Bun B, one half of the beat maker group Underground Kings – UGK – has released what will be the final solo album by UGK’s other half – Pimp C. The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones will be on store shelves October 5, nearly three years after Pimp C died of an accidental overdose. . The first single, “What Up” features the late rapper with Drake, and was produced by Boi-1da.

Album’s Recordings Were Made After Prison Release

Chad Butler, known as Pimp C, spent three years in prison following a conviction for aggravated assault and probation violations. He was released in late 2005 and spent time compiling recordings for the UGK’s 2006 album release, Pimpalation. Pimpalation was certified gold and reached the number one spot on both the Billboard US R&B and Rap music charts. It also reached the number three spot on the US Billboard 200 chart. Pimp C was also featured in two other singles in 2006, Love Song by Missez and D-Girl by Brooke Valentine.

What Up isn’t the first time Bun B and Drake have worked together. Bun B’s current album, Trill O.G., features a Drake collaboration entitled “Put It Down.”

Rap music collaborations are hot today; rarely does an artist release an album that doesn’t feature at least one, and several of the top albums feature a majority of collaborative tracks. With the right recording and post-production tools, you can create your own collaborations with friends, colleagues or other artists you’ve never even met!

Sonic Producer is an excellent, full-featured software package that enables you to create your own mixes, collaborate with other artists and produce professional-sounding tracks for nothing more than the cost of the software and the time it takes to create your music.

Sonic Producer offers royalty-free samples that you’re free to use in any way. Once the track is finished, the sound is yours to keep. No splits or other payments that could reduce your cut or prevent your music from being heard, played or sold.

Sonic Producer is available for both the PC and Macintosh platforms, so you’ll be able to get started on your music production right away, without the need for special equipment or additional software. Once your music is finished, export your work to MP3 and keep it, share it, play it or sell it! Download your copy of Sonic Producer today and get started on your music career!

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Hip-hop music artist Wyclef Jean was on the losing end of a ruling by Haiti’s provisional election commission last week, meaning that the Haitian-born performer won’t be on that country’s presidential ballot after all. Jean was barred from running for office due to the country’s residency requirements, which state that candidates must be residents of the country for five years preceding the election.

Hip Hop Music Name Not Enough

Jean was born in Haiti but his family moved to the United States when the 40-year old singer was just nine. He has spent most of his time in the United States, though he travels to Haiti frequently and operates a charitable foundation designed to fund public works projects in the country.

Jean began his career as part of the hip-hop group The Fugees,in the late 1990′s and established a solo career in 2000. He has several recent collaborations with other artists including T.I., will.i.am, Niia, Akon, L’Il Wayne, Eva, L’il Kim, Cyndi Lauper and Timbaland.

Although his presidential bid was cut short, there’s no doubt that Jean would have been one of the most visible candidates in the Haitian election. Before the election commission’s ruling was handed down, Jean talked about his ability to reach out to young Haitians to inspire them to make a better future for themselves and Haiti. Analysts were divided on whether Jean could have made a difference if elected, since he doesn’t speak French or Creole, the two languages most often spoken in Haiti.

Jean would not be the first hip-hop music artist to use his musical roots to start a new career, though most “graduates” opt for careers in related industries like entertainment; music promotion for other up-and-coming artists; and celebrity endorsements. Jean’s political ambitions aren’t expected to put a damper on his career. He still plans to release a self-titled album, wyclefjean, sometime in 2010. That album’s first single is entitled Hold On, featuring Mavado.

If you’re interested in starting your own career in hip-hop music, your options have never been better. You can get into the scene quickly with a little help from Sonic Producer. Sonic Producer is a software application that will help you make your own beats, using the thousands of royalty-free samples that are included with the program. In addition, you’ll get valuable tutorials that show you how to create the beats that today’s hip-hop music lovers want to hear. Download your copy of Sonic Producer today!

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Last week, I wrote about the most financially successful rap beat music stars, and not surprisingly, Eminem – who has sold more records than any other rapper – isn’t anywhere near the top of the list. The top money-makers in rap music do make money on rap, to be sure, but they make more money on other semi-related business ventures and not-at-all related product endorsements.

The Bigger Picture Is Part of The Bigger Picture

Making music represents only part of the potential of a rap music star. In addition to making music, more than one rapper has found the movie and television industries to be quite welcoming to rappers, and the move to the big (or small) screen is an easy transition. Ice-T is probably one of the most successful rap artists to cross-over to a highly successful movie and television career.

Jay-Z makes much of his money on related industries, including music production for other rappers – both established and up-and-coming – and the nightclub scene. His 40/40 chain is currently a club-set darling.

T.I. has been as successful as neither Jay-Z nor Ice-T but he’s managed to parlay a rap music career that began with a shaky start and has been interrupted twice by stints in prison into a blossoming movie and television career. TI now says that he wants to spend more time on acting than on making music, although the Grammy-winning artist has had some undeniable success with his music career of late.

TI recently released a mixtape, for which he was criticized. He didn’t spend too much time worrying about the fury over the mixtape release, saying essentially that his decision to go with a mixtape format for some of his work is strictly business. Many of the dozens of songs he wrote while in prison or under house arrest would never make it to an album, and he wanted to get the songs out to his fans.

TI’s approach is consistent with many new rappers who care less about how they get their music out than simply getting the music out. Self-publishing is bigger than big in the rap music world and there’s no reason to hold onto something that might have only limited commercial appeal.

New rappers can self-produce music using tools like Sonic Producer. Sonic Producer is a software package that can run on either the PC or a Macintosh and actually includes video tutorials that show you how to put together great beats on your own. You end up with a professional-sounding tape that you can keep to yourself, share with friends or self-publish on outlets like iTunes!

See for yourself what Sonic Producer has to offer and get your music career moving!

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You can always start a lively discussion among beat making fans by asking them who the best rapper is. If you go by sales alone, the answer is probably Eminem. His Recovery album is on top of the Billboard Rap Music chart for the tenth week in a row, but the album hasn’t received the same critical acclaim that some other artists are generating.

Critical Acclaim And Music Sales Don’t Always Go Together

To be sure, Recovery is a classic Eminem product and if you like Eminem, you won’t be disappointed by what you hear. Eminem actually has two albums on the Billboard Rap Music chart; Relapse, released more than a year ago, is still holding at #11, having occupied chart space for 66 weeks running.

Critically speaking, Outkast probably has the highest-rated album with Stankonia, originally released in 2000. Currently, that distinction belongs to Big Boi, and Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, released early last month. Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. 2 and The Roots’ How I Got Over also have gotten high critical marks, though their sales have already peaked, never having neared the top spot.

Many rap music fans would argue that sales aren’t the only measure of success, and some would even argue that they’re a poor measure of success. As I said last week, although Eminem has easily outsold Jay-Z, Jay-Z makes substantially more than Eminem does in a year, and the majority of his income doesn’t come directly from rap music sales.

The most successful rap music artists are those who make the sounds they want to make. When you ask a fan what the single most important quality of a rap song is, most often, they’ll respond by saying that the lyrics and wordplay are the two elements that make a rap worth listening to. The music is part of it for sure. The best beats can take an ordinary song and turn it into a club hit, or get the song to the masses through airplay.

One of the nicest things about rap music is that anyone can be a rap music artist if they have the right lyrics paired up with the right beats. If you want to try your hand at making your own rap music beats, check out Sonic Producer. This smart software package will give you everything you need to make your own music. Sonic Producer contains tons of royalty-free samples that you can mix to make your own beats. After hearing a new rap song on the air, if you’ve ever said to yourself, “I could do that!” then check out Sonic Producer. With Sonic Producer, you really can do that!

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Canadian hip-hop artist L.I.R.I.X has announced that the first single from his upcoming mixtape will be Lady Luck. The mixtape, Against All Odds, is expected to be available in November 2010. L.I.R.I.X describes Lady Luck as having an up-tempo beat and predicts that the song will be an “instant” club success. L.I.R.I.X says the song was inspired by the notion of spending one last night with someone special and says that his fans will relate to the sentiment. The song is currently available on L.I.R.I.X’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/lirixiznice and can also be purchased using the link on the page.

Mixtapes Are A Typical Entré Into The Hip-Hop Music Scene

Many hip hop and rap artists choose to enter the music scene by producing and releasing mix tapes, rather than traditional albums. Many new artists have been signed based upon their mixtape releases, and it’s not unusual for a new artist to release several mixtapes before being signed to a recording contract. L.I.R.I.X’s first single, “Second Renaissance” was released in 2009 and sold 125,000 copies. Several other singles have also enjoyed good commercial success. L.I.R.I.X is currently working with Shady Records, who have artists such as Young Buck, Obie Trice and Cashis under contract.

If you’re ready to start producing your own mixtapes, the only recording software you’ll need is Sonic Producer. Sonic Producer is one of the most complete music production software packages and is designed with rap and hip-hop artists in mind. Within Sonic Producer, you’ll find thousands of royalty-free samples that will enable you to create your own unique sound without running into copyright issues later on.

Sonic Producer shows you how to produce your own music but also provides video coaching on how to put together the beats that today’s fans want to hear. You’ll learn a lot by working with Sonic Producer, and you can put what you learn to work right away.

Sonic Producer will help you self-produce professional quality digital recordings which you can export to MP3. Share your music with friends, use it to back you up in the clubs or put together your own mixtapes. With Sonic Producer, you’re completely in charge of your musical future. Make your songs available for free download, or put them on iTunes and make a name for yourself. Regardless of your plan, Sonic Producer will help you get started on your musical future today!

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