(AllHipHop News) The Bully is back on Broad St. Earlier today (August 14th), Beanie Sigel was released from Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia after serving two years for tax evasion and drug possession.
Beanie Sigel was sentenced to prison for six to 23 months on March 6th, 2013, less than seven months after he was arrested by police whom discovered prescription drugs in his car. Back in March 2013, Judge Michael Coll did not specify if Sigel’s drug possession sentence would run concurrent with his two year federal tax evasion sentence. Sigel was given his two year tax evasion sentence on July 12th, 2012 a month and a half before he was arrested for prescription drugs.
Siegel failed to pay $728,000 in taxes between 1999-2005, his time on Roc-A-Fella Records.
Sigel reported to prison in September 2012.
DJ Drama posted a picture on his personal Instagram account of the newly freed Beanie Sigel. Check out the photo below:
(AllHipHop Features) The dynamic duo has long been a staple in Hip Hop culture. EPMD, OutKast, Meth & Red, UGK, Ghost & Rae, Jay & Ye, Clipse, Black Star, and several other two-man groups have set the standard for emcees joining forces to create a musical project. Mello Music Group is now presenting a new double threat in the form of Castle & Has-lo.
North Carolina’s Castle and Philadelphia’s Has-Lo linked up for CSTL’s Return of the Gasface (The Has-Lo Passages) earlier this year. That re-release featured Has reinterpreting tracks from the 2013 Gasface album, but their new collaborative LP Live Like You’re Dead includes both emcees equally contributing rhymes and production.
Over 14 tracks, Castle and Has-Lo trade bars about the grind of an artist, social media thirst traps, comedic personal observations, and other ideas forged in the creative mind’s of the two emcees. Live Like You’re Dead serves as an engaging introduction to one of Hip Hop’s brightest contemporary tandems.
In AllHipHop.com’s latest edition of “5 & Done,” Has and CSTL chat about their joint album and which rap duos make their respective lists of all-time favorites.
Has-Lo
You two have worked together in the past. Why did you decide to get together for a full joint album?
Has-Lo: It’s fun to make music with your friends. We’d been planning to do an album for like four years. It sort of just started happening one day. After a couple songs we were in album mode.
Castle: We’ve always talked about putting a full length album together. Me traveling to Philly in 2013 just made doing so easier.
What inspired the album’s title?
Has: I don’t quite remember the story of the album title. Castle, do you remember?
CSTL: I was randomly looking at videos of Malcolm X on YouTube, and his words “living like a man who is already dead” struck me as particularly live.
A lot of the tracks on “Live Like You’re Dead” have a grimier production style then what was presented on “Return of The Gasface.” Why did you decide to switch the musical style for this project?
Has: Really? I think it’s grimier on Return. Maybe I’m biased [laughs]. But yeah, we didn’t overthink the musical style of Live Like You’re Dead too much. We focused on enjoying making it first, and second, making music that everyone would hear and think “this is different from what they usually do” but was still a natural fit.
CSTL: I wouldn’t call it “grimy” so much as I would “live”, a la [Jaylib’s] Champion Sound or [De La Soul’s] Stakes Is High. The beats are raw and drums are dirtier though. Like Has said, the goal was to cut loose and go crazy.
Castle
Who are some of your all time favorite Hip Hop duos?
Has:Turner & H####, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, Tango & Cash. Tom Hanks is a slept on emcee. He freestyled all his dialogue in Cloud Atlas. A lot of people don’t know that.
CSTL: EPMD, Plug One and Two, Action Bronson and the fifty year old Puerto Rican that doesn’t know his name, and Rae and Ghostface.
Could the tandem of Castle and Has-lo become a permanent team?
CSTL: Being friends, I think we’ll never stop being a team, whether it’s working on our solo stuff or duo stuff.
Has: What he said.
To purchase a physical copy of Live Like You’re Dead visit mellomusicgroup.com and for a digital copy visit iTunes.
(AllHipHop News) For over 35 years, Richard Colon has been Steady as a Rock and Crazy with the Legs. In our EXCLUSIVE interview with one of the pioneers of the B-Boy culture, Crazy Legs details the history of Red Bull BC One dance competition, the changes in b-boy battling and more.
In 2004, Crazy Legs signed an endorsement deal with Red Bull and has hosted the company’s annual dance competition, BC One, numerous times since 2005. MTV/Sirius XM personality Sway Calloway will host the upcoming 2014 Red Bull BC One National Finals, but Crazy Legs explains that as structured as BC One is, the inherent improvisation of B-Boy usually leads to unexpected occurrences with international ramifications:
Because you have so many fans of what is going on, it’s almost like the cheering is staged, but it’s not. The people get REALLY hyped. Yeah, come on, you got people throwing themselves around. Young brothers contorting their body and doing acrobatic things. Sometimes they do things they don’t plan out and it’s surprising to them as well as the audience. They’re like ‘Oh sh*t, this kid just did some crazy new things that people probably will be biting all around the world.
Crazy Legs has been B-Boying for over 37 years and in a 2007 interview with One Cypher, explained that his “one criticism” of modern day B-Boy scene is that “some of them do not know how to dance.” In our interview, Legs broke down how organic, spontaneous and impartial the B-Boy culture was back in the 70’s and 80’s:
Back in the day, the way I sought most of my battle out were, say I heard you live 20 blocks away and you’re hanging out in front of your building all of the time with your boys or whoever. I know you the hot new b-boy or something like that, that’s battling out there and I’m trying to come up, I would find out who you are, where you live, really know what you look like. I’d roll up to your crib in front of your building, like ‘yo, you b-boy grey shirt.’ You’d be like ‘yeah, why?’ I’d be like ‘you want to battle?’ We’d go at it right there on the concrete.
The Red Bull BC One National Finals will be live streamed from The Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas, NV on AllHipHop on Friday (August 15th) at 9 P.M. PST. One B-Boy will be chosen to represent North America in the Red Bull BC One World Finals on November 29th.
Check out the first two parts of AllHipHop’s interview with Krazy Legs.
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Parents are going to have to come to terms with the state of affairs with Black youth and the police. In the words of Charles Dutton in 1993’s Menace II Society: “The hunt is on and you’re the prey.” In just a couple of months, we’ve seen several high-profile cases involving overaggressive police who are abusing their tax-payer given jobs. Unarmed men like Eric Garner, Mike Brown and – earlier this week – Ezell Ford were killed at the hands or guns–of police. The police are out here and it feels like its open season on us. What’s scarier is that we are (seemingly) powerless to do anything. The truth couldn’t be further from reality.
Here what you CAN do.
1. Educate your kids, friends, family – and yourself.
Black men/boys and Black women/girls need education on how to conduct themselves with police. It is not a matter of right and wrong. It is a matter of life and death. Remember: both males and females are being victimized by the crooked cops. Click here to read a MommyNoire story from a Black cop (by way of his daughter) on how to deal with cops. We don’t have to agree, but its important to know the state of mind of a regular police officer.
Know your rights. When I was a young man, the police used to pull me over constantly. I wasn’t doing anything, so I ignorantly would let them search my car. There were times when they would seemingly be looking to make some kind of case. The same thing happened with my brother. They apprehended him and tried to force somebody at a hospital to say he robbed them. Its not all brutality, but it sure is terrorism.
What to Do I f You’re Stopped By Police, Immigration Agents or FBI – via the ACLU
YOUR RIGHTS
You have the right to remain silent. If you wish to exercise that right, say so out loud.
You have the right to refuse to consent to a search of yourself, your car or your home.
If you are not under arrest, you have the right to calmly leave. - You have the right to a lawyer if you are arrested. Ask for one immediately.
Regardless of your immigration or citizenship status, you have constitutional rights.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Do stay calm and be polite.
Do not interfere with or obstruct the police.
Do not lie or give false documents.
Do prepare yourself and your family in case you are arrested.
Do remember the details of the encounter.
Do file a written complaint or call your local ACLU if you feel
2. Protests Protest! PROTEST!
Protesting and marching has been criticized as ineffective, but the protest remains one of the best ways to get the attention and respect of police, media and the general population. (It shows we still care)
3. Create demands
There are a number of agenda’s floating around and many of them include the families of police brutality’s victims. Still, there is a need for a universal, overarching document that is bent on solutions and results.
4. Record and watch the police
Cop Watch has had the right idea since 1990. They have been documenting and monitoring the illicit activities of rogue cops like no other organization. See also: http://copwatchnyc.org and http://www.copblock.org. You don’t need to be in an organization to catch misconduct as it happens. With the rise of the smart phone and other devices, everybody is set to document potential madness.
5. Let the cops know…we are recording
I don’t know that this will help, because some of them seem to be hell-bent on draconian, racist and oppressive behavior. However, I have never been one to just watch somebody die. Unfortunately, jumping in could yield more disastrous results. Scream at them, yell and let them know, they are being tape and monitored.
6. Take legal action against crooked cops
Far too many cops know the law is on their side. And too many people feel they don’t stand a chance in the legal system. Sue, sue SUE! It may not be easy, but it can get results. Hit them in the wallet. If you are illegally stopped don’t just think that is how it is. Report it so that it can be documented. Report it to the ACLU, Center for Constitutional Rights or a similar organization. The only way people were able to sue New York City for Stop & Frisk was because someone reported it.
7. Read and watch the news
The television still serves a purpose here and there. It helps you see laws that are forming and other crimes that may relate to Eric Garner, John Crawford, Michael Brown, and Ezell Ford. All of these presently alleged crimes have happened within a months time. Reading alternative media will help us see there are other cases that don’t make mainstream headlines. There’s a movement to get police equipped with cameras to further monitor their conduct. We need to know these things so we can support acts that support us.
8. Raise hell in the media
The mainstream news may not care about the death of an unarmed Black man or woman, but most people do. They need to see it. If you or a loved one is the victim of police brutality, you better raise hell until they pay attention. Until “they” do, harness nontraditional media, social media and even flyers and stickers – whatever it takes.
9. Create a dialogue with the police
This may or may not work, to be real. It seems like these brutal police officers have no desire to be social with those that want to reform their way of work. Still, there are groups like 100 Blacks In Law Enforcement that can facilitate a meaningful, productive dialogue. As the body count grows, every means must be utilized.
10. Vote against those that support police brutality
Either you are are for police brutality or you aren’t. There’s no middle ground. Vote against those politicians that are silent on the matter or overly supportive of police when brutality occurs.
11. Take pictures and keep a diary!
All victims of police brutality don’t die. Many are beaten, harassed or endure other forms of excessive force. Document everything. Take pictures. Write details down. Get support from those that witnessed the act.
12. Stay cool
Again, when you are dealing with a potentially brutal or murderous cop, the best way to deal with them is to see a rabid, wild, unpredictable dog before you. If you regard them in this way, the approach is a bit different and you can remove any “reasons” to attack. You may not convert him, but you may save your life.
13. Report them anyway
I personally haven’t done this, so I don’t know how it works at the day’s end. If there is an officer that reeks of brutality or that gives off a threatening vibe, get their badge number (if you can) and report them after you have stayed cool. According to a recent study in New Jersey, a whopping 99 percent of all reported cases of brutality against police go uninvestigated. We have to improve that statistic. Stay resolute.
14. Sign a petition!
Tweet! Share stories! Engage in dialogue! Do something! There are a number of ways to act without marching or protesting and yet these seemingly menial acts do help. One person can educate hundreds just by posting a comment or article on Facebook. That post could ignite the next mind, which eventually sparks the next revolution!
Get down or lay down. People of all races, colors, creeds, countries are ready to WILD THE F**K OUT AND RIOT IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE! Pardon me. People of all races, colors, creeds, countries need to stand unified against the devilish scourge of police brutality that has plagued this country in some form since its inception. The time has come for it to die, even as government moves to militarize those that are supposedly meant to “serve and protect.” Malcolm X said, “America is the first country… that can actually have a bloodless revolution.” I hope he was right.
“Quiet Storm” was the first single from Mobb Deep‘s fourth album Murda Muzik. It was originally released on the soundtrack for the film In Too Deep. The song features a sample of the bass line from the classic hip-hop song “White Lines (Don’t Do It)” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. It also features a sample from Smokey Robinson‘s “A Quiet Storm”. The song is widely thought to be one of Mobb Deep’s greatest songs. “Quiet Storm (Remix)” featuring Lil’ Kim was released as the album’s second single. The remix also became very popular and is noted to be one of Lil’ Kim’s most memorable guest appearances. Enjoy the video above!
The infamous online hacking community Anonymous has released the name of the Ferguson county policer officer who allegedly shot and killed the unarmed teenager Mike Brown.
Bryan P. Williams, the cop identified, took to his personal Facebook account and changed his first name to “Scooby” in hope it would keep the public off his tail. The police department is denying this is in fact the killer and is still refusing to release the name of the officer until their investigation is complete.
@TheAnonMessage has already released personal information on the Ferguson city police chief, including his social security number, home address and a photo that seems to show a confederate flag hanging in the chief’s home.
All of these are part of their plan to force the city to address the injustices in Ferguson and to improve the policing system across the country.
In a delayed response, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, finally visited Ferguson where violent clashes have gone on since Saturday. He released a statement today saying he has removed the Ferguson police from manning the protest any further.
President Obama will also be making a statement regarding the Ferguson unrest today at 12:15pm EST.
Anonymous is also calling for “A Day of Rage” today. We would rather call it a Peaceful Protest to bring attention to police brutality.
(AllHipHop News)Tha Carter V season has a start date. Lil Wayne revealed both the album cover and the release date for the fifth installment of Tha Carter V series on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V will be released on October 28th with the album cover featuring a picture of a younger Lil Wayne and his mother. According to Lil Wayne’s interview with ESPN as he states “It’s perfect, because I always go with a baby picture and I wanted to go with one with my momma.”
Wayne also commented on the Toronto Raptors being fined $25,000 over Drake’s “public recruiting” of Kevin Durant at his OVO Fest. Wayne says “he has to know that he’s the team’s ambassador. He has to be more careful.”
(AllHipHop News) ESPN even covers Carter V Season. Lil Wayne announced that later today (August 14th) he will reveal the album cover for Tha Carter V.
Back in late April, Kobe Bryant sent out a tweet from his personal Twitter account of a photo of “Tha Carter V” which many construed as the official album cover. In a June interview with ESPN, Wayne not only denied the photo being the album cover but also credited the legendary Laker as creating “Carter V season” idea:
He came up with it. I saw that and thought, That’s dope as hell, so that’s what we’re calling the [album] campaign. I thanked him.
There is no release date set for Tha Carter V.
Check out the promo for Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V album reveal below:
(AllHipHop News) The complicated story surrounding the killing of 19-year-old rapper Melvin “Lil Phat” Vernell III has included reports of a former college basketball star’s involvement, hitmen for hire, and a Russian gangster-turned-FBI informant. The trial for some of those accused of his murder has finally begun, and the victim’s girlfriend took the stand to testify for the prosecution.
Alnese Frazier testified in court about her relationship with Phat. The 24-year-old mother of two told the jury about how she first met her fiancée and his career as a rapper.
Four of the five men prosecutors have connected to Phat’s murder are currently on trial – alleged Bang Get Money Blood gang leader Gary “Eldorado Red” Bradford, former San Francisco State University point guard Decensae “Griz” White, and suspected hired guns Maurice Dewayne Conner and Deandre Washington.
A fifth man, Mani Chulpayev, will be tried separately. Chulpayev is accused of aiding in the murder plot against Phat. The luxury car rental service owner used to work with the Russian mafia, but he later became an informant for the FBI.
According to authorities, the other four defendants conspired to kill Phat over stolen marijuana. Bradford and White allegedly paid Conner and Washington $10,000 to shoot Phat outside Atlanta’s Northside Hospital in June 2012. Frazier was inside the hospital giving birth to the couple’s second child.
(AllHipHop News) Not many men will admit in public that losing a girlfriend to another man caused them to break down in tears. Reality show star and rapper Lil Scrappy was not afraid to open up about the hurt he felt over a situation like that while appearing on Dish Nation.
The Love and Hip Hop Atlanta regular was asked about his former relationship with rapper Diamond. Scrappy admitted when he found out his girlfriend left him for Soulja Boy he shed tears.
“I can’t even lie to you. Man law, your boy cried,” said Scrappy. “When I cried like that, I knew then I ain’t never been in love before. I thought I was in love with my baby momma. I ain’t never been in love before… My joint was watery. I had a puddle right here [on my cheeks].”
Scrappy’s ex Diamond is also a reality show star now. The former member of Crime Mob is part of the cast for the new program Sisterhood of Hip Hop on the Oxygen network.
Details of Diamond and Scrappy’s relationship has played out in the public for years. At one time Diamond accused Scrappy of physically assaulting her. She also claimed Scrappy’s mother, Momma Dee, ruined her credit after she co-signed for an apartment Dee was living in.
Diamond took further aim at Momma Dee during the premiere episode of Sisterhood of Hip Hop. She also accused Dee of stealing her clothes and jewelry. According to reports, Dee is considering suing Diamond for defamation and slander.
(AllHipHop News) The “Drake VS Lil Wayne” Tour rolled into Hartford, Connecticut’s XFINITY Theatre last night (August 13), and the crowd in attendance received a surprise special guest during the show. Wayne brought out Tri-State representative 50 Cent. The G-Unit leader hit the stage to perform his hit single “In Da Club.”
Seeing two of the biggest rap stars of the last decade on stage together is a big moment. Especially since 50 and Wayne were involved a feud in the past that including disses during interviews and on records.
The two platinum selling artists have also complimented each other since their rivalry began in the mid-2000’s. Fiddy and Weezy were photographed together at a Floyd Mayweather fight in 2012 as well.
The “Drake VS Lil Wayne” Tour continues its run tomorrow night in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The guards better get ready, someone decided to throw rocks at the palace and its inhabitants.
On the premiere episode of “Sisterhood of Hip-Hop,” rapper Diamon touched on a few details of her relationship with ATL’s Lil Scrappy, and also her problem with the queen of this supposed palace, Momma Dee. According to Diamond, the queen lifted a few of her items including jewelry.
Well you know Momma Dee wasn’t going for that, and is threatening to take matters in to the courtroom to silence such talk from a peasant.
Momma Dee’s PR issued the following statement:
“”It is unfortunate that Ms.Carpentero aka Diamond continues to slander my client and her son in the press. The relationship between my client’s son and Ms. Carpentero ended years ago yet she continues to talk about Momma Dee in a negative light, most recently making false claims that my client stole property. We are not taking such accusations lightly and will use the appropriate channels to handle the defamation of character should Ms. Carpentero continue to make said claims. We wish Diamond well in all her future endeavors.””
Hopefully the guards are present in case someone decides to brawl in the courtroom.
According to SandraRose, a stripper is responsible for breaking up a certain hip-hop happy couple’s home recently. Read the tea below and see if you can figure out exactly who’s who:
“”A certain rapper who was recently dumped by a certain R&B singer was reportedly discarded by the singer after she caught him creeping with a popular local exotic dancer.”
According to the well-connected insider, the rapper has been “banging out” the popular exotic dancer at the Blue Flame strip club “for well over a year now.””
(AllHipHop News) Last month it was revealed that acclaimed Hip Hop producer J Dilla’s equipment will be placed on display at the Smithsonian’s forthcoming National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Dilla’s mother Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey was on hand at the “DC Loves Dilla” tribute concert in Washington to help make the announcement.
Ms. Yancey recently spoke with The Huffington Post about her son’s legacy and his Voyager synthesizer and Akai MIDI Production Center 3000 being included in the “Musical Crossroads” exhibition.
“I’ve been approached by a lot of institutions, but the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., is very accessible to all,” explained Yancey on why she donated Dilla’s artifacts to the Smithsonian.
Ma Dukes was first approached about the possibility of contributing to the museum five years ago. She told a curator at the time she was not ready to part with the items so soon after her son’s passing.
Dilla died in 2006, but not before creating classic tracks for A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Common, Erykah Badu, and many more. The Detroit native also released his own critically acclaimed albums like Donuts and Champion Sound with Madlib.
“I want young people to understand that no matter where you come from, you should always pursue your dreams,” added Yancey.
(AllHipHop News) The situation is Ferguson, Missouri has begun to resemble images seen in on the streets of a war-torn country. Police, suited in riot gear, sprayed tear gas and fired smoke bombs and rubber bullets at groups protesting the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. According to reports, some in the crowd began throwing Molotov cocktails at the officers.
There have also been reports that journalists are being arrested at the scene. News spread via social media that St. Louis alderman Antonio French was also taken into custody. Using his Twitter feed, French was one of the most active reporters of what was taking place in Ferguson. His regular video posts and updates provided vital first hand accounts on the ground.
County Police Chief Jon Belmar is quoted saying he felt his officers have shown incredible restraint. He claims patrol vehicles have been destroyed and police have faced rocks, bottles, and gunfire.
“It’s pretty amazing how impressed I am and inspired by these officers,” said Belmar. “This is a very difficult circumstance.”
Missouri governor Jay Nixon released a statement about the situation in Ferguson. It read:
The worsening situation in Ferguson is deeply troubling, and does not represent who we are as Missourians or as Americans. While we all respect the solemn responsibility of our law enforcement officers to protect the public, we must also safeguard the rights of Missourians to peaceably assemble and the rights of the press to report on matters of public concern.
I have been closely monitoring the situation and will continue to be in communication with local leaders, and I will be in north St. Louis County tomorrow. As Governor, I am committed to ensuring the pain of last weekend’s tragedy does not continue to be compounded by this ongoing crisis. Once again, I ask that members of the community demonstrate patience and calm while the investigation continues, and I urge law enforcement agencies to keep the peace and respect the rights of residents and the press during this difficult time.
The issues plaguing Ferguson have even reached overseas. Palestinian activists began posting suggestions to Twitter on how protesters can deal with tear gas.
Individuals closer to the area are voicing their concern for the police treatment as well. Missouri state senator Maria Chapelle-Nadal said she was even hit with gas as she protested on behalf of justice for Brown’s killing.
“I just want to know if I’m going to be gassed again, like I was on Monday night?” Chapelle-Nadal asked Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson during a press conference. “And I was peaceful. And I’m your state senator.”
