Usher wants to make it clear to his ex-wife ... the days of freeloading are OVER -- because TMZ has learned, he plans to sell the mansion she currently calls home.
Sources close to the couple tell TMZ, Usher's lawyer sent Tameka Raymond a letter informing her the 12,000 sq. ft. Georgia home -- which Usher owns -- is going on the market and she needs to find new digs.
Usher has allowed Tameka to live in the home for the last few years -- but per their 2009 divorce agreement, Usher has the right to sell the pad at any time as long as he gives 60 days notice.
According to sources, Tameka didn't take the news well, seeing as she has no income of her own and has been financially dependent on Usher since the divorce.
On the flip side, we're told Usher feels he's given Tameka plenty of time to get her act together ... and enough is enough.
Fun fact: Usher purchased the home in 2007 for $3 million. Unclear what he plans to sell it for.
Gunplay gets into it with G-Unit backstage at the BET Hip-Hop awards.
The BET Hip-Hop Awards was certainly eventful, as news has emerged that even more conflict took place during the ceremonies.
As previously reported, Young Jeezy and Rick Ross' camps got into an altercation which was followed by gun shots. However, that wasn't the only extracurricular activity going on. Maybach Music Group's Gunplay had a fight with G-Unit affiliates backstage.
Apparently the event occurred during the Chris Lighty tribute, which featured 50 Cent and Fat Joe sharing the stage.
Today (September 30), Rick Ross and Young Jeezy were reportedly involved in an altercation backstage at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.
Funk Master Flex confirmed the “pushing and shoving” going on backstage, taking to Twitter to let his followers know that the altercation was taking place. Shortly thereafter, shots were fired in the parking lot, and the gunman was reportedly apprehended by the Atlanta Police Department.
Below is a list of Funk Flex’s Tweets as the altercation was taking place:
According to sources, the building was temporarily shut down at the time the Chris Lighty tribute was taking place, at which point very few people in the building were aware of the altercation.
More news as details emerge.
UPDATE:
According to the Atlanta Police Department at 8 pm EST, Young Jeezy and Rick Ross were not arrested.
For the last couple of weeks now, the blogs have been finding any possible angle of Beyonce’s belly and have claimed that the singer and her husband, Jay-Z, are expecting another baby. Not the case, according to the Jigga man himself!
E! Newsgot the scoop on the story at the NBA 2K13 release party at the 40/40 club earlier this week. Check out what Jigga had to say below:
“Are you having another baby?” we asked Hov Wednesday night at the NBA 2K13 release at the 40/40 Club in NYC.
“Tonight?” Jay-Z quipped. “No.”
“What about in nine months?” we prodded.
“Not in nine months,” Jay said. “Absolutely not.”
But before then? What about in seven or eight months?
“No,” Jay said. “Not in one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight or nine months.”
Jay did seem a bit annoyed by her questions. Check out the video interview with Jiggahere.
Philandering film star Arnold Schwarzenegger has finally admitted to having an affair with actress Brigitte Nielsen -- while still dating Maria Shriver. Well, at least she's hotter than the maid.
Schwarzenegger cops to the sexual tryst in his new book, saying it went down while the duo was filming "Red Sonja" together back in 1985.
At the time of the affair, Arnold was already knee deep into his relationship with Shriver -- and even though they weren't married, the couple was living together.
If you recall ... Nielsen blew the whistle on the affair last year in her own published memoirs. Arnold never confirmed it -- until now.
Nielsen said in her book that she didn't know Arnold was involved with another woman during their fling.
Kanye West has been accused of failing to properly clear samples used on "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."
It looks like Raekwon isn't the only emcee being served for the use of uncleared samples. Now, in a recent report from HipHopWired, G.O.O.D. Music impresario Kanye West has been hit with a suit over samples on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Label TufAmerica is suing Yeezy over the use of a sample of Eddie Bo's “Hook & Sling” on two songs off his 2010 LP, "Who Will Survive In America” and “Lost In The World.” According to the suit, Roc-a-Fella Records and Universal Music Group did actually pay a whopping $62,500 to clear the sample, but failed to "enter into written license agreements that accounted for their multiple other uses” of the 1969 song.
TufAmerica, who acquired the rights to the song in 1996, is suing the Roc and UMG for copyright infringement for an unspecified amount.
Surprisingly, this isn't the only sample-related lawsuit that the Chicago emcee/producer is currently facing. Kanye was hit with a $500,000 lawsuit over the illegal use of The Persuaders' "Trying Girls Out" back in March.
Lance Easley -- the NFL replacement ref who made the TD call in Monday night's Packers vs. Seahawks game tells TMZ ... he stands by his decision, adamantly saying, "It was the correct call."
Easley told us he can't believe he's being vilified ... "I didn't do anything wrong."
He says strongly ... the Packers player who allegedly intercepted the ball never had singular possession because, "You have to not only have the ball but have either 2 feet or a body part on the ground, and that never happened."
Easley says this was clearly a case of simultaneous possession -- meaning the catch goes to the offensive player -- adding, "Put any other official who knows the rules and they would make the same call."
Easley told us, no one has ever seen a play like this before, so there's no point of reference to judge the call. He says, "I don't appreciate the negative stuff."
Easley says he feels like he's become a sacrificial lamb, who had to "fall on the sword."
Easley -- who refs at El Camino and Pierce Junior Colleges as well as Occidental, all in Southern California -- says the replacement refs did what they were expected to do.
Lil Wayne has bested the legendary singer-songwriter's record.
Lil Wayne has surpassed Elvis Presley's long-standing record for most Billboard Hot 100 hits.
Counting his feature on Game's "Celebration," which bows this week at No. 82, Weezy breaks the record for most Hot 100 chart visits. The YMCMB leader has scored 109 entries on the chart, while Presley only nabbed 108 between 1958 and 2003. He scored 42 hits as a lead artist, and served as a featured acts on the 67 others.
The cast of the FOX show Glee is the only act with more Hot 100 hits than Lil Wayne with 204 songs to lodge on the chart since 2009. Other artists with comparable records include James Brown (91 songs), Ray Charles (74 songs) and Aretha Franklin (73 songs).
Nicki Minaj has reportedly begun filming specials for the E! network.
Nicki Minaj is reportedly expanding her presence on television. After announcing the decision to join American Idol as a judge, the Harajuku Barbie is supposedly prepping a reality show for the E! network.
According to PerezHilton.com, which recently conducted an interview with the YMCMB rapstress, Minaj began filming the reality show the same afternoon that they spoke with her. Details are relatively scarce on the show, and it is currently unclear when the show will air on the channel.
Minaj is set to make her foray into reality TV as a judge on American Idol alongside Mariah Carey and Keith Urban.
[September 26]
UPDATE: Contrary to prior reports, Nicki Minaj will appear in specials on E! and not a reality show. According to Deadline, a source claims there will be specials and not a whole series. Three specials will air later this fall, and some filming has already begun.
G.O.O.D. Music's "Cruel Summer" sold over 200,000 units, but was that strong enough for #1? Brother Ali, Tech N9ne and Kreayshawn also debuted in one of the most exciting weeks on the charts in months.
G.O.O.D. Music's Cruel Summer compilation scored a #2 debut on the charts. The Def Jam Records-backed album featuring Kanye West, Pusha T, 2 Chainz and even Mase was 75,000 units behind P!nk's latest album, Truth About Love, but the first label release from 'Ye's imprint moved over 200,000 overall units in its first week.
Tech N9ne also nailed a Top 30 with his E.B.A.H. (Evil Brain Angel Heart) release. Billed as a 10-track EP, this is Tech's second such release of 2012 (following Klusterfuk), a popular move at Strange Music in recent months.
Another highly-respected Midwest emcee crashed the charts this week. Brother Ali's fifth album, Mourning In America And Dreaming In Color just missed the Top 40. The Minneapolis, Minnesota lyricist's latest Rhymesayers release was entirely produced by Seattle, Washington's Jake One, and features professor and author, Dr. Cornel West.
Lastly, Bay Area 2011 sensation Kreayshawn's Sony Records-backed debut, Something 'Bout Kreay debuted. The release missed the Top 100, but was only availabile digitally in its first week. The project includes appearances from Kid Cudi and 2 Chainz, along with Diplo production.
Cruel Summer Does G.O.O.D.
Kanye West's orchestrated Cruel Summer compilation is a benchmark for G.O.O.D. Music's branding. At #2, the album featured label veterans like Common, John Legend and longtime affiliate Malik Yusef. Additionally, new wave of the label was prominently featured including CyHi The Prynce, Big Sean and Pusha T of The Clipse. Kanye also enlisted a select group of veterans including Ghostface Killah, Jadakiss and R. Kelly - along with Mase, who 'Ye worked with in the late '90s. With the Jay-Z-assisted "Clique" serving as the latest high-profile single, the album moved over 200,000 first-week units. In the midst of the sales, the project was met with mixed reviews.
Brother Ali's fifth album, Mourning In America And Dreaming In Color sold approximately 10,000 units in its first week at retail. The highly-anticipated Rhymesayers release is Ali's departure from working with producer/deejay Ant of Atmosphere and his first full-length with another ear behind the boards. After collaborating frequently over the last five years with Jake One, the pair made this thematic release about the state of America, religion, race and other highly-relevant issues to the social discourse of 2012. This is Ali's first retail release in over three years, since 2009's Us.
* data comes from Nielsen Soundscan, rounded to nearest thousandth for units above 10,000, nearest hundredth for units below 10,000. Each week, HipHopDX presents top albums in Hip Hop/related, and five notables.
Nicki Minaj has reportedly begun filming a reality show for the E! network.
Nicki Minaj is reportedly expanding her presence on television. After announcing the decision to join American Idol as a judge, the Harajuku Barbie is supposedly prepping a reality show for the E! network.
According to PerezHilton.com, which recently conducted an interview with the YMCMB rapstress, Minaj began filming the reality show the same afternoon that they spoke with her. Details are relatively scarce on the show, and it is currently unclear when the show will air on the channel.
Minaj is set to make her foray into reality TV as a judge on American Idol alongside Mariah Carey and Keith Urban.
Game clowns on his longtime adversary 50 Cent in a recent Instagram picture.
Despite Game attempting to reconcile with former G-Unit partner 50 Cent last year, it looks like the Compton rapper is back to firing potshots at his long-time foe. Now, in a recent post on Game's Instagram, the Interscope emcee can be seen poking fun at Fif's Street King energy drink.
SOHH reports that Game recently took a mocking picture behind the wheel of a promotional vehicle for 50 Cent's energy drink company. In the tag line of the picture, Game joked that he was planning to steal the vehicle and hand out the shots to homeless people.
"The driver seen me coming & [ran] !!! Now I'm headed to skidrow to give this nasty shit to the homeless #JesusPiece," he wrote.
The picture can be seen below.
This isn't the first time this year in which the California emcee took shots at G-Unit members. Last month, Game reportedly exchanged barbs with Tony Yayo amidst news of Yayo's falling out with 50 Cent.
United States Hip-Hop star 50 Cent is bankrolling a probe into the death of his high-powered manager, Chris Lighty, who allegedly committed suicide last month.
50 Cent and Chris Lighty’s family have hired attorney Scott E. Leemon of Leemon Law and private investigator Les Levine to look into Chris Lighty’s death, which was ruled a suicide by the New York Medical Examiner.
The new investigation will focus on all of the circumstances surrounding Chris Lighty’s death, attorney Scott E. Leemon told AllHipHop.com in a statement.
“I will confirm that I have been asked by Chris’ mother and many of his former clients/business associates/friends (including 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Q-TIP) to fully investigate all of the circumstances surrounding his premature death,” Scott E. Leemon told AllHipHop.com.
According to an article by Lisa Evers of Fox 5 in New York, 50 Cent said that Chris Lighty’s mother came to him, asking for help because, she didn’t believe her son would take his own life.
50 Cent shared the same opinion and started the process of investigating Lighty’s alleged suicide.
Lighty had also just secured a world tour for 50 Cent, which is expected to commence next year.
The will also left Chris Lighty’s entire estate, which is worth millions, to his wife, Veronica, who he was in the process of divorcing.
According to Dr. Michael Baden, who is conducting an independent autopsy, Chris Lighty definitely died of a gunshot wound, but he is investigating other circumstances surrounding Lighty’s death, which have not been revealed.
“His mother has asked me to help her determine if anyone or more people are legally responsible for Chris’ death,” Scott E. Leemon told AllHipHop.com. “And, if so, whether a wrongful death action should be filed against them. As such, the investigation will focus on those questions.”
Scott E. Leemon and Les Levine are currently seeking any parties who may have more information about Chris Lighty and the circumstances surrounding his death.
“The investigation is being lead by private investigator Les Levine and is in its’ extreme early stages. It is being initially funded by 50 Cent with the hope of others helping,” Scott E. Leemon added. “If anyone in the public has information about Chris’ death it may be emailed to: tips@leemonlaw.com.”
RapUp gets the scoop that Lil Wayne's tenth solo album is coming before December 1.
Lil Wayne will release his second album in as many years. This afternoon (September 25) RapUp.com reported that Wayne's tenth solo album, I Am Not A Human Being II will release in November of this year. The album can be expected on Cash Money/Young Money/Universal Records.
The album is the sequel to Wayne's digital Rock-inspired album, released two years ago this week. The first I Am Not A Human Being reached gold status, and featured involvement from his Young Money roster including Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga.
In 2011, Lil Wayne released Tha Carter IV, part of another album series.
Chris Brown tested positive for marijuana recently in Virginia, where smoking weed is illegal, but the judge said she would NOT revoke his probation.
Chris was just in court for a probation progress report hearing in his felony battery of Rihanna -- and according to probation report docs ... Brown failed a drug test on June 18 in Virginia, where he was fulfilling his court ordered community service.
According to probation report, Chris told his probation officer he had smoked weed in California -- where he has a medical marijuana prescription -- and then failed the test in Virginia, where weed is illegal ... prescription or no prescription.
Judge Patricia Schnegg said she never ordered Brown to undergo mandatory drug testing as part of his probation, so she cut him a break ... this time ... letting him off with a stern reminder to obey all laws.
Schnegg also ordered Brown's entire case moved back to California because that's where he lives now.
Judge Schnegg also ordered Brown to meet with his probation officer within 72 hours to sort out a discrepancy in community service hours -- prosecutors say he had 121 hours left to complete as of August 15th, but Chris' attorney, Mark Geragos insists he has less than that on his tab.
Wiz Khalifa reportedly hit a woman's car and sped off.
Wiz Khalifa is suspected for causing a hit and run last week in Los Angeles, California.
According to TMZ, a woman filed a hit-and-run report after the Taylor Gang rapper reportedly crashed into her car and then sped off. The victim had been working on a music video shoot with Wiz and says that the accident happened around midnight when the set was being cleared.
Kanye West has not one, but two sex tapes being sold to the highest bidder.
Last week, Kanye West found himself at the mercy of someone who stole a sex tape off of his computer and attempted to shop it to potential outlets.
Now, TMZ reports that West has not one, but two sex tapes being sold to the highest bidder. The second tape is "nearly identical" to the first one and runs a lengthy 40 minutes. West reportedly shot the tapes several years ago with exes.
Sources say that West is unsure how the seller got the tapes, but plans to pursue them with "a legal vengeance." West's lawyer released a statement over the weekend reading the seller his or her rights. "Your posting, advertising, marketing, displaying and otherwise disseminating the stolen Screen Shot and/or other materials on the Tape constitute actionable violations of Mr. West’s rights of privacy and publicity," read the statement.
Lyor Cohen plans to move on from his role as Chairman/CEO at Warner Music Group.
Veteran record executive Lyor Cohen has announced his departure from the Chairman/CEO position at Warner Music Group that he assumed in 2004.
According to Billboard.biz, Cohen will leave the company on September 30th to "move on to his next big challenge." At WMG, Cohen oversaw Atlantic and Warner Bros. Records, as well as several other branches of the corporation.
"To all the artists and employees who live and die for the music every day, and who personally sacrifice for the good of the creative process: 'keep on keepin' on' in the tradition of a company that respects and honors the artistic community," said Cohen in a statement.
WMG CEO Stephen Cooper said, "Lyor Cohen has built something very special here. While we understand his desire to move on to his next challenge, the enduring success of our recorded music division will serve as a great testament to the progress we've made during Lyor's time at WMG. We are grateful for Lyor's contributions, and we wish him the best. I'm confident that given the strength of our talented management team in Recorded Music, we'll be able to drive further success."
Cohen got his start in artist management in the mid-1980s at Rush Communications, and became President of Def Jam in 1988.
A law firm representing Kanye West has issued a takedown notice regarding 'Ye's sex tape.
Fans and rumor mills alike have been abuzz with the recent news that a sex tape involving Kanye West was being shopped to a number of media outlets.
A lawyer for the Chicago emcee has released a statement to AllHipHop.com regarding the matter, stating that the tape was stolen.
“Be advised that the Screen Shot, as well as the Tape from which the Screen Shot was taken, were illegally obtained and believed to have been stolen from Mr. West’s computer,” wrote Kanye’s lawyer Lisa M. Buckley of Pryor Cashman.
“Your posting, advertising, marketing, displaying and otherwise disseminating the stolen Screen Shot and/or other materials on the Tape constitute actionable violations of Mr. West’s rights of privacy and publicity,” added the notice.
“We hereby demand that you: (1) immediately cease and desist from posting, advertising, marketing, displaying and disseminating the illegally obtained Screen Shot of Mr. West,” demands the notice.
As we’ve all heard, the story goes that Akon discovered Lady Gaga when she was working at as a songwriter for Interscope Records. He saw potential in her and signed her to his record label, Kovict Music.
Well, thatcstory is a lie, according to the newest reality show star to hit the scene, Tamar Braxton.
Tamar is the younger sister of singer Toni Braxton, and she is also on two hit shows on We TV, “The Braxton Family Values” and “Tamar and Vince.” The latter is her show with her husband, mega music manager Vince Herbert. Vince is currently Lady Gaga’s manager, and according to Tamar, he is the one that discovered Gaga and not Akon. Check out what she told Power 105.1′s “The Breakfast Club” below:
Why would she [Lady Gaga] mention Akon for? He’s a liar and the truth ain’t in him. What was the story he told? Because I was there when [Vince] discovered Lady Gaga and Akon was nowhere near. I’m just trying to be honest. I mean, from what I know, is that REDONE was his producer and so that’s how he got that credit. You know how people be stealing peoples publishing and stuff like that […] and that’s how that happened, but he didn’t find her on Myspace like this one [points to Vince] did. He didn’t find her on the roller-skates with the bikini top.
I’m sorry I just don’t like it when people be lying like that. Just tell the truth. He needs to sit down in all seats in Yankee stadium.
So according to Tamar, Vince found Lady Gaga on Myspace and pulled her into the limelight and super stardom. Interesting. Akon was in and featured on Gaga’s first mainstream music video, “Just Dance” – shouldn’t he get some credit for introducing her to the masses?
In a flurry of tweets, Dash proclaimed that he deserved credit for the track “To the World”, and that he also wrote the hook to Wale and Miguel’s #1 hit song, “Lotus Flower Bomb”.
Well, Meek Mill didn’t take too kindly to Roscoe Dash putting his MMG label mate on blast and came to his defense. Check out what he tweeted Roscoe Dash below:
Wow, I think Meek may be right. Artists stiff songwriters all the time now. Why else would Dash be complaining?
The new Twitter beef doesn’t end here, Roscoe Dash went on to put Meek Mill on blast for apologizing to him via a DM for calling him a “b*tch.”
This is getting weirder and weirder. Dash also introduced exhibit A and exhibit B to try to prove that he did in fact write or co-write I should say Kanye’s “To The World” and Wale’s “Lotus Flower Bomb.”
Roscoe Dash is going to get himself exiled from Hip-Hop if he keeps this up. Maybe he should first get a good lawyer to get him paid for his services and then a good publicist to get that info out for him in a more positive manner.
The bidding for Kanye West’s sex tape has started, with a popular adult website offering up to $1 million for the romp.
The Montreal, Québec-based company Sex.com said that they were fans of Kanye West since his production on Jay-Z’s albumThe Blueprint.
Representatives for Sex.com are offering a $1 million to the anonymous source who is shopping the tape. The website also said they were open to negotiate the price further.
“Kanye West is an artist, one of the world’s biggest stars, and ultimately a sex symbol which is why the curiosity of the public cannot go on,” a rep for Sex.com told AllHipHop.com. “By making a Kanye West sex-tape public, Sex.com feels that he and current girlfriend Kim Kardashian will become the first celebrity sex-tape power couple. They will be the epitome of Western tabloid culture.”
Sex.com, which is the current record-holder for the most expensive domain name ever, is hoping to host Kanye’s sexual encounter on their website, as they focus on their goal of becoming the most traffic website in the world.
Marcus Vick, the younger brother of NFL superstar Michael Vick, is wanted by Virginia cops for failing to appear in court after he allegedly pulled an Amanda Bynes ... driving on a suspended license.
A Virginia judge issued the arrest warrant for Vick on Friday when he missed his court date for the June 2011 suspended license charge.
Vick spent 10 days in the clink earlier this year for pulling the same disappearing act -- that time it was for a 2010 charge of driving on a suspended license.
Vick's attorney reportedly told the judge that Vick -- a former Virginia Tech star and NFL player -- couldn't make it to court because he's out of work and living in Atlanta.
Calls to Vick's attorney weren't immediately returned.
Mystikal is giving music one last shot -- but tells TMZ, if he fails to make another hit on his next album ... HE'S TURNING TO PORN.
This is not a joke. Mystikal tells us, he needs to make sure the money keeps coming in ... and if there's one thing he's good at, it's having filthy sex. So porn is his plan b.
Which is either crazy ... or perfect -- because Mystikal served SIX YEARS in prison for sexual battery beginning in 2004 after forcing his hairstylist to perform sex acts on him.
But Mystikal is undeterred, telling us he already has a history in porn -- winning an AVN award in 2003 for an adult movie he made (he doesn't actually have sex in it though).
We asked Mystikal who he'd want to star in his first skin flick, and the rapper said Pinky -- adding, "She's a bad bitch. I would take her down in a second."
As for whether he's got the requisite hardware to be a male porn star, Mystikal wouldn't give an exact size, but said, "I'm definitely the man, the myth, and the legend."
As one might expect from a hugely popular music star, Flo Rida's Miami mansion is secured by a $58,000 system by ADT.
However, TMZ reports that ADT is suing Flo Rida for paying the bill for the 2009 installation, which includes dozens of sensors, smoke detectors, and "at least" 27 security cameras.
ADT provided a copy of the contract, signed by Lee Prince, reportedly the rapper's manager.
Flo Rida reportedly paid the initial deposit of $19,366.66, but never paid the remaining balance. ADT seeks the remaining money and interest, totaling $47,134.40.
In response, Flo Rida claims he never authorized the work.
According to a more recent tweet by 106 & Park tonight (September 19), the show will not end, but will introduce its new hosts on October 1. The show also plans to pay tribute to hosts, Rocsi Diaz and Terrence J.
(AllHipHop News)After a 12-year stint on BET, the popular “106 & Park” show is reportedly set to end.
The announcement will likely come as a surprise to many, as the show recently launched a search for two new hosts to replace current hosts Rocsi Diaz and Terrence J.
According toHip Hop Wired, the show made the announcement on Twitter today (September 19) via a message that was later deleted.
“We sadly announce that on September 28th, 2012, we will air our last episode,” the deleted tweet stated. There is no word if the deleted tweet signals a decision to hold off on the announcement for now.
Since 2000, BET’s “106 & Park” has been a mainstay in daily urban entertainment, attracting a mostly teen to young adult audience, and helping to launch the careers of previous hosts, AJ and Free.
Chad Johnson says he's enrolled in anger management classes ... to learn how to suppress his rage so he doesn't have another violent altercation like the one with his ex-wife.
Johnson made the announcement during an interview with James Brown on "Inside the NFL" ... saying, " I'm trying to find out how can I channel my anger when I'm in situations to where I would pop off."
During the interview, which airs tonight on Showtime, Johnson says he takes full responsibility for the headbutting incident with Evelyn Lozada ... and says, "I think what I need to do is work on Chad."
Johnson has been through anger counseling before -- as we previously reported, Chad was ordered to complete a domestic violence program after battering a former GF back in 2000.
Chad also says he believes the Miami Dolphins cut him from the team solely based on the domestic incident and NOT because of his performance on the field.
"That was the reason ... there's no need to blow smoke up my ass."
We broke the story ... Johnson officially became a single man earlier today after a judge signed off on his divorce from Lozada ... a divorce he was trying like hell to prevent from happening.
Johnson says he's no longer on speaking terms with Evelyn ... explaining, "There's nothing I can say to her because she's already heard it all ... what can I say ... actions speak louder than words and this is the time for me to show action."
Diddy pays out of pocket to victims of his 1999 club shooting.
Diddy has paid $850,000 to victims who were injured in his 1999 club shooting.
According to NY Post, the Bad Boy mogul was partying at the now-shuttered Club New York with Jennifer Lopez and Shyne. The crew engaged in an argument with club patrons, prompting Shyne to open fire at the crowd and injure three innocent bystanders who later sued Diddy, Shyne and the club.
Shyne was sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence, while Diddy was acquitted of the gun charges. Over a decade later, Diddy has settled with the three injured plaintiffs, forking over $850,000 from his own pocket.
G.O.O.D. Music is slated to have a solid debut on the charts.
The first week sales project for G.O.O.D. Music's Cruel Summer has been revealed.
According to HDD, Kanye West's group project is sexpcted to sell between 170,000 and 190,000 copies, which will most likely debut at No. 2 on the charts. Pop singer P!nk, who features Eminem on her new album The Truth About Love, is expected to top the chart with 200,000 to 225,000 copies sold.
Cruel Summer has spawned a handful of singles including "Mercy," "New God Flow" and "Clique." The LP features contributions from the G.O.O.D. Music family as well as guest artists including Ghostface Killah and Raekwon.
Manny Pacquiao speaks on his business plans with 50 Cent that reportedly caused a riff between 50 and Floyd Mayweather.
Music and boxing fans alike were shocked when news broke that 50 Cent had apparently teamed up with Manny Pacquiao - rival of Fif's close friend Floyd Mayweather - to start a boxing promoting company. Now, in a recent interview with MTV, Pacquiao speaks on his relationship with the Queens emcee.
Pacquiao said that while the details on his and Fiddy's business deal aren't finalized, they are definitely looking to collaborate given their mutual interest in each others' respective careers. Pacquiao added that this deal may also help bring Mayweather and himself one step closer to their long-touted bout.
"I love music, and he likes boxing also," he said. "We're talking about that and we're discussing. We didn't finalize yet because I'm so busy right now and he's busy right now...there's a possibility to make that fight [between Pacquiao and Mayweather] happen. Maybe not this time, but some other time. Right now I'm focused on December 8."
Pacquiao's business advisor Michael Concz confirmed that the two had been working closely together on a possible marquee boxing match/mini-concert crossover. He also dispelled rumors that their deal had soured 50 and Mayweather's relationship, revealing that Mayweather was initially a part of the company.
"We've very close to it, I've been talking to 50 Cent now for over a month and a half, close to two months. It's becoming a reality, more than a possibility," he said. "I think we're going to end up doing something together before the year is out...I believe [50 and Mayweather] have a true friendship and all true friends have arguments periodically, but that's not my business. Floyd is always welcome, if we put this together...[50 and Floyd] approached us, they came to us and initially it was 50 Cent, Floyd and Manny. We don't have a problem with Floyd. Manny doesn't have any anger or resentment."
A federal judge has ordered Floyd Mayweather to pay more than $113,000 to Manny Pacquiao for skipping a series of court-ordered deposition dates in 2011, Courthouse News reported Tuesday afternoon.
The deposition dates in question are related to a defamation suit filed by Pacquiao, claiming Mayweather told journalists the Filipino fighter uses performance-enhancing drugs.
When Mayweather was supposed to sit for deposition between June and October last year, he never showed. In a demand for sanctions last year, Pacquiao told the court that Mayweather was photographed at nightclubs across the country, dancing, drinking and burning money, all while claiming that he was too busy training.
“Mayweather decided that he, not the court, would determine if and when his deposition would take place,” according to the motion. “Busy living the ‘luxurious lifestyle non-stop,’ ‘pour[ing] champagne for [his] friends,’ and keeping the company of ‘attractive women,’ Mayweather refused to be deposed. He disobeyed properly served deposition notices, filed specious ‘emergency’ motions, openly defied this court’s order directing him to appear, and serially misrepresented his whereabouts to Pacquiao and this court. Exposing Mayweather’s untruths was a massive — and expensive — undertaking.”
Super producer and artist Sean Garrett has produced 17 number one hit singles for artists including Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Janet Jackson, and Mary J. Blige, so he has to be caked up, right? Wrong!
According toTMZ, the State of Georgia filed a tax lien against Garrett earlier this year, claiming he owes $732,553.57 in back taxes for the years 2006 and 2007. Sources close to Garrett say the tax bill stems from an error made by an ex employee of Sean’s — and they claim Sean is taking steps to resolve the issue.
As if that wasn’t enough,, Garrett has somehow gone broke and allegedly owes American Express $108,084.62 in unpaid bills. The credit card company is currently suing Garrett, who owes double the amount of his credit limit.
A rep for Sean Garrett told TMZ,“The lawsuit has no merit. The charges in question are result of identity theft and fraudulent transactions that have been in dispute by Sean’s accounting team with AmEx for quite some time. He and his team are currently looking into all options including a private investigation.”
Damn, son! I hope he can get his tax and AMEX situations worked out, credit card fraud takes a long time to prove and dealing with the IRS is no walk in the park. His credit score must be in the dumps right now.
Tonight President Barack Obama is headlining Jay-Z and Beyonce’s 100-person fundraising event at the Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club near Madison Square Park in the Chelsea district of New York City.
Tickets were reportedly $40,000 per attendee as proceeds will be benefiting the Obama Victory Fund, a fundraising account of the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
In addition to another event that Obama is hosting this evening, the Obama campaign expects to raise over $5 million today in support is his re-election bid.
Both Beyonce and Jay-Z have been outspoken supporters of the Obama administration as Beyonce penned a letter to First Lady Michelle Obama earlier this summer and Jay-Z has made statements frequently in support of President Obama throughout the campaign.
Mariah Carey pulled Nicki Minaj aside yesterday and convinced her ... feuding would not be good for the show, and they both needed to stop the antics they pulled during Sunday's auditions.
"American Idol" sources tell TMZ ... Mariah and others were ticked off Sunday that Nicki arrived 45 minutes late ... and that set the tone for the whole day. Although Nigel Lythgoe is saying everything was hunky dory Sunday, we know it wasn't. Mariah talked over Nicki, criticizing her critiques, and Nicki fired right back.
But on Monday, Mariah buttonholed Nicki and the 2 agreed ... a feud wouldn't be good for the show, so they buried the hatchet and walked down the hall smiling, hand-in-hand.
But here's the thing. We're thinking a feud is exactly what "A.I." needs.
Clint Eastwood finally admitted what everyone already knew ... the GOP made a HUGE MISTAKE by hiring him to speak at the Republican National Convention -- calling Mitt Romney's people "dumb" to ask him in the first place.
Clint opened up in a recent interview with Extra's Jerry Penacoli, claiming, "If somebody’s dumb enough to ask me to go to a political convention and say something, they’re gonna have to take what they get.”
It's a pretty crazy statement ... considering Clint had previously rebuffed critics of his infamous "Invisible Obama" speech by refusing to admit the entire thing was a train wreck.
Clint insisted he was just expressing his feelings -- but now, it's pretty clear he's starting to realize the truth ... it just wasn't a good idea.
When asked if he'd do it all over again -- the 82-year-old replied, "I never look backward. It’s done and it’s done. I probably would. I wouldn’t be afraid of it."
Missy Elliott also explains that she and Timbaland have not been contacted by Aaliyah's family.
Timbaland and Missy Elliott continued their promotional run in support of the latter's new singles "9th Inning" and "Triple Threat," appearing on Power 105's The Breakfast Club earlier this morning.
Continuing their thread from yesterday's chat with Hot 97's Angie Martinez, the pair touched on the posthumous Aaliyah album in the works, which will be executive produced by Noah "40" Shebib and Drake. Contrary to reports, Timbaland said that he spoke with 40 yesterday, stating that news of the LP was blown out of proportion and that he doesn't think it's actually happening.
"Is it really real? What’s one record to say there’s an album? Some people can… I don’t know if this is a real topic. I know people… We hear people, but we know, I think it’s just fabricated. I think people blowing it out of proportion. I don’t think it’s all of that. I think something maybe occurred and I think it might have been pulled back. I think people made it more than what it is. I don’t think it’s real," he said. "I talked to 40 and that’s what I’m saying, it’s all misconstrued. I think that it was presented in a way where it wasn’t that picture. He called me like, ‘Yo, what has happened? I think we was just doing a song and it blew out of proportion.’ I was like, I don’t know, because when it comes to Baby Girl, it’s very sensitive."
Missy chimed in, stating that no one from Aaliyah's immediate family reached out to her but that she would only participate in the album out of respect to them.
"I can say this. Nobody has reached out to me. It’s not even about reaching out to me. I personally want to respect her family. If her mother or her brother or father has come and said we’re ready to do an Aaliyah album because I always say as fans - we are still fans too - as fans, we would want to hear Aaliyah but there’s a respect that has to be given and shown. Because for us, we can go on about our lives and we still mourn, but not the way this family – her mother, her brother, her father – they knew her before she was Aaliyah to the world. So until they come and say 'Missy and Tim, we are ready to do an Aaliyah album,' we just felt like we would pull back from it. But nobody reached out either. But Tim, I think someone reached out to Tim yesterday."
Pusha T explains how social media fueled his beef with Lil Wayne.
Lil Wayne and Pusha T have been sparring for a minute, throwing shots at one another in interviews, on songs and through social media. According to the G.O.O.D. Music rapper, the latter is to blame for fueling their problems.
During an interview with Hot 97’s Cipha Sounds & Rosenberg Show, Pusha Ton said that their beef isn’t any “deal.” Stating that he wasn’t feeling Wayne’s Dedication 4 (“It wasn’t that good,” he said), the Clipse rapper explained why their problems escalated.
“Man, it ain’t no deal. It really ain’t. I think a lot of people just take it a bit further. I don’t have a lot of ill will towards him,” he said. “But I write, though. When it gets those times, you gotta be scathing and say some harsh things in this Rap thing. But it ain’t no biggie.”
He also referred to the origins of their beef. Some speculated that Pusha rapped about Wayne on “Mr. Me Too” after Weezy wore BAPE on the cover of VIBE magazine, though he insists he wasn’t addressing him in particular.
“I didn’t do that then, though. Back then, it was a thing where people were talking about him and BAPE and all that stuff. BAPE ain’t mine. BAPE won’t mine, BAPE won’t ever mine. I was never saying that people were trying to be like me, but people were saying it. And this was the social media thing. They caused it and then he commented on it like it was me, and I never did.”
MAJOR GOOD NEWS for Jerry "The King" Lawler ... the wrestling legend was just released from the hospital after suffering a heart attack last week ... TMZ has learned.
The WWE just released a statement to TMZ ... saying, "Jerry 'The King' Lawler has been released from a Montreal medical facility and will be heading home in the next several days."
The statement continues, "We continue to wish Jerry all the best, and we look forward to him returning to WWE in the future.”
As we previously reported, Lawler nearly died after suffering the heart attack on live TV during a taping of "Monday Night Raw."
No word on when ... or if ... he plans to return to the announcer's booth.
Lil Wayne raps, "No Frank Ocean, I'm straight" in his recent take on Future's "Turn On the Lights."
It's been months after Frank Ocean opened up to fans about his sexuality, and it looks like the issue is still making headlines. In a new song the dropped on RapRadar yesterday, it looks like Lil Wayne spit a line about Ocean's sexual preferences.
In his remix to Future's "Turn On the Lights," Weezy F. cracks a joke about the Odd Future Wolf Gang singer's sexuality. In the line, Wayne flips the "No homo" phrase popularized by Cam'ron, rapping "No Frank Ocean, I'm straight."
"Tell her I skate/I ain't got no worries/No Frank Ocean, I'm straight," he raps.
Usher says he attempted to have the trial for his child custody case postponed following the death of stepson Kyle Glover.
R&B star Usher Raymond has remained relatively tight-lipped over the past few months when it comes to his child custody case with his ex Tameka Raymond and the tragic passing of his stepson Kyle Glover, but during an interview with Oprah Winfrey on her Next Chapter series the Atlanta singer finally opened up about the recent happenings in his life.
During his interview with Winfrey, Usher came across as visibly emotional as he began to speak on the passing of his 11-year-old stepson just weeks ago.
“I miss Kyle,” said Usher in a video posted on RapRadar.com. “And I happened to be in Los Angeles, California when I received a call from Tameka she said I need to come back, something happened with Kyle up on Lake Lanier. And I didn’t know how real it was so I reached out to Ryan, of course respectfully, to get a better understanding. And in the course he told me that there had been an accident. And I said, ‘Well I can fly Tameka back. Would you like me to do that?’ And he said ‘Yes, get her back here as soon as possible.’”
Usher revealed that despite his requests to both his ex and the judge to have the trial postponed due to the death of his stepson, the trial continued.
“You can’t imagine how hard it was,” Usher explained when asked if it was hard dealing with both Glover’s death and the custody case. “I couldn’t imagine how hard it was which was part of the reason why I asked that we not go back to court. It was a personal request that I made to the judge, a personal request I made to Tameka that in this time of grievance that she take that moment to deal and let’s deal with this later. I even had said to her in my visitation of Kyle at the hospital…and while there I said this right here is obvious evidence that it’s worth not fighting.”
MMG rapper Meek Mill just signed a management deal with Roc Nation in May, and it looks like there may already be trouble in paradise. Although Roc Nation has just scored Meek a lucrative endorsement deal with Skull Candy, the rapper blasted the management company on his Twitter account, calling them “dumb.” Check out his tweet below:
Meek’s beef with Roc Nation stems from a performance at a nightclub he was booked for in Brooklyn. We hear security was not up to par, and although Meek was in the venue, he was forced to forfeit his performance.
Instead of being upset with the club, Meek lashed out at his management company over Twitter. As you know, Roc Nation is owned and operated by Jay-Z. I wonder how he feels about Meek Mill essentially calling him a “dumb ass?”
Evander Holyfield's massive money problems continue -- TMZ has learned the boxing legend was held in contempt of court for failing to pay more than half a mil in back child support.
As TMZ first reported, the GA. Dept. of Human Services went after Holyfield because he owed $372,097.40 in support for his 18-year-old daughter, Emani Holyfield.
But according to court docs filed recently in Georgia, that amount swelled to $563,900.91. Evander was held in contempt and ordered to immediately fork over $2,950 a month to clear the debt. Holyfield got a big head start by cutting a check for $17,700 ... knocking his debt down to a cool $546,200.91.
But the payment plan is just the beginning ... the judge ordered that a percentage of Holyfield's income be earmarked to pay down the debt.
Nicki Minaj lands a reportedly lucrative deal on season 12 of American Idol.
Rumors regarding who would be the next "American Idol" judges have been swirling for months, and now a decision has been made.
Deadline reports that Nicki Minaj and country singer Keith Urban have been chosen for season 12 of American Idol.
Nicki's contract is rumored to be in the $10 million to $12 million range.
âWith an unparalleled star like Mariah, fan-favorite Randy, chart-toppers like Nicki and Keith and our incomparable host Ryan, weâve put together one of the most exciting judging panels around,â said Mike Darnell, Foxâs President of Alternative Entertainment.
âWith the exciting addition of Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj, alongside Randy Jackson, American Idolâs star power has never been so great,â added Idol creator/executive producer Simon Fuller.
Mariah Carey was added as a judge in late July. Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine is in talks to return to the show as well, but in the mentor capacity he already had.
The woman Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat in front of their children is a forgiving soul, claiming she no longer holds a grudge and wants to bury the hatchet.
Josie Harris tells us, she and Floyd are trying to put their fighting past behind them so they can raise their three kids in a stable environment.
You'll recall ... Floyd was popped back in 2010 after Josie accused him of striking her "multiple times in the head with his fist" and then threatening to kill her. Josie and Floyd's children were present.
Floyd later pled guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence and served two months in jail.
Now Josie says, "S**t happens. I'm not mad at him at all ... I love Floyd to death."
She adds, "[Floyd] loves his kids and is a great father. He would never do anything like that again ... I'm sorry the situation happened ... now we will just progress and start over and move forward together."
The woman who accused rapper Webbie of kicking her down the stairs and then swiping $340 is changing her tune ... telling TMZ the incident was overblown by the police report and the rapper caused her no harm.
The alleged victim (who wishes to remain anonymous) tells us the so-called fight Thursday at the Chase Suite Hotel -- which led to Webbie's arrest on charges of battery and robbery -- was nothing but a simple "domestic dispute taken out of context."
The woman -- who claims she and Webbie are dating, but it's "rocky" -- says the two of them got into a verbal argument, which turned physical -- but not in the way the police report said.
She says Webbie NEVER kicked her down the stairs -- instead she claims he pushed her out of his hotel room and then she "stumbled" down the stairs, but was not injured.
She also says the rapper didn't rob her ... the $340 he swiped from her purse was his money to begin with (which is what Webbie told us in the first place).
She adds, "I am not mad at Webbie. Both of us are at fault for taking the argument too far. "
TMZ broke the story ... Webbie was arrested for battery and robbery in Baton Rouge but adamantly denied the accusations.
Usher's ex-wife Tameka Raymond just lost ANOTHER round in her custody battle with the singer ... the judge shot down her request for a retrial ... but Tameka's not giving up.
As TMZ first reported, Tameka filed docs earlier this month demanding a second bite of the apple after Usher was awarded primary custody of the couple's two kids. Tameka claimed the judge is biased because she accepted campaign donations from Usher's lawyer.
But this week, the same judge rejected Tameka's motion -- claiming it's been public knowledge since 2008 that Usher's lawyer donated to her re-election campaign ... and if Tameka cared to look, she would have found out long before her custody trial.
As far as the judge is concerned ... Tameka's just a sore loser.
Sources close to Tameka tell TMZ she plans to appeal.
50 Cent says it's hard for Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo to man up when he's around, comments on enabling the group.
It’s no secret that Queens rapper 50 Cent hasn’t been on the best of terms with his fellow G-Unit members, Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks. In numerous interviews, the G-Unit front man has gone on to address the growing separation between the trio and he further commented on the falling out during an interview with Hot 97’s Angie Martinez and DJ Enuff.
50 Cent revealed that while he does occasionally see Tony Yayo during shows, the rapper tends to disappear when it comes time to start making music.
“I see Yayo all the time. He actually comes through [and does] the shows and stuff like that. He’ll pop up. We’ll do that, but away from it when we come home I be busy working on something and they supposed to be doing the music, writing the music,” 50 Cent explained.
Later in the interview, the rapper spoke on enabling the group and concluded by stating that he no longer speaks to either of the rappers.
“Now it’s like I think I’ve enabled them,” said 50 Cent. “I’ve damaged that by being so close to it that they just go. Their way of dealing with things is not dealing with it so you can have people that work for you who you work for because they’re just waiting for you to do it. Or you don’t say anything and there’s no urgency…I don’t talk to them. We’re still friends, it’s just the relationship is different. We grown...The issues came up where that they feel like it’s hard for them to be the man while I’m around.”
J. Cole reportedly takes aim at Diggy Simmons in a live freestyle.
Despite word that the two had squashed their differences this past June, it looks like J. Cole is taking aim Diggy Simmons. The Roc Nation emcee recently called out Diggy's low album sales in a freestyle live in concert.
Rapper and "HiiiPoWeR" collaborator Kendrick Lamar recently brought out Cole at the Charlotte, NC stop of BET's Music Matters Tour. Cole, who performed a number of cuts from his recent debut Cole World: The Sideline Story, took the opportunity to take a swing at Diggy over the paltry sales of his album Unexpected Arrival.
"Picture me hating on a young nigga with talent/Album flopped, but it's cool, he caked out on his allowance," rapped Cole.
The bad blood between the two originally started after Cole made lewd comments about Diggy's older sister Vanessa, with whom Cole attended college.
Pusha T responds to Drake's jab about 2 Chainz during the "Made in America" festival.
Even though fan response was overwhelmingly positive, it turns out the G.O.O.D. Music crew ran into a bit of snag while performing "Mercy" at Jay-Z's "Made in America" festival when 2 Chainz missed his cue to enter the stage. Now, in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, group member Pusha T explains the incident and responds to the insult lobbed their way by Drake.
According to Pusha, Kanye West decided to cut his verse from their performance, which led to 2 Chainz missing his entrance. Then, on the following day, Drake brought out 2 Chainz to perform their single "No Lie," prompting him to say, "Now, that's how you bring out 2 Chainz!" when 2 Chainz made his entrance on time. Pusha said that Drizzy's crack didn't faze him or any of the members of the G.O.O.D. Music team, and added that these kind of mistakes happen frequently.
"We don't give a fuck what Drake says," he said. "In regards to us, that shit doesn't matter. Like, if you want to talk about the G.O.O.D. Music today and 2 Chainz, we had a mishap, because we have a record that is performed by four different people every night of the week and everybody has different edits of it. Ye's verse – where the beat switches up and it's really chant-y – gets edited out of a lot of people's sets. Just to keep the momentum of the song going and just keeping the show clean and concise. None of us was told, but Chainz wasn't told that Ye wasn't doing his portion of the record [at Made in America]. It was a mishap, man! I mean, fuck! People have mishaps...we talked about it in the back. Chainz wasn't bitter about it. He was just like, 'I could've knocked it out. It could've been crazier had I been on time with it or had I known we were doing that edit.'"
He added, "That's what the fuck we do – we don't give a fuck. So, if that was the way you should've brought 2 Chainz out, then I'm glad Drake got to do it, and I'm glad that Chainz got the look, and I'm sure people were happy. Other than the shot thing, we don't give a fuck. We definitely ain't thinking about no shots."
The legendary rapper DMX is not one to mince his words. He tells it like it is, whether his opinion is popular or not – and I can respect that! My comrades over at AllHipHop.com caught up with the dog yesterday to chat about his new album,Undisputed, which was released on Tuesday, September 11. During the sitdown, X chatted about everything from his hatred of Drake’s voice -“he sounds like a washing machine, it’s so annoying,”– to his beef with Nicki Minaj “stealing bars.“
Check out what he told us below:
“I’m not feeling Nicki Minaj’s music whatsoever,” said DMX. “This b*tch is like Waiiiiiiooooo – that’s cheating! She’s stealing two bars with one annoying sound. It’s disrespectful to the craft, and I don’t like that sh*t.”
DMX also doesn’t like Nicki’s enhanced appearance.
“She’s got a fake *ss, and she thinks she’s a barbie. Last time I checked, Barbie didn’t have a huge inflated fake *ss. She looks ridiculous!”
Maybe I will put my true views on illseed.com, but for now, this is getting stranger and stranger. First of all 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather are no longer friends.
RELATED; 50 Cent and Floyd Are No Longer Best Friends…Frenemies?
This is weird to me, but it gets weirder. It all moved so fast. First of all, 50 Cent shut down TMT (The Money Team) Productions or whatever it was called. This prompted people to think for a sec that he was getting OUT of the game of boxing. No. he was forming a new company, according to BoxingScene.com.
An advisor for Pac Man said the following to the site:
“50 Cent and I have been talking now for maybe the last two months. They approached us with the idea to form a promotional company. Initially it was going to be 50 Cent, Manny and Floyd. But right now I don’t think Floyd is going to be a part of it. I explained the idea to Manny. We already have a promotional company, MP Promotions, and we have already done three separate promotions from Top Rank…on a small scaler. I have to take the blame for that. I’m in charge of it. There is an element missing there, but I have so much to do with Manny – that I haven’t got that company to where I want it.” “I think with 50 Cent, with his entertainment connections and his popularity there, combining that with Manny’s popularity and expertise in boxing – we can bring a new flavor to boxing – we can excite some young boxers and I think we can sign some top quality boxers. I spoke to 50 Cent tonight and confirmed that we’re going to go forward. Manny is coming here this weekend for other business, but we’re all excited about it. With 50′s influence in the music industry – we want to put a different flavor on the shows.” “On pay-per-view events maybe we won’t do four fights. Maybe we’ll do two fights and a mini-concert in-between or something. A different angle on it. People know Manny cares about other boxers and I think that’s going to be important when we go out and sign other quality boxers who may not know 50 Cent but on the other hand know Manny and know his generous character to other boxers.”
Coolio’s son Grtis Ivey, who appeared reality show “Coolio’s Rules,” has just been sentenced to prison for robbing an apartment with a friend, who happened to be a hooker.
A rep for the Clark County District Attorney’s office told TMZ.com that the 22-year-old Ivey was sentenced to 42-120 months in prison.
If the Nevada Department of Corrections finds good reason, they can hold him for up to 10 years.
Ivey was arrested on November 14, 2011 last year, for forcibly entering a Las Vegas apartment with a gun,
He then ordered the tenant into the bathroom, while his female prostitute friend ransacked the place.
Ivey agreed to plead guilty to a felony robbery charge in exchange for having the remaining charges dropped.
According to TMZ, Ivey has been in custody since his arrest and will receive credit for time served.
Chad Johnson has finally accepted the fact that his marriage to Evelyn Lozada is over ... and has filed divorce docs in which he admits the union is "irretrievably broken" ... TMZ has learned.
Johnson filed the papers yesterday in a Florida court ... in response to the docs Evelyn filed back on August 14. In his papers, Chad admits the two have a prenup that he believes should be enforced -- especially the part about who pays for the lawyers.
According to the docs, Johnson wants a judge to BLOCK Evelyn's request that Chad foot the bill for her legal fees ... citing a provision in the prenup in which the two sides agreed to pay their own way if they were to split up.
The divorce has not been finalized yet ... but at this point, it's only a matter of time ... and sources close to Evelyn tell us she's "ecstatic" and ready to move on.
Evelyn and Chad were married back in July ... but the honeymoon ended a month later, when Chad allegedly headbutted Evelyn during a heated argument over a condom receipt she found in his car.
Lupe Fiasco extends an olive branch to Chief Keef and apologizes for his comments.
The past few weeks have been dominated by news of Lupe Fiasco and Chief Keef's back-and-forth, culminating in Keef threatening to smack Lupe on Twitter. Now, in a recent video from Fake Shore Drive, it appears as if Lu has extended the olive branch to the budding Windy City rapper.
At a recent live show, Lupe Fiasco apologized to Chief Keef for his recent comments that he's afraid of "the culture that [Chief Keef] represents." He indicates that he's not in a position to judge another man, and at the end of the day, hopes Chief Keef will be successful in his career.
"I'm far from where I wanna be, I'm far from being a stand-up human being, I'm far from being a knowledgeable and wise young man as well," he said. "I'm somewhere in the middle. I ain't no saint, but with that said, I love my brother. I want to see him succeed and do his thing, and that goes for everybody anywhere everywhere in the world. Shout out to the big homie Chief Keef."
DMX still not impressed by Drake, says he'd probably beat up the Young Money artist in an elevator if it were 10 years ago.
1.It has been close to eight months since DMX last appeared on Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, but despite that lengthy time frame his opinion on Young Money rapper/singer Drake has yet to change.
During his interview with the Breakfast Club back in February of this year, DMX shared his distaste for the Canadian artist by stating that he didn’t “like anything about Drake” including “the way he walks” and “his haircut.” Fast-forward to today’s interview and it seems that not much has changed.
“No, not at all. Not at all. I don’t think that’ll happen,” said DMX when asked if he had finally been converted into a Drake fan.
The Yonkers, New York rapper became noticeably irate and revealed that Drake was being “disrespectful” when the topic of Aaliyah’s posthumous album, which is allegedly executive produced by Drake, was brought up.
“Disrespectful, like that don’t even make sense. See that’s what I’m saying, you can’t do shit like that,” DMX explained in a video posted on Real Talk NY. “I wish it was like maybe seven years ago or maybe like 10 years ago where you know, catch him in the elevator, beat him up. Just to let ‘em know. It’s real son.”
DMX also spoke on his Undisputed album which after numerous delays was finally released earlier in the week on September 11.
Webbie has been accused of robbing and kicking a woman down a flight of stairs.
It looks like rapper Webbie may have gotten himself into some legal hot water. According to a recent report from TMZ, the Louisiana rapper was recently arrested on charges of battery and robbery.
Reports indicate that Webbie allegedly kicked a woman down a flight of stairs this morning at a local Chase Suite Hotel after he was banned from the hotel premises. Following the assault, the "Independent" rapper stole $340 from the woman's pocketbook.
While details are unclear at this time, a representative for the rapper tells a different story of the events. He says that Webbie met the woman at a party last evening, but never assaulted her. He went on to say that Webbie did take the money from the victim's purse, but insists that it was originally Webbie's money that had been stolen from him.
Webbie was released from jail on $9,000 bond earlier today and plans to fight the charges.
Juvenile pled not guilty to disorderly conduct following a Miami brawl last month.
Juvenile has pled not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct following a brawl at a Miami, Florida hotel last month.
According to TMZ, Juvie, whose real name is Terius Gray, performed with Lil Wayne at LIV nightclub. Following the performance, which saw him and Weezy reuniting, he was allegedly involved in a fight that spilled out to the front of the establishment. Security said that those involved wtih the fight were "creating a threat to life and property as well as the overall safety of the patrons inside."
He was taken to prison and later released. HipHopDX will keep you updated as more information comes to light.
OVOXO and Drake affiliate, The Weeknd has announced that he has struck a deal with Universal Republic.
As part of the deal, the first release will beTrilogy, a compilation of his previous three mixtapes (House of Balloons, Thurday and Echoes of Silence).
The project will also feature new material, while the lead single will be “Wicked Games,” which is expected to hit iTunes any day.
“to clear things up, the bonus tracks are not older unreleased records. they are being made in the studio right now. new music for my fans,” The Weeknd told his fans via Twitter yesterday (September 11th).
The two white Atlanta police officers who Tyler Perry accused of being racist have been exonerated following an internal investigation by the Atlanta PD -- but it was pretty much the cops' word against Perry's.
As we previously reported, Perry accused the two cops of racially profiling him during a "hostile" traffic stop earlier this year -- when they pulled Perry over in his $110,000 Porsche for making an illegal left turn.
Perry claimed he was eventually let go without receiving a ticket -- because a black officer showed up to the scene and informed the two white officers that Perry was famous.
According to docs released by the Atlanta PD, the officers claim they couldn't see the driver behind his tinted windows, so racially profiling Perry would have been impossible.
The cops claim they believed Perry was driving a stolen car at the time -- because it matched a description of a stolen vehicle -- and that's the primary reason he was pulled over.
According to the report, there was no dashboard camera in either patrol car to back up the cops' testimony.
Following the investigation, an internal affairs officers stated, "I would submit the evidence shows the actions of both officers with the regard to the traffic stop of Mr. Perry were justified, lawful and proper."
A rep for Perry said the filmmaker is currently out of the country and cannot be reached for comment.
Jerry "The King" Lawler is making tremendous progress after suffering a heart attack earlier this week ... and is now awake, alert and responsive ... this according to Lawler's son.
TMZ spoke with Kevin Lawler ... who tells us, "[Jerry] is hooked up to tubes and is still not able to speak … but he's writing stuff on a notepad to talk to people."
"Not just brief notes, but detailed stories which show he knows where he is and what is going on.”
Kevin says the family was concerned about brain damage because Jerry wasn't breathing for several minutes after suffering the heart attack ... but doctors say so far, it appears Lawler's brain is fine.
As we previously reported, 62-year-old Lawler suffered the heart attack on live TV on Sept. 10 during a taping of "Monday Night Raw" in Montreal.
Chad Johnson has officially been charged with misdemeanor battery after allegedly headbutting his wife Evelyn Lozada during a nuclear argument last month, this according to the State Attorney for Broward County, Florida.
If convicted, Chad faces up to a year in jail.
As we reported, Chad was arrested for domestic violence in Florida on August 11th after a fight over a condom receipt allegedly turned violent. Evelyn told police Chad headbutted her.
At the time of the fight, Evelyn and Chad had barely been married a month. Evelyn has since filed for divorce, claiming their marriage had become "irretrievably broken."
Chad is refusing to sign any divorce papers, insisting he's still in love with her.
Chad was also dropped from the Miami Dolphins following his arrest. He's now a free agent.
Digital Domain, the company behind the Tupac hologram, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
When a hologram of Tupac appeared at Coachella, many wondered about the technology behind it. Now Digital Domain, the company that was part of the process, has filed for bankruptcy.
According to CNN Money, Digital Domain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after dealing with debt for a long time. If the court approves, Searchlight Capital Partners will now buy Digital Domain's production business.
Aside from their work with the Tupac hologram, Digital Domain has also worked on several films. The company was a part of films like Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers and even won an Oscar for the work they did on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
A Rock Hill, N.C., woman knew something was in her attic when she heard a thump and then saw some nails start popping out from her bedroom ceiling one night.
Tracy, a mother of five, thought it might be an animal. She sent her older sons and nephew to check it out, she told WCNC-TV in Charlotte.
She told the Charlotte Observer she thought "there was some poltergeist stuff going on."
And what they found was surprising. It wasn't an animal. It was the woman's ex-boyfriend.
He came down from the attic without any explanation and left with a smile before police could arrive, the Observer reports.
The man had been living in the attic for about two weeks, WCNC reports, noting that the ex-boyfriend was recently released from jail.
"He had packed all the old coats and jackets into the heating unit and was sleeping in the heating unit," said Tracy, who did not reveal her last name.
There were also large plastic cups containing human waste, which explain how he relieved himself in his rooftop hideaway, WCNC reported.
Tracy's nephew told the Observer the man was able to peek through an air vent in the ceiling of the woman's bedroom.
"It's got me flabbergasted," she told the newspaper. "How can you look at someone through an air vent?"
Another mystery is how the man got in and out of the attic because the only access is through the lower level of the house.
She and the man had dated for about a year more than a decade ago, she told the Observer. She had called it off after he became involved in petty crime, she said. He helped her install some doors in her house about a year ago and that was the last she saw of him—until she saw him come down from her attic.
Tracy has changed her locks, the newspaper reports. But her children are still afraid to sleep in their bedrooms.
She hopes the man is located and charged with a crime.
"I want him to be charged with it," she told the Observer. "It could be somebody else he does the same thing to, but she might not be so lucky."
Michael Clarke Duncan died from respiratory failure, weeks after going into cardiac arrest ... this according to the actor's death certificate.
According to the doc, obtained by TMZ, respiratory failure is listed as the immediate cause of death.
One of the underlying causes of Michael's death was anoxic encephalopathy (severe lack of oxygen to the brain). As we first reported, MCD's organs were severely damaged during the minutes following his initial cardiac episode on July 13th, when the actor went without oxygen for five whole minutes.
Other underlying causes include ventricular fibrillation (irregular quivering heartbeat), and acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Organ nodules (sarcoidosis) were a contributing factor to MCD's death.
Two weeks after he went into cardiac arrest, MCD also received a tracheotomy, presumably to aid in breathing.
Wrestling legend Jerry "The King" Lawler was rushed to the ER tonight after collapsing at a WWE event in Montreal, Quebec ... but is now breathing on his own.
62-year-old Lawler -- who famously battled Andy Kaufman back in the '80s -- was sitting ringside to commentate on a match when he suddenly collapsed.
An emergency response crew rushed to his side and performed CPR on Lawler.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The WWE says Lawler is now breathing on his own.
Lawler had wrestled inside the ring roughly 30 minutes before he collapsed.
President Barack Obama responds to Nicki Minaj's line on Lil Wayne's "Mercy."
On her verse on Lil Wayne's "Mercy," Nicki Minaj supposedly endorsed Mitt Romney, rapping, "I'm a Republican, voting for Mitt Romney / You lazy bitches is fuckin' up the economy." Now, President Barack Obama has responded to the line supporting his opponent, stating that his daughters Malia and Sasha don't listen to the Harajuku Barbie very often before sharing his views on the rap.
"You know, I don't think they really listen to Nicki Minaj that much. But let's face it, they are now hipper than me," he said. "There's a certain point where your kids get old enough where they're just hipper than you are, and Michelle and I, for folks of 50 or as she likes to point out close to 50, because she's not 50 yet, we try to keep up so we've got a nice Hip Hop collection on our iPods."
Asked directly about the line, the POTUS said that he wasn't sure "what's going on there" and chalks it up to her "playing different characters. "Yeah, I'm not sure that's actually what happened. I think she had a song on there, a little rap that said that. But she likes to play different characters. So I don't know what's going on there."
50 Cent says that the death of his manager Chris Lighty will not have an effect on his feelings towards Fat Joe.
50 Cent and Fat Joe recently attended Chris Lighty's funeral, putting them in the same place after years of feuding. But according to Fif, the run-in doesn't change his opinion on the Terror Squad chief.
During an interview on "The Ricky Smiley Morning Show" (via SOHH), the G-Unit leader said that Lighty's death doesn't inspire him to want to reconcile his issues with artists like Fat Joe, Rick Ross and Young Buck.
"Nah. You know what I think? A lot of times it's people who choose not to like you," he said. "Regardless, they could be across the street from you, they don't have to have a conversation or have anything to be a source of why they feel that way about you. You can't fix it in conversation with some of these people so I don't even look to resolve any of that. I just move forward without focusing on it."
After stating his comments were taken out of context, Bangladesh confirms his swipe towards Swizz Beatz.
Bangladesh stirred up some controversy last month, stating that he doesn't think that Swizz Beatz is "relevant." After Swizzy responded by calling him a clown, the "A Milli" producer said that his comments were taken out of context and that he retracted his words.
In an interview with ThisIs50.com, Bangladesh now confirms that he said the comment about Swizz but that the journalist who published the article blew up his statement without him being able to elaborate. "I said it, but the interview wasn't about that. When I said that, it wasn't about that because I didn't elaborate what I meant," he said. "So [the journalist] just took it and ran with it and made it bigger than what it actually was. It wasn't even about Swizz. I wasn't attacking another black man."
He said that he knows Swizz saw his apology on Twitter and that they're all good. "Swizz, we go way back, man. We did business already, so I already talked to the man through Twitter. I know he seen it. He ain't respond, but it's all good. It ain't nothing, man."
Nicki Minaj makes it clear that she was only joking when she spit a line on Lil Wayne's "Mercy."
Nicki Minaj encouraged speculation on her political views after seemingly endorsing Mitt Romney on Lil Wayne's "Mercy." Earlier this morning, President Barack Obama weighed in on her raps, stating that he wasn't entirely convinced she supports Romney and that she "likes to play different characters."
Finally breaking her silence on the matter, Young Money's resident rapstress took to Twitter to address the POTUS. “Ha! Thank you for understanding my creative humor & sarcasm Mr. President, the smart ones always do… *sends love & support* @BarackObama," she wrote. "Awesome! Now I can tell my grandchildren that the 1st black President of the United States took the time to address a Nicki Minaj question."
Days after Lil Jojo was gunned down, Chief Keef takes a completely opposite stance on the rapper's death.
When Lil Jojo was gunned down earlier this week, Chief Keef simply laughed in response on Twitter. According to Keef, however, the tweets were not his own.
In a new set of tweets that have since curiously been deleted, Keef lamented Jojo's passing, writing, "Man, been thinkin bout this chicago street shit a lot. My prayers go out 2 Jojo's family on their loss."
Keef then denied culpability in both the shooting and his earlier controversial tweets. "i didn't know him but he young jus like me. i can assure everyone that i had nothin 2 do with this tragedy tho. my twitter acct was hacked."
The Chicago rapper did a tweet addressing the situation:
TMZ reports that R. Kelly owes $1,379,695.11 for unpaid taxes in 2011.
It was previously reported that Kelly owed $4,848,072.71 in unpaid taxes for the years 2005-2010. The additional amount brings Kelly's total to $6,227,767.82.
A representative for Kelly says, "He takes this very seriously and is already communicating with the IRS about the payment process to quickly resolve the issue."
Gucci Mane was ordered to pay a woman a substantial sum for pushing her out of a moving car.
Gucci Mane has been ordered to pay $60,000 in punitive damages to a woman that he pushed out of a moving car in 2011.
According to TMZ, victim Diana Graham was pushed out of a moving Hummer after she refused to go to a hotel room with the Southern rapper. Gooch plead guilty to the charges and was sentenced to six months behind bars.
Graham then sued the "Lemonade" spitter for damages including mental anguish, pain and emotional distress. A Georgia judge ruled in her favor by default because Gucci failed to appear in court and gave false testimony, and signed an order allowing her to go after the rapper's material assets to settle her debt.
She was awarded $58,161.24 for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering.
A movie about Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is currently slated to star Al Pacino, according to a report by deadline.com. ICM Partners, a talent agency, will be taking a package for the movie, based on the recent biography about Paterno, next week, the website says.
Pacino’s manager, Rick Nicita, will be the movie’s producer. Pacino has experience with the gridiron, having played a football coach in “Any Given Sunday.”
The movie will feature Paterno’s rise to one of the greatest college football coaches of all time and worshipped figure at Penn State to the shame in which he was fired last year amid the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Sandusky, Paterno’s former assistant coach and a school employee, was found guilty on 45 counts of sexual abuse against young boys and is expected to spend the remainder of his life in prison. Paterno’s knowledge of Sandusky’s actions is up for debate, but the Freeh report, commissioned by Penn State’s board, fingered Paterno as part of the university’s massive coverup.
The Duke men’s basketball team’s squeaky-clean clean image has come under question and its 2010 national title could be in danger, too.
All this based on former forward Lance Thomas, a New Jersey product from St. Benedict’s Prep who played for local AAU giant New Heights, being sued for the remaining balance of a nearly $100,000 jewelry tab he made from a prestigious New York company in Dec. 2009, according to the Associated Press. The case was filed in Dallas in January, but wasn’t made public.
Thomas, a starter on the 2010 Duke championship game, reportedly made a $30,000 down payment on the purchase between he and Rafaello and Co., a New York firm known to cater to professional athletes and which promotes itself as a “deluxe” jeweler.
The question lies in whether the purchase could violate NCAA rules and endanger the Blue Devils title. The AP reported there was an agreement between Thomas and Rafaello & Co. giving him credit to pay the remaining $67,800 within 15 days.
NCAA spokesperson Stacy Osburn told the AP they are speaking with Duke about the matter. NCAA rules prohibit athletes accepting benefits that aren’t available to all students. Osburn said a violation comes down to whether "the general student body, or someone similarly situated, would be able to get the same benefit or treatment."
The company’s lawyer, Mike Bowers, said Thomas purchased a black diamond necklace, a diamond-encrusted watch, a pair of diamond studs, a diamond cross and a black diamond pendant in the shape of Jesus' head. According to the purchase order, which was signed by Thomas, he agreed to pay back at least 25 percent of the price and the rest in 15 days.
Bowers said he didn’t know how Thomas made the initial payment.
Thomas appeared in 39 games for Duke in its championship season, including the team’s 61-59 victory over Butler in the national final. He went undrafted, but played with the New Orleans Hornets last season.
Those close to Thomas were surprised to hear of the matter. One Division I assistant coach said his recruitment was as straight forward as any player he’s dealt with. He didn’t have any hangers-on and most of it went through his immediate family.
Former Rutgers coach Fred Hill, whose school finished a close second to Duke for Thomas’ services, said he “was as high character a kid” he ever recruited.
Thomas' uncle John Montgomery deferred all questions to their attorney, though he did say: "It's a bogus claim."
I’m secretly staying at a hidden spot in Harlem and I woke up this morning to hear Angela Yee giving me a rumor. Damn. Freaking Nicki Minaj and Rihanna have some kind of beef, which spawned itself at the VMAs last night.
Nicki’s pop hit “Starships” won the VMA for Best Female Video over RiRi’s other hit “We Found Love” and apparently, Rihanna got a taste of New York Nick! Yeah, RiRi went over to give Nicki a hug and she was promptly told to “sit the f**k down!” WOW!
Is this because of her tryst with Drake? Perhaps her being the center of the beef with Chris Breezy and Drizzy? Nobody knows. I do know this, both look too good to be fighting. Make love, not war.
And that’s what they used to do. Love each other. It was all good just a week or year ago.
But last night, Nicki Minaj went for the wild out moment and left the love at home in her old handbag.
A group of songwriters has filed a lawsuit against Usher, Arista Records and the producers of the hit single “Caught Up.”
Zacharia L. Edwards, Mitch Moses and Vince McLean filed the lawsuit on September 7 in United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
The songwriters claim they wrote the musical composition for “Caught Up,” which consisted of original material.
The lawsuit claims that in October 2002, the trio met with Michael Barackman, senior director of A&R at Arista Records.
They played the music Barackman, who wanted to play the song for L.A. Reid and Mark Pitts, who were looking for material for Usher’s new album.
In 2004, Usher’s albumConfessionswas released with substantial similarities to the original version, according to the complaint.
When Moses and McLean brought it to the attention of representatives of the label, they were allegedly threatened with being black balled from the music industry.
“An ordinary lay observer could listen to the two musical compositions at issue, and given the theme, melody, hook, lyrics and chorus, reasonably find that the two songs are substantially similar and that and a friend and infringement has occurred,” the lawsuit reads.
Zacharia L. Edwards, Mitch Moses and Vince McLean are suing for copyright infringement and seek an undetermined amount of damages.
Kim Kardashian and Beyonce don't hate each other's guts -- despite reports -- in fact, they're BFFs.
There was lots of speculation this week following a story in which Bey allegedly confronted Kim at Jay-Z's recent Made in America event in Philadelphia -- asking Kim to stop posing for the cameras because she was stealing Jay-Z's spotlight.
Director Ron Howard was at the event too -- and according to reports, Kim approached Ron to cast her in one of his films ... another detail that allegedly pissed off Beyonce.
But sources close to Beyonce's camp tell us, there was no confrontation whatsoever -- in fact, when Kanye performed with Jay-Z at the event ... we're told Beyonce and Kim watched their men together backstage, laughing and hugging the whole time.
As one source put it, "They love each other -- they talk fashion, family, Beyonce's baby all the time."
As for the Ron Howard thing -- we're told Kim never uttered a word to him the entire day.
Usher is firing back at his ex-wife in their bitter custody dispute -- claiming her "vile" attempts to regain custody of their children are an insult to the justice system.
As we reported, Usher emerged victorious after an arduous custody trial with his ex Tameka Raymond, in which the judge awarded Usher primary custody of the couple's two sons.
Tameka filed papers asking for a new trial -- on the grounds the judge had received campaign contributions from Usher's lawyer and was biased as a result -- but Usher says that's BS.
The singer filed his own response on Wednesday asking the court to deny Tameka's request, claiming her motion is "an assault on the integrity of the court."
According to the docs, Usher believes Tameka is delusional, claiming if she were granted a new trial, it would be grounds for a reversal of ALL trials where a lawyer had contributed to a judge’s campaign.
Usher claims the motion "constitutes a continuum of [Tameka's] vile and unsupported claims that every person who dared testify against her ... is biased and tainted."
Lil Wayne files suit against Quincy Jones III, claiming he did not approve the use of his songs in a documentary.
Lil Wayne has filed suit against Quincy Jones III for violating copyright by using his music in the 2009 documentary The Carter.
According to TMZ, Quincy used the songs "Lollipop," "Let the Beat Build," "A Mill and "Dontgetit" from Weezy's platinum album Tha Carter III without permission. He claims that Jones and QD3 producers didn't bother to ask for approval in using the tracks.
Wayne initially was on board with the documentary, allowing the cameras to follow him around. But he then sued over the film for its "scandalous portrayal" of him and was later countersued.
The Young Money captain is suing for unspecified damages and an order prohibiting producers from using his music.
Kanye West may truly be head over heels in love. Dude has reportedly bailed on the VMAs because his boo Kim won’t be able to make it, says Mail Online. Take it for its worth. But they are saying that he can’t do it alone, even though the pair have promoted the highly touted event for MTV. Kim is partaking in NY’s fashion week at Fashion’s Night Out in New York, promoting her True Reflection perfume at Lord & Taylor. Kanye was not scheduled to perform or anything and Kim wasn’t going to be doing anything anyway. Still, “Mercy” the Kanye hit song is up for
Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Editing.
Chris Lighty’s family is seeking a second opinion about the cause of death of the Hip-Hop mogul, who was laid to rest yesterday (September 5), in New York.
Stars like Russell Simmons, Sean “Diddy” Combs, LL Cool J, Missy Elliot and numerous others attended the funeral for Lighty, who ran Violator Management, and later, Primary Wave Management.
But Lighty was found dead last Wednesday (August 30), from on apparent suicide after an alleged spat with his wife in his Bronx apartment.
Baden specializes in independent opinions on deaths and even testified in the O.J. Simpson trial.
The family is still awaiting the test results, but their recent comments to the press indicate that they do not believe Chris Lighty committed suicide.
In an interview with theNew York Daily News, his ex-wife Veronica denied police accounts that there was an argument prior to Lighty’s suicide.
“My husband was too smart of a man. He was a genius. No smart man is going to leave his children for fighting with his wife,” Veronica Lighty told the Daily News “That makes absolutely no sense.
“We had a passionate relationship. We fought all the time,” Veronica said.
“This isn’t my brother. My brother was a strong person, is a strong person,” added Dave Lighty. “Nothing is adding up. I can’t get a direct answer from anybody…I understand there’s a process to be followed. I can’t even get clear answers from people I think I should be getting clear answers from.”
The Chicago Sun-Times reports local police are investigating Chief Keef and his related tweets after his reaction to the murder of fellow Chicago rapper JoJo.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, local police are investigating possible connections between Interscope rapper Chief Keef and slain fellow Chicago rapper Joseph “Lil JoJo” Coleman. Chief Keef, whose real name is Keith Cozart, sent a series of mocking tweets after Coleman was shot and killed September 4. Chief Keef later said his account was hacked, while his manager, Rovan Manuel, gave the Sun-Times what could be construed as a conflicting explanation.
“Manuel told the Sun-Times he didn’t believe the message meant ‘anything personally,’” a Sun-Times report stated. “He said Keef had a beef with JoJo only because ‘that kid made songs like Keef.’”
“A lot of the stuff Keef does, that’s just cause he’s a kid,” Manuel added. “People forget that he’s a kid, a teenager…and kids make mistakes. He makes mistakes the hard way.”
Chicago police are investigating if Coleman’s murder is related to the ongoing feud between the Gangster Disciples and Black Disciples street gangs in Chicago’s Englewood community. Other alleged members have either made threats or referenced the feud on various social media sites. Some believe the #300 hashtag Chief Keef often uses is a reference to the Black Disciples.
Through March of 2012, shootings in Chicago were up 40 percent citywide over the same period as 2011. Murders were up 66 percent. Through the end of June, shootings were up by 9 percent compared to 2011, and murders by 37 percent. One of those murders includes Southside rapper Joseph “Lil JoJo” Coleman, who was gunned down roughly a block from where Chicago R&B singer Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew were slain in 2008.
Capone was arrested for failing to pay over $160,000 in child support dating back to 2004.
Capone was arrested yesterday on charges of child-support evasion after failing to fork over $160,000 dating back to 2004.
According to NY Post, the rapper, best known as N.O.R.E.'s partner-in-rhyme in C-N-N, was released on a $10,000 personal-recognizance bond, and must pay $1,500 a month until his 12-year-old daughter turns 21. Prosecutors claim that the emcee has only made three payments in eight years, amounting to $144.
“It is what it is,” he said outside of court yesterday. “I know it looks bad on paper, but I take care of my daughter.”
Capone was arrested in his New Jersey home and his travel will now be limited to New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Cee Lo Green is preparing to make his acting debut on the small screen with a new sitcom for NBC.
As one of the judges on NBC's widely successful talent show "The Voice," Cee Lo Green is no stranger to prime time network television. Now, in a recent report from Deadline, it looks like the Goodie Mob emcee is looking to expand his role into the realm of scripted TV.
Cee Lo is in the works to star in a new multi-camera, as-of-yet untitled sitcom for NBC. Based on Green's relationship and experiences with his ex-wife and children, Green will play himself as he juggles his family life and recording career.
The sitcom is set to be penned by TV veteran Ali Leroi, co-creator of "Everybody Hates Chris" and developer of "Are We There Yet?" Green will also serve as the show's executive producer, along with Leroi and Happy Madison's Doug Robinson, Andrew Jameson and Larry Mestel.
This program isn't Cee Lo's first foray into the world of acting; the Atlanta singer/emcee recently starred in the feature film Sparkle.
Jay explained that he holds OFWGKTA in high regard, describing them as an anti-authoritarian extension of the youth culture. He continued on to praise them, saying they represent a harsh reaction to the evils of corporate America.
“[Odd Future has an] aversion to corporate America,” he explained. “People have a real aversion to what people in power did to the country. So they’re just lashing out, like: ‘This is the son that you made. Look at your son. Look at what you’ve done.’”
Jay also spoke on President Obama's tenure in office, saying that he's given inner city youths a new kind of positive role model, one that he lacked in his childhood. He continued on, reflecting on how his childhood will differ so greatly from that of his newborn daughter, Blue Ivy.
“I’ve said the election of Obama has made the hustler less relevant," he said. "People took it in a way that I was almost dismissing what I am. And I was like: no, it’s a good thing! No one came to our neighborhoods, with stand-up jobs, and showed us there’s a different way. Maybe had I seen different role models, maybe I’d [have] turned on to that.
He continued, "I actually thought about that [with Blue Ivy's birth], more before she was born...[my brother and I] would fight each other. My brother would beat me up. I was going to have to fight, I was going to have to go through some things, and they were preparing me. She doesn’t have to be tough. She has to love herself, she has to know who she is, she has to be respectful, and be a moral person.”
Hunter Hearst Helmsley has done the unthinkable ... HE CHOPPED OFF HIS FLOWING GOLDEN LOCKS!!!
TMZ obtained photos of a shorn Triple H posing for pics with fans outside Titan Tower in Connecticut earlier today ... barely recognizable without his signature mane.
Triple H had rocked the long hair ever since he debuted in the WWE in 1995 ... it's unclear when he decided to hack it off.
But ... HHH has been contemplating hanging up his tights ever since he lost to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam ... and now the new 'do could be a sign that he's decided to leave the ring for good and commit to his corporate job with the WWE.
Dre holds the top spot on this year's list with $110 million in pretax earnings thanks to the lucrative sale of his Beats By Dr. Dre headphones to handset maker HTC, which paid $300 million for a 51 percent stake in the company last year.
Diddy scores second place with $45 million in earnings due to profits from Diageo's Ciroc vodka, while Jay-Z ranks at number three with $38 million thanks to investments in Carol's Daughter and the Brooklyn Nets.
Kanye West places at number four with $35 million, while Lil Wayne lodges at number five with $27 million. Drake and Nicki Minaj place at number six and eight with $20.5 million and $15.5 million, respectively.
1. Dr. Dre: $110 million
2. Diddy: $45 million
3. Jay-Z: $38 million
4. Kanye West: $35 milliom
5. Lil Wayne: $27 million
6 Drake: $20.5 milliom
7. Birdman: $20 million
8. Nicki Mianj: $15.5 million
9. Eminem: $15 millionv10. Ludacris: $12 million
11. Pitbull: $9.5 million
12. Rick Ross: $9 million (tie)
13. Wiz Khalifa: $9 million (tie)
14. Snoop Dogg: $8 million
15. 50 Cent: $7.5 million
16. Swizz Beatz: $7 million (tie)
17. Pharrell: $7 million (tie)
18. Young Jeezy: $7 million (tie)
19. Mac Miller: $6.5 million (tie)
20. Akon, Timbaland & Tech N9ne (tie): $6 million (tie)
Chief Keef seemingly laughs at the death of a rival rapper.
Following the death of fellow rapper Lil JoJo, Chief Keef took to Twitter to comment on his passing.
Sixteen-year-old JoJo died from gunshot wounds late last night, and had been involved in a rivalry with Keef associate Lil Reese.
After news broke that JoJo had been murdered, Keef tweeted about the incident, apparently laughing at the news.
“HahahahahhahahahahahahahaahhAAHAHAHAHA #RichNiggaShit,” he wrote. “Its Sad Cuz Dat Nigga Jojo Wanted To Be Jus Like Us #LMAO.”
Fellow Chicagoan Lupe Fiasco commented last week that he was scared of the culture that Keef represents. “Chief Keef scares me. Not him specifically, but just the culture that he represents,” he said. “Specifically in Chicago. And I don’t speak this about any other city because I’m not from there. But like my family lives in Chicago. So my nephews, my cousins, my friends, and my peoples they all in those hoods that he represents. When you drive through Chicago…The hoodlums, the gangsters, and the ones you see killing each other. And the murder rate in Chicago is skyrocketing and you see who’s doing it and perpetrating it, they all look like Chief Keef.”
Lupe Fiasco continues and claims that a "broken heart" will likely make this upcoming album his last.
Chicago, Illinois rapper Chief Keef has continued a strong day in the headlines. Earlier the rapper was believed to have laughed at the death of a Rap rival, Lil JoJo via Twitter. The Interscope Records artist tweeted this evening (September 5) that he will "smack" fellow Windy City artist, Lupe Fiasco. Keef also referred to Lu as "a hoe ass nigga" and "lil bitch."
Lupe fiasco a hoe ass nigga And wen I see him I'ma smack him like da lil bitch he is #300
These comments come after last week, when Lupe, a veteran star rapper signed to Atlantic Records, publicly criticized the youth movement in Chicago, and included Chief Keef by name. In an interview with Baltimore, Maryland radio station 92Q, Lupe said, "Chief Keef scares me. Not him specifically, but just the culture that he represents,” said Lupe in a video posted on FakeShoreDrive.com. “Specifically in Chicago. And I don’t speak this about any other city because I’m not from there. But like my family lives in Chicago. So my nephews, my cousins, my friends, and my peoples they all in those hoods that he represents. When you drive through Chicago…The hoodlums, the gangsters, and the ones you see killing each other. And the murder rate in Chicago is skyrocketing and you see who’s doing it and perpetrating it, they all look like Chief Keef.”
As of 6:20 pm, Lupe Fiasco has yet to respond on Twitter to Chief Keef's remarks.
UPDATE: Lupe Fiasco has tweeted what is believed to be a response to Chief Keef.
The 1st & 15th Records vet included in a series of tweets, "I have spoken peace only to receive vitriol and malice in return. My brother seeks destruction my sister seeks attention paths to nothingness."
i'd die for them...but they'd probably spit on my grave...i still will die for them...just bury me in a place far from their reach...Amin
This comes after Lupe reached out to Chief Keef on the social media platform previously, an exchange that Keef tonight retweeted to his followers.
UPDATE #2: Lupe Fiasco continued on Twitter this evening (September 5), now alluding to his Rap retirement following his upcoming album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album. Lu tweeted, "my heart is broken and i see no comfort further along this path only more pain. I cannot participate any longer in this."
He mentioned literature as his potential next career. Previously, Lupe Fiasco has considered retiring from making albums. In early 2008, less than two years after the release of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, Lupe told HipHopDX about his plans to prematurely exit the industry.
The Hip-Hop community is still reeling over the loss of one of it’s business architects, Chris Lighty. Many in the industry are in disbelief, but none more than his immediate family and close brother, Dave Lighty. In a recent telephone interview with Fox 5′s Lisa Evers, Dave expresses his doubt about what really happened that morning at Chris Lighty’s Bronx, NY home.
“I’m surprised, shocked, and lost at this moment. I want the truth to come out. This isn’t my brother. My brother was a strong person, is a strong person. Nothing is adding up. I can’t get a direct answer from anybody…I understand there’s a process to be followed. I can’t even get clear answers from people I think I should be getting clear answers from.”
Dave Lighty goes on to say that money issues could not have been what drove his brother to take his own life.
“Everyone’s like ‘that’s not the Chris I know’ in no way, shape, or form. Things were popping. Primary wave was the biggest management company in America, what else could be going wrong. Yeah, we’re in a bad economy, that’s everywhere. Nah. Not this. We’ve been in way worse situations than this. I just want to know what really happened to my brother. If he did take his own life, alright, I just wish he could have reached out and spoken to us. We were all here for him. I just want the truth. The truth.”
You can listen to Dave Lighty’s interview below:
In related news, initial reports have said that Chris Lighty was arguing with his wife Veronica before he committed suicide. Veronica’s close friendNorman Downes,disputes that Chris or Veronica were in an argument before his suicide. Norman told the NY Daily News:
“He was in a lot of pain and he possibly had some financial difficulties…But they didn’t get into a fight that day. The only person that really knows is Chris, and he ain’t here.”
There are so many conflicting reports. I have to wonder if the truth surrounding Chris Lighty’s death will ever come to light. In a recent interview withMTV News, Lighty’s business partner, Michael “Blue” Williams, reveals his opinion that debt was not the root of Lighty’s problems:
“Chris’ debt is probably less important than the pressure that he was under. What people are missing and what people don’t see and what Chris is an example of is how much, as black men, we carry around and don’t always communicate….Some people will hear you’re in $2 million of debt and be like, ‘Aww he could’ve got out of that’. Other people will be like, ‘He’s been in debt before and then dug himself out,’ because managers get in debt sometimes and you got to dig yourself out when your artist gets hot.”
Williams continued:
“I know exactly what he was feeling when it comes to pressure and debt, trying to keep your company afloat and doing what you got to do, while also maintaining a certain perception out there. It was a combination of both, talking to him, my own experiences; I’m not just grabbing it out of the air.”
Williams isn’t sure if the rumored fight between Chris and Veronica took him off the edge, but did comment:
“No one can fight in the streets all day and then go home and fight all night, no matter what you do for a living, not just being specific to [Chris].”
The Lighty family has not released any funeral arrangements as of yet. R.I.P. Chris Lighty.
It seems as if the bad blood between Beyonce and Kim Kardashian that spilled its way onto our TV screens during the 2012 BET Awards, has reared its ugly head again at Jay-Z’s “Made In America” festival in Philadelphia over the weekend. According to aNY Daily Newssource, “Kim and Beyonce barely spoke to each other.” Adding, “They were on opposite sides of the stage. Beyonce didn’t even acknowledge [Kardashian] was there until the concert was almost over.
Eventually, the women “made small talk in the dressing room, but you could tell Kim was uncomfortable. She clung onto Kanye the entire time and didn’t say much,” according to a second source. So much for that friendship.
Instead, Beyonce was spotted running around the festival with ROC Nation artist Rita Ora. Ora was rumored to be dating Kim’s brother Rob Kardashian and the two even allegedly got eachothers names tattooed on their knuckles. – although the tatts look very fake! Check out the picture they both tweeted below:
Another rumor accuses Bey of being upset with Kim for tweeting that her brother, “needs a good woman.” An alleged diss towards Rita Ora. Either way, Rita is not much of an upgrade Beyonce. Where are B’s real friends?
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon seem to have a strong relationship, even more so after the birth of their twins, daughter, Monroe, and son, Roc. Unfortunately, there are rumors circulating about the strength of their marriage, and there seems to be trouble in paradise.
According to theNational Enquirer, Nick Cannon is extremely jealous about his wife’s relationship with singer Lenny Kravitz, and things came to a head when Mariah posted a photo of her and Lenny on her Twitter page. Along with the photo, Mariah urged her fans to reach out to the producers of “Idol” to get Lenny hired.
Mariah told Nick to relax because Lenny probably wouldn’t even consider doing the show,” said the source. But Nick told her,”That’s not the point! I know how you feel about him!”
Another source has confirmed that Mariah and Lenny have had a crush on each other for a few years, but would never act on their emotions. Nick Cannon is allegedly not taking any chances, and has allegedly ordered his wife to stay away form Lenny. Mariah is a true diva. Do you think she will respect Nick’s wishes?
Griselda Blanco a.k.a. “The Godmother” was gunned down earlier today (September 3) in Medellin, Colombia.
The former drug kingpin was one of the biggest importers of cocaine into the United States in the 1970s and 1980s.
Griselda Blanco was attributed to thousands of murders during the drug wars in Miami in the 1980′s, which were the subject of the critically acclaimed documentary “Cocaine Cowboys.”
According to local reports, assassins on motorcycles unleashed a hail of bullets as Blanco left a butcher shop in the city.
Blanco, 69, was deported to Colombia after spending almost 20 years in prison in the United States, according to theMiami Herald.
Griselda Blanco served the prison time for three murders and drug trafficking.
During her time in prison, three of her four sons were murdered.
The fourth, Michael Corleone Jr. started a Hip-Hop label in Miami.
“My mother always took care of the boys and from there me and my brothers were the head honchos of the family and we told everyone else what it was,” Michael Corleone told AllHipHop.com in 2008. “It was a good upbringing. Christmas came around and I got my first Porsche at six years old.”
Several Hip-Hop artists co-opted The Godmother’s name and fearsome image, including rappers Lil’ Kim and Jacki-O, who beefed over the moniker.
“We started Hip-Hop in Colombia in the mid 80Âs and early 90Âs,” Corleone said. “We are the fathers of Hip-Hop [in Columbia].”
Terrence J, former host of BET’s hit show “106 & Park,” has landed another high-profile hosting job.
Terrence J has been announced as the permanent anchor of “E! News,” along with Giuliana Rancic, who has hosted since 2005.
Terrence will replace former host Ryan Seacrest, who left the show earlier this year.
“I’ve always had a passion for the wide spectrum of pop culture that ‘E! News’ covers so well,” Terrence J said in a statement. “I’ve had a great career so far, and it’s all been building towards this.
In May, Terrence J and Rocsi Diaz announced they were leaving the show to pursue other opportunities in the entertainment business.
Terrence J can be currently seen in the hit movie “Sparkle,” which is in theaters now.
Nicki Minaj has raised the ire of seemingly radical Democrats on Twitter with a rap line that implies she will be supporting Mitt Romney in the upcoming presidential election.
“I’m a Republican voting for Mitt Romney / You lazy b***hes is f-ing up the economy,” Minaj raps on Lil Wayne’s new mixtapeDedication 4.
The move, whether or not she means it, has caused a seemingly endless flow of insults to the rapper.
Minaj has not commented on the matter, via Twitter or otherwise.
Here are some of the tweets, courtesy of Weasel Zippers:
Chad Johnson desperately wants to let Evelyn Lozada know he still cares about her ... so he went out and got an image of her FACE tattooed on his right leg with the name "Eve" underneath it.
Johnson posted the photo on his Twitter page today ... the image is his new profile pic featured at the top of his page. It's unclear if the tat is real ... or of the temporary variety. Sources tell us Chad got the work done this past weekend.
Either way, Chad may not be getting his money's worth from the ink -- sources close to Evelyn say she still feels strongly about divorcing Johnson ... and she's made it clear to friends she will NOT be getting back together with the former NFL star.
As we previously reported, Evelyn filed for divorce last month ... three days after Chad allegedly headbutted her during a heated argument.
Chad was arrested for domestic violence over the incident -- but officials are still deciding whether or not charges will be filed against him.
T.I. joins Kelsey Grammer in the cast for the political drama.
T.I. is expanding his acting resume with the announcement of his joining Starz's political drama Boss.
According to VIBE.com, Tip will join the cast for the show's second season. Based on the first season, star Kelsey Grammer garnered a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama for playing Tom Kane, a Chicago mayor who is diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disorder.
In the show, the self-proclaimed "King of the South" will play a "former gangbanger with designs on a career in City Hall. He is the cousin that Darius (played by singer-songwriter Rotimi) turns to when struggling with his love for Emma (Hannah Ware), Mayor Tom Kane's daughter, and he is the conduit between a local Alderman and the gang that is powerful enough to function as a grassroots organization in the projects."
Ludacris' imprint and Def Jam have been hit with a lawsuit over the use of Playaz Circle's name and logo.
Even though 2 Chainz has been finding greater success as a solo artist than as a part of the duo Playaz Circle, that doesn't mean the Disturbing Tha Peace duo doesn't still make headlines. Now, in a recent report from AllHipHop, it looks like Ludacris' label and Island Def Jam Music Group have been hit with a lawsuit over the illegal use of the group's name and logo.
Music consultant Torrey Cook served DTP and Def Jam with a civil lawsuit over the use of Playaz Circle's logo and trademark, which Cook owns. The lawsuit claims that Def Jam and Luda's imprint profited off of three compilations featuring the Atlanta duo and failed to properly compensate Cook for his ownership of the group's trademark.
Additionally, Cook claims that he informed both members of Playaz Circle - 2 Chainz and Dolla Boy - of his legal status as owner of Playaz CIrcle's trademark. He says that he had been working out a deal with Def Jam and DTP, but that representatives from both companies failed to respond to his queries as the deal entered its final stages.
“Mr. Cook made it very clear to all involved, at every juncture, that the name Playaz Circle was trademarked and that it belonged exclusively to him,” the suit reads. “Further Mr. Epps [Ed. note: 2 Chainz] and Mr. Conyers [Ed. note: Dolla Boy]confirmed that they understood that the [trade]mark belonged to Mr. Cook.”
Neither 2 Chainz nor Dolla Boy have been named in the suit, which appears in full at AllHipHop. DX will keep you updated as more information comes to light.
First of all, can we address the rumor that there is going to be aScarfaceremake on the way! According to theHollywood Reporter,Universal is looking to remake the movie, but it won’t be an exact replica of the 1983 cult classic version featuring Al Pacino.
The newScarfaceis going to be similar in that it’s going to be a “crime tale,” but it will be set in 2012, and the characters will be different. It’s going to be a dark look at the American Dream, if that dream is to be a high-powered drug dealer.
Now, let’s get to the second part of this rumor – Rihanna. According toThe Sun, the Bajan singe is obsessed with the character of Elvira Hancock, the hard-partying girlfriend of Al Pacino, originally played by Michelle Pfeiffer.
A source said: “Rihanna loves Scarface. Some of her music videos have been based on Michelle’s character, Elvira. “She knows all the words and even has her walk perfected.”
Are you excited about a new Scarface based in 2012? Is Rihanna a good fit as Elvira?
Sidenote – Did you know that theScarfacefeaturing Al Pacino was actually a remake? According toScreen Rant, the firstScarfacewas released in 1932 and was set in Chicago. The movie featured bootlegging, Italians, and Irish mobsters, which is totally different from the 1983 version, which was set in Latin-loving Miami where cocaine was the vice of choice.
50 Cent goes after his former business partner for his wireless headphones, "Sleek by 50."
50 Cent has sued Sleek Audio LLC over an unpaid $285,000 promissory note that he lent to the company in 2010, according to The Miami Herald.
Fif initially partnered with Sleek for his “Sleek by 50” wireless headphones and terminated his partnership with the company in May. He claims that Sleek Audio agreed to make payments on the loan once it reached $750,000 in revenue, an amount that was apparently met in February 2011. After 50 partnered with SMS Audio, Sleek claimed that the initial loan was nullified since he took the idea to a competitor, and “purposely omitted and misstated information during their negotiations with intent of fraud,” according to the suit.
“Sleek would have never borrowed money from [Curtis] Jackson or allowed him to invest in its company had it known that Jackson would ultimately use this tactic (of misusing the money) to steal its design, technology and headphones," said the company in an un-sworn court statement.
50 tried to recoup the money in March 2011 but the company “essentially refused” by making itself unavailable to meet.
In addition to asking for his advance money returned, he is demanding $61,429 in back interest as well as an additional 15 percent for any unpaid debt moving forward. He also requests that Sleek Audio cover any legal fees connected to this issue.
But ... HHH has been contemplating hanging up his tights ever since he lost to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam ... and now the new 'do could be a sign that he's decided to leave the ring for good and commit to his corporate job with the WWE.
Chad Johnson desperately wants to let Evelyn Lozada know he still cares about her ... so he went out and got an image of her FACE tattooed on his right leg with the name "Eve" underneath it.
