Love Supreme: A Universe Made In Heaven on Earth, manifested by Mindbender Futurama

"Fuck tha police" - O'Shea Jackson

OTTAWA COPS FUCK WITH BELLY. NOT COOL:

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ROBIN THICKE IS DOPE AND I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED THIS IS REAL:

In a recent interview with Billboard, R&B singer Robin Thicke sounded off on some of his troubles in the music industry—specifically with Vibe magazine.

Thicke, who rose to industry prominence in 2006 under the watchful eye of Pharrell and Star Trak Records was denied the cover of the monthly publication because he’s white.

"When I did a recent interview with Vibe magazine I asked, 'Why can't I get the cover? This is a magazine I love. If there's one magazine that I'd want to be on the cover of, it's Vibe,'” Thicke said of the situation.

The response he received was startling.

"Their response was they don't have white artists on the cover; that the only white artist they've had on the cover was Eminem. I guess if that's what it is, it is what it is. And I respect that because I live in a house with a black woman."

Despite the incident, Thicke is taking the trials and tribulations in stride, refusing to condemn the decision of the magazine as reverse racism.

“I won't use the word 'racism.' I will say it's a tough -- but rewarding -- fight," he says.

At the end of the day, Thicke says he will continue to do what he does best: make music that transcends color lines. For this, he cites the late Bob Marley.

"You can't always expect people to be as color-blind or open-minded as you want. What you can do is keep giving your heart and soul, like Bob Marley did. His music became so overwhelmingly loving; it was a relentless love in a sense. Keep beating them down with love and they can't stop you."

Robin Thicke is currently working on his third solo effort, Something Else which will hit shelves September 30. His first single is titled “Magic.”

WHINING ABOUT MAGAZINE COVERS IS FOR SQUARES, THOUGH. ROBIN AIN'T ONE.

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GAME GOING TO JAIL, MAYBE? KARMA WINS:

They say blood is thicker than water. If you asked The Game, he’d probably prefer it the other way around.

According to TMZ, The Game is being charged with battery by the Hawthorne City Attorney's Office. The charge in question stems from a confrontation with his cousin Robert “Kirky” Kirkwood one month ago, where a dispute about money occurred during a family member’s funeral. After an exchange of heated words, The Game allegedly punched his cousin, who retaliated by calling the police and reporting the incident.

Because The Game is already on probation for a firearms offense earlier this year, a battery violation could make him subject to another stint in jail.

This troublesome news comes the same week as The Game’s newest (and supposed last) album LAX, which was released on Tuesday (August 26th).

WWW.HIPHOPDX.COM

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NARDWUAR VS. JIGGAMAYNE. LOLZERS:

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50 CENT AND T-PAIN:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/1798522213d44fc5/

HA HA, CURTIS IS A FOLLOWER, NOT A LEADER.

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WORD TO FAT JOE:

It seems Daddy Yankee’s recent venture into politics didn’t go completely unnoticed as Fat Joe called out Yankee out for his endorsement of presidential hopeful, John McCain. Joe said, “I opened the newspaper and got sick to my stomach. I felt like I wanted to vomit when I seen that. The reason why I called him a sellout is because I feel he did that for a [publicity] look, rather than the issues that are affecting his people that look up to him. How could you want John McCain in office when George Bush and the Republicans already have half a million people losing their homes in foreclosure? We’re fighting an unjust war. It’s the Latinos and black kids up in the frontlines, fighting that war. … We over here trying to take the troops out of Iraq and bring peace. This guy immediately wants war. If not with Iraq or Afghanistan, he’ll start a new one with Iran. I feel real disgusted that Daddy Yankee would do that. Either he did that for a look, or he’s just not educated on politics.”

WWW.PLAYAHATA.COM

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NYC BANK ROBBER AKA THE 'BLING BANDIT' IS A DECORATED EX-COP! AWESOME!!

'Bling Bandit' is ex-NYPD detective; allegedly knocked off 9 area banks

By ALISON GENDAR, CHRISENA COLEMAN and ETHAN ROUEN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Updated Thursday, August 28th 2008, 11:41 PM
The bank robber known as the "Bling Bandit" is an ex-cop, police sources told the News.

The bank robber known as the "Bling Bandit" is an ex-cop, police sources told the News.

The "Bling Bandit" who knocked off seven banks on Long Island and two in Queens is a hero ex-cop worshiped in the NYPD for 33 years of undercover and detective work, police sources said.

Retired NYPD Detective Athelston Kelson, 59, surrendered with his lawyer Thursday in Queens on charges of robbing banks at gunpoint while wearing flashy rings and a gold watch that could make a rapper drool, sources said.

Kelson was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer shortly after he retired in 2005, and sources said his spree may have been an attempt to commit suicide by cop.

"He didn't hide who he was," a police source said. "He didn't wear gloves or cover his face. He was begging to be recognized and caught."

After earning a Purple Heart in Vietnam, Kelson joined the NYPD in 1972 and made his name going undercover to infiltrate the Black Panthers and investigate JoAnne Chesimard, the Black Liberation Army leader and convicted cop-killer who escaped from prison in 1979 and lives in Cuba.

"He was a Vietnam War hero. He served ... with the NYPD in some of the most dangerous and prestigious assignments," said Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association. "He was also one of the most caring and effective union reps we had."

Several former colleagues were shocked this fearless lawman could take such a turn.

"Dear God, he was a hero cop! He was an amazing undercover. He worked the Joint Terror Task Force with the FBI. How this happened is incredible," a police source said. " ... Anyone who knows him, and sees the video, knows it's him."

Wearing dark shades and a baseball hat, Kelson, who drives a Porsche, walked into banks and wrote his demands on the backs of deposit slips. After patiently waiting in line, he handed the note to the teller, requesting the loot be stuffed in an envelope.

Twice, he flashed a semi-automatic handgun during his heists, police said.

He first struck on June 12 at a Chase Bank in Elmont. Since then, he has pulled jobs in Queens, Valley Stream, Franklin Square, West Hempstead and New Hyde Park, police said. His most recent robbery took place Tuesday when he hit a Chase Bank in West Hempstead, police said.

"He was a shell of himself," a police source said. "The disease had wracked him. Maybe the pressure of his illness made him lose it - he certainly didn't do anything to disguise who he was."

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NAS TALKS TO OKAYPLAYER.COM:

In the wake of a controversial album title and numerous leaks of cuts from the Untitled Disc, Nasir Jones in undaunted. He's awaiting the release of what he calls "one of the most important albums that I've made since Illmatic." Nas walks a different walk, and has different tastes, be it producers, or his favorite MCs. He's definitely comfortable with his art, his position in the hip-hop game, and his opinions. Who else could style on 50 and be totally unfazed and unscathed? None other than God's Son, The N. He recently sat down with OKP's Mel Blunt to chop it up about his new CD, his producer/beat selection process, and his place in the hip-hop canon.

OKP: What statement are you trying to make with this title and project as a whole?

Nas: Hip-hop gets pointed at, it gets disrespected, it gets blamed for all of the problems that America has. It gets blamed for girls (exploitation) for violence and everything that's wrong. So, see, the record was like a middle finger back at all of those people who were trying to shut it down.

OKP: Did the potential shock value of the CD title play a role in its selection?

Nas: Umm yeah, yeah.

OKP: Did you expect the extensive backlash from the original title?

Nas: I felt like if an artist like Eminem touched on a racial issue, or an intimate social issue, it wouldn't have been as extreme. I felt like yeah, the backlash was more. I knew that people would get to talking. That's what I wanted them to do, to state their position or whatever. I felt like I was able to do an album like N and get their attention, but I didn't know how far it would go. You never know what people are watching. I got more than I expected.

OKP: Will the backlash affect the way that you develop future artistic concepts?

Nas: Like Hip-Hop is Dead and N, that's how I felt at that time so moving forward any future titles would have to be just as real as Hip-Hop is Dead or The N Album.

OKP: What does this project mean to you compared to your entire body of work?

Nas: This is one of the most important albums that I've made since Illmatic. The first album was my "hello world, I'm here." So that's obviously important. But outside of that I think this is the most important record that I've made in my life. Probably one of the most personal records that I've ever made.

OKP: How come you don't work more with Preemo, Q-Tip, and Large Professor, who were all instrumental in building the classic Illmatic soundscape?

Nas: I think I wanted to do something different from early on, you know it's like how BIG didn't use producer Easy Mo Be on Life After Death, although he did use Mo Be on his debut Ready To Die. You know, just growing and looking to see what else is going out here and to see what I sound like on other things.
nas-billboard-585.jpg
OKP: When you select a producer or a track, what makes a good beat?

Nas: The drums. The drums have to be hard hitting, they have to be accurate or they've got to be unorthodox - even sloppy and grimey, or sometimes real crispy. But the drums, it starts with them.

OKP: I know all of the songs on Untitled are meaningful, but which ones are the standouts in your opinion?

Nas: Probably "Testify."

OKP: On "I Know I Can" you reference the glory of African Kings, but on the new disc, you speak about the disconnect between black Americans and Africans. Can you elaborate on that?

Nas: I recently went to Africa, South Africa, and someone asked me why do African Americans want to cling on to their Afrocentricity so much? And why do Africans want to be Americans? They dress like you, talk like you, and act like you.

I said, first of all, many African Americans do not know their bloodlines, where they go to because, of course, of the slave trade. And that's why we want to learn and hold on to our African roots. And as far as why Africans want to be like us, that's because we're the coolest, we're the coolest mofo's on the planet. I think we've got a communication gap--we're not connecting. We don't talk, we don't share a religion together, we don't do anything together, really, that we feel is naturally ours, so there's a big gap.

OKP: What's up with the verse from the project aimed at 50?

Nas: I thought I shot that over everybody's heads, I didn't think they'd get anything that I said, cause I was using old styles on him like stuff from the Five Percent Nation, and I didn't think people would get it. It was just acknowledging 50's alleged retirement (after losing the first week's sales battle to Kanye) --I've had this for a while. Talking about it's really like.... he was an understudy or apprentice of mine, a friend of mine before. I haven't been able to see him lately. I'd love to talk to him. It's just me saying my piece. It wasn't like I was saying me and him should battle right now. It was just writing, it came in my writing. I didn't even plan on this now.

OKP: I was just wondering why you didn't hit 50 with a three-verse special and just go ahead and Ether that dude?

Nas: I think he's got to put out more than just 3 albums. They've got to put out a body of work--survival. [It takes going through] hard times, and grinding and then coming back on top for somebody to really put it down. It's too early, they're still freshmen, you know? So they've got to put out a lot more work out before that happens.

OKP: How does it feel to still be relevant in today's hip-hop world?

Nas: Its like life. I mean if I were still in the streets, I'd like to think that I would still be relevant. If you put me in any situation, I'll survive. It's the drive to live to be alive--I'm just excited about life. I'm excited whether I've got two pennies to rub together or if I've got a billion pennies to rub together. I'm happy with life, I love the challenge. It is what it is.

OKP: I know how you feel about the need to destroy to rebuild. Do you think that GZA's, and then Ice-T's critiques of Soljah Boy follow the "destroy to rebuild" philosophy?

Nas: I can't say, I can't speak for another man, I don't know.

OKP: Do you think that Lil' Wayne deserves all of the hype?

Nas: Yeah, I think he put in work, and when people wanted a show--he gave it to them. When people wanted an event-- he gave it to them. He built anticipation.

OKP: Who are your top 5 alive?

Nas: I don't know, I've got like three No. 1's, three No. 2's, several No. 3's... you know I don't really have...

OKP: Just give it up, rattle off some names.

Nas: Scarface...Eminem...Game.

OKP: What was your favorite collaboration on the Untitled album?

Nas: With the producers, man cause I got down with Game, I got down with Busta, those are my homies. But my favorite collaborations were with the different producers.

OKP: How did you hook up with Pollow da Don?

Nas: Kelis, she had worked with him before and introduced us.

OKP: Well alright Nas, cool talking to you--much success.

WWW.OKAYPLAYER.COM

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GAME AND JOE BUDDEN TOGETHER: