Hip hop really, really, really, really loves Barack Obama. Jay-Z, who has been campaigning and giving free concerts for Obama, was joined this weekend in Miami by friends Mary J. Blige, Russell Simmons, and Sean "Diddy" Combs. Congressmen Jesse Jackson Jr and Kendrick Meeks added some political heft to the proceedings. [WI]

You know what, readers? Listening to this classic Mary J. Blige song has me in a sharing mood: You guys bring me joy.

Most of the time.

Just in case you didn't pick up on this the last 500 times a celebrity told you to register to vote, it's time to register to vote! Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Diddy, and Kevin Liles have written an open letter urging the hip hop community to register to vote by Monday. To be more specific, the letter urges everyone to register to vote…for Obama.

“Barack Obama cannon win this election alone. He needs our help. This election is about us. This election is about our children’s future. If you have not registered to vote, you are disrespecting everyone that sacrificed their lives for you to have this right. You are also disrespecting your future.

The time is now for us to use the voices with which God has blessed us. We need you to do all you can.”

Jay-Z is going the extra mile for Obama this weekend by holding free concerts in Detroit and Miami that will double as voter-registration drives. [XXL]

At the annual Conde Nast Fashion Rocks concert Friday, an impressive number of current female pop stars took to the stage to perform the new benefit song, "Just Stand Up." The performance, featuring Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, Keyshia Cole, Ashanti and Ciara, aired live on the Stand Up To Cancer telethon. If you watch the video, you'll see that young Miley is clearly the vocal weak link, but she makes up for it in enthusiasm. Based on the photos, Beyonce was sporting that wig for an Etta James tribute. I think… I hope.

Click through for many more pictures from Fashion Rocks.

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Entertainment Tonight last night sent its blackest reporter out to interview every African American celebrity he could find. Lucky for him, many of them had converged on Denver's football stadium to watch Obama's speech.

Did you know celebrities are all friends? They are! Oprah was hugging Mary J Blige! Kanye was answering questions for Oprah! And then Forest Whitaker came out of nowhere to use words like "pride," "humanity," "beautiful," "core" and "destiny."

Check out the video after the jump. My favorite part is when Kanye literally bum-rushes Oprah's interview, at first screaming from off-camera, then pushing through the crowd until he's also in the shot. His important message: Obama's inspired him to be a better, more selfless person, of course. Ha!

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Every year, I glimpse the photos and hear first-hand accounts of the Essence Festival in New Orleans, and every year I wonder why I didn't bite the bullet and go. This year I happened to have been elsewhere in Louisiana, dancing to zydeco and eating copious amounts of food with my impossibly large extended family. Maybe next year. Mary J. Blige and Chris Rock were the headliners of the weekend event, but Kanye West, Rihanna, Chris Brown, and many others, graced the festival's stage. Were any of you in attendance?

Lots of pics after the jump.

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Oh, if only it had been me at that Diane Von Furstenberg store… Mary J. Blige was at the designer's store in NYC last week when she overheard a woman stressing because a bill that she thought would come to $500 actually came to $900, and she could no longer afford the to buy the dress. Clearly, it struck a chord deep down in Mary. According to Page Six:

Blige told the saleswoman, "Go get the girl. I want to pay for the balance on the dress." The customer at first declined Blige's offer but relented after the singer said, "I know what it's like to want something and not be able to have it. I insist." The customer wanted to send her a check for the balance, but Blige said, "Just enjoy it. I'm blessed, so let me do this."

One might argue that a person who can afford a $500 dress is probably not the person most in need of Mary J. Blige's charity. But whatever. I'm not mad at random acts of generosity.

The stars got their glam on yesterday at the annual amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS benefit at the Cannes Film Festival.

Two Father MC songs in a row? What is wrong with me, you ask? Maybe in my desire for Memorial Day to just get here already, I'm losing it. But yesterday, I posted a video that I was sort of whatever about because Puffy was dancing in it. So I had to be true to my heart and soul today and post the Father MC song that rocked my adolescent world (I had the single on tape!): "I'll Do For You," with Mary J. Blige singing background.

One of the most glamorous annual events in New York City, the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was held last night. As usual, the stars showed up to the party — this year's theme was "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy" — in all of their designer finery, and as usual, some gowns were finer than others. Loads more pics after the jump.

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MARY SPILLS THE ALREADY-SPILLED BEANS "Congratulations to my man, Jay-Z, and my girl B," said Mary J. Blige at Saturday's North Carolina stop on the "Heart of the City" tour. She then launched into "You're All I Need." Jay-Z, on the other hand, made no mention of the nuptials, although who expected he would? No matter. I love love.

Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z opened their highly-anticipated "Heart of the City" tour in Miami Saturday night, and, in addition to lending an obvious endorsement to Barack Obama, Jay-Z and Mary brought out a lot of friends, including Fabolous, Young Jeezy, Timbaland, and Kanye West, who was wearing a jacket that looked like it was found in a box marked "Victory Tour Rejects" at the Neverland Ranch yard sale. More pics after the jump.

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Mary J. Blige's My Life is an bottomless treasure trove of classics, but "I'm Going Down" is one of my all time favorite songs. Ever. But trust that you don't want to hear me sing it.

Instead of Method Man and Mary J. Blige's famous duet, I could have picked a classic R&B love song for today's special, Valentines-Day edition of Rewound. But once upon a time, long, long ago, there lived a 14-year-old girl with a monstrous crush on Method Man and a severe case of MJB idol worship who thought that this was the most romantic song she'd ever heard. This one's for her.