Happy Birthday El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz! Thank you for teaching us to love ourselves. In honor of Malcolm X's birthday today check out this 1994 PBS documentary entitled "Malcolm X: Make It Plain"



via: http://www.jayforce.com/news/malcolm-x-make-it-plain-pbs-documentary

Wale is set to release his 3rd studio album titled, "The Gifted". The D.C. native gives an advance look of the album cover, which was designed by famed illustrator Cartoon



via: http://rashaentertainment.com/?p=52110-e

Shanell continues #ThowbackMusicThursdays with a cover of Color Me Badd's classic 90's hit, "I Wanna Sex You Up". Check back each Thursday as Shanell get's on her 90's shit!



via: http://rashaentertainment.com/?p=52003-e

Its OUR Girl. Our VERY Classy, BlackGirl. Miss Kerry Washington.

Beautiful, Lithe and caricature-shattering images of what it means to be a Black Woman. Most of us started taking notice of Kerry Washington when she appeared and the needy-sexy-vixen in Chris Rock's "I think I Love My Wife."

Kerry has come so far...and continues to take roles that do not portray women of color in stereotypical fashions!

Check out her latest cover!



According to Elle.com in her interview Kerry Washington gets Candid About,

"Her current success, growing up as a "kooky theater kid," and what it's really like to get red-carpet ready."

On her current success: "I'm the luckiest broad in Hollywood now. To be the lead actor on Scandal and to be in the highest-earning Tarantino movie- I don't get to ask for more."

This is Alex from Federal Jack and Hack Miami. You see, Alex was arrested by the Miami Police Department... who tampered with video evidence to pin false charges on him! In the above video, Alex breaks down how he was able to recover video footage that enabled him to be exonerated (a process he calls 'forensic recovery'). For a step-by-step process on how to recover deleted files from your camera and more on Alex see We Are Change on YouTube.



via: http://www.jayforce.com/videos/how-alex-recovered-video-footage-the-police-deleted-to-frame-him-video

This is an INCREDIBLE read! I am so glad I have a subscription to Businessweek. I admit though: I almost missed this article (shout out to JayForce for suggesting I take a second look at the issue for it).

READ THE FULL 'ROBBING BANKS FOR THE CIA' ARTICLE HERE.

'In a white-walled interrogation room in a small Virginia police station last June, two detectives were trying to get Herson Torres to crack. Surveillance video tied him to two attempted bank robberies in the area during the past week. The skinny 21-year-old didn't have a criminal record and seemed nervous, but he wasn't talking. The detectives showed him pictures of his brother and father. They told Torres he could be sent to prison for as many as 25 years.'

"If I tell you, you're not going to believe me," Torres said. He was crying as he told them an incredible story about being recruited by the Defense Intelligence Agency to participate in a secret operation testing the security of Washington-area banks.

The article goes on... The DIA/CIA 'contact' who ran the operation, recruited Torres and his cohorts, ultimately arranged for his legal defense and more would only identify himself as 'Theo.' Several in-the-know officials noted in the story - including a veteran cop with decades of experience, high-caliber attorneys-at-law with experience at the CIA, one a retired U.S. Marine said to have worked in intelligence - were admittedly suspicious of Theo but still 'felt' his story true enough to believe. Theo's op (that's short for 'operation') - eventually referenced as 'Operation Downstrike' - was substantiated by documents that appeared real enough; like the redacted (that's spy talk for 'mostly blacked out'... I LOVE THIS SH!T) one that appears above. 'The purpose of Operation Downstrike, he said, was to train Torres for clandestine work' (according to Theo) outside the U.S.

Now, before you holler 'bullsh!t' and declare how you would have never been sucked in by any of this... or how Downstrike was obviously never official... Get this:

'Brady [that's right, "Theo" was a cover name] could have faced up to five years in prison for forgery, but the government is recommending he be sentenced instead to three years of [of 'modified' punishment]. He may even get his seized computers and the encrypted Operation Downstrike documents back.'

THE GOVERNMENT IS GETTING THIS DUDE OUT - NO JAIL TIME!! Talk that talk now. Maaannn, go read the article. Please!

- @ojones1

There are certain magazines that if you grace the cover it is a big deal.  When it comes to Politics and News there is Time or Newsweek, in Fashion there is GQ, Vogue, or Esquire.  When you are talking Music there is The Source, Vibe, XXL and Rolling Stone.

April 26th the young, and talented Bruno Mars will grace the cover for the first time. He discusses his latest album "Unorthodox Jukebox" and his arena tour kicking off in June.

Read the Rolling Stone presser: CLICK HERE

via: http://www.hhadblog.com/2013/04/24/bruno-mars-cover-of-rolling-stone-magazine

50 Cent is playing a major role leading up to the draft. He filmed a commercial for the NFL, rapping to his new hit single "We Up." The G-Unit mogul will also team with up with The Heavy to perform their song "How You Like Me Now" during the opening segment of ESPN's draft coverage.

2013 NFL DRAFT ON ESPN - 50 CENT WE UP SUPERBUMP from Darryl Greene on Vimeo.

via: http://rashaentertainment.com/50-cent-to-be-featured-during-espns-2013-nfl-draft-coverage

Jay-Z makes the cover of Times Magazine's 'The 100 Most Influential People In The World' issue. The feature article is written by New York City Mayor Bloomberg. How many artist got the Mayor of the city writing cover stories on them? I'll Wait!

Jay Z embodies so much of what makes New York New York. A kid from a tough neighborhood who grows up in public housing, overcomes lots of bad influences on the street, never lets go of his dream, makes it to the top - and then keeps going, pursuing new outlets for his creativity and ambition. When no one would sign him to a record contract, he created his own label and built a music empire - before going on to design clothing lines, open sports bars and, most recently, represent professional athletes. He's an artist-entrepreneur who stands at the center of culture and commerce in 21st century America, and his influence stretches across races, religions and regions. He's never forgotten his roots - "Empire State of Mind" was a love song to our city - and as a co-owner of the NBA Nets, he helped bring a major league sports team back to Brooklyn, not far from his old neighborhood. In nearly everything he's tried, he's found success. (He even put a ring on Beyoncé.) And in doing so, he's proved that the American Dream is alive and well.

Ciara decides to ditch the title of her forthcoming album from One Woman Army to Ciara and here is the tracklisting.

1. I'm Out Ft. Nicki Minaj
2. Sophmore
3. Body Party
4. Keep On Lookin'
5. Read My Lips
6. Where You Go Ft. Future
7. Super Turnt Up
8. DUI
9. Livin' It Up
10. Overdose

via: http://rashaentertainment.com/ciara-release-album-cover-tracklisting

Kendrick Lamar and Miguel is having a stellar year coming off winning awards and accolades from peers and music critics. Vibe's "Big List" cover is a perfect fitting for the duo.

You're both carrying the torch as the leaders of the new generation. How do you define musical genius?

KENDRICK: Somebody that don't really have any boundaries, that's not confined to the traditional structure of a song or traditional sounds. When you listen to "Adorn," it feels like he's not even trying to structure a radio joint. He just felt the music, felt the instrumentation and wrote the track.
MIGUEL: Good looks, bro. My favorite artists always took whatever they loved out of music and made it their own. It was their take on it. Kendrick is one of those people where I can hear Ice Cube's first two albums' influence. I get the street edge, but then I hear like the poetic player, smoothness, creativity and smart street savvy of Andre on Aquemini. That juxtaposition is what I hear in Kendrick, but it's his own take. If you listen to my shit, you're gonna hear Prince, Marvin Gaye, Led Zeppelin or a little bit of the Beatles. That's where I'm pulling from.

Kobi Onyame quotes," My new album is almost ready and I can't wait for you all to hear it. Till then, here's the album artwork you'll need to look out for! It is designed by legendary Glaswegian graffiti artist Gaz Mac.

Join me en route to Greener Pastures...""



via: http://djblackgh.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/kobi-onyame-release-new-album-cover

I think we all know who Ray J is talking about...

Monster Energy Drink teams up with XXL Magazine to give us a first hand look behind the scene of their coveted Freshman 2013 cover shoot, interviews and a sneak peek at the cyphers with Logic, Dizzy...



via: http://rashaentertainment.com/xxls-2013-freshman-cover-shoot-bts-interview-cypher

If you think last year's XXL's Freshman Class cover had the industry in an uproar, then expect nothing less this year. Unfortunately, of all the female rappers in the game only one is...



via: http://rashaentertainment.com/2013-xxl-freshman-cover