T.I. Totally Innocent No More

T.I. entered a plea of guilty to the charges he faced of possessing unregistered machine guns and silencers (two counts), and possessing firearms after having been convicted of a felony.

"While I'm not looking forward to being incarcerated, I have a long road of redemption to travel," T.I. said, reading a statement outside the Atlanta federal courthouse. "I am dedicated and committed to that."

T.I. will be sentenced on these charges a year from today on March 27, 2009. If he abides by the conditions of his plea agreement he will be sentenced a year from now to one year plus one day in federal prison. He was originally facing a maximum of 10 years in prison and quarter-million dollar fines for each count against him.

Reportedly, the plea agreement stated he must perform 1,000 hours of community service, which will include speaking to "at-risk young people," promoting respect for law enforcement, opposing violence, illegal and reckless use of firearms, illegal drugs and gang activity.

Until his sentencing T.I. will remain under monitored home confinement, where he has been since he was released on $3 million bond on October 26th to await trial.

After T.I.’s change-of-plea hearing today and subsequent sentencing he will still be eligible for a reduced commitment to the court if he fulfills the terms of this agreement and maintains good behavior while incarcerated. Because his sentence is technically longer than one year, he is eligible to earn 15 percent time off for good behavior.

T.I. had reportedly been working on his sixth solo album, Paper Trail, while on house arrest, but the status of that recording is unknown now.

Featured Artist: J.Troup

Today's featured artist is Music Producer J. Troup. He, along with his Black Atom Production company has made a name for himself on numerous Hip hop blogs, and has received praise from many industry executives, most notably a large "big-up" from Badboy A&R Conrad Dimanche. Troup is known for his "keyboard" productions, meaning free of the traditional samples...however he is certainly no stranger to all facets of the production game. 

His Myspace has over 30k plays and he's always open and active on the forums. 

J.Troup is the next big thing in Hip-Hop/R&B Production.

Cicero: To start off, I want to know about the gear! I've seen your videos on Youtube and all, so go ahead and share some of your favorite pieces of gear.

Troup: Well first off, I wanna thank you for the interest in what I do. It's my goal to inspire as well as make a significant impact in the industry. God is good, and he's blessing me, so I try to be a blessing to those around me. With that said, I'm not as big a gear slut as one may think! And of course I mean gear slut in the most respectful way possible lol! I mean, I got the usual...Cubase is the centerpiece of my setup, it's where I do all my sequencing, mixing, etc. Then i got Reason 4.0, can't live without that. Then of course there's the Triton Studio (which was my very first piece of gear), and the Fantom X6 with a few expansion boards in it. I just ordered the Open Labs MiKo (Timbaland Special Edition), which I'm like a kid waiting for Santa Claus with that piece! It's gon' take my imagination to a whole other level, and I can't wait!

Cicero: Even though versatility is crucial in today's business, producers still have their own signature sound. How do you create music that is unique, yet still follows mainstream needs?

Troup: You know, that's funny, because I used to be of the opinion that I don't want a signature sound. I want people to WONDER who did those tracks. I didn't want my music to be INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE, because I didn't want to get pigeonholed into one sound, and then when that sound dies off, my career dies off right along with it. We've all seen that happen before. But then I realized that apart of BUILDING A BRAND is having a distinct, instantly recognizable product in the market place.

It's like Coke...you KNOW that logo, even if you see it on the moon. When you taste a Coke, you don't just think "hmm...this is good, I wonder who made it?" As soon as it hits your tastebuds, you KNOW it's a Coke. So that's what I have to do with my sound. I just have to make it interesting enough for people to keep coming back.

It's so funny you should ask that, cuz when I was out at the One Stop Shop producers conference, Me and DJ Toomp talked for about 20 minutes about this very thing. He told me to just do me. Don't worry about what other people want from you. Denaun Porter (of D12) told me that he's turned projects down, because they didn't fit into his desired career progression. He told me that sometimes you have to say NO to certain things...you gotta think long term.

So really, I just try to make music that's different, but not TOO different. Because for real, the mainstream doesn't KNOW what it wants in advance. They just know hot when they hear it. They didn't know they wanted Timbo and The Neptunes until they got it, and when those 2 first started, they were as UN-MAINSTREAM as you could get!

So really, I just try to keep it fresh, try to push the envelope, and try to stay ahead of the curve. So right now, I'm trying to make music that's gon be fresh in 2010. If you're making music that sounds like what's out today, you've already lost the game.

Cicero: Who are you listening to right now, in terms of current music?

Troup: Honestly, I listen to everything. I used to be so anti-radio, but it's the stuff that's on the radio that people are liking. So for real, every time I'm in the car, I turn on the radio to hear what the people are listening to, just so I know. But my personal tastes? I love The Dream's album. Tricky and Los did their thing, and The Dream came with some hot songs. Snoop has a nice album, I'm loving the production that Teddy Riley came with. Can't wait for that QDT project to drop. Janet Jackson's album was hot, Lupe's album was the sh*t too. Jordin Sparks had a nice album too.

I can't wait for that Lil Wayne to drop. That lil boy been nice since he was 10 years old. I wanna hear what BG is going to come with now that he's back on a major. Oh, and that Young Jeezy is my sh*t...Jeezy like ta drank, Jeezy like ta smoke...That song is fire...definitely my favorite.

But I listen to some of everything. If it's hot and innovative, then I'll listen to it. I'm a fan of music!

Cicero: So you've been featured on the Producers Marketplace (PMP) Site twice, both in your own video and with the Conrad Dimanche shout out. What do you think of the PMP site, and it's sub-par imitators?

Troup: Man, I can't say enough good things about PMP! Shout out to Abom, Rad and AZ. They are all great guys, and doing some really controversial, ground breaking things with PMP. I had the chance to talk to them when I was up in NYC about some of the things they got coming up with PMP, and best believe it's not your ordinary "get placements" site. The overall vision is ridiculous!

But as far as the "sub-par" competitors?? LOL...I'm not gonna say any site is sub-par, because they wouldn't exist if there weren't a market for them. Granted, some of them do exist just to exploit the dreams (and lunch monies) of the young and dumb, but not all of them. Everything has it's place in the market.

I prefer PMP, because first off, Conrad Dimanche is a partner in the site. You got someone who's been an industry taste maker for over 10 years putting his dollars behind this venture. That speaks volumes for me. Secondly, the price tag...PMP is not cheap. So just with that pricetag, it's gonna keep away the hobbyist beat-makers. Alot of the other sites are cluttered with guys who just downloaded a cracked copy of Fruity Loops last month, and are trying to get records placed. I don't want to deal with that.

So every site has it's place and it's market that it serves, but I'm not going to personally call any of them sub-par. I happen to know J-Hatch and Don from iStandard (shout out to them!!), and even though it's a PMP competitor, they run a GREAT site and provide a great service to a slightly different segment of the market.

Personally, I just happen to prefer PMP, for my own needs at the moment. Those guys have been incredibly supportive of me and my pursuits, and my loyalty to them is eternal.

People ask me all the time have I gotten any placements from PMP. I tell them no. But I also tell them that "placements" is not my goal at this stage. My goal is exposure. Because you can have all the hot beats in the world, but if people don't know you, then your hot beats aren't gonna get you anywhere. So PMP has helped me greatly in my quest for exposure.

So many people in the industry have heard the name J.Troup, and the exposure that I've gotten on PMP has helped out greatly with that. There are people who have made like $50,000 off PMP by selling tracks. So PMP is what you make it. Clearly it works for selling tracks. And it most definitely works for exposing you to a greater audience!

But as with any site like that, it is what you make it. If you expect to just send your tracks to the projects and get placements instantly, then you can hang that up. You might get lucky, but more than likely, you'll get frustrated with wasting your money and quit in 2 months.

Cicero: Yeah I feel you on that. I'm not on PMP yet myself because I want to make sure when I officially introduce myself to the game I'm bringing the best product I can. Can you share any projects you're either working on now or recently completed?

Troup: Well, let's just say my phone has been ringing. There's nothing set in stone yet, but the more exposure I get, the more my phone is ringing, and the more important the people on the other end of the phone are!

But I'm doing some work with a singer that's signed to Stargate, and also doing some work with a singer who's signed to Atlantic. I also got some tracks from a multi platinum producer that wants some songs written for a particular artists...and I'm trying to put these songs to bed(*wink*)!

Other than that, I'm just grinding. I'm trying to increase my exposure level. My phone and email are blowing up every day, so expect to hear more of J.Troup in the next 12 to 18 months!!

Cicero: Thanks for lending me your time, I know you run a busy schedule. Tell the readers where they can get more info about you.

Troup: Oh no, thank you, and I hope I didn't talk your ear off! I get kinda long winded about music, but hey, it's what I love!

People can get more info on me from a few different places. My Myspace, my website, my email is jtroup@blackatomproductions.com, or my Youtube Channel. Of course my PMP link is www.pmpworldwide.com/j-troup

Of course, I'm always available by phone... 646.256.4076. I just have to ask people to be respectful of my time, and to only call me if you're trying to do some business. Don't call to see if it's really me, because it is! lol.

If you just have questions or something, then hit me on myspace or youtube, or email. I personally answer every message that I get, fairly quickly.

Cicero: Thanks Troup, can't wait to hear from you on the radio!

Listen to J.Troup's New Track, Pull It Off:

Rocloop.com Brings Rochester Life to College Students

Do you pick up a newspaper every morning when you eat breakfast? Of course not. In fact, most college students barely have time to slam a bagel or down a cup of juice on their way to their first class. The website Rocloop.com aims to change all that, bringing pertinent news, stories, and other information to area college students.

We receive our news much different than our parents do. They read the paper, we read the blogs; they watch the six o’clock news, we check Youtube; they listen to talk radio, we listen to podcasts. Rocloop.com is a website sponsored by the Democrat and Chronicle, created by college interns geared towards bringing the Rochester community to the local students.

A visit to Rocloop.com will show the story of the day, with an array of other information on the sidebars. Navigation on top menus will direct you to different areas of the site, feature sections stuffed full of information. The guides section is a course in “Rochester 101,” where you can find the best places to get coffee, watch sporting events, see a concert or art showing. Unique to Rocloop.com, the 360° panoramic views of various coffee shops will give you the scoop on a good cup of java for a study break. If you want to know bar specials, or band appearances, you can find it on the calendar that hugs the right side of the home page.

While the site is a wealth of knowledge, there are also many fun features only available on Rocloop.com. The “60-Second Rant” and “Someone to Know” segments offer a closer look at people and issues that interest college students. From RIT ice climbers, to gripes about Bluetooth Headsets and Naz Parking, the features of Rocloop.com are sure to keep you reading.

Registration at Rocloop.com is a great way to stay connected, and also a great way to win prizes. When you register you are automatically entered into a drawing for a weekly $20 gift card, and become eligible for other upcoming promotions. Rocloop.com is a place for college students to interact because, as Rocloop.com’s motto states, it is “Your College, Your life, Our Rochester.”

ROCLOOP.COM IS GIVING AWAY A NINTENDO Wii AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER...

ROCHESTER AREA COLLEGE STUDENTS 

CAN REGISTER WITH A .EDU EMAIL ADDRESS

WIN A Wii!