Make sure to pick up the latest issue of Rolling Stone towards month’s end for the full story.
Kanye West Covers ‘Superlative Conspiracy’
I have never heard of this magazine, but Kanye West has made a return to a magazine cover in the form of Issue 8 of WeSC’s Superlative Conspiracy. You can check out the cover above…..the magazine is on newsstands now.
Maino Responds To Kendrick Lamar’s ‘King Of New York’ Claim…
…and nope, it’s (probably) not what you would expect from Maino, either:
Shiiit, last time I checked, Khaled was the King of NY. And Ross! Keep it real. We don’t even run our own city. #facts. U may disagree wit my POV but other than Jay who has the rite to claim they king here? I see artists from other places more celebrated and respected. Stop letting ur emotions supercede ur intelligence. Let’s all keep it real for 1 min. The music that dominates NY radio, Clubs and street is not from here. #facts. Lol same niggas mad at me is the same niggas that don’t support the same city they tryna defend. #Eatadickyouknowwhatimabout. B****!! Drake is the King of NY!!! Wayne is the King of Ny!!! Lol yall don’t even get it. Smh. Yall too emotional to see wut I’m saying. But ask urself, do u REALLY support NY artists? B4 yesterday did u love ur own homegrown nigga? My City don’t even love itself. So don’t ask how a nigga from Cali could claim NY’s Crown. If anybody got a problem wit wut I said I’ll b in Greenhouse tonite listening to the Kings of NY (Ross,Future,Drake,Wayne,etc) lol.
Nas & J. Cole Cover VIBE
You can check out the Summer 2013 feature above between Nas and his “second coming” on VIBE’s website. Below is a behind the scenes clip of the photoshoot.
Joe Budden & Styles P Go Back & Forth Over Twitter (Thanks To Kendrick Lamar & That Verse)
Courtesy of Kendrick Lamar and that verse, Joe Budden and Styles P even had a bit of a back and forth, which all parties later deleted (spotted on Karen Civil):
Gucci Mane Disses Young Jeezy, Yo Gotti & T.I., Then Offers To Sell Waka Flocka For 1 Million
Name your Top 3 Pussy ass rappers? Mines? Jeezy Yo gotti & Tip. No brainer. But there are 100s more....Go... #ww3
— Gucci Mane (@gucci1017) August 13, 2013
I don’t know if it was Kendrick that got everyone hype, but Gucci Mane has decided to not only re-diss his peers in the South, but also to offer up his brother/artist turned enemy for a cool mil:
I will sell all rights to Waka Flocka Flame fo #ltw pic.twitter.com/GmMw5TWwmV
— Gucci Mane (@gucci1017) August 13, 2013
Wale Presents Slutty Boyz – Da New Kool Mixtape (Cover)
After the Slutty Boyz spent some extensive time in the studio with Wale recently, he will be presenting the group’s next mixtape Da New Kool, hosted by DJ Scream. This should be a big deal for the DC trio.
Soulja Boy Kicked Off Plane For Being Disrespectful (Video)
From TMZ:
Soulja Boy has a lot in common with Alec Baldwin — not that he’s as talented, but he’s definitely as disrespectful on American Airlines, because the renegade rapper got booted from an AA plane after causing a pre-flight scene.
Just like Alec, Soulja was on American Airlines Friday when the flight attendant took the mic and told everyone to sit the f**k down. Soulja, who was standing and walking the aisles, didn’t follow the command.
Just like Alec, a flight attendant approached the rapper and repeated the order and explained the consequences if he didn’t obey.
Just like Alec, the rapper blew her off.
And just like Alec, he was “removed” from the plane.
Unlike Alec, Soulja was actually contrite, telling TMZ, “It was a bad night and me and the flight staff didn’t see eye to eye. In hindsight, I’m extremely sorry for all inconvenience caused to the passengers and employees of the airline.”
Unlike Alec, Soulja probably will not get a Capital One commercial because … well, you know — he’s Soulja Boy, right?
Riff Raff Arrested For Drug Possession (Video)
From TMZ:
The rapper was tooling around Greensboro at around 2:30 AM and bizarrely stopped in the middle of traffic to talk to a bunch of pedestrians … and if we know our Riff Raff, we’re guessing he was pimpin’ it.
Cops approached the vehicle and say they saw an open container of alcohol, which then triggered a full-blown search of the vehicle. That’s when police say they found weed and some sort of powerful narcotic, along with drug paraphernalia.
The former MTV reality star was arrested along with his 2 passengers and taken to jail, where they were booked and released without bail.
Cops say Riff turned on the Southern charm, because he was “not aggressive and polite.”
Aaron Hernandez’ Fiancee Becomes Main Target In Search For Gun
From Huffington Post:
Investigators searching for the gun used to kill a semi-pro football player are looking into whether former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez asked his girlfriend to get rid of the weapon shortly after the victim’s body was found about a mile from his home.
The Bristol Press reported Friday that search warrants for a Bristol storage facility suggest Hernandez may have instructed Shayanna Jenkins to take a gun safe or lock box out of his home in North Attleboro the day after the body of Odin Lloyd was discovered.
The warrants claim that Jenkins was seen on surveillance video footage carrying a rigid object the size of a lock box or safe out of the house and into the yard, before loading it into her sister’s car. She allegedly asked to use the vehicle to go to the bank and returned home about 35 minutes later without the object.
The warrants claim that Jenkins may have dumped the weapons in the woods in Massachusetts or may have taken them to a Bristol storage unit that Hernandez paid for.
Police searched the facility, U.S. Storage, in July, seizing some company records and a silver lock. Investigators discovered the storage unit after combing through Hernandez’s financial records.
Jenkins did not respond to an email Saturday seeking comment. Hernandez’s attorney did not immediately return a call for comment.
Estelle (@EstelleDarlings) Launches New Record Label
From Billboard:
Estelle has announced the launch of New London Records, an independent label in partnership with BMG, with whom she’s worked as a writer since 2003. Estelle will release the second (“Vol. 2 Waiting to Exhale,” August) and third volumes (“Vol. 3 How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” October) of her three-volume EP “Love & Happiness” on the new label (the first volume, “Love Jones,” was released in June), taking creative control of her current and future musical endeavors.
“This is a new and exciting move for me,” Estelle said in a press release. “BMG has been an awesome partner throughout my career, and with New London we plan to continue bridging the gap between soul, pop, London and New York — uniting them through music.”
Added BMG executive president Richard Blackstone, “Estelle has been a valued member of the BMG family as a writer for some time now. She is a deeply passionate artist gifted with a tremendous voice and has music running through her veins. We are thrilled that Estelle has expanded our relationship and entered into a new partnership with BMG Label Services to release her upcoming album.”
ARTWORK/TRACKLISTING: Sean Kingston – Back 2 Life
Back 2 Life drops September 10th….you can check out the tracklisting below.
1. “Back 2 Life (Live It Up)” feat. T.I.
2. “Beat It” feat. Chris Brown & Wiz Khalifa
3. “Hold That”
4. “Bomba”
5. “Smoke Signals”
6. “Ordinary Girl”
7. “Seasonal Love” feat. Wale
8. “How We Survive” feat. Busta Rhymes
9. “Shotta Luv” feat. 2 Chainz
10. “Ayo (16th Floor)”
11. “Save One for Me”
12. “Love Ecstacy”
SNEAK PEEK: Just Blaze & Baauer – Higher
Check out some sick photos from Just Blaze and Baauer’s latest collaboration (you can check out the teaser here). Below is an excerpt of Nabil speaking with FADER on the visual.
Without giving away too much, what’s the video’s basic premise? It’s a simple vignette/narrative of a kid who follows a warrior home, then spreads what he sees to the other kids and they take it upon themselves.
I decided to shoot in Kerala, India because that’s where some of the oldest forms of martial arts came from. I had done some research after having the idea of shooting something with martial arts and wanting to go to India. The song had a feeling that resonated India to me, and people fighting? Can’t really explain—was just in my head when listening.
While shooting, did you run into any particularly good luck, or unforeseen obstacles? We shot for around three days. Monsoon season is particularly challenging, probably the biggest obstacle you can face when dealing with consistency and shooting outdoors, up there with shooting in the far northern hemisphere to get a night shoot when it’s like 22 hours of sunlight. We just embraced it and had a little help from the gods! Also, we had great luck with an amazing crew and group of warriors to work with. None were actors but they had such great personalities that it felt like the acting exuded naturally.
Who are the kids? The kids are also young warriors at the martial arts school. It was so great working with them. Such genuine, hard working, kind and FUNNY little kids. Then you see them training and you are like, Woah. Vishnu, my lead kid, was exactly what I had hoped for, a little Peter Pan. Each kid has there own little story, very touching.
Robin Thicke & Janelle Monae Cover VIBE
You can head over to VIBE for more (ongoing) feature coverage on the above artists and other as part of their Juice issue. The actual print hits newsstands August 27th.
Toni Braxton Homeless?
Star Magazine Reports:
A hit TV show doesn’t always mean money in the bank.
Toni Braxton’s financial woes have made headlines over the years, but now Star can reveal the situation is so bad that Toni is bunking with her sister Tamar. “Toni is so broke that she couldn’t even come up with rent money,” says a source. “Toni has relied heavily on Tamar to take are of her financially – Tamar pretty much saved Toni from being homeless.”
“Toni feels like a loser – she’s definitely at rock bottom,” whispers the insider. “She’s so desperate for money that she’s hoping to write a tell-all book about her life and get a large advance.”
ARTWORK: Young Chop – Precious
September 12th is the official release date for Young Chop’s upcoming compilation/album/mixtape/don’t really know what it is until I see a tracklisting. Hilarious title, though.
Whitey Bulger Found Guilty Of Racketeering, Conspiracy
From Fox News, where you can read the entire story:
Jurors in the trial of James “Whitey” Bulger have found him guilty of racketeering and conspiracy.
The federal jury began deliberating Tuesday and deliberated over five days.
Bulger, 83, is charged with a litany of crimes in a sweeping 32-count racketeering indictment, including 19 killings, extortion, money laundering and weapons violations.
Within the main racketeering charge against Bulger are 33 separate criminal acts, including all of the killings. The jury must find that Bulger committed at least two of the acts within 10 years of each other to find him guilty of racketeering.
On Monday, after 45 minutes of deliberating in federal court in Boston, the jury came into the courtroom and asked for a clarification from the judge.
They asked if they found someone else is guilty, whether or not that would make Bulger “automatically” guilty as well because he’s associated.
J.W. Carney Jr., who is serving as Bulger’s attorney, argued that evidence proven against someone else doesn’t mean Bulger is guilty.
In her response, U.S. District Judge Denise Casper said jurors they must find Bulger guilty separately.
Stevie J Might Have A Baby On The Way…..And Not By Joseline Hernandez
The below “source” is from Bossip, so take it with a grain of salt until we all receive some sort of actual confirmation….photo/screenshot evidence is above:
I’m a former friend of “PROMISE B MAE” and yes she is pregnant by Stevie. They have been keeping this on the low for a minute. Up until the whole marriage thing with him and Joseline they have been seriously beefing, so she told me about a week ago that she will be having an abortion if he doesn’t get his isht together and stop keeping her a secret for TV purposes and because of Joseline. Long story short she changed her number, and since then I ran into Stevie and of course he asked about her and whether or not I had her new number, so we began to talk and I slipped up and told him about the abortion. After she sent the screen shot she called me to see if i received it and to ask me if i told Stevie because only a few people know. I admitted it and the convo got real heated, words were exchanged and it got real ugly so, if that’s how she feel this is how I feel. F**k that b***h her secret is no longer safe with me.
D’Angelo Cancels Shows Due To ‘Medical Emergency’
Taken from the L.A. Times:
A medical emergency has forced D’Angelo to cancel a handful of concert dates, including an appearance at San Francisco’s Outside Lands festival on Friday.
“He expresses his sincere regret due to this unfortunate circumstance,” festival organizers said in a statement Wednesday, announcing that Chic featuring Nile Rodgers would fill D’Angelo’s slot.
The R&B crooner — he’s been steadily building his much anticipated comeback for more than a year — canceled the string of shows after being stricken with an unspecified “medical emergency.”
Although no details have been released on his ailment, an agent for the singer told a House of Blues executive, “It’s serious, but he should be OK,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
Organizers of the Summer Spirit Festival said D’Angelo was in the hospital when he canceled his appearance last weekend. He was on the bill alongside Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes and a slew of soul acts.
D’Angelo also scrapped shows in Chicago, Minneapolis, San Diego and New York.
Juicy J Producing New Pimp C Album
Juicy J put an unreleased Pimp C verse on the ‘Show Out’ remix a few weeks back, and now — after the release of his solo LP Stay Trippy, which drops on August 27th — he will begin working on a new album from Pimp C.
I’m producing the new pimp c album unreleased material it’s gone be a movie!!!!!!!
— juicy j (@therealjuicyj) August 11, 2013
SNEAK PEEK: Birdman Feat. R. Kelly & Lil Wayne – We Been On
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Remember when R. Kelly and Birdman were supposed to make a Best Of Both Worlds album post-JAY Z? Well, thankfully they didn’t; but it looks like the two have reunited on the Rich Gang album and are shooting the visual for ‘We Been On’, which also features Lil’ Wayne. You can check out a few pics above.
Ashanti & Ja Rule Are Back In The Studio (PIC)
I don’t know if we’ll be hearing any new top 10 hits or anything, but it’s good to see the reunion.
“Uhh ohhhhh me & my bro @ruleyorkcity in the lizzaaaabbbbb!!!!!!! We haven’t seen each other in 4ever!!! & it feels great!!!” – Ashanti
Big Sean Says That He Squashed His Beef With Danny Brown
@captain_xo me n @XDannyXBrownX talked like men and got it all squared away. The city needs to stick together!! We both agreed #Detroit
— Big Sean (@BigSean) August 10, 2013
If you’re not sure where the above Twitter is coming from, there was a recent interview where Danny Brown (along with a seemingly bias reporter) made statements alluring to the fact that not only was Big Sean raised in the higher class, Detroit doesn’t even consider Sean one of theirs:
A lot of people in Detroit don’t consider him [being from Detroit] either. They say he from L.A. now.
Big Sean then took to the airwaves and gave his response:
F*ck whoever talking about Big Sean and don’t know nothing about Detroit or the streets of Detroit. I be in there. Matter of fact, not only do I be there and be in the hood, I be helping the hood and giving back to the hood. Matter fact, I’m the only one at all of ya’ll rappers or even new rappers who was paying for Thanksgiving dinners last year, buying Christmas gifts. So if you ever talking about me, I don’t be up in the hood, you crazy.
At the end of the day, it’s good to see that the two artists have come together, being that they represent the same city.
Justin Bieber & His Goons Attack Another Fan, Who Now Plans To Sue
From TMZ:
Justin Bieber’s crew kicked the crap out of a guy in a nightclub parking lot … leaving him bloody and bruised … so claims the alleged victim who now plans to sue JB’s saggy pants off.
As TMZ previously reported … Bieber’s crew is under investigation for the brawl outside a Southhampton nightclub last Sunday.
22-year-old Wayne Rennalls — the alleged victim — says he suffered facial lacerations and a possible broken tooth — unclear why he says “possible.”
As for how the brawl started … Rennalls says it involves a bow tie and a girl — he had loaned the tie to a waitress he had been talking to all night. He says he went to retrieve it and had the audacity to approach the woman while Justin was flirting with her.
According to cops, Bieber’s people did go after the guy, but say he was aggressive toward them.
The police investigation is ongoing.