PANACHE REPORT.COM PRESENTS: HIP-HOP GALLERY GOSSIP (UPDATED MONTHLY)

What do rappers 50 Cent, T.I. and Kanye have in common?  They will all release new albums this year.  The bad news-according to USA Today, in an article entitled, "Rap Is Dead," established rap stars no longer are sure things in sales. During the past nine months, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Diddy and Nas released albums, but only those by Jay-Z and Ludacris have sold at least 1 million copies in the USA, and only Diddy is still on the charts.  Thankfully, 50, T.I. and Kanye are rich with diversified earnings they may have to fall back on due to sluggish CD sales.  Rap sales are down 33 percent from last year.  Heavy metal and country music have surpassed rap in sales and this is just the beginning.  Bootlegging, illegal downloads and digital sales (i-Tunes and ringtones) will continue to hurt rap.  Multi-platinum rap sales are a thing of the past.  Remember, Jay-Z and Ludacris just sold 1 million copies (each) of their latest albums.

HOTS SPOTS OF THE HIP-HOP ELITE:

The Chakra Lounge is the most expensive club ever built in South Beach with a 30 foot waterfall, a private glass skybox, a terrace the overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, a restaurant and a bar with a breathtaking view of Ocean Drive.  Diddy, Jamie Foxx and Pharrell Williams are regulars.

The Palm Islands, also referred to as "The Palm Dubai," and "The Palms," are the three largest man-made islands in the world, they're located on the coast of the emirate of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  Each of the islands (Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, and Palm Deira) are built in the shape of a date palm tree and consist of a trunk, a crown with fronds, and are surrounded by a crescent island that acts as a breakwater. The islands will support luxury hotels, freehold residential villas, unique water homes, shoreline apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities, health spas, cinemas and various diving sites.  Private estates are also built on the island and you can dock your yacht on the water surrounding the estates.  The Palm Jumeriah island is pictured above.  This is also a favorite destination for Jay/Bey, Diddy/Kim and Russell.

Prince has angered music retailers because he has agreed to let "The Mail" in London include his CD (for free) in their Sunday paper on July 24th, effectively cutting out the middleman.   The Mail's circulation is 2 million per week. Prince angered retailers a few years ago when he included the price of his CD in his concert ticket price.  Fans who purchased a ticket received a CD.

I recently attended a Lauryn Hill concert.  It was the worst concert I ever attended in my life.  Hill was incoherent as she forgot the lyrics of her songs and she fell flat on her backside during the concert.  People booed, others walked out and a few demanded refunds. This once talented woman needs emergency intervention.   She should spend some of the $25 million she received in royalties for the "Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill," on therapy.  Hill seems uncomfortable in the spotlight and she doesn't seem to handle success well.  She's suffering a very public meltdown.  This is really sad, before she became sidetracked, she was destined to become the next female superstar.

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