Forget Killa Cam; check out the moves Nas is makin
mannybolone
Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/arts/music/23rap.html?ex=1295672400&en=f2fb8dfeb5d55d1b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rsshere's the short story:*Sony and Def Jam are partnering up to release Nas' next four albums. *Def Jam, however, will be supervising the production and marketing. *This probably means, among other things, that it's almost certain Jay-Z and Nas will record at least one song together though I've heard rumors (VERY UNSUBSTANTIATED) that they're cutting an album together.*Nas' first two albums will earn him, up front, $3 million, which should be enough for 1.5 Neptunes tracks. *Btw, I've heard other rumors (BETTER SUBSTANTIATED) that Jay is in the studio right now, recording his next album. I have no indication, one way or another, if crushing Cam is involved in this recording process.*Conclusion: Who cares who slept with whose baby's mama. They must be living by Jaz-O's credo: "never put the pure brown sugar before the dirty, green cream."
Comments
"Streets Disicple" was rather a mess (though personally, I still liked enough of it to give it a thumbs up). You thought "God's Son" was wack though? Provided, the production should have been better (but I've been saying this since his 2nd LP) but all in all, a pretty solid effort.
Whither That Real Schitt????
Look: I don't know if this going to be a huge win for anyone (except for Nas' short-term bank account) but all things considered, it's a pretty big deal, both symbolically as well as from a business point of view. It's not unprecedented to have joint label cooperation on an artist but it's not exactly everyday happenstance.
In other news, Kool Moe Dee and LL Cool J are reported to have joined forces to release: "Call It a Comeback."
No matter how you slice the cake, that shit is pretty
Dude doesn't even have his own vitamin water either.
that said, i wish them nothing but the best, and i hope their union will bring back some of that rael schitt
Well, how sucky is shit for Juelz right now? And it's not even his beef (yet)!
O -
Speaking of fifty, six million for two whole albums sounds a little weak compared to fifty's riches, right? Am I off here? I guess it depends on what kind of chips Nas will get on the back end...Any word on that?
Well, 50 makes a ton of money because 1) he's sold nearly 15,000,000 albums, 2) he's been very savvy as a business mind to horizontally move into other lines of business: clothing, gear, and yes, vitamin water, 3) he's been savvy as a label head with G-Unit, surely collecting nice bank on all his artists, almost all of whom have gone at least gold, if not platinum.
So yeah, Nas isn't making that kind of money but truly, I'm not sure if any other rapper alive is stacking paper like 50...possibly Jay but I doubt it.
For the vast majority of rappers though, getting paid $3 mill ON THE FRONT END is some serious fucking paper, though it wasn't clear to me if his production budget comes out of that end or not. If it does, then that $3 mill might shrink considerably but nonetheless, it's not chump change. Clearly, Def Jam thinks they can get Nas to sell better than Sony's managed to eke out of late. I mean, "Street's Disciple" - for a double album - still only managed to move just al ittle over 300,000 units. That's not a great look.
which all goes to show how little justice there is in this world.
because 50 really sucks.
NYT: "The agreement pays Nas about $3 million, including a recording budget[/b], for each of the first two albums, and provides for two additional albums with Def Jam, the sources said."
Which really means Jimmy Iovine is stacking paper like there's no tomorrow.
3 mil including recording ain't shit.
God's Son had promise, but overall was mediocre.
Carry on.
Ok, so maybe my joke about 1.5 Neptunes beats will prove more prophetic than I meant it to be.
The real question...
Nas + Def Jam = Return of the Real Schitt?
or
Just another way to tease core fan base hopes before smashing them to pieces?
Who's killin' it on DEF JAM now? If no one is, then maybe they'll focus on NAS.
Juelz WAS.
I'll be very curious to see how this Cam/Jay thing plays out on the postman. Some said that Jay's smart of a businessman not to kill a cash cow but you gotta admit, Juelz cold-clocking a Def Jam employee is not exactly helping matters either.
But dude, "who's killin' it on DEF JAM now?" Uh:
Young Jeezy?
Ghostface? (maybe)
Ludacris?
Kanye West?
...and now Nas?
J Peezy: Curious if you know what the high-end of a recording budget + advance has been? Like...what do you think/know 50 got when he signed to Shady/Aftermath?
No doubt. Those are all legit. I was just wondering aloud.
This all looks good on paper but so did this.............
Which I do like but to some its............
its been a good WHILE since the jay/nas "beef" thing and wasn't it all just a promotional stunt to begin with??
what I'm thinking about is how the better Nas singles from the past few years did not sound like shit Def Jam would release as singles to me... "Made You Look" for example- sounds too slow and too raw to be a single release on DJ to me... this is potentially not a good look musically, but hell Nas needs help, period
As my friend reminded me: "uh, Jay fucked Nas' baby's mama." If that's not a good enough cause for genuine beef, I'm not sure what is. Don't be so cynical: sometimes, grown rapper men just don't like each other. Of course, if said controversy helps generate album sales (hello Killa!), that's all good too, but it's not like Jay and Nas plotted to help push each others albums by trying to crush each other's reputations.
$75 MILLION.
This is based on: "The chart calculates aggregate album and digital sales for the 11-month window that stretched from the first Nielsen SoundScan sales week of 2005, which ended Jan. 9, through the week that ended Dec. 4, and marries that data with accumulated box-office receipts that reflect the same tracking period.
Album sales data are not just for an act's current titles, but for all titles, including catalog, tracked during the first 11 months of 2005. Digital data, likewise, includes all tracks available via paid downloads."
What's crazy is that, if I'm reading this information right, U2 (who topped the chart) earned over a quarter BILLION dollars in 2005 but apparently, none of their tour earnings went into that figure (and U2 had the most successful tour of 2005). Likewise, that $75 million for 50 Cent does not include any money he made off of endorsements, business ventures, or G-Unit sales.