GABRIELLE UNION SHOCKED BY SASHA FIERCE December 8, 2008

 

“I’ve known her since she was a teenager!” actress Gabrielle Union tells People.com of her close friend Beyonce. But the singer’s on-stage persona, dubbed “Sasha Fierce,” has remained a virtual stranger to the actress.       

       “Beyoncé is quiet and reserved, very Southern, sweet and polite,” Union told People at Ideal Bite’s “Best in Green” Awards on Thursday. “If someone told me that girl was gonna go on stage and do the kind of performances that she does, and be so fiery, and this quintessential and iconic entertainer, I’d be [in disbelief], like, ‘Yeah, okay!’ “       

       Beyonce, whose dual personality is expressed in her new album “I Am…Sasha Fierce,” stars with Union in the upcoming “Cadillac Records.”       

       “It’s been nice to see that her music and her lifestyle choices and her acting choices have all evolved as she’s gotten older,” says Union, adding that Beyonce’s marriage to Jay-Z has not changed the entertainer one bit.      

       “They were good to each other before, they’re good to each other now,” Union noted. “They seem very happy when they’re around. As long as there’s more smiles than frowns, I suppose that’s the key.”       

Beyonce & Jay-Z

       Beyonce, meanwhile, tells Elle magazine that at times her marriage with Jay-Z can be a “power struggle,” because both superstars have their own careers and millions of dollars.       

       “If I didn’t respect someone and they didn’t have that strength, then I would be bored,” the 27-year-old tells Elle in its December issue. “I wouldn’t be attracted to them.”      

       As for starting a family with Jay-Z, 39, Knowles said: “I’m terrified of having a child. No way! I’m terrified of delivering a child because I saw my nephew being born. That traumatized me. I’m only 27. I’ve got time.” Read more about Beyonce in Elle, here.

KANYE-PRODUCED JAY-Z SONG IN ‘NOTORIOUS’ December 3, 2008

 

Jay-Z’s new track “Brooklyn (We Go Hard),” produced by Kanye West and featuring Santogold, will be the first single off the soundtrack to “Notorious,” the forthcoming biopic of late rapper Notorious B.I.G.

 

      “Brooklyn, we go hard, we go hard,” Santo’s voice loops throughout the song, which leaked online Monday. “Cross that bridge face the consequence,” she also raps in a verse. [Scroll down to listen.] 

 

       “If a man tests my Stuy, I guarantee he won’t like my reply,” Jay cautions. “I’m a Brooklyn boy, I may take some getting used to.”

 

       The “Notorious” soundtrack will be released by Biggie’s former recording home, Bad Boy. Most of the performers and producers are still being confirmed.

 

      MTV.com is hearing talk of Biggie’s son, Christopher “CJ” Wallace Jr., recording a remake of his father’s classic “One More Chance.” According to the Web site, “The capacity of CJ’s participation is still unconfirmed by the label, but a source close to the Wallace family has told us he will be rapping with his dad. The young Wallace actually plays his father for a short while in the Biggie film.”

 

       The “Notorious” soundtrack is due in stores Jan. 13. The movie is slated for release Jan. 16 through Fox Searchlight Pictures.       

 

       Meanwhile, nine vintage Jay-Z videos went up Tuesday for mobile download on Thumbplay.com. The clips include “Blue Magic,” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” “Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up),” “Excuse Me Miss,” “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me),” “I Know,” “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” “Money, Cash, H**s” and “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is).”

 

“Brooklyn (We Go Hard)” – Jay-Z feat. Santogold (produced by Kanye West)

BEYONCE’ COVER GIANT MAGAZINE December 2, 2008

Sasha works the sex kitten stance on the December 2008/January 2009 cover of Giant Magazine and your girl was spotted at the NYC Premiere of Cadillac Records with Jay-Z  last night. 

‘BEYJAY’ IS FORBES’ RICHEST COUPLE November 25, 2008

 

The collective bank account of Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce Knowles is bigger than any other celebrity couple in the entertainment industry, according to Forbes magazine’s new list of Hollywood’s 20 Top-Earning Couples.

 

       “BeyonJay” earned a total of $162 million between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008, which puts them on a perch overlooking second-place finishers Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, who pulled $85 million in the same time frame.       

       David Beckham and his wife Victoria come in third with $58 million, followed by country music couple, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill with $35 million, and non-married couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, banking $34 million together.

DAMON DASH ALLEGES JAY-Z/KANYE FEUD November 19, 2008

 

Kanye West’s camp is denying claims made by Damon Dash in December’s Complex magazine suggesting that Jay-Z’s refusal to give his Roc-A-Fella chain to West at a 2003 concert sparked a longstanding beef between the two rappers.

 

       Dash tells Complex that in 2003, the then-up-and-coming West expected ruling Roc-A-Fella artist Jay to “knight” him by presenting him with the diamond chain as a sign of acceptance into the label’s family. But, according to Dash, Jay didn’t want to give it up.       

       “This ni**a [Kanye] was like, ‘Wow. [Jay-Z] ain’t going to give me the chain,’” Dash tells Complex. “I had to take off my chain and give it to him, and I was heated. I had the real canary diamonds. That sh** cost $40,000! I told Kanye, ‘Yo, you got to give that back when we get off this stage!’”       

       Dash contends that after Jay-Z violated the code of hip-hop chivalry, “Kanye hated Jay-Z.” But a rep for West told the New York Daily News that the whole story is “ridiculous and totally false.”       

       “This is sad,” the paper quotes of the source. “Damon does this every time he’s promoting an artist. He just makes things up. They’re both on [Def Jam],” the source continues. “They’re friends and always have been.”       

       The paper quotes another “hip-hop insider” who adds: “No one has ever said that Kanye hated Jay. [West, Jay-Z and Dash] were all together at one point every single day. To say he hated him back then is silly.”      

       “Damon wants to blow [Jim Jones] up,” the source agreed, noting that Dash is producing a documentary about Jones in which Dash introduces the rapper to influential acquaintances, like Vogue editor Anna Wintour. “We’ll see how this plays out.”

 

       The full interview with Dash and Jones is available at Complex.com.

JAY-Z LEAKS ‘BLUEPRINT 3′ TRACK TO SALUTE OBAMA November 12, 2008

 

In honor of President Elect Barack Obama, Jay-Z has leaked a track called “History” from his upcoming album “The Blueprint 3,” reports music Web site NME.

 

       Produced by Kanye West, the synth-driven song popped up online in the wake of Tuesday’s historic election of the first African American president.

 

       It features singer Tony Williams singing and Jay-Z rapping: “Where are you victory? I need you desperately/Not just for the moment, to make history,” before celebrating in the final verse that “Long after I’m gone, long after I breathe/I leave all I am in the hands of history.”       

       Click here to listen to “We Made History”:http://www.zshare.net/audio/511249566c9f0551/  

BEYONCE ‘AMAZED’ AT OFFERS FOR WEDDING PICS November 12, 2008

 

Beyonce says she was offered a ton of money by magazines looking for exclusive rights to photos from her not-so-secret April wedding in New York City.

      “Now, they offer crazy money that’s just ridiculous,” she said in an interview with the Associated Press. “But in the end…it’s so not worth it. If anything, if you wanna put something out, then put it out, not for (money).”

 

       The singer and rap star Jay-Z exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony that they refused to admit publically for months afterward.

 

       “We worked really hard at keeping it private,” she said. “I’ve always been this way, and he’s always been this way, so that’s why we complement each other. We always knew that it would be private and quiet, for all the right reasons.”      

       Beyonce’s new album, “I Am … Sasha Fierce,” is due Tuesday (Nov. 18). All 16 tracks from the double album are streaming right now on the singer’s official MySpace page.

 

       “I am happy that my fans will get to listen to my new album first at MySpace,” Beyoncé says in a statement. “I have put my heart and soul into ‘I Am … Sasha Fierce’ and cannot wait to hear the feedback from the fans.”      

       In other Beyonce news, the artist has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Jay-Z’s booking to play the annual U.K. music festival Glastonbury. The traditional rock event was criticized for featuring a rap act as a headliner, but the hip hop star silenced critics by performing a rousing, crowd-pleasing set. Beyonce watched the performance from backstage and was stunned by the atmosphere.       

       “I was there to experience the energy, it was like something I have never experienced before, she tells Britain’s Sky News.”I thought it was brilliant. Jay had all the controversy – but he came out and he did good.”      

       When asked whether she would consider performing at the festival, Knowles adds, “It would be really amazing… I would love to do it.”

Clinton clone; Usher’s organic rush; Nelly’s Ford Flex; Joe the Plumber at 40/40; Obama’s “Huxtable Factor”; Collier shooting suspect November 11, 2008

 

Funkmeister George Clinton tells Details magazine that he’s storing his DNA so he can be cloned one day. The eccentric musician says cloning has actually been going on for thousands of years. “Cloning – we got generations of that s***,” Clinton said. “The pyramids? They was for cloning. That’s why embalming lasts so long. Get the DNA and pull ‘em back. So somebody been cloned already, but not me. Not yet.”

 

       *One shopper in the organic fruit section of Whole Foods at New York’s Time Warner Center ran to the New York Daily News to report that Usher was given special treatment and “cut [in front of] about 15 people waiting in the checkout line.” The witness continued: “He was whisked to the front to pay in a ’special’ line. Everyone was grumbling as he was escorted past.”       

       *The Daily News is also reporting that Ford gave rap star Nelly a custom-made Flex vehicle at his birthday bash in Vegas. “He then headed to dinner at Lavo at the Palazzo, where the Grammy winner blew out 34 candles on a cake in the shape of his new ride,” according to the paper.

 

       *TMZ is reporting that Republican mascot Joe the Plumber ended up at Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club over the weekend and was greeted by staffers with “open arms and drinks on the house.” The rap mogul famously supported Barack Obama, whose tax policy was questioned by Joe during a campaign stop in Toledo.  He was quickly adopted by the GOP as a middle class symbol after Obama said his tax plan sought to “spread the wealth around.” Born Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, Joe also dropped by the Navy’s USS Intrepid and Coyote Ugly during his NY trip.

 

       *Los Angeles Times columnist Greg Braxton spoke to Bill Cosby about the ‘Huxtable factor” in the election of Barack Obama. “For all those people who said they didn’t know any black people like the Huxtables,” quipped Cosby in a phone interview, “all I can say is, ‘Will you watch the show now?’” Read entire article here.

 

       *A man charged in the shooting of Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Richard Collier has pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. Tyrone Romaro Hartsfield stood silently as public defender Ann Finnell pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, reports the AP. The 32-year-old Hartsfield is charged with shooting Collier 14 times on Sept. 2. Collier is paralyzed from the waist down and his left leg had to be amputated as a result of the shooting. Hartsfield is being held without bond. A judge set another hearing for Dec. 1.

JAY-Z’S ROCAWEAR ENDURES BAD ECONOMY November 5, 2008

 

Jay-Z’s Rocawear fashion line has managed to stay above water and earn money for its parent company Iconix Brand Group despite a dramatic downturn in the U.S. economy.

 

       Iconix, which bought Rocawear from Jay-Z in 2007 for $204 million, banked more than $18.3 million for the third quarter of 2008, reports Allhiphop.com.       

       According to Iconix CEO Neil Cole, Jay-Z’s direct involvement with Rocawear helped boost the company’s earnings, as did growing sales from the company’s London Fog brand of clothing, the Web site reported.  According to Cole, the two brands were the “two biggest standouts in the quarter.”       

       Rocawear also recently debuted its first fragrance, 9IX Rocawear.

JAY-Z LINE ‘I WILL NOT LOSE’ IN LAWSUIT September 29, 2008

A copyright infringement lawsuit was filed against Jay-Z and the owner of his Rocawear clothing line by a company who claims they took its trademarked name, “I Will Not Lose.”

 

       In March 2007, Iconix Brand Group bought the rights to Jay-Z’s Rocawear for $204 million. However, the rapper was named in the suit because of the plaintiff’s belief that he still oversees the line’s product development, licensing, and marketing.      

       Last year, Rocawear launched an international “I Will Not Lose Campaign,” where celebs gave accounts of how they overcame personal challenges before reciting the “I Will Not Lose” phrase from Jay-Z’s 2001 hit single “Change the Game.”        

       Reggie Tucker, CEO of I Will Not Lose, LLC, claims that his company trademarked the phrase first and was subsequently ignored throughout 2007 after attempts were made to settle the matter out of court, reports Allhiphop.com.

 

      The company’s Sept. 18 filing in Georgia Northern District Court seeks an undisclosed amount of damages for the dilution of their trademark.