Famed R&B girl group SWV is back, and they haven’t missed a step! They recently released an album sampler, that gives a glimpse into their first album since 1997, I Missed Us.
Coko, Lelee, and Taj make up SWV (Sisters With Voices). And there’s no need for Auto-Tune here. For old and new fans alike, this is sure to please your ears, as the group reunites with the same stellar sound that made us fall in love back on their 1992 debut It’s About Time. The album went multi-platinum and spawned a string of Top 10 R&B hits, including “I’m So Into You”, “Right Here”, “Weak” and “You’re Always On My Mind”.
It’s not everyday that a successful R&B girl group from the ’90s reunites, releases music, and it actually sounds like quality material. Let’s enjoy this moment, please. What do you think about their latest sound?
(AllHipHop News) Last night Brooklyn rapper Fabolous hosted his 3rd Annual Urban Promise Fundraiser, an event developed by his non-profit organization, A Fabolous Way.
Funds were collected to help 45 inner-city youth from Camden, New Jersey go on a week-long educational spring break trip to Maryland.
The kids will have the opportunity to go zip lining, canoeing, rock climbing and tours in Washington, DC.
The children will get to meet some of the local United States Congressmen, on the trip.
Last night celebs like Fabolous, Emily B., Kevin Hart and others showed up to support the event.
(AllHipHop News) An authentic jacket worn by the late Notorious B.I.G. will hit the auction block later this month in New York.
Notorious B.I.G.’s original leather jacket will be sold during a three-day sale by Philip Weiss Auctions.
The jacket features Biggie’s name emblazoned on the right chest, the Flip Squad logo on the left and Funkmaster Flex’s logo on the back.
A representative for Philip Weiss Auctions said that B.I.G.’s jacket has already attracted “intense interest.”
B.I.G.’s jacket is being auctioned off with other Hollywood memorabilia, including stamps, coins, postcards, animation art, rock ‘n roll collectibles and more.
The event will take place from April 19-21 at Philip Weiss Auctions’ gallery in Oceanside, New York.
B.I.G.’s leather jacket will be sold in the second session on Saturday, April 21, starting at 2 p.m.
Bid’s will also be accept via the Internet on Proxibid.com and Auctionzip.com.
After we learned yesterday that the G.O.O.D. Music compilation album will be coming out this spring, Kanye West has released a new track where he pretty much admits to being in love with Kim Kardashian and throws a few shots at Kim’s ex-husband, NBA player Kris Humpries. Kanye also gives props to Wiz Khalifa. Check out the Hit Boy-produced track below:
Lyrics below:
“And the whole industry wanna f-ck yo’ old chick
Only n-gga I got respect for is Wiz
And I’ll admit, I fell in love with Kim
‘Round the same time she had fell in love wit’ him
Well, that’s cool, baby girl, do ya thing”
Kanye also throws shade at Kim’s ex in the song when he follows those lines up with, “Lucky I didn’t have Jay drop him from the team,” in reference to Kris playing for the New Jersey Nets and Jay-Z having ownership in the team.
Kanye uses the rest of the track to brag about his new $6,000 Giuseppe shoes, [“$6,000 pair of shoes/ I made it to the Paris news”], PETA [“Can a N-gga have money anymore?/ Tell PETA my mink is draggin’ on the floor.”], style [“Don’t talk to me ‘bout style, n-gga/ I’ll ma’f-ckin’ embarrass you”], and his critics [“Might even kill somebody and YouTube it/ So whoever think they words affect me is too stupid.”]
The first single, “Mercy”, is set to be released tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear what Kanye and the rest of the G.O.O.D. Music crew are spitting on that!
(AllHipHop News) 50 Cent has just signed on to star in director Mikael Hafstrom’s upcoming action film team-up alongside Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger called The Tomb.
As reported by Variety,The Tomb finds Stallone playing “an expert on structural security who is framed and put in a high-security prison of his own design. He must put his skills to the test to find out who put him there.”
The cast of The Tomb also includes Jim Caviezel and Amy Ryan, as well as Vincent D’Onofrio and Vinnie Jones who previously starred in the direct-to-video film Fire With Fire with 50 Cent. There is currently no word on the role that 50 Cent will play in the film.
The Tomb will not be 50’s first “all-star” team-up, as he previously co-starred in the 2008 film Righteous Kill alongside Academy Award-winners, Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino.
50 Cent, who is repped by CAA and attorney Aron Baumel, has an upcoming slate of features that includes: Fire With Fire with Bruce Willis,Vengeance with Danny Trejo, Freelancers with Robert De Niro and The Frozen Ground with Nicolas Cage, all of which are set for release later this year.
The rapper turned thespian will also be appearing on an upcoming episode of the SyFy reality series “Dream Machines,” where he will have a custom, futuristic spaceship-inspired Formula One race car created by Parker Brothers Concepts. The episode airs on April 10 on SyFy.
The Tomb is scheduled to hit theaters in Summer 2013.
(AllHipHop News) Rapper Plies scored a major victory in court last week, when a judge overturned a verdict against the him over 2006 shooting.
In December of 2011, a civil jury found Plies and his brother Ronell “Big Gates” Lawrence Levatte, 37, responsible for a 2006 shooting inside of a Gainesville nightclub that left five people wounded.
Plies was ordered to pay over $35,000 to the five victims, while his brother was ordered to pay almost $50,000.
Now, the verdict against the rapper has been overturned.
A judge ruled that there was not enough evidence against Plies to prove that he knew the shooting was going to take place, or that he had knowledge that his brother and his even had guns.
Plies was arrested after the shooting and pleaded no contest to carrying a concealed weapon.
But the charge against him was adjudicated, so he has no conviction on his criminal record.
Bjg Gates, who spent three years in prison for his role in the shooting, is still responsible to pay the victims damages for medical bills.
The five victims were originally seeking over $10 million dollars in damages for their injuries.
R&B singer/songwriter Tank is on a roll. He just released his latest video last week, and just yesterday, via Twitter, he revealed the cover art of his latest record, This Is How I Feel.
His latest song and video off the album, Next Breath, sheds light on the tone of the latest effort. This is his follow-up to 2010’s Now or Never.
Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to Going with the Flow! As I type this Daily Word, I am speaking to you from my daughter’s PC as opposed to my usual MacBook Pro… For reasons not yet known, my Mac decided to just stop working and wouldn’t reboot. The funny thing is that I recently was conversing with a friend trying to convince him to get a Mac (but that’s neither here nor there).
My Macbook Pro, or the AshBook Pro as I often refer to it, has all my writings, recordings, books, and articles… It is my mobile office. When I couldn’t get it open, I felt stuck and was ready to start
pouting like a spoiled child… Then I remembered that it isn’t the end of the world. I made an appointment with the Apple store and proceeded to use my daughter’s PC… The point of this story is very simple. My Macbook pro is life…..Sometimes life is not going to react the exact way that you want it to. When that happens, it doesn’t mean to shut down and do nothing… It means to go with the flow…
Improvise and still get things done while trying to figure out how to get life back on track! There is never an excuse to not move forward in life!! Those who want something bad enough find a way; those who don’t find excuses!! As your start your day, remember that even though you may not like using PCs, they will have to do until you get your Macbook pro fixed!! Go with the Flow!!! You are exactly where you are supposed to be!!
-Ash’ Cash
“The key to success is often the ability to adapt.” -Unknown
“Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past – stop planning the future – stop figuring out precisely how we feel – sometimes we just have to go with the flow.” -Unknown
“Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.” -Chuang Tzu
“You can’t change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails to always reach your destination.” -Jimmy Dean
“If you just go with the flow, no matter what weird things happen along the way, you always end up exactly where you belong.” -Tom Upton
“Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent.” -Nolan Ryan
“The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water moulds itself to the pitcher.” -Chinese Proverb
“We can learn from experience if we are ready to adapt that experience to changed conditions.” -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.
Hip-Hop has always been about looking the freshest, setting trends, and drawing attention to your style. But over the last few years, “The Beard” has emerged as one of the signature styles and trends for some of today’s top artists.
What even makes a good beard? The length of the beard? The precision of the beard? Do you have to trim it? Can you pick it out? Do you shampoo and condition it? These are all questions that we don’t necessarily have the answers for, nor do we really want to know, but we thought your might find this interesting. Check out AllHipHop.com’s “Top 10 Most Prolific Beards in Hip-Hop.”
Editor’s Note: While we recognize the beards in Hip-Hop, we also recognize that beards are common amongst those practicing the Islamic faith, and in no way do we mean to degrade the religious practice of not shaving, as shaving is often viewed by some Muslims as haraam (meaning forbidden).
10. Sean Price – We didn’t ask Sean about his beard, because he probably would have ripped our f-ing heads off, but yeah, his beard is sorta crazy. He definitely has the best beard over at Duck Down Records, his label home for some time now. Funny how his beard seems effortless, and it’s large and in charge, but nevertheless, it’s not as well known as some other beards atop our list. Read on as the beardness continues….
9. ?uestlove – One of The Roots flagship founders, holding down the drum kits for years, ?uestlove is one of several artists that made the list from Philly. Philly has long had a population of heavy beard-rocking dudes. He never seems to let it go, and it stays at a steady length. At #9 this beard is long, but it still has a ways to go before it reaches the top….
8. Sean Falyon – Sean is one of the rappers on our list that has grown his beard out of practicing the Muslim faith, and he developed a whole campaign surrounding the beard over the past few months called, “Find the Beard”. “I have the best beard in Hip-Hop,” Sean Falyon proclaimed at SXSW this year. It’s up there, Sean, but still not as big or as well known as a few others….
7. Action Bronson – Wrecking beat after beat from Statik Selektah, chef/rapper Action Bronson has built his name up over the past few years and has developed a thick auburn beard to go along with his buzz. Growing at length amidst a haze of smoke, Action Bronson’s beard enters our list at #7 for bringing the straight fire.
6. Tone Trump – Philly again appears on the list at #6, as Tone Trump maintains the legacy of robust beards in the city known for cheesesteaks and out-of-their-mind sports fans. Tone Trump is also Muslim and has thus decided to grow his beard as part of his religion. Tone Trump was with G-Unit Philly at one point back in the day, but confirmed that he had signed to CTE back in November 2011.
5. Ice Cube – Cube’s beard goes back to the days when he used to rock the hair grease to go with it, so we had to make sure he jumped up the list. Cube has the OG beard. The kind of beard that stood for something, the kind of beard that said, “Don’t f**k with me.” Remember Cube’s beard in Higher Learning? Check his up-and-coming beard from Boyz N the Hood below…
4. Stalley – Not only did Stalley score high on the list because his mixtape Savage Journey to the American Dream is definitely one of the hottest projects out right now, but also because his beard is the second largest beard on the list. His beard has its own buzz – c’mon thats gotta be worth something. Since signing with Ricky Rozay’s Maybach Music Group imprint, Stalley has been seen everywhere with his signature crooked C hat with the pins and his beard.
3. Rick Ross – “The Bawse,” Rick Ross. Dude’s beard is as impeccable as his movement, and probably is groomed on the hour for all the money he is bringing in. Nothing else is needed to be said about this one, because when you think of Hip-Hop beards, he’s got to be one of the first ones that come to mind. Beards are ironically popular in Miami despite the muggy heat, as a good portion of Hip-Hoppers out that direction are bearded.
2. Freeway – EARLY!He is widely regarded as one the originators of the beard in Hip-Hop, repping for Philly at the #2 spot, so we had to put Freeway in the mix. Seems like everyone started copying “Free” as his career took off, and his beard grew longer and longer. Choosing to grow his beard as part of his Muslim faith, Freeway definitely deserves credit for holding down the beard movement years before this young crop of beards came into the game.
1. Rick Rubin – It might be time for this dude to get a cut. This is just ridiculous (but great). This man might be called Father Time after this lengthy facial growth. After making hit after hit early in Hip-Hop’s history, Rubin continues to make classic tracks every time he sits down to work in the studio. After breaking genre boundaries and co-founding Hip-Hop’s most famous label, Def Jam, he still had time to grow this amazing mass of hair, so we gotta give it up to Rick on this one.
Honorable Mentions: DJ Drama, DJ Khaled, Black Thought, Joaquin Phoenix, Method Man, Raekwon, Matisyahu, Flo-Rida, Don Trip and Drake
QuESt has come a long way in his independent/underground grind as an artist. From the quick (and now defunct) affiliation with Jermaine Dupri (remember the Tag Records emcee search? He won that) to being sponsored heavily by 2DopeBoyz.com and a couple of other sites, the Florida native has been working diligently to secure his name as one of the best to do it, but while spreading his overall positive message as well. Dubbed the #NEATO movement (acronym for “Never Ever Allowing The Obscene”), QuESt has paved notable mixtapes that show off the abundance of his talents (“How Thoughtful“, “The Reason“), but recently has turned that into making complete, full projects. However, his gift may very well be his curse; he’s constantly evolving his sound, and his latest release “Fear Not Failure” may prove to be the opening door for him to greater things, or the one that deadbolts the same door.
That’s not saying it isn’t a great project; far from it. Lyrically, QuESt is still one of the best rappers thriving right now, and his flow and cadence is borderline ridiculous. He can still flip flows like light switches, he still includes incredibly dope punchlines, and the subject matter is still deep and thought provoking like his previous outputs. In theory, there’s not much to hate here; the project is even mastered by Grammy Award-winning sound engineer Chris Gerheinge (Drake, Rihanna, Madonna), but as mentioned before, the evolving sound could serve as a double-edged sword.
The album/mixtape is unlike anything I’ve ever heard, and it’s truly genre-bending in a sense. Mixing several different sounds together to create this fluent, progressive soundscape (mainly Dubstep and Electro) that assaults you when playing Fear Not Failure is incredibly risky, and if anyone else had tried they would’ve failed miserably. Fortunately for QuESt, he doesn’t fail at all. From rhyming double-time over tracks with the Dubstep vibe (“Gambler”) to throwing a classic, riding track with a Hip-Hop essence to it (“Nowhere To Go” feat. Logic), to even traditional Hip-Hop rhyming alongside Mickey Factz (“Something To Prove”), it all fits here perfect somehow (and to be honest, his video series should’ve been a clue of what to expect on the project)
The only real bane to how well put together Fear Not Failure sounds is, ironically, its initial sound. However, QuESt’s rhyming is charismatic enough to tie it all together, and FNF is an incredibly original project that’s truly worth the download. QuESt has seemingly put his all into recording it, and it shows on every track. It won’t be long before this one gets more people talking about his diversity, but I don’t think he’d mind that at all. For the people who say they want something different and original…look no further.
(AllHipHop News) A concert in Toronto featuring Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy ended early, after gunshots were fired inside the venue.
Young Jeezy took to the stage at Toronto’s Sound Academy, last night (April 4).
According to eyewitnesses, the shooting took place right before Young Jeezy was supposed to perform, around 12:30 AM.
But the show was immediately halted, when several gunshots rang out inside of the venue.
Young Jeezy confirmed the reports via his Twitter account, early this morning (April 5).
“Backstage @ Sound Academy in Toronto,” Young Jeezy tweeted. “Police closed venue and cancelled the greatest show! I will be back! Next stop London,Ontario! Can’t Ban the snowman. I be back Toronto!”
Witnesses said that prior to the shooting, there were various fights in the crowd, which was reportedly hostile from the outset of the concert.
As of press time, it is not known if police have suspects in question over the shooting.
Young Jeezy is on a tour of Canada as part of the “Hustlaz Ambition” tour. There are two dates left.
Tonight, Jeezy will perform at London Music Hall in London, Ontario and tomorrow, the tour winds down in Montreal at the Olympia Theatre.
(AllHipHop News) Mary J. Blige has released a statement explaining a controversial chicken at that hit the Internet this week.
According to the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul,” the Burger King ad was released prematurely.
“I agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence,” Mary J. Blige told TMZ.com. “Unfortunately, that’s not what was happening in that clip.”
What was happening in the clip was labeled stereotypical by a variety of critics and fans.
Mary J. Blige was reportedly paid $2 million to be a part of the ad campaign, which featured her singing about chicken to the tune of her song “Don’t Mind.”
AllHipHop.com’s illCommunity reacted to the commercial, which was a hotly debated subject.
The controversy surrounding Mary’s commercial for the “BK Chicken Snack Wrap” was enough for Burger King to pull the video from YouTube and apologize.
“We would like to apologize to Mary J. and all of her fans for airing an ad that was not final,” the company said in a statement.
Mary J. Blige also apologize to her fans.
“I understand my fans being upset by what they saw. But, if you’re a Mary fan, you have to know I would never allow an unfinished spot like the one you saw go out.”
(AllHipHop News) Trinidadian born/Queens raised rapper Nicki Minaj made a stop in her home town of New York this morning (April 4), during a visit to Power 105’s Breakfast Club morning show.
Nicki confronted a number of issues during the interview, including the criticism that she faced after her controversial performance at this year’s Grammy Awards.
“That was my best performance ever and if everybody didn’t agree you can…” Nicki Minaj told the Breakfast Club. “That was my best performance ever, ever. But can I say something, I did a skit on my ‘Right Through Me,’ I did a skit on ‘Moment for Life’ video, I did a fighting scene in my ‘Fly’ video. That was the skit for the ‘Roman Holiday’ video, it goes perfectly for the song, what don’t y’all understand?”
Nicki also addressed her relationship with her right hand man Scaff Beezy, who is Co-Executive of her project Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.
“He is the reason for ‘Did it On ‘Em’ being on my album, he is the reason for ‘Beez in the Trap’ being on my album. But he knows lyrically what I am capable of and I keep a small circle and even in the studio,” Nicki said. “So that’s a point, I have people that I can trust right by my side. That’s why he is co-executive producer of the album, because he is the one that got all the beats and he is the one going back and forth with 2Chainz and Cam and we run our own ship. We have a couple of companies together. I don’t know what people want me to say.”
Nicki Minaj’s project Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is available nationwide and features appearances from Cam’ron, 2 Chainz, Nas, Drake, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Beanie Man, Bobby V and Chris Brown.
(AllHipHop News) Jet Life recording artist and Harlem native Smoke DZA dropped a new 8-track EP today (April 4) titled Cuz I Felt Like It.
Inspired by his fellow Jet Life comrade Young Roddy, DZA released the tape unexpectedly with the following message: “I was on Nah Right on Saturday scrolling thru being a fan, trying to see what’s going on in the music world. Young Roddy dropped a tape on Sunday and I got inspired and felt like rappin’. So I called my engineer Mat Cody up and told him to come to the trap. I rapped over some of my friends beats plus a few other tunes I thought was cool, hit 2 of my homies from Harlem, and put it out for free cuz I felt like it. #Rrrright.”
With the recent release of Young Roddy’s Good Sense mixtape, DZA dropping Cuz I Felt Like It, and Curren$y plotting a June release for The Stoned Immaculate, Jet Life Recordings are showing no signs of slowing down. “We’re working on the road for the rest of the year. We just want to show that we’re one of the hardest working groups out,” DZA told AllHipHop.com.
DZA, who has his sights set on an early summer release for his new album Rugby Thompson, shared with AllHipHop.com that “Rugby Thompson is done. Well, 95 percent done, ’cause I’m waiting on one guest feature and I’ve never done music with this person before; but so far, the finished product is there.”
He continued, “Of course I got Spitta [Curren$y] on there. I got Domo Genesis; that’s my little brother from Odd Future, and I support everything they do. I got an interesting joint with Thirstin Howell and Meyhem Lauren called ‘The Horsemen.’ I got my bro Bronsilino on there, me and Action Bronson got something called ‘Turnbuckle’ on there. So yeah, that sh*t is done. All the production is from Harry Fraud, and we’ve got big, big records on there. I’m just excited for the next chapter.”
When asked about his relationship with Harry, DZA told us, “It’s always a pleasure to work with somebody as talented as Harry, you know, I’m blessed to be able to work with him and put out a whole project with him. Harry Fraud is one of the best producers out, and that’s my brother man. We’ve got an ill chemistry, and we knock out a lot of records quick and they’re really hot. I got the same feeling from him that I got from Ski [Beatz] when I worked on George Kush Da Button. When me and Harry are in the studio, we just push each other.”
With Rugby Thompson planned for release in early summer make sure you’re on the lookout for the video to the album’s track, “New Jack,” in the coming weeks.
Check out the full tracklisting and artwork for Cuz I Felt Like Itbelow:
First off, Happy four-year wedding anniversary to Beyonce and Jay-Z! The two tied the knock in a secret ceremony on April 4, 2008. To commemorate their anniversary, we hear Beyonce has created a tumblr account where she plans to release intimate photos of her and Jay-Z during the last four years.
We hear she will be releasing wedding photos, vacation pics, and photos of Blue Ivy Carter. Right now, the Beyonce tumblr page has a password on it, but we hear it will be going live soon. It’s good to see the Carters sharing more of their life with their fans.
Welcome to the day you begin to change your life forever! Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to getting out of your comfort zone! Many people say they want greatness, but many are not willing to pay the price for their dreams! We need to realize that in order to get what we want out of life, we must be willing to make the sacrifice! GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!! Where you are right now is nowhere near where your potential can take you!
Your comfort zone is a trap! It makes you believe that you are where you’re suppose to be, but the truth is that life is growth! Everyday you must be willing to grow and maximize your full potential and be better than you are right now! Stop being complacent! The moment you cease to progress is the moment that your life loses meaning! Get comfortable being uncomfortable, and the things you can accomplish are limitless!!
Life is for living so live it the best way you know how!! Matter of fact, live it the best way you don’t know how….. Get out of your zone and do it bigger!!
-Ash’Cash
“If you want to be comfortable, take an easy job. If you aspire for greatness, take off your coat.” -Unknown
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” -Neale Donald Walsch
“To the degree we’re not living our dreams, our comfort zone has more control of us than we have over ourselves.” -Peter McWilliams
“We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present.” -Thomas Edison
“Don’t get too comfortable with who you are at any given time – you may miss the opportunity to become who you want to be.” -Jon Bon Jovi
“Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream.” -Peter McWilliams
“Risk is essential. There is not growth of inspiration in staying within what is safe and comfortable. Once you find out what you do best, why not try something else?” -Alex Noble
“Nobody ever died of discomfort, yet living in the name of comfort has killed more ideas, more opportunities, more actions, and more growth than everything else combined. Comfort kills!” -T. Harv Eker
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.
Celebrities are selling everything these days – from Beamers, Benzs and Bugatis to weight-loss plans. The endorsement money makes for a good cushion when recording albums and filming movies runs dry for the moment.
Still, as they say, “all money ain’t good money.” And depending on the product or the commercial, it may be a career hurt piece when artist endorsements go wrong. To boot, depending on the celebrity, the product companies may want to run the other way. Check out our “Top 5 Celebrity Endorsements That May Not Have Been Such a Bright Idea”:
5. Mary J. Blige and The Burger King Crispy Chicken Wrap Debacle
This is too recent to really see what the long-term effects of the Burger King commercial fiasco will be on Mary J. Blige. The latest is that Burger King themselves pulled the controversial ads depicting the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul overly excited about their new chicken product due to “copyright issues.”
People, mostly Black we assume, are up in arms over the stereotypical visual that chicken makes Black folks happy as bluejays. If that’s the case, then we’re singing, ‘cause chicken tastes great! But, for Mary, who has won Grammys and worldwide praise for two decades, linking up with something so overt and historically damaging may have been a really bad move. (We’re also reminded of a few other “Chicken Fails” – namely, Flavor Flav and MC Hammer. Umph.)
4. Michael Jackson’s Hair-Raising Pepsi Problem
It’s not that Pepsi products are bad (well, except for the sugar and weird ingredients). It’s just that some of their celebrity encounters end up kinda cray. Case in point was the Michael Jackson global news incident of 1984, when his Jheri curl caught on fire during the filming of a commercial. The icon’s love for everything over the top, coupled with the big Pepsi budget, led to a pyrotechnic disaster when fireworks ignited the chemicals in his hair. He suffered severe scalp burns, reportedly leading him toward the prescription drug addiction that ended his life years later.
In other bad Pepsi PR, Kanye West’s costly ads were pulled a few years back after he stormed Taylor Swift’s stage in a drunken Beyonce fan fit. Further showing they don’t play that, Pepsi some years earlier pulled Madonna’s ads after she released the religiously-ratchet “Like A Prayer” video.
3. Ice Cube and Coors Light – “You think you colder than ME?”
The West Coast legend Ice Cube has made some of the most gangster rap ever. When he walks in the room, even Deebo gets quiet nowadays. Still, he has also made some questionable promotional moves outside the booth. There was that run of “Are We There Yet” kiddie movies. Ahem, ahem. The latest is his Coors Light commercial, and his hardcore fans weren’t having it. We don’t see anything particularly wrong with Ice Cube selling Coors Light in this ad. Watch Ice Cube’s Coors Light commercial below and decide for yourself:
We say, what?? It’s not like it’s St. Ides, thank God, and even a swagged-out Billy Dee Williams sold Colt 45 like a champ in his day.
2. T-Pain’s Auto-Tune Microphone – The Christmas Toy Hit of 2011!
Five or six years ago, it was undeniable who the King of the Radio Airwaves was. T-Pain was featured on more Top 10 singles than anyone, and he pioneered the use of Auto-Tune in Pop and Urban Music. Like everything good, the bandwagon jumped onboard, possibly overusing the technology to warp their voices on song after song. And when people finally started to get sick of it, they blamed T-Pain for his role in popularizing it. That’s foul! After taking a PR beating,T-Pain sat out a few rounds, but came back swinging last year with a new deal, new music, and a new TOY???
T-Pain obviously doesn’t care what the haters think. What makes us say that? It could be the obvious way he’s left himself open for madddd jokes by creating an Auto-Tune microphone that kids can use to manipulate their vocals all the way to the top of the music industry. Not. The commercials, though? Pure hilarity.
He has reportedly made a few million dollars by licensing his name and likeness for the toy. A few million? T-Pain, your haters have officially been “chopped and screwed.”
1. Warren G’s Erectile Dysfunction Malfunction
Hey, fellas, we get it. Sometimes your little man isn’t working up to his full potential. Lucky for you, there are a ton of products on the market now that can help. BUT, if you’re a legendary West Coast, Dogg Pound-affiliated rapper named Warren G, you might want to pass this opportunity by. Indeed, Warren did lend himself for the Affirm XL penile enhancement pill ads picked up by TMZ that left him with a lot of explaining to do in 2011.
So, can Warren G get it up on his own? We’re not sure. But he sure spent a lot of time digging himself out of that hole. No pun intended!
There are a bunch more bad endorsement examples out there – share your own below!
BONUS: This ain’t Hip-Hop, but it’s just plain crazy, so we’re throwing it in. In 1961, some execs from the hugely popular “Flintstones” cartoon series thought it would be a swell idea to partner up with the Winston CIGARETTE commercial and let Fred sell cigs to kiddies. Ummm. Hmmm. No.
(AllHipHop News) Wyclef Jean will headline a controversial concert at the University of Colorado on April 20, also known as “4/20.”
Wyclef will hit the stage on “4/20,” which is also a popular marijuana smoking holiday.
According to the University, the $150,000 concert featuring Wyclef is meant to serve as a distraction from smoking marijuana that day.
“We are asking students to support us in the effort to protect the reputation of our institution and do it by attending a great free concert,” said Carly Robinson.
A variety of rappers celebrate the holiday, in particular Cypress Hill and Snoop Dogg, who is even releasing a free marijuana themed EP on the holiday.
But officials at the University of Colorado claim the annual celebration has gotten out of control at the University.
According to The Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, the annual gathering at the University of Colorado drew over 10,000 people last year and is the largest celebration on a college campus in the country.
The day of the concert featuring Wyclef, students will be find up to $100 if they are caught smoking on campus.
The Wyclef Jean concert on 4/20 takes place from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Coors Events Center at CU-Boulder.
Organizers are planning to stop entry at 4 p.m., to ensure those the venue do not light up at 4:20 p.m.
