Hip Hop News Thread

[PHX]

Post all hip hop news here.

 

[PHX]

A woman that was assaulted and beaten at 50 Cent's mansion has filed a lawsuit against the rapper and several employees of G–Unit Records.

Vasti Ortiz filed the lawsuit in Superior Court of Hartford, Connecticut against G-Unit Films and Television and Curtis Jackson, a.k.a. 50 Cent.

Ortiz' lawsuit claims that she was assaulted by 50 Cent's associate Dwayne McKenzie, during a visit to the rapper's sprawling mansion, in August of 2009.

According to the lawsuit, a woman named Ivy Medina invited Vasti Ortiz and her friends to the mansion around 1:30 AM.

Ortiz claims that Dwayne McKenzie was at the mansion acting as an employee of G-Unit.

When McKenzie began to make “awkward sexual requests,” the women attempted to leave.

Dwayne McKenzie then instructed a woman named Michelle Krzykowski to attack Ortiz, who was struck in the head with a hard object, as McKenzie held her down.

Ortiz, who acted as a dancer for some music videos in the past, pepper sprayed Mckenzie and Krzykowski and managed to flee the scene.

Ortiz was rushed to a local hospital, where she needed nine staples to close a massive wound to her head.

The woman claims that she has suffered permanent injuries to her nervous system and other areas of her body as a result of the assault.

Ortiz claims that 50 Cent is responsible because the rapper failed to conduct a reasonable and “proper investigation into Dwayne McKenzie's background before allowing him to act as an agent and employee of the defendant, G-Unit, at the mansion.”

The lawsuit claims that despite Mckenzie's violent criminal history, which included a felony charge involving illegal possession of a handgun, 50 Cent continued to employee the man.

In May of 2008, Dwayne McKenzie was also arrested for striking a woman with a belt at 50 Cent's mansion, during an altercation.

In August of 2007, McKenzie was arrested for firing a .40 caliber Glock at a man who attempted to snatch his $100,000 dollar platinum and diamond necklace.

McKenzie was eventually charged with one count of unlawful discharge of a firearm and one count of reckless endangerment.

Vasti Ortiz seeks an undisclosed amount for medical bills and damage.

That happened to her was fucked up and all but that is dumb to sue 50 for it considering the man isn't a babysitter and that is a huge ass mansion.

 

[Kairi]

Happy 43RD BIRTHDAY Will Smith

 

[Kairi]

[video=youtube;zPI2N662VN4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPI2N662VN4[/video]

new bow wow - heaven

and lame

[video=youtube;IrKfkRSBwPY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrKfkRSBwPY[/video]

 

[Kairi]

Kid Cudi has set the bar high for his next album. The Cleveland MC promises fans that his upcoming project will change the face of music.

The rapper-turned-actor, who stars in the new season of HBO’s “How to Make It in America,” formed the rock band 2 Be Continuum with “Day ‘N’ Nite” producer Dot da Genius, and will release its debut album Wizard by the end of the year via his Wicked Awesome Records. “Ima need everyone to understand, when this Wizard album drops, the world of music is going to change, for the better. I promise. December!” tweeted Cudi.

He recently scrapped his mixtape A Man Named Scott so he could put all his energy into the album. “Trust im working extra hard to make this shit as amazing as possible and get yall some new jams,” he said.


Cudder will show off his newly-honed guitar skills on the project. “I’ve only been playing guitar for nine months but the records are f**king epic, epic. I’m really psyched,” he previously wrote.


Additionally, the newly sober Cudi announced plans to release a new song called “High Off Life!” and is preparing the follow-up to last year’s Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.

 

[Kairi]

Album Cover: Rick Ross – ‘God Forgives, I Don’t’


Rick Ross takes the wraps off the fold-out cover for his fifth album God Forgives, I Don’t, coming December 13. The project boasts the Just Blaze-produced single “I Love My Bitches” and “You the Boss” featuring Nicki Minaj, both available on iTunes now. The Teflon Don also hinted that we may hear a fourth installment in his “Maybach Music” series.

“My vision for this album is so clear, everything’s falling into place,” Rozay told Rolling Stone. “I’m excited to see the response to this album—I expect it to be bigger than my previous one.”

 

[Kairi]

Yelawolf Delays Album, Unveils Cover Art

Yelawolf fans will have to wait a little longer. The Alabama rapper has decided to delay the release of his Shady Records debut until November.

Radioactive, the first full-length album from Yelawolf, has been pushed from October 24 to November 21 as he puts additional finishing touches on the project.
“I needed to add some important finishing touches to the album, which resulted in the new release date,” said Yelawolf, who unveiled the illustrated artwork. “I have some surprises in store for the fans that have to be seen before the album comes out. It’s definitely worth the wait.”

A video for the album’s first single, “Hard White (Up in the Club)” featuring Lil Jon, was released in September. Radioactive features production from Diplo, The Audibles, SupahotBeats, and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, among others.

Yelawolf can currently be seen on the “Hard White” tour, which will stop in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and other major markets before winding down in Las Vegas on October 28.
[Artwork via RapRadar]

 

[Kairi]

Kanye West is never one to bite his tongue, but for once, the outspoken rapper didn’t say a word during his visit to the Occupy Wall Street protest on Monday (Oct. 10). Russell Simmons enlisted support from the hip-hop superstar, who attracted a crowd as he walked the streets of New York City. Hordes of people have camped throughout the financial district to fight against social and economic inequality, corporate greed, and the influence of the very wealthy on government.

The Def Jam co-founder spoke to the media as a tired looking West stood by his side. “Kanye has been a big supporter spiritually to this movement and he’s just here to stand with the people,” he told reporters. “He’s not with the politics of it, doesn’t want to make a statement, didn’t want to do any media at all actually, but he’s here and there’s almost no way around it.
“He’s here in support of the people. As an artist, he feels artistic people and he feels what they’re doing. And he understands this idea about getting the money out of government and letting the people govern. He wants to give power back to the people.”

 

[Kairi]

What could bring Dr. Dre and Kanye West together? Their love for culo (ass in Italian and Spanish). The hip-hop giants celebrated the female backside at an after-party for the Culo by Mazzucco book and art exhibition launch at The Darby in New York City on Monday night. Other celebrity sightings included Big Sean, Cassie, and Diddy, who co-authored the ode to the booty with photographer Raphael Mazzucco.

After shopping with Beyoncé and Jay-Z and supporting the Occupy Wall Street protestors, an exhausted Kanye chilled with actress Tracee Ellis Ross at a screening for the BET sitcom “Reed Between the Lines” on Tuesday, sporting the same Givenchy plaid shirt that he had worn the day before. Get some rest, Yeezy.

 

[Kairi]

Kanye West made his designer debut when he unveiled his womenswear line earlier this month during Paris Fashion Week. Now he’s returning to the runway as a performer for “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.”

The dapper rapper will provide the soundtrack as supermodels including Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, Doutzen Kroes, Erin Heatherton, and more strut down the catwalk in fancy lingerie and Angel wings.

Maroon 5 will also share the bill with Yeezy when the annual event airs on Tuesday, November 29, at 10 p.m. EST on CBS.
Past performers have included Katy Perry, Akon, and Usher, among others.

 

[Kairi]

Nicki Minaj Readies International Campaign For Album #2

​

It has been eleven months since ‘Pink Friday‘ , the debut solo effort by Rapper Nicki Minaj, was made available for release in all major music markets.
Now, the song bird has revealed that she intends to turn her second album into what can only be described as a ‘global affair’.

More information below…​

​

Speaking to members of the press at the 2011 American Music Awards press conference, she revealed:

There’s been so many countries that have been sending requests and I haven’t been able to go out there.
As soon as the new album comes out, we’ll be going back on the road- that’s why I’m excited about right now. I want to be done with recording process and go overseas.​

Here’s to hoping these plans materialize in the way Minaj is hoping they will.
For though global sales of ‘Friday’ have now commendably surpassed the 2 million mark, there is no denying that the handling of the project overseas was lacklustre to say the least.

Her bid overseas stretched only to a week of promotion in London and an even shorter stint in the rest of Europe.

Now that she is a much bigger star in the US than she was this time last year, let’s hope that her management and label have a realistic plan put in place to boost her celebrity in the mainstream media of all markets.

 

[Kairi]

Lil Wayne delivered a blockbuster sequel to Tha Carter III over the summer. The album went platinum in less than two weeks, so it’s only natural that the hip-hop superstar is prepping more sequels.

Mack Maine revealed that Weezy is working on a follow-up to his rock album Rebirth and hip-hop project I Am Not a Human Being. “He’s, like, 12 songs in, and it’s crazy. He went left. He’s in Martian land right now,” the Young Money president told MTV News of Human Being 2.

While both albums did not achieve as much commercial success as Tha Carter series, Weezy uses them as an outlet to express his different tastes. “He gets to show his rock side, he gets to show the gangsta side and talk to the women on one side,” said Mack. “On I Am Not a Human Being, he is definitely showing some weirdo, left-brain, I’m-not-from-here type side. He can say what he wants. There’s no boundaries or limits.”

The diverse music will appeal to his various fan bases. “You have different audiences and different preferences, different demographics of people that like to hear different music,” he added. “He captures all those different audiences and then at a concert or a show, you bring all those different people together. You bring your Rebirth rock people, you bring your Carter people, and you bring your I Am Not a Human Being [crowd], and you have a great show. That’s why we sell out arenas every night.”

 

[Kairi]

Nicki Minaj Becomes Lil Wayne in Birdman’s ‘Y.U. Mad’ Video

Nicki Minaj tried on her Halloween costume early while shooting the Gil Green-directed video for “Y.U. Mad” with Birdman and Lil Wayne in Miami last week. The “female Weezy” mimicked her mentor’s mannerisms and style, sporting long blonde dreads, a wifebeater, boxers pulled above her camouflage pants, and a diamond-studded chain and watch.

She remained silent as Birdman explained how the song came to be the first single from his upcoming album Bigga Than Life, due November 21. “Nicki gave me that song. She called me one day like, ‘Stunna, I got a record for you I think you would like,’” the Cash Money CEO told MTV News. “I jumped on it and put my son on it. I liked it from the start. Working with Nicki is just special anyway and I felt good about it, so we rocked with it.”

The song is not be taken literally. “I don’t think no one is actually mad. It’s just a figure of speech,” explained Wayne as Nicki began to laugh. “I think Nick just sounded good saying mad at that point in the song. I don’t think it would’ve been cooler if she said, ‘That’s why you glad.’ We have to ask her next time I see her.”

 

[Kairi]

Rick Ross Resurfaces at Wingstop Opening After Hospitalization

The Bawse got back to business after being hospitalized for a medical emergency. Rick Ross celebrated the opening of his new Wingstop restaurant in Memphis over the weekend.

The Miami rapper reportedly suffered two seizures while headed to a concert on Friday. The first health scare occurred during a Delta flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Memphis. The plane made an emergency landing after Ross lost consciousness. Paramedics rushed to the scene to perform CPR and he was released shortly after.
Rozay tweeted a video showing that he was fine, but hours later suffered a second seizure aboard a private jet taking him to Memphis for the “Memphis Madness” event. The plane was grounded in Birmingham, Alabama, and he was forced to cancel. Despite initial plans for him to perform the next day at North Carolina A&T State University’s homecoming concert, he pulled out of his appearance moments before the show, citing health concerns.

But the Bawse did resurface at the grand opening of his new Wingstop fast food franchise in Memphis on Sunday. He looked like his usual self as he posed for a photo with DJ Khaled. “My brother ROZAY!!IS GOOD!!!” tweeted the Cash Money DJ.

Ross is scheduled to perform next in Atlanta on October 21. His fifth album God Forgives, I Don’t is due December 13 featuring the singles “I Love My Bitches” and “You the Boss” with Nicki Minaj.

 

[Kairi]

Album Cover: T-Pain – ‘rEVOLVEr’

T-Pain unveils the cover for his fourth album rEVOLVEr, dropping December 6. The long-delayed project features the single “5 O’Clock” with Wiz Khalifa and Lily Allen.