No rest for the weary lawyers of Lil Wayne, it seems they just keep getting a new assignment every once in a while… just to keep the spice in their lives. This time, a man by the name of Thomas Marasciullo is suing Lil Wayne and Birdman because he claims they have used some recordings of his voice dating back to 2006 on their albums. What’s more interesting is that Thomas Marasciullo recently lost his job as a recording engineer with Cash Money Records whom he is also suing for the infringement. Well, when the well runs dry, suck the marrow from the rappers… Lil Wayne is probably going to get it all back eventually and as for Birdman… they probably have each other’s backs.
The rapper was asked to perform at a charity event in Colorado Springs recently. Apparently, he was 90 minutes late and when he arrived the guards refused to let him it. DMX, being the wise and noble man that he is, eventually picked a fight with them and the charity participants rooted for him. Moreover, DMX actually won and did get in, but wasn’t able to dazzle anyone with his musical abilities since all of the equipment was turned off, so he was simply asked to leave. Man, this dude must be trying to get around to be as famous as Kanye West for these incidents! He definitely started out right, all he has to do now is crash the MTV Europe Music Awards and he’s in business. Kanye West might have actually started a new trend with this crashing of events.
Tionne Watkins, aka T-Boz from TLC, revealed to People magazine that she has secretly battled a brain tumor for 3 years. Back in 2006, the singer underwent a 7 hour surgery where the doctor peeled the tumour from the brain stem by making a cut behind her ear. When asked why the hip hop star decided to keep it a secret even while she participated on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ she said “I didn’t want pity – I was there to help sick children. I’m still here. It will take way more to stop me.” I’m amazed at the spirit that she has inside her.
The rapper had a nasty experience at the MTV Movie Awards last night when Sacha Baron Cohen descended from the roof of the Gibson Amphiteatre, dressed as his gay alter-ego Bruno, and grabbed Eminem’s head with his legs and said “Is the real Slim Shady about to stand up?” The rapper was supposedly very upset by the whole thing and stormed out of the ceremony. It seems that the real Slim Shady did stand up. Eminem is back to his old, obnoxious self! A bottle of champagne is required under such circumstances. No more hippy logic, no more anti-gun statements, now it’s on!
Russell Simmons has been appointed be to a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador in New York City last week. The hip hop impresario’s duties will include raising awareness of global slavery. A trust fund has already been launched to construct a Permanent Memorial honoring the victims of slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Russell commented on his new duties saying “My commitment in life is to be of service to the empowerment of young people living in struggle, who undoubtedly have been effected by this legacy. I look to the future with inspiration and faith as we work every day to bring freedom and equality to all young people around the world.”
Hip hop power couple Kelis and Nas are going through a divorce. The saddest part of this story is that Kelis is actually seven months pregnant. The couple met at a 2002 MTV VMA’s after party which was thrown by Diddy. They then tied the knot in 2003. Reps for Kelis have confirmed the split, stating “I can confirm that she has filed for divorce… We request the media to respect her privacy during this very difficult time.” The singer is asking for both spousal and child support from the rapper. I wonder what brought this on. They’ve been pretty quiet up until now.
Ciara is taking the one two steps to have Vibe magazine meet her in court because, according to her, t he shady publication airbrushed all the clothes off of her in a recent cover photo. The R&B/hip hop singer appears to be naked on the cover of the magazine’s October issue but sources are saying that she did not pose due and that she’s suing Vibe for making it as such. If Ciara’s claims are true, Vibe should really be ashamed. They’re really stupid if they think that the singer or her management isn’t going to notice the big difference especially if Ciara never agreed to posing nude in the first place.
Reports that said that 50 Cent was uninterested in speaking with officials about the fire that engulfed his home turned out to be a little on the inaccurate side. The rapper’s reps issued a statement last week about the reports saying “50 and his attorneys met yesterday (Wednesday) with Suffolk County authorities regarding the fire that destroyed 50’s house. The meeting had been arranged weeks ago. 50 is eager to review the findings of the investigation, when it is concluded.” I’m eager to find out what’s up with the investigation too. Maybe then the drama around 50 can stop and I can stop writing about his crazy baby mama.
Hip hop is one rich industry. According to Forbes, in the last year alone, Jay-Z released a platinum album and signed a $150 million deal with Live Nation for a 10-year contract. But that pales in comparison to 50 Cent who, after taxes, took in over $100 million when his stake in the high-calorie Vitamin Water was bought by Coca-Cola. In total, 50 raked in over $150 million in just 12 months – double what Jay-Z made last year. So 50 comes in first on the list of richest hip hop artists for 2008. Jay-Z comes in second. Diddy comes in third for the second year in a row after raking in $35 million from all his revenue streams. Kanye West came in fourth with $30 million.
Akon was due in court last week to face criminal charges which stem from an incident last year when a crazed Akon threw a 15-year old fan off stage at the 2007 KFEST concert in June. However, the hip hop artist did not show for his court date which left the judge to order him to appear in court on September 3rd for a possible deposition. If no deposition is needed, then Akon’s case will be put on the trial calendar. Akon was last in court in December 200 when he pleaded not guilty to the charges of second degree harassment and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Diddy is no longer going to be the only hip hop mogul with his own line of drinks. Diddy may have his Ciroc vodka but Dr. Dre is about to catch up to him. Drinks America Holdings Ltd. is partnering up with Dre to produce his own line of liquor. The company has done the same with the likes of Willie Nelson’s Old Whiskey River Bourbon and Trump Super Premium Vodka. Dr. Dre is coming out with 2 items, Aftermath Cognac will be released first which will then be followed by a line of 80-proof flavored and unflavored sparkling vodka. Now that is something that will seriously knock your block off. It’s being said that his liquors will be hitting the shelves in the next 60 days.
Usher has re-hired his mother just over a year after he fired her. The ‘Love In This Club’ singer – who ditched his manager mom Jonetta Patton in May 2007 – has now employed her for a second time in a bid to kickstart the success of his latest record ‘Here I Stand’.
The pair released a statement saying: “Usher has dissolved his management arrangement with Benny Medina and has re-engaged Jonetta Patton as his manager.”
Usher’s decision to get rid of Jonetta last year was reportedly due to a rift between Jonetta and Usher’s wife Tameka Foster.
At the time, Usher said: “This is great for me because it means I now get to have my mother strictly as my mother, with no added pressure.”
However, executives at Usher’s label, Jive Records, were said to be concerned about Jonetta’s sacking. A source said: “They think Jonetta’s done an incredible job with his career.”
‘Here I Stand’ sold just 433,000 copies in its first week, compared to Usher’s 2004 album ‘Confessions’ which sold 1.1 million.
The divas of hip hop are reuniting as reports say that Jay-Z is set to work with both Kanye West and Timbaland on sessions for his new album. And here you thought he was retiring already. Early reports say that Jay-Z’s new stuff was going to be produced solely by Timbo but the hip hop star has revealed that the sessions are more of a musical competition between his peers. Jay says “I’m a person that works off music. If Timbaland makes 10 great tracks then he produces the album, if Kanye West makes 10 great tracks then he produces the album; if he makes three, I’ll take three. I let the music dictate the direction. You know I love Timbaland, he is like a brother to me, but until the music is done it’s premature.”
Akon is still guaranteed to be a free man, at least for a month more. The criminal case against the hip hop artist has been adjourned until next month, on August 6th. The case is from an incident last year when Akon threw a 15-year old fan offstage at the 2007 KFEST concert in June. In December 2007, Akon plead not guilty to charges of second degree harassment and endangering the welfare of a minor. The boy’s mother, Patricia Smith, attended the case hearing this week and said that it was pretty typical. She says “People can just hang in there long enough until the case goes in their favor.” If he gets convicted, the singer can face up to a year and 15 days in the pokey.
Who knew that the Democrats were so cool? It has been revealed that Kanye West, NERD and Wyclef Jean will be performing at the Democratic National Convention in Denver next month. Hollywood Democrats who plan to attend the convention include the likes of Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Forrest Whitaker, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cheryl Hines and Ed Norton, who’s been shooting a documentary about Barack Obama’s race to the White House. That’s definitely one star-studded occasion. I wonder how the Republicans are going to compete with that. Maybe they can have Heidi Montag perform and have Spencer Pratt be the musical director for John McCain.
Jay-Z and Beyonce could be teaming up for a duet this summer.
The married couple are rumored to appear on stage together at the O2 Wireless Festival in London, just one week after the rapper controversially headlines Glastonbury. A source said: “Jay-Z is planning a spectacle to end of spectacles. He knows all eyes will be on him when he headlines Glastonbury but he’s actually planning on whipping up something special for Wireless too. He’s been talking to Beyonce about getting her on stage.’
The hip-hop star, who teamed up with Beyonce for her worldwide smash hit ‘Crazy In Love’ and ’03 Bonnie and Clyde’, is also planning to fly in a huge string section and orchestra for the Hyde Park concert.
Since being announced as a Glastonbury headliner, Jay-Z has been criticized by rock royalty, including Oasis star Noel Gallagher, who insists a hip-hop act should not top the bill at the event.
We have been duped by marketing once again kiddies! The Smoking Gun has unearthed police, court and corrections records that prove that multi-platinum selling musician Akon has been blowing a lot of smoke up our butts. There has been no conviction and he wasn’t locked up between 1999 and 2002. They say that Akon “’created a fictionalized back story that serves as the narrative anchor for his recorded tales of isolation, violence, woe, and regret. Akon has overdubbed his biography with the kind of grit and menace that he apparently believes music consumers desire from their hip-hop stars.” The Smoking Gun also expresses shock that the media failed to look into Akon’s claim before he got huge.
Well those are two names that you never thought you’d hear together in the same sentence. But it seems that it’s not at all impossible. Retired rapper Eminem has reportedly been approached to play Nelson Mandela’s upcoming 90th birthday party. I never knew Nelson was a hip hop fan. Reports are also saying that it’s a done deal but the rapper’s camp is saying they haven’t accepted the invite just yet. Let’s hope that there won’t be any talk about street cred. Em’s been arrested. Nelson spent 27 years in jail. Em clearly loses. But then again, he can issue a rap battle challenge and then all hell will break loose!
Jay-Z has retired from hip hop and came out of retirement about three times already. He’s also just retired from the record exec racket a few months ago. But as his track record goes, he’s coming out of retirement from that too.
Rush & Molloy report that the rap mogul could be on his way back to starting his own label again. This time, with a guy who used to be his rival. He and Lyor Cohen of Warner Music are in talks about putting together the Carter Music Group which is a reference to Jay-Z’s real name of Shawn Carter.
Ne-Yo recently had an interview with Essence magazine where he talked about his mom and a couple of issues and rumors about him. He started talking about his mom and made a great segue into the gay rumors about him saying “Yeah, my mom is my dawg. When she heard the rumors that I was gay she was like, ‘Who do I have to pay a visit? Who’s ass do I have to kick?’” It looks like Ne-Yo has a bad ass mom. Cool! No one’s going to call him gay anytime soon. They’re just going to start calling him mama’s boy.
