An absence of tributes to black leaders
The completion of the King memorial in Washington points up the void in Center City
By Stephan Salisbury Inquirer Culture Writer
An absence of tributes to black leadersThe completion of the King memorial in Washington points up the void in Center City.
The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, to be dedicated Sunday, is the first monument to a black leader on the National Mall, a landscape devoted to American cultural and political iconography.In Philadelphia, there is no such memorial, to King or any other black leader, in Center City.
No African Americans have been favored with a place in the shadow of City Hall, which is nearly ringed by immense statuary of commercial, legal, and manufacturing moguls; generals from the Union Army; and a U.S. president.
In fact, until the All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors was moved to the Parkway in 1994 from its hideaway in Fairmount Park, there was no prominent public art in Center City alluding to black life at all. Emancipation Proclamation Fountain by Gerd Utescher, installed in 1965, sits deep in a stairwell leading to the 15th Street SEPTA concourse, obscured by overgrown foliage and virtually invisible to passersby - as if to prove the point.
But with the opening in December of the memorial to enslaved Africans held by George Washington at the site of the President's House on Independence Mall, the obscure is becoming visible.
And in March, the city pledged $500,000 toward a proposed memorial to Octavius Catto, the abolitionist, civil-rights activist, and educator, gunned down on South Street in 1871. The piece would be installed at the southwest corner of City Hall, across the way from a memorial to President William McKinley, gunned down in Buffalo in 1901.
In effect, Catto would desegregate City Hall's monumental public art.
Rosalyn McPherson, who is managing the private $2 million Catto project, said the King memorial in Washington, the President's House (which she also managed), the Catto memorial, the African Burial Ground in New York, and other efforts under way around the country are evidence of an invigorated desire to acknowledge and understand the central place of African Americans in the nation's history.
"There's almost like a spirit of connect the dots," she said. "It's important. It's necessary. It's wonderful. And I don't care what it takes to get them built. What's important is that we're acknowledging these missing pieces."
That may be so, but in a city with a large and energetic African American population with a complex history, there is still a dearth of public art downtown that refers to that simple fact. According to a computerized inventory of city-owned public art, only eight of 650 pieces refer concretely to black life.
In addition, roughly 100 works of public art scattered about the city are by African American artists, commemorate the black experience, or honor prominent black figures, according to raw data provided by the Fairmount Park Art Association.
There is a memorial to the Philadelphia Stars and the Negro leagues at 44th Street and Parkside Avenue, for instance, installed in 2006, part of a memorial park.
And, in fact, there is a sculptural commemoration to King, the Freedom Memorial, with five bas-reliefs by Neil Lieberman and Paul Keene, on the grounds of 59th Street Baptist Church. The memorial, set in a space designed for contemplation, honors King and other slain civil-rights activists, along with John and Robert Kennedy and the four girls killed in the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Ala.
Such monuments and commemorations enhance their neighborhoods, but until the President's House project focused attention on downtown, there was a notable Center City void.
Penny Balkin Bach, head of the Fairmount Park Art Association, a private nonprofit devoted to public art in the city, said much public art became reality when a particular group decided it was important. The 2003 Irish Memorial at Penn's Landing, which began with Irish organizations and prominent Irish Pennsylvanians, is a case in point.
"The impetus or funding typically emerges from the community," said Bach. "It's a civic effort that starts with a group that wants to see it happen."
But the convoluted and grueling process of fund-raising, and navigating municipal procedures and regulations, can be daunting. Many public art proposals wither away mid-process, unable to make it to the finish line.
McPherson made the same point, saying the process is not only long but also not infrequently contentious. Within the African American community, "the culture of philanthropy has to be cultivated."
"We're often not even aware of the process of how money is raised," she said. "The process people go through is very complex"
The Catto project is supported by a multiracial group of business and political leaders, she said, adding that "individual dollars will come from prominent African Americans in Philadelphia."
If the memorial makes it to the finish line and takes a spot of honor on the apron of City Hall, it will fill a huge gap in the canvas of public art. Catto's life and death certainly prefigure King's, and the memorial will speak directly to dangers of freedom not yet attained.
That's a sober and challenging subject for public art, but a central one within the American experience.
Contact culture writer Stephan Salisbury at 215-854-5594, [email protected], or @SPSalisbury on Twitter.
The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, to be dedicated Sunday, is the first monument to a black leader on the National Mall, a landscape devoted to American cultural and political iconography.In Philadelphia, there is no such memorial, to King or any other black leader, in Center City.
No African Americans have been favored with a place in the shadow of City Hall, which is nearly ringed by immense statuary of commercial, legal, and manufacturing moguls; generals from the Union Army; and a U.S. president.
In fact, until the All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors was moved to the Parkway in 1994 from its hideaway in Fairmount Park, there was no prominent public art in Center City alluding to black life at all. Emancipation Proclamation Fountain by Gerd Utescher, installed in 1965, sits deep in a stairwell leading to the 15th Street SEPTA concourse, obscured by overgrown foliage and virtually invisible to passersby - as if to prove the point.
But with the opening in December of the memorial to enslaved Africans held by George Washington at the site of the President's House on Independence Mall, the obscure is becoming visible.
And in March, the city pledged $500,000 toward a proposed memorial to Octavius Catto, the abolitionist, civil-rights activist, and educator, gunned down on South Street in 1871. The piece would be installed at the southwest corner of City Hall, across the way from a memorial to President William McKinley, gunned down in Buffalo in 1901.
In effect, Catto would desegregate City Hall's monumental public art.
Rosalyn McPherson, who is managing the private $2 million Catto project, said the King memorial in Washington, the President's House (which she also managed), the Catto memorial, the African Burial Ground in New York, and other efforts under way around the country are evidence of an invigorated desire to acknowledge and understand the central place of African Americans in the nation's history.
"There's almost like a spirit of connect the dots," she said. "It's important. It's necessary. It's wonderful. And I don't care what it takes to get them built. What's important is that we're acknowledging these missing pieces."
That may be so, but in a city with a large and energetic African American population with a complex history, there is still a dearth of public art downtown that refers to that simple fact. According to a computerized inventory of city-owned public art, only eight of 650 pieces refer concretely to black life.
In addition, roughly 100 works of public art scattered about the city are by African American artists, commemorate the black experience, or honor prominent black figures, according to raw data provided by the Fairmount Park Art Association.
There is a memorial to the Philadelphia Stars and the Negro leagues at 44th Street and Parkside Avenue, for instance, installed in 2006, part of a memorial park.
And, in fact, there is a sculptural commemoration to King, the Freedom Memorial, with five bas-reliefs by Neil Lieberman and Paul Keene, on the grounds of 59th Street Baptist Church. The memorial, set in a space designed for contemplation, honors King and other slain civil-rights activists, along with John and Robert Kennedy and the four girls killed in the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Ala.
Such monuments and commemorations enhance their neighborhoods, but until the President's House project focused attention on downtown, there was a notable Center City void.
Penny Balkin Bach, head of the Fairmount Park Art Association, a private nonprofit devoted to public art in the city, said much public art became reality when a particular group decided it was important. The 2003 Irish Memorial at Penn's Landing, which began with Irish organizations and prominent Irish Pennsylvanians, is a case in point.
"The impetus or funding typically emerges from the community," said Bach. "It's a civic effort that starts with a group that wants to see it happen."
But the convoluted and grueling process of fund-raising, and navigating municipal procedures and regulations, can be daunting. Many public art proposals wither away mid-process, unable to make it to the finish line.
McPherson made the same point, saying the process is not only long but also not infrequently contentious. Within the African American community, "the culture of philanthropy has to be cultivated."
"We're often not even aware of the process of how money is raised," she said. "The process people go through is very complex"
The Catto project is supported by a multiracial group of business and political leaders, she said, adding that "individual dollars will come from prominent African Americans in Philadelphia."
If the memorial makes it to the finish line and takes a spot of honor on the apron of City Hall, it will fill a huge gap in the canvas of public art. Catto's life and death certainly prefigure King's, and the memorial will speak directly to dangers of freedom not yet attained.
That's a sober and challenging subject for public art, but a central one within the American experience.
Contact culture writer Stephan Salisbury at 215-854-5594, [email protected], or @SPSalisbury on Twitter.
NAACP blasts CNN: No African American anchors in prime time
NAACP President Benjamin Jealous
CNN's newly announced prime-time news lineup has come under fire by the NAACP, which claims the slate continues a multi-network trend that excludes African Americans from prime-time slots as anchors and hosts.
"As CNN announced their new schedule, a glaring omission was present -- no African Americans were hosts or anchors in their prime time lineup," NAACP President and Chief Executive Benjamin Todd Jealous said in a statement. "The NAACP is deeply concerned with the lack of African American journalists in prime time, both on cable and national network news shows."
Shifts in CNN’s schedule included adding CNBC personality Erin Burnett. The network has declined comment on the NAACP criticism. Exclusion of African Americans is significant, Jealous said, because the prime-time slots are the most influential in daily news. Although CNN, Bloomberg News, CNBC, Fox News and MSNBC have shows scheduled every hour to discuss financial and world news, and occassionally have black commentators, not one show is headlined or anchored by an African American.
Jealous added, "We have come to expect this from the likes of Fox News, but not other networks."
The NAACP Hollywood Bureau will be setting up meetings with the heads of news divisions to discuss the issue, he said.
The disappearing black middle class
BY JESSE WASHINGTON
Millions of Americans endured financial calamities in the recession. But for many in the black community, job loss has knocked them out of the middle class and back into poverty. And some experts warn of a historic reversal of hard-won economic gains that took black people decades to achieve.
“History is going to say the black middle class was decimated” over the past few years, said Maya Wiley, director of the Center for Social Inclusion. “But we’re not done writing history.”
Adds Algernon Austin, director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy: “The recession is not over for black folks.”
In 2004, the median net worth of white households was $134,280, compared with $13,450 for black households, according to an analysis of Federal Reserve data by the Economic Policy Institute. By 2009, the median net worth for white households had fallen 24 percent to $97,860; the median net worth for black households had fallen 83 percent to $2,170, according to the institute.
Austin described the wealth gap this way: “In 2009, for every dollar of wealth the average white household had, black households only had two cents.”
Austin thinks more black people than ever before could fall out of the middle class because the unemployment rate for college-educated blacks recently peaked and blacks are overrepresented in state and local government jobs. Those are jobs that are being eliminated because of massive budget shortfalls.
Since the end of the recession, which lasted from 2007 to 2009, the overall unemployment rate has fallen from 9.4 to 9.1 percent, while the black unemployment rate has risen from 14.7 to 16.2 percent, according to the Department of Labor. Last April, black male unemployment hit the highest rate since the government began keeping track in 1972. Only 56.9 percent of black men over 20 were working, compared with 68.1 percent of white men.
Even college-educated blacks fared worse than their white counterparts in the recession. In 2007, unemployment for college-educated whites was 1.8 percent; for college-educated blacks it was 2.7 percent. Now, the college-educated unemployment rate is 3.9 percent for whites and 7 percent for blacks.
Nearly 8 percent of African Americans who bought homes from 2005 to 2008 have lost them to foreclosure, compared with 4.5 percent of whites, according to an estimate by the Center for Responsible Lending.
Some see a bitter irony in soaring black unemployment and the decline of the black middle class on the watch of the first black president.
“I thought Barack Obama could have provided some way out. But he lacks backbone,” Princeton Professor Cornel West told truthdig.com recently.
West said Obama sold out the poor to become “a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats. . . . I don’t think in good conscience I could tell anybody to vote for Obama.”
Wiley said Obama should be applauded for several initiatives that have helped the black middle class, such as programs to modify certain mortgages and prevent foreclosure because of job loss. But she would like Obama to aggressively counter the suggestion that first black president would be showing favoritism if he specifically helped black people.
“It’s the right thing to do for the nation,” she said. “Black people are a huge segment of the population, they’re especially hard-hit, and the country cannot recover if the black community — as well as the white community and others — does not recover.”
AP
Beyonce confirmed as lead in 'A star is born'
fox8live
Singer Beyonce Knowles sits in the audience during the 2011 NBA All-Star game at Staples Center on February 20, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images)Pop star Beyonce has confirmed she'll lead the cast in Clint Eastwood's A Star is Born remake.
The Halo hitmaker, who previously starred in Dreamgirls and Austin Powers: Gold Member, has been linked to the leading lady role for months and now she has ended the speculation by revealing she'll follow in the footsteps of Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand for a fourth remake of the classic movie.
Making the announcement during her summer concert series performance on Good Morning America on Friday, she says, "Clint Eastwood? Can you believe that? I can't believe it still. When I met with him I was just in awe. I'm so, so honoured that he believes in me. And I can't wait to do this film.
"I represent this generation's talent and for me to be the chosen person, as an African American woman, is incredible."
Russell Crowe is in talks to co-star.
The Halo hitmaker, who previously starred in Dreamgirls and Austin Powers: Gold Member, has been linked to the leading lady role for months and now she has ended the speculation by revealing she'll follow in the footsteps of Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand for a fourth remake of the classic movie.
Making the announcement during her summer concert series performance on Good Morning America on Friday, she says, "Clint Eastwood? Can you believe that? I can't believe it still. When I met with him I was just in awe. I'm so, so honoured that he believes in me. And I can't wait to do this film.
"I represent this generation's talent and for me to be the chosen person, as an African American woman, is incredible."
Russell Crowe is in talks to co-star.
Game Excited by Dr. Dre and Pharrell’s Presence on ‘The R.E.D. Album
courtesy of hotmommagossip
Dr. Dre and Game back together again.
While Game’s ‘The R.E.D. Album’ was being considered a major thing itself, the attachment of Dr. Dre’s name to it, develops the potential of it turning into a headlining event. As if it wasn’t enough, the rapper out of Compton added Pharrell Williams to the production lineup and that explains why he is so excited in the buildup to his fourth studio album’s August 23 release.
In a quick word with MTV News on the shoot of his ‘Pot of Gold’, Game said, “This album is the most incredible album of my career. First, I’m back with Dr. Dre, which is a bonus and dope for me. Second, executive-produced by Pharrell, co-executive-produced by myself and Mars.”
The rest of the production team is quite impressive as well, with names such as Hit-Boy, Lex Luger, Cool & Dre and Maestro. And to change the flavor a bit, Game also invited artists like pop singer Nelly Furtado, rap ace Lil Wayne and veteran Busta Rhymes for features on R.E.D.
Game’s first album ‘The Documentary’ was powered by Dre, but after his public feud with Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment-signee 50 Cent, the legendary beatsmith and Game went their separate ways and no further musical collaborations took place between the two parties until now.
However, in 2009, pictures of Game, Dre and Snoop Dogg working in the studios surfaced on the internet, leading to speculation that the two parties may have reconciled their differences, which later turned out to be true.
Dre on The R.E.D. Album looks like a sure thing, but there are still question marks on the Detox-star’s level of involvement. Will he be doing full verses or just the hook? All will be answered on August 23, when the new disc hit the stores.
In a quick word with MTV News on the shoot of his ‘Pot of Gold’, Game said, “This album is the most incredible album of my career. First, I’m back with Dr. Dre, which is a bonus and dope for me. Second, executive-produced by Pharrell, co-executive-produced by myself and Mars.”
The rest of the production team is quite impressive as well, with names such as Hit-Boy, Lex Luger, Cool & Dre and Maestro. And to change the flavor a bit, Game also invited artists like pop singer Nelly Furtado, rap ace Lil Wayne and veteran Busta Rhymes for features on R.E.D.
Game’s first album ‘The Documentary’ was powered by Dre, but after his public feud with Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment-signee 50 Cent, the legendary beatsmith and Game went their separate ways and no further musical collaborations took place between the two parties until now.
However, in 2009, pictures of Game, Dre and Snoop Dogg working in the studios surfaced on the internet, leading to speculation that the two parties may have reconciled their differences, which later turned out to be true.
Dre on The R.E.D. Album looks like a sure thing, but there are still question marks on the Detox-star’s level of involvement. Will he be doing full verses or just the hook? All will be answered on August 23, when the new disc hit the stores.
Amber Rose rants over naked pics being leaked.
courtesy of blogseattlepi
Amber Rose
Kanye West's former lover Amber Rose has lashed out at a former assistant who allegedly leaked sexually explicit snaps of the star online, costing the model a lucrative job.
Graphic pictures of a naked Rose were posted on the Internet earlier this week, and the star has now taken to her Twitter page to address the leak.
Rose claims a former aide, who she fired, was behind the release of the photos, and insists she and her boyfriend, rapper Wiz Khalifa, knew about the impending leak for several months.
She has now blasted the "evil" move by her former confidante in a series of online rants, and blames the release of the pictures for being dropped from a modeling contract.
On her page, she writes, "I was gonna wait until my radio show to address this but I want to say this now. I trusted someone that worked 4 me & allowed them to use my laptop a million times, I caught this person sending my pics to themselves and I fired this person immediately. Wiz & I & both of our families have known about this for 2 months now. We tried to prepare ourselves for this day. Those pictures r (are) 2 1/2 years old just sitting in my computer. I'm really hurt & embarr#!@%*#ed (embarrassed) because I have so many young girls that look up to me. I would never put those pics out of myself.
"The company that I was working with no longer wants to work with me because of these pics and that prevents me from getting money to take care of my family. Its (sic) a messed up situation when someone so evil comes into ur (your) life and tries to destroy it. I know I'm not the only girl in the world that has taken pics like that but they were very private. I'm sorry for letting my young Rosebuds (fans) down. Pls (please) understand this was a result of trusting a person that didn't deserve my trust. I have cried for the past 2 days... Thank u for all of ur support."
Graphic pictures of a naked Rose were posted on the Internet earlier this week, and the star has now taken to her Twitter page to address the leak.
Rose claims a former aide, who she fired, was behind the release of the photos, and insists she and her boyfriend, rapper Wiz Khalifa, knew about the impending leak for several months.
She has now blasted the "evil" move by her former confidante in a series of online rants, and blames the release of the pictures for being dropped from a modeling contract.
On her page, she writes, "I was gonna wait until my radio show to address this but I want to say this now. I trusted someone that worked 4 me & allowed them to use my laptop a million times, I caught this person sending my pics to themselves and I fired this person immediately. Wiz & I & both of our families have known about this for 2 months now. We tried to prepare ourselves for this day. Those pictures r (are) 2 1/2 years old just sitting in my computer. I'm really hurt & embarr#!@%*#ed (embarrassed) because I have so many young girls that look up to me. I would never put those pics out of myself.
"The company that I was working with no longer wants to work with me because of these pics and that prevents me from getting money to take care of my family. Its (sic) a messed up situation when someone so evil comes into ur (your) life and tries to destroy it. I know I'm not the only girl in the world that has taken pics like that but they were very private. I'm sorry for letting my young Rosebuds (fans) down. Pls (please) understand this was a result of trusting a person that didn't deserve my trust. I have cried for the past 2 days... Thank u for all of ur support."
Marsha Ambrosius talks about her solo debut and her tour with R. Kelly
BY ALEXIS TARRAZI STAFF WRITER - THE RECORD
LISTEN: marshaambrosiusmusic.com.
Working late into the night and leaving in the wee hours, Marsha Ambrosius was determined to make her first solo album one that embodied exactly what she stood for.
Ambrosius, formerly the singing half of the British duo Floetry and a songwriter and producer for artists including Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Jamie Foxx and Nas, paid tribute to her nocturnal recording sessions in the album's title — "Late Nights and Early Mornings."
"[The name] came about just really creating it," said Ambrosius, currently on tour with R. Kelly and Keyshia Cole. "I've been in the studio many late nights and left there many early mornings. This is my life, this is what I do."
Her album, which debuted in March, entered at No. 1 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and No. 2 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album also claimed the No. 2 slot on the Digital Albums chart within the first week of its release.
Ambrosius says she pulled from personal experiences in creating the album.
"Being this is my first album, it's everything I wanted to say," she said. "I had to make sure the first time around I got my perspective across about how I felt on love and life. It kind of came easy for me writing songs because it always came from an honest place, and that was the perspective I wanted to give on this album. Just pure honesty whether it was right or wrong.
"It was completely set within the moment. When you hear the songs back to back you just knew that I felt that way at that particular time. When it comes to the next song I am almost apologizing for what I did in the song before that."
Ambrosius admits she listens to her own album all the time and hopes fans will do the same.
"I love my album," Ambrosius says with a laugh. "I play it from beginning to end often, and people are like, 'No you don't!' And I say, 'No, seriously. I listen to it, I still listen to it!' It's my own album."
Ambrosius began opening for Kelly, along with Cole, on the U.S. leg of his "Love Letter" tour in June, and will accompany him through mid-July.
Right now, she says, she's just enjoying the ride.
"It's crazy," Ambrosius said of all the excitement. "It still feels very new and refreshing for me since creating the album and getting to see the light of day and people loving it. And I still get to feel like it's new again. I guess all the late nights and early mornings in the studio, I didn't realize months had passed … and now I get to be out in the world enjoying it."
Working late into the night and leaving in the wee hours, Marsha Ambrosius was determined to make her first solo album one that embodied exactly what she stood for.
Ambrosius, formerly the singing half of the British duo Floetry and a songwriter and producer for artists including Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Jamie Foxx and Nas, paid tribute to her nocturnal recording sessions in the album's title — "Late Nights and Early Mornings."
"[The name] came about just really creating it," said Ambrosius, currently on tour with R. Kelly and Keyshia Cole. "I've been in the studio many late nights and left there many early mornings. This is my life, this is what I do."
Her album, which debuted in March, entered at No. 1 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and No. 2 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album also claimed the No. 2 slot on the Digital Albums chart within the first week of its release.
Ambrosius says she pulled from personal experiences in creating the album.
"Being this is my first album, it's everything I wanted to say," she said. "I had to make sure the first time around I got my perspective across about how I felt on love and life. It kind of came easy for me writing songs because it always came from an honest place, and that was the perspective I wanted to give on this album. Just pure honesty whether it was right or wrong.
"It was completely set within the moment. When you hear the songs back to back you just knew that I felt that way at that particular time. When it comes to the next song I am almost apologizing for what I did in the song before that."
Ambrosius admits she listens to her own album all the time and hopes fans will do the same.
"I love my album," Ambrosius says with a laugh. "I play it from beginning to end often, and people are like, 'No you don't!' And I say, 'No, seriously. I listen to it, I still listen to it!' It's my own album."
Ambrosius began opening for Kelly, along with Cole, on the U.S. leg of his "Love Letter" tour in June, and will accompany him through mid-July.
Right now, she says, she's just enjoying the ride.
"It's crazy," Ambrosius said of all the excitement. "It still feels very new and refreshing for me since creating the album and getting to see the light of day and people loving it. And I still get to feel like it's new again. I guess all the late nights and early mornings in the studio, I didn't realize months had passed … and now I get to be out in the world enjoying it."
Nicki Minaj Mourns Cousin Nicholas Telemaque's Death "My precious cousin. My baby. Killed last nite," Nicki Minaj tweeted on July 4.
By Rob Markman mtv
Nicki Minaj's cousin Nicholas was murdered
What was supposed to be a day of celebration for Team Nicki was hit with tragedy after Nicki Minaj's cousin Nicholas Telemaque was murdered near his home in Brooklyn, New York, on Monday. "Lived in Brooklyn his whole life. My precious cousin. My baby. Killed last nite," Nicki tweeted, along with a photo of Telemaque.
The Harajuku Barbie also wrote, "My cousin Nicholas. Also goes by Juse, or @brolicalcoholic. Murdered. Last nite. Near his home. Brooklyn, NY," and attached another pic.
Yesterday Minaj spent Independence Day performing in Winnipeg, Canada, as part of Britney Spears' Femme Fatale tour and also celebrated the birthday of her rumored boyfriend, hypeman Safaree "SB" Samuels, to whom she tweeted a b-day message: "HappyBirthdaySB!!!!!!!! @scaffbeezyhope u like ya gift coon!!!!"
Since tweeting about her cousin's death, Minaj hasn't sent any subsequent messages out through the social networking site as of this writing.
On Monday, July 4, at approximately 2:40 a.m. ET, police responded to a call in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, where they found Telemaque, 27, with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper torso region. He was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The New York Daily News reported that Telemaque had just left C-PAC nightclub, just blocks from his home, when he was shot. Police told MTV News that no arrests have been made and the investigation is still ongoing.
The Harajuku Barbie also wrote, "My cousin Nicholas. Also goes by Juse, or @brolicalcoholic. Murdered. Last nite. Near his home. Brooklyn, NY," and attached another pic.
Yesterday Minaj spent Independence Day performing in Winnipeg, Canada, as part of Britney Spears' Femme Fatale tour and also celebrated the birthday of her rumored boyfriend, hypeman Safaree "SB" Samuels, to whom she tweeted a b-day message: "HappyBirthdaySB!!!!!!!! @scaffbeezyhope u like ya gift coon!!!!"
Since tweeting about her cousin's death, Minaj hasn't sent any subsequent messages out through the social networking site as of this writing.
On Monday, July 4, at approximately 2:40 a.m. ET, police responded to a call in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, where they found Telemaque, 27, with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper torso region. He was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The New York Daily News reported that Telemaque had just left C-PAC nightclub, just blocks from his home, when he was shot. Police told MTV News that no arrests have been made and the investigation is still ongoing.
Black People Strongly Support Drug Tests For Welfare Recipients
Written by NewsOne Staff
A new poll conducted by BlackPlanet/NewsOne shows that 77 percent of African Americans believe that drug screening should be required for those applying for welfare benefits.
The poll, which had over 1,600 respondents, detailed how many African Americans believe if employers can drug test you for a job, the government should be able to do so for public assistance programs. Only 23 percent of African-Americans disagreed with the drug testing requirement. Many believe if you drug test for a social program such as welfare, you should do the same for others such as Medicaid and food stamps. Others mentioned the high unemployment rate in the country, and the public’s dependence on programs such as welfare to survive.
Recently, Florida passed a law requiring all welfare applicants to submit to drug testing. The applicants would have to pay for the test — and if they were to pass — they would be reimbursed the amount and granted welfare. If they fail, they amount they paid to take the exam would not be refunded.
Thirty-nine percent of African Americans are currently on welfare. Whites account for 38 percent of welfare recipients; and Hispanics and Asians account for the rest of recipients at 17 and 4 percent respectively.
The poll, which had over 1,600 respondents, detailed how many African Americans believe if employers can drug test you for a job, the government should be able to do so for public assistance programs. Only 23 percent of African-Americans disagreed with the drug testing requirement. Many believe if you drug test for a social program such as welfare, you should do the same for others such as Medicaid and food stamps. Others mentioned the high unemployment rate in the country, and the public’s dependence on programs such as welfare to survive.
Recently, Florida passed a law requiring all welfare applicants to submit to drug testing. The applicants would have to pay for the test — and if they were to pass — they would be reimbursed the amount and granted welfare. If they fail, they amount they paid to take the exam would not be refunded.
Thirty-nine percent of African Americans are currently on welfare. Whites account for 38 percent of welfare recipients; and Hispanics and Asians account for the rest of recipients at 17 and 4 percent respectively.
African-American unemployment at 16 percent
By Michele Miller
African American unemployment rate is at 16%
(CBS News) The economy and jobs will be big issues in Washington again this coming week.
While unemployment among the general population is about 9.1 percent, it's at 16.2 percent African Americans, and a bit higher still for African American males.
CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports that, historically, the unemployment rate for African Americans has always been higher than the national average. However, now it's at Depression-era levels. The most recent figures show African American joblessness at 16.2 percent. For black males, it's at 17.5 percent; And for black teens, it's nearly 41 percent.
For some, it's crunch time at STRIVE, a job training program in East Harlem, where instructors use drill sergeant-like techniques. They teach job-seekers to correct their mistakes by fining them a quarter each time they make them.
For young men of color, especially black males in New York City, things are especially bad. According to the think tank, the Community Service Society, 34 percent of New York's young black men age 19 to 24 are not working.
"If you haven't connected with the world of work by the age of 25, it's a permanent problem for the rest of your career," says David Johns with the Community Service Society.
Christopher Scott, 20 and a high school drop-out, got a GED last year, but he hasn't been able to find a job ever since.
"It makes me feel degraded in a way cause at 20, I should be more independent," Scott says.
For those with less than a college education, finding a job alone isn't the answer. Even if they secure employment, it's often below minimum wage, and in places like New York City, it's barely enough to survive.
Jermaine Christian, currently working as a restaurant busboy, graduated from one of the top high schools in the city in 2010. He can't afford college, so after searching for a year now, he works for $5.50 per hour.
"I became more or less desperate and took anything I could find," Christian says.
Job counselors say part of the problem is that high schools aren't teaching marketable skills.
"Unless you have a skill coming out of high school, in this society, in this economy, you will not be able to find a job," Johns says.
Even so, in this climate, where jobs are scarce, even having a real skill is still no guarantee of a job.
Idris Elba bounces into big time with parts for Guillermo del Toro, Ridley Scott
courtesy of web blogs Baltimore Sun
Idris Elba at Thor premier
The producers of the Alex Cross series reboot ("I, Alex Cross") disappointed Idris Elba fans -- and Alex Cross fans, too -- when they dropped Elba from their plans and cast Tyler Perry instead in the role of the intrepid forensic psychologist.
But Elba scored as the Norse god Heimdall in "Thor" and has kept busy shooting Ridley Scott's sort-of-prequel to "Alien," 'Prometheus."
Even better, he has just been cast, according to Deadline's Mike Fleming, in Guillermo del Toro's "Pacific Rim," a sci-fi epic about humans devising robots capable of saving the planet from invading aliens.
Elba won over the American press as "Stringer Bell" in "The Wire" and lost it when he brought his magnetic strength to commercial films like "The Losers." But he gained new respect from critics -- and reporters like Mike Fleming -- with "Luther," the headlong police miniseries that aired on BBC-America.
The New York Times had portrayed Elba as a calculating performer cynically plotting out a superstar career before "The Losers." But it praised him in "Luther" for re-energizing the story of a cop working on the edge of police ethics and the verge of a nervous breakdown.
When I asked Elba a year ago what he thought I should know about Luther, the actor said that this London homicide detective is "simmering with rage." So I was relieved to find that what really marks Luther is his brilliance. He delivers acute high-speed observations without the grating or ingratiating hokum and mannerisms of the wizards on "Lie to Me" and "The Mentalist."
But Elba scored as the Norse god Heimdall in "Thor" and has kept busy shooting Ridley Scott's sort-of-prequel to "Alien," 'Prometheus."
Even better, he has just been cast, according to Deadline's Mike Fleming, in Guillermo del Toro's "Pacific Rim," a sci-fi epic about humans devising robots capable of saving the planet from invading aliens.
Elba won over the American press as "Stringer Bell" in "The Wire" and lost it when he brought his magnetic strength to commercial films like "The Losers." But he gained new respect from critics -- and reporters like Mike Fleming -- with "Luther," the headlong police miniseries that aired on BBC-America.
The New York Times had portrayed Elba as a calculating performer cynically plotting out a superstar career before "The Losers." But it praised him in "Luther" for re-energizing the story of a cop working on the edge of police ethics and the verge of a nervous breakdown.
When I asked Elba a year ago what he thought I should know about Luther, the actor said that this London homicide detective is "simmering with rage." So I was relieved to find that what really marks Luther is his brilliance. He delivers acute high-speed observations without the grating or ingratiating hokum and mannerisms of the wizards on "Lie to Me" and "The Mentalist."
Postal blues
The US Postal Service is so deeply in debt that it could default on a $5.5 billion payment for retiree benefits by month’s end.
No surprise there. Total mail volume is down 20 percent from four years ago -- and Americans are mailing stamped envelopes only half as often as they did in 2000.
That’s largely because more than 200 million Americans subscribe to e-mail and other online options, which the Postal Service considers a “disruptive” innovation -- “the primary cause of our revenue shortfall,” says CFO Joe Corbett.
Meanwhile, advertisers now target shoppers online instead of by mail, while just 26 percent of consumers are paying bills with paper checks. Everything’s just easier when you cut out the middleman -- the postman.
GETTY IMAGESBut even as mail volume is shrinking, the postal service keeps getting more expensive. Labor costs have been rising and now make up 80 percent of USPS expenses.
The biggest burden: health-care benefits for retirees. Adjusted for inflation, health-care costs have soared 448 percent since 1972. Back then, benefits were only 8 percent of the USPS’ operating expenses -- but by last year they were 30 percent.
The result: The USPS lost $2.8 billion in 2008, $3.7 billion in 2009, $8.3 billion last year, and it’s $8.5 billion in the red this year.
Don’t blame the men and women in blue -- the Postal Service has made heroic efforts to slash its expenses, but it can’t get out of the hole alone.
Though officially an independent agency, it operates under the heavy hand of Congress, which crafted the retiree-benefit standards that are sinking the agency.
So the USPS is asking Congress for permission to cut 120,000 employees, shed another 100,000 through attrition and fix its failing health-care system to remain afloat.
What to do?
Some bills floating around Washington would end Saturday deliveries, which is both wise and inevitable. Others call for a fundamental restructuring of USPS finances. Whatever happens, speed is of the essence.
This isn’t to make light of the pain inherent in the plans: The Postal Service has already shed more than 200,000 career employees in the last 10 years, and seeks to cut its workforce another 20 percent as soon as it can. Hundreds of thousands of livelihoods are at stake with any reforms.
But history and technology have passed the Post Office by. Demand is plummeting, and the USPS -- the nation’s second-largest employer -- is looking more and more like a massive, unaffordable jobs program.
It’s clearly not the only American institution to come under siege in the online age, but the consequences of its decline will affect every address in America.
That’s no reason for Congress to shirk from its clear duty: Reform the USPS.
No surprise there. Total mail volume is down 20 percent from four years ago -- and Americans are mailing stamped envelopes only half as often as they did in 2000.
That’s largely because more than 200 million Americans subscribe to e-mail and other online options, which the Postal Service considers a “disruptive” innovation -- “the primary cause of our revenue shortfall,” says CFO Joe Corbett.
Meanwhile, advertisers now target shoppers online instead of by mail, while just 26 percent of consumers are paying bills with paper checks. Everything’s just easier when you cut out the middleman -- the postman.
GETTY IMAGESBut even as mail volume is shrinking, the postal service keeps getting more expensive. Labor costs have been rising and now make up 80 percent of USPS expenses.
The biggest burden: health-care benefits for retirees. Adjusted for inflation, health-care costs have soared 448 percent since 1972. Back then, benefits were only 8 percent of the USPS’ operating expenses -- but by last year they were 30 percent.
The result: The USPS lost $2.8 billion in 2008, $3.7 billion in 2009, $8.3 billion last year, and it’s $8.5 billion in the red this year.
Don’t blame the men and women in blue -- the Postal Service has made heroic efforts to slash its expenses, but it can’t get out of the hole alone.
Though officially an independent agency, it operates under the heavy hand of Congress, which crafted the retiree-benefit standards that are sinking the agency.
So the USPS is asking Congress for permission to cut 120,000 employees, shed another 100,000 through attrition and fix its failing health-care system to remain afloat.
What to do?
Some bills floating around Washington would end Saturday deliveries, which is both wise and inevitable. Others call for a fundamental restructuring of USPS finances. Whatever happens, speed is of the essence.
This isn’t to make light of the pain inherent in the plans: The Postal Service has already shed more than 200,000 career employees in the last 10 years, and seeks to cut its workforce another 20 percent as soon as it can. Hundreds of thousands of livelihoods are at stake with any reforms.
But history and technology have passed the Post Office by. Demand is plummeting, and the USPS -- the nation’s second-largest employer -- is looking more and more like a massive, unaffordable jobs program.
It’s clearly not the only American institution to come under siege in the online age, but the consequences of its decline will affect every address in America.
That’s no reason for Congress to shirk from its clear duty: Reform the USPS.
Clayton Hill: Dawoud Muhammad Murdered Notorious B.I.G., "I Was An Accessory After The Fact"
Clayton Hill says he was an accessory
courtesy of hiphopdx.com
Exclusive: An inmate has come forward with possible confirmation of the man who murdered Biggie Smalls while implicating members of the Nation of Islam, including himself, in the cover-up.
Former Nation of Islam member, and currently incarcerated federal felon, Clayton Hill has confessed to his role as an accessory after the fact to the murder of The Notorious B.I.G.
After first contacting HipHopDX on June 8th, Hill disclosed to DX that in October of 2010 he met with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy DePodesta and two agents with the F.B.I.’s Domestic Terrorism Unit and revealed that in May of 1997, while acting under orders as an official with Muhammad Mosque #15 in Atlanta, Georgia, he took possession of a semi-automatic handgun from a fellow N.O.I. member from Los Angeles, California who introduced himself as Dawoud Muhammad.
“[Dawoud Muhammad] stated to me that he was on the run for the murder [of The Notorious B.I.G.],” Hill wrote to HipHopDX via the CorrLinks email system for federal inmates. “He disclosed that he was the shooter of The Notorious B.I.G. because he (Dawoud) was a former Blood gang member and was paid to do so.”
In his forthcoming e-book, Diary of an Ex-Terrorist, Clayton quotes Dawoud bragging to him of that payment, “And I made twenty-five ‘g’s’ off that.”
Hill, who is currently residing in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago (inmate #61829019), convicted of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Identity Theft, examined pictures of both the long-suspected gunman and mastermind in the Notorious B.I.G. shooting, Amir Muhammad and David Mack, that were included in a magazine upon HipHopDX’s request.
“I have looked at the pics in the mag,” Hill wrote, “and although I cannot say conclusively and with absolute certainty because that was 14 years ago, Amir Muhammad looks like the person who used the name Dawoud.”
“A member from L.A. wouldn’t know a member from Atlanta so you wouldn’t completely trust them,” explained Hill when queried by HipHopDX as to why Amir would adopt the false name Dawoud while dealing with fellow members of the Nation of Islam. “Also, consider that the N.O.I. is a paramilitary organization and all members do as instructed so if he or I were told by someone to give a false name as precaution then he would and it would be accepted without question.”
According to Hill, he was initially contacted in mid-May 1997 by Minister Tony Muhammad, the Western Regional Minister of the N.O.I., and asked to pick up someone from the Greyhound Bus Station in downtown Atlanta. This unnamed person was coming from Los Angeles headed through Atlanta.
Before ending his alleged call with Tony Muhammad, Clayton claims that he explained to the minister that he needed regional approval before proceeding with his request. Per Hill, a couple of hours later he was contacted by Brother Melvin Muhammad, the Account Executive based at the Chicago headquarters of the Nation assigned to the office of the Supreme Captain of the Southern Region, Abdul Sharrieff Muhammad, with instructions from the “Supreme” in reference to the earlier call from “Brother Tony in L.A.”
According to Clayton, Melvin Muhammad reiterated Tony Muhammad’s previous request. And after picking up the man he had been introduced to as “Dawoud,” Hill procured the weapon he claims he was instructed to retrieve. Writing in his book Clayton explained, “I told [Dawoud Muhammad] I had instructions to collect some property from him. He must have been given the same instructions because he didn’t hesitate or show any signs of doubt as he bent over and removed a trash liner out of a waste can and handed it to me to hold open. He reached into the duffle bag he brought with him and pulled out a semi-automatic hand gun that could have been a .9 millimeter or a .40 caliber wrapped in a white undershirt. Carefully he placed it into the trash bag making sure his hands never touched any of the exposed parts of the gun.”
After allegedly receiving his final instructions from Melvin Muhammad, Clayton claims he was instructed to take the “property” to Louisville, Kentucky. In Louisville, Hill delivered the gun to Emile Muhammad, the personal driver of Minister Louis Farrakhan. Emile Muhammad then allegedly transported the gun to its final destination within the headquarters of the Nation of Islam.
“Somebody in Chicago wanted that weapon,” Hill replied when asked by HipHopDX why a murder weapon would not be immediately disposed of and instead be taken on a cross-country trip from Los Angeles to Atlanta to Louisville to the N.O.I.’s HQ. “Who wanted it? I can’t say for sure but whoever wanted it had to be high ranking.”
Clayton does not believe that “high ranking” official within the Nation of Islam was its highest ranking member.
“I doubt if Minister Farrakhan knew anything,” wrote Hill. “He would have been insulated from that.”
HipHopDX has been unable to locate any previously published reports putting forth the theory that the Nation of Islam attempted to conceal the fact that a member of the N.O.I. had just murdered the then most popular rapper in the world by hiding the murder weapon used in that crime.
HipHopDX has additionally been unable to establish if Amir Muhammad was in Atlanta in May of 1997, or if he ever fled from his reported residence in Los Angeles at any time during that year. It has however been previously established by former lead detective in the Notorious B.I.G. murder investigation, Russell Poole, that Amir was in L.A. visiting the father of his godchildren, David Mack, seven months after Clayton Hill’s alleged run-in with the murderer of Biggie Smalls, in December of 1997, while Mack sat in jail after being arrested for robbing a South Central branch of Bank of America of $722,000.
Clayton Hill left the Nation of Islam in 2000, and only came clean a decade later about the illegal activities he engaged in during and after his time with the N.O.I. to spare his wife a possible lengthy prison term for her alleged involvement in Clayton’s most recent criminal activity.
Writing in the prologue to his book Hill explained, “Four years ago, in 2006 I created a scheme to file false tax returns on debit cards and withdraw the proceeds from ATM’s all over the city. I filed 122 tax returns and according to the government I netted a little over three hundred thousand dollars. The government went after my wife to get at me and she was three floors below me [in the M.C.C.] on the twelfth floor and had been incarcerated as long as I had. Because we had a two-year old daughter who was being passed from family friend to family friend I made the decision to proffer against myself so Tamara, my wife, could get a reduced sentence and get back to our daughter.”
Tamara was eventually sentenced to time served after being released on a signature bond, without objection from the prosecution, just one week after Clayton’s meeting with the government.
“My proffers protect me from anything I say,” he noted to DX, “but you have to realize that anyone [in the N.O.I.] who confirms anything can be charged as an accessory after the fact.”
A credible source close to Clayton’s case, who requested to remain anonymous for this report, confirmed with HipHopDX that the meeting he claims to have had with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy DePodesta and the F.B.I. in October did in fact take place, with Hill revealing the same information to the government that he shared with DX.
While his wife received credit for this disclosure, Hill himself did not receive a sentence reduction for his revelations regarding the cover-up of the murder of The Notorious B.I.G. A criminal defense attorney specializing in federal cases advised HipHopDX that this likely occurred because Clayton’s criminal history would preclude his usefulness under cross-examination in any future trials, making Hill an ineffective witness for the government.
Clayton’s inability to definitively identify the man he knew as Dawoud likely further frustrated the government and led to a lack of credit for his revelations.
“I reviewed pics with the F.B.I. and could not conclusively identify the person they showed me,” Clayton explained. “But the face did look familiar. It has been 14 years.”
Even with the failed I.D. and lack of credit for his confessions, Hill remains adamant that his statements to the government were the primary catalyst for the F.B.I.’s revelation to CNN in January that their now 14-year-old investigation into the murder of The Notorious B.I.G. had been “reinvigorated.”
Hill’s e-book containing all of the aforementioned allegations (and many more), Diary of an Ex-Terrorist, is due for release July 15th via Clayton’s own Bella Media Group [@BmGrp1].
Exclusive: An inmate has come forward with possible confirmation of the man who murdered Biggie Smalls while implicating members of the Nation of Islam, including himself, in the cover-up.
Former Nation of Islam member, and currently incarcerated federal felon, Clayton Hill has confessed to his role as an accessory after the fact to the murder of The Notorious B.I.G.
After first contacting HipHopDX on June 8th, Hill disclosed to DX that in October of 2010 he met with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy DePodesta and two agents with the F.B.I.’s Domestic Terrorism Unit and revealed that in May of 1997, while acting under orders as an official with Muhammad Mosque #15 in Atlanta, Georgia, he took possession of a semi-automatic handgun from a fellow N.O.I. member from Los Angeles, California who introduced himself as Dawoud Muhammad.
“[Dawoud Muhammad] stated to me that he was on the run for the murder [of The Notorious B.I.G.],” Hill wrote to HipHopDX via the CorrLinks email system for federal inmates. “He disclosed that he was the shooter of The Notorious B.I.G. because he (Dawoud) was a former Blood gang member and was paid to do so.”
In his forthcoming e-book, Diary of an Ex-Terrorist, Clayton quotes Dawoud bragging to him of that payment, “And I made twenty-five ‘g’s’ off that.”
Hill, who is currently residing in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago (inmate #61829019), convicted of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Identity Theft, examined pictures of both the long-suspected gunman and mastermind in the Notorious B.I.G. shooting, Amir Muhammad and David Mack, that were included in a magazine upon HipHopDX’s request.
“I have looked at the pics in the mag,” Hill wrote, “and although I cannot say conclusively and with absolute certainty because that was 14 years ago, Amir Muhammad looks like the person who used the name Dawoud.”
“A member from L.A. wouldn’t know a member from Atlanta so you wouldn’t completely trust them,” explained Hill when queried by HipHopDX as to why Amir would adopt the false name Dawoud while dealing with fellow members of the Nation of Islam. “Also, consider that the N.O.I. is a paramilitary organization and all members do as instructed so if he or I were told by someone to give a false name as precaution then he would and it would be accepted without question.”
According to Hill, he was initially contacted in mid-May 1997 by Minister Tony Muhammad, the Western Regional Minister of the N.O.I., and asked to pick up someone from the Greyhound Bus Station in downtown Atlanta. This unnamed person was coming from Los Angeles headed through Atlanta.
Before ending his alleged call with Tony Muhammad, Clayton claims that he explained to the minister that he needed regional approval before proceeding with his request. Per Hill, a couple of hours later he was contacted by Brother Melvin Muhammad, the Account Executive based at the Chicago headquarters of the Nation assigned to the office of the Supreme Captain of the Southern Region, Abdul Sharrieff Muhammad, with instructions from the “Supreme” in reference to the earlier call from “Brother Tony in L.A.”
According to Clayton, Melvin Muhammad reiterated Tony Muhammad’s previous request. And after picking up the man he had been introduced to as “Dawoud,” Hill procured the weapon he claims he was instructed to retrieve. Writing in his book Clayton explained, “I told [Dawoud Muhammad] I had instructions to collect some property from him. He must have been given the same instructions because he didn’t hesitate or show any signs of doubt as he bent over and removed a trash liner out of a waste can and handed it to me to hold open. He reached into the duffle bag he brought with him and pulled out a semi-automatic hand gun that could have been a .9 millimeter or a .40 caliber wrapped in a white undershirt. Carefully he placed it into the trash bag making sure his hands never touched any of the exposed parts of the gun.”
After allegedly receiving his final instructions from Melvin Muhammad, Clayton claims he was instructed to take the “property” to Louisville, Kentucky. In Louisville, Hill delivered the gun to Emile Muhammad, the personal driver of Minister Louis Farrakhan. Emile Muhammad then allegedly transported the gun to its final destination within the headquarters of the Nation of Islam.
“Somebody in Chicago wanted that weapon,” Hill replied when asked by HipHopDX why a murder weapon would not be immediately disposed of and instead be taken on a cross-country trip from Los Angeles to Atlanta to Louisville to the N.O.I.’s HQ. “Who wanted it? I can’t say for sure but whoever wanted it had to be high ranking.”
Clayton does not believe that “high ranking” official within the Nation of Islam was its highest ranking member.
“I doubt if Minister Farrakhan knew anything,” wrote Hill. “He would have been insulated from that.”
HipHopDX has been unable to locate any previously published reports putting forth the theory that the Nation of Islam attempted to conceal the fact that a member of the N.O.I. had just murdered the then most popular rapper in the world by hiding the murder weapon used in that crime.
HipHopDX has additionally been unable to establish if Amir Muhammad was in Atlanta in May of 1997, or if he ever fled from his reported residence in Los Angeles at any time during that year. It has however been previously established by former lead detective in the Notorious B.I.G. murder investigation, Russell Poole, that Amir was in L.A. visiting the father of his godchildren, David Mack, seven months after Clayton Hill’s alleged run-in with the murderer of Biggie Smalls, in December of 1997, while Mack sat in jail after being arrested for robbing a South Central branch of Bank of America of $722,000.
Clayton Hill left the Nation of Islam in 2000, and only came clean a decade later about the illegal activities he engaged in during and after his time with the N.O.I. to spare his wife a possible lengthy prison term for her alleged involvement in Clayton’s most recent criminal activity.
Writing in the prologue to his book Hill explained, “Four years ago, in 2006 I created a scheme to file false tax returns on debit cards and withdraw the proceeds from ATM’s all over the city. I filed 122 tax returns and according to the government I netted a little over three hundred thousand dollars. The government went after my wife to get at me and she was three floors below me [in the M.C.C.] on the twelfth floor and had been incarcerated as long as I had. Because we had a two-year old daughter who was being passed from family friend to family friend I made the decision to proffer against myself so Tamara, my wife, could get a reduced sentence and get back to our daughter.”
Tamara was eventually sentenced to time served after being released on a signature bond, without objection from the prosecution, just one week after Clayton’s meeting with the government.
“My proffers protect me from anything I say,” he noted to DX, “but you have to realize that anyone [in the N.O.I.] who confirms anything can be charged as an accessory after the fact.”
A credible source close to Clayton’s case, who requested to remain anonymous for this report, confirmed with HipHopDX that the meeting he claims to have had with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy DePodesta and the F.B.I. in October did in fact take place, with Hill revealing the same information to the government that he shared with DX.
While his wife received credit for this disclosure, Hill himself did not receive a sentence reduction for his revelations regarding the cover-up of the murder of The Notorious B.I.G. A criminal defense attorney specializing in federal cases advised HipHopDX that this likely occurred because Clayton’s criminal history would preclude his usefulness under cross-examination in any future trials, making Hill an ineffective witness for the government.
Clayton’s inability to definitively identify the man he knew as Dawoud likely further frustrated the government and led to a lack of credit for his revelations.
“I reviewed pics with the F.B.I. and could not conclusively identify the person they showed me,” Clayton explained. “But the face did look familiar. It has been 14 years.”
Even with the failed I.D. and lack of credit for his confessions, Hill remains adamant that his statements to the government were the primary catalyst for the F.B.I.’s revelation to CNN in January that their now 14-year-old investigation into the murder of The Notorious B.I.G. had been “reinvigorated.”
Hill’s e-book containing all of the aforementioned allegations (and many more), Diary of an Ex-Terrorist, is due for release July 15th via Clayton’s own Bella Media Group [@BmGrp1].
Jay-Z talks feud with Kanye West "I have so much respect for him"
By Emily Exton popdust.com
Jay-Z stopped by New York’s Hot 97 Monday afternoon to address rumors that he and Kanye West are at odds just days before the release of their collaborative album Watch The Throne. Ever the professional, Hov could only give DJ Angie Martinez 15 minutes of his time before jetting off to the Rocawear offices, but that’s all he needed to squash any belief that he and ‘Ye have had a falling out. In between raving over Derek Jeter—glad to hear someone’s not a jaded New York sports fan—and sharing his workout secrets (use the desire to drag someone down the street as your motivation to run that extra mile) Jay set the record about Kanye’s lavish demands straight. “I kind of want to spend a gazillion dollars. I think they got it backwards,” he laughed. “Kanye’s my brother. Yes we get on each other’s nerves, but that’s part of pushing each other. We push each other. The people who have a problem with Kanye or myself are the people who are complacent in life.” The pair has already proven that they can travel together, so planning a live tour should really be a piece of cake, even if minor disagreements come along. “So of course there are times when we’re in the studio and we’re yelling but that’s about it. I would never disrespect that man. I have so much respect for him, I would never put my hands on him,” he concluded. And we can breath again. As there needed to be more hype around the project, Jay unsurprisingly called the album a 10. “The music that we made for this album is perfect,” he said. “It’s almost like how ‘D.O.A.’ was the perfect single at the perfect time, I think this album is the perfect album at the perfect time.” Feud or non-feud, we’re at T-minus seven, friends.
Check out Jay-Z's full interview below
Check out Jay-Z's full interview below
BET apologizes to Chris Brown.
Courtesy of MTV UK
After Rihanna was given one of his BET awards by mistake...
BET president Stephen Hill has been forced to apologize to Chris Brown after his ex-girlfriend Rihanna was given the Viewers' Choice gong by mistake at the BET Awardson Sunday evening.
As we previously reported, Breezy was the big winner at the star-studded bash, taking home four awards, despite a problem with the show's digital winners envelopes, where a fan read out RiRi's name from the i-Pad-like tablet device instead of Brown's.
Hill has taken full responsibility for the mistake, posting on Twitter: "That BET Awards Viewer's Choice mix-up was due to human error. And I was the human that made that error. I apologize to ALL affected."
Tiffany Green, who came on stage to announce the winner of the Viewers' Choice accolade with Nicki Minaj, also took to Twitter to defend herself after the mishap, posting on the social networking site: "Bawling backstage. They totally f***ed me up."
She added: "The tablet f***in said CHRIS BROWN....the TELEPROMPTER said Rihanna. What the F***?????? Goin home..... "
2011 BET Awards host, Kevin Hart, later cleared up the confusion, clarifying at the end of the show that Breezy HAD won the award and brought the 22-year old out to collect his trophy.
After Rihanna was given one of his BET awards by mistake...
BET president Stephen Hill has been forced to apologize to Chris Brown after his ex-girlfriend Rihanna was given the Viewers' Choice gong by mistake at the BET Awardson Sunday evening.
As we previously reported, Breezy was the big winner at the star-studded bash, taking home four awards, despite a problem with the show's digital winners envelopes, where a fan read out RiRi's name from the i-Pad-like tablet device instead of Brown's.
Hill has taken full responsibility for the mistake, posting on Twitter: "That BET Awards Viewer's Choice mix-up was due to human error. And I was the human that made that error. I apologize to ALL affected."
Tiffany Green, who came on stage to announce the winner of the Viewers' Choice accolade with Nicki Minaj, also took to Twitter to defend herself after the mishap, posting on the social networking site: "Bawling backstage. They totally f***ed me up."
She added: "The tablet f***in said CHRIS BROWN....the TELEPROMPTER said Rihanna. What the F***?????? Goin home..... "
2011 BET Awards host, Kevin Hart, later cleared up the confusion, clarifying at the end of the show that Breezy HAD won the award and brought the 22-year old out to collect his trophy.
Amber Rose "did not send" naked pictures to Nicki Minaj's ex boyfriend.
By Nicole Eggenberger okmagazine
Amber Rose isn’t happy about the recent rumors hitting the Web that claim she sent naked pictures of herself to Nicki Minaj‘s ex-boyfriend. Luckily, Amber has her Twitter account to put the rumors to rest right away.
A new report has been circulating the Web today claiming Amber sent naked pictures of herself to Nicki’s ex-boyfriend, according to The Washington Post‘s Celebritology. Even the extremely graphic photos have made their way online, but Amber says the pictures are not of her.
Amber has denied the report on Twitter and the site that initially reported the claims has allegedly retracted the item.
“These blogs do nothing but try to ruin ppls lives I DID NOT send pics to anyones boyfriend pls stop with the lies,” she wrote. “Its so ridiculous. smh.”
“Yall been doing this to me for 3 years now it shld be illegal to write fake stories about ppl the media never wants to see anyone happy,” Amber added.
But, ultimately, it sounds like the rumors have not gotten Amber down, and she thanks Wiz Khalifa for that!
“No matter what I go thru or how embarrassed I am I have a man that Loves me & has my back thru everything,” she wrote. “@RealWizKhalifa thank u”
A new report has been circulating the Web today claiming Amber sent naked pictures of herself to Nicki’s ex-boyfriend, according to The Washington Post‘s Celebritology. Even the extremely graphic photos have made their way online, but Amber says the pictures are not of her.
Amber has denied the report on Twitter and the site that initially reported the claims has allegedly retracted the item.
“These blogs do nothing but try to ruin ppls lives I DID NOT send pics to anyones boyfriend pls stop with the lies,” she wrote. “Its so ridiculous. smh.”
“Yall been doing this to me for 3 years now it shld be illegal to write fake stories about ppl the media never wants to see anyone happy,” Amber added.
But, ultimately, it sounds like the rumors have not gotten Amber down, and she thanks Wiz Khalifa for that!
“No matter what I go thru or how embarrassed I am I have a man that Loves me & has my back thru everything,” she wrote. “@RealWizKhalifa thank u”
Javier Colon crowned the winner of The Voice.
by Lynn Elber AP
Javier colon
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Soulful crooner Javier Colon was crowned the inaugural winner of "The Voice," NBC's new singing contest.
Colon triumphed over three other finalists when the audience vote was announced on Wednesday's live season finale. He will receive a $100,000 prize and a recording contract.
A slim, 2 percent margin separated Colon from second-place Dia Frampton, 23, of Utah, host Carson Daly said. The other finalists were Vicci Martinez, 26, of Tacoma, Washington, and Beverly McClellan, 41, of Virginia.
"Wow, thank you," a stunned-looking Colon said as confetti rained down on him. "The three women behind me are absolutely awesome and it was a pleasure to be here with them."
"The Voice" featured pop stars Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton as "coaches" for the contestants. In a twist on the talent show format, the contestants initially were picked sight unseen and on the basis of their voice.
Colon was coached by Maroon 5 frontman Levine, who lifted his arms in victory when Colon's name was announced and then rushed on stage to hug him. Shelton, who coached Frampton, smiled and applauded.
The other pro-contestant pairings were McClellan-Aguilera and Martinez-Green.
During the live finale, the contestants had the chance to perform with other famous singers. Miranda Lambert, who is married to fellow country star Shelton, sang with Frampton; Stevie Nicks with Colon; Pat Monahan of Train with Martinez and OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder with McClellan.
Based on a Dutch series, "The Voice" proved a much-needed ratings hit for NBC and will return to the network's lineup. The next season's casting call is under way at NBC's website.
Besides the blind audition, the show brought another fresh wrinkle to TV: rocker McClellan and bluesy singer Martinez are openly gay. That contrasts with TV's No. 1 singing show, "American Idol," which has included gay singers who didn't address their sexuality until after the competition ended, such as Adam Lambert.
The four finalists will start a six-city concert tour in late July.
Colon triumphed over three other finalists when the audience vote was announced on Wednesday's live season finale. He will receive a $100,000 prize and a recording contract.
A slim, 2 percent margin separated Colon from second-place Dia Frampton, 23, of Utah, host Carson Daly said. The other finalists were Vicci Martinez, 26, of Tacoma, Washington, and Beverly McClellan, 41, of Virginia.
"Wow, thank you," a stunned-looking Colon said as confetti rained down on him. "The three women behind me are absolutely awesome and it was a pleasure to be here with them."
"The Voice" featured pop stars Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton as "coaches" for the contestants. In a twist on the talent show format, the contestants initially were picked sight unseen and on the basis of their voice.
Colon was coached by Maroon 5 frontman Levine, who lifted his arms in victory when Colon's name was announced and then rushed on stage to hug him. Shelton, who coached Frampton, smiled and applauded.
The other pro-contestant pairings were McClellan-Aguilera and Martinez-Green.
During the live finale, the contestants had the chance to perform with other famous singers. Miranda Lambert, who is married to fellow country star Shelton, sang with Frampton; Stevie Nicks with Colon; Pat Monahan of Train with Martinez and OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder with McClellan.
Based on a Dutch series, "The Voice" proved a much-needed ratings hit for NBC and will return to the network's lineup. The next season's casting call is under way at NBC's website.
Besides the blind audition, the show brought another fresh wrinkle to TV: rocker McClellan and bluesy singer Martinez are openly gay. That contrasts with TV's No. 1 singing show, "American Idol," which has included gay singers who didn't address their sexuality until after the competition ended, such as Adam Lambert.
The four finalists will start a six-city concert tour in late July.
Patti LaBelle hit with lawsuit over alleged airport beating, files counter suit.
by Carollyn Nguyen
Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle has filed a counter lawsuit against a West Point cadet and former Army football player who claims she ordered her bodyguards to beat him up outside a Houston airport terminal as he waited for a ride home.
In the counter lawsuit, the R&B singer alleges that the 23-year-old cadet, Richard King, attacked her bodyguards after hurling racial insults at her, according to the Associated Press. LaBelle's lawyers also accuse King of being intoxicated. They said he screamed obscenities and tried to get into LaBelle's limo. The countersuit said King was asked politely to walk away.
King says three of LaBelle's bodyguards attacked him while he was waiting for family to pick him up outside one of the terminals at Bush Intercontinental Airport on March 11 after returning to his hometown while on break from West Point.
King told KTRK Television, the Houston-based sister station of KABC Television, the parent company of OnTheRedCarpet.com, that he was on spring break and came to Houston to visit his family. He said he was on the phone with his brother, unaware he was standing next to LaBelle's luggage.
King's lawsuit states that "LaBelle lowered the window of her limousine and gave a command to her bodyguards."
"I pretty much got jumped," King said. "I really don't even know why, and on top of that, it's causing a lot of trouble up here because of the false police report that they had reported."
King's attorney, John Raley, rejected LaBelle's claims in the countersuit, saying that her accusations are part her "attack" on "an innocent man by telling the same false story they told the police," according to the Associated Press.
"Several eyewitnesses saw and clearly heard the incident. The counter-claim is completely without merit," the wire service quoted Raley as saying.
The entire incident was recorded by a security camera. The video, which has no audio, shows King talking on a cellphone when one of LaBelle's bodyguards appeared to push up against him, the Associated Press reports. It appears that King then pushed him back, but his lawyers said that he was just protecting himself from a punch.
King's suit was filed in a Houston civil court, but the case has been moved to federal court by LaBelle's attorneys, Raley said.
LaBelle, 67, whose real name is Patricia Louise Holt Edwards, was the lead singer of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles (which was eventually shortened to Labelle) for 16 years. She launched a solo career in 1977 and performed songs like "The Best Is Yet To Come," "If You Asked Me To," "New Attitude" and "You Are My Friend."
The legendary singer recently was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2011 BET Awards.
Patti LaBelle earns lifetime achievement award.
By Kathleen Perricone NY Daily News
Chris Brown may have been the big winner of Sunday night's BET Awards, but Patti LaBelle was the queen of the ceremony.
The legendary singer was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award -- and was feted with an all-star tribute courtesy of Cee Lo Green (who dressed as LaBelle in a spiky dark wig), Marsha Ambrosius and Shirley Caesar.
Then LaBelle took the stage herself to show everyone how it's done.
The 67-year-old icon -- who accepted the prestigious award from Gladys Knight -- performed a medley of her hits including "Lady Marmalade."
Beyonce, who honored LaBelle via satellite because she’s headlining England’s Glastonbury Festival, described the impact the singer had on her own musical aspirations.
"When anyone asks me who I want to be like, I always say Patti LaBelle," she said.
Lady Gaga sued over Japan earthquake charity bracelets.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop superstar Lady Gagahas been sued over sales of her wristbands for Japan's earthquake relief efforts in a class action that claims that not all the proceeds went to victims as she had promised.
Michigan legal network 1800LAWFIRM also alleges that Gaga and other companies involved in the sale and marketing of the $5 white and red "We Pray for Japan" wristbands overcharged buyers on shipping costs and "artificially inflated reports of total donations".
"While we commend Lady Gaga for her philanthropic efforts, we want to ensure that claims that 'all proceeds will be donated to Japan's earthquake' are in fact true," said Alyson Oliver, an attorney for 1800LAWFIRM.
"Our intention via this lawsuit is to uncover any improprieties committed by Lady Gaga and appropriate the full donations assumed to the victims in Japan."
Lady Gaga, 25, and her representatives did not return calls for comment on Monday. The federal class action lawsuit was filed in Michigan on Friday while the "Born This Way" singer was in Japan for a benefit concert for victims of the March earthquake and tsunami.
Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, is reported to have donated about $3 million to Japan disaster relief through sales of the wristbands and other ventures.
The official website for the singer's store however has several comments from frustrated fans complaining about long delivery times and shipping and handling costs of more than $5 for the small rubber wristbands.
The lawsuit claims that a slew of federal racketeering and consumer protection laws were broken by what it calls deceptive advertising and profits from the sale of the bracelets.
Lady Gaga was last month named the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes magazine, based on her earnings, media visibility and social media popularity.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
Michigan legal network 1800LAWFIRM also alleges that Gaga and other companies involved in the sale and marketing of the $5 white and red "We Pray for Japan" wristbands overcharged buyers on shipping costs and "artificially inflated reports of total donations".
"While we commend Lady Gaga for her philanthropic efforts, we want to ensure that claims that 'all proceeds will be donated to Japan's earthquake' are in fact true," said Alyson Oliver, an attorney for 1800LAWFIRM.
"Our intention via this lawsuit is to uncover any improprieties committed by Lady Gaga and appropriate the full donations assumed to the victims in Japan."
Lady Gaga, 25, and her representatives did not return calls for comment on Monday. The federal class action lawsuit was filed in Michigan on Friday while the "Born This Way" singer was in Japan for a benefit concert for victims of the March earthquake and tsunami.
Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, is reported to have donated about $3 million to Japan disaster relief through sales of the wristbands and other ventures.
The official website for the singer's store however has several comments from frustrated fans complaining about long delivery times and shipping and handling costs of more than $5 for the small rubber wristbands.
The lawsuit claims that a slew of federal racketeering and consumer protection laws were broken by what it calls deceptive advertising and profits from the sale of the bracelets.
Lady Gaga was last month named the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes magazine, based on her earnings, media visibility and social media popularity.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
Oscar Grant shooting case settled for $1.3 million.
Oscar Grant
By Emmit Burg (Reuters) - The mother of a black man shot to death by a transit police officer on an Oakland train platform in 2009 agreed on Tuesday to settle her federal lawsuit against the transit agency, officials said.
The $1.3 million settlement came after two years of negotiations between victim Oscar Grant's mother and the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency, which employed the officer, agency spokesman Linton Johnson said.
Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, filed a $50 million lawsuit in May of 2009 against BART, alleging wrongful death and violation of civil rights in the fatal shooting of her 22-year-old son.
Johannes Mehserle, the white former officer in the racially charged case, was convicted last year of involuntary manslaughter in Grant's death. He was released from jail earlier this month with good behavior credit after serving 11 months of a two-year sentence.
Mehserle's early release led to street protests in Oakland, but not the wave of looting and vandalism which followed his conviction on the manslaughter charge rather than murder.
Cell phone video of Grant's shooting showed him lying face down on an Oakland train platform when Mehserle shot him in the back.
At Mehserle's trial, the former BART officer testified he meant to use an electric Taser weapon on Grant, but mistakenly drew and fired his gun.
The settlement with Johnson is the second to result from Grant's death.
The transit agency last year agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a claim brought on behalf of Grant's 5-year-old daughter Tatiana.
(Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Jerry Norton)
Beyonce set for Glastonbury debut
Courtesy of BBC
She is headlining the main Pyramid stage, making her one of a small handful of woman in 40 years to do so.
There is speculation that she may be joined on stage by husband, rapper Jay Z, who headlined the event in 2009.
The couple were spotted watching Coldplay perform on Saturday. Frontman Chris Martin is said to have persuaded Beyonce to play the festival.
"She's going to be brilliant," said Glastonbury founder and organiser Michael Eavis, on Sunday.
"She's got plenty of support - she has Jay Z with her, and Chris Martin and Gwyneth [Paltrow]. She'll do very well, I'm sure."
It is believed that Beyonce has spent the last three weeks in the UK, at a rehearsal studio in London.
He said that he did not know if Jay Z would join her on the stage, but added: "I wouldn't be surprised, would you?"
Jay Z's announcement as a headliner at a predominantly rock music festival two years ago, sparked a debate over rap music's place at Glastonbury - spearheaded by Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher.
But the possibility of a joint performance from the husband and wife team was greeted with enthusiasm by festival-goers on Sunday.
"There's no-one who hasn't heard of Beyonce," said Jacob Mitchell from Cornwall. "It would be amazing if Jay Z went on stage too, but I don't think that's going to happen."
"It's our first time here. I think she's a good choice. She's a world class performer isn't she?," Paul Bockett-Pugh, from Berkshire, told BBC News.
"There's a bit of Glastonbury snobbery about who's allowed to perform and who isn't but if it makes you smile, then why not?"
Suzanne Vega, who was the first woman to headline at Glastonbury in 1989, is headlining on the acoustic stage at the same time.
Also playing on the main stages later are Paul Simon, Plan B and the Kaiser Chiefs.
Lindsay Lohan's house arrest more like a rich girl retreat.
By Nancy Tracy-Yahoo Contributor Network
Sure she missed out on some birthday cake and bonfires at the beach, but Lindsay Lohan's jail stint would be considered a luxurious laid-back vacation for most people. The "Mean Girls" actress was allowed to hang out at her $7,000 a month Venice Beach rental house in lieu of jail time after she borrowed a necklace from a jewelry store without permission, an oversight that violated her probation from a 2007 drunk driving conviction. "I was really upset not being able to go to my little brother's birthday party. He just turned 16. That bummed me out," she said.Despite her deprivations, Lohan got to relax during her house arrest by curling up on the couch with her favorite TV shows and even managed to make some rent money starring in a commercial for an Internet penny auction website. In the 15-second spot, the home-shackled Lohan claims to have discovered this "amazing site" while taking her legal lumps. The lucky actress not only pocketed $25,000 for her enthusiastic endorsement, she also received $10,000 to spend on the site's auctions. Sure beats bartering for smokes in jail.
Lohan has also spent some of her house arrest time entertaining buddies with a rooftop barbecue,followed by a collective viewing of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" -- a TV show that some might view as a form of punishment.
Not all fans felt sorry for Lohan's house arrest ordeal. Said one sarcastic commenter on TMZ, "Gee, this seems really dreadful for her. . . . I hope she can survive the remaining two weeks. Poor thing."
The star of "The Parent Trap" should be sprung from her house arrest a few days before her 25thbirthday on July 2, a date that coincidentally falls two days shy of the holiday on which America celebrates its independence. Lohan watchers likely wonder whether the trouble-prone actress will use her own new-found freedom more wisely after she is cut loose from the confines of her cozy home or create more fireworks for herself.The paparazzi pet makes no promises. When asked if she were through with nightclubs forever, Lohan declined to commit: "I don't think you should ever say never."
New York Jets wideout Braylon Edwards involved in minor accident.
by Neal J Leitereg Huliq.comAccording to Detroit, the Jets receiver was driving his 2011 Audi in Belle Isle, Michigan, an area that is part of the islands in the Isle Royale National Park, driving onto the grass and striking a pylon.
Both Edwards and an unidentified male passenger were uninjured in the car crash, with the football player's father, Stan Edwards, telling the Detroit Free Press that, “He's fine. It amounted to a fender bender. No one was injured.”
Edwards himself did not immediately return phone messages that were left for him, but he did confirm what his father had previously said on his Twitter account, writing “Got into a fender bender last night, turns out Audi's & rain don't mix to well. I'm good, thanks for all the prayers & concern.”
Detroit police declined to ticket Edwards for the incident and stated later on that there was no indication that alcohol was a factor in the accident.
The former Michigan Wolverines standout has had his fair share of alcohol and vehicle-related issues, including one drunken driving charge, since entering the league as a first round pick (3rd overall) of the Cleveland Browns in 2005.
As a member of the Wolverines and the Browns organization, Edwards was ticketed numerous times for speeding violations, including a 2006 ticket for driving 61 mph in a 30 mph zone and 2008 incident in which the wide receiver was ticketed for driving 120 mph in a 65 mph zone.
Following an altercation at a Cleveland night club in 2009, Edwards was charged with misdemeanor assault for striking a local party promoter named Edward Givens in the face. He would later plead no contest and was given a 180-day suspended jail sentence.
Perhaps his most troublesome crime came in September of this past year when Edwards blew a .016 – twice the legal alcohol limit – after being pulled over by authorities for excessively tinted windows on his Range Rover. He would receive a DWI cha
Singer Ameriie gets married.
courtesy Charli Penn of Essence.com
Singer Ameriie and former Columbia Records executive Lenny Nicholson have told ESSENCE.com exclusively that they will tie the knot in a lavish oceanfront ceremony in Anguilla tomorrow, Saturday June 25th, at the breathtaking premier hotspot Hotel Viceroy. The pair released the following statement to us today:
"Essence readers have been huge supporters of my music career and it is my joy to share exclusively with you the good news of my wedding tomorrow. I am elated. I have been in love for the past 7 and a half years and it is my joy to share the good news with you. My future husband Lenny Nicholson is a wonderful man whom I love. Thank you so much for your love and support."
The happy couple carefully selected the luxe resort to cater to the unique needs of their special day. To ensure a unique experience for the guests and the utmost privacy, Ameriie and Lenny have bought out the majority of the property, complete with a sunset lounge and pool, a cliff top restaurant, and breathtaking panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea. The pair plan to host an intimate group of friends and family. The weekend festivities will include a welcome reception for their honored guests, the ceremony and reception, and to farewell brunch to close.
The bride-to-be, who changed the spelling of her name last year to Ameriie with two "i"s, will walk down the aisle in a custom couture Monique Lhullier gown that was customized just for her by designer Mark Ingram and her groom will wear a Hugo Boss tux. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 5pm. Ameriie’s pastor Reverend Phillip E. Knight, Sr. plans to officiates.
“We are so very excited and full of joy on the eve of our wedding,” Ameriie says in a statement to ESSENCE.com. “We thank everyone for their well wishes and love.“
A true fashionista, the bride has worked with celebrity planner Tiffany Nieves-Cook from WE’s ‘Platinum Weddings’ to create an opulent setting for the event. Some highlights will include 3D glass gobo lights for the property, spectacular rose floral arrangements flown in from China, and a 3.5 ft. 7-tier Sicilian pistachio cake. They aren’t sparing a single detail for their luxurious platinum themed wedding day.
World famous DJ Konflikt will spin tunes at the reception.
Ameriie and Lenny will stay in Anguilla for their honeymoon and spend their first days together as husband in wife in the Viceroy’s 5,000 sq ft. romance villa with a private butler and full staff.
"Essence readers have been huge supporters of my music career and it is my joy to share exclusively with you the good news of my wedding tomorrow. I am elated. I have been in love for the past 7 and a half years and it is my joy to share the good news with you. My future husband Lenny Nicholson is a wonderful man whom I love. Thank you so much for your love and support."
The happy couple carefully selected the luxe resort to cater to the unique needs of their special day. To ensure a unique experience for the guests and the utmost privacy, Ameriie and Lenny have bought out the majority of the property, complete with a sunset lounge and pool, a cliff top restaurant, and breathtaking panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea. The pair plan to host an intimate group of friends and family. The weekend festivities will include a welcome reception for their honored guests, the ceremony and reception, and to farewell brunch to close.
The bride-to-be, who changed the spelling of her name last year to Ameriie with two "i"s, will walk down the aisle in a custom couture Monique Lhullier gown that was customized just for her by designer Mark Ingram and her groom will wear a Hugo Boss tux. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 5pm. Ameriie’s pastor Reverend Phillip E. Knight, Sr. plans to officiates.
“We are so very excited and full of joy on the eve of our wedding,” Ameriie says in a statement to ESSENCE.com. “We thank everyone for their well wishes and love.“
A true fashionista, the bride has worked with celebrity planner Tiffany Nieves-Cook from WE’s ‘Platinum Weddings’ to create an opulent setting for the event. Some highlights will include 3D glass gobo lights for the property, spectacular rose floral arrangements flown in from China, and a 3.5 ft. 7-tier Sicilian pistachio cake. They aren’t sparing a single detail for their luxurious platinum themed wedding day.
World famous DJ Konflikt will spin tunes at the reception.
Ameriie and Lenny will stay in Anguilla for their honeymoon and spend their first days together as husband in wife in the Viceroy’s 5,000 sq ft. romance villa with a private butler and full staff.
Buju Banton sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Courtesy of UPI.COM
MIAMI, June 23 (UPI) -- Jamaican musician Buju Banton has been sentenced in Florida to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine, court records show.
The Grammy Award-winning reggae singer was also found guilty of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense and using communication wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offense.
Rolling Stone reported Thursday Banton's lawyers have requested the performer be imprisoned near Miami so his family could visit him.
The magazine didn't say whether the petition had been granted.
Banton was arrested in 2009 after telling an informant working for the Drug Enforcement Administration he could sell him cocaine. He was convicted in February after a previous mistrial.
The Grammy Award-winning reggae singer was also found guilty of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense and using communication wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offense.
Rolling Stone reported Thursday Banton's lawyers have requested the performer be imprisoned near Miami so his family could visit him.
The magazine didn't say whether the petition had been granted.
Banton was arrested in 2009 after telling an informant working for the Drug Enforcement Administration he could sell him cocaine. He was convicted in February after a previous mistrial.
Dave Chappelle returning to T.V.?
courtesy of EW.COM
Dave Chappelle is denying a report that he’s planning a return to television.
Online paper The Daily wrote the former Comedy Central star was plotting to reboot his TV career by making a deal with a subscription service like Hulu or Netflix that would allow him a strong amount of creative control.
“Absolutely untrue,” says Chappelle’s rep Carla Sims, who spoke to the comedian about the report this morning.
EW looked into rumors of Chappelle relaunching his TV career about a month ago after the comedian made references to planning a comeback at a stand-up show in San Francisco. While there’s interest in getting Chappelle back on TV, his reps say the comedian has not agreed to a course of action in that direction. “He’s enjoying his life, he has a new daughter and is just doing what he’s really passionate about — stand-up,” says one source. Sources close to the comic add that if he were to make a return to TV, he would likely aim for a bigger platform than a niche subscription service. There are, after all, outlets like HBO that given artists plenty of creative freedom. So no Chappelle TV for the moment, but in the future … who knows?
Adele reschedules concert dates due to laryngitis.
courtesy of LA Times Music Blog
Adele is back in action and has resumed the North American tour that was abruptly halted earlier this month by a bout of laryngitis. The British soul singer, whose sophomore album “21” topped the U.S. sales chart for 10 weeks, has rescheduled 14 dates she called off because of illness, and added six more to the itinerary.
She’ll make up her missed performance at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Aug. 15 and her date at the Hollywood Palladium on Aug. 17, two of 10 shows she’ll play in August, beginning Aug. 9 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The other 10 will move to October, wrapping up Oct. 21 in Grand Prairie, Texas.
The six new dates will tour stops her to Las Vegas; Atlantic City, N.J.; Durham, N.C.; Orlando, Fla.; Miami and Spring, Texas. Pioneering rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson, who had been slated to open most of Adele's tour, will appear on the bill for her August dates, but not for the October leg, according to a spokesman for Sony Music, Adele's label.
Despite the 1-million-plus first week sales of Lady Gaga’s blockbuster “Born This Way” album earlier this month, "21" remains the best-selling album of 2011 and reclaimed to the No. 1 slot weeks after “Born This Way” spent just two weeks there, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Adele's album was bumped out of the top spot this week by “Hell: The Sequel,” the new rap EP from Eminem and Royce da 5’9”.
Missy Elliot "I have Graves disease"
courtesy of TV Guide
Missy Elliott has Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid.
"You live with it for the rest of your life," she tells People.
Watch videos of Missy Elliott
According to the Graves' Disease Foundation, the illness affects 2 to 3 percent of the population. Elliott, 39, was diagnosed in 2008 after suffering such symptoms as dizzy spells, lumps in her throat, mood swings, hair loss, a fast heart rate and bulging eyes. Her motor skills were also affected.
She had been undergoing radiation and taking medication for the past three years and now is feeling better. "I'm 30 pounds lighter because I've been exercising," the rapper says. "My thyroid is functioning, so I haven't had to take medication in about nine months."
Elliott's focus now is music: She's working on a comeback album with Timbaland.
"You live with it for the rest of your life," she tells People.
Watch videos of Missy Elliott
According to the Graves' Disease Foundation, the illness affects 2 to 3 percent of the population. Elliott, 39, was diagnosed in 2008 after suffering such symptoms as dizzy spells, lumps in her throat, mood swings, hair loss, a fast heart rate and bulging eyes. Her motor skills were also affected.
She had been undergoing radiation and taking medication for the past three years and now is feeling better. "I'm 30 pounds lighter because I've been exercising," the rapper says. "My thyroid is functioning, so I haven't had to take medication in about nine months."
Elliott's focus now is music: She's working on a comeback album with Timbaland.
Jimmy Henchman arrested.
courtesy of NY Magazine.
James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond
James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond — the music manager accused of orchestrating Tupac's shooting in 1994 — has been arrested. But it has nothing to do with Pac: DEA agents nabbed Rosemond in New York in connection with a drug-trafficking ring that shipped "multiple kilos of cocaine from Los Angeles to the New York City metropolitan area." Since the feds first issued a warrant for his arrest last month, Rosemond has become much more infamous in the music industry. That's thanks to Dexter Isaac, a man currently serving time in a Brooklyn prison on a murder-for-hire conviction, who confessed to involvement in the 1994 Tupac shooting and singled Rosemond out as the man who paid for the assault. (Rosemond is also allegedly involved with the killing of Lowell Fletcher, an associate of 50 Cent.) Rosemond was finally caught in New York; he was walking out of the W Hotel, spotted the agents and tried to run, and was nabbed on Park Avenue and 21st Street. The DEA says Rosemond was the head of the operation, which (surely inspired by The Wire) did its communication mostly via pay phones. Also, Rosemond's team allegedly smuggled the contraband in road cases (usually used to carry music equipment), covered in mustard so as to not attract the attention of police dogs. If that last part is true, Rosemo
LRG Co-Founder passes away.
Jonas Bevacqua, the co-founder of popular streetwear clothing company, Lifted Research Group (LRG) was found dead in his Laguna Beach, California home on Tuesday morning, according to the Associated Press.
Bevacqua, who was only 34 years old, created LRG with business partner Robert Wright in 1999. Wright confirmed the news on Twitter. “[W]oke up at 8am to the worst news I’ve heard in my lifetime….my best man,” he wrote.
As of press time the cause of his death is unknown. “There were no obvious signs of the cause of death,” Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County sheriff’s office, told the AP. An autopsy will take place tomorrow.
Extremely popular in the hip-hop world, LRG reported annual sales of $150 million by 2006. Models for the company included Drake, B.o.B, 9th Wonder, The Alchemist, De La Soul, Freddie Gibbs, Smif-N-Wessun and Pete Rock, among others.
XXL sends out our deepest condolences to Bevacqua’s family and friends.
Stay tuned as more on this story develops. --Elan Mancini
Sean Kingston says he's feeling better.
courtesy of the AP
Sean Kingston is up and feeling better.
MIAMI – Singer Sean Kingston says he's feeling better almost a month after crashing his watercraft into a Miami Beach bridge.
On his Twitter page Monday, Kingston posted a message to his fans. He wrote: "Feeling alot better! GOD IS GREAT! Thanks for all the prayers and support! Love you ALL!"
Kingston also posted a picture of himself, in the hospital, flashing a peace sign. His publicist, Joseph Carozza, says Kingston's condition has been upgraded to fair.
The singer famous for his 2007 hit "Beautiful Girls" has been hospitalized in Miami since the May 29 crash. Carozza says Kingston walked on his own a couple of weeks ago for the first time since the accident.
On his Twitter page Monday, Kingston posted a message to his fans. He wrote: "Feeling alot better! GOD IS GREAT! Thanks for all the prayers and support! Love you ALL!"
Kingston also posted a picture of himself, in the hospital, flashing a peace sign. His publicist, Joseph Carozza, says Kingston's condition has been upgraded to fair.
The singer famous for his 2007 hit "Beautiful Girls" has been hospitalized in Miami since the May 29 crash. Carozza says Kingston walked on his own a couple of weeks ago for the first time since the accident.
Rapper Tone Loc arrested for domestic violence.
courtesy of Christine Fenno popeater.com
'Funky Cold Medina' rapper Tone Loc (whose real name is Anthony Terrell Smith) was arrested on Saturday afternoon at a Burbank, Calif., apartment complex and charged with felony domestic violence.
The arrest, one day before Father's Day, stemmed from an alleged physical altercation with the mother of his child. According to TMZ, the 45- year-old West Coast rap star and voice actor was taken in, without incident, and booked at the local jail in a few hours. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.
Earlier this year, Tone Loc had another run-in with the law when he was spotted driving erratically in January and arrested for DUI. He was released on bail claiming a medical condition caused a seizure (the artist has collapsed onstage in seizure in the past).
Though best known for his 1980's hits 'Wild Thing' and 'Funky Cold Medina,' the four-time Grammy nominee with the uniquely gravelly voice has also taken acting roles in films such as 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' and TV series such as 'Touched by an Angel.'
Check out Tone Loc in a 1990's TV appearance (he stars opposite Phil Harman in the opening scene of this clip), as he dons a badge to enforce law and order around the offices of 'NewsRadio':
The arrest, one day before Father's Day, stemmed from an alleged physical altercation with the mother of his child. According to TMZ, the 45- year-old West Coast rap star and voice actor was taken in, without incident, and booked at the local jail in a few hours. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.
Earlier this year, Tone Loc had another run-in with the law when he was spotted driving erratically in January and arrested for DUI. He was released on bail claiming a medical condition caused a seizure (the artist has collapsed onstage in seizure in the past).
Though best known for his 1980's hits 'Wild Thing' and 'Funky Cold Medina,' the four-time Grammy nominee with the uniquely gravelly voice has also taken acting roles in films such as 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' and TV series such as 'Touched by an Angel.'
Check out Tone Loc in a 1990's TV appearance (he stars opposite Phil Harman in the opening scene of this clip), as he dons a badge to enforce law and order around the offices of 'NewsRadio':
Michelle Obama, family meets with Nelson Mandela.
Courtesy of Darlen Superville, AP.
JOHANNESBURG – First lady Michelle Obama and her family are paying their respects to Nelson Mandela during a private visit at the former South African president's home.
Mrs. Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha, and her mother, Marian Robinson, were viewing some of Mandela's personal papers at his foundation Tuesday when — according to White House officials — he sent word that he wanted to meet them.
It was Mrs. Obama's first meeting with the prisoner-turned-president.
Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his role in the anti-apartheid movement. After his release, he went on to become the country's first black elected president.
Mrs. Obama's niece and nephew, who are traveling with her, were also invited to meet Mandela.
Mrs. Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha, and her mother, Marian Robinson, were viewing some of Mandela's personal papers at his foundation Tuesday when — according to White House officials — he sent word that he wanted to meet them.
It was Mrs. Obama's first meeting with the prisoner-turned-president.
Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his role in the anti-apartheid movement. After his release, he went on to become the country's first black elected president.
Mrs. Obama's niece and nephew, who are traveling with her, were also invited to meet Mandela.
Baggy pants lead to students arrest at San Francisco airport
courtesy of the AP
SAN FRANCISCO – Police say a University of New Mexico football player's saggy pants led to his arrest at San Francisco International Airport.
Sgt. Michael Rodriguez says 20-year-old Deshon Marman was boarding a flight Wednesday to Albuquerque, N.M., when a U.S. Airways employee noticed his pants were "below his buttocks, but above the knees, and his boxer shorts were showing."
Rodriguez tells the San Francisco Chronicle that the employee asked Marman to pull up his pants, but he refused. She then asked him to leave the plane.
The officer says that after 15 minutes, Marman got off the plane and was cited for trespassing.
Marman's mother, Donna Doyle, tells the paper that her son had attended a friend's funeral and he was still in an emotionally raw state.
US Airways Group Inc. spokeswoman Valerie Wunder says the airline's dress code forbids "indecent exposure or inappropriate" attire.
Sgt. Michael Rodriguez says 20-year-old Deshon Marman was boarding a flight Wednesday to Albuquerque, N.M., when a U.S. Airways employee noticed his pants were "below his buttocks, but above the knees, and his boxer shorts were showing."
Rodriguez tells the San Francisco Chronicle that the employee asked Marman to pull up his pants, but he refused. She then asked him to leave the plane.
The officer says that after 15 minutes, Marman got off the plane and was cited for trespassing.
Marman's mother, Donna Doyle, tells the paper that her son had attended a friend's funeral and he was still in an emotionally raw state.
US Airways Group Inc. spokeswoman Valerie Wunder says the airline's dress code forbids "indecent exposure or inappropriate" attire.
Wendy Williams on gay pride : 'Stay true to who you are'
by Derrick Bryson Taylor (Essence)
Wendy Williams
Wendy Williams kicked-off New York Gay Pride with a bang last night as she sat down for a very intimate one-on-one with ESSENCE.com Managing Editor Emil Wilbekin. "I'm fearless," she said, addressing a crowded room of LGBT allies and supporters at the Gay and Lesbian Center in New York City.
Our favorite friend in our head didn't fret as she pummeled through both fun and sensitive topics, including feeling like an outcast while growing up, her figure, and of course, her hair! The talk show host admitted that many of her childhood friends just happened to be outcasts or gay, but she didn't truly fit in, saying, "I sat on the sidelines of life."
But that didn't deter her from giving youth in the room a positive spin on being yourself in a world where one may not be accepted.
"Stay true to exactly who you are. Now, don't get me wrong, the only caveat is: everybody isn't ready for who you are. Make them come around to who you are," she said with a strong voice. "But, if who you are is catty and nasty, now that needs changing."
The crowd left feeling empowered and uplifted, especially as gay marriage in New York hangs in the balance. "Speaking as a married woman, marriage is not for the weak at heart," but she happily gave her blessing and promised a gift to one lucky man who announced that if the bill passes, he just may pop the big question to his partner
Our favorite friend in our head didn't fret as she pummeled through both fun and sensitive topics, including feeling like an outcast while growing up, her figure, and of course, her hair! The talk show host admitted that many of her childhood friends just happened to be outcasts or gay, but she didn't truly fit in, saying, "I sat on the sidelines of life."
But that didn't deter her from giving youth in the room a positive spin on being yourself in a world where one may not be accepted.
"Stay true to exactly who you are. Now, don't get me wrong, the only caveat is: everybody isn't ready for who you are. Make them come around to who you are," she said with a strong voice. "But, if who you are is catty and nasty, now that needs changing."
The crowd left feeling empowered and uplifted, especially as gay marriage in New York hangs in the balance. "Speaking as a married woman, marriage is not for the weak at heart," but she happily gave her blessing and promised a gift to one lucky man who announced that if the bill passes, he just may pop the big question to his partner
Ron Artest wife to star in VH1'S Housewives
courtesy of Lakers Blog
In what seemingly has become a prerequisite for having a relationship with a Laker, Ron Artest'swife, Kimsha, will star in the upcoming season of VH1's "Basketball Wives."
As if reality television didn't exist enough within Lakerland, there's now one more option to keep Laker fans occupied during a likely work stoppage. First, there's Lamar Odom's incredibly insightful show with Khloe Kardashian, "Khloe & Lamar," in which the two discuss important topics, such as whether Khloe is too fat or why Lamar shouldn't have to clean the house. Then there's Artest himself visiting convicts in correctional facilities and giving advice on how to thrive in society. And then there's Matt Barnes' fiancee, Gloria Govan, who's been depicted as creating drama with other NBA wives.
For viewers who feel there are too many reality shows to monitor, Kimsha Artest will be in the same show as Govan. Thankfully for Ron Ron's focus level, he won't be a part of this show, rightfully taking Barnes' lead and staying out of his significant other's reality world. But it's surely a reflection of our times that of all the Laker-related reality shows, Ron Artest's show actually seems to be the most serious and substantive of them all.
I'll settle for the Lakers' actual reality show instead. You know, the one that involves hiring a new coach in Mike Brown, owner Jerry Buss' giving more control to his son Jim and the team figuring out if it can return to championship level. That one has proven to be more interesting, has stood the test of time and certainly garners better rating
As if reality television didn't exist enough within Lakerland, there's now one more option to keep Laker fans occupied during a likely work stoppage. First, there's Lamar Odom's incredibly insightful show with Khloe Kardashian, "Khloe & Lamar," in which the two discuss important topics, such as whether Khloe is too fat or why Lamar shouldn't have to clean the house. Then there's Artest himself visiting convicts in correctional facilities and giving advice on how to thrive in society. And then there's Matt Barnes' fiancee, Gloria Govan, who's been depicted as creating drama with other NBA wives.
For viewers who feel there are too many reality shows to monitor, Kimsha Artest will be in the same show as Govan. Thankfully for Ron Ron's focus level, he won't be a part of this show, rightfully taking Barnes' lead and staying out of his significant other's reality world. But it's surely a reflection of our times that of all the Laker-related reality shows, Ron Artest's show actually seems to be the most serious and substantive of them all.
I'll settle for the Lakers' actual reality show instead. You know, the one that involves hiring a new coach in Mike Brown, owner Jerry Buss' giving more control to his son Jim and the team figuring out if it can return to championship level. That one has proven to be more interesting, has stood the test of time and certainly garners better rating
LaToya Jackson writes of brother's death in new book.
by Alicia Rancilio AP
Latoya Jackson
NEW YORK -- La Toya
Jackson writes in her new book "Starting Over" that the first question
that ran through her mind after she learned of her brother's death was,
"Who killed Michael?"
The book is scheduled to go on sale next week, two years after the pop star's death of a sedative overdose. Dr. Conrad Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, and trial is set for September.
La Toya Jackson says her brother often predicted he would be killed over his estate and music publishing catalog.
She also says she learned a lot about Michael's well-being in the days before his death. His daughter Paris told her that "Daddy was always cold" and that "he would always cry."
La Toya Jackson writes that she confronted Dr. Conrad Murray in the hospital shortly after her brother was pronounced dead to find out what happened and that he gave her only "evasion and excuses."
She also writes that she searched Jackson's bedroom and found it "torn to pieces," with furniture overturned and items scattered about. They included notes she believes were written by Michael indicating that he needed his father Joseph's help to get "these people out of my life" and that he "only agreed to 10 shows."
When he died on June 25, 2009, Jackson was a few weeks away from kicking off a string of 50 shows at The O2 Arena in London. Originally only 10 concerts were announced, but tickets sold out in less than an hour and 40 more shows were added.
La Toya Jackson writes that she heard from other people in Michael's life who were suspicious of his final days, including friends and fans.
She won't be the last of her family to share their story. Brother Jermaine Jackson has a book coming out in September.
The book is scheduled to go on sale next week, two years after the pop star's death of a sedative overdose. Dr. Conrad Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, and trial is set for September.
La Toya Jackson says her brother often predicted he would be killed over his estate and music publishing catalog.
She also says she learned a lot about Michael's well-being in the days before his death. His daughter Paris told her that "Daddy was always cold" and that "he would always cry."
La Toya Jackson writes that she confronted Dr. Conrad Murray in the hospital shortly after her brother was pronounced dead to find out what happened and that he gave her only "evasion and excuses."
She also writes that she searched Jackson's bedroom and found it "torn to pieces," with furniture overturned and items scattered about. They included notes she believes were written by Michael indicating that he needed his father Joseph's help to get "these people out of my life" and that he "only agreed to 10 shows."
When he died on June 25, 2009, Jackson was a few weeks away from kicking off a string of 50 shows at The O2 Arena in London. Originally only 10 concerts were announced, but tickets sold out in less than an hour and 40 more shows were added.
La Toya Jackson writes that she heard from other people in Michael's life who were suspicious of his final days, including friends and fans.
She won't be the last of her family to share their story. Brother Jermaine Jackson has a book coming out in September.
Beyonce 4 flop could force Destiny Child reunion. Kelly Rowland not interested?
by Lewis Corner (Digitalspy.com)
Beyoncé's record label Columbia have expressed concern over the singer's upcoming album 4.
Bosses at the label are allegedly worried that the record does not contain enough hit songs, with the album's lead single 'Run The World (Girls)' yet to crack the top ten in both the US and UK.
The label asked Beyoncé to make changes to the album before it went to be pressed, but the 29-year-old performer refused.
Executives are now reportedly in discussions to reunite Beyoncé with her fellow Destiny's Child band mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, though Rowland is thought to not be interested.
"Beyoncé's career has stalled a bit," a source told The New York Post. "Columbia seems to think they can get some mileage out of a comeback record with all of the girls."
Beyoncé's new album 4 will be released on June 27 in the UK and June 28 in the US.
The singer-songwriter will perform a headline set at this weekend's Glastonbury festival.
