JoJo – trying not to think about it

[Caviar]

She's still locked into that contract? I'm dying to know the details of it because there has to be some sort of statute of limitations associated with it.

[George]

The trailer for "G.B.F. (Gay Best Friend)" has premiered:

[Deleted]

[Live Your Life]

A video recently resurfaced of her singing on the Rosie O'donnell show at 10:



She must have been listening to a lot of Christina back then...lol.

[surprise]

LMAO she's like possessed with Xtina.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Sooo mad she cancelled her tour. I was looking forward to seeing her at a really intimate venue in Boston this month. Grr...

[George]

Aw....she was planning a tour?

[harry]

JoJo Is Finally Suing Her Record Label, So Maybe There’s Still Some Good Left In The World After All

Absurdly talented singer-songwriter and generally flawless human being JoJo has been de facto held hostage by her all-but-bankrupt record label since the release of her last studio album The High Road in 2006 — and now she’s finally suing them. New York Daily News reports that Joanna Levesque filed papers suing Blackground Records and imprint Da Family Records, citing a New York State law that says minors can’t sign contracts that last more than seven years. Since she signed a contract in 2004, when she was 12, her contract should have expired in March 2011; legally, then, her label no longer has a hold on her.

As fans know all too well, JoJo’s struggle with her label has been well-documented; the chanteuse was briefly working with Interscope Records after Blackground signed a distribution deal with them in 2011, but when that folded, she was unable to properly promote her single “Disaster” or its follow-up “Demonstrate,” for which a video was shot but never premiered. Kept from releasing music commercially, she instead gave away two mixtapes, 2010′s Can’t Take That Away From Me and 2012′s Agápē, to wild critical acclaim.

Source: idolator.com/7474471/jojo-suing-record-label-blackground

Maybe there is hope after all? She should've done this years ago.

[Caviar]

I'm shocked she didn't file soon after the 7 year window period but instead waited two more years. Nevertheless hopefully a judge voids her contract and she can sign with another label WILLING to promote her and her music.

[George]

Jul 31, 2013 12:19:39 GMT -5 Caviar said:

I'm shocked she didn't file soon after the 7 year window period but instead waited two more years. Nevertheless hopefully a judge voids her contract and she can sign with another label WILLING to promote her and her music.

Maybe there was a lot of legal things to sort before she could finally file this year. That, or maybe they spent a few years looking for a case to use as evidence.

[Deleted]

Yes! I'm glad she is finally suing. I hope she wins, because I would love a new album from her. :)

[MyLastView]

Get it girl! I hope this case goes through in lightspeed time just so we can get this ball rollin' (although it IS the court system, so, ya know..) I thought she had sued them once before for like $500k or something? Hopefully they will let her out.

[ItGirl]

I have never seen such a travesty.

[Sir Benji]

Good for her. Blackground has done way too many artists wrong.

[SHOOTER]

She better win!

[Deleted]

Jul 31, 2013 19:17:25 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

She better win!

...and Blackground better end up closing.

[bat1990]

I can only imagine the shite Blackground would've done to Aaliyah's career had she not died. That would've been an even stickier situation, as Blackground was founded by family members for her!

[Live Your Life]

The Hollywood Reporter published an article that goes into more detail about the lawsuit, which you can view here. You can view the full complaint here.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Don't get me wrong: I love JoJo. But, why do people in here assume that she will magically return to relevance once she is out of her contract, especially given how relevant artists continue to struggle ???

[Caviar]

Who said she'd return to relevance? ??? Everyone is basically saying she's better off in a legitimate contract making music versus releasing random mixtapes; because right now her career is at a standstill.

[fayenatic]

Hallelujah!!! She needs to be released and finally release music. She has a shot to do well if she can get signed to a great label (RocNation or Epic).

[SHOOTER]

Officially releasing an album that "flops" is a much better situation to be in than one that only allows you to record music on your own dime and give it away for free.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Yeah...I'm not too convinced. I really want her out of the contract just because of what being in it has done to her emotionally and financially but she could still easily fade into obscurity once she is released.

[Live Your Life]

Blackground wants the case dismissed. Read the full complaint here.

Her court date is supposedly September 18.

[Deleted]

I hope this is the final nail needed to condemn that label and close their doors for good!

[George]

JOJO RELEASES “ANYTHING” REMIX FT. CASEY VEGGIES
September 5, 2013 by Chris Smith Management



Soulful songstress JoJo might be putting up the fight of her life to escape the contractual clutches of her shady label Blackground Records behind-the-scenes, but in the spotlight, she’s still soaring as high as ever — even under the circumstances.

After her performance for Fader‘s #uncapped series in NYC, the "Agape" talent just unleashed a brand new remix of “Anything,” the final single from her last studio album, 2006′s "The High Road."

Grooving along a sample of Toto‘s “Africa,” the singer’s slick R&B-pop cut gets an upgrade in the form of brand new, more mature vocals from Jo (those gorgeous new runs!), as well as a verse from rapper Casey Veggies. It’s less of a complete reinvention, and more a reminder of why Jo deserves to be on top.

That’s right: A song from 2006, given a quick spit-shine and sent right back out into the universe in 2013, that still sounds fresher than most everything else in pop music this year. Then again, who’s surprised? JoJo is the truth.

Listen to the track below — and download it for free.
soundcloud.com/fadermedia/jojo-f-casey-veggies-francesco

"The High Road" was released in 2006. (iTunes)

Watch the two artist perform the song together last month with Atlantic Records/ 21 Music recording artist Francesco, below.

[George]

Chris Smith Management, Inc
Come see JoJo with special guest Leah LaBelle LIVE in concert on the West Coast for select tour dates!:

[die Lotterie]

Sept 18, 2013 14:18:04 GMT -5 George said:

JOJO RELEASES “ANYTHING” REMIX FT. CASEY VEGGIES
September 5, 2013 by Chris Smith Management



Soulful songstress JoJo might be putting up the fight of her life to escape the contractual clutches of her shady label Blackground Records behind-the-scenes, but in the spotlight, she’s still soaring as high as ever — even under the circumstances.

After her performance for Fader‘s #uncapped series in NYC, the "Agape" talent just unleashed a brand new remix of “Anything,” the final single from her last studio album, 2006′s "The High Road."

Grooving along a sample of Toto‘s “Africa,” the singer’s slick R&B-pop cut gets an upgrade in the form of brand new, more mature vocals from Jo (those gorgeous new runs!), as well as a verse from rapper Casey Veggies. It’s less of a complete reinvention, and more a reminder of why Jo deserves to be on top.

That’s right: A song from 2006, given a quick spit-shine and sent right back out into the universe in 2013, that still sounds fresher than most everything else in pop music this year. Then again, who’s surprised? JoJo is the truth.

Listen to the track below — and download it for free.
soundcloud.com/fadermedia/jojo-f-casey-veggies-francesco

"The High Road" was released in 2006. (iTunes)

Watch the two artist perform the song together last month with Atlantic Records/ 21 Music recording artist Francesco, below.

AMAZING PERFORMANCE!!!!

[CookyMonzta]

Aug 1, 2013 15:28:06 GMT -5 Live Your Life said:

The Hollywood Reporter published an article that goes into more detail about the lawsuit, which you can view here. You can view the full complaint here.

Indeed. If she wins this case, I hope the judge also grants her the rights to those master recordings. Nearly 3 years ago, a song appeared on YouTube, called "Hollywood", which I thought was a shoo-in for the top 10 on both the Hot 100 and R&B charts.

Has the judge ordered an audit into Blackground's finances? If anything in their books is creepy enough to raise a big red flag or sound a big alarm, JoJo will probably win this case by default.

The good thing about this case is that Blackground can't invent a single excuse to lay the claim that she is still valuable to them. You know the old saying, anything unused is a useless item. On that alone, the judge will pry her loose from Blackground. I wonder if JoJo and her attorney can apply the same criteria that Teena Marie used to get out of her Motown contract.

Be warned, though, vindication is no stranger in the music industry, and I wouldn't put it past Blackground to use every trick in the book to have her chased away--that is, blackballed--by any other label who may consider signing her. If Blackground is indeed on the verge of going belly-up, they won't hesitate to take a lot of people with them, and that certainly includes former or soon-to-be-former artists like JoJo.

If Wikipedia is correct, they have 4 artists left on their roster, 3 of whom have yet to release an album despite being on the roster since as early as 2010, one of whom is about to break free. Tank, Timbaland, Toni, they're all gone. They haven't had an album release since Shock Value II in 2009, Timba's last album with them. They are literally spitting on Aaliyah's grave for what they are doing to JoJo.

If the judge kills JoJo's contract with Blackground, suffer no delusions, they are done. She is their last remaining gold-selling artist. When the judge allows her to take her walking papers and leave, she should find a label quick. She'll be 23 in December, and she is one of the more recent artists who turned 20 in the last decade. For artists like her, the industry will toss someone like her aside the sooner she turns 30. Having not released a full album since 2006, her road to total obscurity could kick in the sooner she turns 25. Not everyone can disappear from the spotlight for 4 to 10 years like Sade and come back as if she had never left.

[kirby2725]

Do we know why "Leave (Get Out)" is storming up the iTunes UK charts?