The premiere for the new documentary The September Issue that goes behind the scenes at Vogue while they put together their biggest issue of the year was held last night at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Editor Anna Wintour hit the red carpet with Sienna Miller, while other guests included Renee Zellweger,P.Diddy,Cassie, Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Georgina Chapman, Hilary Rhoda, and more
AllHipHop Reports
Gucci Mane may be one of the hottest entertainers around, but the Atlanta hitmaker is receiving a cold shoulder from an Albany, Georgia, city commissioner.
Gucci Mane is scheduled to perform August 29 at the Albany Civic Center. Despite fans’ anticipation for the show, city commissioner Bob Langstaff is less than thrilled with having the rapper take the stage at the venue.
"I'm appalled...what do you need from me to keep this "entertainer" from performing at Albany's Civic Center?" the commissioner wrote in an e-mail to Albany City Manager Alfred Lott and Civic Center Director John Mazzola while referencing Gucci Mane lyrics he found online. "This is not appropriate for our civic center."
Langstaff’s disapproval was countered by the concert’s promoter, Gilbert Udoto, who was taken aback by opposition to an event designed to bring attention to the civic center as well as eager ticket buyers.
According to the Odyssey Records owner, city officials came to him with hopes of bringing a big show to Albany.
"It's big. We haven't had an artist of this magnitude in a long time," Udoto told WALB News. "They talk about the Civic Center. You know we have not brought any acts here. Now we have an act that can sell tickets and now this is what we get.”
The upcoming Gucci Mane concert comes amid a wave of professional highs for Gucci Mane, who is gearing up for the release of the follow-up to his 2007 album, Back to the Trap House, this year.
In addition to his success as a solo artist, the rapper has appeared on remixes for the Black Eyed Peas (“Boom Boom Pow”) and Mariah Carey (“Obsessed”) as well as “Break Up,” the hit single from R&B crooner Mario.
Although he is aware that Gucci Mane’s lyrics can be offensive to some, Udoto was adamant that the rapper’s music is an exercise in free speech.
"It's no different from other artists,” he said. “It's played on the radio all over. He's the hottest artist."
Gucci Mane’s status as a popular artist resulted in a costly effort to bring the rapper to Albany for Udoto as $40,000 was spent to ensure the entertainer’s appearance.
The commissioner stated in his e-mail that he would like to call a special meeting to adopt policy guidelines for future performers, if his issues with the rapper cannot be resolved "in-house."
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Buenos Aires Herald Reports
A Brazilian teenager admitted having stabbed to death 30 men in four different states between 2006 and the last days, the police told the press today. The 17-year-old girl confessed after being arrested during a street fight in Sao José de Rio Preto (Sao Paolo province).
"I don't have enough courage to hold a gun, but I can hold a knife," she said. "I am confessing because I promised I would do so before becoming 18, to avoid upsetting my family," she told the police officers who arrested her. According to the police, she confessed now to avoid being prosecuted as an adult.
She said she started killing when she was 15. After she admitted those crimes, the police started checking registered murders. So far, eleven cases correspond to her story. All are from Aparecida Do Taboado (Mato Grosso Do Sul state).
But other cases are being checked in the Sao Paolo, Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais states. According to the police sources, the teenager girl said she commited those murders (all with the same knife) for "money, revenge and for bringing justice."
The police suspects she was contracted by criminal organizations. She will be transferred to the Aparecida Do Taboado juvenile hall, her city of residency.
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Yo what dis is Cakin Every Opportunity(C.E.O.) 1/2 of the group "Dominyen" and dis is our Mixtape "I Hate Nigg@z Vol.1" and it aint no racist shit like dat or nun it just far as rap goes we don't like how things are gettin doin so we feel like we gon show deez dumb niggas how 2 do so check it out Vol. 2 cummin soon IT's Dominyen Bitch1.Intro2.In My Hood(Petersburg,VA)3.PushN(Keep On)4.I Hate Her5.I Hate Nigg@z(skit)6.Rap Stick-Up7.Samson8.Gunz & Buttah(Freestyle)9.On My Nigg@z(skit)10.My Mind Plain Tricks On Me '09 Feat Geto Boyz11.Nasty Bastard(Freestyle)12.Rain On Me Ashanti Feat C.E.O.13.I Hate Nigg@z2(Skit)14.Dis Can't B Life15.Fly High Feat Phat Cakes(Cypher)16.I Don't Need U17.Get Awayhttp://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/1662819
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Chamillionaire released the last installment of his Mixtape Messiah series with Volume 7 earlier this month and had the Internet going nuts to get the free downloads as a thank-you to his longtime supporters. Speaking with HipHopWired exclusively, he revealed that it wasn't just an end to the series but a change in the direction of his highly respected career as an underground artist.
“It's more than just the mixtape series, it's me rapping on them period. I feel like a lot of times the underground fans just want to keep you to themselves and I've been doing this for ten years plus now and I don't think there's anything else for me to do on the mixtape scene. It's time for some fresh new innovative ideas and I just want to be scalable. A lot of my fans grew up with my music but now they gotta share. People across the country and internationally have complained that they can't get my mixtapes so I felt like we needed to clean this up and make it bigger and newer and make it to where everybody can get it and then make it where its real material. People compare my career on the mixtapes to other people that put out real music. If you really look at my career when it comes to real music, it's not a lot. I've only put out two major label albums but my career is long when it comes to the mixtapes. So it's now time to make a long career when it comes to making and putting out real music.”
King Koopa also feels that the mixtape scene is becoming watered down and everybody and their mama has a mixtape in the streets trying to hock. In addition, Cham also wants to reach beyond his diehard fans who already know how lyrically dope and now let the rest of the world feel his venom.
“It's so many people putting out mixtapes now that are low quality in Texas and the format is over used. So I'm just stepping up and putting out a new brand now called “Major Pains” but it's not gonna be jacked beats and all that. It's gonna be real stuff you can put on the radio, over real beats. Stuff that's quality that can play in the clubs. It won't be coming out every month but more like every six months now but it'll be big with a distributor. It's something to hold me off until the album drops but the fans can still expect some dopeness.
It's about the audience and it's a lot of people out there that may criticize me but that's because they're not hearing all the music. It's like I'm making music for people in this one section in this lil' hood but there's other people outside the hood that don't necessarily know my history because they're not hearing it and I can't blame them. When I go to places like the East Coast and people are looking at me crazy because they only know me for one or two songs, I can't' blame them because they ain't hearing the music so it's time for everybody to here it now. If I'm moving hundreds of thousands of mixtapes underground, shouldn't everyone know about that? Why am I keeping it under the radar for so many years? It's time to put it on the radar. Now my songs that are getting put out through the “Major Pain” projects will be more like authorized leaks and it's pure crack.”
Chamillionaire also gave up the goods about scrapping his highly anticipated third major label release Venom.
“My album will be dropping fourth quarter this year and as far as Venom, I just decided to scrap it. I know there were rumors and conspiracy theories and maybe it was a Universal Records thing and they didn't like it but that's not true. The fact is they were even surprised when I made the announcement and were like, ‘Why you telling people that?' But I just made it known that I wasn't gonna drop Venom because I had already made up my mind if I'm gonna drop a body of work that I feel confident in, I want to drop it the way I want to drop it. As I started putting the project together, people started coming in and getting more excited because time is nearing for all of us to come together as a major label and they started coming in making their little tweaks to it. So I'm cool with that and you have to deal with that because at the end of the day, your label is your boss but then they started tweaking it a little bit too much and it starts changing the concept. I was like nah man, from a creative standpoint, I got to say No.
But they were cool and like you can still call it Venom, it doesn't matter because some people don't think it matters what the title is but I do. It does matter because the reason I called it Venom is because when you think about the dark Spider-Man… on my last album people had thought Cham went a little commercial so it was almost reestablishing that darker side. And the music that they wanted me to add to it just wasn't matching what I wanted to do. And I'm not saying it wasn't dope because it was, it just didn't match Venom. So I'm not the type to sit there and fake it so I said let's just scrap that whole idea and make it cohesive and it works together. The project is definitely still coming fourth quarter though and we coming with bigger records.”SourceRead more…
HipHopWired Reports
Known globally for her success as a member of the Hip-Hop group Salt-n-Pepa, Sandra “Pepa” Denton has taken time to look back at her history. While reminiscing she goes back to the time when she was talking to rapper turned actor Will Smith and has shown some regret to not actually dating Smith.
In an interview that was posted by GlobalGrind the former rapper gives an account of her encounter with the Fresh Prince.
"I thought Will was really cute and we would hang out a lot on the road. He liked to take care of me and never let me spend a dime. He was that kind of guy, real generous. I remember when they won their first award, he asked me to go out with him afterward. He was so excited. We were walking along the street getting ready to grab something to eat, and he just gave this homeless guy $100 dollars…I sometimes kick myself when I think about what could have been. He was so nice to me, but I really wasn't feeling him. I guess I couldn't appreciate a nice guy like Will Smith. He wasn't thug enough. I was attracted to thugs and hoodlums. Will was too nice to me."
As with most women in their early ages, the tough guy seemed to be more of an appeal as opposed to what Smith had to offer.
"I liked people like Louis Burrell (MC Hammer's brother). He was rough, he was street and he didn't pull any punches. He would walk around with a cane and pimp hat. He always referred to women as b**ches." Even with all that, I liked him."
Denton released her autobiography Let's Talk About Pep in August 2008 where she chronicled her life and gave a behind the scenes glimpse of the fame, family, failures and accomplishments that accompanied her during her peak as a celebrity. In it she speaks on her relationships and dealing with failed marriages and trying to escape from domestic abuse. Now no factual names were released in the book and pseudonyms replaced names but everyone can read between the lines and make their own judgment to who she may or may not be referring to.
Pepa, along with her partner in rhyme Salt, are currently stepping in to take the place of Wendy Williams for her radio show as she had journeyed out to television and left the radio business behind her. Along with that there are rumors that she will be partnering with TLC member Chilli to have a series that should premier on VH1 in 2010.
Now ladies, particularly the younger generation of the African-American community, this may be a reflection of situations that you have continuously placed yourself in while the dating realm thinking that the nice guy is unappealing and wanting that thug. Clearly it might be time to take a close look at the end of the tunnel because the thug remains the thug whereas nice guys, such as Will Smith, go on to make multi-million dollar movies on a yearly basis. Now if that's not saying anything then hey enjoy that lifestyle of dealing with the man constantly on the run. That has to be exciting.
Kevin Fujioka
Las Vegas Sun Reports
Authorities said two Honolulu police officers who fled from Clark County Park Police were arrested on drug possession charges this past weekend at a police softball tournament.
Park police officers entered Desert Breeze Park, at Durango Drive and Spring Mountain Road, at 8:15 p.m. Saturday and spotted a white van parked across two spaces illegally, Clark County spokeswoman Stacey Welling said.
As officers approached the van, it took off and two men got out and started running across the park, Welling said.
Park police arrested 37-year-old Kevin Fujioka, the driver of the van, and charged him with driving under the influence of narcotics and possession of marijuana, Welling said.
Police also arrested 47-year-old Shayne Souza for possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting a police officer and obstructing a police officer, Welling said. Both Fujioka and Souza are police officers in Honolulu.
Shayne Souza
In the course of the arrest, park police had to spray Souza with pepper because he resisted arrest, Welling said.
A third man, 38-year-old Scott Wilson, a Honolulu social worker, was also arrested for possessing marijuana and having an open container of alcohol in the van, Welling said.
The three men were attending a softball tournament in Las Vegas sponsored by the Nevada Police Athletic Association.
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MTVNEWS Reports
Last week, one of the Big Apple's most legendary MCs, Rakim, performed a gaggle of material from his new LP, The Seventh Seal, as well as his classics. Backstage, Ra sat down and reflected on our upcoming Hottest MCs in the Game list. (The 2009 Hottest MCs in the Game list has been rescheduled for October — so you, the fans, can have a seat at the table! The readers' poll now closes September 21. Head here for more info and voting information.) Rakim was voted on our Greatest MCs of All-Time list a few years back, and when looking at who's hot right now, the first name he says is another G.O.A.T.: Jay-Z.
"You gotta give it up to Jay. He's holding New York right now," Rakim said. "You have brothers like Fabolous that's holding New York right now. Rap is spread out right now. It's like the NFL last year. A lot of the teams we thought was going to the Super Bowl last year didn't make it. You have young teams that people sleeping on in the playoffs. It's the same thing in rap. New brothers is sprouting out. It's crazy. From Drake to you name it. I'm a fan of hip-hop as well. I like everybody who keeps the game on their toes and keep it pushing."
Rakim said he's a huge fan of 50 Cent's song "OK, Alright," and he co-signed another New York thumper: Jadakiss.
"Jada, he's the definition of the streets," the legendary MC said. "Jada, Styles P, the LOX, period. You throw on one of their joints ... I'm in the whip, I try to keep my cool in the whip. I don't like bouncing around, getting my crazy on, but it's certain joints you gotta wild out. Roll the window down, blast the joints, let it be heard. That's one of them groups that bang it out."
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ABC News Reports
Steve Harvey, the author, comedian, actor and host of "The Steve Harvey Morning Show," has joined "Good Morning America" as a contributor.
Harvey will bring "GMA" viewers a series of reports on topics ranging from relationships to parenting over the next few months. He will bring his own unique perspective, style and humor to morning television while interacting with viewers around the country via ABCNews.com, Skype and live guests in-studio. His first report is scheduled to air Wednesday, Aug. 19.
Harvey is an author, comedian, actor and radio host who has appeared in television and movies, including seven years starring on the WB's "The Steve Harvey Show."
Harvey has also appeared in numerous movies, including "Don't Trip …; "Johnson Family Vacation" and the animated film "Racing Stripes." Harvey's book "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment" was an instant hit with women across the country and landed the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List for an impressive 26 weeks.
Harvey's radio show, "The Steve Harvey Morning Show," is syndicated by Premiere Radio and heard in 60 markets around the country. Steve Harvey is also involved in helping young people and founded the Steve Harvey Foundation. Harvey is a native of Cleveland and currently resides in New York City.
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AllHipHop Reports
Philadelphia-bred rapper Freck Billionaire and his personal manager Animal Steele responded to the comments made by Floyd Mayweather Jr In a recent interview with AllHipHop
Mayweather, who signed Freck to his Philthy Rich Records, claimed that Freck Billionaire knowingly joined his company though he was already in another contract.
The boxer also alleged that the rapper stole a diamond watch. In an exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com, Freck Billionaire responded to Mayweather’s remarks.
“Since you really at the bottom of your heart don't wanna see anyone around you with anything, I'll send a courier to you with my watch. Maybe you can use it to lure in your next victim," Freck told AllHipHop.com.
Freck and Animal Steele both claim that the watch in question was a gift given to the newly signed rapper by Mayweather.
“The watch was a gift from Floyd to Freck. It symbolized the business arrangement that we were all heading into together. Floyd's out of control ego hindered any chance of success. We decided to weather through the storm and every time that Freck received any shine, all progress came to a screeching halt,” said Steele.
In a recent AllHipHop interview, Mayweather charged the watch was stolen and attempts to recover from Freck have failed.
Mayweather said, "We were working with an artist named Freck Billionaire. When he came aboard we asked if he had any contracts and he said no. Come to find out he was signed with somebody. The guy was trying to sue us and Freck stole one of our watches and left. So we’ve been looking for Freck Billionaire but he’s been ducking and dodging us. He stole a diamond watch and left."
Steele also claims that Mayweather was trying to break Freck apart from the rap group Street Family, which also consists of Fabolous, Paul Cain and Red Café.
“Once Floyd made it obvious that he didn't want Freck affiliated with Street Fam and more specifically Fabolous, the line was crossed. It was Floyd's "Philthy Rich or die" attitude that forced us to make a move back east. After all it was Fab's guidance and leadership that put us on the map in the first place. At the end of the day our loyalty is to Street Fam and our personal relationship with Fabolous," continued Steele.
In May it was reported that a Long Island-based company, Just for You Entertainment, was suing Mayweather, claiming that he stole their artist-- Freck Billionaire.
“As far as the allegation of a prior commitment is concerned, we all know that if Floyd had any true intentions of working on a Freck Billionaire project, his capital could've gotten to the bottom of any situation.”
Freck continues to receive support from Brooklyn rapper Fabolous who featured him on his new album Loso's Way on the track “There He Go” alongside Paul Cain, Red Café.
Last week Freck released his latest mixtape This Is Family Pt.2, which features Fabolous and Red Café, among others.
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ESPN Reports
Brett Favre, who three weeks ago had told coach Brad Childress that he would remain retired, signed a deal Tuesday with the Minnesota Vikings.
The deal is worth between $10 million to $12 million, according to ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.
The Vikings made it official with a news release early Tuesday afternoon. A news conference to introduce Favre is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
The first inkling that something was afoot came early Tuesday, when two television stations in Hattiesburg, Miss., and Minneapolis reported that the Vikings had sent a private plane to Hattiesburg to pick up Favre.
Coach Brad Childress, who greeted the Favres at the airport, had confirmed the planned meeting in an e-mail to The Associated Press. Asked if the plan was to sign Favre, Childress replied: "In a perfect world."
Favre, 39, and his wife, Deanna, arrived in Minnesota in the early afternoon, getting off a team plane at a small St. Paul airport and getting into an SUV after shaking hands with the ground crew.
Childress' wish for a perfect world came true shortly afterward, when the Vikings announced the signing. The deal had been pending a physical. By 2 p.m. ET, he was observed at Vikings practice in Eden Prairie, Minn., wearing a No. 4 jersey and a helmet, while stretching and warming up.
A throng of fans who somehow already had learned of Favre's arrival ran alongside the SUV as it arrived at the Vikings' practice site from the airport, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, with a lone police officer trying to herd them.
Favre's mother, Bonita, told the Biloxi Sun Herald that her son would be working out with the Vikings on Wednesday. ESPN analyst Cris Carter reported Tuesday that Childress already has told the Vikings that Favre will be starting in Friday night's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I have mixed emotions, but I have always loved to watch him play," she told the Sun Herald. "This time, however, I thought he would stay retired and stay home. I guess he could not do it.
"They [Minnesota] seem to have a good team in place, and he liked that. I guess I need to get a Vikings jersey now."
John David Booty, who had been wearing No. 4, was assigned No. 9.
Favre, a longtime star in Green Bay, came out of retirement last season to play for the New York Jets. He retired again, only to then entertain the idea of joining the Vikings. Three weeks ago, Childress said the quarterback would stay retired.
The pronouncement now appears to be premature.
Two television stations first reported that Favre was seen boarding a plane Tuesday morning that was headed to Minneapolis.
Sources told Hattiesburg television station WDAM, which initially broke the story, that Favre had said: "We may know something by dinner."
A high-level source first told Minneapolis TV station WCCO that Favre was expected to sign a deal with the Vikings on Tuesday.
ESPN's Ed Werder reported that according to a source, Favre told close friends and family members before boarding the plane Tuesday: "I'm going to play football.''
The decision to do so comes even though Favre has informed the team that Dr. James Andrews detected a slight tear in his right rotator cuff in May while performing arthroscopic surgery on the quarterback's passing shoulder in May, according to a source.
It was concern about that injury, and the pain in both of his ankles and left knee, that discouraged Favre from signing with the Vikings before training camp.
Favre, who holds almost all of the NFL's career passing records, has never been much of a fan of offseason practices, though. Last summer, he ended his retirement with the Packers and forced a trade to the Jets, where he faded down the stretch amid problems with his throwing arm.
But Favre remained in regular communication with the Vikings' coaching staff the past three weeks, and a source said that owner Zygi Wilf had to do very little convincing when the two met this week near Favre's home in Hattiesburg.
"He had a lot of aches and pains and they basically needed a commitment from him before he felt he was ready to play,'' a source told Werder. "He wants to be able to do the best he can do and doesn't want to disappoint them.''
The Vikings are aware of the small tear in Favre's rotator cuff.
"The tear is still there and there's always a possibility something could happen with it later on,'' a source told Werder. "He wanted to give it the best chance he could before he made a commitment. But the last three weeks, it hasn't gotten any worse and he's been working hard. Hell, who knows? It could flare up again if they make him throw 50 or 60 balls a day.
"Three weeks ago, he wasn't ready to go play and didn't feel physically he could do what they needed him to do. But three more weeks of working out and now he's feeling that he's able to throw the football and he's going to give it a try.''
Favre has been working out regularly with Oak Grove High school players in Hattiesburg, according to WDAM-TV, and has not missed a practice even after telling the Vikings he would remain retired.
The Vikings finished training camp last week and beat Indianapolis 13-3 in their preseason opener Friday. They got a strong performance from quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who has been competing with Tarvaris Jackson for the starting job since Favre jilted the team July 28.
The Vikings are expected to challenge for the NFC North title this season, with whomever is behind center.
Rosenfels and Jackson have had some rough moments during practice. Jackson hurt his knee, missed a few workouts and then returned, but he was out of sync last week against the Colts.
Rosenfels did well, but preseason games are tough to evaluate and Indianapolis held out all four starting defensive backs.
On Monday, Jackson, responding to the day's scuttlebutt that Favre was predicted to play in Minnesota this season, said he was not paying attention to any of the talk.
"I pretty much have said [Favre] probably will follow me even when I retire. I'll probably have to hear about it. I'm just trying to take care of my business, and I can't worry about that stuff," Jackson said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "If I let that stuff get to me, ain't no telling where I'd be right now. I just let it roll off my shoulder and just keep going. Just keep trying to get better."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after practice Tuesday he was not surprised by Favre's return.
"I don't think anybody should be surprised by it," McCarthy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Aaron Rodgers, who inherited the starting quarterback position after Favre retired -- then unretired -- said, "I don't have a reaction," the Journal Sentinel reported. "It doesn't pertain to me. It has absolutely nothing to do with me. It doesn't change anything. It has nothing to do with the Green Bay Packers."
Packers linebacker Nick Barnett told the newspaper: "Ater all those years of not being able to hit him, do I want to hit him? Of course I want to hit him. He's an awesome guy. I wish him the best."
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}