Author: hhns

Tashera Simmons will soon be legally divorced from her husband of 14 year years, Earl Simmons and her new book You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea will reveal a lot secrets of the relationships. In a recent interview with Power 105.1′s The Breakfast Club, the estranged wife details what startling event forced her to finally leave DMX and more.

According to Tashera, the constant drug abuse and infidelity from DMX was not enough to make her leave the struggling rapper, but instead a threat from her then-teenage son, Xavier:

I felt like if I left X he was going to die. I sacrificed my happiness. It was to the point where I didnt even care. I was like ‘I don’t care. If he’s cheating. I don’t even care. I just want to help him.’ I just felt like he needed me so much. But when my son told me one day that if he hears his father talk to me like that he was going to kill him and he was 14 I realized that it is my responsibility as a parent to leave this relationship.

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In addition to revealing the cause of the divorce, Tashera explains that she did not inform DMX of the upcoming tell-all book priot to its creation and reasons that his recent confessional TV appearances and past defamation of her character were enough to warrant such actions:

I’ve been here several times. I never really talk about anything, becasue I really was too ashamed and I felt like people didnt believe me anyway. It was not until he really started exposing himself more. Iyanla Vanzant did it for me. I had been writing this book, had the last three chapters and I just couldn’t get it together. […] And then after him coming, not only here but other places, saying I’m money hungry.

Check out the full interview with Tasheera Simmons as she details DMX’s fist fight with Chris Lighty in the late 90s, what happened to DMX’s finances and more:

 

Chief Keef has been ordered to conduct 60 hours of community service at Horsefeathers Therapeutic Riding, a Chicago-area equestrian center, according to TMZ.com.

While there, the rapper will feed, groom and clean up after the animals.

Horsefeathers uses horses to provide physical and occupational therapy for people with disabilities.

The community service stretch is a result of Chief Keef’s May 27 arrest for driving 110 mph in a 55 mph zone. After being pulled over, Keef failed a drug test.

On October 15, Chief Keef was set to serve a 20-day jail sentence due to his May arrest on marijuana charges, according to ABC Chicago.

Chief Keef has also had to pay a $531 fine related to this arrest. He was ordered to serve 18 months probation and 60 hours of community service, as per ABC Chicago.

On Wednesday (November 6), Chief Keef was sentenced to a 90-day residential drug treatment program. He is still there, as per TMZ, and the site says it does not know when he will begin his community service at Horsefeathers.

 

The Detroit Fire Department reportedly responded to a fire in Eminem’s childhood home yesterday (November 7), according to the Detroit Free Press.

The home, which appears on the cover of Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 and on one of the covers of 2000’sThe Marshall Mathers LP, had fire coming out of a window on its second floor, as per freep.com. Fire damaged portions of the home. No cause for the fire was provided.

The Detroit Free Press reports that Deborah Mathers, Eminem’s mother, purchased the home in 1987. In 1994, Mathers reportedly signed the deed to the home over to Ann Investment.

The property has been owned by several entities since then. In 2009, it was purchased by EM & UU for $1. It was then abandoned, eventually being turned over to the Land Bank.

In September, real estate website Zillow estimated the house to be worth $33,000, though mlive said that that value is likely high because the property is surrounded by abandoned and blighted homes.

Drake is dating Kris Jenner … or at least that’s what one unreliable website is claiming. On Friday, MediaTakeOut published an “exclusive” report, with absolutely no credible evidence or sources, romantically linking the Kardashian matriarch with the Canadian rapper.

The only evidence the blog uses, and its circumstantial at best, is a picture taken at Drake’s album release party showing him with Mrs. Jenner. We’re not exactly sure how the image equates to the pair preparing to elope, especially since Kris is still married and Drake is 100-percent single, but we’ll let you decide the truth for yourself.

On Instagram, Kris captioned the image in question:

“Congratulations, Drake!! Celebrating the album release … What a great night!! NOTHING WAS THE SAME. #HoldOnWereGoingHome @champagnepapi.”

Drake performed at Kylie Jenner’s Sweet 16 party earlier this year, and was videoed enjoying dinner with the family the following night. Outside of that, there’s no fire near this smoke.

Major League Baseball is investigating a claim that newly converted sports agent Jay Z bought his client Robinson Cano a 18k gold watch reportedly worth $33,900.

According to ESPN, Cano received a limited-edition Shawn Carter Classic Fusion watch by Hublot for his 31st birthday on October 22nd.

Jay Z might have violated a MLBPA rule in the process. According to Section 5(B)(5)(a):

“No Player Agent or Applicant shall provide, cause to be provided or promise to provide, any money or any other thing of value to any player, or any person related to or associated with such player, the purpose of which is to induce or encourage such player to use or continue to use any person’s or firm’s services as a Player Agent, Representative, or Draft Advisor.”

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While agencies are allowed to give signed clients gifts valued over $500, the agent must first notify MLB in writing if a gift exceeds that amount.

Cano confirmed on his Instagram that Jay Z’s agency, Roc Nation Sports, gave him the watch.

According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, Jay Z could be subject to unspecified discipline if he is found in violation.

Robinson Cano was Jay Z’s first client since creating his sports agency. Cano is currently seeking a 10-year, $310 million contract from the Yankees.

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News broke yesterday that Chicago rapper Chief Keef was preparing to be sent back to jail after failing two mandatory drug tests. According to the Chicago Tribune, the 18-year-old has been sentenced to 90 days in a residential drug rehabilitation center for the parole violation, but he will have to return to court today to determine exactly where he will be housed.

Keef was first ordered by the judge to enter the Haymarket Center, but Cook County sheriff officials did not send him to the West Side treatment facility because of concerns that the center is unguarded. Keef is to report back to court today to determine if he will be placed at another location.

The “Hate Bein’ Sober” performer was subject to random drug tests as part of his probation conditions stemming from a speeding arrest earlier this year. He has been jailed numerous times including a 2011 arrest for a gun charge and separate incidents in Miami and Atlanta.

Eminem recently addressed critics of his lyrical content. Some have questioned the lyrics on several songs by Eminem throughout his career, calling them homophobic.

Eminem was recently asked about specific lyrics on “Rap God,” a song off his upcoming The Marshall Mathers LP 2album that includes slurs about people who are gay.

“I don’t know how to say this without saying it how I’ve said it a million times,” Eminem says in an interview withRolling Stone. “But that word, those kind of words, when I came up battle-rappin’ or whatever, I never really equated those words  [to mean homosexual]…It was more like calling someone a bitch or a punk or asshole. So that word was just thrown around so freely back then. It goes back to that battle, back and forth in my head, of wanting to feel free to say what I want to say, and then [worrying about] what may or may not affect people.

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“Not saying it’s wrong or it’s right, but at this point in my career – man, I say so much shit that’s tongue-in-cheek,” Eminem adds. “I poke fun at other people, myself. But the real me sitting here right now talking to you has no issues with gay, straight, transgender, at all. I’m glad we live in a time where it’s really starting to feel like people can live their lives and express themselves. And I don’t know how else to say this, I still look at myself the same way that I did when I was battling and broke.”

During the interview, Eminem also says that he may never change some peoples’ opinions regarding this topic.

“I’ve been doing this shit for, what, 14 years now?” Eminem says. “And I think people know my personal stance on things and the personas that I create in my music. And if someone doesn’t understand that by now, I don’t think there’s anything I can do to change their mind about it.”

Eminem’s work on “Rap God” was criticized by some for lyrics that include insults about people who are gay.

“I’ll still be able to break a motherfuckin’ table over the back of a couple of faggots and crack it in half,” Eminem says on the track. “You fags are all the same.”

Eminem continues with additional insults about people who are gay.

“Little gay-looking boy,” Eminem raps on the song. “So gay I can barely say it with a straight face-looking boy / You witnessing massacre like you watching a church gathering taking place-looking boy / ‘Oy vey, that boy’s gay,’ that’s all they say looking-boy / You take a thumbs up, pat on the back, the way you go from your label every day-looking boy.”

One of Eminem’s critics was Boy George, an openly gay singer-songwriter.

“Fag?” Boy George tweeted soon after the song was released. “Is this really recovery talk or are you running your own program these days? Really unhelpful.”

In 2001, Eminem performed “Stan” off 2000’s The Marshall Mathers LP, at the Grammys with Elton John, an openly gay singer. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) issued a statement about the performance, calling Eminem’s music “hateful.”

Eminem addressed criticism of his lyrics with The New York Times Magazine in 2010.

“I think if two people love each other, then what the hell?” Eminem said in the interview. “I think that everyone should have the chance to be equally miserable, if they want.”

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Miami rapper Rick Ross has rarely commented on his one-time feud with fellow artist 50 Cent, but during an interview with Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club this week, the Maybach Music Group founder finally offered his thoughts on his past rift with the Queens emcee.

Ross referred to his beef with Fifty as “buffoonery” and revealed that he didn’t succumb to his feud with the rapper because he never felt it was personal and was more focused on “real things.”

“Was the fact that I never really felt that personally,” said Ross, in regards to his feud with 50 Cent. “You know, at the end of the day where we come from when it’s real you see real things happening. I got homeboys. I got to look at they kids and they no longer here. I got they moms and the holiday time.

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That’s what be on my mind sometimes. So, I done dealt with real things in real life. So, when you see that type of—I just call it buffoonery or whatever it is, I was enjoying it too. So, it’s like I could have fun too with it. You know what I’m saying? And then at the end of the day I always felt like I’m the one with nothing to lose. I was like this a bad decision for homie to make. You gotta do your homework. You gotta watch—you gotta know what’s going on before you just, you know what I’m saying?”

With his past feud with 50 Cent, Ross also offered his take on the alleged beef between Drake andKendrick Lamar, a rift that was reportedly sparked due to Kendrick’s verse on Big Sean’s “Control.” While sharing his thoughts on the issues between Drizzy and K-Dot, the MMG wordsmith revealed that he’s currently more concerned with making money than feuding with any other artists.

“It’s really how you feel personally,” said Ross. “If K-Dot—I haven’t really been looking at the situation close enough for me to see that he coming at Drake. That might have went over my head, but at the end of the day it’s like when me and Wale sitting down and me and Meek sitting down. At the end of the day, when you looking at the business perspective, it’s dudes that’s making moves we won’t even remember in 30 days. It’s so many dudes you could go back to the covers of magazines and you haven’t heard their name. So, if they fall into that class, we don’t even waste our time on them. But if it’s somebody else, we gotta make sure they understand who we are. We could fix that. That go for anybody in the rap game…So, when I look at it, it’s like at the end of the day who want a problem with us? At the end of the day that ain’t even why we came here. We want to get money. We want to clique up with you. We want to break bread.”

The beef between 50 Cent and Rick Ross first surfaced in early 2009 over what was allegedly an indirect encounter at the BET Awards and led to the release of a handful of parody videos, diss records, and ironically, increased album sales.

In a 2011 interview with MTV News, Fifty stated that his beef with Ross was more of a battle than a beef.

“Over time, if you personalize everything that is said in each competition…This is why they changed the terminology from ‘battling’ to ‘beefing.’ It was always that battling was a part of the culture; they didn’t do that until Tupac and Biggie Smalls’ situation,” said the Jamaica, Queens rapper. “That’s when it became taboo to actually mention an artist’s name.”

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DMX was arrested again Monday night (11/4). It was reported that the rapper was taken into custody in South Carolina on charges of driving on a suspended license, driving while uninsured, and driving an unlicensed  vehicle.

DMX (born Earl Simmons) was arrested for driving without a license in South Carolina back in February. He was also arrested for DUI in the state in July, and again in August for marijuana possession after a traffic stop.

According to the rapper’s rep Domenick Nati, X has already been released from jail and this latest incident will not prevent the It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot creator from fulfilling his upcoming professional obligations. Nati issued the following statement:

DMX was released at 9:46pm Eastern Monday night. He was arrested on minor
traffic charges and spent only three hours in jail. This short arrest will not
affect any of his upcoming concerts and he is planning on performing with Swizz Beatz on Wednesday’s Wendy Williams Show.

The veil is being removed over a friendship the general public had no reason to believe was dysfunctional. According to a statement from Turk, he is on the outs with Lil Wayne, Juvenile, Birdman and Mannie Fresh among others, over lack of support.

Turk claims the Cash Money/Young Money bosses (including Roland “Slim” Williams) and Mannie Fresh did not provide any financial or tangible support on burial of his brother, Ronald Smith in 2010.

His father, Tab Virgil Sr recently passed on October 30th from an apparent homicide. Aside from support, Turk alleges he doesn’t even have an open line of communication with the men he’s worked with since 1996 and known longer:

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I been calling texting you n*ggas and ain’t receive no call bacc…I’m through trying to make you nig*as look real. When my lil brother got killed I had to bury him out of my attorney fee$ money and now it happend again with my daddy and I have bury him by myself with no help from you so called FRIENDS.

Turk did state in an interview with XXL last year that Wayne sent him money while he was incarcerated.

Turk, whose real name is Tab Virgil Jr, is scheduling a “Homegoing Service” for his father at Lion Of Judah International Ministries in New Orleans this Thursday (November 7th). The viewing will be at 10 A.M. until the time of the funeral service.

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Jay Z is slated to release a cologne named “Gold” through his partnership with Barneys,

More than 3,200 names were considered for the fragrance. “Gold” got its name when, according to Parlux Ltd. president Donald J. Loftus, Jay Z said, “This is the shit. It’s gold,” as per allhiphop.com’s story.

A Macy’s window display of Jay Z transforming into a gold chain will be part of the promotional push for the cologne.

“Gold” is scheduled for a November 20 release at Barneys in New York. It is also slated to be available nationwide soon thereafter at prices that range between $39 and $79.

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In September, Jay Z revealed a partnership with Barneys titled “A New York Holiday,” which is scheduled to consist of limited edition pieces by high-end fashion brands and interactive window displays for the holiday season.

Last week, the New York Daily News reported two separate incidents in which Barneys committed discrimination against two African American customers. Trayon Christian, 19, and Kayla Phillips, 21, were questioned by New York Police Department officials as suspects of credit card fraud.

After the New York Daily News report last week, Brooklyn resident Derick Bowers launched a petitionrequesting Jay Z to end his partnership with Barneys New York. Bowers said he wants Jay Z to cut ties with Barneys because the retailer’s actions show that “they have no connection with the young, black Hip Hop community.” Bowers said, “I’m not personally attacking Jay Z. This attack is really at Barneys. What I’m asking from him is to withdraw that partnership to let them know we have that power, and you can’t take that from us.”

On Saturday (October 26), Jay Z released a statement saying that he is waiting on facts before deciding how to address his business deal with Barneys, as per Jay Z’s lifeandtimes.com website.

Barneys CEO Mark Lee apologized to Jay Z Tuesday (October 29), saying that that the recent allegations of racial profiling leveled against Barneys have taken away from the work of Jay Z’s foundation. Lee also said today that no one at the retailer had racially profiled the customers in question, according to nypost.com.

“We deeply regret that these recent events have distracted from the great work of the Sean Carter Foundation, and we offer our sincere apologies to Mr. Carter,” Lee said, as per nypost.com. “Our collaboration together is based on the shared mission of helping individuals facing socio-economic hardships.”

Lee made his statements Tuesday after an hour-long meeting with the Rev. Al Sharpton at the Harlem, New York headquarters of Sharpton’s National Action Network.

“I’m prepared to stand with the Rev. Sharpton and the leaders to effect real change and bring other retailers into the fold,” Lee said, as per nypost.com. “Moving forward there is a broader issue that needs to be addressed and Barneys New York is committed to be part of the solution.”

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Suge Knight recently spoke about Jimmy Iovine, Diddy and Tupac Shakur.

In a recent interview with TMZ, Suge Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records, intimated that Tupac deserved a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame over Bad Boy Records founder Diddy.

“I think Tupac should have a star on there,” Knight said. “I mean, shit, Puffy got a star on there. Only thing he did was dance. So I think Tupac definitely should have one for being from the West Coast.”

Suge’s words closely mirror his now-infamous speech at the 1995 Source Awards, where he stated, “Any artist that wants to be an artist, and stay a star, and don’t want to have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the records, then come to Death Row.”

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Suge continued, warning those in charge of the Walk of Fame to include Tupac.

“Yeah, they better do it one way the other,” Knight said. “Because, I figure, if they don’t hurry up and put Tupac on the Walk of Fame, all the Tupac fans and all the homies gonna start goin’ down there and start scratchin’ all the other names off. They might even remove Elvis.”

Tupac joined Death Row Records in 1995 upon Knight posting a $1.4 million bail to get Tupac out of prison. From that point, Pac began a successful stint on Death Row until being fatally shot in 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a vehicle driven by Knight.

The mid-’90s saw a number of contentious departures from Death Row Records, including Snoop Dogg, who recently reconciled with Knight,  and Dr. Dre.

During the interview, Knight also sent shots at Jimmy Iovine, who took Dr. Dre under his wing to form Aftermath Entertainment under Iovine’s Interscope Records.

“I’ma be Jimmy Iovine [for Halloween],” Knight said. “You’re not gonna actually see my face. I’m just gonna have a white sheet on my head with the eyes cut out. Like the Klan.”

More from this interview can be viewed below.

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A great man once said “want my old sh*t, buy my old albums”, but there is also the adage “the best things in life are free.” Today (November 1st), Eminem sent out a public service announcement to address online piracy in the wake of his latest album The Marshall Mathers LP 2.

The album leaked online earlier this week and the Shady Records machine quickly went to work to suppress the leak. Eminem and his management even went as far as making Rap Genius remove the lyrics to the songs:

In Eminem’s public service announcement posted on the Shady Records YouTube page, he comically denounced the act of music piracy stating that it takes money from people who work hard on the album. But, he did empathize with those pirating:

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Not that I wouldn’t have done the same thing when I was a kid, but now that I rap for a living, BUY MY GOD DAMN CDs!

In his 15 year career, no Eminem solo album has sold less than 3 million records worldwide and his last album, the heavily pirated 2010 Recovery sold 741,000 copies in its first week.

Check out Eminem’s Public Service Announcement below:

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An inmate who was previously imprisoned at the Tennessee Davidson County jail, tricked corrections officers into allowing him to shoot a music video while locked up.  William Harness, whose rap name is Struggle Jennings, had a camera crew come and visit him while the jail officials simply thought it was for a standard documentary, according to Davidson County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Karla West.

The footage from the video taped visit became a crucial part in the video for his song, “Black Curtains,” which was uploaded to his YouTube channel as well as his blog.  Karla explained to News Channel 5:

“They sat there and asked him 20 minutes worth of questions, just as they would with any documentary about his life and different things like that. At the end they asked, as part of the documentary, could he mouth some of the words to his song and I allowed that.  We were duped when it seems as though now, their purpose from the beginning was to try to get that accomplished so it could turn into a video, not a documentary at all.”

The interview-turned music video was filmed back in 2012, and Struggle Jennings has since been relocated to another incarceration facility.  The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office is contemplating taking legal action against the production company that filmed the video, Creativity for Hire.

Over the past few months Gucci has made headlines due to his erratic behavior, which included attempting to sell Waka’s recording contract for $1 million via Twitter among numerous other bizarre acts, but according to Waka, the Brick Squad founder’s recent behavior might just be a gimmick.

The Flockaveli rapper also revealed that he fell out with Gucci last year, but kept their falling out from the public eye.

“Man, I been got out of a contract with Gucci…Me and him fell out 2012, but we kept it in house. He the person that spilled the beans.”

Flocka was also asked if Gucci Mane is crazy or bi-polar.

“I feel like it’s a gimmick,” Waka said. “Ain’t nothing crazy about him.”