Video: Common Celebrated 40th Birthday with Kanye West

Common celebrated his 40th birthday last night with Kanye West, at Club ONE in Salt Lake City and made an apperance Friday night elsewhere with ex-boo Serena Williams

He was born and raise in Chicgo, and has been on the scene for the past 20 years; we've watched Common grow and mature through his talents.

Common has remained true, and humble throughout his journey -contributing his gifts to philanthropy, activism and writing. In his memoir 'One Day It'll All Make Sense' he reveals his past romances with exes Erykah Badu and Serena Williams and what went wrong.....

During last nights festivities, Com took the stage to perform a Kanye dedicated freestyle which you can watch after the jump, along with more pics...

Kanye West Starts New Creative Super Collective Think Tank

The creative genius that is Kanye West has decided to make the world a better place. He is doing this by assembling a league of extraordinarily creative gentlemen into one think tank called DONDA.

Kanye West via Twitter:

I have started a new company and I’m so excited about the name…. it’s got the best name ever of all companies of all time!!!….

The name of the company is DONDA. DONDA is a design company which will galvanize amazing thinkers and put them in a creative space to bounce there dreams and ideas.
I used to blog all the time an fit was a way to get my opinion out…Dr Dre redesigned headphones and made more impact off of one product.

I am assembling a team of architects, graphic designers, directors musicians, producers, AnRs, writers, publicist, social media experts…app guys, managers, car designers, clothing designers, DJs, video game designers, publishers, tech guys, lawyers, bankers, nutritionist ..doctors, scientist,teachers.

DONDA will be comprised of over 22 divisions with a goal to make products and experiences that people want and can afford…I want to put creatives in a room together with like minds that are all waaaay doper than me

NICE!

Full info here: http://bit.ly/yBnl0b

New Release: Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) – Ni**as in Poorest

Yasiin Bey (the MC formerly known as Mos Def) is using 2012 for more than just a name change. Just in time for Martin Luther King Day, Bey has announced his Top 40 Underdog series, which will seem him reimagine various Top 40 tracks with all-new, socially conscious freestyles. The first track on the operating table is Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “Niggas In Paris”, which Bey has transformed into “Niggas In Poorest”.

One of 2011′s most boastful, bangin’ tracks is now a truly frightening look at modern American culture, from the vanity and depravity of youth to our perpetual sense of economic dread. Bey also demonstrates a new-found level of dementedness, aided in part by some menacing vocal effects, to spin a tale that is the mirror opposite of the original, with loads of dread, a sprinkle of poetic hyperbole, and a heapin’ helping of truth.

Check out the track below.

Stay tuned for more tracks from the Top 40 Underdog series as they’re released.

By Chris Coplan