Tallahassee, Monticello and Jacksonville are well represented as Cash on Cash Entertainment drops off official visuals for "My City" featuring Bosswood, Nario Da Don, TallyUp and Tommy Versetti.
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — The defense attorney who caused an outcry by saying Black pastors should be barred from the murder trial over Ahmaud Arbery’s death declared in court Friday that a courthouse rally supporting the slain Black man’s family was comparable to a “public lynching” of the three white defendants.
“This case has been infected by things that have nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of these defendants,” attorney Kevin Gough told the judge, arguing that civil rights activists are trying to influence the disproportionately white jury.
Gough renewed a request for a mistrial the day after the Rev. Al Sharpton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Martin Luther King III joined hundreds of pastors, most of them Black, praying and rallying at the steps of the Glynn County courthouse. The event was organized after Gough last week objected to Sharpton sitting in the back row of the courtroom with Arbery’s parents.
“This is what a public lynching looks like in the 21st century,” Gough told the judge, saying his client’s right to a fair trial was being violated by a “left woke mob.”
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley dismissed the mistrial motion with little discussion.
“I don’t recall any disruption in the courtroom itself,” the judge said of Thursday’s rally, which coincided with defense testimony.
Gough is the lead attorney for William “Roddie” Bryan, who joined father and son Greg and Travis McMichael in pursuing Arbery in pickup trucks after spotting the 25-year-old man running in their coastal Georgia neighborhood on Feb. 23, 2020. Bryan took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery as he threw punches and grabbed for the shotgun.
Arbery’s killing later became part of the broader reckoning on racial injustice in the criminal legal system after a string of fatal encounters between Black people and police.
Gough has repeatedly raised concerns about outside activists seeking to influence the case. He made the lynching remark after prosecutor Linda Dunikoski accused Gough of intentionally provoking outrage among Black pastors and civil rights activists.
“They are responding to what he strategically, knowingly, intelligently did so that there would be a response so that he could then complain of it,” Dunikoski said. “That is good lawyering right there. Because now he’s motioned for a mistrial based on something that he caused.”
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, called Gough’s latest comments “ridiculous.”
“He’s done things repeatedly that just surprise me that he would say,” she told reporters outside the courthouse. “Very surprising, but not unexpected I would say.”
The powerhouse duo of Styles P of The Lox and Havoc of Mobb Deep have teamed up for a collaborative album titled “Wreckage Manner,” which drops on December 3.
LA The Goat, the Tampa rapper pays homage to his city’s area code with 813 DAY, his official debut EP available today via Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def/Def Jam Recordings. Centerpiece of the EP is “Bounce It” featuring Big Freedia, the Queen of Bounce in a matchup of eclectic, complementary, but never conflicting hip-hop styles.
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 19, 2021 at 12:30pm
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Kyle Rittenhouse has been acquitted of all charges after pleading self-defense in the deadly Kenosha, Wisconsin, shootings that became a flashpoint in the nation’s debate over guns, vigilantism and racial injustice.
The jury came back with its verdict after close to 3 1/2 days of deliberation.
Rittenhouse, 18, could have gotten life in prison if found guilty of the most serious charge against him.
He was charged with homicide, attempted homicide and recklessly endangering safety for killing two men and wounding a third with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle.
The shootings took place during a night of protests over police violence against Black people in the tumultuous summer of 2020. Rittenhouse is white, as were those he shot. The jury appeared to be overwhelmingly white.
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 19, 2021 at 12:01pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 100 federal prison workers have been arrested, convicted or sentenced for crimes since the start of 2019, including a warden indicted for sexual abuse, an associate warden charged with murder, guards taking cash to smuggle drugs & weapons, and supervisors stealing property such as tires & tractors.
An Associated Press investigation has found that the federal Bureau of Prisons, with an annual budget of nearly $8 billion, is a hotbed of abuse, graft & corruption & has turned a blind eye to employees accused of misconduct. In some cases, the agency has failed to suspend officers who themselves had been arrested for crimes.
Two-thirds of the criminal cases against Justice Department personnel in recent years have involved federal prison workers, who account for less than one-third of the department’s workforce. Of the 41 arrests this year, 28 were of BOP employees or contractors. The FBI had just 5. The Drug Enforcement Administration & the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives each had 2.
The numbers highlight how criminal behavior by employees festers inside a federal prison system meant to punish & rehabilitate people who have committed bad acts. The revelations come as advocates are pushing the Biden administration to get serious about fixing the bureau.
In 1 case unearthed by the AP, the agency allowed an official at a federal prison in Mississippi, whose job it was to investigate misconduct of other staff members, to remain in his position after he was arrested on charges of stalking & harassing fellow employees. That official was also allowed to continue investigating a staff member who had accused him of a crime.
Federal prison workers in nearly every job function have been charged with crimes. Those employees include a teacher who pleaded guilty in January to fudging an inmate’s high school equivalency & a chaplain who admitted taking at least $12,000 in bribes to smuggle Suboxone, which is used to treat opioid addiction, as well as marijuana, tobacco & cellphones & leaving the items in a prison chapel cabinet for inmates to retrieve.
At the highest ranks, the warden of a federal women’s prison in Dublin, California, was arrested in September & indicted this month on charges he molested an inmate multiple times, scheduled times where he demanded she undress in front of him & amassed a slew of nude photos of her on his government-issued phone.
Warden Ray Garcia, who was placed on administrative leave after the FBI raided his office in July, allegedly told the woman there was no point in reporting the sexual assault because he was “close friends” with the person who would investigate the allegation & that the inmate wouldn’t be able to “ruin him.” Garcia has pleaded not guilty.
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 19, 2021 at 10:46am
Video After The Jump
Jadakiss is torn up over Young Dolph getting gunned down ... he says hip-hop culture needs to stop killing its own artists, and the violence needs to end ASAP.
We got the "Why" rapper at Madison Square Garden and asked him how he's coping after the murder of Young Dolph -- an artist he's worked with in the past.
Jadakiss says the whole thing is very sad and he's tired of seeing hip-hop artists dying way too young, especially when it's because of violence or some old beef.
As we reported ... Dolph was shot and killed Wednesday in his hometown of Memphis while getting cookies from one of his favorite spots. His life was taken moments before he intended to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys in his old neighborhood.
Jadakiss says the whole thing is tragic and emblematic of a larger problem in the hip-hop community ... and he wants things to change STAT.
Jada's doing his part to make a positive impact -- he was at MSG for the Roc Nation job fair, telling us about all the benefits available for folks looking to get back on their feet.
Production credits: Wavy Da Ghawd, Statik Selektah, Berto, GetLarge, Qwan, FrankieP and Backpack.
ART by @cousin_hill
Tracklist:
01. The God Nas Speaks 02. Bad Bitch (Prod. by GetLarge) 03. Slow Down (Prod. by Berto) 04. Sinaloa Ft. Red Inf (Prod. by FrankieP) 05. Real Ones Ft. 1 Shot Dealz (Prod. by Qwan) 06. Gem (Prod. by Berto) 07. Bout Them Dollas Ft. Anoyd (Prod. by Statik Selektah) 08. Father Forgive (Prod. by Wavy Da Ghawd) 09. Me (Prod. by Berto) 10. Politics (Prod. by Backpack)
01. Strangers By Nature 02. Easy On Me 03. My Little Love 04. Cry Your Heart Out 05. Oh My God 06. Can I Get It 07. I Drink Wine 08. All Night Parking (feat. Erroll Garner) 09. Woman Like Me 10. Hold On 11. To Be Loved 12. Love Is A Game
01. Snoop Dogg - Intro 02. Redman, Method Man - Alright 03. Snoop Dogg - No Bammer Weed 04. Eric Bellinger, Snoop Dogg, Usher - New Oldie 05. Fabolous, Dave East - Make Some Money 06. Malaya - Anxiety 07. JANE HANDCOCK - Like My Weed 08. YK Osiris - Applying Pressure 09. Blxst, Snoop Dogg - Go To War 10. October London - I Want You 11. AUGUST 08 - GYU 12. Malaya - Inspiration 13. MOUNT WESTMORE, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40, Too $hort - Big Subwoofer 14. Snoop Dogg - Murder Music 15. HeyDeon - Been Thru 16. Snoop Dogg - Qualified 17. Choc - Everybody Dies 18. JANE HANDCOCK - By & By 19. Snoop Dogg, DJ Cassidy - Diamond Life 20. JANE HANDCOCK - Whatever You On 21. Nefertitti Avani - Make It Last 22. Snoop Dogg - No Smut On My Name 23. Snoop Dogg - Get My Money 24. camino - Steady 25. Snoop Dogg - Outro
Buffalo, New York emcee/producer and The First Lady of Trust Comes First, Che Noir, is gearing up to release a new project titled "Food for Thought" very soon. To get fans warmed up she blesses fans with the single "Praises."
A massive, multi-billion dollar lawsuit is now topping the pile of claims against rappers Travis Scott and Drake & organizers of the Astroworld Festival in Houston earlier this month.
This comes after the event left 10 people dead and hundreds more injured following a crowd surge during Scott’s performance at NRG Stadium. Over 50,000 people attended the festival.
San Antonio-based attorney Thomas J. Henry filed the $2 billion lawsuit Thursday on behalf of 282 victims & it’s targeting a long list of defendants.
The lawsuit is seeking up to $2 billion in damages from Scott, Aubrey Drake Graham (Drake), Apple Music, Live Nation & NRG Stadium.
“The defendants stood to make an exorbitant amount of money off of this event & they still chose to cut corners, cut costs & put attendees at risk,” said Henry in a statement. “My clients want to ensure the defendants are held responsible for their actions, & they want to send the message to all performers, event organizers & promoters that what happened at Astroworld cannot happen again.”
Houston police are still investigating the tragedy that unfolded at Astroworld, & as of earlier this week, the Harris County administrator will also be conducting a separate investigation.
Hundreds more lawsuits have already been filed against Scott, Drake and event organizers. As of last check, no one has been criminally charged.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police are investigating a shooting at a Family Dollar on Airways, next door to a memorial for Memphis rapper Young Dolph.
The shooting happened at the Family Dollar near Airways Boulevard and Ketchum Road Thursday afternoon.
Memphis Police say one person was taken to the hospital in non-critical condition. Police say two people were detained on the scene and another was detained at Mississippi and Kerr after “a brief pursuit.”
Memphis Police say the cause of the shooting is under investigation.
The shooting happened near Makeda’s Cookies, where Memphis rapper Young Dolph was gunned down Wednesday. Fans of Young Dolph had set up a memorial for him at the bakery.
Loot Tae releases his new single titled "Hurt Alone." When asked about his music, the Cleveland native says, "Growing up and having to find different outlets as a young male, music has turned into my life and has helped me overcome many things throughout my years. My music is not only for me to express myself but also to give voices to the ones who feel they may not be heard."
Listen to the new track below via Spotify or on any music platform.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt commuted the death sentence of condemned inmate Julius Jones on Thursday, the day of his scheduled execution. Jones has proclaimed his innocence from death row for more than 2 decades in the 1999 killing of a suburban Oklahoma City businessman.
Stitt commuted Jones’ death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He had been scheduled for execution on Thursday.
The state’s Pardon and Parole Board recommended in a 3-1 vote on Nov. 1 that Stitt commute Jones’ sentence to life in prison, with several members of the panel agreeing they had doubts about the evidence that led to Jones’ conviction.
Jones, 41, was convicted of first-degree murder & sentenced to die for the 1999 shooting death of Edmond businessman Paul Howell during a carjacking.
Jones’ case drew widespread attention after it was profiled in “The Last Defense,” a three-episode documentary produced by actress Viola Davis that aired on ABC in 2018. Since then, reality television star Kim Kardashian West and athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin & Trae Young, have urged Stitt to commute Jones’ death sentence & spare his life.
Jones alleges he was framed by the actual killer, a high school friend & former co-defendant who was a key witness against him. But Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and the state’s former attorney general, Mike Hunter, have said the evidence against Jones is overwhelming.
Information from trial transcripts shows that witnesses identified Jones as the shooter & placed him with Howell’s stolen vehicle. Investigators also found the murder weapon wrapped in a bandanna with Jones’ DNA in an attic space above his bedroom. Jones claimed in his commutation filing that the gun & bandanna were planted there by the actual killer, who had been inside Jones’ house after the killing.
Howell’s sister, Megan Tobey, & young daughters were in Howell’s SUV when the carjacking happened in his parents’ driveway in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond. Tobey testified before the board that she distinctly remembers seeing Jones shoot her brother.
“He is the same person today as he was 22 years ago. He’s still getting into trouble. He’s still in a gang. He’s still lying. And he still feels no shame, guilt or remorse for his action,” Tobey said. “We need Julius Jones to be held responsible.”
}