Beyonce fires Matthew Knowles as Her Manager

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

The empire built by Matthew Knowles has been crumbling for some time and now the final blow has been dealt. Last year, Knowles lost a major client in Kelly Rowland. When the girls were younger, Knowles helped solidify them as Destiny's Child. Upon gaining international fame and major fortune, Knowles reaped the benefits.

Early last year, Matthew Knowles lost his marriage when it was revealed he had an affair, which resulted in a baby. Tina Knowles left Matthew. When there were rumors of Beyonce being pregnant, Tina jokingly said she was pregnant. However, the media took the joke seriously and they went on for weeks.

With Jay-Z setting up business with Columbia Records and adding a management branch to Roc Nation, many felt as if he was trying to find a way to sign Beyonce. There have been rumors, for years, about Beyonce leaving both Matthew Knowles' management and Columbia Records. She left his boutique label last fall.

Now, Beyonce has completely cut business ties with her father, firing him as a manager. It was reported that she left over unpaid royalties. Beyonce denies this and will likely be joining Roc Nation under the record label, or either the management company.

Read more...

Jay-Z to produce Adult Swim animated sitcom

By TV Insider
JR Staff Writer

After taking over the music industry, Jay-Z promised he would venture into television and films. From the beginning, Jay-Z said he was not a rapper. Rapping was the vehicle he used to penetrate the entertainment industry. Currently, Jay-Z is the head of Roc Nation, one of the biggest entertainment companies.

While profiting off Rihanna, Willow Smith, J. Cole, and other big name artists, Jay-Z is working on his next plot. Jay-Z and Will Smith have already collaborated for a new film company. Their first production will be a remake of Annie, starring Willow Smith. The future seems bright for the Carter/Smith partnership.

Jay-Z has had several partners over the years, but he has gone solo for his latest venture. The Roc Nation CEO is adding television producer to his list of occupations. Recently, news was released about Jay-Z putting together an animated sitcom for Adult Swim. His show will have a focus on hip hop and will not be the first of its type to land on Adult Swim.

For the most part, Jay-Z is known more for his business acumen, as opposed to his sense of humor. This is likely why he has made himself a part of such a deal.

Read more...

Beyonce teams up with DJ Switch for New Album

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

Having been away from the studio for three years, Beyonce is preparing her third studio album. Her last album, I Am... Sasha Fierce, was a commercial success, but panned by critics. For her next album, Beyonce has decided to change things up on many levels.

As she prepares her next album, Beyonce has officially cut business ties with her father, Matthew Knowles. Knowles has been her manager ever since she first landed in the game. It was the guidance of her father that helped make Beyonce into the star she is.

Even when she married Jay-Z, Beyonce stayed under the management of her father. But, with his clientle dwindling and his influence waning, Beyonce decided to cut ties. Currently, she is unsigned, but it is highly likely she ends up signing a management deal with Roc Nation. Jay-Z founded the company around the same time he married Beyonce.

For her untitled third album, Beyonce is turning to DJ Switch for production. More information on the upcoming album from Beyonce will be revealed in the coming months.

Read more...

Rihanna says she has no relationship with Chris Brown

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

Ever since the media ended Rihanna and Chris Brown's turbulent relationship, they have been trying to put them back together. It was only a matter of months before rumors began of Rihanna missing Chris Brown. However, during this time, she had started a then-budding romance with Drake.

Rihanna's career suffered slightly from her fight with Brown, but she quickly rebounded. Being a part of Jay-Z's Roc Nation company, he found ways to spin her image. Rihanna was back to topping the charts before the end of the career. Still, the stories about Chris Brown refuse to go away.

While she lifted the restraining order Los Angeles County placed against Chris Brown, Rihanna says she is not interested in getting back with him. Despite what she says, gossip sites continue linking the couple. Last summer, Chris Brown recorded a song, "Deuces," which told exactly how he felt about getting back with Rihanna and even boasted about some of his new conquests.

Regardless of how hard they try, the media continiously puts Rihanna and Chris Brown together. Tired of all the rumors, Rihanna recently spoke out. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Rihanna said she has no contact with Chris Brown on any level. Rihanna said she her lifting the restraining order does not mean they will suddenly make up with each other, or even speak to each other again. The reason she lifted the restraining order was so Brown could move on with his life and continue his career, a restraining order limits him from being at the same places as her, so she helped him out.

Rihanna's kindness is not her way of saying she would like to reconnect with Chris Brown.

Read more...

Will Beyonce sign with Roc Nation?

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

Throughout her career, Beyonce has been under the guidance of her father, Matthew Knowles. Once Knowles discovered the talent his dauther possessed, he gave up his corporate job in order to become a record executive. Through her success with Destiny's Child, Matthew Knowles built a small empire.

But, ever since Destiny Child's 2005 breakup, the empire has been crumbling. First, Beyonce left his Music World record label, doing direct business with Columbia Records. Next, the other members of Destiny's Child left his label. Recently, Kelly Rowland was the final Destiny's Child artist to leave Music World.

Ever since she made her relationship with Jay-Z public, there have been questions of how long it would take Beyonce to become one of his artists. Before Jay-Z left Roc-A-Fella Records, there were rumors stating Beyonce would join her boyfriend at Def Jam. But, when Jay-Z created Roc Nation and partnered with Sony for distribution, it seemed as if Beyonce would soon make a move.

Outside of simply being a record label, Roc Nation is also a management company. Through the management section of the company, Roc Nation is behind Rihanna, Ne-Yo, and many other chart-topping artists in the game. With Beyonce leaving her father's Music World Entertainment, is it possible she will soon be setting up shop with Jay-Z and his Roc Nation?

Read more...

Beyonce leaves Matthew Knowles' management

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

During the mid-1990s, Matthew Knowles had a dream of building a music empire. Behind his daughter, Beyonce and her friends, he accomplished this feat. Destiny's Child soon became the top girl group on the charts. Knowles was hailed as the modern-day Joe Jackson.

However, ever since his peak in 1999, Matthew Knowles has been on a steady decline. Initially, Destiny's Child, and all of the girls, were signed to his Music World label. But, one by one, each of the girls left the label. Beyonce left Music World in 2008 and Kelly Rowland left earlier this month.

While Beyonce has long departed the Music World label, she has remained a part of his management company. All of this has also changed. Jay-Z launched Roc Nation in 2008 and established a distribution deal with Sony, Beyonce's label. It seemed as if it was only a matter of time before Beyonce was soon added to the Roc Nation label.

Aside from simply music, Roc Nation also manages several of the top artists, including Rihanna, Kanye West, and Ne-Yo. Beyonce will possibly be added to the roster of Roc Nation's management.

Read more...

Willow Smith calls out Chris Brown over "GMA" incident

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

Music newcomer, Willow Smith, has offered her opinion on the actions of Chris Brown. For the second time in two years, Brown has narrowly avoided criminal charges. The Virginia singer had a temper tantrum on the set of "Good Morning America."

Chris Brown has been trying to move past his 2009 public fight with Rihanna. Brown nearly lost his entire career over the situation and he is ready to move on. Each time he is mentioned, the incident is too.

When the question came up on "Good Morning America," Brown lost it. He stormed off the set and went back to his dressing room, demolishing the room. ABC refused to press charges against the singer.

Roc Nation artist, Willow Smith is upset with the entire situation. She does not think Brown should go to prison for his actions at "Good Morning America." However, she is wondering why he is not in prison right now for beating Rihanna in 2009. The comment was posted via Twitter and it was soon removed, as some of the information was incorrect.

Read more...

Jay-Z attempting to Bring the 40/40 Club to Atlanta

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

Jay-Z has been making many moves with the year barely one month old. Last year, Jay-Z pulled off a power move with the signing of Willow Smith. Partnering with Will Smith, Jay-Z has gone a step farther with a film venture.

While he is not making music as frequently as he used to, Jay-Z is still dominating the charts. His Roc Nation company is not only a record label, but also a management company. Their top client is Rihanna.

From the start, Jay-Z planned to expand outside of his home base in New York. He has branched out to several places, but he has yet to put roots in Atlanta. Jay-Z is currently speaking with Atlanta mayor, Kasim Reed, to change all of this.

Jay-Z has been speaking with Mayor Reed about opening a 40/40 Club in Atlanta. Recently, Jay-Z landed a partnership with Delaware North Companies to place the 40/40 Club in major airports throughout the United States. But, Jay-Z still wants regular clubs set up in major cities and Atlanta, along with Chicago, Dallas, Tokyo, and Macau are some of the places he is targeting.

Read more...

Jay-Z and Will Smith partner for Movie Venture

By The Film Critic
JR Staff Writer

The connection between Jay-Z and Will Smith goes back further than most people know. In 1998, Jay-Z penned Will Smith's smash hit, "Gettin Jiggy Wit It." It would be one of Smith's last rap hits and was written before Jay-Z's career took off.

Ever since his departure from Def Jam, Jay-Z has been inching closer and closer to Hollywood. From the beginning, Jay-Z had plans of being a corporate giant, as opposed to being a rapper. He continued to pump out music until he made it.

Last year, Jay-Z made waves when he signed Willow Smith, the daughter of Will Smith, to his Roc Nation label. Not long after the signing, her single, "Whip My Hair," became a hit. Once the song became a hit, Jay-Z realized he had a true star on his hands and he started talking business with Will Smith, who was already grooming his daughter into a star.

Will Smith arranged for Willow Smith to star in an upcoming remake of Annie. Jay-Z owes much of his success to Annie, as his breakthrough hit, "Hard Knock Life," sampled heavily from the movie. He wasted no time offering a partnership to Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment for a new film venture to produce major films over the next few years. It appears as though Jay-Z and Will Smith will be in business together for many years to come, as they own stakes in many of the same companies, other than the new venture.

Read more...

Willow Smith listed as Will Smith's employee

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

Last year had an incredible finish for Willow Smith as she recorded a hit single and landed a record deal with Jay-Z. With Jay-Z behind her, Smith posted a major hit with "Whip My Hair." The song has gone on to become an anthem, but now the pressure is on her to continue making hits.

Many feel she will crack under the pressure because of who her parents are and the hit single she has already released. While many people feel this way, Willow Smith knows she can do it. She is focusing on going back to the studio and putting together a full album.

While she has made noise for being signed to Roc Nation, Smith is also signed to Spooky Girl, Inc. Spooky Girl, Inc. is a new label put together by Will Smith for Willow. Outside of his successful film and music career, Will Smith is expanding his business portfolio. For tax purposes, Will Smith has his daughter listed as his employee as opposed to his dependent.

Spooky Girl, Inc. is a new venture owned by Will Smith and Willow Smith is the first artist signed to this new venture. Technically Will Smith is the boss over this company and Willow Smith works for it by making music. There are some who have written Willow Smith off as a one hit wonder and others who are trying to compare her to Michael Jackson. For those comparing her to Jackson, his father treated him more like an employee than a child and Will Smith has come out and said he is his daughter's boss.

Read more...

Willow Smith nervous about Roc Nation meeting

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

Willow Smith has proven herself in a matter of weeks to the masses. For years, the media has been trying to hype her older brothers Trey and Jaden Smith. While their futures still remain bright, it is the little sister showing them how to play the game. She took her career and made it big and it paid off.

Recently, she caught the attention of Roc Nation head, Jay-Z, and he signed her. Most people would feel as if the mission is accomplished once they sign the deal. However, Smith has yet to meet Jay-Z, herself. Because of what he means to not only the entertainment industry, but overall business young Willow is nervous.

With her nerves up high, Willow Smith is not sure how she will react when she meets Jay-Z. After all, this is the man who releases platinum albums in his sleep. While Smith is the daughter of the king of Hollywood, she is very nervous when it comes to meeting the most-successful rapper of all-time. Despite her talent, Smith is still shocked that someone of Jay-Z's stature would even consider signing her to his label.

Willow Smith will join a roster that already includes Jay-Z, J. Cole, Hugo, Bridget Kelly, and Rita Ora.

Read more...

Lloyd wants a New Label

Without Lloyd, the downfall of Murder Inc. Records would have been a whole lot worse. He signed to the label right in the middle of the G-Unit feud. The next year, he released his debut album, which revived the label for a short period of time. Not even the popularity of Lloyd could keep the CEO of Murder Inc., Irv Gotti, out of the reach of the law. When the label came under investigation, they lost their distribution deal with Def Jam.

Being dropped by Def Jam cost the entire label two years of productivity. While all of the Murder Inc. artists were upset at the hindrance provided by the case, it really got to Lloyd. In 2006, he attempted to leave the label, but Irv Gotti convinced him to stay. He stayed and the label rode off of him and his next two albums. Then, last year, he tried to leave the label, again and Irv Gotti refused to let him do so. Behind the scenes, a deal was reached and Lloyd got off of the label.

Now that Lloyd is off of Murder Inc. Records, he wants to find a new label home so that he can release a new album. His relationship with Lil Wayne, plus their frequent collaborations led some to believe that he may sign with Young Money. While Lloyd has admitted that he would not turn down Young Money, he said that he has not spoken with Lil Wayne about signing with the label. However, his name has been linked to Jay-Z and Roc Nation. It is also possible that Diddy may sign him to Bad Boy Records. All of the solo male R&B artists on the label are gone, with the exception of Donnie Klang.

Currently, Lloyd is talking with some label and they are close to a deal. Lloyd has not given up much information, but he has said that he is close to signing a major deal with a new label. Regardless of his label situation, he wants to release a new album this year.

Read more...