New Eazy Urban Musik Records and Diplomats Records site,featuring news and jewels
Sunday, March 1
Marc A'Million Launches ThisisG.ning.com
New Eazy Urban Musik Records and Diplomats Records site,featuring news and jewels
Saturday, February 14
Kanye West's LV Shoe
While Kanye has always considered himself at the forefront of fashion, he stepped it up a notch during Paris Fashion Week. West posted a video on his blog over the weekend that highlighted his fashion achievements of the past week. As he sat in his Paris (he pronounces it "Pair-ee") hotel, dressed in a red blazer and black gloves, West did a bit of gloating.
"I have so much to stunt about that it baffles me," West says in the clip. "So I asked myself this question, and you can ask yourself the same: Who do you know with two thumbs and his own Louis shoe? This guy!"
The ever-humble West is excited about his recent sneaker collaboration with Louis Vuitton. He designed a monochrome mid-top sneaker with a quilted flap in the back — where else are you going to tuck your jeans?
West told the Web site Dazed Digital that he was contacted by the French luxury brand about collaborating. "They chose to contact me," he said. "Who wouldn't want to work with Louis Vuitton? They're the number-one luxury brand. It lets people know you like nice things."
West said he thought the red sneaker ripped the runway open. "As soon as they put that red, it was killer! It's like an accessory that can express your personality. Like an instant tattoo!"
Despite all the good news, West did have some serious news to share in his video. Surrounded by samples of his sneaker and unable to stop smiling, he said he has to change his name. West had been known as the Louis Vuitton Don, but the collaboration with Louis is the ultimate feather in his cap.
"Due to what has happened so severely when the red shoes hit the runway, I was forced to change my name to Martin Louis the King Jr. Address me as such."
"I have so much to stunt about that it baffles me," West says in the clip. "So I asked myself this question, and you can ask yourself the same: Who do you know with two thumbs and his own Louis shoe? This guy!"
The ever-humble West is excited about his recent sneaker collaboration with Louis Vuitton. He designed a monochrome mid-top sneaker with a quilted flap in the back — where else are you going to tuck your jeans?
West told the Web site Dazed Digital that he was contacted by the French luxury brand about collaborating. "They chose to contact me," he said. "Who wouldn't want to work with Louis Vuitton? They're the number-one luxury brand. It lets people know you like nice things."
West said he thought the red sneaker ripped the runway open. "As soon as they put that red, it was killer! It's like an accessory that can express your personality. Like an instant tattoo!"
Despite all the good news, West did have some serious news to share in his video. Surrounded by samples of his sneaker and unable to stop smiling, he said he has to change his name. West had been known as the Louis Vuitton Don, but the collaboration with Louis is the ultimate feather in his cap.
"Due to what has happened so severely when the red shoes hit the runway, I was forced to change my name to Martin Louis the King Jr. Address me as such."
Robinson Takes Down The Superman
By Scott Boeck, USA TODAY
PHOENIX — New York's Nate Robinson was Superman's kryptonite.
Orlando's Dwight Howard, aka Superman, couldn't defend his slam dunk contest during NBA All-Star Saturday Night at U.S. Airways Center.
Robinson, now known as Krypto-Nate, pulled off the upset by winning 52% of the fans worldwide vote. The 5-9 guard, who won in 2006, became the fifth multiple winner.
Dressed in an all-green Knicks uniform with green shoes, Robinson used Howard, donned in his cape, as a prop in the final round. He spring boarded over the 6-foot-11 center for a one-handed jam.
"Dwight was a great sport letting me dunk over him," said Robinson.
"He won fair and square," said Howard, who leads the NBA in dunks. "We tried to put on a good show. That's what it is all about at All-Star Weekend."
Robinson and Howard did just that, starting on their second attempt in the first round.
Howard disappeared into a phone booth next to the court and came out with his Superman cape. In tune to the song "I want to go higher," out came a second basket raised to 12-feet.
He received a bounce pass from teammate Jameer Nelson for a two-handed slam and scored his second perfect 50 score.
Robinson advanced by using teammate Wilson Chandler, who was down on all fours, as a step-ladder for a one-handed jam.
How did Robinson come up with new ideas?
"Believe it or not, video games," he said. "I said, oh, 2K9. They got the dunk contest, they do crazy dunks. You just to use your imagination. When you do, the sky is the limit."
Denver's J.R. Smith and Portland's Rudy Fernandez were eliminated in the first round. Fernandez, a native of Spain, was the first international player to compete in the event.
Robinson said he will compete in the contest next year if the fans want him to. If he does, he would be going against Cleveland's LeBron James, who said he plans to compete next year.
Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout
Miami's Daequan Cook needed a one-minute tiebreaker to beat Orlando's Rashard Lewis in the Three-Point Shootout.
"It was a tough win, but a lot of focus and hard work, I pulled it off against some great competitors such a (Toronto's) Jason Kapono, the back-to-back champ," said Cook, a 41% shooter from beyond the arc.
Kapono was trying to become the third player to capture three straight titles — Larry Bird, who won 1986-88, and Craig Hodges, 1990-92. He came up one point short in the second round.
Cook had forced overtime by hitting his final four shots in the second round
Lewis struggled in the overtime round, missing his first 11 shots. Cook won the round 19-7. Kapono finished third with 14 points.
San Antonio's Roger Mason, Atlanta's Mike Bibby and Indiana's Danny Granger were eliminated in the first round.
PlayStation Skills Challenge
Chicago Bulls rookie guard Derrick Rose took his time to capture the Skills Challenge title.
"I wanted to take my time, make sure I didn't trip out there because of those sharp turns," Rose said. "I don't want to want to fall on TV. In Chicago, they would make a joke of it."
The rookie-of -the-year candidate covered the "obstacle" course in 35.3 seconds in the second round and ended the event, which consists of dribbling, passing and shooting stations, with an emphatic double-pump reverse dunk.
"Probably won't see me dunk for two more months," Rose said afterward.
The No. 1 draft pick in the 2008 draft beat first-time All-Star Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets by 4.4 seconds.
Cleveland's Mo Williams and San Antonio's Tony Parker were eliminated in the first round. Williams took third with a time of 37.5 seconds after replacing Orlando's Jameer Nelson, who is injured.
Haier Shooting Stars
Team Detroit —Aaron Afflalo, the Pistons' 2007 first round pick, Detroit Shock head coach and general manager Bill Laimbeer and 2008 WNBA Finals MVP Katie Smith — beat hometown favorite Team Phoenix — Dan Majerle, Suns legend, Leandro Barbosa, the 2006-07 Sixth Man Award winner, and Mercury star Tangela Smith — in the Shooting Stars contest. Team Detroit, last year's runner-up, won its second title in three years.
Team Phoenix had a chance to win the event, in which players shoot from six locations of increasing difficulty, but failed to make a half-court shot in time.
The defending champion Team San Antonio — three-time Finals MVP Tim Duncan, David Robinson, one of the 50 Greatest Players of all-time, and four-time WNBA all-star Becky Hammon — were eliminated in the first round.
Obama to sign 787 Billion dollar bill
WASHINGTON – Savoring his first big victory in Congress, President Barack Obama on Saturday celebrated the newly passed $787 billion economic stimulus bill as a "major milestone on our road to recovery."
Speaking in his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama said, "I will sign this legislation into law shortly, and we'll begin making the immediate investments necessary to put people back to work doing the work America needs done."
At the same time, he cautioned, "This historic step won't be the end of what we do to turn our economy around, but rather the beginning. The problems that led us into this crisis are deep and widespread, and our response must be equal to the task."
The bill passed Congress on Friday on party-line votes, allowing Democratic leaders to deliver on their promise of clearing the legislation by mid-February. Obama could sign the measure as early as Monday.
"It will take time, and it will take effort, but working together, we will turn this crisis into opportunity and emerge from our painful present into a brighter future," the president said.
Obama "now has a bill to sign that will create millions of good-paying jobs and help families and businesses stay afloat financially," said Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat who was a leading architect of the measure.
"It will shore up our schools and roads and bridges, and infuse cash into new sectors like green energy and technology that will sustain our economy for the long term," he added in a statement.
Hours earlier, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell offered a different prediction for a bill he said was loaded with wasteful spending.
"A stimulus bill that was supposed to be timely, targeted and temporary is none of the above," he said in remarks on the Senate floor. "And this means Congress is about to approve a stimulus that's unlikely to have much stimulative effect."
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, in the GOP radio address Saturday, contended Democrats settled "on a random dollar amount in the neighborhood of $1 trillion and then set out to fill the bucket."
Obama, who was spending the weekend in Chicago, planned to fly back to Washington on Monday. His schedule for the week ahead includes trips to Denver on Tuesday to talk about his economic agenda and a visit to Phoenix on Wednesday to present a plan to fight foreclosures.
In a struggle lasting several weeks, lawmakers in the two political parties both emphasized they wanted to pass legislation to revitalize the economy and ease frozen credit markets. But the plan that the administration and its allies eventually came up drew the support of only three Republicans in Congress — moderate Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.
Their support was critical, though, in helping the bill squeak through the Senate on a vote of 60-38, precisely the number needed for passage. Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown cast the 60th vote in favor in a nearly deserted Senate, hours after the roll call began. He arrived after a flight aboard a government plane from Ohio, where he was mourning the death of his mother earlier in the week.
The House vote was 246-183.
The legislation, among the costliest ever considered in Congress, provides billions of dollars to aid victims of the recession through unemployment benefits, food stamps, medical care, job retraining and more. Tens of billions are ticketed for the states to offset cuts they might otherwise have to make in aid to schools and local governments, and there is more than $48 billion for transportation projects such as road and bridge construction, mass transit and high-speed rail.
Democrats said the bill's tax cuts would help 95 percent of all Americans, much of the relief in the form of a break of $400 for individuals and $800 for couples. At the insistence of the White House, people who do not earn enough money to owe income taxes are eligible, an attempt to offset the payroll taxes they pay.
In a bow to political reality, lawmakers included $70 billion to shelter upper middle-class and wealthier taxpayers from an income tax increase that would otherwise hit them, a provision that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said would do relatively little to create jobs.
Also included were funds for two of Obama's initiatives, the expansion of computerized information technology in the health care industry and billions to create green jobs the administration says will begin reducing the country's dependence on foreign oil.
Friday's events capped an early period of accomplishment for the Democrats, who won control of the White House and expanded their majorities in Congress in last fall's elections.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, the president has signed legislation extending government-financed health care to millions of lower-income children who lack it, a bill that President George W. Bush twice vetoed. Obama also has placed his signature on a measure making it easier for workers to sue their employers for alleged job discrimination, effectively overturning a ruling by the Supreme Court's conservative majority
Speaking in his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama said, "I will sign this legislation into law shortly, and we'll begin making the immediate investments necessary to put people back to work doing the work America needs done."
At the same time, he cautioned, "This historic step won't be the end of what we do to turn our economy around, but rather the beginning. The problems that led us into this crisis are deep and widespread, and our response must be equal to the task."
The bill passed Congress on Friday on party-line votes, allowing Democratic leaders to deliver on their promise of clearing the legislation by mid-February. Obama could sign the measure as early as Monday.
"It will take time, and it will take effort, but working together, we will turn this crisis into opportunity and emerge from our painful present into a brighter future," the president said.
Obama "now has a bill to sign that will create millions of good-paying jobs and help families and businesses stay afloat financially," said Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat who was a leading architect of the measure.
"It will shore up our schools and roads and bridges, and infuse cash into new sectors like green energy and technology that will sustain our economy for the long term," he added in a statement.
Hours earlier, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell offered a different prediction for a bill he said was loaded with wasteful spending.
"A stimulus bill that was supposed to be timely, targeted and temporary is none of the above," he said in remarks on the Senate floor. "And this means Congress is about to approve a stimulus that's unlikely to have much stimulative effect."
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, in the GOP radio address Saturday, contended Democrats settled "on a random dollar amount in the neighborhood of $1 trillion and then set out to fill the bucket."
Obama, who was spending the weekend in Chicago, planned to fly back to Washington on Monday. His schedule for the week ahead includes trips to Denver on Tuesday to talk about his economic agenda and a visit to Phoenix on Wednesday to present a plan to fight foreclosures.
In a struggle lasting several weeks, lawmakers in the two political parties both emphasized they wanted to pass legislation to revitalize the economy and ease frozen credit markets. But the plan that the administration and its allies eventually came up drew the support of only three Republicans in Congress — moderate Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.
Their support was critical, though, in helping the bill squeak through the Senate on a vote of 60-38, precisely the number needed for passage. Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown cast the 60th vote in favor in a nearly deserted Senate, hours after the roll call began. He arrived after a flight aboard a government plane from Ohio, where he was mourning the death of his mother earlier in the week.
The House vote was 246-183.
The legislation, among the costliest ever considered in Congress, provides billions of dollars to aid victims of the recession through unemployment benefits, food stamps, medical care, job retraining and more. Tens of billions are ticketed for the states to offset cuts they might otherwise have to make in aid to schools and local governments, and there is more than $48 billion for transportation projects such as road and bridge construction, mass transit and high-speed rail.
Democrats said the bill's tax cuts would help 95 percent of all Americans, much of the relief in the form of a break of $400 for individuals and $800 for couples. At the insistence of the White House, people who do not earn enough money to owe income taxes are eligible, an attempt to offset the payroll taxes they pay.
In a bow to political reality, lawmakers included $70 billion to shelter upper middle-class and wealthier taxpayers from an income tax increase that would otherwise hit them, a provision that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said would do relatively little to create jobs.
Also included were funds for two of Obama's initiatives, the expansion of computerized information technology in the health care industry and billions to create green jobs the administration says will begin reducing the country's dependence on foreign oil.
Friday's events capped an early period of accomplishment for the Democrats, who won control of the White House and expanded their majorities in Congress in last fall's elections.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, the president has signed legislation extending government-financed health care to millions of lower-income children who lack it, a bill that President George W. Bush twice vetoed. Obama also has placed his signature on a measure making it easier for workers to sue their employers for alleged job discrimination, effectively overturning a ruling by the Supreme Court's conservative majority
Tuesday, January 27
Carli Baltimore On The Biggie Movie
Charli Baltimore: I went through the windshield. I was in the backseat, that’s true. Cease lost all of his teeth… every last one of his teeth got knocked out. He was the driver. From what I understand it’s portrayed in the movie like it was really lightweight, and it had a lot of bearing on Big’s album. And again, everybody in that car almost lost their life. So I don’t play that, it’s not cool at all.
Charli Baltimore: I mean if someone was going to make a movie about Big’s personal life then it should have been Faith, not Ms. Wallace. I mean come on; we’re all adults. As an adult, your mother doesn’t know every waking detail of your personal life. That’s just not realistic. Not to say anything bad about [Ms. Wallace], but...
Charli Baltimore: Like I said I’m not bitter about the film because for me, I always felt like my relationship really was nobody’s business. I know what I had with Big; I didn’t really need to explain it to anyone. But I also…you know Big confided in me as a boyfriend would confide in a girlfriend. So I know a lot of things about Big that I would never discuss with anyone.
Charli Baltimore: I mean if someone was going to make a movie about Big’s personal life then it should have been Faith, not Ms. Wallace. I mean come on; we’re all adults. As an adult, your mother doesn’t know every waking detail of your personal life. That’s just not realistic. Not to say anything bad about [Ms. Wallace], but...
Charli Baltimore: Like I said I’m not bitter about the film because for me, I always felt like my relationship really was nobody’s business. I know what I had with Big; I didn’t really need to explain it to anyone. But I also…you know Big confided in me as a boyfriend would confide in a girlfriend. So I know a lot of things about Big that I would never discuss with anyone.
Friday, January 23
Stop Lyin' Maxi-Pad
Harlem rapper Max B and his attorney Gerald Saluti have released a videotaped statement [watch the video HERE] in which Saluti offers previously unreleased details about an ongoing New Jersey murder trial, in which his client has been implicated.
The statement comes one week after the rapper’s ex-girlfriend and co-defendant pleaded guilty to lesser charges, in exchange for her testimony against Max and a third co-defendant.
Gina Conway entered her plea agreement on the day she was to stand trial for her involvement in the September 2006 murder of David Taylor at a Holiday Inn along Route 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Conway says she helped carry out the plan that lead to Taylor’s death.
She accepted the charges of aggravated manslaughter and robbery and agreed to testify against Max B, born Charly Wingate, and Kelvin Leerdam.
Both charges are first degree crimes in the state of New Jersey, for which she will receive a minimum concurrent sentence of ten years, as opposed to the possible maximum of eighteen years in prison.
“So instead of going to jail for the rest of her life, based on a 160-page confession that she gave to the police department, she’s chosen to testify in what I say, and I tell you right now and I’ll tell her in court, is gonna be in some untruthful fashion about my client’s role in her dirt, basically," Saluti said in a videotaped statement.
"She’s pointing the finger at other people when she should be pointing the finger at herself. “[She’s] pointing the finger at other individuals, and quite frankly, pointing the finger at a man who basically kicker her out of his house,” Saluti stated.
In her original statement, Conway alleged that she overheard Max B and a man she identified as “Sims” planning to rob Taylor and his friend Allan “Jay” Plowden, after she had revealed that the two men drove flashy cars and carried a lot of cash.
Prosecutors say that shortly after her arrest, Conway described the crime, which she said was carried out by her and Leerdam, whom she alleges ultimately shot Taylor.
The video insinuates that Saluti plans on making the case that Conway is a jilted lover who has implicated Max B out of spite, because of the failure of their relationship shortly before the crime in question.
According to the attorney, she has maintained constant contact with his client in the two years since, writing Max B incessantly from her jail cell to profess her undying love.
The rapper adds that Conway has gone so far as to say she wishes the mother of his son, with whom he is currently in a relationship, was dead.
“I just leave it up to God, my lawyer Gerald Saluti, [and] everything will work out,” said Max B, who allowed Saluti to speak on his behalf for the majority of the six minute recording. “I just let him do his job. I’m here on time, I’m at every court appearance," Max B. told said. "I’m just here. People, stay strong for me and keep your support up.”
The two surprisingly also took the opportunity to thank Jim Jones for his role in getting Max out of jail in July 2007, when Max was still part of the Dipset offshoot crew, Byrd Gang.
“Max is a gentleman, Jim is a gentleman. I know they have their differences, but we do thank him for what he did for Max," Saluti stated. "It’s one of the reasons he’s here, it’s one of the reasons he’s able to assist me in building a defense for him, and it’s an integral part of Max’s freedom. We look forward to being vindicated in April when this case is gonna go to trial.”
Gina Conway will be sentenced in Bergen County Superior Court on March 21.
Wednesday, December 17
My Top 5 Ablums Of The Year
1.The Game LAX
2.Young Jeezy The Recession
3.Tha Carter III
4.Nas
5.T.I. Paper Trail
2.Young Jeezy The Recession
3.Tha Carter III
4.Nas
5.T.I. Paper Trail
Tuesday, December 16
T.I. Get Ready
Rapper T.I. (born Clifford Harris Jr.) is headed back to jail early next year to finish serving his jail sentence.The “Whatever You Like” hit-maker was arrested on felony gun charges a year ago and has lost millions of dollars in income because of it.According to MTV, T.I. says he isn’t going out without a fight and plans to be as pro-active as possible while incarcerated.“I ain’t gonna be sitting still doing nothing,” the rapper told MTV. “All those days will be spent speaking to people who are interested in being in the T.I. business... It’s just months of planning. It’s just a long time to roll the project out. The wheels will be turning; just the car ain’t going nowhere.”As far as his album goes, Paper Trail – T.I.’s sixth studio album – is certified platinum.Paper Trail sold 568,000 copies in its first week and debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200.The album has received positive reviews from critics and has been nominated for a Grammy award.
Suge "A Real O.G."
Two felony drug charges and one misdemeanor assault charge against Marion “Suge” Knight were dismissed by a Las Vegas judge.
Prosecutors accused Knight, 43, of assaulting a female acquaintance named Melissa Isaac, on August 27, during a heated argument.
Knight was accused of striking Isaac, who was allegedly found by LVPD officers naked on the side of the road, as Knight stood over her with a knife.
The drug charges stemmed from allegations Knight was also in possession of ecstasy and hyrdocodone.
TMZ.com reports that Knight’s lawyers David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld were successful in getting all of the charges dismissed due to "lack of production in discovery and the failure of witnesses to be subpoenaed."
"God is good, and I've got the best two lawyers in America. Happy holidays," Knight said after learning the news.
The prosecution will now take the case to a grand jury.
Kiss in Gillie Out(i sound dirty)
While Beanie Sigel’s one time rival Gillie Da Kid recently backed out of an upcoming “Brotherly Love Concert” due to schedule concerns, the Broad Street bully has landed another former nemesis to headline the concert.
The Lox’s Jadakiss will join Sigel and other Philadelphia rappers on stage during the concert, which is being presented by Sigel and Nike ACG.
Sigel and Jadakiss engaged in an infamous feud that started after Jadakiss accused Philadelphia rappers of stealing his style in published interviews in 2001.
Jadakiss, who claimed his words were misquoted, was still on the receiving end of a mixtape diss from Sigel.
As a result, both sides released diss records aptly titled "F**k Beanie Sigel" by Jadakiss and "F**k Jadakiss" by Beanie Sigel.
After numerous radio, mixtape and disses on albums, the beef between Sigel along with State Property versus Jadakiss and D-Block teetered on the edge of violence.
The climax came when Jadakiss appeared at a concert in Philadelphia and berated Sigel in his hometown.
Around this time, Jadakiss’ battle with 50 Cent and G-Unit, as well as a host of legal problems for Sigel helped cool the beef.
The pair eventually patched up their relationship and even recorded the “Roc Boys” remix with Roc-A-Fella boss Jay-Z.
Sigel’s “Brotherly Love Concert” is his latest attempt to end old beefs and promote unity in Philadelphia, a city known for its in-fighting amongst various rappers.
Gillie Da Kid was unable to keep a commitment to the concert because he is shooting The King of the Avenue with actor Ving Rhames in Puerto Rico.
Other performers confirmed to take the stage include Freeway, E-Ness, and local artist Reed Dollas, Joey Jahad, and Voka.
The free concert begins tonight (December 11) at 6:00 pm at the TLA on South Street in Philadelphia.
Somebody tell Gillie not to cry!!!
Snowman A'int So Cold
Young Jeezy [click to read] will join The National Lighthouse Foundation today for the Annual Christmas Program at Narvie J. Harris Theme School in Decatur, Georgia. The event is set to take place at 5:30 pm.
As noted, this event goes on yearly, with The National Lighthouse Foundation linking up with celebrities or artists from the community to make sure that children can have gifts for the holidays. The National Lighthouse Foundation is a non-profit organization built on the vision that the nation's children need to be assisted in different ways. Their mission statement explains more.
"Our mission is to positively impact the lives of people primarily through innovative strategies that effectuate change; assisting them in all aspects of life while enabling them to achieve their highest potential as they grow to become confident, competent, and caring individuals."
Jeezy's latest offering, The Recession [click to read], is already in stores and he is currently on tour promoting the album.
Here is the address to the event:
Narvie J. Harris Theme School3981 McGill Drive v Decatur, Georgia 30034
Thursday, June 5
Chiba-whas new
The competition is getting stiff. With four ladies left in the house tensions rise as the girls continue their quest for $100,000 and the title of Miss Rap Supreme. With only a few days left in the house, Chiba decides it’s time to end the feud between herself and Byata. But while in friendly conversation, Chiba let’s the cat out of the bag and admits to using pre-written rhymes in competition, leading to yet more controversy within the house.
After all of the girls except Chiba stumble during their challenge of creating a verse about “peace” for young girls who were once involved in gang violence, questions arise about Chiba’s use of recycled lyrics. Byata, convinced that Chiba’s cheating, tells judges her concerns which are “duly noted” by Serch and Yo-Yo. However, because the freshness of Chiba’s verse could neither be denied nor confirmed she was still labeled the winner of the challenge and given the keys to the ‘Salt-N-Pepa Suite’. Because the competition is down to the final wire, however, she was not given immunity from elimination. This new development proved to be fatal to Chiba; when the girls were given the elimination freestyle topic of the word “Bitch,” Chiba strayed from the subject matter and was ultimately told to “Step off!”
This week, HipHopDX spoke with the Georgia femcee to get the real scoop on whether or not she cheated in competition, her beef with Byata, working with on The Juice Crew movie., and the near fatal car crash that forced her to now keep her left eye covered.
HipHopDX: How long have you been rapping for?
Chiba: Oh, I’ve been rapping since about 200 or 2001. After my car accident I really got into writing music just to express everything that I was going through at that particular time. I just thought about a lot of things because after the car accident I couldn’t go outside for about a year. So I started thinking about my talents that I wanted to bring out.
DX: Can you tell us a little more about that fateful day of the car-crash?
C: I went out with a couple of people I didn’t really know too well. Something was put in my drink and the guy was trying to take me to wherever he was trying to take me to, and he crashed into a utility pole and I went through the window. So now I have to wear sunglasses because I can’t close my left eye. It doesn’t close completely and it’s very sensitive to light. And also stuff gets into the eye and irritates it because I can’t blink. So people always think [I cover my eye with sunglasses or my hair] because I’m trying to hide my scar, but it’s not that; I’m protecting the vision that I have left in my eye. If I don’t wear glasses stuff is constantly getting in my eye.
DX: I read on your MySpace that you’re working on your own label and publishing company called Jerzey Peach Records. Can you speak that project?
C: Yeah, that’s basically something that’s gonna happen once I get myself situated. I have to build things up so I can work on that. But right now I’m just trying to get signed with a big label so that later on I can be established enough to start Jerzey Peach Records.
DX: Ok. Well moving on to the show, what do you think was the beginning of the end for you and Byata?
C: I think it was when I won the first challenge.
DX: So you think it was a jealousy thing?
C: Oh yeah. Definitely. Plus, she let other [contestants] come in and change the bond that we had. Reece, for instance, she saw how close me and Byata were getting, and she didn’t like that so she wanted to break it up. I was really hurt by that because I really had strong feelings for Byata; we connected more than any other girls on the show. And it hurt me that she let someone else come in and take that.
DX: On the show, you had a conversation with your daughter back home. Was she the only reason you wanted to make amends with Byata or had you thought about it before?
C: It’s something I thought about on my own, but once I spoke with my daughter it really [affected me].
DX: Later on while you were talking to Byata and Reece you admitted to using pre-written rhymes. Do you think that was fair, especially since Khia got kicked off for the same thing earlier in the competition?
C: Yea but Khia [click to read] used verses from records she sold. In our contract it said we could use whatever we had as long as it hadn’t been sold or copy written. So when we were doing certain challenges other than elimination, I did have something that was already written and the producer’s had no problem with that. And if that was the case then they woulda been kicked me off of the show.
DX: Do you think any of the other girls were using pre-written rhymes?
C: Of course they did! They just wasn’t woman enough to admit it! And once I did admit it Cherry was like, “I didn’t know we could use stuff we already had!”…well, y'all didn’t read your contracts! The producers said “Chiba, there’s $100,000 on the line. If you got something that’s hot and fits the topic; use it.” The only time you couldn’t use something you already wrote was for elimination freestyles. That’s what Khia did, she used somethin’ that she had already sold records to for elimination.
Charlie Is Back
Philadelphia native Charli Baltimore has become a recognizable name, face and voice in Hip Hop over the last decade, despite never releasing an album. Originally signed to Lance "Un" Rivera's Untertainment along with Cam'ron in the late '90s through her romantic affiliation with Notorious B.I.G., the rapper had a star-studded, highly-promoted Cold As Ice album in 1999, which was never released.
After four years away from Hip Hop, Baltimore reappeared in 2002, this time with Murder Inc. Records. There, she worked with Irv Gotti, Ja Rule and Lloyd on several songs, but never released an album. Following this, she had a brief stint with The Game's Black Wall Street Records, before independently venturing into the studio with producer Scott Storch.
In a recent interview with Sub Zero DVD, the rapper was filmed working in Murder Inc. Studios. Asked if she was re-signing to the controversial imprint, Baltimore said, "We workin', we doin' some things. Obviously, you see that I'm here, so it's all good. We're definitely working. We're gonna keep it a lil' controversial for right now; I don't want to give too much away."
Charli Baltimore has spent recent years handling the career of her daughter India, who is part of Ford Modeling, and will be appearing in an upcoming Abercrombie & Fitch campaign.
With her new single "Lose It" having touched airwaves in her hometown, the rapper hopes that the Scott Storch-produced song will be considered by radio.
Wednesday, April 9
Plies In 1o Million Dollars Lawsuit
Rapper Plies, born Algernod Washington, is one of several defendants in a lawsuit filed by five attendees at a 2006 Plies show.
The five plaintiffs were injured during a shooting at the show, and are seeking $10 million in damages.
"If they're suing Mr. Washington, they're suing the wrong person," said attorney Robert Rush to the Gainesville Sun. "He does not have legal liability. It is not an entertainer's job to provide security for a club where the entertainer is performing."
Plies' record label, Slip-N-Slide, and 283 West, the venue where Plies performed that night, are also named in the suit. The suit alleges negligence on the part of the defendants. Reports indicate that members of Plies' entourage - the rapper's brother, Ronell Lavatte, and Tory Carnegie - fired into a sold-out crowd after Plies' microphone was cut off, in order to let Lil' Boosie on stage.
Lavatte and Carnegie were accused of firing at least three rounds and were charged with attempted murder. Police found five loaded firearms and rounds of ammunition in their vehicle.
Monday, March 31
Set Still Strong
HipHopDX spoke with 40 Cal yesterday and the Harlem member of Dipset sounded off on Prodigy’s infamous remarks, rumors on Dipset’s disbandment, the blues influence on hip-hop and more. This all comes on the eve of 40 Cal’s CD/DVD combination, The Yellow Tape, being released on April 1st.
40 Cal on Prodigy’s remarks insulting Cam’ron and Jim Jones, “Prodigy’s remarks? No, I heard about it, but it went on deaf ears kind of. It wasn’t even enough for nobody to start talking about. He said what he said but I don’t know, no one really paid attention. When I say something everybody hears it. I don’t know what he was doing, he just dropped a bunch of names, and was talking shit before he went to jail. I mean I find it ironic that he did that right before he went in.”
40 Cal on recent rumors of trouble within Dipset’s ranks, “We are doing ok, but it is not the same. It used to be a little tighter. At the end of the day we all love Dip Set, its like nothing changed. It’s just that everybody wants to do more solo things, as a group you always want to do your own projects. We’re like a super group. Look at any other group or crew they ain’t do it like us. I mean, look at the Jackson 5, you could talk about Michael’s and Janet’s albums and that’s about it. I mean some people could talk about Tito and Randy. With Wu-Tang it’s even like that, but us we are all real. Truthfully, I’m the newest member, you know, of the original Dipset, but my name is still relevant and still resonates. Everything is everything, and everybody is still yelling Dipset.”
40 Cal also addressed his upcoming projects, and what to expect, “Well, I’m coming out a few months after The Yellow Tape with an album. I mean, I might be arguably the most consistent dude in the game. I got another project after that, I mean not to mention all my fellow cohorts albums, with the label, bla bla bla, I got crazy stuff coming out. You know, get The Yellow Tape, keep it locked for all Dipset stuff. Hit up myspace.com/40caldipset.”
Reported By Jake Spilman
Tha Bo$$ Is Next
Last year, 50 Cent didn't have the year he thought he should have had. He wasn't alone in thinking that. Many fans also believed 2007 wasn't quite the best year for Fif. Some even went so far as to say he may have been falling off. Now, 50 admits there were errors made, but he mainly puts the blame on the label. According to new reports, 50 is stating that the label heads, including Eminem, asked Fif not to release too many mixtapes citing that the tapes would take away from his official album record sales.
"They think I'm crazy," 50 told MTV about Eminem and label heads. "Sometimes [Em] misses why I put it out. He goes, 'Why did you put it out?' But I can't be as hot as I'm gonna be if I don't play around. I gotta spar before I go fight the champ. That's my concept of it. If I don't go out and make material and lock in, I'm not gonna make the best possible material for the next [official] project."
Aside from mixtapes and albums, 50 has also been working on beef. Recently, he and Fat Joe were in the midst of a war of words and photos. Now, he is going against rumors that claim he created a photoshopped picture of Joe's wife.
"The Hip-Hop Weekly [a fake cover] came out, and it was a thing with [Benzino] supposed to be [sleeping] with Fat Joe's wife. I didn't make that. I didn't have anyone [Photoshop] that. Why would you do that? I work for Hip-Hop Weekly? They'll know that there are issues between me and Joe, so when he approaches them, they'll say, 'Nah, it must be 50. You know how 50 is.' But I didn't care, 'cause I don't like Joe neither. It doesn't matter to me that they did it, but it didn't come from me."
Now, 50 is throwing warning shots at another MC, Rick Ross.
"Rick Ross is doing good. I also complimented him that he had the #1 album. I said, 'Just don't stand too close to this fat piece of ...' I'm saying that because of what [Joe's] trying to do. He runs to Miami and hangs out with them like he's running Miami? Does Fat Joe run Miami? I don't think Fat Joe runs Miami. I think people from Miami would be upset you're even questioning that. The fact he can influence DJ Khaled on the radio, does that mean Fat Joe runs Miami? ... I don't care if [Khaled] ever plays my records. He's not important enough to what I'm doing for it to matter. Not to say Miami doesn't count. He doesn't count for it to matter to me."
G-Unit's next LP, Lock and Load is scheduled to drop in the Summer. Before I Self Destruct, 50's new album is set to hit shelves late in 08.
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