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Ron Artest: The Next MC Outta Queensbridge?
Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest has accomplished a lot on the court: winning the 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award with the Indiana Pacers and reaching the Eastern Conference finals that same year. Unfortunately, most people see Ron as a nut, and this tends to diminish his achievements.
Why would anyone see the talented baller from the Queensbridge projects this way? Let’s assemble a list of a list of Ron’s other “accomplishments”:
- During his rookie year with Chicago, Ron applies for a job at Circuit City so he can get an employee discount.
- At Indiana, he shows up to practice wearing a bath robe
- Also at Indy, he asks coach for a month off so he can promote an R&B group on his record label (the group flops, and he earns a 2-game suspension).
- At Madison Square Garden, Ronnie destroys a TV camera, earning a 3-game suspension.
- The “Malice at the Palace” brawl (Click to watch the video). If you’ve been trapped in a closest these past couple of years, this was when Ron was hit with a cup of beer by the lovely Detroit Pistons fans. After being hit, Ron rushed into the stands, talked some smack, and punched a fan. This sparked one of the most shameful incidents in NBA history, and earned Ronnie a suspension for the rest of the year, as well as costing him over $5 million in salary and ruining his team’s chances at winning the title that year.
- Artest begins his “fresh start” in Sacramento by threatening to KILL teammate Bonzi Wells if he won’t re-sign with the Kings. Wells left to play for the Houston Rockets, and is still alive at the time of this writing.
Now we know why the “average” fan might not like Ron, but we also know that what doesn’t fly in “mainstream” America might by embraced by the
streets. Call Artest a nut, but he’s gotta know that his street-cred is at an all-time high. Following through on his threat to Bonzi Wells is the only thing that could bring it any higher. Why not capitalize on this and cut a hip-hop record? Appropriately, Artest’s album is scheduled to drop on Halloween.
Sources: Artest looks for respect off court as he releases first rap album and Ron Artest at Wikipedia
US Government Trying to Deport Slick Rick AGAIN!
Legendary rapper Slick Rick, aka “Ricky D” and “the Ruler,” is bein’ sweated by the federales once again. Rick was born in England, but immigrated to the Bronx when he was 11 years old. Known for his trademark eye patch and gold chains, Rick’s career took off in the 80’s with classics such as “Children’s Story” and “La Di Da Di.”
At the height of his fame, Rick was arrested and later convicted on attempted murder charges after shooting at his cousin (who he claimed was extorting money from him). He did a 5-year stint in the pen, and made a comeback in the 90’s when he collaborated with Snoop Dogg, Outkast, Nas, Raekwon, and Doug E. Fresh.
So why do the feds want to deport a man who paid his debt to society and has tried to move on? Well, in 1996, a law was passed that aimed to ship out foreigners who have been convicted of violent felonies. However this law wasn’t enforced much until the Bush administration and the 9/11 attacks came along.
During this time, in June 2002, Rick embarked on a cruise to the Caribbean to perform, and he was denied re-entry to the US and arrested by the INS on the basis of that 1996 law. He was detained for over a year with no bail until his release in late 2003. Afterwards, the courts had ruled in Rick’s favor and allowed him to stay in the US.
But now, the US government is once again attempting to deport Slick Rick. As part of their brave and noble efforts to protect its people from evil terrorists, The Department of Homeland Security (which replaced the INS) has re-instated its case against Rick, and a New York appeals court has overturned the ruling that let Rick stay. They’ve also stripped the rapper of his status as a permanent resident. On Tuesday, October 24, there will be a press conference in front of the NY Federal Court Building. The Hip-Hop Action Network, co-chaired by Russell Simmons, will explain Rick’s case to the public.
It looks like we can add protection against double jeopardy to the ever-growing list of our constitutional rights thrown out the window by the Bush administration in this perpetually scary and dangerous post-9/11 world.
Source: Rapper Slick Rick Facing Deportation Again
NBA Baller Sebastian Telfair Connected to Fabolous Shooting?
The NYPD is investigating whether 21-year-old Brooklyn-born baller Sebastian Telfair has something to do with the recent shooting of Fabolous. Sources say that the Boston Celtics guard was outside Diddy’s restaurant the same night of the Fabolous shooting. Telfair had a $50,000 chain snatched from his neck, and he was seen making a phone call shortly thereafter.
New York’s boys in blue are trying to determine if there is a connection between the robbery and the shooting. Telfair was shown
lineups that included Fabolous, but he didn’t point the finger at any suspects. This isn’t the first time the young baller has run into
trouble, last year he “accidentally” brought a loaded handgun on board his team’s jet, but he escaped charges.
Source: Police investigating Telfair in connection with shooting
Jay-Z Still Hustlin’ With New ESPN Boxing Series & Budweiser Deal
Hov may have “un-retired” from the rap game, but that doesn’t mean he’s put aside his corporate hustle. The Brooklyn MC turned Mogul has recently inked deals with ESPN and Anheuser-Busch to promote boxing and beer.
For ESPN, he is working on the script for a show called “Hit Men,” which will follow the lives boxers tryin’ to make it at the Hit Men
Boxing Club in Louisiana. The program will start filming in early December.
Jay-Z has also been appointed “Co-Brand Director” for Budweiser Select. They’ve cut a commercial that will air during NFL and MLB
games on Fox. The spot features clips from his new single “Show Me What You Got,” as well as racing stars Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Danica Patrick. Despite heavy bootlegging, the final scene of the commercial confirms that his new album, “Kingdom Come.” will drop November 21st.
My how Hov’s tastes have changed! First he gives up the Cristal, now he’s dumped Heineken in favor of Budweiser. Perhaps ownership of a NASCAR team is in the works as well?
Sources: Rapper Jay-Z Producing Boxing Series and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter Collaborates with Anheuser-Busch as Co-Brand Director for Budweiser Select
Fabolous Shot, then Arrested
Brooklyn rapper Fabolous was shot AND arrested today after enjoying a meal at Diddy’s restaurant in Manhattan. Fab and 3 of his boys had just left Puff’s restaurant (no, not Burger King) when they were rushed by a lone gunman, who shot the rapper in the thigh and then ran away.
Now, what is the proper course of action for a rapper who’s just been shot? Do you call for an ambulance? Hell no, if you’re Fabolous, you and your crew hop in the whip (an ‘05 Dodge Charger) and run a red light! After this, the police pull you over and discover two semi-auto pistols! Of course, the guns were unlicensed, and all four passengers were taken to jail. At least the cops were nice enough to let Fab go to Bellevue for treatment after placing him under arrest.
Look for Fab to star in a public service announcement reminding the kids to dial 911. Or perhaps Dodge will make him their latest hip-hop spokesman.
Source: Shooting leaves rapper Fabolous wounded - and under arrest
Puff Daddy, er, P.Diddy Earns his Crown
Sean Combs, the Rapper/Dancer/Wannabe Actor and Sampler Extraordinaire who reminds us to “call him Diddy,” might not be a hip-hop king like Nas or Jay-Z, but he’s earned a crown of another sort. The mogul has agreed to be a spokesman for Burger King! The company will also be sponsoring his tour in support of his new album Press Play. It’s been nearly a decade since the passing of Puffy’s, oops I mean Diddy’s, best friend Biggie Smalls. Come on now Diddy, everyone wants to pay their tribute to Big, some rappers like Shyne want to sound like Big, but do we also wanna have waistlines like Big? Thanks to you Diddy, when we put our lighters up in tribute, we’ll also be thinking of that flame-broiled goodness that’s served our way!
Source: Sean “Diddy” Combs Adds Flavor to Burger King
Cassidy on the Road to Recovery AND Riches
The past few months haven’t been good to Philly MC Cassidy. Remember his “I’m a Hustla” joint where he sampled Jay-Z? That hit the #5 spot on Billboard, but it’s been downhill from there. Not long after, Cass told us how he “didn’t win lyricist of the year, but he was nominated.” If you think that’s a disappointment, how’s doing an 8-month bid for manslaughter and aggravated assault?
But now, in the twisted world of hip-hop, things are looking up for the West Oak Lane rapper. You see, Cassidy recently suffered critical injuries when a U-Haul sized truck ran into his SUV. The accident fractured his skull and broke several bones on his face according to MTV news. Doctors say he will recover, but will be left with a scar extending from his ear to his mouth.
Keep your busted head up Cassidy! All the ingredients are there for you to blow up! If we look to past hip-hop happenings, we see that:
Killing someone (C-Murder) + doing time (2Pac, T.I. & countless others) + surviving a dangerous car accident (Kanye) and having visible scars (50 Cent) = top of the Billboard charts and major street cred!
Source: Rapper Cassidy In Critical Condition After Car Accident
Jay-Z & Beyonce Need Extra Plane for Luggage
Jay-Z and Beyonce chartered a plane to South Africa to film a documentary for MTV about the poor conditions there, but had to pay for a second plane to handle all of their baggage!
“The trip only lasts two weeks but it looked like they were emigrating,” claimed an airport insider.
This might prove that Beyonce has too much junk in the trunk!
Source: Jay-Z and Beyonce Charter Plane for Excess Baggage
Jay-Z Bans Cristal and Cries “Racism!”
The Jigga-man, who was “popping that Cristal when y’all niggaz thought it was beer and shit,” has banned the $600 champagne from his clubs due to what he calls “racist” comments made by the company. What were these racist comments?
Asked about hip-hop’s obsession with Cristal, [the Marketing Director] said he treated it with “curiosity and serenity” and later, when asked whether he saw the publicity as detrimental to the brand, he said, “That’s a good question, but what can we do? We can’t forbid people from buying it. I’m sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business.”
Funny, I don’t see any reference to African Americans, so how could those comments be racist? And furthermore, he doesn’t even say anything negative about hip hop culture. He says “That’s a good question, but what can we do?” meaning that even if it bothered them, it wouldn’t matter becuase they wouldn’t be able to do anything about.
But even if he did express a dislike of his champagne being associated with hip hop culture, would that be so bad? If you were the manufacturer of an expensive premium champagne, would you want rappers saying “sip the Cris’ and get pissy-pissy” in the same song that they talk about “the dope spot, with the smoke Glock, fleein the murder scene”?
We love you, Hov, but not everyone likes drug dealing and gun violence — Don’t take it personally!
DMX Arrested for Abusing Flight Attendants
DMX, always the gentleman, was arrested yesterday in London for refusing to wear a seatbelt and for being abusive towards flight attendants at the same airport that Snoop Dogg was arrested.
Some of you may be shocked to discovere that this isn’t DMX’s first offense!
In 2004, the Yonkers native was busted for plowing his SUV through a security gate at New York’s JFK Airport and then telling bystanders he was an undercover federal agent. DMX pleaded guilty and was initially sentenced to 60 days, but the judge tacked on an extra 10 after the hip-hopster showed up late to court. (He blamed his tardiness on an asthma attack; the judge didn’t buy it.)
He probably had an asthma attack from smoking crack. That takes my breath away.
