Hip-Hop Media Training
  • Consider this...

    Oprah premiered will.i.am's "It's A New Day" song Friday. The song is the Black Eyed Peas frontman's reaction to Barack Obama's Tuesday night win as the 44th president of the United States.

    Obama's win was a milestone as he became the first African-American president.

    Oprah, an early Obama supporter, who was captured on the news in tears election night, clearly was selective when planning her post-election coverage. Yet, she welcomed will.i.am on her show to help the nation celebrate.

    It's great that Oprah featured a hip-hop artist in this capacity to share this triumphant message. The hip-hop community had been convinced that she didn't like them.

    Ice Cube was vocal when Oprah invited cast members from his film the Barbershop on her show, but excluded him. Ludacris has complained that when he was on her show along with co-stars from the Oscar winning Crash that the media mogul only asked him questions about his misogynistic lyrics. And others were upset last year

    Read More »from Will.i.am Premieres His Pro-Obama Song “It’s A New Day”
  • T-Pain is not dissing Kanye, DJ Khaled or Akon. They appear in the video for his new swagger jacker diss track "Karaoke." T-Pain has also excluded Lil' Wayne from any of the venom he spews on the song that claims that unidentified artists have borrowed his style without permission. But even without naming names, the rappa ternt singa manages to create one of the year's funniest viral videos.

     

    The video opens with T-Pain and Kanye in a men's restroom, suggesting Auto-Tune abuse. T-Pain exits to find a middle aged Asian man in a business suit performing his hit "Can't Believe It" on a karaoke stage. A frustrated T-Pain bum rushes the performance to salvage his song as his animated hype man DJ Khaled verbally assaults the audience of mainly elderly, seemingly out of place white people.

    There is obviously genuine beef behind T-Pain's profanity filled accusations. But this may be the first hip-hop diss so funny (in video at least) that the attacks on other nameless rappers get lost in the

    Read More »from T-Pain Disses Karaoke Rappers For Stealing His Style
  • Mariah Carey's husband Nick Cannon just one upped Usher's wife Tameka Foster.

    Earlier this month, I questioned whether or not Usher disrespected Tameka in his "Trading Places" video that features him rolling around in his boxers with a half naked video vixen.

    Many of you thought that Usher's video was par for the course and that Tameka, newlywed or not, should not take offense. You argued that Usher was acting and it was simply work.

    Apparently, Nick feels the same way about Mariah's "work" in her brand new video "I Stay In Love" that features a scantily clad Mariah acting like she has a jones for the male lead with whom she gropes and kisses.

    I know that Nick approved of his wife's love scenes because he directed the video.

    Yup. Nick had a say in the video's storyline, the choice for male lead, the costuming (or lack thereof), and most interestingly, he was the guy who announced when it was time for some "action" or to "cut." Judging by some of the racy scenes, the video set must

    Read More »from Mariah Sings About Love For An Ex, Nick Directs Video
  • 50 Cent has a plan to reclaim his hip-hop throne.

    On his new single "Get Up," he raps, "Now who they gone blame, when I'm back at No. 1 on Billboard again."

    No. 1 feels a bit ambitious for this song, but it did jump this week from No. 42 to No. 27 at urban radio.

    On December 9, 50 will release a new album and movie on the same day.

    And to make it easier for his fans, the album and movie, both titled Before I Self Destruct, will be packaged together. From the looks of online pre-order options, the 90-minute film will be enclosed for no additional charge.

    In the movie, written and directed by the artist, 50 plays a character named Clarence, who takes on a life of crime in order to support his younger brother after their hardworking single mother is murdered.

    Since the past year has not been 50's best in terms of his rap career, you have to wonder if "Get Up" is a strong enough single to drive people to purchase the combo album.

    "Get Up," a knocking, club track, is on par with last year's

    Read More »from 50 Cent Says “Get Up” Or He’s Done Tryin’
  • Man. If Beyonce was a guy, the world would be at a loss.

    You don't believe me? Take a look at the way the she fits in the police uniform in her video for "If I Were A Boy," one of the two new videos she recently simultaneously released.

    Initially, I was upset when I heard that Beyonce was making a video for "If I Were A Boy." Just two years ago, Ciara released a song called "Like A Boy" which has a similar concept.

    The notion of a woman portraying a man is not unique. Hilary Swank won an Oscar for her starring role in the 1999 film Boys Don't Cry. Still, I felt that Beyonce may have taken Ciara's idea.

    However, after watching Bey's version, it is clear that she explored a completely different angle.

    Both songs challenge the double standards in male and female relationships and suggest "switching the roles."

    But Beyonce tackles the topic in what feels like a movie short. I won't spoil it for those who have not already seen the video. But she offers an interesting point of view as she

    Read More »from Beyonce Is One Nasty Boy
  • You know you can't sing when you have the Roger Troutman vocoder effect on your voice and you still sound bad.

    But you can't tell Kanye West nothing. Despite the fact that his singing voice sounds as grueling as Teddy Riley did on the 1990 Guy track "Long Gone," Kanye still walked out on that VMA stage in August and sang "Love Lockdown" without warning:

    I'm not loving yoooooooou
    Way I wanted toooooooo
    What I had to dooooo
    Had to run from yoooou

    I am sure that someone advised Kanye that this was a bad idea, and he just ignored them.

    When I saw his performance, I didn't know what was going on. He was not trying to hide the fact that he can't sing. He didn't care that his tone was off. But, I swear, he sang this song like he thought he was Bono. Like the person he wrote it for might actually accept his apology after listening to it.

    It was that moment when you're in the shower or driving by yourself and you're singing your favorite song full voice, ruining it without remorse.

    There's

    Read More »from Kanye Scores Win With Off-Key “Love Lockdown”
  • If you feel like there's a pun in the headline of this blog post, good.

    Last week Vibe magazine announced that Eminem had won its Best Rapper Alive competition, a NCAA-style tournament that pitted the "top" 64 MCs against each other. (See the list of the 64 nominees.)

    The online contest polled users over a 5-week period. During the first week, the 64 competing rappers were paired off and users were asked to select the best 32 artists. The second week, that group of 32 lyricists was also grouped in twos and the voters picked their favorite 16. Over the subsequent weeks, the list dwindled down to the last b-boys standing, Jay-Z and Eminem. Eminem won by a landslide of 69 percent, compared to Jay-Z's 31 percent.

    "

    The results have sparked heated discussions.

    Before getting into my opinion of the crowned champ, I am way curious as to how a Best Rapper Alive contest can include the likes of Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, Shawty Lo and Flo Rida, but not list lyrical geniuses Rakim, MC Lyte, Chuck D,

    Read More »from Best Rapper Alive Competition Feels Slim Shady
  • A couple weeks ago, people were talking about Ciara's nude Vibe magazine cover. Ciara allegedly accused the magazine of airbrushing off her clothes, and Vibe's editor-in-chief went on a New York radio station and said that was untrue. She maintained that there was indeed nakedness going on on the photo shoot.

    Ciara's brand new video, "Go Girl," gives her fans something else to talk about.

    The T-Pain produced track boasts salutatory trumpets, an easy R&B groove and Ci Ci's sexy, airy vocals that I never seem to mind.

    But the video is what distracts folks from the talk of whether or not she was Photoshop-ed or her latest escapade with 50 Cent, her rumored boyfriend.

    There's no other female pop artist who has mastered rhythmic agility like her.

    There are numerous examples in the "Go Girl" video.

    1) The backwards Matrix bend

    2) The Cannonball splits

    3) Splits with a chair

     

     

    4) Solmo Robo

    Somebody needs to get this girl in the next superhero flick. She's ready to go, right now. Her

    Read More »from It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s “Go Girl” aka Ciara
  • Janet Jackson has canceled a half a dozen dates on her Rock With U tour because she is battling an illness.

    Five minutes before show opener LL Cool J was scheduled to hit the stage at their September 29 date in Montreal, Canada, Janet called off the concert. She was rushed to a local hospital for treatment. She was released two hours later.

    Next, she postponed dates in Boston, Philadelphia, Greensboro, Atlanta and Ft. Lauderdale.

    The statements released by her extremely credible and respected publicist simply note that the megastar has been treated and is recovering. But the explanations do not offer details and the media have began describing the entertainer's bout as a mystery illness.

    A person's health is his or her personal business, but what's the big deal about Janet giving her thousands of fans who purchased concert tickets some insight to what's happening?

    The elusiveness has prompted some to speculate that Janet is having a tough time dealing with subpar ticket sales. Our

    Read More »from Janet Doesn’t Wanna Rock Right Now
  • Diddy is upset that there are youth who are of voting age who have not yet registered to vote. The Bad Boy Entertainment CEO sent out a plea via his video blog, stressing that there are just three days left to register. 

    "If you are not registered to vote right now and you are of age, something is wrong with you," Diddy said, adding, "We are in a state of crisis in America. Our futures are at stake." He referenced the country's troubles with banks going out of business, the war, families not be able to afford college tuition and home foreclosures.

    Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z have joined with Diddy to send out this message, encouraging people visit www.VoteForChange.com to register.

    Read More »from Diddy Says 20 Million Youth Are Not Registered To Vote

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News for You

  • Latest 'Bachelorette' won't say if she's engaged

    NEW YORK (AP) — ABC's newest "Bachelorette," Desiree Hartsock, says it's not hard to keep the details of her experience on the show a secret from her friends.

  • Actress Bynes accused of bong toss out NYC window

    NEW YORK (AP) — Actress Amanda Bynes appeared disheveled in a long blond wig and sweats Friday in a criminal court where she was charged with reckless endangerment after police said she heaved a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment.

  • Takei says Cho good choice for latest 'Star Trek'

    SINGAPORE (AP) — Portraying USS Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu in the latest "Star Trek" movie comes with big shoes to fill, but the man who played the part in the TV series and six films has given his blessing to the actor currently playing the role.

  • Jersey shore reopens for 1st post-Sandy summer

    SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey rolled out some of its big guns Friday to proclaim that the shore is back following Superstorm Sandy, using Gov. Chris Christie and the cast of MTV's "Jersey Shore" to tell a national audience the state is ready for summer fun.

  • Rare Superman comic found in house insulation

    MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It's considered the Holy Grail of comic books: Action Comics No. 1 from 1938, featuring the debut of Superman. And David Gonzales found one mixed in with old newspapers insulating a house he was renovating in a small town in Minnesota.

  • Actress Bynes arrested in NYC on marijuana charge

    NEW YORK (AP) — Police say actress Amanda Bynes has been arrested in midtown Manhattan after she heaved a marijuana bong out of a window.

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