(AllHipHop News) Police are searching for a gunman who opened fire at a concert featuring Nipsey Hussle last night (March 2) in Tempe, Arizona.
Thirteen people were taken to the hospital to be treated for gunshot wounds, with two of the victims in critical condition.
Police are seeking two black males, who shot the victims in the parking lot of the club shortly before midnight and then fled on foot.
“At this point, Tempe police officers and detectives have identified 13 shooting victims from the incident,” Tempe Police Department spokesman Sergeant Steve Carbajal said in a statement to the media.
Police are still seeking the suspects.
Nipsey Hussle addressed the issue on Twitter as well.
“AZ…y’all gotta be cool man. This s**t ain’t rite,” Nipsey tweeted.
Soul Train-award winner Robin Thicke is giving us another taste of his creativity with the latest video for “Pretty Lil’ Heart”.
The 34-year-old says he’s trying to embody “a little bit of that old Hollywood charm,” with the video. Set in a bar, Thicke explains the song saying. “How can you trust that a person is doing you right?”
In the cinematic video for this single, Robin Thicke channels his inner James Dean character and reenact a famous scene from the film, “Rebel Without A Cause”.
“Pretty Lil’ Heart” is the second single off Thicke’s album, Love After War. Just a few days after the passing of legend Whitney Houston, Thicke also released a cover of the Grammy-winning song “Exhale”.
(AllHipHop News)
A lawsuit has broken out between the children of Gil Scott-Heron, over the late, legendary singer’s estate.
Rumal Rackley is Gil Scott’s only son and the official administrator of his estate.
Rackley filed the lawsuit in New York Supreme Court on February 24, claiming that his half-sister, her mother and grandmother, have been taking money from the singers accounts without authorization.
The $2 million lawsuit against the trio of women, claims that Gia Scott-Heron, her mother Brenda Sykes and her mother Elvira Sykes, illegally withdrew over $250,000 from the singer’s Chase accounts, just weeks after his death in May of 2011.
Rackley claims that Gia Scott-Heron forged her father’s signature to obtain the cash, while Brenda Sykes and her mother took over $60,000 from Gil Scott’s personal checking account.
His son claims the women’s goal was to take Gil Scott’s assets and move them from New York, to California.
In addition to the missing $250,000, Rumal Rackley is seeking $2 million in damages for the illegal withdrawal.
Gil Scott-Heron, who was HIV positive, died on May 27, 2011 after he fell ill upon returning home from a trip to Europe.
Too $hort has been taking a lot of heat for his “Fatherly Advice” video message to young boys, and it turns out, his label may have pressured him into it. Check out excerpts below from his interview with Hip Hop DX where he says Barry Weiss, the president of Jive encouraged him to put out a nasty album.
“And, I’m not gonna blame this on anybody, but I was actually being pushed into a direction where I would talk to people at Jive [Records], I would go talk to the President, Barry Weiss, and he was like – I always wanted to do these [side] projects like the E-40 duet album, which was one they never would let me do. Jive would never let me and E-40 do an album together. They kept making excuses and so it never got done. I also wanted to do an album that was filled with songs like “The Ghetto,” “Life Is…Too Short,” “Money In The Ghetto,” “I Want To Be Free.” I wanted to do a whole album of positive Too Short songs, just to keep that balance. I had made a verbal deal with Barry Weiss, where he was like, “Right now would be the perfect time, you should do like the raunchiest Too Short album ever – the album cover, the songs, just do a dirty f*ckin’ Too Short album.” This is the executive running the company advising me to put out an entire album of just cursing and sex.
So I’m like, “If I did that I’d have to then do the exact opposite and follow-up that with an album that’s all positive.” And so, I did the album for him, we did You Nasty. I thought it was a funny idea at first – we had like a p### star on the cover, I’m naked, the girls are naked and we really did a butt-naked photo shoot. And it got a gold album and all that stuff. But when it came time to do the positive album, it was never a good idea. It never got the green light. Once I did what they wanted, they would never let me do what I wanted.”
While his advice was a bad look, kudos to Too $hort for exposing the evil and corrupt corporate influence on Hip-Hop.
On March 9, nationally-syndicated radio personality Big Boy will release a new movie called Exit Strategy, which has been described as an “un-romantic comedy.” Not only does he serve as the film’s executive producer, Big Boy also makes an appearance in the movie, which stars fellow comedians Kevin Hart and Q-Deezy Harris, along with newcomers Kimelia Weathers and Jameel Saleem.
Big Boy invited AllHipHop.com out to the movie premiere on February 28 and then had us come out to Power 106 FM in Los Angeles, to discuss the new movie. We also caught up with the two main characters of the movie, Kimelia Weathers and Jameel Saleem, for a little fun as well. After the interviews, read a review of the movie by our own Jon Garcia.
AllHipHop.com’s Review of “Exit Strategy”
In a movie industry pulsating with more and more predictable romantic comedies, Exit Strategy rejects all stereotypes- dubbing itself “An Un-Romantic comedy”. The protagonist James (Jameel Saleem) is evicted from his home and is forced to live with his girlfriend, Kim (Kimelia Weathers). Almost instantly, he realizes she is not the one for him. Faced with a dilemma, James decides to devise a plan to break up with Kim, but still live in her house and sleep on her couch.
The film boasts an array of characters with differing personalities that each work cohesively to bring a wide variety of flavors to the film as a whole. James is a lovable character who is just trying to figure it all out, and Kim is, quite simply, crazy. James has two best friends: Carville and Leona. Carville is played by QDeezy, the always entertaining radio host. He brings an awkward humor to the film. The second is played by Noelle Balfour, a seasoned actress. Leona attempts to be a voice of reason throughout the film, while adding quick jabs to the guy’s wall of testosterone.
Executive producer of the film, Big Boy of Power 106 makes an appearance, as James is a fan of the radio show. Another cameo is made by comedian Kevin Hart, number one on MTV’s “Hottest Comedian in the Game” list. Playing a creepy and temperamental man who inquires about a mannequin head in the store where James and his friends work, Hart provides his own interesting brand of relationship advice. Watch out for bacon.
One of the most impressive aspects of the film is the lack of stereotypes and clichés it has, especially given the two lead roles are played by African-Americans and the tired subject is a romantic comedy. It seems any comedic film that stars Black actors attempts to become the next Friday. Here, the characters could have been played by anyone; race is hardly ever part of the jokes. The script – which was also written by Saleem – is hilarious, but more importantly, relate-able. The plot itself may be a bit far-fetched, but the actions are not. Whether it’s being grossed out by crusty feet, annoyed by chore work, or scared of a crazy female, the problems here are something to relate to. And taking the very low budget into consideration, the entire team did an excellent job.
If there’s one complaint about the film, it’s the lull it hits right in the middle. But ultimately, the film is entertaining, so go see this with a couple of friends for some laughs. Surely, one of them has had a crazy girlfriend or two.
It looks like Queen Latifah has a new leading lady in her life. The rapper/actress was spotted on vacation with rumored girlfriend, world famous choreographer, Ebony Nichols. Nichols was rumored to be the Queen’s rebound after she kicked ex-girlfriend Jeanette Jenkins to the curb.
Below are a few photos of the two back in August of last year in Barcelona, Spain.
Latifah seems like she knows how to treat a lady right! Good luck to the alleged new couple!
Aww man, Mike Epps’ daughter Bria has aired out her father by releasing the audio of the argument with him where she claimes he told her he was going to “f*ck her up”. Bria filed a complaint with the police earlier today. Check out the audio of Mike Epps going in on his daughter here.
Bria also gave an exclusive interview with Bossip where she claims that Epps has “bipolar disorder and schizophrenia,” and that “his behavior definitely stems from that plus the drug use.” Check out the full interview with Bria here.
This definitely does not look good for Mike Epps. It’s pretty sad, actually.
Look what we have here. If you all follow VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop”, you know that cast member Emily B’s story line has been her constant battle with Fabolous not claiming her in public. Well, the two had a coming out party at the Hennessy NBA All Star Takeover event at VAIN nightclub in Orlando, where we are told the two were very affectionate.
The two also walked the red carpet together at the “Think Like A Man” premiere. Check out the photos below.
Maybe this appearance will turn into Fabolous appearing on “Love & Hip Hop” next season. Hmmm, you never know!
President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama received a soulful group of performers at the White House recently, and one that stood out was new Warner Bros. signee Gary Clark, Jr., with his stirring performance.
Hosted by President and Mrs. Obama, the evening paid homage to the great figures of the Blues and their influence on the cultures of Soul and Rock ‘n Roll. The performance touched close to home for the Obamas because the concert honored the musical form that flourished in the Westside of Chicago. Check out the video below:
Clark has played all over the country at festivals, charity events, and his latest gig at the White House. His latest project, The Bright Lights EP, was released in 2011. Check PBS.org for more info.
(AllHipHop News) Meridian, Mississippi’s own Big K.R.I.T recently sat down with AllHipHop.com on a recent tour stop during his 4eva NA Day Tour.
K.R.I.T. took time to speak about his upcoming “Campus Consciousness Tour” with J. Cole, which starts April 11th at the University of Rhode Island, and concludes at a private location in South Orange, New Jersey on May 4th.
“He’s really like the homie man,” Big K.R.I.T. said of J. Cole in an exclusive interview with AllHipHop. “He’s been doing his thing man and he reached out cause the album finna come out, ‘Live from the Underground.’ He was like, ‘Yo come on out here,’ so I was like, ‘S**t hell yea,’ you know. It’s gonna be a lot of places I haven’t been before and its gonna be some fan bases I haven’t reached, so to be up out there before the album drops will be a blessing.”
Big K.R.I.T also expressed excitement about performing his new material on 4eva NA Day at SXSW in Austin, Texas, where he has five shows this year.
“Ah man, we gonna rock out and we gonna have new material out, 4eva NA Day will be out before SXSW. So being able to go out there and do that, I think we gonna be on some different platforms this time,” K.R.I.T. explained to AllHipHop about his SXSW plans.
“Last year we did eight shows and this year we are doing five, but those five, they are key shows I didn’t do last year,” K.R.I.T. continued. “I’m really just going out there having fun and wildin’ out on stage man, it’s about having fun at the end of the day, I’m just blessed to be here.”
K.R.I.T. also gave an update on his debut release on Def Jam, Live From the Underground that will be released in June.
“Its like surreal, my one album was supposed to come out September 27th,” Big K.R.I.T. explained about his project. “I couldn’t sample as much, so I had to create songs, or create the kind of music that sounds like a sample. It has the same K.R.I.T. feel, the same vintage feel, but it was actually original. For one – a lot more singing, a lot more content, features from people that a lot of people wouldn’t expect me to feature. It’s a different take on my music.”
When asked if the project will be more radio friendly, K.R.I.T. summed it up in simple terms.
“Na man, it’s still just as country as ever.”
Below are Big K.R.I.T.’s Tour Dates with J. Cole for the “The Campus Consciousness Tour”
4/11/12 – Kingston, RI University Of Rhode Island @ The Ryan Center
4/13/12 – Babson Park, MA Private Location
4/14/12 – Waterville, ME Colby College @ Wadsworth Arena
4/15/12 – Amherst, MA Private Location
4/17/12 – Champaign, IL University Of Illinois @ Assembly Hall Theatre
4/18/12 – Dekalb, IL Northern Illinois University @ Convocation Center
4/19/12 – Lexington, KY University Of Kentucky @ Memorial Coliseum
4/20/12 – Johnstown, PA University Of Pittsburgh Johnstown @ Sports Center
4/21/12 – Greensboro, NC UNC Greensboro & North Carolina A&T @ White Oak Amphitheatre
4/23/12 – Springfield, MO Drury University @ O’Reilly Center
4/24/12 – Cedar Falls, IA University Of Northern Iowa @ McLeod Center
4/26/12 – Bloomsburg, PA Bloomsburg College @ Nelson
4/27/12 – Morgantown, WV West Virginia University @ WVU Coliseum
4/28/12 – Philadelphia, PA Temple University @ The Liacouras Center
4/29/12 – TBA
5/3/12 – Durham, NH University Of New Hampshire @ Whitmore Center Arena
5/4/12 – South Orange, NJ Private Location
Mike Epps’ 18-year-old daughter, Bria Epps, filed a claim with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department yesterday claiming that the comedian threatened her and promised to “f*ck her up.” The argument allegedly stemmed from Mike ‘s recent appearance on “The Wendy Williams Show” where he gave a shout out to two of his kids, but didn’t mention Bria.
Bria, who is Mike’s daughter from a previous relationship with his wife, tells TMZ that she called her father to express her disappointment, and they got into an argument. That’s when things went left, and Bria threatened to “air some family drama” to the media. According to the police report, Mike didn’t take too kindly to that and threatened to “f*ck her up” and “’cause her and her mom and grandmother problems.”
Between us, we hear that the “family drama” that Bria is threatening to dish to the media is that Mike allegedly had a daughter with a stripper while he was married! Scandalous! ALSO, we hear she was trying to extort Mike a few months back or she would go to the media with his alleged crackhead past. Whaaaaah! We thought Cousin Day-Day only smoked pot. That sh*t cray!
Well, hello, rumor readers. I thought it was about time to introduce myself. My name is Sydney Lace, and I have been the one feeding your need for rumors for the past few months (along with some from others on the staff). I hope you have been thoroughly entertained by my postings, or at least partially tickled. While I have your attention, I’d like to address the pink elephant in the room.
I’ve read some of your comments, and I am fully aware of some of your grumblings regarding your beloved illseed. Among your comments on some of the postings, I’ve seen sprinkles of “We want illseed” and “Where is illseed”. Well, to answer your question, I don’t know where illseed is. No one does! After being a staple at the site for 10 years, illseed has up and disappeared, and it’s actually kind of embarrassing for us to admit that. He didn’t leave a note, no forwarding address, and has not reached out to anyone in our camp to inform us of his whereabouts or if/when he is going to come back.
My only guess is that your constant criticism in the comment section drove him off the deep end. I kid, I kid. But seriously, illseed is on the lam, and if you see him, tell him to come back home.
In the meantime, the Rumors section lives on, and Sydney Lace is here to stay! And yes, I did just refer to myself in third person. I hope you enjoy the daily rumors, and if not, PEACE!
After her passing, both the legacy and music of the beloved Whitney Houston lives on. This week, Houston became the first singer to have three albums simultaneously chart in the Top 10. Whitney’s Greatest Hits(RCA) came in at #2 after selling just under 170,000 copies in the past week while the soundtrack to The Bodyguard(RCA) came in at #6 and had a 284 percent sales increase from the week prior. Lastly, coming in at #8 is her self-titled album which increased 79 percent and sold an estimated 31,000 copies
Young Money’s Tyga debuted at #4 with his sophomore studio album Careless World: Rise of the Last King (Cash Money/Universal) which sold 64,742 units, despite having a number of physical copies removed from major retailers after a clearance issue regarding a Martin Luther King Jr. sample arose just as the album was scheduled to hit stores.
Chiddy Bang’s official debut Breakfast (I.R.S/Virgin) charted at #9 after one full week in stores. The album moved 30,866 copies, which may be attributed to the success of the duo’s single “Ray Charles”.
Drake’s Take Care (YM/CM/Universal) and Rihanna’s Talk That Talk (Def Jam) claim the #13 and #14 spots respectively. Drake’s platinum-certified sophomore album moved just over 25,000 copies, a 18 percent decrease from the previous week, while Rihanna’s new album moved 23,043 copies.
Coming in at #25, one spot up from last week, is Young Jeezy with his Gold-certified album TM103 (Def Jam), which moved 16,056 copies. The Throne, a.k.a. Jay-Z and Kanye West, charted at #30 this week with their Watch the Throne (RocNation/Roc-A-Fella) album landed at #25 this week selling 14,308 copies. The duo recently revealed plans to embark on an international tour beginning this week.
Dropping This Week (2/28/12)
Maino released The Day After Tomorrow, the Brooklyn rapper’s second studio album, which contains the singles “Let It Fly,” “That Could Be Us” featuring Robbie Nova, and “Gangstas Ain’t Dead” featuring PUSH! Montana and Mouse. Other guests on the album include T.I., Meek Mill, Mista Raja, and Roscoe Dash. Production on The Day After Tomorrow comes from Mista Raja, GQ Beats, Chris Styles, and more.
Ja Rule, who is currently serving time in prison, released the follow-up to 2001′s triple-Platinum album, Pain Is Love, entitled PIL2. The seventh studio album from Ja was entirely produced by 7 Aurelius and features Leah Siegel, Jon Doe, Kaleena from Dirty Money, and many more.
(AllHipHop News) Wu-Tang member and Ice H20 founder Raekwon has just announced dates and cities for the U.S. leg of his “Unexpected Victory” tour.
The tour, which is named after the rapper’s New Year’s Day released mixtape, Unexpected Victory, kicks off at the Gargoyle Club on Wednesday, March 7th in St. Louis, MO and wraps up a month and a half later on April 20th at Ziggy’s in Winston-Salem, MA.
The 28-date tour will take Raekwon across the United States and even have him perform at this year’s SXSW Conference in Austin, TX on March 14th and 15th and at the Paid Dues Independent Hip-Hop Festival on April 7th in San Bernardino, CA.
In addition to Raekwon and his Ice H2O family, Gary, Indiana native Freddie Gibbs will be trekking across the country with “The Chef” as the tour’s opener.
Currently, Raekwon, Ghostface, and Cappadonna are putting the finishing touches on their collaborative project with The Lox titled Wu-Block, which is set for release later this year.
Check out a full list of tour dates and cities below:
3.07.12 – St. Louis, MO – Gargoyle Club
3.09.12 – Pontiac, MI – Crofoot
3.10.12 – Steger, IL – Another Hole In The Wall
3.12.12 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
3.13.12 – Chicago, IL – Cubby Bear
3.14-3.15.12 – Austin, TX – SXSW
3.16.12 – Dallas, TX – Prophet Bar
3.17.12 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace
3.18.12 – Oklahoma City, OK – Kamps
3.20.12 – La Jolla, CA – Porter’s Pub
3.21.12 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory
3.22.12 – San Francisco, CA – 103 Harriet
3.23.12 – Reno, NV – Cargo
3.28.12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Club Elevate
3.29.12 – Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theatre
3.30.12 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
3.31.12 – Denver, CO – Casselman’s
4.01.12 – Sioux Falls, SD – Vault
4.02.12 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans
4.03.12 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Hall
4.04.12 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
4.05.12 – Jacksonville, FL – Brewster’s Pit
4.06.12 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution
4.07.12 – San Bernardino CA – Paid Dues Festival
4.13.12 – Baltimore, MD – Sonar
4.14.12 – Poughkeepsie, NY – Vassar College
4.19.12 – Portland, OR – Port City Music Hall
4.20.12 – Winston-Salem, MA – Ziggy’s
The rumor mill is churning, and it is saying that Beyonce was spotted breastfeeding her daughter Blue Ivy Carter at a public restaurant last weekend. The source told US Weekly that Bey and Jay-Z were having lunch at Sant Ambroeus in NYC, and Beyonce pulled out her breast and began breastfeeding her 7-week old daughter right there at the table.
Um, okay, here are the reasons why I don’t believe this happened the way they are selling it:
1) There are plenty of cover-ups mothers can buy now that will cover her lady bits while breastfeeding in public.
2) Why wouldn’t Beyonce just walk outside and go into her custom nursery on wheels aka the black Mercedes Benz Van she gets whisked around town in?
3) Where’s the picture? For sure, someone would have snapped a photo of the breastfeeding mommy!
Anyhoo, in related news, Gwyneth Paltrow just can’t seem to keep her trap shut about baby Blue Ivy. She recently gushed to Hollywood Life that BIC is going to be dropping it like it’s hot on stage somewhere like her momma when she gets older.
“For sure, she is going to be an entertainer. She just has this glow around her like her mother … Beyonce is doing great. She’s just a natural at being a mom.”
(AllHipHop News) Rapper Cee Lo Green has confirmed a one-of-a-kind residency at Planet Hollywood resort and casino in Las Vegas.
This summer, the genre bending rapper will star in “Cee Lo Green Presents Loberace,” which is being described as a “unique show” designed exclusively for Cee Lo Green and Planet Hollywood.
“Cee Lo Green Presents Loberace” will take fans through legendary moments in music, from Prince, to Blue Magic, to the Rolling Stones.
According to organizers, the production combines Cee Lo’s stylistic flair with over-the-top technology, magic, “sexified” showgirls, larger-than-life wardrobe and advanced stage design.
The 28-date residency begins in August and runs in the month of September, November and December at Planet Hollywood’s 1,400-seat showroom.
“Planet Hollywood was established by fellow artists, actors, entertainers, my peers; and they’ve proven to know a thing or two about the art of being an entrepreneur,” Cee Lo told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “I am very fortunate to have Planet Hollywood as a partner, allowing me to further extend and embellish on the brand that is Cee Lo Green.”
The “Loberace” concept was hatched by Cee Lo’s long time manager Michael “Blue” Williams, who is also serving as producer of the residency at Planet Hollywood.
According to Planet Hollywood’s President David Hoenemeyer, there is major buzz around Cee Lo’s upcoming residency.
“We are thrilled to welcome Cee Lo to the Planet Hollywood family, where ‘fame sets the scene’,” Hoenemeyer said. “There is no one hotter today than Cee Lo. The excitement is everywhere throughout the property, from our team members to our guests and partners.”
Check out the performance schedule for “Cee Lo Green Presents Loberace”:
August 29, 30 and 31
September 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 and 29
