Many of Louisville kids, affected by violent crime, get a special Christmas surprise by Master P one day after the holiday. Master P played Santa and gifted each child with a bike or other toy. One of the kids included the younger brother of Ray Etheridge who was killed in Cherokee Park in September.
Megan Brown, whose fiance was shot to death two years ago on Christmas, helped arrange the holiday event and got an additional present from Master P on Friday.
The comedy flick that has sent North Korea into a frenzy has been deemed the no. 1 online movie ever released by Sony Pictures.
The Interview not only grossed $1 million at the box office on Christmas day, but has now generated $15 million within the first four days of its release with two million downloads online, Sony reports. The Seth Rogen-James Franco film is now the highest selling online movie of all time.
After Sony reversed their decision to not show the movie due to terrorist threats, The Interview was made available for online streaming through Google Play, YouTube and Microsoft Xbox on Christmas Eve and released to 331 select independent movie theaters on Christmas.
Solange got hit with a tax lien and she ain’t even know it.
Looks like when TMZ broke the news that Solange got a tax lien, it was not only news to us, but news to her as well.
The pap site reported that the tax lien for $55,000 was filed three days after Solange married her husband, Alan Ferguson, for unpaid taxes in 2010-12 in California. Bey’s little sis didn’t have a clue about the tax lien and found out about it while surfing the internet. She made light of the situation though when she took to Twitter after finding out she owed Uncle Sam money.
She even sent a shout out to the hip-hop site who unknowingly informed her of her tax woes.
Nipsey Hussle has announced that he is dropping “the album before the album” sooner than we think. The South Central spitter is dropping his new mixtape, Mailbox Money, on New Year’s Eve.
Nip is following the same blueprint he laid with his Crenshaw mixtape, but is upping the price and selling hard copies for $1,000 instead of $100 through his Proud 2 Pay program. Mailbox Money is set to feature Hit Boy, Rick Ross, Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug.
His debut album, Victory Lap, is due out at the top of 2015.
When a Staten Island grand jury decided not to indict NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo for the death of Eric Garner, Ali Shaheed Muhammad knew he needed to say something. The A Tribe Called Quest member decided to confront what he saw as blatant injustice in the Garner case by channeling his energy into a new record.
Ali partnered with fellow entertainers/activists Merna, JaPoet, and David Luke to construct the #BlackLivesMatter themed song “CPR.” The 25 year Hip Hop veteran refers to “CPR” as the first track he ever created without his ego being the motivation.
Beyond dropping “CPR” and marching in the streets, Ali is further bringing awareness to reforming America’s justice system by calling for new legislation on rules of police engagement. The Brooklyn-bred producer/emcee is also promoting cooperation with civil rights and community organizations to address the civic and social concerns underscored by the killing of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and other unarmed minorities at the hands of law enforcement.
AllHipHop.com recently spoke with Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Part one of the exclusive interview covers the making of “CPR” and another major collaborative effort on the near horizon.
“CPR” is a very powerful statement about what is taking place in the country right now. At what point did you decide you wanted to address those issues?
It was when the announcement was made that the grand jury in the case of Eric Garner against the police officer decided not to indict him. I think Ferguson was upsetting, and I instantly went out and protested then. The news of Eric Garner – it definitely was like somebody punched me in my gut and took all my wind out. Not only just the wind out of myself, but everything that my father, my mother, my grandparents, and all my ancestors fought for in this country.
To get to that kind of injustice, especially after there being clear proof that he was murder by law enforcement… I cried for maybe like 5 hours. At that point I stopped crying and it hit me – make a song. Make a song expressing how you’re feeling.
How did you pull together the different artists on the track?
I’d been working with Merna. While that ruling was read, she and I had been writing a song together. I had to tell her, “Let me call you back and figure something out.”
Later that morning, when I had the idea of me doing something, I reached out to David Luke, one of the producers in my camp. I don’t know why I wanted his voice on there. I know that David is an emcee, but our working relationship is more as a producer.
He’s an incredible songwriter and beat maker, but I just had it in me to ask him to listen to this song to see if he would be part of it. David is a young father. He has a three-year-old son. I felt like he would understand. Just to get that young father’s voice – What’s the world going to be like for your child?
After that, I sent it to Merna. I didn’t instantly hear a singing part, but I just knew that Merna’s music is in a sense of calling out a certain type of oppression. I felt like her spirit in what she and her people, the Palestinians, have gone through in being oppressed… I felt she would have something to say.
JaPoet is another artist that I work with, and someone that is slightly younger than I am. Knowing that he’s a prolific poet, I felt that he too would be able to add his emotion. I didn’t have anything specific I thought he could bring, but I just wanted him to put his Black male perspective on tape.
I made the song strictly from the perspective of “I’m an artist,” and I didn’t know what else to do outside of marching and lifting my voice. I didn’t want to sell the song. I just wanted to put it out. Then I also thought of the word “equality” while I was making the song. It’s a basic word. It’s what we all want from this situation, just to be treated as equal.
So I came up with this idea of “equality” as a shirt, and I thought it could be cool if something was done with it. Merna also said, “What about donating the proceeds to the Eric Garner family?” I said, “Yeah, that would be dope.” So I did it.
In addition to that, I wanted to do more than just give to the Eric Garner Family Fund. I wanted to put a word out there for people if they also want to do that. I think there are other organizations that we need to support to fight those legal battles. There’s the National Urban League, the NAACP, and the ACLU. I feel people should donate to these organizations, and if not money, then time. Use those resources to help battle these injustices.
With the release of “CPR,” are you thinking about releasing a sophomore solo album?
I’ve been working on a solo record, so that’s something for my 2015. I’m doing a couple of things. There’s a record with Adrian Younge. He and I are working on an album together. That’s slated for early 2015. I’m working on my solo record for mid-2015.
It’s interesting. There’s nothing out there that sounds like what [Younge and I] are doing. It’s pretty exciting.
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Frequent Beyoncé collaborator Detail releases his own version of the superstar’s “7/11” featuring an appearance by French Montana. The Grammy-nominated producer previously crafted the tracks “Drunk in Love” by Bey & Jay Z, “We Dem Boyz” by Wiz Khalifa, and “Lookin Ass” by Nicki Minaj.
A couple days back a pic surfaced of YG and his boo Catelyn coupled up at a family function, but according to her Instgram things have gone all the way sour.
Word is YG held her down while she was locked up and now wants her to accept what he’s coming with. TheShadeRoom posted screenshots of a post made by homegirl and she’s saying YG is giving out gifts you can’t get rid of:
“The guy — Charles Suggs — pled guilty to assault this week for his brutal attack that left the model in a neck brace and covered with cuts and bruises.
Suggs copped a plea and got off with no jail time. He has to complete an anger management program and he has to stay clear of Jose for 5 years … or else.
Jose was backstage at the Toure Designs show in September when Suggs started arguing with her. He snapped, charged her and began throwing punches, dragged her down and kept wailing on her until the crew broke it up.”
SMH. No penalty and homegirl is still going through therapy…?
(AllHipHop News) One of the most talked about revelations from the Sony hacker leaks was an email which included movie executive discussing Idris Elba playing James Bond in a future film. Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal wrote, “Idris should be the next bond.”
After days of both support and backlash on social media about the potential he could be the first Black 007, Elba addressed the issue in a comical way on Twitter.
The upcoming 24th movie in the iconic series will again star Daniel Craig in the lead role. Spectre will be directed by Sam Mendes, and the motion picture is scheduled for release November 6, 2015.
Meanwhile, Elba can be seen in the newly re-mastered HD version of the classic television series The Wire on HBO Go. The 42-year-old British actor also appears in Luther available for streaming on Netflix.
Nicki’s mom ain’t playing no games when it come to her daughter.
Minaj’s mother, Carol Maraj decided to join in on the rant and let Nicki’s ex Safaree know that when you come for her daughter, you’re coming for her as well.
“Safaree when you take on Nicki you take on me and the host of heaven.. Stop while you can SB!,” she wrote Demeber 20, the same day Minaj went on her Twitter tirade.
A couple of weeks back rumors were flying that Wiz Khalifa and p### star Carla Howe had a sextuple floating around and it would soon be released.
A few days later the rumors were put to rest when Wiz refused to sign off on the deal, but according to Perez Hilton the was reasoning behind the decision:
“Wiz’s performance in the tape wasn’t great and that’s the main thing which had him against putting the tape out. The low p### offer was down to his performance, and I guarantee he will be trying to release something in the future.”
The source also confirms that it was Carla who axed the tape’s release, because she can do so much better (partner-wise and money-wise).”
(AllHipHop News) The Oprah Winfrey Network has debuted brand new visuals featuring the words of the late poet Maya Angelou. The official music video of “Harlem Hopscotch” was directed and choreographed by the Emmy award-winning duo Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo of So You Think You Can Dance.
The video includes guest appearances from Nia Peeples, Zendaya, Alfonso Ribeiro, Derek Hough, and dancers from SYTYCD and America’s Best Dance Crew. “Harlem Hopscotch” appears on Angelou’s posthumous album Caged Bird Songs.
“She loved everything, from pop to country and, of course, Hip Hop,” stated Angelou’s grandson, Colin Johnson. “With her dedication to social activism and how she illuminated the struggles and injustices of the urban experience through prose, there’s a direct correlation to Hip Hop today. She was really excited about her street-wise commentary being presented in this way.”
(AllHipHop News) Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson currently has a bona fide hit on his hands with the Omari Hardwick-led drama Power. As an executive producer for the Starz serial, Curtis took issue with another gangster-turned-businessman themed show headed to TV.
Fox is set to run its new series Empire starting on January 7, and 50 feels the program starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson borrowed a little too much from Power. He posted about the Empire vs Power dynamic on his Instagram page. Fiddy even accused Empire of copying the marketing for Power.
POWER Season 2 is unbelievably good trust me. I have the best writers and show runner. I like Terrence howard and Taraji Henson. I don’t like that They would copy the Marketing.#SMSAUDIO#FRIGO#POWERTV
(AllHipHop News) Once again a satirical website posting a fake story circulates on the internet as a real news item. This time incarcerated rapper Bobby Shmurda is the subject of the faux report. Huzlers.com ran an article with the headline “Bobby Shmurda Stabbed To Death In Rikers Island Jail By Cell Mate” which had fans believing the Brooklyn native was really dead.
The Huzlers post included the following paragraph:
It is being reported that rapper Bobby Shmurda was murdered in the jail where he was being held. Investigators say Bobby’s cell mate Antwan Mauldin, 29, stabbed Bobby Shmurda to death with a hidden pocket knife. Although authorities are not sure what caused Mauldin to murder Bobby, it is believed Bobby Shmurda’s song lyrics and rap personality might have played a role.
While the site does run a disclaimer at the bottom of the page that reads “Huzlers.com is a combination of urban news and satirical entertainment,” the actual Shmurda death article did not convey the story was fabricated.
This is just the latest false new story to be shared on social media as factual. Previously a fake story on The News Nerd claiming The Notorious B.I.G.’s son CJ Wallace was marrying a man was spread on the net.
Kanye West has been caught up in a couple of “satirical” headlines. In 2013, The Daily Currant ran an article stating the G.O.O.D. Music head called himself “the next Nelson Mandela” right after the South African leader passed away. Earlier this year, theNew York Times had to run a correction when one of its author used a fake Ye quote from The Daily Currant in a story.
(AllHipHop News) Before Nicki Minaj became an A-List superstar, the Queens native attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts also known as “The Fame School.” While at the Upper West Side Manhattan institution, Nicki studied theater, and now a clip of the Young Money rapper acting during that time has made its way to YouTube.
Other famous alumni to emerge from LaGuardia High include Azealia Banks, Jean Grae, Kelis, Bridget Kelly, Diahann Carroll, Liza Minnelli, Tichina Arnold, Adrien Brody, Robert De Niro, Eartha Kitt, Omar Epps, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Dawnn Lewis, Wesley Snipes, and Vanessa A. Williams.
“When you’re a teenager you feel like you’re a misfit, and you’re always trying to figure out who you are and what you stand for and what you want to do with you life,” Bridget Kelly told AllHipHop.com in 2013. “I feel like had it not been for the performing aspect of my high school I would not have finished. I probably would have dropped out, and who knows what I would have been doing.”
(AllHipHop News) It appears The Pack’s Lil B and Odd Future’s Frank Ocean will be appearing on a new track together in the future. The BasedGod posted a photo to his Tumblr page of the two entertainers together. The caption read that Lil B an Ocean were in the studio working on music.
It is not clear if the possible collaboration(s) will appear on a future Lil B project, on Frank Ocean’s highly anticipated sophomore studio album, or another work.
B released Basedworld Paradise, Hoop Life, HoopLife, and Ultimate B***h in 2014. Ocean’s last official project was 2012’s Channel Orange. The Grammy-winningsinger did drop the new song “Memrise” in November.
After releasing “Fate” last week, Mick Jenkins is back with his last joint of the year titled “11”. The track is about the amount of times Eric Garner said “I Cant Breathe”.
Are you excited about Album About Nothing? Well, Wale wants you to be. Today, the DMV rapper released a set of visuals for his new single off the album, called “The Body”. The track also features vocals from Chicago singer Jeremih, and has a soothing beat that reminds us of his hit from Ambition “Lotus Flower Bomb” a little bit. Check out the official video for “The Body” below.
There only a handful of acts that can reincarnate the classic sound of soul music of the last century, but bands like Ephemerals pull it off nicely. The song “You Made Us Change” gives us hard instruments, an upbeat rhythm, and soulful vocals to creat such a beautiful song. Make sure you look out for this London-band’s new album Nothin Is Easy to release soon.