Sunday, January 11, 2015

DJ Premier's D&D Studios Closes

by Danielle Harling

DJ Premier's D&D Studios Closes

DJ Premier's D&D Studios closes its doors to make room for luxury apartments.
Yesterday (January 7), DJ Premier announced that D&D Studios (formerly known as HeadQCourterz Studios) had closed its doors for good after well over a decade under the Brooklyn, New York producer’s ownership.

Located on 37th Street in New York City’s Garment District, D&D Studios reportedly closed down to make room for luxury apartments in the building it was housed in. AmbrosiaForHeads.com reports that DJ Premier will now work out of Queens’ Kaufman Astoria Studios.

Although DJ Premier purchased the studio in 2002 following the death of its former owner, HeadQCourterz, he has worked in the studio since the early '90s.

Among the projects worked on at D&D Studios were ones from Jay Z, Big Pun, Snoop Dogg, Big L, Slaughterhouse and Dilated Peoples. In addition to those albums, DJ Premier also recorded a large majority of his Gang Starr songs at the recording studio.

Other notable albums recorded at D&D Studios included Nas’ Illmatic and The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready To Die.

DJ Premier recently turned to Instagram to post a handful of pics from the studio as he prepared to close its doors.

In one post, Premier uploaded a picture of fellow artist Showbiz along with the caption: “Showbiz packin up. He's the one that brought me to D & D to lay scratches for Lord Finesse on a REMIX called "Return Of The Funky Man". Eddie Sancho did the mix and I never left from that day. CIRCA1992... #DaveAndDoug #premierwuzhere The Closing Of D & D Studios”

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Wu-Tang Clan's "Once Upon A Time In Shaolin" To Be Sold Through Paddle8

by Danielle Harling

Micro-site to launch later this month with added details on upcoming "Once Upon A Time In Shaolin" sale.
In a message sent to Forbes earlier this month, Wu-Tang Clan lyricist RZA confirmed that the lone copy of the group’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album will be sold through Paddle8, a company described as “the auction house for the 21st-century collector.”
“We will announce Paddle8 as [the] official auction house,” RZA said in an electronic message sent to Forbes.

No added details regarding the sale were revealed, but according to Forbes, a micro-site with more information on the sale will launch later this month. The micro-site will feature interviews with RZA, Wu-Tang-related essays, and a sneak peek at the Once Upon A Time In Shaolin tracklist.
Additionally, Forbes reports that Once Upon A Time In Shaolin will not be auctioned and will instead be treated as a private sale.

“That’s something that auction houses–Christie’s, Sotheby’s, all the way down to Paddle8–do quite frequently,” Paddle8′s Sarah Goulet said, according to Forbes. “It’s price upon request.”
It’s unclear what amount Once Upon A Time In Shaolin will sell for, but in an interview last year, RZA did reveal that he was offered $5 million for the album.

"Offers came in at $2 million, somebody offered $5 million yesterday,” RZA said during an interview with Billboard in April of last year. "I've been getting a lot of e-mails -- some from people I know, some from people I don't know, and they're also e-mailing other members of my organization.”

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VH1 Announces TV Movie Based On Dan Charnas' "The Big Payback"

by Jay Balfour

VH1 announces a new TV movie called "The Breaks" set to premiere this fall.
Following up on its latest nostalgia-driven scripted drama Hindsight which premiered last night (January 7), VH1 has announced that it is developing a TV movie based on Dan Charnas' best-selling book The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop.

The network hopes for a fall premiere of a title tentatively called The Breaks and industry veteran Seith Mann, who has directed episodes of The Wire, The Walking Dead, Homeland, and more, has been tapped as a screenwriter, executive producer, and director for the project. Charnas himself will also serve as an executive producer and co-wrote the script.

According to a press release from VH1, The Breaks "will chronicle the journey of Nikki, David and Deevee, three friends united by their love of Hip Hop, as they work to make their big mark in the music industry." Similar to Hindsight, The Breaks will be set in in early '90s New York. "Nikki Jones is a brilliant recent grad who abandoned a scholarship to law school to pursue her dream of becoming a record exec," VH1 announced. "Her boyfriend, David Aaron, is the scrappy son of a legendary music producer who is unwilling to rest on his father's laurels and notorious reputation. DeeVee is an aspiring producer on the hunt to find the next big rapper on the come-up."

Dan Charnas' The Big Payback was originally released in 2010. The book author also worked for Profile Records and Rick Rubin's Def American Recordings. Previously, Charnas was a frequent cover story writer for The Source and later hosted a segment on a Hip Hop show for KPWR in Los Angeles.


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Coachella Festival 2015 Lineup Announced

by Daniel Witcoff

The annual festival in Indio, California will host performances from Drake, Ghostface Killah, Run The Jewels and Ab-Soul.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has announced the lineup for 2015.
The festival--for which General Admission tickets are already sold out--will be headlined by AC/DC, Jack White and Drake.

Other Hip Hop acts slated to performa at the annual event include Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Ab-Soul, Run the Jewels, Flying Lotus, Action Bronson, The Weeknd, Tyler the Creator, The Weeknd, Azealia Banks and Lil B.

The rest of the lineup can be seen on the official poster for the event, below.
Coachella Lineup 620x620
Coachella2


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DMX Announces "Redemption Of The Beast" Album Release Date, Cover Art & Tracklist

by Daniel Witcoff

DMX Announces "Redemption Of The Beast" Album Release Date, Cover Art & Tracklist
The Ruff Ryders rapper is slated to release his eighth solo album.
DMX is scheduled to release his Redemption of the Beast album January 13, 2015.
ROTB will mark the rapper’s eighth solo release.
The 16-track album features guest work from Freeway and Jannyce.
DMX's debut album, 1998's It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, entered the charts as the #1 album in the country upon its release.
More recently, DMX has been in the media due to his role in Chris Rock’s Top Five film. DMX portrayed himself in the film and his “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” is featured on the film’s official soundtrack.
The Redemption of the Beast artwork and tracklist are as follows:
dmx-redemption-of-the-beast-304x304
  1. Spit That Shit
  2. Built Like A Bitch
  3. On and On
  4. Get Up and Try Again
  5. Solid Ft. Rampage
  6. I'm Gonna Win
  7. It's A Problem
  8. It’s Goin' Down
  9. Shout It
  10. One More Night
  11. 56 Bars
  12. Where You Been Ft. Freeway
  13. Right or Wrong Ft. Jannyce
  14. Gonna Get Mine
  15. We Gonna Make It
  16. Love That Bitch Ft. Jannyce

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