In a recent interview with DJBooth.net, R&B singer Bobby Valentino confirmed that he is no longer signed with Disturbing The Peace (DTP) or the label's distributor Def Jam. The news comes just three weeks before the digital release of his new EP 'Come With Me':

“The decision to leave [the label] was totally mine,” said Valentino. “I sat down with Ludacris and Chaka Zulu, and I explained to them that it was time for me to venture out on my own. They had no problem with it; they are cool with it, no beef at all."

I'm not buying the whole 'it was my idea' to leave the label thing at all; they're probably just allowing him to save face. I guess the news of LA Reid clearing house over at DTP a couple of months ago was accurate. The hunger for a record deal must be at an all-time high these days; as more and more seem to be signing to these artist-led labels, only to receive 2nd-rate treatment i.e. DTP, G-Unit, St. Lunatics etc.

Labels: Bobby Valentino

There is mounting speculation that Def Jam have dropped several artists over at Ludacris' Disturbing The Peace (DTP) imprint - a subsidiary of Island Def Jam. Check out the report via our friends over at SOHH Ya Heard:

The industry is all a buzz about Disturbing the Peace records. Apparently there is a major shakeup happening as we read.

According to SEVERAL of my close Def Jam sources all hell is breaking loose on Ludacris DTP imprint. Apparently when the label brought all their R&B artists to perform at Spotlight for LA Reid, along with a bunch of industry heads in NYC earlier this week, the feedback was less then thrilling. The performances were SOHH lackluster that a source told me that LA told Luda that he can take his acts and “hit the road”.

As of right now Bobby Valentino, Shareefa, and the extremely talented Stephan Jones, AKA Mr. Ordinaray has all been dropped. Sources close to Bobby claim that the artist plans on dropping his next untitled CD on iTunes. No word yet on where Shareefa, and Steph Jones will end up.

Word on the streetz is that DTP heads are planning on severing ties with Def Jam over all the drama.

According to other sources, the artist releases are set to be made official next week. I can't say much of this surprises me; none of the dropped artists' recent offerings have made any impact. Saying that, one has to question whether the fault lies with the artists or the label themselves. The moral of the story? Don't ever sign with a rapper's own label! LOL. For real, name me one artist signed to a rapper's label that has actually blown up. Exactly. Chingy, be afraid, be very afraid....

Your thoughts?

Labels: Bobby Valentino, Ludacris, Shareefa

R&B singer Bobby Valentino has expressed his feelings over Def Jam's special treatment of label-mate Ne-Yo. Speaking to SOHH.com, the 'Anonymous' singer had the following to say:

"I think Ne-Yo's the face of the label and, of course, by him being the face of the label, he gets a little bit more. I see he gets a lot of extra support, a lot of bells and whistles. Sometimes, people need those things to put them over the top.

"My album, you know what it is," he continued. "When you see me at the shows, you know what it's about. There's nothing sugar-coated about me. Not saying that there's something sugar-coated about Ne-Yo, but, it's all good."

Considering I felt Bobby's current album 'Special Occasion' was pretty good, I agree with him about getting lost in the shuffle. Despite releasing two great singles - 'Turn The Page' and 'Anonymous' - the album hasn't shifted many units. I don't recall there being much promo and there were next-to-no performances. Still, there may be hope yet with upcoming single 'Rearview' which features Ludacris - although I doubt it.

Do you agree with Bobby?

Labels: Bobby Valentino

Labels: Bobby Valentino