You can own the Notorious B.I.G.’s old apartment if you want! And if you have more than $700K. Gentrification is no joke. The famous one-room shack he used to rap about is a recently-renovated “three-bed plus den / office condo” complete with a formal dining room no less. Notorious’ native Bed-Stuy ‘hood is not quite the area he once knew, with the Pratt Institute, BAM, the Brooklyn Flea and the Barclays Center nearby. If anything, given the area’s rapid real estate boom, it’s surprising the $725K list price isn’t higher still. Many condos there fetch seven figures easily. Where Brooklyn at? The center of hip these days .
T’yanna Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G.’s first born and daughter, got a new lip tattoo honoring her father. Whether the late, great rapper would appreciate her homage is up for debate, though… Continue
The Notorious B.I.G. (real name Christopher Wallace) sustained four gunshot wounds the night he was murdered in L.A. back in 1997, according to a just-released autopsy report. Wallace, who was listed at 6’1″ and 395 lbs., was struck a total of four times in a drive-by shooting by a still-unknown assailant on Los Angeles’ Wilshire Blvd. He was only 24. As he sat in the passenger seat of a Chevy Suburban, Biggie was ambushed by bullets from the car alongside him. The first three, it turns out, were not fatal: Struck Wallace in the left forearm and traveled down to his wrist. Struck Wallace in the back, missed all vital organs, and exited through his left shoulder. Struck Wallace on his outer left thigh and exited through his inner left thigh. After the third bullet exited the thigh, the autopsy report states that “the projectile strikes the left side of the scrotum, causing a very shallow, 3/8 inch linear laceration.” The fatal bullet the fourth and final gunshot. That entered Wallace’s body through his right hip and tore its way through several of his vital organs before finally coming to rest in his left shoulder area. The bullet perforated Wallace’s colon, liver, heart and left lung. Immediately after the shooting, the Notorious B.I.G. was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where doctors performed an emergency thoracotomy to no avail. Wallace was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. All four gunshots traveled through the Suburban passenger door before striking Wallace; two were found on the gurney that transported him to the hospital. Another bullet was discovered at the hospital when the body of the deceased rapper was turned over after doctors had tried and failed to save him. The coroner listed Wallace as “morbidly obese.” A toxicology test revealed Wallace had no traces of drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of his death; Wallace’s body was later ID’d by his mother and wife. The autopsy report also lists one interesting, handwritten note under the section “Other Pertinent Information”, reading: “Decedent may be rap singer.”
Tara Reid made a surprise visit to a festival and exposed her panties to the audience after falling down. Don’t miss this notorious party girl celeb Tara Reid falling down drunk and flashing her panties. Continue reading →
Returning to Chicago for treatment on his vocal cords, Write Me Back singer cancels New York appearances, a rep tells MTV News. By Rob Markman R. Kelly Photo: R. Kelly ‘s voice defined a generation, but now the iconic singer’s vocal chords are a source of concern for him and his team. One of Kelly’s reps told MTV News that the singer — who released his 11th studio album, Write Me Back , on Tuesday — was on his way into New York City for a series of press obligations and appearances when he began to experience some discomfort. With Kellz and his team about three hours from the Big Apple, the bus turned around to head back to Kelly’s hometown of Chicago, where he will see a specialist. TMZ reported that the singer’s discomfort stems from his emergency surgery in July 2011, where doctors had to drain an abscess on one of his tonsils. According to the site, Kelly had to cancel scheduled appearances on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” and NBC’s “Today” show and a book-launch party. The Pied Piper of R&B’s reps tell TMZ they are unsure how long he will be sidelined. Kelly was busy promoting his upcoming book, “Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me.” On Tuesday, Rolling Stone ran an excerpt from the book in which the Grammy Award-winning singer expresses his admiration for the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. He reveals that he and ‘Pac discussed the possibility of doing a Best of Both Worlds about six years before Kelly and Jay-Z released their collaborative work. Unfortunately, Tupac’s tragic murder put an end to that idea. Kellz did have the chance to work with the Notorious B.I.G., however. Together, they recorded a few songs, including 1995’s “(You to Be) Be Happy” and 1997’s “F— You Tonight.” Still, Biggie left his biggest impression when Kelly auditioned the legendary rapper for an unfinished version of “I Believe I Can Fly.” “I’m gonna tell you right now, B, that’s a smash. That’s a big hit right there. That’s a Grammy winner, Rob,” Kelly recalls a tearful Biggie saying. “They gonna be playing that when you and I have moved onto the other side of time.” Share your get-well message for R. Kelly in the comments below. Related Artists R. Kelly
‘The only way that we can respond is make great records,’ Dream tells MTV News of Pusha/ Lil Wayne beef. By Rob Markman, with reporting by James Lacsina The-Dream Photo: The-Dream just wants to kill the competition — with his success. When asked if Team Pusha T would indulge in a rap beef and aim a dis record at Lil Wayne, he downplayed the importance of a response record and stressed the need for a good record. “The only way that we can respond is make great records, and nobody is gonna beat me at that,” The-Dream told MTV News when we caught up with him in Hollywood last week. The-Dream helped Pusha put together his latest single “Exodus 23:1,” the Notorious B.I.G.-inspired track that many believe is aimed at Lil Wayne. Weezy himself took offense and on May 25, just days after Push’s track hit the Net, released “Ghoulish” in response. “F— Pusha T and everybody that love ’em,” Tunechi rapped at the top of the Swizz Beatz-produced record. The-Dream, who has been working with Pusha on his upcoming solo album, said that “Exodus 23:1” wasn’t meant to be a YMCMB dis. “I had actually no idea that anybody would jump out the window [thinking] that personally … it was about them,” he said. “It kinda took me and the clique by surprise.” On the track, the Clipse rapper spits, “You signed to one n—a, that’s signed to another n—a, that’s signed to three n—as — now that’s bad luck.” Many fans thought those lyrics were targeted at Wayne, Drake and their YMCMB squad. Not the case, The-Dream said. The singer/songwriter told us he isn’t down with subliminal disses, remembering a lesson that his grandfather once taught him: ” ‘If you’re talking to somebody, you speak to them or you just walk up to them and slap them.’ I think beef is so ’96. It’s like, what’s the point? “I don’t think anybody is actually that good enough to direct anything at anyone,” he continued. “You can’t take that much time, there’s too much money in the words that either one of us have — me or Pusha — to direct directly at anyone.” Related Artists The-Dream Pusha T
Pittsburgh rapper performs ‘On a Roll’ from his new Pharrell collaboration EP during final night of the Tennessee music festival. By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Rya Backer Mac Miller performs at Bonnaroo on Sunday Photo: Erika Goldring/WireImage Mac Miller hit Manchester, Tennessee, on Sunday for the final round of performances at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival , treating fans to a few of his biggest mixtape hits and giving the first U.S. performance of his Pharrell collaboration “On A Roll.” The Pittsburgh rapper tackled hits like “Donald Trump” and a slew of new material from his Macadelic mixtape , including the Cam’ron-featured “Ignorant” and “Angels.” Mac also decided that Bonnaroo was the perfect place to give the first live performance of his brand-new single “On a Roll,” the first track released from Pink Slime, his collaboration EP with Pharrell. And, being that it was a music festival, Mac kept energy levels up within the vast crowd by mixing things up and paying tribute to a few legendary musicians. He hosted a sing-a-long to Bob Marley and covered Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” in addition to dropping a couple tracks from Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. into his set. Before his set, Mac played a little coy about his performance backstage, telling MTV News he’d just be happy if the crowd knew his songs. “I picture that I’m gonna go out there and no one’s gonna know who I am, so that probably will suck,” he said. “But if people do know who I am, that will be tight.” How many surprises did he have planned for the set? “Zero,” he joked. “I couldn’t bring my video screen, I don’t think, but I think [maybe] I could’ve because Skrillex brought his spaceship,” he wondered out loud. “So I could’ve definitely brought my video screens, but we’re just gonna do a cool show and it’s just about trying to turn tens of thousands of people into an intimate crowd.” Related Videos Bonnaroo 2012 Gets The Party Started Related Photos 2012 Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival Related Artists Mac Miller
‘I think music always has the power to change, heal, bring understanding and bring people together,’ Cube tells MTV News. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Tamara Palmer Ice Cube performs in Los Angeles on Saturday Photo: Kameron Zach/MTV News On April 29, 1992, Los Angeles erupted after a jury acquitted four LAPD officers accused of beating Rodney King. It was dubbed the L.A. riots, as thousands of people took to the streets in protest. There was looting, arson and widespread violence. The indelible imagery has lived on through archived footage, art and, of course, music. Albums like Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Ice Cube ‘s The Predator were strongly influenced by the racial tension and social powder-keg conditions that preceded the riots and the aggressions and flared tempers in the aftermath. In many ways, West Coast hip-hop music in the early 1990s helped those outside of L.A. gain perspective on the ongoing power struggle between the black youth and the LAPD officers who police the inner-city neighborhoods. “People have music in their heart. Music ain’t about the charts; it’s about how you feel about a certain song,” Ice Cube told MTV news on Saturday night after KDAY’s annual Krush Groove concert . “I know people who have music, and music changed their life just by hearing a song. It could be an old song, it could be a song that people thought were thrown away and you could hear it and it could inspire you.” Cube dropped The Predator in November 1992, several months after the L.A. riots. On “We Had to Tear This Mother—-a Up,” Cube expertly painted a lyrical picture of the six-day upheaval. “Not guilty, the filthy devils tried to kill me/ When the news get to the ‘hood then n—as will be/ Hotter than cayenne pepper, cuss, bust/ Kickin’ up dust is a must,” he rapped to open the now-classic track. The former N.W.A star didn’t start there. On “Who Got the Camera?,” Cube directly addressed the Rodney King beating, which was famously videotaped. In the song’s lyrics, Cube tells a story about being pulled over and assaulted by police. “Started they investigation/ No driver’s license, no registration/ When I stepped out the car they slammed me/ Goddamn, y’all, who got the camera,” he rapped. For those who didn’t witness the L.A. riots first-hand, Cube’s music helped illustrate some of the issues and frustrations that led to the chaos. Cube believes music is a tool that can bring about change, just as it was 20 years ago when he dropped The Predator. “I think music always has the power to change, heal, bring understanding and bring people together,” he said. Related Artists Ice Cube
‘It’s basically a big party with no judgment,’ Roc Nation singer tells MTV News of the concept for her ‘How We Do’ video. By Rebecca Thomas Rita Ora Photo: MTV News The last time an R&B upstart sampled the Notorious B.I.G. on her debut single, it was the early aughts: Eminem was still cleaning out his closet and Pink and Christina Augilera were pop’s reigning bad girls. Amidst all that, Ashanti ‘s Biggie-sampling “Foolish” scaled the charts and spent 10 weeks at #1 on the way to becoming one of the decade’s most successful singles. Now, 10 years later, Rita Ora is dipping into Mr. Wallace’s vault for her first Stateside release. But whereas the onetime Murder Inc. princess made a breakup ballad for the ages, Ora’s debut single, “How We Do (Party)” — which gets musical inspiration from the late Big’s grimy “Party and Bullsh–” — is as bouncy as a box spring. When the newly minted Roc Nation signee visited the MTV newsroom earlier this month, we drilled her with questions about the tune and its equally effervescent video. “It’s basically a big party with no judgment,” Ora explained of how the visual matches the sentiment of the number, written by Kelly Sheehan and Bonnie McKee. “So there’s a whole bunch of people in there, from a guy who’s got knickers on and who’s colored in paint on his chest to an old man kind of shaking his hips around. … It’s definitely [about embracing] anyone who wants to come to a party,” she laughed. In the clip, the Kosovo-born, West London-raised beauty down a Basquiat-style crown as she presides over a colorful bash that alternates between a lush garden at twilight, a foil-wrapped bedroom and a white-cube space complete with guests using their torsos as paint brushes. ” ‘Cause when the sun sets, baby, on the avenue/ I get that drunk sex feeling, yeah when I’m with you,” she coos to the camera. The infectious tune dares you not to dance along, and last week at New York’s SOB’s, a room full of seen-it-all industry types gathered for a Roc Nation showcase fully rocked out. Ora, for her part, announced the next song in her set by throwing an oversize Coogi sweater (we think Big would have approved!) over her tank. With a red knit cap pulled down over platinum-blond curls, she called to mind a cross between mid-’90s-era Faith Evans (during her courtship with Mr. Wallace, of course) and Gwen Stefani, whom Ora cites as an influence. “I am a huge Notorious B.I.G. fan and I loved his Coogi sweaters and … I found one for 10 pounds actually in a village shop back home,” she told us of the Brooklyn icon’s signature cover-up. The connections to Biggie don’t end there, though. Ora is the latest on a growing roster of acts being groomed by Jay-Z, the Roc Nation mogul and Big’s old Bed-Stuy pal. Back in February, Shawn Carter himself accompanied his new artist, single in hand, to iHeartRadio’s Z100. The video went viral and the Jordan-wearing 21-year-old hasn’t looked back since. What do you think of Rita Ora? Tell us in the comments or on our Facebook page! Related Artists Rita Ora
