Oh snap!! New reports out today reveal that Jennifer Lopez, La Diva Latina herself, has been dumped by her record label Sony Music Epic Records. I understand that her contract with the label was fulfilled by the last two singles she released (the horrid Louboutins was one of them) and the label decided they do not want to re-sign her and have no interest in releasing her new album Love? Yikes! At this point, J. Lo‘s recording career is dunzo, y’all!

Jennifer Lopez has spent most of her singing career at Sony Music Epic Records. The bland version of what happened, I’m told, is that the contract period had ended and that Lopez had fulfilled it with her last two singles, and that Lopez and Stringer decided together not to move forward with an album. Others insist the Sony label dropped her. There also is disagreement on how finished her upcoming album was before it was canceled. Internet reports say her 7th studio album, titled “Love?”, was supposed to come out in April and featured production from Danja, Jim Jonsin, Darkchild, Chris n Teeb from Dropzone, and The Neptunes among others. A song from it titled “Fresh Out The Oven” surfaced online in October 2009 as a buzz single and reached #1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Songs chart. But the official lead single, “Louboutins”, had its radio debut on November 23 following the song’s premiere and performance at the 2009 American Music Awards and then peaked at #31 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Lopez insiders claim to me the album was “by no means done” and everyone was “only a few songs into it” and “unlike movie dates, street dates rarely hold in the music biz”. But that album was real enough to delay the release of her upcoming CBS Film, The Back-Up Plan. Others tell me the album isn’t being released because “Louboutins” bombed, as did her performance at the American Music Awards, and Sony Music execs “aren’t sure who her audience is anymore. Where once she had little girls, she’s been supplanted by Beyonce, Gaga, and Rhianna. Lots of fighting going on between Benny Medina (who, of course, is spending their money like it’s 10 years ago) and the label.” But when I began inquiring about this, her manager Benny Medina emailed this morning to confirm the split. “Jennifer had a wonderful relationship with the Sony Music group, and they have shared many successes together, but the time was right to make a change that best serves the direction her career as an actress and recording artist. She is grateful and appreciative to everyone Sony for all that they accomplished together” … eanwhile, I understand that Sony will still be releasing her “Greatest Hits” album in the fall. Supposedly, Lopez has not wasted any time getting signed elsewhere: it’s rumored she is already in talks with Island Def Jam’s bigwig L.A. Reid to come to his label. Granted, this is a tough time for music artists, especially those like Lopez who were once big in the biz and now are battling not only the changed economics and rampant piracy but also the moving target of today’s music fans. JLo insiders insist none of this is fazing Lopez, who took time off to have two kids with her recording star husband, Marc Anthony, and who is just now returning to her acting career with the release of the feature The Back Up Plan.

Yeah, I don’t care how “amicable” they are trying to spin this story … Sony Epic would not be letting J. Lo go if they thought she could make them more money. The music biz is in shambles and an artist like J. Lo, who commands a lot of money, can be seen as dead weight if she is not able to bring the hits. I have no doubt that Lopez will get a new record contract, she may even get one that is pretty lucrative, but the fact that she is no longer a hitmaker means that her days in the music biz are very limited. If Love? is made up of garbage like Louboutins then it’s prolly for the best that we never hear it. I’m not sure how much longer Jennifer Lopez can stretch out her music career but this is not a good sign for her longevity. Mebbe it’s time she pack it in now and save some face.

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