HipHopHavoc News

The Game competes for role in upcoming film version of "The A-Team"

2009-07-05T02:58:00.002-09:00

It may be game over for Ice Cube and Tyrese when it comes to the role of B.A. Baracus in the upcoming film version of "The A-Team," due June 11, 2010 from 20th Century Fox.

According to BlackFilm.com, The Game has emerged as a frontrunner to step into the role originated in the TV series by Mr. T.

If The Game lands the role, he would join Liam Neeson, cast as John "Hannibal" Smith, and Bradley Cooper, who is taking on the part of Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck. Joe Carnahan is directing.

The Game's acting credits include "Street Kings" and "Waist Deep."

Nick Cannon denies that Mariah's new video targets Eminem

2009-07-05T02:55:00.002-09:00

Mariah Carey's husband doesn’t believe that the entertainer is emulating Eminem in her upcoming cross-dressing video "Obsessed," as reports have suggested.

Photos from the NYC shoot were splashed across the Internet this week showing the singer dressed like a man in various outfits. It prompted outlets to speculate that the video mirrors the song's alleged dis to Eminem, who boasted that he slept with the star in his song "Bagpipes from Baghdad."

Cannon said despite Eminem's first shot, he didn't think Carey was planning to return fire at the rap star.

"Honestly, I don't think so. I don't think that she would take her time. My wife doesn't beef. She's Mariah Carey. She's not beefin', she's a vegetarian," he said.

"I always say I thought the record was about me, 'cause I'm obsessed with my wife," he added. "But if somebody's out there and you feel like you might have been obsessed, then the record's about you."

Q-Tip plans to release his long-awaited album "Kamaal the Abstract" this fall

2009-07-03T06:23:00.000-09:00

After an eight-year delay, Q-Tip is finally releasing his long-awaited album "Kamaal the Abstract" this fall, reports Billboard.

Due Sept. 15 from Battery Records, the set features nine tracks that the former A Tribe Called Quest member produced entirely on his own.

"Q-Tip is a true visionary and ahead of his time," Neil Levine, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Battery Records, said in a prepared statement. "These songs are more contemporary now than when they were first recorded."

The forthcoming album, which never received an official release due to disagreements between the artist and then-label Arista Records, includes special guests Kenny Garrett and Gary Thomas, who play saxophone on the songs "Abstractionisms" and "Do U Dig U," respectively.

Michael Jackson has endless unreleased songs....

2009-07-03T06:19:00.001-09:00

Michael Jackson is said to have a treasure trove of unreleased recordings in the vault when he died — music that is almost certain to be packaged and repackaged for his fans in the years to come, notes the Associated Press.

The material includes unused tracks from studio sessions of some of Jackson's best albums, as well as more recently recorded songs made with R&B singer/producer Akon and Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.

"There are dozens and dozens of songs that did not end up on his albums," said Tommy Mottola, who from 1998 to 2003 was chairman and CEO of Sony Music, which owns the distribution rights to Jackson's music. "People will be hearing a lot of that unreleased material for the first time ever. There's just some genius and brilliance in there."

The releases, Mottola said, "could go on for years and years — even more than Elvis."

As previously reported, Nielsen SoundScan said Wednesday that three of his records — "Number Ones," "Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller — were the best-selling albums of the week, and 2.3 million tracks of his have been downloaded in the U.S. alone.

Mottola, who has described himself as the "shepherd and gatekeeper" of Jackson's catalog and is familiar with it better than anyone, said that for every album Jackson made — including classics like 1979's "Off the Wall" and 1982's "Thriller" — he recorded several tracks that didn't make it onto the records.

Major street corner in Hollis Queens named after Run-DMC

2009-07-02T02:58:00.000-09:00

The New York City Council approved a new bill that renames a major street corner in Hollis Queens after its famous native sons Run-DMC.

The corner of 205th Street and Hollis Avenue will from now on be called "Run-DMC JMJ Way," according to the New York Times.

JMJ refers to the group's DJ Jam Master Jay (born Jason Mizell), who was gunned down in a Jamaica, Queens recording studio in October 2002. His killing has not been solved.

The group's other rap pioneers are Joseph Simmons, known as Run, and Darryl McDaniels, known as DMC. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April.

McDaniels also has donated memorabilia for a proposed Hollis Hip Hop Museum in the Queens neighborhood.

Queens Councilman Leroy G. Comrie represents the area and said he hopes the renaming of the street and talk of the museum would help "economically revitalize this particular neighborhood as a potential tourism attraction," according to the Times.

Usher wants a paternity test...

2009-07-02T02:54:00.000-09:00

The National Enquirer is reporting that Usher wants a paternity test done on his youngest child – 6-month-old Naviyd – because he and his soon-to-be ex-wife Tameka were having little to no sexual relations at the time she conceived.

“The first thing Usher said was, ‘How did this happen?’ - because he was gone a lot, and their sex life was very, very limited,” a friend of Usher told the tabloid. “People have been telling him that around the time the little boy was conceived, Tameka got together with another man.”

Tameka, however, claims Naviyd is Usher's child and says it was the singer who was being unfaithful at the time.

“She says that although they weren’t spending much time together, they did get together for one night of passion. And that’s when she got pregnant," the source said.

Meanwhile, E! is reporting that Tameka's new court filing states she and Ursh have not been separated since July 2008 and, in fact, were "intimately together" less than a week before he started divorce proceedings.

She had "every reason to believe her marriage was intact," her attorney stated in documents filed Monday in Atlanta.

Tameka's filing seeks to ensure that her estranged husband takes care of all of her legal fees pertaining to the split and continues to support his family financially, according to E! Online.

Usher filed for divorce June 12, checking off "irretrievably broken" as his reason to end the marriage and requesting joint custody of the couple's two sons.

DJ Big Mike Raided By The RIAA and Cash Seizure Of $200,00 In Cash

2009-07-02T02:49:00.001-09:00

DJ Big Mike Raided By The RIAA and Cash Seizure Of $200,00 In Cash

DANBURY,Conn

Mike Willcox aka DJ Big Mike's home Was raided on Friday May 29. The raid uncovered over $200,000 in cash and over 15,000 mix cd's. Mike Willcox arrived at his home in Danbury, CT. to find Federal And Local Officers inside his home.
Some are speculating DJ Big Mike had to cut a deal with the RIAA to reduce his charges from piracy and tax evasion to just tax evasion.

SOURCE APN News Corporation;

Jay-Z's Roc Nation label to be distributed through Sony

2009-07-01T03:34:00.001-09:00

Jay-Z's Roc Nation label will be distributed through Sony, the rapper confirmed to Billboard on Friday, while his recent deal with Atlantic is only a one-off situation for his upcoming album, "Blueprint 3," due Sept. 11.

"Sony is Roc Nation. That's where Roc Nation's going through," Jay-Z told the publication.

As for the one-time Atlantic deal, "That's pretty much just for this specific album," he clarified. "Roc Nation -- we're experts in marketing and making records. But we do distribution deals. On this one, we're working directly with the Atlantic staff, which is Julie [Greenwald], Lyor [Cohen], Kevin [Liles] and Kyse [Mike Kyser]. For the rest of the Roc Nation artists, we did a distribution deal with Sony."

Jay-Z also told Billboard he originally approached Def Jam with the same distribution deal idea four years ago, but was shut down.

"You have to figure, this is like four years ago, and to them it was just like, 'Are you crazy? No! Make a song!'" he said. "To me it was like, I've sold companies for huge amounts of money. I'm an entrepreneur -- that's what I've been all my life. I can't just sit here and make records and not do anything else. Why wouldn't you want to do this with me? I felt under-utilized."

When his Def Jam contract was nearing expiration and he had one last album to release with the label (in this case, "Blueprint 3"), Jay-Z opted to buy himself out of the contract for a reportedly $5 million price tag.

Memorial Services set for Michael Jackson

2009-07-01T03:33:00.001-09:00

The public will be able to say a last goodbye to Michael Jackson via a public viewing service to be held Friday at his former home, Neverland Ranch, according to reports.

A private family memorial service for the family will follow on Sunday.

Jackson's body will be driven 130 miles from Los Angeles to the sprawling estate north of Santa Barbara late Thursday morning in a motorcade said to be at least 30 cars deep, according to CNN and TMZ.com, citing police officials.

E! News quoted a Santa Barbara Sheriff's department spokesman who said meetings were taking place with the California Highway Patrol to discuss security for the trip from the Jackson family home in Los Angeles to Neverland.

Jackson's birthplace of Gary, Indiana, also is planning a memorial service for the deceased singer on July 10, according to a spokeswoman for the city's mayor's office.

Lalosa Burns, spokeswoman for Gary Mayor Rudy Clay, tells Reuters that the memorial service would take place at US Steel Works sports stadium, and that more details would follow.

Vibe has shutdown. Quincy Jones may buy the magazine back

2009-07-01T03:28:00.001-09:00

Vibe magazine has stopped the presses and folded for good, according to internal memos issued to the staff on Tuesday by editor in chief Danyel Smith and Steve Aaron, former CEO of the Vibe Media Group.

"It is with great sadness, and with heads held high, that we leave the building today," wrote Smith. "We were assigning and editing a Michael Jackson tribute issue when we got the news. It's a tragic week overall, but as the doors of the Vibe Media Group close, on the eve of the magazine's 16th anniversary, it's a sad day for music, for hip hop in particular, and for the millions of readers and users who have loved and continue to love the Vibe brand."

Quincy Jones, the producer behind Jackson's best-selling LPs "Off the Wall" and "Thriller," founded the magazine with Time Warner in 1992, and there was news late Tuesday that he is attempting to keep it in business.

"I’m trying to buy my magazine back now,” Jones said, according to Adrienne Samuels Gibbs of Ebony magazine.

Jones told EbonyJet.com: “They just messed my magazine all up, but I’m gonna get it back. You better believe it, Imma take it online because print and all that stuff is over."

In recent months, Vibe suffered from a steep drop in print advertising, having announced in February that it would cut its rate base from 800,000 to 600,000.

In his memo, Aaron also cited the lack of investments sources needed to keep the enterprise afloat.

"The deal market right now remains very poor and at the end of the day, the lack of investment resources to restructure the huge debt load on our small company has made this outcome a reality," he wrote.

Vibe spokeswoman, Tracy Nguyen, said staff at the magazine was formally notified of the shutdown during a 2 p.m. meeting on Tuesday.

Usher regrets absence from BET Awards

2009-06-30T03:49:00.000-09:00

On Friday, BET CEO Debra Lee told reporters that Usher and Justin Timberlake would be last minute additions to Sunday's BET Awards telecast, which was being "overhauled" to honor Michael Jackson in the wake of his passing.

Neither performer made it to the ceremony on Sunday. The reason for Timberlake's no-show remains a mystery, but Usher explained in a statement released Sunday he was overseas and unable to make it to Los Angeles in time.

“It is with regret that I [was] unable to participate in the BET Awards Tribute to Michael Jackson on June 28,” Usher said.

“When the BET Awards producers and organizers reached out to me to participate in the tribute, I was extremely flattered and humbled by the opportunity to pay tribute to the world’s greatest musical icon,” the statement continued. “Unfortunately, I am currently overseas and would not make it back in time to the Awards show.”

Though Usher was not able to celebrate Jackson on Sunday, the singer revealed he has a tribute honoring the late singer in the works.

“I look forward to seeing the show and I plan to work on a tribute to Michael Jackson when I return,” Usher said.

Sales of Michael Jackson albums have hit the stratosphere since his untimely death

2009-06-29T04:55:00.001-09:00

Sales of Michael Jackson albums have hit the stratosphere since his sudden death on Thursday.

At online retail store Amazon.com, the top 15 selling albums were all by Jackson including two made with his brothers as the "Jackson 5." Nine of the top 10 selling albums at Apple's iTunes music store were from the "King of Pop" with "The Essential Michael Jackson" leading the way.

Seven of the top 10 songs being downloaded on iTunes were by the singer, with "Man in the Mirror" currently the most popular.

Jackson also topped the British album chart on Sunday with his greatest hits album "Number Ones." Several more of his albums were back in the Top 75, according to the Official Charts Company.

Here in the U.S., Billboard said Saturday that many of his albums are poised to take over next week's Billboard charts with incredible sales increases.

The albums receiving the biggest boosts -- at least on the physical side – appear to be his greatest hits packages "Number Ones" and "The Essential Michael Jackson," along with the expanded reissue of "Thriller." The sets, released between 2003 and 2008, were the three Jackson albums that perhaps had the most stock available in stores.

The three aforementioned albums, along with Jackson's classic studio sets "Off the Wall," "Bad" and "Dangerous," all will likely zoom into the upper region of Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart next week.

Initial reports of Jackson's album sales from June 25 alone indicate that one of his albums -- possibly "Number Ones" -- will easily fly to No. 1 on the chart next week. Last week, the set, which also was his top-selling album of the week, was at No. 20 on the Catalog chart with 4,000 sold.

To compare, last week's No. 1 on the Catalog chart was TobyMac's "Portable Sounds" with 9,000 copies sold. Sources say that at least one of Jackson's albums sold more than double that amount just on June 25.

Industry sources report that the demand for Jackson's albums were so high, many brick and mortar retailers quickly ran out of whatever Jackson material they had on hand on the night of his passing.

As for Michael Jackson memorabilia, more than 15,500 MiJac-related items were being offered for sale at press time Sunday at online auction house eBay.com, ranging from Web domain names at prices of one million dollars or more to copies of US newspapers featuring front-page news of his death for as little as 99 cents.

EBay's home page displays a special "Remembering the King of Pop" category offering "Memorabilia, Music, Autographs, Records." The collectibles for direct sale or auction include Michael Jackson posters, dolls, ticket stubs, concert programs, newspapers, magazines, tote bags, pins, badges, stickers, T-shirts and other clothing.

Thousands of items of Michael Jackson memorabilia are also being offered for sale on online classifieds site Craigslist.

Beyonce, Timbaland, Alicia Keys, and more salute Michael Jackson

2009-06-29T04:54:00.000-09:00

Celebrities stunned by the death of Michael Jackson continue to pay tribute to his legacy in the days following his death on Thursday.

"The reason I am here is due to Michael Jackson," Beyoncé told her concert audience Friday night at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center. In honor of the King of Pop, she sang his 1979 hit "I Can't Help It."

In Beverly Hills, the 22nd Annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards – honoring songwriting achievements in the R&B, soul, rap, hip-hop and gospel genres – became a total memorial to Jackson, as the audience observed a moment of silence and presenters and award-winners alike spoke of Jackson's unparalleled influence on the industry.

Winner Alicia Keys thanked Jackson for breaking "all the rules" and "inspir[ing] us all to hopefully break the rules, because we have to break the rules in order to reap the benefits."

Timbaland, who was about to work with Jackson on his scheduled London shows, spoke of feeling "down" about missing the chance to collaborate with the pop legend, but uplifted in knowing that "his music lives on."

But it was Motown founder Berry Gordy who offered the night's most touching tribute as he recalled how he spent the first surreal hours after learning of Jackson's death.

"At home last night, I was looking at some of my old pictures with him, from the early rehearsals to ones with he and my son on the baseball field as we played our weekly Gordy-Jackson baseball games," he said. "For the world, Michael's legacy will always be his music and his artistry. But for me it will be so much more. The memories of watching him grow from a mere 9-year-old kid with boundless determination and talent to become perhaps the greatest entertainer of all time – it is a bittersweet moment."

Before the show, artists – and ASCAP honoree, R&B legend Smokey Robinson – shared their fondest memories of Jackson with People.com:

• Alicia Keys: "I did meet him one time, and it was amazing. "He was just an awesome dad, great with his kids. His kids were so smart and attentive. They were there in the conversation as well. We had a great time. We threw around paper airplanes his son was making – like these really cool ones that were just brilliant. It was just beautiful to meet him. I'm glad I got the chance."

• Wyclef Jean: "He came to see me at the studio and he spent a whole hour with me," Wyclef Jean said. "We talked Haiti, we talked about Jamaica and we talked about music, and that was one of the greatest times ever in my life"

• Smokey Robinson: "He was 10 years old, and he had just come to Motown, and [Motown artist and Jackson 5 mentor] Bobby Taylor and I used to take Michael to the golf course with us. He would ride around in the cart with us and critique our golf game, and when we'd hit a bad shot, he'd laugh. I was absolutely flabbergasted when I saw how talented he was when he was 10 years old. He was 10, but he was 30! He sang like he was 30, he danced like he was 30. He was awesome."

Man involved in killing T.I.'s friend gets 17 years

2009-06-26T04:12:00.000-09:00

The driver of the vehicle involved in the Ohio highway gun battle that killed a member of rapper T.I.'s entourage has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, reports the Associated Press.

Padron Thomas, 41, told a judge he's a "knucklehead" and wishes he could take back what he did. He was sentenced Wednesday on gun charges and unrelated federal drug charges.

He testified in December against his younger brother, who was sentenced to 66 years in prison for shooting Philant Johnson in May 2006 after a T.I. concert in Cincinnati.

Three others were injured in the shooting. The Grammy-winning Atlanta rapper wasn't hurt.

In exchange for his testimony, Thomas received a reduced sentence for his involvement in a drug ring that shipped marijuana from California to Cincinnati.

Usher records song about Divorce

2009-06-26T04:09:00.000-09:00

An as-yet-untitled track from Usher's forthcoming album, "Monster," is all about the end of his marriage to Tameka Foster, according to the song's co-writer Sean Garrett.

"Sean Garrett called me to the studio," producer Zaytoven, who's worked on songs for Gucci Mane and OJ Da Juiceman, told MTV News last week in Atlanta. "He called like, 'You've got to come hear this song. I've got a hit.' " Zay went to the studio and heard Garrett's reference vocals on the track, and soon after heard the finished version with Usher's vocals.

"This was awhile ago," Zay said. "This is before there were any reports about Usher's marriage in the news. So I was thinking to myself, 'Is he trying to say something?' I don't know what Usher is going through, but Sean Garrett made a song about filling out papers, divorce papers. The beat, it's got a bounce to it. It's outta here."

Meanwhile, Tameka's friend of 20-plus years Nyeisha DeWitt, an educator and doctoral candidate, was interviewed by Essence.com to set the record straight on all the rumors surrounding the couple's breakup.

ESSENCE.COM: Many are probably wondering why you're choosing to speak now after Tameka endured a hailstorm of criticism for years.

NYEISHA DEWITT: Let me first say that I hope Tameka and Usher can salvage things as a couple. I've known Tameka since I was in middle school and she was in high school, and we've been friends since. It's not that I have to defend her or speak on her behalf as if she's done something wrong, but I simply want people to know everything they read about her isn't true. It hurts me to read the lies that people write and say about her.

ESSENCE.COM: Is it true she first learned that Usher filed for divorce after reading about it?

DEWITT: She didn't know that he was going to file. Of course, she knew that there were challenges in their relationship and had been some discord since March and was aware there were some things that needed to be worked through. But did she know that divorce was imminent? No. It was a total surprise.

ESSENCE.COM: To your knowledge, is it true that they've been separated for the past year?

DEWITT: That's not true and there's proof of that if people would take the time to do their research. I was at her birthday party that he hosted in Las Vegas this past January and he flew in all of her family and close friends to celebrate. When I read that people were reporting they'd been separated for a year I'm thinking, That's insane!, because that would mean he left her when she was two months pregnant with Naviyd, and Usher Raymond, V, was only five months old.

ESSENCE.COM: Was Tameka also caught off guard by the images of Usher and Def Jam's Grace Miguel?

DEWITT: I don't know what it is or isn't. What I admire about Tameka is that, despite all the gossip, she isn't bitter or hardened by it. I don't know how she does it especially with children [from a previous relationship] old enough to read the lies that are written. It's like having to keep your hands at your side while someone repeatedly punches you in your face.

ESSENCE.COM: Despite owning her business and a successful career as a stylist, Tameka is often perceived as a gold digger. Why is that?

DEWITT: I have no idea. I know how hard she worked to build her business. She was pulling in at least a quarter of a million dollar salary working with Usher, Lauryn Hill and others, so to negate her personal success as an entrepreneur is wrong. After marriage she chose to be a mother and wife and focus on doing more charity work.

ESSENCE.COM: Is it true she flew to Brazil to have liposuction and subsequently went into cardiac arrest during surgery?

DEWITT: Yes, she went to Brazil with friends but decided to have the surgery on a whim. And yes, she did go into cardiac arrest but she never had the surgery. What she had was an allergic reaction to the anesthesia which prevented her from going through with the surgery.

ESSENCE.COM: Do you think she still loves him?

DEWITT: You're married until the divorce is official. Just because she's going through this process doesn't mean that the loyalty and love she has for him is gone. It would be dishonest to say that she doesn't still love him and isn't hurting. Again, the idea that people are excited to see her in pain and going through this with her children is so beyond my comprehension. These bloggers talk about her as if she has personally harmed them. They don't know the woman I know, and to discredit her as a mom or wife is insane. My hope is that people will not rejoice in anyone's failed marriage and allow Usher and Tameka to go through their process privately.

Missy Elliott biopic in the works

2009-06-25T03:56:00.000-09:00

Missy Elliott is still looking to bring a film about her life to the big screen.

The artist, born Melissa Arnette in Portsmouth, VA, is hoping to produce a film that chronicles her traumatic past and her rise to fame during the 1990s.

During her childhood, she was repeatedly raped by an older cousin from the age of eight and saw her mother being abused by her father, who pulled a gun on the pair on one occasion.

And after nearly two decades in show business, during which she became the only female rapper to have six albums certified platinum, Elliott says the film project is in the works.

"It's happening; I've just got to find a great writer because I wouldn't want my story watered down," she tells Elle magazine. "I went through a lot, and I accomplished a lot, and I want people to know how it all went down."

De La Soul goes on tour to mark the 20th anniversary of their debut LP "3 Feet High and Rising."

2009-06-25T03:54:00.000-09:00

It's been two decades since rap trio De La Soul released their debut album "3 Feet High and Rising," and the group will mark the occasion with a coast-to-coast 20th anniversary tour this summer, dubbed "20 Years and Rising."

The trek gets underway July 23 in San Francisco, before venturing into Canada for a July 26 show in Burnaby, British Columbia, reports Live Daily. The tour crisscrosses the nation, stopping by 16 cities over the course of nearly six weeks, including an Aug. 23 appearance in Toronto. The current itinerary wraps Aug. 30 in Boulder, CO.

For the anniversary tour, De La Soul will be backed by the Rhythm Roots All-Stars, a 10-piece outfit based in Los Angeles.

The hip-hop group's most recent release, "Are You In?," is part of the Nike + Original Run music series and the first new material from the trio in three years. The 45-minute continuous track, which surfaced last month, is only available via iTunes.

Below are De La Soul's tour dates:

July 2009
23 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
24 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club
25 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
26 - Burnaby, British Columbia - Deer Lake Park
31 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues

August 2009
1 - Austin, TX - Emo's
2 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
7 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
9 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
18 - Ortley Beach, NJ - Joey Harrison's Surf Club
19 - Foxborough, MA - Showcase Live
23 - Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
25 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
26 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
27 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
30 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre

R. Kelly denies scam allegations

2009-06-25T03:52:00.001-09:00

R. Kelly says he has nothing to do with a woman who is accused in South Africa of using the singer's name to scam more than 50 investors out of money.

The woman is charged with more than 60 counts of fraud after allegedly conning her victims into investing money in an R. Kelly tour that never existed. The woman reportedly says she deposited the money into Kelly's bank account.

Kelly is now wanted for questioning in the case.

His camp has released a statement vehemently denying any involvement in the scam.

"The woman has no connection at all with R. Kelly," said the singer's publicist. "This is just some con woman who swindled a bunch of people out of money. R. Kelly had no knowledge of this, he's just as upset as anyone."

Ludacris to promote new brand of Cognac from Birkedal Hartmann

2009-06-24T04:31:00.002-09:00

Ludacris has launched a new cognac from Birkedal Hartmann that will specifically be targeted to the "hip urban market," according to AFP.

Conjure, introduced by Luda at the wine and spirits trade show Vinexpo in Bordeaux this week, is a collaboration between the hip hop star and Birkedal Hartmann's master blender, Philippe Braastad Tiffon.

"I wanted to learn as much as possible," said Luda of his weeklong tutorial with Tiffon. "It was great. It gave me a new appreciation for cognac."

Hartmann is prepared to ship as much Conjure cognac as possible at $34.99 dollars per bottle. "My wish is to reach one million cases," he tells AP.

The first order ships to Norway next week. It will reach the shelves of America in September.

Lil Wayne attends pretrial hearing on his drug and weapons case

2009-06-24T04:28:00.001-09:00

Lil Wayne was in a Yuma County, Arizona courtroom on Tuesday for a pretrial update on the investigation into his drug possession and weapons charges.

His attorney told the Associated Press he was in good spirits, even stopping to sign autographs for about a dozen fans after the hearing.

Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, was arrested at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 8 east of Yuma in January 2008. Authorities said they found cocaine, Ecstasy and a handgun on his tour bus. He was ordered by a judge to attend Tuesday's pretrial hearing.

James Tilson, the rapper's attorney, said he told the Yuma County Superior Court judge that the U.S. Border Patrol hasn't turned over records the defense requested months ago. Tilson said border officials told the Yuma County Attorney's Office they do not plan to release the training record of the drug-sniffing dog used in the incident.

"If the dog is not reliable, then that puts the entire probable cause for the stop into question," he said.

Tilson also plans to renew a request for any video recorded by border cameras the day the rapper was stopped.

The judge set another court date for Aug. 11.

Carter faces one count each of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of dangerous drugs and weapons misconduct. He previously pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In March, a judge in Atlanta dismissed drug charges stemming from a 2006 bust against the rapper.

Chris Brown avoids jail time

2009-06-23T05:22:00.001-09:00

Chris Brown has avoided jail time in his assault case against Rihanna by reaching a last minute plea deal that involves probation, domestic violence classes, community service and having to stay at least 50 yards away from the pop starlet.

Brown, 20, will be sentenced to five years probation and 180 days of community labor to be served in Virginia, according to People.com. He must also take one year of domestic violence classes, and pay fines. In exchange, he pleaded guilty to felony assault by means likely to cause great bodily injury.

"Mr. Brown, I think it's commendable that you took responsibility for your conduct," said Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg.

Brown also was ordered to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna – except at industry events, when it's 10 yards – despite a request from Rihanna's camp that the pair be allowed at the same place at the same time.

The singer agreed to the plea deal before the preliminary hearing that was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on Monday. Rihanna was reportedly on standby waiting to testify.

Brown's attorney Mark Geragos said of his client: "He's very thankful to all the people who've been very supportive. This is a kid who's never been in trouble before, who wants to move past this and make sure that the message gets out that these kinds of things, of domestic violence, are not acceptable. And that he has accepted responsibility and continues to do so and embraces this as an opportunity for him to get his life back on track and his career back on track."

If he violates probation, Brown will face four years in prison. His formal sentencing is set for Aug. 5, when the court will drop his second charge of making criminal threats.

Noting that Brown pleaded to a felony, Schnegg said, "I want Mr. Brown to be treated the same as any other defendant who would come into this court. That means something like Caltrans [trash pickup] or graffiti removal."

From People.com:

The plea deal was reached shortly before Rihanna, 21, was to testify under subpoena in a preliminary hearing.

Brown, wearing gray suit, off-white tie, and matching handkerchief in his front pocket, entered the courtroom shortly after 1:30 p.m. About 10 of his friends and family, including his mother, were seated in the audience.

After the judge addressed him, Brown left the courtroom and Rihanna, wearing a black dress and pearls, was brought in for the judge to explain the plea deal terms to the singer. The two were never in the courtroom at the same time. She stood before Judge Schnegg who told her that the court will consider reducing the stay-away order to the least-restrictive one after he's sentenced. Rihanna's only words in open court were: "Thank you, your honor," before she was led out a special exit.

Scott Storch inks deal for Reality Show

2009-06-22T04:56:00.001-09:00

Producer Scott Storch has signed a deal with reality show giants Bunin/Murray for his own reality show.

The series, according to a press release, will document him "making hit records with all of the hottest acts in the industry while opening the door to the hot and trendy Miami music scene.

"Also, it will capture Mr. Storch's ups and downs in the volatile music business," which in recent months has included arrest warrants, tax troubles and money problems.

David Weintraub, one of the show's executive producers, said, "This is a monumental moment to see a producer of his caliber let the cameras into his world and see how hit records are made. A lot of people have tried to get Scott to open up the curtain to this process but have never been successful."

Beyonce threatened with $1 million lawsuit

2009-06-22T04:55:00.001-09:00

Beyonce has been threatened with a $1 million lawsuit after pulling out of a scheduled appearance on Saturday at New York nightclub M2.

According to the New York Post's Page Six, owner Joey Morrissey agreed to pay her $200,000 for the Saturday gig. But the singer suddenly axed the appearance on Wednesday, with her reps claiming she was too busy preparing for her North American tour.

Her camp instead offered an hour-long personal appearance from the star at the club, but Morrissey claims he had already spent $100,000 preparing for the singer's show.

He tells Page Six, "They said they were too busy with the launching of the tour and that they wouldn't have time to do the kickoff party. We sold tables for thousands of dollars for the show, and spent $100,000 renting a soundboard and other equipment, as per their stipulations. What good does her showing up for an hour do me? They've been totally unwilling to agree to another show."

Morrissey is now threatening to file suit against Beyonce over the cancellation, claiming the club has suffered a "loss of reputation" in addition to his loss of cash.

In response, Beyonce's camp released the following statement saying they never signed a contract and she was only due to co-host the evening anyway.

The cancellation of the launch party for Beyonce's "I AM..." tour, first scheduled for this Saturday at M2, was a result of a breach of contract by the promoter. Beyonce never had a contract with the club itself and no one in her camp dealt directly with the venue. The superstar was never scheduled to perform but was to serve as a co-host and introduce singer/songwriter Solange's performance. Patrons were falsely promised a performance by Beyonce.

New Releases coming from Death Row

2009-06-22T04:52:00.001-09:00

WIDEawake, the Canada-based development company that acquired the assets of Death Row Records earlier this year, just signed a deal with music publisher EverGreen to become the worldwide administration company of the legendary rap label.

EverGreen owns the catalogs of 2 Live Crew, Third Eye Blind, MC Hammer, Tupac Shakur and others.

As part of a long-term arrangement, EverGreen will administer and handle licensing for all of the compositions and master recordings in the Death Row catalog, as well as the processing of all mechanical and performance royalties in the catalog, reports Billboard.com.

With the new joint venture, WIDEawake extends EverGreen's rights to market, promote and collect royalties on all the copyrights and master recordings in the Death Row catalog, including more than 10,000 released and unreleased songs by such artists as Tupac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger and Nate Dogg, to list a few. It also includes never-before released albums by Crooked I, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, RBX, The Lady of Rage, Warren G, K-Solo, Danny Boy and DJ Quick, among others.

In addition, Death Row is expected to generate a number of new releases in the near future, like a new album of unreleased Tupac material to commemorate the rapper's June 2010 birthday. The as-yet-untitled album will be distributed by E-1 stateside and EMI overseas.

Other forthcoming releases include a collector's edition rerelease of "The Chronic Re-Lit," slated for a Sept. 1, 2009 street date. The album will feature four bonus tracks - all unreleased master from Death Row - plus a DVD with never before seen video footage of Dr. Dre and other artists.

WIDEawake/Death Row will also release several box sets this holiday season, including a four CD collection of previously unreleased Death Row master recordings, never before seen images and video footage.

Young Jeezy crew member stabbed in Atlanta

2009-06-19T02:58:00.000-09:00

A member of Young Jeezy's entourage is currently hospitalized in Atlanta after being stabbed during an early morning brawl at a nightclub.

According to TMZ.com, "Bama" (aka Antonio Henry), was partying with Jeezy and several other mutual friends at the Luckie Lounge in downtown Atlanta when a brawl jumped off at around 2:30 a.m.

Bama was stabbed multiple times during the melee, reports TMZ. It is unclear how serious the injuries are.

At press time, police had yet to arrest a suspect.