John Calipari checking out Jay Z and scoping the Barclays Center ahead of his Kentucky Wildcats taking the floor in a college basketball tournament showdown

As basketball lovers across the country are getting ready to watch the showdown between the cats and the dogs or, the Kentucky Wildcats and the UCONN Huskies, I'm going down memory lane to a first meeting of Kentucky Wildcats head basketball coach John Calipari.

It was the night of the Barclays Center opening. Music and business mogul, Jay Z was about to take the stage and perform, the first performer to do so. Coach Calipari was among the many that had come to the Barclays Center to celebrate a new beginning in Brooklyn and a new day of basketball in Brooklyn.

What's The 411TV, based in Brooklyn, NY, was out in full force on the red carpet and Coach Calipari stopped to chat it up with What's The 411SportsTV correspondent, Andrew Rosario.

So, what does Coach Calipari think of the new arena?

"Since we're going to be the first college game in here, I said I better get over here and see it (Barclays Center) and since Jay Z's on stage, I said I might as well do both."

Yes, basketball will be great in New York City with the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets battling it out.

"...that college game is going to be fun," said Calipari referencing the University of Kentucky's upcoming game at the Barclays Center and nicely reminding us that basketball professionals will be sharing the court with college kids.

With all new players, Kentucky was poised to face Maryland. Although Calipari lost his previous team, he remained optimistic saying, "it'll be fun."

Knowing that some of the kids on his team are from Nashville (Tennessee) and Arkansas, Calipari understands that when they arrive in New York City, it will be culture shock, but in Calipari's words, "it's going to be a great experience."

Is Calipari a Jay Z fan?

"Oh yeah, oh yeah; now he (Jay Z) came into our locker room and it cost him $50,000," Calipari said with a smile. "Now, I wonder if I go in his locker room, if it's going to cost me $50,000?"

By the way, I'm rooting for the freshmen (that's Kentucky if you're not a follower of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament).

Check out video interview with Coach John Calipari here:

Rapper Jay-Z says he's moving forward on his deal with Barneys despite the allegations of racial profiling at the luxury store

The rapper from Brooklyn will sell his clothing line with a stipulation that he must be appointed a leader of a council created to sort out racial profiling at the high-profile department store.

Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter released a statement on Friday addressing the situation and his position. It read in part:

"The easy position would have been to walk away and leave policy making to others, hoping that someone addresses the problem. I will not leave the outcome to others. I will take this into my own hands with full power to recommend, review, and revise policies and guidelines moving forward. I am choosing to take this head on."

Jay-Z said that all of the proceeds from sales of his product line at Barneys will go to his foundation. Additionally, "the foundation will receive 10% of all retail sales from Barneys New York stores nationwide and Barneys.com on Nov. 20."

The racial profiling issue at Barneys stems from when a 19-year-old City College student, Trayvon Christian, said the luxury retailer and police targeted him back in April because they didn't think he could afford a $349 Ferragamo belt.

Christian said he had just been paid from his work-study job when he went to Barneys to purchase the belt in April 2013.

According to Christian's attorney, Michael Palillo, that after buying the belt using his Chase debit card, Christian was stopped less than a block from the store by undercover NYPD detectives.

Palillo said the officers told Christian they had received a call from Barneys telling them that the debit card he used to buy the belt was fraudulent.

Palillo said Christian was then handcuffed and taken to a police precinct where he was held for two hours. He was released after his bank verified his account and debit card.

Christian, who later returned the belt to the store, has filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages, claiming the incident has caused him great physical and mental distress.

Another shopper, 21-year-old Kayla Phillips, has filed a complaint with the city's police watchdog agency, claiming she had a similar experience at Barneys after buying a $2,500 Celine handbag in February.

Ms. Phillips told the New York Daily News and the New York Post she was surrounded by police officers after leaving the store. She said they demanded to know why she used a debit card without a name on it.

Phillips, of Brooklyn, explained it was a temporary card, and after showing police identification and a new debit card that had arrived in the mail that morning, they let her go.

WATCH GRANDMASTER CAZ VIDEO

Grandmaster Caz, a pioneering hip-hop MC and DJ, proudly took credit for spawning Rakim and Big Daddy Kane and by extension all the Jay-Zs (rappers who came later and benefited by the pioneers).

When asked by Cristina who he came to see perform and touch the stage, Caz responded, "Of course the god Rakim and my son, Big Daddy Kane. Alright, those are my direct influences, (my influences) go to straight to them, you know what I mean. They are the people who eventually led to the Jay-Zs and when you follow the rap lineages, it all traces back to me."

VIDEO: Talking with MTV VMA Fans in Brooklyn

What's The 411TV correspondents Anisha Robertson and Bianca Peart took to the streets to scout out MTV VMA fans.

Standing in front of the Barclays Center, Anisha and Bianca talked to MTV VMA fans about which recording artists they were looking to see this year, who they wanted to win, and their favorite VMA moment.

Photo Credits: Jesse Whitehead/What's The 411 Networks

Videographer: Jesse Whitehead

Video Editor: Ruth J. Morrison

Hot 97’s Summer Jam XX Recap

On Sunday, June 2, I witnessed my first HOT 97 Summer Jam and please believe me when I say, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Along the 2-mile walk from where the Port Authority bus dropped me off in MetLife Stadium to the press entrance, I walked past a huge parade filled with people from all types of backgrounds.

Hip-hop heads gathered as one in the parking lot, celebrating like it was a major summer holiday--tailgating and barbecuing food; they were really getting ready for a great night.

Summer Jam was too good on paper. It gave us good music and a decent show, but it felt too much like a high school performance—safe, organized and fluent. Don't get me wrong, safety and organization are great attributes for a concert, particularly one the size of Hot 97 Summer Jam. However, we all wanted to see more than the ordinary production; i.e., last-minute surprises and performances outside the box.

It was evident that some fans left Summer Jam XX disappointed and here are 10 reasons why:

1. Joe Budden did a great job kicking off Summer Jam, but bringing out Tank was the highlight of his performance. (Not really a disappointment about Tank, I just love Tank.)

Joe Budden

2. Miguel performed a relevant performance by bringing out Mariah Carey and J. Cole, but I wanted him to do more like jumping into the crowd to make up for the 2013 Billboard Awards.

Miguel

J-Cole

3. Chris Brown's performance was way too long. Although he electrified some of the women in the audience, he shifted the momentum of the crowd starting off his set with Beautiful People. That was a huge mistake! Summer Jam equals Hip Hop, not Pop. We wanted to hear Look At Me Now first. He could've preserved his opening act for the BET Awards coming up in a few weeks. Breezy's vocals were on point though, but he should've just gone before Miguel.

Chris-Brown

4. There was the 'almost' highlight of the night when Fabolous brought Lil Kim onto the stage. At the end of the duo's performance, Fab appeared to have been introducing another female artist, who many rumored to be Foxy Brown, but didn't. Ebro of Hot 97 claimed that Foxy showed up late, while other bloggers said she couldn't find her earpiece. Nonetheless, Foxy should've been on that stage!!!!!

Lil-Kim and Fabolous

5. Now on to Nicki Minaj. 2 Chainz's performance with Nicki Minaj was way too short. First off, Nicki skipped out on Summer Jam last year, so why not SHUT the stage down this year with a song of your own? Nicki--How can you come out for 1.5 minutes, then just bounce like that?

Nikki-Minaj and 2-Chainz 

6. Okay, back to Foxy. All night, Hot 97's DJ's and personalities were teasing who was backstage. Rosenberg alluded to the fact that women were going to dominate Summer Jam, but that never happened. 

I may have been the only one daydreaming, but I was hoping Foxy, Lil Kim and Nicki would all be on the stage at one time. I'm still dreaming....

7. Kendrick Lamar was by far the best performer at Summer Stage, but he should've brought out Jay-Z. When word got around that Beyonce and Jay-Z were in the building, everyone was pretty much convinced that the royal couple was going to hit the stage. Well, that didn't happen either. Seriously, this was the 20th anniversary of Summer Jam, Hov could have rapped his verse to B**** Don't Kill My Vibe?

Kendrick-Lamar

8. Everyone seemed to have been upset that Papoose took the stage, but he was actually the highlight of the night. I don't know why he felt the need to say "Free Remy Ma," because no one cared.

9. I respect WuTang for their contributions to hip-hop, but for the generation that I witnessed in the crowd, they seemed far less interested. I think they would've been a better closing act.

Wu-Tang 1 resized 500x333

10. French Montana, the headliner of Summer Jam closed out the five-hour concert and was probably on stage for less than ten minutes (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but it was brief.) The highlight of his set was when fellow rap artists Rick Ross and Lil Wayne ran out and performed the hit single, Pop That. The crowd went crazy, of course. But moments later, the lights came on and Summer Jam was over, just like that. Fans exited the stadium in a somber mood, and so did I. Personally, I rode the bus home still wishing that Foxy and Jay would've graced the stage. Maybe it's just the Brooklyn sentimentality in me.

French Montana, Lil-Wayne, and Rick-Ross

But, until next time...

What's The 411TV's List of 25 Most Interesting People of 2012 was developed from interviews conducted by What's The 411TV correspondents during 2012

BROOKLYN, NY; December 20, 2012 - What's The 411, an entertainment and lifestyle television show, released today its list of 25 Most Interesting People of 2012.

What's The 411's 25 Most Interesting People of 2012 was developed from interviews conducted by What's The 411 reporters from January 1, 2012 through November 30, 2012. The list consists of celebrated personalities to ordinary people doing extraordinary things to the American people rallying for justice in the case of Trayvon Martin. Many people are local to the New York City metro area, while others are global figures.

"Throughout the years, What's The 411 has interviewed so many interesting people," said Ruth J. Morrison, CEO and Founder, Whats The 411 Networks. "This year, we decided to create our list of 25 Most Interesting People. It wasn't easy, but the reporters and producers narrowed What's The 411's Most Interesting People of 2012 to a list of 25. Some are known to almost everyone and some will be names heard for the first time."

"After developing and releasing our list of 25 Most interesting People of 2012, we learned that the Brooklyn Nets fired head coach Avery Johnson. Coach Johnson's firing was shocking and What's The 411 still stands by its decision to include Coach Johnson on its list. In our interview, we saw excitement, conviction, a warrior's attitude, and a commitment to bringing a competitive basketball team to Brooklyn," Ms. Morrison added.

The people making up What's The 411's 25 Most Interesting People of 2012 fall into the categories of entrepreneurs; kids doing great things; sports; fashion and beauty; health; non-profits; media and public relations; and even a former mob wife. The list also includes the winners of What's The 411's Jay Z Concert Ticket Giveaway, a couple so engaging they should have their own reality TV show.

Below is a list of What's The 411's 25 Most Interesting People of 2012 with hotlinks to their respective video interviews:

1. Marlena Ortiz - a 28-year-old breast cancer survivor who created the non-profit Beating Cancer in Heels to help women keep their self-esteem while undergoing cancer treatment
2. Trayvon Martin Vigil in Union Square, New York City - representing Americans standing up against racism
3. Hal Jackson (Posthumously) - legendary radio pioneer who broke many color barriers in radio broadcasting. Hal Jackson died on May 23, 2012 at age 96.
4. Danny Jacobs - a boxer who survived cancer and is now back in the boxing ring with two wins in two months
5. Magic Johnson - because he's Magic
6. David Stern - NBA Commissioner who bucked the prevailing sentiment at the time and developed a salary system which created many young black millionaires, a rising tide floats all boats
7. Sue Simmons - An iconic newswoman; anchor of WNBC-TV News for 32 years
8. Avery Johnson - the goody two-shoes head coach of the Brooklyn Nets; who knew he had so much fight
9. Billie Jean King - an iconic tennis champion and advocate for gender equality
10. Helen Shelton - an African-American woman who rose to executive ranks within a global public relations agency by providing value to her clients
11. Allan Houston - Assistant General Manager, New York Knicks and a former NBA player now leading the way advocating and demonstrating the importance of fathers through hisFather Knows Best initiative
12. Beauty/Fashion Trifecta: Vera Moore, Sofia Davis and Thomas Lavone: - Vera Moore is a beauty entrepreneur of 34 years in the competitive cosmetic business and now making a huge breakthrough with national distribution through Walgreen's; Sofia Davis, Editor, Fashion Avenue News Magazine; and Thomas Lavonne, an award winning New Jersey based fashion designer and entrepreneur with a celebrity following; known for his exceptional talent in Ready To Wear gowns, suits and fine apparel
13. Leslie Allen - a retired professional tennis player and keeper of the legacy of tennis champion Arthur Ashe through the Arthur Ashe Foundation
14. Alia Jones-Harvey - a Broadway theatre producer putting a new spin on classic Broadway theatre productions, thus creating diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity on Broadway
15. Dr. Devra Davis - an environmental health scientist ringing the cell phone environmental alarm bell16. Cheryl Wills - author and 20 years of making a difference in TV news in New York City
17. Constance CR White - a multi-dimensional fashionista running a magazine for Black women (no disrespect to Susan Taylor)
18. Dionne Williams - a fashion entrepreneur providing a professional platform for emerging fashion designers during New York Fashion Week
19. Alfred Edmond Jr. and Windsor Neckwear - creators of the Alfred Edmond Jr. Bow Tie Collection and other men's accessories; helping men everywhere to stand out while fitting in
20. Terrie Williams - CEO and Founder, The Terrie Williams Agency; author; mental health advocate; and mentor; for her honesty about depression and for mentoring young men
21. Leslie Chang, Scholarship Winner of Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health's Health Science Academy and Winners of Arthur Ashe Kids Day Essay and Art Contest - these kids are definitely going places
22. Pamela Quinzi - a fabulously sensational shoe designer with savvy marketing skills
23. Saffiyah Rodgers and Valerie Morrison - owners of My Girlfriend's Closet - making a business out of a childhood passion
24. Kim Benson and Qadir Muhammad - winners of What's The 411's Jay-Z Concert Ticket Contest - a comedic, smart and sassy couple; they should have their own reality TV show
25. Toni Marie Ricci - survived being married to the mob and now an author and mentor to other women

About What's The 411TV

Based in Brooklyn, New York, What's The 411TV is a division of What's The 411 Networks, a media/news and information company connecting sophisticated multi-cultural audiences through its distribution platforms of television, online, mobile, and social media.

What's The 411TV's celebrity portfolio consists of interviews with Magic Johnson, Beyonce, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson and many, many more.

What's The 411 Networks has the largest video celebrity interview portfolio of any Brooklyn-based independent media company.

VIDEO: Jay Z Concert Tickets Winners Are Love and Hip Hop

Kim Randolph Benson and husband Qadir Muhammad are winners of What's The 411TV's Jay Z Concert Tickets Sweepstakes.

This video, part mini-documentary, and part Reality TV, follows the ecstatic couple on their journey to see Jay-Z in concert at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

We catch up with Kim and Qadir when the white stretch limousine picks them up at their home in upper Manhattan to take them VIP-style to the Barclays Center. We listen in as they argue about the genesis of rap music and as they reminiscence about their love for Jay-Z, Summer Jam, and setting their son straight about which rapper has the best rap skills.

Married for 20 years, Kim and Qadir credit the longevity of their relationship to taking it one day at a time. However, watching this couple in action, we know that it also has something to do with love and hip hop.

Bertha Lewis, President, The Black Institute, checked in with Ruth Morrison, CEO, What's The 411 Networks at the opening of the Barclay's Center. Ms. Lewis, excited about the opening of the Barclays Center, expressed her expectations for the ground-breaking of the housing portion of the Atlantic Yards project. Ms. Lewis' young companion was so excited to see Jay-Z, she was almost speechless. However, like many of the adults on the red carpet that night, Ms. Lewis has great admiration of Jay Z's business skills and his rags to riches story, which is emblematic of the American Dream.