This statement has just been released involving Q-Tip highly anticipated Kamaal the Abstract. I am huge fan of A Tribe Called Quest and this album is going to be insane.

Battery Records to release long-awaited Q-Tip album Kamaal the Abstract

Innovative recording cements Tip’s rep as greatest MC/producer of all time

New York, NY- In these hard times, we can all stand a ray of hope. Hope in hip-hop now comes from the legendary Q-Tip, he of A Tribe Called Quest fame. His long-delayed album Kamaal the Abstract, slated originally for release in 2001, is finally dropping September 15^th on Battery Records. A musical hybrid, Kamaal was commendably avant-garde at the time of its creation. Amazingly, it’s even more apropos in 2009; given the dearth of musical merit and capable MCs in today’s hip-hop, the time is ever-so-right for Tip.

Kamaal the Abstract is an intensely idiosyncratic and revealing record. To that end, Q-Tip produced the entire album himself, even playing several instruments. What comes from Kamaal is a daring mélange of soul, supa-cool jazz, headnodding hip-hop, and organic pop magic in the vein of Stevie Wonder or Prince. Check for the superlative figures of saxophonist Kenny Garrett, a one-time member of Miles Davis’ ensemble, on the breathy “Abstractionisms.” Or the fluid flute lines of Gary Thomas, another Davis sideman, on “Do U Dig U.” Elsewhere, note Tip’s ambitious production, arrangements, and even sung stylings.

But make no mistake: Kamaal the Abstract still boasts all the earmarks of Q-Tip’s inimitable mic control. Listen to him blaze through a spiced narrative on “Even If It Is So.” Or paint vivid images on “Blue Girl.” The album has been re-mixed and re-mastered for sonic impact, though it retains the original album artwork.  Neil Levine SVP/GM of Battery Records is proud to release this buried treasure from Q-Tip:  “Kamaal the Abstract/Q-Tip is a true visionary and ahead of his time. These songs sound more contemporary now than when they were first recorded”. Kamaal the Abstract drops September 15^th. Better late than never.

Source: CNN.com

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

(CNN) — Entertainer Michael Jackson has died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest, according to multiple reports including the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press. CNN has not confirmed his death.

Jackson, 50, had been in a coma at the hospital, sources told CNN.

Brian Oxman, a Jackson family attorney, said he was told by brother Randy Jackson that Michael Jackson collapsed at his home in west Los Angeles, California, Thursday morning.

Family members were told of the situation and were either at the hospital or en route, Oxman said.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m.

Ruda said Jackson was treated and transferred to the UCLA Medical Center.

Asked specifics of the patient’s condition, he said he could not discuss them because of federal privacy laws.

For anyone who knows me, you know that I am a HUGE Michael Jackson fan.  Today on June 25, 2009 – Michael Jackson has died. This is absolutely the worst and saddest day of my life. The King of Pop is no longer with us. As I am writing this blog, I am listening to Toronto’s FLOW 93.5 as DJ Starting From Scratch plays all of Michael Jackson’s classics. I am extremely emotional. All I can say is Rest In Peace Michael Jackson. You are loved by many around the world. You leave 40 years of history. We will NEVER forget and always cherish what you have done and we will continue to keep your legacy alive.

Below, I leave you a bunch of my favorite videos and songs  from Michael Jackson.

Never Can Say Goodbye at Mexico

I Wanna Be Where You Are

Motown 25 – Billie Jean

I Can’t Help It

Jackson 5 – Blame It On The Boogie

Black Or White

Heal The World

(Source: Toronto Star)

Famous Blogger Perez Hilton got “assaulted” by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas last night after the MuchMusic Video Awards After Party.

Celebrity-blogger Perez Hilton claims he was assaulted outside a nightclub this morning following his appearance as a presenter at last night’s MuchMusic Video Awards.

Hilton alleges that Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and his security guards assaulted him shortly after 3 a.m. in front of Cobra night club on King St. W.

Toronto police confirm that Hilton had contacted them with an assault allegation, but had no comment pending an investigation. In a Twitter posting, Will.i.am denied an assault took place.

Read More>>

Perez Hilton confirmed via Twitter that he was assaulted by Will.I.Am and had a bloody nose.

1. I’m in shock. I need the police ASAP. Please come to the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel now. Please.about 7 hours ago from Sidekick
2. I was assaulted by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and his security guards. I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke.about 7 hours ago from Sidekick
3. Still waiting for the police. The bleeding has stopped. I need to document this. Please, can the police come to the SoHo Met Hotel.about 7 hours ago from Sidekick

Will.I.Am created a Twitter account last night and released this tweet below.

1. i just made a twitter account because it isnt cool for someone to blame you and blast you with lies…about 6 hours ago from web

Will.I.Am posted a video early this morning to talking about the altercation – [source] where he stated he didn’t hit Perez Hilton. So who did? Perez Hilton just released a video on his website talking about the assault and releases information on who punched him [source]. Perez stated that Will.I.Am’s manager “Polo” punched him in the face. So why are we using Will.I.Am name again? I understand it was something that happened between Will.I.Am and Perez Hilton but Will.I.Am didn’t punch you, his manager did.Too much unnecessary drama that went down last night but you gotta love Twitter for the exclusives. Who needs TMZ when you got Twitter. More story will unfold. Stay tuned.

(Source: Hollywood Scoop)

Usher’s rating has been slowing going up and I didn’t think back to wonder why people are starting to like him again. Now the answers are here – Usher Raymond & Tameka Foster Raymond are calling it a quit after almost two years of marriage. The couple filed for divoruce today (June 11th). They have been living apart for almost a year and have two sons together – Raymond V born in Nov 2007 and, Naviyd Ely Raymond born in Dec 2008. Poor kids.

After dodging breakup rumors for months, Usher and his wife Tameka Foster have reportedly called it quits.

Several media outlets are reporting that Usher filed divorce papers in Atlanta this morning.

“The Grammy winner has been living apart from his wife for nearly a year after almost two years of marriage,” an insider tells In Touch.

“Usher’s primary concern is for his children. He is a great father and just wants to do what is right for them.”

The couple has reportedly been having problems for a really long time. Last November Usher rushed to Tameka’s side after she had complications with plastic surgery in Brazil. Apparently he “had no idea that she was there to have surgery.”

If he was unaware of his wife being in a different country having plastic surgery, it sounds like there’s a real big problem there. Hollyscoop contacted Usher’s rep for comment, but didn’t receive a reply at press time.

I personally never really paid attention to their “bogus” relationship but I wonder what the pre-nuptials papers look like. Considering they have two children together, Usher does have to pay child support.  I wonder how much it will cost Usher to care for his children. On a brighter note ladies, Usher is BACK on the market and I wonder who will scoop him up next. Word on the street is that he has been seen around ATL with an older unindentified female [source]. So for all you older women, Usher likes what you got!

credit:   Patrick Demarchelier

Within the past year, there had been rumors that Whitney Houston is in the studio working on her new album. Well those rumors are now news. Whitney Houston’s new album will be released worldwide  September 1, 2009 on Arista Records. According to Wikipedia – Whitney Houston is one of pop music’s biggest-selling artists of all time, selling over 140 million albums and 50 million singles, worldwide.  This is Whitney’s 7th studio album. Since her 1985 self-titled debut, she has built an illustrious career that has generated over 170 million combined worldwide sales of albums, singles and videos.  Cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as music’s “most awarded female artist of all time,” with an unsurpassed tally of 411 awards, inclusive of 6 Grammy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, 23 American Music Awards and 16 Billboard Music Awards… Whitney remains a singular force in music today.

I am very anxious to hear Whitney’s post marriage to Bobby Brown music. 2009 feels like the year of comeback (Eminem, Amerie, Method Man & Redman and now Whitney Houston) I hope she will continue to create those feel good love songs. Stay tuned people as this should be an interesting journey.

Be sure to visit www.whitneyhouston.com regularly for up-to-date album information, exclusive photos and more exciting news!

With all the rumors floating around that television series The Game has been cancelled, well last night the reports have been confirmed via Twitter. @tiamowry & @cwthegame posted these messages last night:

Last Friday, The Game had their Season Finale (Series Finale) and from my understanding the ratings for Season Finale beat out 90210 and Gossip Girls. The Game is originally a comedy but Mara Brock Akil (creator) was trying to change the format into a hour long drama series. The Season Finale shows the attempt to switch the formats. But why is the show being cancelled? It’s something that doesn’t make much sense to me. Of course, it’s rating but look at what day the show comes on. Most people want to hang out on a Friday night. I am no television ratings experts but that’s my assumption. There was even a possibility that BET may pick up the show but unfortunately that will not be happening.

Today, The CW also announced their 2009 – 2010 Primtime line up. See below. If you notice that on Fridays from 9 – 10pm, there is an encore presentation of America’s Next Top Model. Are you serious? You couldn’t fit The Game in that time slot. As far as  “Black shows”, America’s Next Top Model is the only one that fits into that category.  I still have high hope for The Game and I am praying that another network will pick up the show.

THE CW’s 2009-2010 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GOSSIP GIRL
9:00-10:00 PM ONE TREE HILL
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM 90210
9:00-10:00 PM MELROSE PLACE (New Series)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL
9:00-10:00 PM THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE (New Series)
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (New Series)
9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SMALLVILLE (New night)
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL (Encore Presentation)

Source – CW Network

It’s a sad day, Upcoming rapper Dolla was shot and killed in Los Angeles yesterday while was waiting in the valet area at Beverly Center Mall with a friend. The 21 years old was currently working on his solo project A Dolla and a Dream and signed to Akon’s Konvict Muzik. You may remember Dolla with his 2007 track “Who The Heck Is That” featuring T-Pain & Tay Dizm.

Rapper Dolla, born Roderick Anthony Burton II, was shot and killed while waiting in the valet area of the Beverly Center mall in Los Angeles on Monday (May 19). He was 21.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the up-and-coming rapper, who signed to Akon’s Konvict Muzik label in 2007, had flown to Los Angeles that very morning to continue work on his oft-delayed solo debut, “A Dolla And A Dream,” which had been slated for a summer release. He went to the Beverly Center to shop, his publicist Sue Vannasing told the newspaper. After the shooting, Burton was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center a few blocks from the mall, where he died, police said.

According to the Times, the LAPD has not announced a motive for the attack or identified any official suspects, although detectives are questioning a woman they detained at the scene and a man who alleged fled in a silver Mercedes SUV after he was detained while approaching the ticketing area at the Los Angeles International Airport armed with a gun.

TMZ reports police arrested a man identified as 23-year-old Aubrey Berry at LAX after authorities issued an alert that the suspect may be headed for the airport. The airport police reportedly spotted a man who matched the description of the assailant sitting in the lobby of one of the terminals.  When police approached him, Berry said he knew why they were there, raised his hands and told them he had a 9 MM gun in his waistband.

Read More here

i am absolutely sad that his life had to end this way. This is a wake up call for all. If you got any dreams, do not waste time. You never know when it’s your time to go. Peep the tracks that Tyga and Dubb created in Dolla’ memory.

Tyga – RIP Dolla

Dubb – Letter To Dolla

Rest In Peace – Dolla ( Anthony Burton II)

Sources: Billboard.com

Billboard.com has reported that the Executive Vice President of Def Jam, Shakir Stewart has passed away.Shakir was found dead in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon where it looks like he had committed suicide. There is so official word of the causes and what would have led him to this event.

Shakir was promoted to Executive VP of Def Jam in June as he replaced Jay-Z. He is also responisble for signing major acts including Young Jeezy an Rick Ross. Known by many in the music industry, his peers would describe Shakir was very passionate about music and would work 27 hours a day. That’s what I call passion and dedication.

My condolences goes out to his family, close friends, peers, co-workers. Shakir will truly be missed.

Read more about Shakir Stewart here.

Sources: Mtv.com

Just a few days ago, Jennifer Hudon’s family experience a real tragedy when her sister found their mother and brother murdered in their Chicago home. It has appeared that they were shot to death. It was also reported that Jennifer Hudson’s 7 year old nephew Julian King was missing. The police had issue an amber alert looking for Julian. Yesterday, the hope of finding Julian King alive and well has come to an end. The police had found a body of a child which it has confirmed to be Julian King inside a white SUV that they have been searching for all weekend.

An autopsy for the boy was scheduled to take place Tuesday, and Weis would not comment on whether the child was killed inside the vehicle or at the home in which Hudson’s mother and older brother were found shot to death on Friday

Jennifer Hudson has issued a 100,000 reward on information regarding her nephew’s whereabouts and what had happened on Friday. They have captured a potential suspect William Balfour who is the boy’s step-father and had numerous involvement with Julian’s mother Julia. Read the rest of the article here

My condolences goes out to Jennifer Hudson’s whole family. This is a tragedy and it is something that shouldn’t of happened. Read the article as Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew are remembered here

Sources from MTV.com

MTV.com has reported that Jennifer Hudson’s Mother and Brother were found shot to death in a Chicago home on Friday.

A Chicago police representative said the singer’s mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and older brother, Jason, were killed. Donerson was 57 years old; Jason was 29.

Officers received a call shortly before 3 p.m. Friday, the representative said, and upon arriving at the residence, 7019 South Yale Avenue, found the two victims. The incident has been declared a double homicide; police emphasized that this may be a domestic situation.

Julian King, Hudson’s young nephew, who had been living at the residence, has been reported missing. Chicago police confirmed to MTV News that the child may be in the company of identified suspect William Balfour, an African-American male in his late 20s, who is considered armed and dangerous. Balfour is out on parole from the Illinois River Correctional Center on attempted murder, carjacking and stolen-property charges, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. He was sentenced to serve seven years in 1999. He’s 5-foot-5 and weighs 147 pounds.

According to the Amber Alert issued for King, he is wearing a brown, striped polo shirt and khaki pants. He is 4 feet, 11 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair.

Read the full story here

My condolences goes out to Jennifer Hudson’s family at this time. This is an unfortunate situation that shoudl have never occured.