Global Grind - The Daily Grind

GOSSIP: Shawty Lo Won't Go Home!

Gossip — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:37:00 GMT

Who the hell is Shawty Lo? That's the response I get every time I mention or publish a blog about the Atlanta rapper known best as T.I's nemesis. Aside from the crazy rumor that this Southern rapper was spreading the deadly bug (he claims he has diabetes), Shawty Lo (founder of D4L) hasn't gotten much play in the press until he attempted to make a spectacle of T.I. through a series of YouTube videos earlier this year.

Unfortunately, it all came back around to haunt him as earlier this week, news broke that Shawty Lo was hanging out in T.I.'s club and was given a brutal beatdown while T.I.'s new song "What Up"(which ironically is a Shawty Lo Diss) played in the background. The attacker was rumored to be a childhood friend of the rapper, but things went south which led to the nightclub attack and Shawty Lo getting his chain snatched.

In a story grinded by Drew Reports, Shawty Lo is denying he was involved in the altercation at the club pegging it some "Bowens Home sh*t":

“A couple of dudes from my Bowen Homes hood got into it with some other dudes from Bowen Homes. It really wasn’t nothing, just some Bowen Homes sh*t. It wasn’t an altercation with me at all. I didn’t get touched, period. And this had nothing to do with T.I.”

It must be three sides…..Unfortunately, where there is a club, there is surrvelience, on-lookers and camera phones and while Shawty Lo took a suspect vacation to Florida "to be with his family", his attacker Meatball has released audio of himself talking about the incident and what led up to the attack. Meatball in his native Bankhead tongue (which is hardly understandable) says that he did beat Shawty Lo to the ground, but he didn't have to snatch his chain because it was given to him. Meanwhile he claims Shawty Lo repeatedly begged for his chain back and he has audio to prove it. They are also threatening to release the club footage of the attack via World Star Hip Hop later in the week. Ironically the same method, Shawty Lo used to release videos of T.I's high school yearbook picture discrediting T.I.'s claim that he's from Bankhead.

Whew, the heat is on in Atlanta! They say you "start trouble, you get trouble,"so it will be definitely interesting to see how this plays out.

Still asking " Shawty Lo who"? Well Ozone Magazine knows as they just nominated him for five Ozone Awards for the release of his LP Units in the City…

I guess nowadays if you ain't beefing, you ain't relevant. Shame!

-Necole Bitchie

GOSSIP: Rick Ross Paying The Cost To Be The Boss

Gossip — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:06:00 GMT

Someone has it out for Miami Boss Rick Ross, and it ain't Trick Daddy. Earlier this week, Rick Ross lashed out at Trick Daddy in a YouTube video for saying that he was once a correctional officer in Dade County. "He's a sucka, I don't f*ck with him. If you a G N*gga, come see me," he warns on the video. Trick Daddy and Rick Ross' beef dates back to the 1st Annual Ozone Awards when the two got into a scuffle backstage after Trick Daddy prompted the DJ to stop the music before Rick's verse in DJ Khaled's "Born and Raised" was scheduled to play. Unfortunately, the correctional officer rumor wasn't deaded as early this week, a photo of Rick Ross dressed in a correctional officer uniform emerged online and Rick Ross quickly wrote off the pictures as fake.

"My life is a hundred percent real. These online hackers putting a picture of my face when I was a teenager in high school on other peoples’ body. If this s**t was real, don’t you think they would have more specifics, like dates and everything? I’m in the entertainment business and a lot of people like to hate because I’m on top of my game. Like I said before, my life is a hundred percent real. I live by this die by this. Fake pictures are created by the fake, meant to entertain the fake."

Okay [pause] at Rick Ross claiming someone placed a high school photo of him on someone's body. He would have been better off denying the picture was even him as without the beard, he looks like a totally different guy. A grown man over 30, yes….a high school student...negative. Either way, if the rumor that he used to work in law enforcement wasn't enough to ruin his street cred and contradict claims of him pushing weight, his denial surely will. The truth is just a phone call away to Dade County's South Florida Recreation Center. As far as him lashing out to Trick Daddy, word on the streetz is his ex-girlfriend is behind the leaks. Of course, I ain't the one to gossip, so you didn't hear it from me…

And speaking of ex-girls, the rumor that he was engaged to Foxy Brown must have been a stunt as Rick Ross has taken up residence with a new chick, Flavor of Love's Shay "Buckeye" Johnson. Don't believe me? Check out the video. And my sources tell me this is very true.

-Necole Bitchie

HIP HOP: Tears For Cheers

Hip-Hop — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:24:00 GMT

One has to love trends in Hip-Hop. The same way a flu bug can travel through an office and put a people out of work for weeks, Hip-Hop trends can be just as infectious with rap artists. Although it's usually a rhyme style, image or something fashion related, there are times when certain actions become trendy. Most of the time they are the most absurd actions you can think of.

These days, crying is the new hotness. If you want some quick publicity, squeezing out a few tears is the sure fire way to go. Just ask Young Buck and The Game who had the most notorious boo-hoo fests recently. Do you remember where you were when that conversation between Buck and 50 Cent leaked to the net? Remember how you felt? I do. I was at this very computer I'm writing this entry on and I got that feeling you get when you see that kid who was showing out at the grocery store begging for mercy from a fed-up parent about to layeth the smacketh down. You kind of feel bad for the kid but you know they had it coming.

The episode didn't do any real damage to Young Buck and ironically it reminded people that all of his vital organs still functioned. Too bad that didn't work for Jacki-O who turned on the waterworks during her impromptu phone interview with DJ... That one just came and went like her career. When 50 cried in his mock funeral for Fat Joe, it was obvious that his play date with Hollywood payed off. The one-eyed, tear down the cheek was priceless but The Game's sob job over wanting to be in the 90s era of Hip-Hop was just plain weird.

In this new age of digital distribution, it's way too easy for celebrities to act a fool. As you read this, Diddy may be conjuring up a way to have some sort of crying fit on his YouTube blog. I predict somewhere close to the end of his new reality show. Thus, I propose that we get the same rights record companies do when they see web content they don't like. Have that crap yanked off.

-The Blackspot

TYSON'S TAKE: Fear Of A Black Planet

Politricks — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:03:00 GMT

Ok, so Barack Obama is the Presidential front-runner in a country that has the worst race relations in modern history, Tiger Woods is on pace to become the first billionaire athlete in the world’s most historically racist sport, yet Nas can’t title his album “***”. Richard Pryor threw that word around in his album titles freer than a slave with papers, but when someone uses it to make a social statement it's shut down. Chuck D said it the best when he said there was a “Fear of a Black Planet”. Not a fear of us coming together for a coup d'état of the government but a fear of us collectively achieving a new social status through more influential professions. That means less brother and sisters striving to be professional athletes or shakin’ for the cameras and more of us entering fields like the sciences, academia, or politics.

“Too many rappers, athletes, and actors
But not enough niggas in NASA” – Nas

The expansion of blacks into broader professions would send shivers down the spines of a lot of closed-minded people when they realize that blacks all over the world would be able to help pave the way for a new history in humanity. Come on, there's room for everybody!

We’ve already broken the chains on our feet, now it’s time to break the mental ones. When that happens, the sky would no longer be the limit for our young people’s potential.

Americans gets fueled by today's mainstream media when they ruminate over meaningless topics like lapel pins, out-of-context soundbites, lack of patriotism, “terrorist fist jabs”, etc. It’s precisely this issue that the artist who drew the recent cover of The New Yorker was attempting to address. Granted, it might have been tasteless, but the flavor of the picture resonated through all who saw it. Mission accomplished.

More and more young African-Americans in this country and blacks around the world are moving up the social ladder. Whether assisted by the helping hands of those who reach down, or pushed up by the ones behind, we shall soon make it to the top. The days ahead don't seem as dark anymore.

“We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

– Barack Obama

- Steve Tyson

GOSSIP: Celebrity Relationships Gone Wild

blackspot@globalgrind.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:57:00 GMT

Last week, should have been called "Celebrity Relationships Gone Wild." After months of speculation that Diddy and his artist Cassie were bangin', US Magazine reported that Cassie indeed confirmed that Diddy and herself were no longer an item.

As they were leaving DJ Cassidy's 27th Birthday Party, Cassie was asked if the rumors that the two had split were true, to which she replied: "I can confirm that rumor." Although pictures have circulated around the internet of the two hugged up in Central Park on Mother's Day (WHERE WAS KIM PORTER??), and a few questionable videos of the two together (promoting her project of course), am I the only one still in denial that Cassie is f*cking for tracks?

Of course Diddy has been rumored to have relations with artists in the past, (remember those crazy Mase stories? If you don't, don't ask…) but I refuse to believe Cassie actually settled for being Diddy's jump. Although, the slick side-eye action in the Official Girl promo with Diddy, when she states: "Everyone wants to be someone's official girl" is rather questionable…

Moving on, Erykah Badu shocked the hell out of her fans (or at least me) when she came out swinging Badu style in a post on Okayplayer.com boards defending herself, her children and the men she chooses to lay down with. In the post titled "Pregnant with Insults", Erykah went in on her haters beginning the the post with: “I have never been so disgusted in my life!” She later followed up with the questions “What is Marriage? Who Is The Judge? I am an excellent mother and resent all of the negative comments and insults on my character. I PUT MUCH TIME AND THOUGHT INTO HAVING AND RAISING MY CHILDREN. IVE HAD THE HONORS OF HAVING 2 HOME BIRTHS AND 2 WONDERFUL PARTNERS BY MY SIDE”, and continues later with “F*CK OFF… WHO NEEDS YOU ….CERTAINLY NOT ME … KICK ROCKS … CALL TYRONE … PACK LIGHT …. BITE ME” . She then ends her rant with: “and if this post is not clear, kiss my placenta.” In case you are wondering what the placenta is, it's a female organ that connects to the fetus by the umbilical cord. Yes! Erykah got gully wit it…

Lastly, not sure what's up with Rocsi and Terrence's rumored off-screen relationship but they definitely had what could have been mistaken as a "lovers quarrel" during the taping of BET's 106 & Park<>. Terrence spent most of the show ridiculing and teasing Rocsi about stuttering over words and crossed the line when he asked: "Why can't you have a body like Ciara?" Mid-way through the show, Rocsi had had enough and walked off the set, refusing to finish out the live (taped) show. Terrence then made the comment: "Some people are way too sensitive when it comes to their jobs." Was Terrence out of pocket?

Not to confirm the rumor that they had an off screen romance, but these two are proof that dating co-workers is out of the question, as it is bound to get messy…

-Necole Bitchie

POLITRICKS: Barack's Play To Win

Politricks — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:17:00 GMT

In recent days, Obama has given the media a lot to talk about. The controversial Father's Day speech brought memories of Bill Cosby's rants against no-good-baby-daddies, Jesse Jackson whispered on Fox News how he wanted cut Barack's nuts off and now the presidential nominee responded to Bernie Mac's dirty introduction with a tongue lashing on how he needs to clean up his act. This may sound like obstacles for big O but lemme show you how these are actually good opportunities for him.

The Father's Day speech goes a lot deeper than Barack just telling black dudes to take care of their kids. It was also a message to the middle and upper class voters that he's on their "side". As much as people would try to deny it in public, there is a class-based system in American society. People love to feel that they're better than everyone else. Since the perception is that black men are more prone to make babies and leave them, Barack scolding them makes people who believe that perception believe that if Obama is in the white house, he won't go easy on those problematic black men who waste their tax dollars making little bastards. Brilliant!

Barack knows that he doesn't need Jesse Jackson to co-sign him for the black vote so there's no need for him to even stress "Nutgate". If anything, Obama will win more conservative voters by being the Jesse alternative. Sure Barack is black but he's not going to beat them in the head with long, rhythmic speeches that make them feel guilty. If Jesse doesn't like him then he must be doing something right--for conservatives. Bingo!

Bernie Mac's blasting is kind of like the first point I made with the Father's Day speech. The type of person who feels that America's problems start and end with black sperm machines also believe that society is being ruined by foul-mouthed "artists". By Barack sandblasting Mac's performance, he's sending that same-side message to potential voters. If you think for a second that Obama is really offended by adult language--growing up in Chicago--you're a big dummy. Barack is in it to win and he knows what he has to do to get it done.

Whether Obama is right or wrong for going this route is certainly up for debate but what isn't is that he needs to do stuff like this to get the keys to the White House. Although you may think some of this is unfair, if you really want to ride for O, your best bet is to do what Jesse Jackson Jr. told his pops. To shut up and keep hope alive.

-The Blackspot

GOSSIP: Yung Berg's Fear Of A Dark Butt

Gossip — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:31:00 GMT

Rapper Yung Berg has found himself in the hot seat after audio was released from his appearance on the "Lip Service" satellite radio show. During his interview he made comments that he was "racist" and that he didn't like "dark butts'.

"I’m kinda racist… I don’t really like dark butts too much… It’s rare that I do dark butts. Like really rare… It’s like, no darker than me. No darker than me. I love the pool test…. If you can be like ‘Yo, baby. I met you in the club. Let’s go back to my house. Jump in the pool exactly like you are.’–And you don’t come looking better wet than you were before you got in the pool then that’s not a good look. Any girls that use brown gel to lay down her baby hair is not poppin"

I had to sit back and ask myself if Yung Berg's statement was an example of preference or is it another example of "colorism" in the African-American culture. "Colorism" refers to when a person of a lighter skin tone is seen as being more desireable than a darker one. Did his statement set us back to the civil rights era when the "Brown Paper Bag Test" was used to determine if a person was "too black"? Some organizations actually used this practice to decide if a person was worthy of acceptance. Only if their skin tone was lighter than a brown paper bag were they able to get in. Back in the day, "The Pencil Test" could also be used to determine if someone was "too black" by inserting a penci in the person's hair. If the pencil got stuck, that person's hair was "too kinky" which placed them in the "too black" category.

Yung Berg's "Pool Test" is similar to the old "Brown Paper Bag" and "Pencil" tests--as he determines if a woman is worth his attention based on what she looked like when she exits a pool. Although he didn't come right out and say it, what he meant was if her hair laid wavy or straight when exiting the pool, she passed. But if her hair was kinky (the type that you have to lay down with the brown gel as he says) then she probably wasn't "light enough" to gain his attention.

Pictures circulated earlier this week of he and America's Next Top Model winner Jaslene Gonzalez shopping in New York alluding that the two were a couple. Fortunately for Jaslene, who is of Puerto Rican descent, she passes Yung Berg's modern day "Paper Bag Test".

Do you consider Yung Berg's choice in women to be a preference or another example of "colorism" in Today's society?

-Necole Bitchie

HIP-HOP: Rap Eye For The White Guy

Hip-Hop — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:28:00 GMT

With rumors of Eminem working on a new album, it strikes me as both good and bad news. The good news is that another good emcee is putting out music for a change. The bad news is that we're all going to be tortured by another round of biters who believe that since they're white like Eminem, they can rhyme like him. Sort of like the effect Rocky had when he sent all those guys out into the street to get their asses kicked by real boxers. Shout to Eddie Murphy for that classic joke.

Have no fear though, as a beloved blogger (I'm being sarcastic, everyone hates bloggers now), I have a few tips for the white hipster rap noob who doesn't want all that Eminmem inspiration to go to waste.

1. Don't Try To Sound Like Em!
This sounds like a simple one but believe me it's not. Hard pronouncing your words like saying "wired" as "why-eerd" is not fresh. It sounds pretty corny and not in an endearing way. Eminem can get away with it because he has the skill to back it up and he owned it. It's not a jackable style and you probably don't have the experience to flip it just yet. Leave it to the pro.

2. Do Be White And Proud
If you're a rapper you're going to get dissed no matter what color you are. Trying to go at yourself by saying that you're white and awkward will only make people believe that you are. If you are dope, you just are, if you suck, no one is going to pity you. You don't want to overdo it though, come off gimmicky and you're headed for Ice Ice Babyland.

3. Don't Get Your Black Friends To Co-Sign You
It may be tempting to gather all the black guys/girls that you play World of Warcraft with to roll with you but that doesn't make you any more credible. If that's not your real crew, you'll just look like a landlord visiting the projects. Not good!

4. Use Natural Body Language
This one may take some getting used to. When you spit your rhymes, make sure that your hands gestures match what you're saying. Grabbing your crotch when talking about how tight your clique is gives the wrong message unless you're nailing them. More importantly, doing the weird you-know-what-I'm-sayin' hand thing is not funny.

5. Don't Be A Slave To Documentation
No one cares if you know the year Grand Wizard Theodore was potty trained. Well, maybe Grand Wizard Theodore but even that is up for argument. Your old issues of the Source and a few Wikipedia searches might give you a little historical insight but other than that, just respect the pioneers and keep it moving.

That should be enough to get you on your way to rocking the mic without looking like a mecha-fool. There's a lot more to touch on but not enough time. I'm confident you'll pick it all up along the way though. Now get out there, MTV's a waitin'!

-The Blackspot

GOSSIP: You Won't Like Kanye When He's Angry...Or Will You?

Gossip — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:41:00 GMT

Over the past few months, we've seen Kanye West at his worst when it has came to having flip-outs and meltdowns. In the past two weeks alone, Kanye has used his personal blog to blast the writer of a Harper's Bazaar article as well as the critics of his Bonnaro Festival performance. "This is the maddest I ever will be. I'm typing so f****** hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air," he writes. Fans would love to excuse Kanye's outbursts as a part of his grieving after losing his mother or just a reaction from him not getting the respect and recognition he deserves but is it really more than that?

In the story "Kanye West Headed To Anger Management Classes (Thank God) " grinded by talkdatishgirl, a source tells a British Tabloid that Kanye's management team came up with the great idea to send him to anger management after a few bizarre outbursts from the rapper. According to the grinded article, his mood swings were starting to "play a part in his commercial enterprises as people felt he was miserable all the time."

Kanye West obtaining the help he needs? I'm all for it, especially after watching the another video grinded by talkdatishgirl which shows a frustrated and angry Kanye backstage at the 2007 MTV Awards flipping out after he didn't win the awards he felt he deserved. In the clip he is heard yelling "F*ck MTV, tell em' what the f*ck I said! I'm never coming to MTV!" and "Give A Black Man A Chance, I got the f*cking number one record man!".

I have to admit, he startled me a bit screaming at the top of his lungs for justice, and I wasn't even there! So fine, we think the problem's solved, it's obvious the brother needs some sort of therapy or anger management and he's getting it. Done deal right? Wrong! Kanye shoots back yet again on his blog post titled "Anger Management?..If Anything I need Anger Enhancement and dispelled the rumors that he is getting the help he desperately needs:

Do yall remember when people said my fiance was pregnant???? What happened to that rumor????? I guess after we broke up it was just forgot about???? I’m just using that as an example of how people make up stuff and everybody runs with it. I had my own family asking me about that.Now the media is saying I’m going to anger management something or ‘nother. I have never had any conversations about anger management. If anything, I need anger enhancement!! lol! I get off the plane in Hawaii today and the world is saying my management team said blah blah blah… SIIIIIIGGGHHHH! I told the media you can’t make up lies about me because I have a media outlet myself. Oh and sidebar I don’t know if everyone has realized this yet but I don’t do interviews if there’s anything I wanna say I’ll say right here on my own blog.

There goes anger management…*Shakes My Head*! They should have never given Kanye a blog. Problem solved…

-Necole Bitchie

HIP-HOP: Moguls, What Do We Get Out Of It?

blackspot@globalgrind.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:40:00 GMT

Time and time again, we're told by artists to not criticize or even have an opinion on what they do. For the most part as consumers, we're just expected to shut up and buy whatevever album, t-shirt, liquor, etc. we're told by a particular artist. Has anyone really thought about this? Probably not, as the fear of being called a "hater" is much more important that being taken advantage of. There was a time when celebrities respected their fans but that isn't the case anymore. You know what? I don't blame them either.

It dawned on me while reading WatchMeDoMe's grind on Jay Z doing a party with British GQ, that while that's nice for Jay, what do we get out of it? Will the British GQ start to embrace Hip Hop more and allow some of our other musical heroes into the magazine? I doubt it. Even on a smaller scale, will members of the British Hip Hop community be able to attend that same party? Probably not. In the grand scheme of things, Hip Hop is still society's stepchild and the only people that win are the people who have learned how to best suck money out of Hip Hop. That's Jay Z and his peers on that level. British GQ recognizes Jay'z abilty for gathering profits and desire to be down with them, so why not throw a party and stick Jay Z's Hip Hop head on a flyer. It makes them look official, Jay looks like a king to us rap peasants and we don't feel so bad when we pay for an album that only has three good songs on it. We support it because, he's doing his thing and getting money, our money.

Trust me, I'm not mad at Jay Z, he never said he wasn't in it for the dough. He's just being a capitalist like he's always been. You people are just suckers for thinking you're invited to the party.

-The Blackspot

ENTERTAINMENT: Five Things I Learned From Watching "Hancock"

Entertainment — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:42:00 GMT

Over the holiday weekend, I had the opportunity to see Will Smith's new film "Hancock" along with rest of the blockbuster movie fiends. Although I was moderately entertained by the flick, I can only wonder if it would have been better minus the crying baby and ringtones throughout the experience. More importanly, I was able to gain a few gems of wisdom by the time the credits rolled. These are the gems I will share with you now.

1. Hanging out with Tom Cruise for too long will have long term effects. Though I can't really pinpoint what exactly, there was some Scientological stuff going on in that script.

2. America isn't ready for a black superhero. Hancock is treated like your favorite neighborhood derelict no matter how much good he does.

3. If a black superhero was to exist, there can be no other black people in Los Angeles. Maybe every black person in L.A. merged together to form a drunken and unruly mega ignorant super negro.

4. The superhero gods don't take kindly to interracial relationships. The moral of this story is, mix races, you die.

5. The only way a black superhero can get a little respect is to hire a white publicist. That must have been inspired by the real life entertainment industry.

-The Blackspot

GOSSIP: G's To Gents

Gossip — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:38:00 GMT

I just happened to read the "Will Allen Iverson ever grow out of the Thug Look?" story posted this morning and it posed a serious question. Just because you grow up and change your style, does that mean you are a sell out? I ask because most of the comments on the story excused his style as "keeping it real." Xfactor213 for example commented: "Can't outgrow something that is inherently you. Other people outgrew the style because they only saw it as a fashion fad."

I understand that if that is what Allen Iverson feels comfortable in, then let him be, but we are talking about a 33-year-old man that's still rocking cornrows and baggy jeans. Is there a point in your life when you realize, "I need to grow up?" I'm not asking A.I. to play dress up in Hawaiian silk shirts and sandals, but it would be nice to see a brotha in some slacks and a nice button-down every now and again without being pressured to do so by your basketball league. (I truly believe Allen Iverson was the sole reason behind the NBA enforcing a dress code). I mean, really, is A.I. still gonna be rocking cornrows and baggy jeans when he is 60? Ridiculous.

Speaking of Hawaiian shirts and sandals, Jay-Z switched his style up a few years back so that he wouldn't discourage future business partners by playing into the "rap" persona and now he's one of the richest hip-hop artists in the world. While rappers stay hating on Jay while he rocks sandals on the beach and the finest suits, he's laughing all the way to the bank. The same can be said for 50 Cent who is slowly evolving into a "grown" man. 50 dresses in jeans and a T on the regular, but he knows how to play the part when it presents himself in front of Hollywood's elite and dresses in the finest suits money can buy. Trey Songz "gets it" as well as he just chopped off his braids before the BET Awards, to reveal a more grown and mature look. Is Trey a sellout for cutting his hair?

I'm not attempting to diss anyone that believes in the whole "keeping it real" movement, but isn't that mentality exactly what sets us back .

-Necole Bitchie

GOSSIP: Trouble In Pop Culture Paradise

Gossip — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:04:00 GMT

Are men and women always on different pages when it comes to relationships? I had to ask myself this a few times during the past week as I saw several celebrity couples being questioned about their relationship and none of them seem to be on the same page.

Say for instance, Chris Brown and Rihanna. In a story grinded by me, the two were pressed for details about their relationship by "Entertainment Tonight" and both were on two different pages. While Rihanna kept a stern poker face as she demoted their relationship to "we are not dating, we are very good friends", a stuttering and flustered Chris Brown told the correspondent that she was the "only one," but there were no rings on his fingers.

In another instance, Young Jeezy was featured on the cover of Vibe magazine and in the issue he made his relationship with Keyshia Cole a figment of the media's imagination, stating that they were just "hanging out," but the media made it more. He goes on to say that she wanted a relationship but it's something that he wasn't ready for. Last year, in an Essence magazine interview, Keyshia alluded to just coming out of a relationship with Jeezy and stated that he proposed to her but it is something that she wasn't ready for at that time. So who's telling the truth?

Let's move to politics and the rumored email relationship between actress Scarlett Johannson and Senator Barack Obama. Scarlett made claims that she and Obama have had a friendly email relationship for a few months and that she consoles him after his speeches among other things. She stated she was surprised someone that was as busy as he had time to even respond to her emails. Obama shot back that he has only responded to her email once and that she doesn't even have access to his personal emails. Earlier this year Scarlett was quoted as saying: "I am engaged to Barack Obama". Was this an attempt for publicity by Scarlett or did Obama try to e-holla on the sly? Doubt it. She forgot to mention her brother was one of Obama's campaign organizers…

And let's not forget the ridiculousness that was Bow Wow in an internet battle with some random video vixens. There has been rumors that King Magazine cover model Dollicia Bryan was dating Bow Wow, which she shot down during a satellite radio show. She and another model Rita G (best known for her appearance in Kanye's "Flashing Lights" video) described Bow Wow as "corny" and joked about his height, among other things. Bow Wow released a video a day later of he and Dollicia hanging out on his tour bus just three days prior, in an attempt to prove he was "hitting that."

Are these just cases of "he said, she said" or could this be evidence that over 70% of celebrity relationships are nothing more than publicity stunts?

-Necole Bitchie

GOSSIP: This Business Of Vixens

Gossip — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:25:00 GMT

What is up with these Video Vixens sleeping around the industry and then writing tell-all's? A few weeks ago, I grinded a photo of Mos Def's ex-wife hugged up with Andre 3000. HellifIknow commented: "I swear, can these men in hip-hop and music find someone that hasn't already been with someone else in music or entertainment? Is the dating pool really that small? First Eric Benet and Prince's ex-wife, now Andre and Mos' ex? But then I guess it makes sense...obviously Prince's ex likes musical types and Mos' ex likes conscious, creative rap stars...." Hmmm.

Apparently, Mos Def's ex, Ayana, is a former stripper/video vixen and is no stranger to the pool of men available in the entertainment industry. She is now writing a tell-all book titled "Breaking the Code of Silence" where she exposes Mos Def. Apparently, she met Mos Def in Toronto back in 2005 and the two got married just three days later. She reveals that her and Mos Def were not on drugs when they married as some people speculated, but it was something he wanted and she went along with it. Eventually, Mos Def went on to abuse her and she filed for divorce two months later. Unfortunately for her, the two are still legally married because Mos Def won't sign the papers and according to her book, he told her "If I can't have you, no one will."

But get this, Mos Def wasn't the only celebrity she has slept with, allegedly. Also in the book, she details her romps with different celebrities and NBA stars, but won’t use their names out of respect for their wives. Isn't that contradictory? If you are sleeping with their husbands in the first place? In the book, Ayana (who dropped out of school in 7th grade) details a rough upbringing which began when she was molested by a relative and beaten almost to death by a former boyfriend. Isn't that the excuse Karrine Steffans used about her promiscuous past?

These girls evidently haven't learned anything as Superhead ended up in an abusive relationship, allegedly, with actor Darrius McCray and this girl Ayana is living in Toronto working odd jobs to make ends meet.

So I have to ask, did Mos Def try to turn a ho into a housewife?

-Necole Bitchie

GOSSIP: Russell Sets The Record Straight

Gossip — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:40:00 GMT

Friends of mine have forwarded me gossip online about my custody agreement details with Kimora. The fact is, we've had a pretty good partnership at sharing the girls in the past. There have been a few bumps in the road, and those bumps have led us to negotiate a minimum amount of time I'm guaranteed to see my kids. That deal is as follows: I have the girls one full week out of every eight, half of the summer, half of all the holidays, a full week at Christmas, and half of Spring Break. Like in all good partnerships, contracts are meant to protect the partners but are usually not the only way the partners work together. If I show up in L.A., where she now lives, unannounced, I can call up Kimora and she will most likely send them right over. The same goes for when she comes to New York. We have always had a school in New York and a school with the same curriculum in L.A., so when the girls are with me in New York, we can spend quality time together. I can get up with them, take them to school and just be together.

Kimora consults with me about doctors or schools for the girls, but she's always had final say in those areas. If we had an argument about a school, guess who's going to win? But there are other stipulations in our agreement where we have to make final decisions together. Anything having to do with business decisions pertaining to my kids cannot be done without my consent.

I've also seen a lot about people reading into the supervised visits stipulation. Kimora travels with a security guard and a nanny. In the past, she's gotten really nervous that I never travel with security, so if it makes her more comfortable to have her security and a nanny with us when I'm with my kids, that's OK with me.

Finally, I want to say Kimora is a excellent mother and is doing a great job with them. My kids are studying a couple of foreign languages, they travel around the world, they practice yoga, ballet, swimming, karate and piano, among other things...sometimes I think they do too much, but I trust in Kimora on this because she IS a good mother. Regarding the money, my kids live a tremendous life. They do have lots of security, nannies, educators, special programs, travel, chefs, on and on. Their mother manages all of those luxuries and I'm happy to provide for that.

With great love all things are possible.

-Russell Simmons

RUSSELL'S BLOG: My Day At The CIDA

Politricks — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:05:00 GMT

The expansion of the CIDA organization is now the goal, with two linked educational institutions that will provide the opportunity to serve 33% more students, and offer a broader range of options for students: from CIDA City Campus becoming a more academically rigorous business university, to the Maharishi Institute, and Foundation College focused on foundation courses and vocationl education preparing students for university-level studies, while combining service to the school/community and consciousness based principles on a daily basis. Was interested to learn the Foundation College will become an "eco-campus" beginning in 2009 with a focus on sustainability in every aspect of their curriculum.

After being with the Maharishi Institute students today practicing transcendental meditation together and speaking with them about their lives and where they want to go, I am more inspired than ever. I believe that if we can take the good instincts of the industry that more must be done to empower Africa, and we can build on it, we can make something very good happen here. D.E.F.'s off to a good start one year into the game, but this is a long distance run and I am not satisfied, we have not done enough. As we work together and each of us gains comfort in their own seat we can give more. Those of us who have had success in the world will never know true success until we achieve a balance of what we need to keep for ourselves and what we can give as our gifts to humanity.

O.K. Gotta go, it's time for the 17 hours in the air back to New York City.

With great love all things are possible.

-Russell Simmons

GOSSIP: Baby Mama-ry Is Recession Proof

Gossip — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:40:00 GMT

Did Kim Porter change the child support game forever? Just last year, Diddy's long-time bottom b*tch (yea, I said it!!!) decided to part ways with the mogul for good and demanded almost $100,000 a month in child support for their three children. Let's just think about this for a second. That's about $1.2 million a year. For popping babies?? Get out!

In an attempt to follow suit, 50 Cent's baby mama, Shaniqua, tried to take him to the bank, demanding $25,000 a month for their 10-year-old son Marquis. Unfortunately, she must have enlisted Pookie from down the block as her lawyer because in a surprise twist, the judge chopped her $25,000 a month payments down to $6700, and months later 50 was able to order her to pay $4500 a month or face eviction from his mansion. Poor Shaniqua was left with a whooping $2200 per month if 50 Cent had his way. She could either pay up or get the hell out…. or burn the house down. But we all know how that turned out...

Fast forward to this week, Ryan517 grinded a story about one of the most powerful couples in hip-hop. Kimora Lee and Russell Simmons have been going through a mess of a divorce recently and now it's reported that Kimora is demanding 40k a month in child support from Russell Simmons to take care of his two daughters. That's $480,000 dollars a year. Never mind that Russell is also filing joint custody for the kids which means they will be spending an ample amount of time with their father as well. Are you kidding me?

Ladies! Is it time to label "baby mama" as a reputable career as it comes complete with a great salary and lucrative benefits?

-Necole Bitchie

RUSSELL'S BLOG: Live From Sun City

Politricks — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:52:00 GMT

I'm in South Africa this week for my work to grow the Diamond Empowerment Fund (D.E.F.), a non profit I co-founded last year to support educational empowerment programs in African nations where diamonds are a natural resource.

Traveled to Sun City, a couple of hours from Johannesburg at the invitation of the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) to speak to the Sightholders about diamonds for good and how they can get involved in supporting greater opportunity for young Africans through access to higher education. Varda Shine, the Managing Director of the DTC and a D.E.F. Board Member, gave us
this important platform for D.E.F.'s cause and goals of getting the international diamond jewelry industry on board. FYI, the Sightholders are 78 companies from all over the world that have the exclusive opportunity to buy diamonds directly from the DTC, so having a chance to speak with these people was a very good step for this movement.

Festus Mogae, the former President of the Republic of Botswana also spoke and delivered a great keynote about the kharmic response to giving already in motion. He believes the greater focus on philanthropic, social and economic empowerment efforts by D.E.F. and other programs lead by the Sightholders is leading to better opportunities for everyone. Botswana is the undisputed worldwide leader in how diamonds can build a nation and empower its people so when he speaks I listen closely! He just joined D.E.F.'s Advisory Board which is a great new development for us.

In Johannesburg, where I just spent the day with the students of CIDA and the Maharishi Institute and their founder Taddy Blecher. CIDA is D.E.F.'s first named beneficiary of our fund raising efforts, and the Maharishi Institute is a new school that I got to see for the first time today. The original CIDA organization (Community and Individual Development Association) started 20 years ago teaching free transcendental meditation for disadvantaged communities.

I was introduced to CIDA in 2006 by Jennifer Oppenheimer after meeting her at the Clinton Global Initiative, I found a beautiful school with 1,500 students who were practicing yoga and meditation as a balance to their academic studies. The combination was magic to me - and the proof was in the success CIDA students had in getting jobs that helped them to support not just themselves but often their extended families. CIDA needed help to grow a $35 million endowment for sustainability and to pursue long term strategies for continued growth. I've focused my energies on this goal and over the past year CIDA and Maharishi have received gifts from De Beers, Anglo American, and other individuals in the diamond jewelry industry of more than $9 million. This is a good start but there's so much more to that needs to be done. More on this tomorrow...

-Russell Simmons

ENTERTAINMENT: BET Awards Observations (The 2008 Edition)

Entertainment — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:03:00 GMT

- John Legend likes girls?!? White Girls!??! Not that there's anything wrong with either... I'm just surprised. VERY surprised.

- Neferteria almost dropped one of those tig ol bitties like it was hot!

- That girl Keyshia can really wear some white leather and pumps, can't she?

- OK, Lil' Kim is "special".

- Although T-Pain's was the best performance (by 9:25 anyway) I felt like I was watching a minstrel show. I was looking for Steppin' Fetchit on the remix.

- Gospel sensation Warren Sapp?!?!? WTF is Hughley smoking?

- My goodness! Has Lisa Lisa got a pair on her or what?

- They should just rename the Collab Award to the T-Pain Award.

- I want to have Tocarra's babies... in my face!!!

- Jill Scott can get it, too!

- Maxwell tore up the Al Green tribute! I'm still having flash backs to basement parties and blacklights. The 70's was the sh*t!!!

- Maxwell was great but Al Green was Al Green. I'm just a little disappointed he didn't take us to the River!

- Rocsi looks great. I still don't like that cornball Terrence.

- Is it me or does Lil Wayne look like that kid from the Boondocks?

- OK so Rhianna is cute, beautiful even, but does anyone really think she can sing? She does have a distinctive sound but so does T-Pain.

- Ashanti & Ciara are truly God's work!

- Alicia is right... we are SOOO beautiful! Yes, we can!!!

- I thought Fergie was pregnant...

- Lauren London is on the move up and quite a cutie!

- I'm sick of P. Diddy. Does that chucklehead realize he just sent millions of rednecks to register to vote?

- I was wondering how Weezy was goona pull off "Lollipop" live... he did his thing. If he can put down the cough syrup, Hip Hop is in good hands. Still not feeling T-Pain but he does put out beats and hits. Gotta give him his due. A tub of Tide might make him more presentable.

- Oh damn, P. Diddy again... Where the hell is my remote! Oh s*** Tig Bigger?!? the hell with the remote time to turn this of manually.

-Couch Tata

SPORTS: Shaq's Rap Attack

Sports — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:56:00 GMT

The latest viral video taking the web by storm features Shaquille O'neal dropping a funny (and vicious) freestyle aimed at his former team mate Kobe Bryant. In the video first grinded by Necole Bitchie, Shaq takes verbal jabs at Kobe for losing in the NBA finals against the Celtics. Patrick Ewing and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are also on the receiving end of Shaq's playful rhyme during the two minute video.

What's causing some folks to believe this freestyle was less than playful is Shaquille's comments about Kobe ruining his marriage. In case you've forgotten, during Kobe's rape trial a few years ago, Bryant told investigators that Shaq paid groupies $1 million dollars in hush money to protect his image. O'neal's marriage to his wife Shaunie is now over, and Shaq rapped "I'm a horse, Kobe ratted me out, that's why I'm getting divorced".

There's a two part question to this matter....first, do you think Shaq was seriously going at Kobe? Second, do you think Kobe snitching on Shaq truly lead to "The Diesel" getting a divorce?

MiLyfe ain't buying into Shaq's hype, "If you cheated...you ruined your own marriage.""

OUCH!

-Sportaphile

GOSSIP: Chasing Weezy

Gossip — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:22:00 GMT

Damn, is everyone riding Lil Wayne's nut sack for relevance nowadays? Please excuse my language, but while watching a video grinded by Kdollaz1, I couldn't help but think "When will it all end"? In the video, Diddy sits next to Lil Wayne and asks him to explain the secrets to success. While he's co-signing the things Wayne has to say, in the back of my mind all I could hear is "Take That Take That Take That" reminiscent of Diddy's trademark of hollering over records in the 90's. What was the purpose of this video? Not really to promote Lil Wayne, but to promote Diddy, or shall I say Diddy.com as it is embedded at the bottom of the video.

In the past few months, the "Grab A Wayne - Win Some Relevance" saga has blown to new portions as he has been enlisted by every artist in the industry to do a feature. Never mind that he says he charges 100k a record to drop 16 bars, never mind that he may never have to put out another album or do another show to stack millions if that's actually the rate he's charging. And let's not forget the "A Milli" beat which has become THE track to rhyme over in the past few weeks. To date, over 20 artists have freestyled over the beat including Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Fabolous, Papoose, Lil Mama, Cassidy and Jay-Z.

So I have to ask, while people are proclaiming him the Best Rapper Alive (or maybe he's pro-claiming himself that) and he's trying to satisfy everyone by being on everything, will over-saturation be the cause of Lil Wayne's demise? Are artists using him to gain relevance, all the while killing his career?

-Necole Bitchie

GOSSIP: Ice T And Soulja Boy's "D*** Eating" Contest

Gossip — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:45:00 GMT

Are we really seeing an internet beef brewing between Soulja Boy and Ice T? Say it ain't so! Some people should definitely be banned from the Internet. It reminds me of the ridiculous beef between Bow Wow and Master P back in the day. In case you haven't been up on the game, the beef started with statements from Ice T in a mixtape interview. According to Ice T, Soulja Boy single-handedly killed Hip-Hop:

This ni*ga [Soula Boy] single handedly killed Hip-Hop. That sh*t is such garbage man. We came all the way from Rakim, we came all the way from Das EFX, we came all the way from motherfu*kers flowing like Big Daddy Kane and Ice Cube, and you come with that Superman sh*t? That sh*t is garbage. Hurricane (Chris) take them fu*king beads out of your hair ni*ga! Man up. You ni*gas is making me feel real fu*king mad about this sh*t.”

Just when I thought the ridiculousness of it all would end before it actually started, Soulja Boy responds to Ice T on a YouTube video.

"You hit me, your f*cking arm gon' break. I'll let you fight my granddad dawg, the n*gga will knock you're ass out. You were born before the Internet was created-how the f*ck did you even find me? You [about] to drop an album, that's why you mentioned my name. "Superman" was last year, n*gga-get with the times you old ass n*gga. How you gonna make a song called ["Cop Killer"], and 35 years later your ass playing the police on TV, 'Law and Order'. This ain't no beef."

And in an unexpected turn of events, Ice T responds back in his own video apologizing to Soulja Boy but stands by his statement that Soulja Boy was garbage. The video ends with Ice T's son telling Soulja Boy to "eat a d*ck."

Is this serious? Or just a stunt by the both of them to gain more recognition and sell more albums. I did hear through the grapevine that Ice T was falling on such hard times that they might have to donate the silicon in Coco's *** to eat, but damn -- a beef with Soulja Boy? Whatever happened to the good old days when artists did more collaborating than beefing? I guess with the drop in album sales and current state of the industry..If you ain't beefing, you ain't eating.

Shame!

-Necole Bitchie

SPORTS: The Twisted Tale Of Javon Walker

Sports — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:00:00 GMT

The situation surrounding the incident with Oakland Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker in Las Vegas gets weirder and weirder. Javon was knocked unconscious and robbed and the entire ordeal initially seemed like a random act of violence where grinders like Cuban Chica expressed their concerns for Javon saying, "Wow, can't a person gamble safely in Vegas anymore?".

But as the saying goes .... "still waters run deep".

In the days following the incident several pictures surfaced online of Walker partying in a club, popping bottles and spraying champagne. Unconfirmed reports of Javon leaving the club with women he met during the course of the night began to surface shortly thereafter, which implies he could have been the victim of a setup.

Javon's seemingly contradictory version of events prompted police to review security tapes at the Bellagio hotel--where Walker was booked for the night. Security tapes revealed that no such incident took place on their property leaving us with two options: Either Javon Walker is so groggy from his assault that he's mistaken about what happened or he's trying to cover something up. Does anyone in the world of Global Grind have any theories as to what's going on?

What I find particularly disturbing about all of this is Javon's behavior in the nightclub. The picture above clearly shows Javon spraying champagne around wildly during his night of fun in the desert. Sports fans may remember that Walker's teammate Darrent Williams was killed in 2006 following an incident where he and Javon sprayed champagne on patrons in a club. Why would Javon engage in this activity again when it could have very well sparked a chain of events that led to the death of his close friend in the past?

-Sportaphile

LIFESTYLE: Single Man March

Lifestyle — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:10:00 GMT

Admittedly, I used to be a figure skater- circa 1995. Yesterday, I attempted and landed a double-axle in my living room like I was back in Jump Class. NO ONE WAS AROUND BUT THE DOG!! I often pontificate upon the benefits of animals possessing the ability to speak. At least if she could speak real human words she could go and tell the masses that her kick-ass 5-foot, 11-inch owner just landed a double-axle in a space the size of a medium size FedEx box, because that's just how Brooklyn apartments are being sized these days to maximize the potential net gains to Real Estate developers resulting from gentrification. I digress. My accomplishment, in part, didn't matter due to the fact that no human was around to witness it. It will not become a story to re-emerge in conversation amongst friends as testament to my stellar physical abilities despite the fact that I have not touched the ice since 1999 and haven't been to ballet in at least 6 months. NO! Nor will it morph into a metaphor for awesome physical achievements: "Yo, you 'Charlie-Axl'ed' the hell out of that!"

I'm just saying. Things don't mean as much if no one else is around to experience them with you. I guess it's like dying- because that's the only other thing I can think of that you go through singularly. Birth doesn't count because you are literally coming out of another person, so by default you couldn't possibly be alone, unless you birthed yourself. And that's just crazy talk. Things, entities, movements, ideas, all count the most when there are other energies, individuals, intelligence around to absorb, reemerge and share such things.

Movements require numbers because of the very power that lies with in the energy of the masses. This applies not only to a physical collective, but a mental one as well. Major ideas in every genre and facet of life from film, music, literature, and dance. Elements in culture connect us and we end up becoming a part of something great. I'm sure an elderly gentleman sitting on the subway beside a wall with SAMO scribbled on it had no idea that the avant garde young author would influence and help to create an entire subcategory of art. Radically changing the way we view cultural ideas and their relation and subjectivity to art. We can all be a part of something great; experience and be motivated by something timeless. But in order for that to happen, folks have to show up.

A Tree fell down in the woods and no one was around. Besides the minute vibration created in the earth from the impact of the tree, it's effect is small. Had the tree fallen, by natural causes of course, just on the outer edges of a village, not only will the vibration be felt, but the wood might used for shelter, to make ceremonial masks for rituals as powerful and ancient as to ward off evil, summon the rains, and forever appease the good spirits. The tree has become a part of something great and beautiful and everlasting.

I hope this post lies not lonely, as the tree that fell where there was no one, although it probably will. I'm going to go now before I get fired. Bye-bye.

-Charlie

SPORTS: The Celtic Celebration

Sports — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:18:00 GMT

So how is it that the player of his era (Kobe Bryant) and arguably the best coach in history (Phil Jackson) can team up to mercifully humiliate themselves in the one arena that matters most to them?

Not even diehard Boston fans could have seen Tuesday night's massacre coming. Not with title-magnets Kobe and Phil manning the opposition, keen on enhancing their respective legacies.

But, in the end, the quartet of Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen clearly wanted their first rings a bit more than Bryant or Jackson simply wanted to add another.

“I'm so hyped right now,” screamed a jubilant Garnett. “Any thing's possible.”

The Celts manhandled Kobe and company from the opening tip, particularly over the last three games where they outscored them by 40 points, leaving Lamar Odom wondering just who the guys wearing the purple and gold along aside him truly are.

"We need to get stronger, nastier,” said Odom. “It's a mindset and they did better."

That would be quite the understatement, notes Talkdatishgirl. But then after Tuesday, what more can they say?