Meebo

Wednesday 28 December 2011

T.I. gets studio time with Dre (Mixtape Trailer)

Before T.I. finally unveils his eighth studio album Trouble Man, the Atlanta rapper will drop the new mixtape F-- Da City Up on New Year’s Day. To tease the upcoming release Tip put out a mixtape trailer on December 20 and this week he followed up with a new clip, which finds him hobnobbing in the studio with Dr. Dre.

In the 50 second black-and-white clip T.I. is filmed as he records, while Dr. Dre hangs out, listening to the new music.



Tip says he's working on "developing that chemistry" with the West Coast veteran.

Speaking with MTV News, Tip said that the two were “creating chemistry” for the tape and that he wants to work closer with the West Coast veteran.

“Dre was here. He sent for me over to the spot. We really just turned up more than anything else. It was about creating chemistry," he said.

T.I. previously worked with Dre on the song “Topless,” leaked several years ago and supposedly intended for Detox. For now, he’s intent on developing their working relationship.

"Of course we can get together, he got hot beats and I got dope rhymes, so we can always get together and make music," he continued. "But for people to feel what we're sayin' and for it to sound like a party comin' through your speakers, you gonna have to create some chemistry. So that's what we spent more time doin' than anything else; developing that chemistry."


source - http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/12/27/ti-gets-studio-time-with-dr-dre-mixtape-trailer/

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.18113/title.ti-speaks-on-working-with-dr-dre-for-new-mixtape

Thursday 22 December 2011

Dr Dre & U2 singer Bono to honor producer Jimmy Iovine

The Producers & Engineers Wing® of The Recording Academy® will celebrate its fifth annual GRAMMY® Week event honoring legendary music producer and entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine for his commitment to excellence and ongoing support for the art and craft of recorded music.

The event will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012, at The Village Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and Bono and Dr. Dre will serve as honorary event co-chairs. GRAMMY Week culminates with the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards® on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, airing live on the CBS Television Network, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. (www.grammy.com)

"The work of the Producers & Engineers Wing is essential to ensure that the importance of sound quality and the integrity of recorded music continue to be acknowledged and preserved in our evolving landscape," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "This year we pay tribute to an industry leader, Jimmy Iovine, who has made an indelible impact as a recording engineer, producer, founder of Interscope Records, and now entrepreneur focused on audio quality. As we continue to highlight those who work 'behind the glass,' we are very pleased this year to celebrate someone of Jimmy's stature who is so dedicated to this important cause."

Jimmy Iovine began his career in the '70s as a recording engineer for artists including John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen. He then made the transition to producer, working on classic albums with artists including Dire Straits, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Patti Smith and U2. In 1990, Iovine co-founded Interscope Records with partner Ted Field. He is now chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, a unit of Universal Music Group, and recently celebrated 20 years commitment as a label head to diverse and gifted artists including the Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Nelly Furtado, Lady Gaga, No Doubt, and U2. Furthering his interest in and commitment to sound quality, in 2008 Iovine co-founded the high-performance headphone and sound transmission company Beats Electronics with GRAMMY-winning artist Dr. Dre, and he continues to passionately advocate for reversal of the degradation of sound quality in music that has resulted from the recording industry's transition to digital distribution.

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like "The GRAMMYs" on Facebook, and join The GRAMMYs' social communities on YouTube, Tumblr, Foursquare, GetGlue, and Instagram.

Currently more than 6,000 professionals comprise The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing, which was established for producers, engineers, remixers, manufacturers, technologists, and other related creative and technical professionals in the recording field. This organized voice for the recording community addresses issues that affect the craft of recorded music, including the development and implementation of new technologies, technical guidelines and recommendations, and archiving and preservation initiatives. For more information, please visit www.producersandengineers.com.



source - http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-recording-academy-producers--engineers-wing-presents-fifth-annual-grammy-week-event-honoring-music-producer-and-executive-jimmy-iovine-136058138.html

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Snoop and Dre footage of their travels in Doggisode (Video)

Snoop Dogg and Dre brought the West Coast to the Eastern hemisphere. In the latest episode of his “Doggisode” web series, Snoop invites cameras along as he and Dre trek through Singapore. The global superstars joke around with their chauffeur and hit the stage to perform at the Mnet Asian Music Awards. Check out some candid footage from their travels.

Thursday 15 December 2011

Nas relfects on hounding Dr Dre for beats

With Stillmatic and Hip Hop Is Dead celebrating 10 and 5-year anniversaries next week, Nas speaks on having to hound Dr. Dre for beats and more…

With Hip Hop Is Dead, do you feel like that album marks you becoming an elder statesman in the game?

I didn’t go for that. That’s not what I was looking for, but for an MC point of view and a competitor point of view as an MC, yea, I was with that.

Did you have any reservations about sampling “Iron Butterfly” for the second time because you did it on “Thief’s Theme” before?

No, that was the joke. Hip-hop is dead. I’m gonna do the same beat again from my last album that was my last single. This is gonna be the shit again. And will didn’t even know it at the time, will.i.am when he played it for me and I told him that’s why I have to do this record. For me it was perfect. I know people didn’t get it, but it was my little joke.

The album also marks you working with Dre for the first time in 10 years. How did you guys reconnect?

You know, just hounding Dre ’til you get him. I just had to hound my man, you know what I mean? Once he opened up, he had a moment. I jumped right in there. I flew right in, got in the studio. [I'm] always excited to see him in the studio.

Game was on the track, but that was after he got kicked off Aftermath. How did that happen?

That almost didn’t happen, but again, hounding Dre. Staying on him, staying on him, staying on him. “Come on, I need this.” You know, [I] stayed on him.

Was he initially like, “I don’t want to put Game on the track or something like that?

Nah, he never said that. It was just, we wasn’t gettin’ any response. We needed a mix and master the song, so we wasn’t gettin’ any response on anything. We had to stay on him. He’s a busy man.


full interview - http://www.xxlmag.com/features/2011/12/nas-remembers-the-making-of-stillmatic-hip-hop-is-dead/2/

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Crooked I expresses desire to collaborate more with Dre

The leader of the C.O.B. movement has a lot on his plate. With a new EP, In None We Trust, out this week and an upcoming Slaughterhouse album out early next year, Crooked I’s ride may not be as shaky now, but it’s certainly moving with some velocity, bringing new challenges to face and to conquer.

DX: Now, another thing you had mentioned was that if you had it your way, Dr. Dre would produce tracks on this album. You also said that you had Dr. Dre beats lying around with Slaughterhouse’s name on it. Today, I’m wondering how that has progressed.

Crooked I: We did record something. You know? We did record something. [Pauses] Eh, I’m never going to be satisfied until I hear like five or six Slaughterhouse/Dr. Dre collabs. That’s just me, though. That’s me being a fan of Dr. Dre since I was a fuckin’ kid. That’s also me understanding that a Slaughterhouse and Dre collab could be potentially 2012-N.W.A. type shit. In my mind, if I was in control of this shit, I don’t want nothing laid back. I don’t want nothing that’s going to be mistaken for a club banger. I want some shit that sounds like straight mothafuckin’ chaos, rebellious lyrics, some I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude, and some 2012 Dr. Dre/N.W.A. type shit going on in that fuckin’ beat. If you give me that, I guarantee you we’ll shut the fuckin’ game down with them songs. Guaranteed because that’s what’s missing right now: high quality production and I-don’t-give-a-fuck mentality on the mic. Since the recession in Hip Hop, those budgets are smaller now. The budgets are so small right now. It’s funny because I’ve been in the game for so long. Some people are recording whole albums with what we used to call an advance, just for our pockets. So, when they do get that high profile producer, they gotta do something that’s gonna hit iTunes and Billboard heavy, and the radio. So, they gotta get more bang for their buck. That’s why you might hear a high profile producer and an artist making the same kind of songs all the fuckin’ time because the record companies try to get as much bang for their buck for a producer that’s charging them an arm and a leg. But, when you say, “Fuck all of that. Fuck what the radio talkin’ about. Fuck what iTunes’ or Billboard’s talkin’ about. Let’s go in this mothafucka and make some shit, some we-don’t-give-a-fuck shit.” That’s what kind of shit I want to do with Dr. Dre.

DX: And that hasn’t all the way happened yet?

Crooked I: Nah, it ain’t happen yet. If it did, I’d be like, “We got a surprise for you.” [Laughs] Nah, that ain’t happen but that’s not saying that it won’t happen. I’m definitely a persistent dude and I’m glad you asked me this question because every time this pops up, we get a step closer to that shit happening. It gets on everybody’s radar and they say, “Yeah, Crook really wants to do this.” [Laughs] It’s gon’ happen. It will happen. When it do, it’s gonna change Hip Hop for that moment in time.

DX: What do you think is holding it back?

Crooked I: You know what? I think it’s just scheduling. Dr. Dre is probably the greatest of all time in production in Hip Hop so obviously his schedule is bananas. He’s killing the game with [Beats By Dre], traveling around. Then, with Slaughterhouse, we all doing our thing separately, individually. I think it’s a scheduling thing but we gon’ conquer that. We will conquer that because I’m not going to stop until it happens. Period.


full interview/source - http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.17950/title.crooked-i-updates-on-slaughterhouses-work-with-dr-dre-recalls-surviving-shootouts-and-career-delays/

Thursday 8 December 2011

Dre & Snoop Dogg to executive produce Tha Dogg Pound's next album

It's a flashback to the Death Row days, as Daz and Kurupt reunite with Snoop and Dre in the studio.
“It’s Daz and Kurupt getting that DPGC together. Big Snoop is overseeing it, Dre’s overseeing,” Kurupt told AllHipHop.com at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. “We just got off a road trip for beats with Dr. Dre, who is still working on Detox.”

While most of Tha Dogg Pound’s albums were independently released, Daz said Alumni will be a major release backed by both Dr. Dre and SNOOP’S respective machines.
According to Daz, Alumni will feature a combination of production between himself and Dr. Dre.

“We put the beats together, submit it to him [Dr. Dre] to let him know what we are working with and he comes and adds his flavor to it.

It’s natural.”

The last time Dr. Dre had an executive production credit on a Dogg Pound album, he, Daz Dilinger, and Kurupt were all on Death Row Records.

Now, along with Snoop Dogg, the crew is back together in the studio for Alumni, DPG's next release.

“It’s Daz and Kurupt getting that DPGC together. Big Snoop is overseeing it, Dre’s overseeing,” said Kurupt in an interview with AllHipHop.com.

“We just got off a road trip for beats with Dr. Dre, who is still working on Detox.”

Kurupt added that Alumni would be a major label release.

Said Daz of the project: “We put the beats together, submit it to him [Dr. Dre] to let him know what we are working with and he comes and adds his flavor to it. It’s natural.”

Source - http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.17885/title.tha-dogg-pounds-next-album-to-be-executive-produced-by-dr-dre-snoop-dogg/

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Dre interview - Beats and Asian tour

He's been in the game making rap tunes ever since honeys was wearing Sassoon. And that was back in 1995, when Dr. Dre produced and dueted on "California Love" with Tupac Shakur.

Which is why we listen when one of the greatest producers and impresarios in the history of pop music comes to Hong Kong to talk headphones.

Dr. Dre was in Hong Kong last week for the first time with legendary producer Jimmy Iovine who is credited with bringing us Eminem and Lady Gaga and whom you may recognize as one of the judges from American Idol season 10.

The pair were promoting the new wireless Beats by Dr. Dre headphones in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and Tokyo. Powered by rechargeable batteries, the cordless Bluetooth headset may become one of the most coveted travelers' accessories.

Find out more about Beats by Dr. Dre at www.beatsbydre.com.

CNNGo: Why should travelers choose Beats over other brands of headphones, like Bose?

Jimmy Iovine: These headphones were tested by producers around the world and they are made from "feel."

When people travel, they want emotion. You're going to feel a lot of emotions from the music you're listening to through these headphones.

The best way to get emotion is to have the headphones have the right "feel" and tuned by people who know what emotions sound like, who knows what the studio sounds like. Because that's where the ultimate feel is -- in the hatching of a record.

CNNGo: Which songs produced by the two of you are best for showcasing what Beats can do?

Dr. Dre: "In Da Club" by 50 Cent and "Here Comes My Girl" by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers.

Iovine: We know the way these songs feel. Dre knows "In Da Club" very well. He knows how that record feels and how it sounds at any point.

"Here Comes My Girl" is a record I produced a very long time ago and I know how that records sounds like in its guts.

CNNGo: Other than your headphones, what is an indispensable item when you're travelling.

Dr. Dre: A great hotel.

CNNGo: What's on your travel playlist, Dr. Dre?

Dr. Dre: I have an assortment of things. I have songs that range from Jay-Z to Sade. Just depends on the mood.

CNNGo: What expectations do you have for your first Asia tour?

Dr. Dre: I'm not sure, I'm just going with the flow. I'm just going to check it out.

CNNGo: You were recently in Singapore, how was it?

Dr. Dre: It was great. It was a beautiful experience. I love the people and the vibe.

Iovine: The spirit is all about tomorrow, it's very progressive, very cool. I really enjoyed it.

CNNGo: What do you think of the music industry in Asia?

Iovine: As a record company I think that it's great. The domestic market here is so powerful and from that anything can grow.

We met some kids last night that were into hip-hop and boy, do they believe. It's the truth for them. And anyone that believes -- it can happen for them.

CNNGo: Any Asian producers you would like to work with?

Dr. Dre: We don't meet a lot of producers but we saw a lot of groups. We saw 2NE1 [at the mNet Asian Music Awards in Singapore] and they were good.

CNNGo: You think people here are going to party like they do in America?

Dr. Dre: I dunno, I hope so. I'm just going to go with it. I can't wait to party.

Monday 5 December 2011

Producer Rick Rock talks experiences with Dr Dre


With an first solo project, titled Rocket, on the way, BallerStatus sat down with Rick Rock to talk about a few of his hits over the years and working with the genre's legends, his experience working with Dr. Dre, and coming in the game with production mentor Mike Mosley, as well as his opinion on Barack Obama, Mariah Carey, and much more.

BallerStatus.com: Tell me about putting together the track "Symphony in X Major" for Xzibit's Man vs. Machine album. How did you get Dr. Dre to hop on there?

Rick Rock: I was looking for records and ran across a record called "Swithched on Bach". I sampled a couple pieces, and added some claps, kicks, and all the bells and whistles to it, and sent it to Xzibit. X said he was f***ing with it, but I never thought Dr. Dre would get on it. That was just getting my cake and eating it too (laughs). So when X called me at my Aunt Doris' house in the Gump (Montgomery, Alabama) and put me on the phone with the good Doc, I knew sh** was finna unfold nice. They added the whole negro opera sh** to it, but the dopest thing to me was getting to mix the song with Dre and get some good game from the Doc.

BallerStatus.com: All Eyez on Me, Restless, Man vs. Machine, Blue Carpet Treatment, are a few of the projects you've worked on that Dr. Dre was also involved in. Have you crossed paths with the good Doctor? And if so, has there been any talk of you guys collaborating on something?

Rick Rock: Yeah, we've crossed paths a few times over the years and he gave me mixing tips while we were mixing "Symphony In X Major" for Xzibit, but no, he has never talked to me and said he wanted me to collab on anything. I think it would be dope though.


FULL interview -http://www.ballerstatus.com/2011/12/05/qa-with-producer-rick-rock-talks-experiences-with-dr-dre-tupac-who-he-wants-to-produce-for/

50 Cent speaks on advice he gave for Detox

50 Cent has been working on his oft-delayed fifth album, tentatively set to release in 2012, but he also took some time to share some advice for Dr. Dre. During an interview with XXL magazine, Fif recalled speaking with Dre about how he should approach recording songs for his near mythical third LP Detox.

"Dre helped me a lot on this record. I went to Los Angeles, was working out there for a little bit. I was working on the Detox records, right. I keep saying to Dre, I’m like, 'Yo, you don’t have to invent nothing. All they want is a strong version of what you gave last time,'" he said. "They need a new version of that. It’s like Sade. She goes away for six years, and then she comes back with a new disc. You go, I love this shit! It reminds you of the fuckin’ shit that she gave you before she left. There’s certain artists that have that luxury. You could go away and still be interesting enough to come for people to want to hear that effort. Dre is like that. As I’m busy telling him that, I go, 'Wait, maybe I’m bugging for some of the shit that I’ve been doing.' You know what I mean?"

Looking at his own career, the G-Unit recognizes how to express himself creatively without turning his back on his fans. "For me, the music is an artistic choice," he continued. "I’ll say, from the very beginning, that I can care less about a critic or how someone judges me for the actual music. You see, people understand within hip-hop culture that I’m passionate about actually trying to do something different. I want to make a change in a different way. This is about me personally feeling like I wanna mean more after I’m dead, when I’m gone."

source - http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.17846/title.50-cent-speaks-on-advice-he-gave-to-dr-dre-for-detox

Friday 2 December 2011

Dre interview - SMALL break for Beats promotion, album fan-driven


Hip-hop legend Dr. Dre has just swung by Hong Kong to promote his Beats By Dr. Dre headphones line. Just before his much-hyped dragon-i gig with Snoop Dogg and Jazzy Jeff, Andrea Yu sits down with the rapper extraordinaire, as well as Jimmy Iovine (head of Interscope Records) and Luke Wood (president of Beats) to find out more about these illustrious headphones – and the rap star’s long-awaited new album. We certainly didn’t forget about Dre…

So, it’s your first time in Hong Kong… how come it took you guys so long to get here?
Luke: Well I’ve been here four times this year.
Jimmy: When you work as much as we do, you don’t get much time off. To come here, you need at least a week. And that’s hard to work out.

Dr. Dre, I must admit that your fans here in Hong Kong are really eager to hear when the new album is coming out.
Dr. Dre: [pause] Well, right now I’m just taking a small break to come out and do some promotion with Beats but actually I’m getting back on it when I get home.

Can you give us any word on when we might see it?
Jimmy: Well, you know, the thing is with Dre – we were talking about it today and [hesitates], he’s not gonna put it out until it’s right for the fans. It’s fan-driven. He’s a real perfectionist.
Dr. Dre: It has to feel good.

Do you think that it’s possible to achieve perfection in the studio?
Jimmy: We don’t want to live on the album for this interview. This is more for Beats.

Okay, I understand. But Dr. Dre, do you have any response to that before we move on? If, especially with the work that you’re doing now – do you think you can achieve perfection?
Dr. Dre: Occasionally [laughs].

So, moving on to Beats, because I know that’s why you’re all here right now. Do you think the Asian market has different needs for the way we listen to music?
Jimmy: It’s all about authentic feel. There’s a feel that happens in the studio, and a sound. The sound is a combination of capturing what actually was mixed in the studio. Most producers mix on similar curves. A lot of studios in the world are all to a similar curve and that produces a certain playback. So the producer mixes to that playback. And these headphones are made to service that – to get the authentic feel out of the music.

Okay.
Jimmy: Now, you can’t get that feel out of a $1 headphone. So when you buy a $400 mp3 player and $1 headphones, it gets clogged. So, I don’t care where you are. I don’t care if you’re on the moon. You want the feel of the record to be authentic. And we’ve lost it − almost two generations – to bad sounds. Because everyone thought the iPod must have had a good headphone when it didn’t. People said: “Oh I have to have the white headphone.” Well, that white headphone didn’t sound great. The mp3 player sounded great but the headphone is there to see if the thing works. Then you go and get a pair of decent headphones. Yes, everyone in the world, you want good-feeling headphones. Beats is good for anyone.

Did you have much of a chance to listen to the music coming out of the Asian market before you came here?
Jimmy: We haven’t before… there’re a lot of people that really care about music here. This is Hong Kong, not Seoul. I haven’t met the people in Hong Kong yet but the people in Singapore and Seoul are very, very passionate. And I’m sure they are here as well about growing and understanding… so anything is possible.

Have you had a chance to listen to Cantopop?
Jimmy: I haven’t. Luke?
Luke: No, I haven’t. But we spent a lot of time on K-Pop.

What are your opinions on K-pop, then?
Luke: I think it’s great, personally. Only because I think it’s authentic and it’s emotional. It’s exciting. It’s vibrant. It travels.
Jimmy: You could feel the dreams on the records. You can feel everybody’s hopes and dreams and the musicians’ hopes and dreams. You can feel it on the record. When you have that, anything is possible.
Dr. Dre: They pay real close attention to detail.

In K-pop?
Dr. Dre: Right. That’s the thing about them.

You’re pretty much in the home country of piracy and fake goods. You see a lot of people in the markets here selling fake Beats items here. Does it make you feel a bit chuffed or flattered that people are trying to reproduce your products?
Jimmy: It’s like buying a fake carrot.

Buying a fake… carrot?
Jimmy: Yes. The quality is so horrible on those headphones, the bootlegs. Why are you buying Beats? You’re buying Beats so you can have great feel and great sound. Those bootlegs sound terrible. So all you’re buying there is to wear a shiny thing around your neck.
Luke: We truly think it’s tragic. You’re not getting any of the sound experience that you deserve as a fan.
Jimmy: It’s unfair to the consumer. It’s really unfair – they think they’re getting the real thing and they’re getting something so inferior.

Do you think it’s a sign that the Beats products have become a status symbol?
[Laughs]
Jimmy: Yes
Luke: It’s a great club to be a member of.

I see.
Jimmy: I want to make something clear. When Dre said ‘I’m taking a break’, he meant one week. He’s here one week. That’s the break. He goes back to the studio on Monday.

Well, that’s very good to know. Thanks so much for your time.
All: Thank you

http://www.timeout.com.hk/clubs/features/47158/interview-dr-dre-and-the-beats-team.html

Thursday 1 December 2011

'I Need A Doctor' nominated for 2 Grammys


The single which was released around this tme last year, featuring Eminem & Skylar Grey has been nominated for 2 Grammys:

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Best Rap Song