Video After The Jump
Check out the official visuals for "Ballin" off of Young Jeezy's upcoming album 'Thug Motivation 103.'
Video After The Jump
Check out the official visuals for "Ballin" off of Young Jeezy's upcoming album 'Thug Motivation 103.'
From The Smoking Gun
As part of a mushrooming criminal investigation, two men tied to fugitive music manager James Rosemond have been charged with the murder of an associate of the rapper 50 Cent, The Smoking Gun has learned.
The September 2009 killing of Lowell Fletcher, investigators believe, was retribution for the assault two years earlier of Rosemond’s 14-year-old son. Additionally, sources said, federal agents suspect that Rosemond ordered and paid for the attack.
Fletcher, pictured below, struck the boy in the head after spotting him on a Manhattan sidewalk wearing a t-shirt with the name of his father’s music management business, Czar Entertainment. Rosemond’s son was on his way to his father’s West 25th Street office, which was across the street from the headquarters of 50 Cent’s management firm.
Lowell "Lodi Mack" Fletcher
At the time of the March 2007 attack, the chart-topping performer was involved in a heated rivalry with the rapper The Game, who was managed by Rosemond’s company. Fletcher, nicknamed Lodi Mack, subsequently pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, while fellow G-Unit member Tony Yayo (real name: Marvin Bernard) copped a plea to harassing the younger Rosemond.
Fletcher was imprisoned for nearly two years for the assault and an unrelated narcotics charge. Two weeks after being paroled in mid-September 2009, Fletcher was shot to death on a quiet Bronx street at 9:30 PM. New York Police Department investigators reportedly believed that Fletcher, 32, had been ambushed by several men that Sunday evening.
In a superseding indictment unsealed late last month in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, federal prosecutors accused two men of involvement in Fletcher’s murder. Rodney Johnson, 37, was charged with plotting with unnamed coconspirators to orchestrate the homicide. He is alleged to have agreed to pay Brian McCleod and “others known and unknown” to kill Fletcher. The 40-year-old McCleod, pictured below, agreed to commit the killing “in exchange for narcotics.”
Brian McCleod
“Johnson and McCleod,” according to the indictment, “caused the death of Lowell Fletcher.” However, the document does not offer further details as to who pulled the trigger or was present during the homicide.
The indictment also charges the pair and two other men with narcotics trafficking in connection with a ring that arranged to have cocaine shipped from Los Angeles to New York via overnight delivery services like Federal Express. Prosecutors and Drug Enforcement Administration agents believe that Rosemond headed the group’s East Coast operations.
Johnson, Derek English, and Ronald Anderson were initially named in a May 2010 indictment charging them with narcotics distribution. The men, all convicted felons, were arrested outside a Bayside, Queens residence that was used as a cocaine “stash house” by the narcotics distribution operation. McCleod was added as a defendant in the May 27 superseding indictment, which included two new felony counts related to the Fletcher homicide.
The federal case is not the first time Johnson and McCleod--who underwent open heart surgery in March--have been codefendants in a cocaine distribution case. Both men were convicted in Queens of state charges about five years ago. Johnson was freed from state prison in April 2008, while McCleod was released in August 2009, one month before Fletcher was gunned down in the shadow of the elevated train tracks running along Jerome Avenue.
More Pics After The Jump
The promotional machine for Beyonce's upcoming album '4' is in full gear.
Check out the latest promo pics for the cd which drops June 28.
Pics from Roc4Life
Video After The Jump
Lady Gaga found a new way to shock her fans and make them laugh at the same time. The pop star went bald while performing "Hair" on England's Paul O'Grady Show yesterday (June 17).
No word on whether or not she really went Britney Spears or was wearing a bald cap. What do you think?
Video After The Jump
Kid Cudi hit up NYC earlier this week (Monday June 13) for a show at Terminal 5.
Here's a clip of the G.O.O.D Music artist performing “Pursuit of Happiness" courtesy of BlowHipHopTV.
Video After The Jump
Chris Brown teams up with Justin Bieber for the latest single off of his 'F.A.M.E.' album.
Video After The Jump
Derick G give us a behind the scenes look at Young Jeezy's new Colin Tilley directed video for 'Ballin' featuring Lil Wayne.
The track will appear on Jeezy's upcoming cd 'Thug motivation 103.'
Audio and Poll After The Jump
The Dallas Mavericks were supposed to have a tougher time beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals than they did. While the Mavs celebrate, the Heat try to pick up the pieces and figure out what the hell went wrong. A team with Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Lebron James isn't supposed to go belly up in a best-of-seven series, four games to two. Now the team has to diagnose whatever problems caused them to lose.
With the loss came a long line of Heat critics. The latest one being former NBA player Rick Barry. He spoke with The Rise Guys on KHTK in Sacramento recently and said the Heat should have swept the Mavs and that all of Lebron's coaches should be ashamed for not teaching him proper fundamentals. During the interview Barry also pointed out several holes he sees in Lebron's game.
"His shot, first and foremost, because I think that's where it all comes down to. If you don't have confidence in your shot, it destroys the rest of your game. First of all the opponents can play you in a certain way, then back you out and take the drive away and say 'there' beat them with outside shooting. That's his achilles' heel. Then, little nuances, facing up, learning how to be the guy learning to use your first dribble to go by instead of everything off the dribble...learning how to use screens probably, then of course the coach running more plays for him where he can run off double and triple staggered screens, learning to curl it properly, learning how to do the little things in the game which, unfortunately, have not been taught to him, which I don't blame him for. I blame the people who have coached him over the years. To have a talent like this and to not maximize the full potential of this talent is inexcusable and reprehensible to me and the coaches who have had him should be ashamed of themselves."
Information from USA Today was used in this report.
Video After The Jump
The audio version of this dropped a couple of days ago. Here's the video version of Beanie Sigel's recent freestyle at Invasion Radio with Boss Lady and DJ Green Lantern.
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Compton's rising star Kendrick Lamar drops something new, and gets an assist from RZA.
Rapper Freddie Gibbs and producer Statik Selektah are going to give fans an inside view into the whilrwind experience of recording an entire album in just one day according to XXL.
For Gibbs, the newly signed member of Young Jeezy's CTE label, this will be his first album with Statik, who has produced two other similar 24 hour album sessions with Saigon "All In A Day's Work" and Freeway for the "Statik-Free EP."
The event can be viewed live on UStream on XXL.com's UStream starting at 6p.m. EST Wednesday night (June 22).
The album titled 'Lord Giveth, Lord Taketh Away' will be available on iTunes on June 24.
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The lights may have dimmed n Oprah Winfrey's television show, but the talk show host still literally has dreams of what she hopes is her next interview.
“I have a dream of O.J. Simpson confessing to me," Winfrey the crowd at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association convention in Chicago according to the Washington Post.
Winfrey told the Post that she wants to interview the incarcerated former NFL great O.J. Simpson, as a ratings boost for her new Oprah Winfrey Network. Her only condition is that Simpson confess to murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson in June of 1994.
That would probably be a tough sell to Simpson, who was acquitted of the murder in 1995 after a two month trial. Simpson has maintained his innocence ever since.
If there was ever someone who could pull something like this off it would be Oprah. She's sounds determined to make it happen.
"I am going to make that happen, people. I don’t just want the interview. I want the interview on the condition that you are ready, Mr. Simpson,” she said.
Simpson is currently serving up to 33 years in prison after being convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping, following a confrontation inside a Las Vegas hotel room in 2007 where Simpson went to get back some memorabilia he believed belonged to him.
Video After The Jump
The life story of "Freeway" Rick Ross is moving closer to being seen on the big screen.
In 2009 Ross and Emmy Award winning writer/actor Nick Cassavetes announced they were working together on a screenplay for the movie.
"I love working with Nick, I think he’s great I love his films,” Ross told AllHipHop.com at the time. “He and I really vibed the first time we met and I think he truly understands the story. Not only has he been following my life for 25 years but he’s also someone I can kick it with!"
Now it looks like the film has locked up a producer for the soundtrack. In a new video Snoop Dogg says he will handle the soundtrack, and also wants to play the lead role of Ross.
"I told my OG before he got home that I wanted to get down with him and that I love him to death and I'm a part of telling this story," Snoop said. "I told him, 'look when it's time to play you, it's got to be me because I'm the only one that can put that thang on it.' And I also want to be part of the soundtrack to make sure it's scored right. To make sure it represents the era and the time period we were going through out here in the west."
Ross was one of America's biggest drug kingpins during the early 80's. He operated a cocaine distribution ring that extended from his home base of Los Angeles, through states like Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana and South Carolina. Ross estimates that at the height of his success he made $3 million dollars in one day.
His run ended when he was busted for trying to buy 100 kilos of cocaine from an undercover cop.
Ross was originally sentenced to life in prison, but after an appeal his sentence was reduced to 20 years. He was released from prison in September 2009.
Now word yet on when production will start on the movie.
Video After The Jump
Bad Meets Evil (Eminem and Royce Da 5'9) recently sat down with Converse to talk about their new ep 'Hell: The Sequel' and their new limited edition Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers.
Today marks what would have been the 40th birthday for the late rap legend Tupac Shakur.
I just wanted to thank him for giving hip hop fans so many classic hits.
Rest In Peace 'Pac
Video After The Jump
Lil B has unveiled the cover art for his new cd 'I'm Gay.'
The artwork was inspired by the cover of Marvin Gaye's 1976 soul classic 'I Want You,' which was drawn by late African American painter Ernie Barnes. Barnes' paintings were also frequently seen in the 70's sitcom 'Good Times.'
So what do you think of Lil B's cover?
Video After The Jump
New visuals from G-Unit/D4L's Shawty Lo off his brand new mixtape 'B.H.F. (Bankhead Forever).'
An explosive story about Jimmy Henchman arranging for Tupac Shakur to get shot while visiting a New York city recording studio in 1994 shook up the hip hop world yesterday (June 15). Dexter Isaac, who is currently serving a life sentence in prison told AllHipHop that he was paid $2500 and some jewelry by Henchman to shoot 2Pac. Isaac said he was coming forward because he wanted to give 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G's mom some closure and because Henchman labeled him as a snitch in a recent interview.
Today E.D.I. Mean, who frequently collaborated with 'Pac as part of the group The Outlawz and Henchman's attorney spoke out about the allegations.
“Sh*t, Makaveli sold well over four, five million records. Everybody heard how Pac felt about it. It’s on the last song – ‘Against All Odds.’ We thought it was always going to come to life," E.D.I. told XXL. "You always got to take all this kind of information with a grain of salt because you’re dealing with alleged snitches and government informants. These are the type of people that tell on their own mama, so it’s hard to say what’s real and what’s not real, but at the same time, what’s done in the dark is always going to come to the light. I was sort of amused by homeboy’s timing. I thought it was perfect timing, which also happens to be the name of our album dropping September 13 (the 15th anniversary of ’Pac’s death. I thought it was perfect timing.”
A federal warrant was issued for Henchman last month for his involvement in a cocaine distribution ring. He's been on the run from the law ever since. But his lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman told the New York Daily News that you can't believe a word Isaac says.
"It's a flat out lie," he said. "Dexter Isaac is not claiming this 17 years later to clear his conscience. He's doing it because he's told anybody who will listen he doesn't want to die in prison. He has kids and wants to work off his sentence. He can't be trusted."
Do you believe Dexter Isaac's story?
As we reported earlier, 50 Cent is eager to get his new album out this year, but label politics are slowing down the process.
Never one to just sit still and not make something happen, Fif has decided to drop a new song from the upcoming album tonight.
He made the announcement just moments ago via his Twitter page.