 |
|
Hip Hop
News: Get The Latest Hip Hop News From
Various Hip hop News Sources
Judge:
The Source in contempt in Eminem
case
|
|
New York, NY - A federal judge
found the hip-hop magazine The
Source in contempt of court for
violating an order not to publish
racially charged lyrics from a
recording made by rapper Eminem
as a youth.
The magazine published the full
lyrics on its Web site in January,
violating a temporary restraining
order issued by U.S. District Judge
Gerard Lynch in December in a copyright
dispute between the magazine and
the rapper.
In a pair of rulings made public
Wednesday, Lynch ordered The Source
to pay legal fees to Shady Records
Inc., Eminem's label.
But the judge denied a request
by Shady Records to fine the magazine
thousands of dollars because the
magazine quickly removed the lyrics
in January when lawyers complained.
The dispute concerns two recordings
made by Eminem, whose real name
is Marshall Mathers, as a teenager.
They included lyrics that deride
black women.
Eminem, now 31, has said the recording
was "foolishness" that
he made as a teenager out of anger
and frustration after breaking
up with a black girlfriend.
In a companion ruling, the same
judge dismissed a countersuit filed
by The Source against Shady Records
and Eminem himself, in which the
magazine claimed it held the rights
to the songs.
The judge compared Eminem to Benny
Goodman, Elvis Presley and Paul
Simon in finding success in musical
genres pioneered by black artists.
But he said the First Amendment
protects the rapper's "musical
commentaries on life."
"It is for fans of hip-hop, and not for this court, to decide what if
anything this episode means for their opinions of Mathers as a man and as an
artist," the judge wrote.
In a ruling in December, the judge,
allowed the magazine to publish
limited excerpts from the lyrics
and to distribute CDs containing
small clips of the songs.
Michael S. Elkin, a lawyer for
The Source, defended the publication
of the lyrics.
"The Source had every right to publish the material it did release to
inform the public about who Eminem is," he told The New York Times for
Thursday editions.
Shady Records declined comment.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Rapper Beanie Sigel gets shooting-trial date in January
Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel
is scheduled to face trial again
Jan. 12.
Sigel's first trial on charges
of attempted murder ended in April
with a mistrial when jurors were
unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Sigel, 30, whose real name is Dwight
Grant, is accused of shooting Terrance
Speller, 27, last July near a West
Philadelphia bar. Sigel is free
on $150,000 bail.
Common Pleas Court Judge Karen
Shreeves-Johns set the new trial
date yesterday, in accordance with
the attorneys' and the court's
trial schedules.
Source: Philly.com
Superstar rapper Nelly makes history with the release of two new CD's
on the same day
Three-time Grammy Award-winning
superstar Nelly will make musical
history on September 14th when
he simultaneously releases two
new albums entitled Sweat and Suit.
While he joins Bruce Springstein
and Guns'n'Roses, who have also
released two albums on the same
day, Nelly becomes the first rapper
to join their exclusive ranks.
Conceptually and creatively, Sweat
and Suit showcase the multi-platinum
St. Louis native's diverse musical
styles. "I had so much material
that at first I thought about releasing
a double CD, but then I thought
it would be better to release two
albums separately to show fans
the best of both sides of 'Nellyville,'" says
Nelly.
In describing how the two albums
are different, he characterizes
Sweat as having more "up-tempo
club bangers that are more street-oriented
songs like 'Hot In Herre,' 'Air
Force Ones' or '#1,'" while
Suit is more "'grown and
sexy,' along the lines of 'Dilemma'
or "Ride Wit Me.'" Both
albums showcase Nelly's trademark
melodic lyrical style that gives
him a broad-based appeal. "When
I first came out I was representing
my city hard, now I'm trying to
explain so much more. I think both
albums show my growth creatively
and personally," he adds.
"Flap Your Wings" is the set-up single from Sweat, and Time magazine
says, "word has it that this Neptunes' produced track is in the same vein
as Country Grammar and Hot In Herre, the rapper's previous summer hits." The
lead single for Suit is "My Place" featuring the R&B singer Jaheim-
who Nelly calls "the Teddy of our generation." In fact, "My
Place" is a re-working of the Teddy Pendergrass' classic, "Come
On And Go With Me."
As part of an innovative campaign
to cross-promote the two albums
at once, Universal Records plans
an aggressive organic, street-oriented
campaign for Sweat, leading off
with "Flap Your Wings" and
a more traditional set-up for Suit
with "My Place."
Nelly first came to national attention
when he released his 9x platinum-selling
2000 debut Country Grammar. In
2001, as a member of the St. Lunatics
(which includes fellow group member
Murphy Lee), Universal Records
released the group's platinum-certified
debut Free City. The next year,
he released his 6x platinum-certified
sophomore album, Nellyville followed
by the platinum-certified re-mix
album, Da Derrty Versions in 2003.
Cumulatively, Nelly has sold close
to 30 million singles/albums worldwide
establishing him as one today's
top-selling artists. Sweat and
Suit will be his third and fourth
studio albums respectively
Source: Motown / Universal Records
MTV edits Eminem mooning from awards
MTV plans to edit out a shot of
the rapper exposing his rear end
to the audience at the 2004 Movie
Awards when the show is broadcast
Thursday at 9 p.m. EDT, a network
representative confirmed Monday.
Eminem, who performed at the Saturday
night taping with his group D12,
appeared onstage dressed in a long
red wig and jeans in a parody of
Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose.
He repeatedly groped and flashed
a studded codpiece in front of
the cameras and the thousands of
people in the live audience. Toward
the end of the performance, he
pulled down his trousers and flashed
his bare backside at the audience.
Representatives for MTV immediately
said on Saturday night that Eminem's
act would be sanitized for broadcast
by editing around the stunt.
Eminem's representatives declined
immediate comment.
Eminem also dropped trou earlier
this year during a performance
in Germany, but ever since Janet
Jackson's Super Bowl stunt, broadcasters
have tried to keep everyone's clothes
on -- at least while they're on
camera.
Source: cnn.com
Hot rapper Kanye West adds clout to DJ contest
While cigarette-sponsored DJ competitions
aren’t exactly the epitome
of cool, Kool Mixx 2004 — where
four amateur DJs will battle it
for turntable supremacy, not to
mention $2,500 — has an ace
up its sleeve in Kanye West.
West is the Chicago rapper/producer
who’s turned the rap game
on its ear and become one of the
genre’s biggest stars since
unveiling his debut album “The
College Dropout,” which
has spawned three hit singles and
sold more than 1.7 million copies
since its February release.
West will perform at the DJ competition,
which starts at 9 p.m. Saturday
at Detroit’s St. Andrew’s
Hall. Admission is free and open
to adults 18 and older. The competition
will feature winners from two local
preliminary rounds, held in May
at St. Andrew’s Hall.
A panel of judges will score the
DJs on creativity/originality,
scratching/beat juggling and crowd
response. The winner will advance
to the competition’s finals
in Chicago, where he’ll battle
for a $10,000 prize.
Source: www.detnews.com
Outkast Star Launches Ralph Lauren-Inspired Fashion Label
Andre 3000 of the hip-hop duo Outkast
is busy working on his new fashion
label. The clothing line, set to
launch next spring, will be a mix
of street fashion and haute couture
and, according to NME.com, is somewhat
inspired by Ralph Lauren, who,
Andre 3000 says, is his fashion
idol.
“There will be something for whether you want to dress up or down, and
there will be a lot of classic finery. It will make an impact,” the Grammy
winning rapper, which has always been known for his eccentric fashion choices,
says.
The label will presumably be called
Designs by Benjamin Andre (Andre
3000`s real name) unless the rapper
comes up with another, shorter
title.
The hip-hop duo are set to release
two more albums and a movie called
Speakerboxxx that will feature
both Andre and OutKast's other
half, Big Boi, next year.
Source: Fashiongates.com
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
