Kendrick Lamar covers Rolling Stone Magazine
Kendrick Lamar has become a household name thanks to several consecutively successful albums, but that doesn't mean he's changed from who he's been his whole life.
The 30-year-old rapper covers the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine in which he explained that staying true to himself and his own, unique voice is what earned him such massive success in the music industry.
"A wack artist uses other people's music for their approval," he explained. "We're talking about someone that is scared to make their own voice, chases somebody else's success and their thing, but runs away from their own thing. That's what keeps the game watered-down. Everybody's not going to be able to be a Kendrick Lamar. I'm not telling you to rap like me. Be you. Simple as that."
In fact, that's precisely why he won't use a ghostwriter for his music.
"I called myself the best rapper. I cannot call myself the best rapper if I have a ghostwriter," he told the magazine. "If you're saying you're a different type of artist and you don't really care about the art form of being the best rapper, then so be it. Make great music. But the title, it won't be there."
Kendrick said both Jay-Z and Beyoncé are two of the people who inspired this type of self-induced success.
Describing what he learned from Queen B, he said, "How particular to be about your music," adding, "She's a perfectionist. Think about the [2016] BET performance. She was very particular – the lighting, the camera blocking, the transition from the music to the dancing. It was confirmation of something I already knew."
He also revealed that Jay-Z has always been his favorite rapper, admitting he imitated his rap style a little bit in his early days.
"That was my guy. Still is. I'm still a fan," Kendrick said. "That was just a page I took out of his book, to be able to carry a lyric through conversation and make it feel like I'm sitting right here talking to you."
He also opened up about the verse he dropped for Taylor Swift 's "Bad Blood" remix, admitting he had no idea it was part of her feud with Katy Perry.
"No, I wasn't aware of that," he laughed. "On the record, no. Which makes it even more funny now, for sure. That's far beyond my concern. I have to stay away from that, for sure. That's some real beef!"
And speaking of public disputes, one thing Kendrick won't do is continue talking about President Donald Trump.
"It's like beating a dead horse. We already know what it is," he said of the POTUS. "Are we gonna keep talking about it or are we gonna take action? You just get to a point where you're tired of talking about it. It weighs you down and it drains your energy when you're speaking about something or someone that's completely ridiculous. So, on and off the album, I took it upon myself to take action in my own community."
He continued, "On the record, I made an action to not speak about what's going on in the world or the places they put us in—speak on self; reflection of self first. That's where the initial change will start from."
Read Kendrick's full interview in Rolling Stone here
#RHoA: What’s this Tea HERE? Kenya Moore and Marc Daly News: Couple Arguing Over 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' Season 10?
The honeymoon seems to be over for Kenya Moore and Marc Daly after the couple was seen arguing at a restaurant. Filming for "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" season 10 was reportedly the cause of the tension with Daly refusing to put his private life in the spotlight.
Reports have claimed that Daly, who is a businessman and former banker, is a private person and does not like the portrayal of men in the reality series. This is causing problems for Moore who reportedly received an ultimatum from the show's creators about filming with her husband or being removed from the show.
With the couple allegedly caught arguing, fans speculated that the subject of the heated discussion is their involvement in the reality show. However, there are also those who deflected the speculation saying that it's normal for married couples to have disagreements, not necessarily because of a TV show.
Nevertheless, she recently confirmed that she will be appearing on this season of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" which suggests that Daly might have agreed to be filmed. However, agreeing and wanting are totally different things which might have been the cause of the recent tension between the newlyweds.
The former beauty queen already denied that her relationship is fake and insisted that she will not "marry" someone just for the cameras. While Bravo did not have the opportunity to film their secret marriage, she will reportedly have a ceremonial wedding in Atlanta for the show.
Moore has previously spoken about how fame can affect a relationship, something she put into consideration when she decided to marry Daly. The couple is also trying to have a child and Moore is currently undergoing IVF treatments.
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" is expected to return this November on Bravo.
#EMPIRE: ‘Empire’ Season 4 to Reduce Guest Stars, Refocus on the Lyon Family
“Empire’s” third season left off on a yet another tragic note for the Lyon family after Lucious (Terrence Howard) was caught in an explosion for which his own family set him up. Without his memory of who his family is, he is relying on his caretaker (guest star Demi Moore) to heal him back to health. While Moore will be an important part of the fourth season, though, executive producers Lee Daniels, Ilene Chaiken, and Sanaa Hamri say the new episodes will see a return to the core of the show, the Lyon family and dynasty.
“When we start to focus too much on guest stars we lose who it is that the fans want to watch,” Daniels says, noting he pays attention to what the audience of the show is saying about the show. “They’re obsessed with the Lyons. They’re obsessed with family. They’re obsessed with the story of Lucious and Cookie and Jamal and Andre and Hakeem.”
The dynamics of the Lyon family have evolved greatly since the show premiered and the three sons (Jussie Smollett, Trai Byers, and Bryshere Y. Gray) were fighting to take their father’s place at the top of their record company at a time their mother Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) just got out of prison. Now, the family is divided not only by ways of doing business but also by dark secrets some share.
“Given that Lucious has always had issues with his mother and is now having issues with his memory, the big question is going to be, ‘What’s the relationship between the two of them?'” Chaiken says of a key season four mystery. “He’s the only one who knows that she killed Tariq. Is he going to remember? Is he going to say anything?”
Lucious certainly has an uphill battle this season, and as past seasons have shown, his family members aren’t always the best people to be in his corner. He has done so much wrong to them that they often try to settle the score. Rallying around him now will be an extended member of the family in “Uncle Eddie” (Forest Whittaker), a music icon who mentored Lucious in his early days. Yes, the Oscar winner will be singing this season, too.
“Forest has been a mentor to me in my own personal life,” Howard says. “The role I played in ‘Crash’ was originally Forest’s role, and Forest had stepped out to do his directorial debut and recommended me for that character. So for Forest to play a mentor for Lucious [is extra specia]. We haven’t seen a lot of Lucious’ past collaborators.”
Though producers are boasting a smaller guest cast this season, Whittaker will be new to ‘Empire’ when season four starts. He joins returning guests Taye Diggs, Phylicia Rashad, Leslie Uggams, and Moore. But producers and Howard both feel Whittaker’s appearance on the show will raise the stakes and standards of the show.
“‘Empire’s’ going to be ‘Empire,’ and I think our fans will follow us, it’s exciting,” Daniels says.
“Empire” returns to Fox on September 27 at 8 p.m.
#NEWMUSIC from Pleasure P – For A Long Time
Pleasure P is back again with something special for the fans. Following the release of his sexy bedroom-ready record, “Love You Little” from this past spring, the R&B hitmaker has unleashed, “For A Long Time.” The record might sound familiar to some, as it was written and recorded by the late Static Major, and produced by Bryan-Michael Cox.
Over the silky B.Cox production, P holds back no emotions delivering the romantic ballad about finally hooking up with a ‘long-time’ crush.
“I got a secret, that I’ve holding from you / Don’t know what I should do / Girl I’m with you everyday / Because we work together, can we mix business with pleasure?,” he sings.
Pleasure P and Static Major’s relationship goes back to the early Pretty Ricky days. Speaking of which, the Florida natives have reunited and have been working on material for their anticipated comeback album.
In the meantime, check out “For A Long Time” HERE
#NEWHIPHOPVIDEO: Fat Joe feat. Dre – ‘So Excited’
Fat Joe is a wanted man in the action-packed video for his latest single, “So Excited.”
Directed by Gil Green, the sleek clip finds Don Cartagena and Cool & Dre’s Dre on a yacht with beautiful women. But soon, their fun is interrupted by the feds and they are forced to speed through the water while a chopper closes in on them.
When they finally lose the law enforcement officials, the Terror Squad boss and his friends have a party, that includes a cameo from Remy Ma. Later, DJ Khaled pops up for some cloth talk before ordering a round of drinks on him. Soon, however, the feds are back on Joe’s trail and he’s forced to flee once more.
From there, Joey Crack speeds off in a Rolls-Royce driven by Miss Nikki Baby. A high-speed chase ensues and Joe is able to evade police once again, this time by magically disappearing with the “Love & Hip Hop” star.
“So Excited” is the lead single off Fat Joe’s new album The Book of Joe, his first solo release since 2010’s The Darkside Vol. 1. In February, he released Plata o Plomo, his joint project with Remy Ma.
Don Cartagena recently opened up about the project. “It’s not gonna be what you expected,” he told Hip-Hop Nation. “It’s gonna be a way more personal album. I’ll give you the name, it’s gonna be called The Book of Joe. But instead of writing a book, it’s gonna be stories about my life, real life stories. It’s gonna be Fat Joe’s book rapping.”
Beyonce Puts Her Flat Tummy on Display Less Than Two Months After Welcoming Twins: Pics!
Looking good, mama! Beyoncé showed off her post-baby body at Kendrick Lamar's concert in Los Angeles on Sunday, August 6, less than two months after she gave birth to twins Rumi and Sir.
The "Formation" singer, who is also mom of 5-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, bared her impressively flat stomach in a mustard yellow Fila crop top, as seen in photos shared on her website on Wednesday, August 9. She completed the look with an oversize Mistress Rocks camouflage jacket, high-waisted black Coal N Terry shorts and a pair of leather boots.
Beyoncé, 35, accessorized with a classic Louis Vuitton handbag embroidered with the words "It's Not Yours," in addition to several gold choker necklaces and diamond hoop earrings. She wore her honey hair in its natural curls. For one photo, Beyoncé turned her backside to the camera and showed some skin through the large holes in her lace-up shorts.
Queen Bey and Blue attended Lamar's concert at the Staples Center with her former Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland and cousin Angie Beyince. The foursome were spotted dancing and jumping throughout the show, as seen in videos shared by fellow concertgoers on social media.
Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z welcomed their twins on June 13. She shared the first photo of Rumi and Sir on Instagram in July in honor of their one-month birthday. The couple, who secretly tied the knot in New York City in April 2008, recently enjoyed a romantic date night in West Hollywood.
"She's loved shopping for the babies," a source previously told Us Weekly of how the Grammy winner prepared for her new arrivals. "Look for lots of matching outfits!"
AGAIN? Brandy Reignites Feud With Monica Over Whitney Houston Tribute
She’s not having it. Brandy shut down Monica fans who accused her of drafting a selfish birthday tribute to Whitney Houston.
“Lord have mercy on my soul!!! Happy Born Day Whitney. You live on in me… I can feel your Spirit inside of me and all around me. My angel, my friend, my fairy God Mother. I love you forever… thank you for trusting me with your torch!!!” the singer, 38, captioned an Instagram collage of photos of herself with the musical icon who passed away in 2011. “I remember every moment with you and I and will cherish these miraculous moments forever and ever! I love you… 8/9-2/11 #WhitneyHouston.”
The “Have You Ever” singer posted the letter to her mentor shortly after Monica, 36, shared her own Instagram tribute, and Monica’s fans instantly took to Twitter to call out Brandy for her seemingly “self-centered” post.
“Monica needs to really check her evil ass fans,” the “I Wanna Be Down” songstress wrote in the comments. “It’s so much stuff I can post about hateful things they say to me … but I will never have time for that. Always thinking something is about her. It’s not!!!! Me and Whitney have nothing to do with anyone but the two of us … we made history and I cared more about being with her than I did with anything else.”
She didn’t stop there. Brandy asked Monica to “come get [her] hating ass pigeons and put them in their place the way [she] did for her when the starz was out of place. They’re low key Brandy fans anyway … always lurking and always creating new pages talking to Me. I’m not to be F--ked with today! If this was rap or hip hop you would be praised for speaking your mind but since it’s rnb you have to take the so called high road … well because I can rap just look at this as my high road.”
Brandy ended her note by honoring Houston. “Too real to be fake and because this is my idol’s birthday, I’m allowed to defend my position in her life and hers in mine. That’s what I have to hold on to.”
The former friends, who both won Grammys for their 1998 record “The Boy Is Mine,” have feuded on-and-off for nearly 20 years. Although the source of their beef is unclear, they have engaged in several social media fights over the last two decades.
Kevin Hart Sued By a Fan, Claims His Security Beat Him Up and Called Him a ‘B*tch, P*ssy, Coward’
Kevin Hart is being sued by a fan who claims the comedian’s security beat him up, threatened to taze him and THEN called him a “b*tch, p*ssy, coward.”
via TMZ: Jay Collins claims in a new lawsuit he was an invited VIP guest at Kevin’s Philadelphia concert on August 29, 2015 when he was “aggressively approached and detained by stadium security.” He does not say in the lawsuit why he attracted the attention and ire of the hired muscle.
The suit claims stadium security handed him over to Kevin’s personal security, and that’s when the brutality began. Collins says Kevin’s security threatened to taze him and then jammed the prongs of the tazer into his face, neck and back.
Collins says it didn’t end there. Security then threw him to the ground and struck him in the head, neck and shoulders, and kneed his rib cage for bad measure. On the way out he says they called him a “bitch, pussy, coward.”
He wants more than $50k … probably a lot more. He’s suing Kevin because he says the comedian has to take responsiblity for his people.
We reached out to Kevin’s rep … so far no word back..
Nick Jonas Steps Out for Dinner in West Hollywood
Nick Jonas looks cool as he drops his car off at the valet while arriving at Craig’s restaurant on Wednesday night (August 9) in West Hollywood, Calif.
The 24-year-old entertainer looked handsome in a red jacket, dark jeans, and white sneakers as he arrived at dinner.
The day before, Nick showed off his buff biceps in a tight, T-shirt as he was spotted leaving the gym.
Nick recently took to Instagram to share a photo of himself and ex girlfriend Delta Goodrem wearing matching outfits.
Chelsea Manning Poses in Red Bathing Suit in 'Vogue'
Chelsea Manning wears a red swimsuit in this new feature for Vogue‘s September 125th Anniversary Collector’s Edition issue.
“That’s the part of my life I replay the most: whether or not, living in Maryland and seeing a therapist, I could have finally been able to say, ‘This is who I am; this is what I want to do.’ It was the first time in my life when I really considered transitioning. But I got scared,” the 29-year-old transgender former soldier told the mag. “I really regret the fact that I didn’t know or realize I already had the love I needed, especially from my aunt and sister—just to seek support.”
“I was honestly a bit surprised by the outpouring of love and support that I got,” she continued.
If you didn’t know, Chelsea served in the military. Chelsea was sentenced under the Espionage and Computer Fraud and Abuse Acts and was supposed to spend 35 years in jail for releasing 750,000 documents to WikiLeaks. Three days before leaving office, President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.
For more from Chelsea, visit Vogue.com.
Monumental ‘Trump Chicken’ Roosts Near The White House
Another day, another unprecedented moment in Donald Trump’s presidency. A giant inflatable chicken with Trump-like hair appeared near the White House on Wednesday.
Aerial photos of the display show the fowl, known as “Trump Chicken” or “Chicken Don,” standing on the plot of land south of the White House called the Ellipse.
The area is situated between the president’s residence and the Washington Monument. It’s also in perfect view of the news cameras that are placed in front of the White House.
The balloon was set up by documentary filmmaker Taran Singh Brar to protest the president “being a weak and ineffective leader.” In an interview with HuffPost’s Philip Lewis, Singh Brar said of Trump, “He’s too afraid to release his tax returns, too afraid to stand up to Vladimir Putin.”
He added that the president was “playing chicken with North Korea.”
The filmmaker also confirmed that he obtained the necessary permits to display the 30-foot balloon.
“The tallest thing they usually allow on the Ellipse is the national Christmas tree,” he told USA Today. “They gave me a waiver for the 30-foot Chicken Don.”
ABC News reported it took Brar five months to secure the permit and gain permission to stage the protest, which happened to fall during Trump’s 17-day vacation at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
When images of the chicken first surfaced Wednesday afternoon, news anchors were understandably perplexed. Fox News host Shepard Smith could not hide his surprise.
“What, what is that?” he asked his colleague Josh Lederman.“Shep, it appears to be a very large chicken display,” Lederman said. “A what?” Smith asked. “Seriously?”
The chicken was set up in the morning and it wasn’t long before spectators flocked to the display, both on foot and via Segway.
The inflatable Trump Chicken made its first appearance in the U.S. in April at Tax March demonstrations held in cities across the country to protest Trump’s failure to release his tax returns.
According to The New York Times, a Seattle-based artist originally designed the chicken months earlier for a company that wanted a statue to commemorate the Year of the Rooster in China. Then an activist in San Francisco had the idea to re-create the statue as an inflatable balloon to use for the Tax March.
Chances are photos of the inflatable chicken did not make their way into the folder of complimentary news about the president that Trump reportedly receives twice a day.
LOL! Mike Vick’s Wife Hit Him With A Sex Ban For Comments About Colin Kaepernick
Mike Vick’s comments about Colin Kaepernick’s afro hurt him big time in the bedroom.
Last month, Vick set social media on fire when he said Colin should cut his hair to help rebuild his image.
Vick’s wife, Kijafa Vick, wasn’t here for her hubby’s comments and decided to hit him with a sex ban so he could get the picture.
The two discussed the situation on their new reality show “Baller Wives.” “Why does he have to change his hair to get a job?” Kijafa asked.
“I don’t know, Kijafa– “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said what I said. No one in any race should be stereotyped based on the way they look, dress, act–but that’s the reality of the world we live.”
Vick ended up apologizing to his wife but she still holding out!
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
Get Ripped
Dude. Why would you bother putting a mascot head on?
#EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Cocoa!
Meet Cocoa! And you can see all of him when you CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICS!! And remember they’re NSFW!
DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.
Enjoy!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
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