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Jordan Sparks on 'Idol Tour, Record Debut
KANYE WEST BREAKS HIS SILENCE
Rapper Kanye West
broke down during his performance last Saturday
(November 17th) night in Paris but on Sunday (November 18th) night, when the
rapper took the stage in Brussels, Belgium, he seem to have it more together.
MTV.com reports that West spoke about his late mother, Dr. Donda West,
who was buried in Oklahoma City on Tuesday (November 20th).
West told the audience,
"(These songs are for) problems that we're going through ... hard times -- "Who
would ever have thought that these same songs would have to help me? Every
show, every song I do has a different meaning to me now, whether it's 'Heard 'Em
Say" -- 'nothing's ever promised' -- 'Can't Tell Me Nothing," 'Jesus Walks,"
'Touch The Sky" ... '(what) don't kill me can only make me stronger!'"
West also shared that too many
people were trying to give him advice. He said, "People call me, they say,
'Well, you need to do this, you need to do that,' and about 50 people, a
hundred people that I ain't never talked to in the past three years call me out
the blue, talking about, 'I just wanna tell you that I'm giving you support and
stuff.' And I appreciate the support and all that, but don't suggest what I'm
supposed to do. 'What you need to do, you just need to stop touring, you need
to go home and clear your head.' Go home to what, motherf***er? 'Because if
they see you out, and you go outside and then the media catches it.' Man, f**k
the media! Nobody can tell me anything about, you know, when they talk about
celebrity lives and real lives and the difference between always being on TV --
right now, you can't tell me nothing."
While
speaking over an instrumental of "Hey Mama," West explained, "And there's
nothing that she loved more than to come to the shows and scream louder than
any fan, because she was my first fan that was screaming before anybody else,
and my first manager. If she was here, she would tell me to 'get on that stage
and kill it, dawg!' That was her favorite word: dawg. She would tell me to go
on this Glow in the Dark Tour and 'take over the world and be number one
like I taught you to be, baby.' So I just wanna take this time out -- I wanna
dedicate this to my mother because the words, the lyrics to the song, it really
connects to me and it really explains, and then it says exactly what she would
want me to do -- and that's not stop believing."
In other
news, Kanye West, Bill Clinton, and James Bond star Daniel
Craig are the honorees of GQ's 12th Annual Men of the Year issue.
Each star will grace one of the three separate covers of the magazine's Men of
the Year issue. GQ articles editor
Jason
Gay told Allhiphop.com, "What can we say about Kanye West? With his
album Graduation, he called a home run shot and he delivered. His
victorious battle with 50 Cent gave a shot of adrenaline to an industry
that badly needed a boost, and his collaborations with everyone from Daft
Punk to T-Pain solidified his place as one of music's boldest
innovators. We're sure Kanye believes he is Men of the Year material -- and w e
agree."
Lil Wayne
also made GQ's Men of the Year list which also included: Daft Punk,
Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Simon Cowell, Tom Hanks, Roger
Federer, Alex Rodriquez, Ryan Howard, Channing Tatum
and life saver Derek O'Dell (Virginia Tech student).
Gay
explained, "It was impossible to find a more dynamic force in music this
year than Lil Wayne. From his mix tapes to his contributions to other people's
hits to the still unreleased but eagerly anticipated album Tha Carter III,
Wayne dominates the game -- and is easily the hardest working man in Hip-Hop."
In related
news, Lil Wayne will release an album of leaked material, titled Tha Carter
III: The Leak, on December 18th.
Behind the Scenes: 106
and Park Hosts Terrence and Rocsi Spill the Beans
By
Andrew Bess
Rocsi and Terrence J are the flirtatious pair of hosts for BET’s 106 and Park’s
Top Ten Live. Not only is the show the highest rated on the network, but also
holds the title of most popular music countdown show in the world. What the
on-air flirting really means, the 50 versus Kanye beef, and hosting the 2007
Who Runs the Yard Step Show.
Andrew Bess:
Hey guys thanks for taking the time to talk to XPOZ Magazine.
Rocsi:
No Problem.
Terrence J:
Yeah, no problem.
Andrew Bess:
Congratulations on hosting BET’s number one show for the network. A few years
back you two won the New Faces Contest to get the chance to host the 106
& Park. Did you have any idea of how long you would be the hosts or was it
something tossed up in the air?
Rocsi:
When we won, it wasn’t really told to us what was going to be our contract.
Andrew Bess:
As hosts of a popular music program you get to meet tons of celebrities. Are
there any that stick out in your minds as favorites? And who are some
entertainers you both look forward to meeting?
Terrence J:
For me it’s definitely Janet Jackson and Gabriella Union. In the future I would
like to meet Barack Obama and Opera.
Rocsi:
Umm, I can’t help it but Denzel Washington [laughs]. He took my future one in
Opera. She is the woman; she is bigger than the president.
Andrew Bess:
On March 30th, of this year you guys announced 106 & Park was the
top video show in the world. What does that mean for you two and for urban
music in general?
Rocsi:
I think that shows the credibility of the show and the longevity of the network
and hip-hop and music in general. A lot of people refer to the show to see if
we are on point to just se if we know what we are talking about. For us it
means a great deal. 106 and Park has always been the #1 countdown show across
the country and has always beaten out the competitors. All the previous hosts
before us obviously did a great job and we just try to uphold that same
position.
Andrew Bess:
106 recently took part in one of the biggest hip-hop events in the past few
years airing the Clash of the Titans with Kanye and 50. How big was this show
and what’s your take on the two albums?
Terrence J:
That was a huge show, not just for 106, but for hip-hop. Not just in ratings
but just to have that sort of energy about hip-hop. We were really excited to
be apart of that show. It’s in retrospect now. Kanye definitely did his thing
and his album is phenomenal and big shouts to 50 who is also a good friend of
the show.
Rocsi:
I would say 50’s album is a great workout album, and Kanye’s album is more of a
chill album.
 Andrew
Bess: So do you feel the highlights
of the show take away from the terrorist attack of 9/11? There were remarks
about how Terrence referred to the show as the most memorable day for September
11th and some negative comments arose for not mentioning that event.
Terrence J:
I mean first of all, if they were criticizing what I said on the show that
means that they were at home watching the show. [Rocsi laughs]. They were no
better than me if they were sitting there watching our show and they weren’t at
no monument. One thing about NYC and the heart of this country is that we move
on. We took what another country did to us and try to turn it into something
positive with music and celebration and celebrate life because that’s all we
can do. I just hope everybody enjoyed the show it was great television.
Hopefully anybody that was going through something they might have been able to
get their mind off it. Kanye and 50’s record releases were and are the highest
releases of the year so far, and critics can say what they want but that just
proves that the people wanted the music.
Rocsi:
Our network [BET] did cover the event on other shows. I didn’t see any other
networks shut down programming to dedicate it all to 9/11. [Raises voice] They
still had their Frazier’s playing, they were still watching Martin. So to just
criticize us for one show on an entire network is just unfair.
Terrence J:
I want to give a shout out to all the haters and bloggers out there.
Andrew Bess:
Speaking about pairs, what’s the relationship status between you two? Are you
guys dating or what?
Terrence J:
[Both Laugh]. Rocsi: Are we dating? [Terrence J:] I take her out
every night. You wanna watch our dates? You can tune into televisions. It’s on
their every day and you can watch us flirt. But as far as our lives, we just
like to keep our personal lives personal.
Andrew Bess:
Well than hypothetically speaking- since you don’t want to talk about private
lives, how is it to have an on-air relationship and if you guys fight how hard
is it to hide it in front of the millions of people watching?
Rocsi:
It comes down to being professional- that’s one aspect about it. We have our
disagreements every once in awhile but it never takes away from what we have to
do on our show. Just because we are having things, doesn’t mean we can take
that out on everybody or the millions of people watching every day. We try to
keep everything personal away from the show, and when we are on it’s all about
the kids and having fun.
Andrew Bess:
So you two hosted the 2007 Who Runs the Yard Step Show as a pair in Los
Angeles. I know Terrence you are a lifetime member of the Omega Psi Phi
Fraternity. Did you step in college?
Terrence J:
I used to rep when I was back in college. I would probably strain a muscle if I
tried it now, so I’m going to leave it up to the youngsters.
Andrew Bess:
So who runs the yard on 106 & Park and in the relationship?
Terrence J:
Rocsi hands down. [Rocsi laughs in agreement]
Get to know more about VBLAZIN
interviewer Andrew Bess at:
www.myspace.com/hustleupproductions
Christmas with Baroness
By: Andrew C.
Zinn
 You
may or may not know it, but when I am not writing for VBlazin, I have a day job
in retail. The other day at work, I thought about all the things that people
buy other people during this time and how useless most of it is. I wanted to
relate that same concept to the music industry. I would suppose that 90% of the
records sold during the Christmas season will be garbage. I want to help you
avoid buying some useless crap, so here is my pick for the album that should be
on your Christmas list for everyone you know. The album is titled “The Red
Album” by Baroness. It was released in 2007 on Relapse records and is, in my
opinion, the most ground breaking record produced in ten years.
Baroness has worked hard for many years in the heavy rock underground. With
their release of “The Red Album”, they are taking their first stab at reaching
a much larger audience. They are a part of a huge metal, punk, and hardcore
movement that is exploding out of Savannah, Georgia. I would compare Savannah’s
music scene to the one that New Orleans had about ten years ago. Often times
when there are many bands coming out of a particular area, they tend to talk
shit about each other and not help each other. That is what was great about the
New Orleans scene back then and what is great about this scene in Georgia now.
These bands all help each other out, do shows together, and even swap members
from time to time. It’s a shame that the Savannah bands were not appreciated
for their hard work and devotion but “The Red Album” has brought an end to
that. Savannah bands are now going to get the respect they have earned.
The cover art for “The Red Album” is incredible. The artist, John Dyer Baizley,
is also from Savannah. Baizley put together a beautiful cover for Baroness and
has done several album covers for other bands. I would compare his style to
Mucha mixed with Pusshead who did Metallica artwork back in the day. The heavy
red saturation of color is a perfect fit with the album’s music. The color red
excites sex and violence in the brain and I believe that is what they were
going for. But then again, opinions are like assholes. I have been known to be
wrong quite a bit. Regardless of my theories, the artwork compliments the music
seamlessly.
Baroness has been around for awhile and recorded several other albums. All of
these albums are great but “The Red Album” is greater. It is epic and bigger
than itself. The music is sadness, rage, and triumph rolled into one. The music
is a rollercoaster of emotion that takes the listener from the brink of suicide
all the way back to thinking about good times you had with an old friend. The
guitar work, bass lines, and drumming are intricate but not too over the top.
Baroness arranged the music in a way that I have never heard before. They mix
vocal patterns and guitar riffs in a curious way. Some of the harmonies are
used with different tempos and guitar riffs are mixed with different harmonies.
It is very hard to explain so I will stop trying. Listen to the album yourself
and you will experience what I am trying to say. I also recommend a few beers
in you before you start. That’s my favorite way to get the complete effect of
“The Red Album”.
I have been listening to the record, almost nonstop, for about a month now. It
is familiar to me and I recently used it to get me through a hard time. I knew
it would be the right thing to hear when I endured the story that I am about to
tell. An old friend of mine was recently killed in a terrible car crash. This
was the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I was asked to be a Pallbearer and I was
honored and saddened by the invitation. I told you that “The Red Album” was a
rollercoaster of emotion. That is what his funeral was for us all, a
rollercoaster of emotion. I listened to it on the way there, in my head during
the service, and on my way home. It is hard to bury a friend. It put a
particularly large zap on my brain to be one of the people who carried the
casket through the graveyard and to his final resting place. It was a shitty
day, but that record got me through it. It helped me make sense of his passing
and let me realize that life is a season and seasons end. Emotions are also
seasons that change in the same way. Their music became a soundtrack for my day
as his Pallbearer, and will live as that in my heart forever.
The season has changed and we are back in Christmas mode. It is a time of dread
for some and great happiness for others. “The Red Album” is in stores now so
pick up a copy for someone’s stocking. If you are planning to have a merry
holiday, the album will work for you. If you are planning on having a lonely,
drunken, borderline suicide, Christmas day; the album will work for you.
Whatever you may have planned for your Holidays Baroness won’t let you down. I
don’t expect their music to impact your life as it has mine, but no CD
collection is complete without this record. Anyone that truly appreciates good
old fashioned ass kickin’ Southern Metal needs this record. Have a Merry
Christmas season. Drink much beer and spoil the ones you love. Happy Holidays
from VBlazin Magazine.
-For: “Coolit” (2007)RIP
Mary's gonna be "Just Fine".
VBLAZIN Goes behind of one of the hottest
joints out right now. Mary will be performing in Hollywood at the world
premiere of Movies Rock, a celebration of unforgettable music from the movies
of this past year. Make sure to get your tickets fast because they are selling
out quick. You can buy them at tickmaster-http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/74167
Mary J. Blige Behind the Scenes of "Just Fine" video
Mix Tap Madness
with DJ's Klassik and Profluent
DJ Swagstar
 We
bring to DJ Swagstar from Phoenix,arizona. DJ Swagstar is a up and coming DJ
but hot... I have been check his mix tape but this is the first mix tape to
review. I has been putting in the work all the way from Phoenix, Arizona. this
mix tape is called Swagger Jamz. he has artist like T-pain,the Game,Lil
Wayne,Ne-yo, and hot rod. this is a mix tape that grows on u and it's hot. kid
got flavor for the chicks and dudes on here. I give this a (4 star) u can get
at DJ Swagstar at
http://www.myspace.com/djswagstar.
DJ Black Jesus
 DJ
black Jesus is from Dallas, Texas and he brings the heat hard.. for those that
don't know DJ black Jesus he been putting it down for a min. doing party's and
he is on his mix tape game heavy. he bring this mix tape salute 2 the street
pt. 2. he has songs from J Nan, DJ Drama, Freeway, Rick Ross, Willie Northpole
and Smitty. this mix tape is hard and there is some hot songs on here. the way
DJ black Jesus put this mix tape together was right. so everybody should get
this mix tape. I give this mix tape a (5 star).. u can get up with DJ black
Jesus at http://www.myspace.com/djblackjesusofficial1 and
djblackjesus.blogdrive.com.
VBLAZIN TID
BITZ: Keys Performs, Writers March, and Strike Continues
Ne-Yo Dropped From R. Kelly Tour
Photos by
Ase Boogie
'This
was a contractual issue between Ne-Yo and the promoter, not Kelly's decision at
all,' Kelly's spokesperson tells MTV News.
After just two shows together, Ne-Yo is no longer
on the R. Kelly tour, his rep confirmed to MTV News on Tuesday (November 20).
"I am disappointed that I won't be able to perform
for my fans," Ne-Yo said in a statement. "I love being onstage in front of fans
because of the immediate feedback you get. You know right away if they are
feeling you — and they were really feeling our show."
It might have seemed from the slew of activities
and events outside of the tour that the Las Vegas-bred singer/songwriter was
involved with this week — performing with Rihanna at the American Music Awards
on Sunday, announcing details of his Compound Foundation's Brazilian- themed
masquerade ball on Monday and lending his star power to a Ronald McDonald House
for World Children's Day on Tuesday — that he'd known for a while that the tour
plans were falling apart. But in fact, he'd planned his activities — including
an appearance at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York — around the tour,
which kicked off November 14 (see
"R.
Kelly Touring After All: With Keyshia Cole, J. Holiday -- And Ne-Yo?").
"Everything he is doing was already planned before this development," said Jana
Fleishman, his label rep.
Ne-Yo's camp got word Monday night that the R&B
singer would be dropped from the rest of the R. Kelly tour, which is slated to
continue through January, after the parties were unable to come to terms on
contracts. "This was a contractual issue between Ne-Yo and the promoter, not
Kelly's decision at all," Kelly's spokesperson told MTV News on Tuesday. As of
Sunday, however, Ne-Yo was under the impression that whatever problems they had
would be taken care of shortly.
"[The tour's] going pretty good so far," Ne-Yo told
MTV News at the American Music Awards on Sunday. "We're working the bugs out."
Kelly, Keyshia Cole and J. Holiday continue the
Double Up trek on November 21 in Philadelphia.
In 2004, Kelly's Best of Both Worlds tour
with Jay-Z
ended
acrimoniously, with the two headliners parting ways after a chaotic show in
New York, during which a member of Jay's entourage reportedly
discharged pepper spray into Kelly's face.
VBLAZIN SUMMER GEAR IS FINALLY HERE
"Cheaper"!
Now you can get VBLAZIN Tees and cups with your favorite VBLAZIN model on it
for over 20% off the online store price by ordering direct. We even do custom
work. So if you have a business with your own logo, we can even do that as
well. Tees only $14.99 and Cups $12.99 plus S&H. That's a big savings off the
online store price. You can visit
www.MySpace.com/VBLAZIN
to get a look at the models, and covers. And just drop us an e-mail at:
VBLAZIN@aol.com
with the size, quantity, and special
instructions.
It summer time, so if your a member of a motor cycle club
these shirts can be done with your club logo on it. And the larger the order,
the lower the price per shirt of cup!!
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