October 2008 Blog Posts (241)

BET'S RAP CITY IS DONE

BET network has confirmed plans to cancel its long-running Hip-Hop series Rap City, effective by the end of this month.

Created by broadcasting veteran Alvin Jones in 1989, the video series chronicled Hip-Hop’s growing video music market, competing directly with Yo! MTV Raps.

The fledgling series was able to distinguish itself from its larger MTV competitor by not just focusing on mainstream rappers, but also… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 1:43pm — 15 Comments

Another family is hurting' after drive-by shooting suspect commits suicide in standoff

GRAND RAPIDS — After the drive-by murder of a 16-year-old boy he did not know, Kyle Keenan — alone and on the lam — made a phone call to relatives talking about heaven and suicide.

"He was asking the family would he still go to heaven if he committed suicide. We told him, 'Don't kill yourself, boy,'" said his uncle, Larry Keenan.

Tuesday afternoon Larry Keenan recalled those words moments… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 1:30pm — 6 Comments

JAY-Z RECOGNIZED AT THE Global Leadership Awards

Honoree and recipient of the ‘Champions Of The Millennium Goals Award’ rapper and entrepreneur Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter attends 2008 Global Leadership Awards gala at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Wednesday in New York City.

Carter received the award for his visionary leadership of “Water for Life” and his partnership with… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 1:16pm — 5 Comments

OBAMA COVERS VIBE MAGAZINE

In the November issue of Vibe, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama urges readers to vote, saying “We are at a defining moment in our history.” He continues..

“I am running for president to take this country in a new direction. But I can’t do it alone. I need you. Whether it’s the first time, or the first time in a long time, I need you to register and vote on November 4.”

This marks the first presidential endorsement ever made… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 1:11pm — 1 Comment

Hip-Hop Record Sales Low; Rebound Possible With Kanye and Ludacris Albums

Record labels are approaching another financially weak year, as a minimum of 200 million albums in the last quarter is now required in order to break even with last year’s low total.

According to Variety, the music industry officially closed out with a total of 297.9 million albums sold for the third quarter making it already 12 percent less than the previous year. 2007 saw a total of 500.5 million in sales with over 30 percent of the records… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 1:09pm — 1 Comment

KANYE'S HBO PROJECT IN LIMBO?: Director Larry Charles says pilot has been shot, but may be too 'hardcore' for the cable channel.

*Filmmaker Larry Charles tells ComingSoon.com that he's already shot a pilot for the currently-untitled Kanye West project on HBO, but the jury is still out as to whether or not it will ever air.

Describing the pilot as similar to HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" with West as a "black Larry David," Charles said, "It's kind of improvised about the situations and stuff.

"It was really good, but again I think it was too hardcore for… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 1:06pm — No Comments

NE-YO WANTS HIS LIFE STORY ON FILM: Singer is plotting a motion picture "as we speak."

*R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, who last month released his new album "Year of the Gentleman," says he's currently working on a film that is based on his life story.

He compares the project to Eminem's 2002 biopic "8 Mile," which was "inspired" by the Detroit rapper's early path toward stardom.

"We are putting together the (film) right now as we speak, as a matter of fact," the artist tells Rap-up.com. "The name of the movie is… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 1:04pm — No Comments

Kanye West REMIXES “Love Lockdown”

STAY TUNED AS SOON AS WE GET IT WE WILL POST IT FOR YALL

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 1:01pm — 3 Comments

Florida Is Buggin: $1,000 Speeding Fines Starts Tomorrow! "Why Stop When You Gon Get $1K Ticket, You Minus Well Keep Going"

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 12:42pm — 2 Comments

Laila Ali Debuts Her New Son

Laila Ali and her hubby Curtis gave OK! mag the first look at her newborn son Curtis Muhammad Conway Jr. Too precious at only a month old.

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

Tyler Perry and Taraji Henson Are Engaged?

Trust me, I know this one smells like a publicity stunt. But too many industry heads are talking, so there must be something to it.

In fact, the source who gave me this info also gave me a hot tip two weeks ago — which I chose to dismiss — and by the next day, the story was on every blog.

This source is responsible for a few of my hottest scoops which the national media picked up on. She is no joke when it comes to dispensing… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 2, 2008 at 12:30pm — 11 Comments

Jay-Z To Perform free and donate proceeds to Obama campaign

It's no secret that Jay-Z loves Barack Obama. He's putting his money — or time, at least — where his mouth is this weekend. He's throwing two free concerts in support of the presidential candidate. He'll perform in Detroit this Saturday, and then he's flying to Miami to do another show Sunday. The tickets will be available at the local Obama campaign office.

Recently on MTV, Barack Obama expressed admiration for the entrepreneurial spirit of… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 1, 2008 at 1:41pm — 2 Comments

New Videos: Lil Wayne & Bobby V (Behind The Scenes)

Mrs Officer Music Video (Behind the Scene)

Lil Wayne and Bobby Valentino shot the video for “Miss Officer” down in Miami earlier this month. Here is a Behind the Scenes look at the video shoot. (Mad at Wayne for tonguing the video chick down in the back of the whip. I’m sure that won’t make the cut… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 1, 2008 at 1:37pm — 3 Comments

Album Review: T.I. - Paper Trail

T.I.’s last major release, T.I. vs. T.I.P., was akin to a story about a hero without obstacles- though the protagonist (and in T.I.’s case, two lead characters) were interesting enough on their own, a sense of complacency on the writer’s part put a serious hamper on the well-produced proceedings. This time around, T.I. has simplified the writing process to a pen and a pad, and there is no shortage of drama for Tip to sort through. Juggling emotions… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 1, 2008 at 1:30pm — 6 Comments

Big Boi Named Spokesmodel for Coca-Cola Energy Drink

Coca-Cola has announced rapper Big Boi as the new spokesmodel for its energy drink in a bid to expand the brand’s reach into the African-American demographic.

Coca-Cola’s senior brand manager Rafael Acevedo, said it was Big Boi’s “drive to excel” which made him perfect for the brand relaunch of Coca-Cola’s “Full Throttle Fury” promotion, according to AllHipHop.com.

“He truly embodies the Full Throttle mindset of ‘Go Full Throttle or Go… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 1, 2008 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Video: T.I. and Jay Z Live at the Highline Ballroom Last Night

Video: T.I. and Jay Z Live at the Highline Ballroom Last Night

T.I. and Jay Z hit the stage last night at the Highline Ballroom in NYC to perform their joint hit track “Swagga Like Us”. The track is on T.I.’s album Paper Trail, which dropped yesterday. It’s also on Jay Z’s upcoming disc,… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 1, 2008 at 1:28pm — No Comments

The Next Jordan? 5th Grade Basketball Prodigy

Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 1, 2008 at 3:18am — 2 Comments

EXCLUSIVE: Jay-Z Supports Barack With Free Shows

Hip-Hop star Jay-Z will lend support to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and encourage young people to vote by giving two free concerts this weekend, AllHipHop.com has learned.

Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, will perform a free show in Detroit on Saturday (October 4) followed by another free performance in Miami on Saturday (October 5).

Tickets for the free concerts will be distributed at Obama’s… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 1, 2008 at 3:16am — 2 Comments

Man Crashes Truck Into McDonald's Trying to Steal a Safe

MEMPHIS, TN -- Police say a man has been charged for crashing a truck into an East Memphis McDonald’s restaurant to steal the safe, leaving a huge hole in the side of the building.

It happened at the McDonald’s on Mendenhall at Winchester Tuesday, September 30, 2008, around 2:30 a.m.

Police say James Norman was trying to steal a safe out of the restaurant, but all he got was a big mess. Investigators charged the 37 year-old with one… Continue

Added by USDA2DAY Staff on October 1, 2008 at 3:00am — 4 Comments