Haze Tobacco Hookah & Celebrity Jeweler Iceman Nick of (Johnny’s Custom Jewelry) come together & launch (super producer) Jazze Pha #Smokesxxy & #GotIce campaign. This 3 day event was put together by both Big Pope (celebrity jeweler) & Echo Hattix of Echoing Soundz. Celebrity friends consisted of Rosa Acosta, Cap 1, Love& Hip-Hop Hollywood’s Sincere Show, Charm Killings, Jazzy Pha, Stephanie, Supreme Adib, Rap-A-Lot Records – Jas Prince, Aba ReJouis, Slim Thug, Layla Noal, Charmkillings, DJ Mr. Rogers, Cap 1, Supremeteam Adib, Ava ReJouis, Hasan of Facet Studio and more.
This past week the huge impact of #FergusonOctober continued to reverberate throughout the city. The #OccupySLU protesters who had set up an encampment on campus emerged with all of their demands met. (Click here for more information.)
The President of the University himself acknowledged that the protesters were peaceful and nonviolent. This flies in the face of false rumors and media reports to the contrary. In spite of the false and negative reports, the youth leaders stayed focused on their demands. The result is historic for their campus—among other wins, they secured an increased budget for Black Studies programs, financial support for the retention of admitted Black students, and a K-12 bridge program to help youth from Mike Brown’s neighborhood create a path to college. This was one of the more hopeful developments of the past seventy something days since the killing.
Then, true to form, local authorities struck another blow against peace and justice. The official autopsy report of Mike Brown was leaked to the media, and spun for Darren Wilson’s benefit. As a law professor I can say that this was illegal and wrong, but the prosecutor’s office has denied involvement and doesn’t even feel the need to investigate who leaked it. Even attorney general Eric Holder expressed his “exasperation” at the “selective leaks.” But it fits a pattern. On August 14, I was there standing on West Florissant when protesters peacefully celebrated the removal of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson from authority over the protest site. He responded to the victory by releasing the video of Mike Brown in the convenience store.
I was there the next night when it turned ugly again, thanks to the video release. It was a completely irresponsible and evil act, an attempt to inflame tensions and smear Mike Brown’s name. This most recent leak is the same. It treats Darren Wilson’s side of the story as fact. It ignores the six witness, both black and white, who say Mike Brown was shot with his hands up.
This attempt to inject negativity by local authorities failed. The next day, Oct. 22, was the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality. In Los Angeles they marched to city hall, in Atlanta they shut down the Freeway, in Chicago they released a report called “We charge Genocide” for police brutality, and in DC law students shut down their campus. In Ferguson, activists occupied the St. Louis County Police Headquarters, Darren Wilson’s homebase and then held a powerful vigil for those slain by police.
Later at the Police Headquarters we saw a new level of creativity on the ground, and in spite of the presence of agitators, and the continuation of wrongful arrests of protesters and even legal observers, we stood strong for night seventy-something in this struggle.
Vonderrit Myers’ autopsy also was released this week. It showed that he was shot six times in the back of the legs, and the kill shot was to the side of his face. This was a cowardly killing, shooting someone from behind. This also fits a pattern. This week activists continued to complain of harassment, some being followed to their homes, others harassed in other ways. One blogger was able to capture on video an officer admitting that he contacted her workplace to try to get her fired. Why do this to people unless you’re scared of their power?
The reality is, police are scared because they can sense that change is coming. But they shouldn’t be scared. On the ground this is a fight to make society better for all of us.
I hope the lil’ homey Tyga isn’t somewhere crying! People are saying that Drake smashed the homiez girl/baby moms, Blac Chyna! They are not yet confirming or denying. But remember how Jay got at Nas? I’m just saying…Drake be acting like old Jay when it comes to this matters.
Plenty of MC’s dream about being signed to major labels full of popular artists that get love and respect everywhere they go.
But for every popular cat in the spotlight, there’s another searching for his time to shine.
And as a popular rapper signed to the same label as Meek Mill and Wale, and from a state that’s often overlooked for everything but football, it’s a struggle Midwest native and MMG signee Stalley knows all too well.
Please enable Javascript to watch this video
“It’s the birth of Ohio, It’s the birth of new sound.”
Ciara and Future are all the way done, and Future already has someone wanting to take the #1 spot.
Rumor has it that CiCi called off the engagement after catching her future hubby with R&B newcomer Tinashe, and MediaTakeout reports that it wasn’t a good sight…
“According to a MTO snitch, Ciara walked in on Future and Tinashe – in a COMPROMISING POSITION.
We’re told that it ain’t just a FLING either . . . that Future and Tinashe are actually getting kind of SERIOUS. They started working on music together, but their relationship grew . . and now they’re officially SEEING EACH OTHER.”
I don’t know about everyone else, but I think that’s a serious downgrade. SMH
R&B fans the wait is over! Iconic R&B group Jagged Edge‘s eighth studio album, J.E. Heartbreak 2 is in stores today. The album was written and produced by the group’s twin brothers Brian and Brandon Casey along with Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Bryan Michael Cox and super producer Jermaine Dupri. Their new album is a classic R&B throwback to the signature sound on the initial J.E. Heartbreak, which sold over 2 million records in 2000.
Jagged Edge, Jermaine Dupri, and Bryan Michael Cox have all stated that they didn’t want to stray from the blueprint of the first album. With over 8 million records sold across 7 studio albums (5 of them gold or multi-platinum), Jagged Edge is one of the most successful R&B groups in music. AllHipHop recently caught up with the quartet to discuss their new project, longevity, “Real R&B”, the ’90s and early 2000s era, groupies, their sex life and more! Check out the video below.
Native sons to Los Angeles, Far East Movement, continue using their unique perspective to innovate Hip-Hop’s timbre. The quartet has already toured the globed and earned acclaim for the chart-topping hit, “Like A G6.” The 2012 release of, Dirty Bass, has left their supporters eager for more.
With a refreshed musical resurgence, FM, will release the EP, K-TownRiot on October 28. Inspired by their community, the visceral images and lyricism reverberates with their home surroundings, Koreatown. The mini-doc, demonstrates the perspective of the ’92 L.A. Riots, that were experienced by the old and the new K-Town residents. The two part mini-doc boasts Roy Choi amongst others.
There were rumors recently that Apple was going to shut down the streaming service Beats Music to make changes and now they seem to be following through.
Due to their downloading sales decreasing by 14 percent this year, iTunes is looking for ways to recoup and make more monies. To make up for their loss, the Wall Street Journal reports that iTunes is rebuilding Beats Music, the $10-a-month streaming service, so it can relaunch as a part of iTunes next year.
Their decreasing sales now make it obvious as to why they purchased the subscription-based service as a part of their $3.2 billion acquisition of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s Beats Electronics company earlier this year.
For the second episode of Ab-Soul’s These Days Tour vlog, it looks like The Black Lip Pastor is getting a lot of love while on the road. In between getting countless kisses from his female admirers, Ab-Soul expresses his new found concern for being fashionable, slapboxes with his homie Doe Burger and lets his bae Yaris Sanchez bust a freestyle. Watch the These Days Tour experience below.
Philly’s own NephLon Don teams up with rising up and
comer DJ YRS Jerzy for a trap based released titled “F### Em If They Hate”. NephLon Don Don recently joined under DJ YRS Jerzy’s “DYJ Management” and will also be releasing several projects with DJ YRS Jerzy. “F### Em If They Hate” is something for the streets and is a certified anthem for the haters. There is alot to come from NephLon Don who is also affiliated with
SoSoDef/RCA recording artist Royce Rizzy. Stay tuned for alot more material coming from NephLon Don and DJ YRS Jerzy.
TMZ reports that the Louie Vuitton Don has turned down an opportunity to earn a whopping $4.5 million. In documents obtained by the site, Yeezy was offered to perform at the Axis at Planet Hollywood three times a week for three weeks, bringing in $500,000 a show. For some reason, he walked away from this.
If he would have agreed to do it he would have made more coins a show than Celine Dion, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez, who has been offered $350,000 a show.
Yé could have been the highest paid performer on the Las Vegas strip.
Beyonce’ is now looking to upgrade your athletic threads. Vogue reports that Queen B has signed a 50/50 partnership with the British athletic company Parkwood Topshop Athletic, Ltd. to launch a line of “clothing, footwear and accessories across dance, fitness and sports categories.”
“I could not think of a better partner as I continue to grow the Parkwood business,” Bey said in a a statement. I have always loved Topshop for its fashion credentials and forward thinking,” Beyoncé said in a statement today. “Working with its development team to create and produce a technical and fashion-led collection is exciting, and I’m looking forward to participating in all aspects of this partnership.”
Philip Green, the owner of Arcadia, which operates Topshop, also expressed his excitement about the company’s new partnership with Mrs. Carter.
“Creating a partnership with Beyoncé, one of the most hard-working and talented people in the world, who spends many hours of her life dancing, rehearsing and training is a unique opportunity to develop this category. Being partners with Beyoncé and her team, who have the greatest creative energy and enthusiasm, is inspiring for all of the team at Topshop.”
The clothing line is currently unnamed. Topshop has confirmed that they will be bringing a separate team on board to craft Beyonce’s line of gear.
Stalley has been waiting his entire life to release his debut studio album. Now that the Maybach Music Group representative has been given the opportunity to present his musical voice via an official LP, the 31-year-old emcee is using the project to not only present himself as an artist, but also shine a spotlight on his home state.
With the album’s title, Ohio, Stalley makes it impossible to even speak about the project without acknowledging the place where his life journey began.
“I wanted to put together something that represented me, represented where I was from, and really give the world a different sound,” explains Stalley. “I wanted to break up the monotony that is going on in Hip Hop right now. I felt like Ohio and the Midwest hasn’t really had a distinct sound that anyone could really pinpoint. That was one of the focuses I was trying to get across.”
The sonic trends of rap music in 2014 mostly encompass the ubiquitous styles of the “ratchet movement,” but it would be hard to imagine Hip Hop even surviving to the middle of the 2010’s if some of the early pioneers did not originally embrace 1970/80’s soul and funk as a soundscape. Many of the samples used by production masters like Eric B., Dr. Dre, Easy Mo Bee, and DJ Pooh were lifted from records by Ohio musicians.
The soulful songs of Ohioans have become so ingrained in Hip Hop that they are almost unrecognizable to untrained ears, leaving some listeners to think Stalley’s embrace of his musical Buckeye State roots is actually a copy of other regions.
“When you hear some of the music on my album like ‘Jackin’ Chevys’ or ‘Always Into Something,’ you hear those beats and think, ‘That’s a West Coast sound.’ Nah, Dr. Dre was brilliant enough to dig into the crates and find that Ohio funk and soul and really be one of the first to flip those beats and make Hip Hop out of that,” says Stalley. “I feel like even when people are so naive to say, ‘[Stalley] has a West Coast sound,’ I’m like, ‘You don’t know your music. That sound originated from Ohio with Bootsy Collins, Roger Troutman, The Isley Brothers, and The Ohio Players.’ A lot of the Hip Hop from the East Coast and the West Coast has been sampled from those artists.”
The Midwest was Stalley’s first stomping ground, but he also spent significant time in the East. Stalley relocated to New York City in 2000. During his tenure in the Big Apple, the aspiring rapper faced personal hardships that eventually inspired his future rhymes.
“Ohio birthed me, and New York really helped me understand who I was as a man, to appreciate where I come from, and to really hone in on that sound,” states Stalley. “I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs living in New York – great times and life lessons. New York definitely prepared me to be able to take on and weather a lot of the storms that I’ve been through and to stand out on my own. So New York has definitely been a big part of my rise in music.”
“Ohio” Cover Art
While NYC played a role in the course of Stalley’s career, the culmination of his musical drive – which comes in the form of his new album – is a wholehearted celebration of Ohio. The 12-track project is steeped in representation from the 17th state of the union including eight beats from Columbus native Rashad.
“Me and Rashad have a great chemistry. We started something brilliant when we did Lincoln Way Nights. We created that intelligent ‘trunk music’ sound. I think that we really created that Ohio sound,” says Stalley. “Be it that I named the album ‘Ohio,’ I wanted to keep it as Ohio as possible. Down to the production, down to the album cover shot by Jonathan Mannion who is also a legend from Ohio.”
Of course, Ohio includes other acts from across the country. MMG head and Miami native Rick Ross joins New Orleans singer August Alsina for “One More Shot.” L.A.’s Nipsey Hussle and Ty Dolla Sign show up on the respective cuts “What It Be Like” and “Always Into Something.”
Stalley then brings it back to New York by securing a rare guest appearance from legendary Long Island rap group De La Soul for the album’s closer “Navajo Rugs.” It all comes together for a 48-minute ride through the Massillon native son’s worldview.
“I definitely wanted to give you my life, the stories of the happy times and struggles, what I’ve seen, and the lessons I’ve learned from older OGs and my parents,” Stalley adds. “I really wanted to share those life lessons on this album, and I wanted to bring you to where I’m from – give you a good introduction of who Stalley is as a man and as a writer.”
Stalley’s Ohio is available for purchase on iTunes and for streaming at stalley330.com.
Rumors have circulated about a minute now on exactly what ILOVEMAKKONEN’s sexuality is, but MediaTakeout says they have the answers.
They are reporting that a dude claims he has a secret tape with hip-hop’s latest rising star.
“Until now MAKKONEN has been silent about his sexuality, believing that his ARTISTRY is more important – than WHO HE LOVES.
Well that’s about to change . . . because MediaTakeOut.com has been contacted MULTIPLE TIMES by a man who claims to be MAKONNEN’S ex-boyfriend. The man claims to have what he calls a “sextape” showing he and the hip hop star in their most PRIVATE AND INTIMATE MOMENTS.
Dude was asking 50 STACKS for the tape . . . but we declined his offer.”
Last week Iggy Azalea, in so many words, told a paparazzo that she would not work with her now enemy Snoop Dogg. When asked would she do a song with him she answered, “Would you?” Well, her nemesis wasn’t so nice in his response.
Now, TMZ caught up with Snoop to ask him would he do a song with the Aussie femcee. To answer his question, he began quoting the lyrics to Big Sean’s new single saying, “I ain’t f—–g with you! You little stupid ass b—h…” you guys know the rest.
A 5-year-old boy who returned from Guinea last Saturday (Oct. 25) is being tested for Ebola at New York City’s Bellevue Hospital, ABC News reports. The boy was taken to the hospital Sunday night due to his travel history and reports of him having a fever. When he arrived at Bellevue he was not exhibiting any symptoms, but this morning he had a fever, which led to workers to administering Ebola testing. The child is currently in isolation and test results will be available in the next 12 hours.
The first Ebola patient in New York, Dr. Craig Spencer, is also in isolation at Bellevue Hospital.
(AllHipHop News) Is it open season on Drake? The YMCMB performer has had his fair share of verbal spats with other rappers in the past, but it appears right now he has two artists coming at his head at the same time. Collaborator-turned-adversary Tyga dropped a new song that looks to be aimed at Drake, and battle rapper Murda Mook also released a track that contains subliminals that may be for Drizzy.
Mook jumped on Drake’s “6 God” beat for his own version of the track. The Dot Mobb leader does not call out Drake by name, but knowing he has a history taking shots at the “Started From The Bottom” rapper (including his verse at the BET Hip Hop Awards) it may not be a stretch to assume he was speaking to Drake.
The veteran battler raps: “Let me hold this for a minute boy/I’ll give it back when I’m finished boy/Man don’t nobody listen, man it’s just competition/I ain’t got no problems with the boy…/But if a n***a wants problems, tell him that I’m up in Harlem/They can load the guns up and come get the boy/I don’t play with him.”
For months, Mook has been publicly discussing his interest in facing off against Drake in a battle. He has stated that Toronto native was actually the one that first introduced the idea of Drake vs. Murda Mook.
“[Drake] pulled me like, ‘Yo, if I battled a n***a, I’d probably have one of the best battles,” Mook told No Edits in September. “I’m like word. I tried to laugh it off. He kept insisting he would do that. Then he said he wanted to battle another rapper dude, because he didn’t like him – I’m not gonna say his name. But then he was like, ‘I didn’t really want to give a n***a that look. But you, I f**k with you.’”
(AllHipHop News) 2014 marks the 20 year anniversary of numerous classic Hip Hop albums including Common’s second LP Resurrection. The No-ID produced project has repeatedly been included on several major publication’s “Greatest Rap Albums Of All Time” lists, and the song “I Used To Love H.E.R.” is regarded as one of the finest extended metaphor tracks from the genre.
Common spoke with Revolt about his musical masterpiece, and its significance two decades after being released.
“It’s funny to think about 20 years, because sometimes it doesn’t seem like that long,” said Common. “One other aspect of it is I feel grateful that I’m performing songs like ‘I Used to Love H.E.R.’ that people that’s only 23 in the audience know the song, so that’s already a blessing.”
While Com is appreciative that his earlier art is still respected, the Chicago actor/emcee is not content with resting on his previous contributions to the culture. He is still striving to create music with a lasting impact.
“One thing I’ve learned from my career is not to dwell on what you did in the past,” added Common. “Andre 3000 said it a long time ago: ‘You’re only as good as your last cut. Turn around, your ass will be a has-what.’ So for me, I stay in the progressive thoughts and try to do my best to be in the present.”
Common’s latest work, theNobody’s Smiling album, was released in July. It included the Vince Staples-assisted song “Kingdom” and “Diamonds” with Big Sean.
(AllHipHop News) For many years, the feminine voice in mainstream Hip Hop was lacking, but in 2014 more focus has been placed on female rappers than has been seen in years. That highlighting of women representing the culture will be further expressed at this year’s Soul Train Awards.
Legendary performers Lil Kim, Missy Elliott, and Da Brat are set to reunite on stage for the event. The trio was featured on Kim’s 1997 platinum single “Not Tonight (Remix)” along with Angie Martinez and the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes of TLC.
Other acts scheduled to perform include Chris Brown, Jeremih, Nico & Vinz, Aloe Blacc, KEM, and Jodeci. The Soul Train Awards will air on BET and Centric on November 30. Wendy Williams will serve as host.
This past week the huge impact of #FergusonOctober continued to reverberate throughout the city. The #OccupySLU protesters who had set up an encampment on campus emerged with all of their demands met. 
