Illuminati is a secret society that no one can prove exist, and people recently alledged top musicians like
Jay-Z, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rick Ross, and
A$ap Rocky of being members. People have postulated all sorts, from saying they control the world, to mixing their doctrines with that of Freemasons'. What is known a fact is that, around 4 centuries ago, there was a society of men (not so secret), characterised by men of science, who called them selves the Illuminated ones- these bunch were interested in enlightenment of mankind. But, around 3 centuries ago, or their about, they were hunted down one by one and killed, deemed heretics. This killings were done by a very powerful religious sect of the time which rebelled against any type of change.
I hope i have not lost you there? I just wanted to lay down the fundalmentals before i treat the matter at hand. Now, let's go on. There have been series of videos and articles put up on the internet which disect the different lives of artists like
Jay-Z and
Beyonce...and especially
Kanye West; these documentaries show "supposed" hard evidence that they do belong to the Illuminati. If people did a little research, they would discover that all these supposed evil signs and symbols are only "signs and symbols" from ancient Egyptian religions/beliefs which have been around longer than most religions.
As soon as the deal between
D Banj/Don Jazzy got sealed last year (2011) with
Kanye West's G.O.O.D Music label., rumors started flying around that they had both joined the supposed secret cult, The Illuminati. And, after
D Banj and
Don Jazzy broke off their long time business relationship late last year, many people said it was because
Don Jazzy didn't want to join the Illuminati. I find these allegations very funny and mediocre.
D Banj, P Square, Goldie, Whiz Kid and
Charlie Boy are some of the Nigerian celebrities that have been rumored to be members of this mythical cult- "The Illuminati". What is funny to me is the fact that the one thing most of these individuals have in common is success. Right now, it is almost like any unexplanable success is attributed to the artists alledgedly joining the Illuminati. What the people porpoting this theories believe is that these artists are devil worshipers, and that "the devil" wants to take over the world through them. They say these artists have sold their souls to the devil for fame and fortue. Well, maybe i would believe in stuff like that if i didn't research on such individuals past, and see how much they suffered and strived, and persisted before they became successful. Maybe i would believe in such if the artist in question just sat on their asses (like most people that justify their unambitious lifestyles to not wanting to join a secret society) all day, and fame and money came their way.
Now, i am guessing people are saying- "what about the statement
Kanye West made at a particular concert about selling his soul to the devil?" He was only being figurative; he obviously didn't mean that literaly. What he was implying was that he made the kind of music that the people wanted to hear...he made pop (popular type music) and not the regular type of root hip hop music. A lot of people use that phrase a lot, but they sure don't mean they had a meeting with "the devil". So, back to the Nigerian angle of things.
D Banj is the most crucified in this matter, because he recently signed to
Kanye's label. And there is a picture of him flying around, which has him wearing a "tri dog tag"...a chain with a pyramid like pendant. Just for the information of people, that chain wasn't made specifically for D Banj; it is one of the chains that Nigerian Jeweller,
Chris Aires makes, and sells between $3,500- $10,000. So, does it mean anyone that buys that type of chain from
Aires is a member of the
Illuminati? Or those it mean Chris Aires is "the devil" personal contractor? If a group of people like to associate themselves, or get fascinated by old Egyptian gods and their symbols, that has nothing to do with evil or the devil. It is just funny that these same people that are termed evil are the biggest givers to charity.
And there is the recent connection of
P Square's mom's death to that of an illuminati blood sacrifice. Well, Nigerians have always been known to feed off fairy tales like this, so it didn't surprise me when people started buying into such analogies. I remember listenning to BBC news one night with my dad, and they were focusing on a part of Kenya (East Africa), where locals ganged up to kill anyone that appeared to them to be too successful. It's because of a mentality like this, which is common in most parts of Africa that people would believe anything that is put together to support why they are not successful...and why there is some form off evil deeds behind every success stories. It shocked me when I had a conversation with a couple of my co-students at Masters level last year, and i discovered they also had such mentality.
A couple of years ago, i decided to read the whole Bible, from front to back. I read it, not because my Pastor instructed me too, but because i really wanted to have a deeper & personal understanding of my religion. Somewhere in the first four books, i came accross a verse that goes something like this-
"and i would bless the heathen (non believers) with the blessing promised to you, as long as they follow the rules i laid down that you have decided not to follow." Of cos, it wasn't written like that, but i want you to get the message of what God was trying to say. I made the mistake of not writing the verse down, and i have asked a lot of Bible scholars about it recently, but no one seem to know where it is. I guess i would have to take time out to read the whole Bible again. But, what i am trying to say is that, this explains why some non believers are successful. People believe all these "Illuminati" stories because they think anyone that is successful without religion has to be a devil worshiper, but this verse overules that. I really wish i had the Bible verse, but i am sure someone out there knows where it is said in the bible.
Slaughterhouse dropped their second album (Welcome to: Our House), and Shady Records debut 2 days ago; and based on the first day sales, projections have been done and it is projected that Our House will sell between 50-60k first week. In case you don't know them, Slaughterhouse is a "four-man" rap group that consist of Royce Da 5'9, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I.
2 Chainz sold 48,000 copies of his Based On A T.R.U Stroy album this week, and now totals at 195,000 copies in two weeks. DJ Khaled debuts on the chart this week with his Kiss The Ring album, which sold 41,000 copies after a full week in stores. Rick Ross sold 28,000 copies of his "God Forgives, I Don't" album this week, and now totals at 350,000.
Rick Ross is on his way to earning another Gold status. He sold 28,000 copies this week of his "God Forgives, I Don't" album. It is now at a 6 week total of 350,000. He should go Gold in another 6 weeks or so. He has always gone Gold with all his albums, so if this one can make it to a million, then it would be cool. 
You are now left with rappers like M.I, Vector, Naeto C, and Ice Prince who are in the balance. Eventhough the last two mentioned are highly commercially inclined with their styles, you can't take away the fact that they are not out of the boarder of what is called rap...they deliver the 16 bars the right way. As much as Modenine is considered the best rapper in the country, i think he is too rigid. My apaologies to all his fans, but I am just being honest. He is not well rounded. Like I know KRS 1 is a skilled rapper, but he is not well rounded...that's how I see Mode. He has tried to break out of that box in recent times, and while some of the efforts were cool, in general, I don't think he is ever going to be that kind of artist. I listened to his Occupy The Throne mixtape, and i still feel this way.
2 Chainz has the number one album in the country this week...his Based On A T.R.U Story album sold 147,000 copies after one week in stores. Congrats to him for debuting at number one with his first album. Rick Ross sold 43,000 copies of his "God Forgives, I Don't" album this week, and now total of 322,000. Mighty Death Pop from Insane Clown Posse sold 41,000 copies in its first week in stores.
"When the Eminem situation happened, I was just on top and I didn't have to answer to nobody else. When you're on top and even with a lot of people in New York, even with labels, you still have to answer to somebody. Me and Dave [Mays] was it, and at that point, I wanted to prove to everybody like, 'Listen, I'm the one running this here and I can do this without reservation' -- it was a mistake for me getting involved in the situation with Eminem. ... The Eminem thing started getting uglier and uglier, and of course I can take responsibility for some of the stuff I said as far as directly towards his family, you know, really personal shots. It was out of order. I believe some of the stuff that he said was out of order also, but at the end of the day, it's all fair in war -- if I could do it over again, I definitely would. Eminem was and still is a major force. Hip-hop has brought cultures together - Asian, Latino, Black, White - and I should have been more responsible...If me and Em ever met -- first I'd want to apologize about the Hailie references." (Global Grind)
Trey Songz' fifth Atlantic album, Chapter V, will easily take the #1 spot on next week's chart as the only title that will hit six figures, with a first-week total that should reach 125-130k. His last album, 2010's Passion, Pain & Pleasure, debuted with 240k in sales on the way to a total of 842k to date. Cash Money/Republic rapper DJ Khaled's Kiss the Ring, the follow-up to last year's We the Best Forever, is on target for 35-40k as the second-highest debut of the week. (HITS Daily Double)
2 Chainz dropped his debut album (Based On A T.R.U Story) last week Tuesday, 14th August, and after a full week in stores, it sold a total of 147,000 copies. I think this is very cool for a debut album in the present climate of hip hop. If he steadies well on the chart, he might end up going Gold.
Take It to the Head, and I Wish You Would are the two singles that have dropped from this album, and they surely aren't as big as "I'm On One" and "I'm So Hood", so i would say it would sell between 30-60k first week. Personally, i think this is a lovely album, with real dope rappers and dope songs, but Khaled has not been known to seel big with his albums. He always hoovers around 30-80k first week with sales.
2Chainz dropped his debut album (Based on a A T.R.U Story) a few days ago, and it is projected to sell between 130-140k first week. In a beed to know what makes this man, i have decided to put up his top 25 favourite albums according to an interview with Complex Magazine. He also gives reasons why he likes each individual album.
2. Keith Sweat- Make It Last Forever (1987)
1. Mercy- Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T, & 2Chainz
Meek Mill got on twitter yesterday to let the world know that his debut album, Dreams & Nightmares will no longer be dropping on August 28 as earlier scheduled, but now on October 30th. I guess he probably still has one or two tracks he needs to work on and submit. Or, it might be that he wants to give his boss, Rick Ross some time to sell, before he drops. Ross's "God Forgives, I don't" dropped two weeks ago, and it has been doing pretty good on the chart.
Check out the tweet from Meek Mill below
He let his followers know on twitter 2 days ago that a video for "Bye Baby" is coming soon. I think making that track a single is a very wise decision as a lot of people have picked that as their favourite off the album. The song is straight from the heart, so it is bound to catch a lot of people's attention. Maybe this move would boost sales a little...even if it just steadies the sales at 20k a week, it would help it go Gold in a couple of weeks.
Big Meech: I haven’t been able to talk to anyone on the phone for the last five months. The last time I spoke to him was near the end of last year.
London Records have announced plans to release a unique, one-off collaboration by Grammy-nominated hip-hop legend Nas and stunning South London newcomer Arlissa. ‘Hard To Love Somebody’ is due out on September 30, and features remixes by 88 Keys (who most recently produced ‘No Church in the Wild’) and celebrated DJ and production duo The Nextmen (Plan B, Paul Epworth). Further information will be announced shortly. For Arlissa, it was the call of a lifetime. At just nineteen years old, the singer and songwriter with that unusual name – half German, half American, but raised in Crystal Palace – had finished her A-Levels, and was contemplating her next move. She’d broken up with her first boyfriend of three years, moved out of the family home, and watched her friends go off to university, whilst she stayed put; intent on making music her life. And then one such song, ‘Hard To Love Somebody’, found its way largely via word-of-mouth from her producer to a publisher, and then finally to Nas – who has sold over 13 million records in the United States alone, and recently spent two weeks at number 1 in America (and returned to the UK Top 10) with a new album, Life Is Good. 
I think people can argue all day about who is the best, who was the best, or who is the greatest, but I can confidently say that Nas, Jay-Z and Eminem are the 3 kings of hip hop right now...they are like the holy trinity of the rap game. Remember that there is a difference between a King and a Knight...note that.
Last year's runners-up on the list of The World's Highest-Paid Celebrity Couples, the duo has now climbed one spot to top this year's ranking. The singer's new album went platinum in the U.S., not to mention her non-musical ventures and endorsement deals, which all helped to bring her total earnings between May 1, 2011 and May 1, 2012 to $40 million, according to data from the latest Celebrity 100 list. The hip-hop mogul made millions from Watch the Throne, his musical collaboration with pal Kanye West, and even more from the tour that followed. Add to that a bevy of non-musical enterprises such as ad firm Translation and cosmetics company Carol's Daughter and the result is a staggering $38 million that he has brought home in twelve months, putting the couple's annual income at $78 million. (Forbes)
"A lot of people been shying away from the real rapping and hip-hop. I'm really representing," Meek told Nessa. "When I come out with my album, I want to have a classic album, an Illmatic, a Hard Knock Life Jay-Z, Get Rich or Die Tryin' type, a hip-hop album." It's always nice to hear who the hottest rappers in the game look up to, and when asked to who his top 5 favorite rappers were, Meek Mill said, "In no particular order, Biggie, Tupac, Jay-Z, Nas, andLil Wayne." (The Versed)