Beyonce and Alicia Keys hit Brazil to record the video for Alicia's latest single, "Put It In A Love Song". Shooting for the Beyonce and Alicia video has been going on throughout Rio, and I don't know about you, but I'm excited to see how it's going to turn out! The outfits look incredible.
This afternoon's new music update begins with some big news that is going to shake the industry. Sources say that Lil' Wayne will plead guilty for a 2007 gun charge and serve 8 months(UPDATE: 1 Year Expected) in prison. Official story below:
The rapper is expected to accept an 8-month bid in jail over his alleged involvement with a loaded .40-caliber pistol gun found on his tour bus in 2007 while in New York.
The 27-year-old now faces 15 years in jail for each count of criminal weapons possession and criminal possession of a loaded weapon.
"Wayne is going to plead guilty," a source close to the case told AllHipHop.com, stressing that this was definitely going to happen. The rapper pleaded not guilty at press time and has yet to make any such public declaration. "The date is coming up and he's going to do it tomorrow."
Wayne is rumored to be willing to accept the deal to avoid a long term in jail over the gun. The same source said the term will begin in February of 2010 under the terms of the deal. "If he doesn't plead, he goes to jail for a long time," the source said.
"They told him that if he doesn't plead tomorrow, it will go to trial and then he faces a far longer jail term," the source continued.
A small amount of DNA may have changed the landscape of the case, according to a report by the Associated Press. There is a "minuscule" amount of the rapper's DNA on the gun, reports say, and that has strengthened the case for the prosecution.
So there ya have it. Another one of the game's biggest stars is being taken away behind bars for an extended amount of time. Sure, 8 months(UPDATE: 1 Year) isn't going to kill Lil' Wayne's star completely, but it will still have a profound effect on the industry, specifically on artists on his label. However, if he follows the solid precedent from T.I., Lil' Wayne can schedule to release music and videos while he is behind bars. Definitely an interesting development that deserved more than just a link. Love him or hate him, Lil' Wayne is arguably the biggest name in the game today and when the biggest name in the game today is sentenced to prison, that's a big deal.
As for the music, Lil' Wayne (on cue) has a couple new leaks off his upcoming mixtape, No Ceilings, (shouts 2 X) which lead off a heavy mainstream update that also features the Timbaland, Keri Hilson, & Jay-Z collabo (shouts 2 Legend), a new Mikkey Halsted joint (shouts 2 Andrew), and some R&B featuring Brian McKnight and Ne-Yo. I was especially feelin' the new hip hop from Tech N9ne, Mickey Factz, and Lloyd Banks' touch on the Amerie & Trey Songz collabo "Pretty Brown Eyes". Check all those out along with a trio of videos including an in-depth Really Doe interview, Jay-Z and Pharrell performing live (shouts 2 DC), and a Rakim interview. Enjoy!
Last week Jay-Z and Alicia Keys filmed their " Empire State Of Mind" video in the heart of NYC. There were a few sneak peeks on the net but here is a better look brought to you by AK herself.
Looks like Jay-Z was serious about the all black everything....It's a good look. What do you think?
So, I'm sitting on an airplane, on my way to Miami (yay!) to master the album (IN LOVE & WAR -- NOV. 3RD--double yay!) and I can't get over how blessed I am. It's funny because I'm about to release my fourth album & in a lot of ways it really does feel very similar to when I released my first. I admit it usually does feel brand new with each project though. There's a lot of excitement & preparation, but it's mainly the huge desire to share my music with everyone else that gets me all fluttery.
People often ask me, "What's your favorite part of what you do?" I think that would be the creative process itself. Having a song playing over & over in my head & then being able to make it tangible so others can hear it too--also so I can hear it outside of my own mind--is what I love most. & it never stops; ideas keep coming. I'm always excited about what I may want to do next, experimenting with sounds, etc... I really believe music/sound is spiritual energy, but more of that another time! Lol.
Anyway, I was talking about feeling blessed, & I was thinking how wonderful it is to live one's dreams. Another question a lot of people ask me is, "How did you get into the music business & become an artist?" Now, there's a lot of great people & circumstances to that answer, but in a nutshell, I believed & I believed & then I believed some more.
There's no one way to get into the music business, just as there's really no one way to get into anything. But one thing you have to have is belief in yourself, & belief that your dreams can really come true. Not just hoping, because hope without expectation doesn't do much--but true blue belief that it's really going to happen. That kind of belief will lead you to take proper actions. So don't be afraid to dream the supposed impossible; don't feel resigned to choose practicality over passion! If you dream it, you have to believe it to achieve it. Don't cheat yourself out of your own blessings!
