Author: hhns

 A concert featuring superstar rapper DMX has been canceled at the urging of police in New England, over concerns of violence.

DMX was supposed to hit the stage at Whites of Westport on September 7, but a number of incidents in the area moved police to urge Whites, as well as the local promoter Hurricane Promotions, to cancel the concert.

“This cancellation is very unfortunate. DMX loves to perform for his his fans and hates to have to reschedule his shows. However, we are still taking bookings and are hoping to create a national tour this Fall,” Domenick Nati, of Nati Celebrity Services told AllHipHop.com.

Two men were shot – one fatally – at a Providence nightclub over the weekend, while a show featuring Philadelphia rapper Cassidy ended in brawls early Friday morning (August 24).

“Local law enforcement strongly advised us against doing this,” White’s VP Chris Lafrance told The Herald News. “We’ll regroup, maybe find some acts that fit a little better for the venue.”

Hurricane Promotions’ Michael Herren said that he had a security plan in place for the DMX concert and didn’t expect any issues, despite the violence last weekend.

“Unfortunately when people talk about gun violence, rap music is often intertwined,” Herren told The Herald News.

In addition to White’s own in-house security, ten state police were slated to be stationed around the venue, which can hold around 1,500 people.

Several hundred tickets had already been sold at $33 a-piece. Those fans who paid in advance can receive a full refund from Whites.

Beanie Sigel reflects on issues at his former label, as well as with Jay-Z.

 

Though Beanie Sigel just released his sixth studio album,This Time, it doesn’t mean he never thinks of his older projects.

 

In an interview with Complex, the former Roc-A-Fella emcee recalls dropping his acclaimed album The B. Coming, and how Def Jam didn’t work the project properly. “The B. Coming, that came out when I was incarcerated, too. It went gold with no promotion, nothing,” explained Beans. ‘I did seven videos in two days and only one got airtime, and that was ‘Feel it in the Air.'”

 

“Def Jam/Universal dropped the ball on that album,” elaborated Beans, who looked at the project as a missed opportunity. “If I can go gold from sitting inside a jail cell, with no promotion or nothing, if they would have paid a little bit more attention to the album and seen what it was doing, then that could have been a platinum album. There’s no telling what it could have been if I was out.”

 

“They dropped the album about five months before I was released. I adamantly requested for the album not to be released, for it to be released on my release date so I can capitalize off of that album monetarily. But they just threw it to the wolves. When I came home, they admitted their mistake. They dropped the ball on that album.”

 

Sigel also discussed regrets about his relationship with Jay-Z, which went from a friendship to a one-sided beef, with Sig slinging bars at his old boss. Interestingly, the Broad Street Bully referenced some wisdom courtesy of Hov. “Jay got a song on Reasonable Doubt where he says, ‘You gotta learn to live with regrets.’ You can’t take it back. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a present. Unwrap it and enjoy the gift, man.”

 

Editor’s Note: There are less than 75 days until voters nationwide will descend upon the polls to elect officials to some of the top offices in the country. This election year has been unlike any other in recent years past, and the critical issues that affect everyday citizens – like the economy, healthcare, and civil rights – matter more than ever.

 

AllHipHop.com is committed to helping convene the Hip-Hop generation at the polls. All this week, join us to learn about some of the ways OUR CULTURE is stepping up big to ensure the right to vote.

 

(AllHipHop News) Hakim Green and Queen Yonasda Lonewolf know a thing or two about movements that create change.

 

Queen Yonasda

 

Lonewolf, a rapper and granddaughter to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, has championed the rights of women, Native Americans, and all people for years. Green, a member of the now-defunct KRS-One offshoot, Channel Live, is known more for his Hip-Hop flavored activism around North Jersey these days than the agile rhymes he still delivers.

 

The two have joined forces alongside organizations such as the Hip Hop Union and local colleges and universities to create the Hip Hop 2 Vote movement, a nonpartisan effort to empower youth with a voice through their all-important votes at the polls this fall under the theme, “My Voice. My Vote. My Victory.”

 

Hakim Green of Channel Live

 

While there are lots of voter engagement initiatives springing forth in the final months before Election 2012, Hip Hop 2 Vote differs in the fact that it is rap artist driven. According to organizers, it also seeks to create an ongoing platform with Hip-Hop inspired solutions to a number of economic, social, and medical issues plaguing the community.

 

Lonewolf, who is also connected to the Wu-Tang Clan family, is helping to organize and host a series of Hip Hop 2 Vote summits around the country, with the aim of connecting people – especially the 18-35 year old demographic – to voter registration, policy education, and more.

 

Green recently led a Hip Hop 2 Vote summit at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York, and the next two summits are set for September 23 and 24 at Lany College in Oakland, California, and October 6 at Project South Community Center, and October 7 at Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

 Port Arthur bred and renowned Houston, Texas rapper/professor Bun B is celebrating the anniversary of “Bun B Day” in Houston this weekend.

 

Heralded by Mayor Annise Parker for his commitment to community service, Bun B will be celebrating the honor bestowed upon him, with a special food drive for the Houston Food Bank on Thursday (August 30) from 4-7 p.m. at the Food Bank’s headquarters.

 

During the food drive, Bun B will meet and greet fans and thank them for making donations of non-perishable food items and money to help feed fellow Houston residents.

 

“To be honored with my own day by Mayor Parker and the Council is something I don’t take lightly,” Bun B told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “It is my hope that the day becomes synonymous with honor, good will, and helping one’s fellow-man. Partnering with the Houston Food Bank is the first step. Join us in our effort to begin a new tradition of unity in the human community on August 30!”

 

Bun B’s event is set to kick off just a few days before the start of Hunger Action Month, a push by food banks and hunger relief agencies across the country, with the aim of getting celebrities, school children and other members of society to help fight hunger in their community.

 

In Houston, the theme for the month is “Hunger Bites, Bites Back,” which has a double meaning.

 

The meaning behind the slogan stems from the fact that one, hunger is a bad thing; two, that it has a painful, biting effect on those who suffer from it; and that we as citizens can all “bite back,” by taking action to help those in need.

 

The Houston Food Bank is the nation’s largest sized Feeding America food bank and source of food for hunger relief charities in 18 southeast Texas counties.

 

They have been named one of 10 Top-Notch Charities across the nation by Charity Navigator for maintaining a network of nearly 500 food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers and other agencies, feeding a total of 137,000 people each week.

 

The Houston Food Bank also provides more than 50 million nutritious meals annually.

 

For those attending as volunteers, the Houston Food Bank has asked that all photos be Tweeted and information about the event hashtagged using #BunBHFB

 

Beanie Sigel and a friend have been arrested on gun and drug charges, after a traffic stop on I-95 in Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania, police have revealed.

 

According to police, Beanie Sigel was a passenger in a Ford Fusion driven by an associate named Gerald Andrews.

 

A little after 3:00 AM, the police pulled the Ford over for following another vehicle to closely, in addition to swerving out of its own lane.

 

During a search of the car, police found prescription bottles, pills and plastic bags.

 

When policed search Beanie Sigel, the rapper had allegedly had bottle of codeine syrup, in addition to $4,650 cash.

 

Police also said that a deeper search of the vehicle turned up a gun in the center console. Beanie Sigel and Gerald Andrews have been charged with drugs and weapons violations.

 

The arrest comes just one day after the release of his latest album This Time.

 

In September, Beanie Sigel will begin serving two years in prison, for failing to pay income on $1 million in taxes.

 

Another bystander injured in the scuffle emerges with a lawsuit against the W.i.P. club.

In the past two weeks, two separate lawsuits have emerged stemming from Chris Brown and Drake’snotorious brawl at SoHo club W.i.P. Now, in recent report from the New York Post, a new suit has been served against the nightclub due to the scuffle.

Brooklyn resident Howard Clement has filed a suit againstW.i.P. for injuries sustained during the fracas back in June. Clement was lacerated during the bottle-tossing affair and since has been suffering from migraines and is unable to sleep on his back or left side.

“We will fully evaluate the claim once we receive formal notice,” a representative from the club said.

As previously mentioned, this is the third lawsuit in the past month to come about in the aftermath of the battle. Two other club-goers and San Antonio Spurs player Tony Parker have also filed multi-million dollar suits over the matter.

Snoop Dogg thinks Hip Hop’s opinion on homosexuality has shifted.

 

Much has been written about Hip Hop’s changing stance on homosexuality after Frank Ocean penned an open letter about his sexuality.

 

Now, Snoop Dogg can be counted among the emcees who believes Hip Hop is ready for an openly gay rapper.

 

“People are learning how to live and get along more, and accept people for who they are and not bash them or hurt them because they’re different,” said Snoop Dogg in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune.

 

“When I was growing up, you could never do that and announce that,” said Snoop of Ocean’s letter. “There would be so much scrutiny and hate and negativity, and no one would step (forward) to support you because that’s what we were brainwashed and trained to know.”

 

Other artists to have announced their support for Ocean include Busta Rhymes and Lil Scrappy.

 

Beanie Sigel reveals that he was on the clock to finish his latest release.

 

Beanie Sigel is scheduled to enter prison in September, just two weeks after releasing his fifth solo studio album,This Time.

 

According to Sig, the rush affected the amount of time he could spend on his album.

 

“Actually, I was running out of time. I was glad that I had enough material recorded to even put the album together,” said Beans in an interview on MTV’s “RapFix Live.” “I was probably only like 80 percent of really getting into my zone on this project, but at 50 percent, my 50 percent is better than people’s 100 percent.”

 

Beanie also discussed State Property’s role on Roc-A-Fella Records, and the group’s status relative to others in Hip Hop. “As a unit, I don’t think there’s a unit out there as talented as State Property in so many areas. Not only just lyrically but our stage presence, our performance, our energy that we give out, the songs that we make.”

 

“We carried the flagship for Roc-A-Fella for years, we was Roc-A-Fella.”

 

 In just one 24-hour period in 2011, 12 people were gunned down in Newark, New Jersey, leaving four dead and eight wounded, including a young boy. Before and since then, the city’s leaders – including representatives from the Hip-Hop community – have rallied together to find solutions to end “Brick City’s” senseless acts of violence.

Again this year, Newark City Councilman, educator, and activist Ras Baraka and co-hosts will spearhead the outdoor“24 Hours of Peace, Occupy Clinton Avenue” event, today (August 24) from 6PM until 6PM on Saturday.

“We’re trying to promote peace and community togetherness…We need to do it in a dramatic force to dramatize how serious this issue is for us,” said Councilman Ras Baraka in August 2011, with just days leading up to the First Annual 24 Hours of Peace Rally.

Organizers hope to use the arts – music, spoken word, dance, poetry, and film to promote their “Time Out” message and serve as a model to other cities that are facing rising violence. For 24 hours, Newark hopes to curb its neighborhood warfare in a symbolic gesture of unity, bringing together parents, children, artists, business owners, faith based, and community based organizations for a block party-style gathering.

Leaning on their influence and power to convey messages to young people, the longtime Hip-Hop community in Newark is getting involved, too. In a community that has spawned artists such as Redman, Rah Digga, Hakim Green and Channel Live, Naughty By Nature, Lords of the Underground, and many more, event planners said Hip-Hop has always served as a collective voice for the people.

“Twenty-four hours of peace and unity is a small step in our ongoing commitment to increasing the PEACE! We are Hip-Hop and our ethic is peace, love, unity, and safely having fun,” said Hakim Green of Channel Live, who will host the event again this year.

This year’s list of artist attendees includes Tap Dance king Savion Glover; DJ Antoine Qua of 107.5 WBLS; former First Lady of Flip Mode Squad, Rah Digga; Hip-Hop legends Treach of Naughty by Nature, Do It All of Lords of the Underground, and Dres and Jarobi of EVITAN, Jersey Block Entertainment, and a bevy of local artists.

24 Hours of Peace sponsors hope the hometown star presence will be helpful again this year in shedding light on the diverse social needs of the community. According to Councilman Baraka and others, to truly make an impact, citizens across the country should call for urban violence to be addressed as a Public Health issue, making it eligible for grants and other resources.

Pusha T discusses the G.O.O.D. Music album’s “final” stages while also sharing information on his own solo album.

Anticipation for the G.O.O.D. Music compilation album started as soon as it was announced. The G.O.O.D. collective were meant to release the album earlier this year and after several push-backs, the anticipation has grown even more. Recently, Pusha T spoke about what he knows regarding the project and shared information about his own solo effort. 

“It’s like a melting pot of music,” Pusha explained to MTVafter saying he might be on “six or seven songs.” “And I say that to say there are records that I rhymed on that Kid Cudi had like two verses of singing and I just come in, and still somebody else may have done a verse to it. There’s all singing records; there are records with Teyana Taylor. Matter of fact, her and 2 Chainz have like a love two-way and I don’t know if that made it … It’s a total unfinished Rubik’s Cube of a mixture of colors and attitudes of an album.”

He also shared that he was on his way to add any final touches the project may need.

“I’m on my way to Hawaii [where Kanye is recording] so I’m gonna get to lend an ear to it and later on today give my opinion on what I think. Maybe it may want some tweaking, or maybe I’ll love it in its entirety, but it’s in its final final final stages.”

Pusha Ton also shared some information about his solo album with G.O.O.D. Music. The VA emcee said it will be a dark album “camouflaged” by bright music. 

“The album is dark, and the album is dark in theme, but I think a lot of the darkness is camouflaged by the brightness of the music. I think Kanye means the truth of the album and the perspective of the album is just so dark and reality-based; it’s the unedited version of what a man in my position or many men out here in the street think, whether it deals with family, whether it deals with relationship, whether it deals with celebratory themes, it always ends up having a real perspective on it. It’s a little scary.” 

UPDATE: LL Cool J really roughed up a lifelong criminal this week, who decided to burglarize the star’s house.

 

LL Cool J thawrted a robbery after an intruder broke into his home last night.

 

According to TMZ, the suspect entered his Los Angeles, California residence at 2 a.m. LL, who was in the home at the time, heard some commotion coming from downstairs and decided to check it out.

 

The burglar tripped the alarm system, altering the cops, but LL took matters into his own hands by engaging in a brawl. LL detained the intruder until the LAPD arrived a few minutes later to arrest him.

 

The intruder will be charged with burglarly and ended up with a few bruises, while LL remained unscathed.

 

(August 22)

 

UPDATE: Additional reporting by CNN has revealed that LL Cool J did more than just bruise his home invader. The longtime Def Jam Records superstar and actor allegedly broke burgular Jonathan Kirby’s nose, ribs and jaw while detaining him. Kirby has been convicted of previous crimes, including involuntary manslaughter, and is reportedly awaiting a $1.1 million bail.

 

UPDATE: Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club has dropped its lawsuit against Mike Shand, the Manhattan Club’s former chef.

After cooking on tour for Jay-Z and Beyonce, chef Michael Shand was asked to be in integral part of Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club in Manhattan. However, recently, the club sued Shand for $1.5 million for not improving the menu for the Club’s reopening. 

According to the NYPost, the suit claims that Shand “failed to perform on significant aspects” of the agreement, which ended up “costing the club lost profits, loss of good will [and] alienation of clientele.” 

The court filing also says that “The club has not been able to adequately replace the items and services defendant was paid to provide.”

Shand’s lawyer told the NYPost that they are unsure why he would be sued. 

“Mike’s a great chef, and it is unclear why 40/40 would contemplate a lawsuit against him. Nevertheless, we will respond accordingly when he gets served with the complaint.”

[August 21]

UPDATE: Jay-Z and the 40/40 Club have dropped the lawsuit against former shef Michael Shand over failing to hand over a special spice recipe used for chicken when he was terminated from the position. According to NY Post, Shand’s lawyer Vik Pawar may still pursue a defamation lawsuit. “We still may sue the club for defamation of character and for the return of his possessions, including his laptop, which the club still has,” he said.

 A New York State Senator Held a press conference yesterday (August 22), over comments rap superstar Lil Wayne made to MTV.

 

Lil Wayne has been vocal over the past several years about his sour attitude towards New York, after the NYPD arrested the rapper in 2007, after his first performance in the city, at the Beacon Theater.

 

As a result, Lil Wayne was hit with weapons violations and subsequently spent eight months on Rikers Island.

 

“Flat out: I don’t like New York,” the rapper told MTV in an interview on Monday (August 2o).

 

Senator Malcolm A. Smith held the press conference at Father Duffy Square in Manhattan, where he demanded an apology from Lil Wayne.

 

Senator Smith, from Queens, said that he was angered by Lil Wayne’s comments about the city that never sleeps.

 

“If you don’t like New York,” Mr. Smith said, “you don’t have to come to New York. You don’t have to sell your products here. And perhaps we won’t come to your concerts,” Senator Smith said, alluding to a potential boycott of the rapper’s shows.

 

The news conference was held at Father Duffy Square in Manhattan, where Senator Smith demanded an apology from the rapper.

 

“New Yorkers are forgiving people,” Senator Smith said. “We’re prepared to forgive Lil Wayne if in fact he makes a sincere apology.”