The year 2007 has been a much volatile roller coaster ride, not only in the NFL. Baseball has had the steroid situation. Oval office having pedophilia scandal. NE Patriots accused of cheating. If what NE did was in fact considered cheating then yes, they should be punished. Not with an asteric .
With one mighty heave, Tom Brady and Randy Moss took care of the record books. Now it's down to business for the unbeaten New England Patriots: stamping themselves as the greatest team in NFL history.
The Patriots completed a perfect if somewhat joyless journey through the regular season Saturday night, finishing with a remarkable 16-0 record following a thrilling 38-35 comeback victory over the New York Giants.
New England became the first NFL team since the 1972 Dolphins to win every game on the schedule, and that one was only 14-0. This victory required a comeback from a 12-point deficit engineered by the brilliant Brady, and smashed the Patriots' league mark for consecutive victories.
Validation of their inexorable march through the season can only come by adding a Super Bowl championship, their fourth of the decade. Do that and there'll be no challenge to their spot at the top.
Mayweather, who has rechristened himself as “Money,” plans to take the leap in to the world of Hip-Hop as a rapper, and he’s got the biggest knock-out artist in his corner, 50 Cent. In addition to ghostwriting, Mayweather says 50 Cent is a friend who has been supportive of his stellar boxing career. He’s confident enough to spit raps for all to judge and ballsy enough to ballroom dance in front of millions of scrutinizing eyes – go figure.
There’s a good reason for the one formerly known as “Pretty Boy” to assert his dominance in such a brash manner. The Hip-Hop pugilist is generally regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world with 38 wins, 24 of which ended in knock out. Before he can get to record his rap album, he’s got to contend with another extremely confident, unbeaten champ named Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton of Britain (43 wins, 31knockouts).He faces Hatton tonight (Dec. 8) on pay-per-view, but Mayweather says his opponent has as much chance of winning as Ice Man has in Hell. That’s convinced.
In Las Vegas, at 24 Hour Fitness Gym, Floyd “Money” Mayweather rolled out his blueprint to AllHipHop.com and unveiled his plans to work with 50 Cent, offered a listen to his new song “Yep” and explained how he is going to fight his way into entertainment like he’s done with boxing.
-Intro by Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur
AllHipHop.com:So, Floyd you officially dropped the moniker “Pretty Boy” and replaced it with “Money.”
Floyd Mayweather: Pretty Boy Floyd isn’t my name any more—they keep calling me that. But my name is Floyd “Money” Mayweather. It’s Money Mayweather, until the day I die. When you say the Mayweather name, it’s about money. When you’re talking Mayweather, you’re talking money.
AllHipHop.com: Recently you were a participant in the ABC Network series “Dancing With The Stars” and got eliminated in the fourth round, what was that experience like?
Floyd Mayweather: Well, it had me upset at first but I got over it. It was a great experience. I wish I could do it again, but I’m told they only let you do it once. My advisor Leonard Ellerbe worked on that deal for over a year. It was an amazing show. I was basically letting people from the urban communities know that it’s okay to step outside the box and try something different. Everything isn’t always based upon Hip-Hop and R&B. I’m not too hardcore to go on “Dancing With The Stars.” I’m not afraid to go on network television every week and expose myself to a different audience consisting of 20 or 30 million viewers and not have to be on pay-per-view to do it.
AllHipHop.com: You recently had a meeting with Barack Obama, how did that go?
Floyd Mayweather: I can’t talk about it because it was confidential. No disrespect. I can’t discuss what we spoke about. The HBO crew was with me filming “24/7” and they had to turn the cameras off. But, I can say this. It was great to see a man who comes from the same background as me doing such big things. I am encouraging voters from the ages of 18-34 to get out there and vote.
AllHipHop.com:Speaking of big things, you recently showed off your house on TV - pretty impressive.
Floyd Mayweather: When I first moved to Vegas I lived on Flamingo and Cobalt Lane at the Meridian. It was a luxury apartment. I was sitting on about half a million. When Tupac was murdered it occurred on the corner where I lived. The crib I have now is 12,000 square feet and everything is paid for. The majority of the cars are paid for. A couple of them we lease just to keep our credit right, but we don’t have to. The last Maybach (62) I bought I spent 411 thousand, cash. The McClaren I spent half million cash on. Whatever I want I go out there and buy. I’m not a rapper who’s on an album talking about it. You got a lot of rappers that just talk about it. But me, I really live it. Not to knock what rappers talk about. But, I really own my own my 12,000 square-foot mansion. I really own these cars. All of this stuff is paid for. I really got eight figures liquid cash. I’m not far from $100 million—at all.
AllHipHop.com: So how’s everything working out with your record label, Philthy Rich Records.
Floyd Mayweather: With my record label Philthy Rich Records what we’re trying to do is scout talent and get them deals with major labels. As far as signing rappers to a deal—it just don’t work like that anymore. Rappers are not loyal at all! My history goes back to the first rapper I signed, Dirt Bomb. He was underground. He couldn’t accept the fact that labels didn’t want to take him because his music was too underground. He just couldn’t take it. He went on about his business and we went on about our business. We have H-Flo from Cleveland, Ohio and Baggz Lombardi from Atlantic City, NJ signed to us. They’re exceptional rappers. Earl Hayes is another rapper who we spent tons of money on. He signed with Dr. Dre and Interscope. Dr. Dre and Interscope are not good business men, but great business men. We’re interested in helping Chilli from TLC get her project out there. She got one hell of a project. She’s also a close friend of mine.
AllHipHop.com: I came across your rap video on the internet. Since when did you start rapping?
Floyd Mayweather: I don’t call it rapping. I call it s**t talking. I got too much money to be a rapper. You saw it. It wasn’t nothing but a freestyle on there. I was playing around. I had a Floyd Mayweather weekend. A DJ from Atlanta came out here. He brought his guy out here that had a camcorder. He asked me if it was alright if he recorded some of me partying and talking for a youtube contest. I said, ‘No problem!’ I told him I just wanted to see it first. He agreed. The next thing you know this guy went out there and made up any type of video that he wanted to make up and went put it up on youtube. I was highly upset, because we got plans on shooting a real video for the song.
AllHipHop.com:Ok, so tell me about the song?
Floyd Mayweather: It’s called "Yep," some people spell it "Yup." However you wanna spell it is how you spell it. Everything I’m taking about on the song is real. The hook goes like this, “1 to the 2, 2 to the 3, these hating ass niggas can’t fuck with me. It’s like 4 to the 5, 5 to the 6, these hatin’ ass niggas all in my mix.” I’m sticking to the basic ABCs and 123s. I’m not trying to go all outside the box. I’m talking about what’s real and what I really got. It’s no fronting where I come from. I come from the Southeast Side [of Grand Rapids, Michigan].
AllHipHop.com:I know you have referred to 50 Cent as one of your best friends. Did he have any influence on your decision to rap or shit talk?
Floyd Mayweather: Well, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be in the video for my single. If not that doesn’t change our friendship. 50 Cent is an icon in the Hip-Hop world just as I am in the sport of boxing. I look at myself as an entertainer. I don’t want to label myself as just a fighter. Just being an A-lister and talking with 50 Cent, he’s very intelligent and he’s one hell of a business man. 50 Cent heard my song and told me, ‘Floyd I thought you was going to be bull shittin’ with the music. But after hearing your song, you can really do this.’ It made me feel good. Now I’m ready to o go out there and shit talk, trash talk or whatever they want to call it. I’m not a rapper. I got to much money to be a rapper.
(See, Money Mayweather’s “Yep” and continue reading below the video as the story continues.)
