Lauryn Hill probably shocked herself and others when she finally stepped out of her crib to make a public appearance. Yesterday, the legendary singer/ rapper resurfaced at the “Tanzania Education Trust Gala & Reception” held at the Plaza Athenee in NYC.

Remember when Lauryn looked all crazy and deranged a while back?

Well, I must say when Lauryn cleans up…she cleans up nice! Check her out!

Sidebar: Now if only Miss Hill’s vocals would resurface on a track…

]]> http://str8nyc.com/2010/04/20/str8-fresh-flicks-lauryn-hill-comes-out-of-hiding-she-looks-fab/feed/ 16 http://str8nyc.com/2010/04/13/mariah-carey-wyclef-jean-to-be-honored-for-civil-rights-work/ http://str8nyc.com/2010/04/13/mariah-carey-wyclef-jean-to-be-honored-for-civil-rights-work/#comments Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:46:06 +0000 J'More http://str8nyc.com/?p=36712 Tweet

Diva Mariah Carey and Wyclef Jean are being honored for their humanitarianism. In memory of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, the two will be handed the the Keepers of the Dream trophy at the National Action Network fundraiser on Thursday, April 15^th for their civil rights work. Reverend with a perm Al Sharpton serves as the organization’s President will host the ceremony at NYC’s luxurious Sheraton Hotel. Among the guests, Bill Cosby will also be on deck to make a speech about the issues in education.

Looks like BET took note from MTV’s successful “Hope For Haiti Now” telethon which helped raise over $58 million– sparking the network to create its own telethon titled “SOS Saving Ourselves—Help for Haiti” to be hosted by Queen Latifah, Diddy and Pharrell Williams. The two hour event will take place at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami and will air on BET,  Centric, MTV and VH1 on Friday, February 5^th at 8 pm ET.

“Words cannot express how I felt watching the catastrophic events unfold in Haiti. I believe it is our duty to come together and help our brothers and sisters in Haiti, especially now, in their greatest hour of need. I have joined forces with Queen Latifah, Pharrell, BET and several of the biggest names in music today to raise funds for the Haiti Relief efforts. Together we can make a difference,” says Diddy.

A string of artists including Ne-Yo, Keri Hilson, Chris Brown, Jazmine Sullivan, Akon, Ludacris, Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, Monica, Busta Rhymes, India Arie, Kirk Franklin, Nas and Damian Marley are set to hit the stage for this special event. In addition to musical performances, Mr. “Panty Dropper”  aka Trey Songz, Common, David Banner, Missy Elliott, Chrisette Michelle, Jeremih, The Dream, Jason Derulo, T-Pain, Sean Kingston and more will also make appearances.

“The devastation that has occurred in Haiti has broken my heart. My hope is that we can raise enough money to sustain a few of the relief organizations for quite some time as there is a lot of work to be done over there,” said Pharrell Williams. “The goal is not only to bring immediate relief to Haiti but to also rebuild the country and help the country move forward.”

Proceeds from the event will go to Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti, CARE, Project MediShare and Children’s Safe Drinking Water.

Last Friday, your favorite performers including Rihanna, Wyclef, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and a whole lot more came together for a good cause to help raise money for Haiti’s earthquake relief on “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon which was put together by actor George Clooney. The event was televised on nearly every channel and it also featured appearances by Hollywood’s heavy hitters Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, Chris Rock and more.

The King of New York aka Jay-Z teamed up with “Good Girl Gone Rated R” Rihanna and Bono to perform “Stranded-Haiti Mon Amour”.

Beyonce partnered up with Cold Play’s Chris Martin and sang her heartfelt medley “Halo” in which she remixed it by adding Haiti to the lyrics.

Haiti’s “ambassador”  Wyclef Jean performed “Rivers of Babylon” and “Yele” along with his sister Melky Jean on the hook. Wyclef definitely brought the Carnival vibe to the telethon with his rendition of “Yele”.

The Queen of Hip-hop Soul, Mary J. Blige tore down the house with Civil War-era ballad “Hard Times Come Again No More”.

Oscar winner/singer Jennifer Hudson sang the ish out of Beatles classic “Let It Be”.

“Hope for Haiti Now” proved to be a success as the telethon raised over $58 million from donations which poured in from all over the world. “Hope for Haiti Now” will continue to accept donations for sixth months via these methods:

Online: www.hopeforhaitinow.org

Phone: 877-99-HAITI

Text: Text “GIVE” to 50555

Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund

Entertainment Industry Foundation

1201 West 5th Street Suite T-700

Los Angeles, CA 90017

Proceeds will be split among Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation, and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation.

Yesterday afternoon, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the beautiful island of Haiti in the Caribbean and has caused devastation. Unfortunately, there is no word on the number of deaths; however it is expected to be in the thousands. According to the national director of World Vision in Haiti, Frank Williams,

“People are screaming all around and walls from buildings and private residences have fallen into the streets, so that has pretty much blocked off most of the traffic. We have some aftershocks that we’ve experienced… people are wailing… [are] very frightened. Most of the people are out on the streets.”

Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean immediately went into action yesterday once news broke. He issued a statement calling for assistance,

“Haiti today faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced,” said Wyclef Jean last night. “The magnitude 7.0 earthquake – and several very strong aftershocks – struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince. I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now

He added,

“President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands ‘ready to assist’ the Haitian people. The U.S. Military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible.”

To aid in the disaster relief effort text “Yele” to 501501 via your mobile phone which will then automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund. Be aware that your donation will be charged to your cell phone bill.You can also visit www.Yele.org and click on Donate Now to do your part.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. You may not be aware, but the Haitian people are natural born fighters as this is a major characteristic of the people of the first black independent nation.

Str8NYC.com has those affected by the earthquake and fellow blogger Martine of ATF in our prayers.

Real talk, the Hip-hop community needs to band together and HELP! Diddy, Jay-Z where y’all at?