Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Damon “Dame” Dash is not letting up on his public clapback aimed at former business partner Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. There is reported a legal battle taking place between the two men over the Reasonable Doubt album.
Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z’s debut studio album, came out in 1996 under the Roc-A-Fella umbrella. In 2004, 50% of the label was sold to Island Def Jam Music Group which effectively ended the Roc’s run as a collective.
Roc-A-Fella’s attorney, Alex Spiro, recently filed a lawsuit against Damon Dash claiming he did not have the ownership rights to auction Reasonable Doubt as an NFT. Dash fired back by telling TMZ he is actually attempting to sell his stake in the record company.
Damon Dash insists he owns part of Reasonable Doubt. The New York native gave comments directed to Page Six at Jay-Z. Dash said, “He’s lying. That’s a whole lie. Jay owns one-third of Reasonable Doubt.”
The music executive/film producer also claimed that Jay-Z offered to purchase Dash’s share of Roc-A-Fella this year for $1.5 million. He speculates that Jay-Z filed the lawsuit as a way to prevent the sale to someone else.
“They just said that I tried to sell an NFT of Reasonable Doubt and … it’s not true. I’m not running around to different places trying to auction off Reasonable Doubt,” Dash revealed to Page Six. He added, “And the thing is I own a third of Roc-A-Fella Records and I can sell my third if I feel like it.”
Damon Dash also suggested that Jay-Z was “mad” about him making money. The 50-year-old entrepreneur believes his former friend has “only one man to eat’ syndrome and “kiss the ring and we’re gonna mess up his reputation” syndrome.
“It is f##### up for one Black man to do that to another Black man in front of all these people and whoever believes that s### is a sucker. I got a bridge I can sell you too,” said Damon Dash. Representatives for Jay-Z have not publicly responded to Dash’s comments.
Roc-A-Fella Records was co-founded in 1995 by Damon Dash, Jay-Z, and Kareem “Biggs” Burke. Besides Reasonable Doubt, Jay also dropped albums such as In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, The Blueprint, and The Black Album via the NYC-based label.
Belcalis “Cardi B” Almánzar joined Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, John Cena, and other cast members for the F9 film. According to Diesel, the “Up” rapper will be in the next Fast & Furious installment too.
Vin Diesel spoke to Entertainment Tonight at the F9 world premiere in Los Angeles, and he was asked about Cardi B possibly returning for the next sequel. It appears the character of Leysa will be back for F10.
“We are very much excited to evolve her character and to expand it to the finale,” stated Diesel. “She made it just in time. She came in Fast 9 just in time.”
“I was a little over doing short appearances in films, but I’m like, ‘It’s freaking Fast & Furious.’ So I was like, ‘Get me there. Put me on a plane,’” said Cardi B in an F9 featurette. The Invasion of Privacy album creator previously acted in the Being Mary Jane television series and the Hustlers movie.
F9 director Justin Lin told ET, “I love Cardi, you know? I mean, it’s amazing she showed up and within a minute she’s part of the family, right? And I love how when I got together with her, her and Vin were talking about the character because she’s actually really embedded into the overall universe, she’s been around for a long time and this is just the first time we are seeing her, so I’m really excited to explore that character of her.”
F9 was originally scheduled to hit theaters in April 2020. Universal Pictures decided to delay the release date due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The motion picture debuted in Hong Kong and South Korea on May 19. It is set to arrive in the United States on June 25.
Exercising while trying to listening to music can be a real challenge. Running and having to stick your fingers in your ear to press the Bluetooth earbud in further, or to stop it from falling out, distracts you from hitting a personal best. It’s even more of a distraction when the earbud actually does fall out and go skipping on the pavement. Don’t even get us started on dealing with connectivity issues. Spending forty minutes trying to get your headphones to pair with your phone doesn’t qualify as a workout.
Thankfully, there are high-quality wireless listening devices out there equipped to bring music to your workout distraction-free. The Bose SoundSport Free Wireless Earphones typically retail for $199, but this renewed pair is on sale for just $129 for a limited time. That’s 35% off! These completely wireless headphones allow you to work out with complete freedom of movement.
These Bose earbuds also come with sweat and weather-resistant exteriors, which means you can go as hard as you want, just about wherever you want, and keep the tunes pumping in the meantime. Bose StayHear+ Sport Tips are designed specially to stay secure and comfortable throughout your entire workout. That’ll allow you to perform at your best during your workouts, whether early in the morning or late at night. From a single charge, these advanced Bose earbuds can play for up to 5 hours long, and they come with a sleek charging case that you can use between workouts to stay ready to go.
Whether you have an intense passion for music, or just need some extra inspiration to get going in the morning, these earphones are built and equipped to make exercise a more rhythmic and inspired experience.
Certified as a “renewed” product, these earphones are tested and work like new. This product also comes with an “A” grade refurbished rating, meaning that it will arrive in near-mint condition. At the most, you can expect some light, barely noticeable scuffing.
Trick Daddy is known to be an outspoken Hip Hop figure. This week, the www.thug.com album creator decided to share his views on one of the most powerful couples in the entertainment business.
Audio of Trick Daddy began circulating on social media. In the Clubhouse app clip, Trick can be heard talking about music superstar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and rap legend Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.
“Beyoncé ain’t trying to give back to music or nothing. Beyoncé don’t write music and barely can sing her m############ self. Beyoncé can’t sing!” said Trick Daddy.
He added, “Beyoncé is to R&B, what Jay-Z is to New York. That’s why they together. Jay-Z ain’t never won the greatest rapper alive. [Who] put him on a level like that? New York lost [The Notorious B.I.G.] and needed a hero. They wanted to be the Mecca of Hip Hop and they just handed it over to Jay-Z.”
Trick Daddy went on to claim that Jay-Z’s 2000 hit “Big Pimpin'” featuring the Texas-based rap group UGK was “bought” after the record “got big.” The Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter track was a Top 20 hit and spent 20 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
Over the course of his four-decade career, Jay-Z has charted 102 songs on the Hot 100. The Brooklyn-born emcee is in the Top 10 on the all-time list of most Hot 100 entries. He also holds the record for most #1 albums by a solo act with 14.
Beyoncé has 65 entries on the Hot 100 with seven No. 1 singles. She has six No.1 albums as well. The Houston representative also won the most Grammy Awards of any performing artist in history. Plus, Beyoncé is a multi-time ASCAP winner which honors songwriters and composers.
Welven Da Great is one of my fave dudes! I always say “Got EEM!”
Bad. News.
Welven Da Great is not doing well. This is not the first alert on this I have heard on Welven Da Great. I have been following it for a minute, but have not said anything, because I believe this man has some mental issues. Welven Da Great is allegedly a drunken mess, in addition to his issues mentally. Again, I have not put past videos on here, out of respect.
So, as you can see, it has been a rocky road for Welvie. I am writing this because I saw another video that appears to be in Hollywood. He’s passed out in the streets and the cops are trying to get him up and out. But he’s wasted af. I am not going to post it at this time, but that brother is in bad shape! BAD BADDDDDD SHAPE! IF HE HAS ANY FAM OR ANY FRIENDS, STEP UP!
I got a scoop from the AHH gang. They told me that 50 Cent is currently working on numerous street level projects for TV and film. It seems like 50 Cent, similar to Jay Z, has set aside a lot of his beefs and conflicts and is now giving back.
So in addition to doing a show with BMF, it looks like he’s also going to be doing something with a well-known street icon name Bimmy. If you don’t know who BIMMY is, then look no further than the FX special “Hip-Hop Uncovered,” which runs down numerous street figures that influence the game greatly. Bimmy is one of those guys.
He has affiliations with everybody from Run DMC, to LL Cool J, to Waka Flocka, to the infamous Supreme Team, the notorious crew out of New York City. So, it would only be right that 50 Cent dig back and give Bimmy his whole own damn show. That’s right, the life and times of a street icon is coming. Wel,l we’re going to see exactly how this unfurls when it gets down to getting that project green lit, but I will definitely tune in. We are seeing more and more of these background figures coming to the light in this era of streaming and relentless content.
For more information, you’ll just have to check out the interview that we are going to post soon with Bimmy. I can tell you this, it is worth it!
“Let’s See How Fast We Can Sell Out 👀👀 ! “ The Back Outside Tour “ Coming To A City Near You !! Get Your Tickets Now !!,” Lil Baby captioned the post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQZBczznGKr/?
The tour is called “The Back Outside Tour” and it will kick off right when school starts in the Fall, on Sept. 1 in Mansfield, Massachusetts at the Xfinity Center.
The post also revealed that the tour will last a little over one month and end on October 15 in West Palm Beach, Florida at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre.
The tickets to the tour, which is produced by LiveNation, will go on sale on Friday, June 25 on LiveNation.com at 10:00 a.m. EDT.
If you are a Citi cardmember you can hop in the pre-sale line for tickets beginning Tuesday, June 22 at 10:00 a.m. local time until Thursday at 10:00 p.m.
Wed Sep 01 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Fri Sep 03 – Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre
Fri Sep 10 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Sat Sep 11 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Tue Sep 14 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
In October of 2020, Tasha K ripped into Cardi B on Instagram live and vowed to take the case all the way to trial – a threat she is making good on.
“B#### I’m not settling with you we are going all the way to f###### court. You want to threaten me and my family, b#### we going to court,” Tasha K fumed. “You going to pay, that’s what you going to do. What you f###### mad about is that I’m not a b#### that folds. I don’t give a f### what you used to, I don’t give a f### what you been doing, I’m not that b####…this is the reputation you created. What you going to go to the judge and say?”
Tasha K also labeled herself a “reporter” and maintained her speech is protected by the First Amendment, especially since Cardi B has already admitted to most of the offensive comments on Twitter.
Now, a judge is going to have to sort out the whole damn mess.
The Honorable William M. Ray, II will preside over the trial, which kicks off on September 10, 2021, when jury selection begins.
The trial will start the same day, or the next day, depending on how long it takes to select the jurors who will decide the outcome of the case.
In a new trailer from the upcoming Netflix series This Is Pop, T-Pain talks about mental health and wellness.
T-Pain, born Faheem Rasheed Najm, revealed that he suffered from depression during what should have been one of the highest points of his career.
The clip reveals that one of his peers, singer, and songwriter Usher, told him that he “f##### up music” by using autotune on everything.
He said, “Usher was my friend. I really respect Usher. And he said, ‘I’m gonna tell you something, man. You kinda f##### up music.'”
At first, T-Pain shared that he thought the Atlanta artist, who has mentored numerous up-and-coming entertainers, was playing.
But the “Bartender” singer continued, “And then he was like, ‘Yeah man you really f##### up music for real singers…I was like, ‘What did I do? I came out and I used Auto-Tune.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, you f##### it up.’ I’m like, ‘But I used it, I didn’t tell everybody else to start using it.'”
T-Pain, the man behinds songs like “Buy U a Drank” and “Blame It,” pinpointed this as the moment that everything changed in his life.
“That is the very moment, and I don’t even think I realized this for a long time, but that’s the very moment that started a four-year depression for me.”
The This Is Pop series starts on Tuesday, June 22. The eight-part series will also feature Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys, Babyface, Chuck D, and more.
Rapper and reality star Safaree is in the news again, and this time it has nothing to do with his love life.
Nicki Minaj and Erica Mena’s soon-to-be-ex-husband just revealed that he has started to bleach his skin. Two days after Juneteenth, a day recognizing how enslaved Africans were tricked by their white former masters to work an additional two crops after the Emancipation Proclamation, he took to Twitter and posted, “Starting my skin bleaching process today… it’s time for change”
Starting my skin bleaching process today… it’s time for change 🙏🏾🙏🏾 =🙏🏼🙏🏼
Skin bleaching is a huge problem and big business in poor predominantly Black countries like Jamaica, Safaree’s native island. It is called the “Snow White complex.”
In an article that dealt with The Business of Bleaching, The Undefeated stated that the “fad” is “glorified at dance halls.”
The trend has its roots in West Africa (where it is actually illegal), skin-whitening business is a multibillion-dollar industry. The publication also stated, “Efforts to educate islanders of the dangers of bleaching have been ongoing in Jamaica since the mid-2000s for this predominantly black island nation of 2.8 million people.”
Could this be a bubbling storyline?
“Love & Hip Hop,” a franchise that the rapper has been associated with for several seasons and in several different cities, made the news in
2018.
Back then, “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star Spice released images from her video, “Black Hypocrisy.” The flicks showed her with her skin appearing to have been lightened.
It was a ploy to gain attention for the song … but also was a strong storyline for the dancehall queen. Is Safaree following suit?
Twitter blasted Safaree for whitening himself. Take a look:
Tekashi 69 is taking his show on the road with a gig all the way over in Russia. The rap star will be performing in Moscow on July 31 at the Music Media Dome facility in the city.
According to sources, the all-ages show is already close to selling out, just days after Tekashi 69 made the announcement to his 23 million followers on social media.
And, if one can trust Tekashi 69’s words, he is getting paid a princely sum to hit the stage. In May, Tekashi 69 bragged about how much money he makes per show, compared to other rappers.
“RAPPERS LIE AND SAY THEY GET 200,000 A SHOW AND BE PERFORMING IN FRONT A DEAD CROWD WITH 700 PEOPLE THERE. I GET 500,000 DOLLARS A SHOW AND DO ARENAS,” he boasted.
According to the Music Media Dome’s website, the venue is the largest media space on the planet, so the show should be packed.
This is not the first time Tekashi 69 has touched down in Vladimir Putin’s country. The rapper performed in Moscow in September of 2018, just two months before he was indicted on RICO charges in the United States.
And, as one would expect, Tekashi 69’s show at Cition Hall in Moscow did not go down without controversy. Members of his crew pummeled and stomped a fan who attempted to get on stage to get close to the Brooklyn rap star.
Tekashi 69 managed to make it out of the country without facing charges for the vicious assault.
Raphstar Raphy wants to be a household name in the rap game, and he’s not stopping until he gets there.
Arriving on the scene with the ability to both rap and sing, the rising star exudes a confidence that’s unmatched, with lyrics inspired directly by real-life experiences he’s encountered growing up in North Philly.
From getting trouble at the age of 15 in an environment surrounded by drugs, violence, and poverty, to now using music as therapy, Raphy creates music for the underdogs: the ones without a voice or platform.
In describing himself, Raphy states he’s “lit, down-to-earth.” “I’m a people’s person for sure, everybody loves me. I love my parents, I love everyone around me. I’m a Leo at that,” he adds.
Getting his start in a duo with his brother called Blun Bros, Raphy is now focused on his own solo artistry. Most recently, the recording artist released his new project titled Space Goat, in collaboration with Ikebeatz. The title alone reminds you that Raphy is not from this earth, but rather somewhere in space living his best life.
AllHipHop: How would you describe your sound?
Raphstar Raphy: I can’t really describe it because I sing, I rap, I harmonize. If you listen to a lot of my songs you’re going to get a different sound from it. It’s a little bit of everything because I originally started off singing singing, before I started getting hip to the melodies and all that. I used to be on my Chris Brown s### until it got to 2016/2017, then we had to switch the narrative to A Boogie type melodies. I’m still getting the hang of it though, it’s in between everything.
AllHipHop: What was it like coming up in North Philly?
Raphstar Raphy: I compare it to any other neighborhood, any other projects. Drugs, violence, PHA, struggle… it’s a lot. I was close to a felon. [laughs] I was a troubled kid, I did 18 months in Pittsburgh when I was 15. I was always getting suspended and locked up in juvenile detention. I grew up basically in DHS, I was on probation from 14 to 18. But after that, it wasn’t really too much trouble. It was minor stuff, but I kept getting in trouble. It wasn’t no crazy stuff for real that would keep me away forever. It was more so fighting and violating probation, never really nothing serious. At 17 or 18, all my troubles stopped because I found music. That became my therapy.
AllHipHop: Biggest influences?
Raphstar Raphy: I listen to Lil Uzi, Durk. I listen to Migos, I listen to Lil Baby, everybody. I like all genres.
AllHipHop: Talk about starting the duo Blum Bros with your brother Cartier.
Raphstar Raphy: Me and Carti, that’s my big brother 2 years apart. That’s my real brother, same mom same dad. We started Blum Bros in 2016, we’re blood brothers and we’re from Blumberg Projects. That’s where the name came from. That’s my partner-in-crime so we compliment each other on everything. So far as us being a duo, we were lit for the last 4 years of us we’re coming up. We did every show in Philly, from The Filmore back to LA.
We started working with EDM artists, then we started getting songs playlisted on Need for Speed the game in 2019. A lot of stuff, stuff started going up after that. From there, we’re doing solo projects but still will come out with Blum Bros project. We’re giving the fans a little bit more insight on who we are. The way we’re set up: Carti got his fanbase, I got my fanbase, then there’s Blum Bros. If we can get traffic flowing through 3 different directions with Blum Bros and and our solo music, why not?
AllHipHop:Space Goat is out now, how are you feeling?
Raphstar Raphy: I’m loving it honestly because it’s my first solo project I did with IkeBeatz. I actually like it a lot. Even I came up with the tape in a day and a half because I literally freestyled. I don’t think I wrote on there. I promise you, I came up with it with Ikebeatz. He came up with all the beats in front of my face from scratch, I freestyled them in the studio in the same day. I probably would’ve gotten it done faster but we were smoking and eating. [laughs] That was more a fun project because I didn’t have to get serious and write. I can be myself and have fun, basically make hype music. For the album, I’m definitely writing. That’s where I get a different sound.
AllHipHop: Why are you the Space Goat?
Raphstar Raphy: It’s simple, I always looked at myself as I wasn’t born from here. I’m an alien, I was born in space. In order to call yourself a GOAT, you gotta have some type of standards. You gotta be really a goat. Me, I really could damn near mimic whatever sound I want to mimic because I know how to sing already, then I taught myself how to rap. The sounds are there so that’s GOAT status right there. If you have your own sound and can mimic whoever you want to sound like, that’s a cheat code.
AllHipHop: What’s the vibe with Ikebeatz in the studio?
Raphstar Raphy: Oh man, that’s big bro right there. From the start, since I met him our vibes are all the way there. I’ve known him for only 5 months now, but since the day we met we’ve been locked in. We got closer everyday for the last 5 months working with each other. Everything’s positive vibes, we’re both on the same page. He likes UFOs, he likes what I like: aliens and space. We fit perfect.
AllHipHop: Bring us back to when you recorded “Bling.”
Raphstar Raphy: Oh yeah, he produced “Bling,” one of the tracks off Space Goat. That’s our second track on there. It’s simple, we came up with the beat. If you listen to the song or the beat, it’s basically singing the hook for you. I went off with what the beat was saying. In my head, the beat was saying “got bands on deck, see me throw money when they dance on me.” It was right there for me already for that song, so it was easy to come up with that melody.
AllHipHop: Best memory from the video shoot?
Raphstar Raphy: Honestly everything, because I’m getting professional videos now. I’m not used to the treatments that I normally be getting. Everything was professional, it was on point. I seen movie cameras. The backgrounds I’m recording in now is different from how I used to record on my block or record in the room. Everything was a good experience because I’m still getting used to it.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio?
Raphstar Raphy: Weed, some great beats, and good vibes.
AllHipHop: How much you smoking in a day?
Raphstar Raphy: Honestly I can’t even tell you, I roll up every 5 minutes. Just know that I wake up, I gotta smoke a couple Dutches before I decide if I’m hungry or not. After I eat, I smoke again after that. Whatever I do: using the bathroom taking a #2, I’m done there and I’m smoking again. After I’m done eating, I’m smoking. Before I eat, I’m smoking. When I wake up, I’m smoking. [laughs] I only do weed, so I smoke it all day.
AllHipHop: Talk about doing two records with Scott Storch, what can we expect?
Raphstar Raphy: Damn the crazy thing about it, before I started working with Scott Storch, I didn’t know who he was. That was my manager, he was a friend of my manager’s. Being a good friend with my manager, the way I met him, we were inside a Vegas hotel but it’s connected to a mall. We’re walking past, we ran into Scott Storch. My manager introduced me to him like “this is my new artist, I want you to listen to his music.” As we’re walking, he’s listening to my music off his phone. He was vibing to it, liking the sound. From there, we set up a session in LA. We got along with it.
AllHipHop: Best memory from those sessions?
Raphstar Raphy: Coming up with the song because when I came up with it, I started harmonizing anything so we could get the melody first. After we got the melody, he started building a beat around my voice. He’s vibing very well, good vibes. It wasn’t even like me and an older guy, moreso me and a guy that’s my age. He stooped down to my level to vibe with me, that’s why I respect that part. After I did a couple songs with him, I did my full resume on him, wow I really didn’t know he was big like that. Who he really was, ‘cause I’m young. I’m only 24 years old, I don’t really know much about Scott Storch. After I did my research on him, my manager told me “this is a good look, they want to work with you.” From there, alright that’s golden. [laughs]
AllHipHop: Goals yourself as an artist at this point of your career?
Raphstar Raphy: I mainly want to get my music out there, make music for everybody. Make a legacy out of it as far as putting my family on, getting everybody in a better position, basically saving lives. Same with Blum Bros, that’s the same goal. We both got the same goal. We both in the same family, so the goal’s to get everybody out. Maintain good music and keep the fans occupied. As long as you keep them occupied, you can never go wrong. I don’t think I’ma ever not think of a good song.
AllHipHop: Your chain says FLVS, what is that?
Raphstar Raphy: That’s short for Flavors, that’s my clothing line. It’s originally the CEO, her name in Sabera. That’s my cousin, she started it back in 2017. I was the first person to model it so from there, let me get parts of it. It’s us two when we first started, I started off as the model and she started off as the person designing it. After a while, we started designing together and we became a team.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
Raphstar Raphy: New music coming out with me and Scott Stroch, new music coming out with Blum Bros. It’s a lot going on. We got new videos coming, new everything. Right now is a flooding time. The tape already came out, now it’s time to put more music out so we don’t keep them waiting. Once we got the attention, we gotta keep it.
Talk about promo … Bow Wow and Soulja Boy are letting the disrespect flow faster than battle rappers Eazy the Block Captain and T-Rex did leading up to their recent clash.
But these child stars-turned-old-school-n##### won’t be showing up on the URL stage (no time soon anyway). They are getting ready for their Verzuz battle coming up on Saturday, June 26.
The digital fisticuffs started this morning when Soulja Boy took to Twitter to say that his So So Def opp “fell off.”
Bow Wow followed up by calling the “Crank That” artist the Ben Simmons of rap — references the 76ers’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He tweeted, “Soulja is the ben simmons of the rap game. Go rehearse and get off the internet. See you Saturday cap gun”
Soulja is the ben simmons of the rap game. Go rehearse and get off the internet. See you Saturday cap gun
Bow was not far behind, “Soulja just stop like literally stop…. The diff w/ me and you is.. YOU HAVE TO PUT OUT MUSIC. I don’t. Ill be in the box office this weekend while you sit at home in your living room yelling on live at no one.”
Soulja just stop 😂😂 like literally stop…. The diff w/ me and you is.. YOU HAVE TO PUT OUT MUSIC. I don’t. Ill be in the box office this weekend while you sit at home in your living room yelling on live at no one.
This went on for hours with Soulja Boy showing his hand a little bit … he flexed with “I got me Nicki Minaj records” and “I put the whole industry on!”
Nick Cannon’s rumored girlfriend has apparently confirmed the TV star is to become a dad of seven.
Just a week after “The Masked Singer” host welcomed twin sons with DJ Abby De La Rosa, model Alyssa Scott shared a snap of herself with Nick to mark Father’s Day on Sunday.
“Celebrating you today,” she wrote alongside the image, which showed her displaying her bump in a blue dress, with Nick – looking away but his identity clear – placing his hands gently on her stomach.
Zion and Zilly, Nick’s twins with De La Rosa, are his second set of twins – he also shares 10-year-old son Morrocan and daughter Monroe with his ex-wife Mariah Carey.
He welcomed his fourth child, a girl named Powerful Queen, with his ex-girlfriend Brittany Bell in December.
He and Bell are also parents to a boy named Golden, four.
The range of products and technologies that are available to teach us about our exercise routines, and how our bodies respond to them, is growing by the second. With so much out there, it’s worth looking to proven brands with advanced capabilities, and to seek out enviable and attractive prices on their products.
The Fitbit Ionic GPS Fitness Smartwatch regularly lists at $249, but it’s dropping down 25% to just $185 for a limited time. Take advantage of this special deal and get the fitness guidance you need every day. A wearable GPS with health insights, smartphone notifications, payment capabilities, and a wealth of other functions — this smartwatch stands out from the pack for shoppers and fitness enthusiasts.
A sleek and stylish watch, this Fitbit features a 1.42″ color touchscreen accented by a slate blue band and burnt orange case. Going well with the outdoors, and the minimalist-yet-refined aesthetic that fitness trends that we see across the world, the smartwatch is capable of so much. It offers multi-sport functionality, as well as traditional all-day activity tracking.
Equipped with a high-end collection of sensors, the watch looks out for your best interests with an optical heart rate monitor, built-in GPS, a 3-axis accelerator, altimeter, and a whole lot more. You’ll never be out of touch with your email, texts, and calls when wearing this smartwatch, which features smartphone notifications that show you call, text, and calendar notifications.
For the actual exercising — the Fitbit Ionic GPS Fitness Smartwatch comes equipped with a range of multi-sport modes to track specific workouts such as: running, lifting weights, and cycling. So you can throw on some music, your watch, and then take off to just about anywhere.
Tom’s Guide wrote, “With great battery life, sleep insights, mobile payments and a full slate of features coming with software updates, the Fitbit Ionic smartwatch almost has it all.” We’d take it a step further and say it does have it all. The Fitbit Ionic GPS Fitness Smartwatch typically lists for $249 but is dropping 25% to $185 for a limited time.
Comedian Dave Chappelle helped to welcome audiences back to New York’s fabled Radio City Music Hall on Saturday night (June 19) with a surprise rap concert featuring Q-Tip, De La Soul, and Redman.
The funnyman treated fans to the hip-hop gig, which also included a set by Fat Joe, following the Tribeca Festival premiere of his new documentary, “Dave Chappelle: This Time This Place,” the first event held at the iconic venue since the COVID-19 shutdown in March, 2020.
The film took viewers behind the scenes of Chappelle’s outdoor stand-up shows in Ohio last summer, when he invited pals such as Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Trevor Noah, and Jon Stewart to perform in a neighbor’s cornfield in his hometown of Yellow Springs.
The project was directed by Oscar-winning American Factory filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, and also chronicles how the Black Lives Matter protests and the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police officers in May, 2020 affected the town.
After the screening, Chappelle took the stage and shared a few words with the fully-vaccinated audience.
“I’m so sorry if you lost someone, or lost something during this pandemic,” he told the crowd.
“We did what we could,” he added of bringing a little humor back into locals’ lives with his star-studded cornfield shows.
During the speech, Chappelle revealed he had an old-school approach to recruiting Reichert and Bognar for the documentary: “I literally knocked on their door,” he shrugged.
Explained Reichert, “He’s a neighbor. We see him in the grocery store. He said, ‘I’m going to try something. A week of outdoor comedy shows. I have a friend who has (a) field, and you need to document it.
“Documentary film (and) comedy. You may think, pretty different. But it’s all about storytelling and trying to find the truth.”
The Chappelle screening took place on the closing night of the Tribeca Festival, where guests included event jury members Sharon Stone and Delroy Lindo, as well as actors Jesse Williams, Zoe Kravitz, Anthony Anderson, and Bob Saget, according to Deadline.
The Tribeca Festival, which officially ended on Sunday, was the first in-person festival held in North America since the COVID crisis began.
Quality Control bosses Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “CEO P” Thomas are expanding their business once again.
Earlier today, the two moguls announced they were launching a new division of their company QC Sports, with the launch of QC Football.
Coach K and CEO P founded QC Sports in 2019. The business found success immediately, with the signing of Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints, who earned the title of NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The company also landed a deal with D’Andre Swift of the Detroit Lions in 2020. QC Football currently handles all their off-the-field management, branding, and marketing. The success with both players led quality control to launch a new division, focusing strictly on football.
QC Football has tapped 20-year industry veteran Brad Cicala as Managing Partner of the new football division.
In a shrewd business move, Coach K and CEO P acquired Cicala’s company Terra Firma Sports Management in an agreement which gives them access to his roster, which includes Pierre Garcon, Diontae Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Malcolm Smith, and John Ross III, among others.
“What excited me about working with QC is the synergy in conducting business on par with Fortune 500 companies while still adhering to a family structure,” explained QC Football’s managing partner Brad Cicala. “Our goals aligned over the past decade with both parties helping young Black men and women transcend entertainment and sports into business, tech, gaming and ultimately a path towards real ownership with entrepreneurial spirit,” Cicala added.
Quality Control’s holding company QC Media now owns a rapidly expanding portfolio of businesses including Quality Control Music, which has artists like City Girls, Lil Yachty, Migos, and Lil Baby on the roster. QC Sports, Quality Films, and Solid Foundation Management are other companies Coach K and CEO P have founded as well.
“We’re working tirelessly to build QC Sports and it is with great passion that we announce our football division and it’s an honor to have an agent with such respect and esteem amongst his players and the football community joining our QC Family,” said Kevin “Coach K” Lee, COO of Quality Control.
Damon “Dame” Dash and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter parted ways as Roc-A-Fella business partners over 15 years ago. However, there is still legal fallout over Jay-Z’s debut studio LP Reasonable Doubt which dropped via Roc-A-Fella Records in 1996.
Earlier this month, reports claimed Damon Dash was attempting to mint Reasonable Doubt in order to auction it as an NFT. Roc-A-Fella’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, apparently sued Dash, claiming the Roc co-founder does not own the rights to the classic album.
A new article on theTMZ website suggests Damon Dash is actually attempting to put his portion of the Roc-A-Fella Records up for sale. The outlet published:
Dash tells us the lawsuit is full of inaccuracies, and it’s not the album he’s trying to sell … it’s his ENTIRE stake in Roc-A-Fella!!! In fact, Dash claims as recently as March of this year, Jay-Z attempted to buy his 1/3 share of RAF at, “a price I deemed unacceptable” … so he’s looking for a buyer on his own.
“Under the terms of the deal with a potential buyer, the buyer would buy my share of Roc-A-Fella Records and Jay-Z will have exclusive administration rights,” Dash stated.
Jay-Z, Damon Dash, and Kareem “Biggs” Burke launched Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995 as an independent label. The New York-based company was eventually home to other Hip Hop acts like Kanye West, Cam’ron, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, State Property, Jadakiss, N.O.R.E., and DJ Clue.
The Island Def Jam Music Group bought 50% of Roc-A-Fella in 2004 for a reported $10 million. That transaction allowed Jay-Z to take on the positions of CEO and President of Def Jam Recordings. Jay later established the Roc Nation label and management agency in 2008 as a completely separate entity.
Reasonable Doubt is one of the most celebrated rap albums of all time. Many Jay-Z fans consider the project the Brooklyn-bred emcee’s best body of work. In 2013, Hov ranked Reasonable Doubt in the top spot on the list of his best albums at the time.
Apparently, Yasiin Bey is not a big fan of how streaming services compensate the musicians who create the art distributed on those platforms. The emcee once known as Mos Def was a recent guest on Talib Kweli’s People’s Party Podcast.
“It’s not about streaming, that’s not the problem,” said Bey. “You mean to tell me that the source of labor at the center of this experience is supposed to be satisfied and grateful with receiving a portion of a penny for their efforts and labor?”
According to reports, the music streamers’ pay rates per play are around $0.00735 for Apple Music, $0.0074 for Amazon Music, $0.00069 for YouTube, $0.0125 for Tidal, and $.003-$.005 for Spotify.
It seems the current financial structure of the music business plays a part in Yasiin Bey not rushing to release the long-awaited Black Star reunion album with Talib Kweli. Bey talked about having to put his own needs over the expectations of the audience.
“You m############ don’t get to tell me what to do with what I make. It’s between me and God,” said the 47-year-old New Yorker, adding, “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but that s### is not a steering wheel on my back for you to start f###### spinning and doing donuts like I’m disappointing you. If you want the next Black Star album that bad, then nyou make it. Oh, that’s right, you can’t.”
Talib Kweli has been teasing a sequel to 1998’s classic Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star for over a year. He told AllHipHop in 2020, “Trying to find the right deal for the Black Star album. There are a few on the table, but we have to choose the right situation and roll this out properly. The people deserve that.”
Later that year, Kweli blamed “too many interlopers and culture vultures” for the delay of the Black Star LP. According to the 45-year-old emcee/podcaster, the duo had a deal with producer Madlib but some unnamed individuals were attempting to make money for themselves from the arrangement.
Yasiin Bey went on to say, “I don’t like the way that the labor exchange is happening around it. And why wouldn’t I? What type of Frankenstein, Bugs Bunny, m############ math these n##### talking about? I’m supposed to get part of a f###### penny? Who looked at a f###### penny and decided it could be broken up into parts?”
The Bamboozled actor concluded, “The God that I serve ain’t interested in my misery. I’m not here to be miserable for none of these n#####, nobody. Myself included. I’m not interested in my own misery, so I’m not interested in the misery that anybody’s trying to put on my back. If you’re trying to tell me that I got to put [the Black Star album] out on your schedule and not get paid what it’s worth, but what you tell me it’s worth, then we’re always going to have a f###### problem.”
Earl “DMX” Simmons passed away at the age of 50 on April 9, 2021. Hip Hop fans around the world mourned the legendary emcee and streamed his music in big numbers.
According to TMZ, DMX’s longtime record label paid for the rapper’s funeral service. The entertainment news outlet is reporting Def Jam Recordings covered the $35,000 bill from Brooks Memorial Home Inc.
A public “Celebration of Life’ for DMX streamed live from The Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 24. A private service at Brooklyn’s Christian Cultural Center was also held for Simmons’ family and friends.
The first five DMX albums, including the 1998 efforts It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, came out on Def Jam. All of those releases peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200.
2006’s Year of the Dog… Again was put out through Columbia. 2012’s Undisputed came out on Seven Arts Entertainment. The former album topped-off at #2. Undisputed peaked at #19.
DMX gave what was described as his final interview for the TV One docuseries Uncensored. He told the program, “I’m gonna look back on my life before I go and thank God for every moment.”
