The producer Jay-Z should never work with again, jumped on Ustream last night and hyped up his next solo album. He played five or six new tracks and allegedly admitted to not giving Hov his best material. Instead, he’s keeping it all for himself and his extensive guest list of superstar collaborators.
The SV2 players include: Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Estelle, Missy, Drake, Keri Hilson, Usher, Chris Brown, Jonas Bros, Daughtry, Hollywood Undead, Danja, Pharrell, and Sebastian. That’s right, Sebastian!
I don’t like this Timbaland guy as a person. Never have.
Props: Hip Hop N More via Timbaland Buzz
This is a great reminder of how powerful and lasting Lauryn Hill’s influence has been in music. The fact that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill eventually reached diamond status after so many years shows that truly meaningful music can continue finding new listeners long after its original release. I also like how the article highlights the combination of hip hop, R&B, neo soul, and reggae that made the album so distinctive. Achieving more than 10 million sales is an incredible milestone, especially considering how much the music industry has changed since 1998. The album’s success feels less like a temporary trend and more like proof that strong songwriting and authentic artistic expression can remain relevant across generations. It is interesting to see how numbers can tell part of a story, whether we are looking at album sales or using a proportion calculator to understand relationships between different figures.