Paul Walker Died In Car Crash Shortly After Attending Charity Event For Reach Out Worldwide

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A fiery car crash north of Los Angeles has killed 40-year-old Paul Walker, the star of the "Fast & Furious" movie series, and one other person in the vehicle.

Deputies found a Porsche Carrera GT engulfed in flames when they responded to a report of a collision Saturday afternoon in the community of Valencia, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. Two people who were found in the car were pronounced dead at the scene.

Walker's publicist Ame Van Iden confirmed the actor's death. A statement on Walker's Facebook page said he was a passenger in a friend's car, and that Walker was in the area to attend a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide.

The Sheriff's Department said that speed was a factor in the crash.
The Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported that the Porsche crashed into a light pole and tree and burst into flames. The fundraiser, to benefit victims of Typhoon Haiyan, took place at a nearby racecar shop. Attendees rushed to put out the flames with fire extinguishers to no avail.

"All of us at Universal are heartbroken," Universal Pictures, which has released the "Fast & Furious" franchise, said in a statement. "Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the 'Fast and Furious' films, and to countless fans."

His "Fast & Furious" co-star Vin Diesel posted a photograph of him and Walker arm-in-arm on Instagram with the message: "Brother I will miss you very much. I am absolutely speechless."

Walker rode the "Fast & Furious" franchise to stardom, starring in all but one of the six action blockbusters, beginning with the first film in 2001. The blond-haired, blue-eyed Los Angeles-native brought California surfer good-looks and an easy, warm charm to the popular street-racing series.

The son of a fashion model and a sewer contractor, Walker grew up in a working class, Mormon household in Glendale, Calif. The oldest of five siblings, Walker's mother began taking him to auditions as a toddler. He was a child model beginning at the age of 2.

Walker has said the early induction to show business wasn't to start him on a career path, but as a way to help provide for the family.

After a string of TV roles as a child in the '80s, including small roles on "Who's the Boss" and "Charles in Charge," Walker made his feature film debut in the 1998 comedy "Meet the Deedles." Supporting roles in the films "Pleasantville," ''Varsity Blues" and "Flags of Our Fathers" followed.

His performance in the 2000 thriller "The Skulls" caught the eye of producer Neal H. Moritz, who cast him in "The Fast and the Furious" as undercover police officer Brian O'Conner. Adapted from a Vibe magazine article about underground street races, the film became an unexpected hit.

In the sequel, "2 Fast 2 Furious," Walker moved to center stage with Diesel temporarily dropping out. Walker, a self-described "gearhead," kept his character's sports car from the film.

Walker starred in other films, including the crime thriller "Running Scared," the Antarctic adventure "Eight Below" and the heist film "Takers." Though his stardom didn't make as much of an impact outside the "Fast & Furious" series, Walker continually drew praise from his co-stars and directors as a kind-hearted and eager collaborator.

"Your humble spirit was felt from the start," Ludacris, Walker's "Fast & Furious" co-star, said on Twitter. "Wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark, we were like brothers."

"Fast & Furious" proved unusually enduring. Released in May, "Fast & Furious 6" was the most lucrative of them all, grossing more than $788 million worldwide. The seventh installment began shooting in September, with a release planned for July. The film's production was on break with more shooting to be done.

Walker stars in the upcoming Hurricane Katrina drama "Hours," which Lionsgate's Pantelion Films is to release Dec. 13. He also stars in "Brick Mansions," a remake of the French action film "District B13" in post-production that Relativity plans to release next year. "Paul was an incredibly talent artist, devoted philanthropist and friend," Relativity President Tucker Tooley said in a statement.

He formed Reach Out Worldwide in 2010 to aid people struck by natural disasters.

A friend of Walker's who attended the fundraiser Saturday, Bill Townsend, told AP Radio, "He was very happy. He was smiling at everybody, just tickled that all these people came out to support this charity. He was doing what he loved. He was surrounded by friends, surrounded by cars."

Walker is survived by his 15-year-old daughter.

Via HUFFPOST

Oprah: ‘I’m Gonna Leave This Earth As A Never Married Woman, And I’m Okay With That’

They say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it!’

Oprah Winfrey and her man Stedman Graham have been together for 27 years and holding each other down longer than most marriages inside and outside the industry, however marriage is not an option for these two.

During her recent sit-down interview with Shaun Robinson of  Access Hollywood, Oprah made it clear that she and Stedman are going to be on that ‘life partner’ status forever…and that’s her final answer.

    Will you leave this earth as a never married woman?

    Yes.

    That’s your final answer?

    *laughs* You’re good. You didn’t just come with no red carpet questions. That’s my final answer. I think it’s really interesting that you would ask it because I thought about it again at Tina Turner’s wedding because Tina [said], ‘Oprah, you need to do this.’ Well it took [her] until 75 to do it. Now you’re telling me I need to do it. I was just thinking, would things really be different? I don’t think so. I think my final answer is I’m gonna leave this earth as a never married woman, and that’s really okay with me. Stedman would tell you Shaun, if you ever interviewed him, he would tell you [that] had we married, we would not be together.

    Really? Why is that?

    Because he’s a traditional man and this is a very untraditional relationship. I think it’s acceptable as a relationship, but if I had the title ‘wife,’ hmmmm. I think there would be some other expectations of what a wife is and what a wife does. First of all you gotta come home sometimes.*laughs hysterically* I think it’s time for this interview to end.

Ain’t nobody gonna hold it down at home for Oprah like Stedman. Even the best dude out there isn’t built to be with Oprah. He’s been there from the start and has seen her go through almost ever major change in her career. At this point, the ring and title isn’t necessary is it?

Watch the clip below:

What are your thoughts about this, A woman of her caliber to remain single till death? Hmm... ? Comments below...

Rihanna Talks Selfies, Sex Life & Music: ‘Being Number 1 Never Gets Old!’

 

When Rihanna isn’t busy poking fun at her counterparts, she’s slaying the covers of magazine shoots and making promo appearances to promote her new projects.

Her November 2013 Glamour Magazine cover has made it’s way online, and she looks amaze in her short curly ‘do while dressed in all black.  This week, while promoting the release of her new River Island Fall 2013 collection, and Rogue perfume, she also stopped by BBC Studios in London to talk to Alan Carr for a light-hearted interview.

While there, she discussed Instagram selfies (she’s the Queen of Selfies FYI), what she enjoys about carnivals in Barbados and why she’s sort of a bootleg rock star.

Catch a few highlights below:

    On whether her Instagram selflies are ever airbrushed
    Nooo [Laughs].

    On what she enjoys about carnivals in Barbados

    Barbados carnival is a part of our culture and that’s how we dress, in as little as possible… and we just party. Party for miles on the road. We get a truck and then we get off and on and we… It’s fun. You just party for hours. All day long.

    On whether she feels unhappy about the way people perceive her

    It doesn’t piss me off because they don’t know me so well, so it’s easy for them to draw conclusions and its their right to. How can they know anything different? But I tried to be as honest with myself as possible. Be realistic with who I am and what I love to do and what makes me happy. And it’s not always partying, as a matter of fact, recently I’ve become like a square. I hate partying. I’ve been so bored with it. Maybe it’s because its the same music every night. I don’t know, y’all feel me? I don’t know, maybe we need some more DJ’s or something.

    On being able to produce 7 albums in 7 years

    You work hard and you play hard. I’ve definitely been working a lot in the last 8 years, its been a lot of hard work, but I love it. I love doing what I do. I have a lot to celebrate, so you will catch me celebrating every once in a while because I work hard. I love what I do and I put my focus into that. That’s my priority.

    On how she feels about her number 1 albums

    Its definitely exciting. It never will get old. Being number 1 never gets old. It actually puts a lot of pressure on you like. Its a challenge in itself. It keeps me busy but I love it. I love to challenge myself.

    On her sex life

    I am such a bootleg rockstar. I do nothing. I’m embarrassed to say that actually. That’s so disgusting. Its pathetic. I’m a bit of a square. Don’t feel bad for me, I’m good.

Those Instagram pics paint a different picture RiRi!

Watch The Interview:

Rihanna also performed her new single, "What Now"

Via Necole Bitchie

Lamar Odom Speaks Out After His Father Trashes The Kardashians

Lamar Odom has 99 problems, and his dad just became one of them.

Over the past month, “LAM” has been making major headlines for his alleged crack addiction, cheating scandal, and marriage woes and his dad Joe isn’t making things any better. This week, in an interview with Radar Online, he claimed that Lamar had been cursed by the Kardashians, while blaming Kris Jenner for planting negative stories in the press and trashing his son. He also said that Lamar has been on a spiral downhill ever since he married Kloe.

Although Lamar has been pretty quiet on social media since every thing popped off, he decided he had had enough of the slandering today, and spoke out on Twitter in defense of the Kardashians. He wrote:

Won’t continue 2 speak on this but I have got 2 let this out real quick. I have let this man and many others get away with a lot of sh-t. He wasn’t there 2 raise me. He was absent ALL of my life due to his own demons. My mother and grandmother raised me. Queens raised me. For the first time since they left, came a blessing of a FAMILY that I married into. FAMILY. That man wasn’t even invited to my wedding. He has never met my mother in law and some of my other family. How can a man who has NOT once called me to check on my well being have the nerve to talk so recklessly about his own “son”. He is my downfall! His own demons may be the ONLY thing he gave 2 me. He disrespecting the ONLY FAMILY that has loved me without expecting anything in return. They are the ONLY ones that have been here consistently 4 me during this dark time. Only person 2 blame is myself. Say what you want about me but leave the ones who have done nothing but protect and love me out of this! This goes to out to everyone!

If you missed what Dad Joe had to say about the Kardashians, catch the highlights below:

On the family bringing Lamar down
“Someone’s got to speak out, I’ve got to do something about this. It’s simple. They brought him down. He would be better off without them. Let him go and get his life together. I think the best thing for him would be to have a clean break, divorce Khloe and as a single man try and get his life back together.”

On Kris Jenner being behind all the negative publicity
“The mother has been talking a lot of trash about my son, saying he’s on drugs and stuff like that. She’s got something against my son, something against my family. Kris Jenner is very negative. She’s an evil b—h. She doesn’t care about Lamar, she just cares about their image and money.”

On whether or not the Kardashians take drugs
I blame Kris in particular, she’s been through a lot of stuff herself. She’s no Cinderella. I can’t really say if the Kardashians are doing drugs, but my son would never use hard drugs. I can’t pinpoint right now who’s giving it him, but I’m going to investigate. The Kardashians haven’t been a good influence on my son.”

On not liking Khloe because she’s too controlling
“I wish he had never got married to Khloe to be honest. She’s controlling. Those Kardashian women all are. You get married they think they wear the pants. You just bring them your whole paycheck, that’s how it works.
“I saw her totally differently when I heard the way she talked privately. It isn’t pleasant. In public she’s nice, but if you see her personally you see the real person come out of her. The mother’s like that too. The whole family, they put up an act.”

On the Kardashians ruining Lamar’s career
“They haven’t been a good influence on my son. It’s been the curse of his life. He hasn’t really accomplished anything since he’s been with them. Without them, he’d still be in the NBA playing basketball. He’d be playing for the Lakers and be one of the top players in the league.”

On what would happen if Lamar & Khloe divorced
“I guess he will have to pay her. He married her. You know how that goes.”

On Kim allegedly calling Lamar a crackhead
“I heard Kim say they don’t have crackheads in their family. That pissed me off. Look at where she came from. We don’t want porno stars in our family.”

On reality TV leading Lamar to drugs
“The reality show was a curse because it put too much of his business in the limelight. That show messed him up because to me his basketball should come first. It took a lot out of him to perform for his job and in that show.
“That’s maybe why he took sleeping pills to get some rest, to relax a little. But they arent good for you either. They make you tired. I think he was taking sleeping pills and it slows you down to perform, especially in basketball.”

Man! Family drama is never good. Hopefully, everything works out for Lamar. A few weeks ago, the paparazzi caught him out on the streets and he looked as though he was doing fine.

Via Radar

Nicki Minaj Debuts New Clothing Collection Post Fashion Week

 

Who needs big name, high end designers when you have your own clothing line?

Last week, Nicki Minaj was spotted wearing her very own clothing collection to two events during New York Fashion Week and now she’s previewed the entire line, which will be available at Kmart before the holidays.

Yesterday, she posted promo pics from the new Nicki Minaj collection, which features tons of spandex for the women who love to show off their curves, as well as ripped jeans, flirty dresses and two-piece ensembles.  And it’s all clothing that she rocks!

Earlier this year, she told us that it’s very important that her line is affordable and that her fans know that she wouldn’t put anything out that she wouldn’t wear:

It’s very important that I’m not just slapping my name on something. It’s important that my fans are going to know that if Nicki is putting it in her line, then Nicki is going to be wearing it.

She also added:

Sometimes artists get to a place where they feel like they’re too good. You know, I’m not judging anybody either, I’m just saying most of your fans can’t afford Giuseppes, Louboutins and those big bottles in the club. I know what my fans can afford and I’m going to continue to give them things that they can afford. It’s important to me to always bridge that gap between my fans and I.

The prices have not been revealed just yet, but it looks as though they will be budget-friendly.

Catch the entire line below:

 

  

 

 WOW! if you ask me...... But what do you guys think? comment at the comment box :D

Jay Z and Beyonce Allegedly Fired Bodyguard For Committing Lewd Acts A Year Before His Death

Nowadays even paying to keep things quiet doesn’t last forever.

Jay Z and Beyonce’s names are now being thrown in the middle of some drama after their ex-bodyguard was killed by Miami police. Earlier this month, Norman “Dutch Giant” Oosterbroek, was shot and killed after he reportedly broke into his neighbor’s mansion high on drugs, punched his neighbor, and swallowed a white substance. When the cops arrived, they couldn’t restrain the 6’5″, 280-pound bodyguard and he died after he was repeatedly stunned with a taser gun.

Now disturbing details have leaked regarding Norman’s life, which began spiraling downhill after he hired a prostitute while on duty with the Carters in Las Vegas. The prostitute allegedly had Norman on video doing lewd acts to passport photos of Beyonce and Blue Ivy and she eventually tried to sell them to a tabloid. After Jay and Bey found out, they fired Norman and he fell into a deep depression and began using drugs. It was also hard for him to gain work with his other former high-profile clients like Lady Gaga and Rihanna.
The website Crazy Days and Nights first blew the lid off of the story in a blind item earlier this year. In a February post, they wrote:

Remember how back in the day Tiger Woods traded cover stories so that his infidelities could be hidden? Well, an A++ list celebrity has reached a similar deal and is appearing on a cover that she would have laughed at a year ago until she passed out from laughing so hard. The thing is, the parent company of the magazine was offered some information about the celebrity. Disturbing information. About a long time employee. About the employee being caught pleasuring himself to photos of our celebrity and her infant daughter. Yeah, it is pretty sick. There is video of the incident that was taken by a woman he paid to have sex with. They are both drunk in the video but he talks about how he works for the celebrity and was her very first employee and has been with her forever and the hooker went to sell the story and the publishing company loved it. Was going to buy it and reached out to the people of the celebrity and they traded. Cover stories for a block on the publication of the photos and video. The celebrity also got together with her A++ list husband and they paid the hooker a great deal of money to go away. So, in the next couple of months when you see a cover and go wtf, now you know why.

Shortly, after the blind item, Beyonce was featured on the cover of Shape Magazine [although there is nothing laughable about Shape. It's a pretty legit magazine.] Shape is owned by American Media, Inc., which houses tabloids, including The National Enquirer, Star, Sun and The Globe.

According to NY Daily News, the couple was super heated and devastated about the whole thing and felt as though Norman may be a danger to Blue Ivy:

“Beyonce and Jay Z were furious when they found out. They trusted Norman with their lives and then he went and did some pretty freaky things, and on video with a hooker. They were outraged.[...]They really thought Norman was now a danger to Blue Ivy. From what I understand he was devastated, because a lot of people in the industry knew that he couldn’t be trusted and not to hire him.”

This whole story is tragic, for all parties involved.

Necolebitchie  And CDAN

Malik Anderson Charged With Murder For Allegedly Shooting Daquan Crump Over Stolen Playstation 3

 

A Philadelphia teen was arrested Wednesday for allegedly shooting his friend multiple times in the head over a stolen video game console.

Malik Anderson, 18, and Daquan Crump, 19, originally conspired to steal another friend's Playstation 3 together, MyFoxPhilly reports. But after Crump went ahead with the scheme alone and sold the gaming device for $60, police say Anderson lured Crump to a demolition site and fatally gunned him down.

After the first shot, "[Anderson] stood over ... his longtime friend and fired nine more times, shooting him in his head and killing him." Philadelphia Police Homicide Cpt. James Clark told NBC Philadelphia.

A construction worker discovered Crump's body on Aug. 19, shortly after the violent incident, WPVI reports.

Daquan Crump

"In their mind, this is worth a human life," Clark said. "Because I didn't get a cut of a $60 profit from a used PlayStation game I'm gonna stand over top and shoot a kid that I've been friends with since I was 10, 11 years old. It's really unconscionable and it's just very, very sad and very tragic."

Police say they found Anderson's .22 caliber automatic handgun inside his refrigerator.
Anderson is charged with first-degree murder.

VIA Huffingtonpost

George Zimmerman's Wife To Serve Probation In Plea Deal

George Zimmerman's wife, Shellie Zimmerman, will serve one year of probation as part of a plea deal for committing perjury in lying during a bond hearing for her husband last year.

Zimmerman will plead guilty to a lesser form of perjury today in court, as part of a plea deal designed to help her avoid felony conviction. She must also perform 100 hours of community service and write a letter to Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr., who she is accused of lying to.
Zimmerman's perjury charge is a third-degree felony, which carries a possible five-year prison term.
Last year Shellie told the court that she and her husband were broke. But they had received more than $130,000 in donations in just two weeks from people who sent them money through the Internet in support of George Zimmerman's defense case in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

The Orlando Sentinel reports:

However, she had no prior criminal record, and Assistant State Attorney John Guy of Jacksonville agreed to allow her to plead guilty to the lesser charge of perjury in an unofficial proceeding. That's a misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of 12 months in jail.
Guy works for Special Prosecutor Angela Corey, the lawyer appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to handle George Zimmerman's criminal case.
Recorded phone calls made by George Zimmerman from the Seminole County Jail show that in the days just before the bond hearing, he and his wife talked about those donations, and he directed her to move money between various credit union accounts and to put some in a safety-deposit box.

Read the full story Here
VIA BET

How to Make Money in Music Now

According to wunderkind producer and performer Ryan Leslie, it’s as simple as saying “thank you”

Who: Grammy-nominated artist, producer, and techie, Ryan Leslie

What: Old friends discuss how to be a successful independent artist in 2013

Where: The Engine Room, a music studio in downtown Manhattan

When: A break in a recording session for Leslie’s upcoming album, Black Mozart

Q: Let’s jump right in. How do you do business in 2013?

A: As crazy as it might sound, I run my entire business off of my iPhone, meaning that my audience can reach me directly by e-mail, text, and phone. I believe that that level of direct interaction is far more valuable than interaction on what I consider to be passive social-media channels like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Q: When did you come to that realization?

A: Two months ago.

Q: So, up until two months ago, you believed in the power of Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to reach your fans?

A: Up until two months ago, I did not believe in them. I wasn’t getting the results I wanted from any of them. I was looking at my numbers. I had 550,000 Twitter followers and eight retweets. Or if I had something pseudo profound to say, a hundred-plus retweets. And I’m like, There’s no way that this is engaging. There’s no way that this is effective. There’s no way that this is a good use of my time. It was valuable to Twitter.

Q: If you were to advise someone about how to get value out of Twitter or how to monetize Twitter for that person and his or her career, would you tell them to stop tweeting?

A: I would tell her to pursue a deeper connection with her followers by taking advantage of the ability to message them directly. That’s what I would say. And at that point, the conversion rate becomes greater. As opposed to one blanket tweet going out and reaching 1 percent of your base, you have a fifty-fifty chance of actually reaching every single person you directly message. Inside of that direct message, you should have a call to action that says, “Here’s how you can support me” or “here’s how you can engage me.”

Q: To what extent are you using Facebook at this point?

A: Facebook is extremely restrictive to me. I have 373,000 likes on Facebook. If I want to see who likes my page, I’m only allowed to see the last two hundred people or so. So how do I reach those people? When I post my phone number on Facebook, I get hundreds of responses.I was able to respond to every single person who had the guts or the nerve to send me a text message or call my phone.

Q: Relatively speaking, you’re not deluged with phone calls?

A: I’m not getting anywhere near three hundred thousand calls from Facebook or five hundred thousand calls from Twitter. But different fan bases react differently. There’s a kid I’m working with. His name is Charlie Puth. He has twenty thousand Twitter followers, but his audience is skewed younger. When he posted his phone number he got nine hundred text messages. I found another artist, Jeni Suk, on SoundCloud. I had no way of actually getting in touch with her on SoundCloud, so I tweeted and the twittersphere responded. I was able to have the same conversation with her about engagement. It turned out to be very beneficial for her, because the amount of money she had made in three years from trying to monetize her online audience — in twenty-four hours she reached 50 percent of that same amount using the ideology that I shared with her.

Q: Is your new stuff on iTunes?

A: Les is More is on iTunes. Black Mozart will not be available for sale on iTunes, but I’m sure that it will make its way into people’s iTunes playlists.

Q: Why wouldn’t you choose to put your next album on iTunes?

A: I chose to take myself off of iTunes because there was too much anonymity happening in my career. Let’s say seven thousand records were sold digitally in the last three months, and if I want to reach out and just say, “Hey guys, because you bought my album, I’m actually able to tour this year,” I can’t even do that. So my goal around the Black Mozart project is…. First of all, people are going to bootleg this record. The minute it’s digital, it’s free. Folks that still support it, despite the fact that they can get it for free, those are the people I’m concerned with, those are the people who are enabling and empowering me to continue to create. I think more artists should be thanking the people who support them. They’d probably have longer careers.

Q: Is that a spiritual thought? Or a business thought?

A: I think if you look at Apple and the idea of, “Hey, let’s make the world better”: Is that spiritual, or is that business? I think the bottom line is that it becomes profitable if you are actually providing value. What’s money, anyway? I would still thank someone who bootlegged my album, loved it, told her friends and converted three people into fans, if I knew who that person was.

Q: So you don’t care about money?

A: If I cared about money, I wouldn’t write a song like “Swiss Francs.”

Q: To what extent do you think of yourself as a thought leader?

A: I don’t think we need those titles, and I don’t think I’ve come up with any original thoughts.

Q: One might get the impression that you’re not challenging yourself musically at this point, that you’re just challenging yourself to connect to your fans. How do you respond to that?

A: I challenge myself musically, but not by anyone else’s metrics but my own. So whatever I’m challenging myself to do artistically, creatively, musically that has to do with what standards I’ve set for myself. A fan could write me and say I get it all the time, actually “Oh, Ryan, you’ve gotten away from why I fell in love with you.” Well, whatever emotional connection you have to an R&B song, like “I Choose You” or “It’s Love That I Feel,” those moments are immortalized on record, so play those records and relive those moments. And if you decide that it’s not valuable to you from an entertainment standpoint or inspirational standpoint to come with me on the journey I’m having as an individual, that’s a sacrifice I have to make for the progression artistically that I want to undertake.

Q: When you interact with your fans, you’re not interacting around their opinions of your music?

A: Absolutely not.

Q: You’re interacting about…?

A: Most of my interaction has to do with “No way, this isn’t really you, don’t you have staff doing this?” Once they come to the realization that it actually is me, then comes a level of gratitude. I don’t engage in subjective conversations of “Is this music good or is it not?” If people appreciate it, then great, but the appreciation is implicitly represented in the fact that they spent money on it. For the people who spent money on my music and don’t like it, I’ll give them a refund if they want it, honestly.

Q: Would you ever conceive of doing a classic label deal at this point?

A: Absolutely not.

Q: Why not?

A: I believe that labels are creatively stifling; they are restrictive; they are exploitative; they are operating in a model that’s antiquated; they are the opposite of nimble and the opposite of agile in terms of being able to respond to what’s happening in the market. I believe that they are controlling…. That’s enough.

Q: What would you say to people who say that you did some of your best music when you were on a label?

A: I would say that the fact that I was on a label during that time in my life had very, very little to do with the music that I was creating and the music that I was creating had everything to do with what relationship I was in at the time.

Q: Are you in a relationship right now?

A: Yes.

Q: With?

A: With my fans.

Q: So your music right now has everything to do with your relationship with your fans?

A: No, it does not. My music right now has everything to do with my relationship with me. Back then, I was writing songs.… I mean, the entire Transition album was not written for public consumption. It was all written for one specific person who would come to the studio all the time, and every night, when she would come to the studio, I would want to be able to play her something or through some sort of musical expression convey to her what I was feeling and hopefully transport her or rearrange her reality so that she felt the same way I was feeling. It worked for those fleeting moments when we were both enraptured in the music, so to speak.

Q: When did the shift happen from you making music for the women in your life to you making music for yourself?

A: I believe that realization really happened when I looked at my sales. Very clearly my sales reflected that whatever music I was creating was not connecting with or not reaching the number of people it would take to have the mainstream success I wanted to have. So, at that point I said, “Why would I invest time, energy, and money chasing that when, just as a human being, I would probably be very unhappy and these were all factors that far exceeded the reach of my control?” I can’t control if a radio DJ wants to spin my record. I can’t control if five hundred people show up at my concert. I can’t control if people are going to like my songs. I couldn’t control any of those factors, so I focused on the things that I could control, which were: How do I feel when I make this record? Am I actually reaching as far as I want to be reaching artistically? Am I actually layering this record with all of the instruments and arrangements that I want to have included in this expression? Did I write the best verse?

Q: When was this happening?

A: All this was happening around Les is More.

Q: When you decided to transition into rap?

A: I didn’t decide to transition into rap. I just decided I was going to make whatever records I wanted to make. If I wanted to sing on a record, or if I wanted to rap on a record, or however I approached the record, however I felt on the record, I did not want any confines at all to be.… I mean, famous line [his own]: “They try to put me in a box, it’s impossible.” Here I am, actually in the full glory of that statement. This is not a rap album. Come to my show. It is not a rap show. There is not a DJ and a hype man saying every other line in unison with me. There aren’t forty guys onstage. I am playing on the piano. What rapper plays the piano?

Q: What would you call it?

A: It’s Ryan Leslie.

Q: So it’s in a category totally by itself?

A: I just call it Ryan Leslie. That’s my expression. If people need to categorize it so they know where to put it in their iTunes playlist, be my guest.

Q: When you say that you’re creating music for yourself and yet you’re more engaged with your fans than you ever have been, is there a conflict there?

A: I believe that people’s appreciation of music is subjective. When people say, “Ryan, can you listen to this?” And I say to myself, “Okay, if I listen to this, what does it really mean?” And then, “Oh, well, I really respect your opinion.” And I say, “Okay, once I give you my opinion, what does it mean for you actually in continuing along your pathway?” Unless I sign you or take it and promote it to my audience, what does me saying “Yo, I think this is great” even mean beside just a pat on the back? So I believe that people’s opinions of music are subjective, but the way people actually feel when they receive a thank-you or feel when they feel like they know an artist, that’s not subjective. That’s a real feeling.

Denzel Washington Turns Down 'Fast 7' Role

Denzel laugh: Buried in an editorial about franchise fatigue in Hollywood by Deadline.com writer Mike Fleming comes word that Denzel Washington turned down the chance to co-star in "Fast & Furious 7."
 
Little else is known about the possible role, but Fleming makes it sound like the part would be similar in size to -- SPOILER ALERT -- Jason Statham's "Fast & Furious 6" appearance. (Statham is set up as the villain for "Fast & Furious 7" at the end of the franchise's sixth entry.) According to Fleming, Universal will "undoubtedly get somebody important" for the part, which would likely carry over into the ninth "Fast & Furious" film.

No word yet on what other actors would be "important" enough for the part, but feel free to start speculating with names like Liam Neeson, Ryan Gosling and any other action-friendly male star.
James Wan is set to direct "Fast and Furious 7," taking over from Justin Lin, who helmed the last four films in the series.

"I really do feel the pressure," Wan told HuffPost Entertainment, "but, you know, if you have to go into a particular franchise, there could not be a better one to come into. Do you know what I mean? Coming on something that's actually on the upswing [laughs] as opposed to something on the downswing."

Via Huffingpost

Denzel Washington’s Wife Turned Down His Marriage Proposal Twice

Persistence is key.

Long-lasting black love in Hollywood is hard to come by, but Denzel Washington and his wife Pauletta are still going strong, and if it wasn’t for his perseverance, their marriage may not have happened.

This week, while on the red carpet for his latest film “2 Guns,” the couple, who recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary, revealed to Access Hollywood that Denzel had to ask Pauletta to marry him three times before she said, ‘Yes.’

Judging from their interaction, Pauletta wanted him to be sure it was something that he wanted to do and that he would be committed to making their marriage work and growing old together. She said:

“It was three times. I know with age sometimes things [go], the mind [goes].”

When Denzel asked, “Why was it twice…Why would I have to ask again?”, she responded:

“Because I said no.”

Denzel also joked:

“You heard it here first. She turned me down, she said no. And since it was three times, that means she turned me down twice.”

They say when you work hard for something, you appreciated it that much more. Denzel worked hard to get his woman, and he definitely has worked harder to keep her.


Via E! Online

Breaking News: Huge explosion at Alausa, Lagos State

There has been an explosion in Alausa, Ikeja, around the New African Shrine of the Feka Kuti scions which has led to a fire that has been described by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, as intensive. It is not yet known if there are casualties. In a bizarre twist the fire and explosion was witnessed by renowned international writer, Teju Cole, who tweeted about it.

See the tweet below..

Via Naija Pundit

Ariel Castro is sentenced for Cleveland abductions

Ariel Castro, 53-year-old former school bus driver, who was imprisoned for life without parole plus 1,000 years, told the court he was not a monster.

The court heard he kept his victims chained up and repeatedly raped them.

The captives, Ms Knight, 32, Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23, were rescued in May after one of them escaped from the Cleveland home.

Passing sentence on Thursday, Judge Michael Russo told Castro there was no place in the world for people who enslave others.
In her statement, Ms Knight told how their captor went to church every Sunday, before coming home to "torture" the women.

"I spent 11 years in hell. Now your hell is just beginning," she said. "You will face hell for eternity.

"From this moment on, I will not let you define me, or affect who I am. I will live on, you will die a little every day." 

 She was the only victim to speak at the hearing.

Castro then made a rambling statement to the court in which he blamed his sex addiction and the FBI for not properly investigating the kidnappings.

"I believe I am addicted to porn to the point that it really makes me impulsive and I just don't realise what I'm doing is wrong," he said.

 "I'm not a monster, I'm a normal person, I am just sick, I have an addiction"

The former bandsman continued: "To be a musician and to be a monster like you're trying to say that I am - I don't think I can handle that - I'm a happy person inside."

He told the court that he had been "driven by sex", adding: "I'm not a violent predator… I'm not a monster, I'm a normal person.

"I'm just sick. I have an addiction, just like an alcoholic has an addiction."

He said he never planned to abduct the women, but acted on the spur of the moment when he kidnapped his first victim.

Castro also turned to their families and to Ms Knight to say he was "truly sorry".

Below is the picture of Ariel Castro house and the chain he used to chain the victims..

Michelle Knight, One of three women held in Ariel Castro house for about a decade has told their captor he will "face hell for eternity", as he was jailed for life.

Check out the video of Michelle Knight speech  below..

Ariel Castro, who pleaded guilty to more than 900 criminal counts, apologized to the women he held captive, telling the court, "I am truly sorry for what happened." He went on to later say, "I just hope they can find it in their hearts to forgive me … we had a lot of harmony going on in that home."

Via BBC

Drake Deads Young Money Beef Rumors By Joining Lil Wayne On Stage

Is Drake leaving Young Money? 

Over the past few months, the rumors have been buzzing about a possible rift between Drake and Young Money Cash Money Billionaires crew, after Drizzy was not included on Young Money’s Rich Gang compilation disc. Last week, Funk Flex asked Nicki Minaj if there was something going on with Drake, and she lightly danced around the subject which prompted even more speculation that there was trouble brewing within the clique.

Whatever is going on now – obviously we’re all very busy and you know sh-t happens. It gets a little hard to have a real connection when people are on different sides of the world and working on different things. You just never know who people got in their ear or what their feelings [may be], or maybe they felt wronged in some way. I don’t know.

In true fashion, Lil Wayne deaded all of the rumors and whispers last night when he brought Drake out on stage in Buffalo, NY to perform, “Versace, Versace, Versace.” Afterward, Drake posted up backstage with Young Money’s CEO Mack Maine and Birdman.

You can catch the video below, plus find out what else Drake did while you were sleeping last night

In the wee hours of the morning last night, Drake released a new track with Big Sean and 2 Chainz off of his upcoming, “Nothing Was The Same” album. On the track, introduced by comedian Aziz Ansari, Drizzy boasts about his new music, (which is justified since he has remained very consistent at putting out quality records), while also referring to himself as the ‘light skinned Keith Sweat.’ (“I’mma make it last forever”). Big Sean, who arguably has the best verse on the track, bigs up his girlfriend (who he says is probably making more money than him) and talks about his trust issues after fame, while 2 Chainz really doesn’t spit anything worth mentioning.

You can catch the track below..

DMX Owes $1.24 Million In Child Support, Files Bankruptcy

 Zammnnnn! Just when you thought you had problems…

DMX may definitely be having one of the worst weeks ever.  Last Friday, he was arrested in South Carolina for suspicion of driving under the influence and failing to have a valid driver’s license, and yesterday, he had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy so that he could get on top of his finances again.

What’s mindblowing, is that DMX has been in the rap game for over 20 years, but claims he has less than $50,000 in assets and has raked in $1 million to $10 million in debt. He is also $1.24 million behind in child support payments for his 10 children. He has four kids with his estranged wife Tashera who he was with for 11 years, but throughout their marriage he admitted to sleeping around and having babies with other women. [a vasectomy may apply here...]

Meanwhile, DMX’s rep Domenick Nati has released a statement via the Wall Street Journal’s Bankruptcy Beat saying that his financial problems have just been building up over the years, blaming poor money management and his previous handlers for his huge debt.

“DMX’s financial strains have been inhibiting his career for several years. Poor financial management by prior representation have caused him to be ineligible to retain a passport. The purpose of this bankruptcy filing is for reorganization so he can perform for his fans oversees [sic]. We are currently planning a tour in Europe and Africa for the fall of 2013.”

If you owe more than $2,500 in back child support you can’t get a passport, so because of that DMX’s camp is saying that he won’t be able to tour and make money.

Today’s rappers may want to take note. Bad money management and business decisions may have you worse off then when you started a few years from now. Unfortunate (especially, for those 10 kids!).
Iyanla, fix my bank account.

Via WSJ

CHINUA ACHEBE - KENYAN'S PERSPECTIVE

Re: Achebe There Was A Country - An Independent Review by a Kenyan

 This review is from: There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra (Kindle Edition)

Chinua Achebe is a great writer, with well thought out and concise work that is well presented and easy to read. However while his writing talent is unquestioned, I really feel his views in this book are biased and will result in the increase of tribalism, hence corruption and suffering of his beloved Igbo ethnic group as well as all Nigerians. Therefore he fails in his attempt to create unity and reduce tribalism and corruption which he so loathes.

In the Chapter "The Role of the Writer in Africa", he says that a writer should align himself with the weak and powerless against the strong. This is an agreeable point. However, he tries to cast his Igbo people as the victims in Nigeria while ignoring the sufferings of other ethnic groups brought upon by the Igbos. This is not a recipe for national reconciliation.

In the Chapter "Cradle of Nigerian Nationalism", he tries to cast the Yoruba Leader, Chief Awolowo as a tribal leader who reunited his ancient Yoruba people "with a powerful glue of resuscitated ethnic pride, hence creating the "Action Group" political party that reduced the dominance of the Igbo dominated NCDC. The irony here is that Achebe sees no problem with the NCDC being Igbo dominated while he complains about the Action Group being Yoruba dominated. This double standards is not a recipe for national reconciliation.

In the same chapter, while calling Awolowo's Action group a tribal party, he says, without any misgivings, that it also galvanized support from not only the Yoruba, but also the Riverline and minority groups in the Niger delta who "dreaded the prospects of Igbo political domination". This proves two points. That the Action Party was not an exclusive Yoruba tribal party like the NCDC was becoming. Second, that the Riverline and Minority eastern Tribes "dreaded" the prospect of Igbo domination. So the Igbo's are starting to look, not like the poor victims, but a ruthless tribe that will dominate others with impunity. Again, Mr Achebe's biased, pro-igbo views will not improve unity in Nigeria.

In the chapter "The Decline", Mr Achebe says that the original idea of a "One Nigeria" at independence was pressed by Eastern (read Igbo) leaders and intellectuals, especially Nnamdi Azikiwe. This is true because the Igbo were dominating every sector in Nigeria and they saw that a unified Nigeria would benefit them. They did not care about what other tribes felt.

Initially, the the Northerners led by the Sardauna, Ahmadu Bello, resisted the idea of a "One Nigeria". Achebe tries to cast the Northerners as short sighted and not working to remove the British colonist, but their objections were based on a legitimate and true fear of dominance by the Igbo. Why would the northerners want to remove one oppressor, the British (who were actually competent and knew how to run a non-corrupt government), and bring in another oppressor, the Igbo ( who were corrupt and tribalistic)?. So Mr Achebe, your Igbo leaders should have been less greedy and less short sighted and tried to understand why the Northerners resisted a One Nigeria idea. Maybe the whole Nigerian people would be in a better position today.

Don't take my word for it. Just listen to the Sardauna in his own words here ( [...] ) explaining the legitimate fear the northerners have about the Igbo. I think the Igbo, instead of arrogantly dismissing such feelings, should have taken them into consideration and tried to live in harmony with other tribes instead of trying to dominate them.

In the chapter named "January 15, 1966 Coup", Mr Achebe shows his extremely biased attitude in favor of his Igbo tribe. This is the classic definition of a tribalist. He tries to minimize the January 15, 1966, coup as one led by "junior officers" protesting corruption, but he fails to accurately portray the tribal nature of that coup. The Sardauna , Sir Ahmadu Bello and Samuel Akintola, the greatest leaders of the North and West respectively were killed, along with numerous others from same regions, but there was no Igbo killed. Achebe says the coup was led by "junior officers most of them igbo" led by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu from northern city of Kaduna. This is misleading. Major Nzeogwu was not a northerner. He was an Igbo born in Kaduna. Same applies to Emeka Ojukwu, Biafra's secessionist leader, an Igbo born in the North. So if he calls Nzeogwu a northerner, he should also call Ojukwu a northerner. This coup was a totally tribal affair and trying to say otherwise will not help improve the tribalism issues in Nigeria.

In the chapter "The Dark Days", Mr Achebe, having minimized the coup as "non-tribal and one led by Junior officers protesting corruption and decay", starts railing against other tribes when they took revenge, rightfully so, against the Igbos who had killed their most senior leaders. He says that in a country where tribalism is endemic, the "rumor of an Igbo Coup" began to gain acceptance. I find it unbelievable that Mr Achebe would take such a position. This January 1966 coup, WAS AN IGBO COUP, there is no doubt about it, and denying that will not further Achebe's goal of reducing tribalism in Nigeria.

In the same chapter, he says that other tribes started attacking Easterners, taking out their resentment against the Igbos who "had led the nation in every sector - politics, education, commerce and arts and had driven out the colonizing British from Nigeria". This comment brings two points to light. He tries to portray "Easterners" as one victimized group but this is not truth. As he said before, many minority Easterners "dreaded the prospect of Igbo domination", hence their joining of the Yoruba "Action Party" group.

Second point is that he tries to portray other tribes as being driven by envy at Igbo's success. Mr Achebe, remember the Igbos triggered this by launching a coup and killing people from other tribes. Second, a nation will never be united if one group dominates all the rest. This is the biggest mistake we have in Africa. One tribe tries to dominate and shut out others, the others fight back and we all end up losing, just as we see in Nigeria, and so many African nations. So Mr Achebe, please try to be far sighted and use your talent to guide your Nigerian people (all tribes) to be more unified and not celebrate the Igbos for dominating the rest, and congratulating them for being superior, or for being the "Jews of Africa" as has been said before.

Mr Achebe then describes his experience leaving Lagos. For those who don't know, Lagos is in western Nigeria, in Yoruba land and many Igbos had settled there as well as many other parts of the country. However we don't hear of other tribes settling in Igboland. This skewed migration tendencies were bound to bring problems. It is a fact that migratory tribes in Africa never assimilate with their host tribes, unlike the United States where different people integrate, learning English and adopting a common mainstream culture.

So you when people from a different tribe come to your area, they are basically "not your neighbours" but an alien people just occupying your land. When Mr Achebe says he found it "a strange and powerful experience" when his non-igbo "neighbours" whom he lived with for decades started jeering him and saying that "food will be cheaper in Lagos" when Igbos leave, he is not being genuine. I can bet that he never socialized with the locals, learned their language, or tried to integrate with their culture. Even after living in Lagos for decades, he maintained his Igbo culture and language and probably had mostly Igbo friends. Not surprising, even his "intellectual non-igbo friends" said that he should have known what was coming to him as an Igbo.

This point about Tribalism is illustrated again when Mr Achebe, fleeing to the east, arrived in Benin City in the Mid-west and he says there was a "distinct atmospheric change". There he found Igbo policemen who welcomed him as a brother, cheering him, saying "Oga, thank you". They cheered him just because he was a prominent Igbo man, even if he spent most of his life in Lagos or other regions. I bet non-igbos living in the East would never receive such treatment. So Mr Achebe should realize that tribalism goes both ways. Everyone, even the Igbos are tribalistic. So we should accept that fact and then we can start discussing how we can live together with justice for everyone.

In the Chapter "A History of Ethnic Tension and Resentment", Mr Achebe clearly illustrates that there is something about the Igbo that makes other Nigerian tribes resent them so much. He points out that in his book, "The Trouble with Nigeria", that Nigerians will "achieve consensus in no other matter than their common resentment of the Igbo". He says that while the Yoruba had a huge historical and geographical head start, the Igbo, "in one fantastic burst of energy in the 20 years between 1930 and 1950" managed to wipe out that advantage. He also illustrates from the book by J.P Clark an image of "ants filing out of the wood", how the Igbo moved out of their forest home and scattered and virtually seized the floor.

This scenario, as I said before, is a recipe for disaster in Nigeria and other African countries. When one tribe starts to invade other peoples territories and due to cultural, language and other factors, start to dominate everything there, that will definitely create resentment and conflict. The Igbo's congratulate themselves for being "superior" and "competent", and for being able to dominate other tribes in a fair competition, but they should also know they are not very smart because other tribes will resents them and drive them out, just as it happened, and they will end up losing.

If Mr. Achebe is smart and loves Nigeria, he should not be celebrating Igbo "superiority" over other tribes. He should use his talents trying to think how different tribes can work together to ensure everyone gets a fair shake so that the whole nation can utilize its talents for the good of everybody.

To his credit however, he concedes that the Igbos are prone to "hubris and overweening pride, thoughtlessness, exhibitionism and disregard for humility and quietness" which can offend others.

However, he fails again because he continues to argue that in Nigeria's context, they "get the achievers (meaning Igbos) out and replace them with less qualified individuals from the desired ethnic background to gain access to resources of the state". I have heard this argument in Kenya where I come from, but it does not hold water.

First, achieving "access to resources of the state for all tribes" is the only good and fair thing to do. There is no reason why Igbo's should to take over all jobs just because they "are more qualified" because competence is not exclusive to only one tribe. I live in the US and can tell you that you will find smart people from all backgrounds, all tribes and all races.

Mr Achebe displays his scewed and totally wrong position by saying he was "dismayed" by a 1966 publication called "The Nigerian Situation: Facts and Background", which demonstrated the complete unfairness existing in Nigeria where 45% of managers were Igbo, over 50% of the posts in Nigerian Railways, over 70% of posts in Nigeria Ports Authority and foreign service were occupied by Igbos. Remember the Igbos account for only 18% of Nigeria's total Nigerian population.

I don't know why Mr Achebe would not find such discrepancies disturbing and why he would be "dismayed" when someone reveals them. The only reason I can think of is because his Igbo people were on the benefiting end of this. This again, Mr Achebe, is not the attitude you should adopt if you want a Nigeria for everyone.

In the Chapter "The Army", Mr Achebe again tries to minimize the "Igbo Coup" led by Major Nzeogwu saying that it was actually not an "Igbo coup". He tries to deny that Major Nzeogwu was an Igbo, saying that he was born in Kaduna (north) and spoke fluent Hausa and wore northern traditional dress. That did not stop him from massacring Northern and Western leaders like Sir Ahmadu Bello. Achebe also claims that the coup was stopped by General Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo. However, he continues to note that General Ironsi refused to court martial the coup plotters and transfered them East where they were eventually released by Ojukwu. So Ironsi is not as non-tribal and fair as Mr Achebe tries to portray him.

After trying to minimize the "Igbo Coup", Mr Achebe goes all the way to condemn the resulting "counter coup" by northern officers to revenge the "Igbo Coup". He says the killing of General Ironsi and Fajuyi were part of a larger and bloody coup led by the northern General Murtala Mohamed. This kind of double standard is not lost on anyone. Once again, Mr Achebe fails by trying to unfairly promote his tribe and minimize their failings while maximizing their opponents failings. This will not result in a unified Nigeria.

In the Chapter "The Pogroms", Mr Achebe again goes overboard trying to minimize the "Igbo Coup" by saying that it was an "Idealistic Coup" that proved to be a disaster for the Igbo. I find it just unbelievable that a man of Mr Achebe's intelligence would not realize that his biased views will make other tribes think of him as just another unrepentant Igbo tribalist. Here again, he fails in his stated goal of unifying Nigeria for all its people.

In the Chapter "Aburi Accord", Mr Achebe claims that majority of the Easterners had grown contemptuous of General Gowon's federal government for its failure to bring the culprits of the mass murder in the North to Justice. While this may be true, he also fails to say that his beloved Igbo General Ironsi failed to bring the "Igbo Coup" plotters to justice when he had the chance. He even transferred them to the East where they were released. This kind of double standard, again is not going to promote unity in Nigeria.

In the chapter "The Nightmare Begins", after General Ojukwu seceded Biafra from Nigeria, General Gowon responded by declaring a state of emergency and dividing the nation into 12 states based on tribe. The federal government position was that this would foster unity and stability in Nigeria. This is actually a valid point. If different tribes have control of their areas and free from domination by other tribes, this can create stability, unity, justice and eventually success. However, the Igbos, arrogantly thinking that it was their birthright to dominate other tribes, saw this as "a Machiavellian Scheme to landlock Igbos into the East Central State and isolate them from oil producing areas", areas which in truth, don't belong to them.

Mr Achebe seems sympathetic to this Igbo view although he inadvertently validates the Federal government's point by saying that the Non-Igbo minority easterners "dreaded for years - the prospect of Igbo domination". So again, Mr Achebe fails by aligning himself with the Igbo desire to dominate others, which eventually led to the destruction of Nigeria, Igbos included.

In the Chapter "The Republic of Biafra", Mr Achebe shows his support for the secessionist nation of Birafra by defining the intellectual foundation of the new nation as one "which the supreme power lay with the citizens and respected the freedoms of all mankind". However he fails to mention the plight of more that 5 million minority Easterners in Biafra who "dreaded the prospect of Igbo domination for years".

He also mentions his admiration for president Nyerere of Tanzania who supported the new State of Biafra by standing for equality, self determination and respect for human values. The Biafra leaders would have been well served if they followed Nyerere's example. Nyerere succeeded in creating the only non-tribal country in Africa where there is no tribalism, unlike Biafra, which was founded as a result of extreme tribalism.

In the Chapter "Death of the Poet , Daddy don't let him die", Mr Achebe reveals a great irony. While he earlier described the "Igbo Coup" leader Major Nzeogwu as an "idealistic junior officer" whose thoughtless actions brought disaster to the Igbos, and while he earlier said that Major Nzeogwu was "an Igbo only by name", he now says that Nzeogwu's death in the war was a big blow to Biafra because he was a "darling and enigmatic hero who had risen from anonymity to legendary heights in a short period".

This reveals two things. That Mr Achebe was not too upset about the "Igbo Coup" itself, and the resulting massacre of people from other tribes, but was upset it eventually turned out badly for the Igbo, when other tribes took revenge. He also reveals that Major Nzeogwu, whom he earlier tried to dissociate with the Igbo on account of his being born in Kaduna (north), was actually regarded as a hero by his Igbo tribesmen. Again, Mr. Achebe reveals he is a tribalist and fails in his stated goal of uniting all Nigerians.

Mr Achebe tries to cast blame to everybody else other than the Igbo themselves. In the Chapter "The Silence of the United Nations", he bemoans how in October 1969, on the losing side, General Ojukwu desperately pleaded with the United Nations for mediation to no avail. His Opponent, General Gowon insisted on Biafra's surrender and rightly noted that "the rebel leaders had made it clear that it was a fight to the finish and no concessions will ever satisfy them". The Biafra Igbo rebels, in their "hubris, overweening pride, confidence and thoughtlessness" provoked a war and were not able to finish it. So they blame everybody else except themselves. Again, Mr Achebe fails. He is not interested in justice and truth, but in the welfare of only his Igbo people and not all Nigerians.

Nothing demonstrates the folly of tribalism better than the case of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria's first president, an Igbo. At independence, he campaigned against the British colonialists under a "One Nigeria" mantra, when it was beneficial for the Igbos because they were dominating other Nigerian tribes and taking over all resources. When things turned awry for the Igbos and they seceded, he suddenly forgot his earlier principles of "One Nigeria" and supported the new Igbo secessionist state of Biafra. However, he could not defend a challenge to his new position and had to turn back like a coward.

So in the Chapter "Azikiwe Withdraws Support for Biafra" Mr Achebe tries to blame British intellectuals in northern universities and the Nigerian Army for challenging Azikiwe to explain why he suddenly changed his lifelong beliefs of a "One Nigeria" and now supported the breaking of Nigeria. Azikiwe was unable to explain that and decided to withdraw his support for his tribesmen's new state. Again, Mr Achebe fails. He is not interested in fairness and principles to benefit all Nigerians, but will support whatever benefits the Igbo at that particular time.

The chapter named "1970 and the Fall" reveals the hypocrisy of Mr Achebe. He says that in the end, Biafra collapsed and there were thousands of children dying every day of starvation. He goes on to say that the "Notoriously incompetent Nigerian Government was not responding to those needs, and that with ill-advised Bravado, General Gowon was busy banning relief agencies that helped Biafra". I find this level of hypocrisy amazing. Where is Ojukwu in all this mess. He started the war, he was responsible for the death and starvation of millions of Biafrans. Remember Biafrans were fighting General Gowon and inflicted heavy casualties on his soldiers. So, to blame Gowon and completely forget the other responsible person, Ojukwu, is just unbelievable.

Some other points I wish to note are in the chapter named "Gowon Responds". He was asked about Igbo property being taken over by the Government of New Rivers State. Something was said to the effect that the people of that state "felt like tenants in their own state" because the Igbos owned everything there. Again I want to reiterate that there will be no united Nigeria (or other African countries) when some tribes start dominating others with impunity, and in their own territory no less.

In the Chapter "Nigeria's Painful Transitions: A Reappraisal" , Mr Achebe talks about the crime happening in his beloved, Igbo state of Anambra. He says it was encouraged by the federal government and by an unnamed former president of Nigeria, "whose attitude to this part of Nigeria, which he and some like him consider responsible for the troubles of Nigeria's Civil war".

Mr Achebe, I have news for you. This part of Nigeria IS RESPONSIBLE for the Nigerian Civil war. That is the truth and trying to deny it is folly. Again, you fail because this denial will not endear you to Nigerians of other tribes, hence will not help to create a unified Nigeria.

In one of your last chapters "State Resuscitation and Recovery" you ask how Nigeria can be salvaged and "bring all the human and material resources to bear on its development", how to end "organized ethnic bigotry" and "corruption". I am encouraged that you are thinking in this direction.

I am no expert in nation development and reconciliation, but I can tell you that TRIBALISM, like the one exhibited by the Igbo, is one of the main causes of our backwardness in Africa.

We have to deal with tribalism, ensure that no ethnic group moves to other ethnic group areas and try to dominate their resources. I believe the formation of states based on tribal lines will help. Or at least grouping together tribes that are in friendly terms and can live together in harmony. Then every tribe will control the resources in their state and ensure justice and welfare for their people and remove the danger of domination by other supposedly "more competent" tribes.

In conclusion, Mr Achebe is a great author, with superior talent. But he is also biased and is a tribalist. Here he fails like a majority of our other brilliant, (or not-so-brilliant) Africans leaders and intellectuals.

Via TRUE TALK