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As Jay-Z transitioned from hit song to hit song at a Carnegie Hall concert Monday night, so did the lighting, changing from red to white to blue. The veteran rapper then performed his latest hit, "Glory," about his 1-month-old daughter with Beyoncé, Blue Ivy Carter. "I didn't think I was going to make it through that one," he said, sounding emotional. "That was tough." It was one of the many jams Jay-Z performed at New York's famed venue, his latest achievement in music domination. The rapper is the second hip-hop act to perform at Carnegie Hall. Wyclef Jean did so...

As a New Yorker, I am heartbroken by the death of Police Officer Peter Figoski, and as a black woman, I am outraged by the hypocrisy of elected officials like City Councilman Jumaane Williams, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and others who consistently critique the NYPD and oppose its stop-and-frisk policies. Have Williams, Jeffries and everyone else expressed their grief in the wake of the Figoski killing? Yes. But that doesn’t change the fact that these politicians and their allies never miss a chance to attack cops for their supposedly discriminatory targeting of black youth. Meanwhile, every day I read the paper...

Forget the books. This semester, Georgetown students might need to bring woofers and turntables to class instead. According to USA Today, the university is offering a sociology class focusing on the career of one of rap music’s biggest stars: WASHINGTON – Michael Eric Dyson parses Jay-Z’s lyrics as if analyzing fine literature. The rapper’s riffs on luxury cars and tailored clothes and boasts of being the “Mike Jordan of recording” may make for catchy rhymes, but to Dyson, they also reflect incisive social commentary. Dyson, a professor, author, radio host and television personality, has offered at Georgetown University this semester...

This week, in Oakland, Calif., America saw yet another stellar example of the glories of diversity. At a taping of a rap music video in that fair city, eight people, including a one-year-old child, were shot. When a classical music video goes wrong, somebody busts a string. When a rap music video goes wrong, somebody busts a cap. Such observations, however, are now taboo. We're not supposed to suggest that the rap culture is any different from the classical music culture or that one is better than another. As white guy John Kerry put it, "I think there's a lot...

At least eight people, including a 1-year-old boy, were shot Monday night during what police said was a videotaping of a rap music video. The child was reported in critical condition after undergoing surgery at Children's Hospital Oakland for a bullet wound to the head. An adult woman was also in critical condition with unspecified injuries, according to Oakland Police Department spokeswoman Johnna Watson. Police said the other victims were in stable condition. Police said an Oakland rapper who goes by the name of Kafani was at the scene of the shooting, which happened at 6:08 p.m. in the 700...

ASAP Rocky and the goofball new school of New York hip-hop.Last week, Harlem-bred ASAP Rocky, 23, who recently signed a record deal with the Sony-RCA subsidiary Polo Grounds worth a reported $3 million, released his mix tape LiveLoveASAP. He’s part of a small but influential roster of New York City hip-hop artists who are pushing boundaries, not only in terms of what they wear and eat but also what influences they let in their music. Since the mid-nineties, a certain strain of hood-glam rap has been perfected in New York: Guys like DJ Premier constructed unflinching beats that made you...

Think Hurricane Katrina. Troy Davis. Occupy Wall Street. Do artists only show face during times of need because the red light of a camera is glowing? David Banner seems to think so. Along with Banner’s established career, the rapper also has a history of being socially and politically active in our community. He received a Visionary Award from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators for his help during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. While many other rappers such as Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Diddy and other artists supported/threw money at the rebuilding of New Orleans, Banner believes a lot of them...

Ladies and gentleman, Kanye West is in the building. Or in this case, outside of it. The outspoken rapper paid a visit to the Occupy Wall Street protests Monday afternoon, led by rap mogul Russell Simmons. Simmons was there to appear on Reverend Al Sharpton’s radio show, which the MSNBC primetime host was broadcasting live from the park. The media spotlight on the movement has not faded and celebrity interest hasn't abated. Organization, however, is still lacking and political goals still need unpacking. As the protests enter their fourth week, and copycat demonstrations proliferate as far as Fort Myers, Fla....

In "Otis," the first video from the Kanye West and Jay-Z (a.k.a the Throne) joint album Watch the Throne, the two hip-hop moguls oversee some unconventional body work to what appears to be a brand-new Maybach: The German luxury car -- base sticker price approximately $373,000 for the cheapest model -- gets sliced and diced with a blowtorch and power saw. In the first 30 seconds of the clip, the automobile loses its roof and doors and gets remixed into an open-air Jeep-style vehicle perfect for joyriding around a parking lot with a quartet of young ladies in the back...

Another flashmobbery took place at a 7-11 in Montgomery County, Maryland. Apparently, the police did not respond until the looters had ransacked and left the store. From the video: A 7-11 in Montgomery County, Maryland was hit by a flash mob on August 13, 2011. The clerk activated a silent alarm, but police waited until the mob left the store before responding. Further, according to the video, the officer refused to investigate the crime, and only viewed this incident as shoplifting.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A rapper could face criminal charges after a tweet from his account incited a telephone flash mob that overwhelmed the emergency phone system at one of busiest stations of the Los Angeles County sheriff's department, the agency said Saturday. The sheriff's department alleges The Game tweeted the Compton station's phone number Friday and told his 580,000 followers to call the number if they wanted an internship. Phones at the southeast Los Angeles County station started ringing at 5:23 p.m. Friday, and the lines were jammed by hundreds of calls for more than two hours, prompting authorities...

Police departments in several cities around the country are investigating what appear to be incidents of "flash mob"-generated violence, in which packs of dozens or even hundreds of youths appear seemingly out of nowhere to commit assaults, robberies and other crimes against innocent bystanders. The motive and circumstances surrounding the attacks that have resulted in numerous arrests around the country are being investigated -- and law enforcement officials in at least one city are looking into a possible racial component to the crimes. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who recently imposed a stricter curfew in response to the city's latest attack,...

Rapper GoRemy explains the Debt Ceiling. This guy is the funnest conservative/liberatarian rapper out there

What the hell is going on over Memorial Day weekend among America's youts, specifically, "Eric Holder's People"?!IM SICK OF IT! Here in Little Rock, (which was just named No. 7 most dangerous city), I was talking to my friend yesterday, who is an LRPD officer. He asked if my wife and I were going to Riverfest that evening. I told him my son, age 9 mos. was sick, and we weren't planning to. He told me, "Good. There is a Rap artist playing at 9PM and there are not enough cops on duty so be very careful, and carry your...

The shooting happened just after 12:30 a.m. on the 900 block of NE 125th Street. According to police, someone drove up and the passenger got out of the car and shot Bell multiple times. North Miami Police said that multiple suspects were possibly seen leaving the scene in a dark colored vehicle with a spoiler on the rear, or a light colored car. “At this time, we don’t have a motive but we can tell you that nothing was taken. He had jewelry on him, money on him, his car keys, so we’re looking for why this happened,” said North...

A 22-year-old woman allegedly killed an aspiring rap singer with a single punch for a $5 party bet. Tiffany Startz is accused of killing John 'Fatboy' Powell with a single blow to the face and has been told she has to stand trial.

Even before the West Coast collective Odd Future took the stage at the Paradise on Thursday, the venue was filled with a sense of danger. Earlier in the day, a mini-riot broke out at a record signing at Newbury Comics on Newbury Street, where leader Tyler, the Creator provoked fans from a rooftop. A police officer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and a 13-year-old girl was arrested, according to police

While Michelle Obama may have only recently found a reason to be proud of her country, she has long been proud of rapper Common. Mrs. Obama and her husband do not want to celebrate the National Day of Prayer in the White House, and the latter "forgot" to do a Presidential Proclamation on Easter -- but having Common in the White House is a priority. This president -- and apparently his wife, as well -- does not understand or relate to the views of average Americans. Most of us read Common's lyrics and cannot fathom why the president would allow...

CBS News Radio White House Correspondent Mark Knoller via Twitter:WH says Pres Obama opposes violent & misogynist lyrics, but defends participation of rapper known as Common in WH poetry event tonight.WH says some criticism of Common is distorted and lyrics suggesting a threat against police are not the sum total of his work.

The invitation of rapper Common to a White House this week is drawing the ire of the union representing New Jersey state police. While not even casual hip-hop fans would characterize him as a controversial rapper, Common found himself under the microscope after First Lady Michelle Obama invited him to the White House for an arts event. FOX News and Sarah Palin criticized the decision after the Daily Caller published some of Common's lyrics, including some that criticize President George W. Bush. For Jersey police, the outrage centers on a song by Common about Assata Shakur, formerly known as Joanne...

Sarah Palin tweeted into the growing controversy over Michelle Obama’s decision to invite Chicago rapper ‘Common’ to a White House arts event for students. “Oh lovely, White House,” she said about Common’s “A Letter to the Law” rap-poem, which was transcribed and published in yesterday’s Daily Caller. The 2007 rap includes threats to kill police and a call to kill then-President George W. Bush. “Them dick boys got a lock of cock in them “My people on the block got a lot of [Tu]pac in them… “Burn a Bush cos’ for peace …” The planned event, titled “An Evening of...

Michelle Obama has chosen to invite the rapper Common to perform at the White House Wednesday evening, and he is expected to lead rap workshops with school children prior to his performance, which is part of a greater event showcasing America’s poets, musicians, and artists. Common’s lyrics have referenced killing policemen and have called for the burning of George W. Bush.  Maybe he’s not the best choice to be teaching school kids? Here is a video of Common performing:

“Tell the cops – my Uzi weighs a ton – I walk like a warrior – from them I won’t run – I got the black strap – to make the cops run” The President of the United States will celebrate American prose and poetry at the White House next week by honoring, among others, a poet known for his cop-killing, racially-charged, misogynistic works. At an event dedicated to poetry’s influence on American culture, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., who goes by the name “Common,” will be one of the guests of President and Mrs. Obama. Elizabeth Alexander, Billy Collins, Rita...

EPA Raps for Kids: 'Public Transportation Is the Way to Go' Thursday, April 21, 2011 By Susan Jones EPA logo (CNSNews.com) - "Click it, flip it, turn the handle to the right, turn off the water, twist the handle real tight." So begins a song about climate change, available for downloading from the EPA's Web site. The EPA says we should "blast out" the song at our Earth Day celebrations -- "because if this won't save the planet nothing will." The song tells children, "The climate is changing and that’s a fact, bears don’t know when to take a nap,...

Rapper Afroman, best known for his songs about marijuana use, was sued today for failing to appear at a concert at The Patio at the Continent in Columbus, Ohio. The lawsuit, filed in the Franklin County Municipal Court, alleges that Afroman forgot to appear at an April 9, 2011 concert scheduled at The Patio. “We set a date and signed a contract. I even sent the deposit to Afroman himself, right away. They must have just forgotten about our show,” said Nathan Pettry, a concert promoter working with The Patio. Afroman is best known for his hit song “Because I...

ARLINGTON, Va. - Arlington police say a brawl broke out during the DMV music awards ceremony, sending one person to a local hospital. VIDEO#1 COURTESY: DMVLIFE.com Police say five people were treated Saturday night at the scene of the awards ceremony, which honors local rap, hip-hop and R&B performers. About 1,500 people attended the ceremony at the Crystal City Hyatt, and witnesses said more than 20 police vehicles responded to deal with a half dozen fights that broke out.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Arlington police say a brawl broke out during the DMV music awards ceremony, sending one person to a local hospital. Police say five people were treated Saturday night at the scene of the awards ceremony, which honors local rap, hip-hop and R&B performers. About 1,500 people attended the ceremony at the Crystal City Hyatt, and witnesses said more than 20 police vehicles responded to deal with a half dozen fights that broke out.

I know the theme is getting tired by now... but this one-and-a-half minute clip is really pretty funny: [YouTube] Clip/more at Reaganite Republican

Terrorist sings new tuneBy MICHELE MANDEL, Toronto Sun Last Updated: November 26, 2010 6:59pm BRAMPTON - It’s a strange road from would-be terrorist to would-be rapper. But far better Steven Chand’s bad poetry than his last hobby of training terror recruits in the snow. After pledging to have nothing more to do with terrorism and performing a rather bizarre courtroom rap, Steven Chand was handed a stiff 10 year sentence by Justice Fletcher Dawson Friday for training and fundraising for the Toronto 18 terror group. But with credit for his nearly five years in custody, Chand will have only seven...

Young rappers arrested in IranNovember 07, 2010|By Reza Sayah, CNN Police in Tehran have arrested several members of underground Iranian rap groups, the semi-offical ILNA news agency reported. Tehran Police Chief Hussain Sajedinia told ILNA that several young boys and girls were discovered using vacant homes to record and videotape illegal rap music for various websites and satellite networks. Police raided the homes, arrested the young musicians and confiscated "western style musical instruments" and several bottles of liquor, according to ILNA.

The rapper, who gave the world the hit single "Ice Ice Baby" in the early '90s, is showcasing his little-known talent for flipping homes in his new DIY Network show "The Vanilla Ice Project." Robert Van Winkle, a.k.a Vanilla Ice, chats about remodeling houses for 15 years and his new album. Video at site.

If you have listened to the American hip hop duo called “Insane Clown Posse”, and paid attention to their lyrics, you would think that the two band members Joseph Bruch, and Joseph Utsler were God hating, devil worshipping thugs. For 20+ years, that’s what most of their fans even believed. The group even has a dedicated following who call themselves the Juggalos and Juggalettes. There have been various instances where Juggalos and Juggalettes have committed horrendous crimes such as murder, assault, arson, and kidnapping. They are considered to be a gang in several states, even though studies have not shown...

BSO busts pirate radio station in Lauderdale Lakes Christian hymns don't often have a bumping bass line, so when listeners of a religious radio station heard hard core rap lyrics interrupt their worship, there could only be one explanation. No, it wasn't the devil. It was pirate radio. Broward Sheriff's Office deputies put the heavenly clamps on two guys stealing the Christian station's signal out of their garage in Lauderdale Lakes on Thursday. Maurice Roland and Mikhail Rhodd, both 22, were both arrested and a search of the house turned up two microphones and a laptop with loads of tunes...

When it comes to Christian art and culture, it's sometimes embarrassing to admit how far we've drifted over these past few decades from our age-old emphasis on "timelessness" and "organic development." Nevertheless, in an effort to find the silver lining in the dark cloud that passes (in some aging circles) for "relevance", we here at Southern-fried Catholicism hang our heads low and would like to take this opportunity to highlight some ridiculously low points in Christian art, architecture and culture in a new series we're calling "Christian Cheese." We hope you enjoy forehead smackingly sad examples of Christians trying their...

PALM BAY, Fla. -- A 14-year-old black Palm Bay teen, accused of attacking a white man for listening to rap music, could be charged with a hate-crime. Officers arrested Joshuah Eligah Lamb late Monday and charged him with battery.In a report released Wednesday (read report), Lamb told the victim to turn his music off, but the man refused and told Lamb that he could listen to whatever he wants. The report also states that the teen was in the company of other juvenile males and females, who also attempted to get involved in the dispute.Police say Lamb told the 22-year-old...

A local rapper and a 35-year-old man are accused of beating a man to death because he accidentally scratched the rapper’s car. Edward Brown and Steven Fox, 26, a rapper known as “Sincere the Realist,” sent the 46-year-old victim into coma and eventually his death, according to prosecutors and police reports. Brown is a family friend of Larry Brown, who died on July 7 from the injuries related to attack, according to court testimony. It was Fox’s car that Larry Brown caused minor damage to when he was returning home in the early morning hours of June 17, assistant state’s...

This is awesome. This weather guy raps the day's forecast: Rapping Weatherman

...Cano tells me they compose many of their songs by special request... "With some of the songs, they send me lists and they ask for a song about this and that and we do it. But I don't anything about how the narcos work," Cano grins. And he's certainly not about to tell me who "they" are. But listen to the music and it's clear. "They" are members of the Gulf Cartel. Since the start of this year, the Gulf Cartel has been fighting its former hit squad, the Zetas, for control of Reynosa and a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico...

Torrence “Lil Boosie” Hatch — charged Thursday in the 2009 killing of a Baton Rouge man — called himself the John Gotti of the south side in a song titled “187,” police code in California for homicide. In other songs, the Baton Rouge rapper threatens East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III and brags about Michael “Marlo Mike” Louding, the 17-year-old recently charged in six murders, including the February 2009 shooting death of rival rapper Chris “Nussie” Jackson. “Hillar Moore, your racist ass is going to hell … Probably be dead when I come out of jail,” Hatch,...

Giving back the house has officially gone mainstream, which might have lenders singin’ the blues. Rapper Chamillionaire, known for his song “Ridin’,” became the latest homeowner choosing to default on his mortgage. He abandoned his Houston mansion instead of making payments on a house that’s worth less than what he paid, TMZ reports. The rapper, whose real name is Hakeem Seriki, calmly tells the gossip site, which caught up with him Thursday outside a New York hotel, that he simply “decided to let that house go because the house ended up being worth nothing.” The rapper says it was his...

D.C.-born rapper Wale has backed out of an agreement to perform at D.C. Black Pride, after allegedly feeling uncomfortable with a gay event, reports the Washington Blade. Wale, a local artist with national recognition, had been scheduled to headline the the May 30 festival. The Blade reports: Earl Fowlkes, a board member and spokesperson for Black Pride... said Black Pride organizers were startled this week when they received two e-mails from Wale’s agent, one saying the rapper had to cancel due to "family obligations," and the second saying he didn’t know Black Pride was a gay-related event when he agreed...

SALT LAKE CITY — Not McGuilty. That was the verdict from a Utah judge Tuesday in the case of a teen cited with disorderly conduct after he and some friends went through a McDonald's drive-thru, rapping an order into the speaker. Spenser Dauwalder was cited with the infraction in October after he was part of a group that imitated a rap from a popular YouTube video that begins, "I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce." Fourth District Judge Thomas Low delivered the verdict Tuesday in American Fork, about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City. Dauwalder had pleaded...

I come from a day and age where rap was first making its appearance on the scene. I admit that I enjoyed Run DMC, Kool Moe Dee, Will Smith (back then Fresh Prince), and Kid N Play as much as the next guy or probably more. However, the lyrics of those rap artists are a far cry from the violent and vulgar lyrics of many of today's artists. Today if I want to listen to rap music I will listen to Christian rappers KJ-52, T-Bone, or the eclectic styles of Toby Mac. Yes, there is such a thing as Christian...

<p>The U.S. Army has dismissed a soldier who threatened fellow troops and sent the Pentagon a violent rap song he wrote to protest his Iraq redeployment orders, officials said Saturday.</p> <p>The dismissal for misconduct means Spc. Marc A. Hall will avoid criminal charges but lose all military benefits earned over at least four years of service, including an earlier tour in Iraq.</p>

NAIROBI, April 9 — For centuries, Somalis used poetry and songs to pass protest messages to powerful rulers they were too afraid to confront directly. Now, some young Somalis are using rap to speak out against Islamists who they say are using religion to wage war in their country. The 11-member Waayaha Cusub band, currently in exile in neighbouring Kenya, wants its rap lyrics to encourage fellow Somalis to stand up to Islamist rebels known as al Shabaab. They have handed out at least 7,000 free copies of their newly-released album titled “No To Al Shabaab” to residents in Nairobi’s...

Criminal minded, you’ve been blinded Looking for the body of Jesus? You won’t find it We never lack spirit, letting you cats hear it Because His tomb is empty like most secular rap lyrics Chorus 2Plato is dead, Socrates is dead Aristotle and Immanuel Kant are dead Neitzsche and Darwin are dead- however Jesus is Alive Buddha is dead, Mohammed is dead Ghandi and Haile Selassie are dead Elijah Mohammed is dead- however Jesus is Alive Verse 2Throughout history there’s been mad religious leaders Prophets, preachers, scholars, teachers But when it came to the grave, no one could climb out...

Recently, a YouTube made the rounds of Bob Dylan raspily rapping his way through a solid chunk of LL Cool J’s classic “Mama Said Knock You Out.” The Internet had good time with “LOL” and “WTF” responses, but Dylan’s symbiotic relationship with hip-hop actually runs fairly deep. Hip-hop and Dylan were both gestated in New York, distrust the government, aren’t fond of using their birth names, and have a pretty evocative way with words. And although Dylan recently told Street Newspaper that he doesn’t really listen to rap all that much, he did admit, “I love rhyming for rhyming sake....

Ludacris has made peace with his much-publicized enemy, Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly, after running into the controversial right-wing pundit at a recent dinner. "The first thing I said to him was, 'I want to meet the guy who has had so much to say about me, but knows absolutely nothing about me,' " Ludacris told RadarOnline.com. "I identified that I wanted to speak to him when I saw his name on the guest list. I looked at what table he was on and I walked my ass straight to that table," Luda continued. "He wasn't expecting to see me...

Jay-Z and Beyonce visited their good friend President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday ... and from the looks of it, Hova felt right at home underneath the presidential seal. While they didn't announce their candidacy, Bey & Jay -- along with Tina Knowles, Trey Songz and the rest of their entourage -- did snap a couple of pics inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Jigga is in a head of state of mind.

Gun play becomes Atlanta area rapper Waka Flocka Flame. His most recent mix tape is called "Salute Me or Shoot Me, Vol. 2," and the "L" in his logo is shaped by an upright semi-automatic handgun. And Tuesday evening, the 23-year-old rapper was recovering after being shot earlier in the day during an apparent robbery. Born Juaqin Malphurs, the rapper was washing his car at the Bubble Bath Car Wash at 5220 Old National Highway around 1:30 p.m. when he was approached by an armed man demanding Malphurs' jewelry, police said. "A scuffle broke out, then shots were fired," Fulton...