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"Joint Chiefs" Join Forces to Rock the Apollo

Atlantic Hip-Hop Stars Set for Nov. 23rd Spectacular; Fabolous, Fat Joe, T.I., Trick Daddy, Twista to Perform; Champs Sports and Black Leopards Soccer Team to Present; Concert Will Benefit South African and Harlem Charities

Atlantic Records has announced the premiere "Joint Chiefs" concert, set to take place at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem on Tuesday, November 23rd. In what promises to be one of the live events of the year, five of the biggest names in the rap world -- Fabolous, Fat Joe, T.I., Trick Daddy, and Twista -- will join forces for an unprecedented hip-hop spectacular. The concert will be hosted by fellow Atlantic recording artist Lil' Kim and HOT 97's DJ Envy.

The Apollo "Joint Chiefs" concert will be presented by Champs Sports and the Black Leopards Football Club of South Africa. Tickets for the concert, which are only $25, are now on sale at the Apollo Theater box office. Proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to two charities: one selected by the Black Leopards from the various causes which they support in their native region of Vhembe, one of South Africa's poorest areas, and Hope Leadership Academy in Harlem, which will also receive tickets to the show.

Champs Sports will debut the Black Leopards-inspired apparel collection by UMBRO, the global soccer and sportswear brand, which includes T-shirts imprinted with the team's distinctive logo and their club motto, "Lidoda Duvha," which translates from local dialect to English as "Our Day Will Come."

On the afternoon of the concert, a special autograph-signing event will take place with the "Joint Chiefs" artists as well as Black Leopards team representatives at the Champs Sports store on 125th Street in Harlem. HOT 97 DJ Cipher Sounds will be spinning in the store.

In addition to the tickets sold at the Apollo, tickets for the concert will be available as a gift-with-purchase of UMBRO Black Leopards apparel at the Champs Sports store in Harlem, and as a gift-with-purchase of Atlantic "Joint Chiefs" albums at selected music retailers throughout New York City.

New York's HOT 97 will serve as the concert's exclusive radio partner. As part of their extensive promotion of the event, HOT 97 will be giving away tickets on the air from now through November 19th.

The "Joint Chiefs" concert is a landmark event in the history of Atlantic Records. Firstly, it celebrates the launch of Atlantic's "Joint Chiefs" project, a groundbreaking multi-artist imaging campaign which brings together five of the music industry's top hip-hop artists under the "Joint Chiefs" umbrella. Beyond that, what began life as an innovative marketing strategy has now taken on a life of its own, as these platinum artists have banded together to turn the concept into reality. The November 23rd concert is just the first of what is expected to be an ongoing series of exciting "Joint Chiefs" events and collaborations.

About the Black Leopards

The Black Leopards soccer club was established in 1983 in Venda, which is in the far north of the Limpopo province in Thohoyandau. In 1988, the club was taken over by the Thidiela family, who have developed this extremely proud but poor community team from Vhembe and the surrounding area.

After only two years in the first division, the Black Leopards were promoted to the elite division, having won the regional championship. During their first season within the premier league, they often eclipsed the better known giants of South African football and finished the season in a lofty eighth place.

In their second season, they struggled in the leagues and narrowly avoided elimination by winning their last ten games in a row. However, the support for the team has never dwindled, since their supporters understand that this club is not just about soccer but is a way of life.

Since the inception of the team, many people have benefited from their success: transport, businesses, hotels, and food vendors have all had employment created through the team. In addition, social responsibility has been one of the most important aspects of the club, leading to the improvement of the socio-economic status of the local area.

About UMBRO

UMBRO, the world's most famous soccer brand, has launched a range of lifestyle products in collaboration with the South African Premier League soccer club, Black Leopards FC. Not only has it signed a deal to supply the official team uniform but it has developed a range of soccer-inspired lifestyle products.

The contract with the club is to stretch through to 2010 and will see a guaranteed investment into the club and their local community each year.

"We are delighted to be associated with the club and structure this unique deal to the benefit of the club and the community," said Simon Marsh, Head of Sports Marketing at UMBRO International. "Soccer in South Africa is extremely important to us, as it is a developing market; especially in light of the country successfully winning the right to host the 2010 World Cup Finals, and this will boost the overall popularity of the game on a global basis. This deal was structured to provide the opportunity for all within the community to be involved within the game and be part of the development of the area."

"In 1999, our vision was to support a fledgling club and assist Black Leopards to become, what it is today, an international brand," added Darryl Kroll, Marketing Director of UMBRO South Africa.

"I am overjoyed at the opportunity that UMBRO has created for Black Leopards and look forward to sharing this success with our community," noted David Thidiela, Chairman of the Black Leopards.

About Hope Leadership Academy

Located on Madison Avenue at 114th Street in Harlem, Hope Leadership Academy is a project of The Children's Aid Society. Hope Leadership Academy provides youth, ages 14 to 24, with a comprehensive array of programs and services and sustained relationships with peers. It provides adolescents with a positive social environment that promotes success and acknowledges their achievements and positive actions.

The mission of the Children's Aid Society is to ensure the physical and emotional well being of children and give them the supports and opportunities they need to become happy, healthy and successful adults.

The HOPE Initiative is a method of response and intervention for youth, ages 14 and older, designed to address the issues of alienation, violence and victimization, and intolerance that have always been part of the adolescent landscape but have been exacerbated by the events of 9/11.

About Champs Sports

A primarily mall-based athletic specialty retailer, Champs Sports has more than 575 stores nation-wide that carry athletic footwear, apparel and accessories for a wide variety of sports, fitness and lifestyle activities. Champs Sports is part of Foot Locker, Inc., an athletic specialty retailer that operates approximately 4,000 athletic retail stores in 17 countries in North America, Europe and Australia. Through its Foot Locker, Footaction, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker and Champs Sports retail stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channel Footlocker.com / Eastbay, the Company is the leading provider of athletic footwear and apparel.

THE JOINT CHIEFS

Spanning the hip-hop landscape from New York City to Miami, from Chicago to Atlanta, the "Joint Chiefs" are:

Trick Daddy:

"THUG MATRIMONY: MARRIED TO THE STREETS" -- In-store date: 10/26

The first Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic album in two years from the platinum-scoring Miami rapper, "THUG MATRIMONY..." made an explosive debut on last week's Billboard 200 album chart, entering in the #2 spot and marking Trick Daddy's highest chart position and biggest sales week of his career. The set is spearheaded by the top ten smash single, "Let's Go." For his sixth collection, T Double D is joined by Lil Jon, Twista, T.I., Ludacris, Cee-Lo, Trina, Ying Yang Twins, the legendary Ronald Isley, and others.

Twista:

"KAMIKAZE" Re-issue -- In-store date: 11/2

Nine months after Chicago's Twista made a spectacular #1 debut on the Billboard 200 chart with "KAMIKAZE," the double platinum album is being reborn with new bonus material. Twista's breakthrough success in '04 has garnered him five VIBE Awards nominations, four Source Award nominations, plus BET and MTV VMA nods. Alongside the #1 smashes "Slow Jamz" and "Overnight Celebrity," the album features "So Sexy Chapter II (Like This)" featuring R. Kelly, and " Freek-A-Leek."

Fabolous:

"REAL TALK" -- In-store date: 11/9

Brooklyn's own Fabolous is back with "REAL TALK," his third full-length album -- following the chart-topping, platinum-plus "GHETTO FABOLOUS" and "STREET DREAMS." His most accomplished set to date, it features the top five smash single and video, "Breathe." Along with special guest appearances by the likes of Sean Paul, Lil Mo, and Nate Dogg, the album features production from the Neptunes, Just Blaze, and Scott Storch.

T.I.:

"URBAN LEGEND" -- In-store date: 11/30

Atlanta-based rap sensation T.I. exploded into national prominence with his acclaimed RIAA gold Grand Hustle/Atlantic debut, "TRAP MUZIK" -- which debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 -- and featured the hits "24's," "Rubber Band Man," and "Let's Get Away." Now, the "King of the South" is back with his eagerly awaited second label outing, "URBAN LEGEND," featuring the first single, "Bring 'Em Out."

Fat Joe:

"THINGS OF THAT NATURE" -- In-store date: March 2005

Fat Joe, aka Don Cartagena, is back with his sixth studio album, "THINGS OF THAT NATURE." Fresh from his latest success with Terror Squad's #1 hit, "Lean Back," the hip-hop mayor of the Bronx raises his game to the next level -- with production from the likes of Timbaland, R. Kelly, Cool & Dre, Swizz Beatz, and Scott Storch.