We’ve all heard the stories of record labels and the ups and downs being contracted with one may cause.  Here and now BET network is taking us all behind the scenes of some of the greats.  Tonight, May 17th at 8:00 ET and 9:00 ET make sure to tune into the first part of the eight-episode-docs-series.  Uptown Records is the first up in the spotlight to dig into all the dirt, good and bad with a Part I and Part II episode of the journey.  Some of Hip Hop’s most iconic labels will be featured  in the eight-week series for one-hour long like, Grand Hustle, Loud Records, Slip-N-Slide, Terror Squad, Ruff Ryders, Disturbing Tha Peace (DTP), and Murder Inc.  

Founder, Andre Harrell will be among the industry insiders like, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, and Guy’s Teddy Riley and Damion Hall giving they’re unique takes on Uptown’s success, legacy, and so much more.  We can expect to see some never-before-seen footage in an up close, first-person narrative kinda way.  The series is executive produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions and DTP co-founders Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Bridges’ manager Chaka Zulu, and Jeff Dixon.

“The dreams and visions; the successes and failures … we want young aspiring entrepreneurs to have a blueprint as to what really goes on in this business and understand how much work it takes,” says DTP’s Dixon of the inspiration behind the series. “We [as African-Americans] also want to document our own history, especially in this industry. This is like our natural resource. No one can tell these stories like us.”

According to Billboard, these are some of the other power players that will be “playing” in each episode of Inside the Label:

Uptown Records: Andre Harrell, Diddy, Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, Babyface, Teddy Riley, Damion Hall, Brett Ratner, Laurieann Gibson, Robin Thicke, Sanaa Lathan, Doug E. Fresh, Al B. Sure, Eddie F, Kim Porter, Father MC, Jeff Redd and Monifah.

Grand Hustle: T.I., Jason Geter, Young Dro, Kevin Liles, Lil Duval, Killer Mike, DJ Toomp and B.O.B.

Loud Records: Steve Rifkind, RZA, Xzibit and E-Swift.

Slip-N-Slide Records: Ted Lucas, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Trina and DJ Khaled.

Terror Squad: Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, Noreaga, Cool & Dre and Jesse Terrero.

Ruff Ryders: Joaquin Dean, Darren Dean, Chivon Dean, Swizz Beatz, Eve, The Lox, Irv Gotti, Drag On, DJ Clue, DJ Kool Herc, Lyor Cohen and Jimmy Iovine.

Disturbing Tha Peace: Ludacris, Chaka Zulu, Jeff Dixon, Chingy, Bobby Valentino, Shareefa, Lil Scrappy, Bangladesh, Lil Fate, I-20 and Poon Daddy.

Murder Inc.: Irv Gotti, Ashanti, Ja Rule, Jay-Z, Charlie Baltimore, Kevin Liles and Lyor Cohen.

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Spike Lee‘s newest project is sure to have some serious hip-hop ties.  You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Kills You, the newest Spike Lee joint, isn’t set to premiere until September, but an obvious rap influence has helped create some buzz.  In addition to appearances from hip-hop staples Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane and Ed Lover, the title of the movie is drawn from Notorious B.I.G.’s track, “You’re Nobody“, off his album Life After Death.  The film pits two NYC homicide detectives at odds with a serial killer who is murdering some of the hip-hop game’s brightest stars.  I’m sure y’all don’t need any impetus to go see a Spike Lee production, but if it helps the film debuts at the Williamsburg International Film Festival.  To be fair Spike is executive producing the film, while Michael A. Pinckney will handle the directing, but I’m game either way.

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Monday, April 25 at 7:00 pm

The Apollo Legacy: Hip Hop!
Performance Series

In the late 1980s, the television series It’s Showtime at the Apollo was one of the first national platforms for local hip hop artists.  Join legendary hip hop performer and one of the originators of the human beat box Doug E. Fresh, former host of It’s Showtime at the Apollo, for an evening of performance and conversation about the relationship between hip hop and the Apollo Theater, withMark Anthony Neal, co-editor of That’s the Joint!: The Hip Hop Studies Reader(Routledge, 2011). Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment and in collaboration with the Apollo Theater and the Hip Hop Culture Center in Harlem.

Reservations requested; $5 general admission.

Click HERE to purchase tickets

via MCNY

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