R4NS: NEW Adidias Commercial/T-Mac Update

Y'all are goin' to kill me with all these "R4NS" posts but, what can I say when the season tip-off is nearly 7 days from now! One week && I'll be kickin' it up watchin' Boston w/ KG && Rasheed vs. Lebron & Shaq! Talk about match-ups man!! But, that's neither here nor there again...

So, this is what I bring to your attention:

//NEW Adidas Commercial which features [T-Mac, KG, Dwight Howard, C. Billups, Tim Duncan 2 name a few]

* You know how I know this is NEW? Check out T-Mac's jersey. He's now rockin' the 3 to support his Darfur Project && look at Chauncy's facial hair, which I'm unsure about at this point but NEXT...

Speaking of Tracy, he has been workin' extremely hard 2 get back into better shape & condition.

//Tracy dunks during a pre-season practice [Too cute, he is indeed!]

Err uhm...EXCUSE me but, did he say Thanksgiving?? Is that how long we have 2 wait 4 him to play?!

&& while we're on Tracy right now. Remember this foolishness??

//Frustrated Tracy kicks basketball && get's thrown out of the game


7 DAYS BABY!

R4NS: KG/Boston Celtics Pre-Season

//KG recently at Training Camp [I love these guys!!!]

"I'm tryin to continue to be one of the best in this league, if not THE best" - KG

//Pics of the Celtics recently during Pre-season

...Oh yea, he's comin' back baby :)

R4NS: Kobe Bryant Commercial/'09 Training Camp

//Kobe Bryant & Derrick Rose argue why they are "awesome"

//Kobe && "The Face" [lmao]

//The Lakers training camp 09-10 season [w/ Kobe advising his teammates]

They may not be my team && he isn't my favorite player but, Kobe is THAT dude && very smart about the game, obviously!!

//Here are some pics from the Lakers Pre-season:

Wale "Family Affair" video

I don't know why I'm just now discovering this video && by no means is it new. But, the message in this video w/ Wale's flow is so crazy. He speaks on the effects of prostitution to sum it all up. No lie, when this album drops (November 10) I'm there. He is just too dope 2 resist, besides "Pretty Girls" is my sh--!

If you are not on Wale, you need to step it up. Google this dude, download a mixtape, somethin!!

//CHECK OUT "Family Affair"

*the video features the dude 4rm The Wire. I can't recall his name though...

When Advocating Goes Terribly Wrong...

YOU THINK THESE ARE BAD? CLICK HERE TO SEE DENNIS' LATEST ANTIC!!

THOUGHTS??

Street Etiquette 4 Men

Angel Laws (Concrete Loop) put me on to these guys on her new blog here. These guys are so dapper & not afraid to show it. They both hail from the Bronx && collectively have a blog, Street Etiquette, which showcases some of their dope outfits throughout the week. It's a menswear blog, which is rare these days. All you usually see is the ladies holdin' it down w/ the fashion blogs. Check the video out of Travis & Joshua above. It doesn't hurt that they are cute too :)

R4NS: Amare Stoudemire's Interview (Pre-season 2009)

The NBA clock is tickin'. We're sittin' at a cool 13 days & 18 hours till the season OFFICIALLY tips off! Man, I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT. School kinda' took my mind off of it. No Sportscenter. No Mike & Mike. No First Take w/ Skip Bayless. No Around the Horn. No PTI. No NOTHING, && boi do I miss it!!!

You know I got a lil' somethin' somethin'...

//Check out Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire in an interview after a win during this year's pre-season. [You gotta love the fact that he did the interview & ate his food at the same time. He ain't playin'!]


...You gotta love STAT's swag!!! :)

*R4NS= "Ready 4 NBA Season"

THE DOPEST HIP-HOP SAMPLE: ISAAC HAYES "LOOK OF LOVE"

I have posted this sample before here, along with some other Hip-Hop samples that I love. But, this one by far is THE best. The DOPEST. The smoothest sample I've EVER heard. && I loved it when Jay took the song && made "Can I Live". That song stays on repeat 4rm Reasonable Doubt.

...BUT enough of that...

So, VH1 aired the Hip-Hop Awards tonight to celebrate 25 years of Def Jam. To be honest, like truthfully, It was "aite". It was definitely not as spectacular as I thought it would be. Maybe it's because I didn't realize it was an entire tribute to Def Jam. But, then again the performers were amazing. Meth(exception), Mary, Public Enemy(exception), Wale (exception), Warren G all performed but, It didn't seem like they were hittin' hard like they should have been which brings me back to my opinion that "Last year's VH1 Hip-Hop Awards was way better". I remember watchin' the tribute ITSELF && gettin' emotional because it was just sooo dope.

YOU GOTTA' SEE IT 2 FEEL WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!!

//Last year's tribute to Isaac Hayes (VH1 Hip-Hop Awards) f/ Mos Def, The Roots, Cee-Lo, Estelle && Scarface. [* it takes a while to load but, TRUST it's sooo worth watching. Open up a new tab or somethin', find somethin' 2 do for 10 mins. && come back... ]

...what did I say? Just unbelievable. That's why I love Hip-Hop right there.

The video explains it all. Now why couldn't this year's show be just as good!?

Elegant. Classic. Timeless.

So, this morning I happened to flip past the AMC channel with all the old Hollywood movies && I saw Elizabeth Taylor, who was and still is a gorgeous woman. But, I just had to represent. Many beautiful African-American women did what she did & some. It's funny how I didn't have to search hard for a black and white photo. Everybody looks like they're at the prime of their careers. && they all look radiant for a lack of a better word. :)

Elegant. Classic. Timeless.


//[Dorothy Dandridge]


//[Pam Grier]


//[Billie Holiday]


//[Tina Turner]


//[Chaka Khan]


//[Cicely Tison w/ James Earl Jones]


//[Ruby Dee]


//[Lorraine Hansberry]

Just beautiful.

REALTALK: It doesn't have to be February. Black History Month is EVERY day!

Photography: The Diamond Celebration (Jay-Z)

You may not know, just like I didn't, that this year marks the 10th anniversary of Jay-Z's clothing line, Rocawear. It all started in 1999. Man it seems like time breezes by!! But, as I was on his site for all of his endeavors, I spotted some dope photography. The photography is to (I'm guessing) celebrate the anniversary as well, as the site is campaigning "The Diamond Celebration" heavily.

Check some of the photos below. I urge you to remove your opinions, and see the art for it's aesthetic.

//"All Black Everything--"

[I love this chick's edge!! Remember Omahyra Mota from Jay's "Change Clothes" video. The dress & peep toe boots are 2 die for!!]

//"While I'm watchin every ni**a watchin me closely--"
[That big fist in the background kinda threw me off but, It shows a more cotemplative Jay looking at his reflection in the mirror. It's in black & white so, I think it's dope.]

//"I'm your physician, I'm your addiction--"

[Aside from the fact that he is half naked, the background caught my attention. It's very clean cut & tidy. Everything is in it's place && that sits right with me.]

//"Like, Prada blouse, Gucci bra/ Filth marked jeans, take that off--"

[Not really sure who the model is but, the pic is just dope. It looks very liberating. Not just the fact that home gurl is missing her top but, the fact that she's outside. It looks like morning over there. I can digg it.]

R4NS: Adidas Commercial/Lebron Speaks on Documentary

I love watchin' this clip. It features players C. Billups, KG, Dwight Howard, Tracy Mcgrady, Tim Duncan & more in a filmed commercial of them practicing in a gym together. I love the camaraderie! Of course all of them are Adidas athletes...

//"THE RUN" (Adidas commercial)

&& more recently...

//Lebron speaks on his documentary "More Than a Game"

*RN4S: Ready 4 NBA Season

I LOVE IT: Robert De Niro, "You Give Me Fever"

I found out not too long ago that Robert De Niro had "the fever".

This makes me smile for some reason.

Oh, && that's his wife by the way. Mrs. Hightower if ya' nasty.

They've been married since 1997. She's his 2nd wife && his first wife was an Ebony Queen too, if you get my drift.

I ain't mad Mr. De Niro. Nah, not at all :)

(Pic from: Concrete Loop)

Stuff Ya' Might Dig...

I do my rounds on other blog sites. && here are some interesting posts goin' around:

He may be locked up but, this man gets his hustle on. Diddy you got some competition!
Here's the World Premiere of T.I.'s new (yes, new!) video, "Hell of a Life" [Sandra Rose]

Frankie just needs to sit down some where, seriously.
Look at this fool, here, Jerkin'/Dancin' like she is 12 years old. Keyshia, come get your mama' asap!! [Stuff Fly People Like]

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust---" - Shyne.
Word is rapper Shyne was supposed to be released from prison October 6th but, his immigration status is still being determined, and therefore is being detained in prison until that is settled.

I wish they would just let this whole thing go! More here on Shyne. [MTV News]

The most inspirational of them all, is a message Tyler Perry wrote on his official site. His next movie, Precious, brought out some of his past as a childhood. && it was nothing to smile about. Perry talks about being beaten, belittled, and molested by his father. But, most importantly, he speaks on his survival from all of that to where he is today. If you have at least 5 minutes, I URGE you to read it. (It might be set on a different page but, it should be the message titled, "We're all PRECIOUS in His sight") Read the very touching piece here. [Tyler Perry]

WHAT DO YOU THINK? LEAVE YOUR COMMENT BELOW...

R4NS: Chuck Hayes' Abnormal Free Throw Shot

According to NBA.com, the NBA season is 24 days within reach. Now, we gotta get prepped for this so, I decided to bring some more humor to the cause, as I've done before.

This guy might have the worst free throw shot ever....

//Just sad.


...and the best pump fake goes to Chuck Hayes. He can most definitely have that!!

*R4NS = Ready 4 NBA Season

You diggin' his free throw shot? Do you think someone else is worse than Hayes?
Leave your comment below...

Jay-Z & A.Keys "Empire State of Mind" (Video Footage)

So, the video for the un-official New York anthem, "Empire State of Mind", is comin'! The song is powerful && the clips below leave me wanting to see more. It kinda gives me a Nas "If I Ruled The World" vibe. It's shot in the streets w/ the bright lights and the energy level is crazy. I can't wait to see this video. 106 is about to have a NEW #1 song before they know it. Check the pics & clips below...

// Jigga Man in New York rappin' into the chorus


[Jay-Z & Alicia Keys on the set of "Empire State of Mind"]

[Stuntin' hard, ain't they?! Love it!!]


"Working together on 'Empire State of Mind' was incredible," Keys said. "I've admired Jay-Z for a long time. Reasonable Doubt is my all-time favorite album, period, and he's been on the scene for long time. I always figured that we would do some type of collaboration, and finally, it came together with this." - Alica Keys told MTV.

//A.Keys performing w/ the bright lights of NY. [People were spazzin' out!!]


//The 2 performin' together. [Dope!!]


There's no word on when the official video will premiere. But, be on the lookout b/c when it hits, it's gonna be unbelievable!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW.

(Pics & Video 1 from: source)
(Videos 2 & 3 from: source)

M&M's much...

...Nah, I'm definitely not talkin' about candy. I'm talkin' Melanie, Mario, && Maxwell. Those 3 M's. (Ok, I kno there's only 2 M's but, in the words of Jay, "workk with tha kid".)

[WHO GOT NEXT?] ==> MELANIE. MARIO. MAXWELL. All 3 are comin super hard on the R&B scene. Their singles are hott, not to mention their great vocals.

LET'S GET INTO IT...

//MEET, [Melanie Fiona]

Roots: Canada
Delivery: Her album, The Bridge (dope title, right?) drops November 3rd!!
Quote: "I really want to be a new artist that reminds people of a time when music was deeper." (source)

//Melanie in a record store discussing her favorite albums


//LIVE performance of her new single "It Kills Me"


**As, you can see I posted the LIVE footage. It's the raw energy that I love. But, you can watch the official video here on her site.

//[Mario]

Delivery: The album, D.N.A., is to be released October 13th
What [really] stirred us up: That dern drastic hair cut!! && then he went bald.

He's been working hard right? He virtually disappeared from the charts && came back with
Gucci Mane for another hit! Currently, he's promoting his 2nd single, "Thinkin' Bout You"which is really catchy!!

Hijacked 4rm Mario's twitter: "Whas Up ladies & gents! Just came back from london! Video for "Thinkin About you" in the bucket! It's a classic! Chris Robinson in a Genius!"

[Mario - "Thinkin' Bout You"]


//[Maxwell]

Delivery: It's already here. His album, BLACKsummers'night was released July 7. I gotta' get this. For some reason, I wasn't intially into "Pretty Wings" but, "Bad Habits" got my attention!!
Why we love him: This Woman's Worth

//Live performance of "Bad Habits"

'Dawn Diva' Part II

a few pics from Dawn's twitter...

...love it.

want more Dawn? check THIS out.

Chrisette Michele: Fragile f/ Wale (Behind the Scenes)

I love her. Chrisette Michelle is that chick I'm tellin' you. && I def. bought her album Epiphany too!! The two artists combined for the video of the remix to "Fragile", which is also on her album. Shamefully, I haven't listened to the original enough to know it but, the remixx sounds amazing. I mean when you have Wale opening up the song w/ a verse what else can you expect?? It's about as good as it gets...

*btw, Chrisette looks stunning in these clips. The hair, the makeup, the fit...all on POINT.

//"Fragile" (Behind the Scenes) :: PART I


//"Fragile" (Behind the Scenes) :: Part II


...The production is crazy!!

//Download Chrisette's "Fragile" remixx f/ Wale here.

"The Princess and The Frog", movie clips

I posted briefly about the long awaited movie, "The Princess & The Frog". And as I was looking for pics of the princess I found the official trailer clip of the movie. I watched like 10 secs and stopped it, as I want to wait for the release of the movie. But, I thought someone might be interested...

//Another fun clip with scenes from the movie as well as the actors!!

Call me a 'big kid' or whatever but, I'm excited about this move. Shoot, I might have to buy the sheet set just because. Don't act like you don't kno!!

Click here if you want more video clips, there's tons on this site!!

Access Hollywood has another clip too!!

I Despise Your Fly, Rihanna.

Louis V down to hah' feet. Disgusting, in a good way :)