Saturday, July 14, 2007

R&N - 07/14/07

Lil' Jon - Crunk, An Official Word


Lil' Jon is gonna be crunk about this... The word "crunk" has officially been added to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. The word is one of 100 new words that will be included in the 2007 edition Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. "It's amazing that the word has become that popular," Lil' Jon told AHH.com. "We been saying 'crunk' in Atlanta [for] as long as I can remember. All I did was put it on a record and let the world know our lifestyle! We live to get crunk n the south and I guess Webster's dictionary recognized that and how big the music has been in the last 10 years."

Christina Milian - In a SnowGlobe


Christina Milian will be on TV once more. She is set to appear in an ABC Family movie called “Snowglobe.” It begins production at the end of the month.

~1~
AB

Thursday, July 12, 2007

R&N - 07/12/07

Diddy - Split With Kim Porter


According to People Magazine, Diddy and Kim Porter have officially announced their split.

"It’s over between Sean “Diddy” Combs and his girlfriend of 10 years, Kim Porter, a rep for Combs confirms to PEOPLE. A source close to Porter says she has moved out of the apartment she shared with Combs, and into a new home in Los Angeles with her children."

These are some quotes from a previous Essence magazine interview:

Diddy:

I know she deserves to get married, but I’m just not ready,” he said. “It’s not a reflection on how much I love Kim. It’s that I’m just learning how to be a good boyfriend. When I’m finished with this step, I’ll move on to the next.”

Kim Porter:

“He could be a little more attentive to his family, but I understand who he is and what that requires of him. He’s in a business where he wants to be the best, and he wants to make sure his family has the best.”

My View: Not a good look... If you have been on and off with her for 10 years, a child by her, and new twin baby girls with her as well and you say something like that... Not a good luck... but that's just me.


Matthew Knowles - Hip-Hop Toys


You know, the more I hear about Beyonce's father, the more I see him as a real hustler. From managing his daughter's multiplatinum group (10 million albums sold worldwide), to having his own label, putting out his own version of Kidz Bop, he gives Jay-Z a run for his money.

Mathew Knowles has partnered with Planet Toys to launch Baby Jamz, the first-ever hip-hop/rhythm-inspired pre-school toy line. It is said that Solange’s son, Juelz helped inspire the toy line.

“Many children love music and dancing to hip-hop, so we have creatively combined great toys with the hip-hop versions of popular nursery rhymes. My grandson, Juelz, was the inspiration for this idea and I am especially excited that most of the nursery rhymes are sung by my daughter, Solange.”


Hot Ghetto Mess - Messin' Up Advertising Money

At least two companies have pulled advertisements from BET's new show, ``Hot Ghetto Mess.'' Critics say the show puts black stereotypes on display, but the network claims it "a blend of tough love and social commentary.''

State Farm Insurance and Home Depot asked BET to drop their ads from the series. However, other advertisers remain in place and there are no plans to change the series at this point, BET said Tuesday.

Background Info:
"HGM combines viewer-submitted home videos and BET-produced man-on-the-street interviews that the channel said in a release are intended to challenge and inspire viewers to improve themselves and their communities.''

The six-episode series is hosted by comedian Charlie Murphy. It's based on a Web site that features photos of men and women, mostly black, with extreme hairstyles and clothing typically linked to hip-hop fashion.

Hotghettomess.com was created by Jam Donaldson, a black lawyer who's also an executive producer on the BET show, the Hollywood Reporter said.

~1~
AB

Monday, July 9, 2007

R&N - 07/09/07

Amil Iz Back?!

Former Roc-A-Fella rapper, Amil is finishing up her new sophomore album called "Amil Az Iz."

It was rumored that Amil had been working in JC Penny's or Macys in NYC. That is not the case, seeing that she currently lives in North Carolina. Her album is due in stores on D.O.E./Baby Grande Records.

Background Info:
Amil was once an artist on Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. After a year or so without completing a follow-up album, she was later dropped from the label... (Side Note: Speaking of which, what happened to the Freeway album that was to be executive produced by Jay-Z and 50 Cent's in a joint venture?)

She appeared on a number of hit singles with the likes of Jay-Z & Memphis Bleek (Hey Papi) as well as LL Cool J (Fatty Girl).


Plies Goes P2P


Upcoming artist Plies, with hot single "Shawty" ft. T-Pain has become the first artist on Atlantic Records to ink a major deal involving P2P file trading services.

According to The New York Post, Sprint and Atlantic have with ArtistDirect’s Media Defender division to push 16 million Plies song files embedded with the Sprint logo on to peer to peer networks over a three-month period.

A substantial six figure deal will be split between Plies and his publishing company, Media Defender and Atlantic Records. The Sprint logo will be attached to the song files permanently and will appear with Plies’ name and song title on the screen of a desktop computer, iPod or cell phone, in addition to any digital music player.

Background Info:
Plies is a Fort Meyers, FL native and his
debut album The Real Testament
is set to release on August 7th through The Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/ Atlantic Records.

~1~
AB