The most anticipated movie during current times in the world of hip-hop is close to its official release. The movie is about the life and death of legendary rapper Christopher Wallace aka the Notorious B.I.G. The movie has most of the Bad Boy Record label original members in the movie including: Diddy, Lil Kim, Lil Cease, and Faith Evans, but their roles are played by actors/actresses. The movie goes through real life experiences that Biggy experienced and even has moments that only members in his camp and the record label knew actually occurred. The movie is set to release Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, here it is!

By: Adrian Gonzalez

After a terrible first week performance for his sophomore album, Soulja Boy is putting the blame on legendary New York rapper, Nas, for killing hip-hop. After only selling 46,000 copies of “Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em” and landing in the number 43 spot on the Billboard Charts, Soulja Boy put a video on YouTube explaining why he feels his album did so poorly. He goes on to say that after Nas made the track “Hip-Hop is Dead” that everyone started really saying it was and talked so much about the topic. Then, he goes on and says that Nas messed up everyone’s money and if it were not for the track, that the current situation with hip-hop albums sales would not be as bad. Soulja Boy also goes on to mention that Nas is dissing something he still has to do. Whatever the beef may be, it seems like Soulja Boy has issues with hip-hop legends, first Ice-T and now Nas. I just can’t believe this guy is actually serious with what he is saying. My words to Soulja Boy are “Why don’t yuuuulllleeee go and make a real album?”

Happy New Year everyone!

By: Adrian Gonzalez

A former BET producer nicknamed “Choke” will be exploring the infamous break-up of the Roc-A-Fella Dynasty in an up-coming documentary titled “I Am Choke No Joke.” Choke was a producer for BET’s Rap City and a former employee of Roc-A-Fella and will be offering his take on the record label’s fall out. In the documentary he hints on what brought tension between Jay-Z and Dame Dash. One reason mentioned by Choke was that Dame was a camera freak, “he loved people to tape him because he started thinking he was a star.” Another reason mentioned was that when Dame Dash proclaimed that Cam’Ron would be vice president of the ROC and when Dame signed Ol’ Dirty to the label. Choke says that Jay was not feeling these moves. The documentary will also have parts discussing moments at a legendary hip-hop spot, Tunnel. For the most part, this movie will be about Choke’s view on these topics and is currently scheduled to release in Summer of 2009.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

In a time where it is very hard to sell cars, car collectors might be interested in this bad boy! NBA player Tracy McGrady is selling his custom 2001 Mercedez CL600, but he is selling it on EBAY. His Benz is baby blue and has a retail value of $148,000 but T-Mac has put a lot of money into customizing the car, reportedly over $180,000. The famous Southern California company West Coast Customs were the ones who hooked-up T-Mac’s Benz. Currently, the car is on EBAY with a “buy it now” price of $150,000. Winning bidder will have the opportunity to meet and greet Tracy McGrady and be there as he signs off his title. If interested, he will also autograph the car. There has been about 20 offer so far and the auction ends December 29, so congrats to whoever wins!

By: Adrian Gonzalez

23 pairs. 1 night. Dozens of people lined up on one of the coldest nights of the year for their chance to get a piece of history. 23 very happy people went home last night holding their new kicks, and more than double that went home upset they couldn’t get their own. On display was every shoe from the number 1’s to the titanium 23’s. a good crowd came together to celebrate this exclusive event, and they were fed with some snacks and of course, Gatorade. Each person came in with a toy to donate to the toy drive, making a lot of less fortunate kids happy this Holiday season. DJ Truuf was spinnin’ and kept the crowd nervous with each announcement. And once they were all gone, the winners got their pictures taken with the final pair of J’s in this historical collection.

In a show of peace, Kanye West is vowing to make peace in the coming new year, but with you you may ask? Kanye West’s new year’s resolution for 2009 is to make peace with the paparazzi! It is a little hard to believe with all his run-ins with the paparazzi this year but Kanye West has reportedly told TMZ that he want to make peace with the paparazzi. West even said “I love you guys”, talking about the paparazzi. His last stint with them was in November in Newcastle, England when he allegedly pushed a camera into a snapper’s face. Kanye was arrested, then released without charge. Then two months prior, at LAX, he was arrested for grabbing a photographer’s camera an throwing it on the grownd and breaking the camera. So, it is possible, but will Kanye really make peace with the paparazzi in the new year?

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Oprah Winfrey has just made another big move in her successful career. She has just inked a deal with HBO to make movies for the channel. Oprah has her own production company which is called Harpo Films. The deal is a three year deal for both sides. Also, this deal was done just at the end of the 15-year deal with ABC. One reason that the deal was done, on Oprah’s end, was that network television has many limitations. HBO was very welcome to have Oprah on their team because of all her accumulated success in her years on television. Included in the deal will be mini-series, movies, documentaries, and series. Oprah’s first piece of work will be released in 2009, hopefully early 2009.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Well it was bound to happen and with the ever so pace of things going digital, two popular magazines have made the transition. Ebony and Jet magazines have made the leap to the digital world! In a partnership with Google, the publishing company of these magazines, Johnson Publishing Company, has recently revealed the details of the partnership. The deal will give customers the opportunity to search for past issues of these magazines and seven other titles as well online. They will also have access to photographs from 63 years of the magazines history. Before this deal issues in archives were available on microfilm and in bound volumes. Trust me, microfilm is not the best either because I had a personally experience with microfilm. The online version of the magazines can be found at EbonyJet.com. Now that these magazines have an online presence, it will not be too long for other magazines to make the leak. This is all according to ballerstatus.com

By: Adrian Gonzalez

The Philly Brotherly Love Concert was last night and only one word can describe it….bananas. I’m not going to lie, I thought that Gillie Da Kid should have been there since he is the so called “King of Philly” and I felt that Cassidy could have been there too, but the artists and surprises in the concert made up for this. Beanie Sigel was the host of the concert put on by Nike ACG and Villa. The performers at the TLA included Vodka, E Ness, Freeway, Reed Dollaz, Joey Jihad, and Beanie Sigel. What most people did not know was that Meek Mills was going to perform and that Jadakiss and Styles P were also in the building to perform. The TLA was off the hook and the special guest surprises topped the night as well. Special thanks to Nike ACG and Villa for putting the concert together. P.S…….if you did not know, all you had to do to get a free ticket was try on a pair of Nike ACG boots at the Villa this past Tuesday……that’s it. So if you missed out, stay current with the villa because they are known for doing nice things like this.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Just about everyone is being affected by the current state of the economy, which is officially a recession now. American Idol winner Fantasia is just one of the many celebrities that the recession is having some type serious toll on. The home of Fantasia which is located in North Carolina has apparently gone into the process of foreclosure. The home was purchased at $1.3 million dollars last year by Fantasia. Now, for reasons that were undisclosed, she has not been making her mortgage payments and could have her home auctioned as early as next month (Jan 12, 2009) if a payment is not received. Luckily for Fantasia, she owns another home in North Carolina which was purchased for $740,000 and is not in danger of going into foreclosure. The moral of this story is that even if you are a big time celebrity making lots of money, you should spend your money the right way because you never know when a recession will hit and affect you.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Next month is an important month in history. Not only does Martin Luther King Day fall in this month, but January is also the month for the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. With two important days that fall back to back, rappers Ludacris and Big Boi (from Outkast) will be hosting the “Urban Ball” in Washington, DC. The Urban Ball is an event that will take place on January 20, 2009 (the same day as the inauguration) in which many celebrities will attend to celebrate the entrance of a new administration into the U.S. Government. Some celebrities that will be attending include: David Banner, Jalen Rose, T-Pain, Fantasia, Lil Jon, Monica, Alonzo Mourning, Bobby Valentino, and the Cheetah Girls. One key note is that there will be a dress code in effect: no jeans, no hoodies, no sneakers or ball caps. Tickets are on sale for this event at http://www.americanmusicinauguralballs.com./Tickets.html.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Well what do you know; Mr. Wayne himself leads the pack with 8 Grammy nominations. While no one can deny that this year was all about Lil Wayne in the hip-hop game, the nominations for the 51st annual Grammy Awards, to be held on Feb 8, 2009, just made this statement true. After selling over one million records in his first week, it was obvious that this was expected. Besides Lil Wayne, three other hip-hop artists came up big with 6 Grammy nominations, who were Ne-Yo, Jay-Z, and Kanye West. I would like to congradulate Philly’s own Jazmine Sullivan who received 5 Grammy nominations. Other notable hip-hop artists with Grammy nominations were Lupe Fiasco and Ludacris who both received 4 nominations.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

What could such a sweet and innocent teen couple possible have done to get sued by someone? Well, they apparently did not do anything, but their body guards were the ones that did the damage. According to TMZ, photographer Luis Santana, during Chris Brown’s 19th birthday party in May, he was beaten and robbed by the couple’s body guards in St. Petersburg. Santana was taking a picture of the couple through an open window of their limousine was he says he was attacked and robbed. The lawsuit is going to be for $1,000,000. Santana apparently lost his camera which had a value of $3,000, but is suing for the million because he says the photo he took was of the couple when they were not officially dating and the photo itself could have been worth a whole lot more.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

The time was going to come eventually, but no one knew exactly when digital music sales were going to pass the sale of physical CD’s. For one records label it has actually occurred already. Atlantic Records are reporting that more than half of their sales are from digital music albums sales and mp3 purchases online with approximately 51% of the sales, which also includes ringtone purchases. Though this has occurred for Atlantic Records, experts are saying that the sales of music online is not growing at a fast enough rate to succumb the overall losses labels have taken because of the decline in music sales. One fact in sales is that eight years ago, they were at close to $15 billion and this year there will be at a little over $10 billion. This was bound to come because of the increase in technology, when will the time come when there will be no physical CD’s being sold?

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Well, Well, Well. After a few months of talking about an Eminem comeback, it sounds like he is really coming back, soon and stronger than ever. Swizz Beatz is one of the few producers on Eminem’s new album and is talking very highly of the return album. In an interview with MTV News, Swizz says that Eminem is coming back to “take the game over.” Swizz describes Eminem as sounding different, having a different mindset, but still like the original Eminem. So far, Swizz has works on five tracks with Eminem and says the hottest track is one that features Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. Also, there will be a Stan Pt. 2 on the new album. One major difference that fans will notice is that there will not be as much political tracks on the album, which Eminem has been known for. The new album, which has no title yet, is slated to come out during the first quarter of 2009.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

I’m guessing that Soulja Boy has a lot of fans in Wilmington, DE, by the turn out of his in-store appearance at the Villa last Tuesday (11/18/08). The line of fans to see him was outside the doors and around the corner. There was even a point in which it started snowing and the fans that were outside only cared about meeting Soulja Boy. He was actually there with his partner Arab and the girls were going crazy for both of them. The radio station Kiss 101.7 fm was also in the building. Overall, it was a great event and if you want to meet a celebrity just stay current with the Villa’s website to find out who might be coming to a store near you.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Last night was the 36st annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California. The award show was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. There were many performance from artists such as; Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Ne-Yo, Miley Cyrus, Pink, and Kanye West, just to name a few. The biggest winner of the night had to be R&B sensation Mr. Chris Brown. The 19 year-old left L.A. with three AMA awards which were: Artist of the Year, Favorite Male Artist for R&B/Soul and Favorite Male Artist for Pop/Rock. His girlfriend Rihanna won two awards which were for Favorite Female Artist in the same categories as Chris Brown. Kanye West won an award for best Rap/Hip-Hop album for his album Graduation and for favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist, which he decided to offer to Lil Wayne because he left that this year was Weezy’s and last year was his. It was good that Kanye won because I did not want to hear about another temper tantrum on stage from Kanye. Other notable winners were Alicia Keys for favorite Pop/Rock and Soul/R&B album, Three 6 Mafia who won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Band, Duo or Group, and Mariah Carey was recognized for having the most #1 hits of all time.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Who would have guessed that the top earning celebrity couple in Hollywood, according to Forbes Magazine, would be Jay-Z and Beyonce? Well, apparently they are worth a whopping $162 million dollars. This is a huge part from Jay’s deal with Live Nation in which he banked $82. Also, Beyonce brought home about $50 million in concert ticket sales and endorsements. This must be happy and wealthy marriage the two are a part of. Second on Forbes’ list are Will and Jada Pickett Smith, who are worth $85 million dollars together. Will Smith banked in big with the movies “I Am Legend” and “Hancock.” Other recognized couples that banked in the most include: Tony Parker and Eva Longoria with $22.5 million, singer Seal and super model Heidi Klum with $15 million, Fergie and actor Josh Duhamel with $13 million, and Marc Anthony and JLO with $11 million. Just looking at the amount of money made by these celebrities makes me wonder where exactly all that money at???? To see a complete list of the top earning couples, you can go to forbes.com.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Now-a-days it is not rare to see Diddy just about anywhere. The man: had two shows on television during this fall, has a clothing line, a record label, is in charge of several groups and artists, is involved with a brand of vodka (Ciroc), has a line of cologne, starred in a primetime movie and even made a guest appearance on the MTV “TRL Finale” this past Sunday, just to name a few. Well, Diddy is in line for another guest appearance on TV and this time it will be on CSI: Miami. Rumors have it that he will play the role of a federal prosecutor and supposedly will have great dislike for the show’s main character “Lt. Horatio Caine”, played by David Caruso. Diddy is slated to appear on two episodes of CSI: Miami that will air early 2009. Earlier this year, rapper Nelly made a guest appearance on the CSI: New York.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Just a week after being arrested in New York on weapons charges, Katt Williams has been admitted into a mental hospital for psychiatric treatment. Williams was at a hotel in Sumter, South Carolina when an employee noticed him walking around during late hours just wearing a robe and a towel over his head. When the police showed up, Williams reportedly asked for a hospital, but instead head to a lawyer’s office. Later two family members showed up to persuade him to go to a mental facility, but Williams refused. Then they came back during the day with officers who demanded they take Williams to the facility and with no resistance Katt Williams was escorted out. The whole process will end Monday or Tuesday where a judge will determine if he will need to be hospitalized. Katt Williams is rumored to retire as a stand-up comedian at the end of the year due to mental and physical strain from his road life and the desire to strengthen his family. Hopefully everything is straightened out soon and good luck towards your future Mr. Williams.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

No, he did not sell another million copies of Tha Carter III, but Lil Wayne did make history this past Wednesday. He was the first “real” rapper in the 42 year history of the County Music Awards (CMA) to make an appearance at the award show. The show, which took place in Nashville, Tennessee, took a very odd turn. Not only did Lil Wayne appear, but he actually performed alongside Kid Rock. They both wore NFL Tennessee Titans jerseys. Wayne stood in the back a little as Kid Rock performed his track “All Summer Long.” Wayne was also holding a guitar and mimicking the instrumental of the song on the guitar. In other Wayne news, the Dedication 3 Mix Tape is coming out soon and some tour date for Lil Wayne have been posted online including the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ on December, 28th 2009. I just home his tour dates do not get cancelled as some previous shows did about a month ago.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Does anyone remember the original Karate Kid movie from 1984? Well, I wasn’t even born yet but I do remember seeing the movie as I have seen it plenty of times. It looks like a remake for the original movie is in the works. It also looks like the person to replace the original karate kid, Ralph Macchio, will be actor Will Smith’s son, Jaden Smith. While the first movie was filmed in California, the remake will be filmed starting next year in Beijing, China and other foreign cities as well. The production team for the movie will include Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment and Jerry Weintraub (who worked on the original film). The plot for the movie will be very similar to the original as well, about a bullied youth
who learns how to defend himself. The role for Jaden Smith will be big and participating in martial arts already will give him an advantage in the filming process. Filling the footsteps of his father will be difficult, but this movie might be a great start for Jaden Smith.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Imagine having the number one pick overall in a draft and you could only pick one person, who would it be? Well, this is sort of like making this type of decision because there are a lot of number ones involved, but who will be chosen. The person that is standing out in front of the pack to sing at Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration is Beyonce. Beyonce has voiced her feeling about singing at the event, but did mention that overall she will be at the event and will do whatever is asked of her, included singing. She has accompanied her hubby Jay-Z on his trail in helping campaign for Obama and feels a part of the change. Other candidates for the position include Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Wyclef Jean, and even Kanye West. Mary J. Blige has been an avid Barack supporter as she even joined Diddy, Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, and Kevin Liles and they had a “Last Chance for Change” rally the past 2 weeks. Whoever is chosen will have a lot of bragging right and will enjoy a big moment in their career.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, & Common all have hit the record booth to make new tracks in celebration of Barack Obama becoming the 44th President of the United States of America. Jay-Z’s track, titled History, was debuted on the Angie Martinez Show in New York City on Hot 97. This track comes after months of personally endorsing Obama in the presidential race. Here is one line from his track: “Now that all the smoke is gone/And the battles finally won/Victory is finally ours/History, so long, so long/So long, so long.” Busta Rhymes’s track, titled Pop Champagne - Barack Campaign, is a politically themed remake of a Ron Browz track. Busta was so excited about voting that in a line from his track he mentions it: “We celebrating this Barack win,” Busta raps. “And I heard a voice calling/While everybody was yawning/ I was up and I was roaring/ I voted seven this morning.” Finally, Chicago native Common created a track titled Changes. His track basically is meant to express the powerful force of change. In one line of his track Common express this: “Change is inevitable. You can’t stop it. Change is happening in everybody’s life. Change is like a furious hurricane that you can’t stop.” If you haven’t heard the tracks, than you should search for them because they are a part of our history.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Black Eyed Peas group leader Will.I.Am will be releasing a new music video today, but why an article about his new music video? Than answer is that the video will be a tribute to this historic presidential election. The theme behind the new video and song that is titled “It’s A New Day” will have testimonies from fellow celebrities, paying tribute to the people that made the historic election what it was. Also, this idea stems back to Will.I.Am’s confidence that Barack Obama would be the next president of the United States. Earlier this year, he came out with the song/video titled “Yes We Can” in which Will.I.Am went through his feelings about the presidential race and the importance of world issues. I just have to say that I am proud of all the celebrities in some way or another made an impact in voicing their opinions and getting others out to the polls on the historic day of Nov. 4th, 2008. The songs/videos on the election can be found at http://dipdive.com/.

With the presidential election only a day away, hip-hop icons; Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Kevin Liles, and Russell Simmons will be campaigning in (Philadelphia, PA – Cincinnati, OH – Columbus, OH) today. They are going to be on N. Broad St., between Susquehanna Ave. and Dauphin St. today from 11:30am-12:30pm. Together, these hip-hop icons will be talking about the importance of this historical presidential election. They will also try to urge voters to cast their votes for Barack Obama. This is one last effort to bring change to our country. The real importance besides which candidate that you will vote for is the actual action of coming out to vote because everyone’s vote counts. I’m iterating the importance of this year’s presidential election because of the bad conditions our country is currently experiencing. So if you are in Philly, Cincinnati, or Columbus today try and come out to the Last Chance for Change Rallies and hear how these hip-hop icons feel about the election and urgency for change.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

The date is set. MTV’s TRL grand finale is set for Sunday, November 16th at 8pm. After 10 years and over 200 shows, the end is almost here. If you read my article about a month or two ago, you would have known the news about the finally, but at the time there was not a date set. Now that it is official, MTV wants to send TRL out with a bang so much that its final episode will air on a Sunday night, instead of a regular week day. So far they have booked 50 Cent, Beyonce, Fall Out Boy, and even the Backstreet Boys to perform at the event. Beyonce is actually set to lead the way for the celebration. To host the finally, MTV will have the current host, Damien Fahey, and the original host, Carson Daly. Besides the performances, there will be special guest appearances by; Diddy, Mariah Carey, Hilary Duff, Ludacris, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, and Korn’s Jonathan Davis. This will be a show of the ages, so do not miss out on this MTV historic event.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Well Beyonce did not change her government name to Sasha Fierce, but she did change her stage name to it. This will officially be in place for her newest double album, I Am….Sasha Fierce, dropping November 18th. There were rumors about this happening and I guess its official now. The reasoning behind the name change is that Beyonce felt that when she is on stage that she become a whole other person….Sasha Fierce. Apparently, Sasha Fierce is a more fun, sensual, aggressive, outspoken, and glamorous individual. Two noticeable celebrities that have gone through name changes while at a peak of success in their careers are Prince and P Diddy. This subject is something that really came out of nowhere. Beyonce is enjoying a lot of success at this point of her career, but was changing her name a good or bad marketing strategy? It seems like a good one because she is at a high point of her career, but what will happen later on in the line? Let’s see how good of a strategy this is and if it will or will not pay off.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Last night was the 2008 BET Hip-Hop Music Awards hosted by T-Pain, for all of you who were not watching the World Series. There were many hot performances, tributes, and awards that were showcased. There was a tribute to female emcees as Salt-N-Peppa, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, and Lady Rage came out and put on a performance to remember representing all the female mc’s. Besides this, there were also performances by; T.I., Ludacris, Swizz Beatz, Rakim, Nas. Rick Ross, Plies, Nelly, Young Jeezy, Common, N.E.R.D., ICE Cube, Soulja Boy, Bow Wow, T-Pain, and Lil Wayne. The big winner of the night was the one and only Lil Wayne who took home 6 BET awards \ including; CD of the Year, MVP of the Year, Lyricist of the Year, Ringtone of the Year, Track of the Year, and the People’s Choice Award. One memorable awards handed out was the “I Am Hip-Hop” Icon award presented to Russell Simmons. If you are not at Powerhouse tonight then check out the BET Awards tonight as there will be another airing of them at 8pm on BET.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

T.I.’s next single of his latest album, Paper Trail, was suppose to be the banger “Swing Ya Rag” that features Swizz Beatz on it. Anybody that has heard the albums or just heard the track knows what I am talking about. Well, apparently it was not even allowed to be released to television markets. Why? Both Louis Vuitton and Gucci were “trippin” about the video, according to T.I. in an interview with MTV. T.I. mentioned that both companies were mentioning infringement within the video and overall were not happy with it, since its rags were the ones used in the video.

I guess both companies might have thought that its products were being used in a “gangster” related form and did not want anything to do with that. Instead, T.I.’s next single will “Live Your Life” which features Rihanna. Regardless, whatever track was the intended single; they are both hot enough to make a lot of noise in the music industry. The video for Live Your Life should be out soon, so everyone should be on the look-out.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

This Friday is the day a lot of fans have been waiting for…..especially me. It’s Power 99’s Powerhouse 2008 Concert! Anyone that knows me knows that I have been talking about this concert for weeks since the line-up was announced. Appearing on stage will be Keyshia Cole, Ne-Yo, T-Pain, T.I. and the one and only Jay-Z. Powerhouse is Philly’s biggest concert of the year so anyone not in attendance does not know what they will be missing. You never know what surprises the concert will have in store for fans because in Philly we have a big list of
potential artists that may hit the stage as well. Whatever surprise it may be, the countdown to Powerhouse 2008 is getting closer to show time.

For those you may not know, tickets are officially sold-out but today starting at 10am, Power 99 will be making room for more seats at just $19.99. So anyone who does not have tickets, make sure you get yours. Finally, if you need help getting something fresh to wear for the concert, you already know where to go….The Villa!

By: Adrian Gonzalez

If this does not bring 50 Cent a lot of publicity, then I don’t know what will. 50 Cent and MTV have officially put together what will be 50’s own reality TV show. The name of the show is “The Money and The Power.” The idea behind the show is basically for 50 to discuss his struggles from being a hustler on the streets to showing the lessons that he learned and mastered to be where he is right now in his career. 50
Cent will give 14 contestants the chance at a $100,000 Grand Prize to be able to achieve their dreams and pave the way for future success to become a mogul. Of course, this will not be an easy task. The participants will compete in grueling challenges that were all helped to be created by 50 Cent. The goal to success is to learn the lessons 50 will be teaching them and apply them to the challenges. 50 Cent expects them to
learn everything he teaches them, while pushing them to their limits.

You know what……I actually like this concept of the show. I’m not a big 50 cent fan, but I like what he wants to do with the show. If you catch a trailer of the show or even a commercial for it, one might think it is going to be an interesting one. This might help 50 gain some more fan base because the “music” thing is not helping him too much. Good luck with the show! “The Money and The Power” airs on MTV starting Thursday November 6th at 10pm (EST.).

By: Adrian Gonzalez

Starting January 2009, Rev Run’s daughters will have their own TV show on MTV. With all the success of Run’s House, their own clothing and footwear line Pastry, and the influence they have placed on teen age girls to young adult females, MTV has decided to give the sisters their own TV show. The show will be called “Daddy’s Little Girls” and I may have to say it is the perfect title. MTV’s new show will be a spin-off of Run’s House. I just have two words for MTV…Thank You! I started feeling like the shows on MTV were getting worse and worse and besides Making the Band 4 and America’s Best Dance Crew, Run’s House is the only other show that I really enjoy. So, with a spin-off of the show, Daddy’s Little Girls should be an entertaining one. All fans should look out for the show! Congrats, as hard work pays off and with this great news, it is just a great example of what it may bring to everyone.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

It has been about a year since Alicia Keys’ album “As I Am” released and fans have been asking when the next albums is coming out. Well, it looks like fans might have to wait longer because Keys reported to the New York Daily News that she needs a break from music. No, this does not mean she is on the verge of retiring or anything; it’s that she wants to focus on movies for right now. She is currently working on the release of her next project titled “The Secret Life of Bees” which hits movie theaters October 17th, 2008. The movie is about a 14 year old who runs away from home with a caregiver and friend to South Carolina and ends up finding the secret of her mother’s past. Keys fell in love with the story and her role and it is why she took the role. The movie is based on a book and while filming Alicia Keys said that she “felt like she knew all the people in the book.” The movie looks pretty good and I might just have to check it out. Even if Alicia Keys is taking a break from music, it is not like she can’t bounce back and go platinum easily, so keep doing your thing and good luck with the movie.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

50 Cent has a new movie and album, both dropping on December 9th. He has been working on a movie titled “Before I Self Destruct” in which not only is he acting but also directing. The movie is supposed to be action packed and a trailer of it can be found on You Tube. Also starring in the movie is Clifton Powell and Treach from Naughty by Nature. The trailer also debuted 50’s new single “Get Up” which is produced by Scott Storch. The album and movie go together as the album will also be titled “Before I Self Destruct.”

Is it me or has 50’s career gone downhill. His last album could not sell more than Kanye’s and the G-Unit’s “Terminator on Site” album probably had better tracks than 50’s because it had Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo on the tracks. I give 50 Cent props for not stopping his grind to get what he wants to get done in the game even though a significant percentage of his fan base has probably diminished. Good luck with the new movie and album.

- AGE

So your boy Jay-Z received a prestigious honor of a humanitarian award last week, presented to him by the United Nations in New York , and no publicity behind it…..what’s up with that? Jay-Z has been working on raising money for some time now in order to help manage the world water crisis. Through a tour in 2006, he began raising awareness of the water epidemic. While in Africa, Jay-Z provided aid in struggling communities and even helped provide over 1,000 water pumps so that the death rates could be reduced, which is currently at 15 seconds before a child dies. This is due to lack of available water, let alone being adequate.

My point behind all of this is that Kanye West makes the 11 O’clock news for losing his cool at the LAX airport, but Jay-Z does not get any love for his hard work that earned him a humanitarian award presented to him by the United Nations. What is the media coming down to these days? What ever it is, people around the world appreciate what you are doing and your fans, and this is all that matters. Keep doing your thing Jay.

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By now most people that are into hip-hop music have heard T.I.’s “Swagger Like Us” track that features Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne. Just a few days back, a track was all over the internet titled “Jackin Swagger From Us” and the whole mastermind behind this was the Dipset’s own Jim Jones. He apparently feels that T.I. kept him out the track deliberately and has caught hard feelings for it. Jones mentioned in an article that he was the one that has set the precedent in the last few years as far as fashion goes and that people go to stores asking for that “Jim Jones” look. When asked about T.I.’s swag, Jones said that it is all “fake” and that he doesn’t possess any real swag. Jim Jones also mentioned that he changed the whole fashion scene from when Rocawear and Sean John was hot and brought in that “Rock and Roll” look to the urban communities. The track “Jackin Swagger
From Us” features Lil Wayne, Juelz Santana, and M.I.A.

I sense a hater in the building. Jim Jones could try and put a hotter track together, but now he wants to complain about not being on the track. If anything, if Jim Jones was on the track, it would not be as hot as it is, so it was a good thing he was not on “Swagger Like Us.” Just keep on “Ballin” and see where you get from there Jones.

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Don’t forget today is the last day to register to be able to vote for the 2008 Presidential Election! But in other news related……..I’m sure by now you have heard warnings of people being asked to leave polling stations on Election Day for wearing clothing articles which show support for their favorite candidate and being sent home to change before they can be allowed to vote. At first I thought this was just a joke since I’ve seen this go on for years without any problems but after some research, I realized it is actually a law called Passive Electioneering or Campaigning. This old law is common in all states with slight variations and interpretation and enforcement usually depends on location. Voting registration ends today and for many young adults this will be our first experience with exercising our voting rights in a residential election and therefore we wouldn’t want to be obstructed in any way possible. Most democrats believe this is a campaign by the republicans to prevent as many democrats from voting as possible since Barack Obama clothing articles are generally widespread and are more popular than those of his opponent John McCain and most likely would be worn on Election Day by many democrats who frequently wear Obama t-shirts, buttons, etc… in support of the popular candidate.

In Pennsylvania interpretation is unclear and is usually determined by the counties electoral offices. Republicans urged Governor Ed Rendell to enforce the law and officials from the Department of State trying to avoid confrontations, sent a letter to the 67 county boards of elections basically saying the state is allowing county boards to make the decision about what people can wear. Joseph Pasarella, director of voter services in majority republican Montgomery County explained “Campaign t-shirts and buttons won’t be allowed inside any of the 418 polling places in Montgomery County” a similar stance taken by Lawrence County, PA, while the deputy city commissioner of highly democratic City of Philadelphia explained ,“You can wear a button, wear a T-shirt, as long as you are in the act of voting”, to show how interpretation may vary across the country. To be on the safe side I suggest not wearing our Obama shirts at the polls but if you have to for good luck sake, wear it underneath an enclosed jacket and express your support after voting since this election is very crucial to our futures as evident with the current state of the economy and not participating would be unforgivable.

….Piayon

Blac Label has been popular for some years now and they are just coming up strong. They offer items for men, women, and even babies. I have to say I’m really feeling the whole Blac Label line because it is rather unique and its color combinations are serious! The last Blac Label item I purchased was a short sleeved shirt that was burgundy, with black and a light yellow in it and it is fire. It was purchased at the one and only Villa too. Besides t-shirts they also have jeans, hats, jackets, hoodies, and even sneakers. If you ever need a nice shirt that stands out to go to a club then Blac Label could be a winner! If you’re ever looking for anything BlacLabel don’t forget about The Villa because they carry the hottest Blac Label gear.

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This story is rather strange. As a big sports fan, one is always use to hearing about players getting cut, released, or signed, but not a mascot. Well here’s some background. The NBA’s Golden State Warriors mascot’s name is Thunder and first appeared during the team’s first season in 1997. Since the
former Seattle SuperSonics is now a new team in a new city (Oklahoma City Thunder), Golden State’s President Robert Rowell said we would be willing to accommodate to Oklahoma City and change its mascot’s name since the team name is the Thunder.

Sources are reporting a possible trade sending Golden State’s mascot to Oklahoma City for a mascot to be named later. Also, there are rumors of Thunder going to NBA China. Whatever the outcome is this story is too funny. I may have to say that Thunder the mascot is one of those mascots that was not really popular in the NBA. Robert Rowell also mentioned how he was considering a rebranding of the team so a new team and new mascot might just be a good look.

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Legendary rapper Jay-Z will be part of somewhat of a unique collaboration this weekend. No it’s not with Diddy, Lil Wayne, or Kanye West…..it’s with Barrack Obama! This weekend Jay – Z will be giving 2 free performances in order to show support for presidential candidate Barrack Obama. This Saturday he
will be performing in Detroit, Michigan and Sunday he will perform in Miami, Florida. This is perfect timing being that Monday is the deadline to new voters to register and vote to be edible to vote for this year’s presidential election. Anyone ages 18 and above can get their free tickets at several
campaign offices for Obama in the Michigan and the Florida areas.

This is another initiative in which a rapper is pushing for young and new voters to register and vote (T.I. & Young Jeezy are most known for it). Not only is this event a free concert, but it is also a voter registration rally for a great cause. There’s nothing to lose in this initiate at all. Registering to vote and seeing Jay – Z….It can’t get any better! It’s “Ba Roc!”

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This week in Foreign Fridays, The United Nations in a proposed-resolution seeks helps from all countries with interest in international shipping security to send military aid to help fight piracy off the coast of the Somalia. Somalia which is off the East African coast faces the problem of piracy on its waters primarily due to the Gulf of Eden which is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes with the most recent attacks being on a Ukrainian vessel transporting tanks and other heavy weaponry with pirates requesting a 20 million dollar ransom in order for the vessel to be released. The United Nations proposed resolution which is expected to be voted on next week, encourages Nations and Organizations to continue take necessary actions that will ensure the safety of the U.N World Food Program Maritime Convoys which is expected to assist over 3 million Somalis with food aid over the year.

In other foreign headlines, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico in an initiative submitted to lawmakers provided rehab as an alternative to going to jail for illegal drug users when caught. The initiative recommends rehab for people caught with less than 2 grams of marijuana, half a gram of cocaine, 40 milligrams of methamphetamine or other drugs and refusal of rehab could lead to imprisonment of up to three and half years. The initiative by President Calderon is to help identify drug dealers and users and administer proper punishment to these offenders. The president’s goal is to decrease murder and frequent shootout and decapitation rates associated with drug violence in the country and experts believe the increase in the country’s drug addicts is partly correlated to the crackdown on drug trafficking along the U.S-Mexican border which forced Mexican cartels to sell locally.

Who would have known LEVI’S would have just became so popular in urban communities the way that they have. With the “fitted” look getting more and more popular with both males and females, LEVI’S made a wise push to get those consumers in urban communities at the right time. Not only does it have hip-hop artists promoting its brand (DC Rapper WALE), but it made its way into many urban retail shops like The Villa. In an interview with one of my co-workers, Israel Perez said, “LEVI’S are definitely in! The jeans look hot and feel real comfortable. They are not baggy either.” LEVI’s offers many styles from the 501 Originals to the 550 Relaxed fit. I own about 5 pairs of LEVI’S jeans myself. The look of the jeans with sneakers and boots is incredible because it’s nothing too flashy it’s just “right.” To get a pair of your own LEVI’S jeans you can visit your nearest Villa location.

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Today is the day that the MLB playoffs begin! There are three games on today. The first game is at 3pm (EST.) in which my own Philadelphia Phillies will be hosting the Milwaukee Brewers. This should be an interesting series because this is the Brewers first playoff berth in some time and the Phillies
have the bats and starting pitching to win the series. Prediction: Phillies win series 3-1. The next game which is at 6:30pm (EST.) will include the Chicago Cubs hosting the LA Dodgers. The Cubs are the No. 1 seed in the National League and look like they won’t let anytime get in its way of getting to the World Series. Prediction: Chicago Cubs win series 3-1. The final game on tonight is the LA Angels hosting the Boston Red Sox at 10:30pm (EST.). The Angels were the best team in the league this year and with a strong pitching rotation it doesn’t look good for the Red Sox. Prediction: LA Angels win series 3-0.

The Tampa Bay Rays will host the Chicago White Sox tomorrow in its first ever playoff game. The White Sox actually won its division last night by beating the MIN. Twins in a one game playoff. This year’s baseball playoffs has several teams that have improved from previous years and with be a very interesting one.

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I myself am not too much of a Dancing with the Stars fan, but can’t help to mention it, because it’s one of those TV shows that whenever a new season starts, millions of viewers tune in every week to watch the episodes. This year’s season (Season7) has yet another start studded line-up that includes: N’SYNC’s Lance Bass, former NFL star Warren Sapp, and the one and only Kim Kardashian. The season started last Monday and I actually got a quick glimpse of some of the groups performing. Celebr