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Eazy-E & ODB’s Families Gave Blessings For Rock The Bells Holograms

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Eazy E & ODBs Families Gave Blessings For Rock The Bells Holograms

By Rob Markman

There’s a slippery slope to climb when handling the posthumous legacy of fallen music icons, but when the organizers of the 2013 Rock the Bells music festival sought to holographically resurrect late Wu-Tang MC Ol Dirty Bastard and N.W.A.’s Eazy-E on their festival stage they consulted those closest to the rappers.

“On behalf of bone thugs n harmony we can’t wait to hit the stage this year for rock the bells with our mentor and the person who started gangsta rap and put us on in the industry to do what we love!” Bone Thugs‘ manager Steve Lobel said in a statement to RapFix. “It is going to feel awesome being on stage with eazy-e performing again with him!”

Eazy’s widow Tomica Wright and ODB’s mother, Cherry Jones are also both on board. “This is the perfect setting because it’s nostalgic – it’s bringing back someone that’s opened doors, both ODB and Eazy-E,” Wright told RollingStone on Wednesday (May 15). “It has to be the right place in the right form.”

A holographic depiction of Eazy is slated to be used when his protégés Bone Thugs-N-Harmony take the stage at the traveling Rock the Bells festival. Similarly Wu-Tang will take the stage with an ODB hologram. “This keeps the artists alive. Dirty was a great artist onstage. This is going to be something else, because he was really great onstage,” Jones said of her son. “I just want to see the look on his sister and brother’s face, his children, grandchildren . . . I can’t wait.”

The first of the Rock the Bells shows will take place at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California, on September 7-8 and then on September 7-8, Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, on September 14-15, Festival Grounds @ RFK in Washington, D.C., on September 28-29 and Meadowlands Racetrack in Rutherford, New Jersey, on October 4-5.

The way Tomica Wright sees it the RTB festival is the perfect place to pull off a stunt like  this. Guerilla Union and its CEO Chang Weisberg will celebrate 10 years of Rock the Bells this year, adding to the appeal for Wright to give them the green light. “Looking at the professionalism of Chang’s team and how long they sustained and they continue to carry the integrity of this music, the integrity of the artists and keep it moving and viable in a safe atmosphere – it’s going to be a great experience,” she said. “The Coachella crowd, their attachment is awe, but this crowd, we are a product of that environment – we follow it, it’s our life, it’s our lifestyle, and we carry it on day in and day out. To be a part of that experience, it’s motivating. It gives you more dreams and aspirations to carry it on further, so this is a stepping stone to the next level.”

Rock The Bells Lineup Announced With Mixed Reactions To ODB, Eazy-E Holograms

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Rock The Bells Lineup Announced With Mixed Reactions To ODB, Eazy E Holograms

By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

The 2013 Rock the Bells line up was announced on Tuesday (May 14) and features a who’s who of hip-hop. From repeat headliners Wu-Tang Clan to newer names like Kid Cudi and Tyler, the Creator, the annual festival also includes Big K.R.I.T., Juicy J and Danny Brown. Most interesting, are special appearances by deceased rappers Ol’ Dirty Bastard of Wu-Tang Clan and late N.W.A. member Eazy-E, who will perform via hologram.

Fans on Twitter were confused and shocked by the virtual performances. “Yeah at Rock The Bells this year there is gonna be a hologram ODB and Eazy E playing… Gonna be weird” summed up a fan. Another thought the use of holograms marked the end of the festival. “Rock The Bells just jumped the shark BIG TIME with these hologram performances,” while one said succinctly, “you need to stop this hologram foolishness.” The 2DopeBoyz Twitter handled asked, “so, does anybody else find “hologram” eazy-e & ODB performances at this year’s rock the bells a bit… unsettling?”

Last year, Coachella spearheaded the hologram rapper movement by bringing back 2Pac Shakur from the dead. What up, Coachella?” the shirtless, eerie image asked the crowd before rapping his classic “Hail Mary.

Rock the Bells shows kick off at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California, on September 7-8 followed by the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, on September 14-15 and Festival Grounds @ RFK in Washington, D.C., on September 28-29. The final run will be at the Meadowlands Racetrack in Rutherford, New Jersey, on October 4-5.

2013 Summer Jam Lineup: Wu-Tang, Kendrick Lamar, Chris Brown

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Hot 97 has announced the 2013 lineup for its annual Summer Jam concert, which is scheduled for Sunday, June 2 this year. Performers will include Wu-Tang Clan, Chris Brown, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, French Montana, Fabolous and more.

The show will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and you can plan on seeing a few surprises performances. Also on the bill: Smoke DZA, Miguel, Kid Ink, Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$. See the full lineup in the promotional clip above. Things got a little hairy when Lil Wayne pulled the YMCMB lineup from the bill last year, but hopefully it’ll be smooth sailing this time around.

Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.

Related
Lil Wayne Cancels Nicki Minaj’s Summer Jam Performance After Hot 97 Diss
Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, More Rock NY’s Hot 97 Summer Jam

Lauryn Hill Confirms Sony Deal, Addresses Financial Woes

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Lauryn Hill Confirms Sony Deal, Addresses Financial Woes

By Sidney Madden

On the heels of debt reports last year, Lauryn Hill has signed a new record deal with Sony Worldwide Entertainment. The soulful Fugees front woman released an open letter via Tumblr disclosing details about the agreement and aiming to clear the air on her financial woes.

In the letter, Hill confirmed the Sony deal and, to the joy of waiting fans, announced that she will be working on new music under the label. In her classic introspective fashion, Hill wrote, “It took years for me to get out of the ‘parasitic’ dynamic of my youth, and into a deal that better reflects my true contribution as an artist, and (purportedly) gives me the control necessary to create a paradigm suitable for my needs.”

As for her current fiscal situation, Hill described the $968,000 in back taxes she owes as “a completely complicated set of traps, manipulations, and inequitable business arrangements.”

The U.S. Attorney District of New Jersey charged Hill with three counts of failing to file tax returns in 2005, 2006, and 2007. The 37-year-old could face jail time for her tax evasion, but with announcement of this new deal, her lawyers are reportedly confident that she will be able to repay her debts before the May 6th sentencing.

Read her full letter here.

Lauryn Hill Inks Deal With Sony, May Avoid Jail Time

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Lauryn Hill Inks Deal With Sony, May Avoid Jail Time

By Georgette Pierre

Lauryn Hill has lived an elusive lifestyle until recent tax woes got the best of her. Last year, Hill pleaded guilty to not paying federal taxes on $1.8 million earned between 2005-2007, possibly facing up to three years in jail, but according to Billboard, the former Fugees star may have found a way to avoid jail time.

During her court hearing in New Jersey on Monday (April 22), it was revealed that Hill reportedly signed a $1 million deal with Sony Music to include recording five new songs in addition to receiving more money for an album. As of now, no songs have been written or recorded yet. The judge also postponed sentencing, giving her until May 6 to pay off her debt, which is now over $500,000, after she made a payment of $50,000 late last year.

Lauryn Hill isn’t the only artist that recently pleaded guilty to tax evasion. New York rapper, Fat Joe, is under heat for not paying taxes on $3 million earned between 2007 and 2008. He faces up to two years in prison on top of numerous fines and penalties.

Six Things You Didn’t Know about Tom Cruise

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Six Things You Didnt Know about Tom Cruise

By Tara Fowler

This weekend, a movie called “Oblivion” hits theaters. It is not, as I believed when it was first announced, based on the popular video game (which I wouldn’t be opposed to — make it happen, Hollywood!). Instead, this film sees Tom Cruise as one of the last humans stationed on a dying Earth following an alien attack sixty years prior*. Here are seven facts about the savior of mankind:

1) The name of Cruise’s daughter Suri comes from the Hebrew word for “princess”: And the Persian word for “red rose,” per the statement released at the time of her birth. It’s also the Japanese word for “pickpocket,” but the press release doesn’t mention that. In any case, it’s a moot point since this very reliable British tabloid has reported that Katie Holmes is planning to change her daughter’s name after her divorce from Tom Cruise is finalized. The top contender? Scout, of “To Kill a Mockingbird” fame.

2) There’s a whole day dedicated to him: In 2006, Japan declared October 10 “Tom Cruise Day” in honor of the actor’s love for the country. He’s visited it more than any other Hollywood star.

3) He’s the original Ryan Gosling: Before Gosling was saving people left and right on the streets of NYC, Cruise was Hollywood’s knight in shining armor. In 1996, he helped the victim of a hit-and-run by taking her to the hospital and then paying her medical bills when he discovered she didn’t have health insurance. Later that same year, he (or, well, his yacht’s staff) rescued five people from a burning sailboat. Then, at the “Mission: Impossible” premiere, he saved two boys from getting crushed against barricades by the crowd.

4) Aladdin was modeled after him: When designing the Disney character, producers drew inspiration from Cruise’s “eyebrows and straight-off-the-forehead nose.” “There’s a confidence with all of his attitudes and his poses,” lead animator Glen Keane told Entertainment Weekly at the time.

Six Things You Didnt Know about Tom Cruise

5) Cruise attended 15 different schools over the course of 12 years: Moving throughout the US and Canada, Cruise went to a new school almost every year until he was 14 and his family settled in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He also studied to be a priest, but dropped out after a year, and, you know, eventually embraced Scientology.

6) He played football in high school — until he was cut from the team: For drinking beer! As this unauthorized biography so eloquently puts it, “he was not the only one drinking; he was just the only one who got caught.”

Bonus) Cruise has appeared in three movies with his second wife, Nicole Kidman: Most notably the instant classic “Far and Away.” Say you like my hat!

Will you be seeing Oblivion this weekend?

*These aliens are unrelated to Scientology. Shame on you.

Snoop Lion’s ‘MTV x Caliber’ Bracelets Take Aim At Gun Violence

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Snoop Lions MTV x Caliber Bracelets Take Aim At Gun Violence

In his recent video for “No Guns Allowed” Snoop Lion makes it clear that there needs to be some serious initiative to cut down on gun violence and he’s helping to make that happen by teaming up with MTV and Jewelry and a Cause to help get illegal guns off the street.

Snoop, MTV and Jewelry for a Cause are releasing  the limited edition “MTV x Caliber” bracelets made from the steel of illegal guns which have been acquired in police-sponsored buyback programs. The bracelets are engraved with serial numbers of firearms that were returned through buyback programs in Newark, New Jersey. On Tuesday (April 9) the bracelets can pre-ordered for $40 on caliber.MTV.com and the proceeds from each sale will be donated to the Newark Police Department to help fund future gun buyback amnesty programs.

Celebrities will receive the bracelets in their gift bags at the 2013 MTV Movie Movie Awards, which air 9 p.m. ET on MTV Sunday night (April 14).

“This is such an important message we’re sharing,” Snoop Lion said in a statement issued by MTV. “It’s a movement we want generations to recognize, embrace, and get behind. We’ve seen a lot of senseless acts of violence involving guns recently — too many have lost their lives, too many families have been destroyed. Like my friends at MTV, I want to be a part of the change that will help bring peace.”

Angela Yee And K Foxx Feud On ‘The Gossip Game’ Premiere

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(K Foxx on her issues with Angela Yee)

By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Hip-hop gossip turned into real-life drama last night on the series premiere of VH1′s “The Gossip Game.” The show follows a cast of 7 women who work in NYC and divulge celebrity gossip from different angles in the hip-hop media.

At the top of the so-called “pecking order,” are radio personalities Angela Yee of Power 105.1 and K Foxx of Hot 97, in the middle of an ongoing beef between their radio stations. The two get called for a sit down interview, unbeknownst that they’ll be doing the interview together, by freelance journalist JasFly.

K Foxx Addresses Rivalry With Angela Yee On ‘Gossip Game’

During the interview, Angela throws shots at Funkmaster Flex, the longtime DJ and patriarch of Hot 97, and says that he should step down as his reign is coming to an end. She also shares that employees of Hot 97 take the rivalry too far and aren’t even allowed to socialize or talk about Power 105. K is largely mum during the interview, proving Angela’s point, but goes back to Hot 97 to tell Flex what went down.

Flex goes on one of his famous rants against Power 105 and Angela, which is conveniently caught on camera and circulated online. Angela and her coworkers at Power 105 watch the clip and laugh. After snagging an award from The Source for being the #1 radio personalities, they say that the people have spoken and Power is the new king of radio.

We meet Kim Osorio, longtime journalist and E-I-C of The Source. Kim is a veteran in the game, now balancing work and being wife and mom in New Jersey. Her husband, Kino, is also in the music industry as a manager. He’s a tough critic and when she tells him she wants to host a roundtable about women’s opinions in hip-hop, he replies that men only think about sex and money and don’t care about what women think.

Sharon Carpenter of Global Grind is facing similar opposition. The British interviewer says that her good looks are often a hindrance and people don’t take her seriously. Her boss and mentor Russell Simmons tries to calm her down (but not before kind of hitting on her.)

Finally, we meet bloggers Ms. Drama and Vivian Billings who are cast as the “underdogs” of the show. The two are still largely green in the game and working to make their mark. Viv talks to Angela about breaking a story about her own cousin, radio personality Star, to get traffic to her site. Initially conflicted, Vivian is then encouraged by Star himself to cast light on his trifling bed hopping. Traffic win!

The episode ends when all the girls meet for an event hosted by Angela Yee. Tension is thick between Ms. Drama and the rest of the cast, especially Viv. Viv claims that Ms. Drama is fake and putting on an industry face in front of her peers. All of a sudden, the fight escalates into yelling and almost gets physical.

First episode down and the battle lines are drawn.