Another New Tupac Album On The Way? Death Row And TVT Assets Sold
What does it take to own the assets of one of the most notorious gangsta-rap labels of all time? About $24 million, actually.
That may sound like a lot of coin for a label that hasn’t had a hit record in more than a decade, but clearly Nashville, Tennessee-based Global Music Group President Susan Berg saw some potential dollar signs in the former rap powerhouse started by oft-imprisoned boss Suge Knight. The assets include hit records by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Tupac Shakur.
Berg won the rights to the label during an auction on Wednesday, with the proceeds going to help Knight pay off his considerable debts, which include a $107 million judgment awarded to a former partner in the label that forced Knight into bankruptcy. Oh, and even though you might think the bottom of the ‘Pac barrel had been scraped, chiseled, gouged, ground up and rehydrated more times than anyone could imagine, did we mention that the sale comes with the rights to 20 unreleased Tupac tracks?
That “new” Tupac album could see the light of day as early as this year.
The numbers were more sobering for another former powerhouse indie label, New York’s TVT, which was sold off in bankruptcy court last Thursday at the bargain-basement price of $6.05 million to the digital-music label the Orchard.
TVT filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February, and the sale is expected to close by July 3. Under the terms of the deal, the Orchard will take control of TVT’s catalog and artist contracts, which include albums and deals with artists including Lil Jon, Ying Yang Twins, Guided by Voices, the Polyphonic Spree, Pitbull, Paris Bennett and Yo Gotti.
Though the Orchard doesn’t expect to sign new artists, it might have some work to do to make peace with the existing roster. Pitbull has been trying to get off TVT’s roster for years, and Lil Jon has also expressed displeasure with his label home.

50 Cent Says 'I Don't View Young Buck As My Enemy,' Claims He's Not Going To War With Former G-Unit Member.

50 Cent mocked former G-Unit mocked former G-Unit member Young Buck onstage during the group's concert, crooning "Shorty wanna cry with me" instead of the lyric from Buck's 2004 single "Shorty Wanna Ride." Also on Tuesday, Buck himself dropped another dis record directed at the Unit called "Terminate on Sight" (also the name of the new G-Unit album). "Ah sh--, they done kicked me out the crew, I'm cool now," he raps. "Nose running, but I ain't snorted nothing/ Took a sniff of myself and I smell like money." Buck also antagonizes G-Unit's Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, saying, "50's money ain't yours."
Oddly enough, 50 Cent still seems to have a soft spot in his heart for Buck. The Queens MC said he's not going to war with his onetime group member.
"Buck is a disappointment for me," 50 told MTV News on Monday. "I treated him like a younger brother. ... He's not a enemy now. He's like a relative that decides to do something to you that you're uncomfortable with, so you don't bring him around you. I don't view Buck as my enemy. If he feels that way about me, those are his personal feelings. I wouldn't be surprised if he felt that [I was his enemy]. He's like my younger brother — even if he sees me in this interview saying it to him — he won't understand. He'll just go on how it feels."
Everyone knows that 50 recently released a recording of a phone conversation with Buck where the Cashville MC broke down about financial difficulties and begged to rejoin G-Unit.
"I couldn't tell you the things he told me in that conversation," 50 said, justifying why he taped the talk. "You'd think I'm just being angry. [But] I play you the tape and you get it for yourself so much more vividly."
Fif did get some flack from the blogosphere for recording the conversation — some were harsh enough to call it a "b---h a-- move."
"I didn't know we could say 'b---h a--' on MTV," Fif replied. "For them to say that, they don't understand the dynamics of what's going on. Ask me, do I care about a blogger? A person who has time to say that was a b---h a-- move is a b---h a-- n---a. I thought that was an official move. Right now I don't wanna be disrespectful to Young Buck. But how do you respond to the disrespect he's displaying?"
50 said that Buck is still signed to G-Unit Records for three more albums, and he won't let the insults interfere with doing business.