The Death of Death Row
In an exclusive interview, Marion "Suge" Knight, 42, said he's ready to pull the plug on the label he founded in 1991. His change of direction occurred after he made two visits to the City of Refuge Church, near his hometown of Compton, near L.A., where preachers Noel Jones and T.D. Jakes eerily gave him the same message."You've got to be able to let the past go, and move forward to the future," he quoted Jones as saying. Two weeks later, Knight heard Jakes, who was visiting from Texas, say, "You can't keep living in the past. God gives you a chance to move on."Knight says, "They talked about the same thing, and it felt like they were talking straight to me. I don't want to be tied up with this for years. I want to move on with my life in a more positive direction."Snoop arrested in Sweden
Snoop was held overnight by Swedish police on suspicion of using illegal narcotics on Monday but was released yesterday after questioning and drug test. Snoop was reportedly headed to a party after a concert in Stockholm, Sweden at around 1:30 a.m.Police stopped his vehicle and noticed that Snoop and a female companion were under the influence of narcotics. Matts Brannlund, of the Stockholm police, said that a small amount of narcotics was found in the car, but did not specify the kind of drug and also said it was unclear whether it belonged to Snoop. Snoop was taken to the station for drug testing and released yesterday but could face a fine if the tests come back positive. He was on his way to the party from a concert appearance with Diddy at Stockholm's Globe Arena.
Busta banned from movie set
Busta Rhymes was banned from a Manhattan movie set over the weekend by police.Busta was arrested by police last month for driving with a suspended license, was banned from the set due to security concerns police had over public safety.
''This is tremendously unfair to Busta, who has been nothing but professional during this project,'' said director Jeff Celentano in a statement released through his publicist. ''This is a bigger loss for the city of New York.''
The film Busta Rhymes was cast in, Order of Redemption, is a crime drama starring Tom Berenger.
The film will continue filming in Manhattan until early April even though Busta Rhymes will not be present for filming.
Aside from being arrested by police due to a suspended license, Rhymes has also upset police for his refusal to cooperate with police after his bodyguard was shot and killed on the set of the video shoot for his "Touch It (Remix)" single.
J. Hud turns down $3 million dollar role
Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson has turned down a $3 million role in a Warner Bros. movie because of a nude scene. Ready for the twist? It wasn’t Jennifer’s character that gets naked.
The Dreamgirls star says that she will never appear in a film that features nudity because she is a role model to aspiring young black women. As stupid as that may be, you must applaud her for sticking to her convictions especially when a big paycheck is being flaunted under her nose. But she wasn’t the one getting naked..
Bow Wow invests in NBA team
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Music may be Bow Wow’s present occupation, but the rapper is laying the groundwork for life beyond the mic with various business ventures.Among those is Prestigious, a shoe store he co-owns with Atlanta radio personality Greg Street.
The store is the first taste of business success away from the music industry for Bow Wow, who plans on opening another sneaker store, franchising his first McDonald’s and sharing ownership of an NBA basketball team.
"I can’t say what team yet, but it’s definitely gonna go down with a certain NBA team," Bow Wow said and hinted that news about the investment will be made public at the end of next month.
Carmello becomes a father
Carmelo Anthony and MTV Veejay Alani “La La” Vazquez welcomed the arrival of their son, Kiyan, at 1:35 p.m. yesterday (Mar. 7) at Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado.Kiyan weighed 5 lbs., 9 oz and was 18 inches long. La La is resting comfortably with Carmello and her immediate family by her side
Beans birthday bash
Jay-Z threw an all-out birthday bash for Beanie Sigel, who is tight-lipped about being a member of Roc-A-Fella Records once again. Roc fam Freeway, Memphis Bleek and the Young Gunz were all in the house to help celebrate Beans' birthday at Jay's 40/40 Club in Manhattan, New York on Tuesday. Others in attendance included Tyrese, model Melyssa Ford, and Beyoncé. Diddy was also throwing a party at the club the same night for Bad Boy executive Harve Pierre, who was also celebrating a birthday. Bad Boy family members Cassie, Mario Winans, and producer Stevie J. came threw for the bash, as well we Tony Touch and Joe Budden. ...
Woman uses 4 week old child like a bat
Now usually I only bring you news that's jumping off in the entertainment world but this piece here, you gotta read. A Pennsylvania woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to swinging her 4-week-old son like a bat to hit her boyfriend during a fight, fracturing the infant's skull in the process.Chytoria Graham, 27, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child under a plea agreement with prosecutors.
By pleading guilty, Graham acknowledged that on October 8 she grabbed her son Jarron by his feet and swung him, hitting her boyfriend and seriously injuring the child.
At Graham's preliminary hearing in December, paramedic Betty Schau, who treated the baby, recalled that Graham was crying and disheveled when medical crews arrived. She testified that Graham told her, "I swung him. I swung him like a bat."
The judge ordered a psychological examination for Graham before her sentencing, set for May 8. The charges carry a minimum of five years in prison because the child was under age 12. Two lesser charges were dropped.
Graham's previous attorney had said Graham did not use her child as a weapon, that the boy was hurt during a fight between the two adults and that Graham lied to authorities about how the injury occurred to protect her boyfriend.
Her current attorney, public defender Julia Dudics, however, said Tuesday that the choice to plead guilty was Graham's. Dudics declined further comment except to say that Graham had told her she was depressed.
Jarron, who made a full recovery, and Graham's four other children are currently in the custody of her parents.
Roc A Wear...sold for $204 million
Iconix Brand Group Inc., owner of fashion brands including Joe Boxer and Candie's, said it agreed to buy the Rocawear brand for $204 million in cash, to boost its holdings of fashionable attire and accessory brands.The licensing and brand management company, in a statement, said it expects Rocawear to generate about $43 million in royalty revenue in the first 12 months under its fold.
Rocawear, which was co-founded by Shawn Carter, the hip hop artist known as Jay-Z, has annual sales of over $700 million.
The Rocawear acquisition, the largest deal Iconix has done, will be funded from proceeds of a loan made to the company by one or more affiliates of Lehman Brothers Inc., and is expected to close in March.
As part of the deal, Iconix will also enter into a separate joint venture with Jay Z, to establish a new brand management and licensing company to identify brands to be acquired or developed.
Jay Z will continue to be chief creative officer of the Rocawear brand, Iconix said.
He will retain his stake in the operating company and his two partners, Alex Bize and Norton Cher, will continue to run the company and enter into a long-term license agreement with Iconix for the core young men's apparel category.
Revenue is expected to be $150 million to $160 million in 2007, the company said while announcing quarterly results.
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