Super Bowl Weekend in Tampa, FL is going to off the chain! We just got word that Lil’ Wayne will be reporting from ESPN The Magazine’s NEXT Party Red Carpet and Multi-Platinum, Grammy Award-winning musician/producer Wyclef Jean and teenage rap, reggae, pop, doo-wop sensation Sean Kingston will perform at ESPN The Magazine’s NEXT Big Weekend Presented by Ford F-150 in Tampa, FL. January 30-31.

For those of you who will be in town, be advised that Wyclef Jean will headline The Magazine’s fifth annual NEXT party Friday, January 30, 9 p.m., during Super Bowl Weekend. This private, VIP party will showcase what’s NEXT in sports, technology, lifestyle, and, of course what’s NEXT from ESPN. The NEXT party will also feature celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson and guest DJ/ESPN Analyst Marcellus “Dat Dude” Wiley.

The Magazine’s NEXT Big Weekend Presented by Ford F-150 will continue Saturday, January 31, Noon-5:00 p.m. with ESPN The Magazine’s NEXT Day Tailgate – a free fan event – featuring a live performance by Sean Kingston. The University of South Florida Marching Band and Tampa-based reggae band Impulse will also perform during the NEXT Day Tailgate.

In addition to these special performances, multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated rap star and ESPNTheMag.com Blogger Lil’ Wayne will special report from ESPN The Mag’s NEXT party red carpet for ESPNthemag.com.

It’s going to be bananas! I’ll definitely be there! Will you?

Thanks to Hired Gun Publicity & ESPN for the info!

Former Fugees member Wyclef Jean is at the center of a new situation concerning his recently foreclosed Miami Beach mansion. The Palm Beach Post reports that Jean took out a $2 million mortgage from Home Equity Mortgage Corp. in 2004 to purchase the estate through a corporation he owns with several friends. Although the rapper/producer set out to renovate the canal-front property, the foreclosed home, which was appraised at $1.4 million, was left unfinished for more than two years as a series of construction liens were filed. In addition, the property garnered $6,200 in fines from the city of Miami Beach once the $900,000 construction project halted after Jean and his partners couldn’t come up with the $177,913 in construction costs needed to finish the effort.

Court documents note that a lien was put on the property this year by the project’s architects, who have tried to collect $75,000 owed to them since 2004.In all, Jean’s corporation now owes the bank $2.4 million. As a result of the foreclosure, Miami-Dade county will sell the mansion in downtown Miami on December 12. Court records also show that Jean has not paid employees who worked on the home. The entertainer has yet to comment on the situation.

As previously reported, Jay-Z had a free concert for the “Last Chance for Change” Rally at the Bayfront Park in Miami, FL last night. Check out the pics. Wyclef also performed last night.

& Wyclef

Did you register to vote yet? Remember today, October 6, 2008, (in most states) is the last day to REGISTER TO VOTE! DO IT TODAY!

Okay, I know the economy is bad, but I know these entertainers have the money to make ends meet. First Scott Storch, now Wyclef Jean? Latest news, Wyclef is being sued by Jacob and Company Incorporated, the company founded by Jacob The Jeweler, for failing to pay for items he bought. According to The Associated Press, the company claims that the Haitian born rapper bought watches and jewelry from them between March 2002 and January 2006 for $765,100 but still owes $319,680. Jacob’s says the Haitian Star is ignored all correspondence and demands for payment.

In related news, one of Wyclef’s home is being foreclosed in Miami. Go figure???

Kanye West, Wyclef Jean and N.E.R.D. have been tapped to perform at the 2008 Democratic Convention beginning Aug. 25 in Denver to support the presidential nomination of Sen. Barack Obama. And in somewhat related news, Kanye West and MTV personality Sway Calloway are reaching out to young veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The rapper and MTV host will help war vets deal with debt and depression on MTV News special.

Wyclef Jean recently announced the launch of “Together for Haiti (Kombit Pou Ayiti)”. This organization will provide food and jobs in response to the current food crisis in Haiti. The Haitian hip hop celebrity has collaborated efforts with Jean’s Yéle Haiti, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF). The partnership will work with various non-governmental organizations and community groups to address the food crisis in Haiti which is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Jean and a number of celebrities will be on hand during a press conference in New York today, where the rapper will officially announce the launch of Together For Haiti.

Wyclef Jean and Lupe Fiasco “Fast Car Remix”

G-UNIT ” I Like The Way She Do It”

Wyclef Jean recently recorded a radio ad asking the Haitian community to work towards improving the country and to stop the crime. According to Reuters, the ad, which was sponsored by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti, has been airing on Haitian radio stations several times a day. “If you love Wyclef, that means you love Haiti. So you should not be raping women, kidnapping people and children, because there can be no excuse for doing so,” Jean tells his fellow Haitians in Creole. “I reject these evil practices.” It is sad to say that Haiti, often called has been plagued with violence and crime for years. In recent weeks, the crime rate has hit record highs. According to news reports, 36 people were kidnapped for ransom in the nation’s capital of Port-Au-Prince in the month of March, and 30 in February. As previously reported, Wyclef was appointed by the Haitian president, Rene Preval, as a goodwill ambassador for the country. “All kinds of Haitians, the good guys as well as the bad guys, have a lot of appreciation for Wyclef for what he represents as a Haitian,” U.N. Police spokesman Fred Blaise told Reuters. “So they would be more likely to be receptive to Wyclef’s message because they are all proud of him.”

source: XXL magazine

A charity event to benefit Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation will take place this Saturday April 5, 2008. Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation was established by the Simmons family, specifically Russell Simmons and brothers Danny and Reverend Run, to provide inner-city youth access to the arts. On Saturday, the gala will honor artists, John Legend and Wyclef Jean, Suze Orman, a financial expert and TV personality, and real estate developer, R. Donahue Peebles for their efforts to promote arts education amongst our youth. Nia Long will be hosting this star-studded event which will be held in Miami Beach at “The Bath Club”. Sean Combs will be the Honorary Chair of the event alongside Chip & Allison Brady, Tracy Wilson Mourning, Loren Ridinger as “event chairs”. After party hosted by DJ Khaled will commence immediately after the gala.
ABOUT ART FOR LIFE MIAMI
For the past three years, Rush Philanthropic has held a fabulous event in South Florida for 600 people in Palm Beach, Florida. In 2008, Rush Philanthropic will for the first time host ART FOR LIFE Miami in addition to our annual ART FOR LIFE East Hampton fundraiser. ART FOR LIFE Palm Beach and ART FOR LIFE East Hampton raised more than $2 million in 2007.

MISSION & HISTORY

Rush Philanthropic believes in the vital importance of lifelong exposure to the arts, nurtured in early childhood, and anchored in sustained, creative experiences throughout one’s life. In its first 11 years, Rush Philanthropic has served over 700,000 urban youth, directed millions in funding from donors (including individuals, foundations, and leading corporations) to underserved youth, and established two exhibit and education facilities, one in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill neighborhood and the other in Manhattan’s Chelsea arts district.

Founded in 1995 by brothers Russell, Danny and Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation is dedicated to providing disadvantaged urban youth with significant exposure and access to the arts, as well as providing exhibition opportunities to under-represented artists and artists of color.  A 501(C)3 organization, Rush Philanthropic fulfills its mission through three core programs: grants, exhibitions and mentoring.  The Rush Community Grants Program annually provides direct funding to over 70 nonprofit organizations that offer education programming in all disciplines of the arts to New York City and South Florida youth. Rush also runs two arts exhibition and education facilities: Rush Arts Gallery and Resource Center in Manhattan’s Chelsea arts district and the Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill neighborhood. The Rush Gallery in the School and Rush Kids Visual Arts Mentorship Programs (a.k.a. Rush Kids) use arts education to create a spark that lights the imagination and creativity of the urban youth we serve. The Rush Impact Mentorship Initiative allows the foundation’s leadership to reach out to young people by taking them behind the scenes at Rush Communications’ headquarters for in-depth Q&A sessions with Russell Simmons and executives in music, fashion, and creative-related professions.

The organization is currently in a fundraising campaign for an 11,000 square-foot arts education and resource center it will open Spring 2008 in East New York, Brooklyn. The building was a gift from Ron Hershco of United Homes.

Art saves lives, it is that simple. Rush Philanthropic believes that if you give young people the opportunity to practice and appreciate art — whether poetry, music, dance, or the visual arts — then you will see lives transformed as young people learn to value their own unique voices and visions. It is this type of impact we aspire to see happen and that your support will make possible.
  
More info on Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation visit: www.rushphilanthropic.org

WYCLEF!

Miam Herald reports that Haitian-born hip-hop star Wyclef Jean became Haiti’s newest ambassador Thursday in New York. Jean, named goodwill ambassador by President Rene Preval, was issued a red diplomatic passport before hundreds of fans and well-wishers including music mogul Russell Simmons, and Miami City Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones. Jean received the official honors from his uncle Raymond Joseph, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States. Jean promised to represent Haiti well. ”I promise never to make you ashamed,” he said after joking that New York police should now take notice: he’s officially a diplomat. ”Life has changed for the rapper,” he said, paying respect to the genre that has made him a household name in Haitian communities around the globe. “If it were not for hip hop I would not be standing here tonight.” The party didn’t end after the ceremony. With a new album coming out Dec. 4, Jean gave the crowd a sample of Wyclef Jean Carnival Vol. II Memoirs of an Immigrant.

Wyclef Jean say he feels bad for the unraveling behavior of his former Fugees mate, Lauryn Hill. Her erratic behavior during recent shows have raised a few questions. “Lauryn Hill, Mrs Hill, the Hill should go see a psychiatrist – period – Just seek help”, Clef told MTV News. “At this point I really think it will take an act of God to change her, because she is that far out there.”