Webpage Last Updated: Monday, February 15th 2010 @ 5:07AM ET.
50 Cent Blames Slow Sales of ‘Before I Self Destruct ’
On Early Leak
Although 50 Cent earned his fourth top 10 debut on the Billboard 200 this week, his 160,000 copies sold of Before I Self Destruct is his worst first week by far. Fif's new album was even pushed up a week early, due to an online leak. But, it didn't help his numbers. But, the G-Unit General is not upset about it, and doesn't even consider it a failure. In a recent interview with DJ Green Lantern, 50 explained why.
"For myself, I'm asking myself, 'What did you expect, bro? Your fans got it when it was available, at the first available opportunity,' " 50 Cent said in the interview earlier this week. "For me this album is a prequel -- it's full circle. When the energy around a project is the way this is, you can't really feel like it's a failure. Like, I look at the numbers and am like, 'What is this?'
He continues, "I've already assessed that the album has been out a month before its actual release period [due to an online leak, and the album's early digital release due to the leak]. So when you got that, you go, 'Well, what did you actually expect?."
His debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', broke records when he earned the biggest selling debut for a rap artist with 872,000 copies sold. Then, The Massacre opened with 1.5 million. But, with the internet affecting sales, he was only able to muster 500,000 in the first week's release of 2007's Curtis, despite major promo thanks to his staged battle against Kanye West.
Is 50's dominance in hip-hop over? Or is it just the result of the sagging music industry?
Is Before I Self Destruct a certified flop? What do you think?
Jim Jones Responds To Cam’ron’s ‘Dipset Is Over’ Statement — Says ‘I Am Dipset’
Cam'ron may have recently declared that the Dipset movement he feverishly worked to promote
in the early 2000s is "over," but other founding members don't feel the same. Jim Jones is one of them.
In a recent interview with Sirius Satellite's Angela Yee, Jimmy said that Dipset doesn't belong to any one member of the crew, so one man (Cam) can't say it's dead.
"There ain't no one person that can say Dipset is over," the rapper said over satellite airwaves.
"People just been doin' a lot of YouTubing and trying to get themselves hot. When you can't get on
the radio, I guess YouTube is the next best thing to get on." According to Jones, he defines Dipset,
so if Cam'ron, or anyone else don't like it, he says "come holla at him."
He says, "I am Dipset. Whoever don't like it come holla at me. I been Dipset. It started in the projects and ain't nobody got me out of Apt. 5H, but myself ... and this is not a publicity stunt. I don't go around sitting in shopping carts," a reference to the YouTube clip where Cam'ron made the statement. Jones continues, "I go around getting money. If there's a problem; there's a thin line between love and hate." Cam'ron has yet to address Jim Jones' comments. More on the story as it develops.
Raz-B Won’t Make Up His Mind
Story by BET Blogger: When Raz-B accused Chris Stokes of illegally playing a game of touch me, tease me, with he and other members of B2K people were ready to go to war with Stokes. Then that same week Raz-B retracted his claims and started spewing a bunch of nonsense about this, that, and the other.
Now finally someone has asked him what caused him to snatch the claims back.
BOSSIP: Raz, man, why did you say that about Chris Stokes and how do you feel about it now??
RAZ-B: What’s crackin main? Awww man, I had to shut up about that or…… my life was going to get took Bossip! These were not the kind of people you fool with. My cousin is no joke.
BOSSIP: You are saying that you straight up didn’t want to die or anything to happen to your family??!!
RAZ-B: (Nods Head) Yep! It was bigger than that man, but we got love for each other now.
That is my blood cousin. I still love him and we settled that.
BOSSIP: But how do you settle letting a man take your cakes like that??
RAZ-B: Man, we older now, that was the past. Here is my card. So he’s gone from he touched
me to no he didn’t to…well he did, but I’m not trying to die.
Either file a police report or shut up.
Man who robbed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper gets prison sentence
Report by: Los Angeles Times
Authorities says, A well-known Los Angeles anti-gang intervention worker was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for a burglary that he admitted was done to benefit a street gang. Marlo "Bow Wow" Jones and three codefendants were immediately sentenced after pleading no contest in connection with the robbing and beating of Bizzy Bone of the rap group Bone Thugs-N- Harmony on Jan. 5th. Bizzy Bone was beaten and choked in his Universal City hotel room and stripped of his jewelry.
At the time of his arrest, Jones was a contract employee for the anti-gang organization Unity One,
which according to Los Angeles police was hired for the city’s L.A. Bridges II gang intervention program. He had also worked with a similar organization founded by USC football Coach Pete Carroll. His arrest led to criticism of publicly funded gang intervention programs, which rely on former gang members to help police prevent violence and get gang members out of the life. But those who defend such programs said the rewards outweigh the risks because the former gang members have the most credibility in reaching and reforming wayward youths.
Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office says, Jones age 31, pleaded no contest to a single count of burglary and admitted to an allegation that his actions were committed to benefit a street gang. Robinson says, Codefendant Ricky Pearson age 30, was sentenced to 19 years in prison; Vanquan Knott age 20, was sentenced to 11 years; and Markiece Goss age 24, received a six-year sentence.
Unity One is an anti-gang group founded after the 1992 Los Angeles riots by Darren "Bo" Taylor, a former gang member who became a peacekeeper respected by street toughs as well as by law enforcement and community activists struggling to reduce inner-city violence. Taylor died in 2008.
Connie Rice, a prominent civil rights attorney, described Jones as a charismatic figure who could bring rival gang sects together. But she said he was not a professional and lacked the training and dedication that now are being taught to a new generation of gang intervention workers as part of the city effort she heads up.
