Word has it that Juanita Bynum just signed a management and recording contract with Mathew Knowles and his company, Music World Entertainment. Celebrity journalist (read: the-guy-who’s-always-in-the-know) Jawn Murray broke the story via AOL BV Buzz and live on the Tom Joyner Morning Show.
The international minister, author and recording artist just released a new album last Tuesday, entitled More Passion, and is already prepped to release another, The Diary of Juanita Bynum, later this year.
Knowles is best known for guiding the unstoppable entertainment career of his daughter, Beyonce. His company, Music World, is also home to chart mainstays Brian Courtney Wilson and Trin-i-tee 5:7.
Think it’s a good move for Juanita Bynum? What about for Mathew Knowles?
Whatd’ya think???
THIS IS A DUMB MOVE.... HOW DOES A SUPPOSELY WOMAN OF GOD GET WITH A ***EDITED***- UNLESS TWO OF A KIND IS LINKING UP! THE NEW RECORD IS A KILLER AND IT REACHES THE HEART OF MANY -I WANT TO KNOW WHEN DID SHE RECORD THIS RECORD BECAUSE I WENT TO HEAR HER A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AND THIS RECORDS SOUNDS LIKE THE OLD JUANITA BYNUM AND NOT THE JUANITA BYNUM ***EDITED*** II.WE DO NOT NEED ANOTHER MICHELLE WILLIAMS . WILLTHE REAL JUANITA BYNUM COME FORTH.
This all makes sense given the direction she has been moving in for years. (Side eye) Matthew on the other hand is a business man...Can't knock the hustle no matter what I think of the man and his dealings. *I wonder if she signed on the dotted line with one of her fancy schmancy pens or just a regular old Bic*
Um...what happened to Flo Records? I thought that most artists (especially in gospel) with their own label released projects through that label. Am I wrong???
@Linda Lewis...i can't well, i can understand the move from a business perspective...i don't necessarily agree, but understand. however, has Mr. Knowles had much success with anyone else he's managed besides Beyonce? no disrespect intended but Ms. Bynum was already more well known than anyone else on Music World's roster...except Beyonce. this is especially true concerning his gospel artists. Michelle didn't really hit her stride until after she left Music World IN MY OPINION. i wish her (Juanita) the best! "I wonder if she signed on the dotted line with one of her fancy schmancy pens or just a regular old Bic" *curls up under desk and stays there*
oh really- I LOVE what she has done in the past years with FLOW records- just don't understand what Matthew Knowles is going to do with her other than prostitute her gift. She already has a name in the gospel industry so why mix it with worldly influences? This is so confusing and contrary to many of her messages of believing God will make he name great up- & not man. Looks like he gave her a record company but she left it...& for him? Praying for what doesn't make sense & what I don't understand.
I definitely don't think this is a good movie for Ms. Bynum... In my opinion Mr. Knowles is toxic. His track of how he deals with artist -expecially gospel artist - (aside from Beyonce ) speaks for its self.
Matthew doesn't have a idea to what hes doing. Juanita gotta be outside her mind for signing with dude. I applaud him for what hes done with Beyonce but thats about it.
Not really sure what to think about JB's signing with Knowles.... I'm just amazed that, despite her other shenanigans, JB has established herself as a formidable gospel music artist. It's almost as if she is better received from her music (ministry) side than her preaching ministry side. I sincerely hope that things work out for her.
Not a good move. I've read a lot that he's not a good business man. Definitely praying for you Juanita. :o )
I haven`t heard from Juanita Bynum in a long time. I have been a fan of her in her earlier years,but she changed since than. I am not really a fan of her music, but some songs are good. As far as Matthew Knowles goes, he is a good producer so hopefully he would help Bynum go in the right direction.
Judging by what I read here, I hope and pray that Juanita bynum rexamines her decision because she is a gospel artist and singing with a secular prouder could be risky. Let us just pray before we judge.
Look at Trinitee 5:7, they were blowing up the charts until they signed with Knowles. He's awesome for Beyonce, but that's it! All of 5:7's albums went gold or close to it, and under his direction, they don't even get airplay. Ms. Bynum should be signing arists, why is she being SIGNED? She doesn't need a wider audience, she already has/had one...... Kelly left Knowles, Michelle left Knowles, so why would someone else who already has a huge following sign with him? He's awesome for his daughter, but he has no further success with other artists. That's why Lyfe Jennings left him too
"Ms. Bynum should be signing artists, why is she being SIGNED? " <----EXACTLY! i know she's not a gospel artist but Mary J. Blige was managed by Knowles briefly and it was the least successful period in her career (during the "Love and Life" album). from what i can tell, isn't Brian Courtney Wilson doing fine? does anyone know?
A bit more of the details... "Bynum is slated to drop a new CD called 'The Diary of Juanita Bynum' later this year on her new venture Son Flower Records, in partnership with Knowles' Spirit Rising label."
I really don't get it, maybe Juanita Bynum has HER reasons for signing with him, no one really knows for sure. But when you look at this from the outside window, you get one of those "side eye" stares lol. I mean, sure Matthew Knowles has done a wonderful of managing 2 major acts in music (Destiny's Child & Beyonce), okay he gets props for that. BUT... his management of other artists on the roster....*blank stare*. And that point alone would be more than enough for me to back away from a contract...I'm just saying.
I truly do not feel that her signing with him was a good move. she already has a name as an artist. I really do not understand what she is looking for. This willgive her attention in a negative way I think. With all of the christain lables we have that are great. why him....
It may be good for Juanita Bynum because her career has slightly fallen by the wayside over the last couple years. She just released a new cd LAST WEEK to absolutely NO publicity. I sure didn't read anything on GospelPundit about it or heard of any single on the airwaves. People are mentioning Beyonce but Juanita Bynum & Beyonce are not in competition so I don't see how that matters. Anything is really better than what's happened to Juanita Bynum with her last two projects. Look, it's already got people talking & her name circulating again on the web.
@Keisha M. I don't think people are really using Beyonce to put Juanita Bynum in a competition sense with her (cause we all know that just doesn't hold much merit lol). It's just that when you look at Matthew Knowles in management, you can't help but think of it, because that's who he's known for. And in a management sense, I would think that fact really does matter. Like for instance, when you look at the "gospel" artists on his roster (and even a few of the other non gospel artists)...there really isn't much to see or talk about other than a few TV spots, little radio play & less than average album sales. And of course people are going to talk right now, that's a given when someone makes a career move like this or when someone is jump starting again. I can't see how she'll benefit from this move, but who knows anything can happen, time will tell. All in all I hope the best happens for her :)
I think you all are missing the point. This is not solely about her inking a record deal w/ Knowles. Its about BRANDING. Now whether or not Mathew is the one to guide her will be decided. But she can't do it on her own beyond Gospel industry. Jaunita doesn't just want to be an artist or prophetess... she wants to be an OPRAH-type media force and grow wealth. She's stated this before. So she took that Montblanc pen and signed on the dotted line (cuz Bic is for us commoners) to hopefully be guided by a man who has guided Beyonce into a $300mil empire. And who (label or manager) in Gospel is going to get her there? No one has that type of clout. Kim Burrell is doing the same thing... trying to BRAND herself. So she went with a guy who reaches beyond Gospel music. Making a decision to JUST be an artist in the gospel music industry means working harder than most secular artists for less money. Say what you want from the religious aspect. I'm not here to defend or to shun them... But i do think SOME value money/fame more than ministry...
Hmmmm, me.... Interesting comparison of JB and KB.... I'm intrigued.... So why am I less...how shall I say...giving the side eye to JB versus when KB said she was "enlarging her (musical) territory"? Why? Am I being hypocritical? Or are these really two different situations? Ok... here's me thinking out loud: I think the reason that these two situations are, at the end of the day, incomparable, is that JB has NOT said anything to justify her choices/reasons for signing with Knowles. She made the announcement and that was that. As has been noted upthread: JB has said she wants to be the (gospel) equivalent of Oprah... Ok.... With KB, first it was the announcement, then the backlash, then an attempt to justify her choices. I heart KB and I suppose I have given up on JB as a traditional gospel vessel, as it were, but at the end of the day, I can respect a person who owns their choices.
I don't hear God in this one. Why is it that she is not promoting the cd that was released last week on her website? It is a great cd released by her Flow Records label. I'm just saying- it looks like she is trying to be Oprah or whoever so hard that she seems to be putting too many baskets out there and not enough eggs. Her piece of my passion cd went gold (selling more than 500,000 copies) because she had media outlets to promote it. She has the power to accomplish that again if she would promote it the righteous way because I don't care who she signs with- if the business is not right then they all fail and miss God! What happened to her being the actress? Her make up line? Her talk show? I'm just saying- looks like she is always starting something and not finishing it. I hope this is not the case for Mr. Knoweles! Maybe God just wants her to just preach- my opinion- and I am praying her direction falls within the will of God!
@Rica Unless you are Kirk, Mary Mary, etc....you have described 95% of the gospel industry. It's less than stellar sales, few TV spots, etc all around! Even the aforementioned crossover acts we have STILL pale in comparison to all that can be gained. Mary Mary just had the biggest hit of their career & their cd still has not crossed Gold status. That's just the general state of gospel industry. So I don't see how things can really get any "worse" by signing with Knowles. Like I said, this news has thrust Juanita Bynum back in the spotlight & in the conscious of people that stopped talking about her these last couple of years. So I say let's just WAIT and SEE what is to come with this partnership.
Let us not forget... Brian Courtney Wilson is signed with Matthew Knowles also... i didnt see anyone jumping on him.
Wow- she sold 500K of that cd? If I could do that on my own and none of Matthew Knowles gospel artist haven't done that then what's the point other than the obvious- he is Beyonce's dad! I would promote my own if I could- not a smart move!
I'm also a bit baffled that Nita would even consider signing with Papa Knowles...dunno guess in the fullness of time we'll understand it all better and I wont be surprised if eventually they become more than just business associates but rather beloveds cos other than that ( ie the heart being involved in this decision) I dont see this making much sense... Someone mentioned 'branding' but in all honesty if an artist wanted to rebrand themselves I doubt they'd go to Papa Knowles, Music World is a sinking ship the ONLY successful artist in their roaster is Beyonce and I read a while ago that her husband was considering managing her ( dunno how true that is) so I wonder how much longer she'll be with Music World.... adn like someone rightly commented even his 'family' ie Michelle and Kelly have jumped ship so I wonder why Nita has jumped aboard..... I do think that there is a constant struggle on the inside of Nita ie the spirit (ministry) vs the flesh (pursuing fame at the expense of her ministry etc) for I too have been to an event (abt 4 yrs ago ) where she declared she wanted to be the gospel version of Oprah ie dominating the media etc.....but I thought she was called to be a 'prophetess'/minister.... Either ways I wish her well and pray pray pray that she doesnt have to compromise tooo much
BTW (by the way...lol) has anyone sampled her new album.. is it a worship album...is it good?
kwartema- her cd is really good- more passion is like she went back to Juanita Bynum & not Juanita Bynum II.
@ Pokie- Thanks for the heads up...I guess I'll be getting it then. I do think that her 'A piece of my passion' album was IMHO one of the best worship albums ever...it kinda really took you into Gods prescence.. its really sad all thats gone on in her personal life cos I think it has scarred her ministry a bit ....I do feel sorry for her at times....hmmmm
@ Keisha M. I'm not talking about or describing the "GOSPEL INDUSTRY" as a whole. I'm ONLY talking about the gospel artists on Music World Entertainment, and the "non-gospel" artists on that roster can even be included...no one else. I responded to your comment on: "Juanita Bynum & Beyonce are not in competition so I don’t see how that matters " I shared what I think is the reason they are even put in the same sentence, and how the previous work of Mr. Knowles in "MANAGEMENT" is looked at. I would never, ever say that signing with him would make anything "WORSE", cause only time can tell what will happen. It's just that for someone (JB) trying to not only come back up as an "artist", but also pushing their career into a complete DIFFERENT arena away from music, it just seems a little absurd. So looking at ONLY the management part of this (with 22 of years of industry experience) it just doesn't make sense to me. I'm not attacking your views or saying you're wrong at all, just stating my thoughts as well, which I must not have explained well enough in my earlier post...but I'm done with it. God bless:)
This move doesn't make since to anyone. Unless she burned her bridges with jakes, long and the crew is the only reason why I can see why she would make this move for the lime light again. The only thing i see is her conforming! If so, man we've got to stop! They're pulling us instead of us pulling them. Can't anyone else see this?
Just sampled Juanitas new album and like Pokie said its good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUoUg26kvIY Enclosed the youtube link.....Definitely getting this album... I really pray that God sends forth some Godly mentors into her life hmmmmmmmmmm
Throwback Nita http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOZWqKHrTew&feature=related
@Rica Ok and the gospel artists on Music World are of no exclusivity to what's going on in the gospel industry. Basically, what I'm saying is that if they are having less than stellar sales & few television spots. This doesn't make Knowles a peculiarity because that's the state of the gospel industry as an entire whole. Period. It still does not have the mass appeal and push of other genres, that's why gold albums are few & far in between and platinum status even more-so. I just don't see how "terrible" of a decision this is. I'll only wait & see what happens from here.
@ Jay- you are right man- we as christians should have a greater hand in/on any industry but it's because of non integrity issues and lack of trust in Gods plan that we institute a move like this in our lives. I do believe he will put people in place to help fulfill HIS calling but I don't see how this hook up is devinely set up if she has already accomplished on her own (with God) far beyond what he can do for gospel artist signedto his label. I'm just saying. One focus? With Matthew Knowels doing music management? @Don- I don't hear it either! Praying!
Everyone on this post keeps saying that MK hasn't been successful with any of his gospel artist. Brian Courtney Wilson is a new artist and was virtually unheard of and his CD is STILL in the top 10 on Billboard after a whole year. I say...let's give the JB/MK collaboration a chance.
Rather its Matthew Knowles or Bill Hearn its all business. Your dealing with big money in a big industry. More than half of the people that your favorite artist work with don't profess to be Christians. Its about who's going to put your music out there and get it out to the masses. When labels go into meetings their discussing how to sale a record and make money. The Christian music industry brings in millions of revenue a year. Singing Secular music or Gospel isn't going to be treated any different in the President of a label eyes. So no, to the person who said shes conforming I don't agree with that. When it comes down to business, its just that business. So Juanita ain't conforming and all that other stuff people saying.
@ Michelle- ur right- can't say he is not that successful- but just trying to understand if she can sale gold status on 1cd with her own label- Then y sign with someone who has not done that with any of his gospel artist? That's almost like paying someone to do what u can already do! She should be like née née- she don't have to b like the Jones's- she is the Jones's! Much success to both of them.
J. BYNUM STILL HAS HER OWN LABEL......SHE SIGNED A MANAGEMENT DEAL NOT A RECORD DEAL!!!!!!
Dear GOSPELLYFE.COM A question and a comment: Question: What's the purpose and/or distinctions between a management deal and a record deal? Comment: Not to embarrass you, but I am journalistic purist. In other words, accuracy trumps first mention. Fellow link blogger The Gospel According to Torrence is reporting that the deal is BOTH a management and record deal.... **kanye shrug**
Micah Stampley just signed with Music World too...
@ michelle please tell me that is a early april fools joke, c`mon what is wrong with gospel artists today? I am not judging but I don`t understand them singing with secular artists. We are called by God as servants not entertainers. Jesus, I pray that Micah and Juanita for that matter is making the right move, when you are singing for Jesus it is not about popularity and sells,because only what you do for Jesus will last!
Just read about the Micah signing too and am a bit baffled cos He was with EMI and Dexterity then started his own label under which he has released 2 albums so a bit confused why he's jumping to Papa Knowles camp .........esp as Knowles success rate outside Beyonce isnt that great.....hmmm IDK.....
I don`t see why Micah is switching his contract, it just does not make sense.
The blurb below helps to clear up what's happening: "It seemed counterproductive to be announcing a new record company affiliation and to be promoting new music, having just released a CD in May; however, BV Buzz has now learned that Bynum has walked away from the label she co-founded and turned it over to her former producer Myron Williams. On May 12, Bynum formally announced that Flow Records would now be run by Williams, who has produced seven of Bynum's releases during the company's four-year history. Her CD, 'More Passion,' is a compilation of never-released material, and Bynum has opted not to support or promote it." And Micah needed to do something...that last CD just didn't work for me. And most gospel labels need distribution and other services from "secular" companies...there is NO pure route.
wow V4C- are you serious? Yea for Myron who has done an awesome job but y won't she support or promote it? Sounds counterproductive forreal- & why sign her as an artist if she is not promoting her products? Not sure what's going on with her but this is the kind of foolishness that has caused people to leave her alone- too many inconsistencies! I love the More Passion cd but it seems like this "New Juanita Bynum II" is an alter ego spirit that we need to pray for!