MTV announced this morning that Tha Carter IV will drop digitally at midnight following the MTV Video Music Awards this coming Sunday.

New York, NY (August 22, 2011) – In a music industry first, Hip-Hop megastar and super mogul, Lil Wayne will release his highly-anticipated album, Tha Carter IV, in its entirety online via retail sites including Itunes, Amazon and more when the clock strikes midnight following the “2011 MTV Video Music Awards” this Sunday, August 28th. The physical CD will be available at all major retail stores on August 29th. This innovative album release designates Lil Wayne as the first artist ever to release an album digitally after an award show and is the culmination of what is already a huge night for him with his performance and nominations for “Best Hip-Hop Video” and “Best Collaboration.”

“I am extremely excited to be the first artist to utilize such an amazing idea. I hope that I can open the door for others,” stated Lil Wayne.

Ronald “Slim” Williams, CEO, Cash Money Records said, “The MTV Video Music Awards are one of the most watched and respected shows in the industry. Wayne is one of the most respected and prolific artists in the industry. By pairing the release of Tha Carter IV with the VMAs, it will certainly add to the overall anticipation and excitement for fans everywhere for what will surely be an unforgettable evening.”

“Lil Wayne continues to change the game, this time with a new release strategy that demonstrates the power of the VMAs to grab the attention of music fans,” said Stephen Friedman, President, MTV. “After our millions of viewers experience the VMAs, they can go online at midnight and download the album they’ve all been waiting for.”

You gotta love how these dudes are patting themselves on the back for this “groundbreaking” new strategy of releasing an album digitially on a day other than Tuesday. The industry should have been employing these kinds of outside the box, “event” type release strategies.

Previously: OVOFEST 2011

A second and final message from the incarcerated King:

What up world? This will be my last message from Forrest City. Just reaching out and sending my love, respect and appreciation to all who have been ridin’ with me throughout this chapter in my life and not just recently but since all the things started happening one after another back in ’06. From Big Phil’s murder to my beautiful little angel Leiah being called home to heaven, to my arrest in ’07, the 1st prison sentence in ’09, to this last journey that I’m nearing the end of. A lot of people who are aware of all that has happened to me in my life say that there aren’t many men who could have endured and withstood so much pain, pressure and turmoil while managing to remain sane and keep their wits about them. I must say that I wouldn’t have been able to do so without God’s grace and having a strong support system behind me every step of the way. So often we spend time acknowledging the presence of “haters” and all the negativity they send our way but we don’t take the time to acknowledge and appreciate all the ones who love and support us and supply us with the positive energy we need to overcome. We complain about the pain so much that we don’t even notice how much stronger, wiser and better of a person the suffering has allowed us to become. I heard Pac say once “To live is to suffer and to survive is to find meaning in that suffering.” I later found out it came from an author by the name of Friedrich Nietzsche. When I heard Pac say that it was just some hard shit to hear your favorite rapper say before he kicked a verse. Now that I’ve gone through it and grown from it those words have a real true meaning to me. I know this won’t be my last battle with adversity but it has truly prepared me for whatever else may come in the future. For that also I’m thankful. Now it goes without saying that I hate I had to come back to prison for these 10 months but I am truly grateful for the knowledge, growth and understanding I’ve received from the experience.

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Danny Brown’s XXX, the follow up to his lauded 2010 project The Hybrid, will collide with the internets on August 15th.

The first full-length release from Danny since his acclaimed The Hybrid in 2010, XXX is a concept record about hedonism, growing up, and Detroit, taking listeners on a profane and psychedelic journey through the uncensored mind of rap’s most electric MC. There’s no laundry list of guest appearances or producers-for-hire, keeping the focus squarely on Danny and his rhymes: a triple stack of pop culture references and did-he-really-say-that? provocations atop the heart of a poet.

Fool’s Gold and pioneering streetwear brand ALIFE will premier XXX with an invite-only event in NYC this Saturday (8/13) featuring live performances by Danny Brown, ASAP Rocky and DJ sets from Nick Catchdubs. Danny will perform alongside Action Bronson and FG label mate Party Supplies at Rockaway Beach on August 20th, and join Das Racist on their “Relax” tour throughout the USA all this fall.

XXX will be available for free download on Monday August 15th over at foolsgoldrecs.com. Hit the jump for the tracklist.

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Young Jeezy is already preparing a follow-up to the well-received mixtape that dropped last month.

Props: OnSMASH

Previously: Young Jeezy Covers The Source’s Aug/Sept Issue

On Monday night, Jay-Z & Kanye West hosted a listening session for their new album at The American Museum of Natural History’s Planetarium. It was all the news yesterday, but in case you missed it: they basically played the album at outrageously high volumes while projecting a light show on the dome-shaped ceiling inside the Planetarium’s amphitheater. It was ill, and I was pleasantly surprised with the album. As someone who grew up on The Blueprint, movies like Fade To Black and who still listens to all 12 minutes of “Last Call”, I wanted to walk in there with little to no expectations – which is probably how we should be treating everything that gets tainted with this much “hype” these days. The worst part is I think that’s what they were going for by not addressing the media (at all) until they were ready and able to put out a full project that they were finally comfortable with[1]. I liked what I heard though: Watch The Throne has a couple bangers, some experimentation to it (they had to) and the album even comes with an overall message. Like I said on twitter yesterday, Kanye’s verses sounded like he was back in rare form but Jay was definitely the one delivering the aformentioned message.

There is a short breakdown of each song after the jump, at least from what I remember (no they weren’t serving drinks at the first session.)

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Not so much Jay-Z himself as it’s Rocawear who’s doing the buying, but GQ reports that Jay-Z and Pharrell will be working “as a tandem” on the luxury brand P founded in 2005. The article also point out that the brand won’t be showing up on department stores shelves just yet, since Rocawear is simply providing financial backing for the brand.

UPDATE:

After a number of false starts, Def Jam has finally set a September 20th release date for the third installment in Jeezy’s Thug Motivation trilogy. The announcement comes 6 years to the day (give or take 24 hours) that his seminal debut, TM101 hit stores and ushered in a new era of Trap Rap. Below you can check out a rarely circulated promo video shot by Jason Goldwatch during the promo run for TM101. Remember those days of the ubiquitous Snowman t-shirt?

“The Throne” will be embarking on a 24-date North American tour starting September 22nd in Detroit. Below is the official sequencing of the Watch The Throne album tracks.

1. No Church In the Wild (feat. Frank Ocean)
2. Lift Off (feat. Beyoncé)
3. Niggas In Paris
4. Otis (feat. Otis Redding)
5. Gotta Have it
6. New Day
7. That’s My Bitch
8. Welcome to the Jungle
9. Who’s Gon Stop Me
10. Murder to Excellence
11. Made In America (feat. Frank Ocean)
12. Why I Love You (feat. Mr. Hudson)
**** AVAILABLE ON THE DELUXE VERSION
13. Illest Motherfucker Alive ****
14. H.A.M ****
15. Primetime ****
16. The Joy (feat. Curtis Mayfield) ****

Album in stores, and tickets on sale, August 8th.

Hit the jump for the WTT tour dates and ticket sale information.
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Rolling Stone just put up a brief piece detailing some new Drake songs off his latest opus, Take Care.

He cues up several tracks in various states of completion, all of which sit squarely in the sparse, somber register that’s become his trademark. “Shot for Me,” the likely album opener, is a marvel of melancholy bravado: He sings “Bitch, I’m the man” in a moan that undercuts the brag, over a beat (courtesy of Shebib) that pairs aching synthesizer notes with an exhilarating barrage of high-hats. Other highlights include “Free Spirit,” featuring Rick Ross and the refrain “Tat my name on you so I know it’s real,” and “The Real Her,” a narcotically woozy love song with detuned pianos and a Lil Wayne guest spot. Drake is also looking forward to collaborating with Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. buzzy R&B gloomster the Weeknd — and, if he gets his wish, veteran beatsmith DJ Premier, Florence and the Machine’s Florence Welch, and the xx’s Jamie Smith. “No matter who’s on it, it goes through the Drake filter,” Shebib says. “He’s so hands-on about how everything sounds.”

Interestingly enough, the article opens up on Drake saying that he hates singles, and he’s about to drop one (“Headlines”) any day now.

Read the whole profile here.

Previously: Drake Calls Invasion Radio (Audio)

Comm had apparently been a free agent since the release of his last album, Universal Mind Control, in December 2008.

Common told MTV News. “He was like, ‘Look man, I know who you are. I always told you, you was one of my favorite MCs, and I really meant that.’

“I felt the sincerity in what he was saying. He didn’t tell me, ‘We’re going to do this, do that.’ He was more like, ‘I know how we can do your record, and I want to work this. I want this to be on my roster.’”

The article also mentions that Lonnie’s latest album, the highly-anticipated The Dreamer, The Believer, is due out in November.

Previously: Common Signs To Warner Bros. Records