New Albums / CDs

Prince has been dropping hints for a while now that some new material was on its way this month, and according to okp brainchild Prince's new single "Te Amo Corazon" will be released online on December 13th, and its accompanying album is coming soon afterwards through a deal Prince just signed with Universal.

"Here's what's up with Prince" single: "Te Amo Corazon" on sale at digital outlets on 12/13 album not long after.

just signed to Universal Records last week.

MF Doom's legendary instrumental "Special Herbs" set is getting rereleased in one big box, but grab it while you can:

M.F. DOOM - 'Special Herbs: The Box Set (Limited Edition - 7500 Copies)' (CD Triple Instrumental)

The aluminum faced super villain is all about droppin' hot shit non-stop. For a limited time, fans of M.F. Doom who missed out on the earlier "Special Herbs" instrumental series will be able to purchase volumes #0-#9 blended together by DOOM himself in a rare collectible box set. When I mean rare, I mean only 7500 copies are being pressed up and then it's gone forever. The collection includes classic beats from various M.F. DOOM, KMD & King Geedorah projects accompanied by unheard tracks to be used on future albums. The collection also includes a bonus disc featuring DOOM beats that have never before graced the ears of the Metal heads out there.

Juvenile's new album "Reality Check" is supposed to be out on February 28th 2006, and will be a double-disc set. It's already sparked lots of buzz just from the Katrina-themed cover art that's been seen online, plus reality check for Curtis Jackson after 50's uninformed Katrina comments as reported by SOHH.com

"After years of label woes with Cash Money Records, Juvenile is finally readying his Atlantic debut, Reality Check. In this SOHH.com exclusive, Juvey answers 50 Cent's Hurricane Katrina comments and vents on Baby.

Though he hasn't been in New Orleans since Katrina hit last summer, Juvenile has experienced the tragedy first hand. The gravely-voiced rapper lost his recently built house in the flood. That's probably why he has a hard time listening to outsiders weigh in on the crisis.

"I ain't know 50 said that," Juvey told SOHH.com in disbelief. "If he believe they did the best they could, you wrong like a motherfucka. You got it twisted homie. You make it bad for yourself man. You'll lose all records sales down here with that stuff. I ain't know that's what he said. People from New Orleans don't know that.

"I mean the tsunami was an act of God," he added. "The way they reacted towards that...I'm looking at them spend maybe five to six billions of dollars every month on a war that ain't even ours over somebody else's oil. You're telling me that you can't fund [a] part of your country with the right amount of money to take care of these people. New Orleans ain't even a big city so how could you have that problem. I heard that the families [of 9/11] got funded. And that ain't even a whole city. That's really one building that had two branches. It's [New Orleans] a whole city, so you're telling me they did the best they could?"

Ghostface was supposed to drop his new album "Fish Scale" on December 6th, which obviously didn't happen.. it's now allegedly coming on Feb 28, 2006, but in the words of Richard Pryor's church choir, "we will see." Info remains scant but here is the outdated blurb on defjam.com:

"The Wally Champ is back with another surefire classic album set for a release in December 2005. The brand new album Fish Scale features Ghost throwing dartz like nothing you've ever heard before."

Outkast's "Idlewild" album, a soundtrack album for their "Idlewild" movie, is supposed to hit sometime in early 2006, maybe February. I'm looking at this as a warmup for their "real" album "10 The Hard Way", but hopefully it'll have some nice treats on it.

Outkast 'Idlewild' Bumped To Next Year

Originally planned for release earlier this year and then bumped to December, the soundtrack to the OutKast film "Idlewild" has now been removed from LaFace/Jive's 2005 schedule. Group member Big Boi said over the weekend at the Vibe Awards that it would appear sometime during the first quarter of 2006, but a label spokesperson says there is no confirmed date.

"We're trying to pick the single right now. It's all about a gut instinct," Big Boi said at the Vibe Awards.

The change in the soundtrack's release date has apparently had a corresponding affect on the roll-out of the movie, which HBO Films was eyeing for early January. A company spokesperson says a new date has yet to be nailed down.

"Idlewild" is set in the 1930s, and Big Boi says that period in history has rubbed off on some of the music. "In our own little way," he told Billboard.com earlier this summer. "Just with the Ragtime feel. It's hip-hop. It's OutKast. It is what we've been doing for years. Some songs have a little more piano or whatever, but the whole project was a natural progression from a double CD. It was like, where do we go from here?"

E-40 is expected out sometime early next year with "My Ghetto Report Card," and he told the Fader a little bit about what to expect:

What’s the story with the next solo album on BME? It’s called My Ghetto Report Card, and it’s looking like the top of the year. January.

Who did beats for Ghetto Report Card?
We got Lil Jon, we got Droop-E, the Pharmaceuticals, Rick Rock, E-A-Ski…I’m not done yet, it’s going to be so hard for me to pick and chose. I got over 50 songs.

Are you excited to be starting out on a new label?
Oh yeah! It’s a second wind for me. It’s a good position I’m in.

How did you link up with Lil Jon?
In the early 90s, Too $hort was like one of the first dudes who kinda discovered Lil Jon. So I always used to see him at concerts and we’d pow wow—a good dude, you know? We did some music together, I got in a couple of his videos. I did a song with him called “Rep Yo City” and we connected perfectly on it. It became one of those winners! It was on my album, Jive slept on it, didn’t want to shoot a video. Lil Jon said man, this song is too hot, every time we play it in the club motherfuckers go crazy. So Lil Jon kept the same song and put it on his last album, which went double platinum.

Killer Mike's "Ghetto Extraordinary" album has been expected for quite a while, and seen release dates come and go fr most of 2005. SOHH talked to Mike about the album and the delays:

Killer Mike: Ghetto Extraordinary

SOHH.com: What's going on with Ghetto Extraordinary? You shot a video for "My Chrome," and the song landed on the radio a couple times. I even saw advertisements for a September release. What happened?

Killer Mike: Basically it's a great album and I'm not gonna allow it to just come out and be off radar. So, its not coming out in the fall was a mutual decision between me and Big Boi. It's like Pimp C said, "When we get the business straight, it will come out." That's as honest as I can be with fans. I put in two years of my life on this record and I think it's a great record. Its got Juvenile, Bun B, T.I., Chamillionare, 8 Ball & MJG, Jagged Edge, Triple 6 Mafia and Outkast on it. So, I can't just throw that out on any given Tuesday and allow it to do sh!tty. It will come out when the time is right. So until then check out the Killer mixtape, Dat Crack Vol. 1, the Killer Part 2: the Killer Instinct, coming out. I'ma continue to put out music but I'm not gonna let my baby go out there and get sh!tted on.

SOHH.com: What exactly happened?

Killer Mike: It ain't no exactly happened, everything ain't right yet. Regardless of what the record company does or don't do. If it was 50 fans walking in a record store everyday saying, "We want it;" it'll be out and it will be out right. But that ain't happening. I'll take responsibility for getting the street buzz up myself. I'm a black man, I can't sit around and blame white companies for what the fuck ain't happen. I just gotta get out here and grind.

SOHH.com: You are obviously not the first rapper to have to go through label mishaps that result in having to sit on an album. But until the recent mixtape explosion, a lot of rappers would get disenchanted and say, "Fuck it. No one gets any music." Why aren't you having the same approach?

Killer Mike: I rap. That's what I feel I was put here to do. I'm not gonna stop rapping. I was rapping everyday before I had a record deal and I'll rap when times are bad with a record deal. I rap, that's all I know and that's what I do. Streets gonna hear more music from me. I know it's a lot going on and a lot of music out there but I'ma make sure my lane is carved. I don't feel like no one else grabs the mic and spits truth like or spits harder than me so who am I to deny my fans that? Based on what I do have. To all my fans, I appreciate everything, I'm good. I'm in the process of setting up a website so you can get my music direct. This situation ain't doing nothing but forcing me to become a better businessman. I appreciate you for staying down.

Mr. Lif has been one of the sharpest political voices in hip-hop, and his "Mo' Suffrage" should be a highlight for 2006, with El-P behind the boards going for a "omb squad"sound:

Mr. Lif’s Mo' SuffrageLP Nearly Complete Says EL-P

The follow-up to Mr. Lif’s critically acclaimed 2002 debut LP, "I Phantom" is finally reaching a legitimate stage of completion and warranted an update by the trucker-hat helmed head honcho on the Def Jux website. Lif’s sophomore joint, tentatively titled, “Mo’ Suffrage” is steady taking shape. So far El-P reports that 9 tracks have been finished, and the majority of the production has been handled by the El Producto himself. El-P was quick to refrain from divulging too many secrets about the highly anticipated second album from one of Beantown’s finest MCs, but stated that Aesop Rock and Blueprint will grace Lif’s project with verses over a Blueprint produced track. When describing the sound of the album El-P stated, “Everything is fuckin’ nuts. I’m taking a grimey-er approach with this record. Not much syth work... lots of Bomb Squad influence and organic breaks and drums.” Personally, I feel anything Lif touches turns to gold and anticipate this LP to be one of the most talked about in the oh-six.