Chuck D, Tommy Lee and reggaeton groups try to add star power to CTIA
While CES played host to such celebrities as Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and even Bill Gates, CTIA is not without its share of stars. Or at least has-been stars. Or wanna-be stars. At the top of CTIA's A list is one man we do have to give it up for: Public Enemy's Chuck D (of course, if it was Flav instead, we'd be working on some sort of snide comment about his timing about now). The rapper and activist (pictured) is launching his own mobile music service, Chuck D Mobile, which will sell ringtones, voice clips and other audio from rappers. According to Chuck D's manager, the service will avoid gangsta rap and focus instead on "healthy stuff." Also strutting his stuff at CTIA is former direct-to-tape star Tommy Lee, who has a deal with Hands-On Mobile, formerly Mforma, and will apparently be developing content that will, in the words of Lee, scare "the sh*t out of your buddies." We're assuming Lee doesn't have "healthy stuff" in mind when he says that. Oh, and lest you think Lee's scary sh*t is the last word in CTIA stardom, still more ringtones will be coming your way from reggaeton "stars" Nandy and Pokoloko. The two groups, along with Tony Touch, have cut a deal with content provider WiderThan. We expect more music ringtone announcements in coming days, though we don't anticipate anything from the likes of Cruise, Williams or Hanks -- though we wouldn't be surprised to hear some ringtones from Gates (or at least Ballmer).
Read - Chuck D
Read - Tommy Lee
Read - Reggaeton
