21 Savage is no longer an independent artist after signing with Epic Records. The 24-year old Atlanta native's buzz has been building for quite some time, so it's understandable why Epic's CEO. L.A. Reid would want to add him to the label's roster.
During a Rap Radar Podcast interview on Wednesday, January 18, 21 talked about why he felt comfortable with Reid.
L.A. Reid
"Because he's black," the "No Heart" rapper explained. "He’s probably the last black CEO. Why not? He’ll understand me before anyone else. I ain't wanna just sign on some straight business shit. I wanted to sign to somebody who gon' believe in me. Like, who gon' understand me."
Back in October of 2016, there were rumors that 21 might sign toOVO SoundafterDrakebought him a Ferrari for his birthday. That deal never materialized, but the two remain close.
"[Drake] don't gotta do nothing that he did. That's why I take that as deeper than the rap," 21 said of his relationship with Drizzy. "I been talking to him before Savage Mode. Before all this shit. So, it ain't like he just jumped on when I was hot. We been fucking with each other."
Jay ZandFat Joehave put their past beef in the rear view mirror and are on some grown man shit. The duo will be breaking bread together for the foreseeable future now thatJoey Crackhas inked a deal withRoc Nationmanagement.
The deal was announced via a press release Wednesday, January 18, and comes eight months after the two rap titans collaborated on the remix to Joe and Remy Ma's hit single titled "All the Way Up."
Remy and Joe will release their highly anticipated joint album, "Plata O Plomo," on February 17 viaRNG/Empire.
Joe joins hefty roster of artists being managed by Roc Nation, including Meek Mill, DJ Khaled, Fabolous, The Lox, Casey Veggies, Rihanna, Big Sean, Mack Wilds, Shakira, Yo Gotti and more.
Waka Flocka Flame is not a member of the Donald Trump fan club. The "Hard in the Paint" hit maker made that known during a recent concert at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia.
Waka spotted a fan in the audience wearing a Trump jersey and talked the guy into letting him check it out.
"Throw that jersey up here, bro," he says in a video from the show. "I fuck with it, it's a Trump jersey, right? Throw that shit up here." When the fan made the mistake of handing the jersey over, Waka pulled down his pants, wiped his ass with it, slammed it to the ground and yelled "Fuck Donald Trump!"
Consider it a teaching moment for the fan. Don't ever wear a Donald Trump jersey to a Waka Flocka concert.
Ralo links up with Future Hendrix to shoot an official music video for their collaboration titled "My Brothers." The Southside-produced banger is off of Ralo's "Diary of the Streets 2" mixtape. Available now on LiveMixtapes: http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/40603/ralo-diary-of-the-streets-2.html
Fredo Santana has been relatively quiet on the music scene recently, but the Chicago rapper is back in pocket with a new song titled "My Pistol Make Ya Famous" featuring Chief Keef.
(Reuters) President Barack Obama on Tuesday shortened the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. military intelligence analyst who was responsible for a 2010 leak of classified materials to anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, the biggest such breach in U.S. history.
A White House official said there was no connection between Manning's commutation and renewed U.S. government concern about WikiLeaks' actions during last year's presidential election, or a promise by founder Julian Assange to accept extradition if Manning was freed.
VICTORY: Obama commutes Chelsea Manning sentence from 35 years to 7. Release date now May 17. Background: https://t.co/HndsbVbRer
Manning has been a focus of a worldwide debate on government secrecy since she provided more than 700,000 documents, videos, diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts to WikiLeaks - a leak for which she was sentenced to serve 35 years in prison.
Obama, in one of his final acts before leaving office, reduced her sentence to seven years, angering some Republicans.
"This is just outrageous," House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement. Ryan, a Republican, said the decision was a "dangerous precedent" for those who leak materials about national security.
Paul Ryan
"Chelsea Manning's treachery put American lives at risk and exposed some of our nation's most sensitive secrets," Ryan said.
Manning was working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad in 2010 when she gave WikiLeaks a trove of diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts that included a 2007 gunsight video of a U.S. Apache helicopter firing at suspected insurgents in Iraq, killing a dozen people including two Reuters news staff.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton said the leak endangered troops, intelligence officers, diplomats and allies.
"We ought not treat a traitor like a martyr," Cotton said.
TOOK RESPONSIBILITY
Manning, formerly known as U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning, was born male but revealed after being convicted of espionage that she identifies as a woman. The White House said her sentence would end on May 17 this year.
Manning, who twice tried to kill herself last year and has struggled to cope as a transgender woman in the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, men's military prison, accepted responsibility for leaking the material -- a factor that fed into Obama's decision, a White House official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Chelsea Manning, Born Bradley Manning (left) Had Her Prison Sentence Commuted By President Obama
The official said Obama's decision was rooted in Manning's sentence being longer than sentences given to others who had committed comparable crimes. Obama, who leaves office on Friday and is scheduled to give his final news conference on Wednesday, is expected to discuss his decision then.
WikiLeaks also published emails in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 8 presidential election that U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian intelligence agencies hacked the Democratic National Committee and the accounts of leading Democrats, part of a campaign by Moscow to influence the election.
But Obama's decision had nothing to do with the latest WikiLeaks controversy, the White House official said.
"The president's decision to grant clemency and offer commutation to Chelsea Manning was not influenced in any way by public comments from Assange or the WikiLeaks organization," a White House official said on a conference call with reporters.
Julian Assange
Assange has been holed up at Ecuador's London embassy since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden for the investigation of allegations, which he denies, that he committed rape there in 2010. He has said he fears Sweden would extradite him to the United States, where there is an open criminal investigation into the activities of WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks sent a tweet quoting Assange's attorney, Melinda Taylor, saying he would abide by his promise to accept extradition if Manning was freed. "Everything that he has said he's standing by," Taylor said, according to the tweet.
Assange lawyer @themtchair on Assange-Manning extradition 'deal': "Everything that he has said he's standing by."
Civil rights groups praised the move, calling it overdue.
"Chelsea Manning exposed serious abuses, and as a result her own human rights have been violated by the U.S. government for years," said Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA.
STUXNET
Obama also pardoned retired U.S. Marine Corps General James Cartwright who pleaded guilty in October to making false statements to the FBI during an investigation into leaks of classified information.
The aggressive prosecution of Cartwright, who last served as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sent shockwaves through the Pentagon.
James Cartwright
He lied during questioning by the FBI over a book written by a New York Times reporter that exposed a malicious computer software program known as "Stuxnet" designed to disrupt Iran's nuclear program. Cartwright denied being the source of the leak.
Obama weighed Cartwright's service along with his motive when making the decision, the White House official said, noting Cartwright had not divulged material that the journalist was not already aware of, and that his conversations were focused on preventing the publication of material that could hurt national security.
"It's clear in this case ... that General Cartwright's motive was different than most people who are facing charges of leaking classified information to a journalist," the official said.
PUERTO RICAN MILITANT
Also on the pardon list: Oscar Lopez Rivera, who was sentenced in 1981 to 55 years in prison for his involvement with Puerto Rican militant group FALN, which claimed responsibility for dozens of bombings in the 1970s and 1980s.
Lopez Rivera -- who turned down a similar offer from President Bill Clinton in 1999 -- was the last remaining member of FALN still in prison.
"Mr. Lopez Rivera is now in his 70s. He has served 35 years, nearly half of his life in prison," a White House official said. "The president determined that was sufficient amount of time to serve, although the president certainly believes that the crimes that were committed were serious."
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders campaigned for the release of Lopez Rivera during his unsuccessful campaign against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Manning and Lopez Rivera were among 209 commutations granted by Obama on Tuesday and Cartwright was among 64 pardons.
In total, Obama has commuted sentences for 1,385 federal prisoners -- a total greater than that of the 12 previous presidents combined -- and he is expected to announce more on Thursday, the White House official said.
Most of the commutations were a part of Obama's effort to reduce the number of people serving long sentences for non-violent drug offenses.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Ayesha Rascoe; additional reporting by Phillip Stewart, Patricia Zengerle and Dustin Volz; Editing by Sandra Maler, Grant McCool and Lisa Shumaker)
Quavo, Offset and Takeoff, together known as Migos, were the musical guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday, January 17. The trio used the occasion to perform their hit song "Bad and Boujee."
Supreme lyricist Loaded Lux is back with a new music video for his song titled "Let Em Know." The track was produced by Marvino Beats. Visuals directed by Escobar Entertainment.
Posted by Lisa Deez on January 17, 2017 at 11:05pm
KD Young Cocky shows a more mellow and sincere side to his music with the release of his latest video “Work For It”. This laid back tune talks about KD working his way up, how he has no time for people with a broke mentality or haters and how he expects others to hustle for theirs. With his cash laid out on fine china and a drink in his hand, KD takes us around the lavish mansion spitting bars like “Out the mud; had to get it out the mud” referring to how grimey the hustle world can be for someone trying to make a way out. A perfect segue to show KD Young Cocky’s transition from a kid in Chicago to the man he is becoming. The video also takes viewers inside one of his performances full of high energy and packed with tons of fans, vibing out to his music & energy.
(Reuters) Federal prosecutors brought two weapons charges against a hip-hop podcast host over a fatal shooting at a Manhattan concert venue last May, although he has not been charged with the killing itself.
Daryl Campbell, who goes by the name Taxstone on his podcast, appeared on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. U.S. prosecutors said in court filings that Campbell's DNA had been found on the only weapon used in the shooting.
A bodyguard for rapper Troy Ave, Ronald McPhatter, was killed. Troy Ave, whose real name is Roland Collins, was shot in the leg, and two concertgoers were also wounded May 25 at Irving Plaza, where the rapper T.I. was scheduled to perform.
Collins previously pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges for firing back at Campbell after he was hit.
Campbell and Collins have feuded for years, with Campbell at one point publicly threatening to shoot Collins if he approached him, according to federal agents.
Surveillance video shows Campbell entering the room where the shooting occurred and then running out after four shots were fired, according to court papers. Video also shows Collins holding the gun after the shooting and firing a single shot at Campbell as he ran, authorities said.
At Tuesday's court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten argued Campbell should be detained, calling him a danger to the community and a risk of flight.
He said prosecutors were concerned about witnesses in the case, saying that Campbell was a member of a "dangerous gang" and has been arrested more than 20 times, with two felony convictions.
But defense lawyer Kenneth Montgomery said Campbell had numerous opportunities to flee since the shooting and had not, even after a SWAT team came to his door on Jan. 3.
He said the evidence showed another individual was the "most culpable," in an apparent reference to Collins, and said that Campbell's discussions about his gang involvement years ago on his podcast were taken out of context.
"He has walked down the path of redemption," he said.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Peck set bail at $500,000 and ordered that Campbell remain under house arrest, though he is allowed to leave to work on his podcast.
"I'm taking a chance on you, Mr. Campbell," he said.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond; Writing by Joseph Ax; editing by Grant McCool)
In Celebration of Ty Nitty's 6th "Nitty Filez" release, Ty wanted to release some video filez he collected through out his career. The following video includes rare "behind the scenes" footage of Ty Nitty and The Infamous Mobb.
Funky Darryl James aka DJ Funky is one of the South’s premiere DJs and has been a staple in the Atlanta music scene since the 1990’s. He started his illustrious music career as a DJ founding the legendary Legion of Doom DJs in 1995 creating a multitude of mixtapes and spinning in nearly every club in the “ATL”. He was also a featured DJ and radio personality on Jermaine Dupree’s So So Def Radio on CBS/V103fm interviewing the entertainment industry’s elite. DJ Funky is now one of the four founding members of the Coalition DJs who are responsible for breaking most of the new music you hear through Atlanta’s adult entertainment venues. Rap acts including 2Chainz, Future and Migos all credit DJ Funky and the Coalition DJs with turning their recent records into hits.
Troy Ave rolls out his second music video in as many days. This one is for the Robbie Nova and Yankee-produced track titled "Freaks Only." It's off of Troy's "Roland Collins" album, available now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/roland-collins/id1142036098
Connect with Troy Ave on Twitter and Instagram @TroyAve
Dave East hops on the instrumental to O.T. Genasis' song titled "Push It" and puts a Harlem, New York spin on it. Check out the official visuals below.
After previously previewing a snippet of his Soulja Boy diss song titled "If You Show Up," Mike Tyson, releases the official music video. He pokes fun at the recent footage that emerged of Soulja getting G-checked in Compton and lets the rapper know he's training Chris Brown to knock him out in their upcoming boxing match.
More details are coming to light regarding the arrest on Monday, January 16, of "Tax Season" podcast hostTaxstone.
The New York Times reports that a federal complaint against Taxstone, born, Daryl Campbell, indicates that his DNA was found on the trigger, hand grip and magazine of the 9-millimeter Kel-Tec semiautomatic handgun used in the May 25, 2016 shooting at Irving Plaza in New York City, that left Ronald McPhatter dead and three people wounded, including rapper Troy Ave injured.
Tax allegedly had the weapon before entering the green room backstage during the T.I. concert. After the shooting, he reportedly flees with Troy chasing him while firing the Kel-Tec.
As we previously reported, U.S. Marshals New York, New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and the New York Police Department arrested Taxstone Monday morning at his aunt's home in Brooklyn, New York.
He faces federal weapon possession charges and is scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday, January 17.
“We look forward to reading the complaint from the government," Tax's attorney Ken Montgomery told the New York Daily News. “He’s doing as best he can for anybody charged with a federal crime. He’s a smart young man, and he’s concerned about his family, like anyone would be.”
The Troy Ave/Taxstone beef dates back at least five years. In a 2015 interview withBaller Alert, the podcaster details why he has an issue with theBSB Records CEO.
“I think his music is mediocre, and he, like, tried to portray this image that he was making greater music than everybody in the city when he wasn’t,” Tax said at the time. "You know, it was like a time when Bobby Shmurda was the hottest person in the city. [Troy] was trying to say he was the best. I had to, like, be the person to interrupt that. I just feel he’s, like, a fraud rapper, like he never was a drug dealer.”
Troy is currently free on$500,000bail after being arrested in connection with concert shooting. He pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
He claims that he fired the weapon in self defense after wrestling it away from his attacker. His lawyers say their client "is the victim."
Dope Boy Troy Ave continues to promote his "White Christmas 4" project by releasing an official music video for the John Scino and Young Legend-produced song "Pain.".
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