Monday, July 30, 2007
HHM on Myspace
The page is now up. Add us to your friends list: www.myspace.com/hiphopmoguls and put us in your Top Friends.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Russell Simmons & Rev. Al Sharpton Team With PETA
As Reported on chronicmagazine.com:
The Rev. Al Sharpton and Russell Simmons teamed with PETA Wednesday to criticize dogfighting in a letter that went to all of Michael Vick's corporate sponsors.
The letter, signed by Sharpton, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, went to Vick's sponsors, Falcons CEO Arthur Blank, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
"The recent media spotlight on dogfighting reminds us of society's callous disregard for the suffering of animals and disrespect for sentient beings," they wrote in letters that arrived by FedEx Wednesday morning.
"We hope that Mr. Vick is not a product of this insensitivity that runs through our society. ... It does us little good to prosecute just those who are famous and allow people across the country to continue to commit these hideous crimes. We are hopeful that authorities will take the appropriate action against anyone found guilty of an atrocity as serious as dogfighting ... . Today, we sound a clarion call to all people: Stand up for what is right, and speak out against what is wrong. Dogfighting is unacceptable. Hurting animals for human pleasure or gain is despicable. Cruelty is just plain wrong." (Read More)
Effective immediately, Russell Simmons and Al Sharpton have been suspended from being mentioned on my blog. Since when does cruelty to animals take precedence over human and civil rights. Both of these individuals have sold their souls and have turned into two media starved niggas. How dare they kick another Black man while he is down? And they didn't even say excuse me. I'm so appalled, they made me use the n-word!
The Rev. Al Sharpton and Russell Simmons teamed with PETA Wednesday to criticize dogfighting in a letter that went to all of Michael Vick's corporate sponsors.
The letter, signed by Sharpton, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, went to Vick's sponsors, Falcons CEO Arthur Blank, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
"The recent media spotlight on dogfighting reminds us of society's callous disregard for the suffering of animals and disrespect for sentient beings," they wrote in letters that arrived by FedEx Wednesday morning.
"We hope that Mr. Vick is not a product of this insensitivity that runs through our society. ... It does us little good to prosecute just those who are famous and allow people across the country to continue to commit these hideous crimes. We are hopeful that authorities will take the appropriate action against anyone found guilty of an atrocity as serious as dogfighting ... . Today, we sound a clarion call to all people: Stand up for what is right, and speak out against what is wrong. Dogfighting is unacceptable. Hurting animals for human pleasure or gain is despicable. Cruelty is just plain wrong." (Read More)
Effective immediately, Russell Simmons and Al Sharpton have been suspended from being mentioned on my blog. Since when does cruelty to animals take precedence over human and civil rights. Both of these individuals have sold their souls and have turned into two media starved niggas. How dare they kick another Black man while he is down? And they didn't even say excuse me. I'm so appalled, they made me use the n-word!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Michael Vick, Humpty Dumpty's Latest Casualty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the kings horses and All the kings men,
Couldn't put humpty back together again...
We all grew up reciting this nursery rhyme not truly understanding what it meant or how it would be applied once we became adults.
In our world we all tend to suffer from "Humpty Dumpty Syndrome". We like to see people fall hard or as its been coined 'fall from grace'. People are put on the a pedestal, then one day someone just comes and kicks it over. Sometimes there is a saving or amazing grace, that can rescue Humpty. But if Humpty is Black, with some money, its a total loss.
Such is the case of Michael Vick. He hasn't even gone to trial and he's already seen as guilty.
Just words from an informant and an indictment. He already stands to lose his job and millions of dollars without having his day in court. As a matter of fact, he's lost his job. The Falcons told him not to come back until he's done with his legal troubles. His trial date isn't until November 26. All over he say, she say.
I'm not saying that dog fighting is right. It is in fact illegal and a very brutal sport. I don't get the fascination. But some will say football is a brutal sport and won't get the fascination. But they both fall in the vein of competition.
I really don't view pitbulls as poor innocent creatures, they are in fact brutal animals capable of killing at any moment just on pure instinct. I'm downright afraid of them. I just don't think a man deserves to have everything stripped from him based on allegations.
I'm saddened by the way this man is being treated. Honestly if it were 1907, Michael Vick would be dead, hanging from a tree somewhere. PETA has turned into quite the lynch mob. How can you defend the rights of animals without letting a man, a human being have his day in court before asking for his blood?
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the kings horses and All the kings men,
Couldn't put humpty back together again...
We all grew up reciting this nursery rhyme not truly understanding what it meant or how it would be applied once we became adults.
In our world we all tend to suffer from "Humpty Dumpty Syndrome". We like to see people fall hard or as its been coined 'fall from grace'. People are put on the a pedestal, then one day someone just comes and kicks it over. Sometimes there is a saving or amazing grace, that can rescue Humpty. But if Humpty is Black, with some money, its a total loss.
Such is the case of Michael Vick. He hasn't even gone to trial and he's already seen as guilty.
Just words from an informant and an indictment. He already stands to lose his job and millions of dollars without having his day in court. As a matter of fact, he's lost his job. The Falcons told him not to come back until he's done with his legal troubles. His trial date isn't until November 26. All over he say, she say.
I'm not saying that dog fighting is right. It is in fact illegal and a very brutal sport. I don't get the fascination. But some will say football is a brutal sport and won't get the fascination. But they both fall in the vein of competition.
I really don't view pitbulls as poor innocent creatures, they are in fact brutal animals capable of killing at any moment just on pure instinct. I'm downright afraid of them. I just don't think a man deserves to have everything stripped from him based on allegations.
I'm saddened by the way this man is being treated. Honestly if it were 1907, Michael Vick would be dead, hanging from a tree somewhere. PETA has turned into quite the lynch mob. How can you defend the rights of animals without letting a man, a human being have his day in court before asking for his blood?
And everyone has joined the mob. Vick has gone from being an alleged leader of a dog fighing ring, to all of sudden being a "bad quarterback" who should be cut. What does one have to do with the other? Just a minute ago you were all on his dick!
Now Nike has suspended his contract. The same people who ran sweatshops overseas. And Reebok is pulling his jerseys. The same company that supported apartheid in South Africa.
And you know what, we should boycott both Nike, Reebok, and the NFL for lynching a man without due process.
The bottom line: Michael Vick just gave all these companies a reason to void his contracts and not pay him his money.
We got to do better and we got to stop being stupid!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
HHM Commentary : In Da Club (Rules of Engagement)
Reason #2,085 why you won't find me in da club!
A colleague of mine just sent over an email putting a promoter on blast for hosting a very "unprofessional" industry event last night in New York. I won't name names because this person has no name. You wouldn't know "him". After being personally invited via telephone and being put on the list, they arrive to the venue and are told to pay after the promoter told the "door" to give them wristbands. That made no sense to me.
New Rule or should I say Rule Re-instatement: Promoters if you have guests coming you make sure they get in with no problem. Invites should never be left standing at the door or told to pay when they were in fact personally invited by you. Its not some email guestlist that closes, its a personal invite.
I know a lot of the "overnight event planners" are relatively new and not up on "proper event etiquette". Most of them didn't get out much to begin with but decided to start throwing events without the help of people who do this on a regular basis or at least attended events pre-2004!
You can't go everywhere!
Another item up for discussion also brought up by my colleague is the blatant disrespect of women when actually waiting to get into the clubs these days. My advice is to leave. Why bother? You go out to have a good time and those are the men going into the club. Satan's Sign of Stupidity.
I suggest you turn around because you'll be in for a long night. Even if you get into the club, you won't have fun. Guys like that just want to stand around with their dudes and just pose. They could care less about the ladies *hint.
A clear sign is bumping you out the way to get into the club. Another sign is scoping the the scene and seeing mostly dudes in the place. Real men are bothered by the lack of ladies anywhere with the exception of a sporting event or playing video games.
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it!
A colleague of mine just sent over an email putting a promoter on blast for hosting a very "unprofessional" industry event last night in New York. I won't name names because this person has no name. You wouldn't know "him". After being personally invited via telephone and being put on the list, they arrive to the venue and are told to pay after the promoter told the "door" to give them wristbands. That made no sense to me.
New Rule or should I say Rule Re-instatement: Promoters if you have guests coming you make sure they get in with no problem. Invites should never be left standing at the door or told to pay when they were in fact personally invited by you. Its not some email guestlist that closes, its a personal invite.
I know a lot of the "overnight event planners" are relatively new and not up on "proper event etiquette". Most of them didn't get out much to begin with but decided to start throwing events without the help of people who do this on a regular basis or at least attended events pre-2004!
You can't go everywhere!
Another item up for discussion also brought up by my colleague is the blatant disrespect of women when actually waiting to get into the clubs these days. My advice is to leave. Why bother? You go out to have a good time and those are the men going into the club. Satan's Sign of Stupidity.
I suggest you turn around because you'll be in for a long night. Even if you get into the club, you won't have fun. Guys like that just want to stand around with their dudes and just pose. They could care less about the ladies *hint.
A clear sign is bumping you out the way to get into the club. Another sign is scoping the the scene and seeing mostly dudes in the place. Real men are bothered by the lack of ladies anywhere with the exception of a sporting event or playing video games.
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Kanye v. Curtis - Albums drop Sept. 11th
In Memory Of TOWER RECORDS
I must say I love the convenience of knowing weeks or months in advance when an album is dropping.
It really makes me feel secure that the album is coming soon as well. Being an avid record buyer (yes I still say records:) ) since the age of 8, I remember the days of having to guess based on how many songs were being played on the radio. Wow, *fill in the blank artist* has another song, the album must be out. Then you would go to the record store and look for it. If it wasn't there you would ask, the associate would never really know.
Now we all know its on Tuesday. I refuse to have my record buying dictated by Soundscam. I mean, it used to take months to go gold, now it only takes a week. Its all based on shipments, not sales. So why in the hell is this a competition? You know 50 is going to ship more.
Then I ask ....What happened to the days of buying two CDs?
Must I only choose one.
More than likely I will buy neither.
But for those of you out there who still participate in the music buying process, take a chance and buy both of them!
Support two brothas trying to add on to their millions..it will only cost you $30 ($25.50 if you go to Wal-Mart, but who wants the edited version of "Amusement Park"? That would just be uncivilized).
And to be honest I don't even know Kanye's song, I haven't even taken the time to listen. It just hasn't grabbed me yet. Look I'm 27 and my ears are changing. But I am feeling Chrisette Michele, I just might go buy that!
Photo Credit: Vibe.com
Friday, July 13, 2007
Ice-T For President
In a world full of nonsense, its good to see someone make some sense for a change!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
When Moguls Get Greedy: Lou Perlman - Boy Band Mogul
I came across this story this morning on a re-broadcast of Inside Edition. I totally missed this one.
Lou Perlman, the man behind the Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, and the original Making The Band group, O-Town, is accused of defrauding investors out of millions.
When I say millions, I'm talking $500 million!
He was arrested at a resort in Indonesia, where he was registered under the alias, 'Incognito Johnson'(hilarious) and with $25,000 cash in his possession.
Perlman has been sued in the past by all his former artists including Backstreet, N'Sync, and Aaron Carter for his misdealings with their money. All of those cases were either settled out of court or won by those who brought lawsuits against him.
Former N'Sync star, Justin Timberlake said in a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone: "I was being monetarily raped by a Svengali".
Lou Perlman was the ultimate music mogul who just got too greedy.
Recently, his platinum and gold records from his former artists were sold in a public auction. And his companies have been overtaked by a court appointed receiver, having receivership over the assets of Trans Continental Airlines, Inc., Trans Continental Airlines Travel Service, Inc., Trans Continental Enterprises, LLC., Louis J. Pearlman Enterprises, Trans Continental Records, Trans Continental Talent, Fashion Rock, Trans Continental Travel Service, Trans Country music Group, Trans Continental Studios, Trans Continental Aviation and Aegis Consulting.
Source: Wikipedia
And he's not the only one up to no good. Anyone out there trying to get in the record business watch your money. How many of these stories do you need to hear?
Lou Perlman, the man behind the Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, and the original Making The Band group, O-Town, is accused of defrauding investors out of millions.
When I say millions, I'm talking $500 million!
He was arrested at a resort in Indonesia, where he was registered under the alias, 'Incognito Johnson'(hilarious) and with $25,000 cash in his possession.
Perlman has been sued in the past by all his former artists including Backstreet, N'Sync, and Aaron Carter for his misdealings with their money. All of those cases were either settled out of court or won by those who brought lawsuits against him.
Former N'Sync star, Justin Timberlake said in a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone: "I was being monetarily raped by a Svengali".
Lou Perlman was the ultimate music mogul who just got too greedy.
Recently, his platinum and gold records from his former artists were sold in a public auction. And his companies have been overtaked by a court appointed receiver, having receivership over the assets of Trans Continental Airlines, Inc., Trans Continental Airlines Travel Service, Inc., Trans Continental Enterprises, LLC., Louis J. Pearlman Enterprises, Trans Continental Records, Trans Continental Talent, Fashion Rock, Trans Continental Travel Service, Trans Country music Group, Trans Continental Studios, Trans Continental Aviation and Aegis Consulting.
Source: Wikipedia
And he's not the only one up to no good. Anyone out there trying to get in the record business watch your money. How many of these stories do you need to hear?
Friday, July 6, 2007
HHM Goes International
Our resident Hip Hop Mogul-To-Be and features writer, Talia Ashley, is moving to South Korea and she will be blogging all about it. So look for that in the coming weeks. It should be very interesting.....
Move Over 'Bootylicious': Starbury Adds Has A Word For Webster
First $15 sneakers and $9 sweatshirts now Stephon Marbury has added "word wizard" to list of his illustrious contributions. In all of his enthusiasm over the Knicks signing Zach Randolph, he invented a new word. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you "youthier". Now peep Mr. Marbury use it in a sentence.
My guess is its a combo of the words "youth" and "healthier". And I vote we express deliver this word over to Webster so that it can be used for Scrabble and all of next season's NBA telecast, just so that I can laugh and actually enjoy watching a game on ABC.
Shouts out to K Luvs This Game for bringing my attention to this celebration over at her spot.
My guess is its a combo of the words "youth" and "healthier". And I vote we express deliver this word over to Webster so that it can be used for Scrabble and all of next season's NBA telecast, just so that I can laugh and actually enjoy watching a game on ABC.
Shouts out to K Luvs This Game for bringing my attention to this celebration over at her spot.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
NIKE To Donate Proceeds From Air Force 1 Songs to Baltimore Boys & Girls Clubs
Another reason why we love NIKE....
Check Out The Video Here:
Fans can also go to iTunes and purchase another Nike song "The Second Coming" by Juelz Santana.
See Hip Hop can be positive.
Enjoy the Fireworks!!!!!!
"As part of its continuous efforts to support youth sport programs, all NIKE and artists' proceeds from the sale of the original Air Force 1 song "Classic -- Better Than I've Ever Been" will go to the NIKE Youth Sport for Change Fund to support two chapters of Baltimore's Boys & Girls Club of America -- Jackson Unit Boys & Girls Club of America and The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of America.
The song, which was released in February as part of Nike's 25th year anniversary celebration of the Air Force 1 and can be purchased exclusively on iTunes, features award winning hip hop artists Kanye West, Nas, Rakim and KRS-ONE and was produced by hip hop producer DJ Premier."
Check Out The Video Here:
"Known for the pivotal role it played in the popularity of the Air Force 1, Baltimore is home to three of the original Air Force 1 retailers.....the love for the Air Force 1 took the form of a groundswell of support that emerged in the early 80s and eventually spread all over the world. The presence of the shoe on all sides of town turned the AF1 into Baltimore's shoe of choice, a revolutionary footwear product that spoke volumes about the city's love for basketball and made Baltimore a key player in the subsequent resurrection of the Air Force 1 and the flourish of basketball culture."(Read More...)
Fans can also go to iTunes and purchase another Nike song "The Second Coming" by Juelz Santana.
See Hip Hop can be positive.
Enjoy the Fireworks!!!!!!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Haute.Lanta Fashion Week: Tickets On Sale Now
Buy Tickets
SIX Haute Shows! THREE Segments! TWO Innovative Designers Each!
ONE ‘H’ Shaped Runway! Everyday!
Complimentary Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres
Red Carpet 6-7 pm Every Evening
Dates: September 19-23, 2007
Location: Garden Atrium WORLD TRADE CENTER ATLANTA
SIX Haute Shows! THREE Segments! TWO Innovative Designers Each!
ONE ‘H’ Shaped Runway! Everyday!
Complimentary Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres
Red Carpet 6-7 pm Every Evening
Dates: September 19-23, 2007
Location: Garden Atrium WORLD TRADE CENTER ATLANTA
TRUNK SHOW SUITES TICKETS AVAILABLE
Buy Tickets
Haute.Lanta Fashion Week Trunk Show Suites! Showcasing the finest selection of apparel and accessories in a one-day marketplace connecting independent designers with demanding and big spending fashion lovers.
Date: Saturday September 22, 2007 ONLY
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Location: Plaza Atrium WORLD TRADE CENTER ATLANTA
Want More???...Click here for HLFW
Buy Tickets
Haute.Lanta Fashion Week Trunk Show Suites! Showcasing the finest selection of apparel and accessories in a one-day marketplace connecting independent designers with demanding and big spending fashion lovers.
Date: Saturday September 22, 2007 ONLY
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Location: Plaza Atrium WORLD TRADE CENTER ATLANTA
Want More???...Click here for HLFW
Kimora Steps Into The Reality SpotlightStyle's New Reality TV Series Premieres Sunday, August 5
Ever wanted to see what life was like for this ultimate mogal? A new reality series on The Style Network, "Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane," presents a candid and entertaining look at the over-the-top life of Kimora Lee Simmons. From serving as the CEO and creative force of the global brand Baby Phat, to being a mom to two little girls, to hosting and attending VIP events, the weekly program offers viewers an exclusive and unprecedented look behind the closed doors of Kimora's fashion empire and her home life.
"Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane" premieres with a special one-hour episode on Sunday, August 5, at 8 PM ET/PT, only on Style.
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