(AllHipHop News) John Legend’s wife Chrissy Teigen was left fuming when Kanye West shared text messages the singer sent him about his support of U.S. President Donald Trump on Twitter.
The “All of Me” singer had decided to get in touch with Kanye, a close friend after he hit headlines with his controversial tweets in which he pledged his support for the divisive American leader.
Instead of contacting Kanye on Twitter, John decided to text him, but his intention to keep the situation private backfired when the rapper shared the messages with his 28 million followers.
Now, John’s wife Chrissy has taken issue with Kanye’s decision to breach John’s privacy in such a manner, and she took to Twitter to vent her anger.
Chrissy then managed to calm down and see the funny side of the situation as she and Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian traded jokes about their double date dinner plans for Friday night.
“@KimKardashian are we still doing dinner Friday or no lol,” Chrissy wrote, to which Kim responded, “Yes but maybe no phones”, alongside crying laughing emojis and a “no phones allowed” symbol.
John and Chrissy have long been opponents of Trump and his policies and ideals, and frequently tweet their grievances with the POTUS on social media.
In his texts responding to Kanye’s pro-Trump tweets, John had written: “Hey it’s JL. I hope you’ll reconsider aligning yourself with Trump. You’re way too powerful and influential to endorse who he is and what he stands for. As you know, what you say really means something to your fans. They are loyal to you and respect your opinion.
“So many people who love you feel so betrayed right now because they know the harm that Trump’s policies cause, especially to people of color. Don’t let this be part of your legacy. You’re the greatest artist of our generation.”
Kanye remained unaffected by John’s messages and replied in a tweet of his own: “I love you John and I appreciate your thoughts. You bringing up my fans or my legacy is a tactic based on fear used to manipulate my free thought.”
(AllHipHop Rumors) When everybody was going crazy over Kanye West’s MAGA Hat, I was wondering why Lyor Cohen was in the same picture throwing up a Devil Sign! Now, the sign has a lot of meanings at this point. White Supremacy, The Illuminati and Devil Worship AND Lyor’s 300 Entertainment all share the same hand gesture! How much of a coincidence is that? That’s crazy! For the record, Lyor says he’s just doing the sign of his company, which is fairly new. Me? I would have to change my sign if that was the case just to avoid confusion. You know Lyor ain’t thinking about ya’ll and ya weird thoughts on who is who and what is what! The formal statement, “The hand gesture made by Lyor Cohen is representative of the company he founded, 300 Entertainment and absolutely nothing more.”
Meek will return to court in June, but he has been ordered to remain in Philadelphia County until his next hearing.
However, he can petition court officials to leave the county if he needs to, according to The Blast.
“Pursuant to this same Order, this Court ORDERS that Defendant reside in Philadelphia County, be supervised by the Philadelphia County Adult Probation and Parole Department, and shall report to the Philadelphia County Adult Probation and Parole Department within 24 hours of the date of this Order,” the order reads.
Meek’s lawyers have been trying to get the rapper’s original conviction vacated after it emerged the police officer who arrested him had been named as part of a local corruption scandal – he was accused of lying under oath to put the rapper behind bars.
Judge Genece Brinkley was recently asked to toss Williams’ 2008 conviction by prosecutors, but she refused.
A prolific writer, filmmaker, director and idea generator, Deon Taylor is a self-taught, creative genius. His work is innovative, his writing is cutting edge and his vision is iconic. He is forever creating and is a force to be reckoned with in the conglomerate world of entertainment.
Deon is always thinking outside the box, juggling creative projects with ease, and his intelligence is so profound; it’s a no brainer that Taylor continues to run his own thriving film and production company, Hidden Empire Film Group (HEFG) formerly known as Deon Taylor Enterprises (DTE), which he launched in 2000.
Taylor has formed a partnership with Roxanne Avent, a thought-provoking visionary, an amazing producer and executive with a powerful business aptitude. With Taylor’s superb insight, knowledge, desire and fire, this union who writes, directs, and produces all of their own projects will be a partnership to watch and learn from.
His new movie-Traffik centers around characters named Brea and John, who embark on a romantic weekend getaway to an isolated estate in the mountains. They are pleasantly surprised when two of their friends, Darren and Malia, also show up unexpectedly. Their plans for fun soon give way to terror when members of a violent biker gang invade the peaceful countryside. Banded together, they now find themselves in a fight for their lives as their assailants will stop at nothing to protect their secrets from the outside world.
AllHipHop: Hey, what’s up Deon? What’s popping?
Deon: How are you doing man?
AllHipHop: I’m doing fine, my brother. I’m actually doing fine.
Deon: Alright. Nice to meet you, man!
AllHipHop: I saw the movie. The movie is good and quite interesting my brother. How did you get started in film?
Deon: It’s interesting man because I was a basketball player. I’m from Gary, Indiana, and I basically ended up just having the idea when I was playing basketball. One day I was like I really would love to figure out how to get into this business. It actually all started when I was over there playing. My girl, at the time, would send me a bunch of movies. This was before Netflix and Hulu … where you can just sit and watch movies from your phone.
She sent me DVD’s and I couldn’t get enough. I would go to basketball practice and get out of practice and watch 3 movies in a night. What ended up happening used to be like a drought where I’m waiting for movies to come. One day I just started watching because I didn’t want to watch TV at all. I just started watching the making of the movie on the DVD’s, and that inspired me. I beme a bigger fan of the DVD’s and the making of the movie. What ended up happening was, I started watching how the movies were made before I even watched the film.
I would determine, at that stage, and this is a wild story, I would determine at that stage if the movie was good or not after I watched it based on the fact that I could see the cuts, the elements or how they edited it. If it was seamless, I’m like that was crazy. Me being who I am and at the time I didn’t really realize what was happening to me. God was actually speaking to me and telling me this is what you are going to do. It took me years and years to understand that. Actually, a couple of years ago was when I was like wow! This is the course I was supposed to be on.
I left Germany, and at the time, my Mom was in Sacramento because she had moved out of Indiana to be a little bit closer to me in California because I went to San Diego State. I went everywhere in Hollywood telling people that I had this movie idea. I wrote my own script on a tablet. I had no idea of what the final draft was going to be like … I didn’t know nothing. I laugh now because some of the meetings I was in, I was like damn, do you even know? I’m surprised they didn’t laugh you out the room. You know what I mean? But, all I did was to grow my heart, energy and passion. It’s almost like I was dumb enough and naïve enough to think I could do it.
You know what I mean? But I had enough heart and passion to continue doing it. What I tend to tell people a lot of times is when you grow up with a sports background, you sure will be a good sportsman. Hope you understand what I’m saying?
AllHipHop: Yes, I do.
Deon: When you really attack sports in the right way … I remember because I was an All-American. I did all that. I remember coming from Gary with no shoes, with a nappy on my head, just getting a free jersey and them dropping me in the gym with 150 of the most elite kids in the country. I remember being like okay, this is what it is. Soon as they rolled the ball out, you know what time it is. It’s like okay, here’s what we’re doing so you forget your shoes, you forget you didn’t eat. Oh I didn’t have the lights was off last month at Mom’s house, and you just attack. I credit a lot of that darkness and a lot of that energy to what I’m doing now. When I got to Hollywood, years and years of being told no, I felt the same way. I felt like I was in a corner and you got to fight out and hustle, jump and make my shot and that’s how I attacked this marketplace.
Even till now, it’s been 10 years completely 100% independent. We’ve never had a studio take a movie out. We never sold a movie to a studio. My whole thing has always been we’re making a movie from A to Z and then the second gift was trying to figure out how you get distribution. We fell on our face multiple times and then in 2016, we did the unthinkable. I made a little bitty comedy called Meet The Blacks. We shot that movie for no money. Everybody in Hollywood was giving me these … you know, they were giving me that deal … where you’re like no! I’m not taking that.
We had been around the block so many times with movies and getting told no and getting screwed over and I said I’m not doing that no more. I was like, here’s what we need to do. We’re going to figure out how to take this movie out ourselves and everybody was like huh? Like Scooby-Doo. It was the first time, and this was the culture, this was the first time I knew what that movie represented. Before I had made a horror movie called Chain Letter which was really dope. I did another movie called.
I did all this stuff where you could actually tell me it wasn’t going to work and then I would be like well maybe it won’t be cut. I didn’t know it like that. When I finished Meet The Blacks, I knew what that was. It’s like watching LeBron in the park when he was 16. You’re like no man, he’s on his way. He isn’t jumping out the gym so when they told me that what I had was not this and not that, I was like no, I beg to differ. This is not going be that.
We got our own money. We took that movie out theatrically. The movie ultimately opened #4 in the country. It beats out 30-45 studio films in 2016 in terms of money revenue.
It goes on to become a really successful film. What that movie did for me and my family and my partner, Roxanne and Robert Smith … what it did was it validated us because now what happens in Hollywood is that people that would now see me come in a room
Number 1 they understood chill out, we’re trying to really take advantage of us. We understand that’s the nature of the business, but treat us right.
Number 2, what it did was it let everybody know this dude is crazy enough to where if I don’t get it, he’ll take it out himself. That will allow us to be able to play on an even field in the space as African-American filmmakers, producers, and directors. It has been a blessing.
When I finished that, I told Roxanne, who’s my partner and Robert Smith, I was like yo here’s what we are going to do. I’m going to run and it’s going to be hard and we might fall out and die, but I said on a crack, but I said we got these four projects and I’m not going to come out of production until they’re done because the idea will be in 2018 is to have a slate of movies so we can compete with the Lions Gate, with the Blumhouses, with the Paramount.
I want us to be a mini-boutique company the same way Tyler built his company, the same way Blumhouse built their company. The only way that you can compete on that level is if you have multiple projects dropping. Not just one.
My battery became that. My energy was that because the one offs were not working. You make one movie and you step out like, oh man I really hope you like this. Oh, they didn’t like it?
Okay, well how about… no, we will go and we’re going to do something that no one else has done in the space which is going to be a Deon Taylor thing that I hope people understand. People are like what is that and I say man I play in all genres.
Most of the time what happens is when I name … and these are all iconic people I will name … when I say to you Spike Lee, you automatically in your mind register a Spike Lee movie.
When you say Deon Taylor, what I want you to think, is whoa. Drama, awards, oh wait a minute … comedy … oh wait a minute … thriller, horror. I want to be where I am seamless in the space to where you can’t tell me what bucket I live in. As a filmmaker, what I’m pushing for is I’m a storyteller. At the end of the day, as long as I have my three basic scenarios in my film, I can play in any genre. What is that? Humanity, life, love and redemption. As long as, doesn’t matter if I made Traffic, all the way across the board to our new film with Michael Ealy and Dennis Quaid, The Intruder, which is a horror thriller. It’s the same principles, but I don’t want someone to define me as black filmmaker. That’s what is happening in Hollywood with all of our black filmmakers, right?
AllHipHop: You are correct.
Deon: If I tell you Steven Spielberg, you go, oh wait … let me see…
AllHipHop: Fantasy?
Deon: Right. The Color Purple, right? Where does he live? Ready Player One, right? What genre is Steven Spielberg? He’s in all of them because he can afford to be in them. For me, I want it to be that for us. I wanted to be the guy where yo man D’s got a horror movie coming out. D got this coming out. I want it to be where if I see something and I like it, I should be creative enough and smart enough and intuitive enough to be able to deliver that. That’s the spit man. What I’m trying to do.
AllHipHop: How did you get with Jamie Foxx? How did you hook up with him?
Deon: A long time ago. basketball to me is a fraternity. I met Jamie playing in the NBA entertainment league. As a matter of fact, me and Jamie got really close because I played against his team in the championship of the NBA entertainment league and he was tasked to guard me. They beat us. He had a great team and they ended up beating us. It was great. They had a really good team. I think Tank was on their team. Obviously you shake hands with somebody and that’s what you do, you got me?
AllHipHop: What inspired you to do the Traffic project? How did that even come about?
Deon: What happened was I got an email one day on my phone and I have a 12 year old daughter. This thing was telling us in our community to be careful dropping your kids off at the mall and I said why? I read into the letter and it was kids are being kidnapped and trafficked. I was like what is this? As an African-American man, me and my girl was like well they don’t get us? That’s something that white people get, right?
I was as dumb as that sounded. As I read more and more, I realized this is not. 75 to 85% of the kids that are being trafficked are African-American and Latino. I was like whoa! Look at this and I thought it was an international problem, but no, it’s domestic. Then I started doing more and more research and I learned like okay here’s what’s going on.
It’s another level to this where these girls are actually being taken and drugged and sent across the country and being sold as slaves. When I started researching it more and more, I have just seen how close and how dramatic trafficking was in the U.S and then I wondered why we’re not doing more about it.
AllHipHop: Right! Another question I have. Why did you choose to kill all of the male leads off? Was it to make a statement about women overcoming serious problems?
Deon: Sometimes in life you have to lose everything that you have, everything has to crash …everything has to crash and burn and blow up and be destroyed in order for you to become the best, the new you. That movie represents that to me.
in other words, here’s Paula … she had the job, she thinks she’s got it going on. Here’s a guy that really loves you. But shes not really ready to commit to love because she has a choice, right? And what ultimately happens is her entire world gets turned upside down, everything is taken from her, to understand, here’s what you’re supposed to be doing and here’s the best you.
Deon: What that represents … and that’s what I put in the film … that’s why you lose Omar. Let’s strip everything. Take it all from you and just lay there like your dead. Naw, you’re not dead. You’re just being reborn. That was the energy in terms of what that represented in the film to me.
(AllHipHop News) Chicago rhymer Famous Dex is viewed as problematic by some detractors. While he has acknowledged he made mistakes in his past, Dexter is trying to move forward with his music career.
The Dex Meets Dexter album hit the internet on 4/6. That date is very important to the Rich Forever representative for other reasons because his mother passed away on April in 2013.
DJ Smallz sat down with the 24-year-old to talk about his debut studio LP. There was also a moment where Dex teared up while discussing his mom dying from stage IV breast cancer.
“My mom was always a happy person,” said FD. “When she was going through chemo, she told us to be strong and to be happy and when she do go, stay happy.”
When asked if he had advice for someone else that lost a parent, Dexter offered, “Just stay focused. Keep continuing doing what you gotta do. Because when you lose somebody so close to you people go crazy. They lose it. I had to go right. I had little sisters and brothers under me. I had to do what I had to do.”
(AllHipHop News) Odd Future may not be officially running together as a collective any longer, but the OFWGKTA-associated band known as The Internet is back with a new video. The musicians reassembled to release the groovy “Roll (Burbank Funk).”
The last few years have seen members of the group take time to work on individual projects. The Internet’s most recent studio album was Ego Death in 2015.
“Ego death is a current thing within my friend circle. It’s part of the psychedelic experience, trans meditation and ego death. You’re at your true creative form when you don’t allow things to affect you. You let go of worry,” Matt Martians told AllHipHop at the time.
Syd added, “When you’re not worried about what it’s going to sound like to other people, when you’re completely vulnerable, that’s when you are the most creative. I don’t think there is really a void when there’s an absence of ego. Maybe there it is, but I think it allows more space for life, for stuff that really matters.”
Last year, Steve Lacy spoke to Beats 1 Radio about the next album by The Internet. The guitarist/vocalist said, “I’m just thinking about the change component. I know off of Ego Death to where I am now, it’s been a dramatic shift. It’s not the same as it was when that came out. I feel like this is on a higher echelon than Ego Death. I love Ego Death, that was a great record, but I know this one is a step up.”
(AllHipHop News) J. Cole’s KOD is already on pace to be a major commercial success. The Hip Hop virtuoso is set to move more than 380,000 units in the album’s first week of release.
That sales triumph may get a lift with a deluxe edition of the LP. Cole did a rare Q&A with his Twitter followers, and he addressed the history and future of his 5th full length.
“First version of album was done in 2 weeks. Final version of KOD that got released took 6 months total,” replied the Dreamville Records head. He later posted, “KOD deluxe will be album in its original 2 week form. Plus couple extra scenes that didn’t make final cut.”
Kids On Drugs/King Overdosed/Kill Our Demons ends with the much-talked-about track “1985 (Intro to The Fall Off).” There was speculation that the song was the foreword to yet another project. J. Cole gave some credence to The Fall Off arriving soon by tweeting, “Workin on it.”
(AllHipHop News) Winning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Music has apparently introduced Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN to a brand new audience. The album’s sales jumped 236% (11,000 copies) in the week since the history-making achievement.
Lamar became the first non-classical/non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer. DAMN also won five Grammy Awards, and it’s up for Top Billboard 200 Album, Top Selling Album, and Top Rap Album at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards.
Additionally, K. Dot’s fourth studio LP has sold over 1 million copies and earned more than 3 million equivalent album units. DAMN has not fallen out of the Top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart since its release on April 14, 2017.
(AllHipHop News) One of the standout tweets during Kanye West’s recent Twitter explosion was directed at former president Barack Obama. The Chicago native took issue with what he saw as Obama’s lack of help for their hometown.
Some critics called out Kanye for blasting Obama for supposedly not helping Chicago without providing examples of his own recent efforts to assist the residents there. According to TMZ, Mr. West has a plan for the Windy City.
G.O.O.D. Music affiliate Malik Yusef is reportedly working with Kanye as well as other prominent Chicago natives Common, Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, and Don C to launch Donda Social. The organization’s mission is to visit impoverished areas of Chicago and work with local citizens to come up with political and financial solutions for problems those people are facing.
The celebrities said to be involved in Donda Social have a history of doing philanthropic work in Chicago. For example, Chance has his Social Works nonprofit and Mensa recently launched his SaveMoneySaveLife nonprofit.
(AllHipHop News) Members of Slaughterhouse publicly acknowledged the four-man Hip Hop group has disbanded. Joe Budden announced he was retired from rapping, KXNG Crooked stated he was no longer part of the group, and Royce Da 5’9” co-signed the disbandment.
AllHipHop caught up with Royce and his PRhyme partner DJ Premier for an interview. The conversation included the Detroit native providing more insight into the state of Slaughterhouse.
“When we started talking about doing the second album on Shady [Records], we got in there with producers – J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Illmind, araabMUZIK, Just Blaze. We started working and we did a body of work, but we still felt like we needed more,” Royce told AHH’s Chuck Creekmur. “But then after that, Joe was doing Love & Hip Hop, Joell [Ortiz], started doing some other sh-t, Crooked started doing some other sh-t. Me and [Premier] did PRhyme. Since then we haven’t been able to catch each other at a time where we all wanted to give it 100% at the same time.”
He continues, “I just look at it like, Slaughterhouse is something that we knew there was a time limit to it. We knew it because we were all solo artists before. I feel like we stretched it longer than any other group that ever tried to do what we tried to do… If we never do anything again, I’m happy with what we did.”
Royce Da 5’9” is preparing to release his own Book Of Ryan album on May 4. He is also joining DJ Premier for the “PRhyme 2 Tour” beginning May 30.
(AllHipHop News) Dr. Dre already has a $40 million mansion, but that just is not enough for the billionaire rap mogul.
According to reports, Dre recently used one of his companies to purchase a $4.9 million piece of real estate in Calabasas, California.
There is no word yet as to what Dre is planning to do with the property, which comes with six bedrooms, six bathrooms, an in-ground pool, a private movie theater, tennis courts and other amenities.
If Dre stays in his newest mansion, he will be neighbors with celebrities like Justin Bieber and members of The Kardashian clan.
Dre has been flipping real estate for a minute now. In 2013, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian tried to buy an $11 million plot of land from Dre, but he ended up selling the plot to another purchaser for $32 million.
Dre then copped his $40 million mega-mansion from Tom Brady in 2017.
(AllHipHop News) Kanye West’s former creative designer Virgil Abloh has managed to snag a deal Kanye and could not get done.
The Off-White founder has been tapped to create a new line of furniture for IKEA.
According to reports, Virgil will design an exclusive furniture capsule collection for IKEA which will land in stores this year.
The deal is the latest power move from Virgil Abloh, who recently became the first African-American creative designer for Louis Vuitton.
In March of 2016, Kanye West was spotted touring IKEA’s headquarters in Älmhult, Sweden and publicly stated his desire to design furniture for the company.
Unfortunately, IKEA rejected Kayne’s proposal to design for the company, with a rep stating Ikea was “flattered by Kanye West’s high interest” but they had no intention on collaborating with the rap star.
IKEA will broadcast a live Q&A with Virgil Abloh regarding the new collection on April 30.
(AllHipHop News) Ice Cube will return to the big screen in the upcoming controversial thriller, “Excessive Force.”
The entire plot of the movie has yet to be revealed, but reports say the movie centers around the Cleveland Police Department racism and political corruption.
The rap star will also serve as executive producer of the flick through his CubeVision production company, which his produced hit movies like “Friday,” “Barbershop,” “Ride Along,” “Straight Outta Compton” and the cult classic, “Janky Promoters” amongst others.
“Excessive Force” is scheduled to go into production this fall, and will be directed by Carl Franklin, who has shot TV shows like “Ray Donavan,” and “13 Reasons Why.”
(AllHipHop News) R&B star Ne-Yo wants to move into filNe-Yommaking and has started penning a movie script.
In addition to his career as a recording artist, Ne-Yo has a number of acting credits to his name and played himself in hit 2017 comedy “Girls Trip.”
Now, Ne-Yo has revealed that he wants to move behind the camera by directing and writing and has already begun to realize his ambition by starting work on a film script.
“I want to get more into the TV and film space, maybe not in front of the camera,” he said. “I want to direct and write. I have started writing a movie.”
However, Ne-Yo did not reveal his movie’s subject matter and confessed that he’s not quite got the hang of screenwriting yet – as he has found it requires very different skills to telling a story in a short pop song.
“I’m not totally confident how good it is yet, as I’m still learning,” the 38-year-old explained. “There’s a major difference with writing a story in three minutes versus a story you spend an hour to two watching – there’s a lot more detail.”
And if things don’t pan out for the soul star in Hollywood, he can always fall back on his music career. He will soon release Good Man, a new track that is dedicated to the #MeToo anti-sexual harassment campaign and features artists Stefflon Don and Bebe Rexha.
Talking about how the movement has inspired him, he added, “It’s time for me to put a spotlight back on what chivalrous values are and why we’ve lost them and what they’re supposed to be.”
(AllHipHop News) Fans of Tupac Shakur will be able to make a fashion statement with his lyrics, thanks to a new partnership between his Estate and clothing company Bravado.
The Estate of Tupac Shakur just launched the “Tupac Poetry Collection” of merchandise featuring verses from the late artist’s poems.
The lyrics selected for the limited edition capsule collection launches just in time for National Poetry Month, which kicks off on May 1.
Pieces in the collection range in price, from $30-$200.
A launch event for the “Tupac Poetry Collection” will take place at the VFILES in Manhattan on April 26, where a special edition of the in-store event “Pass the Aux: will feature a number of emerging artists.
(AllHipHop News) Cardi B could be facing a huge legal battle during her pregnancy, thanks to her former manager.
Klenord “Shaft” Raphael filed a $10 million lawsuit against Cardi, claiming he discovered her only to be screwed out of his portions of her earnings.
To complicate the matters, Shaft claims it was his team of writers and producers who gave Cardi her big hit “Bodak Yellow.”
Shaft also claims Cardi’s fiancee Offset has been threatening him through text messages after Cardi claimed her former manager had been robbing her.
“U better stop play acting like u don’t know u taking her s##t from her u a snake,” Offset allegedly texted to Shaft. “U can’t hide from me n##ga and u not bout to play my WIFE.”
Despite the threats, Shaft’s lawsuit maintains he helped develop Cardi’s career and her public image and instead of being grateful, Cardi B gave him the boot.
(AllHipHop Features) Xzibit has seen some of the highest highs Hip-Hop could possibly offer. That notion is quite literal and as well as metaphorical. During his powerful run in rap, Xzibit used to rocked with inebriated icons such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem as well as underground legends like Tha Liks and King Tee. But, never mistake his affiliations with a lack of ability to stand alone. Lyrically, X to tha Z came forth with a West Coast perspective that was completely unique, chock full of lyrics and hard raps.
His ability to forge ahead without his old running mates is exemplified with his present status. Unlike the lot of them, Xzibit has transitioned nicely into a thespian that has appeared in “The X-Files,” “Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden” and now “Empire.” His role as “Shyne” is a sinister nemesis to Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) has captivated audiences.
AllHipHop chopped it up with the Cali King on his views on Hip-Hop, Hollywood and the great strides he’s made in his career.
AllHipHop: Can you talk about “Empire” a little bit?
Xzibit: Yeah, Shyne is someone who has definitely come into the Lyon’s family as somebody from their past, who has found a way to get a seat at the table. This season, Shyne and Lucious Lyon’s relationship is going to be taken to another level and its going to be a while ride for the audience.
AllHipHop: Obviously, acting isn’t where you started your career. How easy or hard has it been for you to transition?
Xzibit: Its work. Music, I can do in my sleep. I have to work at acting. It’s another form of expression that I enjoy doing. It’s been work and it’s been gratifying. I’ve done some dope films. I’ve done some really dope things in television and its been amazing what I have been able to accomplish here.
AllHipHop: I saw that you’ve been talking retirement from Hip-Hop. Me personally, I’m a big fan of your Hip-Hop work and I’ve listened to really to your most recent stuff, and the album you did with B-Real and the young boy. I can’t call his name off the top…
Xzibit: Young D. Demrick.
AllHipHop: Ah, yeah…Demrick. He’s dope too. Are you really planning to retire or are you maybe transitioning a little bit..still producing music?
Xzibit: I’m never totally going to step away from music, but I do feel as though the amount of albums I do add up to 10. So, I have a play for that. There are so many things to do. I think the touring aspect is the biggest thing. I have family, I have businesses to run and they take time and my presence. I think Hip-Hop is definitely a big piece of that. So, as I’ve been talking about it with my inner circle, everybody says, “Never say never,” but I do have a plan with how I’d like to see things go getting to that place.
AllHipHop: In terms of the game right now, musically. I have strong opinions on the current landscape. I don’t hate, but it has changed a lot. Do you still listen to Hip-Hop and how to you feel things are right now?
Xzibit: Absolutely. It’s just different. When we came out, we had different obstacles and different outlooks on life, different things were available to us. It was just different. I’m not one to bash anybody or tell anybody they are wack. Good music is just good music. And it was wack sh*t then and there’s wack sh*t now. It’s just different. We are living in a time where everything is accessible, information is accessible. The way the music is digested and dispersed is different. You have to be good at what you’re good at. We have accomplished that here on this side. (Laughs) I don’t really have much time to critique other people. I’m too busy working on my sh#t.
AllHipHop: What about West Coast Hip-Hop? I think that West Coast Hip-Hop has managed to preserved the culture in a lot of ways. Its stayed true to its roots and has never sounded old, or dated or wack.
Xzibit: I love the West Coast. I fly the banner. I fly the flag. This is the place that gave me my beginnings and gave me an opportunity to show the world what I’m capable of. I always show respect for the home tuff and this is where it’s at. This is where Xzibit began and where he’s gonna stay.
AllHipHop: With “Empire,” how is it working with people like Taraji, Terrence, Jussie and Yazz?
Xzibit: It’s fantastic. They have created a giant of a show. Shout out to Lee Daniels. Shout out to Fox. I can’t say enough about working with Terrence and Taraji. I just wanted to get in and be able to add to what the cast was doing. They are already doing a phenomenal job and I just wanted to add something to it that I felt was needed. So when we found that character…because originally I was supposed to be Tariq, Lucious’s brother, the FBI agent. And they said they casted it, but if I was interested they could have something for me. And from that read, they built the character of Shyne for me coming into Season 2. And we’ve been rocking every since for the to join the cast and add something to it.
AllHipHop: Do you have any other acting projects that you are planning out?
Xzibit: Right now, I’m taking on a lot of things on the homefront. We got a lot of things we are working on. I’m not at liberty to say at the moment. But, I can’t wait to reveal the things we are working on. I’m betting on myself.
AllHipHop: Right now the comic book genre is pretty big in entertainment period. I think you could play some sort of villain or even superhero. What do you think?
Xzibit: I mean, I take one thing at a time. If that comes to the table, and I feel it’s taking me out of my wheelhouse and taking me from something I would normally be cast in or how how Hollywood sees us. I just like things that challenge me as an actor. So, if something like that came across the table, I’d be more than happy to take a shot at it.
AllHipHop: Musically, what would you say was your favorite time as an emcee?
Xzibit: Man. All of it. Even the bad times. That’s what build character. I think the biggest thing that I can recall off top is being a part of the push for Dr. Dre’s 2001, the Up In Smoke Tour, being part of Eminem’s records, Snoop Dogg’s records. Working with those guys on my records. It was a beautiful time and it’s still coming back to this day. You know?
AllHipHop: Definitely, I maintain that the video for “What U See Is What U Get” is the dopest rap video of all time. I definitely got to salute you on that. Who made that happen conceptually, because I always refer to it.
Xzibit: It was my concept. It was my idea to do it in one single shot. I tried to explain it to all the popular Hip-Hop video directors at the time and nobody could really get it. So actually, a man named Gregory Dark decided to do this with me. And he was a p### director, believe it or not. (Laughs) This was his first Hip-Hop video. And we do that video in 13 shots and cut it together to look like one. The biggest part of the video the car blowing up and Flavor Flav (who is mentioned in the song) just showed up for some reason and he ended up being in the video. I mean, you can’t write this sh#t. It just happened that way. So it ended up being something that…you know again…I’m betting on myself.
These ideas are executed by people that have faith in the vision. Nobody expected that video to do what it did and here we are talking about it 20-something years later. I’ve been proud of that and that’s what started giving me the confidence to do other things. Even “Paparazzi” and “Foundation” – looking at myself in a casket – that was my idea. Those are things that I really had to push creatively and get people to believe in it to get it done. And eventually, I stopped trying to convince people and started doing it myself.
AllHipHop: Last question: how is it being a family man in Hip-Hop or otherwise?
Xzibit: I love it man. I love it. That’s my real supporting cast right there. I wouldn’t be able to do anything that I’m trying to achieve without the support of my family behind me.
(AllHipHop News) Queens, New York rap star Nas is heading to Los Angeles as a headliner for the 6th Annual BET Experience at LA. Live.
Nas will headline the four-day event, which will include performances from Nipsey Hussle, LL Cool J, Ludacris, Chris Brown, Rae Sremmurd, Kamaiyah, Playboi Carti, SZA, A$AP Ferg and others.
In addition to the performances, the 6th Annual BET Experience will feature interactive activations, ticketed events and a Celebrity Dodgeball and Basketball game.
BET Experience at L.A. Live will take place from June 21-24 at The Staples Center.
(AllHipHop News) Bill Cosby was found guilty on sexual assault after his retrial in Norristown, Pa on Thursday.
The jury found Bill Cosby guilty of sexually assaulting and drugging a woman 14 years ago at him home. The conviction essentially the nail in the coffin for an entertainer that was once regarded as “America’s Dad.” The conviction is also the culmination of scores of accusations from women who claim Cosby assaulted them as well.
Cosby was found guilty of penetration with lack of consent, penetration while unconscious and penetration after administering an intoxicant. Andrea Constand, a one-time Temple University employee, was one of Cosby’s mentees whens she was at the school.
Cosby now faces 10 years in state prison, where the convictions will run concurrent. he had mentored.
According to The New York Times, Kevin R. Steele, the Montgomery County district attorney, has requested that Cosby’s $1 million bail be revoked, insinuating that the entertainer was a flight risk. In response, Cosby yelled, “He doesn’t have a plane, you a######.”
The judge allowed him to be released on bail, but his passport was taken.
