Havoc continues holding down Mobb Deep while Prodigy is locked up, working on his third solo album and a mixtape, both titled From Now On.
The album, slated for a 4th quarter release, will be mostly self-produced with contributions also coming from Chinky P and Sid Roams, according to Hav’s manager. Prodigy will appear on the album, along verses from Nyce, 40 Glocc and Philthy.
The LP’s first single drops early August, while the Ty Fyffe-produced intro to the mixtape “Smells Like Nine/Five” hit the web today (July 2)
Havoc’s previous album, Hidden Files, was released in Feburary on E1 Music.
Source: XXLRead more…
Raffi Nernekian was arrested in the United Arab Emirates this week after getting into an argument over a t-shirt he was wearing which depicted a nude Victoria Beckham with only the words “Protect the Skin You’re In” and her hands covering key private parts.
The t-shirt was made by celebrity favorite designer Marc Jacobs and was aimed to raise money for a skin cancer research project at New York University. Supermodel Naomi Campbell and actress Winona Ryder also posed for the campaign.
Nernekian- who worked as a brand manager at one of Jacobs’ local agents- said he got the shirt from his brother who returned from a trip to New York. After being approached by a man in a bakery, Nernekian left to change but found police waiting for him on his return.
He has been jailed for offending public decency for a month and will be deported after serving his sentence despite having lived in Dubai for five years. Dubai had issued an updated version of its codes of conduct saying: “clothing shall not indecently expose parts of the body, be transparent, or display obscene or offensive pictures and slogans.”
Source : RadarOnlineRead more…
SANTA BARBARA, Calf. --
Jermaine Jackson says he would like to see Neverland Ranch as his brother Michael’s final resting place.
In an interview broadcast Thursday on NBC’s “Today” show, Jermaine Jackson also said he wishes he had died instead of his younger brother, and that Michael was “a gift from Allah.”
“He went too soon. I don’t know how people are going to take this, but I wish it was me,” Jermaine Jackson said.
When asked why he felt that way, Jermaine Jackson said he always felt that he was Michael’s “backbone.”
“Someone to be there for him. I was there and he was sort of like Moses. Things he couldn’t say, I would say them. During the trials, during everything …”
Jermaine Jackson said that when he rushed to UCLA Medical Center last Thursday, where the 50-year-old pop singer was pronounced dead, “I wanted to see Michael, and I wanted to see my brother, and seeing him there lifeless and breathless was very emotional for me, but I held myself together because I know he’s very much alive.”
“His spirit is, and that was just a shell, but I kissed him on his forehead and I hugged him, and I touched him and I said, ‘Michael, I’ll never leave you. You’ll never leave me.’”
On Wednesday, Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said a public memorial was in the works but it wouldn’t be held at Neverland.
A person familiar with the situation told the AP that permits for a burial at the sprawling Santa Barbara, Calif., estate could not be arranged in time. The person was not authorized to speak for the family and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Jackson said Neverland was Michael’s home.
“He created this. Why wouldn’t he be here? I feel his presence.”
Source: AccessHollywoodRead more…
Angelina Jolie & Jennifer Aniston just can’t seem to escape each other.
The two stars placed first and second, respectively, on Forbes’ list of this year’s highest-paid actresses, which charted income from June 2008 to June 2009.
Angelina reportedly earned $27 million in the past year, $2 million more than partner Brad Pitt’s ex-wife, Jennifer.
The “Wanted” star took home a share of the profits from the action film, as well as earning an upfront sum from her role in the upcoming spy drama “Salt.”
Jen’s milllions sprang from the success of “Marley & Me” and a paycheck from her next film, “The Baster,” as well as serving as a spokesperson for SmartWater and residuals from “Friends” reruns.
Just under the two intertwined actresses was Meryl Streep, who earned $24 million thanks largely to the box office power of “Mamma Mia,” and Sarah Jessica Parker, who earned $23 million on the strength of the big screen debut of “Sex and the City.”
In fifth place was Cameron Diaz, who earned $20 million.
Rounding out the rest of the top 10 is Sandra Bullock ($15 million), Reese Witherspoon ($15 million), Nicole Kidman ($12 million), Drew Barrymore ($12 million) and Renee Zellweger ($10 million).
Source: AccessHollywoodRead more…
Fire off the mixtape from up and coming sick mc Bad Luck. The mixtape is titled "Welcome To Shroomville" hosted by DJ Kay Slay The Drama King. The mixtape is available for purchase from Bad Luck's myspace.Click the link below!
http://www.myspace.com/badluckedk
Download Kay Slay Freestyle HereRead more…
Fire off the mixtape from up and coming sick mc Bad Luck. The mixtape is titled "Welcome To Shroomville" hosted by DJ Kay Slay The Drama King. The mixtape is available for purchase from Bad Luck's myspace.Click the link below!
http://www.myspace.com/badluckedk
Download Get Back HereRead more…
The public memorial for Michael Jackson will take place on Tuesday, July 7, 2009, in Los Angeles, Access Hollywood has learned.
The “private and public memorial” will be held at the Staples Center in downtown LA at 10 AM, AEG Live president Randy Phillips told NBC News.
Phillips said all of the details would be finalized when he meets with the Jackson family Thursday afternoon.
“Everything is in preliminary stages except the place and time,” Phillips told NBC.
AEG Live is the organization which was behind Jackson’s planned 50-show stint in London.
Should capacity be reached for the nearly 20,000-seat stadium, Phillips said the overflow crowd will be able to watch the memorial on large screens at nearby Nokia Plaza.
Despite reports that the public ceremony will be a funeral, a source close to the situation previously told Access Hollywood executive producer Rob Silverstein it will actually be a memorial to the King of Pop, who died last week at the age of 50.
Source: AccessHollywoodRead more…
Drake's new video for "Best I Ever Had," directed by Kanye West, premiered Wednesday night. In it, Drizzy coaches a basketball team of well-endowed female lovelies, clad in revealing pink uniforms, who face a more focused and skillful squad of women. Coach Drake doesn't seem heartbroken that his hoopers won't exactly draw comparisons to the Dream Team.
"Some of us younger men, we refer to our affiliation with women like a roster," Drake explained the clip's concept to MTV News. "You have key women in your life when you're single and doing your thing."
"Best I Ever Had" is the first video from his debut LP, Thank Me Later, which he aims to release later this year, now that he's signed to Lil Wayne's Young Money label. Of course he does. He's red-hot right now, thanks to the mixtape So Far Gone.
"I just gotta get this tour knocked out," he said earlier this week, smiling about going on the road as part of the America's Most Wanted Music Festival, which will feature Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy Tell'em and Young Jeezy. "I am working on [the album] right now. I've actually started. I was in the studio with Pharrell, and it's basically a pretty lax process for us.
"Basically, So Far Gone worked," he continued, telling about his strategy for the highly anticipated LP. "So, let's just try to do it again. You know, let's try and act as if we were making a second disc to So Far Gone."
Source : MTVNEWSRead more…
Instead of scrambling to dismiss Jay-Z’s claims on “Death of AutoTune,” the technology’s creator Antares Audio is using the superstar’s stance for product advertisement.
Dubbed the “next generation” of professional pitch correction, Antares Audio has created Auto-Tune Evo.
The new technology immediately deciphers the pitch of any inputted information, and finds the closest match in the scale the user specifies for pitch correction.
Included are minor, major, chromatic, and 26 other historical and microtonal scales.
Other new features for the product are real-time pitch shifting, throat modeling (vocal character modification), a redesigned user interface, and many more.
Hailed as a breakthrough upon its 1997 release, the Auto-Tune primarily was utilized to correct pitch and phrasing mistakes made by singers in their vocal performances.
Through other settings, the device can also be used to create dramatic distortions of the human voice such as echoing, and the now-famous computerized vocal effect first heard on Cher’s 1998 hit “I Believe.”
In recent years, the device has come to dominate the charts after prominent use from hit songwriter T-Pain and Kanye West on his multi-platinum album 808s & Heartbreak.
The Auto-Tune is often confused with its predecessor the talkbox (used by Roger Troutman, Peter Frampton, and Bon Jovi).
That device modifies the sound of instruments when a musician uses different speech sounds via a tube inserted in their mouths.
Jay-Z has stated his new single was created due to the Auto-Tune’s oversaturation, culminating with the mogul hearing the effect used in a Wendy’s commercial.
In a new press release, their new product is dubbed the “unequivocal response” to Jay-Z’s claims, asserting the Auto-Tune effect will remain a staple of the music industry.
However, the company does not address whether their creation will continue to have a future as a robotic vocal effect, or simply return to its original use of pitch correction.
At press time, Jay-Z could not be reached for comment.
Source: AllHipHopRead more…
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) - Alexis Arguello, who fought in one of boxing's most classic brawls and reigned supreme at 130 pounds (59 kilograms), was found dead at his home early Wednesday.
Coroners were conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Sandanista Party's Radio Ya and other local media were reporting it appeared to be a suicide.
The La Prensa newspaper reported that Arguello — elected mayor of Nicaragua's capital last year — was found with a gunshot wound to the chest.
The 57-year-old Arguello retired from boxing in 1995 with a record of 82-8 with 65 knockouts and was a champion in three weight divisions. He was perhaps best known for two thrilling battles with Aaron Pryor and fights with Ray Mancini, Bobby Chacon and Ruben Olivares.
"I'm kind of in a daze right now. I can't believe what I'm hearing," Pryor told The Associated Press. "Those were great fights we had. This was a great champion."
Nicknamed "The Explosive Thin Man," Arguello was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992, where flags were flying at half-staff in his honor on Wednesday.
In 1999, a panel of experts assembled by The AP voted Arguello the best junior lightweight and sixth-best lightweight of the 20th century. He never lost at 130 pounds (59 kilograms), and his popularity in his own country was so great that he carried the flag for Nicaragua at the Beijing Olympics.
"Not only was he one of the greatest fighters I've ever seen, he was the most intelligent fighter," Bob Arum, who promoted some of his biggest fights, told The Associated Press. "He was a ring tactician. Every move was thought out. And he was a wonderful, wonderful person."
Arguello turned pro in 1968 and promptly lost his first bout. He didn't lose much more, and six years later knocked out Olivares in the 13th round to win the world featherweight title.
Arguello went on to win the super featherweight and lightweight titles, his 1.78-meter (5-foot-10) frame allowing him to move up in weight without losing his tremendous punching power. At the time, he was only the sixth boxer to win championships in three weight classes, and was considered for a while the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Panama's Roberto Duran, another world champion at three weights, expressed disbelief.
"I can't believe it. He was my friend, my brother," Duran said. "His death is a great loss for world boxing and a much greater loss for Nicaragua."
The retired Oscar De La Hoya said: "I felt sad receiving the news and still find it hard to believe. Alexis was my idol. When I was young, I heard so much about him and his fights and loved his style in the ring. In my opinion he was one of the biggest and most influential fighters boxing has ever produced."
De La Hoya said Arguello attended his fight against Steve Forbes in May 2008, which was De La Hoya's last victory.
"We shared some great moments together before and after the fight," he said. "Arguello was definitely a legend in the boxing world because of all the joy he brought to his fans with his unforgettable career and amazing personality."
"It was a brutal, brutal fight," Arum said. "That was something I will never, ever forget as long as I live. That was one of the most memorable fights I ever did."
The bout was named "Fight of the Year" and "Fight of the Decade" by Ring Magazine, but was shrouded by controversy. Pryor's trainer, Panama Lewis, gave him a water bottle after the 13th round that many believe contained an illegal substance - an accusation Pryor denied.
A rematch was ordered and they met again a year later at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. This time, Pryor knocked out Arguello in the 10th round.
"We always talk to each other about that first fight," Pryor said. "I never went into the fight knowing I could beat Alexis, I just went into the fight to beat Alexis."
Arguello announced after the fight that he would retire from boxing, but as so often happens in the sport, Arguello couldn't stay away from the ring.
He returned to win two fights in 1985 and 1986, then didn't step in the ring until 1994, when he made a brief comeback. He retired for good the following year.
"Alexis Arguello was a first-class fighter and a first-class gentleman," said Hall of Fame executive director Edward Brophy. "The Hall of Fame joins the boxing community in mourning the loss of a great champion and friend."
Arguello fought against the Sandinista government in the 1980s after it seized his property and bank account, but later joined the party and ran for mayor of the capital last November. He defeated Eduardo Montealegre, though opponents alleged the vote was fraudulent.
Arguello had returned Sunday from Puerto Rico, where he honored the late baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. His death prompted Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega to announced he was canceling a trip to Panama for the inauguration of President-elect Ricardo Martinelli.
"We are upset," presidential spokeswoman Rosario Murillo said. "This is a heartbreaking announcement. He was the champion of the poor, an example of forgiveness and reconciliation."
Source:FoxSportsRead more…
Sunday's BET Awards may have scored its largest audience for the network, but the event’s producers are coming under fire for a performance featuring Grammy winning rap star Lil Wayne. The entertainer’s set, which featured fellow rapper Drake and a troupe of teenage dancers, was met with criticism from Columbia University clinical instructor Dr. Janet Taylor, who questioned BET CEO Debra Lee for green lighting Lil Wayne’s performance of his hit song “Every Girl” despite the risqué dance from the teens on stage.
“Perhaps, they are what our kids are used to. I have teenagers, girls no less, who have heard the song and like it,” Taylor told MomLogic.com while referencing the song’s lyrics. “My problem was with the preteens who were proudly onstage, shaking their groove thang to this misogynistic, disrespectful song. It was ridiculous. Debra Lee, the CEO of BET, also the mother of two children, should be asking herself who approved this and how these young girls were allowed to be a part of this 'act.'"
Taylor’s comments come days after an emotional night at the BET Awards.
Nielsen Media Research shows the Jamie Foxx-hosted show, which was dedicated to the memory of music icon Michael Jackson, was a ratings success by drawing the cable channel’s largest audience on record with an average of 10.65 million viewers.
As a result, the viewership of this year’s BET Awards was more than any other cable broadcast this year and more than any prime-time show on the major networks.
Despite this, the scholar stated how her daughters thought the rapper's performance "'was strange' and inappropriate."
"They were embarrassed for the girls. I agree," Taylor added.
Representatives have not responded to the criticism as of press time.
Source :RGFRead more…
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