J. Cole Supports Singing Rappers

Rapper J. Cole shared his perspective on emcees who also dabble in vocalizing. Cole says people should be more open to rappers singing and vice versa, because its just another step in hip hop's ongoing evolution.

"I think it's dope [that some rappers sing and some singers rap]. Why not?," he said. "Who says Drake can't sing if he wants to sing? Who said Chris Brown can't rap if he wants to rap? It's just adding another facet to your style. It's just evolution man. The sad truth is, if some of our legends from the past came out now, people would think they were boring. You've just got to find a balance."

"I don't even think they take themselves seriously - they just want to come on," he added. " If I could sing, I would sing just like Chris Brown. Someone like Trey Songz, I feel like he genuinely loves rapping and that's fine. Some singers may not be your favorite rapper, but maybe they don't give a f**k and their rapping helps them express something they can't by singing."

David Banner Impressed By Justin Bieber

David Banner produced the Chris Brown/Justin Bieber collaboration "Ladies Love Me" from Brown's "Boy In Detention" mixtape. Banner says he was 'floored' by Bieber's flow and was impressed by how seriously the young pop star took his rhymes.

“I’m very protective of hip-hop, and I would never produce a song if I didn’t think it was jamming," Banner said. "And Justin Bieber floored everybody in the studio. When I look at the blogs, people are trying to dust it like: ‘Did somebody write it? Was it pro-tools-ed together?’ That boy… I actually wanted the very first take. We ended up doing it again, but he spit the whole verse all the way down non-stop."

"He spit …. It made me feel good because it shows you the effect of [hip-hop] culture," Banner says. "And for him to study and dissect our culture that way… he really has a respect to spend that much time, because that takes practice to be able to spit and rap like that. And I was impressed.”

Wiz Khalifa, Nicki MInaj Win Big

The 2011 BET Awards featured several notable hip hop honors taking home honors. Celebrities like participated in the ceremony and won accolades, with comedian Kevin Hart serving as host for the event, which took place in Los Angeles, California.

nicki Minaj was named best Female Hip Hop Artist, Best Group went to Diddy/Dirty Money, and Best Collaboration went to Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes for "Look At Me Now." Wiz Khalifa took home the coveted Best New Artist.

"They need a taller mic for me," Wiz joked. "I am not used to winning stuff. I want to thank everyone at rostrum records, everyone at Atlantic, all my fans, The Taylor Gang and all the young people who promote positive and just enjoying yourself, this is for y'all."

Mary J. Blige, Jadakiss and DJ Khaled opened the show, while Rick Ross performed his single "Aston Martin Music" minus Crisette Michelle or Drake [who did attend the awards].

Gladys Knight presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Patti Labelle, and Snoop Dogg and Warren G took part in a tribute to their late friend and collaborator Nate Dogg, who passed away earlier this year.

Soulja Boy's Blonde 'Do

Soulja Boy has added his name to the growing list of recording artists who have dyed their hair blonde. Joining Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa, the Atlanta pop-rapper added a huge blonde streak to his 'do and posted pics online for everyone to see.

He must need some attention.

His hair now has a golden hue, which is probably mean to distract from the fact that his records don't sell anymore. Soulja Boy offered no explanation thus far for the switcheroo but let's hope its a temporary thing.

At least it's not a face tattoo...

Lil Wayne & Drake BET Performers

Lil Wayne and Drake are among the artists scheduled to perform at the upcoming 2011 BET Awards. The show takes place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on June 26th. Additional performers during the ceremony include Chris Brown, Jill Scott and Alicia Keys.

Drake and Lil Wayne will hit the stage during the ceremony, according to tweets from BET's Stephen Hill. “BET Awards 11. Just announced: Lil' Wayne and Drake will be blazing the Awards show stage!!! June 26 8pm! #betawards,” he tweeted.

The rappers are both nominated for Best Male Hip-Hop Artist and Best Collaboration for their respective duets with Chris Brown and Rihanna.

Rihanna In Video Controversy

Rihanna is stuck in the middle of yet another controversy. And once again, it involves the Parents Television Council. The PTC previously criticized the singer for a sexually-charged primetime performance with fellow pop star Britney Spears at the 2011 Billboard Awards. Now, the organization is balking at Rihanna's video for "Man Down." In the clip, Rihanna shoots a rapist. [video here]

The PTC has a problem with the violent imagery--even mentioning you-know-who in a tweet blasting the video.

“Rihanna's personal story and status as a celebrity superstar provided a golden opportunity for the singer to send an important message to female victims of rape and domestic violence," the organization said via statement. "Instead of telling victims they should seek help, Rihanna released a music video that gives retaliation in the form of premeditated murder the imprimatur of acceptability."

Then the statement added this little zinger:

"If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop. Rihanna should not get a pass."

No idea what kind of point the PTC is looking to make by bringing up Chris Brown.

Rihanna Follows Chris Brown

Rihanna caused a minor Twitter meltdown this weekend by following her infamous ex-boyfriend Chris Brown on Twitter. Breezy then started following Rih-Rih, and Rihanna Stans began tweeting their fury.

Rihanna shot down the naysayers in a huff.

"@iStan4Rihanna_ its f*ckin twitter, not the alter! calm down," Rihanna tweeted, before later apologizing to the one fan that raised her ire. "@iStan4Rihanna_ babygirl I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt or offend u! Just needed to make it clear to the Navy! I still Stan for u xoxo"

Hmmmm....

Carrie Keagan Talks Hip Hop

Carrie Keagan is the new host of "Big Morning Buzz Live" and she decided to open up about her favorite hip hop artists. In a recent interview with SOHH, Keagan revealed just who she would love to sit down with.

"I would love to hang out with 50 Cent because he's just so cool and I've interviewed him a few times," Keagan said. "I just really dig his vibe. I love Busta Rhymes. I'm sorry. [laughs] I saw him in that new Chris Brown ['Look At Me Now'] music video and I'm like, 'Where the h*ll have you been!?' I was so excited to see his face. And it would be cool to have him as that guy who just says things behind me all the time. And then there was a girl named Mystic a while back. I haven't kept track of her but she was one of my favorite rappers. One of my favorite female rappers. I thought her voice was amazing and I would love to spend some time with her. She had great lyrics."

"Ah, I wanted to go more old school though," Keagan added. "I think Nicki Minaj is cool as sh*t. I would love to party with her too. [laughs] For sure."

Joe Budden vs. Chris Brown

Joe Budden and Chris Brown got into a brief war of words on Twitter after Brown took offense to a tweet from Budden's account. Breezy has been notably sensitive over the past few months and when Budden made not-so-subtle reference to a certain teary-eyed tribute performance from last year, Brown fired back.

It all started when Budden made mention of Brown's infamous 2010 BET Awards performance. "if i cared about being in any1's good graces, i'd be working on my Michael Jackson tribute as we speak .....," Budden tweeted.

"So I'm guessing this person thinks he's mature by making references to me becuz of his mistakes! #pumppumppumpitup," Breezy responded, which prompted clarification from Budden. "@chrisbrown i'm a fan my n*gga ... & my sarcasm was more so geared towards ignorant fans, my bad if i offended u."

Nice to see a Twitter war end with a yawn instead of an embarrassment.

Chris Brown's Mom Speaks

Chris Brown's mother, Joyce Hawkins, has addressed her son's incident with his ex-girlfriend Rihanna. Mama Joyce says that Breezy would do better to talk about the situation openly and get it over with.

"I think he really needs to talk about the situation in itself, what actually happened to Rihanna -- so that he can get that out for himself," Hawkins explained in an interview. "He has to learn to deal with it and go on with his life. This is something that happened; it was a huge mistake -- it was not good at all. But he is still a human being and we all make mistakes and we live and we go on with it. But he has to own it, deal with it and move on with his life."

Lil Wayne Headlining Summer Jam

Hot 97 has announced that Lil Wayne and Dipset are among the headliners for this year's Summer Jam. The annual show is taking place at East Rutherford, New Jersey’s New Meadowlands Stadium on June 5th and will also feature Wiz Khalifa, Lloyd Banks, Birdman, Young Money and Chris Brown.

Returning from last year's concert are Drake, Fabolous, Waka Flocka Flame and Rick Ross.

Last year’s event featured performers including Drake, Nicki Minaj, T-Pain, Fat Joe and DJ Khaled, Tickets are on sale now for the event.

Take That Take That Take That

Super Jam

June 19th 2011

Diddy, Chris Brown, Keri Hilson, Waka Flocka, Jeremih, Lloyd, Travis Porter and more TBA!

Pre Sale Password is INK Ticket Link http://bit.ly/dM82ba

Susquehanna Bank Center

1 Harbour Blvd, Camden, NJ  08103

Showtime 4pm 

Tickets On Sale Now www.livenation.com www.identityink.net or www.thebeatofphilly.com

follow us on twitter @livenationphila @identityink @1003TheBeat 

Video Chris Brown "Spend It All" 18 + To View

CBE - Spend It All (18+) from Mechanical Dummy on Vimeo.

Willow Smith Disses Chris Brown?

A mini, most likely phony Twitter-feud seems to have 'erupted' today (March 24.) Pop prodigy Willow Smith's Twitter account posted a comment regarding the recent Chris Brown fiasco. The unusual post has since been deleted and her people are claiming it wasn't sent by the 9-year-old Willow.

"So Chris Brown is going to prison now for breaking a window at ABC, but he didnt go for hurting Rihanna? #karma," the account tweeted. It also sent out a link to a story that erroneously claimed Brown would be going to jail.

Willow's handlers are now claiming that her account was hacked. Her previous posts had been kid-friendly fluff but two of the most recent posts in her timeline used the bit.ly link shortener and the Chris Brown link apparently led to a fanpage.

Amber Rose Dismisses Rumors

Amber Rose isn't taking it anymore.

The model took to Twitter to vent her frustration over the endless ridicule and countless media rumors surrounding her love life. Rose ran down a laundry list of celebrities she's been linked to and denied them all, as well as voiced her displeasure at being labeled.

"Morning Twit Fam, [I] didn't really [woke] up in a good mood today. I'm just so sick of being ridiculed. [People] assuming things without knowing. I'm super nice to everyone I meet. I'm a very caring compassionate person. I don't deserve to be talked about so negatively. I really hate explaining myself that's why I stay so quiet but I will say this..... I was with my ex for 2 years and now I have a new Love. [Two People] that's it. If that makes me a whore then so be it. I have NEVER slept with Fabolous, Drake, Chris Brown, Amare, Lebron, Cassidy etc nor have I ever been a Prostitute."

Robin Roberts On Chris Brown Incident

With all of the attention on Chris Brown following his "Good Morning, America" outburst, it seems like the interviewer that sparked Brown's outrage his been decidedly above the fray. But ABC's Robin Roberts recently acknowledged that while she was surprised by Brown's actions following their interview, but also admitted that she doesn't think less of the young star and that they've reconciled.



"[I was] shocked like everybody else," Roberts said. "We've had a wonderful relationship. We'd love to have him back." She also said that Brown is seriously considering returning and that he knew what the questions would be beforehand.

New Video: Chris Brown “Beautiful People”

Chris Brown - Music - More Music Videos

he keeps his head high with his latest video featuring a collage of random footage. Beautiful. F.A.M.E. in stores now.

Chris Brown Denies Leaking Pics

Chris Brown is denying any fan or media speculation that the recently-leaked nude photos of the singer were leaked by Breezy himself. Some have suggested that Brown posted the photos online to garner more publicity for his F.A.M.E. album release. "Let me be honest with you, I didn't want to put no pictures out; that's not my intention," Brown said in a recent interview. "A lot of people were saying, 'Yo, he leaked the pictures, he was trying to get promotion,'" the singer said. "For me, I was always a singer, so unless I'm planning on trying to do porn, I don't think I'd want to just leak my wang out to the world before my album comes out...It was disappointing to me that it was out, because I was like, 'Man, now it's gonna [look like] a gimmick behind it,'-- And I don't want a gimmick behind anything that I'm doing."

Congratulations: Chris Brown’s F.A.M.E. Is Getting Great Reviews

Entertainment Weekly released a review of his new album F.A.M.E. which drops next week (March 22). Guess what? They had some really nice things to say — even going so far as to compare Breezy to Jodeci.
Check out the full review below:

Perhaps the greatest enemy of Chris Brown’s poorly received last album was time. Released in December 2009, just six months after the multiplatinum crooner pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna, Graffiti — frankly, not a bad collection at all — was widely panned. Everything from the title of his new disc, F.A.M.E. (an acronym for the off-putting title ”Forgiving All My Enemies”), to his recent nude photos and ill-advised tweets suggests that Brown has not yet mastered the art of image rehabilitation. Musically, though, he’s in top form. F.A.M.E. (out March 22) shines brighter than anything he produced before that now-infamous incident. Melodic raps on tracks like ”Say It With Me” and ”Oh My Love” lead to intoxicating hooks, as do bedroom knockers ”Wet the Bed” and ”No Bs,” which for better (or worse) rival the bump-’n'-grind heights of ’90s Casanova crew Jodeci.
The uncertainty of love is a recurring theme on the album: On the thumping midtempo cut ”Next to You,” Brown and guest Justin Bieber trade verses assuring their ladies of their dedication. The more relevant question is whether Brown can count on his old fans to be just as devoted. The fact that several singles have already crept into Billboard’s top 20 is a good indication that he’s winning them back. Graffiti clearly came too soon. And some still think Brown should go — and stay — away. But on its own merits, F.A.M.E. deserves to be heard. B+ 

Source

Chris Brown On New Hair Color

Chris Brown stopped by Atlanta's V-103 to discuss his new blonde hairdo and his motivation for making the change. Brown became the butt of countless jokes on Twitter and admitted that he found most of them funny.

“I was even laughing at some of the jokes on Twitter. I got ‘gold dust,’ ‘Amber Rose,’ ‘Sisqo.’ But I just laugh at them. I don’t care about people’s opinions as much anymore," Brown said. “It’s just something I needed to change. I think artistically, where I’m at creatively, mentally with my project, with my art, me painting, and just becoming a man and just finding myself, I’m really just doing me. I’m being a rock star. If I wanna dye my hair purple tomorrow, I might just change it up. It’s all about how I’m just living life and having fun.”