Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to your sense of urgency!! I know today is “Only” the 4th day of the new year, and I know you feel like you have the whole year in front of you but you don’t!! Tomorrow is not promised! Tomorrow does not exist!! Tomorrow is not even a fact!!
The only thing you know for sure is that you are here today!! SO……… What are you doing TODAY!!! How are you grabbing your dreams by the horn TODAY!!! Stop acting as if you have forever!!! Make sure that you are treating your goals and aspirations with a sense of urgency!! Understand that time is the only thing once wasted that can not come back! Use it wisely, and work everyday like your life depends on it….. Because it does!!
You have one life to live so you to live it the best way you know how….. NOT NOW BUT RIGHT NOW!!!! You have a lot of living to do before you die and you don’t have time to waste!!! Seize the Moment!! -Ash’Cash
“Seize the day, and put the least possible trust in tomorrow.” -Horace
“Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of.” -Charles Richards
“You must take action now that will move you towards your goals. Develop a sense of urgency in your life.” -H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
“You may delay, but time will not.” -Benjamin Franklin
“There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back.” -Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
“Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.” -Jim Rohn
“Many fine things can be done in a day if you don’t always make that day tomorrow.” -Unknown
“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.” -Orison Swett Marden
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.
(AllHipHop News) Last night DMX let fans know that he is not scheduled to perform in Sacramento, California despite several fake promoters’ claims.
“SOME S**T IN THIS INDUSTRY NEVER CHANGES ….. I WAS NOT BOOKED FOR A SHOW IN SACRAMENTO ON FEB 18TH !!!” the rapper exclaimed to fans via his Twitter account @DizarkMizanIzex.
Despite reports of his scheduled appearance and even a Facebook page claiming touting the show, the Yonkers bred rapper put the rumors to rest.
“THEY JUST PUT UP A FACEBOOK PAGE OR WHATEVA YOU CALL IT FOR ME ILL MAKE SURE THEY PUT THE REAL DATES UP !” he continued to vent via his @DizarkMizanIzex account.
Although DMX could sue in court over the matter, the recently freed veteran rapper let fans know he isn’t planning on pressing charges.
“SON THE LAST PLACE I WANT TO BE IS A COURTROOM,” X explained to a fan, asking if he would press charges.
DMX was recently honored by Lil’ Wayne at Liv night club in Miami during one of many YMCMB New Years Eve celebrations.
(AllHipHop News) Rapper/actor/TV producer Nick Cannon has been hospitalized for kidney failure, his wife Mariah Carey has revealed.
According to Mariah, Cannon suffered from “minor” kidney failure and is currently recuperating in an Aspen, Colorado hospital.
“We’re trying to be as festive as possible under the circumstances but please keep Nick in your thoughts because this is very painful,” Mariah Carey wrote on her website.
“The truth is as long as we’re together, we’re OK,” Mariah continued. “I’m not trying to make light out of the situation because it’s a serious moment that’s very tough on all of us so please keep us and our family in your prayers.”
Nick Cannon and Mariah had twins Monroe And Moroccan Cannon, in April of 2011.
More details on Nick’s condition were not available as of press time.
Check out some pics of Nick and Mariah as the arrived in Aspen, Colorado, just hours before Nick was hospitalized.
In 2011, Grammy-winning Reggae singer Shaggy released his 10th studio album, Summer In Kingston, and garnered another nomination for his work. In 2012, Mr. Boombastic himself has another arsenal of music ready to unload; however, before he focuses on what’s next musically, he’ll be headlining the annual “Shaggy and Friends” Benefit Concert in Kingston, Jamaica on January 7th.
The concert, which has raised millions of dollars since its inception in 2008, has become bigger, better, and more powerful with every passing year, as new talent is brought on to help a great cause – raising money and awareness for medical equipment that many hospitals in Jamaica cannot afford.
AllHipHop.com got the chance to speak to the Grammy-winner a few days before his concert takes place to talk about his fifth Grammy nomination, the current musical landscape for Dancehall and Reggae, the “Shaggy and Friends” concert, and more:
AllHipHop.com: What’s going on, Shaggy?
Shaggy: Not much, not much.
AllHipHop.com: The first thing I want to ask you about is your Make A Difference Foundation and the Shaggy and Friends Benefit Concert, which is going down on January 7th in Kingston. You’ve already got Lauryn Hill and M### Priest on the lineup with you, so tell me a little bit about that.
Shaggy: We just got Eve on board join the concert, too, and the concert is for a cause that is near and dear to myself and a lot of people. The foundation helps children who need surgeries, and we help fund hospitals who have a lack of equipment, and we try our very best to accommodate those things through the medium of a concert. We’ve been able to buy millions of dollars of equipment for these hospitals.
With the concert, we also raise the profile and the awareness of these things going on, and we’ve had some outside entity like the U.S. come over and donate to help the cause as well. I’m just happy and grateful to be a part of all of that.
AllHipHop.com: Well, just based on the money you’ve raised since the benefit’s inception, it’s very clear that both the foundation and concert have been extremely successful, so I want to applaud you for that.
Shaggy: Thank you very much. I really want to applaud my team. Of course, I might be the first face that people thank and recognize, but it couldn’t be done without the help of my team and the people around me, and there’s a whole lot of them.
AllHipHop.com: Well, next, I want to congratulate you on your Grammy nomination.
Shaggy: Thank you.
AllHipHop.com: I wanted to ask you, as someone who has been nominated multiple times in the past, and already won a Grammy back in ’96, what does it mean to you to still be getting recognized for the work that you’re doing?
Shaggy: It means a lot. I have been nominated few times, and at one point when we did Hot Shot, it was never nominated, even though it was the biggest Reggae album of that year, so I felt a little bit snubbed by the Grammy’s at that time. Since then, I’ve learned the ins and outs of how that kind of stuff works, so I don’t worry about it much, but it’s an honor.
AllHipHop.com: So beyond your Grammy nomination, what are your thoughts on the current landscape of Reggae and Dancehall music, specifically in the U.S.?
Shaggy: Well, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that there’s not a lot of chart action. We’re not getting past the basics of the artists that have the potential to cross and have the potential to compete with other types of music out there and genres. That becomes the problem.
AllHipHop.com: Do you think that affects, in any way, your process behind the music that you create? Are you trying to appeal to more people with your new music, or are you sticking to the formula of doing what Shaggy has always done best?
Shaggy: The thing about the Reggae market is … it’s just like a movie. You talk to a Spielberg or you talk to any of these guys, they’ll do their Sci-Fi movie, or whatever kind of big movie that brings in a lot of money. It’s good because that way, it helps them fund doing the more organic movie that their heart and soul is in; it’s the same way.
You’ve got to have these songs, these chart-toppers, as records that compete with the mainstream to allow you to do your underground Dancehall sh*t. You can’t just see one side. There’s songs that I have that are true underground Dancehall, but then I have songs that are my crossover songs that I try to get out there. I’m doing an album right now with me and Sly and Robbie, which is a more core album, so it’s got to have a balance so that you can basically make the music that’s a force to be reckoned with and to compete.
AllHipHop.com: Well, your most recent album Summer In Kingston, was released in July and your track record has kind of shown that you tend to put out new music or a new album every two to three years. In 2011 alone, you’ve already released two albums so is this a new pattern that sticking to and are we getting a new Shaggy album in 2012?
Shaggy: I think you’re referring to the Shaggy and Friends album, which is not an album that was ever commissioned by me.
AllHipHop.com: OK, hmmm…
Shaggy: That was commissioned by my former best friend and former manager, and I did not have anything to do with that release. That release was supposed to be on our website only, which ended up being put out which I did not approve of. So as far as I’m concerned, I only put one album out last year, which was Summer In Kingston.
AllHipHop.com: Going forward then, do you have plans to release a new album this year or at least to release some new music?
Shaggy: I have 200 songs, like I have a studio in my home, so I’m recording constantly. It’s a daily thing for me, so to put records together and create an album is easy. I could just pick a bunch of things that I already got, so to compile records for an album is not a big deal. I normally put records out, but to put a body of work and an album out I don’t know.
I’m continuously putting singles out, whether it’s Dancehall singles or Pop singles or Dance singles, you know there’s songs that I’ve released in Europe that are on the dance chart that have not been released in America yet. I tour on that in the European dance market. So for me it’s just constantly putting out records ,and it’s not to just get more hits. You can go to a Shaggy show, and there’s some songs I can’t even finish the f*cking song because I only have a certain amount of time to do it. I want to perform the hits in a certain amount of time, and I’ve got a lot of hits [laughter].
AllHipHop.com: That you do.
Shaggy: The reason for doing a record is basically to raise the profile. Out of sight is out of mind.
AllHipHop.com: And you’ve clearly got enough material in the safe to put out another ten albums right now if you wanted to I’m sure.
Shaggy: Absolutely, but I still love making new ones [laughter].
AllHipHop.com: Well, it was a pleasure to speak with you, and once again, best of luck at the concert and at the Grammy’s!
(AllHipHop News) Ludacris’ new concept restaurant “Chicken & Beer” was one of 150 restaurants and retail shops approved by Atlanta’s City Council, to open in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The restaurant is named after Ludacris’ RIAA certified double platinum album, Chicken-n-Beer, that included the hit song, “Stand Up.”
“Im taking my restaurateur footprint into the busiest airport in the WORLD! Hartsfield-Jackson ATL International! Chicken & Beer coming soon!” Luda Tweeted from his Twitter account @Ludacris.
Luda’s eatery will be part of a new $1.5 billion international concourse that city officials plan to open in the spring, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Other popular restaurants planned to open include The Varsity, Shane’s Rib Shack, Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint and The Pecan.
Chicken & Beer is Ludacris’ second restaurant.
He opened his first Atlanta based restaurant Straits, in 2007.
Two weeks after going platinum, Drake’s sophomore album, Take Care (YM/CM/Universal) opens 2012 at #2, after selling 72,110. Drake’s “Club Paradise Tour” will kick off in February as Drizzy looks to continue last year’s success in 2012.
Young Jeezy’s Thug Motivation 103 (Def Jam) remains at number after selling 63,232 copies in its second week. TM103 opened strong last week with 232,000 albums sold in its debut. The third and final album in the Thug Motivation series contains features from Jay-Z, Andre 3000, T.I., 2 Chainz, and Fabolous among others. Read our review of TM103here.
Lil Wayne’s double-platinum selling album, Tha Carter IV (YM/CM/Universal), which was released in August of last year, opened 2012 with 35,965 units sold, claiming the #10 spot on the charts. The upcoming year looks bright for Lil Wayne and the rest of YMCMB, with multiple releases scheduled in the first and second quarters.
After a two-week absence from the top 50, Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne (Roc-A-Fella/Roc Nation) returned to the charts at #15 after selling 28,515 units. The duo concluded their popular “Watch The Throne” Tour in December and both are rumored to have solo projects scheduled for release this year.
Mac Miller’s, Blue Slide Park (Rostrum), also found its way back to the top 50 at #26, selling 19,565 copies this past week. This marks the first time the album has seen the top 50 since its second week for sale.
Common’s ninth album, The Dreamer/The Believer (Warner Bros.), after debuting last week at #17 and selling 69,000 copies, fell to #28 this past week, selling 18,662 albums. Common talked about the album, which features from Nas, Maya Angelou, and John Legend, in an exclusive interviewwith AllHipHop.com. You can also read our review of the album here.
Elsewhere in the top 50, J. Cole’s Grammy-nominated and certified Gold album, Cole World: The Sideline Story (Columbia) made its way back into the Top 50 after a short absence, taking the #41 spot and selling 13,390 copies. J. Cole recently wrapped up his “Cole World” Tour and looks forward to the New Year after a big 2011.
Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa’s Mac & Devin Go To High School (Warner Bros.) sold 13,186 copies at #42.
Wale’s Ambition (Warner Bros) reappeared in the top 50 at #43 by selling 12,725 copies
Here we go again. Lupe Fiasco is claiming to be having issues with his record label, Atlantic Records. Lupe says that he has yet to record anything for the follow up to his 2006 debut, “Food & Liquor II,” and that his planned fourth album is being stalled because of politics over at the label. In an interview with AOL’s the Boom Box, Lupe had this to say on record about the matter:
“The ‘Lupe [Fiasco’s Food & Liquor II]’ album is [coming out] hopefully. It’s not on me. It’s not done yet. I’m waiting on my record company, ain’t nothing changed. Same business, it’s on them.”
Maybe the fans can once again gather outside of Atlantic Records and force them to release his next album, like they did with Lasers. Occupy Atlantic Records, anyone?!
Like in the Terminator movies, Jon Connor (born Freeman) is on a mission to save music. Labeled as “The People’s Rapper,” Conner is a triple threat in the game. Not only does he spit tight verses, but he also writes and produces all of his own joints. His music doesn’t follow the norm, but is instead saturated with unique beats coupled with sincere, raw emotions that really pierce listeners. Looking to continue the buzz he continued to produce another hot mixtape with “Jon Connor As Vinnie Chase: Season 2,” mixtape that dropped last year. We caught up with the rising lyricist to talk about inspiration, the new mixtape and why he’s “The People’s Rapper.”
AllHipHop.com: When was the moment you became interested in music?
Jon Connor: It wasn’t even a time when I can say it really started since from birth I was around music. My dad plays the guitar, drums, keys, and I would watch them rehearse and play in church. Music was like the fifth member of the Freeman household, so really it was there all along. We would play old records like Hall and Oats, Bobby Brown, Bobby Womack, Zap, Gap Band, etc.
AllHipHop.com: When was the first time you came across Hip-Hop?
Jon Connor: My older sister introduced me to hip-hop. I was listening to ’70’s soul, ’80’s rock and’90’s pop-rock and she was the one who was a hardcore hip-hop fan. My first real introduction to hip-hop music was through her playing MC Breed’s “Ain’t No Future in Yo’ Frontin,’” and DJ Quik’s “Born and Raised in Compton.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0sxAEGmm5M
AllHipHop.com: Why did you want to make it a career?
Jon Connor: What turned me on to being an entrepreneur and being in the music game was watching the era of Master P and No Limit. They just came and took over the game. Our stories are similar. Before Master P, New Orleans didn’t really have a voice until No Limit and Cash Money came out and made a movement out of their music. They were pumping out so much music and they created the blueprint to get out and do it themselves. Watching them led me to create my own company Varsity Music. Music is my first love so I knew that I would produce music. I would describe music as my first love and hip-hop as my mistress.
AllHipHop.com: What was your first rap battle like?
Jon Connor: I was in the fifth grade, and one of my friends at the time would always rap on the bus. When he would freestyle, he would pass the “mic” to me and I would always stop the whole session ’cause I couldn’t rap. There was one day when I knew that he was going to pass the mic to me, so I practiced a good two bars to spit. The day came and they passed me the mic, I spit those two bars and the bus when crazy. After that reaction, I started taking rap seriously. That’s why I go so hard when I write my rhymes. The same high I got from the way my classmates reacted when they heard me spit on the bus is the same high I get from being on stage now.
AllHipHop.com: How did you get dubbed the “People’s Rapper?“
Jon Connor: To be honest, Jon Freeman, the person, cares about all people. Through my music and my message, all of us share the same struggles, and we shouldn’t treat each other different because of class or race. I want my music to speak all people and include all people. Of course, I ‘m going to tell the story of my music through my experience of growing up in Flint, Michigan, but my music speaks to the entire human experience.
AllHipHop.com: How has growing up in Flint, Michigan impact your rhymes?
Jon Connor: People hear about my city and know about my city, but people don’t know the depths of the city. It’s really a whole other world. I’m very aggressive and passionate and that comes from growing up in Flint. I’m not going to paint this super unrealistic portrait of my city, so what I speak in my music is simply the truth. My city hasn’t had a ray of hope in a long time. When I rap, I’m not just doing it for me or my crew. In Flint, you’ve got teens with more stress than a person that’s 40. There is no rest in my city because we come from a place where we don’t have s###. My mother lives in a neighborhood where half the block is boarded up. I was just told the other day that one of my little homies got killed by his own cousin and that’s normal for Flint. So when you hear me going so hard it’s because life in Flint is real. Failure is not an option, and Flint put that in me.
AllHipHop.com: What was the grind coming up like?
Jon Connor: In 2005, I made my first record that started my career. I had a friend in Florida, and I would take the bus from Flint to Florida and I passed out CDs along the whole bus ride, optimistic that my name would get out there. Nothing in this business was handed to me, I came from the hard time grind. I’m a songwriter, producer, rapper and a visionary. I can’t stop until I got VMAs, No. 1 albums, Grammy’s…all that. I want to be one of the greatest of all time in this music industry.
AllHipHop.com: What went into creating this your latest mixtape, and how was it different from other projects you’ve created before”
Jon Connor: “Season 2” is very different from everything I’ve ever done because the awareness of Jon Conner is the highest its ever been. My name is really buzzin’. Before “Season 2,” I was still trying to catch people’s attention. So now that I have people’s attention, I have to really show my ass. We have to be the ’96 Bulls, which was our mentality behind the creation of “Season 2.” Lyrically, it’s the most personal material I’ve ever written. For the concepts and themes, I just go super personal. I talk about issues that affect us all. I’m talking about things we see everyday in Flint like little girls cussing and talking back to the parents and them not correcting her. I talk about how this little girl’s life will be affected by her parent’s lack of discipline and how this will play out once that little girl grows up to be a mother raising her own children. I’m talking about raw human emotions. “Season 2” is really a wake-up call.
AllHipHop.com: How would you describe your lyrical prowess?
Jon Connor: I think that’s the cool thing about being from Michigan. I have elements of all styles West, East, and South, which all have their own unique sounds. My production style is a little bit of everything, but I don’t like labels. I think labels are b#######. There are so many facets to a person, and therefore we can’t just pigeonhole everybody into one thing. It’s the same with my music; I’m more than just conscious rapper or a party rapper. I rap about everything and that a reflection of my real life. I’m and all-around artist.
AllHipHop.com: How would you describe the state of Hip-Hop right now?
Jon Connor: In the NBA, you had an era with all the greats Jordan, Bird, Magic, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, and they made watching basketball fun again. I love the state of hip-hop right now. You have a lot of artists who care about what they’re saying and how their production sounds, because they want to make a real impact with their music. They respect the game and they want to create music that is a reflection of the inspirations that we had from artists we grew up with. Underneath the surface are a lot of artists who are making really good music.
AllHipHop.com: There are a million new artists that come out the woodwork everyday, so what makes you stand out?
Jon Connor: My passion and my work ethic draws people to me—whether they see me on stage or they hear a song of mine. Plus, no one else has my story and if they did, they can’t verbalize it like me. I’ve been fighting since birth; before I knew what life was and people see it. They see the genuineness in me, so the same person you hear on the record is the same person you’re shaking hands with. I’m not a character ’cause this is who I am. Through honesty and truth, you connect to people on a deeper level. I’m gonna always do me.
AllHipHop.com: Who would you love to collaborate with and why?
Jon Conner: It’s too many to name, but my top three would be Eminem since I’m from Michigan, Timbaland to talk music, philosophy and psychology and Prince because he’s great?
AllHipHop.com: When can fans expect an official LP?
Jon Connor: We’re focused on “Season 2” right now, but we’re in talks right now with some folks and whenever a situation comes across that right then we’ll make an official major label debut. The intensity of how we’re working on this album is the same zeal I’ll take with my debut album. If I do say so, “Season 2” is a dope f###### album! It’s a movie for your ears. I’m making it free as a thank you to the people.
We’ve been hearing that Dr. Dre and fellow N.W.A. member Ice Cube are talking about letting their kids act in a rumored upcoming movie about legendary West Coast rap group, N.W.A.
When asked about the possibility of their children starring in the movie, Dr. Dre told TMZ, “We’re talking about it … we’ll see what happens.”
That’s great news, since we already know that Cube’s got talented kids, and the late Eazy E does, too. Now if only Dre had a kid who could go into the studio and finish Detox for Daddy. Hmmm…
See a clip below of Ice Cube and son in the 2010 BET Cypher:
(AllHipHop News) A promoter from the United States claims that he was kidnapped in Angola, Africa after a failed New Year’s Eve show that was supposed to feature Nas.
TMZ.com reports that a promoter named Patrick Allocco from AllGood Entertainment, was working for a local concert promoter in Angola named Henrique “Riquhino” Miguel, who paid $315,000 for an appearance by Nas and Jemiah Jai.
Nas and Jemiah Jai allegedly missed their flights to Angola, resulting in a dispute between Allocco and Miguel, who allegedly hired local thugs to kidnap the man and his son at gunpoint.
They were held and interrogated for over seven hours, until the U.S. Embassy intervened in the situation.
“The hope is that Nas and Jemiah Jai will return all of the monies that were wired to them immediately so that our ransom may be paid and our safe return to the United States may be facilitated,” Allocco said in a statement.
Allocco and Miguel are currently in Angola in a hotel room, attempting to resolve the dispute.
