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Tumblr: The Wonderful Utopia That Gave Us Bennett

@jordans_life — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:50:55 +0000

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This has very little to do with entertainment news or music, however, this particular Tumblr account has taken the internet by storm. If you haven’t already experienced Texts From Bennett, give yourself a solid ten-minute break from work to laugh until it hurts.

As per the creator’s description, “These are text messages I exchange with my 17 year old cousin Bennett. He is a white boy that thinks he’s a crip, works at Amoco, has a girlfriend named Mercedes, and is one of the most unintentionally funny and brilliant souls on the planet. He has no idea I do this blog. Yes, this is 100% real.”

Bennett is a shining example of a kid who got picked on in high school and listened to way too much Tupac. His “hard as f**k” personality combined with neanderthal-like spelling, makes this blog worth bookmarking.

I sincerely hope they’re real. It would break my heart if this is yet another faux persona created to sell me something. Pictured below is the misunderstood urban prophet, the one they call Bennett. Enjoy!

Rick Ross Rushed to Hospital After Seizure

Natalia Buia — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:18:35 +0000

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TMZ is reporting rapper Rick Ross has been rushed to hospital after having a seizure on an airplane.

A witness says Rick fell unconscious immediately after take-off. The plane, leaving Fort Lauderdale for Memphis, had to make an emergency landing.

While the story is developing, some of the rapper’s closest friends in the biz are already tweeting about his status.

Rapper Wale said: “I just talked to Ross…he’s 100 pct ok..”

andPOP will keep you updated on this story.

T.I. Back in Atlanta Halfway House

andPOP Staff — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:02:53 +0000

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T.I. is back out of federal prison and will finish the remainder of his 11 month sentence in an Atlanta halfway house.

The rapper’s lawyer, Steve Sadow, told MTV News that T.I. will be finished his sentence by September 29 assuming everything goes to plan.

“[T.I.] went through a disciplinary hearing held before the ‘Center Disciplinary Committee’ (composed of Community Corrections-halfway house-staff) who recommended that he be returned to the halfway house,” Sadow confirmed in an emailed statement.

“We have good reason to believe that this favorable result was reached because of the pro-active and assertive approach taken to protect T.I.’s rights by providing [Federal Bureau of Prisons] officials and the media with reliable and accurate information that T.I. did not intend to violate his transfer furlough or any other [Federal Bureau Prisons] rules en route from the prison facility in Arkansas to the halfway house in Atlanta,” Sadow told TMZ. “T.I. will be released from the custody of the [Federal Bureau Prisons] on September 29th, and then will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for a period of one year.”

Good for T.I. and this whole story is pretty ridiculous.

Flo Rida Busted For DUI

Christian Allaire — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:36:07 +0000

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Flo Rida has been busted for a DUI, reports TMZ.

While the rapper was cruising around in his red and black 2008 Bugatti, which is valued at around $1.7 million, police noticed the car was swerving and pulled him over near Miami Beach.

At around 3:30 a.m., police then detected the smell of alcohol on the ‘Low’ singer and made him take a sobriety test. His blood alcohol level was .185, which is more than twice the legal limit.

What’s even more annoying is a large crowd had gathered around the car, begging officers to let the rapper go and offering to drive him home. Boy, those are dedicated fans.

Flo Rida apparently said to the cop: “Officer I can’t do this. I don’t feel I can’t walk a straight line. I had a few drinks. Let’s try another test.”

He was then arrested on suspicion of DUI and taken to a nearby station, where he is currently being booked.

“Let’s try another test” gets me every time. I mean, how stupid can you be. And why would you risk damaging your $1.7 million car by swerving all over the road? Are you insane? He deserves to be behind bars!

Ja Rule Set For Prison Sentencing

Christian Allaire — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:40:59 +0000

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Ja Rule is set to go to to prison, reports Billboard.

The rapper and actor was sentenced to two years in a New York prison on Wednesday, after pleading guilty in December to attempted criminal possession of a weapon.

“My last day out,” he wrote on Twitter yesterday afternoon, adding that he was spending it at the movies with his family.

Police officials said they found a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun in the rear door of his $250,000-plus Maybach sports car in 2007, which they had stopped for speeding.

“Laws are laws,” Ja Rule said Monday on ‘Good Day New York.’ “There’s nothing I could really do but own up to the situation.”

“You know, I try not to regret anything I do in life, because you go through life and you do things, and you man up to them. You own them.”

In other legal news, Ja Rule also pleaded guilty to failing to pay taxes on more than $3 million in income. He faces up to three years in prison in that case, but his lawyers are trying arrange for his sentences to be served at the same time. Smart decision: kill two birds with one stone.

Ja Rule may be able to cut six months off his sentence by meeting requirements for good behaviour. Hopefully he learns his lesson, he seems to be pretty aware of the situation.

T.I. Helps Family Members Of Inmates

Christian Allaire — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:59:16 +0000

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T.I. has helped the family members of fellow inmates, reports Vibe.

Currently behind bars for violating probation after being arrested for drug possession, the rapper apparently financed a bus trip for the families of 14 inmates to visit their loves ones at the facility.

The Atlanta rapper, who is serving an 11-month sentence, is currently at the Forrest City Correctional Facility in Forrest City, Arkansas, where he funded the families to visit.

The bus trip reportedly transported 46 friends and family members to the facility, where they were able to visit for two days.

T.I. previously spoke to MTV about his time in the slammer: “I’ve been blessed to receive tons and tons of mail from my fans, family and friends, as well as get visits on a regular basis. Unfortunately some guys aren’t as fortunate. There are a lot of good dudes in here that haven’t been able to see their loved ones in years. Their families can’t afford the trip so I wanted to help out.”

T.I. is scheduled to be released from the Forrest City Correctional Facility on September 29. The man has such a great heart, and this is one of those rare cases where you actually feel bad that he’s in jail, even though he deserved it. Can’t they let him out on terms of niceness and charitable behaviour?

Fake ‘Tupac’s Alive’ Story Posted on PBS Website

Christian Allaire — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:23:08 +0000

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A fake news story claiming that rapper Tupac is still alive was posted on PBS’ website on Monday, reports Billboard.

Hackers apparently got into the network’s website and posted a fake story claiming the dead rapper, full name Tupac Amaru Shakur, was alive in New Zealand.

Many still believe Tupac is still alive, refusing to believe he is dead, so obviously the story came with some major attention. Way to fuel the conspiracy theorists, hackers.

PBS confirmed Monday that the website had been hacked and the story was removed later that morning. It had been posted on the ‘PBS NewsHour’ program website.

The program later released a tweet, saying “If you missed it: our site has been accessed by hackers. Thanks for staying with us.”

The hackers is a group apparently called ‘LulzSec,’ or ‘The Lulz Boat’ on Twitter. The group claims they are responsible for the act, and even posted a video which taunts the network.

As much as I do not condone this kind of action, I must say, the hackers were smart in getting the attention of the public. There are so many conspiracy theorists out there who still believe Tupac is alive, so posting a story claiming he’s alive is one of the smartest things I’ve ever heard of. Not that I condone it.

Rapper Cassidy Suspect In Murder Case

Christian Allaire — Mon, 16 May 2011 16:38:06 +0000

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Rapper Cassidy is a suspect in a murder case, TMZ reports.

The rapper has been named a suspect in a murder case and two attempted murder cases in Philadelphia, according to law enforcement.

Cassidy was arrested in Hackensack, New Jersey this weekend on a probation violation, and according to police forces, the arrest was made in connection with alleged crimes in Philadelphia.

The police said forces in Philadelphia had phoned in a favour to the Hackensack Police Department, telling them to arrest Cassidy on the probation violation and warned them “to consider [Cassidy] armed and dangerous,” saying it was a “high-risk warrant”.

Undercover officers with the Hackensack PD followed the 28-year-old rapper, whose real name Barry Reese, and then arrested him during a felony motor vehicle stop.

Cassidy previously did an eight month jail stint for involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and possession of an instrument of crime. He was released in 2006.

Cassidy is reportedly still in custody in New Jersey, with bail being set at $200,000.

T.I. To Be Released Late September

Christian Allaire — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:02:31 +0000

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Rapper T.I., otherwise known as Clifford Harris Jr., is projected to be released from federal prison on Sept. 29 after serving an 11-month sentence, reports Billboard.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons website states that T.I. will leave the Arkansas Federal Correctional Institution a little over one year after he was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of drug possession last September. The rapper was previously on probation after serving a 10-month stint in the Arkansas prison on federal weapons charges.

Being behind the bars didn’t stop him, though. T.I.’s seventh studio album ‘No Mercy’ was released while the rapper was incarcerated last December, and has since moved 502,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

On the day of the album release, T.I. issued a thank you letter to his fans: ”It doesn’t matter how long it’ll be before the next time you see me. What matters is that I’ll be a better man before that time comes,” he wrote. “The longer I sit, the smarter I get.”

And there you have it. Hopefully he doesn’t make the same mistakes once he’s released. But I’m not very hopeful.

Tupac’s Only Screenplay To Be Made Into a Film

Christian Allaire — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:24:46 +0000

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Rapper Tupac Shakur’s only screenplay ever made will be turned into a film, reports MTV News.

A notorious double threat, Tupac produced platinum albums and singles and also earned notices for his acting in films such as “Juice” and “Poetic Justice.”

But the notorious rapper, who studied acting, poetry, jazz and ballet while performing in Shakespearean plays at the Baltimore School for the Arts as a teenager, not only acted in plays and movies, he also apparently wrote them.

Now, the rights to the only full screenplay Shakur wrote while he was in jail, titled “Live 2 Tell,” have been acquired by a production company that plans to start filming the movie next year.

One of the producers Preston Holmes has collaborated with Shakur’s mother, Afeni, on the 2003 documentary “Tupac: Resurrection” and Afeni will be an executive producer on the $11 million project as well.

The script is described as the story of a teenage drug dealer and his struggles to leave a life of crime. It was written by Shakur while he served an 11-month sentence on sexual assault charges.

“This kid was a genius, and the net of it is, he was from this community, he knew the struggles these young people were dealing with,” said Ivan Juzang, whose NStar Studios was behind the acquisition of the screenplay. “And he’s able to talk to young people in 2011, 2012, the same way he was able to talk to young people in 1995.” Holmes had originally contacted Shakur about the script when the rapper was still behind bars.

“We think that the name we need is the name we have, which is Tupac Shakur,” Holmes said.

This is the second attempt at making the film. The script was first optioned more than five years ago by the Insomnia Media Group and was slated to start production in March 2006. No casting for that version was ever confirmed.

I think this is a nice ode to Tupac’s work – the man had some serious talent, and it’s nice to be shared.

Gucci Mane Has Been Arrested…. Again

Christian Allaire — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:26:44 +0000

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Rapper Gucci Mane has been arrested yet again, reports Perez Hilton. Nobody is shocked.

Let’s take a look at his past legal woes. Back in November, Gucci Mane got into some trouble with the law over violent altercation with another person at a traffic stop light, where he was pepper-sprayed by the cops for resisting arrest. Then, in January, he was sent back to prison for a probation violation.

Now, police in DeKalb, GA, say Gucci has been arrested yet again “while visiting his probation officer!”

Yep, you read that right. The rapper got arrested while meeting with an officer of the law. You’d think he would put on a good front then, at least. Apparently, the rapper was charged with misdemeanor battery after he “intentionally caused visible bodily harm to a female by pushing her out of a moving vehicle.”

I mean, this is just ridiculous. Although his offence wasn’t that serious, he needs to get his act together and stop making stupid mistakes. There’s really nothing to say about this story, because it is not shocking, and any advice I offer him publicly won’t be adhered to. So good luck, Gucci, good luck.

Vanilla Ice to Join Adam Sandler Comedy?

Christian Allaire — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:14:22 +0000

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You heard right.

Vanilla Ice is on his way back into the limelight whether you like it or not, Perez Hilton reports. The former ‘rapper’ has been cast in an upcoming Adam Sandler comedy entitled I Hate You, Dad! – costarring Andy Samberg and Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester.

The premise of the movie will focus on Sandler, who moves in with his son (Samberg) and future daughter-in-law (Meester), only to immediately start butting heads with her. Ice will surprisingly not be playing himself, but the supporting role of Antonio, a gay wedding coordinator from Long Island. Really?

James Caan is also reported to play Leighton’s actual father. I’m actually quite impressed with this cast, despite Vanilla Ice, so it may be worth checking out.

Sean Anders and John Morris will be directing from a screenplay by David Wain and Ken Marino. Sandler is also producing through his Happy Madison banner along with Jack Giarraputo and Heather Parry. The movie is scheduled for release on June 15, 2012.

Meester most recently starred in “The Roommate,” meanwhile Vanilla Ice was last seen on the big screen in the 2002 teen comedy “The New Guy.” Ice is also playing Captain Hook in an upcoming theatrical production of Peter Pan in England. Looks like someone is focusing on his acting career. God help us all.

I’m not a huge fan of musicians turning into actors. Only the very few can actually make that transition, like Jennifer Hudson or Justin Timberlake, so I don’t think Ice’s role sounds like an Oscar-winner. I’m also not a huge fan of Sandler, so this movie is looking a little meak for me – but could be good. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Waka Flocka Turns Himself In To Cops

andPOP Staff — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:31:47 +0000

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Rapper Waka Flocka did the honorable thing on Monday and turned himself into police reports TMZ. So why did he turn himself in? According to his Mom, “He didn’t want to run.”

Police searched his home on December 16 in Georgia and found a variety of illegal items. Consequently an arrest warrant was issued on him. Waka is being charged with the following:

– Possession of marijuana less than 1 ounce
– Possession of firearm by convicted felon
– Possession of hydrocodone
– Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
– Violation of probation for driving on a suspended license
– Violating Georgia’s “Criminal Street Gang and Terror Prevention Act”

He is currently being held on a $31,950 bond.

In case you are not familiar with Waka Flocka, below is one of his recent videos:

Rapper T.I. Sentenced to 11 Months in Jail

Jacob Morris — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 18:31:38 +0000

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TMZ is reporting that rapper T.I. had his probation revoked Friday by a federal judge and subsequently sentenced to an 11-month stint in jail.

The popular rapper had been put on probation as a result of a 2009 federal gun possession conviction, and then was arrested again last month for felony possession of a controlled substance.

This news comes just two days after T.I. talked a man from jumping off of a 22-storey building. According to TMZ, one of the officers that was involved in that case testified on behalf of T.I.

This is a developing story.

Drake Heads Out on Tour

Sara Harowitz — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:01:09 +0000

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Drizzy fans rejoice!

Toronto’s own rapper sensation Drake is headlining his first American solo tour, reports canada.com.

“The Away From Home Tour,” which runs from April 6 through May 8, will hit 25 cities. It follows Drake’s participation in the “Young Money Presents: America’s Most Wanted Music Festival,” which Lil Wayne headlined.

Drake’s tour will feature performances from synth pop New York band Francis & The Lights as well as Canadian rapper K-OS. It will hit a number of large cities as well as over 15 colleges and universities as part of the “Campus Concious Tour.”

Drake, with the help of Reverb (a non-profit organization that promotes environmentally-friendly actions) is going green for his tour. He will use bio-diesel fuel and biodegradable and recyclable products on the tour bus and backstage at shows.

The rapper will also have an “Eco-Village” with tents which will host environmental and other socially concious groups educating people on technology, student carbon-offset programs and eco-friendly consumerism. This part of the tour is produced by Pretty Polly Productions with the help of Reverb.

Catch Drake here:

Apr. 6: Charleston, IL (Eastern Illinois University)
Apr. 7: Columbus, OH (private location)
Apr. 9: State College, PA (Penn State University)
Apr. 10: Boston, MA (private location)
Apr. 11: Lock Haven, PA (private location)
Apr. 14: East Lansing, MI (Michigan State University)
Apr. 15: Rochester Hills, MI (Oakland University)
Apr. 16: Morgantown, WV (West Virginia University)
Apr. 21: Orlando, FL (University Central Florida)
Apr. 22: Greenville, SC (Furman University)
Apr. 23: TBA
Apr. 24: New Orleans, LA (New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival)
Apr. 26: New Orleans, LA (University of Missouri – Kansas City)
Apr. 27: Lexington, KY (University of Kentucky)
Apr. 29: Lowell, MA (University Mass Lowell)
Apr. 30: Syracuse, NY (private location)
May 1: Boston, MA (private location)
May 4: East Rutherford, NJ (Bamboozle Festival)
May 5: Towson, MD (Holy Cross)
May 6: Cheney, PA (Towson University)
May 7: Ithaca, NY (private location)
May 8: Plymouth, NH (private location)

Beastie Boys Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch Beats Cancer

Sara Harowitz — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:16:30 +0000

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Beastie Boys rapper Adam “MCA” Yauch, who was diagnosed with a salivary gland tumor last year, is on his way to a full recovery, according to perezhilton.com.

For some icing on the cake, the band is also reportedly going to start working on their new album, Hot Sauce Committee, Part 1, again, which was indefinitely postponed after Yauch was diagnosed.

Yauch said: “I feel better. It was touch and go there for a while, but I am finally getting my energy back. It was really disappointing to have to hold the record and postpone the tour, but doctor’s orders. We may or may not [release the album] depending on how my health is come September. We want to but we have to play it by ear. I was just talking to Adam [Horovitz] and Mike [D] today on the phone and we were talking about working on it a bit. We finished the record over a year ago, so we want to take a look at it and re-evaluate and make sure it is what we want to put out there and that we are still happy with it. I don’t think we will change it up too much.”

Rapper J-Kwon has Gone Missing

Angelina Irinici — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:16:40 +0000

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Rapper J-Kwon has gone missing, and we don’t mean from record sales. E! reported that the “Tipsy” rapper hasn’t been seen in almost a month, even his record label, Gracie Productions, has no clue of his whereabouts. The label has been asking fans for help in finding the rapper, including setting up a Twitter page, @WhereisJKwon, asking anyone for information or sightings.

“J-Kwon is a big part of the Gracie family, and we are obviously increasingly worried and want to make sure he is OK,” Gracie Productions CEO and President Tony Bucher said.

Fans are worried and have showed their support, but the label is still unaware of where or how to contact the 23-year-old rapper.

“We’ve already received thousands of emails from fans and supporters who are worried about J-Kwon, and we want everyone to know how much we appreciate the love and support,” Bucher said. “If anyone has seen J-Kwon or has access to him, please let him know we are worried about him, and to please let us know everything is OK.”

Originally from St. Louis, J-Kwon’s real name is Jarrel Jones and was last thought to be working in the studio on his fourth release, a self-titled CD.

Gracie Productions is based out of St. Louis and Noblesville, Ind. where authorities were not aware of his disappearance, nor had anyone reported him missing, but are now looking into the situation.

“We have no record of that name,” Bruce Barnes, spokesman for the Noblesville Police Department, tells E! News.

You may remember J-Kwon’s first hit that lead to stardom, a club track called “Tipsy.” He had lyrics that started with “teen drinking is very bad. Yo, I got a fake ID though.” Makes sense, as J-Kwon had a troubled background growing up. He was 12 years of age when he was expelled from home, which lead to homelessness and drug dealing. He scored an audition with former Arista mogul Antonio “L.A.” and rapper Jermaine Dupri, which got him out of streets and onto a record label.

Although his first album Hood Hop, released in 2004, was a success, the star faded away and was almost forgotten. He released follow-ups; Hood Hop 2 in 2008 and Hood Hop 2.5 last year, both resulting in poor record sales.

Ice Cube Not Cool With Oprah

andPOP Staff — Fri, 26 May 2006 22:34:42 +0000

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Ice Cube is the third rapper to make public his beef with talk show Queen Oprah Winfrey, the Associated Press reports.

Ice Cube follows Ludacris and 50 Cent who have also made public their distaste for Oprah.

“I’ve been involved in three projects pitched to her, but I’ve never been asked to participate,” he said to FHM magazine, citing movies like ?Barber Shop? where other actors in the movie were invited on Oprah?s show, but he was not.

Last month, 50 Cent complained Oprah rarely has rappers on her show, while Ludacris claimed Oprah was ?unfair? to him when he appeared on a show of hers with the fellow starts of his film ?Crash.?

Oprah has defended herself from the rappers? claims.

“I listen to some hip-hop. You know, I’ve been accused of not liking hip-hop and that’s just not true. I got a little 50 (Cent) on my iPod. I really do. Love ‘In Da Club.’ … Love that, and you know, love Jay-Z, love Kanye (West), love Mary J. (Blige),” she said in an interview on a New York City radio station earlier this month.

Ludacris Appears in Court

andPOP Staff — Wed, 24 May 2006 21:05:28 +0000

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Rapper Ludacris appeared in a New York courtroom yesterday to face the charges that he and rapper Kanye West stole another song without consent for their song, “Stand Up,” E! Online reports.

BMS Entertainment/Heat Music LLC sued the two musicians alleging they stole lyrics from the IOF song “Straight Like That.”

EMI April Music Publishing, distributor Universal Music, Video Distribution Corp. and Def Jam Music Group are also named in the suit.

The charges are centred around the phrase “like that” which is used many times in both songs. Ludacris and West are both expected to testify in the case, which is expected to last a week or two.