Mariah Carey
has inked a deal with white hot Island Def Jam, home to such acts as Jay-Z,
DMX, LL Cool J, Method Man, Ludicris and DMX. The deal, which is worth an estimated
$20 million dollars, will give Mariah another label to run. She headed up Crave
Records while she was under contract with Sony years ago.
The Island/Def Jam deal calls for Carey to release
three album, with the option to release the fourth. She will be paid between
$5-7 million dollars per album. "Despite offers from many of our competitors,
we are delighted Mariah has chosen Island as the place to begin the next phase
of her unprecedented career," Island/Def Jam Chairman Lyor Cohen said.
"Thanks to the overwhelming support of Doug Morris (Universal Music Group
Chairman/CEO), that’s exactly what we are going to do with Mariah by taking
advantage of Vivendi Universal’s unparalleled brands and resources."
There is no release date for her new album.