It’s showtime! Swizz Beatz reunites with his Ruff Ryders cohort Eve on “Everyday (Coolin’),” the first single from his upcoming album Haute Living. Swizzy balls out on the weekdays and cools off on the weekend, name checking designer labels including Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Balmain, and Givenchy over the wailing instrumental.
Beyoncé and her father are going their separate ways. The superstar will no longer be managed by her father Mathew Knowles, it was announced today.
The Grammy-winning singer’s publicist released a statement to The Associated Press revealing that Beyoncé and Mathew have split “on a business level.” While they may no longer have a professional relationship, a grateful Beyoncé added, “He is my father for life and I love my dad dearly.”
Knowles managed his daughter since the start of her career as a member of Destiny’s Child and through her three solo albums. She is currently working on her fourth studio album, but new management has not been announced.
Her Destiny’s Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams previously split from Knowles to pursue solo careers.
Snoop Dogg kept the memory of his West Coast brother Nate Dogg alive by tatting a picture of his face on his left forearm along with the words “All Doggs Go to Heaven.” The new ink by famed tattoo artist Mister Cartoon was done late Friday and serves as a lasting tribute to his lifelong friend.
“We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb,” Snoop previously tweeted. “One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at poly high where we met. I love u buddy luv. U will always b wit me 4ever n a day.”
Rick Ross was arrested for marijuana possession while in Shreveport, La., for a paid club gig on Friday night.
TMZ reports that police detected a strong smell of marijuana coming from the rapper’s hotel room. When cops investigated, they found approximately one gram of weed in plain sight.
Ross was booked and released on a misdemeanor summons. He continued as scheduled on the “I Am Music II” tour, sharing the bill with Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj in Philadelphia this past Saturday.
Thousands of Nate Dogg’s family, friends, and fans gathered to say goodbye to the G-Funk trailblazer, born Nathaniel Hale, in his hometown of Long Beach, Calif., on Saturday morning (March 26). His West Coast peers including Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Game, DJ Quik, Kurupt, Xzibit, and more made their way into the Queen Mary Dome on a cloudy day as the hip-hop icon was laid to rest.
A wooden coffin covered with red and white flowers sat before the mourners as they shared tears, laughter, and testimonials from the Grammy-nominated crooner’s storied life, closing the ceremony with a choir.
“He was a loving, caring individual,” said an emotional Snoop, who got a tattoo of his friend’s face the day before. “I’m so honored, so happy that you gave me the opportunity, God, to know Nate Dogg. I want to stand here and cry, but I have to have the strength for you Nate Dogg. It’s 213, DPG for life.”
His “Regulate” collaborator Warren G also offered some heartfelt words. “It hurts me so much to see this,” he added. “We been through a whole lot and that was my dog. He stayed down with me from the bottom to the top. I didn’t ever think I would have to sit at a funeral for one of my dogs. All I can say is that was my friend, me, him, and Snoop was 213 from the balls to the walls. The music industry lost an incredible artist.”
Porcelain Black rocks out with Lil Wayne in her debut video for “This Is What Rock N Roll Looks Like,” the first single from her Universal Republic debut. The 25-year-old glam rocker, who describes her music as a mix between Marilyn Manson and Britney Spears, is currently on tour with Weezy and Nicki Minaj.
In what stands as a major global music relief effort to benefit those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, over 30 of the biggest names in contemporary music have joined together for the worldwide release of “Songs for Japan,” a compilation of 38 chart-topping hits and classic tracks, available worldwide on the iTunes Store for $9.99 starting today (www.itunes.com/songsforjapan).
Proceeds from the album’s sale will benefit the disaster relief efforts of the Japanese Red Cross Society.
The society will use the funds for the ongoing provision of immediate relief and for eventual recovery support to the affected population.
The artists participating on “Songs for Japan,” the music labels and music publishers have waived their royalties and proceeds from the worldwide sales of the album to ensure that the JRCS receives as much support as possible from this global initiative.
iTunes will also donate its proceeds from the album’s worldwide sales to the benefit of the JRCS, and has prominently featured the project throughout its stores worldwide
Participating in “Songs For Japan” are Beyonce, U2, Bob Dylan, Lady Gag, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Eminem, Neyo, Bon Jovi, Sade and several more.
Check out the tracklisitng for “Songs For Japan” below.
Chris Brown and his publicist are throwing up the deuces. Days after his “GMA” meltdown, the R&B singer and his press rep have parted ways.
Tammy Brook, president of FYI Public Relations, released a statement today announcing their mutual split. She was brought on to help promote Brown’s fourth album F.A.M.E., which is expected to debut at No. 1 next week.
“I am an entertainment/music publicist and was hired as a publicist, as they often are, to work specifically on his music publicity for the term up to the release of Chris Brown’s F.A.M.E. album, which was released on Tuesday, March 22, and is entering the Billboard and iTunes charts at number 1 this week,” she told TMZ.
Despite rumors of a fall out, Brook still stands behind her former client. “I love and support Chris and it has been an honor to be a part of this album and I look forward to the possibility of working with him again in the future.”
The Roc will be in the building at Rihanna’s “LOUD” tour. J. Cole has been added as an opening act for the singer’s upcoming North American trek.
The pop princess made the announcement on Twitter. “J.Cole will be joining me to hit the road in N.America and Canada this SUMMER #LOUDtour,” she tweeted to her 4.1 million followers.
Rihanna is managed by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Cole is signed to the label. The North Carolina rapper released a remix to RiRi’s hit “S&M” and shared his admiration for her in a previous interview, “I’m a Rihanna fan. She’s really dope,” he said. The Roc stars will hit the road, along with previously announced supporting act Cee Lo Green, starting June 4 in Baltimore, traveling to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and more, before wrapping in late July.
Juelz Santana missed a performance at Chris Brown’s record release party for his album F.A.M.E., after police stopped the rapper and searched him for guns and drugs.
The New Post reports that Juelz was supposed to hit the stage with Chris Brown on Tuesday (March 22nd), but he was stopped at the door by police.
While no one was arrested, Juelz was not allowed to enter the building during the search, which caused him to miss his entire performance with Chris Brown.
“Nobody got arrested. They were just giving him a hard time,” said Juelz’ lawyer Joe Wunstop told The New York Post. “By the time they finished searching, Juelz was upset — so it wouldn’t have made for a good show. He’s not part of the Bloods gang.”
Wunstop told The New York Post that police stopped Juelz because members of his entourage “might be affiliated — friend bring friends and he’s a really friendly dude.”
Dre Black So Fresh 