Future Blasts His Impersonators: "It’s Only One Future"

Future performed at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom Saturday (February 27) and addressed all of the Future Hendrix imitators during his set.
"I’ma let y’all niggas know, it’s only one Future in this muthafucka and I’m really the plug, really," the Atlanta rapper said to the crowd before performing What A Time To Be Alive cut, "I'm the Plug."
It's not clear who the EVOL rapper is referring to but it is being speculated that his message is aimed at GOOD Music's latest signee Desiigner, whom people have confused for Future on Kanye West's The Life of Pablo album.
50 Cent recently went on record saying he's not sure if the "Panda" rapper will be able to make another record because of the similarities.
Despite the Future Hendrix comparisons, Desiigner made light of the situation and posted a "I Can't Believe It's Not Future" meme on his Twitter.
Further, KYLE recently trolled a crowd of over 2,000 fans with Future and Metro Boomin impersonators at his Austin, Texas show.

Babysitter decapitates girl in her care, then walks around carrying her severed head

A 39 year old woman is being held in Moscow by officers after she walked through streets carrying a child's severed head. The video footage appeared to show the woman walking in the street, looking disorientated and carrying the child's head before her arrest. Reports in Russia claim the woman shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as she was held.

Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins an Oscar!!

After 25 years of acting and several nominations, actor Leonardo DiCaprio has finally won an Oscar for Best Actor for his role in the movie The Revenant. Another photo after the cut..

Kim Kardashian Reaffirms Love For Kanye West

Kim Kardashian took to her Currently app to reaffirm her love and support for her husband, Kanye West.
Among the posts, which were captured by TeamKanyeDaily, Kardashian says she is currently "loving my husband," "hating that people don't get that Kanye will stand up against the whole world for his creativity and art," "wanting everyone to be as honest as Kanye," and "listening to 'I Love Kanye,'" a cut from his The Life of Pablo album.
One of the posts directly addresses reports that she "can't stand" West's posts on Twitter. West has blasted producer Bob Ezrin, begged Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for money and questioned The Grammys in his recent Twitter activity.
"Reading Kanye's tweets," one of the status updates says with a picture of one of the rapper's tweets with a picture of the couple's daughter, North.
Another report surfaced last week that said Kardashian "demanded that Kanye get therapy."
Kardashian gave birth to Saint West, her and West's son, in December.
View Kim Kardashian's Currently updates below:

Kim's latest "Currently" post on https://t.co/6Km4x0PhZl includes everything Kanye. #wifegoals pic.twitter.com/WvWJdPnFCR

Chris Rock took a swipe and Will & Jada Smith at the Oscars plus other things he said

Jada Pinkett-Smith started the 2016 Oscars boycott after her husband Will Smith was snubbed. You would think the host, a black man, Chris Rock, would support his own people...lol...but last night he took a swipe and Jada and Will. He said;

'It's not fair that Will Smith was this good in 'Concussion and didn't get nominated. It's also not fair that Will was paid $20 million for 'Wild Wild West!', was one of Rock's first zingers aimed at the Hollywood power couple."

leap day: Word of the day for February 29, 2016

leap day , n :
The extra day in a leap year, currently February 29th in countries that use the Gregorian calendar and February 24th in the few communities using the Julian calendar.

unbirthday: Word of the day for February 28, 2016

unbirthday , n :
A day that is not one's birthday but is celebrated as though it were

vituperation: Word of the day for February 27, 2016

vituperation , n :
The act of vituperating; severely blaming or censuring. Criticism or invective which is sustained and considered to be overly harsh; abuse, severe blame or censure.

piquant: Word of the day for February 26, 2016

piquant , adj :
Engaging; charming. Favorably stimulating to the palate; pleasantly spicy; stimulating. (archaic) Causing hurt feelings; scathing.

satisfice: Word of the day for February 25, 2016

satisfice , v :
(social sciences, intransitive) Of human behavior: to make a choice that suffices to fulfill the minimum requirements to achieve an objective, without special regard for utility maximization or optimization of one's preferences.

riven: Word of the day for February 24, 2016

riven , adj :
Torn apart. Broken into pieces; split asunder.

apace: Word of the day for February 23, 2016

apace , adj :
Quickly, rapidly, with speed.

usurious: Word of the day for February 22, 2016

usurious , adj :
Of or pertaining to usury. Exorbitant.

unicameral: Word of the day for February 21, 2016

unicameral , adj :
Of, or having, a single legislative chamber. (linguistics, of a script) Making no distinction between upper and lower case, but rather having only one case.

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venire: Word of the day for February 20, 2016

venire , n :
(law) A writ of venire facias. (law, chiefly US) A group of persons summoned by a writ of venire facias to appear in court for jury selection.

tendentious: Word of the day for February 19, 2016

tendentious , adj :
Having a tendency; written or spoken with a partisan, biased or prejudiced purpose, especially a controversial one. Implicitly or explicitly slanted.

quoit: Word of the day for February 18, 2016

quoit , n :
A flat disc of metal or stone thrown at a target in the game of quoits. A ring of rubber or rope similarly used in the game of deck-quoits. The flat stone covering a cromlech. The discus used in ancient sports.

suzerainty: Word of the day for February 17, 2016

suzerainty , n :
A relation between states in which a subservient nation has its own government, but is unable to take international action independent of the superior state; a similar relationship between other entities. The status or power of a suzerain.

Sam Smith talks about his dramatic weight loss: 'I've just not eaten like a pig anymore'

The 23 year old British singer spoke about his weight loss on the red carpet of the Grammy awards Monday night. He reassured fans that he is completely happy and healthy, after his dramatic weight loss over the last few months.

Cameroonian troops hand over suspected Boko Haram terrorists to the Nigerian Army, hostages rescued

This is a statement issued by the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman:

"The cooperation with our neighbours have brought renewed vigour and is yielding fruitful result in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorists.

Rihanna cancels Grammy performance

Rihanna cancelled her Grammy performance due to bronchitis. She actually arrived at the venue of the awards, the Staples Center, but did not walk the red carpet. She went straight to rehearsals but left. It was reported that a doctor on site recommended that she quit the performance because it could permanently damage her vocal cords. Rihanna reps said she really wanted to perform but reluctantly decided she had to listen to her doctors.

Drugs, criminals, trafficked children, guns, gold intercepted in Interpol operation across Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, Benin

An operation to strengthen border controls along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor has resulted in major seizures of drugs, stolen cars, currency, firearms and fake travel documents, in addition to arrests for migrant smuggling.

Angelique Kidjo rocks her African print to the Grammys, wins an award

Legendary Beninese-born singer, Angelique Kidjo, rocked her African print to the 2016 Grammy awards which held in Los Angeles yesterday night. Angelique won her third Grammy and dedicated it to aspiring artists on the continent. She won the Grammy for Best World Music Album for "Sings," a collection of her songs infused with Western classical traditions in a collaboration with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.

My goodness! See the exchange rate as of this morning

Spotted this on Nigerian Guardian Newspaper instagram handle...

Trolls come for Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce after he claims Beyonce is a secret Sunderland fan

Whether this was a ploy to sell tickets for Beyonce's up-coming show among Sunderland fans or to gain the singer's attention towards his club fighting relegation, whatever it was, Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce didn't just get it right with his latest tweet.

Kendrick Lamar Takes Home Five Grammy Awards

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards were tonight (February 15) at 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST on CBS.
Kendrick Lamar led the field with 11 nominations, including for every Rap category and for Album of the Year with To Pimp a Butterfly.

The Rap categories were announced prior to the national broadcast. Lamar won the awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap song for "Alright" and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat for "These Walls." Besides being nominated for his own music, he was nominated because of his credits on Kanye West's "All Day."

finitary: Word of the day for February 16, 2016

finitary , adj :
Of a function, taking a finite number of arguments to produce an output. (logic) Pertaining to finite-length proofs, each using a finite set of axioms.

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voluntourist: Word of the day for February 15, 2016

voluntourist , n :
A tourist who takes part in voluntourism.

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Arizona room: Word of the day for February 14, 2016

Arizona room , n :
(US) A room found in homes in Arizona, typically a patio that has been covered and screened so as to create an outdoor feeling while avoiding excessive heat and insects. Arizona was admitted as the 48th state of the USA on this day in 1912.

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trigger warning: Word of the day for February 13, 2016

trigger warning , n :
A notice placed before the beginning of media content (usually an online article, e-mail, or post) to warn of potential traumatic triggers it contains.

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gravitational wave: Word of the day for February 12, 2016

gravitational wave , n :
(physics) A fluctuation in spacetime caused by accelerating mass, which propagates as a wave at the speed of light. The existence of gravitational waves, predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago, was confirmed yesterday (11 February 2016) by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).

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CyHi The Prynce Details How Beyonce Got Him Signed To GOOD Music

CyHi The Prynce also gives his thoughts on ghostwriting in Hip Hop.

When CyHi The Prynce was signed to Kanye West's imprint label GOOD Music it didn't go without the convincing of Beyonce, says the rapper in a recent Montreality interview.
The Georgia native appeared on the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy cut "So Appalled" after Ye flew him out to Hawaii while he was working on the project.
"I was supposed to write a hook and some ideas for the chorus and then it became this long ass dope ass beat as y'all have heard," CyHi says. "I just started writing to it because I was so happy to be there and I wasn't tired. Everybody left the studio. Ye went with his girl and everybody scattered and went to the room. So I just left a verse at the end of the song so no one could hear it and Ye himself leaves the beat running after he played it for Jay and Beyonce. He just leaves it running and my verse just abruptly comes in. They was like, 'Who the fuck is this?' He never heard the rap either. They heard it and was like, 'Yo, that was the dopest shit ever,' and she was like, 'Yo whoever that is you need to sign him.'"
The L.I.O.N. rapper was consequently signed to the label in 2010.
Prynce also addresses ghostwriting in the rap game and breaks down why having a team of people working on an album becomes necessary when competing for Grammy-level accolades.
The GOOD Music rapper agrees initially an up and coming rapper should write his own songs but as they grow it becomes important to hire more people.
"What you have to understand about artists like Drake and Kanye is that they've already bodied Hip Hop," says the 31-year old rapper. "They've already reached every plateau. Every BET Award, MTV Award, Grammy you can get for Hip Hop they've gotten it. Now, what I've learned is when you get to the Grammys and you're going up against real artists like country singers. BET Awards it's just R&B and rap. At the Grammys it's jazz, gospel, country, pop, rap. It's so many genres and they have 20 people working on their songs. So you're in the studio trying to write this song by yourself but Whitney Houston in the studio or Adele in the studio with 20 people and she wins the Grammy or Sam Smith wins the Grammy because they have 30 people working on their project when you as a rapper feel like you can only work with yourself. So that's what I think Meek didn't understand in the cases of your Drake's and your Kendrick's."

Puff Daddy To Host Gala Fundraiser At Playboy Mansion

The post-Grammy event is to benefit CITY, a non-profit that seeks to provide mentorship for young entrepreneurs.

Puff Daddy is to host a gala fundraiser at Playboy Mansion, Billboard reports. The event will benefit CITY, short for Community's Inspiring Today's Youth, a non-profit based in Los Angeles that seeks to provide mentorship for young entrepreneurs. The gala is scheduled to be after the Grammys Monday (February 15).
Virgin Group founder Sir Richie Branson is to be the keynote speaker at the CITY gala fundraiser hosted by Puff Daddy. On the bill to perform are Kool of Kool & the Gang, Chanel West Coast and DJ Paul Oakenfold.
Other events scheduled to be a part of the gala include a celebrity poker tournament and a fashion show from Hemp Blue.
"We are honored to have such an incredible roster of distinguished guests joining us to raise visibility for these important charitable causes," executive producer Ryan Long says in a statement.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and businessman and philanthropist John Paul DeJoria are to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and Legacy of Inspiration Award, respectively.
For additional coverage of Puff Daddy, who is to host a gala fundraiser at Playboy

Kidd Kidd Pleads Guilty To Harassment

The G-Unit rapper was originally charged with strangulation and assault.

Kidd Kidd pled guilty to harassment today (February 10), according to Daily News.

The G-Unit rapper had been charged with strangulation and assault after allegedly choking and shoving Maurita Robinson at a hotel in Manhattan. 

Kidd Kidd, whose given name is Curtis Stewart, completed a batterer’s program and was offered a non-criminal deal. 

"We're glad the DA's office saw it the way we did, that this should not result in a criminal record,” Kidd Kidd's lawyer, Scott Leemon, said.

The rapper is facing similar charges from Robinson in New Orleans.

Scott Leemon—the attorney for G-Unit rapper Kidd Kidd who was arrested in New York City on June 30—has released a statement regarding the rapper’s arrest.
Within the statement, Leemon denounced claims that Kidd Kidd—real name Curtis Stewart—had been arrested on claims of domestic violence.
“The New York allegations are totally baseless,” Scott Leemon said in a statement to XXL. “They were made 4 months later by a woman who has a history of making false allegations against Mr. Stewart. We are confident once the District Attorney’s office investigate the matter, Kidd Kidd will be vindicated.”
The domestic violence allegations are from a woman named Maurita Robinson. According to HipHopEarly, Robinson posted an image to Instagram in early May showcasing what appears to be a bloodied lip. In addition to the picture, Robinson attached the following caption:
“Never let a man put his hands on you never. @50cent good luck getting your woman beater kiddkidd any further than jail. Woman beater unit.”
In response, Kidd Kidd released a video vehemently denying such claims.
In addition to Kidd Kidd’s lawyer releasing a statement, G-Unit have also addressed the matter publicly.
“50 Cent and G-Unit fully support Kidd Kidd in this matter,” the rap group have said, according to XXL.

Will Smith's "Concussion" Influences Teen To Turn Down Football Scholarships

The high school senior reportedly fielded nearly 10 scholarships before abandoning them all.

As Will Smith preps his next blockbuster film in Bad Boys 3, his most recent body of work, Concussion, has made a lasting impact on at least one individual.
Mars, Pennsylvania high school senior John Castello was offered Football Championship Subdivision scholarships from schools such as Delaware, James Madison, Holy Cross, New Hampshire, Lafayette and Bucknell and his 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame surely would have made the tight end a worthy addition to any roster. But after taking Smith's latest chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) drama--the same film that spawned Oscar snub hysteria--the 18-year-old has had a change of heart when it comes to the game of football altogether.
"The head injuries were a huge reason for my decision,” he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’ve liked both football and basketball for some time. I wasn’t totally sure what I wanted to do. Then, that movie Concussion came out and some interviews came out. I watched one interview with Dr. Omalu where he was talking about [former Steelers center] Mike Webster. After watching that, I said it’s not worth it."
Knowing what the weight his decision would hold on his future, he still offered up sound reasoning for saying no to the pigskin, "Yeah, it would be free college. But your whole life is in jeopardy. You’re putting your body in harm’s way every single week. It was definitely a tough choice, but I think I made the right choice.”
Castello will now pursue basketball as his sport of choice. His stats on the hardwood mirror his success on the field as well. After averaging a double-double for his squad and tallying more than 1,000 points and rebounds for his career, he was awarded a basketball scholarship offer from nearby Division II Shippensburg University.
Released this past Christmas, Concussion wasn't exactly the box office draw and NFL rabble-rouser the studio had hoped for (it fell $1 million shy of recouping its $35 million budget) but the movie has since raised suspicion of CTE cases in deceased professional athletes. Late NHL enforcer Todd Ewen was recently cleared of being inflicted with the brain disease following his September 2015 suicide and a similar investigation is being centered around BMX legend Dave Mirra, after he took his own life on February 4.

Kanye West Gives Album Name And Final Tracklist

The mystery is over. Kanye West’s album, which drops tomorrow, will be called The Life Of Pablo. Ye had promised a pair of shoes and a trip to Madison Square Garden to anyone who guessed what T.L.O.P stood for. We wouldn’t be surprised if no one did because it’s so random and dumb.
Nevertheless, we commend West for his unique and comprehensive marketing of the project. Now we wait to see what it sells …
Kanye has also released the track list for The Life Of Pablo. Surprisingly, the Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s uncle assisted ‘No More Parties In LA’ is not on it.

Kevin Gates Says His Children Are ‘Accelerated’ Because He Didn’t Vaccinate Them

Rolling Stone

Whether or not to vaccinate your children has long been a hot button issue.
Almost all of “science” believes it’s a very good idea. However , there are a good chunk of parents who reject this.
Count rap’s strangest man Kevin Gates among them. He goes anti-vax in a video with Rolling Stone, and claims his young son and daughter are far ahead of other kids their age because they were never vaccinated.

“I know why she’s so accelerated. She’s never been vaccinated before,” Gates says of his 3-year old daughter. “That’s why she’s so accelerated, she doesn’t have mercury in her body or things to that nature.”

Future Might Just Sue Ciara Right Back

Ciara shook things up yesterday by suing Future for $15 million for slander, libel and defamation.
According to the suit, Ciara believes her ex advanced criticism of her behavior as a mother that he knew was false, and did so to benefit his career.
Well, two can play that game.
TMZ reports that Future thinks it’s absurd Ciara is accusing him of bad mouthing her to sell records, when her 2015 platinum selling hit ‘I Bet’ take shots at him.
He’s thinking of suing her right back, and Exhibit A will be ‘I Bet”s lyrics.

You know that it hurts your pride but you thought the grass was greener on the other side. I bet you start loving me as soon as I start loving someone else. Somebody better than you

The chance of either suit being successful is slim. But if they are, it could change the tone of rap beef.

Drake Is Draping Toronto With ‘Views From The 6′

 

 

Toronto is going to be the center of North America this weekend when the NBA All Star game comes to the 6.
Drake’s making sure all of those extra cameras capture a lot of advertising for his upcoming album, Views From The 6.
While Drake hasn’t set a specific date for Views, he’s said it’s coming in April.

Bobby Shmurda’s Trial Pushed Back Again

BobbyShmurda

More bad news for Bobby Shmurda.
His trial for drugs and guns charges, which had been scheduled to begin on February 22, has been pushed back to May 11.
Since the 21-year old has tried and failed seven times to either post his $2 million bail or have it reduced, it stands to reason he’ll be spending those extra three months in prison while he awaits his trial.
Rowdy Rebel was also among the group of GS9 defendants to have their trial pushed back to May 11. Two of the GS9 defendants maintained the February 22 date. No reason was given for why the groups were split.
Shmurda and Rowdy have already spent 419 days in jail.

nosh: Word of the day for February 11, 2016

nosh , v :
(intransitive, usually with on) To eat a snack or light meal. […]

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beholden: Word of the day for February 10, 2016

beholden , adj :
Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged. Bound by external expectations, such as fashion or morality.

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Judas goat: Word of the day for February 9, 2016

Judas goat , n :
A goat trained to lead other goats to a place of slaughter. A goat trained to find feral goats.

bifurcate: Word of the day for February 8, 2016

bifurcate , adj :
Divided or forked into two; bifurcated. Having bifurcations.

chuchotage: Word of the day for February 7, 2016

chuchotage , n :
The interpretation or translation of speech in a whisper to a single person in proximity to other people.

handwavy: Word of the day for February 6, 2016

handwavy , adj :
Of a demonstration, proof, or explanation, missing important details or logical steps, perhaps instead appealing to common sense, tradition, intuition, or examples.

pony keg: Word of the day for February 5, 2016

pony keg , n :
(US) A container for beer holding 7.75 US gallons, equal to half the size of a standard beer keg. (Cincinnati, colloquial) A drive-through liquor store; by extension, any convenience store.

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bizbabble: Word of the day for February 4, 2016

bizbabble , n :
Meaningless verbiage of business executives.

twee: Word of the day for February 3, 2016

twee , adj :
(Britain, pejorative) Overly quaint, dainty, cute or nice.

Pep Guardiola signs 3 year deal with Manchester City

Manchester City have confirmed that Pep Guardiola will take over this summer to replace Manuel Pellegrini, who will leave on 30 June, 2016. Today being the transfer deadline day, City announced  the news at the end of Guardiola's press conference. They released a statement today which read:

 "Manchester City can confirm that in recent weeks it has commenced and finalized contractual negotiations with Pep Guardiola to become MCFC Head Coach for the 2016/17 EPL season onwards.

"The contract is for three years. These negotiations were a re-commencement of discussions that were curtailed in 2012.  

"Out of respect for Manuel Pellegrini and the players, the Club wishes to make its decision public to remove the unnecessary burden of speculation. 

"Manuel, who is fully supportive of the decision to make this communication, is entirely focused on achieving his targets for the season ahead and retains the respect and commitment of all involved with the leadership of the Club."

Manchester United and Chelsea both wanted the 45 year old Spaniard but he will now take over at City this summer.

Majid Jordan Recalls Nearly Missing The Opportunity To Work With Drake

The duo also recount's making Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home."

OVO Sound producers and performing duo Majid Jordan stopped by Hot 97's Ebro in the Morning on Monday (February 1) to promote the scheduled February 5 release of their self-titled debut album. The two shared the serendipitous story of meeting Drake and how it was nearly a missed opportunity.
Drizzy's producer Noah "40" Shebib reached out to the group August of 2012 in an email that Majid nearly overlooked after the Toronto-based duo released their first joint project, Afterhours on Soundcloud under the pseudonym Good People.
"40 emailed me and I didn’t know who he was at the time and I ignored the email unintentionally," Majid says. "You know, in the music industry, you never know who’s reaching out to you. If it’s faceless, it’s hard to believe somebody. So 40 emails me and is like listen, 'I'm a producer for Drake, you have a great project congratulations, I really like this stuff, I'd like to meet you.'"
Majid shows the e-mail to his dad who vets for 40's credibility and then encourages his son to fly back to Toronto to meet Drake and 40. Meanwhile Jordan, who is still in Toronto, meets up with 40 on behalf of the R&B soul group and holds a Skype conference with Majid convincing him to come return back to Canada.
Elsewhere in the interview, the duo describes being camped-out in the studio for an extended period of time writing music and narrates the rapidness in which the OVO head's Nothing Was The Same top ten single,  "Hold On, We're Going Home" was created.
"We're making beats for like a month and we eventually get to make 'Hold On,'" says the 31-year old Majid. "I write the words over a beat that was produced by this guy named Paul Jefferies. He's really talented and he goes by Nineteen85. He also produced 'Hotline Bling.' It was R&B, slow jam-y. Jordan heard the idea, loved the melody and the words and was like okay, I can speed this up and can give it that four-on-the-floor feeling to beef it up a bit. So we did that and we put it on a USB for Drake to listen to on a drive home one night. He drove home, showed up the next day and he tracked it. We love this song and 40's sitting there with his arms up in the studio and is like 'We got it! We got the single, we did it!'"
The full Hot 97 interview with Majid Jordan is as follows:

Meek Mill f. Omelly

War Pain

Just when we thought things were cooling out, Drake drops "Summer Sixteen" and about 15 minutes later, Meek Mill drops diss track "War Pain," produced by Ben Billions and Danny Boy Styles.

Rita Ora Sues Roc Nation & Demands Release From Label; Roc Nation Suing Singer

The singer cites California's "Seven Year Rule" in her case against Jay Z's company.

Roc Nation is suing Rita Ora for not upholding the recording contract she signed with the company, according to Page Six.
The imprint is seeking $2.4 million in its suit, which claims that it spent more than $2 million marketing and promoting the singer's second album, which has yet to be released.
Rita Ora filed a lawsuit in December against Jay Z and Roc Nation because of their lack of support for her career.
The legal cases appear close to being settled, though.

“Jay Z has personally and graciously promised Rita complete freedom from Roc Nation, the details of which are now being finalized," Ora's attorney, Howard King, says per Page Six. “We believe that Roc Nation’s distributor, Sony Music, has required Roc Nation to file this action to preserve whatever rights Sony might have pending resolution.”

Ora's lawsuit is still active.  She signed a five-album deal with Roc Nation in 2008 and has released one album under the pact, 2012's Ora.

Rita Ora filed a lawsuit today (December 17) against Jay Z and Roc Nation because of their lack of support for her career, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The singer is citing California's "Seven Year Rule" based upon California Labor Code §2855, which artists including Olivia Newton-John and Thirty Seconds to Mars have used to confront labels.
Ora is saying that when she signed with Roc Nation in 2008, she was 18 years old and felt the full support of the label. As time has gone on, Jay Z has expanded Roc Nation into a sports agency and has launched the TIDAL streaming service.
"When Rita signed, Roc Nation and its senior executives were very involved with her as an artist," the court papers say. "As Roc Nation's interests diversified, there were fewer resources available and the company suffered a revolving door of executives. Rita's remaining supporters at the label left or moved on to other activities, to the point where she no longer had a relationship with anyone at the company."
The Southpaw actress also says that when Roc Nation switched distribution partners from Sony to Universal in 2013, she was not included in the deal.
"Between Sony's limited economic return from its orphaned relationship with Roc Nation and Sony's indirect relationship with Rita, Rita is caught in a political quagmire of dysfunction," the documents say.
She is demanding release from the label so that she can continue to make music and further her personal brand.

New RIAA System Gives Kendrick Lamar And Big Sean Platinum Albums

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has updated their certification rubrics to include “on-demand song and video streams.”
They announced the change today in a press release:

“For nearly six decades, whether it’s vinyl, CDs, downloads or now streams, the Gold & Platinum Program has adapted to recognize the benchmarks of success in an evolving music marketplace,” said Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO, RIAA. “We know that music listening – for both for albums and songs – is skyrocketing, yet that trend has not been reflected in our album certifications. Modernizing our Album Award to include music streaming is the next logical step in the continued evolution of Gold & Platinum Awards, and doing so enables RIAA to fully reward the success of artists’ albums today.”

Here is the updated digital formula:
* 1,500 on-demand audio and/or video song streams = 10 track sales = 1 album sale.
* 150 on-demand streams = 1 download
17 artists were given new gold or platinum certifications because of the change. They include Kendrick Lamar, Platinum for To Pimp A Butterfly, Big Sean, Platinum for Dark Sky Paradise, and Wale, Gold for The Album About Nothing.
Despite the good news for his most prominent artist, TDE boss Anthony Tiffith was the biggest critic of the move, calling it “BS.”

What do you think about the RIAA’s move?

Future Is Releasing A New Album on Friday

Guess who’s back?
Future refuses to take time off following the release of Purple Reign. He has a lot of material in the stash and he’ll be putting out a new album on Friday, February 5.
The album will help christen DJ Khaled’s new radio show on Apple Music. Khaled just revealed on Instagram that he signed a deal with the entertainment giant, and will world premiere Future’s latest at 8pm est on Friday.
Maybe there’s a Kanye West collaboration since he couldn’t make Purple Reign.

Tory Lanez Continues His Low Key Beef With Drake

Twtter/Instagram/champagnepapi

New Toronto upstart Tory Lanez has been snipping at Drake for a while now.
Among other things, he’s objected to Drake calling their city the 6, and has made reference to Drizzy relying on his trusty BlackBerry during freestyles.
In Drake’s latest single, ‘Summer Sixteen,’ he directed a dismissive subliminal right at Lanez.

“All you boys in the new Toronto want to be me a little/ All your ex’s know I like my O’s with a V in the middle / You would love it if I went away or didn’t say nothing else / How am I keeping it real by keeping this shit to myself? / You was never gang, gang, gang, gang, you was never one of us / Had us fooled for a minute now we done all grown up.”

Tory’s latest mixtape was called New Toronto.
Early this morning, Lanez appeared to address Drake with a single letter, dropping the scarlet L on the 6 God for ‘Summer Sixteen.’

That tweet is no longer up, as Lanez continues his trend of hinting at conflict with Drake but not going all the way in.
Anyway, Lanez seems to have a plan.

twang: Word of the day for February 2, 2016

twang , v :
To produce a sharp vibrating sound, like a tense string pulled and suddenly let go. To play a stringed musical instrument by plucking and snapping.

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Photos: ISIS propaganda video shows a French-speaking militant executing men accused of spying

A new video released on Saturday, January 30 by the Islamic State group in Iraq shows a French-speaking militant executing five men accused of being US spies. According to AFP, the militant also reportedly threatened attacks against Western countries.

 

The video, which was posted on several jihadi websites, shows young men admitting to have acted against ISIS militants before being shot dead. The video was produced by the ISIS media office in Iraq’s Nineveh province and was reportedly made after the Paris attack.

In the eight-minute video, the French-speaking militant, who is seen wearing a beige mask and carrying a handgun, brands the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq “imbecile miscreants” and warns that the efforts by Western nations will fail to destroy the group.

The militant also vowed that ISIS will conduct more deadly attacks against the West. Among the Western nations, the militant made a reference to Spain, saying that the country will “pay dearly” for having crushed Muslim rule in ancient Andalusia — more than 500 years ago.

At the end of the video, the French-speaking militant and other ISIS fighters shoot dead five men wearing orange jumpsuits.

Photo credit: Terror Monitor

News source: AFP

Thiery Henry says Van Gaal should be sacked from Man U and replaced with Jose Mourinho

The former Arsenal striker thinks that Manchester United coach Louis Van Gaal is failing to infuse his ideas to his players and that he is struggling so hard to keep up with his job. He says the coach doesn't know what he is doing anymore so the best thing for Man U to do is let him go and hire Mourinho.

In his Sunday column of The Sun UK, he wrote:

"I know a lot of United fans and all they talk about is how poorly their team are playing, "It’s not about results any more. Even when they win, the issue is still how awful the football is. They don’t enjoy watching their team any more. They are bored",

"No one can question Van Gaal’s pedigree as a coach. But he has failed to get his message across at United and the players don’t know what is expected of them. He doesn’t appear to know his best team or even his best formation." 

"The club are crying out for success and Mourinho guarantees that, in spite of everything that happened at Chelsea this season," Henry continued. "He is still an amazing coach and United have got to do something because it is simply not working for Van Gaal" he said.

United currently sits in fifth position in the Premier League, following a woeful  run of results through December.

Novak Djokovic defeats Andy Murray to win Australian Open title

Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray in straight sets to win the Australian open today. The world number beat Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 in two hours and 53 minutes.

With this loss, Murray, who's expecting his first child, becomes the first player in the post-1968 Open Era to lose 5 finals at the same Grand Slam since Ivan Lendl at the US Open who eventually won it.

Djokovic who claimed his third straight Slam, equals Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on eleven Major titles.

A downcast-sounding Murray paid an emotional tribute afterwards on the podium to his wife Kim:

'She's going to be watching back home just now. You've been a legend the last two weeks. Thanks for all your support and I'll be on the next flight home. I feel like I've been here before. I'd like to congratulate Novak. Six Australian Opens is an incredible feat and also for what he's done the last year or so. It's been incredible consistency. 'I'd like to thank my team for getting me into this position and helping me prepare for this. It's been a tough few weeks for me away from the court.'

Louis Van Guard! Man U coach employs extra security to prevent him and wife from being attacked by angry fans

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal has reportedly employed a special team of trained security personnel to protect him and his wife.

According to a report by Mirror Sport, the former Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Holland coach is so scared of being attacked by angry Manchester United fans that he has employed a 24 hours security team equipped with the latest security gadgets and dogs to protect him and his wife Truce in their expensive Cheshire home. The under fire boss already has guards at games and the training ground.

Fans have been calling for Van Gaal's sack for over a month now, with some even hurling abuses at the manager in the stadium after a deadly patch of form throughout the month of December, with out of Work Jose Mourinho and assistant manager Ryan Giggs being mooted as managers to succeed the Dutchman.

Louis Van Gaal's men will face Stoke City on Tuesday in the English Premier League.

Davido giving away N2million to a loyal fan!

Get ready, fans!

Leonardo DiCaprio wins his first SAG award (photos)

After five Individual nominations, the actor finally got his hands on a SAG award. He picked up the gong for best male actor for his role in The Revenant. He had been up against Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), and Johnny Depp (Black Mass). During his acceptance speech, Leo said:

'I'm truly humbled by this because it comes from all of you, my fellow actors. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. When I was 15 years old, I was lucky enough to get a film called This Boy's Life and for about a year after that I watched as many films as I possibly could from Jimmy Cagney all the way to Robert De Niro. It gave me such a tremendous respect for this craft, this craft of acting. I was in awe of their performances, and I was incredibly inspired. So for any young actors out there, I encourage you to watch the history of cinema because as the history of cinema unfolds, you realize that we all stand on the shoulders of giants.'

'To my parents, thank you for listening to an overly ambitious, slightly annoying 13-year-old kid who wanted to go on auditions every day after school,' he said. 'I would Notin be standing here without you.'

First to congratulate him on his win was Titanic co-star, Kate Winslet who smouldered him in a big bear hug. The pair have maintained a close bond since they starred in the 1997 hit movie.

He'll hope his winning streak carries him all the way to an Oscar, that's one he'll love to win and deserves to win.

Drake Disses Meek Mill & Tory Lanez on "Summer Sixteen"

Drake premiered the song, which also calls out President Barack Obama, on OVO Sound Radio.

Drake unleashed his new track "Summer Sixteen" on OVO Sound Radio today (January 30). On the single for his forthcoming album Views From the 6, Drake seemingly takes aim at Meek Mill and Tory Lanez.
Drake addresses the continued beef with Meek Mill on wax with the track.
"I let the diss record drop you were standing right below me, nigga," Drizzy raps. "We must have played it a hundred times, you was going to bed / Why would I put on a vest I expect you to aim for the head? / I coulda killed you the first time / You don’t have to try to say it louder nigga / We could hear you the first time / It’s nothing personal I would have done it to anyone."
Meek Mill and Drake have been enthralled in a rap battle royale ever since Summer of last year when Meek Milly claimed that Drake used Quentin Miller as a ghostwriter for his "R.I.C.O." verse off the MMG's rapper's sophomore album, Dreams Worth More Than Money.
Drake answered to Meek's allegations on wax, releasing "Charged Up" and the Grammy-nominated cut "Back to Back."
Meanwhile, the Philly rapper took nearly a week to respond to the diss tracks on "Wanna Know."
Meek Mill has since released two other diss tracks aimed at the OVO rapper.
Elsewhere on "Summer Sixteen," Drake also compares himself to Jay Z, playfully teases Kanye West about the size of their pools, and addresses President Barack Obama's preference of Kendrick Lamar over Drake in a rap battle.
"Tell Obama that my verses is just like the whips that he in / The bullet proof," spits Drizzy.
He also apparently takes shots at fellow Toronto native Tory Lanez.
"All you boys in the new Toronto want to be me a little," Drake raps referring to fellow Toronto artist Tory Lanez.  "All your ex’s know I like my O’s with a V in the middle / You would love it if I went away or didn’t say nothing else / How am I keeping it real by keeping this shit to myself? / You was never gang, gang, gang, gang, you was never one of us / Had us fooled for a minute now we done all grown up / But I’m better off anyway, y’all never gon’ finish drake / Say you seeing ‘bout it when you see me man y’all never home anyway / Thought of things that you shoulda said, said things that you shouldn’t say / We even gave you the whole money play and ya’ll still broke to this day."
Drake is set to release his forthcoming album Views From The 6 sometime in April to commemorate Toronto area code 416.

balconing: Word of the day for February 1, 2016

balconing , n :
The act of going from one room to another room by jumping from the balcony of one room to the balcony of the other. The act of jumping from a balcony towards a swimming pool.