The Young, Black, and Fabulous

BREAKING: Dr. Conrad Murray SENTENCED To 4 Years Imprisonment!
YBF KID: Diddy's Son Justin Combs Nabs FULL FOOTBALL SCHOLARSHIP To UCLA!
Tyler Perry Pens OPEN LETTER To Alleged 11-Year-Old Sandusky Victim
Get A SNEAK PEEK Now of "T.I. & Tiny: A Family Hustle"
Tameka Raymond DEMANDS Sole Custody Of Kids....After Usher Cuts Off Her Charge Cards!
Kelly Rowland Reveals She Loves A Good Sex Shop
TV FAB: "ReDICKulous" Self-Service Act On "RHOA" Sets Off FIRE-STORM Of Controversy
Dawn Richard's "December Sky" Promo Pics + Wale & Rick Ross Chop It Up In BILLBOARD
Pooch Hall Reveals JAIL STINT At Bayou Classic!

BREAKING: Dr. Conrad Murray SENTENCED To 4 Years Imprisonment!

Posted: 29 Nov 2011 10:01 AM PST

Conrad Murray was just sentenced moments ago in a Los Angeles court. And he's getting the max term. Details inside...

The court determined that the appropriate sentencing was the "high" term of 4 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter.

The judge stated he feels the max term is necessary because the doctor abandoned his patient who trusted him, administered potentially dangerous drugs, his actions occurred over a period of time, he repeatedly lied to cover up his transgressions, and he violated the trust of his patient and medical community.

The judge also said Murray has "absolutely no sense of remorse" and is still dangerous.

If Dr. Murray does end up practicing medicine in the U.S. or elsewhere, the judge said Murray "is so reckless" with his conduct that he's a danger to all everywhere.

Due to overcrowding in the jails, many believe he will actually only serve 2 years in county jail. Or 2 years of home confinement because of overcrowding in county jails as well.

Source: ABC News

YBF KID: Diddy's Son Justin Combs Nabs FULL FOOTBALL SCHOLARSHIP To UCLA!

Posted: 29 Nov 2011 08:01 AM PST

Justin Combs, son of mogul Diddy and fashion maven/stylist Misa Hylton, just nabbed a sweet deal. And nope, it doesn't involve music. Check out how Justin will be flexing his athletic skills at UCLA next year inside....

Justin Combs is all about his grades and his ball playing. And it's clearly paid off. Diddy's oldest son just announced today via press release that he has accepted a full scholarship to play Division 1 football at UCLA!

And the uber cutie isn't a dumb jock...he's carrying a 3.75 GPA as a Senior at Iona Prep in New Rochelle, NY. And it didn't hurt he was also thehead of the African American Society. He will major in Business Finance next fall as a college freshman.

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound cornerback chose the Bruins over offers from Wyoming, Virginia, and Illinois, among others.

And the youngin's pretty happy about his decision to follow his dreams. He said in a statement today:

“Today I am truly blessed and thankful to accept my scholarship and give my full commitment to UCLA. Playing division I football was a life long dream of mine, and through hard work I was able to achieve it. I am a living testament that with a strong relationship with God, family, and hard work dreams do come true.”

Proud papa Diddy gushed, “As a parent, today is one of the proudest moments of my life. This is everything a father could want for his son, for him to excel at what he loves to do and is truly passionate about."

He went on to say, "Justin is a shining example of what hard work, determination and a strong mentality can achieve. I am honored to call him my son and am happy that he is fulfilling his dream.”

Justin was also selected to play in the inaugural Marine Semper Fi All-American Game held in Phoenix, AZ, January 3rd, as part of college football’s Fiesta Bowl weekend. Hopefully Justin can get some pointers from Romeo Miller about how to handle the California college girls. Stay focused!

Tyler Perry Pens OPEN LETTER To Alleged 11-Year-Old Sandusky Victim

Posted: 29 Nov 2011 07:44 AM PST

Tyler Perry has penned an emotional open letter to an 11-year old boy affected by the Penn State/Sandusky molestation scandal. He tells him he isn't a victim....he's a survivor. Read it inside....

We all remember when the very brave producer/director Tyler Perry revealed years of sexual abuse to Oprah. Now he is reaching out to survivors through an open letter in NEWSWEEK about the Sandusky child abuse scandal to let them know they are not alone. Read it here:

I don’t know your name, but I know your face. I don’t know your journey, but I know where you are. I am your brother!

I must tell you, what you have done is so courageous. The strength that it must have taken for your 11-year-old voice to speak out about such a horrible act is something that I didn’t have the strength or courage to do at that age.

I was a very poor young black boy in New Orleans, just a face without a name, swimming in a sea of poverty trying to survive. Forget about living, I was just trying to exist. I was enduring a lot of the same things that you’ve come forward and said happened to you, and it was awful. I felt so powerless. I knew what was happening to me, but unlike you, I couldn’t speak about it because no one saw me. I was invisible and my voice was inaudible.

So to think that you, when you were only 11 years old, spoke up—you are my hero! I’m so proud of you. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I want you to know you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not your fault. Please know that you were chosen by a monster. You didn’t choose him. You didn’t ask for it and, most of all, you didn’t deserve it. What a huge lesson that was for me to learn. Your 11-year-old self was no match for wicked, evil tactics of this kind. You were hunted like prey. A pedophile looks for the young boys he thinks he can manipulate. The ones who have daddy or mommy issues, the ones who are broken, and the ones who are in need. But this wasn’t you.

Do you know that at the young age of 11 you had more courage than all the adults who let you down? All of the ones who didn’t go to the proper authorities, all of the ones who were worried about their careers, reputations, or livelihoods. All of the ones who didn’t want to get involved. Or even the ones who tried to convince your mother not to fight. You are stronger than them all! I wonder what they would have done if it were their own child.

I had a few of those adults in my life, too. They knew and did nothing. One of them even said to me that it was my fault, because I allowed myself to spend time with the molesters. And yes, this was someone who was in power and could have called the police, but instead this person allowed this criminal to go on molesting other young boys for many years. When I did tell a family member, I wasn’t believed. I suffered in silence. But not you, my young strong hero, you have done what many of us wish we could have done. You used your voice!

You know, now that you’re older you need to be aware that the aftermath of abuse may affect you for a very long time. But that’s OK; just know that the strength it took for you to talk about it then will help you get through it now. I often tell myself that if I made it through that experience as a child, then surely as a man I should be able to get past it. It still may take you a while, but that’s OK too. I have known people who have gone through the same things that we have, but unfortunately they were never able to admit it, and it destroyed them. They never went for help, and they let the abuse defeat them. Some of them went to prison for crimes, some are addicted to drugs, and some have even committed suicide. I know that none of these things will happen to you. You are too strong for that!

No matter what happens next, just know that the hardest part is over. I wish the coward and very sick individual who hurt you would have the courage to admit his wrong and not put you through a trial. But he will most likely profess his innocence until the bitter end. And probably, all the while, yelling at the top of his lungs about all he has done to help troubled young boys.

You may have to go through with that trial, and you may feel all alone when you’re on that witness stand, but just know that there are millions of young boys and grown men who are standing with you—including me. If every man who has ever been molested would speak up, you would see that we’re all around you. You may not know all of our faces and names, but my prayer is that you feel our strength holding you up. You will get through this; you’ve already endured the worst part at age 11. Now fight on, my young friend, fight on! We are all with you.

This entire situation is such a sad and disgusting one...any way you cut it. Your thoughts?

Photo via Christian Lantry / Corbis Outline

Get A SNEAK PEEK Now of "T.I. & Tiny: A Family Hustle"

Posted: 29 Nov 2011 07:08 AM PST

Last night, a sneak peek of "T.I. & Tiny: A Family Hustle" aired on VH1. Check it inside in case you missed it...

Your fave hip-hop couple who may need subtitles is back on tv. In the sneak peek of T.I. & Tiny's new reality show, we see T.I. disciplining the kids about calling themselves light skinned and not white and playing "booty tag" with girls, having a funny and romantic dinner with wife Tameka, fights at the club, and teaching his son how to perform.

"I got 6 kids and my old lady depending on my hustle," T.I. said in the sneak peek. I can't make 1 single mistake. Family is priority #1. Now that I'm back home, I'm gonna make sure we're a bigger and better family than ever before."

Get More: T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle

T.I. says about the series, "Tameka and I have a strong, loving family. In this family documentary, you will see the challenges of raising children while balancing a career. It's like a lot of families, only our home is in the spotlight."

Their show premieres December 5th at 9/8c on VH1.

Tameka Raymond DEMANDS Sole Custody Of Kids....After Usher Cuts Off Her Charge Cards!

Posted: 29 Nov 2011 06:33 AM PST

Hell hath no fury like Tameka Raymond without her charge cards. Chick is taking Usher to court and demanding sole custody of their kids. And his decision making when it comes to the kids in addition to him cutting off her charge cards doesn't sit well with her. Deets inside.....

According to legal documents Tameka Raymond wants sole custody of her two sons with singer Usher Raymond because she claims he doesn't involve her in his "co-parenting" decisions AND he cut off her Saks 5th Avenue card!

TMZ reports that in court papers recently filed in Georgia, Tameka claims Usher:

repeatedly FAILED to obtain her permission to travel outside the state with the kids
never got her approval before hiring nannies or gave her first shot to watch the kids when he's away for more than 8 hours
didn't allow her to take the kids for 2-weeks in the summer of 2011
didn't let her have custody of the kids during Christmas break 2010
And, he closed her Saks 5th Avenue credit card

We're also told by a source that Usher involves his new girlfriend (who he still doesn't admit to being involved with) and manager Grace Miguel has too much influence in Usher's life. She has kids of her own from past relationships, and the two are together most of the time while he's living coast to coast. We're told he has repeatedly made decisions based off what Grace tells him to do with his personal life, and Tameka's not feeling that.

Tameka also claims he promised to pay $5k per month so Tameka could hire her own nanny, but he's now $34,000 behind in payments. Oh....and she also wants more child support. Since his career has become more successful, she feels his kids deserve more too.

I'm sure there are baby mommas and ex-wives all around the country who would love Tameka's problems. Many women just want the man to acknowledge that the kids exist and show some type of care or love (e.g. Sheree Whitfield). This one isn't going to end in a pretty way though...

Kelly Rowland Reveals She Loves A Good Sex Shop

Posted: 28 Nov 2011 04:49 PM PST

While promoting the release of Here I Am in the UK, Kelly Rowland revealed that she loves a good trip to the sex shop for a few toys. Chick is getting real REAL these days isn't she? Get the deets inside....

Though its already made a mark with her album here in the states, Kelly Rowland has only recently released "Motivation" as a single and launched the release of Here I Am in the UK.

During promos for the single and LP she revealed to the Daily Mirror,

"You can’t keep me away from a good sex shop. Those are interesting places. I go with a bunch of people that way no one recognises me."

She also revealed that at age 30, she feels more free sexually.

'I’m now liberated at 30, it’s almost a transition."

She added that her mother likes her new single saying,

'I was scared what my mum would say after Motivation but she was yelling, "Go lover."'

No mad at that....

TV FAB: "ReDICKulous" Self-Service Act On "RHOA" Sets Off FIRE-STORM Of Controversy

Posted: 28 Nov 2011 12:29 PM PST

Last night on episode 4 of "RHOA" Phaedra Parks presented Kandi with a HUGE birthday present in the form of ATL stripper ReDICKulous. Now we've all seen strippers on "RHOA" before....but it's a certain "self-service" act that he might have performed on stage that really set folks like Roland Martin and Kandi's momma off. Watch it inside....

You might have heard folks around the watercooler talking about "RHOA" last night. This likely happens once a week but a few things went down last night that have some folks enraged.

First some background....Sex toy expert Kandi Burruss celebrated her 35th birthday. So preacher's kid Phaedra Parks hired her client ReDICKulous to do a birthday set. No biggie right? Well....you might remember that Phaedra said last season that she knew a stripper who could give himself oral sex....well...that's him!

Now....we don't see THAT on camera....but let's assume Phaedra didn't bring him out unless he was gonna show off ALL his tricks. Whatever did happen...it upset a lot of viewers, including Roland Martin, who tweeted:

If you watched the Real Housewives of Atlanta last night #RHOA, you have a lot of brain cells missing this morning. Pure TRASH/GHETTO TV

And it also upset Kandi's momma who summed it up best, "This is some bullsh*t!"

Watch the infamous performance of ReDICKulous here:

Watch Kandi's Mom GO OFF about the ish here:

Thoughts?

Dawn Richard's "December Sky" Promo Pics + Wale & Rick Ross Chop It Up In BILLBOARD

Posted: 28 Nov 2011 11:19 AM PST

Kalenna's not the only one embarking on her solo career. Dawn Richard, one-third singer/songwriter of the Diddy-Dirty Money group, is releasing her first iTunes solo single, "December Sky. And we have her brand new promo pics.

Plus, check out what Wale and Rick Ross told BILLBOARD mag this week inside...

Dawn got into the Holiday spirit recently when she released a sweet song about missing loved ones during the Holidays. She wrote and produced "December Sky" alongside Druski (who she also did "SMFU" with). Check out her new promo pics.

"A lot of people won't be able to see their loved ones this Christmas," says Dawn. "Whether they are serving in Iraq/Iran, in the industry or working a 9 to 5, the truth is a lot of us aren't able to make it home for the holidays. So this record is for them and anyone else missing their love - the sky and stars are a gift for us both because no matter how far apart we are, we are under the same sky."

"December Sky" is available on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody and the iPhone Store beginning December 1, 2011. And the New Orleans native is also prepping her solo album debut GoldenHeart.

The Maybach Music boys are the feature of the upcoming issue of Billboard magazine. After a good start by Wale and an upcoming much awaited LP from CEO Rick Ross, the MMG is making headlines everywhere. Here's their quotes:

RICK ROSS QUOTES

On his health:

One month later, Ross says that he “feels great,” and although rumors abound about his physical state, he chalks up the scares to a “lack of sleep.”

“It could have been a lot worse,” Ross adds of the health scare. “So I’m just thankful. I feel good—and I’m back on my grind already.”

About his new album, “God Forgives, I Don’t”:

“This album is almost like a movie,” Ross says. “I wanted [the title] to be something that was extremely emotional, to set up a real roller coaster ride as far as the music and thought process. It sounds like a term of retaliation, and with the picture that I’m painting, it felt perfect.”

On Maybach’s business model:

“I’ve most definitely been a fan of Hov and his whole movement,” Ross says of Jay-Z. “He gave a blueprint to a lot of young entrepreneurs, as well as Wayne, with how active Wayne is with artists. There’s a lot of different approaches, but at the end of the day, we’ve . . . just got to be hands-on and walk our own path.”

On having faith in Wale’s talent despite poor album sales:

Ross says that he could see the passion in Wale’s rhymes, and the poor sales of Attention Deficit didn’t deter him from offering Wale a deal. “It wasn’t about hype, and it wasn’t about past success,” Ross says. “It was about who Wale was as an MC—an incredible MC—that made me a fan. I felt we could make history together.”

WALE

On the success of “Ambition”:

“It’s not surprising,” Wale ways coolly of the victory. “I knew I could do it.”

On label boss Rick Ross:

“I was on his radar,” Wale says. “Ross had the vision from the start.”

On getting good advice from Jay-Z:

“Jay-Z, essentially, is my business adviser,” Wale says. “Him, Rich and [Roc Nation’s] John Meneilly. I know Jay has a personal place in his heart for Ambition. I remember one time I was on the phone with Jay, asking him, ‘What did I do [wrong]? What can I do differently?’ He was like, ‘Maybe you just didn’t come with that single. You made a solid first album. But you didn’t come up with that single.’ That just added fuel to my fire.”

His take on rap music:

“[Rappers] used to take pride in being the best or becoming the best. Now they just talk about who has the most swag. But who wants to be the best?” he asks. Wale really wants to know. “Come to the table with your albums. I nailed it this time. I’ll keep busting my ass until . . . you’re going to have to respect me. I love hip-hop so much, and I’m really a humble dude. We’re all cocky inside our records—because that’s how rap is.”

Check out the full story over at Billboard.

The Randomness:

1. The Maybach has been discontinued. I saw this one coming... Story

Photog: Emeranie

Pooch Hall Reveals JAIL STINT At Bayou Classic!

Posted: 28 Nov 2011 09:37 AM PST

Over the weekend, Lance Gross and Pooch Hall were among the celebrities in New Orleans for the Bayou Classic at the Superdome. And they did a bit of good between all the parties. During a panel where they shared their life experiences with today's youth, Pooch Hall revealed a jail stint from his past. Deets inside.....

Over the weekend, Do-Gooder YBF stars Lance Gross, BET's "The Game" actor, Pooch Hall and "ATL" star Jackie Long hosted a celebrity panel for The "Achieve One" Youth Empowerment Summit during the annual Southern University and Grambling State University Bayou Classic Weekend.

During the panel, the actor told the 500 students how they overcame set backs as black actors, told students to stay focused and out of trouble and urged students to never give up.

Pooch Hall shockingly revealed,

"Not too many people know this, but I had a run in with the law years and years ago where I was jailed for four months. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong people. It's important that you have good influences and surround yourself around good people because not everyone gets a second chance like I did."

And Lance Gross added,

"One of the biggest struggles I faced growing up was being a shy kid. I had to learn to overcome this and although I'm still a shy guy I haven't let it hold me back from opportunities."

Jackie Long urged kids to write down their dreams and stay focused.

"It's important that you write down your goals and dreams whatever they may be, said Long. Then once you do that you start knocking them off one by one and if you get delayed don't give up. Keep going."

Also at the panel were Lamonte' Cole; Principal, speaker and guest host, Sevetri Wilson; non-profit & celebrity charity consultant and developer of the "Achieve One" Celebrity Teen Summit Tour, Edward "Ted" James; summit panelist, Louisiana State Representative and Attorney, Film and TV Actor; Lance Gross, Kim Turner; Outreach Director and guest panelist, The Game Actor; Pooch Hall, ATL star; Jackie Long, Dr. Calvin Mackie; nationally renown public speaker and motivational speaker, Kwame Asante; Attorney, "Achieve One" Celebrity Teen Summit Creator and Executive Director of The Achievement Academy.