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Freeway Talks Babygrande Partnership & 'Diamond in the Ruff' Album
November 27, 2012 3:00 PM EST With more than a decade in the rap game, Freeway still has a hustler's spirit. The Philadelphia native broke into music as one of the flagship members of Jay-Z 's Roc-a-Fella Records, and his 2003 debut, "Philadelphia Freeway," b ...
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Freeway Hooks Up with Babygrande For Fourth LP
November 15, 2012 4:55 PM EST With more than a decade in the rap game, Freeway still has a hustler's spirit. The Philadelphia native broke into music as one of the flagship members of Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella Records, and his 2003 debut, Philadelphia Freeway, bowed at No. ...
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Ron Perry Named Songs Music Publishing President and Head of A&R
October 02, 2012 12:00 PM EDT Songs Music Publishing has named Ron Perry President and Head of A&R. CEO Matt Pincus, who Perry will report to, made the announcement yesterday (Oct. 1). Perry has been head of A&R title since the company was founded in 2004. Register tod ...
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Listen: G.O.O.D. Music 'Cruel Summer' Snippets
September 11, 2012 3:35 PM EDT A week before the debut of "Cruel Summer" (Sept. 18), iTunes debuts snippets from the G.O.O.D. Music compilation album. The 12-track album kicks off with R. Kelly on "To the World." Aside from Kellz, "Cruel Summer" feat ...
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Backbeat: EMI's Jon Platt Exits In Style At ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards
June 30, 2012 10:45 AM EDT Former EMI Music Publishing President Jon Platt, ASCAP Vice President of Membership, Rhythm and Soul Nicole George, rapper Fabolous, ASCAP's Brandon Kitchen. (Photo: Frank Micelotta) It was a fitting conclusion to a 17-year career chapter. Af ...
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Quincy Jones, Pharrell Williams, Noah '40' Shebib, EMI Win Big at ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards
June 29, 2012 9:00 PM EDT Quincy Jones took home the ASCAP Founders Award, Pharrell Williams was honored with the Golden Note Award, and EMI Music Publishing again took home the publisher of the year honor at Friday (June 29) night's 25th anniversary ASCAP Rhythm and ...
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Kanye West, the Throne, Beyonce Lead BET Awards Nominations
May 22, 2012 7:44 PM EDT BET Awards viewers will be watching the Throne. Kanye West and Jay-Z 's collaboration has five nominations at this year's ceremony, including Best Group, Best Collaboration and two nominations for Video of the Year ("N***as in Paris&q ...
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Q-Tip Signs To Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music Label
April 11, 2012 11:10 AM EDT Q-Tip , the New York hip-hop legend and former leader of A Tribe Called Quest , has signed to Kanye West 's G.O.O.D. Music imprint on Def Jam Recordings. His fourth solo effort, tentatively titled "The Last Zulu," will be released thr ...
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U.K. Artists Score Biggest Share of North American Album Market This Century
March 19, 2012 2:44 PM EDT British artists' share of the North American albums market climbed to a record high in 2011, with U.K. acts accounting for approximately 1 in every 8 albums sold, according to new figures released today by U.K. labels trade body the BPI. Acco ...
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Photos: Adele's Post-Grammy Party, With Pitbull, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Howard Stringer, Doug Morris, More
February 13, 2012 6:45 PM EST From Left: Steve Barnett, Chairman/COO, Columbia Records; Adele; Rob Stringer, Chairman/CEO Columbia Records; Doug Morris, CEO, Sony Music Entertainment. (Photos: Sony) After winning six Grammys at the ceremony, Adele celebrated with her Sony Musi ...
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Ray J, Brandy Attend Ne-Yo's Annual Grammy Brunch; Celebs Talk Whitney Houston
February 12, 2012 2:45 PM EST News of Whitney Houston 's death broke just hours before Ne-Yo 's fourth annual Midnight Brunch at the Supper Club in Hollywood, Calif. on Saturday night, so needless to say a somber mood was cast over the event. Remembering Whitney SLIDES ...
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Roots Grammy Jam Session Report: No-Shows Scuttled 'On the Fly' Whitney Houston Tribute, ?uestlove Says
February 12, 2012 2:42 PM EST The Roots curating their annual Grammy Jam at the House of Blues Los Angeles. (Photo: Fred Shavies/3680 Photography) Despite a high-energy jam session that featured surprise guest performers like India Arie, Trombone Shorty, Childish Gambino, Warr ...
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Photos: Clive Davis, Alicia Keys, Diddy Pay Tribute to Whitney Houston at Pre-Grammy Gala
February 12, 2012 10:11 AM EST Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Clive Davis at the Clive Davis and the Recording Academy's 2012 Pre-GRAMMY Gala and Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Richard Branson at The Beverly Hilton Hotel . He said the late-Whtiney Houston "wo ...
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Urban Power List: Mark Pitts
January 03, 2012 5:37 PM EST Mark Pitts President, RCA Urban Music CEO, Bystorm Entertainmnet Website: RCARecords.com Twitter: @BystormPitts The A&R Guru In an interview last August after being appointed CEO of RCA Music Group, Peter Edge told Billboard there is "a d ...
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VH1 Divas Highlighted by Winehouse Tribute, 50 Cent & Chaka Khan Pairing
December 19, 2011 3:30 PM EST VH1 may have honored singing divas at its annual VH1 Divas special, but the night was all about collaboration. 50 Cent was hand-in-hand with Chaka Khan on the red carpet; Mavis Staples screamed her love for Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine a ...
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Soul Train Awards 2011: Jill Scott & Cee Lo Green Win Big
November 18, 2011 2:30 PM EST R&B, Hip-Hop and Soul legends attended the 40th anniversary taping of the 2011 Soul Train Awards in Atlanta on Thursday (Nov. 17) to celebrate "peace, love and soul." Slideshow: Soul Train Awards See Pics From the Show! Host Cedric the ...
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Soul Train Awards 2011: Jill Scott & Cee Lo Green Win Big
November 18, 2011 2:30 PM EST Cedric Soul Train Robin Thicke Benet Eric Anthony Hamilton Bootsy Collins B. Smith Michael Smith Cee Lo Green Earth Fire Wind Wolf Doug E. Fresh Tribute Heavy D Terry Lewis Jimmy Jill Scott Bebe Winans Gladys Knight Mindless Behavior Mary Mary Keri ...
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Soul Train Awards Adds New Roster of Performers
November 01, 2011 9:20 AM EDT The 2011 Soul Train Awards will have more surprises in store. The awards show, being taped on Thursday (Nov. 17) at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, will treat its audience and viewers to tribute performances to celebrate the achievements of the Legend A ...
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Chris Brown Leads Soul Train Awards Nominations
October 21, 2011 1:50 PM EDT Days after winning the most awards at the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards, Chris Brown leads the nominations for the 2011 Soul Train Awards. Brown is nominated for five nods across 11 categories, one being Best Dance Performance in which he's up agains ...
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Rick Ross Pulls Out of Live Dates Following Day of Health Scares
October 16, 2011 12:45 AM EDT Rick Ross pulled out of a scheduled concert in Greensboro, NC on Saturday night, citing health concerns a day after reportedly suffering seizures on two different flights. A spokesperson for the Greensboro Coliseum Complex tells Fox affiliate WGHP t ...
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Backbeat: Big Sean Launches 'Rising Icons' Season Three in NYC
October 12, 2011 3:05 PM EDT Big Sean performs at the "Rising Icons" and Grey Goose party Monday night (Oct. 10). On Monday night (Oct. 10), at NYC's Good Units, "Rising Icons," in partnership with Grey Goose, launched their third season with G.O.O.D. ...
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Chris Brown Wins Big At BET Awards
June 27, 2011 8:29 AM EDT The statuette for best music awards show host in 2011 should go to comedian Kevin Hart. He was a major bright spot during BET Awards '11 (June 26) at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. In between Hart's shenanigans-including a hilarious ...
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R&B/Hip-Hop Chart Juice:Chris Brown's Outburst and Travis Barker's Opening
March 24, 2011 2:01 PM EDT Despite the negative attention surrounding his Good Morning America outburst, Chris Brown is having a great week on the charts as "Look At Me Now" steps 2-1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (33.9 million listener impressions, according to Nielsen ...
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Adele Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200, Rise Against Bows At No. 2
March 23, 2011 11:00 AM EDT A dele's "21" heads back the top slot (2-1) on the Billboard 200 albums chart for a third non-consecutive week, selling 98,000 (down 26%) according to Nielsen SoundScan. She bumps last week's champ, Lupe Fiasco's "Laser ...
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Lupe Fiasco's 'Lasers' Lands at No. 1 on Billboard 200
March 16, 2011 11:00 AM EDT A s predicted , Lupe Fiasco 's "Lasers" album arrives atop the Billboard 200 chart, selling 204,000 in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. It marks his first No. 1 and best sales week yet. His second effort, "The Cool, ...
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R&B/Hip-Hop Chart Juice: Marsha Ambrosius Debuts on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
March 10, 2011 4:46 PM EST We're doing things a little different this week, scrapping the 1-10 rundown for only the most interesting developments on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. As always, you can view the top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the top 40 R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ...
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Adele's '21' Holds Top Of Billboard 200
March 09, 2011 9:30 AM EST Adele's "21" stands firm at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a second week, moving 168,000 copies (down 52%), according to Nielsen SoundScan. With a little more than 520,000 sold in two weeks, "21" has swiftly become the yea ...
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Adele Holds Atop Billboard 200, Marsha Ambrosius Bows at No. 2
March 09, 2011 8:55 AM EST A dele's "21" stands firm at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for a second week, moving 168,000 copies (down 52%), according to Nielsen SoundScan. With a little over 520,000 sold in two weeks, "21" has swiftly become ...
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Marsha Ambrosius Sends Bullying/Suicide Message In New Vid
January 05, 2011 10:46 AM EST Songstress Marsha Ambrosius released the video to her latest single, "Far Away," and in it she sends a message about bullying and the high rate of suicide because of it. Watch the clip below: Video: Marsha Ambrosius, "Far Way" Ma ...
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Marsha Ambrosius Covers Teena Marie's 'Yes Indeed'
December 29, 2010 11:43 AM EST R&B singer/songwriter Marsha Ambrosius held an intimate performance at the North London venue Dingwalls, and performed a cover of Teena Marie 's "Yes Indeed." Video: Marsha Ambrosius covers "Yes Indeed," by Teena Marie & ...
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David Banner Gets Down to Business On 'Death of a Pop Star'
December 04, 2010 8:26 AM EST In 2010, one rapper-turned-entrepreneur spent his time crafting music for Gatorade and "Megamind" TV ad campaigns, as well as developing a graphic novel, sneaker and new album. It wasn't one of the usual mogul suspects, like Jay-Z or ...
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R&B/Hip-Hop Chart Juice: Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Ne-Yo
December 02, 2010 12:10 PM EST Kanye West takes the No. 1 spot on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums as "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" catapults 59-1 with 496,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Street date violations caused the set to debut last week at No. 59. E ...
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Common Duets With Colbie Caillat On 'Soulful' New Album
October 20, 2010 4:15 PM EDT It's been almost two years since Common released his "Universal Mind Control" album, but the Chicago rapper is still very much working. Not only is Common the ambassador of the recently-released "DJ Hero 2" game, he's a ...
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Bruno Mars Makes It Three Weeks Atop Hot 100
October 07, 2010 11:00 AM EDT Bruno Mars stands tall at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a third consecutive week with "Just the Way You Are," maintaining his perch despite being knocked out of the upper rung of Digital Songs. Bruno Mars Steps Into Spotlight with � ...
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Ex-Floetry Member Marsha Ambrosius Readies Solo Set
September 25, 2010 9:00 AM EDT After a series of mixtapes, guest features on various projects and a much-touted debut on Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records that never materialized, Marsha Ambrosius is finally closing in on her first solo CD. "Late Nights & Early Mornings&q ...
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Aretha Franklin Wows Apollo Theater Ceremony
June 15, 2010 4:39 PM EDT Aretha Frankin surprised a packed Apollo Theater last night (June 14) with an impromptu performance as she was inducted into the legendary venue's hall of fame. Franklin and Michael Jackson (posthumously) were honored, while Jennifer Lopez and ...
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Kidz In The Hall Talk 'Make Believe' Album, Tour
February 10, 2010 7:32 PM EST In support of its soon-to-be-released third album "Land of Make Believe," New York alt-rap duo Kidz in the Hall has announced a 20-city "Crowd Control" tour, which kicks off Feb. 27 in Syracuse N.Y. and includes a stop at the SXS ...
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Fabolous Gets Personal On 'Loso's Way' Album
July 09, 2009 2:31 PM EDT Until now, Brooklyn rapper Fabolous kept his private life under wraps. Not only did he stay quiet about getting shot three years ago-a rarity among rappers-he also chose to keep his relationship and the birth of his first child out of the public eye ...
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Jamie Foxx Restarts The Party With New Album
December 08, 2008 3:32 PM EST Jamie Foxx says he wanted his new album, "Intuition," to bang a little harder than his chart-topping, double-platinum 2005 release "Unpredictable." "'Unpredictable" was more, like, slow, bedroom things, which was g ...
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Amanda Diva
September 16, 2008 12:00 AM EDT She may be an independent artist, but chances are you've heard of Amanda Diva. She may be an independent artist, but chances are you've heard of Amanda Diva. Born Amanda Seales, the 27-year-old hip-hop/soul MC/poet has been a music journal ...
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Solange Not Out To Top Sister Beyonce On New Album
May 16, 2008 12:00 AM EDT Solange Knowles wastes no time setting the record straight about comparisons to older sister Beyonce on her sophomore album, "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams," due Aug. 26 via Music World/Geffen. Solange Knowles wastes no time setting ...
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Pharrell, Lil Wayne Grace Solange Knowles CD
April 22, 2008 12:00 AM EDT Solange Knowles has penciled in an Aug. 26 release date for her sophomore album, "Sol-Angel and The Hadley Street Dreams." Solange Knowles has penciled in an Aug. 26 release date for her sophomore album, "Sol-Angel and The Hadley Stre ...
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Rap It Up
March 09, 2008 12:00 AM EST After a three-month delay due to sample clearance issues, rapper Rick Ross is back this week with "Trilla" via Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam. After a three-month delay due to sample clearance issues, rapper Rick Ross is back this week with "Tr ...
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Ross: Clearance Issues Caused Album Delay
December 20, 2007 12:00 AM EST Rick Ross has spoken exclusively to Billboard.com about the reason for the delay of his sophomore album, "Trilla." The set was originally expected Dec. 18 via Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam, but is now due Feb. Rick Ross has spoken exclusively to Bi ...
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New Rick Ross Album Bumped To February
November 27, 2007 12:00 AM EST Rick Ross has announced Feb. 19 as the new release date for his sophomore album, "Trilla." The set was initially slated for Dec. 18 and is the follow-up to his 2006 debut, "Port of Miami," via Slip-N- Rick Ross has announced Feb. ...
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Alicia Keys Eyeing October For Third J Album
July 10, 2007 12:00 AM EDT Alicia Keys has penciled in an Oct. 23 release date for her third J Records album, "As I Am." Songwriter Linda Perry chipped in with three songs, including "The Thing About Love," which Keys premiered Alicia Keys has penciled in ...
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Game On
November 12, 2006 12:00 AM EST Few MCs can survive a character assassination from an entire rap crew, especially if the mob leader is 50 Cent. But the Game, aka Jayceon Taylor, has bloodied his knuckles protecting his brand and his Few MCs can survive a character assassination fr ...
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Billboard Bits: Swizz Beatz, Joseph Arthur, Kinky Friedman
September 20, 2006 12:00 AM EDT Producer Swizz Beatz, Bilal, Inner Voice, Cassidy and Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry will help launch an international peace campaign tomorrow (Sept. 21) with the premiere the tribute single "One Day." Producer Swizz Beatz, Bilal, Inner Voice ...
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Styles P's 'Time' Is Now For New CD
September 07, 2006 12:00 AM EDT Originally expected last December, the Lox's Styles P will on Nov. 14 deliver his long-awaited sophomore disc, "Time Is Money" (Ruff Ryders/Interscope). Originally expected last December, the Lox's Styles P will on Nov. 14 delive ...
