Snoop Looks Past Soul Plane To Tom Cruise--Posted 06-10-04

BEVERLY HILLS, CA (06.10.04) — Don’t expect to see Snoop Dogg in any more supporting roles like the dope-smoking pilot Capt. Mack he portrays in Soul Plane — he has big plans to become “the black Tom Cruise.”

Rapper-turned-actor Snoop Dogg hopes he’s put the bit parts behind him with his role in the new film Soul Plane. The laid-back California rapper says from now on he wants to star or co-star in action and James Bond-style movies.

“I think Hollywood is starting to appreciate Snoop Dogg,” he says. “They put me in one scene, you got people leaving the theatre like ‘Why didn’t we have more Snoop?’ ...

“As of now I ain’t trying to search for nothing. I’m going to tell them what I’m going to do, and either they’re going to give it to me or they’re not, that’s what time it is.”

He’d even gain weight or otherwise alter his appearance for a role, but Snoop shoots out a “hell no” when asked if he’d cut his trademark cornrows.

The platinum-selling musician-turned-business mogul counts porn and fashion among his side projects and says he hopes to produce and direct films after making it as an actor.

Born Calvin Broadus in Long Beach, Calif., the 32-year-old star had his acting debut with a small part in 1998’s Half Baked.

Since then he’s appeared in a number of feature films, including Baby Boy, Training Day, Old School and, most recently, Starsky and Hutch.

He also appears in his own MTV comedy/variety show Doggy Fizzle Televizzle and this year had a well-received turn hosting Saturday Night Live.

“It was range,” he says of the experience, adding he was grateful to appear as host and not just a musical guest.

Soul Plane is an urban take on the 1980 original spoof classic Airplane!

story courtesy of calgary sun

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Wu-Tang To Re-Unite For Tour--Posted 06-10-04

SAN BERNADINO, CA (06.10.04) - In what is being billed as the first appearance in 10 years by all of its key members, the Wu-Tang Clan will headline the July 17 Rock the Bells festival in San Bernardino, Calif.

Organizers promise that RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, U God and Cappadona will all be on hand for the performance.

"At first we thought we could get some of the members of Wu-Tang together and that would be enough, but it became a mission to bring them all out for one special day," said festival organizer Chang Weisberg. "All the members have expressed their excitement to let their alter egos mash the stage and represent the 'Clan."'

A number of other major hip-hop acts have also signed for Rock the Bells, including Redman, Dilated Peoples, Sage Francis, Eyedea & Abilities and Supernatural with Jurassic 5 members Chali 2na and DJ Nu-Mark. Tickets go on sale June 18 via Ticketmaster. Organizers are also planning a Rock the Bells North American tour in 2005.

The Wu-Tang Clan will play eight festival and headlining dates in Europe this summer, beginning July 1 in Zurich, but it is unknown what the group's exact lineup will be for those shows. Additionally, the RZA-spearheaded book "The Wu-Tang Manual" is scheduled for a fall release by Riverhead Books.

story courtesy of reuters

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Kanye West To Head Out on The Truth Tour Soon--Posted 06-09-04

NEW YORK, NY (06.09.04) -- In August, Kanye West heads out on tour again, but instead of playing colleges and clubs, this time around he'll be playing arenas. The "College Dropout" artist is opening for none other than "Mr. Entertainment" himself, Usher.

"The Truth Tour" sees the pair performing throughout the US and kicks off on August 5 in Hampton, Virginia. The festivities finish up in New York City on October 7.

The Truth Tour itinerary:

August
05 - Hampton, VA @ Hampton Coliseum
06 - Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena
07 - Raleigh, NC @ RBC Center
10 - Cleveland, OH @ CSU Convocation Center
13 - Cincinnati, OH @ US Bank Arena
14 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
20 - Washington, DC @ MCI Center
21 - E. Rutherford, NJ @ Continental Airlines Arena
25 - New Orleans, LA @ Superdome
26 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
31 - Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena

September
02 - Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
11 - Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
15 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Arena
17 - Memphis, TN @ FedEx Arena
18 - St. Louis, MO @ Savvis Center
19 - Kansas City, MO @ Kemper Arena
23 - Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
24 - Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum
25 - Jacksonville, FL @ Jacksonville Arena
30 - Charlotte, NC @ Coliseum

October
01 - Greenville, SC @ Bi-Lo Center
03 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
07 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

story courtesy of krista desens

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Jigga Gets 7 Billboard Nods--Posted 06-08-04

LOS ANGELES, CA (06.08.04) - R. Kelly and Jay-Z lead the roll call of finalists for the annual Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.

Kelly tops the list, with mentions in eight categories. Jay-Z is a finalist in seven.

The awards ceremony will take place Aug. 6 at Barton G (formerly Billboardlive) in Miami Beach, Fla. It will cap the fifth annual Billboard/American Urban Radio Networks R&B/Hip-Hop Conference. The confab runs Aug. 4-6 at the Eden Roc Resort in Miami Beach.

Finalists in five categories are Beyonce, Alicia Keys, OutKast and Lil Jon. Tied at four are fellow Disturbing Tha Peace members Ludacris and Chingy. Producer Kanye West is up for three awards.

Last year's top finalist was 50 Cent, who was named in 10 categories.

Jive artist Kelly is a contender in categories that include top R&B/hip-hop single, top R&B/hip-hop artist, top R&B/hip-hop male artist, R&B/hip-hop songwriter of the year and R&B/hip-hop producer of the year.

Propelled by the success of such singles as "Ignition" and "Step in the Name of Love," Kelly's 2003 release "Chocolate Factory" has sold 2.6 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. A second 2003 project, "The R. in R&B Collection, Vol. 1," has racked up 1.2 million units. Kelly's eighth Jive studio album, the two-CD "Happy/U Saved Me," bows July 13.

Jay-Z will go up against Kelly in several categories, including top R&B/hip-hop artist, top R&B/hip-hop male artist and songwriter of the year. He is also up for top R&B/hip-hop album and top rap album.

The Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam rapper proclaimed his retirement with the 2003 release of "The Black Album." To date, that set has sold 2.5 million copies. Jay-Z's popularity has been further fueled by guest spots on Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" and the Neptunes' "Frontin'."

Speaking of Beyonce, the Destiny's Child frontwoman is up for top R&B/hip-hop album, top R&B/hip-hop artist, top R&B/hip-hop female artist and top R&B/hip-hop new artist. Alicia Keys earns a nod for top R&B/hip-hop albums artist and will also vie against former touring partner Beyonce in the categories of top R&B/hip-hop album, top R&B/hip-hop artist and top R&B/hip-hop female artist.

Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz are up for four honors, including top R&B/hip-hop artist (duo or group) and top R&B/hip-hop single (airplay) for the crunk hit "Get Low," which also features Ying Yang Twins. Lil Jon (aka Jonathan Smith) is also up for producer of the year. In addition, Lil Jon appeared on the Youngbloodz's "Damn!," which scored mentions in three categories, including top R&B/hip-hop single and hot rap track.

Ludacris (aka Christopher Bridges) -- who is featured with Lil Jon on Usher's crossover R&B/pop hit "Yeah!" -- is a finalist in four categories. Those include top songwriter and top R&B/hip-hop singles artist. First-time finalist Chingy's four mentions include top R&B/hip-hop new artist and top R&B/hip-hop male artist.

story courtesy of reuters

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Jadakiss Opens Up To His Fans--Posted 06-07-04

YONKERS, NY (06.07.04) -- Jadakiss isn't too big for his britches — he does listen to criticism. He hears the people who buy his music and he hears the people who write about his music. As much acclaim as he gets for his rhymes, Jada says he's taken note of his lyrical flaws. So on his upcoming LP, The Kiss of Death, Jada opens up.

"I been getting a lot of criticism [about my lyrics] with the media," he said a few weeks ago in New York. "They said the only thing that was [hindering] me from being one of the greats like Rakim, Jigga and 50 Cent was that I never let [the listeners] inside my world, my life. Plus, you gotta charge that to 50, Eminem and DMX. They came out with pain, gave the world their pain. Em with his moms and his baby's moms, X with his whole life, 50 with whatever happened to him. They made it a little more personal, that's what the fans want."

Although Kiss is being heard on the radio these days, largely via his emphatic freestyle session "The Champ Is Here" (which has been reworked to be a remix of "Time's Up"), Jada's next single, "Why," finds him reflecting less on himself and more on society.

"To be critically acclaimed, to get a Grammy, to be on MTV, you gotta talk about current events," he said. "You gotta talk about controversy, just stuff people want to hear. At the same time, you gotta get a message across."

But when making The Kiss of Death, due June 22, the LOX member did have some questions and doubts, in particular with Neptunes producer Pharrell Williams. It took the two several tries before they came up with the Neptunes' lone record on the album, "Hot Sauce to Go."

"The Pharrell experience was crazy," Kiss said. "I worked with him before, but I actually turned down seven or eight Pharrell tracks before I got the one I got. It's a blessing to keep hearing different ones, but one of my New Year's resolutions was that if I ain't feeling it, I gotta let you know right there. I can't hold it in.

"It was a little bit of turmoil, but not really," he added. "It was the artist/producer turmoil, it wasn't nothing personal. At the end of the day we worked it out. [The beat for 'Hot Sauce to Go'] sounded different, he felt good about it."

The video for "Why" was shot last week in Los Angeles by director Sanaa Hamri.

story courtesy of shaheem reid

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Corporate America Relizes Earning Potential In HIPHOP--Posted 06-07-04

NEW YORK, NY (06.07.04) - Hiphop culture is saturating the mainstream through music and marketing.

Companies have awakened to the genre's selling power, and as rap stars pitch soft drinks, athletic shoes, apparel, automobiles and beer, cross-promotions are born almost daily.

"Companies are just realizing because it is contributing to their bottom line in a major way," says Jameel Spencer, chief marketing officer of Bad Boy Entertainment.

Spencer, who is also president of independent agency Blue Flame Marketing and Advertising, says cross-promotions are "coming from as small a relationship as a product mention in a song to something revolutionary like Jay-Z owning a sneaker with Reebok."

Corporations "finally realized the power of hip-hop music on the community and the world," rapper/actor Ludacris says. "It's done nothing but get bigger and expand to become the popular music of today."

But hip-hop has been serving unofficial product pitches since Run-D.M.C. praised "My Adidas" in 1986.

"Long before corporate America started cashing in and understanding the power of the hip-hop voice, you had a person like Biggie or Lil' Kim screaming out all these designer labels," says Shawn Prez, CEO of New York-based guerrilla marketing firm Power Moves and a former Bad Boy executive.

"This hip-hop voice -- it's loud, it's results-oriented," he adds.

Entrepreneur Russell Simmons spearheaded hip-hop culture's move to the mainstream with Def Jam Records in the '80s.

Since then, he has expanded his business into management, marketing, apparel, theater, TV, jewelry and financial services. In February, Simmons sold his Phat Fashions empire to apparel giant Kellwood for $140 million.

Bad Boy Records founder Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' apparel line, Sean John, is also growing. The 6-year-old, multimillion-dollar company will open its first free-standing store in June.

Jay-Z and his Roc-a-Fella Records partner Damon Dash spun off their own clothing company in 1999. Rocawear raked in about $300 million last year, according to Dash.

The S. Carter Collection, Jay-Z's joint venture with Reebok, set the industry abuzz by becoming the sneaker company's fastest seller.

Jay-Z and Dash also purchased Armadale Vodka.

story courtesy of reuters

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Puff Faces Conspiracy Charges--Posted 06-04-04

HARLEM , NY (06.04.04) -- Yesterday started out smelling sweet for Sean Combs, who celebrated the launch of his Sean Jean fragrance with a smashing lunch at Lever House. But it wasn't long before his day was befouled by a lawsuit in which a record promoter charges the rap mogul with making him the victim of a witch hunt to recover Combs' missing Grammy Award.

Damien Vazquez, 23, filed suit in Manhattan Federal Court claiming that Combs and an NYPD detective conspired "through intimidation, torture, confinement [and] arrest" to "coerce him into falsely confessing that he had stolen" Combs' Grammy - "a crime that he did not commit."

Vazquez claims he worked for Combs' Bad Boy label from January 2000 until May 2002. The company disputes this. He further alleges that on Jan. 29 of this year, he received a call to what he thought was a job interview at 357 W. 35th St. The address turned out to be the Midtown South Precinct, where he says he was placed under arrest and held for 36 hours of interrogation.

Vazquez's lawyer, Robert Erlanger, alleges in the suit that Detective Gloria Frazier, who arrested him, had a picture of Combs near her desk and frequently sought advice from the Bad Boy firm.

While Vazquez alleges that "star-struck NYC police officers apply the law differently for celebrities," Combs' lawyer Jonathan Davis argues that Combs "is a target of an unscrupulous person who seeks to unjustly capitalize on his celebrity and stature."

Vazquez, who is a diabetic, says he went into insulin shock during the grilling and had to be hospitalized.

He contends that, before the arrest, he approached Combs with information that he thought might help him recover the missing statuette - which he received for his album "No Way Out" in 1997. Frazier nevertheless charged him with a series of offenses, including criminal possession of stolen property.

Vazquez, who also sued Frazier and the City of New York, is seeking unspecified damages for false arrest, conspiracy and deprivation of rights.

Combs told us yesterday that he eventually discovered the Grammy was "in storage."

He called the suit "ridiculous. I've been too preoccupied with my play ['A Raisin in the Sun'] to be involved in any conspiracy."

A police spokesman declined to comment.

story courtesy of ny post

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Rocafella To Sponsor Urban Music Seminar--Posted 06-02-04

LONDON, ENGLAND (06.02.04) --The Urban Music Seminar (UMS) today announced ROC-A-FELLA, the company of pioneering lifestyle entrepreneur Damon Dash, as the title sponsor of this year's event. This new and exciting US/UK partnership will undoubtedly make this year's seminar the most prominent yet.

Taking place on the 18-19 of September at London's Royal Festival Hall over 15, 000 young people will come to gain valuable insights into the urban music business and how they can make it work for them through a series of workshops, seminars, masterclasses and exhibitions. The event itself is free and is open and accessible to everyone.

ROC will be hosting their own specific seminars over the two days about their various ventures: clothing (ROCAWEAR), films (ROC FILMS) and how it all relates back to the music business creating the complete 'lifestyle' experience.

Kanye West, Roc-A-Fella's new hip-hop hot property will be giving a special "Be Inspired" Panel which promises to be one of the highlights of this year's seminar.

UMS founder Kwame Kwaten commented: 'We are very excited about the involvement and commitment that ROC is giving to this year's seminar. To have a company as major as ROC involved is awesome'.

Damon Dash said of the seminar: "I was invited to speak at last years Urban Music Seminar and found it incredibly worthwhile as an educational music seminar for the UK youth. This year we are proud to announce our increased support of UMS by becoming title sponsor of this years event, it's gonna be huge."

Kanye West spoke of his involvement in the seminar: "I am looking forward to being involved with the Urban Music Seminar in September after hearing about it from Damon Dash. I believe in giving the youth a chance to learn everything they can from those with the best music business knowledge. The UMS is a unique and vital platform for the UK urban music scene."

The Urban Music Seminar (UMS) was formed in 1998 as a non-profit making organization with a goal to inform and educate young people with aspirations of working in the music industry. From its modest beginnings attracting an audience of 500 people to last year's record of 15, 000 people from all over the world, it is a truly unique event.

story courtesy of latrice burnette

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Website Launches Anit-Tupac Autopsy Photos Campaign--Posted 06-01-04

NEW YORK, NY (06.01.04) -- Every Tupac fan (and every hiphop fan for that matter) has seen the infamous picture of the autopsy being conducted on the late Tupac Shakur. However, there is one website disputing the circulation of these pictures. In a recent press release the Thug Life Army express the danger of these photos.

Anti- Tupac Autopsy Photo Campaign - www.ThugLifeArmy.com introduces NEW WEB LIST SITE for a web campaign against showing Tupac Shakur Autopsy Photos On-Line.

" We at www.ThugLifeArmy.com in our mission to keep Tupac's Legacy Alive are starting the Anti- Tupac Autopsy Photo Campaign. We see there are many Tupac sites who say they rep for Tupac and then disrespect him and his mother's wishes by posting the supposedly 'leaked' picture of the Tupac autopsy.

This picture may or may not be real. But, it is our position that, either way, Afeni Shakur has requested that they not be put up on the web. It is a matter of RESPECT. Not only to Afeni's wishes but to Tupac, his estate and his true fans. These pictures can be available to people who want to see them and request them by email, they do not have to be posted on site for everyone to see and for children to see." "We are going to institute the Anti- Tupac Autopsy Photo Campaign. We are asking TRUE sites that rep for Tupac to remove these pictures from their sites and to add this button to their site.

Not a Tupac site but still support the stand taken here? Join the list and show your respect for Tupac. Any site is able to join this list as long as they truely rep and show respect for Tupac and his estate." "And we are requesting fans to watch for this button and only support sites that show their respect for Tupac, his mother's wishes and his estate. If you are a Tupac site and agree and want to Rep for Tupac's Legacy, or just a Rap, HipHop or any web site who agrees with this stand visit the website and register your site. For more information on this Campaign Email ThugLifeArmy@hotmail.com This is something that has been needed for awhile. We appreciate your help and co-operation as web sites and as fans. Most Tupac sites are very informative on issues of social views, politics, religion, government - all important issues to Tupac Shakur and inportant elements in his lifes legacy."

story courtesy of thug life army

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Black Hollywood Criticizes "Soul Plane"--Posted 06-01-04

HOLLYWOOD, CA (06.01.04) -- The "first black-owned airline" has barely lifted off, but a determined campaign is already under way to ground it, or at least clip its wings. "Soul Plane," the hip-hop-flavored comedy opening in more than 1,500 theaters nationally Friday about fictional NWA Airlines, has already run into cultural turbulence inside the African-American creative community, igniting heated arguments that illustrates the lack of consensus among blacks when it comes to comic stereotypes and the depiction of African-American culture in film and television.

Declaring in a recent speech that "Soul Plane" is "coonery and buffoonery," Spike Lee is one of a number of entertainment figures saying that the film is among the most offensive ever in terms of showing blacks in a negative light. Their protests are mostly based on the R-rated film's trailer, advertising campaign and early drafts of the script.

Other actors, writers and directors have called "Soul Plane" a modern-day minstrel show and a throwback to films in the 1940s and 1950s, when blacks were mostly shown as lazy clowns. The South Los Angeles-based National Alliance for Positive Action has aimed its protest at MGM, the studio behind the film. "Soul Plane" is the latest in a slate of urban-based films being developed by MGM after the crossover success of the studio's 2001 release "Barbershop."

"There is definitely a feeling in the community that this is the film that really does cross the line, that doesn't have any conscience whatsoever," said Lee Bailey, publisher and executive producer of the Electronic Urban Report, a Web site linked to the "Radioscope" entertainment program.

But the makers of "Soul Plane" and other supporters say the film is a brash and wild comedy in the vein of "Airplane!" or "Saturday Night Live" and that those who find it insulting are taking the jokes too seriously.

"First and foremost, this is a comedy that is an equal opportunity offender," said Peter Adee, MGM's president of world wide marketing. "It takes shots at everyone."

Jessy Terrero, a music video director making his directing feature debut with "Soul Plane," said, "I'm part of Generation X, part of the hip-hop culture, and I just wanted to make a good comedy for my generation. I don't see this as a movie about race, it's a movie about class." Terrero said he cut out many of an early script's jokes about race.

"Soul Plane" is the latest in a series of black-oriented movies and TV shows where questions of taste and appropriateness have provoked controversy. Some of the images and language have been attacked by performers such as Bill Cosby, while others have celebrated the pushing of the cultural envelopes.

Despite the furor, "Soul Plane" has more than its share of defenders on board, calling the attacks short-sighted and off-base. They say "Soul Plane" is a comedy with attitude that merely points out differences within and between cultures.

"Why are black people so insecure?" said Walter Latham, the creator behind the successful "The Original Kings of Comedy" tour and film that featured Cedric the Entertainer, Bernie Mac, D.L. Hughley and Steve Harvey.

Latham, who is developing other comedy tours, TV and film projects, added: "We put so much energy into criticizing films like this instead of addressing what's really relevant, such as our economic state. Black people should accept the fact that our heritage is different, and we should embrace who we are as a people. If there was a black airline, they probably would serve ribs and collard greens. That's who we are."

story courtesy of buffalo news

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Missy Cancels Overseas Trip Fear of Terror Attacks--Posted 05-28-04

JAKARTA, Indonesia (05.28.04) - Hip-hop star Missy Elliott cancelled a planned concert in Jakarta after the U.S. Embassy warned Americans about potential terrorist attacks in Indonesia. Elliott had been scheduled to perform Wednesday as part of an international tour. "We apologize to all the fans of Missy Elliott because of this cancellation," Roberto of Lunar Entertainment, the show's promoter, said Tuesday. Roberto, who uses a single name like many Indonesians, said ticket holders will get refunds.

The U.S. Embassy issued a statement Friday reminding U.S. citizens to remain aware of the "continued potential for terrorist attacks against Americans or American interests in Indonesia and worldwide." "A convergence of local and international factors has increased the potential threat," the embassy said. The embassy cited the continuing trials of Indonesian terror suspects, the country's presidential election campaign, anti-American sentiment stirred up by U.S. actions in Iraq and "information gathered worldwide indicating that terrorist groups contemplate additional attacks."

story courtesy vh1

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Tony Yayo Hits The Studio Straight From Prison Album Due In Sept--Posted 05-27-04

QUEENS, NY (05.27.04) --Five and a half months after flirting with freedom, G-Unit's Tony Yayo is out of prison. He's hoping to stay out this time. Yayo was released from a federal jail facility in New York Monday afternoon after serving time for possessing a forged passport. He was discovered with the faulty document by his parole officer just one day after being released from an upstate New York incarceration facility after serving a year on bail-jumping and weapons charges.

One of Yayo's attorneys, Scott Leeman, stated that upon release, the MC went straight to the studio to record new music. He said Yayo plans to release his solo album in September. A spokesperson at Interscope Records confirmed Yayo's release but would not confirm his recording plans. During 2003, in the year that Yayo was in prison, 50 Cent and G-Unit shot to worldwide fame. Yayo is credited as an original member of 50's G-Unit crew, and their verbal interplay is one of the reasons why 50 flourished in the underground hip-hop world before finding mainstream success.

In other G-Unit news, 50 Cent has reportly getting into the NASCAR game. The In Da Club star is sponsoring driver Steve Hodbay's racecar at an upcoming Days Of Thunder meeting at the Rockingham Raceway in Northamptonshire, England. And Hobday decided to thank 50 by plastering his image across the bonnet of his car. The motor will take to the track on June 6th, but 50 Cent's car will have celebrity competition - Hodbay's rival Shaun Richardson's car will be sponsored by rockers The Darkness. 50 Cent and G-Unit will also headline a musical event, which will take place after the race. Hobday says, "This is fantastic news. The whole team are really excited about running on June 6th with 50 Cent on the car. 50 is a big fan of NASCAR and this style of racing, and I'm sure we'll give him something to cheer about before he goes out on the Rockingham stage."

story courtesy vh1

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Ras Baraka Mediates Truce Between Crips And Bloodse--Posted 05-26-04

NEWARK, NJ (05.26.04) -- Rival street gangs the Crips and Bloods have agreed to a truce in Newark, New Jersey, aimed at stemming the violence that has plagued the city and gone too far for even the gang members, officials said on Tuesday.

The peace agreement, reached over the weekend, involved 150 members from several gang factions and laid out a 10-point plan including an immediate cease-fire.

The plan also asks gang members to refrain from using gang hand signals, graffiti or other symbols to incite the killing of rivals. Under the truce, gang members also vowed to designate places like schools, churches and parks as neutral zones and to avoid encroaching on each other's territory without notice.

"Anything that will stem the violence is welcome. Time will tell how effective it is," said Kevin Rehmann, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police.

Newark Deputy Mayor Ras Baraka and the Nation of Islam helped mediate the truce, officials said.

The Crips and Bloods originated in Los Angeles in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Crips often wear blue and Bloods red. Members, who range in age from 13 to 40, often deal in drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and marijuana and their rivalry has spawned years of bloodshed for both sides.

While local police declined to estimate gang membership, an FBI Web site estimates each gang has about 10,000 members nationwide.

An aid to Newark's deputy mayor said talks to draw up the peace deal began two months ago when gang members saw the movie "Redemption," about the life of Crips co-founder Stanley "Tookie" Williams, who now speaks out against violence from his cell on California's death row.

"These young men were tired of committing violent acts and being blamed for ones they didn't do," said David Muhammad, an aid to Baraka.

"(The truce) would give the whole community a sense of security. Grandmothers don't want children outside for fear of stray bullets," Muhammad said.

story courtesy of david brinkerhoff

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Snoop Speaks On Divorce and Soul Plane--Posted 05-26-04

LOS ANGELES, CA (05.25.04) -- Snoop Dogg is getting a divizzle. The rapper/actor has filed for divorce from Shante Broadus, according to papers filed with Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday. They have been married since 1997 and have three children: Corde, 9; Cordell, 7; and Cori, 4. He is seeking joint custody. Snoop, born Calvin Broadus, cited general "irreconcilable differences" for the breakup. "The only thing I want to say is Mr. Broadus hopes that the divorce can be as amicable as possible," Snoop's attorney, Robert Nachshin, told The Associated Press on Monday. In other Snoop news, friday marks the premier of his new movie "Soul Plane". When Snoop was asked if he had any concerns about the negative stereotypes that are so blatantly thrown at the audience in this film such as the Popeye's chicken meal that is served in "low-class" on this ""Soul Plane"" with a side of watermelon, Hennessey and Alize. He answered in a serious tone, "People should get over it and realize that this is funny. The reality is that a lot of black people are successful and have jobs. We're just poking fun at stereotypes." Snoop goes on to point out that the movie is not "supposed to bring people down. It's a comedy, not reality. Its purpose is to make people laugh, to bring people up. We are having fun with the material. I mean, I play an airline captain who's afraid of heights. That's ridiculous. Yes, we are poking fun at things that make people laugh, make people cry and make people nervous. When black America does it, black people always have something to say, and it gets on my nerves. When white boys make movies similar to this with an all-white cast and they are cracking jokes, no one ever says a thing. Yet, you get a set of black people together who are talking about each other and poking fun, and it turns into a problem. Look at standup comedy. Eddie Murphy did it; so did Richard Pryor. They poked fun at black stereotypes. Actually, we are doing what we were taught, what we know. In the black community it's cool to rag on each other. That's what we do. That's how I learned to be comedic; that is how I got my sense of humor. And we need to remember, that at the end of the day, it's only a movie."

story courtesy of ap

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RIAA Sues 493 More File Sharers--Posted 05-25-04

WASHINGTON, DC (05.25.04) - A U.S. music industry group said Monday it had sued 493 more people for copyright infringement as part of its campaign to stop consumers from copying music over the Internet. The Recording Industry Association of America has now sued 2,947 individuals since last September in an attempt to discourage people from copying songs through "peer to peer" networks like Kazaa and LimeWire. The trade group, which represents the five largest recording companies, has settled 486 of those cases for around $3,000 each.

Despite the lawsuits, more people than ever are using peer-to-peer networks to copy music, movies and other files directly from each others' hard drives. As many as 9.5 million Internet users were logged on to peer-to-peer networks at the same time in April, up from 7.4 million simultaneous users in September 2003, according to the research firm BigChampagne. The RIAA does not yet know the identities of those it targeted in its latest round of lawsuits but plans to discover them through court-issued subpoenas. The trade group turned to these "John Doe" lawsuits in January after an appeals court ruled that Internet service providers like Verizon Communications (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) do not have to provide customers' names to recording-industry investigators. Also on Monday, the RIAA said it had sued 24 individuals by name after discovering their identities through John Doe suits.

Those sued by name had declined offers to settle out of court, the RIAA said. "Our continuing objective is to send a message of deterrence, protect the rights of property owners, and foster an environment where the legitimate marketplace, both online and at retail, can flourish," RIAA President Cary Sherman said in a statement. CD sales have begun to pick up after a three-year slide and industry-sanctioned download services have established a paying market for digital music. Apple Computer Inc. said last month it sold 70 million songs through its iTunes service in its first year. But peer-to-peer users download that many songs for free every few days, BigChampagne CEO Eric Garland said.

Though the industry's legal campaign may dissuade some, the user base will keep on growing, he said. "Think of a snowball rolling downhill. It's still an emerging technology," he said.

story courtesy of reuters

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Russell Urges Hiphop Generation To Vote--Posted 05-24-04

DETROIT, MI (05.24.04) --The hip-hop generation needs to educate itself and then head to the polls in this fall's election. That was one of the messages from speakers at the Hip-Hop Summit in Detroit, which drew artists and behind-the-scenes members of the music industry on Saturday. Rap mogul Russell Simmons, whose Hip-Hop Summit Action Network puts on the traveling event, said young people need to empower themselves to make a difference in their communities and the world.

"Those of us who work in the hip-hop industry know this is the best generation in the world,'' Simmons told a crowd of music fans at the Fox Theatre." And come November, they are going to see that this is the most powerful generation that the world has seen.''

Simmons said the power of hip hop comes from its ability to unite people of different races and religions.
"It's very important that we flex these muscles in November,'' he said. Two panel discussions were held as part of the event. The first centered on the empowerment of young people and the Hip-Hop Team Vote effort. As part of the effort, organizers hold voter registration drives at summit cities.

It recently registered 50,000 voters in Los Angeles and 80,000 in Philadelphia. Midway through Saturday's event, the group said it had signed up at least 70,000 Michigan voters - including 40,000 in Detroit. Run-DMC's Joseph "the Rev. Run'' Simmons said that young people - especially those who want to make it in the music business - need to work as hard as they can, even if that means volunteering or interning for free.

"Everything is about service,'' he told the crowd. "When you serve, you get. You can't get a blessing, you have to be a blessing.'' A second panel discussion that touched on the business side of hip hop featured Detroit-area rap star Eminem and some other members of the group D12. When asked by a member of the enthusiastic crowd about how to not lose sight of the music when faced with business pressures, Eminem said the secret is to hire a trustworthy business manager. "On the business side, I'm not ignorant. But I know that without the music there is no business,'' Eminem said, "and that keeps me creative.''

story courtesy of bree fowler

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Puff To Retire After Next Album--Posted 05-24-04

NEW YORK, NY (05.24.04) -- It looks like P Diddy will be hanging up his microphone and joining Jay-Z in the rappers' retirement home.

The hip-hop star has said he's giving up his solo music career after his upcoming album, 'PD5', due out in the autumn.

Diddy says he'll still be involved in his Bad Boy record label and will continue to collaborate with others, but he's gone as far as he can on his own:
"I think it's going to be my last solo album because it's been a dream come true for me to be a recording artist and I just think that as a solo artist I've said everything I wanted to say."

But he'll still be busy - the rapper's turned his hand to acting and is currently enjoying Broadway success in 'A Raisin In The Sun', a play about a poor, black Chicago family at the dawn of the civil rights movement.

Diddy's pleased his new found stage fame has been attracting a different kind of audience to the theatre:
"It's a dream come true to see historically diverse audiences come to Broadway that wouldn't normally."

"Young people, three or four generations sitting together, every race, colour and creed and we're breaking box office records every week."
"It was something that people laughed at at first and now it's a success."

story courtesy of rh2

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Suge Cleared Of Assult Charges--Posted 05-21-04

LOS ANGELES, CA (05.21.04) -- A civil jury Wednesday cleared Death Row Records impresario Marion "Suge" Knight of battery in a 2001 attack, but awarded more than $162,000 to a man who claims he was beaten by a group of Knight's associates.

The trial stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Dwayne H. Baudy, who claimed he was assaulted without provocation in the early hours of Nov. 6, 2001, outside the recording studio where he worked.

Baudy alleged Knight was among the group of men who beat him, leaving him permanently disabled.Baudy's attorney, Joseph E. Porter III, could not be reached for comment this afternoon. Porter maintained that someone at the studio planted a gun on his client and called Los Angeles police, who arrested Baudy and another man on gun charges that were later dropped.

Knight contended he was not at the studio the night of the alleged beating. Knight's attorney, Harold Becks, did not return a call for comment. Death Row spokesman Jonathan Wolfson confirmed the verdict, but declined further comment.

The jury held that neither Knight nor associate Reginald L. Wright Jr. committed battery, but that Wright was negligent. When asked whether Wright's negligence caused substantial harm, jurors found that he was "acting within the scope of his employment," a court representative said.

The jurors then decided on four types of economic loss. They awarded Baudy $58,301 for past economic loss for medical expenses, but decided against an award for past lost earnings.

For future economic loss, dependent on how much work time Baudy may miss, they awarded the approximate value of one year's salary, or $45,440.

For past non-economic losses, for physical pain and mental suffering, they awarded $10,000, and for future pain and suffering, the panel awarded $48,900, for a total of $162,641.

Although it was a civil trial, the case was moved to a high-security criminal courtroom in Van Nuys because of safety concerns, a court representative said.

story courtesy of nbc4

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Shyheim Launch Hiphop Reality Show--Posted 05-21-04

NEW YORK, N.Y. (05.21.04) -- Shyheim, of Wu-Tang Clan will launch “Real Talk,” hip-hop’s first online reality show, May 28 on www.shyheim.tv. “Real Talk” will offer hip-hop fans around the world a virtual look at the life of an artist behind the scenes and on the grind.

The reality show will follow Shyheim on the streets of New York, in clubs, in the recording studio, record company offices and in his home in Stapleton, Staten Island. “I want to show everyone from New York to Yugoslavia what it’s like for a hip-hop artist to be on the grind (on the struggle),” said Shyheim. “It ain’t gonna be like a Making Da Band…it’ll be more real.” The show will also offer music news and exclusive interviews.

The reality show will feature appearances by Method Man, Redman, RZA, Easy Mo Bee and other special guests. The show will web-cast three times a week every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Ever since his return from a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence, Shyheim, 26, has completed his fourth (and most personal) album, “The Greatest Story Never Told.” Scheduled for a July 13 release under his own label Bottom Up Records/101 Distribution (www.101distribution.com), the album features tracks from super producers Easy Mo Bee, RZA and DJ Quik. “It’s time that Shyheim show and prove he’s the youngest veteran in the rap game,” said Easy Mo Bee, who produced the first single off the album, “21st Century Crisis.” “He needs to bring back hip-hop where it should be right now.”

In addition to his album and online reality show, Shyheim also is working on an autobiographical film, also titled “The Greatest Story Never Told,” directed by “D-Don,” who also directed 2002's gangster flick “Shottas.” With the screenplay written by Shyheim, the film is an autobiographical account of his rise to fame as a rap child star and the trials and tribulations he has experienced along the way.

story courtesy of manhunt

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Llyod Banks Prepare To Drop New Album--Posted 05-20-04

QUEENS, NY (05.20.04) -- G Unit principal Lloyd Banks will on June 29 release his Interscope solo debut, "The Hunger for More." The Eminem-produced first single "On Fire" is off to a strong start at radio and is No. 15 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks chart and No. 17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks tally. A video for the clip was directed by Jesse Terrero and G Unit member 50 Cent.

"When I say 'The Hunger for More,' it could be referring to more success. It could be more money. Or Respect. More power. More understanding," Banks says in a statement. "All those things lead up to that hunger for more, because my more isn't everybody else's more. I feel like I made it already, because I got already what everybody on the corners of the neighborhood I grew up in is striving to get."

"The Hunger for More" will also be released the same day in a special edition, featuring a bonus track with Banks and G Unit's Tony Yayo and different packaging (including a CD booklet on dollar bill-style paper). A 25-minute DVD will also be included, with an animated video for "My Buddy," a clip for "Smile" and the featurette "A Day in the Life of Lloyd Banks."

Following 50 Cent's breakthrough success with his debut album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," G Unit burst onto the scene last year with the album "Beg for Mercy," which peaked at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 2.3 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In March, Banks and 50 Cent joined P. Diddy on "Victory 2004," drawn from Bad Boy's 10th anniversary compilation.

story courtesy of billboard

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Immortal Technique Airs Out Issue With Pop Rappers--Posted 05-20-04

NEW YORK, NY (05.20.04) -- Rapper Immortal Technique, aka Felipe Coronel of West Harlem, has a single on the charts and is in the middle of a national concert tour to support his first CD. But he's no 50 Cent. He hasn't been shot nine times, never sold dope or girls, and has no posse.

He doesn't even especially care for most rap.

"Most rap music now is bubblegum as far as I'm concerned," said Immortal, who does not celebrate flash, like diamonds or chromed rims on a $60,000 SUV.

"At the same time, I don't knock anybody's hustle, 50 Cent's or anyone else, but we're banging for a different cause. "'What good does a chain do me if my family doesn't have security for the future?"

But Immortal Technique has one embarrassing line on his street-cred résumé: prison.

After two years in college, he did one year for a series of assaults, one of which left a victim hospitalized with serious injuries. "I took a bad attitude to college, couldn't get the 'hood out of my blood. I was dabbling in trouble, wilding on the streets. I was an idiot."

But he turned himself around in prison, he said, by "reading just about everything I could - history, the classics, whatever." When he got out of jail, at 20, he moved back home with his family and got a series of jobs, including construction and office work and a stint as a mentor for kids at a junior high school in the Bronx.

He also started writing and rapping, winning emcee battles for cash, sometimes $500 a night, at clubs like S.O.B.'s, Wetlands and Downtime.

Now 25, Immortal is becoming known for his own brand of rap - often as profane as 50's but with a very different message.

"I talk about slumlords, I talk about people without health care, I talk about foreign policy, about corporations and economic imperialism," he said.

That's from his CD "Revolutionary Volume 2," which has sold more than 30,000 copies in the last four months. He's back at S.O.B.'s next Wednesday and Thursday.

The CD came together through a series of New York City-style coincidences. First, he hooked back up with two friends from Hunter, Cary Stuart and Douglas Toure Harris.

The first single from "Revolutionary Volume 2," "Industrial Revolution," hit No. 50 on the Billboard Charts. Another single, "Point of No Return," is being released later this month.

story courtesy of ny daily news

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Andre 3000 To Star In First Major Role--Posted 05-19-04

NEW YORK, NY (05.19.04) -- Andre 3000 has been dipping his toes into the Hollywood movie pool with a series of bit parts, but he's about to dive in headfirst. The eccentric Outkast rapper has just signed on for a starring role in a film that will begin production in September.

Currently dubbed the "Untitled Andre Benjamin Project," the flick is a love story pitched against race and class struggles in the mid-1970s. According to Element Films, one of the film's producers, Andre plays an affluent musical prodigy named Valentine who is in love with a white, free-spirited, lower-class woman named Chevon. The lovers' families are both opposed to the couple's relationship, and matters are complicated when a shooting by Chevon's brother, a police officer, is blamed on Valentine. The two lovers then go on the run.

While Andre's participation in the movie was confirmed Monday, he's been attached to the script since last summer, when the flick was known as "Love Hater." That script inspired him to write a song of the same name on his half of the Outkast double album, Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below.

Emmy-winning TV director Paris Barclay has been tapped to direct. In addition to Element Films, the movie is also being produced by Teek Films, with a host of executive producers including Baron Davis, all-star point guard with basketball's New Orleans Hornets.

There is talk that Andre will produce new, solo music for the movie's soundtrack, but his representative could not confirm the information. The film's producers said Andre would undoubtedly be involved in the soundtrack in some capacity.

This would be the first major movie role for Andre, who has played smaller parts in "Hollywood Homicide" and the upcoming "Get Shorty" sequel, "Be Cool." He's previously expressed his desire to play legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix in a biopic being developed by the Hughes Brothers directorial team. That project, though, is still awaiting the approval of the Hendrix family and estate.

Outkast have yet to begin filming their much-publicized original HBO movie, for which both Andre and Big Boi said they'd create a new album together to serve as its soundtrack.

story courtesy of reuters

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English Teachers Add Hiphop Lyrics To Curriculum--Posted 05-19-04

WASHINGTON, DC (05.19.04) -- Teachers around the world are starting to use hip-hop more and more in the classroom as a way to engage their students. In English class, Shakespeare has new company in the canon: a rapper named Nas.

After Schuaib Meacham finished reeling off a hip-hop song he wrote, a middle-school student stood up in the back of the classroom. She analyzed Meacham's song in a way that surprised everyone, especially her teacher. The girl was flunking English, but all of the sudden she was picking apart a song as if it were a poem. That was the plan.

She "analyzed it better than I would expect any of my college students to," said Meacham, 42, a professor of education at the University of Delaware who was a guest teacher that day.

Meacham is part of a growing movement in education that is trying to bring hip-hop into the classroom as a way to engage students. Teachers encourage students to bring their favorite hip-hop songs to class, which, Meacham said, has become a way to empower the students. Much of the effort has been in literacy, but teachers are also using hip-hop to teach filmmaking, science and creative writing. The biggest shift, though, has been understanding hip-hop lyrics as literature.

At the invitation of the Sheffield education council, Meacham and a group of students visited England last year. The council was interested in trying to engage its students, many of who, like their counterparts in the United States, had no interest in William Blake or William Shakespeare. Meacham encouraged the teachers and students to listen to hip-hop for classic literary devices like iambic pentameter and metaphor.

"England has a very traditional literary canon," Meacham said. So he was all the more stunned when the teachers and administrators there began to embrace this new literature.

William Blake, for example, wrote the poem "Infinite Sorrow" in 1789. A little more than 200 years later, Nas, a hip-hop artist, released the track "Fetus." If Blake's sorrowful poem about his birth is literature, said Meacham, then so is Nas' song. "The kids might not see literary devices in Blake, but they see it in Nas," he said.

story courtesy of joseph patel

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N.E.R.D.S. Encounter Problems With Moving Units In US--Posted 05-18-04

NEW YORK, NY (05.18.04) -- It's no mean feat to make that move from behind-the-scenes hitmaker to up-front star.
In the past few months, Kanye West and Mario Winans, two major producer/writers, crashed into the Top 10 with their first releases as performers.

Yet some people with equally long track records of creating hits for others have had a terrible time trying to rack up any of their own.

The latest example is N.E.R.D., made up of Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams - the producers known as the Neptunes - and the rapper Shay. "Fly or Die," their new album, plummeted to No. 97 on Billboard's Top 200 Album list after just seven weeks. So far, it has sold only 282,000 copies.

At the same time, artists from Justin Timberlake to Jay-Z to Britney Spears, whose albums contain songs written or produced by the Neptunes, are selling in the millions.

The N.E.R.D.s had reason to expect their album to fly, considering how high Williams sent his profile in the last year by handling lead vocals on Jay-Z's smash "Frontin'."

That cut got to No. 5 on Billboard's Hot 100 Song list and held the No. 1 slot on the R&B singles chart for six weeks.

But the N.E.R.D. single "She Wants to Move" never made the Hot 100 and inched no higher than 73 on R&B lists.

Part of the problem has to do with the kind of radio segmentation N.E.R.D. was formed to smash.

The single, like much of N.E.R.D.'s work, falls between formats, taking as many rock influences as R&B. In fact, N.E.R.D. presents what amounts to a new genre: punk-soul.

Creatively, it's a bold move, but commercially, it's been a bomb.

That N.E.R.D. could falter, even though Hugo and Williams are the best-known modern production team, underscores the suspicion that dogs anyone known mainly for background skills.

story courtesy of daily news

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NAS Speaks On Current State Of Music Indusry--Posted 05-17-04

MIAMI, FL (05.17.04) -- "We need to educate ourselves about what is happening out there in politics so that we can start leading the kids in the right way," he proclaims. "People don't know what kind of sickness these [presidential] candidates have been into. They're the worst people you can imagine." Those are the words spoken from Nas during a recent interview.

Nas has escaped the crisp, familiar air of New York's spring for the warmth of Miami to record a new album, Streets Disciple, which he'll release in September. The new, burning tropical surroundings provide the backdrop for the personal revolution Nas has undergone in recent years, one that finds him channeling the razor-sharp tongue and youthful vigor of his early rap career.

Except now that he's older and wiser, it's not the survivalist streets of Queensbridge in Nas' viewfinder, but hip-hop at large — the music, the culture, the business and the youth who fuel it all. It's a lively circus of art, commerce and politics and Nas wants to be the ringleader. With his rap rival Jay-Z now "retired," Nas finds himself in the perfect position to play that role.

Everyone is affected by these mergers in the music industry. Thousands of people getting fired. Companies are going out of business. Everything is changing," he says. "Who will be those new controllers and owners of the industry? Is it going to be us? Is it going to be some 80-year-old? We have to take control of [the industry], because too many people are making millions and billions off of us and they are not giving anything back to our communities. We have the power, it's up to us to take control."

The persona Nas will present on Streets Disciple is part mysterious sage, part ribald street poet and part outspoken social critic. It's an identity two years in the making, first spawned when he called out New York's two biggest radio stations — media outlets on which he depends to play his records — for being corporate pawns that brainwash the youth. Months later, in his infamous XXL magazine cover story, he took hip-hop magazines to task for the same offense.

"I saw a lot of castrated MCs walking around just obeying the rules," Nas explains now. His behavior back then illuminates his motivation for his current work, he says. "I'm that stone in your shoe sometimes. I just can't be walked on. I put my blood, sweat and tears in my music and someone else dictates to me if it's gonna be a hit or not?

"At the time, it was really just me giving the finger to everybody," he continues. "F--- radio, f--- your magazines, f--- everybody. None of y'all got love for the street n---as coming up out of the 'hood into this billion-dollar industry with poetry that's influencing kids. None of y'all really got love for us."

story courtesy of joseph patel

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M.O.P. On First Major Tour In 4 Years--Posted 05-17-04

BROWNSVILLE, NY (05.17.04) --It's been a two-year hiatus since M.O.P. hit the road with Cam'ron,
Freeway and the crew on Roc-A-Fella's 2002 "Paid In Full Tour," and going on four years since the group headlined a national club tour in support of it's last studio album Warriorz, but Brownsville's bravest haven't been sleepin'. After peppering the streets and mixtapes last summer with the banger "Put It In the Air (feat. Jay-Z)," the band has been hard at work completing their highly-anticipated Roc-A-Fella debut
Ghetto Warfare, which has now been slated for a late-summer release. To keep the streets satisfied until then, M.O.P. will drop a double-CD mixtape on May 11th; Marxmen Cinema and Marxmen Classics will feature new, unreleased, and classic material from M.O.P.

Following a recent string of raucous, sold-out New York gigs - including an acclaimed, exclusive introduction to M.O.P.'s rock side-project Mash Out Posse at the downtown hot-spot Joe's Pub - the duo went into the
studio with musicians from the NYC band Shiner Massive to create The Mash Out Posse, a collection of blazing hard rock interpretations of M.O.P. classics like "Ante Up," "Downtown Swinga," "G Building," "Ground Zero," "100%" and more. The Mash Out Posse LP is set for release on May 25th on the group's own label, Family First. M.O.P.'s long-time
producer, manager and "5th Beatle" Laze E. Laze puts it bluntly, "We're the first niggas to really get it right since Run DMC and Aerosmith."

5/20 - Brooklyn , NY - Volume
5/21 - Philadelphia, PA - The TLA
5/22 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
5/23 - New York, NY - BB King
5/25 - Wilmington, NC - Marrz
5/26 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
5/27 - Asheville, NC - Stella Blue
5/28 - Charlotte, NC - Amos's South End
6/4 - Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room
6/5 - Houston, TX - Engine Room
6/6 - Austin, TX - Stubbs
6/8 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theatre
6/9 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
6/10 - Scottsdale, (Tempe)AZ - The Venue at Scottsdale
6/11 - Anaheim, CA - Xalof Bar
6/12 - Los Angeles, CA - Q-Topia
6/13 - San Diego, CA - 4th and B

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Hiphop Summit Force To Postpone Events--Posted 05-14-04

DENVER, CO (05.14.04) -- Poor organization and marketing left the first Denver Hip- Hop Festival and Summit teetering on the brink of failure all week.

On Thursday, it collapsed.

New York-based organizers from Russell Simmons' Hip- Hop Summit Action Network released a statement late Thursday afternoon saying they planned to reschedule the Denver Summit. While a series of locally organized workshops Saturday and a club show tonight will go on, this weekend's concert and the national organization's workshop at the Denver Coliseum have been canceled.

"While we remain committed to convening the Denver Hip- Hop Summit at a future date, due to the postponement of a planned hip-hop concert on the night of May 15 we have decided to postpone the Summit," the statement said. No future date was set for the concert or workshop.

Local organizers said sluggish ticket sales caused them to cancel the climactic Saturday-night concert with the Big Tymers, Ying Yang Twins, YoungBloodz and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. They also dropped headliners Frankie J. and Baby Bash from Friday's Denver Idol lineup at Club Bash. That event, originally $25, is now free.

C.L. Harmer, a spokeswoman for the local organizers, said fewer than 1,000 people had bought the $35 tickets for Saturday's concert at the Denver Coliseum, an 8,500-seat venue.

The cancellation of the Saturday concert led Simmons' people to back out.

"We made some mistakes," said Charlotte Stephens, the summit's local producer. "But we feel that we're 75 percent there."

Outsiders viewed the effort more skeptically. Cat Collins, program director for the urban-format radio station KS-107.5, KQKS-FM, said local organizers were "disorganized from the start."

"It didn't seem like anybody knew what anybody else was doing," Collins said.

In some cases, local backers failed to ask for help. In other cases, they didn't ask until it was too late. Denver's biggest hip-hop promoters - Clear Channel Entertainment's Don Strasburg and House of Blues' Jason Miller - were never contacted by the local summit organizers.

story courtesy of elana jefferson

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Gangsta Rap Coloring Book?--Posted 05-14-04

NEW YORK, NY (05.14.04) -- "The word ho' was NEVER to be used to refer to a garden tool, and cussin' was like breathin," wrote rapper J-Zone in the foreward of the newly beefed up, second release of Chicoan Aye Jay Morano's "Gangsta Rap Coloring Book."

Using photographs for source material, the coloring book features line drawings of some of raps' first stars, including Schoolly D, Notorious B.I.G., Kool G Rap and Ice-T.

"I wanted to have it be just the forefathers of rap," Aye Jay said Friday, sitting cross-legged in front of his large vinyl record collection. "Without them, there'd be no 50 Cent, or he wouldn't have sold 6 million records."

The 48-page book, which gives praise to rap's early heroes, bridges two normally mutually exclusive entities. Coloring books are typically full of cuddly images to keep youngsters ages 3-10 busy. Artists renderings of self-professed, thug-like rap artists, many with guns and knives, would seem to reach another demographic.

Yet, when illustrator-rapper Aye Jay, aka MC Shecklove, created the book as a way to land a job as an illustrator in 2002, his unique publication attracted a lot of attention.

Queen Latifah, who Aye Jay includes in the book's thank you credits, reportedly reacted favorably to the coloring book when handed one during an interview on a British TV talk show.

Aye Jay said he'd heard that Robin Williams and the lead singer of the Roots, among others, have purchased the coloring book.

"A Canadian journalist gave one to Snoop (Dogg) and he reacted favorably to it," he said.

While the first version of the then 22-page coloring book started with 100 copies, printed at Sir Speedy in Chico, the new edition has an initial professional press run of 5,000 copies.

"The target audience is anyone with an appreciation for the whimsical, the silly; it's there for the fun of it. Some people do want to color in it. Some people just keep it."

GANGSTA RAP COLORING BOOK  JPEG

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MA$E Officially Returns To Hiphop--Posted 05-13-04

HARLEM, NY (05.13.04) -- After months of rumors and debates MA$E has taken another dramatic turn in his music career. But this time he is returning to the game that he gave up over 5 years ago. Although not confirmed, the 28-year old Harlem MC has been rumored to be signed to Fo'Reel Entertainment headed by his former manager Cudda Love. The first single that hit the streets earlier this week is appropriately titled "Welcome Back" playing off the 70's sitcom, Welcome Back Carter.

It seems that the layoff from the game has not slowed MA$E down as he comes back to the game immediately going after his many "sound-alikes".

"these rap cats, man they all got they style from me/and if I ever see them man they probably bow to me/the young boys don't know what a don means/I'm just a BadBoy gon' clean/"

MA$E doesn't name any names in the track, but many industry insiders believe the line is directed to artist like Loon and Fabolous.

There is no set date for the release of MA$E's new album and calls to Fo'Reel Entertainment were not returned. To listen to the tack, use the clips below.

WELCOME BACK  real media windows

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Rass Kass Sues Major Labels For $5 Million --Posted 05-12-04

Los Angeles, CA (05.12.04) -- Lawyers for the hip hop artist Ras Kass, (John Austin), filed a civil complaint in the Los Angeles County Superior Court against Priority Records today. The music industry’s common practice of binding recording artists into contracts for an extended period of time is being specifically attacked by the complaint.

Ras Kass, who has been signed to Priority since 1995, is demanding that he be released from his recording contract based on specific acts of breach by Priority Records, Capitol Records and EMI and intentional and malicious misrepresentations made by Priority Records, as well as Priority Records executives Wendy Goldstein and Andrew Shack. In the past, Ras Kass has formally and informally sought release from the label based on specific provisions in his contract, which allow him to do so; still Priority Records has refused to release him.

The civil complaint alleges the following causes of action: 1) Declaratory Relief Re Labor Code Section 2855(b); 2) Unfair Competition; 3) Restraint of Trade; 4) Rescission of Agreement; 5) Breach of Contract; 6) Breach of the Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing; 7) Intentional Interference with Prospective Economic Advantage; 8) Negligent Interference with Business Relationships; and 9) Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress and alleges damages in excess of five million dollars.

Courtney Love, 311, Metallica, Prince and others have filed similar civil complaints challenging record labels over contract terms. Courtney Love had particularly similar issues when Universal failed to promote her album and held her to her contract for more than 7 years. Love’s case settled in late 2003.

In 1995, Ras Kass signed onto Priority with goals of using his craft to teach people about religion, politics and his art. To date Ras Kass has had only two albums officially released. Priority never released the anticipated Van Gogh and/or Goldyn Chyld albums. Critics from The Source Magazine described his debut album Soul On Ice (1996), as “spectacular.” Rolling Stone magazine gave it 4-1/2 stars. His second album, Rasassination (1998) received similar reviews. Rahiem Shabazz, writer and critic claims “Rasassination is a testament of true hip-hop.” Over 3,000 Internet based fans have signed an on-line petition in order to “Free Ras Kass”. The list was presented to the label in 2002, but was never taken seriously.

Ras Kass’ career has the support of many industry professionals. Hip Hop artist and host of MTV’s Pimp My Ride, Xzibit, stated that “Ras Kass is THE SPITTER; I respect him as an artist, and he takes Hip-Hop and music seriously. His skill and his talent come from a genuine place. The West Coast is waiting to hear something that explosive.”

Hip Hop pioneer, KRS-1 had this to say “First of all Ras Kass is my man. All 25,000 members of the Temple Of Hip Hop are down with Ras Kass. He’s the only MC to give me, KRS-1 a run for my money!”

story courtesy of raskass-central

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Snoop, Nate Dogg and Warren G to Form Supergroup--Posted 05-12-04

LONG BEACH, CA (05.12.04) -- It's been long understood that Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren G wanted to come together and represent for their Long Beach 'hood in a West Coast supergroup called 213. But it's been so long since they first talked about it that Long Beach no longer has that area code.

Such telecommunication barriers have not put the project on hold. The three showed up in New York on Monday to make everything official and announce the July 20 release of the debut 213 album, The Hard Way.

Though this will be the first album released under the 213 name, the three hip-hop heavyweights formed the crew when they were young pups growing up in Southern California — before producer Dr. Dre discovered Snoop and birthed the G-Funk era.

"[We] started in like the late '80s, early '90s, just around the neighborhood putting it down," Warren G explained. "I was on the turntables, Snoop was rappin', Nate was singin'. We kept striving and striving and striving."

The three have been recording songs for 213 over the past year. They originally were scheduled to release the album on Geffen Records, but the trio recently struck a deal with TVT Records.

Snoop sees the 213 project as a chance for the group to bring West Coast hip-hop back to the masses. "Music right now is missing a sound like this," he said. "All of us coming together and putting our projects on the back burner to make this happen is only going to enlighten our solo careers. And it's fun to do because we're homeboys and always dreamed of it. So why wait till we're 37 or 50 years old and no one wants to hear us anymore? Why not do it when we in our prime?"

The group did use West Coast producers like Battlecat but also people like Kanye West and DJ Hi-Tek, both of whom hail from the Midwest. Warren G did not produce any of the songs on the album, he said, because he wanted to concentrate on his rhymes.

story courtesy of vh1

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Hiphop Summit Coming To Detroit--Posted 05-11-04

DETROIT, MI (05.11.04) -- Rap fans can expect a star-studded lineup at the Hip Hop Summit 2004. Hometown hip-hop hero Eminem and his protege 50 Cent will be on hand at the May 22 event at the Fox Theatre, as will Russell Simmons, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, D12 and Damon Dash of Roc-A-Fella Records.

This is the Hip Hop Summit’s second stop in Detroit. Organizers are emphasizing voter registration as opposed to last year’s summit, which was a part of the NAACP Freedom Weekend, and stressed youth leadership.

“There’s something special about Detroit,” says Ben Chavis Muhammad, president of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network, at a news conference Monday. “Detroit is coming back through music. This time it will be hip hop.”

Serch, a former rapper and host of “Serch in the AM” on WJLB-FM (97.9), also spoke at the news conference, as did Swift, a member of the group D12. Serch said his radio station is working to showcase unknown Detroit talent, some of whom will perform at the summit. A poetry slam takes place the night before the summit, and an after party at St. Andrew’s Hall will wrap up the event.

In other D-12 news, Eminem was in court monday. Michael Elkin is the attorney for The Source, a magazine being sued by Eminem for copyright infringement after it went public with parts of an Eminem song. "Eminem was here to be disposed about some lyrics and that he's a racist," Elkin revealed.

At a press conference a few months back, executives from The Source played a tape of a 10-year-old, never released Eminem rap they say proves Eminem is a racist. The song's lyrics say: "Never date a black girl because black girls only want your money and that **** ain't funny. Black girls and white girls just don't mix, because black girls are dumb and white girls are good chicks. White girls are good, I like white girls."

Eminem admitted to writing the song, but said he made it up after a breakup with an African American girlfriend. Monday's deposition was to grill him about his racial attitudes, but Eminem's defenders point to his new video with rappers D-12, in which Eminem is the only white guy in the group.

story courtesy of rh2

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Andre 3000 Looking To Do Cartoon--Posted 05-10-04

NEW YORK, NY (05.10.04) -- Andre 3000, one-half of the chart-topping hip-hop group OutKast, is developing a potential series project with Cartoon Network.

The musician is hashing out ideas for a half-hour special pegged for the cable channel's "Adult Swim" block. If Andre 3000 and Cartoon -- both based in Atlanta -- are happy with the results, the channel will greenlight the special for series treatment.

Mike Lazzo, senior vp of Cartoon's "Adult Swim" program block, quickly got over his reservations about collaborating with celebrities upon meeting with Andre 3000, who has worked as an illustrator. "I'm extremely wary of it, but in Andre's case, I think he is a creative genius," he said. "He has definite opinions of what he likes visually."

While still in the early stages, the project is expected to be inspired by the rapper's life or possibly his alter ego, Johnny Vulture, the guitar-playing wildman seen in OutKast's video for the Grammy-winning hit single "Hey Ya!" The special will likely have a musical component similar in style to such off-kilter animated films as "Cool World" and "Yellow Submarine." The rapper is expected to contribute music to the project.

Andre 3000 also is enjoying a burgeoning film career with a role in the "Get Shorty" sequel, "Be Cool." He also is gearing up for a starring role in a Jimi Hendrix biopic, to be directed by the Hughes brothers.

story courtesy of billboard

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B.G. Getting Set To Drop New Album--Posted 05-10-04

NEW YORK, NY (05.10.04) -- Rapper B.G. will on July 13 release his next Chopper City Records/Koch album, "Life After Cash Money." The set is his second since splitting with the Cash Money label, for which he recorded with the Hot Boys and as a solo act. It's the follow-up to 2003's "Livin' Legend," which debuted at No. 4 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 21 on The Billboard 200.

The 18-track "Life" will be led by the single "If You Want It," produced by DJ Smurf (Ying Yang Twins, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz). Goodie Mob's Big Gipp, T.I., Ying Yang Twins and Soulja Slim all make guest appearances, while Medicine Men/KLC provide production.

A video for "If You Want It" will be shot in New Orleans by director Phenomenon, who has lensed clips for DMX and Master P.

Here is the tentative track list for "Life After Cash Money":

"Intro" (Featuring Ziggler The Wiggler)
"Geezy Where You Been" (Featuring Ziggler The Wiggler)
"My Life"
"If Want It"
"Don't Talk to Me"
"Walk With Me" (Featuring Gar)
"Get Wild With It" (Featuring Ying Yang Twins)
"The Factory" (Featuring Hakim, Gar & Sniper)
"Do What You Wanna Do" (Featuring Six Shot & Big Gipp)
"Right Now"
"Street Nigga" (Featuring T.I.)
"I Wanna F***" (Featuring Hakim, Gar, Sniper, Conrad)
"Don't Wanna Be Without U" (Featuring Gar)
"Like That" (Featuring Soulja Slim)
"Soulja Shot" (Featuring Lil' Real One & Cayatic)
"Hold That Thought"
"Doing My Thang"
"Bust a Move" (Featuring Gar)

story courtesy of jonathan cohen

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Jada Gets Set To Drop New Ablum--Posted 05-07-04

YONKERS, NY (05.07.04) -- Rapper Jadakiss will on June 15 release his sophomore Ruff Ryders/Interscope set "Kiss of Death." The first single is "Time's Up" featuring Nate Dogg peaked last week at No. 50 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The Chris Robinson-directed video for the cut can be viewed on Jadakiss' official Web site.

"Kiss of Death" sports guest spots by Kanye West, DJ Quik, Snoop Dogg and Jadakiss' former Lox groupmate Styles, as well as Anthony Hamilton and the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams. Among the producers that lent a hand behind the boards are West, Swizz Beatz, Scott Storch, the Neptunes and Alchemist.

"If anybody ever followed my career, I was always categorized as one of the top spitters," Jadakiss says. "My rough voice and my delivery set me aside from everyone else. It just seemed like [there] was always something missing. But this time I'm going to make sure all the chips are in place."

Since the 2001 release of his debut solo album, "Kiss Tha Game Goodbye," Jadakiss has been heard on a bevy of hits from the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Mya, Gang Starr, Drag-On, Funkmaster Flex and Ghostface. "Game" peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and has sold 869,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In other L.O.X. news, the word on the street is that Sheek Louch became the last of the three to have a child. It has been reported that Sheek Louch is the proud father of a baby boy.

story courtesy of billboard

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D12 De-Thrones Usher From #1 Spot--Posted 05-06-04

DETROIT, MI (05.06.04) -- Eminem can turn most anything to gold, so it's no great surprise that despite a gaggle of lousy reviews and the dead weight of five less-interesting DJs his D12 troupe sold 545,000 copies of its second album, D12 World, according to Nielsen SoundScan, to debut Number One.

The six Motor City rappers finally unseated Usher, whose Confessions actually enjoyed a sales spike of 9,000 copies from the previous week, but its 262,000 sales was only good enough for Number Two.

Usher was trailed by Prince, whose Musicology continues to post the best sales he's had in more than a decade. After selling 191,000 copies in its first week, the album sold another 172,000, a decrease much smaller than the average Week Two nosedive. Rounding out the Top Five were Diana Krall's Girl in the Other Room, which debuted at Number Four with sales of 144,000 and Mario Winans' Hurt No More, which sold 124,000 copies and fell from Number Two a week ago.

There were several other strong newcomers as the Top 200 enjoyed another sales jump from 3.9 million last week to 4.3 million. American Idol Season Three: Greatest Soul Classics sold 55,000 and sneaked in at Number Ten. Beyonce's new Live at Wembley sold 45,000 at Number Seventeen. And with some help from Jack White, Loretta Lynn enjoyed her biggest sales in ages with Van Lear Rose, which sold 37,000 copies at Number Twenty-four.

Franz Ferdinand continue to do well, one week at a time. The Scottish buzz band's self-titled debut cracked the Top 100 in its sixth week of release (after spending a few weeks outside of the Top 200), moving up to Number Ninety-three with sales of 11,000.

story courtesy of billboard

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Napster To Be Released In Canada--Posted 05-06-04

TORONTO, CANADA (05.06.04) -- Napster, the name once synonymous with on-line music piracy — is coming to Canada this summer in its legitimate form.

Roxio Inc., which now owns the brand, said it will launch Napster 2.0 in this country in a matter of months, offering what it says is Canada's first on-demand subscription music service.

“Napster has long recognized the huge demand for a compelling, legitimate music experience among our Canadian neighbours,” Roxio chief executive Chris Gorog said in a statement.

The new service will have its headquarters at Roxio's Richmond Hill office, with a Canadian staff although Napster's U.S. executive team will be responsible for overseeing the sites operations.

No specific launch date was given for the service.

“We have not announced a specific launch date yet, but Napster will be available to Canadians this summer,” Napster spokeswoman Dana Harris said in an email.

In its Canadian incarnation, Napster will give customers the option of subscribing on a monthly basis to gain access to thousands of tracks or they can visit “Napster Light” to hear clips and purchase tracks or albums on a one-off basis.

Santa Clara-based Roxio bought Napster at a bankruptcy auction in 2002 and has since relaunched the once contentious service as an industry-sanctioned on-line music seller.

Before that, Napster had been one of the world's top file-sharing platforms, much to the chagrin of many recording artists and record companies. It was eventually brought to its knees after it lost a copyright infringement suit brought by the world's biggest record companies.

The launch of the new version of Napster puts it in direct competition with Moontaxi Media Inc.'s Puretracks service, which now sells songs on-line in this country for as little as 99 cents a track.

Puretracks launched last October and by February had crossed the one million download mark.

story courtesy of cfcn

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Black Eyed Peas Giving Black Eyes?--Posted 05-05-04

NEW YORK, NY (05.05.04) -- They had the huge hit "Where Is The Love?" -- but now the Black Eyed Peas could be asking Ashton Kutcher the same question after reportedly being "Punk'd" as part of his hidden camera show.

Kutcher is known for pulling pranks on celebrities from Hilary Duff to Halle Berry. But according to reports, the "Punk'd" prank with the Black Eyed Peas did not have a happy ending.

The group was reportedly invited to a gathering at a Hollywood Hills mansion, which, unbeknownst to the hip-hop stars, had been converted into a fake brothel complete with "Johns" and their "dates."

Suddenly phony cops raided the party and tried to arrest members of the group, but their entourage resisted arrest. One of the rappers’ friends reportedly punched out a real off-duty cop who was working on the shoot and another person was tackled and landed in the swimming pool.

According to reports, Ashton Kutcher was not on the scene. He was busy on another shoot, and the Black Eyed Peas left in a huff.

We contacted the group, but they declined to comment on the "Punk'd" punch out.

story courtesy of celebrity justice

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AL Gore Launching Cable Channel For Hiphop Generation--Posted 05-05-04

NEW ORLEANS, LA (05.05.04) -- Former Vice President Al Gore plans to build a youth-oriented cable television network he hopes will become an independent voice in a media industry dominated by large conglomerates, he said on Tuesday.

Gore led an investor group that bought Newsworld International from Vivendi Universal for an undisclosed sum. He plans to relaunch the yet-unnamed channel to focus on public affairs and entertainment for 18-to-34-year-olds and it will not have a political affiliation.

Speculation has swirled that Gore would launch a network to counter Fox News Channel, which unseated CNN as the No. 1 U.S. cable news channel with a formula of combining hard news coverage with brash talk shows that some have criticized as conservative.

"This is not going to be a liberal network, or a Democratic network in any way, shape, or form," the former vice president said.

Rather, he said, the reason for buying the network was to create an independent source of information.

"The trend toward consolidation and conglomerate ownership, while understandable due to business dynamics, does present some problems for the American people," Gore said. "Having an independent voice is a very important value to safeguard."

Gore will serve as chairman of the new network and told Reuters he would be spending most of his time on the project.

"I will be extremely active in this venture and I will not hesitate to state a point of view on the issues that affect the industry," Gore said.

Gore made the announcement with business partner Joel Hyatt, who founded a chain of low-cost storefront legal clinics and is now a faculty member at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Hyatt, who will serve as CEO of the venture, said the network operates profitably, but would need significant additional investment to be relaunched.

Backers of the company, known as INdTV Holdings LLC, include venture capital firm Blum Capital and Yucaipa Companies, an investor in grocery stores headed by Democratic fundraiser Ron Burkle.

story courtesy of reuters

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Record Companies Ordered To Pay $50M In Back Royalties--Posted 05-04-04

NEW YORK, NY (05.04.04) - - Major recording companies have agreed to return nearly $50 million in unclaimed royalties to Sean Combs, Gloria Estefan, Dolly Parton and thousands of lesser known musicians under a settlement being announced Tuesday.

A two-year investigation by New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office found that many artists were not being paid royalties because record companies lost contact with the performers and had stopped making required payments.

"As a result of this agreement, new procedures will be adopted to ensure that the artists and their descendants will receive the compensation to which they are entitled," Spitzer said in a statement.

The Washington-based Recording Industry Association of America, which represents the companies, planned to comment after the official announcement, said spokesman Jonathan Lamy.

Representatives for Combs and Parton did not immediately return calls for comment. A spokesman for Estefan, reached prior to the announcement, was unaware of the settlement and had no immediate comment.

The participating companies include: SONY Music Entertainment; Sony ATV Music Publishing; Warner Music Group; UMG Recordings; Universal Music; EMI Music Publishing; BMG Songs; Careers-BMG Music Publishing; BMG Music and the Harry Fox Agency.

Under the settlement, the music companies agreed to make good-faith efforts to track down artists to whom royalties are due. If the artists still cannot be located, the money will revert to the state.

story courtesy of ap

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Documentary On Down-South Hiphop Coming Soon--Posted 05-03-04

ATLANTA, GA (05.03.04) -- A host of artists and producers are part of "Dirty States of America," a documentary examining the hip-hop's "Dirty South" movement. Due June 1 on DVD from Lyricist Lounge and Image Entertainment, "the untold story of Southern hip-hop" features such artists as Lil Jon, Scarface, David Banner, Ludacris and Trick Daddy.

Concurrently, Image will release the "Dirty States of America" soundtrack, with tracks by former Geto Boys member Willie D, Soulja Slim, Al Kapone and others touring such regional styles as crunk and bounce. The set's lead single will be "Hold Up" by Banner, Bun B and Killer Mike.

"Finally, the South has an official voice outside of the framing of radio and video," director James "Flx" Smith says. "Now, we feel like we have earned our rightful place in hip-hop history and American music history overall."

"The project is long overdue," says music historian Charlie Braxton, who is featured in the documentary. "A lot of people see artists like Lil Jon and T.I. and think they understand the culture portrayed in videos and, a lot of what is portrayed in videos is based on individual stereotypes projected by directors and producer who may not be southerners."

The first 50,000 copies boast a bonus DVD of interviews with such artists as Jazze Pha and Chyna White.

A Dirty States of America tour is being put together with an eye on a July kick-off. Participating artists and dates were not available at deadline.

Here is the "Dirty States of America" CD track list:

"Intro,"
"Fired Up," Fiend, B.G. & Soulja Slim
"Keep Jukin," Tampa Tony
"N.O. Block Party 2," Partners-N-Crime featuring DJ Jubilee & Choppa
"Dope Boi Fresh Remix," Attic Crew
"Hold Up," David Banner, Killer Mike & Bun B (U.G.K.)
"Why Cross 'Em," JT Money featuring Nutt
"I'm the Ni**a," Al Kapone
"Worldwide Struggle," Lil' Boosie
"Rollin'," E.S.G. & Slim Thug
"Livin' Comfortable, But Not Good," Ole E featuring Blakboi
"Sippin' & Trippin'," Collard Greens featuring "Druma Boy" Luga
"Pimpin'," Tim Smooth & Big Swift featuring Devin The Dude
"So What," Willie D
"R&B Playa Music," Reese & Bigalow featuring Lil' G (Silk)

story courtesy of reuters

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GM Planning To Put 20" Rims On All SUVs--Posted 05-03-04

DETROIT, MI (05.03.04) -- Hip-hop's move into mainstream America is music to the ears of auto executives hoping to add "bling bling" to their brands and street credibility to their cars.

Hip-hop's many references to flashy cars -- the "bling bling" that which has become an entry in the dictionary -- has made the chrome add-ons and the oversize wheels, or "dubs," on the vehicles in many rap videos the new must-have accessory.

In February, General Motors Corp. held its first "GM All-Car Showdown" charity event, where rapper Snoop Dogg, basketball star Shaquille O'Neal, and other athletes and Hollywood celebrities drove their customized Cadillacs or Hummers to compete for the crown of "King of Bling."

"They'll ultimately influence a thousand people by what they wear or what they drive," said Mike Jackson, GM's general manager of the western U.S. region. "This whole business is about style and about personality."

For consumers wanting a car like the stars, GM will offer 20-inch wheels on all of its SUVs within the next three months, hoping to grab a larger slice of the $3.3 billion market for custom wheels.

Ford Motor Co. promises to design its future vehicles with "urban" attitude influenced by hip-hop.

"Let's face it, the urban market likes chrome," Design Chief J Mays told Reuters. "Chrome is a traditionally American design element, and we're applying it pretty liberally to the front of our Fords."

In case anybody misses the connection, a Lincoln Navigator SUV decked with spinning wheel covers and video game consoles is dubbed "Mr. Hip Hop" in the movie "Johnson Family Vacation" which opened earlier this month. Ford hopes that the Fox Searchlight film, starring comedian Cedric the Entertainer as the father of an aspiring rapper, will boost the image of its Lincoln brand and the Navigator luxury SUV.

"Our intent is for people to watch it and say, 'You know what? That thing, it looks good,"' said Jon Fitzpatrick, general marketing manager of Lincoln Mercury.

story courtesy of gm

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The Inc Associate Link To 3 Homicides--Posted 04-30-04

NEW YORK, NY (04.30.04) --The narcotics kingpin at the center of the federal criminal probe engulfing one of rap music's leading labels is suspected of ordering several murders, including a double homicide in Baltimore and the revenge slaying of a New York rapper, The Smoking Gun has learned.

As we've previously reported, an FBI/NYPD probe targeting Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff is examining his close ties with rap titan Irv Gotti (real name Irving Lorenzo) and the Murder, Inc. label. Investigators have alleged that McGriff, 43, bankrolled Gotti and has "provided Murder, Inc. with 'muscle'--threats, violence, and intimidation."

The federal investigation is also focusing on McGriff's alleged involvement in three murders during the summer of 2001, according to a confidential search warrant affidavit obtained by TSG (a copy of which you'll find at left). At the request of Brooklyn federal prosecutors who cited possible retribution by McGriff's henchmen, TSG agreed to redact small portions of the affidavit.

In July 2001, Eric Smith, a 30-year-old rapper known as E-Money Bags, was shot to death as he sat in a car parked on a Queens street. Law enforcement officials contend that McGriff ordered that murder to avenge the killing of a friend, though Smith's supposed role in the December 1999 murder of Colbert Johnson, McGriff's pal, is not detailed in the affidavit sworn by Detective William Courtney.

In late-August 2001, when investigators raided a Baltimore stash pad used by McGriff, they found $30,000 in cash, loads of cocaine and heroin, and a particularly incriminating surveillance videotape. On the video--which bears recording dates of July 13-16, 2001--Smith is seen driving and parking his Lincoln Navigator on the Queens street where he was gunned down on July 16 at 9:45 PM. Investigators determined that the video was principally shot by Dennis "Divine" Crosby, a drug-dealing McGriff associate.

According to the Courtney affidavit, Crosby videotaped Smith driving and congregating with his friends on 111th Road, the Queens Village street where the rapper would later be shot about ten times by gunmen. The affidavit does not detail how the surveillance videotape, which Crosby shot from a nearby apartment, made its way to McGriff's stash house.

While not well known outside rap circles, Smith recorded with Nas and Noreaga and merited a post-mortem shout-out on a 50 Cent cut. During an interview last year on Fox's "Hannity & Colmes," Russell Simmons mentioned Smith when he spoke of the unsolved killings of rap performers. "They don't know who murdered Tupac, who murdered Biggie, who murdered E-Money Bags, who murdered Jam Master Jay," said Simmons.

The Courtney affidavit also fingers McGriff for the August 2001 killing of Karon Clarrett, a criminal associate whom he suspected was cooperating with law enforcement. Clarrett, 28, and a friend were gunned down in a parking lot across from the apartment complex where McGriff maintained his drug stash pad (where the Smith surveillance videotape was discovered).

story courtesy of smoking gun

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Nelly Being Sued By Clothing Label--Posted 04-30-04

FT LAUDERDALE, FL (04.30.04) -- Two members of the group Vokal have accused rap star Nelly of wrongly taking the act's name for his multimillion dollar clothing line. James Tyrone Wilson and Cameron Caines are suing the artist for trademark infringement and unfair competition. They're seeking an injunction to stop Nelly from using the name plus millions of dollars in damages.

"Right now, since we don't have an accounting of the profits. We can't completely quantify the damages," said Michael Santucci, an attorney for the singers based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Vokal Clothing Co., which makes Nelly's line of clothes, made more than $20 million in 2002, Santucci said, so a damage award could be a "seven or eight-figure number." Lisa Buckley, an attorney for the clothing company and Nelly, didn't return two phone calls to her New York office.

Wilson and Caines have written music, performed live, recorded songs and distributed clothing under the name Vokal since 1994, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Orlando.

In 1998, Vokal signed a recording and distribution contract with Universal Records, around the same time the label signed Nelly. Wilson and Caines said they retained exclusive rights over the name Vokal when they signed with Universal, and that Nelly knew about the group and its business activities.

Shortly after signing with Universal, Nelly began selling clothing bearing the name "Vokal," according to the lawsuit. "Nelly's people should have known about this since they were on the same label together," Santucci said.

story courtesy of billboard

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Rakim Arrested On Paternity Warrant--Posted 04-29-04

GARDEN CITY, NY (04.29.04) -- Rapper Rakim was arrested on a 2001 warrant by deputies from the Suffolk County sheriff's department minutes before he was scheduled to perform at a Manhattan concert hall, a sheriff's spokesman said Wednesday.

Rakim, whose real name is William Griffin, was set to perform at the Roseland auditorium just before 11 p.m. Tuesday when deputies took him into custody, Chief Alan Otto said.

"It stemmed from a warrant issued in 2001 regarding a paternity matter and an issue of nonpayment of support," Otto said. He said the rapper "kind of knew we were looking for him" and surrendered without incident.

Griffin, 36, originally from Wyandanch, appeared before a Suffolk County family court hearing officer Wednesday and was ordered to pay $2,000 in child support pending the resolution of his case.

Following the payment, Griffin was freed and ordered to return to family court on May 26. Griffin's lawyer, Robert Kalina, said his client was not aware that a warrant had been issued and insisted the rapper has made child support payments for his 14-year-old son since the boy was born.

"Over the years there have been disputes between him and the mother of the child, financial disputes," Kalina said. "If he was aware that a warrant had been issued, he certainly would have gone to court."

The lawyer also contended that Griffin was current with his payments, but paid the $2,000 on Wednesday "out of an abundance of caution."

Kalina also lamented that authorities could have taken the rapper into custody following Tuesday night's performance "so the fans could have gotten what they paid for."

story courtesy of launch

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Mistrial Declared In Beanie Sigel Case--Posted 04-28-04

PHILADELPHIA, PA- (04.28.04) - With jurors hopelessly deadlocked after five days of deliberations, a judge Tuesday declared a mistrial in the attempted-murder prosecution of rapper Beanie Sigel.

Assistant District Attorney Deborah Robinson said prosecutors would retry the case, which attracted considerable hip-hop star power last week when Jay-Z and Beyonce appeared at the Criminal Justice Center.

Sigel, wearing a black suit and white tie with black polka dots, was engulfed by television cameras, reporters, hulking bodyguards, and his large entourage as he left the courthouse Tuesday evening.

"At this point, I'm going to go home and get some sleep," said Sigel, whose real name is Dwight Grant. "I want to thank everybody who stuck by me, who supported me, who believed in me."

Defense attorney Fortunato Perri Jr. told reporters: "He walked in innocent and he walked out an innocent man."

Perri said it was "very difficult to convict" his client, "based on the quality" of the testimony prosecutors presented from the victim and a witness.

Sigel, 30, is accused of shooting 27-year-old Terrance Speller in July near a West Philadelphia bar. Speller and the witness at first told investigators that they didn't know the gunman, but they subsequently fingered Sigel.

Robinson told the jury that initially the men feared for themselves and their families.

Jurors, who began their deliberations Wednesday, told Common Pleas Court Judge Karen Shreeves-Johns on Thursday that they were deadlocked on all the charges, which include aggravated assault, conspiracy and weapons offenses. But Shreeves-Johns ordered them to continue their deliberations.

After lunch Tuesday, the jury foreman sent the judge another note.

"After deep and sincere deliberation of all that has come before us, we the jury cannot come to a unanimous verdict on any of the charges," the foreman wrote.

In open court, Shreeves-Johns asked the foreman whether, in his judgment, there was a reasonable probability that the jury could reach a verdict.

"No" was his emphatic answer.

Sigel still faces a July 8 sentencing in federal court on gun- and prescription drug-possession charges. He pleaded guilty April 8, and according to the plea agreement faces a maximum of 11 years in prison on those counts, though the federal sentencing guidelines call for a third of that maximum.

story courtesy of philadelphia news

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Shots Fired At Rappers Video Shoot--Posted 04-28-04

ST. LOUIS, MO (04.28.04) -- Four shots struck a police van Tuesday near where teenage rapper J-Kwon was filming a music video in his hometown, authorities said. No injuries were reported.

Investigators hope the videotape helps identify suspects in the gunfire shortly after 4 p.m. while the video was being filmed at a liquor store and vacant lot, where hundreds of fans had gathered and caused traffic tie-ups.

Police Chief Joe Mokwa said he did not believe the shots fired from a passing vehicle targeted any of the officers who had responded to control the crowd.

The apparently unoccupied van may have been hit by "some erratic rounds," the chief said.

The crowd scattered after the shots rang out. J-Kwon, born Jerrell Jones, told reporters the gunshots were not part of the video or fired by anyone with his crew. A representative of the rapper said they would cooperate with the investigation.
J-Kwon's debut album "Hood Hop" is sixth on Billboard's R&B/Hip Hop charts. The album is 13th among Billboard's Top 200, having risen as high as seventh on the runaway strength of its party song "Tipsy."

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Turk Remains Locked Up As Album Drops--Posted 04-27-04

MEMPHIS, TN (04.27.04) -- New Orleans-based rap artist, Turk (formerly of Cash Money and Hot Boys fame, AKA Tab Virgil) has been determined a flight risk by the Federal Court in Memphis, Tennessee, on the eve of the release of his highly-anticipated third solo album, Penitentiary Chances on KOCH Records on April 27.

Upon the eminent release of the album, the rapper
is being held on charges of second-degree attempted murder of a Memphis Deputy Sheriff. The federal decision to keep Turk in custody still leaves Turk behind bars, where he is being held in maximum security. The album's title comes from a song that was on his debut album, Raw And Uncut.

KOCH Records General Manager & Executive Vice President Alan Grunblatt states, "We were hoping to have Turk out of prison to help promote his album
but alas we'll have to market it on our own. Penitentiary Chances is his best album yet and we're sure Hot Boys fans everywhere will love it."

Turk has been receiving support throughout the hip hop community. Lafayette, Louisiana radio station DJ, Vinnie V, from KRRQ in Shreveport recently said "Keep Ya Head Up" to the imprisoned rapper on the air. Well
wishes to Turk were also given on the air from Baton Rouge radio personality Wild Wayne from WQUE, who added that he had known Turk for a long time, and
that the allegations in court against the rapper totally conflict with everything that he personally knows about Turk. Others who have publicly offered support to Turk on the airwaves have included BayBay at Shreveport's
KBTT and Kay Montgomery at WJWZ. Tina Tilton, formerly of Hot 107.1, at WLRM in Memphis, sent a letter to Turk in prison, saying she now has a hip hop
ministry, and she wanted to encourage him.

Although the prison refused to let him receive them, Turk has been sent packages from major hip hop publications. Fans have also written to his legal defense fund. Turk maintains his innocence in the case. A second charge against the rapper was dropped when early ballistics tests showed that a second officer was shot by another police officer that was present at the scene.

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Daz Disses Suge Knight--Posted 04-26-04

LOS ANGELES, CA (04.26.04) -- "He was a model inmate." Those were the exact words used to described Marion "Suge" Knight who was released from Mule Creek State Prison in California on Thursday (Apr 22).

Suge was released after serving a 10-month sentence for violating the terms of his probation. The violation came just months after he was accused of punching a parking attendant outside a Hollywood nightclub in 2003. Despite the testimony of a number of witnesses present, including the victim himself, who refused to identify Knight as the attacker, Suge was sentenced to 10 months.

While inside, Suge made a number of music industry moves including the promotion of a Rap Compilation Album said to benefit the families of military personnel fighting in Iraq. The album, which is set to be released this summer, quickly pushed the CEO of Tha Row Records back into the spotlight.

Despite the charity move made by Knight, not everyone is happy to see Suge get out.

DPG Records CEO Daz Dillinger has recently released an audio statement expressing how he feels about Suge being released from prison. Stating:

"You faggot ass nigga, finally you get out of jail. You know when you get out here in these streets something vicious is going to happen to your ass."

Daz also sent a warning to G-Unit's new member The Game stating: "I think he's gonna go after the nigga Game 'cause he claiming Compton. So Game, get your pistols."

To listen to the audio of the statement, use the clips below:

DAZ WELCOME'S SUGE HOME  real media windows

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Jigga's New Video Brings Controversy To Hiphop--Posted 04-26-04

NEW YORK, NY (04.26.04) -- A large group of media-types, industry executives and DJs had gathered at Tribeca Screening Room Thursday night for the debut of the uncut version of Jay's controversial new video for "99 Problems." But Hov had pressing business elsewhere.

"I really have to go," said a smiling Jay, clad in a dark gray three-button suit, pink shirt and pink-and-gray tie. "I have a team in the playoffs."

"Do your thing, pa, get that championship!" a supporter shouted back at him.

But before Jay left for Madison Square Garden to see his New Jersey Nets beat the New York Knicks in the third game of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs, he spoke briefly about the video. Hov explained that he wasn’t really passionate about making his last two clips, "Change Clothes" and "Dirt off Your Shoulder," and that this time, he really wanted to get artistic and show an uglier, bleaker side of Brooklyn.

"I said, 'I want to shoot a pissy wall,' " Jay said. "You know how a photographer can make a pissy wall look like art? That's what I wanted."

Director Mark Romanek (Johnny Cash's "Hurt," Michael Jackson's "Scream") lived up to Hov's expectations: "99 Problems" is arguably Jay's most uncompromising and stark video to date. Featuring guest appearances from actor Vincent Gallo and Rick Rubin (the track's producer), the uncut version features lurid prison scenes, cockfighting, a funeral, and — most shocking — Jay getting riddled with bullets toward the clip's close. That scene drew a gasp from some members of the audience at the Tribeca.

Jigga said he has already butted heads with MTV and BET about airing his clip and joked that he feels like Madonna when she went through her video controversies.

MTV has agreed to play the clip with the scene of Jay-Z getting murdered at the end, but only after a airing a news piece that features Jay talking with Sway about his motivation for the provocative video.

story courtesy of mtv

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Eminem Wins Cyber-Squatting Case--Posted 04-23-04

DETROIT, MI (04.23.04) -- Eminem has won a cybersquatting case against a British firm found to be misusing the rap star's trademark on an Internet site selling mobile phone ring tones and picture messages.

The ruling was announced by the United Nation's World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The organization had named an arbitrator to examine his complaint against Tim Mcintosh and Visitair Ltd., which registered the domain name eminemmobile.com a year ago.

Eminem (real name: Marshall Mathers III) objected to his trademark name and hit songs including "The Real Slim Shady" and "Stan" appearing on the site, which carries a disclaimer that it is unofficial and in no way connected with the five-time Grammy award winner, according to the ruling.

But Canadian arbitrator Nelson Landry found the domain name had been registered in bad faith and that Mcintosh and Visitair had no legitimate rights or interest. The domain name is automatically transferred to Eminem within 10 days unless the loser launches a court case challenging the decision.

The Detroit native is the first rap star to use WIPO's fast-track low-cost procedure, joining other singers including Madonna, Celine Dion and Robbie Williams who have won decisions.

story courtesy of billboard

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Russell Supports Source Mag Despite Beef--Posted 04-22-04

NEW YORK, NY (04.22.04) -- After previously being neutral in the recent stance The Source Magazine took against Eminem for past tapes of Eminem using racial slurs in his raps, Russell Simmons has once again offered his support to the magazine in their ongoing investigation into race and its effect on the hip-hop community.

"The Source Magazine has proven to be the most important and honest Hip-Hop publication over the last 15 years," Simmons said in a released statement. "The recent issues raised by the magazine ought to be honestly discussed."

With the recent exposure of the "hip-hop taskforce," which police unfairly targeted hip-hop artists for survilence, and racial profiling, Simmons and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network felt the need to come back on-board to support their cause.

"We are pleased that Russell and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network now see that The Source was on task by insisting that the state of Hip-Hop be re-examined," David Mays, co-founder of The Source Magazine, stated. "We simply cannot ignore or dismiss these attacks on our community and artistic expression."

The Source along with its founders, David Mays and Benzino, continue to raise awareness on the major politcal and cultural issues involving hip-hop. Mays feels that their message is starting to reach people into seeing the bigger picture.

"There has been a lot of misunderstanding and false perceptions surrounding the debate on Hip-Hop and race," Mays explained in s statement. "People are beginning to see the bigger picture— the crucial issues that The Source, Benzino and myself have been trying to get the public to focus on."

story courtesy of reuters

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T.I. Sentenced To 3 Years --Posted 04-22-04

COBB COUNTY, GA (04.22.04) -- Rapper T.I. was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for violating the terms of his probation. After serving a minimum of one year, T.I. can apply for a work-release program, according to the county clerk's office in Cobb County, Georgia.

An arrest warrant for T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, was issued on December 29, ordering a revocation of his probation. He turned himself in to county officials on March 30 and had been in custody ever since.

His lawyers appeared in Cobb County Superior Court Wednesday and signed a consent order with prosecutors that essentially stipulated T.I. should be sentenced immediately, thus avoiding the need for a formal hearing.

T.I. was on probation stemming from a 1998 conviction for violating a state controlled substances act and for giving false information. After being released on probation, he earned a litany of probation violations in several counties around Georgia for offenses ranging from possession of a firearm to possession of marijuana.

The setback comes just as T.I. was starting to earn widespread recognition with his second album, Trap Muzik, and its hit single, "Rubber Band Man."

A spokesperson for T.I. was not available for comment.

story courtesy of vh1

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Suge Compilation To Benefit Military Families--Posted 04-21-04

LOS ANGELES, CA (04.21.04) -- Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight is planning an all-star hip-hop compilation to benefit the families of U.S. Armed Services members serving in Iraq. Although no artists are yet confirmed, Knight hopes to have the disc in stores for the Christmas holiday season.

"I'm not taking any kind of political stance on the war," Knight says. "However, with so many soldiers now in Iraq for more than a year, I'm concerned about the families they've left behind. So many of them are suffering, not only emotionally but also financially."

Knight pledges proceeds from the set will directly benefit the intended families. "Knowing this fact," he says, "fans will hopefully also avoid illegally downloading or copying the disc, since those actions would essentially be stealing from the poor families that would benefit from the proceeds."

Knight is finishing production on the latest album from rapper Kurupt, "Against the Grain." Due June 29 via Death Row, it will mark the label's first release of all new content since 1996.

"This really is a historic recording for both Kurupt and Death Row Records," Knight writes on the label's Web site. "For Kurupt, it's a return to the classic Dogg Pound sound... fusing classic rap rhymes with cutting-edge sentiments."

The set will be the follow-up to 2001's "Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey" (Artemis), which debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 10 on The Billboard 200. The set has sold 345,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

story courtesy of billboard

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Napster Investors Facing $17 Billion Lawsuit--Posted 04-21-04

LOS ANGELES, CA (04.21.04) - Napster has been reborn as a legal online music service, but the ghost of its former renegade song-swap self is trailing about $17 billion of legal baggage.

Next Tuesday, music labels and publishers will face off against Bertelsmann AG in federal court in San Francisco over claims the German media company's 2000 investment in Napster kept the file-swapping service operating eight months longer than it would have done otherwise.

The lawsuits claim the extra lease on life promoted wide-scale piracy and cost the music industry $17 billion in lost sales.

The Bertelsmann cases were first filed in New York, while Vivendi Universal's Universal Music and EMI Group Plc also sued venture capital firm Hummer Winblad in Los Angeles, claiming its $15 million investment and installation of a chief executive at Napster in 2000 also promoted piracy.

EMI declined comment. Universal was unavailable.

All the cases, first filed in 2003, were recently relocated to San Francisco under U.S. District Judge Marilyn Patel, who issued an injunction against Napster in 2000.

That injunction was stayed, and Napster was operating at the time of the Bertelsmann deal in October 2000.

Venture capitalists say a win by publishers and labels could have a chilling effect on investments in start-ups.

"If the recording community is successful, it will make the investment community think twice," said Michael Cohen, an antitrust lawyer with Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe.

Napster went bankrupt in 2002. Software firm Roxio Inc. bought its name and logo, relaunching it as a pay service last year. Roxio is not named in the latest cases.

Lawyers for Hummer and Bertelsmann said the plaintiffs, unable to get damages from Napster, are misguidedly seeking compensation from others who aimed to make Napster legitimate.

story courtesy of reuters

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Carjack Teen Gets 4+ Years--Posted 04-20-04

DETROIT, MI (04.20.04) -- A 16-year-old boy has been jailed for more than four years for dragging Eminem’s mother from her car on a Michigan street made famous by the rapper’s movie, 8 Mile.

The teenager also was ordered to pay damages to Debbie Nelson, who suffered bruises and a broken foot.

The youth had earlier pleaded guilty to carjacking and armed robbery charges in the January 22 attack.

Nelson, 49, had said she thought the boy should be punished, but her “main concern is that he’s rehabilitated and won’t do this again”.

She declined to comment at yesterday’s hearing in Pontiac, where the youth was sentenced to at least four years and three months in prison.

Nelson’s rocky relationship with her son, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, has been no secret since the Detroit rapper became a star.

Eminem has disparaged his mother in songs such as Cleaning Out My Closet. Nelson brought and settled two defamation lawsuits over Eminem’s statements about her in magazines and on radio talk shows.

story courtesy of detroit news

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T.I. Turns Himself In To Atlanta Authorities--Posted 04-19-04

ATLANTA, GA (04.19.004) -- Atlanta-based rapper T.I. is presently in jail in Atlanta, Georgia. There have been reports that the rapper turned himself in last month to answer various charges that he has accumulated over the years.

Before going to jail, T.I. called into a Tampa, Florida, radio station to explain why he couldn't make an upcoming concert. The rapper said, "I was doing a little living on the wrong side of the law, so I got a lot of loose ends to tie up legitimately before I can further my career."

T.I. added, "Sometimes the past comes back to haunt you, you just gotta deal with those skeletons in your closet. I been hearing a lot of nonsense as far as a cat having bodies and it ain't really like that. It's just cases that I caught a minute ago that I never dealt with. I didn't even know the cases were open. Years go by, but the paperwork is still there. We got the best lawyers in the city on it and we are just trying to work it out ... I don't anticipate doing any time. It ain't like I stand a chance of doing 10 years or any of that."

Calls to T.I.'s label, Atlantic Records, were not returned at press time.

In related news, T.I.'s gold sophomore set, Trap Muzik, is currently Number 79 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

During a recent interview, he explained that major labels really don't understand people with a street background like him. He said: "Like for real man, major label don't really get what we're trying to say, like we from the streets for real, for real and major labels, they don't really see that."

story courtesy of launch

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Sting and Twista Hooks "Stolen Car" Remix--Posted 04-19-04

New York, NY (04.19.04) -- - Music icon Sting and rapid-fire MC Twista have joined forces on a remix of Sting's new single "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)."

The pair recently got together in Brooklyn to shoot an accompanying video for the track. On collaborating with Sting on the song, Twista said, "It's an honor to do this with Sting. I wanted to shine on the track with him."

The original version of "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)" is included on Sting's tenth solo album, Sacred Love, which has already sold over 3 million copies worldwide. The remix will be available digitally in the US on April 1st and thereafter on a commercial CD single which will also contain the video. Sting is currently on worldwide tour which will see him in Europe in May and June and back in the US and Canada for the summer where he will embark on an amphitheater leg with opening act, Annie Lennox.

In October 2003, Sting's book Broken Music - an autobiographical memoir - was published to great critical acclaim and went on to spend months on various National bestseller lists.

Kamikaze, Twista's current album has reached platinum status in the US and is being released internationally on March 29th. Twista's first single from Kamikaze, "Slow Jamz" has been A-listed on the UK's BBC Radio 1 and is currently climbing the Music & Media European airplay charts.

"Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing) B. Recluse Remix" by Sting featuring Twista will be released as a commercial single, internationally, on April 26th and in the U.S. on May 18th!

story courtesy of ravid yosef

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Afeni Shakur Speaks To Fayetteville Students--Posted 04-16-04

FAYETTEVILLE, NC (04.16.04) -- FSU freshman Ladetrick Clark was a fan of Tupac Shakur, so he came to Capel Arena on Tuesday night to hear Afeni Shakur speak.

Afeni Shakur, mother of the slain rapper, spoke to a crowd of more than 500 at Fayetteville State University as part of the Chancellor's Distinguished Speakers Series.

Clark said he liked the music of Tupac Shakur because it was positive. ''It wasn't just all gangsta music; he was a teacher," Clark said. ''It was like, 'Hold your head up,''' said Gibran McNeal, a freshman from Alexandria, Va.

Tupac Shakur was shot to death in September 1996 in Las Vegas. Afeni Shakur sued his record label for ownership of his music. She continues to produce unreleased songs and promote her son's music. Afeni Shakur is a native of Lumberton and owns a farm in Robeson County.

''When my son was murdered in 1996, I had been clean and sober for five years," Shakur said. ''I had my right mind when he was murdered.

''I feel very grateful and humbled to be standing here. This is a wonderful thing, this historically black university.

''I thank you for finishing high school and getting here after you stayed focused. But I am going to ask you to continue to be focused," Shakur said.

''Tupac died when he was 25," Shakur said. ''I want you to understand how much you can achieve in your life."

story courtesy of alice thrasher

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Shyne Inks Deal With Def Jamy--Posted 04-16-04

NEW YORK, NY (04.16.04) -- According to sources, veteran rap label Def Jam has inked incarcerated rapper Shyne to a record deal.

Shyne was sentenced to a 10-year bid in 2001 after being convicted in a high profile nightclub shooting in Manhattan. Where he ends up after he leaves prison has always been the talk of much speculation.

Under the deal, Def Jam has created a custom label for the rapper, Gangland Records.

The deal will give Shyne a nice payday, as it is worth a purported $3 million dollars.

The signing would be a coup for Def Jam, who recently lost their CEO and Chairman Lyor Cohen to Warner Music.

Def Jam President Kevin Liles was responsible for signing the rapper and visited him several times during his incarceration and as recently as last week accompanied by Def Jam founder Russell Simmons.

Liles resigned as President of the record label when contract negotiations with parent label Universal fell through.

He recently renegotiated and retained his title as President. The signing would also be a plus for Antonio "L.A." Reid, who is known for his keen ability to spot talent.

The first record released under the deal will consist mainly of material Shyne recorded before his incarceration.

Shyne's self-titled debut album has moved over 900,000 units to date. The new album may drop as early as October.

Both Liles and Simmons did not comment, but Simmons said Def Jam will hold a press conference in the near future to announce more details.

story courtesy of nolan strong

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