Ebola has made its way to New York. A doctor who treated Ebola patients in Guinea with Doctors Without Borders returned to New York on Oct. 17th and tested positive for the virus on Thursday (Oct.23), CNN reports.
Dr. Craig Spencer, who works at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, began exhibiting symptoms like nausea, pain, fatigue and a 100.3 Fahrenheit degrees fever Thursday morning and is currently in isolation at Bellevue Hospital Center. Since being symptomatic, he has been in contact with his fiancee’ and two friends, who have been placed in quarantine and are being monitored. Before he began exhibiting symptoms, Dr. Spencer had went on a three-mile jog, visited a Brooklyn bowling alley and traveled on three subway trains. The people who were near Spencer during these times are at minimal risk for contracting the disease because it is not contagious until the patient feels symptoms, according to Dr. Mary Travis Bassett, New York City’s health commissioner.
Dr. Spencer’s Manhattan apartment has been isolated. He is the fourth person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S.
Did David Banner get married? I am hearing the word out in these streets that the good brother found the woman of his dream and consummated their relationship! I know, chicks all over the place are heart broken at the chance they didn’t have. Its like me and Kelly Rowland. I never had a shot anyway so what’s it matter if she get married, has a lot of sex with an inferior man and then gets pregnant? The word on the street is that DB had an intimate ceremony in which he and his lady exchanged vows. I wouldn’t know, but “they” say Banner now has a ring to match the rumors. All good…After that BET cypha…its glad to see Banner give life. He killed that.
After the success of his Crenshaw mixtape, and #Proud2Pay campaign where he sold the tape for $100 each (including 100 copies to Jay Z).
NipseyHussle is set to drop an amazing debut with *Victory Lap*.
In this interview, Neighborhood Nip talks about what brought him to Atlanta, “Atlanta is actually the hub right now as far as production and sound writing,” and why it was important for him to record part of his album in the south.
(AllHipHop News) Raven-Symoné caused a major public debate when the actress stated that she did not want to be labeled African-American. The comments received criticism from some in the Black community, and Raven had to later clarify she did not mean to imply that she was not Black.
One fellow celebrity is in agreement with the former TheCosby Show star. During an interview with Larry King Now, T.I. was asked about Raven-Symoné’s statement, and the Atlanta rapper reinforced the belief that labels separate the population.
“I think she has an incredible point,” said Tip. “We are all American. To separate us – I think we need to find more reasons to unify rather than to divide each other.”
After suggesting that people should respect other’s religions, ideologies, and cultures, T.I. was asked why doesn’t he like the term “African-American.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. Words to me don’t have much power unless you give them power,” T.I. explained. “African-American is what I was taught to call myself. I consider myself African-American, Black, an American. They’re all categories that we place ourselves in where we see comfort in words.”
(AllHipHop News) Toya Wright is not feeling her ex-husband Lil Wayne’s alleged new relationship with Christina Milian. The issue is that Milian has a child with R&B singer The-Dream who also has children with Nivea. Wayne and Nivea have a child together as well.
Wrightspoke on the couple during an interview with VladTV. The former star of the reality shows Tiny & Toya and Toya: A Family Affair expressed her belief that the complicated four-way love situation is difficult to explain to the children involved.
“I think that is a hot mess, if you want my honest opinion. That’s just too much,” said Toya. “It’s too many other women out there to date your son’s mother’s ex-husband’s girl. It’s just too much. It’s a lot to explain to your kids. I feel Nivea on that.”
(AllHipHop News) When Tyga decided to air out his differences with YMCMB in public, it was expected that someone from the camp would respond. While it seems Drake decided to take a more subtle jab at T-Raww, one of his OVO affiliates was more direct.
Drizzy’s close associate Chubbs took to Instagram to post a video addressing Tyga calling Drake “fake.” The clip features Tyga’s appearance on an unaired game show called “Bustas” where he claimed to be “street.” Chubbs’ IG vid ends with the infamous post-game press conference quote from former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green.
(AllHipHop News) Six months ago Chris Brown headlines mostly covered the R&B singer’s time in jail. Now the news for Brown’s legal situation has a better outcome. CB was in court this week for a progress report, and the judge commended the Virginia native.
According to reports, Judge James Brandlin stated that Brown has been cooperating with the probation department. The judge also raised Brown’s community labor requirement from three days to four in order to complete the necessary hours by January.
Despite dealing with his probation situation, CB has also focused on his music in recent months. He released his 6th studio album X in September. The project debuted at number 2 on the Billboard album chart and has sold around 230,000 copies to date.
(AllHipHop News) The late Wu-Tang Clan member Ol’ Dirty Bastard was known for being very open with his views about the world. It appears his son has inherited that willingness to voice his thoughts on issues no matter how controversial the topic may be.
Young Dirty Bastard sat down with Montreality and was asked what he thought was the biggest lie in the world. His answer included denying a deadly disease is natural and revealed he is fighting his own medical condition.
“AIDS is the biggest lie in the world. Man created AIDS. It didn’t come from a monkey,” stated YDB. “I think when you go to the hospitals they give you cancer. You get cancer from the foods. Actually, I got cancer in my balls right now, but I’m trying to beat it everyday.”
The Wu affiliate goes on to add that he does not see a doctor for his illness. Bastard offered advice on how to overcome a testicular tumor.
“The doctor’s gonna kill me. The doctor gets paid to kill me. Do some push-ups. Do some sit-ups. How you get your balls strong – you move your penis muscles. You squeeze your ass cheeks, and you move your penis muscles to keep your balls healthy,” he said. The “Wu World Order” rapper also suggests detoxing everyday and eating garlic.
R&B singer Adrian Marcel released his second mixtape ‘Weak After Next‘ this past summer, and sticking to the sound of real quality R&B he has stolen the hearts of R&B fans. His fan base has been growing quickly. Marcel has a new EP on the way that will drop before the end of the year. Gearing up for the release of the EP, a new single titled “Spending The Night Alone” has emerged.
The R&B crooner made big waves with his hit single “2 AM,” but he is now ready to get back to love with this Rico Love-penned and Jim Jonsin produced ballad. Men often reflect about “the one who got away”, and Adrian, overcome with emotion, calls out to her. “She got me laying here by the phone / I can’t keep spending the night alone / I’ve got all that I could ever want, but it just ain’t enough if it ain’t you baby,” he croons on the hook.
In an era where “R&B” singers are asking you to pull your panties to the side or telling you that these girls aren’t loyal, Adrian is actually taking R&B back to real emotions. This Summer, Marcel joined Keyshia Cole on her “Point Of No Return” tour, and “2AM” peaked at #4 on the R&B Chart. Marcel was also recently named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 New Artists You Need to Know” and declared one of BET’s “Music Matters” Artists. Protégé of Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Raphael Saadiq, Oakland native Adrian Marcel garnered high praises out of the gates following the release of his first official mixtape, “7 Days of Weak,” in April 2013. Take a listen to his new single below.
Have you ever hit a moment in your life where things didn’t feel the way they used to and you just felt like you had to erase it all and start over? Atlanta native Will EQ presses the reset button on everything and breaks ground with the release of his new single “Ctrl Alt Delete”, a track that he calls “the introduction of a new movement”. With Pyschonautz providing a bass-less, sample heavy instrumental for Will to vent on, the Georgia emcee kicks big rocks in the form of knowledge and asks life’s deep questions while making even bolder statements. This track is slated to live on his upcoming mixtape “Social Insecurity 1.5: Rise Of The Machine”. which is scheduled to drop at the end of October leading into his new album “Seven Day Weekend” at the top of 2015.
In addition to his new Adidas deal, signing a new management deal with Roc Nation and releasing 4 new tracks last month; he also found the time to capitalize on his growing “I Don’t F*ck With You” track by creating a new photo editor app of the same name.
By uploading a picture through the application, users can obscure or completely X out the face of an ex before sending out to various Social Media sites. Sean even went a step further, cleverly adding the #IDFWU hashtag for added emphasis.
Uh Oh! Maybe Tyrese should not have responded to this comedian Spanky. Now the dude has responded and it looks like we may be seeing another dragged out beef. I’m sure the homey Tyrese knows what he is doing when he going off on Facebook or wherever the video first appeared. He grabbed the comedic by his baby hair for saying that he and Morris Chestnut was gay. Nobody’s ever said such a thing about these two until now. SO, NOW the dude has returned fire on Instagram. He didn’t say anything so I’m not going to print it, but we’ll just wait and see.
RELATED: Tyrese Responds To Comedian That Called Him Gay
Houston representative Sheila Jackson Lee has awarded Texas legend Bun B with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition in relation to his extensive work with the University of Houston-Downtown to motivate students and residents to vote.
With August 30th already designated as Bun B Day, in addition to his community endeavors, he has also received praise for his lectures on Religion & the Culture of Hip Hop at the prestigious Rice University, where he has served as a distinguished lecturer since 2011.
Music industry veteran, author, and philanthropist Shanti Das, also known as the Hip-Hop Professional is currently on a national college tour, The College Chat Room, speaking to students about her book, her career on how she went from intern to Executive Vice President, and also just providing them with basic nuggets of success! She has spoken at Fort Hays State University, Syracuse University and is set to speak and many other schools this Fall and Spring including Kennesaw State Univ, UGA, Princeton and more! When asked about her recent tour Shanti said, “I am just excited to be able to share my knowledge and my journey with students worldwide. I am hoping to instill in them some basic business practices I learned along the way and also inspire them to hustle, persevere and to never let go of their dreams. Although dreaming big is important, they truly need to realize that dreams require, action, proper planning and execution!”
Shanti also just launched a scholarship for college students – The “Passion Drives My Purpose Scholarship”!! The scholarship is looking for students that exude passion, drive, determination and purpose in all that he or she sets their mind to. A full time college student will be awarded a $2000 tuition scholarship January 2015. For more information visit www.thehiphopprofessional.com! To catch up on all that Shanti is doing for this young generation, The Student Spotlights, The College Tour, and more..please visit her website www.TheHipHopProfessional.com
DeLorean recruits Houston legends Slim Thug, Lil Keke & Paul Wall for a remix of Houston’s number one song “Picture Me Swangin.” Find the Cory Mo produced track on Delorean’s current project Look Alive, out now via LiveMixtapes.
Before battle rap was selling out theaters and racking up 1 million plus views on YouTube, one of the most visible platforms for the culture was BET’s 106 & Park. The program’s “Freestyle Friday” competition was the site where many emcees got their first taste of national exposure.
Perhaps no rapper was able to parlay his victories on 106 into a long-lasting music career better than MC Jin. The Chinese-American’s 7-week run as the “Freestyle Friday” champion eventually led to him securing a short-lived deal with Ruff Ryders and working with some of the top personalities in Hip Hop.
Since that initial break, Jin has released numerous solo projects, contributed songs to soundtracks for the Fast & Furious franchise, and landed major endorsements while living in Hong Kong. Even though the 32-year-old rhymer is not quite ready to jump back into battling professionally, he has returned to the music scene with his latest album XIV:LIX (14:59). The 15-track project is the first release on Jin’s own multi-faceted entertainment venture The Great Company.
AllHipHop.com spoke with Jin for part 10 of the“Profiles In Battle Rap” series, and the bilingual businessman reflects back on his days as a lyrical jouster, discusses the inspiration for XIV:LIX, and addresses the impact big money will have on battle rap culture.
I started getting into it for fun when I was about 15. Then I was actively battling until about six years ago, so for about 10 years.
Style Known For (ie aggression, wordplay, punchlines, freestyle)
If I had to guess what people know me for – I never thought too much about it – but I noticed in recent years people put a lot of emphasis on me going off the top of the head. If I had to put my style in one lane, I guess people do acknowledge me as the freestyle guy.
I personally feel like over the years, the whole nature of freestyle battling has evolved and changed anyway. And if you asked me, “Where you always 100% off of the head back then?” I’ve always said not at all. I was a blender.
Crew
At one point the Ruff Ryders from 2002-2006. I was signed to them, but I look back on it now and I think that was the one misconception – even now when I encounter people they asked, “Do you still kick it with DMX, The Lox and Swizz Beatz?” When I came on board it was around the time everybody was going off to do their own thing, but it was cool with me because I was feeling like I’m not here to sponge off these individuals.
I’m actually a loner. Right now the team that I work with is probably the most I’ve ever felt part of a collective that everybody’s definitely has the same mindset, direction, and core values. The company I’m with now is called The Great Company. It’s not just a company to me. Do I see them as a crew or clique? Nah, it’s definitely a family.
Leagues Competed In
When I was the most active, none of the leagues we’re in the picture. So I wasn’t part of any of these leagues. When I started to fall back from the scene is when these leagues were on the uprise.
Like 106 & Park, I wouldn’t necessarily consider that a league. It was a dope platform to be able to be on, but as far as actual leagues I haven’t been in any of them. I did like one Smack battle, but that was even way before what it is now. This is when Smack was just dropping the Smack DVDs. On every DVD he would have one battle, and I did one of those.
Mixtapes/Albums
The Ruff Ryder album The Rest Is History. That’s perhaps my most high-profile album. That’s the one with production by Kanye West, Swizz, and Just Blaze and features Styles P and Wyclef. Then I released Properganda. If I had to describe it, that’s my “I hate the industry” album. I was coming off a bitter and discouraging experience with the Ruff Ryder album. Not with the Ruff Ryders, just how the album turned out.
After that album I released a couple more albums. I released a couple in Chinese. Then my new album XIV:LIX. People ask, “Is this your best album?” That’s a subjective thing, so I can’t call it my “best album,” but I can say with certainty this is my most authentic album. And definitely my most organic album. It was just me making an album that was most reflective of where my head and heart are right now.
That’s what “14:59” means – What do you do with that last second of fame? Some people will tell you Jin’s “15 minutes” have been up. If feels like that sometimes, like maybe I did blow the opportunity already. But either way with XIV:LIX, if people are still listening and I have a chance to make one last statement, then let it be this XIV:LIX album.
Favorite Battle (Participant)
Me vs Shells
This is for a couple of reasons. Number one, to date it was probably my biggest payout. This was at the Mixshow Power Summit. The winner of the battle won $50,000 which now is not that much.
The other reason why it was memorable was because it was in front of a crowd of people that were influential. I think that was my first time battling in front of the industry. One of the guys in the audience was this new artist by the name of The Game from Compton. Everyone knew he was there. I made sure I made a note of that, and in one of the lines I said something like, “Even my man right here recognizes me/Cause game recognizes game.” The crowd went crazy.
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Favorite Battle (Non-Participant)
I rewatch a lot of Hollow Da Don’s battles. There’s a few where he just goes nuts in the earlier stages of the URL. Even his Grind Time battles.
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One Of Your All Time Hottest Lines
Here’s the thing. You never know what will make an impact. In context of 2014, the way battle culture has evolved, the line I’m about to reference – I’ll be the first to say isn’t even the most complex, mind-blowing line. But it is a line 12 years later people still come up to me and say, “I remember when you said…”
The line I’m referring to is from “Freestyle Friday” when I said, “You wanna say I’m Chinese/Here’s a reminder/Check your Timbs/They probably say ‘Made In China.’” If you ask me, it’s pretty simple, but it’s effective. I guess that’s the point to make.
Your Battle Rap Hit List
The hit list I would create would be for the ones I think are great, but at the same time these are the ones I wouldn’t jump into the ring with right now. Simply because these are the guys that eat, sleep, and breathe battle rap culture.
If I were to do it, it would be against the guys I think are the best to do it. My favorites are Dizaster, Charlie Clips, DNA. I could go on forever – Conceited, Hollow Da Don. I wouldn’t call that my hit list for clarification.
Top 5 Emcees DOA
I released a song called “Top 5 (Dead Or Alive)” and the concept is there is no top five. Everybody’s Top 5 is different. My Top 5 changes by the season. So my Top 5 at the moment is not necessarily my Top 5 of all time.
These are just five that I believed played a big part in my own growth as an emcee and a fan of the culture. Off top – Nas, Jay Z, Eminem, OutKast as a collective – Andre 3000 & Big Boi.
One that I always feel like is mad underrated, and I wish he was in more people’s Top 5 – Black Thought from The Roots. He’s definitely in my Top 5. Then Big Pun.
Pun was always repping hard for the Boricuas, so that obviously was inspiring to me. Just to see that you can go hard for your culture and people. At the same time, he wasn’t defined by that either. Pound-for-pound, lyrically, Pun was one of the best.
Do You Prefer To Participate In A Debatable Battle Or A Clear Victory?
In the days I was active that wasn’t even a topic. I never thought too much about what people thought as me being in a debatable battle or clear victory. Obviously, I wanted to give the best performance I could give.
If I looked back on all the battles over the years, the ones I actually treasure the most are probably the ones where I clearly lost. For example, no one would imagine that one of my battles I find the most memorable is actually where I got demolished. That was against Serious Jones.
That was a defining moment in my career, because that was the most clear-cut, no debate situation where I got “got.” Initially, it tore me up, because I felt this battling thing is all I have and now I’m losing this too.
Now I look back on it, and I’m glad it happened. In some odd, weird, twisted way, it helped me shake off some of that pressure and baggage that I was carrying for a long time.
Where Do You See Battle Rap Going In The Future?
I don’t know where it will go, but if you were to say where would I like to see it go – I think where it’s going is great already; the fact that you have young dudes that can actually make a living off it.
Once upon a time, the mentality was that “I’m gonna use battle rap as a way to get into the game.” Now you have some dudes where their mentality is “Screw the game, I just want to battle rap for the rest of my life. This is my career. I want to build my empire off battle rap and nothing else.”
If they have the ability to do so, then God bless them. I’m happy for them. However, at the same time, any time money comes into the equation things start to change. Even with battling right now, you notice bigger companies wanting to buy into it. So you have to deal with more problems that wasn’t there in the beginning.
Once upon a time, we were just battling because that was a way to prove that you’re the next dude. That’s how you proved yourself as an emcee. Now when you ask a battler if he wants to battle someone you get, “If the money’s right.” That right there alone is the biggest indication of the different direction this whole thing is going.
