NEW YORK (AP) — G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo was sentenced Thursday to 10 days of community service after pleading guilty to harassment of a recording rival's 14-year-old son.

Yayo, whose real name is Marvin Bernard, admitted in Manhattan Criminal Court that on March 20, 2007, he got out of a sport utility vehicle and "glared" at James Rosemond Jr. in a way that was "meant to threaten physical violence."

The 29-year-old Bernard, an associate of rapper 50 Cent, initially was accused of slapping the boy, who is the son of Cynthia Reed and Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond, Czar Entertainment executive and manager of one of Bernard's rivals, The Game.

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HOUSTON — On Friday night here at Warehouse Live, 48 hours and 1,500 miles from the Grammy Awards, more than a thousand fans gathered for a different sort of musical celebration.

The concert was advertised as a solo show by Bun B, the Port Arthur, Tex., rapper who has been a defining figure in Houston hip-hop for more than 15 years. But the concert also functioned as a tribute to Pimp C, Bun B’s partner in the pioneering duo UGK, who was found dead in his West Hollywood, Calif., hotel room on Dec. 4. On Dec. 6 it was announced that, for the first time, the duo had been nominated for a Grammy. “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You),” by UGK featuring OutKast, was up for best rap performance by a duo or group.

This was Bun B’s first show since then, and it was a tough, courageous one. In the crowd there were dozens of different varieties of “R.I.P. Pimp C” T-shirts, some homemade. And onstage Bun B was joined by a coterie of rappers and friends, including Pimp C’s mother, widely known as Mama Wes. She was easy to spot in a sporty red military shirt with “Mama” emblazoned on one pocket. And from time to time, if you looked closely, you could see her lips moving in time to the beat.

As he accepted one of many ovations, Bun B said he felt so good, “it don’t make no sense.” Later he delivered a different message: “I miss him.” Either way he was confirming fans’ hopes and fears. Yes, Bun B is still going strong. And yes, Pimp C, an illustrious rapper and producer and provocateur, is still gone.

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SEATTLE, Washington: The title aptly applies to the content of ROADBLOCK: Still Breathin', a raw, emotionally-charged rap saga about growing up in troubled times in East Africa and finding refuge in the Emerald City – Seattle. Producer/Rapper B Plenty, the lead artist on the BUZHFAM Entertainment outfit, says his life influences remain the driving force behind his zeal for making music.

"Experience teaches you a lot about life, and about yourself," says Abdi Yusuf, who is more popularly known by his rap name B Plenty. Experience taught him humbleness, courage in times of need, and the pursuit of the fulfillment of one's ultimate goals.

The ROADBLOCK album was released July 1, 2007, marking Somali Independence Day. B Plenty says, despite his American citizenship, he is still a Somali at heart. He speaks the language fluently and sometimes adds a few Somali words in his rap lyrics. But his latest release, posted on the BUZHFAM website, is entitled " Ma Rabno" (We Don’t Want). The song, playing over a rhythmic reggae beat, addresses Somali warlords by name and follows with a "Ma Rabno" chorus between pauses. Listen Here!

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By Richard Winton

The rap artist known as The Game pleaded no contest today to a felony firearm charge for pointing a gun at another player during a pickup basketball game last year in South Los Angeles.

50 Cent smacking The Game

Deputy Dist. Atty. Tien Pham of Central Trials said the artist, born Jayceon Terrell Taylor, was sentenced in Los Angeles Superior Court to 60 days in county jail, three years formal probation and 150 hours of community service.

Taylor, who is scheduled to surrender to authorities in the next week, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in a school zone. Two other counts, of making criminal threats and of exhibiting a firearm in the presence of a peace officer, were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, officials said. He could have faced more than five years in state prison if convicted on all counts.

Taylor allegedly got into an argument last Feb. 24 with a player on an opposing team during a basketball game at the Rita Walters Educational Learning Complex in South Los Angeles.

After punching the opposing player, Taylor pulled a gun from his red Cadillac Escalade and threatened to shoot the man, prosecutors charged.

A one-time star basketball shooting guard at Compton High School, Taylor boasts in songs and videos of his past connection to the Cedar Block Piru Bloods gang.

In 2001, while dealing drugs, he was shot several times when a group of "clowns" broke into his house, Taylor told The Times in a November 2006 interview.

The hip-hop star was arrested May 11 at his Glendale home by police executing a search warrant. Following the arrest, a video appeared on the entertainment website TMZ.com that appeared to show the rapper with a wad of money inside his jail cell. Disciplinary proceedings were started against an LAPD officer after internal affairs investigators determined he had videotaped Taylor in the jail.

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The hip-hop performer, a member of the group UGK, was found in a West Hollywood hotel in December.

By Richard Winton

Rap artist Pimp C, an influential hip-hop figure who had recorded an ode to getting high from cough medicine, died accidentally at a Sunset Strip hotel because of the combination of a medical condition and cough syrup, the Los Angeles County coroner said Monday.

The 33-year-old Pimp C, whose real name was Chad Butler, was found lying on his bed at the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood on Dec. 4 after he failed to check out as expected. The coroner's report said the death was "due to promethazine/codeine effects and other unestablished factors."

Ed Winter, assistant chief of the coroner's office, said the levels of the medication were elevated, but not enough to be deemed an overdose.

But Butler had a history of sleep apnea, a condition that causes the sufferer to stop breathing for short periods during sleep. In tandem with that malady, the cough medication probably suppressed the artist's breathing long enough to bring on his death, Winter said.

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By Robert Urban
Feb 2005

Few current pop music styles elicit more diverse, emotional reactions from gay male music fans than the phenomena of rap. Many gay and bi guys love the groove, the attitude, the hyper-masculinity, the hot stars, the divas, the technology and the poetry; but many rightfully draw the line at hate-filled homophobic hip-hop lyrics by the likes of Eminem and Beenie Man.

In solving this dilemma, Art has done what Art has always done. It has divided itself--via some miraculous process of aesthetic mitosis--and moved forward. The once exclusively hetero art form of hip-hop has given birth to a movement of distinctly queer rappers, who in turn are grabbing it by the horns and making it their own.

Here's a survey of four equally different, yet equally fascinating, gay/bi male practitioners of “Homo-Hop.”

Award-winning, Chicago-based rapper Scott Free is a consummate songwriter and a master lyricist/poet. In a lifetime devoted to his art, he has triumphed not only through styles of hip-hop, but also punk, acoustic, folk, lounge, rock, electronica and more--emerging as a pop laureate of not just our queer culture, but of our whole modern age. Scott’s astounding new CD They Call Me Mr. Free includes numerous spitfire raps of terrifying intensity. Not only does he lash out at the straight world’s hatred of queers, but he also confronts hypocrisy within the gay establishment itself.

There are scathing condemnations found in tracks like “When Queers Become Rock Stars”:

Gay rap sensation QBoy fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams recently - meeting his musical idols Salt-N-Pepa.

His interview with the queens of hip hop is part of a documentary for BBC digital network 1Xtra.

The documentary about the return of Salt-N-Pepa by Made In Manchester productions has been co-produced by QBoy.

This is the rapper's first radio production credit.

He pitched the original idea to document the influential career of the rap trio, being a long time die hard fan himself for many years. During the production he went to New York to interview them.

"Meeting Salt-N-Pepa has been my dream since I was a teenager," said QBoy.

"They are my idols and biggest musical inspiration - I always have tried to be as entertaining yet political and meaningful as they were.

"I'm glad my idea got picked up because I've always wanted people to realise how much impact they had on hip-hop and mainstream pop music, especially the younger generation who might not know much about hip-hop's history."

Made in Manchester Productions Creative Director Ashley Byrne told RadioToday.co.uk: "Salt N Pepa are currently enjoying a revival in the United States thanks to a major VH1 reality series and we are delighted that they've taken time out of their busy schedule to speak exclusively to Made in Manchester in New York about their lives and legacy"

The programme will also include an interview with the DJ Spinderella at her home in LA as well as Trevor Nelson, Omar, Jill Scott and Ciara.

Made in Manchester Productions' first production for 1Xtra follows hot on the heels of the company's critically acclaimed 'Laughter and Tears: The Les Dawson Story which was presented by Jo Brand and broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in October.

Ashley Byrne added: "We are proving once again that Made in Manchester can work right across different networks and genres. With commissions for the World Service, Radio 4, Radio 2, 1Xtra, ITV and BBC Local Radio, we are showing that there are no no-go areas for this company."

Salt-N-Pepa - Push It will be broadcast on BBC Radio1Xtra on 23rd January 2008.

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By Tom Breihan

Over the weekend, Albany's Times-Union newspaper reported on a steroid-trafficking investigation that implicated a few famous musicians. Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Timbaland, and Wyclef Jean, along with the unbelievably obnoxious slapstick institution Tyler Perry, have all supposedly received shipments of illegal steroids. Thus far, this is basically nothing more than a PR nightmare for everyone involved. The Times-Union article noted that nobody has any evidence that any of the celebrities involved broke any actual laws (it's not illegal just to own these drugs, somehow), so nobody's facing any prison time. And anyway, these reports are apparently based on unnamed witnesses, so this stuff might not hold up in court even it was illegal to receive these drugs, and Blige's reps have already kicked out a denial. Still, the report begs the question: Why would any famous musician take steroids?

By Eric K. Arnold

In the world of hip-hop, there are rappers and then there are stars - artists with larger-than-life personas whose appeal transcends mere rhyming skills. We don't just want to listen to them rap, we want to dress like them, act like them, be like them and hang out with them.

Sunday night at the Fillmore, a sold-out crowd of enthusiastic young people got their chance to hang out with one of hip-hop's newest stars, Lupe Fiasco. The 26-year-old Chicago rapper isn't a gangster or a killer - he's been called a hip-hop nerd, albeit in the most complimentary way. A protege of both Jay-Z and Kanye West, Fiasco's intellectualism - not only in his lyrics but behind the music as well - stands out in a genre largely defined by violence, misogyny and criminal behavior.

Fiasco has filled a void in hip-hop by presenting himself as a regular guy, an everyman with something to say. His credibility doesn't rest on his arrest record but on what he says in his records. He's not quite as conceited as West - on his current MTV smash "Superstar," he raps, "Wanna believe my own hype but it's too untrue" - but he's just as confident, and perhaps just as ambitious. Unlike many of his rapper peers (and the music industry in general), Fiasco can still sell hard copies of albums in an era of digital downloads and ringtones, a point he didn't fail to make at the Fillmore.

"We sold a lot of records - 400,000-500,000 - real talk," he told the crowd. In doing so, he added, "we broke a lot of rules and we broke a lot of boundaries."

Despite being told that his appeal was limited to nerds and skaters, Fiasco remained undeterred. "I like nerds and skaters," he announced, as the crowd roared with approval.

By Ben Sisario

When news surfaced over the weekend that 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean, Timbaland and other rap stars had been implicated in a steroids investigation, some hip-hop fans were shocked, but to many in the industry the accusations seemed inevitable.

Although public accusations of steroid and human-growth-hormone use by rappers and R&B stars — like Mary J. Blige, who was also named in the investigation, according to a report in The Times Union of Albany — are all but unheard of, the latest news struck a chord about the increasing pressure on these performers to maintain perfect, even superhuman physiques as a part of their overall image and brand.

“The spectacle of hip-hop now is so much greater than it’s ever been,” said Jeff Chang, the author of the hip-hop history “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop.” “There’s always the battle aesthetic at work, this idea that you’re going to go up there and show that you’re badder than everybody else. It’s part of the swagger that hip-hop carries.”

JERUSALEM, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Israeli musician Miri Ben-Ari, dubbed "the hip-hop violinist," is to be honored with the first Martin Luther King, Jr. Israeli Award in Jerusalem.

The prize will be presented to the Grammy Award-winning performer at a ceremony

presided over by Israeli President Shimon Peres, Mirimode Productions LLC announced Monday.

Ben-Ari is being recognized for her outreach to the African-American community, particularly through her song and video "Symphony of Brotherhood."

The Fellowship of Israel and Black America ceremony is slated to take place Tuesday in Jerusalem. Other award recipients are Peres, the Rev. Kenneth James Flowers and the U.S. Ambassador Richard Jones.

FIBA is working to mobilize 2.8 million Black American Christians to support the State of Israel and to establish in Jerusalem The Martin Luther King Center and Memorial, a research and training facility designed to connect the Ethiopian community in Israel to the African-American community.

"Being a third generation to Holocaust survivors, I have always believed in the fight against racism," Ben-Ari said in a statement.

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GRAMMY NOMINEE KEEPS IT POSITIVE

By Jim Harrington

Rapper Lupe Fiasco's set at the Fillmore in San Francisco on Sunday night was scheduled to last two hours. That raised a question for those walking into the show:

How would this relative newcomer, with only two albums to his credit, fill up that generous amount of time when even the most established of rap stars often have a hard time putting together an entertaining, 90-minute set?

The answer, thankfully, was quite well.

 

For two hours and change, Fiasco put on a vastly enjoyable performance and managed to live up to his billing as the savior of the troubled hip-hop genre. Sure, the concert would have benefited from a little tightening, especially in the second half, but that's only if we're nitpicking. Overall, this sold-out show - which had people lined up outside looking in vain for reasonably priced scalper tickets - was a triumph for the man and his music.

The 25-year-old rapper-songwriter, born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, was greeted with a hero's welcome by the enthusiastic crowd as he arrived on stage, wearing a red and gold jacket, white T-shirt, jeans and dark shades. He then took hold of the microphone and started to race through "Real," the opening track from his smash debut, 2006's "Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor."

By Jeff Weiss,

It's 20 minutes before the start of Lupe Fiasco's very sold-out show Monday night and already the entire Anaheim House of Blues is a mob scene. The bottom floor bristles with nervous energy and excitable chatter, sweating bodies stacked thick, fans chanting "Lupe" over and over. A top floor is similarly packed to the gills, die-hards lined three deep, craning their necks furiously for a glimpse at rap's latest great hope.

 

When Fiasco finally takes the stage, it's with moves and a charisma more fitting of a rock star than your average rapper circa 2008. With Fiasco's back to the audience, the anxious crowd erupts in a paroxysm of cheers interspersed with chants of "I love you, Lupe!" There are Kim Kardashian and Ray J doppelgängers, white skaters in Wu-Tang shirts and Latino teens in Vans, all of whom seem to love Lupe because of -- not in spite of -- his ability to diverge from the norm. When the first track, the slick, neo-boom bap of "Real," roars over the speakers, the noise level reaches a white pitch usually associated with teen idols.

Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean, Timbaland and Tyler Perry are just some of the names that have surfaced on a long list of celebrities in a current New York investigation of those who may have obtained steroids or human growth hormones.

The New York steroid trafficking probe headed by Albany County District Attorney David Soares has already busted Marion Jones, and named countless professional baseball players. Now the names of well-known entertainers have also been associated with the investigation.

The main purpose of the Albany investigation is not to raise awareness on the names of those who have or still use the drugs, but rather to stop the dealers. A thorough inquiry revealed that several doctors illegally prescribed the drugs to their patience without first consulting them, and multiple clinics and pharmacies have also been accused of supplying them. The report claims that the singers and rappers are among tens of thousands of people who may have either used or received prescribed shipments of steroids and injectable human growth hormone (HGH) in recent years.

Law enforcement officials said they don’t have evidence that musicians and other customers violated any laws. Instead, the probe focuses on anti-aging clinics, doctors and pharmacists who prescribed the drugs.

A rep for Blige, Karynne Tencer, has been quoted as saying: “Mary J. Blige has never taken any performance-enhancing illegal steroids.”

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Baggy Pants to Buff Bods: Sports Figures Linked to Steriods, and Now It's Rappers

By Susan Donaldson James

Big, bad, and now buff like baseball slugger Barry Bonds.

Hip-hop stars, cultural icons for youth around the world, have now been linked to steroid use.

Some of the biggest names in rap -- Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Timbaland and Wyclef Jean -- may have used performance-enhancing drugs, according to an ongoing investigation that was launched two years ago by the Albany, N.Y., district attorney's office. The names of the rap stars appeared in a story in the Albany Times Union that the DA has refused to confirm.

Few would say hip-hop stars -- with their music personas of drugs, violence and misogyny -- are getting a bad rap. But those familiar with the culture say steroid use is more about beauty and album sales than strength and endurance.

LL Cool J's six pack sells.

"As they approach 40, they are wondering how they can stay relevant. It's like Botox or plastic surgery," said David Canton, who teaches a class on the history of hip-hop culture at Connecticut College. "Rappers are part of American society, and it's a young person's industry."

R & B singer Mary J. Bilge is 37; rappers Timbaland and Jean are 36. Other image-conscious singers who haven't been connected to steriods are also aging: mega-muscular LL Cool J turned 40 this week, and record producer Dr. Dre is 43.

"They're getting older," Canton said. "Baseball players are doing it. Why not take a little. It makes a difference when you come back with an album and you look a particular way. It boosts sales."

By Msia Kibona Clark

Among the emerging African hip hop artists making a splash in the United States and globally is Edwin Ruyonga, a.k.a. Krukid.

Based in Illinois, Krukid is from Uganda, and is the latest African import to the American hip hop scene. Following other gifted African artists such as Somalia’s K’Naan and Ghana’s Blitz the Ambassador, Krukid’s raw talent and fresh and creative lyrics are gaining the attention of the hip hop community worldwide.

Krukid’s latest CD, Afr-I-Can, has been released on Rawkus Records, the same company that produced albums for the likes of Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch. In November 2007 Rawkus Records launched The Rawkus 50 series, featuring some of the hottest underground artists in hip hop today. Afr-I-Can is one of the series.

Afr-I-Can is a great blend of hard-hitting beats and wonderfully creative lyrics. The CD includes socially conscious songs such as “African”, “My Music, My Country”, and “Invisible”, a moving song that discusses the impact of the war in northern Uganda. “City Life”, as its title suggests, is a song about urban life in East Africa. Anyone who has lived in Africa will relate to Krukid’s descriptions of city buses crowded with riders and clubs that open at dusk and close at dawn.

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Calif Records is a Kenyan record label based in Nairobi's California estate. Its known to be home to Genge, a genre of music popular with the youth. It was founded in the 2000 by Record Executive & producer Clement "Clemo" Rapudo together with his childhood friend Paul Nunda a.k.a. Juacali (currently a top selling artist in Kenya).

Juacali 

The humble and joyous Paul Nunda was born on 12th September 1979. He raised in California estate that is in Eastland area, Nairobi. Though he was not seriously involved in music, he started rapping when he was still a student at Jamhuri High School. After his O levels in1998, he got actively involved in music. After seeing how progressive it would be to uplift music in Kenya, which was yet to be fully appreciated, he hooked up with his childhood friend Clement “Clemo” Rapudo to start Calif Records in the year 2000. Initially, he was a producer alongside Clemo. They looked for artists who had the potential to make it in music but all was in vain. 

Nobody thought it could be a successful project and so very few people were interested. It was then that pressure from Clemo and a few friends forced him to pick up the microphone, and so in early 2001 ”Juacali the artist” was born. With the studio being in California estate, started by youths from the same estate, Juacali simply means “Discover California estate”. By then, the estate was not known much to be in existence but the studio has clearly changed that. He released his first song “Ruka”, a dedication to Calif Records.

By Caroline Nyanga

Most of our local videos are characterised by mediocre plots, atrocious directing and sub-standard production. The result is poor quality that leads to rejection and lack of exposure for the artistes.

Nameless

Everybody loves music. And man is a visual creature. So it is extremely pleasurable to be able to have the opportunity to listen to a song, while watching the musician and his crew of dancers and backup singers performing in a clip. Music videos from other continents are sensual, vibrant and marked with memorable plots. In Africa, some countries are making an effort to improve the standard of their content, but in Kenya we’re still far off the mark. Arguably, the biggest shortcoming is lack of originality. We tend to ape other cultures, especially the west. Monkey see, monkey do.

Local musicians have gone all cultural, in the sense that their lyrics are in Kiswahili, sheng or something in between. However, despite their efforts to upgrade their product to an internationally acceptable level, there are other obstacles to overcome. Writing lyrics and composing music is only one part of the process of producing a song. Bad directing and producing by those who want to take shortcuts by using cheap — and, therefore, poor quality — material puts the kibosh on the grand plans of artistes.

In the past, cases of musicians fighting with popular music show producers have been the order of the day. Musicians have gone public about their disillusionment with various radio stations for denying them airplay, while leading local television music producers counter by accusing musicians of producing low quality videos and so cannot afford them exposure.

Recently, a few TV music producers held a meeting with various recording houses and brought to the fore the issue of poor clips. They demanded that all videos should have good lighting, camera work, location, direction, and sound, and avoid open technical hitches.

Majimaji

But musicians and fellow producers feel that the odds are stacked against them as they are pitched against foreign material that is professionally edited. Although they admit that they need to produce good quality videos that are creative and contain an intelligible storyline, they claim that they are not receiving any props from within the industry.

Controversial rapper Circute points out the need for television stations to give musicians much-needed moral support. "I think it’s important that those concerned take into consideration the huge amounts of money and efforts we use before rubbishing them off just like that," he says, adding that most musicians are struggling, considering the hard economic times faced at the moment.

This Shaggy/Usher look alike is suave, sexy, and an extremely creative musician.

Fally Ipupa is a strong performer from the Democratic Republic of Congo who worked with the legendary Koffi Olomide in his group, Quatier Latin, before branching out on his own. His performances are energetic, his delivery unsurpassable. Female fans love to watch as he whips his songs to new heights in time to his swiveling hips (part of the reason he made the top ten sexiest men list). The mix of rhumba, reggae, soul and ndombolo have proven to be his magical elixir. He has performed to sold out audiences in Paris and New York and continues to gain recognition internationally for his music.

His awards include the Césaire de la Musique award for best male artist of the year (October 2007); he received a gold disc for his album, Droit Chemin, and has been nominated for best music clip, and best artist in the Black Music Awards to be held in Coutonou, Benin on January 12, 2008. Droit Chemin, produced by Maïka Munan (who has worked with famous Congolese musicians such as Tabu Ley Rochereau, M’Bilia Bel, Papa Wemba, Afia Mala), has been received with accolades and is extremely popular with his fans. The video is well done and features several ndombolo moves. One wonders how long it will be before his moves show up on a hiphop video as the next big move.

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Liputa

 

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By Adam Bulger

Windsor resident Jerome Campbell, aka A-1 Aficial, has built a global hip-hop network. The 22-year-old Jamaican-born MC's manager lives in Yugoslavia and is working on launching the Web site hiphopbalkan.com. He has fans and collaborators throughout the world.

Not bad for a guy who lives with his mom in a fairly remote Connecticut town, doesn't own a car, hasn't put out a complete record and has only played a few scattered concerts. While he's undeniably a good MC, with a fluid style and an authentic feel that's been likened to MCs like Cam'ron and Juelz Santana, his most valuable skill may be his ability to manipulate MySpace.

With over 8,000 online friends connecting with him through his page, myspace.com/a1aficial, Campbell has built anticipation for his forthcoming independent release The Never Ending Paper Chase. In a recent issue, hip-hop monthly Vibe magazine named Campbell as one of the 51 greatest unsigned hip-hop MCs on MySpace.

"I think he's a very proud, honest, street portrayal of hip-hop. He's clearly very sharp and realistic with a cutting tone," Vibe editor Sean Fennessey says. "We identified with that and wanted to feature that."