page contents data-tablet-width="1100" data-tablet-small-width="840" data-mobile-width="640">
Log in

Cardi B, Lorde, Fabolous, Vivica Fox, Blue Ivy | What’s The 411 | Ep. 124

Manuel A. Mendez is Blue Ivy’s personal stylist; backlash to Roseanne Barr’s joke about Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat still continues; and more

In this episode of What's The 411, journalist Kizzy Cox, and comedian Onika McLean are talking about Chrissy Teigen's response to a track on Cardi B's new album; the less than tepid response to Iggy Azalea's new album, the feud between Vivica Fox and Kenya Moore continues; the news that Jay-Z and Beyonce's daughter, Blue Ivy has a personal stylist; the uneven way that ABC treats Roseann and Black-ish; the perils of butt injections and butt lifts, interviews with Dion Clarke, the founder of the Harlem Fine Arts Show and some of the guests at the Harlem Fine Arts show, and
more.

 

Usher Haunted by More Herpes Allegations and more | What’s The 411 Ep. 114

New York Fashion Week, Nicki Minaj, Megyn Kelly, Kevin Hart, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, and so much more in this episode of What’s The 411

This episode of What’s The 411’s consists of QUICK TAKES of topical news about John Legend and Chrissy Teigen; Jesse Jackson Jr.’s messy divorce; Megyn Kelly; Kevin Hart’s new product; Sloane Stephens winning the US OPEN; and of course, lively discussions about Usher’s legal team clapping back at allegations that Usher knowingly exposed people to the herpes virus; and singer-songwriter John Mayer trying to hit on hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj. In the spirit of New York Fashion Week, we feature the Elegance of Africa Fashion Show, along with a shout out to fashion stylist, June Ambrose in our photo of the week, which you can see on our website at www.whatsthe411.com. In the 411onBooks section, Troy Johnson, president and webmaster of AALBC.com; and Ruth Morrison, What’s The 411TV’s CEO and Executive Producer, give a shout out to Marcus Book Store in Oakland, California.

  • Published in Episodes

Ava DuVernay and Harpo Collaborate on a Deal with Netflix

VIDEO DISCUSSION: DuVernay’s Central Park Five to be a Netflix limited series; Blue Ivy Carter is getting a lot of attention; Blac Chyna takes Rob to Court

What's The 411 Episode 113 consists of QUICK TAKES of topical news about Ava DuVernay; Chrissy Teigen, RYSE TV, Blue Ivy's Boom Shakalaka and lively discussions about Tupac and Madonna, Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian, and Japanese men who are turning to life-sized anatomically-correct dolls for companionship.

QUICK TAKES:

Film director Ava DuVernay is tackling another tough subject affecting African-Americans. Using the Central Park Five case, DuVernay will explore the subject of social and criminal injustice. Central Park Five, a five-part miniseries will debut on Netflix in 2019.

Chrissy Teigen would like you to stop sending her photos of babies that look like John Legend. She’s sick of it already, so just stop it!

Be on the lookout for RYSE TV. What started out as a magazine is growing into a VOD streaming entertainment platform and mobile app. Based in Atlanta, RYSE, which stands for “Recognizing the Young Successful and Empowered,” will soon become a multimedia group, offering the magazine, TV content, and an app.

Rapper and business mogul, Jay Z’s new album, 4:44 is out and when the confessional album dropped, it had the world talking. But, when the world heard five-year-old Blue Ivy's Boom Shakalaka freestyle, let’s just say that the little rumble you heard was the Internet breaking yet again with people signing up for #IvyLeague!

Pictures of Khloe Kardashian, North West, and Tristan Thompson surfaced online and the Tristan Thompson haters did not hold back, from wondering why he’s not with his own child to God is going to punish him, to hoping the Cleveland Cavaliers dump him.

Kendall and Kylie Jenner's T-Shirt Debacle

The lawsuits keep piling up for Kylie and Kendall Jenner over their T-shirts infused with pictures of themselves and iconic rappers Tupac and Biggie. First, Voletta Wallace, Biggie’s mom, hit fast and furiously, and now according to Billboard, photographer Michael Miller is suing the sisters for copyright infringement over the use of photos he took of the late rapper Tupac Shakur.

WHAT’S POPPIN – AMERICAN CULTURE

A letter that rapper/actor Tupac Shakur wrote to pop star Madonna breaking off their relationship is going up for auction July 19th through the 28th on the Gotta Have Rock and Roll website, with bids starting at $100,000. The letter shows Tupac as very sensitive, thoughtful, and well-educated. Tupac seemed to have broken off the relationship with Madonna because of what half of his fans would think of him dating a white woman. However, he was hurt by a comment in the press that she was “off to rehabilitate all the rappers and basketball players”. Prior to reading that comment, Tupac thought he was the first rapper Madonna dated.

Q. What are your thoughts about this revelation of the Tupac letter to Madonna?

WHAT’S POPPIN – RELATIONSHIPS

In more Kardashian news, it looks like Rob Kardashian has gotten himself into a whole lot of hot water. In a series of extremely graphic and expletive-ridden posts, which have since been taken down, Kardashian blasted his ex-girlfriend and mother of his only child, Blac Chyna. Chyna responded to the onslaught of messages in a since-deleted Snapchat post, alleging that Kardashian hit her. She has also lawyered up. Famed attorney Lisa Bloom is now representing Blac Chyna and it is not looking good for Rob Kardashian. In fact, Kardashian now has a temporary restraining order against him.

A source close to Blac Chyna told People magazine that Chyna is the victim in this situation: “She’s had to have a new phone number every month and constantly has to change her number. While everyone is writing stories and thinking it’s fun gossip, it’s actually dangerous.”

Q. Does Rob need psychological help? Are we being sucked into the marketing machine of a new season of Rob and Chyna?

WHAT’S POPPIN – RELATIONSHIPS

The NY Post had an article about a new trend in Japan. It seems that Japanese men are turning to life-sized anatomically-correct dolls for companionship because they feel that their wives are neglecting them.

What happened to the notion that women are supposed to do whatever their husbands want?

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Our Photo of the week is a photo of Madonna and Tupac hanging out at the club.

THE 411onBOOKS INTRO

Coming up next, Troy Johnson, CEO, and webmaster of AALBC.com and Ruth Morrison are giving a shout out to Go On Girl Book Club for the way it gives back to the community.

And, they can help you to find a good book to read!

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Our Motivational Quote of the Week is:

Success belongs to those who chase it.

This is a quote from Chris Louis. Chris posted his quote in the comments section in one of our YouTube videos. So, keep posting motivational quotes and you never know where we’ll find your quote.

CARIBBEAN COOK-UP

ONIKA: And now….here’s Ms. Kizzy with her Caribbean cook up. What’s in the pot, gal!?

KIZZY: Now, Fay Ann Lyons might have made the song famous, but this is what I call "Heavy T Bumper!" Soca artist Destra invited a man from Belize onto the stage and had him lay down. Destra dropped herself butt first onto his groin area. That did not go well, she burst the man’s bladder and he sued Destra for medical fees, 2 months of missed work as well as pain and suffering. A Belizean judge ordered Destra to pay the man just over $55,000 TT dollars which amount to less than 10,000 USD.

QUICK TAKES: Jay-Z, Blue Ivy, Khloe Kardashian, Ava DuVernay, and more

VIDEO: Kendall and Kylie Jenner had to backtrack on their Biggie and Tupac T-Shirt Venture; Chrissy Teigen is sick of John Legend look-alike baby pictures

What's The 411's Quick Takes recorded on July 11, 2017, are:

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay will explore the subject of social and criminal injustice through Central Park Five, a five-part miniseries that will debut on Netflix in 2019.

Chrissy Teigen is sick of people sending her baby pictures that look like John Legend

Be on the lookout for RYSE TV. What started out as a magazine is growing into a VOD streaming entertainment platform and mobile app.

When the world heard Jay-Z and Beyonce's five-year-old daughter Blue Ivy's Boom Shakalaka freestyle, let’s just say that the little rumble you heard was the Internet breaking yet again with people signing up for #IvyLeague!

Pictures of Khloe Kardashian, North West, and Tristan Thompson surfaced online and the Tristan Thompson haters did not hold back.

The lawsuits keep piling up for Kylie and Kendall Jenner over their T-shirts infused with pictures of themselves and iconic rappers Tupac and Biggie.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are Finally Pregnant!

VIDEO DISCUSSION: Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are happy and excited expectant parents


Teigen and Legend have been vocal about their desire to start a family including visiting fertility doctors. So naturally, Teigen's fans are very excited. Some have been speculating that Teigen may be having twins or even triplets. To which Teigen replied:

"I did IVF. One at a time. It isn't twins. I can see the damn thing. Get out of my uterus!"

What's The 411 Episode 63: Rihanna's NY Fashion Week Party Brings Out Everyone Looking for a Good Party

Plus French Montana losing no sleep over Khloe Kardashian; London street artist, Pegasus, brings Kanye West's 2020 Bid for US President to the UK; Brooklyn's first ever soca flash mob; and more!

In What's The 411 Episode 63, the panel of host Kizzy Cox and correspondents Courtney Rashon and Onika McLean are talking about ballerina Misty Copeland; Bravo's The Single Project wins an EMMY; Black-owned Restaurant Month; Tracee Ellis Ross and Jessica Simpson hanging out together; tennis star James Blake assaulted by NY police officer; actress Viola Davis joins actor Denzel Washington on August Wilson journey; Chrissy Teigen's ''No Hot Nannies'' Comment Causes an Uproar; K. Milele's New York Fashion Week show; and so much more!

QUICK TAKES

KIZZY: Ballerina Misty Copeland reveals she is engaged to her longtime boyfriend of 10 years, corporate attorney, Olu Evans, who is also a cousin to actor, Taye Diggs. Describing the turn of events in her life, Misty told Essence magazine, 'I can't believe my life right now!'

ONIKA: Of course, I am happy to report, Bravo's, The Singles Project, which followed six New York City singles on their quest to find romance, has officially won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Multiplatform Storytelling.

COURTNEY: Pop star Rihanna is always on the scene during New York Fashion Week and this year was no different. Rihanna held her New York Fashion Week Party at the New York EDITION hotel, which was attended by Chris Rock, Timbaland, Pharrell, Wiz Khalifa and others.

Onika: Black-owned restaurants Month kicked off in Brooklyn and Manhattan on September 9. Thirteen restaurants are participating in the event started by blogger Genese Jamilah. She created the event once seeing her I Don't Do Clubs blog post listing 100 black-owned restaurants had become very popular.

KIZZY: London street artist, Pegasus, brings Kanye West's 2020 Bid for US President to the UK with street art featuring the lovely Kim Kardashian in her "break the Internet" photo.

Courtney: It looks like rapper French Montana is not brooding over Khloe Kardashian's new romance with NBA basketball player, James Harden. It's reported that Rich Kids' Dorothy Wang will be joining French Montana on tour.

KIZZY: It is kind of strange putting the names Jessica Simpson and Tracee Ellis Ross in the same sentence, let alone in the same location. Yet the two are joined by the holy matrimony of their siblings Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross and Jessica and Tracee were on hand for a big family celebration, Evan's birthday bash.

WHAT'S POPPIN'

 

Former Tennis Star Assaulted by NY Police Officer

COURTNEY: You have to have been under a rock to miss this item; retired tennis star James Blake experienced a violent assault by the NYPD outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel near Grand Central Station. Blake stated that he was waiting outside his hotel, and five white undercover officers allegedly threw him down to the ground, causing Blake to suffer minor injuries. The police officers never apologized after the incident. Mayor de Blasio stated there will be a full investigation regarding the attack by the officers.

Actress Viola Davis Joins Actor Denzel Washington on August Wilson Journey

ONIKA: Actress Viola Davis is going to work with Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington in a film adaptation of August Wilson's play "Fences." Denzel Washington is directing and Viola will be starring in the film, according to The New York Times. Both Denzel Washington and Viola Davis starred in the Broadway version of Fences in 2010 and Viola also won a Tony award for her role in the play.

Chrissy Teigen's ''No Hot Nannies'' Comment Causes an Uproar

KIZZY: The Twittersphere has exploded over this comment Chrissy Teigen made during an interview at Lauren Conrad's New York Fashion Week show:

"No hot nannies, drivers, or maids," she quipped last week. "It's an ongoing joke in my house. I do want to have kids one day, so it's something that I have to think about. But the rule is no hot nannies. I trust John, but you never know with these men."

Some responses were: "Chrissy Teigen Just Said Something Lame About Hiring Women"

Of course, Chrissy is wondering why does she have to defend a running joke?

ONIKA: For years, New York Fashion Week has been the who's who in the hip-hop and all the other fabulous industries. I had the pleasure of attending the K Milele line- please Google her- she has been the brains and beauty behind all the fabulous urban brands. She is currently working on Nikki Minaj's line and working on her own fashion line. It was a fabulous event and what was so special, she had all of her stylist friends styled one swimsuit several different ways.

FAB411

 

New York Fashion Week Hair and Makeup Trends

COURTNEY: During NY Fashion Week, the runways were heating up with fresh and sexy hair and makeup trends for the spring looks. The make-up trends included barely-there makeup, bold lines made with eye shadows and eyeliner and lips stained with natural flesh-like rosy tones and face embellishment, such as piercing and decals were also seen on the runway. Thicker, more natural looking eyebrows are also popular this season.

For hair, twists and knots were a huge trend on the runway and the wet sleek hair look either pinned up or in a pompadour style was also a major trend for fashion week.

UNDER THE RADAR

 

The City of Baltimore Settles with Family of Freddie Gray

KIZZY: Baltimore has reached a settlement with the family of Freddie Gray for $6.4 million. Freddie Gray was the young black man who was fatally injured while in police custody, his death incited protests and riots back in the spring. The criminal trials of the six police officers will continue however and Baltimore's mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is saying that the settlement isn't an admission of liability just a way to avoid a long drawn-out litigation in a civil case. The settlement is more than the payout for 120 lawsuits against the Baltimore Police Department combined since 2011, reports the Baltimore Sun. The police union president called the deal "obscene", but what I think is obscene is that a young man who was in police custody was handled so roughly his spine was critically injured and he was denied medical attention while being transported to jail. What do you think about the settlement?

LeBron James Partners with Project Learn to create I Promise, Too

COURTNEY: Recently we reported that LeBron James' Foundation, "I Promise," has pledged 1100 college scholarships for students to attend The University of Akron in Ohio. According to the Huffington Post, LeBron has expanded his scholarship program by partnering with the adult educational organization, Project Learn of Summit County. The new initiative is called "I Promise Too," which will help parents earn their GED's and prepare them to enter the workforce.

CARIBBEAN COOK-UP!

 

Oba Stephens Bring First Soca Flash Mob to Brooklyn

KIZZY: BROOKLYN recently made history with its first ever soca flash mob! While dancing to Angela Hunte and Machel Montano's song Party Done, soca lovers locked down the plaza in front of the Barclay's Center with some wicked waistline moves, choreographed by dance instructor Kiara Ross. The event was organized by Oba Stephens, a Trinidadian but was an opportunity for people from all over the West Indies to show their national pride and unite for Caribbean pride. Hundreds of people participated and some put the estimates anywhere from 900 to nearly 2000 people. Oba plans to do another soca flash mob in Houston, Texas next month.

Brooklyn's Pre-West Indian Day Parade Festivities Brings Out Good and Bad

KIZZY: Brooklyn was also the site of the annual West Indian Labor Day parade which routinely draws about 2 million people to Crown Heights each year. It's a wonderful display of Caribbean culture with parties and performances by soca artists and steel pan drummers leading up to the parade and beautiful mas costumes and trucks playing high-energy soca music the day of, participants can also sample all types of Caribbean cuisine from fish cakes to jerk chicken from the many vendors who line the parade route along Eastern Parkway.

Unfortunately, the huge crowds also occasionally draw the wrong crowd. And this year at the Jouvert celebration, which takes place in the early morning before the parade, thugs brought violence to the festivities. One person was stabbed to death and 4 others were injured including Carey Gabay, a lawyer for Governor Cuomo's office. Mr. Gabay was shot in the head by a stray bullet around 3am Monday morning and, as of this taping, is in a coma still fighting for his life. Now in the wake of this violence some officials are calling for changes to Jouvert, including marking off the Jouvert route and checking all those who pass through it much like they do during New Year's Eve in Times Square. I was talking about this issue on the Brian Lehrer show and thought that wouldn't be a good idea because there's too many people and more importantly Jouvert takes place in a residential area, who knows who residing in the surrounding apartments might choose to settle a beef at that time--completely getting around those security checks. What do you think we can do to stop the violence?

ON THE CARPET:

 

George Zimmerman Gets Called on the Carpet, yet again

KIZZY: I don't know how many times we can drag this man on the carpet but here we go or rather here he goes again: George Zimmerman! Zimmerman has been selling paintings of the confederate flag in collaboration with a Florida gun store owner who recently declared his business a Muslim-free zone. Zimmerman tweeted his reason for painting the flags,

"I painted the confederate flag backed by the American flag because I believe that anything can stand with the American flag behind it. "He added: "My confederate flag painting also represents the hypocrisy of political correctness that is plaguing this nation."

A post on the store's website also said Mr. Zimmerman painted it "in honor" of Andy Hallinan, the gun store owner "for being a true patriot and leading the country into a better, safer America." As though being anti-Muslim is a sign of true patriotism! Zimmerman is selling his paintings for $50 a-piece to help with his and Hallinan's legal fees (who's being sued by the Council for American-Islamic relations). It's unclear how many he's sold so far but a painting of the American flag he did sold on eBay for more than $100,000! There is so much wrong with this story: the racism, the profiting off of racism, George Zimmerman is just a mess--he's been in legal issue after legal issue since he killed Trayvon Martin and I really don't understand how he's not in jail by now. For this and everything else, George Zimmerman I'm calling you on the carpet.

REALITY TV RECAP

 

Caitlyn Jenner Expresses Feelings about "I am Cait" Halloween Costumes

COURTNEY: In a recent episode of I am Cait, Caitlyn Jenner expressed her feelings toward the controversial Halloween costumes inspired by her Vanity Fair cover to Matt Lauer. Jenner states that "she" doesn't care and is not offended. The costumes are already appearing online.

 

Threesome Talk on Love and Hip

ONIKA: In Love and Hip Hop news. Is it cheating when you agree to a threesome? Ladies, I'm telling you don't open Pandora's Box and I'm not talking about the bracelet company! When you agree to have another woman in your bed, there is no guarantee she will want to leave! In some cases, she could be the Puerto Rican Princess and marry your man!

PIPELINE

KIZZY: Actress Vivica A. Fox will play the big sister to Taraji P. Henson's character, Cookie Lyon, in EMPIRE.

ONIKA: The 50 Cent produced drama series, POWER, is shooting its new season all over Brooklyn!

  • Published in Episodes
Subscribe to this RSS feed