Yes, I am starting the all green everything movement. Jay-Z had his run with all black but now it’s my turn. You probably thought I was talking about the environment. No not this time. While I am all for saving the Earth, I’m actually referring to fashion. Spring is here so naturally, I’ve got to acquire a few new items for my warm weather wardrobe. A friend of mine recently told me that he likes to remain “economical but stuntastic all in the same breath.” That’s what I had in mind when I went vintage shopping this past weekend. I was pressed for time so I only made my way to two shops, but they are definitely two of my favorites in NYC. 10 Ft Single in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has gems for days. Both women and men can go in there and find amazing deals on vintage clothing in great condition. Their military section is the best part and it is where I found my vintage Army mail bag. It’s perfect for my camera and whatever book I may be reading so I had to snag it. From there, I made my way to Amarcord in Soho where I found my best vintage pickup to date; some vintage Italian Army sneakers designed by Armani in the 70’s. Well, that’s what the staff told me. Whatever they are, I love them! Check out both Amarcord and 10 Ft. Single when you can and tell them Nicky Famous sent you! By the way, all photos are courtesy of yours truly…

So I was recently on one of my Barnes & Noble expeditions the other day, which usually consist of me perusing through magazines and photography books for hours. This time around, I just went straight to the magazine section because I was seeking inspiration for a school project and didn’t have much time to find it. The first thing that grabbed my attention, other than Rihanna on GQ, was a dope black and white photo of Tupac. It was on the cover of a magazine called “Respect”. So I pick it up and wonder why I’ve never heard of it and then I see it’s the premiere issue. I immediately take it to the register, along with Rihanna on GQ’s cover, and purchase it so I can go sit on a quiet corner and pick it apart. This magazine is amazing. In a nutshell, it’s a quarterly photo journal of Hip-Hop culture. The Respect Magazine premiere issue features nine photographers with subjects ranging from The Beastie Boys to Jay-Z. Get to your nearest magazine carrier and get your piece of Hip-Hop history today!

To describe the sound of Raphael Saadiq would be to describe soul. Audio soul. Yea that sounds about right. This man has been writing, singing, and producing for years and he apparently has plenty left to offer. He has been compared to the likes of the Jackson 5 and on Friday December 4th, California native, Mr. Saadiq will be in New York city performing LIVE at Terminal 5. Tickets are only $30 so I suggest you click here to get yours and here for more info!

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you didn’t catch this performance, don’t worry because it’s already online. Now, if you didn’t even know this performance was taking place, there is plenty of reason to worry. How could you not know that the current NYC anthem, Empire State of Mind, would be the opener for game two of the World Series? #Comeonson! Check out this video of Jay-Z and Alicia shutting down the stadium before the first pitch, and ergo setting up the Yankee’s for a victory over the Phillies! It is now 1-1.

It’s always a beautiful thing when moguls unite, whether it’s social or for a greater cause. To see great minds mesh together is such an inspiration for me. The Jay-Z and Oprah collaboration has got to be one of the most powerful unions I’ve ever witnessed, especially for a young Black man like myself. Recently, Jay-Z invited Ms. Winfrey to “the hood” in which he was raised; Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. Oprah has also featured an interview with Jigga in her latest magazine. What I’m waiting for is the video interview to air! It’s no secret that Oprah pretty much shuns rappers from her show because of her views on the genre. But Hov is breaking down barriers!!! Check out a sneak peek of the interview and be on the lookout for Jay-Z on Oprah very soon!!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://www.mn-eminent.com/2009/09/21/oprah-x-jay-z/feed/ 0 http://www.mn-eminent.com/2009/09/20/making-of-the-blueprint-3-cover/ http://www.mn-eminent.com/2009/09/20/making-of-the-blueprint-3-cover/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 03:49:07 +0000 Matt http://www.mn-eminent.com/?p=2284 Great video on how they shot the cover for Blueprint 3. The only thing I was surprised about were the red stripes painted on the instruments instead of just being applied later in photoshop. I knew the instruments were real though.

Peeped over at Limited Hype

All of you should have watched MTV’s Video Music Awards that took place at Radio City Music Hall last night. If you didn’t we’ve got a recap of some of the bigger events of the evening…

1. The MJ tribute
I loved it. Madonnas opener was a bit of a tear jerker to say the least. The dancers dress in the MJ costumes from different eras was a dope touch as well as the spot on choreography. Janet of course took it to a whole other level. I guess we should’ve known she was gonna come out to the one song that they actually did together. It was nice to see that she still hast the same vigor. Her stage energy and intensity was through the roof and she gets crazy kudos for that, because we all know how hard she took her brothers death. I especially love the seriousness and RESPECT that was given. People that defend the joke that ended up being the BET Awards this year always want to address that they only had a ’short amount of time’. This was a great example that the ENTIRE show doesn’t have to be reworked to be an MJ tribute. A fitting piece of the show was all that was needed. The big blowout that became Janet’s performance of course took tons of prep, but the respectful undertone did not, it’s to be expected. Well done MTV.

2. Kanye’s Rant
We’re not even gonna spend to much time on this because this wasn’t a good part of the night to me. After the winner for best female video was announced, Taylor Swift, Kanye chose to go on stage and rant about how Beyonce should have won. Rants like these aren’t uncommon from him, however its rarely in defense of someone else. Taylor looked embarassed and sad, especially since it was her first VMA. I especially love the fact that Kanye and arm candy Amber Rose were promptly escorted out of Radio City, further proving, that MTV doesn’t like coonery, unless of course they’ve planned it into the agenda. Kanye taking it upon himself to glorify ignorance clearly doesn’t sit well with Viacom. “This is our show, not yours Kanye, we’ll let you know when it’s ok to make your people look bad.”

At least he apologized… posting this on his blog:

I’M SOOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM. I SPOKE TO HER MOTHER RIGHT AFTER AND SHE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD’VE SAID. SHE IS VERY TALENTED! I LIKE THE LYRICS ABOUT BEING A CHEERLEADER AND SHE’S IN THE BLEACHERS! …………………… I’M IN THE WRONG FOR GOING ON STAGE AND TAKING AWAY FROM HER MOMENT!…………….. BEYONCE’S VIDEO WAS THE BEST OF THIS DECADE!!!! I’M SORRY TO MY FANS IF I LET YOU GUYS DOWN!!!! I’M SORRY TO MY FRIENDS AT MTV. I WILL APOLOGIZE TO TAYLOR 2MRW. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!!!! EVERYBODY WANNA BOOOOO ME BUT I’M A FAN OF REAL POP CULTURE!!! NO DISRESPECT BUT WE WATCHIN’ THE SHOW AT THE CRIB RIGHT NOW CAUSE … WELL YOU KNOW!!!! I’M STILL HAPPY FOR TAYLOR!!!! BOOOYAAAWWWW!!!! YOU ARE VERY VERY TALENTED!!! I GAVE MY AWARDS TO OUTKAST WHEN THEY DESERVED IT OVER ME… THAT’S WHAT IT IS!!!!!!! I’M NOT CRAZY YALL, I’M JUST REAL. SORRY FOR THAT!!! I REALLY FEEL BAD FOR TAYLOR AND I’M SINCERELY SORRY!!! MUCH RESPECT!!!!!

Doesn’t cut it for me. It was out of line, period. Something in me kept wishing it was staged.

3. Lady Gaga and Best New Artist
This women scares me. Her second and third outfit choices made her like kin to the devil. However her performance was well put together and original. She ended up winning Best New Artist which was cool, I can’t say I wanted anyone else to win… that’s right… Drake included, lol. I’m not even sure how mixtape superstars were in the running to begin with. Lets all keep in mind this man doesn’t have any signed studio releases, and one video that was garbage. Props to Lady Gaga for the performance and the win, although bloodshed and hanging from the cieling was a little O.D.

4. Beyonce let’s Taylor Shine
IF INDEED THIS WAS HER IDEA… much props to Beyonce. I guess she’s opening up. I’ve never seen her do anything this remotely human in such an impromptu fashion. We all know she’s a robot. Things like Food Drives and her meek and humble demeanor are scripted, but for her to call out Taylor so she can get her shine out of nowhere showed a nice side to Beyonce, one that she should let the world see more often.

5. Jay’s Performance
It was a good look. Empire State of Mind is one of my favorites off the album so him performing with Alicia Keys was just what I needed, especially since she was absent for his show at The Garden. However, he could’ve at least been at the show. I mean really Jay? Just stay home for the show and come for your performance? Not that he really missed much, except for his homie Kanye spazzing, and he could see Bey perform at home I suppose.

Jay-Z . I had to start off that way because Jay is his own entity. He has taken hip-hop to a level I’m sure even he can’t believe. Jay-Z is truly a business and a business man. Mr. Carter has never been one to just release albums and perform at concerts. He turned his story in to history and over 10 albums later, he has not stopped. The Blueprint 3 is here and it is….B.A.N.A.N.A.S. Even that is an understatement but I want you to hear it for yourself if you haven’t already, which you can do via Rhapsody. It was supposed to release this Friday, September 11th, but the whole album “leaked” sometime last week. In other words, Jay knew that he had a masterpiece on his hands and felt the need to put us on without further anticipation. Jay-Z is doing hip-hop  a great service. He’s pumped it with enough life to last for a while, within just one week. With his concert at Madison Square Garden coming up on Friday, it’s only getting better. The tickets are apparently sold out via the original retailer of Ticketmaster but Stub-Hub and EBay still have plenty for you. At inflated prices, of course (am I bugging or does that say $45ooo for a ticket?!). Don’t want to pay or didn’t have any luck on Ticketmaster? No worries. The concert will be airing LIVE on the Fuse network. So I vote that everyone who isn’t able to attend finds a very large screen to sit in front of with some friends and some food and rock out as if you were there!!! Go pick up your hard copy of The Blueprint 3 now because the physical copies are already being sold at major retailers. The digital copies will go on sale this Friday. Let us know what you think of the album and be sure to hit us up on Twitter if you’re attending the concert or having a viewing party. We’ll bring the chips!!!

I also realized that the not so good folks over at Ticketmaster have a personal vendetta against me. How do I know this? Take a look at my little security joint that everyone has to fill out before getting placed on the queue.

WTF.  Is that a fraction? Come on guys, that’s not right and you know it. What ever happened to “wicker fence” or something like that. I usually get the silliest easiest ones. But no.. for Jay? Oh no, you’ve gotta put that work in, I coulda practiced on Mavis Beacon if somebody woulda told me an hour before ‘it’ll go get this difficult’. LOL, I actually typed this in the first time, but everytime after if the joint was too hard I pressed the Try Another. Plus, the only thing worse than not getting the tickets is seeing the numerous resellers that have popped up all over the place. A few of which I saw on stubhub.com which had a price as high as $45,000! I think that’s personally a mistake though, that’s just absurd, especially since they aren’t even floor seats.

Sadly M&N won’t be in attendance smh. We tried though… we really did. But by all means if the good folks at Roc Nation would like to pass two our way, it would be much appreciated!

Jay-Z had a small press conference earlier today announcing his one night only benefit concert in which proceeds will go to the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s charity.

Tickets will sell for a universal $50 on September 8th at 9 a.m. for Citibank cardholders and at 12 noon for everyone else so be prepared because this WILL sell out, and fast. I don’t even have to say how bananas this will be and of course, M&N will be in the building.

Also peep this Rhapsody ad, one of the dopest commercials I’ve seen in a long time. It’s crazy how spot on they were able to recreate all the covers: