Snoop Recalls Last Moments With Tupac

In a recent interview with Sway, Snoop spoke about his last moments with Tupac, before the legend was murdered. It seems Pac really didn't have much friends left before his death-

"Last time I saw him, he was laying in the bed, Holding onto his last breath. I had seen him before that. We had just left New York. I had gotten off the radio station with Angie Martinez. That's when me and him clashed, because she asked me on the air, 'How do you feel about Puffy and Biggie?' And I said what I felt. 'They my homeboys. I love 'em.' When I got back to the hotel, it was a whole 'nother atmosphere, like he sent his homeboy to get the bud from me as opposed to him coming to get it from me. ...So I felt funny... When I got on the plane to go to LA the next day, Suge didn't let none of my security ride with me. I had to ride on the plane with him, his homies, and Pac. And it was the most uncomfortable ride I had in my life, because my nigga didn't say nothin' to me the whole ride. That's a five-hour flight on a private plane."

For those that don't know, Snoop started out with Death Row Records back in the early 90s, under Suge Knight, and producer, Dr. Dre. Suge signed Tupac to Death Row Records in 1995, and Snoop and Tupac became label mates. At the time, Tupac was already beefing with Biggie and Puff, but Snoop was friends' with Big and Puff before Pac got signed to Death Row. I think Angie shouldn't have asked that question, knowing that the question would brew up negativity which ever answer Snoop gave...whether riding with his label mate and friend (Tupac), or riding with his homeboys, puff and biggie. But, i still think Snoop should have tried to be more diplomatic with his answer.

Read on...

"I walk up to him, maybe three hours into the flight, sit next to him like, 'Yo goin' to Vegas, cuz?' He turns [away from me], starts talkin' to somebody else. I'm like, alright, go in the back, put the blanket on my head, knife in my hand, fork in my hand, and just sleep the rest of the ride, because I feel like they finna try to do something. When we walk out...I'm like, 'Cuz, you goin' to Vegas?' He do me like [dismissive gesture]. He went his way, I went my way. Next time I get a call, niggas like, 'Turn on the news! Turn on the news!'"

WOW! So sad.

This Week's Top 10 Rap Songs On Billboard

Below are the top 10 rap songs on Billboard chart this week-

10. Bugatti- Ace Hood feat. Future & Rick Ross

9.  Fuckin Problems- A$AP Rocky feat. Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar

8.  Bad- Wale feat. Tiara Thomas

7.  Power Trip- J.Cole feat. Miguel

6.  Love Me- Lil Wayne feat. Drake and Future

5.  Drake- Started From The Bottom

4.  Feel This Moment- Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

3.  Gentleman- PSY

2.  Thrift Shop- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz

1.  Can't Hold Us- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton

Vibe's The Greatest 50 Albums Since 93

A lot of magazine's from the 90s are re-inventing themselves and gaining more online presence. In a recent post, Vibe put up a list of what they consider The Greatest 50 Albums since 1993...Check out the juicy list below-

 

50. Musiq Soulchild- Aijuswanaseing (2000)

49. Alicia Keys- Songs In A Minor (2001)

48. Green Day- American Idiot (2004)

47. Donell Jones- Where I Wanna Be (1999)

46. Young Jeezy- The Recession (2008)

45. Miguel- Kaleidoscope Dream (2012)

44. Common- BE- (2005) 

43. Adele- 21 (2011)

42. Jamiroquai- Travelling Without Moving (1996)

41. Beyonce- B'Day (2006)

40. 112- 112 (1996)

39. John Mayer- CONTINUUM (2006)

38. Jill Scott- Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 (2000)

37. Faith Evans- Faith (1995)

36. R.Kelly- R.Kelly (1995)

35. Kings Of Leon- Only By The Night (2008)

34. Jay Z- The Black Album (2003)

33. Amy Winehouse- Back To Black (2006)

32. Lil Kim- Hard Core (1996)

31. Toni Braxton- Toni Braxton (1993)

30. 2Pac (As Makaveli)- The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)

29. Erykah Badu- Baduizm (1997)

28. Radiohead- Kid A (2000)

27. 50 Cent- Get Rich Or Die Trying (2003)

26. Mobb Deep- The Infamous (1995)

25. Jay Z and Kanye West- Watch The Throne (2011)

24. Mariah Carey- The Emancipation Of Mimi (2005)

23. Dr. Dre- Chronic 2001 (1999)

22. Janet Jackson- Janet (1993)

21. A Tribe Called Quest- Midnight Marauders (1993)

20. OutKast- Aquemini (1998)

19. Kendrick Lamar- "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" (2012)

18. Jay Z- Reasonable Doubt (1996)

17. Eminem- The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

16. Kanye West- Late Registration (2005)

15. Maxwell- Urnban Hang Suite (1996)

14. Wu-Tang Clan Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)

13. The Notorious B.I.G- Ready To Die (1994)

12. Snoop Doggy Dogg- DOGGYSTLE (1993)

11. Raekwon- Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995)

10. Usher- Confessions (2004)

9.  Lauryn Hill- The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill (1998)

8.  Jay Z- The Blueprint (2001)

7.  R.Kelly- TP-2.COM (2000)

6.  Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

5.  Justin Timberlake- FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS (2006)

4.  Mary J. Blige- My Life (1995)

3.  Nas- Illmatic (1994)

2.  D'Angelo- Brown Sugar (1995)

1.  The Notorious B.I.G- Life After Death

Lauryn Hill Finally Speaks On Tax Evasion Issues

Lauryn Hill, as a solo artist, and a member of the legendary Fugees (alongside Wyclef and Praz) sold monumental records in the 90s. I can say, for a rap artists, she surpassed what any other female artists before and after her has ever sold in records. Just singling out her first solo album, Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, which has sold 19 million copies worldwide to date, shows how much this lady has generated in her career. And to now think that she is currently unable to pay a tax debt of $968,000, is questionable.

In a post on her Tumblr page yesterday night, Lauryn spoke on her tax issues and also on her music career-


"It has been reported that I signed a new record deal, and that I did this to pay taxes. Yes, I have recently entered into an agreement with Sony Worldwide Entertainment, to launch a new label, on which my new music will be released. And yes, I am working on new music. I've remained silent, after an extensive healing process. This has been a 10+ year battle, for a long time played out behind closed doors, but now in front of the public eye. This is an old conflict between art and commerce... free minds, and minds that are perhaps overly tethered to structure. This is about inequity, and the resulting disenfranchisement caused by it. I've been fighting for existential and economic freedom, which means the freedom to create and live without someone threatening, controlling, and/or manipulating the art and the artist, by tying the purse strings. It took years for me to get out of the 'parasitic' dynamic of my youth, and into a deal that better reflects my true contribution as an artist, and (purportedly) gives me the control necessary to create a paradigm suitable for my needs. I have been working towards this for a long time, not just because of my current legal situation, but because I am an artist, I love to create, and I need the proper platform to do so." (Ms Lauryn Hill Tumblr)





And now, the part you really need to read- 

"The nature of my new business venture, as well as the dollar amount reported, was inaccurate, only a portion of the overall deal. Keep in mind, my past recordings have sold over 50,000,000 units worldwide, earning the label a tremendous amount of money (a fraction of which actually came to me). Only a completely complicated set of traps, manipulations, and inequitable business arrangements could put someone who has accomplished the things that I have, financially in need of anything. I am one artist who finds value in openly discussing the dynamics within this industry that force artists to compromise or distort themselves and what they do, rather than allowing them to make the music that people need. There are volumes that could (and will) be said."










That's a whole lot of money she made for Columbia Records. Where did all that money go? Where did her share of the money go? She was pretty young (around 20yrs old) when she blew up...straight out of high school, so I guess she was really naive with the business side of things. Lauryn has always been more concerned about the art, so I can understand how she can be in this mess. Right now, she has been given two weeks (until May 6th) to pay up the $968,000 debt or go to jail. I wish her all the best. I'm a big fan of her music, and would love to hear some new music from her.

This Week's Top 20 Most Downloaded Songs On The Internet

According to Nielson SoundScan data, below are the top 20 most downloaded songs on the internet this week-

20. Gentleman- PSY

19. Highway Don't Care- Tim McGraw with Taylor Swift

18. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)- Fall Out Boys

17. Suit & Tie- Justin Timberlake feat. Jay Z

16. will.i.am feat. Miley Cyrus

15. Feel This Moment- Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

14. Boys 'Round Here- Blake Shelton feat. Pistol Annie and Friends

13. Wagon Wheel- Darius Rucker

12. Heart Attack- Demi Lovato

11. Come And Get It- Selena Gomez

10. Get Lucky- Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams

9.  Radioactive- Imagine Dragons

8.  I Like It- Icana Pop feat. Charli XCX

7.  When I Was Your Man- Bruno Mars

6.  Cruise- Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly

5.  Mirrors- Justin Timberlake

4.  Thrift Shop- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz

3.  Stay- Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko

2.  Can't Hold Us- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton


1.  Give Me A Reason- P!nk feat. Nate Ruess

Kelly Rowland With No Make-Up

Female's obsession with make-up has led to a new wave of celebrities showing off their "no make-up" pics, to prove that they are true beauties. But you know most of them still add lil this and that, or do a lil photo enhancement. But when you hear chocolate beauty like Kelly Rowland wants to show her "no make-up" pics, you would definitely know that you are getting the real deal.




Kelly Rowland's "no make-up" pics were taken for an upcoming edition of People's Magazine. Check out what she had to say about the taken the pics ...and also check out the "no make-up" pics below-

The first thing that popped in my head when I was asked to be a part of People’s No Make Up [shoot] was , “Oh My God! Oh my god what’s going to happen! Oh my God I’m honored” but I’m very happy.  I feel very comfortable in my skin and very comfortable to share it with you guys. When I’m not working, my preference is no make up.  I like for my skin to breathe because I do wear make up a lot, so I think it’s necessary to be au naturel.

What I don’t love about my face that gets covered by make up is my bags when I’m really really tired, but I love that make up does the trick.

When I don’t have make up on, I feel clean. I feel really really clean.

Pics Of Jay-Z, Beyonce and Blue Ivy In Paris

Jay Z and Beyonce's one year old daughter, Blue Ivy is a celebrity on her own, and already has fans worldwide. A lot of people online are always excited to see her photos, so, it is really cool that while they were in Paris recently, a couple of pics were taken of the Carter family. Check out pics of Jay Z and Beyonce with Blue Ivy below-

Snoop Lion Says Biggie and Tupac's Deaths Opened Lanes For A Lot Of Rappers

I think I am getting used to calling him Snoop Lion right now. Anyway, Snoop, who has been around since the early 90s, spoke on how the death of both Biggie and Tupac opened the lanes for so many rappers that were in the background around the time of their death. Read his words to catch his drift-







“You know what, I had that discussion two or three times and I always come to the conclusion that a lot of artists wouldn’t be as big as they are if they were here. And that was with no disrespect. It’s just certain lanes opened up for artists when they were gone…On the bar a lot of rappers wouldn’t be where they are. I can’t say they names because I love ‘em all, but certain rappers that had big years, big albums. When he was gone, that wouldn’t have been there. That would have been his lane and that would have been his lane. And you wasn’t stepping on Biggie or Tupac lane.”








I am certain one of the people he is speaking about is Jay-Z. I consider Jay a rap hustler and all, and one of the most successful rappers of all time, but back then he was really in Biggie's shadow. I am not saying Jay wasn't/isn't skilled, but Jay-Z has always had that mentality of riding the wave of the hottest artist out, but without losing himself. And back in the mid 90s, he was riding that Biggie wave hard. And once Biggie passed in 97, he was the next rapper with that mass/commercial appeal. And being a rapper associated with Big, the world just poured their love on him. As I said, I am, in no way saying Jay ain't skilled on the mic, but he benefited greatly from the passing of Biggie. Look at it, when did Jay blow up? He dropped his first album in 96, it was mildly successful. The second one was in 97, and was highly criticized for sounding too commercial. Big died the same year, but Biggie's second album, "Life After Death" dropped the same year. And then, in 98, there was a big void, especially for a rapper who was lyrical, but could also make commercial radio friendly songs. And, yup! Jay was the right man for the job.

Top Selling Rap Albums On Billboard Chart This Week

Kid Cudi's INDICUD album is the highest selling rap album on Billboard Top 200 album chart this week. After 7 days in stores, Kid Cudi's third album, INDICUD sold 136,000 copies. That's not bad for an album that didn't have a any buzz. Check out all the rap albums on billboard chart bellow-

Kid Cudi- Indicud- 136,000 (136,000)

Lil Wayne- I Am Not A Human Being 2- 31,000 (358,000)

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- The Hiest- 30,000 (610,000)

Andy Mineo- Heroes For Sale- 28,000 (28,000)

Tyga- Hotel California- 19,000 (73,000)

Ghostface Killah and Andrian Younge- Twelve Reasons To Die- 15,000 (15,000)

Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y- Live In Concert- 13,000 (13,000)

Kendrick Lamar- "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City"- 10,000 (858,000)

N.O.R.E (a.k.a- P.A.P.I)- Student Of The Game- 4,100 (4,100)


Styles P & Scram Jones- Float- 3,900 (3,900)

Is Kanye West Still Happy With Kim Kardashian Relationship

A couple of month after Kim Kardashian ended her 72 day marriage to NBA player, Kris Humphries, she started dating Kanye West. And as a shocker to the world last year, the two (Kim and Kanye) announced to the world that they were having a baby. The baby is due in June, and people have started making up stories that Kanye is already tired of the relationship. They said he ran off to Paris cos he could nolonger stand Kim. By the way, Kanye has been working in Paris for sometime now, but he got back a couple of days ago.




The same day he got back to New York, he went shopping with Kim K, and also met up with Jay Z. Check out some pics below-

So, because these pictures have been circulating on the internet, and Kanye looks happier with Jay than he looked with his girlfriend on the same day, people are concluding that he is tired of the relationship with Kim. What do you think? Me thinks the paparazzi always following Kim put Kanye in an uncomfortable position, and that's why he is not all smiley faced with his girlfriend. But, with his homeboy Jay, things are a bit more relaxed.

This Week's Top 10 Pop Songs On Billboard

below are the top 10 Pop songs on the Billboard chart this week-

10. Don't You Worry Child- Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin

9.  Heat Attack- Demi Lovato

8.  Sweet Nothing- Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch

7.  Daylight- Maroon 5

6.  Thrift Shop- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz

5.  Just Give Me A Reason- P!nk feat. Nate Ruess

4.  Suit & Tie- Justin Timberlake feat. Jay Z

3.  Feel This Moment- Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

2.  Stay- Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko

1.  When I Was Your Man- Bruno Mars

The Dream Gives Info On Jay-Z's Upcoming Album

In a recent interview, R&B singer and producer, The Dream shared some info on Jay-Z's follow up to Blue Print 3. This album is going to be Jay's 12th, and it is long overdue. It's been 4 years since a solo album from Jay, and we all know Jay can knock out an album in a month. Word from Dream is that Jay is in the studio with Swizz Beatz and Timbaland.











Read what The Dream said about the album below-

"Jay of course is working on an album. Mostly close to Tim. Both of them (Timbaland and Swizz Beatz) actually. We were all in the studio together. We were all in the same building, working on Bey's (Beyonce's) album and Jay started working on his," 

50 Cent Speaks About parents

50 Cent lost his Mother when he was just 8, and his Dad was never around to begin with. Although he was taken in by his grandmother after his mother passed, Curtis Jackson has been looking out for himself all his life. I guess that's why he can come across as ruthless sometimes. In a recent interview with Larry King Live, he spoke about his mother's passing, and the effect it had on him. He also spoke on never meeting his Father.

"I don't think I really dealt with it in the early stages. I lost my mom when I was eight, so I didn't really understand at that point. Later, they would consistently say, 'She's not coming back,' and I'm like, 'Yeah she is.' My grandfather would look at me like, 'He doesn't understand.' Later, you grow and start to understand.

And when asked about his Father he said...

 "I never knew my father. I never actually met him. Some people have that thing where they want that parent that they haven't had in their lives. I have no interest in it.The mistakes I made early on... he could've been here to help me not make those mistakes," 

Top 20 Most Downloaded Songs On The Internet This Week

According to Nielson SoundScan data, below are the top 20 most downloaded songs on the internet for this week-

20. Dragon Wheel- Darius Rucker

19. Mama's Broken Heart- Miranda Lambert

18. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)

17. Here's To Never Growing Up- Avril Lavigne

16. Feel This Moment- Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

15. Boys 'Round Here- Blake Shelton feat. Pistol Annies & Friends

14. Suit & Tie- Justin Timberlake feat. Jay Z

13. Heart Attack- Demi Lovato

12. I Want Crazy- Hunter Hayes

11. Highway Don't Care. Tim McGraw with Taylor Swift

10. I Love It- Icana Pop feat. Charli XCX

9.  Radioactive- Imagine Dragons

8.  Mirrors- Justin Timberlake

7.  Crash My Party- Luke Bryan

6.  When I Was Your Man- Bruno Mars

5.  Thrift Shop- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz

4.  Stay- Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko

3.  Cruise- Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly

2.  Can't Hold Us- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton

1.  Give Me A Reason- P!nk feat. Nate Ruess

First Week Sales Projection Of Kid Cudi's "INDICUD" Album

Although not as much in the spotlight as he once was, Kid Cudi has been doing his thing. He dropped his third album, INDICUD on Tuesday (16th of April, 2013), and according to Hits Daily Double, it is expected to sell between 140-155k first week. Hits Daily Double do first week album sales projections based on first day sales of the album, and the eventual first week sales are not always too far from their own numbers.

My wonder is how Kid Cudi can do such numbers with virtually no buzz at all. That's about the numbers 2 Chainz did first week with his album, and we all know 2 Chainz is buzzing right now. With that said, I congratulate Cudi on this. And if you haven't gotten the album, make sure you go out and get it. Cudi always makes that feel good melodic music you can just relax to.

Check out the tracklist below-

1. The Resurrection Of Scott Mescudi
2. Unfuckwittable
3. Just What I Am Feat. King Chip
4. Young Lady
5. King Wizard
6. Immortal
7. Solo Dolo Part II Feat. Kendrick Lamar
8. Girls Feat. Too Short
9. New York City Rage Fest
10. Red Eye
11. Mad Solar
12. Beez
13. Brothers
14. Burn Baby Burn
15. Lord Of The Sad And Lonely
16. Cold Blooded
17. Afterwards (Bring Yo Friends)
18. The Flight Of The Moon Man

Obama Finally Comments On Jay Z and Beyonce Cuba Trip

A couple of weeks ago, Jay Z and his wife, Beyonce took a trip to Havana-Cuba to celebrate their 5th wedding Anniversary. And it happens that there is still a U.S tourism sanction embargo on Cuba. It has something to do with Cuba being a Communist nation, and having some run-ins with the U.S over half a decade ago. Senators and United States Representatives started asking for explanations from the white house on how the power couple got licence to travel to the country.




Jay and Beyonce supported the two Obama elections; financially, and they also helped use their music to get people to vote. And that has made The Obama's and The Carter's (Jay and B) very close friends. This friendship has been questioned over the years by some Tea Part and Republican politicians; and Jay-Z just made matters worse by releasing his new track, Open Letter, which is a response to the politicians that are questioning his visit to Cuba. Check out some lines from the track below-




You gettin' too much bread, they try to jam you
Boy from the hood but got White House clearance
Sorry y'all, I don't agree with y'all appearance
Politicians never did shit for me
Except lie to me, distort history...

Y'all buy that bullshit, you'd better keep y'all receipt
Obama said "chill, you gonna get me impeached"
But you don't need this shit anyway
Chill with me on the beach...









Hmm! I think Jay Z shouldn't have brought Obama's name into this at all. This is the President of a country, and he is definitely under a lot of attack right now, and for Jay to rap about him and Obama talking about this controversial trip before it happened would just give more ammo to all the people attacking Obama. Anyway, Obama has something different to say about the trip.



When asked on "The Today Show" about whether or not he had prior knowledge of Jay-Z and Beyonce's Cuba trip, he said-


"I wasn't familiar that [Jay-Z and Beyonce] were taking the trip. My understanding is I think they went through a group that organizes these educational trips down to Cuba."






Well, even if he was aware, you don't expect him to say so.

Gucci Mane Calls Judge A Bitch In Court

For as long as I have known Gucci Mane, he has always been in and out of jail...In and out of trouble. From when he killed Young Jeezy's associate in self defence back in the mid 2000s, to all the petty offences he commits every now and then. He was in court a few hours ago, and when the judge asked him if he thought he was guilty, he replied...check the caption below for better effect-

Top Selling Rap Albums On Billboard Chart This Week

YMCMB member, Tyga's Hotel California album is the highest selling rap album on the Billboard top 200 album charts. It sold 54,000 copies after a full week in stores. Check out the full list of top selling rap albums on Billboard chart this week;

Tyga- Hotel California- 54,000 (54,000)

Lil Wayne- I Am Not A Human Being 2- 42,000 (327,000)

Tyler, The Creator- Wolf- 18,000 (107,000)

Kendrick Lamar- "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City"- 11,000 (848,000)

A$AP Rocky- Long Live A$AP- 7,400 (312,000)

T.I- Trouble Man- 4,300 (450,000)

Eminem- Curtain Call- 4,100 (3,702,00)

2 Chainz- Based On A T.R.U Story- 3,900 (588,000)

Meek Mill- Dreams & Nighmares- 2,800 (347,000)

I don't know how come Eminem's greatest hits album from 2005 (Curtain Call) made this chart. I guess his fans are hungry for some new Eminem. He is definitely still dropping this year, and his buzz single will drop any day now. WATCH OUT!

Ciara and Rihanna War Of Words

These two talented beauties are at it again; insulting each other on social media. I still ain't sure of the root of their issue, but I know their beef dates back to 2010. Ciara is about to drop her new album titled Ciara, and as a promotional tool, she has been visiting different radio stations. She was recently at Bay area radio station, Wild 94.9, and when she was asked about her situation with Rihanna, she said-







I think she’s nuts right now! Like whatevers going on because for me it doesn’t make any sense. I don’t have beef with anybody, but I’m not going to be disrespected either. I wish her well. I don’t know what her problem is. She has a lot of good things going on with herself. A lot of good things I’ve always said I’ve been happy for her. I don’t get it. I really don’t, but I wish her well. I wish her positivity.




Hmm! Those are definitely not nice words to say; and you have to trust Rihanna to respond. Riri responded via Instagram-

And then Ciara responded...

Top 10 Rap Songs On Billboard This Week

Below are the top 10 rap songs on the Billboard chart this week-





10. Poetic Justice- Kendrick Lamar feat. Drake

9.  Power Trip- J.Cole feat. Miguel

8.  Bugatti- Ace Hood feat. Rick Ross and Future

7.  Bad- Wale feat. Tiara Thomas

6.  Fuckin Problems- A$AP Rocky feat. Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar

5.  Love Me- Lil Wayne feat. Drake and Future

4.  Feel This Moment- Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

3.  Started From The Bottom- Drake

2.  Can't Hold Us- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton

1.  Thrift Shop- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz