VOTE FOR MY VIDEO!!!!

HEY GUYS! I just discovered that "Supa-Woman" is posted on Spike.com and getting NO love...so let's change that:) Thanks guys!

VOTE HERE!!!

Diva Speak TV Ep: 7 is HERE!!!!

THE NEW EPISODE OF DIVA SPEAK TV IS HERE!!!!
SORRY FOR THE WAIT!!!
REMEMBER OUR NEW DAY IS WEDNESDAYS!!! TELL A FRIEND;) AND LEAVE COMMENTS!!!!!!!!

ALL MY NEW YORK FOLKS COME SUPPORT!!
THEY'RE SAYIN
NOONE WANTS TO SEE
A FEMALE EMCEE!!!
LET'S PROVE EM WRONG!!!!

The Bay loves HYPHY!!!

Doozie! DAMN THE MAN!!! SAVE THE EMPIRE!!!

The Demise of Hyphy
Thizzle, bling, and blunts may have helped bring down
the overhyped hyphy movement. But KMEL pulled the trigger.

By Eric K. Arnold

http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-02-20/news/the-demise-of-hyphy/full

After breaking through to mainstream pop-culture awareness in 2006, the Bay Area's youthful, party-oriented hyphy movement seemed poised to become the next big thing. Fueled by cannabis, thizz pills, and top-shelf tequila, hyphy's uptempo, feverish sound put a psychedelic tint on turf rap. "Go dumb" became the rallying cry for an attention-deficit culture that spread like wildfire, taking over clubs and commercial radio. As silly as it seemed to outsiders, hyphy created an economy whose main selling point was regional pride, built around stunna shades, Bay Area–themed T-shirts, rims, mixtapes, and Mac Dre bobblehead dolls. Despite its ghetto origins, hyphy had surprising suburban appeal. Rebellious, rambunctious, and not a little subversive, its infectious energy was a shot in the arm to a moribund rap industry.

The Bay Area's answer to Atlanta's crunk, hyphy validated the efforts of the independent-label-saturated local scene, which had long struggled to gain a national toehold. Media coverage extended to such nontraditional rap outlets as NPR, Newsweek, and The New York Times. Hyphy's potential seemed limitless; once it hit middle America, there was no telling what it might do.

Yet by last summer, it had all but disappeared from the music industry's collective radar screens.

Many factors may have contributed to hyphy's demise. Contractual snafus and bad business practices by some artists resulted in missed opportunities; major labels signed local artists, then delayed releasing their albums. National media made a big fuss over the controversial practice of "ghost-riding the whip" (putting a car in neutral and dancing on its hood or roof while the vehicle kept rolling). Additionally, hyphy was frequently linked to illegal sideshows, and there were reports of violence at concerts and clubs. Subsequently, overall sales figures never quite caught up with the hype.

Even so, the largest single factor in hyphy's decline may have been the withdrawal of support for local music by KMEL 106.1FM, the Bay Area's top urban radio station and a powerful industry tastemaker.

A year and a half ago, it wasn't uncommon to find at least four or five songs by locally based indie rap artists in rotation at the San Francisco–based station. These days, however, you won't find a current local rap release in KMEL's top 50, or its top 100 for that matter. In fact, the highest-ranking recent single by a Bay Area rap artist the week of February 4 was the Federation's "Happy I Met You," way back at number 187.

At present, KMEL is playing "a lot of Down South music ... anything but the Bay," according to Hannah Wagner, a publicist at SF indie digital music label INgrooves and a regular listener.

Author Jeff Chang, who has written extensively about commercial radio, feels the station has returned to standard programming: "You don't hear a lot of [new] music breaking. You didn't get a sense of excitement like you had a couple of years ago. It's gone back."

A closer look into the absence of hyphy from the airwaves found that while local artists bear a degree of responsibility for the decline of the homegrown art form, KMEL is far from blameless.

Specifically, the station

• yanked local rappers with buzzworthy records from rotation over petty personal beefs

• made it difficult, if not impossible, for artists not aligned with favored promoters to get access to station personnel

• ignored the advice of its own DJs on potential hit records by local artists

• put the kibosh on efforts to spread hyphy in other regions

• engaged in blatant favoritism toward certain artists, alongside other activities that contributed to the fragmentation of the local hip-hop community

• employed a two-tiered promotion system for major-label and independent acts

KMEL's provincial attitude toward local rap artists is perhaps best exemplified by the station's treatment of Mistah F.A.B., a charismatic Oaklander sometimes referred to as "hyphy's crown prince." According to F.A.B., a "personal situation" with current music director Big Von Johnson has existed for years. The rapper speculates that jealousy might be the cause: "Von wanted to be an artist." Still, "It's no bad blood, it's no hatred from me," he now emphasizes. (At press time, Johnson hadn't responded to several requests for an interview.)


SHOUT TO THE HOMIE D. LABRIE FOR SENDING THIS TO ME!

Dag Michael

(wow.)

Well Michael Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch is for sale. For REAL this time:

Jackson received word Monday from Financial Title Company, the trustee, that unless he pays off $24,525,906.61 by March 19th, a public auction will go forward in Santa Barbara, Calif., in front of the county courthouse.

It’s not just the house either. When Neverland is auctioned, it will include everything: all personal property inside, all fixtures and appliances, furniture, and “all merry go round type devices,” any rides, games. The auction literally includes every single thing that is or isn’t nailed down.

DAG!!! That sucks. It's been quite sad to see the downward spiral of Mike. So I've included a video to remind us all of his true greatness and talent:)

Diva Speak TV MOVING TO WEDNESDAY!

Just wanna give folks a heads up that New Episodes of DIVA SPEAK tv will now premier every WEDNESDAY as opposed to Tuesday. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR THE SUPPORT!!!! SPREAD THE WORD ON WHERE THE REAL SHIT'S AT!!!!!

FELLOW SUPA WOMAN!

Check out Estelle's new video for her record "American Boy" Featuring Kanyizzle:

WINE YA WAIS' AN' VOTE BARACK!!!

LARGE UP ALL CARIB MASSIVE!! BARACK IN '08!!! BULLET BULLET!!!

HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

This is just fuckin great...

Our Favorite Man of God

Pastor Manning of the ATLAH Ministries is at it again. This cat is bananas. Watch the entire video to get the full effect of the madness of this man.

Here's the DivaSpeak EP:2 where we blasted him:

We Have to Do Better Pt. 5

*sigh* I have no words for this foolery...

AMANDA DIVA LIVE!!!

COME THRU AND REMEMBER
WHAT A GREAT SHOW IS LIKE!!

Diva Speak TV Ep:6 Pt. 2

Part 2 of episode 6 is here!!!!

BUY MY ALBUM "LIFE EXPERIENCE" ON MYSPACE.COM/AMANDADIVA TODAY!

ALL MY CALI FOLKS
I'LL BE AT UCLA ON THURS
WITH DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIAN & BROTHER ALI!!!

Diva Speak Tv Ep: 6 Part 1

Sorry for the late posting! Crazy day! ENJOY!

(Stay Tuned for Part: 2)

BIG UPS TO MTV!!!

Just want to give MTV a GINORMOUS BIG UP! for having Princeton Professor, and great thinker and doer Dr. Cornel West's poetry/music spliced in between their programming throughout this Black History Month. GREAT LOOK VIACOM!!!

More Nels below:

The US Has a Thing for Cuba

So, the US is still plottin on Cuba:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. embargo on Cuba will remain in place despite Fidel Castro's announcement that he's resigning as Cuba's leader, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Tuesday.

Asked whether Castro's resignation would change U.S. policy, Negroponte said, "I can't imagine that happening any time soon."

President Bush said the move should spark "a democratic transition" for the communist island nation.

"The international community should work with the Cuban people to begin to build institutions that are necessary for democracy and eventually this transition ought to lead to free and fair elections," Bush said at a news conference in Rwanda during his five-nation tour of Africa.

"I believe that the change from Fidel Castro ought to begin ... a democratic transition," he said. "The United States will help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of liberty." Watch Bush react to Castro's decision »

Castro said he was stepping down Tuesday as president of Cuba and commander in chief of its military, according to a letter published in the country's state-run newspaper, Granma.

The United States and Cuba, which have no formal diplomatic relations, have been at odds for decades, but tensions between the two countries have increased in the past two years.

You know, to me, in this case "democracy" simply means, we get to have access to your island, hem up all your workers in factories that pay low wages but get our economy poppin, and can start the process of mind fuckin folks into thinking that Cuban is less than American. Just my thoughts. I'm not saying it isn't necessarily a good thing that Castro oned himself but you know how the US do! They be

DIVA IS DONE WITH NAS!!!

I have loved Nas for a very long time. He has reigned as my favorite emcee since ’97 and held that post with no wavering since. But I can no longer endorse him. The video below is full of so much ignorance I’m at a loss for words…but I’ll find em by next week’s “DivaSpeakTV” believe that!

UGGH!!!!!!

Diva Speak TV: Ep 5

SPREAD THE WORD AND SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE!!!!!
youtube.com/ImAmandaDiva

BUY MY ALBUM "LIFE EXPERIENCE" TODAY!!!
myspace.com/Amanda Diva

Can Diva sing much better than Cassie?

Someone (Freddy) had the NERVE to ask that question (I'm insulted) so here's the answer.

yes.

Grammy Thoughts

You didn’t think the Grammys were gonna go down and I wasn’t gonna have something to say now did you!!?? So the Grammys were Sunday and they were quite eventful in the performance department. Here’s some bullet points I’d like to make.

1. I Love Kanye Some people don’t like Kanyizzle. They think he’s a show boater, he’s spoiled, etc. I’m SO not one of those people. When I tell ya’ll I LOVE this man, it’s beyond words. His tribute to his mother, Donda West RIP was so tasteful and heartfelt. You remember Puff’s “tribute” to Biggie on the VMA’s that was more like a “celebration” of Puff?? Yea it definitely was not that, I was so appreciative of that. Cause award shows love to make spectacles of things that are simply n to spectacular like Kanye losing his mother and best friend. His comments when they started playing the music over his acceptance speech? “It would be in good taste to stop the music now” priceless.

(That's one classy broad)

2. Crackheads & Coons So apparently all you need to do is look like a crackhead, mimic soul music, and surround yourself with dancing Black men to win a Grammy (them dudes was dancin so hard i thought we were in a Heavy D video for a sec!) Call me a hater. GO FOR IT! But I’m sorry with allll the sistas out here sangin they asses off I find it very hard to believe that Amy Crackhouse is the savior of Soul music. And since when is the Grammy’s givin out all these awards to the Brits? They sure as hell don’t include us in the same fashion in their awards shows.


3. B Dawgs & T. Turner Why the green panties? Why the capris? Just lookin for some answers on this one.

4. Fergie is a Beast How much did I LOVE Fergie and John Legend’s duet?! OMG. I loves me some Fergs and she SANG HER ASS OFF! And John. Oh John on them keys. Just byoo-tee-ful.

5. Rihanna is Gangsta You can’t tell me B Dawgs didn’t give Rihanna a few choice words last night after she dragged J on stage. That was most definitely a gangsta move on her part but of course, he showed some loyalty to B Dawgs by clowing Ri Ri during her own acceptance. That guy is a piece of work eh?

6. Can Chris Brown read? No really, cuz he was STRUGGLIN with that prompter last night. Maybe his pants were too tight, lol

Overall I gotta say, I enjoyed the show. I think they made a real effort with stepping up the performance factor this year and I loved the diversity of genres they showcased. Congrats to Lupe who a grammy with Jill Scoot for “Daydream” (it’s hella old but go figure) and Bams even got one for his book on tape (Hillary woke up like dang he’s winnin states AND grammys! I hate this guy!) Real talk though what do the grammys really mean? When Akon & Snoop are nominated for “I Wanna Fuck You” ya gotta really question where they’re at and where they’re really goin. Not quite sure what that award means anymore but I can’t like, I STILL WANT ONE! 2010 IS MY YEAR!!

Diva Rant

WHY ARE WEEZY AND BIRDMAN ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE WITH A BAND RIGHT NOW?!?!!?

WHY DO SO MANY YOUNG BLACK MEN KEEP GETTING SHOT?!?!

WHY DON'T RAPPERS ADMIT THAT KIDS/PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED BY THEIR WORDS?!

WHY IS EVERYTHING SO GOT DANG EXPENSIVE?!?

WHY DON'T THESE BILLS EVER FRICKIN STOP!!??

ARGGHH...just had to let that out. Goodnight.

DO YOUR PART!

I can't front I took this post STRAIGHT offa Bossip cuz I agree with 100% of it:

With the Democratic primary race being so close, it may go down to the end where “super-delegates” actually choose the winner with a powerful vote at the Democratic convention:

By 1980 the party establishment had seen enough. It struck back with a commission of its own, led by North Carolina Governor James Hunt. It returned power to elected officials and party regulars — the superdelegates, who will make up about 20 percent of the 4,049 delegates at the Democratic convention. They include all Democratic members of Congress and every governor, but roughly half of them are Democratic National Committee officials elected by state parties, who range from top party operatives to local city council members. Key interests in the party, like labor groups, can also name superdelegates. According to political scientist Rhodes Cook, superdelegates were created as a “firewall to blunt any party outsider that built up a head of steam in the primaries.”

The obvious beneficiary of the superdelegates this time around is another establishment favorite, Hillary Clinton.

Most of the Black political establishment in Congress feel they have to return personal and career favors to the Clintons and they are not voting their conscious, values, politics, or in the best interest of the Black communities they represent.

Their support for Hillary has been bought and sold and they may end UP preventing Obama from getting the nomination if it goes down to the end. These plantation-minded officials don’t belong in power and when Obama gets in power, their communities will vote them out for their foolish and corrupt support for the Clinton’s.

You can contact their offices and let them know they are getting in the way of our rendevous with destiny. Let’s flood their office phone lines and let them know we will vote their ass out of office for their selfish and career-minded “superdelegate” Clinton vote which will prevent Obama from winning the nomination. These corrupt and career-minded elected officials are not with the people or their respective communities . Obama is and that’s why the people are overwhelmingly are riding with him.

YES WE CAN!!!!

Maxine Waters in California (LA) 202) 225-2201
Shelia Jackson Lee Office in Houston,Texas 202-225-3816
Charles Rangel who represents Harlem, NY(202) 225-4365

BAMS IS ON TOP!!

(In my mind he’s singing “Go Tell it on the Mountain" in this pic)

BIG UPS TO BAMS! AND SHOUT TO EVERYONE WHO WENT OUT AND VOTED! It ain’t over yet tho…

We Have to Do Better pt.4

*sigh* I don't even know who to blame on this one. Is it the parents? Is it their friends for cosigning this MADNESS? Or is it Keith Sweat for being so got dang sexed up? And you KNOW they don't know nothin bout nothin cuz nothing about sex is that smoothely choreographed, lol.

(What happened to making fake music videos with actual dancing??...times have changed!)

Diva Speak TV: Ep 4

NEW EP of Diva Speak TV!!!
ENJOY & COMMENT!!

SUBSCRIBE AT youtube.com/ImAmandaDiva!!

(PS-Go Obama!)
(PSS-I'm in the studio with Qtip right now. OOOweee ya'll should be excited. He's cookin up some shit yo!)

Not You Too Fif?!

50 Cent is supporting Hillary. I honestly have no qualms but some did with the last statement he makes in this clip. Really though, I aint really mad at Fif on this one. He has a valid point. You know how this country do!

SUPA TUESDAY!

WHO ARE YOU ENDORSING?? Here's how some of your favorite folks in hip hop feel about the choice to be made:

Voters in twenty-four states across America will head to the polls today in what is labeled "Super Tuesday," the biggest day in the process to choose candidates for the November presidential election. Ya'll already know who I'm down with! OBAROCKA!!!!

Russell Simmons:

"I have been struggling," Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons admitted to AllHipHop.com when quizzed about his choice for president. "I’ve had Bill and Hillary Clinton’s personal phone number for 10 years, mobile numbers…my brain has been with Hillary Clinton a long time and I’m trying to get my heart…I met with Barack once."

Q-Tip:

"I am endorsing Barack Obama because I feel that we can benefit greatly from a leader that offers sound judgment and experience rooted in the lives of real people," Q-Tip told AllHipHop.com. "We can change our economy. We can change our health care. We can change the course of the Iraq war. We can change our neighbor’s minds about nuclear weapons. The only way we can have this renaissance is with the Senator from Illinois as President of the United States. We are on the brink of moving past our stigmas and preconceived thoughts to make a substantive decision for change... The change is Barack Obama."

Snoop:

"I am not down with the republican party or the democratic party, I represent the gangster party," "Whether it be him, a black man, or Hillary, a woman, either one to me is a great move for America because we need change, we need somebody in there that’s going to be about listening to the people and representing the people and I feel like both of the candidates will do that."

Bun B:

"I’m really, really leaning that way [towards Obama]," Bun B. told AllHipHop.com. I’m sitting back and seeing who’s going to do what."

More Info on Pimp C's Death

Allhiphop.com
By Mike Winslow

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has revealed that UGK member Chad “Pimp C.” Butler’s death was caused by prescription cough syrup and a preexisting sleeping condition.

Assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said that the rapper did not overdose, but died from ingesting Promethazine and Codeine, which is frequently mixed with flavored candy and mixed to make a drink known as “sizzurp.”

The concoction also took the lives of legendary Houston DJ, DJ Screw in 2000 and rapper Big Moe, who died of a heart attack in 2007.

Winter also said Pimp C. suffered from sleep apnea, a common sleeping disorder that blocks the air passages during sleep.

"Sleep apnea, you stop breathing," Winter told The Houston Chronicle. "Coupled with a medication that suppresses your respiratory abilities, you end up with an accidental death."

Pimp C, 33, was found dead in his Los Angeles hotel room on December 4, 2007.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the abuse of prescription cough medicine is on the rise, especially in young adults.

As many as one in every 14 high school seniors have said that they used cold medicine “fairly recently” to get high.

“It’s bad that kids are buying cough syrup and using it this way — it’s not good for them,” said John P. Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

UGK group member Bun B. will give his first performance since Pimp C’s death this Friday (February 8) at the Warehouse in Houston, Texas.

Put You ON! *Hollyweerd*

When I was in Atlanta for the Lupe tour Y-3 had an after party for him at their store in Buckhead. I was on my way out when DJ Mars (the homie) threw this joint on that BLEW MY MIND! Ya’ll I love to dance (hence why I love, “Buy You a Drink"!) but these days though a lotta songs instruct me to dance not a lot of them really inspire me to. Well, sheeeiiittt (sidenote: did you hear the "Sheeeeiiittt" Clay Davis let out on The Wire last night??! I was on the floor, LOLing) when I heard this I was entranced. The 808’s, the quirkiness, the whole package, it's like some straight Dungeon Family shit! So I had to PUT YOU ON!

Four cats from Atlanta: the Dreamer, Tuki, Staggo Lee, & The Love Crusader make up HOLLYWEERD. They on some fly shit ya'll. It’s some straight down south stee-lo but it’s hard & funky. Gotta luv that!


Click on the links below to check their music out.

Check out their myspace page

"Love to a Weerdo "

"Go Hard or Go Home"

Here's a video of a dance some kids made up to "Love to a Weerdo"...I can't front, I wanna learn it, lol! I woulda KILLED this on the dancefloor at prom!

Will.I.Am Loves Bams

Will.I.Am made an all-star empowerment/support video for good ol' Bams or as my homeboy Wyking calls him, "Obarocka," inspired by his New Hampshire "Yes We Can Speech." Check it out and comment on that jawn!

Yes, We Can - all star Obama's
Uploaded by snatch

Puffypedia: "Bitch-assness"

(peep the Glamour Shot!)

I’m watching “Making the Band 4” (don’t kill me) and ya man Puff did a Diva move with the creating of his own word.

Bitchassness-n. meaning having the tendency to act like a bitch ass nigga.

HAHAHAHAAHA! I love it! Then he goes on to say, “There will be NO bitchassness at BadBoy!” No THAT’S using a word in a sentence.

RIP PIMP C

The official coroner's report is in, and Pimp C's death has been deemed accidental due to sleep apnia and a complication with the prescription drug Codeine, i.e. a key ingredient in sizzerp. Now I can't say for CERTAIN if that's what he consumed but if memory serves me correct this was the same prognosis given as DJ Screw's cause of death. We gotta stop with this drug culture ya'll. It's killin us.

Put the Mic Down Please!

*Sigh*
“Dear Lord please bring good, strong, soulful music to the masses.
By the looks of Youtube, things have gotten precariously out of hand!"




Cassie’s new joint from the movie “Step It Up:2”
I can’t hate on the checks but god LORD this is bad music.




Heidi Montag from “The Hills” has decided to waste hers and everyone else’s time by making sounds on a track
(I REFUSE to call it singing). All that OC bread and they couldn't at least make a better video??

My beef with shit like this is you KNOW it’s actually gonna get played and people are actually gonna be forced to listen to these two examples of foolery. Thank God there are some REAL artists out here getting it in (Nikki Jean, Janelle Monae, Chrisette Michelle, Erykah, Leesh, etc.!)

We Have to Do Better pt.3

If you're in town stop by!

Not You Too Maya?!?! Pt.2

Folks been gettin at me regarding my post on Maya Angelou's endorsement of Mrs. Hillary Clinton so I felt like I should clear some things up:

* I do not think the ENTIRE elder generation is in support of Hillary or that the Or that the ENTIRE younger generation is in support of Obama. I do however believe that majority of those with leadership and power and power in the Black community to affect the minds and sway the choices made by their followers are in support of Hillary and have provided no solid reason as to why. They haven’t cited positive policies, reform, bills, platforms etc. that Hillary has been associated with but have made it VERY clear that Bams is a no go and their number reason has been because he’s not REALLY Black. Ummmm, that ain’t gonna cut it. No Sir!

*As I stated before, I loves me some Maya (her pic is in the Supa-Woman video for heaven’s sake). But that doesn’t mean I can’t question her decision. In actuality because she is such a vessel of truth I expected a stronger reasoning behind her support of Hill, since noone has really been clear to date as to why she’s the one.

*At this point I think Obama is more of a symbol for change than an actual harbinger of it. Already he has folks who never gave two damns about politics wanting to know more and communicating on pages they'd never turned to prior. Neither candidate is really saying much of anything in the way of actual, literal change per se so I am looking more to who can do more to inspire the masses to move. If Hillary gets in and does doo doo noone will notice. It's expected. If Bams gets in the white house and does squat, you know folks is gonna get on the good foot. WATCH!