Jay-Z Venturing into Video Games?

BestLife Magazine, which is a publication from the editors of Men's Health, has a recent article all about the Business Man, Shawn Carter. In the article, Jay's well known ventures are discussed including albums, clothing, sneakers, sports bars, the New Jersey Nets and hotels. Jay-Z nearly 40 years of age talks all about his road to success and how you can follow his steps. A brief excerpt also discusses Jay-Z's business success is a result of staying true to self: Staying true to yourself might stand as a succinct summary of Jay-Z's philosophy of success. The notion goes back to Shakespeare's "To thine own self be true," and further back than that to the Greeks. But for Jay-Z, it has an urgently contemporary meaning. Even, or perhaps, especially, in recessionary times, amid the thousands of entertainment and lifestyle choices consumers have available to them, what separates winners from losers is a commitment to a single proposition: You are the product. If people believe in you, they will believe in what you create. Jay-Z understands this and is down with it. In a quick sentence in the article it's noted "He is relaxing after a typically jam-packed day that included a photo shoot, an interview, and a meeting about his potential involvement in a forthcoming video game." Speculation has already begun about just what this could mean. Is Jay going to be a character in a new game such as one of those Def Jam Vendetta sorts? Will he be producing a game, possibly something like Guitar Hero or Rock Band but for aspiring rap stars? Or will he buy buying up a video game company to add to his thriving portfolio of current businesses and promotions. It's tough to say right now exactly what video game visions Jay might have, but it will likely add yet another successful venture to the already booming brand known as Jay-Z. Read the full Best Life article, "Not a Businessman, a Business, Man", about Jay-Z.

Rap Album Deals at Amazon!

Amazon.com is offering some extremely low prices on recent hit rap albums. Right now Lil' Wayne's "The Carter III" and Q-Tip's new solo release "The Renaissance" are just $5.00 each to download the entire MP3 album at Amazon. Both albums are considered among the best of 2008, with many saying these are the Top 2 albums and classics at that. Pick them up now for your MP3 player as individual tracks from the albums are 99 cents each if bought individually. Amazon offers DRM-Free MP3's which will work with almost any player including the iPod. Buy The Renaissance by Q-Tip MP3 Album for $5.00 Buy Tha Carter III by Lil' Wayne for $5.00!

The McDonalds Rap - Lyrics and Videos!

There's a few rap videos floating around YouTube and the internet which are odes to the legendary fast food restaraunt McDonald's. The one video features a man at the McD's drive thru rapping his order, first normal speed, then slowed down, then sped up. Nothing groundbreaking here, but they've caught fire on the internet, prompting large scale searches..You may get a kick out of it. Here's the lyrics for one of the songs, and the link to videos below it. McDonald's Rap Lyrics I need a double cheese burger and hold the lettuce Don't be frontin son -- no seeds on the bun We be up in this drive through order for two I gots a cravin' fo' a numba nine like my shoe We need some chicken up in here, in this hizzle For rizzle my mizzle, extra salt on da frizzle Doctor pepper my brothah, another for ya motha Double-double supah size and don't forget the fries See the rap video here See an alternate rap song about McDonald's. Video is over 2:30 length. Watch the hilarious McDonald's Rap on YouTube!

Alicia Keys in Fresh Takes

Tonight during MTV's Reality show, The Hills, R&B sensation Alicia Keys makes her mini TV acting debut. Keys will star in a mini-series (commercial length show) called "Fresh Takes" which airs during The Hills commercial break. The show's premiere celebrates the launch of a new Dove fragrance-driven product collection aimed at the 20-something female crowd. From CNN Money: "Fresh Takes" uses entertainment and humor to give viewers a look at three 20-something girlfriends as they put their everyday pressures in a fresh perspective. Using the budding micro-series TV format, "Fresh Takes" will broadcast three-minute episodes nationwide during "The Hills," MTV's No. 1 show for 20-something women, over a five-week period beginning March 24 (10 p.m. EDT / 9 p.m. Central). The micro-series was created and produced by MindShare Entertainment and MTV. Alicia Keys headlines the series, alongside up-and-coming actresses Desi Lydic and Jessalyn Wanlim. * Alex (Alicia Keys): Fearless, fun and always falling in love, the stylish Alex works at a trendy music PR firm View the full article at CNN Money.com for more info on the show. View Alicia Keys No One Lyrics

Ringtone Revolution Continues...

Ringtones are the rage nowadays. They also seem to spell out who the 1 hit wonders will be in rap. A rapper releases a hot song, it becomes an anthem of that time (for several months) goes into ringtone history, and gets its own platinum plaque. Once the song is played out, the rapper isn't heard from again, the plaque hangs proudly on a wall and people probably delete the ringtone from their history. I took a look at Jamster because it's one of the more popular ringtone sites. You may have seen their commercials over and over again on MTV or BET telling you what #'s to type in to get which song. Their site seems to offer more than just ringtones though, for example they have games like "Wheel of Fortune" or "Are you Smarter Than a 5th Grader?". They also cater to those looking for cell phone wallpapers and screensavers. The cell phone biz is definitely big these days, and people want to have the coolest customizations. Back to the ringtone phehomenon. It's probably best to buy those catchy anthems for your cell phone rather than that artist's entire album. You're saving yourself money and the future "why did I buy that entire album?" risk. As a fun game, see if you can predict who will suffer "1 Hit Wonder" status from the Top 10 below: Top 10 Ringtones from Jamster! Homepage 1) No One - Alicia Keys 2) Kiss Kiss - Chris Brown 3) Apologize - Timbaland (feat. One Republic) 4) Crank That - Soulja Boy Tell Em 5) I'm So Hood - DJ Khaled 6) Duffle Bag Boy - Playaz Circle 7) Pop Bottles - Birdman 8) Bed - J Holiday 9) Shawty is Da (10) - The Dream 10) My Drink n' My 2 Step - Cassidy To each his own with the ringtones..You can still get the Jibbs Chain Hang Low: Ringtones & Wallpaper!". Also see: The Rap Ringtone Era and the Shut Up Ringtone craze!

The Official Ghostface Doll

If you're a part of the Wu, been rapping for a while, sold millions of records, had a few platinum hits, some great concert tours and clothing lines, what's the next logical step? You guessed it, you have your own action figure/doll created in your likeness. As you can see from the image above, Ghostface comes complete with red Yankees fitted baseball cap, velour robe and extra-large gold pendant/medalion around its neck. The robe is removable to reveal Ghost in a white wife-beater. It features a push button to hear recorded Ghost phrases such as "I put it in em shot up in em deadly vemon" and "Yo b--h I f---d your friend ya you stank ho". Also includes a mixtape of Ghost's greatest hits mixed by DJ Rhettmatic. You can have yours for just $500. Yes, the medalion is 14k gold. Head over to theghostfacedoll.com to pick up yours today! Or you can stay on the cheap side and pick up Ghost's new album December 4th entitled "The Big Doe Rehab".

iPhone or B'Phone?

Jay-Z's main squeeze, Beyonce exposed the latest gadget in her entrepreneurial arsenal, the B'Phone. The phone is a collab effort between Beyonce and Samsung and will be sold at Wal Mart stores starting November 4th. The question will be which sells more copies, Beyonce's cool new phone, or Jay-Z's cool new album? According to infosyncworld.com: "When the phone boots, a special Beyonce-styled start-up screen will display. We're not sure if this is a picture of Beyonce herself, or some screen that Beyonce has chosen. Also, there are special pictures of Beyonce. Then, you get a song that Beyonce recorded when she was 10 years old. Seriously, 10 years old. Oh, and the phone says "Beyonce" across the top, in case you missed it. " See Beyonce's phone promo pics at GossipGirls.com: Beyonce Promotes Her New B’Phone Also Jay-Z's "Blue Magic" video has began airing on BET. The song produced produced by and featuring Pharrell in the chorus offers a slower beat with throbbing drums and Jay's usual high level of lyrical dexterity. "Blue Magic" is the first release of Jay's upcoming "American Gangster" album.

Formula 50 for Success

You have to hand it to rap artists because they are some of the smartest business minds around. They take their rap career and not only use it for making and selling music, but they branch out into other business ventures and opportunities. A great example is 50 Cent. Vitamin water by one of the rap genre's biggest names. "Formula 50" is the drink inspired by the rapper. Basically taking his name and transferring it into a brand. BevNET Review: formula 50 is a strange concept for a beverage. The grape-flavored drink's label reads, "inspired by today's most talked about artist, hottest record producer, and soon-to-be movie star, this not-so-hypnotic tonic contains (hint, hint) 50 percent of many of the important vitamins that you need every day." Now you won't likely find this rapper "in da club" drinking formula 50, but we have to hand it to Glaceau, this is a great tasting drink. The grape flavor is natural and not too-sweet. The concept is creative to say the least. Overall, it is a cool, tasty drink. Even more impressive is the fact that Glaceau Vitamin Water was bought by Coca-Cola for a hefty sum. Estimates say 50 Cent may be making around $400 million off the deal and that he owns a 10% stake in the product. Reviews from several sites indicate this particular flavor, "Formula 50" is also one of the tastiest offerings from the line of Vitamin water. 50 Cent has also recorded a short promotional rap song for the product as well, using a sampled line from his track "I Get Money". Lesson learned: If you become famous, make your name into a brand and continue to branch out. The more diversified your portfolio, the more you have to fall back on should the rap career begin to fade.

Jay-Z Pushin Coke Again

No, before the lawsuits fly, lets clarify, the Jigga man just helped Coca-Cola company re-design its Cherry Coke line. The above can depicts the newly styled design by Hova himself. Jay-Z will work with them on ad campaigns as well in the hopes they can revitalize this product of theirs which has fallen off in popularity. Jay-Z has also been advertising with Budweiser and the new Escalade was released in the special "Jay-Z blue", which is making Jay-Z a brand much like Michael Jordan was for the NBA. So now rap has become ingrained into the pop culture..call Jigga, the MJ of rap. Related to this, did you ever realize how many individual products Coke has out there on the market shelves? Take a look at the Coke products image gallery which depicts probably at least 1 coke product you drink on a regular basis. Whether it's water, soda, energy drink or OJ, you're probably pushing a coke product yourself.

Bling, The Drink of Stars

Bling which used to signify the shiny diamonds and other jewelry around the necks of rap stars, athletes and hollywood a-listers among others, is now a drink. The drink of stars, Bling H20 is a special "designer" water, which has bottles encrusted with crystals and other high priced jewels. According to the product's website, Bling H20 it was created by a movie director who noticed actors on set with water bottles but none captured the true glamorous style they should have. So, Kevin G Boyd, Hollywood Writer and Producer is now capitalizing on the notion that the stars like to waste money on even the cheapest everyday items. Nothing says you're a star more than carrying around a bottle of water you bought for $40 and up. It is described as "pop-culture in a bottle" and supposedly more pure and balanced in terms of its makeup than other waters on the market. The stars will buy into just about anything health-related.. Here's the breakdown of the water: BOTTLED WATER ANALYSIS: milligrams per liter (mg/l) 140 TDS 7.66 ph factor ND Calcium 1.2 Chlorides ND Fluordine 100 Bicarbonate 6.8 Magnesium 0.38 Nitrate 1.2 Potassium 1.5 Sodium 8.3 Sulphates 27 Hardness See more at the official Bling H20 site here.