Hip Hop artist
Kanye West, expressing his fondness of John Mayer’s songwriting, has apparently
collaborated with the singer for his next album. At the recent American Music
Awards, Mayer said he had just finished working with West in the studio. The
two artists kept quiet on further details, but said the collaboration will probably
appear on West’s next album titled Late Registration, nearly complete
and due out next spring. West said he loved Mayer’s voice and compared him to
legendary Doobie Brothers singer Michael McDonald.
Lyricist J-Live
has inked a worldwide deal with Penalty Recordings/Rykodisc. The rapper is working
on his untitled Penalty Recordings debut, which is slated for a Spring 2005
release. “I’m extremely excited about being the latest addition to the
Ryko/Penalty family,” J-Live said. “This is a huge step forward
in my career. I’m working on my 3rd full length album. I’m confident that with
Penalty Recordings, my music will be able to reach more ears than ever. I feel
like I’m in the right place at the right time.”
Rapper Eminem reportedly
got a shock when his bodyguard knocked a wall onto him while he was in the bathroom
backstage at the MTV Europe Music
Awards in Rome. The bodyguard attempted to squeeze into the cubicle next to
the rapper, reports say, knocking down the divider, which collapsed
onto Eminem.
Lyricist Mos Def
returns to touring in early December for two weeks in a series of live performances
to promote his latest album The New Danger,
released in October. The New Danger, which sold around 95,000 units
during its first week, is Mos Def’s first compilation of original solo material
since Black on Both Sides in 1999.
The film "Tupac:
Resurrection," which examines the life of the slain rapper, is among 12
films contending for five nominee spots for a documentary at the Academy Awards
this year. The list was released Tuesday (November 16) by the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences.