Author: JD
Drake’s “Homecoming: The Lost Footage” Movie Featuring Jas Prince
Back in 2009, Drake performed a show in Toronto at Sound Academy just before he signed with Lil Wayne and Young Money. Until recently, the footage was thought to be lost or destroyed. Thankfully, it has been re-discovered and turned into a feature film titled Homecoming that is set to hit theaters next week. Along with the footage of the show, the film will also include interviews from Jas Prince, who is credited with discovering Drake, and his father J. Prince, who was also influential in the process. With the release of the film drawing near, we bring you an exclusive clip from the film where Jas talks about first introducing Lil Wayne to Drake’s music and putting them on a phone call together that lead to Drake eventually being signed by Young Money. “Wayne told me he sucked,” Jas Prince says in the clip. “He was like, ‘Jas, don’t play me that shit no more. He’s not good.'”
Diddy To Produce for Kanye West, Pusha T, The Weeknd and Others
Yes the rumors are true. It’s been a long time since I had been really focused on producing music. My first love. Is the type of love that Will never go away! So I’ve come back for 12 months only ! So I’m working on Kanye West LOS GIZZLE THE LOX @kingpush @asapferg @cassie @abelxo and many more announcements to come! I’m back behind this BOARD B!!!!!!!!! Real niggas and real music are back in style! #MMM The rapper, reality star and marathoner posted a picture of himself, shirtless, in the studio with Pusha T, along with an explanatory caption. “Yes the rumors are true,” Diddy wrote. “It’s been a long time since I had been really focused on producing music. My first love. Is the type of love that Will never go away!” Clarifying that he has been in–or plans to go to–the studio with Pusha, Kanye West, The Weeknd, A$AP Ferg and the singer Cassie, he gave the 12-month window, a window that rap’s biggest stars will take advantage of if they and their A&Rs have any sense. Puff also promised to get back in the studio with The Lox, 20 years after Bad Boy’s heyday. Diddy’s last album, 2011′s Last Train to Paris, spawned several hits, most notably the Skylar Grey-featuring, J. Cole-penned “Coming Home.” There has been no word as to whether he plans to craft another solo album during this period of production work. In addition to the Pusha T picture, Diddy posted a picture of himself behind a mixing board with Timbaland.
Michael Jordan Leads The Highest-Paid Retired Athletes 2015
Athletes’ salaries have soared to unprecedented heights in recent years thanks to media companies that have been spending billions of dollars on the rights to broadcast DVR-proof sports programming. The money filters down to the athletes, with most leagues splitting revenue equally with the players under their collective bargaining agreements. The average salary in the NBA was nearly $5 million last season; in baseball it was $3.8 million. Athletes typically have short windows to bank their millions, but for a select group of superstars who cultivated their brands while they were playing and after, the big paychecks have not stopped coming. The leader of the pack is a global icon who redefined the marketing of athletes in the 1980s and ‘90s with the help of Nike. Michael Jordan made $100 million in 2014 — more than any other current or retired athlete on the planet. The Nike-owned Jordan Brand continues to soar for the Beaverton, Ore.-based sports giant and its namesake. Jordan U.S. retail shoe sales rose 17% last year to $2.6 billion, according to data compiled by SportScanInfo. Nike royalties provide the bulk of Jordan’s annual earnings, but he also retains sponsorship deals with Gatorade , Hanes, Upper Deck, 2K Sports and Five Star Fragrances. Jordan’s 90% stake in the Charlotte Hornets, worth more than $500 million net of debt, made him a billionaire last year with the explosion in NBA valuations (for more on Jordan, see “How New Billionaire Michael Jordan Earned $100 Million In 2014”). Global soccer icon David Beckham ranks second with earnings of $75 million. After a 20-year career, Beckham had his biggest year ever from an income standpoint during his first full year of retirement in 2014. Credit two new partnerships with Diageo and Global Brands Group, which netted Beckham more than $20 million combined in upfront money. The deals also have significant potential thanks to Beckham’s ownership stake in the ventures. Beckham remains one of the top product pitchman in sports with a dozen deals to his name, including four in China (see “David Beckham Banks His Biggest Year Ever With Earnings Of $75 Million”). This is our second annual look at the world’s highest-paid retired athletes. The top 12 all banked more than $12 million last year by our count and a cumulative total of $389 million (last year’s top 12 earned $332 million). They hail from six different countries and played five different sports. Their ages range from 33 to 85. Our earnings estimates include salaries, endorsements, licensing, speaking and appearances, golf course design, book deals, partner distributions and production contracts in 2014. They do not include investment income. “These athletes created brands for themselves before people focused on brands,” says Marc Ganis, president of consultancy Sportscorp. “Their brands received a tremendous amount of free publicity every time they were on TV or reporters wrote about them. Some of them converted that brand into a lot more than a free car at the local dealership.” Long before LeBron James was around, the King in the sports world was Arnold Palmer. The last of his 62 wins on the PGA Tour was in 1973, but Palmer had his biggest year ever in 2014 with earnings of $42 million. Seemingly every iconic retired athlete wants to mimic the “Arnold Palmer” model where you successfully license your name and let the royalty checks roll in, but few can match the original. Palmer remains a financial force, particularly in Asia. There are 500 free-standing Arnold Palmer stores with another 200 coming over the next 18 months thanks to a new deal with Sanshu Sports (Fujian). Sales of Palmer-licensed products were up roughly 8% last year. Palmer is still an icon in the U.S., too. His Arnold Palmer line of drinks represents roughly 25% of revenues for AriZona Beverage Co. He remains a viable pitchman despite turning 85 last year. Ketel One renewed its endorsement deal with Palmer in 2014. Johnson & Johnson JNJ -0.87% is rolling out a multimedia campaign with national commercials this year featuring Palmer and a couple of other celebrities for its Xarelto blood thinner. And in a testament to the power of Palmer, Rolex extended its deal with him for another 10 years in 2014. Rolex and Palmer are coming up on 50 years together, making theirs one of the longest relationships ever between an athlete and corporate partner. Another golf legend, Jack Nicklaus, ranks No. 4 with estimated earnings of $28 million last year. The golf course design business has slowed globally, but the Golden Bear remains the top designer. He founded Nicklaus Design almost 45 years ago and the firm has designed 390 courses since then with 50 more projects currently under development. Nicklaus partnered with Perry Ellis at the end of 2013 for a line of Nicklaus-branded apparel available at J.C. Penny, pro shops and other outlets. The global Jack Nicklaus Apparel line generates $250 million annually. Nicklaus’ latest venture is a line of ice creams in partnership with Schwan Food . Beginning in March, seven flavors of Nicklaus-branded ice cream will be on sale in Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo and Kroger KR +0.51% stores. Other golfers that made the cut of top earners include Gary Player at $21 million and Greg Norman at $16 million. Few athletes in recent years have made the transition from jock to mainstream celebrity better than former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. The seven-time Pro Bowler has become a media darling since hanging up his cleats seven years ago. He banked $14 million last year, by our count, which is tied for No. 10 with recently retired tennis star Li Na. Strahan co-hosts Live! with Kelly and Michael alongside Kelly Ripa and serves as a football analyst on Fox. Last year was a big year for Strahan as he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and added to ABC’s Good Morning America team. Both moves bumped Strahan’s earnings. In addition to his hosting duties, Strahan is a partner at SMAC Entertainment, a talent management company based in Los Angeles. Strahan is also a popular pitchman whose partners include Dr. Pepper, Sports Authority , Vaseline, Subway , Pizza Hut, Snickers and Procter & GamblePG +0.02% for Right Guard and Meta.
QUTE OF THE DAY
Life isn’t about doing just enough, life is about maximizing your full potential and taking advantage of all the unique gifts that you have in your possession. -Ash’Cash
Bill Cosby Breaks Silence in New Promo: ‘I’m Far From Finished’
Bill Cosby has been mostly silent since more than two dozen sexual assault allegations have been made against him. Now he’s trying a different tact by trying to return the focus to his career. Cosby released a new 10-second video advertising his upcoming standup shows. Wearing maroon pajamas, the clip shows Cosby on the phone talking about what a great show it will be. “Eight o’clock show, that’s right,” he happily declares into the phone. “And you know I’ll be hilarious. Can’t wait.” Malcolm-Jamal Warner on Bill Cosby: ‘It’s Painful to Watch My Mentor Go Through This’ He makes no mention of the charges against him, and it makes for some seriously uncomfortable viewing. ABC News, premiering the clip, notes that the video message is accompanied by a short written message that calls out one of his most popular catchphrases. “Dear fans. I hope you enjoy my wonderful video message that’s filled with LAUGHTER. Hey, hey, hey, I’m far from finished.” The number of women who have accused him of sexual assault are far from finished as well: Just last week, one of the Jane Does from the 2005 civil lawsuit came forward with her name and new details.
Watch Major Lazer Trace Their Reggae Roots on a Wild Journey to Jamaica
Major Lazer have no problem packing parties all over the world, but in the very beginning, audiences weren’t sure what to make of the group, now comprised of Diplo, Walshy Fire and Jillionaire. Promoter Kamal Banky remembers Diplo’s first shows in Jamaica actually baffled the locals. “The dancehall crowd was like, ‘What’s he playing?'” says Banky. “People stood up and they were like, ‘We hate this, we don’t like this.’ And the room cleared out.” SIDEBAR Diplo’s Dancehall Reggae Primer: 10 Essential Tracks » Today, the scene when Major Lazer visits Jamaica is wildly different — and we’ve got the footage to prove it. For Major Lazer Take Kingston — the second documentary in the “Mastering the Craft” series by Rolling Stone Films presented by Patrón — we followed the group back to the island to revisit their roots and headline their own festival. “For us to have a spark starting here for all our new music is the most important,” Diplo tells us. “We can go out to the rest of the world, as long as we prove ourselves here.” Thinking back to his earliest days, Diplo recalls being “fascinated by dancehall” as a child growing up in the town of Plantation, Florida: “It was always something on the radio in the parks,” he says. The music catching his ear was developed legendary producer King Jammy’s studio, and in the film Diplo and Walshy Fire, who was born in Jamaica, visit the historic spot. “I used to go there all the time, man, and, as we say in Jamaica, ‘bleach,’ which is basically just hang out for way too many hours,” Walshy Fire recalls. Jammy, whose “Sleng Teng” riddim ushered in a new era of electronic reggae, explains the story behind his 1980s breakthrough. “I started engineering at King Tubby’s studio,” he says. “Most of the big producers in Jamaica used to pass through Tubby’s – like Bunny Lee, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Yabby You. After I left King Tubby’s and had my own studio, it was strictly digital.” “We’re definitely playing on that old fun attitude that Jammy’s studio brought to dancehall and reggae,” says Diplo as he geeks out over a closet full of old tapes. “That’s what our essence is. And the artwork from his studio was the foundation for our project. Like, we totally ripped that off – like 100 percent said, ‘Yo, I love this artwork so much.’ And we made the whole concept around this kind of Eighties cartoon action-hero version of Jamaica that his studio started.” The film ends with Major Lazer onstage in Kingston, triumphantly kicking off the headlining set at their own festival with a custom dub of Kiesza’s “Hideaway.” Far from clearing the room, the music sends the audience into a frenzy, and the DJs match the fans’ energy by jumping on top of the equipment and into the crowd. “We just wanna keep pushing it forward here in Jamaica,” Diplo says of Major Lazer’s dancehall-inflected sound (their new track “Lean On” arrived this week). “We have such a respect and a love for this place.” Share Tweet Share Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/major-lazer-diplo-rs-films-mastering-the-craft-20150304#ixzz3U3BbS8rm Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Ironically, making a statement with words is the least effective method.” -Grey Livingston