Even though Lil’ Wayne is living his childhood dream of being an entertainer, has millions of dollars in his bank account, and millions of fans that love him, there are times when he feels that “it sux” to be him. The YMCMB leader recently tweeted several depressing tweets including, “It hurts to be me.
”Sometimes it’s extremely hard to be me. This is one of those times.” He also tweeted, “Again….it sux to be me sometimes.”
The reason we hear Lil’ Wayne is feeling blue is because a groupie from North Carolina is claiming that she recently slept with him at a recording studio in Raleigh, North Carolina, and his girlfriend/rumored fiancée found out about it and is very upset. Could this mark the end of his relationship with his rumored fiancée?
Right before the Super Bowl, Nicki Minaj tweeted about being kissed by Mega-Star Madonna on her 29th birthday. In the tweet, she said, “OH MY f’ingggg Gahhhh!!!!! MADONNA jus kissed me!!!!! On the lips!!!!!!! It felt sooooo good. Soooo soft!!!! *passes out* aaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!”
Well, the video of the actual kiss has been released. The quick lip lock took place on the set of Madonna’s music video “Give Me All Your Luvin” featuring Nicki and M.I.A. and shows all three ladies decked out in their Marilyn Monroe wigs.
Madonna and M.I.A. presented Nicki with several candle-lit cupcakes and glasses of champagne, while all the extras who are dressed as football players and cheerleaders sing Nicki “Happy Birthday.” Check out the video below.
How cute was Nicki, asking if the kiss was caught on tape? That must have been a “moment for life” for dear Nicki!
(AllHipHop News) April 21 is the 5th annual Record Store Day, which will feature special releases from Afrika Bambaataa, Atmosphere, Danny Brown, Aesop Rock, and many more.
Every year since its inception, Record Store Day has allowed music enthusiasts and collectors to take part in special events, and more importantly, purchase exclusive works from an enormous list of diverse talent from all musical genres.
Among the exclusive content that will be released for this year’s celebration is a special 7″ release from punk band MC5, that will include the original version of their song “Kick Out the Jams,” as well as a cover by Zulu Nation’s Afrika Baambaataa. Five thousand copies of this release are expected to be pressed.
Rhymesayers Entertainment will distribute a three-sided exclusive for Record Store Day, which includes music from Atmosphere and the duo of Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson, known as The Uncluded. The 10″ vinyl, which will only receive 1,500 pressings, also includes a special third side featuring “A Poop Story Told By Slug.”
In addition, Fool’s Gold artist Danny Brown will release, for the first time ever on vinyl, 1,000 double-sided 12″ copies of his critically-acclaimed project, XXX. Releases from Run DMC, Childish Gambino, Miles Davis, Odd Future, Bruno Mars, The Pharcyde, Gorillaz, Andre 3000, and Esperanza Spalding will also be available for purchase on April 21.
Founded in 2007, Record Store Day is “a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally. It is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances.”
For a full list of releases and to find a participating store near you, visit www.RecordStoreDay.com.
Shoe designer, rumored love interest of rapper Bow Wow, and one of the first daughters of Hip-Hop, Angela Simmons is serving up glamour in the latest issue of LadyGunn magazine. An emerging publication based in New York/Los Angeles, the mag loves to focus on energetic talent in the worlds fashion, music, and art.
Simmons, 24, provides insight on the fashion world, her love life, and how she deals with being a constant figure on gossip blogs.
On how the fashion industry embraced Pastry:
“Pastry got a really great reaction at first, and it’s now really growing rapidly. Things have been going so well with pastry. The brand continues to grow and develop more and more. My sister and I have created a shoe that’s so girly and fun. It allows a girl to be a girl. I feel so girly and free wearing Pastry!”
On dating in Hollywood:
“It’s like dating anywhere else. The only difference is that everyone knows your business and what’s going on. I must say that when you are spotted in Hollywood with anyone you are automatically with them, which is crazy.”
On dealing with being a constant figure in the media:
“I often don’t know when I’ll wind up in the media, but if it’s good stuff GREAT. If it’s bad, I just let them talk and go on about my day. It’s kind of a part of the job I signed up for.”
Simmons also mentions that she has a clothing line, books, and possible films in her future. See the rest of the Clement Pascal-photographed shots from the LadyGunn Magazine shoot here.
(AllHipHop News) T.I. and Tiny will showcase their life behind closed doors for a second season of “T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle,” airing on VH1 this fall.
“T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle,” which averaged 2.4 million total viewers during the first season’s premiere, was paired with the second season of “Love & Hip Hop” and the fourth season of “Basketball Wives.”
The shows helped VH1 rank as Monday night’s #1 choice among women aged 18-49.
(AllHipHop News) Maroon 5’s Grammy-award keyboardist PJ Morton recently inked a deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint to release his first solo album.
Young Money President signed PJ Morton, who will drop his debut EP titled Following My First Mind tomorrow (March 27).
“I was excited from the start about the opportunity with Young Money, because they are about the only label that is about creativity and individuality,” PJ Morton told AllHipHop.com. “They have a star roster, but every act is creatively unique. They are the only ones doing it like labels did it back in the old days when you had Marvin Gaye doing something worlds apart from Stevie Wonder, who was doing something worlds apart from Donny Hathaway, yet it was all celebrated; all successful.”
The first single from Following My First Mind is titled “Heavy,” and features Maroon 5’s lead singer, Adam Levine.
The New Orleans native, who has worked with artists like LL Cool J, Jermaine Dupri, Monica and others, is signed to Mack Maine’s Soothe Your Soul Entertainment and Young Money Entertainment.
The CEO’s of Cash Money Records, who distribute Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint, were excited to welcome PJ Morton to the roster, which now includes artists like Drake, Nicki Minaj, Busta Rhymes, Limp Bizkit, Tyga, Jay Sean and others.
Mack Maine said he signed PJ Morton because of the longterm potential he sees in the budding solo artist.
“I signed PJ because his music does not just soothe your ears, it soothes your soul,” Mack Maine said. “His music truly impacts your emotions and gets into your mind. We have known PJ is a special artist for many years and now with Young Money Entertainment being able to share his music at large, the whole world will get to know.”
Over the weekend, residents of Los Angeles gathered on a partially cloudy day in Hollywood to demand justice for the slain 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. All walks of life came out to march back and forth between Hollywood to Sunset Boulevards, with signs supporting Martin and demanding the arrest of George Zimmerman.
AllHipHop.com was on hand to take part in this rally, and we encourage you to participate in similar ones in your area so that your voice can be heard. Exclusive pictures and video of the L.A. event can be seen below:
(AllHipHop News) According the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), HIV is the third leading cause of death for Black women and men ages 35-44. Today, on the 17th anniversary of the death of Eazy E, from complications due to HIV, AllHipHop.com informs on this disease and the devastation it has wrought on the Black community.
Since the discovery and clinical observation of the disease in the 1980s, HIV and AIDS continue to be viewed as a disease that mostly affects homosexuals. However, African-Americans account for 44 percent of all new HIV infections, despite being only 14 percent of the American population. In fact, the CDC estimates that as many as one-in-32 African-American women will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime.
In a new study by the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) announced early March, 2,099 African-American women were tested for HIV. Of this number, 32 had the virus and were unaware of their status, within one year of the initial test; an additional .24 percent of women had contracted the disease. Women in the United States represent one-quarter of new infections, and 66 percent of these women… are Black.
According to the CDC, 85 percent of women infected with HIV, were infected through heterosexual sex. To further illustrate this point, Eazy E maintained that he never had a sexual encounter with a male. And, no women who claimed to be infected by Eazy E ever came forth.
“While African American women do not engage in more risky behaviors than other women, a complex range of social and environmental factors place them at greater risk for HIV,” the CDC said in a statement announcing the launch of a new campaign – “Take Charge. Take the Test.” – aimed at curbing the HIV crisis among Black women. The social and environmental factors that place Black women at a higher risk for the disease are lack of health care, poverty, and a stigma within the community that prevents testing.
In the HIV Prevention Trials Network study, six urban areas were identified as being hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic are: Baltimore, Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Washington, D.C., Newark, NJ, and New York City. The CDC’s new campaign, “Take Charge. Take the Test,” is encouraging people to know their status. Knowing your HIV status can inform the decisions women make and can be the first step to treatment. Most states offer free HIV testing, find the closest testing site to you at www.hivtest.org.
More information on the CDC, “Take Charge. Take the Test.” Initiative is available at www.actagainstaids.org.
Twenty-seven-year-old R&B star Trey Songz just released his latest video, “Sex Ain’t Better Than Love” for the song that appears on his five-song EP, Inevitable.
The video, possibly one of Songz’ best to date, takes a look at different relationships – those that are rooted in sincere attraction, and others that might just be infatuation.
Trey Songz fifth studio album, Chapter 5, is set to be released later this year.
This rumor was circulating before, and since it’s the anniversary of Eazy ‘s death today, I thought I’d spark up the conversation again. Ice Cube is in the process of producing an NWA biopic entitled “Straight Outta Compton,” and late last year, it was rumored that Lil Eazy E was in talks to play the role of his father.
Well, earlier this month Ice Cube was asked about the progress of the movie, and he said that a script had already been written and approved, and the next step was to hire a director. When asked about Lil’ Eazy E playing the part of Eazy E, Cube said that nothing was confirmed, but he would be open to letting him audition.
“I knew I had talent. I knew I could draw. I knew I could make work come to life on the wall. I knew I was creative… but my overall goal wasn’t to be the best. I just wanted respect from my peers. A sense of admiration from people who’d see my work…”
As the introduction plays, it’s almost impossible to distinguish between Mickey Factz and “MauSe,” the character that he portrays in his latest project. The aspiration to be respected is something that should drive any person who’s been in the limelight, and Factz is no different. He’s had all of the motivation in the world in the last few years; from seeing several of the artists from his respective XXL covers blossom into notable stars or fade into the background, Mickey’s somehow stuck right in the middle. He’s been releasing quality projects, but as far as garnering the attention needed for his career to reach the heights of some of his peers? It hasn’t happened.
So it seems that out of that realization, “MauSe” was born. A character created by Factz to parallel his personal thoughts, feelings, emotions, and more in another attempt to garner the recognition he (and others) feels that he so righteously deserves. Mickey MauSe, according to Factz, isn’t a mixtape; it’s a soundtrack based around the life of this created character/street artist, and the moment you approach the project with open ears is the moment you realize how different this soundtrack is from anything else. In this case, that’s a great thing.
An interesting aspect about Mickey MauSe is that it’s as educational as it is musical. The songs are steeped in the time period of the late ’80s, and for authenticity, MauSe is full of references to the culture at that juncture. From name-dropping select basketball players from the Knicks, to mentioning Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Hulk Hogan, it’s an immersive experience that illuminates almost every step of the way. The character is introduced, developed, and expounded on during the mixtape through music and interludes (addressed as “Memoirs”). Granted, a few of these are extremely lengthy, and that could be one of the few legit gripes concerning it as a whole (and as you replay the project), but it still fits perfectly in the veins of what Factz was trying to accomplish with his soundtrack.
Of course, the details mean nothing if the music doesn’t measure up, but thankfully it does. Almost all of the tracks are self-produced by Factz (with a little assistance from FKi, Felix Cartal, and Justin Rose) and interestingly enough contain samples from Dangermouse and Dead Mau5 (pronounced “Mouse”). “Union Square” has MauSe describing his surroundings while showing his ambition, while “Chalk” has his character diving in nose-first (literally) into his newfound fame. There’s also the typical emcee songs present with a twist of cleverness as well; “The Arts” is an outro filled with clever bars, and “Dreams of Money” features Mickey doing ad-libs as MauSe blacks out on the instrumental.
Not Mickey Factz, but Mickey Mouse… the Disney character. I can’t make this up, lol.
It’s hard to imagine this not being a type of swan song for the MC; the amount of effort and time put into the project is obvious, and explains why he went silent within the last year musically. The project isn’t perfect, but it’s close to it, and there’s a few things that can’t be disputed: the soundtrack/character concept was executed well, the lyrics are top notch, and the songs fit the project almost perfectly, even if the production strikes some as “progressive.” Even if you don’t like it, you still have to respect the talent and creativity… but for some reason, I think that was Mickey’s true goal all along.
Roc Nation artist Rita Ora is reportedly dating reality TV star Rob Kardashian. The two were outed as a couple yesterday when a paparrazi caught them having a huge, blowout argument on a street in Hollywood, California. Once Rob realized the argument was being recorded, he ran after the photographer and cornered him in a local spoke shop. The pap yelled out, “He’s attacking me … he chased me … he tried to kill me.” The police came in shortly after Rob could even get to the guy and arrested him. Below is a photo of the two arguing and Rob getting arrested.
The cops released Rob Kardashian from custody shortly after his arrest.
Rumor has it that Rita and Rob have been dating for a year and were introduced to each other by Romeo Miller. They were also spotted out and about in Rita’s home base of London late last month.
Grammy-nominated producer/artist Ryan Leslie just released a new video for “5 Minute Freshen Up”, part of his new visual album, Les Is More.
It was in 2006 that we first heard about Ryan Leslie through his production work on Cassie’s first and biggest hit to date, “Me & U”. In 2008, his in-the-studio vlogs on YouTube showcasing his production and artist talents began to surface, and in 2009, he released his eponymous debut album. The album spawned three singles, “Diamond Girl”, “Addiction” and “How It Was Supposed To Be”. Later that year, he returned with his sophomore effort, Transition.
In his latest projects, Leslie seems to be more focused on rapping and musicianship than his signature singing. He mentioned on record with AllHipHop.com in recent months that he was working on an all-rap album. The question remains: do fans really want to hear Ryan Leslie rapping on an entire album?
According to Leslie, Les Is More will be released one single at a time – both musically and visually – over the course of 2012.
In 2011, Fat Trel was crowned “Breakout Artist of the Year” at the DMV Music Awards. Today, he released his first 2012 offering in the form of Nightmare on E Street, the long-awaited project from the D.C. lyricist.
The 22-track mixtape features all new music from Trel and boasts appearances from a number of his fellow talented DMV MCs, including The Slutty Boyz, Tabi Bonney, Meatchi, and Chris Bo. Red Cafe, Phil Ade, and Raheem Devaughn also make appearances on the mixtape.
Production on the project comes from Brainzzz, Kane, Lex Luger, Harry Fraud, Big K.R.I.T., Raheem Devaughn, and many more.
(AllHipHop News) The parents of slain teenager Trayvon Martin plan to join a march today (March 26) in Sanford, Florida to mark the one month anniversary of their son’s death.
Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton will join thousands of people during the march today, after more than 1 million people signed a petition on Change.org.
Trayvon’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, started the petition on Change.org, calling for Zimmerman’s arrest and prosecution.
“The petition’s growth has been astounding,” said Jon Perri, a senior campaigner at Change.org. “Every hour, more and more people from around the world are coming to Change.org to join Sybrina and Tracy’s campaign for justice. Their powerful personal story and tireless dedication has made theirs the largest campaign ever started on the site.”
The petition calls for the prosecution of George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed the 17-year-old on February 26.
Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, is accused of shooting the unarmed teen in a gated community in Sanford.
According to police, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed as he walked home from a store, after Zimmerman called police to report a suspicious person.
George Zimmerman ignored police instructions to avoid confronting the teen and confronted him.
Witnesses confirmed that a scuffle ensued that resulted in the unarmed Trayvon being shot in the chest with a semi-automatic pistol.
Although Zimmerman has confessed to killing Trayvon Martin, Sanford police have yet to arrest and charge him.
The shooting has drawn international outrage, with a number of activists, celebrities and politicians who have joined in calling for Zimmerman’s arrest.
Over the weekend, a number of church leaders around the country delivered their sermons in black hoodies, similar to the one worn by Trayvon, when he was killed.
The Miami Heat basketball team all donned black hoodies for a group photo over the weekend, while Tom Joyner and Queen Latifah held a moment of silence for the teen before a celebrity cruise to benefit black colleges.
Meanwhile, Fort Myers, Florida rapper Plies recently released a tribute track to Trayvon titled “We are Trayvon,” which already has almost 500,000 total views.
Check the song out below:
Tec from Bootcamp Supporting Trayvon Martin
Miami Heat Support Trayvon Martin
Queen Latifah, Tom Joyner Moment of Silence for Trayvon Martin
Mobb Deep headlined the A3C/AllHipHop stage at SXSW and the Infamous Mobb performed many of their classic hits, take a look at the video recap of the show.
Emilio Rojas is a veteran on the independent Hip-Hop scene. Amid rumors in the past of him signing to Rick Ross’ MMG imprint, Rojas has made it clear time and time again that where he winds up – whether it be on a major label or continuing to strive on the independent scene – is not important. As long as he’s “comfortable,” he’ll be happy.
After recently releasing the very well-received mixtape, Breaking Point, with DJ Green Lantern, Rojas is on a mission: to have his music heard by as many new listeners as possible. Traveling to South By Southwest (SXSW) to perform for one of the most diverse gatherings of music aficionados is just another of the ways he has taken his career into his own hands.
The Rochester native continues to tour in support of the project and wants to release as many visuals for tracks off of Breaking Point as possible. It was after one of his explosive performances at SXSW that we were able to speak to the man behind tracks like “Sympathy For the Devil,” “Runway,” “P*ssy and Cologne”, and “Champion” about the response to Breaking Point, his new untitled EP with Green Lantern, and what exactly SXSW means to him.
Check out our exclusive interview with Emilio Rojas below:
