*After four false starts, Lil Wayne was finally taken away in handcuffs to begin his year-long jail term for attempted criminal possession of a weapon.

The rapper was sentenced in Manhattan Monday, where he’ll serve his sentence in city jails, not a state prison. He could be released in about eight months with good behavior.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper, born Dwayne Carter, pleaded guilty in October to having a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun on his tour bus in 2007.

Before Monday’s court appearance, it had proved difficult to actually begin Weezy’s agreed-upon sentence.

His first sentencing was postponed in February so he could undergo surgery on his jewel-encrusted teeth. Then, a fire shut down Manhattan’s main criminal courthouse while he was on his way there last week – causing two more delays.

City jail officials haven’t said where the multiplatinum-selling artist will be housed among their roughly 13,000 inmates. His lawyer has said she plans to ask for protective custody out of concern for his safety and health following his extended oral surgeries.

Davidson Pierre (born 1980), better known by his stage name, Black Dada, is an Haitian-American Urban R&B Singer. He is currently signed to strictly business records Universal Republic.

Here

Here is a new Nas song featuring John Legend. It’s probably the one of the only songs that will probably be worth listening to off the new DJ Khaled album, Victory. While his past albums have had atleast had 4 or 5 bangers this one doesn’t seem to be shaping up as well to me. Anyhow, Victory is slated for stores this March 2nd.

(wordrap.blogspot.com)

Drake will hit the road for his first North American solo trek, dubbed “The Away From Home Tour,” an eco-friendly undertaking done in conjunction with Reverb – a non-profit organization that promotes environmental-friendly techniques.

The 25-city outing stretches from Apr. 6 through May 8 with feature performances from Canadian rapper/singer K-OS and the synth pop New York band Francis & The Lights.

The jaunt follows his participation in the “Young Money Presents: America’s Most Wanted Music Festival,” which was headlined by Lil Wayne.

The tour’s eco-friendly policy, dubbed the “Campus Consciousness Tour,” calls for the use of biodiesel fuel and biodegradable and recyclable products on the bus and backstage.

Drake will also showcase an “Eco-Village” with tents which will feature environmental and other socially-conscious groups educating on green technology, student carbon-offset programs and eco-friendly consumer sampling.

(Source)

As was the case with the hard rock era, Hip Hop has been under the microscope for its ability to allow artists to freely express themselves.

And at the end of the day, who really wants someone to have the freedom to say what they actually think and believe…this is America people!  Why be creative when someone can always toe tap for good ole massa?

In expression, there happens to be a lot of kind words for some, but there are explicit words for others and a rapper finds a way to maintain that balance, although the mainstream perceives it as creating a negative mentality for the youth.

Participating in an event hosted by BMI during the Grammy Awards weekends, Common and Nas spoke on how emotions play out on wax.

“As human beings, we feel different things throughout the day, said Common. “Some days, and some moments of the day, you might feel like ‘Ah, it’s a beautiful sun out there’.  Then you might get into an argument with your lady and start feeling pissed off…”

Living in a country where speech is meant to be supported, but is still monitored when an opinion is taken a little too far, America continues to be an area of contradiction and full of blame without providing an avenue for growth.

But what else is new right?

(hiphopwired)

Shyne’s first post-prison rhymes have turned up on the leak of DJ Khaled’s “All My Life” which also features Akon and Mavado.

On the track, the former Bad Boy briefly touches on his past criminal life style.

“From the streets of New York, where the streets don’t sleep, Shyne get ‘em!,” Khaled says prior to the rapper’s verse. “All my life I’ve been rolling with the D’s and the C’s,” Shyne raps, “Steady ducking the police, ain’t a friend/When they take me ahead, they fill me with lead — Until it come to an end, I’ll be bleeding in bed/I live slowly let you read in the F.E.D.S., Daddy wasn’t there but my mama was a gem/But I ain’t trippin’ though, that’s how I kill a flow…..” (“All My Life”)

Khaled recently spoke on his relationship with Shyne.

“Shyne is a good friend of mine, he’s just a real dude, you know what I’m saying,” Khaled said in an interview. “I kept contact with him when he got out, you know what I’m saying, I reached out to him and he’s just a great person. I asked him to be on the album and he was like, ‘Yo Khaled, you’ve been waving the Shyne flag since day one,’ you know what I’m saying and he got on it. I know a lot of people holla at him and he’s in Belize, he’s doing his thing, he’s a good brother, a real brother and he definitely repped me to the fullest and I appreciate it man. So shout-out to Shyne, Shyne Po, Shyne what it do?” (VIBE)

(sohh.com

IT was early last week that Sizzla Kalonji received the call that hip hop mogul Damon Dash was in the island and needed to make that link. “Naturally, I opened up my house to him,” the Rastafarian artiste told Splash, in reference to his August Town-based studio/house, known as Judgement Yard.

“I have invited Damon to come to Jamaica on several occasions… I told him he should think of buying houses here, do some kind of investment in the island. After all, this is Jamaica and we are about music and playing our part in helping out the suffering people in our community…”

Sizzla and Damon Dash hangs out at Judgement Yard. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)

“I couldn’t come to Jamaica without seeing Sizzla,” Dash interjected, adding that he had a lot of respect for Sizzla both as an artiste and on a personal level. “And I’m here to build on that positive energy,” the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records (with Jay-Z and Kareem ‘Biggs’ Burke) declared.

The two go back musically and there is some history, but Dash’s visit to the island wasn’t really about music or any contract signing with the deejay, although they are currently in production for a music video for Sizzla’s soon-to-be-released single, Children Suffering. His Jamaican sojourn comes under the topic “other business”.

Dash, now that he has finally made the Jamaican connection, says he is enthralled by what he has seen, and his mission here is many and varied. Think documentaries, music videos and establishing a television network here in Jamaica.

“The wind blew me here,” Dash said with a boyish smile, but he wasn’t trying to be funny. “I pride myself on being an innovator and I want to come here first… before everybody else catches on and realises that Jamaica is the place to be,” he said.

“I have a lot of ideas that involve harnessing the synergy between sports and music. We want to do everybody — from Bob Marley to Lennox Lewis to Usain Bolt. It’s all about Jamaica,” explained Dash, who brought along an entire film crew and a female rock star as part of his entourage. He was also involved in filming the recently concluded Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Trelawny as this will form some of the content for his television network.

Dash’s forays into film, both under the Roc-A-Fella Films banner and later under the Dash Film banner, have resulted in at least one critically acclaimed film — The Woodsman starring Kevin Bacon and Mos Def — and another well-received film, Paid in Full, starring Mekhi Phifer.

In late 2004, Dash sold his interest in Roc-A-Fella to parent company Island Def Jam Records for $10 million, and founded the Dame Dash Music Group as a new venture with the senior record company. Dash sold his stake in Rocawear for $22 million to former partner, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.

As a film-maker, he sees potential in Jamaica and is eager to capture the synergy between music and sport. Among the plans is a documentary on Usain Bolt, called Yellow Yams.

“I visited Bolt’s father and it was such a great experience. Actually, the deeper you go into Jamaica, the safer you feel and this is contrary to what you hear,” Damon Dash said.

He spoke with relish about sampling yellow yams straight from the senior Mr Bolt’s yam hill. “I’m not sure if it was the first time I was eating yellow yam, but it was the first time that I was actually aware of what I was eating,” he explained.

And another of his food discoveries in Jamaica was otaheti apples. “I never even knew this apple existed,” he said. “It is just great,” he enthused.

(Jamaicaobserver.com)

She actually went through with it!!! Last month I told you that Lauryn Hill Was Coming Forward To The Stage and now, those lucky enough to be at the Raggamuffin Music Festival in New Zealand this past weekend witnessed Mrs Marley take the stage. The only clips on the net show Doo Wop but I do hope that she performed more than just this one song and that more clips will pop up soon.  BillBoard.com says

In mid-2008, a source at Hill’s label said that she was “on haitus” after a string of poor live performances and an onstage meltdown in New Orleans left fans demanding refunds. Hill also scheduled festival appearances in November 2008 and April 2009, but later cancelled for what were said to be “personal reasons.”

Joining Hill at the Raggamuffin fest were Sean Kingston, Shaggy and Julian Marley, but not her fellow Fugee member Wyclef Jean, who couldn’t attend due to his relief efforts in Haiti but promised fans he’d be back to perform next year.

Former Bad Boy artist Shyne has reportedly decided to re-link with Ruff Ryders‘ producer Swizz Beatz for his first album in more than ten years.

Following up their 2002 collaboration track, “Shyne,” Beatz says the rapper must get back into his rap mode.

“I’m rocking with Shyne,” he said in an interview. “I need him to find himself a little bit. Not to say he don’t know who he is, I just need him to vibe off a couple beats and be like, ‘Swizz, these are four joints right here I been rocking with, me and Scott Storch or whoever. This is the lane I wanna go with.’ Then I could digest those things and then I can come up with the best records for Tip, Shyne, for everybody. These are different techniques so I can use those darts.” (MTV)

Producer Scott Storch is also reportedly attached to the rapper’s comeback album.

“Yeah, Shyne’s my man. I’ve been talking to him and I was talking to him all through his prison sentence. He’s always remained a loyal person to me,” Storch explained in an interview. “We became friends after he was already in [jail] and I found out he was a fan and he’s just a h*ll of a cool guy. I’m looking forward to doing, not just one record, but doing a chunk on his album… He’s in full effect. He’s got people sending him tracks. I have a feeling he’s going to make a really huge album… He’s got a lot to say.” (All Hip Hop)

Radio personality Angie Martinez hinted at Shyne recording new music on her Twitter page last month.

“he’s gr8! doing lots of giving back.,” Martinez wrote about Shyne on Sunday (December 13). “big producers & execs been flyin 2 Belize & music is coming! @ixler21 wassup w/SHYNE?” (Angie Martinez’s Twitter)

Since being deported to Belize last fall, Shyne has been speaking to inmates, offering advice and motivation.

“I didn’t blame nobody else for my mistakes,” Shyne told a room of inmates. “It wasn’t my co-defendant’s fault that I shot somebody in the club, I take responsibility, I did that sh*t, it was a terrible mistake and I moved on. So that’s what I challenge you guys to do. Don’t blame the C.O., don’t blame the police — you have to take accountability for your actions and you have to decide what your future is gonna be. You can’t be following what this one say and that one say, I spent 10 years in the cooker — it’s a lot of gang bangers in New York, I didn’t bang because I’m universal. I’m a boss.” (College Essential)

No further details have been revealed as of now.

(sohh.com)

This week news in the reggae community said that legend Barrington Levy assaulted his 14 year old daughter and was called into question by the Jamaican police. At first we just thought he was getting his Teddy Riley on, but the past couple days tell a different story.

Apparently, Levy’s young, fresh and green daughter invited a 34 year old man who worked for her father to the house for them to have some time alone; according to one876 “alleged to be Samara Cunningham aka ‘Russian’, a man in Mr Levy’s employ.” Not being slow to the game, she made sure to tell the little cousin to leave for a while- but this lil one ketch the rake and returned to the house to see big cousin and big man doing whatever it was they were doing.

Samara Cunnigham AKA Russian has fled the community and hasn’t been seen since, and because Dawta Levy gave the police a false statement to begin with (implicating someone else at that), Levy is upset with the way the police are dealing with the issue.

A 14 year old girl is gonna think she knows what’s right. A 34 year old big man, who is probably also some shamed woman’s husband or boyfriend or some kid’s father, is a f*cked up person!!! Di man give yuh broke ass a job and yuh violate him forceripe dawta??? in yuh boss own raahtid house???   .::flava flav voice::. WAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW

In Jamaica, ‘carnal abuse’ (called ’statutory rape’ in the US) is not really protected against by the authorities, but then again nothing is protected by most of them except their pockets. Anyways, Things like this will happen and it is left to Levy to find this man and deal with him and more closely protect his little daughter.

The whole ordeal is very embarrassing…I hope humbling and since I read the story the other day all I’ve been singing is Nas and Foxy Brown’s 1996 song “Watch Dem Niggas”

“Watch dem niggas that’s close to you/ And make sure they do what they supposed to do/ Cause you know they be thinkin’ bout smokin’ you/ Never personal nowadays, its the way…”

The Mayweather-Pacquiao is not going to happen. After a rigmarole of talk and demands the March fight between the two champs broke down over drug testing negotiations….yeah right… somebody was scared that they were gonna lose their title. Instead Manny Pacquiao will fight Joshua Clottey from Ghana on March 13 available live on pay per view.

Mayweather will be fighting rapper Rick Ross!!!  For real…. read about these big men acting stupid below

Floyd Mayweather Jr’s bout with Manny Pacquiao may be off, but news from Las Vegas is that he has found other potential opponents in the rap division. At a nightclub opening last weekend Mayweather was involved in an altercation with Rick Ross, and although he walked away from it with his precious unbeaten record untarnished, it was only after they had been separated by P Diddy.

Mayweather v Ross has been brewing since Mayweather, poked fun at Ross, who was — mortifyingly — exposed for wearing Louis Vuitton glasses that were counterfeit.

Ross fired back with a line in his track Deeper Than Rap that raised questions over Mayweather’s wealth. Given that his moniker is “Money”, it seems this really hurt.

Source: Owen Slot, UK Times

Bebble Team’s Kabaka Pyramid was featured in the JA Star today! Everything they put out is hot- hip hop, dancehall, reggae, chanting- you name it, they have it. Lyrics that yuh have to rewind like “hold on, what did they jus say?” and the production is just as good.  They are raging a storm on the internet at BEBBLE ROCK MUSIC Here’s what the Star had to say:

Kabaka Pyramid

Kabaka Pyramid, like his last name, has many sides to his artistry. Style, substance, delivery and ideology are some of the aspects, which all converge to make Kabaka Pyramid who he is.

The 24-year-old St Andrew native, whose real name is Keron Salmon, is new to the Jamaican music scene in many ways. Despite rapping on most of his tracks, he also deejays and sings. His tracks are engineered to deliver Afrocentric messages. These messages are not only delivered through the conventional radio-play route but also by the use of viral marketing, such as Facebook, MySpace, his label’s website www.bebblerock.com and through his two recent mixed tapes – The Transition: Volume 1 and 2.

Kabaka is trying to stamp his mark not only on the Jamaican hip-hop scene, but internationally as well. He came onto the scene in 2003 with his Bebble team who released a mixed tape that year entitled Daily Basis.

While releasing more mixed tapes such as Sea Full of Madness, he went through a name change from Ronny Pyramid – his Jamaican alter ego. An avid Pan Africanist, he said he wanted an African name and chose the name Kabaka, who was a Ugandan king, fusing it with Pyramid.

Afrocentric musician

“Kabaka is an Afrocentric musician who seeks to uplift people, regardless of their stature, race or modes of life. I don’t limit my music.”

His use of an American accent to deliver his rap rhymes, is done, he said, to reach more people, and not because he is trying to adapt a false persona.

“People always ask me why I use an American accent to rap, when they say I can DJ and singjay,

and I say I wouldn’t consider myself a singer, but I do this for people universally so that they can understand what I am saying. A lot of times people listen to Jamaican music and while they jump up and down, they are not getting the message and we want people to be comfortable.”

Don’t get it twisted. Kabaka still mixes it up by delivering his dancehall songs in an unmistakable Jamaican accent.

His use of viral means to spread his message has, however, been hitting all the right notes. This seems to be a formula on the rise all over the world.

As record sales dip across the world, the normal playbook of releasing a single, a video and radio play, to hype it, has not reaped the same dividends. This has forced artistes in the US, the major market for music, to come up with alternative means of connecting with a fan base. Enter the mixed tape. It has been used to tremendous effect by multiplatinum rapper Lil Wayne and new sensations Drake, Wale and J.Cole.

Kabaka’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed as one of his singles, Dear Hip-Hop, was chosen by US celebrity deejay Green Lantern and included on his MySpace Invasion mixed tape in 2007. The mixed tape, which was a part of a competition, also saw Kabaka’s single placing second.

With this early momentum, Kabaka Pyramid is hoping to keep it going with his new mixed tape, The Transition: Volume 2. He also has a dancehall-themed single, Enemy Lines, on the rhythm of the same name by Code Red productions.

His close friend and associate, head of Bebble Rock Records, Abishai Hoilett, said they have big expectations of this record.

“Kabaka Pyramid does a lot of rapping on this mixed tape and he has a 360 holistic view to introduce to the people. It is a very lyrical album and we are trying to connect with the youths. It is very different from the ‘jump up’ thing. We are putting out a message that we want to sink in.”

Kabaka is encouraging everyone to get the mixed tape at www.bebblerock.com. Kabaka Pyramid’s music can be heard at www.myspace.com/naturalraskas and www.myspace.com/bebbleteamproductions.

(Source)

Some of our artistes need to take a page out of Em’s book; just because you alter your act doesn’t mean you are bowing to the gay rights groups,  it just mean yuh love yuh career:

In advance of his scheduled appearance at next summer’s Wireless Festival in the UK, Eminem has agreed to strip his performance of homophobic lyrics in order to avoid any threat of protest from gay activist groups, such as OutRage!According to UK’s Evening Standard, OutRage! agreed to refrain from picketing the concert, as long as Eminem does not use lyrics that encourage or incite hatred against gay people.

Festival spokesman David Allison said the rapper agreed to sign up after he was assured there would be no protests at the show. In return, Slim will censor his lyrics to avoid confrontation with the gay rights groups in the country.

OutRage! and other similar groups have actively boycotted singers like Beenie Man and Buju Banton, who have had tours of the country interrupted due to protests over their homophobic lyrics.

(source)

Number Seven, a hip-hop and R&B group was recently the featured artists at a benefit concert, hosted by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). The concert took place at the Marion Civic Center (Marion, Illinois) and many of the churches and organizations in the community showed up to show their support.  There were performances by the Omega Troops Youth Group, Red Letter Youth Group, Cornerstone Praise Team and many more.

Linda Sargent, the director and victim advocate of MADD in the Southern Illinois area, coordinated the benefit Concert.  As a two-time victim of drunk driving, Linda has decided to fight back by raising awareness. At the concert she reminded those in attendance that “Every 30 seconds someone dies of drunk driving.” The event was coordinated to help the police officers purchase better equipment that will help identify drunk drivers.

The group, Number Seven was asked to be involved in this event because their songs tackle different issues in the community. As a socially conscious group, they perform songs that talk about abuse, mental illness and the negative effects of alcohol. Delora, one of the group members, lost her grandfather to a drunk driver. She stated, “being involved in this event allows me to honor my late grandfather.”

The group performed some of their top hits such as, Number Seven, It’s Good To be Alive, Movin’, Fight Til the End and I’m Praying.

To find out more about Number Seven feel free to visit www.numbersevenmusic.com or www.myspace.com/numbersevenmusic.

Kid Sister has been in my ear ever since hearing her on Pro-Nails with Kanye right before his 2007 album Graduation dropped.

A few weeks ago I came across an excellent video interview of her with the reporters over at RubyHornet. Check out the interview below and make sure you visit RubyHornet.com

Kid Sister’s Album Ultraviolet is in stores Now!

Download Here>>>>>>Down Ass Jawn- Kid Sister (27)

RH TV: Who Is Kid Sister? from Ruby Hornet on Vimeo.

Kid Cudi can’t catch a break. If he’s not punching a fan over a misunderstanding, or being forced off of a major tour, he’s being held at gunpoint in a case of mistaken identity.

The rapper, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, was in the middle of an outdoor photo shoot in Los Angeles for Britain’s NME magazine when he and his entourage were pulled over on Fairfax Ave. by police.

NME’s Emily Mackay later blogged about the incident, saying it involved “an angry, shaven-headed American policeman screaming, ‘KEEP YOUR TWO HANDS VISIBLE!’ while pointing a gun at the back of your head through the rear window.”

According to Billboard, Cudi and his entourage were ordered to exit three vehicles and kneel on the ground, where they were handcuffed. Police soon released the group, however, upon realizing that they had detained the wrong party.

“Such is life, apparently, when you roll with Kid Cudi and his crew,” added Mackay.

The incident occurred a week after the rapper left his opening slot on Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour — ostensibly to “balance his schedule” — in the wake of criticism for punching a fan at a tour stop in Vancouver. Witnesses said the fan threw a wallet on stage that had just been handed to him mistakenly by Cudi. The rapper, however, took the wallet toss as a dis and punched the guy in the face.

Just when you thought you’d have to wait till March of 2010 for the ‘King of the South’ to make his return, think again.

T.I.’s release date from prison is March 23 but rumors were swirling Tuesday that the king was already out of the bing and had quietly retreated to his Atlanta home.

The speculation was cleared up, however, after a prison official told The Atlanta Journal Constitution that while TIP is still locked up, he could be out very shortly.

Bureau of Prisons spokesman Edmond Ross told the AJC that it was customary for an inmate to transition from prison to freedom by spending time in a halfway house if there is no danger to the community and if there is space at a facility near where he lives.

He also told the publication,

“Usually that process begins when there are 18 months remaining on a sentence, but in this case it would have to start sooner. It’s not uncommon for inmates to be placed in community corrections for the last portion of their confinement to help with his transition.”

Ross also mentioned to the AJC that TIP could serve the final month of his sentence out of the halfway house and in his home in Atlanta.

Wow! Talk about good lawyers….or maybe it’s just good behavior…..or maybe it’s just good money.

Either way, get ready…The king’s baaack!

HIPHOPwired.com