T.I. Releases his Paper Trail Album Cover

New York, NY – Following in the footsteps of Lil Wayne and Nas, T.I.’s next studio album also dives into the creativity of designing a descriptive album cover to portray for the world to see. Paper Trail was finally given an official cover and T.I. also added meaning to it as well, emphasizing the importance on his distinctive idea. With news buzzing all across media outlets about this next anticipated album, he gave MTV first dibs on unveiling the cover to his next masterpiece.

In a unique style in creativity, ‘Paper Trail’s’ album cover is an artistic workup of scraps of paper with concept sketches coming together to form a picture of his face, sought of an avant-garde look you might say. This is what the Bankhead resident told MTV, via e-mail, about his reason for going artistic on his fans.

“We didn’t want to just do a typical cover, especially for my sixth album. I wanted to try something a little more different. The illustration for Paper Trail pays an obvious homage to my rekindled affinity for writing my lyrics down as well as displays my commitment to keep my art slanted towards the abstract.”

With the album on the midst of release, T.I. released several singles to the world to show the direction his writing is taking him. Drumma Boy, the mastermind behind T.I.P.’s latest single, ‘What Up,’ added these comments to MTV concerning the musical direction of that record.

“Tip is just spitting about what he stands for, how he feels. He’s saying, ‘What up? Everybody is talking. What up to all my haters.’ We’re just giving the customer what they want. Accomplishing our mission.”

At press time, the album is slated to be released on September 9. As soon as he releases his latest LP sources say he will initially begin shooting his next film, ‘Bone Deep,’ alongside Chris Brown, sometime in the fall.

I guess releasing album covers that describe meaning is the next big thing. Either way whatever the album cover may be, I’m just hoping for a much better album than his last. Hopefully he gets his head out of Hollywood and back to the Hood.

Death Row Records Imprint Auditioned Off to the Highest Bidder

New York, NY – Here’s some interesting news for you, how about the heaviest and most notorious label on the West Coast during the early to mid 90’s, infamously known for their gangster appeal and albums under 2Pac Shakur, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg, was just auditioned off to a New York company. Death Row Records, under the ex-CEO mogul Marion ‘Suge’ Knight and a bankruptcy trustee, was purchased at the amount of $24 million sometime on June 24th.

According to a statement released to the Associated Press earlier Monday morning (July 14), a New York-based company, known as Global Music Group, has acquired the rights, the entire back catalog, and any remaining artists still under contract with the label, from Death Row through a purchase that occurred in June.

Global Music Group, a solely independent label, now officially owns any and all albums that were under the Death Row imprint from the 1990s until now, including artists’ with contracts on album stipulations. Along with that, they have also acquired an unspecified amount of released 2Pac material, which predicts, yet another, release from the legendary one himself. Ownership of albums included in the purchase were: Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic,’ 2Pac’s ‘All Eyez on Me,’ and Snoop Dogg’s ‘Doggystyle.’

At press time, Global Music Group’s CEO Anthony Davi, Jr., said the label planned to get “the best economic results of the catalog and provide long term stewardship of the artists’ work.” They have yet to decide or disclose any future plans with the Death Row imprint, which is now officially no longer Death Row.

On the real, Suge Knight ran this label to the floor. How do you come from being the hottest label in the West pushing the hottest selling artists to decline to practically nothing? Not only that, artists left his label, lost their respect for him, and prospered elsewhere still making millions. Now if only 2Pac did that sooner, history and future would have changed Hip-Hop. In the end, I will await the arrival of these unreleased material, hopefully this Global Music Group, whoever they are, have a strong advertisement campaign and use the proper steps in releasing a new 2Pac album.

Lil Wayne Dominates the Charts….Again

New York, NY – Wayne is killing the soundscan results, for four straight weeks he has managed to dominate in record sales ranking in his numbers at 1.68 million units sold worldwide. This week sold 156,000 units alone, putting him to where he is now.

At press time, there are all swarms of speculations going around that Weezy is planning to re-release ‘Tha Carter III’ in a special edition package to drop sometime this summer. Neither the rumor nor the dates have yet to be confirmed.

Keep posted to 24hourhiphop.com for updated news as this situation develops.

You honestly got to give to Wayne, from all the past ridicule he’s received when he was younger for him to advance his lyrical skills to where he is now is quite an amazing. Dr. Carter has single handedly resuscitated Hip-Hop back from the dead. It takes a lot to become a multi-platinum selling artist in the first month of any album release, it doesn’t just happen overnight. And to be quite honest, he did not do this overnight, more like 7 years in the making. Lil Wayne has individually proved to me that anything is possible in the Hip-Hop world if you put your hard work and dedication to it. Mad props to Lil Wayne for bringing Hip-Hop back to the forefront.