HHDX News Bits (G-Unit Clothes Done, Timbaland)

After numerous rumors, the G-Unit brand of clothing is officially shutting down. The news may come as a surprise to some, due to previous denials by representatives for 50 Cent.

The clothing line, which was a part of designer Marc Ecko's Marc Ecko Enterprises, was established in 2003. Despite its popularity since then, and Wall Street Journal reports that it made up 15% of Marc Ecko Enterprises' revenue, MissInfo.TV reports that 50 Cent will allegedly be walking away with full ownership of the brand - presumably to relaunch with another manufacturer.

It is currently unclear whether or not the split was a mutual decision between 50 and Ecko, who had a 50% stake in the company. The reported last day of work for the entire staff at G-Unit Clothing was today (Feb. 8).

Clearly not made complacent by his five Grammy Award nominations, Timbaland will be taking his hitmaking production to a phone near you. The producer announced that he as teamed up with Verizon Wireless to create the first "mobile album."
According to Billboard.com, the album will be made exclusively available to subscribers of V Cast, Verizon's mobile entertainment service.

Timbaland will produce one song a month through 2008, each time working with a different artist. In addition, he will tour the country on the Verizon Mobile Recording Studio Bus. Making-of footage of this process will also be available for V Cast subscribers.

The project, which will be on a dedicated Timbaland channel, was explained by the producer. He reasoned that "every place don't get a CD [but] everybody has a mobile phone. Just producing a mobile album has never been done. I'm the first to ever do it."

Though he is not contractually obligated to Interscope for the mobile album, Timbo will be working with some of the label's artists for the tracks. The tracks will be released days after they are produced in numerous forms: full-length download, ringtone and ringback. Then, at the end of the year a compilation "ablum" is to be released exclusively through Verizon.

"I'm just going to have fun with it," said Timbaland, pointing out that he would not focus on a particular genre. "I'll just do what comes in mind." Possible artists to be featured on the songs are OneRepublic, Paramore, Flo Rida, Natasha Bedingfield, Taylor Swift and Chris Cornell. Confirmed is Keri Hilson, an artist on Timbaland's Interscope imprint, Mosley Music.