1.21 Gigawatts: Back To The First Time is on the way and Ludaversal under construction

Last night at a private studio in a secluded Atlanta neighborhood, Ludacris and close members of the DTP Family were listening to club bangers off his soon to be released mixtape entitled "1.21 Gigawatts: Back To The First Time" and began drafting the blueprints which will become his 8th studio album entitled "LUDAVERSAL" (Disturbing Tha Peace Records/Def Jam).

It was a normal studio scene including a lot of Apple computers open, Smartphones ringing, vibrating (NO TWEETING WAS ALLOWED), Conjure Cognac flowing and Soul headphones scattered everywhere like it was a private showroom. The bosses were in the building (Chaka Zulu, Jeff Dixon :: Co-Ceo's of DTP Records and Ludacris' management), new artist were simultaneously learning from their multi-platinum mogul CEO while contributing their creativity to new concepts, and close people of the team that they trust to give an honest opinion of what was being crafted, as well as throwing marketing ideas against the wall, potential video concepts, and discussing the current state of the music biz (not just hip-hop) and where it is going.

After a 12 hour session, empty containers of take out food, empty Conjure bottles, Dead Smartphones, and multiple youtube views that were utilized for reference points, LUDAVERSAL is underway and from the schematics of the blueprints which were rolled out on the table Ludacris is sure to bring home all of hip-hop's hardware and more.

Jay-Z: The college course only at Georgetown University

It’s not yet possible to declare Jay-Z as a major. But at Georgetown University, a group of lucky students is taking a course devoted to intense Hova study.


As noted by MTV’s Rapfix blog, Georgetown — otherwise known as the institute of higher learning unofficially endorsed by Justin Bieber — is offering a fall-semester-only class called “Sociology of Hip-Hop: Jay-Z.” The three-credit, twice-weekly lecture is taught by professor, author and Jay-Z proponent Michael Eric Dyson, who tells MTV about the course: “We look at his incredible body of work, we look at his own understanding of his work, we look at others who reflect upon him, and then we ask the students to engage in critical analysis of Jay-Z himself.”

Presumably that critical analysis does not involve speculation regarding ridiculous rumors involving Jay-Z’s wife Beyonce and their baby, aka Sasha Fetus.

Hip-hop has frequently been the subject of university classes; Duke University offers an African American studies class called “Sampling Soul,” which focuses on hip-hop, black cinema, social movements and other topics. And last spring, Bun B of the Underground Kingz served as a distinguished lecturer at Rice University, where he taught a religion and hip-hop course.

But focusing so intensely on a single rapper is somewhat rare. And it presents the unique opportunity to write a killer paper titled “Get That Dirt Off Your Shoulder: Obama, Politics and the Social Implications of ‘The Black Album.’ ”

No word on whether Kanye West will eventually be the subject of a course. If he is, I humbly recommend that it be called “The College Class on ‘The College Dropout.’ ”

JAY-Z X KANYE WEST & MORE TOAST TREY SONGZ AND MELANIE FIONA'S ROCAWEAR CAMPAIGN

Celebrations for Trey Songz and Melanie Fiona‘s first official fashion campaign for Rocawear reached a peak last night in New York City. The artists were toasted at a glittering event sponsored by Hennessy Black and GQ magazine inside opulent, open-air venue Provocateur.

EVE X PUMA & OTHER CELEBS COME TOGETHER FOR GUMBALL 3000 RACE

WESTFORD, Mass., April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- After two successful partnerships with Gumball 3000 Rally in 2008 and 2009, PUMA® hits the pavement for round three as the exclusive sportlifestyle sponsor of this year's rally. From May 1st through May 7th, the 3000 mile route will kick off in London and stop in Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stockholm before making the hop across the pond to Boston. The rally will continue to Quebec City and Toronto before ending in Times Square in New York City. PUMA will bring its mix of sport and lifestyle to this high-octane road trip with special events and activations along the way.

PUMA will host three cars in this year's rally. Team PUMA features actress and award winning recording artist Eve, actor Idris Elba, and James Bond, sneaker and street style influencer and co-owner of the legendary sneaker shop UNDFTD. In addition, all 120 cars in the 12th annual rally will be branded with PUMA's signature formstripe and iconic PUMA cat logo as part of the Official Gumball 3000 Sticker Kit. Some of the finest and most exotic cars in the world are entered into the rally and spectators along the way can be sure to catch a glimpse of Bugatti's, Rolls Royce's, Ferrari's and Lamborghini's all customized with PUMA's iconic branding for this global event.

As part of PUMA's involvement in the Rally, the brand will release two limited edition sneakers to celebrate the successful partnership. An exclusive SL Street Gumball 3000 will be available at Journey's, PUMA Stores, and puma.com. PUMA and UNDFTD will also release a limited edition Comp-Star-Gumball 3000. Both are slated to be available just in time for the drop of the flag. A special PUMA Gumball 3000 tee shirt will also be available in select US cities where the rally will be visiting and online at shop.puma.com.

PUMA has been a leader in the Motorsport category for over 10 years as the official supplier to top motorsport racing teams and drivers in Formula 1, NASCAR and MotoGP. Given the brand's long history in the sport, combined with its ability to bring fashion and lifestyle into the mix, and Gumball 3000's appeal for adventure, fast cars, style, and fun, the partnership has been a perfect fit.