It’s the last MN Morning Jam of the year folks! So it’s fitting that we go out with a bang (and some wine, which we will drink much later in the evening), and some Nas, who is coincidentally playing a New Year’s Eve show tonight in NYC at Radio Music City Hall. The extra fine rapper teamed up with the late and great Amy Winehouse for this groove-worthy track about his search for the right lady. And the good news is, he doesn’t sound too picky in his search for a boo (“She could be from out the hood or either work for the president”). The song is off of his album, Life is Good, which was one of the best albums of the year, and it’s definitely worth a two-step at your desk.

No matter what you’ve been through this year, we’ve made it to a new year (in a few hours) with new opportunities. Let’s be thankful, and remember as Nas would say, that yes, life is good! Happy early new year loves!

Good news for hip-hop fans!

If you hadn’t heard by now, after popping up together at Rock The Bells and Hot 97′s Summer Jam, Lauryn Hill and the very fine Nas have decided to collaborate the Mary J. Blige and D’Angelo way for a joint tour. Coming this fall, the tour will kick off on Oct. 6 in Columbia, Md., with Nas doing a string of solo performances before Hill joins in for 10 shows and starts by bringing the “Black Rage” in Dallas on Oct. 29, as they continue the tour together. On a side note, “Black Rage” is actually the title of the new track Lauryn Hill is releasing soon, and focuses on “racial inequality and abuse” of all things. According to the Los Angeles Times, the title of the single and her part of the tour’s name a juxtaposition to Nas’s mantra that “Life is Good,” as it can only be good when these issues of racial inequality are finally addressed and something is done about them for the better. In a statement, Hill spoke about why she felt going on the joint tour was necessary:

“I use the performance platform as an opportunity to express the energy of that moment, and the intention behind it. I’ve been a long standing rebel against the stale, over commoditization. As artists we have opportunity to help the public evolve, raise consciousness and awareness, teach, heal, enlighten and inspire in ways the democratic process may not be able to touch. So we keep it moving.”

Cryptic as usual, gotta love that Lauryn! Nas summed things up about the tour everybody’s been waiting for in a much more succinct way: “Better late than never. Life is good!”

If you’re still jamming to “If I Ruled The World” damn near 20 years later (16 to be specific) and crave seeing a stage with both classic hits from Nasty Nas and L Boogie, you’re finally in luck. Tickets go on sale this Friday, and there are pre-sale tickets going out on today. While this sounds like great news (maybe circa 2000), I’m just hoping Lauryn will be able to put on a dope show that will get the fans hype about her new music and endeavors. For the past few years, people have been calling L Boogie out for being extremely late to performances, and then chopping up and screwing her songs so that they don’t sound anything like what people can recognize. And many have complained about her vocal changes. But as a huge fan still, here’s to hoping that things will be different, and that these two will teach these young’ns what real hip-hop is.

10 cities, are any of these near you?

October 29: Dallas, TX (Palladium Ballroom)

October 31: Houston, TX (Bayou Music Center)

November 2: Atlanta, GA (Tabernacle)

November 4: Washington, DC (DAR Constitution Hall)

November 7: Philadelphia, PA (Electric Factory)

November 11: Boston, MA (House of Blues)

November 14: Chicago, IL (Congress Theatre)

November 16: Denver, CO (Fillmore Auditorium)

November 17: Magna, UT (Salt Air)

November 19: Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)

Are you excited for this tour? Why or why not? 

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Source: WENN

I may not be fluent in the lyrical prowess that is Nasty Nas, the Esco to Escobar (I’m working on it), but I’ve heard enough from the Queens-bred rapper since his divorce to recognize the man is hurting — and growing — and that for him, life without his ex-wife Kelis is not good.

A big part of me believes Nas’ intention behind his latest LP was to send the message to the world, and mostly to his ex who is caught out there somewhere, that life is in fact good for the newly divorced father of two. And on one hand I do believe he’s good, he’s learning from his mistakes and taking responsibility for his actions as a husband and father, and growing into a better man by the day. But on the other hand, it’s so clear that his “I’m good without you” attempt is somewhat of a fail because he can’t help but talk about Kelis every time he gets a chance and I love it.

Earlier this year, in an interview with VH1, Nas said posing with Kelis’ infamous green wedding dress for his album cover made things fresh again in his mind and every move he’s made since the cover release has proven that. Just a couple of weeks ago when Nas performed “Bye Baby” at the Rock the Bells concert in Jersey, the song ended and the rapper randomly said, “man I love that girl.” It was like his stream of consciousness didn’t compute that he was having an emo moment in front of thousands of people. He was being unabashedly genuine about his love for that girl and I have a feeling every time he performs that song he’s reminded of just how much he really didn’t want to say bye to his baby.

Any woman who’s been cheated on, done wrong by a man, or broken up with someone they love, knows regrets and saying I love you and I miss you are never enough, and the same goes for Nas. I don’t think he and Kelis should get back together just because he feels bad without her, I see the potential for a future together again because of the growth he’s displayed since their separation. Complex asked Nas a series of questions about what he’s learned since becoming a single man again and he told the mag, “The biggest lesson I learned is respect…trust…no infidelity. I at some point got pissed off during the relationship and strayed. And I wouldn’t do that again. I would be all good.” And perhaps the greatest sign of a changed man is that he’s finally realizes there is life beyond T & A. He also told Complex the aesthetics for what he finds attractive in a woman have changed for him, as his new definition of a so-called bad b***h, could be “a younger woman, in her early 20s, but wise beyond her years. It could be a woman in her late 30s, who’s cool as hell, smart, and has great motherly qualities—or has great motivational skills, or is a powerful mover and shaker in her own career…” In other words, he’s no longer seeking validation in the form of a video chick, and once any man of his calibur crosses that threshold you have to stand up and applaud, or at least let out a mild, “thank you Jesus.”

Unfortunately, what could possibly be the snag in this whole reunion I’ve dreamt up in my mind is Kelis. Understandably, we haven’t heard her say anything about her divorce, but the one remark she did make on Nas using her wedding dress for his album cover demonstrates the beauty of this pair as a couple. In a radio interview, she said:

“My feelings about it are not really relevant, but you know at the end of the day Nas is an artist. And for whatever it’s worth he’s one of the greatest, and especially for what it is he does.

“So for me, I feel like especially for someone in hip-hop to kind of be genuine and honest, whatever the honesty is about, I think it’s awesome.”

Any woman who would walk around in a jacket with the n-word plastered on the back and be down with you exposing all of her issues in song for the sake of artistry has to be some type of soul mate. What was so dope about Nas and Kelis was their high level of creativity. They are both uninhibited when it comes to their musical expression and I think it makes perfect sense for their creative minds to collide and make magic outside of the studio. Of course, that’s not enough for a sustainable marriage, but it’s clear from the soul-searching that Nas has done that he realizes the battles he was facing and the mountains Kelis may have yet to climb, like her daddy issues, and he understands that those personal obstacles have to be tackled before they can have a harmonious union. My only question is what are you two waiting on?

Do you want to see Nas and Kelis get back together?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Photo: IslandDefJam.com

-The Senate has voted to preserve the Bush-era tax cuts for people making less than $250,000 per year. This is great, in the sense that something actually made it through Congress without all the drama we’ve grown used to. But the argument is still being made that this is the worst Congress ever.

-Nas’ new album “Life Is Good” debuts at number one, selling 149,000 copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan. This is the artist’s sixth number one album. It’s his ninth number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Frank Ocean’s “Channel Orange” slips from number two to number four.

-The drought that’s currently plaguing about two-thirds of the country is going to cost at least $12 billion, the most since 1988. The figure is an estimate right now, but an August 10 report will put the damage to crops into clearer relief. Insurance payouts to farmers promises to be huge, and food prices are going to increase, perhaps as much as three or four percent.

-Hope your mailbox can handle the massive size of the fashion magazines heading your way. The September issues, typically one of the biggest of the year for a number of titles, is going to be a record-breaker for a number of mags, including Elle, Marie Claire, Vogue and People StyleWatch.

-The London Olympic Games kick off tomorrow and NBC says they’ve sold $1 billion worth of television and digital advertising for the event. Even with that huge figure (it’s $150 million more than what was sold for Beijing in 2008), the network doesn’t expect to turn a profit. ???!

-The backlash against Chick-Fil-A is coming at them fast and furious. First because the company’s president and CEO Dan Cathy gave interviews in which he condemned same-sex marriage (Chick-Fil-A is known to have donated nearly $2 million to anti-gay organizations). Now because it appears the chicken chain has created a fake Facebook page to defend itself.

complex.com

We all know that Nas is a discreet cat, so it was only fitting that he hosted an intimate 50-person dinner at Bagatelle in NYC’s West Village to celebrate the release of his new album “Life Is Good” album and the  Moët Rosé Lounge Series.  (The album definitely gets a huge thumbs up from Madame Noire staff).

Peep this photo above of Jay and Nasir Jones hugging it out. We love the camaraderie of these two formal rivals. It’s funny that you can still hear songs on the radio, which have these two greats go at each other’s throats despite the fact that these days, it’s all love between the two. Considering that they are two of the most sensible artists in the game, it’s only right that they stay on the same team.

While Nas and fellow guests partied it up, Bey decided to stay low-key and didn’t take any press photos for the event. Although we didn’t get a good look at her whole outfit, we definitely noticed the very different choice to rock box braids. As we know, B doesn’t like to change it up very much when it comes to her hair so we’re feeling this alternative image right here.

http://fashionbombdaily.com

Check out more of the photos on the next page.

Source: egyptsaidso.com

Nas isn’t holding anything back on this next album. We already heard him put his feelings about his daughter in song and video, we’ve seen the album cover with the wedding dress, and now he’s airing all the laundry about his relationship with his ex-wife Kelis in a new track titled, “Bye Baby.”

There are no cryptic lyrics here, from references to her “I hate you so much right now” song to the demise of their relationship while she was seven months pregnant, it is absolutely clear who this song is about. Nas exposes Kelis’ daddy issues, lies, cheating, friends running their mouths about their divorce and the settlement he had to pay, and he also talks about the son they have together. It’s deep. And for fans of the ’80s/’90s group Guy, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the “Goodbye Love” sample.

Listen to the track here, what do you think about it?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Source: freshlikedougie.com

Nas and Kelis have been divorced for two years now, but you’d think things were just finalized yesterday the way their wedding, marriage, and dissolution are such a hot topic. With Nas back in the spotlight, naturally everyone has been asking about how things went down with his ex-wife, but when he released the “Life is Good” album cover holding the infamous green dress Kelis wore during the couple’s 2005 nuptials, it sparked all sorts of discussion about just what message he was really trying to send to his old, old lady.

During Nas’ VH1 “Behind the Music” special, he explained that the wedding dress was the only thing Kelis left behind when she moved out, and during an interview with MTV, he said during the filming of that segment he realized the dress needed to be a part of his album art.

“It clicked right there. You’re saying it even in your interview, it’s like a given that this should allude to this being on the cover, that statement,” he said. “Some things you can’t plan, they happen.”

That’s easy for him to say, but does Kelis feel the same? Surprisingly, she sort of does. In an interview with NME.com, she spoke on the cover art and said:

“My feelings about it are not really relevant, but you know at the end of the day Nas is an artist. And for whatever it’s worth he’s one of the greatest, and especially for what it is he does.

“So for me, I feel like especially for someone in hip-hop to kind of be genuine and honest, whatever the honesty is about, I think it’s awesome. So my feelings about it aren’t really necessarily valid, it’s just the fact that as an artist I can respect that he wears his feelings on his sleeve.”

It kind of sounds like she might be feeling some sort of way about the cover, but she’s putting artistry over feelings which is pretty cool. These two are sounding more amicable than ever these days. Around the same time that she was bigging him up, he told Tim Westwood in a radio interview:

“Shout out to Kelis. She’s an amazing woman and that’s the mother of my child and she’s great and everything is good.”

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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billboard.com

Despite a drama-filled divorce from Kelis, Nas is claiming that life is really good – so much so that the cover art for his new album “Life Is Good” depicts him sitting down in contemplation mode with a green dress draped over his lap. The art is definitely heavy and one ripe for interpretation. Is he trying to say that although the experience of marriage was great, he’s liberated by the the fact that the woman who wore the green dress is gone? In a way, the art (without the title) can also seem somber. Is it that life isn’t good in the aftermath of heartbreak? Could it be that he’s communicating disillusionment with the concept of love and marriage? In his recent “Behind The Music,” Nas did state that when Kelis vacated their home together, all she left was her green wedding dress. In another interview with MTV, Nas only talked vaguely about the album: ”It’s been a long time; it’s been years since I released a solo studio album, so this record is everything,” he said. “This is everything that I’ve got to say – I guess you’ve got to live a little and you put that in your music, so it’s coming from my life.”

However the album art is dissected, one thing’s for sure: the mother of his son Knight is present and heavy on his mind. We’ll see what he’s talking about come July 17th when the album drops.

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