Music News: Willow Smith Signs to Roc Nation

So if you haven’t been keeping up, Rihanna released “Only Girl (In the World)” on Tuesday and out of nowhere the offspring of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow Smith, came out swinging with the unexpected “Whip My Hair.” All sorts of Willow and Rihanna comparisons were made due to an unreleased Rihanna song entitled “Whippin’ My hair,” Willow’s similar vocal delivery to Rihanna and the similar style Willow shares with Rihanna… Then today, it was announced that Willow signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.

Below is what Will and Jada had to say about the choice of label:

“After meeting with several record companies, it was clear that Jay-Z, Ty Ty, Jay Brown and the Roc Nation staff was the unquestionable choice. Their passion for Willow combined with their boundless vision and artistic integrity made Roc Nation the perfect home for our little girl.”

Below are Jay-Z’s comments made towards the superstar, in the making:

“I heard the record first before I knew that it was recorded by a nine year old and I was like, man that record’s a smash,” Jay-Z said. “I believe in superstars. I believe in big records and in superstars and I think [Willow] has both.”

“She has a child’s innocence but she has a clear vision of who she is and who she wants to be,” he continued. “I can only imagine that’s how Mike [Michael Jackson] was as a young kid, he knew exactly what he wanted.”

“Willow is about to embark on an incredible journey and we look forward to joining her as she grows in all aspects of her career,” Roc Nation said in a statement.

Well there you have it, Willow Smith may just be that child-in-training to be a true pop culture phenomenon. What we can’t get over about “Whip My Hair,” is it is a silly song for someone 20+ to sing but for a 9 year old to sing a song like this, it screams potential. All she has is room to grow and all she also has is POWER behind her now so expect to see Willow dazzle. Watch Willow on the Ryan Seacrest show after and listen to “Whip My Hair” here…

Source: YouTube/thecsperspective.com

“Love the song…she will be a good addition to the Roc Nation. Go ahead girl, do your thang!!”

Download It: Willow Smith – ‘Whip My Hair’

Willow Smith is on her grown girl steez with her new track “Whip My Hair,” her introduction to the music biz. The sleek, club-ready joint sees the nine-year-old encouraging her fellow gals to snap their heads back and forth and whip that hair like a helicopter. Taking cues from her fashion idol Rihanna, the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith shows that this little diva-in-training has what it takes to tussle with the big girls—and her ’tude hasn’t gone unnoticed.

She’s already received a co-sign from Solange Knowles, known for her own experimental hairstyles. “Willow Smith make me wanna whip some haiiirrr in this house. Ummm kill em girl. Kill em!” she tweeted.

Download below and prepare for whiplash…

Download: Willow Smith – “Whip My Hair”

Source: Rap-Up.com

Celebrity News: Hollywood’s Top-Earning Couples

According to Forbes, the indisputable king and queen of the hip-hop prom are Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles. The couple, who quietly married in 2008, not only produce and sing some of the biggest hits on the charts (including “Single Ladies” and “Empire State of Mind“) but they oversee clothing lines, perform around the world, and endorse products from companies like American Express and Budweiser.

All that hard work has paid off. Between June 2008 and June 2009 the couple earned a combined $122 million putting them squarely at the top of our annual Top-Earning Couples list.

Our list includes actors, musicians, and professional athletes. We talked to agents, managers, producers, and lawyers to determine what celebrities earned from staring in movies, touring, selling albums, playing professional sports, creating lines of clothing and perfumes, and appearing in ads.

Jay-Z and Beyoncé both contribute significantly to their joint earnings. Last year Beyoncé out-earned Jay-Z, bringing in $87 million to his $35 million. (The couple also topped last year’s list with $162 million. About half of that came from each star.)

For the couple in second place on our list, it’s more about his big payday. Harrison Ford and his girlfriend, Calista Flockhart, earned a combined $69 million, $53 million less than Jay-Z and Beyonce.

Almost all of that came from Fords work in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Ford and producers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas made a unique deal with Paramount on the movie that gave them a significant portion of the film’s earnings after the studio broke even. As a result Ford eared a jaw-dropping $65 million for putting back on Indy’s trademark fedora. Flockhart earns for her work on the TV show “Brothers & Sisters.”

In third place: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The power couple earned a total of $55 million split about evenly between them both. Pitt had one of the biggest hits of his career last year with “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and Jolie has embraced her inner action hero with 2008’s “Wanted” and the upcoming film “Salt.”

Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, rank fourth with $48 million. Smith is perhaps the last of the great movie stars. Even in recessionary times he still can demand a $20 million paycheck. Pinkett Smith has a burgeoning career of her own. She voices Gloria the hippo in the popular “Madagascar” films and last year produced “The Secret Life of Bees.”

The Smiths would earn even more if we were including whole families. Their daughter, Willow, appeared in “I Am Legend” with her dad and did voice work with her mom on “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.” Jaden Smith co-starred with his father in “The Pursuit of Happyness” and will star in the upcoming remake of “The Karate Kid.”

Rounding out the top five are David and Victoria Beckham. The pair earned $46 million between June 2008 and June 2009. The vast majority of that comes from David Beckham, who plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy. He is also playing for A.C. Milan and could appear in his fourth World Cup this summer.

Source: Forbes.com

Music News: Shaheen Jafargholi Signed By Brad Pitt’s Agent

Twelve-year-old Shaheen Jafargholi has been signed up by Brad Pitt‘s talent agency after he appeared at Michael Jackson‘s memorial service. The youngster, who amazed audiences with his incredible voice on Britain’s Got Talent, impressed Jacko before he died and was set to perform at the London shows of the singer’s This Is It tour.

It is claimed his career in the US will now take off after his tribute to Jackson at the Staples Center and LA-based agency, CAA, are reported to be looking after the lad. The agency were behind footballer David Beckham‘s move to LA and Pitt, George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith are among the celebrities on their books. A source said: “Shaheen has had requests to appear on all the big TV shows. He has meetings lined up with Nickelodeon TV and Disney. “Disney are looking at finding a role for him in their High School Musical and Hannah Montana-style shows. Producer-director Kenny Ortega is involved in both and was the man behind the Jackson memorial. He loves Shaheen.” CAA also represent Britain’s Got Talent star Simon Cowell, 49, who is rumored to be planning a record deal for Shaheen.

Source: Splash News

Designer L♥VE: Russell Simmons For Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart to Launch Simmons Clothing Line…

According to Business Week, Hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons‘ American Classics line of men’s clothing is set to roll out. But with consumers spending less, Wal-Mart keeps mum. As most apparel retailers announce job cuts and store closures because of sluggish sales, it is a precarious time for any of them to launch a new brand. But on Feb. 15 Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) will roll out a new line of men’s clothing designed by hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons in 350 stores, about 10% of its U.S. outlets, and on its Web site. The launch will come less than a week after the world’s largest retailer announced that it will move buyers in the apparel division from its Bentonville (Ark.) headquarters to New York to increase the focus on fashion.

For a company whose financial performance has trounced rivals such as Target (TGT) in recent months by focusing on lower-price essentials rather than more expensive discretionary items, the move seems surprising, especially as Wal-Mart flopped famously in its previous efforts to sell more fashionable, pricier clothing. One such effort was a women’s line designed by Mark Eisen, which alienated the store’s core customers. “Fashion is tricky,” says retail consultant David Lockwood of Mintel Research. “This is not macaroni and cheese or over-the-counter vitamins, which they know really well.” But as Wal-Mart slows its store expansion, it needs to sell higher-profit items to continue generating growth—and apparel is one segment that can still draw new customers.
Priced to Sell…

This time around Wal-Mart is keeping a tighter rein on the price and the trendiness of new clothing items. Simmons’ American Classics line will be priced between $9.99 and $29, with about 80% of the clothes at $15 or less. Simmons, who launched the Phat Farm clothing label in 1992 and another brand in 2008 called Argyle Culture, sold in Macy’s (M), says his new focus is the “urban graduate,” whom he describes as 25-to-50-year-old men such as Will Smith, Adam Sandler, and Barack Obama, who grew up with hip-hop clothes but as professionals can no longer don baggy pants and shirts sporting oversize logos. American Classics’ first season has a heavy focus on purple, navy, and white and includes jeans, sweater vests, casual sports shoes, and woven and knit shirts.
♦ Read Full Story

Source: businessweek.com

Tune In: Candy Girls on E!

Since the creation of music videos there has always been a fascination with the women featured in these videos and next month E! will give its viewers a chance to get an inside look at the world of video modeling with their new reality show Candy Girls.

As part of the show, E! Entertainment will take a look at the extremely competitive and sometimes misunderstood field of video modeling. Candy Girls will focus on the lives of about five women and the ups and downs they face as video models.

“This series introduces E!’s entertainment-obsessed viewers to an aspect of the industry that has not previously been revealed,” Lisa Berger, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Series Development of E! Entertainment Television said in a statement. “While these women may be recognized for their sexy personas, viewers will find there is much more to them than meets the eye. With cut-throat attitudes, strong opinions and an unapologetic passion for luxury goods, these music industry divas are sure to create an exciting and dramatic series.”

Danielle, one of the women the show will focus on, is actually the owner of Bella, one of the more exclusive music video casting agencies. Candy Girls will revolve around the women of Bella including a handful of their video models Olivia, Bianca, Brooke, and Terricka.

Consisting of several seasoned video models, some of Bella’s models have been featured in videos by Keyshia Cole, Jay-Z, Will Smith, Nick Cannon, 50 Cent and more.

Candy Girls will premiere on Sunday, March 8th at 10:30pm ET/PT and is executive produced by Jason Carbone, Leah Landon and Troy Carte.

Source: hiphopdx.com

Can’t wait to see it!

Celebrity News: T.I. Calls On Will Smith For Some Assistance!

T.I. decided to call on a mentor to assist him mentor! “Rapper T.I., who’s about to go to prison for a year after pleading guilty to federal weapons-possession charges, is leaning on the shoulder of his good friend, squeaky clean Will Smith… During filming of his new MTV series, “T.I.’s Road to Redemption: 45 Days To Go,” T.I. tried to change his ways and continually called Smith off-camera for advice on “how he could better inspire and motivate the kids he was mentoring,” a spy said. In the new docu-series, T.I. takes seven at-risk kids and tries to lead them to make better choices by placing them in certain situations that might make them want to change their “hustling” ways.”

Source: theurbandaily

Just In: Will & Jada Offer Support To Chris Brown & Rihanna

(From People.com)

Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith say they’ll do anything for Chris Brown and Rihanna – even it just means leaving them alone.

“Jada and I reached out to both of them,” Smith, 40, tells Extra. “If it’s help they need, then let’s get it right.”

Smith says that the best support right now may be to step back. Brown, 19, is under police investigation in Los Angeles for allegedly beating Rihanna, 20, early last Sunday morning.

“This is a time where they need to be left alone and if they have things they need to work out, work it out,” Smith says, urging the public to wait until all the facts are in.

“People should take a minute before they jump on it and judge,” he tells Extra. “We don’t know nothing. If there are mistakes people make, then they should be willing to live up to the mistakes and do whatever penance they need to do. I don’t think it’s up to us, specifically the media, with such a fast hand to try to chop someone’s head off.”