Emmett Till’s Family Pens Open Letter To Lil Wayne
In a letter sent exclusively to Vibe, the Till family wants Lil Wayne to be held accountable for his lyrics and to think before he speaks. This letter comes a week after Wayne received backlash from his controversial Emmett Till lyrics used in his song “Karate Chop (Remix)”.
Below is an excerpt from the two page letter:
Michelle Obama To Attend Hadiya Pendleton’s Funeral
Chicago honor student, Hadiya Pendleton, will be buried this weekend. Hadiya was killed Jan. 29 at Harsh Park. Her death sparked outrage not only in her Chicago neighborhood, but nationwide.
Just days after performing in inaugural festivities near Washington, Hadiya was shot and killed at a playground not far from President Obama’s Kenwood home.
Convicted Cop Killer Allegedly Impregnates Prison Guard To Dodge Death Penalty
NEW YORK — A federal prison guard was charged Tuesday with having an illegal affair with an inmate convicted in one of New York’s most notorious police killings, later becoming pregnant with his child.
“I took a chance because I was so vulnerable and wanted to be loved and now I am carrying his child,” Gonzalez said, according to court papers.
She said she “kind of got sucked into his world,” and that she “felt like, well, why not give him a child as far as giving him some kind of hope.”
She confessed her relationship with Wilson to a different boyfriend, another inmate who had been under her supervision at the federal prison but is now housed at a state facility. She said it was over with Wilson, and that she was worried she would get into trouble.
After she became pregnant, Wilson’s mother made contact, requesting a sonogram photo, according to court papers. Gonzalez said she was worried about the calls because she feared authorities would catch her.
“I know what’s to come. I know what is going to be said about me,” she said, according to court papers. “How am I going to explain this to this little boy? Mommy was in the military … Mommy was a C.O., Mommy got wrapped up … And then the opposite end is with a person who took lives. So how do you explain that?”
“How Not to Raise a Rapist” Stopping Rape Starts At Home
There are two uncomfortable realities about sexual assault in America.
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No matter who it happens to (male, female, teen, adult, elderly or a child) it’s far more likely to go unreported. And …
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The onus is almost always put on the victim to “not get raped.”
No one wants to be a victim. That’s why it’s human nature to try to look for fault in the victim. We want to believe we have control, that we can make ourselves save. This means we also want to believe that the difference between us and those who are assaulted is that they made some wrong decision and that if we simply go to the right places, wear the right clothes and conduct ourselves in the right manner somehow we will be rape-proof.
But the statistics don’t bear that out with one-in-six women being a victim of sexual assault at some point in her life time.
I don’t think any man is born a rapist. Unless he’s a sociopath without conscious
(and sociopaths know no particular gender), that’s not possible. Rapists are made.
(more…)
Sony Preparing to Unveil the PlayStation 4
With invitations already sent out to various tech tastemakers promising big news for a February 20 event, many speculate that Sony will be unveiling the PlayStation 4. The Wall Street Journal has in fact gone so far as to declare that the PlayStation 3 successor is exactly what we’re getting. This news coincides with confirmations of a next-generation console from Microsoft – with each platform looking to duke it out for a Holiday 2013 release in the marketplace. According to TechCrunch, “Rumors about what the console will actually look like so far include retaining an optical disc drive, said to be a concession made to ensuring that large-sized games are still convenient for customers to actually obtain and play, and a move from the Cell chip that powers the current PS3 to an AMD-based design, which might complicate things in terms of backwards compatibility with current games.” Stay tuned for further details as they surface.
@selenagomez Wants to Kiss @zaynmalik !
Watch out Justin Bieber…there might be a new man on Selena Gomez’s mind!
Selena Gomez Is Single And Happy In Recording Studio!
In a recent interview with One Direction, all five band members admitted that of any star right now, they would want to plant a kiss on Selena Gomez! Selena was shocked when she heard this and couldn’t hide that she was blushing!
From Disney Princess To Sexy Starlet- Selena Gomez Gets Nylon Cover
Selena said, “That’s really nice! I love all of them. They’re so sweet. They’re really good guys.” When asked who she would kiss from One Direction Selena pauses for a minute then tells us she would kiss Zayn!
Brian McKnight To Release New Album, “More Than Words,” In March @ItsBMcKnight
Brian McKnight is officially back, and he has announced the release date for his new studio album, More Than Words. The R&B veteran is set to drop his 12th LP on March 5, via eOne Music. The album has been led by first single “Sweeter,” which is currently the No. 2 most added song at urban radio.
“I am fortunate that there is no wall between myself and my fans,” expressed Brian. “We communicate at live shows and especially through Twitter and social media. I ask them what they want and they tell me. Hopefully on this album I have succeded again in giving them what they want.”
“More Than Words” will include a collaboration with singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat.
Britney Spears Close To Signing A $100 Million-A-Year Deal To Perform In Las Vegas!!!
Britney Spears‘ team has almost locked an enormously lucrative deal which will make her a fortune in return for appearing in Las Vegas … TMZ has learned.
Britney is seriously considering picking up stakes and making her residency Las Vegas — something just made easier after her split with fiance Jason Trawick. She’s been negotiating with one of the Caesar group properties to appear in a Celine Dion-type show.
Sources connected to the negotiations tell us … from Brit’s standpoint, “The deal is a go. There are several stipulations that could throw a monkey wrench in the deal, but it’s basically done.”
One of the outstanding issues — exactly what Britney will be doing. There’s back-and-forth over whether she will just perform on stage at a big theater multiple nights a week, or whether she will also make appearances at functions in the hotels, nightclubs and pool day clubs.
Our sources say the money being negotiated is “astronomical” — more than Celine’s $ 100 mil a year.
Justin’s Open Letter To Fans @jtimberlake
Nelly And Tae Heckard BOO’D Up, Nelly Officially Kicked Ashanti To The Curb!!
Rumors have swirled that Nelly ended his longtime relationship with the former Murder Inc. artist, but it looks those rumors are true since he’s showing off his new rumored girlfriend Tae Heckard.
Quentin Tarantino Flips Out & Refuses To Answer Questions In an Interview
“Don’t ask me a question like that, I’m not biting. I refuse your question,” Tarantino said. “I’m not your slave and you’re not my master. You can’t make me dance to your tune. I’m not a monkey. I’m here to sell my movie. This is a commercial for my movie make no mistake. I don’t want to talk about the implications of violence. The reason I don’t want to talk about it is I’ve said everything I have to say about it. If anyone cares what I have to say about it they can Google me. And they can look up twent years of what I have to say about it. I haven’t changed my opinion about one iota. I’m shutting your butt down!“
Justin Timberlake Announces Return to Music: “I’m Ready” @jtimberlake
The newly married superstar has revealed a short video of him walking through the studio as he discusses his long-awaited comeback. “As close as I get to it, I don’t know that I could physically torture myself that much, year in and year out, and expect it to fulfill me the way that it does and the way that it is right now,” he says.
He is taking his time to make sure he’s happy with the material. “I don’t want to put anything out that I feel like is something I don’t love. You just don’t get that every day. You have to wait for it.”
At the end, he enters the recording booth, puts on his headphones, and steps to the mic. “I’m ready,” he says.
HOW TO BUILD A CALI-CANNON!!
There are times when simply packing a bowl or rolling your average doob doesn’t pay proper tribute to the incredible variety in today’s rapidly growing specialty green market. New strains are being made available at a dizzying rate by technically advanced weed wizards as well as by killer little ol’ mom-and-pop setups across the land. These complex Nebulas, potent Herers and ever-popular Kush strains, deserve the connoisseur’s touch when it comes to the ultimate in THC enjoyment.
Donnell Rawlings (Ashy Larry) Talks About Katt Williams, Jim Jones Wanting To Beat Him Up. @donnellrawlings
Comedian Donnell Rawlings became famous for his role as Ashy Larry on the Chappelle’s Show and his appearance on MTV2′s Guy Code. He popped up on The Breakfast Club this morning to talk about what he’s been up to.
Topics included his gay brother’s crush on Charlamagne Tha God, the lack of unity in the black community, his upcoming shows as Carolines On Broadway, his favorite DJ, Jim Jones wanting to beat him up, season 3 of Guy Code, Katt Williams and more.
Beyonce Demands a Plan to End Gun Violence!!! @Beyonce
At the heels of a jaw-dropping press conference in which NRA vice president Wayne LaPierre called for ending gun violence by using more guns, Demand a Plan has released a PSA studded with Hollywood’s elite, demanding a (hopefully better) plan to end gun violence:
Instagram user backlash leads to backpedaling, while Facebook goes after user money.
It didn’t take Facebook long to backtrack over controversial policy changes it intended to make regarding its photo-sharing app Instagram.
A public backlash was ignited by Instagram stating that had it the perpetual right to sell users’ photographs without payment or notification. Under the new policy, Facebook claimed the right to license all public Instagram photos to companies or any other organization, including for advertising purposes, which would effectively transform the Web site into the world’s largest stock photo agency.
“Instagram is now the new iStockPhoto, except they won’t have to pay you anything to use your images,” one user quipped on Twitter.
Instagram soon apologized to its users, saying it would “remove” language from its legal terms that would have let it sell users’ photos or use them in advertisements. In a blog post, Chief Executive Kevin Systrom said it’s “our mistake that this language is confusing” and that the company is “working on updated language.”
A day later, Instagram officially backpedaled on the changes, with Systrom announcing that the terms will revert to the version in place since the service launched in 2010. Systrom also denied that the company ever intended to sell users’ images.
“I want to be really clear: Instagram has no intention of selling your photos, and we never did. We don’t own your photos — you do,” he said.
Hugh Jackman is officially in for X-Men: Days of Future Past, with more mutants still to come
This was always a bit of a given, but Hugh Jackman has formally and officially joined X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. The actor has shown up for every movie to date in the capacity of either a cameo or a starring role, and while there’s no mention as of yet just how extensive his role will be it can’t be denied that he’s definitely in.
This information was revealed in a tweet from director Bryan Singer, who followed the news up with the same caveat of “more to come” that we saw with the casting of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. What surely makes Logan a bit unique amongst all of the casting going on, though, is how we’ll most likely see Jackman play both the younger and older versions of himself. Past movies have never shied away from throwing some makeup on the Aussie actor to give him that youthful glow, and I imagine that X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST will be no different.
We’ll of course be sure to update you on the full meaning of “more to come” as Singer reveals the information in advance of X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST‘s release date of July 18th, 2014.
Daft Punk to Headline Coachella 2013?
We’ve learned to take any news regarding the French bionic producers with a pinch of salt. Having previously been rumored to play hoax concerts, involved scandals regarding a fake track leak to their 2010 album Tron Legacy, followed by the supposed “new single” due this summer which never dropped, one must be all the more cautious when a topic such as “Daft Punk to headline at Coachella 2013” is put forward.
Mixmag reports that subscribers to Songkick were sent an email update listing Daft Punk –alongside The Rolling Stones, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Phoneix- as performers at Coachella 2013. Although, Songkick has since removed this news apologizing in saying this as “unconfirmed information that was added in error,” Mixmag also reports that a Rolling Stones app gave out similar information earlier this week which could suggest this dispatch to be more than just a minor typing error. Daft Punk last performed at Coachella in 2006, stay posted to see if these rumor unveil.
Slim Thug on How To Survive in a Recession @slimthugga
Slim Thug meets up with Shaheem Reid in Houston to show off his chrome Camaro and talk about his new book, How To Survive in a Recession.
Check Out The Wheeeeeels!!!
The Dream & Casha – Used To Be | (Video) @cashamonet @MrTeriusNash
The-Dream, returns today with a dope new video for his track “Used To Be”. The track is a dope, infectious slow jam that finds The-Dream getting down to business as he spits the truth about the changes that we all go under. Mr. Nash hits the track and speaks about all the things his lady “Used To Be” and how she has changed.
PSY To Make At Least $8.1 million Off ‘Gangnam Style’
The number based on an analysis by The Associated Press of publicly available information and industry estimates PSY became a millionaire based on YouTube ads and iTunes downloads only.
Fun fact: in South Korea, he’ll earn less than $60,000.
As “Gangnam Style” gallops toward 1 billion views on YouTube, the first Asian pop artist to capture a massive global audience has gotten richer click by click. So too has his agent and his grandmother. But the money from music sales isn’t flowing in from the rapper’s homeland South Korea or elsewhere in Asia.
With one song, 34-year-old Park Jae-sang — better known as PSY — is set to become a millionaire from YouTube ads and iTunes downloads, underlining a shift in how money is being made in the music business. An even bigger dollop of cash will come from TV commercials.
From just those sources, PSY and his camp will rake in at least $8.1 million this year, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of publicly available information and industry estimates. But for online music sales in South Korea, he’ll earn less than $60,000.
Understand how it works more in details over at the AP.
Gets The Surprise Of A Lifetime: Stevie Wonder Joins To Sing Duet With Ahsan @AhsanMusic
It was a normal studio session for Ahsan, as he rehearsed and sang the classic Stevie Wonder tune “Ribbon In The Sky.” Until STEVIE ACTUALLY SHOWED UP. His facial expression and reaction says it all. The 14-year old thought he was in a dream and even asked to get pinched to make sure what was going on was real. Especially after Stevie asked to sing with him. Ahsan couldn’t believe what was happening.
Watch how it all went down in the clip above. It was a real special moment.
