Rap-Up Reports
Rihanna is speaking out publicly for the first time about what happened that unforgettable night in February between her and ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.
“This happened to me. … It can happen to anyone,” she tells ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer in a three-part interview airing Thursday and Friday morning on “Good Morning America,” and culminating on Friday’s “20/20.”
She also reveals that Brown, who plead guilty to assaulting her, once had her heart. “He was definitely my first big love.”
The media attention from the incident turned the 21-year-old pop star into a household name overnight. “I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears,” she tells Glamour magazine in the December issue. “That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day. It was like, ‘What, there are helicopters circling my house? There are 100 people in my cul-de-sac? What do you mean, I can’t go back home?’”
As for the infamous photo of a battered and bruised Rihanna that leaked online, she says, “It was humiliating; that is not a photo you would show to anybody. I felt completely taken advantage of. I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it’s my life. I was disappointed, especially when I found out the photo was [supposedly leaked by] two women.”
Rihanna’s fourth album Rated R, due November 23, has already cracked the top 10 on iTunes albums chart based on pre-sales alone. Her single “Russian Roulette” is currently the No. 12 most-downloaded song in the digital store.
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V MagazineStylelist.com Reports
Blackface is making headlines for the third time in as many weeks.
The upcoming issue (#62) of V Magazine will feature model Sasha Pivovarova in dark body and face makeup, in an amorous embrace with relatively pale model Heidi Mount.
The spread is accompanied by the quote, "Black is the new black," from James Kaliardos, Creative Director, L'Oreal Paris International, who created the look as part of the feature "Beauty 2010" for which V asked the world's leading creative directors, makeup artists and hairstylists to define what's beautiful for the new decade.
"2010 sounds like the future, and this is what it will look like," touts the magazine.
This is hot on the heels of last week's "America's Next Top Model" episode which featured the contestants painted in varying degrees of dark makeup to depict bi-racial women, and last month's critically debated issue of model Lara Stone in blackface for the October issue of French Vogue.
Last week, we polled StyleList readers on how they felt about the use of blackface on "America's Next Top Model," and out of nearly 21,000 readers, 53% thought the photos were a beautiful celebration of bi-racial women and only 11% found it offensive.
We're interested to see if readers feel the same way about this instance in V, or if it brings up parallel concerns with French Vogue's use of blackface: Why didn't the magazine use a darker-skinned model instead of painting a white model black?
AdAge.com Reports
As they try to bring Vibe magazine back from the dead, its new owners and editor have chosen a provocative subject for the new incarnation's first cover: Chris Brown, who could use a little resuscitation himself.
The cover with Chris Brown, who is attempting a comeback after pleading guilty in June to felony assault on fellow performer and now ex-girlfriend Rihanna, actually shares the print run with covers featuring Drake, another hip-hop artist. But it's the Chris Brown cover that's more likely to get people talking.
And if the choice succeeds in generating the buzz that's intended, Vibe's cover will show off the power that print can still wield. Putting a feature about the tarnished pop star online alone, by contrast, probably wouldn't stand to get the same attention.
But Vibe and its fellow music magazines still face more challenges from digital media than, say, fashion magazines do. Music, not to mention its devotees, works better with digital than glossies focused on visuals. That's why you now see Vibe magazine recast as just one arm of the Vibe Lifestyle Network, why Rolling Stone is bringing its website back in-house, and why, to some degree, Blender lies in the magazine graveyard.
"Here, Vibe.com is really the hub," said Jermaine Hall, editor in chief of the new Vibe and Vibe.com. "That's where everything needs to go back to. Whether it's the magazine, or we decide to do some kind of TV programming down the line, everything needs to come back to Vibe.com."
Beyond music
Vibe will also return to print with a wider editorial focus encompassing not only music but fashion, politics, culture, arts and sports. "It's always been a very broad book that's covered the culture of hip-hop, not just hip-hop music," Mr. Hall said. "It needs to get back to that."
The old Vibe died last June but got a chance at a comeback two months later when InterMedia Partners, the private equity fund, stepped in and bought the brand's assets. Now the print edition is coming back with a reduced frequency, four issues next year compared with the 10 once planned for 2009, and a smaller paid circulation guarantee, 300,000 now compared to 600,000 at shutdown. That partly reflects the tough economy. It's a result, too, of abandoning all subscribers to the old Vibe, who now have to buy new subscriptions if they want the new print edition; InterMedia didn't take on liability for prior subscribers when it bought Vibe's assets.
But the more modest publishing plan is also a reflection of evolving approaches toward media brands in print. "We have a smaller cost basis and a lot of emphasis on digital," said Leonard Burnett Jr., co-CEO and group publisher of the Vibe Lifestyle Network. "Instead of having a website supporting a magazine, we are a digital-influenced business, where the magazine is supporting that."
The return issue, out Dec. 8 in a slightly over-sized format, is expected to include more than 40 pages of advertising, Mr. Burnett said, with participating marketers so far including Nissan, Sean John, General Motors, Crown Royal, Pepsi and State Farm.
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Video After The Jump
Mariah Carey stopped by The Jay Leno Show Monday (October 2nd) to plug her new album "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel" and movie "Precious". On her entrance though, she almost slipped and fell but managed to catch her balance before it became a major disaster.
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AllHipHop Reports
Despite making public appearances together in the past month, Queens rapper Nas’ divorce from his estranged wife R&B singer Kelis continues on.
According to TMZ.com, Nas lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan filed court papers Monday (November 2), seeking to block Kelis’ request for $72,728 a month in spousal support.
Nas had been ordered to pay Kelis $44,000 in child support payments in addition to a one-time payment of $45,000 to pay Rogers' attorney fees and for a forensic accountant.
In August, Kelis’ attorney Laura Wasser filed a motion seeking to increase amount to $72,728 in income based on the $240,000 the rapper earns per-month.
She also seeks $17,225 a month in child support, $72,728 in spousal support, $29,522 in back child support and finally, retro spousal support in the amount of $281,571.
Kelis gave birth to their son Knight in July of 2009. After six years of marriage, she filed for divorce from Nas in April, citing irreconcilable differences.
In September, the pair were seen together at New York hotspot Marquee and other events, sparking rumors that the reconciliation might be possible.
In October, the IRS filed a lien against Nas, because the rapper owes $2,584,206.31 to the government for unpaid taxes on income earned throughout 2006 and 2007.
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BallerStatus Reports
Radio personality, Charlamagne Tha God, was fired from his post at Philadelphia radio station 100.3 The Beat this week, following an interview with Beanie Sigel where he explained his recent Jay-Z diss track.
Charlamagne revealed the termination via Twitter (@CThaGod) on Monday (November 2) morning.
While he says the station said they wanted to "move in a different direction," many speculate whether Jay-Z may have had a hand in the matter.
"I just got fired from 100.3 The Beat in Philly. Salute to Philly I hope you all enjoyed me the past six months," Charlamagne wrote.
"#cthagodgotfired cause 100.3 The Beat said they want to move in a different direction. God bless them. Thanks for the past six months," he later added.
This isn't the first time the blunt radio personality had been let go from a radio gig. He was previously Wendy Williams sidekick on her popular "The Wendy Williams Experience" radio show, and was dumped last November.
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Lil Wayne's No Ceilings is making a serious argument for Mixtape of the Year right now. Halloween was a great day for music — heck, a bunch of great music dropped last week. This week is off to great start with the new Rihanna and Young Jeezy joints and Game is talking about releasing four mixtapes at once. Check in with us all week for some exclusives — but today, those Cookin' Soul cats bring back one of the all-time best.
Don't Sleep: Necessary NotablesMixtape: Night of the Living Dead Part II
Headliner: Tupac ShakurCo-Starring: Cookin' Soul and DJ Whoo KidKey Collaborations: "The Beyond" featuring Jay-Z; "Halloween Pt. II" featuring Notorious B.I.G.; "The Fog" featuring Notorious B.I.G.
Essential Info: Producers got in on the Halloween action, putting their latest mixtape out on Saturday along with releases from Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy and others. The Soul brothers concentrated on putting a new spin on classics from Tupac Shakur.
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Rolling Stone Reports
November 22nd’s American Music Awards are shaping up to be 2009’s hot ticket. Eminem and Lady Gaga were just added to the lineup of all-star performers at the event, which will air live from Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre at 8 p.m. on ABC.
The 37th annual show is determining its winners list based on online votes for the third time, and nominees include Taylor Swift (who leads the pack with six nominations), Michael Jackson and Eminem, who each scored five nods apiece. Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, the Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Lopez and Adam Lambert are also scheduled to perform. Lambert’s fellow American Idol alums Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry and Kelly Clarkson will all take the stage, as well.
Lady Gaga’s most recent awards show performance at the ‘09 MTV Video Music Awards saw her hanging from the ceiling in a mock death scene complete with fake blood and and eerie, glassy stare. The singer’s re-release, The Fame Monster will hit stores two days after her AMAs performance. Eminem will be coming off his recent set at New Orleans’ Voodoo Festival, which was one of his only live appearances of the year supporting his latest LP, Relapse.
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AllHipHop Reports
Next Tuesday (November 10), the ImageNation Cinema Foundation will premiere in New York the ODB tribute film Dirty: One Word Can Change the World.
Directed by Dirty’s cousin Raison Allah, the documentary commemorates the colorful rapper’s life though personal interviews with the Wu-Tang Clan, Sunz of Man, Killarmy, the Black Knight, and the Brooklyn Zu.
In addition to the feature film presentation, movie-goers will be treated to a live performance from ODB’s Brooklyn Zu.
Following the film, members of Brooklyn Zu, Wu-Tang, and author Terrie Williams (Black Pain: It Just Looks like We Aren’t Hurting) will chronicle Dirty’s musical legacy along with important information on mental health and substance abuse prevention.
Ol Dirty Bastard, real name Russell Jones, was one of the most popular emcees in the Wu-Tang Clan.
His unpredictable behavior, distinctive voice, and blues-influenced singing style earned him success as a solo artist, where he achieved a platinum debut (Return to the 36 Chambers: the Dirty Version) and a gold follow-up (n***a Please).
In November 2004, he died suddenly of a drug overdose.
Dirty: One Word Can Change World premiers Tuesday (November 10) at the National Black Theatre, located on 2031 5th Avenue (125th and 126th streets).
Tickets are $15 (advance) and $20 at the door.
Interested fans can purchase them online at www.imagenation.us or by calling 212-340-1874.
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Video After The JumpUK pop sensation Jay Sean talks about growing up listening to American R&B and Hip Hop and how that influenced his musical tastes growing up. Having already conquered the British market, the Cash Money artist is well on his way to doing the same here in the U.S. with his Lil Wayne assisted record "Down"
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HipHopWired Reports
“He just needs to focus because right now all of the eyes are on him.”
To think that most people felt like Jay-Z was hogging the spotlight and was unwilling to share his own experience with up and coming stars in the rap game, the rapper continues to show different sides to himself.
With the unexpected, but long overdue, diss track from his former label mate and Roc-A-Fella artist, Beanie Sigel, it feels as though Jay's push for progression in the future of his music career is being interrupted by his past dealings.
As some feel that he is at the top of his game once again, it shows his ability to stand at the top of the mountain as potential continues to rise with new artists.
One artist that stands out from the crowd is Drake whose appeal has reached peaks that no one could have ever predicted. Who would have ever thought that the kid from Degrassi would make the transition to rap and actually survive, let alone be a top contender?
Featuring the young rapper on “Off That” for The Blueprint III, Jay-Z is clearly willing to give artists a platform to showcase their skills and what better way than Jigga to provide the necessary outlet.
Artists such as Roc Nation's J. Cole have stated that every up and comer dreams that are granted the opportunity to work with Hov and hopes of being given some tutelage as it pertains to the music industry and ensuring that they are able to achieve longevity.
Two recently performed together in Toronto as Drake finally returned home. The Young Money artist may have had something to boast about as the shoe was on the other foot and Jay played the hype man as he performed “Successful.”
During an interview, the Brooklyn rapper was able to give his kudos to the Canadian sensation and shows that he admires the work that Drake has already put in so far.
“He proved that he is very talented with that mixtape, which was phenomenal…If he stays focused, he'll be fine.”
As time progresses, old warriors will be forced to lay down their swords for good so it is in the best interests of these warriors to provide guidance for those after them and make sure that they are ready for the battle ahead.
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Rap-Up Reports
Beyoncé will celebrate the one-year anniversary of her third effort I Am… Sasha Fierce by releasing a deluxe edition of her multi-platinum album, a live CD/DVD, and a new video featuring Lady Gaga.
I Am… Sasha Fierce Deluxe Edition will include five No. 1 hits and two bonus tracks including “Video Phone (Extended Remix)” featuring Lady Gaga. Also available on Monday, November 23, is I Am…Yours. An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas, a concert performance DVD and live CD that captures a never-before-seen performance from Beyoncé filmed at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas in August.
MTV will exclusively world premiere Beyoncé and Lady Gaga’s “Video Phone” video on-air and online on Thursday, November 5. “Video Phone” will premiere in the U.S. on MTV and MTV.com at 5:30 p.m. EST, while MTV channels worldwide will debut the music video in 162 countries following the airing of the MTV Europe Music Awards from Berlin where Beyoncé is scheduled to perform.
Coincidentally, Lady Gaga will re-release her own album The Fame on November 23, boasting another collaboration with Beyoncé titled “Telephone.”
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SixShot.com Reports
The cover art for Pimp C's sophomore solo album titled The Naked Soul of Sweet James Jones landed online Sunday (November 1).
The animated cover captures the late rapper in his trademark fur coat surrounded by a group of women with a red Rolls-Royce in the backdrop.
A release date for the album has not been revealed but the project will be the released via Rap-A-Lot Records.
The album was put together by Bun B who used Pimp C's unused vocals.
"We had enough vocals, But it wasn’t just about taking whatever vocals I had available; it was about constructing songs," Bun told XXL Mag earlier this year. "It wasn’t about just throwing all the Pimp C I had out there. I had to really try to make an album.
Pimp C died in late 2007 from an accidental overdose of codeine combined with the medical condition sleep apnea.
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50 Cent official music video for "Baby By Me"1st single off of "Before I Self Destruct".Album in stores Nov 16th.Digital release: Nov 9thPreorder on iTunes now!Read more…
Videos/Audio After The JumpThe General, 50 Cent called into Gomez Bros radio show yesterday (October 31) and got right down to business. He announced that "Before I Self Destruct" has a new release, date November 16th. The Beanie Sigel vs Jay-Z situation was a topic of conversation and he took a few shots at Fat Joe, Rick Ross & Ja Rule.Part OnePart TwoRead more…
People.com Reports
How could one of Hollywood's highest paid actors find himself owing $6.3 million in back taxes and deep in money troubles? The answer is easy if you believe Nicolas Cage.
In a lawsuit filed Oct. 16 in Los Angeles, the National Treasure star, 45, claims that his longtime business manager, Samuel J. Levin, duped "lined his [own] pockets with several million dollars in business management fees while sending Cage down a path toward financial ruin."
That journey began in 2001 when Cage – whose next movie is the crime drama Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans – hired Levin to oversee and manage his business interests, investments and finances. Levin did not return calls seeking comment. A rep for Cage had no comment.
On The Market
Though Cage claims it was only recently that he learned the gravity of his financial condition, the actor started selling off some of his prized possessions months ago. In April, Cage bid farewell to his Bavarian castle, selling it to his German advisor, lawyer Konrad Wilfurth.
Now he has placed other homes on the market in California, Las Vegas and New Orleans, where two of his residences – each worth at about $3.5 million – are up for auction Nov. 12, according to the that city's Times-Picayune. Regions Bank foreclosed on Hancock Park Real Estate Co., the owner of Cage's properties, for $5.5 million in unpaid mortgage debts, the newspaper reported.
Tax Trouble
Cage's home liquidation comes as earlier this month the U.S. government placed a tax lien on his vast real-estate holdings because of $6 million in unpaid taxes dating from 2007, according to court papers. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service has another lien for more than $350,000 in unpaid taxes dating from 2002 to 2004.
East West Bank also filed a breach-of-contract complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court that claims Cage had failed to repay a $2 million loan that was extended this past August.
In the lawsuit filed against his business manager, Cage says he "relied on Levin to handle his financial affairs to ensure that he and his family would have a financially secure future built on the foundation of the substantial monies Cage earned through years of hard work."
But "he is now forced to sell major assets and investments at a significant loss and is faced with huge tax liabilities because of Levin's incompetence, misrepresentations and recklessness." (Interestingly, Cage sold off his rare comic-book collection in 2002 for more than $1.6 million, a year after hiring Levin.)
Now as the actor gets ready to hit the big screen again this fall, he faces "catastrophic losses" in upwards of $20 million. The next court hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for February 2010.
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Video After The JumpTeam Demo, producers of 50 Cent's smash hit record "Crime Wave" take us step by step through the process of how they made the beat and got it submitted to G-Unit Records. This should put to rest once and for all any b.s. about whether or not the loop was jacked from Fabolous. 50's new album "Before I Self Desctruct" originally scheduled for release on November 23rd, has been pushed up. Tune in to Thisis50.com Monday to get the new release date !
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NY Daily News Reports
Remember "Glitter"? Mariah Carey is about to make you forget all about it.
In the past two years, the Long Island-raised superstar, 40, has revived an acting career that most critics thought was dead on arrival.
She has stepped up to the plate with risky roles. Her latest: a tough-as-nails social worker in the gritty Harlem-set drama "Precious."
The part was originally offered to Oscar winner Helen Mirren, and Carey came in to fill her shoes with determination — and without makeup.
Carey as a social worker in the gritty drama 'Precious,' about an abused teen
What's more, the film, which hits theaters this Friday and also stars Mo'Nique and Brooklyn-born newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, is being hailed as an Oscar contender.
It's a career turn no one could have envisioned for Carey back in 2001, when her semi-autobiographical star vehicle "Glitter" opened to atrocious reviews.
At the box office on its opening weekend, "Glitter" didn't even make the top 10. It disappeared from cinemas within weeks, the soundtrack sold poorly, and by the end of the year, after reports that she had suffered an emotional breakdown, Carey was dumped by Virgin Records, the company that had signed her for a whopping $80 million only months earlier.
In building herself back up, Carey has attained a unique position. She has earned recognition as a serious actress without letting go of her popular appeal. She has targeted roles in indie films while climbing back to the top of the pop charts and enchanting fans with her fairy-tale marriage, played out across the pages of the celeb glossies.
She started her rebound from "Glitter" with a baby step: a role in the 2002 comic thriller "WiseGirls," which premiered on cable, not in the multiplex. Carey, Mira Sorvino and Melora Walters played waitresses at a Staten Island restaurant run by the mob. Even though it wasn't a hit, the film dulled the pain of her performance the previous year. Wrote Fox News columnist Roger Friedman: "Even though she tends to wear skimpy outfits as usual, her line delivery is sharp and she manages to get the right laughs."
A producer of "WiseGirls," Anthony Esposito, so admired Carey's work that he announced she would appear in his next film as a boxing manager who pushes an unknown female fighter to fame. Other reports indicated that he had spoken too soon, and that Carey wasn't sold on the project. It never got made, and Carey's slow push toward screen stardom relied instead on an episode of "Ally McBeal" and cameos as herself.
In 2005, she soared back atop the pop charts when "We Belong Together," from her album "The Emancipation of Mimi," stayed at No. 1 for 14 weeks. She didn't have to wait long before she landed a supporting role in the low-budget road movie "Tennessee" after catching the eye of producer Lee Daniels, who would go on to direct "Precious."
"I never saw 'Glitter,'?" Daniels said at the time, "but I liked her work in ['WiseGirls']." Said Carey of the role: "Some people come into our lives and take a chance, someone like Lee Daniels."
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2008. It was an especially busy month for Carey. Not only was her performance singled out as one of the best parts of "Tennessee," but she had recently broken Elvis Presley's record for chart-topping singles, and only the Beatles remained ahead of her on the list.
On top of those successes, Carey stirred up engagement rumors when she arrived at the "Tennessee" after-party with Nick Cannon, a rapper and TV personality 11 years her junior, and an enormous, sparkling ring on her hand. It was her first serious relationship since before "Glitter." She later revealed that Cannon had proposed on the rooftop of her Manhattan apartment, the 17-carat diamond hidden inside a candy ring pop.
Yes, you read that correctly — 17 carats!
On April 30, 2008, the two were married in a top-secret ceremony in the Caribbean. The next few months were an over-the-top celebration of their love. They made their first public appearance in New York at the Time 100 gala and dined afterward at the Waverly Inn. Cannon rented out a Six Flags amusement park in California and threw a Nick-and-Mariah-themed bash for their friends. The two openly discussed wanting children, and Carey has said in interviews that she is ready to be a mom.
But even as she was cavorting with Prince Charming and considering a family, Carey proved she had edge. Her feud with rapper Eminem, which has dragged on for years as he mines an alleged tryst with Carey to generate scathing lyrics, flared up again early this year. His track "Bagpipes From Baghdad" called Carey a "whore" and lashed out at her new husband.
Cannon defended Carey on his blog, a digital knight in shining armor, but she — in her inimitable style — had her own ways of getting even. Her chart-topper "Obsessed" — the first single from her latest album, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" — asked why a certain drug-addled dude with a "Napoleon complex" wouldn't stop telling lies about her. Carey even dressed in drag in the music video, appearing as an Eminem-esque figure with a goatee and a hooded sweatshirt.
Eminem retaliated with "The Warning," which contained graphic allegations about sex with the singer. Even that failed to fluster Carey. Comparing the two tracks, she has said, "See, the difference is, my song is on the radio and his, you have to search for it."
But the trump card in the real-life emancipation of Mimi is "Precious," in which she plays a role so transformative that some critics have said it is impossible to recognize the diva.
Carey's welfare caseworker is flat-haired and tired, with just the hint of a mustache. "I looked so damn ugly!" she has said of shooting the film. "I just kept away from mirrors." But she told People magazine when the film hit the festival circuit, "There's a creative side of me that needs to do work like this."
Mirren, another of Daniels' past collaborators, had turned the role down because of a scheduling conflict. Carey was ready to follow Daniels' vision — he helped create the play-against-type performance that won Halle Berry an Oscar for "Monster's Ball" — and she sang at a "Precious" fund-raiser to help secure financing.
The film has impressed audiences at the Sundance, Toronto and Cannes film festivals and won the support of Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. It was the centerpiece of the New York Film Festival in October. Carey's red-carpet opportunities are multiplying, but to do her best film work yet she had to push aside that glamorous pop-princess image, at least temporarily. For Carey, "range" is no longer only about octaves.
"I basically told her, 'I want to see the Mariah I see when I'm in your house and we're kickin' it, watching TV and eating popcorn,'?" Daniels has said. "I knew she had it in her."
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}