Qualmes “Divine Contradiction”
Mixtape Download: Chox-Mak And DJ YRS Jerzy – Death By Design (2012 Re-Release)
Lyricism is making its way back into the game. Several up and comers have helped to restore hardcore lyricism into the rap game. Chox-Mak is among these artists redefining hip hop as it is known. Working his way up the ranks, Chox-Mak has caught the attention of heavy-hitters. Earlier this year, Chox-Mak and DJ YRS Jerzy linked up. Finding immediate chemistry and identical work ethics led to the two coming together. The mixtape features the single “It’s On” with Fluid. Other standout tracks from the project include “Far Away,” which features crooner, N-Tone. Putting the finishing touches on a defining year, Chox-Mak has more heat, but for now it’s all about Death by Design.
Dr. Dre’s New Streaming Music Service Debuting In January
(AllHipHop News) Dr. Dre is releasing something music related in a month. No it’s not Detox, but instead is his much anticipated music streaming service Beats Music he is releasing through Beats By Dre.
Formerly known as “Daisy”, Beats Music is a collaboration between Dr. Dre and Nine Inch Nail’s Trent Reznor and is aimed at “helping people re-discover the magic in the experience of listening to music,” according to Jimmy Iovine in March of this year. The service aims to provide playlists and suggestions for new music curated by music experts and musicians as opposed to computer generated results.
The service received a $60 million investment in March from Access Industries and a group of private investors. The service is still in beta, however anyone can pre-register their username for the service before its January release date.
Hip-Hop Rumors: Rashiadah Ali is Getting a Wedding Special?
Y’all know Rashidah Ali from Love & Hip-Hop and who also got off for allegedly giving a buck fifty to a NYC bouncer, right? Welp, we haven’t seen much of her on this season of Love & Hip-Hop but the latest news is that she’s getting a spinoff show.
Ali told Bossip that she was working with Executive Producer Shaunie O’Neal with Mona Scott-Young’s blessings, to produce a reality docu-series about her wedding. Does anyone else think there will be mucho shenanigans of the ratchet variety?
15 People That “Share” A Birthday With Jay Z
Today is Jay Z’s birthday. HOORAY!
I love Jay Z as much as the next stan and will certainly indulge in the social festivities to a degree. However, I have come to feel terrible about the fact that there are several other stars that also have a birthday on this dear day of December 4!
That said, it is high time that we properly and justly recognize this other celebrities that have blazed trails in their own respect.
Lets get started with a Hip-Hop legend!
Duval “Masta Ace” Clear, legendary rapper from the Juice Crew and creator of the masterpiece album SlaughtaHouse before for those 4 rappers got together.
Tyra Banks – Actress, model and personality that
Grouchy Greg’s still has a crush on.
Cassandra Wilson, jazz singer that you mother f**ks need to know!
Its a group of men with mad celebrities in it (Lionel Richie, Roland Martin, Duke Ellington, Doitall of Lords of the Underground, Keenan Ivory Wayans and more) – Happy Birthday/Anniversary to the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc!
Sergey Bubka, Olympic pole vaulter – he’s just here!
Fred Armisen, former SNL actor that does a mean Obama impression even though he’s quite close White…or something.
Chelsea Noble, actress from 80’s sitcom “Growing Pains”
Lauren London, the lovely actress and unfortunate (for me) Lil Wayne baby mama
Tony Todd, The Original Dark Man X – google that!
Jeff Bridges, That Jeff Bridges
Orlando Brown, actor…that’s been arrested recently
Patricia Wettig, the one and only actress. Get to know her.
Marisa Tomei, she’s still hot through all these years!
Bernard King, retired NY Knick, once regarded as the King of New York, but now seems to give Jay Z the side eye.
Anyway, Happy Birthday Jay!
EXCLUSIVE: Skyzoo Discusses “An Ode To Reasonable Doubt,” Jay Z’s “MCHG,” & Future Projects
(AllHipHop Feature) Today (December 4th) is the 44th birthday of one of the greatest emcees of all time – Shawn “Jay Z” Carter. The Brooklyn rapper’s impact on the culture is undeniable, and it all began in 1996 with his first studio album Reasonable Doubt.
One of Jay’s many rap descendants is fellow BK rhymer Skyzoo. To show his appreciation to HOV’s first musical offering, Skyzoo connected with producer Antman Wonder to release their new project An Ode To Reasonable Doubt.
The 9-track “pay-what-you-want” EP pays homage to one of Hip Hop’s most celebrated debut albums by reinterpreting classic cuts like “Dead Presidents II” as “Meeting The Presidents” and “Can I Live” as “In Love With Living.”
AllHipHop caught up with Skyzoo to speak with the renown lyricist about his new effort. In part one of the interview the Bed-Stuy rapper discusses what sparked his decision to make An Ode To Reasonable Doubt, his opinion of Jay’s recent music, and what fans can expect from Sky in the future.
Why did you decide to revisit Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt for this project?
Honestly, the idea came off of Twitter. About two years ago, right after Elzhi dropped Elmatic, I got a tweet from a fan that said, “Would you ever do Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt the way Elzhi did Nas’ Illmatic?” I retweeted it out of fun. Upon retweeting that I got endless retweets and questions like, “Yo is this for real?” I saw that it was really taking off so I said, “I never really thought about it, but who knows?” I left it at that. Every single day over the past two years I received a tweet about it. I never even said I would do it. I just said it would be something cool. It just wouldn’t stop.
At the same time I met a producer by the name of Antman Wonder who, on his own, was recreating all the beats from Reasonable Doubt just for fun. When I heard about the beats it just looked like divine intervention to me. This is supposed to happen. It kind of just all made sense. If it wasn’t for that tweet this project wouldn’t even be happening. I don’t remember who the tweeter was. I wish I did, because I would show them a ton of love on Twitter.
There are some Jay fans that feel like Reasonable Doubt is one of those albums that should never be touched. Were you ever concerned that some of his fans may not be as open to what you’re doing?
I was concerned that it would put people in a different sense until they heard it. When they hear it nothing else can be said. I don’t want people to think it’s an album that I’m trying to go straight retail with. It’s not that at all. That’s why it’s called “An Ode To Reasonable Doubt.” I named it that solely so people would know in no way was it disrespectful to Jay or anybody else. I did that out of respect for him, what he’s’ done, and his legacy of being the greatest of all time in my eyes.
That album came out about seventeen years ago. There are kids that were born when that album came out who are now graduating high school this year. They know nothing about it, but they deserve to know about it because it’s an album that shaped Hip Hop. Maybe this is a way to introduce it to them. If they’re a fan of me and hear it, maybe they’ll go back and hear the original and fall in love with it.
Why did you decide to go with a “pay-what-you-want” model for the project?
Because the option is still there for it to be free. I wanted people to get the option to get the music at the end of the day. If you want to pay zero, then you pay zero and get it for free. I was getting tweets from people that said, “I hope it’s available for sale because I want to buy it,” “I hope it’s available on vinyl. I want to support you.” I said well, if you want to support me then I’ll give you that option to support. However you get it, I just want you to get it.
We’re also doing a contest. We’re doing a deal with Burn Rubber out in Detroit. If you pay $7 your name goes in a raffle, and you can win $250 worth of sneakers. At the end of the day, I just want people to get it. If people want to click zero and download it, then click zero and download it. I just want it to be the music you ride out to for the rest of the year.
The original Reasonable Doubt had 14 tracks on it, but you’re releasing your Ode as an EP. How did you decide which of the tracks you wanted to reinterpret for this project?
It came down to me working with Antman Wonder. When he produces, he composes, so there are string and horn sections. It came down to which records made the most sense when they are reimagined that way. So a record like “Brooklyn’s Finest,” would that beat sound right with a string and horn section? I didn’t think it would. That beat is more straight to the point, so I think if you turned that beat into something with strings and horns it would take away from it as oppose to adding to it. So records like “Brooklyn’s Finest,” “Cashmere Thoughts,” and “Friend and Foe” aren’t on it, because I felt like when you reimagine those records with an orchestra they don’t hit the same with just a sample and a drum.
You’re a big fan of jazz, and you did a live acoustic performance earlier this year. Have you considered doing a full album with all live instrumentation?
Absolutely. That’s something I definitely want to do later on. I definitely want to do a whole album with a jazz band or a full jazz section.
You’ve been a fan of Jay Z since Reasonable Doubt. What is your opinion of where he is now musically?
I think he’s in a great space. You look at what he’s achieved with everything on his plate outside of writing records, and then you look at the fact that he still writes records of the highest order. How many people are involved in as many things as he has and still makes great music? You look at how many people have a clothing line, a business and it pulls away from the talent, from the artistic expression. It pulls away from the records they’re making, and those records start to suffer or they stop making records. But with him it hasn’t happened. He still goes in every year and gives you fourteen, fifteen bangers. He gives you two or three records for the summer.
I thought the Magna Carta Holy Grail album was great. I loved where he went on certain things, especially records like “Picasso Baby,” “F*ckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt,” “F.U.T.W.,” and “Oceans.” There’s a nice chuck in there where everything just hits back-to-back. He was just grand slamming these. I think artistically he’s in a great space.
What’s the status on your book When Paintings Talk?
It’s definitely coming out next year. I haven’t been able to work on it as much as I want to because of different projects like this one. My goal is to get that out next year. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be really dope. The fans are looking forward to it. My fans they are dedicated. When they know about something’s coming they’re ready.
What else can your fans expect to hear from Skyzoo in the near future?
Next year, probably around March, an album with me and my man Torae. We’re doing a collabo album – The Barrel Brothers. Also, hopefully by the end of next year is my next solo album Music For My Friends. So it will be a busy year again next year.
In part 2 of AllHipHop’s exclusive interview, Skyzoo shares his thoughts on Trinidad James recent comments about New York, the new generation of emcees from the city, and ghostwriting in Hip Hop.
To download/purchase Skyzoo and Antman Wonder’s An Ode To Reasonable Doubt visit www.aotrd.com
Follow Sky and Antman on Twitter @Skyzoo and @AntmanWonder
Follow Sky and Antman on Instragram @SkyzooTheWriter and @AntmanWonder
Check out the track “Meeting The Presidents” below.
Hip-Hop Rumors: Evelyn Lozada’s Babydaddy Worth $142 Million?
Evelyn Lozada, who is expecting a baby with mystery man, has been keeping extremely tight lips about the identity of her child’s father. But if we know anything about the Basketball Wives star, we know that the man she’s in a relationship with is probably doing really well financially.
Evelyn’s rep said that the father is someone she’s been dating for a year. That’s cool but nosey folks (*coughs* Wendy Williams) still want to know who it is so we’re all digging and apparently don’t have to go too deep because word in the industry rumor mill is that the father might be a baseball player by the name of Carl Crawford, from the Boston Red Sox.
Unheard 1994 Tupac Interview About Life and Death Gets Animated (VIDEO)
(AllHipHop News) The name of the Tupac Shakur has been uttered by thousands of rappers, his image has been “resurrected” as a hologram and now an unheard interview of his has been turned into an animated video. For PBS’ webseries “Blank on Blank”, the audio recording of Tupac’s 1994 interview with Entertainment Weekly reporter Benjamin Svetkey is unearthed for the first time.
The interview occurred in March of 1994, approximately 4 months after he was accused of raping a young woman. Tupac claims the “press machine” altered his fans and supporters’ perception of him and ruined his life during the lengthy court case:
I have no friends. I have no resting place. I never sleep. I never close my eyes. It’s horrible. Can you imagine what it’s like..for you to be, who I am, who I was, for them to say that I raped a woman and for the whole world to entertain the thought. It’s hell.
Tupac eventually was convicted of two counts of sexual abuse and sentenced to a minimum of 1 and a half years in prison. In October 1995, he was released on $1.4 million bail paid by Suge Knight and Death Row Records in exchange for an album deal. The most intriguing and possibly prophetic part of the interview was shortly after when he discusses the possibility of facing jail time for the rape charge. Tupac says he would die in prison and would be dead inside even if he was released from prison:
I can not live in a jail cell and that is why I do not rob people and stick up people. But for you to put me there and I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t go that route. I would die in jail. That’s what they want. They want me to go through all of that, then come out. But I’m already dead. No creativity. I’m finished.
Check out the full interview below and hear Tupac speak on how him dying would have been the “worst case scenario” for him in 2009:
Kenna “How Will It End”
Hip-Hop Rumors: Sevyn Streeter & Mack Wilds Dating?
Man, there aren’t a lot of dope rumors these days. People stay tweeting their secrets. What’s left? Basically, dating people are still kind of on the low. Sevyn Streeter is the new female artist that is signed to Chris Brown. Earlier this week Hennessy V.S presented a listening session for the girl Sevyn, presenting her new music. A bunch of stars were there taking pics and stuff. One pic that got everybody all gussied up was this one of her and Mack Wilds, the R&B singer and actor from “The Wire.”
Now they have been in music videos together and whatever, but I’m being told they are just friends.
Here are some other pics from the listening session.
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
Illseed, Out.
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IFC and R. Kelly Premiering New “Trapped In The Closet” Chapters in 2014
(AllHipHop News) For all intents and purposes, R. Kelly is going back to the trap. After televising the first 33 chapters of R. Kelly’s intricate musical dramedy “Trapped In The Closet”, television network IFC has announced today (December 3rd) that they will debut more chapters in 2014.
In addition to the new chapters next year, IFC is scheduling a marathon of all 33 current “Trapped In The Closet” chapters this Saturday (Dec 7) at 5:15 p.m. EST on IFC.
In 2007, Matt Singer of IFC TV interviewed R. Kelly as apart of the premiere of Trapped In The Closet: The Complete Saga on IFC. During the interview, Singer recounts that Kelly fully understood and intended for the absurdity in “Trapped In The Closet” and even gave a hilarious idea of the source of his inspiration:
I had no idea what to expect from our interview. I was very relieved he did not take the project too seriously. When I asked him where these insane ideas came from, he replied something to the effect of ‘From the aliens.’
R. Kelly’s “Trapped In The Closet” premiered in 2005. Every episode of “Trapped In The Closet” can be viewed on the IFC website.
Epic Fail of the Day: Bride Uses Employer’s Credit Card to Pay For $50,000 Wedding
Some people’s priorities are all wrong when it comes to wedding planning and budgeting. A Florida bride was arrested for allegedly charging her $50,000 wedding to her pawn shop employer’s credit cards. La’Reese Michelle Darville, 31, was thrown in the slammer for fraud and grand theft charges on Monday, five months after she married husband Darell at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
She allegedly only had permission to charge $10,000 as one of the pawn shop’s bosses was her father. Police began an investigation after one of the owners of Partners III Pawn Shop eceived late payment notices for a credit card the company had not used for two years. One company credit card was $10,000 over its limit and another had been charged $28,000.
Via Daily Mail UK:
The charges included payments to wedding photographers and planners and for renting the casino. Darville’s father, Leroy Felix, said he knew nothing of the charges.
When quizzed over the payments, Darville acknowledged using the cards for her wedding but blamed it on her father, who she claimed had told her to use the credit cards.
Police say the $10,000 charged on her father’s credit card occurred after he gave his permission, but Darville did not have permission to charge $39,286.24 to other accounts.
Speaking to police, she allegedly admitted to using the account 14 times for her wedding but that she intended on repaying the business in full. She said she had already paid back more than $17,000 – although she had no record of it.
Photographs taken of the big day reveal lavish touches, from rose petals lining the aisle and an arch of white flowers showcasing their wedding cake. Guests watched the ceremony in the casino’s grand ballroom before partying at a reception and dinner that ended at midnight.
La’Reese was joined by nine bridesmaids wearing pink satin dresses and matching silver shoes, while her husband and his groomsmen wore matching white suits.
Darville told the Palm Beach Post that the situation had been a huge misunderstanding.
Darville seems to believe that she didn’t have a limit on the card and claimed that she was paying the money back. Darville, who recently left the company and is now a stay at-home mother was released from the St. Lucie County Jail on $,7,500 bail.
5 & Done: Dusty McFly
“This is My Lifestyle…”
While circumventing conventional ways to earn cash, Detroit’s Dusty McFly’s entrepreneurial passion encouraged him to push the line. Reared within a callous environment, where the economy’s bolstered by extinguished and caged souls, his familial-enriched psyche tangled with that of a hustler’s perspective. Knowing right, and living right, were daily mocked by the American caste-system; harrowing rites-of-passage were experienced.
Having won the lottery and hit 25 years, Dusty McFly, is fully-invested into an emerging music career. Fleez, still surrounds himself with his day-ones with whom, he’s established over a decade of respect and loyalty. The surprisingly humble rapper celebrated his quarter-century achievement in, New York City at Manhattan’s Benihana restaurant. The familiar turf provided a welcoming ambiance for the dual birthday / Buffies & Benihanas 2 mixtape release party. It was here the Atlantic Records signee spoke candidly with AllHipHop.com:
AllHipHop.com: You’ve said, “These cars, clothes, and jewelry don’t mean nothing if you don’t got respect.” As a man and as a musician, have your actions earned you respect from your peers and your public?
Dusty McFly: You know, I came up in the streets and paid my dues. All the money in the world that you have does not earn respect. You can be a super-millionaire, but if you’re not respected—for what you do or for the type of person you are—then it really doesn’t mean anything. Money is nothing; it’s just for personal gain. The real happiness is your family loving you and your friends respecting you. Anybody can make some money. Anybody can hit the lottery. Anybody can out and sell drugs; or, do anything to make money. It’s just not respected. Just because you have the jewelry and the cars doesn’t mean you’re respected. You have to earn respect. Having those things is just a privilege and a blessing. You don’t earn respect by having those things. I’ve earned mine.
AllHipHop.com: In the midst of fortifying your financial future, if you’re motivated by money how do you balance your hustler’s mentality while maintaining your morality? Do you have a magic number that once you achieve you’ll feel financially secure?
Dusty McFly: In the music business and the Rap game it’s hard to do that. I feel like me investing in myself as an artist, and how I used to do before I was introduced to a major label—put on a major platform—investing into myself was big for me. For me to do that on my own that was a big accomplishment on my behalf. I have a balance, but you know the rappers, you like to rock ice. My glasses are $2,500 but with ice they’re $5,000. So, people be like, ‘You’re wearing some $5,000 glasses?’
This is a part of me. This is a part of my brand. This is my lifestyle. I’m not doing this for Rap. I’ve been wearing these before I was a rapper. I had people in my family wearing these before I was a rapper. It’s more so of a lifestyle thing. I’ve never been that type of dude, that I was a follower, that I would do and go buy things because of someone else’s opinion. If I strictly like it, if it’s going to please me, if I want to have it I’ll get it. But if not, that’s what it is. in my mixtape I have a lot of references to stacking money and hustling—that’s my whole brand—hustling. I also have references in my CD of, ‘stack your money up; don’t always splurge.’ Of course you’re going to splurge; we all got that in us. We buy things that we like. You got to be disciplined. A billion! That’s a magic number. I feel like I can be comfortable with a billion. You know, but I really don’t have a magic number. I just want to grind and be happy and do what I want to do.
AllHipHop.com: You’ve candidly stated, “I make music to raise awareness of the environment in which we live in.” The Buffies & Benihanas series is a symbolic reflection of where you started to where you’ve worked to get. How are you challenging yourself to ensure that your voice speaks for the have-nots but art continues to grow; what youthful habits and tendencies did you release to allow your current perspective to evolve?
Dusty McFly: Well, I challenge myself all the time. I try to dibble-and-dabble into new things all the time. As far as the music business, I like to expand my music and not just do the average thing that people expect me to do. Everybody looks at me as a Trap rapper—honestly I’m a storyteller. I tell the story of the Detroit youth—the people that are from my generation. I just feel like that’s what I’m am; that’s what I’m about.
Man, a lot! The music business is completely different than the streets. I’m from the streets and even like now, I haven’t blown out a cake for my birthday in years, I don’t even hang around people like that unless it’s family. Doing things like this is new to me. I’m learning; I didn’t think I could do this. I didn’t think I could build we people or talk to people and tell them my life. I prefer to put my thoughts on beats and let you hear them. You know, it’s challenging but I think I’ve got the hang of it. That’s the difference, me coming from the streets and not dealing with a lot of people—having the paranoia from the street things that I’ve participated in—you know, it’s just different, but I feel like I’ve came a long way from there.
AllHipHop.com: If you were primarily raised by women who and or what taught you how to be a man?
Dusty McFly: Honestly, I was raised by my mom, but there were a lot of male influences. I’m not disconnected from my father. I still talk to my father. It’s just that he’s not in my life like a father would usually be for his son. I definitely talk to my father and I had other male influences in my life. I have a pretty big family. My uncles were there. I had a good family foundation to show me how to be a man. That’s how I became the man I am today.
AllHipHop.com: If every truth is violently opposed, ridiculed, or accepted as self-evident then what truths about the music business have been the most challenging and most evident?
Dusty McFly: The most challenging thing in the music business is getting people to commit to being loyal fans. Committing to your music and understanding your movement –that’s probably the most challenging for me. The lifestyle that you see the rapper’s having is the most evident. The girls, the jewelry—everything that’s seen with being a rapper is the most evident. I got that, too. I knew that part was coming. The girls—I knew I wanted to have nice jewelry like a rapper.
The Sidebar
“Thank you for supporting me. Go out and download my mixtape. Check me out at Dusty McFly TV on YouTube and Dusty McFly on Twitter. And I appreciate AllHipHop.com for coming out. We had a good interview…” – Dusty McFly
Hip-Hop Rumors: Guess Who Will be Producing Kanye's Next Album
Will Q-Tip and Rick Rubin really push the new Kanye West album out to the world? This may be too much genius for one album! But, in a recent interview with Elliot Wilson of Life + Times, Tip said that he would be doing the whole thing. That’s crazy to me but I think it may be good. Why? Because Kanye’s last wasn’t our favorite and maybe he needs to put the art in other hands for an album or so.
RELATED: Kanye West Hopes To Release Next Album In Summer 2014
Check out the interview below.
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
Illseed, Out.
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Game Says G-Unit Reunion Not Happening (VIDEO)
AllHipHop News) When footage of Game and Young Buck working together surfaced online a few weeks ago some G-Unit fans thought the rap collective may be on the verge of making a full reunion. Game squashed any hope of a reconciliation with G-Unit leader 50 Cent while appearing on a recent episode of The Arsenio Hall Show.
[ALSO READ: Hate It Or Love It: Game and Young Buck Reunite In The Studio (VIDEO)]
The late night talk show host asked the West Coast emcee if he and 50 are getting closer to reconnecting. Game’s response was short and definitive, but he does hint that something may have been in the works.
“Nah, we couldn’t be further a part,” says Game. “We tried.”
While the G-Unit reunion seems to be off for now, Game was open to the idea at one point. He promoted an online petition in January calling for him, Buck, 50, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks to come back together.
“It’s about time we gave the world what they want, a ‘Reunion’, there is no doubt that if the group reformed they would smash their way to the top again,” stated a message posted on the petition’s website. It currently has nearly 14,000 signatures.
[ALSO READ: Game Promotes Petition Calling For G-Unit Reunion]
Watch a portion of Game’s appearance on Arsenio in the video below.
Jay Z Reportedly Begins Work On Barneys Advisory Council
(AllHipHop News) When Jay Z announced that he was moving forward with his Barneys collection, he also revealed that he will take a leadership position on a panel reviewing racial profiling at the retailer. According to a Women’s World Daily report, the Brooklyn mogul started his work with the advisory council and some changes to Barneys’ policies as they relate to interactions with the NYPD have been made.
[ALSO READ: Jay Z Announces He Is “Moving Forward” With Barneys Collection]
A Barneys source told WWD that Jay Z had a role in the formation of the council and assisted in the new procedures created. The publication also obtained an internal Barneys memo issued to security staff that revealed the store will begin logging and recording police officers who use its security room’s closed-circuit televisions. Officers will now also be required to give a description and reason for any person they wish to place under surveillance.
“We recognize the need to cooperate with the NYPD as they address criminal activity in our city and within our locations. However, those needs must be balanced with ensuring that the rights of individuals are respected at all times,” stated the memo.
Despite the controversy surrounding the accusations of racial profiling Jay’s Barneys collection appears to be selling extremely well. According to Sandra Rose the exclusive apparel is nearly sold out.
[ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Artist Daniel Edwards Discusses His “Jay Z/Care Bears” Sculpture, Kim Kardashian & More]
Chris Brown Facing $3 Million Lawsuit
(AllHipHop News) The parking lot altercation between the entourages of Chris Brown and Frank Ocean earlier this year may end up costing CB over $3 million. Ocean’s cousin filed a pain and suffering lawsuit against Brown in August alleging the R&B singer encouraged his bodyguard to attack him.
[ALSO READ: Frank Ocean, Chris Brown Fight In Los Angeles Recording Studio]
TMZ now reports that Sha’keir Duarte’s complaint against Brown is asking for $1 million for pain, suffering and inconvenience, $1,000,000 for emotional distress, $1 million for punitive damages, and $60,000 for medical expenses.
Brown has already filed a countersuit against Duarte claiming he was the victim in the incident. His suit states it was Duarte that began punching and kicking him first. The damages in that case have not been specified.
Brown is currently admitted to court-ordered rehabilitation after being accused of attacking another man in Washington, D.C. in October and throwing a rock through the window of his mother’s car during an earlier rehab stint last month.
[ALSO READ: Chris Brown Files Countersuit Against Frank Ocean’s Cousin]
Drake Announces He's Teaming With The Jordan Brand (VIDEO/PICS)
(AllHipHop News) Kanye West may not be too fond of Nike anymore, but another superstar rapper has announced that he is partnering with the shoe company’s legendary Michael Jordan brand. While performing in Nike’s home turf of Portland, Oregon, Drake revealed that he is now “Team Jordan.”
[ALSO READ: Kanye West Talks Potentially Cutting Nicki Minaj’s “Monster” Verse & His Issues With Nike]
“Growing up I’m sure we all idolized this guy. He goes by the name of Michael Jordan,” Drake tells the crowd. “So today I came to Portland, and I officially became inducted into the Team Jordan family.”
Drake posted photos of his OVO Air Jordans on his Instagram page. Check out pics of the sneaks and watch Drake make his Team Jordan announcement in the video below.
[ALSO READ: Drake Posts Snippet Of Unreleased Song Featuring Aaliyah]
Songs By Sugarhill Gang & Run-D.M.C. Added To Grammy Hall Of Fame
(AllHipHop News) Two of Hip Hop’s earliest hit records have been named as inductees into the Grammy Hall Of Fame. Recordings by Sugarhill Gang and Run-D.M.C. will join other legendary acts like Sam Cooke, James Brown, Gil Scott-Heron, and Miles Davis in the class of 2014.
[ALSO READ: Drake, Macklemore & Robin Thicke To Perform At Grammy Nominations Concert Live]
Sugarhill Gang’s breakout track “Rapper’ Delight” and Run-D.M.C.’s crossover smash “Walk This Way” will be enshrined at the Grammy Museum at L.A. LIVE along with 25 other songs or albums. The eligible recordings have to be at least 25 years old and “exhibit qualitative or historical significance.”
“Spanning the 1930s to the 1980s, this year’s Grammy Hall Of Fame entries represent a diverse collection of influential and historically significant recordings,” states President and CEO of The Recording Academy Neil Portnow. “Memorable and inspiring, these recordings are proudly added to our growing catalog — knowing that they have become a part of our musical, social, and cultural history.”
“Rapper’s Delight” is widely considered the first rap song to popularize Hip Hop on a global scale. The song charted in several countries around the world. Run-D.M.C.’s cover of “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith become a top 5 hit and helped introduce the fusion of rock and rap to mainstream pop culture.
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