Hip-Hop Wired &#187; Uncategorized

• Rodney King Reflects On Police Beating, Talks Trayvon Martin [PHOTOS]

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Photo: AP

President Obama Covers Rolling Stone, Not "Worried" About Singing In Public

D.L. Chandler — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:25:18 +0000

As President Barack Obama cranks up his re-election bid, and fends off criticism from Republicans, the POTUS has been on a three-state college tour in a reported step to pander the youth vote.

After wooing audiences last night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and showing off his smooth vocals, the president just landed the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, looking as dashing as ever.

The cover story for the famed publication marks the fourth time he's been interviewed by Rolling Stone. Although the interview ran over an hour, Obama stuck to stern campaign talk and focused on pertinent matters mostly. However, he did loosen up to discuss his, rendition of Al Green's hit "Let's Stay Together," saying that he was confident he could pull off the performance—which has since gone viral.

"It's about 10:30 at night, and we go up to the Apollo. I wanted to hear Al Green," shared Obama. "The guys who were working the soundboard in the back, a couple of real good guys, they say, 'Oh, man, you missed the Reverend, but he was terrific, he was in rare form.' So I was frustrated by that.

"Since I was on my fifth event and have been yakking away for several hours on all kinds of policy stuff, I just kind of broke into a rendition of 'Let's Stay Together.' And they're like, 'Oh, so the president, you can sing, man. You should do that onstage.'"

Although senior advisor Valerie Jarrett was against the move, Obama coolly handled himself, as he typically does. "I can sing," he said. "I wasn't worried about being able to hit those notes."

In an inevitable showdown against Willard "Mitt" Romney this fall, the incumbent should easily administer the fade in winning a second term. So get prepared to see a whole lot of Obama in the coming months, ahead of November's big day.

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Curren$y - Smoke One For Spitta Mixtape [DOWDNLOAD]

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Photo: CBS News

Curren$y - Smoke One For Spitta Mixtape [DOWNLOAD]

Kazeem Famuyide (@RealLifeKaz) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:09:46 +0000

Serving as a springboard for Curren$y's The Stoned Immaculate album, present Smoke One For Spitta. This mixtape, brought to you by Rocksmith, LiveMixtapes, Jenesis Magazine, Clique Vodka and The New York Giant, features a staggering 27 tracks and is available for download below.

Lil Kim Prepping Return Of The Queen Tour

Latifah Muhammad — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:44:09 +0000

Nicki Minaj may be threatening to retire, but Lil Kim is still going strong. Brooklyn's self-appointed Queen Bee is heading out on the road for the first time in two years.

Kim will embark on her Return of the Queen tour next month. The 11-city trek will make stops at intimate venues in cities like Philly, Cincinnati, and San Francisco. No word yet on the set-list but here's hoping it includes her latest, "Keys to the City."

The Queen Bee came to win, female rappers beware.

Return of the Queen Tour Dates

May 11 – Austin, TX – Emo's
May 13 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall
May 18 – Bronx, NY – Paradise Theater
May 19 – Albany, NY – Northern Lights
May 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Club ONYX
May 22 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
May 25 – Markham, IL – Adrianna's Night Club
May 27 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theatre
June 1 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart's
June 11 – San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine
June 13 – West Hollywood, CA – Key Club

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Photo: That Grape Juice

Nicki Minaj Ponders Return To Twitter, Says A “Voice In Her Head” Made Her Delete Account

Latifah Muhammad — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:16:06 +0000

Nicki Minaj hasn't been off Twitter a week, and she's already rethinking her decision. Young Money's resident Barbie is currently across the pond promoting her Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded album, and revealed that leaving the social networking site, and her 11 million followers, wasn't her choice. "A voice in my head told me to delete my Twitter and that's what I did," she said during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. But Kenz and Barbz everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief because the 29-year-old might just make a comeback. "I don't know yet, I'm thinking about it. I miss my Barbz, please bear with me."

Although her sophomore album debuted atop the Billboard album charts, the record sold only 253,000 units in its first week, over a 100,000 copies less than her debut release. Opposition over the album being too heavy on the pop side may have played a factor in discouraging hip-hop fans from showing support , resulting in lower than expected numbers. On the plus side, even without the power of Twitter, Minaj's every move is still being clocked by the entire music world.

This year the Queens native will embark on her first headlining tour, which is set to hit Europe in June.

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Diddy Tops Forbes Five Wealthiest Hip-Hop Artists List

Latifah Muhammad — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:01:14 +0000

Records sales aren't what they used to be, and one of his former artists just caught a murder charge, but make no mistake, Diddy is still doing well for himself. Forbes has named the mogul the wealthiest hip-hop artist of 2012. For the second year in a row Mr. Combs topped the list above the likes of Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and other usual suspects.

The Bad Boy Records head netted $550 million last year, putting him one step closer to becoming hip-hop's first billionaire. Among the business collaborations fattening his pockets include his partnership with Ciroc vodka, his Sean Jean clothing line, and the Blue Fame marketing agency. The 42-year-old is also planning to follow in the footsteps of Oprah Winfrey, by launching his own network next year, which likely keep him on the Forbes' list for years to come.

Coming in second place on the list was Jay who earned an impressive $460 million, due in part to his successful 'Watch the Throne Tour,' which will head overseas this summer. Next was the current king of holograms, Dr. Dre with $270 million, followed by Birdman who made $125 million last year.

Rounding out the list is 50 Cent who, despite not dropping a single album in over two years, earned of $100 million. He stays winning.

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Photo: New York Daily News

George Zimmerman's Lawyer Requests New Judge In Trayvon Martin Case

Latifah Muhammad — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:19:04 +0000

George Zimmerman's attorney has requested that the judge in his case be removed. Mike O'Mara, the latest legal counsel hired by the accused killer, formally asked Monday (April 16) that Judge Jessica Recksiedler be taken off the case in which Zimmerman will be tried for the murder of Trayvon Martin.

According to Seminole County Court spokesperson, Michelle Kennedy, the motion to hinder Rekcsiedler from presiding over the case "will be ruled on in the appropriate manner." O'Mara's requisition comes days after the judge was said to have considered disqualifying herself on grounds that her husband is a partner with attorney, Mark NeJame, whom Zimmerman previously approached about representation.

"What I don't want to happen is to wait a month or two, and then we find out that what we thought is a potential conflict is an actual conflict," O'Mara told reporters outside the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center.

NeJame also works as a legal correspondent on CNN, and has commented on the Trayvon Martin case. He declined to take the 28-year-old on as a client, noting that "big national cases [can] take a lot out of you."

Following the public resignation of his previous lawyers, one of Zimmerman's friends reached out to NeJame once again, to take the case. Although he passed on the offer, NeJame provided the former neighborhood watch volunteer with a list of five potential lawyers, which included O'Mara. "They said Mark is the one we want, I put them together, and they took it from there."

Zimmerman is scheduled to be arraigned in the shooting death of 17-year-old Martin, next month. Chief Judge Alan Dickey is expected to rule on the request, but no immediate decision has been made.

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