Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “Hip Hop”

Nicki Minaj Becomes 1st Rapper to Grace Cover of ‘Marie Claire’

By goodblacknews on July 13, 2013
Nicki Minaj on the cover of 'Marie Claire' (Photo courtesy of 'Marie Claire')
Nicki Minaj on the cover of ‘Marie Claire’ (Photo courtesy of ‘Marie Claire’)

Nicki Minaj poses for the August cover of Marie Claire and in doing so, she became the first rapper to grace the magazine’s front page.  The glossy features the YMCMB rapper in a cover spread where Minaj discusses her thoughts on music, men and motherhood.  On the cover, Minaj sports a short blonde bob and an embellished plaid top.  Yet inside the mag’s editorial spread, she dons a black, white and grey form-fitting dress, among many other curve-hugging ensembles.  
The music star provided an in-depth interview and dishes about her former feuds and the possibility of crossing over to acting.  “One day, when I start getting a couple gray hairs, maybe it will all be only acting,” she said.  I just never know. . . I’ve kind of become the poster child for doing the things that no one expects.”  The August issue of Marie Claire is on stands now.
article by Lilly Workneh via thegrio.com

Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose Get Married

By goodblacknews on July 10, 2013

Wiz Khalifa, Amber Rose
Wiz Khalifa, Amber Rose [Bryan Steffy (Wire Image) and Joe Fury (9 Group.)]
Rapper Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose have finally become Mr. and Mrs. after deciding to get married in a courthouse on Monday, and they are planning to hold a ceremony later this year.  “Me and Amber got married today. Wedding’s this fall. Thought I’d let y’all know,” the new dad tweeted on Monday.
Rose gave fans a hint on Instagram last week that their marriage was near when she posted a photo of Wiz with the caption, “My soon to be husband…. I Love his crazy hair @mistercap :-)”
However, many wondered whether or not they held secret nuptials without anyone ever knowing back in January when the then-pregnant Rose used the H-word after a videographer in Los Angeles gave her a Ninja Turtles ice cream bar.
“My husband loves Ninja Turtles! That’s really cute, thank you,” she told him.  Wiz popped the question back in March 2012, and announced the happy news on Twitter. “She Said Yes!!!” the rapper wrote, and included a pic of his fiancée’s hand flashing a gorgeous and blinding engagement ring.
Shortly after, Rose tweeted, “He has made me the Happiest Woman in the World!!!!”
The couple welcomed their first child together, a son named Sebastian ‘The Bash’ Taylor Thomaz, in February. “He’s a good boy,” Rose gushed with a smile.
article by Bruna Nessif via eonline.com

Samsung Buys a Million Copies of Jay-Z's Album for Galaxy Smartphone Owners

By goodblacknews on June 20, 2013
Jay-Z Samsung

On July 4, Jay-Z’s new album “Magna Carta Holy Grail” will be released, but not through the usual online and physical music stores. It will be released to a million people who didn’t even know they had bought the album — that’s because Samsung has bought it for them.
One million Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 and Galaxy Note II owners will get the album 72 hours before it is available to everyone else. Starting on June 24 users will be able to download the “Magna Carta Holy Grail” app via the Android Google Play Store then on July 4 if you were among the million chosen the free album will appear in the app for your listening pleasure.

Samsung says that the million chosen will have to have already downloaded the app. The app will only be compatable on the select Galaxy S3, S4 and Note II phones and won’t work on other Android phones, says Samsung. The company hasn’t released numbers on how many of those three phone models have been sold, but in May it announced it had sold 10 million of its new Galaxy S4. For those who aren’t selected to get the full album, the app will also have an “unprecedented inside look into the album, personal stories and inspiration.”
Samsung has reportedly paid $5 for each album, totaling $5 million for the exclusive. It also means Jay-Z has sold a million copies before the public has heard a note of it.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B–ZARCwSIE&w=560&h=315]
But since the Samsung marketing deal was announced on Sunday night during the NBA Finals over 5 million people have heard a teaser of the album. A video which ran first during the basketball event and then was posted to Samsung’s YouTube channel, which shows Jay-Z collaborating with others in the studio, has made its way across the Facebook and Twitter. As of today, 10.5 million people had watched the above via YouTube.

Y.N. Rich Kids New Single 'Khaki Pants,' Is This Summer's 'Hot Cheetos & Takis' (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on June 1, 2013

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQDN9j_kKV0&w=560&h=315]
From the group that brought you last summer’s hit “Hot Cheetos & Takis” comes another song on a subject hip-hop has heretofore seldom considered: school uniform swag.  The song, “Khaki Pants,” which dropped earlier this month, is an ode to school uniform bottom wear, and it comes complete with its own accompanying dance. According to the video, the song, presented by Y.N.Rich Kids, is performed by the NSJ crew (although, as Grantland points out, it’s unclear what the relationship between the two groups is).
Screen Shot 2013-06-01 at 4.47.45 PM“Walking through the school in my khaki pants, when they see how I be fresh, they do the khaki dance,” raps one member the group. “Yeah, we got ‘Hot Cheetos & Taki’ fans, but after this, you gon’ wanna do the khaki dance,” raps another member.
The video, which has more than 134,240 views on YouTube as of this writing follows last summer’s release of Y.N. Rich Kids’ video “Hot Cheetos & Takis,” which has over 6 million views on YouTube. The young group is a product of the North Community YMCA’s Beats and Rhymes program in Minneapolis.  The program is “designed to provide challenging, positive youth and career development opportunities for low income, culturally-diverse youth,” according to its website.
original article by Rebecca Klein via huffingtonpost.com; additions and updates by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Mos Def Releases Anti-Stop-And-Frisk PSA "Don't Tread On Me" (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on May 24, 2013

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qajY8OjfGJs&w=560&h=315]
Mos Def has never been afraid of a good scrap.  The rapper is involved in a new fight, and it’s against New York City and their controversial stop-and-frisk policy. Teaming up with the Center for Constitutional Rights, Mos Def released an anti-stop-and-frisk PSA video. 
MosDef
In case you don’t know: stop-and-frisk is deemed controversial because it allows police to search any individual without reason, other than “probable cause.” Critics say that it unfairly stops Black and Latina people, and the stats back this claim up: according to a study released in February, 97 percent of people stopped in New York City were either Black or Latino. 
In Mos Def’s video, we see all the disturbing stats, plus some footage of an anonymous police officer talking about some of the NYPD’s dirty polices.  In the background, you hear a new Mos Def track called “Don’t Tread on Me.” 
Read more: http://globalgrind.com/news/mos-def-dont-thread-on-me-stop-and-frisk-psa-video#ixzz2UBLYH7ay

Chuck D Getting an Honorary Doctorate from Adelphi University

By goodblacknews on May 11, 2013

chuck dLegendary rapper Chuck D will be a featured speaker at Adelphi University and will also receive an honorary doctorate degree during the school’s 117th graduation on May 19.
He actually attended the university from 1978 to 1984 and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and had a hand in expanding the school’s radio programming.
In an interview with Ebony magazine earlier this year, he spoke of his work with the university’s program.
“I always used to do a lot of hosting and I was on college radio in the early 80s. So I was always a part of something that wanted to break deejays and parties out,” he said. “And that was with Hank Shocklee and Spectrum [City] back on Long Island. What made me want to become a recording artist; I was the first artist that was repeatedly asked by a label to record with them. That label was Def Jam Records.”
He continues, “So I was the first recruited artist ever by them. I originally told them no, but a year later, I eventually said yes. It wasn’t like I sent someone a demo. I was feverishly requested to make records.”
article by Brittney M. Walker via eurweb.com

Fuse Music Channel Sets First Scripted Series, Hip Hop Dramedy ‘The Hustle’

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2013

Music TV network Fuse is making its first foray into scripted programming with The Hustle, which will premiere June 19 at 11PM. The six episode, half-hour dramedy is in the vein of Entourage set in the hip hop world and centers on aspiring artists trying to break into the business. It is produced by Alloy Digital-owned Generate. The Hustle will be joined by a companion after-show, The Hustle After Party, which will be taped in front of a studio audience in Fuse’s street-front studio on 7th Avenue in New York City. Hosted by Esteban Serrano (host of Fuse’s Top 20 Countdown), The Hustle After Party will feature interviews and performances with hip hop stars, along with discussions with industry experts and appearances by the cast.

First Official Photo from TLC Biopic Released

By goodblacknews on May 3, 2013

(L-R) Drew Sidora, Keke Palmer and Lil Mama in VH1's "Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story"
(L-R) Drew Sidora, Keke Palmer and Lil Mama in VH1′s “Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story”

No, that’s not Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes as TLC circa 1992.
It’s Drew Sidora as T-Boz, Keke Palmer as Chilli, and Lil’ Mama as Left Eye in VH1’s upcoming TV movie about the 90s r&b/hip hop trio.
VH1 released this photo today as an official first photo from the upcoming biopic “Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story.”
“Drumline’s” Charles Stone III is directing from a screenplay by “What’s Love Got To Do With It’s” Kate Lanier.
The real T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli from TLC (1992)
The real T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli from TLC (1992)

The film started production in March in Atlanta where Chilli, Left Eye and T-Boz started their rise to multi-platinum fame as one of the most successful musical trios of all time.
The two surviving members of the group, Chilli and T-Boz, serve as consultants and executive producers on the movie. The pic is scheduled to premiere toward the end of the year.
article via eurweb.com

R.I.P. Chris "Mack Daddy" Kelly of Atlanta-Based '90s Rap Duo Kriss Kross

By goodblacknews on May 1, 2013

Kris Kross
According to the AP and ABC News, Chris “Mack Daddy” Kelly (pictured left) from the hip-hop duo Kris Kross, has reportedly died in Atlanta today. He was announced dead around 5 p.m. this evening at the Atlanta Medical Center. Kelly was only 34 years old.
Because it is so soon, authorities are unclear about the cause of his sudden death, and an autopsy will be performed. Kelly and Chris Smith had a huge amount of fame in the 90s, bringing us classic jams like “Jump,” “Warm It Up,” and “I Missed The Bus,” the anthem for habitually late students everywhere in the early ’90s. The duo was also known for wearing their clothes backwards, going with their name, Kriss Kross. They were discovered by Jermaine Dupri at a shopping mall in Atlanta, and the two even performed together again for the first time in years during the So So Def 20th Anniversary concert earlier in the year. There was talk of them possibly working on new music in the future.
Sadly, that won’t be happening. But we’ll always have their past work, especially Totally Krossed Out. As more information comes out about Kelly’s sudden passing, we’ll keep you updated, but keep his family in your prayers and play “Jump” at least once before you call it a night.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=010KyIQjkTk&w=420&h=315]
article by Clarke Gail Baines via madamenoire.com

New Orleans Jazz Fest to Feature Jill Scott, B.B. King and N.O. Native Frank Ocean

By goodblacknews on April 26, 2013
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — If there’s a theme to this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, it may be living legends.  Headliners include B.B. King, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Hall and Oates and Fleetwood Mac. There’s also a cast of modern-day hit makers such as The Black Keys, Maroon 5, Jill Scott, Kem, the Dave Matthews Band and New Orleans native Frank Ocean.

Over the next two weekends, fans of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will be treated to traditional jazz as well as rock ‘n roll, Cajun, gospel, blues, hip-hop, funk and zydeco.  “The way the talent fell into place this year, it became a very special year for us,” festival producer Quint Davis said. “It’s Jazz Fest, but it’s also B.B. King, Willie Nelson. It’s Ben Harper. It’s Hall and Oates. We ended up with probably the greatest living proponent in each kind of music we feature here.”
In all, about 5,000 entertainers will play the festival on 12 stages. The first weekend is Friday through Sunday, and the following weekend starts Thursday, May 2, and lasts until Sunday, May 5.