Monday, June 28, 2010

What do We Do with the BET Awards?

Dr. Boyce Watkins

Dr. Boyce Watkins

Author and Finance Professor at Syracuse University

Why there should be a black backlash against BET

10:43 AM on 06/28/2010

OPINION - Through the years, the BET Awards have become a staple of unhealthy and counter-productive broken black family fun...

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Rapper Rick Ross Sued by Drug Dealer

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

I never bought into the hype that Rick Ross was a fraud. Everyone seemed to feel that because he was found to have been a corrections officer in a previous life, that he somehow violated the oath which says that rappers have to be criminals in order to sell records. I don't know how true or false the rumors happen to be, but the fact is that I never cared.


However, when I found out that there is reason to believe that the rapper Rick Ross took his name from the notorious drug dealer "Freeway" Ricky Ross, I thought to myself, "This is just stupid. Why can't the brother just be himself?"

 

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Drizzy Drops Half a Million Copies

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, AOL Black Voices

I took a poll of some of my industry homies last week to get a sense of how"Thank Me Later," the debut album for Drake, was going to sell. It turns out that out of those bold enough to make a prediction, my friends Michael Bivins (formerly of Belle, Biv, Devoe and New Edition) and Vigalantee (a rapper in Kansas City, MO), were closest. Vigalantee predicted 450,000 units and Mike Biv predicted 400,000. No matter how you slice it, Drake is now officially the shizzle.

It's not as if anyone is surprised by Drake's stellar debut. He and the rest of the Young Money clique did an outstanding job creating buzz for the album and Drake proved that even in the age of massive Internet pirating, he can still make his money.

 

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Son of Dallas Police Chief Allegedly Kills a Cop

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Suge Knight, Kanye West: Lawsuit, Guns and Money

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How Love and Money Mix and How You Can Do it the Right Way

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Black Single Mothers and Dating: What's It Really Like?

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Should Facebook Be Held Accountable for Murders by Members?

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Rev. Al Sharpton and Dr. Boyce Discuss the Plight of the Black Male

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Obama's Fatherhood.gov Commercial: Too Feminine for Black Men?

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BP Chooses a Black Man to Head its Claims Process

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Son of Dallas Police Chief Suspected in Killing a Cop




Monday, June 21, 2010

Rapper Fat Joe Questioned in Rape

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, AOL Black Voices

The rapper Fat Joe was detained by police Sunday night after he and his entourage were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Madison, Wisconsin. According to TMZ, the woman is 33-years old and claims the assault occurred in a Cadillac Limousine after a concert at the Orpheum Theater.


Fat Joe (a.k.a.Joseph Antonio Cartagena) and his entourage were held for questioning, but he was released and not arrested. The details of the case are still being sorted out in the investigation. Relative to most artists, Fat Joe doesn't get into very much trouble. The 39-year old married father of two has not, to my knowledge been accused of any sexual assault, so I'd be surprised if he waited this long to get started. He has been arrested in some of the typical rapper non-sense in the past: In 1998, he and the deceased rapper Big Pun were arrested for assaulting a man with a baseball bat and stealing his gold chain. I'm not even going to try to explain that one.

 

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Monday, June 14, 2010

Where are the Female Rappers?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

I met spoken-word hip hop artist Shanelle Walker when I went to give a speech atKentucky State University. Shanelle sent me a video of a rhyme she recited in honor of President Barack Obama. I was instantly floored by the performance, since I found her to be an incredibly powerful artist.
But Shanelle's performance led me to consider broader concerns, such as why there are so few women in the hip-hop industry. I remain confused that women are not given a chance to shine in a field dominated by men. While hip-hop has historically been the channel designed to give a voice to urban America, women have been effectively left out. While I've certainly spoken my piece on how hip hop needs to change, here are some reasons I believe women are missing:
1) The hypermasculinity of hip-hop: By becoming so masculine and sexualized, the music doesn't give women opportunities that don't involve a G-string. I look forward to the day when the culture is not driven by who gets shot the most and who does the best job of proving that he's a goon. That might actually lead to better music, since right now, many hip-hop artists come off like World Wrestling Entertainment characters. It's O.K. for an artist to also be a human-being.

 

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NFL Quarterback Gets into Strip Club Fight

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NFL Quarterback Vince Young Cited in Strip Club Brawl




Diddy's Son gets a $360K Car - Too Much?

by Dr Boyce Watkins

Some of us turned our heads to the side when it was reported that the rapper and businessman Diddy gave his son Justin a $360,000 Maybach automobile for his 16th birthday. People asked me what I thought about this, since I've written a great deal on how to teach your kids about money, and I used a three letter acronym: TAH - "Tacky As Hayell."
I respect Diddy and I apologize for having to lean in on him for this one, but as S Tia Brown and I discuss in our latest episode of Financial Lovemaking, you can find ways to show your children love without spoiling them for the rest of the world. By giving his son such an extraordinary gift at such an early age, Diddy may have minimized his son's ability to conceptualize the value of working hard for his success or empathizing with those who are less fortunate. In other words, receiving such overdoses of dopamine at the age of 16 is a sure-fire recipe for depression later in life.

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Sunday, June 13, 2010

Slim Thug Responds on Controversy about Black Women

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, AOL Black Voices

Many of you may already know about the "interesting" comments made by the rapperSlim Thug, and his frustration about the lack of loyalty among black women. His comments were met with resistance by myself and Dr. Marc Lamont Hill from Columbia University, who gave him the stable advice to keep his mouth shut. I say that "Slim Thugga" needs to be quiet, not because he's wrong, but because this is a battle he can't win and still sell records. Getting every black woman in America to hate you is simply not good for business. Even Talib Kweli, a fellow hip hop artist, had something to say about Slim Thug's remarks.

On his twitter page, Slim Thug went out of his way to try to protect his image in the face of all the backlash:

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Reggie Wayne, NFL Star - Mistress Takes Credit Cards

AOL Black Voices

NFL star Reggie Wayne is finding out the hard way that giving your credit card number out to anyone may not be such a good idea. Wayne, who is married, is suing his ummm, girlfriend Natasha McKenzie. In the affidavit, Wayne is alleging that McKenzie did it big on Wayne's credit card without asking his permission.


As the story goes, McKenzie, who is 26 years old, just needed Wayne's credit card for a "few little things," like paying her cell phone bill and buying a plane ticket. She was allegedly going to buy the ticket to come and visit Wayne to spend "quality time" with him. To Reggie's surprise, Natasha and her friends "got a little jiggy" with the credit card and charged up $95,000 worth of "necessities." Actually, there were 333 necessities on her list, which is the number of charges she allegedly made to the account.


Reggie originally took the charges to police in April. He has had the uncomfortable challenge of keeping this information from his wife. McKenzie claims that Wayne knew about the charges all along, and that she is only being scapegoated because either his wife found out about her or he has moved on to another mistress. Either way, this entire situation is a little bit strange. Wayne is not the only athlete to be taken for big money as the result of an affair. Tiger Woods allegedly paid millions to keep some of his mistresses quiet.

 

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Saturday, June 12, 2010

Police Caught Pepper Spraying Black Man for No Reason

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

I am not quite sure what to make of the ruffled YouTube video that is now scouring the web out of Paterson, New Jersey. In the video, the woman filming, who mentions that her mother works in the sheriff's office, is taping a New Jersey police officer holding a black man to the ground. The man clearly has his hands behind his back and appears to be restrained.


As the woman videos the incident from a distance, the officer inexplicably grabs the man, turns him around and puts pepper spray into his eyes. He appears to do it twice.

 

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The Latest Black News - 6/12/10

Gary Coleman's Wife Continues to Be More and More Suspicious

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I was saddened to see that 1980s icon Gary Coleman died just a few days ago. What's even sadder is that...
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Alvin Greene is the Political Candidate that Everyone Knows All About

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I've seen the media dance around the obvious when it comes to the peculiar candidacy of Alvin Greene, the South...
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Rapper Nicki Minaj Gets Sued Over Payments on a Lamborghini

 

 

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Rapper Nicki Minaj Gets Sued Over a Pink Lambo

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

The rapper Nicki Minaj was sued this week over a pink Lamborghini that she rented for one of her videos. The company, Hollywood Exotic Car Rental, sued her for $12,000, alleging that the car was damaged and that the rental fee was not paid.


The car had been rented for $1,750 a day to shoot her "Massive Attack" music video, directed by Hype Williams.


The suit against Nicki Minaj was filed in LA Superior Court. The company alleges that the car was driven "off road" and that the damage amounted to $11,589.41. They also argue that Minaj didn't pay the three day rental fee on the car, which totaled $5,250.

 

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Your Black News 6/12/10

5 New Orleans Police Officers Charged In Fatal Post-Katrina Shooting

By Associated Press June 12, 2010 10:15 am

5 New Orleans Police Officers Charged In Fatal Post-Katrina Shooting

Read more about 5 New Orleans Police Officers Charged In Fatal Post-Katrina Shooting

TAGS: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Police brutality

NATION

Deadline Nears For Haitians’ Deportation Reprieve

By Associated Press June 12, 2010 9:45 am

Deadline Nears For Haitians’ Deportation Reprieve

Read more about Deadline Nears For Haitians’ Deportation Reprieve

TAGS: haitian earthquake, immigration

NATION

Nevada Supreme Court Hears Appeal Of OJ Simpson Robbery Case

By Associated Press June 11, 2010 5:04 pm

Nevada Supreme Court Hears Appeal Of OJ Simpson Robbery Case

Read more about Nevada Supreme Court Hears Appeal Of OJ Simpson Robbery Case

TAGS: crime, O.J. Simpson

NATION

OPINION: Audit The Pentagon

By Casey Gane-McCalla June 11, 2010 4:43 pm

OPINION: Audit The Pentagon

Read more about OPINION: Audit The Pentagon

TAGS: Afghanistan, Halliburton, Iraq

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Innocent Black Man Freed After 16 Years In Jail

By NewsOne Staff June 11, 2010 4:07 pm

Innocent Black Man Freed After 16 Years In Jail

Read more about Innocent Black Man Freed After 16 Years In Jail

TAGS: black man, Gun Violence, jail, Prison

NATION

15-Year-Old Brutally Beaten By Indianapolis Police

By Associated Press June 11, 2010 4:05 pm

15-Year-Old Brutally Beaten By Indianapolis Police

Read more about 15-Year-Old Brutally Beaten By Indianapolis Police

TAGS: Indianapolis, Police brutality

SPORTS

World Cup Opens On Joyous, Noisy Note

By Associated Press June 11, 2010 3:26 pm

World Cup Opens On Joyous, Noisy Note

Read more about World Cup Opens On Joyous, Noisy Note

TAGS: soccer, South Africa, World Cup

NATION

Video Takes Center Stage In Oscar Grant Trial

By Associated Press June 11, 2010 1:57 pm

Video Takes Center Stage In Oscar Grant Trial

Read more about Video Takes Center Stage In Oscar Grant Trial

TAGS: black men, California, Gun Violence, Los Angeles, Oscar Grant,Police brutality

TECHNOLOGY

FOLLOW FRIDAY: This Week’s Top 5 Black Celebrities To Follow On Twitter

By Samuel Aleshinloye June 11, 2010 1:38 pm

FOLLOW FRIDAY: This Week’s Top 5 Black Celebrities To Follow On Twitter

Read more about FOLLOW FRIDAY: This Week’s Top 5 Black Celebrities To Follow On Twitter

TAGS: Barack Obama, Marc Lamont Hill, Oprah Winfrey, P. Diddy, Rev. Run

NATION

Guilty Plea Expected In Post-Election Arson Of Black Church

By Associated Press June 11, 2010 1:26 pm

Guilty Plea Expected In Post-Election Arson Of Black Church

Read more about Guilty Plea Expected In Post-Election Arson Of Black Church

TAGS: Barack Obama, black churches, election, election 08, Massachusetts,Obama Haters

NATION

134-Year-Old Louisiana Oyster Company Forced To Close

By Associated Press June 11, 2010 1:07 pm

134-Year-Old Louisiana Oyster Company Forced To Close

Read more about 134-Year-Old Louisiana Oyster Company Forced To Close

TAGS: Alabama, black businesses, Gulf oil s




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Brian McKnight Ruled to Pay $341,000 for his 14-year old Child

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

It appears that the singer Brian McKnight is now a not-so-proud father. Well, the child isn't exactly a baby either. According to TMZ, the child is a 14-year old that Brian hasn't exactly claimed to be his own. Well, whether McKnight chooses to address the child as his own or not, a Florida judge has ruled that Brian must now take financial responsibility for the child. The amount owed? $341,640, which comes out to just over $2,000 per month for every month since the child was born.


The mother of the child, Miriam Lee, took Brian McKnight to court to establish paternity last year. Why she waited so long to do so is not clear. From this point on, the singer is responsible for making child support payments in the amount of $11,388 per month. The ruling was a default judgment, since McKnight was not in court and didn't respond to the woman's claim of paternity.

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Dr. Boyce speaks on the NBA and Obama

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NBA Gets High Marks for Diversity in Annual Report Card

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Obama's "Angry Black Man" Criticism: Isn't He Also Half White?

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CNN Asks Why Black Men Are Not Graduating From College

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Dwyane Wade Given Temporary Custody of His Sons

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Could LeBron James' Mother Rumors Push Him Out of Cleveland?

 

Slim Thug and his comments about black women continue to get the artist into trouble.  Is he going to lose big money because of this?




Friday, June 11, 2010

The Age of the Hoochie Mama is Over

The age of the Hoochie Mama is over

by Dr. Boyce Watkins | TheLoop21 in Culture & Society

It's time for hip hop, and its audience, to grow up.

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15-Year-Old Beaten By Police in Indianapolis

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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Teenage Boy Gets Beaten by Police

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Brandon Johnson: 15-Year Old Boy Beaten by Police in Indianapolis

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OJ Simpson Fights to Get a New Trial in Nevada

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Around the Web -- Jay-Z in Rolling Stone, Drake Was Rihanna's 'Pawn'? + More

  • In his third Rolling Stone cover article, Jay-Z speaks on aging gracefully in a youth-oriented ... Read More
  • By Journey Ade on Jun 10th 2010 5:45PM | Comments (2)