Tag Archives: T.I.

Swizz Beatz to Perform as Part of Pass The Mic Live! Segment at Spirit of Life Gala

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Swizz Beatz is embracing the spirit of life…

The 45-year-old half-Puerto Rican recording artist, music producer and entrepreneur will perform at next week’s Spirit of Life Gala honoring Lyor Cohen, global head of music at YouTube and Google.

Swizz BeatzThe event will feature a one-time-only edition of DJ Cassidy’s celebrated Pass The Mic Live!, a segment that will showcase more than a dozen hip-hop and R&B artists, including Swizz Beatz.

Others appearing in the showcase include Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, Dru Hill, EPMD, Ja Rule, Memphis Bleek and T.I., all of whom have played a part in Cohen’s 40-year legacy spanning Rush Management, The Island Def Jam Music Group, Warner Music Group, 300 Entertainment and beyond.

The sold-out gala is taking place on October 18 at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Calif. It’s a fundraiser for City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States and a leading research center for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses.

DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic series quickly transformed from viral sensation to primetime TV series on BET. Now a live tour, DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic Live! recently sold out Radio City Music Hall in New York with a one-time-only concert featuring 25 icons of hip-hop’s golden era.

“As a 10-year-old deejay and hip-hop kid growing up in New York City, I idolized Lyor Cohen long before he ever knew my name,” DJ Cassidy said in a statement. “Then, as his Def Jam intern in my high school years, a hero became a mentor. I am truly honored to bring Pass The Mic Live’ to City Of Hope and celebrate Lyor’s commitment to making the best health care available to hip-hop fans and performers by uniting a once-in-a-lifetime lineup of iconic artists who have influenced his massive musical legacy and hip-hop’s global influence as a whole.”

City of Hope is celebrating 50 years of partnership with the Music, Film and Entertainment Industry (MFEI) fundraising group. Over this period, industry executives and influencers have raised nearly $150 million to benefit City of Hope’s mission to transform the future of cancer care.

Swizz Beatz to Participate in Grammys’ Star-Studded Segment Celebrating Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary

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Swizz Beatz is helping celebrating hip-hop history…

The 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 5, will feature a star-studded segment celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop that will include the 44-year-old half-Puerto Rican recording artist, music producer and entrepreneur.

Swizz BeatzWith a career spanning over two decades, his catalog includes “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem“, “Party Up (Up in Here)” (DMX), “Gotta Man” (Eve), “Jigga My Nigga“, “Girl’s Best Friend” (Jay-Z), “Upgrade U“, “Check on It“, “Ring the Alarm” (Beyoncé), “Good Times” (Styles P), “Bring ‘Em Out“, “Swing Ya Rag” (T.I.), “Hotel“, “I’m a Hustla” (Cassidy), “Touch It” (Busta Rhymes), “Ultralight Beam” (Kanye West), and more.

In addition to Beatz, the segment will include performances by Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface and Too $hort.

LL Cool J will introduce the segment, perform and give a dedication to hip-hop.

Questlove will serve as producer and musical director, The Roots will provide music and Black Thought will narrate.

“For five decades, hip-hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Its contributions to art, fashion, sport, politics, and society cannot be overstated. I’m so proud that we are honoring it in such a spectacular way on the Grammy stage. It is just the beginning of our yearlong celebration of this essential genre of music.”

The Grammys will also honor hip-hop with one of three breakout performances in this year’s In Memoriam segment.

On Wednesday (Feb. 1), the Academy announced that the In Memoriam segment at the 2023 Grammy Awards will include breakout tributes to three diverse artists who died last fall — Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie and Takeoff.

Kacey Musgraves will perform Lynn’s 1970 classic “Coal Miner’s Daughter” in tribute to the country legend, who died on October 4 at age 90; Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt will team to perform “Songbird” from Fleetwood Mac’s album of the year-winning Rumours to honor McVie, who died on November 30 at age 79; and Maverick City Music will join Quavo for Quavo’s sentimental ballad “Without You” to honor Takeoff, who died on November 1 at just 28.

Also, Cardi B, who four years ago became the first female solo artist to win a Grammy for best rap album, will serve as a presenter on the show.

And the Grammys aren’t done celebrating hip-hop’s anniversary. In partnership with the Recording Academy, CBS will broadcast a special hip-hop music event later in 2023.

The 65th Annual Grammy Awards will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Emmy-winning comedian Trevor Noah. The show will be broadcast live on Sunday, February 5, at 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Cardi B Becomes First Female Artist to Win Best Hip-Hop Video Twice at BET Hip Hop Awards

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Cardi B has earned a place in BET history…

The 28-year-old half Dominican American rap superstar and Megan Thee Stallion were the top winners at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards, which were telecast on Tuesday on BET.

Cardi B

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion took home three awards for their chart-topping smash “WAP“: song of the year, best hip-hop video and best collaboration.

Cardi B is the first female artist to win best hip-hop video twice. She won two years ago for “Money.” Among all artists, Drake is the category leader with five awards. T.I., Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Kendrick Lamar have each won twice.

This is the second year in a row that an all-female pairing has won best collaboration. “Savage” (remix) by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé won last year.

The awards show was pre-recorded on Friday at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta.

Here’s the full list of winners.

Hip hop album of the year
Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, The Creator

Song of the year
“WAP,” Produced by Ayo & Keyz (Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion) \

Hip hop artist of the year
Lil Baby

Best hip-hop video
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP”

Best new hip hop artist
Yung Bleu

Best collaboration
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP”

Best duo or group
Lil Baby & Lil Durk

Best live performer
Tyler, the Creator

Lyricist of the year
J. Cole

Best international flow
Little Simz (UK)

Video director of the year
Missy Elliott

Producer of the year
Hit-Boy

Hustler of the year
Saweetie

Sweet 16: best featured verse
Jay-Z, “What It Feels Like” (Nipsey Hussle feat. Jay-Z)

Impact track
Nipsey Hussle feat. Jay-Z, “What It Feels Like”

I Am Hip Hop award
Nelly

Rock the Bells cultural influence award 
Tyler, The Creator

DJ of the year and best hip hop platform will be revealed once the voting window closes on BET.com.

Miguel Nolla Developing Latin Trap-Themed Series “Trap Queen” for Freeform

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Miguel Nolla could be bringing a taste of Puerto Rican music to television.

Freeform has put Trap Queen, a music rich series created by the Puerto Rican Scandal and Roswell, New Mexico writer, in development with Danny Strong executive producing.

Television

An alum of the Disney•ABC Writing Program, Nolla will serve as showrunner on the Puerto Rico-set series.

The drama focuses on a gay young man who returns to Puerto Rico after a life-changing event. With the burgeoning local music scene as both the backdrop and the soundtrack, that move forces him to face family and romantic issues he thought he had left behind and never expected.

Trap music is a tenet of Southern hip-hop that bubbled up into the mainstream in the early 2000s from the likes of T.I., Jeezy and Gucci Mane. The term trap is a derivative of the Atlanta slang for a place where drugs are purchased and sold.

Over the decades the style has been picked up in various forms by artists from Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Cardi B and all the way to Taylor Swift.

Latin trap is the Puerto Rican subgenre that incorporates some of the island’s reggaetón style and other elements.

A former assistant to Shonda Rhimes, Florida State University grad, Nolla’s other credits include an episode of the Grey’s Anatomy web series, Freeform’s Stitchers, Showtime’s Hombre and Netflix’s First Kill, among more.

Netflix Releases Trailer for Cardi B’s Hip-Hop Competition Series “Rhythm + Flow”

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Cardi B is feelin’ the rhythm…

Netflix has released the first look at its 10-episode hip-hop competition series Rhythm + Flow starring the 26-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar.

Cardi B

Picked up straight-to-series in November, the show — hosted by Cardi B, Chance the Rapper and Tip “T.I.” Harris — will air over three weeks. 

The first batch of four episodes will launch Wednesdays, October 9 and feature the audition process. Week two, launching October 16, will consist of episodes five through seven and cover cyphers, rap battles and music videos. The series will conclude Wednesday, October 23 with episodes eight through 10 and cover samples, collaborations and the finale. 

Rhythm + Flow is the streaming giant’s first music competition series and features industry legends in a multiple-city (covering L.A., New York, Atlanta and Chicago) search for undiscovered artists. John Legend, Ty Stikloriusand Mike Jackson’s Get Lifted, Gaspin and his Gaspin Media, Jesse Collinsand his Jesse Collins Entertainment exec produce alongside Nikki Boella, Jeff Pollack, Cardi B., Chance the Rapper and Harris.

The weekly rollout is the first for a Netflix original series outside of talk shows like Patriot Act. 

Sources say Netflix hopes releasing the episodes timed to each phase of the competition will help build momentum among viewers.

Of course the knock on Netflix among many in the creative community has been that the streamer’s all-at-once binge model of releasing episodes limits the amount of time programming remains a topic of conversation. It’s unclear if the weekly strategy implemented for Rhythm + Flow is the beginning of a shift in that model as Netflix begins to lose some of its top licensed programming like Friends and The Office and looks to keep buzzy offerings (like say Stranger Things or The Crown) in the conversation for longer periods of time. 

Cardi B to Serve as a Judge on Netflix’s Reality Singing Competition “Rhythm & Flow”

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Cardi B is pulling up to the judges table…

The 26-year-old half-Dominican American rap sensation will serve as one of the main judges on Netflix’s new reality television singing competition “Rhythm & Flow,” which aims to discover the next breakout hip-hop star.

Cardi B

In addition to the “I Like It Singer,” who will also serve as an executive producer, the series, from John Legend, Jesse Collinsand Jeff Gaspin, will also feature Chance the Rapperand T.I.,as judges.

The 10-episode hour-long multi-city competition series, which has been in development at Netflix for more than a year, is set to premiere in fall 2019.

Auditions will begin this fall across the country, including the judges’ hometowns of Atlanta, Chicago, and New York. In each audition city, established rappers who hail from that city will serve as guest judges.

Additional audition information can be found at http://www.RhythmAndFlowAuditions.com.

Cardi B to Headline This Year’s ONE Musicfest in Atlanta

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Cardi B is the ONE…

The lineup for Atlanta’s ONE Musicfest 2018 has been announced, with the 25-year-old half-Dominican American rapper among the artists set to headline the ninth incarnation of the event.

Cardi B

Now a two-day celebration of live music, this year’s festivities are slated to take place at Central Park on September 8-9, with tickets available at the festival’s website.

In addition to Cardi B, Nas and Miguel are also slated to headline, while additional performers include Jeezy, T.I., George Clinton with Parliament, Big Sean, Common with his super group August Greene, Rapsody,Kelis, Brandy, Jessie Reyez, DJ Nabs’ ATL Crunk Set featuring YoungBloodz, Ying Yang Twins, Eastside Boyz, Trillville,Kilo Ali and DJ Taz, and a handful of others.

Last year’s event saw more than 20,000 attendees come out to enjoy Jill Scott, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and what was billed as a farewell performance from Yasiin Bey (Mos Def).

“We are all super excited about OMF2018,” says founder Jason “J” Carter. “Growing into a two-day festival allows us to expand our roster, highlight more of the music that we love and give our audience an experience unlike any!”

Kid Cudi Releases Video for New Single “Frequency”

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Kid Cudi is reaching a new frequency…

The 32-year-old part-Mexican American singer, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, has released the video for his new single “Frequency.”

Kid Cudi

The release comes on the heels of an announcement that Kid Cudi checked into rehab for “depression and suicidal urges.” He gifted fans with two singles off his delayed album, Passion, Pain and Demon Slaying,”Frequency” and “Surfin.”

The five-minute clip focuses on a shirtless Kid Cudi dancing to the loopy vibrations off the Mike Dean/Plain Pat-assisted track.

The video sees him journeying through a dark forest and flips to a woman cloaked in jewels making her way through the dim-lit jungle.

The haunting video was directed by Kid Cudi and produced by film writer Danyi Deats — who produced the visuals to Lana del Ray‘s “Music To Watch Boys To” and T.I‘s “Private Show.”

Carey Hires New PR Representation & Management Team

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Mariah Carey has new representation…

A day after the 45-year-old half Venezuelan singer and her longtime publicist Cindi Berger parted ways, Carey announced her new PR and management team.

Mariah Carey

Chris Chambers of the Chambers Group, who’s worked with Lil Wayne, Drake and many other artists over his long career, will her as her PR agent. Her fifth set of managers since 2013: TV producers Brian Sher and Stella Bulochnikov.

Carey’s new managers have worked together on several projects, most recently E!’s Christian Milian Turned Up and VH1’s T.I.’s Family Hustle and Tiny & Shekinah’s Weave Trip. Sher, who has worked as T.I.’s agent since 2004 and his co-manager since 2009, has been credited with helping to rebrand the rapper’s image via the television shows.

Sher began his career as a production assistant before beginning his career in ICM’s mailroom. He rose to the role of agent in 2000 and left in 2008 to form Category 5 Entertainment, where he begin working with T.I., Michael Vick (executive producing The Michael Vick Project for BET) and partnered with Kelsey Grammer in Grammnet NH.

Bulochnikov is a producer and writer who’s worked with Sher on Boss, T.I. & Tiny and Larry the Cable Guy’s Star-Studded Christmas Extravaganza.  She has a long history as a producer with Viacom shows dating back to 2001, including VH1 Divas, I Love the ‘80s and ‘90s, and several Paris Hilton Specials.

The moves come ahead of several big projects for the singer, who has stumbled in recent months with the poor sales of Me. I Am Mariah … The Elusive Chanteuse, the lowest-selling non-holiday studio album of her career and several wobbly live performances. On May 6, she begins a Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace, the same venue where Celine Dion will return on Aug. 27 after a year-long hiatus. Also expected later this year is a newly repackaged greatest-hits set called #1’s, the first release in her new deal with Epic Records, to accompany her Vegas show. She also has a Christmas movie on the horizon, according to Deadline.

Among other chart feats, Carey holds the record for total time spent at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, 79 weeks total, and also holds the record for longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 single (for 1995’s “One Sweet Day” with Boyz II Men, 16 weeks at No. 1), although she hasn’t had a Top 10 single since 2009’s “Obsessed.”

Carey had three management teams in 2013 alone, beginning with a Randy Jackson/Irving Azoff partnership, then Bruce Eskowitz of Red Light Management and then Jermaine Dupri, who produced some of her biggest hits including “We Belong Together.” Dupri gradually gave way to Kevin Liles, who semi-officially took the reins in August of 2014 but recently dropped out.

The news was first reported by Page Six and confirmed to Billboard by Chambers Group.

Mars’ “Uptown Funk” Makes History as It Logs 13 Weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100

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It’s Lucky No. 13 for Bruno Mars…

The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter’s funktastic collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk,” is now the longest-leading Billboard Hot 100 single of the 2010s, ruling the chart for a 13th week.

Uptown Funk

It’s also just the 10th single in the Hot 100’s entire history to spend at least 13 weeks at No. 1.

“Uptown Funk,” released on RCA Records, passes Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines,” featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams to take sole possession of the Hot 100’s longest command this decade.

Here’s an updated look at the hits to lead for the most weeks since the beginning of 2010:

Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1

13 (to date), “Uptown Funk!,” Ronson feat. Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
12, “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke feat. T.I. + Pharrell, June 22, 2013
10, “Happy,” Pharrell Williams, March 8, 2014
10, “We Found Love,” Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris, Nov. 12, 2011

“Funk” also becomes one of an elite 10 singles ever to top the Hot 100 for at least 13 weeks, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958 launch:

Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1

16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995
14, “I Gotta Feeling,” The Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009
14, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005
14, “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
14, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996
14, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994
14, “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992
13 (to date), “Uptown Funk!,” Ronson feat. Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
13, “The Boy Is Mine,” Brandy & Monica, June 6, 1998
13, “End of the Road,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 15, 1992

“Uptown Funk” is now just three weeks away from potentially tying Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” for the record, and four weeks from possibly claiming it all to itself.