Author: hhns

Eddie Murphy once was five different people in one scene, today and for the foreseeable future he is a reggae artist. Today (September 4th) Murphy announced he will be releasing an upcoming reggae album entitled 9.

Murphy made the announcement on his first tweet from his personal Twitter account simultaneous with his release of the Snoop Lion-assisted first single, “Red Light”:

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In a move that both satisfies a contractual obligation and symbolizes the passing of the torch, Jay Z is reportedly selling his share in the Brooklyn Nets to its new head coach, Jason Kidd.

InsideHoops reported that, Mr. Carter sold his .067 percent stake in the team for about $500,000.

Jay Z more than likely  did not sell his stake to make a quick half mill but to comply with the NBA stipulation that an owner of an NBA team can not also represent players. Jay Z started his sports agency, Roc Nation and has already signed the second best basketball player in the NBA in Kevin Durant along with New York Yankees All Star second baseman Robinson Cano.

Jason Kidd also spent seven accomplished years with the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 200, reaching the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.

Ice Cube (9/10) will be among the celebrities to chat with Arsenio next week. Mac Miller (9/10), Nas (9/11), and Earth, Wind & Fire (9/12) will also perform during the show’s premiere run.

Upcoming shows in September will include Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Russell Simmons, Nick Cannon, and Dijimon Hounsou.

The original The Arsenio Hall Show ran from 1989 to 1994. The program is remembered for highlighting popular Hip Hop artists at the time and for the famous appearance by presidential candidate Bill Clinton who played his saxophone on air.

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Watch the appearance of 2Pac on The Arsenio Hall Show from 1994.

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Wiz Khalifa has been working on material for his forthcoming Blacc Hollywood album. The collection may feature several artists, but the final lineup is still to be determined.

“I got a lot of guest appearances that I’ve already done, but none of ‘em have been cleared for the album yet,”Wiz Khalifa says during an interview with Fuse. “I’ve got songs with Miley [Cyrus]. I got songs with Adele.”

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Like several other artists, Wiz Khalifa commented on Miley Cyrus’ twerking during the MTV Video Music Awards. “Young, wild and free,” he said to New York radio station Hot 97. “You’ve gotta let people do what they want to do…That’s my homegirl.”

Wiz Khalifa and Cyrus recently filmed a video for “23,” a song for Mike WiLL Made It.

In addition to Cyrus and Adele, Wiz Khalifa says he would like to collaborate with another pop star.

“I want to do something with Lady Gaga really bad,” he says. “Lady Gaga, Wiz Khalifa need to make it happen.”

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When Drake heard Kendrick Lamar say he wanted to lyrically murder him, he didn’t feel no ill will but dismissed Kendrick’s goal.

In his recent cover story for Billboard, the Toronto MC spoke about his reaction to hearing Kendrick Lamar’s competitive threat:

It just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all it was. I know good and well that Kendrick’s not murdering me, at all, in any platform. So when that day presents itself, I guess we can revisit the topic.

Drake also  says he was so unphased by the verse that rocked the industry that after first hearing it he “went about my day, went and got dinner and kept it moving.”

Drake’s full cover story can be read in the latest issue of Billboard Magazine out now.

Former child Rap star Romeo has emerged relatively unscathed from a car accident that very well could have been fatal.

TMZ caught up with the 24-year-old, who was just happy to be alive. “Blessed to be alive, to be honest, man. Fresh from the hospital. You know I got into that car accident… I walked out like Moses, though. I walked out, real talk, basically just scratches on me.”

Romeo somberly reflected on what the incident could have meant for him. “Honestly, I’m just happy to be here. To all my fans out there…I could’ve been gone. I got a collision, seventy miles-per-hour on my side of the car… Really put things in perspective.”

“I was asleep. It was like movie,” he added. “Everybody out there, just be grateful, because you never know.”

“I just made my twenty-fourth birthday, and I was about to be gone just a week later. I’m very grateful.”

Watch the interview below:

Despite an Interscope deal worth $6 million, Chief Keef reportedly hasn’t gotten around to paying his rent.

TMZ reports that the landlord renting out a mansion to Keef is suing him for almost $10,000 in back rent.

Georghe Simoniak-Sas filed a suit against Keef and the rapper’s uncle, claiming that Keef hasn’t paid rent for the months of July or August ($4,700 per month) on the Illinois mansion he’s renting.

Georghe is suing for eviction and to collect the $9,400 owed.

The mansion is 5,100 square feet, has 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, and is valued at over $1 million.

Chief Keef has been subject to several lawsuits this year, including a $75,000 suit for missing a show, and was sued by a middle schooler over child support.

There’s good news for Detroit, the city home to rappers Eminem, Big Sean, Royce Da 5’9″, Danny Brown, Doughboyz Cashout, and many more can now boast that music is once again one of its largest industries, due in part to a strong independent rap scene.

Despite a bankruptcy filing by the local city government, a study conducted for the business journal, Crain’s Detroit Business by Anderson Economic Group LLC, inventoried the number and types of music businesses and employees in Southeast Michigan found about 6,000 people employed in the local industry, earning a total $162.5 million in 2012.

 

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The number of establishments in the industry came out to be 486, with an average of 12 workers per establishment and total sales volume of $1.15 billion.

In addition to recording studios, the team also looked at bars and restaurants that host live music and music education. The biggest business category by employment size was by far the music venue category, with 3,500 workers, followed by music schools, which had 800 employees. Music supply stores and the artists themselves were other categories with substantial representations.

Howard Hertz, known as metro Detroit’s go-to lawyer for music industry matters, said the number sounded right. “We should shoot to double and triple it,” he said, through more concerted promotion efforts. Hertz and others said artists aren’t lacking for most of the resources they need — such as studios and talent — in metro Detroit. “Agents and major labels are scarce here, though,” he said.

Patrick Anderson, CEO of AEG also thinks the value of the industry is also driven by the value of the area’s brand — something that’s easy to forget about. “Music is part of Detroit’s brand. It’s easy for us here in Michigan to forget, but if you go to Europe or Asia and have a Detroit D on your shirt, they have a recognition that’s sometimes deeper than we have.”

The local industry is larger still, considering the large underground hip-hop scene that wouldn’t make appearances in most federal data, said Tom Gelardi, a marketing and promotions representative for Detroit rap artists. The scene supports independent retailers in Detroit such as Shantinique Music and Damon’s Record Center that still do good business despite the national near-obliteration of independent record stores since 2001.

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Additional details in the arrest of Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz, which took place late last week in Oklahoma City, are beginning to surface thanks to the release of a police affidavit filed on Monday (August 26).

According to Yahoo News, the affidavit states that the police officer involved first “smelled an overwhelming odor of marijuana” when the door to the tour bus was opened by the vehicle’s driver, Sedric A. Brooks. The officer then witnessed what he says was “smoke inside the bus around the door.”

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Following the Oklahoma City officer’s observations, he then attempted to board the bus, but was unable to after Brooks’ “quickly” closed the door.

One passenger onboard 2 Chainz’ tour bus then presented a miniature copy of the U.S. Constitution when asked by authorities to get off the bus.

Due to the unwillingness of the passenger’s to get off the vehicle, it was then towed to a police training facility. At this point, those on the bus were forced to evacuate due to a search warrant.

2 Chainz and the others on the bus were then arrested and charged with obstructing a police officer. Those involved were released shortly after.

The entire incident took place on the morning of August 22 shortly after the “Feds Watching” rapper took part in Lil Wayne & T.I.’s America’s Most Wanted Tour.

Although 2 Chainz may have found himself in quite the legal debacle due to the tour bus incident, the rapper was still present at the Atlanta album listening party for B.O.A.T.S. 2: Me Time this week. 2 Chainz may have been in high spirits during his listening party, but during an interview taped shortly after, the Southside emcee seemed regretful as he reminisced on his days selling drugs.

“When you on the block or when you trying to feed your family, in the case that we were doing, you don’t realize how ill it is,” said 2 Chainz while speaking with Nitecap With Peter Bailey. “How wrong it is. You know what I mean? I remember, when we used to start thinking ‘Crack is wack. We need to stop.’ I remember when it finally hit us, but I remember—like today, just before my listening party I had a bunch of my friends over from the past and we just reminisced about when we did this. Like it don’t seem real.”

2 Chainz’ full interview with Peter Bailey can be found below.

 

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Lil Scrappy was arrested  (August 28) after a fight at a Georgia gas station, according to TMZ.com. The “Love & Hip Hop” rapper says the fight started because a man was disrespecting his girlfriend, the site says.

“He was calling my girlfriend names and then put his hands on me…so I had to lay them paws on him,” Lil Scrappy said to TMZ.

Law enforcement told TMZ that police received a call at about 2:30 am yesterday regarding a fight taking place at a gas station, TMZ says. An off-duty police officer happened to be at the gas station at the time and was able to break up the fight, according to TMZ.

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When police arrived at the gas station, Lil Scrappy and the other man were arrested for disorderly conduct, according to TMZ.

Lil Scrappy cooperated with authorities and was released soon thereafter, according to TMZ.

Lil Scrappy’s lawyer, Mawuli Mel Davis, says there is video that proves his client was acting in self-defense, TMZ says.

The rapper was arrested for felony gun and marijuana possession in 2008, and received a three-year probation. He failed the drug test in March, refusing to provide another sample.

Earlier this year, Lil Scrappy failed a court-ordered drug test and voluntarily entered an Atlanta-area rehab facility May 30. In June, Lil Scrappy was released from court-ordered drug rehabilitation. At the time, Davis said that, “Scrappy has had time to reflect, read, and write. He is now drug and alcohol free,” after reporting that the former DTP/Def Jam Records artist was 30-days clean.

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Actor/singer Jamie Foxx used his speech at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington to encourage his fellow African American celebrities to take on a greater role in the civil rights movement of today.

Foxx explained that his interest in social activism was inspired by the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin, the Sandy Hook school shooting, and a conversation he had with singer, actor, and social activist Harry Belafonte.

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“Harry Belafonte saw me at the Image Awards and he asked, ‘what am I willing to do?’” said Foxx. Belafonte, Foxx, and Foxx’s 19-year-old daughter had a further discussion over dinner where the 86-year-old “King of Calypso” recalled his time marching with Martin Luther King Jr., Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson.

That sit down between the two entertainers and the teenage girl led to Foxx suggesting that he and his peers should follow in the footsteps of Belafonte as role models in the fight for social justice for future generations.

“What we need to do now is the young folks pick it up now,” said Foxx. “So when we’re 87 years old, talking to the other young folks, we can say it was me, Will Smith, Jay Z, Kanye, Alicia Keys, Kerry Washington- the list goes on and on.”

Watch Jamie Foxx’s 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington speech in the video below.

 

Prior to signing with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, North Carolina lyricist J. Cole sat down with a number of industry heavies in the hopes of finding a label home. Among the numerous industry veterans Cole met was former G-Unit Records president Sha Money XL who he says had hopes of introducing the young rapper’s music to G-Unit head honcho 50 Cent.

According to Cole, who revealed the story of his encounter with Sha Money with Vibe.com, Fifty wasn’t all that impressed with his music.

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“After that, Sha Money was trying to fuck with me heavy,” said Cole while speaking on his interaction with both Sha Money and Tony Yayo at 50 Cent’s house. “He was like ‘Son, look, I’m playing 50 your shit.’ Supposedly the story is that he played 50 my shit and 50 wasn’t sure. Like, ‘I don’t know, man. Is he one of these skinny jeans niggas?’ He couldn’t see it, but it was a good time in my life. It was brand new, fresh. Being in that crib was amazing.”

Later down the road, despite 50 Cent not recruiting Cole, the pair would work together on “New York Times,” a record featured on the Born Sinner crafter’s Truly Yours 3 mixtape. Cole was initially hoping to include verses from both 50 Cent and Nas on the mixtape cut, but was forced to nix the Nas verse due to time constraints.

“Exactly. For hip-hop, period. But really for New York,” Cole explained, in regards to the power of potentially having both Nas and 50 Cent on a record. “I wanted that to be a real New York record. This down South nigga coming and putting on for the city because I have a connection. So 50 came to the studio in L.A. to lay the verse and he heard the melody and he was like, ‘I could tell you was thinking about me when you were doing that melody.’ He wrote that shit in five minutes, maybe. It was crazy to see that melody that was in my head come to life with the actual person who I wanted to do it…Nobody had a problem with it. I think that they saw the moment was going to be big. I wish he could’ve gotten that verse done, but my nigga Bas is on that, so it’s all good.”

Despite interest from Sha Money and others, J. Cole ultimately signed with Jay Z’s Roc Nation in 2009. Ironically, the rapper signing to Roc Nation followed numerous attempts Cole made to reach out to Jay Z to introduce the Brooklyn emcee to his music.

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In the matter of 48 hours, Miley Cyrus has twerked on a man in relationship on national television, caused ABC to report on the “science” of twerkign and according to reports, has helped out a Black Skin Head.

According to The Daily News’ Page Six, Miley Cyrus’ reps state that the 20 year old singer bailed on her own MTV Video Music Awards afterparty at No. 8 to head to a “top secret” collaboration. Rumors have been swirling that Miley’s top secret collaborator was none other than Kanye West who was noticeably absent from Jay Z and P. Diddy’s VMA afterparty.

The two reportedly recorded a remix to West’s abrasive rock-rap “BLKKK SKKKN HEAD” off of his latest album, Yeezus.

The remix will reportedly appear on a remix EP from Kanye West which may drop later this year.

Busta Rhymes recently explained how he was able to unite members of Young Money/Cash Money and G.O.O.D. Music for his new single, “Thank You.” Rhymes filmed a video for the song with members of both camps Saturday (August 24) and he talked about what it meant for him to unify the entities.

“There’s been a lot of talk over the last year or two about conflict between G.O.O.D. Music and Young Money and Cash Money,” Busta Rhymes said in an interview withMTV. “I just wanted to put it to bed and create an eventful moment where me and [Lil] Wayne being Young Money/Cash Money on one team, Q-Tip and Kanye [West] be on another movement on G.O.O.D. Music, just showing that camaraderie and that alliance and just making it official on a real Hip Hop level.”

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Unifying the labels was important for Busta because artists on both imprints have had feuds in the past. G.O.O.D. Music’s Pusha T, for example, was involved in a feud with YMCMB’s Lil Wayne. “Fuck Pusha T and anybody that love him,” Wayne said on his 2012 track, “Goulish.” “His head up his ass, I’ma have to head-butt him.”

Aside from lines aimed at Pusha T, Wayne has also taken shots at West and his Watch the Thronecollaborator, Jay Z.

“I met a bad red bone,” Wayne said during a performance in 2012. “I took the bitch home / I asked her what she want to watch. She said, ‘Surely not the Throne.'”

Despite the barbs traded in the past by members of both camps, signs of peace amongst the labels came at Drake’s OVO Fest this year. Kanye West appeared at the event, where YMCMB’s Drake praised him and said West is a “god.”

Busta’s song and video features a continuation of that peaceful interaction with artists from G.O.O.D. Music and YMCMB collaborating harmoniously on “Thank You.” The song has not been released yet, but it is slated to be featured on Busta Rhymes’ upcoming album, Extinction Level Event 2.

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Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) has enjoyed platinum success with Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city.Given that the label is based in Southern California and that Kendrick Lamar is from Compton, California, some have drawn comparisons between TDE and Death Row Records, the imprint run by Comptonite Marion “Suge” Knight that released albums from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg,Tupac Shakur and others during the 1990s.

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“I respect Suge for what he’s done in music,” Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment, says during an interview with VIBE as part of its “New Juice: 8 Influential People To Watch” feature. “He had the coast booming. They had a star roster; I think I have a star roster. Shit was a lot wilder back then and I think shit got a little out of control in certain situations. I try to stay calm. I try not to have the big entourage because sometimes when people see so many dudes moving they want to challenge you. We got a lot of similarities, but we don’t club like they clubbed ‘cause you always got someone that want to come and try some shit. Then you have to put a demo down on somebody and then the following week you gotta put a demo down on his brother, then his cousin. It keeps going and brings negative attention. We had that attention early in the game with Jay Rock—everybody thought [we was] gangbanging. We couldn’t get no shows; everybody was scared for us to show up at events. We learned from that too.”

Tiffith also says that he learned several lessons from his first major label contract. TDE had a deal with Warner Bros. Records for Jay Rock that lasted from 2006 until 2010, according to the VIBE article.

“One thing I learned is don’t chase radio or follow the artists that the label follows,” Tiffith says. “If it’s hot, that’s what they’re on. They make me fuck up my acts ’cause I’m telling them to follow that when they should be doing their own thing. Two, don’t depend on nobody else to do things for you. The label is there, but they don’t know shit ‘cause they not in the streets. Spinning out of the WB situation, we realized that the Internet was really becoming big and that became our focus.”

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