YOMO: IN STORES NOW!

YOMO is releasing his first solo album “My Destiny” on November 25, 2008, featuring his hit single “Tu Te Las Traes” through Black Pearl Records. Yomo has spent the last year in the studio writing and recording personal songs that have been destined. The Puertorican star known for the hit single “dejale caer todo el peso” featuring Hector el Father and for collaborations with artist such as Victor Manuelle is bringing down the house with his new album.

“My Destiny” is a mix of YOMO’s unique musical fusion that includes traditional Latin rhythms, urban influence, reggae roots, electronic and raggaeton classics.  His first single an urban electronic influenced song, “Tu Te Las Traes” produced by legendary producer DJ Blass is heating up the radio airwaves through Puerto Rico, South America, and the U.S.A.  Yomo includes collaborations with artist such as Jowell y Randy, and Voltio, that is sure to make “My Destiny” an instant classic.

 “My Destiny” includes 13 tracks that are fire and have a high level performance throughout the album. This album is a glimpse into Yomo’s life through lyrics, beats, and stories. It’s a well balanced album that ranges from the electronic influenced club banger “Tu Te Las Tares,” to a Vallenato influenced song called, “Mi Mujer.”  Yomo also includes the classic raggaeton sound that made him the super star that he is in the hit single, “Gotica Satica,” and a bonus Christmas tracked called, “.”  Yomo’s versatility with different genres makes this album unlike anything out there.  Yomo is known for lyrical skills, club bangers, and street anthems and is staking his claim in today’s urban movement through his destiny, “MY DESTINY.”

Real-Time Social Interaction to Music Videos

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company, and Meebo, the company that enables real-time social interactions, today announced that they have entered into an agreement to provide Meebo users with ad-supported videos from many of the most popular chart-topping artists in the world. Meebo will kick off the agreement by featuring artists Kanye West, Ludacris, and The Killers at meebo.com, where users will be able to view videos from the artists to promote their new albums. To augment the promotions, UMG will embed Meebo Rooms on official artist pages to enable real-time social interactions among fans.

Meebo has featured over 150 major artists at meebo.com. Most recently, these features have taken place in the company’s premium promotional space, the Meebo MediaBar. Artist features and advertising campaigns on Meebo log average click-through rates of 1%. Additionally, the MediaBar provides users with the ability to share the video campaigns seamlessly with their buddies at meebo.com. The agreement with UMG creates opportunities for Meebo users to enjoy premium content and gives UMG access to premium promotional space to create significant online buzz for their artists.

“Whether it’s rock from The Killers or hip-hop from Kanye West, Meebo users are extremely passionate about their music and enjoy sharing that premium content en masse with their friends,” said Martin Green, COO of Meebo. “The partnership between Meebo and UMG gives our users the ability to engage with thousands of videos from the world’s largest music company.”

“UMG’s Video Syndication Program allows for music fans to access videos in fun and easy ways at affiliate websites,” said Larry Baach, Senior Vice President, Global Digital Initiatives, Universal Music Group. “Meebo, our latest affiliate, has a unique inter-operative IM feature that has captured the interest of a young, extremely loyal, and very active user base. UMG is always working toward better consumer experiences of our artists’ videos and we look forward to Meebo’s continued and inventive focus on music video.”

In addition to featuring new, hit videos on meebo.com, UMG will utilize Meebo Rooms to enable real-time social interaction for fans visiting UMG artists’ official web properties. In the past, UMG has used Meebo Rooms to power a number of popular events, including an online listening party for Kanye West’s Graduation album and a live chat with hip-hop icon LL Cool J. Since launching in May 2007, over 300 musicians have used Meebo Rooms in similar capacities, either by giving fans direct access to the artist, or providing a forum where fans can interact via chat while visiting an artist’s official website or social networking profile.

For information about partnering with Meebo, please visit meebo.com/partners.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world’s leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry’s leading global music publishing operation.

Universal Music Group’s record labels include Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records South, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world’s most popular artists and their recordings. UMG’s catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division; and Helter Skelter, its live music agency.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.

About Meebo, Inc.

Meebo is the Web’s live communications platform. Founded in September 2005, Meebo provides instant messaging and group chat to 40 million people at meebo.com and via partner sites across the Web. Meebo’s investors include Sequoia Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, JAFCO Ventures, Time Warner Investments, and KTB Ventures. Visit meebo.com to connect with friends live on the Web.

All brands, names, or trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Rebulutionary Pitbull: “Fidel Castro Died Three Years Ago!”

Like I was saying I don’t stick to one genre, I just do music. I’m all about energy and all about vibes. The way I hook up with someone like Machel Montano is because we’re both international artists and we first hooked up in Belgium. I went down and did the Trinidad carnival with him and he sold out two shows in one night. So, he’s very humbled and honestly him being from an island and my roots are from an island we have a lot of things in common, but I think that’s the way I hook up with everybody because I’m always on the road and it’s an international thing. I’m all over the place and my music has given me a chance to go inside of those means. As far as making it classic to me making it classic is looking back at classics such as Illmatic, Ready To Die, Chronic, Doggystyle, Reasonable Doubt. When I listen to those records I ask myself, “What made those albums a classic? What made people go out and buy the album and listen to it until it ride out?” That makes it a whole lot harder for me now because I’m dealing with a society that has, shit ADD times a hundred. So, what about this record when you hear it is going to intrigue you? Already, for me it’s a perfect time because there are so many things to talk about that are going on in the world. For example, on the record Krazy even though it’s a fun record and it’s big enough for the clubs and it will get you jumping and help you get loose, but at the same time I try to throw political things in there, but feed it to them by putting the rice and meat over the lettuce like you do to kids when you want them to eat it and that’s basically what I’m doing with my music. Like on the second verse of Krazy I be like, “Iraq no war, U.S. no Bush, Cuba no Castro” and it’s certain things that I’m shooting at them and basically on this album I’m going to elaborate a whole lot on my life that I haven’t spoke about yet. Lil Jon is definitely going to be on this album! I want to be able to capture the moment, so while I’m making the album I want to go to the Dominican Republic and just hide out for three months and just make music that way I don’t have to deal with bullshit in the United States of America.

So, what are some things that you want to get off your chest on the Rebulution album?

As far as politics I’ve always been big on politics on pretty every one of my albums because me being Cuban American I’ve been born politically incorrect. So, politics has always been a big, big part of my life as far as the politics in Cuba and also the United States of America. Now I can speak about politics on this album and people will know what I’m talking about because this election has been historical to the point where everyone is tuning in to see what’s going on. Barack Obama has become so motivational and inspirational and like an iconic figure. He’s like the new Bob Marley! Everyone is wearing t-shirts [with his face on them] and he’s so big that the kids are paying attention to what he’s talking about and now that means when I say something on a record their going to know what I’m talking about. It’s not like the Bush administration - and we knew that he was fucking robbing us blind and everything that he’s been doing to this country, which is something that’s been going on for years. The people would just sit and watch him talk because they knew as soon as they turned on the television and heard him say about four words they would be like, “Oh, this is bullshit! I can’t believe this muthaf*cker is the President of our country!” and they go and flip the channel. So, now the youth is paying more attention and that’s going to allow me to put it on record and their going to listen to it.

Can you shed some light on the current state of Cuba’s government?

As far as what’s going on in Cuba right now is all up in the air and it all depends on what President gets in and if they lift the embargo and if Cuba’s going to agree, we really don’t know. One thing I do know is Castro is dead. Castro has been dead for about three years and when he gave that power off to his brother I think that was when they started acting like he was alive, but he’s been dead. As far as his brother he’s something that we have to watch he can be very conniving, but the person that we really have to watch in Latin America is Hugo Chavez.

That’s interesting that you mentioned Hugo Chavez because I’ve noticed a lot of people rocking t-shirts with his face on it.

Yeah, people want to be revolutionists, when you speak to the people that live in these countries, revolution looks great in the books and on TV it just doesn’t work within a society. Revolution equals communism, which is saying, “Your gonna have a house, he’s gonna have a house, and your gonna have a house.” So, you mean to tell me if I work my ass off more than my next door neighbor and me and him are gonna have the same shit just don’t make no sense. So, it’s real funny when I see that type of shit and people wearing t-shirts because they really don’t know what their wearing.

You have a lot going on including your own social networking site, reality show on Mun2, and the new album. Talk a little bit about your television network Mun2.

Mun2 is a growing network that started off with 6 million viewers and now it’s up to 24 million on Comcast. Mun2 is like a young bilingual MTV and by dealing with this network I’m trying to be what Madonna was to MTV, they helped each others career. As far as me doing a television show with them it’s called, The Corner pronounced in Spanish La Esquina and on this show I touch up on all the topics that I feel are hot on TV, that are relevant, and eye catching. So, on this show I did the election and I ask the question, “What’s the difference between a party and a democrat?’ But at the same time with a twist of humor, so the kids will be laughing and learning at the same time.

Besides music and entertainment, what does Pitbull enjoy doing when he’s not getting Krazy?

I enjoy hanging out with the family. I like getting a chance to see my mother, grandmother, and aunt. So, for me it’s important to see my kids grow up together, play together, learn new things, and to me all of that means the world.

How’s your relationship with Lil Jon

Jon’s like a brother. I call him my Cuban brother. Jon has been one of those cats that are really rare to find in the game that are loyal and that will be there through thick and thin and understand the visionary and they see what the future holds. He’s here for the marathon and not the sprint and unfortunately a lot of this game is monkey see, monkey do and they don’t carve out their own name. A lot of artists want to do what other people are doing and the artists you see on the television who look to see who has the biggest chain on or got the biggest piece, or rims, and no one talks about who got the biggest bank account. It’s unfortunate that it’s smokey mirrors and a facade of what’s going on in hip-hop. That’s why you saw me do so many records with Jon when I was down with TVT because that was a survival pact. I’m gonna keep you out there, if you keep me out there that was the only way we were gonna survive. When I was with TVT I seen it as 4 years of the School of Hard knocks music 1 on 1 University. I took it, I absorbed it, analyzed it, and now I’m gonna apply it with Jon right next to me [laughter].

Fuego Entertainment Ventures Into the Tour and Live Concert Production

Fuego Entertainment, Inc. today announced that it has expanded its operations to include the production of music tours and live music events. The company is planning a calendar of events for 2009 that will include some of the artists already signed to its two record labels, Echo-Fuego Music Group and FEMI, as well as some of the most popular Latin artists of the moment.

“I’m pleased to report that we are expanding our operations to now include live music events in the U.S. and abroad. The live music industry is stronger than ever, particularly given the continued economic slowdown that has impacted so many consumer-oriented businesses,” stated Hugo Cancio, President & CEO of Fuego Entertainment. “Our goal is to not only produce major live music events, but to also market and promote our music portal FuegoMio.com as the main sponsor for all our live music events.” According to Forbes Magazine, total primary-market concert ticket sales climbed to a record $3.9 billion, up 8% from $3.6 billion in 2006 and represents the ninth consecutive year that combined concert grosses in the U.S. and Canada have hit an all-time high.

The first of a series of events to be produced by Fuego Entertainment and presented by FuegoMio will be Sunday November 30th at the Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah, Florida. The park has a capacity of approximately 15,000 people. The park will be the venue for the first Reggaeton Music Festival in the City of Miami/Hialeah and Miami Lakes. FuegoMio will be co-presenting 14 reggaeton artists including Javier Voltaje, Gente de Zona USA and Luny Tunes recording artists Arcangel and Erre XI. Key sponsorship for the event is provided by Beverage Plus and MC2 Energy Drink, serving free beverages to the fans and Metro PCS. Two other live music events are already scheduled for December 2008, and a series of major live music events are in the works for 2009 and 2010.

Fuego Entertainment, Inc. is engaged in the production, acquisition, marketing, sales, and distribution of entertainment products. For more information, please visit Fuego Entertainment at http://www.fuegoentertainment.net.

This press release contains statements, which may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of Fuego Entertainment, Inc., members of their management, and assumptions on which such statements are based. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements.

HP Gaining Market Share in All Segments

Hewlett-Packard is gaining market share in every segment, and is at or ahead of its integration plans for computer services provider EDS, Chief Executive Mark Hurd said Monday.

He made the comments after HP, the No. 1 maker of personal computers, posted quarterly results and fiscal 2009 forecasts that matched strong preliminary figures on Nov. 18. The preliminary report had topped Wall Street expectations and sent HP shares soaring 14 percent that day.

“We’re guiding fairly conservatively” on PC sales and it will “have an effect across” the company, Hurd told reporters on a conference call, calling it a “challenging environment.”

Net profit for the fiscal fourth quarter ended Oct. 31 was $2.11 billion, or 84 cents per share, compared with $2.17 billion, or 81 cents per share, a year earlier. Profit per share excluding items, such as acquisition charges, was $1.03.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose 19 percent to $33.6 billion, or an increase of 16 percent when adjusted for currency effects.

The results were greatly helped by HP’s acquisition of Electronic Data Systems (EDS), which helped services revenue jump 99 percent to $8.6 billion. Excluding EDS, HP’s overall revenue grew just 5 percent.

HP notebook computer sales also did well in the quarter, rising 21 percent, compared with a 2 percent decline in desktop computers.

“We were impressed with the notebook revenue. They were easily able to outpace peers in a pretty tough environment,” said Bill Kreher, an analyst at Edward Jones. “They certainly benefited from the acquisition of EDS. It bears fruit in the results, which are still strong in my opinion. We have a buy rating.”

HP shares [HPQ  35.70  ---  UNCH  (0)   ], which gained 3 percent on the New York Stock Exchange earlier on Monday, ticked less than 1 percent lower in extended trading after finishing the regular session at $35.70. The stock had lost about one-third of its value from September to mid-November, before gaining about 20 percent since the strong preliminary results.

HP’s broad businesses, which include services, software, computers, printers and ink, has made it less vulnerable to the economic downturn than companies focused mainly on PCs. Rival PC maker  Dell [DELL  10.14  ---  UNCH  (0)   ] did better than expected in the October quarter, mostly due to an aggressive cost cuts.

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It said software revenue rose 13 percent to $855 million, while revenue from its imaging and printing group fell 1 percent to $7.5 billion. Revenue from its enterprise storage and server division fell 1 percent to $5.1 billion.

The company stood by its forecast for first-quarter earnings of 93 to 95 cents per share excluding items, on revenue of $32 billion to $32.5 billion. It also confirmed its forecast for fiscal 2009 earnings of $3.88 to $4.03 per share excluding items, on revenue of $127.5 billion to $130 billion.

Copyright 2008 Reuters.

Existing Home Sales Drop 3.1% in October

The pace of sales of existing homes in the United States fell 3.1 percent in October to a 4.98 million-unit annual rate, while the median home price dropped to its lowest in more than four years, a National Association of Realtors report showed on Monday.

Economists polled by Reuters were expecting home resales to set a 5.00 million-unit pace. September’s figure was revised downwards to 5.14 million from 5.18 million.

“Many potential home buyers appear to have withdrawn from the market due to the stock market collapse and deteriorating economic conditions,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist.

The inventory of existing homes for sale slipped 0.9 percent to 4.23 million from 4.27 million in September. The median national home price declined 11.3 percent from a year ago to $183,300, the lowest since March 2004 when the median price was $183,200.

The percentage drop in prices was the biggest since the NAR started keeping records in 1968.

“We have favorable affordable conditions, but we need more than that to give buyers with jobs the confidence they need. Without home price stabilization, there will not be an economic recovery,” Yun told reporters.

The housing malaise, which triggered a global financial crisis, has infected other sectors of the broader economy,

translating into the highest unemployment rate in 14 years and a record drop in retail sales.

Analysts say stability in the housing sector is key to any recovery in the U.S. economy, which independent surveys say is in recession.

Copyright 2008 Reuters.

Google to Cut Contract Workers

Internet search giant Google said it is “significantly” reducing the number of contract workers it uses, but has no plans at this time to lay off employees, the Wall Street Journal said.

“We have been thinking for some time, before the acute phase of the economic crisis, about significantly reducing the number of contract workers,” spokeswoman Jane Penner told the paper.

Google declined to specify how many contract workers might be cut, nor would Penner discuss the pace at which the company would terminate contractors, the paper said.

Google ended the third quarter with 20,123 company employees and about 10,000 contractors, according to the paper.

Google [GOOG  257.44    -4.99  (-1.9%)   ] could not be immediately reached for comment by Reuters.

Copyright 2008 Reuters.

Nina Sky enthrall city audience

International performers Nicole and Natalie Albino of Nina Sky wowed guests at the Qube yesterday during the launch of Global DJ’s new urban music night, USHEEK.

“It was a great opportunity for us to perform here in Doha. We have always loved travelling and visiting new places,” said twin sisters Nicole and Natalie.

Nicole and Natalie, who are working on a new album The Musical, stormed up Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2004 and landing at No. 4 with their international hit Move Ya Body. That was at the height of the Reggaeton movement.

The Musical, with its genre-defying style, is a fresh start for the duo after spending four years out of the spotlight. The album will be released in 2009 under J Records.

“We named our album The Musical because we feel it’s the same thing as when you experience a ‘musical’ – it makes you experience so many types of emotions in a big way, with so much feeling. The songs in the album reflect everything that’s been happening with us, like a ‘musical’,” said Nicole, the instrumentalist and less gregarious of the two.

“We felt like our first album was a draft to this bigger production, with all these great producers and great writers. When you put together a musical, you want all the right actors, all the right writers, the right musical score, the right theme… That’s how we put together our album,” she said.

According to the duo, the new album contains songs with diverse influences, hence the reason for the number of musicians and producers working with them.

“There’s hip-hop and R&B (rhythm and blues), dance, rock, pop music, etc. That’s the reason why we have collaborated with people like Salaam Remi, Ryan Leslie, Cool-n-Dre, Rick Ross and DJ Toomp, to name a few,” said Natalie, the party girl and songwriter.

With their eclectic mix of songs – a little bit of hip-hop, a little bit of reggae, a little bit of rock – the duo said there’s really no formula to what they do.

“We just make music that we love. It’s not traditional. We grew up listening to all kinds of music,” said Nicole.

“Most people go into the studio knowing what their album will sound like. When we go into the studio, we say ‘Let’s make an album that we love and we hope everyone else will love it’,” she said.

The talented duo, who are also into designing shirts and are now working on a shoe line, said they have no immediate plans except put out their new album and see it become a success.

2008 American Music Awards: The Best and Worst

Kudos to this year’s American Medley Music Awards for showcasing as diverse a field of artists as possible within the inevitable limits arising whenever anything is controlled largely by the voting public/record sales, and putting everyone’s best foot forward in the process! The winners of the actual super-stabby crystal trophies of death can be found after the jump, but in my opinion tonight’s real victor was the music business itself, as singer after singer took the mic and, with a couple glaring exceptions, proved themselves worthy of the airtime.

I’m more than a bit of a naysayer when it comes to the chart-topperz of the day, and when they said this was to be the youngest AMAs in history, I must admit I shuddered with dread. But the evening flowed smoothly — in part thanks to the complacent consistency of host and noted Kanye West enthusiast Jimmy Kimmel, in part just thanks to the breakneck pace they had to maintain to get everyone on stage — and if there was embarrassment to be had, it was mostly claimed by the 30-and-older set. (Note to Jamie Foxx, Scott Weiland, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Aerosmith: don’t forget to tip your servers.)

We didn’t get a song from newly anointed Artist of the Year Chris Brown (pictured), although I can think of at least one act out of the 19 that did appear who could have been excised to make room for him. Still, there’s less than I thought there would be to complain about, and my only overriding quibble is with the fact that no one took the time to thank their choreographer. Keep reading for my three bests and three worsts of the night, “three” being an arbitrary number chosen by my editors to keep me from nattering on like I did after the CMAs. It’s really just as well.

 

BEST

1. Blond Ladies How I’d love to go back to 1999 and put money down on Christina Aguilera to kick Britney’s ass. The mistress of melisma is pushing a greatest hits collection at the moment, giving her the night’s best excuse for performing a medley and underscoring just how rare it is that any artist survives an ass-less chaps phase with dignity intact. Even though I couldn’t help but think Dude, that’s somebody’s MOM in the middle of “Dirrty,” she was a hell of a way to kick off the show, and her platinum sisters followed suit: Pink was introduced by Weiland as “one of the great artists of our time,” and I got my pen out to write something snarky but then realized I kind of agreed with him and sat back to watch her demonstrate the proper way to both pull off a purple ballgown and bounce back from heartache with new single “Sober”; she also made Sarah McLachlan more interesting than she’s been in 10 years by joining her on “Angel” and throwing a little grit on all the treacle. Natasha Bedingfield started classic and clean, bringing welcome vocal simplicity on “Unwritten” before everything got all clogged up by those unnecessary breakdancers during “Pocketful of Sunshine.” My arch-nemesis Taylor Swift put in her best broadcast television appearance yet, once she got off the couch and actually started to sing “White Horse,” and I’ll let up on her if she promises to strive for that level of visible human emotion every time she performs. But the biggest blond bombshell of all was, hands down, Ms. Annie Lennox, winner of a special merit award and the best advertisement for living past 50 I’ve seen in years. One wonders if all these (surely Simon Fuller-sponsored) TV appearances Annie’s been making of late are translating into any record sales amongst the Swift set — but if they aren’t, at least those of us old enough to already have all her records are getting the benefit of ferociously gorgeous performances like “Why” along the way. The look in her eyes on the line “This boat is sinking” basically decimated me.

2. Ne-Yo The classy gentleman stepped out with a Bond-infused, bowler-capped two-fer of “Miss Independent” and “Closer,” using dapper dance moves, a crackerjack horn section, and his bold tenor to turn the Nokia into his own personal gin joint. If the point of this show is to move the merchandise, consider me a satisfied new Ne-Yo customer.

3. Beyoncé I almost gave Miley Cyrus this slot because it’s her 16th birthday and she overcame many of her pop-robot tendencies (and some seriously creepy backup dancers) to hold my attention through an entire song for the first time ever — but 16 is still too young to be writhing about in public, so my general discomfort disqualified her. Likewise, I ruled out Mariah Carey for relying entirely too much on her fan to make a dull song float, Coldplay for doing the same thing if you substitute “confetti” for “fan,” and Rihanna for a performance of “Rehab” featuring scaffolding, fire, and an eye patch that was very nearly as much of a hot mess as its video. Thus have I turned to the highly satisfying “Single Ladies” dance party, even though it was almost the exact same “Single Ladies” dance party we got on SNL a week ago. Whatever. It’s still a killer song. Although: Should I be concerned that all us single ladies are now adopting a group hand gesture? Might I abstain?

WORST

1. Boy Bands Ugh. Slaughter me if you must in the comments, Jonas Bros. fans, but your breakthrough boys kind of sounded like crap last night, and were certainly not helped by whoever cranked their nasally, out-of-key vocals way too loud in the mix. (Doesn’t anyone rehearse with their people in the truck anymore?) Technical issues aside, there was something generally unfocused and unbelievable about the confluence of puppy angst and kitten-soft falsetto on “Tonight,” and I think Jimmy Eat World wants their mixtape back. Meanwhile, over in Stonehenge, that sloppy New Kids on the Block medley would have struggled to make the grade at Hershey Park on a Tuesday afternoon, and at least two of those guys now look like dentists. Chris Brown has sneezed better.

2. Kanye West Dude. Kanye. I will write this in all caps in hopes of speaking your language: YOU ARE A GAZILLIONAIRE. CHEER THE HELL UP. You want the awards, you don’t want the awards, you have an increasingly awkward relationship with women, you boldly challenge your peers but then say ridiculous things like “I want to be Elvis,” you are collapsing into self-parody…and was that a dead raccoon in your pocket?

3. The Big Finale It pains me to do it, and I place no blame on Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah, or Kathleen Battle as individuals for their closing performance of “Superwoman.” But the song could not support their combined weight, nor did it — in light of the fact that half the audience was probably still making that “Single Ladies” hand gesture — inspire me to hoist my uterus up the flagpole in the way it was probably meant to. It was just kind of random. And really: Kathleen Battle? I suppose one way to keep the assortment of divas in check at this sort of thing is to bring in a bigger diva to frighten them into submission, but she was more out of place than a copy of Chinese Democracy in Slash’s CD player. This year’s AMAs were indeed all about excellence in vocal performance, but that was awkward overkill at the very moment things should have reached divine transcendence. Also, Alicia? Have you no one in your life with whom you can leave your handbag when it’s time to accept an award?

Okey-doke, I’m done. Your turn to weigh in, PopWatchers: Who delivered your favorite performances? Which one of Rihanna’s outfits pained you more? Is it okay that I decided not to comment on the Pussycat Dolls because I refuse to acknowledge their existence in a world created by a beneficent God? Did anyone care about The Fray’s Very Special Episode Of Grey’s Anatomy? And if it’s not Chris Brown, who’s your Artist of the Year, bearing in mind that said “year” includes the latter half of 2007, not 2008?

2008 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARD WINNERS

POP/ROCK MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist: Chris Brown
Favorite Female Artist: Rihanna
Favorite Band, Duo, or Group: Daughtry
Favorite Album: Alicia Keys, As I Am

COUNTRY MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist: Brad Paisley
Favorite Female Artist: Taylor Swift
Favorite Band, Duo, or Group: Rascal Flatts
Favorite Album: Carrie Underwood, Carnival Ride

RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist: Kanye West
Favorite Band, Duo, or Group: Three 6 Mafia
Favorite Album: Kanye West, Graduation

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES
Favorite Male Artist: Chris Brown
Favorite Female Artist: Rihanna
Favorite Album: Alicia Keys, As I Am

T-MOBILE BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
Jonas Brothers

INSPIRATIONAL
Favorite Artist: Third Day

ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC
Favorite Artist: Linkin Park

ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Favorite Artist: Jordin Sparks

SOUNDTRACKS
Favorite Album: Alvin & The Chipmunks

LATIN MUSIC
Favorite Artist: Enrique Iglesias

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Artist of the Year: Chris Brown

 

Lleva su mensaje con “Cosa nueva”

En momentos en que la situación económica domina los pensamientos de muchos, el cantante cristiano Sammy Rolón propone un discurso diferente con su disco debut “Cosa nueva”, del que se desprende el sencillo “Santo”.

“Las personas que lo han recibido me han dicho que además de ser un proyecto musicalmente muy interesante, el mensaje es impactante. Hoy día mucha gente se enfoca en la economía, la política, en qué vamos a hacer con los ‘billes’, con los pagos del carro; pero el disco va a promover que Dios no ha terminado con nosotros y que lo mejor está por venir. Estamos pasando por valles y desiertos pero la mano de Dios no nos ha abandonado y vamos a salir adelante”, dijo el intérprete, nacido en Puerto Rico, pero criado en Estados Unidos.

La propuesta discográfica se nutre de diez temas de alabanza y oración, escritos por Rolón en donde ofrece una variada oferta de ritmos, que van desde la balada, el pop, el rock y hasta un toque de reguetón.

“Estuve mano a mano en todo lo que se hizo. El proceso tomó como un año y estuve ocho a la espera de hacerlo, pero entonces no era el momento. Teníamos que pasar por un proceso de aprendizaje, de madurez y expandir nuestros horizontes”, dijo quien ha dirigido por más de 15 años un ministerio de alabanza en el estado de la Florida.

El cantante, quien cuenta con la colaboración de su esposa, Madian M. Rolón en el tema “Lluvia fresca” y de Rhican Red en “Santo eres tú”, espera llevar su mensaje musical a cuanto lugar le sea posible.

“Ya fuimos a Honduras y tenemos planes para Costa Rica y otros países. Creemos que esto es algo internacional y no nos queremos concentrar solo en los hispanos, también llegar a los americanos. Este es un mensaje para todo creyente y para todo el que esté en ese camino”, adelantó quien visitará próximamente Nueva York, Nueva Jersey y California, entre otros.

“Cosa nueva” está disponible en La Gran Discoteca.

 

Another Wall Street bailout boosts oil to $53

Oil prices jumped above $53 a barrel Monday with Wall Street on news that the U.S. government will bail out Citigroup.

Light, sweet crude for January delivery rose nearly 6 percent, or $2.94, to $52.87 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Phil Flynn, an analyst at Alaron Trading Corp., said oil initially seemed like it was heading downward, dropping to $48 overnight even amid talk about possible production cuts by OPEC.

News that the U.S. government will take a $20 billion stake in Citigroup and guarantee hundreds of billions of dollars in risky assets gave both the stock market and oil market a boost, but Flynn said it’s likely a short-term bump and he doesn’t think investors are betting that the market has hit bottom.

“What we’ve seen in the past on these bailouts is it does give oil a boost for a while and energy a boost for a while,” he said. “But as time goes on, that stimulus sort of wears off and then we go back to focusing on supply and demand.”

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 300 points Monday morning.

Oil futures have followed stock markets recently, using equities as a proxy for economic outlook and investor sentiment. Traders are also expressing confidence in President-elect Barack Obama’s emerging economic team.

Obama plans to name New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary, Lawrence Summers as director of the National Economic Council and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as commerce secretary. Obama will be sworn in on January 20.

“The lack of clarity as to who exactly is in charge of steering the U.S. economy is really hurting the equity markets,” said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. “So putting together the new team gives a bit of a reassurance to the market, even if Obama isn’t president yet.”

Gas prices continued to drop overnight, with the national average price for regular dropping about 2 cents to $1.908 a gallon, according to according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. That is more than 80 cents gallon below what it was a month ago and more than $2 below where it was in July when prices peaked at $4.11 per gallon.

Investors are looking for signs the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which accounts for 40 percent of global supply, may reduce output quotas. Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said Sunday that OPEC should cut oil production by 1 million barrels per day at an informal meeting Nov. 29 meeting in Cairo.

The group, which cut output by 1.5 million barrels a day last month, will hold its next official meeting on Dec. 17.

“It’s still a big question mark whether OPEC will make an additional cut at the Cairo meeting,” Shum said. “Chances are better for a cut at the December meeting. Talk of a cut is providing some support for prices.”

Analyst Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix in Switzerland agreed, saying that only the timing of the new OPEC output reduction was uncertain, not the cut itself.

“We have the feeling that OPEC is keeping all its options not really as to whether they will cut further but as to when they will announce it,” Jakob said in a market report.

In other Nymex trading, gasoline futures rose 6.97 cents to $1.134 a gallon. Heating oil rose 8 cents to $1.78 a gallon while natural gas for December delivery jumped 22 cents to $6.70 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, January Brent crude rose $3.30 to $52.49 on the ICE Futures exchange.

___

Associated Press writers Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary and Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this report.

 

US to Inject $20 Billion into Citigroup, Back Assets

The U.S. government has agreed to guarantee over $300 billion of Citigroup’s troubled assets — loans and securities backed by residential and commercial real estate and other such assets — with conditions attached. These conditions are being hammered out.

In addition, the U.S. Treasury will invest $20 billion in Citigroup [C  5.58    1.81  (+48.01%)   ] from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in exchange for preferred shares with an 8 percent dividend. Citigroup will comply with enhanced executive compensation restrictions and implement the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp’s mortgage modification program. This is on top of the $25 billion that the government gave Citi in October.

In a late-night announcement after a weekend of talks about what to do to help Citi, the Treasury also said it and the FDIC will provide protection against losses in a pool of about $306-billion worth of loans and securities on Citigroup’s balance sheet. The Treasury said the U.S. Federal Reserve stood ready to backstop any additional risk in the asset pool through an offer of a non-recourse loan.

“With these transactions, the U.S. government is taking the actions necessary to strengthen the financial system and protect U.S. taxpayers and the U.S. economy”,  the Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said in a joint statement.

No Plans For Federal Takeover Of Citi

The government officials decided against taking over Citigroup in the way it took control of AIG [AIG  1.66    0.06  (+3.75%)   ] — by lending the firm massive amounts of money and in return assuming a huge equity position.

Slideshow: Major Spending Milestones vs. TARP
Government officials fear taking over Citigroup would create a precedent: Unlike AIG, Citigroup’s balance sheet is relatively healthy, with relatively strong levels of capital particularly compared to most of its competitors.

Still, officials from the Treasury and Citigroup are unsure what it would take to restore confidence in the company, including a possible smaller capital injection or some sort of statement that Citigroup is financially sound. (Citi CFO Gary Crittenden’s comments, left.)

For that reason, Citigroup officials are continuing to explore possible merger possibilities and a spin off of some of Citigroup’s businesses, even as CEO Vikram Pandit publicly stated the sale of the firm’s massive and coveted broker business, Smith Barney is off the table, these people say.

Both officials at Citigroup and in the government concede the situation facing Citigroup is daunting. Because of Citigroup’s size and scope—it operates in just about every country and competes in just about every financial business, the company’s survival is a national concern.

Citigroup has spent the past week telling investors that its capital position is strong, but investors have lost confidence in the current management led by CEO Vikram Pandit who has been in the job less than a year, and the firm’s board, which appeared to ignore widespread calls by analysts to integrate the firms operations and slash its massive workforce until recently.

Meanwhile, various merger possibilities seem slim. A deal with investment banks Morgan Stanley [MS  12.19    2.14  (+21.29%)   ] or Goldman Sachs [GS  65.76    12.45  (+23.35%)   ] would create massive overlap and would lead to huge layoffs. There aren’t many banks with a strong deposit base that Citigroup can buy with its depressed stock price.

(Watch the full Charlie Gasparino Citigroup report on the left)

Pandit, for his part, has cut the workforce to 350,000 from 375,000 and just announced another 50,000-job cut by early 2009. But for investors, those moves were too little too late. Just a year ago, Citigroup’s share traded at around $50.

Citigroup’s shares fell 60 percent last week to $3.77 amid concerns about the bank’s loan exposure amid a recession hurting many economies globally. Citi shares failed to rebound on Friday, even as the Dow Jones Industrial Average of large company stocks spiked nearly 500 points on the news that President-elect Barack Obama will name NY Fed President Tim Geithner as his new Treasury Secretary.

Because Citigroup is a bank it has access the the Federal Reserves discount window, and because of its size, there is virtually no possibility of the bank failing and filing for bankruptcy as investment bank Lehman Brothers did. “Citigroup is too big to fail; the government wont allow that because the firm is involves in so many business both institutional and consumer around the world,” said one bond trader with detailed knowledge of Citigroup’s operations.

Citigroup’s Ills May Signal Market Isn’t Near Bottom
But the lack of confidence coupled by the falling stock price could pose other problems, such as a run on bank deposits, where worried depositors yank their money from their Citigroup accounts, or investors pulling their funds from their Smith Barney brokerage accounts. A Citigroup spokesman declined to say if the company is experiencing either of those scenarios.

For that reason, Citigroup officials continue to work over the weekend to possibly unveil some sort of plan of action by Monday morning. “Everyone knows saving Citigroup is important to saving the economy, but no one knows what to do,” said one person close to the firm.

Obama Warns On Economy: Works On Stimulus Plan
© 2008 CNBC.com

Obama Unveils Economic Team to Deal With Crisis

President-elect Barack Obama took his first major step toward addressing the US financial crisis Monday, presenting the team that will steer his economic policies and navigate a potentially deep recession.

Obama, who takes over for President Bush on Jan. 20, announced his appointments at a noon EST news conference, with financial markets watching for specifics about his plans to stimulate the economy and save jobs.

Click here to watch Obama’s news conference.
Timothy Geithner, 47, president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, will become Treasury secretary, and Lawrence Summers, 53, a former Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, will be director of the National Economic Council.

Summers is also a possible successor to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, whose term ends in January 2010.

Obama also named University of California at Berkeley economist Christina Romer as the head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

Obama said that recent news “has made it even more clear that we are facing an economic crisis of historic proportions.”

Offering a grim prediction, he added, “Most experts now believe that we could lose millions of jobs next year.” He said his newly minted economic aides offered “sound judgment and fresh thinking” at a time of economic peril.

Obama stepped to the microphones one day after his aides urged the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress to work with unusual speed in passing an economic stimulus package.

Some lawmakers have said a measure in the range of $700 billion over two years may be passed, in hopes of achieving the president-elect’s goal of securing 2.5 million jobs.

Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20 as the nation’s 44th president, and will confront economic difficulties as great as any since the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Congress begins its work on Jan. 6.

The scope of the economic crisis has widened in the 20 days since Obama’s White House win.

Auto companies warned they were short on cash, unemployment numbers rose, and Citigroup took the U.S. government on as a shareholder.

“The stakes are high,” said Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. “This is a really dangerous moment…for the economy. It’s almost as if no one’s in control. Now people are looking to (Obama) to find out at least what’s going to happen in the next few months, if not the next few weeks.”

Except for one short news conference, Obama has kept a low public profile since his Nov. 4 victory over Republican John McCain, remaining in Chicago to pick his Cabinet but not formally announcing any of his choices.

By breaking that near-silence with the unveiling of his economic team, Obama signaled the priority he places on addressing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

“The economy is likely to get worse before it gets better,” Obama said in a downbeat forecast, delivered as Americans head into the year-end holiday season.

At the same time, he expressed confidence the nation would weather the crisis “because we’ve done it before.” \

Obama spoke one day after a senior adviser, David Axelrod said, “We want to hit the ground running on Jan. 20.”

Echoing that, the second-ranking House Democrat, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, said, “We expect to have during the first couple of weeks of January a package for the president’s consideration when he takes office.”

While Obama and his team are focused on the work of the new Congress, they also weighed in work pending before the current one.

Axelrod warned automakers seeking billions in government help to stave off collapse to devise a plan to retool and restructure that they can present to Congress next month. Otherwise, he said, “there is very little taxpayers can do to help them.”

The emphasis on the economy began Saturday when Obama outlined the framework to save or create 2.5 million jobs by the end of 2010.

The scope of the recovery package is far more ambitious than Obama had spelled out during his presidential campaign, when he proposed $175 billion of spending and tax-cutting stimulus.

The new plan will be significantly larger and incorporate his campaign ideas for new jobs in environmentally friendly technologies—the “green economy.” It also would include his proposals for tax relief for middle- and lower-income workers.

But there were no plans to balance the tax cuts with an immediate tax increase on the wealthy.

During the campaign, Obama said he would pay for increased tax relief by raising taxes on people making more than $250,000.

“There won’t be any tax increases in the January package,” said one Obama aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the details of the Obama package have not been fleshed out. Obama could delay any tax increase to 2011, when current Bush administration tax cuts expire.

—Reuters and AP contributed to this report.

© 2008 CNBC

B-Real - King Of The Hill

Lets play Hip-Hop “Word Association.” If you’re unfamiliar with the game, here’s a brief overview: The way the game works is when someone says something, and the next person says a word that’s relatable to the previous word that was said. For example, if the name Michael Jordan was mentioned, the first few things that would come to mind are the Chicago Bulls, Nike, “The greatest player ever,” etc.

So now that you’re clear on the rules, lets begin. Brooklyn: The Notorious B.I.G./Jay-Z. New Orleans: Lil Wayne/Cash Money. Atlanta: Basically everyone! California: Snoop Dogg/The Game/Dr. Dre.

But hold up a minute, there’s another act from the left coast that deserves the same amount of recognition. Here are a couple of clues: It’s a three-man act, and they’re easily considered to be the Hip-Hop version of the Grateful Dead. Still in the dark? Well, it’s West Coast staples Cypress Hill. The group with over 17 million records sold worldwide, twenty-plus years of experience, and one of the most unique sounding front men in the business.

That’s right, Louis “B-Real” Freese has kept his nasal tone in circulation with contributions like ‘How I Could Just Kill A Man,’ ‘Hand On The Pump,’ ‘Rock Superstar,’ and of course ‘Insane In The Brain.’ With eleven albums under Cypress Hill’s belt,< STRONG> B-Real is ready to build his own legacy (don’t worry, he’s still part of the group). Besides quietly harnessing his production skills, he’s released three mixtapes, The Gunslinger vol. 1, The Gunslinger II: Fist Full Of Dollars, and The Gunslinger III: For A Few More Dollars. Fresh of their induction at the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors Ceremony, the Latin lyricist steps in the booth for self one more time, but it’s not for a another mixtape, it’s for his first official debut album, Smoke N Mirrors.

You can say his career is somewhat in the realm of déjà vu of sorts because with Cypress Hill, he started with a New York label in Sony Records, and now with this project, his East Coast roots reach back again 3,000 miles to the right with Duck Down Records taking on the album. So, the once young MC and “stoner” now turned elder statesmen (and still stoner), sets out to prove to the world that him surviving for this long in such a fickle industry wasn’t a fluke, as he refuses to go up and in smoke.

Sixshot.com: So talk about you signing with Duck Down, how did that come about?

B-Real: Basically I’ve been working on this record for a couple of years, because I like to take my time to make sure that all the songs I really like go together. So within the course of that time, I was trying to find a place to shop the record and what not. But I didn’t see eye-to-eye with a lot of people’s plans, and a lot of them just wanted to sign me because of my success with Cypress Hill. I know that’s going to be a factor and all that sh*t, but genuinely I wanted them to be excited about the record they’re getting, you know? I just wanted them to hear the music, and it ain’t about who I am or what I’ve done, it’s about this record and what we can do with it. Duck Down heard that I was trying to put out a record, and they approached me, and I let them hear the music, and they were digging it.

SixShot.com: How did that make you feel?

B-Real: That’s all you want in a label, somebody that’s excited about your record, and for them to have the resources and know-how in order to push it. When it comes to marketing and promoting, a lot of those things get lost depending on whom you sign to, so I just didn’t want to go anywhere. With Cypress Hill, our origins came from being broken and in New York, before we were broken anywhere else.

Due to the fact that we were signed to Sony Records, and the label was based out of here [New York]. Being that Duck Down is an East Coast label from New York; that puts me in a familiar position, because that’s how I started in the game. So it just made sense to me, you know? Even though I live on the West Coast, and they’re way out here, I think that I’m coming full circle because that’s the way Cypress Hill started.            
 
Sixshot.com: Was it difficult or relatively easy carrying a solo project by yourself?

B-Real: I’ve been doing this so long, and it’s just like sports man. When you’re an athlete and you have to go into training camp for your football season, or you have to play in a summer league before your basketball season, you practice and the more you do, the better you get. It’s just becomes more second nature for you, and being that I’ve been in the game for a long time, it’s sort of second nature to me to be that creative at any given time. If I’m at this “dude’s” studio just visiting and he’s like, “Yo, I want you on a cameo, can you get on it right now?” I can click that button in myself and write something tangible with substance and still sound good on the sh*t. I think it’s because I’ve been steadily doing it for this long, and putting out as many Cypress Hill records as I have, and putting out my mixtapes. So it wasn’t a hard thing at all.

SixShot.com: How earlier on in your career, do you think it still would’ve been second nature for you?

B-Real: I think earlier on my in career, maybe it would’ve been harder, because with Cypress Hill, we all bounce ideas off of each other, and everybody has input and stuff like that. So I think at that time maybe I wouldn’t have been ready for that, because I was so used to the other process. But doing so much work with Cypress Hill and being so creative, and then going into my mixtapes sort of gave me an extra head start on all of that sh*t, so when it came time to do my solo record, I wasn’t stuck.

It wasn’t hard for me, because I had ideas that wouldn’t have worked with Cypress Hill—you know what I mean? So it was one of those things where you have to jump into a different vehicle to go down a different road. It’s almost like I have two cars now: I have the old trusty reliable war-proven tank when I roll with Cypress [Hill], and who knows what kind of whip I’m whipping in my sh*t right now, but I’m about to find out… [Laughing]             
 
Sixshot.com: [Laughs] Did you always have to plans to eventually try a project on your own? Was this idea always in the back of your mind even in the early days with Cypress Hill?

B-Real: What our original plan for Cypress [Hill] was; and this is before we even put out a record. Sun Doobie was in our group as well before we even formed Funkdoobiest. It was myself, [DJ] Muggs, Sen Dog, and Sun Doobie. The plan was to put out the group record as Cypress Hill, and then eventually put out solo records on everybody else, but everyone had their own individuality that could work by itself.

SixShot.com: So what happened?

B-Real: We changed the plan up a little bit, because [Sun] Doobie really wasn’t ready in [DJ] Muggs’ eyes for the responsibility and what not. So we put a hold on him, and put out the Funkdoobiest later, and just put out the Cypress Hill records. We didn’t have any expectations on what was going to happen, because we were just trying to put out the record. Then we started having some success with it, so we kind of just rolled with the flow, and forgot about us doing these particular solo records.

We just stuck with doing the sh*t with Cypress [Hill], because with the success we were having and the response we were getting from people we were like, “Why do that?!” “This sh*t works right here!” So we stuck with that plan, and came back to the solo sh*t after we accomplished enough with Cypress [Hill]. We didn’t have to look back and think that we f*cked things up because we had all of these projects. We let enough time pass to where we knew we could take some time off, and go do the other things that we wanted to do that don’t necessarily fit here.

That’s pretty much what is happening right now, Sen Dog put out a solo record, Diary Of A Mad Dog, [DJ] Muggs put out the Plain Language record with Planet Asia, and previous to that he had Muggs vs. GZA. He had a bunch of sh*t rolling, and I put out three mixtapes to finally build the solo jump off. A lot of people thought we were breaking up, but we were just doing all of these different kinds of projects. But we were still doing a bunch of shows, and I would’ve figured that us still doing shows were proof enough that we weren’t breaking up, but some people like to twist sh*t.             

Sixshot.com: You also produced some songs on Smoke N Mirrors. Was production something you were always into?

B-Real: I always wanted to produce, and I was always in the background checking out what [DJ] Muggs was doing and stuff like that. I was always intrigued by that sh*t, like how you can put tracks together. It was something that deep down, I wanted to do, but I never really had the time to do it, because I was so wrapped up in writing for Cypress [Hill] and just rolling with that momentum.

SixShot.com: How did you finally open up time to really explore it?

B-Real: There were a couple of times where we didn’t tour a lot, like there were maybe one or two records that we didn’t really tour for. So those times when we stayed home is when I really started to get down and trying to learn how to do it. First you have to learn how to do it, once you figure out how it’s done, you have to develop a sound of your own, and not try to sound like the other stuff that’s out there. I spent a lot of time trying to do that before I put anything out there, you know what I mean? Because I know my name is going on it, and I didn’t want to f*ck up [our] brand or my rep., because we took so long for it to build up.

So I just took my time, and tried to develop as a producer. The first ones I put out were with other rappers on the underground tip. I had a couple of tracks I did that I thought would go good on this record, so I put them on. I try to do a little bit of everything, I’m very influenced by [DJ] Muggs of course and guys like Pete Rock and [DJ] Premier. I’m not concerned about my tracks being the best out there, but if I’m feeling them, I’m going to put them out.        

Sixshot.com: Speaking of the legendary people you just spoke upon, talk about your experience at the Hip-Hop Honors Awards. Did you ever feel like your career would ever reach that point?

B-Real: I thought it was great man, I thought everybody who went in this class really deserved it. It was a great class, because you had the Bay Area of the West Coast, and the North side of the West Coast. You had Too $hort, and you had us representing the West big time; you know what I mean? Then you had the greatest storyteller of all time Slick Rick in there with De La Soul and Naughty [By Nature]. It was great, because I think everybody put in a significant amount of work in and left a mark on Hip-Hop.

It was crazy just to see all of the people who attended, there were a lot of people there that maybe didn’t get shown on camera, but it was f*cking sick man. It was like a reunion, because a lot of the cats that were at the event were there right when we first started—like right at the beginning, and we toured with a lot of those cats. We have really good friendships with a lot of those mothaf*ckas, and it was a great time man. I felt privileged to be a part of that whole sh*t.      

Sixshot.com: So how do you think yourself or Cypress Hill as a whole have managed to remain relevant all this time?

B-Real: I think it’s few things. It’s the quality of the sh*t you’re putting out, and good music isn’t based on whether you have a lot of radio or video rotations. There’s more to an album than just the single. If your single doesn’t get pushed, and it’s not a commercial success—that’s one thing. But if it’s an album that’s very good, but didn’t get the commercial success, people will come to see you live. You sell them songs by making the people a believer in those songs, and we’ve been able to put out good music this whole time. There are a couple of songs that I would do different, but as far as our albums as a whole, they’ve always been consistent.

We never did anything else that other people were doing, and we always went against the grain, and I think people respected that. We were like the underdogs, and we didn’t get a lot of spins on radio with the exception of ‘Insane In The Brain’ and ‘Rock Superstar.’ But a lot of our sh*t is based off how we affected the live show listeners. Being that we stayed on tour for a lot of our career, it just built up a following, and the people supported us through each part of our career. There have been good times and bad times, but our core base has been there the whole time.           

Sixshot.com: I had an older act say once in an interview that he hates when other older acts don’t respect the contributions that younger acts make to Hip-Hop, and how they use their veteran card as a crutch. Do you agree or disagree with that statement?

B-Real: Who said that?

SixShot.com: It was [--------]…

B-Real: He said that?! Well look man; I think that a lot of the older rappers that don’t give the young cats their due have their different reasons. I can’t speak for any of them, but for me, I don’t hate on the young mothaf*ckas. I do sh*t with them, because we can’t hold the throne forever. We can hold it for a while, but at some point they’re going to be the ones to carry on this sh*t. So you have to find that happy medium for now. You just have to guide them through this sh*t, just like the mothaf*ckas before guided us. There’s no bridge anymore between the old school and the new school, that bridge is gone and only a few people still have that bridge to this day.

There are rappers out there from the new school that know the history, they know where the sh*t came from, and they respect the pioneers who were here before them. But then there are the other ones who don’t know, and don’t give a f*ck. So usually that’s how this type of mentality starts, and then the veterans don’t want to do sh*t with these mothaf*ckas because they don’t appreciate the roads that we’ve made for them. Then the young ones who know the history and respect it get caught in the middle with the young cats who don’t give a f*ck, and then the veterans group them all up. That bridge is gone, and someone has to make it again.

SixShot.com: What’s your relationship with the younger generation of MC’s?

B-Real: I f*ck with the young cats because they keep you fresh man, because it’s a competitive game and you want to be as good as them. So if you can twist it up with them, and get down with them, f*ck it, go ahead and do it. Why be threatened? Go for yours. Show them why you’ve been in this game for this long. But at the same time, the youngsters have to know that they have to pay their dues just like everybody else did. You can’t just come in and expect respect off the top; respect is earned, especially in this game.

In the 80’s and 90’s you had to have years in the game before anyone would even acknowledge your ass. But I don’t hate on the youngsters, I try to big them up when I hear the ones that I’m digging, and for them it ain’t about the money, you know? We all want to make a living off this sh*t, definitely. But you have to love this sh*t, you can’t just be taking advantage of it. But there’s always some kind of conflict in Hip-Hop, so it is what it is, and eventually it will work itself out, and people will be cool again at some point.

 

T.I. declara en juicio de asesinato

T.I. declaró hoy que cree que las balas disparadas a su séquito durante una persecución en auto hace dos años iban dirigidas a él.

El rapero subió al estrado como testigo en el juicio de Hosea Thomas, de 34 años, acusado de matar a Philant Johnson en medio de un tiroteo en la autopista Interestatal 75.

“Todas esas rondas se dispararon por mí, en mi opinión”, dijo. Agregó que más tarde se disculpó con la madre de Johnson cuando la llamó a darle la mala noticia.

En su declaración como testigo de la fiscalía, T.I. describió haber visto a Johnson, a quien llamó su mejor y más viejo amigo, inerte al detenerse su camioneta, con sangre corriéndole por el rostro de un disparo en la sien izquierda.

Johnson era un asistente de T.I., cuyo verdadero nombre es Clifford Harris. T.I. dijo que crecieron juntos en Atlanta.

La balacera ocurrió tras una fiesta en un club nocturno, después de un concierto. T.I. dijo que cuando arrancó la van notó que otro vehículo se acercaba rápidamente en medio del tráfico. Entonces comenzó el tiroteo y él se cubrió.

Otras tres personas resultaron heridas. T.I. no.

El rapero declaró que cuando llamó a la madre de Johnson, también habló con la hermanita de éste, quien entonces tenía 4 ó 5 años: “Le dije que se había ido a un lugar mejor y que no regresaría. Y le dije lo mucho que él la quería”.

T.I. habló con calma y franqueza por 30 minutos en una pequeña pero abarrotada sala en el juzgado del condado de Hamilton.

Los fiscales dicen que el hermano de Thomas se ha identificado como la persona que disparó. Padron Thomas conducía un Jeep habría perseguido las camionetas en las que viajaban T.I. y su séquito el 3 de mayo del 2006.

El abogado de Hosea Thomas dijo que Padron Thomas declaraba en contra de su hermano en busca de una sentencia menor.

T.I. ha tenido sus propios problemas legales. Fue sentenciado a un año de cárcel por cargos federales tras su arresto en octubre del 2007, justo antes de la entrega de los premios BET al hip hop en Atlanta, por presuntamente intentar comprar armas automáticas. Tiene previsto empezar a cumplir la pena en marzo, tras completar 1.000 horas de servicio comunitario.

Su más reciente álbum, “Paper Trail”, encabezó el Top 200 de la revista Billboard y ha producido dos No. 1, “Whatever You Like” y “Live Your Life”, a dúo con Rihanna.

Guns ‘N’ Roses estrena primer material original

 El célebre grupo de rock estadounidense Guns ‘N’ Roses publicará el próximo domingo su nuevo álbum de estudio, “Chinese Democracy”, el primero con material original desde hace 17 años, aunque desde hoy se puede escuchar por completo en su portal de MySpace.

El disco estará disponible en EE.UU. de forma exclusiva en la cadena de tiendas Best Buy, después de haber empleado más de diez años en su producción.

El vocalista Axl Rose, líder y fundador de la banda, además de ser el único miembro que continúa de la formación original, había permitido en las últimas semanas la emisión por radio de dos de los catorce cortes que componen este trabajo: “Chinese Democracy” y “Better”.

En agosto, un hombre acusado de publicar y permitir la descarga desde su “blog” de nueve canciones inéditas de la banda, fue detenido en California bajo sospecha de infringir las leyes federales de propiedad intelectual.

Guns ‘N’ Roses ha sufrido numerosos cambios de alineación desde su creación, aunque la pérdida más significativa fue la del guitarrista Slash, que ahora ejerce como tal en la banda Velvet Revolver.

El primer trabajo del grupo fue el clásico “Appetite for Destruction” (1987), del que vendieron más de 27 millones de copias gracias a temas tan conocidos como “Welcome to The Jungle” o “Sweet Child O’ Mine”.

Después llegarían “G N’ R Lies” (1988) y las dos partes del “Use Your Illusion” (1991), en donde se encuentran las canciones “Live and Let Die”, “November Rain” o la versión de “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, de Bob Dylan.

En 1993 editaron “The Spaghetti Incident”, un recopilación de versiones.

En total, la banda ha vendido unos 100 millones de discos en todo el mundo.

La formación actual de la banda la componen Rose, Tommy Stinson (bajo), Richard Fortus (guitarra), Ron Thal (guitarra) y Frank Ferrer (batería).

 

Strong Rebound Coming in Next 3 Months?

The sheer amount of money governments are pumping into the financial system will eventually lead to a very strong rally in beaten-down assets, investor Marc Faber said on CNBC Friday.
 
But Faber also warned that if the markets remain depressed as liquidity increases the result could be a depression worse than in 1929. (Watch the video of Faber’s appearance.)

By and large asset markets are “terribly oversold” now, while investors are going overboard into the U.S. dollar and U.S. Treasurys, Faber, editor of the Gloom, Boom & Doom Report, told “Squawk Box Europe.”

“What you could see in the next three months is a very strong rebound in asset markets, in equities, followed by a selloff in bonds and eventually a selloff in the dollar,” he said.

Governments and central banks around the world are providing liquidity and that will eventually have an impact, Faber said.

And once the buying starts the rally is likely to be “stronger than people expect” given that financial institutions are sitting on so much cash, he added.

‘Colossal Deflation’

“I think the intervention by the government in the past and at the present time has created more volatility, not less, and so right now we have deflation, we have colossal deflation in asset prices,” he said, noting that equities alone have lost $30 trillion globally.

But “I assure you if you throw enough money at the system, eventually you can reflate, especially in the United States,” Faber added.

Statistically a rebound should happen, but if it doesn’t “the air is out” and the world faces an economy “worse than the depression of ‘29 to ‘32,” he said.

© 2008 CNBC.com

Citigroup’s Ills May Signal Market Isn’t Near Bottom

With speculation mounting over Citigroup’s future, investment pros are worried that the bank’s problems signal that the market is not near a bottom—but ready to fall further.

Anxiety ran high Friday as Citigroup’s stock [C  3.77    -0.94  (-19.96%)   ] continued to tumble even after CNBC reported that the bank is considering several options to shore up confidence, including finding a merger partner.

Other Wall Street giants like JPMorgan Chase [JPM  22.72    -0.66  (-2.82%)   ] and Goldman Sachs [GS  53.31    1.31  (+2.52%)   ] also saw investors scrambling for the exits.

“It’s very stressful,