Barack Obama Re-Elected

We will now see 4 more years for our current president Barack Obama! Congrats to Democrats who have really shown that voting really makes a difference! The impact of this election is historical!

Get More: Young Jeezy, MTV Shows

Check out Zobe Magazine's presentation of the International Latin Fashion Week events that were last weekend at the Washington Convention Center (DC)!

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Nicki Minaj & Mariah Carey Go At It During 'American Idol' Audition

As reported by TMZ... "Nicki Minaj derailed the American Idol auditions in Charlotte, North Carolina after swearing at Mariah Carey and threatening to fight her." Seriously ladies?!?! Will Nicki and Mariah be able to work with eachother for the remainder of the show? We're sure American Idol producers and directors are very concerned about this matter and upset that the judges are acting this way! They not only cost the show time and money for stopping and postponing the casting until the two calmed down but we are sure those who were scheduled to audition were pretty upset about having to reschedule. We are pretty sure neither celebrity will loose any fans as an outcome but it was pretty childish and it was reported to only stem from a disagreement on one of the audition performances.

Wale Just Missed Forbes List...

The annual Hip Hop Cash Kings list was announced by Forbes and DMV area native Wale just missed the list. Topped by the likes of Jay-Z (#1), Diddy (#2), and Kanye (#3), the list features 20 of the top hip-hop /rap earners (before taxes and fees are deducted). The majority of those top earners reside on the east coast with a few on the west coast over the past 5 years. The major regions being New York, Atlanta, and California where majority of the top earners are from.

As reported by Steven J. Horowitz at hiphopdx.com:
Wale narrowly missed this year's Hip Hop Cash Kings list, netting nearly $5 million from concert tickets and album sales. As such, Forbes has named the Maybach Music Group rapper a "cash prince," speaking with him about his lofty ambitions.

"I don’t want to be one of those guys that you see who made $4 million, invested $3.5 million, and now you work at Wendy’s,” he said. “I want to get the highest score on Pacman or Frogger … [and] I want to make sure I’m on the Forbes list in a year or two.”

The D.C. native is estimated to make $20,000 per concert, having performed more than 75 shows in the past year. He revealed plans to hold off on spending and plans to put together a line of hats, branded drinking water and a couple of deals with professional athletes.

Watch the interview below:

Music Industry & Hip-Hop Mogul Chris Lighty Gone (R.I.P)

Photo credit: Getty Images

Chris Lighty, one of the music industry legends has passed away. Chris was the founder and chief executive of Violator Management/Brand Asset Group. Chris had been a part of the music scene since 1988 when he joined Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen at Rush Management. The music industry is definitely feeling the loss of this music mogul who helped mold many careers in the industry. Chris worked with some of the greatest like Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Missy Elliott, Fantasia, Mya, Diggy Simmons, Ja Rule, Mobb Deep, LL Cool J, Nas, and 50 Cent just to name a few.

There was some confusion about what actually happened leading to the death of Chris Lighty as reported by NY Daily News:

"Hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty died Thursday morning after apparently shooting himself in the head in his Bronx apartment, sources told the Daily News.

Lighty, 44 — a longtime manager of 50 Cent, Diddy, Ja Rule and Mariah Carey — was found dead inside his South Riverdale apartment about 11:30 a.m., police sources said.

It appeared he died from a bullet to his head, sources said. A gun was recovered next to his body.

Law enforcement sources said Lighty — who divorced his wife, Veronica, last year — may have been dealing with financial struggles, including owing about $5 million to the IRS."

Then NY Daily News reported:
"Hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty died Thursday morning after he shot himself after an argument with his estranged wife at his Bronx apartment, sources told the Daily News.

Lighty, 44 — a longtime manager of 50 Cent, Diddy, Ja Rule and Mariah Carey — stepped outside his South Riverdale apartment about 11:30 a.m., after a spat with his wife, Veronica, police sources said.

Suddenly, a gun shot was heard and Lighty was found lying faceup with a 9-mm. pistol next to his body, sources said."

Our condolences go out to Chris Lighty's family from all of us here at Zobe. He is gone but will never be forgotten.

Week One Challenge: Ride Solo

This weekend I challenge you to "ride solo"; go out and promote yourself, by yourself. Why? Because when you travel outside of the comfy cozy box of your neighborhood bar with your life-long friends and into the wild on your own, you are guaranteed to learn about yourself and others.

The most amazing thing about the Washington DC area is the variety of people and cultures, income classes and races. Its mind blowing how many different types of people there are in the area and how often we stick to what's safe and what we know.

Get out there! Meet new people! Market yourself! Be influential! Stand out! 

If you dare to complete this challenge, give me feed back. Did you love it or hate it? Who did you talk to? What new experiences did you have? How did it effect how you feel about yourself? 

I will follow up with you all about this week's challenge: "Ride Solo" and present the Week Two Challenge that will get you thinking and experiencing outside of your small constricting box next Friday! Happy weekend!

Is Tupac Back?

There has and always will be someone who wishes that the legend was still alive. Recently a number of celebrities on social media networking websites such as Facebook have reported that Tupac Shakur recently sent them a friend request. (and they accepted the request) Nobody knows what to make of this and at this moment there has not been any reports of any words to be exchanged from the 2pac accounts in question.

So if Tupac really is alive... where has he been at all this time and why fake his death? Why return now? Many people still believe that he is alive. Many others feel that he is definitely dead and gone. Will we ever know the truth?

2012 New Music Seminar (New York City)

Check out the coverage of the NY NMS 2012 by Zobe Magazine! This was an awesome event featuring the "who's who" of the music industry and Zobe Record Label's Founder/Owner/Senior Director of A&R (Alonzo Black) was in attendance! Check out some of the music producers, A&Rs, VPs/Presidents/CEOs of major music industry corporations, and entertainment executives who were in attendance along with some of the featured talent. Even a sneak peak at the red carpet...

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Learn About Film Crews: Gaffers and Electricians

Gaffers and electricians form the “electric” part of the phrase “grip and electric.” Gaffers, who usually lead the electrical department, are responsible for the set’s lighting. They must know how to create the right mood for each scene, and how to transform any type of lighting into what the Director of Photography requests. (Some gaffers are given more latitude in lighting decisions than others.) Electricians work under the gaffer.

The electrical department works directly with grips, so much so that sometimes the two jobs are interchangeable on smaller sets. But on larger operations, gaffers and electricians set the lights in place, then grips modify them with flags and other accessories. The lights themselves can consist of tiny mood lights all the way up to giant, sun-simulating monsters.

Generally, there are three ranks in the electrical department:

Gaffer: This crewmember leads the department and has the most control over lighting.

Best Boy Electrician: This worker serves the same role as the Best Boy grip: equipment and personnel management. Think of this person as the team’s foreman.

Electrician: These perform general tasks under the direction of the Gaffer.

Like their counterparts in the grip department, members of the electrical department use a wide array of tools and equipment. Generators, cables and power splitters provide power to the lights, so a working knowledge of that equipment helps. Electricians often keep wrenches, screwdrivers and other hand tools in a tool pouch for quick access. They will also have a supply of power adapters and extension cords (colloquially called “stingers”).

On the more delicate side, a light meter helps decide what adjustments need to be made. Gloves and safety cables (to hold lights in place) provide safety, and flashlights help when entering dark areas such as the space above a ceiling. And of course, gaffer’s tape usually resides on set in large quantities. Gaffer’s tape is similar to duct tape, but it does not leave a residue and thus does much less harm to surfaces and equipment.

People who know how to use all that gear are a boost to any production. Though it may not be clear just from the credits, a good electrical department makes for a safer set and excellent lighting.

Tech N9ne & MGK Concert (Monday, June 18, 2012) @ Fur Nightclub in Washington, DC:

Zobe Promotions & Lifestyle Explosion Concert Series is bringing Tech N9ne’s Hostile Takeover 2012 genre-busting hip hop music to the masses with some of the most unique forces in hip hop. Headlining artist TECH N9NE will present fans with his diverse range of music styles in a format like no other. It promises to be the type of event that will fuse a wide range of audiences into a single unified hip hop crowd.

Performing over 200 world-wide shows a year and known as the hardest touring artist in hip hop, TECH N9NE teams up for this history-making performance with Krizz Kaliko, along with Cleveland’s prodigal son Machine Gun Kelly, Strange Music’s buzz-worthy hip hop band from Miami Mayday, the imposing Detroit rapper Prozak, and from the east-side of Missouri, Stevie Stone. Buy tickets at http://www.ZobeModelsAndTalents.com/june18th.htm or contact Zobe Promotions to purchase in person at (202)643-ZOBE (9623).

Known for his hardcore touring ethic and bar-setting stage performances, TECH N9NE continues to up the ante for rap artists. Bringing his memorable hits to the masses, songs like “I’m A Playa”, “Caribou Lou”, “Riotmaker”, “Like Yeah”, “O.G.” and “Leave Me Alone”, TECH N9NE proves he can deliver live as well as on CD. His 2009 album debuted at Number One on the Billboard Top Independent Album chart. His latest studio album “ALL 6’S AND 7’S” which hit stores in 2011 debuted at Number One on the Billboard Top Independent Album chart Number Four on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart; and spawned several successful videos for MTV.

Strange Music’s Hostile Takeover Tour is brought to you by Zobe Promotions & the Lifestyle Explosion Concert Series, a new exclusive music platform created to bring world-class and A-listed music artists and bands to regions across the United States.

This event is sponsored by Zobe Magazine (http://www.ZobeMagazine.com/) and Zobe TV Network (http://www.ZobeTV.com/).