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Friday Fashion Feature – Jeggings: Cop or Drop?

Are they jeans? Leggings?

 

QuestionsView Results

 

Nope, they’re jeggings!

 

To the pleasure of many, fierce ladies like Amber Rose and Meagan Good brought a whole new level of sexiness to all sorts of leggings – leather, shiny spandex, snake print, etc. – and one of the latest trends in this category is the “jegging”.

 

With the look of denim but the feel of leggings, jeggings are super versatile and comfortable pieces.

 

Top them off with a long tee or sweater and get that casual denim look, but with all the comfort stretchy leggings provide.

 

All hail the legging queen – Amber Rose

 

Beyoncé

 

As with most denim these days, you can also dress them up like Beyoncé does above, with a blazer and sexy high heels.

 

Check out Mel B. rocking a retro acid wash pair with a laid back look below, and cop your very own jeggings on DrJays.com:

 

Mel B.

 

Denim Leggings by Cheryl Creations

 

Love Kills Slowly Leggings by Ed Hardy

Hip-Hop Rumors: Gucci Man’s Fraud Case Explodes! 50 Cent & Rocsi On BET! Swizz & Alicia May Have A Prob!

DISCLAIMER:

 

All content within this section is pure rumor and generally have no factual info outside of what the streets have whispered in our ear. Read on.

THE DAILY TWO SENSE

 

I appreciate all the love and respect that I have gotten in the last few days and week.  I want you all to hit me with whatever you see!

 

SEE SOMETHING?

 

SAY SOMETHING!

 

It really makes my live easier and also far more interesting. I like reading and hearing about other people’s accounts of what happened. Shout out to all of my regulars and alla that!

 

Email me rumors and sightings at [email protected].

 

A MAJOR HIP-HOP LABEL TO COLLAPSE

 

 I cannot say the label, but I can say that one of Hip-Hop’s most trusted and respected brand in Hip-Hop is quite possibly going to be going under soon. I am sure this will garner me death threats and everything I deserve, but I can’t say the name of the label. All I can admit is the brand has been around for years and years and keeps serving up dope rap. The only thing is, the sales don’t seem to match with the quality of the artist’s work. So, you can expect more people out there on the open market and this includes big wig execs!

 

 

 

THE GAME GOES IN!

 

The Game doesn’t stop does he? Oh, and neither does 50 Cent. Well, Game and 50 are at it again. The Compton rapper said the following:

 

“It’s just Hip-Hop and I think that he’s more bitter towards me then anyone else he’s had drama with because look what I did to his brand. I killed G Unit. I killed the clothes, I killed the brand, I killed Tony Yayo, Banks, and Buck at that time. Like I really f**ked up a lot of money for that dude. Not only for him but my label, Jimmy Iovine, who at this point, I’m apologetic to.” Click here for full story.

 

Now, from his R.E.D. Album, Game supposedly has a song called “Ricky.” Honestly, we don’t know what that song is, but I thought It may have something to do with MC Rick Ross. If you have any ideas on this, let me know.

 

 

50 CENT WAS WITH ROCSI – ALL IS WELL!

 

So, yesterday BET’s ROCSI and 50 CENT mended their lives formally! Yesterday, the rapper appeared on BET for the first  of about three dates on the net work. But we all rmember the beef that Rocsi and Fif had. She said some things and 50 responded with some things…..no need to delve back into the details of the mess there. According to my Twitter fam, they were on there and everything was real cool…”they got along” as one person put it. Another person said Yayo and Banks were “cold” but 50 was “civil.” Viewers can catch 50 Cent co-hosting 106 & PARK again on, Monday, November 23Tuesday, November 24 at 6:00 p.m.* and

 

 

50 CENT EXPLAINS CHILLIN’ WITH RICK ROSS’ SON

 

Here is some more 50 Cent for the stanleys of the world. But this is interesting content for anybody, since 50 Cent is explaining why he did that “Family Day” thing he did. 50 is just ruthless like Eazy E.

 

 

SWIZZ…ALICIA…WATCH YOUR BACK!

 

I looked on Mashonda’s Twitter and couldn’t find the specific tweet so maybe she deleted it, but Swizz and A. Keys may have actually done Mashonda a favor. Her career may get a jolt of energy now. According to the message from her, Mashonda says she is now getting hit up from A&Rs at labels that know she’s been hurt and know she has a story to tell. They want her to express that pain in her song…and you know what happens then…SCANDAL!!!!! We’ll see!

 

FILTER OFF: BEYONCE RUMORS!

 

I have this filter thing going on. I basically filter out what I think are stupid rumors. I think I need to turn that filter off a bit! Because, when I heard that Beyonce and her bodyguard Julius were a rumored couple, I just said, “these internets have lost their minds.” But, there are some that charge they are a bit too close and have been seen in compromised positions. Pics that don’t look right. On the flip side, they are saying Jay-Z has already called for my dude Julius to be fired. But dude sometimes works for Jay too. Remember them fighting  off the papz in Africa? A recent trip to Berlin seemed to get the rumors jumping crazy again….hmmmmmmm…..

 

I don’t believe it.

 

 

GUCCI’S PEOPLE ADDRESS FRAUD ALLEGATIONS!

 

Check this out. There  is about two damn minutes of pure instrumental, but after that, you get the interview with Gucci’s management.

 

 

AND THE GUCCI MANE ACCUSERS STRIKE BACK

 

So this is regarding a Gucci Mane Show Pittsburgh that has caused a tremendous amount of beef. Peep this…these are not my words, but the words of others that have a complaint. Like I said, they are talking about taking this to a new level of the game.

 

 

 

Good Morning,

 

 

 

Please be advised that i spoke to Johnnie Cabbell regarding the Gucci Show in Pittsburgh and Gucci’s non-appearance and breach of contract on our two previous dates… Johnnie believes So Icey Ent. (Gucci or Ms. Debbie) WILL NOT reimburse us for lost promote expenses nor defer the back payment of this show to compensate for non-appearance and breach of contract …

 

 

 

My attorney advise that Gucci, Debbie & Johnnies conspiracy to defraud clients by booking shows while Gucci is on house-arrest or in rehab, failing to advise their clients of his confinement or status and knowing that Gucci would be unable to make any shows is a federal and state crime… The attorneys will contact the Pa. Attorney General and/or FBI for investigation against Gucci Mane, Debbie & Johnnie and then move  for TRO’s & Preliminary Injunctions to stop any Gucci Shows until he compensates prior clients (we will get the other clients involved with help from JB at Ozone Mag.)…

 

 

 

Johnnies Cabbell request that we wait until Friday, Nov. 13th before we make a decision (Gucci has yet another Court hearing)…I sending this email to advise everyone of this matter and get input.

 

 

 

CASE HISTORY:

 

 

 

1). On or about, June 24th, 2009, b. Marshall productions and associates contracted with Hitt Afta Hitt ent.  (Johnnie Cabbell) & So Icey ent. (R. Davis (Gucci Mane) & Debra Antney) to book a concert with rap artist Gucci Mane in Pittsburgh, Pa., show scheduled for August 22nd, 2009…. b. marshall productions & associates were required to send Cabbell & Antney $27,500.00 intial deposit split between Davis, Antney & Cabbell;

 

 

 

2). For promotion, production and preparation for the 8-22-09 show b. marshall productions and associates placed a $2,000 non-refundable deposit on their show venue, place a $2,500 sound equipment deposit, spent $4,500 in radio ads, paid $1,000 in fliers/posters, $2,000 street team, and $1500 non-refundable security deposit for a total production expense of $13,500.00;

 

 

 

3). On or about, July 15th, 2009, b. marshall productions and associates received word that artist Gucci Mane had committed a parole violation and had been returned to jail;

 

 

 

4). B. Marshall productions and associates then contacted Cabbell and Antney to learn the status of artist Gucci Mane and to insure that the 8-22-09 show date would proceed;

 

 

 

5). On or about, August 5th, 2009, Cabbell/Antney informed the parties that the Pittsburgh Show was in good standing and would proceed;

 

 

 

6). On or about, August 5th, 2009, Cabbell/Antney informed associate G.. Rowell that his show would proceed in Washington, DC and was in good standing;

 

 

 

7). B. Marshall productions and associates then purchased more TV ads promoting their 8-22-09 event based on Antney/Cabbell’s assurance letter;

 

 

 

8). On or about, August 20th, Antney told b. marshall productions that Gucci Mane would not show in Pittsburgh and they would reschedule the show….but that they would not return any lost promotion deposits or advertisement money;

 

 

 

9). On or about, Sept. 14th, 2009, Cabbell/Antney reissued b. marshall productions and associates a new contract and new show date for November 7th, 2009, Antney/Cabbell advised b. marshall productions and associates that artist Gucci Mane would make the new show date and that they would provide a video drop from Gucci Mane to promotion the event 30 days before the Nov. 7th show;

 

 

 

10). At no time would Cabbell/Antney explain Gucci Mane’s confinement or restriction or the length thereof and both were aware that Gucci Mane could not make the Pittsburgh or DC show dates when they issued the 8-05-09 letters;

 

 

 

11). On Sept. 18th, b. marshall productions contacted, via email, Davis/Cabbell/Antney requesting a video drop….they informed b. marshall productions that they had the script and would complete the video drop  before Oct 7th, 2009;

 

 

 

12). Between Oct. 1st and Oct. 22th, b. marshall productions contacted Cabbell/Antney for video drop to no avail;

 

 

 

13). On Oct. 22nd, Gucci Mane’s show with FAMU was cancelled because of non-appearance;

 

 

 

14). On. Oct. 31st, Gucci Mane’s show with NC A&T was cancelled do to non-appearance;

 

 

 

15). B. Marshall Productions and associates have learned that Gucci Mane is not permitted to leave the state of GA and was never able to make the 8-22-09  or 11-07-09 shows

 

 

 

 

 

16). B. Marshall Productions and associates have learned that Davis/Cabbell/Antney have continued to book shows, take money from other associates & clients, refuse to return deposits or lost promotion expenses, and reschedule show dates, although they are/were aware that Gucci Mane is not allowed to leave Georgia..thereby committing a  state and federal fraud..

 THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR HIP-HOP!

 

I have said this over and over and I am going to say it again. It is getting harder and harder to FIND and LOCATE some major Hip-Hop releases. Read what a reader friend of mine said:

 

I’ve seen Wale’s numbers for his new CD and heard about 50’s low expectations.  I live in Oklahoma City and here it’s near impossible to find either CD.  I still haven’t seen a Wale CD after visiting 5 different stores.  Plus, the Best Buy’s here still aren’t carrying 50’s new one.  I found a Target with about 8 of them.  I’m thinking that if Interscope wants these artists to do some numbers, they need to ship CD’s to some stores so we don’t have to get them digitally.

 

 

Thanks Adam!

 

 

ILLSEED’S QUICKIES!

 

Looks like Eminem is going to come out in December a few days before the Chrismas holiday. My bad..that’s something called “Refill,” a re-release with new tracks and old tracks from Relapse.

 

Waka Flocka Flame is all good and out of jail I guess. He is going to be giving away Turkeys for Thankgsiving to people along with Nicki Minaj.

 

Speaking of Nicki, it has been brought to my attention that some people may have taken something I said the wrong way. I wasn’t suggesting SHE leaked that Rihanna she wrote, I was just saying it leaked. Not that Nicki leaked it on purpose.

 

I was wrong too. Marlon Wayans gave C tha God the BIZNESS on Twitter! Oh, it was ugly!

 

Shout out to Toccara Jones.  She has a new boyfriend in Rasual Butler of the L.A. Clippers. But here is the thing, I thought she was still with that music industry dude. T has a reality show on the way…stay tuned for that. Is she on BET still?

 

Shout out to Gabrielle Union, who is on “Flash Forward” on ABC. I had no idea!

 

Fantasia is reportedly dating a married man and got his name tatted on her. Like, my filter is on again.

 

KRS-ONE TALKS THE POTENTIAL JAY-Z / 50 CENT BEEF

 

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsfree video player

 

SIGNS THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END

 

 

 

 

This dumb a$$ kid and his father must have a real messed up relationship, dude. His daddy killed him execution style…read up on it.

 

A Highland Park teenager was shot to death execution style after he confessed to inappropriately touching his 3-year-old half sister. Detroit police say Jamar Pinkney Sr. barged into Jamar Pinkney Jr.’s home, where he lived with his mother, and beat the boy before ordering him to strip naked. He then led the frightened 15-year-old out into a field where he shot him to death.

 

Lazette Cherry, Jamar’s mother said she was only trying to teach her son discipline when she called his father and told him what the boy had done. “I called and told his father this isn’t something you sweep under the rug,” Cherry said Wednesday.

 

Pinkney Sr., who was separated from Cherry and lived with the 3-year-old and her mother, rushed to the home with a gun.

 

“He started beating him right here,” Cherry said from her living room. “I said, ‘No, please stop!’ “ She said Pinkney Sr. marched the boy naked out of the house — in full view of neighbors — and ordered him on his knees.

 

“He got on his knees and begged, ‘No, Daddy! No!’ and he pulled the trigger,” Cherry said from her home on North Street in Highland Park. “There wasn’t nothing that my son wouldn’t do for his father. He loved his father so much.”

 

Jamar was shot once in the back of the head. Pinkney then calmly drove away. He was arrested 3 hours later and charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of felonious assault and one count of felony firearm.

 

Cherry said the 3-year-old’s mother took the girl to a hospital to be examined Sunday. She said Jamar told her he never raped the child and kept his clothes on.

 

A physical exam showed no evidence of sexual trauma.

 

Pinkney is being held without bond.

 

 

SOME HIP-HOP HAPPENINGS

 

If you are into the grimey, ill Hip-Hop, read below!

 

What up ILLSEED! Thanks for doing what it is you do! I just wanted to throw some bay area love out there,,,Kool Herc was in Frisco on Sun @ The Green Festival. He showed up while Davey D, Dead Prez and Speech were speaking! Later that night @ 1015 Folsom was The Green Fest after party w/ DP and Speech performing, Davey D was djing and Ras Term’s was doing live art! It was a nice lil event! This might not be great gossip! But fools need to get behind being green or get left behind! Peace, J Riggs

 

SOME PICS

 

I know I am late on these so sue me!

 

 

Drake and Nicki Minaj attended the GQ “Men Of The Year” – earlier this week.

 

THIS SONG MAKES ME WISH I WAS FROM NEW YORK….ALMOST!

 

FAB’S BIRTHDAY!

JULUIS, WE LOVE YOU!!!

They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!

-illseed

WHO: illseed.com

WHAT: Rumors

WHERE: AllHipHop.com, MySpace.com/TheIllseed

HOW: Send your rumors and ill pics to illseed at [email protected].

Police Claim Fabolous’ Crew Stole Rare 2008 Lamborghini

Police are investigating rapper Fabolous and his connection to a luxury car stolen from an upscale hotel in Atlanta.

 

According to Channel 2 Action News, Atlanta police claim men in Fabolous’ entourage stole a rare 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

 

The vehicle, which was one of only two brought into the United States, was taken on January 31 and was recently located by the Atlanta Police Department..

 

Surveillance video shows two men in Fabolous’ entourage approach a bellman at the Intercontinental, received the keys to the Lamborghini and left as if it was their property.

 

Fabolous and the rest of the group allegedly followed behind the Lamborghini in a minivan.

 

Police investigated the theft and have confirmed that Fabolous knew the men, but no charges will be filed, since the vehicle was located.

 “We were informed by the Atlanta Police Department that detectives gained information regarding the location of this vehicle by promising counsel for Fabolous that if he told them where the vehicle could be found, the State would not pursue charges,” Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said in a statement. “The District Attorney was not a party to this agreement. We have never spoken with this individual [Fabolous] or anyone connected with him, including his counsel. We were only made aware of this agreement by APD after they located the vehicle.”

 

Howard cited investigators attempts to violate the agreement they reached with the party who provided information that led to the recovery of the Lamborghini, by pursuing criminal charges in regards to the theft.

 “After discovering the vehicle, the police, in direct contradiction to the promise that was made, asked our office to assist them with this criminal investigation by obtaining certain Grand Jury testimony,” Howard said. “To ask my office to participate after the promise was made, in my opinion, directly violates the agreement made to the party who provided the information. I believe the integrity of the promise was more important than pursuing suspects, particularly since the vehicle was located. Integrity demonstrated by prosecutors and law enforcement, is not only of utmost importance— and what the community demands— to our office it is everything.”

 

Meanwhile the vehicle’s owner, Eric Vargosko, is suing the Intercontinental over the loss of the Lamborghini.

 

“The InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta has accepted responsibility for this unfortunate incident from its inception and has always been willing to provide fair and reasonable compensation for the damages caused to the vehicle by the incident,” said Caroline Counihan in a statement to Channel 2 Action News. “We hold the safety, comfort and well-being of our guests and employees as our top priority and concern. We have taken several measures, including heightening security, so that a repeat of this incident does not happen.”

Death Row CEO Wins Injunction Against Finance Co.

The new CEO of Death Row Records has been granted a temporary restraining order against a Canadian financial company that helped fund the $18 million dollar purchase of Death Row Records out of bankruptcy court.

 

Wideawake Awake-Death Row CEO Lara Lavi was granted the restraining order against New Solutions Financial Corporation and its CEO Ron Ovenden today (November 19) by the New York Supreme Court.

 

Lavi was awarded the TRO based on claims that Ovenden and the company’s managing director were illegally diverting assets from the legendary record label.

 

“I’ve been very consistent in my message. I am determined to make Death Row about the artists, their music and their fans while staying grounded to ensure the company’s future. Thus, I am taking the necessary legal steps to ensure this outcome,” explained Death Row CEO and President Lara Lavi in a statement to AllHipHop.com.

 

On November 13, Lavi CEO of Death Row, filed a lawsuit against New Solutions, accusing the company of engage in fraudulent activities.

 

The temporary injunction will prevent New Solutions Financial from doing business on behalf of Death Row Records.

 

Death Row’s North American distribution partner E1 offered a strong showing of support in relation to the company’s dispute with New Solutions.

 

“E-1 signed its deal with Lara Lavi, the CEO, President and managing member of Wideawake Death Row Entertainment LLC on the strength of her vision, business sense and goodwill in the entertainment industry. I look forward to our continued working relationship,” said Rob Scarcello E-1’s SVP of Sales and Marketing.

The Incomparable Chuck D: Quote Me on This!

“There was a time when we raged against the machine and rebelled against

the status quo. Now, you see a lot of those cats ended up becoming the

status quo. I guess the guys at Def Jam ended up becoming the guys they

rallied against.”-Chuck DStill fighting the power. Always.  Chuck D.

It is not everyday that you have the opportunity of sitting down with an anomaly in your field; the inspiration which inspired your inspiration. The only way I could describe the sheer magnitude of this conversation would be to compare it with a sports journalist sitting down with Bill Russell to talk basketball or Jim Brown to talk football. Lovers and loyalist of Hip-Hop and all that it embodies would agree with me that I am not reaching with these comparisons. We’re talking about Chuck D. here.

 

Chuck D was Hip-Hop when being Hip-Hop meant that you battled against the machine and took no prisoners. Everything about Rap music was cutting edge and in your face. The heart and the value of the craft were front and center. There is so much depth and history to the music that when a new artist hits the scene, you can smell the lack of history for the craft in how they present their product. So if you were born after 1992, you are not of legal age to buy cigarettes and you shouldn’t be able to pick up a microphone without having a handle on the history of Rap music.

 

Now that I got that out of the way, Chuck D, wow, if I gave you a rundown on what this man means to the game, I’d have to dedicate a week to him. You hear artists rhyme about how people should pay homage to them. Their first mistake is that they are requesting for it to be paid. Chuck D would rather that you pay attention. And in our conversation, I paid in full (shout outs to Eric B. and friends, can’t forget Rakim). We talked about his groundbreaking partnership with Sellaband.com, we talked about what he hope would be a potential partnership with Allhiphop.com, how he feels about Def Jam, Kanye West, Gucci Mane (yes, we quoted him on it first), and the man that back in the mid to late 80’s was skipping school and making moves in East Trenton.

 

 

AllHipHop.com: We’ve just received news that you have raised

$50,000 in two weeks through your partnership with Sellaband.com

towards your next studio album. For those that don’t know about this

groundbreaking accomplishment, talk about the partnership and what was

it like for you knowing that 1/5 of your goal has been reached so

quickly?

 

Chuck D: I had met the owner of Sellaband 3 years ago at the World’s Biggest Music Conference. This was a method that has worked in Europe and Asia; markets that have made fans into believers of the system. I believe in this system. And what we have done is just baby-steps to stockholders or sponsorships. Being the North American representative of the model, we thought that it was wise to say, “Why not use Public Enemy?” But the difference is that there are high end stakes on Public Enemy’s part. We are totally free, and we know that we have four studio’s and producers around us, so we can always make our records in-house. How we’ll do this through Sellaband is by working on each song a collaborative effort. We’ll ask our fan base, “What would they like to see?” We’ll take their ideas into consideration. And these fans will also have the incentive of being involved in the revenue stream. This is looking at the Music Industry model, almost backwards. In this system, you find your fans first. In the past, Record Companies were the banking systems to finance the product.

 

And about the money, the $50,000 doesn’t come to us directly; it goes into the system to fund the entire process. We wouldn’t have made this record if it wasn’t for the innovative approach. 1/3 of the revenue will be shared by a pool of believers. Think of it this way, people usually invest 10 to 20 dollars on an album, believing in the artist, but just buying the album blindly. Now, they could at least feel like their input mattered in the finished product that they’ll receive.

 “These artists need to leave Jay-Z alone, he is No. 1. He has all the

components. A guy like Jay-Z, I give him Rookie of the Year in 2009.

Over the next 10 years, Jay-Z will take Rap music to a place that we

could only imagine.”-Chuck D

AllHipHop.com: Let’s talk about www.HipHopGods.com. I hear that it will be a Hall-of-Fame of some sorts?

 

Chuck D: Hip-Hop Gods shares an influence from you guys at AllHipHop, OK Player, and Classic Rock radio. It is also influenced by the 1970’s and how radio was able to place Classic Rock, first and foremost. This has always been an idea to work on. The focus is building an online community based on Classic Hip-Hop artists. There is a 15 year eligibility (the eligibility is half of 30 years in which Hip-Hop has been in existence) as far as artists and contributors to the artform to be selected. It is a closed community of interconnectivity that fans can join in and enjoy. Hopefully we can fit in and become a vehicle that could work together with AllHipHop.com and vise versa. And also be parallel to what OK Player does. I am very excited about it, because there are classic artist still out there recording and doing videos and performing just as often as new artists. These artists are recording there records all over again, performing their records all over again. There just wasn’t a house that was solely concentrated on them, until now.

AllHipHop.com:  I am a gamer. And I couldn’t help but notice that ‘Bring the Noise’ was picked up by Guitar Hero as well as DJ Hero. Did you get the opportunity to play your song on the game? And how do you feel about how ‘Bring the Noise’ is still relevant in 2009?

 

Chuck D: I don’t play video games at all. But I will tell you that I am very fortunate to have a song that will never die. ‘Bring The Noise’ is a song that has lived different lives and changed into different forms. The first year it was on the B-Side of the “Less Than Zero” soundtrack. Then it was on “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back”. Then it was covered by Anthrax (rock group). Then last year it won its first Grammy for Dance Remix. And now here it is, on both Guitar Hero 5 and DJ Hero. ‘Bring The Noise’ has taken a weird life of its own. Just a little history, part of the premise to ‘Bring The Noise’ came from the fact that people used to call Rap, noise. So the whole thought was, if you want to call it noise, then we are going to come out and you will be formally irritated by it, not just by the sound of it, but what was also being said in it. ‘Bring the Noise’ was a slap in the face to all those that opposed it.

 

AllHipHop.com: This recent MTV awards show gave Hip-Hop two black eyes with Kanye’s acceptance interruption and Lil’ Mama’s infiltration of Jay-Z’s headlining performance. Did you feel any type of way about either of those occurrences?

 

Chuck D: To me, Kanye is entitled to having a Kanye moment, he is young enough to have a Kanye moment. Maybe he’s young enough to have three of them. Remember, he is still the one that stepped up and said that George Bush doesn’t like Black People, and it paid off for him. This time around he made a move and it didn’t work out for him. So you can say that he is 1 for 2, batting .500. We can’t forget that this same impulse left us with a fantastic quote. That same impulse impeded on someone else’s shine, which was wrong. And seriously, nobody has to check him, he’s checking himself, because embarrassment is what Black entertainers fear the most.

“Lil’ Mama is just the result of record companies trying to make

somebody. In the past, Lil’ Mama jumping on stage was

rewarded as being a big moment…for her, it backfired.”-Chuck D

Lil’ Mama is just the result of record companies trying to make somebody. Everybody figures that they could take a dysfunctional route to get some shine. It falls into this saying that any news is good news. That’s b#######. In the past, Lil’ Mama jumping on stage was rewarded as being a big moment. Now, when you have that much impulse and that much energy, there is a chance that your big moment might backfire. And for her, it backfired. You’re damn right it backfired. Kanye West was on Jay Leno the next night. So the question is would we be talking about Lil’ Mama, right now, if that moment didn’t happen. The answer is HELL NO!

 

Allhiphop.com: We can’t talk to you without getting your views on Def Jam. What were your thoughts on the Anniversary show?

 

Chuck D: If there was one thing that I wanted to say about Def Jam, being that it is the 25th Anniversary; there was a time when we raged against the machine and rebelled against the status quo. Now, you see a lot of those cats ended up becoming the status quo. I guess the guys at Def Jam ended up becoming the guys they rallied against. The power of money has sidetracked a lot of people. And I tell people all the time, money is not power if you don’t direct towards the people.

 

The recent Hip Hop Honors were well put together with Nelson George and Jac (I didn’t hear his last night right) from MTV, but then there was a lot of legitimate beef with that. Nikki D had a legitimate beef about not being invited. Nelson George and Jack can put on a great television show. However, the dynamic of DEF JAM would require that the invitations would be worked out to have the people which had their heads, their hearts and their ears open. The people that helped to build the structure at DEF JAM. There were artists that were left out. There were people that should’ve performed more. There were people that helped build that company and weren’t even invited. My man Dr. Dre (Andre Brown), I tried to get him on the show as a DJ. He was like one of the founding members of the Original Concept and he didn’t even get a whisper. And this is a guy that excelled in the Original Concept, a part of one of the groundbreaking groups, DJ for the Beastie Boys, co-host on Yo! Mtv Raps, he made history in so many ways and wasn’t even invited. I tried to bring him into the situation on my own. He is still bitter to this very second.AllHipHop.com:  Chuck D, it was a pleasure sitting down with you for this conversation. But I can’t let you leave without getting your Top 5 Dead or Alive. Oh, and to let you know, your name comes up a lot in other people lists.

 

Chuck D: Chuck D, as in being respected in Rap, I should be in people’s Top 5 that way. As far as an emcee, 30 years? Man s###… there were hundreds of fantastic emcee’s over that time. I’ll be glad to be in somebody’s Top 50. There are some great artists out there that do it so well. I think that their coverage hasn’t been thorough and I believe their coaching hasn’t been good.

 

For example, when we started producing Ice Cube’s first album, we didn’t start with going into the studio and picking beats. We went to CVS, picked up a notebook and started talking about theory. Cube and I sat in the car and talked about rhyme theory. People can write about anything, but can you think before you write. Can you back your words up to a certain degree? We felt that you shouldn’t swing for the fences if you couldn’t step up and say ‘my bad’ later. The theory of Rap has to be coached. So if I am in someone’s Top 5 as a coach, someone that could talk about the theory of Rap, then yes, I appreciate it.

 

“I think that the science of Hip-Hop and Rap are so far skewed to the

unknown, that people are just dropping the ball on what it is, what it

means and where does it come from. People are making their own

relationship with Hip-Hop in their head.”

-Chuck D

I think that the science of Hip-Hop and Rap are so far skewed to the unknown, that people are just dropping the ball on what it is, what it means and where does it come from. People are making their own relationship with Hip-Hop in their head, and using that as general thought. Hip-Hop is not based on what you think it is… Hip-Hop is what it is. People ask, “Who is the Best Rapper Alive?” I answer, “Where, in the United States?” And they’ll tell me to stop being a smart ass. Then I’ll ask, “If Hip-Hop was in the Olympics, where do you think the United States would rank?” You’ve got Turntablism, you’ve got break dancing, and you’ve got Graffiti artistry. And for the longest period of time, it wasn’t until this year that a turntablist brought the title back to the States. The last element of Hip-Hop is emcee’ing, and anybody that would quickly answer yes to that question of whether the United States could win the Gold in the Olympics, hasn’t been anywhere.

 

This is 30 years into the art form, and I know certain dudes overseas that can rap in three different languages. The components of Rap are linguistics, vocabulary and whit. Those dudes can braid all three languages together as they spit. That is some incredible, impossible s###. But a dude that only knows English can do nothing more than switch their slang or shift their accent. How deep do you really want to judge this music?

 

But let me end it with this. These artists need to leave Jay-Z alone, he is #1. He has all the components. A guy like Jay-Z, I give him Rookie of the Year in 2009, because he is just getting started. Quote me on this, “JAY-Z IS JUST GETTING STARTED!” Over the past 10 years, the best interview dude out there was 50 Cent. 50 Cent interviews were just brilliant. Now, Jay-Z is giving the best interviews. Jay-Z is actually doing things with areas of movement, saying some powerful things. Next, he JUST starting to perform, stepping out of that box. So Baby, Lil’ Wayne, Gucci Mane, any artist trying to battle Jay-Z has better chancing of surviving jumping into a pull with a plugged in toaster than beating him. Over the next 10 years, Jay-Z will take Rap music to a place that we could only imagine.

 

The Game: “I Killed G Unit, I Killed the Brand”

As the news spreads of 50 Cent’s apparent steep sales drop for Before I Self Destruct, former protégé turned rival Game has emerged to take the credit.

 

In a recent interview with Complex.com to promote his forthcoming R.E.D. Album, the Game pointed to his on wax G Unit feud from 2005-2007 as what began his rivals’ “downfall.”

 

“It’s just Hip-Hop and I think that he’s more bitter towards me then anyone else he’s had drama with because look what I did to his brand. I killed G Unit,” Game told Complex.com. “I killed the clothes, I killed the brand, I killed Tony Yayo, Banks, and Buck at that time. Like I really f**ked up a lot of money for that dude. Not only for him but my label, Jimmy Iovine, who at this point, I’m apologetic to.”

 

The feud was all but finished record-wise until 50 Cent recently aimed a few bars at Game on “So Disrespectful.”

 

Along with the lyrical taunts (“Game you’ll never be my equal…I’m in a tax bracket you’re never gone see/When you cross me”), the Queens mogul has rebuffed any attempt to reconcile, despite mentor Dr. Dre and Game making amends.

 

Regarding 50’s stance, the Compton emcee feels the rivalry has run its course and does not make any sense business-wise.

 

“Me and his beef is old at this point. It’s pure comedy for me at this point. When he says something, I laugh. If I shoot a shot back it’s just a joke at this point,” The Game explained. “Nobody is going to kill each other. Nobody is gonna beat each other’s ass. I’m not gonna do none of that. So we might as well get along. We exist in Hip-Hop…We’re not f**king WWE wrestlers, we’re not boxers man, it’s just Hip-Hop. It’s just make music or don’t make music. It’s not a gang war, like he’s not a Crip and I’m a Blood, and this ain’t f**king ‘85, and I’m not gonna ride through his hood and do a drive by, like it’s not that serious.”

 

Instead of challenging Jay-Z in the midst of his Before I Self Destruct promotion, The Game advised 50 could switch up his tactics and garner more attention with a reunion project.

 

“If we said tomorrow Game and 50 are coming out with an album, you know how many motherf**king antennas would go up? We could still sell a million records just off promoting it alone,” he offered. “I mean, I understand the business aspect of it. I understand that you know, he’s got a big ego. I’m just not one with it, I don’t have one. I forgive and forget and that’s life. One day you’re alive and the next day you die. So why spend it bitter and mad at the f**kin’ world, man? I don’t understand it.”

 

With “Baby By Me” as the current single, 50 Cent’s Before I Self Destruct is projected to sell 160,000 copies and land in Billboard’s Top 5.

 

At press time, Game’s The R.E.D. Album is slated for a February 2010 release on Interscope. For the full interview visit www.complex.com.

Explosives Found In Front Of Grand Hustle Offices

Police in Atlanta, Georgia are investigating the Grand Hustle offices owned by rapper T.I., after two Molotov Cocktails were found in front of the building that houses the label.

 

A SWAT team was called to the scene to remove the two explosives devices , while ATF agents are interviewing witnesses in an attempt to identify a suspect.

 

Investigators are currently testing the Molotov Cocktails to determine what liquids were in the two bottles.

 

“One of the occupants came out early this morning to start his car up and noticed two suspicious bottles sitting on the front portion of the walkway,” Officer Otis Redmond told MyFox Atlanta 5.

 

T.I., born Clifford Harris Jr., is currently finishing a year-long prison sentence in an Arkansas federal prison for attempting to purchase machine guns and silencers in October of 2008.

Juelz On Cam Reunion: “If He’s Too Stubborn, So Be It”

Rapper Juelz Santana has responded to recent comments that former group member Cam’ron made in regards to a potential Dipset reunion.

 

Juelz appeared on AllHipHop.com’s Eric B. and Friends morning show yesterday (November 18), where he addressed Cam’ron’s most recent statements claiming that “Dipset was over.”

 

While the prospects of a reunion between estranged group members like Jim Jones, Hell Rell and Freaky Zeeky are slim, Juelz remained somewhat optimistic, despite Cam’ron’s refusal to do business with his former allies.

 

According to a Juelz, the root of the dispute is centered around a bad business deal with Diplomat Records, which was run by Cam. The label released Juelz’ first two albums From Me to U (2003) and What the Game’s Been Missing! (2005).

 

“I would love to do it,” Santana told AllHipHop.com. “If you really look me and Jim [Jones] been shouting out the Byrd. Despite the situation with Cam and despite Cam getting on radio interviews saying ‘oh I will never do nothing with them again.’ My whole thing for not being next to Cam at this moment was ‘cause we had a bad business situation…I didn’t understand how I person that I thought was my brother could put me in a situation like that, even though I respect the situation just by putting me in the game, I’ll never take that away, but I couldn’t just stand there and just be a fool no more.”

 

Despite Cam’s statements that Dipset is finished, the Harlem native recently launched Dipset West, with his former group members.

 

“I put a lot of bricks in that building,” Juelz stated. “So my work was more than put in, so even if you can say you brought me to the game, well guess what, I gave you everything for brining me to the game. I helped build that Diplomat building to the top floor. When you think of Dipset I’ll always be in your brain. If Cam feels like for whatever reason he is too big to get over whatever happened, or he’s too stubborn or whatever the case may be, so be it. At the end of the day, I am comfortable. I can look in the mirror.”

 

As for Juelz Santana is not wasting any time moving his career forward, with several mixtapes planned, in addition to releases by his group Skull Gang and his own solo album, Born to Lose, Built To Win.

 

Santana recently shot a video in Los Angeles for the single “Homerun” with chart topping New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne which will be featured on the album.

 

So far, featured artists on Juelz’ third studio album include Chrisette Michelle, Chris Brown and others. video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsfree video player

The Roots, Alicia Keys To Light Up Rockefeller Center

Philadelphia Hip-Hop band The Roots will be one of many star acts performing at this years Christmas in Rockefeller Center special which will air in NBC this December.

 

The annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special will feature performances and appearances by The Roots, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Barry Manilow, Shakira, actor James Tupper and NBC news anchor, Brian Williams.

 

The Roots, who act as house band on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, will perform during the 77th annual tree lighting ceremony, which was originally started during The Great Depression, in 1933.

 

The ceremony also serves as a promotional event for Arbor Day and the Arbor Day Foundation.

 

Viewers will be asked to text NBCU to have a tree planted on their behalf, to raise awareness for the environment and Arbor Day’s goal to have up to 500,000 new trees planted.

 

NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center is set to air December 2nd from 8:00 to 9:00pm EST on NBC.

 

For more details, visit www.nbc.com.

New Battle Erupts Over Death Row Records

A new court battle has erupted over the infamous Hip-Hop label Death Row Records, which was once home to rap stars like Tupac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and others.

 

Lara Lavi formed Wideawake-Death Row Ent. with the company that financed the purchase, New Solutions Financial Corp.

 

Wideawake-Death Row bought the old Death Row Records in bankruptcy court for $18 million dollars in 2008.

 

Lavi filed a new lawsuit on November 13 in New York Supreme Court, claiming that New Solutions is illegally diverting funds from the Hip-Hop label.

 

Lavi, who claims to be the sole CEO of Wideawake-Death Row LLC., accuses New Solutions Financials CEO Ronald Ovenden, of diverting company assets and engaging in “fraudulent, self-dealing actions.”

 

The lawsuit seeks to prevent Ovenden, New Solutions Financials managing director Robert Thompson and another company from doing business on behalf of the Gangsta rap label.

 

Lavi also seeks to recover all of the assets Ovenden and Thompson allegedly diverted in additional to “reasonable costs and reimbursements.”

 

Death Row was put up for sale after former owner Suge Knight defaulted on a $107 million dollar judgment awarded to Lydia Harris, who claimed she and her husband Michael “Harry-O” Harris financed the label.

 

 The news comes as Death Row Records prepares to release a greatest hits collection on November 24, titled Ultimate Death Row Collection.

 

The album is a three-disc compilation featuring 60 tracks from the labels biggest artists.

NFL Wrap-Up Week 10: Chris Johnson and the Titans, running the Table?

 

I would like to start off by saying to the NFL Nation, leave Bill Belichick alone! “4th and 2” will not be the moment that changes the NFL forever. It was a gutsy call that Coach Belichick is known for and Tom “Cry” Brady is known for executing. Kevin Faulk caught the ball beyond the First Down marker. However, it was his momentum coming back to the ball that made a genius call, the gutter talk of the league. This was not the play that lost the game for the Patriots. Peyton “Eli’s Big Bro” Manning played huge in the fourth quarter leading his team through a 79 yard drive to close the gap. Listen, when you have two “Captain Comebacks” going head-to-head, the best way to defend a miraculous moment is by keeping the ball out of his hand, in this case, Peyton’s hand. In the end, #18 hit his #1 receiver Reggie Wayne for the gaming touchdown, 35 to 34. The Indianapolis Colts are 9-0, much to the surprise of everyone, maybe even Tony Dungy. I’m just saying…

 

I admit, I haven’t talked much about the Tennessee Titans if it wasn’t for taking shots at them. So who is taking the shots now, right? The Titans are 3-0 since their bye; since Vince Young began earning his rookie contract again. Their confident running back, Chris Johnson is the current rushing leader and projected to surpass 2000 rushing yards for the season. I don’t know Chris, running backs in this league that achieve single season records of any sort, seem to fall off tremendously in seasons to follow (i. e. Shaun Alexander, Larry Johnson, Ladainian Tomlinson). I know, “You Play to Win the Game,” as Coach Herm Edwards will go down in history for stating. You have your sights set on reaching that goal. You have crazy swag though Chris. Your confidence that the Titans will finish out the season 10-0 is commendable. Prove this to be true and you might become legendary.

 

Just a random thought but I wonder if Reggie Bush practices his in air poses. Every week, this dude is in a photograph, floating through the sky with his arms outstretched and his knees all contorted (no Kardashian). Am I wrong? I’m not sure if this is the reason he felt he deserved #1 draft pick money or not. Enough of that…

 

Was there a Monday Night Game? Really, I am serious. I heard that there could’ve been a game on. Oh yea, the Cleveland Browns played the Baltimore Ravens. I think I was watching “Lie to Me”, maybe wrestling. I turned by the game for a second and caught the best part of it. Coach Jon Gruden was doing his broadcasting thing when he said the funniest thing I’ve heard a broadcaster say in quite some time, “If the Baltimore Ravens put on their Throwback Jerseys, they’d be the Cleveland Browns!” You can’t buy that type of entertainment. The Ravens jogged away with the win to stop their losing streak. A win is a win, right? Sure…

 

Redskins fans, rise to your knees!!! I would’ve said, “STAND UP” but it’s hard standing up from the position of lying down without rising to your knees. You’ve beaten the Denver Broncos in a game where the punter threw more touchdown passes than the Bengals/Steelers game (1). You’ve snapped the four game winning streak. And although you’re at the bottom of your division, in the NFC Weak, my mistake, East, anything is possible. I know that calling it the NFC Weak wasn’t a nice thing to say. But when you look back at the victories each team picked up, the strength of schedule was, well, weak.

 

Much respect to Bandwidth_ for standing up for his San Diego Chargers with a comment that his team would light up the Philadelphia Eagles, and they did. How often does a quarterback throw for 450+ yards and lose the game? Ask Donovan. On a more serious note, Brian Westbrook suffered another concussion, making it two concussions in three weeks. If you ask me, it sounds like another running back will be forced to cut his career short. There was a LaDainian Tomlinson sighting. Tomlinson showed flashes of greatness rushing for 96 yards and two TDs. The Chargers never gave up on Tomlinson, showing patience and dedication in a league where you are only as good as your last play.

 

Overall, Week 10 had its ups with Cincinnati sweeping the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Colts comeback versus the New England Patriots. And then, it had its downs, so many downs and in the Cleveland Browns case, not enough first downs. As always, I can’t talk about every team in these wrap-ups. So I hope that you would step up and own up.

 

Will “Deshair™” Foskey is a social journalist/blogger, born and raised in New Jersey. His most recent project, www.TheRacetoNowhere.blogspot.com has launched to rave reviews this past summer.

 

Hip-Hop Rumors: Gucci’s Bad Business? Wacka Flocka’s Charges! RiRi’s New Man?

DISCLAIMER:

 

All content within this section is pure rumor and generally have no factual info outside of what the streets have whispered in our ear. Read on.

THE DAILY TWO SENSE

 

I appreciate all the love and respect that I have gotten in the last few days and week.  I want you all to hit me with whatever you see!

 

SEE SOMETHING?

 

SAY SOMETHING!

 

It really makes my live easier and also far more interesting. I like reading and hearing about other people’s accounts of what happened. Shout out to all of my regulars and alla that!

 

Email me rumors and sightings at [email protected].

 

NIVEA DIDN’T HAVE THAT BABY!

 

Why do people want Nivea to have a baby so bad? So they can talk about Wayne, I guess. Well, Nivea has issued a statement that she is is still with child and she is ready to pop. Even AHH News conferred with unconfirmed reports that Niv dropped a load. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, eh?

 

 

RIHANNA’S NEW MAN!?

 

They are trying to say that Rihanna has totally moved on from Chris Brown and found a new man in ‘90210’ star Tristan Wilds.  Why The Daily News would label him that way is beyond me. We all know Tristan is really MICHAEL of “The Wire” and he is known to gets BUSY. Here is the scoopity scoop!  These guys are saying that RiRi and “Michael” are dating or something because they hit it off at a party. They both have a connection to Jay-Z. Tristan was in the “I Will Not Lose” campaign and Ri is obvious. Anyway…this is pretty boring. Sounds like another BS rumor.  

 

If she falls for dude…I want to offer up the following video.

 

 

 

BEANS’ NEW JAB AT JAY-Z

It is only a few bars, but check out the latest Beanie diss at Jay-Z.

CHARLES HAMILTON IS WHAT?

 

Remember, I heard that Charles Hamilton has completing lost everything? I heard he was dropped from his label, his management left and even his album totally leaked…remember that? Well, I am being told that CH isn’t worried about that. I’m being told the young rapper was more interested in being mentally sound than industry sound. I’m not positive but a source told me that CH either has or is closing a new deal. I guess we’ll get the facts when they present themselves.

 

 

WACKA FLOCKA IS IN JAIL!

 

The AHH News team may need to hire me or something, because I am doing their job! How do I know? Because I have confirmed that Wacka is in jail. The sources are my own and I refuse to even share them with the people I work with! But, he’s in jail, according to my sources, and my sources tell me dude went down for disorderly conduct and is in a jail down south. The bail isn’t that much so he may be out soon. The thing I don’t quite understand is why are all these rappers going to jail? Anyway, this case isn’t nearly as bad as the rumor when it was first pushed over to me. I was told that dude was going DOWN for something far more serious than that. I wish him well…not jail.

 

MARY, MARY. MARY!!!!!!

 

I won’t even give Mary the fail. I love her too much.

 

Props Necole Bitchie

 

CHARLAMANGE GOES OFF ON MARLON WAYANS!

 

You know Twitter battles are the new rap battles, b. LMAO! I mean, son, look at all these cats going off on each other at a whim based on something tweeted. I just don’t get it, jack. Well, this is a funny one. Charlamange got into it on Twitter with Marlon Wayans. Here is a lot of what was said:

 

 

RT @MARLONLWAYANS: @cthagod CHARMALAGNE you reverse cross-dresser cthagod says Come on homie, we all saw White Chicks.

 

 

Fact @MARLONLWAYANS was to G.I. Joe what Skid and Mudflap was to Transformers 2.

 

Look stop making GAY Jokes, you might offend your brother Shawn @MARLONLWAYANS

 

 

With all them kids I’m sure your mom don’t have a C Section scar she just got a zipper on her stomach @marlonwayans

 

The only problem is, that wasn’t even Marlon Wayans! It was somebody pretending to be Marlon Wayans.

 

50 CENT MEETS OFFICER RICKY!

 

I don’t know what Rick Ross is going to do when he gets ahold of this “Officer Ricky” dude. I feel like I posted this already. I know it was all over the internet, but 50 met the dude that regularly makes fun of Rick Ross and the took a picture. If you saw, you can tell that dude was really hype to have met with 50. Furthermore, this stuff all took place in Miami.

 

50 CENT’S SALES

 

I don’t know how they can do this, but they can somehow predict the sales a rapper is going to do based on their first day of sales. Well, 50 Cent’s new CD just came out and the estimates are in. According to RUMOR and what I have been told, it appears that 50 will move about 150,000 units in his first week of sales. If the sales skew low, it may be about 140k. I mean, some are crying doom and gloom, but I’m not. 50 has a solid album, minus a true pop hit and it leaked mad early. Also, from a digital point of view, the album was on iTunes about a week or two ago. It is what it is.

 

I CAN’T NAME NAMES!

 

I am being told that there is a certain artist that commands a super high rate when he performs. Well, I am being told that said artist has escaped with about $150,000 of a club in the Virgin Islands. Apparently, the club paid the money in advance to secure the artist and to lock him in. But when it was time to perform, the artist was nowhere to be found. SMH! He was all set and simply never showed up. Right now, I am not sure of what the club is doing to get their money back, but I am sure they are doing something.

 

GUCCI – BAD BUSINESS?

 

Call me a punk! I didn’t want to put this rumor up when Gucci was out in the free world. Why? That dude killed somebody that he had a beef with. I don’t want no problems with Gucci. So, here is the rumor, but some folks are really going to BAT for this one. Julia Beverly is standing behind this rumor and saying that Gucci and his camp do what the above artist do all the time. They allege that Gucci and his crew take the down payment to secure him, but never show up for a concert! They owe her about $5k, she charges, but others are reportedly alleging they have been gipped out of upwards of $50k! Man,  they are talking about taking this to the FEDS! I couldn’t make this up if I wanted to. More coming…

 

JAY-Z ARGUING OVER ANOTHER RAPPER’S MUSIC?

 

I don’t know about this rumor, but I’ll mention it and you can tell me if its crap or not. A friend of a man tells me he saw this with his own two eyes. He told me he was coming to the US from London and witnessed Jay-Z arguing with a man over his rap/music. This supposedly occurred at an airport or on a plane. The person thinks the other rapper could have been Kanye West. Now, I am finding this hard to believe, because everybody knows Jay and Kanye. Secondly, everybody knows these dudes fly in private jets. So, for a regular joe to witness such a thing seems to be highly unlikely.

 

JOE BUDDEN TALKS BEEF AND TAHIRY!

 

I tried to get to this yesterday, but didn’t.

 

”No beef with Beans, not a beef with Fab/ Just f*gs that think I’m searching for a beef to grab/I’m too talented to reach for that/It’ll take more than just some Tweets…And the streets are so concerned about me and Somaya Reece, they ain’t got the whole puzzle, all they do is try to piece.”

 

He also talks about 50 Cent and Tahiry:

 

“I’m tired of n*ggas asking about Tahiry/She can do what she want as long as she ain’t do it near me…Everything ain’t what it appear to be/Leaking pictures of Fif feeling on your a**/But if you seen it like me, then you’d be feeling like an a**/So I’m thinkin’ I’m fool by watching you act a fool/Seeming desperate for attention, baby, take this as a jewel/Since we no longer, you and Cotto get the same advice, need to fire everybody in your corner/N*ggas ain’t worth my time, I won’t respond to ya…”

 

 

 

RUN’S OTHER SON DOES A MIXTAPE!

 

Check this out…I don’t know if its true, but I felt it was worth a mention in the rumors.

 

 

Diggy is doing a mixtape to show you suckas!

 

 

ILLSEED’S QUICKIES

 

Kid Cudi is still on that HBO show, for all you young stoners!

 

This is very pervy, but there are images of Bey’s panties showing! I’m not posting them!

 

Michael Jackson’s eldest son Prince Michael has inherited Vitiligo…but how?  They aren’t biologically his, right?

 

Nicole Richie is hospitalized for pneumonia. Lionel is OK and I am good with that.

 

 

Has Amy Winehouse overdosed? Some are saying yes, but her people are saying nope.

 

Evan Chandler blew his brains out. You know who that is? He’s the father of the kids that supposedly accused MJ of inappropriate behavior with kids.  I wonder if this is all real or if something is up.

 

EPIC FAIL OF THE DAY!

 

I’m not picking on Chris Brown, but I have to call it how I see it. This is what it is! Chris Brown is wearing MANDEX  (Copyright illseed) and I just cannot let it ride so I am making it the Epic Fail of the Day! Check  the video!

 

 

Fashion is fashion and MANDEX ARE MANDEX! I’m not even going  to talk about the dancing.

 

SIGNS THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!

 

Man, Hulk Hogan and Rick Flair are like 60 years old each. This is just silly.

 

 

NICK AND MARIAH IN LONDON!

 

 

 

GABBY IN MAXIM

 

One of the best in the biz – I just wish she…would get some acting work too.

 

                                           

                           

 

MANDEX, WE LOVE YOU!!!

They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!

-illseed

WHO: illseed.com

WHAT: Rumors

WHERE: AllHipHop.com, MySpace.com/TheIllseed

HOW: Send your rumors and ill pics to illseed at [email protected].

50 Cent Album To Miss #1 Spot

50 Cent’s recent extracurricular activities involving Rick Ross’ family and baiting fellow mogul Jay-Z will fall short of pushing another #1 debut, as Before I Self Destruct is projected to sell 160,000 copies.

 

According to sales projection site hitsdailydouble.com, the G Unit CEO latest project will land behind chart topper John Mayer’s new LP Battle Studies (projected to push 275,000-300,000) and possibly albums from songstress Norah Jones, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and Christian band Casting Crowns.

 

Before I Self-Destruct has been plagued by numerous pushbacks over the last year. Since an initial release announcement in February 2008, 50 has released 4 singles, including 2 that did not make the final tracklisting: “Get Up,” “I Get It In,” “Ok, You’re Right,” and “Baby By Me.”

 

Additionally, the album leaked a whole month early on October, prompting the Queens native to push up the release date from November 23 to November 16 after gauging positive feedback from fans.

 

If the projected numbers hold, Before I Self-Destruct will be 50 Cent’s lowest debut week, following 2007’s Curtis (695,000), 2003’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (872,000), and 2005’s The Massacre (1.5 million). Because the album hit iTunes a week early, those digital sales will be added to the rapper’s total tally.

 

To date, the latest single “Baby By Me” has peaked at #28 on Billboard’s Top 100.

 

At press time, the mogul’s next single will be “Get It Hot,” featuring Lloyd Banks.

Cab Calloway: The Original Hip-Hop MC

“Put me in the spotlight,

give me two or three thousand people and a decent group of men behind

me with instruments, and you can’t give me more.”

—Cab Calloway

Born December 25, 1907 in Rochester,

New York, Cabell Calloway III’s luck was established even before birth.

This Christmas baby would go on to front one of the sharpest Big Bands

of the 1930s-1940s era, and pioneer a musical style Hip-Hop MCing would

draw great inspiration from a few years later. 15 years ago to the date,

this inimitable genius, Cab Calloway, passed away; but the legacy of

his music and magic couldn’t be more pervasive in an era when Hip-Hop

artists are increasingly turning to orchestral support to spruce up

their stage shows. In the grandest tradition, Cab Calloway is the original

Hip-Hop MC.

With a mother who played the

organ at church and an older sister, Blanche Calloway, who led a band

of her own, music was destiny for Cab Calloway. But the road from Rochester

to Harlem wasn’t no cakewalk. Like many young Black men his age faced

with unflattering domestic conditions, he wasn’t too impressed with

schooling, and thus acted out.  In his memoir, Of Minnie the

Moocher and Me,

published 1976, Cab recounts how much he “played hooky, hung out in

the streets, hustled to make money, and was always in and out of trouble.”

In turn, he was sent to a “reform school” run by a granduncle in

Pennsylvania. But that hardly changed him.  

He loved to hustle—newspapers,

that is. Cab spent day and night selling newspapers across town, making

enough money to put some kind of food on the table his family ate on.

Lacking a father figure for some of his earlier years, rebellion, as

is most often with kids that age, set in. He tells the story of a day

he was shooting dice not far away from home on a Sunday morning, and

suddenly a hand reached across from behind to the top of his shoulders;

only it wasn’t just any hand: It was his mother’s. “Boy, what

are you doing here, shooting dice on the Lord’s Day! I thought you

went to Sunday school this morning. Get yourself up and get on home,”

she furiously castigated him. Still, at that age, nothing seemed to

be getting across to him—nothing but the street life.

It took many years—not until

Junior High and High School—before Cab Calloway would come to terms

with the benefits of a quality education. Junior High would be a turning

point of sorts, as even with “few books or supplies” he was swarmed

by teachers who never ran out of “love and understanding.” Didn’t

matter that they were still stern. “They pushed us to learn,

but they were sensitive to each child so that nobody ever felt left

out or uncared for.” This “closeness and understanding,” he posited,

is a “fundamental” element missing in urban schools these days.    

Tupac’s Version of “Minnie The Moocher” f/ Chopmaster J

It also helped that in High

School, the historic Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore, Cab

developed a fondness for basketball, and found out, alongside those

who ever crossed him on court, that his talents might just lead him

professionally. It was also in those mid-teen years that he picked up

a new passion—singing. Picking up where he left off, Cab again turned

to hustling—playing basketball in the day and singing vaudeville acts

in the night, earning enough money to own a car at such young age (even

more rare for a Negro of the times). 

The whole world might owe it

to Cab’s momma, though, who, soon after hearing him harmonizing with

a couple of boys down the street, outright ordered: “Cabell, you have

such a nice strong voice. You’re going to take voice lessons.” Thus,

he was put in the care of Ruth Macabee, “an ex-concert singer,”

who taught him the fundamentals of music and singing, how to manipulate

sound vocally, and, most importantly, how to enunciate clearly enough

to provide the audience with precise polyrhythmic pleasure. This technique

would prove highly useful throughout Cab Calloway’s career, as lyrical

virtuosity became his strongest ally.  

And while blessed with a good

voice, Cab knew his limitations. He was Black—Negro—N#####—and

had to accept it—even if, to some, he looked anything but. “The

only difference between a black and a white entertainer is that my ass

has been kicked a little more and a lot harder because it’s black,”

he admits. But he never once wavered: “I’ve always known, from the

days when I was a n##### kid selling papers and hustling shoeshines

and walking hots out at Pimlico—hell, I’m a n##### and proud of

it.”

Cab’s first big break came

through his sister, Blanche, a legend in her own right, who, after much

badgering and a commitment by Cab to enroll into College once the gig

was up, landed him a spot in the late 1920s hit-Broadway Plantation

Days which she was also starring in. The experience, consisting

of a twenty-five member cast and a sixteen-piece orchestra, would be

life-changing for the budding star. Blanche knew the shadowy skeletons

of show business all too well and tried to discourage her young brother

from taking the same route; she reminded of how much his mother still

wished he pursue Law School. But the felicity of success, or “the

pleasure of being in the spotlight and being admired,” was too raw

to resist. And for one so talented, it was only a matter of time before

he set up shop in Chicago—initially to enroll in Crane College—and

began making a name for himself in the whorehouses and “low-life”

nightclubs of the Windy City.       

Outkast: Listen to the influence of Cab Calloway in ‘Kast’s “The Mighty O”

While still attending college,

he was able to assemble a small band known as The Alabamians, which

soon embarked on a nationwide tour that would end one chapter in Cab

Calloway’s life and begin a new one. Even as they traveled throughout

the Midwest, the band’s eye only twinkled for one city—New York.

All bands of the 1920s and 1930s era knew national success wasn’t

worth a lick without New York’s approval—a strange, but ironic,

reality Hip-Hop has never been comfortable confronting, much less admitting. 

The band was in for a rude

awakening once it hit New York. The stubbornness of some members had

refused Calloway’s input to switch up to a jazzier, more flamboyant

style to capture the essence of the city with big lights. It turned

out Cab was right after all. An embarrassed Cab eventually left the

band and, with the help of Louis Armstrong—the greatest performer

to emerge from the 20th Century—landed a gig, in 1930,

as lead singer for Connie’s Hot Chocolate, a huge Broadway

hit.

Cab was gaining national acclaim

for his prolific performances and, before long, confronted with the

opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream—front a Big Band. This dream

was a longtime coming, and though it took a while before assembling

a band with such towering legends as Benny Payne, Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah

Jones, and Milton Hinton, The Missourians in no time had attracted a

following.

It didn’t take long before

the mob took notice of this young man in his early 20s whose stage presence

far outrivaled even the most self-assured performers. Cab might not

have been the suavest of that era, but with his wide collection of wide-brim

hats, zoot suits, pearl-gray gloves, and spotless white shoes, he was

hard to beat. In 1930, he was proposed an offer by the mob to come play

The Cotton Club—perhaps the most recognized jazz spot of the ‘30s

and ‘40s—seeing as the great Duke Ellington was leaving his post

to star in several film projects. The young Cab had no choice but to

accept the offer—which he couldn’t refuse even if he wanted

to.

The Cotton Club, for all its

splendor and majesty, held strictly to segregationist policies, and

even Cab admits that “the idea was to make whites who came to the

club feel like they were being catered to and entertained by black slaves”—slaves

as widely renowned as Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Duke Ellington,

and Louis Armstrong. But Cab Calloway makes a strong case in favor of

Negro musicians who still played regardless: “It shouldn’t have

happened then. It was wrong. But on the other hand, I doubt that jazz

would have survived if musicians hadn’t gone along with such racial

practices there and elsewhere.” Maybe. Maybe not.  

A year later, Cab Calloway

was a household name, and it came time to establish a theme song. Every

band had one. And thus arose to life the timeless classic, “Minnie

The Moocher.”

She was a red-hot hoochie

coocher/

She was the roughest,

toughest frail/

But Minnie had a heart

as big as a whale/

Before “Minnie,” Cab Calloway

and His Cotton Club Orchestra had made use of “St. James Infirmary

Blues,” the famous tale of a quite self-centered widower-to-be who

pays visit to his dying wife in an infirmary. The rhythm, tempo, and

even some arrangements from “St. James” were used in creating “Minnie,”

Cab admits: “If you listen closely … you’ll hear some of the same

changes and harmonies.”

His signature sound, “Hi-De-Ho,”

perhaps most recognizable by the Hip-Hop generation, actually came by

accident. The legend goes that Cab was singing one of those days, swept

up in the hysteria of the band and the audience, that he forgot his

lyrics, and suddenly, as taught him by the incomparable “Satchmo,”

began scatting, filling up the gaps in memory with “Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho

… Hi-de-ho-de-ho-de-hee.” That single instance might have been most

responsible for the rugged improvisation and vocal experimentation Hip-Hop

MCs from the 1970s onward made into an art-form that would change the

world.

Dirty The Moocher: ODB’s version of “Minnie The Moocher”

Calloway also did something

especially remarkable around 1931. He founded Cab Calloway, Incorporated,

an agency which began managing his 14-piece orchestra, and from which

he took 50% of the profits annually. This practice is yet to be broadly

adopted within the Hip-Hop artist community, but there’s hope yet. 

And even when faced with deep

discrimination in the deep South—including a lynching threat that

almost came through (!)—Cab Calloway kept playing. He demanded 100%

from his band, and saw to it that every member played with unfettered

excellence. And the country—and world—reacted accordingly. Cab would

go on to earn more than $10 million in his 60+ years as an entertainer,

touring the world, breaking down many color barriers—even getting

his white audiences to do more than just sit there and look pretty—that

sought to keep Negro musicians in “their place.” With an unbreakable

dedication to musical craftsmanship, he was able to star in more than

10 movies, sell out hundreds of halls, and spawn numerous hits—many

originals, many interpretations, including “Reefer Man,” “The

Scat Song,” “The Viper’s Drag,” “The Lady With The Fan,”

“Kickin’ The Gong Around,” “Ain’t Got No Gal In This Town,”

and “Zaz Zuh Zaz.”

Cab Calloway’s influence

on Hip-Hop music and culture can’t be overstated. His cool and sensual

calm can for instance be traced transparently in a Snoop Dogg or Big

Daddy Kane. His knack for witty, street tales resides on the pens of

modern day storytellers like Slick Rick and The GZA. His unmatchable

skill with scatting is seen in the adlib abilities of Mos Def and Black

Thought. And the high bar of performance set which no musician of his

era came close to reaching is admired in contemporaries like Busta Rhymes

and Public Enemy. The centrality of the body in music performance—his

loose, dark hair flapping like eagle wings, his waist twirling with

intensity so as to create circles with the tails of his zoot suit, while

still maintaining an unimpeachable elegance guarded by self-respect—is

a Cab Calloway original.

In Wilmington, Delaware, Calloway’s

legacy lives on in the Cab Calloway School of the Arts, a magnet school

tailored after his strong appreciation for the arts and engaging academic

curriculum.  

On this anniversary of his

passing onto glory, we remember Cab Calloway as the original Hip-Hop

MC who loved nothing more than “making people happy, making them feel

the fullness of life as I feel it and as I’ve lived it.”  A Historical Retrospective of Cab Calloway – A Taste Of Genius:

Hi-De-HoMinnie The Moocher