Rocawear Dresses Barbie

My media partner is at it again!


Rocawear has teamed up with Mattel to dress Barbie. I'm a super nerd when it comes to collectables, so excuse me if I'm gushing lol. This is a cool idea and a major stride for hip-hop culture. You know hip-hop is influential if it has crossed over to Barbie! Wooooooow. She's been a lot of things--from astronaut to fast food worker--but never hip-hop. Dopeness!

The dolls will debut in 2010.

This one is my favorite:


But you can check out more pics HERE.

Common's Top 10 Reasons for Going Organic

I jacked this from my future ex-husband's Common's blog because it was interesting. In case you didn't know, our favorite rapping/acting honey dip has been a vegetarian for years. The benefits reaped are invaluable not just for self but also for the environment. Check out some of his top reasons for going organic:

1. Reduce The Toxic Load: Keep Chemicals Out of the Air, Water, Soil and our Bodies With only 0.5 percent of crop and pasture land in organic, according to USDA that leaves 99.5 percent of farm acres in the U.S. at risk of exposure to noxious agricultural chemicals. Our bodies are the environment so supporting organic agriculture doesn’t just benefit your family, it helps all families live less toxically.

2. Reduce if Not Eliminate Off Farm Pollution Pesticide drift affects non-farm communities with odorless and invisible poisons.

3. Protect Future Generations Before a mother first nurses her newborn, the toxic risk from pesticides has already begun. Studies show that infants are exposed to hundreds of harmful chemicals in utero. Numerous studies show that pesticides can adversely affect the nervous system, increase the risk of cancer, and decrease fertility.

4. Build Healthy Soil Feeding the soil with organic matter instead of ammonia and other synthetic fertilizers has proven to increase nutrients in produce, with higher levels of vitamins and minerals found in organic food, according to the 2005 study, “Elevating Antioxidant levels in food through organic farming and food processing,” Organic Center State of Science Review (1.05)

5. Taste Better and Truer Flavor Scientists now know what we eaters have known all along: organic food often tastes better. Plus, new research verifies that some organic produce is often lower in nitrates and higher in antioxidants than conventional food.

6. Assist Family Farmers of all Sizes Family farms that are certified organic farms have a double economic benefit: they are profitable and they farm in harmony with their surrounding environment. Whether the farm is a 4-acre orchard or a 4,000-acre wheat farm, organic is a beneficial practice that is genuinely family-friendly.

7. Avoid Hasty and Poor Science in Your Food Cloned food. GMOs and rBGH. Oh my! Interesting how swiftly these food technologies were rushed to market, when organic fought for 13 years to become federal law. Eleven years ago, genetically modified food was not part of our food supply; today an astounding 30 percent of our cropland is planted in GMOs.

8. Eating with a Sense of Place Whether it is local fruit, imported coffee or artisan cheese, organic can demonstrate a reverence for the land and its people. No matter the zip code, organic has proven to use less energy (on average, about 30 percent less), is beneficial to soil, water and local habitat, and is safer for the people who harvest our food.

9. Promote Biodiversity Visit an organic farm and you’ll notice something: a buzz of animal, bird and insect activity. These organic oases are thriving, diverse habitats. An organic farm is the equivalent of reforestation. Industrial farms are the equivalent of clear cutting of native habitat with a focus on high farm yields.

10. Celebrate the Culture of Agriculture Food is a ‘language’ spoken in every culture. Making this language organic allows for an important cultural revolution whereby diversity and biodiversity are embraced and chemical toxins and environmental harm are radically reduced, if not eliminated. The simple act of saving one heirloom seed from extinction, for example, is an act of biological and cultural conservation. Organic is not necessarily the most efficient farming system in the short run. It is slower, harder, more complex and more labor-intensive. But for the sake of culture everywhere, from permaculture to human culture, organic should be celebrated at every table.

Hip-Hop for HIV: Houston Community Awareness Initiatives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Media Contact:

Jerry McCruse / Promotions Director

713-300-5838

jmccruse@radio-one.com

Massive HIV Awareness Campaign

HOUSTON (June 19, 2009) — Radio Station KBXX-FM 97.9 The Box, The Houston Department of Health and Human Services and AIDS Foundation Houston in conjunction with the NAACP Houston Branch and Amerigroup Community Care are sponsoring a city-wide awareness campaign for HIV and STD education.

Hip Hop for HIV Awareness is slated to be the single largest testing event in the United States. The goal of the campaign is to provide free and confidential HIV and syphilis screening to 15,000 youth and young adults between the ages of 15-40 in the City of Houston. Free testing begins Monday, June 22 for four consecutive days at the NAACP Family Technology Center located at 4203 Fannin Street in Houston and will continue through July 10th at various other locations across the city.

Hip Hop for HIV Awareness encourages youth and young adults to receive free testing and consultation. Each person tested will receive one ticket to a star-studded concert featuring national recording artists Plies, Pleasure P, Day 26, Melanie Fiona, Bobby Valentino, LeToya Luckett, Twista, Yung Problemz, Yung L.A., G.T., Gorilla Zoe, Bun B and Ginuwine.

The concert event will take place on Saturday, July 11, 2009 in Houston at The George R. Brown Convention Center from 2:00p – 6:00p. Only those tested for HIV and receiving their results will be issued a ticket for admittance.

The HIV epidemic is a growing concern. African Americans, women and youth are among the fastest growing population of new HIV infections. There are 18,404 individuals known living with HIV in Houston/ Harris County and an estimated 3,500 to 4,500 individuals living with undiagnosed HIV infection. Every 9.5 minutes someone is infected with HIV in the United States.

For testing dates and locations or for additional information concerning this event go to www.kbxx.com. For media opportunities contact Jerry McCruse at the number listed above.

Party Reminder for Thursday

Come through!

Ladies Love Them Revolutionary Gangstas

Some men think slick lines and rude behavior are what get women going, not realizing that we really like rebels with a cause. Enter Dead Prez. Stic.man and M-1 took the hip-hop world by surprise in the late 90s, when they introduced us to their brand of hip-hop that was edgy, smart, political and rambunctious. It was like N.W.A. meets Malcolm X and we loved it. Classic hits like “Hip-Hop” and “I’m a African” still have heads nodding non-stop, and people have embraced the notion that it’s cool to be revolutionary but gangsta.

Their last album, 2004’s RBG took their popularity to a higher level resulting in each member pursuing solo endeavors. People were worried that there was dissention in the group but their hiatus has ended, proving otherwise, and Dead Prez has picked back up again—smarter, edgier and the owners of their own brand. They teamed up with DJ Green Lantern to drop a mixtape titled Pulse of the People, and ain’t nothin’ changed. With new joints like “Afrika Hot,” “$timulus Plan” and “Refuse to Lose,” they’re still encouraging people to turn off the radio and to stop listening to bullshit. GangStarrGirl caught up with Stic.man and found out why ladies love the RBGs.

Green Lantern did most of the production on Pulse of the People, how did you guys link up with him?

I don’t even know how we first originally met but we’ve known each other for a while just being around the industry, and we heard some of his tapes. He reached out to us to do his joint called “Impeach the President” with Saigon, Immortal Technique and Just Blaze. It was about George Bush so to us, he had always been a street DJ that wasn’t afraid to talk about politics and issues, and still keep it street level so that was our impression of him. We always honored him. He likes people who spit that raw shit so that was our connection. And I did a song with Nas called “The Association” and it came out on the mixtape that Green produced for Nas—The Nigger Mixtape—so we had built a relationship.

You collaborated with Bun B on Pulse… but he’s someone people would least expect to see DP’s rapping with so how did y’all get together?

It’s crazy you say that. I’ll tell you how I met UGK then you’re not gonna say it’s unexpected. Dead Prez was in Miami for The Source Awards or something like that, several years ago and I was already a big fan of UGK but I had never met them. So, I’m coming out of the hotel and a white Beamer, pulled up to the corner and as soon as he got my attention, the driver let his window down and it was Pimp C and the first thing he says is “Dead Prez!” then cranks up “Hip-Hop,” like look what I’m listening to. We said “What’s up” to him then next thing you know, we were in the same hotel with him, Juicy J of Three Six Mafia and Bun B, and we chopped it up for hours just on a mutual respect of each other’s stuff.

CLICK HERE for more.

The Wackest Michael Jackson Tribute Ever (Courtesy Ron Artest)

I don't like giving extra publicity to random stupidity unless I somehow find it amusing--like T-Baby's "Cold in the D" or Reh Dogg's "Why Must I Cry." But I couldn't resist posting this because it's one of those so-bad-that-you-have-to-hear-it-for-yourself types of things:



This isn't one of those kind of things where it's so bad that it's entertaining. It's one of those so-bad-that-if-I-ever-get-to-interview-Ron-Artest-I'm-going-to-stab-him types of things. Seriously. What. Was. He. Thinking. *Snaps fingers in a z formation* HATED IT!

Thanks @whoisjr for Tweeting me this fuckery.

Back in Biz

I'm back!

The Bahamas was beeeeee-youuuu-tee-full. It was a much needed vacation. I wish I was there longer because I'm not ready to be back to my stagnant reality. Sigh...

But anyway, I'm having another birthday bash with some Cancerian sisters on Thursday and I'd really like to see you come out and party with me, Shayna D (Sirus Satellite Radio) and Miss CocoaLuv (The Cocoa Luv Chronicles).