Musical Masturbation: A Rapper’s Disease

Musical masturbation is my diagnosis for rappers (or any artists) who aren’t really trying to do anything significant in this game. They’re just fucking around, forever hobbyists just shootin “one offs”. They won’t invest in their projects, or themselves. They’ll never incorporate their company or label because that would actually force them to think of this as a business. So what will they do? Continue to talk shit, drop links on Twitter and Facebook to their poorly mixed tracks and pose as though they’re actually trying to do something.
They sit back and laugh at rappers’ failures and credit other rappers’ successes to secret organizations like the Illuminati. It can’t be that these successful artists have more business savvy or even better music than they have. They’ll take some of the knowledge I give on this blog and regurgitate it, but they won’t apply it. Most of these issues will never  affect them anyhow. No one will ever offer them a 360 deal because they’ll never put in the work for anyone to ever be remotely interested.
If this is you, you’re cluttering up internet bandwidth. And not to mention my email inbox. I mean really, you should see some of the shit that doesn’t make it to this blog. And as this site becomes more popular, my number of submissions increase. This leaves me with the task of sifting through heaps of garbage to find few treasures.  Most are still using Myspace as their primary page. Some still have poor pictures of themselves. And some of the ones that do make it to this blog, DON’T PROMOTE THEIR OWN POSTS!! This boggles my mind!
There’s no gatekeeper blocking you out of the game right now. You can do this shit on your own with some good hustle and a bit of talent. I think some rappers need a boogeyman that they can blame for shutting them out of the industry. It’s not there anymore!
Why am I ranting about this? It’s because after 2 years of running this blog, my patience for those who want to stay stuck in the slow lane has all but run out. Please unfriend me, unfollow me, unsubscribe to this blog if you suffer from this desease and if you plan to stay stuck in little league. My mission is to truly help indie hip hop artists, who are serious, learn how to become empowered economically, learn the business, and control the distribution of their art. If you’re not about that and you’re just looking for a post, you’ll be better off somewhere else.
Deuces

Lil Wayne, Juvenile Among Those At Magnolia Shorty's Private Funeral

A funeral was held was New Orleans rapper Magnolia Shorty this week, and many of her hometown rap peers attend to pay their respects -- including Juvenile, B.G., Young Money's Mack Maine, and Lil Wayne.
Friends and family attended a closed service, and the aforementioned rappers were all sighted there, said reports.
Magnolia Shorty (real name: Renetta Lowe), widely considered as the "Queen of Bounce" in the Louisiana music scene, was laid to rest at the Fifth African Baptist Church on Thursday (December 30), after being gunned down days before Christmas.
"I think about how small she was, with a big voice," Juvenile said in a recent interview. "And how brave she was, as a woman, going to some of the areas she went to and getting on the mic and making her songs."
Weezy even chimed in with a tweet when he heard the news of her passing: "R.I.P to my big sister Magnolia Shorty. [T]his is a krazy world."
The 28-year-old rapper was shot to death in a drive-by shooting outside an apartment complex in eastern New Orleans. She and her boyfriend were hit with multiple gunshots while sitting in their vehicle.
Magnolia Shorty was discovered by Cash Money Records co-founder, Birdman, back in the mid-1990s. She signed to the label, and released her debut album, Monkey On Tha D$ck, through the label in 1997.

The Pack's Lil B Signs Deal With Amalgam Digital

Lil B, best known as a member of Bay Area group The Pack, has recently inked a deal with digital record label, Amalgam Digital, where he'll be releasing his first digital-only solo album, Angels Exodus, in January.
The rapper, also known as Lil B The Based God, will drop the forthcoming project as a prelude to another album, titled Glass Face, also set to be released through Amalgam Digital.
"Shout outs to Amalgam Digital, they been ahead of this for a while," Lil B said of the deal.
"It's going to be historical works of art with these albums. On Angels Exodus, it's going to be real hip-hop and sticking to the script. I'll be going far outside of the boundaries and staying far away from the script too. The Glass Face album will live up to it's name. These albums are something everyone will understand. They are the reason why I'm 10' tall and everyone else is just 6'7" ...no diss. You know I love everybody."
Angels Exodus is due out January 18, with Glass Face to follow later in the year.
As a member of The Pack, Lil B helped spread the Bay Area's "Hyphy" movement to the rest of the world, thanks to their biggest hit to date, "Vans". At the age of 19, he authored a book, titled Taking Over, which demonstrates his positive philosophy of "anything is possible".
But, over the past year, he has been a regular on gossip blogs, thanks to the controversy he stirred on social networking platforms like Twitter and Youtube.
From threatening both Kanye West and comedian Lil Duval with rape; calling himself a "pretty b*tch"; starting and ending a dispute with Joe Budden; as well as flooding his fans with downloads via Hulkshare; and utilizing YouTube to unleash a massive influx of home grown videos such as "Looks Like Jesus", "The Pretty B**ch is Back", "Paris Hilton", and "Ellen Degeneres", Lil B has been hard at work.
Follow him on Twitter @LILBTHEBASEDGOD.

Xzibit Owes Nearly $1 Million In Delinquent Taxes

Uh oh, is another hip-hop star in financial trouble?
west coast hip-hop vet Xzibit is feeling the economic crunch, and is debt to the IRS for nearly $1 million in back taxes.
The paper says a lien was filed against the rapper (real name: Alvin Joiner), one of four filed in recent years.
Apparently, his tax problems began in 2009, following the cancellation of long-running MTV show, "Pimp My Ride," where he played host ... and the foreclosure of his Woodland Hills home.
It's unclear, however, if X was just letting his home go, purposely, like many home owners these days because of the declining value in their properties.
X reportedly attempted to file for bankruptcy twice since 2009, but both were dismissed for various reasons.
Below is a rundown of liens filed by the IRS, as reported by the Detroit News:
  • The IRS filed a $22,196 lien against him Nov. 2 with the Los Angeles County Recorder.
  • The IRS filed a $435,487 lien July 21, 2009, with the Bernalillo County Clerk in New Mexico, where he owns a home.
  • The IRS filed a $205,485 lien Feb. 4, 2009, in Los Angeles County. He owes income taxes from 2007, according to the lien.
  • The IRS filed a $296,355 lien April 17, 2008, in Los Angeles County for unpaid income taxes from 2006, records show.
On July 29, 2009, X listed assets totaling $739,433 -- from mostly homes in California and New Mexico -- and more than $1.4 million in liabilities, according to court records.
Later that same year, he was said to have acknowledged owing the IRS and said he had a verbal agreement to pay $250/month.
X has not commented on the report.

Local Palm Beach Rapper J Money arrested


10 New Year’s superstitions

Stock Up: You should stock up on food and money. Cupboards and refrigerators should be full of food, so you won’t go hungry in the new year. Also (and this is a biggie in my family): every person should have money on their person, whether in a wallet or pocket. This is obviously to ensure you have some paper for the rest of the year.
The First Footer: The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will determine what kind of year you have, and the superstition says that person should be of the male variety. Blondes and redheads apparently bring bad luck (sorry, Prince Harry), while a woman who walks across your threshold first will bring disaster down on your household. (My mom has actually denied me entry to our home until a man crossed our doorstep.) Men with flat feet, unibrows, and crossed eyes are also bad news. This special first person (called “The Lucky Bird”) shouldn’t use a key even if he is a member of the household. He should ceremoniously knock and be let in.
Do Laundry Another Day: On a more morbid note, don’t do laundry on New Year’s Day because superstition says that you’ll “wash away” a family member—i.e., uh, cause their death—in the upcoming year.
Get Loud: You have to make as much noise as possible at midnight because you’re not only celebrating, but you are also scaring evil spirits away.
A kiss and a toast might be the most well-known traditions used to start the New Year off right, yet lurking in the corners of our oh-so-rational culture are some superstitions of which you may not be aware. Annika Harris of the Frisky helps make sure your year is guaranteed to be one of plenty when it comes to everything but unfortunate accidents.

HomeThe BestPeoplePicsBrandy Gets New Tattoo!

Single & Looking singing star Brandy, 31, has left fans scratching their heads after she Tweeted a series of photos showing off an odd new etching on her left wrist and forearm. Brandy says she got a tattoo of the image of the Hindu deity Ganesh tattooed on her left forearm because it symbolizes the “remover of all obstacles.”
Mmkay…
The image appears to be an elephant with some sort of headdress, and a trunk that gives new meaning to the expression “stiff arm!”

50 Cent Offers To Shovel Out Your Driveway For $100?

Following the severe blizzard that hit east coast last week, 50 Cent -- being the businessman that he is -- came up with an opportunity to make some cash from the situation.
The hip-hop mogul offered up his snow shoveling services at $100 a pop.
"I'm going out to shovel snow and see if I can make me a few extra dollars today. I'm charging more if they want to take pictures," 50 tweeted (@50Cent) on Monday (December 17), before adding a photo of himself, in full snow gear, shoveling out a driveway.
"I want a hundred dollars per house. I bet anybody ill make a grand moving snow today," he later added.
If 50's nearly 4 million followers take him up on his offer, that's a nice chunk of change.
The rapper then decided to add a few employees to his roster. "This snow moving business is just to see if laws apply to every business. After the first job, I got 4 more now I have 3 kid[s] I hired."
Obviously, it was a joke. 50 Cent sure knows how to keep his Twitter followers entertained, doesn't he?

Trick Daddy In Debt To The IRS For More Than $157K

Trick Daddy may be a thug, but even thugs have to bow down to the IRS.
The Miami rapper is the latest entertainer to get behind on paying the U.S. government, following a tough year for Trick.
Trick Daddy (real name: Maurice Young) reportedly had his Miami home foreclosed on it May, and sold off months later in October. And now, he reports owes the IRS more than $157,00 in delinquent federal taxes.
The government agency placed several liens against Trick and his wife over the past summer, amounting to $85,366 for money earned from 2007-09, $16,709 for 2006, and $53,979 for unpaid income taxes owed in 2002.
He's not alone though. Over the past year, the IRS places liens against several other high-profile musicians, including Doug E. Fresh, Kelly Rowland, Omarion, Nas, Wyclef Jean, and Swizz Beatz, among others.
Trick Daddy recently released his autobiography, Magic City: Trials of a Native Son, and is reportedly working on his ninth album, www.thug.com2.

Music Industry Reacts To Teena Marie's Death

Master P, Rashad McCants Give Back To Struggling Familes This Holiday Season

NBA player Rashad McCants and hip-hop entrepreneur Percy Miller, formerly known as Master P, are extending their Christmas Giving Back program another two days in an effort to reach more less fortunate families during this holiday season.
The Christmas charity event started five years ago in South Central L.A. and is now reaching downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena and Long Beach with the help of sponsors such as Generation One, Miller's No Limit Forever, non-profit Urban Born, and all the volunteers.
"Due to the economy, there are so many parents without jobs, leaving more kids to be without this holiday," P said. "Our mission is to focus on the lack of education and to motivate the next generation on overcoming poverty. As we hand out gifts, we want kids to know that they can change their community if they stay focused, say 'No' to drugs and further their education because they are the future.
"There are so many other communities in need, together we can make a difference and save our kids," added Rashad McCants.
McCants is currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, in hopes of working his way back to the NBA after time away to care for his sick mother.
In addition to the surrounding cities of L.A., the Christmas Giving Back program also donated gifts to families in New Orleans, and cities in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
Next year, they hope to reach even more kids and families.
For more information, visit Generation1Foundation.org, UrbanBorn.org, and/or NoLimitForeverRecords.com

The Game Robbed Of $75K Cash, Jewelry While X-Mas Shopping

Diamond, Lil Scrappy's Homes In Foreclosure -- Rapper Says It Was A 'Business Decision'

Earlier this week, documents leaked to the Internet that revealed that rapper Lil Scrappy and girlfriend Diamond may be going through financial troubles ... as their Georgia homes are foreclosed on.
TheYBF.com posted documents showing that loans for homes owned by both rappers had gone into default, and are currently on the market (or were recently) after they became delinquent on their mortgage payments.
A source close to the female rapper told the website that her and Scrappy are currently renting a home in Cobb County, but are behind on their rent, as well.
Despite the reports, Diamond addressed the situation in an interview with XXLMag.com, claiming that she didn't lose her home because of finances, but rather because it was a good business move.
"It was a business decision, plain and simple," she explained. "I bought that house in '02. It was a house I did live in at the time for about a year. But then I got into other rental properties and flipping my money and moved out of that house. The recession hit and the real estate market was not doing what it was supposed to do, so instead of selling it, I rented it out.
"Then the rental market slowed down, too. So I asked myself, 'Should I keep this house when no one is buying it or renting it?' If I can't sell it, recoup my money or have anyone rent out the property, then why would I keep it? So I decided to let it go to foreclosure last year."
She added, "People do it all the time. Donald Trump does it. If a person can't understand that, then they're stupid."
Diamond also said that she let the home default "a long time ago," and finds it funny how it's just now making headlines.
"It's kind of funny that this is coming out now because I let the house go to foreclosure a long time ago," said Diamond. "I guess with the courts and it finally going on the market, all of this is just now coming out. I've upgraded my place of residence four times since that first house. I don't want to say where I live now, but I want my fans to know that I own the house that I live in now."
The rapper is currently preparing the release of a new mixtape, titled Cocaine Waitress, due out this December 30.

R&B Legend Teena Marie Dies At Age 54

Legendary R&B singer, Teena Marie, passed away in Los Angeles over the holiday weekend. She was just 54 years old.
Marie was found unconscious by her daughter at her home in Pasadena, California on Sunday (December 26). Apparently, she passed away in her sleep, her manager told CNN.
At press time, no cause of death has been released, but her publicist said that Marie had suffered a grand mal seizure a month ago, which she was still recovering from.
Born on March 5th, 1956 in Santa Monica, Calif., as Mary Christine Brockert, Marie was raised in a predominantly black area of Venice and began singing professionally at age 8. After graduating from Venice High School, she landed a deal with with Motown Records, where she met the legendary Rick James, who took the young singer under his wing and mentored her throughout her music career.
She released her debut album, Wild and Peaceful, in 1979 via Motown, which featured a duet with James. The album's artwork didn't feature a picture of Marie, so many radio programmers assumed the singer -- with her powerful voice -- was black.
But, her race wasn't a factor, after Marie won over fans with her talents.
In the early 1980s, after dropping her fourth album It Must Be Magic, Marie got into a heated legal battle with Motown Records over her contract and disagreements on releasing new material. It resulted in "The Brockert Initiative", which makes it illegal for a record company to keep an artist under contract without releasing new material. It allowed artists to sign and release with another label instead of being held to a contract by an unsupportive one.
By 1983, she signed to Epic Records, and released slew of albums, including Robbery, Emerald City, Naked to the World and Starchild, which included her biggest chart-topper, "Lovergirl."
In the early 1990s, Marie left Epic, releasing an album on her own label, before joining Cash Money Records, where she released La Dona in 2004 and Sapphire in 2006.
In 2009 came her last album, Congo Square, which was released with iconic soul label, Stax.
Her influence is felt among many of today's R&B stars, including the legendary Mary J. Blige who tweeted (@MaryJBlige) that Marie "inspired me vocally as a child. Her songs I sang in the mirror with a hair brush. I'm so hurt. Rest in peace Teena Mari. My Love love for u is forever."
Some reports said Marie battled a prescription-drug addiction during the latter part of her life.
R.I.P. to a musical great.