Snoop Dogg's Son Cordell Broadus Slams Fired USC Coach Lane Kiffin

  By Joyce Chen

                         

 

Snoop Dogg's son Cordell Broadus (far left) recently said that USC's head coach Lane Kiffin "should have been fired a while ago." Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

What does Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dogg) have in common with Lane Kiffin (formerly USC's head football coach)? One very important potential USC recruit: Snoop's son Cordell Broadus, who's making headlines in the sports world before he's even graduated high school.
The 16-year-old high school junior, a rising football star who has been ranked as the sixth best wide receiver in California in the class of 2015, didn't mince words following Kiffin's abrupt dismissal on Sunday, Sept. 29, telling 247Sports.com that he felt the change was long overdue.
PHOTOS: Famous celeb dads on duty
"I feel that he should have been fired a while ago and USC is going to raise the bar now because the new coaching staff next year and I'm anxious to see what they are going to look like," he told the site.
Broadus, who stands tall at 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 185 pounds, has also received offers from LSU, Nebraska, and USC rivals Berkeley and UCLA. Kiffin's firing could steer him toward his rapper father's preferred college team, however.
PHOTOS: See Snoop Dogg's tattoo of Nate Dogg
Snoop has been a longtime Trojans fan, having attended numerous games and even practices in the past.
On Sunday, Kiffin, who has been USC's head coach for the past four years, was unceremoniously fired upon the team's return to Los Angeles after yet another loss, this time 62-41 to Arizona State.
PHOTOS: Hollywood kids all grown up!
According to the university, Kiffin was pulled off the team bus at the airport terminal on Sunday, and the driver was instructed to return to campus without him.

Common Wants Hip Hop Artists To Help Stop Chicago Violence

by Yohance Kyles

Chief Keef has become one of the public faces to the Chicago violence in the mainstream press because of the references to gun violence in his music and his several run-ins with the law. Common makes the points that rap music is not the root cause of the violence, but the music does impact the minds of young people.

[ALSO READ: Chief Keef Arrested Again]

“To decide to take someone’s life, I don’t think they let a rap song determine that,” said Common, but then adds that the youth are “influenced by that energy and take it the wrong way.”
The “Ghetto Dreams” rhymer offers that more educational programs would play an important part in turning around the current state of violence perpetrated by some young people. He believes that Hip Hop artists should play a greater role in making these changes happen.
Common has already began taking a personal stance to help underprivileged youth with his Common Ground Foundation. The CGF provides programs such as the Dreamers & Believers Summer Youth Camp and a mentoring program for public school students in Chicago. A benefit concert for the non-profit organization was held last night (9/20) at Chicago’s House of Blues.

[ALSO READ: Yancey Boys Release J Dilla Produced Single “Quicksand” Feat. Common & Dezi Paige]

On the Common Ground Foundation Common wrote:

I started the Common Ground Foundation because I wanted to help. Most of all help people to help themselves. I always believed that if we started with the youth then we would be planting the seeds for our future to blossom. Give the children a sense of hope, self-esteem, and love that will better the world…I think making a difference in the lives of others is life’s greatest purpose. I walk this path with faith knowing that the Common Ground Foundation will Change the World.

Rick Ross Opens New Wingstop Location

by Grouchy Greg Watkins

• Rapper Rick Ross continues his expansion into the restaurant business, with the opening of a new Wingstop location.

Rick Ross has taken ownership of the Deerfield Beach, Florida Wingstop and the rapper now operates four locations.
In addition to the Deerfield, Beach location, Rick Ross also owns two Wingstop locations in Memphis, Tennessee and another in his hometown of Miami, Florida.
“We’re excited about the new team and welcoming fans back to this great location,” said Maybach Music Group CEO Rick Ross.
Today (September 21) the Wingstop location will be giving away free made-to-order wings from 1 to 6 PM.
“Offering free wings for guests is a great way to reintroduce Wingstop to the community and thank fans for making us part of the neighborhood,” Rick Ross said.
Rick Ross is currently preparing the release of his upcoming album Mastermind. He is embarking on an 8-city tour in support of the album this November.

Hot 97′s Ebro Darden Discusses Mister Cee’s Sexual Revelation

by Yohance Kyles 

• Last week Hot 97 DJ Mister Cee finally admitted on the air that he had engaged in sexual acts with transsexuals, and members of the Hip Hop community began to discuss how this admission would impact not only Cee’s career but also homophobia in Hip Hop.

[ALSO READ: Mr. Cee Admits To Soliciting Transgender Men, Decides Not To Resign From Hot 97 (AUDIO)]

Hot 97′s program director Ebro Darden recently spoke with Rap Radar’s Elliot Wilson about the situation. Darden says he was first mainly more concerned with Mr. Cee than how the news of his sexual preference affected the culture.
He also speaks on what he calls the “big issue”; the fact that Cee was breaking the law by soliciting sex from transgender prostitutes and deciding if he should be kept on at the station.
“I can’t fire somebody for enjoying something that we as a society may think is different or weird,” said Ebro. “But if conduct is detrimental to the brand, and they’re out committing crimes then now this is a conversation we have to have.”
Ultimately, the decision was made to allow Cee to stay at Hot 97 after he began therapy. Ebro feels Mister Cee’s private life should not, and will not, affect his professional life.
Ebro also had a few words for those individuals that have an issue with Mr. Cee’s lifestyle. “Some people’s premise for giving a f**k what goes on in someone else’s bedroom they claim it to be some sort of mark on society. Shut the f**k up man. Who are you?”
Watch the full interview in the video below.

G. Dep Feels "Absolved" After Confessing To Murder

by Roman Cooper

                         

G. Dep goes in depth about his feelings regarding the 2010 confession that landed him in prison.

In 2010, former Bad Boy artist G. Dep walked into a police precinct and confessed to a 1993 murder.
In 2012, the rapper, real name Trevell Coleman, was sentenced to 15 years for the murder. 

Now, in an interview with ABC News, Dep says he doesn't regret the decision.
"I would do it again," he said of the confession. "There was no other way around it except me dying."
"It was the only way I could've been absolved," he continued. "Personal sacrifice."
The truth ate away at Dep.
"It seem like it just wasn't fair for me to be happy," Dep said. "I used to curb my happiness, like, 'Now wait a minute, I'm smiling too much. I'm laughing too much.'"
In 2010, Diddy, who signed Dep to his Bad Boy imprint in 1998, spoke about Dep's case on Sirius XM Radio's "Shade 45," as per ABC News' report.
"G. Dep is one of the nicest artists I ever worked with," Diddy said. "You could always feel like ... something was troubling his soul, because he was real quiet. But he's the type of guy who wouldn't hurt a fly. ... He did the right thing and manned up to it. But my prayers go out to him. He had a real bad drug problem and that could have caused that situation."
Watch the interview below:

Pusha T "My Name Is My Name" Release Date, Cover Art, Tracklisting, Snippets

by Roman Cooper

                             

                               

UPDATE: The tracklisting for Pusha T's "My Name Is My Name" is followed by snippets.

Earlier this week, Pusha T revealed that his solo debut on G.O.O.D. Music would be titled My Name is My Name.
In a recent interview with HipHopSince1987, Pusha explained his title choice. "Basically, I was trying to pick a title that embodied who I am as an artist...and I wanted people to understand that Pusha is everything that I really, really am."
Pusha elaborated on the source of inspiration for his album title. "Actually, it's a line in 'Pain' where I actually say 'My name is my name.' And of course, that line comes from Marlo Stanfield in the series 'The Wire.' It's one of the more prominent catch phrases he said during the end of that series."
"He was just basically saying, 'I am who I am. This is what I got. I stand on my name. I live this,'" he explained. "And if you know anything about his character, he's young, brash, amongst a lot of heavyweights. But he didn't care about any of the past or history. He was like, 'Man, I'm out here to get my money at all costs. No rules, no regulations. I'm here to compete.' I just felt like that really embodied my presence in the Rap game."
(December 1, 2012)

UPDATE: Nearly six months after Pusha T began the publicity campaign for his solo studio debut, My Name Is My Name, the Virginia Beach, Virginia emcee and Clipse co-founder unveiled a release date. Following his appearance on "106 & Park," where the G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam Records artist announced to release date of July 16, he also tweeted the news to fans.
(April 29)

UPDATED #2: DDotOmen.com reports that today on MTV RapFix, Pusha T confirmed his solo debut, My Name Is My Name will now release on October 8.

UPDATE #3: Pusha T has revealed the cover art for My Name Is My Name. The cover art was announced on Kanye West's Twitter account and the updates can be found below.
(August 30)

UPDATE #4: The tracklisting for Pusha T's My Name Is My Name has been revealed, according to walmart.com. It is as follows:
1. "King Push"
2. "Numbers On The Board"
3. "Sweet Serenade" f. Chris Brown
4. "Hold On" f. Rick Ross
5. "Suicide" f. Ab-Liva
6. "40 Acres" f. The-Dream
7. "No Regrets" f. Jeezy And Kevin Cossom
8. "Let Me Love You" f. Kelly Rowland
9. "Who I Am" f. 2 Chainz & Big Sean
10. "Nosetalgia" f. Kendrick Lamar
11. "Pain" f. Future
12. "S.N.I.T.C.H." f. Pharrell
(September 14)
UPDATE #5: My Name is My Name snippets have been released, as per 2DopeBoyz.com.

Pharrell Williams Files Lawsuit Against will.i.am, will.i.am Counter Sues

by Roman Cooper

                           

UPDATE: will.i.am countersues Pharrell over the right to use "I AM."

Pharrell Williams has no interest in waiting around until will.i.am files a proper lawsuit, it seems.
Just days after will.i.am filed a notice of opposition over Pharrell's i am OTHER creative venture, Pharrell has filed a lawsuit of his own.
TMZ reports that will.i.am sent Skateboard P a cease and desist letter informing P that he owns everything with a right to "I Am." In response, Pharrell appears to be suing will.i.am to prevent him from suing the Neptunes member.
In the suit, Pharrell argues that his use of "I Am" differs completely from will.i.am's use, in that the Black Eyed Peas frontman's use is akin to Dr. Suess' use in the beloved children's book "Green Eggs and Ham," which features a character named Sam I Am.
"In contrast, the I Am Other mark means 'I am something else,' leaving what that 'else' is to the imagination of the consumer," reads the suit. "It certainly does not mean 'I am Will.'"
Pharrell is asking that the New York federal court judge to whom the suit was filed give Pharrell written permission to keep using the "I Am Other" trademark.
"I am disappointed that Will, a fellow artist, would file a case against me," said Pharrell in a statement after will.i.am's notice last week. "I am someone who likes to talk things out and, in fact, I attempted to do just that on many occasions. I am surprised in how this is being handled and I am confident that Will's trademark claims will ultimately be found to be as meritless and ridiculous as I do."
(July 1)
UPDATE:
will.i.am has countersued Pharrell over the use of I AM in I AM OTHER, reports TMZ. will.i.am believes that the use of I AM in I AM OTHER may confuse listeners because of their similarity in styles and the fact that they are both on Interscope Records, according to TMZ. 
To support his lawsuit, will.i.am has stated that Pharrell has copied several others, according to documents obtained by TMZ. An example of this cited by will.i.am includes Pharrell's work as a co-founder of Star Trak Entertainment, which is likely a reference to Star Trek. Another example is Pharrell's attempt to register a trademark for Pink Slime, which will claims is similar to Mattel's Slime.
will.i.am also notes that Pharrell is being sued by Marvin Gaye's family over his recent work with "Blurred Lines."
will.i.am is seeking an unspecified amount of money, according to TMZ.

Jay-Z & Beyonce Top Forbes' Highest-Earning Celebrity Couples List

by Andres Tardio

                              

Jay Z and Beyonce top Forbes' Highest-Earning Celebrity Couples list, beating out Tom Brady & Gisele Bundchen and Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt.

Jay Z and Beyonce combined to make more money than any other couple in the entertainment industry with an estimated $95 million in earnings over the the course of a year, according to Forbes.com. The report measured the earnings of celebrity couples from June 2012 through June 2013.
Jay Z and Beyonce both earned money for their music. Jay Z earned a reported $1.4 million a night with his Watch the Throne Tour run alongside Kanye West. Beyonce earned a reported average of $2 million per night for her Mrs. Carter World Tour.
Jay Z and Beyonce also earned money with endeavors outside of music. Jay Z earned money as part owner of the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and as a minority owner with the Brooklyn Nets. He's since had to sell his share in both the Center and the Nets due to his involvement with Roc Nation Sports, representing athletes including Kevin Durant and Robinson Cano. Beyonce earned money for her fragrance collection and House of Deron clothing line.
Beyonce and Jay Z topped Forbes' list, which includes Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen as well as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
This isn't the first time Jay Z and Beyonce topped the list. A year ago, they also had the same distinction, as HipHopDX reported.
Jay Z has mentioned Forbes in various songs. For example, on "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is...)," Jay Z said, "Take what the Forbes figured, then figure more / 'Cause they forgot to account what I did with the raw." On Lupe Fiasco's "Pressure," Jay Z also mentioned the magazine. "The pen is mightier than the sword / my Lord / My first picture was a line-up / Now I'm on Forbes."

Kanye West Says "I'm The #1 Rock Star On The Planet"

by Danielle Harling

                             

Kanye West dotes on his ability to make a "perfect" product, addresses criticism from fans.

Noted Chicago lyricist Kanye West may have offered up a few, rare details on his personal life during a nearly hour-long interview with the “Kris Jenner Show” a few weeks back, but with the release of an upcoming interview with BBC Radio 1 personality Zane Lowe, Kanye will now speak in-depth on his music.
A preview of the interview with Lowe, which was posted on YouTube earlier today, lasts less than a minute, but in it ‘Ye touches on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, being the “number one rock star,” and criticism from others.
“You know Dark Fantasy could be considered to be perfect,” Kanye said. “I know how to make perfect, but that’s not what I’m here to do… We the real rock stars and I’m the biggest of all of ‘em. I’m the number one rock star on the planet.”
Additionally, Kanye seemed well aware of the criticism, which seems to always find its way to the G.O.O.D. Music artist.
“People [aren’t] gonna look at this interview and say ‘Hey, I understand what he’s talking about.’ People are gonna look at this interview and say, ‘I don’t like Kanye. Look, he looks mad. I don’t like his teeth,” said the Yeezus rapper.
Although a Kanye interview is still a rarity, the rapper has taken part in the occasional interview this year especially given the release of his sixth studio album, Yeezus. This year, Kanye most notably chopped it up with W Magazine and the New York Times’ Jon Caramanica. In his interview with the Times, he discussed his work with Rick Rubin and gave props to Hip Hop duo dead prez.

DMX Says He Has $50 To His Name

by Soren Baker

                           

In court filings for his bankruptcy case, DMX says that he has no money in the bank.

DMX says that he has $50 to his name and no money in the bank, as per court filings in his bankruptcy case, according to a story on The Wall Street Journal's website. The rapper also says he has expenses that exceed his monthly income, the story says.
The court documents show DMX’s estimated monthly income is $5,000 and that he has monthly expenses of $5,221, which include $1,000 on clothing and $500 on laundry and dry cleaning, as per wsj.com.
DMX says that the $1.4 million of assets in his name are tied to ongoing litigation, among other things, the story says.
The man born Earl Simmons also says under penalty of perjury that he has no personal property of any value, including no electronic equipment, no jewelry, no clothes and no cars, as per wsj.com.
The former Def Jam Recordings artist has several debts, as per the wsj.com. Among them are more than $1 million in unpaid domestic-support obligations that lead, in part, to his July filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, the story says. DMX also owes unsecured creditors more than $475,000 and has a mortgage of more than $450,000 on a property in Mount Kisco, New York, according to wsj.com.
DMX’s bankruptcy case is scheduled for an October 8 case conference at the White Plains, New York, bankruptcy court, according to the wsj.com.
In July, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Yonkers, New York artist filed documents in Manhattan court stating that he has $50,000 in assets, while owing between $1 and $10 million in debts. DMX told authorities at the time that he filed for Chapter 11 “to enable me to reorganize my financial affairs.”
DMX's debts include more than $1 million in child support and more than $20,000 in automobile lease payments.
"DMX's financial strains have been inhibiting his career for several years," the rapper's publicist, Domenick Nati, told HipHopDX in July. "Poor financial management by prior representation have caused him to be ineligible to retain a passport. The purpose of this bankruptcy filing is for reorganization so he can perform for his fans oversees. We are currently planning a tour in Europe and Africa for the fall of 2013."

Questlove Discusses “Stop & Frisk”, Hip Hop’s Forefathers, & Biggie Being Upset At The Roots

by Yohance Kyles

• Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of the Roots sat down for an hour-long discussion with Democracy Now‘s host and executive producer Amy Goodman. The conversation covered many different topics like Quest’s experiences with racial profiling, his open letter about the George Zimmerman verdict, his upbringing in Philadelphia, Hip Hip’s founding fathers, and The Notorious B.I.G.’s issues with his band’s 1996 video for “What They Do.”

[ALSO READ: Questlove’s Open Letter About Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman Trial, & Discrimination]

“I wanted to do a video that pretty much showed that being an MC and being an artist isn’t about being a personality, but more or less, you know, a human being,” said Quest. “What I didn’t know was that we had taken a swipe at an actual Biggie video. I wasn’t aware that we had done something scene for scene… I can see how you think we’re mocking him, because this is exactly his video scene. So he wasn’t too happy about that.”
Questlove also reveals that he called into The Source on March 10th, 1997 to inform the magazine that he was faxing them a statement about the issue. He wanted to explain that the concept of the video was not meant to be a personal shot at Biggie, but their interpretation of the growing “Have’s versus Have Not’s” mentality happening in Hip Hop at the time.
Unfortunately, Quest was told that B.I.G. had died the night before. As a result, he was not able to settle the matter with Biggie before his death.
Watch the entire interview in the video below.

Police: Guns And Drugs Found On 2Chainz Tour Bus

by Houston Williams

 

Things just got realer for rapper 2Chainz, as police alleged that they found firearms and drugs on a tour bus that was impounded two weeks ago in Oklahoma City. 

 

Official documents charge that the vehicle turned up two semi-automatic pistols, a 12-gauge pump shotgun, marijuana and prescription painkillers. A report from TMZ said that the rapper’s bus was pulled over because of a broken tail light but quickly authorities alleged they smelled marijuana.
As previously reported, 2Chainz refused to let the police on board and was subsequently arrested, along with others. The rapper tweeted about it as well, “This sh*t will make u go crazy, our bus gets pulled 1 a week and they always say I smell weed I need to search ur bus. Sh* gets tiring.”

Two weeks later, the police also say they found marijuana paraphernalia like grinders, pipes, rolling papers as well as Hydrocodone and Flexeril, a semi-auto Sig Sauer SP2340 pistol, a Mossberg model 500 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, and a semi-auto Glock pistol.
In an interview with Peter Bailey on NBC’s “NiteCap,” the rapper pleaded his case without incriminating himself.

“It takes up a lot of time and money from taxpayers who are the actually entertainers. At the end of the day we’re supposed to be kind of on the same team. I’m not a bad guy. I’m only in town to entertain people. Once they know I’m not trying to excite riots. I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I’m only trying to feed my family and entertain.”
2Chainz has not commented on the latest allegations.

Lupe Fiasco Responds To Lawsuit Claiming He Allegedly Hid Money For Drug Kingpin

by Danielle Harling

                              

UPDATE: Lupe Fiasco, who was named in a lawsuit filed by the spouse of Charles "Chilly" Patton after allegedly hiding $9 million from the drug kingpin's soon-to-be-ex-wife, responds to the reports.

Chicago lyricist Lupe Fiasco has found himself at the end of a possibly damning lawsuit this week thanks to a suit filed by Inita Patton, the soon-to-be-ex-wife of Charles "Chilly" Patton. According to TMZ, Inita is suing Lupe based on her belief that the rapper helped the currently incarcerated Patton hide $9 million dollars in various bank accounts in the hopes of keeping his wife away from those particular funds during their divorce.

It is unclear how much Patton’s wife is seeking in her lawsuit, but she is hoping to reclaim the money she believes is rightfully hers.
A representative for Lupe did reach out to TMZ and had this to say in regards to the lawsuit, "There are no secret accounts and no illicit instructions."
Patton was sentenced to 44 years in prison in June 2007 after being caught with six kilos of heroin. The former drug kingpin, who is said to have been one of Lupe’s business partners, partnered with the rapper years ago to start their 1st and 15th record label.

The Food & Liquor 2 crafter even pays tribute to Patton on the Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool track “Free Chilly,” a record which features both Gemini and Sarah Green.
Although Lupe is typically quite vocal on Twitter, he has yet to bring up the lawsuit in any of his comments on the social networking site.
UPDATE: Lupe Fiasco has tweeted responses to this story. His tweets can be found below.

Fiasco also said that his "official response" to the reports are in his previously-released song, "Dope Francis (American Trap)."

Jay Electronica Wanted "Control" For His Album, Calls Kendrick Lamar A Young God

by Andres Tardio

                              

Jay Electronica also calls Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q and Joey Bada$$ young gods.

Before Kendrick Lamar recorded his verse on "Control," the song featured verses from Jay Electronica and Big Sean. When Sean decided to leave "Control" off of his album, Hall of Fame, Electronica wanted the track for his own release. 

"It was me and Big Sean," Electronica said in an interview with VIBE. "We had verses on there. Then when he told me it wasn't on his album, I was going to use on my album. And then he told me the day before it came out, 'Yo, Kendrick put a verse on there. We're gonna put it out.' I was like, 'Go ahead. Go, go, go.' But it's a good thing. It's a good thing for Hip Hop music because Hip Hop has been laying dormant for a long time. Peace to the young gods, Kendrick Lamar, TDE, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Joey Bada$$. Peace to the young gods."  

Electronica has spoken about Kendrick Lamar's verse on "Control" in the past. 

“When I heard that verse I was like ‘Man, I’m not about to go back and change my verse,’” Electronica said during an interview with Vibe.com. “That’s cheating. I could go back, change it. Make it this. I could namedrop. You know, I could do this. I could cut his verse up, but that ain’t the way of a OG. You know what I’m saying? That ain’t how Gs move. And I wanted to do that for the culture of Hip Hop. For the culture of Rap as opposed to myself. Like trying to protect myself.”

Jay Electronica also answered questions about the release date for his long-awaited album, reportedly titled Act II: Patents of Nobility.

"The album comes out on the day that it comes out," he said. 

The interview can be viewed below.