(AllHipHop News) Rap group Insane Clown Posse has been hit with a $2,000,000 lawsuit, claiming they illegally sampled Halloween music on various recordings without permission.
Entity Productions filed a lawsuit against Psychopathic Records and the Insane Clown Posse, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, on Monday.
According to the lawsuit, Entity Productions sells or licenses various recordings around the world.
Entity Productions claims the Insane Clown Posse illegally sampled portions of works created by the group Midnight Syndicate.
The lawsuit states that Midnight Syndicate is a premier producer of high-end Gothic Halloween themed music in the United States.
The group has sold over 500,000 CD’s around the world, and their music has been featured in films, video games, and amusement parks around the world.
Entity Productions claims that in the summer of 2009, they discovered that the albums Mirror Mirror (featuring Twiztid) and the album Tales From the Lotus Pod (featuring Dark Lotus), contained songs that sampled several of recordings by Midnight Syndicate.
The lawsuit claims that the group sampled the song “Raven’s Hollow,” from Midnight Syndicate’s album Realm of Shadows.
Entity Productions also claims that the group swiped portions of the song “Haunted Nursery,” as well as Midnight Syndicate’s song “Halls of Insurrection.”
Lawyers for Entity Productions sent a letter to the group in October of 2009, but they never received a reply.
To make matters worse, Entity Productions discovered that more songs were illegally sampled by the group on their album Hell’s Pit.
On that album, ICP illegally sampled Midnight Syndicate’s song “Vampyre,” as well as another song titled “Awakening.”
The group also sampled Midnight Syndicate’s song “Unseen Eyes,” as well as another song titled “Crypt of the Forsaken.”
Entity Productions seeks a total of $2,100,000 for copyright infringement.
(AllHipHop News) Lil Wayne is reinventing himself again and establishing his world wide brand, through a new collaboration with Bollywood star Himesh Reshammiya.
“Yes, Lil Wayne and I are collaboration,” Himesh told Sify.com. “He has already recorded a remix track with Romanian musician Edward Maya.”
Himlesh is seeking to break into the music scene in the U.S. with “Come To Me Now,” a duet to be released next year.
While the unlikely pair are working dilligently on the song, Himesh assured fans that the track will be available via Himesh’s new album @ Da Edge and as a single in the U.S. for Lil Wayne fans.
Unbeknownst to many hip-hop fans, at one point Himesh Reshammiya said that he would only sing and compose in films that featured him as an actor.
As a musical director, actor, composer, and singer Himesh, has been featured in thousands of Bollywood titles, making him one of the most famous artists in India.
In the third and final portion of AllHipHop.com’s interview with Jam Master Jay’s nephew Boe Scaggz, a number of controversial theories about the pioneering DJ’s murder are explored. It had been reported that Jay’s death was the result of a drug deal gone bad, after he and several associates allegedly traveled to Baltimore to sell multiple kilos of cocaine.
In this portion of the interview, Jay’s alleged drug dealing, his association with 50 Cent and his possible association with Jimmy Henchman are examined. This is significant because Jimmy Henchman is accused of laundering cocaine and drug money through recording studios, using cases to store musical equipment.
Street View of JMJ’s Studio
Sources have stated that on at least one occasion, Jam Master Jay drove to Baltimore in a luxury car, allegedly filled with cocaine, supposedly stuffed in his turntable cases, although this is merely speculation and not an accusation to tarnish his legacy.
AllHipHop.com: It was widely reported that Jay was dabbling with dealing drugs, particularly cocaine. Did you ever hear about Jay dealing drugs?
Boe: Jay wasn’t into that. He wasn’t into dealing with drugs or no s**t like that. I mean, I heard people say things like that, like I hear the streets talking. He wasn’t into hustling drugs and all that. He was too busy making his own career and making a career for his nephew and trying to make sure his sons is cool. His brothers and sisters were straight. He wasn’t worried about moving no drugs. I heard about, what’s this dude’s name, Chris Run (Jay’s driver). He said some crazy s**t like that, like him and Jay were traveling somewhere with drugs and s**t like that.
AllHipHop.com: I heard he was ripped off by a dude named Yaqin, in Baltimore and he owed some money from a coke deal gone bad.
Jimmy Henchman
Boe: Dumb. Even if Jay took you down somewhere to go meet some ni**as that he knew that’s gangsters because you know, he’s from the street. Just because you know a certain type of people don’t mean you’re involved with the same thing they involved with. I know a whole bunch of different types of motherf**kers. I know rich ni**as, that don’t mean I’m rich. I know broke ni**as that sleep on the street, I ain’t a broke ni**a on the street, but I know some of these people. It don’t make me the same way as them.
AllHipHop.com: Queens has a hip-hop community that’s produced some of the world’s best hip-hop acts. What do you think of this whole Jimmy Henchman situation? That definitely has ties to Queens in that Stretch Walker, who was originally present when Tupac was shot at the Quad in 1994, was supposedly killed by Tinard Washington. I’ve heard that Jimmy was associated with Jay and the Queens hip-hop scene early on. I even heard he visited the studio.
Boe: No, I don’t really remember Jimmy, but Randy used to always ask me do I remember Jimmy. Like “you don’t remember Jimmy?” Nah, I don’t remember him. The whole thing with Stretch and all that, that’s them ni**as. That’s them ni**as, man. He got himself in some s**t, but I don’t even know him.
Lowell “Lodi Mac” Fletcher
AllHipHop.com: No doubt. Well the reason I ask that is I heard Randy was somehow associating with Henchman before and after Jam Master Jay’s murder. It’s a small community so being friends isn’t a crime. It was interesting that Randy put out a diss record towards 50 Cent after the documentary came out.
He was also cool with Jimmy Henchman when he put the diss record out. I also heard there was a loose connection between the death of 50’s boy Lodi Mac and the JMJ case, but I think it was just rumors from the streets.
Boe: I don’t think Rand’s doing so much rapping and all that anymore. I’m not really sure about him doing a little rapping and s**t like that, but I don’t really know why he even made a diss record for 50. Maybe he was just feeling some kind of way. Maybe he just felt some kind of way about 50. I didn’t think that was cool that he did that. I think if you want to diss somebody, you’ve got to really do some real, real hot s**t, and I don’t think this record was good enough to even be put out there like that.
AllHipHop.com: Yea 50 put a little line in the song where he basically threw Randy under the bus in the track, saying he was there, even if he didn’t do it. You don’t think Randy was actually complicit in it and that he’s just not telling anybody?
Boe: I believe all of them know more than what I know about that. I know what everybody wants to hear them say, but what if they don’t know what everybody wants them to say? But I know that they know more than what I know, and they know more about what happened to Jay than I do. And I think that soon, people are going to go “hey Randy, say something.” I don’t know where he is now. But I’ve got a feeling that ni**a’s going to be hearing something about him and about Jay’s case and everything real soon. Randy’s the person that doesn’t get a benefit from it, not one bit.
AllHipHop.com: He told me his life was hell afterwards. He said police were following him and other people in the neighborhood wanted to kill him.
Boe: Look, he’s not rich. Nothing happened spectacularly for that man since Jay died…if I’m playing and part of a scheme to do something for you, then obviously there’s got to be some kind of reward in it for me. I ran into Randy in Miami, and we didn’t really speak that much. This was just kind of a what’s up? Kind of like shocked because we hadn’t seen each other since 2003. I’m lying, we seen at each other at the Jam Awards, the one year they had the Jam Awards with Jay, I was there. I seen him at the Jam Awards.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah I was there, that was at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.
Boe: Yep, at the Hammerstein. That was me and Randy hadn’t spoken, because we had a falling out. It didn’t really have nothing to do with Jay why me and him weren’t kicking it, because if you remember, after Jay passed I was with him a lot of times. And he was getting threats. Like Marvin, even though Marvin’s Jay’s brother, he wasn’t there with me and Randy every day. He wasn’t here every single day of our life. Like every day we woke up, we had the same routine. Randy comes to get me, we call Jay, meet him at the studio.
AllHipHop.com: Marvin, I know he was running the JMJ foundation for a while. You know, what’s up with that? Do you ever speak to Marvin or any of the other family members?
Boe: Yeah, I talk to my uncle all the time. Me and Marvin, we talk all the time. That’s my uncle. Actually, he got a record label that he’s starting up, he and my grandmother, they’ve got a company that they’re starting and I’m actually kind of helping out. I was going to be the first artist off of their label. Not really signed to them, but just to help boost the label up and things like that. Help to get some artists and stuff like that. So I’ve got a song called Jam Master Jay that I was going to release, a song that the label’s putting out.
Kanye was seen rocking these in NYC recently. Designer sneaks-wearers everywhere are awaiting the new kicks, although no details are currently available on their release!
Quickies:
-That MF Doom and Radiohead collaboration we mentioned the other day can now be heard here. Thoughts?
-Ad-Rock of The Beastie Boys is set to score his father’s latest off-Broadway play, “Gloucester Blue,” which debuts November 16 in New York City.
-Compact Discs are said to be meeting their end come late next year. The plan is to make all new music releases available in only digital form. Who wouldn’t have thought?
-GTA V is in the works and set for release sometime in late 2012. It was announced today (November 2) that the game will take place on the West Coast, more specifically San Andreas (parachuting was the coolest part of the last San Andreas game!). Check out the awesome looking trailer here.
-Eddie Murphy revealed in the current Rolling Stone issue that he has a movie idea in the works that would bring together himself and Black comedians Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle, Chris Tucker, and Tracy Morgan. The name and plot he offered?: “Jamal and Tyrell and Omar and Brick and Michael’s Wack-Ass Weekend about this group of guys who gets abducted by aliens on the way to the fights. I’m writing that now.”
-NYC residents: The Grand Opening of the Beats By Dre store is happening today (November 2) at 67 Greene Street. Some surprises are said to be in the works. Anyone going to check out the shop?
This JUSTIN…oh boy. I’m feeling particularly corny today. Just a heads up, Justin Beiber has already denied the allegations. He said” “all the rumors…the gossip…Im gonna focus on the positives….the music.” Not exactly a denial. But anyway, a woman named Mariah Yeater claims The Beeb hit it and fathered her 3-month-old baby boy. On top of that, Yeater, who is 20, wants him to take paternity test to confirm his fatherhood. Justin is 17! This means, when he is about 30 or so, he and his kid can go clubbing together! Yes. Anyway, I think it is high time we pulled in another brother to help Justin Beiber out. His name is Maury. Last name…you know.
(AllHipHop News) Washington, DC rapper Wale surprised high school students yesterday (November 1) in Prince Georges County, Maryland.
The rapper’s appearance at Central High School was meant to encourage and inspire over 400 students, who were rewarded for their positive behavior, good grades and perfect attendance.
According to local station WTOP, the students had gathered at an assembly, where they thought they were simply going to receive awards for their accomplishments at school.
As the students watched their peers in a fashion show, the lights dimmed and Wale suddenly took to the stage.
After the surprise performance, Wale talked to the students at length about their potential, their future and making wise decisions.
He also explained that he was amazed at how far he has come since he graduated from high school.
“When you leave high school, you kind of realize that you haven’t really put your all into anything,” Wale said. “You have to live enough of your life to know what it’s like to put your all into everything, and this is the first thing that I’ve ever put my all into.”
Wale’s second album Ambition hit stores yesterday (November 1) on Rick Ross’s Maybach Music Group.
Katt Williams Returns With A Music Video…Just in Time for Halloween Week?!
“I’m finna give you the b*tch n*gga recipe:/One cup Jermaine Dupri/Call that sh*t p*ssy stock/One drop of pure p*ssy/Or a Fabolous drop/An eye of Newt Ginrich/A dash of O’Reilly…”
News on Katt Williams hasn’t been good lately. Clearly, he’s still got jokes, though. But is this a good look? Win or fail? You tell us!
Dame Dash Viral Series in the Works?
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/31437121]
It would appear so after a video featuring the likes of Damon Dash, Cam’ron, Vado, McKenzie Eddy, Freekey Zeekey, Ski Beatz, and more has appeared online in teaser form. The “Cavi Life” web series is only advertised as “coming soon,” but this looks like a dope way to get an inside look into the life of the DD172 mogul and Roc-A-Fella co-founder.
Murray Will NOT Testify!
Dr. Conrad Murray, who is currently being tried for manslaughter in the death of icon Michael Jackson, has told a judge that he will not testify in his own defense. Jurors heard from medical experts as testimony concluded yesterday on the case that Murray has plead “not guilty” to. Closing arguments are up next. If convicted, he will lose his medical license and can be sentenced to up to four years in prison. Did he do it? What say you?
Historically, all artists that have spoken their truth to power have paid some dire consequences. These ramifications often tear groups and individuals to shreds, both personally and professionally. History tells this tale over and over. So, with Lupe Fiasco being one most outspoken rappers of the young generation of Hip-Hop, what burden does he bear? AllHipHop asks. Lupe answers.
AllHipHop.com: What burden do you bear? Being this outspoken, honestly, there’s only a few artists that are this outspoken and really none on a “commercial level,” meaning out of the underground. Do you bear any particular burden? As a person or as a human, or even as an artist?
Lupe: I just think it’s a continuation of what I was meant to do as a child. I’ve always been somebody who’s been around people who’ve been outspoken, whether it was my father who was very active on all fronts that had to deal with justice and freedom, the things of organizing and doing and on your own and speaking out against the evils in this world. And whether it kills you. So that’s my lineage. That’s where I come from. So whether I was a rapper or a teacher or a chef or whatever I was, I was always going to be speaking out against what I thought was wrong and what I could prove was wrong, and using what I have to help someone else. I just look at it as Occupy Wall Street, when it first started, they wanted people to come in and help galvanize and spread the message. I looked at my Twitter page and said hey, I’ve got 800,000 people. Maybe they can use 800,000 people. I’m not using that to bring myself up or become a leader of the movement. I just happened to have 800,000 people, and here, you retweet and do whatever you need to do. Let me know what the message is and I’ll help that.
Then it expands out into what do you guys need? I’ve got a few thousand dollars sitting around I was going to buy some shoes with, but yo, I’ll buy a generator for you guys. You need that? What else do you need? I’m not trying to push my ideology or become the hero or become the face of it. It’s to the point where I wasn’t doing interviews, because I wanted the organizers to tell me what to say. I don’t want to disrupt the message. But then when it became understood this was open, it wasn’t a leader thing, it wasn’t a one agenda thing, this was something that’s open and the dialogue’s for everybody to have. Then it’s okay, cool. This is what I think, this is what it is, and it may be against what other people think but that’s the point. We’re having a conversation. So you know, I feel it’s everybody’s duty to better themselves and to help out their fellow human beings in whatever possible way they can.
