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Anthony Mackie on Black Cinema: “Our Hustle Is Way Behind”

The Urban Daily — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:00:24 +0000

Anthony Mackie unintentionally created a lingering story when he shared his thoughts about the state of Black cinema. Mackie said that Blacks have not done enough to get their stories told. Speaking with NPR, the New Orleans-bred actor said his statement was “blown completely out of proportion,” but did acknowledge that it “was a bad choice of words by me.” He did, however, echo a similar sentiment, citing the late Don Cornelius, Bill Cosby, and Robert Townsend on using their own money to put their products out there.

He said: ”If you look at all of these people from the analogs of African-American history in entertainment, they gave us a blueprint on how to make money, and how to make it work. And I feel like, you know, you get out in the L.A. life. You’re laying in the sun. You’re being invited to parties. You’re having a good time. You have girlfriends, boyfriends. You have expensive cars. You forget the idea of hustle. And I think right now, our hustle game is way behind.”

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25 Arists That Need To Be Heard: Muhsinah [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:20:11 +0000

Muhsinah is smarter than you. Well, at least your favorite singer. The alumnus of Howard University had the beautiful audacity to name one of her recent projects Oscillations: Sine and Triangle.

Explore Our Nation’s Capital

“I was in recording school and I wanted to be an engineer,” she says with a smile. “I was learning the inner workings of audio. ‘Oscillation’ is just another word for wave. There’s different kinds of waves; sine waves, triangle waves, sawtooth waves…I am a nerd to the core. I didn’t want to be a singer, I was just recording myself to learn the Pro Tools program, but the songs got really good.”

The D.C. native went on to record with The Foreign Exchange (“Daykeeper,” “House of Cards”) and Common (“Changes”), and has recently released a new double EP, the more modestly titled Gone.

In this exclusive to TheUrbandaily she talks about the “urban/suburban” mix of her music and what it was like opening for Jennifer Hudson in Aruba last summer.

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FACT OF THE DAY: Nas Was Born In Brooklyn

The Urban Daily — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:08:14 +0000

When you think about MCs from Queens,NY one of the first names that comes to mind is Nasir Jones. His style and lyrics were cultivated in the famous Queens Bridge Housing projects and for years he as served as a proud ambassador of the Q-Boro. Nas even returned to his old stomping grounds to record is latest video, “Nasty.” However, Nas wasn’t actually born in Queens.

Take A Tour Of Nas’ Birthplace

The prolific Virgo was born in Brooklyn Jewish Hospital on September 14, 1973. According to his father, Olu Dara, a young Nas cut his musical chops on the streets of BK.

“I thought that he would become a great trumpeter because he was playing to audiences in the streets of Brooklyn when he was three or four,” he told The Source magazine in an August 2004 cover story. “He used to draw a lot of crowds [on Eastern Parkway]. It was fascinating to me. But his lip was becoming distorted so I made him quit. I remember him being very disappointed when I told him to stop playing.”

Needless to say Nas has done ok without the trumpet. But maybe it’s something he’ll pass it down to his son, Knight.

More Black History Month content…

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Pop Culture Moment #2: Tony Dungy Wins Super Bowl With Colts

The Urban Daily — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:28:38 +0000

In a game where superstars of each generation set and break new records every year, it gets pretty tough to be the first to do anything, but not impossible. After all, black athletes may dominate the field but the coaching staffs (and the owner’s boxes) of the NFL have always been pretty slim on African American representatives. So when the Indianapolis Colts met up with the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI, the NFL had the chance to fill in a few gaps and did so with style.

FACT: Dungy is the only NFL player since the AFL-NFL merger to intercept a pass and throw an interception in the same game

While the fantasy leaguers were harping over Peyton Manning VS Rex Grossman or that the Colts hadn’t seen the Super Bowl in thirty-six years (damn!) The fact that Colts coach Tony Dungy and Bears coach Lovie Smith became the first two African-Americans to coach in the Super Bowl kinda went under the radar. But when the final whistle sounded, the Colts were now the champions, Manning was now the MVP and a former un-drafted defensive back named Tony Dungy was now the first ever African-American coach to win a Super Bowl.

And even though the NFL has a lot of ground to cover as far as adding a bit more brown to the owners boxes, we’ve got to tip our hat to Tony for still finding and conquering another first.

Madonna Ft. Nicki Minaj & M.I.A “Give Me All Your Luvin” [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:37:29 +0000

Nicki Minaj adds just the right sugar and spice to Madonna’s “Give Me All Your Luvin.” Nicki, M.I.A and Madonna will be performing the catchy tune at this year’s Superbowl half-time show!

Watch Nicki throw up her pom poms!

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Rihanna Goes Blonde!

The Urban Daily — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:33:13 +0000

Despite limited vocal ability, Rihanna has remained popular by reinventing her look. When she broke on the scene in 2005, she was rocking an island swag. Seven years later, she has taken to wearing blonde wigs. Rihanna posted pictures of her in the wig on Twitter and the virtual opinions were split. Some loved the look and others hated it, but you know the “You Da One” singer doesn’t care either way.

What are your thoughts on Rihanna’s new look?

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John Legend Thinks Tebow Is “Extra-Ordinary” [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:35:42 +0000

Besides bring a Grammy winning R&B superstar, John Legend is a huge sports fan. He made an appearance on First Take where he sang a parody of his signature ballad, “Ordinary People.” Legend changed the lyrics to reference Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith’s constant debates about Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. John Legend basically said everything sports fans were thinking. Yes, Tebow’s wins come out of nowhere, but we don’t want to hear about that on every show. There are other players, like the ones who made it to the Super Bowl.

Check the performance out. Was it funny or just plain bad? Sound off in the comments.

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Ja Rule “Fantasy” [NEW VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:49:55 +0000

Ja Rule is currently serving a two year sentence for tax evasion but that hasn’t hindered him from creating music. The “Between Me and You” rapper released a new video off his Pain Is Love 2 album for his single “Fantasy.”

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[songz playlist=hip-hop-behind-bars-JerryBarrow]

?uestlove Carries Every Soul Train Episode Everywhere He Goes

The Urban Daily — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:26:25 +0000

If you’ve ever heard of The Roots, you know their drummer, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, is a huge Soul Train fanatic. Questlove went on Okay Player and remembered his first non-musical or blood related hero, Don Cornelius. In the piece, ?uestlove says, his bag of hard drives of Soul Train episodes have caused trouble for him flying. He was clearly emotional when penning it. He wrote:

you people will have to forgive me…im just kinda writing from the heart….sporadic thoughts tears and snot are spilling out and whatnot. im certain dream and toure and nelson will do his legacy justice in print….i just felt the need to write something.

Check out the whole blog and pics here.

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Cymphonique Miller Honors Rosa Parks For Black History Month [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:55:21 +0000

Black History Month is in full effect. Nickelodeon is participating by having stars of their shows recite poetry for influential figures in the Civil Rights Movement. How To Rock star and daughter of Master P, Cymphonique Miller honored Rosa Parks in her video clip. Cymphonique reflects on Parks on how Parks’ refusal to give up her seat in the front of the bus future generations.

Check out the video below. Is this a fitting tribute for Rosa Parks from the kids channel?

Cymphonique Miller (How to Rock)–A Poem for Rosa Parks from Jessica Wilson on Vimeo.

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