For Jim Jones Inspiration Arrives in a Movie
Uh-oh, it looks like Jimmy is jumping on the concept album bandwagon.
NEW YORK, Nov. 21 — Jim Jones, the rap superstar and co-CEO of Diplomat Records, has quietly returned to the studio to record an album of new songs inspired by the forthcoming movie “Alvin and The Chipmunks,” his first “concept” album and second CD in less than a year.
The album, which his label plans to release in early December, came together over the past few weeks after Jim Jones was shown the film, directed by Tim Hill, in which Jason Lee portrays David Seville, the man who looks after the mischievous chipmunks.
Following the underwhelming critical and commercial reception for his Harlem’s American Gangsta CD earlier this year — and as Jim Jones grapples with whether to stay on in his post at Diplomat Records — the tie-in to a major motion picture gives him a chance to rebound strong and extend his reach to a wider audience.
At the same time, it could help 20th Century Fox excite younger moviegoers, whom it will need to make money on a costly film with a contemporary comic sensibility. Though it’s not uncommon for films to be released alongside “inspired by” albums, it is rare for them to be recorded by a single artist, let alone by an average rapper who had no role in the movie.
In an hourlong telephone interview, Jim Jones, 31, who has spoken of spending his early years in Harlem as Cam’ron’s hype man, said that the movie had tremendous resonance for him and had sparked a burst of creative activity that even he found surprising. He has already recorded nine tracks, almost every one prompted by a specific scene.
“It was like I was watching the film, and putting it on pause, and giving a back story to the story,” he said.
The movie, set for a Dec. 14 release, is based on the 1980s series about a music group of chipmunks comprised of mischievous group leader Alvin; tall and quiet Simon; and chubby, impressionable Theodore.
Jim Jones said he thought his fans would be struck by the image of a chipmunk reaching such heights of success, even while alone in the world with only a kufi by his side.
“It immediately clicked with me,” said Jim Jones, who has made passing references to animated musical groups in previous recordings but has never delved so deeply into the topic. “Like Nutty Squirrels or any one of those groups, you take the good out of it, and you can see it as an inspiring act.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/arts/music/20jjones.html
