(AllHipHop News) Rapper Jay-Z celebrated the last weekend of summer, in his hometown of New York.
Last night (September 23), Jay-Z and an entourage held court at La Marina, a new restaurant in New York.
The rapper was spotted drinking D’usse Cognac, a new line of cognac he’s promoting with Bacardi.
Swizz Beatz, Steve Stoute, Memphis Bleek, Baron Davis, E-Bro, Beyoncé and others joined Jay-Z at the swanky, 75,000 square-foot restaurant, which opened in July during a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Bloomberg.
Minister Louis Farrakhan will host his very first#AskFarrakhan Social Media Town Hall on Wed., September 26, 2012. Below is an essay on the Minister’s work in the community and this ground breaking, first-ever event.
It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and just talk about the violence that’s plaguing the
Black community in cities such as Chicago, New York and New Orleans.
It’s easy to leave a comment online, post a tweet and update your Facebook status
regarding what’s happening in the streets. As a matter of fact, as I write this article
someone is probably being shot in your neighborhood. We have enough people
reciting the statistics, but who is bringing solutions?
The problem alone cannot be solved from a laptop. It also takes those willing to
leave the comfort of their homes to hit the streets and engage those who are killing
one another.
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, a consistent servant of the people for 57
years, has been personally walking different parts of the Windy City in a sincere
effort to promote peace in Chicago. He’s been shaking hands and giving words of
guidance to young Black men whom this world may consider hopeless.
Min. Farrakhan’s been doing this for 12 consecutive weeks since mid-July and
doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. The Fruit of Islam, men of the Nation of Islam,
have been following his lead in hitting the streets every week in more than 100
U.S. cities, as well as in Canada, Trinidad, London and South Africa.
“Our work is no longer in the mosques, the churches, the synagogues or our office
buildings. We must all dedicate and devote time to the problem in the streets,” said
Min. Farrakhan in a letter posted online.
Over the next few days, Minister Farrakhan plans to hit the streets of NewYork.
On Sunday, Sept. 23, he spoke to large crowds in Mt. Vernon, The Bronx, and
New Rochelle.
From the streets to the tweets….just #AskFarrakhan
Min. Farrakhan has always believed in reaching the masses where they are
and he recognizes that we are in the midst of a “social media craze.” Thus, his
@LouisFarrakhan account and the Twitter hashtag #AskFarrakhan have become very
popular over the past year.
Min. Farrakhan frequently responds to questions from his 85,000 plus Twitter
followers. He doesn’t shy away from any topic because he wants to use this tool to
raise the consciousness of the people versus engaging in foolery.
Min. Farrakhan will host his first ever #AskFarrakhan Social Media Town Hall
webcast live on Wed., September 26, 2012 from The Final Call Administration
Building in Chicago, Illinois.
During the live online event to be moderated by journalist Ashahed Muhammad,
Min. Farrakhan will answer questions for two hours from Twitter, Facebook and
YouTube users.
People want to know his thoughts on Pres. Barack Obama’s first term, the Middle
East uproar over the anti-Islamic film, the U.S. economy, the state of Hip-Hop
culture, Iran and more.
Min. Farrakhan, affectionately known as “The Minister,” is excited! This is
expected to be a 2.0 experience filled with timely guidance and innovative
solutions to create real change.
The event is being sponsored by NOI.org and FinalCall.com. Also, AllHipHop.com, the
greatest Hip-Hop site in the world, will be streaming it live on their website.
If you could ask Min. Farrakhan just ONE question what would it be? Post it here
in the comment section and tune into the town hall.
Last week, Wyclef Jean dropped his memoir, Purpose, which – among other things – exposed that Lauryn Hill allegedly lied to him and led him to believe that she was pregnant with his baby. In the book, Clef explained, “In that moment something died between us. I was married, and Lauryn and I were having an affair, but she led me to believe that the baby was mine, and I couldn’t forgive that.”
Well, now that the dust has settled, Lauryn Hill’s ex-partner and father of her son, Zion, Rohan Marley, has come forward to defend his ex-lover of 15 years. He recently told TMZ that Wyclef’s recollection of the pregnancy is “bullsh*t” and a money-making ploy.
“[Wyclef] knew from jump that was my son from the day [Lauryn] was pregnant.”
Rohan — one of Bob Marley’s sons and a former football student at U. of Miami — does admit Lauryn and Wyclef screwed around before he came on the scene, but says he’s confident it ended because Wyclef actually played matchmaker … “They were definitely not messing around, or he would never have given me the okay.”
He also says he and Lauryn were together in studio sessions night and day back then, so there wouldn’t even be time for her to have the alleged affair.
Rohan added he thinks Wyclef is “just saying false things to get book headlines” — and he has no plans to talk it out with ‘Clef because “he knows he is fronting himself.
For his part, Wyclef tells TMZ, “There is no way that I would have shown up in the hospital in that circumstance to wait for a baby to be born if it was not mine. The idea of a memoir is to tell the truth. I know that often the truth hurts, but a lie hurts even more.”
Rumors have swirled for years that Diddy and Cassie were a couple. Neither of the two have ever confirmed the relationship….until now. Last night, Diddy instagram’ed the photo below of Cassie, along with the caption, “I’m a very lucky man #knowthat.”
Not to be outdone, Cassie instagram’ed her own photo of Diddy, along with the caption, “.love.him”. Check out the photo below:
Well then, that makes it official doesn’t it! How long before these two have a wedding special and reality show? Do you like Diddy and Cassie together? And what about Kim Porter? So many questions!
(AllHipHop News) Tomorrow (September 25) is National Voter Registration Day, and organizations across the country have planned rallies, voter registration drives, and other events to encourage voting in the 2012 Election.
One of the leading artist-supported, voter engagement movements among young people in the past few elections has been Rock The Vote, and their previous “Road Trips” have helped to register thousands of Americans in preparation for casting their ballots in November.
Key among those who lead election efforts are opportunities to help educate people about voter ID laws and registration practices, especially in swing states such as Pennsylvania, where the number of Electoral College votes can have a significant impact on overall election results.
To that end, Rock The Vote will bring its bus to the Community College of Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 25 from 12-4PM to celebrate voting rights and offer on-location registration for students and the general public.
Rock The Vote won’t be all engagement-based, however. Organizers plan to “unfold” the bus during the afternoon for a special concert featuring Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli, along with Philly hometown artist and Roots collaborator, Dice Raw and his Raw Life label family.
Also set to appear are Miss USA Olivia Culpo and DJ Jeffrey Tonnesen.
The event is open to the general public, and details are as follows: Rock The Vote Philly, Tuesday, September 25, 12-4PM, Community College of Philadelphia, 1700 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA.
Follow Rock The Vote on Twitter (@RockTheVote). Register to vote at www.RockTheVote.com.
Gotdaggit! If the horror of one Kanye West sex tape is bad enough, but TMZ is saying there is a second tape. How this happen? Peep:
Kanye West is a sex tape master — TMZ has learned, the rapper filmed himself doing the deed MORE than once in recent years … and TWO tapes are currently being shopped to the highest bidder.
The reports are true … a Kanye sex tape featuring a young woman in a hotel room is making the rounds — but what you haven’t heard … there’s a second tape and the 2 are nearly identical.
Both tapes are impressively long — the first is roughly twenty minutes … and the second is more than FORTY. And we’re talking constant action. Seriously, the guy takes no breaks. It’s incredible. Almost Sting-like.
We’re told the tapes were both shot several years ago with exes.
The tapes are currently being shopped to media outlets by a third party.
Sources close to Kanye tell us the rapper has no idea how the videos were lifted from his computer — but if anyone releases the footage … we’re told Kanye plans to go after the culprits with a legal vengeance.
Kanye’s current GF Kim Kardashian rose to fame after her sex tape was released. And now, her boyfriend has steamy sex tapes of his own. So we gotta ask …
(AllHipHop News) Soulja Boy has been hit with another lawsuit, the second one in the past seven days.
The Atlanta producer/rapper was involved in a serious car accident on June 23, after he allegedly crossed the double lines and smashed his Bentley into a Chevy, being driven by a pregnant woman.
Although Soulja Boy initially denied that he was behind the wheel, he eventually admitted to driving the Bentley that was involved in the car accident with a couple, Bobbiye Sullinger and Herman Flowers.
Sullinger and Flowers are already suing Soulja Boy for medical expenses, emotional distress and physical distress.
Now, the pair have added defamation of character charges against Soulja Boy, over a video he posted on YouTube after the accident.
The rapper claimed Sullinger and Flowers were lying about the incident, and denied responsibility for causing the accident.
The lawsuit claims that Soulja Boy’s accusations of racism in the video has severely damaged Sullinger’s career and reputation.
Welcome to the day that you take what you deserve! Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to self-respect! As we start off this week, we must remind ourselves that our dignity means
more than anything!! Stop compromising yourself for an outcome that you don’t control! You are all you got!
In this world that is constantly asking you to give up who you are in exchange for someone
else, you must be strong enough to say NO WAY! Demand Your Respect! This is a non-negotiable item! Sometimes this may mean walking away, but sometimes walking away is the best thing to do! As Oprah once said, “Learn to let your intuition—gut instinct—tell you when the food, the relationship, the job isn’t good for you (and conversely, when what
you’re doing is just right).”
If it doesn’t feel right…. DON’T DO IT!! Respect for self goes a long way! Start Today, this week, and the rest of your life holding your head up high!! NEVER ACCEPT LESS THAN YOU DESERVE!!
-Ash’Cash
“Respect yourself enough to walk away from anyone or anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.” -@IamDiddy
“The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.” -Maureen Dowd
“If I despised myself, it would be no compensation. If everyone saluted me, and if I respect myself, it does not trouble me if others hold me lightly.” -Max Nordau
“Some people have so much respect for their superiors they have none left for themselves.” -Peter McArthur
“You do not need to be the designated driver of someone’s intoxicated ego.” -Dodinsky
“Be beautiful if you can, wise if you want to, but be respected – that is essential.” -Anna Gould
“Self-respect knows no considerations.” -Mahatma Gandhi
“Sometimes walking away has nothing to do with weakness and everything to do with strength. We walk away not because we want others to realize our worth and value, but because we finally realize our own.” -Unknown
TO HEAR THE AUDIO VERSION OF THE DAILY WORD – CLICK HERE.
Ash’Cash is a Business Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Financial Expert and the author of Mind Right, Money Right: 10 Laws of Financial Freedom. For more information, please visit his website, www.IamAshCash.com.
Whether it was going through the various motions of the selection process on “Making The Band 4”, or singing some of the most powerful ballads of the new millennium with his former group Day26, Willie Taylor has taken his amazing voice and used it to vocally seduce the eardrums of fans worldwide.
Now he’s back and striking out on his own with his new project, The Reintroduction of Willie Taylor. Check out AllHipHop.com’s interview with the newly-solo crooner, Willie Taylor:
AllHipHop.com: Hey Willie, thanks for taking the time out. For those who weren’t familiar with Day26 or with your stint on “Making The Band”, can you share with the readers how you got started?
Willie Taylor: OK, I started out worldwide on an MTV show that was put together by P. Diddy called “Making the Band 4”. This was a competition in order to be a part of his “super group,” and I was one of the five winners. I joined that group, Day26, soon after. We put out two Billboard #1 albums and won a BET Award for best group in 2009. After that, I put out my first solo mixtape, Sextape, in 2010 (it got 2.5 million downloads), and now, I Just released my sophomore solo mixtape, The Reintroduction of Willie Taylor.AllHipHop.com: OK, so talk to us about the new project. What inspired it, and what is the concept?Willie Taylor: After the breakup of Day26 earlier this year, I had to hurry up and strike while the fire was still lit, and do it in a light that I now want to be seen in. The Reintroduction of Willie Taylor mixtape is just that. It shows Willie Taylor as a well-rounded artist.AllHipHop.com: So, why did you feel a “reintroduction” of you was important?Willie Taylor: I feel when you’re put in to a situation the way I was, people never take the time to really get to know your full potential as a artist. This time I want them to know Willie Taylor – the writer, singer, performer, actor, model, CEO. I want them to know me!AllHipHop.com: Very nice. So then, what are you hoping your fans and potential new listeners will take away from this new project?Willie Taylor: That Willie Taylor is a true artist and deserves and needs to be here on top!AllHipHop.com: So, what would you say you personally took away from it?Willie Taylor: I took from this project how hard of a worker I am, and how blessed I am to be able to do it myself.AllHipHop.com: What if anything have you learned about yourself through this period of coming back onto the scene as a solo artist?Willie Taylor: Just that I really believe in myself and my talents, because nobody could take me off my mission.AllHipHop.com: Please forgive me for this next question, it’s totally not my style, and I am embarrassed to ask it, but I need to get it out of the way because I will get beat to a pulp by the ladies if I don’t. Your instagram is riddled with pictures of your workouts and things of that nature etc. Who are you posting those pictures for? [laughter]Willie Taylor: Most def, they are for the ladies to enjoy and to see how hard I’m going for this next mission. So tell them I said ‘enjoy!’ [laughter]AllHipHop.com: I’ll let you be the one to send that message! [laughter] Alright, now back to business, I know all the traveling has to be hard on you and your family. How do you deal with the pressures of taking care of home while you are away?Willie Taylor: I have a very supportive family, so when I’m on the road working, I really get to stay focused.AllHipHop.com: If you only had five words to describe your music, what would they be?Willie Taylor: Sexy , real, heartfelt, emotional, needed.AllHipHop.com: And lastly, how will you know if Willie Taylor has been properly reintroduced?Willie Taylor: The old and new fans reaction to the movement, and so far this mission has been looking amazing.AllHipHop.com: Please tell the people how they can keep up with you…Willie Taylor: On Twitter, hit me up (@Willie_day26). That is going to change soon, lol – and on Instagram, I’m @Willie_Taylor.DOWNLOAD The Reintroduction Of Willie Taylor HERE
Skyyhook is CEO/FOUNDER/General Manager of Skyyhook Radio and a contributing writer for AllHipHop.com. Follow her on Twitter (@SkyyhookRadio).
“Every show you see me in/ deep concentration/ cuz I’m no comedian” – “I Ain’t No Joke”, Eric B and Rakim
There was a time when Hip-Hop artist “Bro4Real “ put fear in the heart of America, as he was this country’s biggest nightmare – an angry Black man on a mission. Every time he picked up the mic, there was the threat that he would spark an uprising in every ‘hood in America. But that was before he went Hollywood and found out there was more money in making kiddie movies. Now you can catch him at Wally World some weekends, signing autographs for little White kids whose parents he once scared to death…
Back in 2003, Cam’ron created a catchphrase when he put Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly on blast with two simple words: “You mad?” Almost a decade later, if you asked the same question to Black folks in America, the answer would be a resounding ‘No!’ Matter of fact, we seem to be the only people on the planet who are not outraged about something right now.
Recently, the whole Muslim world became outraged over a cheap movie on YouTube that disrespected their religion. Simultaneously, the Scientologists were upset over the movie The Master, which they found offensive. At the same time, even the mild mannered royal family of London got ticked off when half naked pictures of Princess Kate appeared in an Italian magazine.
But for the majority of African Americans, everything is beautiful.
It hasn’t always been that way. There was a time, during the late ’60s, when the streets were angry. During that period, even the most racist White person watched his words because of fear that some six-foot-five Black man in a black beret and army fatigues might come knockin’ at his door late one night. Even the Blaxploitation movies of the ’70s had that one obligatory, super, pro-Black brotha tryin’ to drop science on the pimps. This did not escape the notice of countries across the world fighting American and European imperialism.
During the late ’80s, Black rage was expressed through the music of Public Enemy and other political rappers. Even though the early gangsta rappers, such as N.W.A., preached messages of misogyny and murder, they, too, made it clear that they were angry at the system, if only as an afterthought.
So the question is, how did a people who have served as role models for the oppressed, everywhere, struggling against global tyranny, become such wusses in the 21st century?
Although many people point to political oppression via such covert programs as COINTELPRO as the culprit, the real reason for the lackadaisical attitude is more overt, yet sophisticated.
Anger management.In 1968, the Feds put out the Kerner Commission Report as a way to explain why Black folks in the ghetto were so angry. By the early ’70s, they had found a way to channel that anger under Richard Nixon by changing the focus from Black Power to Green Power and neutralizing the “militants” by giving out small business loans, government jobs, and college scholarships as rewards for good behavior.As Kwame Ture (then Stokley Carmichael) observed in his 1968 speech in Oakland, CA, “a lot of people in the bourgeois tell me they don’t like Rap Brown (Jamil Al Amin) when he says ‘I’m going to burn this country down’ but every time he says ‘I’m going to burn this country down’, they get a poverty program.” Today, rap artists who promise to stick to coonery and murder music are rewarded with million dollar mansions and Maybachs.
Times have changed but the game remains the same.We have to stop parroting the lie that political Hip-Hop is no longer popular because the collective condition of African Americans improved, or people just got tired of hearing it. Nothing could be further from the truth. With times being harder for most people than they were in the ’80s, that explanation just isn’t logical. In reality, the pacification program that used pimpology, federal and private grants, and drugs to suppress the revolution in the ’60s and ’70s simply added rap music to the mix in the ’90s. So you had the creation of a new drug – “Rap Ritalin.”
Although rap music may go through various stages, the one thing that the power structure doesn’t want is angry music with a political ideology. Matter of fact, if conscious artists want to shut down the aggressive, murder music being played on the radio – pronto – all they have to do is start making revolutionary remixes of the Top 10 hits. Some have already done it, like Dead Prez in 2002 with Turn off the Radio, The Mixtape Pt. 1, and Jasiri X recently did with 2 Chainz’s “Riot”. However, it has yet to be done in the context of a mass movement.
Hip-Hop today is full of distractions, with the sole purpose of keeping the youth from getting angry. Whether it be keeping them perpetually high or turning them into over-sexed, sex fiends, the goal is the same. Think about it. How mad can a rapper be while smoking a blunt and gettin’ a lap dance from Big Booty Judy? He’s just happy to be alive.
So today, the angry Black man is dead. The grimacing poster boy of Black rage, Ice Cube, is making Disney movies and Ice T, the “cop killa,” is playing a detective on TV. The only remnants of the angry Black male are “Huey Freeman” from the “Boondocks” cartoon and “Brother For Real” from the old “Martin” reruns.
Although we may underestimate the power of righteous indignation, those in power make no such mistake. If a low budget YouTube video could spark worldwide revolts, how much more could the words of a Jay-Z or Kanye West?
Even within Hip-Hop, what would happen if the next assault on Black culture by the entertainment industry was met by outrage? What if mad mobs of Hip-Hop fans wearing black hoodies started turning over tour buses, or college students started bumrushin’ the stage at homecoming shows, demanding an end to murder, minstrel music?
It’s time for us to get mad again. Like “Howard Beale” said in that classic old school movie, Network, it’s time to open the nearest window and yell, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take this anymore!”
Although words like this ain’t gonna get me invited to many Hip-Hop conferences, and eventually may cause this column to be “banned in the USA,” (as 2 Live Crew once put it), so be it. Somebody’s gotta tell the truth. The only way we are gonna regain our respect is to follow the 2 Chainz motto and let the world know:
“If you mess with us/we gonna start up a riot.”
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott’s weekly is This Ain’t Hip Hop, a column for intelligent Hip-Hop headz. He can be reached at [email protected], on his website NoWarningShotsFired.com, or on Twitter (@truthminista).
The iHeart Radio Music Festival took place this weekend in Las Vegas, and while many were focused on the baseball shirt that Rihanna wore as a full outfit onstage, others were marveling in the epicness that occurred with one particular performance.
Mary J. Blige, the Queen of all things soulful over Hip-Hop beats, surprised the crowd on Saturday with a visit from His Elusive Purple Majesty himself, Prince.
“I got a real good friend in the building. He’s one of the most amazing artists to ever walk the earth,” Blige hinted before Prince’s entrance in a strange, golden sleeping mask.
Hey, Prince does what he wants. And we like it!
Check out the video below of their once-in-a-festival-lifetime performance at iHeart Radio in Vegas:
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the debut of “The Wire”, still one of HBO’s most-popular original series’, and an iconic part of the Black on-screen lexicon. Yet, the critically-acclaimed show never won an Emmy. Still, it was a show that brothers and sisters of all colors watched and fell in love with – its realness and imagery of ‘hood life in Baltimore depicted the city’s plight, which still has not changed much since the show went off the air.
So, why was it great? Well, there are few Black actors who are so integrated into Hip-Hop culture that their characters seem to take on a life of their own beyond the show. But, if you’re counting, one of those actors would have to be Wood Harris, and “The Wire’s” incomparable “Avon Barksdale.”
Harris, in his role as the drug kingpin, was not unknown to Hip-Hop audiences, he appeared as Ace in the cult-classic, Paid in Full and as Motaw in Above the Rim. A classically trained actor, the Chicago native also holds a Master’s degree from the prestigious NYU Tisch School of the Arts. A passionate artist and lover of Black culture, Harris is now experiencing a career resurgence, including a run in A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway, and portraying Malcolm X alongside Angela Bassett in the forthcoming Lifetime film, Coretta & Betty.
In Dredd 3D, Harris recently played Kay, a prominent member of a drug-dealing syndicate arrested by Judge Dredd after a homicide. His arrest, which could stand to topple the MaMa gang, sparks a building lockdown and an attack on the judge that spans the entire film. The movie, which features new 3D technology, is a mix of gruesome action scenes, and interesting dialogue and subplot. While AllHipHop.com enjoyed the movie, we also enjoyed the opportunity to meet and sit down with Wood Harris:
AllHipHop.com: I loved the movie. I thought it was great. It was action-packed, and yet had some tenderness. I wanted to get your take on that.
Wood Harris: It did. I think it beautified the gruesomeness as well as the 3D; because of the slow-mo and the cinematography, the 3D is actually the third element there. In a technical sense, it pulls the film together in such a way that really is masterful. The 3D puts you in the room, instead of just objects coming at your head. Our cinematographer (Anthony Dod Mantle) is an Oscar-award winner developed some of the technology in the film, which is why it’s unique in this film. This film is a novelty.
AllHipHop.com: How do you think the remake…
Wood Harris: It’s not a remake. Dredd is one of the top comic heroes in the world. The movie prior is like part of a sequence. They could do many interpretations of the character.
AllHipHop.com: Another thing that occurred to me, and was interesting to me, was that you spent most of the film in handcuffs. How was that?
Wood Harris: That was very uncomfortable. I just wanted it to be authentic. I didn’t necessarily have to be all of the time. But I hate faking it. So, I was handcuffed the whole movie, pretty much. My stunt man broke his femur bone during the movie because he was handcuffed.
AllHipHop.com: What do you want people to take from the movie?
Wood Harris: I hope it creates a dialogue, because this is something that can truly happen. It’s a police state. Dredd is a Judge, a Jury, and a Cop. That’s possible. He can pull you over on the road, and in two seconds, get the information on you with a chip, and in two seconds, execute you.
AllHipHop.com: What do you think is the state of Black Cinema?
Wood Harris: I think that Black Cinema is in an evolution. I think Tyler Perry has something to do with it, in a good way and a bad way. His business ability is just phenomenal, simply phenomenal. It’s Tyler Perry’s ball to carry. Black Cinema is, at the moment, controlled by whoever makes the most money in it. That is definitely Tyler. Black Cinema is at a pinnacle of evolution, the interest is there. The flip side is just when a brilliant director might come out. We can make a movie, the five of us in this room, because the technology is available. But as the technology makes it so more people can do it, Hollywood changes the rules, and there are more locks on the country club door. But, they will let Nene Leakes in, and that’s a problem. Because it dumbs down the artist.
We have to be careful not to let the artists get dumbed down because the artists will be the missionary, the message holder, and the activist. But, now, people get famous doing something silly on TV, and they run with that ball. I’m an artist, and I’m not insulting Nene Leakes, but I think more than half of television is reality TV now. I’m friends with Mos Def, we want to talk about something. That’s what’s gone when Tupac is gone – there’s nobody who says, “Dear Mama,” there’s nobody with his complexity as an artist. I love Lupe, that’s my brother, my Chi-Town brother, but he’s retiring, and he was retiring before the Chief Keef situation. And that Chief Keef situation is extremely sad. Now they can sell sad. Interscope is selling sad. I don’t care what the lyrics say; I don’t care for it.
After the thing (shooting Above the Rim), we stood in a circle and everybody was rapping; it wasn’t just Tupac. I think that’s what we got when we lost Tupac, there is no culture leadership in Hip-Hop, and it isn’t anywhere else (in the Black community). Because y’all don’t care about Jay-Z saying nothing to y’all, we don’t care too much about Nas either. I do, I care about both of them; I like them both as people. For the general people, who they listen to is Lil’ Wayne, Waka Flocka. Not against them either; they are rags to riches stories.
AllHipHop.com: Do you think they understand the platform that they have?
Wood Harris: I think they might understand it, but what sets a precedent of understanding is money. And power. When you get bread like they have it, and you can get any girl, your esteem grows from material things. They don’t want to see the walls fall down around what they built. It takes some braveness to pull a Lupe.
Dredd 3D – a great, action-packed movie – hit theaters on September 21. Connect with the film on Twitter (@LionsGateMovies #Dredd3D).
Follow Wood Harris on Twitter (@WoodHarris), but he’s only tweeted four times, and the last one was over two years ago!
(AllHipHop News) After moving on from former inspiration-based label Reach Records, rapper Sho Baraka recently joined forces with an artist collective called High Society and signed a new distribution deal with Syntax.
As part of the deal, Sho Baraka announced the release of his third studio album, Talented 10th, on January 1, 2013. The project marks Sho’s debut of his first full-length album as an indie artist.
“I’m excited to work with an awesome artist and lyricist that transcends this Hip Hop game and touches the world in so many positive ways,” said producer Jon Jon Traxx, who has also worked with Beyonce and cover-singing couple, Karmin. “Be on the lookout for greatness!” he added.
Sho Baraka, who has collaborated in the past with artists such as rising rap sensation Lecrae, says he hopes to “be exceptional for the benefit of others” via his music.
According to a press statement by his PR outfit, Quality Junk, Sho Baraka’s sophomore output, Lions and Liars, debuted at #15 on Billboard Hip Hop charts, #3 on iTunes Hip Hop charts and #14 overall on iTunes charts back in 2010.
Since joining with High Society, Sho Baraka has collaborated on the mixtape, Circa MMXI, and he has also toured Africa in the past.
Talented 10th debuts on New Year’s Day 2013 via High Society/Syntax Distribution.
Last night (September 22), Mos Def (a.k.a. Yasiin Bey) and Talib Kweli, known as the legendary duo Black Star performed at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, CA. The duo united as part of the Lyricist Lounge Tribute Tour, recognizing the 20-year anniversary of the lyrical fellowship.
In addition to Black Star, Del the Funky Homosapien, Pac D##, and Freestyle Fellowship also performed, spotlighting the MC showmanship of the Lyricist Lounge, which ultimately facilitated three albums, seven domestic tours, two seasons of an MTV sketch comedy, called “The Lyricist Lounge Show“, and two DVD releases.
Running through a host of tracks from their album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, the tandem rocked a nearly sold out crowd. From the pit to the completely-filled balcony, the usually captious Los Angeles concert-goers participated in call and response, and moved on every word. The two also performed solo material from their respective projects and freestyled back and forth, sweating out an hour and a half set.
Highlights from the show included “Move Something”, “Get By”, “Umi Says”, “Respiration”, “Brown Skin Lady”, “This Means You”, and of course, “Definition,” which were all legendary renditions of the fan favorites.
Yasiin Bey rapping over Waka Flocka’s “It’s a Party” track was classic as well, as the crowd got extra raucous and ratchet for a few moments. Talib Kweli also paid tribute to the late Chris Lighty prior to performing the song, “K.O.S.(Determination), rapping the lyrics:
“With that what? (Knowledge Of Self) Determination/ With that what? (Knowledge Of Self) Determination/ With that what? (Knowledge Of Self) Determination/ With that what? (Knowledge Of Self) Determination…”
All in all, Black Star left it all out on the stage for the fans, for the Lyricist Lounge, and for themselves, as it was evident that they truly enjoyed performing for the hyped up Los Angeles crowd. At one point, Yasiin Bey acknowledged the overall energy that the audience was showing, to which Talib replied, “We on,” to which Yasiin Bey jokingly countered, “What does that even mean? No, we aren’t.”
It is that humble nature coupled with their uncanny ability that makes Black Star one of Hip-Hop’s most galvanizing groups ever.
“Mos Def and Talib Kweli…. best alliance in Hip-Hop.”
Check out what I saw on 4umf.com! 50 Cent’s baby momma get a new reality show with other baby mom’s like Big Pun’s! Wait Pun had a widow! I mean no disrespect! This feels messy nevertheless.
There’s “B##,” “Hollywood Exes” and now Liza Morales and a group of celebrity exes are about to take over TLC. YBF reports basketball player Lamar Odom’s baby mother Liza Morales has landed a new reality show on TLC, about a group of women who used to be married to or dated very wealthy men. Lamar Odom’s ex and mother of his children, has signed on to do a reality show with TLC about a group of women and their experiences on dating wealthy famous men. “Liza and a bunch of other ladies who were married [to] or dated famous men,” a TLC insider revealed. Liza will be joined by Shaniqua Tompkins who is rapper 50 Cent’s ex-girlfriend. The insider also adds, “This show isn’t going to be a fake reality show. It’s going to reveal the truth about a lot of men we thought we knew. “Lamar and Liza were together a total of 12 years and she is the mother of Destiny, Lamar Jr. and Jayden, who died tragically in 2006. Since their break up Liza has come and spoken about her past relationship with Lamar. She discusses how Lamar treats the children that they have together as well as his family. The whole cast hasn’t been revealed just yet, we will keep you posted as more details are released.
Here she is, but the pics look like two different people.
The funny thing about this is that Big Pun and 50 Cent had a brief beef over How to Rob. Remember when Pun penned this:
And to the 50 Cent rapper, very funny, get your nut off
Cause in real life, you don’t know
I’ll blow your motherf**kin head off (ooh yeah)
That’s my motherf**kin word, you understand?
Thought we was a f**kin joke? S###
Terror Squad ni**a, you don’t know me
You don’t know my name, don’t say it, you understand?
Told you before I ain’t no motherf**kin rapper understand?
S**t, I don’t make no songs about rappers I don’t like
If I’ma make a song,
it’s gon’ be how I beat yo’ motherf**kin ass understand?
That’ll be the name of the m###########
“That’s Why I Had to Beat Your Motherf**kin Ass”
featuring Tony Sunshine
(AllHipHop News) A law firm representing rapper Kanye West has issued a takedown notice, surrounding controversial images stemming from a sex tape being shopped to various media outlets, from an anonymous source.
A lawyer for Kanye West issued the demand today (September 23), claiming the sex tape in question was “stolen” from Kanye’s computer.
“Be advised that the Screen Shot, as well as the Tape from which the Screen Shot was taken, were illegally obtained and believed to have been stolen from Mr. West’s computer,” Kanye’s lawyer Lisa M. Buckley of Pryor Cashman said in a legal document sent to AllHipHop.com.
“Your posting, advertising, marketing, displaying and otherwise disseminating the stolen Screen Shot and/or other materials on the Tape constitute actionable violations of Mr. West’s rights of privacy and publicity,” Buckley said.
Buckley warned a variety of media outlets against posting the images from the Kanye sex tape, or there could be serious legal percussions.
“We hereby demand that you: (1) immediately cease and desist from posting, advertising, marketing, displaying and disseminating the illegally obtained Screen Shot of Mr. West,” the notice reads.
Kanye West’s lawyer is also seeking information on who is shopping the tape to various media outlets, since the tape is in high demand.
Sex.com has already offered $1 million to the anonymous person.
“It depends on the quality of the tape, the length, the lighting, the sex,” Hirsch said. “But something like this could go for a couple of million dollars. I don’t think there has ever been a sex tape with a star of this magnitude. Tommy Lee was big, but this is a different world and Kanye is a special guy. He’s everywhere.”
AllHipHop.com’s resident Daily Word guru and all-around inspirational guy, Ash Cash, is back with his latest installment of “Ask Ash Cash.”
But, wait! This isn’t his typical, helpful and friendly advice! THIS is what happens when he encounters a “special” sort of character in New York’s Times Square. Just watch!!!
Alrighty then! LOL!!!
Ash’Cash is a Business Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Financial Expert and the author of Mind Right, Money Right: 10 Laws of Financial Freedom. For more information, please visit his website, www.IamAshCash.com.
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