Thursday, November 15, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
JAY-Z'S EMPIRE CONTINUES TO GROW
The Jigga man's empire continues to grow with the recent acquisition of apparel brand Artful Dodger.
The high end clothing company was picked up for an estimated $15 million in cash by Scion, LLC - Hov's joint venture with Iconix Brand Group, Inc.
Formerly owned by Sovereign State, LLC the Artful Dodger brand is primarily sold in UK specialty stores and US boutiques.
As part of the new acquisition Scion will began an exclusive multi-year licensing agreement with Signature Apparel Group for both men's and women's Artful Dodger Sportswear. The agreement also calls for Artful Dodger founder Scott Langton to join Signature Apparel Group in order continue his work as creative director and head designer with the brand.
"Artful Dodger is an incredible brand with a lot of room for growth and Scott Langton is a visionary designer," Jay said via a statement. "They represent what's next and new in fashion and we are glad to have both the brand and Scott as a part of our family. Artful Dodger represents the first of many acquisitions that will begin to shape our joint venture with Iconix."
Scion is also currently considering building the brand beyond sportswear, evaluating licensees in addition to the existing sportswear license in order to include footwear and outerwear to grow Artful Dodger into a lifestyle brand.
"Artful Dodger is the perfect deal to launch Scion as we look for brands that have the potential to become lifestyle brands. The combination of Scott's design talent and the marketing strengths of Jay Z and Iconix will create exciting growth opportunities for the brand including distribution at high-end department stores and expansion into new product categories," Neil Cole, Chairman and CEO, Iconix, said also via statement.
The clothing company was named after the 19th Century character Artful Dodger who led a group of cunning young men in mischief throughout the UK.
The Artful Dodger purchase at Scion is just the latest in a series of power moves by Jay-Z. The Def Jam executive, artist and entrepreneur is currently serving a week-long stint as host of Sirius Satellite Radio's Channel 40 Hip-Hop Nation, which has been named "Jay-Z Nation" in honor of the MC's takeover which began November 5.
He's also slated to tie with Elvis Presley's chart-topping record if American Gangster hits No. 1 on Billboard, as is expected.
The album will be his 10th Billboard chart-topper, according to Nielsen SoundScan's Building Chart, released yesterday (November 7). That will tie him with Elvis for second place among artists with the most No. 1 albums. The Beatles hold the top spot with 19.
Jay-Z's concert on "106 & Park" will be airing on BET tomorrow (November 9) at 6 p.m. EST.
courtesy "sohh.com"
Thursday, October 25, 2007
EVEN FROM BEHIND BARS FOXY BROWN CANT ESCAPE THE NEWS!
Incarcerated rapper Foxy Brown was recently thrown in the hole at Rikers for bad behavior, but her manager said the whole thing is a misunderstanding largely due to the artist's hearing impairments.
As SOHH previously reported, Foxy (born Inga Marchand) was sentenced to 76 days of "punitive segregation" after committing three violations at Rikers Island this month.
Foxy's manager, Chaz Williams of Black Hand Entertainment, said the allegations against the Brooklyn bred rapper aren't completely true, according to Billboard.
"There was an incident where a girl attempted to confront her and she stood her ground, but there wasn't any contact," Williams explained to Billboard. "Words were exchanged and that was it."
About Foxy's alleged refusal to take a drug test? "Really she didn't hear the request," Williams said. "She has a battery-operated device and sometimes it dies out."
Williams said by the time Foxy realized what officials were asking, it was too late and the decision to take disciplinary action had already been made.
The three incidents that sent her to the hole don't include her refusal to board a prison bus headed to a Brooklyn court. She reportedly refused to board the bus twice saying she needed to do her hair, make-up and eat lunch first.
Williams said this too, was a result of Brown's hearing impairment.
According to Foxy's manager, councilmember Charles Barron visited Foxy in jail and then called the commissioner himself to explain the rapper's hearing problem and to request she be taken out of punitive segregation. A medical team reportedly examined her health and found that she does in fact have a serious hearing problem. The investigation is ongoing.
In October 2005, Foxy first announced her sudden hearing loss. She is scheduled to release her new album, Brooklyn's Don Diva, under a new deal with Koch on November 20.
AS TOLD TO SOHH.COM
THEY'REE BACKKK!!!!!! AIR JORDAN 13 MAKES IT'S RETURN!!
he Air Jordan 13 is one of the most loved Air Jordan’s ever. The famed shoe, which was designed by Tinker Hatfield is making a gracious return to the game in January 2008. Fans of the Air Jordan series have been waiting for these to come back and now your wishes have been granted.
THEEVILCOLLECTOR.COM
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