UPDATE: 11:25 P.M. EST

First Lady Michelle Obama is currently attending Beyonce’s second night performance with daughters Sasha, 10, and Malia, 13. Newsone reports here.

———————————————————————————————————————-

She’s baaaaaaaack…just like she never left! Five months after giving birth to Blue Ivy Carter, Beyonce Knowles — Mrs. Carter if you nasty — stunned the crowd at the new Revel casino and resort in Atlantic City in the first of four scheduled performances.

Shimmying and shaking her tail feather, the singer, who said there was no secret to her amazing weight loss in the months since giving birth “just hard work,” reminded the crowd why she’s one of the most popular, electric performers in the world.

The freshly minted journalist did not have writing on her mind as she thrilled the sold out crowd.  Beyonce’s set included “Baby Boy,” “Irreplaceable,” Freakum Dress,” “Get Me Bodied,” “Jumpin’ Jumpin,” and more.

See a clip of Beyonce performing “Baby Boy” here:

See a clip of Beyonce performing “Crazy in Love” here:

While the screams of the crowd proved that she still got it, Beyonce’s number 1 fan and Blue Ivy’s poppa, hubby S. Carter, showed how proud he was of the missus on Twitter — and was co-signed by none other than the incomparable Jill Scott:

Case closed.

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I have to confess, the Jay-Z/Kanye collab was simply off the hook; I was quite impressed.  In some ways, the music was a bit like a 30-ton piggy bank made out of solid steel, with absolutely nothing in the middle.  Rarely do we get a chance to see such extraordinary talent utilized on such a shallow exercise of pointless and redundant materialism (Question: “You see my private jets flying over you?”Answer:  “Yes, I saw the private jet in the last song, now please let me ride the bus in peace.”)

One of the odd revelations I had this morning while sitting on a train and reflecting on the awesome success of Jay-Z and Kanye was just how well it pays to be a n*gga.  Being an honorable and intelligent Black man doesn’t pay the bills nearly as much as calling yourself a n*gga in front of thousands of adoring White people.  But Jay and Kanye aren’t just regular n*ggaz; they’re international n*ggaz, which makes them better than the rest of us.  Hence, these self-proclaimed n*ggaz dance and rap in front of millions of people and tell the rest of us to sit back and watch the throne in admiration.

What’s most interesting about the throne that Jay-Z and Kanye are asking us to watch is that this throne is built on a bed of dollar bills built by non-Black folks who pay these men to behave like coons.

Were it not for all the White folks willing to pay for such buffoonery, these men would have no throne for the rest of us to watch.  So, as I mentioned earlier, it pays to be a n*gga, because thrones are most easily built through extreme n*gga-ocity and White psuedo-validation.

You think they respect you, but their admiration is actually due to your willingness to help them experience a contrived Black ghetto fantasy of Negroes with big gold medallions, diamonds in their teeth, tattoos all over their bodies.

Yes, brother, you are a caricature.

Congratulations on your award, Kanye. Your mother, the college professor, would be proud. But then again, I don’t think she raised you to go in front of White people and call yourself a “n*gga.” Malcolm might say that you were born on a throne of education long before you put those chains around your neck. You were raised better than that, so it is my greatest prayer that the next album will be just a tad bit smarter.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a professor at Syracuse University and author of the forthcoming book, “The RAPP Sheet: Rising Above Psychological Poison.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

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Read below to get a list of some of the most memorable quotes in support of marriage equality.

The Root reports:

Jay-Z:

“What people do in their own homes is their business, and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business. It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination, plain and simple.” May 2012

Will Smith:

“If anybody can find someone to love them and to help them through this difficult thing that we call life, I support that in any shape or form.” May 2012

Audra McDonald:

“I am a mom. I am an engaged lady — I am soon to be married. And I am someone that believes in marriage and in the freedom to marry.” May 2012

Michael Strahan:

“As a defensive end for the New York Giants, I always played the game tough but fair. It’s unfair to stop committed couples from getting married.”June 2011

Janet Jackson:

On President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage: “He finally came around, didn’t he? He finally came around; good for him.” May 2012

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.):

“Today I think more than ever before, we have to speak up and speak out to end discrimination based on sexual orientation … It’s not the business of the federal government, it’s not the business of the state government, to tell two individuals that they cannot fall in love and get married … I fought too long and too hard against discrimination based on race and color not to stand up and fight and speak out against discrimination based on sexual orientation.”  January 2009

Russell Simmons:

“I am a proud supporter of gay marriage.” May 2012, Twitter

Patti LaBelle:

“I’ve never been with a woman, so I guess I’m straight, OK? But I’m straight enough to know the difference between right and wrong. I am straight enough to know that if you want to marry whoever you want to marry, you should be able to marry whoever you want to marry.” April 2009

Rev. Al Sharpton:

“As a Baptist minister, I don’t have the right to impose my views on anyone else. If committed gay and lesbian couples want to marry, that is their business; none of us should stand in their way.” February 2012

Rev. Jesse Jackson:

“[Obama's same-sex marriage endorsement] is a bold step in the right direction for equal protection under the law for all citizens … If the states had to vote on slavery, we would have lost the vote. If we had to vote on the right [for blacks] to vote, we would have lost that vote.” May 2012

Alicia Keys:

On President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage: “Honestly, it’s about time! This is great news @BarackObama!!”  May 2012, Twitter

Tracy Morgan:

“I know how bad bullying can hurt. I was bullied when I was a kid. I’m sorry for [my homophobic rant]. I didn’t mean it. I never want to use my comedy to hurt anyone. My family knew what it was like to feel different. My brother was disabled, and I lost my father to AIDS in 1987 … Parents should support and love their kids no matter what. Gay people deserve the same right to be happy in this country as everyone else. Our laws should support that.” June 2011

Whoopi Goldberg:

“Really, darling, it’s a no-brainer. You know, I understand not everybody is for gay marriage. But if you’re not for gay marriage, don’t marry a gay person. That’s what I say.” November 2010

John Legend: “Very pleased the President spoke up for human rights and marriage equality today.” May 2012, Twitter

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.):

“I, like the president, have evolved to a point of marriage equality. I have not always been there. I grew up in a parsonage, a fundamentalist-Christian parsonage, and I grew up with that indoctrination. And I have grown to the point that I believe that we have evolved to marriage equality … If we consider this to be a civil right — and I do — I don’t think civil rights ought to be left up to a state-by-state approach. I think that we should have a national policy on this.” May 2012

Tyra Banks:

“A fierce day for my gays and my prez @BarackObama — way 2 stand up 4 luv for ALL!” May 2012, Twitter

Though President Obama’s image has been tarnished some factions of the evangelical community, he’s clearly maintained his support in Hollywood without missing a beat.

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“I’ve always thought it as something that was still, um, holding the country back,” Jay-Z said of not allowing same-sex coupled to wed. “What people do in their own homes is their business and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business. [It] is no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple.”

Jay-Z was interviewed on everything from the economy to his thoughts on GOP contender Mitt Romney, while in Philadelphia with Mayor Michael Nutter to announce a two-day Labor Day music festival.

Read more at CNN.com

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Appearing tonight on “Oprah’s Master Class: Special Edition,” Jigga goes on to say, “I imagine I’ll take things I learned from my mom and things I’ve learned from raising my nephews and apply that.”

Normally, I wouldn’t comment on how another man raises his child, but given that the Jay-Z/Beyonce relationship has become a template for so many members of the Black community, I thought I might say something.

There is a tremendous degree of urgency regarding how we raise our kids; for, the influence of hip-hop culture is ruining some of them before they have a chance to develop a meaningful value system (Hint: Notice the baby in the beauty salon wearing Air Jordans, while his mama won’t spend the same amount of money putting him into an educational program).

Also, with all due respect to Jay-Z’s mother, we have to remember that while she raised one of the most-brilliant lyricists in the history of the world, she also raised a drug dealer who shot his own brother, and who also seems to measure his self-worth by the number of Bentleys in his driveway.

By “spoiled,” I am hopeful that Jay-Z means that he plans to shower his daughter with love and affection, which is important in building the self-esteem of young women.  If that’s the case, then I am in lockstep, given that I try to spoil my own daughters in the same way: not a day passes where they don’t know how much I love them.

But if “spoiled” means that Blue Ivy is showered in every material possession she requests, convinced that she is better than other human beings, and treated as if her comfort is worth any degree of inconvenience for those around her, then we might have a problem.

All of us should be careful about committing ourselves to spoiling our children. From what I’ve witnessed, men who are spoiled as children often grow up to become insensitive, irresponsible, weak, and unproductive men.   They believe that the world owes them something and wreak havoc on nearly every human being that comes in their path.

Many mothers — perhaps feeling guilty that their son is without a father — dote over their boys to the point of exhaustion, killing their ability to endure the necessary steps that come with evolving into responsible and empowered men (for reference, see the movie “Baby Boy.”)

Women who are spoiled rarely understand the give and take necessary to manage healthful relationships and lack the ability to empathize with the pain of others.   Their daddies (or mamas, or grandmothers) told them that they are the most important thing on earth and the boyfriend who spends his last dollar buying her a diamond necklace is simply par for the course.

Our children should be raised with depth and character, and when we spoil them, they never learn to work for what they want or how to appreciate the things they get.   Most men I know are not interested in marrying the daddy’s girl, debutante who’s been spoiled her entire life; for, a woman who knows no discomfort is not a good partner for fighting life’s battles with you.

She only gets disappointed when you can’t win all of those battles on your own.

“If by spoiling one means avoiding discipline, boundaries, and correction, then that is a formula for huge physical and psychological negative consequences,” said Dr. Christina Edmondson, a psychologist who specializes in raising children, to NewsOne. “It is most important to make sure our children are emotionally “spoiled” and can turn to us for encouragement, support, and trusted direction. That type of so-called spoiling is more impacting than any tech gadget, designer jeans, or trinket that the kid or parent is using to keep up with the Joneses.”

So Jay-Z, did you get that?

If you spoil your daughter with all the material crap that you love to rap about, you are making her into a worse human being, not a better one.  Also, allowing her to believe that she is some kind of aristocrat who lives at the center of all mankind is only going to make her into a nightmare for any potential husband, as well as most of her friends.  But by spoiling her with love and support, you are creating the kind of princess who makes the world around her better.   That puts us on the same page.

How we raise our children is very important; for, our kids eventually become the adults who run our community.  Many of the Black men you complain about in your dating life were raised by another woman who believed that your agony is far less important than her son’s comfort.  In most cases, a thing that is spoiled is never desirable, whether it be a piece of fruit or a human being. So, for those who want to follow the Jay-Z Blueprint of Parenting, you may want to reconsider your thinking.

What do you think?

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Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and author of the forthcoming book, “The RAPP Sheet: Rising Above Psychological Poison.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

As previously reported by Newsone, Mushnick not only said the players should call themselves “ni**ers,” but that the cheerleaders should be called “bitches.”

“As long as the Nets are allowing Jay-Z to call their marketing shots— what a shock that he chose black and white as the new team colors to stress, as the Nets explained, their new ‘urban’ home— why not have him apply the full Jay-Z treatment? Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N——s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B—-hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!”

Writing in to the Post‘s “Bob’s Blitz” in response the inevitable criticism, Mushnick fanned the flames even higher by saying that people should take a look at who is really insulting the Black community:

“Such obvious, wishful and ignorant mischaracterizations of what I write are common. I don’t call black men the N-word; I don’t regard young women as bitches and whores; I don’t glorify the use of assault weapons and drugs. Jay-Z, on the other hand…..Is he the only NBA owner allowed to call black men N—ers?”

Jay-Z profits from the worst and most sustaining self-enslaving stereotypes of black-American culture and I’M the racist? Some truths, I guess, are just hard to read, let alone think about. (Same column I provide support for Amar’e Stoudemire at a time when everyone in town is ripping him to shreds. That was my LEAD, too, but what does that matter?)

One could argue that he makes a valid point pertaining to the pervasive stereotypical images that have eroded commercialized Hip-Hop. Still, while Jay-Z is known for letting n-words and b-words fly from his mouth without hesitation, what Mushnick has done is used that as an excuse to say whatever he wants, in whatever tone that he wants, knowing he has the fallback excuse of “but he said it first.”

Noone’s buying it, Mushnick. You insulted women, men and a culture that is separate and apart of Jay-Z, no matter what your feelings may be about his lyrics.

The professional thing to do would be apologize. Otherwise, you look like twice the bigot that you did in the first place.

Blue Ivy Carter

Appearing tonight on “Oprah’s Master Class: Special Edition,” Carter says “I imagine I’ll take things I learned from my mom and things I’ve learned from raising my nephews and apply that.”  But in the end, he realizes that the father/daughter dynamic duo will probably hit a rough spot.

“Everyone imagines they’ll be a great dad until their [kids are] teenagers, says Jay. “[They say], ‘Get away from me, Dad. You’re embarrassing me.’”

Spoiled will probably definitely be the case that they give her.

In addition to having the name “Blue Ivy” trademarked, the infant has been seen rocking a pair of Marc Jacobs shoes, already has her own “JetBlue” sneaker line, bathes in a $5,200 Swarovski crystal bathtub bought by auntie Kelly Rowland, and sleeps in $22,000 Posh Tots Fantasy Crib.

Oh, and there is that little achievement of being the youngest baby ever to be on the Billboard Charts, appearing on “Glory,” a touching song in her honor written and released by father Jay-Z hours after her birth of January 9, 2012.

Some people might call it spoiled, we call it love.

Catch the conversation tonight on OWN at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

New York Post

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Opining that the team should consider changing their name to the ‘New York Ni**ers’ in what one can only assume is meant to be a dig at Jay-Z’s use of the n-word in his lyrics, Mushnick argues that since the team has a new “urban” locale it should get the full “Jay-Z treatment.”:

As long as the Nets are allowing Jay-Z to call their marketing shots — what a shock that he chose black and white as the new team colors to stress, as the Nets explained, their new “urban” home — why not have him apply the full Jay-Z treatment?

Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N——s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B—-hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!

 

Read more at The Grio.

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The wealthiest hip-hop mogul for 2012 and the closest to becoming a billionaire is Diddy who has been able to sustain his Bad Boy empire with lucrative investments in alcoholic beverage Ciroc, which reportedly spiked 22 percent in 2011, and successful clothing line Sean Jean and cologne Unforgivable, which was the No. 1-selling men’s fragrance in 2006. What promises to take his wealth to billionaire  status, though, is his new cable channel, Revolt, which will debut next year. Forbes report:

He’ll own the channel outright, and based on projected viewership totals, its value could soar into the low-to-mid nine figures within the next few years.”

Diddy’s net worth is $550 million.

Next in line is Jay-Z (pictured left), whose empire rests on his 2007 sale of his clothing line Rocawear for $204 million and signing a $150 million 10-year deal with Live Nation. Obviously, Jay-Z continues to make considerable profits off of his rap career.

Jay-Z’s net worth is $460 million.

Hip-hop icon Dr. Dre (pictured below right), whose international fame started as a part of N.W.A., racked up when a handset maker paid him handsomely to buy a stake in Beats Electronics. Forbes reports:

In August, handset maker HTC paid $300 million to buy a 51% stake in Beats Electronics, the company founded by Dr. Dre and Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine in 2008.

Sources say each owned a third of the company before the deal, placing Dre’s cut at $85 million after taxes. The agreement also values Dre’s remaining stake at $100 million, which could increase rapidly as the company continues to expand.

Dr. Dre’s net worth is $270 million.

Read about Birdman and 50 Cent, who are in fourth and fifth places, respectively, here.

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Now Jay-Z  has taken his love for the Yankees a step further by forging a business partnership between the Bronx-based team and his fashion imprint Rocawear, reports Global Grind.

Rocawear will have branded signage in Yankee Stadium, in addition to integrated promotion through the 2012 season.

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Only a few months ago, there was speculation that the 12-year-old company founded by Jay-Z and Damon Dash was on its last legs. A global sales decline of $500 million resulted in reported company lay-offs. Rocawear was then met with controversy that swirled around their ‘Occupy All Street,’ tee-shirt line that was created in response to the Occupy Wall Street protests. Since none of the proceeds from the tee shirt sales actually went to the occupiers, Rocawear was harshly criticized and the company made the costly decision to snatch the line off of the market.

Although Jay-Z sold his rights to the Rocawear brand in 2007 to the Iconix Brand Group, Inc. for $204 million, he retains a stake in the company and still oversees its marketing, licensing and product development. Regarding Rocawear’s latest coup, Jameel Spencer, EVP of Marketing for the Rocawear men’s division says, “Jay-Z has been a long-time fan of the Yankees, regularly attends games and has even included his favorite team in song lyrics, so this was a natural partnership. Rocawear, along with Jay-Z are very excited to be working with the Yankees for the 2012 season. We feel another championship in ’12!”

Full details of the deal are still vague at this point.

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President Obama

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The Atlantic reports:

“I have a question I want to ask you, Mr. President,” I venture, once I catch his attention. “Sure,” the president says. “Kanye or Jay-Z?”

The president smiles. “Jay-Z,” he says, as if the answer should be obvious.

Still, he’s got plenty of love for his fellow Chicagoan:

“Although I like Kanye,” Obama continues, with an easy smile. “He’s a Chicago guy. Smart. He’s very talented.” He is displaying his larger awareness of the question, looking relaxed, cerebral but friendly, alive to the moment, waiting for me to get to the heart of the matter.

“Even though you called him a jackass?,” I ask.

“He is a jackass,” Obama says, in his likable and perfectly balanced modern-professorial voice. “But he’s talented.”

Now can we get him to talk about Nicki Minaj and 2Chainz?

Read more at The Atlantic.

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Hip-hop stars completed a near takeover of the music conference and festival overnight Thursday and early Friday with Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, B.o.B., T.I. and Wale all playing bass-booming showcases just blocks from each other into the early morning. And later in the day, Nas would be the subject of a Q&A interview and 50 Cent was expected to headline the Shady Records showcase where he would perform his iconic album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” live in its entirety for the first time.

Posters teasing Lil Wayne’s concert at Austin Music Hall appeared Thursday all over town and Weezy was in high spirits as he played his hits, introduced fellow rappers Chanel and Birdman, kicked off a partnership with Mountain Dew and introduced his new clothing line.

“If you get anything from me, it’s to find your name and do you because, ladies and gentlemen, that’s what I do,” he told the crowd in what he said was a commercial for the new soft drink partnership.

As Weezy wound down, Snoop Dogg held court about six blocks away. There, he regaled reporters with tales of his love for the long-gone sour cream and onion Doritos rather than the new “JACKED” flavor he was promoting, his requirement that the company give him a couple of vending machines so his friends can have some and how he couldn’t see the five-story stage on which he performed a set that stretched into Friday.

He also didn’t exactly deny he’s reuniting with Dr. Dre at Coachella, talked about a new project with producer Diplo, his upcoming movie release in June with Wiz Kalifa, gave a shoutout to Virginia Commonwealth basketball coach Shaka Smart and talked of sharing a bucket of fried chicken in Amsterdam with Willie Nelson.

He also explained hip-hop’s takeover of Austin and the big-money deals he, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z – who was brought to SXSW on Monday by American Express – are landing.

“You know, it’s a hip-hop world,” Snoop said in an interview as he stretched out on an orange couch at Carmelo’s in a Texas Longhorns basketball jersey next to a surreal 5-foot-tall snack bag. “I don’t mean that in a cocky way, I mean that in a real way. If you watch TV, anything that’s got to do with a commercial or selling something, it’s hip-hop orientated, whether it’s the music we personalize, the artists involved, even attention on football and basketball. Whatever it is, it’s trying to be something that’s hip-hop.”

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Kareem Burke entered the plea Thursday in federal court in Manhattan. Burke started the hip-hop label with Jay-Z and Damon Dash in the 1990s. The 38-year-old was arrested in October 2010 along with more than 50 other people in raids targeting a wholesale marijuana ring in New York and Florida.

Authorities seized nearly $2 million and more than 360 pounds of marijuana in the probe. The government said a raid on Burke’s residence in North Bergen, N.J., produced the remains of a marijuana growing operation and $15,000 in cash.

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Burke faces five to six years in prison at a May 18 sentencing.

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Two Republican representatives in Florida recently got into a debate over the correct quoting of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems.” The dispute took place during an argument over an amendment to the Florida State Code that would allow certain type of hearsay as evidence in criminal cases.

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Representative Allan B. Williams quoted the line from the famous song saying, “I know my rights, so you will need a warrant for that. Aren’t you as sharp as a tack? Are you a lawyer or something?” In response, speaker Dean Cannon corrected him, saying that the second line is said by the officer, not Jay-Z. He also advised Williams that if he is going to quote Jay-Z, to make sure that the lyrics are correct.

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Reportedly, a source close to the King of New York, says that even though it has been a few years since Brown and Rihanna broke up, Jay-Z will never forget the beating Brown inflicted upon Rihanna:

“Jay was absolutely disgusted by what Chris did to Rihanna. Jay doesn’t understand how a man could ever lay hands on a woman; it just goes against who he is and about. Chris is absolutely dead to Jay, he wants nothing to do with him ever. Now that Rihanna is hooking up with Chris and recording songs with him, Jay is deeply disappointed in her actions. He can’t fathom why Rihanna is doing the things she is doing. He understands the need for forgiveness, but he is adamant that Rihanna shouldn’t forget what Chris did to her. Jay wonders what kind of message this is sending to Rihanna’s young female fans. Rihanna knows how Jay feels about Chris, but she doesn’t care, she is going to do what she wants,” the source says.

If you haven’t heard Brown and Rihanna’s “Birthday Cake,” listen to or read the lyrics here:

[Rihanna]
Come and put your name on it, put your name on it
Come and put your name on it, your name
But you wanna put your name on it, put your name on it
Come and put your name on it
Baby baby uhh

It’s not even my birthday (my birthday)
But he wanna lick the icing off (the icing off)
I know you want it in the worst way (worst way)
Can’t wait to blow my candles out (candles out)

He want that cake cake cake cake….. (But you wanna put your name on it)
Ooh baby I like it

You so excited

Don’t try to hide it
I’ma make you my bitch

Cake, cake, cake, cake (But you wanna put your name on it)
I know you wanna bite this
It’s so enticing
Nothing else like this
I’ma make you my bitch

And it’s not even my birthday (my birthday)
But you wanna put your name on it
And it’s not even my birthday (my birthday, my birthday, my birthday)
And he trying to put his name on it

[Chris Brown]
Leggo
Girl, I wanna f— you right now (right now)
Been a long time, I’ve been missing your body
Let me, let me turn the lights down (lights down)
When I, when I go down it’s a private party
Ooh, it’s not even her birthday (her birthday)
But I wanna lick the icing off (the icing off)
Give it to her in the worst way (the worst way)
Can’t wait to blow her candles out

I want that cake, cake, cake
Ooh, baby, I like it
It’s so exciting
Don’t try to hide it
I’ma make you my bitch

[Rihanna]
Cake, cake, cake, cake (But you wanna put your name on it)
Ooh baby I like it
You so excited
Don’t try to hide it
I’ma make you my bitch
Cake, cake, cake, cake

[Chris Brown]
Doggy want that kitty
Give me a heart attack and throw it back, now watch me get it
Ain’t new to this but you the sh–
Damn girl you pretty
Blowing out your candles
Let me make a couple wishes

[Rihanna]
Remember how you did it?
Remember how you fit it?
If you still want to kiss it
Come, come, come and get it
Sweeter than a rice cake
Cake worth sippin’
Kill it, tip it
Cake, fill it

If you sexy and you know it
And you ain’t afraid to show it
Put a candle on my mother f—in’ back, baby, blow it
Love the way you do it, when you do it like that
Show up with them stacks
Screaming racks on my rack
Wrap it up, wrap it up
Boy, while I take this bow off
Talk that talk, yeah I know I’m such a showoff
Daddy, make a wish
Put this cake in your face
And it’s not even my birthday

[Chris Brown]
Ooh, it’s not even her birthday (her birthday)
But I wanna lick the icing off (the icing off)
Give it to her in the worst way (the worst way)
Can’t wait to blow her candles out
I want that cake cake, cake, cake (But you wanna put your name on it)

[Rihanna]
Ooh, baby, I like it
You so excited
Don’t try to hide it
I’ma make you my bitch
Cake, cake, cake, cake (But you wanna put your name on it)

I know you wanna bite this
It’s so enticing
Nothing else like this
I’ma make you my bitch
Cake, cake, cake, cake… (But you wanna put your name on it)

Jay-Z isn’t alone in his alleged “disappointment” with Rihanna. Since the tracks dropped on Monday, there has been an outpouring of outrage. According to ABCNews, former fans protested the duets over Twitter:

“Deleted Rihanna off my iPod. Not being associated with that imbecile in any capacity,” one Twitter user wrote.

“Ladies, don’t be like Rihanna… if a man beats you stay away, call the cops, get help. Don’t let him remix your face or your song,” another wrote.

“Rihanna owes better to her millions of female fans than to sing/dance on stage with a man who put her in hospital,” said another.

According to Radar’s source, Jay-Z’s new status as a father to daughter Blue Ivy, further underscores how inappropriate and damaging a Rihanna and Chris Brown reunion could be:

“He is even more protective of the women in his life. Jay has told Rihanna he will never give his blessing for what she is doing with Chris. He has told her, this isn’t going to end well, it never does. In Jay’s opinion, Chris has rage issues that he doesn’t think have been dealt with,” the insider says.

Whether you are a lover or a hater of Chris Brown, his recent antics of snatching a cell phone from a fan and blacking out after a Good Morning America interview last year, when he ripped off his shirt and threw a chair, suggests that Brown’s temper still remains out of check.

Rihanna, you have been warned.

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Already a Billboard chart-topper, featured on her father’s emotional song, “Glory,” in honor of her “magic” birth after Beyonce suffered a miscarriage, her parents are eager to share their gift with the world:

“We welcome you to share in our joy,” read a hand-written note on HelloBlueIvyCarter.tumblr.com. “Thank you for respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives.” — The Carter Family

See below for pictures of Blue Ivy!

Start Gallery

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Last week, the Washington Post hinted that the stars might have received preferential treatment with their trademark application, although the Trademark Office shot down any wrongdoing. An administrator from the office reportedly told the Post that some names that are filed are typically anticipated, which arms the agency against imposters looking to cash in on quick bucks.

Further, the Post report stated that Beyoncé’s company, BGK Holdings, would hold the rights to the name. The trademark is reportedly being reserved for a series of baby-related items, such as carriages, cosmetics, accessories, and a possible fashion line. Still, the name isn’t unique to the world of business, as a Wisconsin clothing store is also named “Blue Ivy.” A pure coincidence, the store opened in early 2011.

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Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter

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Proceeds from both concerts benefit the United Way of New York City and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation of which his mother, Gloria Carter, is president and CEO. Ticket prices ranged from approximately $300 – $1000. Jay-Z first announced the concert series in December of last year.

Beginning the evening in a white Tom Ford dinner jacket and diamond Cartier pin sparkling on his lapel, he changed the line of one of his most recited rhymes, “Public Service Announcement,” in honor of the occasion, replacing “hat” with “tux”:

“Check out my tux, yo/Peep the way I wear it,” he rhymed as the well-heeled crowd adorned in tuxedos and strapless gowns nodded along to the music of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra — conducted by Jeri Lynne Johnson — which served as Jay-Z’s house band, along with the Illadelphonics, an ensemble featuring Questlove of the Roots and soul singer Bilal, reports the Times.

Hova went through his greatest commercial hits, such as “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” and “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” to the Rick Rubin produced “99 Problems,” laying to rest the speculation that he had given up the “b-word” in honor of his daughter with wife and former Destiny Child front-woman, Beyonce Knowles.

Jay-Z gave his daughter a shout-out during the evening’s festivities, “Put one hand in the air for Blue! If there are any proud parents in the house tonight, make some noise for me,” while performing “Glory,” his emotional tribute to baby girl Blue Ivy Carter:

“I didn’t think I was gonna make it through that one,” he said at the song’s conclusion.

Alicia Keys joined Jay-Z to perform their NYC anthem, “Empire State of Mind,” which came after an interlude during which the orchestra and band played Gil Scott-Heron’s “New York Is Killing Me.”

Former arch-nemesis, Nas, joined him on stage to perform “N.Y. State of Mind.” Jay-Z let his guest shine alone on “If I Ruled the World,” accompanied by Keys.

Even with all of the pomp and circumstance, Hova kept it so BK. After changing into a black T-shirt and gold chain, he paid homage to his fallen friend, Brooklyn rapper Notorious B.I.G. by performing the ’90′s hit, “Gettin’ Money .”  He then segued into a medley of classics from his 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt, making good on the promise he made the crowd early in the evening:

“All those lines that divide us,” he said with confidence, “we gonna step on them.”

Hip-Hop pioneers, Afrika Bambaataa and MC Melly Mel were the first Hip-Hop duo to play Carnegie Hall in 1985. Wyclef Jean performed there in 2004, Mos Def in 2008.

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It’s absolutely not true that she’s the godmother, King said. She’s friends with them, of course, and likes them both very much. She’s working on sending them a baby gift. She hasn’t even had time to send a baby gift because she’s been away.

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According to TMZ:

Jay-Z‘s 40/40 Club racking up a slew of health code violations … a rep for the club tells TMZ.

As we previously reported, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene cited the club big time Thursday night for a litany of violations … which included several different instances of food being stored at improper temperatures.

But Ron Berkowitz, a rep for the club, tells TMZ the motor in one of the refrigerators blew just moments before the health inspector arrived … causing the temperature in the fridge to rise. Berkowtiz says the staff identified the problem immediately and had no intention of serving the food from that fridge.

Sometimes even the biggest ballers fall off a little. For the full story check out TMZ.

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Jay-Z, formerly a “big presence” in the office, rarely shows up anymore, an insider told The Post. “It’s kind of like he’s given up on the brand,” the source added.

In 2007, as the market for urban-style clothing was peaking, the rap tycoon sold the Rocawear brand for $204 million in cash to Iconix Group, a licensing company that also owns brands such as Candie’s, Ed Hardy and Peanuts.

While Jay-Z retained an interest in Rocawear as part of the deal, his contractual obligations to the brand have expired and the rapper has since refused to promote it amid steady, double-digit sales drops, sources said.

“Jay-Z doesn’t do anything without getting paid a lot of money — a lot more than Rocawear is generating,” according to one insider.

Read more in the New York Post

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Before I got in the game, made a change, and got rich,, I didn’t think hard about using the word B—-., I rapped, I flipped it, I sold it, I lived it, now with my daughter in this world I curse those that give it. I never realized while on the fast track that I’d give riddance to the word bitch, to leave her innocence in tact No man will degrade her, or call her out her name the women won’t despise her and call her the same. I know it’s gonna miss me cuz we been together like Nike Airs and crisp tees when we all used to hang out front, singing 99 problems but a lady ain’t one. Excuse me miss, can I be your mister cuz I can tell the difference from a little girl and a sister, She never grew up, her father left her alone I promise not to talk like we used to until Kingdom Come.

E! News claims that a source close to Jay-Z claims that he did not write that poem and has no idea on how they wound up on RollingOut. The blogger Renee Gardner has not addressed who actually wrote the poem but she is an artist herself.

The U.K. Guardian reports:

Soon the story was picked up by the Daily Mail, NME and New York magazine. The Guardian covered it, too. But when E! News asked Jay-Z’s representatives for comment, the answer was unequivocal. “A source close to the rapper’s camp [said] the poem in question is not by Jay-Z,” it reported. “No word how the lyrics made it online, but it wasn’t from the rap mogul.” Another denial came via a tweet from the Roots’ leader, ?uestlove: “This just in: [Jay-Z] to me: ‘B*aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatch!!!!!!!! and tweet that.’”

Read More At The U.K. Guardian

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RELATED: “Blue Ivy” Weed Named After Beyonce And Jay-Z’s Baby

New York designer Joseph Mbeh is attempting to trademark “Blue Ivy Carter NYC” so it can be placed on a line of children’s clothing. Mbeh filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jan. 11, four days after the birth of the urban music stars’ newborn girl. Read the application here.

According to a report in the Smoking Gun, the USPTO application was filed without consent or knowledge of either of the celebrity parents.

The application by Mbeh, 35, covers “infant, toddler and junior clothing” including dresses, skirts, sleepwear, and undergarments…

In his USPTO filing, Mbeh contends that he has been using the “Blue Ivy Carter NYC” name since “at least as early as 01/09/2012,” two days after the child’s birth at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan…

To apparently bolster this claim, Mbeh’s application includes a “Blue Ivy Carter NYC” logo and a mocked-up photo of girls clothing with hang tags bearing the child’s name.

Mbeh, a former Phat Farm intern, is a co-owner and designer of FourFront clothing, which he describes on his Linkedin profile as “a street-contemporary couture brand” that has been worn by T-Pain, Musiq Soulchild, Ray J and other musicians.

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There has been no approval from the hip-hop power couple, but none of the dispensaries have received legal notice as of yet.

A day after the Jay-Z and Beyonce’s baby was born, Jay-Z released a song, titled “Glory,” for free download. The Brooklyn rapper touches on his love for his wife and newborn, and the baby girl’s cries can be heard in the background.

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1)  Is this the second coming of Baby Jesus? No, it’s not. When Blue Ivy Carter was born, I expected the North Star to shine prominently and for Three Wise Thugs to show up at the Manhattan hospital looking for her.  I’m really, really hopeful that the Carters themselves don’t buy into the idea that the birth of their child is the most significant event in human history.

2) Shutting down an entire hospital wing? Give me a break: Some of us can partially understand the need to protect the Carter family from an ever-so-hungry media salivating over the chance to get just one photo or video clip.   But if any of the reports are true about Beyonce and Jay-Z shutting down a massive chunk of the maternity ward, then I am angry for the other parents.  The last thing I’d want to see if I were trying to deal with the stress of a newborn child are bulky security guards telling me where I can come and go.  This is silly, disrespectful and pretentious.

3) The lies and rumors: Did Beyonce have a surrogate?  Did they rent out private helicopters to fly in custom-made, solid-gold baby booties?  The rumors about this child’s birth have been beyond outrageous, and I’m sure that a few years from now, Blue Ivy will be amused to read about how crazy the world went over her birth.  By then, she’ll be 100 percent celebrity, wearing sun glasses  to kindergarten, and sporting a weave as long as her body.  Children are already born thinking that they are the center of the universe.  This poor child actually has reason to believe it.

4)  The lies in response to the lies and rumors: Beyonce and Jay-Z have announced that they had a natural birth, but they never really explained the video where Beyonce’s stomach dropped like my grandmother’s face when my daughter got her first tattoo.  The family has maintained their “silent, yet mysterious” disposition on almost every front, seeming to want the attention that their child is getting, while pretending to dislike it.

5)  Blue Ivy’s million-dollar-marketing plan: Beyonce used her pregnancy to steal the show at the MTV Music Awards the way a single man borrows his neighbor’s puppy to pick up pretty girls.   Then, of course, Jay-Z had to release a song right after the baby is born.   Pretty soon, Blue Ivy will be in the studio busting rhymes with her daddy; well actually, Jigga did use her voice on the audio already.  So, put that on the “already did that” list.  The only thing left is for Kanye West to bust into the maternity ward and demand that everyone acknowledge that Blue Ivy is, in fact, cuter than the other babies.  Kanye’s latest outburst has been scheduled for next week.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition.  To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

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They had received two complaints about Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital, one made anonymously, the other from someone who had learned about the matter through the media, a health department spokesman said. Officials reviewed the complaints and dismissed them Wednesday night, spokesman Jeffrey Gordon said without elaborating.

The hospital, a popular choice for the rich and famous from late philanthropist Brooke Astor to “30 Rock” star Tina Fey, said it was conducting its own probe.

Beyonce gave birth to the couple’s baby, Blue Ivy Carter, at the hospital on Saturday.

Media reports said Beyonce and Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, paid $1 million to take over a floor and their security guard blocked parents from the neonatal unit for hours. The hospital denied the reports, saying the couple paid the standard rate for an executive suite without disclosing what that is.

One new mother, Rozz Nash-Coulon, told The Associated Press that her twins, born Dec. 28, were in the neonatal unit and, starting Friday, intense security measures made it a struggle to see them as guards directed hallway traffic.

“Once they checked in there was high security everywhere,” she said Monday. “It looked like the president was on our floor. The hospital’s security cameras were taped over. Internal windows from the hallways into the ward were blacked out.”

The hospital’s executive director was heading up its own inquiry into the complaints, hospital spokeswoman Barbara Osborn said. The hospital was interviewing parents who had children in the newborn wing when Jay-Z and Beyonce were there, she said.

“We have spoken to seven out of the 10,” she said. “None have reported being stopped from seeing their babies.”

She confirmed that security cameras were briefly taped over when the Carter family was being moved, “but only when a security guard was present” on the fourth floor, where the neonatal unit is located. She declined to say why they were taped over.

She said that other parents at the unit did notice “enhanced security.” But she said none felt restricted from accessing the unit or any other at the hospital.

Jay-Z confirmed the birth of the couple’s daughter in a song released on his social website Life and Times on Monday.

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Someone vandalized a North Carolina church sign yesterday with writing that read, “Beyonce had her baby. Satan is on Earth.”

Beyonce‘s new baby Blue Ivy Carter is the devil incarnate — this according to some heartless vandal who defaced the sign in front of a North Carolina church yesterday … writing, “Beyonce had her baby. Satan is on Earth.”

The pastor at Beulah Hill Baptist Church in West End, NC tells TMZ, he discovered the vandalism yesterday after receiving numerous complaints from locals — and removed it immediately.

Check out TMZ for more on this disturbing story.

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People keep asking: What does Blue Ivy mean? What kind of father will Jay Z be? Will Beyonce be able to stop dancing and acting long enough to be a good mother? How long will it take her to get the baby weight off and hit the mic again? The internet is virtually aflame with talk about Blue Ivy Carter. Only a new baby by President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle could top this hype. None of that is what interests me though.

Call me old fashioned but, I’m just happy to see a Black couple that took the traditional route to family for a change. I’m not passing judgement on any lifestyle choices that anyone makes. I believe folks need to live their life the way they see fit. Still it has been a long time since I have seen a Black man love and marry a Black woman, and get such a massive response when they have a child. In fact, I have never seen such excitement about the birth of a Black child in America.

When I speak to kids today, they enjoy talking about many things in their future. However, they almost never talk about love. They talk even less about marriage. Few aspire to a life where monogamous Black love is a reality. Hopefully Jay Z and Beyonce’s marriage, and the arrival of Blue Ivy can instill more faith in our young Black boys and girls about the power of the Black family. I feel like the Black family is in a deep state of crisis (American families are as a whole). So anything that any celebrity might do to confirm the value of the Black family, is something I will champion.

For this reason alone, I’m very happy for Jay Z and Beyonce. I am lucky enough to have been married to a wonderful Black woman for 16 years now. We have three kids together, and I would not want my life any other way. There is no cheating, or violence in our household. We don’t curse one another, or call one another names when things get intense. I’m not bragging. I’m blessed and I know it.  It is nothing to be arrogant about. As time has gone on most of the Black marriages I’ve seen come together have fallen horribly apart. Its unfortunate and sad to watch. Watching any love fall apart is hard though. The number of Black married couples I personally know today (not counting my parents generation), can be counted on one hand. Its pretty wild. But I live in California. I can imagine that in New York or Atlanta the number of married Black families are much more abundant.

Love is not easy on its own. Black love in America, is purely a trial by fire. It must be very hard for them to cultivate the love they have. The pressure of whatever good and bad is in their relationship is enough stress on its own. To have everything you do magnified and scrutinzed by the media is something I can’t even begin to comprehend. Yet they have done it. Not only that they have done it with a class, and grace possibly unmatched in recent years. Rather than get too excited about what these two do, or do not do as parents, I’m reminded to focus on the love in my life. My wife,  and my kids.

So, while everybody else charts astrological graphs and rants about the potential career of  Blue Ivy, I will celebrate something else. I will toast to the beauty of their love, and the power of the Black family they represent. May they be showered with all the joy and protection The Creator can provide. Congratulations to Jay Z, Beyonce and Blue Ivy. Stay blessed y’all.

UPDATE: SEE LABOR DETAILS HERE.

E! Online is reporting that Jay Z and Beyonce had their baby. She scheduled a C-Section and rented out the 4th floor of the hospital for 1.3 million dollars. The name…?

Blue Ivy Carter! (At least that’s what Jay-Z is telling pals at this point—the couple’s reps have not immediately responded to calls seeking comment.)

Friend and music mogul Russell Simmons was among the first to celebrate the arrival, tweeting the new parents: “congrats to my good friends Beyonce and Jay-Z.”

Rihanna gave baby Blue a warm welcome, tweeting: “Welcome to the world princess Carter! Love Aunty Rih.”

Hey, we’re happy to find out this much, considering Blue’s parents didn’t even confirm to the world that they were married until…Wait? Did they ever really confirm it? (Public records ultimately told the tale.)

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Criticism lands within one or both of the following camps. First, it has rattled the cages of ghosts of history’s past where black culture is undermined and undervalued, a literal “Murder To Excellence” which Jay-Z and Kanye West depict on their 2011 album Watch The Throne.  Second, detractors are wedded to an intellectual cannon to which, they insist, Jay-Z has no place.

Professor Dyson, as a sociologist, sees the value of Jay-Z as a towering figure of arts and letters, apropos for academic inquiry. Dyson and the scores of other professors around the country teaching and writing about hip-hop in the academy for well over a decade, take their cue from literary forebears who have come to represent the Western intellectual canon.

Scholars like Dyson recognize educational value of the canon like Homer, who writes in The Odyssey: “Among all men on the earth bards have a share of honor and reverence, because the muse has taught them songs and loves the race of bards.”

Dyson’s critics have no beef with Homer. But rather than widen the net, they criticize Jay-Z instead.

“This trendy juvenile nonsense happening at Georgetown is a very bad sign… They are manifestations of a deadly malignancy,” writes a commenter on an article entitled, “NBC Cheers College Course on Rapper Jay-Z By Left-Wing Professor Michael Eric Dyson,” written by Kyle Drennen on Lucianne.com.

In an op-ed within the Georgetown University paper, “The Hoya,” Stephen Wu concurs: “It speaks volumes that we engage in the beat of Carter’s pseudo-music while we scrounge to find serious academic offerings on Beethoven and Liszt. We dissect the lyrics of “Big Pimpin’,” but we don’t read Spenser or Sophocles closely. Our pedagogical commitments are disordered.”

It was with critics like these in mind that led to my anthology “Jay-Z: Essays on Hip-Hop’s Philosopher King” published earlier this year. One of the contributors, Nicole Hodges-Persley, sees Jay-Z through a Homeric lens in her essay “The Freestyle Remixing of an Afro-Homeric Oral Tradition.”

“I pay specific attention to three phases of Jay-Z’s artistic development which find synergy with the practices of oral epic singers as outlined by Albert Lord in A Singer of Tales, says Dr. Hodges-Persley who teaches a hip-hop course at Kansas University called “Hip-Hop in Popular Culture.”

“Jay-Z’s development as a rapper parallels that of oral epic singers as many facets of Greek oral narrative composition are recast in his Hip-hop freestyle practices,” she writes.

Opponents of Hip-Hop Studies should take a look at Jay-Z’s “Meet the Parents” while reading Sophocles’s “Oedipus Rex,” as is being done by A.D. Carson at Benedictine University in Springfield, Illinois. Or take a trip to the University of Illinois-Chicago and check in with Dr. David Stoval a Policy Studies professor who teaches hip-hop there. Or meet me at Wittenberg University where we engage in Emerson, Plato, Nietzsche and Voltaire while discussing Jay-Z along with the time-rich tradition of canonized excellence.

Homer states, in “The Odyssey”: “By their own follies they perished, the fools.” Taking his lead, I could have chosen to leave the carcasses of provincialism spewed by hip hop studies’ critics to rot unburied, exposed to its obscenity so that all can see what the face of the enemy of Liberal Education and Radical Pedagogy looks like. But I couldn’t. And my response is as consistent to my academic role, as it is my human duty to bury the dead.

It is a moral duty, one in which Sophocles’ “Antigone” spoke of quite well. So does Jay-Z in his rap song “Meet the Parents”:

Let’s take a trip down memory, lane at the cemetery
Rain, grey skies, seems at the end of every
young (Critics) life is this line, “Damn – him already?
Such a good kid,” got us pourin Henn’ already
‘Til the next time I see you, on the other side
He was just some thug (of a critic) that, caught some slugs
And we loved him cause, in him we, saw some of us
He walked like us, talked like us
His (academic) back against the wall, he even fought like us – damn.

Dyson, Hodges, and Carson are building on a tradition that includes the work of Mark Anthony Neal (Duke University), Tricia Rose (Brown University), Murray Foreman (Northeastern University), Marcyliena Morgan (Harvard University) and many others who recognize that the lyrical cries and visceral tales of those who operate within Hip Hop culture are tragically and triumphantly American. More so, they are deeply human.

Julius Bailey is Professor of Philosophy at Wittenberg University and Editor of  “Jay-Z: Essays on Hip Hop’s Philosopher King” (McFarland Publishing Inc, 2011).  www.juliusbailey.com

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