Free Prodigy!!!!!!!!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Congratulations To Ludacris With His 1st Single "How Low" Off Of "Battle Of The Sexes" Reaching Platinum Status
Congratulations to Ludacris for selling over a million records with "How Low", the breakthrough hit single off his 7th upcoming album 'Battle Of The Sexes' . He just received his Platinum Plaque.
The track is produced by Canadian producer T-Minus and was first heard at the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta on October 27th, 2009 when it was performed by Ludacris as the 2nd half of a medley that began with Lil Scrappy's "Addicted to Money", a song on which he is featured. It samples Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise", for the vocals "How Low Can You Go?" (additional vocals by Carla Henderson). Shawnna is featured on the chorus as well.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
THIS WEEK ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS!
The Black Eyed Peas continue to move tons of units as their new “E.N.D.” Album moves up five spots to 3rd with 2% more sales than last week (66,871 copies) while Lil Wayne’s new “Rebirth” album only drops one spot to 5th with close to sixty-thousand more copies sold. Weezy’s Young Money group moved up eighteen spots to 21st while Jay-Z also moved up (13 spots to 31st) as his “Blueprint 3″ album sold 16,000 more copies. Gucci Mane gets back in the top 50, landing at 39th with just under 15,000 copies plus Eminem also made the top of the charts in the 45th spot with 13,721 copies sold of his new “Relapse/Refill” album. On the R&B tip, Alicia Keys new “Element of Freedom” moved up 5 spots to 7th with close to 40,000 sold, Mary J Blige keeps her 13th spot despite moving 20% less units and Rihanna’s “Rated R” gained 19 spots, all the way up to 16th, as the singer sold 26,327 copies.
Number Last Week Artist Album Sales
3 8 Black Eyed Peas E.N.D. 66,403
5 4 Lil Wayne Rebirth 59,070
7 12 Alicia Keys Element Of Freedom 39,878
13 13 Mary J Blige Stronger (With Every Tear) 31,218
16 35 Rihanna Rated R 26,327
21 39 Young Money We Are Young Money 20,408
31 44 Jay-Z Blueprint 3 16,003
39 50+ Gucci Mane State vs Radric Davis 14,777
44 40 Beyonce I Am… Sasha Fierce 13,761
45 50+ Eminem Relapse / Refill 13,721
Creative Endeavor SA-RA's Om’Mas speaks the truth by Corey Bloom ax poetic Exc;usive!
To start it the way it ends, SA-RA is about to take over. From their latest full album, Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love, to the EPs and singles and group members’ solo efforts like Shafiq’s Shafiq En’ A-Free-Ka and Om’Mas’s forthcoming City Pulse, it’s clear that something special is continuously unfolding. The following is a conversation with Om’Mas, the multi-instrumentalist whose abstract answers reflect his group’s enigmatic sound.
Is there a general mission statement for SA-RA, and the music that you create?
If we could put it on paper, the SA-RA sound, we do have doctrines but not about the sound. But you’d find a mission statement that says something to effect of…truthfulness. Truth first. It’s a general statement, but that’s how we talk. I would say to somebody who would read that that whatever is in fact true in whatever is going on, that’s what comes out in the music. Truth in how you’re feeling, truth about what you’re going through, what you like. Not necessarily truth in an event that happened, but the simple fact that you’re thinking about that makes it the truth. It makes it a reality because you are thinking about that kind of stuff. As long as it’s rooted in truth, that is the key to us. Then you have the equal sign after that, so truth equals… It equals creativity.
What was the common bond that brought you three together?
The common bond was hip-hop. Word up, that was it. That’s what locked us in. The old ball and chain: hip-hop. And we can’t evade it. It’s so deeply ingrained in our psyches and in our makeup as men. It was really that love of hip-hop. The first time we all met, we were around beat machines. When I met Shafiq and then Taz [Arnold], it was in the studio, with beat machines and records. We met under that pretext. It’s pretty amazing. Hip-hop is a divine force.
How long did it take to find that SA-RA essence, that element that supersedes hip-hop? Was it a fast transformation or did it take some time to evolve?
Nah, there was nothing slow about it. There is nothing slow about how we create. We just came together, and everyone was just being themselves, and we continue to do so. Being yourself equals truth. Truth is the parent of all of the subfolders for us. What do you like? What do you want? What is you? Because we are so focused on epitomizing and embodying what we are, who we are, it appears to be effortless. When we’re ourselves in front of a computer and some Pro Tools and some beat machines, then that’s what you hear. When we’re ourselves shopping on Rodeo Drive, then that’s what you see.
You may have just answered this, but is it conscious to wild out the way you guys do or is it some innate quality that all of you share?
The consciousness of the all is more what we are part of. It’s not really a conscious effort, we are part of this effort. We are part of this wholeness. Because we’re part of it, it is what we are. We’re just truth, just light, just ourselves. It will always be a direct reflection of the individual and collective minds. Every display of SA-RA is a joint venture.
We’ve been talking about the unit, but what does each person bring? There has to be certain things that as individuals each of you bring to the table.
What each person brings is their own mastery. You will find where there are scenarios, there are overlapping duties and in many cases overlapping responsibilities. Clearly, both Taz and myself excel at being in the public eye. Shafiq is a Zulu king; he is that dude. He is one of the best selectors you’ll ever met in your entire life. Clearly, Taz has one of the best eyes for fashion that the world has ever known. I have something that the world is recognizing, you know, MTV style… It’s still so early on that people have not yet had the opportunity to develop their own opinion. Really, who are we to say what qualities we bring? We’re visible people, and becoming more visible as every day goes on. We’d love for people to watch the display and comment on it, and see what opinions they form about us. It’s enjoyable to see what people think, like, “Oh, he does this, he does that.” Later, they’ll find out they had it the other way around. That’s kind of the mystique of SA-RA, our process and our procedure. That’s our business. Going back to the first answer about mastery, I can assure you, my two partners are masters. Master teachers and masterful men. They focus on mastery in whatever they deal with. When you put that level of mastery together, it triples up, and then you have SA-RA. You have something that we can’t even control anymore. It’s beyond us. I swear to you, it’s beyond us. There are times when we do nothing but focus on our unique and individual endeavors, and while focusing on those, unsolicited requests for SA-RA continue to pour in. That ain’t no fluke. It’s got nothing to do with me, Shafiq, or Taz, or any of our efforts from being out there hustling. No, that’s people out there, I’m searching for these dudes right here. I mean, look, that’s what happens with masters. That’s why as you climb the ladder, in all structures, you find less and less people at the top. The highly refined and developed skills of a tenured individual are few and far between. Having Taz and Shafiq as my partners is like having Ralph Lauren, James Brown, and Duke Ellington, all in their thirties. That’s what I would compare us to. The flyest dude on earth that epitomizes the height of luxury and opulence, the King of Rhythm, and then a guy like Duke Ellington, one of the most historic figures in American popular music.
When I listen to your music, and I’ve been saying this since I first started listening, it’s very apparent that you guys are on a whole other musical plane. In your opinion, what is stopping you guys from being household names?
Nothing. Nothing is stopping us. To anyone reading that, you asked that question just to see what we’d say, and to that I say nothing has ever stopped us. SA-RA have been professionally creating content for all to enjoy for not yet ten years. For myself to be on MTV in front of millions of people, for Taz to be in magazines and taking pictures with Kanye at Fashion Week, and for Shafiq to have a solo record out…these achievements are of great stature for anyone. Look at a guy like Tim Allen, we’re talking about a man who didn’t achieve millions until he was well into his thirties. The prime example for gentlemen like us is Berry Gordy, who was well into his thirties when he began to really make things happen. There is a kind of power from being a tenured man. There is something to that. People can get millions by twenty-two—yeah, it can go down like that, but if you look deep at examples of mega-success, they are not always directly related to a human being’s individual contribution. There are so many factors involved that deal with the random nature of things. Or just the mathematics of the universe. You just gotta accept that. For us, everybody who is big who we have worked with has indoctrinated us into the cipher. If anything, what’s happening now is we are really being encouraged and pushed along. I don’t know how else you could view SA-RA being on MTV other than stratospheric forward movement. From a 12-inch to fifty-two million viewers. Let’s talk about it! People who are reading this, there is some shit going on. Spin magazine called our album one of the best albums of the year so far. We got nine out of ten stars, and we were up against major shit. How did that happen? We’re kinda stumped by that too…
Really, you are stumped by that?
Yeah, because Spin magazine doesn’t show love to artists who are in our realm like that. What it is though, we created a persona… We created something that mainstream America is recognizing. Cats like you asking the right questions gives us the platform to explain what it really is and explain the myths that people get caught up in. Hopefully, by explaining how we feel about it, it will show people that there is another way to look at this. It’s all about forward movement and positivity, though.
That brings us to where we are now: Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love. There is so much to that title. I read it as an ushering in of a new era for not only the group, but a direction for music. We can all draw our own conclusions, but for you, what does that title mean?
Yeah, I mean a new positive era. You are right, though, it ushers in a new dawn for SA-RA. Evolution was something we know we needed to deal with, and to continue to reinvent and redevelop and tweak. All of our records are going to be evolutionary and evocative of the Age of Love. There is a book Nuclear Evolution, though… It was the kind of thing where we’re all sitting around, and Shafiq had read the book, and he introduced us all to it. It was always sitting around in the studio, and it just struck us as a great way to embody our energy in a statement. Like wow, how are we going to put a product out that’s gonna last for the rest of humanity as long as there is a recorded history and have such a powerful title? It was just there… We probably had a deadline to fucking turn in an album—that’s how brainstorming goes, though. There are those little subsequent circumstances that are attributed to final decisions. To add to that, it’s so easy when we work… There is no resistance when it’s great. We realize it’s about the path of the least resistance. If somebody says something you like, you just take it. You say, okay, cool, and just go with it. It’s not a focus on anyone’s individual contribution as much as it is about the final output. Every industry has that terminology, the final product. From the toothpaste you use, the food you eat, with us we realize that there is always a word attached to it: SA-RA. The easier it is to make, the more of it you make. To make it the best, and do it the easiest way so we can make tons of it. That’s what Nuclear Evolution is about, the path of least resistance for us. That’s how we’ve evolved, this is really important, but we’ve evolved in our abilities to allow creativity to effortlessly flow through us. We’re bossing up now. It’s time. SA-RA is about to take over, don’t get it twisted. We’re about to take the fuck over, yo!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Ice Cube Announces His Ninth Studio Album "I Am The West"
The West Coast is officially back. If the forthcoming release of Snoop Dogg’s More Malice and Game’s R.E.D. Album weren’t enough, now L.A.’s own Ice Cube is returning to the scene with his ninth studio album.
The rapper-turned-actor has announced the title, I Am the West, and tentative release date for his first musical project since 2008’s Raw Footage. In a blog entry dated Wednesday (Feb. 24), Cube also laments about the current state of radio and thanks the West Coast MCs who have kept the genre alive.
I AM THE WEST…is the name of my new record. After completing about 65% of my music, this is the perfect title. This shit is cocky, no apologies,West Coast gangsta shit. I can’t help it. That’s what I do. June seems too tight for a release, but July is very doable. We’ll see how things go. Now that I have my title, I can work on the concept of my photoshoot and artwork. I want to provide early merch before the drop date.
For 7 or 8 years now the West Coast has been trying to do music that appeals to the South and Mid-West. The words, “too West Coast” would be heard throughout the industry whenever our music was played. Even by our own dj’s. Left coast MC’s were now trying to change their sound to cater to all the followers. We lost our way. Thank God for b-boys like Snoop, The Game & WC for keeping the West alive, but we were all guilty of over reaching. No more. At least not from me. I do it how I feel it; not how I think it should be done. Radio fucked us up. I hate the politics at radio. I don’t know who to pay to get my shit played. Having a hot song is not enough. Ridiculous.
I AM THE WEST. It’s coming….
Keep It Gangsta
Ice Cube
Young Berg Pistol Whipped During Home Invasion Robbery Near Los Angeles
Rapper Young Berg was apparently one of the victims of a home invasion robbery in Woodland Hills, California earlier this week.
According to reports on TMZ and AllHipHop the rapper was severely pistol whipped during the robbery on Sunday morning (February 21).
Four thieves, two men and two women managed to get away with $10,000 worth of cash and jewelry taken from a total of eight people.
The thieves knocked on the door of a party being thrown by four women, then forced their way in with guns when the door was answered.
Young Berg's rep claims the rapper was in Las Vegas at the time, but police confirmed to TMZ that Berg was one of the victims.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
L.A. Reid Personally Flies to Belize to Sign Shyne to A Multimillion Dollar Recording Contract
7 News Belize reports:
Belizean rapper Moses Leviy – also known as Jamal Shyne Barrow - today signed a multimillion dollar recording contract with Gangland Records, a subsidiary of Island/Def Jam. The signing took place this evening inside Shyne’s penthouse at the Renaissance Tower. The signatories were Shyne and L.A. Reid – the Chairman of Island Def Jam Records. It is big news not only because of the signing but also the presence of Reid. He is one of the most powerful music executives in the United States – having signed artists ranging from Mariah Carey to Outkast. Well today he signed Shyne. Keith Swift was at the airport and has the story.
Island Def Jam boss L.A. Reid arrived at the Phillip Goldson International Airport at 4:20 this afternoon on his private jet. Reid, casually dressed in a jeans, was met by Shyne – dressed formally in a suit with bowtie and a matching hat. Reid says he came here for Shyne to sign on the dotted line of a multimillion dollar recording contract.
L.A. Reid, Chairman - Island Def Jam Records
“I have come here to stand by Shyne and to officially kick off our partnership with Island Def Jam Music Group and Gangland Records and so it is really an honour to be here, really very special place.”
Keith Swift,
“Why did you find it necessary to come here yourself?”
L.A. Reid,
“I am here because great people are worthy of travelling many many miles for it and I come here to say that your country is great and I hope you guys know that this is a great man from your country who deserves this kind of respect and who deserves this kind of support. So that is why we are here.”
Reid wouldn’t discuss particulars of Shyne’s contract with Gangland Records – reported to be worth US$5 million.
L.A. Reid,
“We don’t talk about things like but only that there is one and that we are intend to do great things and we are very committed to Shyne’s career.”
Keith Swift,
“Should we expect a big comeback from Shyne?”
L.A. Reid,
“I don’t expect it, I can promise it.”
Keith Swift,
“How soon will he be hitting the studio to begin recording, when should we hear something on the radio or the internet?”
L.A. Reid,
“We’ll see. Stay tuned.”
L.A. Reid – who is a legendary producer -says that he will be working personally with Shyne on the project.
Keith Swift,
“You’ll be working with him? Who will be his producers?”
L.A. Reid,
“Look around….who do you see. You see me right.”
Keith Swift,
“Shyne how do you feel to be signing the contract?”
Jamal Shyne Barrow, Signed Record Deal with Gangland Records
“It is an honour and a pleasure, not just for me but for Belize. Chairman Reid is on the level of Berry Gordy, Clive Davis, the biggest music men in the history of music, and so to have a partnership with Gangland Records and Island/Def Jam is incredible for me.”
LA Reid was scheduled to leave Belize this evening. Shyne who arrived in Belize this afternoon from Mexico is expected to record the album in London. While no figures were discussed – it has been rumoured to be US$5 million while MTV is reporting that it is a US$10 million contract.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
WTF: New York Officers In The Sean Bell Killing Won't Face Federal Charges
NYTimes Reports:
Citing insufficient evidence, federal authorities said Tuesday that they would not bring a civil rights case against the New York City police officers involved in the killing of Sean Bell, a 23-year-old black man who was shot by the police outside a strip club in Queens on his wedding day.
The decision by the Justice Department came after prosecutors and federal agents reviewed the case, in which five police officers fired 50 shots into the Nissan Altima that Mr. Bell was driving. The car struck a detective in the leg and hit a police van just before the officers began firing their weapons.
Mr. Bell was killed and two passengers, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were wounded. None of the men had guns, although the police officers apparently believed at least one did.
In their review, officials from the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, the United States attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation did not find enough evidence to prove that the officers had willfully acted to deny the men their constitutional rights, according to a statement from the Justice Department.
“Neither accident, mistake, fear, negligence, nor bad judgment is sufficient to establish a federal criminal civil rights violation,” the statement said.
Any disciplinary action now lies with the Police Department, whose critics saw the shooting as an indictment of police training and the department’s use of deadly force.
The department can now pursue an administrative review of the case and the officers involved. Seven officers, including four of the five who shot at the car, have been internally charged with breaking departmental rules.
Of the five who opened fire — Detectives Gescard F. Isnora, Michael Oliver, Marc Cooper and Paul Headley and Officer Michael Carey — all but Detective Headley remain on desk duty, with no gun and shield, said Paul J. Browne, the department’s chief spokesman. Lt. Gary Napoli, the supervising officer that night, is also on desk duty, he said, facing internal charges of failing to supervise the operation.
Two other officers, Detective Robert Knapp and Sgt. Hugh McNeil of the Crime Scene Unit, were also charged internally, the detective with failing to thoroughly process the crime scene and the sergeant with failing to ensure that thorough processing was done.
If internal charges are substantiated, some of the officers could be fired. Mr. Browne said that the police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, would not comment on the matter because “he is the final arbiter” of any punishment.
Detectives Isnora, Oliver and Cooper were acquitted by a Queens judge in April 2008 of criminal charges. The two other officers who opened fire were not charged criminally.
On Tuesday, federal officials met with Mr. Bell’s family; his fiancée, Nicole Paultre Bell; and others to tell them of their decision. Later, many in the Bell family and their supporters expressed disappointment in a news conference at the headquarters of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
Ms. Paultre Bell said she hoped to get the attention of the White House. “There is a history of black men being killed by police officers, and something needs to be done,” she said. “We’re hoping to eventually meet with President Obama, and that he’ll do something, because this is a national problem.”
Michael Hardy, a lawyer for Ms. Paultre Bell and for Mr. Benefield and Mr. Guzman, read a statement from Mr. Sharpton, who has been a spokesman for the Bell family.
Using a cane and wearing a boot on his right foot, Mr. Guzman called Mr. Bell “the people’s champ” and asserted that police violence was disproportionately affecting urban communities and black and Latino men.
Lawyers for the officers involved expressed support for the government’s position.
Paul P. Martin, a lawyer for Detective Cooper, said he was not surprised by it. “There’s no basis for them to bring a federal proceeding,” Mr. Martin said.
Anthony L. Ricco, the lawyer for Detective Isnora, who was struck by Mr. Bell’s car and who fired the first shot, said he spoke with his client, who was “very relieved.”
The lawyer added that Detective Isnora was hopeful he would be cleared of internal charges and that he hoped to attend law school.
Detective Oliver, who fired 31 shots, was told of the decision by his lawyer, James J. Culleton. “I called him, and he was very relieved and very happy,” Mr. Culleton said. “It took a long time for this decision to come down.”
Michael J. Palladino, the president of the Detectives Endowment Association, said he was “gratified” with the government’s decision.
Mr. Benefield, Mr. Guzman and the family of Mr. Bell still intend to move ahead with a civil lawsuit. Mr. Sharpton said he hoped that a civil case, as well as possible departmental charges, would “bring some justice” to Mr. Bell’s family and his wounded friends.
Nicole Paultre Bell on Tuesday with, from left, the lawyers Michael Hardy and Sanford Rubenstein; her mother, Laura Harper; and Joseph Guzman. :
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Def Jam signs Shyne Po to a 7-figure deal
Missinfo reports:
Multiple sources have confirmed to me that Shyne Po has signed a 7-figure deal with Def Jam.
This ends a bidding war that had industry bigwigs vying for Shyne’s attention, flying to Belize, calling and courting, ever since the Brooklyn emcee was released from prison and deported to Belize back in October.
For Shyne to turn down hard-court pressure from Jimmy Iovine/Dr.Dre and others and instead join LA Reid back at his last known recording-residence actually seems like an inevitable move….because I’ve been hearing that Shyne has been pow-wowing with veteran manager Kyambo “HipHop” Joshua for a while now. Joshua and his HipHopSince1978 partners, Gee Roberson, also manage Lil Wayne, Drake, Young Jeezy and more. Meanwhile, my old friend Al Branch is both a partner in HipHopSince1978 and a high-level exec at Def Jam…see how that works? Synergy! Now there have been recent reports of new label-wide pressures, but with this team in place, Shyne is in good hands.
Shyne will reportedly be working out of London, UK.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sade's New Album 'Soldier Of Love' To Debut At # 1 This Week With Around 400,000 Copies Sold
Sade will debut at number one in America next week with her first new album in a decade.
'Soldier of Love’ is the follow-up to 'Lovers Rock’ from 2000 and her sixth album since 'Diamond Life’ in 1984.
Hits Daily Double is predicting 'Soldier of Love’ will sell around 400,000 units in the first week making it a definite number one for next week.
'Diamond Life’ sold more than 4 million in the USA in 1984 and reached no. 5 on the album chart. It featured the hits 'Smooth Operator’, 'Your Love Is King’ and 'Hang On To Your Love’.
In 2005, she released 'Promise’. It went to no. 1 in the USA and sold a further 4 million units. 'The Sweetest Taboo’ was the hit song from the album.
'Stronger Than Pride’ followed in 1988. It went as high as no. 7, sold another 3 million copies and featured the hit 'Love Is Stronger Than Pride’.
In 1992, 'Love Deluxe’ was the 4th album. It reached no. 3, sold 4 million copies in America and generated the hit song 'No Ordinary Love’.
'Lovers Rock’ came 8 years later in 2000. It reached no. 3, sold 3 million copies and featured 'By Your Side’.
'Soldier of Love’ is the follow-up to 'Lovers Rock’ from 2000 and her sixth album since 'Diamond Life’ in 1984.
Hits Daily Double is predicting 'Soldier of Love’ will sell around 400,000 units in the first week making it a definite number one for next week.
'Diamond Life’ sold more than 4 million in the USA in 1984 and reached no. 5 on the album chart. It featured the hits 'Smooth Operator’, 'Your Love Is King’ and 'Hang On To Your Love’.
In 2005, she released 'Promise’. It went to no. 1 in the USA and sold a further 4 million units. 'The Sweetest Taboo’ was the hit song from the album.
'Stronger Than Pride’ followed in 1988. It went as high as no. 7, sold another 3 million copies and featured the hit 'Love Is Stronger Than Pride’.
In 1992, 'Love Deluxe’ was the 4th album. It reached no. 3, sold 4 million copies in America and generated the hit song 'No Ordinary Love’.
'Lovers Rock’ came 8 years later in 2000. It reached no. 3, sold 3 million copies and featured 'By Your Side’.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
John Mayer Apologizes For Using N-Word In Playboy Interview + Other Controversial Statements About Jennifer Aniston & Jessica Simpson
W YORK – John Mayer is apologizing for his mouth.
The Grammy-winner took to his Twitter page to make amends for his latest inflammatory comments — this time, in the March edition of Playboy.
In it, he calls former girlfriend Jessica Simpson "sexual napalm" and says Jennifer Aniston is a technophobe who wishes she could go back to her career prime in 1998. He also uses the N-word.
On Twitter Wednesday afternoon, he apologized for the racial epithet and said he has to stop "trying to be so raw in interviews."
"It started as an attempt to not let the waves of criticism get to me, but it's gotten out of hand and I've created somewhat of a monster," Mayer tweeted. "I wanted to be a blues guitar player. And a singer. And a songwriter. Not a shock jock. I don't have the stomach for it."
There were plenty who didn't have the stomach for his remarks in Playboy, in which he talked about Simpson's sexuality, his problems with Aniston, his love of porn, why he doesn't date black women and being beloved by the black community.
"Someone asked me the other day, 'What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?' And by the way, it's sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass,'" he said, then added: "But I said, 'I can't really have a hood pass. I've never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, 'We're full.'"
Mayer said he should have never have used the N-word in any context and will never say it again.
"And it's such a shame that I did because the point I was trying to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself. It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualize using it, because I realize that there's no intellectualizing a word that is so emotionally charged," he said.
The racial comments were hardly the only explosive comments in the interview. He said he still loved Aniston, but then noting their age difference (she just turned 41), he said: "I can't change the fact that I need to be 32."
He also said she didn't appreciate new technology: "The brunt of her success came before TMZ and Twitter. I think she's still hoping it goes back to 1998. She saw my involvement in technology as courting distraction. And I always said, 'These are the new rules,'" he said.
Of Simpson, he talked about her sexual ability, and said: "That girl, for me, is a drug ... That girl is like crack cocaine to me."
In the interview, he also explained why he didn't date black women, comparing his genitals to "a white supremacist."
Mayer — known for his loose tongue — has made a habit out of outlandish comments. Last month, he gave an interview with Rolling Stone where he talked openly about his love life, including sex with other women — and himself.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
IGrow: Walmart of weed opens in Oakland
Call it the Walmart of weed.
In a 15,000-square-foot warehouse just down the road from the Oakland Airport, an entrepreneur is opening a one-stop shop for medicinal marijuana cultivation that's believed to be the largest in the state.
Don't know the first thing about growing pot? The folks at iGrow have a doctor on site to get you a cannabis card and sell you all the necessary equipment for indoor, hydroponic cultivation - from pumps, nutrients and tubing to lights and fans.
Don't know how to set it up? For a fee, on-site technicians will show you how to build it in your home and even maintain it weekly.
"A lot of people don't know much about growing pot," said Dhar Mann, 25, the owner, who stood in front of an array of Ikea-like displays, showing different rooms of cannabis cultivation systems. "Since there are no full-service resources like us, they take risks, like electrical fires."
This is hardly a fringe business. When iGrow opens today, at least three City Council members will attend. So will most of the leaders of the cannabis industry in Oakland, a city long at the vanguard of medicinal marijuana.
Today's opening also comes on a key day for proponents of a statewide ballot measure to allow recreational marijuana. They plan to turn in about twice as many signatures as needed to qualify the measure for the November ballot.
The supporters of that measure are being led by Richard Lee, owner of Oaksterdam University, an Oakland-based business that trains people for work in the cannabis industry.
The medicinal marijuana world is still unsettled. Cities from Los Angeles to Berkeley are grappling with how to permit and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries.
Oakland, where voters last summer agreed to have the city to tax and regulate "cannabis businesses," has allowed only four licensed dispensaries.
Though iGrow provides all the supplies and know-how for cannabis cultivation, they don't sell the seedlings - only dispensaries can. And even some of the vendors tread a delicate line.
Gabriel Goodhart, the owner of Easy Feed Systems based in West Oakland, was setting up one of the system displays at iGrow on Wednesday. His company has an explicit policy of not setting up any system where marijuana is visible when they show up - or even mentioning the word "marijuana."
"Liability is shifting," said Goodhart, a libertarian who is a registered Republican. "A small business like ours can't take the risk."
But, he believes, the issue is a moral one.
"It's not fair to medical patients to put them in a gray area where they have to be involved in criminal activity to stay healthy," he said. "That's like not having health insurance."
The cost of creating your own cultivation system or relying solely on a dispensary is vast.
At a dispensary, a patient might spend $120 a week for a quarter-ounce of marijuana.
However, it might cost $1,000 to set up an eight-plant system, said Zeta Ceti, one of iGrow's "indoor growing technicians." But in the course of a year, they might only use half of their harvest and be able to sell the remaining 3 pounds for $12,000 to a dispensary.
MTV Changes Logo To Emphasize They Don't Play Music Videos!
Although MTV still gets tons of press from shows like “Jersey Shore”, their “Real World” series and all their award shows, it’s no secret that the network has been going through a consistent identity crisis for the past…oh…ten years or so. Most of it is due to the fact that MTV…MUSIC Television hasn’t played full length music videos in years. Well now it looks like the heads of MTV are making their new direction clear as they have changed the logo for the first time in 30 years. Granted the change is not big but it represents the end of an era. No more music videos for MTV as they have dropped the “Music Television” slogan from the logo.
According to the press release, the new logo “represents a new visually defined MTV, stimulating its past, present and future and embracing it’s diversity. Everything from Jersey Shore, to the VMAs to collaborations with the MOMA. The logo is part of MTV’s re-invention to connect with today’s millennial generation and bring them in as part of the channel.”
Man I yearn for the days of some Yo! MTV Raps. I’d even take TRL. Now those days are gone. Only question then is…what does the M in MTV now stand for?
According to the press release, the new logo “represents a new visually defined MTV, stimulating its past, present and future and embracing it’s diversity. Everything from Jersey Shore, to the VMAs to collaborations with the MOMA. The logo is part of MTV’s re-invention to connect with today’s millennial generation and bring them in as part of the channel.”
Man I yearn for the days of some Yo! MTV Raps. I’d even take TRL. Now those days are gone. Only question then is…what does the M in MTV now stand for?
Gucci Mane Checks In From Jail -- Talks Buzz, Sober Living!
It's been only a few months since Gucci Mane was sentenced to prison for a probation violation, but he's been able to reflect in that short time.
In a recent interview for XXL, the Atlanta rapper looks back on his quick rise in music over the past year, the journey leading to his heightened buzz, and his new outlook on sobriety.
This is a snippet of some of the interview:
XXL: Did you ever think this is how you would be doing press for your first major-label release, from prison?
Gucci Mane: My status right now, with my album out, is that I'm very grateful, very thankful. I had been out of jail for eight months, and in that time, I've gotten to work with a lot of artists I've always wanted to work with. I put my record label together; my new situation with Warner went well. I built a lot of anticipation, I worked hard in those eight months, and I'm pleased with the recognition I'm getting. I'm at the height of my career so far. It's a blessing just to have people who would want to buy your stuff and to be anticipated. But in the little time I got here, I really can handle it. It's just a small,
little stepping-stone of where I've got to go.
XXL: After your most-recent arrest, your lawyer said that you had tested positive for cocaine and marijuana. But when I visited you, you said you have had clean tests for months and those charges were old.
Gucci Mane: My urinalysis was from, like, six months ago. I think it was for marijuana. But it definitely wasn't from cocaine. I have never used cocaine. That's just not true. Then I stopped smoking and stopped drinking. For the last six months, I haven't used any drugs, and I will continue to claim sobriety. That's why
I said that at the BET Awards and made that PSA. Because that's something I took to and made a part of my life. So even when I do get out of here, I plan on continuing that, and I'm proud of myself for that. That gave me peace, even in the situation I'm in now. I know you have to be optimistic. Even if you're going through something that you expect to be good and it turns out bad, you know it will get well.
XXL: What do you think it was, during those eight months, that built up the anticipation for this album?
Gucci Mane: I think, over the years, when I first started my career, a lot of situations that I was in made people kind of shy away from me. It kind of made people have a curiosity about me but a slight fear to work with me. So as people have gotten to know me and spread word around the industry that I was a stand-up guy ... that I was a great businessman and I always hold my word in every business transaction I do -- that made people open to wanna work with me. And once they got in the studio with me or we handled some business together, that went well. But compared to what they were hearing, because people were kind of blackballing me. So it took years and years just for that to die down. But once people opened the door for me to work with them, it just took off from there. I did have the talent. And that whole time, while they were scared to mess with me or work with me, I've been getting better. So I guess things just happen ... Can't never question how things happen. Even though it was hard to struggle all the time, doing it on my own independently, once I did break through that door, I just came straight through there.
Gucci Mane on Jay-Z, T.I., Lil Wayne and other artists self proclaiming themselves the best…..
Gucci Mane: I just feel like no one person can do that. No one can say, “I’m the best up north,” or “I’m the best down south,” or I’m the best on the West Coast.” You have to let the fans do
that.
Gucci Mane: And I’ll say the same about him, or anybody. Or T.I. saying he’s the King of the South. Or somebody saying they run the West Coast. Its no shame, really. A lot of the people that
I’m naming are great entertainers and great rappers. They ARE that. But
to self-proclaim yourself to be something, as the undisputed champion,
it’s not true. You’ve got a short life to live. And if you’re a rapper,
rap. Get in the booth, kick that shit. Do what you gonna do. Do your
interviews. You don’t even have to go about that lane about, “I’m better
than everyone else.” You can sell more CDs than everybody, you can have
more wealth than everybody, you can put out more records than
everybody. That’s something that can be researched and be found to be
true. But to say, “I’m the most swagged-out rapper.” What the fu*k you
mean? Who told you that? You told you that! Because I bet you there’s
somebody who don’t agree with you. And I’m not scared to say it. I
wasn’t saying it to get no response back from him [he's referring to
disagreeing with Jay-Z calling himself the "Best apper in the game" ]
dont want it, because I don’t know him. But from what he said, I’m
saying I don’t agree with him. You go out in East Atlanta and they’re
not playing Jay-Z’s music. So I’m speaking for me and a lot of people
who think like me.”
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
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