Non Hip-Hop Rumors: Photos of a Glammed-Up Da Brat!!!

We showed you pics already of Da Brat trying her best to stumble along the street in high heels with celebrity stylist, June Ambrose, for her upcoming show, “Styled By June.” Da Brat looked, well, ummm, let’s just say it looked like she had a long way to go before she got to girlie, especially with a thuggy bandana still tied around her daggone head!

Well, DAMM! Ms. Ambrose might be nothing short of a miracle worker!!!! We found the photo below this morning that Da Brat’s longtime pal Jermaine Dupri posted on his www.Global14.com site, showing a reveal of her in full makeup and cute hair! Wow. Go Brat!!

We always knew Da Brat was a diamond in the rough! This sorta reminds of that short, short period of time when she dolled up years ago. See the back-in-the-day flicks below. Da Brat is a pretty chick when she wants to be….but we’re still taking over-under bets on how long she’ll stay like that!!!!!!

 

Daily Word Special: Credit – The Gift & The Curse!

Nowadays, you need credit for everything! To find an apartment, to rent a car, to open a bank account, even to get a job!! The problem is that some of us have not been properly trained to manage credit so we mess it up at such an early age and spend a very long time trying to get it right. Credit can be a gift or a curse! Assuming it’s now a curse, let’s talk about some ways to get it together.

Step 1: Get Your Credit Report – In order to get where you are going, you have to know where you are. Most states allow you to get a free credit report once a year by going to www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Keep in mind that you can only get your credit report for free, not your score. There are many websites that claim to give you a free credit score, but be careful, because nine times out of 10, they will require you to sign up for some type of program that will cost you something monthly. The best way to find out your score is to visit one of the three major credit bureaus’ websites, which are Experian, Equifax, or Transunion. They usually charge a small fee for one time access.

Step 2 – Review Your Report for Discrepancies – In today’s age of technology, where identity theft happens more often than not, it is imperative that you check your credit report for fraud or discrepancies at least twice a year. Make sure you are not paying for someone else’s bad habits. If you do happen to see something on your credit report that quite doesn’t belong there, then you must notify the proper credit bureaus as soon as possible. By law, they have 30 days from the date they received your dispute to resolve it.

Step 3 – Get Rid of Bad Debt – Mistakes happen, and for the most part, if you have blemishes on your credit report, they can be forgiven as long as you showing good faith to meet your obligations. If you have any cards that are late or in collections, make sure that you rectify those as soon as possible. New creditors will be more understanding if they see that you have made an attempt to right your wrongs.

Step 4 – Be Proactive – If you know you may have issues paying a debt in the near future, make sure you call your creditors first and set up some type of payment arrangement. They are always willing to negotiate debt, because they’d rather get something than nothing. Doing this may stop your late payments from showing up on your credit report… Just don’t take advantage. Also, it is a great idea to start getting rid of the cards that you no longer use, starting with the ones that have the least credit history. Creditors do not want to see too much credit outstanding.

Step 5 – Begin to Build Good Credit – This can be done by showing creditors that you are stable and can pay your bills on time. The way the credit game goes is that creditors give money to people they think don’t need it. With this in mind, it is important to have low usage on your revolving credit accounts. As a simple rule of thumb, you should never go over 30 percent usage which equates to $30 for every $100 ofcredit. Ex. If you have a credit limit of $1000, don’t have more than $300 outstanding.

Following these five steps will put you on the right track to getting your credit in order! It’s never too late to start getting your things together! Enjoy the gift of credit…. Stop making it a nightmare.

TO HEAR THE AUDIO VERSION OF THE DAILY WORD – CLICK HERE.

Ash’Cash is a Business Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Financial Expert and the author of Mind Right, Money Right: 10 Laws of Financial Freedom. For more information, please visit his website, www.IamAshCash.com.

Tyga Announces Dates For National “Careless World” Tour

(AllHipHop News) Young Money rapper Tyga has just announced the official tour dates for his 41-stop “Careless World” tour.

Led on the strength of his hit song, “Rack City,” Tyga is set to release his album Careless World – Rise of the Last King on February 21 after several delays and recent legal troubles.

Check out a full list of tour dates below:

02/17/12 Salt Lake City, UT (Maverick Center)
02/21/12 Atlanta, GA (Masquerade)
02/22/12 Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Revolution Live)
02/23/12 Tampa, FL (Ritz Ybor)
02/24/12 Gainsville, FL (The Vault)
02/26/12 Myrtle Beach, SC (House of Blues)
02/27/12 Charlotte, NC (The Filmore)
02/28/12 Philadelphia, PA (TLA)
02/29/12 New York, NY (Best Buy Theatre)
03/01/12 Boston, MA (Wilbur Theater)
03/02/12 New Haven, CT (Toad’s Place)
03/03/12 Providence, RI (Lupo’s)
03/04/12 Sayerville, NJ (Starland Ballroom)
03/05/12 Silver Springs, MD (The Filmore)
03/06/12 Cleveland, OH (House of Blues)
03/08/12 Des Moines, IA (Val Air Ballroom)
03/09/12 Toledo, OH (Omni)
03/10/12 Milwaukee, WI (The Rave)
03/11/12 Minneapolis, MN (Epic)
03/13/12 Detroit, MI (Royal Oak Music Hall)
03/15/12 Chicago, IL (Metro)
03/20/12 Denver, CO (Ogden)
03/21/12 Albuquerque, (NM Sunshine Theatre)
03/22/12 Tucson, AZ (The Rialto Theatre)
03/23/12 Phoenix, AZ (Clubhouse)
03/24/12 Santa Cruz, CA (The Catalyst)
03/25/12 Ventura, CA (Ventura Theatre)
03/26/12 San Luis Obispo, CA (The Graduate)
03/27/12 Sacramento, CA (Sunrise Event Center)
03/28/12 Santa Ana, CA (The Observatory)
03/29/12 San Francisco, CA (Regency)
03/30/12 San Diego, CA (House of Blues)
04/01/12 Los Angeles, CA (Club Nokia)
04/04/12 Pullman, WA (Washington State University)
04/06/12 Yakima, WA (Dos De Oro)
04/07/12 Seattle, WA (Showbox)
04/11/12 San Antonio, TX (White Rabbit)
04/12/12 Houston, TX (Warehouse)
04/13/12 Dallas, TX (Southside Music Hall)
04/14/12 Austin, TX (Emos East)
04/15/12 New Orleans, LA (Howlin Wolf)

Alley Boy Denies Beef with T.I. and Young Jeezy

(AllHipHop News) Atlanta rapper Alley Boy of Duct Tape Entertainment denied any beef with fellow Atlanta rappers Young Jeezy and T.I. at a listening session for his most recent project “Nigganati.”

Late last week, Alley Boy set the internet on fire with his song “I Want In.”

Many Hip-Hop fans thought Alley Boy was taking shots on the track, which showcases Alley letting Jeezy and T.I. know that he “wants in” on all the hit making thats going on between Jeezy and T.I..

“All that street sh*t? It’s over, game over/I’m the new king of the streets, no motivation, game over,” he spits. “F**k that snow sh*t/This hot sh*t/ In the A-town/This my sh*t,” Alley Boy says.

While the previous two lines suggest Alley Boy is not happy with Jeezy and T.I., Alley Boy told AllHipHop.com that there was no beef or rift between him and his famous counterparts.

“I did the ‘We Want In’ record,’ a lot of folks say its a shot at a ni**a man, but I don’t take shots man, when I take shots at a ni**a they gon’ be bleedin,'” Alley Boy told AllHipHop.com. “But at the end of the day, I say respect the way I feel about sh*t. I feel like f**k a ni**a, it’s my city, know what I’m saying?”

Many listeners questioned the beef, since Alley Boy was a guest feature on Young Jeezy’s ‘The Real is Back’ mixtape hosted by DJ Drama.

But Alley Boy didn’t mince his words and was clear that if the shoe fit, either rapper could wear it.

“Ain’t no bullsh*t in it, once I peep a ni**a character and I feel the ni**a aint real, I just go in on a ni**a, I dont give a f**k, its whatever, ni**as know what it is around the A,” Alley Boy explained to AllHipHop.com in an exclusive interview during a listening session for “Nigganatti.”

Alley Boy made it clear that some of the more established acts refuse to work with artists like himself, who are garnering a street based following.

“You know man, it wasn’t no disrespect to none of the independent ni**as, you know what I’m saying, when I say what I say, its just for these b#### ass ni**as that be coming out here that don’t f**k with no street ni**as, they don’t f**k with no real ni**as, that was just my thing like, ni**a you needa f**k with a real n####, or it is what it is, you get caught with the wrong person, you might get caught with the green light on you, so that was just me saying that,” Alley Boy concluded.

Young Jeezy and T.I. were not available for comment at press time.

Exclusive: Chris “The Glove” Taylor Talks Death Row, Aftermath, and Dr. Dre (Part 1)

When Chris “The Glove” Taylor first appeared with Ice-T in the break-dance classic movie, Breakin’, he was already one of the most respected DJs on the West Coast. Spinning at the legendary Los Angeles club The Radio a.k.a. The Radio Tron, The Glove was known for his lightning speed scratches. Like a lot of DJs in the Hip-Hop game, The Glove turned to producing and soon became the right-hand man for Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and found himself working side by side with the iconic producer on classics like The Chronic, Doggystyle, All Eyez On Me, and later, The Chronic 2001.

Since The Glove rarely does interviews, AllHipHop.com has the wonderful opportunity to tell his unique story about the ups and downs of working with Dr. Dre. Although disappointed by some of the uncredited work he’s done, The Glove appeared by no means a bitter man when we spoke to him, and was more than glad to share some stories that he’s never had the chance to really tell. Read Part 1 of this exclusive story:

AllHipHop.com: You were in the 1984 movie Breakin’ DJ’ing for Ice-T. How did you get that part?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: It all started with a club called Radio. The spot was a phenomenon because we used to have lines going around the block and it was open to any age over 13. The L.A. Times put us on the cover of their Calendar section and the producers of the movie came to check it out. Back then, people like Sting from The Police and Malcolm Mclaren would come out to the club.

So they began shooting the movie at the club and one day, I overheard the producers talking about how they needed music to capture the feel of a certain scene. I walked over to them and told them that I could do it. I was just a DJ at the time and had never produced anything up until then. They agreed to it and originally it was supposed to be just a music score for the scene. They had already hired Ice-T as the rapper for the movie, so I approached him about rapping over the beat. We recorded “Reckless” in the middle of the night and finished at 2 am.

AllHipHop.com: That was your first track? It must have been a quick learning experience.

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I played all of those party tracks like “Planet Rock.” I got my hands on a drum machine after the producers agreed with my request. I learned how to program the beats on it. It’s hard to remember all of the details, but I believe The Egyptian Lover showed me the ropes on how to do it.

AllHipHop.com: Tell us about the experience of DJ’ing in Los Angeles back in the early ’80s before the West Coast Hip-Hop scene blew up.

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: We used to have big time East Coast DJs come to the club. I wanted to prove that L.A. DJs were just as hot so whenever they performed at our club, I made sure that I tore their a** up on the turntables. Each time, they would tell me that I was tight. People back East didn’t know much of what was going on in the West. Back then, they used to call Los Angeles “Southern.” For real! But myself, DJ Aladdin, and Bobcat were shredding whoever came in to town.

For the longest time, it was just me and The Egyptian Lover who were at the top tier. There were other DJs but they weren’t on our level yet. I met Bobcat when he was 16 years old and he told me he was the best. I told him to get down and he looked at my mixer and said he didn’t know how to work it. I laughed and was like, “I thought you were the best?” I showed him how to work the mixer and he was great! Later on there was a point that Bobcat was the best in town – even better than me when it came to scratching, speed, movement and techniques. After us, I would rank DJ Aladdin and then Tony G. Tony was bad! Egyptian Lover was bad too. We were like Superman and Lex Luthor [laughter].

AllHipHop.com: You didn’t list Dr. Dre.

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I never saw him DJ. He played at Eve After Dark near Compton. As a producer I only rank Quincy Jones higher than Dre because of his work with Michael Jackson. That’s how I feel. But as far as DJ’ing goes I never saw him play live.

AllHipHop.com: How did you end up working alongside Dr. Dre?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I did the “Reckless” song and it sold 4 million copies by being on the Breakin’ soundtrack. I decided that I didn’t want to do rap after that and that’s why there is a huge gap between that song and my work with Dre. I felt like R & B music paid more at the time. I had an organ and piano background from church and high school, so I was writing songs. I was a part of a group called Po, Broke and Lonely. We were making hot songs and a mutual friend told Dre about our group. Dre had already heard of me through the DJ scene. We met him out at a party in Palm Springs and e signed us as a group because he was looking for something that was self-contained to where he didn’t have to produce everything – and that was because of me. I was also an engineer, which a lot of producers aren’t. They’ll just lay a beat down and leave it at that.

AllHipHop.com: So what did you and Dre start working on?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: The first thing we started working on was the Po, Broke and Lonely album. We had this song called “Funky Vibe” and he did the remix. We were at a studio in Carson and I was the first person to show to introduce him to an SSL studio mixer. The way he had been recording was by having all of these different hands pushing the faders up and down on the board. I told him he was working too hard and said, “let me show you this thing called Automation.” It was the reason why I got to mix The Chronic album with him. The credits say, “mixed by Chris Taylor” but I admit that he mixed more of that album than I did. He sat in front of those boards.

AllHipHop.com: Did you have any production or co-production on The Chronic?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: Yes. I produced a song called, “Stranded On Death Row.” That was me and Dre. There’s been a long standing rumor that I did everything and Dre did nothing. That’s not true. You will never hear me say that. But I also did a hell of a lot that I never received credit for.

AllHipHop.com: Like what?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: Oh my God [pauses]. The Chronic not so much because I mixed it with him and it was all going good at that point. Although I never got credit for producing “Stranded On Death Row” and that’s where the f*** up’s started. I thought maybe that it was a mistake or an oversight at the time. So we go on to Snoop’s album Doggystyle and I worked with Dre hand-in-hand for about 70 percent of that album. I mixed more of that record than The Chronic.

AllHipHop.com: Did you produce any songs on Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle album?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I produced a song called “Doggy Dogg World.” Dr. Dre did the beat as far as the drums; kick, snare and hi-hat. The bass player wasn’t playing it to Dre’s satisfaction, so I took over and played it on the Moog. Then Dre asked me to put the keys down on it, so I did all of the keyboard parts. He told me to record the beat and then he left – so I laid it all down. I also recorded Snoop’s vocals. I recorded everybody but The Dramatics although I sat next to Dre when that happened.

When that record was finished, Suge was standing on my right side and Jimmy Iovine was standing on my left. They were waiting for me to finish editing it so they could put it on the album and fly it on an airplane to the pressing plant. They told me that it would cost them $42,000 for every hour that it went over. They had trucks lined up, and they were waiting to ship it – Snoop’s first album was a monster. The main thing back then was making sure that the order of the songs was right – because the album has to flow right. We put as much work in to that as anything else on the album.

Check back on Monday for Part 2 of our exclusive interview with Chris “The Glove” Taylor!