If you’ve caught only one episode of “The Gossip Game” this season, you’d know that journalists, bloggers, and radio personalities are not above falling victim to the set-up of reality TV. Already we’ve seen the ladies argue, nearly fight, and apparently spit on one another all in the name of getting to the top. After watching things unravel, we had no choice but to ask writer Jas Fly if she thinks the ladies’ behavior contributes to the glass ceiling women experience in the hip-hop industry. Here’s what she had to say.

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YouTube, Twitter, and Pinterest have dramatically changed all of our lives. We now live in a world filled with more opportunities to both retrieve and create information. When it particularly comes to the entertainment business, new and social media have played a critical role in the advancement of new ideas, faces, and stories. Over the past couple of decades, the Internet has spawned a long list of Web entrepreneurs make up a vanguard of leaders you should pay close attention to. Here are superior examples of why the entertainment business should be online — and on the lookout — now.

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Lady Gaga still uses coupons at grocery stores and haggles down prices at retail shops. Angela Bassett has been known to flaunt her frugal ways, and let’s not forget Kandi Burruss buying two homes in foreclosure. If these top money makers know the value of saving cash, why not ball on a budget? Forget keeping up with the Joneses. Not only will you refrain from putting a hurting on your wallet, you will also revel in the fact that you just saved some major cash flow. Your paycheck may not be celeb size, but you can live it up baller-style with these super savvy saving techniques. From top savings on clothes to entertainment, there is always a way to shave cents off your purchases here and there. You work hard everyday. Now it’s time to play hard – minus big-time spending.

Ah, you thought this was going to be a shade-throwing, Beyonce/Beyhive-bashing free-for-all, huh? No. It’s been done before; probably a million times alone since “Bow Down” dropped. But this is not that. That’s boring and really very non-progressive.

The lyrics that H-Town Stomped their way down my Twitter and Facebook timelines were enough. I didn’t need to hear the song. I got the gist. Shock value. Getting the rumor mill spinning. Debates about feminism. Press. Media coverage as far as the eye can see. Buzz got stirring in the belly of the Beyhive. Mission accomplished.

What all the media attention steered my little old truth-seeking self toward is the world of down-to-earth artists who’ve proven themselves in an equally effective yet totally counterintuitive way: a baseline of truth-telling and humility. Many of them have not secured as vocal a cult following as some contemporary artists, but all things considered, does that even matter? I can sit at an Amel Larrieux show at the Blue Note and listen to an entire set that will speak to any number of situations going on in my life, a millionairess’s life, a poor girl in India’s life. I can tweet her and see her respond, genuinely. How dope is that? I can watch Melanie Fiona’s “Creating of the MF Life” Youtube videos and understand exactly what she puts into her music from her own lips. Not a pre-packaged explanation, but a heartfelt narrative about each song and the process. No gimmicks. Just truth.

I can peruse an Erykah Badu interview and see her respond, “I don’t know. I’ve got to think about that.”  Badu, who has TIME IN with music and success in the industry doesn’t try to sugarcoat her way to a “good” answer, but instead offers honesty. Consistently. That’s just her way and music fans respect that. Though the person must evolve, their transparency is what fans vibe with more than anything else. It never fails. The artists who have already and will continue to secure the most meaningful kind of longevity (may not be the most visible or lucrative) are the ones who don’t strive to be untouchable. They just want to make music that is truthful and evolving and says, “Yo, I been there/am there too.”

We often try to weld together the ideas of true artistry and entertainment. And while the two can come together to create a transcendent experience, they aren’t one in the same. Just as processed foods satisfy us for the moment – natural, healthful food vibes with our body chemistry much more because it sustains, it cures, it invites us to be better, to live. There is no difference in music. The processed kind is cool and fun in moderation, but what stands the test of time and elevates us as individuals is in the $40 -ticket, smoky, dimly lit blues club set. It’s a simple “Thank you so much” to a fan’s praise. It’s the “I’m human too” interviews that make us understand that these folks are just on a journey like the rest of us. They’re not untouchable, they’re relatable.

The Behind The Musics and E! True Hollywood Stories and Unsungs show people who were/are so deeply in love with music but pushed to create everything/anything other than what feels real to them. Sell units. Sell out tours. Win Grammys. Be the best. Then, artistry and truth-telling suffers at the hands of being on top and staying on top when Lauryn Hill told us years ago that EVERYone has seasons of “learning and mastership.” No one is going to be on top forever. So what then are most fans going to crave for the long-term? The memory of one crazy hyped show, which was off the chain but cost them a car note? OR album after album of authenticity with track after track that speaks directly to any and every situation they face?

I salute consistent authenticity. Humility. Transparency. That takes courage and I can vibe with that. We vibe with those who come from where we’re from and refuse to pretend that they are larger than life. They leave their not-so-glamorous photos floating around on the Internet because, hey, they’re human too. They show us their scars and let us show them ours too. What they create may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is their own and you can’t help but to dig that.

So, quite frankly, no, I won’t bow down to any entertainer, but I will stand tall and salute my sistren who are consistently affirming themselves and others, evolving, living honestly and giving me good music to last a lifetime.

La Truly  is just encouraging thought, discussion and change among young women through her writing. Check her out on Twitter: @AshleyLaTruly and AboutMe www.about.me/latruly.

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More times than I can remember, I’m sitting with a group of black people I’m just meeting or don’t know too well and the conversation drifts to Tyler Perry. The myth, the man the legend. And what self respecting black person can talk about Tyler Perry without bashing his movies? When this happens, as it often does, I sit there waiting for my turn. Then I hit ‘em with the zinger.

“I actually like a lot of Tyler Perry’s movies.”

Pow

The atmospheric pressure changes as folks start judging me. I can almost read their minds.

Is she educated?
Is she from the south?
She must be a staunch Christian.
Is she related to Tyler Perry?

While I will say that Tyler Perry could stand to grow artistically, I’ve been entertained by a majority of his films– with the exception of Meet The Browns and Why Did I Get Married Too? And I say I’ve been entertained because I don’t need every movie I see to cause me to think deeper about the world, to expose me to some universal truth, make me cry or change my way of life. Sometimes, I just want to chill out and have a laugh or two. And Tyler Perry, Madea, and the overly dramatic story lines do that for me. I don’t need Tyler Perry to make Spike Lee-esque films. Spike Lee does that. If people would stop expecting Tyler to be Spike, the world would be a much happier place.

In fact, let’s just rest there for a minute. One of the main gripes people have about Tyler Perry is the fact that his characters and story lines rely so heavily on stereotypes. I won’t argue that they don’t; but so do most forms of the entertainment we unashamedly claim to love. Reality shows, hip hop, sitcoms etc all rely on stereotypes.  And some of ya’ll tune in every week…religiously. What we need to realize is that though stereotypes can be harmful, when consumed by the wrong people, most of black folk who see Tyler Perry’s movies know enough about other black folk to realize we’re not all the same. Every black person is not a Christian, every black woman is not in need of a man to save her from her sense of entitlement. And every black grandma, doesn’t swear and carry a gun. But let’s not pretend that these women and characters don’t exist. In fact, most of us know somebody who’s a little something like Madea. Whether you want her broadcast on an international stage is more of a personal issue than it is about Tyler’s artistic abilities. As a free man, he chooses the stories he wants to tell. And since people continue to see and support his work, including the highly revered like Oprah, Maya Angelou, Cicely Tyson and apparently Ntozake Shange, I doubt he’ll be disappearing anytime soon.

Now, that I’ve professed my love for Tyler and his work, let me tell you why I’m seeing Temptation this opening weekend.

1. Jurnee Smollet is a very talented actress. If Tyler was going to cast a woman who can seamlessly tackle a range of very difficult emotions, I think she’s the one to do it.

2. Tyler employs black actors. It’s been said before but it bears repeating. Though Jurnee has been working since she was a little girl on “Full House,” as an adult actress the roles have been a little sparse. Why? I don’t know. (Though, I have a couple of guesses.) What I do know, is that Tyler Perry employs black actors who we might not see otherwise.

3. The trailer just looks juicy as hell. Nothing like watching someone else’s personal life crumble, to reassure yourself that you’re not doing too bad after all.

4. I can ignore Kimmy K. Do I really want to see Kim Kardashian in a movie? Not really, but just like I do on the internet, I can look past her, if necessary, when she’s on screen.

5. Two words: Lance Gross. More words: From the trailer, it looks like we’ll be seeing a woman willingly betray Lance for a man not nearly as attractive. I must know why.

6. It looks like it’ll be entertaining. Plain and simple.

What do you think about Tyler Perry’s movies? Do you plan on seeing Temptation?

I can’t imagine being in anybody’s group. Too many egos, too much money to be spread out, too much time spent with too many people. But the people on this list all have been in some of our favorite groups over the years, and they played their part. Smiling and waving and then eventually finding themselves going from being in the group to being out (sometimes after messy quarrels). In the end, we thought all these people should have or would have been the ones shining the most from their respective groups after parting from their band mates because of their talents, but eh…not so much. Most have still had enough success to be happy about, while others are still trying to be taken seriously as they go it alone.

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From Essence

If you’ve ever had to remove a negative comment from one of your social media streams, then you know how pungent the effects of cyberbullying can be. Willow Smith has decided to take action against these kind of online attacks by teaming up with Seventeen Magazine’s “Delete Digital Drama” campaign.

The 12-year-old-singer will be one of the celeb activists behind the initiative which seeks to empower young women to disengage from cyberbullying by deleting harsh and mean comments they see on their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages. This announcement comes just days after her mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, released a lengthy statement about online bullying towards young celebs via her Facebook page.

You can check the rest out over on Essence. Perhaps this is the reason why Jada started talking about online bullying – kind of pre-promoting Willow’s latest endeavor.

Have you or anyone you know ever been cyber bullied?

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One thing for sure: he never fails to entertain us.

Last year, when we first heard about the emergence of Snoop Lion, more than a few eyebrows raised.  Most people assumed that he’d just found out about a religion that openly accepts smoking marijuana and he wanted to be down. But according to the rapper, it is bigger than that: becoming Rastafarian is about where he is in his life.

In a recent interview with Huffington Post, Snoop discussed his critics, his music and where he is in his life:

On his main critic, Bunny Wailer of the legendary group, The Wailers:

I’ve done nothing but what I said I was going to do: Go to Jamaica, make a great record, intertwine with some people, build on some relationships and come back and bring something back to the community. … As far as what people feel about how I’m representing or misrepresenting, that’s for no man to judge. I’m here to do what I’m doing. This is my journey. And for those who don’t like it, I still got love for them.

If he’s converted to Rastafarianism (Snoop grew up Baptist):

I feel like I’m a part of it. I feel like I’m a part of anything that’s positive, that’s loving. And Rastafari is so connected to who I am that I feel like I’m a part of it. Because it is me. It is what I am. And through the spirit of it you want to learn more about it. … I’m just learning. So it’s all brand new to me.

He speaks on the tone of his new music which has very little cursing:

It’s a goal to have songs that represent who I am today. A lot of the songs I got represent who I was, not who I am. It is my music. I love it. It’s my baby. So I’m not going to ever denounce it. It’s just that it’d be nice to have a song about peace and love and happiness and about what’s going on in the world and about addressing some real issues, when that’s what’s important right now. As opposed to just partying all the time and having a good time. That’s not what I’m on.

If he’s serious, you’ve got to respect a person, especially an artist, who doesn’t worry about what anyone will think about where they are in their lives and does what makes them happy. Snoop also noted that becoming Snoop Lion does not mean he isn’t Snoop Doggy Dogg the Crip or Snoop Dogg (who I assume is the rapper/entertainer); in fact, he says it’s all the same.

We’ve got to wonder: If he’s Snoop Doggy Dogg, Snoop Dogg and Snoop Lion, when does Calvin Broadus step in? At home?

What do you think? Do you “accept” and look forward to the music of Snoop Lion?

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While Mariah might end up being the fun parent, Nick will be running around making sure they don’t get out of line.

Cannon recently told US Weekly that when it comes to the twins, Moroccan and Monroe, he is making sure he puts his foot down.  Knowing the “terrible twos” are upon him, he jokingly said:

“I got my belt out already. It’s ready!”

The twins will turn two years old on April 30th and Nick says he is, without a doubt, the tougher parent. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise because although Mariah is notorious for being an ultimate shade thrower toward adults, she’s always had a very soft spot when it comes to children.

Cannon also openly admitted to a double standard when it comes to his son and daughter, just like most dads.

“Oh, no, my son can date at, like, 3 if he wants, but my daughter, never.”

You’ve got to love the protective dad, right? But seriously, Nick has always comes across as the more serious parent. If you recall, when the Cannons spoke to Barbara Walters in 2011, Nick was adamant about wanting the kids to get an education while Mariah said she wouldn’t mind at all if they wanted to be entertainers.

Somehow, I see Nick shelling out a spanking or two if Roe gets beside herself or Roc wants to “buck up” to his parents.

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Billboard has just released its 40 Top 2013 Money Makers roundup, and a bit surprisingly, there were no African-American female performers on the annual list—and only two black artists total.

A majority of the artists on the list made most of their money via performances, with concerts making up 68.9 percent of revenue for the 40 artists on Billboard‘s list. “The entire top 10 averaged 84.2% of their income from concerts, and the number would have been higher, if not for Justin Bieber‘s mere 60.1% share at No. 10 dragging down the average,” notes the magazine. In fact, Billboard estimates the 2012 Money Makers earned $373 million from concerts after paying agents, managers, and expenses. This figure is up from $329 million in 2011 but down from $383 million in 2010.

Artists who made less than $1 million on the road tended to make more from recorded music. And streaming didn’t really pull in big bucks for musicians as a whole. According to Billboard, streaming revenue is really only small in percentage terms. “The acts on the Moneymakers list averaged nearly $80,000 in streaming revenue in 2012 — a relatively small figure compared with the tens of millions from touring, but decent considering it was nearly nonexistent just a few years ago,” explains Billboard. “Clearly, it’s the young, video-driven artists who take in the most from streaming. Drake, Bieber and Maroon 5 earned the highest amount in absolute dollars, while Phish and Andrea  Bocelli earned the least.”

Money Makers on the list include:

-Madonna, who topped the 2012 list, in part because 93.5 percent of her total revenue came from concerts. In all she pulled in $34,577,308.62. Her blockbuster MDNA tour, kept Madonna at number one on the Money Makers list for a second time. According to Billboard, the 88-date MDNA was last year’s biggest tour ($305 million gross), and the number 10 top-grossing of all time. The tour earned the singer an estimated $32 million last year. And her MDNA album, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, generated $1.5 million in physical and digital album sales for the artist.

-Bruce Springsteen raked in $33,443,606.64 to take the number two spot. In 2012, he released a  critically acclaimed album and his catalog sales remained steady. Non-touring revenue — including digital downloads, streaming, physical CD sales and publishing royalties — totaled $2.4 million last year. Springsteen had sales of nearly 600,000 physical units in 2012, and he also enjoyed 1.6 million digital track downloads, more than any other artist on this chart that broke in the ’70s. Springsteen  earned 92 percent of his revenue from live shows.

-Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters (number three) earned $21,160,131.06 and had the highest concert share on the list with 93.6 percent.  His Wall Live Tour finished as the fifth-highest-grossing of all time, grossing $377,895,537 from 192 shows worldwide.

-Drake made $9,504,992.38 in 2012 and came in at number 24. His Club Paradise tour was one of hip-hop’s biggest live draws last year, earning him $9.5 million on the road. The CD Take Care, which was released in November 2011 but continued to sell well throughout 2012, contributed to 8.8 million digital track sales, earning Drake $1.6 million.

-Jay-Z had earnings totaling $7,011,905.17, to take the 34th spot. The magazine reports that Hova made about $1.1 million from digital and physical album sales in 2012. The bulk of his revenue ($4.7 million), however, came from Watch the Throne tour dates with Kanye West.