Music News...

X Sentenced To 90 Days

Another chapter in the rocky road of rapper DMX’s life has come to a close. After a string of arrest, the Dark Man was sentenced Friday to 90 days in an Arizona jail.

The sentence was handed down as a result of a myriad of convictions including theft, drug-possession and cruelty to animals.

Despite the three month sentence, X, known to the government as Earl Simmons has been sitting in the Maricopa County jail since his early December arrest in Miami for failing to appear in a Phoenix court.

Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Phemonia Miller told the platinum selling emcee that she was sentencing Earl Simmons, not the star the Hip Hop community grew to love.

"I don't know DMX. Mr. Simmons, it's time you do something different," she told Simmons, who is also reportedly suffering from gout. "What you have been doing is not working."

That niggers crazy.

LUPE.N.D. POSTPONED!!!!!!!!

Straight from Lupe's blog:

Due to circumstances beyond my control...the album roll out has changed radically...LUPE.N.D. has been postponed indefinitely!!!

As a matter of fact consider it cancelled until further notice!!!

Sorry Guys & Gals!!!!...the rumor mill and bitch ass cowards are going to have a field day with this one!!!...I'll just keep quiet about the actual reasoning so everybody can put their very special two cents in...

OK..so what now???

Actually an album is still coming in June...Thats Right!!!...Drum Roll Please...

"THE GREAT AMERICAN RAP ALBUM"

Yeah thats the new title...

want the tracklist?

ok...

1. Song #1
2. Song #2
3. Song #3
4. Song #4
5. Song #5
6. Song #6
7. Song #7
8. Song #8
9. Song #9
10. Song #10
11. The Greatest Rap Song Ever Made

No B.S.

See ya'll in June and again in December and again next June...

LupE.N.D. right after that...when the liberation comes!!!...

also JAPANESE CARTOON "IN THE JAWS OF THE LORDS OF DEATH" drops the same day as "THE GREAT AMERICAN RAP ALBUM"...Matthew Santos this spring...oh yeah...FNF UP!!!

I hate the music business...but I love music...Grammy's Here We Come!!!

WOW. Here we go. You knew Lupe was gonna throw some kinda wrinkle in. Let's just see what happens, speculation is a waste of time.

Curtis/Rick Ross Beef Chapter 3...

I can't front, I'm looking forward to seeing this beef continue to develop for several reasons: 1. To see how Ricky Ross responds. 2. 50 is hilarious, and will no doubt expose some funny ass Rick Ross material (i.e. that damn Lakers jersey, lmao.) 3. It's been a while since two well-known rappers have actually gone at it, with diss tracks from each side 4. Hopefully, it'll make both rappers step their game up on their next albums 5. It's just great entertainment.

New Music....

Ciara Feat. Young Jeezy - Never Ever

Via: nahright & hiphopdx

NBA Basketball...Boston Wins 10th Straight

After having their 19-game winning streak interrupted by a dismal 2-7 stint, The Celtics have simply kept it movin and started another streak of 10 games and counting. Think about this: despite the bumps in the road in late December/early January, the Celtics still have the best record in The League, at 39-9. That's pretty damn good. Boston went to Detroit Friday night and got the W, winning 86-78. The Green Machine got 22 and 20 from Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, respectively. KG outscored the entire Piston's starting frontcourt - Tayshaun Price, Amir Johnson, and Rasheed Wallace - which finished with 18 points combined, on 7-31 from the field. Rajon Rondo had 12 dimes for the Celtics, who had 25 assists on 31 baskets.

The game nearly turned into "Melee at The Palace" Part 2. With just under 6 minutes to in the fourth quarter, a Kendrick Perkins flagrant foul on Jason Maxiell got both teams riled up. As Maxiell went up for a lineup, Perkins' wrapped his arm around Maxiell's neck, forcing him to the ground. Maxiell, who was T'd up, got up and shoved Perkins, who was ejected after being assessed a Flagrant 2.

Scores From Around The League...1/30/09

Celtics 86, Pistons 78

Heat 103, Pacers 114

Wizards 94, 76ers 104

Bucks 96, Raptors 85

Nets 88, Hawks 105

Clippers 95, Cavs 112

Lakers 132, T'Wolves 119

Bobcats 99, Nuggets 110

Thunder 90, Jazz 110

Warriors 91, Hornets 87

Bulls 109, Kings 88

New Music From The Chef & The Boss

Raekwon Feat. Ghostface & Cooked I - Yes Sir

How bout that. After being gone for a minute, Rae's dropped three tracks in as many days. Yessir.

Rick Ross Feat. John Legend - Magnificent

Ross' first single off Deeper Than Rap. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League with the production sick. Ignoring all the CO talk, Ross has been nice lately.

SKULL GANG - Don't Want You Back

50 Sick With The Diddy Syndrome...

“When my career blew up, I developed the Diddy syndrome. That’s where this velvet jacket came from. As soon as you develop the Diddy syndrome, you put a little more grease in your hair, and soon enough, you’re selling cologne.”

Curtis Is A Fool. LMAO...

Via: hiphopdx & worldstarhiphop

Fresh Kicks...

OUT TOMORROW!!!

The first installment of the Air Jordan 2009 hits stores tomorrow, January 31. They are a limited release, however, and are only available at House of Hoops locations and Flight Club. Only 2009 pairs worldwide. Retail price: $230. Cold, but that's WAY too steep. I'll wait for the white ones.

More Penny 2's...

You really can't go wrong with anything Penny. This is the third Penny 2 colorway we've seen the past few months, along with the black/royal and white/royal, which have already released.

No official release date on these yet.

Chi-Town Stand Up...

Rubyhornet sat down with the homie Brian, co-owner and founder of Chicago sneaker boutique, Solemates.

With the relatively recent surge of street-wear boutique's in the Chicagoland area, you would think it would be rather difficult for them to harnes their own uniqueness. A small, swank, clothing boutique and sneaker cosignment shop lies nestled in the heart of a culturally diverse community seems to have that concept nearly perfected. 

Solemates...Chicago possess this almost heavenly ambiance, with a pleathora of exclusive sneakers while high-end street-wear brands seem to rest over pieces of vintage furniture that set them footsteps ahead of their competition.

Read the entire story here.

I've interviewed Brian before too. Real cool dude. SUPPORT SOLEMATES!!!

Collecting Shoes Is An Art Form...

Via: nicekicks & rubyhornet

Republicans Elect First Black Leader...

Members of the Republican National Committee elected their first-ever African-American party chief on Friday, choosing former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele to chair the organization after six rounds of tumultuous balloting.

After five rounds of voting, the race for the chairmanship came down to a choice between Steele and Katon Dawson, the South Carolina GOP chairman who secured strong support from party insiders after former chairman Mike Duncan dropped out of the race earlier in the day.

Steele emerged as the winner on the sixth ballot, winning with 91 votes. A candidate needed a simple majority of 85 votes from the 168-member committee to secure victory.

For the duration of his campaign, Steele fought perceptions that he was too moderate to lead the party because of his blue state roots and his former membership in the Republican Leadership Council, a group that sought to curb the influence of social conservatives in the party.

“I’m proud to say I’m a conservative, have been, always will be,” Steele told CNN earlier this month. “So this notion that I’m a moderate is slightly overblown, and quite frankly a lie.”

Steele brings a national profile to the committee, having shot to fame in the political world during an underdog Senate bid in 2006 distinguished by a series of clever TV commercials. He has since become a fixture on cable talk shows, experience that boosted up his reputation as the best communicator among the field of RNC candidates.

Via: CNN

Slept-On Young Gun Of The Week...1/23-1/30

Don't get it twisted, Al Jefferson's been a monster in The League since '06, when he averaged 16 and 11 boards in Boston. Last year, he stepped his game up to 21 and 11 in Minnesota. And this year has called for more of the same: 23 and 11. The difference over this past month, and this past week in particular, has been the results in the Win/Loss columns. In each of those previous seasons, and the first 3 months of this current season, it's been mostly L's for Jefferson. However, in January, the Timberwolves have the best record in the league, at 10-3. Over the past week, Jefferson's led them to 3-2, including a win over New Orleans. In a win over the Bulls, Jefferson went off for 39 and 9. Jefferson, who's just 25, but already in his 5th season, has averaged nearly 28 and 10 dating back to last Friday, Jan. 23. And he gets the official "Slept On" title after being left off the All-Star team. Big ups To Al J.

NBA Basketball...ALL-STAR RESERVES ANNOUNCED!!!

Do You Believe In Magic???

In the first of two NBA games, Orlando stepped up to the plate and took care of Cleveland at home, 99-88, in what could be a preview of an Eastern Conference Finals showdown. And the score doesn't indicate just how good the Magic played. Despite finishing with 23, 8, and 8, LBJ had a rough night - literally and figuratively. He shot just 10-27, and was frustrated much of the night, not receiving foul calls he felt he deserved. Cavs coach Mike Brown, was going insane on the sideline about the lack of calls his team was getting, and eventually got T'd up, along with Mo Williams. LeBron did only shoot six free throws so they may have had a point. 

Everything was clicking for Orlando, on the other hand, who hit 11 threes, and got 22 and 18 from Superman aka Dwight Howard, 19 and 11 from Hedo, and 18 from Jameer Nelson. Up seven to start the fourth, the Magic went on a 20-2 run to end Cleveland's hopes for a comeback.

In the other game, the Suns and Spurs faced off in a game reminiscent of what we've seen in the Playoffs for much of the new millennium. Both teams got major play from their stars, making the atmosphere even more playoff-esque. The Spurs prevailed 114-104 behind 30 from Ginoboli, including 18-18 from the free throw line, 20 and 15 from The Big Fundamental, and 26 from Tony Parker. Meanwhile, Phoenix got 28 and 10 from Amare, 20 and 10 boards from Grant Hill, and 16 points and 18 dimes from Steve Nash. Shaq, who was severely outplayed by Timmy D, finished with just 13 points and 6 boards.

ALL-STAR RESERVES....

EASTERN CONFERENCE

• F, Paul Pierce, Boston
• C, Chris Bosh, Toronto
• G, Joe Johnson, Atlanta
• F, Danny Granger, Indiana
• G, Devin Harris, New Jersey
• F, Rashard Lewis, Orlando
• G, Jameer Nelson, Orlando

WESTERN CONFERENCE

• F, Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
• F, Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers
• G, Chauncey Billups, Denver
• G, Tony Parker, San Antonio
• G, Brandon Roy, Portland
• C, Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix
• F, David West, New Orleans

Ok. Two Major Beefs: Mo Williams exclusion and David West's inclusion. Rashard Lewis is having a good season no doubt, averaging 19 and 6 boards. But Mo Williams should have made the All-Star team over him without question. The reasoning is simple: Cleveland is the #1 team in the East, so how do they only have 1 representative in the All-Star game? Mo has been having a career year, and is just as much a reason for the Cavs success as King James. MoWill's been good for 17 points, and 4 assists per contest, in addition to shooting 38% from three this season. Although Lewis' numbers are better, Williams' impact on Cleveland, and, as a result, the entire league, should have earned him a spot on the Eastern Conference roster. Orlando, Boston, and Cleveland are all powerhouses, and the most fair way to do it, would be to include two members from each team. Boston has their two in Pierce and KG, Orlando's two should have been Dwight and Jameer, and Cleveland should have gotten Mo Williams, in addition to Bron.

In the West, David West's inclusion on the team is a head-scratcher. No disrespect to D West, because I'm huge Hornets fan, but 7 rebounds as a power forward should not get you on the team. Although he's scoring 20 a game, and N.O. is third in the West, he's been too inconsistent this season. Instead, Al Jefferson should have made the team. Yeah, his team is under .500, but so is Danny Granger's. You can't deny the numbers, though. Jefferson's been good for 23 and 10 every night, and has the T'Wolves playing extremely well in 2009.

The game will mark a reunion between Phil, Shaq, and Kobe....

How does The Diesel feel about it?

Via: ESPN

NCAA Basketball...

6 Top 25 games Thursday, but nothing too eventful...BUT: After losing to Illinois 20 straight times, Minnesota snapped that streak Thursday, and in the process, held the Illini to 36 points - IN THE GAME. The Gophers held Illinois to their lowest point total in 24 years, as the Illini went 15-51 from the field. NO ONE from U of I scored in double figures. Wow. Lawrence Westbrook led Minnesota with 15.

Top 25 Scores From Around The Nation....

#9 Michigan St. 71, Iowa 56

#11 Clemson 86, Va. Tech 82

Washington St. 65, #14 Arizona St. 55

Cal 66, #16 UCLA 81

#18 St. Mary's 62, #25 Gonzaga 69

#20 Illinois 36, #24 Minnesota 59

Also, Ryan Toolson, scored 63 points for Utah Valley in a 123-121 quadruple overtime win over Chicago St.

Via: ESPN

New Music...Curtis & Wayne

Once Again It's On!!! 50 Cent's New Target: Rick Ross...

In his recently release "Mafia Music", Rick Ross took a stab at Fif, saying:

 "I love to pay ya bills, can't wait to pay ya rent, Curtis Jackson baby mama, I ain;t looking for a cent, Burn the house down, you gotta buy another, don't forget the gas can, stupid motherf******"

Of course 50 didn't take a liking to that, and came with the first official diss track.....and he came correct.

He also gets at DJ Khaled and Lil' Wayne on here.

50 Cent - Officer Ricky (Go Head, Try Me)

Fif's been goin hard lately, with tracks like this, I Get It In, Play This On The Radio, and his Crack A Bottle verse. I wouldn't be surprised if Before I Self Destruct is one of the top albums of the year.

Young Moolah Baby!!!

Lil Wayne Feat. Drake, Jae Millz, Gudda Gudda, & Mack Maine - Every Girl

Be it for good or bad reason, Weezy and Yeezy have been in the news ALL WEEK. For Kanye, it's dope sneakers and odd pics. For Wayne, it's a garbage rock experiments (Prom Queen, Hot Revolver) and cold joints from Young Money (Troublemaker) or with him spittin (Rap Cemetery, Renaissance Rap Remix) like he used to.

Via: hiphopdx & nahright

Barack Who You Got???

Ok. I got the Steelers too. Gotta go with the Black head coach, ya know.

Via: CNN

Other News...

Blago "not surprised" by impeachment.

What a dumbass, LMAO. Blago be havin me dyin. His typical dookey face says it all.

Former Marshall Head Coach Wins $500Gs from CPS...

Lamont Bryant, who was fired as Marshall's boys basketball coach just before the 2007-08 season, was awarded $500,000 Wednesday in a settlement with Chicago Public Schools that could also spell trouble for the official who had him removed.

Bryant, who had been the boys coach at Marshall for four years, filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit Oct. 18, 2007, in U.S. District Court against Marshall Principal Juan Gardner, athletic director Dorothy Gaters and the Chicago Board of Education.

He claimed the defendants had violated Bryant's 1st and 14th Amendment rights and violated Title IX, the education act that led to gender equity in athletics.

Gardner fired Bryant on Oct. 2, 2007, claiming Bryant had violated the school's code of conduct for coaches.

A CPS spokesman said the Board of Education unanimously approved Wednesday the recommended settlement from mediation by Magistrate Susan Cox. The district refused further comment.

Filthy Cop and Wannabe Producer, Going To Jail...

A Memphis officer is facing life in prison for robbing local drug dealers to finance his career as a producer in the rap industry.

According to The Commercial Appeal, 31-year-old Arthur Sease IV is currently on trial for sixteen incidents where he is accused of robbing money, drugs and property from local drug dealers to pursue his dream as a rap producer.

Reginald Brown, a Nebraska man who drove to Memphis to buy cocaine in 2004, testified in court today (January 28) that Sease stole $32,000 of drug money from his van after pulling him over.

Brown claimed that Sease put him and a companion in the back of a squad car when he took the money. Brown also claimed that when he confronted Sease about the money, the officer threatened him.

"The safe was gone and the money was gone and I told him 'Officer, you took my money,'" Brown testified. "He pulled his gun half way out and said 'You've got five seconds to get on up the road.'"

Sease is the first of 40 Memphis police officers who are facing charges of public corruption. Sease was fired in 2005 but he continued to rob local drug dealers with fellow officers.

T.I. x Amare....

According to Vibe, Stoudemire and T.I. have struck a collaborative deal between their respective record labels. Breaking the cycle of baller-turned-rapper, Stoudemire is pursuing a side-career as a manager. “What we are doing is collaborating as far as managing players…That's something I have a special interest in; with me being an athlete I know what it takes and how important it is to have a great management team.”

“T.I. and Grand Hustle are great from a music standpoint,” Stoudemire explained. “I got a record label out called Hypocalypto Records. My artist Juice is the next project for me. T.I. wants to get into sports management, and I'm already involved with that so we are just going to collaborate with both companies. We've been talking the past two weeks about making something happen. We are finally starting to get the ball rolling.” 

Sounds like a promising idea. Hustler's coming together is always a good look.

Via: CNN, globalgrind, chicagobreakingnews, hiphopdx

New Music...IT'S THE REMIX BABY!!!

The Dream Feat. Fabolous, Juelz Santana, Rick Ross, & Ludacris - Rockin That S*** (rmx)

Young Jeezy Feat. Jay-Z - My President Is Black (rmx) (new Jeezy verse)

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST.......

Q-Tip Feat. Busta Rhymes, Raekwon, & Lil' Wayne - Renaissance Rap (rmx)

"God-body wise intelligence, smack niggas and wrestle with elephants"

EARLY!!!!!!!!!!

Via: hiphopdx

Videos....

Hip-Hop Round Table Continued...

9th Wonder, Young Guru, & Young Gunz discuss current Hip-Hop's artists & their relationship with the past.

Knowledge.

Kiss looks back on his career in '99.

Much respect to 'Kiss.

New addition to the Diplomat team, Araabmuzik, GOES IN on the drum machine.

Via: nahright & worldstarhiphop

Kick Game Proper....

Nike Air Force 1 Supreme "Huarache"...

Sick. Notice the Huarche symbol the tongue and sole. These should release in the coming months.

Reebok Pump Omni Lite "Dee Brown"...

I know you remember this...

During All-Star Weekend, in commemoration of Dee Brown's performance in the 1991 Slam Dunk Contest in which he dunked the ball blindfolded Reebok will be releasing the Pumps he wore. Only 360 pairs will be released. Peep the details on the inside of the shoe. 

Supra TK Society Black Perforated...

Release Date: May 1

Crooks and Castles x Vans Forty Four High...

Release Date: Spring 2009

R&B Joint Of The Week

Boyz II Men - Motown Philly

Damn I love New Jack Swing. Hip-Hop ain't dead, but R&B might be. Very few of R&B artists out now can hold a candle to cats that was puttin it down in the 90s.

NBA Basketball...

Hella NBA games Wednesday. 31 guys scored 20+, including Derrick Rose, Marvin Williams, Lamarcus Aldridge, Jeff Green, Al Jefferson, Rudy Gay, Devin Harris, Nate Robinson, and.......Eddie House, lol. The leaders, were Kevin Durant, who filled up the stat sheet quite nicely, finishing with 35 points, 10 boards, 6 dimes, and 4 blocks in 49 minutes, and T.J. Ford, who scored 34, picking up the slack for the Danny Granger-less Pacer.

Big ups to Greg Oden. Big G.O. put in 14 and 14 for the Blazers in their 88-74 win against the Charlotte Bobcats. Averaging 9 points and 7 boards on the season thus far, Oden has stepped his game up in a major way over the past 5 games. Dating back to a January 19 win over Milwaukee, Oden's been averaging nearly 17 and 12. He's been getting the most consistent amount of playing time he's gotten all season in that time, and may finally be starting to come around the way many have been anticipating since he was still an Ohio St. Buckeye.

Scores From Around The League...1/28/09

Bucks 99, Pacers 107

Kings 100, Celtics 119

Wizards 71, Heat 93

Raptors 107, Nets 106

Hawks 104, Knicks 112

Nuggets 81, Hornets 94

Pistons 98, T'Wolves 89

Grizzlies 102, Thunder 114 (OT)

76ers 95, Rockets 93

Warriors 93, Mavs 117

Bobcats 74, Blazers 88

Bulls 95, Clippers 75

Via: ESPN

NCAA Basketball...6 of Top 7 Teams In Action

WAKE UP!!!

"If they switch, step in and come back to the ball". Textbook basketball. That's what James Johnson did to score a game-winning, wide open layup, as #4 Wake Forest knocked off #1 Duke, 70-68 at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Wakes win made Duke the fourth #1 team to fall this month, along with Wake Forest last week, North Carolina the week before, and Pittsburgh before them. It was the Demon Deacons first game since losing to Virgina Tech as the #1 team last week. 

It was an offensive struggle for both teams, as Duke was just 22-66 from the field, while Wake was only 25-62. Wake was led by forward Al-Farouq Aminu, who finished with 15 and 11 boards, while Johnson supplied them with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Wake Forest guard, and second-leading scorer in the ACC, Jeff Teague, finished with just 11 points on 4-14 shooting. The Dukies, who were just 4-22 from three, were led by Kyle Singler, who had 22 and 12 rebounds, and Gerald Henderson, who had 20 and 8 rebounds.

Upset City In The Big East...

#21 Villanova beat #3 Pittsburgh 67-57 in their final game at the Wachovia Spectrum, which is to be torn down at the end of the year. Granted, it was in Philly and 'Nova's a really good team, so this game's only a "rankings upset". After losing to Texas, Marquette, Louisville, and UCONN earlier this season, Wednesday gave the Wildcats their first victory over a ranked opponent this season. 'Nova got 18 and 15 from Reggie Redding and Dante Cunningham, respectively. Pitt was led by Sam Young who had 14 and 9 boards on just 6-15 shooting.

For, Pitt, it marked their second loss in the past four games, the other coming at the hands of Louisville, when the Panthers were #1. A common factor in Pitt's loses is the limited play of DeJuan Blair. In both losses Blair has sat for much of the games due to foul trouble, something that stunts Pitt's rebounding and offensive attack. Against the Cardinals, Pitt, who leads the Big East with a plus-9 rebounding margin was outrebounded 42-38, and Wednesday, against Villanova, they were outrebounded 19-16 in the second half. Furthermore, while the Panthers shoot nearly 48% on the season, they shot just 35% against L'ville, and 42% against 'Nova. One common denomiator: DeJuan Blair's foul trouble. Blair, who's undoubtebly one of the nation's best Bigs, averages 14 points and 13 boards in 26 minutes per game on the season. However, in their two losses, Blair's averaged just 20 minutes, 8 points, and 9 boards. He's gotta be effective for Pitt to run their system as optimally and efficiently as possible.

 

Two other Big East teams - #15 Syracuse and #23 Georgetown - who have both been struggling lately, were bitten by the upset bug. Despite getting 35 and 27 from guards Johnny Flynn and Eric Devendorf, respectively, 'Cuse fell to Providence 100-94 in Rhode Island. It was the Orangemen's fourth loss in 5 games. On the other, Providence has been surging as of late, with Wednesday's win being their seventh in nine games, albeit Wednesday was their first win over a ranked team. Sharaud Curry led the Friars with 22.

Georgetown's upset came at the hands of Cincinnati, 65-57. The Hoyas loss was their sixth in eight games. Making matters worse, their leading scorer, forward, Dajuan Summers, twisted his ankle, something that could affect his ability to play heavy minutes over the next few games.

Cincinnati guard, Deonta Vaughn led all scorers with 20. The Hoyas will likely be out of the Top 25 next week unless they can bounce back and beat #8 Marquette.

Shouts out to Evan Turner, who led Ohio St. to a 72-54 win over Michigan. He had another one of his typical efficient nights, scoring 24 points on 6-9 shooting, in addition to 5 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. GOOD SHIT BOI!!!

Top 25 Scores From Around The Nation...1/28/09

#1 Duke 68, #4 Wake 70

#2 UCONN 71, DePaul 49

#3 Pitt 57, #21 Villanova 67

#6 North Carolina 80, Florida St. 77

South Florida 54, #7 Louisville 80

Charlotte 47, #10 Xavier 69

#15 Syracuse 94, Providence 100

#19 Memphis 85, East Carolina 64

#23 Georgetown 57, Cincinnati 65

Steph Curry had 32, 8 dimes, and 5 boards in Davidson's 92-70 win vs. Chattanooga. Florida G Nick Calathes had a triple-double - 20, 13, and 10 assists - in their 83-57 win over Georgia.

Via: ESPN