Mega Producer Just Blaze Discusses New Music from Eminem

New York, NY – Last year Slim Shady returned after several years of being away from the game with his highly anticipated ‘Relapse’ album and re-took the whole world by storm. The sequel to that highly successful ‘Relapse’ is, unfortunately, still in production, but the new material from that upcoming LP is definitely worth the wait.

New York-based hit maker Just Blaze has been doing a numerous amounts of traveling lately between his hometown of New York and Detroit. Before the end of ‘09, we heard that Blaze has been working with Em on several tracks for the upcoming LP and that the two were close to completion. He recently sat down with MTV News to discuss what he and Shady have been working on in the lab. Blaze who was just recently down in Miami performing at the Winter Music Conference, states that he needs to head back to Detroit.

These were his comments:

“I’m working on Eminem’s album still, so I’ve gotta hurry up and get back to Detroit. I’ve been back and forth — Detroit, New York, Detroit, New York, Miami, back to Detroit — for like the past two and a half weeks. [The album], it’s getting there, but we still got a lot of work. So I wish I could stay [in Miami] longer.”

The album is far from release, but is already co-signing the LP as one of Shady’s best to date. He swore not to reveal too much on the material, but is quite ecstatic about it:

“As far as what’s going on in Detroit, a lot of good music is being made, he’s really back spitting. The wordplay is crazy, the metaphors are crazy. He’s really back on his game. He had his ups, he had his downs, he’s back way, way, way up. This is definitely going to be up there with the best of his albums, for sure, for sure. The fact that he’s branched out working with a lot of different people now, collaborating in a lot of different ways that he never has before, I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people.”

At press time, Interscope nor Aftermath have yet to secure a release date for the upcoming anticipated LP.

Keep posted to 24hourhiphop.com for updated news on Eminem and ‘Relapse II.’

It’s interesting how this marks the first time that Em has ever worked with Just Blaze. It’s good to know that he is branching out to work with other people to evolve his sound. If Blaze states that this album is his best work yet in his catalog, I’m more interested in what lyrical matter he has incorporated into the tracks more-so than the production. During an interview with Angela Yee on Shade 45 Sirius Satellite radio he states that this album will be more ‘emotionally driven.’ I guess we’ll have to wait to see what he means. Now here’s a second question in a totally separate matter but same camp, when the hell is ‘Detox’ going to see the light of day? I’m going to call Aftermath my damn self!

Lil Wayne Launches Website to Reach Out to Fans from Rikers Island

New York, NY – It has been literally a month since the self-proclaimed best rapper alive was sentenced to a year in prison serving out his sentence at New York’s infamous Rikers Island and yet with all the Wayne music going around, it hasn’t exactly hit home as yet. Nevertheless, fans are still praying for his safety and quick release. We’ve all followed Wayne during his court cases, public press conferences, and his plea through his sentencing. Throughout all his trials and tribulations his fans followed in depth until the day he began serving his time. Wayne has found an interesting way to continue reaching out to his fans even through his imprisonment.

Through a great idea and unique website that was launched this past Friday (April 2), he will be able to post weekly updates, blog about sports and such as well as respond to emails and letters he has received from fans while incarcerated. The launched website is distinctively dubbed WeezyThanxYou.com and was created by popular Hip-Hop bloggers Karen Civil and Karla ‘HustleGRL’ Moy in conjunction with Wayne.

The site includes posts that he has responded to fans that have sent him letters during his stint as well as a digital clock that counts down his time until his release resting at 215 days. Fans and site visitors can also purchase merchandise from the site including a ‘Free Weezy’ T-Shirt and other various items to support the imprisoned artist.

This was the introduction post written by Lil Wayne for the site:

During my prison stint, I want my fans to know I love you. I want all of you to know that I appreciate all the mail I get, and this is my way of saying thank you. The F is for Family, Friends, and Fans.

Love. Live. Life. Proceed. Progress. That’s who I am and who I’ll always be. You see, we’re all living on borrowed time, so I’m not worried about this situation. Life happens quick. The more time you spend contemplating what you should have done…you lose valuable time planning what you can and will do. Trying to tear down the past prohibits you from building up your future. So for my time here, my physical will be confined to the yard. My love and my spirit, however, know no boundaries.

I’m in good spirits man, for real. My kids race through my mind all day. They know they were created with love, so love is how their life will be defined. I just hope my love and adoration for them provides a temporary bandage on a wound I unknowingly inflicted on them.

Real soon, you can catch me blogging for ESPN again thank you espn for not letting my passion for sports perish. I work out a lot because it helps pass the time. I read the Bible every day. Jail didn’t make me find God, He’s always been there. They can lock me up, but my spirit and my love can never be confined to prison walls.

But this isn’t all about me, you are the reason for this letter. It’s because of you Rebirth went gold when critics aborted it. It’s because of you Young Money is and will always be a movement. If the weight of the world is on your shoulders, I beg of you, place it on mine. That’s the least I could do for you, after all you have sacrificed for me. If I could, I’d write each one of you back. Because of this, my team and I have created a website where you can view my letters. Each week I’ll answer as many questions as I possibly can.

For real, this will be the best way we can communicate for the coming months. The same way yall miss me, I miss yall, only 100 times more. To those who hate. Hate is only a form love that hasn’t found a way to express itself logically. Keep sending the letters and I promise keep responding. Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU. No matter what they do to erase me, my love for you will always be permanent. Remember that. Take care. God bless.

Karen Civil, one of the co-creators of the site, sent a statement to MTV News the reasoning behind the site and the ideas that Wayne gave to her:

“Weezy explained to me the idea behind WeezyThanxYou.com, which will basically serve as his gateway to the free world. The site will allow the Young Money quarterback to post daily status updates as well as answer fan questions. ‘I wanted to do something for my fans, so they know I am still with them and that I love them very much,’ Wayne told me not too long ago. Fans who want to keep up on Weezy’s release date will be allowed to see a continuously running countdown clock until Dr. Carter returns home later this year.”

If you would like to send letters to Lil Wayne:

Eric M. Taylor Center (EMTC)

Dwayne Carter NYSID# 02616544L
10-10 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

Keep posted to 24hourhiphop.com for more updated news on Lil Wayne.

That’s good for Lil Wayne, but how come nobody did this for T.I. The man was in prison with no way of responding to his fans, now Wayne comes along and he got his own response website. That’s a shame.