Rick Ross States that he will Outsell ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ & ‘Before I Self Destruct’

Rick Ross is making some interesting claims as of late especially within his current feud with 50 Cent. In the midst of Ross’ and 50’s album release in the upcoming months, Ross states that ‘Deeper than Rap’ will outsell 50’s debut LP ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ that was released back in 2003 when 50 and G-Unit were in their prime. He continues to say that it will also surpass the sales of ‘Before I Self Destruct’. We look forward to seeing the Soundscan results within this upcoming month as we look forward to yet another unofficial Soundscan Showdown.

Ross recently spoke with MTV News about his upcoming LP and expressed his prediction on the outcome of the sales as he sees it through his eyes. When asked what his motive was for all his recent diss tracks aimed at 50, his answer basically described them as recreational music he did in a short period of time:

“That’s for sport. My freestyles as you could hear them, ‘Kiss My Pinky Ring, Curly’ I do them in 20 minutes and put them out there. Those crumble empires. People listening to how potent the music is. That’s all this really is for me. I’m not really excited yet. All this is a platform for me to show people how talented I am. How much better of a lyricist I am. So if [50] sold 10 [million], my next album should sell 12.”

From everything that we are hearing, so far, with all the leaked tracks that have been surfacing on the net, it looks as of Ross might have something up his sleeve this time around that we have yet to experience.

“‘Cigar Music,’ that song is, after you release a song like ‘Mafia Music,’ it’s like playing chess. Once you clean the table, once you make your moves, once you’re satisfied with your result, once you understand the opponent, at some point you gotta sit back and fire up your cigar. That’s what I did that record for. It’s the calm after the storm. Its timeless music and a preview to let them fans know how much my music has matured. Shout-out to Bink [who produced the track]. I think it’s a record that can be appreciated by people who really love clean music.”

At press time, ‘Deeper than Rap has been slated to be release on March 24th. Confirmed artists that guest feature on the album include: Nas, Mary J. Blige, and Lil Wayne. Kanye West has confirmed that he will be featured on the sequel to ‘Maybach Music.’

Ne-Yo Discusses Rihanna & Chris Brown Altercation

New York, NY – The topic of discussion for the past few weeks has been the shocking situation between Chris Brown and Rihanna that left many people in a state of confusion and disarray. However, not only has it affected the fans, industry artists are also dismayed about how everything went down between the two. One R&B artist who is no stranger to both Chris and Rihanna and has worked with them on several occasions is shocked and confused about why and how it all went down. Ne-Yo who is signed to Def Jam alongside Rihanna chose not to read the news or even listen to the media; he chose to go directly to the source. He recently spoke to Rihanna personally and expressed his concern as well as provided his undying support. He further expressed that he still wants to talk to Chris Brown and find out what was going through his head, as he also has concern for Chris.

Ne-Yo recently sat down with MTV News and expressed what was said between him and Rihanna when they spoke on the matter. These were his comments:

“I wanted to talk to them before I made a comment. I spoke to

Rihanna. She says she’s fine. She didn’t go into detail about what happened. I understand it’s a painful situation; I didn’t push.”

When TMZ released the photo of a battered and bruised Rihanna many fans were shocked by the severity of the way she was attacked. That photo really hit Ne-Yo hard as he expressed his thoughts of grief:

“I saw the picture. That just really that hurt me to my heart, man. Again, I still don’t know what happened, ’cause I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to Chris yet. But to take it to that level really hurt my heart. All I can say is, I’m praying for both of them. They’re both in my prayers. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Chris yet. I just wanna sit down and talk to that dude and just explain if he doesn’t understand: ‘That’s not something that’s excusable, bruh. You have to get a little smarter about whatever it is going on in your relationship. You have to get a little smarter about how you handle certain situations.'”

Even though he’s confused about what was going through Chris’ head at the time, he still hasn’t passed any negative judgment against him:

“I’m not going to crucify him. I’m not going to do that. That’s still my homeboy at the end of the day. For it to go to that level was wrong. I won’t say who was responsible. I won’t pick no sides. I’m just saying it was wrong [that] it had to happen like that, and I’m praying for the both of them.”

Ne-Yo has worked very closely with both R&B vocalists; he’s written hit songs for their albums and even toured and performed with them. Both Rihanna and Ne-Yo were signed by Jay-Z to Def Jam during his reign as the President.

Island Def Jam Appoints Mark DiDia New EVP/General Manager 

New York, NY – Even in the declining economy that we are in, it seems as if Def Jam has the capabilities and the finances to hand out jobs to the persons with the highest credibility and experience on their resume. Sometime last week, they appointed Christopher Hicks to fill the role that the late Shakir Stewart left vacant, the Executive Vice President seat. This week, Island Def Jam, a different music division of the Def Jam conglomerate, hired their own Executive Vice President and General Manager.

The President and COO of Island Def Jam Music Group, Steve Bartels, announced yesterday (February 23) that Mark DiDia has been appointed the EVP and GM of Island Records and will report to Bartels.

This is what Bartels spoke to media reporters about their newly appointed DiDia:

“Mark’s arrival at Island Records is perfectly timed to coincide with the label’s 50th anniversary this year. He brings a wealth of experience in every field of the business, respect from the major label artists with whom he’s worked and a unique vision for Island’s future. We welcome him to IDJ’s senior management team and look forward to working together on the many exciting challenges that face us.”

DiDia gave his own comments after accepting the position granted to him by Bartels:

“I’m thrilled to join the legendary Island Records. I’m a true champion of the artists on the roster and I look forward to working closely with all of them.”

DiDia who is originally from New York brings with him years of experience as he has had several positions as EVP/GM of different record labels including: Columbia Records, Capitol Records, Hollywood Records, and Def American Recordings.