Eminem Back in the Lab with Mentor Dr. Dre

Los Angeles, CA – After quite a long hiatus from the game, Eminem finally comes out of the darkness and back into the lab where everything once started a long time ago. Even after the loss of his beloved son, Dr. Dre still continues his craft and has gone back into the studio once again to assist in the making of another classic album from his protégé Slim Shady. The two of them together have always made an outstanding and ingenious team as they have never ceased to amaze us with every material they’ve released together. Ever since Em graced the industry back in ‘99 and gained instant success off of his debut album ‘the Slim Shady LP,’ no one expected him to rise rapidly in fame and popularity and to think his follow up, ‘the Marshall Mathers LP’ was the fastest selling album in Hip-Hop history.

Sometime back in October, rumored news, speculation, and leaked tracks surfaced here and there about a forthcoming album from Eminem that was long overdue. News releases, as well as artists’ confirmation from the Interscope camp, stated the album was to be entitled ‘Relapse.’ Em recently e-mailed Billboard and shed some light into his overdue project and ensured the fans that his new material will a throwback into his roots like it was in his first two albums.

This was what he stated on the e-mail to Billboard:

“Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days, man, just him banging away on tracks and me getting that little spark that makes me write to it. I don’t have chemistry like that with anyone else as far as producers go — not even close. Dre will end up producing the majority of the tracks on Relapse. We are up to our old mischievous ways. Let’s just leave it at that.”

He continues to elaborate on how he feels about the two leaked tracks that have popped up all across the internet.

“It wasn’t close to finished, and it even has me doing guide vocals for Dre as a suggestion of how he could lay his verses down. It’s like someone catches you peeping in your window before you got the Spider Man costume all zipped up! Nobody is supposed to see that. We are gonna finish it up, though, and get it out there how it’s supposed to be.”

At the time, he also clears up rumors about an apparent ‘Stan 2,’ despite statements made by Swizz Beatz to MTV News a couple of weeks back.

“I haven’t worked with Swizz on this album, there isn’t a ‘Stan 2,’ and there won’t be. Stan drove his car off a bridge and I’m not writing a song as Stan’s ghost. That would just be really corny.”

Within the final stages of recording his sixth studio album, he had time to complete a best-selling autobiography, written with Sacha Jenkins, fittingly entitled ‘The Way I Am.’ He discussed the challenges in writing his autobiography in comparison to writing an entire album.

“For me, writing an album is an entirely different process from making this book. The album requires a certain focus of mine that I can’t really explain; let’s just say it’s all I can really do while I’m doing it. With the book, the process was much more spread out, like, ‘Let’s get you together with Sacha for a few hours next week. Let’s go through these photos and artwork, etc.’ The book was a lot more of a focus here-and-there thing as opposed to music, which totally consumes me every second.”

At press time, Shady stated that his album will be due out sometime in the spring of ’09. Interscope has yet to confirm a release date, but when a date is secured, we’ll keep you posted. However, they have confirmed a date for 50 Cent’s ‘Before I Self Destruct, the official release date for that will be February 4. Em omits that he has some ‘sick’ tracks with Fifty on the album.

It has definitely been too long that an Eminem album graced the stores, hopefully he does go back to his throwback roots, that was been his style was flawless. And besides that, what is going on with Dre’s album ‘Detox,’ they need to shed some light on that as well, it’s been too damn long on that overdue album. Either way, new material with Dre and Em is utterly amazing.

Mike Jones to Remake Bobby Brown’s Classic ‘Roni’

Houston, TX – Where has Mike Jones been? It’s surprising that he’s still around. Didn’t Lil Wayne murk his last single ‘Mr. Jones’ with ‘Sky’s the Limit,’ a mixtape record, mind you, and now Mike wants to retrieve his status again, but with a remake? What has the industry come to? News circulating around the industry is that Mike Jones wants to remake an 80’s original with the song ‘Roni’ made famous by Bobby Brown. With the majority of the help from the Bankhead resident, T.I., and Brown himself, he plans on releasing it for the 2009.

According to Jones, the idea originated during a TIP concert whereby he heard T.I. and Brown together on the song and asked to be a part of the track alongside them. As a matter of fact, Jones is looking to make this his follow up to his last single, ‘Cutty Buddy,’ which also had an old school sample included within the track.

He recently discussed his ideas with MTV News concerning his latest project for his upcoming album, ‘The Voice,’ this is what he had to say.

“’Cuddy Buddy’ is off the Keith Sweat sample, a lot of people know Keith Sweat’s ‘How Deep Is Your Love,’ so we just brought a new version in. You got the old, new and future. I was in Atlanta, me and Tip. He came to my room, and he already had the track ‘Roni.’

I was like, ‘That’s dope,’ I fell in love with it. I laid it. I think Tip was already turning in King. It was supposed to go on the King album. I was like, ‘You not using that song?’ He was like, ‘Nah. Use it.’ I took it and told everybody I was gonna take care of it like it was his. I wasn’t just going to throw it out. I was gonna make sure it was mixed, mastered and everything right. Like ‘Cuddy Buddy,’ it came out smooth, grown-man.

The difference between ‘Roni’ and ‘Cuddy Buddy’ is that ‘Cuddy Buddy’ it’s an alert to let people that’s not treating their relationship right: ‘Watch out. She’s gonna call on her cuddy buddy, and the cuddy buddy is gonna make her feel real good.’ Tenderoni; ‘She was there when nobody else was on me/ She never left me lonely.’”

Apparently, Jones and Brown didn’t quite get a chance to record together in the studio; however, he did have a heart to heart discussion with Bobby concerning the record originated by him. Mike was real ecstatic about the phone conversation with Bobby.

“Wow. I couldn’t believe just being on the phone with Bobby. I was on the phone with Bobby like I was on the phone with one of my partners. ‘What’s up, Bobby?’ He was like, ‘What’s up, Miiiike Jonnnes? What up, baby?’ Wow. Coming from these streets in H-Town, nobody knowing me from the next block to being internationally known, it still throws me off.”

At press time, Asylum has yet to secure a release date for his follow up to his debut album or even the song in question, but they are looking for an early 2009 release. Jones is currently pushing his latest single, ‘Next to You.’

I could have sworn Mike Jones career ended sometime after the release of Wayne’s ‘Sky’s the Limit,’ I mean how could you make a comeback after such a hard hitting blow that wasn’t even intentional on Wayne’s part. Either way, Jones is now looking into doing R&B/Hip-Hop type tracks, where is he going with this?I’m actually quite interested in knowing the direction he’s plans to take this. First Keith Sweat samples, now Bobby Brown’s samples, especially on a track that was originally TIP’s idea in the first place for an album that came out 3 years ago. Hopefully Mike has an idea of where he’s taking this, because I’m not quite sure.

Family of Pilot in AM & Barker Plane Crash Speaks Out

Several months after the devastating plane crash that killed four people and seriously injured celebrity drummer Travis Barker and his partner DJ AM, legal matters are starting to make its course this was all predetermined as the necessary course of action. AM was released first after a month of rehabilitation, while Barker spent a couple of more months in the hospital for reconstructive surgery and recovery. He was later released in November; sometime after that he filed lawsuits against the participating parties involved in the plane crash from the tire company, to the plane manufacturer, and to the company that chartered the flight in hiring incompetent and inexperienced pilots.
As a matter of fact, the widow of Chris Baker, Barker’s assistant, is filing her own lawsuit against the estates of the pilots who tragically died in the plane crash. The lawsuit is stating that both pilots Jack Bland and Sarah Lemmon were apparently ‘poorly trained.’

Jack Bland’s younger sister, Laura Martz, is speaking out in her brother’s defense about his training and pilot skills. This is what she told People.com.

“James took piloting very seriously. If he felt the plane wasn’t maintained properly, he would’ve refused to fly that day. Whatever happened on the runway, I’m sure it was beyond [the pilots’] control.”

“James was such a meticulous person, he was the type who wouldn’t pay his bills even a day late. He also had total confidence in the abilities of (his co-pilot) Sarah [Lemmon].”

Laura Martz continues to omit that she understands why the lawsuit was filed against both pilots and keeps a humble attitude about the whole situation.

“I don’t blame them for suing. It was to be expected; that’s just the way our society functions. In fact, I’d love to be able to talk to Travis Barker and DJ AM about my brother’s final moments.”

At press time, the National Transportation Safety Board is stating that the investigation into the possible causes of the crash could take up to at least 12 to 18 months. As more information about the lawsuits arrives at our desks, we’ll keep you posted.

I can understand why all parties involved in the plane crash would want to file lawsuits, Martz is absolutely right; it is just the way society works, at the same time the families involved on the other end would like to see justice taken place and that their loved ones didn’t die for a lost cause. It is all a part of the way life works.

24hourhiphop.com: Bigger & Better for the 2009

Within the next week or so, I will be posting the 2008 year end On the Clock Report Review, basically posting the articles that were honorable mention or that was just that important, all in one article. Let’s close out 2008 with a
bang!

Keep posted to 24hourhiphop.com as the New Year will be bigger and better. 2009 is guaranteed to be our year as we are the hottest website on the net, period! Be on the lookout for more artist interviews, Next in Line and Exclusive, more articles keeping you updated on what’s going on in the industry, hotter models in our Ice Cream Parlor section, more of our extreme opinions in Honest Truth, more Album Reviews and Rumors, and of course the new music that you download for free every day and that’s a promise.