50 Cent Album Now Due in 2009, With Bonus DVDs

(swiped from Pitchfork Media)

Apparently, having your own tired-looking reality show on MTV does not keep your record's release from being delayed, at least if you're 50 Cent. Now, instead of coming out on December 9 as planned, 50's perhaps presciently titled fourth album, Before I Self Destruct, will see release early next year via Shady/Aftermath/Interscope.

Both Dr. Dre and Eminem contribute production and guest verses to Before I Self Destruct, and the record's Scott Storch-produced first single, "Get Up", actually sounds decent. If nothing else, the Curtis follow-up is starting out on the right foot. Also, history would lead us to believe that the disc should contain one all-out banger, a la "In Da Club" or "I Get Money" (we'd also include "Hate It or Love It", but the original track was from the Game's debut album).

But Before I Self Destruct isn't just a 50 Cent album. It's also a movie written by 50 Cent, directed by 50 Cent, and starring 50 Cent. It's a movie about a basketball player who sacrifices his dream of playing in the NBA to a life of crime in order to take care of his academically gifted younger brother and avenge the death of their mother. Perhaps learning from the tepid overall response to Get Rich or Die Tryin' the movie, 50 is including a DVD of the film with every copy of the album.

Early deluxe editions of Before I Self Destruct will also include a second DVD, a documentary called Two Turntables and a Microphone: The Life and Death of Jam Master Jay. In addition to 50 Cent, the movie about the late Run DMC DJ (and 50 Cent mentor) features appearances from Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, and Rev Run of Run-DMC.

• Stream: 50 Cent: Get Up [single; from the forthcoming Before I Self Destruct LP]

Eminem recording new material, but no release set

(swiped from Reuters)

After several years away from the limelight, rapper Eminem may release a new album this year.

During a recent appearance on his Sirius XM satellite radio station, Shade 45, the MC admitted that he has been producing tracks for his Shady Records artists and himself. Eminem also interviewed MC Masta Ace, who he's long noted as an influence.

"I'm concentrating on my own stuff right now -- just banging out tracks," Eminem said. "The more I keep producing, the better it seems I get. I start knowing stuff, learning the boards like the back of my hands."

An Interscope representative said there is no official release date nor a first single but confirmed that an album may arrive before year's end.

Eminem's last effort, "Encore," was released in 2004.

Hip-hop artist 50 Cent, with whom Eminem has collaborated in the past, spoke to BBC Radio 1 this week and said fans will be "seeing (Eminem) shortly. He's working. I spent the weekend at his house. Even though he tries to relax and stay home, it's impossible for him to stay in."

Dr. Dre Eyeing "November or December" for Detox

(swiped from Pitchfork Media)

Not to be outdone by Axl Rose's hints at releasing Chinese Democracy this fall, Dr. Dre recently told USA Today [via Rollingstone.com] that he is "shooting for a November or December release" for his own oft-delayed masterwork, Detox. However, he preceded the statement by saying "in a perfect world," so let's not hold our breath here, people.

"I'm just now-- over the last couple of months-- starting to feel that it's going to be right and it's something I can be proud of, and everybody is going to love it," Dre said to USA Today.

Dre also said Detox's beats consist of a lot of live drums and that "usual suspects" such as Nas, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne will make guest appearances.

Whenever it happens, Detox will come out on Dre's own Aftermath/Interscope label.

After the record is released (if ever), the rapper/producer told USA Today that he'd like to find the next artist he can launch into the pop stratosphere, as he did with Eminem and 50 Cent (and kind of Snoop Dogg). "All I want to do is sit in the studio with that person for a year and try to create another masterpiece," he said.

In more definite Dr. Dre release news, the producer has teamed with Interscope/Geffen/A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine and a/v company Monster to release his own brand of "high definition powered isolation headphones," according to a press release.

The phones [pictured below] are called "Beats by Dr. Dre" and will be sold exclusively via Apple, Best Buy, and online starting July 25.

The price tag on the headphones is just shy of $350, but um...maybe Dr. Dre can sell you:

"Artists and producers work hard in the studio perfecting their sound, but people can't really hear it with normal headphones. Most headphones can't handle the bass, the detail, the dynamics. Bottom line: the music doesn't move you. With Beats, people are going to hear what the artists hear and listen to the music the way they should-- the way I do."

Video: Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg: Nuthin' But a G Thang [from The Chronic LP]

Dr. Dre to Suge Knight: Puff, Puff, Pass my Chronic Rights

(swiped from Pitchfork Media)

Dr. Dre has brought a lawsuit against his former label Death Row Records (which is now defunct) over the rights to his 1992 classic album The Chronic. According to an AP report, he filed the suit with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday, August 15, and the report lays it out to be a pretty complicated case.
Here's the rough chronology behind the suit:

Fall of 1992: Dr. Dre grants Death Row a license to distribute The Chronic in exchange for royalties.

March 1996: Dre gives up his 50 percent ownership interest in Death Row and agrees to give Death Row The Chronic's copyrights as long as he continues to receive royalties.

2000: After Death Row has failed to pay royalties, Dre notifies the label that he is overturning their agreement and demanding The Chronic's copyrights back.

Present day: Dre's current suit asserts that he upheld his parts of the original deals and that Death Row and the Chapter 11 trustee in charge of the label's bankruptcy case are violating his rights as the owner of the copyrights by continuing to distribute the album without his permission.

So Dre wants the album's copyrights back, and he's asking the court to officially overturn the 1992 and 1996 agreements so that he can get them. He also wants Death Row and the bankruptcy trustee to pay him restitution for the revenue the label received from using the copyrights.

But why is this all coming to light now? Apparently, the new suit reflects Dre's belief that the trustee has solicited bids for the copyrights in the past month and plans to sell them. To take care of that concern in the meantime, he has asked the court to issue a permanent injunction to bar the sale of the copyrights without his written permission.

So it might become pretty hard to find a copy of The Chronic at your local record shop very, very soon.

Kanye West Vs. 50 Cent: Rivalry?

Let the games begin.

Several wagers in TV appearances by 50 Cent calling Kanye West out. From a televised debate to 50 going so far as to proclaim that if West outsells him, he will no longer write music.

I mean really, both are totally different artists. Real talk, Kanye is definitely doing something wonderful, but it's not all THAT different. In addition, we should all come to the realization that both are mainstream artists, and are therefore sales driven. Now I would be of the notion that healthy competition is very existent within today's society without having to damage another person's career. But this has seriously gone too far.

I personally plan to buy both albums, cause I'm one who shows no bias between 50 nor Kanye. At the same time, the true decision is gonna come down to the consumer who goes out on 9/11 to purchase either one of these albums, and in the end it's all a matter of personal preference. Better opinion? DJ Muggs & Sick Jacken is coming out on 9/11 as well. Again, I'm buying all three. But to all those who choose to follow the hype, a word of advice from me. Don't make it more serious than it is. There are people dying in far worse situations for us to worry about a simple beef between two successful artists.