T.I. and Tiny weren’t the only ones getting hitched this weekend. Another one of music’s high-profile couples, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, was married in an intimate ceremony in Italy.
Miss Info was first to reveal the couple’s union, which took place aboard a 260-foot yacht on the Mediterranean Sea, near Sardinia’s exclusive Costa Smeralda enclave. The celebration was attended by close family and friends.
Before breaking out the champagne across the Atlantic, the couple legally wed in the Tri-State region. During those nuptials, Keys reportedly wore a Vera Wang gown, Swizz was outfitted in Tom Ford, and both rocked footwear personally designed by their friend Christian Louboutin.
Prior to walking down the aisle, Swizz celebrated with two bachelor parties, one in New York and one at Sardinia’s opulent Billionaire Club on Friday (July 30).
Keys is pregnant with the couple’s first child, due later this year. This is the first marriage for the Grammy-winning singer and second for Swizz, who was previously married to R&B singer Mashonda.
Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West invaded the Rolling Stone office this week to preview cuts from his upcoming solo album and explain the comeback process.
Details and footage of his latest cross-country stop hit the Internet Friday (July 30).
After gesturing for all the office's interns to join him and ask questions, West said he'd love to work with Lauryn Hill ("she's last of a dying breed") and Thom Yorke, made frequent references to Anchorman, Dodgeball and Semi-Pro, and joked that Twitter was designed with him in mind. "Rock stars just get scared and just run away from popular culture," he said. "It takes so much for me and Eminem to come back and embrace [it] and say, 'You know what? We have to deliver this on a major level to make a difference.'"
Earlier this week, West visited the office of social network site Twitter.
Kanye West's tour of Silicon Valley continued. After meeting withFacebook on Tuesday, the newest celebrity to join Twitter stopped by the micro-blogging service's headquarters for a visit that included him rapping new material from his as-yet-untitled album. "I admit my first watch was a Fossil, now I'm in the Louvre looking for fossils." "Lyrically can't none of ya'll murder 'Ye 'cause y'all raps ain't got no vertebrae/ And we all know the beats is like a mix between Fergie and Jesus."
A day prior, Yeezy shocked fans by showing up at FaceBook and freestyling new material.
Remember when Kanye first debuted he repeatedly said how much he wants to get respected as a rapper? Well, by now anybody with ears for rapping can attest to Mr. West's lyricism. Thanks to continuous reports and co-signs from hip-hop heavyweights who heard tracks off Good A** Job, the anticipation for the album continues to rise. Adding fuel to the fire, this clip of Yeezy humbly spitting several verses off his upcoming LP at Facebook HQ just adds a smile to our faces. "I am the day Ice Cube meets Mike Jackson. Keep them away, huh? Something might happen." Yea, son hear it for yourself.
Following his set, West blogged about the experience.
"To all my friends at Facebook, Many times in life I've had to deal with moments of doubt. And as it's been a minute since I've performed any fresh material in front of an audience, this could've been one of those moments... but it wasn't. Your energy was a gift so electric, so genuine, that it really helped me give my best. The energy was so inspiring I had to keep going! I just hope you got as much from me as I got from you...which was everything! Love to all my fans, especially at Facebook. Kanye West."
Check out footage of Kanye West at Rolling Stone below:
Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa has turned down an opportunity to sign with Rick Ross' Maybach Music Def Jam imprint for a deal with Atlantic Records.
Wiz made the move official via a broadcasted announcement on Friday (July 30).
"Yeah, I'm signing to Atlantic," Khalifa said. "We've been working on it for a minute. I wanted to make sure that I had records that I was comfortable with before I went to any label or any situation. I wanted to make sure I had my direction so when I take it to them it's like, 'Let's go.' ... It's a huge honor for [Ross] to even extend a hand like that. [It's] crazy for him to even look out like that. Me and Ross is always gonna be working. He sees my vision. I think he gets what I'm trying to do. Even if it ain't no paperwork between me and Ross, it's gonna be work done between me and Ross."
Ross publicly offered Wiz a chance to join a roster which includes his rap crew, Triple C's.
"You know, Wiz, what's happening, this is the Boss, Ricky Ross, Teflon Don," the rapper said in an interview. "You know we spoke of this in the last week or two, but my question is even more personal that I'd love to ask you right now. What would it take for us to close the deal, Wiz Khalifa and Maybach Music? I feel like the homie is a superstar. We discussed this last week. He's most definitely loyal to his team. But like I told him, there's always more to get."
Recently, both emcees hopped on the "Super High" remix.
"Ross just kept it G, dawg. He seen my movement, he seen Curren$y's movement. He recognized what we do together, but he recognized us as individuals as well as a team," Wiz said about the experience. "He reached out in a real way. Spiff [TV] called us. I think he reached out to Spitta first. Then Spiff, he reached out to me. I was still on another leg of my tour. So as soon as I got done with the last leg of my tour, soon as I got home, I went straight to the studio and knocked out the verse, sent it to Ross. He was like, 'I love it. I'm flying you out next week. We doing the video.'"
After Wiz's Deal Or No Deal album dropped last year, the rapper's label, Rostrum Records, hit up SOHH to speak on his movement.
"We have built a strong fanbase for Wiz," representative Arthur Pitt explained to SOHH, "even after leaving [Warner Bros. Records] and continue to do our thing grassroots. We dropped the album at a tough time too with no radio presence, major network video coverage, etc. 86 percent of the sales were digital which indicates the grip he has on the net which is the future of the business. We barely shipped more than a few thousand into stores...The impact that this album has had is just another stepping stone in Wiz's career. We are more concerned about artist development and building a real fanbase rather than have overnight success. This is my 5th year being a part of Wiz's career and we all couldn't be happier with the results. "
