The Hollywood Reporter Reports
TORONTO -- Newly resurrected rap label Death Row Records is expanding into film production.
Death Row Records CEO Lara Lavi said her new Death Row Films division is set to shoot "Sons 2 the Grave" in Toronto in October, with Tonya Lee Williams, Dorian Harewood, K.C. Collins ("Flashpoint") and child actor Cameron Miles Jones on board.
The indie hood drama, written and produced by Lynn Stoltz and near to signing a director, features Collins as a young basketball phenom returning to an embattled inner-city ghetto after two gunshots cut short his dream of an NBA career.
"This film embodies what we're trying to do with Death Row, to tell human stories that don't always have happy endings, and that allow us to learn from violence and disenfranchised lives, but not glorify it," Lavi said.
WIDEawake Entertainment Group, Lavi's Toronto-based shingle, acquired Death Row Records out of bankruptcy in January for $18 million.
Death Row Films will tap the rap label's catalog to score "Sons 2 the Grave," before moving on to other projects.
"We're looking at film properties that relate to "Boyz n the Hood"-type stories, and to power the films with Death Row music," Lavi said.
She added the Death Row library, which includes iconic songs and albums by Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Danny Boy, is barely exploited.
"We're sitting here with 10,000 masters, of which only 10%-15% have been released to the public," she said.
Death Row Records is licensing its songs to film, TV, video game and advertising producers, including to EA Games, and the "CSI" and "Cold Case" TV series.
Music publisher Evergreen Copyrights is providing worldwide administration for the rap label.
And Death Row Records is also to rerelease on Sept. 1 Dr. Dre's "The Chronic." "The Chronic Re-lit" collectors disc will feature 16 original songs and seven new tunes, and unreleased video of Dre and other artists.
Death Row is also readying boxed sets of unreleased master recordings for the holiday season.
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Daily Mail Online Reports
Emergency services had to use a crane to lift an overweight woman out of her house in Germany.
The woman, said to weigh 250kg, was stretchered out of her home and put into a waiting ambulance.
Firefighters called in the crane to extract the woman when all over ways to get the woman out of the house failed.
The crane, mounted on a lorry, lifted the stretcher out of the top window of the house in Bottrop.
She was later transported in an ambulance to hospital for treatment.
On the same day but on the other side of the world, emergency services in Australia had to use a crane to lift a man of 300kg from his flat.
The 57-year-old man called for an ambulance from his home in a tower block, situated at the end of a bridge in Brisbane, after he suffered an asthma attack.
An emergency services spokeswoman said he was successfully lifted out of the apartment by crane and taken to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.
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VladTV Reports
In a recent twitter war between Ozone founder Julia Beverly and Oakland rapper Mistah Fab, Fab accuses Julia of engaging in sexual activities with various rappers.
When VladTV coverd the story, Julia quickly demanded that we provide proof!
This is very interesting, because for the past few years Julia has been destroying the reputations of countless rappers in her popular 'Groupie Confessions' section of Ozone. Check out the attached image where a nameless groupie accuses Queens rapper Nore of trying to get his salad tossed.
Ozone's 'Groupie Confessions' leaves the identity of the 'groupie' as secret, and uses a flimsy 'disclaimer' as an excuse to print insane claims about various celebrities.
Check out the video below where Plies, who has been featured many times on Ozone covers, talks about his disdain for 'Groupie Confessions'. He goes on to discuss that these articles are based on no facts and how many of the artists have committed relationships that become strained after the magazine gets released.
So in closing, Julia - if you can't take it, don't dish it out.
*disclaimer - Mistah Fab's accusations about Julia are based on rumor. This is the same nonsense disclaimer that Ozone puts before throwing people under the bus.
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The Guardian Reports
The father of a women's world champion athlete today angrily denied accusations that the teenager was secretly born a man, insisting: "She is my little girl."
Caster Semenya, 18, is undergoing a gender test to prove she is female after beating her rivals by a huge margin to win the gold medal in the world championship 800 metres in Berlin.
Family, friends and teachers at her home in South Africa recalled how Semenya played football with boys, wore trousers instead of skirts and endured teasing by her peers. But all asserted that she is definitely a woman.
Jacob Semenya, her father, told the Sowetan newspaper: "She is my little girl. I raised her and I have never doubted her gender. She is a woman and I can repeat that a million times."
He attacked his daughter's critics, saying: "For the first time South Africans have someone to be proud of and detractors are already shouting wolf. It is unfair. I wish they would leave my daughter alone."
Semenya, who has a muscular build and deep voice, aroused suspicions recently with a dramatic improvement in performance. She went from a virtual unknown to the world's fastest woman over 800m this year when she clocked 1:56.72 at the African junior championships in Mauritius. She sliced more than a second off that with her winning time of 1:55.45 in Berlin on Wednesday.
Athletics' world governing body has asked South African officials to conduct a "gender verification test". The test, which takes weeks to complete, requires a physical medical evaluation, and includes reports from a gynaecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, an internal medicine specialist and an expert on gender.
There is bewilderment and indignation over the controversy in Fairlie, the impoverished village in Limpopo province where Semenya practised her running on dirt roads and poorly kept playing fields. She lived with her grandmother while at secondary school and grew up without electricity or running water.
Her grandmother, Maphuthi Sekgala, said: "I know she's a woman – I raised her myself. She called me after [the heats] and told me that they think she's a man. What can I do when they call her a man, when she's really not a man? It is God who made her look that way."
The 80-year-old added that Semenya had been teased when growing up because of her boyish looks. "If the teasing hurt her, she kept the hurt to herself and didn't show what she was feeling," she told South Africa's Times newspaper.
The athlete's mother said doubts about her daughter's gender were motivated by jealousy. Dorcus Semenya told the Star: "If you go to my home village and ask any of my neighbours, they would tell you that Mokgadi [Caster] is a girl. They know because they helped raise her. People can say whatever they like but the truth will remain, which is that my child is a girl. I am not concerned about such things."
A picture emerged of Semenya as a tomboy who transgressed the rigid gender roles of South Africa's traditional rural communities. Her mother said Caster's first love was football.
"Often I would ask her why she kept playing soccer, and with boys. All she said was, 'It's because I like it.' With her, everything was about soccer, soccer." Semenya was the only girl in the football team in Fairlie. Her former teachers spoke with pride about her prowess but admitted they had not always been certain of her gender. Eric Modiba, head of the Nthema secondary school, where Semenya was a pupil from 2004 until last year, said: "She was a happy child – I never saw her angry. She had a lot of friends, both boys and girls. She excelled at sport, especially athletics and football, which she played very well.
"I have never seen her in a skirt or dress, always trousers. Initially we doubted her gender but eventually we realised she's a girl. We've seen her birth certificate and her file from primary school. At about the age of 16 she started to associate with other girls and try different hairstyles. But she never developed breasts."
Morris Gilbert, a spokesman for Pretoria University's sports department, where Semenya is now a sports science student, said the issue of her gender had not been raised. "We are all very proud of her and of what she's achieved," he said. "The university stands behind her all the way."
The runner's coach, Michael Seme, laughed off the allegations, saying that Semenya fielded constant questions about whether she was a boy from younger athletes when training. "Then she has to explain that she can't help the fact that her voice is so gruff and that she really is a girl. The remarkable thing is that Caster remains completely calm and never loses her dignity when she is questioned about her gender."
Semenya had been "crudely humiliated" a few times and the closest Seme said he had seen her to anger was earlier this year when some people wanted her barred from using a women's toilet. "Then Caster said, 'Do you want me to pull down my pants that you can see?' Those same people came to her later and said they were extremely sorry."
Semenya also received the backing of the governing African National Congress, which called on South Africans to rally around "our golden girl".
The ANC said: "We condemn the motives of those who have made it their business to question her gender due to her physique and running style. Such comments can only serve to portray women as being weak."
The ANC's youth league condemned the "racist agenda" of "imperialist countries", while the Young Communist League argued: "This smacks of racism of the highest order. It represents a mentality of conforming feminine outlook within the white race."
Semenya herself is said to be bemused by the speculation. Phiwe Mlangeni-Tsholetsane, the South African team manager in Berlin, said: "She said to me she doesn't see what the big deal is all about. She believes it is a God-given talent and she will exercise it."
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The premiere for the new documentary The September Issue that goes behind the scenes at Vogue while they put together their biggest issue of the year was held last night at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Editor Anna Wintour hit the red carpet with Sienna Miller, while other guests included Renee Zellweger,P.Diddy,Cassie, Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Georgina Chapman, Hilary Rhoda, and more
AllHipHop Reports
Gucci Mane may be one of the hottest entertainers around, but the Atlanta hitmaker is receiving a cold shoulder from an Albany, Georgia, city commissioner.
Gucci Mane is scheduled to perform August 29 at the Albany Civic Center. Despite fans’ anticipation for the show, city commissioner Bob Langstaff is less than thrilled with having the rapper take the stage at the venue.
"I'm appalled...what do you need from me to keep this "entertainer" from performing at Albany's Civic Center?" the commissioner wrote in an e-mail to Albany City Manager Alfred Lott and Civic Center Director John Mazzola while referencing Gucci Mane lyrics he found online. "This is not appropriate for our civic center."
Langstaff’s disapproval was countered by the concert’s promoter, Gilbert Udoto, who was taken aback by opposition to an event designed to bring attention to the civic center as well as eager ticket buyers.
According to the Odyssey Records owner, city officials came to him with hopes of bringing a big show to Albany.
"It's big. We haven't had an artist of this magnitude in a long time," Udoto told WALB News. "They talk about the Civic Center. You know we have not brought any acts here. Now we have an act that can sell tickets and now this is what we get.”
The upcoming Gucci Mane concert comes amid a wave of professional highs for Gucci Mane, who is gearing up for the release of the follow-up to his 2007 album, Back to the Trap House, this year.
In addition to his success as a solo artist, the rapper has appeared on remixes for the Black Eyed Peas (“Boom Boom Pow”) and Mariah Carey (“Obsessed”) as well as “Break Up,” the hit single from R&B crooner Mario.
Although he is aware that Gucci Mane’s lyrics can be offensive to some, Udoto was adamant that the rapper’s music is an exercise in free speech.
"It's no different from other artists,” he said. “It's played on the radio all over. He's the hottest artist."
Gucci Mane’s status as a popular artist resulted in a costly effort to bring the rapper to Albany for Udoto as $40,000 was spent to ensure the entertainer’s appearance.
The commissioner stated in his e-mail that he would like to call a special meeting to adopt policy guidelines for future performers, if his issues with the rapper cannot be resolved "in-house."
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Buenos Aires Herald Reports
A Brazilian teenager admitted having stabbed to death 30 men in four different states between 2006 and the last days, the police told the press today. The 17-year-old girl confessed after being arrested during a street fight in Sao José de Rio Preto (Sao Paolo province).
"I don't have enough courage to hold a gun, but I can hold a knife," she said. "I am confessing because I promised I would do so before becoming 18, to avoid upsetting my family," she told the police officers who arrested her. According to the police, she confessed now to avoid being prosecuted as an adult.
She said she started killing when she was 15. After she admitted those crimes, the police started checking registered murders. So far, eleven cases correspond to her story. All are from Aparecida Do Taboado (Mato Grosso Do Sul state).
But other cases are being checked in the Sao Paolo, Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais states. According to the police sources, the teenager girl said she commited those murders (all with the same knife) for "money, revenge and for bringing justice."
The police suspects she was contracted by criminal organizations. She will be transferred to the Aparecida Do Taboado juvenile hall, her city of residency.
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Yo what dis is Cakin Every Opportunity(C.E.O.) 1/2 of the group "Dominyen" and dis is our Mixtape "I Hate Nigg@z Vol.1" and it aint no racist shit like dat or nun it just far as rap goes we don't like how things are gettin doin so we feel like we gon show deez dumb niggas how 2 do so check it out Vol. 2 cummin soon IT's Dominyen Bitch1.Intro2.In My Hood(Petersburg,VA)3.PushN(Keep On)4.I Hate Her5.I Hate Nigg@z(skit)6.Rap Stick-Up7.Samson8.Gunz & Buttah(Freestyle)9.On My Nigg@z(skit)10.My Mind Plain Tricks On Me '09 Feat Geto Boyz11.Nasty Bastard(Freestyle)12.Rain On Me Ashanti Feat C.E.O.13.I Hate Nigg@z2(Skit)14.Dis Can't B Life15.Fly High Feat Phat Cakes(Cypher)16.I Don't Need U17.Get Awayhttp://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/1662819
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HipHopWired Reports
Known globally for her success as a member of the Hip-Hop group Salt-n-Pepa, Sandra “Pepa” Denton has taken time to look back at her history. While reminiscing she goes back to the time when she was talking to rapper turned actor Will Smith and has shown some regret to not actually dating Smith.
In an interview that was posted by GlobalGrind the former rapper gives an account of her encounter with the Fresh Prince.
"I thought Will was really cute and we would hang out a lot on the road. He liked to take care of me and never let me spend a dime. He was that kind of guy, real generous. I remember when they won their first award, he asked me to go out with him afterward. He was so excited. We were walking along the street getting ready to grab something to eat, and he just gave this homeless guy $100 dollars…I sometimes kick myself when I think about what could have been. He was so nice to me, but I really wasn't feeling him. I guess I couldn't appreciate a nice guy like Will Smith. He wasn't thug enough. I was attracted to thugs and hoodlums. Will was too nice to me."
As with most women in their early ages, the tough guy seemed to be more of an appeal as opposed to what Smith had to offer.
"I liked people like Louis Burrell (MC Hammer's brother). He was rough, he was street and he didn't pull any punches. He would walk around with a cane and pimp hat. He always referred to women as b**ches." Even with all that, I liked him."
Denton released her autobiography Let's Talk About Pep in August 2008 where she chronicled her life and gave a behind the scenes glimpse of the fame, family, failures and accomplishments that accompanied her during her peak as a celebrity. In it she speaks on her relationships and dealing with failed marriages and trying to escape from domestic abuse. Now no factual names were released in the book and pseudonyms replaced names but everyone can read between the lines and make their own judgment to who she may or may not be referring to.
Pepa, along with her partner in rhyme Salt, are currently stepping in to take the place of Wendy Williams for her radio show as she had journeyed out to television and left the radio business behind her. Along with that there are rumors that she will be partnering with TLC member Chilli to have a series that should premier on VH1 in 2010.
Now ladies, particularly the younger generation of the African-American community, this may be a reflection of situations that you have continuously placed yourself in while the dating realm thinking that the nice guy is unappealing and wanting that thug. Clearly it might be time to take a close look at the end of the tunnel because the thug remains the thug whereas nice guys, such as Will Smith, go on to make multi-million dollar movies on a yearly basis. Now if that's not saying anything then hey enjoy that lifestyle of dealing with the man constantly on the run. That has to be exciting.
Chamillionaire released the last installment of his Mixtape Messiah series with Volume 7 earlier this month and had the Internet going nuts to get the free downloads as a thank-you to his longtime supporters. Speaking with HipHopWired exclusively, he revealed that it wasn't just an end to the series but a change in the direction of his highly respected career as an underground artist.
“It's more than just the mixtape series, it's me rapping on them period. I feel like a lot of times the underground fans just want to keep you to themselves and I've been doing this for ten years plus now and I don't think there's anything else for me to do on the mixtape scene. It's time for some fresh new innovative ideas and I just want to be scalable. A lot of my fans grew up with my music but now they gotta share. People across the country and internationally have complained that they can't get my mixtapes so I felt like we needed to clean this up and make it bigger and newer and make it to where everybody can get it and then make it where its real material. People compare my career on the mixtapes to other people that put out real music. If you really look at my career when it comes to real music, it's not a lot. I've only put out two major label albums but my career is long when it comes to the mixtapes. So it's now time to make a long career when it comes to making and putting out real music.”
King Koopa also feels that the mixtape scene is becoming watered down and everybody and their mama has a mixtape in the streets trying to hock. In addition, Cham also wants to reach beyond his diehard fans who already know how lyrically dope and now let the rest of the world feel his venom.
“It's so many people putting out mixtapes now that are low quality in Texas and the format is over used. So I'm just stepping up and putting out a new brand now called “Major Pains” but it's not gonna be jacked beats and all that. It's gonna be real stuff you can put on the radio, over real beats. Stuff that's quality that can play in the clubs. It won't be coming out every month but more like every six months now but it'll be big with a distributor. It's something to hold me off until the album drops but the fans can still expect some dopeness.
It's about the audience and it's a lot of people out there that may criticize me but that's because they're not hearing all the music. It's like I'm making music for people in this one section in this lil' hood but there's other people outside the hood that don't necessarily know my history because they're not hearing it and I can't blame them. When I go to places like the East Coast and people are looking at me crazy because they only know me for one or two songs, I can't' blame them because they ain't hearing the music so it's time for everybody to here it now. If I'm moving hundreds of thousands of mixtapes underground, shouldn't everyone know about that? Why am I keeping it under the radar for so many years? It's time to put it on the radar. Now my songs that are getting put out through the “Major Pain” projects will be more like authorized leaks and it's pure crack.”
Chamillionaire also gave up the goods about scrapping his highly anticipated third major label release Venom.
“My album will be dropping fourth quarter this year and as far as Venom, I just decided to scrap it. I know there were rumors and conspiracy theories and maybe it was a Universal Records thing and they didn't like it but that's not true. The fact is they were even surprised when I made the announcement and were like, ‘Why you telling people that?' But I just made it known that I wasn't gonna drop Venom because I had already made up my mind if I'm gonna drop a body of work that I feel confident in, I want to drop it the way I want to drop it. As I started putting the project together, people started coming in and getting more excited because time is nearing for all of us to come together as a major label and they started coming in making their little tweaks to it. So I'm cool with that and you have to deal with that because at the end of the day, your label is your boss but then they started tweaking it a little bit too much and it starts changing the concept. I was like nah man, from a creative standpoint, I got to say No.
But they were cool and like you can still call it Venom, it doesn't matter because some people don't think it matters what the title is but I do. It does matter because the reason I called it Venom is because when you think about the dark Spider-Man… on my last album people had thought Cham went a little commercial so it was almost reestablishing that darker side. And the music that they wanted me to add to it just wasn't matching what I wanted to do. And I'm not saying it wasn't dope because it was, it just didn't match Venom. So I'm not the type to sit there and fake it so I said let's just scrap that whole idea and make it cohesive and it works together. The project is definitely still coming fourth quarter though and we coming with bigger records.”SourceRead more…
Kevin Fujioka
Las Vegas Sun Reports
Authorities said two Honolulu police officers who fled from Clark County Park Police were arrested on drug possession charges this past weekend at a police softball tournament.
Park police officers entered Desert Breeze Park, at Durango Drive and Spring Mountain Road, at 8:15 p.m. Saturday and spotted a white van parked across two spaces illegally, Clark County spokeswoman Stacey Welling said.
As officers approached the van, it took off and two men got out and started running across the park, Welling said.
Park police arrested 37-year-old Kevin Fujioka, the driver of the van, and charged him with driving under the influence of narcotics and possession of marijuana, Welling said.
Police also arrested 47-year-old Shayne Souza for possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting a police officer and obstructing a police officer, Welling said. Both Fujioka and Souza are police officers in Honolulu.
Shayne Souza
In the course of the arrest, park police had to spray Souza with pepper because he resisted arrest, Welling said.
A third man, 38-year-old Scott Wilson, a Honolulu social worker, was also arrested for possessing marijuana and having an open container of alcohol in the van, Welling said.
The three men were attending a softball tournament in Las Vegas sponsored by the Nevada Police Athletic Association.
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