Dondre Whitfield Takes on Wendy Williams - 12:34 p.m.
Last month, Judge Mathis made an appearance on the Wendy Williams Show aka the Wendy Williams Experience.. it's said that he walked into the studio, gave her a nice greeting and quickly switched into pimp slap mode. He interrupted the interview and berated her for talking about him and his life and what he might have done. In short, he wasn't happy with what he considered to be untrue rumors and allegations that she had broadcast about him at an earlier date.

After he finished, red in the face, blood hot and thang.. he exited the studio and saw her husband in the hallway. Judge Mathis looked him in the face and asked him if he wanted some of this. He was ready to kick some ass. I got emails asking if I had taped the show.. I didn't even hear  it. What I just described I heard from a friend the following day, and Wendy mentioned the part about her husband on the show sometime during that week.

On Monday, Dondre Whitfield was on Wendy's show. Maybe he caught Judge Mathis's appearance cause he sure did his best imitation of his tongue lashing. He wasn't as pissed off and really wasn't blasting her.. but he seemed to be waiting for the right moment to ask her why she had been talking about him, implying that he was gay and general b.s. His main point was: when you hear a rumor you gotta question the source of the information.

That's reasonable. But somewhere along the way he lost track and resorted to saying, "Well, I've heard some things about you to." Which had Wendy repeatedly asking, "What things?" He never answered her question.

Dondre wasn't bothered by the gossip as much as he was that he and Wendy were friends back in the day. Not sex buddies, but they had mutual friends and went out to lunch a couple of times. Guess he felt betrayed. This is a clip from the show. Dondre has just told her that he is married to Salli Richardson, gave her a 4-carat diamond ring, they don't hang with too many Hollywood folk, has a new tv show and life is good.. then he sees his chance to get to what really wanted to talk about.

Listen to it or Download it (Realaudio 1.4 mb) ..he doesn't question her until about 3 minutes in.

Listen to it or Download it (Realaudio 431k) ..after he left the studio they found out he had a gun in his waistband.

Concerns about Whitney Houston.. - 1:39 p.m.
This story is all over the papers today.. A Decatur, Georgia judge dismissed Bobby Brown's request for DUI charges to be dismissed and has ordered him to stand trial January 21, 2003. Not much to it.. but I've yet to see any news station cover it the way UPN 9 did.. maybe it's because they're real ghetto wit it, 5-boro hood orientated and all. They focused their camera and story on Whitney Houston. You've seen that picture of her with the tongue sticking out (if not you will.) That's why I choose another one where she's wiping her nose.. Hah!

UPN asked the question "What is wrong with Whitney Houston?" As if they don't know. Guess you can't just come out and say that she's on the pipe or something, so they went to the "experts."

A spokesman for US magazine said while he's not making accusations she was  acting very strange in the courtroom: laughing for no reason, bopping her head to music that wasn't playing, fidgeting around. But you know.. we've heard this before. And anyone in their right mind knows that she has a problem, so where was the scoop in this story? It wasn't with Mario or Ashanti who were both asked what they thought and gave the standard, "that's my girl and we love her no matter what" response.

However when Angelo Ellerbee's face came on the screen I was interested in what he had to say. Angelo Ellerbee is the owner of Double Exposure, a publicity/image consulting firm that has worked with Mary J Blige, DMX, Martin Lawrence, Ginuwine.. and on and on. He looked at Whitney's courtroom behavior and said "I am not drawing any conclusions. I'm simply saying that it doesn't look well. I think that they [her family] need not deny this denial. They need to deal with this one."

That's the closest thing to a "yeah.. she's on something" I've heard.

And Clive Davis the newly crowned chief of BMG records who signed Whitney Houston many years ago.. was quoted back in September as saying "I was concerned when I saw her at the MJ concert. I thought she was too thin. She's looking great now. She seems so vigorous and healthy. I've never gotten into her personal life with her, although we have a familial relation. There's more turbulence in her life than I would want from a family member. But her talent is prodigious, and I'm there for her every minute. She's making an album right now."

Her first step to recovery is admitting that she has a problem. Wrestle with the demons. And with Bobby B looking just as bad as she does.. well that's gonna be a big fight. He's gonna have to clean up too, cause she ain't leaving him. That's her thug love. Damn, look at Bobby's face.. a DUI charge does not put that kinda stress on you.

Ashanti in your Christmas Stocking
Started Christmas shopping two weeks ago. The earliest I've ever done it, but I remember fighting for the crap toys left on the shelves last Christmas.. So walking through the mall last week and seeing a fully stocked ToysRus I had to take advantage cause this weekend the rampage begins.

The biggest problem is buying something that has some kind of meaning attached to it. Any gift, birthday or whatever, has to have more significance than say.. another Barbie doll to throw in the room. Did pick up a bratz doll for my niece.. makes Barbie look lame.

Next on the list is my cousin.. fifteen years old. Lately I've seen her reading a lot of books: Fly Girl, Push, True to the Game, that kinda thing. She's also a big Ashanti fan, so I was thinking about giving her Ashanti's poetry book. This is going against my better judgement, the reviews haven't been kind, BUT.. she does sing-a-long to Ashanti's cd as if that's good stuff. So she would like the book right?

Flipping through EW and what do I find.. excerpts from Miss Ashanti Douglas's book of poems and essays Foolish/Unfoolish: Reflections on Love.. Let's see what she's talking about..

"11:30 has come and gone/ and still no call from you/ Why did you have me waiting here/ if you weren't coming through?/ I couldn't fall asleep that night and you came by around 3:00/ You said 'Baby, I'm sorry, I should/ have called. The guys took me out./ It just wasn't my fault." (from No Excuses)

"He always told me/ I looked cut in my shorts/ He would watch how I walked/ and he would speak out his thoughts." (from Watch me Glisten)

"I can't help it if I kind of want to flirt/ And I can't help it if he's looking up my skirt/ and I'm not mad because I'm only having fun/ You see, I can't bring my man to the club." (from To the Club)

Ooooo K. Remember that thing about meaningless gifts, just cannot do the poetry thing. Not Ashanti poetry. Cuzo is gonna get introduced to something else.. the literature route, thinking about Zora Neale Hurston, but I haven't even read her books. But Dorothy West.. I like her style. As this page states "They deal with rites of passage in people's lives, and obstacles they overcome along the way, desires and dreams, love and money, failure and success." That I'll spend money on.

The Wayans Bros Making Moves - 10:53 a.m.
When was the last time you've seen these two smiling faces? The Wayans Brothers Show on the WB was funny at times, and at others it was going the way of Homeboys in Outerspace: straight up stupidity.. in a bad way. The show got cancelled and Marlon and Shawn went home to kick it with their unemployed older brothers Keenan and Damon. Funny thing about them Wayan Brothers, no matter how many times you spray them down they get up like superpowered cockroaches. Marlon, Shawn, and Keenan sat down to write Scary Movie  which hit bigger than anyone in the business expected. The sequel was wack. No matter. By that time they had pocketed a nice piece of change and Damon had a hit show, "My Wife and Kids" on ABC.

What you've done in the past makes for nice footnotes in the autobiography but it doesn't pay for that Hollywood lifestyle. Even worse, when the money dries up, your sitting in the restaurant and the model poonany gets up to make a call..slipping out the door never to return. That's why you need a down ass bitch. But that's another story..

Insuring that they won't have to worry about a drop in funds at the bank. Keenan, Marlon and Shawn have signed a two movie, $30 million deal with Revolution Studios. They'll get $2 million up front, which will go against $15 million per each film in the contract. They will all collaborate on writing the scripts and Keenan will direct. The films won't stray from the formula that has worked for them in the past: satire and acting a fool.

The first film is a parody that will spoof Aliens  and Independence Day. Doing for science-fiction films what Scary Movie did for horror flicks. The second will see Marlon and Shawn Wayans star as FBI agents who go undercover in drag in the Hamptons. Now THAT sounds funny.

Busta "Make it Clap" Video
Busta is good for the atypical video, coming with something off the wall. In this one the camera jerks around simulating the clapping and Busta pulls an Eddie Murphy, playing two roles at once: Pastor Offering and the horrible sinner.

Eddie Murphy? Arsenio Hall played the preacher in Coming to America.. that's the look he has going on towards the end of the video.

Here are some links.

Real Audio: HI    -    LO
Windows Media: HI    -    LO

What Happened at the Power 105 Concert..
Has anyone been wondering what happened when R Kelly came to NYC on November 16th? The concert was postponed until January 16th, 2003. All of the performers scheduled will still be there.. including RK. Guess the judge will give him a pass for that date as well..

If the numbers are right, he will receive nothing but love. The latest poll on Power 105's site has people in favor at 65% and those who protest at 35% That's still a lot of booooooing. We'll see.

A Letter to Mr. Jackson - 1:39 p.m.
Dear Michael,

Caught the dangling baby act on tv this morning. Couldn't believe it. I thought that the "Wacko Jacko" tag was simply the unjustified slander of a pop icon. Muthafuckas still have the seventeen zipper, red leather jackets in the closet and they hating cause you wanna look like the scarecrow. Fuc em.

So what if in the past you've been accused of having sleepovers with young boys. I mean really, their mommas must have known they were in Never Never Land (or whatever you call it) and there wasn't any incriminating video footage. I hear your ranch is like taking a trip to the jungle with all the animals running around. By the way, what happened to that monkey?

Gotta tell you, I was hating the last few albums dog... you all off beat these days on the music tip. Still. They calling you "wacky" with their Thriller  albums all worn out from constant rotation...where's the respect? The loyalty? Man.. I was with you there.

Marrying Elvis's daughter was a real way to piss people off too. After the kid thing, they tried to push off the stage, but that was big. Elvis's daughter? Couldn't she see that you were a sick bastard, kid toucher.. this is what they were saying. That and the fact that you were getting lighter and lighter every day. Luckily you explained it. A skin disease. That's the way to shut em up. I was with you. I didn't believe you, but I was with you.

Most recently you put Tommy Motolla on front street, called him out as being a racist, royalty stealing sonofabitch. I was with you there too. How many artists complain about not getting the right amount of change in their bank accounts? They'll tell you until your ear falls off that the industry if full of snakes and backstabbers. Ask them for the names of these demon babies.. and it's a different story. We was hereeee  on that dog.

"Wacko Jacko." It sounds so sensational. So tabloidish. Where's the love for the guy that gave you "ABC" "Billie Jean" "Thriller" and so many more hits? Where's the goddamn love?

Like I said.. then this morning I saw the dangling baby act. And I have to tell you. That was really a um.. wacko thing to do. Not only did you hold that kid over the balcony, he almost slipped out of your hands. Imagine that headline. And I say "that kid" because.. let's be honest: you ain't the daddy. I know you've had cosmetic work done.. alright.. you have a skin disease. But was the disease passed down to your kids too, and did it affect them at an earlier age? You were brown and round nosed as yungun. No matter how white your baby mom's is, the kid is not gonna be as white as he is now. And if you came out to show him off to the people, why cover the kids head? Maybe he has blond hair as well.. then we'd really be suspicious.

Look, man. I'm just saying. Your making it real easy for people to justify the "wacko" thing. Love your music, but something went wrong in your life a long time ago.

"I'll Have the Chicken Parmigiana and a Salad.."
It's been over a week, the sales figures are hovering around 600,000.00 so most people have had a chance to soak up Jay-Z's new joint. The funny thing is I have yet to hear one person have good things to say about it. You'd think that it was a Mellow Man Ace album.. Young MC.. or the horror.. "Hammer Time."

Yup, nobody's feeling Young Hov's double platter and for the life of me I can't understand it. People are treating it like it's the worst album he's put out yet. Don't know what some people were expecting. It's like going to a restaurant ordering a chicken parmigiana..and being upset because.. it tastes like chicken parmigiana. No difference in the sauce, same cheese, same chicken you've been eating all these years.. but all of a sudden.. it just doesn't taste that good.

Now that I can understand: Having a taste for something different, but when you slip in a Jay-Z cd do you really expect to hear something spiritually uplifting, crazy creative and laced with infotainment? For nine straight albums [counting MTV Unplugged and Best of Both Worlds] it's been a nonstop string of party joints.. is this album any different than any of those? I've said this many times.. "03 Bonnie and Clyde" is hip-hop blasphemy and hearing "Guns and Roses" live makes the studio version sound like plywood, but the rest of the album is more than listenable.

One reviewer complained that he's always talking about himself. As if he just started doing it. When Jay said, "I hope the audience is ready to grow with me" in The Source, did anyone really think that he was gonna put on a kufi and get some Common Sense?

Last Friday, me and a friend were doing the club thing. I asked him what he thought about the album and he said it was trash. "Did you hear it?" "No" But he heard it was trash.. From that moment on I made it a point to force dude to listen to it. By the end of the night he was converted.. somewhat. He now likes some of it.

Not every track is a banger. His Biggie jacking went to a new high on "A Dream." And the continued glorification of 2pac is stupefying.. but honestly I expected nothing more than what he delivered. On a double cd your gonna get some throwaway tracks.. bones in the fish.. in the end you found some meat in there, your hands are greasy, and your satisfied.

Or are you only eating salad now?

You know you love some Hov. Stop that.

Missy's Rough Childhood Memories - 12:31 p.m.
Sometimes the news isn't really the news.. if that makes sense.. sometimes it's just a little piece of information that reminds you that behind the glitz and glam that is the life of a music superstar, they are people like you and me. They come from similar experiences and in some cases those expriences may be more personal than you expect.

That's what I thought when I read this article about Missy this morning in Entertainment Weekly.  Ordinarily it would have been a pure skip job, but her tantalizing frame in the picture, that slimmed down physique that's oh so sexy and tempting as a chococalte milk shake with xtra whip cream. Hah! Hold up, I think there's some liquor in this cup.. Missy has dropped a few pounds, but she hasn't reached "Gotdamnnn" status. Now that she's lost weight do you think she'll be wearing anything other than a track suit in her videos? Bag the cover of King Magazine? Back the azzzzz up? ..you get the point.

That little piece of information mentioned was regarding her life as Lil Missy Elliot. Way before hitting the star track, as a girl living in Portsmouth, Virginia, Missy's childhood was scarred by her father's abuse of her mother. She said that it isn't something that she talks about in her music but, "Basically [their relationship] just was rocky the whole time. I never wanted to go stay at my friends' houses because I always thought my father would beat my mother up or kill her or something. I spent too much time running to my aunt and uncle's house when my father would go into one of those rages. Two times I had to run in the snow with no shoes on."

Eventually her mother, Patricia Elliot had had enough of and got them out of that situation. One day when her father went to work her mother and aunt backed a U Haul truck into the driveway, dumped everything inside and left skid marks in the street.

There's no need to even explain how bitchlike it is to beat on a woman. Sometimes a woman will take advantadge of a man's expected restraint from hitting them and take things too far during an argument: throw things, screaming and cursing. First of all that's a sign of bigger problems and if the guy doesn't just walk out (the ideal response) then I can see a shake. But if that happens more than once or a man is depressed for whatever reason and takes it out on his woman.. there's no logical explanation for it. The dude has serious problems.

Don't understand the woman who decides to stay in that situation either.. get up and out. Back the truck up and leave.

Wonder if her father recognizes his daughter's "hee hee hahhhh" and "shave my chocha" craziness on the airwaves? If it ever came to that kind of situation again.. Missy could say, "Forget the stuff.. I'll buy you new everything." That's real. In the article she's said to have driven up in a $260,000 Ferrari 360 Spider.

And to think that Mom's almost put a stop to the talent that allows her that luxury. Missy got her start writing lyrics.. on the walls of her room. "At first my mother was like, 'you ain't going nowhere this weekend if I see another song on this wall.' But after a while she just said, 'You know what...' My mother didn't want to fuss about too much. She just wanted me to be happy, because I'd been through so much. From 3 years old I remember my father stomping my mother in the face with combat boots, so it was like, she wanted to make sure that I was okay. She was just like, 'Okay, put another song up there. Who cares?'"

Russell Simmons "Def Poetry Jam and JMJ"
Yesterday morning Russell Simmons was on Fox 5 news speaking about the success of Def Poetry Jam. HBO has inked the show for a third season and Russell Simmons has taken a select group of poets to a new production called Def Poetry Jam on Broadway.  The premiere was on Nov. 14th at the Longacre theatre on 48th street, right off of that famed NY throughway.

The reviews have been mixed. But with financial contributions from folks in show business (Russell specifically mentioned Bruce Willis giving a large deposit) Def Poetry Jam is secure for the next three years.

You can't see it in the picture, but along the bottom of the screen Fox news identified Russell Simmons as an "Entrepreneur." Not Def Jam or Phat Farm CEO. I'm not sure how much of the day to day business he handles at Def Jam, but being identified as an entrepreneurs reflects the biz ventures he's been tackling lately. Less and less (if at all) do you think of Russell as the primary spark behind Def Jam's moves. It's more of a gold star on his resume as he moves on to other things.

Not that he shuns rap. He's always the first to defend the rights of music artists to express themselves in their own way. In his autobiography Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money, + God he says, "The other thing politicians don't understand or trust is that musicians who don't tell the truth always disappear. Admittedly there are A&R directors who think that negativity sells and therefore promote it. But they are misleading their artists, and in the long run it's usually the artists who suffer. .. The point is that honesty and integrity sell over a long period of time, and those who blindly follow trends always fall."

He also mentions that "there is still a void in the market for positive poets."

On Fox 5 he explained the difference between rapping and poetry like this:

"In Yoga you learn that silence is golden. The difference between writing with loud music, which is what rappers do, and writing from inside, you feel like when there's no music you have to say something profound. And young people all over are writing. You notice that even when you hear a rapper and they have an acappella or spoken word piece between their songs, their songs are always about all of the external things but their poetry is always about the introspective or their higher self or greater ideas. Not only the suffering that you get out of the urban community but the resolve. You'll hear that the poetry is about love and their greater aspirations."

Well said, Mr. Simmons.

With the death of Jam Master Jay, you can't let Russell leave the room without getting his take on the situation. After all he managed Run DMC and his ascendancy in the music business was influenced by their success as much as anyone else. Here's what he had to say:

Oh yeah.. have you heard about Puffy saying he'd consider running for President of the United States? Yeah, he said that. Russell comments on that as well.

Listen to it or Download it (Realaudio 281k)

Nas - HOT97 Angie Martinez Interview - 12:16 p.m.
Any and all aspiring music artists remember this: it's called the music business. When your tapping away in your basement or singing in Reverend Steel Cleats Johnson's Baptist church on Crenshaw.. it's soul music. But once that upc sticker is affixed to the cd case, you've got to do the two step. Staying on beat inevitably means shuffling your Scooby Doo's (heh) and listening to your manager say, "fuc the revolutionary shit, we've got an album coming out next month.. just play along here."

It was only a few months ago that Nas was telling everyone in the tri-state area who the devil was. Like Jesus himself he hopped barefoot on a jagged rock and preached the gospel of hip-hop ethics and the ways of the evil ones. One particularly ghoulish Puerto Rican mami got a taste of the holy water God's Son spritzed on the people. The actual words have long since evaporated, but they were something along the line of radio personalities having no business making records, and wack ones at that.

No names but the congregation knew that the "radio personality" he spoke of was HOT 97's Angie Martinez. "Can I get an amen?" Yes indeed, Angie's mike should be turned off for good.

There were more names dropped and promises made, people got in the spirit and caught the hip-hop holy ghost.. boogeying down the aisle to the latest. After such a rousing session, depending on who you spoke to, God's Son was deemed to be a shiester or well.. God's Son. Can't get no better than that.

Providing fuel for speculation that the sermon was as heartfelt as Jay-Z and Beyonce's "Bonnie and Clyde" love affair, the hip-hop reverend showed up yesterday at the devil's lair for a sit down. I tuned in just in time to hear him explain that he himself was caught up in the moment and said some things that he didn't mean. Damn. And to think that some folks actually believed the gospel. Does this mean that it was all bullshit? That the devil does not exist? Evil is good and good is good. In other words.. it's all good?

I am as confused as you are. So I'll go back to my original thesis: It's called the music business. Staying on beat means listening to your manager say, "fuc the revolutionary shit, we've got an album coming out.. just play along here." Yeah, that's it.

Listen to it or Download it (Realaudio 2.6 mb)

Ja Rule Speaks on Rappers Being Extorted
Had this conversation with a co-worker when Jam Master Jay was killed. We were talking about who would want to do such a thing and why. One of the things brought up was that the hustle in the streets has changed. During the 80's and early 90's if you were looking to get money you had to look no further than the corner of your block. Sure New Jack City  was a little over the top, but the money was in the drug game.

The murder rate was sky high for the simple reason that people were fighting for position in the streets. Conversations on who runs what, where and how were punctuated with hollow tipped bullets instead of exclamation marks. As friends began to fall, as they started getting sent up north and the big cats got shut down by the cops.. the party was over. Enter rap music. Actually it was there all along, but the money making potential wasn't fully realized by street cats until the crack pipes got crushed.

Now you had gangsters.. real gangsters.. trying to get some of that legal dough. How to get their hands on it? Invest in a group, label or production company.. stick somebody up.. or like Al Pacino in the Godfather  make them an offer they can't refuse. Extortion baby.

Now this is just a theory we cooked up. Difficult to prove because we're not looped up like that, but somewhere in there.. it's gotta be some truth. Fuck it. It is true.

Why else would Ja Rule speak on the subject as if he's been getting calls from The Boogie Man? He was on UPN 9 news last night, here's what he had to say:

"I feel I'm one of the bigger targets out there because of who I am. I think what's going on is a cry for help for hip-hop. And I say, 'don't be scared of hip-hop, be scared for hip-hop.' My core audience is that of the streets, so I can't escape. No matter how big I get, people just.. don't like you because your successful. In their eyes harm is the way to get their point across. You got street guys on the rap level that think they can come in and muscle their way in and extort money from rappers. For a rapper standing up for himself saying 'I'm not giving you nothing.' You could be a target. Me? I'm not giving nobody nothing. I'm here to say it on tv right now.. 'I'm not giving nobody nothing!' I work too hard and Uncle Sam already takes half, so take it in blood!"

Sad that he even has to consider such a thing. I wonder if Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake or Jennifer Lopez have to ponder situations like this.

Alicia Douvall Loses The Baby - 1:07 p.m.
It was a sad moment in London's Portland Hospital on Monday night. The doors to the emergency room burst open, nurses in white gowns cleared the way for ambulance workers as they wheeled in Alicia Douvall. "Make way, make way dammit we've got a buxom blonde here in need of attention." It seems that the often described "busty, 32GG model" .. yeah, I'd say that was "busty" .. it seems that Alicia has suffered a miscarriage.

If you recall, just last month Alicia claimed that she got pregnant by P.Diddy's seed seeker after they blended beats on a mixing desk in a British recording studio.. Any ladies wondering how he works that thang can contact Alicia, just know she had no complaints, said it was a night of "amazing love," thumbs up, five stars and all that. No word on length or width.. but we know that doesn't matter.. ehem.

Miss Douvall was looking forward to seeing Puff take on the responsibility of being a father to their child, and was certain that it was his.. "There's no way it could be anyone else but Puffy's baby and I know he'll make a great father to our child." Yes, those are her words.

After complaining of stomach pains, doctors at Portland Hospital diagnosed her condition as much worse, she was an unfortunate victim of a miscarriage. Speaking through her agent, Alicia — who was 2˝ months pregnant — said: “I am devastated by this traumatic experience. I want to be left alone to deal with my grief.”

She will try to contact P.Diddy to let him know the news, he's on that side of the globe.. Barcelona to be exact.. to host tomorrow's MTV Europe Awards. Sniper.. who tipped me to the info had this to say, "Call me cynical, but was she ever pregnant? Or, was it more a (well financed) termination than a miscarriage?"

Hmm.. don't know but it's a good bet that he won't be inviting her to any more studio "sessions."

He's Homeless but Blogging Lovely
Have you ever imagined what you would do if you lost your job, had nowhere to go, no fam, and found yourself on the streets for one night.. one night turns into two nights.. then three and four.. before you know it your a full fledged memeber of the Homeless Brigade.

Diving through dumpsters to find leftover pizza crusts that someone may have thrown away or to catch a swallow of juice left in a bottle isn't something I'd ever look forward to.. and to tell you the truth, I think I'd be able to find some way to make enough money to afford a wings and fried rice plate at the local chinese restaurant.

There are millions of people who find themselves in homeless circumstances across the country, some forced and others who find the streets easier to deal with than grabbing a hold of their lives. This isn't an essay about the reasons that homeless people exist, for that read this. (thanks for the pic)

I wanted to point you to a blog written by Kevin Barbieux.. known on the net as The Homeless Guy. He spends his nights in the streets and shelters of Nashville, Tennessee. When the sun rises, he makes his way to the Nashville Public Library to log onto the internet and updates his blog. Yup, he has his own website. What does a homeless guy write about.. I'll let him explain it:

"Here, I will attempt to relate to you the realities of homelessness. But there is certainly more to a homeless person than being homeless, and this may be the best thing this blog could accomplish - a greater awareness about the whole-ness of homeless people. Not every post will be about homelessness, but they will all be about a homeless person, me. For some people it will be their first experience with the "me" identity within a homeless person. Welcome to My world, a subsidiary of Our world"

The internet is certainly an information superhighway, and a website is like cracking the window open of a roadside building so that anyone passing by can hear you shout into the street. How else would you be able to hear the opinions and life experiences of this random guy from Tennessee. Not that you would want to, but here's how Kevin defines the web..

"Online, the only thing that can be judged by others is your communication, your voice, your opinion. Before anyone says a thing, all people on the Internet are considered equal. It's a level of equality so pure it creates a tension that's hard to deal with. Idiots are easily exposed as such, and those with something real to say can say it, uninterrupted."

He's no idiot and looking at his picture (that's not him up there) he doesn't look like the sterotypical homeless guy. When I was younger, we had a guy who lived on our block, he was homeless, we called him Sam the Bum. Sam used to be a teacher at a local school. It's said that one day he just lost it.. lost his wife.. his home.. and lived on the streets ever since. He always stayed in the neighborhood, pushed a shopping cart and would sometimes write out Albert Einstein type math problems on the church wall. Uh.. they didn't mind, actually they let him stay in the driveway area. Point is.. under the weight of a little investigation stereotypes can be crushed like grapes. Kevin Barbieux is doing some stomping for the homeless right here

R Kelly Gets The Go Ahead - 12:51 p.m.
Last month's Power 105 poll asking what you thought about R Kelly performing at their upcoming concert in New Jersey, may have meant nothing in regards to your vote having any weight on the decision. On Friday, November 1st Judge Vincent Gaughan of the Illinois State Court granted Kelly approval to leave the state from Nov. 12 - 19 to perform at a concert in the NY/NJ area, over the objections from prosecutors in the case. These things don't happen overnight, so Kelly's lawyers must have submitted it to the court at an earlier date.. way before the poll.

It's a good guess that no matter how people voted against it, he was gonna be on stage regardless.. throw eggs, tomatoes, or pastel-colored, lil teen panties.. he's gonna do some bumpin and grindin in The Continental Arena on November 14th. Yes, you're more than ready for the man who gave you such hits as "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)," "Summer Bunnies," "12 Play," and "Like A Real Freak" Ha ha.. you love him and you know it.

This isn't the first time the judge has allowed R.Kelly to leave the state, in August he was allowed to make a nightclub appearance in Miami. His next court appearance concerning the child pornography allegations is scheduled for December 20th. .. Personally I don't think he should be performing until that case is settled. Guilty or *cough* Not Guilty.. take a break and get that mind right like he and his reverend/spiritual advisor says is necessary. .. What are you gonna do?
I had and have no plans to go the concert, but those of you that do might hear some new material. The Loveland  album he had been working on has been scrapped in favor of a new album called Chocolate Factory. MTV reports that the first single, "Ignition" contains the type of lyrics you've been feeling for a minute: "I want to stick my key in your ignition, baaabeeee." I would love to see what the reaction is from the audience when he comes on stage. If anyone makes it out to the show.. do an "On the Scene" write-up so we can all hear what went down.

Fat Joe Tells His Side of the Story - 1:46 a.m.
In the midst of the JMJ news last week, there was something else happening here in the city. Way off the scale of murder.. Big Pun's wife, Liza Rios, called into radio station WBLS. Speaking to a host named Egypt she proceeded to give Fat Joe a good tongue lashing. She claimed that Joe has done nothing for her financially since Pun's death on February 7, 2000. She specifically talked about not receiving any mechanical royalties or publishing money from Pun's records. There was also an accusation that Pun used to physically abuse her.

It didn't take long for word to get back to Joe, maybe he was listening, minutes later he was on the phone. In a conversation on the air he and Liza began to argue.. curses and disses were thrown back and forth, and Egypt who isn't known to be mixed up in this kind of radio was caught off guard.. she had a situation on her hands. One of the station managers came into the studio and you could hear him tell her to stop the call.

The next day Fat Joe called into Egypt's show again, this time to clear the air and tell his side of the story in a calmer state of mind. He explained that Pun had made a lot of money, but he mismanaged it buying cars and things. When Pun passed away he said that he spoke to Liza and told her that she was gonna have to get her situation in order: go back to school and prepare to not  being able to enjoy the same type of lifestyle she had been living.

He also said that he gave her thousands of dollars numerous times and gave her $150,000.00 worth of Pun's publishing money. Their relationship soured after she decided to release a DVD about Pun's life.. something he refused to do because he didn't want people to say he was trying to make money off of Pun's name like that. However she is his wife, fine, but he felt that she commited the ultimate disrespect in the DVD when she said that "Pun's death was the happiest day of her life."

At the end of the call though, he said he was dissapointed that Pun's name had even been brought up like this - dirtying his legacy - and said that he was willing to work things out with Liza and set up trust funds for Pun's kids.

Did I get the first call.. uh uh, heard it from a friend.. but the second call is here.

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The Diplomats Scrap in Philly
It's a day to catch up on the news.. received an email from SmitDeft on Halloween. He did an on the scene report of the 2002 Power House concert in Philadelphia.

I learned one thing from reading it .. rep New York City in Philadelphia only if your prepared to scrap. Cam'Ron and The Diplomats found out first hand during their performance, they got into a fight with some members of the audience and "got they asses whooped." This is a thorough report.. so here it is in it's entirety:

"I attended Philadelphia's annual Power House concert hosted by the cities top radio station Power 99. The performers who were scheduled to perform were Nore, Foxy Brown, Cam'ron, Busta Rhymes, Musiq, Eve, Freeway, Ashanti, and Ja Rule. All of these artist showed up and performed, with the exception of Foxy Brown, who was booed when the DJ's were saying her name during the pre-show. Two horrible performances that stick out in my head were Nore's and that no singing Ashanti (She lived up to the level of how I thought she would perform). The best two performances of the night were clearly from Busta Rhymes and Philly's own Freeway. But the talk of the night was about the second performances which featured Cam'ron and his whole Dip Set Taliban Crew.

The first performances of the night came from Nore. Nore's entourage came out first and rapped for about 15 minutes. Nobody knew who the hell they were, so it was hard for people to get interested. They were getting a couple of boo's from the crowd. Then after about 20 minutes of hearing umm, Nore's people, the N.O.R.E finally came out on stage. He did a lot of his old songs, and switched the beat up on most of them. The crowd didnt seem to be vibing with Nore until he performed "Nothin," which was the highlight of his performance. Nore is someone I often listen to a lot, not because of his lyrical skills (which he is obviously lacking), but because he says funny ass punch lines, that will leave you saying, "I know that nigga aint say that shit." But over all I'll give his performance a C-, though I like him.

Cam'ron was next to come out (This is where all hell breaks loose,) and he didn't have any no name guys we never heard of before, but of course his Dip Set squad was with him. Cam's in my top 5 of favorite MC's so I was looking forward to him." ..more

The Investigation Cont.. what Investigation? - 11:46 a.m.
I really can't believe that some reporters in the mainstream press have said that JMJ's death could be related to the non-existent east coast/west coast feud. Stay on the sidelines rookies. This is what happens when you have uninformed reporters on the job, they run around believing all kinds of stereotypes and urban myths. "You know they like chicken right?" Yeah.. fried hard.

My anger subsided somewhat once I realized that this is the way things have been done for years.. facts are regularly distorted in the media. We usually don't notice it because for the most part we rely on them to give us the story. Coming to them with no information, we expect them to fill in the blanks. Though they claim to be non-biased, it's never ever that way. It applies to business, sports, politics, and whatever else. I remember last year, seeing an Allen Iverson press conference after a game in Philly. The quotes they pulled from it, were the most shocking ones.. the ones that helped to fuel that bad boy image that he has. Only when your familiar with a subject can you tell if your really getting the goods. That's why some African-Americans hate the thuggish, criminal, watermelon seed spitting, stereotypes.. we know that they represent a fraction of the race. I mean really.. I've only been to Central Booking once. heh heh

Now that I got that off my chest.. I'll try to wobble wobble back on track. Yesterday, I said that the Jay's murderer should have been identified by the other people in the room.. but now Uriel Rincon, the guy that was shot in the leg and another woman are telling two different stories: the woman said there were two assailants, but Rincon said there was one gunman - who wore a mask. Rincun was released from the hospital yesterday, and is said to be too scared to cooperate with the police.

I hate to claim Nostradamus status, but I saw this coming. The person responsible for this, is far from a Hitchcock Mystery. I'm not gonna conjure up any wild theories.. it's like that interlude on Big Pun's first cd where he shoots a guy for talking smack. After whipping out the Mac and busting in broad daylight, he says, "Ya'll ain't see nothing right.. didn't nobody see nothing right?" These people are fearing that they will be the next on the list if they start talking, best to just shut their mouths.

One interesting twist was that 50 Cent cancelled a show yesterday, it's alleged that he had received "credible threats" on his life. Police offered to guard him, but it's said that he has left town instead. Jay "discovered" 50 Cent.. years ago he was signed to JMJ records, had stickers all around town and everything. The record was never released. I don't think 50 Cent had anything to do with this.. he was being targeted. The only people he publicly had beef with was Ja Rule and Murder INC. It's crazy that he actually had to cancel a show regarding a threat though.. who would want to touch him like that? The Murder INC thing is over. The only thing Gotti wants to do is make hits and be "the hottest nigga in the building." One things for sure.. this story is deeper than a simple robbery or a case of a good guy being killed at random. Regardless of circumstances, it was a senseless crime and I hope it doesn't end up like the Biggie and Tupac investigations: full of holes and being filled up with Chuck Philips' aspirations for a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.

*edit 12:22 p.m. - There is also news that Jay owed about $500,000.00 in back taxes. The government says that they have every intention of collecting on the money owed them. That means dipping into whatever funds the family has left.. how nice. Actually, it shouldn't be a problem. All these kats in the industry can surely put a few dollars together and wipe that out immediately. Right?.. Of course. "Cut the check, Lyor."

Ignorance Reigns Supreme, But You Can't Kill a King - 3:05 p.m.
That's it. I was wondering how to start this, but it's right there in the headline. The details of last night's incident haven't come out yet.. yeah, we know that someone was buzzed into the studio.. that in itself should tell you that someone knows who the shooter was - no one has said it was a masked man. It's what happens in most cases in the hood: when the cops show up, no one saw a damn thing. There has to be a story behind this. As we speak there is someone in Queens whispering about what "Ray Ray" did, getting down to the grits of the situation.

Did Jay have a problem with this guy or someone this person knew? The police reports say that after being buzzed in the studio, the guy got to where Jay was, pushed a woman to the side and took the shot at Jay. It has all the makings of a purposeful act - a hit.

Yeah, I'm putting that Mafia spin on it only so I can make this point. On Power 105 this morning, one of Ed Lover and Dr. Dre's co-hosts, Curt Flirt, said something that made a lot of sense. "Back in the days, with Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, all them kats.. they were fabled to have ran with certain dudes, but everybody understood that they weren't in that thing. They were entertainers. What happened to the ghetto pass? If Jay is not a made guy, then who is?"

Last night, I dipped into the basement looking for a Run DMC record to post on the site. I didn't realize how many Run DMC records I had.. singles, albums, damn near everything they've ever made.. even the wack shit from the nineties. But.. you go back to the essence.. when they were doing it BIG. It's unbelievable how much those records difer from what's on the radio today. This is the music that shocked America, and yet it's so innocent sounding compared the new generation. Innocent, but superior in so many ways. I consider the first 5 Star hip-hop album to be Raising Hell.. I'm not saying this just because of what happened.. I remember listening to the joint on my grandmothers cheap ass stereo and thinking it was the best thing I've ever heard.

Jay's legendary status in the hip-hop culture is beyond any doubt. Run DMC broke the mold. With their first record they stripped the music down to just a drumbeat.. and changed the way hip-hop music was made. Later, under the guidance of Rick Rubin, they added guitars and opened up the door to the commercial comforts so many artists enjoy today. Each member of Run DMC played a vital part: Run was the egotistic loud mouth, DMC was more harcore and lyrical, and Jay was the flash and floss. They balanced each other out like rice and gravy.

Know your history. If you don't know the roots of this thing, treat yourself to a greatest hits joint, grab your uncle or aunt's old records..if they let you.. and notice the difference between what artists were saying then and what you hear now. You can't get the full effect that you'd have if you grew up in that era.. but you'll get an idea of what this music is about. If anything good comes out this.. it has to be for the fans and artists involved with this hip-hop thing to have a greater appreciation for the life of it. As fans, we should know our history.. not that you should buy every project by an artist gunning for a comeback. But we should know what made them great in the first place. If it's quality support it; for the record LL's new album is definitely one of his better joints.

Artists, it's been said so many times, you need to be creative. Stop with the softball hits ie. endless colabos and remaking classics for the hell of it. Snoop did it with respect when he did Slick Rick's "La Di Da Di", but did his verion of "Vapors" have to be made and more recently Jay-Z and that Girlfriend trash. Step in the booth with the intention of making history. Know that your talking to people and that they're listening. That doesn't mean you have to preach, it doesn't mean that you don't mention your new car, it means that you think about entertainment. That's what the fans are there for.. to be entertained; not to be amazed by your jewelry and the 24 gun references and how many ways you can split someone's head open. That shit ain't entertainment.

If Run DMC came out with their 85 material today, it would blow these other artists out the box. Just as they did back then. Music that's made with the sole intention of expressing yourself musically.. free from strictly commercial aspirations.. can become timeless. I say can, because not everyone has the talent to be a successful artist. Music may be in their heart, but if you've been watching Puff's Making the Band 2  or saw American Idol, you'd know that not everyone is built like that.

On a final note.. my boys Ron and Fez(I love their show).. here are a couple of 40'ish white guys whose show has nothing do with music. But last night they extended their show by an hour and a half to pay tribute to Jam Master Jay. This because they were fans of Run DMC. It was a real thing to do. I taped the last fifteen minutes of the show.. they play a few songs, some people call in giving their reactions.. and I tacked on a song at the end. There will be a lot of musical tributes today, but I'm sure you won't hear this one.

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