Michelle Williams recently caused an uproar with news that Destiny’s Child will hit the studios once again. Also, the first track from the upcoming solo LP from former 3LW member Adrienne Bailon was leaked last week. All this made us think: There’s always one member from every group that ends up going off on their own. But did they make the right move?

Let’s take a look….

1. Beyonce

Started out as lead singer of Destiny’s Child one of those most successful girl groups to date. We all know how aggressive Beyonce is when it comes to music, so it was only a matter of time before she went solo. Beyonce went on to release three multi-platinum solo projects (Dangerously In Love, B’Day, and I Am…Sasha Fierce), picked up a number of endorsements  (L’Oreal, American Express, Nintendo DS, Giorgio Armani and Samantha Thavasa bags), and  roles in hit films (Obsessed, The Pink Panther, Dreamgirls and Austin Powers in Goldmember).  After Michelle recently spoke with a Britain’s News Of The World newspaper about a possible reunion, rumors are out that Destiny’s Child may return for one more album sometime in 2010. Their reunion album will fly off the shelves in a heartbeat, with sold-out shows to follow, but we would still sit back and anticipate the next solo project from Bey!

Verdict: Better off solo

2. Nicole Scherzinger

Long before she became a household name, Nicole Scherzinger started out on the TV show Popstars and landed a spot on the girl group Eden’s Crush. The group didn’t turn out to be a success, with members deciding to pursue individual interests. Nicole didn’t give up on groups as she later became a member of The Pussycat Dolls who went on to sell over seven million records worldwide.  Nicole struggled to get the same response on her own with solo album constantly being pushed back and singles failing.  For the sake of her career, she found her way right back to The Pussycat Dolls.

Verdict: Better off in a group

3. Justin Timberlake

Being one of the lead singers of ‘N Sync, an internationally known boy band that sold out concerts, sold 2.4 million records in a week, and sold over 50 million records worldwide. How do you walk away? Maybe they got tired of the funky hair do’s and dressing alike. Next thing you know,  the members decided they were finished, but Justin wasn’t. He went on to release two successful solo albums (Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds) and land roles in hit movies Alpha Dog and Edison. With members JC judging on America’s Best Dance Crew, Lance appearing on Dancing With The Stars, Joey hosting red carpet events for TV Guide network, and Chris is just M.I.A. altogether. Looks like Justin made the right move by dancing his way right out.

Verdict: Better off solo

4. Omarion

Started out with successful group of the early 2000′s, B2K. They released two successful albums together, had sold out shows, and a movie You Got Served. They found great success at a young age, but it wasn’t enough to keep them together. With the other members struggling with solo careers, Omarion went platinum on his first solo album O and later sold close to a million copies of his second album 21. But all is getting a little confusing as of late: he was “asked to be released” from Young Money’s trying to find a home for his music considering .  Also, J.Boog and Lil Fizz are trying to make their way back to the top releasing a single “Bounce” off the Bring It On: Fight To The Finish soundtrack and Raz-B is just completely off the scene. Maybe they all need to find their way back to B2K.

Verdict: Better off in a group

5. Bobby Valentino

Some of you may not know it or probably forgot that Bobby Valentino started out with early 90′s group Mista, the group famous for the hit “Blackberry Molasses.” Mista had moderate success and eventually split. Bobby went on to release three solo albums, Bobby Valentino, Special Occasion, and The Rebirth. After switching labels and his third album flopping, we still hear more from him than we do his ex group members.

Verdict: Better off solo

6. Young Jeezy

Jeezy got his big break when he signed on as a member of  Diddy’s group Boyz N Da Hood. The group released their first self-titled album back in 2005. Shortly after, Jeezy released his solo album through Def Jam Records which ended up outselling  Boyz N Da Hood. Needless to say he left the group and was replaced by Gorilla Zoe (where is he now?). Meanwhile,  Jeezy is rapping all the way to the bank after three platinum selling albums Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation, The Inspiration, and The Recession. Not to mention his clothing line 8732 and collaborations with  Jay-Z, Nas, Kanye West, and Mariah Carey. Too bad we can’t even remember the last time we heard anything from Boyz N Da Hood or even saw them.

Verdict: Better off solo

7. Adrienne Bailon

3LW had to deal with drama that caused them to replace Naturi Naughton, only to struggle with album sales. Naturi went on to jump start an acting career starring in the films Notorious and Fame. Meanwhile, Kiely and Adrienne went on to acting careers starring in The Cheetah Girls. Adrienne got a little more air time with her ex Robert Kardashian on the reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians and pulled a publicity stunt with her nude photos hitting the net. But, that wasn’t enough for Adrienne who still has hope for her music career and somehow managed to get  herself a solo deal under Def Jam with an album expected to be released next year.  Will she be able to make it alone or have to stick to acting?

Verdict: Who knows  and do we really even care?

With the leak of two Timbo-produced joints from The Blueprint 3 confirming the tracklisting that made its way to the Internets last week, Jay-Z stans everywhere have been up in arms when faced with the reality that a follow-up to the ’01 original will lack production from the likes of Just Blaze (or Bink! for that matter), while also featuring newcomers such as KiD CuDi and Mr. Hudson. In a perfect world, here’s what the tracklisting to the feverishly anticipated album would look like:

1. Hand It Down Part 2 (Featuring Pain In Da Ass and J. Cole) (Produced by DJ Premier)

If President Obama was the hip-hop fan he claims to be, he’d pass a law mandating that every Jay-Z album begin with Pain In Da Ass doing his best Tony Montana impression, with a beat provided by Premo.

Jay also seems intent on letting J. Cole get some shine seeing as homey got on BP3 with only one mixtape to his name. At least this way, he’d do it in classic style. Hell, Jay wouldn’t even have to write his verses.

2. D.O.A. [Death of All Y'all] (Featuring T-Pain) (Produced by No I.D.)

The OG joint had Jay biting his tongue a bit too much. T-Pain on the hook would serve notice to everyone except for the rapper-turnt-sanga to kill that Auto-Tune’d noise. And then Hov could slip Pain one of his trademark build-you-up-and-break-you-down subliminals, kinda like what he did to mixtape Weezy.

After going at Auto-Tune, Jay could turn his attention to Jaz’s bum ass once again, as well as the always disrespectful Game (their new Hov diss is heat rocks, btw).

3. Run This Town (Featuring Beyonce) (Produced by Rich Harrison)

Forget Rihanna and her attempts at singing. Hov should’ve got at B, so she can be all up in the video (I’m thinking something along the lines of “Single Ladies” here) for this surefire radio single meant for z100.

And remember how go-go was supposed to be the next big thing in hip-hop? It didn’t quite pan out that way, but Jay can take another stab at it–after “Jockin’ Jay-Z” failed to get more spins–by recruiting the man best suited for bringing the sound (Harrison), thus rekindling the musical magic between Hov and his wifey.

4. Empire State of Mind (Featuring Nas) (Produced by L.E.S. and Wyldfyer)

Ms. Keys is cool and all, but early reports had the Lil’ Homey on the track instead. L.E.S. and Wyldfyer should handle the beat, as they’ve already been responsible for two of the dopest collabos between the two formerly feuding emcees. And it’s always entertaining to hear Nas continue to throw shots at Jay even when they’re on the same track.

5. Off That (Featuring Drake) (Produced by Timbaland)

This track is actually not that bad. Here, Jay gets all the money talk out of his system, all the while tapping into the Lil Wayne demographic with Drake’s cameo (i.e. the high school chicks who actually throw down on tix to see the “America’s Most Wanted Tour”). Oh, and Timbo spazzed on this beat.

6. U Don’t Know Part 3 (Featuring M.O.P. and DMX) (Produced by Just Blaze)

It’s the only series of songs to make the first two BPs, so why not the third one? Adding Crackhead Earl to the mix should up the ante (no pun intended), even if Danze and Fame ripped the beat to shreds already. This shit right here, though, would really make cats wan’ go and commit felonies.

7. Hate (Featuring Kanye West) (Produced by Kanye West)

Going by the title at least, this joint seems eerily similar to that cut from BP2 when a hungry Hov was rapping like he “got a chip on [his] shoulder the size of the Golden Nugget in Vegas.”

8. Real As It Gets (Featuring Young Jeezy) (Produced by Don Cannon)

Another actual cut from BP3, Don Cannon should be behind the boards for this instead of The Incredibles. Cannon usually brings out the best in Jeezy. Not to mention, he’s like a poor man’s version of Just Blaze so this would sorta help to fill the necessary Justin Smith quota for a Jay album.

9. Guess Who’s Back Again (Featuring Scarface and Beanie Sigel) (Produced by Kanye West)

“This Can’t Be Life.” “Guess Who’s Back.” “Some How, Some Way.”

10. Another Murder (Hidden Guest Verse) (Produced by Just Blaze)

“Back to Shawn Carter the hustler, Jay-Z is dead.”

Building on the theme from the Volume 3 standout, it’s the perfect way to end the Blueprint series, as Jay shifts roles from artist to robber baron executive.

So, naturally he’d have to pass the torch to someone right? J. Cole seems the right business move being a Roc Nation artist, but the natural heir is someone with actual Rocafella pedigree who isn’t best suited for weedcarrying duties (or in Hov’s case, washing his Jay-Z blue Lex bubble Maybach). Hence, Young Chris to close out the show.

And Just would have to produce this last track, after crafting the perfect sendoff for Jay with “My 1st Song.”

So yes, only ten tracks. Isn’t the GOAT album the true hip-hop blueprint, anyway?

Earlier in the week, Young Jeezy dropped the diss track “24-23 [Kobe-LeBron]” (below) going at ATL’s new favorite trapmaster, Gucci Mane, and now tomorrow, the two may be forced to confront each other face-to-face in North Carolina at Hot 107.9′s Birthday Bash megaconcert.

The feud’s been brewing for a while but it’s the first outright moment of hostility between the two since Gucci gained relevance outside of ATL and threatened Jeezy’s status as the premier niggorant coke rap aficionado.

The problem with this beef, unlike the 50/Ross battle and other manufactured skirmishes, is that it’s grounded in violence. After allegedly putting a ransom on Gucci’s chain because of a disagreement over the song “So Icy” back in ’05, Jeezy’s men then tried robbing Gucci. Gucci ended up killing one of the robbers, beating the charge on self-defense.

With both men’s career now taking off—Jeezy is now fully mainstream (peep the Belvedere ads) and Gucci is the ambassador of the streets down South—hopefully both cats have too much going for them to take the violent path if things escalate.

But continuing hostilities may claim one casualty—the ATL scene.

ATL rode to the forefront of the rap food chain the last few years by being a united front, save for the beef between T.I. and Luda that was kinda swept under the rug with the exception of one track, “Stomp.” Meanwhile, in NY, a new beef was taking shape virtually everyday that created a bunch of battle rappers who couldn’t produce a fun-loving hit song to save one’s career. Nas and Jay kicked it off. 50 took notes and beat down Ja. And then 50 went after everyone and everyone followed suit from there.

The South’s kinda lacking the right leadership with Gucci and Jeezy feuding. T.I.’s gone for a year. The rest of Grand Hustle has yet to grab hold of the mainstream. Luda’s off making movies. And who knows what the hell Three Stacks is up to.

ATL better hold it together. Or the shouts of DJ Khaled reppin’ the MIA could become even more omnipresent. And we know they ain’t they best—or the realest.

- Devin Chanda

Drake announced in an exclusive interview with MuchMusic that he could soon be joining hip-hop’s titans in a late-summer tour of epic proportions. The blogosphere’s latest darling emcee says the scheduling is still being worked out, but that he could soon be hitting the road with the likes of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy.

Drake may be Canada’s biggest export since Pamela Anderson’s chest, but he will be dwarfed by the game’s biggest stars if this tour comes to fruition. Given the alleged line-up, it wouldn’t take much to assemble a full-blown hip-hop tour of Woodstock proportions. Add Kanye and Em, a couple young guns like CuDi and Asher Roth, and the legendary Roots crew and you would blow every other summer festival out of the water easily.

Hip-hop may have gone pop, but it would be even fresher to see it go country. Imagine how dope it would be to see urban music’s biggest stars rock a pasture (not so) near you. The security bill would be through the roof and the NIMBY crowd may have a cow, but that would be a small price to pay for such an epic tour.

It may sound far-fetched but with album sales lower than the Dow Jones, touring is where the money is.

So…get on that Drizzy.

-Lukas Brekke-Miesner

To hear Young Jeezy tell it, he has his own signature shell-toes on the way. In fact, he even has a prototype in hand in the video below. But based on what Jeezy is showing us, they look like a standard pair of Adidas with a graphic on the tongue and his “Snowman” alias on the back.

Back in the early 2000s that would have been a big deal, but Reebok’s “S. Carters” and “G-Units” already played out the novelty of stamping rap logos on generic looking sneakers. A new apparel era has dawned and creativity is king.

Kanye just released his Nike “Air Yeezys” and his Louis Vuitton steps and Adidas and UNDRCRWN are in negotiations with Mos Def to release his bold but fresh “Boogie Man” kicks. Why would Adidas release the boring “Snowmans” when they have the dope “Boogie Mans” (below) on tap?

Hip-Hop music is not selling like it used to, which means that it’s only holding onto its pop-culture credibility by virtue of its fashion-forward sense of cool. That elusive “cool” will be lost however if hip-hop tosses up half-assed bricks like Jeezy’s “Snowmen.”

If Jeezy really wants to make waves in the shoe game, he needs to take notes from Yeezy, Hip-Hop’s resident fashion Podiatrist. Otherwise he needs to shelve his shell-toes, or donate them to Rick Ross’ lackluster K-Mart Luxury Tax clothing line.

-Lukas Brekke-Miesner

Kanye West is known for eclectic videos fueled by cutting edge technology and avant garde sensibilities, but this go round he opted for something far more grandiose– breathtaking aerial shots of Hawaii’s mountains, shores and sunsets. With an assist from Young Jeezy and direction from Hype Williams, Kanye introduces us to the serenity of Hawaii, where he often retreats for work and relaxation.

The end of the footage below shows Yeezy on BET’s 106 and Park discussing the music video and his latest work. He tries to be modest before admitting that it’s killing him to do so. He then goes on to say he’s the best rapper and producer out. I guess old habits die hard.

-Lukas Brekke-Miesner

Young Jeezy’s video for “Circulate” surfaced yesterday. Though the Don Cannon-produced track was a standout on The Recession featuring Jeezy’s take on our current economic woes, the Belvedere Vodka sponsored video is pure Terry Richardson high-fashion porn.

To illustrate the vast inconsistencies, I have juxtaposed Jeezy’s lyrics with Richardson’s visuals. I present my case below.

Exhibit A: At the 0:54 mark, the above footage of girl-on-girl knife licking plays while the singer on the chorus laments that “Unemployment’s on the rise, gasoline issues full of lies. Rent being paid late…” You get the picture.

Exhibit B: At the 2:23 mark Jeezy says “I got to be the one to say I told ya/ Lord knows I can’t wait till this recession’s over,” while he has a lingerie clad model in his hotel suite bed with heels on.

Exhibit C: From 1:48- 1:52 Jeezy warns us, “I’ll tell you what, this is what I’ll tell you/ When shit gets rough there’s no telling what they’ll sell you,” while he dangles a bottle of Belvi in front of us.

Video cuts this lovely showgirl. Chorus continues on to say “…interest rates are going up…” And that’s not all.

Exhibit D: Finally, at the 3:32 mark, Jeezy, acting like the new president throughout the vid, holds up a newspaper with a headline that declares “America Reborn” after a campaign that consisted of cavorting with models in his hotel suite at New York’s five-star Plaza Athenee

Note to Jeezy: “Circulate” deserves an introspective Rik Cordero video or something, not this corporate sponsored Terry Richardson craziness. The album is titled The Recession, and I know we all gotta eat, but is this what it’s come to? Sip the Belvedere, save the music.

Note to Belvedere: The bruised economy is nothing to make light of and a Black man as president is nothing to mock. Want to hear something really funny: Folks can no longer afford your overpriced liquor.

- Lukas Brekke-Miesner

Hip-Hop superstar Jay-Z dropped in as an unannounced surprise during Young Jeezy’s Inaugural celebration at Washington, D.C.’s Love Night Club on Sunday January 18, 2009.  Jay-Z, along with his wife Beyonce and her younger sister Solange, sang along to the Trap Star’s songs before perfoming his own verse on Jeezy’s “My President” remix. The crowd ate it up as they got into the inaugural moment and energetically waved their mini-American flags.

The event, which kicked-off the creative collaboration between Young Jeezy and Belvedere Vodka, was hosted by Big Tigger and also featured performances from other hip-hop icons T.I. and Akon.

In one of his last performances before he has to report in for his year long jail term next month T.I. performed some of his classic songs like “What You Know” and “A.S.A.P” before delving into the catalog of his latest album Paper Trail. The Southern rapper also made some comments about his upcoming sentence and addressed his critics.

Celebrities Isaiah Washington, Ashanti, Nelly, Bow Wow, Tracey Edmonds, Wale, Teyana Taylor and Kevin Liles also made appearances at the event.

Check out the gallery below to see all of the stars.

- Pharoh Martin

I don’t only love hip-hop. I don’t even think I love hip-hop, but anyway… Peep this new track from upcoming R&B singer Kevin “KC” Cossom.

The first act signed to superproducer Danja’s new imprint New Age Rock Stars (N.A.R.S), Cossom is a 24-year-old Orlando native, who’s written hooks for Rick Ross, R. Kelly and Young Jeezy.

Peep his first single, the Frank E-produced “Late Night” below:

This new Adidas Originals TV ad has more cameos than an episode of 30 Rock. We caught glimpses of Uncle Russ, Young Jeezy, Katy Perry, Jeremy Scott, DMC, David Beckham, Method Man, Redman, Estelle, Missy Elliott, Chad Hugo and Kevin Garnett. Who else can you spot? And who is the old guy spraying champagne? He looks like David Carradine…which would be totally awesome. (via The Swarm)

You know “Put On” by Young Jeezy. And you know “What Up, What’s Haapnin’” by T.I. What you might not know is that both epic cuts are the handiwork of Memphis-bred, Atlanta-based producer Drumma Boy, who’s gone from hawking bass tapes at local high schools to pulling in major figures for his studio touch. Here, Drumma Boy speaks on his choice to drop out of college and how he’s following in the footsteps of Quincy Jones.

GIANT: What do you remember most about growing up in Memphis?

Three 6 Mafia. As far as what was actually going on, it was almost exact. There was a lot of crime. There was a lot of bodies getting locked in the trunk. A lot of clubs were really gettin’ torn up. Everything they were rapping about was actually going on. But I also remember the historical music: Elvis Presley, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield coming through. I got exposed to both sides. My daddy’s the first-chair clarinetist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for thirty years. He teaches at the University of Memphis. And my moms was an opera singer. I got the best of both worlds.

Did you have a musical childhood?

Oh yeah, my first instrument was the recorder. Then I moved on to the clarinet, and I took piano lessons as well.

What music were you listening to as a kid?

My biggest obsession had to have been “Gin and Juice” by Snoop Dogg, one of my favorite rappers. That was my introduction to hip-hop. When Snoop came out, I just fell in love with rap.

How did you get into producing?

I got my mom to buy me my first keyboard at thirteen, and I made bass tapes for my high school. All the kids in high school used to hit me up, like, “Yeah, I want one of those tapes you made Jimmy.” Because Jimmy had a system. Everybody started asking. I started charging $100 a bass tape. I started playing basketball for the high school, and we’d warm up to my beats. So I got on a couple radio stations, and the next thing you know, I had all the high schools on lock.

Where did it go from $100?

Senior year I was probably getting maybe $500 a track.

Were your parents surprised at the path you chose?

My mom wasn’t. Even though she was an opera singer, she was still real hip. My dad was more upset. He wanted me to pursue the youth symphony orchestra and move on to the symphony orchestra. I pretty much didn’t tell him about my music until I was eighteen. Even then, when I told him, he didn’t really strongly support it or believe that I was gonna be successful. Even at eighteen, I was really big in Memphis. He didn’t have any touch with the streets, so all he was hearing was what was coming out of my mouth.

Was picking hip-hop a rebellious choice for you?

[My parents] just wanted to make sure I wasn’t wasting my time. They were just being parents, man. I went to college for them. I was making good grades, [but] I came out of high school making $3000 a week. For me to waste my time in class… I got calls. I’d be sitting in class, and my phone would be blowin’ up. So I hung in there for about two and a half years and finally dropped out. But my dad thought I was still in school. So he goes to the office, checks on my grades. He teaches at the university, so he’s cool with the dean. He calls me: “What the hell are you doing?” So we meet, and I’m telling him how much money I’m getting and how successful I am. He says, “If you’re so successful and since you want to be so hard-headed and go your own route, show me $100,000 in your bank account in less than twelve months.” Ten months later… And that’s pretty much the end of that story.

How do you work in the studio?

I might be riding in the car, and I’ll record a lot of ideas that come to me on my phone, or I have a little voice recorder. I’ll get to the studio and go through my voice recorder just to listen to all of my ideas. That’s one way. I might start off with a clap. You can always start a beat with a clap. You’re in a room full of people, and you’ll just get everybody clapping. And then you just go from there with the music. I might have an a cappella. I get people wanting me to make the music around their vocals. So I might do it that way. I might be in the studio with one of my musicians and start the music off with guitar or bass. It all depends, man.

What’s Drumma Boy Live?

Drumma Boy Live is pretty much anything I produce with live musicians or live instrumentation, whether it’s a live drummer, live guitar, bass, piano, string section, horn section, whatever it is. Rick Ross’s “Here I Am” is the first Drumma Boy Live placement.

Do people seem to dig that style?

People are in need of quality music. I’m trying to bring Stax back. I’m trying to bring Motown back. I’m trying to give you a combination of Berry Gordy and Quincy Jones. Somebody’s got to do it.

What edge does being able to read music and play instruments give you?

I grew up listening to orchestras every day. I used to go to all my dad’s rehearsals. So [I know] how to put the horn section together, as far as the trombone, the tuba, the French horn, the trumpet, and then put a string section together as far as my viola, my violin, my cello, my bass. I hear all of these things going on in my head, and then I just orchestrate it.

Do you ever have to dumb it down?

A lot of times I feel like I have to dumb it down, but I’m still creative with how I dumb it down. I keep the elements I hear in my head present, but I make the drums extremely simple. There’s always a way you can get away with it, and the ear doesn’t really know that you’re dumbing it down.

So what’s it like to have huge tracks on two of the biggest rap albums of the year?

It’s great. I’ve been working with Jeezy for four or five years now. But TIP is somebody who I’ve been aiming at since I moved to Atlanta. It’s hard to watch all of those albums come out in your face. I watched I’m Serious come out. I watched Urban Legend. I watched King. To finally catch him at the time he needs me the most is a blessing.

You’ve had a busy year. Are you gonna take some time off?

I’m good, man. Nah. I’m do that in my thirties.

Young Jeezy swears he’s not a rapper, let alone a rap star. With the release of his sophmore album, the self-professed motivational speaker moves closer to being a bona fide lyricist. Just don’t ask him to relax.

Young Jeezy is a simple man. He has no diamond fronts in his mouth, wears no flashy, colorful T–shirts, and his sneakers look like they might actually have been worn more than once. His face is slim; his body is slight. (He’s lost 30 pounds in the past two years.) But the unassuming look does not mean he has the time or the inclination to sit for an interview.

“How long is this story supposed to be?” Jeezy barks at me.

About 2,000 words.

He strokes his chin and turns his eyes to the ceiling.

“How many pages is that?” Jeezy asks.

About four…

Jeezy sits up straight at a mixing board at Manhattan’s Sony Music Studios and folds his hands together.

“I got shit to do,” he says softly. “Let’s just do a one–page story. How long you need to talk to me for that?”

It’s a bit unusual for an entertainer to shun the press, but after just hosting a listening session for The Inspiration, Jay “Young Jeezy” Jenkins’s highly anticipated sophomore major–label album, it’s perfectly understandable why he is not interested in speaking with someone from GIANT. If you’re reading this magazine, the 29–year–old Jeezy doesn’t make music for you. His straight–from–the–gut perspective on street life is fine–tuned and earmarked for one constituency and one constituency only: drug dealers. If you’re not on the block (or in Jeezy’s parlance, “the trap”), then your enjoyment of his music is merely a by–product of his commercial success.