Did Rihanna Dub Her Tour With Kanye?

Apparently the Barbados Princess was just about Four, Five Seconds from backing out of an entire tour! 

Image Credit: HollyWire.com

According to an exclusive OK Magazine interview, Rihanna did 

not want any parts with the All Day rapper, because of his reputation. 

Lately, Rihanna has been in nothing but good graces with the media and she does not want anything to jeopardize that! 

Between Kanye's random rants, and Kim's extreme entourage she feels that it will be hard for her to stay under the radar. 

There's also been speculations about Yeezy's creative team DONDA taking the wheel, and steering the tour into his own direction, but considering how crazy in love RIH NAVY is about their beloved Gyal Rihanna, that would be a pretty tough call. 

Nothing has been set in stone since the initial announcement of a tour in February, but as speculations are left in a pretty hopeless place, we can only hope for the two to follow suit with this idea. 

Stay tuned for more updates on this story! 

-Alexis J. Robinson

@alexisjanaiformayor

Jay Z Reveals Plans for Tidal, a Streaming Music Service

On Monday, Jay Z, the rapper and entertainment mogul, announced his plans for Tidal, a subscription streaming service he recently bought for $56 million. Facing competition from Spotify, Google and other companies that will soon include Apple, Tidal will be fashioned as a home for high-fidelity audio and exclusive content.

​Image Credit: consequenceofsound.net 

But perhaps the most notable part of Jay Z’s strategy is that a majority of the company will be owned by artists. The move may bring financial benefits for those involved, but it is also powerfully symbolic in a business where musicians have seldom had direct control over how their work is consumed.

“This is a platform that’s owned by artists,” Jay Z said in an interview last week as he prepared for the news conference announcing the service. “We are treating these people that really care about the music with the utmost respect.”

The plan was unveiled on Monday at a brief but highly choreographed news conference in Manhattan, where Jay Z stood alongside more than a dozen musicians identified as Tidal’s owners. They included Rihanna, Kanye West, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Jack White, Alicia Keys, the country singer Jason Aldean, the French dance duo Daft Punk (in signature robot costumes), members of Arcade Fire, and Beyoncé.

Early Monday, artists associated with Tidal began promoting the service on social media through the tag #TIDALforALL. That stirred excitement among fans, although some in the music business and the technology world remain skeptical about Tidal’s chances against players like Apple and Spotify.

The stars stood side-by-side and signed an unspecified “declaration.” Jay Z did not speak, but Ms. Keys read a statement expressing the musicians’ wish “to forever change the course of music history.” 

Several artists have already thrown their support behind TIDAL, changing their Twitter icons to light blue and tweeting the hashtag #TIDALForAll. Among them, Kanye West, Jack White’s Third Man Records, and Arcade Fire:

​

There are two paid subscription options: $19.99 a month for high-fidelity audio, and $9.99 for standard quality audio. TIDAL can be streamed on the web, and downloaded for iOS and Android devices.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

Kanye West: New Album, Tour with Rihanna, and a Video Game?

Kanye West might just have the biggest year of his career in 2015. 

Kanye West stopped by Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club yesterday to talk about his Adidas fashion line, his upcoming album, and Kim Kardashian. Near the very end of the interview, he slyly mentioned that he's working on a video game based on his recent single, "Only One."

Image Credit: etonline.com

He gave a vague description of the game, which he says he's been working on for six months. "The idea is that it’s my mother going through the gates of heaven," he said, "and you’ve got to bring her to the highest gate of heaven by holding her to the light."

His next album, the Yeezus follow-up, doesn't have a release date, however. "I'm trying to get it finished," Kanye said. "I'm trying to get it to the people."

He described it as: "It's gonna be bars, songs, cookout music that just feels good. My last album was a protest to music, I was like 'I'm gonna take my ball and go home'... This album is embracing the music, joy. Being of service to the people. I just hope people like it and enjoy it."

West recently debuted his new song 'Wolves' featuring Vic Mensa and Sia at the launch of his Adidas Yeezy 750 Boost collection, now revealing that the track originates from a previously planned collaboration with Drake. "The song ['Wolves'] came from a conversation me and Drake had where we were supposed to do an album together - it was supposed to be called Wolves... we said we was gonna do it, he was sending beats back and forth," West said.

Ticketing giant Live Nation has confirmed the first date to be July 25 in the eastern European country of Estonia with tickets going on sale March 5. No other dates have been revealed, however.

West, who has been teasing his new album, is currently serving as the executive producer of Rihanna's upcoming new album, which ostensibly is also due out soon. The artists also recently collaborated on the song "FourFiveSeconds" with Paul McCartney.

Image Credit: rollingstone.com 

The three musicians performed the song together at the Grammys, where West explained how it came together on the red carpet to Ryan Seacrest. "I said I'd done a few songs with Paul McCartney and she couldn't get past this record," the rapper said. "She had to have it on her album.... So now we at the Grammys doing it."

Complex speculated that a 2015 West-Rihanna tour was in the works, based on un-sourced art the fact that Rihanna was offering VIP tickets to see West live as part of a charity auction. Rihanna previously opened for West on the rapper's Glow in the Dark tour in 2008.

Christine O'Connor

A Summary of NBA All Star Weekend in NYC

The City had a huge weekend and was host to many events this very cold February weekend. There was the NBA All Star Weekend, Fashion Week, the star-studded Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special and a huge concert full of hiphop heavyweights. What do these events have in common? Kanye West was at each one of them.

Image Credit: sandrarose.com 

The stars migrated from L.A. for the Grammys to New York for Fashion Week. On Thursday, Kanye West presented his first Yeezy collection with Adidas Originals, and all the big names were in attendance.

The front row was a who’s who of music and fashion elite including Beyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna, Diddy, Cassie, 2 Chainz, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Pop queens Rihanna and Beyonce snapped a photo together backstage, while hip-hop moguls Jay Z and Diddy supported Kanye and his new collection.

Image Credit: hiphop-n-more.com

History was made on Thursday night when the East Coast and West Coast united for Hot 97’s “Tip-Off” concert hosted by Diddy and Snoop Dogg at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The star-studded event, which kicked off NBA All-Star Weekend, featured surprise guests, reunions, and plenty of nostalgia, bringing out guests such as Busta Rhymes, French Montana, Dr. Dre, T.I., Lil Kim, The Lox, Kanye West, Nas, and many more during an unforgettable live event.

Diddy’s all-star lineup of guests included Busta Rhymes, Jermaine Dupri, and Kanye West, who performed “Can’t Tell Me Nothing." Black Rob guested on “Whoa!” and Diddy reunited R&B group 112, who performed their 2001 hit “Peaches & Cream” and the Notorious B.I.G. tribute “I’ll Be Missing You,” backed by Faith Evans and a choir. Nas hit the stage for “Hate Me Now” and “Made You Look,” while Naughty by Nature served their classics “O.P.P.” and “Hip Hop Hooray.”  Snoop Dogg brought out Dr. Dre for “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang." Then T.I who performed “About the Money.” The crowd went crazy when Lil’ Kim and The Lox  performed “Money, Power & Respect” and “It’s All About the Benjamins,” and Diddy’s son Christian Combs filled in for Ma$e on “Been Around the World.”

Other guests included Big Sean, Keyshia Cole, Doug E. Fresh, 2 Chainz, French Montana, A$AP Ferg, O.T. Genasis, Troy Ave, and ILoveMakonnen.

Image Credit: nba-events.com

It was NBA All-Star weekend, but it seemed as if all the stars in the celeb world were taking part in the swanky dinners, posh parties and concerts before Sunday's big game.

 

Official All-Star events, like Friday's celebrity game and Saturday's skills competition, attracted Rihanna, Kevin Hart, Mo'ne Davis and Floyd Mayweather, but other events had star power, too.

On Friday night, Nas and Drake gave a concert that featured Kanye West, while James held court at a dinner thrown at the Italian eatery Carbone by Beats. Farther away, All-Star John Wall had his own dinner at STK with Luc Belaire, where he mingled with guests, including rapper Pusha T and actress Keke Palmer.

On Saturday afternoon, Derek Jeter gathered his former Yankee teammate C.C. Sabathia, quarterback Russell Wilson, and others to discuss the launch of his after-career venture, the Players Tribune, a digital media company designed to give athletes a platform to tell their own stories; a late night launch party followed with a performance from rapper Common.

Sunday's game attracted some big-name musical talent, including a performance by Christina Aguilera and Nas before the start of the action. Among those attending the game was former President Bill Clinton, who sat with former NBA basketball player Dikembe Mutombo. Others seen at the game include film director Spike Lee and comedian Chris Tucker.

Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj provided the halftime entertainment, while Tamia sang the Canadian national anthem and Queen Latifah performed an acoustic version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Russell Westbrook with his 3s, dunks, and swagger, was perfect for the All-Star Game. The Hawks played best when they were together, sharing the ball and making plays. LeBron James  had 30 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. However, much like the weather in New York, Carmello Anthony was frozen this weekend.  

Article by: Christine O'Connor

Twitter: @ChristineeeeO

The 57th Grammy Awards Review

The 57th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday were a mixture of old songs, new faces and upsets, as Sam Smith, a 22-year-old British singer barely known to American audiences a year ago, won three of the top four prizes, and Beck became the dark-horse victor of album of the year.

Kendrick Lamar and Eminem split the four rap trophies. Mr. Lamar, a fast-rising young star who had walked away empty-handed last year, took best performance and song this year for “I.” Eminem won best rap album for “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” and shared best rap/sung collaboration with Rihanna, for “The Monster.”

Kanye West, dressed in a velvety red jumpsuit and a thin gold chain, was barely illuminated by a low spotlight as he sang “Only One,” his voice warped by electronics. 

Among the night’s other big winners, Pharrell Williams took home three prizes: “Happy” won best music video and, in a live version, best pop solo performance, while his “G I R L” won best urban contemporary album.

Image Credit: hiphopmyway.com

Beyoncé,  had been up for a total of six awards, also won three: best R&B performance and R&B song, for “Drunk in Love,” and best surround sound album, for “Beyoncé.”

Accepting the award for best R&B performance, Beyoncé thanked God and her husband, Jay Z, who appears on the track. But she made sure to thank her fans as well, with whom she keeps in constant contact through social media.

“I’d like to say thank you to my Beyhive,” she said. “Thank you guys for riding so hard.”

Image Credit: extratv.com

Some of the highlights definitely were Beyonce‘s tribute to the movie Selma alongside John Legend. The best performances came last. Beyoncé capped a ceremony that wasn't short on social commentary with a gospel song that was a favorite of Martin Luther King Jr. She ended her rendition introducing Legend and Common, who found inspiration for Glory in King and today's protests — and who performed, indeed, gloriously, accompanied by a full string section and choir.

Perhaps searching for a new twist on a song that seems to never go away, Pharrell performed his hit "Happy" and inserted an international flavor and weirdly dark tone, reinforced by Lang Lang's dissonant piano solo a couple of minutes in. But the choruses remained upbeat while the orchestra members wore yellow.

Superstars Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney performed "FourFiveSeconds" with no flash, no one trying to upstage the others. Add some buoyant harmonies, and you have a refreshingly simple and truly rousing number.

One unexpected stir brought some drama to the stage. As Prince (dressed in an incredible bedazzled orange jumpsuit in all his glory) announced Beck’s “Morning Phase” as the winner of Album of the Year, Kanye West jumped on stage to protest the surprising win.  The whole world held its breath for the microsecond when the rapper lunged towards Beck, anticipating another Taylor Swift moment.

But instead of jumping to Beyoncé’s defense (which would have been justifiable — her self-titled album was incredible), Kanye stepped back. A surprised Beck begged Kanye to come back on stage (likely in agreement that he didn’t deserve the award), but Yeezy joined his jilted friends back in the audience. The three-second interaction felt like a million years, and the result was the most hilariously awkward moment of the night.

Article by: Christine O'Connor

Twitter: @christineeeeO

Five Reasons Why Eminem Is The People's Champion

Image Credit: Eminem's Instagram (@eminem)

While Marshall Mathers was out raging hell on The Monster Tour alongside pop princess Rihanna, his new track "Guts Over Fear" made its way up the Digital Genre R&B/Hip Hop chart. As of September 6, HipHopDX.com reported that the single was holding down the third spot with 134,328 units sold.

Even when the Detroit native is swamped with work outside the studio, he still seems to hold stain in the Hip Hop scene. BET recently announced its 2014 Hip Hop Awards nominees and Eminem has been blessed to snagged the following three: "Best Collabo,Duo or Group," "Lyricist of the Year" and "Album of the Year."

Amazingly, the real Slim Shady recently landed a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for his bars on the 2013 track "Rap God." Eminem has been recognized for having the most words in a hit single clocking in at 1,560 words in six minutes and four seconds.

Eminem has teamed up with the Detroit Tigers for an official merchandise collaboration. The clothing line items were released on September 3 and holds a close place to his heart since it represents his hometown. In addition to that, he also took to Instagram to reveal limited edition clothing merchandise for sale in an effort to drive support for his upcoming album SHADYXV.

And finally, although Dipset rapper Jim Jones doesn't have a spot for Em on his top five rappers list, that hunk of a hunnie Denzel Washington sure is hype to have the rapper on his. In a recent reddit Ask Me Anything session, the actor revealed that Eminem is one of his favorite rappers and he is indeed a fan. So who would ever go amongst the word of this Hollywood A-lister?

With all these achievements, how could one not deem Eminem the "Rap God" of our times?

— Brittany C. Jackson

Twitter: @xPlatinumChanel

BET Announces 2014 Hip Hop Awards Nominees

Image Credit: BET Networks (BET.com)

Who's got next up in the cypher? It's time to hold it down for the real emcees! On September 4, BET revealed the list and nominees for their 2014 Hip Hop Awards. From the look of things, the Young Money brother and sister duo will be taking over the scene. Drake leads the pack with eight nominations while Nicki Minaj follows behind him with five. Jay Z , Pharrell, and Future  each racked up six nominations a piece. But what really caught my eye is the fierce competition between Drizzy, Future, Iggy Azalea, Wiz Khalifa and YG for the "People's Champ Award." With all those heavy-hitters in one category, I can only imagine who's going to come out on top.

You can check out who takes home the goldon October 14 at 8/7c  when the legendary Snoop Dogg returns to the big screen as the host of the event. 

Check out all the awards and nominees in its entirety below: 

Best Hip-Hop Video: Drake – “Worst Behavior,” Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino – “Move That Doh,” Iggy Azalea f/ Charli XCX – “Fancy,” J. Cole f/ TLC – “Crooked Smile,” Nicki Minaj – “Pills N Potions” & Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz.”

Best Collabo, Duo or Group: Eminem f/ Rihanna – “The Monster,” Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino – “Move That Doh,” Jay Z f/ Justin Timberlake – “Holy Grail,” ScHoolboy Q f/ BJ The Chicago Kid – “Studio” & YG f/ Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan – “My Hitta.”

Best Live Performer: Drake, Jay Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar & T.I.

Lyricist of the Year: Drake, Eminem, J. Cole, Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar & Nicki Minaj.

Video Director of the Year: Benny Boom, Chris Robinson, Director X, Dre Films & Hype Williams

DJ of the Year: DJ Drama, DJ Envy, DJ Khaled, DJ Mustard & DJ Scream.

Producer of the Year: DJ Mustard, Drumma Boy, Hit-Boy, Mike WiLL Made It, Pharrell & Timbaland.

MVP of the Year: DJ Mustard, Drake, Future, Jay Z & Nicki Minaj.

Track of the Year: “Cut Her Off (Remix)” – Produced by Will-A-Fool (K Camp f/ Lil Boosie, YG & Too $hort), “Move That Doh” – Produced by Mike WiLL Made It (Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino), “My Hitta” – Produced by DJ Mustard (YG f/ Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan), “Studio” – Produced by Swiff D (ScHoolboy Q f/ BJ The Chicago Kid) & “Worst Behavior” – Produced by DJ Dahi (Drake).

Album of the Year: Drake – Nothing Was the Same, Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Future – Honest, Rick Ross – Mastermind, ScHoolboy Q – Oxymoron & Yo Gotti – I Am.

Who Blew Up Award: Iggy Azalea, Migos, Rich Homie Quan, ScHoolboy Q, YG & Young Thug.

Hustler of the Year: Dr. Dre, Drake, Jay Z, Rick Ross & T.I.

Made-You-Look Award (Best Hip-Hop Style): A$AP Rocky, Jay Z, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj & Young Thug.

Best Hip Hop Online Site: AllHipHop.com,Complex.com, HotNewHipHop.com,NecoleBitchie.com, RapRadar.com &WorldStarHipHop.com

Best Club Banger: Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino – “Move That Doh” (Produced by Mike WiLL Made It), K Camp f/ Lil Boosie, YG & Too $hort – “Cut Her Off” (Remix) (Produced by Will-A-Fool), Migos – “Fight Night” (Produced by Stack Boy Twaun), Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz” (Produced by Detail), YG f/ Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan – “My Hitta” (Produced by DJ Mustard) &Young Thug – “Stoner” (Produced by Dun Deal).

Best Mixtape: Action Bronson – Blue Chips 2, Fabolous – The Soul Tape 3, Migos – No Label 2, Rich Homie Quan – I Promise I Will Never Stop Going In & Wiz Khalifa – 28 Grams.

Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse: B.o.B – “Paranoid” (Ty Dolla $ign f/ B.o.B), B.o.B – “Up Down” (Do This All Day) (T-Pain f/ B.o.B), Drake – “Who Do You Love” (YG f/ Drake), Kendrick Lamar – “Control” (Big Sean f/ Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica) & Pharrell – “Move That Doh” (Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino)

Impact Track: Common f/ Vince Staples – “Kingdom,” Lecrae – “Nuthin,” Lupe Fiasco – “Mission,” The Roots f/ Patty Cash – “Never” & Talib Kweli f/ Abby Dobson – “State of Grace”

People’s Champ Award: Drake – “Worst Behavior,” Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino – “Move That Doh,” Iggy Azalea f/ Charli XCX – “Fancy,” Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz”  & YG f/ Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill & Rich Homie Quan – “My Hitta” (Remix)

— Brittany C. Jackson

Twitter: @xPlatinumChanel

Eminem Takes the Stage with Surprise Guest, at Lollapalooza Concert

Photo Credit: Rap-Up.Com 

July 31st through August 2nd, the streets of Chicago were filled with the many sounds of music at the Lollapalooza Concert. Artists such as Outkast, Nas, Lorde, and several others, took the stage before a crowd of at least 160,000 fans! The three-day festival was definitely a show you didn't want to miss. 

iHeart Radio had an online radio show dedicated to this event and all of its performing artists. However, it didn't compare to the actual event! It was a mind-blowing experience that left you in awe with the different genres of musical talents. To experience such breath taking moments, where artists and fans came together to share their love for music, was for sure, the icing on the cake for a beautiful summer. 

Speaking of the icing on this festival cake, rapper Eminem, did something so spectacular that took the crowd by surprise. In the midst of his phenomenal performance, a surprise guest accompanied the rapper on stage. During his set on Friday August 1, 2014, the rapper startled the crowd and brought Def Jams own Rihanna to the stage, as they took the night. They both gave the crowd something that was very unexpected. The duo performed their hit songs “Love the Way You Lie” and “Monster." With their up and coming tour set to kick off in California on August 7th, 2014, they definitely gave the crowd a snippet of what to expect. 

The seven time Grammy Award Winner Rihanna, and thirteen Grammy winning rapper Eminem, have yet again graced a large population of captivating music lovers with their phenomenal talents. 

Catch these two on “The Monster Tour” kicking off on August 7, 2014. To watch a recap of the cultivating performance, click the link below; 

http://www.billboard.com/articles/festivals/lollapalooza-festival/6205572/eminem-rihanna-lollapalooza-surprise-performance.

by: Alexis J. Robinson

edited by: Dana Pelotta (Editor in Cheif/Blog Owner)

Eminem announces The Monster Tour, with Rihanna, coming this summer!!!!

Thats right, Eminem is finally back! After his international tour with Kendrick Lamar & J Cole, Marshall will be heading back to the U.S. for a 3 city stadium tour in August! He will be hitting a stage, in centerfield, in Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York this summer with Rihanna.

Em's last U.S. tour, the "Home and Home Tour," was back in 2010 along with Jay-Z, where he headlined Comerica Park & Hov headlined Yankee Stadium. 

Incase you're wondering, tickets are NOT on sale yet. It has not been announced yet WHICH stadiums the greatest rapper of ALL time will be doing, but judging by his 2010 tour, (which I attended) it's sure going to be an epic, historic night in each city. Attending Em's concerts for almost 15 years now, he has never left me disappointed or regretting spending the CRAZY amounts of money I paid to see him. It truly is an indescribable feeling, from the first second he starts, til the very end.

As far as the New York City show, I'm thinking he might decide to switch it up, and do Citi Field. Either way, I WILL be there, and when the tickets sell out IMMEDIATELY, and a second (and maybe 3rd) show is announced, I'll be there as well. 

If you haven't, or even if you HAVE been lucky enough to catch the Rap God in concert, make sure u don't miss this one. It might be your last chance. This might be his last run. If it's not, the next time he plans to tour again MIGHT not be for a while. 

So, with that said, again....make sure you grab your tickets when they go on sale. It will be slightly impossible, so I recommend StubHub as a second option. If you are looking to save some dough, wait a day before the concert, or even a few hours before, as the prices will likely drop. 

By:: Dana P. (Blog Owner/Editor in Chief)