WILL.I.AM DEBUTS POLITICAL MUSIC VIDEO

Black Eyed Peas group leader Will.I.Am will be releasing a new music video today, but why an article about his new music video? Than answer is that the video will be a tribute to this historic presidential election. The theme behind the new video and song that is titled “It’s A New Day” will have testimonies from fellow celebrities, paying tribute to the people that made the historic election what it was. Also, this idea stems back to Will.I.Am’s confidence that Barack Obama would be the next president of the United States. Earlier this year, he came out with the song/video titled “Yes We Can” in which Will.I.Am went through his feelings about the presidential race and the importance of world issues. I just have to say that I am proud of all the celebrities in some way or another made an impact in voicing their opinions and getting others out to the polls on the historic day of Nov. 4th, 2008. The songs/videos on the election can be found at http://dipdive.com/.

LAST CHANCE FOR CHANGE RALLY

With the presidential election only a day away, hip-hop icons; Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Kevin Liles, and Russell Simmons will be campaigning in (Philadelphia, PA – Cincinnati, OH – Columbus, OH) today. They are going to be on N. Broad St., between Susquehanna Ave. and Dauphin St. today from 11:30am-12:30pm. Together, these hip-hop icons will be talking about the importance of this historical presidential election. They will also try to urge voters to cast their votes for Barack Obama. This is one last effort to bring change to our country. The real importance besides which candidate that you will vote for is the actual action of coming out to vote because everyone’s vote counts. I’m iterating the importance of this year’s presidential election because of the bad conditions our country is currently experiencing. So if you are in Philly, Cincinnati, or Columbus today try and come out to the Last Chance for Change Rallies and hear how these hip-hop icons feel about the election and urgency for change.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

MTV’S TRL GRAND FINALE DETAILS

The date is set. MTV’s TRL grand finale is set for Sunday, November 16th at 8pm. After 10 years and over 200 shows, the end is almost here. If you read my article about a month or two ago, you would have known the news about the finally, but at the time there was not a date set. Now that it is official, MTV wants to send TRL out with a bang so much that its final episode will air on a Sunday night, instead of a regular week day. So far they have booked 50 Cent, Beyonce, Fall Out Boy, and even the Backstreet Boys to perform at the event. Beyonce is actually set to lead the way for the celebration. To host the finally, MTV will have the current host, Damien Fahey, and the original host, Carson Daly. Besides the performances, there will be special guest appearances by; Diddy, Mariah Carey, Hilary Duff, Ludacris, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, and Korn’s Jonathan Davis. This will be a show of the ages, so do not miss out on this MTV historic event.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

BEYONCE A.K.A. SASHA FIERCE

Well Beyonce did not change her government name to Sasha Fierce, but she did change her stage name to it. This will officially be in place for her newest double album, I Am….Sasha Fierce, dropping November 18th. There were rumors about this happening and I guess its official now. The reasoning behind the name change is that Beyonce felt that when she is on stage that she become a whole other person….Sasha Fierce. Apparently, Sasha Fierce is a more fun, sensual, aggressive, outspoken, and glamorous individual. Two noticeable celebrities that have gone through name changes while at a peak of success in their careers are Prince and P Diddy. This subject is something that really came out of nowhere. Beyonce is enjoying a lot of success at this point of her career, but was changing her name a good or bad marketing strategy? It seems like a good one because she is at a high point of her career, but what will happen later on in the line? Let’s see how good of a strategy this is and if it will or will not pay off.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

POWERHOUSE 2008 RECAP

To be my first Powerhouse concert ever there is only one word to describe the feeling….amazing. Gillie Da Kid, Keyshia Cole, T-Pain, and Ne-Yo performed but one act stole the show. The headliner did his thing. Jay-Z actually came out and performed several tracks before T.I., but then brought him out with the track “Bring Em Out.” T.I. then ripped the stage and even brought out Ludacris as a special guest appearance. The crowd knew Jay-Z was going to come back out and with while T.I. was performing “Swagga Like Us.” After the song Jay-Z just had the whole Wachovia Center on lock as we performed hit after hit (performed about 20 songs). He also had DJ AM on the ones and two’s and brought out Memphis Bleek and Freeway during his performance. Jay also gave a shout out to our current President George Bush (was not a good one though). Both T.I. and Jay-Z also mentioned the importance of this year’s election. Overall the concert was amazing and I’m already
looking forward to next year’s PowerHouse.

By: Adrian Gonzalez

2008 BET HOP-HOP MUSIC AWARDS

Last night was the 2008 BET Hip-Hop Music Awards hosted by T-Pain, for all of you who were not watching the World Series. There were many hot performances, tributes, and awards that were showcased. There was a tribute to female emcees as Salt-N-Peppa, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, and Lady Rage came out and put on a performance to remember representing all the female mc’s. Besides this, there were also performances by; T.I., Ludacris, Swizz Beatz, Rakim, Nas. Rick Ross, Plies, Nelly, Young Jeezy, Common, N.E.R.D., ICE Cube, Soulja Boy, Bow Wow, T-Pain, and Lil Wayne. The big winner of the night was the one and only Lil Wayne who took home 6 BET awards \ including; CD of the Year, MVP of the Year, Lyricist of the Year, Ringtone of the Year, Track of the Year, and the People’s Choice Award. One memorable awards handed out was the “I Am Hip-Hop” Icon award presented to Russell Simmons. If you are not at Powerhouse tonight then check out the BET Awards tonight as there will be another airing of them at 8pm on BET.

By: Adrian Gonzalez