Busta `Rhymes' for America Online and EA Sports

Business Wire, Oct 4, 2002

Business Editors/Hi-Tech & Entertainment Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 4, 2002

America Online, Inc.

  AOL Games Offers Exclusive Premiere of Busta's New Single "Make it
Clap" From J Records/Violator - Featured in New NBA Live 2003 Game

AOL's New Feature - Inside the Game - to Give Members Exclusive Access
        to Music, Video, Photos, Cheat Codes and More For Hot
                          New Game Releases

America Online, Inc., the world's largest interactive services company, and Electronic Arts, the world's leading developer and publisher of video games, have joined with J Records/Violator for the exclusive premiere of Busta Rhymes' new single "Make it Clap" on AOL's new Inside the Game feature. The song is off of Busta's upcoming album It Ain't Safe No More... which hits shelves November 26. The single will be available on the AOL Games Channel at AOL Keyword: Inside the Game exclusively for 5 days starting 12:01 EDT today, Friday, October 4, 2002. NBA Live 2003 will be available October 8.

AOL's Inside the Game is a new feature that offers fans the first chance to access exclusive premiere content from the hottest new game releases. Fans will be able to hear new singles from leading artists - such as Busta's "Make it Clap", see video clips, obtain coveted cheat-codes and much more. They can also rate songs and games as well as share tips with each other. Over the next few weeks, Inside the Game will feature exclusive video from the Lord of the Rings Two Towers game and the Sims Online game.

As part of this promotion for NBA Live 2003 and in addition to the Busta single, AOL Games and EA SPORTS will provide a tutorial hosted by Marv Albert; a never-before-seen photo gallery of Busta; a must-have cheat code to unlock the Busta character in NBA Live 2003 game; and exclusive video from NBA Live 2003 only for AOL Broadband members. For more information about the game go to www.easports.com.

"Games and music are overwhelmingly popular on AOL, and bringing them together in one place makes it easy for our members to enjoy a truly unique and compelling experience," said Kevin Conroy, SVP and General Manager, AOL Entertainment. "We are excited to partner with EA SPORTS, J Records/Violator for the launch of this new feature Inside the Game and give members unprecedented access to NBA Live 2003 and the sounds of one of hip hop's biggest artists, Busta Rhymes."

"This promotion is a perfect example of the power of the online medium to bring music to fans in a unique and engaging way," said Tom Corson, Executive VP of Worldwide Marketing and Sales, J Records. "It demonstrates the Internet's ability to effectively converge music with other mediums, making all of it more enjoyable."

Brooklyn-born Busta Rhymes is rap music's most distinctive personality whose unique creativity, complexity and rapid-fire delivery has fashioned a career rampant with success. He's been passing his cognac all year in celebration of the release of his latest disc Genesis that quickly sold platinum and boasts two smash singles "Break Ya Neck" and "Pass the Courvoisier II." Following the ultra-successful Area2 Tour with Moby and his starring role in Halloween 8, Busta is back in the studio for his J Records/Violator follow up coming out November 26.

AOL Games provides programming and promotions for online, PC and console games for all AOL members and game fans on the Web, with a focus on creating enhanced high-speed exclusives for AOL Broadband members.

About America Online, Inc.:

America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner (NYSE:AOL). Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce.

About Electronic Arts:

Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than $1.7 billion for fiscal 2002. The company is the leading software developer for video game systems including the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, the PlayStation(R), Nintendo GameCube(TM), Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, personal computers and the Internet. The company publishes and distributes software worldwide. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA SPORTS BIG(TM), EA GAMES(TM) and EA.COM.