Erykah Badu Charged With Misdemeanor For Nude Performance In "Window Seat"
April 03, 2010 10:04:00 AM CDT | by Krysten Hughes
Recent controversy surrounding Erykah Badu's "Window Seat" music video has taken a turn for the worse. The neo soul singer now faces charges of disorderly conduct for baring it all during the March 13 video shoot in downtown Dallas.
During the performance, Badu walked along the sidewalk of the historic Dealey Plaza, shedding her clothes until she was nude. Filmed during the day where children and families were present, the artist continued to act out a death scene where a shot rang out, resulting in a fatal gunshot to the head at the same location where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
A witness, Ida Espinsoa, who was on location with her young daughter, came forward to police and gave a sworn statement. “She was exposed to a level of indecency that most children shouldn’t be exposed to,” according to Dallas’ Fox 4 News.
Dallas Police Sgt. Warren Mitchell held a press conference Friday announcing the charges against Badu. "Having a fact witness that was there is what let us file the charges," Mitchell said. "After much discussion, we feel that these charges best fit her conduct. She disrobed in a public place without regard to individuals and small children who were close by."
Earlier in the week, Badu spoke about the video to Dallas News online, commenting "It was a protest to awaken the term called 'groupthink'," she continued, "It's the recognition of a state of being for humans... and when I fall to the ground in the video, the word groupthink spills out of my head, because I was assassinated by groupthink."
Since being hit with misdemeanor, Badu updated her Twitter feed with "the garment of any leader is his people. when stripped of his people his message is lost. 1 DOLLAR FOR EVERY NEW AMERYKAH PRODUCT SOLD AT GOOD RECORDS TOMORROW WILL GO TOWARD MY BAIL MONEY. THANK YOU. (kidding)but im just saying. charged on good friday... return of the ankh."
"Window Seat" is the first single to be released from Badu's New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) which dropped March 30 on Universal Motown.
Badu will have the option to fight the charge of disorderly conduct or pay a fine of up to $500.
From HipHopDX.com
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10963/title.erykah-badu-charged-with-misdemeanor-for-nude-performance-in-window-seat
RZA Says A New Wu-Tang Clan Album Is Underway
March 31, 2010 08:03:00 AM CDT | by Edwin Ortiz
During a promotional run for the release of Wu-Massacre, fellow Wu-Tang Clan member RZA called into Sirius/XM’s Hip Hop Nation to show Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and Raekwon his support, as well as mentioned a new Wu-Tang album is in the works.
“Me and Tony [Starks] been talking about it; we gonna make it happen,” explained RZA. “We got a lot of ideas we building on, [just] taking it day by day, step by step. But right now the energy is right, and anything is possible with energy.”
The last Wu-Tang Clan album to be released was 8 Diagrams in 2007. Wu-Massacre is out now on Def Jam Records, featuring production from RZA, Scram Jones, and Mathematics.
From HipHopDX.com
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10931/title.rza-says-a-new-wu-tang-clan-album-is-underway
Suge Knight Loses Teeth In Car Accident
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 9:32 PM
By Mike Winslow
(AllHipHop News) Marion “Suge” Knight was involved in a car accident that knocked out his front teeth, according to his lawyer, Marc Brumer.
Brumer told The Miami New Times, that last week, Knight missed a deposition for a lawsuit he filed against Kanye West in Miami, due to the car accident.
"He was in a pretty serious car accident," Brumer told The Miami New Times. "He lost a couple of teeth, he's in pain, and he can't speak."
The former Death Row Records’ boss is suing Kanye West and The Shore Club over a 2005 shooting during an event West hosted at the South Beach hotspot.
Knight was shot in the femur and had to undergo surgery. Additionally, Knight claims West is responsible for his medical bills and a $135,000 diamond earring that was allegedly stolen from him during the fracas.
"He's a very adept businessman,” Brumer said of Knight. “He's a mess, but he's sharp. Nobody likes Kanye West anymore. Even though he's still selling millions of records, everybody's sick of him.”
From AllHipHop.com
http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2010/03/30/22157700.aspx
Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 3/28/2010
March 31, 2010 09:03:00 AM CDT | by Allen Jacobs
Atlanta veteran songstress Monica topped the urban delegation of the charts last week, taking #2 with her sixth album, Still Standing. The J Records veteran has an assist from Ludacris on the effort, as well as production from Missy Elliott, Jermaine Dupri and Jim Jonsin. The album fell behind Justin Beiber's My World 2.0 release, which outsold Monica by just under 100,000 units.
Speaking of Luda, the DTP founder fell four spots to #7. Battle of the Sexes has not been met with many warm reviews, but the Atlanta/Def Jam mainstay will likely cross the 250,000 unit benchmark next week, marking halfway to gold. The album, which looks at gender relations, features such artists as Nicki Minaj, Trina, Eve and Lil Kim.
The Black Eyed Peas fell two spots with The E.N.D., still maintaining a Top 10 place. Sade's Soldier Of Love, a spot behind at #11, finally reached platinum. The Nigerian-born singer's catalog has exclusively platinum releases, joining her latest work with her albums over the previous 26 years.
The Gorillaz' Plastic Beach fell seven additional spots last week, after seven previously. The multi-platinum crew's third effort, and first in five years, features Rap acts such as Mos Def, Snoop Dogg and previous Gorillaz collaborators, De La Soul.
* 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
2
Monica
Still Standing
184,000
185,000
7 Ludacris
Battle of the Sexes
45,000
243,000
10
Black Eyed Peas
The E.N.D.
34,000
2,344,000
11
Sade
Soldier of Love
31,000
1,023,000
16
Gorillaz
Plastic Beach
22,000
173,000
Lil Wayne's Rebirth fell four spots. The incarcerated rapper's latest release may reach gold by the end of April. His We Are Young Money compilation was 11 spots further down the charts. Snoop Dogg's companion follow-up to Malice N Wonderland, titled More Malice, debuted in the Top 30. The DVD/CD project includes remixes and new material featuring Jay-Z, Bun B and Soulja Boy.
The biggest surprise on the charts from last week came courtesy of Sacramento, California veteran emcee Brotha Lynch Hung. Signed to Tech N9ne's Strange Music, the Horror-inspired gangsta rapper's Dinner and a Movie has been met both with critical praise, as well as a #68 chart debut. This is Lynch's highest charting appearance since 1997's Loaded, released on Black Market Records.
DJ Khaled's Victory fell 35 more spots, slowing the momentum of the respectable debut week sales. The release aims to clear 50,000 units next week.
50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct dipped 18 spots. The rapper, believed to be departing from his Interscope Records family, is at work on Black Magic and directing a video for Tony Yayo's "Obama."
Notably absent from the Top 200 are Wu-Tang Clan emcee Inspectah Deck, Duck Down Records release Marco Polo & Ruste Juxx's eXXecutioners, and Sadat X's Wild Cowboys II.
Rank Artist Album This Week Est. Total
21
Lil Wayne
Rebirth
21,000
466,000
29
Snoop Dogg
More Malice
15,000
15,000
68
Brotha Lynch Hung
Dinner and a Movie
7,900
7,900
123
DJ Khaled
Victory
4,200
47,000
138
50 Cent
Before I Self Destruct
3,700
429,000
From HipHopDX.com
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10935/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-3-28-2010
News: Suge Knight Sues Kanye West & Miami Club Over Shooting
Tuesday, Mar 30, 2010 5:45PM
Written by Biz Jones
Suge Knight has modified his lawsuit against rapper Kanye West to also include the Miami club turned crime scene where Ye held his 2005 pre-MTV Video Music Awards event.
Knight was robbed and shot in the leg at the South Beach's Shore Club.
Originally filed in California district court, the suit has now been transferred to Miami. "People shouldn't underestimate Suge Knight," says his boisterous lawyer Marc Brumer, adopting the tone of a boxing promoter before a title fight. "He's a very adept businessman. He's a mess, but he's sharp. Nobody likes Kanye West anymore. Even though he's still selling millions of records, everybody's sick of him." West might not be losing sleep over Knight's attack, but it's more bad news for the Shore Club, which was hit with a foreclosure suit in March. Lawyers representing the rapper and the hotel either did not return our calls or declined to comment. (Miami New Times)
The lawsuit was initially filed against Kanye and G.O.O.D. Music a year and a half ago.
Suge filed the lawsuit late October 2008 and is alleging Ye should be held responsible for allowing an unnamed gun totter access through the event's security in Miami, Florida leading to him being shot in his right leg and robbed of a diamond stud earring. "As the hosts of the Party, Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music also owed the guest of the Party a duty to maintain the Party premises in a reasonably safe condition," the suit reads. "While at the Party, shortly after midnight at approximately 12:40 a.m. on Sunday, August 28, 2005, Mr. Knight was in a VIP room at The Shore Club, where he was shot in the upper right leg. Mr Knight did nothing to provoke the shooting, and he is unaware of who shot him and why he was shot." (TMZ)
Knight is currently under police suspicion for his alleged involvement in a robbery last week.
Detective Jeff Briscoe says 35-year-old Jerold Ellis, who uses the name Yukmouth, reported he was talking to Knight on Monday night in a Woodland Hills supermarket parking lot about a debt that another rapper allegedly owes Knight. Yukmouth filed a police report saying 10 other men arrived, knocked him down and took his watch, medallion and other jewelry worth $92,000. He wasn't badly hurt and declined medical treatment. Briscoe says Ellis identified Knight as a suspect but later recanted. However, the stolen items haven't been recovered and the investigation continues. (Associated Press)
He is also involved in an upcoming amateur short film.
Hip-hop heavyweight Marion "Suge" Knight has helped boost a pal's film career by attacking his rap rivals on camera. The former Death Row Records boss is the focus of young filmmakers Jabari Henley and Shane Taylor's short, The Mic, which pokes fun at rap stars like Eminem and Dr. Dre. Knight agreed to rant about his rivals as a favor to pal Big U - Henley's father. (Celebrity Mound)
No further details have been revealed as of now.
From SOHH.com
http://www.sohh.com/2010/03/suge_knight_sues_kanye_west_miami_club_o.html
Drake's "Thank Me Later" Due May 25
March 29, 2010 10:03:00 PM CDT | by Jake Paine
With long-rumored plans to release his debut LP by summer, it was announced today that Drake's Thank Me Later will be arriving May 25, 2010. Rap-Up.com confirmed reports that the Young Money/Universal Motown release is planned for release in less than eight weeks.
The Toronto native released an EP, So Far Gone , late last year. Originally a free download mixtape, the body of work was made retail, and has sold over 300,000 units to date.
Thank Me Later is expected to feature Jay-Z, Kanye West and Sade.
From HipHopDX.com
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10918/title.drakes-thank-me-later-due-may-25
Big Boi Talks Def Jam Deal
March 29, 2010 12:29:00 AM CDT | by Slava Kuperstein
With OutKast's Big Boi finally inking a deal with Def Jam last week to release his Sir Luscious Left Foot solo album, the rapper sat down with www.gyantunplugged.com to discuss his past and present label situations, as well as future endeavors.
"It was a lot of behind the scenes, label politics, basically." said Big Boi in the video interview. "A lot of people don't know, we started at LaFace Records with LA Reid, a very creative mind. He definitely gave us an avenue to make the music we wanted to make."
Big Boi went on to explain LaFace's acquisition by another company with whom he didn't have a personal relationship. However, Jive finally allowed Big Boi to make a move to Def Jam. "Just recently, as of maybe three weeks ago, they gave me the opportunity to take the album elsewhere. I called my big brother LA Reid, he said, 'Meet me in Miami.' The next day, we flew to Miami, played him the music, he said, 'Let's do it,' [and the] deal is done."
Describing himself "Happy as hell," Big Boi allayed any ideas that he may be concerned with Def Jam's perceived lack of present-day marquee artists. "I'm not even concerned with nothing but me. People might say [Def Jam] doesn't have any hot artists, but he got the number one record with Ludacris' last week...My album is a musical nuclear bomb, and we finna drop it."
From HipHopDX.com
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10909/title.big-boi-talks-def-jam-deal
Scarface To Release First Mixtape, "Dopeman Music"
March 27, 2010 04:03:00 PM CDT | by Edwin Ortiz
After a career that spans two decades and 11 albums, Houston rapper Scarface will be releasing his first official mixtape, entitled Dopeman Music.
“I always wanted to drop a mixtape on my own,” he explained to MTV. “So I just said, 'Let's drop an independent mixtape.' I feel that I should be as an adult and musician and pioneer – that's what they call me – I feel that I need to move on to another stage with the way I deliver my music to the public."
With his last album, Emeritus, released back in 2008, Scarface stated he’s been holding back on his musical knowledge. “I got a lot of shit and I'm using about 3% of what I know about music. I'm not using it all…I am music. I can play that shit long enough for a real musician to catch it and feel me, where I'm going, and we make magic like that.”
Dopeman Music is tentatively scheduled for a spring release.
From HipHopDX.com
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10903/title.scarface-to-release-first-mixtape-dopeman-music
