Today we celebrate the 67th birthday of Hip Hop pioneer Russell Simmons!
Since the founding of Def Jam Recordings in 1983, Russell Simmons has been an instrumental part in the advancement of Hip Hop culture. Over his illustrious career Russell has launched the careers of multi-platinum artists (LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy to name a few), co-founded top-selling clothing lines Baby Phat and Phat Farm, created financial institutions with the Rush Card, and award-winning television shows Def Poetry Jam and Run’s House. It is nearly impossible to say what the state of rap music and Hip Hop culture would be today with the Russell Simmons influence.
Lately, Uncle Rush has even begun taking large strides outside of the entertainment and financial industries, becoming Hip Hop’s new-age spiritual guru. Since 2010, Simmons has released self-help books sharing his views on religion, spirituality, and even health. Through his Hindu and vegan lifestyles, Uncle Rush has assumed the role of mentor to a vast majority of today’s top recording artists.
Over the years, Hip Hop empires have risen to power and fallen from the mountaintop. Russell Simmons, however, has always been able to brave the tide and stand strong as one of the most impregnable forces of marketing and branding expertise. Since his first project, Run D.M.C., it has been obvious that no one truly understands Hip Hop the way that Russell Simmons does. His Midas touch continues to transform the culture into something new (and more profitable) with every idea he brings to fruition. He is truly a rap genius.
Trans Internet sensation Sidney Starr made headlines during her recent appearance on No Jumper with her partner, Family Matters star Darius McCrary. During the candid conversation, Starr revealed that she underwent bottom surgery, which McCrary generously funded. However, she clarified that the financial support did not come from his Family Matters earnings but rather from his earnings in the Saw franchise. The couple’s discussion highlights their close bond and underscores McCrary’s commitment to supporting Starr in her journey.
“I had the surgery,” Sidney says. “The dick is gone” “Can I have it?” Adam22 asks. “Someone paid for it. He paid for it. He paid for it with that Saw money!” she responds. “The Saw money went to cutting off your cock and balls?” Adam22 asks.
Born on this date in 1971 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, Black Thought, the lead emcee of the legendary Hip Hop band The Roots, has created his key to success with simply one word; longevity.
Thought has always been regarded as one of the most lyrical post-Golden Era emcees, yet received very little recognition for his prowess outside of his work with the entire Roots band, which is now a staple of ‘The Tonight Show.’ This summer’s Streams Of Thought: Vol. 1 just further proves his “staying power” in any circles where rhymes are being spit.
Growing up in a Nation Of Islam household, Trotter’s family life was very cultured, leading him to seek knowledge among the Five Percent Nation in high school. There is where he met The Roots’ co-founder Amhir Thompson, whom they originally named the group The Square Roots.
Throughout the two-decade span of his illustrious career since The Roots debut in 1993, Thought has earned a Grammy win, appeared in two blockbuster films(Bamboozled, Brooklyn Babylon), and appeared on several groundbreaking albums.
On this day, The Source Magazine would like to salute Mr. Trotter on his Birthday, wishing him an enjoyable day and many more to come!
Pras Michél, a founding member of the Grammy-winning hip-hop group The Fugees, has filed a lawsuit against bandmate Lauryn Hill, accusing her of fraud and breach of contract related to their shortened 2023 tour and a canceled 2024 tour.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, alleges that Hill mismanaged various aspects of the 2023 tour, including its setup, marketing, and budget. According to the complaint, Hill’s actions were “a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself,” with claims that she siphoned money from the tour guarantees for personal gain.
Variety reports that Pras also accuses Hill of preventing an audit of the tour’s finances, alleging that she withheld funds that should have been shared among the band. The full list of claims against Hill includes fraud, fraud in the inducement, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and refusal to permit an audit of the tour.
The Fugees, known for hits like “Killing Me Softly” and “Ready or Not,” had previously reunited for their 2023 tour, which was cut short before it fully launched. The legal battle now casts uncertainty over the future of one of hip-hop’s most iconic groups.
“This morning, we filed a complaint for Prakazrel ‘Pras’ Michel against Lauryn Hill and MLH Touring, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (Case 1:24-cv-07403) for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract. The lawsuit alleges that Ms. Hill exploited Mr. Michel’s vulnerable legal situation, manipulating him into an unfair agreement for The Fugees’ 2023 reunion tour. Ms. Hill’s chronic tardiness was a hallmark of the tour, with shows routinely starting two or more hours late. Hill cancelled the second half of the tour and, at the same time, financially penalized and defrauded Mr. Michel. We assert that Ms. Hill misrepresented critical financial information and concealed her intent to take an excessive 60% share of the tour’s proceeds, leaving Mr. Michel with only 20% instead of the group’s customary one-third split. This legal action aims to hold Ms. Hill accountable and secure justice for Mr. Michel. The lawsuit comes on the cusp of the “Fugees” European tour by Hill and Wyclef Jean, at which Michael will not be performing.”
– Robert S. Meloni, Meloni & McCaffrey
In response to The Source, Ms. Lauryn Hill addresses Pras Michél’s lawsuit:
Some clarity and facts need to be presented. I’ve been silent and pushing through because I understood that Pras was under duress because of his legal battles and that this was perhaps affecting his judgment, state of mind and character.
Fact #1: This baseless lawsuit by Pras is full of false claims and unwarranted attacks. It notably omits that he was advanced overpayment for the last tour and has failed to repay substantial loans extended by myself as an act of goodwill. Last year’s tour was put together to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It was being planned whether the Fugees were involved or not. Fact #2: The tour was expanded to incorporate the Fugees because I found out that Pras was in trouble and would need money to aid his legal defense.
Fact #3: Pras was given a $3M advance for the tour, which he said he required to pay his legal fees. Wyclef and Myself deferred our full advances to make sure he had what he needed and was able to go. I covered most of the tour expenses, as the majority of the tour advance had gone to Pras. An agreement was put in place to secure the repayment of the money he was advanced. Pras has not paid back the money he was advanced, and is currently in breach of this agreement.
Fact #4: Because my tour, band, production, and set up were already happening, the Fugees set utilized this same production. I absorbed most of the expenses myself, produced the show, put together the entire set (with Wyclef’s participation for the Fugees and Wyclef’s set). Pras basically just had to show up and perform.
Fact #5: As of the last tour Pras thanked me for ‘saving his life’. (I have the receipts.) Fact #6: I am not in the business of kicking anyone, especially when they’re down, which is why I haven’t responded to date. It is absolutely disheartening to see Pras in this position, my band mate and someone I considered a friend but this leads us to Fact #7, which probably should have been Fact #1…
Fact #7: I was not in Pras’ life when he decided to make the unfortunate decision that lead to his current legal troubles. I did not advise that he make that decision and therefore am in no way responsible for his decision and its consequences though I have taken it upon myself to help. Despite his attacks, I am still compassionate and hope things work out for him.
On this date in 2014, a One9, Erik Parker and Anthony Saleh-produced documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival celebrating the illustrious career of Queensbridge rap legend Nasir Jones titled Nas: Time Is Illmatic.
Dropping two decades to the date of the release of Nas’ incomparable debut album Illmatic, the doc dives into Nas entire childhood before the industry, including witnessing the death of his best friend and first DJ Willie “Ill Will” Graham, who Nas honored by naming his production company Ill Will Productions. Time Is Illmatic also explicitly explains the impact of Nas in Hip Hop culture coming from his peers such as Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip(who produced “One Love”) and superproducer Pharrell Williams.
Time Is Illmatic was considered by Variety magazine to be a likely contender to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, but did not receive a nomination. Nevertheless, Time Is Illmatic is a very informative and insightful look into one of the greatest minds Hip Hop culture has ever seen.
On this date in 1991, legendary Hip Hop collective Public Enemy dropped their fourth full-length album entitled Apocalypse ’91…The Enemy Strikes Back on the Def Jam/Columbia imprint.
Drawn from the fictional movies Apocalypse Now and Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back, the Bomb Squad produced project was a rush job according to Hank Shocklee, having to re-create the production after the discs from the past five years with album contents were stolen. “Once you lose all your data, it’s very difficult to get that data back…you may get some of it back, but you’ll never get the complete set. You won’t even know what the complete set is, because there’s data in there you didn’t really know you had,” Shocklee said of the missing project.
The certified platinum album offered up a couple of timeless singles including “Shut Em Down”, “Can’t Truss It” and “By The Time I Get To Arizona”, where in the video the depicted killing of Arizona Governor Evan Mecham was seen in response for not recognizing MLK Jr. Day as a national holiday.
Salute to the entire P.E. for this timeless 14 track piece of Hip Hop history!
Born Marlon Williamson this date in 1962 in NYC, the DJ, producer, and record label owner known as Marley Marl is a trailblazer of Hip Hop’s ever-evolving sound, being one of the first to use sampling as a means to gather elements for a song.
Starting with his days as the DJ for WBLS’ Mr. Magic in the early 80s, Marley used that leverage to break new artists and eventually form his own group known as the legendary Juice Crew. Based in his Queensbridge Housing apartment, “Marley’s House” became an epicenter for many Hip Hop legends in the early stages of their career including Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, MC Shan, Kool G Rap, and the Queensbridge Queen herself, Roxanne Shante. Marley’s production credits go on for eons, however, some of his most memorable work includes Craig G’s The Kingpin, Big Daddy Kane’s Long Live The Kane, Biz Markie’s Goin’ Off, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo’s Road to the Riches, MC Shan’s Down By Law and Born to Be Wild and Roxanne Shante’s only album Bad Sister.
Salute to Marley on his 62nd born day and wish him many more to come!
On this date in 1998, Jay-Z and his Roc cohorts dropped his third album Vol.2…Hard Knock Life on their independent Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam imprint.
Recorded in some of NYC’s most coveted studio spaces, Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life featured some of the games best producers, including Jermaine Dupri, Swizz Beatz, and Timbaland, Hov’s third album was the proof that Jigga had found the formula to produce the most successful full-length project of his career at that time.
Debuting at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and selling 350K in its first week, Vol.2 …Hard Knock Life was certified 5x platinum within two years of its release, setting Hov’s album bar so hight that it won a Golden Phonograph for Best Rap Album at the 41st Grammy Awards. Some of the top singles from the 14 track gem include “Nigga What, Nigga Who(Originator 99)”, “Hard Knock Life,” “Can I Get A…” and “Money Ain’t A Thang” featuring Jermaine Dupri.
Salute to Jigga, Dame, Biggs, Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money, and the rest of the Roc for putting out such a timeless piece of Hip Hop history!
Aubrey O’Day recalls what it was like working with Diddy. Appearing on the Crysis Queen Podcast, the former Danity Kane member revealed that Diddy felt she needed to be “groomed properly.”
“He’s on camera saying how much he hates it, but he’s off camera telling me all the ways that I needed to be groomed properly,” O’Day said. “I mean, down to my toenails. I was sent out of a studio session one time because my toes weren’t polished properly.”
O’Day also states Diddy would manipulate the group against each other by changing verses and placing who he perceived to be the prettiest members out front.
You can hear it all below.
Aubrey O’Day also released a statement on the arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs. O’Day told TMZ: “I never thought I would see this day. We all buried this inside of us in order to be able to keep going. And not just me, but victims you don’t even know yet. We are all processing what that type of vindication can actually feel like now. Every conversation I’ve had with victims last night has been beyond moving on all levels.”
In April, Diddy fired back at Aubrey O’Day’s claims against him. O’Day stated Diddy attempted to buy her silence using her publishing.
In response, Diddy’s team told TMZ: “Aubrey O’Day got her big break because Diddy and Bad Boy cast her in their show with her group, Danity Kane. Last year, when he reassigned his portion of the publishing to Bad Boy artists, an unprecedented move within the industry and which he did not have to do, not all artists signed an NDA, contrary to what she claims.”
TMZ reported that last year when the mogul formerly known as Puff Daddy reassigned publishing rights back to Bad Boy artists, it was considered an unprecedented move within an industry known for unfairly withholding pub rights and revenue, and quite frankly, he didn’t need to do, artists were asked to sign NDAs. But O’Day says not all signed the silencing document and did not want parts of Diddy’s NDA to get back her publishing rights, which she contends wasn’t worth much.
O’Day was signed to Bad Boy Records in the 2000s, so she had a front-row seat to who Diddy was during that time. TMZ spoke to her for their new documentary The Downfall of Diddy, premiering on Tubi, which unpacks the Bad Boy CEO’s allegations and ensuing investigation after those major raids that hit his homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
Get this: O’Day claims she had wind of what may have been coming for Diddy as far back as September 2023. See, that’s around the time Diddy made that big announcement that he was giving his former artists (the one’s who are still alive) the rights to their music catalogs.
On the surface, however, left field felt like a generous move. However, according to Aubrey, there were strings attached behind the scenes. Aubrey O’Day claimed Diddy included as part of the deal that artists needed to sign NDAs. This maneuver was designed to silence them from speaking out on their experiences while at Bad Boy, and most certainly in the presence of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Aubrey shut that right on down. She feels her ability to talk about her time during her Bad Boy days is more valuable than what was being offered.
Not to mention, her talking now has been consistent with her energy for years. O’Day has been talking about Diddy’s behavior for a long time, and she has been sounding the alarm. No one was listening until the relatively recent accusations and civil suit brought on by singer Cassy and several others, which Diddy categorically denies even though he settled with Cassy less than 24 hours after the suit became public. And if you think that big to do about the publishing was about real money, think again. At least for O’Day, she contends the amount of cash connected to her publishing rights was disrespectfully low.
Happy born day to Mr.Clifford Harris Jr. aka T.I.!
Throughout the years, T.I. has become one of the most relevant forces in hip-hop. Besides his music career, T.I. is an actor, spokesperson for the AKOO clothing, and the leader of Hustle Gang, which includes Iggy Azealia, B.O.B, Young Dro, and more.
Today, we celebrate Tip’s 44th birthday by showcasing jams that highlights his growth as an artist.
Fuck Da City Up Feat. Young Jeezy If T.I. wanted to, his mixtape game would be a lot more extensive. The title track of his first mixtape Fuck Da City Up was finally able to breathe, even if it was an online release. But since the tapes are beneath him, you got to appreciate when he makes a collabo with Young Jeezy pop off.
Rubberband Man Before he was the kang, Tip was known as the “Rubber Band Man.” The hit put T.I. on the map around the country. It was one of the few tracks that initiated Grand Hustle into the game.
U Don’t Know Me Mr. Harris kept his head in the game. Though there were a few signature hits to come off Urban Legendz, “You Don’t Know Me” went hard and made room for tracks like “ASAP” and “Motivation” to gain heavy momentum amongst the masses.
What You Know The Kang of the South put himself on hip-hop’s pedestal with his smash single “What You Know.” The Southern anthem highlighted his King album and was on repeat in every major hip-hip radio station in the country.
Big Shit Poppin (Do It) T.I. wanted to showcase his battle against himself for his fifth album T.I. vs. TIP. “Big Shit Poppin (Do It)” hit the Billboard Top 100 chart at #9, eventually obtaining certified gold.
Live Your Life Feat. Rihanna Paper Trails put T.I. at a plateau with the success of the hit single “Live Your Life” with Roc Nation’s Rihanna. The memorable O-Zone sample created an international buzz that had new fans copping the album just the hear the Tip and RiRi collaboration.
Welcome To The World Feat. Kanye West & Kid Cudi His film ‘Takers’ with Michael Ealy and Paul Walker hit theatres yet he still made the effort to release his sixth studio album, No Mercy. Though his single “I’m Back” sparked some hype, his collaboration with G.O.O.D Music soldiers Kanye West and Kid Cudi remains one of the highlights of the album.
Pimp Feat. Pimp C & Too $hort For a mixtape, Fuck Da City Up featured work from huge names in the game like Dr. Dre, Hit-Boy and Young Jeezy. Too $hort spit along with an appearance by Pimp C in their collaboration “Pimp.”
