Drag-On, Beanie Sigel, and Dwayne Wiggins will team up with soft drink company Coca-Cola next month for the seven-city "True Talent" search, scheduled to start on June 8 in Fresno, California.
The regional showcases will allow representatives from Coke, Def Jam Records, and FarmClub.com to scout out local talent for possible recording deals, with the national finals set for July 30 at the House Of Blues in Los Angeles. The BET Network's Tigga will host each of the regional preliminaries, while Biz Markie has been tapped as the "True Talent" tour DJ. Eve, Too Short, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Eightball, Doug E. Fresh, and E-40 are among the artists tentatively set to rotate as judges for the outing. The winners of the regional competitions in New York City on June 8 and Washington, D.C. on June 30 will each receive demo deals with Def Jam and FarmClub.com, respectively, while the overall finalist will earn a cash prize and possible endorsement deal from Coca-Cola. The itinerary and performers scheduled for the "True Talent" tour:- 6/8 - Fresno, CA @ Casablanca Hill - performance by Ask M.E.
- 6/8 - New York, NY @ Apollo Theater - performance by Beanie Sigel
- 6/15 - Santa Clara, CA @ Paramount's Great America - performance by Dwayne Wiggins
- 6/22 - Birmingham, AL @ Alabama Theater - performance by Nelly
- 6/25 - Houston, TX @ Six Flags' Southern Star - performance by Profyle
- 6/29 - Philadelphia, PA @ Club Egypt - performance by Ram Squad
- 6/30 - Washington, DC @ BET's Black Hall Studio - performance by Drag-On
- 7/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ House Of Blues
