from 2).
85. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 81).

Billboard Comprehensive Albums

8. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (down from 2).
91. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 89).

Top Digital Albums

15. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 (down from 5).

» Read More


Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick

Pretty funny.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
Muse of Moda Mouth writes about a studio visit with Cassie and Diddy, mentioning that Diddy played some of a mixtape that he is putting together with Felix Da Housecat. No further details about the tape are mentioned.

Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
At the recent Core DJ Retreat in Atlanta, in front of an audience of DJs and standing beside Akon, Red Cafe and Cassie, Diddy helped introduce the new remix to Red Cafe's "Hottest in the Hood." It features Jadakiss, Rick Ross, Fabolous, OJ da Juiceman and Diddy. The video from this appearance is below.

He also discussed the potential partnership with Akon's Konvict Muzik, that would bring Red Cafe to Bad Boy.

At the end of the clip, he tells the DJs a little bit about "Last Train to Paris," and how it will be different - not so different that they can't play it, but that it's something they'll have to believe in.

Though the video begins with text saying "P. Diddy & Akon announce collaboration with Shakedown Ent. artist Red Cafe," Diddy says in the video that the paperwork is not signed. So, although it looks like it's probably happening, I'll be waiting to declare it official until I hear something more concrete. Stay tuned.


Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
In the video below, Diddy reveals that Bad Boy is in "final negotiations" to sign Red Cafe to Bad Boy through a joint venture with Akon's Konvict Muzik and Shakedown. Check out Red Cafe's MySpace (warning: visual content not suitable for all audiences) for more on him. After Diddy and Red Cafe talk, the new remix to Red Cafe's "Hottest in the Hood (Remix)" is played. It features Jadakiss, Rick Ross, Fabolous, OJ da Juiceman and Diddy.

Once the signing is confirmed, we'll have more.




Posted in Cassie
Posted by Patrick
Brad Wete of Vibe posted a new song from Cassie called "Not What Love Is." Listen to it below.


Posted in Dawn Richard
Posted by Patrick
Dawn Richard spoke to MTV News hinting at the direction of her solo efforts after work on "Last Train to Paris" is completed.

"Hopefully, in the future, there'll be great things," she said about her solo music. "I want it to be a part of the same direction that [Diddy's] album is going in. I feel a comfy vibe in it. It's new. It's never been heard before. I love the sound that it fits in."

Posted in Ness
Posted by Patrick
Check out the Benja Styles blog for Benja Styles refixes of Kid Cudi's hit "Day 'N' Nite," a track I've recently been digging. Benja Styles adjusts both the normal version and the Crookers remix, adding an opening verse from Ness on each.

Via Ness' Twitter.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
Let's go back in time some. In January of 2008, we reported that a proposed remake of "Party All the Time" by Fat Joe had been scrapped. The rapper's fresh stab at the Eddie Murphy hit was set to feature Diddy, who was to sing on Joe's album. And that was that.

Well, imagine my surprise when, during random surfing, I discovered that Diddy had actually contributed to a "Party All the Time" remake. Releasing on March 31 of this year, "PATT" (also labeled was "Patt with Diddy") is a reimagining of the Murphy track by Sharam, one half of the DJ duo Deep Dish, who produced a remix of Diddy's "Let's Get Ill" some years back. The 7:02 song features Diddy performing a short, spoken verse multiple times, in addition to a few other words here and there. It's a unique, catchy track. You can buy it on Amazon.com.

Diddy does not sing on the track, so it is unclear if these were leftover vocals from the Fat Joe collaboration or if they were specifically recorded by Sharam. Regardless, it's an interesting collaboration. You can listen to the long and short versions on Sharam's MySpace.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
On DJ Hell's MySpace has the DJ Hell/Diddy collaboration, "The DJ." DJ Hell's MySpace classifies his music as electro, techno and new wave - so it's a little different and closer to the work Diddy has done with Felix Da Housecat, Erick Morillo and others.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
According to a Bad Boy issued press release, "Diddy Bop" will be receiving an "official video," as opposed to the "unofficial video," that was released, featuring a montage of previously released Diddy and Bad Boy music videos. An official dance is also on the way.

The track was produced by Isaac Opus and co-written by Xplicit.

Posted in Elephant Man
Posted by Patrick
Check out our audio player for a couple of new tracks from Elephant Man. They are called "Bless We More" and "Deep Down (Hurt Me)."

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Here is a sampling of reviews of Day26's second album, "Forever in a Day," released on April 14.

Tracy Garraud of Vibe
India Robinson of The Spectrum
Nathan S. of DJBooth.net
Tamara Palmer of Metromix
Francis of The Home Team
MOG
The Young Kingz Daily 2.0
Couture808
Melanie Sims of the Associated Press
Mark Edward Nero of About.com
Noxtradamas of Hip Hop for Nerds
G Style Magazine

Posted in Yung Joc
Posted by Patrick
Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System has a nice story on Yung Joc. During a performance on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, Joc delivered the oat of enlistment to Petty Office 2nd Class Lafatimah Okere, who was re-enlisting in the U.S. Navy for four additional years.

Okere had told her Commanding Office, Petty Office 1st Class Michelle San Nicolas, that she would probably re-enlist if she could be on stage with Yung Joc. She was joking, apparently, but Nicolas made it happen, telling Okere that not only would she be on stage with Joc - but he would be the one to give her the oath.

The article quotes Yung Joc, as well. "It was an amazing thing to do," Joc said. "The way everyone responded when I said attention to oath and the reaction from the fans, it was truly a blessing and an honor for me to do." Good on Joc.

Posted by Patrick
R.L. Shaffer of IGN has a review of the Blu Ray DVD director's cut edition of "Notorious." Very informative.

Posted in Ciroc
Posted by Patrick
In a pair of fun interviews with Vibe and BlackBook, Chester French mentioned Ciroc and how they got Diddy on their mixtape.

Trust me, I know. How did you get so many high-profile artists involved?

... When we called Diddy and were like, “Dude, we wrote a song about Cîroc,” I think that was instantly appealing to him.

D.A.: For drinks, nothing is better to us than just going and grabbing a 40 of Ciroc and chilling out and meeting some biddies. Or a 750 of Ciroc is better actually. It’s like a magnum of Ciroc and just go out and meet some biddies and show off to other biddies if you’ve got some Welch’s grape juice around.

Check out the group's Ciroc themed anthem, "Ciroc Star," released earlier this month.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
BET's Andreas Hale spoke with Day26's Que about the third season of Making the Band 4, one that saw the group fighting, with a majority of the fighting being related to Que's actions. Or, at least, that is the perception.

Que says that his family's safety was being threatened during filming and that led to the stress that was seen on the show. Again, he says that the editing of the show heightened and dramatized the conflict. He mentions one instance:

“When they showed me sleeping in the bed like I missed the studio? I didn’t miss the studio,” he explains. “Remember, I got jumped at Starbucks. That was a serious fight with three guys and there was blood everywhere. I had to go to the hospital and they gave me some HIV meds just in case. I was in bed sick but they edited it to make their story. I get it. But when you look like the bad guy, you can’t explain it because it’s right there (on television).”

Posted in Ciroc
Posted by Patrick
The Moodie Report has a feature on the one year anniversary of Diageo's partnership with World Duty Free to create Bar 5 at the London Heathrow Airport. Diageo is Ciroc's parent company. I noticed this snippet:

Staff at Bar 5 have developed a range of customised cocktails for T5 customers. Some favourites to emerge include the Aeronaut, made with Ciroc vodka, and the Bloody Mary with Smirnoff vodka.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
INFORUM reports that Day26 will be performing in Fargo, ND on May 14 at The Venue at the Hub. It's an all-ages show and tickets will be going on sale on Monday. You can buy them from The Venue or from Jade Presents.

Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
Otis Taylor of The State has details on 100.1 The Beat's Birthday Bash in Columbia, South Carolina tonight. Yung Joc and Gorilla Zoe are performing. It'll be at Club Level.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
There is an extended version of "Diddy Bop" by Diddy that features Yung Joc, in addition to Xplicit. Listen to it at HipHopDX.com. Definitely digging both versions of this track.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
Here is the premiere of "Diddy Bop" by Diddy featuring Xplicit. This is not a single from "Last Train to Paris" and it is unclear when fans will be able to download or purchase it.


Posted in Dawn Richard
Posted by Patrick
MTV News' Jocelyn Vena reports that Dawn Richard's solo work will be released by Bad Boy. This had seemed pretty clear, judging from the third season, part two finale of Making the Band 4, but I had wanted to wait until something concrete before calling it official.

Of course, Dawn was discovered through Making the Band 3 as one of the five girls that would become Danity Kane. There have been rumors that Dawn would go solo, for a while now, and Dawn has denied them, even as late as January of this year. However, with the group's official disbandment, Dawn is now a solo artist on the label.

It is unclear when we will be seeing solo material for her and there has no been guidance provided on when to expect any material from her. But, she figures to factor majorly into Diddy's next album, "Last Train to Paris," as a member of Diddy's three person band, Dirty Money.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
On Diddy's Twitter, he mentioned that Diddy Boppin, which is supposed to be available any minute online, is not a single from "Last Train to Paris," but rather a standalone single of it's own. "It is something I did for the streets and the DJs," the tweet reads.

Posted in Mario Winans
Posted by Patrick
While reading the latest issue of Billboard, which arrived today, I saw that David "Pop" Winans Sr. had passed away due to complications of a heart attack of stroke. He was the grandfather of Mario Winans and our thoughts are with everyone who was close to him.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
Speaking to SOHH.com, Dawn Richard has confirmed that the name of Diddy's band is Dirty Money, that she is in it along with a third girl, named Keelena. Keelena is a songwriter who has written for a lot of artists, according to Dawn, and Diddy is now giving her this opportunity.

Based on last night's finale of the third season of Making the Band 4, this is what I had guessed. But, it's great to have official confirmation. Check out the video below for more:


Posted in Danity Kane
Posted by Patrick
On last night's season three finale of Making the Band 4, it became clear that Danity Kane was over. Maybe not forever, but for the foreseeable future, at least.

Diddy has let Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods, Shannon Bex and Aundrea Fimbres out of their contracts in a way that allows them to pursue solo endeavors. It appears that Dawn Richard will remain as a solo artist on the label and, if that happens, we'll begin to cover her. But, as Danity Kane is at an end, we'll now be closing the Danity Kane category on our site.

If there are any worthwhile Danity Kane related stories, they will be posted in the most appropriate category, probably the Bad Boy Records category.

They had a nice run. Thank you to all of the Danity Kane fans who have visited and supported Bad Boy Blog.

Posted in Danity Kane
Posted by Patrick
Late last night, commenter Lion King pointed me to the MYPLASH Danity Kane Visa card website. The reason this matters? Because the artist information at the site says that they are now in the studio working on an album called "From the Ashes." It has an old bio that has been updated to include a mention of "Welcome to the Dollhouse," and the title "From the Ashes" is rather ominous, of course, given what has transpired.

A lot of outlets, especially gossip sites, pounced on this to report the rumor that the group has already been working on a third album. Some of them are even saying that it's some sort of diss to Diddy, as if they are secretly recording an album. If it's on the MYPLASH website, they must be really, really bad at keeping secrets!

So, what's the story? According to a source at Bad Boy, these reports are completely "false." The girls have been released from their contracts and they are not working on a third album, at this time.

Digging deeper, Newsarama.com reported back in September that Danity Kane would have their own Visa card. A month later, Diddy removed Aubrey O'Day from the group. So, it appears that this credit card has been due out for a while and it is just coming out now.

One other aspect of the story that I'd like to tackle is the fact that some outlets are attaching the Visa name to the story, sometimes labeling them a Danity Kane sponsor, possibly in hopes of increasing the legitimacy of the story. This sort of branded credit card is called an affinity program. This is when a brand lends it's name to market a credit card, receiving payment for both the brand recognition and, potentially, the use of an existing client list.

I spoke with a friend who used to manage affinity programs for a major bank and he filled me in on how these programs typically work.

He said that, with this sort of thing, Visa would not be sponsoring Danity Kane. If anyone was sponsoring them, it'd be MetaBank.These cards are issued by MetaBank, as noted in the MYPLASH website footer. Visa has licensed their name to them, yes, but MetaBank is the financially responsible party here and the one that has created this MYPLASH program.

These MYPLASH cards are targeted at young people, especially teenagers, so they work with brands that will create interest with teenagers. That's why they are working with the Danity Kane brand and why this deal was seemingly initiated last year - before the group had been separated.

Unfortunately, I think we'll be seeing more and more rumors like this. Take them with a grain of salt and do not get your hopes up.

Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
During last night's season three finale of Making the Band 4, it became clear that Danity Kane was over - for now and the foreseeable future, at least.

Diddy announced that he was letting the girls out of their contracts. He had mentioned this on a previous episode, stating that he was not releasing Dawn as he wanted to continue to work with her, without saying in what capacity. He also made a point to say that Dawn had a solo effort on the way.

Most likely, this means that Dawn Richard is now a solo artist on Bad Boy. I'm trying to see if I can get someone at the label to officially confirm this and will report back when I do.

Dawn also mentioned working with Dirty Money on "Last Train to Paris." Her statement was slightly ambiguous, but my guess is that this might be the name of Diddy's three person band for the album, that Melody Thornton of the Pussycat Dolls said Dawn was in. So far, no one from Bad Boy has gone on record. But, we'll have more news as it becomes available.

Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released yesterday.

This includes the debut of Day26's second album, "Forever in a Day," as well as small gains by their first single, "Imma Put It On Her" and Gorilla Zoe's "Echo."

Albums

The Billboard 200

2. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 ("Hot Shot Debut").
81. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (up from 93).

Billboard Comprehensive Albums

2. "Forever in a Day" by Day26 ("Hot Shot Debut").
89. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (up from 96).

» Read More


Posted in Bad Boy Films
Posted by Patrick
EURweb.com reports that "I Want to Work for Diddy 2," a second season of Diddy's VH1 reality show, has been green lighted by the network. Casting is now open at workforpdiddy.com.

It is set to tape this summer with a fall 2009 premiere. This season should be heavily "Last Train to Paris" flavored, as that will no doubt be a priority for Diddy this summer.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Tara Hall of LiveDaily has an interview with Day26.

"That was one of the songs we showed him at his house and that's one of the songs that he stood up and was dancing around to," Mosley said. "After that, he wanted to jump on the record, and then Joc heard and Joc wanted to jump on the record."

Soon, other special guests were on board, including established rappers Jermaine Dupri and T-Pain.

"T-Pain, he's killing the game right now, and JD's just a legend in the game, so just to be in his presence and recording at So So Def Studios [Dupri's label and studio] and the whole nine yards--it was just crazy chemistry. JD opened his arms up to us. T-Pain had written it for us and had already laid his part, so we didn't actually get a chance to work in the studio with T-Pain on that record, but it was hand-written for us and he definitely wanted us to do it and we did it and it came out crazy."

Clizbeats.com has an audio interview, as well.

Posted in Sean John
Posted by Patrick
Sean John has launched "The Face of the Future" contest on their website, in hopes of finding some men that will model the Fall/Winter 2009 collection. You can upload your photo on the site and people can vote on it.

According to SoJones, the top 10 most popular entries will have the opportunity to meet with an executive from Sean John during the first week of May with the winner being selected on May 8. SoJones says the deadline is April 29, but the Sean John website says that it is May 1. Either way, if you are interested, you should submit an entry soon.

Posted in Bad Boy Films
Posted by Patrick
On tonight's finale of the second part of season three of Making the Band 4, Aubrey O'Day, Dawn Richard, Shannon Bex and D. Woods all appeared together, on stage. Aundrea was not present and no reason was given for her absence.

It went pretty much as one might expect. Shannon explained that she left the group due to personal reasons. D. Woods was asked, by Sway, why the group broke up and she gave sort of a long winded explanation that amounted to it being different factors. Though, it felt as though she was placing most of the blame with people on the business end, saying that the problem began on the day they were put together because certain professional things were not in place and then because those things were not in place, the personal issues arose.

Aubrey sounded pretty similar to how she sounded on last year's season three, part one finale. She said that Making the Band 4 taught them how to fight, Puff is a great man, you have to fight for happiness and that includes forgiveness and she forgives Que. After a commercial break, though, the girls started to fight some.

Sway asked about the group breaking up and saying that he felt that no one was taking accountability. Dawn agreed, but D. Woods said that the group as the "dream team," but said that they didn't have a coach. Why mess it up, Sway asks. We didn't, D. Woods says. Dawn says that they had different agendas and D. Woods says that everyone had a part. Shannon said that if they had an answer, they would have answer it and fixed it.

» Read More


Posted in Danity Kane
Posted by Patrick
On Thursday at 9 PM ET, MTV will be airing a special called "Making the Band: The Rise and Fall of Danity Kane."

Posted in Bad Boy Films
Posted by Patrick
According to Diddy's Twitter, P. Twitty TV will be live streaming from the Making the Band 4 season finale, starting at 8 PM ET. And I'll be tweeting about it @badboyblog.

Posted in Marina Chello
Posted by Patrick
The Marina Chello Twitter page mentioned that her single, "Sideline," will be played during tonight's episode of Taking the Stage on MTV at 10 PM ET.

Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
We reported in December that Yung Joc and Gorilla Zoe would be appearing on Paul Wall's upcoming album, "Fast Life." According to CD Universe, they are both featured on the same track, called "Fly."

Posted in Elephant Man
Posted by Patrick
HOT 97 has announced that Elephant Man will perform at Summer Jam 2009 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on June 7. You can buy tickets online.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick

Here's a similar video, released previously:


Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick

Day26's "Forever in a Day," which had been projected to sell just under 100,000 copies, exceed expectations by moving 113,000 units, reports Billboard. This was good enough for the number 2 spot on The Billboard 200, behind the soundtrack to "Hannah Montana: The Movie," which sold 133,000 copies. This assures the group the top spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, as well.

Posted in Yung Joc
Posted by Patrick
Yung Joc is featured on a new single from single Verse, called "Buy You a Round." You can listen to it on the Verse MySpace. They have shot a music video for it and you can check out some behind the scenes clips below.




Check out some additional clips (featuring less of Joc): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Brian Angel of Day26 has closed his Twitter account, as he said he would. The account's username had been brianangelday26.

Late Sunday night, Eastern Time, Brian posted a number of tweets regarding his decision to close the account, with some hint to reasoning. Here is the string of messages:

YEAH SORRY TO SAY TONIGHT IS MT LASTNIGHT AS A TWITTER FOLK I LOVE YOU ALL

BUT IT BECOMES DIFFERENT WHEN MYSPACE, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, ETC...... EFFECTS YOUR PERSONAL LIVE....

HATERS ARE EVERYWHERE.... FOR WHAT REASON... I DON'T KNOW BUT BLAME IT ON THE HATERS!!!!!!!!!

IT'S REALLY AFFECTING MY PERSONAL LIFE SOOOOO... I'D RATHER NIP IT IN THE BUD NOW BEFORE IT GET ANY WORSE

It's unfortunate that he felt the need to do this. All means of communication and interaction, online and offline, can have a negative impact on your personal life. But, you have to work to separate them and to keep them in the proper context. Twitter is a great tool to communicate with fans through, but there will also be negative people, as with any other means of communication. If you want to use the service, you have to be able to look past it. Hopefully, Brian will be back at some point.

Posted in Jordan McCoy
Posted by Patrick

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick

Via Theo.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick

Via MySpace Celebrity.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Check out the WPIX-TV blog for a video from the group's performance there a week ago. They performed a no rap version of "Imma Put It On Her."

Surprisingly, it looks like they are still working the routine out because they danced for the first 35 seconds before Will went into his vocals. It was a little odd, but I presume they'll tighten it up.

Posted in Elephant Man
Posted by Patrick
Our audio player has a new track from Elephant Man, titled "Liberty."

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
While watching Making the Band 4 recently, they briefly played a snippet of "Diddy Bop" indicating that it featured someone named Xplicit. I did a little research and found this MySpace and noticed that the guy sounded a bit like the person on "Diddy Bop." I have confirmed with his management that he is the one featured on "Diddy Bop."

Posted by Patrick
Back in March of 2006, we reported on the court decision that yanked Biggie's first album, "Ready to Die," from store shelves, because of an unauthorized sample in the title track. It awarded the plaintiff, Bridgeport Music, $3,500,000 in punitive damages, along with $366,939 in compensatory damages.

Bad Boy, et all, appealed and, yes, it has been going on all this time. That is, until April 10. Shourin Sen of Exclusive Rights reports that the court found that the $3.5 million dollar punitive figure was unconstitutionally high. With the $366,939 in compensatory damages affirmed, the plaintiffs (yes, there are now two of them - Bridgeport and Westbound Records) were awarded a lesser amount of punitive damages, totally $688,523. This is a reduction of $2,811,477.

Since that news back in 2006, the album has been re-released with the sample removed.

Via Jonathan Bailey.

Posted in Cassie
Posted by Patrick
Here's the single cover for Cassie's "Must Be Love" featuring Puff Daddy:

"Must Be Love" by Cassie featuring Puff Daddy

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
From Billboard's Silvio Pietroluongo:

On Nielsen SoundScan's Building chart, released today (April 15), which reflected unweighted sales through the close of business on April 14, Day26's set is leading the way, but only by a slight margin. Industry prognosticators project the Bad Boy album to sell just south of 100,000 units. Estimates for "Unstoppable" and "Hannah Montana" are closer to 125,000. A media blitz by Rascal Flatts this week ("Ellen," "Dancing With The Stars" and "Late Show With David Letterman") and another strong box office showing for the Miley Cyrus film should keep sales of both albums steady throughout the tracking period, which ends on Sunday.

This is just a projection, though. It'd be a good number, but they could sell more or they could sell less. It seems as though they are generally being written off as far as the number one slot. Still, stranger things have happened.

Posted in Janelle Monáe
Posted by Patrick
Michael Hinman of Airlock Alpha reports that Janelle Monae will have a guest starring role on "Stargate: Universe," a new SciFi Channel show debuting in October. She'll be performing "Many Moons" and "Sincerely, Jane" according to Erin Fox of TV Guide.

Posted in Elephant Man
Posted by Patrick
TropicalFete.com reports that Elephant Man has picked up seven nominations in the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA), which will be held on May 3, 2009 at the York College Performing Arts Center in Queens, New York.

You can vote online, with Elephant Man being nominated in the following categories:

Bob Marley Award for Entertainer of Year
Recording Artist(s)/Group of the Year
Best Album/CD ("Let's Get Physical")
Best Gospel-Oriented Song ("What A Might God")
Best Male Disc Jockey/Rapper
Most Outstanding Stage Personality
Best Music Video ("Gully Creeper")

Posted in Elephant Man
Posted by Patrick
"Nuh Linga" by Elephant Man has debuted on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart at the 100 slot. The track was released by Boardhouse (not Bad Boy).

Via the Antigua Sun.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
There is a brief feature on Day26 in The Wichita Eagle, talking about the group's appearance at the Wichita Unity Ball.

"We're so happy we had so much control," [Robert] Curry said of the group's ownership of the album, which included writing, arranging and producing.

"We owned it," [Michael] McCluney said.

Posted in Janelle Monáe
Posted by Patrick
From the Hartford Courant:

OF MONTREAL performs with Janelle Monae Sunday at 8 p.m. at Toad's Place, 300 York St., New Haven. Tickets are $20. Information: 203- 624-8623 or www.toadsplace.com.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
As I type, Diddy is on CNN's Larry King Live with Ashton Kutcher, talking about Twitter. Perhaps they'll add some video on their site after the performance.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
As reported on Sunday, Target is offering an exclusive DVD with Day26's "Forever in a Day." I just finished watching it.

There are two features: "Beyond the Photoshoot" and "Get to Know Day26." The former is actually available online. Of course, the DVD in is better quality.

For the second feature, the guys answer various questions related to the album, Making the Band and other subjects. During this, Rob mentions that he wrote "Honest," the iTunes exclusive bonus track. So, I'd say it's a must have for any big Day26 fans.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
The album insert included with Day26's "Forever in a Day" is two sided. One side features an advertisement for I Am King, while the other side features a Day26 mobile offer. Of interest, Diddy, Cassie, Janelle Monae, Yung Joc and Marina Chello are all listed as "coming soon from Bad Boy."

Posted in Ness
Posted by Patrick
According to a tweet sent by Rome from the Bad Boy street team, Ness is now on Twitter as ENessBadBoy.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Michael McCluney of Day26 is the last member of the group to give in to Twitter, joining as whopootedday26, according to Willie Taylor's Twitter.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
On the popular microblogging service Twitter, Ashton Kutcher and CNN have been battling to see who would be the first Twitter account to reach 1,000,000 followers. Early in the morning on Friday, Ashton came out on top.

Kutcher was livestreaming on Ustream.tv when it happened and Diddy called in to help ring in the milestone. Check out the video below (Diddy comes on at 11:26).


Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
MTV News' James Montgomery reports on speculation that Diddy has signed the Arctic Monkeys to Bad Boy in the U.S. We first reported this on March 28, after Diddy sent out a Twitter message where he said as much. On Tuesday, we shared video of Diddy's encounter with Matt Helders of the Arctic Monkeys, that again illustrated the possibility.

It is still unclear as to if they are actually signed or if this is just Diddy showing some love and support. I am trying to find out, though, and we'll have more information as it becomes available.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle has a feature on Brian Andrews of Day26. He talks about his portrayal on Making the Band 4, Diddy's demeanor and more.

Posted in Danity Kane
Posted by Patrick
On tonight's episode of Making the Band 4, Diddy told Dawn Richard and Aundrea Fimbres or Danity Kane that he had decided to release Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods and Shannon Bex from their contracts.

He told Aundrea that her desire to leave the group in the past stuck with him and would make him not feel comfortable having her in the group in the future. So, she was released from her contract, as well.

However, Diddy said that he'd still like to work with Dawn and if there is an opportunity to create a new Danity Kane lineup, he'd want her to be a part of it, so he still wants her signed to the label.

In March, Melody Thornton had revealed that Dawn would be a part of Diddy's 3 person band that will include him and two ladies. But, Thornton's statement has gone unconfirmed by the label.

Posted in Bad Boy Blog
Posted by Patrick
Previously, we've used the Bad Boy Blog Twitter account to primarily send out notifications about new content here at Bad Boy Blog. But, I've decided to take a more active role in the account and will now be tweeting from it manually, as well. So, if you are on Twitter, please follow us @badboyblog and feel free to send me a note at any time with news tips, questions or whatever and I'll do my best to reply.

Also, on a related note, I'm planning to tweet about Making the Band 4 during tonight's episode. That starts at 9 PM ET on MTV. I'll try to use the #mtb4 hashtag. I hope to talk to you then!

Posted in Gorilla Zoe
Posted by Patrick
Warning: some inappropriate content.


Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today. Day26's "Imma Put It On Her" makes it's presence felt in a major way, debuting on the Hot 100 and a few other charts, as well. Cassie's "Must Be Love" pops up for the first time, as well.

The debut of "Imma Put It On Her" on the Hot 100, at #79, already ties the group's previous high on the charts, as that was the peak of "Got Me Going" last year.

Albums

The Billboard 200

93. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 55).

Billboard Comprehensive Albums

96. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 56).

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

17. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 12).
86. "Notorious: Music From and Inspired by The Original Motion Picture" by Various Artists (down from 70).

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Catalog Albums

12. "Ready to Die" by The Notorious B.I.G. (up from 16).
14. "Greatest Hits" by The Notorious B.I.G. (up from 23).
17. "Life After Death" by The Notorious B.I.G. (down from 12).

Top Rap Albums

9. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 6).

» Read More


Posted in Cassie
Posted by Patrick
Check out our audio player for a new track from Cassie, "Keep On Loving Me" featuring The Dream. Kind of a cool track - it could grow on me.

Posted in Gorilla Zoe
Posted by Patrick
Back in February, we reported that Elephant Man would be performing at the "Best of the Best Concert 2009." Now, SOHH.com reports that Gorilla Zoe has also joined the list of artists scheduled to appear. It isn't clear if he will be performing, as the wording is ambiguous, but I would think that that would be the case. For more on the concert, check out their website.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Day26 will be appearing on P. Twitty TV today, live at 8:30 PM ET. The guys will be on during a listening session of "Forever in a Day."

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter reports that Sean Combs has signed on for a Apatow Productions film called "Get Him to the Greek."

Directed by Nicholas Stoller ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") and starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand, Combs will find himself in a familiar role as the boss of a record company intern, played by Hill. The intern's job is to ensure that a crazy rock star (Brand) makes his way from London to a gig in Los Angeles, at the Greek Theatre.

Elisabeth Moss and Rose Byrne are also on board for the project.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
On the Arctic Monkeys YouTube channel, a video blog from Matt Helders of the Arctic Monkeys has been posted, where he discusses his time with Diddy in Miami. You might remember that Diddy tweeted that he had signed Helders to Bad Boy.

Apparently, briefly before the meet up, the group had also posted a video where they compared a recent Diddy video blog to one of theirs, where Diddy was also in a swimming pool, emerging from a similar angle. I would assume it was a joke, because neither video had terribly unique elements, but some fans took it a little too seriously, judging by the comments.

At any rate, the video below (watch below) is interspersed by footage of DIddy and Helders hanging out and having fun and, at one point, Diddy says he's going to sign the Arctic Monkeys to Bad Boy in the U.S. Diddy gives Helders a tour of his house and lets the him hold his Grammy awards. It's a fun clip.


Posted in Cassie
Posted by Patrick
When I first saw P. Twitty episode number 27 (watch below), it seemed like Diddy may have revealed the title of Cassie's upcoming album. He noted that he was finishing up by "Cassie electro love album." But, then, he's called his own album "electro hip hop soul funk," so I wasn't 100% sure if he was describing the type of songs on it (i.e. electro love songs) or the album title itself. But, MTV says:

The radical new look comes just days after Diddy confirmed on his video blog that Cassie's new album would be called Electro Love and is slated to be released later this year.

So, there you have it. I like the title.


Posted in Janelle Monáe
Posted by Patrick
Check out the Open Happiness Remix Contest, where you can remix the Janelle Monae featured "Open Happiness," in order to win an array of prizes. Good luck!

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
MTV's Jocelyn Vena and Sway Calloway report that Diddy made added some last minute, finishing touches to Day26's new album, "Forever in a Day."

... looking back at what Diddy told the guys to adjust, they see why he has become such a successful music mogul. "As far as song selection, there were a couple of songs on the record that we felt like should have really been on the record," Brian Andrews said. "But now that I listen back to the entire album I see why he made the choices that he made. And it makes a lot of sense and really rounds the whole album off. So, um, that's why Diddy is Diddy and that's why we're Day26."

I don't know how big of news this really is. It's just part of what an executive producer does. Not that big of a deal. Anyway, check out a quick video interview snippet below.


Posted in Bad Boy Films
Posted by Patrick
From the press release:

MTV GIVES CLOSURE TO FANS WITH ‘MAKING THE BAND 4: THE FINAL CHAPTER’

A two-part SEASON FINALE EVENT BEGINS THURSDAY, APRIL 16th AT 9PM ET/PT AND CONTINUES APRIL 23rd 9PM ET/PT

Special Appearances By Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Day26, Donnie Klang and Danity Kane Share the Same Stage for the First Time Since Their Break-Up

New York – April 14, 2009 – MTV will air a two-part season finale of hit series "Making the Band 4" beginning Thursday, April 16th at 9pm ET/PT and ending with special event "Making the Band 4: The Final Chapter" to air Thursday, April 23rd at 9pm ET/PT. In part one, viewers will watch as Dawn and Andrea find out if they will continue their career as Bad Boy artists, when Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs reveals the fate of Danity Kane. Day26 is faced with the dilemma of moving forward even if it means that they will do so without their band mate Q. The drama culminates on April 23rd as MTV Correspondent Sway Calloway hosts part two: a special finale event. Day26 will also perform songs from their sophomore album.

The finale event will event will give viewers a chance to reflect on the most talked about moments from this season -- from the separation of Danity Kane to tumultuous road taken by Day26 to complete their new album. Viewers will also watch as the members of Danity Kane come together for the first time since their separation to speak directly to their fans. Donnie Klang will update fans with details about the next stage of his career.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
Over at Global Grind, Quincy Brown has posted a blog entry about his childhood, specifically the lack of a role that his biological father, singer Al B. Sure, played in his life. Brown's mother is Kim Porter, also the mother of Diddy's daughters, and he praises Diddy for stepping in and filling that role, calling him "the one who help[ed] mold me into the person I am today and [I] will always try to live up to his expectations."

Along with the blog post, he released a song called "Letter to My Father" where he tackles the very same topic in song.


Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Here's the album production info for Day26's "Forever in a Day," released today. Accordingly, our release production history feature has been updated.

Executive Produced by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.
Co-Executive Produced by Harve "Joe Hooker" Pierre.
Associate Executive Produced by Joseph "Screwface" Charles.

1. "Just Getting Started"
Produced by Christian "Davis" Stalnecker for Sly Doggie Productions, LLC. Co-Produced by Willie Taylor for 826 Boys Productions.

2. "Imma Put It On Her" featuring Diddy and Yung Joc
Produced by Blaze "The Champ" for Champion Music Group.

3. "Shawty Wats Up" featuring T-Pain
Produced by Derryck (Big Tank) Thornton for Dream Team Music. Co-Produced by T-Pain for Nappy Boy Productions.

4. "Think Of Me"
Produced by Tim and Bob.

5. "Stadium Music"
Produced by Bryan-Michael Cox for Blackbaby, Inc.

6. "Bipolar"
Produced by C-Major for Major Rule. Co-Produced by Devin Johnson for Devinair Ent. and Willie Taylor for 826 Boys Productions.

» Read More


Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick

Day26's second album, "Forever in a Day" is now available online and in stores. The album features former Making the Band 4 theme song "Stadium Music," as well as the first official single from the album, "Imma Put It On Her." Buy it from Amazon.com.

Here is the track listing:

1. "Just Getting Started"
2. "Imma Put It On Her" featuring Diddy and Yung Joc
3. "Shawty Wats Up" featuring T-Pain
4. "Think Of Me"
5. "Stadium Music"
6. "Bipolar"
7. "Perfectly Blind"
8. "So Good"
9. "Girlfriend"
10. "Babymaker"
11. "Then There's You"
12. "Need That" featuring Jermaine Dupri
13. "Reminds Me Of You"
14. "Your Heels"
15. "Truth Is A Lie"

In addition, iTunes is offering these in their exclusive version bundle:

16. "One Night Only" (Bonus Track)
17. "Imma Put It On Her" (Video) featuring Diddy and Yung Joc
18. "Making of "Imma Put It On Her"" (Video)
19. "Honest" (Pre-Order Only)
20. Digital Booklet

At Target stores, you can buy the album with an exclusive DVD.

Posted in Yung Joc
Posted by Patrick
Check out Myko's MySpace to listen to the remix to his song, "Give it to You," which features Yung Joc.

Posted in Gorilla Zoe
Posted by Patrick

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
husteGRL.com has an interview with Day26. Here's a snippet:

hustleGRL: Okay, one last question. The bad boy camp hasn’t had like great success keeping groups together like example would be like Danity Kane, B5, and Dream and etcetera. What are you guys going to do different so that you don’t meet the same fate?

Willie: Well you know what? At the end of the day man, I don’t even know any of those situations. So it’s not, it’s like, it’s hard. Me personally I talk to Slim and Q from 112, you know and they’re good friends of mine, but you know as far as Danity Kane we know they story, but B5 I’ve never met, Dream I’ve never met. You know by the end of the day, I think it’s about your business. You got to come the hardest. This business is 99% business and that 1% is what you — the glist and glamor that everybody else will see you have and you know, you have to have your business task straight. You can’t be around here just doing the work and not understanding where your money [is] coming from, how you’re going to get paid. It all boils down to somebody else getting paid more than you getting paid and you be like: “I ain’t really feeling that no more”. You just got to get up and do your grind. You got to get your grind, you got to make sure you can’t let nobody outwork you. One thing I will not do is I can not let Diddy outwork me trying to sell my product. So it’s like you have to work for yourself. The internet is so powerful right now. It’s like the world is in your living room when you on the web and it’s like you can talk to so many people. That’s why we Twitter, that’s why we YouTube, that’s why we MySpace, that’s why we Facebook. That’s why we try to do everything that we can do in our power that can make our fans feel so connected to us that they feel like an obligation, like it’s like family. Just like they follow me, I follow them. It makes it more of a — not such a ‘I’m up here, you down here’ type thing, you know what I mean. And we’re all equal. It’s my job, I’m making great music, you support me because you love my great music. And the more people you touch like that, you know, the greater your success will be. You know, I just be sitting here brainstorming the majority of the time like: “Man if I can get 3 to 4 million followers”, you know what I’m saying; what would that be like to have that many people following you and wanting to know your every move? At a marketing stand point, that’s so much, you can do so much, you know what I’m saying. You wouldn’t even need, realistically, you wouldn’t even really need a label if you had it like that. If you had so many people who were attached to you, then you can sell a t-shirt. You can probably get 1 million people to buy your t-shirt if you got 4 million followers. So it’s more like a business and I think that’s what Day26 is bringing that a lot of the other groups probably didn’t have in their head. They probably thought it was more so like: “Here, we work for Diddy and he knows what he’s doing and let him do that”. At the end of the day, Diddy is an artist too so Diddy got to do what Diddy has to do for Diddy too, you know what I mean. So I think Day26 is going to be around for a long time because we went and got our business straight. We know exactly where our dollars are going, we pay our taxes, we do what we need to do to hold on to our success.

That's a good answer.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
According to Target's website, they will be selling an exclusive version of Day26's "Forever in a Day," which will include an exclusive DVD. This is the second exclusive content version, following the iTunes release. The album will be in stores on April 14.

Posted in Aasim
Posted by Patrick
During the latest episode of P. Twitty TV (watch below), with Aasim in tow, Diddy said that the rapper's album would be "one of the best albums out of the East Coast, out of New York, in the last five years." No release date has been provided. During the clip, it sounds like an unnamed Aasim track is playing in the background.


Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
Jadakiss told MTV News that Diddy made an offer to The Lox, an opportunity to return to Bad Boy. Check out the video below.


SOHH.com reports on another interview Jadakiss did, where he talked about the possibility.

If they come back, as a fan, I hope their album is a true Bad Boy album, meaning that it's influenced by Diddy. I have one The Lox album. The first one, "Money, Power & Respect." I don't have any Styles P. albums, not any Sheek Louch albums - and no Jadakiss albums. If they return to Bad Boy, I don't want a half-hearted return where they get a one album deal and do whatever they want - I want a full return.

Posted in Ciroc
Posted by Patrick
Following up on last week's report, Charles W. Cherry II of the Florida Courier has part 2 of his report on the recent Ciroc casting call controversy.

"I have cast talent for Diddy and Bad Boy (Entertainment, Combs' company) for the past seven or eight years. He has never, ever requested only a certain type of model. He just wants beautiful models of all ethnicities," [LaShawnna Stanley, CEO of Miami-based Ethnicity Models] said. "Diddy's not a racist and has not requested only White, Latin or light-skinned models in the eight years that I have been casting for him.

"The assumption that he only wanted White, Hispanic or lightskinned Black models was an assumption from that affiliate agency (the Miami-based Tysom Agency). It was not a request of Diddy or Ciroc (the premium vodka brand Diddy markets)."

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
Today, Bad Boy issued a press release about Diddy's new iPhone app that we reported on, on Tuesday.

GET ON BOARD DIDDY’S “LAST TRAIN TO PARIS”
WITH EXCLUSIVE iTUNES APP;
MOSAIC LEGENDS FREE APP ALLOWS FANS TO UPLOAD
FAVORITE IMAGES FOR INCLUSION ON UPCOMING MOSAIC;
GROUNDBREAKING NEW ALBUM ARRIVES ON SEPTEMBER 22ND

Sean “Diddy” Combs is inviting his countless fans to get on board his upcoming “LAST TRAIN TO PARIS” with a limited edition iTunes App. The revolutionary Mosaic Legends free App – available now at the iTunes App store – heralds Diddy’s hugely anticipated sixth album, set to arrive in stores and online on September 22nd.

The LTTP App offers fans the chance to be part of the “LAST TRAIN TO PARIS” interactive experience by uploading their favorite photos to Diddy’s train mosaic. Fans are invited to share their most beloved travel memories, romantic moments, or party pictures, which will then be selected for inclusion on the final Mosaic App, set to drop this summer. In addition, the LTTP App features an instant IAMDIDDY Twitter feed, giving fans exclusive news, content, and promotions via the LTTP News (available only on this application).

“LAST TRAIN TO PARIS” is unquestionably Diddy’s most adventurous and groundbreaking work to date. The album sees the iconic superstar crafting an ingenious sonic mixture of electro-hip hop soul funk, ushering in what he describes as “a new movement called ‘train music.’”

“‘LAST TRAIN TO PARIS’ is deeper than any of the other stuff I have ever made,” Combs explains. “It’s a profound love story. It’s me with my shades off. It’s the truth.”

The new album – which follows Diddy’s critically acclaimed 2006 release, “PRESS PLAY” – features collaborations with a star-studded array of hit-making producers, including The-Dream, Tricky, The Neptunes, Mario Winans, T-Pain, and Rodney Jerkins.

“I’ve been a businessman for the past two years,” Combs says. “It’s time for me to focus on being an artist again. I am going to show the world a new refreshing side of me. Get on or get off!”

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick

Posted in Danity Kane
Posted by Patrick
Dawn Richard's MySpace homepage features fliers for a pair of upcoming appearances: one in Bridgeport, CT on April 10 and another in Fort Myers, FL on April 25.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
This is a really funny clip.


Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick

Pretty funny.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Check out the audio player for a pair of new tracks from Day26: "Loving U," a non album track and "Honest," which is an iTunes exclusive pre-order track. The album is available for pre-order on iTunes now and it'll be released on April 14.

Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today. Day26's "Imma Put It On Her" makes a move toward the Hot 100 and Gorilla Zoe's "Echo" debuts on the Rhythmic Top 40.

Albums

The Billboard 200

55. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 33).

Billboard Comprehensive Albums

56. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 34).

Top Soundtracks

25. "Notorious: Music From and Inspired by The Original Motion Picture" by Various Artists (down from 17).

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

12. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 6).
70. "Notorious: Music From and Inspired by The Original Motion Picture" by Various Artists (down from 55).

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Catalog Albums

12. "Life After Death" by The Notorious B.I.G. (unchanged).
16. "Ready to Die" by The Notorious B.I.G. (down from 8).
23. "Greatest Hits" by The Notorious B.I.G. (down from 17).

Top Rap Albums

6. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 3).

Songs

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles

11. "Imma Put It On Her" by Day26 (debut).

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

75. "Imma Put It On Her" by Day26 (up from 98).

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrents

14. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 5).

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay

73. "Imma Put It On Her" by Day26 (debut).

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay

14. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 5).

Rhythmic Top 40

36. "Echo" by Gorilla Zoe (up from 37).

Posted in Gorilla Zoe
Posted by Patrick
Gorilla Zoe's MySpace has a scan from a feature in The Source, where he describes four tracks from "Don't Feed Da Animals," including "Untamed Gorilla," "Helluvalife," "What It Is" and "Talk Back."

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
According to the Bad Boy MySpace, on April 14, Day26 will be doing an in-store appearance and CD signing at the Best Buy located at 529 Fifth Avenue in New York City. They will be there from 7-9 PM.

Posted in Danity Kane
Posted by Patrick
According to a flier posted on her MySpace, Dawn Richard of Danity Kane will be appearing in Houston, Texas on May 9. She'll be at Azteca's on 2207 Richmond. He'll be hosting a party that starts at 10 PM.

Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
I stumbled across the STREETFUNKTV YouTube channel. The channel features clips from an old public access show STREETFUNKTV. There's some really cool vintage footage on this channel. Warning, though: a lot of vulgarities and random inappropriate content.

Diddy, Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease performing "Crush on You":


Diddy with Lil' Wayne, Baby and Juvenile:


Diddy talking about Usher's first album in 1994:


Biggie performing with Diddy, Lord Finesse and Ol' Dirty B******:


Black Rob performing his verse from "Can I Live" (alternate beat) and "I Love You Baby":


Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
My friend Wayne Sutton reviewed Diddy's iPhone App for Black Web 2.0. Check out the video below.


Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
The Clinton Sparks/Chester French mixtape, "Jacques Jams, Vol 1: Endurance," is now available for free download from chesterfrench.com/mixtape. The mixtape features appearances by Diddy ("Ciroc Star"), Cassie ("Chloe Jones" Skit), Janelle Monae ("Nerd Girl," "Losing Yourself" Skit) and The Madd Rapper ("Mad Rapper" Skit).

Check out the front and back covers:



And here's the track listing:

» Read More


Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
I just wanted to mention a couple of small details about the Chester French and Clinton Sparks mixtape that's being released on chesterfrench.com/mixtape on April 8. Janelle Monae is featured on a track called "Nerd Girl" and Cassie is featured on a skit called "Chloe Jones."

"Ciroc Star" featuring Diddy, Jadakiss and Clinton Sparks can be downloaded for free now.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
On Twitter, Chester French just released "Ciroc Star" by Chester French featuring Diddy, Jadakiss and Clinton Sparks as a free download. Download now.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
On today's 106 & Park, The Lox joined Diddy on stage to bang out "It's All About the Benjamins," sans Lil' Kim and The Notorious B.I.G. It was a great performance. After it was over, Diddy, Sheek and Styles P. hung around to talk with the hosts, Terrence and Rocsi. Highlights:

Jadakiss and Diddy both spoke of each other and the group affectionately and Jadakiss recalled the mid-90s Bad Boy days, comparing them to Jordan's Bulls. Jadakiss said to look out for Diddy on some remixes to tracks from his album, out today, "The Last Kiss."

Terrence asked them if they could do a 2010 "Benjamins" remix and Diddy and The Lox said that they definitely could. A funny moment was when Rocsi looked at Diddy and asked if there would be another Lox album, like the group was still signed to Bad Boy. Diddy laughed and said, off mic, something like "it's up to them."

Of course, then Jadakiss jumped on stage with Nas and rapped lines like "What if Shyne beat the case?/What if Diddy did a dime flat?" Heh. But, the show was definitely very enjoyable for Bad Boy fans. It was, I would say, somewhat surreal. But, it's not out of the blue or anything as relations between Diddy and The Lox have been softening for a while. It was only a matter of time.

BET.com has back stage video and the last episode of P. Twitty TV was back stage there, as well.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
BET.com has backstage video from Diddy and The Lox's appearance on BET's 106 & Park today. Pretty funny clip (it gets funny after the middle).

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Previously, we reported that Day26 would be performing on BET's Spring Bling, as part of Beach Towel Throwdown 2, on April 9. I have just a small update and that is the time: the show runs from 9-9:30 PM ET.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
According to Diddy's MySpace, he'll be joining The Lox on BET's 106 & Park today to perform "It's All About the Benjamins." The show starts at 6 PM ET.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
You can now listen to Day26's "Forever in a Day" in full on MTV's The Leak. After you've listened to it, please let me know what your favorite tracks are, in the comments.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
iPhone users, Diddy has a new, free app for your phone. Released today in Apple's App Store, it promises Diddy's Twitter stream, the ability to upload your photo for a "mosaic app" due out this Summer and "Last Train to Paris" related news.

Posted in Cassie
Posted by Patrick
According to the Bad Boy MySpace, Cassie's "Must Be Love" "featuring Puff Daddy" will be available on iTunes on April 14.

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick

I don't even know what to say about this.

Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
On his Twitter, Clinton Sparks announced that his new mixtape with Chester French, "Jacques Jams, Vol 1: Endurance," will be released on Clinton Sparks' website on April 8.

The mixtape will feature Diddy and Janelle Monae, as well as Cassie. "Ciroc Star" by Chester French featuring Diddy and Jadakiss.

Posted in Elephant Man
Posted by Patrick
In our audio player, check out a new track from Elephant Man called "Style Them."

Posted in Yung Joc
Posted by Patrick
Check out a pair of new Yung Joc tracks in our audio player. They are "Watch Me Make a Movie" featuring DJ Khaled and "P.O.V." featuring Letoya.

Posted in Danity Kane
Posted by Patrick
On Dawn Richard's MySpace, you can listen to "Trip City." This may be from the upcoming Danity Kane Comics soundtrack, as Dawn mentioned she would begin putting some tracks up in a video posted on her MySpace.

Posted in Danity Kane
Posted by Patrick
In the video below, Dawn Richard of Danity Kane explains the purpose of the upcoming Danity Kane Comics soundtrack.

"It's not anything that you're used to," she said. "It's not going to be songs for me, it's for the comic book. It's strictly a soundtrack for the comic book. Just songs that you guys can touch and feel and relate to, so when you're reading the comic, you understand the storyline of the comic and you got a soundtrack in your ear behind it. That's all it is, don't read too much into it."

She also acknowledged that the soundtrack's release had been delayed. We mentioned a report in March that indicated that it will be released in May. But, Dawn did not provide a date or further elaboration, other to say that the delay was due to their pursuit of collaborations for the album.


Posted in Yung Joc
Posted by Patrick
Yung Joc lends a guest verse to Sammie's new single, "Body Rock," which you can listen to on Sammie's MySpace.

Posted in Gorilla Zoe
Posted by Patrick
SOHH.com reports that Gorilla Zoe's "Don't Feed Da Animals" sold 15,500 copies in it's second week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. This brings his total up to 46,800.

Posted in Danity Kane
Posted by Patrick
Toward the end of March, Dawn Richard of Danity Kane mentioned on Twitter that her grandfather had passed away. Though I'm a little late, I did want to mention it and say that our thoughts are with her and those close to him.

Via HipHopRX.

Posted in Ciroc
Posted by Patrick
On Twitter, Clinton Sparks mentioned that the previously announced "Ciroc Star," by Chester French featuring Diddy, will now feature Jadakiss, as well.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Check out our audio player for Day26's "I Won't." According to the iTunes track listing, this track will not appear on "Forever in a Day," Day26's upcoming, April 14 release.

Posted in Boyz N Da Hood
Posted by Patrick
AllHipHop.com's Nolan Strong reports that R&B singer Rythum has filed a copyright infringement suit against Bad Boy, Block Entertainment, Atlantic Records (Bad Boy's parent label) and Boyz N Da Hood. In the suit, he claims that "Table Dance" from Boyz N Da Hood's second album, "Back Up N Da Chevy," takes from his own "Private Dancer."

The Rhythum MySpace has a track titled "Private Dancer" in the audio player, so you can give it a listen and compared it to "Table Dance," which can also be heard on MySpace.

Via StarPulse, who has a pretty poor, sensational headline: "Diddy Accused of Stealing Boyz N Da Hood Song."

Posted in Ciroc
Posted by Patrick
Last week, a story about a controversial Ciroc ad casting call was making rounds online among some gossip sites. The controversy came from the fact that the call reportedly requested models who were "white, Hispanic or light skinned African-American." With the source of the document unclear and a lack of credible sources reporting, I decided to wait for the dust to settle a bit and for a writer to get the various sides of the story and get to the bottom of it. It appears this has happened.

Charles W. Cherry II has an insightful piece for the Florida Courier that should bring you up to speed, if you are curious.

According to Dia Simms, the general manager of Bad Boy's marketing division, Blue Flame, the source of the call was Tysum, a talent agency in Miami. Cherry writes:

Though Simms understood the seriousness of the situation, she called any accusation that Combs would discriminate on the basis of skin color “laughable.”

“We go out of our way to book Black models,” she said. “We’ve done hundreds of events featuring thousands of models of every ethnicity over the years. We are a minority-owned company. I am a Black woman. It doesn’t make sense for our company to employ a ‘paper bag’ test in 2009.

“It’s damaging to Ciroc, to our company, and it’s personally hurtful to Mr. Combs,” she fumed. “The fact that this issue resurfaces lets you know how far we have to go as people.”

Via Ken Wheaton.

Posted in Donnie Klang
Posted by Patrick
According to a press release issued by Go Large Records, singer Erion Kacani has been writing some material for Donnie Klang.

Posted in Janelle Monáe
Posted by Patrick
Janelle Monae's scheduled performance at the Rialto Theatre in Atlanta today has been canceled, according to the Wondaland Arts Society blog. Monae says that they plan to reschedule the performance.

Posted in Bad Boy Films
Posted by Patrick

Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Willie Taylor of Day26 mentioned that fellow group member Robert Curry is now on Twitter as Robert_day26.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
According to the video below, Brian Angel of Day26 is now on Twitter with the username brianangelday26.


Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Here's the brand new music video for Day26's "Imma Put It On Her," the first single from their April 14th release, "Forever in a Day." The song features Yung Joc and Diddy.


Great video

Posted in Bad Boy Records
Posted by Patrick
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today.

Albums

The Billboard 200

33. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 8).

Billboard Comprehensive Albums

34. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 8).

Top Soundtracks

17. "Notorious: Music From and Inspired by The Original Motion Picture" by Various Artists (down from 13).

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

6. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 2).
55. "Notorious: Music From and Inspired by The Original Motion Picture" by Various Artists (down from 41).

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Catalog Albums

8. "Ready to Die" by The Notorious B.I.G. (down from 7).
12. "Life After Death" by The Notorious B.I.G. (down from 5).
17. "Greatest Hits" by The Notorious B.I.G. (down from 14).

Top Rap Albums

3. "Don't Feed Da Animals" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 1).
20. "Notorious: Music From and Inspired by The Original Motion Picture" by Various Artists (down from 14).

Songs

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

98. "Imma Put It On Her" by Day26 (debut).

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrents

5. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (debut).

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay

5. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (debut).

Rhythmic Top 40

37. "Lost" by Gorilla Zoe (down from 34).

Posted in Gorilla Zoe
Posted by Patrick
Gorilla Zoe's MySpace blog features a clipping from The New York Times; a review of "Don't Feed Da Animals." Overall, it's a positive review.

Posted in Bad Boy Blog
Posted by Patrick
April Fools! Jordan McCoy is not joining Boyz N Da Hood, as we had reported and "The Last Train" is not Diddy's new single.

Jordan McCoy and her manager, Debbie Hammond, were in on the joke. Basically, what happened was that I was brainstorming for ideas, I had been thinking of fun story ideas that I could write about. One of them was "Exclusive: Sources: Jordan McCoy Joins Boyz N Da Hood, Replacing Gorilla Zoe."

So, really, what I was going for here was some Onion style humor. Something that is rather obviously absurd, but written in a serious, believable manner. Jordan and Debbie are friends of Bad Boy Blog, so I decided to see if we could make it bigger by involving them.

We didn't have a lot of time, but we pulled something together. First, I posted my report late on March 31. Then, in the afternoon on April 1, her MySpace layout was updated to include "The Newest Member of Boyz N Da Hood!" in the header. It's changed now, but here is what it looked like:


She blogged about it on MySpace and jordanmccoy.com and tweeted about it. I then wrote a post, announcing her confirmation of my report.

As an aside, the part about Gorilla Zoe leaving was also part of the joke. There isn't any truth to that.

So, we collaborated to pull off a pretty good joke and hopefully gave you a laugh.

The other joke we did was to supposedly post a new single from Diddy called "The Last Train" featuring Dawn Richard and Aundrea Fimbres of Danity Kane, as well as T-Pain. While it sounded very believable, anyone who clicked the audio player link in the post was taken to a page announcing the prank.

I hope that everyone took these in the good humor they were intended. Thanks for having fun with it - I hope that you had a great April Fools' Day!

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
On Twitter, Clinton Sparks mentioned that "Ciroc Star," a track off his upcoming mixtape with Chester French, might leak on Sunday. The song is by the duo and features Diddy. I said that I was looking forward to it, assuming it wasn't an April Fools joke and he said that it wasn't.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Day26 will be performing "Imma Put It On Her" on BET's Spring Bling on April 9. They will be joined by Yung Joc and it will be featured as part of Beach Towel Throwdown 2.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
Day26's upcoming album, "Forever in a Day" will be available on MTV's The Leak starting on April 7. You'll be able to listen to the whole album before it is released.

Posted in Day26
Posted by Patrick
The video for Day26's "Imma Put It On Her," featuring Diddy and Yung Joc, will premiere on April 2 on MTV, MTV Hits, MTV Jams and mtvU all day that day.

Posted in Jordan McCoy
Posted by Patrick
Update 2: This was an April Fools joke!


Late last night, we exclusively reported that Jordan McCoy would join Bad Boy rap group Boyz N Da Hood. Jordan has now confirmed the news on her blog and on Twitter. Her MySpace page has always been updated with a Boyz N Da Hood logo in the header, with the caption "The Newest Member of Boyz N Da Hood!"

Posted in Diddy/Dirty Money
Posted by Patrick
Update 2: This was an April Fools joke!

Check out our audio player for the first single from Diddy's upcoming album, "Last Train to Paris." It's called "The Last Train" and it features Dawn Richard and Aundrea Fimbres of Danity Kane, as well as T-Pain. I really love this track. It could be a huge single.

Back in February, I reported that Diddy was putting together a three person band, including himself, for the "Last Train to Paris" album. Then, in March, Melody Thornton of the Pussycat Dolls said that Dawn was in Diddy's band. It stands to reason, then, that Aundrea could potentially be the other girl. A request for comment from the label was not immediately returned.

Posted in Ness
Posted by Patrick
DJBooth.net has an exclusive freestyle by Ness called "Live From The Dollar Store."

Thanks Theo.