Judy Eddy/WENN.com

A promoter who found himself in a bad situation is determined to hold Nas accountable for it, one way or another.

Concert promoter Patrick Alloco is suing Nas for $10 million dollars for what he believes in Nas’ role in a kidnapping and TMZ has, of course, obtained the documentation.  Not sure if you heard about this but the concert promoter was kidnapped in Angola after Nas did not show up for a concert on New Year’s Eve in December 2011 after he was paid $300,000.  Singer Jeremih was also part of the bill and didn’t show up but the assumption is that he was only paid $15,000 for his performance. The Angolan promoter that was involved, Henrique Miguel, was allegedly very upset because he put up a lot of money for Nas’ appearance and when he didn’t show up, he allegedly sent his “henchmen” out to capture Patrick until he got his money back.

Alloco and his son were held captive for 50 days – until February 2012 – when the U.S. Embassy finally stepped in and were able able to get them released (the Angolan authorities were aware of what was going on – they, in fact, held Alloco for over seven hours for questioning).

In the lawsuit filed in federal court on Friday, Alloco said he was threatened constantly and beaten during the time he was held hostage.  He also states that as a result of him being away from the states for so long and being unable to do business, he has lost his company and his home.

That is a lot of money and we already know Nas has had IRS money problems, ex-wife money problems, etc.  This case seems like it’ll be interesting (if Nas doesn’t settle out of court) because the only reason Alloco was kidnapped was because Nas didn’t show up for the show.  Now, who knows if he’ll actually get $10 million but you have to wonder if a judge would see things in his favor in some part.

What do you think? Should Nas be held somewhat responsible?

WENN.com

Okay Bow Wow, you finally have a new job (one of the 106th & Park hosts) and some money coming and you still can’t shut up about who’s been in your bedroom?

Bow Wow was on tv/radio personality Sway’s “Sway in the Morning” show to discuss a variety of things and of course, his sex life came up.  It started when he had to pull out a mystery question from a bag and answer it (there’s some video footage on The YBF). The question simply asked, “How old were you when you lost your virginity and how do you rate yourself?” Well, Bow just went right for it saying he was 16 when he lost his virginity to a girl he knew he “couldn’t pass up.” Sway, good interviewer he is (no shade there, Sway is awesome), pushed to find out if the person was a celebrity and Bow Wow said her initials were “EB.” Whomever was in the background immediately guessed it was magazine/video model Esther Baxter.

Boom pow, the crowd (those in the studio with him) goes wild – just as Bow Wow expected.

Only…Esther said it never happened.  She took to Twitter to address it (and trust, these are the two tamer tweets because she went in on him):

Twitter

So now there’s a battle of the denial tweets between the two of them.  It’s actually very silly but these are both people who tend to like attention (Esther dated Joe Budden last year and it turned into a very public debacle, complete with accusations of domestic violence). The truth is anyone’s guess.

Oh and Bow Wow also discussed the women he would or would not sleep with or date (he shot down Karreuche, Lil Kim, Selena Gomez and Ciara.

Seriously, he does not shut up.

Hot97 Instagram

Girl, we’ve got our eyes on you.

It certainly seemed a little weird that Eve has started doing quite a few interviews lately for a project we’ve been hearing about for about four years but has never come to pass. She’s also being a lot more open about her relationship with boyfriend Maxmillian and we’ve never heard much about him more than the fact that he’s really wealthy.

But flash forward to the pictures we caught on Necole Bitchie and we are now officially putting Eve on baby watch.  Sure, people gain weight all the time so no biggie there, but we’ve never seen her face so full.  Her clothing doesn’t suggest anything more than cold weather temperatures in the city but that’s also one of the easiest ways to cover up a growing belly.

I see we’re going to have to “stalk” her Twitter account for any possible clues. But she’s no doubt read or heard the rumors so if this is a secret, she might work a little harder to keep it that way. We’d also probably be waiting another 10 years for a single.

We’ll, no doubt, keep you posted!

Source: AP Images

Whoever busted out Lil Scrappy about being on probation during the “Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta” reunion straight foreshadowed the rapper’s current legal situation. According to Scrappy’s Twitter timeline and TMZ, he has been locked up for a probation violation, but it’s not because he was fighting on the show, it sounds like it has something to do with narcotics.

As TMZ tells it, Scrappy was picked up on the side of the road in Atlanta and brought in for this reason:

Scrappy is on probation stemming from a marijuana conviction in 2008.

He was sentenced to 5 years probation for the weed bust … and was ordered to abstain from the use or possession of any alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs.

He was also ordered to complete an alcohol/drug education program and was ordered to perform 240 hours of community service.

According to official records … at the time Scrappy was arrested for weed, he was also popped for carrying a concealed weapon, obstruction of officers and fighting. He was sentenced to 1 year probation for each of those offenses, but they ran concurrently.

Oddly, Scrappy (or someone running his page) tweeted the arrest news at 5:15pm yesterday, writing:

Around 11pm last night, his management sent out the following message:

 Lil Scrappy is OK, we’re working to get him out asap. Please keep him in your prayers. (Management) #FreeLilScrappy

There’s no update yet on whether Scrappy is still behind bars, I just wonder whether his ride-or-die fiancee Erica has his back through this — if not we know Mama Dee is going to clown. Welp, #FreeLilScrappy

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Source: newsreview.com

Last year, I was asked to speak on a panel about misogyny at the Hip-hop symposium at Princeton University. I was the only female on the panel, which provided me with much pressure. Twiddling my fingers and taking swigs of water I nestled into the conversation, trying to make my way in whenever a brief pause allowed.

The panelists threw banter of Greek goddesses and connections to the hyper sexuality of women through time—landing upon the perspective of sixteen bars. We traded words without interruption—even from the moderator—and agreed to disagree. During our question session, something not so deep and often ignored blitzed at me through inquiry.

A college aged girl asked, “Aren’t you tired of rappers giving us handouts? One song about love and then one about whores, it’s like they write the one respectful track for us to buy the album. Wale is a prime example.”

I remember answering her quickly, the timekeeper symbolizing that our tenure had almost expired, “You’re absolutely right. Wale’s ‘Manipulation’ record shows the difference between a good and a bad guy, but the end of the track’s banter shows that he’s probably the latter:

“I’ll treat you like a queen, you rather be a slave

I’ll show you I’m a gentleman, but you prefer a cave man

Shoebox money, and crumbled up 20′s

I’ll teach you ’bout equity and real estate honey”

Banter at the end: ”I might have said some words or some terms that might be offensive. Basically I just want to give you a formal apology, I didn’t really mean it…I wanted to creatively express myself.  I just want to let them know that there are two different types of guys you can date. There’s the good guys that’s going to call you a lady or a woman, even your real first name, and then there’s the guy that’s gonna try to pull your hair and call you Beyotches, hoes and all that. So you basically have the opportunity to choose one or the other. So Beyotch, pick the right mother—.”

Almost every emcee has had their day with misogyny: Tupac made “Brenda’s Got a Baby” and “I Get Around.” Jay-Z scribed “That’s My Beyotch” during the first years of his union with Beyonce. Even Common’s “Ghetto Dreams” touches on it: “I want a beyotch that look good and cook good// Cinderella fancy, but she still look hood//Butt naked in the kitchen flipping pancakes//Plus she tricking from the dough that her man makes.” Common will tell you that this is his personifying of a ghetto brother’s voice, but I’m quite sure he wouldn’t mind the visual.

However, the reason why Wale’s misogyny is so highlighted is because of his blatant and bold dichotomy. How can someone who pushed an entire campaign for ambitious girls—the female bloggers/hip-hop writers swooning at their keyboards—also be so incredibly disrespectful when it comes to women? How can you call yourself an advocate for the educated and independent and then down them in your next verse? It doesn’t stop at the new music—if you check Wale’s mix tapes before he became mainstream, you’ll notice his split was apparent far before his hit singles. Wale’s issues seem to stem outside of the music arena. Examples: His spar with Amanda Diva, the Pretty Girls fiasco, his infamous emotional tweets and numerous other rumored experiences.

But I feel as if it goes far deeper than that. Has anyone ever REALLY listened to Wale? I’m not talking about the go-go band induced beats and clever puns, I’m talking about what’s in between the lines and sifting amongst his most hurtful utterances.

“Sometimes I just wanna speak you up// Yeah, hit you up, or call you up, or send a text// Your new man got my respect// So if I do call it’s just to check//”

“Perfection doesn’t exist if it doesn’t consume her// And the truth hurts that this world’s mine, but the womb is hers//
“I’m in love with your business// and your productivity is the reason I interest, ambitious girl// See, I like the person that you are, but I’m in love with the person that you have the potential to be//”

Source: Philly.com

A few weeks back we saw some behind-the-scenes shots of Eve rocking Reebok’s new 54-11s for a new documentary on the classic sneaker brand and herself, and now the full flick is here.

The Philly-born rapper returned to her roots to show where her fame first began at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, and took us through her time as a rapper, dabbling in fashion, and now her current focus on film making, and acting. From 1999 to 2012, people are still asking, “who’s that girl…”

Check out the mini-documentary here. Are you still checking for Eve?

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

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killerhiphop.com

If you know who Jay Electronica is, it’s either because you are a hip-hop fan and know his music or you know him as the father of Erykah Badu’s youngest child. But according to Daily Mail UK, he is in the center of a marriage breaking up.  According to Ben Goldsmith, his music producer wife and heiress to the Rothschild banking dynasty Kate has been carrying on an affair with Jay for about a year (he is one of her clients and apparently lives in London now) .  Ben claims he found very racy text messages and email exchanges between the two of them and after denying anything was going on for a little while, Kate finally admitted they were having an affair.

During their argument, Ben assaulted her and left the home. Upon his return, the police were there and arrested him on a domestic charge. Allegedly, Ben has always been very suspicious of Kate and Jay’s “friendship” because of the amount of time they’d been spending together.  Apparently he was right because sources say Kate has a slight obsession with Jay, calling him multiple times throughout the night and sometimes spending the night with him.

This is quite the scandal as Ben’s father is financial tycoon Jimmy Goldsmith and as previously mentioned, Kate is a Rothschild scion.  The couple, who has been married since 2003, have three children.

Jay Electronica always finds himself in the most precarious situations.

Serena Williams made her rap debut in a 60-second clip released by TMZ last week. The sample is a product of recording sessions the tennis champion participated in last year at a family friend’s studio. Williams has yet to comment on the leaked clip. So, there’s a chance the world was made privy to a rich woman’s secret hobby. However, if Serena is planning to pull a Shaquille O’Neal and be an athlete/rapper, sister, seriously, stop it.

Serena’s performance is not particularly bad, but she’s not what the rap game has been missing. Sample lyrics include: “I ball hard, no tennis racket / I can’t see these haters through my Gucci glasses.” Serena is a beast at tennis with 13 Grand Slam titles. She has expressed that she doesn’t love tennis anymore, and never actually liked sports. But, mediocre rapper (and that’s being generous) is not a title that benefits her brand.

Entering a new market is not a decision that should be taken lightly. Sometimes the decision is obvious; a market leader may be in the decline or consumers in that segment may be clamoring for your participation. If that isn’t the case, the decision of expanding your brand is one that should be examined carefully. Making the wrong decision can screw up the entire direction of your company or brand.

Stay in your lane is a popular mantra, because entering a new market is risky business. Before you launch a new product or enter a new industry, consider the following:

Does this venture mesh well with your brand’s resources and customer perceptions? Make sure you can handle the financial, emotional and physical challenges competing in a new market requires. It is also critical that your existing customers’ perceptions inform all of your business initiatives. If this new venture alienates your existing consumer base, it’s not worth it.

Are you needed in this new market? Wanting to be involved in a market or industry does not justify entering it. You have to have a viable customer to succeed. Do your research, and make sure your targeted customers are able and willing to support you.

Can you compete? If you cannot provide a customer with a great product that is a complete solution package, they have little reason to leave the supplier they’ve been supporting. If you want to poach customers, you have to be able to provide something bigger or better than what is already available from the start.

Can you sway consumer loyalty? Some industries have more loyal followings than others. Make sure your target audience is willing to leave behind well-established relationships with existing suppliers to support you.

Is this the most profitable path for you to take? This new venture should offer a greater return on investment than any other option. It is always less costly to grow profits from customers and markets you already have secured, than pursuing new territory.

Do you have the time and money needed to enter a new market? Don’t let a new pet project distract you from maintaining your existing business. Be sure you have the time and resources needed to develop and distribute a product/service within the time frame required. Also, understand your costs before you assume your revenues. People typically overestimate their sale projections and underestimate the costs.

Can you anticipate your new competitors’ response? You may be entering the market will all smiles and optimism, but your new competitors will be looking for ways to crush you in infancy. Dropping prices or offering added value are among the tactics established suppliers use to squelch new competition. Figure out if you can sustain a business model that can handle whatever the competition throws at you.

Cortney Cleveland is a freelance writer and content strategist in New York City. You can follow her on Twitter @CleveInTheCity and visit her personal column, The Red Read.

Source: Bossip.com

Last week I came across an article that said Mase may make an appearance on Rick Ross and French Montana’s upcoming albums and all I thought was, why does this man stay with one foot in the pulpit and the other in the hood? But now I know the answer: the IRS has their foot all up in his behind.

As of now, Mason Betha owes the IRS $124,774.85 in back taxes, going all the way back from 2000, 2001, and 2004, which was right around the time he put out that “Welcome Back” album after a five-year hiatus to pursue a “calling from God.” The album didn’t do so hot so that could be why he neglected to pay Uncle Sam. Considering it’s been about eight years since we’ve heard him in any mainstream format, paying off the IRS is the only explanation I can come up with for him appearing on Rozay and newcomer French Montana’s records, although he’s also rumored to have a $35,000 jewelry bill he neglected to pay around that same time too.

I’m going to assume Mase is completely done with his ministry now that he’s pending a third comeback but I wonder if he prayed on this. I know back in ’99 he and Diddy said 10 years from now they’d still be on top, but 13 years later, the game will probably not be feeling that Harlem World sound anymore.

When is someone going to teach these celebs you can’t avoid the IRS?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source: pictures19.com

For the most part, I haven’t been a big fan of rapper Plies’s music. A majority of the time I can’t understand what he’s saying, but a lot of the time, I just think his lyrics are a bit too explicit for my tastes (“Bust It Baby, Pt.2″ for example), so when I heard he did a tribute video for Trayvon Martin, I was a little skeptical about what I would hear and see. But after watching and actually listening to the lyrics, I think he did an awesome job, and I have to applaud him for being one the first artists to do a recording (and video) about the slain teenager. In the video the rapper says he was especially touched by the young man’s death, probably because of the senselessness of it, and the fact that they’re both Florida natives. Throughout, we see images of young people being judged for their looks and their hoodies, but doing nothing but holding Skittles and ice tea. And I like the fact that he was able to get young black men and women as well as young white men and women to participate. Plus, the track isn’t bad at all, and proceeds from it are going to the Trayvon Martin Foundation. Love the hoodies, actually love the lyrics, and love the message.

Check it out for yourself and tell us what you think of the rapper’s efforts.

So what do you think?

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