Talented musician and rapper Terrace Martin’s long awaited album 3ChordFold will finally release on August 13th. Described as a mixture of Quincy Jones’ Back on the Block and Dr. Dre’s Chronic 2001, the album will feature collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg (aka Snoop Lion), Robert Glasper, Problem, Musiq Soulchild, Wiz Khalifa, Lalah Hathaway, James Fauntleroy and Ab-Soul.
Says Terrace: “Quincy Jones and Dr. Dre have paved the way for artists like me. With this project I hope to be able to walk in their footsteps,” states Martin. “3ChordFold definitely shows my growth and I strive to one day to be considered among the ranks of the greats who have come before me.” The new single and video titled ‘No Wrong, No Right’ featuring Robert Glasper and James Fauntleroy will be released on July 30th.
Below is an official statement from BET regarding the hosting duties on 106 & Park. Can we say chemistry?
106 & PARK” is undergoing exciting changes. Angela Simmons will continue to guest host until the end of the summer. Bow Wow aka “Mr. 106 & Park” will continue as the lead host; Miss. Mykie, Paigion and Shorty Da Prince will no longer remain on the show. BET Networks is happy to have worked with these bright, young stars and will continue to support them and their upcoming endeavors.
According to reports, the show has been denied after appearing to receive initial approval.
Jay-Z won’t be making a marquee appearance at the Ed Sullivan Theater after all. The city suddenly yanked approval for the mega-rapper’s planned concert Monday atop the Midtown marquee for the “Late Show with David Letterman,” sources said. “The mayor’s office approved it, and then just like that, it got denied,” one police source told The Post yesterday. Reps for Jay-Z, Letterman, the city and the NYPD had planned to meet at the “Late Show” offices yesterday to work out concert details. But the meeting was abruptly canceled — and everyone involved was told that the event was now a no-go, sources said. But the meeting was abruptly canceled — and everyone involved was told that the event was now a no-go, sources said. The police source speculated: “It’s because of the holiday weekend. They were concerned about fireworks and terrorism.” (NY Post)
Speculation on why the show was cancelled days has already started to circulate.
Another source suggested that the music gig was cancelled for the same reason given the last time Jay-Z and Letterman tried to plan the event in 2010 but were thwarted. Details about the performance were leaked to The Post beforehand, creating a logistical nightmare for cops given the hordes of fans such an event would draw. The mayor’s office refused to comment, as did Letterman’s people. Jay-Z’s rep didn’t respond to phone and e-mail messages. (NY Post)
At first, it was reported 50 Cent’s first baby mama as the victim of domestic violence; now, it appears it is 50’s ex girlfriend and mother of his second child (congrats to 50 Cent on the newborn!).
50 Cent is due in court on July 22nd and faces up to five years in jail and $46,000 in fines if convicted. According to a police report obtained by TMZ, 50 went to the woman’s home in Toluca Lake, CA on June 23rd and broke her chandeliers, furniture, a TV, lamp and trashed her entire bedroom closet, causing over $7,100 in damages.
Brad Stevens will be the next coach of the Boston Celtics, the team announced in a press release Wednesday.
Stevens, who just finished his sixth season at the school, led the Bulldogs to consecutive national title games in 2010 and 2011.
“Our family is thrilled for the opportunity given to us by the leadership of the Boston Celtics, but it is emotional to leave a place that we have called home for the past 13 years,” Stevens said in a statement released by Butler University.
“We truly love Butler University and Indianapolis, and are very thankful to have had the opportunity to celebrate so many wonderful things together. What makes Butler truly unique is the people that we have been so blessed to work with. When it comes time for our kids to look at schools, we will start with Butler University.”
Stevens replaces Doc Rivers, who recently was hired by the Los Angeles Clippers. The Celtics received a first-round draft pick as compensation.
The hiring of Stevens comes after Boston also dealt Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets, leaving the team in a rebuilding mode.
If you really want to see the video in question, you can click to the next page below. From CNN:
Catholic Online — a news and information outlet — put the video on its website Monday. It shows the slaughtering of three people in northern Syria’s Idlib province. The site says one of the three is Father Francois Murad.
Those carrying out the acts “speak Arabic with a broken accent, saying that through this act, they are applying the law of God,” Catholic Online says. People in the crowd appear to be taking videos of the executioners.
“It is very important the world knows that Christians are being murdered for their faith, and that martyrdom isn’t an ancient phenomenon,” Catholic Online said in a report Monday.
“This should make it clear to Christians around the world what jihadists are about. Make no mistake. Catholics and Christians around the globe are under dire threat, particularly from the spread of militant Islam. Until the threat is recognized and taken seriously, martyrdoms like this will continue.”
An arrest warrant alleging that San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks hit a teammate on the head with a beer bottle has been shelved at the request of prosecutors, a court spokesman said Wednesday.
Authorities in San Jose sought the warrant last week to arrest Brooks on suspicion of committing felony assault with a deadly weapon. A judge signed it last Thursday, but the county district attorney’s office asked to have it set aside the next day, Santa Clara Superior Court spokesman Joe Macaluso said.
A call to the district attorney’s office was not immediately returned Wednesday.
According to police, Brooks hit teammate Lamar Divens with the bottle three times and then punched him in the face during an early morning argument on June 8. The alleged attack left Divens with a 3-inch cut on his forehead, according to police statements accompanying the warrant application.
Brooks, Divens, and others had been drinking and went to a bar before returning to Brooks’ house. Divens pretended to throw Brooks’ keys in the grass, though he had actually held onto the keys, prompting the attack, according to the statements.
Investigators were told Brooks was intoxicated and had threatened to get a gun, according to the statements.
Macaluso said requests by prosecutors not to execute arrests warrants are not uncommon.
A person who answered the telephone at a number listed for Brooks referred comment to the 49ers. The team said in an email that it was aware of the situation, but would not comment for now.
Egypt’s military deposed the country’s first democratically elected president Wednesday night, installing the head of the country’s highest court as an interim leader, the country’s top general announced.
Gen. Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi said the military was fulfilling its “historic responsibility” to protect the country by ousting Mohamed Morsy, the Western-educated Islamist leader elected a year ago. The country’s constitution has been suspended, new parliamentary elections will be held and Adly Mansour, the head of the country’s Supreme Constitutional Court, will replace Morsy, El-Sisi said.
Mansour will have the power to issue constitutional declarations during the interim period and will “establish a government that is a strong and diverse,” the armed forces chief said. He said Morsy “did not achieve the goals of the people” and failed to meet demands to share power with opponents who thronged the streets of Cairo and Tahrir Square.
Those crowds erupted as the announcement was made on Egyptian television shortly after 9 p.m. (3 p.m. ET). But Morsy supporters gathered in another Cairo plaza vowed to oppose the coup, chanting “Down with military rule” and “The square has a million martyrs.”
And in statements posted on the presidential Facebook and Twitter pages, Morsy said his ouster would be “categorically rejected by all the free men of our nation.”
“The president — who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces — tells all citizens, civilians and military, leaders and soldiers, must abide by the constitution and should not respond to the coup which brings Egypt behind,” he said. “Everyone must take responsibility before God, people and history.”
Less then 24 hours from the release of Magna Carta Holy Grail, and Jay-Z releases the lyrics to two more songs off his album. You can read the lyrics for ‘Nickels & Dimes’ and ‘SomewhereinAmerica’ below.
A member of Aaron Hernandez’s family whom police wanted to question in connection with the ongoing murder investigation has died in a car accident.
The Hartford Courant reports that Thaddeus Singleton III, the son-in-law of Hernandez’s uncle, was killed when the car he was driving flew off the road and crashed into a pole. The car Singleton was driving was owned by Hernandez’s uncle. The death was ruled an accident.
It is unclear what police believed Singleton knew about the murder of Odin Lloyd, but the report says that police had been seeking to speak with him. Singleton had previously been convicted of multiple drug charges in Connecticut.
Singleton lived in Bristol, Connecticut, the hometown of Hernandez and both of the other men suspected of being involved in the murder of Lloyd.
Jay-Z is set to release his 12th solo album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, tonight at 12:01 am.Today, Life+Times revealed the cover alongside the original Magna Carta documents in the UK. You can see the display at the Salisbury Cathedral Chapter House the whole month of July.
You can read the whole story at the Guardian…..my two cents is, I listened to his music (still do), but I didn’t know much about the events that occurred two years ago. But my family does…..and they don’t believe this inquest at all. For those familiar with the story: what are your thoughts?
Reggae star Smiley Culture died from a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest during a police raid at his home, an inquest jury has found.
Surrey coroner Richard Travers said he would make a report to the Metropolitan police on changes or improvements to the supervision of a prisoner at their home during a search.
The 48-year-old singer, real name David Emmanuel, died from a single stab wound to the heart while police executed a search warrant at his Surrey home on 15 March 2011.
The jury of five men and six women took 12 hours and 52 minutes to reach their majority verdict on Tuesday.
The jury foreman said: “David Victor Emmanuel took his own life. Although the tragic events of 15 March 2011 were unforeseeable, giving one officer the responsibility of supervising Mr Emmanuel and at the same time the premises search book was a contributory factor in his death.”
Jeymes Samuel is gearing up to release his latest masterpiece, titled They Die By Dawn & Other Short Stories, on July 9th (preorder available here). The project will feature the likes of Jay Electronica, Lucy Liu, Mos Def, Tori Amos, Rosario Dawson and more. Check out the tracklisting below.
01 They Die By Dawn Feat. Jay Electronica, Lucy Liu & Yasiin Bey
02 Murder Death Kill Feat. Jay Electronica & Lucy Liu
03 Landspeeder
04 Close Your Eyes Feat. Jay Electronica & Lucy Liu
05 Everything Is Broken Feat. Rosario Dawson
06 Strange Days Feat. Lucy Liu
07 Supercool
08 Stay, Runaway Feat. Doxi Jones
09 World Inside Your Rainbow
10 Bouquet Of Barbed Wire
11 Wait Until Tomorrow Feat. Tori Amos
Ingrid Lederhaas-Okun, 46, was arrested Tuesday morning in Darien, Connecticut, for allegedly stealing over $1.3 million worth of jewelry from an unnamed jewelry company that she had previously worked for.
Although the federal report does not list a specific company, Lederhaas-Okun’s LinkedIn page lists her as an employee of Tiffany & Co. since January of 1991. The profile also indicates her role as Vice President at the company until March 2013.
According to the official report, Lederhaas-Okun’s high-ranking position at the jewelry company provided her with the authority to check-out items for manufacturing and production purposes. According to a complaint filed to federal officials, she allegedly failed to return 165 previously checked-out pieces — including numerous diamond bracelets, platinum or gold diamond drop and hoop earrings, and platinum diamond rings — and alledgedly resold the items to a Manhattan-based international jewelry reseller.
“As alleged, Ingrid Lederhaas-Okun took advantage of the access her employment afforded her to expensive jewelry,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos said. “She allegedly stole numerous items, sold them for over a million dollars, then engaged in a series of lies in an attempt to cover up the theft. A privileged position in a prestigious company does not insulate a thief from arrest and prosecution.”
Lederhaas-Okun is being charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, which is penalized with a 20- and 10-year prison stint, respectively. A lawyer for Lederhaas-Okun couldn’t be immediately located, according to The Wall Street Journal. A representative for Tiffany & Co. did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The investigation is ongoing.
Footage has emerged of American rapper A$AP Rocky allegedly attacking his fans including slapping a female across the face during his sold out all ages concert at the Hordern Pavilion on Friday night.
The Harlem rapper is filmed on YouTube appearing to lash out at the female fan as he is mobbed while walking through the crowd flanked by security following his performance.
Excited concert-goers are seen reaching out touching the rapper and patting his head when he appears to take exception to the female fan above trying to get his attention by pretending to take his hat.
A$AP is seen in the footage at 1:39:46 turning to face the woman who blows him kisses before he reaches up and appears to slap her across the left side of her face.
The unknown female fan in dark blue tights and a long white sleeved top is seen recoiling directly after with A$AP Rocky waving his finger at her in disapproval.
The incident goes largely unnoticed with some male fans standing next to the female laughing.
The American is also seen apparently punching another fan earlier on in the concert after he has his hat taken almost immediately after stage diving into the audience.
The footage shows the rapper allegedly laying a punch into a fan below as he becomes visibly distressed while crowd surfing as he looks down into the crowd for who took his hat.
Security frantically tries to pull him to the safety of the stage as the drama unfolds.
As the rest of his crew continues performing A$AP is seen composing himself by the barriers as his hat is handed back to him.
In the next 30 seconds the rapper is mobbed by fans before returning to the stage.
It was reported earlier last month that A$AP Rocky ended a show in Dortmund, Germany after his hat was taken.
“A$AP requested it back but seeing the crowd wasn’t helping he decided to leave,” the site states.
The rapper played the final of his shows last night in Perth after dates in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Torion Sellers claims in new legal docs — obtained by TMZ — he auditioned for Lil Wayne when he was only 13 and Wayne immediately saw what he called Torion’s “amazing voice” and “God-given gift and talent.”
According to the docs, Wayne signed Torion to Young Money and promised to record and release an album by Spring, 2012. But tick tock, tick tock … still no album more than a year later.
Torion claims Wayne and company have abandoned him, and he wants out of the contract. He claims Young Money screwed up by forgetting to get court approval of the contract it signed with the kid, and on that basis Torion wants to 86 the deal.
Torion believes he will be snatched up by another record label, but no one will touch him until a judge rules the Young Money deal is invalid.
The “Velvet Teddy Bear,” who won season 2 of the Fox singing competition in 2003, will compete on the NBC weight loss show as he attempts to battle his obesity – a task he has attempted previously with limited success.
“I was losing weight, but I was exhausted. It was making me sick,” the 35-year-old told PEOPLE in 2006 after attempting an intense workout regimen on about 1,200 calories a day with trainer Gunnar Peterson. “I’m a big man. There was no way to do those workouts on that amount of food, so everything was contradicting itself.”
Studdard quit that weight-loss plan after losing just 12 lbs., but eventually found vegetarianism which – along with exercise – resulted in his losing more than 70 of his 455 lbs. in 2006.
“Every week we would start by writing out a meal plan and calories,” Studdard said about his then-new diet. “The people at the vegetarian store in Birmingham are like, ‘What’s he doing in here?'”
Looks like Kim K. knows her man pretty well….Kanye West actually posted this, which was apparently a Father’s Day gift, on Twitter for his fans to check out.
Jay-z reveals lyrics for three more songs off his upcoming album Magna Carta Holy Grail which set to hit Samsung users phones in two days. You can read the lyrics below. Jay-Z took a shot at Scott Boris on Crown…ha!
Will.i.am … Will.iam … Pharrell doesn’t like that Will.i.am … and now he’s suing the Black Eyed Peas rapper in what’s becoming a pretty nasty trademark war … which now involves Dr. Seuss, TMZ has learned.
Pharrell — who’s featured on TWO mega-hits right now (“Get Lucky” & “Blurred Lines”) — recently launched a YouTube channel called I Am Other … and he’s pissed that Will.i.am is trying to block him from using the name.
Why? According to Pharrell, Will has already sent him a cease and desist letter informing P that he owns the rights to all things with an “I Am” element … and warned Pharrell to back down or else.
Pharrell didn’t run scared … he ran to court … and SUED Will — in an effort to stop Will from stopping him.
In the suit, filed in federal court in NY and obtained by TMZ, Pharrell argues that they are each using “I Am” in completely different ways.
Pharrell says Will is using the “I Am” is a Seussian way — as a playfull riff on his own name — and to hammer home his point, he quotes from Green Eggs and Ham:
“Sam I am
I am Sam
I am Sam
Sam I am”
Pharrell continues in his suit, “In contrast, the I Am Other mark means ‘I am something else,’ leaving what that ‘else’ is to the imagination of the consumer. It certainly does not mean ‘I am Will.'”
Pharrell is asking a judge for written permission to continue using the “I Am Other” mark.
Rapper Shawty Lo welcomed his 12th Child with his 11th baby mama, aspiring rapper, Jai Jai. Jai Jai gave birth to their son on June 28, 2013. Their son’s Name is King L. White. King is Jai Jai’s second child, her daughter died in 2007 shortly after birth. Congrats!
In a recent interview with XXL Magazine, Rick Rubin speaks on his involvement with Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail; it turns out that Rubin did not have a hands-on role in the making of the album. Apparently, he was simply asked to listen to it and provide his opinion. Read an excerpt from the interview below.
“The point of me being in the commercials was that he was filming a documentary and he asked me—I imagine he’s just comfortable talking to me—to come listen to the songs with him and just talk about the songs. Just listen to it and talk about it, and that’s what we did. It was fun.
I liked what I heard, but it was a little difficult — after just coming from the Kanye sessions — to listen to Jay’s album, because they’re so different. I was in a very alternative and progressive headspace, and Jay’s record is a more traditional hip-hop record.”
