JD Goes At Chris Rock In “Free” KING Mag

July 26th, 2005 | By Administrator

KING is mostly known for scantily clad women, but Jermaine Dupri has tossed some disparaging words at comedian Chris Rock in the latest issue of the men?s magazine.

The comments to the ?illest men?s magazine??? come under the premise of a mock bachelor party for the Virgin Records president, who is also singer Janet Jackson?s boyfriend.

However relaxed the setting, J.D. stated, ?If you say anything about anybody who got what you want, it’s a statement of jealousy. It’s like you end up dating someone that people wanted to date their whole life, so people are crushed by it. Chris Rock probably ain’t married to the person he wants to be married to and when he sees me, he’s like “Damn! How? Why?” I look at it like that’s just part of their job, too. When people make jokes, they make jokes on what’s hot. At the time, me and Janet were a big conversation piece.???

While no formal wedding plans have been announced, the So So Def mogul said that African-Americans haven?t championed his girlfriend?s sibling Michael, in an acceptable manner.

?It’s clear that Michael was set up. Michael Jackson is a generous dude. He’s in The Guinness Book of World Records for giving. He gives the most to people and people take advantage of that,??? J.D. explained to KING. ?What’s foolish about it is that our own community jokes about it. If Elvis were still alive, they would never let anything happen to him.???

Free of BET graces the cover of the magazine?s latest issue and she?s not the demure, affable host that appears on ?106 & Park.???

Among other spicy details, the Boston native explained why she was reluctant to pose for the publication.

?I was a little shy with the concept of ?Take off your clothes and put your butt in the camera??? [laughs]. But we had a good time and I?m ready for it now. I don?t think I was ready for it before,??? Free said.

The magazine is already on newsstands in New York City and is being distributed nationwide.

Boyz N Da Hood Give Hustle & Flow Two Thumbs Up

July 25th, 2005 | By Administrator

Hustle & Flow, a hopeful tale about a pimp/rapper, entered the weekend box office at No. 7, an impressive debut considering the film was in fewer theaters than top dogs like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Wedding Crashers.

The film pulled in $8.1 million and appeared in just over 1,000 theaters. The movie stars Ludacris, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning and Terrance Howard as the aspiring pimp-turned-rapper D-Jay. Also, Hustle & Flow, was produced by vet John Singleton and Stephanie Allain and directed and written by Craig Brewer.

In addition to money, the film is raking the acclaim from the Hip-Hop community. Young Jeezy of Boyz N Da Hood said that Singleton?s most recent foray is comparable to a classic movie that chronicled the experience in South Central Los Angeles.

?This is like [the Boyz n The Hood] of the South (which launched Singleton?s career), especially for the town [of Memphis]. I don?t know where [Terrance Howard] is from, but he represented for Memphis. That?s how they talk down there, ?mayne,???? Jeezy raved to AllHipHop.com.

Howard, a 36-year-old native of Chicago, is already garnering an Oscar buzz with his depiction and subsequent humanization of the aging pimp, a person that has been relentlessly stereotyped in Hip-Hop.

Jody Breeze, another member of BNDH, said that the movie realistically portrayed the struggle some Southern rappers experience in seeming desolate situations.

?They showed a lot of love for the game, man, both the grind and the hustle,??? Breeze said. ?There?s a lot of ni**as that don?t know that part of the game.???

Producer John Singleton said that, even though the film deals with the squalid world of prostitution, the tremendous efforts of the characters will transcend to all people.

?The bottom line is that everybody has a dream. Not everybody has a way to get there to express it, but everybody?s got something in them that they want to get out,??? Singleton told AllHipHop.com. ?Even if they?re a pimp.???

Singleton?s next movie, Four Brothers, hits theaters August 12 and features Andre 3000 of Outkast, Mark Walberg and Tyrese Gibson and Garrett Hedlund. Also, Terrance Howard will co-star with 50 Cent in Get Rich or Die Tryin,? which is due in theaters Nov. 11.

Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Slim Thug Talk H-Town

July 22nd, 2005 | By Administrator

With Mike Jones certified platinum, Slim Thug No. 1 on Billboard?s rap charts and Paul Wall on deck, Houston, Texas is experiencing its biggest resurgence in recent history.

However, the trio is keeping their success in perspective.

Paul Wall humbly told AllHipHop.com, ?We just following suit, because the Geto Boys been putting it down with Rap-A-Lot, UGK of course. Other places been doing it?we just following suit to represent for real.???

With The People?s Champ coming September 13, Paul Wall recently joined Reebok apparel company in its print ad campaign.

And although Slim Thug sold major units on the independent circuit, his major label debut was bootlegged forcing Geffen to push his date back.

The rapper, who stands 6?6,??? merely adjusted to the streets.

?Already Platinum had gotten out on bootleg and we didn?t want to give the people the same record [that was in the streets],??? Slim Thug said. ?We went and redid the whole thing over so it?s a whole new album.???

Slim?s album was the largest debut this week on the Billboard 200, selling more than 129,000 copies and debuted No.2.

On the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, Already Platinum emerged in the No. 1 spot.

Mike Jones? Who is Mike Jones? pushes a steady amount of units and is already platinum.

?I?m just trying to make it. I?m the motivator, I motivate people. I got my own label, Ice Age Entertainment,??? Jones said. ?I?m ready.???

?People are showing (Houston) a lot of love and embracing us,??? Paul Wall concluded.

Lawyer For Tab “Turk” Virgil Hope New Evidence Secures Rapper’s Release

July 21st, 2005 | By Administrator

As Tab ?Turk ? Virgil awaits trial for attempted murder for his alleged involvement in a shooting that left a police officer wounded in Memphis Tennessee, an attorney for the rapper spoke with AllHipHop.com, stating the Virgil may be free in as little as three weeks.

Javier Bailey is one of the attorneys representing Virgil, who is currently incarcerated for allegedly shooting a SWAT team member during a raid on an apartment in which he and a man named Sean Jackson were visiting.

Federal agents arrested Virgil on one charge of attempted murder in January 2004.

Members of the Memphis SWAT team raided an apartment where Virgil had been residing while recording his third solo album, Penitentiary Chances.

Police have stated they were executing a search warrant seeking drugs and assault weapons. A small amount of drugs were uncovered, but no assault weapons were found, according to reports.

“It is my assumption that when they went to the apartment, knowing that he was a rapper, so they approached with the intentions of shooting because they thought there was going to be violence.” Bailey told AllHipHop.com. “That’s the only reasonable explanation because they used a [tear] bomb upon entrance which controlled everyone in the house. But they still went in firing.”

Virgil has maintained his innocence and told investigators he was hiding in a closet when police raided the apartment. The New Orleans based rapper also claimed that cops failed to identify themselves and began shooting while he was in the closet.

Memphis’ Shelby County detectives allege that Turk shot at deputies during the drug raid. It was later concluded that another officer was injured after being shot by a fellow SWAT team member in a friendly fire incident, but Virgil was charged with seriously wounding another officer who was shot during the raid.

According to Bailey, Virgil may be looking at the conclusion of his federal trial in less than 3 weeks.

Bailey revealed that recent ballistic evidence that linked the former Cash Money rapper to the shooting has been returned as inconclusive, raising doubt that the rapper fired a weapon.

Last week, a judge gave prosecutors a new trial date of August 1 as they attempted to locate Jackson, whose absence could prove to be a critical blow to the prosecutions case.

Bailey also said there is now an unidentified eye witness who was hiding under a bed in the next room that the defense may call to testify on behalf of Virgil. The witness also had the same gun residue that is described in the crime report on his hands as Turk did.

Bailey remained confident that a jury would view the evidence in favor of Virgil and that the charges would eventually be dismissed.

?I am confident that the entire case will end up being thrown out both on the federal side and state because the evidence just doesn’t back up their claims.???

Virgil was a member of The Hot Boys, one of Cash Money Records’ most popular groups that also featured Juvenile, Lil’ Wayne and B.G.

Ying Yang Explains Origins Of ‘The Whisper Song’

July 15th, 2005 | By Administrator

For those wondering how the Ying Yang Twins conceived their inventive single “Wait (The Whisper Song),” member D-Roc recently explained the origin of the song and the remix that has been heating up airwaves.

“In the club it is very unattractive to yell in [a woman's] face, but when you whisper in her ear it turns her on,” D-Roc told AllHipHop.com.

Once he came up with the initial concept, the single was born after a label executive advised the Atlanta rap duo to whisper the entire song, said D-Roc.

But as much as the single has gained popularity, the remix has garnered even more attention, particularly due to the sassy rhymes of BET “106 and Park” host Free, whose inclusion on the remix seemed evident, according to D-Roc.

“I told [the label] how hype she was about the song,” the rapper said. “Free did her thing. I wish we could do a video to it just so I could see what Free would wear. I think everybody would want to.”

And despite the unconventional antics the Twins typically exhibit in front of the camera, D-Roc insisted that in reality he and his partner Kaine are just as sane as the rest.

“I am a character. Will Smith plays, when he’s in a movie, a character. But when you see him, he’s Will Smith,” explained D-Roc. “Outside of Ying Yang, this [is] my job. When you see me I’m a grown man. Like Cedric the Entertainer said, ‘I’m a grown man, dawg.’”

The Ying Yang Twins’ latest album U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta ) recently debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Charts, and a music video for their second single “Badd” featuring Houston rapper Mike Jones was released just this week.

C-Murder Executive Producing New Flick ‘Dutch’

July 14th, 2005 | By Administrator

Rapper C-Murder (aka C. Miller aka Corey Miller) is set to executive produce “Dutch: the Movie,” a DVD trilogy based on Dutch (Teri Woods Publishing), a top selling ghetto novel in three parts.

Miller is collaborating with Dutch writer Kwame Teague to produce the trilogy, the first installment of which will be released early 2006. Miller will also produce the trilogy?s three companion soundtracks for Tru Records.

?We want to give those on the come up a chance to show what they got,??? Teague told AllHipHop.com. ?And that will help us get around a lot of the politics too, like dealing with people?s agents and all that so we can get straight to business.???

Teague wrote the story behind Dutch while incarcerated at North Carolina?s Pamlico Correctional Institution, where he is serving double life for homicides he says he did not commit.

According to court papers from his trial, one of the pieces of evidence linking Teague to the murders was a fingerprint on a mixtape cover in the victims? car. At the time of the murders, Teague was a mixtape deejay.

As of April 2005 “Dutch,” his second book, is an Essence Best Seller. His first book, “The Adventures of Ghetto Sam,” also received critical acclaim.

A casting call is currently being held for the film’s female roles, which range from a beautiful sista-next-door type to multi-ethnic female assassins to an elderly Italian woman.

The leading male roles are filled by actor/emcees from the Tru Records camp.

Interested actresses should submit up to three photos with a bio to: webmaster@dutchangels.com, or by mail to Dutch Film, PO Box 1263, Wilmington NC 28402.

Trina Launching Modeling Agency

July 10th, 2005 | By Administrator

The Diamond Princess of rap, Trina, has announced plans to start a modeling agency called Diamond Dolls to uplift women with self-esteem issues.

With a string of business ventures launching this and next year, including a perfume collection called Diamond Princess and a clothing line expected in April 2006, the Miami rapper seems headed for mogul status.

?I have so many women coming to me for advice [on] how to be focused, how to get themselves into some form of identity as far as their career is concerned,” Trina told AllHipHop.com. “A lot of women have low self-esteem and could be so beautiful if they stay focused and stay strong.”

The rap diva is also set to star in her own sitcom, “With Friends Like These,” which co-stars actress Luz Whitney and video vixen-turned-actress Ki-Toy.

Trina’s third album The Glamorous Life is expected to drop on September 13 and features rappers Young Buck, Snoop Dogg, and Lil Scrappy among others.

Witness Missing In Turk Case, Trial Delayed

July 9th, 2005 | By Administrator

Federal Prosecutors in charge of the case against Tab “Turk” Virgil have been given until August 1st to come up with a key witness in their case against the former Cash Money “Hot Boy.”

The case was scheduled for trial this past Tuesday, but U.S attorneys asked for a delay because they couldn’t locate witness Sean Jackson.

Virgil’s attorney was opposed to the delay, noting that each day Turk remains in jail, his rap career slowly dwindles away.

“It’s speculative whether they can ever catch up with [Jackson]. He’s not coming forward as a willing witness,” Virgil?s attorney Jay Bailey told the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

On January 26, 2004, Turk and Sean Jackson were in a Memphis apartment when SWAT members raided the residence.

Allegedly, a shootout ensued in which one SWAT member was injured by gunfire. Turk was later cleared of other charges, when it was found a second officer was wounded from friendly fire.

Turk faces 1st degree attempted murder charges in state court in December. He is also facing charges of being a felon in possession of a handgun, a fugitive in possession of a handgun and other offenses.

The rapper is currently being held on $150,000 bond.

Master P. Ballin’ With The Sacramento Kings

July 8th, 2005 | By Administrator

Hip-Hop mogul Percy ?Master P.??? Miller was one of 17 players selected by the Sacramento Kings to participate in the 2005 Reebok Vegas Summer League (VSL) at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This is the first time the Kings have sent a team to the VSL, where Miller and the team will play five games in 10 days. 13 other NBA teams have teams in the VSL as well.

?The NBA is the highest level of basketball you can play on,??? Master P. explained to AllHipHop.com. ?A lot of guys make a lot of money playing, but I do it for the love. They are also starting to see that I work hard like any other player.???

Miller, who stands 6?4, has been tapped to play shooting guard for the Kings during the summer league.

?[Sacramento King guards] Cuttino Mobley, Mike Bibby, we have been playing together for years, every summer,??? Miller said. ?I learned a lot of the system from these guys.???

As a professional NBA athlete, Miller has played for the Charlotte Hornets, the Toronto Raptors, and a host of ABA, CBA and minor league basketball teams.

Before starting his venture into the music industry, Miller was a standout high school basketball student, who earned a full scholarship to the University of Houston.

An injury sidelined Miller, who then turned his attention to music, starting his No Limit empire.

?I?m from the hood and basketball saved my life and took me out of the hood,??? Miller said. ?To the kids, follow your dreams. You can be what you want to be. To come from the music industry to be able to compete on the professional level is amazing.???

Miller?s love for basketball has intertwined with his businesses as well. Miller and his son rapper/basketball player Lil? Romeo were the focus of a four part-mini series called ?The Team??? on TV network Nickelodeon.

The rapper coached the P. Miller Ballers attempt to snag the 14 & under AAU basketball championship.

Miller?s latest album Ghetto Bill: The Best Hustler in the Game recently hit stores and debuted at #1 on Billboard?s independent albums chart.

Baton Rouge Rapper Beelow Shot In Dispute

July 7th, 2005 | By Administrator

Beelow, a local rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is in the hospital after being shot in the head in a dispute over bootlegged CD?s.

Beelow, who worked with such artists as Juvenile, C-Murder and David Banner and opened for such acts as 8Ball & MJG, Master P, and Silkk the Shocker, was allegedly accused of selling bootleg CD?s and DVD?s during an argument yesterday (July 4) in front of a local store.

Police are exploring several leads, including the possibility that the assailant is linked to another Baton Rouge, Louisiana rapper, who recently inked a major label deal.

?An argument ensued between two men and one placed the gun to his head and shot him twice,??? Cpl. L’Jean McKneely Jr. told AllHipHop.com. Associates with Beelow returned fire during the altercation, police stated.

Beelow was taken to Earl K. Long Medical Center in a private automobile and police stated they expected him to survive.

McKneely did not release the names of the suspects, due to the pending investigation.

Sources told AllHipHop.com that in addition to Beelow?s altercation, several other figures associated with the bootlegging trade in the city were hospitalized.

?There was a meeting between record store owners, rappers and various councilmen a few months ago about the bootlegging problems in Louisiana,??? a source speaking under the condition of anonymity told AllHipHop.com. “It’s really serious.”

Beelow released four albums, 1999?s Ballin? 4 Billions, Ballaholic, Paperchasin and Same Game New Hustle.

He also released a popular DVD, Beelow Presents Thugz Gone Wild a “Ghetto Brawls” type DVD that featured brawls and fighting, which was distributed by Universal Music & Video Distribution (UMVD).

The illict music trade has turned into a global black market. A recent report stated that one out of every three CD?s sold world wide was pirated and artists are not compensated for those sales.

The same report revealed that fake recordings outsold legal recordings in 31 countries, raking up almost $5 billion in sales.