MLive Reports
Baatin, a Detroit rapper and member of Detroit rap collective Slum Village, has died. Tim Maynor, tour manager for Slum Village, confirmed his death in an e-mail to MLive.
Maynor did not comment any further, only saying his death is "too fresh right now."
News of Baatin's death spread virally around noon Saturday. A cause of death is not known.
Baatin, born Titus Glover in 1974, said he started rapping while a student at Pershing High School on Detroit's east side.
"I was going by Eazy-T and Scandalous-T back then; it was me, Al Nuke and a few others," Baatin told the Metro Times in a 2007 interview.
Baatin, Jay Dee -- who died in 2006 of complications from lupus -- and T3 formed a group and called themselves Ssenepod. In 1991, they changed their name to Slum Village. Baatin also changed his stage name.
"When I got spiritual, I wanted a different name," he said. "(Baatin) is Islamic for 'hidden.' "
Slum Village underwent several lineup changes over the years. The original trio released "Fantastic, Vol. 1" and "Fantastic, Vol. 2." Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla) left the group and was replaced with Elzhi. That trio scored one of their bigger mainstream hits, "Tainted," which also featured Detroit native singer Dwele.
Baatin told the Metro Times that he struggled with several emotional problems. He left a European tour in 2003 to rest, but later asked to be released from the group.
Slum Village, now a duo, continued to perform. During a show at the State Theatre in Detroit, Baatin demanded to be on stage. He was arrested and jailed; after that, he was evicted from his apartment that he says was being paid for by his record label.
In 2004, Baatin was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression; he later developed a crack habit, living homeless for more than a year.
A European promoter offered Baatin a chance to revitalize his career with some shows overseas. Baatin accepted, cleaned up and began work on a solo album.
Baatin also reunited with T3 and Elzhi, and a new album, "Villa Manifesto," was scheduled to be released September 22. The first single, "Cloud 9" features Floetry's Marsha Ambrosious.
Several offered online condolencenes as the news spread. On his Twitter, Dwele wrote "R.I.P. baatin of slum village forever." Fans also left thoughts on Baatin's Myspace page and comments on Slum Village videos across YouTube.
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A YouTube moment for a Toledo Mayoral candidate wound up on CNN Wednesday.
Democratic candidate Ben Konop was heckled recently at a recent campaign news conference by a man who "Booed!" him every time he tried to speak.
Eventually Konop moved to a different area.
The video now posted on YouTube has garnered thousands of views and CNN did a brief story about it Wednesday afternoon.
"It was good video, I guess. It was entertaining to some extent," says Konop. "Although, looking back on it, it's funny for me to watch it. I can see how that would interest people."
Konop says CNN Contacted the campaign and he could be on the news network Thursday to talk about the incident.
Konop says in the past few days he's received e-mails from people across the country saying he handled himself well.
Source: WTOLRead more…
HipHopWired Reports
Atlanta hip-hop royalty is back, at least for one night. Fans of the legendary Goodie Mob will have one chance and one chance only to see Cee-Lo, Khujo Goodie, T-Mo Goodie and Big Gipp back in action. They recently announced plans for their “Remember Atlanta” concert which will also feature other un-named Dungeon family members. The concert will take place at the Masquerade in Atlanta on Saturday September 19, 2009. Doors for the event will open at 7:00 p.m. Goodie Mob veteran and Gnarls Barkley front-man, Cee-Lo, expressed his excitement for the performance saying:
“The Goodie M.O.b Reunion is something we have collectively talked about doing for a long time. The people have called for it, and with the state of the union the way it is, the time is right.”
Remember Atlanta? How could we forget?! Tickets for the “Remember Atlanta” concert go on sale Saturday, August 1 through Ticketmaster.
The ever eclectic Cee-Lo made recent headlines after lending his voice to the newly released “Spongebob's Greatest Hits” album. The album was released through Sony Entertainment and Nickelodeon on July 14th and features his remix to the “Spongebob Squarepants” theme song. The album features 17 tracks of original music from the show and a track from singer, Pink.
Cee-Lo, Khujo T-Mo and Bigg Gipp are also in the lab cooking up new music for their fans
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The Ledger Reports
Authorities say a Lakeland man who used music to vent his frustrations with law enforcement will spend two years in prison for writing a threatening rap song.
Antavio Johnson, 20, was charged with two counts of corruption by threat of a public servant after a Polk County gang detective found the song on a MySpace page belonging to Hood Certified Entertainment in February.
In his song, "Kill Me a Cop," Johnson mentions two Lakeland police officers by name, according to the Sheriff's Office.
After investigating, the detective realized the rapper known as "T.O." was Johnson, who was in a Polk County jail at the time for violating his probation.
Polk Clerk of Courts records show Johnson is on probation for 2007 cocaine possession charges.
The detective consulted the State Attorney's Office, and prosecutors agreed to file charges against Johnson.
In an interview with the detective, Johnson admitted to writing and recording the song because he felt harassed by the Lakeland police officers, the Sheriff's Office said.
TAKEN SERIOUSLY
Johnson pleaded no contest to the charges July 24 and was sentenced to two years in state prison.
In the song, the lyrics "Im'ma kill me a cop one day" and "Call me crazy but I think I fell in love with the sound of hearing the dispatcher saying, 'Officer Down,'" are repeated.
"We took it seriously from the second we heard the song," said Carrie Eleazer, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office.
Johnson also refers to being on probation, Sheriff Grady Judd and the 2006 killing of deputy Matt Williams and his K-9 DioGi.
Based on the facts and circumstances, two years in prison "appeared to be an appropriate punishment," said Chief Assistant State Attorney Chip Thullbery.
Johnson's friend, Daniel Barajas, 27, of Auburndale, who owns Hood Certified Entertainment, said he was the one who posted the song.
Barajas said "Kill Me a Cop" was unintentionally included on a CD of some of Johnson's unpublished music that he picked up at Studio 88 in Lakeland, where he said Johnson worked.
"It was my mistake. I didn't listen to it thoroughly. I liked the beat," Barajas said.
The song was never meant to be released, and he didn't realize that Johnson had named the two officers, Barajas said.
Even so, he said Johnson had no intentions of killing anyone, and the song was merely a "musical journal" for Johnson, who was tired of seeing officers harass others.
On Johnson's own MySpace page, he is listed as a Christian rap, hip hop, and rap artist.
Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said it's not clear that Johnson's lyrics were "credible acts of violence."
"There's no question that the rap lyrics are ugly, (but) in America you don't punish ugly and hostile thoughts and words," Simon said.
FIRST AMENDMENT
He said the ACLU may look into Johnson's case.
Lawrence Walters, an Orlando lawyer who is not affiliated with Johnson's case, said he's also concerned that Johnson's rights were violated. The Web site for his law firm - Weston, Garrou, Walters & Mooney - says the firm is "dedicated to the defense of freedom and the protection of creative expression."
"I believe that these lyrics were protected by the First Amendment," Walters said.
The fact that the song was put on a public site does not mean that it was a direct threat, Walters said.
In the last two years, Barajas, who was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in May related to an attack outside a bar in Wahneta, said that Johnson was getting his life straightened out.
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MTVNEWS Reports
The search warrants that were used to comb the home and offices of Dr. Conrad Murray in Las Vegas on Tuesday suggest that police believe Michael Jackson was a drug addict. According to The Associated Press, the warrants, released on Thursday, refer to the late pop star as an "addict," and were seeking evidence of the prescribing of the powerful anesthetic Propofol and of the misdemeanor of "excessive prescribing."
When officers from the Los Angeles and Las Vegas Police Departments and the Drug Enforcement Administration searched Murray's Las Vegas home and offices they were doing so with warrants that were issued because there was probable cause to believe they would uncover evidence of excessive prescribing, prescribing to an addict, excessive treatment or prescribing, unprofessional conduct, prescribing to or treating an addict and manslaughter. Since his death, reports have surfaced that Jackson allegedly suffered from a long-term addiction to pain medication, possibly as a result of injuries sustained during a failed pyrotechnic stunt on the set of a 1984 Pepsi commercial.
A variety of sources have confirmed that Murray is the focus of a manslaughter investigation into the June 25 death of Jackson. The cardiologist had been hired at the cost of $150,000 a month to be Jackson's personal physician in the lead-up to the launch of the singer's attempted 50-show comeback residency at the O2 Arena in London.
The AP reported that there are California state codes for doctors that cover prescribing — including ones prohibiting the prescription of drugs to anyone with a chemical dependency or anyone who is using drugs for a non-therapeutic purpose — and violations could lead to a revoked or suspended license.
On Monday, the AP reported that Murray gave Jackson Propofol prior to his death, and the warrants said that police had been searching on Tuesday for all documentation relating to the "purchase, transfer, receiving, ordering, delivery and storage of Propofol." Numerous bottles of Propofol (also known by the brand name Diprivan) were found in Jackson's rented Holmby Hills, California, home at the time of his death. The warrants also sought medical records related to any of the 19 aliases Jackson is alleged to have used in order to obtain prescription medications.
The Las Vegas searches resulted in the seizure of an iPhone, copies of several computer hard drives, a CD with the name Omar Arnold on it — one of the aliases Jackson reportedly used — and a binder containing invoices for medical equipment and supplies, according to the AP. No Propofol was found in the searches.
Jackson is said to have used the surgical anesthetic as a sleep aid to combat chronic insomnia. Investigators are working under the assumption that the drug caused the singer's heart to stop. The cause of death in the case has not yet been announced, and on Thursday Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said after speaking to investigators that autopsy results have been indefinitely delayed pending further investigation.
Though Murray has not been named as a suspect in the death of Jackson, reports have said that he is the central focus of the investigation. He has spoken to police twice and his lawyer has said that Murray did not prescribe anything that "should have" killed Jackson, but has not commented on whether Murray administered Propofol to Jackson.
TMZ reported on Friday (July 31) that contrary to initial reports, Jackson was not found in his bed by Murray, but spent the final night of his life in the doctor's bedroom. Citing multiple unnamed law-enforcement sources, the site claimed that Jackson did not want anyone coming in and out of his room as he was hooked up to an intravenous drip of Propofol, so he laid down in Murray's bed as the doctor allegedly administered the drug in the hours before the singer's death.
Police sources said Murray may have been using his room almost nightly to hook Jackson up to the IV drip of the drug, which is intended for use in a medical setting where heart and breathing functions can be monitored by trained professionals. Among the items emergency workers reportedly found in Murray's room on the morning of Jackson's death were an IV stand, an empty IV bag and tanks of oxygen.
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