News: Jay-Z's "Blueprint 3" Set For Summer Jam 2009 Announcement

Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Friday, June 5, 2009 10:35:00
Jay-Z' s The Blueprint 3 will reportedly be given an official release date this weekend at New York radio station Hot 97's annual Summer Jam concert in New Jersey.

Jay-Z will release his Blueprint 3 album on September 11 on Roc Nation with distribution through Atlantic Records.

 Reports of Jay calling on Atlantic Records for help with the project was announced via Twitter earlier this week by label rep Sam Crespo.

He later posted a correction via his Twitter page.
"Correction, people, Jay-Z release is on RocNation, we're assisting in marketing and promotions. D.O.A. comin soon." (Nah Right)

Diddy has also taken part in Jay's business moves with reports of him persuading the rapper to involve Warner Music Group.

Looks like Jay-Z's new Blueprint 3 album will go to Warner Music Group after all, though his Roc Nation label is still headed to Sony. Our old pal Roger Friedman reports that Warner had Jay-Z's pal Sean "Diddy" Combs convince him at a recent Lakers game to re-join former IDJ colleague Lyor Cohen for the album, which he bought back from UMG for $5 million. It's apparently a one-off deal, just for this recording. (Hits Daily Double)

"@Missinfo: Hey we have Jay-Z Blueprint 3 album, going thru Atlantic," Crespo wrote, unmodified. "1 album to be released September 11th anniversary of 1st Blueprint album." (Nah Right)
He later posted a correction via his Twitter page.

"Correction, people, Jay-Z release is on RocNation, we're assisting in marketing and promotions. D.O.A. comin soon." (Nah Right)

News: 50 Cent Calls Witness To The Stand In Real Estate Dispute

Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Friday, June 5, 2009 10:10:00

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson 's lawsuit against engineering firm BVH, regarding pricey repairs made to his mansion, continued
Thursday (June 4) with the rapper's attorney calling in an architect to testify.

In court Thursday, Jackson's attorney, Michael Feldman, asked his expert witness, architect James Cicalo, if it was important for Jackson to get accurate figures before buying the home. "Any purchaser wants to know what to expect," said Cicalo, of FSI Architects. During several hours on the witness stand, Cicalo told Hartford Superior Court Judge Eliot Prescott that he believes BVH was off on many of its estimates, perhaps by as much as $2 million. For instance, he said BVH estimated that a roof replacement for the 50,000-square-foot mansion would cost $250,000, but that the actual cost for the "roof replacement of the main house, I think it's $549,000." (WFSB News)

BVH Vice President Greg van Deusen testified a day earlier and said his company was only required to provide Fif with a basic examination of his home in 2003.

As the trial continued in Hartford, Jackson's lawyer, Michael Feldman, called van Deusen to the witness stand and said the big issue is the company's claim that it was only hired to do a rough walk-around inspection. "Point to me in the contract where it says that physical observation is limited to a walk-around visual inspection of the property? Those exact words were not used," Feldman said.
"What we're trying to do is try to get as close to what we think the real number might be, given very limited information...They also make assumptions...I don't know that they necessarily check every single light switch and every single outlet in a house, for example." (Channel 3 Eyewitness News)

The company's lawyer argued his client was not responsible for Fif's expensive upgrades.

Mike Tyson 's ex wife originally wanted $25 million but 50 Centbought the home for $4.1 million. The company's estimated that 50 Cent would have to spend around $500,000 in repairs but he ended up spending $6 million on repairs and renovations about half of which went to things which 50 Cent's lawyers say should have been included in the original estimate. BVH attorney Michael Byrne said that 50 Cent's lavish upgrades made the difference and that the estimators are not responsible for the difference. (Luxist)


Diddy has also taken part in Jay's business moves with reports of him persuading the rapper to involve Warner Music Group.
Looks like Jay-Z's new Blueprint 3 album will go to Warner Music Group after all, though his Roc Nation label is still headed to Sony. Our old pal Roger Friedman reports that Warner had Jay-Z's pal Sean "Diddy

The company's estimated that 50 Cent would have to spend around $500,000 in repairs but he ended up spending $6 million on repairs and renovations about half of which went to things which 50 Cent's lawyers say should have been included in the original estimate. BVH attorney Michael Byrne said that 50 Cent's lavish upgrades made the difference and that the estimators are not responsible for the difference. (Luxist)