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MUSIC BITS: ‘Irreplaceable No. 1; more Grammy presenters; Prodigy’s LP; Wanya’s LP; Pookie Hudson dies; Heller’s new label.
*Beyonce’s latest single “Irreplaceable” continues to hold down Billboard’s Hot 100 for a seventh consecutive week and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for a ninth cycle. The single, from her album “B’Day,” is also No. 1 on the Pop 100 for a second straight frame and sixth non-consecutive week. Also notable on the Hot 100 this week is Justin Timberlake, who becomes the first artist since 50 Cent in May 2005 to have three songs in the Hot 100’s top 20. "What Goes Around ... Comes Around" rises 21-12 to join the prior No. 1 hits "My Love" (6-8) and "Sexyback" (13-16) in the chart's upper fifth.
*The Black Eyed Peas, Ciara and Nelly Furtado have been added to the lineup of presenters for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards telecast, joining previously announced presenters Terrence Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, Pink, and Rihanna. The ceremony will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 11, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on CBS at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide and XM Satellite Radio, and covered online at Grammy.yahoo.com. Performers include Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Ludacris, Justin Timberlake, Gnarls Barkley and Beyoncé.
*KOCH Records announces the release of "Return of the Mac," a new album from Mobb Deep's Prodigy and produced by Eminem’s DJ, The Alchemist. This release will be followed in late 2007 by "H.N.I.C. 2," the follow up to Prodigy's Gold solo album, "H.N.I.C.," which spawned the hit, "Keep It Thoro." "Stuck On You" will be the first national radio single and a video will also be lensed for it shortly. Two underground videos for "Return of the Mac" have already been shot and are available for viewing: Check out "Mac 10 Handles" at http://youtube.com/watch?v=kZLuFIADKYg and "New York Sh*t" at http://youtube.com/watch?v=twV7FRiJkOM&mode=related&search.
*Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris is about to record his first solo album and release a new mixtape titled “Unreleased” via new label, The Company Entertainment. For more information, visit the company’s myspace page at www.myspace.com/thecompanyentertainment.
*Thornton “Pookie” Hudson, the lead singer/songwriter of famous 50s doo-wop group the Spaniels, died Tuesday of complications from cancer of the thymus at his home in Capitol Heights, Md., publicist Bill Carpenter said. He was 72. The Des Moines, Iowa native is best known for writing "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight," which reached No. 5 on the R&B chart in 1954 and No. 24 on the pop chart. The McGuire Singers, a white vocal group, covered the tune and took it to No. 7 on the Billboard pop chart. The Spaniels' version was heard on the soundtrack of the 1973 film "American Graffiti." Hudson reformed the Spaniels in the early '70s and performed at oldies concerts until last fall, when his cancer returned after remission.
*Former NWA manager and Ruthless Records co-founder Jerry Heller has launched a new record label dubbed Streetlife/Klock Work Records, reports Allhiphop.com. The music industry vet has partnered with producer Johnny "J" and Pablito Vasquez to run the new operation, which plans to sign artists from diverse genres. "This is going to be way past the hoods," Vasquez said in a statement. "It is going to be about the streets, but we will release music and artists that will transcend both cultures and transcend neighborhoods.”
