Lupe Fiasco unleashes the visuals for “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free),” the first single off his upcoming album Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, due September 25. The song ignited controversy over its sample of Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s 1992 classic “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.).,” but the rappers were able to resolve their dispute.
Snoop Dogg’s youngest son Cordell Broadus has been offered a football scholarship to UCLA, after only one year of high school. If he accepts, he could join Diddy’s son, Justin Combs, on the team.
Despite being a 15-year-old rising sophomore at Diamond Bar High School, UCLA coach Jim Mora Jr. recently offered the scholarship to Cordell because of his skills on the field. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, sports experts think his body could develop into that of a Division I prospect.
Trina got down and dirty, shooting the video for her new single “I’m Back (Back 2 Business)” in Miami on Monday. The Diamond Princess rounded up some of her sexy gals and hosted a car wash. The ladies turned heads as they washed Maybachs, Ferraris, and other luxury whips in their short shorts, bikinis, and Louboutins. Trina flaunted her curves while rocking one of Lil Wayne’s TRUKFIT hats and straddling a motorcycle.
One of the greatest mysteries in hip-hop has finally gotten some closure. The person who planned the 1994 hit on Tupac Shakur at Quad Studios has finally come forward.
After being convicted of running an interstate drug operation, Jimmy Henchman confessed to authorities that he was the mastermind behind the shooting and robbery of Tupac Shakur that began the East Coast vs. West Coast war. According to the Village Voice, Henchman participated in “Queen For A Day” government sessions last fall where he confessed to being the brains behind the operation that landed Tupac in the hospital nursing five gunshot wounds. (The “Queen For A Day” program allows suspected assailants under investigation to enter an agreement with the government to confess knowledge of certain crimes with the agreement that the information won’t be used to prosecute them.)
His confession unfolded as he was trying to carve out a cooperation deal that might lead to a reduced sentence, according to federal prosecutors. “Rosemond apparently came clean about his involvement in Tupac’s ambush shortly after his former best friend, Dexter Isaac, stepped forward last summer to publicly confess that he had led the attack on Shakur in 1994. Isaac released a statement on June 16, 2011 to allhiphop.com, saying it was Rosemond who had paid him to rob and pistol-whip Tupac.”
HipHopWired pointed out, the statute of limitations when it comes to the robbery has expired. Criminals suspected of robbery can be prosecuted up to seven years after the crime. Though Henchman and one of his partners in the Tupac shooting have confessed, they did so well after the statute of limitations had expired. So no extra years can be added on to Henchman’s sure-to-be lengthy prison sentence.
In the song “Against All Odds “ Makaveli: The Don Killuminati Tupac implicates Jimmy Henchman and Haitian Jack in his shooting at Quad. He rhymes:
I heard he was light skinned, stocky with a Haitian accent
Jewelery, fast cars and he’s known for flashing (What’s his name???)
Listen while I take you back (NIGGA SAY HIS NAME!) and lace this rap
A real live tale about a snitch named Haitian Jack
Knew he was workin for the feds, same crime, different trials
N*gga, picture what he said, and did I mention
Promised a payback, Jimmy Henchman, in due time
I know you b*tch n*ggas is listenin, The World Is Mine
Set me up, wet me up, n*ggas stuck me up
Heard the guns bust but you tricks never shut me up
Memphitz called into TT Torrez’s radio show recently where he gave a detailed account of his relationship with K. Michelle. Memphitz has decided to defend himself against accusations made by reality tv star K. Michelle, who stars on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.” Memphitz is currently married to Lil Wayne’s ex-wife Toya Carter.
Here’s some highlights from the interview:
On how Memphitz and K. Michelle met:
Memphitz explains how he and K. Michelle met in New York. After K. Michelle sang for him for the first time, he said he was blown away and HAD to sign her. Memphitz was the Vice President of the A&R department at Jive Records after leaving Arista.
On how Memphitz and K. Michelle got involved intimately:
After signing K. Michelle, he would have her travel with him to sing for everyone. Late night studio sessions led them to begin mixing business with pleasure. Memphitz said he shouldn’t have gotten involved with his artist but he did.
He said things started happening between them that caused the relationship to turn sour. If Memphitz would listen to another female artist, K. Michelle would get upset. He said he was very fond of K but she was more in love with him than he was with her. He said they NEVER lived together but she did stay in his house in Atlanta and condo in New York.
On K. Michelle getting a $2 million dollar deal from Jive:
Memphitz said K. Michelle was signed for about $500,000, not $2 million. He said he “fixed” things on her to market her (i.e. breast implants). He claims he never touched the money she got from Jive to fund personal luxuries. He said the label handles the money after a budget is submitted so there’s no way he could have used her money for personal reasons.
On why he got fired from Jive:
Memphitz says he was running a one-man show and just had too many things going on. He also added K. Michelle was going to the record label telling them Memphitz hit her which also may have had something to do with him being fired. He said, “She says that whenever she thinks she has a stage.”
On an argument/altercation where he allegedly put his hands over her mouth:
Memphitz said he went to the hotel room to let K. Michelle know he was DONE with her. He claims she started swinging at him and throwing things at him while he tries to get to the door. He said he went to the house cleaning ladies to call for help. He then grabbed her and held her arms down to restrain her from hitting him. He admits to covering her mouth to keep her from screaming.
On why K. Michelle didn’t say his name on “Love and Hip Hop Atlanta”:
Memphitz says the reason K. Michelle didn’t say his name on “Love and Hip Hop Atlanta” was because he had his lawyers call the producers of the show and said they were NOT able to say his name unless they have proof that he beat her!
On his relationship with K. Michelle, Ariane:
Memphitz claims he use to date K. Michelle’s friend, Ariane, on the show.
On if he cheated on his wife, Toya Wright, with K. Michelle:
He said no. Memphitz claims all of this came about because he got married.
On K. Michelle being abused:
He said she was abused before but it wasn’t by him.
On how Toya and his family are handling the negative media attention:
Memphitz said his wife, his daughters, family and friends know him and know he would not do that. He said “it is what is.”
On his Twitter comment, “I Made You”:
First, he apologized for saying “I made you.” He said he didn’t make her, God gave her her voice. Memphitz said he meant he put her image together for the industry.
On if he could ever sit-down and bury this:
Memphitz said he not burying anything with the devil. He said he wishes her the best of success but he wants nothing to do with her. He said he hopes K. Michelle gets help! Memphitz said he NEVER hit a woman/girl and never will!
Oprah Winfrey has announced that she’ll interview the Big 3 of the 2012 NBA Champions Miami Heat next week. “Oprah’s Next Chapter” will sit down with NBA champs LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh next week at 8 p.m. Sunday on OWN.
“Winfrey will talk with the world champions about the challenges leading up to their historic win, their friendships on and off the court and the women in their lives.”
The new TV One show “R&B Divas” offers a personal glimpse into their private worlds as they lean on each other and offer candid revelations about their efforts to deal with major life transitions and challenges such as divorce, parenting issues, drugs, alcohol, physical abuse and more.
These friends come together, at the instigation of Faith Evans, to produce a charity album inspired by her friend, Whitney Houston. In honor of the late singer, proceeds from the album will benefit the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts, an institution that Houston attended, located in her hometown of East Orange, NJ. At the same time, they are all juggling myriad personal challenges and responsibilities in addition to making music – including raising families. Faith prepares for a major move as she maintains her businesses and helps manage the estate of a music icon. Monifah reveals a bombshell that could drive a wedge between them. Keke is pregnant and the women are convinced that she can’t go anywhere without her husband/manager. Nicci is launching a new plus-sized clothing line called Curvato, while Syleena makes a career decision that will affect her entire family and put additional strain on her financially.
Faith Evans: Faith has been in the industry for over 10 years and was previously married to the Notorius B.I.G. And after winning a Grammy, dropping three platinum albums and becoming a NYT Best Selling author, she’s the center of this friendship circle of ladies.
Nicci Gilbert: She’s the lead singer/songwriter from the R&B group Brownstone. She’s now spun her 15-year-career into the acting and fashion worlds.
Monifah: After getting her start singing background for reggae artist Maxi Priest, she worked with Heavy D to get her career and first album Moods…Moments off the ground in the late 90’s. Fifteen years and 1 Gold certified album later, the “I Miss You” singer is currently writing, producing and recording her fourth CD as she continues performing live with her band “Soulution.”
Syleena Johnson: The singer says she lost her love for music “for a minute because it broke my heart at one point…but I am glad to say that we are back together and learning to love each other again.” The daughter of the nation’s first black female police commissioner and legendary soul and blues singer Syl Johnson, she was initially discouraged from getting into the music business by her father, who had many disappointing experiences in the industry.But after training and a breakup with an abusive boyfriend, she embarked on a career 10 years ago. She’s well known for handling the vocals on Kanye West’s “All Falls Down” track.
Ketara Shavon Wyatt, b.k.a. Keke Wyatt: She’s the daughter of a Caucasian vocalist mother and an African American organist/vocalist father and started singing at two. KeKe grew up in the church, where the family had the image of a happy Christian family; but behind closed doors there were problems stemming from abuse and also adversity experienced by the family’s multi-racial background. At the height of her career breakthrough, the “Nothing In This World” singer’s private struggle with domestic violence became the main focus in the media. In 2001, Wyatt was arrested for stabbing her husband; the charges were later dropped, but her career suffered from the negative attention. In 2004, the songstress signed to New Orleans based Cash Money Records. Thanks to Hurricane Katrina, her album promo and sales suffered. She now serves as a spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
The show premieres on Monday, August 20 at 10 PM ET on TV One.
Jay-Z and Kanye West had two of their biggest fans, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian, cheering them on in the front row as they closed out the “Watch the Throne” tour in Birmingham, England, on Friday night.
Jay’s wife and Kanye’s girlfriend covered their faces when they noticed that they had been spotted by concertgoers, who whipped out their camera phones to get a shot of the two. The photos eventually made their way to Twitter, silencing those who said they didn’t get along.
Kanye will head back to the U.S. for his two solo concerts at Revel in Atlantic City on July 6 and 7. He may also join his G.O.O.D. Music family onstage at the BET Awards on July 1.
This Saturday 6.16.12 at Haydee’s Lounge 6303 Georgia Ave NW, there will be a #blackout from 9pm-12am. Caution: Extremely Turned up, Party Animal Mode, All Black Everything. Come enjoy the night as the GEMINI celebration continues as we celebrate Dre Black for his B’Day!! #blackmargaritas #evrydayblacks on deck!! You don’t want to MISS this one!!!
Actress and comedian Yvette Wilson, best known for her role as Andell Wilkerson on the Moesha spin-off The Parkers, has died after a long battle with cervical cancer. Yvette was 48.
Dre Black So Fresh 