Saturday, October 16, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
T.I. Rescues Atlanta Man From Deadly Suicide Attempt
Rapper T.I. reportedly helped convince a man from attempting a suicide jump off an Atlanta building Wednesday afternoon.
Initial reports suggested the incident took place around late afternoon.
T.I. saves the day. Or at least the possible Midtown jumper's life. Atlanta Police tell CL the rap star visited the scene of today's incident and told officers he wanted to speak with the unidentified man who around 4 p.m. had threatened to jump from the 22-story Colony Square Building.
The man was reportedly given a personal message to speak with T.I.
Investigators sent in a hostage negotiator to help talk the man down. Atlanta police said T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris was in the area and stopped by the scene to see if he could help. Police took a message from T.I. to the man on the roof, saying the rapper was downstairs and wanted to talk to him. According to police, the would-be jumper got down from the roof and walked down to the lobby, where he talked to T.I. for a few minutes.
Confirmation on what went down has been given by Atlanta authorities.
"He came to the scene and offered to talk to him, we told the young man that, and he came down," Officer James Polite with Atlanta police told the AJC. When the man threatening to jump came down, T.I. was waiting and the two talked for a few minutes, Polite said. The man, whose name was not released, was then transported to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment, Polite said.
Despite his good deed, T.I. will appear in court later this week for a parole violation hearing.
Rapper T.I. is headed back to federal court in Atlanta next week to explain why his probation shouldn't be revoked after his recent arrest in Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. has set the hearing for 2 p.m. on Oct. 15 for T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris. The same judge sentenced Harris for firearms violations.
No further details have been released as of now.
Free Tunechi: Lil Wayne Breaks Silence On Solitary Confinement
Incarcerated rapper Lil Wayne has broken his silence on being placed in solitary confinement for the remainder of his time in Rikers Island on a gun conviction.
Writing via a letter, Wayne described what time of punishment he has gone through as a result of possessing an unauthorized MP3 player last spring.
"By now I'm guessing that you all have heard about my recent relocation to the bing, which is punitive segregation. Basically, no T.V., no radio, no snacks/junkfood, and one phone call a week. This punishment has been handed to me for my earlier MP3 incident. I admit, I fu#ked up and now I must deal with the consequences. As I write this, I only have 25 days left, and it'll be even less than that when you read this. So honestly, I'm fine. Obviously, this gives me a lot of time to myself and a lot of alone time with my thoughts, which can be creatively dangerous. I do miss being able to hear from my family everyday but once a week will have to suffice. To them, I apologize. I'm still able to receive mail so reading and responding is still a huge part of my day. I'd like to thank everyone that sent me B-Day cards and wishes... that was terrific. You all are wonderful, simply wonderful." (Weezy Thanx You)
Wayne also took the opportunity to thank fans for supporting his new I Am Not A Human Being album.
"Well anyways, I just wanted you all to know that I'm good and I'll be good! But at the end of the day, I did it all for music!!! By the way, thanx for downloading the I Am Not A Human Being album. And if you haven't done so already, please do! And if you have, do so again! When I get out I'm going to put the album in stores and shoot more videos for it. Which songs should I shoot videos to? Also, we will be adding bonus songs and packaging the new Nino Brown DVD with the in store album! You're welcome." (Weezy Thanx You)
Earlier this month, Wayne asked fans to stop sending in letters.
"I can no longer write my fans, as difficult as this maybe to say please stop sending me mail, I luv u and will see you soon," Wayne tweeted. (Lil Wayne's Twitter)
As of now, Wayne will reportedly serve out the remainder of his term in solitary confinement.
Rikers Island has moved the rapper to solitary confinement as part of his punishment for getting caught with headphones and amp3 player back in May (the jail had to wait for a spot to open up). He will be confined to an isolation cell for up to 23 hours a day until he is released November 4, and will see his out-of-cell time restricted to visits, religious services and a single hour of recreational time per day. Also, he will now only get to make one personal phone call a week.
Kanye West Rejected Twista's Request To Join G.O.O.D. Music, "He Should've Done It"
Chicago rap veteran Twista has revealed previously reaching out to Kanye West to join G.O.O.D. Music and being turned down by the rap star.
Twista said he believed West should have considered aligning him with his company.
"I actually wanted to [sign] at one point, Twista recalls of Kanye's 2008 Graduation era. "But I don't know what time of vibe Kanye had with me at that time...I mentioned that I would be getting out of my [Atlantic Records] contract and wondered if he wanted to jump down. But I don't know, I guess it wasn't a good idea for him at the time.He should've done it. He would've had 'Wetter' [Laughs]."
Last month, West added rap veteran Mos Def to the G.O.O.D. Music roster.
The Brooklyn MC and West talk about the deal and break down their musical relationship in the October issue of XXL, which comes out on Tuesday and features a Kanye cover story. And Mos Def makes an appearance on West's G.O.O.D. Friday single "Lord, Lord, Lord," along with Swizz Beatz, Raekwon and singer Charlie Wilson. Mos' decision to join G.O.O.D. Music follows the release of his last album, The Ecstatic, on indie label Downtown Records in 2009. The rapper/actor and Kanye first collaborated on the Chicago MC's College Dropout, for "Two Words," and then again on "Drunk and Hot Girls."
West's "Power" producer, Symbolyc One (S1) recently told SOHH he was working with Pusha T and other G.O.O.D. Music artists.
"I'm working with Kanye on the album," S1 told SOHH. "He's pretty much finishing that up so I've been working real close with him on that. And then also, he has a bunch of other artists and projects that he's working on for his G.O.O.D. Music roster to other outside projects and he wants me to be a part of that as well. I've been working really close with him on that, working with Pusha T on his album stuff, Musiq Soulchild and then eight joints with Talib Kweli for his next album. And then, you never know, hopefully Jay-Z and Beyonce stuff. You just never know where you're going to go."
Despite being talked about as a label, G.O.O.D. Music affiliate GLC recently explained the company's make-up.
"G.O.O.D Music isn't a label for one; a lot of people have the misconception that G.O.O.D Music is a label but really it's basically a family and like a production company. What they do is you get a distribution deal and if you're a G.O.O.D Music artist, then you come out on G.O.O.D Music and the distribution deal. Whoever I decide to do my deal with it will be through G.O.O.D Music because I'm a G.O.O.D Music artist."
Shyne Co-Signs Nas' Def Jam E-Mail Blast, "He Don't Understand Why People Are Buying An Ex-Prison Guard's Records"
A week after Nas' scathing e-mail to Def Jam Records began circulating the Internet, Shyne spoke with SOHH & offered his thoughts on his groupmate's frustration.
In light of Nas' issues with the label, Shyne said he completely understood the rap veteran's complaints.
"It's crazy because I got a letter out too," Shyne told SOHH. "And that's on MTV.com. It's on a blog journal I'm doing for them. It's crazy. I wrote my letter about a week or two ago so when I heard [about Nas' e-mail], the last person I spoke to told me about it. I definitely support his position and that's what happened to hip-hop. That's what happened to music but definitely hip-hop. You got a bunch of executives that don't know nothing about music and they got their job by tying somebody's shoe laces, folding their pants for them and don't know anything about music. And unfortunately and especially with Def Jam, you got a leader of the record company that if he could have one wish, he would wish that hip-hop didn't exist. That's what I feel."
Shyne also spoke on Def Jam's executives and their inability to properly promote their artists.
"So they not gonna understand that Nas and Ghostface are modern day prophets," Shyne added. "Of course they don't understand the depths and complexities of selling an artist and [that] it's not just selling music. It's not just a hit Top 40 record. You gotta sell a lifestyle. But they so used to selling these rappers that are characters and then cup it with the fact that they don't like rappers period, so definitely he don't understand why people are buying an ex-prison guard's records. He don't even get that. So he's confused. They don't get that. I definitely support Nas."
Nas' letter hit the Internet and criticized Def Jam for their business practices.
"I won't even tap dance around in an email, I will get right into it. People connect to the artist @ the end of the day, they don't connect with the executives. Honestly, nobody even cares what label puts out a great record, they care about who recorded it. Yet time and time again its the executives who always stand in the way of a creative artist's dream and aspirations. You don't help draw the truth from my deepest and most inner soul, you don't even do a great job @ selling it. The #1 problem with DEF JAM is pretty simple and obvious, the executives think they are the stars. You aren't.... not even close. As a matter of fact, you wish you were, but it didn't work out so you took a desk job. To the consumer, I COME FIRST. Stop trying to deprive them! I have a fan base that dies for my music and a RAP label that doesn't understand RAP. Pretty f*cked up situation."
He also stressed the importance of releasing a quality project like Lost Tapes.
"Lost Tapes is a movement and a very important set up piece for my career as it stands. I started this over 5 years ago at Columbia. Nobody knew what it was or what it did, but the label put it out as an LP and the fans went crazy for it. I single handlely built a new brand of rap albums. It's smart and, after 5 years, it's still a head of the game. This feels great and you not feeling what I'm feeling is disturbing. Don't get in the way of my creativity. We are aligned with the stars here, this is a movement. There is a thing called KARMA that comes to haunt you when you tamper with the aligning stars. WE ARE GIVING THE PEOPLE EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT. Stop throwing dog sh*t on a MAGICAL moment. You don't get another Nas recording that doesn't count against my deal....PERIOD! Keep your bullsh*t $200,000.00 fund. Open the REAL budget. This is a New York pioneers ALBUM, there ain't many of us. I am ready to drop in the 4th quarter. You don't even have sh*t coming out! Stop being your own worst enemy. Let's get money!"
Drake Comes Clean About Penning Love Record For Nicki Minaj
Young Money star Drake has confirmed recent speculation that he wrote his Alicia Keys record, "Un-Thinkable," about labelmate Nicki Minaj.
According to Drake, he based his lyrics around his emotions toward Minaj.
"It is [about Minaj], I'm not gonna lie," Drake told BET.com. "The concept came from a conversation that we had, or conversations we have. I wrote it based off two things: number one, based off that, and then two, based off Alicia [Keys] and Swizz and their situation and it just seemed fitting. It was like the perfect concept."
Minaj broke the news of Drake writing the song for her in a recent interview.
"He told me he said something about me on a verse, but I didn't think it would be anything like ['Miss Me.']. He let me hear it for the first time when we did Jay's show at Madison Square Garden, the day before Wayne had to go to jail-- that night he let me hear it on the headphones. But you know what else he told me he wrote for me? The Alicia Keys song "I'm Ready." I happen to love the song. I never told anyone that, I hope he won't get mad that I said that.
Last month, Drake and Minaj jokingly told Twitter followers they were dating as a prank.
"No, Drama, don't be silly," Minaj told DJ Drama when asked about expecting kids with Drake. "Drake is just my little brother and I kid with him all the time. That's all. Yes, yes, we were just being crazy and I think we were a little bit bored. I wouldn't say we were bored, but we were being just mischievous. I did another interview and they asked me and I said, everyday I see things written about me that aren't true. So I wanted to kinda give the blogs a little bit of payback and put my own story out. [laughs] I don't date boys, I don't like boys. [laughs] It's true -- I think boys are yucky and that's it. There's nothing more to say."
Their prank also caught Drake's mother off guard who thought the two artists actually hooked up.
"My mom was actually like, 'What happened? How did you elope?' " the rapper, 23, told PEOPLE at the MTV Movie Awards Sunday. "But we were just joking around. I never thought it would get so out of hand...Ironically, I got a ring for myself, so people were like, 'Aw, you got married, and you have a ring you're wearing. People still think it's real. I'll look at a girl, and she'll be like, 'You're a married man. You shouldn't look at me that way.'"
Check out Drake's "Un-Thinkable" down below:
Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck Death Rumors Surface
Rumors circulating about the alleged passing of Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck have hit the Internet as a result of an announcement made during the airing of last night's BET Hip-Hop Awards 2010.
During the broadcast, the Wu's Raekwon reportedly made a "rest-in-peace" reference about Deck.
Here's what seems to have happened. During Raekwon's performance at the 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards, the fellow Wu-Tang member said, "Yo stop the music Premier...yo rest in peace my brother from the Wu, Inspectah Deck."
However, after further clarification, Rae was said to have been referencing his groupmate's late mother.
That's when people stopped listening and started freaking out. They Tweeted things like: "Inspectah Deck died??? WTF, confused right now." But if those who started pouring some out would have listened a little longer, they would have heard Raekwon say. "His old earth. His mother. Ms. Jason Hunter. Mrs. Hunter, we love you. Rest in peace." Yes, the Chef was talking about Inspectah Deck's mom. See kids, this is what happen when you don't listen.
Raekwon also hit up Twitter to explain his remarks.
"Ppl my brother deck is alive and well someone dearly to him passed and I dedicated that to them!," he tweeted Tuesday (October 13) night.
Inspectah Deck is reportedly working on a new album.
Like U-God on "Dopium," The Rebel INS is giving the sound a new genre on a remix to his spring 2010 album. The Wu-Tang Clan emcee Inspectah Deck will close 2010 with a new version of the album he released earlier this year. Manifesto: Redux will feature 12 Dubstep versions of songs that originally appeared on Manifesto, the Rebel INS' spring album on Traffic Entertainment. The originals were produced by the likes of Alchemist and Lee Bannon.
Deck has contributed to over two decades worth of music as a member of The Wu-Tang Clan.
Inspectah Deck was one of the Wu-Tang Clan's lesser-known members, despite his talent as both an MC and producer. Born Jason Hunter, Deck earned the first part of his nickname as the quiet, watchful eye in the corner; his other aliases included Rollie Fingers, Fifth Brother, and Rebel INS, the latter a graffiti name tag he used as a youngster. Deck was born in Brooklyn but grew up on Staten Island, attending school with several future Wu members. He was heard on most of the key tracks from the group's classic 1993 debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), including the singles "C.R.E.A.M." and "Protect Ya Neck." He made guest appearances on most of the ensuing Wu-Tang solo projects, with particularly attention-grabbing work on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Genius' Liquid Swords.
Petey Pablo Waves White Flag At Federal Authorities
Southern rapper Petey Pablo will reportedly surrender to federal authorities in relation to being wanted on charges for a gun-related arrest last month.
According to reports, an arrest warrant has been issued to Pablo.
Rapper and Wake County resident Petey Pablo, who was arrested at Raleigh-Durham International Airport last month on gun charges, is now wanted by federal authorities. A federal arrest warrant charges Pablo, whose real name is Moses Barrett III, with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a stolen firearm and trying to take the gun on an airplane.
Additional reports suggests Pablo will concede to police.
Pablo's representative claims the pistol does not belong to the star and he forgot the firearm was in his bag after taking it from a pal. But a federal judge has now issued an arrest warrant for Pablo after government officials claimed the star was fully aware he was in possession of "a concealed dangerous weapon that was and would have been accessible to him in flight". A spokesperson for Pablo tells the website he was unaware of the warrant but now plans to surrender to authorities early on Wednesday.
Details on the incident hit the Internet around mid-September.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport spokeswoman Mindy Hamlin says 37-year-old Petey Pablo -- whose real name is Moses Barrett III -- was arrested Saturday morning. He is charged with being a felon with a gun and carrying a concealed, stolen weapon. Hamlin says Transportation Security Administration agents found a gun in the rapper's carry-on luggage.
He later addressed the situation and defended his innocence.
Initially asked if the act was a publicity stunt, the convicted felon who attempted to bring a pistol onto an airplane via a carry-on bag revealed that he simply forgot about the weapon. "[It] looks terrible," admitted the former Jive Records artist who now heads up CMG - Carolina Music Group. "A lot of people were disappointed. Understand, the situation...anybody that knows me knows that I ain't gonna do nothin' stupid," continued Petey. Speaking about his culture, the "Raise Up" hit-maker asserted, "We don't do stupid things." Claiming that he believed the bag was weighted down with the two Apple laptops he frequently travels with, Petey Pablo acknowledged his mistake. "At the same time, I apologize to anybody that I may have let down. Understand, I did something that I thought was right at the time."
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Nelly Drops Hints On "Tip Drill" Movie, "Everybody's Not Gonna Love It" [Video]
St. Lunatics' Nelly has hinted at plans to perpetuate his controversial adult-themed 2003 "Tip Drill" music video into a full-length, theatrical release in the near future.
While opting not to divulge specifcs, Nelly said he has been contemplating putting the project into motion.
"We talked about doing Tip Drill: The Movie," Nelly revealed in an interview with DJ Vlad. "Who knows. Tip Drill: The Movie. [laughs] We got something, we got something...It's just something along those lines of trying to come up with something that's a little bit creative and like I said again, everybody's not gonna love it. It goes hand in hand, man. You can't tell me I'm like 'this,' when you don't even know me."
Recently, Nelly defended his adult-targeted music video.
"I'm not bound by anything in terms of my freedom to create, who says everything you create has to be accepted by everyone? If I only did one thing, one way then I wouldn't be an artist. Everything in the history of art and music wasn't accepted at first. Not to say what I did wasn't risqué, but it was needed at the time. All I did was entertain adult fans. It even came on an adult show at 3 a.m. It wasn't like the girls in the video were offended by it. Never will I take any of that back. I didn't make 10 of them. I made one video and people wanted to condemn me for it. And people wanted that video to outweigh all the other good things I've done. All my not-for-profit work, helping find marrow donors, community programs and take all that away from me. I was just young and having fun."
The video landed Nelly in front of a firing squad in 2005 after a college cancelled his appearance due to the buzz surrounding "Tip Drill."
The music video for "Tip Drill" became a source of controversy due to perceptions of misogynistic depictions of women. The controversy forced Nelly to cancel an appearance at a bone marrow drive at Spelman College, a historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia. Similar claims of misogyny also surrounded Nelly's single "Pimp Juice". RIAA have certified the album Platinum.
Following the controversy, Nelly defended his racy visual.
"I respect women, and I'm not a misogynist. I'm an artist. Hip-hop videos are art and entertainment. Videos tell stories; some are violent, some are sexy, some are fun, some are serious. As for how women are shown in the videos, I don't have a problem with it because it is entertainment...No one knows what a particular woman's situation is, what her goals are. Being in that video may help her further those goals. Several women who have been in my videos have gone on to do TV appearances and movies. No one can dictate other people's choices and situations."
Check out Nelly speaking on "Tip Drill" below:
Kanye West Dresses "Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" In Jewels
Grammy-winning rapper/producer Kanye West has described what fans could expect from his upcoming Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album.
West enlisted the assistance of producers like RZA and Q-Tip to create a "throwback" feel for his latest LP.
"I wanted to take it back to the essence, like the soulful people who brought knowledge--like RZA and Q-Tip. At a certain point, you need to find a better way to do it; it's like people [in basketball] who dunk and hurt their wrist and come down on their knees too hard. Your knee's gonna give out at a certain point. Some of my social and public-persona knees are starting to give out. I still want to run the games. I've just got to not get kicked up quite as hard." (Vanity Fair)
Last month, Q-Tip discussed West's state of mind in approaching the upcoming solo project.
"This album is, in a good way, going backwards. He's such an artist. He knows exactly what he's doing. When he did [808s & Heartbreaks] that was such a departure from College Dropout. But now he's stepping backwards so this album will be more of a sonic extension of College Dropout and Graduation but he's doing it with a new attitude. He's looking forward but reaching back, which is interesting. It's a calculated toe in yesterday's water if that makes any sense at all (laughs)." (XXL Mag)
West announced his anticipated album title earlier this month via his Twitter account.
Kanye West has given fans some extended (and sometimes unsettling) glimpses inside his psyche lately, from his decadent Dalí-esque video for "Power" to the pristine troupe of ballet dancers who surrounded him during his recent performances on "Saturday Night Live." So it's only fitting that the title of his next album should reflect the summation of his alternately playful and twisted soul: the record will be called "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," Mr. West wrote Tuesday morning on his Twitter account. Mr. West said the first song on the album would be "Dark Fantasy," a track produced by RZA and co-produced by No I.D. and Mr. West, and the next single to be released would be a song called "All of the Lights." (New York Times)
The project will be released in late November.
Kanye West finally confirmed on Twitter yesterday that his upcoming album will be released on November 22nd. Despite early word that the album would titled Good A** Job, Kanye tweeted that Fantasy "is and always was" the name of his fifth album. "The first song on the album is called 'Dark Fantasy' produced by The Rza co-produced by me and No I.D.," Kanye wrote. He added that some of his G.O.O.D. Friday free downloads will appear on Fantasy. (Rolling Stone)
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is scheduled to drop Monday, November 22nd.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Young Jeezy's "Thug Motivation 103" Gets Plowed Back
Southern rapper Young Jeezy's delayed Thug Motivation 103 album has reportedly been pushed back to a Christmas season release.
According to reports, the "Snowman" will plow his album into stores around mid-December.
Young Jeezy has had a tough time motivating the thugs this year. The third installment of his Thug Motivation series, TM103, has been facing delays ever since last year, but reps for Def Jam have confirmed with XXLMag.com that the disc will finally hit shelves on December 14. The Atlanta-based rapper already dropped several singles from the album--"Jizzle," "All White Everything" featuring Yo Gotti and "Lose My Mind" featuring Plies--to little fan fare.
In a recent GQ Magazine feature, Jeezy revealed the new work ethics he explored while working on the new album.
The album is like a hip-hop version of the Stones' Exile on Main St or Dylan's Basement Tapes: To make it, Jeezy went completely off the grid, descending in early 2010 into the basement studio in producer Shawty Redd's south Atlanta home. He didn't come out for three months. The vibe was different from what the Stones had in the South of France, however. Redd had recently returned home from jail on a murder charge, posting $200,000 in bail. (A trial date is still pending.) Jeezy begins the story of the sessions like this: "I had just got off tour with Jay-Z when Shawty got home. I went to his crib, we chopped it up, and finally I said, 'I'm gonna go home and grab my stuff.' Shawty was like, 'Grab what stuff?' I came back with all my clothes and sh*t and moved in." Jeezy hung a flat-screen in his new bedroom and even stocked the cupboard with his favorite cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Producer Drumma Boy recently talked about working on Jeezy's new album.
"With Jeezy, it's funny because when it comes to the music, I already know what he wants," Drumma said in an interview. "We've never actually worked in the studio together. The first time I ever heard 'Put On' was on the radio. [Laughs] Just the other day, he called me as soon as I woke up. First call of the day. He was like, 'Where you at? I need to get some more music.' I'll give him the intersection I'm at and he'll just ride down right then, pick up a beat CD and keep it moving. It's like a real dope deal. I really got crack! [Laughs] All our joints come that way. Even with [the album's street single] 'Lose My Mind,' I didn't hear that until we mixed it. So I can't tell you exactly what I've got on there yet, but in addition to "Lose My Mind," I'm gonna have two of three other joints on the album."
Jeezy previously discussed what rap fans could expect to hear from the upcoming project earlier this year.
"But June, by the way," he said of the LP's release date. "That's what I'm thinking. If you the boss, you can talk like that. I'm thinking June. I wanna own the summer. If you coming out [with an album] in June, you might wanna think about that, bruh. TM103, I will be there...I'm just going in, basically handling my business. I gotta say what's on my mind. But I'm not here to sell you on no album. Like I said, June, you will be surprised, homie. That's real talk. I been working on this. I been back in the lab...I got you."
Young Jeezy's Thug Motivation 103 is scheduled to drop Tuesday, December 14th.
Check out a past Young Jeezy interview down below: