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Goodie Mob Announces New Reunion Concert

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on July 31, 2009 at 2:27pm

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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Man Sentenced To Two Years In Prison Over Rap Song. ACLU Considering Case

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on July 31, 2009 at 12:23pm

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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Michael Jackson Search Warrants Refer To Singer As 'Addict'

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on July 31, 2009 at 9:03am

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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Tony Yayo Premieres 'Streets Keep Calling Me' Video

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on July 31, 2009 at 8:49am
Today, we bring you the debut of a new viral video by Tony Yayo called "Streets Keep Calling Me." The clip features fellow Queens giant Cormega and is off Yayo's Public Enemies mixtape. "The Internet is everything for me," Yayo said about putting out music and accompanying visuals on the Web. His videos, like the one for "Candy Man," have been viewed millions of times on ThisIs50.com. "Fif is a smart dude. He has the power to see stuff ahead of time. So it's like, I'm seeing how hard he's going with the Internet — MTV.com and all these other dot-coms, that's poppin' right now. It's the plateau to get yourself out. Before, artists had to pay to get the music out. This is my plateau right now, so I'm going hard." Public Enemies is Yayo's third mixtape in just a few months. "The way we had it in '03, 04, I'll never forget that the mixtapes made who we are," Tony explained. "I feel like a whole new artist. I feel like I'm starting all over again. The mixtapes were crazy. I'm still in the 'hood with it. "It's just everything you're doing yourself," he added about the difference between making his own mixtapes and working on G-Unit projects. "When you got perfectionists like Eminem, Lloyd Banks, 50 Cent and [Dr.] Dre in the studio, you learn a lot from them. I seen 50 say lines 20 times over. The same line. He learned that from Dre and Eminem. I feel the pressure of them still being there. I want the mixtapes to come out right, and I want 50 to be impressed, as well as Banks. It's the same kinda feeling, just a little more pressure, 'cause you wanna make sure everything is good."
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Cops release surveillance video of suspects who robbed then killed boxer Vernon Forrest

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on July 31, 2009 at 8:00am
Atlanta Journal Constitution Reports Atlanta police on Thursday released surveillance video of at least one suspect in the shooting death of boxing great Vernon Forrest. The video is from security cameras at the Whitehall Street gas station where Forrest was robbed and a nearby apartment complex. “The images are good enough to get a mug shot of the robber,” Detective Lt. Keith Meadows said of footage showing an armed man in jeans and a black T-shirt. Police are looking for three to four men in connection with the Saturday night killing of the 38-year-old boxer. “We believe that the person that robbed Mr. Forrest and the one who actually murdered him is not the same person,” Meadows said. One man robbed Forrest at gunpoint, taking his diamond and gold “4X World Champion” ring and a Rolex watch, police said. Forrest pulled a gun from his waist and went after the robber, police said. A second man shot Forrest multiple times in the back after he chased the robber, police said. And at least one other man was in a red Pontiac Grand Prix that later retrieved the robber and the shooter, police said. “Security footage actually picks up the [robbery] suspect, but Mr. Forrest actually loses sight of the subject,” Meadows said. Investigators used time stamps from video recorded at the 505 Fulton Street apartment building and the Whitehall Street convenience store to compile a timeline of events, Meadows said. Footage from the gas station shows the Pontiac pull into the station, and the man police say was the robber get out. Video from the apartment complex showed the same man enter a breezeway, carrying a silver handgun, just after police said Forrest had given chase. “At that point Mr. Forrest comes around the corner, and he encounters another individual we believe has a gun in his hand,” Meadows said, citing witness accounts. “Mr. Forrest and this individual exchange words, and he realizes this is not the individual that actually robbed him ... Mr. Forrest turns and walks away.”

In this July 26, 2007 file photo, boxer Vernon Forrest smiles as he answers questions during a news conference in Tacoma, Wash. Forrest was robbed and shot "multiple times in the back" in Atlanta. The armed man shot Forrest seven or eight times, police said. The apartment footage later showed the robber waiting in the breezeway and talking on his cell phone before being picked up by the Pontiac. The car then drove south on McDaniel Street, Meadows said.
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2 Cops suspended for running background check on President Obama

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on July 30, 2009 at 8:50pm

Atlanta Journal Constitution Reports Two DeKalb County Officers are being investigated for allegedly performing a background check on President Barack Obama Officers Ryan White and C.M. Route have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to DeKalb County spokeswoman Sheila Edwards. Edwards said the two patrol officers have been with the department for about two years. The incident occurred on July 20, according to DeKalb County officials. The United States Secret Service notified county officials that DeKalb County computer equipment was utilized to do a query on the President. Edwards said the background check was run using a computer mounted in a patrol car. Such behavior, said William “Miz” Miller, DeKalb Public Safety director, is not to be tolerated. “As Public Safety Director for DeKalb County, I want everyone to know that we take these allegations very seriously,” he said in a statement. “We expect our officers to adhere to professional standards and departmental policy. Furthermore, we do not and will not condone the inappropriate use of county equipment or resources.” The county’s Internal Affairs division is handling the official investigation.
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Cold beer, calm words on race at the White House. As President Obama meets with Dr Gates & Sgt James Crowley

Posted by ChasinDatPaper on July 30, 2009 at 8:31pm
Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. (left), and Police Sgt. James Crowley talk race at the White House.

Atlanta Journal Constitution Reports With mugs of beer and a calm conversation, President Barack Obama tried to push himself and the nation beyond a political uproar Thursday, hailing a "friendly, thoughtful" conversation with the black professor and white policeman whose dispute had ignited a fierce debate over race in America. "I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart," the nation's first black president said after the highly anticipated meeting ended. "I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode." Under the canopy of a magnolia tree in the early evening, Obama joined the other players in a story that had knocked the White House off stride: Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. James Crowley. Vice President Joe Biden was with them on a Rose Garden patio. "We agreed to move forward," Crowley said later when asked if anything was solved. "I think what you had today was two gentlemen agreeing to disagree on a particular issue. I don't think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. We spent a lot of time discussing the future."

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have a beer with Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., left, and Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. James Crowley, right, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds) The issue in question began when Crowley investigated a potential burglary at Gates' house and ended up arresting the protesting professor for disorderly conduct. The matter mushroomed into a debate on racial profiling, fueled when Obama said in a prime-time news conference that the police "acted stupidly." He later expressed regret. Gates said after Thursday's White House gathering that he hoped the entire experience would prove to be an "occasion for education, not recrimination." He said the burden now rests with him and Crowley to use the opportunity to foster wider awareness of the dangers facing police officers and the fears that some blacks have about racial profiling.
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