WIDEawake Death Row Records Reportedly Being Sold In Wake Of Parent Company's Bankruptcy

Exclusive: A new company is slated to take over WIDEawake Death Row.

WIDEawake Death Row and its catalog is reportedly being sold to a publicly held company, HipHopDX has exclusively learned.

According to former Hoopla president and former Death Row publicist Jonathan Hay, New Solutions Financial Corp., a Canadian company that owns WIDEawake Death Row, has gone bankrupt and is selling both the label and catalog to a publicly held company. The deal is set to be closed on December 10th.

Hay explains that the label tried to release remastered and remixed versions of albums from the catalog over the pst four years but were not satisfied with the end results. He said that many of their ideas were shot down and was unhappy with the decisions of the staff at WIDEawake Death Row "across the board," blaming it on "inexperience."

The future of the label's distribution deal with eOne will be addressed in the forthcoming weeks. Read the full statement below.

New Solutions Financial Corp., the Canadian umbrella company that currently owns WIDEawake Death Row, is bankrupt. The historical record label and catalog is being sold to a publicly held company. Being on the inside, we are hearing that the deal will be closed on December 10th.  Honestly, we are not surprised by the bankruptcy as we have been actively involved with eight of the Death Row Records' releases over the last four years and have seen the problems firsthand.  Time and time again we tried to use our influence to get new mixing and mastering for these re-releases because we knew the albums sounded piss-poor from a sonic standpoint. Even though we helped put together a lot of the artwork over the years, we were never happy with the end result and how it looked, as most of our visual ideas weren't executed as we requested.  We wanted every Death Row release to look and feel like a box set with the highest quality of work because we felt that every project deserved that kind of treatment. Most of our ideas for publicity and marketing were shot down, even though we were paid to do the job.  Over the years, we have argued, fussed, kicked and screamed with the staff of WIDEawake Death Row over the decisions being made, all across the board. In my opinion, the fatal problem of the company was the inexperience of the people involved, who at times seemed to prideful to accept direction. It was around this time last year that we had Snoop Dogg, with the help of Big Holis, willing to sit down with WIDEawake to discuss the possibility of becoming the face of Death Row Records again. As exciting as this could have been, WIDEawake rejected the idea. With this new company taking over Death Row, hopefully some of our ideas will finally be implemented to help preserve the Death Row Records catalog and legacy.  As far as our own distribution deal through WIDEawake Death Row and eOne, we will speaking with everyone about this transition after the holidays.

Daz Dillinger Reflects On Working With Tupac, Life At Death Row

Interviewer: I wanted to ask you about the Makaveli & Dilllinger Don’t Go 2 Sleep EP. What was the real story behind that album? When did you and ‘Pac put that together?

Daz Dillinger: We put that thing together when he got to Death Row ‘cause I had so many beats. Then when he died I had a lot of music, and it just seemed like everybody was trying to steal his music, so that’s why I came out with Makaveli & Dillinger: Don’t  Go 2 Sleep. And then the mom, Ms. Afeni Shakur sued me to get the masters, and that was cool with me ‘cause I wanted them to recognize that I had it and not Death Row, ‘cause [Suge Knight] was on some bullshit. Right now, off all those Tupac songs, I get 15%, just ‘cause I had the lyrics and all the other stuff. I’m cool with it.

Interviewer: So did ‘Pac just record tracks over these beats, or did you two have plans for an album?

Daz Dillinger: We always had plans to do albums. It was like... when he’d wake up in the morning, he’d come knock on my door like, “What beats you got?” You know, ‘cause I’m coming with the beats! So I always would give him beats first ‘cause he’d be the first one to hit me up, ‘cause he an early bird. Legitimately, he’d get up pretty early.

Then I made Makaveli & Dillinger after he died, ‘cause I had a lot of songs with him. And there’s some songs to this day that I haven’t heard. At least about 10-20 songs. And at the new Death Row [ownership], they don’t know what the fuck they doing, the just fucking all the shit up. They just putting shit out and not mixing it right. [Current Death Row Records President] John Payne think he the creator of Death Row, he [was] nothing but a studio mothafuckin’ intern. Now he over there running it and it’s like he over there trying to make deals with us, but ain’t trying to give us no money. Like, “Y'all come over here and promote this album.” Man, who the fuck is you? So I’m going to take an album that I just titled, make it the same title as yours- they made the Doggy Bag and we made Dogg Bag. So we like “Fuck you,” we got a new Dogg Pound album coming out, and it’s going to be hard. We got a movie to it too. Everything is visual now when you making music.

Interviewer: Have you been making videos at all for Witit Witit?

Daz Dillinger: Yeah I got two. I got “Once Again” and I got one in Atlanta called “Come Thru” with Schy Keaton, with bitches and hoes and ass and titties and shit. Women. And then I got another one I’m working on now called “4 Tha Hood” which I’m shooting in Long Beach, [California].

But you know, I’ma do videos for all these songs, they’re going to come out between the whole year, ‘cause I got another project coming out called Street Money. I had Witit Witit... I had two covers forStreet Money and one of them is the cover of this album. Witit Witit and Street Money were the same cover. But the Street Money album, that come with a scale. You can only get that on my website: the scale, CD, and then you get the regular album through the store and everywhere else. But you can only get the Street Money cover and scale through me. So I decided to say, “I’m going to keep theStreet Money original cover, do a remix [of the title track], put [Young Jeezy] and them on there, and then do these nine more songs and come out with Street Money around February. I create my own path, I distribute my own records

Interviewer: I just got one more ‘Pac question for you: back then there was the whole East Coast v. West Coast thing, but we know it wasn’t as clear cut as that. What was it like being able to vibe with ‘Pac, [Method Man and Redman] and record “Got My Mind Made Up”?

Daz Dillinger: Well how that story came was, I was at my house [in] Silver Lake, California. Kurupt called me. He was like, “I got [Method Man, Redman] and Inspectah Deck in my car, we fittin’ to do a song.” I’m like, “Cool,” plus [Lady of Rage] is over my house at the time. So the original song was me, Rage, Inspectah Deck, Redman, Method Man, Kurupt. [We] Laid the song down...I took it to Dr. Dre’s house to transfer it from DAT to tape-deck, and I forgot the tape-deck. Then I left and Dr. Dre heard it and played it for Tupac. Rage didn’t want to be on there ‘cause there were so many guys on there, so Tupac was like, “I’m taking her spot and I’m putting this on [All Eyez On Me].”

Interviewer: That’s crazy. When it started, was it going to be a Dogg Pound track at first?

Daz Dillinger: Yeah it was going to be a Dogg Pound track. Everything I produced was Dogg Pound. That was my first time even bustin’ with Red and Meth. We been friends ever since.

Interviewer: Switching gears a little bit, you talked about this next album coming out in February, you’re working on two movies, you’re always busy.

Daz Dillinger: Movies. Still working on albums. I got this one album that I’ve really been working on that I’m producing. I got Cam’ron on there, I got Freddie Gibbs, I got a lot of big names on this album. I’m just holding back ‘cause the title scares me. A lot of my friends been dying, family member been dying, and the name of this album is When We All Get to Heaven. So I don’t really be playing around with stuff like this, that’s why I gotta make this album- that’s why I ain’t even holding back on that album ‘cause I’m like, “Shit, I don’t want to come out with this if some shit going to happen to me” [Laughs]. You know how Rap go. Even Tupac talked about death, and it even [about] none of that shit.

So I just been holding on to the album right now, mixing it and just getting it together and coming out with that one in the middle of [2013]. I’ma drop Street Money then the other one. Just keeping it going, man.

Interviewer: Just curious because you’ve known him for so long, what were your thoughts on the Snoop Lion experiment?

Daz Dillinger: It was an experience for me, him- ‘cause I went to Jamaica to film, I’m in the movie. So you see that, I’m the joy and the laughter of the movie. I make people laugh when they get sad.

It was an experience for us. It was a culture experience, it was a knowledge experience, it was a life experience. Smoking and just as far as smoking being religion, and even eating right, getting your body in order. When you go to Jamaica, they don’t really like eating meat and dealing with shit that’s processed, they eat fruits, nuts, dairy, shit that’s natural. I like to eat shit that’s green, that’s growing. It’s not about eating something that’s dead; a leaf grows, so that’s going to keep your body going. Plenty of vegetables.

So I learned that from Snoop, I congratulated him, I just saw him the other day. We going on tour tomorrow, and that’s my cousin, my third-cousin. We had our childhood together, with no money, taking baths together, all that shit. 

Interviewer: Where’s the tour?

Daz Dillinger: We got an all-West Coast run from here [Los Angeles] to Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington to like Christmas. Then we go to India, Amsterdam, places like that. Then you know, me and Kurupt, we get back on the road we’re going to China and South Korea. Hip Hop take you all over the world, man. We been doing this for almost 25 years.

Still poppin’ and have money and can compete with anybody. If you look at some of these rappers that come out- this person, that person- but they can’t hang with us on stage, what they going to do? Two songs that they got, the new songs that they got? We could be on stage for what, 20 years? Just the first year alone is three hours on stage. Imagine if we did all the music we ever made, how long would that take on stage.

Interviewer: Yeah that would be a long show.

Daz Dillinger: That’s why we say. “We fittin’ to do the first five years on stage, then move to the other 10. Then we going to kick it to that 15-year, the 20-year, and shit going to be poppin’!” ‘Cause me and Kurupt been doing Tha Dogg Pound experience, we just do that album [Dogg Food] period. Just keeping it moving.

Interviewer: This is my last question. December 15 marks the 20th Anniversary of the release of The Chronic. In honor of that, what verse of your is your favorite from that album?

Daz Dillinger: “The outcome of this is destruction so the more fall / Niggas don't give a fuck so tem bust and before / Niggas backin up three black shows / No justice so they copied ya right / And here I am again.”

You know what song that is, right? That’s “The Day the Niggaz Took Over.” That’s me rapping the Jamaican part, which no one ever knew that was me rapping that part.

I did a lot of stuff on that album, and it’s one of the greatest... if it wasn’t for that album, ain’t nobody in the world be smoking. Like, really just be smoking real weed. Everybody be smoking some Reggie and some bullshit, they wouldn’t even know the word “Chronic.” All these rappers that’s rapping about weed now, we taught you how to smoke weed.

2nd II None Clarify Ties To Suge Knight & Death Row Records, Cosign Kendrick Lamar

KK and Gangsta D say they deeply support the latest Compton sensation, and claim that while Suge Knight helped them in the '90s, the duo never had a business relationship with Death Row.

In the early 1990s the Compton, California duo 2nd II None burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut album. Produced entirely by DJ Quik, 2nd II None the album introduced the rap world to KK and Gangsta D, two fun-loving rappers who spit tales of getting tore up and chasing tail.

Twenty-one years after 2nd II None dropped the group has released a greatest hits album titledInfinite. Infinite features 2nd II None classics like "If You Want It," "Didn’t Mean To Turn U On," "Up ‘N Da Club," "Be True To Yourself," and "Let The Rhythm Take You." The latter brought back fond memories for KK and D.

“Me and AMG was in the room,” Gangsta D explained. “He was on the SP 1200 and he did the loop. I started playing the piano to it. At first we had a D.O.C. sample on there as the hook saying, ‘Let the rhythm take you!’ So we was like, naw fuck that [laughs]. I start singing to the shit and [DJ] Quik tuned it up and made it fatter.”

DJ Quik was an integral part of the 2nd II None sound, producing nearly their entire catalog. Quik’s musicianship coupled with the groups melodic vocals made West Coast Gangsta Rap magic.

“We have a chemistry that don’t nobody else have,” D said of Quik. “When we get in there we just really vibe and put that shit down. It’s a magical chemistry that we have. We know what he’s thinking and he knows what we’re thinking.”

DJ Quik is not only the producer for 2nd II None he’s also a childhood friend and a member of the same Compton Piru street gang. KK and D were riding with Quik during his well-publicized beef withCompton’s Most Wanted rapper and Crip, MC Eiht.

“During that time we was young and with the movement,” said Gangsta D. “We was gang bangers, we was Pirus, so if Quik got into it with anybody it was on from there. We did shows with Eiht during that time. The nigga came off as a cool-ass nigga. He was 100 and we was 100. Can’t nobody make us think a certain way or tell us who to kick it with. If a nigga solid, he solid. A nigga got a problem with that, he got a problem.”

The group’s stand-alone attitude also came into effect when Quik had discrepancies with crew members Hi-C and AMG. “We don’t play no part in no bullshit,” said D. “We don’t go out and bad mouth nobody. If I got something to say to anybody I say it to them. If I don’t like somebody I don’t fuck with them--that’s it. It shouldn’t be no reason why there is bullshit in the game and a lot of it does come from Quik. We love the nigga, but we ain’t finna play the game. I’m just with giving the fans what they want to see. They want to see us do the shit on stage.”

Throughout their career 2nd II None has battled label politics with both Profile and Arista Records that led to the group releasing only two studio albums. The group sought help from Death Row’s Suge Knight to help them cut through record label red tape.

“We never was on Death Row [Records],” said Gangsta D. “There never was a Death Row in our history. We did business with Suge [Knight]. Suge was trying to help us get out of the situation we were in. He had the money to help us get out of the situation so the fans could hear some 2nd II None. He tried; it didn’t work. He even helped us get on the Above The Rim Soundtrack.”

“He helped us get on the Deion Sanders' [Prime Time] album, too. He looked out,” KK added.

Similarly to DJ Quik, 2nd II None recognizes the yin and yang of Death Row’s former CEO and co-founder. “The seeds that you sow is the harvest you’re gonna reap,” D said of Suge Knight. “He has good and bad about him just like everybody. That’s the road that he chose. We speak what it is, but we don’t speak on niggas. As much as people don’t like Suge at the end of the day, that man gotta go and deal with that shit. I know he think about it. We’re all human.”

KK and Gangsta D’s Blood ties with Quik and Suge extended past California’s borders. The duo is not surprised that red flags are being donned on the East Coast.

“I saw them back in the '90s when some of the homies was migrating to other states while we was on tour.” D said of Crips and Bloods spreading throughout the United States. “We was running into niggas we used to shoot at and niggas that used to shoot at us. I saw some Santana Blocc Crips in St. Louis in 1992 at the skating rink. We didn’t get along. They’re Crips, we’re Piru but when we’re seeing them out there we wasn’t on no Compton type of shit. The shit just started spreading. It ain’t just influenced by the Hip Hop. [Ice] Cube put it out there in the movies.”

2nd II None’s focus now isn’t gang banging, it’s putting out dope music. After an unauthorized collection of their work called The Shit was released in 2008 the group decided to take their careers into their own hands.

“The Shit was the name of one of the songs on that album,” KK said. “The idea from that song to make a movie-style video is what prompted that title. Somebody ran with the concept to try to capitalize off of us.”

“We didn’t even name the album yet,” D added. “It’s shit we recorded. The shit surfaced. How, we don’t know. Ain’t no telling. The shit was hot. People wanted it and I’m glad they did put it out there. I still like some of The Shit, it’s timeless,”

In an effort to reintroduce new fans to 2nd II None the group enlisted veteran producer Sir Jinx to oversee their greatest hits album, Infinite. “[Sir] Jinx got a good ear,” said D. “We trust his ear. I just got back from Georgia and he’s bringing me up to what they’re doing out here now. I got love for that nigga. He a good nigga.”

The crew also has love for the new era of emcees from the left coast. “I was talking to K the other day about this,” D said. “I like originality. If it’s not original I ain’t mad at you for your hustle, but guys likeKendrick Lamar - that stands out to me, that’s original. That’s an original style and you can’t say he sound like nobody. I don’t even know the cat but I like him. I like different shit. Can’t nobody do Busta [Rhymes]. Can’t nobody do 2nd II None. I been hearing this shit for the last 20 years with motherfuckers trying to sing hooks. They got some good songs with good hooks, but can’t nobody do 2nd II None.”

“They can’t do 2nd II None live either,” KK added.

2nd II None believes that their contribution to the Rap game is bigger than music. “Me and K we’re blood-related,” said D. “His mother and my mother are sisters. This is family. We’re here for a reason. People say they grew up on our [first] album.”

“People come up to us and say 'you helped us get through college,' 'you helped me with my life,' 'I was going through jail,' 'I was going to court,' 'I was in the hospital sick and that album touched me,'” KK said.

“And for California niggas that tape was like the [Las] Vegas run,” D added. “You could listen to that shit all the way through.”

2nd II None doesn’t believe that there is an age limit in Hip Hop. Their plan is to pick up where they left off when they released their second album Classic 220 in 1999. “It’s time. It’s 20 year-plus,” said Gangsta D. “That’s a blessing. We’re grateful and thankful for that. We’re 40-years old.”

“It’s like me telling someone else to quit they hustle,” added D. “You’re 40, stop going to work. That don’t make sense. There is a crowd for everyone. I’m not out here trying to beg nobody to accept me. It is what it is. Our shit is in black and white. A hoe is a hoe, a woman is a woman, a bitch is a bitch, a nigga is a nigga, a man is a man, you can’t put no age on art. It’s all about originality and talent.”

2nd II None isn’t done after the release of Infinite. The group has new music on deck as well as some gems from the vault that are ready to be released.

“Now we have control over what we’re doing now,” said D. “We’re free to put out our own music. We saved a lot of music that’s timeless so we’re gonna put the shit out. We’re trying to get a distribution situation. We got a hot album that’s sitting here. We got an album ready to go. You’ll be hearing some new 2nd II None in the near future. Fans can hit us up on Twitter @2ndIINoneREAL and look up 2nd II None on Facebook."

Nate Dogg Leaves $200,000 In Real Estate To His Six Children

With no will, Nate Dogg leaves his six children $200,000 in real estate and possibly more money.

Following his death in March 2011, Nate Dogg has posthumously left $200,000 in real estate to his six children.

According to TMZ, the former Death Row crooner did not write a will before he passed, and lawyers are currently divvying up his assets. In documents filed at L.A. County Superior Court, his home in Pomona, California is valued at $350,000 but he still owed $150,000.

His four daughters and two sons will inherit the estate, which may include more cash on top of the real estate. Additionally, earnings from his music will go to his children.

Prodigy Talks About James Rosemond Confessing to Tupac Quad Studios Shooting

The Mobb Deep MC tells that ‘Pac knew Biggie wasn’t responsible for his ambush…

An 18-year mystery seemingly came to an end, last week, when reports surfaced that Jimmy “Henchman” Rosemond confessed his involvement in the 1994 Quad Studios New York City shooting of Tupac Shakur during proffer sessions with the government last fall.

Shakur was robbed and suffered five bullet wounds. Though he would eventually accuse Rosemond of setting him up on The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory‘s “Against All Odds”—a record that was released after his death—Shakur initially blamed former friends The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean “Puffy” Combs for the ambush, which ignited the infamous coastal feud of the mid ’90s.

Prodigy, who also feuded with ‘Pac and was on the front lines representing the East Coast during the feud, recently reacted to Rosemond’s confession.

“People that are in the know, that know a lot of street people in New York, they knew that already,” P told of Rosemond’s confession. I had a connection with ‘Pac. We had friends in common from Queens. They started tellin’ me the story about how ‘Pac knew that had nothin’ to do with Biggie. He was just tryin’ to create controversy to sell records. He knew how to create that controversy to make it bigger in the media and all that type of shit. Just seein’ it all come to surface now, it’s just like, ‘Wow.’”

Two weeks ago, Rosemond was found guilty of conspiring to kill a 50 Cent associate. He was found guilty of running a multimillion-dollar, cross-country cocaine shipping operation three weeks prior.

Suspect Arrested in Trae Tha Truth Shooting

A suspect was arrested in the June shooting in Houston that killed three and left Trae Tha Truth wounded…

A man has been charged in the recent shooting involving Trae Tha Truth.

According to KHOU, 25-year-old Feanyichi Uvukansi was arrested Wednesday (July 4) in connection with the shooting, which occurred last month in Houston and left three people dead and two others wounded, including Trae. Coy “Poppa C” Thompson, 23, Erica Rochelle Dotson, 30, and Carlos Durell Dorsey, 31, died from gunshot wounds sustained during the shootout. Reports have suggested that a domestic altercation days prior to the shooting involving Poppa C may have factored in to the violence that night.

Trae declined to comment on the arrest.

A few days after the incident, though, he did open up about what transpired. “I’m not sure exactly what the altercation was necessarily about, but long story short, whatever transpired, they ran in my direction, so in the process of running in my direction, that kind of had everybody in the open, Trae told back on June 21. “So as the altercation came my way, shots were being dispersed, but since it was coming our direction, it was a crowd of people. Everybody was wrong place, wrong time.”

Even amidst the tragedy, the gravely-voiced rhymer was grateful for the support he received from his peers. “I have received a lot of support throughout the industry. Immediately,” he said. “Yo Gotti called me when I was in the hospital. Trey Songz hit me. Rick Ross hit me. 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Lupe. Meek Mill. Waka. Really, 98 percent of the industry called me already and been real supportive, let me know, if I need anything [they were there]. Of course Tip been real supportive, that’s my brother. A lot of people been checking on me and seeing what’s needed.”

2Pac Mixtape "This Is My Story" OUT NOW

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Son Of Malcolm X’s Biographer Wants Slain NOI Leader’s Letter On Race

The son of Malcolm X‘s biographer is asking Syracuse University to hand over a letter in which the slain activist writes about his shifting views on race relations, claiming his family is the rightful owner. Malcolm X wrote to Alex Haley, his collaborator for “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” from Saudi Arabia in April 1964, about ten months before he was gunned down at a New York City hotel ballroom. The publisher of the autobiography later gave the letter to Syracuse University as part of a larger cache of papers to be used by researchers.

But Haley’s son, William Haley, said the publisher never had legal title to the letter and could not give it away. His lawyer said Tuesday he plans to make a legal demand this week for the letter, which he believes is worth at least $650,000.

“The history is important for us as a family, the legacy,” William Haley said. Haley said he was acting on behalf of himself and his two sisters. Haley said it’s possible the family would decide to sell the letter, but that would be a group decision.

Alex Haley died in 1992.

“So much of African-American history gets lost and is sometimes not in the place where we prefer it to be,” Haley said.

Malcolm X’s letter, written after a pilgrimage to Mecca, addresses the recent time he spent with Muslims “whose skin was the whitest of white.”

“In fact, what I have seen and experienced on this pilgrimage has forced me to `re arrange’ much of my thought patterns, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions,” he wrote.

The letter was sent to publisher Grove Press for inclusion in the autobiography, which was first published in 1965. Grove included the letter in files it gave to Syracuse University in 1969.

Sean M. Quimby, senior director of the university’s Special Collections Research Center, said it has documentation from Grove that shows Syracuse owns the transferred archive. He said the school’s ownership had never been challenged before in 43 years and he has not seen any evidence that the letter was lent, instead of given, to Grove.

“Our library and our special collections are publicly available to anyone, and there is a greater good served,” Quimby added.

Haley’s attorney, Gregory J. Reed of Detroit, said Haley passed along the letter to Grove only so it could be included in the autobiography and that Grove never had legal title.

Haley said he is acting now because he only found out about details of the letter recently after talking to Reed, who collects Malcolm X material.

Photos of Andre 3000 As Jimi Hendrix For Rocker’s Biopic Surface

Seems like Three Stacks will play Jimi Hendrix after all…

When the initial news broke that Andre 3000 would be playing Jimi Hendrix in an upcoming biopic called All Is By My Side, fans and critics alike were skeptical of the outcome.

The most noted backlash came from The Experience Hendrix, LLC, otherwise known as the Jimi Hendrix estate, which oversees the deceased rock star’s music and publishing. While the statement from the family-owned estate, clarified that a film comprised of original music and imagery of Jimi Hendrix can’t occur without its full-on participation, it appears the production has started to take place.

A series of photos, featuring an afro-donning Andre 3000, recently surfaced online. Captured in the town of Bray, Ireland, the photos further assure the film’s formation, as the plot explores Jimi Hendrix’s early career, including his time spent in England throughout 1966 to 1967 during the construction of his seminal debut Are You Experienced.

While it’s still too early to assume how well the six-week-long shoot would paint a proper portrait of the legendary musician’s legacy on the big screen, the uncanny resemblance between Andre 3000 and Jimi Hendrix is sure to catch the attention of moviegoers and fans.

Although his music has been on a standstill since the release of his group Outkast’s sixth studio album Idelwild, Andre 3000, also known as Andre Benjamin, has diversified his acting chops, starring in films such as Familes, The Shield, Be Cool, Revolver, Semi-Pro, Four Brothers, andIdelwild.

Neither tentative release date nor co-starring roles, who’ll partake in the film alongside Andre 3000, have been affirmed as of press time for All Is By My Side.

Andre 3000 Confirmed to Play Jimi Hendrix in Biopic

The OutKast member will portray the rock legend in All Is By My Side, which begins filming later this month…


Andre 3000 is set to star as Jimi Hendrix in All Is By My Side, a new biopic movie about the rock legend.

According to The Irish Film & Television Network, the movie will focus on Hendrix’s period in England from 1966-1967, as he created his debut album, Are You Experienced. The IFTN also reports that the film will be directed by John Ridley (Three Kings, U-Turn) and is currently in pre-production in Wicklow, Ireland with shooting set to begin in three weeks in both Wicklow and Dublin. The entire film is expected to be shot in six weeks.

A segment of the movie will reportedly have Hendrix discovered in a New York club by Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richard’s then-girlfriend, Linda Keith.

3000, real name Andre Benjamin, has appeared in a number of television shows and films, such as Families, The Shield, Be Cool, Revolver, Semi-Pro and Four Brothers.

However, his portrayal in OutKast’s 2006 musical film, Idlewild, was received with mixed reviews.

On a smaller scale and more current, 3000 can be seen as a pitchman for Gillette’s Master of Style campaign, alongside actors Adrien Brody and Gael Garcia Bernal.

As for the music side of things, the masterful lyricist told GQ back in February that he plans on dropping a solo album later this year.

“This year I think I’m planning to do a solo project,” he told the men’s magazine. “I don’t know when it will come out, but hopefully it’ll come out this year. As far as OutKast, I really don’t know if or when that will happen.”

2Pac’s Greatest Hits LP Enters Billboard Top 200 Thanks to Hologram

The 2Pac hologram paves the way for ‘Pac’s Greatest Hits album to land back on the charts for the first time since 2000…

There’s definitely power and lasting impact behind the 2Pac hologram at the Coachella music festival on Sunday (April 15).

That’s because Billboard Biz is reporting that 2Pac’s Greatest Hits album has re-entered the Billboard 200 chart for the first time since 2000, as it moved to No. 129 with 4,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That’s a gain of a whopping 571% over the previous week. The legendary MC, who was tragically murdered back in 1996, also saw gains on classic albums like All Eyez On Me (2,000; up 95%) and Me Against the World (1,000; up 53%). The boost in album sales even had a trickle down effect on songs like “California Love,” and “2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” which both seen gains in sales as well.

There’s no doubting the fanfare that the 2Pac hologram received a few weeks back, appearing on stage alongside Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. The virtual ’Pac’s popularity even sparked net rumors of Dre, Snoop and the 2Pac hologram heading out on tour.

However, Dre strongly refuted any such idea, commenting that the virtual ’Pac was only for Coachella.

“As you know, we had a hologram of Tupac Shakur show up as a part of our show, and I want to thank a couple of companies out there that made my idea come to life,” the West Coast pioneer began in a message to his fans, posted on the YouTube page of Interscope Records, where he is signed. “I wanna say what’s up to AV Concepts, who actually projected the hologram; I wanna say what’s up to Digital Domain for actually putting the image together—they did an incredible job and everybody out there loved it.

“It was strictly for Coachella—get it right,” Dre added. “I wanna get rid of all the rumors out there…this was not done for a tour. If a tour happens? We’ll see. This was done strictly for Coachella 2012, baby. Just for you.”

 

Dr. Dre and Snoop to beam in dead stars (2Pac and Nate Dogg) at Coachella

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are headliners at the 2012 Coachella Music Festival. They will be using holographic technology to beam in for the performance both Nate Dogg and Tupac -- neither of whom is alive.

Barack Obama Calls Kanye West a Jackass Again

The Commander-in-Chief dubs ‘Ye, a fellow Chi-town native, a donkey for the second time in less than three years…

President Obama still thinks Kanye West is a jackass.

When writer David Samuels of The Atlanticrecently asked Obama about who he prefers, Jay-Z or Kanye West, the Commander-in-Chief gave the nod to Hova, before referring to ’Ye as a donkey once again.

“Although I like Kanye,” Obama told Samuels. “He’s a Chicago guy. Smart. He’s very talented.”

“Even though you called him a jackass?,” Samuels shot back, referring to 2009 interview footage, in which Obama originally called Yeezy a jackass.

“He is a jackass,” Obama said with a wink. “But he’s talented.”The comment marked the second time in less than three years that Obama has called Kanye, his fellow Chi-town native, a “jackass.” The first occasion came shortly after West’s meltdown during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at which Yeezy infamously interrupted country pop princess Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video to proclaim that the Moonman should have went to Beyoncé.

“Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ma let you finish,” Yeezy said. “But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time,” he shrieked, even visibly horrifying Beyoncé herself who was seated in the front rows. “One of the best videos of all time.”

Although Obama may have been having fun with the comment, there are those who Kanye has seriously drawn the ire of. Last week, PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals) and Theraflu took exception to West’s new record, “Theraflu.”

G. Dep’s Murder Trial Begins With Opening Statements

G. Dep’s lawyer says there’s just too much inconsistencies to convict his client, while the Manhattan Assistant DA believes Dep’s startling confession to a murder more than 17 years ago is enough to book him…

Opening statements were delivered in the murder trial for rapper G. Dep in a New York court on Tuesday (April 10), his wife, Crystal Sutton.

Dep’s lawyer suggested Tuesday that there were too many inconsistencies to convict his client G. Dep, born Trevell Coleman, 37, according to the Associated Press.

The AP also reported that Manhattan Assistant District Attorney David Drucker countered by saying that the key evidence came from the “most reliable” source: the rapper himself.

In December 2010, Coleman walked into the New York Police Department’s 25^th Precinct in Harlem to make the startling confession that he shot and killed John Henkel in a botched robbery attempt back in 1993.

When asked why he confessed after 17 years in an exclusive interview conducted on Rikers Island last spring, Coleman said:

“I didn’t feel like I could keep going on, living my life—indulging in life and feeling the highs and lows and just basking in what I thought was a good life—knowing what I did affected someone else’s life.”

“It was the fact that I had children that I thought about stuff like that,” he continued in the interview. “I didn’t feel it was fair. I just wanted to take care of that, and have some resolve for the situation. I didn’t know what was going to be the outcome, but that was the only way I knew to deal with it.”

G. Dep released his debut album, Child of the Ghetto, back in November 2001, while being a signed artist for Bad Boy Records. The LP spawned hits such as “Special Delivery” and “Let’s Get It,” which features Diddy and helped spawn the Harlem Shake dance craze.