KANYE’S ‘HEARTBREAK’ DEBUTS ON TOP December 5, 2008

 

Kanye West scored his third straight No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 as “808s & Heartbreak” debuts in the top slot above contenders “Chinese Democracy,” the long-awaited return of Guns N’ Roses, and a surge from Taylor Swift’s “Fearless.”      

        West’s Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam set moved 450,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. It’s the artist’s lowest debut sales frame since his first album, “The College Dropout,” bowed with 441,000 in 2004.      

       His last release, “Graduation,” began with 957,000 at No. 1 last year, while sophomore set “Late Registration” checked in with 860,000 at No. 1 in 2005.

 

       Swift’s “Fearless” and GNR’s “Chinese Democracy” are No. 2 and 3 respectively, followed by Beyonce’s “I Am … Sasha Fierce” (Music World/Columbia), which drops 1-4 in its second week with 257,000.       

       Ludacris debuts at No. 5 with “Theater of the Mind” (DTP/Def Jam) at 213,000. It’s the first time one of the rapper’s albums debuted anywhere but No. 1 since 2001’s “Word of Mouf” bowed and peaked at No. 3.       

       Meanwhile, Beyonce’s track “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” has become the singer’s fifth solo No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart – one more than she scored as a member of Destiny’s Child.      

       The single climbs one notch to the top, swapping places with T.I.’s “Live Your Life.” Another Beyonce song, “If I Were a Boy,” held at No. 3, and another former T.I. chart-topper, “Whatever You Like,” held at No. 4. Newcomer Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance” featuring Colby O’Donis rose two places to No. 5.

 

       Top debut honors went to Kanye West’s “See You in My Nightmares” featuring Lil Wayne, which started at No. 21.

LUDACRIS, SOULJA BOY TEAM FOR FREE SHOW December 2, 2008

 

Ludacris and Soulja Boy Tell’em will perform in Atlanta Saturday (Dec. 6) at the “Unofficial’ SEC Championship Afterparty” following the 2008 SEC Football Championship.

 

       Doors open at 8 p.m. ET at the Tabernacle (152 Luckie St. NW), following red carpet appearances by the artists.      

       Fans can text ATTLUDA to 66937* for the chance to win a mobile ticket good for two people. Mobile tickets will be sent to the winners by Dec. 3. The first 1,000 fans in line on Saturday with a mobile ticket will be admitted.

 

       “I’m excited to be helping AT&T recognize and celebrate the SEC Championship, which is such a time-honored tradition,” said Ludacris.

 

       Soulja Boy Tell’em added: “I receive an amazing amount of love from the South when it comes to supporting my projects — especially in college football games where I see some of the players and fans doing my dances when they score. We even tried to capture some of that excitement in the video for my new single, ‘Bird Walk.’ Performing a free show at an SEC Championship game afterparty is the least I can do to give some of that support and love back.”

 

       Following the concert, AT&T will also have exclusive concert footage available for viewing through Cellular Video (CV). Fans who text ATTLUDA to 66937 will receive an alert when the footage is available for viewing.

KANYE, LUDACRIS RELEASE DATES PUSHED UP November 11, 2008

 

Island Def Jam is moving up by a day the release dates for Ludacris’ “Theater of the Mind” and Kanye West’s “808s & Heartbreak,” in what it says is an attempt to capitalize on the Thanksgiving shopping weekend.      

       Both albums were due Nov. 25 but will now arrive off-cycle on Monday, Nov. 24 in both physical and digital formats.      

       Each project has already spawned a hit. Ludacris’ “One More Drink” co-starring T-Pain is No. 34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while West’s “Love Lockdown” has already peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100.

Ludacris Looks For Unsigned MC To Guest On “Undisputed” November 7, 2008

You could end up on a track with Ludacris.The Atlanta MC has just launched (11/05) “The Undisputed Open Mic Throwdown,” a nationwide MC Competition via his new social networking web site wemix.com. Competing MCs will get the chance to land a guest verse on the official remix to “Undisputed,” Luda’s first single off his forthcoming Theater Of The Mind.

Each contestants must record a 16-Bar verse to enter the competition. Luda will handpick five finalists while the prize winner will be selected by the wemix.com community. The winner will be revealed in early December.

“I just want artists to be themselves and try not to sound how they think I want them to on the track,” Luda said in a statement. “Just be natural and deliver your absolute best.”

The winner will also take home a Sony Acid Pro 7 music production software package with 10 loop packs. The runners-up will receive the Sony Acid Music Studio package with one loop pack.

Luda’s Theater Of The Mind is set to hit stores November 25th.

MTV, CNN TEAM FOR CONCERT HONORING VETS October 16, 2008

MTV’s Choose or Lose campaign and CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360″ are partnering for a two-night event to support veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

 

      “A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE” will air Oct. 24 on MTV (8 p.m. EDT) from a performance taped in New York the previous day, reports the Associated Press.  BRAVE stands for Bill of Rights for American Veterans, a petition created by MTV and several veterans’ organizations.

 

       The concert, which will also broadcast online at www.vMTV.com, features performances by 50 Cent, Ludacris and Saving Abel, as well as taped performances from Kanye West, Kid Rock, Fall Out Boy, Angels and Airwaves, Nelly, Juanes and Taylor Swift. Also making taped performances are Beyonce, Will Ferrell, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend and others.      

       On Oct. 25, CNN will air a special of “Anderson Cooper 360″ titled “Back From Battle” that focuses on stories of young veterans. News packages from CNN and MTV News will air throughout the special, which will be held in front of an audience of young veterans and their families.      

       “It doesn’t matter where you stand on the war, we can all agree that young veterans serving our country must receive the benefits they’ve earned for their sacrifices,” said Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks. “We aim to elevate these issues and ensure they’re a top priority for our government officials.”

 

LUDACRIS CAUGHT IN LITERARY CLUB MIXUP October 14, 2008

       The rapper-actor reportedly contacted heads of the exclusive organization, Manuscript, in an attempt to join the group.      

      Luda’s rep allegedly made a call “under the mistaken idea that Manuscript is a literary society,” insisting the artist would be “honored” to become a member under his real name.      

       But the Atlanta native was denied – because members can only be elected with the consent of the current alumni. The source adds: “The club said absolutely not. It’s just not done.”

BLACKS ARE VOTING EARLY AND OFTEN IN GA October 9, 2008

Chris “Ludacris” Bridges won’t have to worry about standing in line at his local polling station next month on Election Day.

 

       “I already voted,” the Atlanta-born rapper-actor told the New York Daily News. The supporter of Democratic nominee Barack Obama added: “I think it’s very clear who I voted for.”

 

       In fact, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that a substantial number of blacks in Georgia have taken advantage of the early voting option as a way to avoid any unforeseen polling problems on Nov. 4.

 

      Of the 263,408 ballots already cast in Georgia since early polling opened Sept. 22, 38% were by voters who identify themselves as African Americans, even though blacks account for just 29% of Georgia’s 5.6 million voters. Registration is up from about 4.3 million in November 2004 and about 4 million in November 2000.

 

       John McCain holds a substantial lead over Barack Obama in most Georgia polls, including leads of seven and eight percentage points in Research 2000 and SurveyUSA polls taken last week.

‘BET HIP HOP AWARDS’ ANNOUNCES LINEUP October 9, 2008

Lil’ Wayne, Ludacris, The Game, and Young Jeezy are among the performers set for the upcoming “BET Hip Hop Awards,” which will take place on Oct. 18 at Atlanta’s Civic Center and air on the network Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. 

 

       Common, T-Pain, N.E.R.D. and Lady of Rage are also scheduled to take the stage, while Jadakiss serves as the night’s celebrity announcer and DJ Drama mans the turntables throughout the show.       

       Presenters include the Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon, Masta Killa, U-God, Inspectah Deck and RZA.       

       As previously announced, actor/comedian Katt Williams will host the ceremony and legendary hip-hop veteran Russell Simmons will be honored with the “I Am Hip Hop” Icon Award.      

       A special tribute will also be paid to female pioneers in hip hop who have paved the way for women in a predominantly male industry.

 

LUDACRIS DESIGNS NEW ERA CAP October 1, 2008

Ludacris is the latest celebrity to design a cap for New Era’s “Capture the Flag” limited-edition series, joining previous participants Fabolous, Cam’ron, Fat Joe, and The Game.      

       The actor-rapper designed the cap himself with such features as a large Atlanta Braves “A” style crest on the side-front left that is half clear crystals on the right and half black crystals on the left.       

       The Luda-designed cap is black with red piping and also features the “Disturbing Tha Peace” logo in the flocked lining and undervisor flip along with the “Just Getting Started” logo on the back.       

       The cap is due to hit retail on Oct. 17, and will be available exclusively at New Era Flagship stores and online at www.neweracap.com for $125.00. Only 200 units are available worldwide.

LUDACRIS LOSES POOL HOUSE TO FIRE September 27, 2008

A fire has destroyed the pool house of rapper-actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, fire officials tell the Associated Press.

 

       The rapper was out of town Wednesday night when flames engulfed the structure on his property, located outside of Atlanta. Fulton County Fire Department spokesman Gregory Chambers says a relative was in the basement of the main residence when the fire broke out and was not injured.      

       Chambers says the fire was extinguished within 30 minutes, but not before it destroyed the pool house, which he says is larger than most homes.      

       The fire was being investigated but the cause was not immediately identified.