Eminem to Perform at the MTV Movie Awards

via Rap-Up

Get the censors ready. Rap-Up.com has exclusively learned that Eminem
will take the stage live at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.

The controversial rapper will return to the 18th annual event, airing live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, Calif., on Sunday, May 31. He is set to perform his celebrity-bashing song “We Made You” off his sixth studio album Relapse, which is being released May 19.

Since his last appearance at the pre-taped awards in 2005, the show has switched to a live format. It’s possible that a few of the celebrities Em takes shots at in his first single will be in attendance, making for an even more interesting spectacle.

“Saturday Night Live” funnyman Andy Samberg will host.

No Bail for Ninja Man in Murder Case

via RadioJamaica/Animal

Popular dance hall entertainer Ninja Man was again remanded when he appeared before the Half-Way Tree Gun Court in St. Andrew Tuesday morning to answer to murder charges. The entertainer, whose given name is Desmond Balentine, is to return on May 7 when his attorneys are expected to make another application for bail.

courtesy of Afflicted Yard

He was arrested last month in connection with the fatal shooting of Ricardo Johnson, 20, also known as “Ricky Trooper”.

The police say on the March 17, Ninja Man and a group of men went to a section of Marl Road in Olympic Gardens, Sr. Andrew where they were involved in a dispute with a man.

The men reportedly fired shots at the man, however, the bullets missed and hit Mr. Johnson.

After his death, the police issued a bulletin for Ninja Man to turn himself in for questioning.
A day later, the entertainer went to the police accompanied by his lawyer.

He was questioned and later charged with murder.

XXL Warns Advertisers About the Fall of Giant

via AnimalNewYork

It’s no secret that marketing dollars have been drying up industry wide, but who knew that Hip Hop magazines like XXL were taking such drastic actions to retain and attract new advertisers, like this dire memo warning against spending money in a competitor book. This communique was sent to Mindshare, a media planning agency that controls a lot of money for big brands, and basically describes just how close to death Giant is. They claim that even the parent company, Radio One, has lost faith in the title, citing the lack of the mag’s inclusion in a recent trade advertisement that ran in Ad Age as the most damning evidence. Additionally, they mention the far more important indicators of its inevitable demise:

Website Allows Users To Cheaply Swap Media

via CBS11

Adding to a book, CD or DVD collection doesn’t have to mean going to the bookstore or purchasing expensive downloads from the web. There’s a way to find authors, musicians and movies and only spend a few dollars.

Sara Schruhl of Irving admits she has an addiction to books. “It’s an expensive habit, but if you have to have a habit, I guess it’s a good one to have.” She has more than a thousand titles in her apartment.

Schruhl has been trying to curtail her spending. She found a website to help her save money. It’s called PaperBackSwap.com.

Schruhl says it’s a less expensive way to feed her reading addiction. PaperbackSwap.com allows her to exchange books she’s looking to get rid of and receive titles she’d like to have instead.

World Premiere Video: Serena Fills in For Tiger

more about “World Premiere Video: Serena Fills in…“, posted with vodpod

via HuffPost/Erica Boeke

Gatorade gave me a sneak preview of Serena’s video, which is part of their new video series “Focus on your Game: Golf Tips from Tiger.” And now … drum roll, please … I will share it with you, dear readers!

Erica Boeke

[video] Biden Welcomes Obama Home

Biden: “I don’t know if you heard about this, but I been dusting it up with dirty Dick Cheney…” [insert PAUSE here]

U.S. Sea Captain Freed In Swift Firefight

via NPR

NPR.org, April 12, 2009 · An American ship captain was freed unharmed Sunday in a swift firefight that killed three of the four Somali pirates who had been holding him for days in a lifeboat off the coast of Africa, the ship’s owner said.

A senior U.S. intelligence official said a pirate who had been involved in negotiations to free Capt. Richard Phillips but who was not on the lifeboat was in custody.

Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, was safely transported to a Navy warship nearby.

Maersk Line Limited President and CEO John Reinhart said in a news release that the U.S. government informed the company around 1:30 p.m. EDT Sunday that Phillips had been rescued. Reinhart said the company called Phillips’ wife, Andrea, to tell her the news.

The U.S. official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A Pentagon spokesman had no immediate comment.

When Phillips’ crew heard the news aboard their ship in the port of Mombasa, they placed an American flag over the rail of the top of the Maersk Alabama and whistled and pumped their fists in the air. Crew fired a bright red flare into the sky from the ship.

A government official and others in Somalia with knowledge of the situation had reported hours earlier that negotiations for Phillips’ release had broken down.

Plies A No Show For Court Case, Loses Judgement

via 24HourHipHop

A Montgomery, Alabama concert promoter was recently awarded a default judgment in his lawsuit against Atlantic Records rapper Plies for failing to show up for a concert earlier this year.

A default judgment has been issued for Patrick Monifston of P Entertainment Promotions after Plies and his manager David Gay failed to appear in court to face the civil lawsuit. Monifston filed suit against Plies on July 16, after the Florida rapper never showed for a July 8 concert.

According to the lawsuit, Plies never bothered to perform in Montgomery, disappointing some 1,500 fans. After the audience learned Plies would not appear, a melee broke out in the crowd that caused thousands of dollars in damages to the club, according to Montgomery Advertiser.

In addition to levying claims of breach of contract, Monifston also sued Plies for slander, following the rapper’s appearance on radio station WZHT Hot 105 where he reportedly made disparaging comments about the promoter.

The exact terms of the judgment were not announced, however Monifston said it was at least $11,000, which covers the amount he spent to bring Plies to Montgomery, as well as the damages the club sustained.

[video] WTF? People Stripping on NY Subways?

Men who smoke pot more likely to be in road accidents

via USA Today

Marijuana use and reckless driving are interconnected, say Canadian researchers.

“We observed that dangerous driving behaviors are interrelated. Individuals scoring high on impulsivity or sensation-seeking scales demonstrated an elevated risk of driving under the influence of cannabis,” study senior author Jacques Bergeron, a professor in the department of psychology at the Universite de Montreal, said in a school news release.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the association between driving under the influence of cannabis and a wide range of dangerous driving behaviors.”

Bergeron and colleagues asked 83 men, aged 17 to 49, about their driving history and observed them in driving simulators. Men were chosen for the study because they more often engage in dangerous driving and driving under the influence of marijuana, the researchers explained.

[video] WTF? Polar Bear Attack At German Zoo: Woman Bitten After Jumping Into Zoo Enclosure

My partner reminded me that this story hits close to home, because when we were adolescents a neighborhood kid also ventured into a polar bear enclosure at Prospect Park Zoo . He was not as lucky and was killed instantly. The fascination with people and wild animals continues with this story, whereas a woman cannonballed into a pit of hungry polar bears:

via HuffPost

In this shocking video, polar bears at a German zoo attacked a woman who climbed into the enclosure. The Daily Mail reports:

She was bitten by one of the four older polar bears in the enclosure and not by the famous Knut, who took Germany by storm as a cub after he was hand-raised by a keeper.
It is not known why the woman pulled the dangerous stunt but she initially appeared to be elated as she swam towards a bear in the enclosure.

FULL STORY HERE

Communities print their own Currency to keep Cash Flowing

Can you picture us spending the “Hip Hop Dollar?” Imagine how far that sh*t would go? First we need a “community” then this might be a option, if n*ggas can ween themselves off this theory of “ballin’ out.”

via USA Today

A small but growing number of cash-strapped communities are printing their own money.

Borrowing from a Depression-era idea, they are aiming to help consumers make ends meet and support struggling local businesses.

The systems generally work like this: Businesses and individuals form a network to print currency. Shoppers buy it at a discount — say, 95 cents for $1 value — and spend the full value at stores that accept the currency.

[video] Ashley Logan Ethers XXL Blogger “Byron Crawford” On Kay Slay Show!

They goin’ in on XXL blogger Byron Crawford! “He writes articles like a faggot.   He takes it in the butt like a faggot.  You’re no where to be found” + Kay Slay says he’s “Thug Bloggin” “He must be gettin butt f*cked”

[video] Cam Shoots Down Reunion, Juelz Confirms

Alright, here is the (edited) video to the audio that many are describing as the proverbial ‘nail-in-the-coffin’ for the Harlem Diplomat Reunion. Cam, emphatically states that dreams of a reunion have been permanently shattered by Jim’s continuous bloopers, the latest being him denying that Killa had a phone conversation with him. Honestly, we all know Cam can stand on his own and build up any movement around himself but what will Jimmy and Juelz do? As fate would have it, their solo careers are some what stagnant and any attempts to recreate the flame that was once Dip Set has fallen on deaf ears, to say the least.  The MTV clip below is Juelz response, which still sounds a tad bit salty:

Uncensored : “Observe And Report” Date Rape Scene Sparks Outrage (VIDEO)

Source: HuffPost

This has got to be the most curse-laden and crass trailer for a movie I have seen thus far which probably will make it a huge hit at the box office. Audiences will be in stitches at the scene which has caused so much outrage from movie critics.

If women groups are not outside the theatre protesting this film, I don’t wanna hear one more thing about B.E.T and the booty shaking. Seth Rogen gives a wimpish excuse about the scene:

SETH ROGEN: When we’re having sex and she’s unconscious like you can literally feel the audience thinking, like, how the fuck are they going to make this okay? Like, what can possibly be said or done that I’m not going to walk out of the movie theater in the next thirty seconds? . . . And then she says, like, the one thing that makes it all okay: “Why are you stopping, motherfucker?”

WTF? Couple Robbed For Fried Chicken At Gunpoint In Florida! “You Know What Time It Is. Give It Up”

Things seem to be getting worse before they are getting better.

[video]High-Speed Chase: Woman Tries To Run Down Cops

She definitely got off on the wrong side of the bed.

Ever Wonder What a Trillion Dollars Looks Like?

via Mercola

In honor of the trillion bucks the Fed just pressed up, we surfed the net and found some visuals to put into perspective what a “trilli” actually looks like. What we found was staggering.

$10,000: Ten stack is a lil’ under 1/2 inch thick

$1,000,000: A MILLI weighs 22 lbs. and fits in a nappy

$100,000,000: 100 MILLION weighs a TON!!

$1,000,000,000: A BILLION is ten pallets of BIG FACE BENJI’s

$1,000,000,000,000: A TRILLION DOLLARS can fit on a Aircraft Carrier!

UPDATE: Billy Bob Thornton Booed Onstage, Cancels Canada Tour

via MTV

Billy Bob Thornton’s trip north of the border took another turn for the worse Thursday night, and then ended abruptly on Friday (April 10).

First he battled with a Canadian radio host who introduced Thornton – much to his dismay – as a movie star while he was promoting his music career. Then, at a concert Thursday night, where Thornton’s band the Boxmasters opened for Willie Nelson, he attempted to explain the bizarre interview but ended up fighting with the audience too. The next day, Nelson’s official Web site said the Boxmasters had dropped off the tour.

“It seems as if when I say something it’s in the news,” Thornton told the crowd at Massey Hall, according to the Toronto Star. The audience immediately began booing, to which Thornton replied, “Boo all you want, but I want to say something – we’re really happy to be here, but I need to say something. I talked to this a–hole yesterday.”

Eminem To Judge Vibe Magazine Rap Contest

via MTV

It makes sense that Eminem would hook up with Vibe magazine for a contest in which the winner has to do a live battle rap in order to take the big prize. That’s why the Vibe Verses Presents No. 1 Stan competition will feature a group of aspiring MCs hand-picked by none other than Slim Shady fighting it out to see who has the skills to earn the title.

In celebration of the upcoming “Real Rap” issue of the magazine, which hits newsstands on May 19 and Eminem’s upcoming Relapse album, (the first video from which, “We Made You,” premiered on MTV this week) Vibe is launching a contest in which participants are asked to upload a 60-second video clip of themselves freestyling over the instrumental track from Em’s iconic tune “Stan.”

Beyonce, Jay-Z Earned Combined $162 Million In 2008

via MTV

Talk all you want about how Beyoncé‘s husband rakes in the bucks, but Mrs. Sean Carter is doing just fine on her own, thank you very much. As part of Parade magazine’s annual “What People Earn” issue, it’s revealed that Beyoncé banked a remarkable $80 million in 2008, just $2 million less than Jay-Z.

Also included in the random sampling of celebrities in the issue was funnyman Will Ferrell, who made $31 million last year, edging out actress Jennifer Aniston, who took in a not-too-shabby $27 million. It was also a good year for Ferrell’s former “Saturday Night Live” castmate Tina Fey, who was paid $4.6 million for her work in movies and as the creator/star of “30 Rock.”

And though she’s now in the midst of a career-reviving tour and has a hit album on her hands with Circus, Britney Spears was not yet ramping up her earning potential in 2008, during which she took home a modest sum (for her) of $2.25 million. Banking twice that much was country-pop sensation Taylor Swift, who brought in $5.5 million.

[audio] MAFIA MUSIC RMX- Rick Ross ft The Game, Fat Joe & Ja Rule

MAFIA MUSIC RMX- CLICK [HERE] for DOWNLOAD

Rick Ross ft The Game, Fat Joe & Ja Rule

seen@nahright

[audio] Asher Roth- LIONS ROAR

ASHER ROTH ft BUSTA- Lions Roar

CLICK [HERE] for DOWNLOAD

KIM KARDASHIAN WORK OUT DVD PICTURES

via SUN

It is safe to say that we are fans of Kim K. at Street Knowledge and to our surprise she has a workout dvd  dropping soon. Spotted these pics over at Smarten Up Nas.

Can’t wait to see the live action.(Maybe it will get me motivated to lose the extra pounds I packed on over the last month of the LAX Tour).

Tags:

(audio) Update: Asher Roth – As I Em(Full Song/Download)

Asher Roth finally speaks on his admiration and constant comparisons to the one Slim Shady aka Eminem.

[Download] Asher Roth -As I Em

Kanye West – “Gay Fish” – [Download Link Included] [South Park Version]

Source: Thisis50

The newly humbled Kanye West has a new single out by way of the folks at South Park. “Gay Fish” is certainly poised to be the most talked about KW single of the year.

[video] Lacoste Presents “Crocodile Mythology NewYork”

via CandiedCartel

Lacoste is rolling out a series of vid’s that trace the history of the mystery behind Crocodiles.  I swear I always thought there were Crocs in NYC sewers, especially after they came out with a movie that reinforced this myth.  If you want to follow the rest of the Croc myths found throughout the world click [HERE]

[video] The WiiSpray is taking Graffiti digital- teaser x wand…

via CandiedCartel

What is the WiiSpray project?

The foundational basis for the project goes well beyond replacing real graffiti as an art form.  Moreover, WiiSpray
is to be seen as an interface to give graffiti a new virtual level surpassing tactile boundaries of the tangible world.

Within the system, there is a symbiosis of digital and analog as well as overcoming restrictions of distance and time.  An advantage of the system proves to possess a user-friendly design simple enough for children to use.  The virtual canvas allows the user to decide what is saved and what is discarded, all the while keeping the surrounding area clean and free of what otherwise would be a messy form of media.

Pill For Alcoholism May Also Dampen Urge To Steal

via NPR

Darlene* has stolen many things in her life. She has taken shoes and bras and televisions and rabbits. But as a former librarian, there is one particular item that Darlene always found particularly enticing.

“Books are a really big thing with me,” she says, “especially self-help and recovery books. I always took self-help books.”

Safe at home, she would comb through these materials, searching out clues to her dysfunction and methods for overcoming what felt like an uncontrollable need to steal. Then she would try to put the recommendations into practice. She would wear tight clothing, carry a small purse, bring a friend to the store with her. Nothing worked. “Some part of me,” she says, “didn’t really know how to stop.”

A Pill For Shoplifting

A new study in the journal Biological Psychiatry offers some hope to people with kleptomania, like Darlene, who have unsuccessfully struggled to control their impulses to steal. According to the study, the drug naltrexone — long used to treat alcohol dependence — can also reduce the craving to steal. The research was conducted by Dr. Jon E. Grant, a psychiatrist at the University of Minnesota who for years has run a clinic for people with impulse control disorders, such as stealing, gambling, engaging in compulsive sex or setting fires.

These behavioral problems, says Grant, traditionally were seen as different from substance abuse disorders, like alcoholism or drug addiction, which involve actual addictive chemicals. But after years of work, Grant began to question that separation.

Change “The Game” Campaign

“THE GAME”

As rumors that CW’s “THE GAME” will not be renewed for a fourth year spread across the blogosphere, its cast fights against the threat of cancellation with their “Change ‘The Game’ Campaign. On April 15, Mara Brock Akil, African American writer of the recently canceled “Girlfriends,”  is  proposing a format switch from a half hour sitcom to a hour long dramedy in hopes to save the show.

Sign the Petition to Keep “THE GAME” On Air orLeave a message on “THE GAME” Message Board

TVSeriesFinale.com wrote the following concerning The CW & “The Game:

In its first season, The Game averaged 2.3 million viewers each week. For season two, the ratings dropped to 2.07 million and a .96 rating in the 18-49 demographic. This season, CW execs have stranded the series in a little-watched Friday night timeslot. It’s fallen to an average of 1.68 million viewers and a tiny 0.7 rating in the demo.

Along with fellow sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, The Game hasn’t exactly been a ratings powerhouse. It looks very likely that Chris will be canceled in May but will have 88 episodes, enough for a syndication run that’s scheduled to start on Nick at Nite this Fall. In contrast, The Game will only have 64 episodes.

See full article at TVSeriesFinale.com »

[video] Police Beat Up Protesters at NY’s New School

via NY Times

Scores of police officers wearing helmets and carrying batons and pepper spray entered a New School building at 65 Fifth Avenue around 11 a.m. on Friday, arresting 19 protesters who had occupied it as part of a determined protest aimed at the university’s president, Bob Kerrey. “The Police Department was asked to arrest individuals trespassing on the property,” said Paul J. Browne, the department’s chief spokesman, who said the operation “was done in a very organized, orderly fashion.”

But students at the scene described a tumultuous situation in which protesters were pepper-sprayed before being placed in handcuffs and loaded by police officers into the back of a white van, around 11:30 a.m.

Mr. Browne said it was “untrue that pepper spray or mace was used in effectuating the arrests.”

SURVEY DEALS MAJOR BLOW TO HBCUs: Only 37 percent of their Black students earn a college degree within six years.

via EurWeb

The Associated Press released a survey last week which delivered a severe blow to the image of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

According to the survey, the predominantly Black educational institutions do a worse job of graduating African American students than predominantly white colleges and universities.

The news agency’s analysis centered on the 83 institutions which have been designated HCBUs by the federal government. The shocking discovery was that just 37 percent of the Black students at these institutions earn a college degree within six years.

This percentage is not only lower than the national college graduation rate for African American students but it also runs counter to the images and claims projected by the HCBUs.

If the survey proves correct [and it has not yet been challenged] the Black colleges and universities do their worse job graduating Black male students. According to the Associated Press, just 29 percent of the African American males entering a predominantly Black college receive a bachelor’s degree within six years.

Meanwhile, the Black colleges performing best in graduating students were Howard University in Washington, D.C. and Spelman and Morehouse colleges in Atlanta.

Diddy launches interactive “Last Train to Paris” iPhone app

via Woooha

Diddy x iPhone. I swear, Diddy should get an award for his marketing abilities with the internet and today’s technology. That guy is a master at the Twitter game much like I am the master of NBA 2K9 on the PS3. Well now Diddy is jumping on the iPhone app tactic to push his upcoming album “Last Train to Paris.”

The app is pretty simple. You just take a photo of yourself, write a quick message on the app and send it. Your photo and message then becomes part of a bigger train collage where you can view other people’s photos and messages. Alright! LET’S GO PEOPLE!!! (the twitter fam will get it). Props to Clyde for heads up. He always brings the heat.

(DUI)Doctor for Kanye West’s Mom Surrenders Medical License

Now this guy right here seems to have gotten away with murder. Not literally, but his actions warranted his license to be taken years ago.

via People

Dr. Jan Adams, who performed surgery on Kanye West‘s mother a day before her November 2007 death, has given up his medical license, according to the Medical Board of California.

“A series of complaints were filed against Mr. Adams, but he chose to surrender his license instead of contest them,” Medical Board spokeswoman Candis Cohen tells PEOPLE.

Among the complaints: Two DUI convictions and failure to pay child support. His record also shows at least four malpractice judgments against him between 2001 and 2007.

Calls to Adams and his lawyer were not immediately returned.

A Harvard graduate, Adams’s reputation as a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon grew after making appearances on TV’s Extra, the Discovery Channel, and The Oprah Winfrey Show, among others.

Donda West’s autopsy concluded the 58-year-old woman died of heart failure. Although “there was no evidence of a surgical or anesthetic misadventure,” the report found that “multiple post-operative factors could have played a role.”

“As far as I’m concerned … at least the autopsy report suggests nothing went on during surgery, nothing went on during recovery,” Adams told Larry King in Jan. 2008.

Kanye West to Cocreate New GURU Energy Drink

via ProHipHop

Kanye West is partnering with GURU Beverage Co. on a new product that, I assume, will be a new GURU energy drink. He has also become an “equity partner” in the company.

GURU Energy Drink has also begun a Clean Energy for Dirty Minds campaign with videos to follow. Check their blog for more of their marketing activities.

Maino Pimps Superliminal Purple Stuff Relaxation Drink

via ProHipHop

Maino has signed on to promote Superliminal Purple Stuff Pro-Relaxation Formula with a product placement in the video for All The Above, featuring T-Pain, which is prominently displayed on the Purple Stuff site.

Just 53% Say Capitalism Better Than Socialism

via Rasmussen

Only 53% of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 20% disagree and say socialism is better. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are not sure which is better.

Adults under 30 are essentially evenly divided: 37% prefer capitalism, 33% socialism, and 30% are undecided. Thirty-somethings are a bit more supportive of the free-enterprise approach with 49% for capitalism and 26% for socialism. Adults over 40 strongly favor capitalism, and just 13% of those older Americans believe socialism is better.

Investors by a 5-to-1 margin choose capitalism. As for those who do not invest, 40% say capitalism is better while 25% prefer socialism.

There is a partisan gap as well. Republicans – by an 11-to-1 margin – favor capitalism. Democrats are much more closely divided: Just 39% say capitalism is better while 30% prefer socialism. As for those not affiliated with either major political party, 48% say capitalism is best, and 21% opt for socialism.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it’s in the news, it’s in our polls.) Rasmussen Reports updates also available on Twitter.

Nike Air Yeezy Fire Red Colorway

via Hypebeast

Alongside the already confirmed Nike Air Yeezy colorways, we get a peek at a fourth installment in the mega hyped series which was revealed last night at the Nike TPE 6453 Opening. Although there’s no news pertaining to a release date/availability, this patent leather Fire Red version adds another dimension to the already highly scouted aforementioned colorways including a Black/Pink rendition which is scheduled for a May release.

Universal and YouTube agree on music video deal

via Financial Times

Universal Music and YouTube have finalised plans for a premium music video site, a landmark agreement between the largest record label and the Google-owned video sharing site it had once threatened to sue.

Vevo, the planned new service which is expected to launch later this year, will host Universal’s entire library of professionally produced videos, as well as content from artists. Fans will be able to use clips in their own amateur videos.

Other large labels are expected to sign up to the initiative, an industry-wide effort to control the flood of unauthorised copies of their videos currently circulating online, from which they make little or no revenue.

Obama “Bow” To Saudis: CNN Reporter Asks White House To Clarify

I am amazed at the arrogance of the American mainstream media and the reluctance of anyone coming to Obama’s defense.  This country has a long, storied past with Islam, which is what Obama was referring to in his Turkey speech.  Ironically enough, their ships had been getting jacked for years by Barbary pirates (sorry Somali, they were the first) and the Americans gladly paid tribute to sultans and kissed feet and rings, so let’s be real.  George Dubya is considered part of the Saudi family, these entities are so closely related.  So bowing to the King is worst than holding hands with him and kissing him? That’s what Bush did.  I can see we need to rewind the hand of time and give folks a history lesson about our beloved country.

The White House briefing room grew a bit chilly on Thursday after CNN reporter Dan Lothian asked press secretary Robert Gibbs to explain the current cause célèbre of the conservative movement: whether President Obama bowed down to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

LOTHIAN: When the President met with King Abdullah, there was something that took place which I believe the White House explained was just the president being taller than the king. We took a look at the video, and it does appear that the president actually bowed to King Abdullah. Did he bow or didn’t he?