LA Times Reports
USC and UCLA squared off yesterday at the Coliseum, but it wasn't allegiance to the Trojans or Bruins that brought Ice Cube to the empty stadium earlier this week. He was lamenting a team that hasn't taken the field here in more than 14 years.
Rather than celebrating the cardinal-and-gold or the blue-and-gold, the rapper-actor-producer roamed the stands recalling the darker, more ominous colors belonging to the last NFL team to call the Coliseum home -- the Los Angeles Raiders, a band of outlaw athletes who united rowdy football fanatics and hip-hoppers with roughhouse antics and championship play.
"The silver and black may have another home," said Cube, motioning to the vast emptiness of the stadium as a small camera crew followed him, "but the Raiders will always belong to the people of Los Angeles."
Cube was finishing up his upcoming salute to the departed Raiders -- now in the midst of another losing season in Oakland -- for ESPN as part of the cable network's "30 for 30," a slate of documentaries by several noted filmmakers including Barry Levinson, Peter Berg and John Singleton. Cube produced the film, which will combine archival footage with interviews with numerous celebrities, athletes and journalists (several Los Angeles Times sportswriters are participating in the film).
The title of Cube's project, "Straight Outta L.A." is a play on the title of the landmark album he and gangsta rap group N.W.A. recorded just over 20 years ago, "Straight Outta Compton."
"Straight Outta L.A.," which does not yet have an air date, chronicles how the Raiders between 1982 and the team's announced departure in 1995 were embraced by gangsta rappers as hip-hop exploded on the music scene. In one of the first instances of merchandising synergy between sports teams and cultural cliques, rappers started wearing Raiders gear -- black and silver jackets, hats and hoodies emblazoned with the team's logo of an eye-patch-wearing pirate. They showed up at games, and their rowdy behavior was an integral element of the ambience that intimidated calmer fans.
"The Raiders had a cast of characters that looked like a gang of pirates," he said, fingering the Raiders windbreaker he wore over his Raiders shirt. "Any kind of outlaw mentality we loved. It wasn't that they were bad. They just played by their own rules."
Even now, after spending much of the last several years starring in and producing crossover, family-friendly fare such as "Are We There Yet?," "First Sunday" and "The Longshots," his Raiders fever is as fierce as ever, re-igniting the snarlthat first established him as one of rap's first statesmen. He even has a new anthem, "Raider Nation," which he unveiled at the start of the season.
"It's the Oakland Raiders, get your mouthpiece," he growls. "You're in the black hole with the black beast . . . This ain't black gold, this is black silver. Commitment to excellence we deliver."
Dan Durbin, a clinical associate professor at USC's Annenberg School of Communication who specializes in sports media, said the Raiders' arrival in 1982 from Oakland supplanted the Los Angeles Rams in the affections of local fans while bringing a semi-outlaw element to the city's sports scene: "They were borderline -- if they didn't cheat, they came damn close to it. [Owner] Al Davis was always suing the NFL. But the other thing was, they were an excellent team."
Also, they were more appealing to hip-hoppers than the more conservative Rams, or the relatively clean-cut Lakers and Dodgers. "They had a rebellious image that resonated with a variety of subcultures, including bikers and gangsta rappers," Durbin said.
Said Cube, "I thought I had died and gone to heaven when they moved here." He and others responded to the team's outsider persona. "It was like the way it was with rap. We got tired of trying to play the mainstream game. So we decided we would just do records for the 'hood."
With the success of the group and his own solo work, Cube was able to buy Raiders season tickets. He pointed to a far-off section of the Coliseum: "There they are, around the 20-yard line, about 13 rows up. We'd come with the family, and with all the homies in their gear. The crowd was everything, from rowdy to tame. If you had the courage to be here, you belonged in Raider Nation."
The team won the Super Bowl in 1984, defeating the Washington Redskins 38-9 in Tampa, Fla. The Raiders uprooted again and returned to Oakland before the 1995 season, and they have suffered ever since.
Cube feels their pain, but says he will never stop loving the Raiders.
"It's like when your woman leaves you even after treating you bad," he said. "You hope she's doing well, then you find out she's going out with someone else. And you wish she was back."
greg.braxton@latimes.com
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Posted by Mr.I Get It on November 28, 2009 at 5:25pm
Eminem's top spot as the biggest selling album of 2009 may soon be in jeopardy. His Relapse album debuted at #1 selling over 600,000 copies and easily beating out competition across the board. Now as he prepares to re-release the successful project as Relapse:Refill, Em's top spot may soon be up for grabs. According to Billboard, newcomer and British talent show star Susan Boyle is set to knock Em out the top honor. Boyle's I Dreamed A Dream was released November 23 and is expected to outsell his latest product by a small margin. Along with beating out Eminem, Boyle's debut will more than likely smash Rihanna's Rated R which is projected to move 180,000 units.As Em sees his top debut spot being given up to a British talent show sensation, Em is looking to travel across the pond to import America's next rap star. Em recently declared that he would be interested in being a judge for England's talent show, “The X Factor. “ The MC told the Britain Sun that he'd love the opportunity to bring his Hip-Hop knowledge to the program.“No disrespect to the current judges but you need people who are global, platinum-selling stars. You need to prepare contestants for what it's really like out there, and what sort of pressure you are going to be under…..A hip-hop star will never win a show like The X Factor without somebody like me on the panel. There are a lot of very talented hip-hop stars who would kill for a break in Britain but the judges aren't qualified in hip-hop…I keep my eye on the urban scene in Britain and there is a lot of talent out there. It needs somebody in power to open a door for them.”He also made sure to add that while he may not be available to judge the show full time he would gladly accept a guest judge position.“I am not sure I would have the time to do it full-time, but I would come and be a guest judge...Simon tells it like it is and I am down with that. If somebody ain't good enough they ain't good enough.”
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Posted by Mr.I Get It on November 28, 2009 at 5:24pm
For stans of team Game eagerly anticipating R.E.D. season, the delay may very well be worth the wait. As previously reported, Games' R.E.D. album was originally scheduled to be released December 8 but has since been pushed back to an early February release.Now Hurricane Game is releasing details on the forthcoming release via his @IHateGame twitter. Game tweeted about R.E.D. confirming that he would have an all-star production line up of Dr. Dre and Pharrell. He broke the news to his 85,000 plus followers saying,"The R.E.D. Album is gonna be classic, that's a promise. Executive produced by Dr. Dre and Pharrell. The music is phenomenal.”Be on the lookout for Game's “phenomenal” release early in the first quarter of next year.
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Posted by Mr.I Get It on November 28, 2009 at 5:17pm
50 Cent's sales for his latest studio LP Before I Self Destruct were disappointing to say the least. The G-Unit President only managed to sell 161,000 copies of the project despite his tireless promotion and ongoing rap beefs. Now as news of his poor sales hits the net, his main rival is declaring victory over him. As previously reported, 50 took disrespect to new heights when he flew Ross's baby mother and child to Las Vegas to parlay with himself and Floyd Mayweather. In retaliation to that and several other shots Ross spoke out against 50 at a recent concert.Rick Ross took the stage with DJ Khaled for the 305 DJ's birthday celebration. Before performing his hit “This Is the Life” from Trilla, he spoke on his nemesis's poor sales week stating,“So we celebrating my nigga birthday, but we're also celebrating the demise of a pussy. R.I.P. to the donkey, we buried him. It feel good, nigga. Don't look surprised, you knew we was gonna do it. There's only one record that can describe the feeling.”50 Cent has yet to respond but we all know it won't be long before he does.
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Whoa, kinder, gentler 50 Cent alert! Far be it from me to make such proclamations, but it would seem, based on this episode of “The 5,” that Curtis is, dare we say it (we dare!), getting softer with age?In honor of Spankin’ New Music Week, and in recognition of his new album, Before I Self Destruct, we sat down with 50 Cent to talk about the new LP and its connection to his first album, Get Rich…Or Die Trying.50 Cent also goes on to talk about the get-together-then-break-up relationship arc across his two singles, “Baby By Me,” and “Do You Think About Me.”Check out the thoughtful, sensitive, and reserved 50 Cent (who knew!?) in this episode of “The 5.”Courtesy of MTV.
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Video After The JumpFrench Montana aka Macaroni Wit Da Cheese doing his thing with some help from Boss Don Biggaveli, Hollywood Fergie and Dame Grease. This must have been one of the last videos Max-B shot before he went in. Hold ya head Max, that Coke Wave seems to still be in full effect.
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NY Daily News Reports
A Vietnamese man dug up his wife's corpse and slept beside it for five years because he wanted to hug her in bed, an online newspaper reported on Thursday.
The 55-year-old man from a small town in the central province of Quang Nam opened up his wife's grave in 2004, molded clay around the remains to give the figure of a woman, put clothes on her and then placed her in his bed, Vietnamnet.vn said.
The man, Le Van, told the website that after his wife died in 2003 he slept on top of her grave, but about 20 months later he worried about rain, wind and cold, so he decided to dig a tunnel into the grave "to sleep with her."
His children found out, though, and prevented him from going to the grave. So one night in November 2004 he dug up his wife's remains and took them home, Vietnamnet reported.
The website carried a photo of Van with the figure of his wife, which is still in his home.
The father of seven said neighbors did not dare visit the house for several years.
"I'm a person that does things differently. I'm not like normal people," he was quoted as saying.
BlackBookMag.com Reports
Rachel Uchitel is an accomplished nightclub VIP operations manager who's gotten rather famous, rather suddenly. In a bombshell National Enquirer story that's yet to appear online, a young lady from Las Vegas named Ashley Samson alleges that Uchitel, a friend of hers, has been enjoying a months-long affair with decidedly married pro golfer Tiger Woods; tabloids even speculate that Woods' car accident this morning occurred after he fought with wife Elin Nordegren over the revelations. The media's going nuts over the scandal, so we called Uchitel and asked for her side of the story. "I've had better days," she began.
On the merits, it seems a little implausible that someone who makes a living serving the nightlife needs of celebs (see her VIP lowdown on New York’s Griffin lounge) would be so comically indiscreet. For now, Uchitel is keeping more mum than she could be on the advice of counsel, but she did have a few choice points to make:
● “I don’t appreciate my name or what people think of me being dragged through the mud by people who don’t even bother to research what or who they’re talking about ... they should research who these stories are coming from, who they’re believing as a credible source. Not to mention that it’s in the National Enquirer.”
● “I totally deny the Enquirer story. They did contact me about it, but they didn’t use any of my quotes or any of the information I gave them. They make it sound like I said those things, but it’s all other people saying I said things.”
● On the story’s report that she followed Woods to Australia and was observed checking into his hotel and riding the elevator to the 35th floor, where Woods had a suite: “There’s just no possible way I could have done that. You can’t just walk into a place like that and ride the elevator to a floor with someone like Tiger Woods on it without someone seeing you and stopping you.”
● On allegedly sending racy text messages to Woods: “If you talked to any of my old boyfriends, and I’m sure they all hate me, but they’d all confirm that I don’t sex-message. I don’t do it, I don’t know how to do it.”
● On Ashley Samson, the “close friend” of Uchitel’s who provided all the information to the Enquirer, along with another unnamed source, both of whom supposedly “passed” a polygraph: “I’ve met her twice in my life. We’re not friends. I’m just speculating but it seems like someone else is telling her what to say or manipulating her. After all, she got $25,000 for this.”Read more…
Daily Telegraph Reports
BAFFLED police are yet to interview Tiger Woods over a bizarre car crash just outside his Florida mansion that left the world's greatest golfer unconscious and sparked claims it was caused by a domestic spat over allegations he was having an affair.
The golfing great's wife, Erin Nordegren, said she rescued her husband from the wreckage using a golf club to smash the car window, but other reports emerging out of the US claimed she had used the club on her husband during their late-night row.
The fight that apparently led to the crash was reportedly sparked by tabloid reports Woods cheated on his wife with a nightclub hostess in Melbourne during the recent Australian Masters.
Woods, 33, suffered facial lacerations not in the accident but in the earlier fracas with his angry wife, according to celebrity website TMZ.
The crash, at 2.25am on the morning after Thanksgiving, followed the emergence of the unsubstantiated National Enquirer report claiming that Woods enjoyed trysts with 34-year-old New York party planner Rachel Uchitel in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Australia.
The magazine published a photograph of Uchitel checking into Melbourne's Crown Casino Hotel, where Woods stayed during the Masters tournament.
Both last night denied any affair. Uchitel said she had been in Melbourne two weeks ago with clients, but did not see Woods.
Rachel Uchitel
But TMZ, which broke the news of Michael Jackson's death, said the allegations sparked a confrontation between Woods and Nordegren, who allegedly scratched his face and followed him with a golf club as he "beat a hasty retreat" to his Cadillac four-wheel drive.
As he tried to drive away, Nordegren hit the vehicle with the club, distracting Woods and causing him to crash into a fire hydrant, then a tree, just metres from their $2.4 million mansion.
When police arrived, they found a dazed Woods on the ground with cuts around his mouth and his wife hovering over him. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said he was unconscious for six minutes.
"He had lacerations to his upper and lower lip and a little bit of blood in his mouth," police chief Dan Saylor told The Sunday Telegraph. "They asked his wife what happened - she said the car hit a fire hydrant, then a tree. She was very distraught."
Nordegren told police she rushed outside after hearing the crash and used the club to shatter the car's rear window, so she could unlock the door and drag Woods out of the wrecked car.
Woods' representatives would not comment on reports that the couple had quarrelled.
The drama unfolded in a prestigious gated community just outside Orlando, home to a slew of sports stars including basketballer Shaquille O'Neill and Australian golfer Stuart Appleby.
Shocked neighbours brought the injured Woods a pillow and a blanket as he lay on the ground.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and will decide whether to press charges. "Right now, we believe this is a traffic crash. We don't believe it is a domestic issue," spokeswoman Kim Montes said.
Authorities hope to interview the sports star for the first time today.
Mr Saylor said the golfer was not breathalysed at the scene: "My officers did say they had no indication he was under the influence of anything."
Officers were turned away by Nordegren when they returned to speak to Woods yesterday. She told them he was sleeping.
Police were baffled at how Woods hit the hydrant and tree, on opposite sides of the road. Airbags in the car did not deploy, suggesting that it was travelling at less than 55km/h.
Uchitel, who has a high profile in New York and lost her fiance in the 9/11 attacks, insisted she had no relationship with Woods.
"God forbid Tiger got into a car wreck because of this false report of him having an affair," she said.
AllHipHop Reports
A controversial new documentary about superstar rapper Lil Wayne has shot to the top of the iTunes movie charts.
QD3 Entertainment’s film The Carter is currently the No. 1 selling documentary on iTunes in the U.S.
In addition to landing the top slot on Apple's iTunes U.S.’ music store, The Carter is also in the Top 10 on the Canadian iTunes music store alongside such blockbusters as Bruno and GI Joe.
“Having our Lil Wayne The Carter documentary place in the Top 10 on both U.S. and Canadian iTunes store within the first 48 hours, competing neck and neck with multi-million dollar studio films such as Bruno and GI Joe during Christmas season is quite a feat for a self distributed indie doc and beyond our expectations,” QD3 Entertainment CEO Quincy Jones III told AllHipHop.com. “We are very excited about continuing to innovate within the digital space.”
The Carter was released on November 17th and is an in depth look at the personal and professional life of rapper Lil Wayne.
Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., is known for his rigorous touring schedule and frequent drug use, which is spotlighted in the documentary.
In April of 2009, a judge rejected a request by Lil Wayne's lawyer to block the distribution of the DVD, due to several scenes in the movie which the rapper and his management objected to, reportedly because of his drug use.
The rapper's management claimed they requested to have the questionable scenes removed, but those scenes were still in The Carter, when it premiered at the Sundance film festival in January.
Despite the lawsuit Jones told AllHipHop.com that the documentary’s release is in line with a digital distribution strategy the company has been developing in 2001.
"It was my goal since the inception of QD3 Entertainment in 2001 to have a strong focus on digital distribution and multi platform innovation,” Jones told AllHipHop.com. “Since 2001 our primary means of marketing have been organic and viral on digital platforms. Using this approach we've been able to sell over 2 million DVD's via the QD3 (DVD) collection at physical retail….this is the era we have preparing for all along by retaining all rights to our content and were about to launch a couple of digital content and social media platforms by early 2010 utilizing our over 3,500 hour library of high quality content that includes films such as Tupac Shakur - Thug Angel and the multi platinum Beef.”
QD3 Entertainment’s The Carter was directed by Adam Bhala Lough and is currently available on iTunes for $14.99.
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ESPN Reports
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tiger Woods has been seriously injured in a car wreck in Florida, authorities said Friday.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at 2:25 a.m. ET. Woods was driving a 2009 Cadillac sport utility vehicle.
The police report narrative said the "driver had just pulled out of the driveway at his residence ... as [vehicle] began to drive on Deacon Circle, [vehicle] struck a fire hydrant. The front of [vehicle] then struck a tree..."
Woods was taken to Health Central Hospital. His condition was not immediately known, though the highway patrol news release said his injuries were serious.
The airbags in the car did not deploy, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel. The newspaper said that airbags typically do not deploy if a vehicle is traveling less than 33 miles per hour.
The highway patrol says the crash is still under investigation, and charges are pending. However, the highway patrol said the crash was not alcohol-related.
Woods is scheduled to play in the Chevron World Challenge beginning Dec. 3 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He last played two weeks ago in Australia, where he won the Australian Masters.
He won six times this year after missing eight months recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Even though he failed to win a major, Woods said he considered this a successful year because he did not know how his knee would respond.
Woods, who has won 82 times around the world and 14 majors, returned to his $2.4 million home in the exclusive Isleworth subdivision near Orlando earlier this week after attending the Stanford-Cal football game, where he tossed the coin at the start of the game and was inducted into Stanford's sports Hall of Fame at halftime.
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Tracklist:
01. Special f. Voyce
02. Do What You Do
03. Money (rmx) f. Nickelus F
04. AMPM f. Nickelus F
05. City Is Mine (Extended)
06. Thrill Is Gone f. Voyce
07. Video Girl f. Voyce
08. Come Winter
09. A Scorpio’s Mind f. Nickelus F
10. S.T.R.E.S.S. f. Nickelus F
11. Try Harder
12. Do What You Do (rmx) f. Malice (Clipse) & Nickelus F [Bonus]Download HereRead more…
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 27, 2009 at 12:30pm
TMZ Reports
Tyler Perry used too much of the goodness of Jesus in his movie, "Madea Goes to Jail," at least according to a new federal lawsuit obtained by TMZ.
The suit, filed by the personal representative of deceased gospel singer/songwriter Bertha James, claims Perry lifted an entire verse from a song James wrote in 1950 -- "When I Think of the Goodness of Jesus."
The suit claims Perry pilfered the verse and used it in "Madea" -- specifically, "incorporating the entire Chorus in a monologue delivered by the main character in 'Madea" referencing her deliverance from a jail sentence and leniency for repetitive criminal conduct, in a staged court proceeding presided over by 'Judge Mabeline.'"
Bertha's estate, which is also suing Lionsgate Entertainment, wants unspecified damages for copyright infringement.
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 27, 2009 at 11:30am
Video After The JumpMr Cocaine City DVD, French Montana continues his street and viral campaign by releasing another hot video. This joint was Directed and edited by Mazi.O. Be on the lookout for French's new mixtape "Black Friday". Hosted by Evil Empire and DJ Big Mike dropping soon.
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 27, 2009 at 11:12am
HipHopWired Reports
As the release date for Lil Wayne's Rebirth rock debut draws nearer, new details are emerging on the upcoming project. As previously reported the album was slated for a December 15 release but was pushed back to the 22. Additionally, Gudda Gudda confirmed an upcoming Young Money/Cash Money tour in time to promote both Wayne's Rebirth and his YM's family, We Are Young Money album.
Now just a few short weeks before both albums hit stores and their tour takes off, the tracklisiting for Weezy's latest lyrical LP has hit the net.
While the features have not been tagged to the project as of yet, the 12 song tracklisting and cover are available below.
1. American Star
2. Prom Queen
3. Ground Zero
4. Da Da Da
5. Paradise
6. Get A Life
7. On Fire
8. Drop The World
9. Runnin
10. One Way Trip
11. Knockout
12. The Price Is Wrong
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}