Feds Plan To Introduce 50 Cent Shooting In Kenneth McGriff's Trial- courtesy of allhiphop.com
The May 2000 shooting of rapper 50 Cent will be introduced
as evidence against The Inc. associate, Kenneth “Supreme”
McGriff, who is facing the death penalty in March 2006 on racketeering,
narcotics and murder charges
On Friday (Dec. 12), the U.S. Attorney’s office
confirmed they will introduce evidence that McGriff was involved in
50 Cent's shooting in 2000.
This also opens up the possibility that 50 himself
will be subpoenaed to testify in court.
Federal prosecutors alleged that McGriff laundered
his drug proceeds through companies controlled by The Inc.’s Irv
and Chris Lorenzo, charges the brothers were recently vindicated of
in a highly publicized trial.
50 Cent was shot in May 2000. Early descriptions described
the shooter as a black male in a black short sleeved shirt, with a stocky
build.
Prosecutors allege 50 was shot for name checking McGriff
and other Queens, New York drug dealers and for feuding with The Inc.’s
Ja Rule.
Attorneys for the government unsuccessfully attempted
to introduce 50 Cent’s shooting in the trial of the Lorenzo brothers,
alleging that Ja Rule’s bodyguard, Robert “Sun” Lyons
was the triggerman behind the May 2000 shooting, on orders of McGriff.
50 Cent has stated in numerous interviews and on records
that the shooter was Darryl “Hommo” Baum.
Baum was later allegedly murdered on orders of Lil’
Kim’s ex-boyfriend Damion “World” Hardy in an unrelated
retaliatory slaying.
50 Cent’s feud with The Inc. and his subsequent
shooting in 2000, New York, helped catapult the rapper to superstardom.
“Evidence related to 50's shooting was introduced
into Irv and Chris Gotti's trial but was thrown out by the judge because
it was ruled irrelevant to their case,” author Ethan Brown told
AllHipHop.com.
Brown is the author of “Queens Reigns Supreme
: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop Hustler,” a detailed
look into McGriff’s Supreme Team drug dealing crew, other Queens
New York drug dealers and their connection to various players in the
Hip-Hop world.
“It makes much more sense for the Feds to introduce
evidence related to 50's shooting into McGriff's trial as he is facing
several murder counts,” Brown stated. “The Gotti’s,
conversely, were simply charged with money laundering."
The Lorenzo’s have repeatedly denied involvement
in 50 Cent’s shooting, which has been mythologized by 50 Cent
himself in albums and in his film debut, “Get Rich or Die Tryin.”
McGriff is also charged with the slaying of another
Queens, New York rapper, Eric “E Money Bags” Smith.
E Money Bags allegedly shot a close associate of McGriff’s,
Colbert “Black Just” Johnson, who later died of his wounds.
Authorities contend that McGriff put E Money Bags under
surveillance and later in 2001, gunman open fire on the rapper as he
sat in his SUV parked on a Queens street, killing him instantly.
Federal prosecutors also plan to introduce evidence
of other violent acts by McGriff and/or “The Supreme Team.”
Some of the evidence includes an incident where a man
was thrown through a barbershop window, an incident where McGriff allegedly
plotted to murder a woman pregnant with his child and an incident where
McGriff allegedly ordered a man murdered for bumping into him at a nightclub.
Read full story online:
http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=5151
Swedish Hip-Hop Groups Land In New York - courtesy of allhiphop.com
Some of the biggest names in Swedish Hip-Hop will perform
tomorrow night (Dec. 12) in New York at Joe’s Pub.
Juju Records, Ink Productions and the WESC clothing
line will showcase the talents of some of Sweden’s biggest acts
– some for the first time in New York.
The night will include performances by Timbuktu, Looptroop,
Chords, Spotrunnaz & Damn.
Currently residing in New York, Timbuktu is one of
Sweden’s biggest Hip-Hop acts, with five successful albums to
his name.
He has had several hit singles from different albums
that have made it big in both Sweden and Norway, and his most recent
release Alla vill till himmelen men ingen vill dö (Everybody Wants
To Go To Heaven) has gone gold in both countries.
"It's a personal triumph for us to even be playing
here in New York,” Timbuktu told AllHipHop.com. “I still
can't really believe it. It's just f**king amazing!”
Timbuktu has been touring all year with Damn and Chords.
With sold out shows all over Scandinavia, Timbuktu, Damn, and Chords
have received over the top reviews for their live shows.
Chords is preparing to release his United States debut,
The Garden Around the Mansion, in 2006. The album is already available
in Europe.
Other acts in the lineup include Looptroop, an internationally
known group that has sold hundreds of thousands of records and Spotrunnaz,
a group that has been labeled one of Sweden’s best live acts,
opening for the likes of Nas, Tha Alkaholiks, 50-Cent, Xzibit, Common
and others.
The performance takes place Dec. 12 at Joe’s
Pub, located at 425 Lafayette Street in lower Manhattan. For more information
visit http://www.joespub.com.
For this and all of the latest news updates, visit
http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=5150
Comedian Richard Pryor Passes At 65 - courtesy of allhiphop.com
Iconic comedian/actor Richard Pryor passed away this
morning (Dec. 10) of a heart attack, after being ill for years with
multiple sclerosis.
Pryor, 65, who has been sampled by such artists as
Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, A Tribe Called Quest and others, passed away at
a hospital near his home in the San Fernando Valley.
Pryor’s business manager Karen Finch stated that
a private memorial service will be held by private invitation.
The family is also requesting donations to Pryor’s
recently established animal charity, Pryor’s Planet.
The multi-talented Pryor was born Dec. 1, 1940 in Peoria,
Illinois. Pryor was a more mainstream comedian in the mid-1960’s,
until he started working profanity and the word n***er into his act.
Pryor’s second album, 1970’s Craps (After
Hours) on Laff Records helped the comedian gain a larger following.
Seeking a larger deal, the comedian released the classic
comedy album That Nigger’s Crazy on the Reprise/Warner imprint.
The hit albums continued for Pryor, who released hit
albums like Is It Something I Said?, Bicentennial N***r, Richard Pryor:
Wanted – Live In Concert and Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset
Strip.
In 1977, the comedian launched his own television show
The Richard Pryor Show on NBC in 1977.
He also wrote for the hit series Sanford & Son,
hosted a controversial episode of "Saturday Night Live" and
later hosted his own children’s show, "Pryor's Place."
In 1979, Pryor took a trip to Africa and vowed never
to use the N-word in his standup comedy routine again.
In 1980, Pryor was freebasing and accidentally set
himself on fire. Despite being severely burned, Pryor worked the incident
into his stand up show, "Richard Pryor Live on Sunset Strip."
According to Pryor’s wife Jennifer, the comedian
had actually tried to commit suicide by pouring high proof rum over
his body in a drug induced frenzy and lit himself on fire.
Also, in 1980, Pryor used his considerable clout in
Hollywood to form his own movie production company, Indigo. The comedian
appeared in almost 50 movies, including "Lady Sings the Blues,"
"The Wiz," "Silver Streak," "Car Wash,"
"Greased Lightining," "Stir Crazy," "Superman
III," "Harlem Nights," "Brewster's Millions,"
"The Toy," "Bustin' Loose," "The Muppet Movie"
and others.
In 1983, the comedian earned $4 million dollars for
his role in "Superman III," earning a million more than the
film’s star, Christopher Reeve.
Pryor was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986
and was later confined to a wheel chair. His 1995 autobiography “Pryor
Convictions: And Other Life Sentences” were released to critical
acclaim.
In 2004, Pryor was voted the “Greatest Standup
Comedian of All Time” by Comedy Central.
The comedian was married six times in his life and
is survived by his wife Jennifer Lee Pryor and six children, Richard
Pryor, Jr., Elizabeth Stordeur, Rain Kindlin, Kelsey Pryor, Steven Pryor,
Franklin Mason and three grandchildren.
Read full story online:
http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=5149
California Supreme Court Rejects Tookie Williams' Appeal -courtesy of mtv.com
The fate of ex-Crips gang leader Stanley "Tookie"
Williams now lies in the hands of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
On Sunday, the California Supreme Court rejected a last-minute legal
effort to issue a stay blocking the convicted killer's
execution, which is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday.
Schwarzenegger has until midnight Monday (December 12) to decide whether
he will spare Williams' life.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the six justices
unanimously denied Williams' lawyer's request for a stay, saying that
the had reviewed all nine claims made by the former gang leader and
denied each one on its individual merits, even though they felt some
were almost identical.
Williams' attorney Verna Wefald has prepared a petition
asking the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to review
the case today and plans to go to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary,
according to the Times.
Williams, who has claimed to be a co-founder of the
Los Angeles-bred Crips gang, has become an anti-gang crusader, Nobel
Peace Prize nominee and author of children's books since entering prison
more than two decades ago after being convicted of four murders; he
denies committing the crimes (see "Schwarzenegger Meets With Tookie
Williams' Lawyers"). Williams' case has drawn support from Jamie
Foxx, who portrayed the former gang leader in a TV movie, and Snoop
Dogg (see "Snoop Tries To Get Crips Co-Founder Off Real Death Row").
Supporters and lawyers have mounted this clemency campaign
based on what they point to as evidence that Williams has redeemed himself
for his violent gang past by his anti-gang work while on death row.
Williams' lawyers have also claimed that the case against their client
was faulty.
But the state Supreme Court rejected several claims
by Williams' defense in denying the stay, including one assertion that
a witness against Williams had an undisclosed history of violent crimes
and that a key jailhouse informant had manipulated Williams while he
was forcibly drugged by authorities, the Times reported.
With the deadline fast approaching, Williams' supporters
said Sunday that they had found new evidence that might help exonerate
him, which they had passed on to Schwarzenegger. The evidence reportedly
came from a former Los Angeles county jail inmate who says he can back
up Williams' allegation that he was framed by police working with a
jailhouse informant. The inmate reportedly said he saw officers deliver
police reports about Williams' case to George Oglesby, an inmate who
later testified against the gang leader. The informant said he didn't
come forward until now because he didn't know until last week that Oglesby
had testified in Williams' trial.
If Schwarzenegger grants clemency, Williams' death
sentence would be commuted to life in prison without parole.
Read full story online:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1517892/20051212/index.jhtml?headlines=true
Ashanti Eager To Put Her Label's Legal Woes Behind Her- courtesy of mtv.com
NEW YORK — Now that the Inc.'s Irv Gotti and
his brother Chris have been acquitted of money-laundering charges, Ashanti
has a much clearer picture of where her career is headed, and she hopes
that a year from now fans will be hearing a new studio LP.
"It was an incredible, incredible feeling to know
this big gigantic foot has been lifted off of us," she said recently
(see "Gotti Brothers Found Not Guilty Of Money Laundering").
"Nobody can feel it like Irv and Chris, but me and Ja [Rule], it
trinkled down to us and we felt it was very unnecessary."
Ashanti just released the remix LP Collectables by
Ashanti (click here for photos from the release party), and Ja Rule
put out the greatest-hits LP Exodus. Along with recording a few new
tracks for those LPs, the tandem have been working on new albums. Ashanti
said she already has four songs in the can.
"The records we completed, I can't wait to put
them out there," she said. "A lot of things are about to unfold
at the top of next year. It's all positive energy, a lot phone calls
have been made and answered."
The Inc. put out two special calls for the Collectables
album, one to Paul Wall and one to the Ticallion Stallion, Method Man.
They appear on the album's first single, "Still on It," one
of four new songs on the disc (see "What's Ashanti Doing In A Cheap
Hotel With Joey Buttafuoco?").
"It was definitely a pleasure working with Paul
and Meth," she said. "Paul came to the studio and put it down.
He was talking about making me a grill and everything, with pink diamonds
in it. He was fun but very professional. It was all good. It's like
a family when you get in the studio and guys just jell."
The Long Island native said the lyrics comes from the
perspective of somebody who's currently in or has experienced a doomed
relationship, but who can't shake the object of their affection. "You're
still on it and you know it's no good for you," she explained.
This holiday season, the singer is a taking a little
time off to celebrate Christmas with her family. Last year everyone
gathered at her house; this year her family will be at a cousin's crib.
Maybe someone will be sticking a few CDs in her stocking — she
said some of her favorite music of the past year was Maroon 5 and Dem
Franchize Boyz's "I Think They Like Me" remix.
Read full story online:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1517725/20051208/ashanti.jhtml?headlines=true
