At 6:30, guests were ushered to the lower level of Cramton to check out the pre-show exhibition. Music filled the room as guests wandered around the various tables set up by Sony and Ancetaz Clothing for demonstrations, giveaways, and more. A VIP Room allowed nominees and sponsors the opportunity to relax and snack before the show began.

By 7:30, guests were filing into the Auditorium in anticipation for the second EVER Rockstar Awards, hosted by Radio One radio personality Aaron “Herkules’ Graves and Howard University’s own Kayla Lindsey.

Nominated and voted upon by the students of university, the evening’s winners received not only the recognition and award from WHBC but a gift from the event’s sponsors as well. The first award winner, Best Producer Miles Sloan won Sony producer style headphones and Sony Vegas Production Suite Software.

Two-time winning DJ Chubb E. Swagg also won a gift from Sony, DJ style headphones, and a surprise clothing gift from Anceztaz Clothing, a clothing brand created by Howard University entrepreneur Tanzania Bridgett. Best Party Promoter David Castain won a Sony S Series laptop while the Ultimate Hustler of the Year, Brandon Dean, received a Sony S Series tablet. HU Reaction, deemed the Best Blog for the second time, received a Bloggie Live from Sony. Birthday Suit Pt. 2, a black social conscious event created by Darius Thomas, won Best Event. Thomas received two tickets to see The Roots live in concert at the Howard University Theatre. Danielle Johnson, deemed WHBC’s Best Personality, received the opportunity to co-host The Hang Suite with Mark and Troy on WHUR 96.3 FM.  And Elliot McKnight, the Most Anticipated Artist of this year’s Rockstar Awards, received a $100 gift certificate to the Howard University Bookstore.

The show also honored three two students and one alumni. Peers, friends, and colleagues of the honorees spoke highly of their accomplishments in videos filled with footage. Keith Pough received the title of Athlete of the Year for his outstanding performance both on and off the football field. Zalika Cobb’s leadership role in the Suicide Prevention Action Group on campus made her the honoree for the Humanitarian of the Year Award, presented via video by Miss Jessie’s hair care products founders Titi and Miko Branch. The honor for Alumni of the Year went to Joseph “Smalls” Jackson, the creator of Rockstar Awards.

Between awards and honors, performances by $urreal, Grammy University’s artists Ludner Henri and Nadia Graye, Connecticut artists Big Pat and Jig, and Raheim Supreme kept the audience engrossed.

Photos of the evening can be found here.

The Hilltop and Howard University’s bookstore have teamed up to bring us another fashion show entitled, “The Revolution: Our Legacy Continues.” The purpose of this fashion show is to increase the Hilltop’s visibility throughout campus and shine the light on Howard’s “everyday” students. Some of the models in this show may be unlikely models or new to the runway altogether. There will also be guest appearances by several social organizations such as Alpha Kappa Psi, Sigmas, Alphas and several others.

The show will feature apparel by some student designers here on campus. Michelle Gibson’s brand, Simply L3ve, will be featured in this show alongside some other outstanding brands. (You’ll have to go to the show and see for yourself. I can’t reveal all the secrets!)

The show is this Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 5pm in Blackburn’s ballroom. Although this will be The Hilltop’s first fashion show, I’m sure it won’t be the last. This unique show is sure to keep the audience interested as we get a chance to look at Howard’s fashion culture a little differently. Come out and show your support. After all, the show is free and who doesn’t love anything that’s free?

“My first party was November 18, 2008 at a house on Harvard Street with DJ Big Will,” recounts Jae Murphy.

The current senior Broadcast Journalism major, Human Development minor from Chesapeake, Va., was then a sophomore drinking a lot of “party juice,” as he calls it.  He felt compelled to grab the microphone and shout out his friends.  That then led to the dorm roll call.  Soon, people began requesting shout outs and Murphy spent the rest of the night on the microphone.

So began the early days of the Voice of HU.

Later, Big Will would inform Murphy that his act of spontaneity “taken the party to the next level.”  The DJ and budding host established a business venture of sorts; they would find people with houses, propose a house party, guarantee the guests if the house-owners would supply the drinks, and then split the profits afterwards.

The parties were successful because the duo would personally promote them.

“A lot of people think I’m a party promoter because, if I’m hosting, I’ll promote that event or that party,” Murphy explains.  “But I actually only promote what my name’s on.”

By the summer of 2009, Murphy had already hosted a pajama party at Expo Lounge and opened up for Howard alumni and 93.9 WKYS fm radio personality Angie Ange at DC Star.  She had noticed his voice and personality at the 2009 ResFest dance competition and they exchanged numbers.

That summer, Murphy decided to see where his voice would take him, opting to stay in DC to network.

He received free summer housing after winning Mr. Reslife and didn’t have any summer classes to take.  So he focused on promoting himself.

“I stayed in the club meeting people and getting my name out there,” Murphy says.

Very few people understood what he was doing back then.  Murphy’s only inspiration at the time was Angie Ange.  Whenever he was in her vicinity, he studied her technique, noting how nonchalant her entrance was before she turned her personality on to grab the crowd.  By the spring of his junior year, he was interning with her at Radio One while on line for Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.  Not only had Murphy kept in touch, his resume began speaking for itself.  Murphy’s summer of self-promotion paid off.  He began hosting more and more parties at local venues and even hosted the Homecoming Yardfest.

But he was still surprised when he won the Best Party Host at the 2010 Rockstar Awards.  Murphy didn’t even know he was nominated and was unable to attend the show.  He heard of his win as people congratulated him through social networking sites.

Now, as he prepares to graduate, he wouldn’t mind ending his college career with another win.  But Murphy also wouldn’t mind seeing some fresher talent take the spotlight. Murphy suggests hosts who really want to make it should talk to and pick the brains of others who have already done it.  They should also find themselves and figure out what they really want to do with their talent.  Once they’ve discovered that, Murphy says, they should then create a brand and showcase that brand.  They should also think creatively outside the box for means of promotion.

“And when you have an opportunity to showcase yourself or your brand, do it,” Murphy advises.  “Take the small stuff, too, because that’s where you start.”

Looking back over his college experience, Murphy feels blessed by how huge his small start exploded.  He originally came to Howard as an undecided major.  Early on, Murphy thought he wanted to major in Computer Programming but he eventually switched to the School of Communications.

“I’m so thankful God gave me the patience to finish because it allows me to be versatile,” he remarked.

Murphy anticipates working with Radio One until 2013.  The elements of radio are the foundation of his future plans.  He would like to be a video jockey or an entertainment reporter and ha s even done some acting.  His debut on the big screen is in film “Bittersweet,” produced by Howard alumni Ryan Cole.  It’s slated to have a viewing in Cramton Auditorium on April 19.

This house once belonged to one of the highest paid rappers alive –Lil Wayne. Sources say Lil Wayne is selling this lovely mansion, Kenner Louisiana Home for $ 1.7 Million. Apparently Lil Wayne has been living like a boss; the inside this mansion the interior is lined with chrome along with black granite, crystal and stainless steel. This mansion can be measured at 10,000-square-feet, including five bedrooms and seven baths. Sources add that, “the rapper’s top-floor master suite features a his and her bath that includes a steam room, sauna and a raised Jacuzzi. While other amenities include a theater room, fitness room with rubber floors, pool and pool house.” Sources, however, have not reported why Lil Wayne is selling this million-dollar home. Everyone be on the look out for the rappers new mansion.

These amazing Grammy winners, Erica and Tina Campbell are now on WE-TV in their new hit series Mary Mary (stage name). WE-TV will go inside and give viewers insight of what its like living as Mary Mary. The series will show the sister performances, parents and most of all Erica’s pregnancy. The series shows the busy lives of Mary Mary and how both Erica and Tina juggle raising children, marriage, performing, touring and recording new music. On top of that Erica and Tina have seven siblings. I don’t know what to call it but these ladies are BEYOND busy. The series also shows Erica and Tina’s individuality instead of just viewing them as Mary Mary. Clearly these ladies love what they do and have more than enough family to support them every step of the way. Don’t forget to tune in to WE-TV’s new television series Mary Mary staring Erica and Tina Campbell Thursday’s at 9pm. Don’t miss it!

Jennifer Williams was interviewed by Sway on radio show Sway In the Morning on XM Shade 45. Williams starts off by saying, “this season is crazy.” Sway goes on to add a sound clip of the argument Williams and Lozada had at Shaunee’s birthday dinner party at Philleps. “I just think it’s very unfortunate and really immature,” says Williams. We have to keep into consideration that this altercation took place in a public environment, which leads to Williams being absolutely embarrassed. Williams goes on to say in the interview about how Lozada “didn’t come in there with that attitude.“It was very not pleasant but calm. But once people start drinking, I call it liquid courage, they get a little crazy.”

Sway goes on to ask, “are you scared of her at all.” Williams replies,  “No I’m not scared, but the thing is I’m not gonna be fighting with you physically on TV, because first of all that’s not my personality. I think there is a lot of young girls that watch this show and to be fighting on TV I think it just absolutely sends the wrong message.” KUDOS to Jen!

The next question Sway asked Williams may cause more drama between her and Lozada. “Do you feel that Evelyn is putting on for the cameras?” “I absolutely do feel like she is putting on for the cameras, I’ve known Evelyn for probably about 12 years now and she’s never been like this. She’s always had some-what of a “hot head,” but this is taking it to the next level. She is jumping on tables, throwing bottles…”  says Williams. “YOU AINT ABOUT THAT LIFE” Sway adds. LOL!!

On another note, Williams is still going through a divorce of soon to be ex-husband Eric Williams. To keep up with the latest drama tune into Basketball Wives on Vh1, Monday’s at 8pm.

Fab actress Kimberly Elise will be starring in a VH1 pilot titled, “Bounce,” a scripted drama about pro basketball dancers written by James LaRosa and directed by Sanaa Hamri.  If the show gets picked up, it will be VH1′s second scripted series, and possibly great news for diverse popular television.

It looks like Arsenio Hall and Aubrey O’Day are having some MAJOR issues on Celebrity Apprentice.  Allegedly, Hall got a little hot after O’Day took sole credit for her team’s win last episode, and said he Google’d her and a naked picture with a gut came up. Watch next week’s episode to see if the drama between the two continues!

Contributed By: Nina Nwofia and Stephanie Awkard

So what is Rockstar Awards?

Rockstar Awards is an award show where the students nominate and select the best DJ, artist, party promoter, event, and more on campus.

How are nominees selected?

WHBC began the selection process with a write-in ballot.  Students had three weeks to write in their choice for each of the eight categories:

1. Best DJ
2. Most Anticipated Artist
3. Best Event
4. Best Party Promoter
5. Best Student Website/Blog
6. Best WHBC Personality
7. Ultimate Hustler
8. Hottest Producer

Both paper and electronic submissions were selected.  After the nomination process ended, WHBC tallied up the responses.  For most categories, the four choices that received the most nominations were selected for the ballot.  But, for the DJ, artist, and producers categories, the three categories with the most diverse responses, the top five were chosen.  Because there was only a few points difference between the fifth and sixth top nominee for Best Artist, six nominees were included in this category.

How are the winners of each category selected?

The nominees for each category were placed on a new ballot and students were then given three weeks to vote for the nominee they felt best captured the essence of each category.  At the end of the voting process, the votes were once again tallied.  The nominee with the most votes win.

What should I expect at Rockstar Awards?

You should expect a good time.

The nominees will be present and the winners of each category will be announced during the show.  There will also be lots of surprises during the night.

What should I wear?

There is no dress code for this event.

How do I vote?

You have until Friday, April 6 to vote for the nominees.  The electronic ballot can be found here.  Paper ballots can be found at WHBC, in the basement of the School of Communications.

ing of fans. Following “K.I.D.S.,” the Pittsburgh bred rapper dropped “Best Day Ever” in early 2011. He proved that he was racking up numbers by not only crashing DatPiff.com and other online music sites, but it went double platinum on DatPiff. Mac Miller was on the come up.

He almost ended his career in the game after the release of his first studio album “Blue Slide Park.” Blue Slide Park was a disappointing album for a number of reasons. It was a disappointment mainly because Mac Miller became a product of the music industry before the public’s eyes. He was an average kid that spoke about his life and the current generation could identify with his experiences. Once he got some mo

ney and began to only speak on his new rich life, his fans could no longer identify. He was just another rapper talking about his money and cars and other things that normal kids could not do.

Mac Millers new mixtape “Macadelic” was a shocking great mixtape. He found a way to go back to what had got him famous in the first place. He spoke again on his real experiences and his real feelings, not just his money.  He also had a great beat selection throughout the mixtape. Beats came mostly from I.D. Labs but he switches it up with a beat from Black Diamond and Lex Luger.

As far as features go, he had a few heavy hitters in the game right now. Juicy J was featured on “Lucky Ass Bitch” with Lex Luger on the beat, which definitely proved to be one of the best songs on the mixtape. Kendrick Lamar also made an appearance along with Lil Wayne. Cam’Ron was also a surprising feature on this mix – wouldn’t have seen that coming on a Mac Miller tape.

Photo Courtesy of Bryan Smart

When Bryan Smart came to Howard University in the fall of 2006, he brought with him business cards.  He approached everyone with an introduction and a card.  Although some of his peers may have thought it was “cheesy,” no one could argue that it wasn’t memorable.

At the time, the Political Science major, Africana Studies minor from Houston had two main goals: to graduate from college on time and get good grades.  But, Smart’s sincerity and his desire to serve his classmates made him stand out.

During his freshmen year, he was approached by Kellen Moore, a fellow freshmen who stayed on his floor in Carver Hall.  Moore was running for the president of the Freshmen Arts and Sciences Student Council and looking for a running mate, whom he found in Smart.

“You can’t work with the people without knowing the people,” says Smart.  “And that should be done prior to running for office.”

Moore’s invitation to join his slate was all the motivation Smart needed.  That experience propelled him to become a representative for the Undergraduate Student Association and then onward to become president of the Howard University Student Association.  He was mentored by Marcus Ware and other Howard University alumni with experience in campus politics and they helped mold him into a good student representative.

Photo Courtesy of Bryan Smart

The 49th administration began the fall of 2009 blazing.  They had the Cafe in Blackburn renovated, installed new equipment in Burr, established the Freshmen Leadership Academy, and even hosted the inaugural HBCU Leadership Summit.  Smart says that they worked to show to newly instated President Dr. Ribeau what the Howard University student body is capable of achieving when school spirit is put into action.

When Smart won the award for Hardest Worker at WHBC’s 2010 Rockstars Award Show, he was honored.

“But I didn’t [work hard] for the recognition,” he says.  “I did it for the students.”

Smart advises anyone seeking to represent a group to do just that-represent them.  He exhorts leaders in those positions to be careful that they aren’t speaking for themselves but for the unheard.  Smart urges potential leaders to get to really know the people and to have a full understanding of not only the position they seek to hold but also the system of the university.

Stephen Miller, Photographer. Photo Courtesy of Bryan Smart

Currently, Smart does advocacy for a labor union in his hometown.  This past fall, he ran for city councilman.  Although he didn’t win the election, he hasn’t become disheartened.  Five years from now, Smart envisions himself obtaining his law degree or MBA, working toward a governmental position, and possibly opening a consulting firm.

But Smart feels he will forever be indebted to Howard University, the school that gave him goosebumps when he visited for one weekend while in high school.  He’s sure that his decision to attend Howard is what made him who he is today.  Two years after his graduation, Smart’s passion and pride in his alma mater hasn’t diminished.

“Howard gives you tenfold what you give to it,” Smart says.  “It’s an idea, not brick and mortar.  So, yeah, it changes over the years but at the end of the day, HU is to Black people what they need at any given time.  Open yourself up to the experience and embrace it.”

“We wanted a fun and innovative way to draw attention to a calamity that is so ominous over the nation of Sierra Leone,” says Yehri Wi Cry, Inc., Co-Founder and Co-Vice President, Nadia Sasso.  “We chose art because it’s something that speaks to audiences universally. It’s a strong method of delivering an important message.”

“When Royal Dynamite was approached by Yehri Wi Cry to do a collaboration for the ART For Life campaign, the decision to accept was a no-brainer,” says Cecil Valentine, co-founder and director of Royal Dynamite.  “Their mission of empowering women and children in Sierra Leone aligns closely to our core values and the idea of utilizing art as a platform to raise awareness is what we take pride in as a brand. We look forward to a long and fulfilling partnership towards help Yehri Wi Cry accomplish their goals.”

The three-part campaign kicked off with a launch party at the Lexington Social House in Los Angeles, California on March 16, 2012 and will end on April 28, 2012 in Washington, DC at the 4th Annual Green White and Blue Sierra Leonean Independence Ball.

Artists must electronically submit their works by April 11th to be considered for entry into a Facebook “like” competition; the competition will give fans an opportunity to vote for their favorite pieces. If chosen, artists will be asked to mail their work no later than April 20, 2012 to be auctioned off at the Green White and Blue Ball on April 28, 2012. Voting for the Facebook competition will take place fromApril 16th to April 23rd. The winner of the competition receives a grand prize of: a $200 Cash Prize & a Design Printed on a Royal Dynamite T-Shirt ($100 cash and $100 Royal Dynamite gift certificate), and one round-trip ticket to Sierra Leone to join Yehri Wi Cry, Inc. on their next mission trip, courtesy of Air Arik. For complete contest rules visit: The Official A.R.T. For Life Website. Contact artforlife.ywc@gmail.com for more information.