Here is Mariah Carey talking about working with Danja and previewing her track "Migrate." The TV rip is not the best quality but it definitely outshines the Saturday NIght Live version she performed a couple weeks back. Take a listen:
And what did Danja have to say about working with Mariah on the track? "[Mariah] definitely opens up towards the end of the song and shows what Mariah does. It's a different array of her vocal range on this record, but she keeps it pretty mid-range and then toward the end she lets loose. She was singing in the room, and I was just blown away by how good it sounded without her even trying. It's incredible, I see why she is who she is."'
Let's hope the next stage of the track is the HQ version!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Mariah Carey gives us a taste of "Migrate"
Keri Hilson previews In A Perfect World
Keri Hilson recently say down with Last FM to give them a preview of her forthcoming album In A Perfect World and this is what she had to say about it:
****We got a first listen at Keri Hilson's (the chick in "Way I Are") debut album, In a Perfect World, on Tuesday, and it seems Timbaland DOES have a ear for talent. Here is a sneak peek of our article, coming this Wednesday. "Before the album was played, Keri told us a few things:
On the title:
'The title was very difficult to choose. We had, like, 4 titles in the bag, but then it was down to two. Keri'd Away, which is a play on my name, obviously, but I chose In a Perfect World. It wasn't saying that I'm perfect, because I am definitely not, but I thought it was appropriate for the album.'
The sound:
'My sound is a mixture of alot of things... alot of moods. It's definitely R&B, but it's mixed in with techno, pop, soul... It seems like it's all over the place, but it's not. It's different.'
Collaborations:
'Well, Tim [Timbaland] obviously. He's overseeing the whole thing. I've also got Nate [Danja], Polow [Da Don], Cornaboyz... Alot of collabos. I've also got Snoop [Dogg] in a song, Justin [Timberlake] on a song... It's like a party.'
Then, came the album. We were told this it wasn't fully mixed, but in the process of being fully mixed.
1. "Return The Favour"
The tentative first single. An uptempo R&B banger, with a techno-ish feel to it. This'll definitely set the dancefloors running with it's overthetop baseline, and it's suggestive lyrics ('You gave it to me good, I'll give it to you better', 'I wanna hear your voice in my ear, tell me what you wanna do'). A stomper.
2. "Get Me Off (The Bench)"
Honestly, we don't know what this song is about. Is it about sex, or is it about Keri having her chance to 'get off the bench' and shine, we will probably never know... (it might be about sex with the way Keri moans and whimpers over it like she's having an orgasm, but when pointed out, she said that's the way nearly all female singers sing nowadays, which contradicts with her earlier plan to set herself aside, so that's why we think it's about sex.) One thing's for sure, though. This mid-tempo bouncer is a song to play in the cars when you're driving with the top down and the wind is in your face. Definitely will attract attention, considering the moa-er the heavy vocals...
3. "Let Me Go"
One of three ballads we heard. Really deep and personal, though it sounds like a carbon copy of "What Goes Around...". Justin provides backing vocals here. 'If you aren't ready for love, then let me go. When you're ready enough, just let me know' drawls Keri all over the track. Beautiful."****
Yes it is true, "Return The Favor" though once thought to be the official first single and performed by Keri at Timbaland's Grammy pre-party, may be changed to another track. We'll keep you updated as we get the news. Props to aayize for the info.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Playa "Gravy Train" (FULL!)
After years of waiting we finally get to hear one of the rarest known Timbaland tracks ever created:
Playa "Gravy Train"
Check out that sample at the end, dope! Shout out to Smokey for fulfilling a personal long time request.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Chris Cornell & Timbaland Interview
And now in the biggest news of the day, actually the biggest Timbaland news this year: Chris Cornell & Timbaland called in and talked with Ryan Seacrest about their work together, take a listen:
Tim & Chris Cornell Interview
The best work of his career?!? 20 songs? The first rock star in a club? Everybody's favorite album of this year? These are HUGE statements coming from Tim especially when you think about all of the artists he's worked with Missy, Aaliyah, Justin, Nelly, etc but if the greatest producer in the world says it's his best work he's ever done then naturally we want to hear it!
So it is official that Cornell is with MMG and if the album is already in the mixing stages we can only hope we get to hear new material from this project real soon. As always, we'll keep you updated. Props to Will on the find.
Timstrumental of the Week
It's been a while since we dropped some good ol' fashion Tim beats for ya' but hopefully this week we can make up for the absence. Overall, the response to both of these tracks has been great and there even seems to be somewhat of a consensus of the similarity between the two. Take a listen:
Flo Rida "Elevator" Instrumental
Madonna "4 Minutes" Instrumental
So if you have Timbaland & Danja on one track (4 Minutes) and Timbaland and Hannon (Elevator) on the other what's the common link? Of course the obvious, Timbaland, but there is another and that would be Hannon. Yes, only the one and only Madonna could get all 3 producers on one track and that she did for her hit "4 Minutes."
Money is the "Future"
Listen to Money's debut single "Future" via her myspace:
Money "Future"
Track is bangin'! She comes with a completley different vibe and energy but she keeps that signature Money sound. Definitely a big time dance and club track. Be on the lookout for more Money coming soon!
Your thoughts?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Ashlee Simpson Tracklisting & "Ragdoll" and "Bittersweet World"
Here is the tracklisting for Ashlee Simpson's new album cming out April 22nd:
1. Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya) (produced by Royal Court and Timbaland, written and vocal production Jim Beanz)
2. Boys
3. Rule Breaker (produced by Royal Court and Timbaland, written and vocal production Jim Beanz)
4. Can't Have It All
5. Little Miss Obsessive ft. Tom Higgenson
6. Ragdoll (produced by Royal Court and Timbaland, written and vocal production Jim Beanz)
7. Bittersweet World (produced by Royal Court and Timbaland, written and vocal production Jim Beanz)
8. What I've Become
9. Hot Stuff
10. Murder ft. Izza Kizza (produced by Royal Court and Timbaland, written and vocal production Jim Beanz)
11. Never Dream Alone
12. No Time For Tears (produced by Chad Hugo, written by Jim Beanz)
As well as a snippet of Ashlee Simpson's "Ragdoll"
and a snippet of "Bittersweet World"
I will continue to update the credits.
Artist Update: Freestyle Steve
Full time DJ, full time hype man, full time producer, and full time business man, Timbaland's longtime DJ, Freestyle Steve, is a man of many hats. In the whirlwind of the last 2 years with a huge global tour, promoting Tim's platinum album Shock Value, and delivering his signature sound and presence to millions across the world, Freestyle Steve has been a very busy man. Yet there's no time for slowing down when your one of the world's most recognizable DJs, as Freestyle is currently working on his first mixtape "In The Club" Volume 1 being released internationally very soon.
If he hadn't had his fill already of jet setting to far away places spinning for celebrities, royals, and all those in between, Freestyle will be headlining his own DJ Freestyle Steve Tour starting in May with shows in India, Asia, South Africa, England, Frnace, Germany And Poland. Add to that Freestyle's new website: www.djfreestylesteve.com helping all of us fans keep up on 'the world's hottest DJ.' The site is still under construction but if you think you have what it takes to be a model on his page send all pics to: djfreestyle_steve@yahoo.com
Last but certainly not least, Freestyle has posted a DJ free version of Timbaland & Jay-Z's "Ain't I" on his myspace page. The track sounds a thousand times better without Clue screaming all over it and that beatswitch sounds even sweeter. Definitely keep your eyes and ears open for Freestyle and look for him in a city near you!
Timbaland a maybe with the Sugababes
Apparently the UK pop trio, Sugababes, caught Timbaland and Justin Timberlake's eyes and ears, as it has been reported that a collaboration between all parties will be happening sometime in the future. While recording tracks for the Madonna's Hard Candy album, Timbaland and JT met the Babes at the same London studio and were impressed enough to want to work with pop group. "Timbaland (is) keen on us. He actually asked us to do stuff with him before. We ended up spending a lot of time with him and Justin last year. We'd have lunch and dinner together in between recordings" says Amelle Berrabah one third of the group.
Though the story is running on many major media outlets, let me just say meeting Timbaland and working with him are two entirely different things. That isn't to say the collabo won't happen, as Tim has worked with other young pop stars, but let's wait until we get more information on some actual recordings before we deem this official.
Nelly Furtado talks Missy and Timbaland
Nelly Furtado on working with Missy for the "Get UR Freak On" Remix:
"At the end of the day, [Missy] really gave me a good opportunity when she sort of stuck her neck out and said, "Hey I think you really need to be on this Hip-Hop record called ‘Get Your Freak On.’ You wanna do a remix?" And she had no idea that I even knew how to - not rap – but do any sort of rap/singing style or anything that I do.
She didn't know that, she didn't know what I was gonna do. She just let me run free, run wild in the studio and do my thing. So I love when people take risks like that. I mean I try to do that too and reach out and collaborate with people no one's every heard of and different things like that. Timbaland invited me to the studio because he sampled a piece of my song "babygirl.". Yeah, and he sampled "Ching Ching,” and my label called me up and said Timbaland he's used your sample and he wants you to come approve it. So he played me the song and said Missy really wants you on this remix, and he played me "Get Your Freak On.” And I heard it for the first time; I heard it on these huge speakers. And the next week I met Missy and she just let me do my thing.
I recorded a verse, and she came in and listened to it and she said, "Cool I like it. Do another one,” and she left the room again I did the verse. She came back in and said, "Cool I like it. Do another one.” I just kept going, and she let me do my thing. She just kept everything I did, she kept all my choruses and all that stuff I did - she just really liked it. She finished it off and made it the way she liked. And it was a big hit.
A lot of people when they heard that on the radio had never heard of Nelly Furtado the pop singer who sings "I'm Like A Bird" just because that remix was played on a lot of stations that don't really play pop. There were a few of people who thought I was a young boy from Jamaica. They didn't know who Nelly Furtado was and they assumed I was a boy on the record.
Because if you listen I kinda sound like a boy if you erase everything you know about me and listen to it with fresh ears. And yeah I got that feedback from a lot of people. I went to go visit a friend's relative in New York in Brooklyn, and she was saying that a lot of her friends had heard the record and thought I was a Jamaican boy. That gave me confidence; alot of people are feeling my flow, and my energy and delivery and don't even know what I look like.****
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
New Izza Kizza Interview
Izza Kizza's name has been spreading like wildfire as has his unique spin on music. People talk about the lack on ingenuity in music these days yet here you have someone creating their own style but are the masses ready for it? Izza talked with Sixshot.com about his this very question along with the pressures (or lack there of) signing with Timbaland and the meaning of longevity . Check it out:
****Sixshot: Your style is very unique and eclectic. Are you worried it might go over some people’s heads?
Izza Kizza: Well I think that’s one of the main things that really attracted Timbaland to my style of music, because it’s so unique. It’s not like “rapping” because I do “music.” I’d rather be considered as a musician, because I go into the studio and I compose records. I was doing “16’s” when I was 16. I was rapping and freestyling and all of that when I was young. I just wanted to do music, and some of my inspirations were like Outkast. And if you think about it, some of their records are going to go over your head if you’re not listening. It can definitely miss you. I’m trying to keep it at a medium, and not do something so left, that people will be like, “Oh this guy is crazy!” I just keep it at a medium and even if it goes left, you’re going to still get it.
I would love for people to understand, but everybody doesn’t understand all sources of music, and I’m cool with that. But I’m just doing my music to reach my fans, and just trying to let a new avenue in. So people can see that you can do different music, and that’s it’s cool to be different. So my whole thing is about being creative and innovative. I’m not too worried about it going over people’s heads, because the people that are going to get it are going to get it.
A lot of new artists come out, and they’re not around.
Sixshot: With Timbaland co-signing you, do you feel any pressure? Or are you just anxious to prove yourself?
Izza Kizza: I’m definitely anxious, I’m not worried. I don’t take myself too serious on records, I go in there and I have fun with the records. I find a record that I like, and I go in there and do something with it. I’m here to have fun with my career man—I’m not going to be tense and all of that. I’m not a thinker—I’m a doer.
I’m going go out there, and I’m going to do this record and the people are going to like, they’re going to love it, and they’re going to enjoy it.If you’re on stage just walking around hold your crotch, people aren’t going to get anything from that. I’m giving to you stuff that you can learn from. And I’m just trying to keep it interesting.****
Full Article
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Cop That Disc: Day 26 Day26
Here is the Danja produced "In My Bed" off the new album:
This track threw me for a loop as I really didn't think it was Danja at all. Sounds a lot different than Danja's tracks as of late especially the Danity Kane/Danja tracks. Props to Bigmac for keeping me in line though.
Also don't forget:
"Got Me Going" (written and vocal production by Jim Beanz)
"Co-Star" (vocal production Jim Beanz)
"Come In" (vocal production Jim Beanz)
Your thoughts?
Cop that disc: Matt Pokora MP3
Matt Pokora's 3rd album MP3 hits stores today. With production by JR Rotem, The Bionix, Jim Beanz, Hannon Lane, and Timbaland it's defintiely worth picking up. Here are the full of the MMG crew's tracks:
"Like A Criminal" (produced by Timbaland, co-produced by Hannon Lane, vocal production Jim Beanz)
"Catch Me If You Can" (produced by Timbaland, co-produced by Hannon Lane, vocal production Jim Beanz)
"No Me Without U" (produced by Timbaland, co-produced by Hannon Lane, vocal production Jim Beanz)
"Why Do You Cry" (produced, written and vocal production Jim Beanz)
We're all familiar with "Dangerous" by now right? (produced by Timbaland, co-produced by Hannon Lane, vocal production Jim Beanz)
I like the album and it was well worth my money to pick up. It definitely has great production, the usual top notched vocals from Beanz, and those added touches that should help Pokora cross over into the U.S. market. Keep being on the lookout for more Hannon, he's defintiely getting his name out more and more.
Your thoughts?
Monday, March 24, 2008
Justin Timberlake in Keyboard Magazine
For all you beatmakers, producers, and especially all the piano/keys players in the world this post is for you. Justin Timberlake, keyboardist Charles Wilson III, and JT's musical director for his global tour, Kevin Antunes, break down all the incredible sounds, patches, samples and the instruments and software they got them from in this extensive interview with Keyboard Magazine that is well worth the read:
****Stephen Fortner: So do you duplicate the sounds from the record exactly? Same keyboards, same patches, same samples?
Justin Timberlake: The thing is, when you’re playing arenas, the sound’s swirled around and mashed together by the room itself. So you have to think, is the patch gonna cut through and give people the experience they remember from the record? Kevin’s so amazing at making sure this happens. Before we started rehearsals for this tour, I asked [producer] Timbaland, “Give me the sounds so I can get ’em to Kevin,” then Kevin re-programmed those sounds into his rig and Charles’ rig. Everything has to start out as close to the record as possible, then we ask ourselves what we can add to what the fan’s ear already knows as the song. What can we add to give it more —balls, basically. That’s where the “V-Screamer” patch came in on “LoveStoned.” I thought, “This guitar sound on the V-Synth cuts through, and it cuts through in an arena.”****
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Get Free with Timbaland and Missy Elliott
Former 106 & Park host and 100.3 The Beat radio DJ Free is prepping her long overdue album for a late spring release. Not new to the music arena by any means, Free got her MC start in the early 1990s working with Lenny Kravitz, Pras, and Wyclef Jean's Refugee Camp and was signed to Motown and Elektra at different points. Now she is ready for her debut album reportedly working with a huge roster of A list producers that include Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Rockwilder, Pharrell Williams, Scott Storch, Just Blaze, Kanye West, Clark Kent, Bryan Michael Cox, and Soul Diggaz.
In addition Free has been selected to co-host a new original series called Bobby Jones Next Generation on the Gospel Music Channel. The series is an hour-long emerging artist showcase of musical performances and interviews with up-and-coming “undiscovered” performers. She will share hosting duties with a long time gospel legend Dr. Bobby Jones.
There is no official release date for the album or first single and honestly I have a feeling this project will be pushed back since we've haven't heard anything yet but keep checking back with us for more information.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Cop That Disc: Danity Kane Welcome To The Dollhouse
I realized that I hadn't posted the full versions of the Danity Kane/Danja tracks from Tuesday so here they are:
"Bad Girl" F/ Missy Elliott
"Pretty Boy"
"Striptease"
Danja definitely did his thing on all 3 of the Danity Kane tracks. Each track has some great sounds and little Danjaisms especially "Bad Girl" with it's various screwed spots. Yet as soon as I try and peg Danja for a particular style, he mixes it up with something different. Now if there's anyone who still doubts the genius of Jim Beanz listen to what's going on vocally in "Bad Girl", it doesn't get much better than that. For me though, "Striptease" is the stand out track both vocally and production wise. Beanz always comes up with these amazing ad-libs and little vocal subtleties that makes his tracks stand out. The album is in stores now so make sure you pick it up!
Your thoughts?
Addition: Despite what the liner notes may say (and yes you're right they're supposed to be accurate) I stand behind 100% behind the credits given to Jim Beanz.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Lil' Mama nabs Danja
The success of Lil' Mama continues with her latest hit "Shawty Get Loose" F/ T-Pain and Chris Brown jumping from #92-19 on the U.S. charts this last week (the biggest song jump of the year). The track follows her top 10 debut single "Lip Gloss." After 2 successful hits without an album, the time had come to make it a reality. VYP: Voice of the Young People, Lil' Mama's debut album, will hit stores April 9th with production by Cool & Dre, Scott Storch, Swizz Beats, the Runners, and Danja.
Danja continues his production prowess, the man is everywhere!
MTV Leaks Day26
You can hear the entire Day26 album on MTV's The Leak:
I'm The Reason
Got Me Going (written and vocal production Jim Beanz)
In My Bed
Silly Love
Come With Me
Co-Star (vocal production Jim Beanz)
Come In (vocal production Jim Beanz)
Are We In This Together
What It Feels Like
Since You Been Gone
If It Wasn't For You
Don't Fight The Feeling
Just Should've Told You (vocal production Jim Beanz)
Ain't Going F/ Danity Kane
Artist update: Shaunta
It was 1997, and after the success of Aaliyah and Ginuwine's albums, the name Timbaland was starting to spread. The time had now come to show the world what he was capable of, so Tim along with good friend Magoo released their debut album Welcome to Our World. With it's off kilter beats, context Vs. content beats, and hyper visual videos, the masses continued to embrace this new, warped path of sound Timbaland had created. One such video that stood out was the one for "Luv 2 Luv Ya" Remix. The entire Tim family was there including someone we had never met before but we would always remember: Shaunta.
There she was in her black leather outfit, red glasses, spittin' nothing but heat but it wasn't until later in the video as she floated down the hallway that the lyrical fire we all still remember came to be:
See I don't stop like good dick
Skypager's hotness when you need a fix
Big girls don't cry we take all of it
Doggystyle like George and the Parliament
Feel me now, see my lovin got you bedstrucken
Head is stuck in, the pillowcase suckin, Shaunte still handcuffin
Just me and you cause I'ma rock it all night
You can go fast or slow
but I'ma tell you when it's good and right, uh-huh
Soon after her guest appearance, Shaunta signed with Atlantic Records. She appeared on the Dr Doolittle soundtrack as well as the Best of Brandy album but when you're an MC far ahead of your time both lyrically and creatively it's tough to get a label to understand your direction. Such was the case with Shaunta, and she and Atlantic parted ways in 2000. Continuing on her grind however, Shaunta soon ran into Dr. Dre. After he heard what she had to offer, Dre immediately signed her to his own Aftermath Records and Shaunta was featured on the The Wash and 8 Mile soundtracks. Continually looking forward, Shaunta took her fate into her own hands and started her own label Victory Musiq in 2004. With a roster of up and coming artists including herself, Da Gents, and others, Shaunta is looking to let the world know she's still the same woman with "big lips and handlebars."
Be sure to check out Shaunta's myspace for new music, news, and the daily thoughts of this talented and hungry-as-ever MC.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Throwback: Timbaland starts Z-Man
Tim's current Mosley Music Group imprint was not his first venture as a label head. Of course as we all know Tim had Beat Club Records before MMG home to Bubba Sparxxx, Ms. Jade, Kiley Dean, and many others. What you might not have known is Tim had a label before Beat Club. Yes it's true. The year was 2000 and Blackground's worldwide pressing and distribution agreement with Warner Music Group's Atlantic Records had just expired and Blakground was moving over to Virgin. Part of that deal was Virgin's participation in helping with promotion for Zman artists. Check out this first article:
****TIMBALAND'S ZMAN: Picking up on the Blackground/Virgin announcement that included Timbaland's Zman venture, the busy producer and soon-to-be-artist-in-his-own-right describes Zman as a production deal with Blackground that launches with upcoming album projects by male artist Sincere and male rapper Montana.
In the meantime, Timbaland—who says he goes into the studio soon to start Missy Elliott's next album—is putting the finishing touches on his and Magoo's upcoming album, the 14-track "Indecent Proposal," which will bow in February on Blackground/Virgin. Asked to describe what Timbaland the artist brings to the table musically, the 10-year industry veteran says, "I'm just doing whatever comes to mind. People won't expect what they're going to hear on this album—it's something different that doesn't sound like what people know about Timbaland." In Los Angeles to record with "Proposal" guest artist Beck ("We met through FarmClub, and I enjoy his music"), Timbaland notes that other guests include Jay-Z, Aaliyah, Elliott, Ginuwine, and Twista.****
So what sticks out about the article? How about who is Montana? That's a start but there's one more thing...
There's also this article about the details of the deal and what Virgin's new role was to be with Blackground:
****The first Blackground/Virgin title, the soundtrack to the Warner Bros. film "Romeo Must Die," was released March 28 and debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200. The project—featuring Aaliyah's single "Try Again," which reached No. 1 on The Billboard Hot 100—was used to "set up the whole relationship," Cooper says. " 'Romeo Must Die' was a film project that was brought to Barry Hankerson from Joel Silver. Everyone preferred that it be part of a relationship that was developing with Blackground and Virgin. We were then still finalizing details of a long-term agreement." Zman's first release will be the debut album by Sincere."*****
So what's the commonality between the 2 articles? One name: Sincere.
You may remember Sincere (Sin) from his feature on "Party" with Timbo (produced by Budd'ha) or Aaliyah's "Try Again" remix so what happened to his debut album? It never took off and neither did Z Man Records BUT 3 years later, in 2003, a single surfaced called "What" by Sincere featuring Tim with both of them riding one of the sickest, evilest, and best (top 10 for me) Timbaland beats ever created:
2 other tracks "Sick" and "Drugs" are also unreleased Sincere/Timbaland tracks that one day I hope to get my hands on. Where has Sincere gone is a good question, we're all wondering. Big time props to my man Roderick, thanks for planting the seed.
Making the album: Matt Pokora MP3
Check out Matt Pokora in the studio with Ryan Leslie, JR Rotem, Sebastian, and Hannon Lane for the making of his album MP3
Timbaland & Mixtapes (Part II)
In Part 1 of this series we looked at mixtape tracks that re-used old Timbaland beats. However for today's Part II, we're going to look at exclusive beats Tim did for various artists that can only be found on mixtapes, sadly along with the DJ. There have been many beats that started out as mixtape beats but have later surfaced DJ free such as Ms Jade's "Stick Up Girl", Jacki-O's "Outta Control", and Jazmine Sullivan's "Backstabbers" but there are still those Tim tracks that have never surfaced DJ free and therefore can be considered some of the hardest to find for your collection. They are:
- Papoose "That’s A Good Look" Street Sweepers Presents Papoose: Mixtape Murder (Runnin' The City)
- Torrey Carter “Ok” Action Pac's: R&B Life 5
- Timbaland & Magoo F/ Bubba Sparxxx “Lights Out” DJ Enuf: Heavy On The Block
- Playa “Gravy Train” Def Soul Sampler (yes technically not a mixtape)
- Ms Jade “Stick Up Girl” DJ Clue: Grand Theft Audio Pt. 3
- Ms Jade “Watch Ya” DJ Clue: Hev. E. Components 4
- Wyclef F/ Wyclef F/ S.Low, Shells, & Hollywood “War Stories” DJ Spinbad: The Problem Solver
- Ginuwine “Wine” DJ Whoo Kid The Afterparty Part 8
- Jay-Z "Ain't I" DJ Clue: Desert Storm Radio 8
A lot of people ask me what the rarest Timbaland tracks are, these are definitely some of them. As for the rest we'll look at those in time. In the meantime tell us your picks ??
If anyone ever finds one of these tracks DJ free, HIT ME UP! :)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Rare Reel
For all the stans add this track to your video version list as this is different than the original and Tim's Dance Mix.
Big A's Video Basement - Part 3 with Ms. Jade "Ching Ching Ching"
Big A is rolling through with another high quality video for all you collector's out there. Ms. Jade's album Girl Interrupted was highly underrated and it didn't help that it suffered from a poor choice of singles. One single that did stand out is today's video choice which is Ms. Jade's "Ching Ching Ching" featuring Nelly Furtado and Timbo:
Rapidshare Download
Sendspace Download
Enjoy!
Ciara calls the Clutch, Beanz, and Danja for the 3rd
Ciara is currently in the studio working on her as yet untitled 3rd album. After the success of The Evolution, Ciara is continuing with the same reliable hitmakers The Clutch and Polow Da Don and adding a few new players to the mix like T-Pain, Danja, and Jim Beanz. No official single has been announced yet but you can look for the album to be out sometime in August or early September.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Britney Spears F/ Fabolous "Break The Ice" Remix
This definitely doesn't sound like much of a "remix" rather Fab just rapping over the track but then again we didn't get much of a video for the track either. Still though check it out:
Jennifer Hudson "Pocketbook" in Sex In The City Movie
As we told you exclusively on The Chronicles, Jennifer Hudson has worked with Timbaland and Jim Beanz on a track called "Pocketbook." The track is co-produced by both Beanz and Timbaland and is written by Beanz and The Clutch. We've also learned the track will actually be Hudson's first single and will be featured in the new Sex In The City movie coming out May 30th. Hudson will be in the film playing Carrie Bradshaw's assistant.
Also look for Ryan Tedder of One Republic to be a part of the album who had this to say: "They made half an album and ended up scrapping it. Clive [Davis] — wisely, I think — said, 'No one's going to buy this. We're trying to turn her into Aretha Franklin, and that's not realistic.' They scrapped a bunch of songs and started fresh. I heard a Timbland song that was by far the best song she's done. I do wish, and I know the label wishes, that this album had come out six months ago. But Clive's smart. He didn't want to just put out a crap album just because of the momentum."
No word on a release date for the single or album but check back here for more info as we get it.
Soul Diggaz Interview
Check out the latest interview with Bless, 1/3 of the new Mosley Music Group production signees the Soul Diggaz. Definitely not new company to Timbaland or Missy as they've had a history for the last 5 years, the Soul Diggaz are continuing to gain further acclaim with their current Cheri Dennis single "Portrait of Love." Bless sat down with hiphopdx.com and talked about a producer's defining sound, what makes a hit, and the plans for Izza Kizza. Check it out:
****DX: You have quite an impressive resume. You have an imprint with Timbaland, you have worked with Missy, and these are two of the production legends. Taking it back to Missy, how did that come about?
B: Basically our other partner Corte is Missy’s cousin and she just happened to hear some music and she wanted us to come in and work with her on some stuff. Then a month or two later, she asked us to work with her on a production situation. We were signed to her for three years or so and from 2003 onwards. The majority of everything she did during that time, we did with her.
DX: You all still cool?
B: Yeah we were just at her house the other day; you know she was showing us her new video.
DX: What has been the biggest advancement for producers in the last decade?
B: You probably know what I am going to say, but I would say Timbaland. He just brought music to a whole other level. He made a mash up of everything okay. That is what I love about our situation as he made it okay for guys like me and K to come with our sound which has always been a kind of soulful mash up. The one thing which is different with me and K is that we are producers that can stand strong and diversify. We can do a Rock record and you would think that a Rock producer has done it, or do R&B and Hip Hop, cover all genres at the same time. We could even do some Bluegrass. [Laughs]****
Full Article
Don't sleep on this highly talented and innovative production team! Props to Big A.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Madonna "4 Minutes" Premieres
After a long wait, various snippets, and lots of anticipation Madonna's "4 Minutes" premieres today across radio stations and media outlets all over the world and we have it for you too:
So after listening to the track in CDQ quality, was the wait worth it? What are your thought on the Timbaland/Madonna combination?
Madonna plays "Miles Away" on Japanese television
Madonna wished an old friend, Takuya, good luck with his new Japanese drama which will be using her song Timbo & Danja produced "Miles Away" for it's theme song. Check it out:
Props to PLM on the find.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Eurovision: Dima Bilan & Jim Beanz win with "Believe"
The Eurovision contest is one of the longest running and most watched television shows in the world starting back in 1956 with over 100 million viewers. How the contest works is each participating country has various musicians from that country submit and perform an original song to be chosen as the single representative (and song) of that country. When a winner is chosen they move on to compete against other country winners in the overall Eurovision contest.
This year, Dima Bilan submitted and performed the track "Believe." Though labeled a Timbaland production, "Believe" is actually Jim Beanz behind the boards and vocal production. The track resonated will Russian listeners as this week the song was chosen as the winner. Bilan will represent Russia and move on to the Eurovision finals being held in May. Here is the winning track:
as well as Dima Bilan's performance:
Congratulations to Dima Bilan and Jim Beanz and let's hope they win the entire contest!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Preview Matt Pokora's MP3
Check out the preview of Matt Pokora's new album MP3 here:
1. Catch Me If You Can (produced by Timbaland, co-produced by Hannon Lane, written and vocal production by Jim Beanz)
2. Don't Give My Love Away
3. No Me Without You (produced by Timbaland, co-produced by Hannon Lane, written and vocal production by Jim Beanz)
4. Treason
5. Internationalude
6. Tokyo Girl
7. They Talk Shit
8. Quitte A Me Jouer
9. Forbidden Drive
10. Climax
11. Why Do You Cry (produced, written, and vocal production by Jim Beanz)
12. Like A Criminal (produced by Timbaland, co-produced by Hannon Lane, written and vocal production by Jim Beanz)
13. Sur Ma Route
"She's Dangerous" is not listed in the preview for some reason but the credits are: produced by Timbaland, co-produced by Hannon Lane, written and vocal production by Jim Beanz. Matt Pokora co-wrote each song as well.
Album definitely sounds solid! Make sure to pick it up March 28th.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Madonna premieres "4 Minutes" in a shampoo commercial?
Yep that's right, Madonna will debut the Timbaland produced "4 Minutes" in a new Sunsilk commercial on March 17th. The spot will trace Madonna's ever-evolving look throughout the years as a means to inspire girls to play around with their current styles. "We're proud to unveil a powerful advertisement that features a truly inspirational icon along with our new styling products," said David Rubin, director of U.S. Hair Care Operations, Unilever. "Madonna continues to be such an inspiration for young girls by continuously reinventing her looks, and we expect the new commercial will also encourage girls to evolve by changing their looks and making their hair and lives happen in a variety of exciting ways." The track will also be used in the film remake of "Get Smart."
Wait a minute, am I really reporting that Madonna, one of the biggest if not the biggest musician in the the world is debuting her new single in a shampoo commercial?! One could argue that the music industry is in bad shape and looking for new (and innovative?) ways to release and promote music. But this is Madonna recognized in nearly every corner of the world, who is so big in fact she doesn't even have or need a record label. Add to that she also has Justin Timberlake and Timbaland on the album, 2 more of the biggest artists in music today. She signed a $150 million dollar deal for albums, concerts, merchandise etc and she debuts her new single in a shampoo commercial? You could also argue that Madonna is just trying to get paid. Really? Does she need the money that bad? Madonna has and makes more money than most of us will ever make in 100 lifetimes yet she's willing to go the "get paid" route for her new single?
Now that isn't aimed at Madonna directly, no not at all. Rather I think it says a lot when one of the biggest artists but more so one of the biggest visionaries on the planet, renowned for her innovation, continuous re-invention of herself and her ideas, and consistent and constant pusher of all boundaries decides that a shampoo commercial is the best choice to release her new single.
But it says even more about where music is headed...
Missy Elliott gets an 8 track breakdown
We talked about the 8 track preview Missy gave different media outlets and here is Check out the new tracks on Rap Up's break down of each of the 8 tracks:
1. “Act a Fool”
Produced by Souldiggaz
Bringing back producers who dabbled on her last album, Missy dived right into her distinct dance floor beats. On the expected feel-good anthem, she urges the ladies, “Hands up if you’re looking for a baller.”
2. “Best, Best”
Produced by Danjahandz
Though he turned out Britney’s album, Danja didn’t do much for this track, although Missy herself claims that it’s “what ‘Irreplaceable’ did for Beyoncé’s album” and plans to release it as her first single. Mid-tempo with a lyrical ode to her man. Missy repeats the last word of every line (”We fuss fuss / we fight fight / we make up by the end of the night night.”)
3. “Shake Your Pom Pom”
Produced by Timbaland
Introduced from the Step Up 2: The Streets soundtrack, this one opens with a big band jazz vibe, and then continues as an energetic drum-heavy track. Missy does some serious celeb name dropping on this track; in fact, she name checks Beyoncé on a few of these songs.
4. “Like When You Play the Music” featuring Jazmin Sullivan
Produced by Timbaland
Missy calls this one the “summer jam,” as in something easy to ride to with the top down. Very R&B 2.0, this track is one of those hip-hop/electro mixes that takes a while to get used to.
5. “All For You”
Produced by Souldiggaz
On this energetic, club-worthy, and one of the more addictive songs on the album, Missy displays her swagger, claiming, “I could rock sweats and kicks and dudes still be after me.”
6. “Love”
Produced by Timbaland
This one will take you back to Missy’s days with Ginuwine, Aaliyah, and Tweet—classy R&B with a sensual twist, thick with a reverberating mid-tempo beat. Like a lot of current baby-making music, this one’s mainly about the instrumentals rather than the lyrics, as she clearly uses vocal manipulation equipment ala T-Pain.
7. “Please Don’t Go”
Produced by Point Guard
Missy calls this one “Milk & Cookies” since she says it’s like dessert. It’s a clear ‘80s throwback, complete with rave-like beats and sexy vocals. A new producer was a good choice on this one since this vibe is unlike any other track on the album.
8. “Hip-Hop Don’t Die”
Produced by T. Gooch
Missy came correct when it comes to street politics on this one, as she reminds us of where hip-hop’s been and how far it’s come. The most thought-provoking track thus far, the basic, yet catchy beat takes a backseat to her preaching.
Big A on the good find.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Missy, Danity Kane, and Flo Rida credits
- Missy's first single will be "Best Best" and it will be produced Danja
- Flo Rida's "Elevator" produced by Timbaland and Hannon Lane
- Danity Kane "Bad Girl" produced by Danja, written by Jim Beanz, Missy Elliott rap
"Pretty Boy" produced by Danja, written by The Clutch
"Strip Tease" produced by Danja, written by Jim Beanz
"Sucka For Love" written by The Clutch
Simple Plan & Danja Interview
Both Simple Plan and Danja talk about their work together:
There is also an unreleased track called "Drive Me Crazy" that Danja produced.
Missy Elliott arrives in May
Keri and Missy in the same month? It's shaping up to be that way as Missy just previewed 8 tracks for Billboard. Check it:
****An eight-song preview of rapper Missy Elliott's upcoming seventh album last night (March 11) reveals that it is shaping up to be a feast of Elliott's trademark eclectic beats mixed with tinges of '70s Washington D.C. go-go funk.
Featuring production by Timbaland, Souldiggaz, Danjahandz, and Point Guard, the Goldmind/Atlantic Records album -- which is due in late May and set to be titled by fans -- includes first single "Best, Best," in which Elliott, repeating the last word to every sentence throughout, rhymes, "We fuss fuss / we fight fight / we make up by the end of the night night."
The Jazmin Sullivan-assisted "Like When You Play The Music," the drum-heavy "Hip-Hop Don't Die" and the sensual "Milk & Cookies," in which Elliott lightheartedly harmonizes about her capabilities in the bedroom, among other things, will also appear on the album. The finished tracklist will likely contain ten or eleven songs.****
Great to know Jazmine will be part of the project, her voice is out of this world. Not sure who Point Guard is yet but we'll look into it. Looks like it's going to be a HOT summer!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
New Sebastian: "My Luv" & "Sell Units"
Straight from Sebastian himself:
"Ok as i promise i will bring you guys some new songs or snippets rather :(((( so here we go:
First song is titled "My Luv" is basically a song that is a TV show about different variety of girls....So when you think of this song think of like old TV shows like Threes Company, Facts Of Life, Good Times, Fresh Prince, Martin, Cheers, Different Strokes even Golden Girls (i know i'm showing my age right now lol) etc...... (LMAO) for a video.....
Second song is titled "Sell Units" and this song is self explanatory. And i want to apologize to all the Michael Jackson fans ahead of time about that comment at the end....I love MJ i still wear the white glitter glove :)
And last but not least i'm so sorry about giving you guys the dirty version of these songs. So if you are 16 and under please have your parents supervision. :(
I hope you enjoy
Take Care
*sebastian"
Check out the new tracks on Sebastian's myspace.
Keri Hilson "Where Did He Go" Video/Photoshoot
The promotion has begun, get ready for In A Perfect World!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
MTV Leaks Danity Kane & Flo Rida
MTV The Leak brings you both:
Danity Kane's Welcome to the Dollhouse
and Flo Rida's Mail On Sunday
Make sure to pick up both albums next Tuesday, March 18th!
New Interview with Keri Hilson
Dubbcnn.com recently sat down with Keri Hilson to talk about her new album, who's on production duties, and creating her "defining" sound. Check it out:
****Dubcnn: It has to be hard to be a writer, because most people never find out who actually wrote the songs unless they're credit readers like myself. I know Ne-Yo was in the same situation too. Do you feel that writer's don't get the recognition they deserve?
Keri: Definitely. Right now the industry is so producer driven, so I feel like that. Writers do feel like that at certain points in their career, where they've written a song and the artist will stand on stage and thank the producer. And it's like "Well, I did 50% of the work, they did 50% of the work, we should get equal recognition, we're getting equal publishing!" At time, you feel like that. But I guess it's just the way the game goes. When you get a publicist, you have options to spread the word, you can still choose. That's part of why I joined the writing team The Clutch, actually I was part of the forming, founding member of the Clutch. That was our aim, to earn the respect that producers have, for songwriters.
Dubcnn: I'd like to ask you about the song "The Way I Are", how did that song get put together?
Keri: This was one of the many songs that we wrote for Timbaland's album. We did it in Virginia at the Thomas Crown Studio, that's Tim's studio. As soon as I heard it and Tim started the idea "I ain't got no money..." Soon as I heard his verse idea and mumbles, I just came up with my part. Part of the Clutch was there, myself, Balewa, Candice. Candice wrote Tim's verses, Balewa wrote Tim's part of the hook, I wrote all of my parts. We banged it out, we did it! It was a very quick write, which makes me realize you don't have to overthink records, just go with what you feel.
Dubcnn: Did you expect that song to become as big as it became?
Keri: Oh not at all! Not when we were doing it! You know when a song feels to you, but you don't know how the world will react. That's a scary thing about putting together an album, and I think a lot of people before their first album especially, are so shell shocked, or before any album, it's kind of like a period of time where you're like "I don't know if the world is on what I'm on right now, but it feels good to me." It was one of those records. It had the Salt-N-Peppa sample so I was like "Aight this should help it catch on, it's a catchy song!"****
Full Article
Also be sure to check out Keri as Usher's love interest in his upcoming video for the #1 hit "Love In The Club." Good look to Big A on the info.
Duran Duran announce North American Tour
Duran Duran has announced a 22 city North American Tour to promote their album Red Carpet Massacre. Here are the following dates and times:
April 29th --- Vancouver, BC --- General Motors Place
April 30th --- Seattle, WA --- WaMu Theater
May 2nd --- Concord, CA --- Sleep Train Pavilion
May 3rd --- Santa Barbara, CA --- Santa Barbara Bowl
May 4th --- Los Angeles, CA --- Nokia Theatre
May 6th --- Phoenix, AZ --- Dodge Theatre
May 8th --- San Diego, CA --- Valley View
May 9th --- Las Vegas, NV --- The Joint
May 10th --- Las Vegas, NV --- The Joint
May 12th --- Denver, CO --- Wells Fargo Theatre
May 14th --- Chicago, IL --- Rosemont Theatre
May 15th --- Detroit, MI --- Masonic Temple Theatre
May 17th --- Atlanta, GA --- Chastain Park Amphitheatre (already on sale)
May 18th --- Orlando, FL --- UCF Arena
May 19th --- Boca Raton, FL --- Mizner Park Amphitheatre
May 21st --- Raleigh, NC --- Koka Booth Amphitheatre
May 22nd --- Philadelphia, PA --- Mann Center for the Performing Arts
May 24th --- Paradise Island, Bahamas --- Atlantis
May 27th --- Columbia, MD --- Merriweather Post Pavilion
May 28th --- Boston, MA --- Agganis Arena
May 30th --- New York, NY --- Central Park Summerstage
May 31st --- New York, NY --- Central Park Summerstage
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Saturday March 15th through all usual ticket outlets.
Despite good reviews and various acclaims, the album hasn't performed as well as they (and we) had hoped sales wise especially considering Tim, JT, and Danja did the entire album. That hasn't stopped the band though from doing various concerts across the world and even performing on Broadway. "Skin Divers" has been said to be the 2nd single but there is still no word on when or if it will be released.
Tweet goes on her own
We reported that the collabo was going to happen, Tweet even said it herself but unfortunately it is not to be. Finally with the possibility of new Tweet and Timbo or at least new Tweet and Missy, Tweet recently confirmed that she will not be working with either on her new album Love, Tweet which is due for release in May:
****So what happened to Tweet after "Turn Da Lights Off?"
Tweet: The business side of the industry took a toll on me. It didn't go the way I wanted it to go. "Turn Da Lights Off" came out, and then there was no push from the label because of a merger. I went from Elektra Records to Atlantic. What the people there promised never came about. I compromised and changed my album, taking my songs off and putting the songs that they wanted on there, which meant more hip-hop sounding songs. Once I did my part, and they never did what they said their part would be, I got discouraged and really didn't want to do it anymore.
Do you still maintain relationships with Missy and Timbaland?
Tweet: They're strong relationships, but this time I wanted to do it on my own. Missy has done so much. Tim has done so much. I've decided to step out on my own and be that businesswoman. They've called and asked if I need anything, but I really just want to do it on my own.****
Full Article
You can also check Tweet out on The Care For Haiti Music Project, a benefit album featuring original songs and selections from Patti LaBelle, Jill Scott, Natasha Bedingfied, Tweet, T-Pain, Sean Paul, , Wyclef Jean, Angelique Kijo, and Brooke Hogan among others also being released in May. Thanks to G for the info.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Rare Reel
In honor of Timbo's birthday let's take you WAY back to the good ol' Supafriendz days:
That's Nisan Stewart on drums with Bill Pettaway and Sebastian gettin' down too. Those were the days....
Props to Chetmasta on the good eye.
Happy Birthday Timbaland!
All of us here at The Chronicles would like to wish Timbo a very Happy Birthday today.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Danity Kane Welcome To The Dollhouse Sampler
Here is a sample of their album due out on March 18th:
Tracklisting and what we know so far:
1. "Bad Girl" F/ Missy Elliott (Produced by Danja, Written & Vocal Produced by Jim Beanz)
2. "Damaged" (Produced by Stereotypes)
3. "Pretty Boy" (Produced by Danja Written by The Clutch)
4. "Striptease" (Produced by Danja Written & Vocal Produced by Jim Beanz)
5. "Sucka 4 Love"
6. "Secret Place: (Interlude)"
7. "Ecstasy"
8. "2 of You"
9. "Lights Out"
10. "Picture This (Interlude)"
11. "Poetry" (Written & Vocal Produced by Jim Beanz)
12. "Key To My Heart"
13. "Flashback (Interlude)"
14. "Is Anybody Listening"
15. "Ain't Going" (featuring Day26 & Donnie J.)
Thoughts?
Usher drops Here I Am in June
Usher's newly named album Here I Am will be dropping in June with expected collaborations to include Jermaine Dupri, Dre & Vidal, Ludacris, Nelly, Sean "The Pen" Garrett, and Lil Jon. Timbaland has also been confirmed for the album and as we told you before, The Royal Court and The Clutch will also be involved in the project. No Timbaland tracks have been announced yet (please don't ask about "Moving Mountains") but keep checking back with us for more info.
Whitney Houston calls on Timbaland, The Clutch, & Jim Beanz
The long awaited 'comeback' album by the legendary Whitney Houston will be released this year according to BMG Label Group chairman/CEO Clive Davis. Davis, speaking at the Billboard Music and Money Symposium yesterday, confirmed that 4 songs have been completed and 4 more will be recorded later this month for the yet untitled album. "We're on track for a holiday release," he said. "We're not going to compromise who she is to fit into today's hip-hop radio market. The public wants Whitney material."
The Chronicles can tell you exclusively that one of the completed tracks is called "Undeafeated" co-produced by Timbaland and Jim Beanz and co-written by Jim and The Clutch. The track is slated to be a single but has not yet been confirmed as such. Other collaborators for the album so far include Akon, will.i.am, and Sean Garrett.
No matter who you are, taking a 6 year leave from music makes it increasingly difficult to still be embraced by your fans and still make great, quality music that's relevent in today's day and age. Yet when faced with such a 'comeback' you only call on the best and it doesn't get any better for production, writing, and vocals then Timbo, The Clutch, and Jim Beanz!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Supervision "Superstar"
Back in the day, unless you actually owned the vinyl or CD itself, identifiying a rare Timbaland track was pretty much impossible. Add to that the confusion of a track produced by Timbaland productions and you had a lot of misidentified tracks. Case in point AZ's "AZ Back" and Queen Latifah's "Go Head" both thought to be produced by Timbaland but actually were both produced by Big Tank for Timbaland Productions which we discussed last year.
Along with those 2 tracks, "Superstar" by the blind rapper Supervision was also long thought to be a Timbaland production but was also identified (how many stans remember the geocitites site!?) to also be produced by Timbaland productions but who specifically? Big Tank? Bill ("Mike") Pettaway? It's actually neither. Take a look:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
That's right none other than Spunk, yet another producer who produced for Timbaland productions. Spunk has since gone on to work with Eddie F, Masta Ace, Cormega, and G. Dep. What's up with Supervision lately? Well you can always check out his myspace page to get the latest.
Craig David calls on Danja
In a recent interview global superstar Craig David talks about his new album Trust Me and future collaboration with with Usher, Ne-Yo, and Danja:
****Pyroradio.com: I know you’ve got a world tour starting in May what can people expect from that?
Craig David: It’s gonna be the fourth world tour for me, but it’s gonna be exciting because I’m trying to concentrate this tour on the ‘Trust Me’ album in it’s entirety rather than me doing a load of songs but we got a good package, we are releasing the album just after April in America so it’s all tying together with the release over there so it should be a good look.
Pyroradio.com: What else have you got instore for 2008?
Craig David: While I was in Miami I was working with a guy called Danja he’s the guy behind all those big Timbaland tracks so that’s a good look we’re building a good relationship so I can go over there and do some stuff with him, I’m gonna get finished with some duets and collaborations I was gonna do with Usher and Ne-Yo so I’m excited about that and I’m thinking about new records and new sounds but it’s funny cos I’m only on the second single but I’m always trying to stay ahead of the game.****
So when will we get to hear what the 2 cooked up in the lab especailly since David's album came out less than 6 months ago? Maybe a first time Danja Remix in awhile? Let's wait and see. You can check out Craig David's new single "6 of 1 Thing" at his
myspace.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
A Chronicles Exclusive: Money gives us the "Future"
After the success and attention of her featured single "Fantasy" off Timbaland's Shock Value, the "who Is Money?" campaign has been in full effect. To keep our curiousity in tact she's teased us with a couple of snippets "Check That Bitch" and "Touch" as well as a full track "Who Am I" via her myspace page. Well the unveiling of who Money really is might be just around the corner.
Money has signed to long time Tim, Magoo, Playa, and Aalyah label Blackground Records and has been busy in the studio creating her debut album. Producers include the legendary Walter Milsap (who produced "Fantasy" and has written countless hits over the last decade) and Timbaland, who will also be executive producing the album. Writers also include Walter Milsap and none other than The Clutch.
Currently, Money is testing various radio outlets with the track "Future" produced by Milsap and so far I've heard the response has been incredible. Definitely check out your local radio station for the song and if you don't hear it, call in and request it. Check back to The Chronicles for more info and hopefully to hear the song very soon. Congratulations to Money!
Tidbits: Nicole shelved? Re-vamped Eve, and new Clutch
After 4 singles, 2 videos, and a few guest appearences, sadly there doesn't seem to be a release date in sight for Nicole Scherzinger's solo album Her Name Is Nicole. That means we may never hear the full track "Physical" produced by Danja and Timbo. Despite the multi-platinum success of the Pussycat Dolls first album and Nicole's obvious talents, her singles have not seemed to generate enough buzz to justify releasing a solo album. Don't count her out yet though as the Pussycat Dolls have announced that they are currently working on their 2nd album with Nicole. No word on possible collaborators but maybe "Physical" will show up after all. In the meantime you can check out Nicole and the rest of the Dolls on their TV show Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious.
The long awaited Timbaland track "Step Back" off Eve's Here I Am, described as "Promiscuous" Part II, may also never see the light of day. Eve's first single "Tamborine" generated a good buzz but unfortunately her follow single "Give It To You" featuring Sean Paul failed to deliver and the album has been sitting in limbo ever since. We are talking about the one and only E-V-E so rather than scrape a whole album, Swizz Beats is going back into lab to redo it: "I'mma get back to doing the [whole] album thing," he added. "It eliminates the problem of what we go through. I let the artist use who they wanna use, this and that, it's crazy. The following up [to the songs I produce], sh-- becomes hard. It's a formula and sound the people are looking for and want. You gotta stay in a zone. If I make 'Drink and 2 Step,' the next three beats I make will be not the same, but [I will make] the same vibe, where it's not too far off, where you can groove. When you get all these different producers, it messes up the formula." In addition to Swizz, The Neptunes have also been sharing duties for the album renewal. Does that mean no Timbo? We'll have to wait and see.
The writing crew, The Clutch, have been continuing their writing and vocal production succes with a slew of new projects. Most notable is the recent work with Danity Kane on "Pretty Boy" as well as tracks yet to be revealed. The Clutch worked with Day26 and Donnie for their projects as well. Justin Timberlake's first artist, youtube phenome, Esmée Denters on JT's Tennman Records also called on The Clutch's services for her debut album. Jess McCartney has also called in the crew for his new album Departure on the tracks "It's Over" and "Runnin". Last but not least Raven Symone's new Clutch penned and produced track "Double Dutch Bus" (guess the sample?) was released on iTunes a couple days ago. With a music video currently out to help promote the track, look for Raven's album at the end of April.
Props to Bigmac for the info!
Pharrell & Timbaland split Madonna's Hard Candy
Originally we heard from Timbaland that he did 10 tracks for the new Madonna album and then recently we heard Tim & Danja got 4 or 5, Hannon 3, and Pharrell a couple. Now Pharrell is saying the 12 track album Hard Candy is actaully split right down the middle; 6 for Pharrell and 6 for the Timbo camp. Pharrell recently talked to Vibe about Madonna's "monster" album and Tim signing Chris Cornell to Mosley Music Group:
****I've reposted N*E*R*D's new single, "Everyone Nose," because after spending some time with Pharrell and the group's third album, N.3.R.D., on Friday a few fascinating topics of conversation came up. Some boilerplate (Pharrell loves "Dey Know" and wants to wrap his minor-key tentacles around Shawty Lo's minimalist purr), some expected (Madonna's forthcoming Hard Candy - a "monster" in in his words - is a 12-track split: six Neptunes-produced songs, six Timbaland-produced) and some damn near baffling (we'll get there).
....He [Pharell] also mentioned that Timbaland has signed Chris Cornell to his Moseley Music Group imprint, a smart move in this post-OneRepublic age. Imagine what Tim could do for the leather-lunged Cornell, who, though aged, has already been dabbling with Michael Jackson covers in his solo material.****
N.E.R.D's 3rd album drops sometimes this spring but hopefully here soon the "Everyone Nose" CD single will drop so we can get a look at the liner notes to see what exactly Timbo contributed to the track. Scratches? Drums? We'll have to wait and see.
Q Magazine also got a 5 track preview of Hard Candy which includes "4 Minutes", "Give It To Me" featuring Pharrell (Neptunes), "Candy Shop" (Neptunes), "Incredible" (Neptunes), and "Beat Goes On" featuring Kanye West. She said she wanted a hip hop album and it looks like she's got one. Thanks to Bigmac for the info
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Timbaland Special Edition Neko
We post information about Timbaland's Special Edition Miko but recently Open Labs released the bigger brother of the Miko, the Special Edition Neko. Here's all the info:
Open Labs, the leading designer and developer of computer based music production solutions, introduced a companion to the popular Timbaland Special Edition MiKo today. The new Timbaland Special Edition NeKo, an all-in-one production studio powered by Windows™ XP, is capable of running virtually any Windows XP compatible software including a variety of DAW software, virtual instruments (VSTi), virtual effects (VST) and other music applications. Dressed in the same Arctic White Chassis color scheme, the Timbaland Special Edition NeKo is the perfect solution for the studio to road experience.
“Timbaland wanted the ability to work on his music from home on a larger unit and still be able to travel easily with his MiKo. This was a fantastic way for Timbaland to achieve this by utilizing gear with matching specs and software,” said Victor Wong, Founder and Chairman of Open Labs. “By introducing this model we are able to provide the features that most people are looking for, while reducing the price over $1,000 from the NeKo LX model.”
The Gen4 models are now equipped with Intel Core2Quad™ processors providing the most processing power in any production station available today. With the edition of Translator™, specially written for Open Labs by Chicken Systems™, users can now easily convert and manage many different file types within the Open Labs environment. Open Labs believes in the “out-of-the-box” experience – meaning, with a little knowledge, anyone can be ready to play and record instantly. Included in the preinstalled software is Reaper from Cockos, a DAW with unlimited tracks, which records audio-midi and integrates all of the user’s Karsyn presets in an easy to use drag and drop format.
The Timbaland Special Edition NeKo features E-MU™’s new Proteus™ X2 Streaming Sound Module V2.5 with over 10,148 instruments, including the new Ensoniq™ Urban Legends™ Sound Library that contains the sounds from Ensoniq’s ASR™/EPS™/MR™/ASR-X™/ZR™ instruments. These sounds were specifically requested by Timbaland, and are only available in the Timbaland Special Edition units, an Open Labs exclusive.
- E-MU™ Proteus™ 2000
- E-MU™ Mo’Phatt™
- E-MU™ Modular System™
- Ensoniq™ EPS™ /EPS 16+™
- Ensoniq ASR 10™
- Ensoniq ASR-X™
- Ensoniq ZR76™
- Ensoniq MR61™
- ARP™ 2600™
- ARP™ Axxe™
- Roland™ JD800™
- Roland™ Jupiter 8™
- Roland™ JX-8P™
- Roland™ TB-303 Bass Line™
- Roland™ Juno 60™
- Moog™ Memorymoog™
- Mini™ Moog™
- Moog™ Taurus Pedals™
- Sequential Circuits™ Prophet 10™
- Sequential Circuits™ Prophet 600™
- Elka™ Rhapsody™
- Mellotron™ Mark II™
- Korg™ MS20™
- Solina™
- Oberheim™ OB™ & X™
- Hammond™ B3™
- Rhodes™ Electric Piano™
- Hohner™ Clavinet™
- Yamaha™ CP-70™
- Wurlitzer™ Electric Piano™
Running within the new Proteus X 2.5 environment, these keyboards are reborn inside the Timbaland Special Edition NeKo providing world-class audio quality, choice of instruments, ease of use and represents a value of over $60,000 if the actual keyboards were purchased individually. When combined with the new Open Labs sound library V4, the Timbaland Edition NeKo contains over 35-gigabytes of premium sounds, constituting 28,074 presets. The street price for the bundled software and sound libraries is $3,564, which includes $487 worth of Open Labs Special Edition plugins, optimized by the software developers for use with the NeKo.
Monday, March 3, 2008
One Republic's "Apologize" hits 3 million
The 3rd hit single from Timbaland’s platinum album, Shock Value, as well as the first single from their own album, Dreaming Out Loud, One Republic’s “Apologize” has become only the second song in history to score 3,000,000 digital song downloads, following “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” from Soulja Boy. “This is yet another testament to a great song finding its audience through all kinds of outlets,” commented Steve Berman, president of Interscope Geffen A&M. “ After the record breaking success we had with ‘Crank That’, repeating it with ‘Apologize’ is a really fantastic start to 2008 for us.”
After 27 weeks on the Billboard Hot Digital Tracks chart, “Apologize” is still in the Top 15, receiving nearly 62,000 downloads this past week. The track has also zoomed past the 1,000,000 mark in ringtone downloads.
Also this week, One Republic’s newest single, “Stop And Stare,” has cracked the Hot Digital Tracks Top 10. With the most recent week’s sales of 67,000 downloads, “Stop And Stare” has quickly reached 416,000 total downloads. Congratulations to One Republic who more than deserve all of their current success.
"Bad Girl"s Danity Kane "Striptease" for Jim Beanz & Danja
If you all haven't seen it already make sure to check out Episode 5 of this season's Making The Band which features Danity Kane in the studio with Jim Beanz working on their track "Poetry" and "Bad Girl."
Yes that's The Clutch at the beginning as well, hopefully we'll get to see them in a coming episode.
Also take a listen to 2 snippets of the DK tracks "Striptease" produced by Danja and written and vocal produced by Jim Beanz:
And "Bad Girl" produced by Danja featuring Missy Elliott and written and vocal produced by Beanz:
Danja is beat boxing now? Interesting. Be on the lookout for more from Danity Kane & Day26 here soon.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Preview Fat Joe's Elephant In The Room
Fat Joe's new album comes out March 11th but you can preview the album via Amazon right now. The planned remake of the Eddie Murphy classic "Party All The Time" produced by Danja did not make the album but the other Danja produced track "Cocababy" did make it and it's a solid track, check it out. Full coming soon.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Madonna "4 Minutes" Radio Rip
As it turns out the original snippet Timbaland played during one of his Z100 shows really was the real version of Madonna's "4 Minutes" featuring Justin Timberlake. Now that the full version of the track is out, are you feelin' it? Good lead single for a new Madonna album?
Timbaland's February V-Cast Tune: Keri Hilson "Get It Girl"
Timbaland comes right out the get gate with a banger from Keri Hilson called "Get It Girl":
Thoughts? Sounds like a Danity Kane track.