J & J Rundown: All About Jay-Z

Jay-Z and Kanye West to release full album

Jay-Z and Kanye West are working on a full album together.

The pair previously announced they were to collaborate for an EP called ‘Watch the Throne’, but Kanye has since revealed this will now become an album.

He told MTV:

“We’re putting out a whole album now. We had done five songs so far, but then a few of them kind of were out there – and I put them on my album. Sorry, Jay!”

Although Kanye used some of their initial ideas for his forthcoming ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ album – including the track “Monster”, a version of which featuring Jay-Z has been released – he added the pair have set a date to record again, and he doesn’t expect Jay to have any problems coming up with lyrics.

He added:

“We’re going to the South of France at the end of this month just to record new ideas. We’ll probably be done with the album in like a day or whatever. If you think about it, it’s really easy for Jay: He only has to think of, like, 10 verses!”

Kanye has a long association with Jay, working with the star as a producer on his breakthrough album ‘The Blueprint’ in 2001.

Jay-Z to Stump for Obama Again in 2012

During the 2008 presidential election, Jay-Z made it known that he was rooting for now-President Barack Obama. The rap superstar appeared at campaign rallies with Obama and even sang his praises during (typically sold-out) shows.

Jay-Z hasn’t been involved in the upcoming mid-term elections, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with politics. While speaking with the New York Post, Deputy White House Press Secretary William Burton made it sound like the Obama camp is expecting Jay-Z to help out in 2012.

Burton joked about the rapper taking over a key economic post before admitting his appeal to the Democratic party.

“In all seriousness, keep in mind he was pretty active during the 2008 election, so I don’t think it’d surprise anyone that he would be involved again,” Burton said. “But it’s a little premature.”

I’m A Business, Man! Jay-Z’s 10 Smartest Business Decisions According to Vibe Magazine

Guess who’s bizzack? Less than a month before the release of “Decoded”, a book that breaks down the meanings behind many of his most complicated lyrics, Jay-Z is proving once again why he landed atop of the Forbes “Hip-Hop Cash Kings” list late last summer.

Last week, Hov teamed up with Microsoft‘s search engine Bing to launch an advertisement campaign that will see pages from his upcoming book plastered to billboards throughout the country as well as surfaces like the bottom of a pool and the top of a pool table. Jay-Z fans are encouraged to use Bing to find and locate these pages, and the first fan that locates all of them and “decodes” them properly will win a chance

to catch a Jay-Z concert in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve.

It’s already proven to be an incredibly deft business move by Jay-Z. The promotion has given the book a ton of free press and a good chance of moving off bookshelves quickly on Nov. 16.

In honor of Hov‘s latest deal, VIBE looks back at 10 of his smartest business decisions. If you’ve ever wondered how he managed to take his life from Marcy to Madison Square, look no further.

Check out the list at VIBE.com.

“I think the list is a bit bogus. Nothing against VIBE by all means they are a great magazine. I just feel the list could have been put together more for his Business/Investment ventures, rather than what kind of champagne he prefers, but that’s just me.”

Here’s one from wikipedia.org:

Jay-Z has also established himself as an entrepreneur like his fellow hip hop moguls and friends, Russell Simmons, Dr. Dre and Sean “Diddy” Combs, who also have business holdings such as record companies and clothing lines. In an interview, he stated that “my brands are an extension of me. They’re close to me. It’s not like running GM, where there’s no emotional attachment.” He is the founder of the urban clothing brand Rocawear along with Damon Dash. Rocawear has clothing lines and accessories for men, women and children. The line was taken over by Jay-Z in early 2006 following a falling out with Dash. In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group, for $204 million. Jay-Z will retain his stake in the company and will continue to oversee the marketing, licensing and product development.He also co-owns The 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar that started in New York City and has since expanded to Atlantic City and Chicago. In 2008, the 40/40 club in Las Vegas was closed down and bought back by the hotel after attendance steadily declined. Future plans will see 40/40 Clubs in Tokyo and Singapore. In 2005, Jay-Z became an investor in Carol’s Daughter, a line of beauty products, including products for hair, skin, and hands, as well as fragrances.

Jay-Z serves as co-brand director for Budweiser Select and collaborates with the company on strategic marketing programs and creative ad development. He provides direction on brand programs and ads that appear on TV, radio, print, and high-profile events. He is a part-owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA team paying a reported $4.5 million for his share. He is interested in relocating the team to Brooklyn. In October 2005, he was reported in English media as considering buying a stake of Arsenal F.C., an English soccer team. He has also invested in a real estate development venture called J Hotels which recently acquired a $66 million mid-block parcel in Chelsea, New York. Jay-Z and his partners are contemplating constructing a high-end hotel or an art gallery building on the newly acquired site which has the potential to go up about twelve stories. Through his company Gain Global Investments Network LLC, had an interest estimated between 2 and 7% in the Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) consortium which in January 2010 was awarded a contract to operate a 4,500 slot machine racino at the Aqueduct Race Track. Jay-Z became interested in the project after New York Governor David Paterson who awarded the contract said there had to be an affirmative action component to the ownership. Jay-Z initially approached Steve Wynn who was also bidding on the contract. On March 9, 2010, Jay-Z and Flake withdrew from the project and Paterson recused himself from further involvement.

Jay-Z’s Interview With The Wall Street Journal

Here are excerpts from an interview from The Wall Street Journal with Jay-Z in his office.

WSJ: This book puts a frame around your career. When did you really start thinking about how you wanted to present your legacy?

Jay-Z: You think about legacy before you even start. When a kid is practicing on the basketball court, it’s “5-4-3-2-1 and the crowd goes crazy!”

As you start realizing your dreams and it’s tangible, you think about it in a real way. But I think that emotion happens from the beginning, from record one.

The legacy, I think about that as I make the music, all the time. How can I make the best album of all time? You always fail. But every time I go up to bat, I’m thinking how can I make an album better than “Thriller.”

WSJ: I’ve talked to some of your friends who say that when you guys make personal career decisions, you’re taking into account how the decisions will move hip-hop culture forward overall. Can you give me an example?

Jay-Z: For us, this is the music that saved a generation. So there’s a big responsibility for those who it saved to make sure that thing is intact for the next generation. We’re the first generation that really took advantage of it, starting with Puff [Daddy] and Master P, guys who really made a name and became successful as entrepreneurs.

Even more than that, when you’re under attack so much as a genre [as hip hop is], you’re forced to come together. But probably the last time we really came together on something was working for Obama, lending our voice and the people we had toward that campaign. Whether he does a great job or not is almost secondary to what it did for the dreams and the hopes of an entire race. Just based on that alone, it’s a success, the biggest we’ve had. Period. To date. It’s Martin Luther King’s dream realized. Tangible. In the flesh. You can shake his hand.

WSJ: What would you change about hip-hop if you could?

Jay-Z: We have to find our way back to true emotion. This is going to sound so sappy, but love is the only thing that stands the test of time. “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” was all about love. Andre 3000, “The Love Below.” Even NWA, at its core, that was about love for a neighborhood.

We’re chasing a lot of sounds now, but I’m not hearing anyone’s real voice. The emotion of where you are in your life. The mortgage scandal. People losing their jobs. I want to hear about that.

WSJ: What’s the most important decision you made along the way to help keep your career in your own hands?

Jay-Z: We got lucky. In the beginning we couldn’t get a deal. We had to work our own records in the beginning. It gave us a different way to negotiate when we came to the table. Most people get excited and take the first deal they’re offered. We had a little bit of success already, so we were stubborn enough to think that we could really do it at that point. They offered us a deal and we asked for a co-venture. That pretty much ensured that we’d have control from the beginning, from album one.

WSJ: You don’t hand out awards. Are there other things you say no to automatically?

Jay-Z: That doesn’t have anything to do with building the myth. I’m just uncomfortable speaking. I can do a stadium show for two hours and I’m in my comfort zone. But if you look at any of my acceptance speeches they’re maybe seven seconds. I want to get off the stage.

For more on his interview, check out The Wall Street Journal

Check out a video below of an exclusive Amazon.com interview with Jay-Z about his book “Decoded”

Jay drops some book knowledge in this exclusive interview for Amazon.com. He gives more detail about what we can expect from “Decoded” when it hits stores on November 16th.

Source: Zimbio

Related Articles

• Jay-Z & Kanye West To Release Full Album, Not EP (current.com)
• “Jay-Z To Campaign For President Obama? + Eminem Is The #1 Hottest MC?” and related posts (theybf.com)
• President Obama To Hire Jay-Z For 2012 Campaign? (current.com)
• Kanye West Cutting Album With Jay-Z (spin.com)
• Kanye And Jay-Z To Collaborate On A Full Album! (perezhilton.com)

J & J Rundown: Beyoncé & Jay-Z

Beyoncé Knowles & Jay-Z’s Busy Night in Miami & No Baby!

They’re in the lovely city of Miami, Florida for some promotional duties, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z were spotted keeping themselves busy on Wednesday night (October 20).

The “Crazy in Love” songstress looked lovely in a colorful dress as she made her exit from the Hotel Delano to find paparazzi waiting for her once hooked back up with her man after he tended to the Bing Launch of the DECODED Search Experience, also at Delano.

And yesterday, Ms. Knowles’ mother Tina appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (video below) to talk about Beyonce’s pregnancy rumors.

Tina stated,

“I heard that but I’m here to clear the rumors up… The truth is that’s it’s not Beyoncè that’s pregnant. It’s me… I’m kidding y’all. I’m 56. No, no it’s not true. Not right now.”

Check out the video from Miss Tina on the Ellen Show….

Beyoncé & Jay-Z expecting their first child!



Beyoncé pregnant!… The debate has been sparked back up again. She’s been through her fair share of baby rumors, and now there’s a report in Us Weekly, citing sources saying that the pop queen Beyoncé and her hip-hop mogul husband Jay-Z are expecting.

According to the source, the 29-year-old singer is pregnant with her first child and no one was more surprised than Beyoncé herself.

“B was shocked,” the source is quoted as saying. “She loves kids, but she wasn’t ready to be a mother just yet. She really wanted to get her album done and tour the world again.” Another insider says that the singer is in her first trimester, and realizes that “this is a gift from God and she’s so happy.”

Adding legitimacy to the reports are quotes from Beyonce’s sister Solange, who say’s Beyoncé has “the most beautiful heart, she’ll be a great mom,” and record executive Kevin Liles, who has known Jay-Z for years and is quoted as saying,

“Jay has been all about family since I met him, and he’s always going to be, I wish them the best.”

But is it true? This will be the question asked many times over in the coming days and weeks, so tell us what you think. Is Beyoncé pregnant? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Beyoncé & Jay-Z Take Miami

Fresh from a disappointing night at the Yankees stadium, Jay-Z jetted off to Miami, Florida where he and Beyoncé were spotted earlier today (October 20).

The “Run This Town” rapper and his beautiful “If I Were a Boy” singer wife looked lovely with Jay in a suit and tie and Beyoncé in a flashy red dress.

In case you haven’t heard, the famous couple is reportedly expecting their first child together, UsWeekly reported today.

Of the pregnancy, a friend of Beyonce’s told the magazine, “B was shocked. She loves kids, but she wasn’t ready to be a mother just yet.”

Jay-Z Can’t Help Yankees

Trying to help the Bronx Bombers pull off a win, Jay-Z and Leonardo DiCaprio were spotted at the New York Yankees baseball game (Tuesday, October 19).

The Jay-Z and DiCaprio both looked focused and frustrated as the boys in pinstripes put forth a miserable effort.

As for their accommodations, Jay and Leo watched the game from the front row in box seats owned by Alex Rodriguez.

And in the end, there wasn’t enough celebrity power to help the home team, as the Yankees lost 10-3, putting them down 3-1 against the Rangers in the ALCS Championships.

Check out some photos of the “Most Powerful Couple” below…

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Related Articles

• Beyonce Is Not Pregnant, Mom Says (bettyconfidential.com)
• Beyonce’s Mom Denies Pregnancy Rumors (mtv.com)
• Is Beyoncé Pregnancy Rumor a Marketing Move? (eonline.com)
• Tina Knowles Denies That Beyoncé Is Pregnant (pinkisthenewblog.com)
• Beyonce Is Not Pregnant Tina Knowles Ellen Appearance Clears Up Rumors (binsidetv.net)

J & J Rundown: All About Rihanna

Rihanna To Open The AMAs 2010

Rihanna will be the opening act for this year’s American Music Awards, according to Rap-Up.com and Universal Music.

Rihanna has been nominated for “Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist” along with Alicia Keys and Sade.

Also announced to perform are; Usher, P!nk, and Bon Jovi.

The 38th annual AMAs will air live on Sunday, November 21st, at 8 p.m. on ABC, which will be 5 days before her most anticipating album release for ‘LOUD’.

Rihanna is pre-nominated in three category for Favorite Female Artist , Favorite Song (“Love The Way You Lie“) & Favorite Pop Artist .

Cast your votes for Rihanna now!
Vote HERE for Favorite Female Artist
Vote HERE for Favorite Song
Vote HERE for Favorite Pop Artist

Rihanna’s Doritos Commercial Details

Rihanna’s Doritos commercial was supposed to come out on October 15, but it actually got released yesterday (Tuesday, October 19).

According to AccessHollywood.com & JustJared.com;

AccessHollywood.com: It may look like a music video for “Who’s That Chick?”, but Rihanna’s new video is what’s known as an augmented reality music experience where online viewers can choose between Rihanna’s bright and colorful light side or her sexy and sassy dark side. So how is Doritos making it happen? The only way to experience Rihanna and David Guetta’s “Who’s That Chick?” track and videos is through DoritosLateNight.com beginning on Oct. 19.

According to JustJared.com: Rihanna has a new Doritos commercial coming out later this month.

“There’s this new pop-up video technology called augmented reality. There will be a barcode on the Doritos chip bags, you go home and hold it up to your computer and a video will pop up. We shot the exact video twice – one in day, one in night. So the night version has everything different — it has everything is in the day version, it’s just black and gray. It’s darker and grittier. You’ll be able to click at any time and make it night and the same shot will show up just in the night version. It’s cool.”

When asked which version is more her now, Rihanna responded, “More of the day version. Only because I’ve started to incorporate a lot of different colors into my wardrobe now. I’m loving that direction. Right now, it feels good and right. It was a cool concept too because it was kind of one side of me and now, it’s evolving into the new colorful stuff that we’ve been doing.”

As for her favorite Doritos flavor, Rihanna loves Spicy Nacho. “I just like spicy chips; So of course that would be my favorite one… One of my make-up artists [Mylah Morales] and I carry around chili all the town. It’s sickening. I eat everything with red pepper.”

Check out the video for Rihanna’s “Who’s That Chick” Behind The Scenes

More Doritos Late Night Promotional Photos below….

Rihanna & Eminem- “Love The Way You Lie, Part 2”

Rihanna and is currently working with Eminem again, after their recent success of their single “Love the Way You Lie” – with the pair reportedly planning a sequel track.

She explained: “Eminem is a genius. He’s one of the cleverest poets around right now. His lyrics are unique. He tells a story, but in a very interesting way. I’d love to collaborate with him again. Actually, we’ve already been talking about it.”

The Alex Da Kid-produced song will appear on Rihannas’s forthcoming album ‘LOUD’, which drops in stores November 16th.

In the song “Love The Way You Lie (Part 2)“, Rihanna sings,

“Even angels have their wing cut schemes, and you take that to new extremes, but you will always be my hero, even though you lost your mind.”

No Collabo for Rihanna & Lady Gaga on ‘Loud’

The pop star Lady Gaga will not be featured on Rihanna‘s new album ‘Loud‘ despite the rumors which have been circulating for most of this week.

However, a spokesperson for Rihanna has branded the artwork a fake and told entertainment blog JustJared.com that the Umbrella songstress has not teamed up with Lady Gaga.

If the two pop heavyweights have collaborated, recent comments from Rihanna may have damaged their working relationship.

The Bajan beauty slammed Lady Gaga’s out-there sense of style, saying it is ‘boring’.

“A lot of people dress like Lady Gaga now. I’ve just stepped off into a whole new look and style,’ she said, adding: ‘The whole shoulder pad thing and the architectural look is so sharp-edged and tough. I’m over that.”

“I like floral prints now, which I never liked. Trends are boring,” she continued.

Rihanna is also rumored to be working on a duet with another pop superstar, Katy Perry.

‘I love Katy’s music! That’s why I wanna make a duet with her. We’re already working on it,’ she said earlier this month.

Her comments came after she slammed Katy and Lady Gaga’s music for being ‘generic’ during an interview with BBC Radio 1.

Check out the video below….

However, she later backtracked, saying she meant to criticize the producers who give all female artists the same type of songs.

Rihanna Wants To Work With Cheryl Cole

A source told The Sun newspaper:

“Rihanna is desperate to work with Cheryl. She fell in love with Cheryl’s single “Parachute”, from her debut solo album ‘3 Words’. She listens to it in her car the whole time.

“Rihanna really wants to record a track with Cheryl – and already has one in mind that she’s convinced she will love.”

The 22-year-old Barbadian also admitted she is in awe of Cheryl, who she thinks is “the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen“.

She said: “She is awesome, I think she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Like, how do you have a face like that, with hair like that and dimples, and a body like that, that’s proportioned like that. And you have a successful career, something about that is not right!”

Below is a list of her possible upcoming appearances so far.

CONFIRMED APPEARANCES:

Oct — | Doritos Campaign Kick Off
Oct 26 | Rihanna’s book release
Oct 27 | Book signing in NYC
Oct 30 | Saturday Night Live
Nov 16 | LOUD release (album)
Nov 17 | GMA Fall Concert Series
Nov 21 | American Music Awards – Intro performance

POSSIBLE APPEARANCES:

Nov 2 | Good Morning America
Nov 2 | The Late Show With David Letterman
Nov 4 | The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Nov 5 | Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Nov 15 |BET 106&Park
Dec 10 | Z10 Jingle Ball
— — | The View

UPCOMING MAGAZINES:

December 2010 – Marie Claire (UK)
Q Magazine (UK)

LAST GIRL ON EARTH TOUR – AUSTRALIA:

Feb 25, 2011 | Brisbane
Feb 28, 2011 | Newcastle
Mar 4, 2011 | Sydney
Mar 7, 2011 | Melbourne
Mar 8, 2011 | Melbourne
Mar 10, 2011 | Adelaide
Mar 12, 2011 | Perth

Source: The Sun Newspaper, Ultimate-Rihanna, JustJared.com, AccessHollywood.com, Rihanna-Daily.com

J & J. Rundown: MTV’s VMA Highlights

Sunday night at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards the audience went Gaga over the night’s top nominee while Taylor Swift and Kanye West delivered performances that reflected on the infamous incident that put them both in the spotlight after last year’s VMAs. So who were the winners at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards?

Comedian Chelsea Handler, who admitted she was “high as a kite”, hosted the 27^th annual VMAs, rocking a house on her head as she made her grand entrance on to the stage. Her monologue included the obligatory disses. After giving a nod to the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore, Handler told the audience, “Don’t applaud- they’re the reason MTV doesn’t play your videos.”

Musical guests at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards included Eminem, Rihanna, Usher, Justin Bieber, Florence and the Machine, Drake, Mary J. Blige, Swizz Beats, Taylor Swift, Linkin Park and Kanye West.

Lady Gaga accepted the Best Female Video Award from comedian Ellen DeGeneres. Gaga told her fans, “Tonight, little monsters, we’re the cool kids at the party.” And as Gaga accepted several awards throughout the evening, her constant costume changes kept things interesting. She also announced the title of her new album- “Born This Way”.

Eminem was also a big winner, but jetted from L.A.’s Nokia Theatre before accepting any of his awards. His show at Yankees Stadium was slated for today and he had to hit the road.

Let’s break it down!

The night opened up with Eminem performing his comeback hit “Not Afraid”, which lead into a surprise appearance by Rihanna for “Love the Way You Lie”.  Looking a lil Courtney Love circa 1995, but much cuter.

Hearing Rihanna’s voice come out of the blue and very unexpected gave me chills in a good way.

It was definitely nice to see her and Eminen performing together on stage. Definitely one of my picks for best performances of the night.

DOPE breakout song of the year.

Justin Bieber put on an a semi-good performance with great dancers, a cool drum solo and confetti.  He gets kudos for reacting fast to losing a drum stick. He had a quick recovery during his solo.

Next on stage was Justin’s mentor, Usher. His medley of “DJ Got Us Falling in Love”/”OMG ” was not my favorite performance to be honest. He barely sang anything. He sounded really bad and I was not a fan of the dancing. The ninja dancers descending from the ceiling were fun, but there wasn’t really anything memorable about the performance.

In my opinion Usher flopped this one.

Now was it me or were the majority of these performers lip synching? That was really starting to piss me off about the whole show.

Good punch line moment was when, Katy Perry hands Nicki Minaj the VMA Moon Man award and tells the rapper that’s she found her a  “stiff man”.

I needed the laugh and that to me was funny!

Florence and the Machine may have sung her hit song “Dog Days Are Over”, but what she should have been singing was “Underdog Days Are Over”. She was definitely one who had a great performance. While much of the music world has finally started to take notice of the phenom that is FATM, mainstream music listeners have only just started to see the singer on their radar. Florence showed the MTV VMAs what real singing is all about.

She sang her ass off….GREAT!!

Now off to the best collabo performances of the night besides Eminem & Rihanna‘s performance. I have to hand it over to the next performers of the night.

Bruno Mars got everyone hyped for his upcoming album when he and B.o.B. performed their huge hit “Nothin’ on You“.  B.o.B. kept the momentum going while performing his joining of two worlds collabo for “Airplanes” with Paramore’s Haley Williams.

Williams is super dope and has some serious swag.

Williams ended the performance while taking it back to her roots and performing with her band under a skyline of floating lightbulbs. This trifecta performance was likely was off of most people’s radar and yet delivered the most impressive talent of the night.

Drake got all “Fancy huh“, while rocking a white tuxedo jacket. His surprise guests consisted of Mary J Blige and Swizz Beatz. It was something expected from Drake, since he’s been on some serious hype lately. He’s everywhere! It was a good mood booster a very nicely high-energized performance.

Justin Bieber took home the moon man for Best New Artist award, but got a bit confused and couldn’t figure out how to get on the stage.

Linkin Park performed their song “Catalyst” off-location on the top of the Griffith Observatory. Good performance.

Last night was Lady GaGa’s night at the 2010 MTV VMA’s as she won 8 awards including “Video Of the Year.” GaGa rocked three crazy pieces of fashion, all of which seemed to be ones that she appeared in recently in magazine pictorials.

Later the legendary Cher took the stage, calling herself “the oldest chick with the biggest hair and the littlest outfit”. She also said she had shoes older than most of the VMA nominees.

Cher still looks good for her age. She still can rock a see-through outfit and not give a damn about what anybody says.

Cher presented Lady Gaga with the award for Best Video of the Year.

A well-deserved win for Gaga.

After shedding tears of joy, GaGa was emotional and moved by the win that she even went as far as telling fans the album title for her next album.  She scratched the plans of a New Year’s album title announcement and just blurted the three worded title. The album title for her next album will be called, “Born This Way”.

Now what was the deal with her meat dress? Really Gaga? I thought it was a bit way out of the box, but with Gaga you never really know what to expect.

She’s still DOPE!!

Now for the most anticipated, what I should be saying the most talked about performances of the night go out to Taylor Swift & Kanye West.

What a Difference a Year Makes…

A year after Kanye West stormed the VMA stage, stealing Taylor Swift‘s thunder as she accepted her award for best female video, the rapper was back on the VMA stage to make amends…

But first, Taylor Swift showed a mature and much more solemn side of herself. Swift performed her new song, “Innocents”,  off her yet to be released album ‘Speak Now’. The song was penned about West‘s infamous interruption of Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video at last year’s VMAs.  The video clip of the incident played at the beginning of her performance, making it clear who and what she was singing about. But the lyrics “32 and still growing up now” and “who you are is not what you did” seemed to offer forgiveness to the rapper. The song, forgiving West of his rudeness, is one of Swift’s strongest songs lyrically to date.

Now off to Mr. West…

Asis Ansari’s introduction for Kanye West should have been funny. It had all the makings to be a classic Ansari funny moment, but fell short. Like, really short.

Thankfully, Kanye’s performance did not fall short.

West ended the night on a high with his own pennance, delivering a song called “Runaway”, an ode to being a “d—-bag’ and offering a toast to “scumbags”.

Even more shocking?

Taylor Swift was nowhere in sight. While both artists had their performances slightly overshadowed by the anticipation of a possible cameo from one another, neither Swift nor West collaborated on either performance. A positive reuniting of the two music powerhouses would have easily been the show-stealer.

That definitely would have been the icing on the cake, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.

Lets not talk about the pre-show performance. Nicki Minaj & Will.i.am?! WACK as hell, now don’t get me wrong I am a fan of the both of them, but I feel the performance could have been superfly and it just went down the drain for me. I was not impressed. Sorry guys. This is just my opinion.

Oh and lets not forget Will.i.am’s black face and Nicki’s outfit. WTF was that?!! Bad, bad, bad fashion choices.

Major Winners at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards:

BEST FEMALE VIDEO
“Tik Tok” – Ke$ha
“California Gurls” – Katy Perry
“Video Phone (extend remix)” – Beyonce featuring Lady Gaga”Fifteen” – Taylor Swift
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga – WINNER

BEST ROCK VIDEO
“Ignorance” – Paramore
“Flash Delirium” – MGMT
“Kings and Queens” – 30 Seconds To Mars-WINNER

BEST MALE VIDEO
“Airplanes” – B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams
“In My Head” – Jason Derulo
“Not Afraid” – Eminem – WINNER

BEST POP VIDEO
“Tik Tok” – Ke$ha
“Nothing on You” – B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga – WINNER

BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO
“Airplanes” – B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams
“Forever” – Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem
“Pursuit Of Happiness” – Kid Cudi featuring MGMT & Ratatat
“Not Afraid”-Eminem – WINNER

BEST NEW ARTIST
“Tik Tok” – Ke$ha
“In My Head” – Jason Derulo
“Massive Attack” – Nicki Minaj featuring Sean Garrett
“The Ghost Inside” – Broken Bells
“Baby” – Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris – WINNER

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Kings and Queens” – 30 Seconds To Mars
“Not Afraid” – Eminem
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga – WINNER

BEST COLLABORATION
“Airplanes” – B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams
“Telephone” – Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce
“My First Kiss” – 3OH!3 featuring Ke$ha
“Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
“Video Phone (Extended Remix)” – Beyonce featuring Lady Gaga – WINNER

BEST DANCE MUSIC VIDEO
“Evacuate The Dancefloor” – Cascada
“OMG” – Usher featuring Will.I.Am
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga – WINNER

BEST ART DIRECTION
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga
“Not Afraid” – Eminem
“Video Phone (Extended Remix)” – Beyonce featuring Lady Gaga
“Dog Days Are Over” – Florence and the Machine – WINNER

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
“Telephone” – Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce
“Video Phone (Extended Remix)” – Beyonce featuring Lady Gaga
“OMG” – Usher featuring Will.I.Am
“Tightrope” – Janelle Monae featuring Big Boi
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga – WINNER

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Not Afraid” – Eminem
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga
“Little Lion Man” – Mumford and Sons
“Dog Days Are Over” – Florence + The Machine
“Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z and Alicia Keys – WINNER

BEST DIRECTION
“Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
“Not Afraid” – Eminem
“Kings and Queens” – 30 Seconds To Mars
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga-WINNER

BEST EDITING
“Not Afraid” – Eminem
“Rude Boy” – Rihanna
“Animal” – Miike Snow
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga – WINNER

BEST SFX (SPECIAL EFFECTS)
“21st Century Breakdown” – Green Day
“Symphonies” – Dan Black
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga
“Not Afraid” – Eminem
“Uprising” – Muse – WINNER

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO
“Symphonies” – Dan Black
“Stylo” – Gorillaz featuring Bobby Womack and Mos Def
“Strawberry Swing” – Coldplay
“Tighten Up” – The Black Keys-WINNER

Check out the photos and videos below…

Eminem & Rihanna

Lady Gaga

Taylor Swift

Kanye West

What do you think of the MTV VMAs 2010 Winners list for the Video Music Awards?

Source: MTV.com/YouTube

J & J. Rundown: You Have The Right To Remain Silent

J & J. Rundown: Love Is In The Air or Not?!

J & J. Rundown: Most Talked About Launches of The Week!

J & J Rundown: Top 10 Music News of the Week!

50 Cent Wants To Run Def Jam, Nore Is A Friend To The Gays & Kanye West, Fat Joe Calls On Heavyweights For New Album, T-Pain Runs From Death, Soulja Boy admitting he’s not a true hip-hop head, T.I., Flo Rida, and Ciara Drop Chris Brown, Rick Ross Disses G-Unit, 50 Cent; Offers Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks A Job,DMX attacks prison officer, and last but not least Rihanna in Mexico who may also turn out to be pregnant…

In this week’s J & J. Rundown we are tapping into what sources are all buzzing about this week. The streets are buzzing about 50 Cent planning a hostile takeover of Def Jam, N.O.R.E. co-signing Kanye West and the gays, Chris Brown being canceled out by rappers, T.I., Flo Rida, and R&B singer Ciara, Cam’ron unleashing a new aura,  Soulja Boy admitting he’s not a true hip-hop head, Fat Joe talks new album, T-Pain is getting threats via email and phone calls, Rick Ross has more beef towards G-Unit and 50 Cent, while he offers YaYo & Banks a job, DMX is now hitting officers while bing behind bars, and Rihanna resurfacing in Mexico and possible pregnancy rumors.

[Editor Note: These are stories that are getting the most buzz this week.]

1. 50 Cent Wants To Run Def Jam

50 Cent still owes Interscope Records two more albums before he becomes a free agent. Yet, contractual agreements and recently delayed album aside, the Queens rapper is already looking forward to joining Def Jam Records as president of the label. Chatting with Hot 97’s Angie Martinez, 50 revealed that he wants to hold Jay-Z’s former position as president of the historic label as a means to rid the company of his current nemesis Rick Ross and DJ Khaled. [Watch Here]

“When I run Def Jam I’m going to get rid of all of them. Khaled, all of them…they’re going baby…I don’t think that’s a bad idea if I have to go to get rid of Khaled and a few other artist over there that I really don’t like.”

After revealing such a sinister career move, Fif tried to defend himself from Angie’s accusation that he’s a bully. [Watch Here]

Geez, talk about someone you don’t want beef with. Here’s a guy who’ll go after a job just to get hired so that he can fire you. Damn. I can actually picture Def Jam pulling a publicity stunt and hiring Curtis as the president. Let’s hope they don’t. I can’t see him doing any better than Jay-Z. Who are the “other artist that I really don’t like” 50 plans to drop from Def Jam? Young Jeezy? Nas? Fabolous?

2. Nore Is A Friend To The Gays & Kanye West

If what they say about Kanye West’s sexual preference is true, West should be tickled pink to know he has a supporter in Nore. After spending some time in a Miami-Dade slammer for an altercation at Fatburger, the plump rapper got into a war of words with celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. In the exchange with Perez, Nore was accused of gay bashing for his harsh response to the openly gay blogger. They eventually squashed things. [Listen Here]

Nore went on Lip Service radio with Angela Yee & Leah Rose to defend his stance on gays. And to do so he used working with Kanye West as example of him getting along with homosexuals. Ooops! [Listen Here]

“Ain’t nothing wrong with loving cock. I got friends who love cock. I’ve done records with Kanye West. It’s cool. I’m not saying he’s gay, but if he is gay, Kanye West is somebody who doesn’t bother me at all.”

I know Nore tried, but there is really no way of cleaning up that spill. It’s good to know that working with Kanye is an acceptable level of homosexual tolerance rappers strive for these days. I guess if you’re Kanye, you can thank Nore for being so understanding and charge him double for the next beat he asks for.

3. T.I., Flo Rida, and Ciara Drop Chris Brown

The losses keep piling up for Chris Brown. Since his arrest for domestic violence during Grammy weekend, Brown has lost several endorsements and show dates. Now the troubled singer is missing out on the opportunity to work with friends in hip-hop. Due to the much-publicized incident between Brown and Rihanna some rappers are being forced to distance themselves from Brown by erasing his name from projects he’s collaborated on. According to reports, Brown is being removed from all promotions of the movie Bone Deep, which he stars in alongside T.I.

Meanwhile Flo Rida tells Hollyscoop that he had to drop a song from his upcoming album R.O.O.T.S that featured Brown.

“I recorded a great song with Chris but I won’t be releasing it now because of what’s going on with him and Rihanna. It could have been my next number one.”

The back lash just doesn’t stop for Chris Brown. One month ago he was dating one of the hottest chicks in the game, now he can’t even make it onto a Flo Rida album. I am curious to see how long Brown’s exile will last. R. Kelly pissed on and slept with a 15-year-old girl and he was making records with Jay-Z, T.I., T-Pain (he shouldn’t count he makes records with everyone), Ciara and a host of others after the fact.

Word is Ciara scrapped plans for a duet with the troubled star following his alleged altercation with girlfriend Rihanna.

Ciara’s track “Turntables” was supposed to feature vocals by Brown – but she now claims the tune will be heard “a little bit differently”, prompting rumors she’s re-recorded over his contributions.

To add more to the fire, Miami rapper Flo Rida has also pulled his collaboration with Brown from his forthcoming album R.O.O.T.S.

This may be a good thing for Chris Anyway…he needs to get his personal life back on track.

I get the feeling everyone is waiting for the charges to be dropped (and it seems likely) then Brown will be back in the music world’s good graces.

4. Cam’ron Got Swag?

Cam’ron’s been gone for awhile, but he’s hardly impressed by the current swagger phenomenon in hip-hop. In fact the Harlem rapper believes it’s something he started with his Dipset crew. In an interview with DJ Booth, Cam unveils the next level of swag, Aura. [Listen Here]

“I’m up to aura right now. I swear I’m past swagger. My swagger, if you on 100%, I’m on 230%. I’m up to aura. After swagger it’s aura. So my aura is crazy right now. Everything is swagger this, swagger that. We put swagger on the map. Not saying we’re the inventors of swagger and we made it up, but you know we was using swagger-jacker and everything else years ago. I’m up to aura now. My aura is on 230.”

Not sure this “aura” thing is going to catch on, but appreciate someone moving on from swagger. I like the fact that Cam still uses “we”. Seems like he really does have a soft spot for his homies Jim Jones and Juelz Santana.

Should Cam’ron be taking credit for putting swag on the map ?

5. Soulja Boy admitting he’s not a true hip-hop head

Here’s some news that you probably already knew, Soulja Boy doesn’t do “real” hip-hop. Gasp! A week after saying he planned to dumb down his next album following his failed attempt at highbrow rap, the teenybopper rapper came clean on why he doesn’t consider his music “real” hip-hop. During an interview at Los Angeles radio station 102.7 KIISFM, Soulja was asked why he’s attacked by others for not doing real hip-hop.[Watch Here]

“Cause what I do to them is not true hip-hop. One day we was in New York listening to the radio, I don’t know what station it was, but they was rapping, and dude came in like ‘this is real hip-hop’. I was like you know what I’m like the total opposite of that. I don’t do nothing like that. That’s why when they be like ‘Soulja Boy I don’t like you, you not hip-hop’, I be like cool. I done heard what they call real hip-hop and my music don’t sound nothing like that.”

Duh! The fact that it took him this long to figure this out is scary. I guess he wasn’t listening when Ice-T said he wasn’t real hip-hop. Lost in between the multiple suggestions that Soulja Boy “eat a d*ck”, Ice pointed out several reasons why Soulja wasn’t making real hip-hop.

6. Fat Joe Calls On Heavyweights For New Album

Fat Joe has announced plans to release his ninth solo project Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 this spring featuring guest appearances by a variety of rap stars including Lil’ Wayne, T-Pain and Fabolous.

The Bronx, New York-bred emcee revealed the album’s motivation earlier this week speaking with radio personality Jenny Boom Boom.

“The album will be in stores April 7,” he said. “I’ve just been making that hit mania…It just feels big. My first album Jealous Ones Still Envy was my biggest album and I haven’t did no album to this day that I felt I made music as big as that. So I just went hit mania on this one right here. It feels great.” (Jenny Boom Boom)

His upcoming album will feature a diverse grouping of artists and producers.

Joe’s new project will have guest appearances by Ron Browz, Fabolous, Lil’ Kim, T-Pain, Lil’ Wayne, Raekwon, Akon along with production from Jim Jonsin, The Incredibles and The Street Runners. Cuts from the album include “One” and “Winding On Me.” (Press Release)

The Terror Squad leader’s latest effort will drop via EMI Music.

“We are thrilled to be backing Fat Joe’s latest creation and continuing EMI’s relationship with him,” said Dominic Pandiscia, senior vice president and GM of EMI Label Services. “He’s a significant musical and cultural force whose appeal cuts across so many different genres and fans. This is a great record and the response is terrific.” (Press Release)

Joe’s upcoming project will be his third on the label.

The raw Me, Myself and I from 2006 found the rapper on his own Terror Squad imprint, which was distributed by EMI. His second album for the label, The Elephant in the Room, appeared in 2008. (All Music)

7. T-Pain Runs From Death

This week T-Pain dodges death threats. It looks like somebody in Guyana hates AutoTune. According to Associated Press reports, Grammy winnger T-Pain was recently forced to call off a performance Monday in the South American country after receiving death and kidnapping threats over the weekend.

Kerwin Bollers says Monday’s performance for Carnival celebrations was called off after e-mail and phone threats from an unidentified source. Police Commander Leroy Bollers reported Sunday that authorities will investigate.

If not for threats, Pain would have headlined one of Guyana’s Monday’s Mash 2009 “mega-concert,” coinciding with the country’s Carnival festivities. T-Pain had been the biggest name U.S. entertainer scheduled to play Guyana in years. Rebel Talking… Sounds like somebody took the whole “Death to AutoTune” phrase too literally. Be safe (and put down the vocoder) Pain!

8. Rick Ross Disses G-Unit, 50 Cent; Offers Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks A Job

Rick Ross’ last diss track aimed at 50 Cent was Don’t Count The Boss Out, hinting he wasn’t done with the hip-hop beef started between the two rivals. Well now, Ross has released a video blog dissing G-Unit including 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.

“Ain’t no monkey talk, this money talk,” stated Ross. “Be honest. Ask yourself. When was the last time you saw a monkey look this nice?” Ross added regarding his swag.

The rapper went into his shades sayin “you can’t buy these out the store” then started in immediately on G-Unit’s Tony Yayo.

“You f-cking monkeys, you work for me. I’m sonning you n-ggas. F-cking Tony Yayo been snorting coke for the last 44 years. The other guy just suck d-cks on his off day. And the f-cking monkey is just a monkey. You work for me now, you got a job,” Ross says.

Then asks, “Ladies, aren’t I beautiful?”

Rick Ross then disses 50 Cent’s vitamin water stating it tastes like medicine and stresses that he will disrespect 50 Cent until he “bow(s) down.”

Later the rapper took a moment to plug in promotion mentioning that his album Deeper Than Rap is dropping March 24th.

“This is one of the greatest points in my life. This is one of the best points of my career. Me sonning this monkey is a major accomplishment for me,” Ross states.

Ross then continues to talk about 50 Cent wearing wigs as seen in 50 Cent’s episodes of his Pimpin’ Curly series sparked from Ross in the diss track “Kiss My Pinky Ring, Curly.”

“I disrespected him as much as I could. It’s like, he’s Sabrina Sin. R.I.P. You f-cking, f-cking Curly f-g. You f-cking drag. That’s what I’ma call you, drag now,” Ross continues.

“N-gga representing New York in drag? Mayne, muthaf-cking Biggie wanna get out the grave and blow your brains out n-gga. Jay-Z wouldn’t put on a curly wig, Biggie wouldn’t put on a curly wig, Rakim wouldn’t do it. So, why would ya’ll give this homosexual the opportunity and the luxury to see the financial success he has. It’s ‘09 now. Let’s just take him for what he really is – he’s a monkey. He’s a gay monkey. We laughing at him, specially in the South. You don’t even have a chance n-ggas don’t go to yo wack website.. n-ggas getting money for real,” added Ross.

Then Ross seemed to go back and reference a diss 50 Cent put together aimed at Risk Ross when 50 Cent brought out Rick Ross’ baby momma Tiallondra “Tia” Kemp to NY and took her shopping.

“I’ma keep sh-tting on ‘em so keep taking my bitches shopping you f-cking drag queen, I’m laughing atcha,” stated Ross.

Then Ross takes aim at Lloyd Banks and warns Banks that if he rocks his Statue of Liberty chain again, he will send out a hit on him.

“Ay! You d-ck sucka Lloyd Banks, if you come out one mo’ time with that ugly cheap ass Statue of Liberty piece you then had for the last 4 years, I’ma personally put a 100 grand hit out on yo d-ck sucking ass. Find his b-tch ass in a trunk,” warns Ross.

Ross goes on in the video to say that he doesn’t respect G-Unit and will never respect them as he takes aim at Tony Yayo.

“Tony Yayo, you 48 years old been snorting powder 40 years, keep it real” stated Ross.

Ross aims to keep the beef with 50 Cent going, claims he’s got others boycotting vitamin water, and says 50 Cent’s career is finished.

“You’re career is finished n-gga. Bow down,” stated Ross. “Lloyd Blanks, you suck d-ck. I’ll tell your mama that. The other 48-year-old n-gga, just keep it real man. We was kids when you was running around first getting on powder. And the other n-gga, I’ma son you the rest of your life. You’re my son!”

Ross then goes in on Sha Money and offers Money, Yayo, and Banks a job with him.

“Sha Money! He gon’ fire you again, you know whenever he feel himself, he fire all you n-ggas…,” stated Ross.

“So next time he fires you Sha Money, come work for me… since he paying everybody but ya’ll n-ggas — when the last time he paid Tony Yayo grandma? Tony Yayo, look in the mirror and ask him the last time he took yo’ grandma shopping? Lloyd Banks, y’all been loyal to this monkey, y’all n-ggas should kill that n-gga at the next meeting and come holla at me, I’ll give you $100,000,” the rapper jokes. [Watch Video]

9. DMX attacks prison officer

Rapper DMX who pled guilty to multiple charges on last December and was sentenced to serve a 90 day sentence, is yet again in trouble with the law, but this time it’s while he’s in prison. This is the second time this month the rapper has gotten himself in trouble. DMX reportedly assaulted a Sheriff’s detention officer which was somewhat predicted by the rapper. Earlier this month DMX was placed in lock-down and was given only bread and water after allegedly threatening to assault detention officers.

DMX who recently did a video interview earlier this year while in inside the Maricopa County Jail in Phoenix told viewers and watchers he was going to look at in a positive light as he possibly came to prison to meet someone and give them a message.

Could this may have been the other way around?

After the rapper refused to report to work, became abusive to deputies by telling them that he already had a job and didn’t need it and failed to report for his medication and making threats that he might assault someone to gain respect, he was placed in lockdown.

Seems that DMX meant what he said. But DMX made this clear in his interview, “Don’t believe everything you read, don’t believe everything you hear, and only believe half of what you see.”

Meanwhile, the rapper has been charged with felony aggravated assault, according to FOX Phoenix. If convicted from the charges, DMX’s probation may be revoked and his 90 day stay in Phoenix may be extended to 8 long years in prison.

10. Rihanna in Mexico

Rihanna has resurfaced.

After being shuttled to various locations over the past two weeks to protect her privacy, the 21-year-old star was photographed this weekend on the beach in Punta Mita, Mexico. She previously logged short stints in Los Angeles and her native Barbados.

Photos of her south-of-the-border sojourn first ran in Thursday’s print edition of the New York Daily News and were later obtained by E! News. She does not appear to show any of the bruising that was so clearly visible in her leaked police photo.

The images were reportedly snapped at a private villa on Saturday, a day after she celebrated her milestone birthday in L.A. Aside from a few backseat shots, it’s the first time Rihanna’s been photographed in public since the Feb. 8 altercation with Chris Brown that left her hospitalized.

Yesterday the L.A. district attorney’s office said the investigation was still open and no decision on charges has been made.

Rihanna pregnant?…

Did an unplanned pregnancy prompt the argument that left R&B crooner Chris Brown facing felony assault charges?

Just days before the alleged assault that resulted in serious injuries for bruised and bloodied pop star Rihanna, the 21-year-old hitmaker visited an OB-GYN at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles because she feared she was pregnant with Chris’ baby, snitching celebrity insiders blab in the March 9 edition of Star Magazine.

A shaken Rihanna scurried into the clinic dressed in black with her eyes shield by large sunglasses.

“She was extremely fidgety. She seemed totally uncomfortable,” an eyewitness at the doctor’s office reveals.

Pals say Rihanna feared a pregnancy would further strain her already tenuous relationship with the 19-year-old “Run It” star.

“She was scared he would react badly,” says an insider.

Rihanna told friends: “All I could think was, ‘Oh, my God, I could lose the baby!’”

Source: Various Sources

“Well readers this all for now. Get at us at if you have something juicy to share with us or if you wish to be featured on our blog. Your opinions are kindly appreciated on any of these topics.

Will 50 get DefJam? Your thoughts on Nore? Who should be on Fat Joe’s new album? Should T-Pain still perform and become one of the greatest? Is Soulja Boy a true hip-hop artist, your thoughts? Should T.I., Flo Rida, and Ciara Drop Chris Brown from their albums and movie roles? Should Rick Ross stop the beef he has with G-Unit, 50 Cent? Should DMX get more time? And do you think Rihanna is really pregnant?

Let us know your thoughts. Have a great weekend! Enjoy!

Kiss Kiss,
jnelj4u

J & J Rundown: Top Ten Singles of the Week!

This week’s top ten singles according to Billboard are as follows…

1. Lady GaGa featuring Colby O’Donis – Just Dance
2. Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
3. Kanye West – Heartless
4. T.I. featuring Rihanna – Live Your Life
5. Taylor Swift – Love Story
6. All-American Rejects – Gives You Hell
7. Jason Mraz – I’m Yours
8. Katy Perry – Hot N Cold
9. Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil Wayne – Let It Rock
10. Britney Spears – Circus

Lady GaGa featuring Colby O’Donis – Just Dance YouTube Video.