Daily 30: Mon 10.27.2014

8mo
Ne-Yo On His "Non-Fiction" Album

3 Ne-Yo On His "Non-Fiction" Album Complex

Earlier this month, Ne-Yo hit up the House of Blues in Hollywood on his "One Night With Ne-Yo" tour, in support of his forthcoming album, Non-Fiction. Complex TV sat down with the "She Knows" singer to talk about his next project, the idea of "alternative R&B," and that new house he just bought. Spoiler alert: It's not a damn farm.
8mo
On Giving Jay Z His Big Break

12 On Giving Jay Z His Big Break Vlad TV

The legendary Big Daddy Kane sat down with VladTV where he spoke on his relationship with Jay Z, saying the Brooklyn boy was introduced by mutual friend Jaz-O who asked Kane if Jay could spit on a track with him. Kane agreed and thought Jay was nice enough to take on the road, and while he was never Kane's hypeman (as many believe), he would spit a few bars for about ten minutes while Kane changed back stage. Kane says he and Jay still have a good relationship, with Hov bringing him out for Summer Jam and for the opening of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
8mo
Twitter finally Acquires Twitpic

17 Twitter finally Acquires Twitpic Daily Dot

Over the past few months, the photo-sharing platform Twitpic has been embroiled in a contentious battle with Twitter, with the latter company claiming that Twitpic infringed on its trademark. This Saturday, however, Twitpic announced on its blog that it has been acquired by Twitter as part of an agreement to keep Twitpic users’ photos and videos on the platform. According to Re/code, Twitter now has full control over Twitpic’s domain and photo archive. The agreement comes on the heels of a contentious trademark battle with Twitter, which culminated last September when Twitpic announced plans to shut down after Twitter threatened to cut off the website’s access to its API. In a blog post thanking Twitpic users for bearing with them during the “roller coaster ride” that was the company’s battle with Twitter, Twitpic founder Noah Everett elaborated on the conditions of the agreement. "Twitter shares our goal of protecting our users and this data,” he wrote. “Also, since Twitpic’s user base consists of Twitter users, it makes sense to keep this data with Twitter." Everett also announced that he would no longer be staying on with either Twitpic or Twitter. “This will be my final chapter with Twitpic, and again I want to say thank you for allowing me to be a part of your photo-sharing memories for nearly seven years,” Everett wrote. “It has been an honor.” Under the new conditions, Twitpic will no longer allow users to post new content on the platform, nor will you be able to download the Twitpic app from the Android or Apple stores. You will, however, still be able to access and download your photo archive on Twitpic.com.
8mo
777

18 777 Rihanna

Gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Rihanna's unprecedented globetrotting concert tour that hit seven countries in seven days with seven shows to promote her seventh album.
9mo
12 O'Clock Boyz

20 12 O'Clock Boyz Mission Films

Pug, a young boy growing up on a combative West Baltimore block, finds solace in a group of illegal dirt bike riders known as The 12 O'Clock Boys.
G-G-G-G-Unit! 8mo
G-Unit Reunion Pt. 2

23 G-Unit Reunion Pt. 2 Mini-Docs

The other day G-Unit appeared in a new XXL documentary, where each member was around a table for a round table discussion about their past, present and future.The second part continues that same round table discussion, as they talk about their relationship and finally reuniting for the first time at Summer Jam this past summer
Mustard On The Beat Ho! 8mo
How to Make a Hot Beat

24 How to Make a Hot Beat Noisey Raps

DJ Mustard has provided the soundtrack for everything over the past year. Like, all of the things. Dude has had double digit radio hits since 2013, and doesn't seem to be slowing down. That's why we got him to join up in the Brisk Bodega Rap PSA Program, delivering a lesson on how to make the perfect beat. Mustard on the beat!
8mo
CVS And Rite Aid Shut Off Apple Pay

25 CVS And Rite Aid Shut Off Apple Pay Huffington Post

Last Thursday drug store chain Rite Aid Inc. (NYSE: RAD) reportedly stopped accepting payments made through the just launched Apple Pay system from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). On Saturday, CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS) was reported to have followed suit at its CVS pharmacy stores. The issue appears to be a conflict between Apple Pay and a mobile payment system called CurrentC that is being developed by a retailer-owned mobile technology outfit called Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX). Unlike Apple Pay, CurrentC does not use an NFC chip, but instead generates a QR code that is displayed on the merchant’s checkout terminal. Customers who have already linked their bank accounts to the CurrentC system scan the QR code from the terminal and the transaction is completed. When Apple announced Apple Pay in early September, both Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) said they had no plans to adopt the new system. Both are partners in MCX along with other major retailers like Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI), and Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD). MCX has been working on a mobile payment solution since 2011, and the driving force behind the effort is to enable the merchants to avoid paying the 2% to 3% credit card transaction fees charged by the likes of Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) and MasterCard Inc. (NYSE: MA). How much do these big retailers dislike paying fees to Visa and MasterCard? Former Walmart CEO Lee Scott is reported to have said, “I don’t know that MCX will succeed, and I don’t care. As long as Visa suffers.” That kind of attitude ought to help drive adoption of Apple Pay as well, but retailers have an investment in CurrentC and the system has begun real-world testing and is scheduled to go live early next year. The advantage of CurrentC is that it works with existing checkout terminals, while Apple Pay requires that most retailers purchase new equipment to communicate with the NFC chip in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Among the retailers that do not need to buy new terminals are Best Buy, Rite Aid, and CVS, so their reason for shutting down access to Apple Pay is very likely contractual or an act of solidarity with their fellow CurrentC backers. CVS and the other CurrentC companies will almost certainly use the system exclusively for a relatively short time. If, as most observers expect, customer demand for NFC-based systems like Apple Pay grows rapidly, these retailers are not going to adopt a “my way or the highway” attitude with their customers. They have learned that when it comes to technology, it’s a consumer-driven world and they just live in it. And one other thing retailers have — or should have learned — is not to underestimate the power of Apple in the consumer world.
8mo
LeVar Burton 'Go The F**k To Sleep

26 LeVar Burton 'Go The F**k To Sleep Huffington Post

As part of Rooster Teeth's Extra Life charity telethon, LeVar Burton read "Go The F**k To Sleep" to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospital. What ensued was a magical story circle, where it became the '90s again in our hearts and minds. Anyone who has trouble sleeping should play this video before bed to be lulled into peaceful REM cycles. As LeVar Burton might say in the words of Adam Mansbach: "F**k your stuffed bear, I'm not getting you sh*t."
9mo
Focus

27 Focus Warner Bros.

A veteran grifter takes a young, attractive woman under his wing, but things get complicated when they become romantically involved.
1y
Annie

29 Annie Columbia Pictures

Wealthy businessman Benjamin Stacks comes to the aid of a young girl living in an orphanage run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan.
Powerful! 11mo
Finding Fela

30 Finding Fela Jigsaw Produtions

Alex Gibney's Finding Fela (2014) is a sweeping portrait of the artist as guerilla warrior. Set to the insistent groove of Nigerian superstar Fela Kuti's revolutionary Afrobeat sound, the remarkable story of one man's courageous stand against a corrupt and dictatorial government gives testament to the transformative power of music as a force of social and political unification.