Protect Your Rights – Protest PIPA & SOPA

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Capitol Hill, Facebook, Google, Intellectual property, PIPA, SOPA, Twitter, Youtube

You may have noticed that Uptown looks a little different today. It’s for good reason.

If you haven’t heard, there is legislation pending on Capitol Hill that would essentially censor the internet. Although the thought behind the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is good, the effects of their passing would eliminate the freedom we all have come to find on the internet. In an attempt to stop piracy and protect the entertainment industry, this legislation would cripple those who’ve built business on the Internet.

Can you imagine the government blocking Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, or Google? The ambiguity in the language of this legislation would make all of this possible.

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Open Discussion: Angela Simmons Goes Nude For PETA

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Angela Simmons, Barbie, Christ, GlobalGrind, Miami, Pastry, Reverend, Russell Simmons

Earlier today young entrepreneur/socialite/hip-hop royalty Angela Simmons unveiled a new ad campaign in collaboration with animal rights group PETA. If you didn’t know, Angela is a vegetarian, and is 100% unashamed of her strong Christian faith. It’s her belief that eating meat endangers too many innocent animals, and as Christians, we should exercise compassion for all living things. She chose to show her support of animal rights by posing nude in an Adam & Eve themed photoshoot that was debuted on her uncle Russell Simmons‘ GlobalGrind a few short hours ago.

Since then, the GlobalGrind site has crashed a couple of times…and at the time of this publication, it is still down because so many readers have been attempting to access the pictures. Whew.

I believe it was Malcolm X who said “If you stand for nothing you’ll fall for anything”… so I think it’s awesome that Angela (who turned 24 last week) has decided to make a strong statement about her beliefs, but the rest of the blogosphere is in a judgmental uproar about the pictures. The main issue: she’s the daughter of a Reverend, and the nude shots contradict her statements about being a devout follower of Christ.

What do I think? Well…

Someone Should Put A Lock On “Marvin’s Room”…

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Andrea Brown, Chris Brown, Chris Brown Marvin's Room, Drake, JoJo (singer), Kevin McCall, Marvin's Room Video, Marvins Room, Music, Patti LaBelle, Prince, R&B, Seven, Teyana Taylor, The Uptown Lounge

This is the LAST time I will post ANYTHING related to the song Marvin’s Room. Too many lack-luster covers have surfaced over the past few weeks, likening Drake’s emo-rap/sung drunk dialing anthem to what Lil Wayne’s A Milli was for rappers a couple years ago. So, unless Prince, Patti LaBelle or Beyonce decide to take a crack at it…there will be no more “Marvin’s Room” posts at The Uptown Lounge after this one. It’s gone too far.

Here is the official video from the originator himself. Aubrey’s official video for “Marvin’s Room” finds him in an alcohol induced haze…revisiting the skills he sharpened in years past on Degrassi.

BET Awards 2011 LIVE BLOG!

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#BETAwards, BET Awards, BET Awards 2011, Black Entertainment Television, Los Angeles, Mary J. Blige, Shrine Auditorium, Twitter

If you’re not following me on TWITTER (which you should be) you may not know that I am LIVE in Los Angeles at the 2011 BET Awards! It’s been an amazing weekend, thus far, and we’re gearing up for a phenomenal show later on this evening. I’m kicking it backstage at the Shrine Auditorium in the BET Ford Focus Social Media Lounge and will be broadcasting live on USTREAM for a good portion of the evening so TUNE IN! I’ll also be updating this post with pictures from the red carpet and inside the house as the show kicks off at 8/7c! Make sure you tune in ON TIME, you don’t want to miss the opening performance from

R. Kelly – Radio Message (VIDEO)

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Andrea Brown, Love Letter, Music, R&B, R. Kelly, Radio Message, Soul, video

No matter what your opinions are of R. Kelly as a man, you have to admit that he is gifted. He makes great music, and this record is no exception. On this release “Radio Message” from his most recent album “Love Letter” R. Kelly uses the radio as his venue for asking his girl to come back home.

The record has a classic sound, in other words, children and parents will appreciate this track equally. Check it out for yourself below.

Love Letter is in stores NOW.

The Winners: Superbowl XLV Ads

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Chrysler, Eminem, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl, Super Bowl advertising, Superbowl Commercials, Superbowl XLV, Volkswagen, Wiz Khalifa, Youtube Ad Blitz

Gotta be totally honest with you. I was completely indifferent about this year’s Superbowl. As a matter of fact, I slept through the majority of the first quarter. Hey. What can I say. My team wasn’t playing. (Who Dat.) At any rate, the Green Bay Packers & Pittsburgh Steelers put on a great effort, and The Packers came up victorious. Hopefully now we can stop hearing Wiz Khalifa’s #1 single “Black & Yellow” for a little while, as it has quickly become the most overplayed song in the country.

One of the best parts of the game happens between plays and during commercials. You know, the commercials! To place an ad during the big game, companies paid upwards of 3 million dollars for 30 second spots. That is a LOT of money. Unfortunately…there weren’t many that really caught my attention, or really made me laugh. Here are my top two choices.

Ashton Travis – If You Didn’t Know (Video)

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Amanda Diva, Ashton Travis, Datwon Thomas, Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop Unplugged, Howard University, If You Didn't Know, MTV, Music, Sway, Vibe Magazine, XXL

If you want the real, then look no further.

Ashton Travis is an upcoming MC from Missouri City, Texas…and currently a student at the Howard University [1]. He’s the reigning champ of Hip-Hop Unplugged, a competition designed to find the next big hip-hop star (sponsored by XXL Magazine, the competition was judged by MTV’s Sway, Datwon Thomas of Vibe Magazine, and hosted by Amanda Diva)

Needless to say the kid is nice.

This new video “If You Didn’t Know” will be accompanied by a mixtape entitled “Good Vibes”… which should be available in the near future. For now, follow him on Twitter @AshtonTravis and grab his “Mr. Freshman” mixtape from Dat Piff

[1]: He’s so good, that I won’t even hold him accountable for his negligent decision to attend the WRONG HU… I’m a Hamptonian for life. 😉

Behind The Scenes With Alicia Keys, Eve, & Swizz Beatz

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Alicia Keys, Eve, Monster Mondays, Speechless, Swizz Beatz

This week’s edition of Swizzy’s Monster Mondays is a continuation of last week’s. The video below is behind the scenes footage of the making of Speechless, a new collaboration between Alicia Keys & Eve, which you can hear by clicking HERE.

I love seeing people’s passion for their craft. It’s very inspiring to watch how music is created. Check it out and let me know what you think.

We Know Bun B: The Original OG – Mixed by DJ Tay James

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Bun B, DJ Tay James, Hampton University, Justin Bieber, mixtape, We Know Bun B The Original OG

From rocking the Student Center at Hampton University…

To being one of the most sought after DJ’s on the east coast…

To becoming Justin Bieber’s official DJ…

To making mixtapes with legends…

The sky is the limit for DJ Tay James.  Check out his new tape We Know Bun B: The Original OG by downloading below.

DOWNLOAD: We Know Bun B: The Original OG – by DJ Tay James

Sidenote: The Original OG is slightly redundant. OG= Original Gangster. No shade though. =)

Chris Brown ft. Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne – Look At Me Now

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Breezy, Busta Rhymes, Chris Brown, F.A.M.E., Grammy Award, lilwayne, Look At Me Now

Breezy is coming back with a vengeance!

Not only is he nominated for 3 Grammy’s this year… but he’s also preparing for the release of a new album, entitled F.A.M.E. (Forgiving All My Enemies). “Look At Me Now” might be a buzz single from the album. It’s definitely a song that will get a lot of party spins.

Download – Chris Brown ft. Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne – Look At Me Now