Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Danja in Remix

Check out this new interview with Danja where he talks about his up and coming projects, what equipment he uses, and his new signee KC:

“Sometimes [artists] will come for a particular sound that I had on a previous track and want to duplicate that same energy. But instead, I try to do what they should be doing, not what I already did,” he explains of tailoring his sound for different acts. “I do what matches them, matches their voice, what type of fans they relate to. I never try to take you out of your zone; I craft around the artist.”

With that being said, a good craftsman always depends on his trusty tools. For Danja, those mainly consist of his iMac with Logic and his ever-present MPC4000. “The MPC is always going to be the brains of the operation. That's what makes the beats knock like they're supposed to.” But this bare-minimum setup hasn't always been his core setup. Having upgraded nearly everything from his software to his hardware, he recently did away with a grand production scheme that he had built, only to go back to the basics. It's further evidence of the reinvention process that is a constant for both the man himself and his sound.

“There was a point when I just kept buying keyboards, every time I saw one. I had 13 keyboards all around me at once and my laptop going into a 24-channel mixer, going into an MPC,” he says. “I had mad keys: I had a Virus TI, a Motif, a few different Rolands…one was a [V-Synth] GT and a Fantom. It was crazy.”

“I like that cinematic sound,” he says. “I got a couple of tracks on Britney's [upcoming album] that sound like action sequences from The Mummy 3 [Tomb of the Dragon Emperor] or something, just bits and pieces of horn hits that make it sound dramatic. Long before I even knew what I was doing, I would have women tell me, ‘This is sexy.’ I'm in tune with certain chords that make you feel a certain way. I know how to grab your emotions. I know what to play in whatever order to bring those feelings forth. This is a universal language. I'm learning how to capture those feelings and inject them into my music. I'm learning how to make you feel what I feel.”

PIECES FROM THE ARSENAL
Akai MPC4000 sampler
Alesis Andromeda A6 synth
Apple iMac computer with Logic 8
Apogee Duet interface
Augspurger mains
Digidesign Pro Tools
Korg Triton synth
Line 6 amps
Solid State Logic SL 9000 J console
KRK V8 monitors
Yamaha Motif synth, NS10 monitors


Full Article

So "Work" is Ciara's first single? That makes sense why we got the leak already. Danja's tracks on Britney's album will be "way harder than Blackout" that has me interested. And I look froward to what KC and Danja come up with because you know Danja will give his first artist his best work to date.....right?

Keri Hilson "Return The Favor" (Final Verison)

Check out the album version of Keri's "Return The Favor" featuring Timbo:



I like all the added sounds and final mixing but I definitely preferred the chorus on the demo version. What do you think?

New Keri Hilson Interview

Check out this the latest interview that Allhiphop.com did with Keri:

AHHA: What is Timbaland’s work regime like?

Keri Hilson: Well he has a very strange work schedule ya know? When I worked with him, he would come in at like 1 a.m. or 12 a.m., and he wouldn’t get really juicy and creative until like 2, 3 a.m. So we would be there until 10 p.m., we would have to wait until Miami traffic died down or Virginia traffic died down to go back to our hotels. It was crazy, but I was used to doing that. I wasn’t new to that.

It was just strange to see like, “Wow, ya know, this is how Timbaland does it” because like I know other producers. Like Pharell, he likes to go in at 1pm or like 10 in the morning – I think he’s a morning guy actually. And end no later – he’s there in the studio past 10 or 11 o’clock at night.

So it was crazy to use that schedule, but working with Timbaland is very inspiring. It continues to inspire me. It really taught me that you don’t have to set yourself into this spot, you can really do what you feel is hot. Do what you like to do. I got my real “no holds barred” attitude from Timbaland, and I thank him for some of the hits to my credit because of that.

AHHA: Let’s talk about the album In a Perfect World some more. Is "Henny & Apple Juice" gonna be on the album?

Keri Hilson: Probably not. It could be like an interlude, but yeah, I don't think it's gonna make the cut because we have so many records…so many hot records.

AHHA: What about some of the others songs that are on the album?

Keri Hilson: There is a song "Where Did He Go" that kinda did its thing as well. It was the actually the song that got me my deal. It was the song that L.A. Reid heard, that Clive Davis heard, Jimmy Iovine, that all these labels have heard. It's the song that got me my deal basically. It was the second song I ever did with Timbaland, the same day I met him – or sorry the second night we worked. And ya know, it was amazing. It was amazing. First day offered, second night I worked with him on that song.

AHHA: Any other producers on the album?

Keri Hilson: Yeah, a couple others. I worked with a 19 year-old from – well he was 19. He's probably 20 or 21 now. His name is Corey Bolds, that’s Timbaland’s protégé. Of course Timbaland knows my situation – it's a joint label venture between Timbaland and Polow at Interscope. Ya know, it's majority Timbaland and Polow. And Danja to the third majority. But Corey Bolds, The Runaways produced the first single, and I believe that's it. Didn't wanna do a collection of all hot producers, ya know? Where there was no definitive sound. I really wanted to define Keri Hilson – my sound, my personality, my likeness – all of that. And I believe we really did that.


Finally an interview that asks more than "talk about your first single" and "what does it feel like to go from a writer to a performer?" I was starting to get bored with all the same questions and answers but this interview gets some of the information we've been waiting for.

So no "Henny & Apple Juice", yes on "Where Did He Go?", and something that made me go huh?: "Corey Bolds" is Timbaland's protégé? That's news to me. Props to Big A on the link.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Word is Timbaland gives Brandy 2 tracks



Word is Timbaland has submitted 2 tracks to Brandy for her new album Human still on track for a November 11th release date. The track names are tentatively titled "Home" and "Drum Life."

Let's hope these tracks are as incredible as past Timbo/Brandy tracks. I'd take another "Nodding Off" without question. What is your favorite Brandy/Timbo track?

Mac strikes again thanks!

Introducing Jada



Last year we briefly mentioned that Danja was working with the girl group Jada signed to Universal/Motown. Coming out of Boston, the girls were signed on the spot by Universal/Motown Records CEO Sylvia Rhone (formerly CEO of Missy Elliott's former Elektra Records) after seeing them perform during a private showcase. Since then the girls have been working hard on their debut album coming out early 2009 with their unnamed lead single coming out January 20th.

As it turns out Jada not only worked with Danja, they did 10 tracks with him. Including 4 tracks with The Clutch tracks and 1 with Jim Beanz. Check out the group on NECN preforming one of their Danja/Clutch tracks titled "Denial"



Sounds like Nikki Flores "Painkiller" part II doesn't it? The girls can sing and they definitely have the harmonizing down which isn't always any easy thing to master in a group. I'm looking forward to hearing what else Danja and the girls came up with. Recognize that accapella? Who did it better?

Make sure to stop by their myspace page and give the group some love. Props to Bigmac on the video.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Writer's Block: The Clutch Part III



In the final installment of the Writer's Block on The Clutch, I am going to introduce you to a new member of production for the clique and a great story on how he got hooked up with the crew. Before we go there though, let's take a look at newly leaked track from young Star Trak signee Teyana Taylor. The track is called "Young Girl" featuring Eve and is one of 5 Clutch tracks that were supposed to be on her long delayed debut album From The Planet Called Harlem. Produced by Hit Boy, the track showcases the softer, sensitive side of Taylor. Check it:

Teyana Taylor "Young Girl" F/ Eve
Boomp3.com

As you know The Clutch along with multiple writers worked with Danity Kane on their latest album Welcome To The Dollhouse. One track that the didn't make the cut is the mellow "Respretative." It doesn't quite fit the uptempo, club vibe of the album so I see why they cut it. Regardless, take a listen to the demo of the track with Candice Nelson singing:

Candice Nelson demo "Representative"

Now on to the newest producer of The Clutch, Mr. B. Jabr (that's him on "Representative"). He definitely has a great story that's better to listen to than for me to tell so check out these videos:

Part 1


Part 2


Check that first video again, "...reached out to Zeke on myspace..." Something as simple as a message on myspace and look at what can happen. I love stories like this because it really shows that with talent, confidence, and a little luck you never know what could happen. Stay on your grind ya'll! In addition to his talents (check Bobby Valentino's "Another Life"), Jabr has made himself very accessible to the public with multiple videos on youtube and his own website which brings artists up close and personal to their fans.

That concludes our 3 part series on The Clutch but to keep up on the happenings of the crew be sure to check out their wikipedia page. I'm usually very skeptical of anything on wikipedia but this particular page is 100% on point and is constantly updated so be sure to bookmark it. Projects to look out for are Ciara's new album ("Echo") Britney Spears, Chris Cornell ("Long Gone" "Part Of Me" & "Never Far Away"), Keri Hilson, possibly Brandy, and the long overdue Menudo album.

For a little bonus check out this little interview with Candice Nelson to go inside the mind of a music writer:



Check back next week as we start our next Writer's Block on the supremely talented Mr. Jim Beanz.

- this episode of Writer's Block brought to you by J Boogie of The Keepers

October 7 Keri "Returns The Favor"



Along with "Turnin' Me On" featuring Lil' Wayne, Keri Hilson will also release Timbo's "Return The Favor" as a double A side on October 7 via iTunes. Honestly I think she should have released "Love Ya" or "Where Did You Go" as a dope B side since we all know (and love) both tracks.

Props to Rap Up on the cover.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Sample of the Week



Is he right?

Who Flipped It Better? Timbaland Vs. Dr. Dre

For this installment of Who Flipped It Better we have a battle between 2 of the best producers in the world. Did you know that both used the same sample for 2 different tracks?



Let's first look at the good Doctor. The year was 2007 and The Game had just released his 2nd album The Doctor's Advocate. The dust had settled after the release and then a flurry of unreleased tracks that didn't make the album hit the net. One of those tracks was the Dr. Dre produced "Feels Good" featuring Mya. The track features a sample that sounded immediately familiar to me when I heard it. Here it is:

The Game F/ Mya "Feels Good"
Boomp3.com

Hear the sample?

Well let's back up to 6 years before, in 2001, when Timbaland released his 3rd album Indecent Proposal and one track in particular "Roll Out" (not to be confused with the Ludacris track by the same name). Turns out Timbaland had used the same sample but years before Dre did, take a listen:

Timbaland & Magoo "Roll Out"
Boomp3.com

So the question as always: Who Flipped It Better? And the bonus question: What's the original sample that both used for their respective tracks? Props to Alex.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

J Roc and Chris Cornell give us the blues

A hidden track off of Chris Cornell's Scream album has recently been discovered on his imeem page. What should be a single 4:00 minute "Watch Out" track has become two 4:00 minute songs? Yep it's true, check it out:

Watch Out - Chris Cornell

Now that's the Chris Cornell we all know and love. His voice is incredible! So how did this mysterious track just randomly appear out of nowhere? Let Chris tell you via his myspace:

If someone was smart enough to find "Two Drink Minimum," bravo!

It was mastered with the rest of the album and was meant to be a hidden track. I thought I was the only one who got it but obviously I was wrong.

It's amazing to me how hard the record business tries to keep songs from leaking and then puts out "Watch Out." a song three minutes long with an eight minute file and doesn't notice!
Oh well. I wrote that song at about 6:00 am to an organ melody played by Jerome Harmon. He's the guy playing the super sick Hammond B3 on it. I sang it when the sun was coming up about 10 feet from the mic. Just screaming it in the room. If you listen closely, you will hear papers rattling. May you all find your bliss "As hope and promise fade." C


If you ever wondered what J Roc brings to the House that Timbo built now you know! Big shout out to Stacey over at the Chris Cornell boards.

D.O.E loves you



And there seems to be some confusion so let me clear it up:

A Chronicles Exclsuive: Birtney Spears "Kill The Lights"



The Chronicles has learned exclusively about a forthcoming track from Briteny Spears new album Circus called "Kill The Lights" produced by Danja and written by Jim Beanz and Candice Nelson of The Clutch. Check back for more details soon!

Who Produced It Better? Timbaland Vs. Missy

The year was 1998 and Timbo and Missy were red hot. Everything they touched turned to gold, literally. Another group at the time that were just as hot we Sisters With Voices. SWV released 6 albums in 6 years and created some of the most classic songs of the 90s ("Right Here" anyone?). Tim, Missy, and SWV worked together numerous times and even after the group disbanded, leader singer Coko called on Tim and Miss to help her continue her success as a solo act.

Timbo and Missy were asked to executive produce the now classic Why Do Fools Fall In Love Soundtrack and they got Coko on the soundtrack with the Timbaland produced (and Missy co-produced) "He Be Back." I always thought the song was decent but nothing mind blowing, that is until you get to the beatswitch. Without a doubt its my top 3 Timbaland beatswitches; when that evil as hell synth comes in maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan I get goose bumps everytime. Take a listen:

Boomp3.com

Now that's the version we all know, however, there's another version that Missy alone produced that was the original version of the song that came on an Elektra sampler disc with Nicole Wray's album. It's only a snippet but take a listen:

Boomp3.com

So who produced it better?

On a side note, the interesting thing about the Why Do Fools Fall In Love Soundtrack is that nearly every Timbo or Missy produced track on the album has an alternate inlcuding the long rumored but never heard or proven to be real Lil' Mo "Five Minutes" Timbaland Remix.

Dima Bilan "Lonely"



Dima Bilan premiered his new single "Lonely" on the Russian Radio station Loveradio. Produced, written, and vocal produced by Jim Beanz, the track is his 2nd single off his English album which has yet to have an official release date. Take a listen:

Dima Bilan "Lonely"







Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Pussycat Dolls get Timbaland's kazoo

By now you've got the kazoo/"Your Covers Blown" video practically memorized right? Well whatever happened to that kazoo melody? Did Timbo ever reuse it?



Well one of our readers hit us up (thanks Jasonn) and noticed that after listening to The Pussycat Dolls' "Halo", the melody was reminiscent of the kazoo melody. I was skeptical so I called in the big gun, Czar, to take a listen and tell me what he thought. He agreed that the guitar melody in "Halo" is the same as the kazoo melody in the video. I'm still skeptical so now it's time to ask all of you. What do you think? The same? Similar? Not ever close?

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Preview Jennifer Hudson's debut album



Clear Channel has Jennifer Hudson's entire album available to preview including the final version of the Jim Beanz produced "Pocketbook." Check it out:

Jennifer Hudson preview

Thoughts on the album?

No Timbaland without Polow?

Check out this interesting video:



As Polow says it's all about relationships. You never know who's watching.

Keri "Returns The Favor" a little differenly



Check out Keri's myspace page for the final mastered version of the Timbaland produced "Return The Favor." How do you feel about this new version?

Keri was smart in posting only a snippet since she learned a lesson on ripping a couple years back when both "Love Ya" and "Where Did He Go" were immediately made into downloads only hours after she posted them on her myspace.

Looks like we have our 2nd single! Props to Venture Bro on the info.

Chris Cornell launches new website and new EP

Chris Cornell's official website has just been revamped with a whole new look and lots of great news and information.

In addition Verizon has teamed up with Cornell and Timbo to release a 6 song EP from September 22 thru October 13 including 1 new track we haven't heard yet. Here's the tracklisting:

-Enemy
-Ground Zero
-Long Gone
-Part Of Me
-Never Far Away
-Scream

Who's got VCast? Send the tracks our way!

Scream will be officially released on November 4th.

Timbaland to go on 8 city tour with Chris Cornell

Verizon Wireless will be sponsoring an upcoming 8 city tour for Chris Cornell and special guest Timbaland. The short West Coast tour will not include any of Cornell's past music rather it will only be material from his new Timbo assisted album Scream. "I wanted to get out and do some special shows for fans, where it's just the new record and introducing that live, which isn't really the first time I've done that," Cornell said. "With Euphoria Morning, I played pretty much nothing but my first album for the first tour, and with the first Audioslave record, we toured for a year and did nothing but that record. This is also a very special record."

Cornell plans on playing the entire album from start to finish for each of the 8 gigs. "This album, I think, needs to be performed from beginning to end, because on the record, once the music starts, it never stops," he explained. "So it's literally a situation where you start playing the record from the first song, and it's just an hour's worth of music that keeps going until it's done, and it's something that's difficult to present in this day and age. Everything is sound bites and one song at a time, and people sort of downloading one song at a time, and more than any album I've ever made, this is an album that's really designed to be listened to from beginning to end, in one sitting.

"I think the smartest thing for me to do is go out and perform it that way, so people get it, because people haven't really understood that yet," Cornell continued. "I've been talking about it in interviews, and people need to understand that it's a different thing. Musically, definitely, it's a departure, not only for me but maybe for anybody. People are asking me what kind of music it is, and there's no real answer for that."

Here are the dates and cities of the tour:

10/17 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
10/18 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Avalon Theater
10/19 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
10/24 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
10/25 - Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
10/26 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
10/31 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
11/2 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox (I'll be there!!!)

Tim and Chris will be doing a meet and greet with their fans at the following Verizon stores:

Date Store locations City
Oct. 17 2073 S. Colorado Blvd. Denver, CO 80222
Oct. 18 987 W. 500 N Bldg A American Fork, UT 84003
Oct. 19 2040 E. Rio Salado Pkwy. Tempe, AZ 85281
Oct. 24 7300 Arroyo Crossing Pkwy. Las Vegas, NV 89113
Oct. 25 13455 Washington Blvd. Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Oct. 26 3505 Sports Arena Blvd. San Diego, CA 92110
Oct. 31 150 El Camino Real South San Francisco, CA 94080
Nov. 2 960 Park Ave. North Renton, WA 98057


Cornell said about Scream The initial conception and perception of this record was mixing two worlds — rock and hip-hop, or beat-based music with fuzzy guitars, but it really isn't just that at all. It's a mixture of a lot of different influences."

Look out for the post 9/11 inspired music video for his track "Ground Zero" coming soon!

"To me, it's sort of about the lingering aspect of 9/11 that is used to kind of create support for things that haven't been very good for our country or the citizens of our country," said Cornell, who now resides in Paris. "I've felt like, with the Bush administration, whenever they're in crisis, they'll suddenly pull out a terror alert — a code-orange scenario, which I run into constantly, because I'm in airports so often. They don't ever have to say why, just that it's a matter of national security. And with the conservative right, part of the platform right now in the election is 'Be afraid of terror, be afraid of terrorists. Look at 9/11 — we need an administration and a president who knows how to go out, kick ass, take names and keep us safe.' That's what got us into Iraq in the first place. [That tactic] certainly helped, and I think [9/11 was] a key factor in Bush winning a second term. To me, the song is about how awful 9/11 was, but stresses that we've got to let go of that to move on peacefully."

Another Timbo tour!!

Cop That Disc: The Pussycat Dolls Doll Domination



Make sure you cop The Pussycat Dolls new album in stores today:

HMV

Amazon

CD Universe

The Pussycat Dolls - Doll Domination

Here are the liners for the Timbo tracks:

9. MAGIC [T. Mosley, J. Harmon, E. Lewis, B. Muhammed, P. "J. Que" Smith, C. Nelson]
-Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions and Jerome "Jroc" Harmon for Bronze and Brainz Productions/Timbaland Productions
-Recorded by Chris Godbey and Julian Vasquez for The Demolition Crew at The Hit Factory, Miami, FL
-Assistant Engineer: Fareed Samalah for The Demolition Crew
-Additional Background Vocals by Candice Nelson
-Mixed by Chris Godbey at The Hit Factory, Miami, FL and Nomad Studios, Dallas, TX

10. HALO [T. Mosley, J. Harmon, E. Lewis, B. Muhammed, P. "J. Que" Smith, C. Nelson]
-Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions and Jerome "Jroc" Harmon for Bronze and Brainz Productions/Timbaland Productions
-Recorded by Chris Godbey and Julian Vasquez for The Demolition Crew at The Hit Factory, Miami, FL
-Assistant Engineer: Fareed Samalah for The Demolition Crew
-Additional Background Vocals by Candice Nelson
-Additional Guitars by Dan Warner
-Mixed by Chris Godbey at The Hit Factory, Miami, FL and Nomad Studios, Dallas, TX

11.IN PERSON [T. Mosley, J. Harmon, E. Lewis, B. Muhammed, P. "J. Que" Smith, C. Nelson]
-Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions and Jerome "Jroc" Harmon for Bronze and Brainz Productions/Timbaland Productions
-Recorded by Chris Godbey and Julian Vasquez for The Demolition Crew at The Hit Factory, Miami, FL
-Assistant Engineer: Fareed Samalah for The Demolition Crew
-Additional Background Vocals by Candice Nelson
-Additional Guitars by Dan Warner
-Mixed by Chris Godbey at The Hit Factory, Miami, FL and Nomad Studios, Dallas, TX

15. WHATCHAMACALLIT [T. Mosley, J. Harmon, E. Lewis, B. Muhammed, P. "J. Que" Smith, C. Nelson]
-Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions and Jerome "Jroc" Harmon for Bronze and Brainz Productions/Timbaland Productions
-Recorded by Chris Godbey and Julian Vasquez for The Demolition Crew at The Hit Factory, Miami, FL
-Assistant Engineer: Fareed Samalah for The Demolition Crew
-Additional Background Vocals by Candice Nelson
-Mixed by Chris Godbey at The Hit Factory, Miami, FL and Nomad Studios, Dallas, TX

Notes of interest:
-Recorded and mixed by members of the The DEMOlition Crew. I wonder if there's any connection with Tim's longtime engineer Demo
-Candice Nelson is credited with additional vocals for each song she wrote on, a rarity for her when in fact she most always does additional vocals on her songs
-The name Chris Godbey. He's not new to the Timbo family so don't be surprised to see his name more often
-Dan Warner on guitar. You've heard him before on "Oh Timbaland", "All Good Things (Come To An End)", and "Throw It On Me" to name a few

Monday, September 22, 2008

Timbaland Presents: The Fall of John D.O.E the RISe of D.O.E

D.O.E has been real quiet lately but the dude never sleeps. Nope rather he's been busy in the studio creating his newest mixtape The Fall of John D.O.E the RISe of D.O.E which is available FREE on D.O.E's new website ItsDoe.com. Go check it out!

Download The Fall of John D.O.E the RISe of D.O.E FREE

One track off the album that D.O.E previewed for Timbaland in the studio is the #9 DJ Jock produced track called "Apple Juice":



Make sure to check out the Danja produced track "The Fall"

And to see how far D.O.E has come check out his video from WAY back:



It's D O E bitch!

Correction:: "Coming Down" is produced by Let's Go To War

Timbaland gets sampled (Part 3)

Even the Ukraine got love for Timbo:



Track is from 2002. I wonder if they heard the interview where Timbaland said "Can We" was his favorite track he's ever created.

"...muzzza fuckaaa..."

The Birtney Spears Demos

It's no secret that I'm a fan of The Clutch, specifically Candice Nelson as she always brings such a unique twist not only to her songwriting but to her vocals and harmonizing. It's her you hear in the background on nearly every female artist she's ever written for, from Brandy to The Pussycat Dolls. For her writing on Britney Spears last album Blackout, specifically the track "Radar", she presented Britney with a complete reference track from start to finish. Ever wonder if a singer creates their own notes or melodies on a track? Most times it's the songwriter such as in this case. Check out the demo from Candice:

Candice Nelson "Radar" Demo

Britney's Danja produced hit "Gimmie More" also had a reference from Keri Hilson. In fact, the TV show Extra actually played Keri's demo on the ending credits of one of its segments. Check it out:

Keri Hilson "Gimmie More" Demo

Check back for more from The Clutch later this week with our final Writer's Block installment.

Update: That is not Keri Hilson singing.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Madonna preps "Miles Away" and what's really behind "Voices"



Madonna's official 3rd single in Europe will be "Miles Away" being released mid-October though some countries have already added the song to their radio playlists including The Netherlands where the track has gone to the top of the charts already. There's no confirmation what the 3rd single will be in the U.S. though "Miles Away" and "Beat Goes On" are both possibilities.

Just like "The Devil Wouldn't Recognize You", another track off the album, "Voices", has actually gone through quite a transformation from it's current Timbaland, Danja, Justin Timberlake, & Hannon produced version compared to it's early demo version titled "Is This Love (Bon D' Accord)" produced by long time Madonna producer Mirwais Ahmadzai for the scrapped 2005 musical "Hello Suckers!"

"Is This Love (Bon D' Accord)"
Boomp3.com

A beautiful track for the guitar alone. I wonder if Tim and the team heard this original demo or just went with a brand new track from scratch. One version of the the track they definitely heard is the orchestral version of "Voices", take a listen:

Boomp3.com

So did Tim produce the orchestral version as well or was it case as with One Repulbic's "Apologize" where Tim and Co. just added a beat. Interesting...

Last but not least, we told you about some of Madonna's Timbo tracks she is performing on her Sticky & Sweet Tour including a version of "Vogue" with elements of Tim's "Give It 2 Me" and "4 Minutes" and Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous" and now it's surface check it out:

Madonna "Vogue" (Sticky & Sweet Tour Version)

So will we ever hear the track "La La" that Timbaland compared to Bubba Sparxxx's "Ugly"? Let's hope on Shock Value II!

Big props to Simon!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Ker Hilson "Turning Me On" F/ Lil' Wayne

Here's the final, mastered version produced by Polow:










I've gotten into this track a lot more but Lil' Wayne just ruins it in the end.

Who's Next? Keri Hilson



Check at around 45 seconds into the video,sounds like we got a new song from Keri.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

A message to our readers: Let's talk leaks

We have been getting so many emails about the new T-Pain and James Fauntleroy songs that have leaked recently. Yes we've been aware of them but you won't find them posted here anymore. Let me make sure to thank you to all of you for your continued support and contributions to The Chronicles. As I've always said this site is only as good as it's readers and all of you have such a huge part in The Chronicles "success", so thank you.

With that said, however, I want to bring up a very important topic that I hope will generate a lot of discussion: music leaks. If you've noticed, like I have, this last month's has been a drastic change in the realm of leaking. Before we had leaks of tracks and/or albums a couple of weeks before the official release date. Sometimes we've even seen tracks/albums leak months before the expected release date. What initially was considered an anomily has now become a norm. No major album (or minor for that matter) makes it all the way to its release date leak free these days. In fact, leaks have become such common place that we as consumers feel as though we are entitled to a free, leaked album. "Where's the link for the leak?" "I'm not going to pay for ____'s album, I'll just wait for the leak" "I can't believe ______ hasn't leaked yet!" are all very common phrases we see everyday all across music forums, blogs, and throughout the internet.

But this last month we've been seeing demos, unfinished tracks, and references pop up all over the net. From Keri Hilson to Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson to Ciara, demos are becoming the new norm for leaks. So where do they leaks come from and how does a reference track only owned by a select number of people randomly show up on a so and so's blog? How does a track not fully completed or mastered or even written suddenly end up on the internet? Those seem to be the million dollar questions. No one really knows (do they?)

The Chronicles is all about support of all the artists we write about. For you long time readers, you've noticed that we went from all of our songs we posted being downloadable to the now listen only format. Now with this growing trend of unfinished tracks being leaked, we need to change our format once again. Where as other websites and blogs don't give a damn, hey free music is free music, we at The Chronicles do.

Look at the end of the day I'm a Timbo fan just like all of you. I freak out with each new song, each leak, each new crazy beat I hear but I'm a bigger fan of music in general. I want to keep hearing more music from Timbo and J Roc and Jim Beanz and The Clutch and so many others and if supporting the spread of leaked demos is going to prevent that than I want nothing to do with that trend. So if you come to your daily dose of ALL things Timbo and you don't see the new leaked demo or the new unfinished track by so and so, you know why.

Again my thanks to all of you throughout the almost 2 years of The Chronicles exsistence! Hit us up anytime!

Keri Hilson performs "Energy"

Check out the performance:




Keri in the new Chris Brown "Superhuman" music video? Yep:



So what's Keri's next single going to be? My vote is "Mic Check." Props to Steven on the link.

Chris Cornell "Scream"s on September 22

Get ready to be hearing a whole lot more of Chris Cornell! His song "Ground Zero" (produced by Timbo and J Roc, written by Jim Beanz) is slowly picking up steam including being picked for the trailer on the new ABC TV series remake Life On Mars check it out:



You can also check out the title track "Scream" off his album of the same name on another TV series One Tree Hill on September 22. The track will also be available on iTunes on the same day so add another (the 4th) "single" from Scream to your production lists.

Britney Spears gets help for her Circus



Britney Spears new titled album Circus is set for release on December 2 and the players we know involved include Sean Garrett, Rodney Jerkins, Dr. Luke, Guy Sigsworth, Bloodshy & Avant, Max Martin, DanjaHandz, Jim Beanz, and The Clutch. The album is not yet completed as more recording sessions are still happening as I type. Let's hope the album comes out as dope as Blackout did.

Be on the lookout for the the first single "Womanizer," produced by the Outsyders, on September 22.

Oh and to give you a little bonus, there's been a lot of talk about a new song that has surfaced from Britney that is possbily produced by Danja:



Actually the track is produced by Rob Knox of the Underdogs (yet again!) and written by James Fauntleroy (remember that's him on Timbo's "Back Together")

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Rumor Alert T.I F/ Justin Timberlake "Dead & Gone"



Yes the track has leaked and instinctively you want to say it's a Timbaland track. Why? Well since for the last 2 years almost all Justin Timberlake featured tracks have been Timbaland that's why. Yet as we told you the track is produced by Justin himself along with Rob Knox of the Underdogs. Justin has been getting more and more into producing, (check Talib Kweli's "The Nature") so be on the look out for more from him in the future.

Also another T.I. track titled "I'm Illy" has also leaked. Said to be a Danja track we still can't 100% confirm that is the case as it seems DJ Toomp is the real producer or maybe Chuck Diesel. It looks as though "No Matter What" will be the only Danja track on the final tracklist for Paper Trail. We'll let you know when we get more information.

Sadly, despite numerous articles and a lot of hope, Timbaland did not make the album. I have faith though that one day we'll hear a Timbo/T.I. (solo) collabo *fingers crossed*

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Keri Hilson "Shake It Like A Dog" F/ R. Kelly

Sadly, here's another leaked track off of Keri's continually postponed album produced by Polow:

"Shake It Like A Dog" F/ R. Kelly
Boomp3.com

Sorry to say I'm not at all impressed with this track. R. Kelly barking? I feel, actually I know, Keri is capable of more than this. What makes it worse is this track has already been released with the same title, same beat. Does the song sound familiar? It should since it was a leftover track off of Mya's Liberation album aptly titled, you guessed it, "Shake It (Like A Dog)

Ouch!

Video: Luigi Masi "Strobelight" (produced by Jim Beanz)

When you're a rising new pop star introducing yourself for the first time to the world you call on the elite to create the best possible first impression and that's exactly what new UK pop artist Luigi Masi has done. Masi' first single, called "Strobelight", is produced by none other than Jim Beanz and the video for the track has just been released. Check it out:



The track definitely has that upbeat Euro club feel though to get the full effect of the ill sounds Beanz used check the snippet of "Strobelight" on Masi's myspace page. This track only solidifies Beanz diversity going from Ashanti's slow banger "Why" to Jennifer Hudson's big girl anthem "Pocketbook" to this straight up dance track.

Congrats goes out to Beanz as well as this is his first official single in terms of solo production. You can bet there is much more to come!

Your thoughts?

Clizbeats interviews Kevin Rudolf



The accolades and press on Kevin Rudolf continues, this time the brothers at Clizbeats sat down with Rudolf to discuss his start on guitar, going to "school" under Timbaland, and his upcoming concept album In The City. Check it out:

Clizbeats interview Kevin Rudolf

Could you imagine being in the studio for the first time with Timbaland, recording a track with one of your idols, and then a week later the song is everywhere and eventually goes to #1? Crazy! Check that track at the end of the interview, sounds promising. Props to the guys at Clizbeats.com on the interview.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Milow "AYO Technology"

Listen to Belgium pop artist Milow's acoustic cover of 50 Cent & Justin Timberlake's "AYO Technology"



Now that's a proper cover!

"Migrate" Scrapped

The Danja-produced "Migrate" was supposed to be released on September 30 as Mariah Carey's fourth single from "E=MC2." However, the release has been scrapped and it looks like no more singles to come from Mariah's platinum album.

Keri Hilson speaks on leaks

The folks over at Rap Up talked with Keri about her feelings on all of the leaks from her new album:

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Pussycat Dolls spring 4 leaks

Ok technically they've only sprung 1 leak but there's 4 tracks that are part of that leak that we've been waiting for. Off their sophomore album Doll Domination in stores September 23 here are:

"Magic" (produced by Timbaland & J Roc)









"Halo" (produced by Timbaland and J Roc written by The Clutch)









"In Person" (produced by Timbaland and J Roc, written by The Clutch)









"Whatchamacallit" (produced by Timbaland and J Roc written by The Clutch)









"Magic" is reminiscent of Lil' Kim's "The Jump Off" (minus the chorus). Check that indian sample 1/2 way through too, don't worry Czar will have it identified next week. "Halo" I'm on the fence about. It's cool but doesn't really catch and more so hold my attention though all the layering of sounds in the chorus is crazy. Sounds like a track that should have (or might have) gone to Keri Hilson. "In Person" is hot as hell and I wouldn't be surprised if it's a single. Make sure to listen to it with your headphones to really catch all the sounds and especially that brass! As far as "Whatchamacallit" it's crazy and my personal favorite. I'm especially diggin' the chord progressions and all those little synth sounds throughout the chorus.

Tim and J Roc definitely delivered on all the 4 tracks and it's good to hear Tim add a little more old school double and triples to his current synth heavy poppier sound. I'll be coppin' that disc come the 23rd! Thanks to Tom on the find.

Writers Block: The Clutch (Part II)



Well, in the past few months it has been quite a special time for us Clutch fans with news and tracks galore appearing on the net!

Firstly we have new artist Jordyn Taylor's "Won't Play Nice" which unfortunately, is far from a Clutch banger. Looking at her myspace page you will see that her looks far outshine her vocal talents. (or lack of) I don't think its completely their fault as Jordyn's voice is awful, really, even studio effects can't save it as they can on Britney's and the like and her spoken parts make it even more unbearable. The production sounds cheap as hell, the synthesised strings and the awfully thin drum line are really the only effects used at all on this Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams" rip off gone wrong. The lyrics are rather generic as well, with particularly cringeworthy ones being "she likes your car, you're such a star, y'all at my nerves" and "quit callin' me ten times a day like ch-ch-chirp" which is not the norm from The Clutch who normally come up with the most dynamic and quirky lyrics. The arrangements, which are usually a massive strong point on Clutch tracks are also virtually non-existent. My only justification is that they thought it would be wrong to give such a no-talent like Jordyn a decent Clutch track as this is categorically one of the first and only disapponting Clutch joints! Her currently untitled debut album has yet to recieve a release date from Myspace/Interscope but is also set to feature production contributions from Timbaland associate Ryan Tedder, Darkchild, Madd Scientist and Mysto & Pizzi and writing from the talented Writing Camp & Frankie Storm.

Jordyn Taylor "Won’t Play Nice"
Boomp3.com

The next leaked Clutch joint offers something a bit more optimistic, One Chance's "No Brainer" is a Warren "Oak" Felder produced slow jam which has never been a strong point for the Clutch but this is definitely a successful collaboration. The chorus in particular goes hard with its strong lead vocal and understated echoed backgrounds. The production sort of fails this otherwise nice ballad, its not the best instrumental to write over by any standards and it could have been a little more edgy as I've seen Oak do before on Jennifer Lopez' "Mile In These Shoes" for example. With Candice and Keri being the most effective Clutch members in a lot of cases (imo) and this being channeled through a female vocal I guess thats why male collaborations are mostly hit (Balewa Muhammad "100" demo, Bobby Valentino, Kevin Michael) and slightly miss. (LeMarvin, Noel Gourdin)

One Chance "No Brainer"
Boomp3.com

Both Bayje and Money have tentatively titled their Clutch-assisted projects via MySpace recently, although neither currently have a release date. Money's project Unlady Like looks to be falling into some kind of trouble as we expected with Blackground, although after a long delay she performed “Fantasy” and introduced her debut single “Future” yesterday. Let's hope this talented girl who Candice writes fire for will get a release as her track snippets were dope! Bayje's Curious is looking more positive as she recently finished filming a video for the single "Find a Way" and is currently on a college tour. Not exactly the promotion I expected for a big record company like Atlantic, but at least they've got things cracking in some way. As you should have heard by now two of Bayje's banging tracks have been leaked with The Clutch "Jealous Of Your Whip" and "Problem", if you haven't, check them out at her myspace. Currently, no Clutch/Money collabos have leaked.

Bayje "Jealous Of Your Whip"
Boomp3.com

Bayje "Problem" (alternate version produced by Brian Kidd)
Boomp3.com

The Clutch have additionally been working on the forthcoming projects from Brandy, Keri Hilson, Chris Cornell, The Pussycat Dolls, Cassie, Menudo and Ciara and a mysterious new group The Goods have popped up on MySpace whose top friends are all the Clutch members and record label is Clutch Entertainment so more info on these guys as we get it!

-this episode of Writer’s Block brought to you by Luke from The Keepers

In A Perfect World delayed till end of 2008



Keri's project continues to get pushed back and this time it's been given a strong shove all the way back to the end of this year. Not sure why the continued delay but the weekly leaks of tracks from her album I'm sure is not helping the cause.

Hopefully the album will get released!

Keri Hilson-Turn Off (Ft. Lil Wayne)

Keri's highly-anticipated "Turn Off" featuring Lil Wayne leaked today, produced by Polow da Don. The song feels empty to me, and Keri's voice seems oddly mastered/sped-up. Luckily, Wayne rips it at the end. Judged by the avalanche of leaks we've had recently and the inclusion of the track number on the song's ID3 tag, someone has the album! Check out the song below:







T.I. - What's Up, What's Happening--NOT Danja

As we told you last May, "Rolling Stone" reported that T.I.'s first official single was to be the Danja-produced "What's Up, What's Happening." Then, track lists started circulating the Internet claiming the track was produced by producer-of-the-moment Drumma Boy. Now, the official song (and video) have leaked, and based on the signature Drumma Boy wind-up synth in the beginning, the song is definitely NOT produced by Danja. Was Danja's beat scrapped, or did it never exist in the first place? More information to come. Peep the video and song below.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

More Ciara and Danja plus more "Work"

First Ciara "Work"ed with Missy Elliott and Danja then she "Echo"ed with Danja again but wait there's more. Take a look at this behind the scenes look of Ciara in various studios having fun and doin' her thing (fast forward towards to end):

Ciara and Danja's mystery song

Obviously the beat is unfinished but will we hear another track with the two? Stay tuned!

Also here is the mastered version of Ciara's "Work" without the Missy rap:

"Work"
Boomp3.com

Props to Buddha our resident treasure finder.

Rolling Stone courts Keri Hilson

One rolling stone didn't really work out well for one artist, that being Donnie Klang whose debut album Just A Rolling Stone sold a mere 22,000 units. For another artist, however, Rolling Stone is working out just fine.

Keri Hilson recently got a feature in Rolling Stone's blog giving their readers a quick overview on how Keri came to be and introducing her to fans she might not otherwise connect with. Keri also talks about her nick name for Britney Spears and a video on the making of "Energy." Go check it out!

Keri has come so far since we first heard her so many years ago. From "who is this chick" to Rolling Stone chick, congrats Keri!

Money to perform "Fantasy" and 'Future"



After a a few delays, Money will be performing her hit Walter Milsap produced hit "Fantasy" and introducing her long awaited debut single "Future" live today in Los Angeles. We are hoping to get some photos and even video footage of the performance so check back.

Best of luck to Money today on her debut show!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Jennifer Hudson "Pocketbook" F/ Ludacris (Full)

....and just like that we have the full check it out:

J Hud F/ Luda "Pocketbook"
Boomp3.com

The track is hot and the vocal production is ridiculous but that's to be expected with Jim Beanz AND Candice Nelson working together. It doesn't get much better than that. People have been asking if it's also a Timbo track well take a listen to the whisper at the beginning: "Jim Beanz Timbo collabo." Jim Beanz is the producer but don't be surprised if you see Timbaland's name listed as well.

Thanks again to Buddha!

Is you is or is you ain't my Danja



Over a month ago I got a snippet of a track titled "Incredible" by an unnamed artist labeled as a Danja production. Now if I had a nickel or even a penny for every track I get labeled "Danja production" or "produced by Timbaland" I'd still be broke but none the less I was very skeptical if it really was a Danja track. Sure it smelled like Danja, looked like Danja, and sounded like Danja but I wasn't convinced so I filed it away in the archives. Soon after I received another longer snippet of a track with the exact same beat, also titled "Incredible" but now sung by an artist named K. Young. Was the first track a reference? More than likely yes but again I wasn't convinced it was Danja so add another one to to the archives.

Fast forward to a week ago when low and behold a full track with the same beat as the other two appeared in my inbox now titled "Crush On You" by an artist named Casley produced by Danja. On this new Casely track it even sounds like he says "Danja" but somehow I'm still not convinced. More than likely it's me just being stubborn but here take a listen to both tracks and tell me what you think:

K Young "Incredible"
Boomp3.com

Casely "Crush On You"
Boomp3.com

Yeah yeah sounds just like Danja I know! Which track do you prefer? I wish every Danja or Timbo track had multiple artists on them like this to compare like Brandy's "Come As You Are" Vs. Jay-Z's track using the same beat and many others.

Keri Hilson goes back to work with Britney Spears

The main contributors from Britney Spears' last album Blackout have gone back in the studio with Britney, one Nate "DanjaHandz" Hills and Jim "The Voice" Beanz, and now it's Keri Hilson's turn. MTV talked with Keri and confirmed her future collabo with the recovered star. "Of course, everybody's giving her party smashes, and I've heard some of them, and they're great," Hilson said. "But I think we can dig a little deeper this time. I want it to feel a little more real and organic. That's where I want to go with her."

Keri is set to work with Britney this week, "We need to figure it out. Sit down, have a conversation, and see what she's feeling at the moment, and take a bird's-eye view of that." Yet Keri knows her the songwriting process and doesn't want to over think it. "Songwriting is one of the most unorthodox things in the world. Songs come from all sorts of different ways, places and times."

Here's a quick video:



So we have Danja, Beanz, and Hilson all back again. Will her new album be as hot as the last one? Stay tuned to find out!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Video: Kevin Rudolf F/ Lil' Wayne "Let It Rock"

In case you missed our interview with Kevin Rudolf go back and check it out. Dude is definitely getting the shine he deserves. Here is his video for his first single "Let It Rock" F/ Lil' Wayne:



Even Perez is a fan.

Jennifer Hudson "Pocketbook" (Snippet)



From exclusive news to the final real deal, here is a snippet of the Jim Beanz produced Jennifer Hudson track:

"Pocketbook"
Boomp3.com

The track was written by both Candice Nelson and Beanz and you can hear both their magical touches throughout. We've been telling you since day 1 don't sleep on Jim Beanz, dude is a BEAST!!

Hot track from J Hud and I look forward to the full with Ludacris.

Preview Pussycat Dolls Doll Domination

We've been talking alot about their album and now we have a preivew of the entire 18 track project. Here is:

Pussycat Dolls Doll Domination

So based on our tracklist we posted before with some added additions we have:

1. When I Grow Up (produced by Rodney Jerkins)
2. Bottle Pop F/ Snoop Dogg
3. Whatcha Think About That F/ Missy Elliott (produced by Polow Da Don)
4. I Hate This Part
5. Taking Over The World (produced by Chase'N'Cashe)
6. Out Of This Club F/ R. Kelly (produced by Polow)
7. Who's Gonna Love You (produced by Polow)
8. Love Gun (produced by Cee Lo)
9. Magic (produced by Timbaland and J Roc)
10. Halo (produced by Timbaland and J Roc, written by The Clutch)
11. In Person (produced by Timbaland and J Roc, written by The Clutch)
12. Elevator
13. Hush Hush
14. Love The Way You Love Me (produced by Chase'N'Cashe)
15. Whatchamacallit (produced by Timbaland and J Roc, written by The Clutch)
16. I'm Done
17. Baby Love
18. ?

"Halo" sounds the most promising of all the Timbo tracks in my opinion. It's very similar to Jamie Foxx "Can I Take U Home" and they weren't kidding about the vibe for "In Person" though Nicole seems to be yelling more than anything. I'm not overly impressed with the Timbo tracks but then again these are just snippets so I'll wait for the full album to decide. Props to Luke on the link.

Mosley Music Group President: Marcus Spence

The video says it all:

Timbaland sues Australian Company for "missed" tour



It was widely reported that Timbaland missed and even canceled his various tour dates in Australia and New Zealand. Then the media reported that Timbaland was double booked with the Coke Live Tour in Poland which he did go on to perform for.

But this is The Chronicles and though we might not be at liberty to give you details right away, eventually they will emerge, they always do. As we told you during the height of these fabricated stories, there's much more to this story than what was being reported and now the details have finally emerged.

Timbaland is suing the Australian company in charge of booking his performances, Showtime Touring Group, for their refusal to make required payments, publishing misleading information about the show, and arranging sponsorships and commercial tie-ins without Timbaland's consent. The suit states "despite Timbaland's desire to perform for his Australia and New Zealand fans, he was unable to do so. From the moment the parties signed the contract at issue, Showtime breached its obligations." The suit goes on to say that Timbaland was exposed to "considerable backlash in the Australian press, which falsely reported that the cancellation was due to Timbaland's wedding and honeymoon."

Timbo is suing for unspecified damages in Southern District court. In a statement reported by the Australian press, the company cited "a lack of contact from Timbaland and his management" in announcing the cancellation.

Timbaland a no show? Get your facts right peeps!

Ireland college gives Timbaland it's highest honor



For the last 300 years, yes I said 300, the Philosophical Society of Dublin's prestigious Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland has chosen an elite group of individuals to carry on it's time honored traditions. This year, Timbaland has been chosen as one of the inductees into this exclusive society. "Timbaland is a remarkable individual whose contribution to music is simply astonishing," said Philosophical Society president Barry Devlin. "He is the most sought after producer on the planet, and why wouldn't he be. He has produced an impossibly large number of hits. It is a real honor for us to host such an accomplished musician. The [members of the] Society are very much looking forward to Timbaland's arrival."

Since 1684 this highest award of the Society has been bestowed to various people from all walks of life, from Bono to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and now you can add Timbaland to that elite list.

Congratulations Timmy!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Timbaland Fashion Rocks 2008 (High Quality Video)

Last year Timbaland, Keri Hilson, D.O.E, and Sebastian held it down at the Fashion Rocks show and this year Timbo was back again with One Republic, Chris Cornell, and The Pussycat Dolls. Check it out:



Notice Timbo shouting out J Roc at the beginning, Chris Cornell looks bored as hell, and check the Timbo remix of the Pussycat Dolls' "When I Grow Up"!

Video: Izza Kizza "Hello"



My People….Here is a mix-tape video done by my boy Hectah. If you dont know… Ima school ya: Hectah is an amazingly talented multimedia artist who is responsible for all of my creative photos, graphics, artwork, myspace layouts, and viral videos. Basically he is the entire visual element of me, and we completely inspire each other. Hectah approached me and said that he wanted to try and do a video for a song from my Kizzaland mix-tape. He chose “Hello” since he thought it the song was crazy and “didn’t get the exposure it deserved”. Since we had zero money to make a video for a mix-tape, he had this idea of taking upwards of 20,000 photos on a small laptop in the i-photo program, and sequence them together in stop motion/ time lapse photography all in a mac i-book. I didn’t know what all of that meant at first (sounded like some flux capacitor -10,000- gigawatts back to the future type shit), so I just went with the flow and put my trust in him and his idea. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the next thing you know I was walking around Union Square in NYC with a laptop strapped to my chest. Necessity is truly the mother of invention. Steve jobs would be proud. This is the final result….enjoy.

Thoughts?

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Timbaland gets 3 with Pussycat Dolls



Timbaland, J Roc, and The Clutch will have 3 tracks on the Pussycat Dolls forthcoming album Doll Domination in stores September 23. Here is a tentative final tracklist:

1. When I Grow Up (produced by Rodney Jerkins)
2. Bottle Pop F/ Snoop Dogg
3. Whatcha Think About That F/ Missy Elliott (produced by Polow Da Don)
4. I Hate This Part
5. Taking Over The World (produced by Chase'N'Cashe)
6. Out Of This Club F/ R. Kelly (produced by Polow)
7. Who's Gonna Love You (produced by Polow)
8. Love Gun (produced by Cee Lo)
9. Magic
10. Halo (produced by Timbaland and J Roc, written by The Clutch)
11. In Person (produced by Timbaland and J Roc, written by The Clutch)
12. Elevator
13. Hush Hush
14. Love The Way You Love Me (produced by Chase'N'Cashe)
15. Whatchamacallit (produced by Timbaland and J Roc, written by The Clutch)
16. I'm Done

There will also be a Deluxe Version of the album and what looks to be multiple international versions with additional tracks. Be on the lookout for track from Ryan Tedder of One Republic on these addition releases. Big thanks to Tom of The Keepers for the news.

Nicole Wray Billie Holiday of the Streets

Where has Nicole Wray been!? That's the million dollar question we Timbo and Nicole fans have been asking for years. She popped up on the Dame Dash Music group label releasing a few tracks and an unreleased album Lovechild. Then most recently was penned The Original Princess Of Rocafella/the First Lady Of Dipset releasing even more tracks. Yet through all the critical acclaim and all the praises Nicole has never had the success that she did with her classic first album Make It Hot.

Hopefully all of that is about to change. Nicole Wray has just released a new mixtape Billie Holiday of the Streets and you can hear it here:



Yes, you're right there's no tracks from the Timbaland family rather Focus, a long time producer of Dr. Dre's, has been crafting new tunes for the songbird. Even so support is always a good thing so be sure and stop by her myspace and give Nicole a shout out on her new project.

Chris Cornell "Watch Out"



Though we already have "Long Gone" out as the possible first single and "Ground Zero" out today (make sure to pick it up!), Chris Cornell's "Watch Out" has also been released as a single? promo single? last month.

Not sure which track is the official single but we'll keep you posted as more news become available.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Ciara F/ Missy Elliott "Work"



Here is one of the Danja produced tracks off of Ciara's new project Fantasy Ride titled:

"Work"
Work (Feat. Missy Elliott) (Prod. By Danja) - Ciara

Ciara said about the track "I really want to embrace the world and the culture of vouging with this song. It's saying 'when you hit the dance floor, you better work! You better show it off" and she has. The track sounds like a D-list gay anthem throwaway beat. Sorry Danja it's not your best work and is that really the best Missy could come up with for a chorus?

Chris Cornell Interview

Here's a short radio interview with Chris Cornell and a quick call in from Timbo:

Jo Jo on the Radio Chris Cornell interview

The reason I post it is because Cornell says "Long Gone" is the first single meaning though it's only been around a month or less, "Ground Zero" is already the 2nd single. Hope the project picks up speed! Thanks to Aayize for the link.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

When Danja Interpolates

Could it be possible? Danja interpolating? Even sampling? Of course it is! Though he doesn't sample/interpolate often he definitely does. (check Biggie's "Whatchu Want"). On his recent production with Donnie J, "Catch My Breath" check the very beginning:

Boomp3.com

Sound familiar? Even a little?

Probably not but for some of you it might. The original track comes from the UK Band The Veils. Specifically their critically acclaimed debut album The Runaway Found. Here watch the video:



Where as Timbaland has been heavily influenced by funk, african, and indian music (and I'm sure Danja has to), Danja is heavily influeneced by rock. Great find my Don Silver!

Friday, September 5, 2008

Timbaland "Talk That " F/ T-Pain (Unfinished)

You remember the video and all the hype right?



Well the full song can be right heard right here, right now. Here is the much hyped Timbaland F/ T-Pain "Talk That"

Boomp3.com

Is it just me or is this song mad boring? Not worth all the hype in my opinion but maybe it will grow on me.

Timbaland f/ James Fauntleroy "Back Together" (Possible Reference Track)

Yet another Keri Hilson track for your ears and maybe the hottest one of the bunch! The track is called "Back Together" written by Keri and James Fauntleroy and definitely produced by Timbaland. Take a listen:

Boomp3.com

Really listen to the track. You hear that woman yelling "HEY!"? Tim's gone WAY back in his arsenal of sounds for that one. It was first used on one of my favorite Missy tracks Tim ever created. Can you name it?

Update Here's the full version:
Boomp3.com

There definitely is some confusion (and excitement) as to what this track is going to be used on. Will it be used for Shock Value II? Is the James Fauntleroy part a reference only or is he going to be featured on the track? Is that Keri in the background? As soon as we find out more we'll let you know! First time to hear Timbaland sing an entire track, HOT!

Word Is...(Updated)

Word is Timbaland produced the track "Dead and Gone (feat. Justin Timberlake)" from T.I.'s upcoming "Paper Trail." This is unconfirmed so far, but we're working on finding out more information!

Update "Dead and Gone" is produced by Justin Timberlake and Rob Knox of the Underdogs. You remember Rob Knox right? He is the produced of Chris Brown's "Lottery" which created the biggest discussion yet we've ever had on The Chronicles.

Keri Hilson's "Do It" not Timbaland

Though there was the thought the track was produced by Timbaland or even Polow, Keri Hilson's "Do It" was produced by neither. Rather Keri tapped into the production skills of Roy "Royalty" Hamilton and his brother Anthony M. Royalty has work with the likes of Britney Spears, N.O.R.E, N*Sync, R. Kelly, and even Michael Jackson.

Anthony M. was cool enough to stop by The Chronicles and let us know that not only did they produce "Do It" but the version that was leaked is an early demo with the final version to be heard on the album. So be on the lookout.

Also, the version we have of Keri's "Mic Check" is not the final version. Seems as though most of the "new" tracks from Keri have been early demos with the final versions still in the mixing stage. Can't wait to hear what they sound like on the album!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Writer's Block: The Clutch Part 1



Something The Chronicles prides itself on is giving you music news and updates from all angles of a track. From the producer to the writer to the janitor, we want to make sure you know who does what for any track. For this new series titled Writer's Block we are going to focus on the writers of some of your favorite Timbaland, Danja, and other producers tracks. In the next few weeks we are going to update you on the writer's extraordinaire club, The Clutch, calling on some guest writers (The Keepers) to The Chronicles so sit back, enjoy the music, and get ready to learn a little something.

If you've been watching Making The Band you'll know Donnie Jas the guy that didn't make it to Day26 but did get a deal for some reason - expectations were low and his album generally lived up to those, save for one exception. The latest in the growing string of Danja/Clutch songs, the seemingly Zeke-heavy "Catch My Breath" is somewhat of a triumph. They without a doubt have amazing chemistry but where many of Danja's beats tend to push the vocal part of a song more or less into the background, the music here is simple and broken down. A guitar and [real] drum-driven track accompanied by piano is about as crazy as Nate went this time, it's almost un-plugged when compared to his usual heavy electronic touch - the track thrives on how flawless it works as a whole but Danja doesn't fail to impress with his ever-morphing sound - the same however can be said about The Clutch, the mature lyrics and vocal production heard in their more recent efforts such as "Catch My Breath" and Chris Cornell's "Long Gone" show more and more versatility and growth in their swiftly growing resumé, they again prove to belong to a small group of people that still really seem to add something to today's market. All in all, "Catch My Breath" is a savage beast unleashed in the cage full of fluffy cotton-candy bunnies that is Donnie J's debut album, which also includes collaborations with the likes of Mario Winans, Terius 'The-Dream' Nash & Chris 'Tricky' Stewart, Mary Brown, The Soul Diggaz, Shanell Woodgett and The Artist Formerly Known As 7 Aurelius. Just A Rolling Stone is in stores this week but the fact that it already leaked in full weeks ago probably won't help sales.

Donnie Klang "Catch My Breath" (produced by DanjaHandz)
Boomp3.com

If you have been watching MTB, you'll know Donnie has been working with Jim Beanz as well - only one track title, "Beautiful Escape", was revealed, a song that was recorded very early on in the process but didn't make the cut. We did however get a glimpse of the session, check out the video here:

Donnie J "Beautiful Escape"

An unreleased session from Donnie that [b]did[/b] see the light of day is "Defensive" - but it seems The Clutch weren't quite able to re-create the magic they made with Danja on "Catch My Breath" on this poor Mario Winans produced effort. Winans obviously tried [and failed miserably] to make it sound like a genuine Timb beat but it came out sounding generic, the vocal arrangements are almost pleasant and catchy but it's not quite up to the standard they've set.

Donnie Klang "Denfensive" (produced by Mario Winans)
Boomp3.com

Sterling Simms' Oak-produced "By The Hand" unfortunately didn't quite reach that level of genius we've sort of gotten used to from The Clutch either - the hook is definetly the catchiest part but nevertheless fails to really leave an impression, the production is awkward, there is too much going on with the hats and it's hurting the song. The music and lyrics make it very dated, and it doesn't help change the thought that Sterling is a capable singer that I'm not sure has what it takes to really stand out from the all the other R&B singers in their mid-twenties. Especially being on the Def Jam and having worked on his album with the likes of Sean Garrett, StarGate, Bangladesh, The-Dream, Bryan-Michael Cox, Tha CornaBoyz & DarkChild since they were kneading the first breads, it's expected to be released September 2043.

Sterling Simms "By The Hand" (produced by Oak)
Boomp3.com

-this episode of Writer's Block brought to you by Tom of The Keepers

 
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