IKE JACKSON SCOLDS EVERYONE: 

As a corporate owner of music copyrights, I believe that I have a unique perspective on how the entertainment industry affects society and the government. The week of September 11th, the hip-hop market sold an estimated 2.5 million units of commercially packaged rap music in the US. This means for hip-hop America the world is safe to make money. If hip-hop product can continue to flow at this pace, 60 million units can be sold by years end.

Thank you President Bush, good job. I give credit where credit is due, but you are not in good graces yet. Your father is still held in high esteem in hip-hop and he is a hard act to follow so you must stay focused. Both you and your counterpart S.Carter (President of Def Jam Records, a.k.a. Jay-Z) need a good high profile Vice-President to finish out your perspective terms in office. Right now, a strong trusted VP that people will love will keep your legacies from being questionable. Iran is still not in line and has overt Russian and Chinese backing. No high-profile new artist release has followed up after the Kanye West sales victory. Are you two focused? We are at war gentlemen. President Bush. That move with General Petraeus—beautiful.

We’ll be in there for another two years. Now put Condi Rice in as Vice –President. Let Chaney face the music and then pardon him (he was a good earner). Offer Condi Rice the Vice-President’s office and let her handle Russia and China. President S.Carter, 50cent has 12 more albums ready for sale so you are 10 albums short. OK you put in work without dame dash and your new album American Gangster is here, everyone is stuck. Please do not get comfortable with hip-hop consumers, and I expect you to match 50’s albums in a sales battle and release them to get any money that may be left on the table before your term as president ends. Offer Beyonce Knowles the job of Vice-President of Def Jam. She was educated to run several businesses by her father.Secretary Rice, President Bush Senior put you in political play for a reason. To handle Russia and China. We can’t even get host countries because China is all over Africa. Hip-hop does not like that. The Chinese do not respect intellectual property and copyright laws and the US has only a small foothold in the African digital market. I am not willing to concede those potential billions in hip-hop content sales profits to China. Also, you were taught to deal with Russia and make sure our dollars continue to equal oil and flow in the world’s market place. If President Bush offers you the office of Vice-President, you will accept and handle our business.

Ms. Knowles, if President S.Carter offers you the office of Def Jam Vice-President, you will accept. While “Jay-Z” tends to the 10 album sales battle in 14 months, you will be what your father trained you to be: a stable executive brought in to hold down the R&B Division until the end of President S.Carter’s term.Former President Clinton, if hip-hop America were to listen to outsiders it would be akin to a husband listening to his mistress instead of his wife. America should not take serious counsel outside American citizenship. Yes, we have serious problems at home, but once the American public admits its denial about our recession, institutionalized racism, needed prison sentence reform, destroyed transportation infrastructure, the housing market crash, our weak dollar, no serious following of the rule of law domestically, and having foreigners owning much of our press, we can get back to making money in the world, instead of for the world.

Mr. Clinton, in hip-hop, we are American capitalists and we take counsel from American citizens at home. We are not so naïve as to think that the outside world would not love to see our economic world destroyed. Nobody likes to be number 2, no matter how good it sounds to your ear. Now, be quiet before you mess up your wife’s primary run. Though hip-hop America likes your wife and the way she’s handling her business, your act on Sister Souljah was not forgotten or forgiven. Stay in your lane, which is charming the ladies, and leave the politics to Hillary.As for the rest of hip-hop, all is well in the world market place, but we are still coming out of a business model correction. Slowly, we have moved Mix CD sales from the streets to the stores. We can continue to make an inventory transition from physical to digital, keeping manufacturing cost low if we continue to put out premium sales events monthly. The blueprint: 50 Cent vs. Kanye West.

One major sales battle should take place every 2 months. I encourage everyone with hip-hop copyrights to participate in sales battles on TV and radio. In New York, Angie Martinez is the one to trust with true sales info. She reports weekly and I trust her numbers. I am not sure if all in hip-hop are out here to get this money. If one is afraid to use their skills, this new wave of economic competition should remove them permanently. Stay focused, hip-hop is the newest tool of capitalism, so please use it carefully. Until next time, this is Ike Jackson and you’ve just been scolded.