| On Monday, R&B group 3LW proved that rappers aren't the only acts who
can make headlines at the Source Awards.
After Wyclef Jean cruised by them on the red carpet atop his motorcycle,
the recently re-formed trio announced they'd just made another big
change. Adrienne Bailon, Jessica 'J' Benson and Kiely Williams have
signed a new label deal.
"OK, this is the big news right here," J, the group's newest member,
said as things quieted down. "We were just signed, so now we are
definitely [with the] So So Def [imprint] and [its distributor],
Arista."
"That's right, we're really excited," Adrienne added. "[We're] working
with Jermaine Dupri. J.D. is actually gonna be doing four or five tracks
on the album. We are moving to Atlanta for a certain amount of time to
finish the album. It's gonna be so much fun working with him."
For fans who've been tracking 3LW for the past few months, the
announcement comes as no surprise. The group, formerly signed to Epic
Records, has been negotiating with Dupri for some time now (see
"Jermaine Dupri To Sign 3LW, Former Dogg Pound Member Daz"). A few
months ago, the producer/label exec said he wanted to sign the girls
because he saw their potential and thought all they needed to really
take off was the right team behind them.
So far the women have completed 10 songs with a few different producers,
according to their publicist, and will probably reach out to a few more
beatmakers when they finish up their new album, Phoenix Rising, with
Dupri in ATL. While in the Dirty, the songbirds also want to hook up
with the mouth of the South, Ludacris, for a remix of their first
single, "After This," which they recently debuted at the Lady of Soul
Awards.
"[The song] is about a girl who goes to a party," Adrienne said, "and
she's basically asking the guy, 'Well, where are you going after this?
Before we hit the [parking] lot, you gotta tell me what you're thinking
about. What are you planning on doing?' So I think it has good message,
but it's a fun song. It's got an incredible track. It's gonna be hot."
The members also mentioned that they've got a song they'd like a certain
Queens MC to contribute his slick talk to.
"We actually have a song that we wanna put 50 [Cent] on," Adrienne said,
openly soliciting the rapper. "So if you're [listening] 50, it's called
'Gangsta.' "
"We want you, man, we want you," J interjected. "We need you."
"You gotta be on it," Adrienne said. "It's all about you." | |
