After seeing an early screening of the new Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe film American Gangster - the CEO of Hip Hop, Jay-Z, was overtaken by a burst of creativity and rushed into the studio to record a new album of all original material inspired by the film. November 2nd the film hits theatres nationwide, and four days later on November 6th Jay-Z's new album American Gangster hits the streets.

With critics already comparing the album to Jigga's early work - Reasonable Doubt - the concept album balances the line between pure entertainment and real life. The album is definitely one of his best and most personal, featuring a host of guest artists and producers like Pharell Williams, P.Diddy, Lil Wayne, Nas, and Beanie Sigel. It also includes the first two singles 'Blue Magic' and 'Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)'.

"Y'all ready know what it is!"  - Jay-Z

:: site ::

Come on down to the MuchMusic building at 299 Queen Street West for your chance to watch Hedley perform live... the first performance of the evening will be on the street so make sure to grab a front row spot! And in case you haven't heard, their new release Famous Last Words is in stores and online NOW! Be sure to grab yourself some Hedley while it's hot!

Text HEDLEY to 32123 and get Hedley for your phone! Be Heard!

:: site ::

Loose, the hottest selling album of 2006/2007 from our girl Nelly Furtado won Album Of the Year at the MTV European Music Awards last night in Munich, Germany. Loose - The Concert, a limited edition deluxe package featuring all her #1 hits performed live on both CD & DVD, will be out on December 4th!

:: site ::

Disco pop collective Scissor Sisters will be releasing their own concert DVD, titled Hurrah A Year of Ta-Dah on November 13th 2007. Expect a full live concert, music videos and an intimate acoustic show PLUS a documentary. Trust that its chock full of Sistery goodness and pick it up on the 13th!

:: site ::

Just a few more days until Angels & Airwaves release I-Empire, their highly anticipated follow up to last years gold selling debut We Dont Need To Whisper. The album cover for I-Empire was actually designed by the same guy who designed the poster artwork for the Star Wars & Indiana Jones movies! Check it out at angelsandairwaves.com

:: site ::

To celebrate the release of their new CD Sidelines of the City, Cuff the Duke will be performing on MTV Live on Monday November 5th.  For free tickets e-mail liveaudience@mtv.ca

:: site ::

After 20 years of producing hit records and superstar artists from Bow Wow to Mariah Carey, one thing is certain, Jermaine Dupri clearly knows how to take an artist to #1. On November 6th, he collects his chart-topping singles for a new album entitled Y'all Know What This Is...The Hits. But that's only half the package - in stores now is his autobiographical book Young, Rich & Dangerous: My Life In Music. Our recommendation: enjoy them together - the album acts as a soundtrack for the book and youll gain a clearer insight into what was going on in Dupri's life as he created some of your favorite songs!

Thats right, Boyz to Men are back! This 4 time Grammy Award winning threesome is set to drop Motown: 'A Journey Through Hotsville USA' on Nov 13th! This is their 1st major release in 5 years, and was helmed by megaproducer/music veteran Randy Jackson. In the words of Randy Jackson "the mixture of the classic Motown sound and todays R&B soul is what makes this album truly unique". So check it out when it hits the streets on Nov 13th!

For more info on the upcoming album and tour dates - check out the links!

boyzIImen.com myspace.com/boyziimen

Mary J. Blige, the Queen of Hip Hop Soul is set to release her ninth studio album in December entitled, Growing Pains. We have all watched in amazement as this icon shared her music, her life, her victories and her battles with us. When Mary gave us What's the 411? we listened and hoped to understand what she was all about. Sometime after that, 'All I Need' became the anthem for young women everywhere. Growing up in today's society, 'All I Need' affirmed that women could be supportive, ride or die chicks like Mary and stand by their man. That's what makes her a phenomenal woman. Each of her albums and songs have kept a nation of women believing that, despite the drama, a woman can find herself and the strength to conquer any of life's challenges.

Mary says the title Growing Pains simply means that although she has surmounted great adversities, she is still human and imperfect. She wants people to know that even after her breakthrough, she still makes mistakes. As she said to MTV.com earlier this month - "Growing Pains is not whining about the pain, but rather accepting the pain that comes with growing".

The first single 'Just Fine' depicts Mary having a good day and being 'Just Fine' with everything instead of being ungrateful for the things in her life. It is definitely a hot track. Mary always comes with the heat that kills dance floors everywhere. A video for the song is on its way. Stay tuned to Universalurban for the video and latest info on Mary.

:: site ::