Barack Obama- The 2011 State of the Union Address

President Obama speaks about moving forward to create jobs,
out-compete in the global economy by investing in innovation and education, and win the future for our children and our country.

Woman Accused of 23-Year-Old Kidnapping Confesses

Shock and dismay are still reverberating over the news of a woman who was reunited with her birth mother 23 years after she was kidnapped from Harlem Hospital when she was just over two weeks old.

Carlina White, 23, is back with her biological family in the Bronx, after searching the internet when she was unable to find her birth certificate or Social Security card. White also believed that she did not resemble members of her family.

Via Amsterdam News. More below.

KiD CuDi Preps Release For Rock Album & New Mixtape

KiD CuDi made his way back on Twitter earlier tonight, and he wasted no time to drop some great news for his fans. As revealed, he announced that along with his newly titled rock album Wizard, which he first told Complex about, he intends to release a new mixtape called A Man Named Scott, followed by a visual for his Man On The Moon II single “Maniac” thereafter. Cudder says:

pushing for a summer release of the wizard album. i produce and play guitar on everything with my main man @dotdagenius. he’s learnin bass. the maniac film will b released later this year. cage, shia and i really want everything just right, and i need the proper time for scoring. the edit must be epic. wizard is a rock album, no raps, just singing. brand new thing. flavor. dose of dopeness however will be on the wizard album as a bonus jam. bout fuckin time aye. ive been wearin the same jeans for months, and i feel good about that dedication. workin on some jay and ye shit. ima finish up some thangs and then ima chop it up with yall. word :). annnnd officially going ham. oh i forgot the best news ever….. new mixtape “a man named scott”. thats this summah. for all those who fucks with my raps, this is for u since ima be all rocked out with the wizard shit. also its free! yes!

Via DatNewCudi

Beyonce Hits The Studio with Producer/DJ Diplo

Just a few weeks ago, we saw a giddy Beyonce working on what was supposedly new material for her fourth solo album. One half of Major Lazers, producer/DJ extraordinaire Diplo–who is most notably known for his work with M.I.A. and Santigold–amongst others, revealed that he,  his partner in crime Switch, Beyonce and Derek of the indie electro-pop duo Sleigh Bells recently hit the studio in New York City to record some brand new music together.

Via his blog on Mad Decent:

“I like sleigh bells so much. “Me and switch was in studio in nyc tryin to make tracks with derek and beyonce last week after we played her team their album…dunno if we gonna manage to finish but it was good times.”

Diplo becomes yet another big name attached to the project, as Kanye West, S1, Ne-Yo, Jim Jonsin, and Sean Garrett have all been mentioned as rumored collaborators who will contribute to one of the most anticipated LPs of 2011.

Props to Billboard.

Steve-Ography: Wiz Khalifa [Video]

For the first episode of Steve-Ography P.O.V., Steve-O documents the Taylor Gang Fans and there loyalty to Wiz during his arrest.

Kanye West On Kardashian Reality Show [Video]

Last night, Kanye West made a quick appearance on Kim K and Kourtney’s Big Apple based reality show, “Kourtney & Kim: Take NY.” In the clip above Yeezy stops by the sisters’ DASH store before it’s opening.

Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV Set For April Release; Talks New Collaborations [Rolling Stone Cover Story Scans]

For Lil Wayne’s latest Rolling Stone cover story, in which is also his first post prison interview, the beleaguered Young Money captain sheds some light on his recent bid, speaks on his Tha Carter IV studio sessions, and his dismay for Miami Heat stars Lebron James & Dwayne Wade, which has caused a stir on the internet since the cover story initially surfaced.

He reveals that amongst the collaborations he’ll record in the coming weeks, will be a new cut with Kelly Rowland, Bruno Mars, and even a Young Jeezy record. As of right now, Tha Carter IV is set to drop sometime in April, but might see a earlier release in March if the promo machine can work fast enough.

Behind The Beats: Lex Luger [Video]

Super-producer Lex Luger sits down w/ MTV Mixtape Daily for this candid interview for their “Behind the Beats” piece as he speaks about his evolution as a beatsmith, where he discusses his start on the drums, before moving onto his PS2, followed by some work on the PC via Cakewalk, then experimenting on a MPC, and Fruity Loops. He explains that at one point it wasn’t all peaches and cream, as he couldn’t catch a break in the beginning, placement wise. He mentions when he started out as a producer he would send out his beats to many artists, some including Waka Flocka and Juicy J, and no one would give a rat’s ass about his material, mostly because he wasn’t popular and didn’t “have a name.” Last but not least, he tells a story of how he heard Waka’s “Hard In The Paint” for the first time on the radio in Atl.

Young Money Rapper Drake Lands New Role

Young Money rap artist Drake has already conquered TV and the music charts in the past few years, and now the former Degrassi: Next Generation actor will supposedly return back to his former profession as he has landed a (unknown) role in the upcoming indie financial thriller, “Arbitrage,” The Wrap reports. The Canadian bred actor-turned-hip-hop-star will be joined by veteran scene-stealer Al Pacino, Susan Sarandon, and Eva Green, who will both play the main character’s wife and mistress in the flick directed by Nicholas Jarecki.

Synopsis for the flick:

A hedge fund magnate who is in over his head and desperate to complete the sale of his shady trading empire to a major bank before his fraud is revealed. However, an unexpected, bloody error forces him to turn to the most unlikely corner for help in protecting him from rivals who want to bring him down.

VEVO’s Ask:Reply: Keyshia Cole [Video]

Keyshia Cole is the next artist to be featured on VEVO’s Ask:Reply segment. Find out who the singer’s favorite hip-hop collaborator was, what she feels has been her biggest accomplishment thus far, which artist she would love to record with, how her friendship with 2Pac influenced her career, and balancing motherhood & promoting the new album Calling All Hearts. In other news, Keysh made headlines earlier this week when she announced the firing of her long-time manager Manny Halley via Twitter. Though she didn’t specifically state the reason for the boot,  many folks have speculated that the move was brought on due to the low-sales for her current project, which at press time has sold a disappointing 181, 300 copies since its’ release on December 21st.