Real Music People

Faith Evans was recently sentenced to 36 months of probation after copping a plea in her DUI case. The R&B singer, who was busted in LA back in August, was facing 2 counts of DUI but managed to work out a deal with prosecutors in which she agreed to plead no contest to a lesser charge of reckless driving instead. Apart from the probation, Faith also has to pay $300 in fines, complete a 3-month alcohol program and must not drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in her system. She definitely dodged a bullet with that one. Now it’s all up to her to stay on the straight and narrow.

Notorious BIG’s wrongful death suit has finally been dismissed and we can finally let the rapper rest in peace. It’s been 13 years since BIG was shot dead in Los Angeles at the age of 24. While his murder has never been solved, his mother Voletta Wallace filed a lawsuit against LA city officials and the LAPD in 2002, blaming them for her son’s death. She won the case in 2006 and was awarded $1.1 million by US District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper. However, the ruling was overturned when it was revealed that the Wallace family had withheld info from the court. After several hearings, federal court Judge Jacqueline Nguyen dismissed the lawsuit last week.

For the first time since 1995, Coolio is a wanted man once again. It has been reported that a $10,000 bench warrant was issued for the washed up rapper’s arrest after Coolio failed to show up to court in Los Angeles for a progress report hearing. Court documents show that his lawyer tried to get in touch with the rapper to find out why he was a no show but couldn’t get a hold of him by the deadline. Coolio has been on probation since last year after pleading guilty to possession of a controlled substance, specifically crack cocaine at LAX.

Sri Lankan rapper MIA is set to release her third album and it could be out as early as June. The musician is also set to perform at various music festivals all over the world, including Los Angeles, New York City and London. I can’t wait to hear some new music from her! Her last album was absolutely fantastic and I’m hoping that she kept elements of that as well as give us something new. I wonder if she’s going to tour for this album too. She’s an amazing performer to see live so I’m really hoping for it to happen.

Last weekend, Lady Sovereign was being a drunk mess and bailed on a performance in Seattle after only one song. When she headed to San Francisco, the British rapper didn’t fair any better. The train wreck came out to a packed crowd and immediately started throwing a fit about sound quality – the same reason she gave when she bailed in Seattle. She then began to insult the venue and stormed off after only 3 songs. At least that’s more than what Seattle got. I bet everything I have that she was wasted for that show again. I’m pretty sure that her show in Los Angeles which happened earlier this week was a similar case.

Slain rapper Dolla may have been caught in an earlier dispute with the events promoter who was arrested for his suspected murder, according to a US report.

The dispute, or altercation, was thought to have happened at a strip club that is popular with the hip-hop crowd. Police did not make the location of the incident available.

But the Los Angeles Times said it interviewed an employee of Platinum 21 Adult Entertainment who recalled Dolla in a dispute with a man going by the “initials A.B.” on May 13.

Los Angeles detectives are reported to be travelling to Atlanta where both Dolla, aka Roderick Anthony Burton II, and the promoter Aubrey Louis Berry, 23, had both been living to investigate.

Dolla was killed in the valet parking area of LA’s upscale Beverly Center shopping mall.

Berry is believed to have fled from the scene of the shooting in a silver Mercedes Benz SUV and boarded a flight to Los Angeles International Airport, where he was apprehended.

LeRoi Moore, the sax player in the Dave Matthews Band, has died at the age of 46. Moore was seriously injured in an ATV accident back in June 30 outside Charlottesville. He had a punctured lung and broken ribs. Moore went back into the hospital last month due to complications and died in Los Angeles after taking a turn for the worse. The band recently gave a statement on his death saying “LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. Moore had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.”

Six-time Grammy nominee Rihanna arrived at the legendary Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party which was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday in Beverly Hills, California covered up head to toe in a patterned dress. I don’t know what is up with her lately but she’s wearing more fashion misses that could take away her crown for being a style queen.

But let’s talk beyond style. Rihanna will be singing a duet with 80s band The Time at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony which is scheduled for tonight, Sunday, in Los Angeles at the Staple Center and will air live on CBS.

It’s apparent that lawyers don’t take vacations as a lawsuit can be filed over the holidays. R&B crooner Ne-Yo proved just that when he chose to sue fellow crooner R. Kelly. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles on Monday and alleges that Ne-Yo was fired as an opening act from Kelly’s tour a few months ago because he outshined the headliner and got a better response from the crowd.

Ne-Yo is claiming that he was set to earn $785,000 for opening for Kelly at a minimum of 25 concerts. It’s pretty clear that Ne-Yo wants his money’s worth. Happy New Year, R! Here’s a lawsuit to celebrate with.

It was a high-end yard sale for Ozzy Osbourne fans this weekend. They showed up in droves to place their bids on items such as a bat coat, skull sneakers, and many other items belonging to the famous Osbourne family.

The sale was run by Julien’s Auctions. Owner of the company, Darren Julien, told reporters that it was a mix of heavymetal fans and art lovers lining up to bid on the items. “For the most part, the metalheads were outbidding the art crowd.”

The items were sold from the Beverly Hills mansion that formerly belong to Ozzy and Sharon. For the most part, the items that were featured on MTV’s “The Osbournes” were in higher demand that other items. Among the items selling were a coat decorated with bats for $3300, sneakers with skulls on them for $2625, a pair of Ozzy’s sunglasses for $5250, and an oversided coffee mug that Ozzy often carried on the show for $1625.

Those who were interested in art looked for items such as a sculpture by Edouard Drouot, which sold for $10,500.

Julien predicted that the auction would bring in about $350,000. At the end of the sale, they made about $800,000. The family is donating the proceeds to the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

That’s one heck of a yard sale! I could sell the contents of my entire home and probably not make that kind of a bundle. Kudos to the Osbournes for donating the money to a worthy cause.