‘I love Simon very dearly. He’s such an amazing man,’ ‘Martha’ says. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Ade Mangum Nicki Minaj Photo: MTV News Nicki Minaj’s alter ego Martha is pretty protective. And also pretty flirty. When the Pink Friday star was asked about the talks between her and Simon Cowell regarding “X Factor,” Nicki relented as Martha took over and revealed her love for the former “American Idol” judge. “I can’t talk about that, but I love Simon very dearly,” the Lil Wayne prot
You cannot expect others to love you if you do not love yourself. It sounds simple. It really is the root cause of why people have as many problems as they do in this world. They do not express the love that God gave them within themselves. If we look at why there is such low self esteem amongst our people, it is because we do not contain self love. There is a wonderful Gospel song that has the lyrics: “‘I Will… Bless The Lord …Oh My Soul… And All That Is Within Me …Bless His Holy Name” If we can sing these words we must understand that the blessings start within me. Here are a few things to begin your self love project. 1- Forgive You – I know people who have carried their mistakes with them their entire life, and as result they remain unhappy at the core. I know what it’s like to make a mistake and feel like you shouldn’t be forgiven, but that kind of thinking is nonsense. There is no action not worthy of forgiveness. 2- Stop Comparing Yourself to Others – I’m just as guilty as the next person in this area, for this is something that I too am struggling with even today. But as I’ve come to realize the more you compare yourself to others the less self worth you place on yourself Only when you stop comparing yourself to others can then you then begin to love yourself 3- Stop Seeking Approval- Seeking approval is similar to comparing yourself to others, and it’s fair to say that we all do it from time to time. I’m not going to lie and say I’ve never sought approval from my family or friends, but I’m also going to tell you that when approval was my main focus those were also not the happiest times in my life. 4- Believe In Yourself – Loving and believing in yourself go hand in hand. You can’t love yourself if you don’t believe in yourself, and you can’t believe in yourself if you don’t love yourself first. To fully experience what it means to live you must have a confidence in all you do, even during the times in which you come up short. 5- Trust Your Judgmen t and know that through both the good and bad you are worthy. Inside of yourself you do know essentially what is best for you and how to apply it. 6 – Practice Silence – Last week I wrote about discovering the true you in Silence. For me this means that I must remove myself from my natural environment in order to have peace and quiet. 7- Eat Healthy And Exercise – Part of loving yourself is allowing your body to be in its top form. An occasional indulgence in alcohol or some fast food isn’t the end of the in the world but making a habit of destroying your body is. 8- Express Yourself – Holding back on what you feel and how you feel makes you’re a prisoner inside. You do not deserve to be a prisoner. This is not what your Creator made you for. He made you to love, be loved and to know the world If you really want to change the world, if you really want to experience that life you’ve always desired, you must first love yourself fully, because all the advice in the world won’t matter if you don’t. It won’t always be be easy, but your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship you will ever have. Make each day a day in which you continue to deepen your relationship with yourself and experience the life you know you were meant to live. The world depends on you to love yourself. Related Stories Gospel Song of The Day: Still Have Joy Minute Meditation: Prayer For A Good Day At Work Do You Really Understand Forgiveness?
You cannot expect others to love you if you do not love yourself. It sounds simple. It really is the root cause of why people have as many problems as they do in this world. They do not express the love that God gave them within themselves. If we look at why there is such low self esteem amongst our people, it is because we do not contain self love. There is a wonderful Gospel song that has the lyrics: “‘I Will… Bless The Lord …Oh My Soul… And All That Is Within Me …Bless His Holy Name” If we can sing these words we must understand that the blessings start within me. Here are a few things to begin your self love project. 1- Forgive You – I know people who have carried their mistakes with them their entire life, and as result they remain unhappy at the core. I know what it’s like to make a mistake and feel like you shouldn’t be forgiven, but that kind of thinking is nonsense. There is no action not worthy of forgiveness. 2- Stop Comparing Yourself to Others – I’m just as guilty as the next person in this area, for this is something that I too am struggling with even today. But as I’ve come to realize the more you compare yourself to others the less self worth you place on yourself Only when you stop comparing yourself to others can then you then begin to love yourself 3- Stop Seeking Approval- Seeking approval is similar to comparing yourself to others, and it’s fair to say that we all do it from time to time. I’m not going to lie and say I’ve never sought approval from my family or friends, but I’m also going to tell you that when approval was my main focus those were also not the happiest times in my life. 4- Believe In Yourself – Loving and believing in yourself go hand in hand. You can’t love yourself if you don’t believe in yourself, and you can’t believe in yourself if you don’t love yourself first. To fully experience what it means to live you must have a confidence in all you do, even during the times in which you come up short. 5- Trust Your Judgmen t and know that through both the good and bad you are worthy. Inside of yourself you do know essentially what is best for you and how to apply it. 6 – Practice Silence – Last week I wrote about discovering the true you in Silence. For me this means that I must remove myself from my natural environment in order to have peace and quiet. 7- Eat Healthy And Exercise – Part of loving yourself is allowing your body to be in its top form. An occasional indulgence in alcohol or some fast food isn’t the end of the in the world but making a habit of destroying your body is. 8- Express Yourself – Holding back on what you feel and how you feel makes you’re a prisoner inside. You do not deserve to be a prisoner. This is not what your Creator made you for. He made you to love, be loved and to know the world If you really want to change the world, if you really want to experience that life you’ve always desired, you must first love yourself fully, because all the advice in the world won’t matter if you don’t. It won’t always be be easy, but your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship you will ever have. Make each day a day in which you continue to deepen your relationship with yourself and experience the life you know you were meant to live. The world depends on you to love yourself. Related Stories Gospel Song of The Day: Still Have Joy Minute Meditation: Prayer For A Good Day At Work Do You Really Understand Forgiveness?
Spears tells ‘Good Morning America’ the tour will start in June. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears performs at her “Good Morning America” concert Photo: Flanigan/ FilmMagic After rumors hit the Internet about Britney Spears’ forthcoming summer tour, on Tuesday morning (March 29), the singer confirmed the news. In between songs at her pretaped San Francisco show on “Good Morning America,” the singer made the huge announcement. Hanging out backstage with her dancers, wearing a billowing white shirt and jeans, she told the show’s host, Robin Roberts, “I’m going on tour with Enrique Iglesias in June.” Fans gathered at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to watch Spears shimmy her way through Femme Fatale tracks “Hold It Against Me,” “Big Fat Bass” and her latest single, “Till the World Ends,” in varying body-hugging sexy costumes. “Thank you so much for all your love and support. You guys are beautiful,” she told the audience. “I love it. I love music. It’s my world. It’s my everything.” Before Britney even hit the stage in San Francisco, the room was kept entertained by five local drag queens , who explained to MTV News after Spears left the building that the performer really proved that she is still the pop star everyone knows and loves. “As a huge Britney fan, it was amazing,” Pollo Del Mar told us. “I was excited just to have Britney Spears here in San Francisco, but to participate and be a part of it was amazing. “It shows why she’s a superstar and certainly, I think that the crowd response showed that she’s beloved. … The reason I love Britney Spears is, throughout her career, she’s shown she’s human, she’s fallible … I think that makes her someone people can rally behind and love.” Spears’ Femme Fatale album drops today. Watch the trailer for the upcoming MTV special “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale” Tuesday night at 7:58 p.m. Related Artists Britney Spears
All-star lineup of Erick Morillo, Wolfgang Gartner, Laidback Luke, will.i.am, Diddy, Chemical Brothers and many more close out three-day bash. By Akshay Bhansali David Guetta and Flo Rida perform at Ultra Music Fest Photo: MTV News MIAMI — On its third and final day, the Ultra Music Festival delivered a blazing one-two punch of trance and house star power for the 50,000 fans in attendance on closing day of the annual get-together held at Bicentennial Park. The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am joined an impressive roster of house-music performers that included Laidback Luke, Steve Aoki, Erick Morillo, Robbie Rivera , Wolfgang Gartner and David Guetta. Dutch trance music star Armin van Buuren celebrated the 500th broadcast of his A State of Trance show, this time dubbed ASOT 500, in honor of the milestone. The show filled in the slot normally taken by Carl Cox’s stage on Friday and Saturday, and van Buuren brought some well-known trance-DJ friends like Cosmic Gate, Gareth Emery, Ferry Corsten, ATB and the night’s closer, Sander Van Doorn, all of whom helped to pack a few thousand fans into the tent, chest to back, to capacity. Just before 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, AVB joined friend/countryman/collaborator Corsten onstage. But a hug and a few jokes later and it was van Buuren’s turn to steer the ASOT 500 ship, and he throttled into his set. Van Buuren also held down hosting duties throughout the night, revealing in an on air-interview with ATB the pair have collaborated on a track titled “Vice Versa.” On the main stage, Gartner didn’t just hit fans with hits like “Spacejunk,” “Illmerica,” and his deadmau5 collabo, “Animal Rights.” He also tested out a few new songs, including still-unreleased gems “818,” and his next single, the electro-house banger “Forever,” which features vocals by will.i.am. Later, house legend Morillo blessed the crowd with three top-notch vocalists: Rachel Starr, former Pussycat Doll Jessica Sutta, and powerhouse singer Shawnee Taylor took turns joining him onstage. Fans sang along with Taylor as she belted the hits “Stronger” and “Live Your Life” among others. Finally, Diddy joined his buddy Morillo onstage, dropping his bars from Dirty South’s remix of Diddy-Dirty Money’s “Coming Home,” a Miami Music Week DJ-set staple. David Guetta was feeling particularly electro-clubby. He hammered fans with hair-raising renditions of his material, kicking things off with “Gettin’ Over You,” and then a baritone horn-driven thumper of a tune that some fans may have heard days before at Mansion. Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am joined Guetta onstage at various points of the night, adding vocals to Guetta’s remixes of BEP hits “The Time,” and “I Gotta Feeling.” But probably the more unexpected cameo was Flo Rida, who showed up with an entourage of Super Soaker-wielding friends and charged onto the stage for the Guetta/Flo hit “Club Can’t Handle Me.” Perhaps the most moving moment of the day came when rising star Afrojack joined Guetta and addressed the audience. “Miami, last year, I played here for the first time, through David,” Afrojack said. “I had a great time. David is all about the love. David, I love you. Miami, I love you. This guy is the f—ing sh–! So Miami, make some noise for David Guetta!” Needless to say, the crowd seemed to agree with the 22-year-old Dutch phenom. They returned his request with a roar. Did you attend Ultra Music Festival in Miami this year? Tell us about your experience in the comments below! Related Videos Pump Your Fist For Miami Music Week Related Photos Miami Music Week Related Artists David Guetta Flo Rida Armin Van Buuren
The rapper and the heiress also discuss astrology, animals and, of course, music in the April issue of the magazine. By James Montgomery Lil Wayne Photo: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images In the April issue of Interview magazine , Lil Wayne and Paris Hilton bond over their love of animals, music and Miami hotspots … and, of course, their time behind bars, too. In a cross-country phone call — Wayne was at home in Miami while Hilton was taking a break from shooting a reality series in Los Angeles — the pair discussed a variety of topics (Googling themselves, the paparazzi, astrology, etc.,), but really broke the ice when the conversation turned to their respective jail sentences. Wayne did eight months at New York’s Rikers Island after a gun-possession arrest, while Hilton famously served 23 days in 2007 following a parole violation. “For me, it was OK, because it just meant that I was alone in my thoughts,” Wayne said when asked about the portion of his sentence he served in solitary confinement, after being caught with an MP3 player. “There were times when it was pretty tough to be by yourself, and to have no television, no nothing. That was kind of tough.” “I had to do 24 nights in solitary,” Hilton added [during her sentence, she was held in a separate cell as a safety precaution]. “Oh, so you know how it is?” Wayne responded. “Yeah, I know how it is,” Hilton said. The discussion then turned to being released from prison — an experience Wayne said “words cannot explain,” and one Hilton called “the best feeling in the world” — and how that newfound freedom affects the individual. “You’re definitely more in tune to what you’re doing. You’re definitely more humble,” Wayne explained. “I think that most people who come out of that situation just want to make the most of life afterwards. Honestly, it was just one big humbling experience.” And in keeping with that life-affirming sentiment — following some in-depth talk about travel and zodiac signs and Weezy’s pet sharks — both Wayne and Hilton discussed what’s next for them: Hilton said she’d “really love” to finish her long-in-the-works second album, while Wayne … well, he has more tangible goals. “I want to bank a cool $50 million at least,” he said. “At the end of the year, I want to be able to say that I banked $50 million. Not generated $50 million, but actually banked $50 million.” Related Photos Lil Wayne Heads To Rikers Island Moments In Paris Hilton’s Legal Life Related Artists Lil Wayne Paris Hilton
After viewing the fight videos of Teen Mom Janelle and the fist figh t on the subway, I am left with a question. Do we instantly go from zero to revenge and avenge in thirty seconds? Revenge does not serve any proper survival role. The original harm is already done. Revenge will not undo it Revenge and Anger is not a place to handle everything. If you act unloving towards others, you are drained of love yourself. Try this. The next time you feel crossed or taken advantage of by someone, instead of seeking revenge, or even entertaining fantasies of retribution, do the following: 1- Pause and do nothing at all about it until you feel some distance from the incident — at least 5 minutes, maybe much longer. 2- Say the following simple prayer or another of your choosing with the same message: Lord, let me be an example of your love and your light, that others might see you through me. I pray that you heal any brokenness in ________ that led them to act in the way they did, and that you remove from me any desire for revenge. Your Will, not mine be done. Amen. 3- Remain in prayer or meditation for a few minutes and notice any thoughts that arise — justification, compassion, anger, love. 4- For a while after the incident (hours or days), look for opportunities to bring peace and harmony to that situation or others in your life, to restore the flow of God’s Love in you So then, why do people want revenge? As best I can tell, revenge is an attempt to fix the fact that the material world is sometimes unfair. People feel wronged by someone and see them seem to get away with it, and they want to bring what they think is God’s vengeance down on the person in order to restore balance. Jesus is saying, render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s. Leave to human courts that which is material. Let an attacker have their little victory. Let it go. Return to Love. Because if you get yourself caught up in being hateful towards another person, no matter how seemingly justified you may be, you are shutting yourself off from God. And that’s hell. Clearly, revenge is harmful. As a society, we would want to discourage it anyway. It can escalate into all sorts of trouble. Wars even. And as children of God, we are called to something much higher. Call it bad karma or call it the hell on earth of being separated from God, but the way it works is that if you act unloving towards others, you are drained of love yourself.. Do you have an experience with the harmful effects of revenge, to others or to yourself? Have you experienced the freedom of letting go of a desire for revenge? Share your experiences here. Related Stories Do You Really Understand Forgiveness? Is Murder Still Murder? [Opinion] 10 Steps To Prevent Sex Abuse In Churches Iyanla Vanzant: “Duck Behind God, When The Crazy Starts Flying”
Philadelphia rapper Freeway is not only a dope emcee, but he’s also a devout Muslim. The former Roc-A-Fella rapper manages to balance his career as a rapper with his faith. “My faith means everything to me. It’s the thing that keeps me going everyday. It’s my core it’s my soul,” Freeway tells CNN in an interview. Freeway also discusses being able to stay credible in hip-hop while not going against his religion. RELATED: Shyne Observes Rosh Hashanah In Jerusalem [VIDEO] RELATED: VIDEO: Freeway & Jake One, “She Makes Me Feel Alright”