P. Miller Stresses Education and Healthy Eating With It’s Time Tour

(AllHipHop News)

A healthy lifestyle and a desire to learn were the key points

emphasized by rap mogul P. Miller, who kicked off the It’s Time to

Fatten Our Brain’s Not Our Bodies tour Friday (April 23) at 61st Street

Elementary School in Los Angeles.

 

The

No Limit Records founder, along with his son Romeo and congresswoman

Maxine Water, were on hand for the event, which featured entertainment

and appearances from Cymphonique, Fabulous Girls, Lil King, Veno, Miss

Tami and The College Boyys. For Miller, the time is now to take a stand

in light of the current obesity crisis in the U.S.

 

According

to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 67 percent of adults

are overweight or obese. In 2001, the American Academy of Child and

Adolescent Psychiatry estimated that between 16 and 33 percent of

children and adolescents were obese.

 

“The

cause is about the kids. It’s about eating right, exercising and the

most important, education,” Miller told Hollywood.tv. “These kids are

our future. It’s Time Kids is an organization that stepped up and said

‘You know what? Let’s get our kids into shape and let’s make sure they

have the proper nutrition. They understand the importance of exercise.”

 

In

recent years, efforts to combat childhood obesity have received

national exposure, courtesy of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move

national campaign. The effort works to help kids become more physically

active aswell as provide healthier food in schools and support

for parents while making healthy, affordable food available in every

part of the country. The Let’s Move website reports that obesity rates

have tripled in the past 30 years, thereby threatening the healthy

future of one third of all American children. As a result, the life

expectancy of children may be shorter than their parents, a first in

the history of the country.

 

Obama’s

involvement in the fight against childhood obesity did not go unnoticed

by Miller, who applauded the First Lady’s determination towards

tackling the issue.

 

“When

you think about the president’s wife, Miss Michelle Obama, this is a

movement that is spreading across the country. I definitely like to

thank the first lady for steppin’ up,” the mogul stated. “We’re just

gonna keep it going. Our focus is the urban community, the urban

culture and to make sure that our kids stay fit, stay in shape. When

you look at our kids in our culture, we have a lot of obese kids in the

community, a lot of kids dying from obesity and we want to fix this

problem. This is a problem that can be fixed by getting to these

younger kids and saying ‘It’s easy to catch up now than have to catch

up later.’”

 

A

program created by the nonprofit organization Urban Born, It’s Time

Kids is dedicated to helping inner-city youth attain success physically

with an emphasis on healthy living and mentally through stressing the

importance of education.

 

“I

want you guys to realize that you can be successful if you believe in

yourself. Think about it, believe in yourself, right, work hard and do

the right things,” Miller expressed to those attending the It’s Time

event. “We can be more than athletes and entertainers. We have an

African American president.”

 

Waters

echoed Miller as she showed her appreciation to the rap star and Urban

Born founder Johnel Langerston for taking time out “to help you to

understand how you can be healthy, how you can be smart, how you can

grow up to have a career and how you can have a good life. How many

people want to have a good life?

 

“Even

though I know you’re depending on mom and dad to do a lot of things

that have to do with your health and your education…you can do things

for yourself,” the congresswoman added. “When you eat right you won’t

get too fat because if you’re too fat then you can’t do all the things

you want to do. And so If you really want to have fun, if you want to

ride your bicycles, if you want to do things and not get too tired then

you gotta eat right.”

 

With

more stops planned for the It’s Time tour, Miller is confident the

outing will resonate with all who hear its message to kids to stay in

school, actively hit the books, eat healthy and exercise.

 

“This

is more than coming to one school. This is definitely a movement, said

the businessman, who deemed the trek as “a call to action. “We hittin’

all the schools across the country. This is a global experience and

this is for our kids. It’s for our culture.”

DJ Premier Speaks on Last Meeting with Guru

(AllHipHop

News) With controversy still surrounding the death and post-mortem

wishes of the recently deceased Guru (Keith Elam), DJ Premier had

revealed details on his final hospital meeting with his estranged Gang

Starr collaborator.

In

a discussion on his Sirius Hip-Hop Nation radio show, Premier stated

that he visited a comatose Guru in the hospital, despite reports that

Guru confidant Solar has a strict visitation list in place that did not

include Premier and certain family members.

The

visit, according to Premier, was the first meeting between the famed

duo since 2003, when they split for still undisclosed reasons following

their sixth studio album, The Ownerz.

“When

I saw Guru it really f**ked me up. I wore a Gang Starr shirt first of

all; just for the energy and so he knew that that’s forever with us,”

Premier said. “And that includes everyone that came before me; I know

every one of them…It was so ill [because] of what I was hearing of him

waking up, writing, and Tweeting and all that stuff. There was no way.

He looked so gone.”

Although

hospitals normally handle grooming requirements such as nails, Premier

described an unfortunate scene of Guru looking disheveled and unkempt,

causing the acclaimed producer’s anger to rise at Solar over his claims

that he took care of Guru in his final days.

“If

you love him, and you’re taking care of him, why the f**k did his nails

look longer than a f***ing ruler?!” Premier accused. “[And] a clump

Afro?! I’ve taken care of people in the hospital [before]. You can wash

their hair and clean their nails off. His feet were swollen and his

toenails were really disgusting…I took the logo on my shirt and rubbed

it against his whole body and told him a message from me about how much

I loved him, and that we were for live and still were for life. Then I

kissed him on his face and let him know that I was going to miss him

because it seemed like he was already gone.”

After

Guru’s passing on April 19 from multiple myeloma, Solar released a

statement allegedly written by the deceased deriding Premier and

requesting that he not be involved in any tributes or memorial events.

The

veracity of the letter was immediately challenged by Guru’s old

friends, such as Big Shug and Bumpy Knuckles (Freddie Foxxx), and the

late rapper’s nephew Justin Nicholas Elam Ruff, who started much of the

controversy in several YouTube blogs accusing Solar of keeping Guru and

the seriousness of his medical condition away from family members.

“The

family is strong,” Ruff told Premier after calling into the show.

“We’re all there supporting each other. And with all the love from the

fans reaching out from across the world, we’re going to get through

this. The #1 thing is that it’s our job to keep his legacy alive.”

At press time, no information has been released regarding Guru’s funeral arrangements.

DJ Hideo Dies Of Cancer

(AllHipHop News) The Hip-Hop community lost another member to cancer on Saturday (April 24th), with the death of Los Angeles’ DJ Hideo. 

Hideo, 42, succumbed to colon and liver cancer while surrounded by family members and his children. 

Last week, Hideo had to check into Mission Hospital because of weakness and pain. 

“Because of the weakness that I’ve been feeling for the past

week,” Hideo wrote on his blog shortly before his death. “My vitals are

stable and now need the assistance of a ventilator to breathe. I’m very

aware of my condition and communicate in writing.  Right now, the one

thing I really do miss is drinking a nice ice cold soda.”

According to close friend, DJ K-Sly, DJ Hideo was in severe pain,

told doctors not to resuscitate him and he passed away round 3:30 PM. 

In early 2009, DJ Hideo was diagnosed with colon cancer. 

DJ Hideo worked for KKBT 100.3 The Beat as Mixshow Director and

Program and Production Assistant for nine years. Additionally, he

served as the DJ on the Steve Harvey Morning Show, Soul Assassins Radio

with Cypress Hill and others. 

Dame Dash, Marc Ecko Host Fundraiser For Kevin Powell’s Bid For Office

(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop moguls Damon Dash and Marc Ecko have announced they will support Kevin Powell’s bid for Congress. Powell, a noted journalist and Hip-Hop historian, is running for the 10th Congressional District, Brooklyn, New York, in hopes of defeating Rep. Ed Towns. Dash and Ecko will host a fundraiser for Powell tomorrow (April 26th) at Dash’s Dash Gallery @ DD112, located in the Tribeca section of New York. “I have decided to run for Congress here in Brooklyn, New York, because it is the right and necessary thing to do,” Powell stated. “As a long-time resident of this district, I am outraged by the many pockets of fear and despair in our neighborhoods, the arrested development in our communities, and the halting sense that life will never improve for us. During my first Congressional campaign in 2008, I proposed that a brighter future is possible for our district. I traveled a long and difficult road against a comfortably entrenched Democratic incumbent, but I did not give up on the possibilities of what our community and our nation can become. I am running again now in the 2010 election to bring those possibilities into reality.”Others supports Kevin Powell include comedian Chris Rock, Chicago Bears’ Julius Peppers and others. Admission to Dash and Echo’s fundraiser for Powell  is $50 and gets attendees access to the event, which takes place from 7:00 PM. Food will be provided by Sylvia’s Restaurant, beverages are courtesy of Ciroc and deserts will be provided by Tonnie’s Minis.

Teens Riot At Travis Porter Show In Albany, GA

(AllHipHop News) Over 100 teenagers were forced to flee through city streets yesterday evening (April 24th), after a fight broke out during a showcase/car show featuring Atlanta rap group Travis Porter. According to reports, over 200 teenagers attended a community day/block party event sponsored by Albany, Georgia-based tax service SOWEGA Tax Services. The otherwise peaceful event descended into chaos around 6:30 PM in Turtle Park, when a fight erupted. Several brawls broke out after the initial confrontation and the fights continued to the Ray Charles Plaza and then on to Oglethorpe and Front Street, a major intersection. One woman was treated at the scene for a head injury and several others were taken into custody.

Remy Ma Victim Suing Rapper’s Label Over Shooting

(AllHipHop News) Remy Ma shooting victim Makeda Barnes-Joseph has renewed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the jailed rapper’s label Universal Music Group.

In 2007, Barnes-Joseph was shot twice in the abdomen by her former friend Remy Ma (real name Reminisce Smith) over a financial dispute.  The crime resulted in Remy being sentenced to 8 years in prison, which the she is currently serving in New York’s penal system.

Barnes-Joseph filed her suit against Universal in 2008, claiming the company encouraged Remy’s criminal behavior by allowing violence in her music and retaining her as an “employee” during the criminal investigation.

The label countered with a motion summary judgment to have the complaint dismissed, which Judge Betty Owen granted last April.

Barnes-Jospeh’s attorney, Lauren P. Raysor, filed an Appellate Brief on February 2 to appeal the decision, arguing her client’s case was not given due process as “the Court either disregarded or misunderstood the employment status of Remy Smith, aka “Remy Ma,” with Universal Music Group at the time of the shooting.”

Earlier this week, opening oral arguments began in New York State Supreme Court.

Remy Ma also has an ongoing appeal regarding her conviction. If it fails, she can be eligible for release in 2013.

St. Lunatics Team With Birdman For New Single

(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop group The St. Lunatics recently shot a video in their hometown of St. Louis, as they prepare to release their first batch of material in over 10 years. The group features Nelly, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, Ali and Nelly’s brother City Spud, who spent 10 years incarcerated for assault, before being released in late 2008. City Spud was featured on Nelly’s#### single “Ride Wit Me.” He was sent to jail in 1999, just as his brother’s debut album Country Grammar raced to the top of the charts, eventually selling over 10 million copies. “Of course, everybody knows that I’ve been on vacation for a while and now I’m back,” City Spud told the St. Louis American. Earlier this week, the crew assembled at Visiontracks Studio in Fenton, Missouri, to shoot “Money Talks,“ the first video from their upcoming album. “He wasn’t able to be a part of Country Grammar or any other Lunatic album that had been done up to this point,” Nelly told KMOV-TV. “It’s exciting for us to watch him because this is his first time really going through the whole process of putting out an album and everything that comes along with it.”“Money Talks” features Bryan “Birdman” Williams, CEO of the popular rap imprint Cash Money Records, which has artists like Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Jay Sean and others on the roster. The video, which was filmed by director Juwan Lee, will promote the St. Lunatics’ upcoming album, which is titled City Free.No release date was available for City Free.

Hip-Hop Rumors: G. Malone Responds To Cube! Usher To Get Dropped? Lady Gaga to Get Booty Job?

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

Solar admitted that he “edited” Guru’s final statement. We all know an editor has the final say as to what is finally published. Now, I really have no “benefit of the doubt” left. Now, if he was the editor, I don’t get why he sat there and left the overt negative stuff about DJ Premier. Self-serving to say the least. Then again, it wasn’t. It only fueled the fire that this whole thing is a fabrication and a manipulation of the facts. Some of us are sitting here and watching, not necessarily passing judgment, but now…now, we deserve some honesty!Now, if you want honesty, read a letter from Guru’s older brother. Click here!!

GLASSES MALONE RESPONDS TO CUBE

 

Glasses Malone is tired of the lil’ shots coming from Cube and it looks like he’s close to responding to him. Respect to Glasses….

 

“Ice Cube is on a promotional run. I don’t know, you know maybe some things I say he took offense to before, but like I said in the interview I did with AllHipHop.com, I don’t go no disrespect for that dude, that dude molded my style. I’m sure he read that too but he’s constantly going on, there’s only so long I’m just going to let somebody get out of line with it.”

 

“I would love, I wouldn’t mind, like if you want to start with me on the microphone, I’m like n**ga come on. As of right now, I don’t have no record dissing that dude, that’s f**king Ice Cube. You know what I mean? I’m like damn, f**kin I’m a fan. But like I say, sometimes like you know, he might have took whatever I said in the wrong light and maybe he got something to say about it. But like I say, Jay Rock is right in that situation, he should have said it right at somebody.”

 [Source]

 GIRLS: WATCH THIS

 I don’t know of you girls watch this. This is what you DO NOT WANT TO BE.

 

And if you rappers are paying for this and any other hoe jawn, please stop it.

USHER ABOUT TO GET DISSED?

Usher is about to get cut from his label, according to gyantunplugged.com. at least for this album, they are saying. A source at Sony/BMG is reporting that Jive is about to put the whole project on “ice” because the album Raymond V Raymond is a flop. Foul. I have to admit it…I ain’t feeling this one.

MAN, I LOVE LAURYN HILL!

She is so smart, so intelligent. This is great!

 

We NEED her back so desperately. I don’t care what nobody says.

 

SHAQ GONNA KILL HIM!!!!

This dude better go the opposite direction if he sees Shaq. I can see in his face, he’s just trying to get a rise out of the god. Pretty MF! LOL!

 LADY GAGA IS GOING TO HER FATE

 I’m not sure if you think Lady Gaga is a legend or not, but she may be headed that way. According to NOW magazine, Gaga is about to go through all these crazy plastic surgery procedures because she looks like a man, in her own eyes. I think she’s been programmed in that way, but I could be wrong. The jokes seemed to get to her. Source said, “She’s desperately unhappy but keeps talking about having thousands of dollars worth of plastic surgery. She really thinks that could fix everything. She’s in a really bad way right now. She puts up such a guard that no one ever really knows what she’s feeling. She thinks she looks too manly and spends hours looking at herself. She’s thinking about a whole host of cosmetic procedures, including a nose job, cheek implants, boob job and thigh and bum lift. She’s completely preoccupied with overhauling her looks.”

 It looks like she is going to go the route of every legend – live fast, tragic and die young.

 MR. BIG IS OUTTA JAIL!

 Ronald “Mr. Big” Isley of the legendary Isley Brothers has been released from JAIL! I knew he was in and thought I saw him performing recently and thought he quietly got out. I guess not. He was in for tax evasion or something. I think he was taking straight cash from his live shows. Anyway, he’s a happy man. “I’m overjoyed to be home and to be able to do everything that I want to do. I’m in love with this record business and I’m in love with the fans and everything and I just couldn’t wait to get back to doing that. I’m working on another album and this album is gonna mean so much. I’ve been thinking about it for 3 years and wondering what it was gone be like and what it was gonna be like to sing certain songs and wanting to sing certain songs and now I got that chance to do that.” He’s already back to work!

 ILLSEED’S QUICKIES

 Rihanna reportedly hurt her ribs when she went to the hospital.

 Brit Spears must wear a bra now. Daddy’s orders.

 There has been no confirmation, but Guru was reportedly cremated yesterday. As for a funeral, no word yet. And yes, you can still have funeral if you are cremated.

 RUDY IS REALLY CUTE!!!!

Keshia Knight Pulliam of the Cosby Show fame.

M.I.A. IS COOL

I love this pic!

 

EPIC FAIL!!!!!

People don’t know the difference between MC Solaar and Solar! MC Solaar is a French MC who worked with Guru in the 90’s. Guru just HAD to find a dude with a name this similar. Even Guru and Solar’s PR team made the mistake in their press releases!

Here is Guru Feat. MC Solaar – “Le Bien, Le Mal”

HELL RAZAH, 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].

Guru’s Brother Writes Heartfelt Open Letter

Originally published by Boston.com. Click here for the original story.

“Positivity, that’s how I’m livin..’” So goes the lyric from my brother’s early hip-hop song, “Positivity.” My brother Keith Elam, the hip-hop artist known as GURU—Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal—died this week at the too-young age of 48 because of complications from cancer. ‘Positivity’ was what he sought to bring to the music and to his life, and for me that will be a large part of his legacy.

In February of this year, my brother went into a coma, and I traveled across the country from my home in California to see him. At his bedside, I stood and stared at his overly frail frame, his head that he had kept clean-shaven for the last 20 years uncommonly covered with hair, his body connected to a sea of tubes and wires. I listened to the whirl of machines around us and took his hand. As I did, my mind flashed back to now-distant times, so many memories. And I saw us as teenagers at the beach on Cape Cod playing in the water together. And I saw us as boys, driving to school. My brother was five years younger than me, so we attended the same school only for one year — my senior year, his seventh-grade year — at Noble and Greenough School, and I would often drive us both to school. Invariably, I made us late, yet my brother, never as stressed as me, was always impressively calm. At school he endured the jests and teasing from the other boys about being my “little brother.” I was president of the school and had charted a certain path at Nobles. But my brother found his own creative route at school, as he would throughout his life. His journey was never easy, never direct, but inventive. Through it all he remained fiercely determined with a clear and strong sense of self.

Over the years I had proudly watched my brother perform in a wide variety of contexts. While at Nobles, we had a black theatre troupe known as “the Family.” In 1973, we put on a play entitled ”A Medal for Willie,” by William Branch, and because he was only in the seventh grade, Keith played only a small role, but even then you could see his flair for performance, his comfort on the stage. At home, our older sister Patricia would teach him the latest dances, and he would execute them with verve as I watched from the sidelines, impressed with his moves, and not without a few twinges of jealousy since I’ve always had two left feet. As a teenager he raced as a speed skater. I do not remember how he became involved in the sport; I only remember traveling with my family to watch his meets in the suburbs of Boston. I do not remember if he won or lost, I do know that he always competed with great ferocity and commitment.

When he announced to me that he was dropping out of graduate school at the Fashion Institute of Technology to pursue a career in rap, I thought he was making a grave mistake and warned him against it. But as always he was determined, and in the end he would succeed beyond perhaps what even he had imagined. Early on in his rap journey, he visited me in Washington., D.C., over a Thanksgiving weekend. I was teaching at the University of Maryland then, and we went to what was perhaps the most dreadful party we had ever attended. As we hastened out the door, I apologized for bringing him to this party. My brother replied “let’s write a rap song about it,” and we did. The lyrics made us laugh as we collaborated on the rhyme scheme and rode off into the D.C. night. It is one of my fondest memories, this spontaneous brotherly moment of collaboration and play.

Keith’s big break came with Spike Lee’s film ”Mo’ Better Blues,” with his song “A Jazz Thing” underscoring the credits. I watched that film over and over again just to hear my brother at its end. Soon he was on to creating his first Jazzmatazz album with others to follow, and he became credited for creating a fusion between jazz and hip hop. To be sure, that fusion owes something to our grandfather Edward Clark and Keith’s godfather, George Johnson, who introduced Keith to jazz by playing their favorite albums for him. He credits them both on his first Jazzmatazz. That first Jazzmatazz album featured musical heroes of my youth, Roy Ayers, and Donald Byrd, and here was my brother featuring them on his album. And with this success, came tours. I have seen him perform all over the world, and each time he would give a shout out from the stage to his brother and my wife, Michele. And I was so proud. It sometimes struck me with awe that all these people were there to see my brother. I watched him deal out magic; he was in his element feeling the crowd, and them responding to his groove. This was my baby brother, the kid with whom I once shared a room. The kid whose asthma would cause him to hack and cough and wheeze at night keeping me up. But when I would complain, my parents would send me out of the room. The message was clear: Love your siblings, whatever their frailties. Shorter than me and slighter of build, my brother suffered from asthma and allergies his whole life, but he was always a survivor

Back in 1993, when he played at Stanford University, I was in perhaps my third year as a professor there. As I walked into the auditorium that night, the assembled audience of students looked at me with a new awareness, “that’s the Guru’s brother,” not that’s Professor Elam, but the Guru’s brother.

And I was, and am, the Guru’s brother. I admired and loved him deeply, my little brother. And I was and am so proud of him, and how he made his dreams reality . And with the outpouring of love that has crowded my e-mail with his passing, I know that he touched so many with his music. My brother cared deeply about family. He raps of my parents in more than one song. They are featured on his video “Ex girl to next girl.” It was one thing seeing my brother on MTV; it was another seeing my parents. His son K.C. was the joy of his life.

The doctors told me back in February that there was not much chance of my brother recovering from the coma. But my brother has always been a fighter, always been one to overcome surprising adversities, so this seemed just one more. We prayed that he would again prevail. But it was not to be. Still his drive, his spirit, his energy, his positivity will live on, and so will his music. “that’s how I’m livin…”

Harry J. Elam Jr. is the chairman of the drama department at Stanford University and the author of several books, including “The Past as Present in the Drama of August Wilson.”

Originally published by Boston.com. Click here for the original story.