1 DANITY KANE WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE 236192 999 202 236410
2 NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC VOL. 27-NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL 170210 1 168809 339255
3 ROSS*RICK TRILLA 90344 -54 198375 289300
4 FLO RIDA MAIL ON SUNDAY 85891 999 289 86182
5 JOHNSON*JACK SLEEP THROUGH THE STATIC 67107 21 55280 938595
6 HANNAH MONTANA 2: MEET MILEY C SOUNDTRACK 61485 137 25910 2917973
7 SNOOP DOGG EGO TRIPPIN' 57251 -58 136575 194194
8 SWIFT*TAYLOR TAYLOR SWIFT 56957 75 32600 2706257
9 BAREILLES*SARA LITTLE VOICE 55237 38 40088 575378
10 MONTANA*HANNAH/CYRUS*MILEY BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT 51059 49 34295 85374
11 ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS SOUNDTRACK 48043 83 26188 476723
12 JONAS BROTHERS JONAS BROTHERS 47069 107 22689 1132125
13 KEYS*ALICIA AS I AM 40621 28 31839 3317788
14 JACKSON*ALAN GOOD TIME 40078 -25 53121 212476
15 UNDERWOOD*CARRIE CARNIVAL RIDE 37267 116 17228 1962654
16 KIDZ BOP KIDS KIDZ BOP 13 36392 104 17828 144065
17 JACKSON*JANET DISCIPLINE 33546 -11 37560 309956
18 GNARLS BARKLEY ODD COUPLE 31009 0 31009
19 CAILLAT*COLBIE COCO 29747 37 21729 1414899
20 RADIO DISNEY VOL. 10-KIDS JAMS 29633 113 13880 160543
21 ROCKO SELF-MADE 27711 999 75 27786
22 RASCAL FLATTS STILL FEELS GOOD 27223 99 13656 1846636
23 VARIOUS ARTISTS 80'S: NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL M 26992 -20 33904 60934
24 WINEHOUSE*AMY BACK TO BLACK 26424 -7 28360 1824442
25 JUNO SOUNDTRACK 26276 31 20001 570873
26 BROWN*CHRIS EXCLUSIVE 25367 21 20953 1414143
27 DAUGHTRY DAUGHTRY 24837 18 21092 3907841
28 ONEREPUBLIC DREAMING OUT LOUD 24536 15 21314 528682
29 SPARKS*JORDIN JORDIN SPARKS 23779 35 17584 595402
30 VARIOUS NOW 26 22302 41 15849 1591462
31 HANNAH MONTANA 2-NON-STOP DANC SOUNDTRACK 20096 79 11237 161049
32 BLIGE*MARY J. GROWING PAINS 19987 -3 20685 1361976
33 AUGUST RUSH SOUNDTRACK 19767 64 12068 144170
34 ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (DLX) SOUNDTRACK 19372 7 18067 420780
35 LINKIN PARK MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT 19059 17 16248 2310852
36 COLE*KEYSHIA JUST LIKE YOU 18947 0 18862 1286885
37 BADU*ERYKAH NEW AMERYKAH PART ONE (4TH WOR 18852 -46 34808 219251
38 ONCE SOUNDTRACK 18842 -2 19186 492442
39 ENCHANTED SOUNDTRACK 18265 281 4799 237802
40 VAMPIRE WEEKEND VAMPIRE WEEKEND 17831 -9 19668 143030
41 SHEEK LOUCH SILVERBACK GORILLA 17479 999 339 17818
42 FERGIE DUTCHESS 17124 21 14126 3530996
43 BUCKCHERRY 15 16834 6 15822 1113523
44 BROOKS*GARTH ULTIMATE HITS 16679 3 16217 1651762
45 CROW*SHERYL DETOURS 16645 10 15160 255392
46*HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 SOUNDTRACK 16304 63 9974 3154859
47 FLOGGING MOLLY FLOAT 16246 -25 21704 85765
48 CELTIC THUNDER CELTIC THUNDER THE SHOW 16203 999 886 17560
49 SOUNDTRACKS STEP UP 2: THE STREETS 15951 -15 18783 209114
50 PLANT/KRAUSS RAISING SAND 15880 10 14377 882704
51 UNDERWOOD*CARRIE SOME HEARTS 15777 33 11836 6342586
52 SUGARLAND ENJOY THE RIDE 15538 7 14457 2147957
53 HANNAH MONTANA SOUNDTRACK 15480 68 9230 3514760
54 EAGLES LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN 15294 5 14558 2885404
55 NAIM*YAEL YAEL NAIM 15125 566 2271 38628
56 FAT JOE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM 15000 -67 46125 61260
57*PARAMORE RIOT! 14722 23 11957 809212
58 ADKINS*TRACE AMERICAN MAN GREATEST HITS... 14619 41 10374 269211
59 NICKELBACK ALL THE RIGHT REASONS 14582 15 12709 6695140
60 CHESNEY*KENNY JUST WHO I AM: POETS & PIRATES 14494 19 12197 1161259
61 RADIOHEAD IN RAINBOWS 14256 16 12321 435638
62 RIHANNA GOOD GIRL GONE BAD 14024 12 12522 1133667
63 BUBLE*MICHAEL CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE 13918 27 10927 1458242
64 WEBBIE VOL. 2-SAVAGE LIFE 13904 -25 18448 133811
65 PAISLEY*BRAD 5TH GEAR 13473 42 9491 929736
66 SOULJA BOY TELL'EM SOULJABOYTELLEM.COM 13210 18 11235 850827
67 DION*CELINE TAKING CHANCES 13144 94 6774 945984
68 FIASCO*LUPE LUPE FIASCO'S THE COOL 12853 -16 15230 420571
69 BLACK CROWES WARPAINT 12524 -26 16888 75337
70 MAROON 5 IT WON'T BE SOON BEFORE LONG 12192 14 10716 1755751
71 THE-DREAM LOVEHATE 12131 -26 16395 304871
72 THREE DAYS GRACE ONE-X 11531 23 9388 1147655
73 BLACK TIDE LIGHT FROM ABOVE 11357 999 98 11469
74 MARIO GO! 11354 81 6284 254236
75 HUSH SOUND GOODBYE BLUES 11219 999 28 11248
76 VOEGELE*KATE DON'T LOOK AWAY 11182 -33 16756 113326
77 MCDONALD*MICHAEL SOUL SPEAK 11073 -23 14409 53450
78 JAHEIM MAKINGS OF A MAN 10998 -6 11671 435858
79 ACROSS THE UNIVERSE SOUNDTRACK 10987 24 8864 253978
80 KID ROCK ROCK N ROLL JESUS 10602 15 9250 814366
81 SHE & HIM VOLUME ONE 10153 999 108 10261
82 BEDINGFIELD*NATASHA POCKETFUL OF SUNSHINE 9911 48 6678 144451
83 CASTING CROWNS ALTAR & THE DOOR 9817 30 7534 278320
84 VEDDER*EDDIE MUSIC FOR THE MOTION PICTURE I 9700 0 9689 286380
85 PARTON*DOLLY BACKWOODS BARBIE 9673 21 7971 60547
86 LED ZEPPELIN MOTHERSHIP 9630 10 8758 829640
87 BUZZCUTS BUZZCUTS 9536 999 36 9572
88 BOCELLI*ANDREA VIVERE LIVE IN TUSCANY 9511 11 8559 111674
89 SEETHER FINDING BEAUTY IN NEGATIVE SPA 9509 10 8625 360840
90 SAPP*MARVIN THIRSTY 9346 -6 9985 220598
91 FLEX TE QUIERO 9257 -3 9525 64140
92 MORGAN*CRAIG LITTLE BIT OF LIFE 9074 19 7596 340997
93 FOO FIGHTERS ECHOES SILENCE PATIENCE & GRAC 9012 6 8521 691855
94 VARIOUS WOW GOSPEL 2008 8922 -5 9431 77514
95 SPEARS*BRITNEY BLACKOUT 8888 10 8110 803332
96 HANCOCK*HERBIE RIVER: JONI LETTERS 8853 -16 10555 193287
97 WOW HITS WOW HITS 2008 8765 34 6519 147788
98 FLYLEAF FLYLEAF 8682 16 7470 965906
99 GRAMMY NOMINEES 2008 GRAMMY NOMINEES 8659 -8 9411 245651
100 ATKINS*RODNEY IF YOU'RE GOING THROUGH HELL 8640 26 6878 1267561
101 MRAZ*JASON WE SING EP 8508 999 18 8526
102 BEATLES LOVE 8323 39 5984 1717414
103 PUDDLE OF MUDD FAMOUS 8194 16 7079 191036
104 SHAWTY LO UNITS IN THE CITY 8135 -23 10631 63708
105 KENNY G RHYTHM & ROMANCE 8082 7 7580 119188
106 BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE SCREAM AIM FIRE 8015 5 7614 145029
107 GOO GOO DOLLS VOL. 1-GREATEST HITS 8012 110 3816 232708
108 URBAN*KEITH GREATEST HITS 7962 2 7774 503772
109LEGEND*JOHN LIVE FROM PHILADELPHIA 7961 103 3917 155378
110 WEST*KANYE GRADUATION 7951 -6 8424 2056992
111 BRIGHTMAN*SARAH SYMPHONY 7907 -3 8192 118557
112 DEVAUGHN*RAHEEM LOVE BEHIND THE MELODY 7905 -10 8787 149343
113 J. HOLIDAY BACK OF MY LAC' 7892 -13 9086 579826
114 KRAVITZ*LENNY IT IS TIME FOR A LOVE REVOLUTI 7799 -15 9168 179130
115 FINGER ELEVEN THEM VS. YOU VS. ME 7766 18 6601 505272
116 LIFEHOUSE WHO WE ARE 7746 7 7207 364706
117 BRAVERY SUN & THE MOON 7610 360 1655 113880
118 MATCHBOX TWENTY EXILE ON MAINSTREAM 7589 12 6792 620181
119 HAIRSPRAY SOUNDTRACK 7547 55 4875 1021984
120 SIMPLE PLAN SIMPLE PLAN 7485 39 5389 83447
121 MERCYME ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME 7364 11 6613 105239
122 LOS TIGRES DEL NORTE RAICES 7362 -1 7413 24881
123 LANG*K.D. WATERSHED 7321 6 6883 129324
124 BROWNE*JACKSON VOL. 2-SOLO ACOUSTIC 7270 -23 9395 37264
125 CAGLE*CHRIS MY LIFE'S BEEN A COUNTRY SONG 7215 3 6999 75922
126 BOYS LIKE GIRLS BOYS LIKE GIRLS 7148 37 5218 508230
127 JAY-Z AMERICAN GANGSTER 7022 -17 8499 1039506
128 ALLAN*GARY LIVING HARD 6814 11 6165 314340
129 MCENTIRE*REBA REBA DUETS 6769 11 6125 1328868
130 FRANKLIN*KIRK FIGHT OF MY LIFE 6736 -16 7981 227225
131 BON JOVI LOST HIGHWAY 6726 28 5258 1130426
132 DROPKICK MURPHYS MEANEST OF TIMES 6549 -11 7359 143205
133 KILLS MIDNIGHT BOOM 6491 999 29 6520
134 JACKSON*RANDY VOL. 1-RANDY JACKSON'S MUSIC C 6460 -50 12901 19374
135 CELTIC WOMAN NEW JOURNEY 6417 12 5708 590990
136 MAYER*JOHN CONTINUUM 6295 13 5574 2084518
137 LAMBERT*MIRANDA CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND 6267 17 5372 367107
138 AVENGED SEVENFOLD AVENGED SEVENFOLD 6199 12 5541 331298
139 KINGSTON*SEAN SEAN KINGSTON 6073 10 5497 453015 He is Gold
140 MESHUGGAH OBZEN 6017 -47 11384 18501
141 TIMBERLAKE*JUSTIN FUTURESEX/LOVE SOUNDS 5978 -2 6120 4079657
142 LAVIGNE*AVRIL BEST DAMN THING 5964 37 4354 1468943
143 MICHAELSON*INGRID GIRLS & BOYS 5939 -6 6302 181913
144 MCGRAW*TIM LET IT GO 5914 23 4790 1345114
145 SANTANA ULTIMATE SANTANA 5786 -14 6748 352409
146 PICKLER*KELLIE SMALL TOWN GIRL 5770 136 2440 734282
147 SIXX:A.M. HEROIN DIARIES SOUNDTRACK 5734 9 5244 174828
148 MEET THE BROWNS SOUNDTRACK 5695 999 35 5730
149 BOCELLI*ANDREA BEST OF ANDREA BOCELLI-VIVERE 5643 4 5443 625280
150 HIGH KINGS HIGH KINGS 5640 23 4602 13675
151 TURNER*JOSH EVERYTHING IS FINE 5621 23 4582 433191
152 DRAGONFORCE INHUMAN RAMPAGE 5566 43 3903 257334
153 FERNANDEZ*VICENTE PARA SIEMPRE VICENTE FERNANDEZ 5472 3 5299 144892
154 BIRDMAN 5 STUNNA 5468 -20 6821 308890
155 GODSMACK GOOD TIMES BAD TIMES: TEN YEAR 5464 5 5225 205962
156 CHAPMAN*STEVEN CURTIS THIS MOMENT 5457 20 4544 47324
157 PLAYRADIOPLAY! TEXAS 5345 999 11 5357
158 MGMT ORACULAR SPECTACULAR 5341 27 4195 39696
159 STRAIT*GEORGE 22 MORE HITS 5293 1 5248 443079
160 TIMBALAND TIMBALAND PRESENTS SHOCK VALUE 5273 -4 5521 1117589
161 SKILLET COMATOSE 5245 40 3756 159703
162 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2: NON-STO SOUNDTRACK 5236 80 2903 100725
163 CAMILA TODO CAMBIO 5231 -6 5556 274469
164 SCOTT*JILL REAL THING: WORDS & SOUNDS V3 5193 -8 5639 547863
165 SOLIS*MARCO ANTONIO LA MEJOR COLECCION 5062 8 4680 230616
166 TOMLIN*CHRIS SEE THE MORNING 5038 17 4297 201099
167 NEW FOUND GLORY HITS 5020 999 25 5046
168 FEIST REMINDER 4994 -2 5083 574066
169 VARIOUS SONGS 4 WORSHIP: COUNTRY 4973 16 4277 121201
170 ALDEAN*JASON RELENTLESS 4966 25 3982 499175
171 COOK*DANE ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES-LIVE FR 4948 -11 5558 433518
172 NASH*KATE MADE OF BRICKS 4843 4 4662 81615
173 CASCADA PERFECT DAY 4779 -15 5623 20003
174 HOLLY*BUDDY NOT FADE AWAY 4767 -11 5377 23700
175 BREAKING BENJAMIN PHOBIA 4678 6 4394 870661
176 BURY YOUR DEAD BURY YOUR DEAD 4653 999 80 4737
177 CYRUS*BILLY RAY HOME AT LAST 4642 26 3681 258005
178 JONES*JIM HARLEM'S AMERICAN GANGSTER 4593 -31 6644 56429
179 MATCHES BAND IN HOPE 4547 999 46 4595
180 SPRINGSTEEN*BRUCE MAGIC 4546 6 4281 979290
181 PILLAR FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME 4541 12 4037 14009
182 ADDISON ROAD ADDISON ROAD 4524 999 304 1389
183 GRANT*NATALIE RELENTLESS 4520 9 4160 15212
184 PLIES REAL TESTAMENT 4516 -15 5290 472729
185 ATREYU LEAD SAILS PAPER ANCHOR 4404 11 3966 203746
186 WINEHOUSE*AMY FRANK 4363 0 4356 145815
187 NAKED BROTHERS BAND NAKED BROTHERS BAND 4343 83 2374 240456
188 WICKS*CHUCK STARTING NOW 4312 10 3928 68731
189 WISIN Y YANDEL WISIN VS YANDEL 'LOS EXTRATERR 4305 -3 4461 217850
190 MALKMUS*STEPHEN & THE JICKS REAL EMOTIONAL TRASH 4292 -31 6193 21556
191 K-PAZ DE LA SIERRA EN VIVO DESDE EL AUDITORIO NAC 4268 -6 4548 30656
192 SWEENY TODD THE DEMON BARBER O SOUNDTRACK 4233 14 3704 238060
193 DJ SKRIBBLE TOTAL DANCE 2008 4228 0 4209 59217
194 VARIOUS UPRIGHT GRAND & ALRIGHT 4223 -9 4622 19250
195 MICHELE*CHRISETTE I AM 4189 -10 4679 354058
196 WRIGHT*LIZZ ORCHARD 4154 -17 4990 22189
197 BACKYARDIGANS BACKYARDIGANS: BORN TO PLAY 4075 37 2967 29571
198 BOTTI*CHRIS ITALIA 4056 8 3744 308597
199 VARIOUS NOW PARTY HITS 4035 11 3637 153952
200 JUANES LA VIDA...ES UN RATICO 4009 6 3765 198591
Sunday, March 30, 2008
"WE ARE WATCHING!!!" SOUNDSCAN 3/30/08
!!! IMPORTANT! MUST READ!!! 3/29/08
chicagotribune.com
TRIBUNE SPECIAL REPORT URBAN EPIDEMICS
Kidney failure takes deadly toll on blacks in Chicago
Experts focus on several overlapping factors including obesity and poverty
By Deborah L. Shelton
Tribune reporter
First in an occasional series about chronic diseases and their impact on urban communities. Harvet Jones is 48, but he looks much older. Diabetes and high blood pressure have taken their toll.
When he walks, he leans his gaunt frame on a cane because his feet and legs swell and go numb, a complication of hypertension.
Jones' blood-sugar levels spike even though he has been injecting insulin for eight years to control it. A condition called diabetic retinopathy threatens to blind him.
Worst of all, his diabetes and hypertension steadily, relentlessly, mercilessly attacked his kidneys. He went on dialysis in February.
Jones has fallen victim to a quiet epidemic plaguing black Chicago. By the thousands, African-Americans are suffering kidney failure and facing the possibility of blindness, limb amputation, life on dialysis and premature death. Patients with end-stage kidney disease require dialysis or a transplant to survive.
In parts of the city's largely African-American South and West Sides, kidney failure rates are more than twice as high as the national average and three times higher than in the rest of the city, federal statistics show. Those differences are driven by staggeringly high rates of diabetes and hypertension—the top two causes of kidney failure—among Chicago's black residents.
"Hypertension and diabetes are killing us," said Donna Calvin, a Chicago nurse practitioner who specializes in prevention of kidney disease. "These diseases are devastating our community."
Recognizing that kidney failure has reached alarming levels, some individuals and groups are trying to turn those dismal statistics around. They are reaching out to African-Americans across the city with information about prevention, offering diabetes and hypertension screenings in churches, and intervening in various other ways.
Dr. Paul W. Crawford oversees a dialysis center near 95th Street and Western Avenue that is "bursting at the seams." To try to solve the problem at the source, the kidney specialist decided to open a prevention clinic in his large South Side practice.
"I'm treating the children of my patients for the same problems their parents had," Crawford said with exasperation. "And most of it is preventable."
• • •
Health experts think the high kidney failure rates in black neighborhoods are fueled by a combination of overlapping factors, including an obesity epidemic; high concentrations of poverty; and a lack of access to medical care, health insurance, affordable, safe places to exercise and supermarkets that sell inexpensive, healthy foods.
Those factors contribute to the high rates of hypertension and diabetes in the community. About 3,500 of every 100,000 black Chicagoans have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, compared with about 1,700 of every 100,000 whites. For diabetes, the rates are 1,700 per 100,000 African-Americans and 600 per 100,000 whites.
By sheer numbers, 180,000 African-Americans in Chicago have been diagnosed with either diabetes or hypertension, and about 62,000 black Chicagoans battle both, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
African-Americans are more prone than other groups to hypertension, though experts aren't sure why. It could be genetic; often hypertension runs in families. Diet could be a factor. Some researchers think another cause could be the stress of racism.
Experts say many African-Americans are unaware of how important it is to treat high blood pressure.
"We see so many people who haven't made the connection of how chronic hypertension affects their kidneys," said Courtney Nicholas, associate director of minority health programs for the American Kidney Fund.
The effects of these trends on black areas are clear.
In ZIP code 60620—which includes parts of Ashburn, Auburn Gresham, Beverly, Chatham, Greater Grand Crossing, Roseland and Washington Heights—390 people in every 100,000 suffer from end-stage kidney disease. In ZIP code 60624 on the West Side, it is 387 for every 100,000.
By comparison, the rate for Chicago is 124 cases per 100,000; for the nation, it is 150, according to the U.S. Renal Data System, a government database.
Though Latinos also are at higher risk of kidney failure, the problem is more acute among African-Americans. Nationally, 1 in 8 people who experience kidney failure are Latino, but 1 in 3 are black, Nicholas said. Chicago ZIP codes in the middle range for the disease "more often than not" have large Latino populations, she said.
In the city's black neighborhoods, dialysis centers are full. Whole families struggle medically, financially and emotionally. Significant numbers of people suffer serious, chronic illness during the prime of life, making them too sick to work and unable to move ahead economically.
Studies have reported that African-Americans develop kidney failure at an earlier age than whites, leaving them trapped in a cycle of illness and a poor quality of life during what should be their healthiest years. People die prematurely, leaving family members to grieve.
Diane Williams volunteers with the Chicago Association of Kidney Patients because she has experienced kidney failure up close. Her husband, Major League Baseball umpire Charlie Williams, faced a possible leg amputation and was undergoing dialysis when he died at 61 of complications of kidney failure in 2005. The group formed in 2003 on the Far South Side as a support group for African-Americans battling kidney disease.
"When you lose someone you love," Williams said, "there is always a hole in your soul."
Jones, diagnosed with diabetes 14 years ago, worries about what the future holds.
His brother Joseph McNeal, who has diabetes and is a year older, has been tethered to a dialysis machine for a year. Diabetic retinopathy robbed McNeal of his eyesight about 18 months ago. "It's scary to see what he's going through," said a downcast Jones, taking a break at his favorite neighborhood coffeehouse. "Especially when you have the same symptoms."
Weeks later, Jones was hospitalized for kidney failure and went on dialysis. Because of his worsening health problems, he moved from his Hyde Park home to live with another brother in Lombard.
Charles Baker, 57, was first diagnosed with high blood pressure when he was 16. He had a stroke in 1991, went on dialysis in 2001 and eventually got a kidney transplant.
His son, Jemil Floyd, who also has high blood pressure, started dialysis last April at age 17. Baker sobs at the thought of it. "I've been where he is," Baker said, his voice cracking.
• • •
A steady stream of people flowed last fall into the basement of Oakdale Covenant Church on South Vincennes Avenue to undergo a health screening organized by the American Kidney Fund.
Kidney disease had become too serious of a problem for the church to ignore, said Rev. D. Darrell Griffin, who said his own father died of complications of diabetes and kidney failure in 2005.
"This is something we hadn't addressed, and it's really alarming," Griffin said.
The screening was part of an intervention program by the fund, which aims to reduce high rates of kidney failure in minority communities by collaborating with public and private organizations. The group operates minority intervention programs in Chicago, Atlanta and Washington—cities with large African-American populations and high rates of kidney disease.
Samella Sutton, a pharmacist and member of the church's health ministry, led the congregants in an opening prayer: "Oh Lord, we pray for good health."
By noon, 61 members of the church, located in ZIP code 60620, had rolled up their sleeves to give blood samples, get their blood pressure levels taken and give urine specimens for testing.
After the screening, internist Dr. David Ellens led a question-and-answer session in the large basement.
"Let's prevent bad things from happening," he half-shouted into a microphone, listing the medical problems that could be staved off with good health practices. Stroke. Heart attack. Kidney disease. Kidney failure. Premature death.
Heads nodded.
"Thank you, Lord, for giving us this opportunity to talk to people about their health and well-being," Ellens said solemnly in a closing prayer. "We pray it is information they will use."
dshelton@tribune.com
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
Saturday, March 29, 2008
DWIGHT HOWARD, "BEEF MONTH CONTINUES... DAMN!"
Dwight Howard faces paternity suit
Tim Povtak | Sentinel Staff Writer March 29, 2008
A paternity suit was filed Friday against Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard in Orance County Circuit Court, asking to establish his fatherhood officially and determine child support and other parental responsibilities. The suit was filed by attorneys for Royce Lyndsay Reed, a Central Florida woman whom he already has said gave birth to his son, Braylon Joshua Robert Howard, on Nov. 18, 2007.
When asked about the suit before the game Friday, Howard declined any comment.
According to the suit, Reed is requesting the court award "child support determined by Florida's Child Support Guidelines." Those guidelines normally take into account several factors, including parental income, the child's medical needs and child care.
"Petitioner [Reed] anticipates that an upward adjustment . . . will be required pursuant to a number of reasons. . . . The petitioner also is entitled to good-fortune support for the child," according to the suit.
You know what "good-fortune support" is right? An amount high enough to catagorize it as "BEEF..."
Damn, and Dwight's a good guy too...
REMY MA & PAPOOSE, "PRISON MARRIAGE..."
Beef month got way outta wack! Who could have predicted this? If nobody else will educate you, we'll take the assignment! Trust me, staying in tune with us is the right medication for your needs... ("THE BOSS")
Rapper Remy Ma will marry long-term partner Papoose in prison next month.
The hip-hop star - real name Remy Smith - faces 25 years in jail after she was found guilty of shooting of a woman outside a New York nightclub last year.
But rapper Papoose - real name Shamele Mackie - is determined to proceed with the nuptials.
In a statement released to website AllHipHop.com, Mackie says, "We always wanted to keep out personal lives personal so that's why we never went public with our relationship right now."
"I just feel like she gotta live through me. Yes, we were scheduled to be married on a yacht April 27th, but due to circumstances beyond our control we are now making arrangements to be married in prison."
Copyright World Entertainment News NetworkPROPAGANDA ON THE DECLINE...THANKFULLY...
NAA Reveals Biggest Ad Revenue Plunge in More Than 50 Years
By Jennifer Saba
Published: March 28, 2008 12:55 PM ET
NEW YORK The newspaper industry has experienced the worst drop in advertising revenue in more than 50 years.
According to new data released by the Newspaper Association of America, total print advertising revenue in 2007 plunged 9.4% to $42 billion compared to 2006 -- the most severe percent decline since the association started measuring advertising expenditures in 1950.
The drop-off points to an economic slowdown on top of the secular challenges faced by the industry. The second worst decline in advertising revenue occurred in 2001 when it fell 9.0%.
Total advertising revenue in 2007 -- including online revenue -- decreased 7.9% to $45.3 billion compared to the prior year.
There are signs that online revenue is beginning to slow as well. Internet ad revenue in 2007 grew 18.8% to $3.2 billion compared to 2006. In 2006, online ad revenue had soared 31.4% to $2.6 billion. In 2005, it jumped 31.4% to $2 billion.
As newspaper Web sites generate more advertising revenue, the growth rate naturally slows.
The NAA reported that online revenue now represents 7.5% of total newspaper ad revenue in 2007 compared to 5.7% in 2006.
That growth could not stave off the losses in the print however. National print advertising revenue dropped 6.7% to $7 billion last year. Retail slipped 5% to $21 billion. Classified plunged 16.5% to $14.1 billion.
"Even with the near-term challenges posed to print media by a more fragmented information environment and the economic headwinds facing all advertising media, newspapers publishers are continuing to drive strong revenue growth from their increasingly robust Web platforms," John Sturm, president and CEO of the NAA, said in a statement.
BEANIE SIGEL "ANOTHER BEEF MONTH CASUALTY"
By Roman Wolfe
Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel will spend the next three months in prison, after he was accused of violating his probation for a third time yesterday (March 28).
Probation officials revealed that Sigel provided a false urine sample and tested positive for Xanax and Percocet five times over the past month.
Sigel, who admitted being addicted to the painkiller and muscle relaxers, was originally sentenced to six months house arrest in January, after a second probation violation.
In that case, a federal judge found that Sigel took an unauthorized trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey, and had contact with a convicted felon.
Sigel, who spent a year in prison on a federal gun charge in 2004, was acquitted of attempted murder in 2005, one month after he was released from prison.
According to the rapper, his stint under house arrest has left him unable ‘to earn the living” he used to earn prior to getting into trouble with the law.
Sigel told the judge that his relapse was brought on by money problems.
He also revealed he was about to lose his house, because he can’t travel to earn money through performances.
"I'm losing everything because of this situation," Sigel said.
(from allhiphop.com)
Friday, March 28, 2008
KANYE WEST - BEEF MONTH CONTINUES!!!
Rapper Kanye West is facing legal action from a songwriter in Maryland, who has accused the star of stealing his hit song "Good Life."
West is being sued by songwriter/producer Dayna "D'Mystro" Staggs for copyright infringement. Staggs claims West "didn't obtain a license" to sample his record "Volume of Good Life" for the track.
In legal papers filed in Maryland District Court last week, Staggs goes on to state that West was "only at the age of six or seven years of age (sic)" when his song was written. He has also objected to the "vulgar and offensive" images associated with the song, which featured on West's third album "Graduation," claiming it "harms the reputation" of his inoffensive tune.
Staggs is demanding 85 per cent of all world sales of the proceeds from "Good Life," although he fails to detail exactly how he arrived at that figure, reports TMZ.com.
West is named alongside his various record labels, including his own G.O.O.D. Music and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's Roc-A-Fella Records in the lawsuit. Representatives for West were unavailable for comment as as World Entertainment News Network went to press.
REMY MA, GUILTY... BEEF SEASON NEEDS TO END!
BAWLING REMY IS GUILTY
By LAURA ITALIANO and TODD VENEZIA (NYPOST)
March 28, 2008 -- Tough-gal rapper Remy Ma's gangsta image melted in tears yesterday after she was convicted of shooting a woman outside a Manhattan nightclub.
"Oh, my God! My son! My son!" she screamed, referring to her 8-year-old, as she was hauled out of court to jail, where she faces the possibility of spending the next 25 years behind bars.
Remy, 26, was found guilty of assault, weapons-possession and coercion charges for blasting Makeda Barnes Joseph, 24, with a .45-caliber handgun outside a club in the Meatpacking District on July 14, 2007.
The courtroom was tense as the guilty verdicts were read.
One of the rapper's supporters had to be hauled out after he stood up and shouted, "F- - - ya'll."
"I don't like that judge," the man later said outside the courtroom.
"She should die slow."
Remy initially took the verdict stoically. But after Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Rena Uviller ruled that she should be remanded to jail until her sentencing next month, one of Joseph's supporters sarcastically waved at her and said, "Bye, bye" - after which the rapper broke into tears.
Her wailing could be heard from the adjoining holding room after she was taken out of court.
"Remy's taking this very hard," her lawyer, Ivan Fisher, said after the verdict.
"She didn't anticipate this. She didn't even tell her son, who she left at home this morning."
Joseph, meanwhile, waited to learn the verdict in a car parked outside.
"I'm so happy justice was served," she said, before breaking into tears herself.
She and Remy got into the fateful showdown last year after the rapper accused her of stealing $3,000.
Remy got into Joseph's car and demanded that the woman hand over her purse. When Joseph refused, Remy shot her in the stomach.
Joseph spent three weeks in the hospital recovering.
The office worker had spent a day on the stand testifying against her former pal, reliving the flash of the rapper's .45 and the car filling with gun smoke.
She testified that Remy did nothing to help her after the shooting.
"She didn't say anything," Joseph testified. "She went through my bag and left."
The rapper - whose real name is Remy Smith - argued that the gun went off accidentally while they were struggling over the bag.
But jurors apparently rejected that assertion.
"It was a very, very difficult decision," said one unidentified juror as he left court. Remy will face between eight and 25 years when she is sentenced on April 23.
The only good news for her was that she was acquitted on charges of witness tampering for allegedly taking part in an attack on the boyfriend of a witness in the case.
She was a flamboyant presence throughout the two-week trial, never walking into court on heels less than four inches high and favoring miniskirts and clingy tops.
laura.italiano@nypost.com
Thursday, March 27, 2008
"AIN'T NO FUTURE IN FRONTING!!!" (SOUNDSCAN 3/27/08)
In his second week on Billboard's 'Top Rap Albums Chart', Rick Ross sticks to the No. 1 spot. Trilla shelves off 90,300 discs this week, pushing the album's total sales to 289,300.
Entering the charts at No. 2 this week is Flo Rida with his debut album Mail On Sunday. The set sold 86,100 copies in its opening week.
Snoop Dogg takes a step down to No. 3. Ego Trippin' scans 57,200 discs this week, bringing the album's total sales to 194,100 copies.
Debuting at No. 4 is Atlanta rapper Rocko with his first album Self-Made. The set reels in 27,700 copies in its first go-around on the charts.
Right behind him is Sheek Louch with his third solo effort titled Silverback Gorilla. 17,800 folks picked up the CD in its opening week.
Fat Joe, who debuted at No. 3 last week, takes three steps down to No. 6. Elephant In the Room moved 15,000 units this week, pushing the album's total sales to 61,200.
Posted at No. 7 is Louisiana rapper Webbie. Savage Life 2 shells out 13,900 discs this week. The album's tally stands at 133,800.
Soulja Boy slips two spots to No. 8. SouljaBoyTellEm.com bags up 13,200 units in its 25th week on the charts. Thus far, the album has sold a total of 850,800 copies.
Lupe Fiasco trips four spots to No. 9. The Cool reels in 12,800 copies this week, pushing the album's total sales to 420,500.
Wrapping up the Top 10 is D4L's front man Shawty Lo. Units In The City cashed out 8,100 copies this week, bringing the album's total sales to 63,700.
BILLBOARD TOP 100 3/27/08 (WE ARE WATCHING YOU!!!)
BILLBOARD TOP 100 (AIN'T NO FUTURE IN FRONTING...)
1 8 Leona Lewis Bleeding Love Peak1 Wks On6 SYCO/J DIGITAL RMG
2 1 Usher Featuring Young Jeezy Love In This Club Peak1 Wks On6 LaFace DIGITAL Zomba
3 7 Ray J & Yung Berg Sexy Can I Peak3 Wks On8 Knockout/Deja 34 Koch/Epic
4 2 Chris Brown With You Peak2 Wks On17 Jive DIGITAL ZombaRIAA
5 4 Sara Bareilles Love Song Peak4 Wks On21 Epic DIGITAL RIAA
6 6 Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown No Air Peak6 Wks On12 19/Jive DIGITAL Zomba
7 3 Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain Low Peak1 Wks On22 Poe Boy 346620* AtlanticRIAA3
8 5 Rihanna Don't Stop The Music Peak3 Wks On18 SRP/Def Jam DIGITAL IDJMG
9 85 Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major Lollipop Peak9 Wks On2 Cash Money DIGITAL Universal Motown
10 19 Lil Mama Featuring Chris Brown & T-Pain Shawty Get Loose Peak10 Wks On5 Familiar Faces/Jive 27082* Zomba
11 9 Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic Apologize Mosley/Blackground DIGITAL InterscopePeak:2 Wks On:34
12 16 OneRepublic Stop And Stare Mosley DIGITAL InterscopePeak:12 Wks On:15
13 10 Lupe Fiasco Featuring Matthew Santos Superstar 1st & 15th 350844* AtlanticPeak:10 Wks On:15
14 11 Miley Cyrus See You Again Hollywood DIGITAL Peak:11 Wks On:16
15 14 Mariah Carey Touch My Body Island DIGITAL IDJMGPeak:14 Wks On:6
16 12 Webbie, Lil' Phat & Lil' Boosie Independent Trill/Asylum DIGITAL AtlanticPeak:9 Wks On:18
17 13 Alicia Keys No One MBK/J 20102* RMGPeak:1 RIAA2 Wks On:29
18 17 Buckcherry Sorry Eleven Seven DIGITAL Atlantic/RRPPeak:9 Wks On:16
19 23 Flo Rida Featuring Timbaland Elevator Poe Boy DIGITAL AtlanticPeak:16 Wks On:6
20 43 Yael Naim New Soul Tot Ou Tard DIGITAL AtlanticPeak:7 Wks On:8
21 20 Sean Kingston Take You There Beluga Heights 05579* Koch/EpicPeak:7 RIAA Wks On:21
22 22 Taylor Swift Teardrops On My Guitar Big Machine 1002* Universal RepublicPeak:13 RIAA Wks On:42
23 15 Snoop Dogg Sensual Seduction Doggystyle/Geffen 010576* InterscopePeak:7 Wks On:17
24 18 Alicia Keys Like You'll Never See Me Again MBK/J DIGITAL RMGPeak:12 Wks On:20
25 25 Jordin Sparks Tattoo 19/Jive DIGITAL ZombaPeak:8 RIAA Wks On:26
26 26 Colbie Caillat Bubbly Universal Republic DIGITAL Peak:5 RIAA Wks On:39
27 64 Danity Kane Damaged Bad Boy DIGITAL AtlanticPeak:27 Wks On:2
28 21 Linkin Park Shadow Of The Day Warner Bros. DIGITAL Peak:15 RIAA Wks On:20
29 33 Jonas Brothers When You Look Me In The Eyes Hollywood DIGITAL Peak:25 Wks On:9
30 28 Carrie Underwood All-American Girl Arista DIGITAL Arista NashvillePeak:27 Wks On:12
31 29 Finger Eleven Paralyzer Wind-up DIGITAL Peak:6 RIAA Wks On:42
32 34 Daughtry Feels Like Tonight RCA DIGITAL RMGPeak:32 Wks On:9
33 24 J. Holiday Suffocate Music Line 10937* CapitolPeak:18 Wks On:20
34 31 Fergie Clumsy will.i.am/A&M DIGITAL InterscopePeak:5 RIAA Wks On:24
35 27 Keyshia Cole I Remember Imani/Geffen DIGITAL InterscopePeak:24 Wks On:15
36 30 The-Dream Falsetto Radio Killa/Def Jam DIGITAL IDJMGPeak:30 Wks On:11
37 41 Rick Ross Featuring T-Pain The Boss Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam 010823* IDJMGPeak:37
Wks On:6
38 32 Shawty Lo Dey Know D4L DIGITAL AsylumPeak:31 Wks On:11
39 39 Taylor Swift Our Song Big Machine DIGITAL Universal RepublicPeak:16 RIAA Wks On:26
40 48 Trace Adkins You're Gonna Miss This Capitol Nashville DIGITAL Peak:40 Wks On:8
41 35 Mario Crying Out For Me 3rd Street/J DIGITAL RMGPeak:33 Wks On:17
42 44 Lifehouse Whatever It Takes Geffen DIGITAL InterscopePeak:42 Wks On:10
43 47 2 Pistols Featuring T-Pain & Tay Dizm She Got It Universal Republic DIGITAL Peak:43 Wks On:6
44 46 Cherish Featuring Yung Joc Killa Sho'Nuff 17110* CapitolPeak:44 Wks On:7
45 37 Fat Joe Featuring J. Holiday I Won't Tell Terror Squad/Imperial 16487* CapitolPeak:37 Wks On:11
46 38 Wyclef Jean Featuring Akon, Lil Wayne & Niia Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill) Columbia 15361* Peak:12 RIAA Wks On:28
47 36 Pitbull Featuring Lil Jon The Anthem Famous Artists DIGITAL TVTPeak:36 Wks On:12
48 42 Alan Jackson Small Town Southern Man Arista Nashville DIGITAL Peak:42 Wks On:12
49 57 Colbie Caillat Realize Universal Republic DIGITAL Peak:49 Wks On:7
50 50 George Strait I Saw God Today MCA Nashville DIGITAL Peak:48 Wks On:5
billboard TOP 100
DIDDY ABOUT TO GET PAID AGAIN!!! GET EM' DIDDY!!!
The Times apologizes over article on rapper
By James Rainey, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer March 27, 2008
A Los Angeles Times story about a brutal 1994 attack on rap superstar Tupac Shakur was partially based on documents that appear to have been fabricated, the reporter and editor responsible for the story said Wednesday.
Reporter Chuck Philips and his supervisor, Deputy Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, issued statements of apology Wednesday afternoon. The statements came after The Times took withering criticism for the Shakur article, which appeared on latimes.com last week and two days later in the paper's Calendar section.
The criticism came first from The Smoking Gun website, which said the newspaper had been the victim of a hoax, and then from subjects of the story, who said they had been defamed.
"In relying on documents that I now believe were fake, I failed to do my job," Philips said in a statement Wednesday. "I'm sorry."In his statement, Duvoisin added: "We should not have let ourselves be fooled. That we were is as much my fault as Chuck's. I deeply regret that we let our readers down.
"Times Editor Russ Stanton announced that the newspaper would launch an internal review of the documents and the reporting surrounding the story. Stanton said he took the criticisms of the March 17 report "very seriously."
"We published this story with the sincere belief that the documents were genuine, but our good intentions are beside the point," Stanton said in a statement."
The bottom line is that the documents we relied on should not have been used. We apologize both to our readers and to those referenced in the documents and, as a result, in the story. We are continuing to investigate this matter and will fulfill our journalistic responsibility for critical self-examination."
The story first appeared March 17 on latimes.com under the headline "An Attack on Tupac Shakur Launched a Hip-Hop War." The article described a Nov. 30, 1994, ambush at Quad Recording Studios in New York, where the rap singer was pistol-whipped and shot several times by three men. No one has been charged in the crime, but before his death two years later, Shakur said repeatedly that he suspected allies of rap impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs.
The assault touched off a bicoastal war between Shakur and fellow adherents of West Coast rap and their East Coast rivals, most famously represented by Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious B.I.G. Both Shakur and Wallace ultimately died violently.
The Times story said the paper had obtained "FBI records" in which a confidential informant accused two men of helping to set up the attack on Shakur -- James Rosemond, a prominent rap talent manager, and James Sabatino, identified in the story as a promoter. The story said the two allegedly wanted to curry favor with Combs and believed Shakur had disrespected them.The purported FBI records are the documents Philips and Duvoisin now believe were faked.
The story provoked vehement denials from lawyers for Combs and Rosemond, both before and after publication.Rosemond said in a statement Wednesday that the Times article created "a potentially violent climate in the hip-hop community." His attorney, Marc Lichtman, added: "I would suggest to Mr. Philips and his editors that they immediately print an apology and take out their checkbooks -- or brace themselves for an epic lawsuit."
Although The Times has not identified the source of the purported FBI reports, The Smoking Gun (www.the smokinggun.com) asserted that the documents were forged by Sabatino. The website identified him as a convicted con man with a history of elaborate fantasies designed to exaggerate his place in the rap music firmament. He is currently in federal prison on fraud charges."
The Times appears to have been hoaxed by an imprisoned con man and accomplished document forger, an audacious swindler who has created a fantasy world in which he managed hip-hop luminaries," the Smoking Gun reported.Combs' lawyer Howard Weitzman, in a letter to Times Publisher David Hiller, called the story inaccurate. He expanded an earlier demand for a retraction and said he believed that The Times' conduct met the legal standard for "actual malice," which would allow a public figure such as Combs to obtain damages in a libel suit.
The purported FBI reports were filed by Sabatino with a federal court in Miami four months ago in connection with a lawsuit against Combs in which he claimed he was never paid for rap recordings in which he said he was involved. Sabatino, 31, said he had obtained the documents to help him prepare his defense in a criminal case against him in 2002, according to the Smoking Gun.
Philips, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, said he believed in the authenticity of the documents in part because they had been filed in court. But the Smoking Gun's sharply critical review said The Times had overlooked numerous misspellings and unusual acronyms and redactions that could have cast doubt on the documents' authenticity.
Moreover, the documents appeared to have been prepared on a typewriter, the Smoking Gun account noted, adding that a former FBI supervisor estimated that the bureau ceased using typewriters about 30 years ago. The website said its reporters had learned that the documents could not be found in an FBI database.
The website also described unexplained coincidences that made it appear Sabatino had composed the documents from prison. The Smoking Gun showed that Sabatino had filed court papers on his own behalf that had "obvious similarities" in typography and "remarkably similar spelling deficiencies" to those in the purported FBI documents.
The Smoking Gun used a report from Sabatino's sentencing in 2003 for fraud and identity theft to suggest that his history of lying began in childhood. When the boy's mother left home at 11, he told a teacher that his mother had died in an accident, rather than acknowledge the truth, said his father, Peter Sabatino, according to the website. It posted what it said was a letter that the father wrote to the judge.
At the sentencing, the younger Sabatino told the judge that he had been battling a "demon for a very long time" and that his motivation for committing fraud was "to make attention to myself," according to another court document posted by the website. The headline on the Smoking Gun story, over a picture of the picture of the portly Sabatino: "Big Phat Liar."
Philips said in an interview that he had believed the documents were legitimate because, in the reporting he had already done on the story, he had heard many of the same details.
He said a source had led him to three prison inmates who purportedly carried out the attack on Shakur. One of those inmates implicated the planners of the attack and another implied who was involved, Philips said. Two others who said they witnessed the attack corroborated portions of the scenario described in the article, he said. None of the sources were named in the story.
Philips also said the events the sources described fit with previous accounts in the media and even in Shakur's songs.
Still, Philips said he wished he had done more.Philips said he sought to check the authenticity of the documents with the U.S. attorney's office in New York, which had handled the investigation of the attack on Shakur, and with a retired FBI agent, but did not directly ask the FBI about them. The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment, while the former FBI agent said the documents appeared legitimate, Philips said.
His statement said he "approached this article the same way I've approached every article I've ever written: in pursuit of the truth. I now believe the truth here is that I got duped. For this, I take full responsibility and I apologize."
Philips has spent years digging into the rap music business and had won a reputation as a dogged streetwise reporter. He and Times reporter Michael Hiltzik shared a Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for beat reporting for their accounts of entertainment industry corruption, including illegal detoxification programs for celebrities.
Duvoisin has overseen many of The Times' most notable investigative projects in recent years.
The first significant tip that led to the Shakur story came nearly a year ago, Philips said. He conducted interviews and reported the story in the interim, then focused on the piece more intensively beginning in January.
The story was reviewed by Duvoisin and two editors on the copy desk.Other investigative stories published by The Times in recent years have in some cases received the scrutiny of at least one more editor and often of the managing editor or editor of the newspaper. The Shakur piece did not receive that many layers of review.
Bob Steele, a journalism values scholar at the Poynter Institute, said he would not pass judgment on The Times' editing process."But any time you have a substantive investigative project you need multiple levels of quality control," Steele said. "You need contrarians within the organization who are going to be very skeptical."
The editor of Smoking Gun, Bill Bastone, who shepherded the website's critique, had been an acquaintance of Philips before the Shakur investigation. The two met not long ago for lunch, discussing their mutual passion for investigative reporting and other matters.
Bastone knew The Times would publish a story related to the attack on Shakur, and he said he had immediate misgivings when he saw the piece last week.
He said he called Philips to say "things just don't feel right about this."Bastone said he "took no joy in doing this," adding, "We greatly respect your paper and Chuck and Chuck's work. . . . But I think what happened here is that this guy Sabatino is a master con man, and they got caught up with him."
james.rainey@latimes.com
KIDS UFC? "THUMBS DOWN FROM US AT NEFAM..."
Ultimate fights expand to include kids
By MARCUS KABEL, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 1 minute ago
CARTHAGE, Mo. - Ultimate fighting was once the sole domain of burly men who beat each other bloody in anything-goes brawls on pay-per-view TV.
But the sport often derided as "human cockfighting" is branching out.
The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling, Little League or soccer.
The changes were evident on a recent evening in southwest Missouri, where a team of several young boys and one girl grappled on gym mats in a converted garage.
Two members of the group called the "Garage Boys Fight Crew" touched their thin martial-arts gloves in a flash of sportsmanship before beginning a relentless exchange of sucker punches, body blows and swift kicks.
No blood was shed. And both competitors wore protective gear. But the bout reflected the decidedly younger face of ultimate fighting. The trend alarms medical experts and sports officials who worry that young bodies can't withstand the pounding.
Tommy Bloomer, father of two of the "Garage Boys," doesn't understand the fuss.
"We're not training them for dog fighting," said Bloomer, a 34-year-old construction contractor. "As a parent, I'd much rather have my kids here learning how to defend themselves and getting positive reinforcement than out on the streets."
Bloomer said the sport has evolved since the no-holds-barred days by adding weight classes to better match opponents and banning moves such as strikes to the back of the neck and head, groin kicking and head butting.
Missouri appears to be the only state in the nation that explicitly allows the youth fights. In many states, it is a misdemeanor for children to participate. A few states have no regulations.
Supporters of the sport acknowledge that allowing fights between kids sounds brutal at first. But they insist the competitions have plenty of safety rules.
"It looks violent until you realize this teaches discipline. One of the first rules they learn is that this is not for aggressive behavior outside (the ring)," said Larry Swinehart, a Joplin police officer and father of two boys and the lone girl in the garage group.
The sport, which is also known as mixed martial arts or cage fighting, has already spread far beyond cable television. Last month, CBS became the first of the Big Four television networks to announce a deal to broadcast primetime fights. The fights have attracted such a wide audience, they are threatening to surpass boxing as the nation's most popular pugilistic sport.
Hand-to-hand combat is also popping up on the big screen. The film "Never Back Down," described as "The Karate Kid" for the YouTube generation, has taken in almost $17 million in two weeks at the box office. Another current mixed martial arts movie, "Flash Point," an import from Hong Kong, is in limited release.
Bloomer said the fights are no more dangerous or violent than youth wrestling. He watched as his sons, 11-year-old Skyler and 8-year-old Gage, locked arms and legs and wrestled to the ground with other kids in the garage in Carthage, about 135 miles south of Kansas City.
The 11 boys and one girl on the team range from 6 to 14 years old and are trained by Rudy Lindsey, a youth wrestling coach and a professional mixed martial arts heavyweight.
"The kids learn respect and how to defend themselves. It's no more dangerous than any other sport and probably less so than some," Lindsey said.
Lindsey said the children wear protective headgear, shin guards, groin protection and martial-arts gloves. They fight quick, two-minute bouts. Rules also prohibit any elbow blows and blows to the head when an opponent is on the ground.
"If they get in trouble or get bad grades, I'll hear about it and they can't come to training," he added.
In most states, mixed martial arts is overseen by boxing commissions. In Missouri, the Office of Athletics regulates the professional fights but not the amateur events, which include the youth bouts. For amateurs, the regulation is done by sanctioning bodies that have to register with the athletics office.
The rules are different in Oklahoma, where unauthorized fights are generally a misdemeanor offense. The penalty is a maximum 30 days in jail and a fine up to $1,000.
Joe Miller, administrator of the Oklahoma Professional Boxing Commission, said youth fights are banned in his state, and he wants it to stay that way.
"There's too much potential for damage to growing joints," he said.
Miller said mixed martial arts uses a lot of arm and leg twisting to force opponents into submission. Those moves, he said, pressure joints in a way not found in sanctioned sports like youth boxing or wrestling.
But Nathan Orand, a martial arts trainer from Tulsa, Okla., said kids are capable of avoiding injuries, especially with watchful referees in the rings. He thinks the sport is bound to grow.
"I can see their point because when you say 'cage fighting,' that right there just sounds like kids shouldn't be doing it," Orand said.
"But you still have all the respect that regular martial arts teach you. And it's really the only true way for youth to be able to defend themselves."
Back in the Carthage garage, Bloomer said parents shouldn't worry about kids becoming aggressive from learning mixed martial arts. He said his older son was picked on by bullies at school repeatedly last year but never fought them, instead reporting the problem to his teachers.
And fighters including his 8-year-old son get along once a bout is over, Bloomer said.
"When they get out of the cage, they go back and play video games together. It doesn't matter who won and who lost. They're still little buddies."
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
TODAYS "MADD RAPPER" 3/26/08 VERSION
Rapper 'Grim Reefer' gets prison after accomplice's death in Roseville attack
By Art Campos - acampos@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, March 26, 2008Story appeared in METRO section, Page B5
Paying for his role in the death of an accomplice, a Roseville rapper known as the "Grim Reefer" has been sent to state prison by a Placer County judge.
The 26-year-old rapper, whose real name is John Donato Ruffner, landed behind bars after an accomplice was fatally stabbed during a botched plan to harm another Roseville man.
The stabbing occurred when the accomplice, Ruffner and a third man broke into a resident's home Jan. 24, 2007.
The resident, armed with a knife, stabbed Christopher Gregory, 25, who was hitting him with a baseball bat.
The resident was not charged because he acted in self-defense, Roseville police said.
Under California law, however, a person engaged in an inherently dangerous crime can be charged with homicide if anyone, including a colleague, is killed.
Prosecutors charged Ruffner with second-degree murder. The third man was never caught.
Ruffner later pleaded no contest to a lesser count of voluntary manslaughter and to burglary.
Superior Court Judge Robert P. McElhany last month sentenced Ruffner to 12 years and four months in prison.
Had he been convicted of second-degree murder, Ruffner could have faced 15 years to life.
Supervising District Attorney Clifford Gessner said detectives learned the attack on the victim may have been over a drug debt.
Ruffner's attorney, Barry Zimmerman, acknowledged his client and two friends went to the victim's home to "beat up and scare" him but said there was no intent to kill.
"It's a sad situation," he said. "Here you have one guy going to prison for a death produced by another guy who was not without his own history."
When the victim stabbed Gregory, the attackers, including Gregory, fled in a vehicle.
They drove to a gas station on Watt Avenue in Sacramento County, called 911 from a pay phone and then Ruffner "callously abandoned" the dying Gregory on the ground in the parking lot, Gessner said.
Gregory was taken by ambulance to a Sacramento hospital and was pronounced dead, the prosecutor said.
Zimmerman said Ruffner, despite previous scrapes with law enforcement, was a decent guy who tried to get help for his dying friend at the gas station.
"Of course (Ruffner) didn't want to stay there," the attorney said. "He'd just been in a home invasion and didn't want to get arrested."
ALLEN IVERSON GETTING EXTORTED?
Hampton man accused of trying to extort money from Allen Iverson
By Patrick WilsonThe Virginian-Pilot© March 25, 2008
VIRGINIA BEACH
A Hampton man has been charged with trying to extort money from NBA star Allen Iverson, police said Monday.
Hampton police arrested Andre Steele on Saturday in Hampton, said Detective John Allen of the Virginia Beach police. He was released from the Hampton jail on Monday, a jail spokesman said.
Virginia Beach police began investigating Steele after getting a complaint from Iverson, who is from Hampton.
Steele and Iverson previously have been described as longtime friends. In a 1998 incident, Steele was in Iverson's car when he was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. Iverson was not implicated.
Steele's age and address were not available.
A grand jury in Virginia Beach indicted Steele on March 3 on one count of attempted extortion, Allen said.
"He and Iverson had been acquaintances for some time, and he attempted to extort an undisclosed amount of money from him," Allen said. "He was never able to obtain any type of money or goods from him."
Detectives did not release more details and are continuing to investigate.
Iverson attended Bethel High School in Hampton. He has played professional basketball for 11 years, currently for the Denver Nuggets.
Patrick Wilson, (757) 446-2957, patrick.wilson@pilotonline.com
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
BOSTON FIRE VS. BOSTON POLICE?
SINCE "BEEF SEASON" IS IN FULL EFFECT...
Veteran jake claims police beat him up
By Jessica Van Sack
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
http://www.bostonherald.com/ Local Coverage
Photo by Jess Gatley
A veteran Boston firefighter yesterday pleaded not guilty to charges that he beat his girlfriend before assaulting police and resisting arrest in an early-morning domestic attack that the alleged victim says never happened.
Police said a combative Wayne Abron, 41, was spewing expletives and had to be “pulled off” his girlfriend, Edwinna Wynn, in a Dorchester yard early yesterday morning. Abron then took swings at the cops, police said, prompting a call for backup.
But Wynn disputed that account, saying Abron, her boyfriend of four years, never attacked her or the responding officers. “The police came in and right away they attacked Wayne,” she said.
In an interview with the Herald yesterday, Wynn, 36, said she tried to calm the officers when they arrived, but they immediately charged at Abron.
“They never asked any questions. They never asked me, ‘Did I need any help? Did I need any assistance,” Wynn said. “If I was in such distress, then why did they never offer me any services?”
Police say a call came in reporting a man beating a woman in a yard at 87 Howard Ave., the home of Abron’s mother, on Sunday at 1:48 a.m.
“Upon arrival, officers heard a man yelling ‘I’m gonna (expletive) you up,” the police report states.
“Despite suspect’s violent struggle, officers did bring suspect to the ground,” the report states, adding that Abron put an officer into a headlock and that family members disregarded officers’ orders to stay back.
“Never happened,” said Wynn, an outreach worker for a local nonprofit who said she will graduate from Wheelock College this year with a degree in social work.
Wynn and Abron, who live together in Mattapan, said they were having a “spirited argument” about how to make ends meet. They speculated that a neighbor must have called the police.
Abron’s mother, Fannie Abron, a retired BPD dispatcher, said she was with her son and his girlfriend during their argument and “there was no physical contact.”
She said she saw an officer sit on her son and slam his head repeatedly into the ground until “he went limp.”
In an interview, Abron, a 17-year veteran of the BFD, said he blacked out, and that a doctor diagnosed him with an eye socket injury, a thumb sprain and facial contusions.
“I was pepper-sprayed. I remember being beaten from behind and I don’t remember anything from the time I was at my mom’s til the time I woke up in the hospital,” Abron said.
Police reports state Abron has an active restraining order against him. Abron said he and a former girlfriend filed restraining orders against each other 14 years ago but he insisted neither is active.
The Suffolk District Attorney’s Office declined to comment, and the BPD released a statement saying: “The BPD investigates any and all complaints that are formally filed regarding officer misconduct.”
Abron said he has not filed a formal complaint but has retained counsel.Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1082644
Monday, March 24, 2008
SOULJA BOY, ALMOST GOT "CRANKED?"
Okay, so last week "allegedly" a 12 year old young man from Bloomington, Illinois was arrested and charged for throwing, what appeared to be a brick or some kind of concrete, through the window of Soulja Boy's tour bus.
Nobody was reported injured, but the young mans reason (allegedly) for trying to buss somebody upside the head with the brick or "brick-ish" object was, "Because I hate Soulja Boy."
Hate season is in full bloom, my brothers and sisters. Somebody get my boy some medication...
ILL COSBY...
SUGE KNIGHT REALITY SHOW?
Well, check that... Looks like the show is getting shut down already. Trust me, somebody was gonna be catching a case over this show anyways...believe me!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Suge Knight reality show?
Since we're entering the "beef" season, why not bring in the West Coast bully? Can't lie, I love seeing a true wanksters reaction in the face of some real gangster! This is like the Hip-Hop version of the "Scared Strait" jail diversion program from back in the day. Except now this is Suge Knight, Scaring wanna be MC's "Strait." We'll keep our eyes out for this one.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4t6s2_suge-knight-unfinished-business-new_music
I'm really waiting for 50 to get a show...But until then, I'll watch this...
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Rick Ross is indeed, "The Boss",,,at least for now...
Jay-Z said, "men lie, women lie, numbers don't." You know we wasn't gonna let ya'll down! Here is the entire top 50 for this week! We're watching!!! Stay tuned!
1 RICK ROSS DEF JAM/IDJMG 187,652 --
TRILLA ricky ross the boss
2 NOW 27 SBMG/COMMERICAL MUSIC GRP 158,975 --
VARIOUS ARTISTS
3 SNOOP DOGG GEFFEN 132,192 --
EGO TRIPPIN' doin banks an buck numbers
4 JACK JOHNSON BRUSHFIRE/UNIV REPUBLIC 54,848 -11%
SLEEP THROUGH THE STATIC
5 MICHAEL JACKSON LEGACY 49,795 +1%
THRILLER - 25TH ANNIVERSARY ED.
6 ALAN JACKSON ARISTA NASHVILLE 49,449 -58%
GOOD TIME
7 FAT JOE VIRGIN 48,284 --
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
8 SARA BAREILLES EPIC 39,198 0%
LITTLE VOICE
3 9 JANET JACKSON DEF JAM/IDJMG 36,670 -29%
DISCIPLINE
9 10 ERYKAH BADU UNIVERSAL MOTOWN 35,560 0%
NEW AMERYKAH PART ONE
-- 11 NOW 80'S SBMG/COMMERICAL MUSIC GRP 32,899 --
VARIOUS ARTISTS
-- 12 HANNAH MONTANA WALT DISNEY RECORDS 30,630 --
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT
10 13 TAYLOR SWIFT BIG MACHINE 30,629 -5%
TAYLOR SWIFT
11 14 AMY WINEHOUSE UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC 30,018 -4%
BACK TO BLACK
7 15 ALICIA KEYS J RECORDS/RMG 29,744 -25%
AS I AM
22 16 ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS RAZOR & TIE 23,962 +10%
SOUNDTRACK
16 17 HANNAH MONTANA 2 - MEET MILEY WALT DISNEY RECORDS 23,596 -7%
SOUNDTRACK
24 18 JONAS BROTHERS HOLLYWOOD 23,057 +10%
JONAS BROTHERS
5 19 FLOGGING MOLLY SIDE ONE DUMMY 22,357 -48%
FLOAT
46 20 ONEREPUBLIC INTERSCOPE 21,128 +49%
DREAMING OUT LOUD
20 21 COLBIE CAILLAT UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC 21,007 -5%
COCO
23 22 DAUGHTRY RCA/RMG 20,352 -4%
DAUGHTRY
13 23 MARY J. BLIGE GEFFEN 20,107 -28%
GROWING PAINS
19 24 JUNO RHINO 19,955 -12%
SOUNDTRACK
32 25 VAMPIRE WEEKEND XL/BEGGARS 19,338 +9%
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
15 26 CHRIS BROWN JIVE/ZLG 19,295 -24%
EXCLUSIVE
21 27 ONCE CANVASBACK/COLUMBIA 18,974 -13%
SOUNDTRACK
14 28 WEBBIE ASYLUM/ATLANTIC/ATL G 18,445 -27%
SAVAGE LIFE 2
17 29 KEYSHIA COLE GEFFEN 18,153 -26%
JUST LIKE YOU
18 30 STEP UP 2: THE STREETS ATLANTIC/ATL G 17,808 -27%
SOUNDTRACK
45 31 THE-DREAM DEF JAM/IDJMG 17,558 +22%
LOVEHATE
34 32 ACROSS THE UNIVERSE INTERSCOPE 17,470 +3%
SOUNDTRACK
33 33 JORDIN SPARKS 19/JIVE/ZLG 16,643 -2%
JORDIN SPARKS
27 34 KATE VOEGELE MYSPACE/INTERSCOPE 16,556 -11%
DON'T LOOK AWAY
31 35 KIDZ BOP KIDS RAZOR & TIE 16,545 -7%
KIDZ BOP 13
37 36 CARRIE UNDERWOOD ARISTA/RMG 16,426 -1%
CARNIVAL RIDE
37 LUPE FIASCO ATLANTIC/ATL G 16,215 -4%
LUPE FIASCO'S THE COOL
26 38 GARTH BROOKS PEARL RECORDS 16,108 -18%
ULTIMATE HITS
41 39 LINKIN PARK WARNER BROS. 16,027 +4%
MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
42 40 BUCKCHERRY ELEVEN SEVEN MUSIC 15,953 +5%
15
29 41 SHERYL CROW A&M 15,274 -16%
DETOURS
28 42 NOW 26 EMI COMMERCIAL MARKETING 14,765 -19%
VARIOUS ARTISTS
38 43 EAGLES EAGLES RECORDING COMPANY 14,513 -9%
LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN
6 44 BLACK CROWES SILVER ARROW 14,401 -65%
WARPAINT
44 45 FERGIE A&M/INTERSCOPE 14,201 -3%
THE DUTCHESS
36 46 ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS ROUNDER 14,046 -17%
RAISING SAND
43 47 RASCAL FLATTS LYRIC STREET 13,715 -8%
STILL FEELS GOOD
40 48 SUGARLAND MERCURY NASHVILLE 13,610 -12%
ENJOY THE RIDE
-- 49 RADIO DISNEY WALT DISNEY RECORDS 13,005 --
RADIO DISNEY JAMS 10
50 50 RADIOHEAD TBD/ATO/RED 12,726 -6%
IN RAINBOWS
The Fat Joe Response...
Well, Joe came back. Not sure if this is officially Joe and his camp, but...you be the judge...
Next weeks numbers better be good,,,cuz' another Curtis video dropping after this joint could be awful for them "TS" boys. The smell of blood is in the water...
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Rick Ross "UP" Fat Joe "DOWN"...
Rick Ross comes out on top his first week, leading the pack of new rap releases that also includes debuts from Snoop Dogg and Fat Joe.
Miami rapper Rick Ross is "Speedin'" past Snoop Dogg to the top of the charts. His sophomore album Trilla sold 198,000 units domestically according to Nielsen SoundScan, putting Ross at #1 on this week's Billboard 200. Trilla features production from J.R. Rotem, Mannie Fresh, The Runners, DJ Toomp and J.U.S.T.I.C.E League.
Snoop Dogg's Ego Trippin moves 137,000 in its first week; a historically low sales debut for a studio album from the West Coast veteran. Despite Snoops unusually low first week numbers, Snoop ranks #3 on the charts with his single "Sensual Seduction" still holding steady in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100.
Landing in the #6 spot this week, Fat Joe's The Elephant in the Room opens with sales of 46,000 copies. Released independently under Terror Squad Entertainment/Imperial records The Elephant in the Room is Joe's 8th studio album, it includes appearances from J.Holiday, Lil' Wayne, Plies and KRS-One. (from sohh.com)
Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
| Rank | Artist | Album | This Week | Total |
| 1 | Rick Ross | Trilla | 198,375 | 198,956 |
| 3 | Snoop Dogg | Ego Trippin' | 136,575 | 136,943 |
| 6 | Fat Joe | The Elephant In The Room | 46,125 | 46,260 |
| 8 | Janet Jackson | Discipline | 37,560 | 276,410 |
| 9 | Erykah Badu | New Amerykah: Part One | 34,808 | 200,399 |
| 29 | Webbie | Savage Life 2 | 18,448 | 119,907 | |
| 41 | Lupe Fiasco | The Cool | 15,230 | 407,718 | |
| 64 | Shawty Lo | Units In The City | 10,631 | 55,573 | |
| 122 | Del The Funkee Homosapien | 11th Hour | 5,810 | 5,985 | |
| -- | Tech N9ne | Everready | 698 | 136,788 |
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Shyne Trying To Tie Diddy To Lawsuit Over 1999 Shooting
Issue at center of suit is whether Shyne acted independently -- or as part of Bad Boy collective -- when he fired shots.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Natania Reuben, who filed the suit, claims the Bad Boy CEO and Shyne (Jamal Barrow, who changed his name in 2006 to Moses Michael Leviy in honor of his Jewish heritage), among others, are responsible for the injuries she suffered that night as a result of the gunfire. Reuben was shot in the face during the melee.
Diddy's busy schedule, along with litigation from the charges against Shyne, resulted in the hip-hop mogul's deposition being stretched out over time. Bad Boy employee Derek Ferguson is the next and last party scheduled for deposition, Michelen said.
The civil trial could be the first time Shyne, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty on five charges — including assault in the first degree — would testify about the events that took place that night, Michelen revealed. During the criminal trial, Shyne declined to take the stand.
At the center of the deposition, according to Michelen, is whether Shyne acted independently when he pulled a gun and fired shots that night — or as a part of the Bad Boy collective.
Lawyers for Reuben — and Michelen himself, he said — questioned Diddy about the incident, his relationship with Shyne and the criminal trial.
However, a situation could result where Diddy would have to pay up and then seek financial compensation from his one-time recording artist Shyne. The club management and the security firm were also named in the civil lawsuit, as was Bad Boy Entertaintment, in addition to Diddy and Shyne.
"Mr. Combs was acquitted by a jury of all charges related to this 1999 incident and we are confident that he will prevail in this civil lawsuit," an e-mail sent to MTV News read.
FAT JOE, PAPOOSE, 50 CENT
Fat Joe Says Papoose, 50 Cent Pushed Him To 'That Boiling Point' With Radio Comments
Terror Squad Don says they hugged after the fight, but 'four hours later, I heard I got beat up.'
By Shaheem Reid
When Fat Joe promises to keep his mouth shut, he's not just referring to his hit single "I Won't Tell." He's also talking about his business in the streets. Joe told MTV News he has gotten into fights with plenty of rappers of before, but he has never mentioned names, in accordance with his code. Joe also had no plans to go public about last week’s altercation with Papoose until an e-mail blast was sent out detailing what he insists is a false version of events on 50 Cent's ThisIs50.com. (50's anti-Joe campaign continued Tuesday [March 11], when he released the G-Unit mixtape The Elephant in the Sand.)
"He's a Pho-to-shop-aaaaaah," Joe said Monday in New York, smiling and obviously mimicking 50's song "Window Shopper." Joe was referring to the doctored pictures of him beat up black-and-blue that surfaced on the Net. He blames 50 and company for the defamation.
"I don't have nothing to gain from putting out stories that I beat up Papoose," said Joe, who claimed victory in the squabble with the Brooklyn MC. "Papoose, this is an approach he chose. He felt he was taking a negative and turning it into a positive, but in the long run, time tells the truth. Time will tell."
Joe said after the fight, he and Papoose made peace and actually hugged.
"As a man, I kept it moving," he said. "That was it. It was squashed. Four hours later, I heard I got beat up. [There were] too many people there for him to get away with those lies. If we were in a little room alone, maybe he could pull off [the lie], I guess. I don't think no one would believe a 60-pound guy could beat up Fat Joe."
Joe's recollection of the fight goes like this: He and Papoose were on a bill to perform at a North Carolina concert along with several other rappers. All the acts were staying at one hotel. A member of Joe's entourage found out that Papoose was staying on the first floor. Joey Crack said he started acting like Javier Bardem looking for Josh Brolin in "No Country for Old Men."
"I knocked on every door," Joe said. " 'No Country for Old Men'! You better believe it."
Finally, Joe found the room where Pap, Cassidy, Yo Gotti and Gucci Mane were chilling with their crews. He approached Pap and asked if they had a problem.
"I was hoping he would say he didn't have a problem," Joe said. Neither man would back down, and the altercation ensued.
Joe's disdain for Pap came on the heels of 50 Cent's takeover of New York radio station Power 105.1 several days ago. While on-air, 50 threw shots at Joe and his family. Papoose and Remy Ma were guests at the time, and Remy even took a few jabs.
"Unfortunately, I felt I had to make somebody pay," Joe explained. "[Papoose] was up there laughing.
"It's hard," he added. "Sometimes you reach that boiling point. Sometimes they try to pull you back in. 'Prove it to us again. Show us you're a tough guy.' "
Ironically, Joe said his latest big record, "I Won't Tell," was fueled by learning that 50 Cent and Remy Ma had made an alliance.
"They make me deliver hits," he said. "They say success is the best revenge.'
"I Won't Tell" features J. Holiday, though Joe admits that he originally had someone else in mind to sing the hook.
"This guy here, he's very talented, he's special," Joe said of Holiday. "He's real talented. The girls at my label were like, 'You gotta work with him.' 'Cause originally I was gonna use R. Kelly. But J. did it, and he killed it.
"It was so much fun," the Terror Squad Don added of the song's clip. "It was like a real party. You know how you do a video, and it's work, and people are trying to make it look like a party? Nah, this was a real party. Miami, everybody is there. ... They almost threw Junior Reid out 10 times. He was like, 'Because I'm Jamaican, they think it's me [smoking].' "
Diddy, LL Cool J, Sheek Louch, Bow Wow and DJ Khaled are among those making cameos in the video. Joe's new album, The Elephant in the Room, was released Tuesday.
Everyone knows about Jay-Z's upcoming Heart of the City tour which kicks off in Miami this Saturday.For Jay, the 22 city tour is sure to make him a ton of money and most of the dates are sold out already.
That's pimpin' but Jay-Z is known to take it a few steps further. Tell me why Jay is selling $160 tickets for people to come and watch him rehearse? No joke.I just got this email a couple of days ago and it just reminded me why he's the best entreprenegro in the game.
FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH
AT THE JACKIE GLEASON THEATER
FRIDAY, MARCH 21ST!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
WHO: JAY-Z
**SPECIAL DRESS REHEARSAL PERFORMANCE**
WHAT:
Before JAY-Z kicks off his latest national tour on Saturday at a sold out American Airlines Arena, you can still have a chance to see his final “Dress Rehearsal” at a special performance at the Fillmore Miami Beach. It is a special opportunity to catch JAY-Z in concert before the tour begins. Tickets are limited in the intimate setting of the Fillmore Miami Beach, so they will go fast. This is the “Dress Rehearsal” for JAY-Z's first arena tour since his successful JAY-Z and Friends Tour in 2004 and the first to feature material from his 2006 Kingdom Come album and 2007's critically acclaimed American Gangster album.
WHERE: THE FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH AT THE JACKIE GLEASON THEATER
MIAMI BEACH, FL
ON SALE: NOW AT LIVENATION.COM, ALL TICKETMASTER OUTLETS
OR CHARGE BY PH0NE:
MIAMI-DADE: (305) 358-5885
BROWARD: (954) 523-3309
PALM BEACH: (561) 966-3309
PRICES $160.00, $95.00 & $65.00 – RESERVED SEATS
Now that's big pimpin'.
By Tai Saint Louis
A Lil Wayne concert in London, England was cut short last night (March 16) following a series of scuffles, AllHipHop.com has learned.
According to witnesses who attended the show at the Stratford Rex, Lil Wayne performed a shorter set than expected, after at least six fights erupted near the stage.
Despite the efforts of event security and Lil Wayne's own bodyguards, the side stage area originally reserved for VIPs became overcrowded, witnesses say.
The resulting tension created by the overcrowding led to the first fight, which broke out between two male patrons on the side of the stage, shortly after Lil Wayne started his performance.
It was hard to tell what exactly happened, but I could have sworn I saw one of Weezy’s sidekicks stomping someone like crazy on stage, but behind the DJ,” an eyewitness told AllHipHop.com. “Then he came back and addressed the crowd."
The witness at the event was impressed by the crowd’s enthusiastic reply to Lil Wayne, noting that most patrons knew the rapper’s lyrics word for word.
Minutes later, an audience member launched a bottle onto the stage and was escorted out of the venue, as Lil Wayne stopped the performance.
“As he was walking off someone threw a glass at him from the balcony. Then he turned as if to address the crowd, and then about five or six other objects and glasses rained down on the stage…it was a mess!”
No word as to whether the violence resulted in any arrests or injuries.
Lil Wayne's management was not immediately available for comment.
“When he did perform, it was unbelievable. This guy is easily the best live performer in rap, maybe even music as a whole,” the witness said. “Amazing performance while it lasted, but Weezy met London's Yob culture and opted out!”
Seems like ole, Weezy "F" repped for his daddy!
And yes, we found it! Here's the video!!!
Monday, March 17, 2008
"Who Shot 2Pac?"
The November 1994 assault on Tupac Shakur remains a source of fascination and frustration to law officials and fans. No one was ever charged in the attack.
Blood Feud
An attack on Tupac Shakur launched a hip-hop war
In 1994, Tupac Shakur was ambushed, beaten and shot at the Quad Recording Studios in New York. He insisted that friends of Sean 'Diddy' Combs were behind it. New information supports him.
By Chuck Philips, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
6:00 AM PDT, March 17, 2008
NEW YORK -- Cameras flashed as paramedics carried the victim into the glare of Times Square on a stretcher. Blood seeped through bandages from five gunshot wounds.
Tupac Shakur had been beaten, shot and left for dead at the Quad Recording Studios on New York's 7th Avenue. As he was borne to a waiting ambulance through a swarm of paparazzi on Nov. 30, 1994, the rap star thrust his middle finger into the air.
It was a portentous moment in hip-hop -- the start of a bicoastal war that would culminate years later in the killings of Shakur and rap's other leading star, Christopher Wallace, better known as the Notorious B.I.G.
The ambush at the Quad remains a source of fascination and frustration to music fans and law enforcement officials alike. No one has ever been charged in the attack.
Now, newly discovered information, including interviews with people who were at the studio that night, lends credence to Shakur's insistence that associates of rap impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs were behind the assault. Their alleged motives: to punish Shakur for disrespecting them and rejecting their business overtures and, not incidentally, to curry favor with Combs.
The information focuses on two New York hip-hop figures -- talent manager James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond and promoter James Sabatino, who is now in prison for unrelated crimes.
FBI records obtained recently by The Times say that a confidential informant told authorities in 2002 that Rosemond and Sabatino "set up the rapper Tupac Shakur to get shot at Quad Studios." The informant said Sabatino had told him that Shakur "had to be dealt with."
The records -- summaries of FBI interviews with the informant conducted in July and December 2002 -- provide details of how Shakur was lured to the studio and ambushed. Others with knowledge of the incident corroborated the informant's account in interviews with The Times and gave additional details.
According to this information, Rosemond and Sabatino, infuriated by what they saw as Shakur's insolent behavior, enticed him to the Quad by offering him $7,000 to provide a vocal track for a rap recording.
Three assailants -- reputedly friends of Rosemond -- were lying in wait. They were on orders to beat Shakur but not kill him and to make the incident look like a robbery, the sources said. They were told they could keep whatever jewelry or other valuables they could steal from Shakur and his entourage.
A member of Shakur's posse cooperated with the rapper's enemies, relaying their offer of a $7,000 payment and keeping them informed of his whereabouts on the night of the assault, according to the informant and the other sources.
Rosemond, who has served prison time for drug dealing and weapons offenses, has been described by Vibe magazine as "one of the most respected and feared players in hip-hop." His Czar Entertainment represents rappers Shyne, Too Short, Gucci Mane and the Game.
Rosemond has long denied any role in the Quad incident. He declined to be interviewed for this article, but his lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, dismissed the new information as "ancient double-hearsay allegations."
Lichtman noted that Rosemond had never been charged or questioned in connection with the attack -- a sign, Lichtman said, that federal authorities have "discounted" what the informant told them. Rosemond "was not involved in the assault and will not be prosecuted for it," Lichtman said.
Sabatino declined to comment.
Combs, whose business empire includes Bad Boy Records and clothing and fragrance lines, also declined to comment.
The FBI documents do not name the informant. The Times learned his identity and verified that he was at the Quad on the night of the assault. When contacted, the man said the FBI records accurately convey what happened, and what he told investigators. He and the other sources interviewed for this article discussed the events of Nov. 30, 1994, on condition that their names not be published.
Their accounts are consistent with Shakur's own. In interviews and on recordings, the rapper blamed Rosemond, Combs and their associates for the attack and promised to get even.
"Grab your Glocks when you see Tupac," he said in the 1996 song "Hit 'Em Up."
"Call the cops when you see Tupac
"Who shot me? But you punks didn't finish
"Now you're 'bout to feel the wrath of a menace!"
Roots of an ambush
The Quad ambush had its roots in events a year earlier, when Shakur returned to New York from California to film the movie "Above the Rim." The Brooklyn native, then 22, had two hit albums under his belt and was starting to taste success as an actor.
While in New York, he befriended Rosemond, the son of Haitian immigrants, who had run with street gangs and worked in the crack trade before gravitating to the hip-hop scene. He had a prominent scar on his forehead and cultivated an air of danger.
According to accounts given by the two men and others over the years, Rosemond, then 29, took Shakur under his wing, showing him around the city and introducing him to friends, including an ex-convict named Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant. Shakur and Agnant hit it off and were soon partying at clubs across Manhattan.
There was a serious side to the revelry. Rosemond was trying to establish himself as a talent manager -- he had formed a company called Henchman Productions -- and he and Agnant hoped to represent Shakur. They encouraged the rapper to sign a recording contract with Combs' fledgling Bad Boy label, which had recently received more than $2 million in capital from BMG's Arista division.
Shakur also became acquainted with Sabatino, a 19-year-old Italian American who co-promoted rap conventions with Rosemond. Sabatino had Brooklyn roots of a different kind that gave him cachet in the hip-hop world: His father was a captain in the Colombo crime family, according to federal authorities.
Like Rosemond and Agnant, Sabatino wanted to ride Combs' rising star, and he too leaned on Shakur to leave Interscope Records and sign with Bad Boy.
Shakur rejected these overtures. Members of Combs' circle saw this as an act of disrespect.
Shakur's behavior in New York grew increasingly provocative. He insulted music executives and gangsters alike. He brandished weapons in public. Even friends thought he was out of control.
In November 1993, Shakur, Agnant and two other men were arrested on charges of gang-raping a 19-year-old fan at the Parker Meridien Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Shakur posted bail and returned to Los Angeles.
A year later, he was back in New York to stand trial on the charges. By then, his former pals were laying plans to exact revenge, according to the FBI informant and the other sources.
Carefully laid plans
On Nov. 29, 1994, two dozen Bad Boy executives and associates gathered on the 10th floor of the Quad to record songs for a debut album by Junior M.A.F.I.A., a group formed by the Notorious B.I.G., Bad Boy's leading artist.
On hand were Combs, B.I.G., Rosemond, Agnant and Sabatino. Also present, among others, were rapper James "Lil' Cease" Lloyd and music executive Andre Harrell.
Rosemond had booked an adjacent studio to produce a recording by rapper Little Shawn, whose career he managed. This was the session at which Shakur was to be paid $7,000 for a guest vocal.
In fact, Rosemond never intended to record the session, according to the FBI informant and the other sources.
He had enlisted a trio of his friends from Brooklyn to ambush Shakur in the lobby of the Quad, the sources said.
Agnant and Sabatino helped plan the attack, working out the timing, arranging for the three assailants to be driven to the studio and mapping out their escape route, according to the informant and the other sources. Sabatino informed Combs and Wallace in advance that a trap had been laid for Shakur, the sources said.
Shakur's friend Randy "Stretch" Walker was in on the plan, the sources said. In the hours before the attack, Shakur and Rosemond argued several times over the phone about how much Shakur would be paid. After the dispute was settled, Walker notified Agnant when Shakur was en route, the sources said.
Around 11:30 p.m., Sabatino effectively locked down the 10th floor, quietly intercepting anyone who tried to leave, the FBI informant and the other sources said.
Fifteen minutes later, the lobby security guard was called away from his post, and the three assailants, dressed in army fatigues, moved into position. One sat in the guard's chair. The two others waited outside.
Just after midnight, Shakur walked in with Walker and his manager, Fred Moore. He buzzed the studio upstairs to let them know he was on his way. The assailant posing as a security guard flipped nonchalantly through a newspaper.
As the rapper and his crew walked toward the elevator, the two other assailants rushed in from outside and demanded that Shakur and the others turn over their jewelry. When Shakur refused, all three attackers began to pistol-whip him.
The rapper surprised them by drawing his own weapon. Gunfire erupted, and Shakur accidentally shot himself in the groin. The assailants shot Shakur four times. He sustained injuries to the head, hand and thigh -- serious but not life-threatening.
The men beat and kicked the rapper as he lay bleeding on the ground. Then, ripping a $40,000 gold medallion and chain from his neck, they escaped into the night.
Moore, who was also wounded, gave chase and collapsed in the street.
The FBI informant said the shots were audible in the 10th-floor studio. "Sabatino, Rosemond and Combs did not seem concerned about this," the informant told the FBI, though others in the studio "were very upset."
Shakur managed to limp into the elevator and push the button for the 10th floor. Walker rode up with him.
When the elevator doors opened, the rapper surveyed the assembled Bad Boy crowd.
In a 2005 interview with Vibe magazine, in which he denied any role in the attack, Rosemond described how the injured Shakur accused him of being in on the ambush.
Rosemond quoted the rapper as asking: "Why you let them know I'm coming here? You was the only [one] who knew, man. Why?"
In a bizarre twist, Shakur, bleeding badly, sat on a couch and rolled a joint, witnesses said. Then he phoned his girlfriend, who contacted his mother, former Black Panther Afeni Shakur. Harrell called 911. Paramedics showed up minutes later. Police began interviewing witnesses.
The FBI informant said Agnant told him that "anyone who thought the shooting was a robbery was crazy." He said Agnant "seemed mad that Shakur was still alive and kept calling" the hospital "to check on Shakur's status."
Efforts to reach Agnant for comment were unsuccessful.
Surgeons at Bellevue Hospital Center operated on Shakur for three hours. Later the same day, the rapper signed himself out of the hospital against doctors' advice.
The very next day -- Dec. 1, 1994 -- a heavily bandaged Shakur rolled into court in a wheelchair to hear the jury's verdict in the Parker Meridien case. He was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse and later sentenced to 4½ years in prison. (Agnant had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and avoided prison.)
The three men identified by the sources as Shakur's assailants are all serving time in federal penitentiaries for unrelated crimes. The Times is withholding their names because they have not been charged.
In correspondence with The Times, one of the men said that Rosemond orchestrated the ambush. Another was cryptic. He wrote that the statute of limitations for the assault had expired, and he offered to produce, for an unspecified fee, the medallion stolen from Shakur.
The third inmate denied involvement in the attack.
'Bad Boy's behind this'
The Quad ambush triggered a vicious, well-chronicled feud between East Coast and West Coast rappers and their record labels, New York-based Bad Boy and Death Row Records of Los Angeles.
At awards shows, in music videos and in song lyrics, the feuding camps laid down challenges that the stars' posses acted out with gunfire.
In April 1995, four months after the Quad attack, Vibe magazine published a prison interview with Shakur in which he said Combs and his associates were responsible.
Not long after, Bad Boy released a new song by the Notorious B.I.G., "Who Shot Ya?," which describes an ambush in which the victim is shot by three assailants. It closes with a taunt:
"You rewind this
"Bad Boy's behind this."
In June of that year, Death Row founder Marion "Suge" Knight began visiting Shakur in prison and wooing him to join his music label. Later that month, Knight mocked Combs onstage during a rap awards show in Manhattan.
In apparent retaliation, gunmen shot up a trailer outside a video shoot in New York in which Death Row rappers had been filmed stomping through a miniature model of Manhattan like Godzilla.
In August 1995, Knight's bodyguard was shot and killed at a club in Atlanta. Knight accused a Combs associate in the killing; no one was ever charged. Soon after, Shakur, still behind bars for his sexual-abuse conviction, signed a contract with Death Row. Knight posted a $1.4-million bond for the rapper, freeing him from prison while he appealed the verdict.
In November 1995 -- a year to the day after the Quad ambush -- Shakur's onetime companion, "Stretch" Walker, was shot dead in Queens, N.Y.
Early the following year, Death Row released Shakur's "All Eyez On Me," in which he ridiculed East Coast rappers. In a later release, "Hit 'Em Up," Shakur belittled Combs, bragged that he had sex with the Notorious B.I.G.'s wife and vowed retribution for the Quad assault.
On Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. Six months later, the Notorious B.I.G. was shot dead in Los Angeles, also in a drive-by. No one has been charged in either slaying.
Moving on
In the years after the mayhem at the Quad, Rosemond tried to dispel persistent rumors that he arranged the attack. He protested his innocence in Vibe magazine and appealed to Shakur, in vain, to cease his public accusations.
In 1996, Rosemond was convicted of drug and weapons offenses and sentenced to five years in prison. Released three years later, he reinvented himself as a talent manager. His turbulent past gave him street cred and helped attract a clientele of rappers to his Czar Entertainment. Two years ago, he was convicted of assaulting a radio disc jockey in Washington, D.C. He remains on probation for the offense.
Sabatino became a fixture in Combs' circle. He went on the road with B.I.G. and joined Combs on his 1997 "No Way Out" tour, helping him stage lavish private parties and land corporate sponsorships.
During the tour, Sabatino used fake credit cards to run up tens of thousands of dollars in charges for hotel suites, limousines and helicopters for the Bad Boy entourage. He was arrested in London and extradited to the U.S. He is serving an 11½-year prison term for wire fraud and racketeering.
In the years after the Quad, Combs transcended hip-hop to become an international celebrity and brand name. He has recorded Grammy-winning rap albums and acted in off-Broadway plays. He hosts a weekly MTV show, owns a restaurant in Atlanta and presides over the Sean John clothing line and the Unforgivable fragrance brand. Forbes magazine last year estimated his income at $23 million.
The New York police investigation into the Quad attack quickly hit a dead end. But federal prosecutors conducting a broad investigation of the rap business have continued to explore the incident and its role in the subsequent string of shootings and killings. Various music-industry figures have been called before a federal grand jury and questioned about what happened that night.
'Set me up'
Two months after Shakur was killed, Death Row Records released his album "The Don Killuminati." It entered the pop charts at No. 1 and sold 800,000 copies in its first week.
The CD cover depicts the rap star nailed to a cross like a martyred prophet. In the song "Against All Odds," Shakur, like a ghost from the grave, calls out those he held responsible for starting the violence:
"I take this war . . . deeply
"Done seen too many real players fall
"To let these [cowards] beat me
"Puffy, let's be honest, you a punk. . . .
"You can tell the people you roll with whatever you want
"But you and I know
"What's goin' on."
Shakur then mentions "a snitch named Haitian Jack" and promises "a payback" to "Jimmy Henchman in due time."
"Set me up, wet me up. . . . stuck me up," he sings.
"But you tricks never shut me up."
Article source: Chuck.philips@latimes.com
