Bad Boy Records Promotes Harve Pierre and Tracey Waples

Bad Boy Records announced today the promotion of Harve Pierre to Executive Vice President, and Tracey Waples to General Manager of Bad Boy Records. They will split oversight of the company, and both positions will report directly to Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Chairman of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group.

Additional promotions include Mel Smith, who was promoted to Senior Vice President of Radio Promotion (R&B, Crossover & Top 40) and will report to Waples. Also, Conrad Dimanche has been promoted to Senior Director of A&R, Henry Polanco is promoted to National Director of Mix Show/Club Promotion and Shannon Lawrence is promoted to Director of A&R. Mr. Dimanche, Mr. Polanco and Mr. Lawrence will report to Harve Pierre.

Mr. Pierre will oversee A&R, Finance, A&R Admin, Mix Show, Club and Street Team Promotion, On-Line, Operations and Production. Ms. Waples will oversee all marketing, video, retail, creative services and radio promotion functions of the label. They will split oversight of International Distribution.

"Tracey Waples, Harve Pierre and Mel Smith have decades of experience in the music industry and have been loyal members of the Bad Boy team for many years and I am pleased to promote them. 2004 marks the first full year with our new distributor Universal Records and is filled with high expectations, and I am confident our management team will rise to the challenge," said Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Chairman of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group. "We plan on releasing over ten albums this year including the Bad Boy Tenth Anniversary CD and DVD, Carl Thomas, Bad Boy's Da Band's second album, Eightball and MJG, Mario Winans, New Edition, Cheri Dennis, Notorious B.I.G, P. Diddy and others. This new management structure is the beginning of building the label of the future, and continuing to develop the most talented team in the industry."



Microsoft hosts DJ Summit

Microsoft will host a DJ Summit, inviting some of the most popular DJ's. Grandmaster Flash will address the DJ's, who will represent all music genres. "Microsoft feels [the DJ's] are some of the most important people in the music business," Flash told AllHipHop.com. The event is February 7-8 in Seattle.



"LA" Reid heads up Univeral's Island Def Jam record label

Antonio "LA" Reid, will head up Univeral's Island Def Jam record label. Reid will become Chairman & CEO, in a 3 year, multi-million dollar agreement that he is expected to sign next week. Former Island Def Jam CEO Lyor Cohen left the label last week for a position at Warner Music Group.



Bun B is preparing "No Apologies"

Bun B of the Texas rap group UGK is keeping busy even though partner Pimp C is serving an 8-year bid for aggravated assault with a handgun. "I wish [Pimp C] was here," Bun B told AllHipHop.com "There's stuff I can do to keep our name out until he gets home- that's what he wants." Bun B is preparing "No Apologies," the third LP by his side project MDDL FNGZ.



Master P Testifies at C-Murder's Hearing

A key prosecution witness in the murder trial of Corey "C-Murder" Miller testified yesterday at Miller's hearing for a new trial that she didn't see him shoot a 16-year-old. The woman said she witnessed a man known as "Calliope Slim" with a gun before the boy was shot. She said she didn't reveal the information because no one asked her. The hearing resumes 1/15.