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BREAKING NEWS: Lil Boosie’s Defense Rests Without Calling A Single Witness; Closing Arguments Begin

(AllHipHop News) The defense rested their case today (May 10), without calling a single witness in the first degree murder trial of Torrence “Lil Boosie” Hatch.

After six days and 27 witnesses, the prosecution called their last witness, Rachel Wagner, Terry Boyd’s sister and the mother of Hatch’s five-year-old daughter.

Before answering any questions, Wagner told prosecution lawyer Dana Cummings she did not want to take the stand, because she did not know anything.

Cummings still proceeded to ask Wagner if she knew of any reason Terry Boyd would want to “slap and jack” Lil Boosie.

Wagner replied “No.”

Once Wagner left the stand, the State of Louisiana rested.

Approximately three minutes later, Defense attorney Jason Williams stated “the defense rests with the witnesses the state has put on.”

The courtroom was silenced.

The look on everyone’s face displayed confusion.

The judge decided to end court for the day, in order to allow the state to prepare for closing arguments.

Prosecution will begin their closing arguments Friday morning (May 11).

Reporting for AllHipHop.com by Saturn Douglas.

EXCLUSIVE: Lil Boosie’s Lyrics Scrutinized In Murder Trial

(AllHipHop News) Lyrics to a variety of Lil Boosie songs were played to the jury during the rapper’s first-degree murder trial.

Boosie is accused of hiring a 16-year-old named “Marlo” Michael Louding to shoot and kill a 35-year-old named Terry Boyd, in October of 2009.

On Wednesday (May 9), Constantino Dimitirelos, a forensic IT specialist, was called to the stand to give testimony to the evidence he was able to retrieve from computers seized from Lil Boosie’s residence.

The Prosecution

Two pictures were found on the hard drive. One of the pictures was taken at Lil Boosie’s residence on November 4, 2009 at 10:35 p.m.

It was of Michael “Marlo Mike” Louding getting a tattoo of an AK-47 and the words: “Yo Boosie Who’s Next.”

The other picture was of Adrian “Pokey” Pittman getting a similar tattoo.

The computer forensic expert also testified that he found several songs and lyrics created surrounding the date of Terry Boyd’s murder, October 20 and October 21, 2009.

Dimitirelos testified that the lyrics to Lil Boosie’s song “187” were recorded between 11:24 and 11:54 on the night of October 20th.

Jurors listened to explicit lyrics that included:

“five dead in six months.”

“Who ever tried to play me they dead now.”

“Yo Marlo, he drive a Monte Carlo, dat’ b**ch grey, I want him dead today, here go the cake.”

The same night the lyrics to “Bodybag” were recorded at 12:50 a.m.

On November 2, 2009 the song “Somebody in Trouble” was said to be recorded.

The jury also heard some of the lyrics which included:

“I’ll kill you with my money”

“I got some killers on my payroll, and they know when it’s time to handle business, ni**as lay low.”

The jurors also heard lyrics from the song “Lime Life” that was recorded on May 21, 2009 with fellow Louisiana rapper Hurricane Chris.

Those lyrics include:

“If you don’t squeeze ya trigga that reaper come and get ya’…”

“Ain’t no love in my body, Marlo Mike up in the backseat beggin’ for a body”

The Defense
Lil Boosie’s attorney, Jason Williams, said the prosecution was attempting to use Lil Boosie’s rap persona as a negative portrayal of his character.

The defense said the songs were irrelevant to Boyd’s homicide.

Williams explained that the lyrics were used previously by Lil Boosie in mixtapes that were already released prior to October 2009 and were being resampled.

Williams said “this is a man who was making music, spending time and energy to develop a persona to sell records. Same way NWA did, same way Public Enemy does. Same way Johnny Cash did.”

After the time frame of the lyrics were examined, Dimitirelos, gave an account of the cell phone usage of Louding during the night of October 21, 2009.

Dimitirelos said that he cannot determine who was on the phone or what was said, but based on the GPS tracker on most phones, he was able to tell the movements from the phone number Louding identified as his during that time.

The tracker showed that the phone belonging to Louding was in the vicinity of the murder scene as well as Torence Lil Boosie’s residence on October 21, 2009.

The forensic expert also testified that none of the calls made from Louding’s phone were routed to the numbers used by Lil Boosie.

The day took an interesting turn when the prosecution called their last witness of the day, Hatch’s cousin, Carvis “Donkey” Webb.

The jury had heard much about the man referred to only by “Donkey” in this case.

“Donkey” has served as the liaison for Lil Boosie and Louding.

When Webb took the stand, Judge Mike Erwin warned him of the consequences of perjury.

Webb told the courtroom him and Lil Boosie are very close cousins. Webb said “Him [Lil Boosie] and Terry Boyd has never had beef whatsoever.”

Webb also admitted that Louding called him several times while he was in jail.

“I been convicted, he know I know how it go” Webb said to Cummings. “I told Marlo Mike to tell the truth, if Boosie had something to do with it, tell the truth.”

He continued, “I have no problem with Marlo, I personally think he’s innocent.”

The prosecution then decided to play recorded phone calls between Webb and Louding.

In the phone calls the jury was able to hear Webb say to Louding, “You gotta roll with what I’m telling you, follow my lead,” and “Ain’t nobody see you do nothing ‘cause you ain’t do nothing,” and “F **k what happened at first, it’s all about you and Hatch…We need Hatch out to put the bread up.”

When the tapes were done, Dana Cummings said to Webb, “Isn’t it true that follow my lead means tell the lies I tell you to tell?” before Webb could reply, Defense attorney Williams objected to the leading question.

Cummings then continued to ask why Donkey had suggested that Lil Boosie could put ‘the bread’ up?

“Torrence [Lil Boosie] is the wealthiest person in our family because of him being a rapper, if he is out making music, then he can help,” Webb explained.

Before coming off the stand, Cummings asked Webb, if he was so interested in telling the truth, why does he use slang words?

Webb replied, “I wasn’t taught to talk like you talk [Cummings]…We rappers. That’s the way we run it. When I say ‘run it’ it means, ‘say it’ or ‘talk.’”

Reporting for AllHipHop.com by Saturn Douglas.

RECAP VIDEO: RZA from Wu-Tang Clan Reveals, The Airplane Boys Soar, and Australian B-Boying Rules

Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA paired up with streetwear veteran, Jeff Staple, on last night’s (May 9) episode of MNET’s “Beats Per MNET” show. Both men are entrepreneurs in their own right – RZA has expanded his name past the rap world to help shepherd the Wu-Tang Clan brand in fashion, movies, and more; Staple, owner of Reed Space, has worked with Nike, Timberland, and more. Check the video of their surprising, lesson-packed exchange:

Toronto’s Airplane Boys, who have warmed-up crowds onstage for with J. Cole, Big Sean, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mac Miller, also appeared on the show. Check out a recap of the Canadian cats who recently captured a slew of new fans at Coachella 2012:

Some of the best dancers in the world converge…Down Under? Yep! Check out some video below from MNET’s “In The Scene” to see why you should never sleep on Australia’s international B-Boy competition scene:

“Beats Per MNET” airs on MNET on Wednesdays at 9PM/EST. Check your local cable listings.


Rising Star Lecrae Releases “Church Clothes” Mixtape [Download]

(AllHipHop News) Reach Recording artist and Grammy-nominated rapper Lecrae has released his highly-anticipated mixtape entitled Church Clothes, hosted by DJ Don Cannon and featuring No Malice (formerly Malice of The Clipse) and production from 9th Wonder, Bio 1-Da, S1 (Kanye, Beyonce), and Street Symphony (Reach Records, Ludacris, Gucci Mane).

Lecrae was first introduced to mainstream fans at the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards, where he performed in “The Cypher” with UK import songstress Estelle, Brooklyn’s Nitty Scott, and French MC, Saprano. With over 30,000 downloads of Church Clothes in less than 24 hours, this is quite the introduction to the mainstream.

Download Church Clothes for free HERE!

Lecrae – Church Clothes Tracklist:

1. Co-Sign (P### by Heat Academy)
2. APB ft. Thi’sl (P###. by Charlie Heat/Sarah J)
3. Church Clothes (P###. by Wit)
4. Cold World ft. Tasha Catour (P###. by Street Symphony)
5. Welcome To H-Town ft. Tedashii & Dre Murray (P###. by Wit)
6. Inspiration (P###. by Wit)
7. Rise (P###. by 9th Wonder)
8. Darkest Hour ft. No Malice (P###. by ThaInnaCircle)
9. Black Rose (P###. by Tyshane)
10. The Price of Life ft. Andy Mineo & Co Campbell (P###. by Symbolyc One “S1”)
11. Special ft. Lester “L2” Shaw (P###. by ThaInnaCircle)
12. No Regrets ft. Suzy Rock (P###. by Big Juice/Street Symphony)
13. Gimme A Second (P###. by Boi-1da)
14. Long Time Coming ft. Swoope (P###. by 9th Wonder)
15. Misconception ft. Propaganda, Braille, & Odd Thomas
16. Spazz (P###. by Charlie Heat/Sarah J)
17. Sacrifice (P###. by Red On The Beat/Sarah J)
18. Rejects (P###. by Tha Kracken!)

Follow Lecrae on Twitter (@Lecrae). Find more from AllHipHop.com contributor Chad Horton at Rapzilla.com, and follow him on Twitter (@chadhorton).

The Next 48 Hours With Mystikal Part 2

The Next 48 Hours crew follows Mystikal for it’s final day. Mystikal makes an appearance on Sway In The Morning on location at Fly Kicks in Austin, TX. He also completes Vice.com, Hot 97 and XXL Magazine interviews, visits Spotify private party as well as the Fader Fort gifting suite. Mystikal makes his finale performance at the AllHipHop Breeding Ground Showcase at #VIBEHouse. Cameos from Snoop Dogg, Kendrik Lamar, Mia X, Don Trip, Curren$y and several others as Mystikal made his first appearance at SXSW in 2012.

The Next 48 Hours is an original production by AllHipHop.com, Jump Off TV and Tantrum Productions.

Directed by Steve Raze

Hip-Hop Rumors: Did Diddy Pay Off BET Exec To Play Cassie’s New Video?

We’ve all heard about payola going on in the music industry in the past, but we usually hear about money changing hands for radio play. According to Gossip Jacker, Diddy has been paying a high powered exec over at BET to play Bad Boy artist Cassie’s video “King of Hearts” on their most popular show, “106 & Park”.  The post below was left anonymously on a message board:

“My friend who works for BET says Diddy paid for Cassie’s King Of Hearts video to be on 106 and Park. He said Diddy is best friends with Steven Hill.

He says everyone in the office laughs about how the song did not chart but is always on 106 and Park. He also said Beyonce would never listen to Cassie. Her cousin Angie Beyince put Cassie’s song on Beyonce’s website as a favor for her friend Cappadonna.”

But wait, aren’t the videos on 106 & Park controlled by the viewers voting for their favorite video?

With Debut In Sight, Slaughterhouse Heads Overseas On Euro Tour; “My Life” Video With Cee-Lo In The Works

(AllHipHop News) With less than a month and a half to go before the release of the group’s Shady Records debut, Welcome To: Our House, Slaughterhouse has announced plans to head overseas beginning on May 15 for a string of dates across Europe.

The 16-date tour, which is presented by Shady Records and HipHopWorld.NL, kicks off on May 15 in London and continue through cities such as Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, and Bratislava, before wrapping up in Zurich, Switzerland on June 1. The tour will cap just 10 days before the release of Slaughterhouse’s Welcome To: Our House.

Recently, Joe Budden expressed his desire to have the group’s second studio album pushed back. The New Jersey native told JennyBoomBoom, “I’m hoping it gets pushed back to July. I feel like when it’s your major label debut, more time, in this instance we’re only talking about two and a half weeks, that is important to me. The more time the better. It’s more time to prepare. … [The album’s] really good. It sounds big, large. If you listen to “My Life,” that sounds grand. The music, the feel, that is the theme to me — it’s big. It’s triumphant. It’s introspective. It’s really good and it flows well.”

Slaughterhouse, which consists of MC’s Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Royce Da 5’9″, and Crooked I, is currently filming the music video for the album’s second single, “My Life“, featuring Cee-Lo.

For tickets and more information on the European tour, visit SlaughterhouseWeb.com.

Deion Sanders Estranged Wife Pilar Breaks Silence

Pilar Sanders has issued a lengthy statement and the ongoing divorce case between her and her former and her strange husband, NFL star Deion Sanders.

Their divorce has been played out in the media over the past several months.

During the most recent incident at the couple’s multimillion dollar mansion in Prosper, Texas, Deion and Pilar Sanders were charged with misdemeanor assault, when an altercation between the pair became physical.

A judge issued a gag order against Pilar, which was lifted on April 23. Now she is speaking out against her a strange husband.

“This is just another game to Deion Sanders, his court room and media antics are part of his touch down dance, and he looks at our children as just another trophy for his shelf; something that helps him sell his next product, his next reality show,” said Pilar Sanders.

Pilar Sanders attorney Larry Friedman labeled Deion Sanders’ actions as “adolescent.”

“There are no winners in the divorce process, and there’s nothing that justifies an adolescent dance in a retired football uniform to taunt Pilar,” said Larry Friedman, Mrs. Sander’s attorney. “The focus should be on the best interest of the children and not on Mr. Sanders’ glorious past, forgotten football career,” he continued.

Check out Pilar Sanders’ full statement below, along with some facts from her camp, relating to the ongoing divorce proceedings between herself and Dion Sanders.

This is just another game to Deion Sanders, his court room and media antics are part of his touch down dance, and he looks at our children as just another trophy for his shelf; something that helps him sell his next product, his next reality show. I’ve been silent since September. Once Deion’s secret life was revealed and he laid all of his cards on the table, I just wanted a civil divorce for the sake of my children. This didn’t have to go down like this,” explains Pilar. “I obeyed the court, tried to protect my kids from hearing all of the trash talk, but still their father approached it like another ball game.

Seeing that Deion uses our children and the word ‘God’ in trying to disguise his image, I think enough is enough. He only cares about himself, manipulating and cheating to distract from the truth and let’s not forget about his open and flagrant philandering.

No one deserves to be treated like this, no one. I need the facts known and hopefully Deion’s public will convince him to just stop showing off, handle this situation fairly like a real man, and let my children and me get on with our lives.

FACTS:

1.) Deion Sanders was NOT granted temporary custody. Both parents have access to their children.

2.) Deion Sanders is NOT allowed to take the children out of school and out of state, without advising Pilar. He had been doing this in violation of Texas law, the State’s truancy laws, and the Court’s Orders.

3.) The Protective Order that Deion previously obtained against Pilar through the Prosper Police when she was arrested on April 23rd, was VACATED.

4.) Deion’s application for A Protective Order against Pilar For Family Violence in the Family Court was DENIED. Both Deion and Pilar Sanders have been told to stay 100 yards from each other making Deion’s assault charges against Pilar groundless.

5.) The Court awarded Deion the exclusive possession of the house in Prosper that he owned before he was married to Pilar which was his separate property with or without a premarital agreement. That ruling was nothing either way.

6.) The Court did NOT grant Pilar’s application for A Protective Order against Deion For Family Violence in the Family Court even though Pilar sustained serious injuries in the incident, including a broken thumb, a broken arm, a disjointed elbow, and bruises and contusions on her arms, shoulders, back, and neck. (Medical documents are available.)

7.) And, lastly the Court RESCINDED AND VACATED the Gag Order. That was an important ruling because Deion had continued to violate this Order with his relentless assaults against Pilar in the media while she continuously obeyed the Order. Now it allows her to defend herself against his verbal abuse.

Nothing else was decided. All of the matters relating to temporary orders will be determined on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.

For the record, Deion’s attorney has a conflict of interested, while representing Deion he also represents the town of Prosper, The Prosper Police Department, and the Prosper Independent School District. That speaks for itself.

Hip-Hop Rumors: Did Rick Ross Undergo Gastric Bypass Surgery?

We have all heard about Ricky Rozay’s recent health problems, but could those issues have forced him to go under the knife to lose weight via a “lap band”? According to Media Take Out, a rock solid insider tells them that Ross underwent the stomach surgery a little more than a month ago. Check out a photo of Ross at the MET Gala recently. Does he look like he lost weight to you?

The insider says that last fall, Ross got “LAP BAND” surgery, which reduces the amount of food he can eat…and that he’s got a new diet and an exercise regiment, meant to get him into TIP TOP SHAPE. They say he’s already lost 20 pounds.

I’m not sure I believe this one. Isn’t being heavy set a part of Ross’ appeal? And what about that new “big and tall” deal he signed with Reebok? Wouldn’t that be null and void if he became a skinny dude? Some people just aren’t meant to be skinny – just look at Power 106’s Big Boy. He looked better with the weight.

What do you guys think? Is losing weight a good look for Ross?

EXCLUSIVE: Juvenile To Collaborate With Lil Wayne On “Rejuvenation”; Talks Hot Boys Reunion

(AllHipHop News) Juvenile returned to S.O.B.’s in New York City recently for his first solo performance in eight years, where he not only performed some of hits, but he brought the energy to a packed house of his biggest East Coast fans.

Juvenile left his recording home of Cash Money Records in 2003, following the release of his platinum-certified sixth studio album, Juve the Great, to create his own label, UTP.

Ties with Cash Money were never fully severed, however, as Juvenile, with hits like “Back That Azz Up,” “Slow Motion,” and “Ha,” has gone on record with AllHipHop.com to say that he will be working with Lil Wayne on his upcoming 10th studio album, Rejuvenation, along with DJ Khaled and Drake.

Having been pushed back several times, Rejuvenation’s delays may have been made so Juvenile can secure other heavy-hitters such as Jadakiss, Jay-Z, and Jay Electronica, who Juve told XXL is “off the muthaf*ckin’ chain.”

Currently, Rejuvenation is scheduled for a June 19 release on UTP/Rap-A-Lot/Young Empire.

In addition to the news about the album features, Juvenile briefly spoke to AllHipHop.com about the long-gestating Hot Boys reunion rumors – despite Cash Money co-founder Bryan “Birdman” Williams recently telling GlobalGrind that the reunion “isn’t on my radar.”

The Hot Boys, which consisted of Juvenile, B.G., Lil Wayne, and Turk, were one of Cash Money’s biggest draws in the late ’90s and early ’00s, and they released three albums together during their six-year relationship. The group officially disbanded in 2001 but made appearances together several years later.

Check out our exclusive interview with Juvenile below:

Kid Cudi Added To Governors Ball Music Festival

(AllHipHop News) Rapper Kid Cudi has been added as a headliner of the Governors Ball Music Festival.

Kid Cudi is slated to perform a special closing late night set on Saturday, immediately after Passion Pit performs their headlining set.

Kid Cudi’s addition to the 2012 Governors Ball Music Festival is part of the founders’ goal to increase the diversity of the musical acts in the lineup.

The event is also Kid Cudi’s first performance in New York City, since July 2011.

Other acts performing during the 2012 Governors Ball Music Festival include Beck, Atmosphere, Fiona Apple, Santigold, Major Lazer, The Jezabels and others.

The Governors Ball Music Festival will feature free waterfill stations, games and activities and food from a variety of eateries in the Williamsburg, Brooklyn area.

The Governors Ball Music Festival takes place on June 23 and 24.

For more information visit GovBall.com.

Is R. Kelly’s Latest Video Going Too Far and Familiar?

He puts the ‘R’ in R&B. He stated that years ago. Recently, the Pied Piper, R. Kelly, released his latest video for his song, “It’s On”, featuring Ace Hood & DJ Khaled.

With over 35 million albums sold, the usually, innovative 45-year-old singer has found himself mimicking the sounds of today. In his latest effort, it sounds like a Drake summertime song. Just saying.

What’s your take?