BEYONCE’S ‘LADIES’ TOPS ROLLING STONE POLL December 15, 2008

 

Beyonce Knowles’s current No. 1 song “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” has been named the Best Single of 2008 in a new poll from Rolling Stone magazine.

 

       The publication’s “Singles of the Year” tally features Santogold’s “LES Artistes” at No. 2, Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” at No 5, “American Boy” from Estelle feat. Kanye West at No. 7 and T.I.’s “No Matter What’ at No. 10.       

       Beyonce’s husband, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, also made the list at No. 22 with “Swagga Like Us,” a collaboration with T.I., West and Lil Wayne.      

       View Rolling Stone’s entire “Singles of the Year” list here.

T.I. KEEPS ‘SINGLE LADIES’ AT ‘BEY’ December 1, 2008

 

Beyonce’s current hit “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) sold 204,000 digital downloads last week, but it wasn’t enough to remove T.I. form his perch atop the Billboard Hot 100.

 

       The rapper’s “Live Your Life” featuring Rihanna begins a fifth non-consecutive week at No. 1, followed by the 28-2 rocket of “Single Ladies,” and Beyonce’s other current single “If I Were a Boy” holding steady at No. 3.      

       T.I.’s former No. 1, “Whatever You Like,” slips 2-4. Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold” drops 4-5, Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown” rebounds 9-6 and Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance” featuring Colby O’Donis powers 16-7.      

       Pink’s “So What” drops 5-8, as Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent” improves 11-9 and Akon’s “Right Now (Na Na Na)” falls 8-10 to round out the top tier.      

       On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, “Single Ladies” begins a second week at No. 1. As previously reported, Beyonce scored her third-straight No. 1 debut on The Billboard 200 with “I Am … Sasha Fierce,” which sold 482,000 copies.

MAN FOUND GUILTY OF SHOOTING T.I.’S FRIEND November 28, 2008

 

A jury has delivered a guilty verdict to the Cincinnati man who was accused of shooting the friend of Grammy Award-winning rapper T.I.

 

       Hosea Thomas, 34, was on trial for shooting Johnson as he fired into T.I.’s entourage following a May 2006 concert in Cincinnati. During testimony last week, T.I. told jurors he believed the bullets were meant for him.       

       In addition to murder, Thomas was also convicted of felonious assault and illegally having a gun after a felony conviction.       

       He faces up to life in prison at his sentencing on Dec. 23.

T.I. SCHEDULED TO TESTIFY TODAY AT MURDER TRIAL November 21, 2008

The trial involving the murder of T.I.’s assistant and close friend, Philant Johnson, which began Monday in Cincinnati, is expected to produce testimony today from the Georgia rapper himself.

 

      According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, jury members were told that primary suspect Hosea Thomas, 35, is solely responsible for the death of Johnson resulting from a shoot-out with T.I.’s entourage in May 2006.

 

      “It’s all going to come down to witness testimony,” prosecutor Heather Gosselin told jurors.

 

      Prosecutors say Thomas and his brother, Padron Thomas, 40, started shooting at the van in which T.I. and his entourage were riding on Interstate 75.  When the gun battle ended Johnson was dead and four others in the vehicle were hurt. T.I. was not hit.

      On Tuesday, the jury visited the crime scene and then opening arguments were given. Wednesday and Thursday, testimony came from eyewitnesses, members of T.I.’s entourage, a person in Hosea Thomas’s van on the night in question and police officers.

 

      The Inquirer is also reporting that Padron Thomas faces the same charges as Hosea but a date for his trial has not yet been set.

 

      The shooting, which is referenced in several songs on T.I.’s new Paper Trail album, remained unsolved for a year, until three people charged with federal gun crimes, among them Padron Thomas, contacted authorities and said they had information on Johnson’s murder.

T-Pain Reaches Top 5, T.I. And Weezy Show Consistency November 20, 2008

He may not be classic hip-hop by definition, but T-Pain gives urban music a much needed boost this week.

The leak apparently didn’t hurt Pain much. Thr33 Ringz, the self-proclaimed “hard & B” artist’s third solo album, debuts at No.4 -selling 167, 743 according to Nielsen’s Soundscan.

Further down the charts, T.I. keeps carrying the hip-hop torch with impressive numbers. Seven weeks into stores, Tip’s Paper Trail has sold 1,178,455 copies , including 62,046 this week.

Lil Wayne has also been showing consistency week in and week out. Nearly six months onto the charts, Tha Carter III rests at No. 29 with 23, 134 units sold. The CD has sold 2, 671, 816 CDs to date.

Young Jeezy’s The Recession has also been posting solid numbers. This week, Snowman’s junior release moves 16, 210 units – bringing its total to 614, 781 copies sold.

T.I. Launches Clothing Line In NYC November 14, 2008

It looks like people will soon be able to swag like T.I. after all. The self-proclaimed “king of the south” held a launch for his Akoo clothing line at Taj Lounge in New York City last night (11/13).

Irv Gotti, Maino and executives John Monopoly and Michael Kyser among many others, were on hand to support Tip. Akoo (A King Of Oneself) actually launches in stores November 15th.

Tip recently described his line as a mix between casual and dressy, stating: “[Akoo is] fly upscale fashion for the young and sexy, for the old and rich. Either way, if you cannot provide swag for yourself, you just holler at me and I will appoint something to you.”

JUDGE MATHIS SAYS FELONS CAN VOTE TOO November 4, 2008

Many people are wondering how  Hip Hop artist T.I. voted for the first time  early last week, despite a felony weapons conviction. 

 

     Popular television Judge Greg Mathis, himself and ex-offender, has the answer to that question: Felons have the legal right to vote in most states.

 

     Only less than a dozen states, he says, prohibit felons from exercising their 14th Amendment privilege, but the issue is that most people don’t know it. 

 

     Judge Mathis said as long as they have done the time for the crime there is no reason an ex-offender’s voting rights should be revoked anywhere.

 

     There are more than 5 million disenfranchised voting eligible felons, disproportionately African American, who may potentially vote but it will require a little research on the part of the voter.  

 

     Since restrictions and allowances vary per state, Mathis recommends going online to find out what the law says in the state in question. 

 

     “Felons aren’t allowed to vote in Washington until they complete their sentence and have their rights legally restored,” the AP reports.

 

     But the state of Georgia is different.  In T.I.’s case, his attorneys discovered that as long as he was not serving a sentence or on probation, their client was eligible to vote, even though he is on house arrest.

 

     “Now rather than just talking about it, I’m being about it. I’m leading by example, and it makes me feel a lot better,” 28-year-old T.I. said about voting for the first time in his life.

 

     Mathis, has worked hard to get the felons educated about their voting rights because the numerical impact would clearly have a monumental affect on the justice system.  In his judgment presidential hopeful Barack Obama would have a guaranteed victory if ex-offenders knew they could vote — and not just because he’s Black.

 

     “There is a correlation between poverty and crime” Mathis explained in our interview; therefore, he’s convinced that Obama is a more appealing candidate due to normal democratic sensitivities.

 

     As he has often acknowledged on The Judge Mathis Show, Mathis is a reformed product of “the system.”   In the state of Michigan where he committed a crime during his youth Mathis paid his debt to society and was allowed to vote.

 

     Laws that suppress the voting rights of felon, ex-offenders are just a way of stigmatizing them as “once a criminal always a criminal” and they should be given the opportunity to fully integrate back into society, Mathis said.

T.I. VOTES DESPITE CONVICTED FELON STATUS October 30, 2008

 

T.I. thought his voting privileges were revoked because he’s a convicted felon, but under Georgia Law, felons are still eligible if they’re not currently serving probation or a prison sentence.

 

       “Until he is sentenced in the federal case, he doesn’t have a conviction yet,” said lawyer, Steve Sadow of his 28-year-old client, whose real name is Clifford Harris. “Even though he is a convicted felon, he has a right to vote since he is not serving probation and hasn’t started his prison sentence.”      

       Because his jail term doesn’t begin until late March, the rapper immediately got himself to an early polling station in Atlanta yesterday to cast his ballot for the next President of the United States.       

       “It’s a relief,” the rap star told the Associated Press Wednesday before voting for the first time in his life. “This what it is all about, not staying up late and waking up early to vote. Now rather than just talking about it, I’m being about it. I’m leading by example, and it makes me feel a lot better.”      

       After standing in line for less than 10 minutes, T.I. emerged with an “I’m a Georgia Voter” sticker planted on his black vest. He signed autographs and took photos with several fans who were stunned to see the Grammy-winning artist at the polls.

 

       A spokesman for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office confirmed that T.I. was eligible to vote.

T.I. FILM ON GUN VIOLENCE PREMIERES IN ATL October 28, 2008

 

Peace activist Andrew Young is speaking out against gun violence through a new television documentary that follows rapper T.I. as he works to make amends for a federal firearms conviction.

 

      The hour-long film “Walking With Guns,” part of a series called “Andrew Young Presents,” was presented by the former United Nations ambassador on Sunday in Atlanta.

 

      It includes extensive footage of T.I. visiting a rehabilitation hospital in New York to meet patients paralyzed by gang violence, reports the Associated Press. The film also shows T.I. and Young telling teens how to avoid violence, and follows a former gang member who is now a social activist.

 

       “Violence would still be around without guns,” T.I. said to over 400 attendees during a question-and-answer session after Sunday’s screening. “But there would be an increased value of life.”       

       Young, 76, started production on the film earlier this year, shortly after he began to mentor the 28-year-old Grammy winner. The rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, pleaded guilty to several charges last March and was sentenced to prison time, community service and supervised home detention. His community service includes warning young people about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs.      

       “Some of my colleagues are disappointed with me taking this young man in,” Young said of T.I. “But sometimes us old folks have to shut up and listen to the young folks to understand where they are coming from.”

T.I. BANKS SIXTH WEEK ATOP HOT 100 October 24, 2008

T.I. has the top two singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week, with “Whatever You Like” spending a sixth non-consecutive week at No. 1, and “Live Your Life” featuring Rihanna, moving up one to No. 2.

 

      “Whatever You Like” sold 205,000 digital copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and “Live Your Life” is the greatest gainer at radio.

 

       Pink’s “So What” jumps 4-3, while Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” falls to No. 4 after a record-setting 96-1 jump the week before. Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold,” Rihanna’s “Disturbia” and Kevin Rudolf’s “Let It Rock” featuring Lil Wayne all hold at positions 5-7.      

       Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent” is up 9-8, while teen star Taylor Swift earns her third consecutive Hot 100 top 10 single as “Fearless” opens at No. 9. The track sold 162,000 digital copies in its opening frame. Swift’s second album, also titled “Fearless,” is due Nov. 11.      

       T-Pain’s “Can’t Believe It” featuring Lil Wayne” drops 8-10, rounding out the top tier. Akon’s “Right Now (Na Na Na) is the chart’s top digital gainer after selling 75,000 copies, good enough for a 26-19 jump.      

       Jennifer Hudson’s “Spotlight” begins a second week at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, where Montell Jordan’s “Me and U” is the top debut at No. 75. It’s his first appearance on this chart since 2003.