Check out some video footage one of our editor’s caught in the crowd at Rock the Bells in New York. We have video from every performance on the main stage!

Havoc of Mobb Deep Performs at Rock the Bells

Talib Kweli and Common Perform “Respiration”

RZA Introduces ODB’s Son in Dirty Tribute

We have more videos from Rock the Bells, check them out on our youtube channel.

Editor, Stacy-Ann Ellis reviews the Tanya Morgan and Marco Polo & Torae show  at Southpaw (NYC).

Brooklyn was the place to be this Wednesday, as rap trio Tanya Morgan and Torae & Marco Polo graced the stage at Southpaw in Park Slope to promote their freshly released albums, Brooklynati and Double Barrel, respectively. During their time on stage, up and comers Tanya Morgan playfully called out all those in the audience “tweeting” throughout the evening’s performances...25 Magazine staff were not excluded.

Check out some of the evening’s tweet highlights:

@25mag: “A lot of rappers will sell you dreams. But I give it to you real. I keep it 100. And a [dude] don’t stop cause I love it.” – Torae

@25mag: @tanyamorgan make you want to like them. There’s nothing like hunger and love for the craft to steer an unfamiliar ear.

@25mag: Did @tanyamorgan just call their openers on to the stage to be their hypemen?

@25mag: @chegrand is hilarious, awkwardly trying to convince the crowd he knew all the words to TM’s single

Fortunately, Che has a sense of humor: @chegrand: @25mag lmao. reckless

Aside from Torae & Marco Polo and Tanya Morgan, special guests Che Grand, DJ Element, and Brown Bag All-Stars also performed during the event. Though all performers brought their A-game to the stage, Tanya Morgan was the clear crowd favorite. “Bang & Boogie” and “So Damn Down” got the crowd head-bopping, pumping arms, and swaying every which way. Their music was not the only thing securing their title for best performance of the night. They were fully animated (and choreographed!…sort of) and as they performed, drew energy from the crowd and each other. By the end of their performance, all of the night’s performers were on stage with Tanya Morgan hyping up the crowd and ending the show with a bang.

Jimmy Fallon has taken a musical approach to news  by delivering coverage via The Roots slow jam.

Did Jimmy Fallon just call Black Thought, Tyrek? Can he do that?

By Anique Hameed

Okay. I love Daniel. There has never been a time in UB history when I didn’t think that Danny had the skills and style to be a top flight player in the mag industry–well maybe except for that stage of drunken despair and jealousy–if he ever decided to step out of the Mead family shadow and into the spotlight with his own venture. Wrong. In this episode Dan continues to prove that Player Magazine is not the proper place for him to use his honed talents, excluding picking out the world’s hottest women. I guess we have to give him a break since Alexis gave him the boot, made Wilhelmina editor-in-chief at MODE, and allowed Willie to turn his office into a nursery, in addition to his new custody battle for his new found French 13 year-old son, Daniel Jr..

Betty arrives at a shoot for Player Magazine, which was supposed to be highlighting top female attorneys in America–an idea from her colorfully cute “Idea Binder” full of pitches that were originally meant for MODE–only to witness models in dark, drag-esque make up donning white powdered wigs, black bobs, skimpy pink bras and judges’ robes at their ankles posing for her concept. For some reason I feel like that was not the look she was going for. Betty, feeling nervous about her career security after witnessing the mess Daniel made of the attorney shoot, heads over to MODE (with Dan’s noted copy of Willie’s first issue mock-up) to get some advice from his bro/sis Lex and leaves the issue mock-up on the table. Alexis takes a look at Daniel’s notes and criticizes Wilhelmina for lack luster EIC debut.

Wilhelmina later takes Betty out to lunch and attempts to use the race card and compliments to gain her friendship. That friendship thing so did not happen but a job offer as executive assistant to the editor-in-chied did come about. After a juvenile lovers’ quarrel Betty left Daniel at Player Mag to play for Team Slater. Even though injecting Botox into Willie’s wicked face and planning a launch party on short notice was not in the job description, Betty jumped over massive hurdles to please her new boss.
Never fear, Betty and Danny reconcile after he gets his job back as editor- in-chief of MODE and all seemed right in the land of UB until someone pushed pregnant Christina–still dealing with the issue of the heroin addicted hubby–down the stairs at MODE. Let’s all hold on to our power animals and pray that Willie doesn’t get back her share of the company and try to shake things up.

I love crappy reality television. Yes, I admitted it, and I know you all do too, and with this writers strike going on, what else is there for us TV lovers to do!  It’s pretty much America’s guilty pleasure; kicking back and watching other people make asses of themselves. Speaking of asses, who would have thought that Academy Award winning actor, Jamie Foxx would stoop so low as to host the second season of Charm School—career suicide. Monique dabbled in this experiment last season and we all saw what that did for her career, -cricket, cricket-…But I’ll be the first to admit that my TV will be tuned into VH1 that night. God speed Mr. Foxx…

However, there is something we all can start screaming about…The new season of ANTM!! Yes, cycle 10 is back and with a vengeance. Set in New York City this time around, Tyra seems to have not lost her touch one bit! After seeing the trailer I had to jump online right away to see the girls she picked, and I was glad to see Marvita. Most of you probably don’t remember her but she’s the short-haired girl from Cali we all wished had made it to the house. She betta work!

Don’t forget Making The Band 4 premiers this week, and although we are all pissed that it doesn’t just feature the guys (will they ever get a name?), it’s still going to be on our Monday night lineup. Maybe this time around one of the groups will actually have a lasting career beyond the show…if not, better for us, a new season!!