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Jim Jones Previews 'The Ghost Of Rich Porter' Mixtape [Video]

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 22, 2010 at 6:18am


Video After The Jump

This Week's Main Pick

Street King: Jim Jones

Holding It Down For: Harlem, USA

Mixtape Album: The Ghost of Rich Porter

Real Spit: Across 110th Street, Jim Jones grabbed his favorite hero — roast beef with ketchup — and threw waves to the police as squad cars rolled by. One of his old friends, just out of jail, came by and got love from the whole crew, which included Jim and Byrd Gang member Sen City. Jones stood in front of a mural of his late friend Bloodshed, a cousin of Cam'ron's.



Jones spoke of beloved late Harlem figures such as Blood and Rich Porter.

"It's a lot of meanings behind that title," Jones said of his mixtape, The Ghost of Rich Porter, which comes out Tuesday. "If you're not familiar with Harlem, I'll hip you to game kinda quick. If you're not familiar with Rich Porter, he set the precedent for us as far as how we wanted to live. As far as getting fast money — the cash, the cars, the girls. Then the underlying story behind it — the betrayal, the disloyalty, the backstabbing. Rich was special to Harlem.

"If it wasn't for people like Rich and a few other people, people wouldn't understand Harlem, as far as the culture, the style. So I credit him for that," Jim continued. "There'll never be another Rich Porter in Harlem. He set the precedent for us. It was him we was coming up looking at. On the flipside, I say it's the 'ghost,' because when you think what me, Cam and Juelz and Zeek have done for Harlem, it's changed from when we was directly in the streets to what we doing now. When we come back now, it's like people looking at a ghost. Some people are in awe, some people don't know what they looking at. We're in the 'hood."

Shawty Lo, Gucci Mane and the Byrd Gang all appear on the mixtape.

"For the past half a year, six, seven months," Jim said of the tape's title, "all I been hearing is people saying it's a recession. It's getting bad. I never knew it not to be a recession in Harlem. That's why it's Harlem. We found a way to get the money. If it wasn't no job opportunities, our next best thing was to hustle. I'm not telling you what to hustle. I'm not advocating you do anything illegal. I'm advocating you get the money, the moolah, the muggah! That's what it's all about. That's what it portrays.

"You won't hear your traditional pop hit," Jim added. "What you will hear is some hustle music that will make you hit the block early. ... Put that iPod on, hit the train or the bus, get on that commute. All my strap-hangers. Then we'll get to the album and fulfill all your dreams with all that radio music [later]."

Jim's fifth solo album will be out later this year. It will be an independent release through E1. He has no title yet.

Joints to Check For

» "Black on Black." "A lot of car talk on that 'Black on Black,' " Jim said, sitting in his all-black 2010 Camaro. "I step outside, it looks like a funeral, all the black cars I bring to your 'hood. Regular sh--. I'm a car connoisseur. I love fast toys. I love talking sh--, because I can back it up. Still keep a pocketful. What are you doing? 2010 Camaro, this is the latest one. SS and all that. 500 horses. Eight cylinder. Do a 360 on your block with no clutch. Holla!"

» "This How That Life Go." "It's talking about the procedures you go through when you filling up those little bottles," Jim explained. "Survival tactics you need in the game. Talking about when the rap game goes bad, the risks I'm willing to take so I can maintain the life I'm living. Sometimes that risk could be hellafied. Talking about Uptown, how it's dry Uptown in that work area when it used to be liquid. I shouldn't say all this on TV, huh? But it's cold up here in Harlem."

» "Cocaine Dreams." "True story. My man had three blocks 'He was pumpin'/ Three blocks he was runnin'/ Now he's damn near back to pumpin'.' Crazy, right? 'Recession caught him right, where Stevie couldn't Wonder/ He said his car didn't match the summer.' Ya heard? That's how we live up here. The car gotta match the summer. That means the top gotta go off. [The guy in the song] had to go back. The same thing that could make you rich could be the same thing that make you poor. The same thing that makes you laugh makes you cry."

Source: MTV

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Historic Day For America: Health Care Reform Bill Passes By Vote Of 219-212 [Video]

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 21, 2010 at 11:00pm


Video After The Jump

WASHINGTON - The Democratic-controlled Congress approved historic legislation Sunday night extending health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and cracking down on insurance company abuses, a climactic chapter in the century-long quest for near universal coverage.

Widely viewed as dead two months ago, the Senate-passed bill cleared the House on a 219-212 vote, with Republicans unanimous in opposition.

Congressional officials said they expected Obama to sign the bill as early as Tuesday.

Republicans hoped that by blocking the legislation, they would be able to thwart Obama's ambitious domestic agenda, including immigration reform and climate change legislation.

While national health care has long been a goal of presidents stretching back decades, it has proved elusive, in part because self-reliance and suspicion of a strong central government remain strong in the U.S.

Obama planned to make a statement to the nation Sunday night after the vote.

After more than a year of political combat - certain to persist into the fall election campaign for control of Congress - debate on the House floor fell along predictable lines.

"We will be joining those who established Social Security, Medicare and now, tonight, health care for all Americans," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the vote, referring the government's pension program and health insurance for the elderly.

Republicans opposed the measure as a takeover of government health care that would cut Medicare for the elderly and raise taxes by nearly $1 trillion combined.

"We have failed to listen to America," Rep. John Boehner the Republican leader said ahead of the vote.

Earlier in the day, the House argued its way through a thicket of Republican objections toward an evening vote on the bill to extend coverage to 32 million Americans who lack it, ban insurers from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions and cut deficits by an estimated $138 billion over a decade.

A shouting band of protesters outside the Capitol dramatized their opposition, and one man stood up in the House visitor's gallery shouting, "Kill the bill" before he was ushered out - evidence of the passions the yearlong debate over health care has stirred.

Obama lobbied by phone from the White House, then took the crucial step of issuing an executive order that satisfied a small group of Democrats who demanded that no federal funds be used for elective abortions.

Over and over, Democrats stressed the historic nature of the day. The measure represents the biggest expansion of the social safety net since Medicare and Medicaid were enacted in 1965 during President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration to provide government-funded health care coverage to the elderly and poor.

"Health care isn't only a civil right, it's a moral issue," said Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy. He said his late father, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, had worked his entire career for nationwide health care, and President John F. Kennedy before him.

Obama has said often that presidents of both parties have tried without success to achieve national health insurance, beginning with Theodore Roosevelt early in the 20th century.

The 44th president's quest to succeed where others have failed seemed at a dead end two months ago, when Republicans won a special election to fill Edward Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat, and with it, enough votes to prevent a final vote.

But the White House, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid soon came up with a rescue plan that required the House to approve the Senate-passed measure despite opposition to many of its provisions, then have both chambers pass a fix-it measure incorporating numerous changes.

Under the legislation, most Americans would be required to purchase insurance, and face penalties if they refused. Much of the money in the bill would be devoted to subsidies to help families at incomes of up to $88,000 a year pay their premiums.

The legislation would also usher in a significant expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor.

The insurance industry would come under new federal regulation. They would be forbidden from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies, from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions and from canceling policies when a policyholder becomes ill.

Parents would be able to keep older children on their coverage up to age 26. A new high-risk pool would offer coverage to uninsured people with medical problems until 2014, when the coverage expansion goes into high gear.

Once enacted, the two bills would create a series of so-called "insurance exchanges" beginning in 2014 where self-employed people and small businesses could pool together to shop for health care coverage.

To pay for the changes, the legislation includes more than $400 billion in higher taxes over a decade, roughly half of it from a new Medicare payroll tax on individuals with incomes over $200,000 and couples over $250,000.

NY Daily News



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Police Searching For Man Who Put His 4 Year Old Son Up For Sale On Craigslist For $5000 [Video]

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 21, 2010 at 1:23pm


Video After The Jump

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Police are searching for a man accused of offering to sell his son on Craigslist for $5,000.

In the ad, the father identified himself as a single parent dad by the name of "Rick" who has run out of child care options.

"Gavin is a great kid but I can no longer afford to take care of him," the ad said. "I don't know what else to do other than find a good family with kids or a couple that wants a son. I just won't give him to anyone."

"loves playing with balls, but doesn't really like to play with cars and refuses to eat vegetables."

"He doesn't fuss very much but when he does, he just screams for hours. I usually just put him in the closet until he stops, and that usually works,"the posting said.

The posting was only up for a short time, but long enough for a concerned woman to copy and forward the ad to sheriff's detectives.



Source: KTLA

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Actress Amanda Bynes Goes Straight Groupie Over Drake. Confesses Her Love For 'Chocolate Men'

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 21, 2010 at 9:30am


Actress Amanda Bynes can't contain her enthusiasm for rapper Drake.

In a series of tweets seen over at Rap-Up the star of such movies as 'She's The Man' and 'Hairspray' acts like a typical teen fan girl. Only thing is she's in her 20's. Check out her tweets, they seem to have a common thread. Drake, Toronto (the rapper's hometown) and Young Money.


Back in February Amanda caused quite a stir when she tweeted about her love for "chocolate men"

"it's amaziing how good it feels when someone knows how to love your body! I am having withdrawals from a certain guy lol :)" she tweeted. "So turns out i prefer chocolate over vanilla. interesting."

Some people weren't feeling her confessions of "interracial love" which made Amanda a bit defensive.




Looks like Drake has found his biggest fan.


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Outkast's Big Boi Signs Deal With Def Jam. Will Finally Release Solo Album

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 21, 2010 at 7:00am


Looks like Big Boi of Atlanta hip hop dua Outkast will finally get the chance to drop his solo lp 'Sir Lucious Leftfoot: Son of Chico Dusty album'.

The Atlien has signed a one album solo deal with Def Jam according to CreativeLoafing.com and Big Boi himself.

The rapper took to his Twitter Friday (March 19) to make the official announcement.


Big Boi has been hard at work on the lp for over two years now, releasing a total of six singles without successfully securing a release date from Jive Records, or "Jive ass Jive" as he refers to them..

Singles that have been released include :

>>“Sumthin’s Gotta Give” feat. Mary J. Blige
>>“Royal Flush” feat. Raekwon and Andre 3000
>>“Shine Blockas” feat. Gucci Mane
>>“Tangerine” feat. T.I.,
>>And the latest/greatest “Fo Yo Sorrows” feat. Too Short and George Clinton.

With his new deal in place, courtesy of embattled Def Jam President L.A. Reid, whose job is rumored to be on the line, the album is now supposed to drop in May.

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Label Tells Joell Ortiz To Start A Beef If He Ever Wants To Drop "Free Agent" Album

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 21, 2010 at 6:24am


For fans who are wondering what the holdup is on the Joell Ortiz album, Free Agent, Joell answered it via Twitter.

In a series of tweets, Joell spoke about his disappointment in the lack of support from his label.

“It's crazy to be on a label that says that no one knows me but when i get outside. the car horns beep and all yall yell YAOWA!”

“Its funny cause when I tell them to let me go cause Im such a burden the whole convo changes. I dont give a f*ck”
Although Joell has two singles in rotation that are burning up radio airwaves, “Call Me” and his remix to Lloyd Bank's “Beamer, Benz and Bentleys”, “Nissan, Honda, Chevy,” the label still feels that he is not received by fans as a “good rapper.”

According to Ortiz:

“The label asked me if I have a twitter account! Then they said I need to do something "controversial" (beef) to market myself. this is true!”

“I was told that I am marketing myself as a "good rapper" i need to be more rock n roll. I am not lying.”

Don't think that the lack of support is stopping Joell Ortiz as he is promising fans that there is more hot music to come:

“shout to all the promoters out there that support the real and all the fans that support. I give it all on that stage every night”

“btw, we leaking another joint next week with a video WE paid for.”

With constant statements like this, the majors are gonna be on pause in a second as being independent definitely seems the way to go in 2010.

Source: HipHopWired

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Epic Fail : "Scarface", A Mafia Hitman On 100 Most Wanted List. Caught After Using Facebook To Chat [Video]

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 20, 2010 at 10:30am


Video After The Jump

A cold-blooded Mafia hitman who called himself "Scarface" was arrested by Italian police on Tuesday after being tracked down via his Facebook account, The Sun reported.

Pasquale Manfredi, 33, was on Italy's 100 Most Wanted List and had been on the run for a year with police wanting to question him in connection with two bloody Mob hits.

The father-of-two is said to have been behind the murder of rival mobster Carmine Arena who was taken out with a bazooka in October 2004 and Pasquale Tripaldi a year later.

Officers had been tipped off that Manfredi was a fan of the global social networking site and regularly logged on using his laptop.

Using sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment in an operation codenamed Pandora, officers managed to locate Manfredi at an apartment in Isola Capo Rizzuto near Crotone in southern Italy.

The area is the heartland of the local Mafia, known as the N'drangheta, who are known for their vicious violence and were responsible for the so-called Duisburg Massacre two years ago in which six mobsters were gunned down in a German pizzeria.

Officers from the Rome Central Operation Service handled the investigation along with local officers in Crotone and were led by Edgardo Giobbi, who was also involved in the Meredith Kercher case.

Manfredi would log on under the Facebook name Georgie. Officers said they believed he received coded orders via the site and also kept in touch with mobsters.

Manfredi had more than 200 friends on his Facebook site and police are going through them systematically to see if any others are involved in Mafia activity or are wanted.

During the early morning raid on his top floor apartment Manfredi had tried to escape by climbing out of a window and running along roof tops but was eventually held.

Giobbi said: "Manfredi is a good catch. He is particular cold and cruel. We tracked him down because we had information he was using a key to log on to the Internet and in particular use Facebook.

"The operation lasted several months and was successful thanks to good police work and sophisticated technology. Manfredi is suspected of at least two murders and is also wanted for drugs and arms offences.

"He is a very dangerous character and he was on the country's 100 Most Wanted but now one can be taken off the list thanks to meticulous police work and a through investigation."

"Scarface" is a 1983 epic gangster film starring Al Pacino as Godfather Tony Montana.

This is not the first time Italian law enforcement has used Facebook to track down criminals. Last October, police near Rome arrested a burglar who logged on to the social network during a break-in and sent messages to his friends.


.

Sources : Fox News and CNN

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Lebron James Breaks Kobe Bryant's Record To Become The Youngest Player To Score 15,000 Points

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 20, 2010 at 6:04am


CHICAGO — LeBron James became the youngest player to score 15,000 career points, breaking Kobe Bryant's mark by about two years, as the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away late to beat Chicago, 92-85, Friday for their 12th win in 13 games.

James scored 13 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, giving him 15,026 in his career, and had 11 rebounds. He scored seven straight late in the game as Cleveland increased its lead to 10, sending the Bulls to their 10th straight loss.

James reached the milestone at 25 years 79 days, and he did it in his 540th game. Bryant was 27 years 136 days and playing his 657th game, according to STATS LLC, when he did it for the Lakers

Source: L.A Times

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Young Jeezy Changes His Name To 'Jeezy'

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 20, 2010 at 5:30am


Dirty South rapper Young Jeezy has officially changed his name to 'Jeezy' according to his official artist webpage on Def Jam.

The change first appeared on the credits to Rihanna's single "Hard". And became official with the release of his new single "Lose My Mind" featuring Plies

"Lose My Mind" is the lead single from Jeezy's forthcoming album 'Thug Motivation 103'

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Nicki Minaj Explains Why She & Drake Skipped The XXL 2010 Freshman Cover "We Graduated From The Freshman Class" [Video]

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 20, 2010 at 3:15am


Video After The Jump

Nicki Minaj said she told XXL magazine, "No disrespect, but no thanks." The sexy rapper declined the invitation to be a part of the 2010 Freshmen 10 issue because, like her Young Money compatriot Drake, she felt she should have been down last year.


"Drake and I, we love XXL," she told us recently on the set of her video for "Massive Attack." "We just shot for XXL. With all due respect, we felt like we kinda had graduated from the freshman class. We felt that XXL missed the mark when they didn't put us on the cover prior to that. They have to pay for that. They can't say, 'Hey, get on the next one.' But we love XXL. That's like a hip-hop classic. So we said, 'Can we have something just a little bit more catered to us, so that we feel like we have still grown as artists, so we're not at all disrespecting the magazine?' They were cool with that.

"We didn't dictate, we just asked nicely," Nicki smiled.

"Technically, we were freshmen when they didn't put us on," Drake told ImFlashy.com in February. "I feel now it's just returning the favor."

Earlier this month, the publication revealed their Freshmen 10. The roster consisted of OJ Da Juiceman, Nipsey Hussle, Jay Rock, Pill, Donnis, Fashawn, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifah, Freddie Gibbs and Big Sean.

MTV

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*Hilarious* Comedian Eddie Griffin Clowns Photographers After Being Asked About An 'Undercover Brother' Sequel [Video]

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 20, 2010 at 2:30am


Video After The Jump

Comedian and actor Eddie Griffin gave an impromptu comedy show as he waited for his car Friday (March 19).

The star of movies like 'Deuce Bigalow', 'My Baby's Daddy' and 'The New Guy' totally clowns a group of photographers after one of them asked when there would be a sequel to 'Undercover Brother'.

He goes off on everything from their clothes to their body sizes, really funny.

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Max-B Granted Appeal In Murder Case

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 19, 2010 at 3:43pm


Mr. Wavy may wash ashore sooner than expected. XXLMag.com spoke with incarcerated rapper Max B’s manager, Joli O’Shay, earlier today (Mar. 19) and she says the Harlemite was recently granted an appeal in his murder case.

According to O’Shay, Max is now sitting tight as he awaits an actual appeal date. Once that comes in the MC known as Biggavelli, has a new lawyer to fight for his innocence. “He’s gonna try hopefully to go back to trial, or get it a mistrial or get it time served, whatever we can do,” she said.

As previously reported, Max was sentenced to 75 years in prison on September 3, 2009 for orchestrating a 2006 robbery that left a man slain in a Fort Lee, New Jersey hotel.

The former Jim Jones protégé was convicted of felony murder, aggravated manslaughter, kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy.

O’Shay, who speaks to Max daily, says he’s in good spirits about the appeal.

Source: XXL

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New 50 Cent Interview: He Speaks On Changes In The Music Business,Ice Cube, His New Film Projects, Eminem,Touring & Says He'll "Never Retire"

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 19, 2010 at 2:30pm


At some point, Curtis James Jackson III will probably want to bid farewell to the gangsta-rapper charmingly known as 50 Cent. The controversial performer – famous for being shot nine times, entertaining disagreements, dodging lawsuits (his most recent involves allegedly posting a sex tape online), and wearing bullet-proof vests like thermals over those intimidating, tattooed biceps – employed the persona well when he debuted in 1999 with the single "How To Rob". He went on to sell 12 million records with his first album, Get Rich or Die Tryin' and, from a brand perspective, it had enough mileage to warrant a movie inspired by his life, his own G-Unit record label, a couple of video games which indulged kids in gangster-like fantasies and a series of "hip-hop noir" novels.

But in 2010, 50 the businessman looks to have established more credibility with other ventures which include clothing, properties and a lucrative share in Coca-Cola's Vitaminwater, not to mention last year's New York Times bestseller The 50th Law, where he collaborated with business strategist Robert Greene. It all begs the question of how relevant songs about wiping out his foes and animalistic sex are nowadays, when carefree pop music reigns in the hearts and minds of the mainstream who don't get the thug life, or want to spend an hour of their life mulling it over either.

Of course, his loyal fans will always get it, but they were the same people ready to lick the rapper's wounds when he lost out to Kanye West in a battle of album releases in 2008.

Then there's the fact that Jackson now prefers to approach his interviews like his own publicist, who'll happily talk numbers and strategies all day, with the right amount of philosophising to convince his most dubious critics that he's actually a pretty nice guy. And that he is; the 34-year-old has the sexy side of confidence down to a fine art. What he says is often prefaced by a smile, and his responses are so measured it often exposes less about himself, and more the factors that will help him sell something, anything.

But a private matter beyond his control was when his son's mother and ex-girlfriend, Shaniqua Tompkins attempted to sue him for $50m, and, after the case was dismissed, battled him over his $2.4m home she was living in before it was destroyed in a fire in 2008.

He chooses to reveal little about what goes on behind his closed doors. "Um... I don't really have much of a personal life to offer," he says, with a shrug. "I've kept what little of my life that is personal to myself. I'm very private and it's not a part of the show. I think some people really lose themselves to the entertainment business and they become consumed so much with entertaining people that they offer everything that they actually have, even down to inside their house, as far as reality television is concerned. But there's got to be a place where you stop and you actually live away from it."

On this Monday afternoon in Berlin, he's particularly keen to talk about his latest album, new business projects, and his global tour, which comes to the UK this month.

"I'm excited to be going on tour right now," he says. Cue smile. "A lot of music that I hear coming from new artists, I mean, some of it's good and some of it I'll completely pass on. And I think a lot of people out there feel the same way, and it's just a shift in the actual climate of the music business itself." He adds that it's important for him to go on the road and connect with his core fanbase. "I think at this point, most artists would dream of having the ability to travel from the United States to different territories and actually be wanted, and have people already knowing their material," he says. "When you see artists going out and wanting to touch their fans and being involved in different territories, it allows them to create longevity. That's what that's about. I remember looking at Eminem's plaque for The Marshall Mathers LP, and it had 35 countries on it where the record went gold or platinum, and I looked at that and thought, 'I want one of those'."

His last album, Before I Self Destruct, was set to be released in February 2008, but was pushed back so many times that, by the time it came out, in November 2009, it'd been leaked and made less of an impact than expected.

"I was extremely happy with the response to it," he counters. "For the most part, I heard it was my best record since Get Rich or Die Tryin', and that was huge accomplishment for myself. I've been in huge competition with myself since. Of course, it didn't sell a fraction of what Get Rich or Die Tryin' sold, that record went on to scan 12 million records, but we're just in a different climate and time. It was interesting numbers for the first week for me, but I still feel good about the project because of the response publicly that I got from people."

Didn't he feel the content might have been, well, a little redundant by its release? "Well, you know, creatively, I went in to try and write what was a prequel to Get Rich," he says. "Songs like 'Stretch' actually explain why I wrote 'P.I.M.P', and I explain where that concept came from and why I wrote that record and how I was actually exposed to that lifestyle."

He's good. Too good. But how does he explain the purpose of an album like Before I Self Destruct? Judging from the content alone, he seemed pretty fed up. "Well, I don't think anyone is completely mad everyday," he laughs. "The photograph is angry. I look at Ice Cube's career and what he did from NWA all the way to Are We There Yet? Those movies he made are a huge difference from the things he chose to do artistically but people still love and appreciate him for what he did originally."

So he considers it to be art. And, similarly to Ice Cube, 50 has shown his desire to cash in on movies ever since landing his first character role in 2007's Home of the Brave, alongside Samuel L Jackson, who was initially reluctant to co-star with him in 50's debut Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Since then, 50 has appeared in four movies including Righteous Kill with Robert De Niro, and Dead Man Running. He has also launched his own film company, Cheetah Vision Films, with producer Randall Emmett. The lacklustre Before I Self Destruct was a straight-to-DVD tie-in with his album, but he'll also be appearing in the film Twelve later this year, and has lined up a number of film projects he'll be writing and producing himself.

"For me, it's an opportunity," he says. "I wrote the screenplays. Before I Self Destruct – that was the first one I wrote and directed." Did he plan to release it on the big screen? "Well, I put it in the album packages because... it wasn't like..." He pauses.

"I hate to say it's not my best, but it was done on a budget and that makes it not as... extravagant as some of the things you'll see from me in the future. But since then I've created two other projects: Gun with myself, Val Kilmer – I wrote that screenplay – I wrote and produced a film called Love Me, Love Me Not, and I shot the actual screenplay before I got out here. So I'm looking forward to a lot of different things."

Born in Queens, New York, to a drug-dealing mum who died when he was eight, the New Yorker opted to make his entry into the rap game with references to his rags-to-riches story.

He was raised by his grandmother with nine other children, started dealing crack when he was 12 and owned his own gun by 15. He told Newsweek in 2005: "I didn't want to ask her for a pair of Air Jordans when I knew she couldn't afford them, so I began working to get my stuff and not stress her out. So I started hustling to buy things. I'd tell her whatever I had new was my friend's stuff across the street. That's how I became two people – one was the hard-core drug-dealer in the day and the other was my grandmother's baby by night.''

He spent a number of years in and out of jail before considering a rap career and turning to the late DJ Jam Master Jay, who gave him his first break on his short-lived label. His early records caught the attention of production duo Trackmasters, who signed the rapper to their subsidiary label under Columbia Records, and started work on his debut Power of the Dollar, which included the single "How to Rob", and another for Destiny's Child. But, just a few months before the album's release, Jackson was shot at nine times while sitting in a car outside his grandmother's house, and was subsequently dropped from Columbia.

Two years later, he formed the rap collective G-Unit and made a name on the mixtape circuit. One of his early fans was Eminem, who worked with producer Dr Dre to sign him to his own Shady/Aftermath label and feature him on the soundtrack to Eminem's film 8 Mile. The 2002 single "Wanksta" – which hit out at 'fake gangstas' – was a smash, and set him up for the success of "In Da Club", which topped the charts in the US and went to No 3 in the UK a year later.

Subsequent albums The Massacre and Curtis performed well by virtue of having a great production and catchy hooks. But he's conscious that he'll need to up the ante if he still wants to be considered as one of the most notable rappers in hip-hop. He has never been considered a great lyricist, and brushes off his lack of accolades as "politics".

"There's moments where you're gonna have ups and down, periods when you're a lot hotter than you were, and periods where you rejuvenate that time frame, where you make music that impacts hard because music marks time," he reasons.

"I'm a part of a hip-hop culture where the majority of the audience has a very low attention span. It's like, what's hot right now? They're looking for that. They care less about your portfolio and your records from the last six years. They want a hit record right now and if you don't have one, then give us the guy that has one. That's how they feel. Obviously it keeps me working, it keeps me working on new material because the art-form is that way."

When will he retire from hip-hop, all considered? "I don't think I'll retire," he concludes. "I think you should look forward to me going behind the scenes more. I still have passion for music. And the music business itself has changed. If you can't figure out how to develop the brand extension and opportunities that allow you to build up the marketing dollar, I don't see how you can continue to be a superstar."

Source: The Independent UK

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BET's Spring Bling 2010 Will Feature Performances By Lloyd Banks, Trey Songz, Juelz Santana, Nicki Minaj, Soulja Boy & More

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 19, 2010 at 2:00pm


BET's Annual Spring Bling Event will take place April 10 in Riviera Beach Florida.

Events will include a concert featuring Soulja Boy, Juelz Santana, Yo Gotti, Lloyd Banks, Waka Flocka Flame, Trina and Plies,

Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj will also be in attendance according to Singersroom. The two will perform and host their own segments titled "Ready For Trey" and "I Am Nicki"

The festivities don't stop there, organizers will have some interactive events for fans starting with the 'Beach Towel Throwdown', followed by 'My King and Queen'. They will even have a dating game type event titled 'Who Got Game?'.

The event will air on BET Friday April 16 and Saturday April 17.

Check your local listings for times.

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Just Blaze Interview: Names His Top 5 Producers, Favorite Beat He Ever Produced,Working With Jay-Z, Ma$e, Camron & Much More [2 Parts Video]

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 19, 2010 at 10:00am


Videos After The Jump

Top five dead or alive producer, Just Blaze talks to Grind Music Radio about his legendary career.

They speak about everything from how Blaze got his start, the first piece of equipment he bought (ASR10), when he realized he'd finally made it and his 1st check which was for a beat he did for Ma$e for $12,000.

Just gives his preference between working with samples & live beats and names his favorite producers from past and present.

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*The videos Auto-Play So Just Pause 1 While You Watch The Other*


Just Blaze Interview With Grind Music Part 1


Just Blaze Interview With Grind Music Part 2
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Bill Passed To Reduce Sentencing Disparity Between Federal Crack & Powder Cocaine Offenses

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 19, 2010 at 9:00am


WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate approved by unanimous consent a bill that would reduce the sentencing disparity between federal crack and powder cocaine offenses. The bill, S. 1789, was sponsored by Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.).

Julie Stewart, president and founder of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), released the following statement upon the bill’s passage:

“Today’s approval marks the first time since the Nixon administration that the Senate has voted to repeal a mandatory minimum. The unanimous vote demonstrates the ability of Congress to work across party lines to achieve sentencing reform. We commend the good efforts of Senators Durbin, Leahy, Graham, Hatch, and Sessions, and their willingness to find common ground.

While we wish the Senate had voted to eliminate, rather than reduce the disparity, we believe there is too much as stake to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. People who will be sentenced under this law will return home to their families two or three years earlier – a benefit that simply cannot be quantified.”

The Senate proposal could affect nearly 3,000 cases annually, reducing sentences by an average of about 27 months. The bill would not, however, reduce sentences for those currently incarcerated for crack offenses.

Under the Senate approved bill, 28 grams of crack cocaine will trigger a five year prison sentence and 280 grams of crack will trigger a 10-year sentence. Significantly, the bill also would eliminate the mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession of crack. The legislation would also direct the U.S. Sentencing Commission to enhance penalties for aggravating factors like violence or bribery of a law enforcement officer. The impact of those provisions has not yet been calculated.

Families Against Mandatory Minimums is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization supporting fair and proportionate sentencing laws that allow judicial discretion while maintaining public safety. For more information on FAMM, visit www.famm.org or contact Monica Pratt Raffanel at (202) 621-5044 or email media@famm.org

Source: Don Diva

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Super Producer Ty Fyffe Speaks On Meeting Michael Jackson, Working With Drake & Juelz Santana + His Talent Competition [Video]

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 19, 2010 at 7:30am


Video After The Jump

Behind the Beats: Ty Fyffe

Queens native Ty Fyffe has them all from The G-Unit to Michael Jackson.

"It was a life-changing experience," he said about visiting Michael Jackson at the King of Pop's home. At the time in the early '90s, Fife was under the tutelage of Teddy Riley and living in Virginia.


"Ted was working with Mike heavy after the success of Dangerous," Fyffe added. "He took me and one of his boys down to Neverland. Mike was working on the 'Addams Family Values' soundtrack. It was crazy that I went to the joint. We was in his movie theater."

After Riley, Fyffe went on to learn from Erick Sermon.

"That was my second half of learning production," Ty offered. "He showed me so much on the funk side of things — I started studying funk music, the heavy bass lines on the tracks. You could hear it on my work."

Eventually Ty broke out on is own, working with 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Snoop Dogg and Cam'ron on the classic Come Home With Me. After mingling so long with vets, Fyffe wants to spread the love to new jacks.

"I got a contest for my new compilation," he said. "The first installment of Ty Fyffe Presents — it's raw and uncut its hosted by DJ Kay Slay the Drama King. It's a global competition I'm promoting all over the Internet. I got sponsors like Digiwaxx. It's a great opportunity; it's the chance of lifetime. I wanted to get the fresh talent from people out there. We're getting so many submissions from people in Las Vegas, Texas, Virginia — it's a great way to get yourself out there. This is a way for me to reach out to people trying to get with me and give them a shot. Fyffe's contest ends on April 15.

Next Wave of Flav

On Jim Jones: "He's going for big records. He's trying to catch that big record look. He's gonna always have the streets; he's affiliated with the streets. I just wanna take him to the next level."

On Busta Rhymes: "I got two on The Chemo. I'm still submitting for him. We had a lot of success on the last record. I did the 'Hustler's Anthem' with T-Pain. Busta is incredible, hands-down one of the best. He's so creative, he's mastered flows — the new records are energy. I'm making big intros [for him]. When the beat drops, its over."

On Drake: "They didn't pick the joint yet. We'll see what happens. I hope I make the album. It's looking pretty strong. I'm gonna keep feeding the album."

On Juelz Santana: "Amazing. I'm feedin' him batches. I know they hearing me right now."

Five-Star Stellar Hits (Separately and Together)

» Wreckx-n-Effect - "Rump Shaker"
"I was under Teddy Riley's camp — he put me on in '92. I did half of the Wreckx-n-Effect album and I did the single 'Rump Shaker' with him. I got a chance to learn from the best producer in the music business. He changed music. When you say Teddy Riley, that's like Quincy Jones — one of the greatest. ['Rump Shaker'] was so big. Kriss Kross 'Jump' was the only record messing with us at the time.

"We made two versions," he added. "It was a totally different record [originally]. It was called 'Shake Your Rump.' We did one that had the Big Daddy Kane/ Super Cat 'Don Dadda' sample. The horns was always in it, the Public Enemy horns [from "Show 'Em Whatcha Got"]. We did a lot of mixes. We spent 48 hours on that record before we finished. I got a chance to see Teddy Riley make a beat and take it apart and put it back together when I was with him. He was doing stuff like SWV 'Human Nature' remix, Mary J. Blige 'My Life' remix. I did the first Blackstreet record with Ted from the "CB4" soundtrack, 'Baby Be Mine.' "

» Amil (featuring Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel) - "4 Da Fam"
"That record was made for Jay-Z. That's when Jay and Dame Dash was rocking heavy — they was buying beats. [Jay] didn't want the beat. I was cooking up something for Jay. They bought it for Amil. I go to lay the beat, Bleek goes in, blacks out. Beans goes in blacks out. Now I'm up at Def Jam again. Guess who I run into? Jay-Z! He says, 'You know I had to get on that beat, right?' "

» Jay-Z (featuring DMX and Ja Rule) - "Murdergram" and "It's Murder"
"Def Jam had Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles. Irv Gotti was working there and he brought Jay-Z, DMX and Ja Rule. He leaked that 'Murdergam.' It was crazy. It got so much buzz. They was supposed to be a supergroup. I did the only records with Jay-Z, DMX and Ja Rule. I was in the sessions. You know how you hear things, but when you see them for yourself? Jay-Z is phenomenal. Dude did not write anything. He was just rocking, listening to the track. Five minutes later, 'I got it. I'm going in.' One-take Hov."

Source: MTV

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Paul Wall Named President Of Texas Grammy Chapter

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 19, 2010 at 7:14am


(AllHipHop News) Houston rapper Paul Wall has been elected president of the Texas chapter of the Recording Academy, the organization responsible for The Grammy Awards.

The Recording Academy is the organization responsible for organizing the annual Grammy Awards.

The rapper previously held the title of Governor alongside notable Houston executives and artists like Mathew Knowles, saxophonist Joe Posada, renowned bass player Chuck Rainey and others.

“I’ve been a Governor on the board of the Texas chapter for a long time. There’s a process on how you get nominated [for a Grammy] and it’s done by voting,” Paul Wall told AllHipHop.com. “A lot of people don’t know this and for me, I want to get our membership up in Texas.“

Paul Wall, born Paul Slayton, has been nominated for a Grammy, but has yet to win one of the coveted awards.

Even though he’s working on a new album titled, Heart of A Champion, Paul Wall said as President of the Texas Chapter of The Recording Academy, his chief aim was to boost the local membership.

“There’s so much credible music here in all genres and its so vast,” Paul Wall told AllHipHop.com. “Everything is bigger in Texas but our membership, we are like #6 on the list out of [the] 12 chapters. At the very least, there could be more nominations for artists from Texas."

Paul Wall recently helped to mend a deep division within the Houston hip-hop community, by reuniting with former member Chamillionaire, at the behest specifically of the late Pimp C. of UGK and Atlanta rapper Killer Mike.

Source: AllHipHop

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Swizz Beatz Wife Mashonda Says He & Alicia Keys Deserve Each Other "Only A Certain Type Of Woman Would Sleep With A Married Man"

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on March 19, 2010 at 6:30am


Swizz Beatz relationship with Alicia Keys has become so public that a lot of people have forgotten that he is actually still married to singer Mashonda.

Both Swizzy and Mashonda have gone to the media in recent days to give their sides of what has become an ugly story

In an interview with Bossip Mashonda had this to say:

"Unfortunately, my divorce is not final, the paperwork hasn’t been signed by the judge, and so therefore, we are still legally married. Not that I’m proud of that, (this process has been hell on earth) but divorces take time.

Our marriage and our family was never respected, nor has been a concern to the parties involved. Both of them have been extremely determine to disregard the fact that I am a human being with feelings, a mother, and the woman whom was there when this man was sick, down, and without money or fame. Amazing how people forget!”

Swizz meanwhile recently spoke to DJ Enuff and accused his wife of engaging in "foolery" saying the two of them have been having problems for ten years. He says his wife was gassed up by "the wrong people" who convinced her she could get a reality show by airing out their dirty laundry.

He also accused her of trying to make him choose between her and his oldest son Prince Nasir whom he has from a previous relationship.

Mashonda's reponse to this?

“I recently saw a video of his, his words completely took me by surprise. It was an awful demonstration of lies and tales. All in the name of “saving face… I believe the two of them are meant for each other. Only a certain type of woman would sleep with a married man, and only a certain type of man would abandon his family for another woman. I guess they are “equals.” Those were his words on that video.

The past 12 years of my life with this man has been a complete learning experience and I’m proud to say that I am a better woman today, because of it…Fortunately, I’m able to walk away with a prize or two. My self esteem and my son. My focus is my son, coupled with figuring out a way to make this all make sense to him at the end of the day, so that he can be a great man.

I seriously hope people can learn a thing or two from all of this. Its a disease to family growth and human behavior. ”

Something tells me this saga is far from over. Hopefully they can both move on with their lives and find happiness. Although it seems like that will be harder for Mashonda to do than Swizz.

Check out Swizz's full interview with DJ Enuff below.

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DJ Teknikz & Project Hollywood Welcome To Our Show TRACKLIST

Posted by TheNewEntry on March 18, 2010 at 8:03pm

OUT NOW 3/18/10

DJ Teknikz & Project Hollywood Welcome To Our Show

TACKLIST:

01. Welcome To The Show
02. Doing What We Wanna Do
03. Sexy
04. First Day Of School Feat. J.B.
05. Paradise Feat. KC Da Beatmonster
06. Good Day (Interlude)
07. Neva Change
08. Bands
09. In The Zone Feat. New Era
10. Hater Skit
11. Project Hollywood
12. Work Feat. KC Da Beatmonster & Spyder Da Don
13. Freestyle
14. Skit
15. One Queen Feat. KC Da Beatmonster
16. Another Zone
17. Outro

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