Hall and Oates sue over "Maneater"

80s favorites Daryl Hall and John Oates are suing Warner Music Group's music publishing division Warner/Chappell Music home of Hall & Oates, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Nate "DanjaHandz" Hills. The legendary duo filed in Manhattan's Supreme Court for failure to protect their 80s classic "Maneater."

Warner Chappell Music are accused of breaching their contract by refusing to sue for copyright infringement. "[Warner/Chappell] failed and refused to take action based upon a conflict of interest of its own making," the suit says. "[Warner-Chappell] publishes and/or administers the copyright interests of two of the infringers." Though the suit does not name specific names, Hall & Oates are suing for an unspecified amount in damages and a termination of their contract with the publishing company.

A company spokeswoman for Warner Chappell said the case was "completely without merit" and "we will defend ourselves vigorously."

So what do YOU think? Is there a case or not? Leave a comment and let us know.

Hall and Oats "Maneater"


Nelly Furatdo "Maneater"

Rare Reel

A video version to add to your collection ya'll!

Keri in Complex

Next month's issue of Complex will be graced by the presence that is Keri Hilson. Check out the video of the photoshoot:



And here's the interview with the mag:

Men say: I can never be completely honest with my woman about her appearance.

Keri Hilson says: That’s definitely true. I’m 5'9''. So, my height’s an issue. If I’m feeling sexy, I’ll put on some heels—if that makes me a little taller than you, so be it. You have to be secure enough to stand next to a stallion. [Laughs.] For a woman to feel her best, her man has to support her.

Men say: Unless we’re engaged, you don’t need to meet my parents.

Keri Hilson says: That’s definitely some B.S. You can be boyfriend and girlfriend for more than three or four years without being engaged. Your parents, to a girlfriend, are a reflection of who you are. I’ve never dated a guy and called him my boyfriend until he met my parents.

Men say: A woman’s never faked it with me. If she did, I’d know.

Keri Hilson says: Oh, lord! Men think they know if we’re faking it, but they have no idea. [Laughs.] I know girls who are really good at it, and the men have no clue. Sometimes you have to feed the male ego.

Men say: Moving in with your girlfriend automatically kills your sex life.

Keri Hilson says: That’s probably true, because you see a woman in so many different lights. They see us in our shower cap or granny panties—not that I’m saying I own any of them. [Laughs.] But why put the cart before the horse? If you want to live together and act married, then why not get married?

Props to Big T.R.U.T.H for the info!

New D.O.E Interview

For all you out there, from MCS to producers to regular folks, on your grind trying to make something of yourselves this interview is for you. D.O.E opens up about his struggle form the streets to the majors, how "The Way I Are" changed his game, and the real deal on working with Timbo. Check it out:

What’s your current label situation with Timbaland?

Timbaland is still at Interscope. The situation went south but two years later, him and Interscope worked it out. I’ve been on Interscope since they got me. They had to do the Nelly Furtado album and when he did his album, he told me he got me. I was like, ‘All right, cool.’ I was just going off of his word. That was another hard thing to do because you’re not supposed to put too much trust in any man but it was like, I put that trust in him. I was like, ‘All right, cool.’ He said he got me so I waited.

So when it came time to do his album he told me to come down there but at this time I’m super-fucked up. I had to rent a car and drive down there and when I got to the studio, I didn’t even have no money for a hotel so I slept in the car for three days. Every day after the studio I would go and sleep in the car while everybody else went to their hotels. They didn’t know. And then one day Timbaland caught me and I told him I was fucked up. He got me a hotel room and when we got to the studio he said he had the perfect song. It was “I ain’t got no money.” (laughs) Oh shit! That right there damn-sure was the perfect record for me. That’s how “The Way I Are” came about. That shit was perfect for me. That shit was a poor man’s anthem!

Full Article

Keri HIlson joins Lil' Wayne on tour

Lil Wayne will cap off a highly successful 2008 by hitting the road next month on his “I Am Music” tour. He will be joined by Gym Class Heroes, T-Pain, Keyshia Cole, and Keri Hilson for the 24-city outing.

The tour is scheduled to kick off on December 14 in Miami at the American Airlines Arena and will run through January 19 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Below are the tour dates, according to MTV News.

12/14 - Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
12/18 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
12/19 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
12/21 - Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre
12/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre
12/23 - Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
12/26 - Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena
12/27 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
12/28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Susquehanna Bank Center
12/29 - Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
12/30 - Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
12/31 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
1/2 - Charlotte, NC @ Bobcat Arena
1/3 - Hampton, VA @ Hampton Coliseum
1/4 - Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
1/8 - St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena
1/9 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
1/11 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena
1/14 - Montreal, CAN @ Bell Centre
1/15 - Toronto, CAN @ Air Canada Centre
1/16 - Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
1/17 - Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center
1/18 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Boardwalk Hall
1/19 - Worcester, MA @ DCU Center

Music Video: Pink "Sober"

Speaking of Pink, here the official video for the Danja produced "Sober":



Thoughts?

Timbaland, Danja, and Hannon at the American Music Awards

Check the performances:

Pink "Sober"


Rihanna "Rehab"

The rarest "We At It Again" version

I can still remember when Czar sent me my first alternate version of a Timbaland track many years ago. I had no desire at the time in even bothering with them but, in true stan form, the more I heard the more I wanted to collect all of them until finally I was bugging poor Czar daily for whichever alternates he had in his collection. For the most part most Timbaland songs have at least a radio edit which is slightly different (usually shorter) than the original. In some cases though a track has an alternate with either added sounds, maybe a deleted verse, or as is the case with the best alternates, an entirely different beat.

There are even those alternates that have a whole range of differences and such is the case with the track "We At It Again." Of the 6 versions known, the rarest and my personal favorite, comes from the actual movie "Romeo Must Die". Take a listen at around 1:08:



In case you didn't know, that's Static as the main voice in the track. Until now, I had no idea where this version had come from. Personally, I place it in my top 3 rarest Timbaland tracks ever known. Will the full ever surface? One day perhaps.

Props to Adam.

One Republic prep 2nd album

One Republic have started on their sophomore album after the their highly successful debut Dreaming Out Loud according to Billboard. What was supposed to be a reissue instead turned into a full on new project. According to guitarist Zach Filkins, "Initially we were going to add a new song to a deluxe album, but then instead of doing that we decided to maybe just work on the second album. We're extremely excited to get going with something new because we've been playing a lot of these songs for five years now. So we're definitely ready and inspired for the new album, which is part of the reason why we got off the road. We were supposed to tour into next year."

Seems as though the band got inspire on the international leg of their tour. "In listening to what was coming out, we decided maybe we should stop and take advantage of this and write the second album," Filkins says. "The new stuff is a real blend of rock mixed with pop and some of the songs are clearly like top 40 and other stuff is going to be a little more obscure." 2 tentative tracks for the new album will be "All the Right Moves," which is upbeat and pop based and the /keyboard-heavy "The Other Side."

Will Timbaland be on the new album? Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Music Video: Keri Hilson ft. Lil' Wayne - "Turnin' Me On"

Keri recently posted the full video for "Turnin' Me On" on her myspace. Check it out:



Thoughts?

Vibe pays tribute to Stephen "Static" Garrett

December's issue of Vibe Magazine features a very interesting and touching article on Static from the perspective of friends and family throughout his life including the whole Da Basement Crew: Smokey, Black, Missy Elliott, DeVante Swing, Ginuwine, Jimmy Douglass, and Timbaland. Check it out:

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Rest In Peace Static. You will be forever missed...

Bobby Valentino "Pull It Off" produced by...

Here's another track that's been around for a few months (the snippet that is) labeled as a Timbaland beat but again there's been no way to confirm it. Take a listen to the full that just dropped:




You know this is The Chronicles though so we gotta go that extra mile for you. Is the track produced by Timbaland? Yes along with some help from the Royal Court just like the other Bobby Valentino/Royal Court/Timbaland tracks "Anonymous" and "Rearview (Ridin')."

and the writers you ask? Of course it has to be the one and only Clutch!

Check the hand clap sample. I'm pretty sure I know where it comes from. Do you?

Danja "Hurt Somebody"

Everyday I get emails with a new "Timbaland", "Danja", or "The Clutch" track and almost always they end of being some random track by some random artist that some random website labeled as a "Timbaland beat" in order for people to listen. I'll give you all a rule thumb that works almost everytime: If you've never heard of the artist before or more so if the artist is unsigned to a major more than likely it isn't a Timbaland or Danja beat. The economy might be down at the moment but that doesn't mean Timbo isn't still charging a $100,000 a track that both Kardinal Offishall and Joe Budden have confirmed in the past so how could an unsigned major artist afford that? The rule doesn't always apply (Mahtie's "Burnerz") but for the most part it does.

There are, however, those rare occasions that it truly IS a Timbo or Danja beat. Case in point: A few days ago a track came out labeled as a Danja beat, written by the Clutch, and sung by Motown Record recording artist LeMarvin who The Clutch have worked with before ("Not My Day", "New Body Style") yet there was no way to confirm it. Sure it sounds like Danja, that could be The Clutch's melodies, and maybe it is LeMarvin but there was no real info on just who it was.

Well after a little checking on our part The Chronicles found out that the track is indeed a Danja beat and a Clutch penned track. Here take a listen:




So is that LeMarvin on the vocals? Nope. Rather it's Clutch member...drum roll....Bale'wa Mohammad. The track must be a demo but who for we have yet to find out. Now if you remember from the interview with fellow Clutch member J. Que, he said Bale'wa has done more music than the entire Clutch combined and Que is right. As is the case with most songwriters, you might not know Bale'wa by name but you know his music guaranteed. If you want to get a little history on Bale'wa and his start into music check out my homie's Zo's blog which takes us back to the early days of being in Mohammad's group The Transitions and his hit work with Jaheim. Good research Zo.

Add another to the Danja list!

Britney Spears and The Clutch

As with the case of any true circus we always get more then we bargained for and this holds true for Britney Spears' own Circus with the newly leaked bonus tracks from her album including 2 by The Clutch. Check out:

"Phonography"



and

"Trouble"



Both tracks are dope in their own ways but what takes them to that next level is the vocals and vocal production. Who you ask is doing the echos, harmonies, and adlibs? No it's not Britney and no it's not Keri which only leaves one left, yep Candice Nelson. She never ceases to amaze. Yet though you want to say it's Candice or at least a woman on the "eh eh eh" parts after the chorus on "Phonography" that's actually Zeke.

So now that you've heard the album in it's entirety, how does it compare to Blackout?

Is you is or is you ain't my Danja: James Fauntleroy "Abducted"

In the continuing saga of the mysterious-more-than-likely Danja beat, a new player is now involved. First we had K Young's "Incredible" than there was Casley's "Crush On You" and now we have James Fauntleroy's version of the track rechristened "Abducted" that has just arrived. Take a listen:




So who's your favorite of the 3? Be on the watch for a 4th version soon I'm sure.

Cassie confirms "a couple others" with Danja

In a recent interview Cassie talked about her upcoming album including a little more from Danja:

DX: Who did you work with on the new album?

Cassie: When it first started, I was working with B.Cox and Jim Jonsin and who else? A few others. I worked with Rodney Jerkins. Then time passed and I started working with Mario Winans and Puff in the studio. Just recently, I got in the studio with Pharrell and did some stuff with Kanye [West]. There’s a little bit of everything. Oh, and Danja did the single and a couple of others.

HipHopDX: So, how would you describe the sound on this new record?

Cassie: The sound is, you know…it’s hard to even explain because at this point, I’ve recorded so many different records. Some which are on totally different opposite ends of the spectrum and we’re going to pick songs in probably like a few months. So, it’s kind of hard to explain the direction. But, the main direction of the songs that I really love is that they’re just big records that people will love to sing. I have a couple that are a little sensual and a little bit more grown up. I’m not saying I grew up and I want to be gratuitous or anything. But, there are songs that are for my age group and there are songs that are for an age group a little younger, because I have a younger fan base too.

I wonder if that might mean more Clutch too. Stay tuned!

Video: Rihanna "Rehab"

Boring video.

None the less, great look for Hannon Lane. I hope the track does well.

Joe Budden addresses unheard Timbaland track

The year was 2006 and Joe Budden's highly anticipated 2nd album The Growth was right around the corner. Budden did a blitz of interviews hyping up the album and continually talked about his hopeful first single featuring Fabolous titled "Whatcha Doin' Tonight" produced by Timbaland. We couldn't wait! One of the most talked about MCs at the time hooking up with Timbaland for a hip hop beat versus the pop sound Timbo had started to create.

So we waited...

And waited...

And waited...

There was pushbacks and then label issues and then no label then a different label and another album, more mixtapes but still no Budden/Timbo track. In the midst of it all a very short snippet (and very rare) snippet of the track did appear but still I asked, what ever happened to the track?

Finally that question has finally been answered. In a recent interview Budden talked about his long coveted Timbaland track:

BallerStatus.com: A lot of these rappers feel they need A-list production to break into mainstream. Do you feel you need a Just Blaze or Timbaland to do that?

Joe Budden: No, I got a Timbaland track in my computer right now that I paid $100 grand for that never came out, that I never did anything with. So just because you go to these big name producers doesn't mean, doesn't guarantee that you're going to come away a record. When you're independent, the way I am this second, it doesn't really make sense to go spend $30, 40, 50, 60, 70 grand on a beat. That doesn't make sense. You just need to go harder with beat selection. I got a track on my first album called "Give Me A Reason" that Just Blaze produced that everybody hated. So I mean it don't really guarantee that, but I love Just Blaze, let me say that.

Let's hope one day this track will surface.

You know Budden brings up a good point: in the rough times of today's music era, is it better to spend a lot of money and go with an A list producer or stick with a cheaper up and comer? What do you think?

Timbaland and Chris Cornell will inspire you

Chris Cornell and Timbaland will appear on the Sundance TV channel next month as part of a special new series called "The Inspiration Sessions", which will feature "four dynamic artist and producer pairings and the candid free-flowing conversation that ensues as they produce an album together". A new episode of "The Inspiration Sessions" will premiere each week during the 13-part series "Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…", which also features behind-the-scenes footage of Costello's guests discussing the artists and the music that inspired them.

"Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…" is sponsored by luxury automaker Infiniti and will be premiered in the US on Wednesday, December 3 at 9 PM ET. The series also will be broadcast on CTV in Canada and Channel 4 in the UK, beginning later this year.

We'll try and get you these inspirational videos as they come out so stay tuned!

"Apologize" becomes one of United States biggest

One Republic and Timbaland's global smash hit "Apologize" is now officially one of the top selling singles of all time in the United States. We're not just talking R&B or Hip Hop or Pop, we mean in music period in the U.S. Here take a look at the top 10 list:

1. "A Little Less Conversation" - Elvis Presley
2. "Here Without You" - 3 Doors Down
3. "Another One Bites The Dust" - Queen
4. "Apologize" - Timbaland
5. "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" - Bryan Adams
6. "Hey Jude" - The Beatles*
7. "Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel" - Elvis Presley
8. "I Will Always Love You" - Whitney Houston
9. "Let's Get It On" - Marvin Gaye
10. "Low" - Flo Rida

*Beatles songs are not yet available for online streaming, so this playlist substitutes a live Paul McCartney version

Timbo's up there with Queen, Elvis Presley, and Marvin Gaye! I have to say I never thought Tim would ever be THIS big but the facts don't lie. Timbo the King!