50 Cent's son Sire is only two, but the adorable toddler already has his pimp game down.
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Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Fans Mistake Soulja Boy's Hot Cousin For His Boo (@souljaboy)
Soulja Boy got himself in a comedic situation after his cousin, who goes by @Luvpreciousway on Instagram, posted a photo of them together.
Twitter Reacts to Kate Upton Being Crowned 'Sexiest Woman Alive' (@KateUpton)
Kate Upton's year has ended on a positive note as the model has been given the title of "Sexiest Woman Alive" from People Magazine.
Missoni x Converse Chuck Taylor Hi 1970s Zip
Converse and knitwear maker Missoni have teamed up again to designed their ninth collaborative shoe using the Chuck Taylor Hi 1970s model. Their latest creation is probably their most outrageous (in a good way) collaboration yet.
The Missoni x Converse Chuck Taylor Hi 1970s Zip sneaker is given a knitted tan upper with a zipper along the ankle. But what really makes these kicks stand out is the all-white faux fur covering the lining and engulfing the entire tongue of the shoe. The leather laces are almost invisible under all of that shearling.
While Converse Chuck Taylors aren’t considered winter wear, these are almost like mittens for your feet. If your fashion sensibility veers towards the eccentric, you can run over to KITH in New York and get a pair today. Sizes are limited so don’t miss out.
[Via KITH]
KOTD Flatline 3 Battle: Charron vs. Charlie Clips (@charronkotd @CHARLIECLIPS)
Charlie Clips and Charron faced off at KOTD's Flatline 3 battle event.
Dave East Releases 'Straight Outta Harlem' Mixtape
Harlem upstart Dave East made waves in 2014 with his acclaimed mixtape, ‘Black Rose.’ Not content on resting on his rap laurels, the former college basketball hooper is back with his latest release, the appropriately titled ‘Straight Outta Harlem.’
Teaming up with producer Scram Jones, who mixed the entire project, Dave East is back like he never left, delivering 20 tracks of pure uncut and raw hip-hop.
Over a myriad of popular beats, including Drake’s ‘How Bout Now,’ Jeezy and Jay Z’s ‘Seen It All’ and Bobby Shmurda’s ‘Hot Nigga,’ respectively, the Harlemite continues to give fans his gritty, no-frills lyricism.
‘Straight Outta Harlem,’ contains brand new tunes mixed in with a few previously released goodies. Overall, the mixtape should help East gain more fans as they keep a watchful eye on his upcoming moves.
Listen or Download Dave East’s ‘Straight Outta Harlem’ Mixtape
10 Best Album Covers of 2014
Coco Bares Her Enormous Naughty Holiday Buns at the Gym (@cocosworld)
The summer isn't the only time that women seek to tone their bodies into the best shape possible; the holidays can bring about some serious hourglass figures as well.
Court Docs Claim Bobby Shmurda Allegedly Shot at His Own Brother (@BobbyShmurdaGS9)
The case against Bobby Shmurda and 14 other members of his GS9 crew is very extensive, and the court documents detailing the exact charges and evidence set against them has been revealed to the public.
50 Cent Fights Domestic Hunger With Feeding America [VIDEO]
Even though he’s notorious for sparking beefs and barking on foes, 50 Cent has a huge philanthropic side when it comes to helping families during the holiday season.
In a CNN segment, titled ‘From Hip Hop to Hunger,’ the ‘Animal Ambition’ creator stopped by a New York food bank to serve meals to needy families as part of his mission to end hunger in the U.S.
Fiddy passed out food and talked about his own upbringing, but admitted that a lot of kids today have it much rougher than he did growing up.
“I had it pretty rough but not to the point where there wasn’t something to eat,” he explained. “But now I’m seeing a lot of kids that have even tougher stories than what I experienced. Feeding America, it’s the best charitable organization to be a part of if hunger is your cause. When you look at hunger itself, it takes so much to solve it. The only place I see enough finances to do it is in business itself.”
Along with being the organization’s celebrity spokesman, 50 is also contributing major dollars through his SMS audio company. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of SMS headphones will go to provide 250 meals to both individuals and families.
Besides New York, Feeding America has over 200 other food banks across the nation. The organization manages to feed nearly 50 million people each year. You can learn more about their mission statement by visiting their official website.
Props to 50 Cent for his charitable efforts during the holiday season.
10 Rappers & Singers Promoting Unexpected Products
LHH's Diamond Strawberry Ripped for Pretending Daughter Is a Dog
Diamond Strawberry was on the receiving end of some heavy backlash on last night's episode of Love & Hip Hop NY, after she revealed that she had been pretending that her 6-year-old daughter was a dog in order to hide her existence from her boyfriend.
OKC's Andre Roberson on Xmas Game vs. Spurs
Following a tough loss, the Thunder's Andre Roberson was able to take time out to discuss some factors that OKC needs to improve as they chase a solid spot among the Western Conference's elite teams.
Air Jordan 4LAB1 'Glow'
Nike has been mashing up their Jordan models for quite some time now so seeing one shoe borrow from another is fairly commonplace. The Air Jordan 4LAB1 is cast in grey but when the lights go out, the entire shoe glows in the dark.
The sneaker itself has a typical leather build of the Air Jordan 1 with the upper of the sneaker covered in the netted mesh found on the side paneling of the Air Jordan 4 silhouette. The white midsole and black accents complete the shoe, which make this Air Jordan 4LAB1 a must-have for your collection.
Retailer Sneaker Politics will have them for $185 a pop. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to cop these on Christmas morning because they don’t drop until Dec. 31. However, if you’re looking for a good way to spend some of that gift card money, here’s your answer.
[Via Sneaker Politics]
People Suspect Cops Planted Gun at Scene of Antonio Martin Death
The story behind the shooting death of Antonio Martin is building, and now people have been crafting conspiracy theories in regards to the police's claims of how the shooting occurred.
LaMarcus Aldridge Addresses Heated Battle With Serge Ibaka
If you caught the game between OKC and the Trail Blazers last night then you had no choice but to see two of the biggest players get ejected from the game.
T.I. Defends Iggy Azalea On Twitter After Q-Tip's History Lesson (@QtipTheAbstract @IggyAzalea)
Iggy Azalea's mentor T.
Chris Brown Comes for Fan After Posting Pic With Karrueche (@ChrisBrown @Karrueche)
Chris Brown is moving on from his relationship with Karrueche, but isn't thrilled that fans have decided to joke about his loss.
OKC's Reggie Jackson Details How Team Needs To Improve
Following a tough loss, we got to chat with Oklahoma City Thunder's guard Reggie Jackson to find out what the team needs to improve in order to get to where they want to be in the season.
Nicki Minaj, D'Angelo Albums Enter Top 10 of Billboard 200 Chart
Nicki Minaj‘s third opus, ‘The Pinkprint,’ and D’Angelo‘s surprise project, ‘Black Messiah,’ did exceptionally well this week on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Due to her massive promotional campaign, and a few well-received leaked singles, the Queen Barbz moved 244,000 copies last week. The album sold better than earlier projected numbers of 160,000 copies. Nicki ended up in the No. 2 position behind Taylor Swift, who reclaimed the No. 1 spot with her ’1989′ album.
And perhaps surprisingly, D’Angelo sold a whopping 117,000 copies of his new album, ‘Black Messiah,’ despite not having any promotion for it and only giving fans a 24-hour notice before it dropped. It reached No. 5 on the chart, which is an incredible feat for an artist who hasn’t released any new material in 15 years.
Meanwhile, last week’s No. 1, J. Cole’s ’2014 ‘Forest Hills Drive,’ fell to No. 4 with a 135,000 copies sold last week.
As far as Nicki, it’s safe to assume the high sales numbers are extremely pleasing to hear, considering she took a different route artistically by replacing party songs with a lot of introspective material.
The ‘Only’ rapper had something else to celebrate today — her Mother’s birthday. Nicki went on Twitter to give her mom a B-Day salute. She tweeted:
10 Best Album Covers of 2014
On Hip-Hop and the Weight of Authenticity: The Fight Between Race and the Culture
Race relations have been slightly strained in America as of late. Following the unpopular decisions not to indict police officers Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, respectively, citizens around the country have expressed outrage, feeling that justice is but a one-way street and only reserved for the privileged, whether that privilege comes courtesy of wealth or a lack of melanin.
During this time, the hip-hop community has been going through a bit of turmoil as well. The talk is centered on upholding the standards of the culture and how race plays a role in the celebration of artists who otherwise lack the skill and credentials compared to others. Seattle native Macklemore was at the center of discussion during the Grammy Awards earlier this year and Australian import Iggy Azalea is now the focal point. Both rappers have received a considerable amount of publicity and accolades over the last two years, sometimes at the expense of artists many fans and critics feel are more deserving.
Macklemore, who has admitted to being fully aware of the advantages his complexion may give him over other artists, was criticized for showing the world a text message he sent to Kendrick Lamar apologizing for seemingly stealing the West Coast rhymer’s Rap Album of the Year trophy at the Grammy Awards.
But whereas the ‘Thrift Shop’ superstar has been completely aware almost to the point of feeling burdened by his polarizing status in the game, Iggy Azalea hasn’t seemed to budge one bit when it comes to the issue. And when confronted by critics who question her authenticity or challenge her, T.I., who happens to be Iggy’s benefactor, has come to her defense, having words with Snoop Dogg and Q-Tip, among others, for their disparaging comments about Azalea.
Last week, the discussion heated up again after Harlem, N.Y.-bred rapper Azealia Banks, one of Azalea’s most outspoken critics, spoke out against her in an interview with New York City’s Hot 97. Banks feels Azalea’s reign is systematic and sends an oppressive message to children of color, among other bold statements. Much of the talk on social media cosigned what Banks touched on in the interview and her quotes, which were surprisingly insightful and more than valid, soon became the news of the day. But things took an unexpected turn when Queens MC Action Bronson found himself in the crosshairs.
After having his name brought up by a fan in a tweet directed towards Banks, Bronson — who most likely was unaware of the context of the question or was directing his retort squarely at the fan — responded in a harsh manner. “DONT EVER IN LIFES HISTORY MENTION MY NAME IN A SLANDEROUS MANNNER,” he wrote.
In typical Banks fashion, she blasted back herself, stating that she never spoke harshly of Bronson, but not before taking low-blows directed at his weight. What ensued after that was a back-and-forth between the two, with Bronson ill-advisedly throwing the term “civil-rights” into the fray, ultimately putting himself in hot water in the process. “BOOOOO *PEOPLE THIS IS UR CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST*??? COME ON,” he questioned, in reference to Banks.
No sooner than he tweeted what some deemed the racially insensitive and politically incorrect tweet, he became a target, with legendary artist and producer Q-Tip asking what the usually lovable and respected MC of Albanian descent was implying with his tweet. Even fans of Bronson were somewhat turned off by the comment and voiced their displeasure via social media, questioning if the tweets came from something more underlying than just an off-the-cuff statement. Social media tends to fuel the fire of overreaction thanks to Twitter crusaders, and in this case, Bronson’s intentions seem to be anything but racially-charged; he wasn’t aiming to harm African Americans as a whole.
But the situation did evoke a statement from me, which I’ve used on occasion: it’s not a racial thing, but a cultural thing. As a 27-year-old African-American man from a working-class family skirting the poverty line, I spent my youth between Wilmington, Del., and Brooklyn, N.Y. I was raised primarily in inner-city neighborhoods with drug dealing, violence and other crime. My neighbors were black and Latino, the mail carriers were either black or Latino, and you were sooner to hear the latest rap record than heavy metal or classic rock blaring from a car stereo. In the simplest of terms, I was well-versed and more than familiar with what black culture was about.
The older I got, the more frequently I would associate with people from other races while in school. Aside from the token Caucasian kid that resided in our neighborhood, the most consistent exposure to races other than my own was during the school year. Recess and group activities allowed for interaction and getting to know each other. I was a fan of Penny Hardaway and the Orlando Magic. So was my friend Joey from the suburbs. Another of my suburban classmates enjoyed Hanson’s chart-topping hit ‘MMMBop.’ So did I. Soon, me and a number of my classmates found that other than the homes and neighborhoods we went to after school, we had more than a few things in common as far as our cultural interests.
Going into my middle school and high school years, hip-hop was an undeniable influence among kids from all races and backgrounds and put us all on common ground. Whether I had to scrape up the funds or their mothers gifted it to them, we all enjoyed the music and would discuss it ad nauseam during all points of the day. Whether Nas or Jay Z won a battle or wondering who a then-unsigned 50 Cent would end up inking a deal with, we discussed it all. Unwritten rules such as not being able to recite the “n” word were fully understood and respected and the art was never treated as a mockery by these friends. Some of them were truer to the roots of the culture than even some of my black friends, who would’ve mistaken Stetsasonic for the newest gaming system on the market.
Yes, my experiences may have given me firsthand knowledge and experience when it came to certain rap lyrics and events or debates outside of the music, but my white friends were deferential when it came to these sensitive topics without coming off as sympathetic or indifferent. Did they sometimes misinterpret certain things or may have unknowingly made a statement that could’ve been painted as insensitive on an occasion or two? More than likely.
Yet, not for one second did I question their genuine love for hip-hop or feel like they looked down on me. They respected where I came from and the harsh realities behind the stories that were expressed by the rappers on the records at the time. While hip-hop is a culture birthed by blacks and Latinos in the ghettos of New York City, Caucasians, Asians, and every other race has been a part of the party as well as the genre has evolved, championing hip-hop and doing their part in helping to get the culture where it is today.
There are definitely people of all races and backgrounds that go out of their way to capitalize on the culture while not giving it its full respect, but this discussion is to warn people to pump their brakes a bit when making accusations. Yes, Vanilla Ice was a poser, but that doesn’t particularly make MC Serch a cheap imitation. Rick Rubin may have been a white dude who looked more comfortable in a dive bar than signing and grooming a young LL Cool J to stardom. And Steve Stoute earns more respect from corporate America than many of his peers. The mistake people make is thinking that being black automatically authenticates your place in hip-hop and being Caucasian or privileged automatically excludes you.
Action Bronson may have put his foot in his mouth on this occasion, but for rap critics and talking heads to make rush judgements, implying that the artist is yet another example of a privileged rapper getting out of line and sticking it to his black peers is a bit short-sighted and irresponsible.
And with the state we’re in as a nation at this time, those are the last things we want to be at this point.
Exclusive! Logic: Battle Rap is Dope, But it's Not for Me (@Logic301)
Logic shared his thoughts on Battle Rap in this clip from his exclusive interview with VladTV.
Exclusive! Royce Da 5'9: I Don't Think J. Cole Dissed Em on "Fire Squad" (@royceda59 @JColeNC)
Royce Da 5'9 shared his thoughts on J.
Iggy Azalea Cops Vintage Impala for Nick Young's Christmas (@iggyazalea)
Iggy Azalea proved that she knows how to spoil her man after gifting him a baller present for Christmas.
Russell Westbrook Talks Controlling His Emotions In Clutch Games
After a hard fought overtime loss to the Portland Trailblazers, we got a chance to talk to Oklahoma Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook.
Ferguson Police Attacked Following Antonio Martin Shooting
Following the fatal shooting of Berkeley, Missouri, teenager Antonio Martin, all hell broke loose in Ferguson just 2 miles away.
Young Thug Jokes About Getting His Boobs Done (@youngthug)
Young Thug has said some outlandish things online, but the YMCMB rapper raised serious eyebrows after telling his Instagram followers that he wanted to get his boobs done.
St. Louis Teen Antonio Martin Killed by Cop; Footage Released
Just when you thought there wasn't any possible way that more lives could be taken by police before Christmas, another teenager from St.
Exclusive! Dej Loaf Invites Beyonce to Get on Her Debut Album (@dejloaf)
Dej Loaf sat down with Jenny Boom Boom for an exclusive interview with VladTV, where she spoke about which fellow Columbia artists she would like to work with.
Joey Bada$$ Gives Props to His Parents on 'Curry Chicken'
Joey Bada$$ first surfaced on the scene via mixtapes such as his acclaimed ’1999′ project, but the Brooklyn rapper now has his sights set on higher plateaus, which he hopes to reach with his debut LP, ‘B4.DA.$$.’
The album, slated to drop on Jan. 20, 2015, will feature production by DJ Premier, Hit-Boy and Statik Selektah, among others. To whet fans’ appetite for new music, the Brooklynite has released a new track from the album, ‘Curry Chicken.’
The Statik Selektah-produced track opens with a female speaking on the perceptions people have about Joey post-rap fame. He speaks on his intentions to rape the game, spitting, “But I know one day that I’m earning me some platinum and some gold / And all them labels could just reimburse this d— in they dome.”
The song also finds Joey speaking fondly of his mother’s sacrifices and his eternal appreciation. “And to my momma, oh no, your purses will never run low / No more, ’cause back when I was four and we was poor, you would purchase the store,” he raps.
Props are also given to his father on the second verse, as well as his mother’s homemade curry chicken, effectively tying in a theme for the song that speaks to his West Indian heritage and gives an authentic glimpse into his home life.
Powered by dusty drums, xylophones, horns and soulful background vocals, ‘Curry Chicken’ is a hearty meal for the musical soul and is sure to ramp up anticipation for Bada$$’ long-awaited debut album.
Listen to Joey Bada$$’ ‘Curry Chicken’
See Rappers Then & Now: Hip-Hop Style Transformations
Exclusive! Crooked I: Barbershop Talk Means More Than a Grammy to Me (@crookedintriago)
Crooked I chopped it up with VladTV during an exclusive interview, and shared his thoughts on Iggy Azalea beating out Eminem and other artists for an American Music Award this year.
This Ain't iPhone: 2 Chainz Angers Kid By Gifting Him Flip Phone
2 Chainz gave back to his community in a big way after loading up two U-Haul trucks with toys to give away to deserving kids.
Ashanti Busts It Open With LL Cool J's Daughter in Sexy Onesie (@ashanti)
Ashanti gathered with friends at LL Cool J's wife Simone Smith's house for a very lively onesie party.
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