News: Rick Ross' Baby Mama Calls Out Rapper, "He Lies About Everything"

Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Wed, 13 May 2009 11:15:00

The mother of Rick Ross' son, Tia Kemp, has continued to call out the rapper and claims he may have to change his rap alias in the near future.

Along with speaking on "The Boss," Tia also updated fans on what his other baby mother, Brooke, was likely up to.

"Rick Ross is a liar," Tia told radio personality Angela Yee. "You can't believe anything that comes outta this guy's mouth at this point. I mean nothing. I was with him for three years. He lies about everything. I think [it's a mental condition]. He's psychotic...I haven't seen [Brooke] in a while. We don't hang out in the same places, so of course I'm not gonna see her. I'm quite sure she's on the track in South Beach somewhere trying to sell some p*ssy or something. She's a call girl...He ain't got no gangstas around him...I'm hoping the book will be a success and I think I got some roles in movies and doing some modeling and I just got a lot of things on the table right now...I have no idea [why he chose the name 'Rick Ross']. Why would you wanna take someone else's name?

Seriously, like you went from 'Teflon' to 'Willow' to 'Rick Ross.' Are you serious? He may have to change his name soon from 'Rick Ross' because Rick Ross is home now. He gonna have to see him." (The Morning After)
She recently revealed her thoughts upon seeing Brooke's sex tape that 50 Cent leaked online earlier this year.

"I just feel sorry for her daughters, it's sad," Tia said in an interview. "And then she did an interview in Hip-Hop Weekly saying that her older daughter saw the tape. It's just sad, you know? I can understand you doing some things when you were 17, 18 years-old but god d*mn, once you become a mother, there's certain things you just can't [do]. There's no control in that household. My son dyin' to see the sh*t. My two older sons dying to see the sh*t. I can't let them see it though, they've been wanting to see it. I got a 12 year-old and 10 year-old." (Shade 45)
Tia is currently prepping the release of her upcoming tell-all book, Tia's Diary: Deeper Than Rap, wherein she refers to Ross by his government name, William Roberts.

"Will was paying the rent and the bills and flying in and out of town so I didn't have to deal with headaches from him all the time," an excerpt reads. "I didn't have to cook for him every night and take care of his bullsh*t. I was in my own apartment, and had a big brand new truck, no one could tell me anything. I didn't have to worry about Will's momma and his sister anymore and their negative attitudes and vibes and I still had him. He wasn't going anywhere. They forgot that he had to deal with me, I had his son, I had Lil' Will." (Deeper Than Rap Book)

The book will be available in bookstores, including Amazon, later this month.

Published by Tru Life Publishing, the 288 page text will come out May 20 for a standard price of $14.95. Tia's Diary: Deeper Than Rap: Clarity, Truth, & Exposure will be available via paperback. Pre-order options are currently available. (Amazon)

News: Kanye West Ends Tweet Talk, "I Don't Have A F*cking Twitter"

Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Wed, 13 May 2009 10:30:00

Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West has addressed rumors claiming he has a Twitter account and explained the reasons he does not utilize the social networking tool.

Speaking via his blog, Yeezy called out the numerous Twitter users whom intentionally create fake accounts in his name.

"(This spaz comes courtesy of losers making fake Kanye West Twitter accounts) I don't have a f*cking Twitter," Ye wrote unmodified. "Why would I use Twitter??? I only blog five percent of what I'm up to in the first place. I'm actually slow delivering content because I'm too busy actually busy being creative most of the time and if I'm not and I'm just laying on a beach I wouldn't tell the world. Everything that Twitter offers I need less of. The people at Twitter know I don't have a f*cking Twitter so for them to allow someone to pose as me and accumulate over a million names is irresponsible and deceitful to their faithful users. Repeat. The heads of Twitter knew I didn't have a Twitter and they have to know which accounts have high activity on them. It's a f*cking farce and it makes me question what other so called celebrity Twitters are actually real or fake. Hey Twitter, take the so called Kanye West Twitter down now. Why? Because my caps locks is loud!!!!!!!!" (Kanye West's Blog)

With over 200,000 followers, the person behind 50 Cent's Twitter account, Chris Romero, recently emerged and explained his duties.

On March 1, he shared this insight with the more than 200,000 people who follow him: "My ambition leads me through a tunnel that never ends." Those were 50 Cent's words, but it was not exactly him tweeting. Rather, it was Chris Romero, known as Broadway, the director of the rapper's Web empire, who typed in those words after reading them in an interview. "He doesn't actually use Twitter," Mr. Romero said of 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson III, "but the energy of it is all him." (New York Times)

Kanye recently revealed the hired staff he uses for his popular blog.

"I might [blog for] two hours in a day, it might be fifteen minutes in a day," Ye said in an interview. "I have two people that I hired and I tell them exactly what I want -- it's just like how a designer would work. I tell them, yo know, Surface Magazine, Wallpaper, Architectural Digest, Hypebeast, Bossip, go to these different blogs and keep on pulling information. And then they send it to me, and I get like 80 e-mails, and I have to check and go through them. And sometimes I'll have my own stuff where I'll just be in a cool place, like if I had my camera right now, I'd like photograph this stuff and go home and be really excited to blog it." (New York Magazine)
He was previously questioned last summer after reports of a ghost blogger emerged.

Sure Kanye wrote that one outburst on his blog, but no, he doesn't find all those neat gadgets or post those videos and photos from the road. Someone else does all that for him. That someone else is Marcus Troy, Kanye's "Ghost Blogger" - a term Marcus coined to describe the service he provides for a few celebrity blogs. If you ask Marcus whether he ghost writes for Kanye, of course he'll deny it. Because that's what ghost writers do: they stay in the cut while giving others the glory. (Sandra Rose)

News: Alfamega Arrested On Felony Gun Charges & Attempted Escape, Faces 10 Years In Prison

Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Wed, 13 May 2009 00:05:00

Former Grand Hustle rapper Cedric "Alfamega" Zellars was recently arrested on felony gun and obstruction charges after an altercation with Georgia police late last month.

The 36 year-old was reportedly locked up upon learning of his dismissal from Grand Hustle by T.I. last week.
He was arrested Wednesday (April 29) and according to an Atlanta Police Department report, police found a stolen .40 caliber pistol in Zellars's SUV during a search of the vehicle following a traffic stop (the Sig Sauer handgun was loaded and had a round in the chamber). After cops discovered the gun, Zellars became "combative and non-compliant" and sought to flee. Officer Antonio Blasini pepper sprayed Zellars in the face, but the substance "had no immediate effect." Cops chased Zellars to a nearby parking garage, where he was struck with a police baton, again to no effect. In a bid to shake his pursuers, Zellars weaved through parked cars and climbed over the garage wall, jumping "25-30 feet to the ground." Zellars was booked into a Fulton County jail, where he remained until Saturday (May 9) when he made bail. Zellars, a predicate felon, has yet to be indicted on the gun and obstruction charges. However, if the gun case were to be handled by federal prosecutors, Zellars could easily be facing more than a decade in prison. (The Smoking Gun)

Tip recently claimed he and his company were not aware of Alfa's past history as an informant.

"Even though all of our artists and employees are asked by us to be honest and open about their past history at no time did Alfa disclose to me or Grand Hustle what has now appeared in the media. He essentially deceived us by failing to fully disclose the truth about his past and there is no place in our organization for dishonest and misleading behavior. As I've always said, you must take responsibility for your own actions, we at Grand Hustle do not support or condone blaming others for our own mistakes. I hope and pray to god bless his financial plans but I do not foresee me or my company playing the role of his personal or professional business." (Statement)
Prior to Tip, DJ Drama said the Grand Hustle CEO would address the actions of Alfa to the media.

"I spoke to Tip about it and Tip is definitely preparing to speak to the media about the situation," Drama explained in an interview. "And as boss man, I would definitely honor him to make a statement before I make a statement, but there's definitely a consensus among [Grand Hustle]...When you put yourself as a public figure and you put yourself out there to represent one thing and it comes out that you represent the opposite, the public has the right to be aware of that...We all know hip-hop is about being true to yourself and being true to your name. Ice Cube said it a long time ago -- it's about being real with yourself whoever you may be." (XXL Mag)
Records leaked online last week which showed Alfamega worked as a DEA informant.

Court records show he began working with law enforcement officials after he was sentenced in September 1995 to 110 months in a federal gun case. During his cooperation, Zellars met with a DEA agent and a federal prosecutor, and subsequently testified at trial. In return for his help, Zellars had 18 months shaved off his prison term when he was resentenced in July 1997. (SOHH)

News: XXL Editor-In-Chief Resigns From Publication

Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Tue, 12 May 2009 17:52:11

XXL Magazine Editor-In-Chief Datwon Thomas has reportedly left his position at the publication after just over a year.

While details are in short supply, the news of Thomas' departure hit the net earlier today (May 12).

Word on the curb is that Datwon Thomas has stepped down from his position as Editor-In-Chief of XXL and
Executive Editor, Vanessa Satten will resume duties at the top of the masthead. No reason as to why Datwon allegedly left his post, but we'll have more as this story develops. (Rap Radar)

Thomas took over the magazine in March 2008.

"I won't take the job lightly," he said in a statement last year. "The game is in a tough spot. Lagging sales, declining buzz, warring factions, creative slump and various other factors make the details of my job tougher than expected. I'm here though, ready to grip up and bust some for a culture that's slipping into uncharted territory that looks a little grim. The fact that a lot of good hip-hop is still out there helps make my job that much easier. I, with your help, will find that hip-hop and give it the platform that it rightly deserves. Wish me luck, I'm going in." (Pro Hip Hop)

Prior to XXL, Thomas helped launch King Magazine and helped build it into a prominent urban publication.

"My staff work hard and I don't want the magazine to be on the newsstand and me not say anything," he said in a past interview. "Even if I'm tired and don't feel like doing it, I'm out there promoting it regardless...Make sure your product is tight and solid. Make sure you don't have any cracks in your frame. Try to be smart. Know your target audience. Get with good companies to help promote your product." (Six Shot)

After leaving King and joining XXL, the publication eventually ended its run nearly a year later.

We don't often post rumors, despite the number of them that cross our desks daily (many of which end up being true). I felt like posting this one though. We just got word that KING Magazine (aka Butts and Rims) is closing shop, not even releasing it's next issue. In this strained economy, the already dying print format is suffering big time. It is upsetting to hear of people losing jobs, but can this be considered a victory for women (in particular black women) who struggle against objectification at every turn? I have to admit, I enjoy the images, but I know it can't really be good for raising the standards of our society. What do you think? (Okay Player)
Thomas has yet to release a statement regarding the breaking news.