He definitely makes some bold statements in the posting, although it could be a little easier to read – what’s with the CAPS.

Here’s the full text from the posting in case you can’t read it from the image.

FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THEIR CONSTANT LOVE AND SUPPORT OVER THESE PAST 6 YEARS! I’M SO HAPPY TO BE BACK IN THE STUDIO MAKING NEW MUSIC. I WILL BRING YOU THE BEST I HAVE TO OFFER WITH THE SAME DEDICATION THAT KOBE HAS ON THE COURT. IT’S FUNNY HOW SO MANY RAPPERS GET WORSE AS THEIR CAREERS STRETCH OUT BUT TRUE POETS GET BETTER. WE WILL FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MAYA ANGELOU, GILL SCOTT HERRON AND NINA SIMONE. THEIR WORK IMPROVED WITH TIME. THEY DOCUMENTED WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN CULTURE. THAT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS THE MODERN DAY ARTISTS AND POETS, TO ACCURATELY REPRESENT WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW, SO THAT WHEN THE POWERS THAT BE TRY TO REWRITE HISTORY YOU CAN ALWAYS LOOK AT OUR WORKS AND FIND TRUTH AND SINCERITY IN A WORLD OF PROCESSED INFORMATION. LET US SOAK IN POSITIVE FORCES AND LOOK DOWN ON UPON THOSE WHO MASQUERADE AS TRUTH TELLERS AND OBJECTIVE FACT GIVERS WHEN IN FEALITY EVERYTHING THAT IS PROJECTED HAS AN AGENDA OF BRAINSTORMING US, THE “CONSUMER”, THE PUBLIC, TO BELIEVE WHAT THEY WANT US TO. LET US LOOK PAST HEADLINES AND DEAL WITH JUST A BIT OF REALITY IN THIS NEW DECADE. WE WILL HAVE OUR OWN OUTLETS NOW. WE DON’T HAVE TO BELIEVE EVERYTHING ANYMORE. NOW I’LL FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MAKE THAT RHYME LOL!!!

Anyone care to give Kanye West a hand in making that ryhme?

1. Kanye West is Back Recording a New Album
2. Cracked.com on Kanye
3. Another Ego-Feed: Kanye's Book To Be Launched in July
4. Kanye is an Ass
5. Jay-Z Feat. Rihanna & Kanye West – Run This Town

In the same way as 50 Cent removed his tattoos, Pharrell cited roles in front of the screen as reasons for lasering away the tattoos that he hates.

Instead of a skin graft, he opted for “pure laser pain“.

In addition to his musical and acting interests, the rapper has also partnered with a Japanese fashion icon to launch two new lines of luxury clothing where he is modeling in the photo below.

In a recent post from the Pharrell’s Billionaires Boys Club blog, he is seen exposing his arms.

The image doesn’t give us a clear view, especially since he’s got his arms crossed with the lower part of his right arm covered.

That said, compared to before, Pharrell’s arms appear to have a lot less ink on them, assuming there’s not much makeup on them in the photo.

Check it our for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Related: Rapper 50 Cent Removes Tattoos for Hollywood Acting Career

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2. 10 Rappers Tattoos including Lil’Wayne, Plies, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, The Game and Rick Ross
3. Rappers Tattoos: 2pac, Dr Dre, Eminem, Eve and 50Cent
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5. Rap News: Ice Cube to Create Documentary On L.A. Raiders

Here’s a breakdown of the $150 million from the New York Times:

• US$25 million: Upfront payment
• US$25 million: General advance including fees for tours
• US$30 million: Advance payment of US$10million per album for a minimum of 3 albums
• US$20 million: Other payments including publishing, licensing and other rights.
• US$25 million: Overheads for new venture (Roc Nation) of US$5million per year for 5 years
• US$25 million: Available to finance Jay-Z’s acquisitions and investments

Some interesting points to note:

It seems that as part of the deal, Live Nation agreed to finance a new joint venture RocNation that would fund businesses, acquisitions and investments directed by Jay-Z of up to US$50 million.

There’s a US$25 million upfront payment and an Advance payment of US$10million per album for a minimum of 3 albums which probably contributed to Jay-Z’s estimated earnings of US$82 million in 2007-2008.

Profits from RocNation will be split with Live Nation and presumably, Jay-Z will also have a share in the profits from the ventures.

Related articles:

• Jay-Z’s $204 million Rocawear Deal – Sell out or Businessman?
• Jay-Z Sells Fashion Label for $204 million and continues as Chief Creative Officer

1. Jay-Z’s $204 million Rocawear Deal – Sell out or Businessman?
2. Rapper Eugene Tsverov close to a deal with Sony
3. Jay-Z Sells Fashion Label for $204 million and continues as Chief Creative Officer
4. Jay-Z is the Most Powerful Man in Hip Hop
5. BET Awards a Go on June 28th, To Be Hosted by Jamie Foxx, Jay-Z To Perform Live

Shawn Carter, more popularly known as the rapper, producer and hip-hop mogul Jay-z, may have sold Rocawear for $204 million in cash a few years ago but the terms of the deal had “contingent payments of an additional $35 million of Iconix stock based upon the brand surpassing certain pre-determined performance thresholds over the next three to five years.”

This means that he stands to earn a further US$35 million if Rocawear performs well over the next 3 to 5 years. In addition, from the US$204 million cash transaction, Forbes estimates that Jay-Z would receive about a quarter of the figure (about US$50 million) after “taxes and payable commitments”.

If he did only receive a net US$50 million from the sale, it would appear that a significant portion (ie. US$35 million) of the deal is still tied to the future performance of Rocawear.

Although he sold the brand, “Rocawear co-founder Jay-Z will be in charge of all product  development, marketing and licensing for Rocawear. Jay-Z’s senior  management team in licensing, marketing and product development will also  join Iconix. He will retain his stake in the operating company that manufactures all of the Rocawear men’s apparel and his two partners in that business, Alex Bize and Norton Cher, will continue to run that company and enter into a long-term license agreement with Iconix for the core young men’s apparel category.”

Clearly, even though he has sold Rocawear, Jay-Z will still be very much involved in the Creative direction, operations and financial performance of the company.

When Jay-Z sold Rocawear to the Iconix in 2007, he commented, “Iconix is pioneering  a new brand management model and by combining Rocawear with their platform,  my team and I can focus on our strengths in design and lifestyle … I’m also looking forward to working with Neil Cole and the Iconix organization on other brand development opportunities.”

It appears that instead of purely ‘selling-out’, the king of hiphopreneurs may have been establishing a longer term business partnership when striking the alliance with Iconix in 2007.

1. Jay-Z Sells Fashion Label for $204 million and continues as Chief Creative Officer
2. A closer look at Jay-Z’s US$150 million Live Nation Deal in 2008
3. Review – How to Get a Record Deal For Rappers & Producers
4. Rapper Eugene Tsverov close to a deal with Sony
5. Jay-Z is the Most Powerful Man in Hip Hop

Taking a deeper look at the details of the deal between Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z and the Iconix Brand Group, it appears that:

• Jay-Z will continue as the Chief Creative Officer
• Jay-Z may receive contingent payments of an additional US$35 million of Iconix stock over the next 3-5 years
• Iconix will also enter into a separate equal joint venture with Shawn Carter to establish a new brand management and licensing company that will identify brands to be acquired and/or developed across a broad spectrum of consumer product categories using the Iconix model.
• The first brand will involve Jay-Z and will be an eponymous luxury brand called “Shawn Carter Collection” which will debut in 2008.

Seems like a smart move from the king of hiphopreneurs.

Here are details from the press release:

NEW YORK, March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Iconix Brand Group, Inc.

( ICON) (“Iconix” or the “Company”), today announced that it has

entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the brand Rocawear. The

purchase price will be $204 million in cash with contingent payments of an

additional $35 million of Iconix stock based upon the brand surpassing

certain pre-determined performance thresholds over the next three to five

years. Rocawear is a leading lifestyle apparel brand sold through better

department and specialty stores with annual retail sales of over $700

million. Rocawear co-founder Jay-Z will be in charge of all product

development, marketing and licensing for Rocawear. Jay-Z’s senior

management team in licensing, marketing and product development will also

join Iconix. He will retain his stake in the operating company that

manufactures all of the Rocawear men’s apparel and his two partners in that

business, Alex Bize and Norton Cher, will continue to run that company and

enter into a long-term license agreement with Iconix for the core young

men’s apparel category. Iconix is forecasting that the Rocawear brand will

generate approximately $43 million in royalty revenue in its first twelve

months under the Iconix umbrella.

As part of the transaction, Iconix will also enter into a separate

equal joint venture with Shawn Carter to establish a new brand management

and licensing company that will identify brands to be acquired and/or

developed across a broad spectrum of consumer product categories using the

Iconix model. The first brand will involve Jay-Z and will be an eponymous

luxury brand called “Shawn Carter Collection” which will debut in 2008.

Neil Cole, Chairman and CEO of Iconix Brand Group commented, “This is

the largest acquisition Iconix has made and Rocawear is a brand that is

increasing in market share and has extraordinary potential for growth. The

leadership team is already in place to fulfill our mission and we will

maintain complete continuity within the business by having Jay and his team

in charge of all product development, licensing and marketing. Jay and his

partners in the operating company that manufactures all of the Rocawear

men’s apparel, Alex Bize and Norton Cher, will become our licensee for the

core business. Iconix will add talent and resources that I believe will

help make Rocawear a billion dollar global brand. This acquisition will be

transformative for Iconix in terms of its scale, the diversification it

brings to our portfolio of brands as well as having someone as talented as

Jay-Z joining our company and the many synergies that could bring.”

Shawn Carter, co-founder of Rocawear, commented, “Iconix is pioneering

a new brand management model and by combining Rocawear with their platform,

my team and I can focus on our strengths in design and lifestyle

marketing.” Carter added, “I’m also looking forward to working with Neil

Cole and the Iconix organization on other brand development opportunities.”

The purchase price for the acquisition will be paid by Iconix in cash

from proceeds of a loan made to the Company by one or more affiliates of

Lehman Brothers Inc. The acquisition is anticipated to close in March 2007

and is subject to customary closing conditions including clearance under

the Hart- Scott-Rodino Anti Trust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended.

Iconix Brand Group Inc. ( ICON – News) owns, licenses and

markets a growing portfolio of consumer brands including CANDIE’S (R),

BONGO (R), BADGLEY MISCHKA (R), JOE BOXER (R) RAMPAGE (R), MUDD (R), LONDON

FOG (R), MOSSIMO (R) and OCEAN PACIFIC (R). The Company has also entered

into definitive agreements to purchase the brands DANSKIN (R) and ROCAWEAR

(R). The Company licenses it brands to a network of leading retailers and

manufacturers that touch every major segment of retail distribution from

the luxury market to the mass market in both the U.S. and around the world.

Iconix, through its in-house advertising, promotion and public relations

agency, markets its brands to continually drive greater consumer awareness

and equity.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform

Act of 1995. The statements that are not historical facts contained in this

press release are forward looking statements that involve a number of known

and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are

difficult or impossible to predict and many of which are beyond the control

of the Company, which may cause the actual results, performance or

achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future

results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward

looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to,

uncertainty regarding the results of the Company’s acquisition of

additional licenses, continued market acceptance of current products and

the ability to successfully develop and market new products particularly in

light of rapidly changing fashion trends, the impact of supply and

manufacturing constraints or difficulties relating to the Company’s

licensees’ dependence on foreign manufacturers and suppliers, uncertainties

relating to customer plans and commitments, the ability of licensees to

successfully market and sell branded products, competition, uncertainties

relating to economic conditions in the markets in which the Company

operates, the ability to hire and retain key personnel, the ability to

obtain capital if required, the risks of litigation and regulatory

proceedings, the risks of uncertainty of trademark protection, the

uncertainty of marketing and licensing acquired trademarks and other risks

detailed in the Company’s SEC filings. The words “believe,” “anticipate,”

“expect,” “confident,” “project,” provide “guidance” and similar

expressions identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not

to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements, which speak

only as of the date the statement was made.

Contact:  David Conn

Executive Vice President

Iconix Brand Group

212.730.0030

Joseph Teklits

Integrated Corporate Relations

203.682.8200

SOURCE  Iconix Brand Group, Inc.

1. Jay-Z’s $204 million Rocawear Deal – Sell out or Businessman?
2. A closer look at Jay-Z’s US$150 million Live Nation Deal in 2008
3. Eminem's Relapse Sells 601,893 Copies in First Week

The Farewell Tour is expected to play in Texas and Louisiana after Lil Wayne’s hometown of New Orleans.

Also known as Dwayne Carter, Lil Wayne joins many other famous rappers who have or will be spending time behind bars including Mystikal, Tupac and more recently, T.I.

He is one of the most successful rappers who has been a Top 10 Highest earning rapper for the last two years according to Forbes with an annual income of US$13 million in 2007-2008 and US$18 million in 2008-2009.

About Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Carter:

• Born: 27^th September 1982
• Name: Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr
• Also Known As: Lil Wayne
• Birth Town: New Orleans, Louisiana
• 2007-2008 Estimated Earnings: US$13 million
• 2008-2009 Estimated Earnings: US$18 million
• Albums: 1999 Debut Album “The Block is Hot”, 2000 Album “Lights Out”, “500 Deegreez” in 2002, “Tha Carter” in 2004, “Tha Carter II” in 2005, “Tha Carter III” in 2008.
• Website: www.lilwayne-online.com

1. Lil Wayne To Endorse Marijuana Cigars; Gains Massive Rappers.org Approval
2. How To Rap Like Lil Wayne
3. 10 Rappers Tattoos including Lil’Wayne, Plies, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, The Game and Rick Ross

See this TMZ post

Kanye himself apparently has been feeling pretty shitty about the whole ordeal and has been apologizing furiously. First, there was an ALL-CAPS apology on his blog which was later removed and replaced with a more coherent apology. Then Kanye also apologized to Swift on the Jay-Leno show.

Clearly, Kanye knows that he bit off more than he can chew here and has been trying to salvage whatever he can from this PR disaster. I personally doubt how much of the apologies Kanye has been peddling around are real and how many are just at the behest of his PR team.

I think this guy ought to retire from music for a little while if only to get some perspective. You’re talented, Mr. West, but you ain’t no Beethoven. Heck, you ain’t even no John Lennon or Paul McCartney. Or Tupac or even Eminem. There are a lot other, more talented people in music than you right now. Just ask the guys over at Black Eyed Peas whose every album sells more copies than all yours combined.

1. Cracked.com on Kanye
2. Kanye West: Rappers Get Worse as their Careers Stretch Out
3. Another Ego-Feed: Kanye's Book To Be Launched in July
4. Kanye West is Back Recording a New Album
5. Taylor Swift and T-Pain Collaborating

The long awaited Michael Jackson tribute – hopefully the first of many – is set to finally take place with the help of Mary J. Blige, Akon, Chris Brown, Sister Sledge and Natalie Cole in Vienna on the 26th of September outside the Schoenbrunn Castle in the city.

The concert will officially (and aptly) be called the ‘Vienna Michael Jackson Tribute‘. 13 artists have signed on currently to perform at the concert (including the 5 names listed above). The artists will render (and perhaps murder) some of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits, and performing duets with Michael Jackson’s image on screen.

It is expected that more than 20 artists might eventually turn up at the concert. Also, a few washed up, out of work artists will stumble n mumble on the stage in the hope of reigniting their career by basking in the limelight of a great artist.

My take on this? No one can come even close to doing what MJ did. I would hate to even imagine Akon doing his rendition of Thriller or Billie Jean. So here’s a suggestion: instead of performing MJ’s greatest hits, why not sing your own songs, but work Michael Jackson references and tributes into the lyrics? It would be way better for the fans than seeing Chris Brown in sequined gloves…

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Apparently, the rapper T (hyphen) Pain launched into an attack on Jay (hyphen) Z at a night club in Vegas during a deejay set.

As per tweets made by rapper Fabolous, the forever auto-tuned rapper, T-Pain was at the club Rehab in Vegas when he said, “fuck Jay-Z” and had a few more choice words for the Hard Knock Life rapper, which included the indication that Jay-Z was “old”.

Who in here wants to believe that this is just a result of the D.O.A – Death of Auto Tune – by Jay-Z? T-Pain has been known to make a throw in *cough* a *cough* few auto-tuned tracks in his albums. If refusing to use a shitty piece of software for fine tuning your voice makes you old, then I’m glad the is old and not resorting to such shit musical tactics.

Oh, and the kicker? The deejay at the club immediately launched into a number of Jay-Z hits as soon as T-Pain got finished with his rants, including, but not limited to D.O.A., Run This Town, etc. etc.

Bummer, eh?

1. Rap is Dead. Long Live the Auto Tune: Jay-Z's "Death of Auto-Tune" Out
2. Taylor Swift and T-Pain Collaborating
3. A closer look at Jay-Z’s US$150 million Live Nation Deal in 2008
4. Jay-Z is the Most Powerful Man in Hip Hop
5. 50 Cent – War Angel

Rapper Ice-Cube, best known for starring in family friendly movies of late, will be creating a documentary on the Los Angeles Raiders in collaboration with ESPN.

The documentary is to be titled Straight Outta L.A., an obvious wordplay on Straight Outta Compton – the NWA breakthrough album.

The film, as put forth by Ice Cube, will explore the Raiders move from Oakland to Los Angeles. The Raiders, long termed the ‘rebel’ team for this move, have been the rapper’s favorite football team, and he was often seen sporting the Raiders’ black and silver uniforms during the early days of NWA (around the time Straight Outta Compton was released).

Judging by the quality of movies Ice-Cube has done of late, however, I wouldn’t want to get my hopes too high. The family friendly, inane BS that he has been rolling out doesn’t do justice to the word “actor”.

Hopefully, he’ll fare better as a documentarian.

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