Rihanna Agrees To Cover Up For Malaysia

Due to reports surfacing about her lowly financial status last year she needs every show, so the sexy outfits must go.

via Huffington Post

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The good girl gone bad has promised to be good for one night.

R&B sensation Rihanna will shun skimpy outfits when she performs in Malaysia next month, the concert’s organizers said Tuesday, becoming the latest international star affected by the Muslim-majority country’s strict rules on performers’ dress.

Recent concerts by Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne faced protests by conservative Muslim Malaysians over immodest clothes. Stefani eventually made what she called “a major sacrifice” at her show by donning attire that revealed little skin.

Under government guidelines, a female performer must be covered from the top of her chest, including her shoulders, to her knees.

The organizers of a Pussycat Dolls concert in 2006 were fined nearly $3,000 after the U.S. girl group was accused of flouting decency regulations.

The Malaysian organizers of Rihanna’s Feb. 13 stop on her “Good Girl Gone Bad” tour voiced hopes that protests would not mar the Grammy-winning singer’s show.

Rihanna’s management is “aware of the country’s regulations and the difficulties of doing a show,” Razman Razali, managing director of Pineapple Concerts, told The Associated Press.

However, a district branch of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, which blasted Lavigne’s on-stage moves as “too sexy” last year, said in an online commentary that Rihanna was “sexier and more dangerous” than Lavigne.

Concert ticket Web site Axcess said sales for Rihanna’s show in a 16,000-capacity Kuala Lumpur stadium were selling briskly Tuesday, just hours after newspapers announced the event.

Rihanna, 20, has had a slew of hits since bursting onto the music scene in 2005, including “Umbrella,” “Pon de Replay” and “Unfaithful.”

When Labels Fought the Digital, and the Digital Won

via NY Times

“You can’t roll a joint on an iPod,” the singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne told The New York Times Magazine early last year. And, O.K., I suppose that’s among the iPod’s drawbacks. But it’s hard to think of an electronic device released in recent decades that’s brought more pleasure to more people.

Should anyone care that in the process, the iPod has all but killed the music industry as we’ve known it? Maybe not, Steve Knopper writes in “Appetite for Self-Destruction,” his stark accounting of the mistakes major record labels have made since the end of the LP era and the arrival of digital music. These dinosaurs, he suggests, are largely responsible for their own demise.

Mr. Knopper, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, provides a wide-angled, morally complicated view of the current state of the music business. He doesn’t let those rippers and burners among us — that is, those who download digital songs without paying for them, and you know who you are — entirely off the hook. But he suggests that with even a little foresight, record companies could have adapted to the Internet’s brutish and quizzical new realities and thrived.

[video] Killer Mike: How-to-Crack-a-CD-Open

Killer Mike reminds you of what it felt like to crack a CD open, read the credits, look at the artwork then carefully scan over the shout out’s to see who made it.  These seems like a lost art these days with the proliferation of digital music devices.  I damn sure do miss those days but honestly, this clip got me wanting to cop Mike’s CD to see the artwork, it looks crazy!!

LLOYD BANKS & DJ WHOO KID Present COLD CORNER

LLOYD BANKS- COLD CORNER

CLICK [HERE] to LISTEN TO MIXTAPE

By far, the best mixtape of ’09 so far. I would love to see him collabo with some other lyrical dudes, outside of his camp…

Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies and Tactics

via ProHipHop

Marketing to Moviegoers by Robert Marich

The 2nd Edition of Robert Marich’s Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies and Tactics is due in paperback from Southern Illinois University Press on January 9th.

In a review of the first edition Chris Thilk, of Movie Marketing Madness, said:

“Marketing to Moviegoers by Robert Marich is a must read if you have even a passing interest in the marketing of movies. Marich covers all the major points-of-view you can approach movie marketing from, whether its paid advertising, publicity generation or merchandising.”

“He also looks in-depth at strategies employed by major studios and independent shingles and how those strategies might be similar or how they differ drastically. And he goes over those strategies not only in terms of how they’re currently used but how their use has evolved over the years.”

Official Site: Marketing to Moviegoers

2008 Vinyl Sales Highest Since 1991

via ProHipHop

The ArtistForce.com blog discusses Nielsen’s 2008 music sales figures and points out that vinyl sales are increasing:

“On a surprising note, vinyl saw an increase this year. In fact, more vinyl albums were purchased in 2008 than in any other year since Nielsen SoundScan started paying attention back in 1991. Consumers purchased 1.88 million LP’s in 2008, a whopping 89 percent increase over 2007.”

This doesn’t surprise me at all because, since Amazon launched its vinyl store, I’ve been watching all sorts of albums sell out before their release date and running into various online accounts of growing vinyl sales.

For more 2008 sales figures, see The Nielsen Company’s press release with stats.

[pics] HIP HOP’S HOTTEST HONEYS- Sabrina Sky

via BlackJackSkanz

When Halle Berry isn’t hottie enough you bring in Sabrina Sky to body double for her, which she did in the film Gothika. When Sabrina isn’t making other women look good, she is giving back to the community. Sabrina did a calendar with FireHouseHotties that benefits the American Fire Fighters and a poster which supports the Make-A-Wish foundation. Speaking of fire you can see her moves in her own YouTube video. Sadly her website domain is parked at the moment.

Sabrina did her thing in Nelly’s “Pimp Juice”, Musiq Soul Child’s “Don’t Change” and Tony Yao’s “I Know You Don’t Love me”, among others.

Her MySpace is on an invite only basis but trying knocking and maybe she will let you in.

A Rational Conversation Between Two Adults: What Should Become Of The Major Label Hip-Hop Album?

via Fader

 

Every Tuesday, FADER deputy editor Eric Ducker gets on instant messenger and “discusses” a subject that’s been on his mind with another member of our staff or a special guest. Looking back at 2008, it’s pretty amazing how proportionally few hip-hop albums came out on major labels, and of the ones that did, how few were any good. After the jump, read the condensed (and emoticon-free) conversation between Ducker and Eskay of Nah Right about the fate of the major label hip-hop album.

Eric Ducker: How do you feel about the current state of the hip-hop album?

Eskay: I feel like it’s on life support, but I don’t see it kicking the bucket anytime soon.

ED: To me it seems like very few hip-hop artists (both MCs and producers) are thinking with an album mindset and everyone is just chasing the hit single. Maybe it would make more sense if rappers just continuously worked singles and sold them digitally. And if they created enough successful ones, then they could release them as a compilation album—a re-update of a real old model, the one labels worked under before Sgt. Pepper—and if people emerged as real stars, then they would put out albums that are put together as one cohesive piece.

E: Yeah, I think we’re at a point where no one model is going to work for every artist.

ED: What would you like to see happen?

E: I think that there are a bunch of artists that would be best served by that strategy, but I feel like there are still a number of people who can and will put out cohesive LPs. Nothing would make me happier than to see more artists embrace digital distribution as a means of getting away from the major label system.

ED: Why don’t they?

E: I think a lot of artists, particularly in the realm of hip-hop, feel like they need the majors, like they’ll never make it without them. Everybody sees themselves as the next Jay-Z or 50 Cent and they are unwilling to settle for anything less. In their own minds at least. I think artists and management people need to be able to step back and take a broad look at the landscape and adjust accordingly. We’ve seen scores of established artists release albums over the last two years or so that ended up being huge commercial disappointments. What makes these young cats think they’re going to come into the game, in this day and age, and sell a million records is beyond me. I say keep budgets low and be realistic.

ED: It’s just crazy to me what you have to do to even get an album out on a major label as a rap artist these days.

E: Yeah, I mean seriously.

LMAO! Twitter Fight! Jim Jones Vs. Ne-Yo

via Complex

Even though the rumor mill’s been buzzing about the holiday scuffle between Jim Jones’ and Ne-Yo’s camps at the Louis Vuitton store in NYC, no one has any real details. Except Complex*, thanks to our access to Twitter feeds that no one else has seen. Think you’ve got the full story? You have no idea. Read on to see how the whole incident went down, in twitter form…

GoonieGooGoo ballin out at the lv storeGoonieGooGoo xmas in harlem!!!!!!

GoonieGooGoo @ ChinkSantana yo go grab that duffel and some lv parachute pants 4 me ima be over here doin pushups and not shaving

ChinkSantana hjksdflhkj

GoonieGooGoo u really need 2 learn 2 type ni**aGoonieGooGoo

 

yo is that neyo

GoonieGooGoo this mr potato head lookin ass dude just grabbed the last duffel!!!

GoonieGooGoo @ NeyoSoul thats my bag ni**a

NeYoSoul @ GoonieGooGoo that aint yr hand on it tho is it

GoonieGooGoo @ NeYoSoul no thats your lotiony ass hand gimme dat bag Shaffer

GoonieGooGoo @ NeYoSoul i got 40 stacks in my jeans no homo

NeYoSoul @LittleTyTy lets go man i gotta go make a song that uses a disease or addiction metaphor to explain romantic entanglements

LittleTyTy @ NeYoSoul so go buy the bag then

[audio] B.I.G. feat CJ Wallace- ONE MORE CHANCE

ONE MORE CHANCE- Biggie Smalls feat CJ Wallace (Biggie’s son)

CLICK [HERE] for AUDIO

This the world’s first introduction to CJ Wallace, the torch bearer of the Wallace legacy that the King of New York left behind. Spitting over his poppa’s classic, is…well classic!  They form a trinity on this track with poppa, momma and son representing that ONE MORE CHANCE…Baby, Baby!

“Steve Jobs Dead”: When Livestreams Go Wrong: MacRumors Gets Hijacked by 4Chan

via Tech Crunch

MacRumors has long been one of my favorite sources for Mac-related gossip (largely because the site has generally avoided overly sensational articles that were clearly wrong), but today it has been having a few issues with its Macworld Livestream.

At 9:24 AM the stream issued an alarming announcement that “Steve Jobs just died”. Moments later this was corrected, with a statement that the MacRumors team didn’t know how it had gotten into the feed. There was quiet for a few minutes. And then things took a turn for the worst, as members of what appears to be the 4chan image-board began flooding the feed with bizarre comments.

Note: We don’t recommend that you visit the site at the moment, as the feed now includes some graphic and disgusting images.

For a working stream of the latest news, check out the CrunchGear Macworld Notes.

How Israel brought Gaza to the Brink of Humanitarian Catastrophe

via Guardian UK

A wounded Palestinian policeman gestures while lying on the ground outside Hamas police headquarters following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

By Avi Shlaim

The only way to make sense of Israel’s senseless war in Gaza is through understanding the historical context. Establishing the state of Israel in May 1948 involved a monumental injustice to the Palestinians. British officials bitterly resented American partisanship on behalf of the infant state. On 2 June 1948, Sir John Troutbeck wrote to the foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, that the Americans were responsible for the creation of a gangster state headed by “an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders”. I used to think that this judgment was too harsh but Israel’s vicious assault on the people of Gaza, and the Bush administration’s complicity in this assault, have reopened the question.

I write as someone who served loyally in the Israeli army in the mid-1960s and who has never questioned the legitimacy of the state of Israel within its pre-1967 borders. What I utterly reject is the Zionist colonial project beyond the Green Line. The Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the June 1967 war had very little to do with security and everything to do with territorial expansionism. The aim was to establish Greater Israel through permanent political, economic and military control over the Palestinian territories. And the result has been one of the most prolonged and brutal military occupations of modern times.

Four decades of Israeli control did incalculable damage to the economy of the Gaza Strip. With a large population of 1948 refugees crammed into a tiny strip of land, with no infrastructure or natural resources, Gaza’s prospects were never bright. Gaza, however, is not simply a case of economic under-development but a uniquely cruel case of deliberate de-development. To use the Biblical phrase, Israel turned the people of Gaza into the hewers of wood and the drawers of water, into a source of cheap labour and a captive market for Israeli goods. The development of local industry was actively impeded so as to make it impossible for the Palestinians to end their subordination to Israel and to establish the economic underpinnings essential for real political independence.

Gaza is a classic case of colonial exploitation in the post-colonial era. Jewish settlements in occupied territories are immoral, illegal and an insurmountable obstacle to peace. They are at once the instrument of exploitation and the symbol of the hated occupation. In Gaza, the Jewish settlers numbered only 8,000 in 2005 compared with 1.4 million local residents. Yet the settlers controlled 25% of the territory, 40% of the arable land and the lion’s share of the scarce water resources. Cheek by jowl with these foreign intruders, the majority of the local population lived in abject poverty and unimaginable misery. Eighty per cent of them still subsist on less than $2 a day. The living conditions in the strip remain an affront to civilised values, a powerful precipitant to resistance and a fertile breeding ground for political extremism.

In August 2005 a Likud government headed by Ariel Sharon staged a unilateral Israeli pullout from Gaza, withdrawing all 8,000 settlers and destroying the houses and farms they had left behind. Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement, conducted an effective campaign to drive the Israelis out of Gaza. The withdrawal was a humiliation for the Israeli Defence Forces. To the world, Sharon presented the withdrawal from Gaza as a contribution to peace based on a two-state solution. But in the year after, another 12,000 Israelis settled on the West Bank, further reducing the scope for an independent Palestinian state. Land-grabbing and peace-making are simply incompatible. Israel had a choice and it chose land over peace.

Atheist Bus Campaign Is Rolling on all Cylinders

via Guardian

Today, thanks to many Cif readers, the overall total raised for the Atheist Bus Campaign stands at a truly overwhelming £135,000, breaking our original target of £5,500 by over 2400%. Given this unexpected amount, I’m very excited to tell you that 800 buses – instead of the 30 we were initially aiming for – are now rolling out across the UK with the slogan, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”, in locations all over England, Scotland and Wales, including Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York, Cardiff, Devon, Leeds, Bristol and Aberdeen.

From today’s launch, two hundred of the buses will run in London, because the campaign was originally started as a positive counter-response to the Jesus Said ads running on London buses in June 2008. These ads displayed the URL of a website which stated that non-Christians “will be condemned to everlasting separation from God and then you spend all eternity in torment in hell … Jesus spoke about this as a lake of fire prepared for the devil”. Our rational slogan will hopefully reassure anyone who has been scared by this kind of evangelism.

In addition, we’re running adverts on two further types of media. In my last Cif blog on the campaign, I asked Cif readers for ideas on alternative ways to spend the funds, and also for thoughts on different slogans. Commenters WoollyMindedLiberal, PaoloV and Catch22 suggested that we use quotes from famous freethinkers, and we’ve done just that: from Monday January 12, 1,000 tube cards will run on London Underground featuring atheist quotations from Douglas Adams, Albert Einstein, Emily Dickinson and Katharine Hepburn (see above), alongside the original campaign slogan.

Closed Encounters of the Jersey Kind?

[to see video of the lights [CLICK] HERE]

via CBS

Was it a UFO or is there an explanation for it?

Strange, red, blinking lights could be seen across Morris County on Monday night, and officials thought they had figured out what caused them.

Now, they’re not so sure.

Between 8:30 and 9 p.m., the Hurley family in Whippany captured images of a bizarre object in the sky and contacted WCBSTV.com.

“It was unsettling for sure,” said Cindy Hurley. “It was something you’ve never seen before, and a very strange pattern.”

Eleven-year-old Kristin was the first to spot them, a group of three lights together, and two lights together, seen in the horizon through the trees. “I looked up outside. I was really scared and saw five red lights,” she said.

The family all went out onto their deck to look at the strange sight. Paul Hurley, a pilot who works at Morristown Airport, said they weren’t planes.

“I’ve been in aviation for 20 years and never seen anything like it,” he told CBS 2.

HBO Lands Rights to Inaugural Ceremony

via Hollywood Reporter

NEW YORK — HBO will kick off coverage of Inauguration Week with an exclusive Sunday, Jan. 18, telecast of the star-studded opening ceremony, two days before the saturation coverage of President Barack Obama’s inauguration begins in earnest.

In 1993, HBO paid $1.5 million to the Presidential Inaugural Committee to exclusively televise Bill Clinton’s kickoff from the Lincoln Memorial, something that annoyed non-HBO subscribers who weren’t able to watch the concert by Bob Dylan and Diana Ross.

This time around, HBO — which has been awarded the rights for an undisclosed sum — is planning to offer the event free to cable and satellite subscribers, regardless of whether they have the pay channel or not. The entertainment lineup for the event, which may also be streamed, hasn’t yet been announced, but both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are scheduled to attend.

“(HBO’s) proven track record as a leader in television will help ensure an event that reflects President-elect Obama’s commitment to holding an inauguration that is open, accessible and reflects America’s spirit of unity,” inaugural committee executive director Emmett S. Beliveau said.

Al Qaeda message Blames Obama, Egypt for Gaza Violence

via CNN

(CNN) — An audio message reportedly from al Qaeda’s deputy chief vows revenge for Israel’s air and ground assault on Gaza and calls the Jewish state’s actions against Hamas militants “a gift” from U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.

The speaker, identified as Ayman al-Zawahiri, addresses Muslims in Gaza. He said the violence “is one part of a series of a crusade war against Islam and these air strikes are a gift from Obama before he takes office, and (Egyptian President) Hosni Mubarak, that traitor, is the main partner in your siege and killing.”

The message, posted Tuesday on various Islamist Web sites with a picture of al-Zawahiri next to an image of a wounded child, urges militants to rally against Israel.

“My Muslim brothers and mujahedeens in Gaza and all over Palestine, with the help of God we are with you in the battle, we will direct our strikes against the crusader Jewish coalition wherever we can.”

Obama’s wheels: Secret Service to unveil new presidential limo

via CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) — As a candidate, Barack Obama promoted hybrid cars.

As president, he’ll be handed the keys to one. Sort of.

Shortly after taking the oath of office, Obama will climb into the Mother of All Hybrids — part car, part truck and, from the looks of it, part tank.

In keeping with recent tradition, the Secret Service will place a brand-new presidential limousine into service January 20 to drive the new president on the 2-mile jaunt down Pennsylvania Avenue during the inaugural parade.

Already, spy photos of the limo — with patches of gray primer — have leaked out. And already, the reviews:

“Ugly as sin,” says one car enthusiast on an auto Web site. “Can’t we make a hotter ride for our pres?”

“Sheesh,” says another, “why don’t they just transport the president around in an Abrams tank.”

Q-Tip Tells Newsweek About Industry Rule #2080

via HipHopDX

In an interview with Newsweek’s Seth Walls, rapper Q-Tip shares his opinions on the industry and “record company people.”

The former frontman of A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip released his second studio album, The Renaissance, on November 4, 2008.
It took the Queens native close to a decade to release a second studio album due to a various number of label issues. Due to these label issues, Q-Tip’s expected second studio album entitled Kamaal The Abstract was shelved.

“My thing is not like McDonald’s, where you go in and get fast results,” Q-Tip explained to Newsweek. “My thing is like a gumbo or a turkey dinner-you got to let it cook and marinate…I’m not a radio dude; I’m about the long-term. It was like that with Tribe, and it’s like that now.”

Even without an outrageous number of marketing campaigns, Q-Tip’s The Renaissance was still able to reach the Number 11 spot on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
“Their model for getting numbers is broken,” Q-Tip explained. “They realize it, but they don’t have any solutions. They all seem shook. A&R departments need people who really know music. That way, they can make records that last a long time, because eventually it’s going to be about the whole catalog selling again. Especially in these hard times, people want to make sure that their dollar is going to something that’s worth something.”

Now signed to Motown/Universal Records, Q-Tip recently regained the rights to the master tapes of Kamaal The Abstract and plans on putting out the album himself.

[video] Skip Bayless vs. Lil Wayne Pt. 1

Soulja Boy Gets Animated, Launches Web Series Today

via XXL

Teen rap sensation Soulja Boy will be debuting his animated series online today.

SB, who launched his career by utilizing the Internet, will be posting the show on his website, souljaboytellem.com. The series, which will incorporate both live-action and animation, will follow the 18-year-old as he is forced to return to high school. Alfonso Ribiero, known for his role as Carlton on the hugely popular TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” will be playing the school’s principal.

“I always wanted to do a cartoon since I was younger,” the Atlanta-bred MC said in a statement. “I am excited because I think that the subject matter will give my fans what they would expect from me.”

“Soulja Boy Tell ‘em: The Animated Series” can be found online now.

In related news, SB recently made headlines after his house was robbed. Fortunately the “Crank That” rapper, who was present during the robbery, made it out of the incident unscathed.

Suge Knight Scares Off Bidders In Auction Of Death Row

via XXL

With thousands of unheard songs by hip-hop heavyweights Tupac and Snoop Dogg, among others hitting the auction block later this month, fans would think they would have no problem finding buyers, but it seems as if former owner, Suge Knight, is a real turnoff.

New York’s Daily News reports that Knight’s Death Row Records will be going up for sale on January 15 but the label founder’s shady reputation may make it a tough sell. A source tells the paper that, “Some people don’t want to go near the catalog because they think Suge still believes it’s his.”

The former hip-hop mogul was forced to put the music up for sale after filing for bankruptcy in ’06. Authorities have tried unsuccessfully to put the extensive library on the auction block before, but all the prior deals have fell through. As XXLmag.com previously reported, Suge was accused of hiding a portion of Death Row’s catalog from Global Music Group, an indie that tried to buy the West Coast label last year.

Along with Death Row going up for sale, Knight’s Malibu mansion was auctioned off for $4.5 million just last month. The 8,272 square-feet house was built seven years ago and has 9.5 bathrooms, a pool, a spa and mountain and ocean views. It’s estimated value is over $6.2 million.

Spike Lee: “I’m Not Rich, Rich”

Hey Spike you’re hood rich, we get it! Consider yourself lucky, atleast you didn’t get taken to the cleaners by Madoff (lol)

via Huffington Post

Spike Lee gave a long interview to Britain’s Sunday Observer, and explained to the reporter that despite a Manhattan townhouse, Martha’s Vineyard home and kids in private school, he is not wealthy:He told me he had always intended his kids to go, as he did, to state schools. “But my wife put the kibosh on that,” he said. Lee balks at being described as wealthy. “It’s not rich rich,” he told me. “Rich is Spielberg. Lucas. Gates. Steve Jobs. Jay-Z! Bruce Springsteen. I’m not complaining. But that’s money. Will Smith. Oprah Winfrey – that’s a ton of money. Compared to them, I’m on welfare!”

The interview, which took place at intervals in 2008 before Barack Obama’s election, also relays Lee’s distaste for the Clintons and Cindy McCain:

“Who’s going to be the vice-presidential pick?” Robin Burgess, the session co-ordinator and Blanchard’s wife, asked.

“As long as it’s not Hillary,” Lee said.

“You know,” Blanchard said in a wondering tone, “we got friends uptown who say they can’t stand Michelle. I mean, what about McCain’s wife?”

“Stepford wife,” Lee muttered.

“I used to like Bill Clinton,” Blanchard said.

Lee shook his head. “They showed their hand,” he said.

Friended by Mom and Dad on Facebook

via ABC

The Facebook group entitled “For the love of god — don’t let parents join Facebook” has 5,819 high school and college-aged members who want to stop the growing number of parents who are joining Facebook, the massively popular social networking site, from “spying” on them.

Many Facebook users already know that employers, teachers and admissions officers at universities use Facebook to check up on potential employees or students, but the recent dramatic increase in the number of parents using Facebook seems to disturb many younger users more than the presence of any other demographic.

“It’s really weird that nonstudents and parents use Facebook,” said Emma Gaines, a Tufts University sophomore. “It makes me feel really uncomfortable that my older aunt has Facebook, because she says that she likes to check up on her teenage nieces and nephews and takes our pictures for her own use. That’s creepy.”

2pac Live At The House Of Blues (Gettin At Nas, Bad Boy, & Mobb Deep) [25 Minutes][Throwback Video]

Classic Makavelli getting at his New York counterparts…the usual suspects, M.O.B.B., Nasir and Bad the Boy familia. Being that he spent most of his time in the studio cooking up his witches brew, I can tell when he hit the stage this is really when he cast his spells! HAIL MARY…BOMB FIRST…BOOYAH!!!

more about “2pac Live At The House Of Blues (Gett…“, posted with vodpod

 

[video] Dimethyltryptamine-Jay Electronica

I can see Jay is still going through the stages of finding his stage show…which is all good, its part of becoming an artist. He still has some of the illest metaphors in the game. A big change from when I see him imploding at the mos def show.

more about “[video] Dimethyltryptamine-jay Electr…“, posted with vodpod

 

[video]LMAO! Apple to Release Mac with no keyboard

The Onion News Network sure has some clever writers over there because this is slapstick funny, I tell ya!!

spotted @ RealTalkNY

more about "[video]LMAO! Apple to Release Mac wit…", posted with vodpod

[Op-Ed] Intelligence is the New ‘Gangsta’-Charlamagne the GOD

“Intelligence is the old ‘gangsta,’ smart is the old ’sexy’ and 2009 is the rebirth of the thinker.”

Yeah, what Charlamagne said.

Tha God dropped a nice read about why intelligence is “gangsta” in 2009. Check it out under the hood.

2009 (Intelligence is the new gangsta)

Intelligence is the new gangsta. In fact, intelligence is the old gangsta but it’s the new gangsta to this generation because we have been dumbed down for so long that we either forgot, never knew or just didn’t acknowledge being intelligent was the most gangsta way to be to begin with. 2009 is going to be the year of the righteous and the year of the thinker. 2009 begins an era where knowledge truly does reign supreme over almost everyone. (Word to KRS). In fact ‘09 is a divine year. If you are familiar with Supreme Mathematics then you know that nine is born. You are born once physically then you are born again mentally when you learn the true and proper knowledge of yourself. For example Malcolm Little was born physically May 19, 1925 but was reborn mentally some where between 1945 and 1952. This is when he was incarcerated and introduced to the Nation of Islam when he learned the true and proper knowledge of himself. He was mentally reborn El Hajj Malik Shabazz commonly known as Malcolm X.

I’m not saying that in 2009 everyone is going to convert to Islam and change their name but what I am saying is that nine symbolizes the highest level of change. Change is the basis of growth. Growth is the basis of life and if you are not constantly growing then you are dying. I say that all the time because I want people to really grasp that concept of thinking. The energy of change is all around us right now. Do you think it’s a coincidence that Barack Obama’s whole campaign was based on change? Is it just random he is called the “Agent of Change”? Hell no that’s divine. God designed it that way. His administration starts this year and if you voted for him you are part of his government. I voted for the first time ever last year. That alone is the direct reflection of the growth that change delivers but it doesn’t stop there.

Ex-Detainee of U.S. Describes a 6-Year Ordeal in Guantanamo Bay

via NY Times

LAHORE, Pakistan — When Muhammad Saad Iqbal arrived home here in August after more than six years in American custody, including five at the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, he had difficulty walking, his left ear was severely infected, and he was dependent on a cocktail of antibiotics and antidepressants.

In November, a Pakistani surgeon operated on his ear, physical therapists were working on lower back problems and a psychiatrist was trying to wean him off the drugs he carried around in a white, plastic shopping bag.

The maladies, said Mr. Iqbal, 31, a professional reader of the Koran, are the result of a gantlet of torture, imprisonment and interrogation for which his Washington lawyer plans to sue the United States government.

The coming administration of President-elect Barack Obama is weighing whether to close the Guantánamo prison, which many critics have called an extralegal system of detention and abuse.

But the full stories of individual detainees like Mr. Iqbal are only now emerging after years in which they were shuttled around the globe under the Bush administration’s system of extraordinary rendition, which used foreign countries to interrogate and detain terrorism suspects in sites beyond the reach of American courts.

Obama’s election is changing the politics of race

via LA Times

Reporting from Washington — With Senate leaders threatening to block Roland Burris from being sworn in today as Barack Obama’s replacement, many of his supporters see a familiar story of race and injustice.

An all-white club, they say, is trying to prevent a black man from gaining admission, as well as the power that comes with a Senate seat. Summoning a harsh metaphor from the nation’s racial battles, Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) even called the Senate “the last bastion of plantation politics.”

But the Burris episode has unexpectedly become the first example of how racial politics have changed with the election of Barack Obama to the White House.

Police in Israel Grapple with a Mafia Gang War

So they’re fighting a war on two fronts? More like the U.S. than I thought

via LA Times

Daylight bombings, bystander deaths and the occasional rocket attack have laid bare the shortcomings of Israel’s formidable security apparatus in dealing with the crime wave.

By Ashraf Khalil
January 6, 2009

Reporting from Jerusalem — His name rhymed with Al Capone and he came to a bad end behind the wheel of a rented white Volkswagen.

Until the moment a bomb planted on his car exploded on a Tel Aviv street, mob boss Yaakov Alperon was living large. He and his Carmela Soprano-blond wife, Ahuva, were media darlings who even took part in a 2006 reality show in which a famous Israeli model moved in with their family.

After her husband’s assassination in November, a tearful Ahuva went on Israeli television to plead for an end to the violence. “I’m left with seven orphans,” she said. “I beg you, don’t look for revenge.”

But as he stood over his father’s grave, one of her sons appeared to have vengeance on his mind: “I will send back that person to God,” he said. “He won’t have a grave because I’ll cut off his hands, head and body.”

Biden on Economy: ‘We’re at WAR’

via Politico

Vice-president-elect Joe Biden likened the country’s economic crisis to the attacks of 9/11 Monday in a private meeting on Capitol Hill.

“We’re at war,” Biden told congressional leaders of both parties during their sit-down with Barack Obama in the Capitol, according to two sources familiar with the exchange.

It’s not the first time the vice-president-elect has used stark language to underscore the perilous state of the economy. In an interview last month on ABC’s “This Week,” Biden said that a stimulus package was needed to keep the economy from “absolutely tanking.”

Biden spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander said Biden “was speaking of how after September 11th, that the Congress came together and worked together for the sake of the country, that the Congress worked day and night to accomplish what was necessary. We did it then and we can do it now.”

Biden’s grim warning came as Obama began a public push for quick passage of a massive economic growth package in meetings with congressional leaders and his economic team.

[video] Unseen Footage of PE Obama on a Cooking Show

For all the Obamalytes out there here is some vintage OBAMA footage. Early Obama had the same mannerisms as PE Obama. He was very deliberate with his speech (it was delayed), he stuttered and he was convincly authorative whenever he spoke on something, I guess that is why the nation is poised to hear him say something, and hopefully the right thing about Israeli aggression in Palestine.

Community Organizer, President of Harvard Review, Restaurant reviewer…wow, this guy has some resume.

 

Robbie Madison’s Amazing Record Jump

This is just plain sick!!! Amazing stunt for real!!

more about “Robbie Madison’s Amazing Record Jump“, posted with vodpod

Lil’ Wayne, Rihanna, T-Pain Make Digital History

via SOHH

As physical album sales declined yet again in 2008, Lil’ Wayne, T-Pain, Rihanna and Leona Lewis are among the bright spots by helping to fuel a 27 percent upsurge in digital sales.

According to CNET, Lewis’ smash hit “Bleeding Love” topped the year’s top selling digital songs by moving more than 3,420,000 copies. From her platinum selling album Spirit, the British singer led the way for a digital sales revolution.

Despite having the top selling album of the year, Tha Carter III, Weezy fell to second place as “Lollipop” closely followed with an estimated total 3,161,000 (legal) digital downloads. Featuring Static Major, the record has become one of the rapper’s most popular tracks from his decade long career.

Some Charges Dropped in Alleged NYPD Cop Abuse

via ABC

CLICK [HERE] FOR VIDEO of police abuse caught on camera

BRONX (WABC) — There are new developments in the case of alleged New York police abuse caught on tape. The video shows police officers forcing their way into a home in the Bronx after they received a complaint about noise. We’ve learned some of the charges against the alleged victims have now been dropped. “I have 4 cameras, and (this one) was recording the hallway,” Santiago Serrano explained.

The hallway of Serrano’s Bronx apartment was the scene of a wild altercation on New Years’ eve involving family and friends versus NYPD officers who responded to a noise complaint there.

Santiago said police did not indicate anything about looking for drugs or guns.

Wanted: 850 New FBI Agents

I wonder why they’re hiring all these new alphabet boys? Maybe got something to do with the fact they’ve got the whole country wiretapped. There must hundreds of thousands of secret indictments on the way.

via CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Despite a bleak economic environment featuring wide-ranging layoffs and rising unemployment, the nation’s premier law enforcement agency is touting “one of the largest hiring blitzes in our 100-year history.”

The FBI posted openings for 850 special agents and more than 2,100 professional support personnel. Officials say it’s the largest FBI job posting since immediately after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The FBI’s unexpectedly large number of job openings results more from attrition and a wave of retirements than from growing government appropriations, Bureau officials told CNN.

The FBI routinely advertises openings for individuals with critical skills in computer science and language fluency. But John Raucci, assistant director of the FBI’s Human Resources Division, says current needs are much more wide-ranging.

Twitter accounts of Obama, Britney Spears hacked

via CNN

(CNN) — The Twitter accounts of President-elect Barack Obama, CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, Britney Spears, Fox News and 29 others were hacked Monday according to the microblog site, leading to false and inappropriate messages being posted on their accounts.

First Fox News Twitter followers read a false message about Bill O’Reilly’s sexuality Monday morning after hackers launched several attacks.

Then came the attack on pop princess Britney Spears private parts.

CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, who uses Twitter on his TV show to interact with the audience, also fell victim to the scam, when a hacker posted about drugs on his account.

Twitter is a social-networking blog site that allows users to send status updates, or “tweets,” from cell phones, instant messaging services and Facebook in less than 140 characters.

50 Cent – I Get It In (Second Single Off Album)

Is this a banger? Or has 50 lost a step? Shouts to MReck and Doggie Diamonds.

more about “50 Cent – I Get It In (Second Single …“, posted with vodpod

Source: 2 Dopeboyz

DOWNLOAD: 50 Cent – I Get It In (prod. Dr. Dre) [Radio Rip]

Former Gladiator Speaks on Privates Shrinking from Steroid Use

Wonder how all the current Gladiators feel about Dan telling the reality about steroids. Cause it is obvious that the cycle has not be broken.

via Page Six

DAN Clark loved the power steroids gave him – until the “American Gladiators” star discovered the muscle-enhancing drugs made him grow man-boobs, shrank his privates and turned sex into a painful experience.

“Bitch t- -s, man boobs, breast-chesticles is what they’re called on the street. Gynecomastia is the scientific name. No matter what you call it, I [had] it,” Clark, who was “Nitro” on the smash reality series, reveals in his memoir, “Gladiator: A True Story of ‘Roids, Rage and Redemption,” out next month. “I hate[d] taking off my shirt. For photo shoots, [I'd] wet my nipple with spit . . . [to] look firm instead of hanging down.”

As he shot seven seasons of “American Gladiators” from 1989 to 1996, he pleaded with the wardrobe stylist to make him a new uniform, but didn’t tell her it was “to hide my budding breasts.” He eventually underwent reduction surgery.

Clark, a former LA Rams defensive lineman, used steroids for 20 years. They also took their toll on his private parts, so much so that he embarrassingly had to explain to women what was going on. “My b- – -s never really regained their size. They’re kind of shriveled,” he sadly told one bedmate. In addition, steroids subjected him to a “dull throbbing pain” every time he had sex.

Clark, 44, says when he first started injecting steroids, he gained a whopping 32 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks and topped the scales at 262.

After finally going for therapy, Clark kicked his habit. He writes: “The treacherous steroid path. I always thought I could handle it. But the drug handled me. Easily and completely . . . I was never big enough or strong enough for myself.” Clark, who was in the Meryl Streep movie “Death Becomes Her” and the Christian Bale flick “Equilibrium,” is a consultant on the new version of “American Gladiators.”

[video] iBoobs on iPhone

Found this at the Next Thing blog and I finally found out what was all the fuse was about with this app trying to get some love from Apple. From what it says on the Youtube page Apple has said no deeming it pornography. Damn!