Shady Records and Aftermath News

New Dr. Dre Interview, Talks About Eminem Album And Detox

Bolding was done by me to point out what's in the title

"We go until it happens," rap producer Dr. Dre says about all the time he spends in the recording studio searching for hits, once as long as 79 hours in a single stretch. "When the ideas are coming," says the man who is one of the half-dozen most influential producers of the modern pop era, "I don't stop until the ideas stop because that train doesn't come along all the time."

Some hip-hop fans, however, must be wondering if this particular train isn't off the track. Dre (real name: Andre Young) has been working on his third solo album, "Detox," for nearly eight years, a time frame that invites uncomfortable comparison with such earlier pop music train wrecks as Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and Axl Rose. All three were fabulously successful artists who found it so hard to live up to their own expectations that they each ran into creative paralysis.

But there are differences between Dre and the others, he and those close to him say. The 42-year-old Compton native hasn't just been working on his own album all these years.

As a producer and head of Aftermath Entertainment, Dre has also contributed to albums by Eminem, 50 Cent, the Game and others. Plus, he has "mixed" tracks -- fine-tuning the musical dynamics -- for more than a dozen other artists, including Gwen Stefani, Eve and Mary J. Blige.

Dre will now devote two months to working on Eminem's new album. "We'll be trying to get his thing done and work on a few things on my own project," Dre says.

It's an exhausting pace and it's possible only because of what Dre calls his obsession with the studio.

To achieve his level of success -- Dre has put his seductive hip-hop stamp on albums that have taken in more than $1 billion worldwide -- you obviously need musical talent.

"Dre is 'the Natural,' " says Interscope Records chief Jimmy Iovine. "Lots of producers have hits, but he does far more than that. He's a creator who has moved popular culture three times . . . with gangsta rap, G-funk and Eminem."

Yet the more you talk to Dre, the more you realize that another key element has been a mental toughness that enabled him to walk away from fast-lane excesses and a runaway ego.

Dre's greatest gift, in fact, may be the strong will that has helped him to recognize the most important things in his life -- the recording studio, his family and, most recently, weight training -- and strip away everything that doesn't serve those priorities.

In the early '90s, Dre was being hailed as the new king of hip-hop for defining gangsta rap with N.W.A and then expanding rap's mainstream appeal with the alluring G-funk style that combined melodic, old-school R&B and hard-core hip-hop sensibilities.

But amid the sudden fame, Dre appeared to be spending as much time partying and in court as he did in the studio. The turning point came after he served time in jail in 1995 for violating the probation he received after breaking another rap producer's jaw in 1992.

He jettisoned the bad behavior and, among other things, severed ties with trouble-plagued Death Row Records, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Interscope Records and the Universal Music Group that resulted in Dre's Aftermath label.

The accompanying hoopla and dollar signs led to another hazardous period. After closing the deal, Dre went on a signing spree, convinced he could turn out hits with virtually anyone. He admits the move took a personal and professional toll.

"When we started Aftermath, we had something like 20 artists and it was driving me crazy," the 6-foot-1 producer said on the patio of his English-style country estate in the West San Fernando Valley. "I couldn't sit down and focus on any of it, plus it was doubly hard because you ended up crushing these people's dreams when you had to let them go."

On the strength of his name, "Dr. Dre Presents . . . The Aftermath," a 1996 album, was certified platinum (1 million sold), but it had little lasting effect. The humbling experience taught Dre that even with his talents he, as a producer, needs quality artists and a top support crew to make noteworthy records. Aftermath too went through a stripping back process. Its roster now includes fewer than a dozen artists.

"People are always coming up to me, thinking I've got some magic wand that can make them a star and I want to tell them that no one can do that," he says. "Making hit records is not that easy. But it took me time to realize that myself."

Now, Dre is planning another dramatic move, one designed in part to give him even more time in the studio. The long-awaited "Detox," he says, will be his final solo album.

DRE made a rare public appearance this month when he announced the video of the year winner on the MTV Video Music Awards telecast in Las Vegas.

For fans, the appearance was notable for two things: Dre didn't give a release date for "Detox," renewing fears that the album may be lost in some twi- light zone, and his arms and chest were notably buff.

"That's another of my obsessions," he says a few days later of the new look. "I go in the gym two to 2 1/2 hours Monday through Friday. It makes me feel better and look better."

Before Dre started on the weights about four years ago, he often went out drinking and eating after leaving the studio at night, and his weight swelled to 270 pounds. It's back to 220, and he has cut his body fat from 29% to around 6%. Playfully pumping his arms, he says, "I feel like I can kick a brick wall down now."

And what about the album release date?

"I was really hoping to have it out this year, but it's going to have to be pushed back a while because of some other things I've got to work on," he continues, sitting in the lounge of the recording studio where he spends all those hours behind the buttons. He's still two or three tracks away from calling it finished, he says.

Any second thoughts about "Detox" being his final solo album? No, he says emphatically. "I think it's time to move on," he adds, calling rap performing "a young man's game."

More important, the move will free him to pursue his long-standing interest in films. He has signed a multiyear production pact with New Line Cinema. Dre, who will team with director Philip G. Atwell, is also interested in scoring films and eventually directing.

But he expects recording studios to continue to be the center of his world, and he's optimistic.

"When I think of the future, I think a lot of Quincy Jones and how he is an inspiration," Dre says. "Look at the quality of his work over so many years. He didn't even make his best record, 'Thriller,' until he was 50.

"That gives me something to look forward to. Nothing pulls you back into the studio more than the belief that your best record is still ahead."

The whole interview is incredibly long, visit the link to read the whole thing.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ne ... news-music

Except for what's above most of it's about the past, such as the NWA days, The Deathrow days, life as a producer, meeting Eminem, etc...

propz to sammac for the original post

Bizzare Says D12 Album Slated For Early Next Year

[quote:dfbc4]RIOTSOUND.COM: Currently there is a new D-12 record in the works, is that the case?

BIZARRE: Yea, there's a new D-12 album in the works, we've been cuttin' off and on and [the album] is slated for release early next year.[/quote:dfbc4]

[url=http://riotsound.com/hip-hop/rap/interviews/Bizarre-D-12-Eminem/index.php:dfbc4]Source/Full Interview[/url:dfbc4]

propz to Big Proof 4ever for originally posting

50 Cent Has No Desire For Rap (video)

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbi ... happy.wwlp

Stat Quo - Higher (MP3 Download + Video)

[url=http://www.xxlmag.com/online/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/stat-quo-we-get-higher.mp3:55b61]Song Download[/url:55b61]

Right click the link, then click "save file as"

[url=http://videos.onsmash.com/v/DgLEjfkJI9Mfk4Cw:55b61]Video Stream[/url:55b61]

propz to Blackheart for both links

50 Cent Talks to Loaded

[quote:e8f74][img:e8f74]http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/7700/82octobercoveroa5.jpg[/img:e8f74]

Get the lowdown this week from the hardman of hip hop - 50 Cent, we'll be delving into the World Exclusive! 50 Cent talks to Loaded interview! MTV have some real 50 Cent insights right here...

I've got a fair few celebrity friends now. I've been around a while and they know I'm not one of those rappers who disappear after one song. I've been to De Niro's house, met his wife and went to a firing range with him. He's a good shot, but I'm better. That man can shoot, though. I am doing a boxing film with Nicholas Cage and I'm starting filming on one called Righteous Killers with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. I love those guys in Heat, especially the scene in the diner.

"I don't see Eminem or Dr Dre much these days, which is a shame. We're all so busy. I have laid down a track with him for Em's new record. The other person I'd love to work with is Robbie Williams. I've spoken to him, he was meant to do it for my new album, but we were both too busy.", 50 Cent

For more insider news check out this month's issue for Fiddy talking girls, guns and money. And go to http://www.loaded.co.uk for more fully Loaded entertainment.

50 Cent's new album, Curtis, is out 10 September. His single 'Ayo Technology' featuring Justin Timberlake and Timabaland is out 17 September.

Go get the 50 Cent edition today plus Loaded's Lindsey getting it on with American beauty Nancy, plus an exclusive shoot with Hollyoaks' Gemma Bissix! On sale now![/quote:e8f74]

From: http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/mtvuk/news ... _to_loaded

Warren G Working With Dre On Detox

Warren G has been keeping busy since completing VH1's Celebrity Fit Club. The producer is one of the stars of MTV's new reality show, Celebrity Rap Superstar, and he's been spending some time in the studio with his brother Dr. Dre.

Warren G told MTV that he's been helping Dr. Dre with DeTox. The producer said, "I've been helping him come up with records. Hey, that's what I do, that's what I've done since day one when we did The Chronic."

It's great that Warren G has stayed close to his older brother as he shared how Dr. Dre helped him to stay grounded early in his career. He said : "Dre, he's the cause of me being humble, you know, since I've been in this business. Because when I first got in it, I was rowdy. I ain't even gonna lie, I was rowdy. I was just rowdy. And he taught me, you know what I'm saying, like, different stuff. 'You won't be able to get things if you go in there acting all rowdy. You gotta just calm down and be yourself, and just work hard man, and just try to do your thing.'"

In related news, Warren G has also been working on a new solo album. He explained, "I got a bunch of new talent I'm gonna display on my new record. It's great right now. I gotta do four or five more records."

From - http://www.hiphopgalaxy.com/Warren-G-wo ... -5635.html

Curtis Rolling Stone Review

[quote:14b86][img:14b86]http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/4/6/1/7/1097164_170x170.jpg[/img:14b86]

3.5/5

I ain't fresh out the hood/ I'm still in the hood," 50 Cent rhymes in "Fully Loaded Clip," feeling the heat even if he just sold 5 million copies of The Massacre a couple of years ago. He's out to prove he's everything he used to claim ("Still in da club, still sipping bub") while rocking "more whips than a runaway slave." Like The Massacre, Curtis divides between hard songs ("Man Down," "Fire," "I'll Still Kill") and soft songs ("Follow My Lead"), for the first time letting guests sing most of the hooks. Fiddy revisits old streets in "Straight to the Bank," produced by Ty Fyffe and Dr. Dre, while "Peep Show" brings back Eminem.

"My Gun Go Off" has a metal-guitar hook a la "Party Like a Rock Star," "I'll Still Kill" lets Akon thug out, and the summer jam "I Get Money" takes off on Naughty by Nature's "Hip Hop Hooray." The down side? The I-need-love pop tunes are not getting any better, even with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake in the stripper ditty "AYO Technology."

"Follow My Lead" is an inexplicable Robin Thicke duet ("Like Janet Jackson said, I miss you much/I really wanna feel your touch"), and "Amusement Park" is even sillier ("Watch me as I pull a rabbit out my hat/It won't be a rabbit, it'll be a gat"). Much better is "All of Me," with Mary J. Blige. Wailing, "I got a feeling like I'm fiending on crack," Blige steals the show without even trying. [/quote:14b86]

Cashis Interview on XXL Videos

He talks about his personal life, discusses similarities between him and Eminem, and some other things I wont give away.

Watch it [url=http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=13396:0dd97]here[/url:0dd97] (props to Blackheart for the link)

Stat Quo Speaks On Album

[quote:38d47]The first Southern signee to Shady/Aftermath Records, Stat Quo, spoke exclusively to HipHopDX.com regarding the delay in releasing his debut album, Statlanta.

"The single didn't react the way I wanted it to," says Stat of the decision to postpone his album's release based on the reception at radio of its intended first single, the Dr. Dre-produced "Here We Go." "It wasn't really pushed as the big single. The label pushed it like one of the records I would leak. It was a breakdown in communication between Shady/Aftermath, Interscope, and myself. But we back on track now."

The new jumpoff joint for Statlanta is "G.R.I.T.S. (Girls Raised In The South)." A forthcoming video for the song will set off the setup for Stat's album (along with an Internet-only clip for another track on Statlanta, "We Get Higher").

For many months the release date scheduled for Statlanta was today, August 28th, but now the album is without a new set date, and Stat forewarns it could be delayed until as late as next year. "If it was to go to 2008 it would be a different thing though," he explains. "Like, when Game came out he came out the top of that year, but his buzz was crazy. If [Statlanta] was to [drop in '08] it would be that type of situation with me."

If that scenario plays out it will have taken over 4 years from the time Stat first signed with Shady/Aftermath records to release his debut album. But he has yet to give any serious thought to leaving the label. "To say I'm not frustrated, I would be lying," laments Stat of the several corrupted setups for Statlanta he's been forced to endure since 2004. "If I didn't have my album to listen to I probably would've been like, I'm out. But [the album] is so good I want it to come out the way it is."

Boasting a half-dozen Dr. Dre produced tracks ("Here We Go," "Fire," "All Hood," "That's Him," "What They Call Me," and "The Way It Is"), as well as three Eminem laced joints ("Testify," "30 Minutes," and "Memory Lane"), Statlanta is surely as good as Stat says it is. And it might just see the light of day right before a new Eminem album drops ("We did this record for his album, it's got some of the greatest MC's in the game on there," says Stat before coyly dodging requests for more info). But Stat is careful to remind that the Shady/Aftermath release schedule is never set in stone. "Over here albums come out when they ready," he says. "We don't sit around and say, Okay, you coming first. It's just more so when I'm ready it's coming."[/quote:38d47]

source: hiphopdx

Snippets From Curtis Album

Can Be Found On This Site - http://musique.01net.com/50-Cent/Curtis ... 34045.html