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Scores Injured During Akon/T-Pain Concert Brawls
A concert featuring Akon and T-Pain turned into pandemonium Sunday (October 25) that left 18 people injured in Melbourne, Australia.
The pair were headlining a concert at the HiSense Arena when rival gangs began brawling in the audience.
Nine people and two security guards were taken to the hospital in six ambulances, where they received treatment for lacerations, bruises and other minor injuries.
Akon leapt from the stage during his performance in an attempt to quell the violence, which continued throughout the remainder of the concert, which cost fans up to $125 dollars-per ticket.
“I don’t know if y’all know hard it took me to get here,” Akon said from the shoulders of a burly security guard. “It took me almost two years for Australia to let me back in the country and I’m not going to let them f**k up our concert tonight.”
One man was arrested for assaulting and knocking a security guard unconsciousness, while another six people reported injuries, but refused treatment.
According to reports, it took Akon almost two years to receive his work permit in Australia, due to his prior criminal record.
Hip-Hop Rumors:Plies Does Something Crazy! Jay-Z/Bean Beef Update! Rihanna Biting?
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.PLIES IS A WILD DUDE!!!!!
I would really like to sit down with Plies and talk to him. He is very interesting. So, here is what happened over the weekend at FAMU. Gucci Mane didn’t perform and Plies was put as his replacement. Well, Plies did something that was close to unthinkable. He saw a lil’ girl in the crowd that he felt was too young to be subjected to his “buss it baby” lyrics. What does Plies do? He take a $1,000 out of his pocket and gives it to the girl and PAYS her to LEAVE so “her parents can take her somewhere nice.” I heard the girl was about 11 years old. WOW! This isn’t the first time Plies has done this sort of thing. Remember a year or so, Plies gave a girl his chain at a basketball game? That’s wild. This dude might be the new conflicted rapper trying to change his life around or something.
Seems like Plies and Kay Slay have some beef. Click here for that.
JAMIE FOXX TALKS ABOUT PLIES
Jamie Foxx drops some bombshells on the radio about Plies running from beef and some real talk about what’s going wrong with Hip-Hop.
FAKES ON NEW MICHAEL JACKSON MOVIE?!?
The new Michael Jackson is being touted as the greatest entertainer’s last performance, even though he didn’t get to do that tour. Well, this is the latest. It appears that the producers lacked footage and they sought to augment it with some MJ impersonators. I think I am going to side with Joe Jackson on this one. Joe is the one that started this allegations. The producers say that is not the case and that it is ALL Michael Jackson.
Shout out to flysociety305!
MAYBE THERE IS BEEF WITH JAY AND BEANIE!!!
I’m not even going to edit this up. Read this letter and tell me what you think about it. The typos and stuff are in the letter.
I wanted to comment to the jay z beanie beef stuff you had up. Im from philly and last night 10/25/09 i was listening to power 99 with golden girl and she was giving the backstage scoop of what happened at power house and she was like hov didnt want to perform or go on stage with sigel in the building. she was like hov had the feds, state troopers, and philly pd escort sigel out the building. so when hov went on stage someone let sigel back in the building and sigel went on stage at the opposite side of hov and she was like when hov saw him he had the shook face like what the f**k. then she was like hov had the cops escort sigel out again and sigel wasnt tryna leave but eventually he did. just thought i let you know wut golden girl was letting people know wut really went down behind the scences and that ” i run this town” wasn’t @ meek mills
TWITTER FOLLIES: CHRIS BROWN IS SICK OVER RIHANNA
AllHipHop’s twitter sent this out last night from Chris Brown. Seems he is having a hard time getting over Rihanna.
RT @allhiphopcom RT @MechanicalDummy: http://bit.ly/17yJE3 IM SORRY YALL. JUST HAD TO POST IT (CB feelin it!)
ILLSEED’S QUICKIES
They are going to drop the murder rap against the dude Richardson that fought AJ Jewell in the strip club. Looks like there was a preexisting problem.
I am hearing there is going to be a high end divorce soon. Stay tuned on that one.
Lil Wayne might have to cut his dreds if he goes to jail. That would be a bummer.
FOXY BROWN DISS SONG WITH DUDE BOSS….
There may be too many rappers with the name Boss right now. But, check it out around 1:45 mark and you can hear Fox’s diss and her verse.
CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
Chance runs down some rumors and things going on in the music game. Some of this you read about already, but some of it is pretty interesting. RUN DMC THE MUSICAL…may be coming to Broadway real soon. Rev Run, DMC and reps for Jam Master Jay have been meeting with Paula Wagner, the producer of Mission Impossible, to bring their story to the Great White Way (Broadway). Unfortunately Jim Jones’ musical didn’t quite make it to the mainstream so hopefully this can put Hip Hop on the NYC theater map. RIHANNA NOT A DEVIL WORSHIPERLast week Tiffany Evans (the promise ring girl) went on a Twitter rant claiming RiRi’s new song is demonic and a lot of people in the music industry actually worship Satan. Well the producer of the song has come to RiRi’s defense…he said:“There are no satanic messages in the music.
Maybe if we did a remake of Promise Ring, then
Rihanna wouldnt be a devil worshipper. People are so closed minded.
The song is not literal. Like most provocative art, its symbolism. Grow
up. Im never going to defend my art I create it and then its out of
my hands. So reviews dont hurt me, but Tiffanys unrealistic take on
the song really irked me because idiots breed idiots. Bottom line, she
is in the music business so she understands that the song is not
indicative of the artist views, but rather, its the brainchild and vision
of the songwriter and producer. With that being said, to use that song
as a shining example of devil worship in the music business, you are
saying that Ne-yo and Chuck Harmony are devil worshippers. That’s
stupid!! Thats beyond stupid, its immature. Artist should understand
art. So with Tiffany Evans rant, I can safely say that the title
artist should not be part of her bio.”He definitely told her…Ne-Yo, who wrote the record, even chimed in saying Rihanna asked for a dark record with a meaning so he used Russian Roulette as a metaphor:“Im listening to the track, and all I can see is Rihanna
and some random person sitting across from each other at the table with
a gun sitting in the middle of the table
and playing Russian roulette. And I just started thinking, What would
go through your mind if you was in that situation? I played it for her, and she loved it…Its definitely dark, but if you think about it, Thriller was
dark, but its one of the biggest-selling records of all time. Nobodys
really going out to play Russian roulette or thinking about killing
themselves or nothing like that. It was just an interesting topic over
a crazy beat, and who better to pull that off than somebody like
Rihanna?GIVING BACKI must say Yonkers artists do a good job of giving back to our community. The other day Mary J. Blige was back home for the ribbon cutting of The Mary J. Blige Center for Women. She teamed with Steve Stoute and Gucci to open the center which she hopes will help women bounce back
from traumatic experiences and realize their goals through career
development, personal growth programs and scholarships. Here’s to you Mary…P.S. Mary’s new album has been pushed from November 24 to December 15…she’ll be going up against Alicia Keys who also pushed her album back 2 weeks WHOSE THAT GIRL???Gucci Mane and Usher shot the video for the lead single off Gucci’s album coming in December last week and Usher isn’t the only A-List feature in the video … He recruited Eddie Murphys daughter Bria to be his leading lady … she’d been modeling for a while but this will be her video debut:
NEW MAN FOR MISS. JACKSON??? (I’M NASTY..lol)
Janet was front row at the UFC fight Saturday night and spent the
entire night chatting it up with Black Eyed Pea Will.I.Am … could
something be brewing??? Click here for the real scoop on Janet and Willie! ROBIN THICKE feat JAY-Z
It’s a tropical record called “Meiple” and they recorded it this weekend at Germano Studio in NOHO before Mr. Thicke flew to a mansion in LA on Saturday to shoot the video for the title track to his new album “Sex Therapy” … here’s what Robin Thicke had to say via Twitter:
“In the studio
today with Jay Z… His Hovieness!! So excited!! He’s jumping on one of
my records for my sex therapy album. Wish me luck!!”
I’M JUST SAYIN’Kelly Rowland is close to signing with EMI Music … home to fellow DC alum Letoya LuckettRiRi is doing cruise ships now … she will be performing for the maiden voyage of the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas on November 19Word is Kanye doesn’t let Amber Rose host parties … wonder why not … that’s usually a huge source of income for talentless celebrities (no shots)Aubrey O’Day of Danity Kane says she’s considering quitting music after Diddy ruined her repDiddy isn’t boning Dawn … she says “whats crazy to me is that people saw my comeup. They saw when
I was broke, they saw when I was homeless…I should have slept with him in the beginning. Why Im
sleeping with him now? Its just kinda random.Floyd Mayweather, whose currently beefing with Rick Ross and his Triple C faction (shouts to Lou), has gotten down with Freeway Ricky Ross … this might get interestingTameka says “Papers” was written 8 months ago so it cant be about herCheck out Snoop and Soulja Boy on the set of their new video … good to see the generation gap closing:DOES HE HAVE A CASE??Pro Wrestler Paul Heyman is suing RiRi for “stealing” his 1998 CD cover for her new single cover…do you think he has a case???Peace – ChanceCDR Twitter or Gmail
For more, go to illseed.com. Or just follow me at http://twitter.com/illseed
FOXY, 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].
Kay Slay Blames Album Delay On Plies; Replaces Rapper With Yo Gotti
A cameo appearance by rapper Plies on Kay Slay’s upcoming album More Than Just a DJ has caused a rift between the emcee and the Hot 97 radio jock.
According to Kay Slay, he approached Plies about appearing in the video for the first single Blockstars, which originally featured Plies, Jim Jones, Busta Rhymes and Ray J.
Their relationship soured when Plies proved to be difficult for the veteran South Bronx DJ to reach in an attempt to shoot the video for the single.
Blockstars is the first single off of More Than Just a DJ, which is Kay Slays fourth official album.
The release was due in stores October 13 but was pushed back until December, while a new version of the single and video was shot.
I had to push my album to December 8, because the f**k boy gets on the record, the f**k boy clears the record, the label do all the clearances. Then when its time to do the video, the n***a gets low. Stopped answering the phone, all kinds of crazy s**t, Kay Slay told AllHipHop.com. But that’s cool because at the end of the day, the n***a really don’t owe me nothing. But as a man, you’re supposed to do what men do. If you gonna do something, just honor the s**t. If you don’t want to, don’t f**k with it.”
According to Kay Slay, he wasted no time in choosing a replacement for Plies and choose Memphis rapper Yo Gotti to appear on both the track and the upcoming video for the single.
“He [Yo Gotti] did the video and he wasn’t scared to come to New York anywhere to do the s**t [without] saying I need this amount of police to do this and a n***a got have on a uniform and all kinds of all f**k boy s**t,” Kay Slay snapped.
Kay Slay, who hosts the popular Drama Hour on Hot 97 in New York each Saturday, implied that a combination of Plies youth and his platinum success was impairing his judgment.
“This is what happens when these n***s come around early and you show them love,” Kay Slay said. “Plies has been on my show twice. Once n***s get a few checks…I believe it’s n***s around him, because the kid can’t possibly have did that s**t blatantly after he came and said this, that and the third.”
Plies is currently experiencing chart success with the track “Becky” and “Wasted” featuring Gucci Mane.
“We got motherf****ers like Jim Jones who done sold millions of records, and Busta Rhymes, who has sold millions of records, they do the video with no problem,” said Kay Slay.
Fans of Plies can catch the rapper performing “Wasted” with Gucci Mane during the Bet Hip-Hop Awards on BET tomorrow evening (October 27).
DJ Kay Slays More Than Just a DJ is in stores December 8.
The album features cameo appearances from some of Hip-Hops biggest acts, including 50 Cent, Drake, Juelz Santana, Raekwon, Bun-B, OJ Da Juiceman and others.
LA Reid to be Honored at 2009 Soul Train Awards
Distinguished executive and current Island Def Jam CEO Antonio L.A. Reid will be honored this year at Soul Trains annual award show.
The successful mogul initially began his career as an artist: first with the short-lived 70s funk band Pure Essence, and then joining Kenny Babyface Edmonds as a member of The Deele. That group spawned several 80s hits, including Body Talk, Shoot Em Up Movies, and Two Occasions.
Babyface and Reid partnered in 1989 to form LaFace Records, a powerhouse imprint in Hip-Hop and R&B that brought Outkast, Goodie Mob, Usher, TLC, Toni Braxton, Pink, and Donell Jones to national prominence.
During his current Def Jam tenure, Reid has been instrumental in guiding the multi-platinum careers of Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Mariah Carey.
The award show will be hosted by Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, and also honor music icons Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, and Babyface with music tributes spanning their legendary careers.
At press time, the confirmed line-up of artists includes Toni Braxton, Trey Songz, Erykah Badu, Robin Thicke, Fantasia, Ryan Leslie, Chrisette Michelle, Raheem DeVaughn, Karyn White, Boyz II Men, Ledisi, Chico Debarge, Angie Stone, Brian McKnight, Ginuwine, Melanie Fiona, and Johnny Gill.
The 2009 Soul Train Awards will be taped on November 3 at Atlantas World Congress Center.
The event will broadcast on BET and CENTRIC on Sunday November 29 at 9PM.
Jay-Z, Alicia Keys Play World Series; Rapper Chats With Phillies
Rapper Jay-Z and Alicia Keys will perform their hit song Empire State of Mind this Wednesday (October 28) when the New York Yankees take on the Philadelphia Phillies during the World Series.
The New Yorkers will perform the track at Yankee Stadium for Game 1 of the World Series verse the Philadelphia Phillies.
The rapper called the upcoming performance a once in a lifetime opportunity and thanked the lord for making him a Yankee. New York defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 in Game 6 of the American League Championship series last night (October 25).
On Friday (October 23) before, Jay-Z performed in Philadelphia,- where the New York-bred emcee paid tribute to Philadelphia and the Eagles new quarterback, Michael Vick.
A number of Philadelphia Phillies were backstage chatting with Jay-Z prior to his performance, including shortstop Jimmy Rollins and first baseman Ryan Howard in addition to the Eagles Desean Jackson.
Shawty Lo Ft. J. Pich, Rick Ross And Bun B
“911 Remix”
Benz Ft. Yo Gotti [Heater Of The Day]
“Trapp$tarr”
Alternative Pick: Usher P###. By RedOne
“Rockband”
Whyteout Ft. Lynda Sayyah and Hawk
“Murda”
Bishop Lamont Ft. Ya Boy And Jah Free
“Young And Reckless”
Kaizer Sose Ft. Ju Cash
“Erbody Luv Me”
Strong Arm Steady Ft. Talib Kweli P###. By Madlib
“Get Started”
Yukmouth Ft. Richie Richbeeda, Weedaager Mankafanishady, Natelee, Major SG, Stack and London
“Da Town Remix”
Nino Bless Ft. Nickelus F
“Playing With Fire”
The Real Rick Ross Sides With 50 Cent, Seeks New Faces For Films
Recently freed drug kingpin Freeway Rick Ross has revealed plans for his career and record label now that he has his freedom, after a 14-year-prison sentence.
The Los Angeles-based rising entrepreneur has launched a label and website, FreewayEnterprise.com, which will seek new faces to star in new movies being produced by the reformed drug dealer.
Ross appeared on AllHipHop Radios Eric B. and Friends morning show today (October 26) and revealed details about his post-prison plans.
Im working on four movies right now, including one with Mike Epps,” Ross revealed. “I am going to be letting people off the site play in the movie. If you are trying to get on thats what we are doing, putting people on.”
Ross also expressed his support for boxer Floyd Mayweather and rapper 50 Cent, two celebrities that have feuded with Miami rapper Rick Ross, who adopted the elder Ross name.
“50 Cent called me the day I got out and let me know if there was anything I needed to just let him know,” Ross told AllHipHop.com Radio. “I dont know how he got my cell but the morning I got out he called me and expressed his support.”
During the interview, Ross broke down his strained relationship with Philadelphia rapper Freeway and Miami emcee Rick Ross, who was born William Roberts III.
In the beginning I was offended being in prison. Prison makes you a little bitter. I was a little bitter that they didnt reach out and show me some love for using my handle, Ross continued. But right now I am enjoying life. Freeway reached out a week before I got out, but Rick Ross has never reached out, he still hasnt reached out.
Ross was freed from the Texarkana Federal Prison in September of 2009, after serving 14-years of a 20-year sentence, after he was busted purchasing 100 kilos of cocaine from undercover agents in 1996.
An attempt to contact rapper Rick Ross was successful when the rap artist first burst upon the national scene in 2001, but the conversation didnt go well.
He abruptly stopped taking my phone calls,” Ross told AllHipHop.com. “I didnt come with my hand out, I came with ideas that I thought could make their career better. I dont want to be around nobody where I am just getting fed, I want to be somebody that brings substance to the table.
The drug baron, who often counted up to as much as a million-dollars per day through his crack dealing operations, is currently finalizing his autobiography in addition to a film centered around his controversial life.
I am more prepared now than I ever have been before in my life, Ross stated. I took all my prior experiences and ive been able to flip them into this legitimate world. Ive transformed my drug experiences into legitimate business.
Big Pimpin: Will Jay-Z Shill For Atlantic Yards Project?
Come test me: I never cower/
For the love of money, son, Im giving lead showers/
Jay-Z, DEvils, Reasonable
Doubt, 1996.
On August 11, 2004, Jay-Z became
minority-owner of the New Jersey Nets. With a measly 1.47% to his name, it made
no sense why more successful, majority-owners like real estate developer Bruce
Ratner included Jay-Z in the dream team that acquired the Nets. Then, as with
everything else, truth crushed to earth
began to rise. The reason(s) why this famous Brooklynite was chosen started
surfacing. Shortly after, Ratner presented his plan to relocate the Nets from
East Rutherford, New Jersey, to Brooklyn, New York. And who better to use as
the public face for this transaction than the Brooklyn-born Jigga man himself.
(Plus, he, and only he, could help put King
James in a Nets Jersey!)
So, when Jay-Z took Oprah on a tour
around his old neighborhood a couple months back, and some Hip-Hop observers
couldnt keep from salivating over, as they saw it, how far Hip-Hop had come, a few of us were forced to admire from a
distanceand with a sense of suspicion. One or two questions had to be answered,
we figured:
Why
would Oprah want to tour Brooklyn?
Whats
in it for Oprah?
Whats
in it for Jay-Z?
Who
really orchestrated this event?
What
connection does this ostensibly spontaneous, Hallmark moment have with the ongoing
public relations campaign, geared in full-throttle mode, to convince Brooklyn
residents that the demolition of sacred, public property is, in fact, in their
interest (!), and that protesting the ambitious, $4 billion, 8-million square
feet Atlantic Yards Project (AYP) would cause more harm than good?
With the recent
onslaught of lawsuits filed against Forest City Ratner Companies, the
developing firm at the helm of AYP (most expensive in history), its no more
secret what role Jay-Z would be asked to playeven as the community pushes back
harder and further on what it considers grotesque misuse of eminent domain
laws, to serve the indifferent interests of capricious corporations.
Among the many groups against this
proposal stands Develop Dont Destroy
Brooklyn (DDDB), a coalition consisting of 21 community organizations. One
of the reasons DDDB is firmly against Ratners plans is that at least $1.6
million of the anticipated (though likely to be much higher) $4 billion would be
plunged from the publics purse.
Of the few promises made to Brooklyn
residents, most important seemed to be the thousands of units in public housingto compensate those who would be modestly
asked (stick-up fashion) to give up their homes for a sports complex. But, according to BrooklynSpeaks,
an advocacy group wary of the proposal, two thirds of the units in the
development will be sold or rented at market rate, and 60% of the affordable
units would only be affordable to families making in excess of the Brooklyn
median income, which is $35,000. So, rather than help assuage the crisis of
affordable housing, it could actually accelerate the gentrification and
displacement that is already in progress.
Residents also fear that the plan,
expected to include a basketball arena (Barclays Center) with 16 office and
residential towers, would only bring more congestion to an already-congested
town, clogging up whats left of Brooklyns arteries.
The issue of public housing, however,
seems to envelope all other concerns. In 2008, when Bruce Ratner revealed new
designs for the Atlantic Yards Project, he again
underscored the guarantee of over 2,250 affordable housing units among the
total 6,400 residences at full build-out. At the time, protesters feared that
given the credit crunch, increased construction costs and the downturn in the
real estate market, Forest City will not retain certain key aspects of the project
it has promised to deliver. That was May last year.
Well, a few days ago, The Brooklyn Paper, a community journal,
corroborated their concerns: State development officials are drafting a
new deal with Bruce Ratner that will give the Atlantic Yards developer a
loophole out of the projects main selling point: thousands of units of
affordable housing. It revealed that new clauses were clandestinely inserted
into a Sept. 17 lease proposal which frees Forest City from providing the 2,250
units of affordable housing promised. The provision essentially absolved Ratner
from independently, as once agreed, including the housing plans, subjecting it, instead, to
governmental authorities making available affordable housing subsidies.
As one who lives in a city where the
local library board promised community members last year that the only branch
the Black community could call its own was safe from any budget-balancing
planscome what may!and then proceeded to close it in June this year, I
understand wholeheartedly the sense of shock and betrayal Brooklyn folks are
starting to feel.
In response to these attempts of
everyday folks lifting their voice in courageous chorus against highway
robbery, ACORNs chief organizer said
in a statement: We are, of course, disappointed by the delays brought about
by endless litigation, [but] we remain confident that, at the end of the day,
Atlantic Yards will mean thousands of new units of affordable rent regulated
housing and new home ownership opportunities for working families.
ACORN, which has partnered with Forest
City to ensure the building of affordable living arrangements (thus barring it
from saying anything negative about the project), is not the only lackey
stored in Bruce Ratners basementonly to be let out when protesters, especially
the Black ones, refuse to lie down, hands tied, and be molested by private
firms. Rev.
Al Sharpton, Roberta
Flack, Jason
Kidd and Vince Carter all reside in the basement.
The tragic reality of unkept promises
concerning provision of substitute living accommodations in matters of athletic
exhibitions is nothing new. Just ask South
Africans, or Vancouverians,
or Chicagoans.
And now: Brooklynites.
On July 28, 2009, BrooklynSpeaks sent
a letter to the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), the agency
responsible for approval of property development, expressing concern that the
ESDC was prepared to give AYP the go-ahead without further environmental
review that would allow the public to fully evaluate the new design and
phasing of the project. The letter, which was signed by 17 elected officials, also
worried about 7 major adverse environmental impacts a project of such
magnitude might, and is most likely to, cause.
Two months later, the ESDC gave Forest
City the green light, in the name of thousands of jobs and opportunities
for economic growth to downtown Brooklynthe same farcical excuse Chicago, a
city in the Red, used to sell its unsuccessful bid to bring the Olympics
home. Community groups promised,
and accordingly
delivered, more lawsuits appealing the decision.
Since announcing four years ago, Bruce Ratners
proposals havent escaped enormous setbacks. At every junction, it seems, something
seemingly serendipitous has emerged to validate even further the beliefs
many residents share that the ground is shifting underneath themthat the wool
is being pulled over their eyes. The opposition has grown rapidly, leaving even
supporters like New Yorks 57th District Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries highly critical
of its handlingand, more importantly, the
hubristic stance taken by Ratner and co. toward those most likely to be affected
by it: poor folk. And now, it appears all
but inevitable that the Nets would be moving to Newark in preparation for
its 2011-2012 Brooklyn debut.
Make no mistake: This is Negro
Removal, to borrow James Baldwins term, presented as Urban Renewal. This is
nothing but a rehearsal of that classic show avaricious corporations put on whenever
resident groups begin taking a stand against gentrification and graft.
But what influence would Jay-Z have on
the protesters who refuse to eat the bread crumbs being provided them by Forest
City. Would Jay-Z be a shill for Ratner? Would he be asked to restrain his people from raising hell? And what
consequences would his participation in this land grab bear on Hip-Hopitself a product of resistance and
grassroots struggle?
Judging from past confessions, Jay-Z
believes, to quote Canibus, the movement in any direction is progression.
When I have [a] conversation with Oprah or Bill Maher, [I] represent the
culture, he said
recently, referring to TV appearances with both well-known media moguls.
But is he really representing the culture of Hip-Hop, or himselfalongside
his corporate interests?
Theres a reason A Tribe Called Quest legend Q-Tip recently blasted New York
City mayor Michael Bloomberg in a series of Tweets. He wrote, one after the
other:
NYC Don’t let Bloomberg turn the city into the
office for rich folk and kick out the middle class/poor folk.
How [B]loomberg deals with homeless in nyc http://bit.ly/ht6TL
Don’t vote for [B]loomberg if [u] love your quality
of life
Don’t vote for [B]loomberg if u are a humanitarian.
Referring to the Mayors constitution-bending
bid for a third-term, he opined: [Bloombergs] manipulation of the law to
enable him to run for a 3rd term is an act of Tyranny!
Q-Tip couldnt have been more precise in his excoriation of the billionaire Mayor, whose many policies have undermined the
lives of poor peopleespecially Black and Brown ones. The money-minded,
cash-centered approaches Mayor Bloomberg addresses his citys problems with
have at their core a universal blight: The humiliation and dehumanization of
poor folk. From paying indigent adults to behave mannerly, to rewarding
their kids financially for good grades (Commodifying
Education), the good Mayor seems to think involvement of money in any
matter turns water into wine.
And this is with whom Jay-Z can
be seen pallin
around.
It explains the shameless
contempt for young, admiring fans.
It also explains why the Jay-z-endorsed Ace of Spades liquor brand was recently
ranked no. 1worldwide. He wasnt wrong back in 2001: I am a hustler, baby;
Ill sell water to a well. And he isnt wrong now: World cant hold me; too
much ambition.
This ambition, while admirable, can also account for the smugness and sheer
egocentrism his last record had no shortage of.
So, we know not all headway into the mainstream means well for Hip-Hop. But
thats the price of the ticket. And
as KRS-One put
it recently, you gotta decide which god youre going to serve. Are you
going to serve the Corporate God, or the Cultural God?
That applies to Jay-Z.
It also applies to Brooklyn natives like Talib Kweli, Mos Def, The GZA, and
Papoose, whove all managed to maintain a unique musical sound equipped with
socially constructive undertones. Until now, the silence has been deafening.
There has been little to no noisenot even a mumbling word!from any of
these esteemed MCs. Perhaps thats the Jay-Z effect already at work.
Well, how ironic is it that Hip-Hop came to be out of a struggle against
land-exploitation, and now, Hip-Hop artists are being advised to remain silent,
even as their former neighborhoods are torn apart, leveled, and ravaged, to
make room for commercial complexes?
For what does it profit a culture to gain mainstream legitimacy but lose
every sector of its soul?
Tolu Olorunda is a social
commentator and a columnist for BlackCommentator.com.
He can be reached at: [email protected].
Monday Fashion Feature – Brand Profile: Radii Footwear
Although Radii (pronounced “ray-dee-eye”) was only launched in 2008, the footwear brand has already received much notable love.
Jay-Z in Radii
Jay-Z has been spotted all over the U.S. rocking his 420 Tops by Radii. The brand didn’t even hook him up, apparently he copped them himself!
A great way for a sneaker brand to start off, isn’t it?
Continue reading “Monday Fashion Feature – Brand Profile: Radii Footwear”
Hip-Hop Rumors: Slim Thug’s Crazy TV Show! Foxy Disses Kim Again? No Jay/Beans Beef!
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 don’t know about the Rihanna devil worship stuff. I mean, Chance wrote about it over the weekend and I suppose it is just another rumor. But these rumors are getting more and more pronounced. And Riri’s new song is super dark to the point where I didn’t hear it on the radio all weekend. I mean, I was on the radio quite a lot and heard it twice. Here is the one thing I find very interesting. It seems that most people are siting Black and urban artists as these new alleged occult members. What’s up with that? A few years ago, they were saying all the rockers were these types and now its almost exclusively urban artist, save Gaga? Anyway, Riri could just be getting her superstar on and part of that mean being an enigmatic individual.
NO JAY-Z BEANS BEEF?
It looks like the internets may have gotten this one all messed up again! Now, some eye witnesses at the Philly Powerhouse event said that there is no way that Beans was dissing Jay-Z when he said, “I run this town.” Even though it SEEMS like it, the video only tells part of the story.
It seems that Philly rapper Meek Mills came out before Jadakiss and Beanie Sigel and was talking how HE “runs Philly” and then Beanie responded to it. So Beans came out and said Meeky needs to be more respectful and pay homage. So, it would seem that this rumor is officially dead. I have to admit, that would have been very interesting.
50 CENT EXPANDING G-UNIT?
There is a rumor going around that was sent to me via email. Not sure how true this is, but I am getting word that 50 Cent is going to be moving into bigger arenas than G-Unit. Enter the rumor of Curtis Jackson Enterprises. I dont know much more about this other than Im hearing there are other things coming down the line for 50 Cent that arent well suited for the G-Unit brand.
SLIM THUGS REALITY SHOW?
I heard Slim Thug is looking to make the leap into reality TV. There is the scoop. I heard Thugga is looking to make he way into the heart of America by doing a hybrid show of Ray-Js show and something like Hugh Hef This means, that Slim Thug will have a bunch of girls fighting for his thug love, but there is a catch. Hes going to have TWO winners. Thats right, the girls that win have to be down to share Slim Thug according to this rumor. Im hearing this is in pre-production or being shopped right now. Well see, wont we?
JANET AND JD ARE BACK!
Once a man gets a tat of you on him, you better believe its love. The word is circulation is that JD and JJ are back as a couple officially. In Sept., Janet surprised JD with something I must have missed in the rumors. Nevertheless, JD has reportedly moved back into Janets house. Rumors has it, they are basically back up to spead from last time they were dating.
BIG PIMPIN’ BACK?
Now, the last thing I want to do is start some mess between a man and his wife, but I had to get this one in the rumors. So Jay-Z did yesterday a concert in Rhode Island and was saying to a women in the audience the following: “You make beautiful kids. Do you have a boyfriend?” Since there is video there is less up for interpretation and more up for interpretation. That is not a typo, by the way.
Seriously, I think that is the lil’ segment in Jay-Z show where he acknowledges every body he can see in the audience. Note to videographers: don’t hold your camera sideways…I hate looking at video with a crooked neck.
FOXY DISSING KIM AGAIN
Foxy has a new song with a rapper named Boss. Apparently, she just has a cameo appearance, but she says quite lot for the time that’s allocated to her. I haven’t heard the song yet, but from what I am told, Foxy says:
“M#### f**kas will never catch me dancin’ with the stars, never!”
“You rap b***hes wanna be me so bad, you studied my whole swag”
Pretty evident she is going at LIl Kim on the first line, but what about the second line. I’m not trying to start anything, but the reality is…there are only a few real rap chick out right now. Who else could she be talking about? Hmmmmmmm….
SNOOP ADMITS TO BEING A BIT OF A HATER!
Check this out:
All the n***as I hated on, I had to look in the mirror and tell myself. I aint no hater. So I had to apologize to every n***a I hate on. I hated on Crooked I, I hated Souljah Boy, I hated on a couple of n***as because I did not understand the music and did not have any real insight on their hustle or struggle. So, I immediately started to knock them n***as instead of respecting their hustle or struggle because they didnt do it like I did or the same way I did it. I had envy in my heart. That is not the type of n***a I am. So I reached out to cuz
OLD SCHOOL RUMORS: JAY-Z AND BIG DADDY KANE
I don’t know if there is anything to this, so take it with a grain of salt. This is a lil diddy about Jay-Z and Big Daddy Kane from back in the day.
My friends brother was a local rapper here in Louisville KY back in the day and he said that Jay Z came here with Big Daddy Kane and some other NY n***as well he said they was at the show or an after party ( I forget) but a n***a came up to my friends brother Bodie and his n***as bleeding when they asked what happened he said he was hit in the head with a bottle by some rappin ass NY n***as so bodie and his n***as went to confront the NY n***as and Bodie said he knuckled up with Jay Z and whooped his ass. Now I didnt believe it at first but then his wife came in out the blue one day and said “do you remember the time you whooped Jay Z” then thats when I believed it was true, now maybe you can verify if Big Daddy Kane came to Louisville back in the day ….
ILLSEED’S QUICKIES
Looking like Detox is coming a lot. I am hearing some very loud whispers that Detox is going to be classic.
I heard Charles Hamilton has officially be dropped by Interscope Records and his management as well. DaMn!
Oh oh! Alicia Keys got her pretty wig pushed back! The Element of Freedom is now set to drop on December 15.
THE DOO DOO FACE
Is the song that good!?
WILL AND JANET
Will was cool with MJ so I am sure this is just a cool outing! They were at a UFC fight.
SUPER GUCCI!
On the set of his new video.
For more, go to illseed.com. Or just follow me at http://twitter.com/illseed
FOXY, WE LOVE YOU!!!
They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!
-illseed
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WHAT: Rumors
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HOW: Send your rumors and ill pics to illseed at [email protected].
Gucci Mane & Usher: Video Shoot Pics
Usher and Gucci Mane have joined forces for a new song called Spotlight and the duo have a lot in store. But, the adoring public is just going to have to wait to see the actual video.
In the meantime, they are releasing the imaging from the video to get the buzz started early on the song.
From the looks of the video, there may be a new star to emerge as well. Super actor Eddie Murphy will see his youngest daughter, Bria, co-star in the video. The fledgling actress with play Gucci Manes main squeeze.
Here are the video stills.