Archives 
News Headlines Archives for August 2007
Chris Brown f. T-Pain, "Kiss Kiss" (video)
Which is more believable: Chris Brown as aggy star quarterback, or Chris Brown as parrot-suit rocking nerd mascot?... (read more)
Kanye West f. T-Pain, "Good Life" (music)
The second single from Kanye West's forthcoming Graduation: produced by DJ Toomp, flossing a shockingly cleared "PYT" sample, hook sung by Tallahassee Pain: there's almost no way this song couldn't be a hit.... (read more)
Dedication: Interview with New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin
Two years ago, Hurricane Katrina eviscerated New Orleans and brought the nation to a standstill. Now, with only half its population back, crime at devastating levels, and rebuilding funds tied up in red tape, the city is still struggling to imagine itself as something other than a victim. Ask the Mayor of New Orleans, C. RAY NAGIN, about what it's like to drown. Even after the hurricane is long gone. ... (read more)
El DeBarge Arrested
El DeBarge, leader of beloved Motown family act DeBarge, was arrested in California on Sunday night on felony narcotics charges, according to an official from the Lancaster, CA police department. ... (read more)
Kanye's Graduation: No Longer a Student, Not Yet a Teacher
At your typical album listening party, you can expect a few things. A tiny clan of reporters huddled around a tray of chicken wings, fruit, beer, nodding their heads in mock approval. If they're lucky, the artist hangs around and guides them through the proceedings. The artist usually says something like, "I wrote this because I felt like hip hop needed it," while reporters plaster on their best smirk.
But then, that's the ordinary artist. Kanye West isn't ordinary.
At the listening party last for his September 11 release, Graduation, Kanye stood in camouflage, khaki and black on a dark stage, in a dim theater and joked, reenacted, and spilled his guts. He talked about everything from trying to get laid when he first moved to New York, to why he's been coined a "whiny ass lil bitch" in the brutal blogosphere.
... (read more)
The Rise and Fall of the DeBarge Family (Episode 1)
The DeBarge family - El, Marty, Randy, Bunny and James, not to mention Thomas, Bobby, and baby brother Chico - were supposed to be Motown's follow-up to the Jacksons. But after a trail of dazzling '80s hits, behind-the-scenes drama threatened to bring the family down. From dating Latoya and Janet Jackson to allegations of sexual abuse and drug addiction - the DeBarge family has dealt with everything from prison time to AIDS. But even now, their music is still sampled by the likes of Diddy and Polow Da Don, and some of the DeBarges are trying resurrect their careers. Is it too late, though, to pick up the pieces? A story in four parts, from our October 2007 issue. Episode 1.... (read more)
Juan Luis Guerra Leads Latin Grammy Nominees
Ivy Queen, Elvis Crespo, and Kinky were among the crowds of stars present at South Beach hotspot Mansion Tuesday (August 28) for the press conference announcing the nominees for the 8th Annual Latin Grammys. The DR's Juan Luis Guerra led the nominations with five, but was closely followed by reggaeton favs Calle 13 and pop star Ricky Martin - all three performers are up for "Album of the Year."... (read more)
Mistah F.A.B.: On the Yellow Bus... Bearing 200 Backpacks
Mistah F.A.B. is known for "going dumb on da yellow bus," but the Bay Area rapper is helping local kids go smart. That's why he's teamed up with Oakland Youth UpRising, a community organization, to donate 200 backpacks to Alameda County kids, fully stocked with school supplies like pens, paper, binders and folders.... (read more)
My Album's Out: Tego Calderon
Tego Calderon is a changed man. And after nurturing a newborn baby - named Esteban, after his father, who died in 2004 - coming off a trip to see the blood-diamond mines of Sierra Leone, and exploring a new role as actor (in Illegal Tender, in which he's transfixingly cool as a gangster with a soft spot) - who wouldn't be? VIBE spoke with El Abayarde about new album, El Abayarde Contra-ataca - one that's uniquely Tego, an accomplished record spanning hip hop and salsa, rock and reggaeton.... (read more)
BET Cartoon: It's No Reading Rainbow
The phrase "read a book" can either be an optimistic public service announcement or a sharp diss to one's intelligence. Some critics say BET accomplishes the latter in their "satirical" cartoon segment,"Read a Book."... (read more)
NFL Update: Michael Vick, Jerome Bettis
Even in the off season, professional sports stays high stakes. Today Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick - expected to plead guilty in dogfighting charges on Monday - was further targeted by prosecuting attorney Gerald Poindexter, who said he would seek Virginia state charges in addition to the county-level ones Vick currently faces. Poindexter told the Washington Post he would make a move at the next local grand jury hearing on September 25, declaring, "My intention is to vindicate the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the people of Surry County based on what we believe happened in Surry County."
... (read more)Kidz In The Hall Readies Mick Boogie Mixtape
Though they came into the game fresh-faced and were quickly coined
new-geno backpacker revivalists, Kidz in the Hall - producer Double O
and rapper Naledge - still haven't maintained recognition outside the
underground sect. But the group has teamed up with mixtape guru Mick
Boogie in hopes of changing that, having recently put the finishing
touches on a five-song mixtape called Detention.
... (read more)
Block's Boss Commandments
Bad Boy South's Head Honcho on the State of Hip Hop... (read more)
50 & Kanye Perform Together in NYC
Despite their ongoing album-release-day competition, 50 Cent and Kanye West performed together on the NY leg of last night's Screamfest Tour, as guests of headliner T.I. Upon taking the stage, they even gave each other man-dap - adding more credibility to the theory that their competition is an elaborate scheme to drum up excitement and album sales (masterminded, of course, by Jay-Z). Nefarious! Both rappers release their new albums on Tuesday, September 11, and are in a war of words - and endorsements - in their race to top the Billboard charts.... (read more)
Starz Airs 50 Cent's Favorite Films
The studio, the cinema, the boardroom, the arena, the vitaminwater um, fountain... is there any venue 50 Cent hasn't yet conquered? The list gets even shorter this September 7, when he adds "cable TV host" to his resume, as the host of "50's Picks" on Starz Edge, and "50 on 50" on Starz InBlack.... (read more)
A Pregnant Foxy Heads to Prison
This past year, all eyes have been on rapper Foxy Brown- and this time, it's going to be from behind bars. Brown has been ordered by a judge to spend two weeks in jail for violating parole.... (read more)
Phat Farm Out . . . Argyle In
After much success with the now-dated line Phat Farm, Russell Simmons, a.k.a. Rush, has launched a new men's line called Argyle Culture. ... (read more)
R. Kelly Trial: Prosecutors Say Veins are Evidence
A judge ruled Tuesday (August 21) that the videotape in the R. Kelly child pornography trial can be shown in full when the proceedings begin this September. Cook County Circuit Judge Vince Gaughan said the tape was key evidence in the prosecutors' case, rebutting the argument by Kelly's lawyers that the tape would unfairly bias the jury against him. Additionally, the prosecution wants to bring in an expert to compare vein patterns in R. Kelly's hands with the hands of the man in the tape, to prove he is indeed Kelly.... (read more)
Common's Drivin Lily Allen Wild
The next video from Common's Finding Forever features an Entourage-style club scene and Lily Allen posing as Neil Armstrong, at least if the photos from the video shoot are any indication. But the upbeat track, featuring Allen's airy vocals on the hook, isn't all just beauty and joy - it's got a moral and a message, as Common explains here:... (read more)
Foxy Brown: Deuces to Def Jam
After all the confusion, headaches and heartbreak, any lingering questions concerning Foxy Brown's relationship with Def Jam have been answered. ... (read more)
Max Roach, 1924-2007
Max Roach, the drummer who helped create bebop and backed the likes of Gillespie, Mingus and Miles, died "peacefully in his sleep this morning," according to a statement from his publicist. No further details were available, though it has been reported that Roach had been ill for a number of years. He was 83 years old. ... (read more)
Trapped in the Closet: Chapter 51 1/2?
Last night in Manhattan, an intimate audience of about 250 people convened at the IFC Center to screen Chapters 13-22 of R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" song cycle / soap opera. And "Trapped," it's true, has waded even further into the deep end of the swimming pool. But according to Kells himself, we haven't even scratched the surface of his epic. Dressed in a black military jacket and ubiquitous sunglasses at night, the Pied Piper of R&B informed the crowd that, as of this moment, there are about 30 more chapters to go.... (read more)
R. Kelly: Trapped, Chapter 15
Chapter 15 of R. Kelly's super-drama "Trapped in the Closet" debuted today, and the inevitable ensued: In this installment, Twan storms into the diner and confronts Tina and Roxane, the snitching chicks who landed him in lockdown - but if there's one thing we can count on in this sordid tale, nothing is ever what it seems. THE PLOT CONTINUES TO TWIST!... (read more)
Ozone Awards: Hip Hop Lives in the South
Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, T-Pain, Polow da Don, and DJ Drama all took home awards last night's at the second annual Ozone Awards. ... (read more)
R. Kelly: Trapped, Chapter 14
At the start of this installment, smoke is everywhere - from cigarettes, from cars, from fog - and that, of course, means somehow, somewhere, a backdraft's about to blow back. ... (read more)
R. Kelly: Trapped, Chapter 13
ver the past year, R. Kelly's strongest quality has been his artistic resilience in the face of adversity: a full album and too many guest-appearances to count prove that even when the cops come knockin, Kells stays mic-rockin. Now, as his child pornography trial finally heads to court September 17 - with the child in question actually testifying for him - Kells premieres Trapped in the Closet Chapters 13-22 on IFC.com, with a personal appearance and debut in NYC scheduled for this Wednesday.... (read more)
Lil Wayne: Dissed from All Directions
"Young Money" is said to be readying response tracks to 50 Cent, Willie the Kid... (read more)
The Misrepresentation of Lauryn Hill
Lau ryn! Lau ryn! Lau ryn! The uproar at Brooklyn, New York's Wingate Field on August 7th was bananas - not quite the frenzied fandom that Michael Jackson used to inspire in Japan, but dangerously close to it. Senator Charles Schumer took the throng's not-so-subtle hint and quickly made his escape offstage after introducing Lauryn Hill. ... (read more)
Common Tops Billboard Charts
Finding Forever, the new album by Obama-endorsed rapper Common, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts this week. The album, Com's seventh, sold 155,329 copies, beating out rock group Korn and the soundtrack for wild-popular kids show Hannah Montana. It's his first #1 hit. Read our review here.)... (read more)
Danyel Smith in Philadelphia Daily News
VIBE Editor-in-Chief Danyel Smith has discussed Beyonce's career in today's edition of Philadelphia Daily News.... (read more)
Jennifer Lopez y Marc Anthony En Concierto
n case their matrimonial star-turns as Hector Lavoe and his girl Puchi in the salsa-legend biopic "El Cantante" wasn't enough, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez will go on spousal tour together this fall. Kicking off the 14-city jaunt September 29 in Atlantic City, the duo will donate $1 from every ticket sold to the ING Run for Something Better, a program to reduce childhood obesity in Latino kids. ... (read more)
Pimp C Apologizes to Atlanta
Pimp C, one half of Houston legends UGK, has issued an official apology for his recent comments to Ozone magazine that Atlanta is not part of the South, due to its situation in the Eastern Time Zone. The apology, in its entirety:... (read more)
R. Kelly: Tried, Trapped
Five years after he was first charged with 14 counts of child pornography, R. Kelly is on his way to court: Jury selection in the case will officially begin September 17, according to Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan. Kells has plead not guilty to all charges, which include the accusation that he filmed himself having sex with an underage girl in 2002. ... (read more)
From the Blogs
-
Critical Noir
In a cultural and commercial world largely defined by the myopic pretensions of a largely invisible white male elite (the more visible they are, the (read more) -
The Nappy Diatribe
Despite the fact that I'm spending this holiday season alone, perusing Craigslist with the sole purpose of finding some low self esteem having young l (read more) -
Critical Noir
Marvin Sapp--"Never Would Have Made It" (from Thirsty)--with 24-hour Gospel stations populating the FM airwaves, Yolanda Adams hosting a very popula (read more) -
Roses y Handcuffs
Onstage, Sunday night, at the Gibson Amphitheater, the coquettish Miss. Keri Hilson opened the "I Am Music" Tour by introducing herself w (read more)
Celeb of the Day
Tyrese
Check out Tyrese in Death Race. Own it 12/21 on DVD & Blu-ray™ Hi-Def.
Government Name: Tyrese Darnell Gibson
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
More Celebrities
|
|
|
|
