Memphis Bleek stopped by the Breakfast Club to talk about the days of Roc-A-Fella, coming up under Jay Z, how the game has changed and evolved from then to now, and more. One of the most interesting things Bleek commented on was the break up of Roc-A-Fella. DJ Envy asked,
“What broke up Roc-A-Fella?…. At one time it was a perfect fit.”
Memphis Bleek replied saying,
“I think it was ego. It wasn’t money, everyone was making a ton of money. It was ego. When something happens one person wants to be responsible for it. People want to be certified and critically acclaimed, and they will die for it. That’s what broke it up; ego. People just couldn’t accept that Jay is that dude. He’s the God.”
Ego has gotten in the way of a lot in music. Bleek also says they were really a family at Roc-A-Fella, and the problem with units today, is there is no real loyalty.
(AllHipHop News) Condolences are being sent to Eminem. On Tuesday (Jan. 19), the acclaimed MC suffered a death in his family. His sister-in-law Dawn Scott passed-away from an “apparent heroin overdose,” this according to RadarOnline. Eminem is reportedly “in shock” following Dawn’s untimely death.
Although Scott was the twin sister of Em’s ex-wife, Kim Scott, when she died she was estranged from her family. Discovered in humble surroundings at the Motor City Trailer Park in Warren, MI, Dawn’s body was found dead inside of a mobile home. At the time of her death, the deceased was only 40 years-old. She was purportedly living a transient lifestyle.
Over the years Em seemingly cultivated a close relationship with Scott. At the age of 15, both Dawn and Kim would move into Eminem’s home — they witnessed his ascent to becoming a prolific wordsmith. Eventually Eminem and Kim would wed and started a family. Given Dawn’s addiction issues the couple then chose to adopt Scott’s daughter, Alaina. Both Alaina and Em’s daughter, Hailie grew up under the same roof.
Les Martin, who identifies himself as Dawn’s periodic boyfriend of four years, alleged that she would sometimes abuse an array of drugs. He went on to contend that Dawn was challenged to maintain her sobriety. “Heroin, cocaine, Adderall. If it was a pill, she would take it,” claimed Les. Before her death, Martin believes that both her sister Kim and Eminem refused to offer Dawn any assistance to remain sober.
It has been revealed that the trailer in which Scott’s body was found was mere miles away from where Emimen grew up on 8 Mile Road.
(AllHipHop News) As half of the critically-acclaimed duo, the Clipse, Pusha T has earned his title as a reigning lyricist. “I really came into this with guys I’ve been with for over 20 years,” the G.O.O.D. Music President told Vice. Within the latest episode of its Autobiographies series, which was published yesterday (Jan. 20), King Push would speak on several subjects. These topic broached his feelings of solitude, his motivations to continue to make his stylized music, and his explanation as to why the Clipse disbanded.
“I only rap for my core fans. They love my music. They’re die-hard. I dial in to those people,” said the Bronx-born worthsmith who was reared in the South. Soon the supreme MC would discuss how inspiration turned into competition. “As a creative man I was just copying all my favorite artists. I looked up to anybody that was on a [DJ] Clue ‘tape. Whether that be Fab, whether that be Jadakiss, The L.O.X., Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang — I was just trying to be better or realer, or whatever I thought they were I had to out do it,” sincerity wrapped his sentiment.
Soon a reflective nostalgia possessed the conversation. Pusha T would acknowledge, “My brother Gene brought music into our house.” Although there’s a five year age difference, the brothers grew to be inseparable. Eventually their group, the Clipse came to fruition. Pusha T then reminisced about witnessing their collective stardom. When speaking on the time between 2001-2002 he stated, “I saw the record [“Grindin'”] grow from a ground level,” Push then added, “And it took nine months. At then end of hte 9 months it was the biggest record of the summer.”
Although Pusha T has earned success as a solo artist, a bittersweet passion surfaced when he learned the Clipse would cease to exist. “We were on tour. He just came to my room and gave me the book that he wrote [ Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind, And Naked ] And I was like, ‘Wow, okay. So now you wrote a book?'” The situation’s significance didn’t dawn on him until No Malice continued with, Yo, this is what I’m about to dial in to. This is what I wanna do. This is how I feel. And I want you to read it. You know, you want to be a solo artist anyway. So, you should pursue that. I was like, ‘Wow, okay.'”
Be sure to watch the entire interview. The confident MC speaks reveals a vulnerable side when speaking on what makes his nervous. Skip over to the 7:25 mark to learn more about how the Clipse ended.
They don’t want to see you win. They don’t want to see you succeed (DJ Khaled voice). Perhaps Iggy Azalea’s record label, Virgin/EMI, is the “they” DJ Khaled is talking about. Iggy just can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to her music career. Iggy kicked off this year with her viral track “Azillion” as the build up for her upcoming album, ‘Digital Distortion.’ It seems like Iggy has now hit a road block as she announced the single will not be getting a music video to accompany it. According to Iggy, her label is holding her back, as they don’t feel like the response to the single was good enough. She said,
“I felt like it was dope so, whatever Ted Cockle doesn’t wanna see me shine. What can I say.”
Iggy wants to switch to just Def Jam (both under Universal Music Group), but she says Ted Cockle, the president of her label, is making that transition hard. It’s one thing to receive constant backlash from “the people” and another when your record label isn’t even backing you. Did you like “Azillion?”
Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and actress, Brandy, released a behind the scenes video from her in the studio recording her newly released single, “Beggin & Pleadin”. With her latest song, Brandy is back with a fresh and exciting sound which she pegged ‘trap-blues’, with an official video to come later in 2016. Brandy is set to release new music later this year and is currently starring in BET’s newest sitcom ‘Zoe Ever After’.
With a successful HBO Special out and after making headlines this week for secretly getting married, J Cole and his Dreamville family take to the stage at SOB’s in New York for lively performance. The crowd knows the all words as J Cole and team run through a host of songs from the Revenge of the Dreamers project as Bas, Cozz and Omen rip the stage with J Cole. J Cole has a team forming in front of our eyes and they are winning. Check it out below!
Stacey Dash recently visited Fox News’ ‘Fox & Friends’ and upset many with her commentary on the Oscars’ lack of diversity in their nominations. Dash expressed that she felt that if we don’t want to be segregated we need to get rid of channels like BET, get rid of award shows like The BET Awards, and end Black History Month. She feels we need to end these platforms in order to be more inclusive of everyone. Dash obviously failed to do her research as other races have appeared on the BET network and have won BET awards. Everyone from celebrities to ex-fans had a field day reminding Stacey of how many black magazines and shows she was featured in. BET had a clap back of their own, asking Stacey if they could get their check back since she forgot she had appeared on ‘The Game.’ BET posted a screenshot from ‘The Game‘ featuring Dash with the caption,
“Soooooo @realstaceyldash, can we get our check back… or nah? #Remember #YouWereOnTheGame #AndWeDontMeanTheRapper.”
BET also posted a link to a post entitled: “Every Time Stacey Dash Proved She Was Clueless.” BET’s President of Programming, Stephen Hill, also posted a photo of Dash with the caption,
“Aww dang. I loved you in “Clueless”. I had no idea that you actually were.”
Public opinion seems to be that Dash is a beautiful idiot. How do you feel about Stacey’s stance?
(AllHipHop News) Yesterday (Jan. 20), while visiting New York City, DJ Drama, openly voiced his opinion on the lingering “Twitter-Fingers” war of words between Drake and Meek Mill. The Aphilliates DJ went on to clear up the controversy concerning his part in the creative feud. “I definitely am not no leaker of no records,” he told Rap Radar.
To better shine an illuminating light on the situation Drama then declared, “The records that I put out, I put out records that people give me blessings to put out. I gotta lay that to rest. None of that sh*t was from me,” he vehemently stated. Late last year, it was speculated that the Atlanta-based DJ blessed Meek Mill with some insider information.
“My thing more than anything in what we’ve learned from the whole thing is how powerful social media is. It’s like The Force. It can be used for the Dark Side or it can be used for the Good Side,” stated the popular turntablist. With respect to those guys, that’s not really my story to tell. They’re gonna have to tell that story. They’re gonna have to come and say what it was.”
After Miley Cyrus‘ scandalous VMA 2013 performance, she got off the stage and went right off to the studio with Mr. Kanye West to record a mysterious song, The remix to Kanye West’ iconic song BLACKSKINHEAD. The remix features Miley Cyrus, Travis Scott, and Lupe Fiasco.
After releasing 3 singles & visual for album cut “Tell Me”, MMG’s Rockie Fresh delivers his latest effort ‘The Night I Went To…’. The mixtape includes 13 new tracks and features from Rick Ross, Ed Sheeran & Chris Brown.
(AllHipHop News) Yesterday (Jan. 20), after visiting Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Stacey Dash, openly voiced her desire to have BET canceled and cease the nation’s celebration of Black History Month. After drawing comparisons between BET and segregation, the Getting Played actress declared, “Just like there shouldn’t be a Black History Month. You know? We’re Americans. Period. That’s it.”
Following Stacey’s stunning statements many have voice their discord through different social media platforms. Bun B would also address his thoughts on the situation on his Instagram. “For everyone that didn’t know that looks don’t mean a g##### thing if the outside of you is ugly as f*ck here’s your proof. Her black skin drives her crazy,” wrote the Underground King.
To reinforce his sentiment the Hip-Hop icon added, “And as hard as she tries to separate herself from the black community, she doesn’t even realize her token role as a pawn in their game. You’re black. Hating yourself and us won’t make them love you. The best you’ll ever here is “You’re not like the rest of them” and if that works for you then cool.”
Below is the screenshot of the since deleted IG post:
Do you agree that the Clueless thespian is #TheBiggestCoonInTheRoom.
(AllHipHop News) Earlier this week Dirty Projectors member Amber Coffman accused high-profile music publicist Heathcliff Berru of sexual harassment. Coffman stated on Twitter, “Tired of sketchy ass dudes and sexual predators getting a pass from their ‘bros.’ Grow a spine and hold your friends accountable.”
Berru was the founder/CEO of Life or Death PR & Management, a company that represented Hip Hop acts such as Killer Mike, Mac Miller, and Odd Future. After more women publicly alleged being harassed by Berru, he resigned from Life or Death on Tuesday.
Former LoD client Killer Mike is now speaking out about the controversy. The Run The Jewels rapper posted a statement to his Facebook page.
Mike wrote:
Now that I’ve got everything in order, let me put this out here since my tweets didn’t convey my points/actions clearly.
Yesterday a.m. I read the story about Heathcliff. I called him immediately and ended our biz relationship. I also told him how wrong he was and how disappointed and ashamed I am of his actions and that he’s gotta take whatever’s coming. I also encouraged him to work on being a better human being.
I stand in solidarity with the women that have spoke out. No one should have to feel afraid for speaking out when wronged in any manner or feel like no cares about them. This is not ok. For the sake of clarity, I had no knowledge of any of this stuff prior to the story breaking yesterday a.m.
As for publicity moving forward- RTJ has always been repped by Biz3 and I will continue to work with Duncan Will (formerly of LoD) independently. He’s done nothing but be a great publicist to me.
Another point I want to make sure that comes across- Men have to be able to tell our friends and peers when they’re wrong. We cannot just say, it’s not my problem. We can’t expect ppl to improve if we’re not willing to hold them accountable and push them to be better.
Young Money artist Shanell teams with producer Zaytoven for her latest project 88 Keyz; hosted by Lil Wayne and features from Bankroll Fresh & T-Pain. The collaborative project brings raw and playful lyrical content and combines Shanell’s pop/r&b vocals with trap inspired drums and classic piano courtesy of Zaytoven.
The project’s lead single “I Can Be Your Stripper” begins with a sexy story dedicated to all of the women that don’t strip professionally but know how to put on a great private show for their special someone at home. The track features the king of stripclub anthems, T-Pain and the official video is slated for release this Saturday (Jan. 23rd) .
88 Keyz is a fun and creative experience that not only took both artists out of their norm but will give fans a new and fresh spin on urban music.
(AllHipHop News) The life story of James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond has played out in the public arena for decades. Go To Ground News is now set to investigate the history of the convicted drug trafficker in a new medium – a 10-episode web series.
Unjust Justice – The Jimmy Rosemond Tapes will debut next month. The series will examine the media coverage of Rosemond as well as his convictions in both a drug conspiracy case and a murder-for-hire case. Trial documents, wiretaps, and other materials gathered by the G2G investigative team will be reviewed to seek out if justice was truly served.
In addition, the allegations of Rosemond’s involvement in the 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur at Quad Studios in New York City will be explored. Unjust Justice will also cover the business of Hip Hop. Prior to being incarcerated, the Czar Entertainment head was a manager for recording stars The Game, Gucci Mane, Salt-N-Pepa, and Akon.
G2G will also premiere a podcast hosted by investigative reporter Don Sikorski and Hip Hop journalist Bönz Malone entitled The Rosemond Tapes.The show will feature recorded conversations with Rosemond from inside a federal penitentiary about various topics surrounding past, present, and future judicial proceedings.
Unjust Justice -The Jimmy Rosemond Tapes web series is scheduled to debut on February 1 at gotoground.com. The Rosemond Tapes podcastwill be hosted on Soundcloud starting in February.
(AllHipHop News) Back in 2013, Trayon Christian insisted he was wrongfully profiled at a Barneys New York store in NYC. After purchasing a $349 Ferragamo belt, Christian claimed he was stopped by two undercover NYPD detectives just because he was a young, black male. A Barneys employee apparently contacted police over concerns the debit card Christian used for the purchase may not have been his.
Christian later sued Barneys and the city over violation of his civil rights. According to reports, the New York City College of Technology engineering student has now won a $45,000 settlement from NYC.
“Settling was in the best interest of the city,” said Nick Paolucci, a spokesperson for the city’s law department.
In 2014, Barneys agreed to pay $525,000 in fines to settle claims of racial profiling. The company also agreed to implement measures to reduce profiling of African Americans by employees. It is not clear if Christian or any other customers that filed complaints were awarded money directly from Barneys.
The Barneys “Shop & Frisk” or “Shopping While Black” stories became national news partly due to superstar rapper Jay Z debuting a special collection at the high-end retailer around the same time the profiling complaints became public.
There were calls for the Hip Hop mogul to cancel his partnership with Barneys, but Jay decided to move forward with the holiday release. The concerns of profiling eventually led to 100% of the proceeds from sales of the BNY SCC collection being donated to the Shawn Carter Foundation.
(AllHipHop News) The50 Cent and Meek Mill feud had a lot of people talking this week. Former G-Unit affiliate Bang Em Smurf has now weighed in on the conflict as well. According to Smurf, Meek Mill was correct when he said a lot of people in Queens no longer support 50.
“The real n*ggas don’t f*ck with 50,” Smurf told Report Card Radio. “If you see his new video ‘I’m The Man,’ he got a lot of bozos in his video. And some of them n*ggas is Queens n*ggas. These n*ggas is lame n*ggas in that video. N*ggas don’t respect Fif no more.”
In particular, Smurf called out Bollywood B who he says is not respected in the streets either. The Trinidad-based rhymer then claimed 50 paid someone to take his life.
“After I seen ‘I’m The Man’ video, I lost all respect ever again for him. We will never be friends, never shake hands. It’s really ‘f*ck the Unit’ after I seen that video,” added Smurf. “That confirmed he put a hit on me. Just like he said [Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff] and [Ja Rule] put a hit on him, I can confirm [50 put a hit on me] now, because the same n*gga that took a shot at me was in his video. So that was a hit. So f*ck that whole camp.”
Despite Smurf’s accusations, there is no evidence to suggest that 50 Cent was involved in hiring a hit man to have anyone killed.
(AllHipHop News) Over the last several weeks, Lil Wayne and Birdman have been photographed together on a couple of occasions. It appeared as if the year-long public dispute between the two New Orleans natives over royalties and album releases was on the verge of being resolved.
Despite the friendly encounters at nightclubs, Wayne is still moving forward with his lawsuit against Birdman and Cash Money Records, according to TMZ.
According to our Young Money sources, Wayne isn’t softening on his main demands — release “Tha Carter V” and cough up the millions he says Birdman owes him. The stakes are high … remember Weezy’s threat to take Drake and Nicki Minaj with him if he leaves Cash Money.
Further, we’re told there’s still NO talk of a settlement.
This development comes less than 3 weeks after TMZ also reported Wayne and Birdman had “strong feelings about burying the hatchet.” Young Money’s Mack Maine supposedly set up a phone conversation between the pair last month.
Before their reunion at a party in Miami on New Year’s Eve, Wayne and Birdman had not been seen together in public since Weezy announced in 2014 he wanted to leave Cash Money. The “Rich As F*ck” rapper sued the label for $51 million, including claims CMR owes Wayne a $10 million advance for turning in Tha Carter V.
(AllHipHop News) In tonight’s new episode of WE tv’s Growing Up Hip Hop, TJ Mizell and Tiffany Lighty talk about their fathers’ passing. TJ is the son of Run-D.M.C. deejay Jam Master Jay, and Tiffany Lighty is the daughter of artist manager Chris Lighty.
In an exclusive clip, TJ and Tiffany sit down with Kristinia DeBarge (daughter of James DeBarge) to share their personal experiences of dealing with the death of a parent. TJ reveals he learned from watching television that Jam Master J had died. Tiffany discussed the uncertainty surrounding Chris Lighty’s reported suicide.
The episode also features Kristinia searching for her own father before a meeting in Miami with CEO of Young Money Entertainment Mack Maine. In addition, TJ prepares for a Run-D.M.C. show in Miami to pay homage to his dad.
Fellow GUHH star Angela Simmons (daughter of Rev. Run) also travels to Miami, so she can deal with a situation involving a stalker. Romeo Miller (son of Master P) goes to Bulgaria for a big movie role, but begins to question his priorities. Egypt Criss (daughter of Sandra “Pepa” Denton) records her first demo, but she is forced to kick Pepa out of the studio.
Growing Up Hip Hop airs Thursdays at 10 pm ET/PT on WE tv.
First of all, we could all be getting Rick Rolled and trolled right now. However, a company that makes fake stacks of money is claiming that they supplied Meek Mill with the paper that was recently posted on Instagram. I will say personally I am calling BS. I think these dudes are riding the wave of hate to Meek. Now, that said: I DON’T KNOW! These rappers are liable to do anything these days. So, a rumor it is.
A company alleges that they gave him the bucks to have that stack. This is like ghostwriting to me. You actually mess up your money telling people about it. I’m thinking this is somebody catering to the broke folk and throwing Meek under the bus. Meek got money and Meek got Nicki. But see for yourself.
(AllHipHop News) As the 58th Annual Grammy Awards near, the initial wave of performances have been set and include Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and Adele.
With 11 nominations alone, K. Dot leads the Grammy field, however his To Pimp a Butterfly is going head to head for Album of the Year with The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness.
Adele’s inclusion at the Grammy’s came as a slight surprise, being that she isn’t up for any awards. Her record-breaking album, 25, was released after the nomination eligibility date however, her ever growing and faithful following equals big TV ratings. Plus after the success of her debut single “Hello,” how could she not be included in this celebration of music.
In addition to the scheduled performers, the Grammys announced that the ceremony will also feature a tribute to Lionel Richie, who will receive the MusiCares Person of the Year award. Also, for the first time in Grammy history, the award show will broadcast live in both the Eastern and Pacific time zones.
