OpenEntrance - What’s Really Going OnWhat’s Really Going On

Jigga’s forthcoming album will shock his hard-core hip-hop fans - because Timbaland plans to feature bagpipes on the disc’s tracks. The hip-hop heavyweights are teaming up in the studio to record Hova’s new LP, and Timbaland insists using the Scottish instrument will lend the songs global appeal. He says, “We want to go to the world. Some of the songs are gonna sound like (world music artist) M.I.A.  You’re gonna be like, ‘Whoa!’ But it’s Jay on them. That means it reaches everywhere.  I’m gonna have songs with bagpipes too. The music is gonna be so worldwide, he’ll be able to tour the rest of his life, maybe, off just this one album.”

Employees at Jay-Z’s New York City nightclub are hitting out at its managers for allegedly threatening them against having any involvement in an ongoing labor lawsuit against the venue. The music mogul’s hip-hop hotspot 40/40 was named in a lawsuit filed earlier this month in a Manhattan court. Employees of the sports bar claimed they were denied hourly wages and forced to be compensated by customer tips alone. And workers are now claiming the club’s general manager, Desiree Gonzalez, threatened one employee she would “f*** up his tax life” for having any involvement in the class-action suit.

According to a letter filed in court by the workers’ lawyer, the 40/40 boss allegedly told another worker she would “lock him up” if he refused to sign a release for the court case. Federal Judge Loretta Preska admitted earlier this month (Jul08) the club owners violated federal labour laws after reviewing an earnings report for at least two workers who showed they were not paid for overtime at the venue. Hundreds of former employees could be eligible to collect on the claims if their case wins in court.

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In a performance at the “This Day Music and Fashion Festival 2008″ in Abuja, Nigeria a drunken brawl broke out right in front of the stage @ 1am. Security guards attempted to break up the scuffle as members of the crowd were shoved towards the platform and one man was removed from the venue-The Dome. It is unclear whether the unnamed male was arrested, as one source claimed, or was simply forbidden from re-entering the concert. Though marred by violence, nobody was seriously injured. The show also saw performances from rap superstar Jay-Z and pop star Rihanna.

Jay-Z’s Glastonbury Performance

Jay-Z silenced critic Noel Gallagher at the U.K.’s Glastonbury festival with his own version of the Oasis hit WONDERWALL. Rocker Gallagher criticised the hip-hop star when it was announced he would be headlining the annual music event, saying, “I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong.”
But Jay hit back at criticism on Saturday by taking to the stage with a guitar as the strains of the Oasis hit song played. He told the cheering crowds: “So they say you guys didn’t want me here to be here tonight. “They said you guys weren’t into hip-hop. Thanks for all the love here tonight.
“This is a beautiful moment, I’m glad to share it with each and every one of you.”

Jay-Z recently sat down with Time Out Magazine and had some pretty interesting tidbits that he discussed. Some of the more interesting comments and answers are listed below

So what else do you get up to when you’re in town?

‘I’m a pretty big, almost a professional, gambler. I’m not gonna say any names because that’ll mess it all up, but there’re these little private clubs you can go to in the West End where you can hang out and gamble, and it’s pretty cool. And you know, I’m a foodie, so I’m always in search of the next good meal. There are plenty of great restaurants out there.’

You own a share of [basketball team] the New Jersey Nets. What’s this we hear about you potentially investing in Arsenal?
‘I had invested in the Nets, and they [Arsenal] asked me if I was interested in investing. But I get that from time to time. Someone told me yesterday that someone else had a piece of the New York Yankees – “We wanna talk to you, yadda yadda yadda.” I mean, I love the Yankees so I’m in the middle of following that through, but sometimes it comes to be something and sometimes it comes to be nothing. That was one of the times it came to nothing.’

You’ve just released a split single with the other famous rap Carter, Lil Wayne. Did you hear about what happened when he played at Stratford Rex a few months ago?
‘No, what happened?’ Read the rest of this entry »

Things have changed from a few months ago between Russell Simmons and Barack Obama from when Simmons called Obama a Mouse. Obama has praised the pair as “great talents and great businessmen”, insisting he’s happy to have the support of the duo in the upcoming November election.
But Obama admits he still has reservations about the current state of music in the U.S., and hopes the industry will begin to take its cues from the business-minded music duo.
He says of his concerns of hip-hop culture:

“I am troubled sometimes by the misogyny and materialism of a lot of rap lyrics, but I think the genius of the art form has shifted the culture and helped to desegregate music. It would be nice if I could have my daughters listen to their music without me worrying that they were getting bad images of themselves.”

I know Obama is all about change, but our country has a lot bigger fish to fry than rap music. Plus I am sure this is causing Russell to use some not so nice words right now.