Rapper and former Wu-Tang Clan A&R M-Eighty has recently fused his expertise in with music and law to launch a new company called The Academy. The Academy will handle A&R legal matters, including label signings, guest features, concert bookings, music licensing, and more. This year, The Academy will be handling projects from Canibus, Keith Murray, Sunz of Man, and more.
Coinciding with the launch of The Academy, M-Eighty intends to release a compilation album along the lines of 2005’s Wu-Tang Meets Indie Culture. The Academy compilation is set for a May 19th release date on Sound Records and Entertainment/Ingrooves. The compliation is set to feature 20 new songs from the likes of the RZA, Sean Price, C-Rayz Walz, Timbo King and many others.
In other news, for many fans, June 16 marks a day of bittersweet remembrance for the birth of Hip Hop icon Tupac Shakur. But this year, June 16 will be known as a new beginning for west coast Hip Hop. On June 16, San Francisco emcee The Jacka is set to release his third solo album Tear Gas on Artist Records/SMC.
Tear Gas finds The Jacka working with a diverse cast of rappers, including fellow Californians E-40 and Mistah F.A.B., east coast icons Cormega and Freeway, and southern stars Paul Wall and Devin the Dude. In addition, twelve different producers, including Traxamillion, Bedrock, among others, will handle the album’s production. The album’s first single “Glamorous Life,” which features Bay area legend Andre Nickatina, will be available for download and ringtones on May 3.
Reported by Sean Ryon.
