Author: hhns

Lil Boosie threw a 60th birthday party for his mother over the weekend.  His neighbors in the gated community in Louisiana where he is currently renting a house complained about noise and parking violation.  The rapper mother said it was just a small family gathering.  She felt they were being single out.  On March 5, Boosie was released from prison, during a public appearance Boosie said “I just feel I stand alone in the music industry.” “As for the rap game, I feel like the music I got, the rap game wide open for me to take over,” he said. “I feel like what I been hearing these last three, four days on the radio and stuff is different from my music. Like I said, it’s different from my music. And different brings greatness. So, I just feel I stand alone in the music industry to tell you the truth”.  The rapper is about to perform a string of out of state concerts , ticketmaster has tickets listed for Boosie performance in Birmingham and Nashville in April.  The rapper has not been cleared to leave the state of Louisiana.  Before he is able to leave the state Boosie has to prove himself over time and follower procedure to make a request through his officer.

In 2013 while serving time in prison, Gucci Mane worked on 12 project (3 project are with 1017 Brick Squad) with help from Ronald “Caveman” Rosario.   His share of profits from those project is supposedly $1.3 million.  Gucci Mane sells and benefits from TrapMerch.com an outlet the Rosario co-owns.  The site sells mixtapes and free Guwop tee shirt among other things.  Rosario also detailed Young Thug’s complicated label situation, noting that Gucci Mane is position to benefit from any success Rich Gang manage rapper might experience.  Thug is signed to 1017 Brick Squad even though he is being manage by Birdman.  How do Gucci Mane get project done from behind bars.  He just calls from jail and give direction on projects and we go from there.

During an interview Love & Hip Hop reality star Benzino talked about the shooting he was involved in on his way to his mother funeral.  Benzino was grazed in the back and shot in the arm by his nephew Gai Scott.  The shooting was the result of tension between Benzino and Scott and other family members. The reality star said “I can’t talk too much about that only because of course it’s an investigation still going on…Only thing I wanna say about that as far as live on camera is that my mother was a beautiful, beautiful woman,” Benzino said. “And what’s transpired with her over the last 10 years was just really unfortunate. As far as her—I would have wanted her to retire. And be somewhere on the island and stuff, but things happened. Things happened that was out of my control. I’m in Atlanta and she’s up here. And she has other daughters and nephews and stuff. It’s just—it’s unfortunate. Money brings the worst out of people.”  He also said “With my mother not here probably—I just start losing faith in human beings. I just start—because when I grew up it wasn’t like this,” he said. “You know what I’m saying? When I grew up…Just society on a whole. It just, it wasn’t like this. People had genuine love for each other. We live in an age of social media now and it’s no genuine love because you really don’t even know who you talking to half the time…I think with my mom passing and with the things that transpired it’s definitely made me a little bit colder. But then there could be something that happens next week that makes my heart happy again”.  There is no known date as to when Benzino would leave the hospital.  He will have to have physical therapy on his hand.  His nephew Scott is being charged with assault with the intent to murder.

Chicago rapper Lil Marc (Marc Campbell) was supposedly kill for mocking the death of his rivals in the street.  Two day after the release of  his video call “No Competition” the 20 year old rapper was shot and killed.  The song make light of other people death.  Lyrics on the song goes   “Mask up, young n*ggas on dummy, catch you in broad day leave em like J Money.”  There is also an online poster that says “Yall must not heard lil Marc competition..can’t stand on the bus stop after making something like that”.  It is ironic the rapper was shot in the head in front of an bus stop mid-day on Friday March 28th.  He leaves behind a pregnant girlfriend.  The murdered may be related to a shooting the happened earlier in the day.  The motive behind the shooting is still speculation and police are still investigating.

John Kennedy Center Hip Hop Culture Worldwide Festival 2014 takes place March 25-April 13th in Washington DC at Georgetown University.  At the festival, Nas talked about members of the culture not taking a greater responsibility to rap about topic that touch on social justice issue.  He do not see enough emcees who are brave enough to be honest.  Socially conscious topic can come off as preachy, so a lot of rappers stay away from it.  Nas thinks rappers has the ability to do more then the latest trend.  There is a number of different rap style such as party rap, more intense rap and techno style rap.  People are just experimenting with rap music.  Nas said “Imagine me trying to come in that rap game at 19 years old. It was impossible. I had to do something that mattered, or I would not have gotten that respect from [the rapper at the time]. If I didn’t get that respect from them it was over. But now it’s a lot easier. “I would like to see people remember it’s an art form because the better we all become we push each other to make the whole art form better. Then we won’t have to worry about who won the Grammy”.

Rapper Jay Z tried to avoid a lawsuit deposition filed by Roc-A-Fella logo designer Dwayne Walker.  Jay is being sued for breach of contract and copyright infringement.  Damon Dash and Universal Music has also been named in the lawsuit deposition.  Walker attorney Gregory Berry said “For over 18 months Jay-Z and the other defendants have done everything they can to avoid swearing under oath to the events that led to the creation of the logo. With the decision today, the defendants’ delay tactics must stop, and Mr. Walker’s quest for justice can move forward.”   In 1995, Walker created the Roc-A-Fella logo which he still owns the copyright too.  The defendants promised to give him $3,500 and 2% of revenues for ten years after the first use of the logo.  Walker did receive the $3,500 but was never given 2% of the revenues.   He is owed $7 million in unpaid royalties.  Gregory Barry, Walker attorney filed the lawsuit in District Court in Manhattan in July 2012.  This is not the first time Jay has been sued before for copyright infringement.  At the beginning of the year another lawsuit was file against Jay Z by a man who claims he trademarked “Brooklyn Net” name over 10 years ago.

Two of Knight former associates thinks Knight is either a government informant or a rat.  Lloyd (TaTa) Lake met Knight two decade ago and Reggie White was Knight childhood friend who once work security at Death Row.  The two men are currently working on a documentary (Justice For Tupac and Biggie) about the murder of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.  They also looking into whether the U.S. Government has infiltrated the Hip Hop community with secret sources who will provide information rappers.  The film will also look into possible ties between Knight with the FBI.  In an interview Lake and Wright talk about their history with Knight and Death Row, all the people suspected of being involved in the murders of Biggie and Tupac.  And why they believe Knight is not who he claims to be.  Here is a couple of examples. Lloyd said “one night [Suge] called me and said, “I need you to go push on Drake for me.” I already had in my mind this guy could be an informant, but the only reason I went down there was to check to see if I could figure out if he really was an informant and to see if I saw any FBI or anybody in the vicinity or in the club. Sure enough I did. They followed me everywhere I moved through there. Let’s talk about Las Vegas when he’s standing over Melissa Issac, and he’s beating her with a knife in his hand and with drugs in his front pocket. He doesn’t go to jail. This is a slam dunk case. You got a cop as an eye-witness. You don’t have a better eye-witness than a police officer. And there’s no way Melissa can just say she doesn’t want to testify against him. They would have forced her to testify. They would have subpoenaed her. There’s no way out of those cases.  Wright do not think Knight is an informant he just think he has rat things in him.  Wright claim when Knight was doing time in jail for probation violation he was going to have to serve six months which he did not want to do.  Knight apparently reach out to the US Attorney who was handling his probation and said  “Y’all been trying to get me to cooperate on David Kenner. I’m willingly to do that now, because I don’t wanna go six months. I’m ready to get out of here.”

Rick Ross purchased 6 watches from New York Jeweler Rafaello & Co for $250,000.  He purchase the watches in celebration of the success of his “Mastermind Album”.  DJ Khaled, Meek Mill and Walle were on the receiving end of the watches among a few others.  “Mastermind” was released on March 12, and sold !79,215 copies in it first week.  In a review of his album it was said there is nothing compelling about Rick Ross fictional tale, it has become stale.

Cassidy said he supplied R. Kelly with guns while the singer was performing at MSG on November 29, 2004.  The incident took place during Kelly and Jay Z “Best Of Both World Tour.  Kelly had apparently left the stage after he thought someone in the crowd flashed a gun.  When Kelly decided to return to the stage he was informed that extra police officers has been dispersed into the crowd.  Kelly claimed that he was peppered sprayed by an associate of Jay Z.  Cassidy was in the building getting ready to perform “Hotel” a collaboration with Kelly he heard of the peppered spray incident and he wanted to help Kelly.  Cassidy said “So Cassidy and a couple of goons who accompany him to MSG gave Kelly a couple of (burners) guns.  Later on Kelly was rushed to St. Vincent Hospital, that is where Cassidy and company tried to retrieve the guns from Kelly.  In a radio interview a day after the incident , Jay Z shot down Kelly gun accusation.  He said “That’s Madison Square Garden. You cannot get a gun in Madison Square Garden. Does he know where he’s at?  Two years later Jay Z best friend and business associate Tyran Smith pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection to the incident.