Sunday, January 29, 2012

NNEKA- SOUL IS HEAVY; TRACK LISTING AND ALBUM COVER

Soul is Heavy is the new album from the award winning songwriter, Nneka. An effortlessly balanced combination of hip hop beats, reggae grooves, brass riffs and African-pop are the canvas for the motif of love, pain, politics and God. Above is the new, official video for “My Home”, the first single off the upcoming album. Be on the lookout for Soul is Heavy, hitting stores and online retailers February 28th, 2012
Nneka's "Soul Is Heavy" Tracklisting Revealed, Black Thought Featured
TRACK LISTING

1. Lucifer (No Doubt)  

2. Sleep featuring Ms. Dynamite  

3. My Home  

4. Shining Star  

5. Restless  

6. Don't Even Think  

7. J  

8. Stay  

9. Soul Is Heavy  

10. Do You Love Me Now  

11. Valley   


13. Camouflage  

14. God Knows Why featuring Black Thought (of The Roots)  

15. Still I Rise featuring Wura Samba; Mohammed

Click here to find out more!

JAY-Z, FELA ON DJ TEFFLER'S GENTLEMAN



DJ Teffler, Dj and Rapper has decided to drop the first single from his newest effort "Francis Dubois EP: A Hip Hop Collective" titled Gentleman. The single is a fusion of of original beats created by Teffler himself with verses lifted from Hip Hop greats like Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, T.I and others.

Have a wonderful listening.


DOWNLOAD: GENTLEMEN

VIDEO PREMIERE: PRAIZ DROPZ "I LOVE YOU" VIDEO


If you ever thought R&B music couldn't thrive well in Nigeria, think again.
The latest kid on the block is none other than Praiz (real name Praise Adejo) and the young charmer has over the last 8 months shown nothing but sheer brilliance.
With the release of his two singles; the contemporary ballad 'I Love You' and the club friendly 'Jekalo', the X3M Music signer has grown from an ordinary cameo rookie to a top show performer. Headlining the Project Fame concert alongside US acts Brandy and Joe was a big deal for the singer this year.
He has finally released the video to 'I Love You' which was shot in Johannesburg and directed by Jonathan 'Josh' Clarke of Fiendish Productions.

K'Naan Discusses Nas' Comments About Africa And Explains Why Other Rappers Backgrounds "Can't Hold A Candle" To His



Exclusive: The Somali spitter expands on Nasir's breakdown of the divide between Africans and African-Americans and explains why fictionalized street talk can't compare to his real-life experiences.
A nation of millions may have been attempting to hold Public Enemy back during the height of Hip Hop’s protest era, but Chuck D never had to continuously defend 10 million of his fellow countrymen the way K’Naan has found himself having to over the last few years.

Never before has a Hip Hop artist found themselves in the position that the Somalia-born emcee has, forced to speak up against the misinformation that American media – both liberal and conservative – churns out about his homeland almost 20 years after the infamous “Black Hawk Down” incident every time that a story of Somali pirates attacking ships of western origin is used to frighten consumers of mainstream media into accepting the narrative that every Somali is a gun-toting savage seeking to rob and kill any foreigner who dare step foot in the east African nation. 









But K’Naan has bravely embraced his role as one of the most vocal advocates for his people. And while his occasional flirtations with more mainstream friendly tracks (ala the Nelly Furtado featured “Is Anybody Out There?” may have confused the casual listener into believing they were not hearing the sound of a revolutionary rhymer, further inspection of K’Naan’s impressively diverse catalog reveals an evocative emcee defiantly saying something when most of his contemporaries are content saying nothing, creating, as the title of his just-released EP states, a sound More Beautiful Than Silence.

The Toronto transplant spoke to HipHopDX about the meaning behind the rhymes of some of the selections from his first formal release since his 2009 breakthrough, Troubadour. K’Naan also shared his thoughts on distant relative Nas’ recent comments regarding the long strained relationship between Africans and African-Americans, and provided some illumination on the image American media outlets (and possibly even the American President) have propagated about his fellow Somalians. And finally, the artist who has witnessed firsthand the effects of famine and violence in what is one of the most dangerous and depressed regions of the world explained why gangsta posturing rappers “can’t really hold a candle to the kind of experiences I’m talking about.”

HipHopDX: I was just watching your video from a few years back for “Somalia” and it hit me that those couple bars – “A lot of mainstream niggas is yappin’ about yappin’ / A lot of underground niggas is rappin’ about rappin’ / I just wanna tell you what’s really crack-a-lackin’” – those lines are probably gonna prove to be the summation of this generation of Hip Hop, and hell, the way things are going, maybe the next generation in this Rap shit too.    

K’Naan: Yeah, well, that’s real, man. That’s kinda just the state of things right now. I hope not for too long, but …

DX: Now on “Somalia” you mention “the pirates terrorize the ocean,” and the news just broke today of a group of Somali pirates who allegedly kidnapped two western aid workers and held them for ransom being killed by U.S. Navy Seals in a raid. Can you offer any illumination on whether or not a situation like this is as the media is portraying it: that this is just another instance of depraved pirates? Or is there more to the story?

K’Naan: Well, I don’t know, it could very well be that it’s actually what is being said. There are a lot of people in the waters [though] that are coming out of real desperate situations. Anybody who’s out there risking their lives – These guys don’t know the ocean like that. They’re often from the city. And so to just get on a small, tiny little motorboat and to try to chase down ships to take over, knowing that there’s a good chance you’ll be killed either in the ocean or by whatever, that’s a desperate situation. It’s kind of suicidal really. [But] that’s what a lot of people are doing right now. A lot of people are coming from that kind of desperation. And so, it could very well be the story as is being told, but there are a lot of stories to be told in that world.        

DX: You noted on your new single with Nas, “Nothing To Lose”, “No, I don’t know pilots / Nigga, I know pirates,” and recently Nas himself was quoted in reference to situations like today’s news, saying, “There’s horror stories about Africa that’s out of this world … but I went there and I figured out that there’s been a lot of lies told to American people about what’s going on there.” I know you’re not an American citizen, but I just feel compelled to ask you if you think President Obama has proven himself to be part of that propaganda machine in regards to your homeland?

K’Naan: Well, listen, I think the propaganda machine is us, as human beings. I think we often seek out the kind of information that suits us best. So why we know about certain things that favor our own opinions is just really saying much more about the human being than it is about any kind of an organization or a governmental stance. If you are on HipHopDX and your information solely is based on simply what Hip Hoppers are saying and the rest is coming out of CNN, that’s really a choice that you make. If you broaden your horizons and your mind and you figure out, “Well, really there’s more to the world than what CNN is telling me, I could read up on something,” that’s another kind of a choice that we make. So I think really the responsibility – although some is with others – I would rather put the responsibility on myself and what I consume so that I have control over it.      

DX: Going back to that Nas interview, he was also quoted as saying, “One thing about us African-Americans and Africans, we don’t communicate. We don’t talk. We don’t see a reason to talk. We don’t even get along. There’s a lot of Africans that don’t like African Americans, at all. They look down on us; they got their own little racial names for us. We’ve been pulled apart, for years.” Anything you wanna add to what Nas said?

K’Naan: I think he’s right. And it’s an unfortunate circumstance. But you know, me and Nas talk, all the time. I talked to Nas yesterday. So I think the responsibility [to bridge that divide] is partly with us as artists. That’s why you got songs like “Nothing To Lose.” That’s why you got albums like the Distant Relatives album with Nas and Damian Marley. That’s why when me and Wale do something [it’s to] try to expand the scope of what people are thinking about with regards to Africa. That’s why it means something. The generations are changing and right now Africans and the way they think of African-Americans, or African-Americans and the way that they view Africans, is changing dramatically because we’re able to see each other a lot more, we’re able to communicate a lot more. The Internet has changed the distancing tools that have been used for so long [to divide us]. So the excuses are very shallow now.     

CULLED FROM HIPHOPDX.COM




Saturday, January 28, 2012

2FACE'S HYPERTEK BOSS DENIES SIGNING DAMMY KRANE



In a dramatic twist to the news making the round in music circle that Indie artiste, Dammy Krane had been signed up to 2face's Hypertek Record; Now Muzik top-shot, Efe in an interview on  Channels Television has affirmed to the contrary. He said ,"though Hypertek is undergoing restructuring , after we may pick up new artists but 2face is the only artist currently signed to Hypertek records".

Dammy Krane is only 19 years old and he has shown lots of promises, this has been wild driving speculations about him. He is one of the talented up and coming artists with few good singles released.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Tunde Kilani's Maami, debuts February 3rd, 2012

Information reaching MusicCafe has it that Tunde Kilani, the maestro filmmaker's new effort "Maami" which starred Funke Akindele will debut at the Cinemas on February 3. "Maami" is a movie about a young man's dream to become a footballer. According to the filmmaker on his Youtube account, plans have been concluded to include original sound track from ASA, Nico Nbanga and 9ice. I'm saying for those whose mothers were born in February, this will be a worthy gift.


Watch the trailer here Maami



FILM NEWS: Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks discuss Sparkle remake


My how time has passed. 15 years ago, Whitney Houston was at the top of the game and starring in The Preacher’s Wife, her third Hollywood movie in fours years. Since then the iconic singer has faced many trials and tribulations surrounding her past drug addictions. Having recently made her musical comeback with the release of her now US certified platinum album I Look To You Houston, alongside former American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, is now set to make her silver screen return in the Salim Akil directed 2012 remake of the film Sparkle.
Speaking recently to People Magazine, Sparks expressed her excitement at Whitney’s return to the screen. ”She was so cool and very motherly toward me,” said the 22-year old Glendale, Arizona native of the star, who does indeed play her mother in the remake. “If I ever looked like I needed something, here she came saying ‘Are you okay?’”
“Part of the fun of making this movie is definitely the costumes and the hairstyles,” says Houston, 48, sharing her own enthusiasm. “The movie is set in 1963, and we had a great wardrobe, hair and makeup person and I loved wearing the outfits.”
Having spent much of her childhood idolising Houston, Sparks felt starring alongside the icon was a fantasy finally realised; ”I sang her songs into a hairbrush when I was little,” says Sparks. “Now she’s acting as my mom and scolding me. It was a dream come true.”
Sparkle is due to hit cinemas in August.
COURTESY OF SOULCULTURE UK

CAN YOU DESIGN FOR RIHANNA'S PROJECT RUNWAY



No stranger to the world of fashion, having oft appeared modelling for Armani and upon many a best-dressed list for her eclectic style, it has recently been announced that Rihanna will be starting her own Project Runway-inspired TV show.
Set to executive produce and appear in an original show on Sky Living HD (yes, here in the UK), the Bajan hottie will be searching Britain for the next generation of undiscovered designers, teaming up with Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts on the as yet unnamed show.
“I’ve always had a great love of fashion,” said Rihanna. “It’s a constant source of inspiration in my life, and is a big reason why I’ve grown into the person and artist I am today.”
She went on to say: “I have been very fortunate to work with some truly amazing designers and stylists throughout my career, and they have been instrumental in making sure my creative vision reaches the stage.
“I am excited to follow the journey of our aspiring contestants and see how their individuality influences their efforts during the course of the show.”
The show will air in summer and run for 10 weeks, during which the contestants will be challenged by the duo to create outfits for musicians and celebrities, with the final task of dressing Ri-Ri for her performance at Hyde Park’s 02 Wireless Festival.
If you think you’ve got what it takes, you can apply to take part in the show here.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

MARY J BLIGE SADDENED BY ACADEMY DECISION



The Queen of Hip Hop Soul is saddened by the Academy's decision.
Though Mary J. Blige has garnered numerous awards and accolades for her music, she will not be adding an Oscar to her collection in 2012.
Mary J. Blige, along with Madonna and Elton John were among those expected to get a nomination for Best Original Song, but failed to land nominations.
The category normally has four or five nominations, but this year featured only two: "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets and "Real in Rio" from Rio.
Mary J. Blige took to Twitter to share her disappointment:
I'm so thankful for true fans like you all. It saddens me & feels like the Academy is being mean. 2 only nominate 2 of the 5 slots is.......
She said on her twitter handle @maryjblige

Birdman Bets $5 Million on Super Bowl


Birdman's betting it big on this year's Super Bowl, saying that he's got $5 million on the Pats.
Birdman's been known to drop vast sums of money on bets, and for this year's Super Bowl, it looks like the Cash Money rapper is reaching deep into his bank account.MTV reports that Baby is betting $5 million on the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLVI.
The Cash Money impresario and former Big Tymer Tweeted yesterday that he's putting $5 million on the line that the New England Patriots will defeat the New York Giants this February 5. He explained that he's putting his faith in the AFC Champs because his nephew is running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis.





4SHARED AND OTHERS BANNED: MUSIC MIGHT NOT LONGER BE FREE



MegaUpload - Closed.
    - FileServe - Closing does not sell premium.
    - FileJungle - Deleting files. Locked in the U.S,
    - UploadStation - Locked in the U.S,
    - FileSonic - the news is arbitrary (under FBI investigation).
    - VideoBB - Closed! would disappear soon.
    - Uploaded - Banned U.S. and the FBI went after the owners who are gone.
    - FilePost - Deleting all material (so will leave executables, pdfs, txts)
    - Videoz - closed and locked in the countries affiliated with the USA.
    - 4shared - Deleting files with copyright and waits in line at the FBI.
    - MediaFire - Called to testify in the next 90 days and it will open doors pro FBI
    -Org torrent - could vanish with everything within 30 days "he is under criminal investigation"
    - Network Share mIRC - awaiting the decision of the case to continue or terminate Torrente      everything.
    - Koshiki - operating 100% Japan will not join the SOUP / PIPA
    - Shienko Box - 100% working china / korea will not join the SOUP / PIPA
    - ShareX BR - group UOL / BOL / iG say they will join the SOUP / PIPA

A FULL LIST OF OSCAR NOMINEES



A list of the nominees for the Oscars, announced Tuesday

Best picture:War Horse; The Artist; Moneyball; The Descendants; The Tree of Life; Midnight in Paris; The Help; Hugo; Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Actor: Demián Bichir, A Better Life; George Clooney, The Descendants; Jean Dujardin, The Artist; Gary Old man, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Actress: Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs; Viola Davis, The Help; Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady; Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Supporting actor:Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn; Jonah Hill, Moneyball; Nick Nolte, Warrior; Christopher Plummer, Beginners; Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close



Supporting actress: Bérénice Bejo, The Artist; Jessica Chastain, The Help; Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids; Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs; Octavia Spencer, The Help

Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist; Alexander Payne, The Descendants; Martin Scorsese, Hugo; Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Original screenplay:The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius); Bridesmaids (Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig); Margin Call (J.C. Chandor); Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen); A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)

Adapted screenplay:The Descendants (Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon; Jim Rash); Hugo (John Logan); The Ides of March (George Clooney,; Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon); Moneyball (Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; story by Stan Chervin); Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan)

Animated film:A Cat in Paris; Chico & Rita; Kung Fu Panda 2; Puss in Boots; Rango

Original song:Man or Muppet from The Muppets (music and lyrics by Bret McKenzie); Real in Rio from Rio (music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown; lyrics by Siedah Garrett

Original score:The Adventures of Tintin (John Williams); The Artist (Ludovic Bource); Hugo (Howard Shore); Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Alberto Iglesias); War Horse (John Williams)

Documentary; feature:Hell and Back; If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front; Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory; Pina; Undefeated

Foreign-language film:Bullhead (Belgium); Footnote (Israel); In Darkness (Poland); Monsieur Lazhar (Canada); A Separation (Iran)
 




Cinematography: Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist; Jeff Cronenweth, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Robert Richardson, Hugo; Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life; Janusz Kaminski, War Horse

Film editing:The Artist (Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius); The Descendants (Kevin Tent); The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Kirk Baxter and Angus Well); Hugo (Thelma Schoonmaker); Moneyball (Christopher Tellefsen)

Documentary, short:The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement; God Is the Bigger Elvis; Incident in New Baghdad; Saving Face; The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Animated short:Dimanche/Sunday; The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore; La Luna; A Morning Stroll; Wild Life

Short film, live action:Pentecost; Raju; The Shore; Time Freak; Tuba Atlantic

Sound editing:Drive (Lon Bender, Victor Ray Ennis); The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Ren Klyce); Hugo (Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty); Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl); War Horse (Richard Hymns, Gary Rydstrom)

Sound mixing:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson); Hugo (Tom Fleischman, John Midgley); Moneyball (Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco, Ed Novick); Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Peter J. Devlin); War Horse Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual effects:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler, John Richardson); Hugo (Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman, Alex Henning); Real Steel (Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor, Swen Gillberg); Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White, Daniel Barrett); Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler, John Frazier)

Costume design:Anonymous (Lisy Christl); The Artist (Mark Bridges); Hugo (Sandy Powell); Jane Eyre (Michael O’Connor); W.E. (Arianne Phillips)

Art direction:The Artist (production design: Laurence Bennett; set decoration: Robert Gould); Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (production design: Stuart Craig; set decoration: Stephenie McMillan); Hugo (production design: Dante Ferretti; set decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo); Midnight in Paris (production design: Anne Seibel; set decoration: Hélène Dubreuil); War Horse (production design: Rick Carter; set decoration: Lee Sandales)

Makeup:Albert Nobbs (Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston, Matthew W. Mungle); Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin); The Iron Lady (Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland)

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Swizz Beatz Is Not The CEO Of Megaupload, Wasn't Named In Shutdown



The Internet was buzzing yesterday with news about Wikipedia and a host of other websites' blackout protests over the impending SOPA/PIPA legislation. Now, the anti-piracy issue has taken a turn with the recent news that rapper/producer Swizz Beatz is the acting CEO of Megaupload and that he's now facing a major lawsuit.

MTV reports that the multi-platinum producer for DMX and Jay-Z is now fighting a major lawsuit against Universal Music Group and his involvement with the popular storage and file sharing website. Last year, Swizz enlisted Diddy, Will.I.Am, Kanye West and a host of other musicians and media personalities to help film a promotional video in support his site, which has come under fire in the past for it application in the music and video piracy.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

NIGERIAN-CANADIAN RAPPER, TECK ZILLA DROPS COLLABOO ALBUM WITH THE HOLSTAR [FREE DOWNLOAD]

 
 
Teck-Zilla is a founding member of the 6 man rap group Str8buttah that includes XYZ and R-Cube(both of Capital Hill), Deck the Nexus, Enigma, and Mister Rae. Teck started out as a emcee in the mid 90s but gradually gravitated to the pre and post production aspect of music. His production style can be put simply as soulful,hard edged boom-bap with a myriad of influences.
 
He has collaboration credits ranging from working with Knighthouse feat Illbliss,Iye: Hate(from Street Scriptures 1), Othello and Loose Kaynon on Go Hard, Mo Cheddah on Everyday (used in the video Capital Drama) to dropping verses on AQ's The Freshest and XO Senavoe's Ginjah.


His current project is a collaboration album with Slamdunk records CEO, The Holstar called The Extraordinaires which can be downloaded via the links below

                                           ALBUM COVER ART



BACK COVER & TRACK LISTING






NEW MUSIC: SouthPaw - Din Din Dara [Prod. By Jchedda Laygiri

 
 
SouthPaw who's real name is Samuel Olojede Afolabi is an upcoming Nigerian rapper and a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University. Born and bred in the ancient town of Ibadan, the 22 year old lyricist SouthPaw attended Lead City High School  in Ibadan. He grew up listening to all kinds of music, hip-hop, soft rock, some bit of Soul and RnB before officially entering the music world as an artiste in 2008. While at university, he hooked up with the Incubation Factory Crew and has recorded a lot of songs to his credit. A fan of good and creative music no matter the genre, SouthPaw cites Jay-Z and TuFace as his major influences in the music industry today. He is currently signed to Incubation Factory, a Record label/Label Imprint put together by Iredumare Opeyemi and Olusegun Oladapo.
SouthPaw steps to the mic with this song “Din Din Dara”  which was produced by another OAU protege Jchedda Laygiri.As he counts the society to be his influence, he paints the norms and the anomalies of the society on this joint. Din Din Dara basically means 'Enjoyment'. It was used in this song to mean that the Government enjoys at the expense of the suffering masses. He says on the chorus "Fly to Abuja while I walk to mile 12, waste Eva water while I drink ice water, Everybody suffer while they Din Din Dara". Listen up and enjoy!
 
Download & Listen To: "SouthPaw - Din Din Dara"


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Brandy & Monica duet “It All Belongs To Me” to be released in February



The reunion of R&B ‘sisters’ Brandy and Monica has been on a lot of lips over the past week or so with the photos of the two in the studio with producer, songwriter Rico Love​ hitting the net and now we have some solid news on the project. Their first collaboration since the infamous “The Boy Is Mine​” duet fourteen years ago is set to be released next month.


RCA Records​ have revealed the February 6th release date for the highly anticipated track entitled “It All Belongs To Me”. The Rico Love produced track is set to pick up where the two R&B singers left off. With “The Boy Is Mine” holding the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks in 1998 which led to a Grammy and being declared the best-selling song of that year, expectations are sky high for this new song.



Rico Love seems very confident in the track being a success as quoted: “I wanted to make sure I made it a classic R&B record, but I definitely wanted to make sure that it had enough appeal to cross over and become a Top 40 record.”



The new duet will feature on Monica’s upcoming album New Life, set to be released March 6, and also Brandy’s untitled RCA/Chameleon Records debut set to be on it’s way later in the year


Saturday, January 14, 2012

Beats By Dre and Monster end partnership




Popular headphone and sound accessory creators Beats By Dre and founder Dr. Dre have decided not to renew its five-year contract with Monster when it ends late this year.


According to BusinessWeek.com the partnership, which debuted its first headphones in 2009 under an exclusive license agreement, has reportedly turned sour over financial terms and who, Monster or Beats, should receive more credit over the incredible international success of the headphones. Although Dre and fellow Beats business partner Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine are the proverbial faces of the line its Noel Lee, Monster chief executive and Monster as a company, who feel they should be given credit.

“They [Dre and Jimmy Iovine] wanted to do speakers and I said, ‘The new speaker is the headphone,’ ” says Lee.Beats By Dre are already preparing for a future without Monster with plans to expand into TVs and specialised audio gear for athletes. “We have very big ambitions for Beats beyond headphones,” says Iovine. “Music has got to succeed on the phone or else the record industry will never thrive.”

Monster will be releasing eight lines of headphones to compete with its former partner Beats reign in the headphone market. (View a couple below)

Release Dates for Most Anticipated Joints this January




We stay up to date on all of the release rumors and hype to bring you the release calendars. Keep track of who's going up against who on major album release days and see who our Editors think you need to keep a look-out for.
January 2012
  • January 1, 2012
    T.I.
    Fuck Da City Up (Mixtape Review)

  • January 1, 2012
    Raekwon
    Unexpected Victory (Mixtape Review)

  • January 2, 2012
    Strong Arm Steady x Statik Selektah
    StereoType

  • January 6, 2012
    Rick Ross
    Rich Forever (Mixtape Review)

  • January 10, 2012
    Yo Gotti
    Live From the Kitchen

  • January 13, 2012
    Red Cafe
    Hell's Kitchen (Mixtape Review)

  • January 14, 2012
    ScHoolboy Q
    Habits & Contradictions

  • January 17, 2012
    Dizzee Rascal
    Boy In Da Corner

  • January 17, 2012
    Necro
    The Murder Murder Kill Kill EP

  • January 17, 2012
    Koncept (of Brown Bag AllStars)
    Awaken Soulspazm
  • January 17, 2012
    ATG
    The Susan Sarandon Story

  • January 17, 2012
    Juvenile
    Rejuvenation

  • January 18, 2012
    JtheS
    The Last Days

  • January 23, 2012
    Sha Stimuli
    The Calling

  • January 24, 2012
    Wiley
    Evolve Or Be Extinct

  • January 24, 2012
    Lazerbeak (of Doomtree)
    Lava Bangers Doomtree
  • January 24, 2012
    Pete Rock & CL Smooth
    The Main Ingredient (Deluxe Edition)

  • January 24, 2012
    40 Glocc
    New World Agenda 


  • January 24, 2012
    Planet Asia
    Black Belt Theatre

  • January 27, 2012
    Lord Finesse (D.I.T.C.)
    The Art Of Diggin: Blue Note State Of Mind (Mini LP Cardboard Gatefold) (Limited Edition)

  • January 30, 2012
    Kid Cudi x Dot Da Genius
    W Z R D

  • January 31, 2012
    AraabMuzik
    Instrumental University