the chal banz blog

Drake University. Sitting here watching the ID channel which is one of my favorite channels. I'm also eagerly awaiting to watch "American Horror Story: Roanoke". I wish I could say the same for "Empire" but I've pretty much checked out. I try to stick with the show because it is an African American show and I want to support my black people but the show is rather boring. It's only good now once the show goes on hiatus. I need them to step it up or else. I personally think we got spoiled in the first season because every episode then had a huge moment that had everyone talking. Now its not like that and everything is drawn out since the seasons are longer. But anyway I have a lot news tidbits for you today so continue reading. Kid Cudi left a message on social media stating that he was checking himself into rehab. Apparently Kid Cudi has been battling depression and he was ashamed to admit it but he felt that is best for him to do at this time. More...

Mariah's "Empire" Mariah Carey will be guest starring on the new season of "Empire" which premieres on September 21. Some pictures surfaced a day or so ago of Mariah in the studio with star, Jussie Smollet(Jamal) so I'm guessing Mariah is probably playing herself? Will you be watching the new season?  Fresh off of their alleged altercation/argument, Diddy and Cassie are back on. Diddy recently helped Cassie celebrate her 30th birthday with a huge lavish party with family and friends. Speaking of Diddy, Future is said to allegedly have called Diddy an "old ass bitch". Some say the audio may be of Desiigner who sounds eerily like Future but Future has remained mum on the news.  Yung Joc has everyone talking with his new hairdo. The Atlanta rapper and star of "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" has a blowout and his new hairstyle has influenced a bevy of memes ridiculing the rapper. The rapper has taken everything pretty well. To see Joc...

It was announced earlier today that Mariah Carey will appear on season 3 of "Empire". Look out for that! And R Kelly has the Internet on fire today after pictures surfaced of he and his new 19 year old girlfriend. R. Kelly, who is 49 has people all up in arms but we all know R. Kelly loves young girls. Porsha Williams of "RHOA"(Real Housewives of Atlanta) was rushed to the hospital earlier today after she had trouble breathing. The reality TV star was out shopping when she collapsed. She is still under hospital care but is said to be doing "fine". I do hope she is "fine" but I tell you this, its always something going on with these ladies of ATL. I hate to say this but sometimes or a lot of the times I wonder about validity of some of the stories that circulate about these women. Nowadays it seem like a lot of the women on a lot of the reality TV shows fake storylines in order to remain relevant on the show. I do think joking about your health ...

Beyoncé has spoken out and sends her condolences to the officers who lost their lives during the Dallas protests. More stories of officers getting shot has plagued the news in the last few days. #StopTheViolence #StopTheHate Snoop Dogg and The Game have teamed up in L.A. to band together with the LAPD to start an open dialogue about all the violence. Snoop, The Game, and hundreds of other people marched alongside the men. Elsewhere in Atlanta, there was a protest that spanned several streets. More celebrities have spoken out and still some remain silent but again that's their choice. D.L. Hughley, Sarah Jessica Parker, Angela Simmons, Tyrese, Jourdan Dunn, and Tyga have all spoken out over all the incidents that have been in the news. When will it stop? On a lighter note, "Empire" is shooting their third season and spotted on set was none other than Birdman and French Montana. People were clowning French Montana in a video where it appeared he had makeup on and low and...

On the cusp of Azealia Banks ranting and raving about Zayn stealing her style, Disney star, Skai Jackson interceded in the feud with a comment of her own about Azealia. That comment prompted a Twitter exchange between Azealia Banks and the 14 year old Skai Jackson with many rooting Jackson on for reading Azealia her rights! Many felt that Azealia was out of line for arguing with a 14 year old but Skai was just as wrong for going back and forth with an adult, no matter how ignorant she may of been behaving, maybe one little read would of been good, but she shouldn't have gone back and forth. If that was enough Azealia went on Periscope and blasted Zayn some more as well as Skai Jackson. She also blasted UK rappers for their style and compared their style to that of the US rappers. Azealia's actions cost her, her headliner slot at a festival she was set to perform at. This is just another incident in an already long list of incidents that has involved Azealia Banks. Leave it t...

Angie Stone says Idris Elba tried to get with her but she turned it down. Angie is known for attracting much younger men like D'Angelo who she has a child with. Would you have turned down Idris Elba? I'm sure Angie is regretting it now. Speaking of couples, there were news reports that Kylie Jenner had broken up with Tyga. Now its being r eported that they are back together. This came on the heels of news and pictures of Kylie Jenner spotted out with A$AP Rocky. In other music news, "Empire" has only two more episodes left until its Fall finale. After that the show will return in March. Last Wednesday's episode was really good and the ratings were up for the first time in a long time. Beyonce' and Jay Z were spotted in Vegas at Britney Spears' show. Monica says she is not dissing Ciara in the leaked title track for her new album, "Code Red" though I thought the same thing. Nicki Minaj's ex Safaree Samuels is suing her for his work on all th...

Alicia Keys will guest star on the November 25th episode of "Empire". The singer shared the news today via social media. Vivica A. Fox is starring in tonight's episode as Cookie's big sister. Have you all been watching "Empire" or have you tuned out? I've really considered tuning out. I have been following the show each week and each week, the show continues to drag and has lost my interest. Someone who does have my interest is Monica. For the singer's new album, she worked with Polow Da Don, Akon, Timbaland, and Missy Elliott just to name a few. Monica's new album, "Code Red" will be in stores on December 18. Will you be copping it? In other news, Charlie Sheen revealed that he is HIV Positive. The actor claims to have had the disease for the last four years. Nene Leakes dissed the women over at "The View" saying they were "mean girls" shortly after her appearance on the show. In typical Nene fashion, she later de...

Azealia Banks may be headed to jail after surveillance video shows that outspoken rapper fighting a security guard. More details as they become available. And Young Thug is beefing with Future's producer MetroBoomin. Metro claims that many people are jocking Future's style and Young Thug took offense and took to Twitter. 50 Cent was on the receiving end of some hot gossip courtesy of ex-girlfriend, actress Vivica A. Fox. When asked what she thought about 50 Cent saying "Empire" was facing a ratings decline because of its gay storylines, she insinuated that 50 Cent was gay by calling him a "booty snatcher". Vivica made reference to a XXL magazine cover that 50 Cent appeared on with Soulja Boy. In typical 50 Cent fashion, he clapped back at his ex and said that she ate his booty, even though he didn't want her too and she had him tied down "50 Shades of Grey" style. That wasn't it. 50 then went to bash Vivica about her looks and her dissing...

Justin Beiber is ready to sue after pics of him in the nude surfaced. B.O.B. is being called out by some groupie girl who says he was using her to make himself more relevant and she had receipts to show it. B.O.B. who had been dating Sevyn Streeter(song: "Don't Kill The Fun") said he is newly single. Just yesterday there was a video of the two cuddled up during an interview. The ratings for "Empire" have gone down again but not by much. The third episode had 13 million viewers. Last week's episode had 13.7 viewers. Not bad. Last night's episode was actually really good by the way. Rihanna revealed the cover art for her new album, "Anti" which still has no release date and its being executive produced by Kanye West. Well that's all for tonight folks! Thanks for reading! :)

"Empire" saw its ratings decline with its second episode and 50 Cent had something to say about it. He feels the gay story line is too much for some people and its turning people off. Many agreed with these statements as well as their being numerous guests each week. Guest appearances aside, I don't think there is nothing wrong with them but I do think right now a lot of the story lines are all over the place. Now that Lucious is out jail now maybe things will fall back into place. As far as the gay story lines, one of the main characters in the show is gay so what do you expect. Second, the creator of "Empire" is gay so you don't think he would represent gay characters in some capacity? GTFOH! Amber Rose spoke out on her "slut shaming" she experienced in the hands of her famous ex-es Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa. She says Wiz has since apologized for calling her a "stripper" and she forgives them both. Kanye said in an interview he had t...

Azealia Banks has announced that she won't release any new music until March 2016! Why? Because the current contract that she's locked in won't let her release music until her contract is fulfilled in February 2016. The outspoken rapper was planning to release a mixtape next month as well as an EP but it looks like we will have to wait for a few months. But I know it will be worth the wait. On another note I guess as artists they need to read the fine print in those contracts. Same thing happened to Lil' Kim many years ago. Not a single music note was heard from Lil' Kim for years because she couldn't release music because of a faulty contract. It looks "Empire" will have more guest stars than a little bit this season. Next up will be Pitbull. Also said to appear this season is Kelly Rowland, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Chris Rock, and Ne-Yo. Which artist are you looking forward to seeing the most? Something else you might look forward to is the new singl...

Tyrese who just released his new album "Black Rose" is joining the second season of "Empire". At this point who isn't joining "Empire"? But we'll take it and plus people like the chemistry that Tyrese has with Taraji P. Henson so I bet whatever way he's involved, it will be good. If that's not enough Tyrese for you, he board the train in New York begging asking people to buy his new album and earlier that day(Friday) he appeared on "The View" and serenaded the show's host including Whoopi Goldberg. And to celebrate her 2 million followers on Facebook, Keyshia Cole showed her ass literally in some lace panties before deleting it. I, however was able to catch it and didn't think anymore about it. Besides everyone else is showing their ass these days. And some are just acting asses. :) Enjoy your Saturday people and always thanks for reading! :)   

Kelly Rowland has joined the cast of "Empire". The singer will star as Luscious Lyons mother. She will appear in flashbacks in the upcoming season that begins on September 23 on FOX. Will you be watching? Do I even have to ask? Ha! And Diddy is gearing up for his last album(yeah right!), "No Way Out 2". The album which currently has no release date features the first single, "Finna Get Loose" featuring Pharrell. The song was debuted on the BET Awards. Remember near the end of the Bad Boy reunion set, Chris Brown came out dancing and sweating like he was on a Molly! Speaking of Bad Boy, a reunion tour is being planned so be on the lookout for that. What do you think of today's stories? Now don't all respond at once! Until next time! Thanks for reading! :)

K. Michelle says she's not dating Safaree, ex boyfriend of Nicki Minaj. The rumors have intensified based on the constant interaction between the two via social media. Safaree sent K. flowers and she posted it on Instagram. There were several other examples but I've had a brain freeze. But like K. said she's not dating Safaree. Can't say I blame her. I always thought he was gay. :) Speaking of gay, Lee Daniels, creator of "Empire" is eyeing The Weeknd to appear on season 2 of the hit show. What do you all think about that? I would say his hit single, "Earned It" played a big part in that. But can The Weeknd act? I guess we shall see. And at this point it seems like anyone whose anyone is being considered for "Empire" must be nice. I remember when they ran that contest for the viewers about a walk on role on the show. You know I applied! And Chris Brown was being blamed for yet another fiasco, this time on a plane. The story was that Bro...

Beyonce's music may be yanked from TIDAL, the new streaming service that she co-owns. Sony, the label that Beyonce records for is threatening to yank their entire roster of music from the service if TIDAL doesn't pay up for the rights of the songs. It seems like TIDAL is requesting a huge sum of money. But the question is will they get it? They keep being greedy Beyonce will mess around and walk away from Sony. They need her more than she needs them. More on this story as it develops. Iggy Azalea has called off her "The Great Escape Tour". It's being reported that Iggy will instead tour in 2016. This whole tour has been a mess from the very beginning. Iggy was cancelling tour dates left and right earlier this year so now comes this year. I guess its not really surprising. Some are saying she wasn't really selling tickets like that but I haven't read that yet. I just think the poor girl is stressed out and needs a break! What do you think? America's n...

The big news today is that FOX has cancelled "American Idol" after 15 seasons. The show will air its finale on May 2016. Many were surprised by this news only because the cancellation of "American Idol" has been long overdue. Speaking of FOX, they had their Upfront today which is when the network announces their new shows, returning shows, and the stars of the various shows. FOX's #1 new show "Empire" was of course the talk of the town as the cast showed up minus Terrance Howard. I wonder why he wasn't in attendance? Anyway Brandy and Jennifer Hudson joined the cast. And with that being said its been announced that NeYo, Lenny Kravitz, and Alicia Keys will guest star on the new season of the show. There have been other names tossed around as well but I guess we will see when the show premieres. I'm not sure when the new season starts but I do hope its before January. I did read that the new season will feature 18 episodes. The first season con...

CYBER WEDNESDAY: After Wednesday night's season finale of "Empire" which drew 16.5 million viewers, the highest rated episode thus far, Bow Wow has spoke out against the show saying he would never be on "Empire" because it stereotypes blacks. Do you agree that the show stereotypes blacks and do you think he was hating on "Empire" a little? Of course he is entitled to his opinion but I wonder did he audition for Hakeem and ain't get the role. Bow Wow is currently starring in a new CBS show "CSI: CYBER". Right after "106 & Park" was cancelled Bow Wow scooped him up a gig real quick. Not mad at him about that but I'm giving his comments the side eye. "BITCH" MADE: Speaking of the side eye, Joe Budden made some comments about "Power" the show that stars Omari Hardwick(of "Being Mary Jane"). He was simply expressing his excitement about the show returning(in June) and referencing the tagline whe...

LOVER BOY: Deelishis aka London Charles has been keeping her name in the news lately. During a recent interview with Kandi Burruss-Tucker of #RHOA and "Kandi Koated Nights" fame, she revealed that a rapper from Toronto who sings in his raps is "great in bed". I wonder what she had to say about Wiz Khalifa because we all know she was getting busy with him and let's not forget Flavor Flav and all the other countless celebrity men we don't even know about. FOXX HOLE: And we might know that Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes may be dating. The two were recently spotted sitting together holding hands. If that's not a couple then I don't know what else is. The story about Jamie and Katie is not exactly new. The rumor regarding them being together or not has been in the rumor mill for a few months now. Do you think Jamie and Katie are dating and what do you all think about Deelishis and her thirsty self. I don't know but I've never been a big fan of hers ...

DOGG POUND: So we are all awaiting the season finale of "Empire" this week on Fox and for the finale none other than Snoop Dogg will be guest starring. I can only imagine what role he will take on. There have been so many twist and turns this season so make sure you watch this Wednesday. BABY LOVE: Benzino and Althea of "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" fame have announced that they are expecting their first child together. The couple was famously fired from LHHATL after allegedly threatening bodily harm to producer Mona Scott-Young. Congratulations to the couple! EARLY LEAK: Kendrick Lamar is upset at his record label Interscope for prematurely making his new album, "To Pimp a Butterfly" available on iTunes. The album wasn't supposed to be released until March 23 but only the clean version is available at presstime. Should Kendrick be upset or should he just let it slide since his album is now on sale and reviews have been generally good thus far. MOVING ...

BABY BOY: Tyrese has gone on record to say that his beloved Yvette, Tariji P. Henson of "Empire" fame, with whom Tyrese co-starred with in "Baby Boy" has been sending for her character on Instagram, implying that he may be on next season of the popular FOX series. Boy! I just said a lot! Anyway a who's who of R&B and Hip Hop stars have already guested on the first season of the show. We can only imagine what the second season has in store for us. But it is being noted that Foxy Brown, Oprah, and Spike Lee are all said to guest star on next season of "Empire". And what do you guys feel about Tyrese guest starring and thinking Cookie Lyons is Yvette. Now that would be something now wouldn't it?