The sexiest men in hip hop (reloaded)

On a lazy Friday night, browsing the internet with kolkolkolblog's newly appointed beauty editor Helen, we came across a slide show of hip hop's sexiest men on Hip Hop Wired. Thinking this would be our weekend eye candy, we discovered, to our greatest shock, pictures of Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J and.......... Jay Z! Really? We had to put things right. Being sexy is not about trying too hard, that's why the likes of 50 Cent and Nelly should not come near this ranking. So here's kolkolkolblog's official top 10 ranking of hip hop's sexiest men. Tell us if we forgot anyone.

10.Ludacris - for the craziness

9.Bow Wow - sorry but he's cute (and we're not judging his sound)

8.Layzie Bone - wrongfully overlooked

7.DMX - Just raw

6.Pharrell Williams - for the swag

5.Tupac - do we need to explain?

4.Warren G - The guy next door (we wish!)

3.NAS - The Mind

2.Common - The Body

1.Method Man - l'Homme Fort

Behind the Scenes: Ciara's Photo Shoot for German Vogue

Weekend eyecandy

Boris Kodjo, Blair Underwood and Lance Gross are on the cover of October's Essence magazine.

This weekend: London African Music Festival

 

The Southbank Centre celebrates African music this weekend with FREE concerts of DJ Edu (10 Sep, 5pm), Amira Khier of Sudan (10 Sep, 6pm), Sarah Ndagire of Uganda (10 Sep, 10.30pm), Bulawayo from Zimbabwe (11 Sep, 1.30pm), 4Seasons Band and Temitope Ajayi (11 Sep, 2pm) and Laye Sow (12 Sep, 6pm). French rapper MC Solaar is also on the programme but you'll have to book tickets.

More information here.

New Tyler Perry movie: For Colored Girls

After Why Did I Get Married Too, Tyler Perry is back with For Colored Girls, a movie inspired by the 1975 play by Ntozake Shange. The movie follows the stories of women dealing with difficult issues and features Janet Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Loretta Devine, Anika Noni Rose, Thandie Newton, Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington, Phylicia Rashad, Macy Gray, Tessa Thompson, Michael Ealy, Hill Harper, Khalil Kain, Omari Hardwick and Richard Lawson.

For Colored Girls, out 5th November in US theaters.

Idris Elba on playing a villain in Takers

Idris Elba tells MTV about his latest role in Takers, the thriller that topped the US box office last week. Also in the cast, TI, Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Matt Dillon, Michael Ealy, Steve Harris, Zoe Saldana and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will be in London on 14-25 September. The dance company based in New York was founded by Alvin Ailey in 1958 and put African-American dancers at the front of the modern dance scene. The shows will feature Ailey's Revelations, one of the most popular modern dances in the world.

Alvin Ailey Dance Theater
14-25 September
Sadler's Wells Theater
Rosebery Ave
London EC1R 4TN

Click here for more information

Celeb kids: Zoe Kravitz vs Montana Fishburne

 Zoe Kravitz

Zoe Kravitz, the 21-year-old daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonnet, is officially part of the cast of X-Men: First Class. She contrasts sharply with Montana Fishburne, 19, daughter Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, CSI), who is launching a dreadful career in adult movies, trying to stop on the sale of footage of her 'practicing' for her movie debut and posing almost naked on the cover of As Is magazine.

 

Montana Fishburne

Why Did I Get Married Too? UK release

Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too? will hit UK screens on 3 September. Once again, the four couples including Janet Jackson and Jill Scott will reunite to work on their relationships during a holiday.

Lottery Ticket

It's Friday 13: what would you do if you won the lottery? It's the topic of Lottery Ticket, an upcoming comedy with Bow Wow, Ice Cube, T Pain, Bill Bellamy, Terry Crews (Everybody hates Chris) and Loretta Devine (Grey's Anatomy).

Readers blame Essence magazine for hiring a white editor

Angela Burt-Murray, Editor-in-Chief of Essence Magazine

Essence magazine created a controversy in the US this week by appointing Elliana Placas as its new Fashion Director. Why is the debate so intense? Because Elliana is white and is about to take a lead role on one of the biggest lifestyle magazines for black women.

Michaela Angela Davis, founding Fashion Director of Vibe magazine, wrote on Twitter: “It is with a heavy heavy heart I have learned that Essence magazine has engaged a white fashion director, this hurts, literally, spiritually.” She also said: "I feel like a girlfriend has died.”

Angela Burt-Murray, Editor-in-Chief of Essence magazine, defended her choice based on competencies: "I got to see firsthand [Placas'] creativity, her vision, the positive reader response to her work, and her enthusiasm and respect for the audience and our brand."

Writer Joan Morgan disagrees with Burt-Murray's choice because in her view, the publishing industry doesn't give enough opportunities to black writers:

"This is about the fact that the publishing industry, particularly when it comes to mainstream women's magazines remains just about as segregated in its hiring practices as it did in 1988."

"When these same institutions start to employ hiring practices that allow Black publishing professionals the same access to their publications, that's when I can get all 'Kumbaya' about Essence's new fashion director."

Essence cover, January 2009

IBWO: Leela James in London

Leela James will be performing in London on Thursday 29 July to promote her latest album My Soul. The singer born in 1983 in California is also known for being a natural hair inspiration. She's never relaxed her hair thanks to her mother's influence and hasn't felt any pressure from the music industry to do so. However, she's not an afro activist and believes that one shouldn't give too much importance to somoene's hair style:


"Hair politics are so stupid. I wish somebody would say that if I straighten my hair, I'm not as "Black" as someone with a natural. A hairstyle doesn't have anything to do with how conscious you are. India Arie said it best with her song "I'm Not My Hair." And listen, some people wear afros and loc their hair, but they're just as Uncle Tom as they can be. Everybody knows somebody that's like, "I burn my incense, I'm so righteous, I'm so spiritual..." Give me a break!"

Read the full interview n Essence magazine

She maintains her hair with a very simple hair regimen including shampoo and braids as a protective style: "I usually wash and condition in the shower, but I've been known to flip my hair over into the kitchen sink too... old school style, LOL! It all depends on my mood. I deep condition and apply hot oil treatments regularly. I recommend everyone do this, at least once a month."

Here's how she creates the mega afro above: "On wash day, I apply a leave-in conditioner and create 5 or 6 braids or plaits. I braid on damp hair and allow it to air-dry. Once it's fully dry, I take the braids down, comb them, and then tease it out using a pick or a wide tooth comb. Sometimes I'll lightly blow it out with a dryer, but that's really it! In between styling sessions, I dampen the hair, re-braid and repeat."

Read more on curlinikki.com

COVER: Janet Jackson, Essence Magazine, August 2010

Janet Jackson is on the cover of the August edition of Essence Magazine. Janet performed at the Essence Music festival in early July alongside Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott and Monica.

Spotted: the Serenas

Serena Williams appeared at the Wimbledon Gala Dinner in a Burberry dress on Sunday 4 July after winning the championshiship for the fourth time. She was also interviewed by Harper's Bazaar and confesses that she has long been envious of her sister Venus' slimmer figure. Read the full interview here.


Another Serena (aka Blake Lively) was spotted filming Gossip Girl season 4 in Paris, near La Sorbonne University, wearing a classy pink outfit.

Chris Brown's tribute to Michael Jackson

Singer Chris Brown made an emotional tribute to Michael Jackson at the BET awards on 27 June and broke down in tears after he impersonated the King of Pop. Many viewers and journalists claim that his breakdown was staged for camera to win back the public's sympathy after the scandal over his assault on former girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

When African-Americans meet Latinos

Our Family Wedding is out on Friday 18 June in UK cinemas. The comedy relates the dramatic week leading to the wedding of an African-American man and his Latino girlfriend played by Ugly Betty's America Ferrera.

The clashes between two communities, the poster and the whole plot are very similar to Guess Who, a romantic comedy from 2005 starring Ashton Kutcher, Zoe Saldana and Bernie Mac.

Our Family Wedding only received a 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes due to the fact that it is too predictable. So, will it be a mere copycat or a success?

Afro Hair & Beauty Live, London

This weekend, the biggest brands and suppliers of afro hair and beauty products are meeting the public at the Afro Hair & Beauty Live show. Launched in 1981, the event will be held for the first time ever in Islington, North London.

Anybody can go and discover the latest products, see fashion shows or learn directly from hair and beauty experts with live demos. Salon owners, beauticians, wholesale retailers (for cheaper products) will also be there.

Our personal picks, two workshops:

• Black Hair Growth Secrets
  
• Loc Techniques and Natural Hair Styling
  

Look out for pictures and comments this weekend on kolkolkolblog.

Afro Hair & Beauty LIVE
30-31 May
Business Design Centre
52, Upper street
Islington London
N10QH

http://www.afrohairshow.com/index.html

It's official: The Game is back on BET

According to perezhilton.com, The Game has been picked up by BET and the production of new episodes will start in May 2010.

The legendary tv show was unexpectedly cancelled by The CW in 2009 and since then, we've been hoping that another broadcaster would pick it up.

Quote from perezhilton.com:

"After the network canceled the show last year, BET made a deal with Paramount to develop new episodes based on the crazy series.

A source reveals that "The deal is done between the two networks. Now it's a matter of getting the actors under contract again."

And according to the source, the new contracts with the show's stars will be negotiated within the next two weeks.

Adds the insider, "The show will have the same production value, so the actors will make the same type of money they made when they did 'The Game' for The CW."

We're thinking they'd want more money!

The only conflict so far is with Coby Bell who's set to join the cast of USA's Burn Notice.

Though the source adds, "He will likely still be able to work on 'The Game,' but only as a recurring character instead of being a series regular."

Source: The Game Returns | PerezHilton.com http://perezhilton.com/2010-03-15-the-game-returns#ixzz0iQV0I7hS

Essence Black Women in Hollywood 2010

Stunning Joy Bryant

Jada Pinkett Smith

Vanessa Williams

More...

Off The Endz

They're young, black and ambitious. David, Kojo and Sharon all want to succeed after growing up in a London estate. But they have different views on the road that will lead them to success. Will they comply with the system or go off tracks?

Off The Endz is a play written by Bola Agbaje, 28, who was recently listed in the Independent's brightest new stars to watch out in 2010. She grew up in one of London's most notorious estates in North Peckham.

Bola said: "People say they're inspired by what I do. I have a responsibility as a role model. If I put something out there, someone needs to learn something from it. Even if it's just one person - that makes a difference in this world." Read the full interview here.


Off The Endz
Thu 11 Feb - Sat 13 Mar, 7.30pm
Royal Court Theatre
Sloane Square,
London SW1
020 7565 5000
£12 - £25