Archive for May, 2010
Kanye West has largely shunned the spotlight since his stage-crashing rant at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards in September. Save for a few appearances — joining Beyoncé onstage at a London concert and joining a host of celebrities for the “We Are the World” remake — West has, for the most part, spoken only intermittently through blog posts and a guest turn on Fox’s animated series”The Cleveland Show.” (more…)
Rap music videos are often filled with angry young men waving guns and spitting rhymes about how much they despise police.
And nobody would be too surprised these days to tune into the nightly news and see yet another hip-hop artist facing drug, gun, or even murder charges.
So, the thought of cops and rappers working together to make the city safer is sure to raise some eyebrows.
But Toronto Police are hopeful this unlikely pairing is what’s needed to get young people’s attention. They’ve enlisted the help of seven local rappers for public service announcements as part of this summer’s TAVIS initiative.
“The only way we’re going to stop someone from getting shot is by convincing the person holding the gun to put it down,” said Const. Scott Mills, the force’s social media relations officer. “These guys are definitely pieces to that puzzle.”
Read more on CNews
SEAN COMBS has opened up about his jail visit to see incarcerated rapper LIL WAYNE – insisting the star “is doing great” behind bars.
Combs was approved by officials to meet with the Lollipop hitmaker – who was caged in March (10) after pleading guilty to gun possession charges – for an hour last month (Apr10).
The hip-hop star visited Wayne at Rikers Island prison in New York, and admits he urged the rapper to use his time in prison to make himself a “better person”.
Combs tells MTV News, “Wayne is a trooper. Wayne is doing great. It was a personal visit, so I don’t want to get into the details of that. We’re just counting down the days of him getting out. He’s somebody that has been there for me over the years numerous times.
“I live in New York. It wouldn’t have been right if I didn’t go see him and check on his health and well-being. But the status of where that’s at, that’s his personal business. I think we gonna miss a certain energy that Wayne has.
“The beauty about it is, he’ll be back, and hopefully he’ll come back a better person. Whenever we get in trouble, we’re in the public spotlight. So hopefully there’s a lot of kids out there who could learn from any mistakes that we may have put ourselves in, even if we’re not guilty of the crime sometimes.”
Read more on ContactMusic
The trend of rappers shifting into acting is nothing new, and in theory it makes sense. Both roles focus on emotive storytelling, right? Unfortunately, that transition isn’t always a smooth one–a point hammered home repeatedly by the new film Just Wright, starring Queen Latifah and Common. It’s 100 minutes of pure drivel.
Latifah has made the leap to legitimate movie star, but Common is still relatively new to the game. This is due in large part to the fact that he’s a terrible actor (Smokin’ Aces? Really?). (more…)
At last night’s Yankees vs. Tigers baseball game at Comerica Park in Detroit, Jay-Z and Eminem announced that they will co-headline two shows at their hometown baseball stadiums. The Rap stars will play Detroit’s Comerica Park on September 2 and New York’s Yankee Stadium on September 13. The last time Eminem headlined a show was at the New Orleans Voodoo Music Experience in October 2009.
“This is a once in a lifetime set of shows, and I know we’re both really going to bring it to our hometowns,” said Eminem. “The fans are going to love this, and so am I. It’s gonna be historic.”
“These shows are like a dream come true,” Jay-Z added. “I’ve always hoped that hip-hop could play any stadium like other genres of music. How perfect is it that Eminem and I get to play our hometowns and show how far the live rap experience has come?”
In other Hova and Slim Shady news, Em’s new single, “Not Afraid,” is just the 16th song to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the 52-year history of the chart. Released digitally on May 3, “Not Afraid” comes out of the gate with 380,000 first-week downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which is the biggest sales week for a digital track this year. The song also debuts at #24 on the radio-based Rap Songs chart and is bubbling under the Radio Songs chart with 10.3 million listener impressions, according to Nielsen BDS. Eminem’s new album, Recovery, is due on June 22.
Read more on FMQB
NEW YORK, May 10 /PRNewswire/ — Back for its 7th year, the “2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors” will celebrate the achievements of hip hop with a little southern twist. This year, the show will celebrate the music, the influence and the artists from The South. Previously announced, Jermaine Dupri, J Prince of Rap-A-Lot Records, Luther “Luke” Campbell and The 2 Live Crew, Master P, and Organized Noize will be honored through performances in collaboration with some of today’s hottest talent. With performances by Bun B, Lil’ Jon, Paul Wall, Pitbull, T-Pain and Trina, to name a few, generations of hip hop will bridge the gap for one exceptional night to set it off with the original style and flavor that sparked and inspired the evolution of this now global music phenomenon. Additional talent will be announced soon. “2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South” will tape from NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom and air on VH1 on Monday, June 7 at 9:00 PM ET/PT.
Making his debut as the host of “2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors” is comedian/actor Craig Robinson, host of NBC’s upcoming season of “Last Comic Standing” and star of “The Office” as well as the hit movies “Hot Tub Time Machine,” “Pineapple Express,” and “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” Craig joins the ranks of previous hosts of VH1′s annual celebration which includes 3-time host Tracy Morgan, Vivica A. Fox and co-host MC Lyte who hosted the inaugural VH1 Hip Hop Honors show.
Previous celebrations have honored hip hop luminaries who broke new ground and propelled the genre into the true cultural phenomenon that it has become. Last year’s production celebrated the 25th anniversary of Def Jam records, the label that created the stars that pushed hip hop culture forward, including LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Slick Rick, Rick Ross and Rihanna. Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons, Lyor Cohen, Julie Greenwald, Bill Stephany, Kevin Liles and LA Reid were honored as the architects of the legendary label.
“2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South” is the first time that the show has honored a particular geographic region for its hip hop celebration. The Southern style of music and its artists, have been significant on the NYC-born genre and helped to expand its appeal worldwide.
“In order to continue our efforts to honor the best in hip hop, it is so important that we recognize the South and the tremendous impact that it has had on hip hop music. The southern experience is one that is unique to America and while filled with its own testimony of trials and triumphs, hip hop has served as a universal medium where the journey is shared. Some of the most popular current hip hop artists are from The South. Our honorees opened the door for the southern story to be told, and it is one that continues to resonate with all people all over the world.” said Lee Rolontz, Executive Vice President, Original Music Production and Development, VH1.
VH1 has launched its site dedicated to “2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South” at HipHop.VH1.com with artist profiles, exclusive online programming, show information and more. The site also houses the Hip Hop Rally Machine, a tool that allows users to hype their favorite Dirty South artists and weigh in on who they want to see at the event by socially broadcasting their picks through Twitter and Facebook. A map of the US depicts real-time user activity from around the country by graphically displaying user messages. Performances and other video elements from the event will also be available at HipHop.VH1.com and on VH1 Mobile leading up to and following the on-air premiere of the show.
VH1.com’s HipHop.VH1.com, Complex.com and MissInfo.tv have created an exclusive online content partnership for “2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South”. The three sites will feature the event leading up to, during and following the June 7 telecast in their own distinct way with artist interviews, show news and editorial features focused on this year’s honorees and performers. Select content created by each site will be shared among the three sites and will be offered through a main content feed on HipHop.VH1.com. Additionally, Miss Info, Hot 97 radio personality and journalist will be the official “2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South” backstage host for online video interviews from the event. She will also be the video host for the event’s live viewing party on HipHop.VH1.com, Complex.com and MissInfo.tv during the premiere of the show.
“2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South” is executive produced by Lee Rolontz for VH1 and Jac Benson for blacjac Entertainment. Louis J. Horvitz will direct. Nelson George, Fab 5 Freddie and Keshia Williams are co-executive producers.
Incarcerated rapper LIL WAYNE is facing further legal action – the producer behind his 2007 hit A MILLI is suing the rapper over alleged unpaid royalties.
Producer Bangladesh, real name Shondrae Crawford, alleges he is owed $500,000 (£333,333) by Wayne’s record label Cash Money – and he’s adamant the only way he will get what he is reportedly owed is by taking legal action.
Speaking to Vibe.com, Crawford says, “Cash Money don’t pay royalties. (Wayne’s 2008 album) Tha Carter III (is) his biggest album probably because of A Milli. You have to sue these guys so that they pay up…
“All the money from album sales goes to Cash Money. I get cheques from Sony for Beyonce, checks from different labels for different artists, it just comes to you. You don’t have to call them, sue them and all that junk. This is what you’re owed.”
Wayne is currently also facing legal action from Pennsylvania-based rapper/musician Dirahn Gilliams over his Lollipop track – the rapper claims Wayne used his song Grindin’ Like A Goon, which was distributed to record industry executives in 2007, for inspiration for the Grammy-winning single.
Producer Jim Jonsin is also suing Wayne, alleging he has yet to receive any royalty payments for his work on Lollipop, while producer Darius ‘Deezle’ Harrison has also filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit over royalties from Wayne’s track, Mrs. Officer.
Read more on ContactMusic
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