LOL, poor Ron Artest....

[davida.b.]

 

Maybe there is such a thing as bad publicity.

Suddenly infamous Indiana Pacers hoopster Ron Artest's latest CD hit stores yesterday with a whimper.

Artest, who was just suspended for the rest of the NBA season for going into the stands after a drink-tossing fan, has founded his own label, the aptly named Tru Warier. On Tuesday, the label released its first album by its first signing, R&B girl group Allure's Chapter III, which Artest produced.

So far, though, Artest proved he's no P. Diddy when it comes to hyping his work.

Despite Artest's ardent plugs for Allure's latest on shows like NBC's Today, all anyone wants to talk about is last Friday's "basketbrawl," which touched off when the ill-tempered Artest fouled Detroit Piston Ben Wallace and then went into the crowd after a fan chucked a cup at Artest. The resulting melee ended up with Artest receiving the NBA's so-called "death penalty"--a full season on the sidelines. (He is appealing the suspension, which is the harshest ever meted out by the league.)

While Artest packs a wallop on the court, his new album has failed to impact at retail.

Tower Records in Washington, D.C, reported just three discs sold out of 15 in stock Tuesday evening. The chain's Portland, Oregon, store said that not one Allure disc sold in its first day out.

As of Tuesday night, the disc ranked a dismal 13,565 on Amazon.com, with some scathing reviews. "This record is terrible in every way imaginable. I was so excited to get this record today because I'm a huge Allure fan from back in the day. But man, this thing sucks. Starting with the packaging which is beyond cheezy...There is absolutely zero soul both in the lyrics and the music. The production is 3rd rate at best."

Aside from the critical blasts, Artest needs to work on getting the right message to the press.

During his Today appearance, Artest seemed visibly uncomfortable with Matt Lauer's grilling about the brawl. Although he became more animated and even cracked a smile while waving a copy of Allure's CD during the segment, he barely remembered to mention the group's name.

Indeed, many news outlets have reported that Artest's own solo rap CD dropped yesterday, not Allure's.

Earlier this month, Artest said: "I've got my album coming out Nov. 23. After the album comes out I'm going to make sure all of my time is focused on winning a championship." (The remark came after Artest set off another mini-controversy when he asked Pacers coach Rick Carlisle for some time off from basketball to promote his musical projects. Carlisle responded by benching the all-star player.)

By "his album," Artest meant Allure's record. But his statement confused fans and the media, who thought it meant the hoopster's own hip-hop CD. Per the Tru Warier Website, Artest's rap album is coming out "soon."

Artest's lack of PR skills may only be rivaled by his lack of A&R skills. New York-based Allure has struggled to find an audience for years. The group formed in the mid-1990s and initially landed on Mariah Carey's vanity imprint Crave. Their 1997 debut record peaked at a weak 108 on Billboard's Hot 200, despite guest cameos from stars like Nas, L.L. Cool J and Carey herself. Allure's second disc also failed to make a dent in the crowded R&B marketplace.

Meanwhile, because of Artest's wild-man image and on-court antics, there's a curiosity factor that could spark interest in his forthcoming rap album, which will be released through his fledgling Connecticut-based label and distributed by the Warner Bros. Music imprint Lightyear.

Artest says he hopes to make the album available online via Tru Warier.com, as well as in stores in the next few weeks. (Artest may want to invest in a new Website before that happens, as the relatively amateurish TruWarier.com was down much of Tuesday night due to heavy traffic.)

The wannabe music mogul hails from the same storied Queensbridge projects in New York that churned out megastars like Nas and Mobb Deep. NBA fans can only hope Artest doesn't embarass them the same way Shaquille O'Neal made wannabe basketball rappers a joke with discs like 1994's Shaq-Fu: Da Return, or worse, Allen Iverson or Kobe Bryant, whose rap albums never made it to retail racks.

Elliot Wilson, editor-in-chief of hip-hop magazine XXL, told the Detroit News Tuesday that Artest may have a rougher time making it in the rap game than he thinks.

"Athletes already have such a bad image [in the music business] with basketball players trying to be rappers, and most of them aren't that good," Wilson said. "There's going to be a stigma against him as a music artist trying to get any level of respect."

[bjax]

Not Artest's fault this CD flopped.  I mean these chicks never had success.  I'll bet that this will still be their best selling album to date.

[Sikotic™]

And I guess taking time off fromt he season was gonna help his record sales. Fucking idiot.