Jay-Z has recently confirmed he is now "a completely independent artist" after buying out the remainder of his contract with Island Def Jam for a reported fee of $5 million.
"I can honestly say, working with [Island Def Jam's] Doug Morris and LA Reid has been a unique and fulfilling experience and I respect them immensely. I've been in the family for almost my entire career," Jay told Rap Radar. "Doug and I spoke directly and had one of the most unique ‘negotiations' ever. Doug won the toss but, we both won in the end. I thank him for allowing me to be a completely independent artist. Not every artist can say they own or are given the opportunity to own all of their music."
Great way to set the standard for all artists Jay-Z! Jigga is now free to release The Blueprint 3 on his new Roc Nation label.
Julie Henderson, the girlfriend of Hip Hop mogul Russel Simmons, had some things to get off of her chest...
I have been spending "special time" with Russell for about 4 months and in that time I have learned some subtle things about some in the black community that have surprised me. I must say that while it has been a bit of a challenge for me, it has also been a wonderful learning experience. I realize that in this day of Obama and change that there is still a tremendous amount of poverty, suffering and pain in the black community, and for that I am deeply sorry. But, I have to say the angry responses to those realities are sometimes misdirected....Just for the record, I am nobody's white b*tch, gold digger or fame chaser. Nor am I any of the other mean things I have been called lately. I don't need anything from anybody, I come from a good family and I'm a young independent "successful" model making my way in NYC. (If you don't believe me google me or go to juliehenderson.net).
Finally, I just wanna say that Russell has been a great "special" friend and I'm sure as sh*t not giving him up cause some in America object to our friendship. I wanna close by saying, what Russell always says, Namaste. (That means the goddess in me recognizes the goddess in you)....Or, b*tch get your own man.
Looks like Mr. Harris has "Grand Hustled" his way out of his situation...
The rapper, the self-proclaimed "King of the South," had faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge in his three-count indictment.
Harris will be credited for 305 days of home detention he already has served after being charged, so his stay at the Forrest City prison likely will be only two months.
R.D. Weeks, a spokesman for the prison, said Harris likely would be treated like any other prisoner coming into the facility.
Weeks said each cell at the prison is double-bunked. Harris also will have the opportunity to use the recreation yard, as well as take part in counseling or participate in the one of the facility's 14 religious groups, Week said.
Harris, 28, was arrested after trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers from undercover federal agents in 2007. That came after Harris' best friend was killed following a post-performance party in Cincinnati in 2006. The rapper has said the bullets that killed his friend were meant for him.
Upon his release, Harris will be on probation for three years. He also must pay a $100,000 fine as part of his sentence. Source: Associated Press
With all the past drama of Swizz Beatz and his ex-wife Mashonda now put to rest, Swizzy reveals to the NY Daily News his love for long-time "friend" Alicia Keys!
Hip-hop maestro Swizz Beatz is finally admitting that he and Alicia Keys are an item - but he wishes his estranged wife, Mashonda, would leave the Grammy winner out of their divorce.
For months now, Swizz has been trying to keep his thing with Alicia on the down-low. But he doesn't leave much doubt about who owns his heart on Drake's new "Best I Ever Had" remix.
Wake up in the morning and my baby cooked me breakfast, A's naked wearing nothing on but a necklace ...
Yeah, she say she wanna treat me like a king; I get big gifts so the money ain't a damn thing
She gave me a party at the Guggenheim ... What's next? The ring? The baby? She really loves me!
Swizz tells us that, yes, he's in love with Keys and, yes, she did give him a birthday party at that museum.
"But we're nowhere near ready for a baby or a ring," laughs Swizz, aka Kasseem Dean. "This whole song is not about Alicia. The part about her cooking breakfast for me naked - she never done that for me." Damn.
Swizz didn't want to talk about Keys till now because, he says, "What we have is so precious." He also felt it would aggravate Mashonda, who's also a singer.
He may have been right. "When he told Mashonda he was dating Alicia, I think she got jealous," says a friend of the couple.
Having filed for divorce in February, Mashonda is seeking interim support for their 2-year-old son, Kasseem Jr., arguing that Swizz has slashed his payments.
"He's been tightening the screws on her," says a friend of Moshanda. "It's becoming intolerable. Meanwhile, she's seen the charges for jewelry he's bought Alicia in France."
During the winter, the heat in Mashonda's Westchester mansion went out. "Swizz wouldn't repair her heat," says her friend. But a pal of Swizz argues, "The house is 30,000 square feet. The heat didn't work in one wing, not where Mashonda and Dean slept. Swizz had been paying all of their bills. On top of that, he was giving her $5,000 a week. His advisers felt that was too much, so now he pays her $3,500 a month, on top of the bills.
"Swizz has put settlement offers on the table, but Mashonda won't say what she needs. She just came back from Paris and London. She drives a Bentley Flying Spur and a Cadillac Escalade. I don't think life's too bad for her."
Mashonda's friend argues that she's resisted his offers "because he's been less than forthcoming about his true financial picture."
Swizz's lawyer, Dan Rottenstreich, insists, "He has taken care of her and his son above and beyond what's required."
Says Mashonda's attorney Bernard Clair: "An application is pending before the court, where the facts will be developed."
"I will say it because the information has been leaked. Me and Jay-Z will be doing a 10-city tour run together! More details coming soon!"
Not all of their tour stops have been confirmed but so far, July 3rd and 4th will be at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, July 10 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, and July 12 in Atlanta.
I DON'T HAVE A FUCKING TWITTER... WHY WOULD I USE TWITTER??? I ONLY BLOG 5 PERCENT OF WHAT I'M UP TO IN THE FIRST PLACE. I'M ACTUALLY SLOW DELIVERING CONTENT BECAUSE I'M TOO BUSY ACTUALLY BUSY BEING CREATIVE MOST OF THE TIME AND IF I'M NOT AND I'M JUST LAYING ON A BEACH I WOULDN'T TELL THE WORLD. EVERYTHING THAT TWITTER OFFERS I NEED LESS OF. THE PEOPLE AT TWITTER KNOW I DON'T HAVE A FUCKING TWITTER SO FOR THEM TO ALLOW SOMEONE TO POSE AS ME AND ACCUMULATE OVER A MILLION NAMES IS IRRESPONSIBLE AND DECEITFUL TO THERE FAITHFUL USERS. REPEAT... THE HEADS OF TWITTER KNEW I DIDN'T HAVE A TWITTER AND THEY HAVE TO KNOW WHICH ACCOUNTS HAVE HIGH ACTIVITY ON THEM. IT'S A FUCKING FARCE AND IT MAKES ME QUESTION WHAT OTHER SO CALLED CELEBRITY TWITTERS ARE ACTUALLY REAL OR FAKE. HEY TWITTER, TAKE THE SO CALLED KANYE WEST TWITTER DOWN NOW .... WHY? ... BECAUSE MY CAPS LOCK KEY IS LOUD!!!!!!!!!
It's been said that Saaphyri's cousin has started a Twitter page for the now jailed Saaphyri from Flavor of Love, Charm School, and I Love Money 2.
Real name Wanda Scott, has been sentenced to three years in prison after failing to show up for a November 2005 sentencing hearing.
It all began in 2004 when she was arrested for stealing her uncle's identity and using it to rack-up thousands of dollars in debt. Part of the money was used to purchase a breast augmentation.
She plead no contest to the charges and was scheduled to be sentenced in November 2005 but never showed up in court.
Wanda was pulled over in Los Angeles last November for driving with an invalid license. She was sentenced to serve the prison time and also ordered to pay restitution, fines and fees totaling $8,500 or more.
This is why Ms. Saaphryi wasn't seen on the I Love Money 2 reunion!
Here's a screenshot of her twitter page. She would like all 10 of her fans to write to her. We're sure she'll get back to you. She has all the time in the world.
Saaphyri Wanda Scott X359545 C.I.W. Barnerberg B 1137 Low 16756 Chino Corona Rd. Corona, CA 92880
The son of Run-DMC founding member Joseph Simmons got busted Friday night because he couldn't run fast enough from narcotics cops.
Jojo Simmons, 19, got caught buying marijuana from a street pusher on Wadsworth Ave. in Washington Heights and made things worse by getting rough with the officers, police said.
They said Jojo was behind the wheel of his BMW, rolling a joint when the narcs came up and knocked on his window.
He jammed the car into reverse and tried to flee but slammed into a parked car. He then tried to go forward but hit another parked car, police said. Jojo then went to Plan B, fighting with officers, said police.
He was charged with attempted reckless endangerment, criminal use of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest and criminal possession of marijuana.
It has been revealed that rapper T.I.'s artist and henchmen "Alfamega" was infact a DEA informant aka as a snitch!
Zellars, who records for T.I.'s Grand Hustle Entertainment, is a hulking 6′ 4″, calls himself "The Grand Hustle Muscle," and proclaims, "I'm a real hood." What he does not mention, though, is his prior work as a Drug Enforcement Administration informant who snitched out criminal cohorts and testified as a government witness at the trial of an Atlanta heroin trafficker. Court records show that Zellars began working with law enforcement officials after he was sentenced in September 1995 to 110 months in a federal gun case (Zellars, who had a prior felony robbery conviction, was collared for selling weapons to an undercover federal agent). Zellars "agreed to cooperate with authorities and was debriefed" about the criminal activity of several individuals. Source: The Smoking Gun
Once the news broke out to T.I. and his Grand Hustle camp members, you could imagine that Alfamega found himself, ipod and all, in the back of the long unemployment line...
"Even though all of our artists and employees are asked by us to be honest and open about their past history at no time did Alfa disclose to me or Grand Hustle what has now appeared in the media. He essentially deceived us by failing to fully disclose the truth about his past and there is no place in our organization for dishonest and misleading behavior. As I've always said, you must take responsibility for your own actions, we at Grand Hustle do not support or condone blaming others for our own mistakes. I hope and pray to god bless his financial plans but I do not foresee me or my company playing the role of his personal or professional business."
They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Better luck next time Alfa!
The breakup of their marriage started when Nas found out about Kelis' sex tape with a rapper. When the news of the sex tape leaked to the media, his pride took a beating and that's when things started to change. The sex tape was made before Nas and Kelis got married, but the damage was already done. Nas completely shut down, physically and emotionally, which is why they were very rarely seen together in public over the past few months.
Supposedly, the pregnancy was Kelis' attempt to save the marriage. Even though Nas is excited that he's having a son, he was still going to file for divorce. But apparently, Kelis wanted to beat him to the punch-likely out of spite-so she hurriedly filed first.
Rap star's protégé once worked as DEA informant, government witness
MAY 5--Billed as the protégé of rapper/gun enthusiast T.I., Cedric "Alfamega" Zellars is a convicted felon whose songs brag about his status as an "original gangster" and contain de rigeur references to police tape, automatic weapons, and murder. Zellars, who records for T.I.'s Grand Hustle Entertainment, is a hulking 6' 4", calls himself "The Grand Hustle Muscle," and proclaims, "I'm a real hood." What he does not mention, though, is his prior work as a Drug Enforcement Administration informant who snitched out criminal cohorts and testified as a government witness at the trial of an Atlanta heroin trafficker. Court records show that Zellars began working with law enforcement officials after he was sentenced in September 1995 to 110 months in a federal gun case (Zellars, who had a prior felony robbery conviction, was collared for selling weapons to an undercover federal agent). Zellars "agreed to cooperate with authorities and was debriefed" about the criminal activity of several individuals. "In particular he was debriefed concerning the drug trafficking activities of a Mr. Ali Baaqar," according to a government court filing, a copy of which you'll find below. During his cooperation against Baaqar, Zellars met with a DEA agent and a federal prosecutor, and subsequently testified at trial. "Ali Baaqar was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin based upon the trial testimony of [Zellars] and others." In return for his snitching, Zellars had 18 months shaved off his prison term when he was resentenced in July 1997 by Judge J. Owen Forrester. A court order signed by Forrester came after federal prosecutors petitioned the jurist to reduce Zellars's sentence in light of his "substantial assistance to the Government." The disclosure of Zellars's informant past will likely not sit well with rap fans and performers alike, many of whom promote hip-hop's "Stop Snitching" doctrine. Additionally, since T.I. (real name: Clifford Harris) is soon headed to prison due to the work of a government informant, Zellars's time as a government asset could be a cause for tension around the Grand Hustle offices.
With the anticipation of Eminem's upcoming "Relapse" release, many are questioning the rapper's buzz on his return to Hip-Hop...
Whoever his audience might be, Eminem will have to come up with more interesting material to command their attention. While the recent songs might tell us the kind of TV he's been watching, none gives a glimpse into what he's actually been feeling during this recording hiatus. And he's had no shortage of emotional triggers: dealing with addiction, the seemingly final dissolution of his marriage to the infamous Kim, and the death of his close friend Proof. He's clearly done a lot of living and learning, yet that isn't apparent in the rhymes we've heard to date. The cringe-worthy Eminem has resurfaced, but not the clever wordsmith willing to display vulnerability and dig for emotion. Only the album cover, an image of the rapper made out of a mosaic of pills, hints at the demons he has previously illuminated. Source: Boston Globe
Eminem's success in music should be no surprise to any real Hip Hop fan. The man outsold any other rapper in history, took lyricism to another planet and introduced a new form of Hip Hop to parts of the World some of us can't even pronounce. He takes a few years off and not too many people are buzzing about his return. How sad has Hip Hop become?
It's official! LeBron James is set to become the league's most valuable player, according to a report in the Plain Dealer of Cleveland.
James will accept the award at a press conference at St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School, his alma mater, at 4 p.m. on Monday. James becomes the first Cavalier to win the award. At 24, he is the second-youngest player to win the award, behind Wes Unseld, who won it at 23 in 1969.
With all due respect to the likes of Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, there was no other possible conclusion to the MVP race. James had a sensational season with statistics that could not be ignored. James averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game this season, leading the Cavaliers in all three categories. His per-36 minute averages - 27.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists - were all career bests.
With all due respect, Lebron rightfully earned his position at number one but many can debate the names of Dwayne "Flash" Wade or a Kobe "The Closer" Bryant for that spot. Congrats King James! We'll see you in the finals...
Word on the street is that Rihanna has caught up with her fromer boyfriend and first-love, 24-Year-Old Negus Sealy. Reports suggest the pair could now be rekindling their romance following Rihanna's split from Chris Brown.
A source told the News of the World: ‘Negus was a shoulder to cry on. He's a really smart guy - clever, good looking, very cool.
‘All the girls adore him and call him the Love God. He and Rihanna were seeing each other before she hit the big time.'
The former lovers were spotted on the beach acting "friendly" and catching up on old times. Maybe this type of being "hit on" would make Rihanna smile for a change.
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