1240 The Beat - Classic Hip Hop

Body of East Texas Man Found in Wood County

A Wood County Man who became upset and told his wife he was going to take his life has been found dead in a wooded area near Alba. Wood County Authorities said the body found by the property owner matches the description of 62-year-old Gerald Haley, who left his home on Tuesday. A search of the area was conducted by several fire departments, citizens, East Texas Flying Services ,and the [...]

Lawrence Taylor and 10 Other Former Players Who Auctioned Off Their Super Bowl Rings

Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor has fallen on some hard times and he is auctioning off his Super Bowl XXV championship ring. The auction is slotted to end on Saturday, and bids have already exceeded $67,000. It’s expected to fetch between $75,000 and $100,000 at the end. Taylor’s auction coincided with the current Giants’ team receiving their Super Bowl XLVI rings. But Taylor isn’t the first ex-pro to turn [...]

Lil Niqo Channels TV Romances in 'Television Love' Video

Lil Niqo, an impressive young — and we do mean young — MC just dropped his ‘Television Love’ video. Unless you happen to pass by a koala holding a basket of kittens, it’s the absolute cutest thing you’ll see all day. Lil Niqo premiered the cute clip on ’106th and Park.’ In the video, it’s love at first sight with Niqo and a lovely lil’ lady walking home from school. [...]

Jay-Z to Host + Curate 'Made in America' Festival in Philadelphia

Jay-Z is showing some brotherly love to the city of Philadelphia with a two-day music extravaganza on Labor Day Weekend. The rap mogul announced today (May 14) that he is hosting and curating ‘Budweiser Made in America‘ concerts at Ben Franklin Parkway in Fairmount Park on Sept. 1 and Sept. 2. Over 30 artists are expected to perform across three stages at the event. The two-day festival will also be [...]

Nicki Minaj Goes Back to Hip-Hop Roots at Wango Tango

Looking like the fiercest bride in all the land, Nicki Minaj took the Wango Tango stage and reinforced that despite her recent forays into pop, she still has a hip-hop heart. Minaj opens with ‘Roman Holiday’ and ‘Did It on ‘Em,’ flanked by dancers who could pass for models and rocking the heck out of a long blonde wig. She looks a lot like an actual Barbie. She was probably [...]

UT Tyler Patriot Million Dollar Hole-In-One Contest Kicks Off

Over the past 25 years the annual Hole In One competition has raised more than a million dollars for endowed scholarship programs at UT Tyler. Students have benefited directly from the competition that could be giving away $1 million itself on Sunday, May 20, at Hollytree Country Club! Qualifying began Saturday at the UT Tyler Herrington Patriot Center and continues through 11 p.m. Friday. Daily qualifying is open from 11:30 [...]

Several People Run Over During a Fight in Tyler

Three people are hospitalized after they were run over by a driver who fled a large fight in Tyler early Monday morning. Tyler Police say several females started fighting inside a building on North Grand Avenue, owned by a motorcycle club. The fight involving about a dozen people moved to the parking lot where three people were run over by a woman driving an SUV. The suspect then sped away [...]

Demi Lovato Officially Signs 'X Factor' Deal

It’s official! Demi Lovato is now an ‘X Factor‘ judge. TMZ reports that Lovato, like fellow new judge Britney Spears, will hit up New York City to finalize her paperwork for the gig tomorrow (May 14). Though Lovato is scheduled to tour this summer, her ‘X Factor’ position shouldn’t interfere with her itinerary. Lovato will join Spears at the Fox Upfronts, where they will officially announce their casting on the [...]

Bobby Brown Wanted Bobbi Kristina to Appear on His Reality Show

How did Bobby Brown find out about Bobbi Kristina and the Houston family’s reality show? The same way the rest of us did. TMZ reports that Brown was not too pleased at the notion of Bobbi Kristina signing on to a Houston family series — because he wanted his and Whitney Houston’s daughter to appear on his own show. The problem with that? Bobbi Kristina cut off all ties to [...]

Tyler Capital Murder Trial Set to Begin Today

The capital murder trial is set to begin today for Kimberly Cargill, who is accused in the June 2010 killing of Cherry Walker, the mentally challenged babysitter of Cargill’s 4-year-old son. Prosecutors, who will argue the case in the 241st District Court, say Cargill set fire to Walker’s body which was later discovered off County Road 2191 in Tyler. The 45–year-old Whitehouse woman is also charged with injury to [...]

Check Out Jay-Z's Performance of Beastie Boys' 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn'

There are a lot of Beastie Boys tributes on the Internet following the death of Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch, but a Jay-Z performance of a Beasties classic has resonated with some devotees. Gawker highlighted the clip on their website so we figured you guys would like to “Ch-Check It Out” (see what we did there?). But first a back story. In 2009, the Beastie Boys were scheduled to headline the All [...]

Usher Is Ready to Brawl on Billboard Cover

Usher is ready to brawl on the cover of the new issue of industry trade mag Billboard. He is putting up his dukes and is ready for a fight … at least in his pose. Usher, thanks to his music, strikes us as a lover, not a fighter. The R&B superstar, who just unveiled the standard and deluxe edition covers of ‘Looking 4 Myself,’ which drops June 12, looks like [...]

Top 10 Chris Brown Songs

We might be celebrating Breezy's career with this list of the Top 10 Chris Brown Songs, but Chris Brown himself also has a lot to celebrate. He's finally back on top after enduring some highs and some very personal lows in his career. Although many haven't forgiven him for his domestic violence incident that occurred with Rihanna in 2009, he seems to making amends by releasing several chart-topping hits. The Virginia native is determined to reclaim the R&B throne that he once ruled as a youngster in 2005, and he seems well on his way after snagging a 2012 Grammy for his 'F.A.M.E.' LP. Hopefully, Breezy's new album 'Fortune' (due July 3) will further his progression. So in celebration of Brown's 23rd birthday today, May 5, here is PopCrush's list of the Top 10 Chris Brown Songs.

Eminem, Nas + More Reflect on Death of Beastie Boys' Adam 'MCA' Yauch

The death of Beastie Boys rapper Adam Yauch, affectionately and widely known as MCA, shocked and saddened the world yesterday (May 4). While much of the music community was disheartened by the loss, two rappers in particular, Eminem and Nas, were especially affected. Yauch passed away yesterday after a nearly three-year cancer battle. Yauch fought the disease in the parotid gland, which is the largest of the salivary glands, as [...]

Rita Ora Talks Jay-Z + Prepping for Coldplay Tour

British songbird Rita Ora continues to make a waves for herself here in the United States with her latest single, ‘R.I.P.’ (featuring Tinie Tempah). It’s hard to imagine that three years ago, the 21-year-old singer was plucked out of a London club and had to audition for the Roc Nation honcho Jay-Z. Ora tells Billboard that Hov has been a great mentor throughout the recording process of her new album. [...]

Mary J. Blige To Judge Talent Search Reality Show "Opening Act"

Commercials may not be her thing, but perhaps television is. Mary J. Blige has signed on to be a judge on ‘Opening Act,’ a talent search-style reality TV show set to air on the E! network. According to Deadline.com, the show will pair Blige with another judge, Antonina Armato— a songwriter/producer behind hits for the likes of Miley Cyrus (‘See You Again’) and Selena Gomez and the Scene (‘Naturally’), among [...]

Kanye West + G.O.O.D. Music Remix Chief Keef's 'I Don't Like'

Kanye West is keeping his G.O.O.D. Music spree going. Yeezy, Big Sean, Pusha T and Jadakiss all joined forces to remix Chicago MC Chief Keef’s track ‘I Don’t Like.’ The song premiered on West’s hometown Chicago radio station, Power 92. While all the rappers go pretty hard on the song, West seems to have the most to address. “Media crucify me like they did Christ / Wanna find me not [...]

Stamp Out Hunger in East Texas is May 12

Facebook It’s been 20 years in the making and it’s growing exponentially! The 2012 Stamp Out Hunger Campaign is feeding families across our east Texas community. Want learn how you can help? Read on to find out.With 1 in 6 families going hungry everyday, it’s a sad thing in our community. The National Association of Letter Carriers is feeding the cause. May 12 Is National Stamp Out Hunger Day in [...]

Tupac Shakur Hologram Bolsters Album Sales

Not only was the Tupac Shakur Hologram a hit at the Coachella Music Festival, it also boosted sales of the late rapper’s posthumous albums. Buoyed by his virtual performance, Tupac’s 1998 album Greatest Hits returned to the Billboard 200 album chart for the first time since 2000. The collection entered at No. 129 with 4,000 copies sold. Other albums by Tupac that saw a sales bump included his 1996 effort [...]

B.o.B Performs 'So Good' on 'The View' [VIDEO]

Rapper B.o.B showed the ladies of ABC’s ‘The View‘ how to live the high life with a performance of his new single ‘So Good.’ The song is from his new album ‘Strange Clouds,’ which arrives in stores on Tuesday (May 1). Dressed in blue-colored Ray Ban sunglasses, matching suede jacket, khaki pants and sneakers, the Atlanta rhyme-slinger entertained the crowd with his sing-a-long anthem. At the end of his performance, [...]