Rihanna x The Last Dragon. There have been a lot of rumors this past month about Rihanna accepting various roles in Hollywood films but this one is by far the most interesting. The UK’s “Daily Mirror” reports that Rihanna has accepted a role as a “X-Rated” Dominatrix in the RZA produced remake of The Last Dragon.

“She (Rihanna) has landed an incredibly challenging role alongside Samuel L Jackson. But it’s not a part for the faint-hearted. She will play a super sexy, super kinky dominatrix in martial arts flick The Last Dragon. She has been told to research the part – and this could well include a trip to an S&M dungeon,” stated the “Daily Mirror.“

Our sources over here in Hollywood can neither confirm nor deny the rumors although it is safe to say considering Rihanna’s recent daring wardrobes, the role shouldn’t be too far of a stretch for her. More news as we get it.

• RZA to produce “The Last Dragon” remake with Sam Jackson as Sho’Nuff
• Rihanna in talks to remake “The Bodyguard”
• VIDEO: RZA introduces “Ong Bak 2″ trailer
• RZA to star in comedy flick from director of “The Hangover”
• 50 Cent rumored to launch men’s skin care line

Rihanna drops her newest music video to “Rude Boy” with a little Jamaican flair. She’s definitely turning up the sex appeal and turning down the amount of clothes she wears with each video…and we’re not complaining. Check the video after the jump.

• MUSIC VIDEO: Rihanna – “Wait Your Turn”
• MUSIC VIDEO: Young Money – “Bedrock”
• MUSIC VIDEO: 50 Cent – “Do You Think About Me”
• Grammy 2009 ads celebrate Lil Wayne, Kayne & Rihanna
• Chris Brown rips the music industry on Twitter

Have no idea what i-D Magazine is? Don’t worry neither do we. Well we do know it’s a fashion print mag based out of the U.K. and that’s about it. Photographer to Rihanna: “OK now give me a “I just got punched in the eye by my boyfriend look.”

• Young Jeezy’s print ads for Belvedere Vodka
• Pharrell’s Esquire Magazine “History of Mens Fashion” shoot
• Rihanna to release book “The Last Girl on Earth”
• Rihanna set to launch fashion line
• Quincy Jones wants to buy VIBE.com; not the print magazine

Before Steve Job’s announcement of the new Apple iPad yesterday, many music marketers and execs were wondering what kind of  impact Apple’s new product would have on the industry. Now that the word is out, it’s pretty clear that the iPad will not be any type of saving grace for hip-hop or the music industry in general.

WoooHa put the feelers out there to various label and agency execs in the industry and the responses were pretty consistent.

“This means nothing for hip-hop. Basically just a big expensive iPod if you ask me” stated one EMI Music exec. “You can’t really carry it around with you and show people either. Yea it can play videos and it will be another device for video sites like Vevo to play on but part of the appeal with music videos on the iPhone is you can play it and show your friend right there and pass it along.”

The only impact the iPad will have on the industry is that no doubt it will be  featured in upcoming Rick Ross music video and some artist will be the first to have a 24 carat gold or diamond encrusted iPad case. Our bet is on Pharrell. At least Steve Jobs is already getting some great endorsements though as Rihanna already has gone public stating she can’t wait to get her hands on one. Check the video.

• VIDEO: Jay-Z goes iPad-less at the Grammy’s
• 64% of hip-hop fans prefer to watch music videos online
• Cinemax & hip-hop labels form debut music video partnership
• The Rick Ross “Teflon Don” movie poster
• Beyonce signs ad deal with Nintendo

Just like Campell’s Soup…mmmmm mmmmm good. Rihanna covers the February issue of “W” Magazine.

• Jay-Z covers “Interview” Magazine
• 50 Cent on cover of XXL Magazine
• Notorious B.I.G. Vibe cover shoot recreated for movie
• 50 Cent on the cover of Muscle & Fitness Magazine
• Lil Wayne covers latest issue of “Rolling Stone”

Rihanna x Rizzoli Publishing. Rihanna and New York based Rizzoli Publishing have just announced her first book called “The Last Girl on Earth.” Book will feature contributions from Simon Henwood, Rihanna’s #1 art director who created her Rated R album cover and creative designer for her tour.

Although some sites are already stating this will be a autobiography of sorts, WoooHa can confirm that “The Last Girl on Earth” is NOT an autobiography but rather a collection of Rihanna’s thoughts based around photos, art, tour memoirs, etc. “The Last Girl on Earth” will be hardcover with 144 pages and will retail for $50 on June 29, 2010. Pre-order that ish now over at Amazon.

• Kanye writes “Glow in the Dark” coffee table book
• Rihanna has Cover Girl contract re-evaluated
• Rihanna to play dominatrix in RZA’s “The Last Dragon” remake
• Rihanna’s new official Cover Girl Mascara ads
• KRS One announces NY book tour for “Gospel of Hip Hop”

Rihanna continues to get hotter as she gets older. If there were ladies like this in the military then sign me up! Check the video after the jump.

• MUSIC VIDEO: Rihanna – “Rude Boy”
• MUSIC VIDEO: Snoop Dogg – “Pronto” (ft. Soulja Boy)
• Grammy 2009 ads celebrate Lil Wayne, Kayne & Rihanna
• WoooHa Exclusive: “NOTORIOUS: The Ladies” video clip
• MUSIC VIDEO: Rihanna – “Wait Your Turn”

But thank goodness it’s still safe for work since every man (and woman) deserves to see this. Peep another shot that is a bit more borderline in the NSFW category…but well worth the risk. Don’t worry, your boss should appreciate it as well.

• MOVIE TRAILER: “Repo Men” w/ RZA, Jude Law & Forest Whitaker (RED BAND TRAILER)
• MOVIE TRAILER: New Extreme Red Band “Hot Tub Time Machine” trailer (NSFW)
• 50 Cent spends $20K a week on private security
• VIDEO: Trailer to Fabolous’ movie “Loso’s Way”
• 50 Cent’s condom business goes splat

Rihanna x JetBlue, Rihanna is partnering up with JetBlue to celebrate the airline’s service to her hometown of Barbados. An exclusive concert presented by JetBlue will be held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on December 3, 2009 in celebration for the partnership and Rihanna’s new album Rated R.

A contest has been formed where fans can use their creativity and self-expression to take a photo of themselves that incorporates Barbados and JetBlue, to win one of 20 pairs of tickets to the private event. For more information visit jetblue.com/rihanna

In 2008, Rihanna was named honorary ambassador for culture and youth by the Prime Minister of Barbados. Will JetBlue use this opportunity to create a commercial with the pop singer to promote the airlines new destination to her hometown for travelers ?

• Rihanna partners with Nokia for “Rated R” album
• Rihanna set to launch fashion line
• 50 Cent’s “Family Day” Causes Feud
• Private Concert with COMMON and Diesel?
• TAG Records and Jermaine Dupri land first major promotional deal

MySpace and MTV continue to battle it out for the online exclusive music videos and the right to “host” the video. MySpace wins this one. Love these high concept videos. You can feel the torment in this one. Rihanna is all grown up and shows off the goods but kids don’t try this at home.

• 64% of hip-hop fans prefer to watch music videos online
• Rihanna partners with Nokia for “Rated R” album
• DJ Hero presents free Jay-Z concert
• MUSIC VIDEO: 50 Cent – “Stretch” Mini Movie
• ALBUM ART: Rihanna – Wait Your Turn (Single)

Rihanna’s new album Rated R to be released November 23.  Check out the photo shoot for her album packaging.

• PICS: Rihanna lookin hot in “Rated R” promo pics
• ALBUM ART: Rihanna’s “Rated R”
• Rihanna x JetBlue Partnership
• Rihanna partners with Nokia for “Rated R” album
• Rihanna Breaks Her Silence to ABC’s 20/20

Now this is the Rihanna we all love and appreciate. Album art for her single “Hard.” Remember the days when The Warehouse would sell CD singles for $0.99 and single album art mattered? Not so much anymore but at least we get to see Rihanna doing her thing.

• ALBUM ART: Rihanna – Wait Your Turn (Single)
• MUSIC VIDEO: Rihanna – “Wait Your Turn”
• Rihanna partners with Nokia for “Rated R” album
• VIDEO: Chris Brown’s “Graffiti” album trailer
• Monica’s “Regions of Rock” clothing line print ads

written by Edwin St. Fort

The success of The Blueprint 3 is highly credited to the marketing campaign behind it and to Jay-Z’s loyal fan base. Despite the album being leaked on the internet prior to its official release, The Blueprint 3 sold 476,000 copies in its first week of sales. The achievement help Jay-Z pass Elvis Presley to become the second artist with more No.1 albums in the 50 year history of the Billboard 200. The second week of sales resulted in 301,000 copies being sold dominating the Billboard #1 spot for two weeks straight. A month and a half later, Mr. Carter goes platinum selling nearly 1.3 million copies.

Let’s recap the blueprint to the  marketing campaign that resulted in successful results. The key features to this campaign were strategic partnerships and media coverage. The release became more of an event rather than just another album on the shelf. It built anticipation and sustained momentum unlike many previous releases. To begin the buzz Jay-Z released “D.O.A” creating controversy to obtain the attention of listeners to usher in the following events.

Strategic Partnerships

Rhapsody

Jay-Z teamed up with Rhapsody® and MTV to promote the highly anticipated release of his new album, “The Blueprint 3”. As part of the partnership, the entire album will be available for fans to listen to for free on Rhapsody.com and from MTV’s “The Leak”, almost two weeks prior to its official release.

Fuse

FuseTV televised Jay-Z’s “Answer the Call” concert in Madison Square Garden in New York City. Fuse will air the concert at 9pm EST on September 11th. The event was sponsored by Absolute Vodka, Roc Nation, Live Nation, and Citi.

“ANSWER THE CALL” charity concert ticket sales and concert merchandise benefited the “New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund.” Airing in HD and commercial-free on the music television network FUSE, the wildly successful sold-out concert featured artists Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Kanye West, John Mayer, Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz, Kid Cudi and Memphis Bleek, and ranked among the highest-rated television programs in Fuse history.

MySpace Music and DJ Hero

Jay-Z performed at a secret show on September 10th at the Gramercy Theater on East 23rd Street in Manhattan, New York with help from MySpace Music and DJ Hero, it was announced barely 24 hours in advance, and 250 fans were given free tickets. The show was to promote the new game that also features songs from Jay-Z and Eminem.

Media Coverage

Jay-Z made high-profile appearances on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher,”  “Late Show With David Letterman,” BET’s  “Food For Thought,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and performances on the MTV Video Music Awards and “The Jay Leno Show” according to publicist Jana Fleishman.

Tom Biro of MTV noted that after the VMA performance of “Empire State of Mind” the record immediately went to the #1 Top Song on iTunes for the next 6 days.

Jay-Z with Rihanna and Kayne West performed the second leading single  “Run This Town”  on “The Jay Leno Show” to an estimated 17.7 million viewers according to the Nielsen Company.

He also made a highly anticipated debut appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show, which builds upon their initial conversation in Brooklyn, New York’s Marcy Projects for O magazine. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” reaches 44 million people each week. And those numbers translate into big sales for the products Oprah recommends. The product placement during the shows airing generated 134,000 copies in the 3rd week of sales.

Mr. Carter also obtain media coverage from international sources making appearance on German and French television shows.

Merchandising & Touring

Jay-Z also capitalize off the merchandising for the album. He promoted the Blueprint 3  graphic tees on Myspace, Roc4Life, and on the Live Nation website. Pharrell’s clothing line Billionaire Boys Club, designed a custom graphic t-shirt in correlation with the two artist working on a track off the The Blueprint 3 titled “So Ambitious” which was made available starting September 23, 2009 on the BBC website. The 18 city tour around the U.S and Canada continues to keep the album afloat on the Billboard charts maintaining a top 10 position.

In conclusion as record labels marketing dollars decrease corporate sponsorships seem to give artist an outlet to market themselves to a different audience. As artist become brands, strategic partnerships with other companies are essential for their marketing plans. Companies benefit by finding a way to relate to their consumer and artist get to tap into different markets to obtain more listeners. Jay-Z’s marketing plan with the Blueprint 3 is a great example that demonstrates how  great partnerships with other companies such as Rhapsody, Fuse, and DJ Hero can result in successful album sales. The “Answer The Call” concert also shows being philanthropic can also gain sales, you got to give to get.  His recent performance at Yankee Stadium shows no limit to the corporate sponsorships he can obtain as he remains one of the biggest names in pop culture.

• VIDEO: Jay-Z’s Rhapsody Music TV Ad
• PICS: Def Jam To Release “The Blueprint Collector’s Edition”
• The Blueprint to 50 Cents BISD Marketing Campaign
• Nas makes good on deal & continues to push Fila
• L.A. Times Disclose Drake’s Record Deal

Here is the album art to Rihanna’s single “Wait Your Turn.” Move that right left arm woman! It’s clear with all the other art and photos for her upcoming release that Rihanna wants to tell the world she is all grown up, dangerous and means business.

• Rihanna partners with Nokia for “Rated R” album
• MUSIC VIDEO: Rihanna – “Wait Your Turn”
• ALBUM ART: Rihanna – “Hard” (Single)
• Rihanna to release book “The Last Girl on Earth”
• Rihanna in talks to remake “The Bodyguard”

Rihanna bears tells all in her first public interview since the CB Incident. Diane Sawyer gets the exclusive which aired yesterday. Could it be coincidence that Rihanna decides to finally speak out just as her new album is about to drop? We think not…instead the label (and RiRi) is getting some major free publicity right before the album launch.

• VIDEO: CoverGirl goes back to Rihanna ad two days after trial
• Rihanna partners with Nokia for “Rated R” album
• VIDEO: Chris Brown’s “Graffiti” album trailer
• VIDEO: Rihanna new album teaser video
• Exclusive Q-Tip “The Renaissance” tee