DMX Reminisces On Filming "Belly" With Hype Williams

DMX says that he has a hard time recalling being on set on account of his diet of booze at the time.

DMX recently spoke with MTV2’s Sucker Free about his time shooting the 1998 flick Belly with director Hype Williams. In a recently released clip from the interview (viaRapFix), Dark Man X recalls how working with Williams on the video for “Get At Me Dog” inspired him to want to be part of Belly in its early phases.

“Hype Williams did my first video 'Get At Me Dog,' and at the end of the video, I’m eating and everything and he asked me if I wanted to be part of a movie.” His response to Williams was plain and simple: “Hell yeah.”

X also reminisced on shooting the film, and explained that his memory is a bit hazy surrounding being on set.

“I really don’t remember how I felt at the time,” he said. “You gotta remember also, during that whole movie, I’d eat an egg and cheese sandwich with turkey bacon in the morning, then I'd drink a bottle of Hennessy per day. That was the contents of my stomach everyday."

Pusha T Inks Solo Deal With Def Jam Records

Here’s another stepping stone in the music career of Pusha T. The G.O.O.D. Music signee has officially inked a solo deal with Def Jam Records. While there’s no release date for his yet-to-be-titled solo debut on Def Jam, fans can expect his Fear Of God 2: Let Us Pray EP to come  out next month.

“Solidifying my first solo venture, G.O.O.D Music/DefJam is my home. That machine with my creativity is gonna make for satisfied hiphop fans,” said Pusha.

Def Jam Downsizes Staff

Hip-hop label Def Jam downsized significantly last week, laying off more than 20 employees. According to reports, several executives were dismissed--only a month after CEO Barry Weiss dismissed reports that the label was in dire straits.

Island Def Jam and Universal Republic announced yesterday (August 17) that they were expanding "their creative teams" with the addition of Brandon Creed. Creed is responsible for managing the career of Bruno Mars and songwriting collective The Smeezingtons, and will serve as an A&R consultant for both record labels.

"As we continue to expand our creative investments, Brandon is a perfect fit," stated Mr. Weiss. "Besides being a great artists' manager, he is also a talented A&R and creative executive. We plan to get him very involved across our labels at Island Def Jam Motown and Universal Republic."

G.O.O.D. Music Lands Def Jam Deal

Kanye West's imprint G.O.O.D. Music has inked a worldwide, long-term deal with Def Jam Music Group. Big Sean's debut album will be the first release under the new agreement.

"G.O.O.D. Music is an exciting new chapter in the long and successful association of Kanye West and Island Def Jam," said Island Def Jam's current CEO, Barry Weiss. "As a recording artist and a producer over the past eight years, there is no one who has made a greater impression on the game than Kanye. We look forward to working closely with the new and established artists that he will be bringing to G.O.O.D. Music, which is already off to an impressive start with Big Sean."

Island Def Jam's President/CEO Steve Bartels says the investment is worth it due to Kanye's track record.

"Kanye's genius has been proven time and time again on records and onstage," said Bartels. "He not only pours it out for himself, but he has made the difference with his presence on innumerable projects with other artists who are indebted to him."