Happy Wins-Day my creatures of undeniable greatness! Welcome to the day we realize that in order to get more out of life we must first appreciate all that we already have! Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to treating everyday as your birthday! Today officially makes me 12,053 days old! As I reflect on the 289,272 hours I’ve been alive, all I can do is be grateful for how far I have come! This is usually what is done on birthday’s…. but what we need to realize is that this is what should be done every single day of our lives! Too many times we are so consumed with tomorrow that we hardly pay attention to how great our life is currently! We are forced to be grateful 1 or maybe 2 days out of the year but what about the other 363? Effective immediately we need to treat every day as our born day! Wake up! Realize how far you have come! Thank your higher power for still giving you an opportunity to be here and do everything in your power to show your appreciation! As Oprah Winfrey once said… The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate!!! Happy Birthday my great people!! Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life!!
-Ash’Cash
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love-then make that day count!” -Steve Maraboli
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” -W.T. Purkiser
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” -Eckhart Tolle
“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” -Meister Eckhart
“Those who have the ability to be grateful are the ones who have the ability to achieve greatness.” -Steve Maraboli
“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” -Anthony Robbins
“Regardless of Sunshine or Rain, Be Thankful for another GREAT day…and treat Life as the ULTIMATE Gift…. Because IT IS :)” -Pablo
“The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.” -Thích Nhất Hạnh
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Happy Thought-provoking Thursday! Welcome to the day that you realize that your thoughts have more power than you give it credit for! Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to purifying your thoughts! What you think about the most will be what you often get out of life! Whether consciously or unconsciously, our dominant thoughts often dictate our life! You are TODAY what you thought about most yesterday… And you will be tomorrow what you think about most TODAY! Sometimes we get so discouraged with today that we go back to the thoughts of yesterday not realizing all that we are doing is giving ourselves more of what we don’t want! The key is to purify your thoughts! Always think on the bright-side and ONLY look at the possibilities NOT the limitations! It may feel gratifying for a moment to vent and get things off your chest but please believe that this counter-productive to finding a solution! Be positive at all times even when it hurts for this is the clear path towards your bliss! Because as Steve Maraboli once said… Stop allowing your outdated ideas to hinder your progress. How would your life be different if you became open to new information that can refine, improve, enhance your way of thinking, and empower your way of living?” Think Different and Think Pure! Nothing can stop you but you!!
-Ash’Cash
“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” -Albert Einstein
“You may believe that you are responsible for what you do, but not for what you think. The truth is that you are responsible for what you think, because it is only at this level that you can exercise choice. What you do comes from what you think. ” -Marianne Williamson
“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.” -Christopher Hitchens
“The spirit of the individual is determined by his dominating thought habits.” -Bruce Lee
“What you keep before your eyes will affect you.” -Joel Osteen
“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.” -Mahatma Gandhi
“Keep your heart clear and transparent, And you will Never be bound. A single disturbed thought Creates ten thousand distractions.” -Ryokan
“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” -Steve Jobs
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(AllHipHop News) Earlier this year, Rihanna became the first artist to have 10 #1 pop songs in Billboard and her Unapologetic album became her sixth platinum selling album. On November 24th, she will receive the American Music Awards icon award.
The AMA icon award is solely determined by fan votes and the Barbadian singer will be the first recipient of the award. Rihanna is also set to perform at the 41st annual American Music Awards.
The award show will be broadcasted on ABC, Nov. 24, 8 p.m. ET/tape delay PT.
One song she may possibly sing is her latest single, “What Now” off of Unapologetic which she released the video for today. Check out the new video below:
Allhiphop.com recently sat down with rapper Easy Lantana to talk to him about his hot new single “All Hustle No Luck” Featuring Bun B, Yo Gotti, and Pusha T. During the conversation Lantana talks about putting his hometown of Cincinnati on the map, “Being From Cincinnati I had my mind made up. People said that I was from too small of a market or I aint have no cosigns. But I wasn’t trying to hear that! I knew that this was what I was meant to do!” Lantana said. Also he discussed working on music in Atlanta. ” Since I’ve been in Atlanta I have been in the studio with DJ Montay and I also sat down with DJ Toomp… I saw where he worked with Jay Z and Kanye and for me to work with him.. Its a big deal.” Furthermore, Lantana talked about the “All Hustle No Luck” movement that has been making noise in the Mid-West. Check out the interview below.
Lantana On Cincinnati
“Being From Cincinnati I had my mind made up. People said that I was from too small of a market or I ain’t have no cosigns. But I wasn’t trying to hear that! I knew that this was what I was meant to do!” Lantana On Being In Atlanta
“Since I’ve been in Atlanta I have been in the studio with DJ Montay and I also sat down with DJ Toomp… I saw where he worked with Jay Z and Kanye and for me to work with him.. Its a big deal.”
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of AllHipHop.com.
This is an OG call.
I am calling out you so-called rappers, R&B artists and athletes, since many of you have forgotten what Hip-Hop is about and how it can help our people. So I would like to start by calling out some famous people from Chicago.
Kanye West, Noonie Ward, Common
Common, Kanye, R. Kelly and Derrick Rose: All of these children are not going to school, being shot and not going to school.
They are on some BS, because they don’t have any sense of direction or the will to strive and survive. Over 48 schools have been closed in the city, so they have nothing else to do but gang bang, get money and do what they need to do.
Lincoln Park, Washington Park, all of the white areas, there is hardly any violence. But we have the same Mayor and the same police chief. But the guns, and the drugs and liquor stores are in OUR community and being sold to OUR children.
In fact, a lot of them smoke and get high and drunk to HIP-HOP music.
Noonie Ward on Cover of Feds
You all have no issues asking them to purchase your music, or to support you when you come to Chicago to perform.
You are the main ones who thrive off of the people, while the industry “pimps” you all. Maybe this is the reason you don’t do enough to help, or support the children in Chicago.
A lot of rappers have no problem demeaning our sisters, like predators, instead of showing them a different way to live.
Most artists have some sort of non-profit foundation, that other people are running. You are not using these to help the people who really need the help. At the end of the day, the hood sees no parts of these or any other resources.
Now, Kanye wearing the Confederate flag is interesting. Sometimes it seems like rappers are worse than the Ku Klux Klan.
The people in streets are starting to wake up and see your bulls**t. It won’t be so easy for you all to come to these cities and perform if the local population begins to boycott your products.
I need you all to come together as one with the guys on the street. We need to sit down and find solutions for the kids. First I propose meaningful dialog with some of the top “leaders” of these local street gangs.
Then we can move forward with a public showing of unity, such as a peace summit, or any meaningful display of unity, to help calm these troubled streets.
T.I., Chris Brown, Trey Songz, 2 Chainz, Young Jeezy, Meek Mill, Drake, Future, the list could go on and on.
For once in your life, do what your heart says and not what the powers that be tell you to do.
Help your brothers and sisters.
If you run a label, manage an artist, or simply want to help, please contact me at: [email protected]
Harold “Noonie” Ward is an Independent, community activist from Chicago. He was worked with President Barack Obama when he was a community activist in Altgeld Gardens, State Senator Napoleon Harris, State Senator Kirk Dillard, Governor Jim Edgar, Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica and others. He recently ran for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner.
14 years after the release of their classic film, The Best Man, the cast has reunited to give fans a sequel, The Best Man Holiday. Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Terrence Howard, Harold Perrineau, Melissa De Sousa, Monica Calhoun, and Regina Hall reunite to reprise (for some) their career-launching role in the next chapter to a film that ushered in a new era of romantic comedy. These college friends reunite and discover just how easy it is to ignite long forgotten rivalries and romances. Morris Chestnut told AllHipHop.com, “You can expect a lot out of this movie. It’s going to be a lot of love and a lot of laughter. It’s a lot of heart… this movie’s filled with a lot of heart.”
Last Sunday, Nov. 9th, the BronzeLens Film Festival hosted the Atlanta screening of sequel. Cast members in attendance included Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall, who told us, “It’s a great film of friendship, love, forgiveness. It’s a journey; it’s life after the fairytale.”
Malcolm Lee, the director of the film, also graced the red carpet. Celebrities like Carl Payne, R.L., Towanda Braxton, Lisa Wu, Rodney Perry, Tameka Raymond, Travis Porter, Angie Stone, Rob Hardy, Yung Joc and more walked the carpet and shared with us what they were most excited to see in the sequel.
The Best Man Holiday hits theaters tomorrow November 15,2013
Collins, 56, called 911 on Nov. 3 and reported his neighbors’ rude behavior to the cops, according to Dumb As A Blog.
Officers from the Fort Pierce, Fla., police department thought they were responding to a domestic disturbance call.
Instead, Collins — who was celebrating his birthday — just told them his neighbors were being mean and would not drink with him, according to a report obtained by TCPalm.com.
An officer explained to Collins about misusing 911, but he apparently didn’t get the message.
He called 30 minutes later to once again complain about his neighbors not drinking with him.
This time, when the cops arrived, Collins was arrested on charges of disorderly intoxication and misuse of 911.
There have been so many rumors surrounding Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s relationship. One minute they’re splitting the next minute they’re close to getting back together. Welp, we’re back at the reconciliation reports.
The rumor mill is saying that the couple has been doing well with counseling. Apparently, therapy working miracles for Lamar, who is now sober and getting back to a healthy place. Meanwhile, Khloe is optimistic that they can repair the damage that has been done, and she’s been spotted out and about sporting her rings.
It is absolutely silly, and unproductive to have a funeral for the word “n*gger” when the actions continue– Eban Thomas on Nas’ “Project Roaches”
(AllHipHop News) For centuries the word n*gger and its derivatives have been a point of contention amongst minority groups and White Americans. After Los Angeles Clippers player Matt Barnes sent out a tweet using the term, ESPN’s loquacious First Take host Skip Bayless wrote an editorial on ESPN.com announcing his stance on the N-word: he wants it dead.
During Wednesday’s (November 13th) contest between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Matt Barnes was ejected for getting into a physical altercation with Serge Ibaka after Ibaka shoved Barnes’ teammate Blake Griffin. In response to his ejection, Barnes declared he will no longer defend his teammates and used some choice language (blurred out the N-word):
This was not the first occurrence of the N-word being used by athletes and thusly publicized this year. White Philadelphia Eagles’ Riley Cooper was caught on camera saying he will “fight every n*gger here”. Miami Dolphins’ Richie Incognito called fellow teammate Johnathan Martin the N-word through text messages and Warren Sapp has even stated that Incognito once called him a n*gger.
According to the opinionated Skip Bayless, the constant use of the N-word by celebrities, particularly rappers, may have a damaging affect on the psyche of young Americans:
God help us if today’s rampant use of the N-word – by rappers and athletes and movie-makers black and white – is subliminally signaling to white kids that it’s somehow OK to view black people in remotely the same way many of this country’s forefathers did: as subhumans mostly suited for enslaving and serving a superior race.
Bayless ended his lengthy editorial with one simple request: “I wish the N-word would die.”
This was not the first time someone has tried to kill the N-word. In 2007, members of the NAACP held a “funeral” for the N-word.
(AllHipHop News) Trinidad James has been on a tour of provocation this past week after saying the South runs New York music and then dissing Charlamagne The God and Peter Rosenberg on “L.I.A.A.R.S”. In an interview with XXL, James explains “L.I.A.A.R.S.”, claims he is not apologizing and has some choice words for Charlagmagne and Peter Rosenberg.
While Trinidad James understands his public perception make his opinion quite divisive but he does not retract his statement:
The same thing that I said in front of every New Yorker that was in front of me is the same conversation that is happening in barbershops and the same conversation that other artists are talking about. It’s just it sucks to come from a n*gga like myself. If it was anybody else saying those things, it would be A-OK. But because it’s me saying it, that’s where the whole problem resides in. At the end of the day, I get it for what it is. But I can’t apologize for the truth.
The Atlanta rapper does admit that he did not “say everything perfecelty” and that there is “no way humanly possible that Atlanta could ever run New York” but never fully retracts his statements.
Apparently, the inflammatory “L.I.A.A.R.S.” was recorded prior to this week’s controversy and is intended to be on an upcoming project entitled Crazy Deacon. In the song, he claims him and Peter Rosenberg are now “best of friends” after he wanted to “punch him in his sh*t” and maintains that stance, however adds a few more inflammatory shots at the Hot 97 radio personality:
That’s his job: to be an a-hole. And now me and Peter Rosenberg are best of friends; I like that guy, he’s cool. It just sucks that he’ll go down as the greatest interviewer who was an a-hole of all time, but it is what it is.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of AllHipHop.com
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African American audiences cheer a TV show that glamorizes a real-life Black woman who played a key role in putting Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court and “helped clean things up for the Republicans during the Iran-Contra Scandal.” Kanye West unfurls the Confederate flag. Black faces in high places are descending to the lowest moral depths – the Obama Effect gone wild.
by Pascal Robert
“They tryna lock ni**as up
They tryna make new slaves
See that’s that privately owned prison
Get your piece today”
– Lyric from Kanye West’s 2013 single “New Slaves.”
Popular culture in American society serves multiple functions. Viewed by many as simple artistic expression seeking to provide entertainment for its audiences, throughout American history popular culture has been deployed by the ruling elite as a means to solidify the imperatives of American capitalism and empire in the minds of the nation’s citizenry as well as the world abroad.
“President Dwight D. Eisenhower helped lead the foundations of global jazz diplomacy in the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education–a decision that provided impetus for a world wide United States Information Agency (UNIA) propoganda campaign.” – ”Jazz Diplomacy: Promoting America During the Cold War Era,” by Lisa E. Davenport
Black Jazz Musicians were recruited by Eisenhower and subsequent administrations to be the ambassadors to American Capitalism in third world countries that were recently gaining independence and flirting with Communism as a political and economic model at the height of global Soviet prominence. These Black musicians were being recruited at a time when America was only making slight overtures to crack the walls of Jim Crow Segregation. Yet, the recent Supreme Court Decision of Brown vs Education led some in the Black community to naively believe that a transformative victory had been won as opposed to a judicial policy choice to improve America’s image abroad in the face of Communist expansion.
“Starting in the 1950’s, the U.S. State Department solicited jazz artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, and Louis Armstrong as ‘cultural ambassadors’ to third world countries and the African continent to try to ‘rehabilitate’ America’s racist image and offer the American way of life as an alternative to the increasing post-colonial popularity of Communism. Armstrong was performing in the Katanga Province in the Congo the same time as Patrice Lumumba’s capture and torture with American complicity. He was on the continent when Lumumba was killed.
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was the brainchild behind this movement of recruiting Jazz artists for this purpose” – “In Search of the Black Fantastic,” Richard Iton.
In today’s political age with the browning of America, the ruling elite understand the importance of having the pop culture/media arm of the Black mis-leadership class endorse empire in Black face. Politicians like Barack Obama and Cory Booker are crucial to ensuring that people of color embrace the empire’s agenda as their own. Celebrities ranging from Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L. Jackson, to Jay Z swear their loyalty to the Booker/Obama types in fulfillment of a ridiculous Black redemptive fantasy. Racial kinship politics becomes a tool of empire.
Currently all the rage in the Black community, the Kerry Washington political intrigue program “SCANDAL” is about a Black Woman whose job is to help Washington DC politicos through damaging and embarrassing dilemmas. The show is an excellent example of the way Black popular culture is deployed to breed reverence for American empire and those who benefit from it. “SCANDAL” The result is a kind of female Obama Effect, shrewdly creating a sense of collective racial necessity for placing Brown faces in high imperial places. The most oppressed segment of American society is encouraged to fantasize about becoming the most effective agents of the same empire that is destroying them. Very shrewd indeed.
What’s most interesting about “SCANDAL” is that it’s based on the real life story of a Black woman who got her political start in the Reagan administration and played a key role in getting Clarence Thomas confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court despite Anita Hill’s charges of sexual harassment. She also helped clean things up for the Republicans during the Iran Contra Scandal. As recently as May of this year, the real life character behind “SCANDAL” represented Paula Deen, the White TV Cooking Show maven who outraged Black America for allegedly admitting she fantasized about “owning slaves”. So dramatically speaking, this is the woman Black America is cheering for while watching “SCANDAL.”
In a very interesting twist, another fixture of Black popular culture, Kanye West, has used his membership in the elite star chamber to write a song called “New Slaves” that essentially embraces the agenda of the ruling class elite while unfurling the Confederate Flag. The song acknowledges the rise of mass incarceration and private prisons, corporate dominance over peoples lives, and even suggests the role of class as a source of contention within the Black community. West critiques “those in their Hampton Houses” while bizarrely singing the refrain, “I know we the New Slaves….I know we the New Slaves…We the New Slaves.” However, in true elite fashion, West admits that this agenda can’t touch “HIM” because he can “fly [his] family out the country.” But what about the supermajority of Black Americans who will never be able to fly their family out of the country as they face the five pronged merciless agenda of American Empire: 1) Finance Capital Hoarding of Wealth; 2) Neoliberal Privatization of Prisons, Schools, and government services; 3) Austerity cutting of social programs like Social Security and Food Stamps; 4) Mass Incarceration; and 5) Growth of the Surveillance State via NSA, Homeland Security, etc. This is the agenda that Obama and the Cory Booker types have been assigned to lay on Black America and the rest of the country while people cheer and scream, “That’s my president!”
If Black redemption is premised on showing White Imperialists and oppressors that we are equally competent at managing their evil affairs, then we are also morally bankrupt – maybe even more so than those who truly control American empire. Hypocrisy and duplicity are always the more repellant treasonous crimes.
“African Americans have been rendered redundant and more valuable in prison than as a functioning part of the functioning economy.” – Ajamu Baraka, Public Intervenor for Human Rights in the Democracy Branch of the Green Shadow Cabinet of the United States.
(AllHipHop News) Kanye West definitely has legions of fans around the world, but apparently one former member of 1960’s girl group The Ronettes is not one of them. Ronnie Spector gave an interview with Noisey and the 70-year-old vocalist had a few choice words to say about Mr. West.
“He’s a d**k. I’m sorry. I don’t like him. I’m just being honest,” said Spector.
The conversation led to Kanye after Spector acknowledged her appreciation of Halle Berry and Jennifer Garner’s attempts to protect their children from the paparazzi. When the interviewer mentioned West’s drive to pass anti-pap laws, Spector expressed her feelings about the Chicago rapper.
“No kidding, good for him,” said Spector. “I am not a fan of Kanye West. I don’t mind Kim, but I just don’t like that guy. I’m not a fan of how he speaks.”
Spector is not a Hip Hop hater in general. She does mention one rapper she is fond of. Speaking about the creator of The Marshall Mathers LP 2, she said, “I like Eminem. I like something I can understand. I understand his lyrics.”
Spector (born Veronica Yvette Bennett) was the lead singer of Grammy winning group The Ronettes. One of the trio’s biggest hits was 1963’s “Be My Baby” which was produced by convicted murder Phil Spector, Ronnie’s ex-husband.
On Sunday November 10 Fools Gold Records brough theirFools Gold Day Off event to Los Angeles, CA after other successful stops around the country and turned the city out! Held at The Shrine Auditorium lot across the street from the USC campus, Fools Gold brought out thousands of young energetic Angelinos of all races who braved long lines in the hot sun for free entry (with prior RSVP) to party and dance all afternoon, evening and in to the night. The lineup was an interesting and weird mixture of EDM, Classic Gangster Rap, New Gangster Rap, and Molly/Ratchet Rap with the likes of A-Trak, DJ Quik, Freddie Gibbs, IamSu, and Danny Brown.
After a few DJ’s took the stage, IamSu from the Bay Area in California took the stage with his HBK gang. The official lineup read as “Nick Catchdubs Featuring IamSu and Jay Ant” (due to Nick being a Fools Gold Records founder) but IamSu was clearly in control of the performance and that’s who the crowd wanted to see and hear. The Richmond native got the early crowd going with popular tracks that he was featured on like “Up,” “Function,” and “Gas Pedal.” Gary, Indiana’s Freddie Gibbs theme throughout his performance was his clear distaste for the law as he repeatedly led the crowd with “F*ck the Police” chants. I’m certain the dozen LAPD cops stationed outside of the venue weren’t too pleased but that’s freedom of speech for you. Interestingly enough while IamSu’s music was more uptempo, Gibbs kind of slowed things down with his slower tempo of rap but after he was done the electronic DJ’s arrived on the scene to give the youth a reason to jump around in a frenzy. As the evening approached, West Coast rap and producing legend DJ Quik hit the stage and even though he was the “older Uncle” on the scene (as was I), the young crowd showed a lot of love and appreciation for one of the pillars of West Coast rap as he started off with “Born and Raised,” “Can U Work With That,” “Let’s Get Down” and “Tonite.” “If I knew the crowd was going to be this turned up, I would have brought my homie Suga Free with me,” Quik told the crowd as he jumped off of the stage in to the photo pit to get closer to the people. Quik left the thousands in attendance happy but they really were anticipating Fools Gold Records co-founder A-Trak to come out next as most of the people in the front row started to tie on their A-Trak bandanas. I braced myself for more EDM (which I don’t care for by the way) but with the crowd so hyped and pumped you would have to be a zombie if you didn’t start moving along with everybody. It didn’t hurt that A-Trak actually incorporates a super dope scratching technique while playing, showing that he’s got real skills and not just another computer assisted DJ, but that’s why he’s a former DMC World Champion. Soon after it was time for the headliner to hit the stage, Detroit’s own unique and eccentric artist Danny Brown. I’m not going to pretend that I’m the biggest Danny Brown fan but I’m not going to lie – he put on one hell of a performance! Rapping about drugs and sex with a voice that reminds me of Katt Williams at times, Danny Brown had all of the college kids on the lot and those in the dorms next to us (who had their own personal view of the show through their windows) to go nuts and chant “I got that income tax swag” as he performed “Lie4” and other songs. All in all, considering the energy of the crowd, it was one fantastic free party. If the Fools Gold Day Off event comes to your area, I suggest RSVP’ing for a free entry if you’re looking for a good reason to get loose and party with a crowd. Check out our exclusive AllHipHop.com pics below!
Pics by Tim Sanchez and additional images by Ural Garrett
