The Kardashian gossip is just so juicy today, I am not sure which story with which to lead. Do I start with the Kris Jenner abuse allegations that are penned in her ex-husband Robert Kardashian's journal? Should I lead with a certain new VH1 star's claims that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were hooking up back during her Reggie Bush relationship? So. Much. Pressure.
Eh, we'll go with the second rumor first and save the juiciest for last. Y'all aren't shocked to hear that Kim was cheating on Reggie, are you?
It's what happens when reality worlds collide…secrets are spilled. This is especially true when one of the reality stars is trying desperately to promote his first season of appearing on Love & Hip Hop. Consequence, who calls himself "arguably the best ghostwriter of all times," (and he truly is–I now know from that statement where Kanye got his line from his drunken MTV Award tirade! Brilliant!) is spilling some deets on Kimye from years past, and he shares why there is no love lost between himself and his former friend, the tiny rapper.
I'm still not sure how I feel about this new group VH1 has pulled together for the new season of Love & Hip Hop. Some seem incredibly boring, while others (cough, coughErica Mena) are too over the top. Speaking of, Erica was still keeping it classy on last night's episode. She's meeting with Lore'l to discuss they're beef from last week. Erica doesn't like how she ganged up with Rich Dollaz. Lore'l doesn't understand why Erica is so proud of her craziness. Erica tries to pretend that the record was Lore'l's idea, and then she claims to have asked Lore'l to make her relevant.
Consequence is a practicing Muslim, and he and Jen Bayer are raising Caden to be Muslim, but Jen isn't sure she's ready to jump on board. Cons wants the family to pray together, and Jen hopes that they can expose Caden to some of the Christian traditions she participated in as a child. Religion is very important to Cons, and he is counting on Jen to start learning about Islam and his spirituality.
Yandy Smith's little Amir is so precious. Mendeecees and Yandy discuss their relationship, and he is proud of himself for curing his wandering eye. He wants to be a family man now. Mendeecees wants the family to move to a bigger place, but Yandy doesn't want to move because her mom lives upstairs. She thinks her living situation is stable, and Mendeecees has been anything but until recently. Yandy wants to make sure that they are on the right track before they take that next step.
Okay, I'll be honest. I didn't think I'd grow to like this new group on Love & Hip Hop. I certainly didn't fathom that I'd start changing my tune during the second episode…but I did. I'm still iffy about Raqi Thunda, but I like Rashidah Ali. Joe Budden and Tahiry Jose are going to bring the drama
When we last left the new crew, Tahiry and Raqi were involved in some behavior unbecoming of a pool party…unless your on a VH1 reality show. So, they totally fit right in, I'd say. Tahiry heads to Rashidah's house to vent to her friend about the situation. Rashidah is floored to hear that Tahiry went to Joe's pool party, and she's even more floored to hear that Raqi was there. Rashidah considers her to be "IP"…or Industry What the fab 90's rap song OPP was about. Classy. Tahiry admits to blacking out during her altercation with Raqi, and Rashidah accuses her friend of "dumbing down" for Joe. I like this chick. She calls it like it is! Tahiry thinks that something is off with Joe, and she's worried about him.
We are introduced to Jen Bayer, better known as Jen the Pen. She's a hip hop gossip blogger and has a radio show. She is dating rapper Consequence, who is the self-proclaimed best ghost writers in the history of rap. They've been together for five years and have a baby boy. He has an impressive resume as he's written with tiny rapper Kanye West, Diddy, and Beyonce. Jen meets her friend Winter Ramos (who made a brief appearance at that fateful pool party) at Consequence's sound check. She is Fab's assistant, but she worked with (and slept with) a slew of famous name rappers. Jen shares with Winter that she's ready to go back to work after the baby. Winter has recently written a tell-all about her experience in the music industry. She's put a lot of controversial details in her book, but she's not worried about any backlash.
Oh gracious! I wasn't even a minute in to watching last night's premiere of the original Love & Hip Hop when I realized it had gone by way of Atlanta. It's over stylized and filmed as if it's rap video, not a reality show. It's going to be a long season. I'll be honest, it was hard to keep up with all the drama, but I think it's going to be eventful…and I think we saw it all on L&HHA with just a different cast of characters.
As the episode starts, we're introduced to Tahiry Jose who claims to be a video vixen, model, and actress. Right now, she's also a waitress. However, even she knows that she's most famous for being Joe Budden's ex-girlfriend. She left their five year relationship because Joe wasn't handling his business properly. Joe loves being in the public eye, and he gained quite a following when he would post videos of Tahiry on You Tube. He misses Tahiry and hopes that the two can work on developing a strong friendship. The pair is meeting for lunch, and two things are evident: he likes riling her up, and Tahiry isn't a fan of Joe's shenanigans. Tahiry wonders why Joe so desperately needs to be friends with her…can't he share all his life stories with his new lady? Joe just wants to keep Tahiry on a string for when he needs her. The lunch ends with Tahiry screaming at him and shoving the table so hard that her sangria topples. I have to hand it to that one extra playing the role of restaurant patron number two had the acting sense to appear shocked at the couple's tirade while all the other extras just ate their free lunches and pretended like nothing was happening.
On last night’s Love & Hip Hop, it was the Producer’s Tell All! I have to say I didn’t hate the format as much as I thought I would. With the ladies not yelling over one another, it was easier to get more questions answered… and they seemed to ask the questions viewers would want to know, aka no John Salley softballs!
The show’s executive producer Mona Scott-Young reveals that because one several cast members now refuse to be in the same room together, coughs Chrissy, the show has to forgo the traditional reunion format. Instead, viewers are treated to a behind the scenes look at the inner-workings of the show as well as one-on-one interviews with the cast.
First up, Jim Jones! The man, the myth, the dude at the center of a lot of the ladies’ drama. This season’s new cast mate, Yandy Smith was the rapper’s manager for the past eight years, and she was supposedly brought on at the request of his girlfriend Chrissy Lampkin. However, quickly, the ladies began feuding, with Jim caught in the middle. It resulted in a total breakdown of Jim and Yandy’s professional relationship which we watched play out over the course of the season.
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The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that a new VH1 spin-off is coming to town. The network, which was once known for music videos back when MTV first started straying from music, is now known for some fighting, catty women. Its hit Basketball Wives now features two different series in Miami and Los Angeles, as well as the spin-off Baseball Wives.
Now the same has happened for Love & Hip Hop, as the franchise is expanding to include some lovely ladies of Atlanta.
Season 2 of the hit show, which centers around women in the hip-hop industry, averaged close to 3 million viewers, with 3.15 million tuning in to watch the last episode. Those numbers compare to RHOA viewership. For VH1 to hit those kind of benchmarks is huge for the network which is testing the waters with these bickering Betties.
The article cites, “Atlanta, of course, is known as a major town for hip hop. Several folks in the hip-hop/R&B world from Atlanta have already taken part in reality shows, including Keyshia Cole, Toni Braxton, Chilli, Monica, T.I. and Tiny and Kandi Burruss, to name a few. And if you go back a few years, there was Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston.”
Apparently, if you can’t sell your music, you need to be showcasing yourself on your own reality show, and it seems that Atlanta is the place to do it. In fact, TLC has already announced that its new reality show Preacher Wives will be filmed in the Georgia hot spot.
Casting for the Love & Hip Hop spin-off has not been finalized, though, it is being rumored that these ladies are in talks to join the cast – rapper Diamond, video model Summer Walker, rapper Rasheeda, and exotic dancer Gigi Maguire.
Meanwhile the reunion for the current season airs tonight at 8/7c on VH1. However, it’s being touted as more of a “special episode” than a reunion, seeing as several of the ladies couldn’t handle being in the same room with one another. I guess John Salley just doesn’t have the referee skills needed for this bunch!
Show producer Mona Scott Young revealed on twitter that they couldn’t film a reunion because some of the cast members wouldn’t be in the same room together. While it’s been rumored that those cast members are Chrissy Lampkinand Yandy Smith, sources are stating Chrissy is the lone one who refused to be in the same room as Yandy.
On tonight’s “special episode”–aptly titled “Reality Check”–Yandy speaks with producer (and her mentor) Mona Scott Young about the role she played on the show.
In the preview clip posted below, we find out it was Yandy’s nemesis Chrissy who originally wanted her on the show. That, however, changed as soon as Scott decided to make Yandy a regular on the show, much to the dismay of the soon to be Mrs. Jim Jones.
Explaining her decision to increase the camera time for Jim Jones’ former manager, Mona tells Yandy: “You were funny, you were charismatic, we wanted to see more of Yandy.“
This still doesn’t explain why Chrissy has so much rage towards Yandy. And it’s that rage that is causing the reunion to be nothing more than the ladies being interviewed separately. Where is the fun in that?
Of course, we know that even individually, the women can bring the drama as evident in the clip below, Chrissy is quick to remind Yandy, “B*tch, you on MY show!” Yikes! Once again Chrissy, you need a hobby! One that doesn’t involve Jim or bickering with the people in Jim’s life!
We are patiently waiting for the Love & Hip Hop reunion, but thankfully, in the interim, the ladies from the show are still talking. And talking, and talking, and talking. Keep it coming, girls!
In an interview with Sister2Sister, songstress Olivia Longott opens up about the show’s sophomore season, as well as what’s on tap for her future.
Recently, Olivia and Mama Nancy Jones got into a verbal war on–where else?–twitter. The site brings us regular folks reality beef one mean tweet at a time. Since Chrissy Lampkin’s proposal to Jim Jones, Olivia and Nancy have rarely, if ever, filmed together. The singer waited a bit before retaliating to the rap matriarch’s twitter assault and now she’s defending herself in the blogoshpere.
Olivia wonders, “How can you be mad at me? First of all, she started it and I let her go on for a minute. You can’t just expect to disrespect me and I’m not going to say nothing. We’re both grown women.” Grown women with twitter accounts…by far the most dangerous kind of mature adults.
Not that the normally calm Olivia hasn’t gotten used to being at the center of conflict. It’s just usually not her own. This season, Olivia was placed smack dab in the middle of the spat between two of her friends, Jim’s fiancee Chrissy and Jim’s manager Yandy Smith. As viewers will recall, Chrissy pressed for Olivia to take a stand and choose sides between the feuding women, while Yandy maintained that she would respect her friend’s decision to remain neutral.
Olivia wants to clear up the misconception that she was shaken by Chrissy’s confrontational nature during those scenes. As for appearing fearful of the overbearing Chrissy, Olivia is adamant that she was “[n]ot scared at all.” She reveals her reaction “had nothing to do with fear.”
Olivia contends, “I’m just not choosing sides. Why should I have to choose sides? We’re all grown ups. I told both of them! I told Yandy where I thought she was wrong and I told Chrissy where I thought she was wrong.” I have to agree. I don’t think she was playing to either friend. She simply didn’t want to be put at the center of Yandy and Chrissy’s drama.
Still on everyone’s mind is Olivia’s refusal to accept the three-record deal from EMI. After watching her struggle all season to revive her flailing career, it was strange to see her dismiss an opportunity that many other artists would have accepted in a second. However, Olivia maintains that she needed to remain true to herself and her music. She believes that the deal could have robbed her of controlling the direction of her career path.
She reveals, “I’m passionate about my craft and I’m not going to settle for less. I don’t know why that’s so hard to understand. Just because other people might just take the first [thing] that comes at them, that doesn’t mean I’m going to.” Summing up her position, Olivia states that “[i]t has to make sense all around.”
Perhaps turning down the deal was the right choice, as Olivia alludes to the notion that she has other offers on the table. In fact, while she’s mum on what may happen in the future, she maintains that better deals have been forthcoming since filming ceased.
Meanwhile, Emily Bustamante has been strutting her stuff for KONTROL magazine. Some pictures from her December photo shoot are below. The girl looks stunning (and no, I’m not on her payroll, or anyone else’s). Eat your heart out, Fab!
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF OLIVIA’S INTERVIEW? SHOULD SHE HAVE TAKEN THE EMI DEAL? ARE YOU READY FOR THE REUNION? COMMENTS ON EMILY’S PICTURES?
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In a recent interview with Necolebitchie.com, Kimbella opens up on her first season in the madness that is Love & Hip Hop. She discusses her infamous first episode, her tumultuous childhood, an aspiring singing career (no shocker there given the premise of the show) and how hard it is to be so darn nice. An excerpt of that interview is below.
So this is your first season on L&HH, what are your thoughts thus far?
Of course it wasn’t what I expected. I don’t think there was any way I really could’ve been prepared for it but I’m really happy. But I do wish I wasn’t as nice as I was. I wish I would’ve shown my more aggressive side.
Your more aggressive side? You’ve been involved in a few conflicts already…
Yes but that’s what I mean. People take my kindness for weakness. I don’t judge anybody. Basically people pre-judge me. And watching it, I realize I should’ve had my guard up with each individual. I’m not as nice as they made me seem. Anything that comes my way, I do not back down. I hold my own. I don’t care who you are, I’m gonna fight for who I am, take it or leave it. Some of the girls wanted to judge me and they didn’t know me and it’s pitiful.
Ok, let’s go back to your first episode. You came to a party thrown by Emily and sort of dropped a bomb that you’d previously been involved with Fabolous. Whose idea was it to tell her?
I came in there wanting to tell her, this was my second time seeing Emily [Bustamante]. I knew she knew, I’d heard that she knew. So I wanted to tell her and just get it out in the open before someone else brought it up. I wanted her to hear it from me. And the thing is, what they don’t show you is Emily came to me later and said, ‘Thank you for telling me because I saw your name in his phone and I was gonna ask you about it.’
I understand you wanting to tell her directly, but why then? Why at the party in front of everyone?
Because it didn’t matter where or when I told her. Everyone knew what this guy was doing to her. And even if I’d taken her to the bathroom, or pulled her aside, she still would’ve come back and told everybody at that table anyway.
So after the fight, Emily thanked you for telling her, what was the relationship between yourself and Chrissy?
Chrissy [Lampkin] wasn’t around. She stopped production for 3 weeks because she didn’t want to tape with me. So there was absolutely no relationship.
In [one] episode you allude to childhood abuse, can you elaborate on that?
Basically it was more neglect than anything. I had to raise myself and teach myself everything and some of the decisions I make as an adult are because of this. My mom was always off running after my dad, trying to make that relationship work. And it wasn’t healthy. My dad abused her. He had other children on her. So it was just an unhealthy situation all around.
What’s your relationship like with her now?
It’s hard. My mom is a unique individual. I want things to get better but it’s going to take time.
Where you want to go outside of the show?
I’m gonna launch my pop career, I sing. Not like Erica Mena. I can really sing. I’m also developing a line of watches. As well as a clothing line. And of course I’m doing my ‘Feel Pretty’ shirts which will be available on my website. My goal is to grow the brand. And eventually I’ll probably start an agency for upcoming models. I want to teach them the right way to handle their careers. You don’t just model for the rest of your life. I just want to educate women. We need unity, not jealously and to help one another. It’s such a struggle out here.
Is she lying and just making all of these allegations up?
Of course. I’ve never met her before. She’s straight lying. It’s jealousy, envy, maybe she wants to be my a friend. But I know one thing, a real woman – which obviously she’s not – wouldn’t approach the situation like that. We’ve never been friends. I don’t know this girl.
So who’s idea was it for you to confront her at her birthday party?
The show set up us going to her party. We did have this little twitter situation, which was real. But I didn’t understand how she was going back and forth so quickly. You came to Miami apologizing and now you’re still talking about me? The whole thing just doesn’t make sense. What is it you’re trying to do?
Would you do another season?
If the money’s right. I have two kids that I have to support. And now that I’m a little wiser about what this process is really like, I’m going to need a lot of things. So renegotiating my contract isn’t going to be easy. They’re going to have to come with it.
I know you’re genuinely cool with Yandy [Smith] but are you friends with any of your other cast mates in real life?
No, it’s hard for me to trust anybody. Especially after seeing the show now. Somaya’s cool but I don’t trust anybody. I thought during taping that Emily and I were cool. She used to call my phone whatever, like we were cool and then I see the show and see how she really was and how she was running back to Chrissy. But it’s cool. I get it. This was a front for Chrissy. So now I just worry about me. I’m cordial with Olivia. We don’t have any beef. I’m pretty chill. I don’t have hate, no jealousy, I don’t bring problems to the table. When I come into the room it’s always somebody else who has the problem.
That’s interesting. What do you think the general first impression of you is?
It could be different with each person. If it’s someone who’s insecure they’re gonna have a problem. I’m a pretty girl that walks in the room and holds it down for herself and if you’re insecure, then you’re gonna have a problem.
Anything else you want us to know?
I’m going to write a book and everything else I have to say will be in there.
Hmm… makes me wonder if she’ll be back next season if she is going to make some demands while negotiating her contract. I guess time will tell! While I certainly wasn’t surprised to hear that there is no love lost between Kimbella and Chrissy, it’s nice to know that not all of the friendships or fighting is staged for the small screen. The ever present absent Somaya Reece also opened up to Vh1.com, speaking about her friendship with Kimbella.
Somaya discusses how Kimbella started off on the wrong foot but was able to endear herself to viewers. She explains, “I think people also started to see that Kimbella really was trying, she really made an effort to make things right on the show.” Giving credit where credit is due, Somaya touts Erica for helping that transformation, recalling, “I told Kimbella don’t be mad, whatever this girl did just helped you.” However Somaya believes, “[E]ven if Erica would not have done all that, I think people would have seen the genuine in [Kimbella].”
Dishing on her friend’s pregnancy announcement, Somaya reveals, “Oh, I know everything. But I’d rather she speak about it. It’s not my business, but she’s happy about everything.” She continues, stating the show’s mantra, “Relationships are always weird when you’re in this business, so that episode with her talking about Juelz [Santana], I mean, she’s just a really sweet person but she’s strong, she’s tough. I just don’t wanna speak for her.”
No doubt both ladies will be doing plenty of talking at the upcoming reunion! And speaking of, below is a picture Somaya tweeted of herself during filming of the reunion. Glad to know VH1 didn’t edit her out of that!
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF KIMBELLA’S INTERVIEW? DO YOU THINK SHE CAME OFF AS TOO NICE ON THE SHOW? SHOULD SHE BROUGHT BACK FOR NEXT SEASON? DO YOU HAVE ANY REUNION PREDICTIONS?
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