R. Kelly, the self-declared “King of R&B” is set to release his tenth studio album, Untitled (Jive Records) on October 13th. In support of the new album, Kelly is scheduled to headline the “Ladies Make Some Noise!” tour beginning in Mashantucket, CT on October 8th.

Setting the tone for Kelly’s Untitled album is the lead single, “Number One,” which features R&B songbird Keri Hilson. Three weeks ago “Number One” was the #1 most added record at urban radio, and is currently the #1 most added record in the rhythm/crossover format.

For the new record, Kelly decided to make some creative changes, collaborating with a group of new, up-and-coming producers including Infinity, Lil Ronnie, and Chris Henderson; as well as venturing to Atlanta to record some material, as Kelly has previously recorded almost exclusively in Chicago.

To build momentum for his return, Kelly put out a Gangsta Grillz special edition mixtape, The ‘Demo’ Tape, presented by DJ Drama and DJ Skee, consisting of four exclusive songs, such as “Supa Man,” featuring OJ Da Juiceman, in addition to remixing a number of popular songs, including “Best I Ever Had” (Drake) and “Birthday Sex” (Jeremih).

With The ‘Demo’ Tape being his first mixtape, Kelly decided to take a different approach with how consumers received his music. “I wanted to go back to the streets and connect directly to my fans. The love I have received is amazing and this is for them,” he says.

A prolific songwriter who has collaborated with and written for superstars such as Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Pussycat Dolls, Usher, and Celine Dion, to name a few, Kelly has recently penned “I Look To You” for Whitney Houston’s highly anticipated upcoming album.

“Ladies Make Some Noise!” tour dates are listed below:

Date                              City 

October 8                       Mashantucket, CT
 

October 9                       Boston, MA
 

October 10                      Albany, NY
 

October 11                      Baltimore, MD
 

October 13                     Philadelphia, PA
 

October 15                      Newark, NJ
 

October 16                      New York, NY
 

October 18                      Pittsburgh, PA
 

October 20                     Cincinnati, OH
 

October 22                      Atlanta, GA
 

October 23                      Chattanooga, TN
 

October 24                      Charleston, SC
 

October 25                      Augusta, GA
 

October 27                      Birmingham, AL
 

October 29                      Dallas, TX
 

October 30                      Houston, TX
 

October 31                      New Orleans, LA
 

November 1                    Memphis, TN
 

November 5                   Los Angeles, CA
 

November 6                   Las Vegas, NV
 

November 7                    Oakland, CA
 

November 12                 Indianapolis, IN
 

November 14                  Detroit, MI
 

November 15                  Milwaukee, WI
 

November 17                  Chicago, IL
 

November 20                 Louisville, KY
 

November 21                 Charlotte, NC
 

November 22                Greensboro, NC
 

November 24                 Washington, D.C.
 

November 27                 Jacksonville, FL
 

November 28                 Miami, FL
 

November 29                 Tampa, FL
 

December 4                   Norfolk, VA
 

December 5                   Richmond, VA

December 6                   Cleveland, OH
 

December 8                   St. Louis, MO

Houston emcee Lil’ Flip is returning with another studio album entitled, Respect Me, released by indie label High Powered Entertainment and distributed by E1 Entertainment (formerly Koch). The record hits retailers online and in stores on September 29th. 

Respect Me is a 15 track set, produced by John Silva (Keyshia Cole, Lil Wayne, E-40, Daz Dillinger and more). The 1st single off the new album is “Da #1 Fly Boy.” In addition, other tracks included on Lil’ Flip’s new album is the title track “Respect Me,” “Shawty Wanna Thugg,” “Swangaz on Bentleys,” “2 Steppin,” “I Got To Be,” and “I’m Back.”

“The thing about this album is that it’s so reflective of me, my music, life and lifestyle,” says Lil’ Flip. “Trust me, everything I rap about is based on truth. So when I rhyme dirty style about the Bentleys, the clubs, the platinum, the girls, my life’s lessons or whatever, it’s not bragging, it’s just fact.”

 

Rap veteran, Guru, along with his partner Solar, are scheduled to release their latest collaboration, Guru 8.0 Lost & Found, May 19th via 7 Grand Records.

Although Guru and Solar have had success in the past with their Jazzmatazz series, the former Gangstarr emcee sets the record straight about the direction of the new album. “This is not hip-hop jazz,” explains Guru. “This is straight up hip-hop elevated to a higher plateau, so it shouldn’t be compared to the Jazzmatazz series. The jazzier side is a part of who I am as an entertainer, but doesn’t define who I am as an artist or as a lyricist.”

Despite the inclusion of United Kingdom soul-singer Omar on the song “Ride,” Guru 8.0 Lost and Found, will mostly feature artists on the 7 Grand roster, including K. Born, Highpower, and Doo Wop. The album also includes the tracks “Best Of My Years” and “Fast Lane,” which were inspired by the sounds of vintage and southern hip-hop, respectively.

In addition, Solar, who normally handles production duties, will make his debut as an emcee on the song “After Time.”

R&B songstress Ciara is due to release her third album, Fantasy Ride, on May 5th via LaFace/Jive Records. 

Led by the singles “Never Ever” featuring Young Jeezy and “Love Sex Magic” featuring label-mate Justin Timberlake, which are both in the Top 15 on the Rhythm, Pop and Urban mainstream charts, Fantasy Ride will be supported by a host of other notable music figures, including A-List producers Nate “Danja” Hills, Tricky Stewart, Polow Da Don, and Rodney Jerkins.

Currently, the single “Love Sex Magic” is performing well in the international market as it scored the # 1 spot on the United Kingdom’s iTunes R&B Chart, Germany’s Club chart and Japan’s Ringtone chart.

In making Fantasy Ride, Ciara played a more active role in the creative process, serving as a co-writer on a lot of the songs, in addition to being a co-executive producer.

To promote her new album, Ciara will be making television appearances on Good Morning America, Saturday Night Live, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Regis and Kelly, Ellen, and Jimmy Kimmel.

Universal Motown has announced that emerging rapper Kid Cudi has joined the label’s roster, and is currently completing his debut album, Man on the Moon: The Guardian, which is scheduled for a late summer release on Dream On/G.O.O.D. Music/Universal Motown.  

“Kid Cudi is at the vanguard of a game-changing new generation of artists,” said Universal Motown President Sylvia Rhone. “He crosses musical boundaries with an appeal that goes beyond genre, format, race, language, and culture. Cudi lives easily in the hip-hop, indie rock, pop, and R&B worlds – a diversity that shows in his innovative music and his all-embracing persona,” while the executive added, “I am thrilled to welcome Kid Cudi into the Universal Motown family.”

“Partnering Kid Cudi with Universal Motown and Sylvia Rhone couldn’t be a more natural fit,” commented Emile and Plain Pat. “They were the first major company to take notice of our movement and truly grasp our vision. We are thrilled to extend and deepen our relationship. It’s a great feeling to watch the world discover the talent we saw in Cudi over these past years.”

Led by the breakout radio and digital hit “Day ‘N’ Nite,” which is performing well in multi-formats (Rhythmic-Crossover, Mainstream Top 40, Urban, and Alternative), the Cleveland, OH native caught the attention of fellow genre-bender and rap superstar Kanye West, eventually leading to Cudi joining the G.O.O.D Music imprint.

“Cudi is a combination of constant inspiration, struggle, reality and dreams put to melody,” says West.

In addition to his own music, Cudi most recently participated on Kanye West’s album 808s & Heartbreak, co-writing four tracks, including “Heartless” and “Welcome to Heartbreak,” which featured a vocal performance by the up-and-coming artist.

“Day ‘N’ Nite” is also receiving international acclaim with success in Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, Belgium, and the U.K., where the song was remixed by the DJ/production team Crookers.

Cudi is currently embarking on a national press and radio promo tour, with stops at festivals such as Bamboozled and Rothbury. The tour is scheduled to run through late spring and beyond.

As part of a joint venture with G.O.O.D. Music, Cudi plans to launch his own label, Dream On, later this year with partners Emile and Plain Pat.

Songbook Entertainment and Atlantic Records recording artist Trey Songz is following up his sophomore album Trey Day with the release of his third album Ready, which arrives in stores and online retailers on June 30th. 

Leading the way for the Grammy-nominated R&B singer’s new album is the single “I Need A Girl,” produced by the Grammy-winning Norwegian production team Stargate (Beyonce, “Irreplacable”; Ne-Yo, “So Sick”; Shakira/Beyonce, “Beautiful Liar”; and Flo Rida’s “Be On You”). The record is currently being added to national Urban Mainstream radio outlets weeks in advance of its official multi-format impact date.

In addition, Songz recently premiered (March 31st) the video to the promotional song “Brand New” on Myspace Music.

 

     

Irish soul singer and Atlantic Records recording artist Laura Izibor has announced concert dates for a North American tour, where she will accompany fellow songbird India.Arie. The tour starts out in San Francisco on April 1st.

Izibor’s debut album, Let The Truth Be Told, will be available at physical and digital retailers on June 16th. The first single off the album, “From My Heart To Yours,” which is currently ascending the airplay charts at multi-format radio outlets nationwide, including Urban Mainstream and Urban AC, helped introduce Izibor into the mainstream after the song was featured last year on an episode of ABC’s primetime television series Grey’s Anatomy.

In addition, the Dublin, Ireland singer has also benefited from having her music featured in other film and television projects, such as The Nanny Diaries, Step Up 2: The Streets, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married, Seven Pounds, and MTV’s The Hills.

Izibor can look to past experience as a guide for her upcoming North American tour, as she recently completed a major European tour supporting John Legend.

Below is a listing of the North American tour dates:

April

    

01                    San Francisco, CA                  Zellerbach

03                    Portland, OR                           Crystal Ballroom

04                    Seattle, WA                              Paramount Theatre

05                    Vancouver, BC                        Commodore Ballroom

15                    Los Angeles, CA                      Club Nokia

17                    Indio, CA                                    Fantasy Springs Casino

18                    San Diego, CA                          House of Blues

19                    Anaheim, CA                            The Grove Anaheim

30                    Foxboro, MA                            Showcase Live 

May

01                    New York, NY                          Grand Ballroom @ Manhattan Center

03                    Baltimore, MD                        Ramshead Live

04                    Alexandria, VA                        Birchmere

06                    Charlotte, NC                          Amos Southend

08                    Portsmouth, VA                     Willet Hall

09                    Glenside, PA                            Keswick Theatre

10                    Durham, NC                             Durham Performing Arts Center

12                    Milwaukee, WI                        Riverside Theatre

13                    St. Paul, MN                             O’Shaughnessy Auditorium

15                    Toronto, ONT                          Queen Elizabeth Theatre

16                    Cleveland, OH                         House of Blues

17                    Chicago, IL                                House of Blues

21                    Dallas, TX                                  McFarlin Auditorium

22                    Houston, TX                            Arena Theatre

24                    Memphis, TN                          Orpheum Theatre

 

 

 

   

Multi-platinum and three-time Grammy Award-winning group The Black Eyed Peas have moved up the digital release of the group’s first single “Boom Boom Pow,” off their fifth studio album, The E.N.D., to Monday, March 30th, the date the single becomes available to all digital retail accounts.

The single impacted CHR/Top 40 Radio two weeks ago, and is currently #17 at the format. The record is the group’s eleventh CHR/Top 40 hit, tying them with the Backstreet Boys for most chart hits in the aforementioned format by a group this decade.

An accompanying video for the new single “Boom Boom Pow,” directed by production company Motion Theory (producers of Weezer’s Grammy Award-winning video “Pork and Beans”), will be released in early April.

The song was produced by will.i.am, and written by The Black Eyed Peas (will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie). As previously reported, The E.N.D. comes out June 9th, 2009.

In addition, The Black Eyed Peas will perform tomorrow night (Friday, March 27th) at the Ultra Music Festival, which is part of the Winter Music Conference.

The musical hotbed of Atlanta is once again introducing another one of its own to the industry, as R&B singer/songwriter Myko (pronounced Mee-ko) has secured a deal with SRC/Universal Records through New York Jets running back Thomas Jones’ imprint label, Outta Pocket Entertainment.

SRC founder Steve Rifkind signed the newcomer on the strength of his two singles “Late Nite Creep” (produced by the late Static Major) and “Spend Dis Bread” (featuring Rick Ross). “Give It 2 U” is the lead single from Myko’s forthcoming SRC/Universal debut album, and is currently impacting major radio stations.

As the flagship artist on Outta Pocket Entertainment, Myko is benefiting from his relationship with the football star, garnering numerous opportunities for promotion. Most recently, Myko performed at Jones’ Pro Bowl party in Hawaii, and is slated to perform at the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament in Miami on Sunday, March 29.

In addition to his upcoming album with SRC/Universal, Myko is also working on an independent project titled Options.

   

The Beastie Boys and Capitol/EMI are reissuing the remastered version of the group’s third album, Check Your Head, on March 30th, with pre-orders beginning at beastieboys.com.

Check Your Head’s reissue is being sold in multiple formats, ranging from a high quality DRM-free digital download (including classic b-sides and bonus tracks) to an ultra-deluxe 4 LP 180HQ vinyl version packaged in a fabric-wrapped hardcover coffee table book case (limited to 2000 copies). Not including the 4 LP version of the album, all physical editions will hit retailers April 7th.

In addition, it has been announced that the Beastie Boys will headline the Hollywood Bowl on September 24th. The group has also confirmed their appearance at this summer’s Bonnaroo festival, scheduled for June 11-14 in Manchester, Tennessee.

Originally released in April 1992, Check Your Head, which featured singles “So What’cha Want,” “Pass The Mic,” “Gratitude” and “Jimmy James,” marked the Beastie Boys’ return to live instrumentation, with the bulk of the album featuring Mike D on drums, Adrock on guitar and MCA on bass for the first time since the band’s early 1980s hardcore punk recordings.