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Young Jeezy dropped his new album "The Recession" on Tuesday & ATL fans packed the tabernacle to witness his first performance fresh off the new album's release. Despite the boos coming from the crowd prior to Young Jeezy taking the stage (he was over an hour & a half late), he still managed to please the hometown crowd with the assistance of his deejay (DJ Fahrenheit) and a live band.

DJ Fahrenheit showed the crowd how a real deejay gets down by stratching & displaying his skills at times through Young Jeezy's set. At one point during the performance Jeezy got to the crowd to say "Free Slick Pulla". In case you're scratching your head right now, it was rumored that his homie Slick Pulla had been locked up for a minute so the "Free Slick Pulla" chants orchestrated by Jeezy only confirmed the rumor. Jeezy's former "Boyz In the Hood" member, Jody Breeze, is also currently incarcerated as well. Overall the performance didn't feature any surprise guests or any celebrity types we noticed at the show, but Jeezy's homie "Bloodraw" was also there in support.

I've seen some situations where women have started fights or arguments with a man 2-3 times their size & keep coming.  Although you should never hit a woman this guys response to her appeared to be simply an involutary reaction.  If he was a bigger dude we're sure those other guys jumping in at the end wouldn't have gone as far to keep giving him the beat down.  Small or not, the average brotha in the street would have went to the car to get his strap.  Check out the video....."When an Indian Reality Show Goes Wrong!" Beeeeyotch Schlaaaaaap!

When I first moved to Atlanta I used to work on the Reverend Hosea Williams's television show called "Voice of The Crusader."  We used to do the show live & sometimes taped over at People TV & it was a pleasure working with the civil rights leader.  Reverend Hosea Williams was unafraid to speak his mind on many issues as he always made it clear that he was "unbossed & unbought" by any establishment.  I learned a good deal from my experiences with "Uncle Hosea" as he liked to be called.  The most important thing I get from talking with our older generation is hearing the stories that don't always get brought up in the media.  It's always interesting to hear the behind the scenes stories that went on back in the day especially during the civil rights movement.  

Devyne Stevens in association with V-103 presented the "R&B SPOTLIGHT SOUL SESSIONS" last night at Opera Nightclub on 1150 Peachtree St. Hosted by V-103's Frank Ski & artist Devyne Stevens, it featured performances from Keith Sweat, Ray Lavender, Keri Hilson, Monica, & Robin Thicke who served as the headliner for last nights party.

The evening contained a packed house of beautiful fans & notable celebs in the audience just taking in the event. Boris Kodjoe & his wife Nicole Ari Parker were spotted in attendance as well. Jazze Pha, Rocco, Q of 112, rounded out the other ATL representers in attendance before a surprise appearance from Ludacris during Monica's performance on stage.



Keith Sweat also had a few surprises by bringing out Gary "Lil G" Jenkins, the former lead singer of Silk during his set as well.
It was our first time actually seeing Robin Thicke perform live & at times we got the feeling that although he has some great soulful music, he appeared a little awkward during his performance. At times he appeared to be trying too hard to be to smooth with his movements & dancing, but nothing too dramatically crazy though. Overall it was a good evening, but don't let us tell you....just check the pictures & video below.

Seems like all the women in politics can't get enough of that Barack Obama love including Hillary Clinton.  Yes....Hillary Clinton (maybe subconsciously) disses her husband Bill Clinton while waiting for that kiss for Barack Obama.  Bill is such a "playa playa" we're sure he's not phased though but damn that's got to hurt to only kiss air. 

This is so funny we're not sure how we missed this....

Check out this Unofficial video for T.I.'s new single called "Swagger Like Us" featuring Kanye West, Jay-Z, & Lil Wayne.  The video is rather hot & also proves that you don't have to be "Hype Williams" to turn out a creative project for the low low

We don't know what the hell is going on over there with Dr. Dre & his label Aftermath records because they had/have a wealth of artists on their label but consistently fail to ever release their artist's projects.  Atlanta's own "Stat Quo" is a talented lyricist who's currently signed to Aftermath records & appears to be patiently waiting his turn to release his first album.  Don't quote me, but we believe he's probably been signed to the label for over 5 years & his first album, "Statlanta", still hasn't been released.  Check out the video below from StatQuo called "Dear Summer" in which he lets fans know about where's he's come from & how things are at the moment.  Many deejays we know feel that "Stat Quo" hasn't pushed the envelope enough to make himself more of a priority over at Aftermath & Interscope.  At least this recent video appears to be a step back in the right direction.  He also needs to adopt a more aggressive grassroots approach because there are many people here in his hometown of Atlanta that still do not know who he is. 

"Ciroc Obama", better known to the world as Sean Combs, gets on the web & clowns Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain & his recent choice for a running mate for vice president Sarah Palin.  This clip sounds like Diddy aka Sean Combs may have once been a republican in much the same way that Charles Barkley was once a republican before leaving the party.  Check out what Mr. "Ciroc Obama" has to say....

We've heard this discussion over "50 eleven" times before in the barbershops & on the ball courts when the fellas get to talking about the state of the music industry & the lack of talented acts to come out as of late.  Personally we here at ATLSTATUS don't feel that there's a lack of talented artists these days, it's just that there really isn't many people out here really pushing them.

ATL's resident songwriter & hitmaker "The Dream",  puts on his R&B spin on Young Jeezy's popular single with a video....

Check out this video & you'll really see how deep things get with this current presidential election.  If you can remember Russia invaded Georgia recently, but Russian President Vladimir Putin says everything was orchestrated by U.S. agents supporting John McCain in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election.  Wow!  Deeper than Atlantis.....

Can't front.....the whole thing felt so inspiring it gave me goosebumps.  Especially with all those people there in support for turning things around in this country & for an even greater historical perspective.  Wished we could have been there in Denver, but we ultimately wish that Dr. King could have lived to see it.  Martin Luther King, Jr would be proud....

One of Atlanta's commercial rap radio stations, HOT 107.9 FM,  is releasing their morning show, the "A-Team", effective today.  Apparently they are to be replaced with comedian & syndicated morning radio show host Rickey Smiley.  More & more radio stations around the country are cutting their costs by bringing in syndicated programs.  It's due in large part to increased local radio competition, satellite radio, & less advertising revenue to keep these stations afloat.  Members of the "A-Team" Rashan Ali, Griff, Beyonce, Akini, & Emperor Searcy may be shuffling jobs within the station or may jump to other local stations altogether assuming they don't have any "non-compete" clauses in their contracts. 

Suge Knight's recent arrest in Las Vegas was caught by TV news cameras & was recently released...

Wow!! There really is a great deal of good music coming out in the month of September! Another album we're looking forward to will be a "classic" in more ways than one. Raphael Saadiq's new album "The Way I See It" is due for release on September 16th & is a sort of flash back to the past in terms of the lyrical & production flavor. As much as we hear people complain about the state of music today, it's refreshing to see Raphael Saadiq take this creative approach with his new album. There are quite a number of here today & gone tomorrow artists, but it's exciting to see someone like Raphael Saadiq show that he's a timeless artist in & of himself. Check out the album snippet below & remember it drops on September 16th. Supposedly there's also a song on the album that features a surprise Stevie Wonder solo on harmonica that should draw comparisons to the 1963 classic "Fingertips".  

According to TMZ, Marion "Suge" Knight was booked earlier this morning in Las Vegas. Check out what TMZ says...

Law enforcement tells us Suge allegedly attacked his girlfriend of three years early this morning. She claims he punched her in the back of the head while they were driving. She claims she tried getting out of the car, grabbed the steering wheel to cause an accident so someone would notice her peril.

The car struck the curb and stopped. She fled from the car and allegedly Suge chased her, caught her and that’s when the cops came.  Cops say they saw Suge kick the woman in the head and was wielding a knife in his hand.

Check out his new video from Common who is slated to also drop a new album in the coming months called "Invincible Summer".  This is a track featuring Pharell called "Announcement" which is directed by Lil X.  The clip is rather creative despite information from various sources that his label doesn't want it put out. 

The September rush is on with artists pushing their upcoming albums. Young Jeezy puts another promotional piece in the mix with his new video "Vacation" from his album dropping on Tuesday September 2nd. Right after most of y'all get back from (In a Jeezy voice) "Vacaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaation"!"

T.I. tapped Rihanna....not literally, but he gets her on a new song called "Livin Your Life" which is to be featured on his upcoming album "Paper Trail"

The song samples or interpolates an international club song that many people had parodied on youtube. Check out the video then listen to the T.I. track



Check it out!

ATLSTATUS DOWNLOAD:
Download "Livng Your Life by T.I. and Rihanna

Looking for all the ATLNIGHTSPOTS hosting the 2008 Ludaday Weekend? Check out itinerary below so you can get a jump on thangs! Have fun!

Thursday
The Kickoff Titled "The Preview" Will Be At A Private Location On Thursday August 28th. This Invitation Only Dinner Will Be Hosted By Chaka Zulu And Luda.

Friday
Ludacris, T-Pain And Friends Invite You To Have "One More Drink" At Esso On Friday.

Saturday
Saturday There Will Be An Outdoor Performance And Register To Vote Rally And Community Cookout Will Be At The Atlanta University Center With DTP, Compound Entertainment (Ne-Yo), Zone 4 (Polow), And More.
Saturday Night - Uptown Restaurant And Lounge With A Virgo Bash With Mario.

Sunday
Sunday There Will Be A Private Pool Party … Luda + Magic City Socialites + + Patron+ Red Bull = "Damn Why Wasn't I Invited",
Sunday Night There Will Be A Special Edition Of "The Chill Spot" Bowling At 300 Atlanta. Compound Entertainment, Zone 4 (Polow), Bryan Michael Cox's Crew, Floyd "Money" Mayweather And More,
Then Luda & Friends. Will Hold The Finale At Velvet Room.

Monday
The Finale… On Monday, A Celebrity Softball Game Where Luda Will Coach The Team Featuring The Michael Jordan At Oglethorp University.
Tickets Are Booked And Reservations Confirmed… Invited Guests Include Tracy McGrady, Lauren London, Meagan Good, T-Pain, Damien Wilkins, Ray Allen, Polow Da Don, Ne-Yo, Jermaine Dupree, Dallas Austin, Bryan Michael Cox, Gabrielle Union, Taraji Henson, Mario, Trey Songz, Ciara, Cee-Lo, Swizz Beats, Monica, A Few Very Legit Billionaire Guests And YOU! Keep Up With All The Updates On Hot 107.9, V-103

It's great & amazing the way the internet works.  You can attend an event & not worry to bring your camera & if there's more than three people in attendance with a camera phone or videocamera you can bet that it'll be up on the web in a few hours or less.  T.I. recently performed at his club over on Bankhead, Club Crucial, for the Hitmen Djs reunion.  He also brought along many of his Grand Hustle staff such as B.G, Alfamega & Young Dro with him.  After performing his single "What Up" addressing his haters he also brought out a guest from NY who has also been dealing with his own haters.  Brooklyn rapper "Maino" has been making noise with his new song "Hi Haters" which he also shot a video to the remix that also features T.I.  It's a good start for "Maino" considering the guy was locked up for 10 solid years before his recent success in the music industry. Shout out to Kaspa & the crew of the Hitmen Djs & their reunion... 

Check out this classic video of a young Rosie Perez when her career was just starting to pop off. The interesting tidbit of information in this old clip with Regis & Kathie Lee is that Rosie said Spike Lee was throwing a "Big Booty" contest & tried to holla at her. Rather ironic considering that Spike Lee is known for a lot of socially conscious films. Spike must of had plenty of these up & coming actresses on his casting couch back in the day hoping they'd "Do the Right Thing". I guess they don't call him "Spike" lee for nothing! Spike's a freeeeeak! LOL

Spike may turn you down for a quick picture as our boy Kaos from thekaoseffect was dissed by Spike Lee recently, but if you got a big ass & a cute face then you just may have a chance to get that picture.  Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiied.....you may even land a part in the movie! LOL!