The Ting Tings are set to begin production on their sophomore album and they will be getting some very influential help. The British indie band has just signed on to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label, in which the famed rapper will make their follow up to ‘We Started Nothing’ something to talk about. A source said “Jay is hoping to lend his production skills to some of the new material. The Staccato rhythmic style of The Ting Tings sits well with what he does best, so that was the attraction. Jay can make them one of the biggest British bands in America.” The members of the group, Katie White and Jules de Martino, are said to be thrilled but are homesick. It will be all worth it I’m sure.
DMX got into a screaming match with security when he arrived to Colorado Springs charity concert nearly one and a half hours late after security was told that he was scheduled to perform. The rapper, his bodyguards and fans eventually got into a shoving match with security in front of the stage, while the crowd, who had already been told that DMX wasn’t going to show up, began chanting for the rapper. DMX eventually got on stage but the sound system was reportedly turned off so he couldn’t perform. I think that he’s the only guy who could make a charity event into a melee.
Fergie is seen laying out in the jungle the music video for their new song ‘Meet Me Halfway’, the third official single from the Black Eyed Peas’ latest album ‘The END’. will.i.am talked about the video saying “This is a very different type of video … ‘Boom Boom Pow’ was very futuristic and ‘I Gotta Feeling’ had a party vibe, but this is more artistic video. It’s very arty.” He’s so articulate, isn’t he? Couldn’t he say anything else about the video except how arty it is and how artistic it is? It’s the same thing idiot. For a rapper, he’s not that creative.
Alexandra Burke made her successful return to The X Factor by performing her new single ‘Bad Boys’ with rapper Flo Rida this past Sunday. The singer won the reality TV singing competition last year. The 21-year old British singing sensation has her debut album ‘Overcome’ being released on October 19. When she was asked to describe her album, Alexandra said “There’s more up-tempo tracks on the album that there are ballads. The ballads on there are very, very strong. The up-tempo tracks are very loud, fierce and beastly! When I recorded the ballads I cried, they’re very emotional.” I can’t wait to hear it.
I don’t think that it’s a good idea to wear any bling resembling bullets at the airport but apparently, Snoop Dogg thinks otherwise. While going thru Beirut International Airport, the rapper had to give up his necklace which had a diamond studded bullet. I know that security was just doing their job but I don’t think they could have done anything with that. The irony in it all was that the necklace is actually an anti-war message supporting the Bullets 4 Peace charity. At least the bling is for a good cause but Snoop may need to think about what he wears before going thru any airport again.
A court hearing recently concluded that Lil Wayne will stand trial next March on drug possession and weapons charges he got himself back in January 2008. Even though the rapper pleaded not guilty, Chief criminal Yuma County Attorney Roger Nelson says that his office “doesn’t offer misdemeanor plea deals on such cases and that’s probably one of the reasons why the case hasn’t been resolved.” Tough break for Lil Wayne! I bet that it wasn’t the Christmas present that he wanted for the holidays. At least we have something to look forward to next year. It’s always entertaining when celebrities go on trial.
We all know the music and media that our favorite celebrities are into but do you know about the books that influenced them? Jay-Z has provided O Magazine with the six books that “absolutely made a difference” in his life. The rapper lists his favorites as ‘The Seat of the Soul’ by Gary Zukav, ‘The Celestine Prophecy’ by James Redfield, ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer, ‘Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell, ‘Purple Cow’ by Seth Godin and ‘Nigger’ by Dick Gregory. I’m kind of surprised by some of his picks. Those are deep stuff man. I didn’t even know that he’s into that type of stuff.
The Jay-Z and Coldplay tour hit up Wembley Stadium in London last weekend and the rapper ambushed his good friend Chris Martin with a hug while the band’s lead singer was playing the piano. A concertgoer said “It was a strange moment. Everyone went wild when Jay-Z joined the boys on stage but seeing him grab Chris away from the piano and onto the floor was a bit weird to say the least.” The two then rolled around on the stage floor for some time before Jay-Z let Chris continue on with the show. I wonder if anyone was able to get a video of this.
After acting like a disrespectful douche bag towards Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Kanye West took to his blog twice to apologize to the country singer. The rapper then continued his tour of contrition during his appearance on Jay Leno’s new talk show on NBC last Monday. Kanye apologized once again and said that he needed to take some time off. I think he needs to check himself into rehab if he was chugging down a bottle of Hennessy like what he did at the ceremony. Hopefully, the time off that he was talking about wouldn’t affect his upcoming co-headlining tour with Lady Gaga.
Posted by Sam on 17th September 2009 in Hip Hop, Jay Z.
Rapper Jay-Z has said he needs to continue to reinvent himself and his sound to remain popular in the hip-hop world.
The husband of singer Beyonce is worried he might be too old for the business as most artists in his genre are under 30.
He told Scotsman.com: “Hip-hop saved my life. When someone does something for you, it’s only right you repay that tenfold, and that was what hip-hop did for me. How could I not protect that or leave it in a good place for the next generation?
“The reason you turn off the hip hop as you mature is because there’s not enough of what you’re going through in your life currently. There’s not a lot of people who have come of age in rap because it’s only 30. As more people come of age, hopefully the topics get broader and then the audience will stay around longer.”
The rapper, real name Shaun Carter, added: “But it’s so much viewed as a young person’s sport right now at this present moment that it’s very difficult. You want to get on the radio, and you’ve got to make a jingle that’s catchy, that sounds like everything else that’s on the radio. Not me, the other guy.”
Jay, who’s new album Blueprint 3 has recently hit the stores, is going to try and reinvent himself to retain his popularity.
The 38-year-old said: “Hip-hop is about the gift of discovery. It’s who has the newest sneakers, who has the new pants.
“So if I go to school with Jay-Z on my iPod, they go, ‘OK, we all know him.’ You have to come to school with some new band that no-one else has heard of. As an artist you’re fighting against everything that’s new. So not only are you swimming upstream, you have someone pulling on your leg: the new guy, the weight of the new guy.”
He continued to say: “It’s like a crowded hallway full of people and you have to walk against it. Some don’t make it to the end of the hall. You’re always in the way. You have to be built for competition.”
Kelly Clarkson had some fighting words for Kanye West after Sunday night’s fiasco with the rapper and Taylor Swift at the VMAs and the American Idol alum took to her blog to say them. Kelly said “…I’ve seen you do some pretty shitty things, but you just keep amazing me with your tactless, asshole ways. It’s absolutely fascinating how much I don’t like you. I like everyone. I even like my asshole ex that cheated on me over you…which is pretty odd since I don’t even personally know you… Is winning a moon man that much of a life goal?? You can have mine if it will shut you up. Is it that important, really??” And that’s just half of the letter that she wrote.
Posted by Sam on 14th September 2009 in Beyonce, Jay Z.
In the October issue of O Magazine, Jay-Z discussed selling crack as a 13-year old in his run down Brooklyn neighborhood, his so-called divine intervention and his marriage to Beyonce. The rapper spoke on dealing drugs, saying “You become addicted to the feeling, the uncertainty and adrenaline and danger of that lifestyle.” Apparently, he was saved from that kind of life due to being shot at while dealing on the streets, in what he’s calling as his divine intervention. Jay-Z also talked about his youth and moving up, saying “You become addicted to the feeling, the uncertainty and adrenaline and danger of that lifestyle.”
The release date of Jay-Z’s ‘The Blueprint 3’ got bumped up and I didn’t even know until after the album dropped! The rapper’s album, featuring collaborations with Rihanna, Kanye West and Alicia Keys just to name a few, dropped yesterday. The album was originally scheduled to hit stores on September 11th, marking the eight year anniversary of the release of 2001’s ‘The Blueprint’. I have a feeling that the release date switch had to do with the entire album leaking out onto the internet recently. They could at least try to fool everyone else who hasn’t heard about the leak.
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Rapper Pitbull is being slapped with a lawsuit by an Australian promoter for failing to abide by their agreed contract. That’s the one where he said that he would show up for a tour in 2008 but he didn’t. Suave Promotions released a statement saying “It is with great regret that Suave Productions and Don Juan Entertainment announce that Armando Christian Perez aka Mr 305, Pitbull is being sued for the failed Australian Tour in December 2008.” Suave representative Jamie Hernandez continued, saying “…We did everything we could to make him happy, sometimes even going that extra mile in order to meet his demands. But yet he still refused to get on the plane. Not only that, he also failed to notify that he wasn’t coming & also kept half the money for doing nothing at all.”
Chris Brown was enjoying himself during Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. However, what really caught everyone’s attention was that he brought along a Rihanna lookalike to the game. Several media outlets actually reported that he was with Rihanna that night. The girl is actually rapper Teyana Taylor. She recently went on her Twitter talking about the mix up saying “If one more reporter says that I’m Rihanna, I’m gonna go crazy. I look nothin like Rihanna.” True, she doesn’t. However, having a Rihanna-like Mohawk, big hoop earrings and dress style just like the real thing doesn’t really help Teyana’s case either.
Just over a week after DMX was released from jail, the rapper pled guilty to another crime and he’s about to find out if he will have to make a return to Arizona’s Tent City Jail. No one should be surprised about this considering his oh so shiny track record. He originally pled not guilty to the charge but he decided to cop a plea and pled guilty to attempted aggravated assault, a felony, back on May 22 after an incident in which he verbally threatened guards at Tent City back in February. The rapper is due back in Maricopa County court for sentencing on today.
In the July issue of FHM Australia, Pink takes a couple of digs at rapper Kanye West. The pop rocker said “Kanye West is the person pissing me off right now. I was at Stella McCartney’s Paris fashion show with the vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Paul McCartney and Kanye West. The entire time Kanye is going, ‘They need more fur in this show’. He just wouldn’t shut up about how he loved fur. I mean, he’s saying this to me, the PETA guy and Paul McCartney! I was just so grossed out by him. I’m like, ‘You’re an idiot!’ There are so many people who I think are a waste of skin and he’s up there. I should wear him. Go on, donate yourself Kanye. People can wear your fur.”
Last Friday, 80s hit maker Tone Loc was performing during a concert at Capt’n Fun Beach Club in Pensacola Beach, Florida. Unfortunately for the rapper, he collapsed at the venue! The former ‘Celebrity Rap Superstar’ was unconscious and had to be taken away in an ambulance. As for the reason for his collapse, no one is quite sure what happened. Tone Loc did make several remarks about the humidity and the heat at the open-air venue when he was performing though. According to one of the County Sheriff’s deputies working security at the show, Tone apparently has a history of seizures. Either way, I hope he’s doing ok.
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Rihanna is featured in Kanye West’s new music video for his song ‘Paranoid’. It’s the fourth single from the rapper’s fourth studio album ‘808s & Heartbreak’. The 21-year old Barbadian singer doesn’t sing on the song or speaks in the video but she does look absolutely gorgeous. It’s really more like a tribute video to Rihanna’s beauty rather than her talent really. The music video first premiered last week at the Island Def Jam Spring Collection party at Stephen Weiss Studio in New York City. It’s already made its way on the internet and it’s soon to make its way on TV.
If you ever decide to toss some money is rapper Pitbull’s face, be prepared to get your teeth knocked out. During one of his shows in Aspen, Colorado, a fan was tossing money around in the crowd and was pulled on stage by Pitbull. The guy thought it would be a good idea to make it rain in the rapper’s face. Unfortunately for him, the rapper levels the guy with a devastating right hand then follows it up with a kick once the dude was on the ground. The best part of it was that Pitbull never even missed a beat when he was knocking the dude out. Sources say that the fan was tossed out of the venue after getting socked but was let back in once he convinced security that he meant no harm. No cops were even called to the scene.
