A3C = Amazing

It's Sunday and the A3C Hip Hop Festival is officially over :-( But I can't be too sad because I had an amazing time. I saw a bunch of great performances: Killer Mike, Rakim, Kidz In The Hall, Fresh Daily, Donny Goines, Tanya Morgan, and the list goes on. I have tons of pictures, which I'll be posting shortly, and also some FlipCam footage.

Check out this footage I got from the MySpace show featuring Senor Kaos, Killer Mike, and Rakim!

2010 Ford Taurus SHO Takes Over The Streets Of ATL

Earlier this month, Ford allowed several members of the media to test drive the all new 2010 Ford Taurus SHO in Atlanta. This new eco-friendly car boasts a number of noteworthy features including an EcoBoost V6 engine and seats that are partially made from plastic soda bottles (although you'd never be able to tell).

I'm a girl so quite frankly I'm not really one for engines, horsepower, etc. but the interior of this car is lovely and it has all the modern-day features us Blackberry/iPod lovin' folk need. Some of the optional features for the SHO include a Voice-Activated Navigation System and a 10 GB music juke box.

For more information on the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO click here.

Hello Kitty x MIMOBOT Flash Drive

What is it with us women and Hello Kitty? We really go crazy over this little feline. I admit I have a few Hello Kitty trinkets myself and I would definitely love to add to my collection with MIMOBOT's Hello Kitty flash drive. MIMOBOT, which specializes in designer flash drives, created the Hello Kitty flash drive in honor of Hello Kitty's 35th anniversary.

Pricing for the Hello Kitty flash drive is as follows: 2GB ($24.95), 4GB ($34.95), and 8GB ($49.95). Click here to purchase.

50 Cent Is Retarded

That is all.

Exclusive: We Are Heroes Interview

With so many reality dance and singing competitions on television these days it’s hard to take any of these shows serious. I became a fan of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew a little while ago because I had a roommate who was really, really into the show. ABDC really struck a cord in me because of the passion I see in the dancer’s. It’s more than just a competition for them. It’s about respect, integrity, and well, dancing their asses off.

For those of you who have been keeping up with this recent season you’re probably quite familiar with the two crews competing in the finale tomorrow, We Are Heroes and Afroboriken. I’ve been rooting for We Are Heroes because personally I’d LOVE to see an all female crew win this season and I’m quite sure they have the talent to do just that. Recently, I was fortunate enough to ask the girls of We Are Heroes a few questions before the ABDC finale tomorrow.

The D Diaries: When I first read about We Are Heroes being part of this latest season of ABDC I was really taken aback by the name We Are Heroes. How did this name come about?

We Are Heroes: Our name WE ARE HEROES came about because we realized that we are all heroes to each other because we wouldn’t be able to do our dances without each person in the crew. Hiro brought the group together and that’s where we thought first of the name HEROES and then it evolved.

TDD: With all the accomplishments you all have made on ABDC would you consider yourselves "heroes" in the dance world?

WAH: We would definitely consider ourselves heroes in the dance world. We put a whole new style on the map. Image wise and choreography wise. We are a different crew that the dance world hasn’t seen.

TDD: What do you think a win for We Are Heroes would mean for female crews across the world?

WAH: If we were to win we would be so happy to make way for other girl crews out there that are trying to do their thing their own way. It’s ok to be sexy and womanly but to not let that carry your dance but to ascent it. And we would be happy to represent that by being the first ABDC girl crew winner.

TDD: Being a female crew has there ever been any pressure to conform into something you aren't?

WAH: Of course, being a girl crew who is comfortable with their sexuality you don’t want people to try to take advantage of that. So we know how to stand our ground but be able to please all different types of fans and audiences without running into things that take our morals away.

TDD: What advice would you give to the thousands of female dance crews out there pursuing their dreams in dance?

WAH: Any crew or dancer, but especially girl crews we do have advice. Please don’t let your sexiness rule your dancing, but don’t shy away from it. All girls want respect so in order to get that you have to be confident and knowledgeable. Know what kind of crew you are and in hip hop dance you have to know your foundation in the elements of hip hop and automatically respect will come.

TDD: What are some of the obstacles you've face individually and as a group?

WAH: Every person on this show has had some type of struggle. We have had injuries in our crew – Mami and Nichelle and that was a downer for us and for them individually. We haven’t been a crew for that long at all and this was the most intense thing we have done together so we had to learn who plays what roles and what is everyone’s strongest skill as well as the challenges with the music and the challenges themselves and making them up in only a couple of days.

TDD: Once ABDC is over, what's next for We Are Heroes?

WAH: Next for WE ARE HEROES is lots of shows! Hope to do that internationally and continue to inspire many people and dancers. We are excited to make up more routines and challenge ourselves and continue to outdo ourselves. We plan to stay in the dance world and in the public eye and share the love of dance with everyone who wants to.

The season four finale of America’s Best Dance Crew airs on Sunday, September 27 at 9 p.m. on MTV.

Free Ghostface/MySpace Music Show In NYC

In celebration of the upcoming release of Ghostface Killah's latest album Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City, MySpace Music will be holding a concert at The Hiro Ballroom in New York City on Wednesday, September 30.

To RSVP to this event send an e-mail to hiphoptix@myspacemusic.com. The event is 21+ and dress code will be strictly enforced ('cause who would dare think of wearing sneakers and jeans to a Ghostface show).

Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City will be released on September 29.

Bye Bye Boosie

As many of you may already know rapper Lil Boosie was sentenced to two years in prison this week for drug possession. I'm sure the justice system could really care less about sending rappers to prison for however long they want so my question is why do rappers insist on partaking in dumbness?

Here is Boosie's official statement on his sentencing:

“I am looking forward to putting this all behind me and would like to thank my fans and industry fam for their continued support of me and SuperBad. I need y’all to know that I am still recording and working on a new record that will come out Fall 2010 and I plan to be home in time to promote it. I am also in the studio working on a new mix tape with Young Jeezy and set to release the movie, “Ghetto Stories: The Movie” by the end of the year. Y’all ain’t 'gon miss me. Believe that."

Red Bull Emsee Battle Recap

Last night, Red Bull held their first-ever (don't quote me on that) Emsee Battle here in good ol' Atlanta, Georgia. The event was hosted by Dres Tha Beatnik and consisted of 10 emcee's freestyling based on images they were given. It consisted of three rounds, with round two consisting of only five emcee's and round three with only three emcee's. Judges for the event included rapper Talib Kweli, producer 9th Wonder, and Adeem.

A rapper named Manchild, who I personally wasn't really feeling, won the battle. And prior to them announcing the winners of the battle Talib Kweli hit the stage to perform about five songs. His energy was CRAZY!!

Be sure to check out my footage of Talib Kweli's performance because I actually did a good job filming this time!

Jay-Z & Oprah Together Again

Oprah's continuing her season premiere week/month/whatever with an episode today (September 24) that will feature her interview with rapper Jay-Z. I'm sure you all remember a few months back when Oprah and Jay-Z visited Marcy Projects. Well, I'm pretty sure that the episode today will feature some footage from their visit. Trust me, today's episode will be major, like Twitter Trending Topics major so be sure to check it out (if you can).

Complex's The Clipse x KAWS Cover

Hip Hop duo The Clipse recently teamed up with artist KAWS for the October/November issue of Complex Magazine. The Clipse's ’Till The Casket Drops is expected to be released some time in the near future and the Oct/Nov issue of Complex will drop on October 6.

Check out this behind the scenes footage of The Clipse:

Roll With Respect

It's kind of ironic that I came across this video today because my mom and I were just talking about how people never seem to want to give their seats up on the train/bus to the elderly, pregnant women, etc. It's sad. Get outta your seat and "roll with respect."

Goodie Mob Marta PSA from Motion Family on Vimeo.

Goodie Mob Reunion & Hennessy Artistry

Last night, I had the opportunity to see music icons Goodie Mob, The Roots, Common, and Boyz II Men perform live. It was AMAZING!

Both shows were great. I got to see Goodie Mob perform two of my favorite songs by them, "Soul Food" and "Beautiful Skin." And the environment was crazy! You could tell that everyone in Masquerade Park was feeling it...white people, black people, Hispanic people, everyone! They definitely gave us a reason to "Remember Atlanta." I really hope that as a result of Goodie Mob's monumental show that folks here will give more respect to the artists who paved the way for Atlanta Hip Hop.

Over at Hennessy Artistry, Common was bringing it with songs like "Used To Love H.E.R." and "The People", backed by The Roots. Aside from stellar performances by The Roots and Common, we were also treated to a surprise performance by legendary R&B group Boyz II Men. The audience went CRAZY, singing along to classic songs like "End Of The Road" and "Motown Philly."

I was able to get some FlipCam footage from both events, but please keep in mind that I failed FlipCam 101 and big, football player looking dudes like to stand directly in front of me whenever I'm trying to film something. But I did the best I could. Enjoy!

Pink

I just finished watching VH1's Behind The Music: Pink and let me tell you, I already respected Pink as an artist and now I have even more respect for her. Really because of her boldness. She wasn't afraid to leave the R&B Pink that people had grown to love for the more rock n' roll, free-willed Pink. And I love her for that! A lot of artists in the music industry are so afraid to be who they are instead of what the label's tell them they should be.

The video below, "Dear Mr. President", is hands down my favorite Pink song. She went IN on Bush!!

Travel Chan Stan

I love the Travel Channel. Yea, you could probably call me a "Travel Chan Stan." With so many networks out there playing pure nonsense I find it refreshing to be able to tune in to good ol' channel 60 (Travel Channel here in the ATL) and get a glimpse at how the rest of the world lives. I've always dreamed of travel to distant places and the Travel Channel has really inspired me to succeed at what I am doing so that one day I will be able to travel the world.

At the moment, I'd probably say No Reservations is easily my favorite show. Anthony Bourdain is THE MAN, enough said. But if you all thought Bourdain was a little zany then wait til you check out the guys from Madventures.

Just to kind of give you an idea of how wild this show is gonna be the very first clip I saw of Madventures Riku, one of the shows hosts, is videotaped getting a massage from a transvestite in Southeast Asia! Hilarious. I wish I could embed the video, but that option wasn't available so to check it out click here.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. For the first episode, Riku and his fellow-host Tunna visit a Brazilian favela run by gang members. But before stepping foot in the favela Riku gets a diamond sewn under his skin in case of a potential robbery? I add a question mark to that not because I'm unsure if he actually does it or not (because he does), but that's insane! Questionably insane! I'm quite sure there will be more madness to come when Riku and Tunna visit Southeast Asia, Russia, and more.

Madventures premieres on Travel Channel on Monday, September 21, at 10 E/P.

Be sure to check out the promo video for Madventures for a little taste of what this season has in store.

Live Nation Club Passport

I was quite impressed earlier this week when I received an e-mail from the folks over at Live Nation explaining one of their latest promotions. It's called Club Passport and it allows you to check out an unlimited number of shows at Live Nation venues for the rest of the year for only $49.99. I'm not sure if this is a new promotion by Live Nation, but it sounds like a hell of a great deal especially if you're an avid concert-goer.

There's only about one venue per city that's participating in this promotion. Here in Atlanta it's The Tabernacle. But as long as the show's not sold out you're in there! And trust me with this recession only really big named artists are selling out.

Club Passport will only be available for a limited time so be sure to check out Live Nation's site if you're interested.