Author: hhns

There is no evidence of foul play, but a cause of death won’t be determined until after the toxicology report is completed.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

There are no signs of trauma or foul play in the death of Kris Krossrapper Chris Kelly, lending credence to reports that the 34-year-old died after he had taken a mixture of heroin and cocaine.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner completed an autopsy Thursday (May 2), but Kelly’s official cause of death won’t be determined until at least three weeks after the toxicology report is complete, a county rep told MTV News.

A Look Back At Kris Kross In 1995

On Wednesday morning, hours before he died, Kelly took a phone call from Streetz 94.5 producer Akini. The Atlanta radio station released the audio online, and during the minute-long conversation, Kelly appears to be a bit out of sorts. “When you listen to the phone conversation, you can tell there is a lot going on in the background,” Akini wrote on the station’s website.

Police officers arrived at Kelly’s home at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday in response to a report of a death. When paramedics arrived on the scene, they found Kelly lying unresponsive on his couch with “no life signs.” He was transferred to Atlanta Medical Center South, where he was pronounced dead. According to the report obtained by MTV News, Kelly’s mother, Donna Kelly Pratte, told officers that the rapper — who went by the name Mac Daddy — had taken a mixture of cocaine and heroin the night before, a concoction commonly known as speedballs.

In the report, Pratte is identified as “a close friend” of Kelly and said that she had brought him home to recover from his drug use and that he “had done this several times in the past.”

A Look Back At Chris Kelly’s Influential Style.

Pratte issued a statement on her son’s death, writing, “It is with deep sadness that we announce that our beloved Chris Kelly has passed away on May 1. To millions of fans worldwide, he was the trendsetting, backwards pants-wearing one-half of Kris Kross who loved making music. But to us, he was just Chris — the kind, generous and fun-loving life of the party. Though he was only with us a short time, we feel blessed to have been able to share some incredible moments with him. His legacy will live on through his music, and we will forever love him.”

Chris Kelly And Da Brat Always Felt On The Same ‘Team’ As Jermaine Dupri

[/expand]

Waka Flocka Flame maintains that nobody helped him in his career. He also adds that his mom, Debra Antney, did not help his career either.

Earlier this year, Waka Flocka Flame and Gucci Mane had a falling out. The two former collaborators traded disses via Twitter after Gucci said Flocka was dropped from 1017 Brick Squad. Recently, Waka shared more about his relationship with Gucci Mane in an interview with The Combat Jack Show, saying that he does not feel Gucci was his mentor.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

“Mentor?” he questioned when asked about Gucci. However, Waka seemed to take a step back before speaking more on the matter. “I ain’t even gonna go against him. I feel I come out of character when I do it. You right. But I feel like nobody helped me do shit. Not my momma. Not Gucci. My first album, Gucci ain’t even on it. Period. My second album, he ain’t on it. I put all my music together, got all my producers. This shit Waka.”

Waka went on to say he thinks Gucci Mane may be jealous of his success.

“I don’t know the secret feelings that man got. From my personal opinion, it gotta be jealousy or envy. I don’t know but I ain’t lookin’ for no answers because once you say it, it’s done. Then I heard him say his Twitter got hacked. I guess God hacked it.”

Flocka was referring to Gucci’s Twitter post regarding him being dropped from 1017 Brick Squad. Soon after their original Twitter dispute, a Warner Bros. Records representative said Gucci’s Twitter account was hacked. When this was revealed to Waka, he stated that the hacking theory was false.

More from Waka Flocka’s interview with The Combat Jack Show can be seen below.

Waka and Gucci have a history as collaborators. In 2011, the pair teamed up for the collaborative album, Ferrari Boyz which debuted at #21 on the Billboard 200.

[/expand]

An attorney for Nas states that the rapper should not be held responsible for the 2011 kidnapping of a concert promoter.

It’s been close to a year and a half since Queensbridge lyricist Nas’ missed appearance at a December 2011 show in Angola resulted in the capture of a concert promoter and his son, and the rapper is still facing legal woes surrounding the kidnapping of the two men.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

According to NJ.com, Nas’ attorney has requested that a judge throw out a $10 million lawsuit the promoter, Allgood Entertainment’s Patrick Allocco, filed last year. The attorney for the rapper stated that any money Nas received from Allocco was eventually returned to the promoter and on top of that Allocco previously revealed that he wouldn’t sue the rapper once he was repaid his $300,000.

It’s unclear what exactly the $10 million requested in the lawsuit covers, but Allocco’s lawsuit does make mention of various financial losses, physical trauma, and even his son’s post-traumatic stress disorder.

Allocco and his son were kidnapped in Angola in late 2011 by employees of concert promoter Henrique “Riquhino” Miguel after Nas was a no-show at a New Year’s Eve concert he was scheduled to perform at in the country.

When questioned about the incident during an interview last year, Nas revealed that proper travel arrangements were never made and he didn’t receive his $300,000 until after he would have traveled to Angola.

[/expand]

Gucci Mane has been released from jail after serving three weeks for a parole violation.

The rapper was in jail for parole violation stemming from an alleged assault of a man with a bottle. In that case, a man allegedly asked Gucci for an autograph is the VIP section of an Atlanta night club. He was then hit over the head, an attack that caused a huge cut on his skull.

Gucci has been charged with aggravated assault.

There was another accusation in Phily, but the rapper has not been charged in that case.

(CNN) — Chris Kelly, one-half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, died Wednesday at an Atlanta hospital after he was found unresponsive at his home. He was 34.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

How Kelly died isn’t known, and the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy is planned for Thursday.

Kelly, together with Chris Smith, shot to stardom in 1992 with “Jump,” which spent eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.

Going by the stage name Mac Daddy (with Smith known as Daddy Mac), the pair was known for wearing their clothes backward during performances.

Rapper Da Brat was shocked by Kelly’s death. She had performed at a 20th anniversary party for producer Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def label in February where Kris Kross reunited for one night.

“REST IN PEACE TO MY LIL BRO CHRIS KELLY OF KRIS KROSS. Dam wasn’t we JUST at rehearsal and doin a So So Def20 show?,” she wrote.

Michael Skolnik, editor in chief of the hip hop site Global Grind said: “i’m wearing my clothes to work backwards tomorrow.”

Kelly and Smith were 13-year-olds when they were discovered in 1991 at an Atlanta mall by Jermaine Dupri.

The duo followed up their smash “Jump” with the single “Warm It Up.” Together, the songs pushed their debut album, “Totally Krossed Out,” to multiplatinum status.

Next came 1993’s “Da Bomb.” But the album failed to find the following of the duo’s debut, in large part because the boys had hit puberty and they were marketed with a tougher image.

Their career never again reached the heights of their debut, but they continued to make music.

In 1996, the duo released the album “Young, Rich and Dangerous.”

[/expand]

Lil Wayne was hospitalized again for a seizure … TMZ has  learned.

Sources close to Wayne tell us … the rapper was taken to  Cedars-Sinai in L.A. late Tuesday night by his bodyguards.   We’re  told he suffered a single seizure and was treated and released early this  morning.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

As we first reported, 30-year-old Lil Wayne spent a week at  Cedars back in March after suffering multiple severe seizures that nearly killed  him.  He spent 6 days in ICU.

Wayne subsequently went on the radio  and explained he’s an epileptic, and has been suffering from seizures since he  was a kid.

[/expand]

While Reebok’s CEO Uli Becker thinks Rick Ross is a “great guy,” he’s skeptical of his management and PR department.

The Footwear News (FN) CEO Summit is currently taking place at Fontainebleau Miami Beach in South Florida. There, the publication and organization addressed issues in the marketplace, including trends, innovations and more.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

One of the biggest stories emerging from the summit, and reported by Footwear News no less, is Reebok CEO Uli Becker addressing the brand’s severing ties with rapper Rick Ross last month. The dispute emerged after protesters petitioned Reebok online and outside of retail locations, to drop Ross following his lyrics perceived to be condoning rape on Rocko’s “U.E.N.O.” Within two weeks, Reebok released a public statement announcing they dropped the Maybach Music Group CEO, citing differences of “values” at the core. Ross responded days later, formally apologizing to Reebok for his actions.

During the summit which kicked off on Tuesday (April 30), Uli Becker, who was photographed during his presentation, was quoted as deeming Rick Ross a “great guy,” while criticizing his advisors as “stupid.” Maybach Music and Def Jam Records have yet to respond to the claims.

Footwear News@FootwearNews

Reebok CEO Uli Becker on Rick Ross: “It’s unfortunate because he’s a great guy, he just has stupid advisors around him.” #FNCEOSummit

[/expand]

The artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg says artists had to prove their backgrounds in the past and that Hip Hop has changed.

Snoop Lion was recently asked to speak about the differences between Gangsta Rap in the ’90s and Hip Hop today. The artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg explained that a rapper’s credibility was more scrutinized in the past.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

“It’s not real,” Snoop said of a lot of today’s content. “Where I come from, we got put on a set. I had to walk down the line and fight three or four of my homies for two, three or four minutes and then go do something and then go do something again and now, I’m in the hood. Nowadays, you can just say this is where you from. You ain’t got put on, you ain’t got no resume, you ain’t got no TRW. We ain’t got no backtrackin’ to even say who you are and what you were. Where I come from, you had to do things to create a name for yourself and visibly do things, even if it was negative. But you had to put in work. Nowadays, the only work you gotta put on is make a record. The record is your work.”

“When we got in the game, they did all kinds of research to see: Is he really from this gang? Is he really this? Did he really do this? And if there was one mark against you being fake or false, you was out of the game,” he continued.

[/expand]

Odd Future co-manager issues a statement to MTV News explaining controversy over
Tyler’s commercials.

Tyler, the Creator has a unique voice and a boundless creative spirit, and while his latest Mountain Dew ad may have been offensive to some, Odd Future’s co-manager Christian Clancy maintains Tyler meant no harm.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

“It was never Tyler’s intention to offend however,” Clancy wrote in a statement he issued to MTV News and posted on his Tumblr on Wednesday (May 1). “Offense is personal and valid to anyone who is offended. Out of respect to those that were offended the ad was taken down.”

The ad Clancy references was a Tyler-directed Mountain Dew spot, which was unveiled April 24 but came under fire Wednesday when activist Dr. Boyce Watkins wrote a post titled “Mountain Dew Releases Arguably the Most Racist Commercial in History” on YourBlackWorld.net. Watkins charged that the commercial, which featured a goat (voiced by Tyler) in a police lineup with five black men, perpetuated a damaging and irresponsible stereotype.

Tyler, the Creator discusses Mountain Dew ads in an interview last month.

Clancy apologized to those who took the ad out of context, but did offer up an explanation. “For those who know and respect Tyler he is known for pushing boundaries and challenging stereotypes through humor. This is someone who grew up on David Chappelle,” he wrote, referencing the socially poignant comedian. “This situation is layered with context and is a discussion that Tyler would love to address in the right forum as he does have a point of view.”

Tyler has been quiet about the controversy, only tweeting: “I Would Love To Have A Convo With @drboycewatkins1.”

His management expressed the importance of Tyler’s voice and clarified the intent behind the commercial. “This spot was part of an overall admittedly absurd storyline about a crazy goat who becomes obsessed with Mountain Dew,” Clancy wrote, simplifying the story arc of the three commercials. “He absolutely never intended to spark a controversy about race. It was simply an again admittedly absurd story that was never meant to be taken seriously.”

To close, Clancy offered a final apology on behalf of Tyler and Odd Future. “We apologize if this was taken out of context and would never trivialize racism, especially now in America where voting and civil rights are being challenged at the highest level,” he wrote.

[/expand]

Lil Wayne claims “tremendous respect for those who paved the way for the liberty and opportunities that African-Americans currently enjoy,” after admitting his inappropriate mention of Emmett Till.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

In February of this year, Lil Wayne made national headlines for a lyric on Future’s “Karate Chop (Remix).” The New Orleans, Louisiana emcee-turned-mogul rapped, “I beat the pussy up like Emmett Till.” The crude simile was comparing sex to the 1955 hate-crime murder of the 15 year-old Till, for allegedly winking at a White woman in Mississippi. Following the song’s release, Emmett Till’s cousin publicly criticized Lil Wayne’s racial “pride and dignity” for the deeply insensitive lyrics.

Over two and a half months later, Lil Wayne, who was hospitalized for seizures in early March (during which time the Till family offered prayer on his behalf), has publicly apologized for his lyrics. This is the letter, as is it appeared at MissInfo.TV, is re-published below:

“Dear Till Family:
As a recording artist, I have always been interested in word play. My lyrics often reference people, places and events in my music, as well as the music that I create for or alongside other artists.
It has come to my attention that lyrics from my contribution to a fellow artist’s song has deeply offended your family. As a father myself, I cannot imagine the pain that your family has had to endure. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge your hurt, as well as the letter you sent to me via your attorneys.
Moving forward, I will not use or reference Emmett Till or the Till family in my music, especially in an inappropriate manner. I fully support Epic Record’s decision to take down the unauthorized version of the song and to not include the reference in the version that went to retail. I will not be performing the lyrics that contain that reference live and have removed them from my catalogue.
I have tremendous respect for those who paved the way for the liberty and opportunities that African-Americans currently enjoy. As a business owner who employs several African-American employees and gives philanthropically to organizations that help youth to pursue their dreams my ultimate intention is to uplift rather than degrade our community.
Best,

[/expand]

‘It represents winners, and Obama’s a winner,’ Khaled tells MTV News after White
House Correspondents’ Dinner shout-out. President Obama has always been transparent about his affinity for hip-hop, but there was no more brazen display of his passion for the culture than when he entered Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner to DJ Khaled‘s 2010 anthem “All I Do Is Win.” For Khaled, that moment was certainly a milestone.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

 

DJ Khaled: ‘Obama’s A Winner’

 

“Obama, I see you, and I appreciate you,” Khaled said into the camera when MTV News caught up with him Tuesday night at the Gig It launch party in New York.

“‘All I Do Is Win’ is one of the biggest anthems of all time, I think, and it’s a timeless record,” he said of the monster hit that features T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop and Rick Ross. “It represents winners, and Obama’s a winner, I’m a winner, you’re a winner. And it represents the people, and it’s love and excitement, so shout-out to Obama.”

Khaled, with his upcoming album Suffering From Success due in this year, isn’t one to downplay his achievements. Regarding whether he plans to translate that moment into an album skit, the answer was obvious: “I mean, I got to. I gotta utilize that with We the Best brand just getting bigger,” he responded. “I got some things up my sleeve, so be ready for my new album.”

Khaled’s latest single from the album, “No New Friends,” is the remix of Drake’s hit “Started From the Bottom,” which includes verses from Rick Ross and Lil Wayne. Earlier this year, the YMCMB signee explained that his LP’s title was inspired by a doctor’s visit, where his physician prescribed medicine for an ailment, then told him, “Son, you’re suffering from success.”

“It opened my mind up to say success comes with stress and happiness,” he explained. “So, when I’m leaving the doctor’s office, driving home, I was like, ‘That’s gonna be the name of my new album: Suffering From Success.‘ ”

What are your favorite anthems? Share your picks in the comments below!

 

DJ Khaled – “All I Do Is Win”

 

If “Jersey Shore”-related reality TV is true, Lil Wayne may be apparently engaged to girlfriend Dhea Sodano.

While MTV released the trailer for their upcoming reality TV series, “The Show With Vinny” almost two weeks ago, Complex.com spotted something rather significant in the clip. The “Jersey Shore” spin-off show starring Vinny Guadagnino. While guests include rapper-turned-actor Mark Wahlberg and A$AP Rocky, something curious was revealed in the clip featuring Lil Wayne.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

When Guadagnino asks Wayne if he’s ever eaten Italian food before, he replies, “My fiancée is Italian.” Vinny’s mother inquires where in Italy his lady is from, “Sicily or Naples” and the multi-platinum rapper touts, “Arizona.”

Wayne was previously married to Antonia “Toya” Carter between 2004 and 2006. He has dated Dhea Sodano of Scottsdale, Arizona—the fiance he is believed to be referring to, for nearly two years.

[/expand]

Method Man gives props to Macklemore for being able to rhyme, but calls out the rapper for crowd walking during a MTV performance.

While fans of Seattle rapper Macklemore may have found themselves intrigued by the rapper’s crowd walking routine during last month’s mtvU Woodie Awards, one emcee in particular was far from pleased after seeing Macklemore walking on top of the crowd during his performance.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

Method Man recently took time to address the crowd at his Denver, Colorado show and spoke on Macklemore’s MTV performance. He revealed that while Macklemore can rhyme he was highly upset at the rapper walking on the crowd since it is in fact a performance addition Method Man has incorporated into his shows for years.

“I was watching MTV not too long ago and there was a rapper on stage. This mothafucka had a lot of energy and was really, really enjoying his performance. I think his name is Macklemore,” said Method Man. “Don’t get me wrong, that mothafucka can rhyme, but as I’m watching his performance, I think this mothafucka [did something] that just pissed me off. He actually tried to walk on [the crowd]. I started that shit! That’s my shit!”

Method Man later requested that the Denver crowd drop Macklemore “like a bad habit” if he ever attempted to crowd walk at a show in their city.

“Don’t get me wrong. When Macklemore come to ya’ll city, ya’ll show him all the love that ya’ll show Red and Meth, but if that mothafucka tries to do my walk on the crowd thing, I want Denver, Colorado to drop his ass like a bad habit,” Meth revealed.

Although Macklemore’s mtvU Woodie Awards performance may have caught Method Man’s attention, numerous videos on YouTube prove that the rapper’s performance at the awards show was not the first time Macklemore attempted to walk on the crowd.

[/expand]

A world where you never miss a concert may been surprisingly soon. Kanye West and Lady Gaga are planning on streaming upcoming concerts over smartphones through the new iOS app Spacebar.

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

Spacebar allows musicians to connect their smartphone to the soundboard at their concert and stream the live audio in real-time. The artists can stream it for free or provide users with a five minute preview of the concert before being hit with a $0.99 fee to continue streaming. Fans also have the option to ”tip” artists an extra $0.99, $1.99, or $2.99.  Artists are compensated through PayPal.

The truly innovative idea addresses the problem posed by the ease of illegal video/audio recording of concerts in this YouTube generation. Spacebar does not keep an archive of the shows and fans are prompted to agree to not record or redistribute the live streams.  Spacebar is also not limited to simply streaming concerts as artists can use the app in recording studios, tour buses, house parties and a vast array of other venues.

In addition to Kanye and Gaga, John Legend has also agreed to stream shows this year through Spacebar

The app is available for free at Apple iTunes Store.

[/expand]

“Got my n*ggas in Paris, and they’re going gorilla.“-Kanye West

Chuck D is not simply watching The Throne, he’s throwing stones.

During a performance in Lyon, France, the politically charged Hip Hop legend expressed his disgust over the usage of the N-word in the popular “N*ggas in Paris” song

[expand title=”More MBiz” tag=”h2″]

Chuck D ✔@MrChuckD

Standing ovation in Lyon France telling these folks we are African NOT Ngrs In Paris why I gotta travel PlanetEarth cleaning sht from USA?

According to the frontman for Public Enemy, a white fan referred to him as a “n*gga”. However, Chuck blames the word’s pervasiveness in the vernacular of Black men for the white fan’s misuse of the word:

Chuck D ✔@MrChuckD

While admitting that Jay-Z is a “very very sharp smart dude,” Chuck also asserts that Jay-Z should assume more social responsibility for his actions.

This is not the first time Chuck has been critical of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne collaboration. In a 2010 interview U.K. publication The Times, Chuck D questioned the group’s true intentions with their music:

“Hip hop celebrates those who wanna make a killing instead of a living. I like those guys, but they make me laugh sometimes because I don’t get who they’re here for, other than themselves.”

Check below for Public Enemy’s song “Catch The Thrown” featuring Cormega and Large Professor off the group’s 2012 album Most of My Heroes Still Don’t Appear on No Stamp:

[/expand]