In case you simply want to be ahead of the game, you can now watch the full first episode of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta Season 1.

Personally I’ve already watched it and can’t wait until next week. J

Whether or not you watch the show now on Seaspot.com or later on tonight via VH1; make sure you take to the comment section below after watching and post your thoughts on the show!

R.I.P. to Rodney King!!!!!

Yesterday the news was brought to us that Rodney King was found dead at his house Sunday morning face down in the pool.

According to “sources,” his fiancé Cynthia Kelley is telling friends hours before his death, Rodney King was drinking, and smoking bud (weed.) Kelley also says around 5:00am she was awoken to Rodney King butt naked and screaming while banging on glass outside by the pool. She asked him “What’s wrong, Rodney?” Not sure what happened immediately after she asked the question but my guess is he didn’t respond because her next reaction to the situation was to grab her phone; however while grabbing her phone she heard a big splash outside. After going back out to see what happened she seen Rodney King at the bottom of the pool, and quickly called police.

As of right now, cops are saying no foul play had anything to do with Rodney Kings death but -- law enforcement sources say Rialto PD will open a drowning investigation. --

I’m not going to take the time to get into the whole riot and “Rodney King Beating” situation because I’m pretty sure we all know what went down, and if you don’t, I’m pretty sure if you Google “Rodney King Beating” you will find plenty of tapes. However I will say this…. It stinks that the beating is all most people are tying him to now that he’s gone. Everywhere I look someone is reposting the video of his beating. Personally I’ll blame my own personal ignorance for not taking the time to truly Google the man seeing that I didn’t know he was a boxer. I just hope that when others blog or vlog about Rodney King’s death [and all the speculations that go along with it], they aren’t simply talking about the beating as if that’s the only thing he had going for him.

Rodney King dies June 17, 2012 at age 47.

Just a few days ago, while at work passing the time on the internet, I came across a very peculiar story about a girl in the Ukraine and her infatuation to become a “real-life” Barbie doll. At the time I saw the story and the pictures that went along with it, I thought to myself, here we go again. To me, this was just another complex that some young girl had immersed herself in. However, the more I began to search for information on this girl the more intrigued I became not only with whom she was, where she was from, and why she had this obsession, but I also found myself more and more enthralled with the notion that at the age of 21 this young girl felt an overwhelming need to change her appearance so drastically. As a woman, I can relate and I’m sure tons of women everywhere have at some point in life felt the same way in one form or another. The only difference is that the extremity with which we approach the need for physical, mental and emotional change is to each his/her own. To many, the focus of today’s modern world is broken down to a simple question, who needs the fountain of youth when the plastic surgeons table is just a phone call and a credit card away?

The story I had mentioned earlier was of Valeria Lukyanova “The Ukranian Barbie Doll” in the picture above. With a body proportion that has people all over the world in awe, The Russian internets’ self proclaimed most famous woman, has a following that could easily trump any Youtube sensations’. She’s transformed her body to resemble that of her idols with what seems to be very little effort and like I mentioned before, she’s only 21 years old. The oddities with Valeria’s story come by the dozen but the thing that throws me off as well as various tabloid/news/ media sites, is the fact that she denies having any kind of surgery or cosmetic procedure done to acquire the look. Hard to believe coming from one of the world’s top locations for plastic surgery, but her lack of comment on the issue leaves many in question. This isn’t the first and will most certainly not be the last time we hear of something like this, in fact, it’s all too common. Statistics for plastic surgery rates are on a constant rise worldwide. Living in a large city like Seattle I can honestly say that I know more than a handful of girls and guys that have had cosmetic procedures done to enhance their appearance and until recently it was a “no big deal” in my book. But the recent intrigue I’ve acquired in body enhancement with all of the research I’ve done has me a bit perplexed.

I remember looking back to when I was younger, a flash back of my mother yelling at me at the age of 8 for putting on a shade of lipstick that was an “inappropriate” color for my age made it apparent that such things were reserved for another time in life. I too had a need at a very young age to become the doll that I played with and found it hard to resist the allure of the “big-girls” syndrome. I wanted to put on makeup, I wanted big boobs, and I wanted a waist that would stop traffic, but would I ever go to the extreme that Valeria has gone to? Who was to tell at that point? My Barbie dolls, which were once used as paint brushes went from being toys that I played with to idols that like Valeria, I too worshiped. Thankfully, I grew out of that phase but so many of us out there never really do. Personally, I can’t wait for a time to come when we are all at peace with what we have, when we have it, because even with the finest in plastic surgeries and procedures there is no real way to turn back the hands of time.

Do not regret growing older.  It is a privilege denied to many.  ~Author Unknown

-Written By Bianca

There is a problem I would like to address that has affected me on many levels. We have a problem in the world with losing our voices. We don’t speak out when we see something wrong going on. We don’t want to get involved. “Hey, someone else will stop and help.” But how about if instead of us assuming that the next person is going to help out, we do something about it. There is a story about a Good Samaritan who decided to not walk on by when he saw another human being suffering. Essentially the story goes that there was a `person who was beaten, robbed, and basically left for dead on the side of the road. Several people walked by and left him there as if he didn’t even exist., but finally someone who should not have stopped did.

Let’s pretend that the person who was beat up on the road was a blood and the person who stopped to help him was a crip. Now we would all agree that this is not a likely scenario but it is possible if the situation is right. We can also say that the first couple of people to walk by were a Catholic priest and a Baptist preacher. Now not only did the crip stop and help the blood, but he took him to the hospital and told them that he would cover all of the medical expenses. Why is this so important? Because it has the opportunity to teach us something very profound. Sometimes the ones that we expect to help us won’t and when you least expect it you can get some help from some of the least likely of places. Essentially, it is a lesson that you shouldn’t have to know someone to help them through their suffering. There are many times when we may encounter someone we don’t know who may ask us for help and how you answer them may determine a lot in your life.

We all could learn a lesson from this story. One being we have all been through many varying trials in our lives that we lived to talk about. My feeling is that the reason we have gone through these trials is to be able to help someone through the same thing. I have gone through many things in my life that others may have not survived. I didn’t make it through on my own, I was merely blessed to still be here. I always felt like any problem I had was unique to me, and that nobody could possibly understand what I was going through. When I did encounter a problem, I held it in. I just felt like no one could relate to what I was going through, so I wouldn’t bother anyone with it. Truth is there’s nothing new under the sun. I was simply reliving some part of the past through my own life. Too often people are picked on, or bullied and never speak on it. I contend that the problem is not the bully; the problem is silence. Because if you dig deep enough you will find that, every bully is being bullied by something in their own life. It might be something at home or school that they can’t deal with or don’t know how to deal with yet. We must start looking at the real roots of problems so that we can find the real solutions. Let’s stop putting band aids on everything because all it does is cover the wound and make it take longer to heal. Wounds need to breath. This silence is leading many people to take their own lives and it is time to start speaking up for ourselves and for each other. Let’s not assume that someone else is going to help. Remember, a lot of acting out is merely the person crying and even screaming for help. Let’s end the silence as it’s time to heal and that can only be done through open and honest communication. 

-Written By Daniel

After yesterday’s press conference by the lawyers who claim to “represent” George Zimmerman, it has become clear that these lawyers Hal Uhrig and Craig Sonner have not been legally retained by Zimmerman. Nor have they ever met him face to face; which I actually find quite appalling. In a case of this magnitude, the fact that he would not have contract with lawyers is beyond me. It is also disturbing to note that since this guy went into hiding, it is unclear where he is and whether he is even in this country. He clearly is not in the state of Florida which is one thing that everyone is agreement with, but if not there where is he? How can we be so sure that if the Special Prosecutor in the case decides to file charges that he will return to face the music. It is shocking to me that such a high profile suspect would be allowed to leave the area at all. And if he is so concerned about his safety would not the safest place he could be in the custody and comfort of his beloved Sanford Police department? They have done an excellent job of protecting him so far. It saddens me to see this person (I refuse to call this individual a man) playing the victim in a situation which is fully and completely his fault.

-Written By Daniel

The Scarlet letter is a novel written in 1850 by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is a tale of a woman who comes across the sea to America to puritan Boston between the years of 1642-1649. The story is about Hester Prynne who comes to America, gets pregnant, has a child outside of marriage, and is forced to wear a large scarlet “A” which stands for adultery. She then refuses to identify the person with whom she has had her affair and she is shunned by the town, and forced to struggle through life a marked person for the rest of her life. Now this is a very simplified version of the story, but the point is she was marked by people for a sin that she committed and was given a constant reminder that she was a sinner. And you ask what today’s scarlet letter is; I would contend that the new scarlet letter is the mark of being a convicted felon. Ex-cons who for whatever reason have committed some form of crime against society; goes to jail, which is a deplorable place to be under any circumstance. They then give their pound of flesh and are released back out into the street. Now it is supposed to be that once you have served your time you are free of your debt to society and you should be able to continue your life as a productive member of society. However, for those who either are a felon or know one should know that this is not the case. Whenever you fill out a job application, you are required to divulge your crime to someone that you do not know; something from your past that you already paid for. For most people, that is the end of their lives. A person can only fill out so many applications and hear so many no’s before they get tired of trying to do the right thing.

What is the result? Often times a person will fall back into their old behaviors, which usually are criminally minded. It is a vicious cycle that is repeated over and over again all across the country. Not only that, but the justice system will also use your old crimes against you in a little system that they call the “point’s system.” When you commit a crime even when you are a child you become marked almost forever unless you know the steps to take to have your record expunged. Now, the way the point system works is that when you commit a new crime all of your old crimes are brought to trial, and used against you to determine what kind of “deal” you are going to get. It does not matter if the past crime has anything to do with what you are currently charged with either.

I would like to ask the question of how this is not considered a case of double jeopardy. Washington state courts use a point system, where your prior criminal history in Washington state and other states and the nature of the charges currently pending against you dictate the standard “range” of jail or prison time that you are facing. The number of points you have will determine how high the range should be. Webster dictionary states that double jeopardy in defined as, “the putting of a person on trial for an offense for which he or she has previously been put on trial under a valid charge: two adjudications for one offense.” The Fifth Amendment seems to be of no consequence to the lawmakers in Washington State because this seems to be exactly what they are doing to people on a daily basis. With all that against them, is there hope for people who have felonies to regain their lives? The answer is a resounding yes. It is not easy but it can be done. However, the responsibility is not on the felon alone it belongs to all of us because somewhere along the way of life that person was let down by someone and made a decision which has led to the place they are in now. What is needed are people who are not afraid to help those they see in need. We all were given a chance in life at some point and we need to remember that and try and help out others when we can, especially those who have for whatever reason made decisions which have led them to be marked as felons. Felons are still people and it’s up to us to help each other feel like people again. There is life after prison. Don’t give a hand out lend a hand up or at the very least just get out the way and don’t make it harder than it already is. 

“If you’re not part of the solution your part of the problem”

-Written By Daniel

We in America have a problem and its called race. It has been discovered in the scientific community that there is no gene, which can be determined to control a person’s race. In fact, the only difference between one person and the next across the color scheme is simply how much melanin a person has in their skin. With that being said, it’s clear that race matters here in the USA. The problem is that it doesn’t matter to everyone. As a black man I am not concerned about the race of those people around me, but I am very aware of my surroundings. Growing up in Seattle has given me a unique perspective on the ways of race. While living in a predominantly white city, growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, and attending a predominantly white high school; I learned one thing… They don’t hate me they fear me. And fear is a very powerful emotion; it can paralyze a person into inaction or even make a person act irrationally. It can cause people like George Zimmerman to believe that Skittles and Ice Tea are deadly weapons, and hoodies equal suspicious. The sooner we are honest about race relations in this country the better off we will be. Because we will not be able to heal or come together in any form or fashion until we admit that there is a problem.

[Photo Source]

-Written By Daniel

Zimmerman's mug shot from today

I think I can speak for most of us when it say, IT’S ABOUT TIME!!!!

Today, while most of us were still at work, George Zimmerman turned himself into a Florida jail, and is now facing second-degree murder in the Trayvon Martin case.

Zimmerman received some jail treatment today (Wednesday) in Sanford FL, not to long after “a special prosecutor” announced the second-degree murder charges against him. I’m happy to say, Zimmerman is expected to make his first official appearance in court tomorrow (Thursday).

Zimmerman's Attorney Mark O'Mara says that his client will plead not guilty. Zimmerman is being held without bond but O'Mara said he plans to ask for bail to be set. – Via ABCNews

WOMP! WOMP!

All I know is, just as Trayvon Martin’s family has said, “we simply wanted an arrest.” Now that we have Zimmerman in custody, and it’s clear he will be put on trail, plus will be forced to PROVE his actions were “self defense” we can put this case in the hands of the court, the way it should have been all along.

Raise your hand if you will be watching this trail if they put it on TV *raises hand and does the happy dance*

-Janay Naybesa

Only Oprah Winfrey can score an interview like this. Sunday (March 11, 2012) we will all be able to witness Oprah interview Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina, her brother Gray Houston, and even sister-in-law/manager Patricia Houston.

During the interview Bobbi Kristina (who is the main reason most of us will be watching) will be speaking for the first time since her mothers death last month.

Bobbi Kristina shares personal memories of her mom and how she would like the iconic superstar to be remembered. The family also addresses the rumors and speculation surrounding Houston’s death. Via - Miss Jia

Be sure to catch this once in a life time interview Sunday at 9 p.m on “Oprah’s Next Chapter” on OWN.

Will you be watching???

-Via RapUp

Over the weekend, I was shocked at all the stabbings, and shootings going on in places like K-Mart, and recently the Federal Way, Old Country Buffet.

According to Komo4, two people were critically injured yesterday (Sunday) when two family members that don’t get along showed up to what was supposed to be a peaceful, lunch.

Around, 3:15pm police received reports of a stabbing, after a large fight between the family members broke out, leaving two critically injured from stab wounds, and one with minor injuries.

"Police said the incident unfolded as a large group of more than 20 family members were having dinner together in a side room at the Old Country Buffet.

Two family members with differences showed up, and an argument broke out. The argument turned into a violent, physical brawl among several family members." – Via Komo4

All I want to know is what was the basis of this argument, not to mention, if you know you have family members that you don’t get along with, why did you come? Some may think information like this isn’t the business of the public however, when you’re fighting in public like that, it’s becomes the communities business because you’re now putting our lives in danger.

I’m not sure what’s causing all of the violence in Seattle, but I will be glad when it’s over.

It’s pretty evident Lil Wayne is forever kissing people, seeing that a few years ago he kissed Baby on two separate occasions. During the 61^st annual NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne were spotted locking lips.

We posted this photo on Facebook and one big topic people brought up was, what Drake was possibly thinking during this public display of Young Money affection. My guess was ‘I can’t even look at this.’

In a recent interview with Vibe, Nicki talked about the power she has over men:

“Power over men… No, I don’t feel like I have power over men. I feel like… you know what, I haven’t changed. Success hasn’t changed me in any way. My best friends, they’ll tell you I’ve always been this way. I’ve always been guarded around guys. Nothing’s changed. I’ve always been very opinionated and so [pauses] I don’t think success has changed the way I look or treat men. It might have changed the way men look at me and treat me.”

What are your thoughts on the photo?

Side note: Is Nicki trying to poke out his eye? OCH!

It's one of those things that you just always want to be a joke when you first hear about it. Today it was announced Whitney Houston has passed away at the age of 48.

So far there is still no word on what has killed Whitney Houston, however it's being reported the singer was found dead in her bathtub and was pronounced dead at 3:55pm.

More as the story develops....

Say hello to Baby Blue!

You have to be honest and admit you've been wanting to see what Blue Ivy Carter looks like now that Beyonce has given birth.

Thanks to their new Tumblr page HelloBlueIvyCarter.tumblr.com, we all get to share a little of Beyonce and Jay-Z's happiness.

Check out more photos below:

-Janay Naybesa

This weekend we posted on our Facebook and Twitter page to let you all know Cory Gunz was arrested due to a gun charge, however we never gave you full details of what really went down.

According to MTV.com Cory was arrested in Bronx, NYC for possession, during what his father Peter Gunz is calling an “illegal search”. Now that Cory Gunz has been released on $30,000 bail he says this who situation was a big mistake:

"This was a big mistake on my part. I didn't have any intentions of harming anyone or committing a criminal activity. So many young people look up to me and I need to fight through this.” … "It's been really hard, [and] really stressful, when the smoke finally clears people will understand what was going on."

Sunday Peter Gunz spoke with MTV.com, check out what he had to say below:

"The details are still sketchy, but I can confirm that he was arrested with a firearm yesterday in the Bronx. They caught him around 2p.m. in the afternoon with a loaded gun in his knapsack.It was definitely an illegal search.
I spoke to the arresting officer, and so far, what I’m hearing from him is that they got a phone call at the station saying they should ‘look out”. According to [the officer], they didn’t know he was Cory Gunz. They just saw a bunch of kids following him around. 
What I will say is that the officer that arrested Cory, actually happened to be a cool dude. After arresting Cory, sitting down with him and talking, he felt bad about the situation. At the end of the day, there’s a reason for everything, but at the same time, in New York, it’s mandatory jail time.
To go to a precinct and see your son, your junior, in handcuffs, it’s heartbreaking. Anytime you see your child in jail, in the cell, in handcuffs, it’s very hard. He’s walked down some of the same paths that I walked down, but you never want to see your kids go through what you went through. This is Cory’s first offense, but sometimes they like to make an example out of rappers and people with any kind of celebrity to them." Read the full MTV.com article HERE

If convicted, Gunz faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three and a half years in prison.

Via MTV | Vibe | Billboard

WHY???

I remember a time when tattoos actually had meaning behind them, now it seems like tattoos mean as much so some people as the permanent marker tattoos we would give ourselves in elementary.

Someone thought it would either be a good idea or simply funny, to get a tattoo of the girl who got Drake tatted on her forehead.

If you recall, when Drake found out a girl had his name tattooed on her forehead he was not pleased with the tattoo artist. Personally I can’t wait to see what he has to say about this one.

*Open Discussion*

Do you think the meaning of tattoos have changed? If so, why or why not. Also, can we blame social media for things like this, or are people just seeking attention?

[SOURCE]

I have to admit, I’ve been blasting this song pretty hard core lately, so when I seen the video dropped I couldn’t wait to see the visuals Nicki (or shall I say Roman) had for us.

Check out the video below and tell us if you think the video is too much, or if its typical “Roman”.

After all the defending she did for her relationship, now this comes out. According to Radar Online Fantasia’s baby daddy Antwuan Cook (who is still legally married) has been cheating on her, what a big surprise. According to their sources, he’s been cheating on Fantasia this whole time AND she had the baby just to keep him faithful:

"Antwaun has been cheating on Fantasia all along, just like he cheated on his wife with Fantasia. She was silly to think he’d remain faithful but it was wishful thinking, I guess. She purposely had this baby with him hoping he’d be a devoted father and boyfriend. He tries to get Paula to take him back all the time, but she wants nothing to do with him,” the source revealed. Fantasia knows that Antwaun cheats, but she just turns a blind eye hoping for some fairytale turnout."

If this is true, even though Antwuan was legally separated when they started dating, separated does not mean divorced. I can’t wait to see how this one plays out, I bet either tonight or tomorrow she will be on the phone with Wendy Williams trying to clear her name.

Your thoughts?

-Janay Naybesa

While the Ciroc Boy Nick Storm was here in Seattle for the ‘Official Ciroc Peach Launch Party,’ I had the opportunity to sit down with him and get to know how he got where he is today. Find out how Nick Storm hooked up with Diddy, became the Night Life Guru, and where the Ciroc Boys name came from.

Nick Storms gives advice to those that want to join his industry:

“Work hard, always keep dreaming, and never stop. When the door is closed don’t stop there, just keep counting your way, and never get too greedy.”

Later that night, we all hit up the ‘Official Peach Ciroc Launch Party,’ and lets just say, when you have Nick Storm and DJ Kun Luv in the same building your destined to have a good time. Check out some of the photos below from the party.

 Kun recived an official Ciroc Boy watch that night.

 Written By Janay Naybesa

In case you didn’t know, these last few days have been very eventful for the blogs when it came to speculations about Drake leaving Young Money. Well Drake has finally addressed this rumor at a recent concert in Hartford CT, by saying:

"I tell you if you ever wake up one morning and you think Young Money ain't my team? You out yo' mother fuckin' mind, I'm a tell you that right now. My brother Lil Wayne is all the way in Australia right now. But I got my camera on at the back, and I just want to let him know how much love me and Hartford got for him. So if you've got love for Lil Wayne make some noise."

When rumors like this hit the net I always say it’s best to wait and see what the artist will say and not try to decode their tweets and body language. Check out the video below: