Reports Boom Box:

Diddy does everything in excess. From his music videos to his children’s birthday parties, there’s always shiny gold, lavish cars, beautiful women and fine bubbly surrounding him. As news comes that he’s throwing a private affair following the 54th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 12, it’s no surprise that a pass to the event cost a whopping $50,000 a piece. In his world, that’s the price of a movie ticket.

The event, which will be held at the Playboy Mansion in L.A., is set to have a red carpet, celebrity honors, DJ awards, a live performance, cocktail reception, open bar and open buffet. While $50,000 is the highest ticket price, people with less cash flow can opt for the more affordable yet still hefty sum of $1,500. There’s also a $15,000 and $25,000 option.

TMZ reports that the $50,000 package doesn’t just get you in the swanky establishment, it also is loaded with extras. Those wishing to empty out their bank account to party with Diddy will get access to two cabanas, VIP admission for 20 people, a buffet dinner, open bar, free bottle service and 15 female promotional models to “service” you.

But the cash being shelled out won’t necessarily go straight to the Bad Boy Records mogul’s pockets. Proceeds will benefit the Angelwish Foundation, which helps children afflicted by HIV/AIDS.

I see said the blind man. And now…Diddy for the win.

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you Diddy is Black men making us look good.

And now…the performance.

21214134 by YardieGoals

And now…another performance.

BSLBJFL by YardieGoals

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you google the definition of hip-hop and you should find your way right back to this post. Respect.

Reports HipHopDX:

Ludacris is expanding his business portfolio with the announcement that he will be opening a restaurant in his native Atlanta, Georgia.

The rapper revealed on Twitter that he will open Chicken & Beer in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is the world’s busiest airport in regards to passenger volume and flights. The airport serves 89 million people per year.

In addition to opening his first restaurant, Luda is co-owner of Conjure cognac and launched his SOUL by Ludacris headphones in 2011.

And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…sometimes home to #BlackExcellence.

Reports Huffington Post:

From high fashion labels to everyday language, the hip-hop community is redefining American culture. To coincide with the release of marketing executive Steve Stoute’s debut book, “The Tanning Of America: How the Culture of Hip-Hop Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy,” HuffPost Black Voices presents the first episode in an ongoing video series, “The Tanning Effect.”

Check out part one of the exclusive interview above, featuring Jay-Z discussing the meaning of his joint album with Kanye West, Watch the Throne, which debuted at number one in 23 countries; on his epiphany that his music has a substantial impact on mainstream America; and on being an unpaid spokesman for Cristal champagne.

And now…the interview.

And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…sometimes home to Black Excellence. You gotta love that.

Reports EbenGregory:

The legendary producer and entertainment mogul is expanding his empire with an upcoming Smartphone with HTC and Verizon. He and business partner Jimmy Lovine sold the majority of Beats Electronics to Taiwanese company HTC for something around $309 million.

“I am trying to build my electronics company, Beats Electronics. We just signed a major deal with HTC and we have cell phones coming out in the next two weeks,” Dre told GlobalGrind.com.

“I am involved in Chrysler; we are in cars right now. My whole thing is to take over everything with a speaker. That is what I am shooting for. “I am trying to be number 2 to Apple, and number 2 to Apple is not a bad position to be in,” he added.

Although the details are limited, Dre says the phone will be out via Verizon in the coming weeks.

Sadly for Detox fans worldwide, the only updates Dre is offering at the moment are technology ones.

And now…EbenGregory street math: Smart phone money > Detox money.

That is all.

Reports Vlad TV:

NBA Players Association head Billy Hunter explained the role that certain NBA superstars are ready to fill:

“They’ve been deeply involved in the meetings we’ve had. I know Kobe is intimately involved in interfacing with colleagues and sharing in a pool of revenue to help the others get through this. Kobe has volunteered to do that in the event others need, he and others are prepared to loan money if necessary.”

I see said the blind man. And now…

Clap for ‘em.

The Foundation will host events at two locations throughout the City; one on the Southside and another out West until the 31st of August. For more details including time and locations hit the jump for the official Foundation flier. Press play to hear him speak about his initiative.

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you I’ll co-sign this message.

Reports This is 50:

In the last two years he adopted an arts school in his hometown of the Bronx, he was named producer in residence at New York University, he starred in a commercial for Aston Martin, he designed a shoe line for Louboutin and watches for Audemars Piguet, was appointed creative director at Reebok Classics, and on Monday (August 15), British automotive company, Lotus, anointed him as vice president of creative design and global marketing, according to autoguide.com.

“Like Group Lotus, he means business: He’s a risk taker with considerable credentials, including music producer, rapper, designer and painter,” a rep for Lotus said in a statement. “(He’s) the perfect man to add to the Lotus lineup.”

No further details on the high-profile partnership are available as of press time.

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you Swizzy got a mean hustle.

EbenGregory was like…this guy is amazing. Half a billie coming from bumping and grinding in Marcy Projects. That sir is amazing.

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you that there is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way. Say word EbenGregory.

Real Talk NY

EbenGregory was like…Rose, as part of an ESPN Films documentary “The Fab Five” that aired on Sunday (Rose was an executive producer), said Hill and other black Blue Devils basketball players recruited in the early 1990s were “Uncle Toms.” And I quote:

“I hated everything I felt Duke stood for,” Rose said in the documentary, describing his feelings as a 17-year-old high schooler. “Schools like Duke didn’t recruit players like me. I felt like they only recruited black players that were Uncle Toms.”

And then…Grant Hill responded:

“The Fab Five,” an ESPN film about the Michigan basketball careers of Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson from 1991 to 1993, was broadcast for the first time Sunday night. In the show, Rose, the show’s executive producer, stated that Duke recruited only black players he considered to be “Uncle Toms.” Grant Hill, a player on the Duke team that beat Michigan in the 1992 Final Four, reflected on Rose’s comments.

I am a fan, friend and longtime competitor of the Fab Five. I have competed against Jalen Rose and Chris Webber since the age of 13. At Michigan, the Fab Five represented a cultural phenomenon that impacted the country in a permanent and positive way. The very idea of the Fab Five elicited pride and promise in much the same way the Georgetown teams did in the mid-1980s when I was in high school and idolized them. Their journey from youthful icons to successful men today is a road map for so many young, black men (and women) who saw their journey through the powerful documentary, “The Fab Five.”

It was a sad and somewhat pathetic turn of events, therefore, to see friends narrating this interesting documentary about their moment in time and calling me a bitch and worse, calling all black players at Duke “Uncle Toms” and, to some degree, disparaging my parents for their education, work ethic and commitment to each other and to me. I should have guessed there was something regrettable in the documentary when I received a Twitter apology from Jalen before its premiere. I am aware Jalen has gone to some length to explain his remarks about my family in numerous interviews, so I believe he has some admiration for them.

In his garbled but sweeping comment that Duke recruits only “black players that were ‘Uncle Toms,’ ” Jalen seems to change the usual meaning of those very vitriolic words into his own meaning, i.e., blacks from two-parent, middle-class families. He leaves us all guessing exactly what he believes today.

I am beyond fortunate to have two parents who are still working well into their 60s. They received great educations and use them every day. My parents taught me a personal ethic I try to live by and pass on to my children.

I come from a strong legacy of black Americans. My namesake, Henry Hill, my father’s father, was a day laborer in Baltimore. He could not read or write until he was taught to do so by my grandmother. His first present to my dad was a set of encyclopedias, which I now have. He wanted his only child, my father, to have a good education, so he made numerous sacrifices to see that he got an education, including attending Yale.

This is part of our great tradition as black Americans. We aspire for the best or better for our children and work hard to make that happen for them. Jalen’s mother is part of our great black tradition and made the same sacrifices for him.

My teammates at Duke — all of them, black and white — were a band of brothers who came together to play at the highest level for the best coach in basketball. I know most of the black players who preceded and followed me at Duke. They all contribute to our tradition of excellence on the court.

It is insulting and ignorant to suggest that men like Johnny Dawkins (coach at Stanford), Tommy Amaker (coach at Harvard), Billy King (general manager of the Nets), Tony Lang (coach of the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins in Japan), Thomas Hill (small-business owner in Texas), Jeff Capel (former coach at Oklahoma and Virginia Commonwealth), Kenny Blakeney (assistant coach at Harvard), Jay Williams (ESPN analyst), Shane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies) and Chris Duhon (Orlando Magic) ever sold out their race.

To hint that those who grew up in a household with a mother and father are somehow less black than those who did not is beyond ridiculous. All of us are extremely proud of the current Duke team, especially Nolan Smith. He was raised by his mother, plays in memory of his late father and carries himself with the pride and confidence that they instilled in him.

The sacrifice, the effort, the education and the friendships I experienced in my four years are cherished. The many Duke graduates I have met around the world are also my “family,” and they are a special group of people. A good education is a privilege.

Just as Jalen has founded a charter school in Michigan, we are expected to use our education to help others, to improve life for those who need our assistance and to use the excellent education we have received to better the world.

A highlight of my time at Duke was getting to know the great John Hope Franklin, James B. Duke Professor of History and the leading scholar of the last century on the total history of African-Americans in this country. His insights and perspectives contributed significantly to my overall development and helped me understand myself, my forefathers and my place in the world.

Ad ingenium faciendum, toward the building of character, is a phrase I recently heard. To me, it is the essence of an educational experience. Struggling, succeeding, trying again and having fun within a nurturing but competitive environment built character in all of us, including every black graduate of Duke.

My mother always says, “You can live without Chaucer and you can live without calculus, but you cannot make it in the wide, wide world without common sense.” As we get older, we understand the importance of these words. Adulthood is nothing but a series of choices: you can say yes or no, but you cannot avoid saying one or the other. In the end, those who are successful are those who adjust and adapt to the decisions they have made and make the best of them.

I caution my fabulous five friends to avoid stereotyping me and others they do not know in much the same way so many people stereotyped them back then for their appearance and swagger. I wish for you the restoration of the bond that made you friends, brothers and icons.

I am proud of my family. I am proud of my Duke championships and all my Duke teammates. And, I am proud I never lost a game against the Fab Five.

Grant Henry Hill
Phoenix Suns
Duke ‘94

And now…Jalen Rose sticks by his comments.

And now…I agree with ESPN’s Chris Broussard:

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you that there will always be an ongoing discussion in the black community about what constitutes authentic blackness.

EbenGregory was like…’ol boy keeps it real.

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you that’s how who speak on your soon to be ex-wife. Respect.

PS, great interview.

This is my Tumblr account: http://ebengregory.tumblr.com/

And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you to focus back on the picture and be like “What if?”

EbenGregory was like…here’s what the Atlanta Post is reporting:

According to Crain’s, for a business to qualify, it must be privately owned and headquartered within the New York area. The New York area includes New York City and Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties in New York, as well as Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties in New Jersey. The business must also be at least 51 percent owned by minorities.

Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group is responsible for managing artists, recording music, fragrances, restaurants, apparel, advertising, marketing, TV and film production. Bad Boy rakes in an estimated $300 million annually and has an estimated 600 employees on its payroll.

Bad Boy falls behind Palladium Equity Partners, a private equity company that landed the number two spot and pulled in $1.2 billion in revenue in 2009. Goya Foods Inc., the Hispanic-owned food company, took the number one position and generated $1.5 billion in revenue in 2009.

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you Diddy is our generations Bob Johnson. Take that.

EbenGregory was like…thank you Tyler New Media for doing a phenomenal job at creating a timely and relevant film that lifts up the dedicated fathers, hardworking and faithful husbands, and devoted community activist.

I’m just saying.

PS, smh @ the end.

EbenGregory was like…here’s what Bun told MTV:

The whole point of me as a Hip-Hop artist and a representative of the Hip-Hop community teaching this course, was to inspire people that Hip-Hop doesn’t have to be confined within the conditions that we know it to be confined,” said Uncle Bun. “You don’t have to just be a Hip-Hop artist in a club, or an arena or a studio or on television or on the radio. That Hip-Hop has the opportunity to educate and inform and inspire people across all walks of life, within all settings. I feel like being able to teach at a college university is a perfect example of showing how Hip-Hop can influence the minds of the next generation.”

Whether out of curiosity or genuine interest, there were enough minds eager to take Bun’s class that its size doubled to 250 students since the start of the semester. Bun B, who is noted as a “Distinguished Lecturer,” teaches the course with Religious Studies professor Dr. Anthony Pinn. With Bun’s authentic wisdom in the mix, co-eds get a genuine Hip-Hop voice to help lead the discussion.

“People are under the assumption that this is a course that I created,” Bun B said. “This was a course that was already in existence with Rice in association with the H.E.R.E. Project. The H.E.R.E. Project is Houston Enriches Rice Education. And what they’ve done with this program is taken the opportunity to bring the rich cultural history of Houston onto the campus of Rice University. Me being a part of Houston’s culture, this is a part of that process. This was the first program that asked me to actually be a part of the process: the building of the lesson plan, the forming of the syllabus, the actual lectures taking place in the class—everything that helps define the course.”

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…sometimes home to Black men making us look good.

EbenGregory was like…here’s what the Business Insider is reporting:

Earlier we noted that shares of HNHI added $50 million in market cap today thanks to tweets from 50 Cent aka Curtis Jackson.

Obviously he’s being compensated. How much? A LOT.

This SEC filing shows that he owned 30 million shares. Seeing as each one gained $.29 today, that’s nearly $10 million for one weekend of tweeting.

How soon do you think he sells?

I see said the blind man. And now…

I need to take 50 business course ice jewelry. Did you see it?

PS, that kind of money will get you this all day long. Get Rich or Die tryin.

FYI: This is how penny stocks work. An investor buys a LARGE quantity of shares at $.01. Said investor then heavily promotes said stock. If and when the stock rises, the investor promptly sells the stocks for a tidy profit. It’s called a pump and dump. “Well, i’ll just sell mine too”. Not so quick..you can only sell if people are buying. Once other investors notice a LARGE qty being sold, they also will try to sell. Therefore, everybody is selling, nobody is buying, you lose. Because the stock only costs a few pennies, most people invest relatively little $$, therefore losing relatively little $$. They keep it moving with the loss and don’t make a big fuss. Well, if you can manage to get those few investors to jack the price up only a couple of pennies, then your pump & dump is a success. While this is perfectly legal, what many people fail to realize is that the actual company may be a dummy corporation set up for this purpose only. That is all.

Necole Bitchie