Rapper Lil Wayne has become the first artist in three years to sellmore than one million albums in a week. His new CD, ,sold 423,000 copies its first day of release. First week sales reached1.01 million copies. The last artist to achieve that feat was 50 Cent,who sold a little more than 1.1 million copies of its firstweek of release in 2005. According to , the debut single fromLil Wayne's new album has sold 2.14 million digital downloads. "Lollipop" also spent four weeks at Number One on the Hot 100 chart.
Blondieis celebrating the 30th anniversary of its breakthrough album . The album sold more than 20 million copies worldwide andincluded the hits "Heart of Glass" and "One Way or Another." On June24, an expanded version of will be released. Theanniversary edition includes a DVD with videos and televisionperformances. Earlier this month, Blondie kicked of a U.S. concerttour.
On June 27, "The 46664 Concert Honoring Nelson Mandela at90" will take place at London's Hyde Park. Among the many artiststaking part in the concert are Leona Lewis, Amy Winehouse, AnnieLennox, Queen + Paul Rodgers and Simple Minds. VH1 will tape the eventfor broadcast as a two-hour special on June 30. Nelson Mandela willturn 90 years old on July 18.
Britney Spears' younger sister,Jamie Lynn Spears, delivered a baby girl in a Mississipppi hospital onJune 19. She and fiancé Casey Aldridge named their daughter MaddieBriann. The day before Maddie's birth, Jamie Lynn's father, herbrother Bryan and Britney all flew from California to the Spears homein Louisiana to be with Jamie Lynn.
The original members of the1980s funk group The Time will reunite on June 24 to begin a series ofshows at The Flamingo in Las Vegas. According to the band's publicist,this marks the first time in nearly 20 years that original membersMorris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jesse Johnson, Jerome Benton,Jellybean Johnson and Monte Moir have performed in concert. The Time'sR&B hits include "777-9311," "Jungle Love" and "Jerk Out."
Newalbums scheduled for release on June 24 include: "Brass Knuckles" byNelly, "Tales From The Beach" by Incognito, "Duchess" by Deborah Bonham(younger sister of Led Zeppelin's late drummer John Bonham), "Delta" byDelta Goodrem, "Saints of Los Angeles" by Motley Crue, "Real Animal" byAlejandro Escovedo, "Superhero Brother" by G. Love & Special Sauce,"Nobody's Fault But Mine" by Edwin McCain, "Patriotic Country 3" byvarious Country artists, "Sax For Stax" by Gerald Albright and "FireSongs" by The Watson Twins.
The2008 Monterey Bay Blues Festival will take place in Monterey,California June 27-29. This year's event will feature appearances byB.B. King, Charlie Musselwhite, Bettye LaVette, Keb Mo, Susan Tedeschiand many others.
The Rock in Rio festival will take place June27 and 28 in Madrid, Spain. This is the first time the festival hasbeen held in Spain's capital city. A second weekend of festival datesis schedule for July 4, 5 and 6. This year's lineup includesappearances by Alanis Morissette, Neil Young, Shakira, The Police,Alejandro Sanz and Lenny Kravitz, among others.
OnJune 23, performing rights organization ASCAP will hold its 21st annualRhythm & Soul Music Awards in Beverly Hills, California. Theawards recognize ASCAP's top songwriters and publishers in rap andhip-hop music. New Edition will receive this year's Golden Note Award,which is given to "songwriters, composers and artists who have achievedextraordinary career milestones." Previous Golden Note Award winnersinclude Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Jay-Z, Quincy Jones, JermaineDupree and LL Cool J.
On June 27,the Black Crowes will begin their 90-city "Euphoria or Bust Tour" inHershey, Pennsylvania. The rock band will support , itsfirst studio album in nearly seven years.