Fabolous: Home Improvement (Exclusive Interview)

Def Jam’s newest all-star spits some real talk on leaving Atlantic Records, Ma$e’s two-faced praise and his plans for building a new Street Family.

At a time when hip-hop’s birthplace is comatose creatively, it’s up to NY’s finest word slingers to put the five boroughs back on the rap radar. After releasing 2004’s street smash, “Breathe,” arguably the best song of his career, F-A-B-O seemed destined for a spot atop of NYC’s rap pantheon. But when slow sales of his Atlantic debut, Real Talk, caused the label to pull the plug, Fabolous found himself looking for a way out. Finally free from Atlantic, and freshly-inked to Def Jam, Loso speaks with XXLMAG.COM about why he had to leave Atlantic, why he choose Def Jam, his thoughts on Minister Murder Ma$e, and what’s going with the Street Fid-id-id-id-dam.

So, Fab, up until the Loso’s Way mixtape, we hadn’t heard a lot from you. What have you been up to?
I was switching my situation. I was over at Atlantic Records and I switched my situation over there. Now I’m signed at Island/Def Jam. In between that time, I was just letting everything go through as far as the paperwork. It’s a funny game, because I didn’t want to make a record and create a situation where I’m hot again and then Atlantic says, Nah we’re not letting this guy go. I definitely didn’t want to do that. So I chill and fall back. I did a few little mixtape songs and I did few appearances as far as keeping myself in the R&B remix category and that’s really it. I’m ready to start working. We got everything rolling. Def Jam is behind us.

Is the Def Jam deal finalized?
Yeah, it’s brand new. I haven’t even gone up there and talked to anybody yet because it’s so new. You guys are one of the first people aside from MTV who really knew about the switch. It’s been buzzing through the streets on the underground tip, but I just didn’t make a big thing out of it because I wanted to respect Def Jam’s situation. Maybe they wanted to do something special. I didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag too early before I even spoke to those guys.

There was a rumor that Def Jam traded Musiq to Atlantic for you. Any truth to that?
I’m not sure. Maybe they worked out a situation. I know [for] me it was just about getting the release done and me getting over to Def Jam. It may have been like in the higher power but it wasn’t included in my knowledge. I guess the trade part of it really didn’t have anything to do with me—that’s something that was discussed by the labels. The situation with me was just making sure that my release was straight and that Def Jam was interested and, of course, the financial part of it. But I really didn’t look into it to see if there was a trade involved. The people who are being traded, they don’t really have too much say so in it. [But] I didn’t know if [Atlantic] was a place where I wanted to take a chance of doing another album.

Why is that?
I think they [Atlantic] were dissatisfied with what they got. I was definitely dissatisfied. I’m not saying gold is a bad thing but I felt like I put more into that album and that project. It was just a lot of mishaps internally, just as far as picking the singles and shooting the videos for the singles. Even if the album wasn’t good, I had singles on that album that were huge singles, which should have been used. For instance, with “Breathe” it was a good record and it definitely did a lot of things for me. But I came to Atlantic and I felt like this wasn’t the single I should be using. It still got #1 on 106 & Park and it got high on the countdowns on MTV. I was fortunate for that, but I still needed that kinda song that would maybe hit Top 40, something that would appeal to the masses and not just the urban crowd. So I tried to get them to go with another single but they were like, “No, ‘Breathe’ is growing week by week.” But I guess maybe they were trying to save money, or maybe they really believed that “Breathe” would cross over. Just that risk alone was something that hurt the sales of the album.

What attracted you to Def Jam?
What attracted me to Def Jam is that they building. They have a family of artists, they have Kanye West, they have Young Jeezy, they have Ghostface Killah. They have artists who are all in different realms. It may be a positive and a negative with having Jay-Z [as president], but I also feel like he was an artist so he understands the art of it. Maybe it is a negative because he sets such a high bar. It’s Jay. At the end of the day, it’s a positive and a negative. But I respect that part of it. I respect LA Reid, the success he’s had over there. How they rebuilt somebody as big as Mariah Carey. When everybody had cashed her out of completely existing, they got her with the right team of producers and really marketed her well and she came back. I don’t even think she’s at one of her best times. It’s just the way they marketed her and promoted her and promoted those good songs. There’s no reason you should have good music and you’re stuck with a company that just doesn’t know how to market the music or is watching every penny and slowing everything down because of cost.

It seems that your mixtapes get a bigger reaction from fans than your albums. Have you noticed that?
Yeah. I seen the interest way bigger in the mixtape than the album. The underground gonna love you more for your mixtape style than your album style. I’m really in two different minds when I’m making an album and when I’m making a mixtape. An album, I feel, is more for a spectrum of different listeners. And a mixtape I make for them people who buy mixtapes. I stay real.

You had some pretty harsh words for Ma$e on Loso’s Way.
Yeah, I mean this dude is back at the counter.

I assume you were surprised when you heard his jabs at you.
Yeah. I heard it and I was like, “Oh, wow!” What was crazy is I thought we were okay from when he was the half-rapper, half-pastor. [When] he came back and was doing his “Welcome Back” song, I got a chance to see him in Philly and one of his boys came to my dressing room and was like, “Yo, Ma$e want to holla at you.” So I’m like, okay. I didn’t know what he meant by “holla at me.” So he comes in there like, “Yo, I just wanted to say I appreciate what you doing. I know there’s a lot of things floating around—people are saying this, that and the third—and I just want to let you know, as a man, I’m coming to you to tell you I love what you do.” And [he] put his hand out to give me a handshake. So I looked at him and gave him a handshake. For me, it was done there. Then, out of nowhere, he said that thing on them tapes.

Are you still working on your Street Family imprint? Is Mike Shorey, the R&B singer, still signed?
Yeah, the Street Family thing is just building right now. Mike Shorey, he took a leave, actually. He had some complications [in] dealing with us. We didn’t leave on any hard feelings, but we parted for a minute because he was a young guy and people aren’t always ready for the sacrifices. But we got Paul Cain, Ransom and Stack Bundles. We working with a lot of guys, but not signing [them]. Holding them down. We working with them, and they respect us. Different kind of guys who I knew through my Desert Storm affiliation. But [like] with any movement, all the way from G-Unit to Dipset to Wu-Tang, all those guys have built from the ground up.

-article courtesy of XXlMag.Com

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Game Sues Koch Over Release Of His Early Recordings

Posted at 3/31/2006 07:30:00 AM

The Game recently filed a lawsuit against Koch Entertainment, claiming that the record label has infringed on copywritten material 81 times, from the release of five albums of material the rapper recorded before signing with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.

According to the suit, Game -- real name Jayceon Taylor -- alleges that he recorded several songs with Bay Area producer JT The Bigga Figga, which he still owns the copyright for.

When Game and JT (real name Joseph Tom) recorded the material, the rapper signed a handwritten agreement, giving Tom and his label, Get Low Entertainment, permission to release the music, provided he was paid 50% of the profits. Game alleges that his agreement did not transfer copyright of the songs to Get Low, which in turn would keep the copyright of the songs with him. The rapper claims that despite warnings from his attorneys, Koch released the CDs and a DVD through Fastlife Records without obtaining his authorization.

Game is seeking an injunction against Koch, and damages for the release of the albums, including The Game: Untold Story, The Game: Untold Story Vol. II, The Game: Untold Story Chopped and Screwed, The Game: Untold Story Chopped and Screwed Vol. II and The Game: Untold Story Special Addition (CD and DVD).

"Koch has just released another illegal Game album," Game's manager, Jimmy Rosemond, told Billboard.com, "[and] this is a mere attempt to confuse Game's fans as he is preparing to release his sophomore album in June with Aftermath."

No date as been set for the suit to go to trial.

-article courtesy of BallerStatus.Net

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Vegas Rap Crackdown Keeps Snoop Dogg Out

Posted at 3/31/2006 07:25:00 AM

Snoop Dogg's performance for a Coors Brewing Co. private party held at Las Vegas' Rio Hotel and Casino, was recently cancelled after the hotel's parent company bowed to pressure from the Las Vegas Police and the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

According to reports, area police and the gaming board have both expressed some concern over violence in the region and how the shootings have ties to the local rap community.

"I don't know if we can influence the gaming industry to not book gangster rap acts here in Las Vegas," Sheriff Bill Young wrote last June in a letter to state gambling regulators, recently published in The Wall Street Journal. "However, to my way of thinking, it is a legitimate crime-prevention strategy."

The tough stance on rap music comes on the heels of a rash of shootings in Clark County last year, when the lives of four local rappers were claimed by gunfire within a four-month timeframe.

As SOHH previously reported, police say an aspiring rapper named Trajik from the rap duo Desert Mobb took the life of a Las Vegas police officer. That incident prompted Nevada's State Gaming Control Board to issue a Feb. 7 letter to casino operators, citing the previous request by Sheriff Young and specifically stating concern about "gangsta rap." The letter concluded with the board's demand that operators "perform due diligence in determining suitability of entertainment," and reminded that licensee's could be held accountable for any violent incidents.

While Coors declined to comment on the Rio Hotel event, MGM Mirage chief spokesman Alan Feldman told The Wall Street Journal that his company saw the Feb. 7 memo from the gaming board as just a reminder that casinos be responsible for events on their properties.

In related news, Ice Cube is scheduled to appear on May 27 at the MGM Mirage's Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino as part of his promotional tour for his upcoming album Laugh Now, Cry Later.

While live hip-hop continues in some venues, the pressure from police has kept it out of others. One local bar, Moose's Beach House Bar & Grill, pulled advertisement from a local rap radio station and no longer offers a weekly hip-hop party.

"They said it could be a problem, the music we're playing," Moose's General Manager Johnny Young told The Wall Street Journal about being contacted by local police.

-article courtesy of SOHH.Com

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G-UNIT SIGNS ARAB PRINCE TO LABEL

Posted at 3/31/2006 07:18:00 AM

50 Cent and the G-Unit recently completed a series of private concerts for Middle East big wigs, including one for the infamous leader of Libya, Momar Khadafi.

The final stop on the tour was Bahrain, where the group stayed at the home of billionaire Sheik Abdul Muhammad. Among the other house guests were Tyson Beckford, John Legend, and the King Of Pop, Michael Jackson.

While in Bahrain, the G-Unit signed its newest member - Prince Addullah Al Khalifah Of Bahrain, nicknamed "The G-Unit Prince."

The Prince showed the crew all the trappings of his lavish lifestyle, including his prized automobile collection. According to the Prince, Bahrain is home to some of the most expensive cars in the world saying, "Maybachs are so common here - they're almost like Fords."

On the final night in Bahrain, the "G-Unit Prince" took the other members out for a decadent night that included dozens of bottles of Cristal champagne and $1,000 per night prostitutes. At the party, married track star Michael Johnson was spotted in a precarious position with a young woman. When Johnson was approached by a camera-wielding DJ Whoo Kid, the speedster bolted for the exit - showing why he's considered the world's fastest man.

Developing...

-article courtesy of mediatakeout.com

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CHAMILLIONAIRE KICKS OFF SPRING TOUR: Houston Rapper Set To Hit Road With Lil’ Flip On Texas Boyz Tour.

Posted at 3/31/2006 07:15:00 AM

Universal Records recording artist and Houston based hip-hop star Chamillionaire has announced a Texas Boyz Tour with fellow Houston native Lil’ Flip, continuing the ride on the unprecedented success of his major label debut album, The Sound Of Revenge. The second single “Ridin,” featuring Krayzie Bone from Chamillionaire’s gold selling album was recently the #2 most added song at Rhythm Crossover radio and is rocketing up the Rhythm Crossover Mediabase chart.

The much-anticipated tour, which kicks off in San Diego on March 30th, will run through Las Vegas, New York, Detroit and Atlanta among other cities, thrilling Chamillionaire fans in nearly 30 cities before winding up early this summer. Since the fall, of his 2005 release momentum has been building for Chamillionaire‘s The Sound Of Revenge. The mesmerizing “Turn It Up,” featuring Lil’ Flip, garnered an amazing combined radio audience of over 30 million listeners, becoming a ‘top-played’ anthem at rhythm crossover and urban radio across the U.S. The popular video also received tremendous support from BET and MTV, snaring the prestigious #1 most played video slot on BET, and enjoying unparalleled Top 10 rotation for a new artist. The video for “Ridin” will debut on MTV 2 “Hip-Hop” the week of March 13th with Chamillionaire making a personal appearance as host of the show.

Chamillionaire’s emergence as the music world’s hottest new hip-hop hitmaker has also been confirmed by The Sound Of Revenge’s #10 debut on Billboard’s Top Album’s chart upon its release, with nationally syndicated tomes such as Rolling Stone (who gave the new disc 3 and a half stars) raving: “He’s the next superstar in Houston’s hip hop takeover.”

The album, which features a top-tier roster of acclaimed producers and guest-artists, such as Kool & Dre (The Game), Scott Storch (50 Cent), David Banner, Mannie Fresh, and The Beat Bullies (Big Boi/Outkast), is nearing platinum, becoming one of the most successful hip hop debuts of the year.

Tour Dates:

March 30th San Diego House Of Blues

March 31st Las Vegas House Of Blues

April 1st Los Angeles House Of Blues

April 3rd Anaheim House of Blues

April 4th Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre

April 5th Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre

April 6th Albuquerque, NM Gotham Night Club

April 7th Oklahoma City Déjà vu Night Club

April 8th Tulsa, OK Club Energy

April 13th Detroit Zoo Bar

April 14th Cincinnati The Ritz

April 15th Cleveland Metropolis

April 16th New York BB King

April 19th Worcester, MA Palladium

April 21st Washington Fur Night Club

April 23rd Orlando House Of Blues

April 28th Fayetteville, NC Crown Center Theatre

April 29th Myrtle Beach House Of Blues

-article courtesy of EurWeb.Com

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Busta Rhymes Doesn't Allow Fan to "Touch It," 50 Cent Shells Out More Hate, Papoose Shouts Out "Imposters," Andre 3000 Destined To Rap Again

Posted at 3/31/2006 07:07:00 AM

In this week's Pulse Report, the streets are buzzing about Busta Rhymes flipping on a gay fan, 50 Cent scoffing at everything moving, Papoose and DJ Kay Slay calling out Myspace.com, and Andre 3000 spitting rhymes again.

1. Busta flips on gay fan. Bus' nerves have apparently been shot since the death of his bodyguard Israel Ramirez. Word is Bus was in Miami, FL's 11th Street Diner, next door to gay club Twist, when a gay fan approached him. "The restaurant was packed with transvestites, gay men and drag queens, which obviously made Busta a little edgy," eyewitness Thomas Barker told New York's Daily News. "This became evident when a young gay fan came up behind Busta and tapped him on the shoulder to congratulate the rapper on his recent comeback. Before the guy could even mutter a word, Busta turned around and repeatedly screamed, 'Why the fuck you touchin' me, man? Get the fuck away from me' . . . his two huge bodyguards then caused an even larger scene by pushing the kid away . . . Busta quietly whispered to his bodyguards, 'I hate fucking faggots, man.' " Busta's spokeswoman didn't return calls.

Meanwhile, Dinco D, a member of Bus' former group Leaders of the New School, recently recorded a diss track aimed at the Dungeon Dragon. Posted on his myspace page, "Fuck Touch It" uses the "Touch It" instrumental to deliver scattered jabs. "For those that are too high, heads can't fit caps/ Busta Rhymes' size is ten times to size of an actual hat/but let's fit it and make it match the truth/lyrics is all scream, a bunch of hollering hooks/breakdown the science you need to listen/you sounding like leaders with three members missing."

2. Fif denies Remy Ma rumors and snaps at Kanye, again. Fif took quite a few shots during an appearance on Hot 97's morning show earlier this week. First, Curtis "Interscope" Jackson denied that Remy Ma was to sign with G-Unit, followed by marketing advice. "I think they did big mistakes with Remy," Fif told Miss Jones and DJ Envy. "Remy should have been in the Lady of Rage lane... and been aggressive cause that's what she is. You got her up there like Lil' Kim sexied up. If Remy was to tell you she'll whoop yo ass I think you'll take to that a little more than her telling you, 'you want this.'"

With Miss Jones firmly hanging onto his balls, Fif proceeded to criticize the record industry for its shark practices. "Puff, the type of deals he made with them was like foul," 50 offered after mentioning he was in the process of freeing Mase from his Bad Boy contract. "With Mase and the Lox , all of them back then. You do that with somebody you have beef with. I do that with Ja." He then added that Puff was "running Big in the ground." Last but not least, Fif took another swing at Kanye West. "They like Kanye West cause he's a safe nigga," 50 offered. "It's better for your kid to wanna dress weird and just have a whole other vibe," Fiddy mocked before adding, "He said something in an interview one time that made me think about it. He said cause he was raised by his mother, he has feminine ways. That right there is who Kanye West is to me. That statement is stuck in my head. He said it like he meant it." Ouch.

3. Pap and Kay Slay call out Myspace. Brooklyn's mixtape champ Papoose, recently phoned into associate Kay Slay's Drama Hour show on Hot 97 and vented that he was unable to put up a page on Myspace.com. According to Pap, the "Papoose page" on myspace that has generated well over 250,000 hits and nearly 29,000 friends is not official. "The nigga reported me and said I was the impostor," Pap revealed about 'Impostor Space.' "The nigga did it twice. He jacked my shit and took it down. I think it's somebody that work for that company or something. If ya'll listening, ya'll need to get ya'll shit together. Ya'll got impersonators and when the real motherfuckers put they shit up, ya'll taking them off, talking about they the fake ones." Pap also said the page had amassed 400,000 friends before declaring, "We wanna see Tom (Myspace moderator) and we gon blast you every time we get on the air. Tell that nigga Tom to call up man."

4. Andre raps again. Heads expecting Andre 3000 to give up his far out experiments shouldn't hold their breath. Word is the ATLien turned in several genre defying pieces for OutKast's new LP, the movie soundtrack to their upcoming film, My Life In Idlewild. Sources say "Morris Brown," one of Dre's solo efforts, features the college's marching band, providing a progressive cut in the same vein as "Whole World" and "Hey Ya." Yet, the soundtrack should also evoke memories of ATLiens and Aquemini as Dre is reportedly heading back to the lab to lace some 16s.

5. Cousin Dash sues Mike Jack. The Dash family has hustling in their blood. Darien Dash, cousin of Dame Dash, has reportedly filed a $48 million lawsuit against Michael Jackson. Prescient Partners' Dash contends that Jackson or someone in his camp promised him a 9 % fee if they could find the king of pop financing to buy out his Bank of America loans. Prescient claims it gathered over $500 million from Fortress Investments, but Dash has yet to be compensated by the gloved one. According to Fox News, Fortress has also been stiffed and could foreclose on Jackson on $270 million in loans.

-article courtesy of SOHH.Com

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Rock Steady Crew's Crazy Legs Dances His Way Into a Video Game

Posted at 3/31/2006 07:04:00 AM

B-Boy legend Crazy Legs is helping to develop a break-dance video game set to be released on PlayStation Portable (PSP) and PlayStation2.

B-Boy, developed by FreeStyleGames, allows players to build a crew and battle against famous breakers, including in-game host Crazy Legs. The legendary dancer worked closely with developers to ensure the game represents an authentic portrayal of b-boys and hip-hop culture.

"FreeStyleGames have managed to put together this game in a way that means the hip-hop community can be sure that the integrity and art of b-boying won't be compromised," said Crazy Legs. "It's great to know that they have actively sought out the real b-boys that make the scene what it is today to make this game happen."

The game features a possible 800 motion captured moves, as the player progresses from street battles to the world championships. 40 real-life b-boys appear in the game including Kamel, Ivan "The Urban Action Figure," Crumbs, Hong10, Lillou and Mouse.

The game also allows players to create and customize their own b-boy, and also includes more than 40 hip-hop and funk tracks, mixed and scratched by in-game DJs.

In related news, Marc Ecko's graffiti-inspired Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure video game proved that hip-hop-inspired games can be a success by shipping gold.

B-Boy will be available on PSP and PlayStation2 in September

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T.I.'s "King" Receives Royal Treatment, First-Week Sales May Top 500,000

Posted at 3/31/2006 07:01:00 AM

According to early reports, T.I.'s King album is on pace to become the year's biggest first-week seller to date with numbers heading past 500,000 copies.

With lead single "What You Know" in heavy rotation and T.I. making his motion picture debut in ATL this weekend, King, his fourth solo set, is expected to land atop the Billboard album charts next week.

Word is the album may sell well over 500,000 units should Warner Music Group fix major stock and distribution problems in a timely fashion. The album would put Tip in a position to score his first multi-platinum release. The Atlanta rapper already has two platinum efforts under his belt, 2003's Trap Muzik and 2004's Urban Legend. He also dropped his debut I'm Serious in 2001.

In related news, T.I. is starring in ATL, a coming of age story set in the crunk capital. Directed by Chris Robinson and executive produced by Will Smith, the flick also stars Big Boi, Lauren London, Keith David (Dead Presidents, Clockers) and Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump, Ali). ATL's L.A. premiere takes places tonight while the movie opens nationwide this Friday.

T.I.'s King is in stores now.

-article courtesy of SOHH.Com

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One-Time Rivals Marley Marl And KRS-One Record Album

Posted at 3/31/2006 06:51:00 AM