Marion Suge Knight
In today’s Daily Rap we take a peek inside the industry’s biggest earner’s wallets, D’Angelo insistes he is not signed to Bad Boy, Grandmaster Flash releases a new album and Suge’s case is dismissed.
Biggest Earners
Looks like the Vitamin Water Deal that 50 Cent struck up last year has put him in the top spot when it comes to the highest earners in music.
Earning a staggering $151 million between June 07 – June 08 has heading up the Forbes list along with The Police, Jay Z, Beyonce and The Beatles. Beyonce also topped the most lucrative Under 30 with her bank balance pushing $80 million.
It was the reunion tour of The Police which saw them take the number two spot. The tour started in May 2007 in Vancouver and ended at Madison Square Garden in August of this year. The concert celebrated the bands thirty year history.
D’Angelo not signed to Bad Boy
There had been excessive rumors implying that R&B/Soul star D’Angelo had signed with Sean Combs Bad Boy label.
D’Angelo famed for tracks such as Brown Sugar and Untitled (How Does it Feel) is still signed with RCA and will be putting his follow up to his critically acclaimed album Voodoo out in 2009 through that label. It will be close to nine years since D’Angelo released Voodoo which sold over 1.5 million copies.
He has recently appeared along side Common on his Finding Forever album and Snoop and Dr Dre on Snoop Dogg’s Blue Carpet Treatment. He has been working with Raphael Saadiq and Q-Tip for this album and there is talk that he may be working with Cee-Lo of Knarls Barkley.
Grandmaster Flash Releases new album
One of the legendary pioneers of Hip-Hop, New York’s very own Grandmaster Flash is gearing up to release his first album in over twenty years in February of next year.
Flash who along with the Furious Five was indicted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year has called on some of Hip-Hop’s most known to appear on his The Bridge: Concept of a Culture project, with appearances from Q Tip, KRS-One, Busta Rhymes and various others slated for the album.
Flash also released his memoirs in June of this year through Broadway The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats which gives readers an insight into how it all began for one of Hip-Hop’s founding fathers.
Suge’s case dismissed
Notorious former CEO of Death Row Records Suge Knight had his drugs and battery case dismissed from a Las Vegas Court late last week due to insufficient evidence.
Suge who was arrested in October after beating up his girl friend of three years while in possession of various controlled substances including ecstasy and marijuana. The Judge presiding over the case had informed the prosecution that they could go ahead without witnesses but they chose to dismiss instead.
It had been rumoured that Suge’s girlfriend was in court for the trial but had opted not to press charges against her boyfriend. The prosecution later decided that the trial should go to a Grand Jury, which apparently Suge and his legal team are looking forward to.
Melanie Cornish