Crib Notes

BET premiered the Anthony Mandler-directed video for Jay-Z’s new song “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” after the airing of the BET Awards last night (where he also performed it live). That’s Warner Music Group CEO Lyor Cohen chauffeuring Hov in the beginning of the video. The two were long time business associates during the Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam days. Now that Jay-Z’s upcoming album Blueprint 3 will be released by WMG subsidiary Atlantic, the cameo is fitting.

Harvey Keitel and Lebron James are also featured.

The highlight comes four and a half minutes in when Jay finally gets his overgrown sheepskin fro shorn in the barber’s chair. He’s been catching hell about that unkempt ’do for months. Some things, not even multi-millions can excuse.

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The vibe outside the courtroom in the Richard B. Russell Federal Building and Courthouse went from hopeful to depressed shortly after noon Friday when the doors to T.I.’s arraignment/bond hearing opened for a second time and a slew of industry heavyweights, the rapper’s closest family members and media exited without Clifford “T.I.” Harris Jr.

According to the AJC, his request for bond was denied by U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman after T.I. entered a not-guilty plea, but T.I.’s defense team will have another chance to argue for bond next Friday.

“I haven’t decided on releasing him yet,” Baverman said, “I just haven’t heard the conditions yet and I’m not satisfied.”

The conditions offered by his defense team included 24/7 house arrest with electronic and human monitoring, plus “a $2.2 million bond, along with separate bonds backed by his record company, record company executives and the equity of his two homes,” according to the AJC. You can read the full story here.

The number of industry heavyweights inside the courtroom indicated how valuable an entity T.I. is to the music world. (more…)

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