Real Housewives of Atlanta Baggage‏

Griffin Scott Press announced a late September release date for Cynthia Bailey -Thomas’s and Peter Thomas’s urban memoir. The book chronicles the couple’s journey of courtship, marriage, financial comebacks and blending a family of six children.

Bailey-Thomas shares, “Peter and I did not write a book to give other couples relationship advise. Our story is biographical and we hope it will serve as an inspiration to other couples finding love in the second half of their lives. We share the nitty-gritty of what it looks like to maintain passion in a mature relationship while balancing children, business and finances.”

The book’s title is a playful euphemism that defines all the moving pieces that come along with mid life marriage. The chapters delve into everything from Cynthia’s and Peter’s first date that was fifteen years in the making to their formula for successfully managing six children and five co-parents.

Readers will be stunned to learn how the ex-supermodel and restaurateur/entrepreneur shot to fame and joined the ensemble cast of Bravo’s hit reality show, The Real Housewives of Atlanta. “Carry-on Baggage” will inspire, provoke and make the reader laugh out loud as they take Cynthia and Peter’s nonstop flight to finding marital bliss.

MINI Night Out debuts at Lollapalooza!

Celebrities and influencers alike came out this weekend to experience MINI Cooper’s NEW Mini Paceman and check out some of the hottest Lollapalooza after parties including VIP passes to the ASOS Rocks event held at The Hard Rock Hotel, exclusive performances from Salt’N’Peppa at The Untitled and a special DJ performance by Ryan Cabrera at Ay Chiwowa!

Lollapalooza performers Imagine Dragons and Atlas Genius took the NEW Mini Paceman to their performances on the coveted Lollapalloza stage, Extra host Ben Lyons hopped a ride as he left the Hard Rock Hotel to partake in the festivities and DJ Ryan Cabrera even took his MINI Paceman to his set at Ay Chiwowa!

Upon reserving a ride for this coveted nightlife adventure, a nightlife chauffeur picked up guests in the brand new MINI Paceman, and took you to the hottest spots in Chicago whereupon they enjoyed a one of a kind VIP experience inside, all courtesy of UrbanDaddy and MINI.

Jill Scott and Maxi Priest rock the Taste of Chicago Festival

By Sommer Thornton

Chicago’s most famous festival, the Taste of Chicago brings together the city’s best food and big music acts. Though the revamped festival offered paid concert seating and fewer vendors, headliners like Robin Thicke, Fun, and Jill Scott made this year a huge success.

Jill Scott headlined the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park on Saturday. Jill Scott, Maxi Priest, and spoken word group Ideology performed for a sold out crowd of thousands. Fans stood the entire set as Jill belted out hits like The Real Thing, A Long Walk, and So in Love. Other cuts like The Way, Cross My Mind, and Hate On Me were given soulful remixes. Jilly from Philly rocked the stage in a sexy black and white fitted dress with platform heels. Those of us used to seeing a thicker Jill Scott perform in draped garb were pleasantly surprised at her sexy slimmed down look. Jill is still voluptuous as ever, now with a tighter posterior and muscular legs for days.

Jill Scott also rocked a custom-made grille as she excited the audience with her frank adlibs. On her soulful ballad, Whatever, where she exalts her man and declares there’s nothing she won’t do for him, Jill joked, “I’ll even let your baby mama sleep over and you know we don’t get along.” Another song, Quick got Jill pretty emotional. While she performed it she stop singing – turning from the mic and shaking her head. The audience lent their full support, shouting, “It’s okay…” Jill never finished that song.

Unrated Flair had the pleasure of attending the show as a guest at the Verses & Flow VIP tent positioned right next to the stage. Verses & Flow is a series created by Lexus that brings poets and R&B artists together for a grown and sexy night of spoken word and good music. Verses & Flow in conjunction with the Taste of Chicago presented spoken word group Ideology as the opening act.

Ideology had the audience feeling sentimental when they spoke about love and relationships, then cracking up when the joked about the shortfalls of dating the wrong guy. The five gentleman group set the stage for reggae artist Maxi Priest, who performed before Scott.

Maxi Priest has never lost his swag. He performed classics like Close to You and a few new hits that had the crowd dutty-winding. Maxi even brought out a special guest whose dancehall chants got the crowd jumping.

Day four of the Taste of Chicago was a weather-perfect day of pride for Chicago with grown and sexy folks of all ages packing the Petrillo Music shell to the brim and groovin in unison.

North Coast Music Festival 2013

The 4th annual NORTH COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL (NCMF) will take place August 30- September 1, 2013 at Union Park in Chicago, IL. This year’s performers include: Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Just Blaze and more! Tickets are now available at Clubtix.com!

North Coast Music Festival is produced by a group of independent promoters based in Chicago, IL. Between them they produce hundreds of events each year, including multiple festivals in the Midwest, one off events at Chicago’s premier music venues, street festivals, and more, that attract thousands of fans and artists from all over the world. For more information on the festival, visit www.northcoastfestival.com

Festival line up:

WU-TANG CLAN | AFROJACK | BIG GIGANTIC

NaS | The Disco Biscuits | Lotus | Mac Miller

Gary Clark Jr. | Rebelution | Purity Ring | Laidback Luke

Datsik | Madeon | Skream | Paper Diamond

Claude VonStroke | Future Rock | Conspirator

RL Grime | Danny Brown | Aloe Blacc | AlunaGeorge | Just Blaze

Capital Cities | Seven Lions | JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound

El Ten Eleven | Cherub | Poolside | Flatbush Zombies | On An On

Bondax | Midnight Conspiracy | The Knocks | DVBBS | heRobust

Zoogma | French Fries | Dean Cohen | Russ Liquid

Manic Focus | Thibault | K Flay | Brassft Punk | Ghost Beach

Porn and Chicken | Ghosthouse | The Coop | Gemini Club

Slum Village UnVeil New Album Evolution, Available June 25th

Ne’Astra Music recently announced the release of Evolution, the new Slum Village album, available worldwide on June 25, 2013. Evolution is the long-anticipated release coming on the heels of the critically acclaimed mix tapes “Dirty Slums” and “Dirty Slums 2.” This album features new music from founding member T3 along with Young RJ and Illa J.

The first single “Forever” has already been released digitally. The track’s musings on the natural drift of relationships over time delivers a vibe that’s a cut above.

The group was founded in the early 90’s by 3 childhood friends: Baatin, T3, rapper and producer J Dilla, who all grew up together in the Conant Gardens neighborhood of Detroit, MI. After leaving Pershing High School, the trio began to forge a path into the Detroit underground hip hop scene and quickly found themselves steadily gaining popularity, where they originally went by the name Ssenepod.

Even though the group has suffered many heartaches and member changes over the years, Slum Village always finds a way to reinvent its brand. As the group has persevered despite the struggles over the years, it was only natural that the inspiration for this album title paid tribute to Slum Village’s enduring quality. The meaning of Evolution can be described as “a continuous change to a higher, more complex or better state” and that is exactly what Slum Village has ascribed to with their music over the years, culminating with this new album. The Evolution of Slum Village continues with a reinvigorated energy, as founding member T3 holds down the legacy along with the Grammy-nominated producer Young RJ as well as young prodigy Illa J at his side.

Evolution also includes the talents and skills of Blu, Havoc (Mobb Deep), Raheem Devaughn, Jazzy Jeff, Rapper Big Pooh & Focus amongst others. The album was produced by T3, Young RJ and FOCUS. Slum Village has partnered with The Orchard for worldwide digital distribution.

In conjunction with their new release, Slum Village has also launched a Pledge Music campaign as a way to allow the fans to join the album-making process. There are various packages available, even including the SV logo stage prop used in the “Selfish” video featuring Kanye West and John Legend.

Slum Village will be touring worldwide in support of the release. Remaining tour dates below with more to be announced:

May 16 London, UK Cargo

May 17 Manchester, UK Sound Control

May 18 Munster, Germany Skaters Palace

May 22 Munich, Germany Import Export

May 23 Milan, Italy Biko Club

May 24 Aarau, Switzerland Kiff

May 25 Brussels, Belgium Brass

June 14 Chicago, IL Reggie’s

July 24 Orlando, FL Backbooth

July 25 Tampa, FL The Orpheum

July 26 Miami, FL The Stage

Summer Set Music & Camping Festival 2013

August 9 – 11, Summer Set Music & Camping Festival (SSMF) returns to the beautiful Somerset Amphitheater in Wisconsin! The diverse, three day outdoor music festival welcomes artists from every genre from all over the world across three stagest! The headliners this year include critically acclaimed indie-synth-pop band PASSION PIT, Colorado live instrumental duo BIG GIGANTIC, Mashup maestro GIRL TALK, the legendary jam quintet SOUND TRIBE SECTOR 9 (STS9), hip-hop icons COMMON and BIG BOI of Outkast, and 50 more artists!

Tickets are on sale now at Clubtix.com!

PASSION PIT | BIG GIGANTIC | GIRL TALK | STS9

Last year, SSMF welcomed over 30,000 people to the beautiful grounds at Somerset Amphitheater with 40 national and international artists! This year, the festival is expecting over 45,000 people with more than 50 artists from around the world! Last year, the festival was headlined by Pretty Lights, Umphrey’s McGee, Big Gigantic, and featured performances by the legendary NaS and Black Stare (Mos Def & Talib Kweli). This year, all of the artists will perform across three stages on the grounds, which is surrounded by the Apple River on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Tickets are on sale now at Clubtix.com!

Rock the Bells Announces 2013 Line-up, Dates and Venues

Boost Mobile in association with Guerilla Union made the initial announcement of the Rock The Bells 2013 Festival Series this week.

Upholding to true Rock the Bells tradition, freestyle champ Supernatural unveiled this year’s performing artists via freestyle, of which include: BIG K.R.I.T., BLACK HIPPY, BODEGA BAMZ, BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY, BROTHER ALI, CHASE & STATUS, COMMON*, CURREN$Y, DANNY BROWN, DILATED PEOPLES, DIZZY WRIGHT, DOM KENNEDY, E40 AND TOO SHORT*, EARL SWEATSHIRT, FLATBUSH ZOMBIES, HIT BOY, HOPSIN, IMMORTALTECHNIQUE, JHENE AIKO*, JUICY J*, JURASSIC 5*, KID CUDI, LECRAE, MIMOSA, PROF, RAKIM, SNOW THA PRODUCT, SUPERNATURAL, TALIB KWELI, TECH N9NE, TYLER THE CREATOR*, and WU-TANG CLAN with more to be announced.

The festival will kick off at San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California on September 7 and 8 and make its way to Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California on September 14 and 15. To round out the tour, Rock the Bells will be establishing new festival sites at RFK Festival Grounds in Washington D.C. on September 28 and 29, and at Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey on October 4 and 5.

This year marks Rock the Bells’ tenth anniversary, and to celebrate and commemorate the premier hip-hop festival, Weisberg promises fans an once-in-a-lifetime experience. Rock the Bells will have original virtual performances of iconic hip-hop legends Ol’ Dirty Bastard performing with Wu-Tang Clan and Eazy-E performing with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

This virtual performance is especially important for the legendary New York crew. The first year of Rock the Bells in 2004 was the last major performance all Wu-Tang Clan members had together before Ol’ Dirty Bastards’ untimely passing. Now, 10 years later, they will be reunited on the same stage at Rock the Bells for their 20 year anniversary.

Rock the Bells artist ambassador and famed emcee Nas states: “I’m proud to have been a partner with Rock the Bells for the past five years. This year, RTB X, will mark a significant time in hip hop. Today’s announcement is a celebration of several historic moments in the past, with a keen eye for the future.

For the first time ever, Guerilla Union mailing lists subscribers will get the first chance to purchase specially priced tickets during an Early Bird Pre-Sale with the exclusive password. Fans are encouraged to sign up for the mailing list to receive this exclusive pre-sale password. Check www.rockthebells.net for information per market. The next announcement of artist additions will be made in June. For more info, visit: www.rockthebells.net

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www.youtube.com/guerillaunion

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Talent And Nominees Are Announced For BET Awards ’13

Nominees were recently announced at the official BET Awards ’13 press conference in Los Angeles, by BET’s President of Music Programming and Specials, Stephen G. Hill ; this year’s BET Awards ’13 host, blockbuster movie star and comedian Chris Tucker ; R&B artist Chris Brown ; hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar; and singer and television personality Tamar Braxton .

Leading the pack of A-list nominees include, hip hop artist Drake, with an impressive 12 nominations including Best Male Hip Hop Artist and Video of the Year; close behind is breakthrough hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar and rapper 2 Chainz tied with 8 nominations; A$AP Rocky with 5 nominations; while Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Miguel face off with 4 nominations each in the categories of Best Collaboration, Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award and Video of the Year.

In what is sure to be a showdown of epic proportions, this year’s Video of the Year Award has a phenomenal line-up of 10 nominees including Kanye West , Justin Timberlake , Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, 2 Chainz, A$AP Rocky, Miguel and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis , all vying to get their hands on the sought-after trophy.

During the press conference, Chris Brown was exclusively announced as the first confirmed performer. As an added bonus, R. Kelly is closing the BET Awards ’13 and will head over to the Staples Center immediately after to open the BET Experience concert. In addition, a living legend, Charlie Wilson was announced as the recipient of the prestigious Cadillac Lifetime Achievement Award, to honor his four decades in the entertainment industry.

The nominees for the BET Awards ’13 include:

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Beyonce
Tamar Braxton
Alicia Keys
Rihanna
Elle Varner

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Chris Brown
Bruno Mars
Miguel
Justin Timberlake
Usher

Best Group
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Mary Mary
Mindless Behavior
Slaughterhouse
The Throne (Kanye West & Jay-Z)

Best Collaboration
2 Chainz f/ Drake – No Lie
A$AP Rocky f/ Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar – Problems
French Montana f/ Rick Ross, Drake and Lil Wayne – Pop That
Kendrick Lamar f/ Drake – Poetic Justice
Justin Timberlake f/ Jay-Z – Suit & Tie
Kanye West f/ Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz – Mercy

Best Male Hip Hop Artist
2 Chainz
A$AP Rocky
Drake
Future
Kendrick Lamar

Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Azealia Banks
Eve
Nicki Minaj
Rasheeda
Rye Rye

Video of the Year
2 Chainz f/ Drake – No Lie
A$AP Rocky f/ Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar – Problems
Drake – Started From The Bottom
Drake f/ Lil Wayne – HYFR
Kendrick Lamar f/ Drake – Poetic Justice
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/ Wanz – Thrift Shop
Miguel – Adorn
Rihanna – Diamonds
Justin Timberlake f/ Jay-Z – Suit & Tie
Kanye West f/ Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz – Mercy

Video Director of the Year
A$AP Rocky & Sam Lecca
Benny Boom
Director X
Dre Films
Hype Williams

Best New Artist
Azealia Banks
Joey Bada$$
Kendrick Lamar
Trinidad Jame$
The Weeknd

Best Gospel Artist
Deitrick Haddon
Lecrae
Tamela Mann
Mary Mary
Marvin Sapp

Best Actress
Angela Bassett
Halle Berry
Taraji P. Henson
Gabrielle Union
Kerry Washington

Best Actor
Don Cheadle
Common
Jamie Foxx
Samuel L. Jackson
Denzel Washington

YoungStars Award
Gabrielle Douglas
Jacob Latimore
Keke Palmer
Jaden Smith
Quvenzhane Wallis

Best Movie
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
Sparkle
Think Like A Man

Subway Sportswoman of the Year
Gabrielle Douglas
Brittney Griner
Candace Parker
Serena Williams
Venus Williams

Subway Sportsman of the Year
Victor Cruz
Kevin Durant
Robert Griffin III
LeBron James
Ray Lewis

Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award
A$AP Rocky f/ Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar – Problems
Drake – Started From The Bottom
Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)
Miguel – Adorn
Rihanna – Diamonds
Justin Timberlake f/ Jay-Z – Suit & Tie

Centric Award
Tamar Braxton – Love and War
Fantasia – Lose To Win
Miguel – Adorn
Nas – Daughters
Charlie Wilson – My Love Is All I Have

Best International Act: Africa
2Face Idibia (Nigeria)
Toya Delazy (South Africa)
Donald (South Africa)
Ice Prince (Nigeria)
R2Bees (Ghana)
Radio and Weasel (Uganda)

Best International Act: UK
Marsha Ambrosius
Estelle
Labrinth
Rita Ora
Emeli Sande
Wiley

This year for the first time, the general public can purchase tickets to the BET Awards with a BET Experience VIP Package, which also includes 3-day tickets to nightly concerts at the Staples Center.

Join the conversation on social media by following BET’s multiple social media platforms, dedicated to the BET Awards:

Follow on Twitter & Instagram : @BETAwards, Use hashtag: #BETAwards
On Facebook: facebook.com/TheBETAwards
On Tumblr: betawards.tumblr.com
*All times are ET/PT

The BET AWARDS ’13 will premiere Sunday, June 30, 2013 at 8:00PM BST across BET’s international platforms in the UK and Africa.