Reads: From Pieces to Weight

That's what this book is about--the good times and the bad times. I wrote this book to explain the world I come from. To a lot of people, I may be too young to reflect on life. And they may be right. But I'd be wasting my blessings if I didn't use the attention I'm getting to shed light on the experiences that have caused me to say the things I say and make the kind of music I make. I want to explain my environment to those who don't come any closer to it than the records they buy or the images they see on television. People want the truth. Even if they can't handle it, they want it. I let you know that I survived nine bullets not to sell records, but because it's the truth. Every time I sit down for an interview, I'm asked, "Well, 50, how did it feel to get shot nine times?" But those stories don't hold the weight, the pain, or the hope of my experience. It just can't. This is my mindset and these are the things that go on. This is why I say the rhymes that I say. This is what happened when I was trying to get rich before I died in Southside Queens. -50 Cent

So begins From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens, a violent and introspective memoir that reveals not only 50's story but the story of a generation of youth faced with hard choices and very little options. A tale of sacrifice, transformation and redemption, but it is also one of hope, determination and the power of self. Told in 50's own unique voice, the narrative drips with the raw insight, street wisdom, and his struggle to survive at all costs...and behold the riches of the American Dream.

From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens
50 Cent with Kris Ex Hardcover: 240 pages Price: $23.00 August 2005

Music: Rhythm and Bullshit?

Ran across this very good read, i thought i'd share....
Rhythm and Bullshit?: The Slow Decline of R&B

Say Wha???

"I like girls, too," says Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez. "When I signed on to the show, I didn't realize I was going to have to always be gay."

Describe your ideal vacation - location & activities.
Beach. Boys. Good weather. Open bar.

What type of workout keeps you in shape?
Gym three times a week, plus dancing.

Which celebrity would you most like to makeover?
Jared Leto. I just want a good excuse to see him in his boxers.

What celebrity do you think has an amazing sense of style?
Jennifer Lopez

Jai is currently working with the industry's top producers on his debut album scheduled to debut later this year. The singer blends pop/rock, R&B, dance and high-energy fusion. Jai's first dance single "Love is Good" can be heard at www.arriveateleven.com.

The Age Game: Destiny's Child

Beyonce Giselle Knowles
Stage Age: 23
Real Age: 30

Kelendria "Kelly" Rowland
Stage Age: 23
Real Age: 39

Tenetria "Michelle" Williams
Stage Age: 25
Real Age: 34/35

A nice little public records search turns up the real ages of DC3.

Film: Get Rich or Die Tryin

An orphaned street kid (Curtis Jackson) makes his mark in the drug trade, but finally dares leave the violence behind to pursue a promising career in rap.

Starring:
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Joy Bryant, Viola Davis, Terrence Dashon Howard, Bill Duke

Release Date:
November 11th

Ashanti: Breached Contract

Grammy-winning singer Ashanti hit a sour note with a federal jury, which concluded Thursday she owes $630,000 to her first producer for breach of contract.

The singer was not in court when the jury returned its verdict in favor of Genard Parker, who worked with Ashanti in 1996 and 1997 when she was 16.

Ashanti testified during the four-day trial that Parker did not live up to the terms of their deal as he helped her create music in a home studio that was so crude she sang in the bathroom.

Parker, now of Ellenwood, Ga., said after the verdict that he wished the singer and her mother well and had nothing bad to say about them "though they had plenty of negative things to say about me."

Ashanti lawyer Harry Stokes said the singer was disappointed and the verdict would be appealed.

"We think the jury got confused somewhat, particularly on the damages," he said. "We feel confident when this is said and done we won't have to pay out anything."

Parker lawyer Jasmine Khalili called the jury award a "huge victory," even though it fell well short of the $2.2 million one expert testified Parker might be owed.

"They never acknowledged what he had done," she said. "It takes a jury to get a thank you."

Ashanti, whose full name is Ashanti Douglas, lived on Long Island when she went to Parker. She eventually signed with a record company, and Parker released her from his contract with the understanding that he could produce two songs on her first album.

Ashanti: Just Another Teenage Girl With A Nice Voice

Ashanti was accused in a civil court case on Monday of abandoning her first music producer when he asked for money after she became commercially successful, an allegation she denied on the witness stand.

Genard Parker was an established music producer when Ashanti, then 16 years old, approached him in 1996 for help, his lawyer Jasmine Khalili said.

"This case is about abandoning the people that help us succeed," Khalili charged in opening statements in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where the contract dispute is being heard by a jury.

She said Parker helped Ashanti in his Bronx home-based studio for eight months when she was "just another teenage girl with a nice voice."

Ashanti, who then lived in Glen Cove, on Long Island, eventually signed with a record company, and Parker released her from his contract with the understanding that he could produce two songs on her first album and receive a $50,000 advance plus royalties, Khalili said.

Two successful records that sold a total of more than 6 million copies mean Ashanti owes Parker millions of dollars in royalties, the lawyer said.

"She has never paid him, and, just as importantly, she has never thanked him," Khalili said.

On the witness stand, Ashanti, now 24, denied that Parker played an influential role in her career.

She said praise she tossed his way on a videotape made in 1997 to help promote her efforts for a recording contract was "a little bit of hype."

"I was excited," she said. "I thought I was getting a record deal."

Her lawyer, Harry Stokes, said it was only after the success of the second album that Parker claimed his contract was violated and demanded money.

Parker, now of Ellenwood, Ga., testified that Ashanti was pleased with the work he did for her in 1996 and 1997.

The trial is expected to last three days, though the singer, whose full name is Ashanti Douglas, left after her testimony for Vancouver, British Columbia, where she is working on a movie.

Lil' Kim Strikes Back: Sues Lil' Cease

Lil' Kim struck back Monday at a trial witness who helped to secure her false-statements conviction and yearlong prison sentence, filing a lawsuit accusing the witness of unlawfully using her name and image to promote a DVD.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, she accuses James "Lil' Cease" Lloyd of preparing to release a DVD entitled, The Chronicles of Junior M.A.F.I.A. Part II: Reloaded.

She says the DVD, like a predecessor, was unauthorized and improperly uses her name, image and likeness, amounting to false advertising and false endorsement. She's seeking $6 million in damages.

She also says Lloyd has announced publicly that the DVD will include interviews with him and other members of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. group explaining their involvement with her trial.

There was no telephone listing in Los Angeles for the company that produced Lloyd's DVD, Ground Zero Entertainment, which also is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Lil' Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, was convicted after she told a grand jury that she didn't see her manager and a friend at the scene of a 2001 gunfight outside WQHT, the Manhattan rap station known as HOT 97. A man was injured in the shootout.

Lloyd and Antoine "Banger" Spain, Brooklyn rappers who once teamed with Lil' Kim in the Junior M.A.F.I.A., testified they saw her manager and the friend she denied seeing at the radio station with her.

Lil' Kim says in the lawsuit that she separated from the musical group in 2001 over personal and business differences.

Village People Cop From Y.M.C.A to J.A.I.L.

Former Village People Victor Willis was arrested after police allegedly found drugs and a gun in his car. Willis sung lead on and co-wrote Macho Man and In The Navy before leaving the group in the 1970’s. Willis is also the ex-husband of actress Phylicia Rashad. He indulged in a generous hit of freebase prior to each performance, prompting a meeting among the producers. They replaced Willis with Ray Simpson.

Several years ago, according to Bay Area newspapers, police allegedly, wanted to interview him regarding the deaths of three murdered women, their remains were found in a bay area park. Willis was never considered a suspect and was not charged with the crimes.

Terri Speaks!!! I'm A Johnophobe.

Terri in her first apperance for her new book

The Interruption of Everything, Terri appeared on The Tavis Smiley Show to promote the forthcoming release. She did respond to the

ordeal that has been going on for the past 7 months.

A few choice quotes:

• I am not a homophobe. I am an Johnophobe.
• He wants my money and he is not getting it.
  
• He sold the pet grooming business and everything in it.
• He has a had lover for 9 months.
• Claims he signed the pre-nup under stress.
• Used me to get a green card.

Update: Word is that McMillian’s ex-husband Jonathan Plummer is allegedly considering writing a tell-all.

The Real Supahead Interview

Forget the wack Hot interview.... Star and Bucwild got up in her ish...

Superhead Interview

Click here to listen to the Superhead interview from the Star & Bucwild Morning Show.

* Note to SUPAHEAD - Karma is a bitch

Places: Cafe Dupri

Jermaine Dupri, best known for producing and writing chart-topping songs, announces the grand opening of his first restaurant, Café Dupri, in Atlanta, GA. Café Dupri officially opened for business on Monday, June 6.

"I am proud to be a part of the Atlanta community and am excited to be opening Café Dupri in the place I call home," says Dupri. "Café Dupri has innovative, high-quality menu items that are also healthy, and of course, have a little So So Def flair." Dupri hopes to expand Café Dupri into a franchise with locations in New York, Japan and elsewhere.

The newly built Café is 2200 square feet and opened with 39 employees. It seats 105 guests and will serve a diverse menu of nutritious choices including low carb options with a southern flavor. General Manager, Gail Matney, will oversee the location and renowned Atlanta-area Chef, Christopher B. Banks, adds his culinary expertise.

Café Dupri offers a complete casual dining menu with high-quality recipes. A full breakfast menu includes So So Def specials like Eggs Oscar, Eggs Portobello and Applewood Smoked Salmon. Lunch includes Turkey Burgers, Chicken Kabob's, Veggini's and the signature dish, Tomatoes Dupri (Fried Green Tomatoes w/ Blackened Crawfish). For dinner, guests can dine on Chicken Napoleon, Tuna Carpaccio and Eggplant Roulade, among other dishes. On Sunday, Cafe Dupri offers a Sunday brunch complete with complimentary mimosas.

Jermaine Dupri's commitment to providing the best he has to offer has also been adopted by the restaurant and its employees. Café Dupri is dedicated to providing unparalleled food quality and incomparable customer service.

Café Dupri
3133 Piedmont Avenue
Sun - Thurs 7:00am-2:00am
Fri - Sat 7:00am-4:00am.

Raz-B is performing at a Gay Black Mens pride celebration

Developing....

Remembering Luther: A Voice Like Silk

Born in New York City in 1951, Mr. Vandross was the youngest of four children. His father, an upholsterer, died when Mr. Vandross was still a boy, leaving his mother, a nurse, to support the family.

While in high school, Mr. Vandross developed an affinity for the legendary Motown label's all-female acts, and for the gospel-soul sounds of artists like Aretha Franklin and Cissy Houston. Dreaming of a career in music, he briefly attended Western Michigan University.

In 1972, a song Mr. Vandross wrote, Everybody Rejoice, was included in the Broadway musical The Wiz. But his biggest early break came when he landed a job as a backup singer for the British glam-rock artist David Bowie, who later hired him to work on vocal arrangements for the album Young Americans.

Mr. Vandross soon became a sought-after backup singer and arranger, working for artists from Bette Midler to Barbra Streisand, and he helped pay the bills as an anonymous performer of commercial jingles. In the late 1970's, he recorded under different names and with a variety of groups, including Bionic Boogie and Change, and sang on the Chic hit Dance, Dance, Dance.

He finally signed a contract with Epic Records, which released his 1981 debut, Never Too Much, which reached the top of the R&B charts and sold more than one million copies, effectively sparking his career as a star. Through the 1980's, he released a string of hit albums, including Forever, For Always, For Love, Busy Body and Any Love.

He did broaden his audience further with the 1991 album Power of Love, and through the 1990's he performed hit duets with the pop stars Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey.

Mr. Vandross won a Grammy for best R&B male vocal performance in 1991 for Here and Now, two in 1992 for co-writing the song Power of Love/Love Power and performing on the album of the same name, and another in 1997 for his performance of Your Secret Love.

(from NY TIMES)

Judge Orders L.A. to Pay B.I.G. Family

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A federal judge has ordered the city and police department to pay slain rap star Notorious B.I.G.'s family "fees and costs incurred as a result of defendants' misconduct" in the family's wrongful death lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper declared a mistrial in the case, rejecting the city's argument that LAPD Detective Steven Katz had forgotten about documents in his desk drawer until his office was searched last month.

The documents detail Katz's investigation of a prison informant's claim that corrupt former LAPD officers Rafael Perez and David Mack were involved in the 1997 killing of the chart-topping New York rapper, whose real name was Christopher Wallace. Cooper said the LAPD still has not turned over other files to the plaintiffs, including about 15 personnel complaint investigations into Mack.

"The detective, acting alone or in concert with others, made a decision to conceal from the plaintiffs in this case information which could have supported their contention that David Mack was responsible for the Wallace murder," Cooper wrote in an order released Thursday affirming the family's request for a mistrial and sanctions.

Attorney Perry Sanders Jr. said the family would refile the suit, but he didn't know when. It is expected to accuse the LAPD of racketeering and to name Perez as a defendant.

Wallace's mother Voletta also spoke publicly about her son's death for the first time in years.

"Eight years, three months and 29 days (ago) today, my son was murdered in this town, in this city. For all that time I've labored with pain and sweat just to find out the truth of what happened," she said, adding that her suit "was not about money."

"It was about honesty. It was about integrity. It was about cover-up," she said, jabbing a finger in the air to emphasize each point. "It had nothing to do with dollars and cents."

Police Chief William Bratton, in a separate news conference, forcefully denied the department had covered for Mack, currently serving a 14-year prison sentence for bank robbery, or his one-time partner Perez, the key figure in the LAPD Rampart corruption scandal.

"What the hell do we want to protect those two scumbags for?" Bratton said, noting that LAPD and FBI investigations failed to implicate either man. He added that the department was investigating Katz's "oversight."

Wallace's family claims Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight ordered Mack to kill the rapper, and that Mack's college roommate was the gunman.

The link to Perez emerged only after an anonymous tip during trial. LAPD documents show that Kenny Boagni, who became friends with Perez in prison, told detectives in 2000 and 2001 that Perez had acknowledged moonlighting in a security role for Death Row on the night Wallace was killed, and had called Mack just before the shooting.

Perez's attorney, Winston McKesson, said that if the Wallace family sues his client, he will respond by suing them for malicious prosecution.

Lil' Kim Gets a Year for Perjury

NEW YORK (AP) -- Grammy-award winning rapper Lil' Kim was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in prison and fined $50,000 for lying to a federal grand jury to protect friends involved in a 2001 shootout outside a Manhattan radio station.While many rappers have served time in prison, Lil' Kim is the first big-name female to do so.Lil' Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, could have faced up to 20 years - five years each on three counts of perjury and one count of conspiracy - at her sentencing before U.S. District Judge Gerard Lynch. She was convicted of the charges in March.

* Note to Lil Kim: Go to Jail now, since you admitted you LIED. Be like Martha serve the time come out more respected. Maybe you will be on released in 5 months if you act right up in there. Put that forthcoming cd on HOLD cause that SHUT UP B*$CH song is NOT HOT at all.

I'm Not One To Gossip, But...

By Robb Leigh DavisS
Photography by Steven Vaschon

Dishy diva Wendy Williams brings the heat with
a summertime party CD and brings us up to speed with the latest R&B rumor and hip-hop heresay.

She calls herself “The Queen of All Media,” and considering her 20-year career includes a No.1 radio show in New York on WBLS, a television show on VH1 and several books on the New York Times bestseller list, it would be difficult for anyone to say Wendy Williams was anything less. The opinionated empress adds another feather to her fabulous cap with Wendy Williams Brings the Heat: Vol. 1, a CD compilation designed to showcase the emerging and overlooked talents in today’s world of hip-hop and R&B. The disc shows Williams’ ear to be just as formidable as her tongue and proves that, at the end of the day, there’s a lot more to the radio maven than her ability to dish the dirt on the Destiny’s Child breakup and the bubble of hype surrounding Mariah Carey. Don’t worry, though—we took it there, too…

Why this CD and why right now? It was important for me to get it out in time for summer, because you know how summer and good music go together! Overall, [the CD compiles] my wish list [of artists]: Amerie was obvious, Jadakisss is my favorite rapper of all time and, to me, M.O.P. is the top rap group ever—they can throw down with Kid Rock on a stage in Germany and keep the crowd moving in Brooklyn, yet they don’t sell like some other artists. But record sales do not equal greatness.

Speaking of record sales, do you think hip-hop is reaching the end of its reign? I think it’s going into a new phase. It’s tired to have a bunch of ice and a bunch of rims and not have actual assets like a great house, property and investments. It’s not enough that you’re on Cribs in a rented house!

With sampling running rampant, do you think originality is vanishing? Well, there’s a formula and record companies get nervous that you won’t sell the music to make the money. Artists are afraid that they need that formula, but look at my good friend Jill Scott.

That’s my girl! She went platinum! On the strength of one single! But you don’t go platinum based only on a single; they do it by elating to their audience and not trying to fit into a mold.

What’s your comment for people who view you as nothing more than a gossip? That’s a fair assessment. My foundation is radio, and the foundation of radio started out as a comment on pop culture—otherwise known as gossip. I’ve evolved, though. I’m a woman who has lived a bit and I do have opinions. I don’t necessarily consider myself a role model, but I do consider myself a strong representation of black women today—one of many.

Has being a mother altered the type of music you want your children to hear? Oh god, let me answer this correctly: No! But it has opened my ears to other types of music. I still listen to the same shit—everything from Cher to Madonna to the Dip Set to gutter hip-hop. I just listen to the clean version when [my son] is in the car.

Your fan base is pretty extensive—black, white, gay, straight, Latino. Why do you think that is? I don’t know. Sometimes I want to ask people, like when I’m in the store and see a white lady in her 50s—though she looks 40 ’cause that’s how we do now—and she’s with her kids and they all know who I am, sometimes I want to say: “Why do you listen?” I think it’s because I’m being myself—I never pretend to be from the block. I think my appeal is based in my honesty.

On that note, tell me the first thing that comes to mind about the following things: Michael. Guilty! Poorly tried case, but guilty. And I’ll be looking at him the same way I look at O.J. and Robert Blake.

Destiny Fulfilled. To be expected—but wait for the rest of the story, honey, ’cause there’s about to be fire!

Mariah. Love her! She embraces the 12-year-old inside and I can identify with that, but at the end of the day we’re both grown-ass women and we pay our bills on time!

Whitney. A mess—and I’m not even gonna ask what happened, ’cause I’ve been there already.

Lil’ Kim. Shit happens. But she’s got a chance to come back. She’s a hip-hop socialite and a fabulously sweet girl. She’ll find a way to be relevant when she gets out.

Lastly, what do you want this CD to do for people’s summer? When we sealed this deal. I made a firm decision that I was going to give something good to the people who are good enough to support me. I want this CD to be the party theme music when people are heading to the clubs, needing a pick-me-up or a way to calm down. I poured my heart and soul into this project and think it rounds out my being the Queen of All Media.

Self-proclaimed Queen! Well, I think there are people who would co-sign on that, but I’m not one to talk. I realize that my 15 minutes of fame was over, came back, was over and came back again. I don’t know how that happened, but I’m just grateful to be here, because at the end of the day it is all about the fans.

Wendy Williams Brings The Heat: Vol. 1 (Virgin Records) is in stores now.
Visit wendybringstheheat.com, don-divas.com, or thewendywilliamsexperience.com

(from NEXT Magazine July 1)

Etc. Etc. Etc

Last fews things uploaded into my i- tunes:

DeBarge - In A Special Way
Rick James - Street Songs
Herb Alpert - Keep Your Eye On Me
Joe Budden
Patrice Rushen - Pizzazz
Prince - The Black Album & Musicology
Christina Aguilera - Stripped
Terri Walker - L.O.V.E.
Ying Yang Twins - Wait (Remix)
INXS - Kick (Deluxe Edition)
Jamiroquai -Dynamite

Total 1827 songs 5.6 days 7.68 gb

I guess one of these days i should actually get the IPOD to put these on

Terry changed the password on my cell phone to 'ILUVMEN'

In what should be pre-publicity for her upcoming novel, Interruption Of Everything, Terry McMillian is now in a messy divorce with the inspiration of How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Jonathan Plummer. The writer is rather peeved that her husband realized--five years into their marriage--that he prefers the company of men. McMillan, who wrote "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" after meeting her decades-younger paramour, appears to now be fashioning a sequel in California's Superior Court. Call it "Diary of a Very Mad Black Woman."

In a series of court filings in the divorce case, including a declaration filed this month by Plummer claiming that McMillan repeatedly harassed him after he disclosed last year that he was gay. Plummer said that McMillan has tormented him in a series of vitriolic letters, one of which concluded, "I wish I had never met your sneaky ass. I wish I had never married you. I do hate you Jonathan...And I hate all the Fags out there like you who use women to hide behind so that you can walk the streets of America without a care in the world...you're a Fag alright."

PLUMMER: "I tried to talk to Terry about my sexuality..."

McMILLAN: "My consent was obtained by fraud..."

PLUMMER: "Terry changed the password on my cell phone to 'ILUVMEN'"

PLUMMER: Terry said we "had a 'gay orgy' at his mother's house."

Details at The Smoking Gun