By Janice Spence (Editor-In-Chief of Write On Point Online Magazine)
As 2005 draws to a close, here are some of the key events that took place over the past twelve months....
At the beginning of the year Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z, became president of Def Jam Records, signalling in the era of the Carter Administration. By all accounts he is currently still in the infancy of his presidency, still making that transition from artist to suit. Nevertheless Def Jam has managed to achieve some level of success over the past twelve months under his presidency. Newcomer Young Jeezy has been one of his first major success stories, raking in over one million in sales of his album "Lets Get It: Thug Motivation" and Kanye West still continues to bring home the bacon thanks to his sophomore release "Late Registration". However album releases from The Young Gunz and Memphis Bleek have not fared so well, which didn't come as much of a surprise. Bleek and the Young Gunz have released some good material in the past, but lack that special some thing that makes rap fans want to run out and buy their albums or even download them off the internet.
Singers Teairra Mari and Rhianna after much hype also failed in their conquests to achieve chart domination. In these particular cases (especially in Teairra Marie's case) they both had more style than substance, and the consumer's refused to buy in to it. The consumers opted instead to purchase the new album by their label mate Mariah Carey... a real singer.
After experiencing a dramatic drop in music sales Mariah Carey came back strong with the release of the album "The Emancipation Of Mimi," which has now been certified 4 X Platinum. It was good to see her back at the top of the charts again.
After his much publicised split from Jay-Z, Damon Dash sets up his own label, The Damon Dash Music Group (a subsidiary of the Universal group). His artist roster includes Sizzla, Grafh, the late ODB, Nicole Wray (who must be a very unhappy lady right now because her career is going nowhere with Dash) and Beanie Sigel. But there is speculation as to whether Sigel is signed or ever was signed to the label. Also the DDMG has failed to release any major/successful projects over the past twelve months, and rumour has it that Universal is about to drop the label (as reported by allhiphop.com).
Damon Dash also sells his remaining share of Rocawear to Jay-Z and claims to have received 30 million dollars for it. Even though he hasn't done to badly out of his past affiliation with Jay, you cannot help but feel that Dash harbours some resentment towards his ex-business partner, and wishes that he were in his shoes right now.
Lil Kim was found guilty of perjury and is sentenced to serve a year and one day in prison. If she hadn't of insisted on protecting the lowlifes, that she once called her "friends" the Queen Bee would be a free woman today.
50 Cent and his G-Unit soldiers continue to dominate the charts and the covers of XXL Magazine. 50 releases his sophomore album "The Massacre", verbally attacks Nas, Jadakiss and Fat Joe on wax, signs Mase (why no one knows), Mobb Deep, and M.O.P. His movie "Get Rich Or Die Trying" is also released in the US and receives mixed reviews from film critics.
Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Looch (The Lox) appear on HOT 97 and tear in to P Diddy live on air, demanding that he relinquish all ownership of their publishing rights. Eventually Diddy grants them their wish and hands it over to them, which leaves me wondering if their publishing was worth that much in the first place. The group also announces that they are unhappy with their label Interscope Records and cause uproar when they tell host Angie Martinez that they don't intend on releasing anymore albums whilst still signed to the label.
Things now seem to be back on track for the group after having a discussion with the label's boss Jimmy Iovine.
Foxy Brown admits to a shocked Hip Hop community that she has lost most of her hearing. However there are those who speculate that this is just a publicity stunt on her part.
Over in the UK...
Artists such as Lethal B, Kano, and Sway make some serious noise and each pick up MOBO awards for their efforts. But still it looks as if the fight to gain mainstream recognition and respect continues for our home grown talent. Lethal B opens up to writer Chantell Fiddy and tells her, "I'm not too happy with my label. I'm just doing my thing but if I was relying on them I don't know where I'd be. Right now I've got the Twista single out there, my single "Fire," the x-rated video and "Forward 2" that's me. I'm grafting. There's been no posters for my album nothing, I've sold about 10,000 I could have done that myself. Its a rock label, when people from urban don't do well they put you in the same category; Kano, Estelle, Lady Sovereign. But we're all very different. They just look at it like they're spending loads of money but they're not getting the results they should be getting. I'm going to be concentrating on a lot of my own projects. Its hard cause a lot of people like the music but there's no outlet for it. What pisses me off the most is getting it on national radio. I paid for my own posters to be done for the album, and the advert on Channel U. They were taking too long and V2 have to make money".
Shepherds Bush Empire hosted the very first Channel U Best Of British Awards. The less said about that evening the better! Although it was good to see energetic performances given by Sway, Lethal B, The Mitchell Brothers, and The Roll Deep Crew.
Lady Sovereign signs with Def Jam Records. At first I refused to believe this piece of news, chalking it down to being just a rumour, because the music that she has released thus far in the UK has been DIRE!
It will be interesting to see what 2006 has in store for all the artists mentioned above...
Will Jay-Z really excel in his role as president?
Will Memphis Bleek and The Young Gunz be forced in to admitting that they really don't have what it takes to become platinum selling rappers?
Will Jay-Z finally admit defeat and drop Memphis Bleek?
Will Rhianna work on becoming an actress and leave her music career behind?
Will Teairra Mari be given the opportunity to release a sophomore album?
Will Mariah's next release be as successful as "The Emancipation Of Mimi"?
Will Damon Dash do away with the seemingly ill fated DDMG after its been officially announced that the Universal Group has dropped the label?
Will Grafh's debut album "Autografh" ever see the light of day?
Will Lil Kim receive an early prison release date?
Will 50 Cent continue his reign throughout 2006? and will he succeed in his mission to sign every rapper on the face of the earth to G-Unit Records?
Will 50 Cent (Curtis "Mr Interscope" Jackson) sabotage The Lox's / Jadakiss's attempts to release new albums?
Will Foxy Brown's hearing miraculously return after her long awaited album is released?
Will Lethal B leave major record label V2 of his own accord, or will he be pushed?
Will the Channel U Best Of British Awards be another dis-organised mess?
Will Lady Sovereign prove me wrong ( just like the Spice Girls did all those years ago), and go on to sell millions of records in the new year?
Only time will tell. Roll on 06!
