Sean “P. Diddy”
Combs will produce 150 custom luxury Lincoln Navigators at the cost of at least
$100,000 according to reports. In line with Combs’ Hip-Hop flair, the Navigators
will come with six television screens, Playstation 2, a DVD player, satellite
navigation and other custom features. The vehicles will be sold through internet
auction site Ebay. In related news, Diddy was hit with a lawsuit by Columbia Pictures,
over the soundtrack to “Bad Boys 2.” The $1.6 million lawsuit claims
Combs’ Bad Boy agreed to pay $1 million in up-front costs for the soundtrack,
but to date, the label has only paid $27, 835.
Apl de Ap of the Black Eyed Peas revealed that he will give
back to Filipino artists by setting up a record label or management firm. The
firm will feature local talent from the Philippines according to Apl de Ap,
born Allan Pineda. As a member of Black Eyed Peas, Pineda is reportedly the
first Filipino to have won a prestigious Grammy Award.
Will Smith hosted Nelson Mandela’s 46664 concert last
night in South Africa. This year the use of technology helped the event raise
$1.6 million dollars in donations using text messaging. India Arie, Annie Lennox,
Queen and numerous South African groups performed for a crowd of over 20,000
people at the southern resort of George. Proceeds of the event go to Mandela’s
Nelson Mandela Foundation, which is dedicated to combating the spread of HIV/AIDS.
"I would love to enjoy the peace and quiet of retirement but I know that,
like many of you, I cannot rest easily while our beloved continent is ravaged
by a deadly epidemic," Mandela said. "For every woman and girl violently
attacked, we reduce our humanity. For every moment we remain silent, we conspire
against our women. For every woman infected by HIV, we destroy a generation."
Us3, the group
that hit big in 1993 with "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)," is preparing
to release their first US album in 7 years, titled Questions. The band
released their platinum selling debut album Hand On The Torch shortly
after "Cantaloop" hit for the legendary Blue Note record label. The
group also features two new members, Mpho and Reggi Wyns. Questions
is also the group’s first sample free release. "It’s important to keep
evolving," group founder Geoff Wilkinson said. "There’s been a decreasing
reliance on samples with each Us3 album and Questions is the culmination
of that. And it was kinda nice working with some live musicians rather than
dead ones."
