Nas Retraces His Family’s Slave Past On Finding Your Roots
The intro to Nas’s 1996 album It Was Written depicts the Queens rap legend rebelling against 19th century slave owners. But now, Nas has truly reconnected with his roots. The 41-year-old lyricist sat down with professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. for the PBS series Finding Your Roots to trace his lineage back to slave times, revealing that his third great grandmother, Pocahontas Little, was purchased when she was only 15 years old for less than $900. The emotional clip finds Nas looking over documents and photos of his ancestors and their owner, visibly upset. “A receipt for a human being,” he says with a sigh, looking at his ancestor’s 1859 bill of sale. “This is painful now, to see that… that hurts.” The full episode of “We Come From People” airs tonight (October 28) at 8 p.m. EST, and also features Angela Bassett and Valerie Jarrett venturing into their families enslaved pasts.
Keyshia Cole Will Not Be Charged for Fight at Birdman’s Home
After putting paws on a woman at Birdman’s home in Los Angeles, Keyshia Cole is getting off easy. The Oakland singer, who was formerly rumored to be dating Baby, was arrested on misdemeanor battery charges in September after allegedly getting into a fight at the condo that morning. (Reports suggest it was with a Cash Money employee). According to TMZ, she won’t be prosecuted; instead Cole is required to attend an informal hearing along with the victim before an official, who will listen to both accounts. She may also have to take an anger management course.
Kanye West Turns Down Lucrative Las Vegas Residency
Apparently Las Vegas’s flashing lights aren’t bright enough for Kanye West. The Chicago rapper/ranter declined a lucrative $4.5 million offer from Planet Hollywood for a three-week, nine-show residency in Sin City. The $500,000-per-show deal would’ve placed Mr. West among the strip’s highest-paid performers, edging out Jennifer Lopez ($350,000/show), Britney Spears ($475,000/show) and Celine Dion ($476,000/show). There’s no word on why Yeezy passed up on making the Vegas stage his temporary home. Could you imagine all of the leather onesies he could’ve bought North West with that kind of money?
