Rapper-turned-reality star Peter Gunz and Amina Buttafly have welcomed a new life into the world.
The pair have continuously made headlines as a part of the “Love And Hip-Hop: New York” cast.
Amina made the reveal on social media and expressed her joy.
(AllHipHop News) Orange is still Remy Ma. According to reports, Remy Ma’s scheduled release from prison has been postponed due to disciplinary action.
A New York State parole officer informed Revolt that Remy Ma would not be released from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, reportedly due to a recent fight with an inmate which had the rapper spend her final week in solitary confinement. No official word on if the fight was the reason, but Remy Ma was sent to solitary confinement on July 21st, the same day she phoned in to Angie Martinez’s radio show.
Papoose, along with Remy’s family and friends waited outside of the prison and were not informed of her delayed release until around noon, according to Miss Info.
Remy Ma was sentenced to eight years in prison on May 14th, 2008 after she was convicted of shooting former friend Makeda Barnes Joseph.
AllHipHop will update this story as more develops.
When interviewing Onyx, do not be slick. During a recent interview, Fredro Starr got into an on-air argument with Charlamagne Da God, explained what transpired between him and 50 Cent at the 2003 Vibe Magazine Awards and more.
During the interview, Charlamagne Da God referenced a 2008 interview Starr had with C.O.D. Magazine in which he state that Brandy performed oral sex on him during his time on Moesha. Starr took offense to that stating “You bringing up the past. Lets move to the future.” When Starr referenced Charlamagne running from five men attempting to assault back in June 2012, Charlamagne countered with “50 [Cent] hit you too, right”, referencing 50 Cent and Starr’s physical altercation at the 2003 Vibe Awards’ rehearsals.
[Charlamagne- You talking about the Brandy thing?] Yeah, I’m talking about with that. [Charlamagne- What do you want me to do? You said it] I don’t want you to do anything. You going to do what you do. Y’all n*ggas ain’t play my record up here. [Charlamagne- "I ain't heard a record."] You dont need to, n*gga.
Back in 2003, during rehearsals for the Vibe Magazine Awards, 50 Cent had a physical altercation. According to Starr, the beef started over 50 Cent not approving of Fredro Starr helping former rival Domination from securing a deal with Koch Records:
Jam Master Jay put both of us on from New York. Boom. Him and Domination had a problem. I got Domination some money at Koch Records. [50 Cent] had a problem with that. So, when I seen the n*gga, I ain’t even know it was a problem. N*gga swung on me, n*gga missed. Straight up. He can say what he want to say.
Check out Onyx’s full interview on The Breakfast Club below:
Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg is reporting Bronx rapper Remy Ma is home after serving six years in prison.
The Terror Squad associate stepped out of Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in New York around 8 a.m. Thursday. Remy was met by her husband Papoose and others.
#RemysHome !!!!!!!!!!
— IG : Rosenbergradio (@Rosenbergradio) July 31, 2014
The world will soon have the chance to get a closer look into the life of A$AP Rocky. A video crew trailed the Harlem rapper during his run opening for Rihanna’s “Diamonds Tour.” The footage from that trek has inspired the 5-part documentary SVDDXNLY.
The film will also feature other A$AP Mob members, Rihanna, Drake, and Snoop Dogg. SVDDXNLY (pronounced “Suddenly”) was produced and directed by David Lavin.
“[A$AP Rocky's] been on a rapid rise, and it’s kind of the thing about the film title it may not be so straightforward, but he rose to fame overnight,” Lavin told THR. “Literally, two days in… Rocky was just like, ‘Can you guys just stay with us the whole tour?’ We came back and started editing, and this seven-minute piece we were going to make turned into an hour-long film.”
Fans will be able to get a preview of Rocky’s forthcoming instrumental album Beauty & The Beast: Slowed Down Sessions (Chapter 1) via the documentary as well. The creator of Long. Live. ASAP describes his sample-free next musical project as “how music is supposed to sound.”
SVDDXNLY will run on Noisey starting August 5. Watch the trailer below.
The “stork” is paying Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys a visit, as the pair are expecting their second child.
Swizz Beatz posted a new image of a very pregnant Alicia.
The announcement was made as the couple celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary.
“Happy Anniversary to the love of my life @therealswizzz!!” said the 33-year-old singer through Instagram. “And to make it even sweeter we’ve been blessed with another angel on the way!! You make me happier than I have ever known! Here’s to many many more years of the best parts of life!”
Swizz said, “Love is life & life is love and we’re so excited for another GIFT from up above. Happy Anniversary my Goddess 4 years of greatness & cheers to 100 plus more inshallah.”
Image source: Instagram
This is the first time in a few months that anything Donald Sterling related had made Magic Johnson smile. During the Los Angeles Lakers press conference, the Los Angeles Lakers’ star spoke on Donald Sterling recently losing his court battle over the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers.
On the April 26th, TMZ released audio of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling informing his mistress V. Stiviano he did not want Magic Johnson or any African Americans attending his games. That same day, Johnson announced he would not attend any Clippers games until Donald Sterling was no longer the team’s owner. According to TMZ, Johnson informed the media in attendance at the Los Angeles Lakers news conference of his feelings towards Donald Sterling losing his legal battle with the sale of the Clippers to ex-Microsoft CEO, Steve Balmer:
What’s my reaction to the Sterling ruling? What do you think my reaction to the Sterling thing is? [flashes big smile] Do you see this? I don’t think you see this. I don’t have anything bad to say about him right now.
Johnson did state that he did not have any ill feelings towards Sterling and is “praying for the man”.
Unless you have been living under a rock in Mars, you’re well aware of Rick Ross’ affinity with guns. However, in a recent interview, the Maybach Music Group boss reveals about certain restrictions that should be made on people’s right to bear arms.
Back in March 2013, Rick Ross was in possession of a 9 mm handgun when unidentified gunmen shot at him in his Rolls Royce in Florida. In a recent interview with HuffPost Live, Ross explains his support for gun rights, but with a catch:
I support the right to bear arms, I do. I’m a licensed carrier. But, when I go into public places, when I go out and I enter certain places, I believe it’s best to leave your firearm in your vehicle. Go in and enjoy your meal.
Check out Rick Ross discuss minimum wage increases and gun law rights below:
The number of mainstream female voices in Hip Hop have been at a minimum the last few years, but one veteran emcee could be returning in the near future. According to superproducer Timbaland, longtime collaborator Missy Elliott is ready to return to the spotlight with a new album.
“It’s coming,” Tim told Rolling Stone. “It’s on her. She got the first single, it’s just a matter of when she wants to do it. We got the hollow-tip bullet in the gun. We have the game-changer right there.”
The two Virginia natives have been working closely together since the 1990’s. The production/songwriting duo played a major role in redefining Hip Hop and R&B with albums like Aaliyah’s One In A Million, Ginuwine’s Ginuwine…the Bachelor, and Missy’s own Supa Dupa Fly.
Despite their two-decade working relationship, Tim claimed he has never actually seen Miss E do her thing in the booth.
“I’ve never watched her record, never in my whole career,” Timbaland said. “I do it, she be like, ‘OK, I got it,’ and I leave the room. She kicks us out. That’s how she do it: She does everything herself.”
Missy’s last LP was 2005’s The Cookbook.
ESPN does not tolerate cornball brother accusations or domestic violence sympathizing on their network.
In a statement released on ESPN’s Front Row website, host Stephen A. Smith was suspended from ESPN after his comments about Ray Rice’s physical altercation with his wife on ESPN First Take last Friday (July 25th) The statement explains the duration of his suspension:
ESPN announced today that Stephen A. Smith will not appear on First Take or ESPN Radio for the next week. He will return to ESPN next Wednesday.
AllHipHop will update the story as more details emerge.
The members of N.W.A. to be depicted in the upcoming biopic are slowly taking shape.
According to reports, Aldis Hodge and Neil Brown Jr are being cast as MC Ren and and DJ Yella, respectively. Brown Jr has worked on projects such as “The Walking Dead” and “Suits”. Hodge has worked on TNT TV series “Leverage”.
The film is set to be shot next month and scheduled for an August 14th, 2015 release date.
Check out pictures of the actors playing MC Ren and DJ Yella below:
Aldis Hodge (playing MC Ren)
Neil Brown Jr as DJ Yella
One in four women will experience domestic violence in their life for a variety of reasons. During a recent interview, Melyssa Ford explains an incident where she used physical force to instigate an assault from a man.
Last Friday (July 24th), ESPN personality Stephen A Smith incited a bit of controversy when commenting on the 2-game suspension the NFL handed down to Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Rice following Rice’s admission of having a physical altercation with his wife and subsequent video of him dragging her unconscious body out of an elevator. Smith intimated that women involved in domestic abuse should learn ways to avoid provoking the attacker.
In a recent interview with Charlamagne The God and Andrew Shultz’s The Brilliant Idiots podcast, Ford explains of a time when she was guilty of provoking a physical assault from a man:
While I was shaking my hand in his face, I smashed him in the face with the CD walkman. He didn’t even blink and punched me right in my face. Lip exploded. It was like *gasp*. Then I wilded out some more and he was like, ‘Oh my God! I gotta get her out of here,’ because we’re in the car in the street.
Stephen A Smith issued an apology on yesterday’s (July 28th) episode of ESPN’s First Take.
Check out Ford’s full explanation of the incident and her thoughts on domestic violence below:
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and millions of others can breathe a sigh of relief. Yesterday (July 28th), Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas approved of that the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.
The judge decided that Shelly Sterling acted in the interest of the Sterling Family Trust, which owned the team, after two doctors determined Donald Sterling to be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Shelly was also awarded the invocation of Section 1310(b) of the California Probate Code which stipulates that even if Donald Sterling appeals, it can not stop the sale of the team.
Donald Sterling was not in attendance when the judge gave his verdict but his attorney Bobby Samini stated “he didn’t take it too hard” and “he just said, ‘Keep fighting.'” Shelly Sterling on the other hand was so excited she began promoting the Clippers immediately outside the courtroom after the verdict:
This is going to be a good thing for the city, for the league for my family and for all of us. Come see the Clippers next year.
The judge’s final decision will be reached on August 13th and the attorneys for Shelly and Ballmer state the sale of the Clippers should be finalized on August 15th.
It appears 2014 may be the year battle rap officially crossed over to the mainstream. First there was the Eminem and Shady Records sponsored Total Slaughter reality show and event. Now West Coast legend Snoop Dogg is hinting BET could be jumping into the battle rap arena.
Snoop posted two clips to Instagram claiming he has “something special” planned for this year’s BET Hip Hop Awards. The Doggystyle creator will return as host for the annual showcase and mentions he is working with battle rap star Murda Mook for the event as well.
Watch Snoop Dogg’s IG posts below.
Drake has only been a major player in the game for about five years, but the Young Money performer already has a few chart records on his resume. This week Drizzy adds another career highlight thanks to his featured appearance on Lil Wayne’s “Believe Me.”
Billboard is reporting the Vinlyz and Boi-1da produced track took over the top spot on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. This gives Drake his 14th number one song on the tally. His 2013 Nothing Was The Same single “Hold On, We’re Going Home” put him in a tie at 13 with R&B veteran Usher.
“Believe Me” is also the leader on the Rap Airplay chart. The single from Wayne’s forthcoming Tha Carter V album is currently sitting at number 37 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It peaked at the 27th position.
Drake previously took over the records for most #1s on the Hot Rap Songs and most #1s by a rapper on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Jay Z once went to Africa to give clean water to deprived individuals, now he’s back in the water business somewhat.
Today (July 28th), premium bottled water supplier NY02 was named the official water of Roc Nation. As a part of the agreement, NY02 will be provide water for all Roc Nation-affiliated tours, marketing campaigns with Roc Nation artists as well as being the featured, branded water at Jay Z’s 40/40 Club.
In a press release, NY02 President Elias Slubski stated their partnership with Roc Nation has the potential to “can thrust American premium bottled water onto a beverage marketing platform that is higher than New York’s Empire State Building”.
Get more information on NY02 at their official website.
Since the launch of Roc Nation Sports, Jay Z has been doing more than making the Yankee hat more famous. Earlier today (July 28th), New York Yankees pitcher, CC Sabathia had his first radio interview and discussed signing to Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports, Derek Jeter retiring and more.
On January 17th, 2014, CC Sabthia became the first pitcher signed to Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports and, at the time, the second Yankee player joining his former teammate Robinson Cano. According to Sabathia, even Jay Z’s current On The Run tour does not deter him from assuming his responsibilities as Roc Nation Sports founder:
He’s on tour doing his thing, but he always gives us support and whatever we need. So, it’s great being a part of that family. I’m glad I signed with Roc Nation.
On July 18th, CC Sabathia was deemed out for the rest of the season due to him undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery today which will take 6-8 weeks of recovery. Sabathia spoke on being physically unable to perform during Derek Jeter’s final season:
Me and Jeter have been close ever since I got here. Honestly, in the recruiting process of me coming here he was big into that. So, it’s tough not being there and just not hanging out. This will be the last time we ever get to hangout like that. I’m saying, during the season you’re with guys every day, you know, 6-8 months.
Check out CC Sabathia’s full interview with Angie Martinez on Power 105 below:
From making a song named “My N*gga” a #1 hit to an impressive My Krazy Life debut album, YG has proven to live an unconventional life. During a recent interview, the West Coast MC explains how his and other MC’s success
YG’s My Krazy Life is littered with vivid tales of him breaking into people’s homes, witnessing murder and the types of stories that would inspire a Boyz In The Hood sequel. According to YG in his interview with Montreality, his wild past got so intertangled that he once died at the hands of his friends over a misunderstanding:
Homie start shooting, because something happened. Then they start popping back. So I hop in the homie’s ear, I’m right on the side of him, I’m like ‘shoot n*gga.’ I’m like ‘pop that n*gga.’ He start popping again. I’m like ‘keep shooting’, he keep shooting. Come to find out, we walk back in the house, the cars drive off, but the homies called us like ‘y’all n*ggas is shooting at us.’
YG also claims his debut album is a “classic album that nobody expected.” With his sudden rise to fame and other west coast MC’s such as Nipsey Hussle and Kendrick Lamar showing commercial and independent success, YG feels inclined to believe that the center of Hip Hop these days is on the left coast:
[Nipsey Hussle] put out a mixtape for free or you can buy it for $100. He made a motherfu*ken statement. N*ggas on the West Coast are making statements. I came out with a classic album that nobody expected. Kendrick [Lamar] came out, his sh*t went platinum. [DJ] Mustard is producer of the motherfu*cken..for years. You got n*gas like Dom Kennedy on his independent grind, getting this money. West Coast, we got it.
Check out YG’s full interview below:
Aretha Franklin is a legendary soul singer for over 50 years, but that does not necessarily mean everyone knows that. Franklin released a statement recently deriding Johnny Rockets for an employees denial of seating Franklin due to a technicality.
Last Tuesday (July 22nd), Aretha Franklin performed a sold out show at Artpark Outdoor Amphitheater inSt, Lewiston, NY as apart of First Niagara Bank’s Tuesdays In The Park. According to Franklin’s statement, the singer dined at Johnny Rockets in Niagara Falls, Ont.following the show and was informed by a female employee “you can’t sit here because you ordered for takeout.” Franklin did not take kindly to the treatment:
The woman was very rude, unprofessional and nasty – certainly not the appropriate face for Johnny Rockets. No one should be addressed this way, whether a celebrity or not. I told her she can eat and pay for my meal, and left.
A spokeswoman for Johnny Rockets issued an apology for the new and very young employee” in addition to instructing the employee on the takeout policy. While Franklin’s agent David Brokaw states the singer wishes the apology was delivered to Franklin personally, her statement does not rule out Franklin visiting the establishment in the future:
This experience in Niagara Falls will not stop my enjoyment of burgers and cherry Cokes, and talking to the classy and friendly people at Johnny Rockets.
It appears all the talk about Cristiano Ronaldo signing with Lil Wayne’s forthcoming sports management firm may have been just that – talk. The soccer star took to Twitter to set the record straight that he was not changing his management.
There have been news about changes on my management team – it’s all false, and I can assure the team is – and will be – the same.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) July 26, 2014
TMZ was the first media site to report Ronaldo’s American management would be handled by Wayne’s company. The site is still reporting Weezy’s Young Money will be in business with the Real Madrid forward. A recent post on TMZ Sports reads:
Ronaldo tweeted that there will be NO changes to his current management team — which we’re told is partially true … no one is getting fired. He’s just adding Young Money to handle branding, marketing and other sports management issues in the United States.
Nearly one year ago Kendrick Lamar rocked the Hip Hop world when he challenged several of his peers during his verse off of Big Sean’s “Control.” K. Dot is now on the receiving end of actor/rapper Childish Gambino calling him out in public. CG also named Drake and Schoolboy Q during a freestyle diss in Sydney, Australia.
“I’m the best rapper, definitely Top 5,” rapped Gambino. “I’ll cut their head off. That’s every rapper living. That’s Kendrick. That’s Drake. That’s Schoolboy. That’s everyone. I don’t give a f**k. I’ll f**king kill you niggas.”
Gambino also took another swipe at Drake specifically. The former Community star referenced the fact that both he and Drake are known for singing, but according to Gambino his skills are better than Drizzy’s.
“This nigga think he Drake,” spit CG. “Nah, I ain’t Drake. I sing better. I do better. My shit wetter.”
Watch Childish Gambino’s freestyles below.
Friendships in Hip Hop are usually an exercise of passive aggressiveness, but not with Wiz Khalifa. In a recent interview, Wiz Khalifa explains why Tyga dropped out of the “Under The Influence” tour and why he thinks his excuse is corny.
The Under The Influence tour kicked off yesterday (July 24th) in Scranton, Pennsylvania at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain. Two weeks before the tour started, two and a half months after it was announced, Wiz Khalifa informed the public on his personal Twitter account that Tyga was dropping out of the tour:
Tyga dropped off the tour. Sorry ya’ll.
— We Dem Boyz (@wizkhalifa) July 10, 2014
Less than 8 hours after Wiz Khalifa announced Tyga’s abrupt exit, Tyga took to his personal Twitter account to explain that he left the tour to finish his album and film a movie. According to Wiz during an interview with Mina SayWhat on Power 99 earlier today (July 25th) that excuse was wack and Tyga never informed him of his departure from the tour personally:
I felt like that was just corny. We’re better than that. At the end of the day, you don’t say ‘album and a movie’ to sound like you have something to do, ’cause I did my album before the tour and I’m shooting a movie once I get off tour and I got a son. So, at the end of the day, what do you want to do with your life?
Check out Wiz Khalifa address Tyga leaving the Under The Influence tour below:
Nicki Mainj in a thong is all fun and games until . In a series of posts on her personal Instagram account, Nicki Minaj addressed the backlash she has received over her racy artwork for her upcoming single “Anaconda”.
Yesterday (July 24) Nicki Minaj shocked everyone released a photo of herself half naked in a thong for the cover art of her upcoming single “Anaconda”. Nicki Minaj took to her personal Instagram to address criticism that her photo was not acceptable by posting photos of Sports Illustrated models in similar attire and positions. One of the photos involved John Legend’s wife Christine Tegien:
Tegien took to her personal Twitter account to address the entire matter:
I WILL TAKE ACCEPTABLE RT “@NICKIMINAJ: Angelic. Acceptable. Lol http://t.co/LePgAezLK0”
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) July 25, 2014
landed, saw she posted our cover, called our asses acceptable. Which I took as a compliment as I know I have no ass. Now pure entertainment.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) July 25, 2014
Lebron James has advanced sports further than any athlete in the last 15 years, but his hairline has went in the opposite direction. In an interview with VFiles, Jay Z’s personal barber explains how he would have preserved Lebron James’ receding hairline.
Celebrity barber Johnny Cakes has cut the hair of a number of high-profile Hip Hop artists such as Joe Budden, Fabolous and most notably, Jay Z. While Cakes admits to not having the chance to cut Lebron James’ hair, he does explain that his assistance early on would have helped James preserve his hairline:
Lebron at this point, he might be a little too far gone. But, if I was cutting it earlier I wouldve been preserving his hair. Fading around what he got going on now. Where I feel they’re not doing that now. That’s my thing, I’m like anti-pushing hair lines back.
James has not shied away from addressing his hairline. In a 2012 interview with NBA on TNT James stated he would not cut off all of his hair due to his receding hairline as former NBA players Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith suggested.
Check out Johnny Cakez discuss working with Jay Z, Dame Dash and more as their personal barber below:
Jay Electronica stunned the Hip Hop community when he brought up Jay Z for his Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival performance on July 12th. According to the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival’s Executive Director Wes Jackson in our EXCLUSIVE interview, Jay Electronica had another scheduled guest that would have incited a different type of media frenzy.
In the middle of June, Rosenberg engaged in a Twitter war with Public Enemy’s Chuck D and claimed he was a “Twitter troll” and that “no one elected you President of Hip Hop.” On July 3rd, Jay Electronica sent out a Twitter message (that has since been deleted) that stated Rosenberg owed Chuck D an apology and “we are gonna see to it that he gets it. Publicly.” Rosenberg gave that apology three days later on Hot 97, but according to Wes Jackson, Jay Electronica had a plan to get that apology one way or another:
You know who the other guest was supposed to be that Jay Electronica was going to bring out was Chuck D. He was going to call out [Peter] Rosenberg on that stage. Maybe Jay [Electronica] didn’t want me to say that but I know that was what they were working on, because he felt, Jay Electronica, you look at his tweets I think when he came up from rehearsing for the show he looked and saw Rosenberg going at Chuck D.
On January 13th, Outkast announced their return to performing with a scheduled 40-festivals tour. None of the dates on Outkast’s festival tour were for distinctly Hip Hop festivals and according to Jackson, Governor’s Ball locked up Outkast for the entire region:
I can understand the paper they were paying them were much longer than I can ever come up with. But, it’s like how you playing an EDM festival and not the Hip Hop festival and you’re a Hip Hop group? There’s this sense of capitulation of like, ‘We rather be on Rolling Stone than AllHipHop. What? I get it on one level, but on another level it’s kind of shameful. That we are still…Black people have this sickness that we want to be accepted by MTV, Hot 97, Governor’s Ball, Coachella, Bonaroo. But they don’t love us.
Check out the THIRD and final part of AllHipHop’s EXCLUSIVE interview with Brooklyn Bodega below:
Iggy Azalea is set to join a list of fashion icons that includes Cindy Crawford, Rebecca Romijn, and Molly Sims. The “Fancy” performer will be the new host of the revamped House of Style on MTV.com.
The program will follow Iggy as she explores the fashion world. House of Style will also cover music and technology during its eight episode run.
Iggy’s personal experience in the fashion industry will come in handy for her role as the new face of the series. The Australian native signed with the Wilhelmina International modeling agency in 2012.
The original House of Style premiered in 1989 and ended in 2000. The show was revived with Karlie Kloss and Joan Smalls as host. Season 2 of the rebooted House of Style featuring Iggy Azalea begins August 4.
Watch an episode of House of Style season 1 below.
The Floyd Mayweather/T.I./Tiny drama got new life recently when it was reported the boxing champion said “I was f**king his b***h” when asked about Tip at a press conference. Mayweather later stated he was misquoted. The woman in the center of the controversy has added her thoughts about the situation.
Tiny was a guest on The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, and the singer supported Mayweather’s claim that his words were misinterpreted.
The Family Hustle star said:
I went back to it because first of all that is so untrue. I could just not imagine him saying, “Oh yeah, I did that.” So, I had to go back, put my earbuds on so I could really, really hear. When he says it he said, “He thought,” but when he says it his head is kind of like turned to the side. But if you look at his mouth, his mouth is moving. He’s saying, “He thought.” So, he didn’t really say that for real, for real. Everybody took it and the press, that’s what they do. But he didn’t say that ’cause that never happened. He’s never been in a room with me by myself. Anytime that he’s been around me it’s been people like this. So I couldn’t imagine him saying, “Yeah, I did that.”
Weezy F. The F stands for “fútbol. According to reports, Lil Wayne has not only started a sports management company but he has signed Real Madrid’s soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo.
TMZ revealed earlier today that Ronaldo will be the first client in Lil Wayne’s sports management company, which will work in partnership with sports agency PolarisSports. PolarisSports is affiliated with sports agency CAA Sports through its 2008 partnership with Gestifute. PolarisSports handles the image rights of their clients and Wayne’s sports management company will reportedly handle Ronaldo’s endorsements, marketing, branding and more. CAA has also handled the contract negotiations for Jay Z’s Roc Nation since its April 2013 beginning.
No word on if Lil Wayne’s sports management company will be in connection to the Visionaire Sports Group he and Birdman applied for a trademark for back in December 2013. According to Forbes, Ronaldo accumulated $77 million last year with $22 million deriving from endorsements, making him the highest paid soccer player of 2013.
While Ronaldo did not confirm his singing, he did release a picture of him, the Prime Minister of Japan and other Japanese politicians throwing up the YMCB hand sign:
YMCMB with @jpn_pmo what you think @srod7 @liltunechi @euro pic.twitter.com/qKVUgDuDZn
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) July 24, 2014
Not many albums have impacted the Hip Hop landscape like Illmatic. Then again, there are not many albums like good kid, mAAd city. During a recent interview, Nas addressed the comparisons between his debut album and Kendrick Lamar’s and spoke on what Lamar needs to do on his sophomore album.
In his interview with Complex Magazine, Nas stated that “the Internet made the world smaller, so it’s easier now for people to hear your music” as opposed to when he was a new artist in the early 90s with limited means of reaching the masses outside of “radio record” According to Nas, the difference in era is the main reason you can not compare good kid, mAAd city to Illmatic:
No, it’s not a fair comparison to me because Illmatic represented a different time and a different expression for different reasons. The times inspired the sound of that—the climate of the music business, the rap game, the industry, the year, and life in itself. It’s not fair to Kendrick’s album either because his album is a brand new expression that represents these times, the sound represents what’s happening now, he’s changing things today.
Nas says Kendrick Lamar is similarly”an album guy” and not one solely making hit singles. When asked what advice he would give Lamar on following up a classic debut album, Nas reveals that you have to keep everything in perspective:
You’ll never be bigger than hip-hop. I wanna be big but I’ll never be bigger than hip-hop. If I become bigger than hip-hop, then I’m Madonna, I’m a diva. I know plenty divas in this shit, new artists and old. Rap Divas. But none of us is bigger than hip-hop and none of us will ever be.
Divide and conquer. Yesterday (July 23rd), Drake had some choice words about himself and J. Cole during his surprise appearance at J. Cole’s Dollar and A Dream tour stop in Los Angeles.
During the first of two shows at the Los Angeles, CA stop of Cole’s Dollar and A Dream tour, the North Carolina rapper brought out Drake as a surprise guest. At the end of Drake’s performance, he remarked “There’s only 2 kings in this sh*t right now, and they standing on this stage.”
During Cole’s second show, he brought out Kendrick Lamar as his guest.
Check out a snippet of Kendrick Lamar performing “Backseat Freestyle” and Drake’s proclamation below:
Throughout his career Nas has used his music to explore and present historical information he felt was relevant to his listeners, so it’s not surprising the Queens emcee took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about his own family history.
Nas was able to accomplish that personal reflection thanks to the PBS series Finding Your Roots. The show’s host and executive producer, Henry Louis Gates Jr. of Harvard University, tapped Nas to become the first Hip Hop star to be featured on the program.
The experience greatly affected Nas. He spoke at a panel discussion about one particular moment when he saw 1859 papers showing one of his ancestors was sold as a slave.
“First I was enraged when I looked at the bill of sale,” said Nas. “I was like, that guy that owned property owes me some cash. My people made him really wealthy, so maybe I should find his family and talk.”
As Nas and Gates use Finding Your Roots to take a look back at the past, but both men are also actively involved in building Hip Hop culture’s future. The Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship is a key part of the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute at Harvard’s Du Bois Institute.
“Nas is a true visionary, and he consistently shows how boundaries can be pushed and expanded to further the cause of education and knowledge. The work of the Du Bois Institute is enriched by the addition of the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship,” stated Gates.
The 10-part season 2 of Finding Your Roots debuts on PBS on September 23. For more information visit pbs.org. Watch a preview below.
Many Hip Hop fans were surprised when New York rap legend Busta Rhymes announced he had joined the roster at Cash Money Records. And now, after several years, the partnership between Busta and YMCMB has come to an end.
Busta recently appeared on Shade 45′s Sway In The Morning and revealed that he is no longer with the label. Creative differences were the main reason his upcoming E.L.E. 2 (Extinction Level Event 2) will not be released on Baby and Slim’s imprint.
For me, with this particular project and all of the sacrifice that went into it – recording the album for five years. I ain’t put out an album since ’09, so I’ve been working on this album for a long time. I lose Chris Lighty making this album. I lose my father making this album. The s**t I was putting into this album, I’m not compromising my vision for it.
So if I feel like, in the slightest way, we ain’t facilitating everything necessary for the vision to be seen through and executed in the way that I’ve been envisioning this s**t for the last five years, let me live and die in my own inequity. That’s really all it came down to.
The Conglomerate general also explains the split was not viewed with any negativity by either party, and he is willing to do business with Cash Money in the future.
Watch Busta Rhymes’ interview below.
In business, you invest money in endeavors that you project will yield sustainable results. In the second part of our EXCLUSIVE interview with Brooklyn Bodega’s Wes Jackson and Juels Pierrot, the duo discusses the moral and business benefits of MTV investing in the Black and Latino culture, Dame Dash and Funkmaster Flex’s feud and more.
On July 1st, MTV’s parent company Viacom’s Music Group began its Director Diversity Program designed to enroll particularly women and ethnic minorities in shadowing programs where they’ll be mentored by directors in non-drama and episodic series. According to Wes Jackson, MTV investing in the Black and Latino culture is a moral and business imperative:
It’s like a moral obligation. There’s a sense of you’re coming into the community and there’s these young Black men and women. Or if you’re going to make a racial thing, these young latina women and young latino men, you should sort of give back to the community because you just earned a lot from it. From a business perspective, the way that you’re going to…it’s almost like they’re cutting down all the trees and not planting no new trees. Eventually, you’re just going to run out of resources so you should even reinvest in the community so you can create. [Me and Juels] was talking about this today, you need new customers. You need to create new customers.
MTV appointed their first Chief Diversity Officer on October 28th, 2005 with the hire of former Chief Diversity Officer of Hudson Highland Group Billy Dexter. In the press release for Dexter’s appointment, MTV’s former Chairman and CEO Judy McGrath stated MTV is “completely committed to diversity and inclusion, because it’s the most creative and vibrant thing we can do for our future.”
Jackson connected his current gripe with Viacom and MTV to Emmis Communications benefiting in ad revenue off of Dame Dash and Funkmaster Flex’s recent back-and-forth:
Who was really the one going at Dame? It was Funkmaster Flex, a Black man. So,one Black man on one of the biggest platforms in the country, trying to eviscerate another Black man. That’s exactly what Dame was talking about. It’s that we start chasing this check and next thing we know we ripping each other apart. Who’s sitting there earning them advertising dollars watching Flex and Dame go at each other. It’s Emmis [Communications].
Check out the SECOND part of AllHipHop’s EXCLUSIVE interview with Brooklyn Bodega’s Wes Jackson and Juels Pierrot below:
Common once remarked “I got my SAG card, baby I’m an actor” on his 2007 song “Break My Heart” and has been waving that card around ever since. During a recent interview, Common spoke on talking to Serena Williams about Drake, once playing Green Lantern
Back in 2008, Common revealed he was casted as Green Lantern in a potential movie entitled Justice League of America. The movie was scrapped by Warner Bros due to the Writers Guild of America going on strike, but Common reveals on The Breakfast Club the movie included a Latino Superman:
I was the Green Lantern for a minute ’cause we were doing the movie Justice League. Yeah, I had the gig. We went down to Australia and i had the suit on and everything. [Laughs] I was ready, man. I was geeked, ’cause I was like at that time, this is 2008, I was like ‘there really ain’t Black super heroes out there.” It was a Latino brother too, he was playing Superman. At the time, we were like “man, Black and Latino kids are going to see us and be like I can be a superhero. If you think about it, a lot of the superheroes they seeing are only white.
Two weeks ago, Common spoke on his 2011 beef with Drake stemming over rumors that Drake was in an intimate relationship with Common’s ex-girlfriend Serena Williams. Common admits for the first time that during the beef he spoke directly to Serena about the allegations:
I definitely talked to her about it. [Laughs] I definitely talked to her about it. But you know, at the end of the day, once she ain’t your lady, ain’t too much…you know, what else can I say?
Check out Common’s full interview on The Breakfast Club below:
It will not take 14 years for the next installment in The Best Man series. Universal Pictures announced yesterday (July 22nd) that the follow up to the successful 2013 The Best Man Holiday will be released in the Spring of 2016.
The official release date of the as-of-yet-untitled third The Best Man movie is slated as April 15th, 2016. According to Deadline, Nia Long, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall and all of the other original cast members of the two films will return in the third film. Sean Daniel returning as producer and Malcolm D. Lee retuning as writer.
The Best Man Holiday was released on November 15th, 2013 and accumulated a $30 million box office showing in its opening weekend.
Donald Sterling’s battle for control of the Los Angeles Clippers could cost the team its championship winning head coach. The franchise’s interim CEO Richard Parsons testified at Donald Sterling’s trial against his wife Shelly Sterling that Doc Rivers does not want to remain the Clippers coach if Donald remains in charge of the team.
“Doc is troubled by this maybe more so than anybody else,” said Parsons. “If Mr. Sterling continues as owner, he does not want to continue as coach.”
The loss of Rivers could cause a “death spiral” for the team added the former Time Warner and Citigroup executive. Parsons also stated Donald Sterling continuing as the owner may lead to players, sponsors, and fans abandoning the L.A. sports team.
Rivers took over the Clippers coaching job in 2013. In his first season at the helm, he led the team to a franchise best 57 wins. Rivers previously coached the Boston Celtics to the NBA title in 2008.
Donald Sterling is fighting the sale of the Clippers to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. The 80-year-old businessman claims his wife did not have the authority to make the deal and she mislead him about mental tests that were used to determine his capability to run the organization.
Since being released from prison last year, Grammy winning performer Lauryn Hill has been quietly making her comeback by doing concerts across the country. At one show stop in Chicago, Ms. Hill became upset with a member of the audience and had the person removed from the venue.
In video obtained by TMZ, Hill can be heard telling the patron not to be disrespectful. The former Fugees member then calls for security to refund the man’s money and to escort him from the performance.
“I don’t need to win you over. You don’t need to win me over. You can go,” Lauryn tells the individual. “I do this because I love it, not because I owe you anything. You understand that? You can get on your blogs, and you can tweet. You can say whatever you want to. I don’t give a rat’s ass. I do this because I love it.”
Ms. Lauryn Hill’s tour continues tomorrow night in Floyd, Virginia. She also has dates coming up in Brooklyn and Boston. Lauryn will then head overseas for shows in Germany, France, the U.K., and more.
Watch the video below.
Rising teenage rhymer Bishop Nehru has partnered with veteran emcee MF Doom for an upcoming joint project titled NehruvianDOOM. The album now has an official release date. Bishop revealed on Twitter the joint effort will be available in September.
NehruvianDOOM | September 23rd.
— EMPEROR NEHRU (@BishopNehru) July 22, 2014
Bishop previously dropped the Nehruvia and StrictlyFLOWz mixtapes. Last month he teamed with Dizzy Wright to release the 3-track BrILLiant Youth EP produced by 9th Wonder.
This has been a breakout year for Bishop. Besides working on collaborative projects with Doom and Dizzy, the New York resident signed a deal with Nas’ newly formed Mass Appeal Records.
Trying to be someone else is hard enough when it’s not one of the most revered artists in R&B of the past 20 years. In a recent interview, the actress originally set to play Aaliyah in the upcoming Lifetime biopic Aaliyah: Princess of R&B.
Last Friday (July 18th), Alexandra Shipp was announced as the new star of the Aaliyah biopic after Zendaya Coleman dropped out last month. According to Coleman’s three part Instagram message, she did not feel “morally okay moving forward with the production” for a number of reasons, one being disagreements with Aaliyah’s family over music rights and more:
The reason I chose not to do the Aaliyah movie had nothing to do with the haters or people telling me I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t talented enough or I wasn’t black enough. The main reasons were the production value wasn’t there. There were complications with the music rights and I felt like it wasn’t being handled delicately considering the situation and I tried my best to reach out to the family on my own.
Days after Coleman was announced as the lead actress in the Lifetime movie, Aaliyah’s uncle and former manager Barry Hankerson informed TMZ that Aaliyah’s family was displeased with Lifetime’s refusal to involve members of the family. Hankerson claimed that the family would block any usage of Aaliyah’s music in the film.
Check out Coleman’s explanation for leaving Aaliyah: Princes of R&B below:
Minister Louis Farrakhan saw Jay Electronica and Jay Z perform at the 10th annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival and approves. In an extensive letter penned by Farrakhan for Final Call, the esteemed leader addressed criticism Jay Electronica received following his performance and more.
Farrakhan writes that he is “very proud of the Fruit of Islam (F.O.I.) and the Believers who stood with Brother Jay Electronica as he delivered what he delivered to the people” at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. Farrakhan also admits that Jay Electronica was not “perfect in his representation” of the Islamic beliefs, but reasoned why it was acceptable:
I understand that some criticized Brother Jay Electronica’s use of profanity while wearing the uniform of the Fruit of Islam (F.O.I.) of The Nation of Islam. I humbly and respectfully ask: Has any of us who have accepted Islam and its required high degree of moral excellence and civilization ever said or done anything that is less than representative of what we believe? I am sure that all of us, if we are honest, would have to say that we have
At the end of Jay Z’s appearance during Jay Electronica’s set, the Roc Nation boss placed a 5 Percenter chain over Electronica’s head and proclaimed “peace to the gods.” According to Farrakhan, that is a moment even he would have enjoyed:
So, if someone offered me what Brother Jay Electronica was offered by Brother Jay Z, I too would accept it with the biggest smile on my face, for I too, as all of us in The Nation of Islam, are The Five Percent: Poor Righteous Teachers who are called to teach the 85 Percent, and free them from the chains of slavery and subservience as tools of the 10 Percent.
A post-racial America may still be an illusion. During a recent interview, Saul Williams explained why the Tupac-inspired Broadway musical Holler If Your Hear Me recently closed and explained how its failure is connected to Iggy Azaela’s success.
Williams starred in the musical which was forced to shut down this past Sunday (July 20th) after only two months and 55 performances. In a statement from producer of Holler If Ya Hear Me Eric L. Gold, “financial burdens of Broadway” caused the play to have to be discontinued. Rolling Stone reported that two weeks before the musical ended, ticket sales were less than 17% of the projected sales expectation. Williams laughed off the excuse of financial burdens causing the play to stop in a recent interview with Rolling Stone stating “everyone knows you can’t come to Broadway with short money”. Following that statement, Williams explains a “deeper sociological reasoning” behind the play’s failure:
I think it’s something deeper. There is no disconnect between this and Iggy Azalea, an Australian girl rapping with a southern accent, being Number One on the charts. It’s all related to where we are right now as a culture and within the culture of the arts.
Williams also recalls instances during the play’s run when members of discount Broadway ticketing company TKTS would give bad reviews to interested pedestrians. Williams states that one of the producers of the play asked one of the TKTS employees about Holler If Ya Hear Me:
One of our producers came in really angry because he had spoken to one of the TKTS people [who man Broadway ticket-selling booths] — not saying she was a producer — and asked them, “What about Holler? Should I see that?” And the response of the person who is supposed to guide tourists to plays was like, “It’s a bit of a downer. It’s not necessarily as fun as” whatever other play they mentioned. Then she approached another one and that person was like, “Oh, it got really bad reviews.” We started a street team at the last minute to counter those TKTS people who are really supposed to be promoting everything on Broadway.
It may not seem like it, but it has been two years since Kendrick Lamar released his debut major label album good kid, m.A.A.d city. That’s partly due to the fact that Kendrick dominated 2013 from just one verse off Big Sean’s “Control” and his seven Grammy nominations kept his name in the news in 2014.
K. Dot is now hard at work on his next studio project, and according to Complex the Compton emcee has already recorded 30-40 songs for the album. Producers Tae Beast and Sounwave are on board for the GKMC follow-up as well as Kendrick’s mentor Dr. Dre. The currently untitled LP is likely to hit stores in the fourth quarter of this year.
Even with the overwhelming commercial and critical success of good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick states he does not feel pressure to match what he accomplished with his groundbreaking last project.
“If I keep focusing on, ‘I need to make something better than good kid,’ it’s going to be just that,” says Kendrick. “That’s not challenging yourself. I don’t want to become that person reflecting on what has been done. What I’m doing now is the question. I’m only as good as my last word, my last hook, my last bridge.”
The platinum selling artist seems centered on his need for creative progress. For Kendrick, the process of making music is similar to seeking a higher state of consciousness.
“This is truly a blessing from a higher power, and as long as I understand that there’s really no limitations to what I can do. Everything is forward with me,” said Kendrick. “When I’m in the studio I’m looking for creativity I haven’t matched yet, a feeling I haven’t felt. It’s a high. When you look at people like Jay Z, Nas, Dr. Dre, these people are established, but they love music and they love that high. You always want that feeling of creativity.”
Russell Simmons and Danny Simmons are set to host Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation’s 15th annual Art For Life benefit. The fundraising event will feature a number of high-profile guests including the evening’s emcee Soledad O’Brien and honorary chair Star Jones.
Michael R. Bloomberg, Valentino D. Carlotti, Jason Flom, Kimora Lee Simmons and Carrie Mae Weems will be honored that night for their career achievements and philanthropic work. Doug E. Fresh and Kurtis Blow have been tapped to perform.
Proceeds from Art For Life go to fund the foundation’s arts education and gallery programs. The Rush Foundation provides exposure and access to art to over 3,000 inner-city youth each year.
This year’s Art For Life is a celebrating 15 years by highlighting Rush programs’ participants and supporters. The benefit will feature a special presentation to the inaugural recipients of the Kimora Lee Simmons Scholarship Fund.
Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation’s 15th annual Art For Life benefit is scheduled for Saturday, July 26 at Water Mill, New York’s Fairview Farms. To purchase tickets visit rushphilanthropic.org.
A piece of Hip Hop history is headed to the Smithsonian Institution. Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey is donating some of her son J Dilla’s personal equipment to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The late producer’s Voyager synthesizer and Akai MIDI Production Center 3000 Limited Edition will be included as part of the museum’s inaugural “Musical Crossroads” exhibition opening in 2016. Collections from Chuck D, George Clinton, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Chuck Berry, and Lena Horne will be featured at the museum as well.
“I feel it’s necessary to raise the level of art appreciation in the Hip Hop sector and honor my son James Dewitt Yancey, one of the most influential individuals in the history of Hip Hop,” said Yancey in a statement.
Ma Dukes and a representative from the currently in construction African American History Museum made the announcement at the annual “DC Loves Dilla” tribute concert at Washington D.C.’s Howard Theatre.
Watch video of Maureen Yancey announcing the J Dilla Hip Hop collection below.
A casting notice for the upcoming N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton sparked controversy for language many perceived as being racially insensitive and stereotypical.
The casting call ranked potential actresses into four different categories based on attractiveness, skin color, and hair. The lowest ranked group was to include African-American women with medium to dark skin tone and be “poor, not in good shape.”
The agency responsible for the posting has now issued an apology via Facebook. Kristan Berona of Sande Alessing Casting wrote:
I’ve been wanting to say this for two days and now I can.
I would like to sincerely apologize for recently posting a casting announcement that used offensive language to recruit women for a film our agency is working on. My intention was not to offend anyone and I’m so deeply sorry for not realizing the insensitivity in its content.
Universal Pictures, the studio producing Straight Outta Compton, also issued a statement about the casting call notice. The Hollywood Reporter published Universal’s statement:
Universal Pictures and the filmmakers for ‘Straight Outta Compton’ did not approve and do not condone the information in this casting notice. We regret and sincerely apologize for being in any way associated with the offensive descriptions it contained.
Did OVO and G-Unit unite for a track? According to 50/50 Konvict Muzik A&R and artist D-Teck, Drake and 50 Cent have put together a new song that will be a banger. D-Teck revealed the news on Twitter.
If and when a Fiddy and Drizzy collabo will be released is still unknown. The Queens emcee and the Toronto rapper/singer will sure make waves the moment a track featuring the two stars hits the Internet.
