The Young, Black, and Fabulous

Venus & Serena Williams COVER "The NY Times Magazine", Serena REFLECTS On Her BIGGEST Career SCANDALS!
MUSIC CHICKS: Rihanna Hits Her Fave Restaurant + Ciara Jets Out Of LAX
PARTY PICS: Emily B. & Chrissy Lampkin Celebrate Their New Clothing Line
VIDEO: B.o.B Ft. Nicki Minaj "Out Of My Mind"
Kimbella & Yandy Smith Party With Their Men & POST BABY BODIES
Benzino DISHES ON FLING With Karlie Redd, Her Age And If Stevie J Is REALLY A PIMP!
Russell Simmons' New Chick Gets Sheer & Sweaty On the Red Carpet...AGAIN
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Antonique Smith Talks Funding Her Own Album, ROMANCE With Rick Ross & New Friendship With Faith Evans
R&B Divas, Monyetta Shaw, RL & His Fiance, Derek J & More RAISE CASH For Chanita Foster's BTG Foundation

Venus & Serena Williams COVER "The NY Times Magazine", Serena REFLECTS On Her BIGGEST Career SCANDALS!

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 09:21 AM PDT

Olympic gold medalists Venus and Serena Williams cover the latest issue of The New York Times Magazine where Serena dishes on her biggest career scandals. Get the deets inside........

Venus Williams and her sister Serena Williams graced the cover of the latest NY Time Magazine where the Gold medal champion sisters flaunt their envious athletic bods. Inside the mag, their mother talks about she felt about her daughters' track record of success:

“I reflected on the fact that in the United States, you don’t have many players that are doing well. And then you have these two old, black girls, up in age now, and they’re still holding up America. That to me was remarkable.”

Up in age? Oh.

Also in the article, Serena opened up about why she continues to boycott the Indian Wells Masters Series Tennis Tournament where she and her sister were taunted with racial slurs in 2001. She said,

“But I don’t need to go back there. They don’t like me. I don’t need to be there. If you can boo a teenager, and you can be white and 60 years old, you know what? I’m cool on you. I can understand maybe if they were 20, 15. But like at the French Open, the crowd boos you, but they’re young, they’re kids, they’re a younger crowd. It is what it is. You just know every time you go to Paris, you get booed, but you see so many kids in the crowd.

At Indian Wells, everybody goes there when they’re retired. It’s like Palm Beach. I thought, People like Martin Luther King Jr. boycotted things. And this is nothing on that level. Look at Muhammad Ali, he didn’t even play, he went to jail because he didn’t want to go to war. The least I can do is stand up for my people and not go there. That’s the very least I can do. It’s not even that hard of a decision. I get a vacation on those two weeks. It’s like the easiest decision of my career. They can penalize me to death, I’m never going back.”

She also talked about her outburst at a lineswoman at the 2009 US Open.

“I was definitely stressed, and I was angry. I don’t foot-fault. Like, I have in the past, but this woman should never make a call in the semifinals of a Grand Slam on a person who doesn’t foot-fault. She was totally wrong. I’m sorry. I’m not sorry. I looked at her like — I tried to warn her. And then she did it again. And I’m thinking, This is ridiculous.”

She added that she was embarassed about how she represented herself at the moment as a Jehovah's Witness.

"What bothered me most was that I was representing my religion. I just felt like anyone who knew I was a Witness was stumbled. And I really don’t want to stumble anybody. They had to have a talk with me. And I knew it was coming. I just felt really bad, though, because it’s like, that’s not who I am.”

Check out the issue on stands now and watch BTS footage here......

Photos via Damon Winter/The New York Times

MUSIC CHICKS: Rihanna Hits Her Fave Restaurant + Ciara Jets Out Of LAX

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 07:57 AM PDT

Rihanna loves her some Giorgio Baldi food! Chick made her umpteenth trip to the Santa Monica restaurant last night in all black. Pics inside, plus Ciara making her way out of L.A. inside....

Dressed in a black leather top, black pants, her Tom Ford shoes and white Prada bag, the "We Found Love" singer reportedly dined out alone two nights in a row at the restaurant. Even though she wasn't spotted with her usual friends, they possibly were still inside:

Chick loves her Italian food. Now that she's wrapped a few weeks of vacay and a festival weekend in Japan, Rih's gearing up for the MTV VMAs.

And over at LAX:

Looking cute and casual, Ciara was spotted catching a flight out of the city and off to her next venture:

She tweeted she's been in rehearsals this week for her upcoming video for her new single "Sorry." And even shared a pic:

Hope this One Woman Army movement works for her this time.

Pics: FAME

Extras:

1. Approximately 8 people were shot outside of the Empire State Building in NYC around 9am EST this morning. The suspect and one victim have been declared dead. The suspect is a male, identified as a disgruntled employee. (NBC Live News)

PARTY PICS: Emily B. & Chrissy Lampkin Celebrate Their New Clothing Line

Posted: 23 Aug 2012 05:37 PM PDT

Emily B. and Chrissy Lampkin aren't returning to VH1's "Love & Hip Hop," but the two aren't leaving the reality scene. Check out pics from their party to celebrate their new men's leather jacket line. And it was all caught on Chrissy's spinoff show cameras....

The clothing line Emily B. has been talking about starting...is actually not just hers. It's her and Chrissy's and another friend who did this together. And the line is called Cisum Couture. And it's all about leather jackets for men.

Wednesday night, the ladies held a private launch party for the occasion. And their frenemy and former co-star Somaya was there to support. As well as Adrienne Bailon, Beyonce's stylist Ty, and of course, Jimmy and his mama Nancy Jones. Here's a few pics from the night:

Chrissy's trainer.

Chrissy tweeted that she was back to filming today. This show out to be interesting....

Pics: Twitter/Instagram

VIDEO: B.o.B Ft. Nicki Minaj "Out Of My Mind"

Posted: 23 Aug 2012 05:21 PM PDT

Nicki Minaj puts on her mad doctor hat in B.o.B's new video for "Out Of My Mind." Check out the rapstress drop her lab coat to help her homie inside...

The track appears on rapper B.o.B's Strange Clouds album released back in April. And, of course, it's set in a mental hospital and was filmed in Detroit last month. Director Benny Boom has B.o.B. in strait jackets, Hannibal Lecter masks and more.

Check out Nicki & B.o.B get out of their f'in minds below....

Kimbella & Yandy Smith Party With Their Men & POST BABY BODIES

Posted: 23 Aug 2012 02:32 PM PDT

They birthed their babies just last month (only a couple weeks apart), so now besties and "Love & Hip Hop" co-stars Yandy Smith & Kimbella are back on the scene.

Check out the friends partying with their men this past weekend inside...

Looks like Kimbella's baby' daddy Juelz Santana is still in the picture afterall. The two weren't on the best of terms last year during the finale of the show, but it looks like now that their baby girl is here, everything's all good.

Yandy and her baby's daddy Mandeecees welcomed their baby boy at the beginning of last month too. But both ladies took some time away from nursing and changing diapers to hit up a party at NYC's La Marina last Sunday night:

Everybody kicked it with "Mob Wives" Karen Gravano and co-star Ramona Rizzo.

And Kimbella has been tweeting about her new diet/workout DVD she's working on. And she's on Operation Snapback to get her pre-baby bod back. She's looking good though.

Benzino DISHES ON FLING With Karlie Redd, Her Age And If Stevie J Is REALLY A PIMP!

Posted: 23 Aug 2012 01:38 PM PDT

Benzino, who we find hard to believe in any situation after seeing his LAHH foolery, hit up Z107.9 recently where he dished on Stevie J and her relationship with Karlie Redd. Deets inside.....

Benzino from Love & Hip Hop chatted it up with radio host Colby Colb in Cleveland about the finale and reunion show. And he revealed there will definitely be fireworks. He also revealed that he was really feeling Karlie Redd (sigh) and what they had ~~for one week~~ was serious....at the time. He realized things weren't working out and that she wasn't the one a few months into the relationship.

When asked if he thought she tried to use him, he said you can only get "used" to the extent you allow it to happen.

So how old is Karlie? Benzino said, "Now that I don't know!" So you were proposing to a chick whose age you didn't know? OK. He added that he would like to come back for season 2. I'm sure...

On Stevie J loving 2 women:
We are capable of loving more than one person. Is it right? Of course not. What makes Stevie's situation different is he brought his love triangle to the world. Whatever he's going through on camera, he's going through twice as much off camera. What Stevie's going through, I think a lot of men and women go through...

Was Stevie J really a pimp:
I've never known him to be a pimp, maybe in his mind....Stevie is a God-fearing man, he has kids...he takes care of his kids...he just got caught up in that situation. Stevie's just not this bad guy who has 2 women. I know what you see...the faces and him, that's Stevie...

Listen to the full interview here. And watch Benzino and Karlie Redd on "L&HH" finale and that foolish "proposal" below:

The emotionally charged 2-part reunion special airs Monday, August 27 and September 3 at 8PM on VH1. Get ready....

Russell Simmons' New Chick Gets Sheer & Sweaty On the Red Carpet...AGAIN

Posted: 23 Aug 2012 12:46 PM PDT

We don't know what's going on, but this is the second time Russell Simmons has brought his model of the milli-second on a red carpet looking like sweaty foolywang material.

Check the pics inside...

After last week's fiasco of a bedroom outfit where homegirl thought showing her ass...literally...was high fashion, chick struck again. Check out Uncle Russ and his new chick on last night's For A Good Time, Call... premiere at Regal Union Square in NYC:

Oh.

Pics: GETTY

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Antonique Smith Talks Funding Her Own Album, ROMANCE With Rick Ross & New Friendship With Faith Evans

Posted: 23 Aug 2012 12:18 PM PDT

Antonique Smith, most notable for playing Faith Evans in Notorious and now, Rick Ross' main chick in his new "Amsterdam" video, recently chatted it up with TheYBF.com. She's embarking on a new singing career. So she dished on balancing her music and acting careers (she now calls Faith her friend), working with Ricky Rozay, and why she's paying for her own album!

East Orange, New Jersey native Antonique Smith is certainly a YBF chick we're paying attention to. When the Broadway actress decided to pursue a career in music, she knew exactly who she was and who she wanted her fans to see. Unfortunately, record companies didn't share the vision.

A little background on this fresh face we've seen, but don't know much about: Antonique was raised in the church and taught herself to sing by listening to Whitney Houston records. The 29-year-old tells us that Whitney was her "first vocal coach" since she mimic'd her voice to learn rifts and runs.

As for her music's sound, she calls it "pop soul with a hip hop fusion."

Antonique hated what we all know about the industry: Record companies control the artist, tell them who to be, who they can work with and what they can sing about. But for the feisty chick with a deep R&B voice, that didn't sit so well. So she decided to go the grassroots route and fund the record herself....with fan donations! (She raised over $9,000 after posting a clever clip to Kickstarter.)

On her upcoming album Speechless

I think fans will really like it. It talks about what I'm going through. I'm trying to keep it 100% pure so that's why I'm doing KickStarter. As an actress the fans are already seeing me in different ways because I'm playing someone else. So it's important for me to be myself when it comes to my music. It will be very personal.

On the album's title track "Speechless"

It's a long song about a guy who just means so much to you to you that you don't have the words to describe it. All you can say is 'Ummm'.

On how she started an acting career

I started acting in my grandmother's living room when I was 4. I used to record her own radio show on a small tape recorder where I played a variety of characters. Those skits eventually led to my first job as a teenage drug addict on [the TV series] "100 Centre Street." I remember my director said, 'She's a great actress with an amazing career ahead of her'.

On her lead role of "Mimi" in Broadway's RENT

I went through acting boot camp. I learned how to conserve my voice for 8 shows a week, that "the show must go on" and that you just have to "keep it moving." And once Lady Gaga appeared on the scene, it's allowed artists to get a little more theatrical in their live shows.

On playing the leading lady in Rick Ross's "Amsterdam" video

Working with Rick Ross was really great and I had a lot of fun on the set. They know how to treat a lady and Rick is a really nice guy. Maybe we can work together on one of my tracks if I raise enough to pay him!

On her breakout role in Notorious (pictured above with Faih Evans & co-star Anthony Mackie)

I definitely appreciate both Lil' Kim and Faith Evans, but I have an actual friendship with Faith. I hope I can work with her in the future as well. We're trying to figure out on what song, but we haven't narrowed it down.

Peep Antonique's Kickstarter video below:

And you can check out her current single "Speechless" below:

TheYBF.com will premiere Antonique's next single, "Take A Chance", tomorrow.

R&B Divas, Monyetta Shaw, RL & His Fiance, Derek J & More RAISE CASH For Chanita Foster's BTG Foundation

Posted: 23 Aug 2012 10:04 AM PDT

"R&B" Divas KeKe Wyatt, Sylenna Johnson and Nicci Gilbert were among the celebs who helped raise money for Chanita Foster's BTG Foundation last night. We've got lots of pics inside.....

Former reality star Chanita Foster hosted her 2nd Annual Charity Benefit for her BTG (Beyond The Game) Foundation that supports 1000 children in Swaziland, Africa yesterday at the Park Tavern. 100% of the proceeds will go to the school Chanita built called "Beyond the Game" and will feed there children for the next several months.

Her reality show & singer friends all came out to support.

The R&B Divas Nicci, KeKe and Syleena brought out their men for the evening. Y'all know KeKe was not leaving the house without her hubby.

The ladies also posed with RL's fiance Lena. Cute dress for her.

Monyetta Shaw, Ne Yo's baby momma, was honored during of the evening. Sidenote: Each month, she feeds a total of 48 children she and her fiance Ne-Yo have adopted in Swaziland.