KiD CuDi Calling It Quits After 1st Album???

From CuDi's blog:

AFTER THE RELEASE OF MY FIRST LP THIS SUMMER, IAM NOT MAKING ANY MORE SOLO ALBUMS. IAM FALLIN BACK ON BEING A ARTIST. THE DRAMA THAT COMES WITH IT IS MORE OVERWHELMING THAN THE SHIT I WAS DEALING WIT WHEN I WAS PISS POOR BROKE. MY FRIENDS GET MAD AT ME, SAY IVE CHANGED, ONE OF THE ONLY HOMIES I GOT IN THIS GAME, WALE, IS WORRIED ABOUT ME CUZ OF SHIT HE HEARS. LIKE WTF? WHO CAN SAY IM BEIN HOLLYWOOD? IM NOT AROUND ANYONE BUT PLAIN PAT AND EMILE. WHO CAN SAY THAT SHIT? MUTHAFUCKAS TALKIN SHIT HERE AND THERE, SPREADIN RUMORS, MAKIN JOKES, TRYNA JUDGE ME, AND FOR WHAT? DOES MY MUSIC POKE FUN AT OTHERS? DO I TALK SHIT ABOUT PEOPLE N MY MUSIC? I ALREADY WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL ONCE, AND GOT EXPELLED CUZ IT WASNT FOR ME. IMA DROP OUT THIS SHIT BEFORE NIGGAZ TRY AND CRUCIFY ME.

I DONT LOOK AT IT AS QUITTING, FOR I HAVE ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED MY GOAL. I HAVE A SOLID FANBASE WHO TRUELY APPRECIATES ME AND MY MESSAGES THRU SONG, I GOT MULTIPLE BIG RECORDS, I HAVE RECIEVED WORLDWIDE CRITICAL ACCLAIM FROM THE BIGGEST TASTEMAKERS IN THE GAME, 3 FAN MADE BEST OF MIXTAPES WITHOUT EVEN RELEASING MORE THAN ONE MIXTAPE AND NOT EVEN RELEASING A ALBUM, I CAN PAY MY MOMS MORTGAGE AND HELP MY SISTER WITH MY NIECE AND HOLD MY BROTHERS DOWN WITH WUTEVER THEY NEED. THATS WUT I GOT IN THIS GAME FOR, TO ACCOMPLISH ALL THESE GOALS AND I HAVE. NO REGRETS

IM SORRY TO THE FANS, IM SO SORRY YALL. I KNO U GUYS WILL ALL HATE ME, BUT REMEMBER, IM JUS A REGULAR DUDE WHO WAS GIVEN A AMAZING GIFT, AND NOW WITH THAT AMAZING GIFT CAME MORE UNCALLED FOR PROBLEMS THAN THE AVERAGE HUMAN BEING SHOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH.

I WILL STILL DO THE COLLAB ALBUM WITH CHIP, AND THAT WILL BE MY LAST STUDIO RECORDING.

IAM GOING TO FOCUS ALL MY ATTENTION ON THE HBO SHOW WHICH WE START SHOOTING IN AUGUST AND MY ACTING CAREER IN GENERAL…ILL CONTINUE TO DO SHOWS FOR THE REAL KID CUDI FANS, AND IM PLANNING A BIG CONCERT THIS SUMMER, JUS ME, AND I WILL PERFORM MY ENTIRE MIXTAPE FROM BEGINNING TO END AND NEW SONGS FROM MY ALBUM. ILL KEEP U GUYS UPDATED ON THAT

AGAIN, IAM SORRY, BUT ITS THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP ME FROM GOING COMPLETELY INSANE. IM TOO REAL FOR THIS HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL SHIT. BAK TO THE MOON I GO.

I gotta call bullshit on this one. He would be a cold-ass actor, though.

VIa: kidcudi.com

The Ebony Experiment

Maggie Anderson drives 14 miles to buy groceries, which might seem curious given that she lives in bustling Oak Park. She and her husband, John, patronize gas stations in Rockford and Phoenix, Ill. They travel 18 miles to a health food store in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood for vitamins, supplements and personal care products.

The reason? They want to solve what they call "the crisis in the black commu- nity." They want to, as they say, "buy black."

The Andersons, African-Americans who rose from humble means, are attempting to spend their money for one year exclusively with black-owned businesses and are encouraging other African-Americans to do the same. It is part experiment, part social activism campaign.

They call it the "Ebony Experiment."

"More than anything, this is a learning thing," said Maggie Anderson, who grew up in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami and holds a law degree and an MBA from the University of Chicago. "We know it's controversial, and we knew that coming in."

But the Andersons said they also have known that a thriving black economy is fundamental to restoring impoverished African-American and other "underserved" communities, and they have discussed for years trying to find a way to address the problem.

What they came up with is provocative. One anonymous letter mailed to their home accused the Andersons of "unabashed, virulent racism." "Because of you," the writer stated, "we will totally avoid black suppliers. Because of you, we will dodge every which way to avoid hiring black employees."

Apart from that letter, a solid majority of comments they have received have been encouraging, the Andersons said, adding that most people see the endeavor as beneficial to all.

"Supporting your own isn't necessarily exclusive," said John Anderson, a financial adviser who grew up in Detroit and has a Harvard University degree in economics and an MBA from Northwestern University, "and you're not going to convince everybody of that."

The undertaking "is an academic test about how to reinvest in an underserved community" and lessen society's burden, John Anderson said. Focusing the estimated $850 billion annual black buying power on black businesses strengthens those business and creates more businesses, more jobs and stronger families, schools and neighborhoods, the Andersons and other advocates said.

"When a thriving African-American or urban community is realized, certainly as a society as a whole, we all win," John Anderson said.

Full story here.

Originally posted in the 3/9/09 Chicago Trib.

New Videos...Killa & Kanye...

Cam'ron - Got It For Cheap...

"Here's a order black be a quarterback, take a hike, hut 1, hut 2, hut 3, your family torched, calico, 81 to your chest, Randy Moss"

"At 9 years old, yall was watchin Goof Troop, me the only 5th grader with the Troop suit"

Ughhhh. KILLA!!! Cam is goin' so hard right now. LMAO at Cam's dance.

88 Keys Feat. Kanye West - Stay Up! (Viagra)...

Lol. They some fools for that one.

Beans & Biggavell..

"I shoulda played BIG, but it's all Gravy"

"Broadstreet Bully hard like wood floors...bang hard like D. Howard on the boards"

Via: nahright & worldstarhiphop

NCAA Basketball...IT'S TOURNAMENT TIME BABY!!!!!

The College Gameday Crew Breaks Down Each Region...

Midwest...

West...

East...

South...

Dickie V gets a little upset...

Lol. 

VIa: ESPN

NBA Basketball...

Joe Johnson continued to get it in, going for 35, 7 assists, and 6 boards aas the Hawks pushed their win streak to 5, beating Portland 98-80...After going at it all week, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James both finally came back to reality. Wade had 18 on 8-21 shooting in a Miami loss, while the King led the Cavs to a W with 19, 10 dimes, 8 boards, 4 steals, and 3 blocks. The Cavs are now 29-1 at the crib...Dwight Howard had 28, 20, and 3 blocks in Orlando's victory over Utah. That's his 7th double double-double this season...After blowing a 17 point lead, the Lakers came back to beat Dallas 107-100, behind 28, 8 boards, and 5 assists from KB24....The Suns scored an NBA season high 154 points. 

Scores From Around The League...3/15/09

Pacers 87, Raptors 110

Blazers 80, Hawks 98

Grizzlies 89, Pistons 84

Celtics 77, Bucks 86

Heat 77, 76ers 85

Mavs 100, Lakers 107

Knicks 93, Cavs 98

Jazz 87, Magic 105

King 104, Wizards 106

Suns 154, Warriors 130

Nets 105, Clippers 107

Via: ESPN

Hip-Hop News...

Jay-Z, Best Life Mag Interview...

Hov's Principles For Living The "Best Life":

1. Be Your Own Biggest Fan
2. Take Control, Let It Go
3. Focus On The Process, Not The Result
4. Never Act On Your Fears
5. Use Money The Right Way
6. Don't Stop Growing

Check out the entire interview here.

Pimpin' Curly Episode 6...

Via: nahright & Best Life Magazine

NBA Basketball...D. Wade For 50!!!

Just 6 NBA games on Saturday, and nothing too serious happened other than Dwayne Wade scoring 50 POINTS!!! Like I said, him, Bron, and Kobe go out and try to one up each other every night out. A day after The King's 51 point outburst, Flash dropped 50 on the in the Heat's 140-129 Triple OT W over the Jazz. He also had 10 boards, and 9 assists to go along with that. The Heat have played 7 games so far this month, and Wade's out up 40+ in 4 of them. And in the other 3 games he's put in 30+. Insane. 

Scores From Around The League...3/14/09

Jazz 129, Heat 140 (3OT)

Bobcats 100, T'Wolves 108

Hornets 79, Bulls, 97

Spurs 88, Rocktes 85

Clippers 94, Nuggets 107

Thunder 95, Suns 106

Via: ESPN

NCAA Basketball...Championship Week!!!

More top seeds fell in their respective conference tourneys. In the Big Ten, Ohio St. took it to Michigan St., topping the Spartans 82-70. Big Ups to ET, who filled up the stat sheet as usual - 18 points, 10 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Not only did the Buckeyes shoot 53% from the field, and knock down 9 Three's, as well, but they held the Spartans to just 38% shooting. Michigan St. was just 3-21 from deep...

Behind Toney Douglas' 27, Florida St. beat North Carolina, who is still without Ty Lawson. It's the first time Florida St. has advanced all the way to the ACC Championship game. The Heels got 24 from Wayne Ellington, and Tyler Hansbrough had 22 and 12 en route to becoming the ACC's All-Time Leading Rebounder, and closing to within 2 of JJ Reddick's ACC scoring record...

Miss St. beat SEC Tourney 1-seed LSU 67-57. 

The Syracuse Miracle finally came to an end, after the Orangemen's 76-66 loss to Louisville. 'Cuse jsut couldn't keep it up. Up 8 at the half, the Cards outscored the 46-28 in the second half with the aid of a 20-3 run. The Cards, who cruised through the tournament, got yet a nice balanced effort, with 6 guys hitting the double digit mark. Samardo Samuels led the way with 15, while Earl clark had 13 and 10 boards. Terrence Williams' line: 11 points, 7 boards, 7 steals, and 6 assists. Nice. 

Johnny Flynn, who had 11 and 6 dimes, was named Big East Tournament MVP, and righfully so. Flynn play 67 of 70 minutes against UCONN, and all 45 the night after against West VA. Averaging 17 and 8 in the tournament, his 37 assists, breaks Mark Jackson's record for most assists in the Big East Tournament. Eric Devendorf also set the conference record for most points in a single tourney with 84 over the four games.

Other Conference Tournament Scores...

Maryland 61, Duke 67 (ACC)

Purdue 66, Illinois 56 (Big Ten)

Auburn 85, Tennessee 94 (SEC)

Conference Tournament Finals: 

America East - UMBC 51, Binghamton 61

Conference USA - Tulsa 39, Memphis 64

Pac-10 - USC 66, Arizona St. 63

Big 12 - Baylor 60, Mizzou 73

A-10 - Duquesne 64, Temple 69

Mountain West - San Diego St. 50, Utah 52

MEAC - Norfolk St. 69, Morgan St. 83

MAC - Akron 65, Buffalo 53

Big East - Syracuse 66, Louisville 76

SWAC - Jackson St. 58, Alabama St. 65

WAC - Nevada 52, Utah St. 62

Big West - Pacific 66, CS Northridge 71 (OT)

Who's Already In Conference:

Chattanooga (Southern)

Cornell (Ivy League)

East Tennessee St. (Atlantic Sun)

Gonzaga (West Coast)

Morehead St. (Ohio Valley)

Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley)

Radford (Big South)

Siena (Metro Atlantic)

Virgina Commonwealth (Colonial)

N. Dakota St. (Summit League)

Cleveland St. (Horizon League)

Western Kentucky (Sun Belt)

Robert Morris (Northeastern)

Portland St. (Big Sky)

American (Patriot League)

Binghamton (America East)

Memphis (C-USA)

USC (Pac-10)

Mizzou (Big 12)

Temple (Atlantic 10)

Utah (Mountain West)

Morgan St. (MEAC)

Buffalo (MAC)

Louisville (Big East)

Alabama St. (SWAC)

Utah St. (WAC)

CS Nothridge (Big West)

Via: ESPN

Fresh J's& Nike's ...

1/2 Of The Defining Moments Pack 2...

"Raging Bull" Nike Air Jordan V...

These are cool. No pics of the other 1/2 yet.

Release Date: May 2009

The Following JB Products Dropped Saturday...

As Did These...

"MPLS" Nike Zoom Kobe IV - Flint Grey/University Blue...

Obviously, these are based on the Minneapolis Lakers' colors. Sick.

Nike Blazer x Nintendo Wii...

Nike Blazer High Nintendo Wii..

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn. 

Release Date: TBD

Via: sneakernews

In Hip-Hop...

9th Wonder, Wale, & Joe Budden Chop It Up...

Cam Talks, Forgets Who Jim Jones Is...

Pimpin' Curly Narrates Officer Ross Baby Mom's Sex Tape...

LMAO...Fu***** HILARIOUS.

Video: Gucci Mane - Pillz...

Gucci! And he just got released from jail. The streets is finna go crazy.

New Music:

Max B Feat. Beanie Sigel, French Montana, Scarlet O'Harlem, Mack Mustard - Goon Music

Via: nahright & worldstarhiphop

NCAA Basketball...Championship Week!!!

Big East Tournament:

I don't know how Syracuse did it. I didn't give them a chance. After a 6 OT game, you'd expect a team to be completely drained. Yet, somehow, 'Cuse cam out and beat a very good West Virginia team - in overtime. This is looking like a Big East Tournament run similar to '06 when G-Mac was leading the way. Eric Devendorf has been gettin' it in like crazy during the conference tourney, putting in 23 to lead the way Friday, and averaging 21 points and 4 treys. And the attitude he brings can't be measured. Johnny Flynn, who's legitimizing himself as one of the Top 5 PGs in the country, had 15 and 9 dimes.

Louisville continued to roll, cruising over through Villanova, 69-55, behind 17, 7 boards, 4 dimes, and 4 steals from Earl Clark.

Big Ten Tournament:

Michigan St., Illinois, and Purdue - the top 3 seeds in the Big Ten Tourney, respectively, each rolled through their opponents. Michigan St. handled Minnesota, behind tough D, and Chris Allen's hot-hand...Illinois, up by 20 at one point, topped Michigan 60-50...Robbie Hummel, 20 points, led Purdue to a 79-64 win over Penn St. 

Ohio St. beat Wisconsin in the 4-5 matchup, 61-57. Big ups to Evan Turner led the way with 19, 4, and 4.

Michigan ruined any Tourney shot they had. Minnesota, Penn St., and Wisconsin should all be good to go, in my opinion, but stranger things have happened.

ACC Tournament:

North Carolina, Duke, and Florida St. all eked out W's, winning by 3, 1, and 2 points respectively. Tyler Hansbrough was Tyler Hansbrough - 28 and 8 - for the Heels who were without Ty Lawson in their 79-76 win over Va. Tech...Kyle Singler got off  in the Blue Devils 69-68 win over BC, with 26 points, 9 boards, and 6 blocks...Florida St. edged out G-Tech, 64-62. Props to Shump, who had 11, 5 boards, and 4 steals. 

Maryland topped Wake 75-64. Greivis Vasquez had 22, 9 dimes, and 8 boards for the Terps. I like the Deacs, but damn. Since going 15-0 out the gate, they're 8-6, and have their inexperience has shown.

Pac-10 Tourney:

Top Seed Wahington and UCLA both went down. The Huskies fell to Arizona St. The problem that is James Harden laid 24 on Wash., wo go along with 9 boards and 4 steals...USC beat UCLA 65-55. It's hard to gadge UCLA: they've got so much talent (i.e. Jrue Holiday) and experience (Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Alfred Aboya), yet have been so extremely inconsistent. 

Big 12 Tournament:

The Big 12 Tournament is all outta wack. Who would have thought their neither Kansas or Oklahoma would be be eliminated before they could even sell the championship game. Mizzou continued to look sharp, and took care of Ok. St 67-59...Baylor eliminated Texas, 76-70. It looks like they're finally interested in playing up to their potential. They've got to run the table to get in the Tournament, though, so their work's not done just yet.

SEC Tournament:

LSU continued to roll, beating Kentucky, 67-58. Kentucky's done as far as the Big Dance goes...Just when it looked like Florida was in the clear, their 61-58 loss to Auburn returns them to the questionable category. 

Miss St. 82, South Carolina 68

Alabama 62, Tennessee 86

Conference Finals:

Patriot League - Holy Cross 57, American 73

Who's Already In (Conference):

Chattanooga (Southern)

Cornell (Ivy League)

East Tennessee St. (Atlantic Sun)

Gonzaga (West Coast)

Morehead St. (Ohio Valley)

Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley)

Radford (Big South)

Siena (Metro Atlantic)

Virgina Commonwealth (Colonial)

N. Dakota St. (Summit League)

Cleveland St. (Horizon League)

Western Kentucky (Sun Belt)

Robert Morris (Northeastern)

Portland St. (Big Sky)

American (Patriot League)

Via: ESPN