Master P, Silkk The Shocker Sentenced To Community Service

March 13th, 2006 | By Administrator

Mogul Master P and his brother, rapper Silkk the Shocker, were sentenced to community service, stemming from a 2005 incident in which police found loaded firearms in their rental car.

Percy “Master P” Miller pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of carrying an unloaded, unregistered weapon.

A plea of no contest means that Master P neither admits nor disputes the charges, that will still stand.

Vyshonne “Silkk the Shocker” Miller pleaded guilty to a felony charge of carrying an unregistered and loaded firearm.

Both men were ordered to perform 40 hours of community service and fined $700 apiece.

Silkk was also sentenced to three years supervised probation.

Master P and Silk were arrested in February of 2005 after officers on the campus of UCLA noticed the guns in the rapper’s Chrysler 300M.

“Black man with gun, white cop panic. I’m a businessman. If the cops stopped panicking for one minute, they would’ve realized that the guns were registered, and that is legal in America,” Master P told AllHipHop.com shortly after his arrest. “It’s a different way of life for a person of color with money than it is for others with money.”

Rapper T.I. & Sprint Debut ‘King’ Before Release Date

March 13th, 2006 | By Administrator

Mobile provider Sprint has partnered with T.I. to offer images, downloads and exclusive ringers from his upcoming album King, before it hits stores.

The album’s first single “What You Know” is available in the Sprint Music Store, along with another track called “Ride With Me.”

In April, T.I. will be Sprint’s featured artist of the month.

Three unreleased tracks plus instrumentals for “What You Know” and “Ride Wit Me” will be made available, along with full music videos for video-enabled phones.

“We are very excited to be partnering with Sprint to launch T.I.’s new album,” said Atlantic President Julie Greenwald. “It is through innovative campaigns like this that we are redefining our release strategy, as we are constantly seeking out unique, non-traditional ways to capture the consumer’s attention and drive new music sales. T.I. is our next big superstar, and we are thrilled that Sprint has come to the party with such an amazing roll out.”

T.I.’s last release Urban Legend proved popular with Sprint customers, as more than a million Music Tones have been downloaded from the album.

King hits shelves on March 28.

Young Jeezy Arrested After Altercation In Miami

March 13th, 2006 | By Administrator

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Young Jeezy was arrested Saturday morning and charged with two counts of carrying a concealed firearm without a permit, after the rapper was involved in an altercation on South Beach in Miami, Florida.

Young Jeezy, born Jay Jenkins, and an entourage of men allegedly associated with BMF, were involved in a fight with a group of men around 5:30 am on Saturday (Mar. 11). When a person filming the altercation refused to turn over the video camera, one of the men in the crowd began firing.

Police said Jeezy and a group of men, fled in two SUV’s. When officers stopped both vehicles, they found a semiautomatic weapon under the seat of the rapper’s Infiniti Qx56, as well as another gun near the arm rest.

Two other men with Young Jeezy were also arrested in connection with the incident. One man was charged with strong armed robbery, the other was arrested on a previous trespassing warrant.

The rapper’s attorney said he will fight the charges and denied ownership of any of the weapons that were recovered from the SUV.

Louisiana Supreme Court Overturns C-Murder’s Murder Conviction

March 11th, 2006 | By Administrator

The Louisiana Supreme Court has overturned Corey “C-Murder” Miller’s murder conviction yesterday (Mar. 10) and the rapper could be free on bond as early as Monday, according to his lawyer.

Miller was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 16-year-old Steven Thomas. Thomas was shot in the chest after an argument inside of the Platinum Club in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana in January 2002.

Over 300 people were inside of the club on the night of the shooting, and several witnesses identified Miller as the shooter.

Miller was charged with second-degree murder and was ordered held on $2 million dollars bond. He pleaded not guilty, but his bond was revoked, after authorities claimed he bribed two Jefferson Parish officers to smuggle in a cell phone and charger into prison.

Prosecutors claimed Miller used the phone to communicate with friends in attempt to harm or intimidate witnesses in the trial.

Miller pleaded not guilty and went to trial in Sept. of 2003. He was convicted of second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence. Several witnesses for the prosecution offered testimony identifying Miller as the shooter.

At a Dec. 2003 hearing to appeal the verdict, a woman that testified for the prosecution revealed she did not actually see Miller shoot the Thomas. She also said she witnessed another man with a gun moments before the shooting.

The woman said she witnessed another man known as “Calliope Slim” brandishing a gun just before Thomas was gunned down.

She testified she told Jefferson Parish detectives about Calliope Slim before the trial. The information was never brought up during the trial, along with other information that may have led to Miller’s acquittal.

It was also revealed that detectives cleared parking tickets and a felony theft arrest warrant for one of the witnesses friends, in exchange for testimony.

The defense argued the withheld evidence cast doubt on the credibility of the witnesses and the prosecutions case.

In 2004, Judge Sassone agreed with Miller’s defense team, and ordered a new trial.

Prosecutors appealed Sassone’s ruling and in March of 2005, two of three judges on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeal disagreed with Sassone’s ruling and upheld the second-degree murder conviction.

In Feb. 2006, Miller filed a request with the Louisiana Supreme Court, which has granted the rapper a new trial.

Ludacris Adds To Acting Resume With ‘Heart Of The Game’

March 8th, 2006 | By Administrator

“My stock has definitely gone up,” Ludacris told AllHipHop.com. “People can get used to seeing me on the big screen more in the future [as I] continue to choose projects that I feel will change people’s lives.”

Due in June, the film tells the true story of the Seattle high school girls’ basketball team, the Roosevelt Roughriders, and one player’s battle with trying to regain eligibility to play.

Ludacris will also appear in episodes of the NBC drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in May.

At this year’s Academy Awards, two films that Ludacris co-starred in, Crash and Hustle & Flow, walked away with Oscars on Sunday (March 5).

The Atlanta rapper also applauded Three 6 Mafia for performing and winning Best Song for “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp,” a tune the group wrote and produced for Hustle & Flow.

The trio was the first rap group to perform at the awards.

“I witnessed history and Juice [Three 6 Mafia's Juicy J.] and [DJ] Paul performed and won that award. I couldn’t have been more proud as it was a historical moment for not only southern hip hop, but for hip hop as a whole. I feel like the Oscar’s will never be the same.”

In related news, Ludacris will release his sixth studio album titled Release Therapy this summer.

T.I. Unveiling New Clothing Line, Album

March 7th, 2006 | By Administrator

“I’m working on my fashion line right now; we’re just looking for the appropriate distributor to team up with,” T.I. told AllHipHop.com.

“I’m stepping into another industry that I really don’t know much about. [So] I just keep doing what I do. I individualize [myself] from others but continue to give them what I think they may like to wear and what I would like to wear and just keep giving to my fan base.”

Although the particulars have not been finalized, including the name of the line, T.I. assures that his collection will rank amongst those with a more grown-up appeal.

“My fashion would be considered upscale urban,” he says. “It will be [in] competition with Sean John and Ralph Lauren–the big boys.”

T.I.’s fourth album, King, is slated to hit stores March 28, three days before his film debut in ATL.

The album features appearances by UGK, Jamie Foxx, Young Jeezy, Young Buck, Pharrell Williams, and P$C, among others.

Three 6 Mafia Win First Oscar; Make Hip-Hop History

March 6th, 2006 | By Administrator

The awards took place at the Kodak Theatre and were televised with a 5-second delay on the ABC network.

Three 6 Mafia, made history as the first rap group to ever perform at the Academy Awards.

The group also won an Oscar for Best Song, for “Its Hard Out Here For A Pimp,” a tune they wrote and produced for the movie Hustle & Flow. Hustle & Flow star Terrence Howard originally recorded the song under the rap name D-Jay, but declined to perform it at the Academy Awards.

Three 6 Mafia performed in their normal Hip-Hop garb, but the stage scene was set in the Memphis streets with actors and dancers sashaying as pimps and prostitutes across the stage. The performance also featured a cameo by actress Taraji P. Henson, who sang the hook on the original song and during the live performance.

The group bested stiff competition in their field, beating out “In The Deep” from the movie Crash, which won Best film of the Year.

Group members Jordan “Juicy J” Houston thanked Jesus, while Paul “DJ Paul” Bauregard “thanked everybody,” including their mothers, distributor Select-O-Hits, the Academy, Ludacris, actor George Clooney and others. Darnell “Crunchy Black” Carlton and others were on stage as well.

The crowd gave the Hip-Hop group a rousing round of applause and a few quips came from in the aftermath of the show.

“You know what? I think it just got a little easier out here for a pimp,” Stewart joked after the group accepted their award. “How come they are the most excited people here? They are thrilled. That’s how you accept an Oscar.?

“Martin Scorsese [the legendary filmmaker] zero Oscars – Three 6 Mafia, one!” Stewart joked.

Later in the evening, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel cracked his own jokes on a special edition of his ABC late show. ?I guess those guys are gonna melt the [Oscar] statues down and make [gold] teeth,” he said.

Hustle & Flow revolves around the life of a small-time Memphis, Tennessee pimp, who aspires to be a rapper amidst a mid-life crisis.

Paul Wall Launches New Website Dedicated To Grills

March 3rd, 2006 | By Administrator

The line, which is offered through Grills by Paul Wall, features new colors and intricate designs, including silver, gold, platinum, pastels, flags and specialty designs.

“I just did an all pastel [grill] for Kelis [and] I just made a Puerto Rican flag for my boy Fat Joe, so when he closes his mouth it makes the flag,” Wall told AllHipHop.com. “I’m doing a lot of flags this year. If you can design it, we can make it. Anything you can think of, any design?we can do it. I’m doing some for Michael Vick with the superman sign.”

The grills range from as low as $50 to as high as $50,000. Though $50 will only purchase a single gold tooth, Wall asserted, “That $50 will get you one gold tooth, and from there the rest is up to you and your budget.”

The rapper has also launched a new website, www.grillsbypaulwall.com, where his grills can be purchased directly. “No matter where you are in the world you can get your grills,” he said. “We are going worldwide with it.”

Aside from serving up grills, Wall is also back in the studio recording his next album and helming the debut album for newly signed Swisha House artist, Lil’ Keke, as well as a Swisha House compilation project.

Meanwhile, Nelly’s ode to grills, “Grillz,” which features Paul Wall, Ali & Big Gipp, is currently No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital/Mobile chart.

Trina Dropping ‘Live and Uncut’ DVD

March 2nd, 2006 | By Administrator

Included on the DVD is a one hour behind the scenes documentary titled Sex, Money and Jewels, which features Trina shooting videos, recording at the studio and delighting fans by giving lap dances on stage.

“I’m a chick in the game who is working, and people respect that,” Trina said. “Yes, it has a lot to do with the whole sex appeal, but it’s a mixture of that image and me as a person. It’s my whole strong attitude.”

The DVD is being released by 845 Entertainment and is being distributed by SMC Recordings/Fontana, a distribution arm of Universal music.

“Doing a Trina DVD was a no brainer everyone knows that Trina is both a sexy and dynamic figure in the Hip Hop world,” 845 co-CEO Jarred Weisfeld said. “Guys want to date her and girls want to be her. She has mass appeal and this is definitely groundbreaking material. Sex sells.”

Trina Live and Uncut hits stores later this year.

Chamillionaire Tapped For Makaveli Branded Campaign

March 1st, 2006 | By Administrator

Chamillionaire joins Ludacris, Scarface, DJ Quik, Twista, Chingy, the Disturbin’ Tha Peace crew and Omar Epps in the campaign, which will run in major Hip-Hop publications over the next three months.

“Chamillionaire was an obvious choice when we were considering candidates for the spring campaign,” said Rick Edwards, VP/Director of marketing at Makaveli Branded. “Everyone knows the incredible work ethic that Tupac had during his career and I see that same ethic in everything Chamillionaire does. His leadership and music both have contributed greatly to the resurrection of the Houston music scene.”

A portion of each sale from Makaveli Branded is donated to the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and Center of the Arts in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

In related news, Chamillionaire is set to embark on a nationwide tour with fellow Houston rapper Lil Flip, starting March 30 in San Diego.

Chamillionaire will also grace the April cover of The Source magazine, along with UGK, Scarface, Mike Watts, Mike Jones and others.