01 Sean Garret & Nicki Minaj - Massive Attack 02 iLLAJ Feat. BDP - Neon Lights (Prod By Notti) 03 AZ - Still A Justified Hustler 04 Ace Hood - Black 05 Tone Trump - Gettin To The Money 06 Warren G Feat. Nate Dogg - Clownin 07 DJ Paul (Three 6 Mafia) - Hi Way (Im Gone) 08 Rain - Gimme 09 J. Cole Feat. Young Chris - Still The Hottest 10 St. Laz - NY Murda Boy (Prod By Chrystal Beats) 11 Tay Dizm (Point 'Em Out) 12 AZ - Never Change 13 iLLAJ - Cherry Blossoms (Call Me Pt. 2) Prod By Stewie Vuiton 14 Kurupt - Murder Fitness 15 Cool Breeze Ray - Lightning Thief 16 Tone Trump - I'm Workin 17 Omarion Feat. Snoop Dogg - Kinkos 18 Gucci Mane Feat. Warren G - Crush On You 19 Trazz Feat. Lloyd - Internet Love 20 Rain Feat Small World - Make Way 21 Jay Star - Fuck Was You Doing 22 AZ - Cant Come Up With 99 Foes 23 iLLAJ - One Shot 24 Warren G - Do You Think About G
Rapper 50 Cent will show fans his family heritage as part of an upcoming VH1 “Rock Dock” titled 50’s Roots.
According to rep’s for VH1, 50 Cent will head to the dep south in search of his family’s slave lineage.
During the show, the South Jamaica, Queens-raised rapper will meet with living family members, while attempting to learn more about his ancestral heritage.
The “Rock Doc” is being produced in conjunction with 50 Cent and Roadside Entertainment and is part of a massive new slate of programming VH1 is unveiling for 2010.
The new programming reflects a study VH1 conducted, to gain insight into what viewers of the network actually wanted to see.
"They told us that they want to connect even more with our characters, our artists and our celebrities – but in a more genuine way,” said Tom Calderone, President of VH1. “They still enjoy VH1's signature sense of fun and irreverence, but they also want more storylines that reflect the issues and challenges they are experiencing in their own lives.”
VH1 is a unit of Viacom, which also owns MTV Networks, which aired 50 Cent’s first reality show, 50 Cent: The Money and The Power.
An airdate for 50’s Roots was not available as of press time.
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- In Chris Harrison's ideal world, mobile phones would be the size of matchbooks. They'd have full-size keyboards. They'd browse the Web. They'd play videos.
And, most importantly, you'd never have to touch them.
Sound like too much to ask? Maybe not.
Harrison, a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University and a former intern at Microsoft Research, has developed a working prototype of a system called Skinput that does just that, essentially by turning a person's hand and forearm into a keyboard and screen.
"People don't love the iPhone keyboard. They use them. But they don't love them," Harrison said in a interview at the recent Computer-Human Interaction conference. "If you could make the iPhone keyboard as big as an arm -- that would be huge."
Using Skinput, a person could tap their thumb and middle finger together to answer a call; touch their forearm to go to the next track on a music player; or flick the center of their palm to select a menu item.
All of these sign-language-like movements, which are customizable, would control a gadget in a person's pocket through a Bluetooth connection.
When fitted with a pico-projector, the Skinput system could display an image of a digital keyboard on a person's forearm. So, using Skinput, someone could send text messages by tapping his or her arm in certain places -- without pulling the phone out of a pocket or purse.
"You could pretty much do a lot of what you do on your iPhone," said Harrison, who says Skinput "is [like having] your iPhone on your palm."
The system, which has been under development for eight months, won't be commercially available for two to seven years, said Dan Morris, a Microsoft researcher who is working with Harrison on Skinput.
Before that can happen, Skinput's sensors need to get more accurate, he said. In a 13-person trial in Seattle, Washington, Skinput was found to be 96 percent accurate. But that test only used five buttons. The system would have to improve for people to make use of a full keyboard, which would be the "holy grail," Morris said.
"The accuracy is good, but it's not quite consumer-level yet," he said.
Skinput is one of a number of prototypes, ideas and near-products aiming to make computing more natural.
These devices seek to move beyond the mouse and physical keyboard, letting people communicate with their gadgets by gesturing, using sign language or, in the case of Skinput, tapping on their hands, fingers and forearms.
The arm as an instrument
Understanding how Skinput works makes it seem all the more futuristic.
The system turns a person's arm and hand into a wiggling, pulsating instrument, full of vibrations that can be picked up and translated.
Skinput users wear an armband -- the prototype version is made of an elbow brace -- that's lined with 10 sensors. These sensors look like tiny diving boards with dumbbells on one end, and they pick up inaudible sounds that range in frequency from 25 to 78 hertz.
When a Skinput user taps a thumb and middle finger together, the impact sends ripples down the skin and through the bones in the person's arm. "They sort of start resonating -- like guitar strings," Harrison said. The diving-board receivers read the sound waves to figure out what gesture the person made, and then relay that information to a phone.
Skinput can tell whether a person tapped a middle finger or an index finger, because the two moves sound slightly different to the springy receivers.
The system takes one or two minutes to learn the sounds of a particular person's arm, Morris said, and then it can be used however the user likes.
Trial and error
When they started working on Skinput, Morris and Harrison weren't sure if it would be possible to turn the human arm into a virtual keypad. The pair tried clipping sensors to the ends of peoples' fingers and other strange configurations that made users feel like cyborgs.
"We spent a lot of nights in the lab tapping on our arms and wondering if this would ever happen," Harrison said.
But the most profound achievement of Skinput is proving that the human body can be used as a sensor, he said.
Morris believes Skinput will make computing accessible to people in a way that never would have been possible before.
With Skinput, "literally, computing is always available," he said.
A person might walk toward their home, Harrison said, tap their palm to unlock the door and then tap some virtual buttons on their arms to turn on the TV and start flipping through channels.
MILWAUKEE (AP) - A Milwaukee County courtroom erupted into violence and screaming after a Wisconsin man was sentenced to life in prison without parole Friday morning.
Three deputies tackled 19-year-old Seandell Jackson and sprayed him with pepper spray after he became enraged by the sentence and glared at the victim's family.
Meanwhile, Jackson's family turned to the victim's family and began yelling, "We hate you, we hate you, God is the judge."
Jackson was convicted in Feburary of first-degree intentional homicide and attempted robbery in the death of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student Nathan Potter in July.
Christina Aguilera may be a mom, but that by no means puts her in the mood to tone down her look or music videos. In fact, Aguilera says her new album, "Bionic" promotes the fact that she feels "sexier than ever".
Referencing her son, Max, and the maturity that comes with being a mom on the set of "Not Myself Tonight"(video), Aguilera said "[Having a baby] makes you appreciate your body in ways you never knew existed prior. It’s a comfort level with your body. Maturity. Having wisdom and the knowledge you didn’t have in your early 20’s and not know quite how things work yet. Mmmm. (laughs) And how to get the best of them. So, with age, comes those lessons and those growing moments.”
According to GMTV, who was granted access to the anticipated shoot for "Not Myself Tonight" earlier this month, Aguilera is back and ready to play with a new deck of cards.
"[I've been] going through that whole growing cycle of being a mom, where with age, I know now exactly what I want," Aguilera told the UK based program. "I have a better understanding of exactly how to get it... I feel sexier than I ever have."
In related news, Christina Aguilera is slated to tape an episode of VH1Storytellers and perform during Toyota's Summer Concert series, the latter airing on the 'Today Show' in June.
Forget being mad over talk of her 'lace-front' on VH1's 'Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business,' Brandy has some serious beef with longtime friend/producer Rodney Jerkins.
In a soon-to-air episode of her reality show with Ray J, Brandy leaves no stone unturned blaming Jerkins for poor work and the ultimate demise of her last album, "Human".
Reportedly interested in working on a project with Jerkins, Ray J discusses the effort with Brandy, only to be hit with a disapproving look and words like 'I don't want the same thing that happened to me to happen to you'.
While it is unknown whether Brandy has patched things up with Jerkins, since the show taped earlier this year, it is very clear that Brandy was not enthused with his work on the album that ultimately ended with her parting ways with Epic Records.
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - When Drake stormed into St. John's for the Junos this weekend, winning two awards and taking the stage for three separate performances, the 23-year-old best new artist winner really looked more like a calm, seasoned vet.
And, in fact, he does have some uncommon experience: he's one of an exclusive club of Canadian artists who appeared at the Grammys before his own hometown show.
In January, he didn't win in either of the two categories he was nominated in at the Grammys but provided one of the show's highlights with a crackling performance of his "Forever" with Lil Wayne and Eminem.
So how did the two experiences compare?
"The Grammys were very overwhelming," Drake said backstage after the Junos on Sunday. "I was actually very sick that night, so it was a little disheartening at first. I was sort of nervous. I remember walking the carpet and I just got lost in the melee of people that were way more famous than me. Nobody really cared much that I was there.
"It was a great night though. That's probably one of the most memorable nights of my career."
Drake and His Mom
The Junos, however, were just as memorable.
"Tonight was about more for me, though," he said. "It was just, I spend so much time in the States telling them how much I love Canada, telling them how much I love Toronto and how much it's inspired my music.
"So to be recognized by Canadians, it just lets me know that I'm not doing it vain and that they support me as much as I love and support them.
"So the Junos tonight was really special for me."
Aside from winning trophies for new artist of the year and rap recording of the year (for his EP, "So Far Gone"), Drake also took the stage for a blistering - and blue - performance of his new single, "Over," for a backing role on 16-year-old Justin Bieber's tune, "Baby," and for K'naan's show-closing "Wavin' Flag."
When he beat out Bieber for new artist, the two phenoms - conveniently seated next to one another - smiled and hugged, and Drake gave him a shoutout onstage (only after thanking his mother, of course).
Afterwards, Drake breezed into the media room and did something no one else did all night - he grabbed a chair and got comfortable as he fielded questions from the media.
But as relaxed as he seems, Drake says the gigantic leaps forward he's been making this past year haven't dulled the nerves that still come with award shows.
"Pretty much every single thing I do is intimidating or nerve-wracking, so I just do what I do right now, come in and try to make myself overly comfortable," said Drake, nee Aubrey Drake Graham.
"When I have to perform, I just really go at it head on, I jump around, I get excited, I amp myself up. If you think about what you have to do too much, it can definitely drive you crazy."
And it's not lost on him that, for a Canadian rapper who doesn't have an album full-length out yet ("Thank Me Later" is now scheduled to drop in June), he leads a charmed existence.
"For a new artist, I've (done) some things that some people will never get to do in their lives," he said.
Jake Shields' win at the Strikeforce World Championship Saturday night was overshadowed by a brawl that was never meant to happen.
CBS' telecast of the mixed martial arts competition ended in an unscheduled fight that broke out after Shields defeated Dan Henderson.
The fight started when Jason "Mayhem" Miller called for a rematch. Shields started to pummel Miller, only to be separated and have his spot taken by the crowd.
The show's host exclaimed on the loud speakers, "Gentleman, we're on national television," before cutting to commercial.
Miller later tweeted, "They didn't show the whole fight, which is silly, but everyone decided to go the distance tonight."
Toyota will agree to pay a record $16.4-million fine for hiding safety defects related to sudden acceleration in 2.3 million vehicles but will stop short of accepting full legal responsibility for purposely withholding safety information, federal safety regulators said late Sunday.
Toyota failed to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for at least four months after learning that the accelerator pedals in some of its vehicles could stick and cause unwanted acceleration, regulators say. Under federal law, automakers are required to disclose defects within five business days.
NHTSA announced April 5 that it would seek the fine. Final details of the written agreement with Toyota were still unresolved Sunday night, although the agency said it expected Toyota to pay the maximum amount that NHTSA is allowed by law to levy.
"By paying the full civil penalty, Toyota is accepting responsibility for hiding safety defects from NHTSA in violation of the law," a senior Transportation Department official said.
Toyota officials could not be reached for comment late Sunday.
Toyota was given until Monday to pay the fine or contest it. Even as late as Sunday night, it was not clear whether the written agreement that governs the fine would include an admission by Toyota that it violated the law.
Such an admission would be important because Toyota faces scores of personal-injury and class-action lawsuits alleging that safety defects in its vehicles have caused crashes, injuries and fatalities.
Even if Toyota does not formally admit guilt, federal officials said, paying the sizable fine would indicate that the automaker broke the law.
Plaintiff attorneys have said they plan to use the fine as evidence in litigation.
The Japanese automaker issued a recall for the sticky-pedal problem in late January, acknowledging that the accelerator pedal assembly on some models could fail to return to the idle position in certain circumstances.
Several months before that, Toyota announced its largest-ever recall to address the risk that floor mats in some models could entrap the gas pedal and cause unwanted acceleration. That recall now includes 5.4 million vehicles. In addition, Toyota has launched recalls of several other models in recent months for safety issues related to braking and rust. In total, the automaker has issued roughly 10.5 million recall notices worldwide in the last seven months.
Toyota sent instructions to its European operations in September that explained how to fix accelerator pedals that could stick but decided not to similarly notify U.S. dealers and government regulators, according to an April 5 letter from NHTSA attorneys to Toyota.
The NHTSA letter indicated that Toyota may have known about the defect for at least three years.
It was not until Jan. 19 that Toyota notified NHTSA about the defect and then two days later issued its massive recall. Five days after that, Toyota halted sales and production of eight models because of the defect.
NHTSA said in its April 5 letter that it may seek additional fines related to the sticky-pedal recall.
Meanwhile, the agency has acknowledged it is investigating other Toyota disclosure practices that may have violated federal law and could result in further fines.
To date, the largest federal penalty paid by an automaker was $1 million, levied against General Motors in 2004 for delaying a windshield wiper recall.
Audio After The Jump
Who can remember when they used to see Ginuwine, Missy Elliot and Timbaland in videos and on tracks together all the time? Well, Ginuwine recently said in an interview that he still feels upset by falling out with Timbo and that the dance music lover has even given him the cold shoulder a few times too.
Ginuwine told VIBE Magazine: "Me and Tim were real close at one point. A lot of the times that I reached out, there were a bunch of excuses. I begged and pleaded with him because I felt a certain way but I was like, is it just a bad vibe that I'm picking up on? Maybe I'm bugging out, I don't know.”
He added: “But it came out to be true and I still feel like he owes me an apology for that. The reason I'm pissed off at him now is because of what he did. I would've been cool and not bothered him if he would've said, 'Nah, I'm too busy', or gave me the lame excuse like he's been giving me. But don't do it and then not do what you're supposed to do [to promote the song]."
NBA star Shaquille O'Neal's divorce from his wife Shaunie is getting very messy.
According to TMZ, Shaq sent a message via his six year old son that he is going to kill his wife's current boyfriend.
Shaq reportedly told his son to tell the man that Shaq "is going to kill him". At one point he started screaming, "Say it now! My daddy is going to kill you!"
Shaunie also accuses her husband of interrogating their kids to tell him everything they know about the man "to the point that they felt intimidated and scared of him."
Her lawyers are demanding the basketball star stop "further inappropriate discussions" with their children -- which is an alleged violation of the non-disparagement provision of their divorce judgment.
Whoa Shaq, slow your roll son we know you're better than this.
(AllHipHop News) Scott Storch is quickly getting back into swing of the music game by lending his hit-making skills to the highly anticipated Dr. Dre single “Under Pressure,” a song that features Jay-Z.
The song, which has yet to leak, is a huge move for the Philadelphia-bred musician, according to a company working closely with Storch.
"To see Scott Storch and Dr. Dre back together, signifies the change in the music industry climate as we know it. This will definitely get the industry back in step with the world,” said Derek Jackson of the Bluewave Group, Inc. Storch serves as the Vice President of Creative, according to the company’s profile.
When AllHipHop.com talked to Storch in December 2009, he was about to jump on a plane to Los Angeles to work with Dre in California.
He wouldn’t divulge much but said, “That seems to be his trend and every time he comes out, its amazing. I don't want to spill the beans on exactly the direction he's going but its definitely different than that last one.”
Storch and Dr. Dre have worked together at great lengths in the past, including "Still D.R.E," (which was written by Jay-Z), The Chronic 2000 and a plethora of other works.
Bad bounces for the NBA: With league claiming losses & players crying foul, lockout looms
In seven seasons in the NBA, LeBron James has done everything you could ask of a player who came in directly from the high school ranks. He's taken the once down-trodden Cleveland Cavalier franchise to its first NBA Finals, played in six All-Star Games, won a regular-season MVP award, is favored to win his second-straight MVP and has led his team to the best record in the NBA for the second straight season
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If he only had the Midas touch when it came to making his team money, James would be even better than advertised.
Despite all that James has done to turn Cleveland into a winner, the Cavaliers have been losing upwards of $20 million per season over the last two seasons, and are projected to lose anywhere from $10-$15 million this season, according to league sources with knowledge of the team's finances.
Not that the Cavs are alone. They're one of many of the 30 NBA teams expected to lose millions — and supply the league's owners with what they see as an iron-clad case for changing the current economic model when the labor agreement expires after next season.
Owners don't believe their losses are merely a direct result of the lousy economy, which can be partly to blame for the league's 2% decline in ticket sales. For the men who sign the players' paychecks, the very system under which they operate is obsolete, only five years after they signed their last collective bargaining agreement and guaranteed players 57% of basketball related income (BRI).
"We need to make significant changes to deal with very substantial losses that amount to hundreds of millions of dollars," NBA commissioner David Stern said, at the All-Star Game in Dallas in February. "It's fair to say that the current business activities do not support the current expense structure that we have."
Empty Seats At Nets vs Knicks Game
Stern projects losses upwards of $400 million for this season alone — about double the annual losses for the first four years of the deal. And he predicted Friday that they would still be close to that. That's why he and his owners want to drop the players' salaries to around 45% of the BRI.
The $400M loss projection has come under fire from the players, and, to a lesser extent, from the Players Association, who see it as a negotiating ploy and don't want to antagonize their partners, at this point. When the players present a counter-offer in the near future, they are expected to provide their own bottom-line figure and continue to demand that the current system merely be tweaked. The union contends that aside from the problems with the economy, teams need to be smarter when it comes to spending money on coaches and front office personnel.
Players are in a tricky spot, knowing they can't protest too loudly.
"The last work stoppage was in '98 and certainly the economy was a lot better at that time, and there were some players who said some things that were insensitive," said Phoenix's veteran forward, Grant Hill. "You don't want to alienate and disrespect the public and the customers who support us. So it's a tough situation. Obviously, there's posturing that occurs in negotiations, but both sides have to be careful."
On this hot-button issue, owners and team executives are not as free to speak as players, risking a hefty fine from the league. Not surprisingly, they have taken the league's position that players need to make the ultimate sacrifice. One ownership source said privately that four teams — Memphis, New Orleans, Charlotte, and Minnesota — went into this current season with their owners digging into their own personal fortunes to keep their teams afloat. Additionally, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Indiana, New Jersey, Milwaukee and Philadelphia were among the teams said to be losing "tons'' of money this season.
While the defending champion Lakers do the best on and off the court — with their tremendous revenue streams in big-market L.A., they made around $51 million last season, according to Forbes — the Cavs' payroll of $85 million is the main reason for their losses, sources say. Looking to keep James happy and to get his signature on a new long-term deal this summer, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has done everything possible toward that end by constantly adding high-priced players, including this season's additions, Shaquille O'Neal ($20 million) and Antawn Jamison ($11.6 million). Gilbert will have to pay about $15 million in luxury tax, bringing his bill for salaries to around $100 million. So, despite the Cavs playing to sellout crowds during most of the James era, and getting top dollar from other revenue streams, including concessions and parking, having James on the team has been a losing proposition, at least when it comes to the team's finances.
Yet, despite the record losses around his league, Stern has rarely taken flak, or for soft-peddling the crisis when he says things like, "It's a good time to be commissioner in the NBA," a line he delivered in Dallas before telling the media how dismal things are.
"When David talks about how great things are, he's not talking about the teams' profitability," says one high-ranking league executive who requested anonymity. "He's talking more along the lines of how the game is going for us, internationally. He's not talking about, 'hey, our teams are printing money.' You have not heard him say that.
Monica continues to reign atop the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart.
Scoring a fourth week on top with "Everything To Me," Monica fought off Usher's well charting single "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home) (no.2)," "Rude Boy (Rihanna)(no.3), and "My Chick Bad," Ludacris' hit single with Nicki Minaj.
The latter of three, "My Chick Bad" is this week's top airplay gainer, moving three spots (7-4) to reach no.4.
In related news, Usher has another top 10 hit on his hands with "Lil Freak". Also featuring Nicki Minaj, the single moved 11-9 this week.
A rally of about 40 white supremacists Saturday on the lawn of Los Angeles City Hall drew hundreds of counter-protesters, sparked brawls in which two people were severely beaten and ended with crowds of demonstrators hurling rocks and bottles at police and departing supremacists.
The rally, conducted by the National Socialist Movement, prompted the Los Angeles Police Department to go on tactical alert as counter-protesters from throughout the region flooded into downtown L.A. They included a wide assortment of African American, Jewish, Latino, immigrants-rights and anarchist groups.
While some counter-protesters said they had heard about the event through social media such as Twitter and had come to urge peace in the face of the group's hateful message, others had clearly come for a fight. At least five of them were arrested by the end of the demonstration for throwing eggs and rocks.
Before members of the white supremacist group had arrived, a bare-chested middle-aged man with Nazi insignias tattooed on his chest and back walked into a crowd of hundreds of counter-protesters gathered near 1st and Spring streets.
Surrounded, the man mockingly bobbed his head to the rhythm of demonstrators chanting "Nazi scum." About a dozen protesters suddenly began pelting the man with punches and kicks. He fell and was struck on the back with the wooden handle of a protester's sign, which snapped in two. Police eventually reached the man and pulled him from the melee, as blood poured from the back of his neck.
Another man was rushed by a mob on Spring Street. He was punched in the face and kicked for about 20 seconds before police made it to the scene. After that beating was broken up, the man began running south on Spring Street, only to be chased down by a protester and slugged in the face. He collapsed and his face slammed to the curb as protesters began pummeling him again.
The bloodied man was then escorted away by police. Both victims were treated and released, police said.
His sign, unclear in its intended meaning, read "Christianity=Paganism=Heathen$" with an arrow pointing at a swastika.
"Gosh, I think he just didn't have a clear message. I don't even think he was a Nazi," said one man, looking at the broken pieces of the sign left behind.
The neo-Nazi group had obtained a permit for its demonstration earlier in the week, and police prepared the rally area by taping off a section of City Hall's shaded south lawn. About 12:30 p.m., members began delivering anti-immigrant tirades and shouts of "Sieg Heil" that echoed down the street.
"We are tired of you clogging up our streets," shouted one white supremacist.
Another group member repeatedly denounced illegal immigrants, saying, "If the city supports illegal aliens and criminals, that is treason."
A counter-protester shouted back with a bullhorn.
"You're being protected by black and Latino cops, you cowards!" she said.
The rally ended around 2:30 p.m. with counter-protesters rushing toward the criminal courts building parking lot where the white supremacists had parked their cars. Dozens of them hurled rocks and glass bottles at the neo-Nazis and their police escorts.
One vehicle failed to start. As a group of white supremacists attempted to jump-start the car, others raised swastika-emblazoned shields over their heads to protect themselves from projectiles. After the white supremacists left, police allowed the crowds to dissipate.
Cmdr. David Doan said the LAPD's goal was to protect free speech and avoid using force. "There was a tremendous amount of restraint shown by our officers," he said. "We allowed both sides to exercise their 1st Amendment rights."
Doan said it was a frustrating situation for LAPD officers. "We took some rocks and bottles when they arrived, and we took some again when the car had some trouble starting."
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