Quick News on Serius Jones, Capone and Rawkus Records

Englewood, NJ native, Serius Jones, is preparing for a big year with the release of his DTP debut album, Life is Serius. The former Fight Klub champion is also set to appear and model in Dr. Jays “Summer Sensations” ad campaign. “I’ve been spending money at Dr. Jays for years and they have a reputable franchise,” Serius says. “When they approached me about getting involved with their campaign, I felt it was mutually beneficial. We are looking forward to big things.”

Capone, of Capone-N-Noreaga, is holding a new contest called “Hip-Hop Throwdown” on his MySpace page. The Queens MC is giving one lucky MySpace MC and producer the chance to be featured on his new album on A-Team Entertainment/SMC Recordings. For more information on the contest, visit, www.myspace.com/caponefromcnn.

Earlier this year, Rawkus Record held a contest — the Rawkus 50 — in search of the 50 hottest upcoming MCs across the country. Now, the label has announced the first artist in the Rawkus 50 series, Atllas. Hailing from Arizona, Atllas will release his new album, Arizona Caesar, on Rawkus in July. The album will be executive produced by Taurus Scott and DJ Kay Slay. The CEO of Rawkus Records, Brian Brater, calls Atllas a “talented song writer of great street music.” Atllas first gained recognition in Arizona through his two independent albums — The King of AZ and Hunger and Starvation. He also appeared as a rap coach on an episode of MTV’s Made and was featured on the song, “7 Days a Week,” off DJ Kay Slay and Greg Street’s The Champions album.