The New York Daily News reports today that Big Ang and Renee Graziano‘s star power eclipsed that of Sean “Diddy” Combs and Mariah Carey last week at the Escape To Total Rewards concert at Gotham Hall in New York. The News reported that “Fans of the VH1 series swarmed the VIP area where Angela (Big Ang) Raiola and Renee Graziano sat to beg for pictures with the ladies” during the show where Diddy and Carey were performing, and at one point, Diddy (who has professed his love for Big Ang on Twitter before) gave the ladies a shout out, saying “I’m busy, but I watch TV and all that s—!” Honestly? We’re not that surprised.

[Photos: Getty Images]



Last night, T.I. joined Taylor Swift onstage at Atlanta’s Phillips Arena for a rendition of his own “Live Your Life,” with the country-pop singer providing Rihanna’s hook. That duet (above) was merely the cherry atop a huge weekend for the until-recently incarcerated rapper. Friday night, he released “I’m Flexin’,” his first post-prison single, featuring (and produced by) Big K.R.I.T., then went straight to Club Esso for a “Welcome Home” celebration that doubled as a BET Hip Hop Awards pre-party. After that ceremony, which will premiere on BET at 8PM ET on Tuesday, October 11, taped on Saturday, T.I. co-hosted an after-party with Diddy, and even served as a mediator when his co-host responded poorly to an attendee’s taunts (the guest bragged about specifically not drinking Cîroc, for which Diddy is a spokesman).

The rapper’s appearance at Swift’s Sunday night show, then, was the end of a very long weekend. T.I. has always been a hard-working MC, but he seems doubly determined to put in work after his recent prison stay. We’re looking forward to looking behind the scenes of this period when his reality show starts airing next year.
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Beyonce Live 4 Intimate Nights

If you haven’t already caught the scoop, Beyoncé has an affinity for numbers; specifically, the number four. Front and center at last night’s second of “4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé” at Roseland Ballroom (the first of which took place on Sunday, the FOURteenth), the lady of the hour took the stage to break down the numerological fondness and dazzle superfans and music industry elite alike. Because she usually performs for audiences ten times the size of the 2,500 capacity venue, tickets for this coveted concert series were a hot commodity, and with VIPs like Diddy, Russell Simmons, Ne-Yo, and The-Dream looking on the balcony, a ravenous crowd chanted the singer’s name repeatedly before the show’s 10 p.m. start time. Homegirl has unwavering disciples, and as we were soon reminded, she deserves each and every one of them.

The well-rehearsed, ninety-minute show —whose setlist was identical to Sunday night’s show—began with Beyoncé narrating the initial chapters of her career’s autobiography. From militaristic practice sessions at nine-years-old with the initial members of Destiny’s Child to securing their deal with Columbia Records in 1995, Bey’ ran through the timeline of her passionate path, stitching performance snippets into the fabric of her tales. Cut-down, crowd-pleasing hits like “Bills, Bills Bills,” “Say My Name,” and “Independent Women Part I” perpetuated a roar of approval that crescendoed when the introduction to “Survivor” was liberated by the diva’s all-female band. “With a lot of success comes a lot of negativity,” admitted the star as she launched into the female-empowerment anthem, graciously crediting her former cohorts Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams while also justifying the song’s endurance-focused sentiments.

There is often calm after a tumultuous storm, however, and once Beyoncé was finished discussing the uneven footing of her early days as an artist, she shared with the audience how powerful it was when she finally “found love.” Right on cue, the opening notes to the then-new couple’s very public relationship confirmation, Jay-Z’s “’03 Bonnie and Clyde,” hit our nostalgic radars, and as you might imagine, the crowd lost their minds. Before transitioning into a quick Dreamgirls story, Bey’ also performed her other Hov-centric hit, “Crazy in Love,” graduating from a slower, re-worked, funk version of the song into the full, familiar rendition, showcasing the video’s stomping strut that we all know and love. By also revisiting other iconic choreography that fans relentlessly study and mimic throughout the show, Bey’ managed to create a sea of “Single Ladies” hand-twirling and, once she got to the material from 4, lots of attempts at her “Run The World (Girls)” stankyleg-riverdancing.

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Rumor Alert: Diddy And J. Lo Are Back Together
“We’d be thrilled if J.Lo kicked Marc Anthony to the curb to reunite with Puff, and we suspect he’d be into it too,” Kate Spencer wrote last month for our sister site The Fab Life, ranking the duo #7 on the site’s list of “35 Celebrity Couples We Wish Would Get Back Together” (McAdams/Gosling was #1, so as far as we’re concerned, that list was extremely scientific.) Now that Lopez has broken ties with Marc Anthony, another of our sister sites, BET.com, is citing unnamed sources claiming that Diddy and Jennifer Lopez are in fact dating again. Our desire to witness the reunion of Fly Girl #1 and the original Bad Boy is currently slightly outweighed by our skepticism, but we’re actively hoping for more evidence. [BET]

Frank Ocean Posts New Song “Thinking About You” On Tumblr, Then Takes It Down
Frank Ocean must have forgotten that the Internet is forever. Luckily for him (and for us), the song is really great. [Rap Radar]

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It’s that time of year again! When wehonor thy father by running out tothe nearest department storeto getthe big guya tie thathe’ll accept with a smile and probably never, everwear. I kid, I kid! In all seriousness, this Sunday marks yet another Fathers’ Day, and it goes without saying that the job is a tough one that deserves recognition. Dirty diapers, puberty meltdowns, giving proper advice… the list of fatherlyduties is literally never-ending. And that, my friends, is exactly why we have to hand it to the gentlemenwho’ve made it onour Top 20 Daddy Tally list.

Not only are these distinguished men highly successful in the ultra-competitive music industry, but they’ve managed to achieve their success while also fatheringHUGE tribes of children. That’s right, each papa bear on our Top 20 list has upwards of five children, and whether it’s serial philanderer Bob Marley, sperm donor extraordinaire David Crosby (hey Melissa Etheridge!) or rumored father of 75 bouncing babies (!!!), Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, they all have more than “earned” their spot.

It’s a guessing game, but each year, concert-goers fantasize about what special-guest performers will join artists already on Hot 97′s Summer Jam bill with surprise on-stage appearances. Last night, in front of a crowd of 50,000 fans, some of hip hop’s biggest names performed in East Rutherford, New Jersey’s New Meadowlands Stadium, and while there may not have been that jaw-dropping “big moment,” (read: no Kanye or Jay-Z, no never-before-heard songs, and no beefs), the crowd was kept thoroughly entertained by the oodles of rappers that poured onto the stage.

Repping the South, Lil Wayne, Drake, and Rick Ross brought fans to their feet during a DJ Khaled-led performance of new Song of the Summer contender “I’m On One” and, to keep things balanced, Love & Hip Hop‘s own Jim Jones performed with his entourage-heavy posse of Dipset pals. The Harlem rapper even brought out co-star and friend Olivia Longott during his set to sing her new ballad, “December.” But VH1 show talent are certainly not strangers to this pandemonium-filled hip hop Woodstock; it was just last year that we caught Basketball Wives’ Jennifer Williams backstage enjoying the perks of VIP.

Other highlights from last night’s event included a dancing Chris Brown bringing out Busta Rhymes to perform “Look At Me Now” (sans Weezy), Lloyd Banks welcoming Swizz Beatz, Ryan Leslie, and Mobb Deep to the stage with him, and Diddy joining his Bugatti brother, Ross, to help close the show. You can find the full set list here, and check out the gallery below for photos from the performances to see what you may have missed!

kimk1016.jpgDiddy’s NYC Street Fight
The rapper threw down outside a Big Apple hot spot over – what else – a chick. [NYP]

Kim Kardashian Teaches 9-Year Old Sis to Strip
This clip from Kim’s new reality show falls somewhere between killing puppies and taking candy from a baby on the ‘wrong scale.’ [DListed]

LiLo Back to Making Movies, Money
Look out LA – Lindsay’s back, and she’s sober. Who knows -she could be scarier clean than when she’s hammered. [People]

Jen Aniston Wants to be Oprah
In a new interview, the Friends star reveals that if she could, she would be Oprah for a day – because Oprah never got married, natch. [JustJared]

Kate Hudson Wants Owen Back?
The starlet’s turn-offs: drugs, smokers, socks with sandals, guys who hate kids. Turn-ons: attempted suicide? Errrr, something seems off here, Katie. [Mollygood]

busta_rhymes.jpgMario is into Ice Cube (we won’t say which song). Diddy is down with Run-DMC (you can guess the track, can’t you?), Busta Rhymes salutes Public Enemy (no, not “Bring the Noise”). In fact lots of celebs still get a kick out of old school hip-hop tracks. We put together lots of lists for Hip-Hop Honors. Come see who chose which joint, and while you’re hanging out, check the 20 cuts we’re calling the best of 2007 (so far).

Hey, what’s your favorite old-school classic? C’mon, spill the beans…

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nicole0928.jpgUsher’s Wife Inspires New Fragrance
The singer’s wife claims to be the inspiration for her man’s new perfume. So it smells mean and bitchy? [NYDN]

Nicole Richie Starts Alcohol Treatment
The pregnant starlet has started her intense, court-ordered alcohol treatment program. Do it for the kid, mom-to-be! [People]

Famous Pals Rally Around Owen
Ben Stiller publicly offers his depressed pal support – and vows to make another lame movie for him to star in when he’s better. [People]

Perfect Angelina Fired From Gig
Clothing line St. John has let Angie go as their model. But we thought she was good at everything? [WWTDD]

Clubbin’ Diddy Cops an Attitude
The hip hop star gave a downtown club’s hostess some major lip when she asked how many people were in his party. Doesn’t she know the answer is “Everybody, baby?” Dummy. [NY Post]

September 13, 2007

What the Eff is Diddy Doing?

Check out this video of Diddy allegedly buying some ecstasy in Ibiza. We say allegedly because the f*cking thing is sideways, and you can’t really see anything other a bunch of guys standing around while really craptastic music ruins their ear drums (seriously, the guys in the clown wigs and the police officer dude should consider reevaluating their life choices thus far). But, I mean, of course it’s Diddy buying E! Obvs. Or it’s Diddy buying some pizza, trading Magic cards, or grabbing a baseball bat to swing at those douchebags behind him. Your guess is as good as ours.

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