MGK Spits Vodka In Fan's Mouth During Performance

Things got pretty crazy during Machine Gun Kelly's Rock The Bells performance on Sunday. 

While on stage, the rapper took a shot of vodka, sought out a promising female in the crowd and proceeded to spit the alcohol into her mouth!

After the San Bernardino performance, MGK was kicked out for an incident that occurred backstage.

He can obviously blame it on the alcohol.

Angelica Cob-Baehler, Epic Records EVP, Makes Unexpected Exit

Less than a year after accepting a senior management position at Epic Records, evp of marketing Angelica Cob-Baehler is being let go. An Epic spokesperson confirmed the Los Angeles-based executive's exit, citing a reassessment of senior management functions specifically concerning the West Coast office.

"Epic Records realigned resources today, as a result, all senior management marketing functions will be located at the Epic Records headquarters in New York City," said a label rep when asked by The Hollywood Reporter. "The Epic Los Angeles office will serve as a base for Epic's creative team, A&R and our artists."

Billboard's Women In Music 2011: Angelica Cob-Baehler

 

According to sources, it was Epic COO Mark Shimmel who delivered the news. A relatively recent hire himself (as of January 2012), Cob-Baehler, who was responsible for all marketing efforts, product management, brand partnerships, publicity, video production and creative at the label, reported directly to the New York-based Shimmel.

That apparently was a part of the problem -- although Cob-Baehler made frequent trips to the company's headquarters in New York, and label chairman L.A. Reid spends a good chunk of the Fall in Los Angeles as an X Factor judge, the long-distance separation between marketing head and minions was an increasingly difficult hurdle, says an insider. Her exit came as surprise to many staffers, one of whom described Cob-Baehler as, "One of the hardest working executives I've ever met."

Angelica Cob-Baehler Leaving EMI to Join LA Reid at Epic: Sources

 

Cob-Baehler had previously held an evp title at EMI where she oversaw media and creative services. She also played a key role in bringing Katy Perry to the label group, after getting to know the singer at Columbia Records, where Cob-Baehler was vp of publicity. In 2011, she was named one of Billboard Magazine's Top Women In Music

Rodney King Had PCP, Cocaine In His System During Drowning Death

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP)--Rodney King had been drinking and was on drugs when he plunged into a swimming pool and accidentally drowned, a coroner's report released Thursday concluded.
The report confirmed a police conclusion that King died by accident and the case will be closed, Rialto police Capt. Randy DeAnda said.

"The investigation is now completed and basically the autopsy and toxicology reinforces our conclusions," DeAnda said.

King, whose videotaped beating by Los Angeles police in 1991 led to deadly rioting, had long struggled with addiction.

A call from King's fiancee brought police to his Rialto home at 5:30 a.m. on June 17. Officers pulled him from the bottom of the pool and he was pronounced dead at a hospital.

His fiancée could not swim and attempted to revive King by prodding him with a pitchfork and hoe before authorities arrived, according to the report.

The San Bernardino County coroner's report listed the cause of death as drowning "and the contributing cause was combined with ethanol (alcohol) and multiple drug toxicity," DeAnda said.

Toxicology tests showed that King had a blood-alcohol level of .06 and amounts of PCP, cocaine and marijuana in his system, the captain said.

Lana Del Rey Is the New Face of Jaguar

It's a good time to be Lana Del Rey. The singer, fresh off her turn as the global face of H&M's fall advertising campaign, now resurfaces in a series of ads touting Jaguar's new F-Type. The company has pinned its hopes on the sleek two-seater, due to make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show next month.

But the photos contain no glimpses of the automobile. Rather, one features Del Rey in a sunhat and heavy gold jewelry, perched seductively on a swimming pool's handrails. A second has her posing on a chaise lounge.

Why Del Rey? According to Adrian Hallmark, global brand director for the luxury automobile company, it's because she and the car have a lot in common.

"The allure of Jaguar is in large part due to its duality," Hallmark says in a statement. "She has a unique blend of authenticity and modernity, which are two values we believe are shared with Lana in her professional achievements."
Ironically, the singer's persona and debut album were derided by some in the music press as being a derivative attempt at channeling 1960s pop nostalgia.

The campaign is part of a major push from the company to regain its traction among the young, hip driving elite. Last week. they hosted a press conference at New York's Standard Hotel, then walked journalist's across the city's elevated Highline walkway to a skating rink housed beneath a giant igloo. There they found Tracy Morgan and Johnny Weir waiting to entertain them

13 Dos and Don'ts Of Performing At Open Mics

DON’T play and leave.

DO talk to EVERYONE and remember their names. You can even write their name and description and review it at the end of the night. They will be so impressed the next week.

DON’T expect to be discovered. This is a networking opportunity with other musicians. Open mics only lead to gigs if you work your contacts and follow up.

DON'T just say "Good job". Be specific and sincere like "I really liked your hook" or "Your low range sounds great!" so they know you were paying attention.

DO introduce others. Even if you aren't interested in collaborating with someone, maybe you can give someone a good lead.

DON’T heckle. No one wants you to request Free Bird.

DO be gracious. If only one person is listening, play just for that person, and yourself.

DON’T talk loudly over a ballad. Everyone chats, just be respectful about it.

DO play contrasting songs. (One slow, one fast, one in major, one in minor, etc.)

Similarly, DON’T play two songs in the same key back-to-back. Even if an audience doesn't know, their ears will start to get bored.

DON’T apologize before you play a song. People want you to be excited about your song, not hear excuses for why it's going to suck.

DO make friends with the host, bartenders, and all staff. People like to work with their friends, so be a friend to everyone you meet.

DO have fun! If it's not fun, what's the point?

Rakim

Hip-hop trailblazers Eric B. and Rakim's first single, "Eric B. Is President" (#48, 1986), sparked early debate on the legality of unauthorized, uncredited sampling when James Brown sued to prevent the duo's use of a fragment of his music. It also established Brown's back catalog as a hip musical mining ground for a new generation of hip-hop programmers.

With Rakim's relaxed vocal delivery ("Microphone Fiend," "Paid in Full") and rhymes that have been described as "existential," together with Eric B.'s deft turntable manipulation, the duo became one of the most acclaimed hip-hop acts of the late '80s. The two met in 1985 when Eric Barrier was working as a DJ at New York City radio station WBLS and looking for an MC to rap over his turntable work. A year later they released "Eric B. Is President" (#48 R&B, 1986) on the independent Harlem label Zakia.

Paid in Full (#58 pop, #8 R&B) appeared in 1987 with a new mix of the single, as well as songs such as "I Know You Got Soul" (#64 R&B, 1987) and "I Ain't No Joke" (#38 R&B, 1987). The duo's subsequent three albums reached the Top 40, with Follow the Leader peaking at #22, Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em at #32, and Don't Sweat the Technique at #22. In 1991 Eric B. and Rakim scored another hit with the theme to House Party 2, "What's on Your Mind" (#34 R&B). The duo, who were never close friends, parted ways after Don't Sweat the Technique, but not before running into another legal dispute over their sampling of Funkadelic's "No Head, No Backstage Pass," from Follow the Leader's "Lyrics of Fury."

In 1995 Eric B. released a self-titled debut solo album, but spent most of the '90s as a producer and executive for Street Life Records. After suffering years of legal wrangling and label mishaps, Rakim finally reemerged in 1997 with the acclaimed 18th Letter/Book of Life (#4 pop, #1 R&B, 1997) —a two-disc set split between new material and classic Eric B. and Rakim cuts. That same year, Rakim performed a duet with Mobb Deep for the Hoodlum soundtrack. The rapper returned two years later with The Master, which eschewed ghetto stories for a more mystical approach.

2 chainz Reminisces about his Father on The Angie Martinez Show

2 Chainz Remembers His Late Father in Hot 97 Interview

by: Trent Fitzgerald 

 

It looks like 2 Chainz is set to have his first No. 1 as his album. ‘Based On a T.R.U. Story is on track to sell over 130,000 copies this week according to Billboard. But the Atlanta rapper says his newfound success is bittersweet because his father died just weeks before the album hit stores.

During his interview with Hot 97 personality Angie Martinez, Tity 2 Necklace spoke openly about how his dad was such an inspiration in his life. “All of these good things are happening, but like, my pops was actually my best friend,” he said. “I don’t have any brothers or sisters or best friends, so me and him had a kind of relationship to where I told him things I wouldn’t tell anyone else, or I asked him for advice.”

2 Chainz is grateful that his father was able to witness some of his earlier success before he passed away in July. “He was able to see the new house I bought, of course,” he recalls. “He had his room. He had it painted. We got his carpet changed. Hung a few pictures up. I’m leaving his room just like it is. When I come off the road I go up sometimes. I smoke one in his room.”

“Rest in peace to my pops. It is bittersweet,” he continued. “The album is out. Everyone is like they proud, and it would be cool to hear them say it.”

Elsewhere in the interview, 2 Chainz revealed that he’s a chef when it comes to art of barbecuing. “I’m super nice on the grill,” he maintains. “My pop bought me an apron for Christmas and it said, ‘Tity Boy the Man.’ I have people who eat my barbecue sauce just straight out the bowl.” Well, now, let’s fire up the grill. TRU!