Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Jay & B To Wed, B.A.R.S. Awards Turned Out, Bow Wow, Ice Cube

According to the New York Post, Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles will be married during a four-day party celebrating Jay-Z's 37th birthday next weekend. Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, was born on December 4, 1969. "Beyoncé is throwing Jay a four-day birthday party, but it's really a wedding," a source told The Post. Family, guests and close friends were told to have passport applications filed, so they can attend the wedding, which will take place at a five-star resort in Anguilla. According to reports, both Beyoncé and Jay-Z approved the wedding location during a visit earlier this year. Jay-Z recently released his comeback album Kingdom Come, which moved over 620,000 copies during its first week in stores and hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 chart. Beyoncé Knowles' latest movie Dreamgirls is slated to hit theaters on December 25. The highly anticipated film is based off the 1981 play of the same name and also stars Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Hudson, Sharon Leal and others.
A party for the emerging Bay Area rap scene turned chaotic at the San Mateo County Event Center last weekend according to the Mercury News. Police were called in to the The Bay Area Rap Scene Awards (B.A.R.S.) and ended the event 45 minutes early, due to an unruly crowd. Event organizers were not pleased with the crowds rowdy behavior when artists like Hyphy champion E-40 hit the stage. "They (the audience) all want to get on stage with the artist," Lizz Moala, project manager said. "We brought (the show) for us. It was for all of us — the Bay Area. This is why our
music has no respect anywhere." At one point, an estimated 300 people were on the stage. While there were no arrests or injuries, the general manager for the San Mateo County Event Center said the backstage area was the root of the problem. "I'll never go through that again," General Manager Chris Carpenter said. "Not in my 31/2 years here has a show been cut short...I'm very pleased that there were no arrests." Others blamed the artists and the huge entourages that accompanied them to the awards.
Bow Wow's "Shortie Like Mine" single continues its successful run at the top of the chart, holding on to the No. 1 slots on two Billboard charts. "Shortie Like Mine" holds the top spots on the Billboard
Monitor Rap Chart for a third week and Urban Mainstream chart for the second week in a row. The single is taken from the rapper's upcoming album, The Price of Fame. In addition to the radio success and an upcoming album, Bow Wow will make an appearance in an upcoming episode on The CW Network's television series, Smallville.
Rappers Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg have announced dates for a 10-city tour of Canada, that starts January 12. The two legends of gangsta rap will hit the road and visit cities like Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and other during the outing. Ice Cube will perform songs from his latest album Laugh Now, Cry Later including newer singles like “Why We Thugs,” and “Go to Church” which features Snoop Dogg. Ice Cube will also treat his Canadian fans with a number of songs from his legendary 18-year-catalog of material. Snoop Dogg is expected to be present on the tour, despite Canada's tough entry laws into the country. Snoop has had several recent high profile arrests, leading to speculation that he may not be allowed entry into Canada. Last year,
Canadian Immigration sought to ban "gangsta" rappers from performing in certain areas of Canada. Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg's tour dates are listed below:
Jan. 12 Victoria, Canada Save On Foods Memorial Center
Jan. 13 Vancouver, Canada Vancouver Pacific Coliseum
Jan. 14 Kelowna, Canada Prospera Place
Jan. 15 Prince George. Canada Prince George Multiplex
Jan. 17 Edmonton, Canada Rexall Place
Jan. 18 Calgary, Canada Calgary Stampede Corral
Jan. 19 Red Deer, Canada Enmax Centrium Arena
Jan. 20 Lethbridge, Canada Enmax Centre
Jan. 22 Regina, Canada Brandt Centre
Jan. 23 Winnipeg, Canada Winnipeg Convention Centre