Crib Notes

HERE, YOU MONSTER!

It worked for Marvin Gaye — sorta.

After his marriage of 15 years to an older Anna Gordy ended in bitter divorce proceedings in 1977, Gaye dedicated to her the double-album with the double-edged title, Here, My Dear. In it, he took creative license to air the dirty laundry leftover from their failed marriage with such songs as “When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You,” “Anger,” and “You Can Leave, But It’s Going to Cost You.”

The punchline? According to the divorce decree, half the proceeds from sales of the album went toward alimony payment — hence the sardonic title.

So today, when a new song from Usher’s upcoming album, Monster, was released, titled “Papers,” the comparison was unavoidable. In the song, Usher sings:

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With a client roster that includes some of the most reputable studio engineers, producers and musicians in the industry, the Atlanta-based management firm Milk Money Consulting’s monthly updates read like the Billboard 100 chart — six months into the future.

Take a peek at their June update, courtesy Brad McDonald:

Ben H. Allen is currently producing The Whigs’ new album in his (and the group’s) hometown of Athens, GA. After recording and mixing the Whigs, Ben is headed to NYC to work with Animal Collective. If you can’t wait to hear new music from Ben, check out Kate Earl’s recently released EP, Introducing Kate Earl. Ben’s project The Constellations, is currently on tour and getting huge airplay in Atlanta, Minneapolis and additional markets and the song “Felicia” is the #1 most requested song on Atlanta’s 99X.

Mac Attkisson is working with super producer Bangladesh on several high profile projects, including Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott, Leona Lewis, Usher, Ludacris and Juvenile.

Mark Exit Goodchild left Atlanta with Akon to do some recording on the road covering lots of ground in the tour bus! Before he went on tour, Exit was busy mixing, including new music from Akon and T Pain, Sean Kingston, Nina Sky feat. Pit Bull and Flo Rida, Aventura, Twista and David Guetta.

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1. Atlanta-based bands repped our city at Bonnaroo. (via Metromix)

2. So now we know how T-Pain wooed Taylor Swift into recording a duet. He showed her his BIG ASS CHAIN. (via Concrete Loop)

3. And we thought Usher was boo’d up for life. (via Billboard)

4. Last week Jared Swilley was dishing it out. But can he take it? He might have to after this cutesy film soundtrack drops featuring a song (”Bad Kids”) from the Black Lips. (via Paste)

5. Still beating yourself up for missing Weezy earlier this year? Well, Christmas comes early for you my friend. He’s back in Atlanta this summer with Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy and Drake. (via Billboard)

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Speaking of Usher, here’s his latest on the music front. From So So Def:

MEDIA ALERT: MUSIC MOGUL JERMAINE DUPRI INTRODUCES SUPER-CREW ‘OCEAN’S SEVEN’ TO THE WORLD

WHO: Jermaine “JD” Dupri and ‘Ocean’s Seven’ Members Nelly, Usher, Bryan Michael Cox, Trey Songz, Johnta Austin, Tyrone Davis

WHAT: Jermaine Dupri will release the much-anticipated Ocean’s Seven: The Mixtape exclusively online this Friday on Global14.com, JD’s entertainment and lifestyle website. The mixtape features the singles “Vegas Baby” and “So So Much Swagg.” Guest appearances by Bow Wow and Q Da Kid. All production done by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox. The Ocean’s Seven concept was born a few months ago while JD and Bryan Michael Cox were in Las Vegas working in the studio with Usher. Inspired by the popular film Ocean’s Eleven, Dupri and his colleagues, similar to Brad Pitt and George Clooney, have come together to establish a modern day Rat Pack and illustrate to the world, not just a music project, but a way of life.

WHEN: Friday, May 29, 2009

WHERE: www.global14.com

Apparently, it’s some “3000 and 9 shit.”

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Looks like Atlanta’s R&B/pop prince Usher Raymond IV is serious about this grown man business.

First marriage, fatherhood, philanthropy, and now this: The Woodruff Arts Center has elected the “artist, actor, media mogul” to its Board of Trustees, according to a recent press release.

Here’s hoping all this civic responsibility won’t negatively impact his music. Remember dude, your fans prefer the salacious, fictional, cheating boyfriend stuff a la 2004’s Confessions to the real life, reliable husband material you bored them with on last year’s Here I Stand.

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Traveling north on Northside Dr. on my way to work this morning, I was taken aback by a billboard-sized baby photo of Usher smiling back at me near the MLK Jr. Dr. intersection. Turns out he’s the latest celebrity Boys & Girls Clubs’ alumnus enlisted in its “BE GREAT” campaign.

The billboard was unveiled yesterday, according to the press release:

Usher joins the likes of Denzel Washington, Shaquille O’Neal, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Muhammad Ali as part of BGCA’s new advocacy campaign, featuring successful Boys & Girls Club kids and encouraging every American to help young people BE GREAT.

Pictured: (far left) Roxanne Spillett, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, (second from left) Jonnetta Patton, Usher’s mother, (center) Usher, and kids from Boys & Girls Clubs and Usher’s New Look Foundation.

Say what you will, but it beats another malt liquor ad any day.

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Seems like there was more action behind-the-scenes than onstage, despite the 20-plus performances at this year’s Grammy Awards.

Chris Brown reportedly got gangsta with his girlfriend Rihanna, causing them both to cancel their performances. The alleged reason behind the smackdown should bring a whole new meaning to their upcoming collabo, “Bad Girl,” produced by Atlantan Polow da Don for the Confessions of a Shopaholic soundtrack. Meanwhile the real “gangstas,” Lil Wayne and T.I., delivered upstanding, redemptive performances — neither of which required NARAS President Neil Portnow to excuse their inclusion in the program, the way he had to when Eminem performed to the chagrin of gay rights activists in 2001.

Of course, the Recording Academy continued this year with the ultra-lame generational mashup theme that made for some of the oddest pairings ever.

Surely, Stevie Wonder would’ve been insulted if only he could’ve seen how silly he looked on stage with the Jonas Brothers. The Al Green/Justin Timberlake pairing was quite a yawner, but perhaps we should be thankful that Timberlake didn’t attempt to rip Green’s shirt off for a grand finale. And did we really need to see B.B. King and John Mayer trade ugly guitar faces for the second year in a row?

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First Congressman John Lewis, now rapper Young Jeezy.

In the August issue of Vibe magazine, Young Jeezy is quoted in the cover story as saying, “No disrespect to Barack, but I fuck with John McCain.”

Turns out, he meant to say the opposite. At least, that’s what he’s saying now in a classic what-had-happened-was moment. He’s even posted a YouTube video statement to clarify his position, saying “somewhere down the line my words got misconstrued.”

In the video, he wears a shirt printed with the words, “My president is black,” and aligns himself with the Democrat party, saying “I represent the streets, the struggle. I represent Democrats.”

In a not-so-ironic twist, his upcoming CD scheduled for release this summer, is titled The Recession. The high cost of gas is just one of the topics he plans to address.

The quote in question came after Jeezy met Senator McCain in May on the set of Saturday Night Live where they briefly shook hands. McCain was hosting the show and Jeezy was there performing “Love in this Club” with Usher. In the YouTube video posted last week, Jeezy disses McCain while addressing Senator Obama with the cool moniker, “Barack-O.”

Whether it’s a pure publicity stunt or a genuine flub Young Jeezy wanted to correct, it shows how much of a pop phenomenon Obama has become that a rapper of Jeezy’s commercial caliber would go so far to align himself with a presidential candidate.

But here’s something I can’t help but wonder: Can the support of a rapper like Young Jeezy — who’s been alleged to have ties to the BMF drug syndicate and nicknamed himself ‘the Snowman’ (hint, hint) earlier in his career — do more harm to Obama’s campaign than good? Or will the dope boy constituency be politically ignited to vote en masse, thereby countering those who might otherwise be offended?

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(photo courtesy J-Pat Management)

Take a good look at this guy. Doesn’t he look like Usher?

Actually, it’s James “JLack” Lackey, Usher’s younger brother. But the 22-year-old kid isn’t trying to be the Solange Knowles in the family (at least not yet); he’s establishing himself as the latest hit-making producer from the ATL. He scored his first credit on Usher’s “Confessions,” and his first major hit with Lloyd’s sweet “Get It Shawty.” He just signed a publishing deal with EMI, and upcoming projects include Usher’s long-awaited new album, of course.

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