Tag Archives: TMZ

Vibe Magazine Losing Print Edition After Being Sold To SpinMedia

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Vibe Magazine Losing Print Edition After Being Sold To SpinMedia

By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Vibe magazine has been purchased by SpinMedia. The NY Times reports, that SpinMedia, which also owns sites like Pitchfork, TMZ and Gawker, bought the rights to the legendary hip-hop publication as well as its related websites like Vibe.com and Vibevixen.com.

“It’s really exciting to add [Vibe] to SpinMedia’s collection of music properties and bring more digital DNA to the team and see what they can do,” said Steve Hansen, SpinMedia’s chief executive.

SpinMedia has a reputation of shutting down print publications and moving content to online-only, as the company did with Spin magazine last year. When asked what the company would do with Vibe, Hansen said “We are still trying to find a print model that makes economic sense in the digital age” noting that they will more than likely shut down Vibe’s print arm later this year.

Vibe was founded in 1992 by Quincy Jones and Time Warner and has been an instrumental magazine in hip-hop, with interviews including the late 2Pac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. With the new acquisition, members of the Vibe staff are expecting layoffs to follow.

Former Nappy Roots Rapper Says He Suffered Police Abuse

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Former Nappy Roots Rapper Says He Suffered Police Abuse

By Maurice Bobb

Ex-Nappy Roots rapper R. Prophet learned the hard way that, when it comes to getting out of a jam with police, not every musician has the benefit of widespread name recognition. The former member of the Kentucky-based collective was arrested Saturday (April 20) by Kentucky State Police for disorderly conduct, despite his attempt to pull the celebrity card, yelling out, “I’m R. Prophet!!!”  But the most disturbing details of the arrest were revealed Thursday (April 25) by TMZ, who released graphic photos of Prophet’s wounds stemming from multiple tasings.

According to the rapper born Kenneth Ryan Anthony, police tased him repeatedly despite his full cooperation as he laid helpless on the ground and handcuffed.

“I felt they were doing me like a slave,” the Oakland-bred rapper told TMZ. “I thought I was dead.”

Prophet also says that when he was thrown in the back of the cruiser, he was pepper sprayed and tased again. Subsequently, Prophet said he feared for his life, believing the officers were going to “drive him somewhere and kill him.” Panicked, he then gashed his head on the police cruiser window.

Not surprisingly, the trooper who apprehended Prophet has a wholly different account of the events leading up to Prophet’s arrest. According to authorities, the “Run Tell The DJ To Crank it” MC was “highly intoxicated,” walked directly into traffic and was a danger to himself and others.

Three days after the incident, Prophet took to Twitter to speak on his run-in with police, tweeting, “Thanks 2 all my fam, fans, and supporters!! please keep me in your prayers! believe nothin you hear n half of what you see!”

One of the emcee’s fans, @ClemonsEvan, also commented on the situation, saying, “They still beating “ni–as” in Ky!!! Can’t wait till the facts come out!!! We with you bro!!! @rprophet.”

That emotionally-charged comment suggesting racial bias was retweeted by Prophet.

DMX Wants To Sue After ‘Iyanla Fix My Life’ Appearance

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By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

DMX is not happy with the way he was portrayed on a recent episode of the OWN show “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” saying that he was tricked by the self-help host into spilling his guts. Now he wants to take legal action.

X tells TMZ that Iyanla was only supposed to ask him questions about his addiction to women but not about his highly-publicized issues with drugs. X tells the site that the questions about drugs were never cleared beforehand. “Iyanla set the whole thing up to make me look bad for ratings,” he barked. “That lady is toxic … My last words to her were that she can ‘suck my d—-’ and she still can.”

TMZ shares that the rapper is contemplating legal action against Iyanla and OWN, Oprah’s television network, over the interview.

X’s publicist shared a statement with RapFix explaining the rapper’s grievances: “DMX agreed to be a guest on “Iyanla: Fix My Life” with the understanding that she would be helping his relationships with his ten children. When he arrived for the taping, most of the content was focused on his struggles with drugs and poor parenting. Iyanla did not “fix” DMX‘s life; just made his image worse, and does not have DMX‘s personal written consent to use the footage.”

Kim Kardashian Opens Up About Marrying Kanye West

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Kim Kardashian Opens Up About Marrying Kanye West

By Henna Kathiya

The Kardashian family has had plenty of screen time with six years of being in front of reality TV cameras. The “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” franchise has given a lot of insight into their family life but they really got up close and personal during a recent interview with Ryan Seacrest where Kim opened up about the difficulties in her pregnancy as well as her future plans with Kanye.

With Kim’s due date coming up soon in July, Ryan asked Kim exactly what she’s feeling as an expectant mother. “It’s just really painful everywhere,” the 32-year-old said. “I’m in pain physically.” “I get really paranoid [and] I start Googling things, the things that come up are really scary. It just freaks me out all the time,” she added.

Kim admitted that she had a different view of what things were going to be like carrying Kanye’s baby. “I was waiting for this amazing experience where I can just do whatever I want, eat whatever I want, feel great, and it hasn’t been that way,” she said.

Although her pregnancy has been more difficult than expected, the mother-to-be lit up as soon as Ryan mentioned future plans of marrying Kanye. “I do think I would get married again,” Kim said. “I found out what I really wanted.” Even with Kanye being in Paris working on his next album, he has been very attentive to his pregnant beau- flying on private jets to make her doctor appointments according to sources via TMZ.

As for Kanye’s thoughts on the show- Kim revealed that he’s a fan of the show. “He loves the show and loves watching…He loves the whole experience.”

Jay-Z’s Obama Lyrics On ‘Open Letter’ Provoke White House Response

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Jay Zs Obama Lyrics On Open Letter Provoke White House Response

By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Yesterday, Jay-Z released the new track “Open Letter,” in which he shouts out his friend President Barack Obama, and it’s actually provoked a response from the White House.

Hov fired back at critics who blasted his recent trip to Cuba with wife Beyonce and spoke of a conversation with Obama about getting the POTUS impeached. “Obama said, Chill, you gonna get me impeached/ You don’t need this shit anyway/Chill with me on the beach,’” Hov raps.

The White House is going on the record, denying that Obama spoke to Jay-Z about his Cuba trip. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told White House reporters “the only reason Jay-Z implicated Obama in his new song is because it’s hard to find something that rhymes with treasury,” per TMZ.

TMZ shares that Carney claims Barack had no contact with Jay-Z about the Cuba trip and it was handled by the Treasury Dept.

MTV News reported that Jay and Beyonce had proper papers for their recent Cuban excursion and that the cultural trip was fully licensed by the Treasury, according to an unnamed source familiar with the pair’s itinerary.

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Chris Brown’s Mystery Woman Speaks Out At Rihanna Affair Rumors

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Chris Browns Mystery Woman Speaks Out At Rihanna Affair Rumors

By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Chris Brown caused all sorts of drama this weekend when he was spotted at LA’s Playhouse nightclub, holding hands with and staring into the eyes of a mystery blonde. Fans wondered who the blonde woman was and if Chris was cheating on his official girl Rihanna.

TMZ has uncovered that the Breezy’s alleged sidepiece is a waitress at the club. 22-year-old Keisha Kimball told the site that she and Chris are merely friends and it was a professional exchange. “I am always Chris’ waitress. I know him and am friends with his friends. Nothing has ever happened. I just work there. In the photos, he was handing me a bottle to drink out of. Of course people are going to twist it another way.”

She adds, “Whatever is going on between Rihanna and Chris Brown is between them. I’m not trying to be a home wrecker.”

Good to hear because Rihanna is clearly head over heels for her former boo. She told Rolling Stone she couldn’t “bury” her love for him. “I wasn’t going to let anybody’s opinion get in the way of that. Even if it’s a mistake, it’s my mistake,” she said about getting back together with Breezy. “After being tormented for so many years, being angry and dark, I’d rather just live my truth and take the backlash. I can handle it.”

Ray J’s ‘I Hit It First’ Gets At Kim Kardashian, Kanye West

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Ray Js I Hit It First Gets At Kim Kardashian, Kanye West

If there was any doubt that Ray J wrote his new single “I Hit it First” with Kim Kardashian in mind, then the audio makes that 100 percent clear.

As promised, the track debuted via <em>TMZ and finds Ray J spitting lines like “She might move on to rappers and ball players/But we all know I hit it first” which clearly points to Kanye West and Reggie Bush, and then this one, which literally spells Ye’s name out: “I hit it north with her ass going south, but now baby chose to go west.”

What we can’t understand is what point Ray J is actually trying to make with this track. The sex tape made it pretty clear what went down between the two. Boredom, perhaps? Even the single’s artwork is an imitation of Kanye West‘s cover art for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which means that Ray J really put some thought into this whole fiasco.

Ray J Dedicating ‘I Hit It First’ Single To Kim Kardashian?

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Ray J Dedicating I Hit It First Single To Kim Kardashian?

Some relationships really leave a lasting impression on you, just ask Ray J, who decided to title his upcoming release “I Hit it First.” The song will debut via TMZ, but judging from the title and the artwork it won’t be surprising if he’s sending this out to one of his very famous exes.

Is it us, or does the artwork via Karen Civil seem to be mimicking (and not in a flattering way) ‘Ye’s artsy cover for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy?

Last summer the R&B singer-turned reality star decided to comment on his ex Kim Kardashian’s relationship with Kanye West, first with a sly tweet and later during an interview. After retweeting Kim and added an ‘lol’ (Lol RT @KimKardashian: Keep your life in a positive perspective. We are not defined by our pasts), which clearly caught the attention of the press, he clarified during an interview with  Power 106.

“I felt like it was real, what [Kardashian tweeted],” Ray J said. “I kinda laughed about it, ’cause it was 100.”

“I wish ‘em the best. Life is a roller-coaster, so you never know what’s gonna happen,” he added, addressing her relationship with Kanye West. “But I wish ‘em the best, much success to both of ‘em. Yo, this whole thing is like a Magic Mountain experience.” Right.

Stay tuned.

Jay-Z Really Irritates Celebrities By Ignoring Their Phone Calls

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Jay Z Really Irritates Celebrities By Ignoring Their Phone Calls

By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Jay-Z might call you… maybe. According to singer Paul Anka, the rapper owes him several unreturned phone calls and he##Q##s hopping mad about it.

Anka told TMZ that he wanted Jay on his new Duets album (which includes Michael Jackson) but he##Q##s yet to hear back from him.

“I called up Jay-Z..I wanted to put him on a track with Michael Jackson. I called him up and Jay-Z has totally blown me off,” says Anka. “He##Q##s totally inappropriate in his behavior. I love his wife…but Jay-Z wouldn##Q##t return a call.” Interestingly, Hov sampled Anka in his “I Did It My Way” on the Blueprint 2.

This isn##Q##t the first time Jay has been rumored to not return phone calls. Last year, actor Robert DeNiro reportedly fumed over the same thing. The New York Post reported that Bobby wanted Jay to do a song for his TriBeCa Film Festival. When the two ended up running into each other, Hov apparently “tried to joke his way out of the situation…but De Niro wouldn’t back down.” A source told the NYPost that “Bob was sitting at a table, and when Jay-Z went over to say hello, De Niro told Jay that he never called him back.”

In his defense, Jay has been pretty busy as of late working on the soundtrack for “The Great Gatsby” and hopping on Kendrick Lamar##Q##s “Bitch Don##Q##t Kill My Vibe remix).”

Birdman Supports Lil Wayne With One Of His New Face Tattoos

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Birdman Supports Lil Wayne With One Of His New Face Tattoos

By Maurice Bobb

Lil Wayne has legions of devoted fans, but none bigger than Bryan “Birdman” Williams. The Cash Money Records CEO took to Instagram to reveal that he’d gotten a new “TRUKFIT” tattoo on his left cheek, so everyone knows it’s real.

The move was likely in support of Tunechi’s recovery from seizures that landed him in Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, where he remained for six days. When the Young Money spitter first landed in the hospital, rumors spread like wildfires, based on a TMZ report, that he was in critical condition. Birdman himself refuted those reports before Wayne was released last week.

“He was never in that kind of situation throughout the whole few days we##Q##ve been in the hospital. He never been about to die,” Birdman told Angie Martinez on Hot 97. “We got family and kids. When you putting out false rumors like that, you can really damage families like that, fear them and have them feared.”

In addition to the new ink paying homage to Weezy’s skateboard clothing line, the #1 Stunna also got a “GTV” tat over his left eye, which represents his Grand Touring Vodka brand.

The hand-rubbing Like Father, Like Son MC is running out of real estate for art on his face, having also gotten a “Rich Gang” tattoo on the right side of his face a couple weeks ago to “promote” his new compilation album, Rich Gang: Flashy Lifestyle, which is set to be released May 21, 2013.

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