MANDELA 90TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT GOES DOWN IN LONDON TONIGHT.

Here is Will and Jada arriving at the Mandela 90th birthday dinner in London. I wonder if his ex-wife Winnie who waited for him all those 27 years will be there. Will Smith will be hosting the star studded concert in Hyde Park tonight! Our sister blogger Sumit at The Hip-Hop Chronicle should be covering that too.

Meanwhile, AMY WINEHOUSE is preparing a unique treat for NELSON MANDELA's birthday concert tonite - she's planning a duet with THE SPECIAL AKA star JERRY DAMMERS. The Rehab hitmaker is reported to be teaming up with British rocker Dammers to perform his band's hit song Free Nelson Mandela - a track he wrote in 1984 to campaign for the release of the former South African president.

Dammers, a staunch opponent of the apartheid regime, organised the 70th birthday concert celebration for Mandela in 1988, despite the politician and anti-apartheid activist being in jail at the time. He was released on 11 February 1990. His 90th birthday gig is to be held in London's Hyde Park on Friday today.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Father's Day BLING GIFT!

With hip-hop men carrying their Louis around these days, we found a really cool Father's Day gift at Neatorama. A Louis Vitton paint job on you papa's car! Happy Father's Day from Hip-Hossip!

STACK$ SURVIVES NEAR-FATAL CAR CRASH!

Rapper STACK$ has escaped serious injury after he was involved in a horrific car crash in Miami, Florida on Friday night (30May08). The hip-hop star and nightclub owner - real name Yannique Barker - was driving with a friend when he collided with another car, sending his Ford Explorer SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) flying through the air. His car crashed into the barriers of an overpass, narrowly avoiding the 40 foot (12.1 meter) fall from a bridge.

Stack$ suffered second degree burns, a broken hand, chiropractic injuries and numerous cuts and bruises. He and his pal were taken to the local Mount Sinai Medical Center where they spent the night in hospital before being discharged on Saturday (31May08). And the star, who is now resting at his South Beach home, is grateful to have survived the near-fatal accident. He says, "I'm very lucky and thankful to be alive."

Savour some Miri Ben-Ari, The Original Hip-Hop Violinist.

Tracks covered:
- A Tribe Called Quest: Check the Rhime
- Jurassic 5: Canta de Ossanha
- Ghostface Killah: Chercez la Ghost
- The Roots: The Next Movement
- Gnarls Barkley: Crazy
- Jimmy Pate: Shaft in Africa

World EXCLUSIVE: LYDIA HARRIS and how she brought down Death Row Records!

UPDATE: Lydia Harris wants me to thank all my readers for their support in listening to her interview. Many of you have watched it almost 8000 times on World Star Hip-hop alone and also You Tube and Daily motion. In the poll, 91% of you said you believed her and as you know the auction of the Death Row assets is coming and that has to go to her $107 million judgement. The next part of the story is the other woman who says she is the real Mrs Harris. Stay tuned for all developments! CHOOSE YOUR PLAYER BELOW...YouTube, Daily Motion, World Star Hip-Hop

Lydia Harris and the fall of Death Row Records
by KeminicationsMedia

PART ONE



PART TWO

THE EXCERPTS FROM THE ENTIRE 20 MINUTE INTERVIEW

One evening in California, a lady sat at her computer terminal and began to Google her NAME. What popped up amazed her as there were obviously many results.....something she's used to anyway. The only thing was that one article popped up at a website calling her "Lydia Harris, Deathrow enemy#1." That website was HIPHOSSIP. The article I wrote about her was linked from another site and I did not exactly call her that. Soon, I got an e-mail from the Dynamic and Professional PR guru Kara Topolsky of KST Communications in Oraville, California. Kara asked me if I would like to hear Lydia's side of the story and I agreed. The rest is history and in this interview. There are always three sides to a story, the black, the white and the grey in between.

Listen to this exciting, explosive and revealing interview of the $107 Million judgement against Death Row's Suge Knight and the upcoming launch of her new company, "Lady Boss Entertainment" and her future plans. In the second part of this story I will introduce you to another woman who claims she is the real Mrs Harris. However she wasn't the one given the judgement, Lydia says a lot of opportunists have come forward since the award and that she's just a baby mama who actually abandoned her own child at one time. I decided to hear what Zevelyn Kim Lee had to say too. Stay tuned. Meanwhile the man at the center of this Michael Harris, a former cocaine kingpin who is said to have founded the label with drug money got 28 years in jail and has served 19 so far. He may be getting out soon and word on the street is that he may be out already! Nobody knows. Michael Harris and Suge Knight are definitely two people I would love to hear from! Harris has invited me to her star studded red carpet launching of her new company this June 2008 in California. She started a Literacy Foundation, coming out with a Jewelry line, has a cook book and more merchandise available to order online. Stay tuned for more developments.....

Her website: Lydia Harris Biography
The book website: Married to the Game--A story of Love and Waiting.

• On why she wrote the book "Married to the Game": She said she wanted her daughter to know what her life was about. How mom went up against very powerful men and what she went through. She said lawyers, Music executives, Suge Knight and more who she says that she wants to forget about.

• On the fall of Deathrow: She does not feel responsible for the label's downfall and that "Suge Knight brought this on himself."
  
• On the Conquest Media case: she states that she has not been to court on that yet. She said that she declared all her assets and all the lawyers ignored the critical things she stated in the filing and it was some kind of miscommunication!
• On communication with her ex-husband: Michael Harris does not call her anymore and there is no longer any communication.

• On the book proceeds and helping the community: She states she has a foundation and is looking into some worthy charities.
• On funding the Broadway play with drug money: "Checkmates" starring Denzel Washington with Michael's drug money as reported in the media: She stated that she had no idea it was drug money and she does not or ever sold drugs. She after all is a free woman and found out about all the drug dealing in court during his case. She called it a "non issue" period! The play was just launching when she entered Michael's life.
  
• On advising kids about drug dealing: She said kids should not sell drugs or they will have to face the consequences!

• On Suge Knight destroying careers of many artists: She called him controlling the lives of many artists for the good or bad but it was mostly bad.
• On asking if she was scared of Suge: She stated many are scared of him but as for her. Certainly not!
  
• Zevelyn Kim Lee, another woman who had a child for Michael Harris is challenging Lydia's role and called her names and she claims to be a Mrs Harris too. Her interview will be part 2 of this saga. Harris described her as an opportunist with an interest in the $107 million judgement!
  
• On Suge Knight's attack shown publicly all over the net: She simply said..."What took them so long?".....meaning that someone should probably have done this a long time.

Lydia Harris has obviously met several high profile individuals in her lifetime. Below are some pictures with the Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger and the R&B group Boyz to Men.

LOOK AT ME NOW: Singer Estelle thanks record label for dropping her!

British rapper/singer ESTELLE is glad she was dropped by the record label which released her debut album - insisting the knock-back has made her stronger. The star was dumped by V2 Records after her first single 1980 failed to make the U.K. chart's top ten in 2004. She failed to make a major impact on the British music charts until her latest hit American Boy shot to the number one spot in March (08).

And the star, who was quickly signed by John Legend's Homeschool label after her departure from V2, is thankful the set-back happened - stating singers must first struggle in order to "prosper". She says, "I look at it like building a mountain. If you get placed at the top at the start, you'd fall down quickly. You have to be confident to survive in this industry. "You have to be screwed greatly by one label to prosper."

GRAMMY AWARD MATERIAL: Daniel Lowery gives us an OUTSTANDING SONG!

LISTEN TO THIS SONG FIRST!

Then watch the MUSIC VIDEO! THIS IS POWERFUL! FINALLY PLEASE READ THE TEXT FOLLOWED BY MY YOUTUBE INTERVIEW.




“I, Too, Sing America.” This simple, yet poignant poem by Langston Hughes embodies a spirit of pride and patriotism that African Americans feel but rarely verbalize. Not since that poem, written several decades ago, has there been a more stirring and heartfelt tribute to America by an African American artist than Daniel Lowery’s “ I’m An American.”

As the first Canadian media to exclusively interview Daniel Lowery on Tuesday the 13th of May via phone from Las Vegas, I felt proud that my kids were born AMERICAN! Though we live here, that is their country! He told me how this song was a song in support of troops and their families and not about war. This guy is destined for big things. President Bush MUST see this video! The U.S troops have been through a lot more than any military on this earth! The highlight of my interview came when we spoke about the album itself which is an R&B album and also the big break this song is going to get this July 2008. You will get to see DANIEL PERFORM IT AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION in the United States!

Written from the perspective of a U.S. soldier serving in Iraq, “I’m An American” resonates with passion, pride and patriotism. A renowned Las Vegas performer who has shared the stage with everyone from Bill Cosby to Gladys Knight, Daniel Lowery says he wrote the song as a tribute to our troops and as a reminder to Americans that our freedoms are precious. “In the song, it’s a soldier writing home to his mother telling her that he’ll be home soon,” he explains. “He says that sometimes he wonders why he’s over there but he knows he’s got to protect America and do his job.” He sings, “Now I am a man, doing everything I can to protect the rights you fought to give to me/For you I will be strong, I’ll be home before too long/’Cause I’m an American.”

Laced with Lowery’s velvety vocals, the joyous voices of a gospel choir and a lush, full-bodied track, “I’m An American” is hopeful and uplifting. But like countless Americans, Lowery says he was devastated by the war. “When we wrote this song, we were watching what was going on over there in Iraq. I had relatives in the armed forces and I am concerned for them.”

Lowery says it was Miami-based writer/producer Hal S. Batt (Julio Iglesias, Regina Belle, Shakira, Sandi Patty, Jean Carne), who convinced him that they should make an uplifting song. “We decided that we needed to have something that gives Americans hope,” he says. So they teamed up with Nashville songwriter Jennifer Constantine and penned what is sure to be a timeless and classic ode to America. “I want this song to be an anthem,” he says. “I want to send the message that we need to come together as a country and be as one and change the way things are going on here.”

As the first single from his forthcoming self-titled Timbo/Jam Records CD, “I’m An American” sets the stage for a musical offering that is as diverse as America itself. “None of the other songs on the album are like this,” he says of the 10-piece set, which is largely comprised of adult contemporary R&B.

The insightful “Live and Let Live” is sort of a modern-day version of Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’;” “I’ll Give You All The Love You Want From Me” is the consummate wedding song; while “Let’s Turn the Lights Down Low” is a sexy uptempo tune..................DANIEL LOWERY IS A TRUE AMERICAN!

Born in West Palm Beach, Florida and based in Las Vegas where he has performed consistently for the past 14 years, Lowery said he got his start, like many of his musical colleagues, in the church. “My grandfather was a Baptist preacher and I used to sing in the choir,” he recalls. “When I was a senior in high school I had a group called Danny and the Creations. We used to sing at all the local talent shows. At that time I saw the effect I had on people when I would sing a song and I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

Performing under the moniker, Jamariah (Swahili for ‘dream chaser’), Lowery convinced local promoters to let him open for major artists and before too long, his name started to spread throughout the industry. Today he is one of the few African American singers with his own Vegas act – he’s performed at the Monte Carlo Hotel for nearly four years now – and he’s warding off an onslaught from other singers who want to make “I’m An American” their own. “There are several big name country singers who have shown interest in recording ‘I’m An American,’ but this song has so much meaning to me, I’d rather do it myself,” he says. “Besides, why can’t a Black man have an anthem like this?”

Daniel Lowery has proven that a Black man can indeed have an anthem like this; that he, too, sings America. “I’ve been doing this for a long time,” he lends. “For a shot to come at this stage in my life is an honor. Only in America can something like this happen.”

To interview Lowery or contact him for appearances, please contact his Publicist
Brian Gilmore
770-808-4243 Office
347-837-0050 cell

briangilmore76@aol.com (email)

briangilmore76@gmail.com (PHOTOS ONLY)

briangilmore@tmo.blackberry.net

Legendary rapper/entrepreneur/author/MTV star Rev. Run takes over New York's Herald Square for a day!

On Thursday, May 15th, legendary Run DMC rapper- entrepreneur-author-MTV star Rev. Run will take over New York City's Herald Square area for the day! Rev. Run will make an exclusive in-store appearance that day from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at FootAction USA, 430 Seventh Avenue (at 34th Street), to introduce his new Run Athletics ICON sneaker.

Inspired by Rev. Run's legacy and his 2007 BMI Icon Award, the brand new ICON sneaker has a classic look, reminiscent of the Adidas Shell Toe. The star of his own acclaimed reality show, MTV's "Run's House," which will debut its 5th season this Summer, Rev. Run will then "run" over to New York's famed Madison Square Garden on 34th Street, a venue he'd performed at numerous times with his award-winning rap group Run DMC, to make a special guest star appearance at the Kid Rock concert at 8:00 p.m. He'll do his own performance and also jam with Kid Rock.

Happy Mother's Day to all......from all the hip-hop MAMA'S BOYS!

You know who all these bad boys of hip-hop are........You know they say the boys are the ones that are close to mama and the girls........daddy. I have learned in my early broadcast career when I was a young sports reporter, we would go to HS football, basketball or hockey games and the minute I bought out the camera, the boys will crowd around my lens and yell into the camera....HI MOM! They NEVER say HI DAD! From Usher to The Game to Nelly To Weezy to T.I to Kanye, we say Happy Mama's Day once again.....

Ne-Yo wants you to get "CLOSER" to your Mom this Mother's Day!

Ne-Yo invites you to send a personalized greeting to your mother this “Mother’s Day.” Start creating your personalized message to your mother, or a special mother by clicking here...... Ne-Yo will be in Toronto early June with Alicia Keys.

Contact me with your story: IN CANADA? DOES YOUR LOVED ONE HAVE AUTISM?

WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY WEBSITE

SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT: TODAY IS THE FIRST WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY!

This is NOT a hip-hop story but I want to share with you what I have been going through daily for 21 years.

TODAY THE UNITED NATIONS and Autism Syndrome Disorder (ASD) organizations around the world are observing the first World Autism Awareness Day. My 21 year old son is a high functioning autistic man. I've been busy with CNN.com all morning doing stories. As you know it is Autism 24/7 on the network today. Watch Larry King tonight as Jenny McCarthy returns and also 11pm for Amanda's story. Any hip-hop news today will be below the autism stories so keep scrolling down. Today is very dear to me, so please share my thoughts and you can e-mail me too.

Why would a community of nations usually neck-deep in issues relating to peace, poverty and pollution, among other grievous concerns, want to drum up international attention for a disability like ASD?

The answer is simple. ASD has become a global epidemic.

One T-shirt designed by an autism support group sums it up succinctly: “10 years ago: 1 in 10,000; 5 years ago: 1 in 1,000; Today: 1 in 150; Scared yet?”

The conservative estimate is there are 35 million people with autism in the world. There is hardly anyone who does not know a family with a child with ASD.

“Every 20 minutes a family embarks on this terrible journey,” says parent Katie Wright in her foreword to the book “Changing the Course of Autism: A Scientific Approach for Parents and Physicians” by Brian Jepson, M.D., with Jane Johnson.

Initiated by Qatar last December and approved by the UN General Assembly for observance every year on April 2, the resolution seeks to promote early diagnosis, early intervention and necessary services for individuals with ASD.

Banging on doors

All over the world, parents of children with ASD are, as Wright puts it, “banging on the doors of pediatricians and pediatric gastroenterologists, looking for answers and finding none ... This situation is shameful.”

Finding a good doctor who specializes in treating autism is, seriously, like looking for a needle in a haystack.

“Many physicians rely solely on the practice patterns of others and never read the literature themselves,” Jepson notes. “Some of what they know is outdated, and some of what they’ve been taught may be inaccurate and misleading.”

Jepson, board-certified in emergency medicine, switched his attention to the study and treatment of autism after his second son was diagnosed with ASD. He is now medical services director at Thoughtful House Center for Children in Austin, Texas.

No rest for parents

For the treatment of their children with ASD, parents should not rest until they find a specialist who networks with other ASD doctors, attends ASD conferences, reads up on research and accepts parental input.

The book says there is evidence in medical studies that autism is an epidemic; that it is a medical disease, not a psychological disorder; and that it affects other body organ systems besides the brain. The best news, however, is that autism is treatable, and if intervention is given in the earliest years, a child can get better.

Correct nutrition

There is no fast formula for treatment but the first thing that is usually prescribed is correct nutrition.

“Replace what the child is missing, remove what is causing harm, and break the inflammatory cycle,” Jepson writes. “Changing the diet is probably the most difficult thing that parents are asked to do, but the improvements are often immediate.”

The nutrition guide that parents must follow for their children with ASD involves adding and subtracting.

Without this kind of intervention, their kids will continue to suffer by eating day after day only two or three kinds of food—usually the most harmful to them.

What to add? Jepson recommends correcting nutritional deficiencies through vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. The book has 21 pages of these supplements.

Gluten-free diet

What to subtract? Parents recommend taking away food with dairy and wheat as well as oats. The diet is known as the gluten-free/casein-free diet, or GF/CF for short.

Two years ago, none of the GF/CF foods available to parents abroad could be purchased here. Thanks to the advocacy of parents of children with ASD, reputable health store chain Healthy Options now has sections for gluten-free and lactose-free foods, as well as books such as Jepson’s.

The hardest thing for parents to deny any child is cookies because, well, everybody loves cookies. To their relief, a variety of gluten-free snacks, as well as cereals and pastas, are now on the shelves of Healthy Options, which is found in most major malls. The store also carries casein-free milk and chocolate drinks (no cows’ milk but milk substitutes with as much calcium).

Pan de sal, baked fresh with imported GF/CF flour and containing no yeast, preservatives, or artificial flavorings is now available at Free Living (tels. 6313005 and 0917-7374489).

Treatment not a sprint

If your child eats nothing but chicken, Free Living carries nuggets, hotdogs, tocino and longganisa made of chicken. All their products are made in a kitchen that is dedicated to preparing and cooking only GF/CF products so there is no contamination.

One important reminder to parents: Do not try to remove food that is not gluten-free and casein-free all at once and refrain from giving several kinds of vitamins and nutrients all at once.

Otherwise, it will be hard to tell which worked or adversely affected their child, says Jepson. Wait several days or weeks before introducing a new food or treatment.

“Remember that the treatment of autism is like a marathon, not a sprint,” he cautions. The management of a chronic disease like ASD is usually long term. Some children respond immediately to treatment, others take longer.

But here’s the good news: There is no cut-off age for treatment.

“Never give up hope, at any age,” Jepson says. “The more scientists and physicians learn about autism, the more effective the treatments will become.”

Reported Originally in Feb 2008: Toni Braxton talks to Larry King about Autism and her son on Wednesday.

It affects all of us. Even singers! Look at Toni's FACE! Remember last year as she broke down crying on "The View." The topic was about Autism, a developmental disability that one of my kids suffers from. Awareness has become very big as many celebrities are coming out to talk about it. Holly Robinson Peete, Tisha Campbell, Toni Braxton, Dan Marino, Doug Flutie, Jenny McCarthy and more. The Wednesday show had Toni talked about her son with her husband Keri Lewis formerly of R&B group "Mint Condition" on how they are coping with taking care of 3-year-old Deziel

I have the video and like I said above in the Janet thread, I need a new battery. Larry's invited autism celebs, including Holly Robinson Peete, Doug Flutie and Toni Braxton, Jason McElwain, the young man with an autism spectrum diagnosis who made a tricky basketball shot and won the heart of the world.

Originally Posted Sept 2007: Black celebrities Holly Robinson and even Tisha Campbell have autistic sons too!

It was an ovewhelming night for me as always when I see Autism being discussed. I had seen Jenny McCarthy and Holly Robinson Peete on Oprah talking about the same thing just 2 weeks ago but on Larry you know that things are always different. Jenny is featured in the latest issue of People magazine and on the cover. Jenny McCarthy who just wrote a book about the fight to save her son "Louder than words" talked about day to day life and Holly talked about the foundation she and her husband founded, Hollyrod which deals with Parkinson's and Autism. One of their twins is autistic. Overwhelming because I have suffered through the stresses and joys of autism myself. Those of you who read this blog know I have experienced a lot of things, met a lot of people and did so much in my life. Nothing prepared me for this one. My oldest is almost 21 and was diagnosed of Autism at 5 years old. We never got early intervention in 1987-90 but struggled through it. He is very high functioning. I am a single mother today and so is Jenny. Holly talked about how her husband and former football player Rodney Peete talks to men about how to cope and deal with this problem as many of us women have felt the men were not "man" enough to deal with it, so they leave. One thing that she said which is known to be true is that it strains relationships, it causes a 90% divorce rate and it can ruin your life. This is part of my story. My oldest son is Autistic. You will see my story later. Other celebrities that have autistic children and have bought the cause out are going to be detailed out in this story too. Dan Marino, Doug Flutie, Tisha Campbell, Former NBC Universal President Bob Wright and his wife Suzanne.

You remember Tisha Campbell from the sitcom "Martin" and her husband Actor Duane Martin, also a fairly big celebrity. Rumors have been swirling about their marriage being stressed out, him being gay and also their battling with their son's autism. Many have said the stress of autism is crumbling their marriage. They spoke to Essence magazine on the rumors about their divorce.

Holly Robinson Peete and ok, yet another former footballer Rodney Peete has an autistic son who is also the twin of a non-autistic daughter. At one point, I used to think football had to do with autism. They started the Hollyrod Foundation for autism and Parkinson disease awareness. Rodney talks to men out there to educate them on "being a man" and helping their children and their mothers hang in there. Many mothers of autistic children are single moms today due to the stresses of autism. My son KJ's dad left because as he said, "I cannot deal with your older son's problems."

The Autism stories you have to read!

There are tons of stories today on CNN who has been leading in coverage of autism for some time now. Many of you want to know how Eni is doing. Fine!

• Today, I have a success story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eni is now 21. He attended a vocational school JVS Toronto graduated, attended the Geneva Center for Autism for resources
  
• Then the Hawkins Institute for Job training. They help high functioning Aspergers patients transition to normal life.
• Today, Enitan works at Cineplex movie theaters where he is a movie theater associate. He checks your ticket, cleans your left behind popcorn, stuffs tissue in the bathrooms every 30 minutes during bathroom checks and puts the reels of your latest movies in the projector and turns off the lights so you can enjoy the movies. He was with a job coach for only 2 days and he is alone now. He is a GOOD employee according to the employer.
• He lives in a one bedroom apartment provided by the Canadian Mental Health Association in a building monitored 24 hours by a site counselor. The residents are all disabled adults. Beautiful fully furnished and he receives some disability income from the government in addition to his job. He pays his own cable and phone bill at the bank monthly, he cleans his place and cooks his meals in his beautiful kitchen and he goes to the library everyday to check his MySpace and Facebook accounts which have greatly helped him.

If you haven't read my story, here they are and others.........

• Our own story
• A tribute to my son
• Celebrities and Autism
• Jenny and Holly talk about Autism
• Autism Urban legends?
• The Genius basketballer
• Singer Toni Braxton's son's Autism