50 Cent and Bette Midler BFFing
It's official hip-hop is the safest most family-friendly mainstream music in America. Curtis Jackson, AKA 50 Cent, teamed up with Bette Midler for a second year in a row to help fix a park. What, you were expecting a duet? Maybe Mr. Cent was listening to “Wind Beneath My Wings" when he was recuperating from those 9 gunshot wounds. Hopefully the unlikely besties will collaborate musically! Progress: 97 steps forward.
Beyonce releases new video “Ego”
Does Beyonce’s ego prevent her from making another video concept? People like to say that Woody Allen makes the same film over and over again so why does Bey get a pass? I’m not denying her talent (her musical talent), but why are all of her videos essentially rehashes of the same Bob Fosse concept? Boh-ring! Still, watching her dance with two women who aren’t Destiny’s Child always amuses me. Progress: 798 step-ball-changes backward.]]>
Even though Blindie already covered the reunion of America’s most beloved black family, pre-Obama era, there can never be enough said about the Huxtables. Before Barack and Michelle came on the scene, they were our black royalty… despite being fictional. I know we were all supposed to feel all warm and fuzzy seeing the Huxtable clan with Matt Lauer during breakfast, but the whole thing just made me wish that maybe it’s time to stop carrying a torch for The Cosby Show and put some TV shows on the air in THIS CENTURY that feature people of color that are just as progressive. After all, the show debuted 25 years ago! It’s a shame there hasn’t been a show to fill the Cosby gap and clearly the networks aren’t looking either because they gave us My Wife and Kids, The Bernie Mac Show and Girlfriends. Trust us, nobody will be talking about those shows 25 years from now. If more people watched, we might be talking about The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. C’mon people!
Progress: 100 steps backward. Sadly, boasting about the progressiveness of The Cosby Show for 25 years has reversed all the advancement and social change the show caused in its original eight-year run.
50 Cent and Bette Midler BFFing
It’s official hip-hop is the safest most family-friendly mainstream music in America. Curtis Jackson, AKA 50 Cent, teamed up with Bette Midler for a second year in a row to help fix a park. What, you were expecting a duet? Maybe Mr. Cent was listening to “Wind Beneath My Wings” when he was recuperating from those 9 gunshot wounds. Hopefully the unlikely besties will collaborate musically!
Progress: 97 steps forward.
Beyonce releases new video “Ego”
Does Beyonce’s ego prevent her from making another video concept? People like to say that Woody Allen makes the same film over and over again so why does Bey get a pass? I’m not denying her talent (her musical talent), but why are all of her videos essentially rehashes of the same Bob Fosse concept? Boh-ring! Still, watching her dance with two women who aren’t Destiny’s Child always amuses me.
Progress: 798 step-ball-changes backward.
With the recent news about Chris Brown and Rihanna's domestic abuse drama, Kanye West spoke out in support of his former tour mate.
Not only did he call Rihanna "my baby sis," but the Grammy-winning rapper and producer went as far as calling her "the most important artist in music."
And while we're on West's loose flattery, Blindie compiled a list of his prior hyperbole relating to his musical peers:
Kanye West on Beyoncé in December 2008: "Nobody really wants to recognize that Beyoncé is a f***ing living legend and that she is just as great, if not greater, than the artists that we had in the past…that she’s probably greater than Tina Turner."
Kanye West on Justin Timberlake in August 2007: "My biggest inspiration and biggest competition is Justin Timberlake. He's the only other person that gets an across-the-board response and respect level -- black radio, white radio...We push each other. I look at me and Justin like Prince and Michael Jackson in their day."
Kanye West on frenemy 50 Cent in January 2009: "50 is one of those rappers that I said was the end all be all of what rap what supposed to be. Like a true iconic rapper."
Kanye West on Rihanna in February 2009: "Rihanna is so important to our culture, to pop music. I feel like she is the most important artist in music and has the most potential. Her taste level and her age ... she has the potential to be the greatest artist of all time."
Kanye West on Kanye West in November 2008: "I want to be Elvis," he said during an acceptance speech at the American Music Awards. But days later he clarified, "I really should have thought that out more because that statement was actually really incorrect. Actually, the true statement was 'I want to be better than Elvis.'"]]>
With the recent news about Chris Brown and Rihanna‘s domestic abuse drama, Kanye West spoke out in support of his former tour mate.
Not only did he call Rihanna “my baby sis,” but the Grammy-winning rapper and producer went as far as calling her “the most important artist in music.”
And while we’re on West’s loose flattery, Blindie compiled a list of his prior hyperbole relating to his musical peers:
Kanye West on Beyoncé in December 2008: “Nobody really wants to recognize that Beyoncé is a f***ing living legend and that she is just as great, if not greater, than the artists that we had in the past…that she’s probably greater than Tina Turner.”
Kanye West on Justin Timberlake in August 2007: “My biggest inspiration and biggest competition is Justin Timberlake. He’s the only other person that gets an across-the-board response and respect level — black radio, white radio…We push each other. I look at me and Justin like Prince and Michael Jackson in their day.”
Kanye West on frenemy 50 Cent in January 2009: “50 is one of those rappers that I said was the end all be all of what rap what supposed to be. Like a true iconic rapper.”
Kanye West on Rihanna in February 2009: “Rihanna is so important to our culture, to pop music. I feel like she is the most important artist in music and has the most potential. Her taste level and her age … she has the potential to be the greatest artist of all time.”
Kanye West on Kanye West in November 2008: “I want to be Elvis,” he said during an acceptance speech at the American Music Awards. But days later he clarified, “I really should have thought that out more because that statement was actually really incorrect. Actually, the true statement was ‘I want to be better than Elvis.’”
Ever the versatile businessman -have you bought his business advice book yet? 50 Cent recently participated in the Turkish version of Deal Or No Deal called Varmisin Yokmusun.
Usually American celebrities don’t resort to television game shows until they’ve lost their bankability, but considering this game show is allt he way in Turkey and the contestants are so giddy to be in the presence of the G-Unit rapper, we’ll let it pass.
Watch a contestant thank 50 Cent profusely for helping him lose weight with his songs! And 50 say “no deal” in Turkish!
Rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cent teams up with Robert Greene, bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power, to explain the laws of power of the business world in his new book The 50th Law.
Describing the book as an urban take on Greene’s 48 Laws, 50 Cent says it will “create and capture a visible parallel between street life and coporate America standard and structure.”
In a recent Fortune magazine article Greene compares the rapper to Parisien diplomat Talleyrand and French general Napoleon Bonaparte for his fearlessness and willingness to take risks and says “the book shows how powerfully that works in a business sense.”
50 Cent is definitely no slouch when it comes to business, as he’s already successfully launched his own clothing and sneaker line, and partnered with numerous companies to brand a range of products from condoms, body sprays, and a flavored drink to his own label G-Unit Records with Interscope and a book publishing arm with MTV and Pocket Books.
The 50th Law is set to be released in November.