Tupac...Assassination

A new documentary focusing on the still unsolved murder of superstar rapper Tupac Shakur is slated to hit stores on DVD this October.

Bond-Age Films and Step-N-Up Enterprises will release Tupac: Assassination, a documentary written and directed by RJ Bond and executive produced by Frank "Big Frank" Alexander.

Alexander, who penned 2000's book "Got Your Back: Protecting Tupac in the World of Gangsta Rap," was one of Shakur's most trusted bodyguards.

He also released a documentary titled Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake in 2001, based on "Got Your Back."

On September 7, 1996, Alexander and another associate of Shakur's named Rob Stein were part a 10-car entourage of Death Row employees following the black BMW that Marion "Suge" Knight was driving, with Shakur in the passenger seat, on the Las Vegas strip.

Shakur was shot four times in the chest by an unknown gun man and died from his wounds on September 13, 1996.

According to Alexander, the documentary reveals new details as to what happened the night Shakur was gunned down, including testimony from Tupac's bodyguards who were never questioned by police.

"Unlike the last film that I did, Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake, which was more of a personal saga about the relationship between Pac and I, this is a film concerning things that happened the night Tupac was shot and even months and weeks earlier that the police didn't bother to question Pac's bodyguards about," Alexander said of the film.

According to director RJ Bond, the directors explored several titles for the film in an attempt to accurately capture the nature of the documentary's content.

"Tupac: Revelation was the working title of the film....Tupac: Assassination is a better fit because it definitely drives attention to the point of our movie," Bond said. "This is not a movie about Tupac's art, this is not a movie about Tupac's life, this is a movie about Tupac's death and what happened to cause it."

Tupac: Assassination is due in stores October 23.

Foxy sent to Jail

Foxy Brown appeared in court today and was sentenced to a stay in prison by Judge Melissa Jackson, for violating her probation.

Brown, born Inga Marchand, was ordered to Jail until her next hearing, which takes place on September 5.

During the court proceedings, Brown confirmed that she is pregnant and engaged to be married.
The rapper was already on probation for a 2004 assault involving two manicurists in a Manhattan nail salon.

Brown first landed in trouble in February, when she traveled to Pembroke Pines, Florida, without the permission of her probation officer and became involved in a dispute with the owner of a beauty supply store.

She allegedly spit on the owner as he attempted to close the store and resisted an arresting officer who was called to the scene.

Brown was charged with battery and resisting arrest without violence. She pleaded not guilty to the charges in March.

Brown was charged with assault last Tuesday (August 14) stemming from a July incident, in which she allegedly smacked her 25-year-old neighbor in the face with her Blackberry during an altercation.

The following day (August 15), Brown was arrested for allegedly giving officers a fictitious name during a traffic stop, driving with a suspended license and driving her 2007 Range Rover with a suspended registration.

David Banner - Speaker

Kanye speaks to XXL

My biggest inspiration and biggest competition is Justin Timberlake," Kanye West tells XXL magazine in its October issue, on newsstands Sept. 11. "He's the only other person that gets an across-the-board response and respect level -- black radio, white radio."

"If Justin hadn't come out and killed the game, I can't say that my album, singles and videos would be on the same level that they're on," he says. "We push each other. I look at me and Justin like Prince and Michael Jackson in their day."

A sly dig at 50 Cent? Earlier this month, 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson, promised to quit his solo career if West's new album, "Graduation," outsells his upcoming CD, "Curtis." Both albums are due out Sept. 11.

West, a six-time Grammy winner, tells XXL that he's "never cared about being No. 1." Record sales, he figures, aren't as important as how the music connects with people.

"I feel like my lyrics are, if not THE, then equal to, the realest lyrics out," he says. "I connected with so many people without talkin' about guns and drugs. ... It's harder to go to work 365 days than shoot a person in one day."

Further, "there's nothing about wearing a pink Polo that would make anyone believe that I would hold a gun," he says.

West realizes his flamboyant style and less-than-humble public behavior -- like throwing fits over not winning music awards -- could hinder his chances for success.

"... When people come up to you like, `That was really good,' you're supposed to play stupid, like, `Wow, you really think so?"'

"Because people can't really handle the truth," he continues. "But I am the truth. I'd rather be hated for what I am than loved for what I'm not."

Janet & Jermaine ties the knot

Janet Jackson married her longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri over the weekend.

The wedding took place on Saturday afternoon. According to reports, Janet and Jermaine jumped the broom in front of a small group of family and friends.

Janet wanted very much to keep the event private. So don't expect anything over the top ... It was real Small, and only had close friends and family in attendance.

No one from the media was invited and coincidentally Janet is starring in Tyler Perry's new film Why Did I Get Married? opening in two months...

Chris shakes up London

Chris Brown brought London’s Oxford Street to a standstill on Saturday afternoon after appearing at Nike Town where he signed copies of his new single Wall to Wall.

There was so much hysteria that the 18 year-old had to be escorted out of the building by armed policemen.

A source said: “It was pure pandemonium. I’ve been working here for a few years now and never before has any other celebrity drew this many people to the store”.

Because of time limits only a few of the hundreds of people who arrived could meet their idol and so afterwards Chris Brown did a walk around the store and then ran outside.

Things soon got tricky for the R&B crooner when fans descended on him from both sides of Oxford Street and tackled the star to the floor where they then began trying to strip his clothes off.

Brown managed to escape unharmed from the encounter (minus muddy clothes) and was quickly rushed back instore by his security where he had to wait until the police arrived to provide him with an escort.

Ja Rule lawsuit dropped

The North Jersey contractor that won a default civil judgment against rapper Ja Rule has dropped his criminal complaint against the rapper, telling a judge that he feared for his safety.

Contractor Joel Tobia claimed the rapper only paid $5,000 of a $13,000 bill to fix a leak at his Saddle River, New Jersey mansion.

Tobia won a $8,000 civil judgment against JA Rule, after he failed to appear in court to answer the complaint.

According to The Record, Tobia also filed a criminal complaint, which he dropped.

"People are asking me, do you know what you are doing?" Tobia told Judge Roy F. McGeady. "I have two children. I am concerned. I hope you are reading between the lines."

Tobia said that he was not threatened or harassed, but said that he was extremely uncomfortable going forward with the criminal case.

Judge McGeady dismissed the criminal charges against the rapper, who did not appear in court yesterday.

Foxy's mother speaks up

Foxy Brown's mother has proclaimed her daughter is innocent of assaulting her Brooklyn neighbor, in a dispute that allegedly started over the volume of the 27-year-old rap star's car stereo.

Brown, born Inga Marchand, was arrested and charged with assault for smacking her neighbor 25-year-old neighbor in the face with her Blackberry in July.

The latest charge against Brown has prompted The New York Probation Department to officially file a probation violation with the court, against Brown.

"She said 'Let's fight now that you're alone b**ch,'" Foxy's mother Judith Marchand said. "My daughter pushed her away and may have brushed her with the phone. She knows something like this could compromise my daughter's probation so she thinks she's going to get money out of her, but she's not going to get a cent."

Raymond claims Brown had approached her before the assault, in a local pharmacy where she works.

She claims Brown flashed a wad of money in her face and called her a "low life b**ch" that would "never be nothing."

The women eventually crossed paths on July 30, as Raymond was walking home from work in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Brown allegedly attacked Raymond and smacked her with the Blackberry, bruising her face and loosening her tooth.

Brown, 27, is currently on probation for attacking a pair of manicurists in Manhattan.

In March, she pleaded innocent to two misdemeanor charges, stemming from a scuffle at a beauty supply store in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

In that incident, Brown was in the state of Florida without the consent of her parole officer.

She was arrested for allegedly spitting on a beauty supply store owner, who attempted to put her out of the store at closing time.

Brown was also charged with resisting arrest, when an officer called to the scene had to employ a "take down maneuver" to subdue Brown, who pleaded innocent to charges of battery and resisting arrest without violence.

Brown faces a year in prison if she is found guilty of violating her probation.

Method Man escapes jail time

Method Man escaped jail time in a Brooklyn courtroom by reaching a plea deal on drug charges stemming from a May traffic stop.

Meth, born Clifford Smith, agreed to join the Brooklyn District Attorney's office's Choices and Consequences program as part of his community service. His defense attorney, Peter Frankel, said that he was also confident that his client would escape jail time.

"He's never been in trouble with the law before. This is a guy who flies in the face of all stereotypes about rappers," he said.

Meth was arrested May 17 after toll workers at the Battery Tunnel smelled marijuana coming from his 2005 Lincoln Navigator. After being pulled over, police officers discovered marijuana in the car.

Lil Flip cleared of credit card fraud

Lil' Flip (real name Wesley Eric
Weston,Jr) has been cleared of credit card fraud, according to the Houston Chronicle.

A grand jury decided against indicting the rapper in the case, which saw him being accused him of purchasing airline tickets with a stolen credit card. Attorney Stanley Schneider said that his client was “extremely happy and feels vindicated."

Mike Vick pleads guilty

Falcons ex-quarterback Mike Vick has pleaded guilty to federal charges of dog fighting and crossing state lines to commit a felony.

Vick, 27, had been in talks with his attorneys last week and over the weekend. The trial was set to begin Nov. 26, after 11 games of the Atlanta Falcons' 16-game regular season would have already been played.

The charges could bring a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each defendant. Sources say it might not be possible for Vick to avoid prison time.

The pressure was on for Vick -- one co-defendant entered into a plea agreement last month, and the remaining two men appeared in court Friday and did the same. Prosecutors reportedly offered Vick a plea deal that included at least a one-year prison sentence.

The government was set to possibly add more charges -- such as racketeering -- based on allegations contained in the co-defendants' statements of fact that Vick financed the alleged gambling operation associated with the suspected dogfighting ring.

Vick, the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback, and his three co-defendants had all originally entered not guilty pleas July 26.

A week earlier on July 17, the federal government had filed an indictment against the foursome.
You can view the full indictment against Vick by clicking here.

Prosecutors say Vick, Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor used a property Vick owns in Smithfield, Va., "as the main staging area for housing and training the pit bulls involved in the dogfighting venture and for hosting dog fights."

Hip Hop Cash Kings

While most of us look forward to retirement, Shawn Carter, better known to the planet as master rapper Jay-Z, couldn't stand the view from the sidelines following his 2003 farewell The Black Album. Despite a frenetic schedule as president of Def Jam Recordings and co-founder of its ultra-successful Roc-A-Fella Records imprint, Jay-Z managed to squeeze in a comeback last year with Kingdom Come, his 11th studio album, which debuted at the top of the pop and rap music charts, selling some 2 million copies.

But those weren't the only paychecks coming in. Jay-Z also owns the 40/40 Club sports bar franchise, with locations in New York and Atlanta, and a small stake in the NBA's New Jersey Nets. (He's often photographed in courtside seats alongside his girlfriend, pop superstar Beyoncé.) Plus the native New Yorker (from Brooklyn's hardscrabble Marcy Projects) collects income from blue-chip endorsement deals with Budweiser, Hewlett-Packard, and General Motors. All told, Jay-Z banked an estimated $34 million in 2006, earning him the top spot on Forbes' first-ever list of hip-hop Cash Kings.

Unlike traditional music genres like pop, rock and country, whose artists generally make the bulk of their money selling albums and touring, hip-hop has spawned an impressive cadre of musicians-cum-entrepreneurs who have parlayed their fame into lucrative entertainment empires. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, who nabbed the No. 2 spot on the list, presides over G-Unit, a diverse portfolio of businesses that includes apparel, ringtones, video games and even a line of fiction. All told, "Fiddy" as he is known to fans, made an estimated $32 million last year. "I'm creating a foundation that will be around for a long time, because fame can come and go or get lost in the lifestyle and the splurging," he told Forbes last year. "I never got into it for the music. I got into it for the business."

At No. 3 is impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs, formerly known as "Puff Daddy," who lords over Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group. That enterprise is responsible for TV series like MTV's Making the Band franchise, the Sean John clothing line, the bestselling Unforgivable cologne and a pair of restaurants called Justin's, named after one of his sons. The Bad Boy Records label, backed by Warner Music Group, released albums last year by Danity Kane, Cassie and Yung Joc. Last year, Diddy himself released his first album in four years; Press Play debuted at the top of the U.S. pop and rap charts. All told, Combs made an estimated $28 million last year. (Representatives for Diddy, ever the showman, insist that figure is much higher.)

Generally, the most successful "hip-hopreneurs" run their own labels, taking a cut from the artists they sign. Both Eminem ($18 million) and Dr. Dre ($20 million) boast Interscope-backed imprints; both helped produce and release 50 Cent's last two albums, which have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Fifty owns his own G-Unit label which produces artists like Young Buck and Lloyd Banks, among others.

Other lucrative businesses: producing tracks and beats for other artists. Listers like Timbaland ($21 million), Scott Storch ($17 million) and Pharrell Williams ($17 million) are among the most sought after--and pricey-- producers on the planet. Rappers like Snoop Dogg ($17 million) collect massive fees for cameos on other artists' tracks. Last year, in addition to releasing Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, his eighth studio album, Snoop Dogg ($17 million) made guest appearances on hit singles by Akon, Mariah Carey and the Pussycat Dolls.

This year Chamillionaire ($11 million) inked a deal with Energizer; The Game ($11 million) peddles Skechers sneakers. And in an irrefutable sign of just how corporate hip-hop has become: Last October Anheuser Busch named Jay-Z "co-brand director" for Budweiser Select.
Our estimates are based solely on 2006 income. In March, Jay-Z sold his Rocawear apparel label to Iconix for $204 million. Forbes estimates he pocketed about a quarter of that, after taxes and other payable commitments. And in May, Coca Cola announced it would buy Glaceau, maker of VitaminWater, for $4.2 billion in cash. Once the deal is consummated, 50 Cent, who agreed to endorse the brand in 2004 in exchange for a small stake, should walk away with some $100 million.