The Roc Rap Up: Jay-Z Ties Elvis with 10th No. 1 Album

Hip-hop icon and Def Jam CEO Jay-Z has tied Elvis Presley on the U.S. album charts after his claiming his 10th number one. American Gangster, Hov's newest release, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 countdown with opening week sales of 425,000. Jay-Z penned the album after he was inspired by Frank Lucas, onetime Harlem drug king, and the film of the same title starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.

Only The Beatles have had more than Mr. Carter and Mr. Presley, with 19 number ones.

The thrilled rapper says, "I've got this Elvis thing going on right here, but what's great about that is that I've never had a number one single on any of my albums. People buy them for the body of work."

In other Roc news, Jay-Z may be one of the richest dudes in rap, but he says all the wealth and fame has not turned out the way he expected.

In a recent interview with Blender.com, the rapper -- whose estimated net worth is around a whopping $286 million -- says he expected a lot more from being as wealthy as he is.

"All I got is this big house, couple cars, I don't bring half them sh--s out... How many times can I go to Mr. Chow's?" he asked.

"In the context of the album, it was that 'Scarface' moment when Tony Montana sits in the restaurant and looks around and says, 'This is all it's about?'" Jay tells the magazine. "You get to that point where it's like, 'OK, I drove the Rolls Phantom around the corner and... nothing happened.' And you ask yourself, 'That's it? I thought blondes was gonna be jumping on my hood." [Blondes? SMH!]

Arguably "the greatest rapper alive", El Presidente Hov does admit that there are some perks to his money and renown.

"I had a $20,000 Petrus 1945 at a place called Graycliff in the Bahamas," explained Jay. "It was definitely full-bodied. Incredible. You could almost taste the barrel. It was one of those things where you say, 'Come on, how good could it be? What's the difference?' But you really could taste the difference. It was damn near like smoking weed. It was a high."

Like weed? Whoah...I've got to get me some really old wine or something.

To read the interview in its entirety, visit Blender.com.

There is a new addition to Roc-a-fella Records! After a lengthy tenure with Interscope Records, D-Block/The LOX's own Jadakiss has inked a deal with Jay-Z, and is now a ROCBOY like Kanye. AHA!

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The probe extends its condolences to Kanye West and the friends and family of Dr. Donda West, who died November 10 due to complications from cosmetic surgery. Sadly, it was reported that Kanye's mother was going under the knife to look her best for Kanye's wedding to model Alexis Pfeifer. Dr. Jan Adams, (of Discovery Channel and Oprah fame) who operated on West in his clinic, located inside a Los Angeles strip mall, claims no wrongdoing and recently walked off the Larry King Live show. <>

Timbaland Impregnates Publicist Turned Fiance

The title really says it all.

Congratulations to the couple on their baby girl.

Grammy-winner Beyonce to Release Country Album

MTV reports:

"The bootylicious star is changing genres for her next
album, says a newspaper…
Beyonce Knowles is working an album of Country And
Western songs, according to The Sun.
The former Destiny’s Child frontwoman
is apparently changing her style after performing a country version of her hit
Irreplaceable at the recent American Music Awards.
Helping B with the
transformation is songwriter Amanda Ghost who is behind James Blunt’s enormous
hit You’re Beautiful and the Shakira/ Beyonce smash Beautiful Liar.
We look forward to hearing the results of Knowles’ Country sessions …"

Uhh...Beyonce. Say this with us: overexposure can kill you.

Let's pray Tina Knowles doesn't design anything with leather tassles...
This just in: too late.

Armed with a hairbrush and potentially dangerous--the aftermath of a Brooklyn teen's death by police

Apparently, even hair supplies qualify as a good reason for gunfire.

The New York City Police Department is fighting claims that they are trying to cover up what really happened in a Brooklyn killing last week, in which police fatally shot a mentally ill teenager under the assumption that he had a gun. It later turned out to be a hairbrush.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly continues to stand by his stance that the police were justified in the shooting. He later released tapes of the conversation between the teen's mother and police officials, to back up his earlier statements that the mother told the police he had a gun.

"What [Police Commissioner Kelly] is engaged in is a public campaign of misdirection and misinformation and because of that misdirection, because of that misinformation, Police Commissioner Kelly is actively engaged in a cover up," said Marq Claxton of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement.
In an interview with NY1 Friday night, the mother of the teen, Denise Owens, confesses that she is still trying to comprehend how her 911 call could have gone so awry.

"I just want answers to actually what went wrong," said Denise Owens.

What is Torture?

Amnesty International is holding an open discussion on torture. It's at 8 PM, this Monday, at Earl Hall.

Garcia and Rodriguez in the Top Ten

Two Hispanic last names, Garcia and Rodriguez, now fall under the top 10 most popular American surnames. Smith is still number one, but it has fallen increasingly over the years while names like Martinez and Hernandez have risen significantly, reflecting the change in our country's demographics. People no longer 'Anglicize' their names like they used to at Ellis Island. Check the rest out for yourself here.

SGA releases statement regarding Hunger Strike

Barnard SGA released their official statement on the hunger strike this morning.

In light of the strike currently going on at Columbia, the SGA writes today to inform students that the SGA is committed to addressing issues of ethnic diversity, curricular shortcomings, and necessary institutional reform on our campus. These goals have been part of SGA's 2007-2008 agenda since the beginning of the semester. To address these issues, the SGA held a Town Hall on this subject in October, attended by Barnard College and Columbia University students, faculty, and administrators. All present expressed and stressed the need for additional steps to be taken to ensure that all Barnard students graduate having had the opportunity to intellectually engage with these issues. The SGA is thus committed to reviewing and assessing necessary curricular changes. Additionally, the SGA is calling for an Ethnic Studies major at Barnard, and the provisions to be set up for the eventual creation of a center.

The SGA also recognizes that the demands being made of the Columbia administration affect Barnard students. The SGA acknowledges that many members of the Barnard community, students, faculty and departments, have been active in the strike and in response to the strike, both voicing support and dissent. Although the strike is addressed specifically to the Columbia University administration, the SGA supports the call for changes that will improve the academic opportunities and quality of education that Barnard students receive. Moreover, the SGA officially calls for various curricular and institutional changes at Barnard College that are in a similar vein. The SGA expresses its support for the following:


1.The SGA calls for the Committee on Instruction to move forward on the creation of an Ethnic Studies major. Towards this end, the SGA would like to see a thriving, well-funded and administered Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race (CSER) at Columbia that can support an influx of Barnard majors. In the long term, the SGA supports the creation of a center at Barnard dedicated to the study of racial and ethnic power dynamics, similar to the Barnard Center for Research on Women.


2. The SGA calls for the incorporation of discussion of racial and ethnic formation into the 9 Ways of Knowing. For the short term, the SGA plans to facilitate the creation of a more diverse First-Year English reading list. In the long term, the SGA supports the Committee on Instruction in reviewing how to better incorporate these issues into the 9 Ways of Knowing, particularly looking at the Social Analysis, Cultures in Comparison, and Reason and Value requirements.


3. The SGA calls for the appointment of a Provost for Diversity. Many of our sister schools, as well as many Ivy League universities, have such an office. A Provost for Diversity will work closely with the deans and the President of the College to ensure fair hiring, tenure, and curricular practices.


4. The SGA calls for better communication between the Office for Multicultural Affairs at Barnard and the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Columbia.

The SGA continually seeks student input, concerns and support on all of these initiatives and hopes that Barnard students feel empowered to work with the SGA. While institutional reform does take time, student voices are heard and ideas are supported by the administration through the SGA. The above mentioned goals are also part of discussions being held by Barnard faculty and administrators. The SGA does recognize the need for immediate and tangible examples of progress. From the SGA student representatives on the Committee on Instruction to all of the participants at our Town Hall, Barnard students have been actively engaged with this debate all semester. Please be encouraged to join your fellow students in these discussions by contacting sga@barnard.edu or by attending our weekly Representative Council meetings, held every Monday at 7:45pm in the North Tower.

Islam in African American Life: This Monday at 8pm

DINNER, ISLAMIC AFRICAN NASHEEDS AND A LECTURE BY IMAM SIRAJ WAHAJ

Event's details:
What: Dinner, nasheeds and a lecture.
Who: Imam Siraj Wahaj and Nasir Al-Amin
When: 8:00pm, Monday, November 12th
Where: 117th and Broadway, Earl Hall Auditorium, Columbia University

Islam in African American Life: Journey of Compassion and Tolerance.

The MSA is honored to host an event on Islam in Africa, featuring *Imam Siraj
Wahaj*, the Imam of Al-taqwa mosque in NYC. The lecture will cover many aspects of Islam
in African American culture and how it has influenced people's life in America.


CHICKEN AND RICE WILL BE SERVED WHILE ENJOYING THE NASHEEDS

*To learn more about Imam Siraj Wahaj, please visit his website at
http://www.imamsirajwahhaj.com/

Darfur Now

There is a new documentary on Darfur, Sudan. See the trailer on Apple's website.

Obama on SNL as himself

In case you missed it, Barack Obama had a very brief appearance on SNL this Saturday in the intro skit. The skit was a Halloween party held by the Clintons, with Hillary in a bride costume, as well as all the other presidential candidates in costume. One guest came with an Obama mask, and when he took it off, he revealed the real Barack, with the audience going pretty wild. He said "I have nothing to hide, I enjoy being myself. I'm not going to change who I am just because it's Halloween." To watch the video, see below: