Mad cities: Billboard hears that ICM Partners, which handles bookings for Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce and others, has landed Lamar a coveted slot opening for fellow Dr. Dre protege Eminem when he tours next year. Lamar’s cameo in Em’s recent “Berzerk” video certainly makes it seem a little more likely. Billboard reached out to ICM as well as Interscope and Top Dawg Entertainment, the Compton, Calif., rapper’s label homes, but didn’t hear back. If true, it would be another big move for Lamar in the live space: He was a major attraction on the festival circuit this summer, and he’s closing out 2013 opening for Kanye West.
Good timin’: Universal Pictures recently revealed an Oct. 17, 2014, release date for its James Brown film “Get on Up,” but it may well have some musical competition. Filming wrapped a couple of weeks ago on the Brian Wilson biopic “Love & Mercy,” according to a source close to the project. Director Bill Pohlad is editing with an eye for a fall run at film festivals next year. The film, which doesn’t yet have a distributor, chronicles the Beach Boys founder’s troubled years and his first solo album, starting in the late ’60s and running up to the early ’90s. Song selections for the movie have begun. Capitol Records is reportedly already interested in the soundtrack.
Weezy’s wheels: During a visit to the Hit Factory in Miami, Billboard saw skateboard ramps in Studio A. Turns out Lil Wayne is recording there, and he’s had the ramps built so he can unwind with his favorite hobby during his famously grueling recording sessions. We’re told he promised to fix any scuff marks on the studio’s wooden floors when he’s finished whatever it is he’s working on — our source wouldn’t say.