‘Watch The Throne’ Released Without Leak

Those Watching the Throne will have a hard time looking away.

If there was anyone that could keep this mega-project from being released to the public before the scheduled release date, it was this duo of Jay-Z and Kanye West. With Watch The Throne being distributed digitally first and then physical copies hitting Best Buy shelves August 12th, there seems to be a plan in place to make the most cash possible. The news that these CDs would only be released at Best Buys nationwide caused uproar amongst independently owned record shops- indie stores and privately owned places that have been struggling to stay afloat in a time and age when no one pays for music anymore. But this phenomenon has taken its toll on the entire industry, and that includes the musicians themselves. It seems the only ones making out in all of this are us as the listeners.

John Meneilly, Jigga’s manager, has come out to say this Best Buy only deal was to avoid a leak. I guess the probability of a privately owned record shop employee swiping a copy of the heralded product is higher than a Best Buy employee doing the same- seems bogus. In all reality, a deal may have been worked out between Roc-A-Fella and Best Buy to exclusively push this album. If you look at it from Jay and Kanye’s point of view, they won’t be paid anyways with millions of kids downloading their beats for free, so they might as well take the commercial cash from a big-time distributor and turn some sort of profit. Otherwise, this masterpiece would have been out a week or two ago and the hype would have already died. But let’s not let all the politics surrounding this bad boy bring it down- this quality rap indeed.

Invest Wisely: Jay-Z Buys BBC Clothing Line From Pharrell

Jay-Z has bought Billionaire Boys Club from Pharrell.

“I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man.”

Jay-Z founded Rocawear, a hip-hop inspired clothing line that blew up on the same scale as his career in the late 90s and 2000s. And with Watch The Throne dropping tomorrow, Sean Carter has made more news with the announcement that he has bought the Billionaire Boys Club clothing line from it’s brainchild, producer/rapper extraordinaire Pharrell. With Rocawear now owning the license to manufacture and distribute BBC clothes, sources have confirmed that Jay and Pharrell will work together to see the line grow- Jigga Man using his business prowess and Pharrell using his creative genius. Hova gives the streetwear line a huge financial re-vamp that lots of other brands simply can’t match- it should be interesting to see where the company goes from here. And for those concerned about seeing the prestigious BBC in department stores like Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and JC Penney’s just because its under the Roc umbrella, the two business moguls have made it clear that this will not be the case. A good business deal on both ends, I’d say.

 

 

Klinsmann Brings U.S. Soccer Into New Era

Jurgen Klinsmann will bring a new attitude to U.S. Soccer.

After an embarrassing loss to our neighbors to the south, the brass of the U.S. Mens National Soccer Team knew it was time to can Bob Bradley. There was certain conservative, counter-attacking approach the U.S. National Team had under Bradley, as he preached the importance of defense and never truly developed a premier scorer besides Landon Donovan. Of course, you can’t really blame a Head Coach for that, as most of the players on these National teams play for other squads and only play as a unit on occasion. With that being said, it can be tough to form chemistry, but Klinsmann, a German soccer legend, will have to formulate some sort of cohesiveness to see results. World Cup qualifying is just around the corner.

Klinsmann appears ready to shake this team up, wanting to implement a style of play that has America focusing on ball control and dictating the pace of play. If Coach Klinsmann wants a high-octane, skill oriented system like that he ruled in Germany, he will need to re-vamp parts of this roster, notably portions of the defense and some of the center midfield. New stars will emerge and some faces may disappear. The provocative plan will reflect the times- after seeing the United States Womens National Team reach the World Cup Final, America seems once again ready to contend in the world’s most played sport. That means learning on the fly for Klinsmann, who will lead the U.S. into battle against Mexico in Philadelphia on August 10th. Best of luck.

Quentin Tarantino Lands All-Star Cast for ‘Django Unchained’

Jamie Foxx will star as Django, a freed slave out for revenge.

Quentin Tarantino films aren’t your run-of-the-mill thrillers. The legendary director brings a style of production and an attitude unlike anything in the history of film. With a resume including box office smashes like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Inglorious Bastards, his newest project will be sure to entertain.

The flick centers around a released former-slave (Django) in the deep south during the height of slavery, and his meeting of Christopher Waltz (The bilingual ‘Jew Hunter’ from Bastards,) who plays a German bounty hunter. After significant time with one another, Foxx is compelled to rescue his wife from the evil plantation owner known as Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of a loyal house slave in the film, and even Kevin Costner will be making an appearance as a deranged organizer of slave deathmatches.

Coming out on Christmas Day 2012, it seems that Tarantino has once again struck gold with his twist on a spaghetti western/slavery storyline.

The NFL and It’s Wildest Weekend in Recent Memory

Nnamdi Asomugha landed in Philly after a weekend of NFL shake-ups.

The lockout was lifted, and the NFL front offices began scrambling to make up for an entire offseason’s worth of roster moves that needed to be made. There was no lack of excitement as a number of free agent stars found new homes, and quite a few trades shocked fans everywhere. Breaking down where some key names turned up:

Nnamdi Asomugha signed a 5-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, who were arguably the most aggressive team in this crazy period. He was the prized gem of this free-agent class and will play with Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on a stellar defense that makes the Super Bowl favorites in the NFC. Plaxico Burress was out of jail for a matter of hours before signing a 3.17 million dollar deal with the NY Jets, bolstering their reputation as a squad that makes room for talent even if you have some baggage. Donovan McNabb was shipped off to Minnesota, Tavaris Jackson went to Seattle, and Reggie Bush signed on to be a Miami Dolphin. Kevin Kolb will finally get a fair shake in Arizona, Darren Sproles will be returning kicks in New Orleans, and Roy Williams got his wish to play for the Chicago Bears.

The Colts didn’t want to lowball their star quarterback, giving Peyton Manning a fat 5-year deal worth 90 million that ties him with Tom Brady as the highest paid players in the NFL. The Patriots made the shocking decision to bring in massive D-Lineman Albert Haynesworth to fill out their nosetackle position; the move was regarded as trademark Bill Belichick as he agreed to bring in one of the most notorious troublemakers in the League, but it proved to be a Low Risk, High Reward type of deal seeing that they only gave up a 2013 draft pick. They also appeased fans by going out and getting the talents of Chad Ochocinco, giving them the top-flight wideout that radio show hosts had been whining about not having for years. The Buffalo Bills signed returner/wideout/quarterback Brad Smith, a timely home-run hitter that could fit in nicely with Chan Gailey’s offense. Nick Barnett was also signed to the Bills, filling the hole of Paul Posluszny, who signed with the Jaguars. It’s not easy keeping up with the other teams in the AFC East but the Bills obviously felt that there was no need to over-spend (sigh). The Ochocinco move was the cherry on top of a tumultuous series of days that completely changed the landscape of the NFL. Buckle up, this is going to be a wild ride.