A high school football star who had signed to play at Vanderbilt University was shot to death early Thursday by his mother's ex-boyfriend shortly after police arrived to investigate a report of a person with a weapon, authorities said.
Officers heard four or five gunshots around 2:30 a.m. as they arrived at the home where Rajaan Bennett, 18, lived with his mother, said Powder Springs Maj. Charles Spann. Inside they found Bennett, a running back at McEachern High School who was rated among Georgia's top college football prospects, dead of a gunshot wound.
Boyd said Clifton Steger, 39, of Milledgeville shot Bennett and then killed himself. Bennett's uncle, Taiwan Hunter, 32, was wounded and underwent surgery. He was in critical condition Thursday afternoon. His mother, Narjaketha Bennett, and two other children were unharmed.
It was not clear what prompted the shooting, but Spann said there was no sign of a struggle. He also said there had been no previous reports of domestic violence at the west Georgia home.
"We are still investigating," he said. "We won't make any assumptions until we finish our investigation."
McEachern football coach Kyle Hockman said while Bennett excelled on the football field - he rushed for more than 1,800 yards and 28 touchdowns last season - he also led an exemplary life outside of sports.
"He was an All-State football player, but he was a better person," he said. "He touched the lives of thousands."
Bennett picked Vanderbilt over other schools because he felt it would help better prepare him for life after football, Hockman said. Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said in a statement that Bennett "was an extraordinary young man and an ideal fit" for his program.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his mother Narjaketha and family members," he said. "I know he meant so much to them."
Bennett, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had an outsized reputation at McEachern, a sprawling school on the outskirts of west Atlanta that sports a football field in the middle of campus.
"We have a population of 2,200 kids, and when you're Rajaan Bennett, you touch the lives of all 2,200," said principal Regina Montgomery, who added that counselors will be on hand to help students.
More than 100 hundred students gathered at a somber candelight vigil in the pavement surrounding a park near the school, singing songs and sharing stories about Bennett. A poster sat near the middle of the vigil that read: "God only takes the best."
"He always had a smile on his face. He was definitely a leader. He was no follower," said Keyon McGhee, a 17-year-old senior. "It will be hard to get over this. Everybody knew him, even the freshmen."
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Gov. Paterson has 99 problems -- and Jay-Z might be one of them.
The governor's friendship with the hip-hop impresario is raising questions because of the latter's involvement with AEG, the consortium controversially selected to run a multibillion-dollar racino at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Paterson's bond with the man born Shawn Carter was growing at the same time that Jay-Z was being courted to join the Aqueduct Entertainment Group.
Paterson tabbed AEG in late January to turn the aging track into a slick gaming venue with 4,500 video slot machines.
But the deal is under federal investigation after questions were raised about the secret selection process.
Last Aug. 31, Jay-Z and his wife, Beyoncé, shared a podium with Paterson to announce that Jay-Z would stage a 9/11 benefit concert at Madison Square Garden.
In early September, AEG Chairman Richard Mays approached Jay-Z through his business partners and asked whether he would be interested in joining the consortium -- which at the time ranked last among six bidders seeking the lucrative project.
Within days, Jay-Z had agreed to take a 7 percent stake in AEG through one of his companies, Gain Global Investments Network LLC.
Jay-Z, 40, had long been interested in the project, sources said. In spring 2009, he'd begun talking with casino mogul Steve Wynn about joining Wynn's bid to operate the racino.
No deal was hammered out, and Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts Limited, frustrated by the long review process and its murky rules, eventually bowed out.
"Paterson directly told Wynn he needed to have a minority partner, so he went and got Jay-Z. But when Wynn pulled out, Jay-Z was without a home," a source told The Post. "AEG went and grabbed Jay-Z after his deal with Steve Wynn fell through."
AEG jumped at the chance to recruit Jay-Z, who has become increasingly close to Paterson, sources said. The two dined together in June and hung out in the Hamptons.
After attending the 9/11 concert at Madison Square Garden as Jay-Z's guest, Paterson wrote to MTV: "I can personally attest to his commitment to New York and the impact he has on New Yorkers of all ages. He is most definitely deserving of the top-MC-of-2009 title."
AEG denies that it courted Jay-Z to win favor with the governor.
"Given [Jay-Z's] superstardom and his long and deep connection to New York, the partners thought he could bring a unique perspective to shaping a facility that would truly be an entertainment destination," AEG spokesman Jonathan Rosen said. "The partners were looking to bring in someone who could bring marketing and community advice to the team."
A Paterson spokeswoman added: "There is absolutely no relationship between Governor Paterson's friendship with Jay-Z and the choice of AEG."
Still. Jay-Z seems an odd fit with the group, considering that he brags in his music about having dealt drugs in his youth -- not to mention that he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to three years' probation for stabbing a record executive in a 1999 nightclub melee.
One member of the AEG consortium, Darryl Greene, has already been forced to drop out over his criminal past. He'd fleeced city agencies out of $500,000.
Paterson's relationship with others in the AEG consortium has also drawn criticism. Three days after the winning bid was announced this month, he met with the Rev. Floyd Flake, an AEG partner and Queens political kingmaker, in the governor's Harlem office. The two later said that they talked politics but that there was no quid pro quo.
Meanwhile, Paterson continues to pal around with Jay-Z, even lauding him last month in Esquire for supporting the administration through some rough patches.
"Jay tells me, 'I've got your back,' " the governor told the magazine.
Source: New York Post
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Marion "Suge" Knight has seen the best of times, but right now he seems to be on the opposite end of that stick.
The man who once ruled the music industry with an iron fist has fallen on hard times.
In recent months Suge has been knocked out cold by a barber, been hospitalized after a scuffle at a night club. He's been filed on by two different women for failing to pay child support and now he can't pay his storage bills.
Conejo Valley Moving & Storage auctioned off Suge's personal belongings Saturday (February 20) to recoup a seven month old bill.
Items such as sppliances and gym equipment were sold as well as a large photo of Knight and the late Tupac Shakur that sold for only $100.
Total amount raised from the auction was $4500.
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CARTUNEZ
1. Block Intro
2. Cash Out (Ft. J.Futuristic)
3. The Future
4. What We Call It (Ft. J.Futuristic & OJ Da Juiceman)
5. Thats All (Ft. J.Futuristic)
6. Give It To Em (Ft. J.Futuristic)
7. Wavy
8. Right Now
9. Cold As Ice (Ft. J.Futuristic)
10. Throw It Up
futuristic zoe
1. Gorilla Zoe & J Futuristic – Give It To Em
2. Gorilla Zoe & J Futuristic – Kooool [Prod. By K.E.]
3. Gorilla Zoe & J Futuristic – Krazy
4. Gorilla Zoe & J Futuristic – Futuristic Twitter
5. Gorilla Zoe & J Futuristic – Big Dog
6. Gorilla Zoe & J Futuristic – Thats All
7. Gorilla Zoe & J Futuristic – What we Call (ft. OJ Da Juiceman)
8. Gorilla Zoe & J Futuristic – Cold as Ice
9. Gorilla Zoe & J Futuristic – Universal Love
10. Gorilla Zoe & J Futuristic – Future
im zoe good
Tracklist:
01. 44
02. Big Boy
03. What You Doin
04. Win
05. Zoe Vrs
06. Die Tonight
07. Flawssy Ways
08. I Am
09. Lil’ Shawty Be Fly
10. U So Lame
With about a week to go before he begins serving his year long jail sentence Lil Wayne has finally joined Twitter.
While two of his Young Money Crew, Drake and Nicki Minaj have been tweeting for a while with both having over 400,000 people following their tweets. Wayne has managed to grab an impressive 40,000+ followers in just a few hours.
His first tweet said "im super new to this twitter sh*t but wudup tho !..........follow me biot¢h..........wudup mak......happy bday LO......8 days of freedom..ym"
If you wanna follow Weezy you can @liltunechi
And don't forget to follow me @ChasinMoPaper
Drummer Travis Barker Of Blink 182 got into a heated argument that almost turned into a brawl with paparazzi yesterday (Sunday February 21).
In video footage obtained by TMZ, Travis can be seen leaving a restaurant with his kids when he spots several paps he believes threatened him earlier that morning when he was outnumbered 3-1.
Apparently he called up a few homies to even things up so by the time he finishes breakfast it was 3 against 3.
However, TMZ is reporting that the photographers he confronts are not the ones from the original altercation.
After a lot of arguing,cursing and a brief scuffle the police were called.
The photogs refused to press charges and no arrests were made but a vandalism report was filed because the photographer's tires were slashed.
Travis took to his twitter account to give his side of the story.
"When I'm out at breakfast at 8am in the morning the last thing i appreciate is some photographer threatening me 2 a fight while he's 3 deep.
When i defend myself/my kids that don't make me a tough guy .I was outnumbered and threatened so i did what any man would.
Paparazzi cried like young girls when it was no longer 3 of them against me and my kids. Didn't they remember threatening me an hr ago??
What happened to the tough guys with the cameras? It was gonna be a fair fight..3 against 3? I mean i weigh a buck 40, your 200lbs and 6'6
Bottom line, take photos at red carpets. Take pics of hungry hollywood starlets and douche bags that are out at clubs and bars that like it.
Bottom line I don't . I'm not a socialite out begging for that kind of attention. I'm a family man out wit my kids. Don't get the 2 twisted
And of course all the footage these lames released to the press is one sided cause they edited it"
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(AllHipHop News) Police are investigating a violent home invasion robbery that took place in Woodland Hills, California that left two women injured.
According to police, four women were hosting a party at the house.
According to published reports, a video crew at the scene told police the home is owned by a record label associated with rapper Wale and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
While police did not confirm who owned the home, both of the above artists record for Interscope/Universal Records.
Police were called to 22146 Mulholland Drive in Woodland Hills around 2:00 am. Two men knocked on the door during the party and when a patron opened the door, another gun man and two armed women stormed the residence.
Two of the women were pistol whipped by the gunman, while the other women ransacked the house for money and jewelry police spokesman Pablo Monterrosa said.
One of the female victims fled the house and called police from a neighbors house.
The house was once owned by actor John Stamos.
Police are seeking a black man and a woman who wore dark hooded sweatshirts and another female who wore a red sweatshirt.
Source: AllHipHop
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Video After The Jump
A Greenwood, Indiana man is in jail today accused of sleeping with more than 100 women knowing he has the virus that causes AIDS.
WRTV is reporting Tony Perkins, 47 met women through an internet dating service.
An ex-girlfriend who did not want to be identified went to police. After she was warned by Perkins daughter that he was intentionally spreading the HIV virus since being diagnosed in 2004.
"One of his daughters Myspaced me and … said that she had watched her father infect countless women," the woman said. "Some have died, and she could no longer stand by."
He told the ex-girlfriend "a who*re gave it to me, so if a wh*re wants to sleep with me on the 1st night she deserves what she gets"
Indiana police are trying to get the word out so more women that may be victims can seek medical help. But so far only 10 have come in.
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When it was announced that Marlon Wayans and not Eddie Murphy would be portraying Richard Pryor in the long-discussed biopic of the comedy giant, the news was greeted with Internet jeering. Wayans wasn't surprised when he read the disparaging comments -- you can't hang your star on films like "White Chicks" and "Little Man" without consequences.
"Look, I want to be able to make the stupidest movies ever, because they make people laugh and they make money," Wayans recently said with a smirk. "But that's not all I want to do. And I think I've proven to some people -- the ones paying attention -- that I can do more. Everybody else, well, they can wait and see and make up their mind."
Wayans believes he is on the verge of winning over skeptics and just maybe establishing a name for himself that goes beyond his status as "the other Wayans" -- or maybe even "the other-other-Wayans." The 37-year-old is the youngest of 10 children in the show-business brood that came to fame on "In Living Color," the 1990s television show created and written by Keenen Ivory Wayans and Damon Wayans. His position in the family photo has given Marlon Wayans plenty of opportunity -- he and sibling Shawn got their own show, "The Wayans Brothers," for four seasons on Fox beginning in 1995 -- but also an ongoing challenge in establishing anything resembling an individual identity.
"I have no complaints," Wayans said, "but I do have a plan. I love doing comedy, but I also love to do drama."
When it comes to laughter and tragedy, it would be hard to think of a figure that bundles them together in more compelling fashion than the late Richard Pryor, a Peoria, Ill., native who grew up in his grandmother's brothel, was expelled from school at age 14 and went on to become a firebrand force in pop culture as a stand-up comic, movie star, writer. When, in 1998, he became the first recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, he was described by Lawrence Wilker, the president of the Kennedy Center, as a signature voice in the national conversation: "He struck a chord, and a nerve, with America, forcing it to look at large social questions of race and the more tragicomic aspects of the human condition."
The Murphy factor
The effort to bring Pryor's story to the screen has been underway for a number of years and Jennifer Lee Pryor, the comedian's widow, is part of the process. For many months, the conventional assumption was that Murphy would play the lead role. That's not the case. Instead, Wayans arrived at lunch at a Los Angeles restaurant recently with the smile of a man who had a winning lottery ticket in his pocket.
"You need to be lucky in life, but it's also what you do with your luck," said the New York native, who still has sinewy arms from his role in last summer's action movie "G.I. Joe." "I'm ready."
As of now, the defining image of Wayans in the public mind is likely a tiny con man impersonating an infant in the 2006 film "Little Man," which was made with some unsettling CG-effects. There's also 2004's "White Chicks," another gimmicky farce, where he played a black FBI agent in rubbery pale-face drag. The films were relentlessly crass and made a combined $215 million in worldwide box office. Many film critics, of course, were aghast, among them British writer Mark Kermode, who wrote, "There is no pit deep enough in the world to dispose of every single copy of this film. . . . 'Little Man' is bad for the world."
That may well be true, but Wayans is trying to join a surging number of stars who specialize in coarse comedy and then pull their pants back up, step into a drama and ask the moviegoing world to quit laughing (But, seriously, folks. . .). Wayans doesn't have to look far from his family history to see role models.
"In Living Color" alumnus Jim Carrey pretended to talk out of his butt (literally) in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" but then won critical acclaim playing Andy Kaufman in "Man on the Moon." Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx have had similar successes, and Adam Sandler, producer of the Pryor film project, with films such as "Punch-Drunk Love" and "Spanglish" has aspired to be art-house as well as outhouse in his screen times.
For Wayans, "Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?" (which begins shooting in the fall) is the sound of opportunity. "This is like an invitation to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for me, and I've never been more excited in my life than when I got the role," he said last week. "I want to be in dramas, I want to produce, I want to write and I want to prove I can handle a role such as this one."
Fans of "Little Man" might have missed an earlier flash of dramatic ambition from Wayans. In 2000, he held his own in a cast with Oscar winners Ellen Burstyn and Jennifer Connelly and gave a shuddering performance as a hard-luck heroin addict in Darren Aronofsky's junkie epic "Requiem for a Dream."
He also veered away from expectations in 2004 with his role as the doomed heist man Gawain MacSam in "The Ladykillers," the Southern crime farce by Joel and Ethan Cohen. Those two performances may have gotten him an audition for the Pryor film, but he locked up the role with a screen test that has already created a buzz about the movie in Hollywood circles. Bill Condon, the writer-director of the Pryor film, and Amy Pascal, the co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, locked in on Wayans after watching the tape of him re-creating Pryor monologue material.
Condon directed and wrote the screenplays for "Dreamgirls" and "Kinsey"; picked up an Oscar for adapted screenplay with the 1998 film "Gods and Monsters," the story of "Frankenstein" director James Whale; and was nominated again in the same category for the 2002 film version of "Chicago." He declined to be interviewed for this article -- he said it's premature to publicly discuss a project that won't reach theaters until next year -- but producer Mark Gordon said the Wayans screen test was "absolutely marvelous" and made him the "clear choice" for the film.
Still, Wayans will have two comedy legends breathing down his back on the project. Not only does he have to live up to the legacy of Pryor, he has to step out of the shadow of Murphy. Arnold Robinson, Murphy's publicist, said his client was in talks regarding the project but that "differences on the creative front" led to the star and the filmmakers going in different directions.
"Eddie thinks Marlon will be wonderful in the role and he's given his blessing for Marlon to do it," Robinson said. "He's looking forward to seeing Marlon in the role."
Murphy was a friend to Pryor and the two also costarred in the 1989 period piece "Harlem Nights," the only feature film ever directed by Murphy. The casting also made sense since Murphy's last dramatic role was as a bombastic but scandalized R&B star in "Dreamgirls," a role that earned him the only Oscar nomination of his 27-year film career. Gordon, the producer of "Saving Private Ryan" and executive producer of "Grey's Anatomy," said that in the end Wayans was the star who made sense.
"Obviously there are a number of requirements to playing Richard Pryor -- you have to be funny, of course, but this role also has so many colors to it that you need to be a strong actor who can handle the dramatic scenes," Gordon said. "There were discussions with Eddie Murphy . . . Eddie Murphy is a great star, and I have no doubt he would be a great Richard Pryor. But Eddie Murphy is Eddie Murphy in the eyes of the audience. Marlon Wayans is a great actor and will be a great Richard Pryor, but he brings less baggage."
Gordon added that "sometimes actors chase roles, more often producers and directors chase stars, but in this case we chased each other, and that's a very exciting place for us to start off on."
Gordon said the film will have "the light and the darkness" of Pryor's odyssey but that "it's a commercial film" and "a celebration of Pryor's life." Certainly, there are shadowy episodes to choose from, such as the 1980 incident in which he set himself on fire while drinking 151-proof rum and freebasing cocaine.
And Pryor's life is not unfamiliar on the screen: He himself directed and starred in the 1986 movie "Jo-Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling," which was widely viewed as a semi-autobiographical tale, and there was a 2004 Showtime pilot called "Pryor Offenses" that starred Eddie Griffin as a character named Richard Pryor in situations inspired by Pryor's comedy. Pryor, who died a year later, was executive producer of that show.
'He changed comedy'
Pryor is a towering figure in comedy, especially in the African American community, where his mix of brashness, bravery and vulnerability on stage became a compelling conversation about the modern American black experience. He was audacious on issues of sex and race.
"He's huge, there is so much feeling for Richard Pryor," Wayans said. "It's hard to be bigger than Richard Pryor. He changed comedy, and he did it in his own unique way."
Wayans grew up listening to Pryor on vinyl records but only through a closed door. In the New York projects where the Wayans family lived, Keenen and Damon would secretly listen to their father's comedy albums and their little brother Marlon would in turn secretly listen to them listen to the albums.
"My brothers would react and laugh and imitate Richard and debate it and play it over and over, and that's how he came to me," Wayans said. "Richard Pryor meant so much to black people. Bill Cosby was like Martin Luther King but Pryor, he was like Malcolm X."
Despite his cultural stature, Pryor was someone who might admire the filmography of Wayans, with its mix of class and crass. Pryor had no problem with lewd material -- and Wayans likes to think the long-gone comedy giant would approve of the "Little Man" who will portray him. "I think he would smile. And most of all, I hope, wherever he is up there, he laughs when he sees the movie."
Story Written By Geoff.Boucher For L.A. Times
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Rap-Up had an interesting article detailing what Winter Olympic athletes were listening to on their iPods.
Kind of surprising that a vast majority of them had a very urban playlist, even some old shool hip hop and soul.
Everything from 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Run DMC and Gucci Mane. To Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys and Sam Cooke.
Check out their lists of musical tastes below
Skier Lindsey Vonn
1. Beyoncé – “Sweet Dreams”
2. Lil Wayne – Anything on Tha Carter III
3. T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – “Dead and Gone”
4. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
5. Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
Snowboarder Louie Vito
1. Gucci Mane – “Bingo”
2. Da Underdawgz – “Gorillaz”
3. Jay-Z – “Justify My Thug”
4. Stunnaman – “2800″
5. Trouble feat. Stunnaman – “Cadillac”
6. Shyne – “Diamonds and Mac 10s”
7. Lil Scrappy – “Oh Yeah”
8. 50 Cent feat. Eminem – “Patiently Waiting”
9. Dr. Dre feat. Eminem – “Forgot About Dre”
10. Juice – “Be Easy”
11. Clipse feat. Cam’ron and Pharrell – “Popular Demand (Popeyes)”
Snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler
1. Dead Prez – “It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop”
2. 50 Cent feat. Justin Timberlake – “Ayo Technology”
3. Run-DMC – “It’s Like That”
4. Beatnuts – “Watch Out Now”
5. A Tribe Called Quest – “Da Booty”
Snowboarder Elena Hight
1. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
2. Lady Gaga – “Just Dance”
3. T.I. feat. Rihanna – “Live Your Life”
4. Lil Wayne feat. Bobby Valentino – “Mrs. Officer”
Figure skater Johnny Weir
1. Lady Gaga – “Bad Romance”
2. Christina Aguilera – “Beautiful”
3. Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
4. Amy Winehouse – “Back to Black”
5. Sam Cooke – “A Change Is Gonna Come”
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Video After The Jump
The Bronx, Southside Queens and Far Rockaway hook up for this heater off the upcoming mixtape "Still Infamous: Free P Edition".
We got Militia's Cory Gunz, Infamous NBK's Nyce Da Future and Riot Squad's Cau2G$ all going in on this one recorded at Infamous Studios.
The mixtape will feature appearances by: Nyce Tha Future, Cory Gunz, Havoc, Prodigy, 40 Glocc, Sam Scarfo, Un Pacino, Ca$h Bilz, Cau2Gs, Big Twin, Noyd, Sean Perry, and Vic Damone.
Production by Havoc, Apex, Khalil, Tycoon, Joe THE Engineer, Anion, and The Alchemist. Hosted by DJ Whoo Kid. Look for it to hit the streets real soon.... FREE P!
Keep it locked on ThisIs50.com, 40Glocc.com, NyceDaFuture.com, PaperChaserDotCom and HNIC2.com for more info!
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Ever since Lloyd Banks dropped the blazing hit single, "Beamer, Benz or Bentley" featuring Juelz Santana earlier this month. People have speculated whether or not there would be a video for it.
Yesterday (Saturday February 20) the speculation was put to rest.
Director Chris "Broadway" Romero used his twitter page to let everyone know that the highly anticipated video had indeed been shot.
"Nothin like shootin a vid and hearin it burn up the radio on the ride out after #beamerbenzorbentley @Lloydbanks @thejuelzsantana", Chris tweeted.
It's been a while since Banks released a solo video. While his G-Unit counterparts Tony Yayo and 50 Cent have continued to add to their music video vault. The PLK has been satisfied to let his quality mixtapes do the talking for him.
It has really worked to his benefit as his buzz is at an all times high and his fans have been dying to get visuals for some of their favorite Blue Hefner mixtape joints.
Beamer is the lead single from Banks new album due this summer. There will most likely be a few more videos from that album.
Be sure to download "Beamer, Benz Or Bentley" On iTunes Here
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Video After The Jump
Back in December, the Page Six ran a report about Lil Wayne's marijuana obsession standing in the way of him unloading one of his properties.
According to the paper, when a couple came to see the property, they were greeted by scantily clad women and an overwhelming smell of marijuana.
Weezy never addressed the rumors, until now. In a recent interview with Tim Westwood, the rapper revealed that some of the reports were actually accurate.
But, he said it didn't scare away buyers. It actually was a selling point for him.
"We're not having trouble selling it, but all the other stuff is true," Wayne told Westwood. "The people that are coming to look at it like that more about it. That's like waking in Bob Marley's crib and you still smelling weed and his bed still messed up, and food still on the table. You're like, 'Leave all that sh**. I want to buy all that sh**.' "
You can check out the interview with Tim Westwood below. He speaks on the above story at 5:35:
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