50 SPEAKS OUT ABOUT HOUSE FIRE December 17, 2008

 

Rapper 50 Cent gave a candid interview to “Access Hollywood/TV One Access” about the fire that destroyed his Long Island home, and the circumstances leading up to the blaze.       

       The G-Unit leader said his home was scorched within days of his ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins being ordered to leave the residence.       

       “The courts told her she had to leave,” 50 told TV One Access correspondent Quddus. “It’s kind of more like, ‘If I can’t have you, you can’t have it.’”       

       Asked directly if Tompkins set the fire in response to the order, the rapper said: “Well, I don’t want to say that… don’t try to make me say something I don’t want to say.But the circumstances to it might seem that way.”

       TV One Access’ interview with 50 Cent is scheduled to air in its entirety at 7 p.m. on January 4.

Remy Ma Files For An Appeal November 23, 2008

 

Rapper’s lawyers hope to have her out by Christmas

Remy Ma’s legal team has filed for an appeal on her eight-year prison sentence. 

Remy (real name Reminisce Smith) was convicted March 2008 of illegal weapon possession, assault, and attempted coercion following a violent argument with Makeda Barnes-Joseph, a former friend of the rapper. Remy was sentenced in May. 

According to TMZ, Remy’s lawyers claim the trial left a trail of errors on the judge’s part. No further details of what those errors were, have been disclosed. The lawyers hope to have the rapper out in time for Christmas. 

Remy, who called the shooting an “accident,” is currently serving time at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in  New York. 

Stat Quo Leaves Shady Records November 21, 2008

 

If you’re not Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, or Eminem they’re not really trying to put your album out”

When asked how many release dates he had during his time at the label, the rapper quipped, ‘That’s like sayin’ how many kids Shawn Kemp got?’

Seemingly forever Stat Quo has been plugging his unreleased albumStatlanta, even going so far as to visit publications to play the goods. But as of this week, the Atlanta rapper is not only album-less, but he’s also without a label. 

“I’m no longer down with Shady/Aftermath,” Stat Quo, who signed to the label in 2003, told Sixshot. “I wasn’t really seeing my career move at the rate that I wanted it to. I didn’t see an end in sight in terms of a release date for my album.” 

The rapper says that besides being on label projects like the Re-Up, he got no love. 

“If you’re not Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, or Eminem they’re not really trying to put your album out and I can understand that with the music business being the way it is. It was just my time to go.” 

Stat says his album was supposed to have dropped “three and a half years ago.” When asked how many release dates he had during his time at the label, the rapper quipped, “That’s like sayin’ how many kids Shawn Kemp got?” 

Stat, who is currently just releasing mixtape music now, says that he’s not bitter about the split.

“I’m not mad, I’m good. I thank [Eminem and Dr. Dre] for everything they did for me. I think that’s some ho ass shit when somebody leaves a team and then talks shit about them. That’s not my style.”

Taco Bell Sues 50 Cent November 20, 2008

Taco Bell wants its hand in 50 Cent’s pockets. The fast-food chain reportedly filed a counter suit against a $4 million federal lawsuit Fif filed this past July. The suit accused Taco Bell of using his name to sell tacos.

Lawyers for Taco Bell are reportedly trying to use Fif’s bad ass image against him in the court filings- referring to the Queens rapper as a “self-described former drug dealer and hustler” in court filings.

“Jackson has used his colorful past to cultivate a public image of belligerence and arrogance and has a well-publicized track record of making threats, starting feuds and filing lawsuits,” Taco Bell lawyer Robert Lehrburger wrote in the filings. “At the same time, Jackson holds himself out as a giver to charity and one who wants to give back to his community. This lawsuit is another of Jackson’s attempts to burnish his gangsta rapper persona by distorting beyond all recognition a bona fide, good faith offer that Taco Bell made to Jackson.”

Taco Bell initially asked Fif to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent for one day as part of a new promotion. The restaurant promised to give $10,000 to Fif’s favorite charity if he rapped his order from a drive-thru window. Fif then filed a suit for trademark infringement, accusing TB of cooking up a publicity stunt by including his name in the promo.

Fif’s attorney, Peter Raymond had no comments regarding the counter suit. “It makes me wonder why they would decide to use his name in their ad campaign if they think he’s such a bad character,” Raymond told New York’s Daily News.

Kanye West Blames Himself For Mother’s Death November 17, 2008

 

“If I’d never made it in the music business, it never would’ve happened”

Kanye West is still getting over the horrific loss of his mother and best friend Donda West, and now he’s pondering his role in her death last year. 

In an interview with People.com, West says that he feels his celebrity lifestyle possibly contributed to the demise of the 58-year-old. “I feel like I moved to California, then my mom moved to California, and she did stuff she wouldn’t have done if we’d stayed in Chicago,” he said. “If I’d never made it in the music business, it never would’ve happened… Now I’d rather talk it through than commit suicide. I’m super devastated.” 

On November 10, Donda West, a former professor and author, died at the Centinela Freeman hospital in California due to complications from plastic surgery. 

EX-SOURCE EDITOR OSORIO RELEASES TELL-ALL November 3, 2008

 

In her new tell-all memoir “Straight from the Source,” Kim Osorio describes the sexual harassment she encountered as the first female editor of The Source magazine.     

      The book also details the historic court case that netted her a million dollar judgment and the music industry a legal precedent for gender discrimination, defamation and retaliation in the workplace.

 

       A press release states: “From her corner office, Kim got the goods on hip-hop’s hottest names: Jay-Z, Nas, 50 Cent, Lil’ Kim and more. She developed close — and sometimes intimate relationships with the artists she worked with.       

       “But behind the scenes; the magazine’s volatile owners would puppeteer every issue. The Source even declared war on hip-hop’s highest selling artist Eminem and began the notorious assault that would send the magazine into swift decline.       

       “After it all came to a head, Osorio was fired, but resurfaced in 2006, filing a sexual harassment, gender discrimination, defamation and retaliation lawsuit against the Source. She details the drama in this tell-all, and provides the context for a lawsuit that has shaken up the entire music industry.”

MTV to Pay Tribute to Total Request Live November 1, 2008

 

Beyoncé, 50 Cent, Backstreet Boys and Fall Out Boy tapped to perform

After 2200 shows, and about ten years on the air, MTV’s legendary countdown show Total Request Live is leaving, but not without a bang. 

MTV is planning a star-studded farewell to TRL, hosted by the show’s original host, Carson Daly, and current host, Damien Fahey. The network has also called in Beyonce, 50 Cent, Backstreet Boys, Fall Out Boy, and surprise guests to perform. 

The finale, which has been named “Total Finale Live” will also feature a look back on all the teeny-bop popcorn memories on the show. 

“In retrospect, the name said it all: the total youth entertainment experience, shaped for the first time at the request of its audience, all going down live every day in Times Square and in homes across America,” said Brian Graden, President of Entertainment, MTV & VH1. 

“Total Finale Live” will air Sunday, November 16 at 8 p.m. eastern time. 

50 distributes JMJ doc; Booker T. and the MGs honored; Tracy Morgan’s sobriety; StarCaps under fire; Serena and Blake team up October 30, 2008

 

50 Cent tells MTV News that for a limited time, he has signed on to be the distributor of the documentary “Two Turntables and a Microphone,” which centers on the life, legacy and untimely death of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay.  The documentary was produced in part by JMJ’s cousin, Stephon “Phonz” Watford, and 50 Cent was recently brought in as an executive producer. Although the filmmakers don’t come out and say who they think the killer is, they do infer that at least two people in Jay’s inner circle know who gunned down the DJ six years ago while in his Queens studio.

 

       *Booker T. and the MGs were among a host of artists and producers honored during the Musicians Hall of Fame induction ceremony Tuesday. The integrated group served as the studio band for Memphis-based Stax Records in the ’60s, playing on hits for Otis Redding, Sam and Dave and others. They played on Southern soul classics like “Soul Man,” “Dock of the Bay” and “In the Midnight Hour,” and had a major hit of their own with the instrumental “Green Onions.” Kix Brooks of the country duo Brooks & Dunn said the group “listened and could create something on the spot. They were really great because in a time of racial segregation they were black and white.”

 

      *Tracy Morgan credits his “30 Rock” co-star Alec Baldwin with helping him sober up and turn his life around. Last year, the comic had to wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet as punishment for violating his probation on a DUI charge by drunkenly groping a female DJ. He told WENN:  “Alec was the main one counseling me. He’s a passionate dude. I don’t give a [bleep] what nobody say about him, dude been there. ‘You got an opportunity on “30 Rock,”‘ he told me. I felt the love when he did that.”      

       *The Associated press is reporting that New Orleans Saints offensive guard Jamar Nesbit filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the makers of StarCaps, an over-the-counter weight-loss supplement, alleging it was improperly spiked with a diuretic that is banned by the NFL. Nesbit returned last week from a four-game suspension levied after he tested positive for Bumetanide, a substance that helps rid the body of excess water and salt. The NFL considers the substance a possible masking agent for steroids. It is the same substance for which several other players around the league have reportedly tested positive, including three other Saints: running back Deuce McAllister.

 

       *Serena Williams will team with James Blake to defend the title she won at the Hopman Cup in January, organizers announced. The return of world number three Williams, who is a two-time winner at the annual tournament in Perth, Australia, is reportedly a coup for organizers. Williams also paired with Blake to win the event in 2003 and has never been beaten in the tournament. The 11th-ranked Blake is also a dual Hopman Cup winner, having teamed with Lindsay Davenport to win the event in 2004.

Diddy Buys Out Clothing Line Enyce October 22, 2008

Mogul sets to bring streetwear brand back to life

Sean “Diddy” Combs has announced today that he’s bought out the popular streetwear clothing line ENYCE from Liz Claiborne Inc.

“Enyce is a brand that I have always admired, and they have been a very important player in the young men’s sportswear arena for over a decade. I am really excited to bring it into our portfolio of brands that already includes Sean John and Zac Posen,” Diddy said in a release. “Given our track record of success in marketing products such as Ciroc Vodka, Unforgivable by Sean John, and all of our television titles, I look forward to adding our expertise to an already hot fashion line. Our long-term plan is to grow the Enyce brand through innovative marketing, expansion of the menswear and boy’s lines, and launching into new licensing categories.”

The Sean John owner says that in spite of the current economic woes, he’s confident the purchase was a great investment. “The current economic climate may be challenging, but we believe it is also an opportunity, and we are really excited to add Enyce to our lineup.”

EMINEM, DR. DRE HELP 50 CENT ‘SELF DESTRUCT’ October 16, 2008

Rapper 50 Cent has production and guest turns from his mentors Eminem and Dr. Dre on his upcoming album “Before I Self Destruct,” due Dec. 9 via Shady/Aftermath/Interscope. Producer Scott Storch helmed first single “Get Up.”

 

       According to Billboard.com, the package comes with a 90-minute, feature-length movie about an inner city boy named Clarence who seeks to avenge the death of his mother. 50 Cent wrote, directed and stars in the movie. (View trailer below.)       

        “My film captures the harsh realities that reflect so many communities today,” 50 Cent said in a statement. “There will be some who will greatly identify with the characters and the situations presented and then there will be others who may be shocked at the struggles that go on in the inner city. I made the film for both groups.”      

      

“Before I Self Destruct” Trailer