Hip Hop

Death Row Records Made a Christmas Album?

Authored by Scott Goldberg on December 20, 2006 - 5:37am.

At a Christmas decorating party I recently attended, the host played a homemade holiday compilation disc. When I realized within the opening stanza of the first song that it was not Alvin & The Chipmunks but The Beatles, I was surprised, though less so than I was for the songs that followed. Soon there was Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Christina Aguilera, Kurtis Blow, Whitney Houston, and a tune from Phil Specter’s album, “A Christmas Gift to You”. But then came a moment of surprise similar to taking a sip of water from a straw only to find a Jack & Coke. Silky smooth over the stereo came the one and only Snoop Dogg, singing a song called, “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto.”

Groove Mobile to Debut Exclusive Mobile Tracks from Orchard Artists

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2006 - 4:01pm.

Bedford, Mass. - Mobile music service provider Groove Mobile announced on Thursday that a number of reggae and hip-hop musicians distributed by The Orchard will premiere new tracks exclusively on the company's mobile phone download service. Tracks from Pete Rock, Talib Kweli, DJ Crucial, Max Romeo and U-Roy will be available via Groove-powered services -- such as those from Sprint, Orange and Telenor -- several weeks before they go on sale on iTunes or in stores.

Activision's "MTV's Pimp My Ride" Game Ships to Retailers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 5, 2006 - 3:30pm.

Minneapolis - Activision Publishing on Tuesday released its "MTV's Pimp My Ride" title for PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360. The game features the voice and likeness of show host Xzibit, as well as several tracks from the hip-hop artist's recently released album.

Endavo Media Powers Hip-Hop Music Site ItsCrunkTV.com

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2006 - 12:43pm.

Atlanta - Endavo Media, a provider of online broadcasting technologies, said on Friday that its services have been used to launch ItsCrunkTV.com, a site that will host on-demand music videos from hip-hop artists including Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz, E-40 and Lil Scrappy. The site was founded by Vince Phillips, who also co-founded BME Recordings and runs Hit Radio & Television. Along with videos, the site will also feature daily news, interviews, tour coverage, games and merchandise.

Buzz Watch: Snoop Dogg Hides Bling-Bling in Album

Authored by Jay Baage on November 3, 2006 - 11:37am.

Hip hop icon Snoop Dogg employs an unusual marketing ploy in selling his new highly anticipated album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment being released on November 21st through Doggystyle/Geffen. Inside a random CD of the album will be a ticket for a diamond Ice Link watch worth $100,000. Now that’s some serious gangsta’ bling-bling you can get for going old school and ditching iTunes!

Burger King, Diddy Launch "DiddyTV" Promo Channel on YouTube

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 10, 2006 - 3:40pm.

Miami - Fast food chain Burger King announced that it has partnered with hip-hop artist Sean "Diddy" Combs on a cross-marketing partnership that includes the launch of a "DiddyTV" channel on the YouTube video-sharing service. The channel will feature tracks and video clips from Diddy's forthcoming album, "Press Play." Under the deal, Combs will appear in a Burger King ad campaign, while the restaurant chain will sponsor a nationwide promotional tour for the album.