The Konnected: 2014

Kanye West Crowned As GQ’s “Most Stylish Man Of The Year” For 2014

Chi-town’s own Kanye West has had quite the year. To end 2014 with a bang, Kanye has been dubbed as the “Most Stylish Man of The Year” for GQ Magazine. Fans were able to vote online to determine who deserved the title. Yeezy has shifted the platform for men’s fashion throughout the past decade that he has been relevant on the Hip-Hop scene. Even with his odd ensembles such as the

Nicki Minaj will start 2015 on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Nicki new album the “PinkPrint” was released on December 15,2014.

Since the release of her album she has been everywhere promoting it. The grind is real she has been hitting top radio stations and Television shows conducting interviews.

Jermain Taylor just can’t seem to keep himself away from trouble and drama because once again he finds himself in the middle of something that required police. The cops were called near his home in Arkansas after Taylor threw a brick at a woman, leaving her bloody and Taylor admitted to the attack.

It looks like Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network (NAN) protest held in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, December 13th, was far more rocky than planned. According to various protest attendees, Reverend Al was actually selling VIP passes which would allow people access to stand close to the stage where he and other speakers addressed the crowd.

It’s probably no surprise to you that Carmelo Anthony loves money. He did choose a five-year, $124 million contract with the lowly Knicks rather than take less money to play with the playoff ready Chicago Bulls. But just how much Anthony loves money might shock you as he tells this story about refusing to give up $20 while being robbed at gunpoint.

Well well well, rapper Webbie is definitely saying “Gimme Dat” to fellow rap star 50 Cent, after having to call him out on a million dollar boxing bet. Apparently the two had seen each other at the Terrence Crawford vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa fight back in June. The pair decided to put their money where their mouths were and cough up a little wager. Crawford, coincidentally Webbie’s boy, KO’d Gamboa, leaving 50 left to pay off his debt. However, he has yet to do so… Hit the jump to check out Webbie calling Fif a b*tch, even making a song about it, telling him to PAY UP OR ELSE!

“Top Five” hits theaters December 12th, and the New York premiere was held last night (November 4) with the full cast in attendance including Kanye West. Written and directed by Chris Rock, the comedian shares how he got Kanye West on board.

Everyone has an opinion. In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Bette Midler criticizes Ariana Grande’s image saying she was “making a whore out of herself.” Ariana took to her Twitter Tuesday (November 25) to respond to Midler’s comments.

Britney Spears baby daddy and former lover Kevin Federline has an alleged leaked nude picture of his package floating around the internet somewhere. However, Kevin is infuriated because he’s swearing up and down that his meat has been altered with and photoshopped to look smaller (riiiighhhhht.) In the alleged pic, you can see half of Federline’s face so for someone to photoshop the entire thing is possible but highly unlikely. Well Kev, all I have to say is… “We don’t believe you, you need more people!”

Tracy Morgan "May Not Be The Same Tracy" After Suffering Major Brain Damage In The Crash

When there was word that Tracy Morgan was leaving ICU and was in better condition, we all were so excited and thrilled that he can return to being the funny man he is.

Unfortunately that may not be these case.

Anyone around my age remembers coming home at 6pm and watching BET’s Hit Show, 106 & Park. The show was BET’s Flagship production that counted down the top 10 music videos in Hip Hop & RnB including amazing candid interviews with all of the top celebrities in the industry.

Unfortunately, the show announced it’s cancellation with the last show airing on December 19. While it will still be presented digitally, this marks the end of a 14 year run that was a huge part of our youth.

The new season of the Atlanta Housewives snuck up on us. Actually we ain't even know it was coming on . . . we were just flipping through the channels last night - and THERE IT WAS. Bravo really gotta do a better job in promoting the show

Anyways, last night's episode was INTENSE. They were following Phaedra and Apollo in the days and weeks leading up to his GOING TO PRISON.

It is still early in the NBA season, but as you might expect people are already jumping to conclusions that they are going to feel totally different about in another month. The Cavs specifically have been the target of harsh criticism due to the big 3 of Lebron, Kyrie Irving & Kevin Love getting off to a slow start with a record of 1-3. Not to mention the locker room drama of a disagreement between Bron & Kyrie and it is easy to see why fans could exaggerate the demise of the team so soon. Former all-star Tracy McGrady has apparently already seen enough and tweeted he thinks Lebron needs to work the Cavs for a trade to ditch Kyrie for another current all star point guard Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics

Suge Knight Hospitalized After Falling TWICE In His Jail Cell

Suge Knight did not appear at his bail hearing in Las Vegas because he was hospitalized after falling twice in his jail cell!

After examinations in the hospital, doctors found out he had a blood clot in his chest probably caused by a shooting earlier this year in where he was shot six times. According to TMZ, "he's been on a heavy dose of blood thinners since getting shot, but sources close to Knight tell us he couldn't take his meds in the slammer and the going theory is that caused the clot."

Chris Rock is known to be “never scared” for a reason, and last night on Saturday Night Live is only another reason why. The legendary comedian had a controversial monologue that recognized the Boston Marathon bombings, the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Rock didn’t hesitate to also to speak out about America’s commercialization of holidays and his experience speaking out against social issues. Even though this guy has

Peter Thomas and Apollo Nida may have had a strong bond during their time on Real Housewives of Atlanta, but the entrepreneur wants his fans to know that, when it comes to his pal’s criminal activities, he definitely didn’t take part.

This is what's wrong with today's music

We need to go back to actual talent and artist development. Also we need to take the culture back from these people who are controlling the music industry! Hopefully this will happen soon because they our using us to make a mockery out of our culture.

NBA: Former NBA Guard Mookie Blaylock Sentenced For Fatal Car Crash!

The former NBA player of the Hawks and Nets has been sentenced today in trial. He was charged with the death of Monica Murphy, a mother of five, in a head-on collision in Clayton County in 2013. With today’s plea deal, Blaylock was able to reduce his sentence to 7 years versus the original 15 years…Hit the jump for more on this story!

The Indiana Pacers went all in trying to re-sign Lance Stephenson including making a movie for him. They also offered him a five-year, $44 million contract, but the deadline given is what caused him to stray.

Either Joseph Randle is a kleptomaniac or… I don’t know that’s all I could come up with. The Dallas Cowboys running back was arrested for shoplifting in a Dallas mall on Monday night.

Randle allegedly stole a tester bottle of Gucci Guilty Black cologne and a 2-pack of black Polo underwear from a Dillard’s department store in Stonebriar Centre Mall Monday night.

Michael Dunn, the man who shot and killed African-American teen Jordan Davis, was found guilty of first-degree murder in a retrial on Wednesday.

Dunn made national headlines in November 2012 after he approached a vehicle at a Jacksonville gas station that was playing loud rap music. Words were exchanged between Dunn and the teens inside and at some point the 47-year-old pulled out a gun and fired ten shots into the car, mortally wounding Davis, who was unarmed. The gunfire missed the other teens, who were also unarmed.

Mutulu Shakur will be released in April of 2015.

“Dr. Mutulu Shakur is a New Afrikan (Black) man whose primary work has been in the area of health. He is a doctor of acupuncture and was a co-founder and director of two institutions devoted to improving health care in the Black community.

In March 1982, Dr. Shakur and 10 others were indicted by a federal grand jury under a set of U.S. conspiracy laws called “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization” (RICO) laws. These conspiracy laws were ostensibly developed to aid the government in its prosecution of organized crime figures; however, they have been used with varying degrees of success against revolutionary organizations. Dr. Shakur was charged with conspiracy and participation in a clandestine paramilitary unit that carried out actual and attempted expropriations from several banks. Eight incidents were alleged to have occurred between December 1976 to October 1981. In addition he was charged with participation in the 1979 prison escape of Assata Shakur, who is now in exile in Cuba (the question of Dr. Shakur being charged with participation when in fact they alleged he masterminded her escape creates the true fact of COINTELPRO).

After five years underground, Dr. Shakur was arrested on February 12, 1986.

Dr. Shakur is the father of six children. His son Tupac was assassinated in 1996. He has solid evidence that it was a continuation of COINTELPRO. The F.B.I., the Federal Bureau of Prisons and law enforcement made every effort to keep him separated from his son Tupac.” – www.mutulushakur.com

Sundiata Acoli, Man Who Murdered State Trooper, To Be Released On Parole

A man convicted in the shooting death of a New Jersey state trooper in a crime that still provokes strong emotion among law enforcement more than 40 years later was ordered released on parole by a state appeals court Monday.

Sundiata Acoli was known as Clark Edward Squire when he was convicted of the 1973 slaying of state trooper Werner Foerster during a stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. Now in his mid-70s, he was denied parole most recently in 2011, but the appellate judges reversed that ruling Monday.

In one of the most shocking pieces of news to come out of Hollywood in some time, a feature film based on the life of George Zimmerman is reportedly in the works with none other than Will Smith at the helm. Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment (I Am Legend, Hancock, The Karate Kid) has jumped on-board to finance and produce the film which is scheduled to hit theaters Spring 2015.

Before Destiny’s Child became the mega group we know them as today, they were simply a teen girl group that record executives didn’t expect much from, so says their then-publicist Yvette Noel-Schure. Yvette, who still handles publicity for Beyoncé under her own PR firm Schure Media Group, revealed in an interview with The Jake Sasseville Show that during her stint of employment with Columbia Records, her boss pretty much wanted her to babysit the foursome until they either transferred to another label or went back home to Texas.

Fans have been worried about August Alsina since he fell off the stage at a NYC show earlier this week, but he awoke from his three-day coma to let fans know he was doing better. The singer shared a photo of him hooked up to different machines in the hospital, but he was able to shake hands with his best friend, who stayed by his side the entire time.

Five years have passed since Kanye West rudely interrupted Taylor Swift at the Video Music Awards but he’s back into the headlines for insulting one of the rap industry’s most beloved performers, Tupac Shakur.

In a statement that’s sending shock waves across the music industry, Kanye West dissed Tupac Shakur by calling him the “most overrated rapper in history” while chatting after a celebrity showing of Jonathan Liebesman’s newest film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, at the Hollywood Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Keyshia Cole spent a not-so-pleasant Friday morning in jail ... after allegedly assaulting a woman who apparently spent the night with Keyshia's rumored BF.

Keyshia showed up at a swanky condo complex in West L.A. at around 5 AM. We're told she went there to see Birdman -- the CEO of Cash Money -- who she's reportedly dating.

Just days before he was sent to prison on a 3-to-6 month bid, Meek Mill called out his MMG label mate Wale for lack of support, and a brief but highly-publicized exchange ensued. Though the beef has reportedly been squashed for some time, it’s still definitely a topic of conversation, and Wale spoke about it while calling into the Russ Parr Morning Show recently to promote his forthcoming album, Album About Nothing.

In celebration of their 25th anniversary, Hip-Hop’s first ever magazine The Source has created SOURCE360 which art, music, film and television, fashion, sports, dance and digital technology expo, specifically created to celebrate the cultural community inspired by the legacy of hip-hop.

Like Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean has remained silenced about his sophomore album. However, in the midst of preparing for the follow-up to Channel Orange, Ocean did drop the news that he had parted ways with his management team and became the new member on the Three Six Zero management team. In

Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Rice was suspended for two games by the NFL for punching his then fiancé, Janay Palmer, inside an elevator that left her knocked out cold on the floor.

This is an exciting announcement! The Kingpin Funk Flex has teamed up with the #1 Stunna in the digital space to create a true representation of YMCMB on the web and in your device with StunnaLife.com and the StunnaLife App!!

Eric Holder’s career has survived a long list of scandals; The 2008 Black Panther debacle, overturning Arizona’s immigration laws and ‘Fast and Furious‘ immediately spring to mind. These, however, pale in comparison to the recent allegations against Holder, the likes of which could easily land the Attorney General behind bars.

Young Jeezy is currently behind bars for possession of an assault rifle ... and TMZ has learned the weapon turned up during the investigation into the deadly shooting at Wiz Khalifa's concert Friday night.

We're told Irvine PD executed a search warrant on the rapper's tour bus Sunday at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in connection with the shooting in Mountain View, CA ... where a man died after being shot 5 times.

More details have emerged from the Michael Brown shooting case and this latest piece of information might just put it over the top for some.

FERGUSON, Mo. — Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager who was killed by a police officer, sparking protests around the nation, was shot at least six times, including twice in the head, a preliminary private autopsy performed on Sunday found.

Rap veteran Nas recently gave his thoughts on hip-hop superstar Kendrick Lamar piecing together his long-awaited good kid, m.A.A.d city follow-up amid endless praises throughout the music biz. Comparing his iconic 1994 Illmatic album to K. Dot's 2012 release, Nas said he believes the West Coast rapper is prepared.

"It's something I thought about with Kendrick because his first album was received so well and already in his career, outside of his album, he shook up the rap game. So he's just set up for his second offering. The [anticipation] is through the roof. It's such a great place to be for someone who's a writer, especially in a

AllHipHop.com owner, Chuck Creekmur pens an open letter to Nicki about her portrayal in the media these days – how her transition from the old Nicki, that requested of his staff members to take down the now famous Lil Kim reenactment squat/lollipop photo to the new pink thong wearing, “Ananconda” rapping Nicki will effect young ladies who idolize her. It’s gets deep. Hit the jump to check out the entire letter.

I laid in my bed last night watching all the chaos that’s going on in the world right now. Teachers have sex with students, preachers molesting children, gym teachers raping students and athletes just doing what they want when they want and how they want. Reality TV praising someone likes Kim k and to thing she is now a brand that got started from a sex tape. This rapid fame now causing others to get on TV and make themselves look ridiculously ignorant. I mean social media is at all-time low allowing fights to be captured on video recordings and why people entertain this foolery is beyond me. Every other Instagram or face book feed involves a women or man complaining about their issues ranging from baby daddy drama to family fights.

Peyton Manning and Eli Manning are at it again after their hit single “Football on Your Phone”. For their new DirecTV promotion, they dropped a new track “Fantasy Football Fantasy”. There’s cameos from their dad Archie Manning, Jets RB Chris Johnson and legendary QB Joe Namath.

Atlanta, GA- Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta cast member, Mimi Faust, has finally confessed that her alleged “leaked sex tape” featuring her boyfriend, Nikko Smith, was staged. Faust claims the sextape was filmed in a hotel downtown Atlanta with a professional film crew of about five. As most have already suspected, Faust claims the sextape was produced with the hopes of acclaiming fame like the leaked sextapes of socialites Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton. Initially, Faust and Smith claimed that their leaked sextape

Chris Brown’s gained quite a questionable rep over the past few years and apparently his new neighbors are NOT amused by Breezy’s behavior. The entertainer recently moved into a new mansion in San Fernando Valley on the boarder of Malibu into a town called Agoura. The 6-bedroom home he’s renting is fully equipped with an ice cream bar, dance studio (for the bangers he’ll be throwing,) billiard room, and a tennis

court.

As Common gears up for the release of his homage to the state of Chicago ‘Nobody’s Smiling’, he has revealed the inspiration and collaborations within the piece! From the intro itself ‘The Neighborhood’ featuring Lil Herb and James Fauntelroy, to the beautiful Jhene Aiko assist. Common continued to unveil his influences in creating ‘Nobody’s Smiling’ which include the sounds of Rakim!

It is annoying to turn on the TV and to hear a character like Stevie J say that his daughter had to be treated like a princess at all times.

Now, this is coming from an individual, that belittle females on a regular I mean calling women hoes, s**** and b******! But still you want your daughter treated like a princess!

Lets talk about Hip Hop!!! I want to introduce myself to you- I am the Hip Hop Head Doc- Sheddy D. We will be exploring the evolution and the state of hip hop in the up coming editions of The Konnected! Please send questions and suggestions. I welcome your feedback!

Hip hop and rap music in the beginning was the essence of how we expressed ourselves and our culture to others through musical lyrics. It was a way to tell our stories about our neighborhoods and our life experiences so that those on the peripheral could sympathize with the struggle even if they could not empathize the feelings of our hip hop communities. It was a form of therapy for us to be able to convey our feelings into musical, lyrical and artistic forms so we could dance and have fun. There was minimal violence, no beef, just fun as evidenced by break dancing and rap battles.

It’s a damn shame how we choose jacked up relationships and then expect sympathy when things don’t work out. This is mainly for my ladies but some men fall victim to this also but I just have to voice my opinion on this “epidemic” of toxic relationships we are entertaining in today’s society.

I base my opinion solely on circumstances that I have read or watched on TV so I plan to keep this brief and blunt. Ladies you have to realize that the majority of men that are in clubs aren’t looking for relationships, they are mainly looking for a “good time” girl with no strings attached. A ball player, an entertainer or

KM- First off let our readers know your name and where you're from.

Asti- Asti Tucker, Daytona Beach, Fl

KM- I know most people know Daytona Beach as a vocation spot or for NASCAR racing. Let us know how it is growing up in Daytona Beach.

Asti- I love Daytona Beach. My hometown, my city. Growing up in Daytona was cool as a child but its more so of where I grew up. I lived in Bethune Village AKA Pine Haven. I grew up in a single parent home so everything was much more solid. Growing up here you got to have the will to want to make it out and achieve your dreams. We have so many ambitious and determined people who can go places. You have to not get caught in the street life and fast money.

Robin Thicke came by Ebro In The Morning to talk about his new album and open up about his break-up with Paula Patton.

Ebro asked Thicke if the break-up was a real break-up or just a publicity stunt used to sell albums. Seeing as the couple had been together for 20 years, it’s reasonable to think the break-up might have been fake and for promotion.

I took the opportunity to watch the Bet awards and I really enjoyed them. There was plenty of people tweeting, hash tagging and so on. There was one thing in particular that I didn't particularly care for, and that was a poll taken by Power 98 a local radio station in my area. The poll asked who was better, Nikki Minaj or Iggy Azalea. Your OPINION on who you thought was better is just that, YOUR OPINION, no one cares!

Bobbi Kristina and Angela Bassett have a different type of beef right now! Angela Bassett is directing Whitney Houston’s biopic that will air on Lifetime. Things went left when Angela casted Yaya DeCosta to play Whitney Houston instead of Bobby Kristina. Shortly after Bassett expressed her reasons as to why she didn't cast Bobbi K and she pretty much said “ she’s not an actress”.

Chuck D received a letter from Tupac while he was in jail September 25. 1995.

"I'm sure u know how highly respected & loved u R by me so your letter definitely warmed my heart. I was also touched by your offer and show of support. It will not go unnoticed. Thanx! It was good 2 hear how well u aRe doing but hey it's only Right. Back in the dayz on tour with u I learned so much from what u did and how u did it. It may be hard 2 c but u have alwayz played a majoR Role in what it is I do 2day. I have a

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