Video After The JumpBBC Reports
Australian Danny Green produced a big shock by knocking out Roy Jones Jr in the first round of their IBO cruiserweight title fight in Sydney.
The 40-year-old Jones, who was seeking a ninth world title, was floored inside the first minute by a brutal punch.
Jones got up but Green continued the onslaught and the referee stopped the bout after two minutes, two seconds.
After only his sixth loss in 60 fights, Jones, who had eyed a bout with Bernard Hopkins, has hinted at retirement.
Jones Jr beat Hopkins to win his first world title in 1993 and floored Britain's Joe Calzaghe in the first round when the pair met for the Ring Magazine light heavyweight championship in New York in November 2008, before losing unanimously on points.
He has won eight world titles in four different weight divisions and has been referred to as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
But he was felled for only the third time in his career and succumbed to the quickest defeat of a professional career that began way back in 1989.
Green, who only came out of a 13-month retirement in April, was close to apologetic after winning his 28th fight out of 31, 25 of them by knockout.
"That almost hurt me to do that to someone whom I aspire to look up to as a professional fighter inside and outside the ring," he said.
"I am just overwhelmed - this is the greatest victory in my entire life."
Jones Jr is now unlikely to continue in the ring and said: "I have got to take my hat off to Danny, it was a great performance. I guess now I go back into retirement."Read more…
Audio After The JumpHipHopWired Reports
“And I ain't sayin n*ggas left us in the hood though/ We ate our little food, did the dishes, cleaned the plates up/ You was eatin steak while we was eatin Steakum/ But I never complained, backed you up and tipped the waiter.”
There has been heavy discussion as it pertains to Beanie Sigel and his recent verbal assaults on Jay-Z. Many are feeling as though he has a valid argument, whereas others look at him as a down and out rapper trying to himself back to relevancy.
No matter how much he sends shots at the throne of his former “friend” people seem to need more convincing that he is pleading a real case.
“We don't believe you, you need more people,” would simply sum it up for Beans.
With that being said, fellow Philly native has decided to end his silence and slip in his own commentary on the ongoing situation with the release of the track “Love Is A Battlefield”.
“All the people want me to get into detail/ Bout Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel/ We shall proceed/ Wanna know if I rhyme with Beanie/ Or if I got feelings on the D L/ We shall, see/ On The Stimulus Package/ When I drop it February 16/ This is how the sh*t be/ The game is to be sold not told.”
Freeway even goes into mention the death of Aaliyah, taking a page from Jadakiss to ask “What If” the plane had never crashed as if her passing put more pressure on relationships in the Roc.
As Jay went into his retirement and the Roc was relatively silent as Sigel served his bid, the rapper gave a glimpse into his life while everything was in a downward spiral.
“I was in the hood stressing with the wolves, while my n*gga Beans was doing a year in the wake up/ Every day I wake up, shooting, robbin, violence, a lot of transgression in the hood.”
Refusing to take sides in the beef, Free simply states that he doesn't know who to blame, but he can only proceed with what is now and create a trail for himself into the future.
With Stimulus Package on the way, however, fans should expect to hear more from the rapper as he did on Free At Last when he aired his grievances about not receiving input from Kanye West or Just Blaze and how much the Roc had shifted since their dominance.
Only time will tell how long the story goes, but as more from the Roc throw in their two cents, it only becomes better for the listeners to realize what happened behind the scenes once the camera's stopped flashing.
“What if the brothers never broke up and foul words was never spoke up/ Would that diamond still stay up?/ Wait up/ What if half these n*ggas wasn't imaginary playa's, would yall n*ggas notice?”
Freeway "Love Is A Battlefield" Radio RipRead more…
BallerStatus Reports
Eminem is getting ready to drop his Relapse: Refill album, which has seven new songs on it, but Relapse 2 is what fans are really waiting for.
In a new interview for Complex's December/January coverstory, the Detroit rapper gets into what happened with the Relapse sequel, and what music fans should expect when it drops.
According to Em, when he finally finished the first installment, he had a ton of songs he couldn't let go of, so that was gonna be Relapse 2. But, in regular Em fashion, he recorded more ... and now a whole new album has formulated.
"When I finished Relapse, I had a whole album of material that didn't make it that I wasn't ready to throw away, so that was going to be Relapse 2, " the rapper explained. "But, then I got with Dre in Hawaii and started recording more, and now the new material has knocked out all the old songs.
"The new material is definitely different. Making Relapse, I was still working the drugs out of my system, so there was a lot of ... just jokey sh**," Em continued. "It was a lot of punchline-y, funny, shock value -- kind of going back to The Slim Shady LP. And that was cool, but I've kind of flipped the page. Now I'm going for songs instead of one-liners. I don't want to make shit that you hear once and then the joke's over; I want to make records that you could play a hundred times, a thousand times."
As the interview continued, Complex writer Noah Callahan-Bever brought up something Eminem never really gave much thought too ... if he became sharper with his lyrics, as he got sober. Eminem agreed.
"You're right, my thinking became sharper again as I went along. If you were to take a song like 'My Mom' or 'Must Be the Ganja,' those were cool -- but they were the beginning stages of me coming out of the [addiction]," said EM. "It wasn't until it got into songs like 'Stay Wide Awake' that it felt like my mind got sharper. I became more on-point towards the end of recording the album. Right now, I feel like I'm more focused than I've ever been. I still feel like I have room to get better but I feel like I'm definitely on my game right now."
So, with Eminem sharp as ever, back with Dre, constantly recording every day. What is Relapse 2 gonna sounds like?
We can't wait to see. Until then, Relapse: Refill hits stores December 22nd.
Make sure to head over to Complex.com to read the rest of the coverstory, which hits newsstands on December 8th.
In the interview, Eminem discusses his obession with working out, how clueless he is with the computer and internet, his sober living, and getting put onto streaming porn.
Read more…
US Weekly Reports
Tiger Woods is very, very sorry.
The golfer released a new statement on his website Wednesday. He does not specifically mention his rumored affairs with Jaimee Grubbs, Rachel Uchitel and other women. He does shoot down talk that a physical fight with his wife Elin Nordegren led to his Friday car crash, calling such stories "utterly false and malicious." Yet, in vague language, he says, "I have let my family down...I am dealing with my behavior and my personal failings behind closed doors with my family."
The embattled 33 year-old suggests that he won't be divulging any more details on his marriage or alleged infidelity: "Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions...I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves." He and Nordregren have two children: daughter Sam, 2, and son Charlie, 9 months.
The full statement is below:
I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.
Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.
But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don't share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one's own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions.
Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it's difficult.
I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.Read more…
UK Mirror Reports
Floyd Mayweather Junior's superfight with Manny Pacquiao is close to being sealed.
A source close to the negotiations claims that world pound-for-pound king Mayweather is edging nearer to agreeing terms.
The date of March 13 has already been pencilled into the fight diary and the Las Vegas casinos, New Orleans and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones are falling over themselves to stage the showdown which will be the richest fight in history.
Both sides have agreed to a gagging order to reduce the chance of the negotiations being derailed by mud-slinging and talks are said to be progressing well.
Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank set the ball rolling when he met Mayweather's promoter, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy, last week.
Arum says he is now flying to see Pacquiao in his Philippines homeland to discuss the terms of a possible deal.
Pacquiao is coming off his latest win over Miguel Cotto and his showdown with Mayweather is expected to be at welterweight again.
This will be an advantage for Mayweather, who has beaten Oscar De La Hoya at light-middleweight, and two fights ago, Pacquiao was campaigning at lightweight.
Pacquiao's camp are relaxed about the 147lbs-limit for the fight because the Filipino has looked comfortable as he has moved up through the divisions.
The fight to stage the contest is already raging and Jones wants to put it on at his new home for the Cowboys in Arlington, Texas.
The Louisiana Superdome is a long shot and Arum would prefer to see the fight take place in Vegas, where he is based.
He is even looking into the possibility of staging the superfight in 30,000-seater temporary arena on The Strip.
Read more…
Video After The JumpMTV Reports
CHICAGO — Today R. Kelly dropped his first album in two years, Untitled, and he's still coming with those eyebrow-raising lyrics.
"See I'm a player so man, I ain't trying to take her on no dates/ But much like Patron man, I'm just trying to take it straight," he sings on the album's last track, "Pregnant." "Until I met this girl in the club with a unbelievable booty/ Sweetest girl in the world to me, and on top of that she's a cutie/ If I had a girl, she'd be the one to bare my child."
Tyrese, Robin Thicke and The-Dream are all featured on the song.
Read more…
US Weekly Reports
A Los Angeles cocktail waitress tells the new Us Weekly (on newsstands Wednesday) that she had a steamy 31-month fling with Tiger Woods and has a voicemail recording and text messages to prove it.
Jaimee Grubbs, now 24, tells Us Weekly she began having an affair with Woods, 33, in April 2007.
She tells Us Weekly they went on to have 20 sexual encounters.
Grubbs, who recently appeared on VH1's Tool Academy, also tells Us Weekly she has more than 300 racy texts from Woods, who wed model Elin Nordegren in 2004.
Come back to Usmagazine.com Wednesday morning to listen to a Nov. 24 voicemail Woods left Grubbs in which he suggests his wife might suspect he is having an affair.
Jamie Grubbs On The Far Left Says She's Been Sneaking Around With Tiger WoodsRead more…
Nola.com Reports
Six people were arrested by the New Orleans Police Department Monday after allegedly spray-painting graffiti on a building in the French Quarter during an apparent protest over the incarceration of several local rap artists, according to police.
Off-duty police officers saw the suspects spray-painting "Free Lil Wayne" on the side of a building in the 900 block of Conti Street around 9 p.m. and notified the NOPD, according to spokesman Janssen Valencia.
New Orleans born rap star Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter, pleaded guilty in October to attempted weapons possession and expects to receive a one-year jail sentence. He is currently out on bond.
The men also placed a banner across Royal and Canal streets calling on authorities to release Torrence "Lil Boosie" Hatch, a Baton Rouge rapper who pleaded guilty in September to a marijuana possession charge and is currently in prison. The group also placed police barricades and metal garbage cans in the 100 block of Burgundy to halt traffic.
When officers arrived, the suspects fled but were apprehended nearby, Valencia said. The six subjects were charged with disturbing the peace, resisting arrest by flight and criminal damage to property.
Three of the suspects were listed as homeless, two were from Monroe and the third from Pennsylvania.
Videos After The JumpThe Holiday season is upon us, which means spending time with those you love the most, sharing gifts and listening to heart warming songs. On Monday (December 30) Oprah Winfrey hosted a very special Holiday music extravaganza which featured duets from six of the world's biggest music stars who had never performed together before. Alicia Keys with Tim McGraw, Andrea Bocelli with Mary J Blige & Jennifer Hudson with Sugarland.Read more…
London Times Online Reports
A former Miss Argentina has died after undergoing cosmetic surgery to get firmer buttocks.
Solange Magnano, 38, died of pulmonary embolism after undergoing a gluteoplasty in Buenos Aires, a normally routine procedure which involves placing implants in the buttocks to give them a firmer outline.
The mother of eight-year-old twins who won the beauty crown in 1994 died on Sunday after three days in critical condition. Roberto Piazza, a close friend, claimed that the procedure also involved injections and the liquid "went to her lungs and brain."
"This woman who had everything is dead because she wanted to have a slightly firmer behind," said Mr Piazza, a fashion designer.
Gluteoplasty has rocketed in popularity recently as women attempt to replicate the curvy shapes of stars such as Jennifer Lopez and Sandra Bullock. According to a survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, J-Lo's rear is rated number one by plastic surgeons’ patients seeking to remake their buttocks.
The organisation said the singer was favoured “by a huge percentage.”
Ms Magnano underwent the procedure at a plastic surgery clinic on Thursday. The following day she was rushed to hospital with an acute respiratory deficiency. Her condition deteriorated until she suffered the embolism and died on Sunday.
"She only underwent the procedure because she thought it was no big deal," said Guillermo Azar, another close friend of Ms Magnano's.
Juan Carlos Seiler, former president of the Buenos Aires Association of plastic surgeons, suggested the doctor who performed the procedure might not have been "a real professional from an approved" cosmetic surgery centre.
There were about 50,000 plastic surgery procedures performed in Argentina in 2008, a 60 per cent increase over 2003, with a growing number of foreigners seeking inexpensive cosmetic enhancements accounting for much of the increase.
Read more…
NY Daily News Reports
Get ready for the frump to trump the competition.
Unglamorous singer Susan Boyle stands poised to not only seize the No. 1 slot on Billboard's Top 200 Album chart this week, but to do so with the biggest opening sales of the year.
Though final tallies won't be released until Wednesday, sources say the Cinderella singer's debut, "I Dreamed a Dream," will enjoy sales of between 625,000 and 700,000 albums in its first week.
Those numbers would handily beat the tally of the year's previous opening champ: Emimen, whose most recent CD, "Relapse," sold 609,000 in its first blush back in late May.
Both Billboard and HitsDailyDouble.com predict roughly the same numbers for Boyle, based on early reports from the nation's big-box retailers as well as figures from QVC, which has played a key part in hawking this TV-created star.
A QVC source told The News the network had 83,650 preorders units for "Dream," making it that outlet's top-performing music title in a decade. Amazon doesn't reveal precise numbers, but sources told Billboard that its U.S. pre-orders likewise topped 80,000.
Boyle's CD, like all others released last week, enjoyed one advantage over most other albums issued in 2009. They jumped the common release date (Tuesday) by one day, instead coming out on a Monday (Nov. 23).
Boyle's juggernaut says a lot about new ways of marketing music in the modern age, according to Billboard's Keith Caulfield. While the star has gotten a bit of conventional radio play - mainly on Adult Contemporary stations which picked up on her version of "Silent Night" - Caulfield credits her main success in the States to YouTube. "She became a star there, and the album cover says ‘as seen on YouTube," he says. "When people went to the store last week, I'm not sure they even needed her Today Show performance or NBC Thanksgiving Night special. They already knew her."
Boyle's success isn't the only news on the charts this week.
Despite - or maybe because of - his antics on the AMAs last week, Adam Lambert's album, "For Your Entertainment," will debut at No. 2, with stronger than expected sales of roughly 225,000 units, according to both Billboard and HitsDailyDouble.com. That's nearly triple the sales of Kris Allen, the guy who beat him for this year's "American Idol" crown. Allen's self-titled debut sold just 80,000 copies in its first seven day sales period, which preceded Lambert's by one week. That's the worst opening sales record ever for an A.I. winner.
Still Caulfield sees a silver lining. "Kris sells a lot of individual tracks, rather than full albums," he explains. "Maybe his fans are younger and only have allowances to buy 3 or 4 tracks. They could buy more later."
Either way, says Caulfield, "When it comes to artists like Adam and Susan Boyle, people want the whole package."
Read more…
Video After The Jump50 Cent recently spoke with Vibe.com about the future plans of his new film company Cheetah Vision Films. The G-Unit General says he will release 3-5 films a year, the 1st being "The Gun" starring Val Kilmer. He also has a mixtape coming up soon which he says will be his last.
Read more…
Cash Money's Birdman and Slim showed niggas how to stunt at the album release party for their newest artist, UK pop sensation Jay Sean. Rihanna showed up looking sexier than ever as did Ice-T's main squeeze Coco. Jay Sean's new album "All Or Nothing" is in stores now.
AllHipHop Reports
Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill will appear on the same stage for separate performances during the Raggamuffin Music Festival, which will take place in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill will be co-headliners of the festival, which takes place at Rotorua International Stadium and also features headliners Shaggy, Julian Marley, Sly & Robbie, Sean Kingston and others.
The pair's performance together comes amidst new reports that Wyclef Jean was hoping for a Fugee’s reunion.
"Some how, The Fugees is the soundtrack to everyone's house,” Wyclef told DJBooth.net. "What I'm hoping is that this group really gets inspired by the new movement that I'm on right now.
“I'm hoping they'll get inspired and be like, 'Yo, let's find Clef and let's get this thing cracking.' And it would be an honor to go in and make it a super album,” Clef said of reuniting with Hill and group member Pras Michele.
The announcement of Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill's involvement in the Raggamuffin Festival is the singer’s first major outing since cancelling a string of high profile dates in June of 2009.
Hill had been scheduled to headline the Stockholm Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.
Wyclef filled in for Hill on a number of the cancelled dates, which she canceled due to health reasons.
As members of The Fugees, Wyclef, Lauryn Hill and Pras Michele released two albums including 1996’s The Score, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill will perform during the Raggamuffin Music Festival in Rotorua, New Zealand on January 23rd, 2010.
Read more…
Video After The JumpThe Dominion Post Reports
A distraught father had to make the hardest decision of his life – choosing to save the life of his drowning wife over his son, who was trapped in a submerged car.Silva Natana Horton, 13, drowned in the Whanganui River on Saturday night after the car in which he was a front-seat passenger went off Somme Pde and cartwheeled down a steep 10-metre bank into the water about 9.45pm.
His mother, Vanessa Horton, who was driving, Silva's best friend, Robert Palmer, 14, and the family dog escaped with minor injuries.
Silva's father, Stacy Horton, arrived from their home in nearby Stewart St less than two minutes after the crash to hear his wife screaming in the darkness and to see Robert and the dog scrambling up the bank.
He clambered down and saw his wife in the water. He tried to dive down to their Mazda MPV stationwagon, which was nose down, more than a metre beneath the surface.
Silva Horton"I tried to get down and get him but I couldn't, it was just too deep. And Vanessa was going under," Mr Horton said.
"I made a call to pull my wife to safety. I looked back and I could see the tail-lights but it was too far and I couldn't get him.
"I just had to accept the fact that he had gone.
"Instead of going down and risking my life as well as my wife and son's, I chose to take V back and sat on the shore praying. It was all I could do."
When emergency services arrived minutes later, police also dived in, with two firefighters using breathing apparatus – a full face-mask with oxygen tank backpacks normally used in smoke-filled buildings – to try to reach Silva.
Wanganui senior station officer Gary Wilson said the water was dark and murky and the firefighters struggled to reach the car.
"We tried everything but to no avail. It was a longshot but it was worth the risk to try and save him."
Mr Horton said the family had been at home when a group of kids was heard wrecking their letterbox.
The group ran off and his wife, Silva and Robert quickly followed them in the car.
As Mrs Horton slowly pulled over to talk to the group by the riverbank, the car "kept going" on the grass.
"I do know my son was unconscious when he drowned [after hitting his head on the dash]. It's just a freak accident. We can't blame anyone.
"I've forgiven the kids who were wrecking our letterbox," Mr Horton said.
"My wife is emotionally distraught and drained, like I am."
Divers recovered Silva's body early yesterday. His funeral will be held in Taihape.
Mr Horton said Silva was an outgoing boy, who liked to spin a yarn, and was a budding moto-cross rider who won his age grade competition in Wanganui this year.
Read more…
Posted by Mr.I Get It on November 30, 2009 at 11:33am
Photography by Clay Patrick McBride50 Cent has just discovered his next big thing.The multimillionaire MC/mogul is commanding attention inside Manhattan’s Drive-In studio, where he’s shooting cover images for XXL’s double issue, gearing up for the release of his fourth album, Before I Self Destruct. At the moment, though, he’s more interested in the laptop on the table than any flashing lights. He’s just been put on to tinychat.com, a social-networking site composed of webcam-compatible chat rooms, and he’s enthralled. The computer screen resembles a modern-day spin on The Brady Bunch’s tic-tac-toe-box opening credits—but instead of Marcia, Peter, Cindy, et al., the heads of folks like Flipmode hype man Spliff Starr, former NFL heavyweight Warren Sapp and VH1 reality star “It” (of I Love New York 2 and I Love Money 2) talk back and forth in real time.You can practically see the little lightbulb pop up over 50’s head. His own social-networking Web site, thisis50.com, needs to adopt TinyChat. “[What] if you could have several different rooms?” he says. “You could have a bunch of different rooms with 18 people, and the user could then switch rooms.”Curtis Jackson, 2009: computer whiz. From the corner to the monitor. And who can blame him? The record industry that was once strong enough to push his 2003 debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, to seven million in nation-wide sales has succumbed to the Internet. Numbers like that simply don’t exist anymore. Ever the survivalist, Fif has made ThisIs50, which he launched two years ago, a major priority. The site has become the one-stop shop for all new G-Unit music, including mixtapes from the now Interscope-free Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, and, more notably, Fif’s own free, Web-only mixtapes Forever King and War Angel, which has been downloaded more than 400,000 times since its June release. It also provides a handy platform for multimedia mockery of enemies like Rick Ross, Fat Joe and former G-Unit cronies Game and Young Buck. The most memorable example—a series of viral videos featuring a wig-wearing, activator-spraying 50 in character as the flamboyant Pimpin’ Curly. The vids climaxed on ThisIs50’s sister site boobootv.com, with Curly narrating a sex tape starring the mother of Rick Ross’s daughter. (Sun Tzu himself would have been left shaking his head in astonishment.) 50 says the site receives around 30 million unique views per month. (Official numbers for ThisIs50 are not available.) Even in this dismal economic climate, 50 is planning to expand the site’s current 10-person staff and increase original content, with the support of what he calls an “artificial economy—my pocket.”The new direction makes sense. Along with the rest of the industry, 50’s brand has taken some big hits over the past two years. First there was the hugely hyped release-date sales-showdown defeat, when 50’s third album, Curtis, debuted behind Kanye’s Graduation on the Billboard charts. (Pushing 700,000 first-week units, of course, would be cause for major celebration for just about any other artist, but for a market-dominating bully like 50, it was a loss of face.) G-Unit soldiers Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks split ways with Interscope, and Young Buck was kicked out of the camp. Then came this past year’s worth of Before I Self Destruct delays. It was way back last October when Fif released the album’s first single, “Get Up,” along with a high-concept post-apocalyptic video. “In Da Club” it was not, unfortunately, peaking at No. 44 on the Billboard charts, before a quick disappearance. A follow-up, the Dr. Dre–produced “I Get It In,” didn’t fare much better. And when Interscope set a May street date for Eminem’s Relapse, 50 took a place on the back burner—a voluntary move, to his credit, but still one that kept fans waiting.Most recently, 50 has learned that just as the Internet giveth, it taketh away. In late October (soon after the photo shoot with XXL), Before I Self Destruct surfaced online, a full month before its intended release. Reached by phone after the leak, 50 shrugs it off. “I’m fine with it, ’cause it leaked in its entirety, in sequence, and mixed and mastered. If they would’ve heard my record in pieces, I would’ve been disappointed.” He’s so sanguine, like it’s all par for the course. Gauging from his demeanor these days, his new album title seems about as over-the-top as another edition of Pimpin’ Curly—less an actual warning sign than a carefully thought-out strategy. In other words, even as the business changes, it’s business, big business as usual.You’re keeping a prominent presence with ThisIs50 these days. In your eyes, how big of a priority is the Internet?I think it’s cool. That’s where we’re headed. Instead of fighting it, I’m just embracing it.Were you resistant at first?Yeah. As far as the Internet is concerned, it’s so new that the younger kids can take better advantage. Soulja Boy is one of the guys that is more open-minded to the Web, and he’ll go there immediately. But it’s more natural for him, because he worked his way from there… I watched and learned from people like him.What was the first thing that made you realize you had to get more in touch with the Internet?From my perspective, what the mixtape circuit was is now a viral video… When I make material and I see it be viewed a million times, I know that I pleased a small demographic that watched it so often that there’s a million views. Or a broad demographic of people are drawn to it. I feel good either way… As [the Internet] changes and there’s new applications and new things involved with the site, I learn that right away. That makes me comfortable. I’m in a comfortable space.I think the majority of us, well, the demographic that’s conditioned to go and do things the old-fashioned way. Like, I’m conditioned to go buy a record out the store. Even if it’s an option to buy it off the computer, I still buy it out the store, in the actual case. The kids, the new age group, the new kids are more perceptive of computers. They don’t have to have the experience of going to purchase your CD or going to see your movie.CD sales figures certainly reflect that. What’s your barometer for success today?I mean, it’s different. I won’t even gauge it like that. I’ll pay attention to the response of the public, how they feel about the actual record. You’ll know generally how they feel. I wanna hear it bumping out of the cars when they ride by. The magic of music is that everything feels right when it feels right, and you can tell that you’re in pocket when that happens. They were giving me resistance—they didn’t want me to win during the Curtis project, because of the success I had prior to that. But it’s interesting, because they made me successful. And when I say “they,” I mean the general public. It’s a cycle where you can’t control it. There’ll be a point when they decide that they don’t want you to be the center of attention anymore and they want somebody else to be there, even without you losing the ability to do what it is you’ve done to get there.How do you see things moving in hip-hop musically? Do you sense a shift back toward the streets, with an artist like Gucci Mane breaking through?We’re gonna get people from different walks of life, and that’s because the art form is expanding. Like, you got a Gucci Mane at the same time you’re getting a Drake. And he’s obviously a rich kid who ain’t been exposed to…what? That’s Drake’s part. And then you got Gucci Mane, who’s from the South, and he’s been exposed to it all. We have Little Jeezy… It’s cool to see people actually have their own identity. The same thing that they would be upset with me for is what they accept from Drake. The Kid Cudis, too. Wale. These people are necessary. They were there when I fell in love with hip-hop, but they were Q-Tip, they were Andre 3000.You’ve been working on Before I Self Destruct for a long time. How has the tone of the album changed over the last year?Well, the album is darker. It began darker, because I wrote the prequel to Get Rich or Die Tryin’. This album is the things that I missed that happened before. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is really me writing my environment and my experiences in a nutshell, and it was a shorter time period. On this one, I went further back. To give you an example: When I did “Hate It or Love It,” I said, “Coming up, I was confused, my mama kissin’ a girl/Confusion and cursed, coming up in the cold world.” And my mom passed when I was eight. So that’s me reflecting on myself when I was maybe seven years old. So, for that fact, to write those pieces of my actual life and the things that wouldn’t be the coolest thing to say from a rapper’s perspective… Rappers kind of create these superheroes. They create these guys who have all the finances and the beautiful women, the nicest cars, the best jewelry. And when the director says “cut,” they go home. You know? And that’s just the reality of it. But for me, I wrote imperfections on this album, because I’m in a secure enough space to do that.Was that hard to do?Well, you gotta make it to a certain point in your career. Some artists never choose to do it. They stay in the safe space because they feel like another artist may use it to be competitive at some point, try to use the personal things they put out. Mine’s will only give people reasoning for my behavior. They’ll listen to this record and start to understand more. —Interview Matt BaroneTo read the rest of this 50 Cent article, make sure to pick up XXL’s December/January double issue on newsstands now.
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