Man Acquitted Of Murdering Rapper Dolla

Man Acquitted Of Murdering Rapper Dolla


Saturday, May 22, 2010 3:29 AM

By Nolan Strong

 (AllHipHop News) The man accused of shooting and killing rising rapper Dolla was acquitted of murder charges yesterday (May 22) in a Los Angeles courtroom.

A jury acquitted Aubrey Berry, 24, of the charges after less than two days of deliberating and nine days of testimony, which saw Berry take the stand in his own defense.
Berry claimed that he was involved in an altercation with Dolla in a club in Atlanta a week prior to the shooting, which took place last May, near a valet section at the Beverly Center.
He testified that he researched the rapper online and read his violent lyrics. He also found clips of Dolla and other gang members bragging about assaulting another man.
Berry, who had a permit to carry his gun in other states, testified he traveled to Los Angeles often and was always armed, although he didn’t realize his permit was not valid in California.

Berry said Dolla threatened to kill him during the chance encounter at the Beverly Center.
Dolla, 21, was an artist signed to Akon’s Konvict Muzik. He was shot three times in the back, as he attempted to flee Berry’s gunfire.

"Obviously, what happened on May 18, 2009, was a horrible tragedy for everyone," Superior Court Judge Michael E. Pastor told the lawyers in court. "The jurors have spoken."
Jurors may have been influenced by Dolla’s own rap lyrics, said Deputy District Attorney Bobby Grace.
"You'd hate to think that was the tipping point,” Grace told The Los Angeles Times out front of court.
Dolla’s mother was taken from the courtroom due to her emotional reaction to the verdict.
 
From AllHipHop.com
 
http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2010/05/22/22229961.aspx

Nas Buries "Greatest Rapper Of All-Time" Debate, "There Is No Best MC"

News: Nas Buries "Greatest Rapper Of All-Time" Debate, "There Is No Best MC"


Friday, May 21, 2010 5:14PM

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

Rap veteran Nas has taken on the popular "Greatest Rapper of All Time" debate and said no emcee is worthy of being credited as the best.
From Nas' perspective, there will always be "greats", not just one G.O.A.T.
"There is no best or greatest MC. Should never happen, doesn't make sense," he said in a blog post. "It makes sense temporarily when you're striving to be number one. It makes sense for [the fans] to see that, but you have a long run to be the greatest. To me, people already felt like they were [the greatest] in more ways than they should have and I think that hurt them. There is no greatest of all time. We won't know that until we're 60 years old. I think there will be like four to five great ones at the end of the day, but there will be none that's greater than the other. Impossible...[Jay-Z] is the one that smacks everybody in the face that's out there and wanted to say what he wasn't and what he couldn't do. The challenge is that people always count you out and even when you have a hit record and put out a hit album, you're gonna have people dissing you. I think he's showing you: I won't be stopped ever. And that's motivation for everyone else." (VIBE)

Last year, rap vet Rakim shared his thoughts on Jay-Z being a candidate for G.O.A.T. honors.
"I think it's only right that these new names and some of these other cats is gon' get mentioned in that circle," Rakim explained in an interview. "What I did and that feeling that I gave the game when I was at that forefront was then. The same feeling that I gave to certain people is a feeling that Jay is giving to certain people today. I gotta understand that the era calls for a different time where different people get the spotlight. My thing is, I just hope that what I did do is strong enough to last a few more years to keep my name in that loop for a few more years." (BET)

Artists like Mos Def have questioned Hov's "Greatest Rapper Alive" title in the past and compared him to Rakim's lyrical talent.

"My response was to me seeing an article where Jay-Z was referred to, with trade marks following it, as the 'Greatest Rapper Alive,'" Mos explained in an interview over the summer. "Now that don't have nothin' to do with me, but if you saying that, that's a trade claim...If you saying that, you saying you better than Slick Rick, whose still very alive and well? You saying you better than Rakim? You saying you better than Black Thought? People making that claim have never been in a position to defend that in an open forum. I'm not talking about making a diss record or trying to go in on somebody's girl...When people start coming out and making claims they're gonna have to defend, like, who have you had to defend them against? It's certainly been with people not on your level." ("The Angie Martinez Show")

Jay recently explained why he calls himself the "Best Rapper Alive."
"But when I say I'm the best, I don't say that outta my a**," Jay said in an interview. "I say that with all my stats behind me. I put that against anybody. I mean anybody. I really believe that...I believe in a lot of things. I believe that 'SportsCenter' is the best thing on TV. I shouldn't have to prove it. But I do have these stats to prove it. I'm talking about real run. I'm not talking about years off. I'm talking about straight--boom, boom, boom--back to back. We're not talking about heritage acts either. We're not talking about respect what I've done. I'm talking No. 1 [albums] 10 times. The Beatles is the only one [to have more No. 1 albums]. They got 19, and if I get a surge of creativity, I could make nine albums next year." (XXL Magazine)
 
 
From SOHH.com
 
http://www.sohh.com/2010/05/nas_buries_greatest_rapper_of_all-time_d.html

Wale Labeled 'Homophobic' For Canceling Show At Gay Event

Wale Labeled 'Homophobic' For Canceling Show At Gay Event


Friday, May 21, 2010 11:00 AM

By Roman Wolfe

(AllHipHop News) Washington, D.C. rapper Wale is being criticized by the organizers of the DC Black Pride festival for canceling his headlining performance at the LGBT event.
Wale was supposed to be the headlining performer on Sunday, May 30th during the gay-friendly event, which takes place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown D.C.
DC Black Pride board member Earl Fowlkes claimed Wale was homophobic and cancelled his appearance at the event.

''Basically we had an agreement, and we were very clear to the different parties and agents involved that this was an LGBT event,'' Fowlkes told the D.C. Metro Weekly. ''What happened is that when the first blast went out that Wale was going to be at Black Pride he got cold feet, and his agent first said Wale wasn't available because he had to do family stuff. Then we got another e-mail saying he didn't know what kind of event this was when he agreed to it.''
A representative for Wale blamed the cancellation on the rapper’s extensive touring schedule and his desire to spend time with his family, in addition to recording a new album.
''All of the facts of the event were not disclosed with the offer and therefore, he feels mislead and regretfully declines,” his representative, Jesse Kirshbaum added.
 
From AllHipHop.com
 
http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2010/05/21/22228914.aspx

Tracklisting For Drake's "Thank Me Later" Revealed

Tracklisting For Drake's "Thank Me Later" Revealed
May 21, 2010 12:37:00 AM CDT

by Slava Kuperstein

Fans awaiting details on Drake's upcoming studio debut, Thank Me Later, will be pleased to know that the album's tracklist has reportedly leaked.

The album features a formidable cast of features, as well as producers. Among the artists featured on the album are Alicia Keys, fellow Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj, and Jay-Z, according to AllThings-Fresh.net.

On the production front, frequent collaborator Boi-1da, Swizz Beatz and Kanye West are among those providing tracks. Half of the album's production is courtesy of Noah "40" Shebib, who executive produced Drake's Grammy Award-nominated mixtape, So Far Gone, and was behind the boards for Drake and Trey Songz' successful.
Below is the tracklist for Thank Me Later:

1. Fireworks (Feat. Alicia Keys) (Produced by Noah “40″ Shebib)

2. Karaoke (Produced by Francis & The Lights)

3. The Resistance (Produced by Noah “40″ Shebib)

4. Over (Produced by Boi-1da)

5. Show Me A Good Time (Produced by Kanye West)

6. Up All Night (Feat. Nicki Minaj) (Produced by Boi-1da)

7. Fancy (Feat. TI and Swizz Beatz) (Produced by Swizz Beatz)

8. Shut It Down (Feat. The Dream) (Produced by Noah “40″ Shebib and Omen)

9. Unforgettable (Feat. Young Jeezy) (Produced by Noah “40″ Shebib and Boi-1da)

10. Light Up (Feat. Jay-Z) (Produced by Noah “40″ Shebib and Tone Mason)

11. Miss Me (Feat. Lil Wayne) (Produced by Boi-1da and Noah “40″ Shebib)

12. Cece’s Interlude (Produced by Noah “40″ Shebib)

13. Find Your Love (Produced by Kanye West)

14. Thank Me Now (Produced by Timbaland)
 
From HipHopDX.com
 
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11297/title.tracklisting-for-drakes-thank-me-later-revealed

Suge Knight Arrested For Assault With Deadly Weapon

Suge Knight Arrested For Assault With Deadly Weapon
May 20, 2010 09:05:00 AM CDT

by Allen Jacobs

Early this morning, Marion "Suge" Knight was arrested in the greater Los Angeles area, reports TMZ.com. The Death Row Records co-founder, and executive producer behind nearly a dozen platinum albums from Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound and others was apprehended while driving.

In addition to charges of assualt involving a firearm, Knight was reportedly driving with a suspended license. There is no word yet if the initial charges stem from a late March super-market robbery, said to have involved Luniz rapper Yukmouth. At that time, Knight was wanted by police.
According to reports, Knight remains in custody, with a bail set of $65,000.
 
From HipHopDX.com
 
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11293/title.suge-knight-arrested-for-assault-with-deadly-weapon

Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 5/16/2010

Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 5/16/2010
May 19, 2010 11:05:00 PM CDT

by Allen Jacobs

Urban music made it back into the Top 10 last week, as Usher's Raymond v. Raymond crept back up for a #7 appearance. Pop sensation Justin Bieber, Country-Poppers Lady Antebellum and Indie Rock outfit The National held down the Top 3 respectively.
B.o.B. Presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray went to #13, still keeping the top of the charts dominated by Georgia talent. The Black Eyed Peas climbed back into the Top 20 with The E.N.D. as they have time and time again throughout the last year. The Interscope release has now cleared 2.5 million copies sold.
Ludacris and Monica returned to the Top 40, both neck-in-neck as they've been throughout their album campaigns with Battle of the Sexes and Still Standing respectively. Both efforts stand a chance at gold within the next couple months, as both just cleared the often-challenging 400,000 milestone

* Please note: figures below approximated to nearest thousandth.

Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)

Rank Artist Album This Week Est. Total

7

Usher

Raymond v. Raymond

43,000

680,000



13

B.o.B. Presents

The Adventures of Bobby Ray

27,000

148,000



19

Black Eyed Peas

The E.N.D.

19,000

2,518,000



29

Ludacris

Battle of the Sexes

14,000

405,000



32

Monica

Still Standing

13,000

406,000
Trina's Pop-inspired album, Amazin' and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Uni5: The World's Enemy closed out the Top 50. The Slip-N-Slide princess cleared 40,000 overall units, while a seemingly reunited Bone Thugs (complete with a freed Flesh-N-Bone and a semi-supportive Bizzy Bone) sit just under the mark. Both releases feature major label distribution, from EMI and Warner Brothers respectively.
Memphis veteran duo 8Ball & MJG went from working on Diddy's Bad Boy label to working on T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint with Ten Toes Down. Distributed through E1 Entertainment, the group's first official album in three years features Slim Thug, Soulja Boy, Bun B and of course T.I. The work sits just under 25,000 as their label-mate, B.o.B., reigns near the top of the charts.

One of B.o.B.'s album sidekicks, Bruno Mars, debuted at #99 with his EP It's Better If You Don't Understand. The Atlantic Records hopeful gained a lot of exposure through the hit of "Nothin' On You." Providence, Rhode Island's Sage Francis made a Top 200 debut with L(i)fe. Released on Anti Records (who works with The Coup and Busdriver), the release sees the former Anticon/Non-Prophets affiliate combine his dense, lyrical songwriting with musical backdrops courtesy of members of bands, Death Cab For Cutie, Granddaddy, DeVotchKa and others.


Rank Artist Album This Week Est. Total

48

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

Uni5: The World's Enemy

9,400

39,000



49

Trina

Amazin'

9,400

42,000



62

8Ball & MJG

Ten Toes Down

7,300

23,000



99

Bruno Mars

It's Better If You Don't Understand

5,400

5,400



137

Sage Francis L(i)fe 3,900

3,900

From HipHopDX.com
 
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11284/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-5-16-2010

Rick Ross' "Teflon Don" Pushes Back To July 6

Rick Ross' "Teflon Don" Pushes Back To July 6
May 18, 2010 02:05:00 PM CDT

by Allen Jacobs

Rick Ross announced recently that his fourth official album, Teflon Don was due on June 29. As of this morning, that album is now planned for July 6 release.
Teflon Don, named partially after Ross' Rap moniker (Tephlon Da Don) from his late '90s work with Erick Sermon and others, including an appearance on "Ain't Shit To Discuss" from the EPMD member's 2000 album, Def Squad Presents: Erick Onasis.
Although confirmations have yet to be made, Jay-Z and Kanye West reportedly worked on the Def Jam rapper's latest album. The single "Super High" featuring Ne-Yo, released over a week ago.
 
From HipHopDX.com
 
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11278/title.rick-ross-teflon-don-pushes-back-to-july-6

Game's "R.E.D." Album Delayed To July 6

Game's "R.E.D." Album Delayed To July 6
May 17, 2010 08:05:00 AM CDT | by Allen Jacobs

Tomorrow, iTunes is expected to begin selling Game's single "Ain't No Doubt About It" , but fans of the Compton emcee will have to wait another seven days to purchase his fourth major label album, R.E.D. Announced this past weekend, the album has moved from June 29 to July 6.

No longer sharing a release week with Diddy and Paul Wall, Game will now hit the shelves on the same planned week as Big Boi's Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty.



R.E.D. is co-executive produced by Dr. Dre and Pharrell Williams, to be released on Aftermath/Star Trak/Interscope Records.

From HipHopDX.com

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11266/title.games-red-album-delayed-to-july-6