homepage

Rapper Sues T.I., Claims He Stole ‘What You Know’

(AllHipHop News) Rapper T.I. could be back in front of a judge, but instead of criminal charges, the rapper is being sued for copyright infringement by an upcoming rapper.

 

At issue is T.I.’s Grammy Award winning song “What You Know,” which Nathan Filby aka Motoe Blizzid, claims T.I. stole.

 

Filby, who is being represented by One LLP, claims the 2006 track sampled portions of a 2004 song he made titled Reverence.

 

He claims that the track was delivered to a number of industry insiders before reaching a representative at Relentless Management, a company that reportedly works with T.I.

 

In court documents, One LLP and Filby claimed that the tracks contain the “same harmonic” range and lawyers even presented documents that showed an algorithm that claimed to show the song’s similarities scientifically.

 

According to reports, Filby seeks a trial by jury and all profits derived from the song, which was featured on T.I.’s#### album King.

 

 T.I. is currently in a halfway house after serving almost 8 months in a low security prison, after he was caught purchasing machine guns and silencers in October of 2008.

My Pain Is Your Pain: Hip-Hop’s Nervous System and Language

My Pain Is Your Pain: Hip-Hop’s Nervous System and Language

I will always remember the moment I learned that Tupac died. I was sitting in the Razor Sharp offices on University Place in Manhattan, nearing the close of the business day when John ‘Mook’ Gibbons, my partner, close friend, and President of Wu-Tang Management suddenly announced the sad news to the whole office.

‘Tupac is dead y’all,’ Mook said, as his shoulders dropped and he sighed, putting his head down.

I just sunk in my chair and couldn’t believe it. Just numb.

For the past week I had been in communication with a colleague at Death Row Records and mutual friendly acquaintance that Tupac and I shared, who lived in L.A., who had been giving me updates, but I still wasn’t prepared.

Later that night I went to the recording studio to sit in on a session underway for Ghostface Killah’s Ironman album.

The mood was quiet and somber.

‘It’s on us y’all. He was a real n***a. Now everybody’s looking at us to keep it going,’ Raekwon said in the waiting room when I came in, calmly but with confidence and a sense of responsibility. Raekwon is a man of few words, but when he speaks it is clear, with authority, and always focused toward getting things done.

As I thought over Rae’s words I felt a tremendous loss in my heart. Tupac was a pillar of strength in Hip-Hop community and the fact that he was gone was a reminder of our own vulnerability – not just as individuals, but as an entire generation. As young as we all were, nothing was guaranteed.

I stayed numb that night as I drove home from the studio on the West Side highway, listening to Hot 97 play ‘Pac records with commentary and pained call-ins. The supposed East Coast-West Coast ‘beef’ that had some angry with Tupac disappeared that night. New York was united – we all had suffered a loss.

The next day I walked the streets of Harlem, feeling the energy and tremendous buzz over the departure of an icon. When I hit a corner stand on 125th street I looked down at the newspaper and when I saw a headline on one of the New York dailies and the phrase “A Rapper’s Requiem” with ‘Pac’s picture on it and I just broke down.

I didn’t care who saw me. A older woman walked by and told me it was alright.

What struck me that day was that everybody in Harlem, it seemed was grieving, remembering, and lamenting what could have been, together as one. As his music played on street corners, out of cars and apartment windows, there was the knowing exchange of looks, and a kindred spirit. It wasn’t about being a fan of Tupac or not, it was about the impact of the moment which had gripped everyone at once.

I can count on one hand the moments where I have felt such a unified feeling or weight – whether of emotion or purpose. The Million Man March comes to mind, the death of Biggie (again the scene in Harlem on a Sunday morning when I learned the news was touching), Hurricane Katrina, and the day after President Obama was elected, as well as the day of his inauguration, here in D.C.

And now, the reaction to the earthquake in Haiti.

Those who listen to my show (each Wednesday 12 to 5 PM EST: http://www.cedricmuhammad.com/media/) know that last week I repeatedly played the audio of a Haitian woman who was approached by CNN, on the ground in Port Au Prince, who wanted to interview her about the lack of cell phone service in Haiti. She wasn’t interested in discussing cell phones and immediately flipped the subject matter to the power of the unity she was experiencing among the Haitian people. Then she was suddenly joined by a young man who wanted to bear witness to her point – describing the generosity of the local cab drivers, street vendors and police officers. You can listen to the entire show by clicking here.

Regardless to where I turned – email, on the street, international or local news – it seemed I was confronted with powerful images and examples of unity, whether in Haiti or the African and Haitian Diaspora – everything from the country of Senegal offering land to displaced Haitians (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/16/AR2010011602048.html); Venezuela aiding Haiti out of a sense of debt and gratitude for the support that Haiti gave Simon Bolivar two centuries ago (in the form of money, weapons, troops, and a printing press) which led to the independence of 5 ‘Latin American’ states; Cuba sending doctors with Fidel Castro expressing gratitude for the inspiration Haiti’s revolution provided to his own; young children in New York City packing clothes for children their same age in a destroyed city; my Haitian-American friends in New York, New Jersey, and Florida pooling nickels and dimes to send home. I could go on and on.

But when I learned of the international linkages being made within the global Hip-Hop community, across all kind of ideological lines I was touched beyond words.

My own experience of connecting my Hip-Hop industry friends in Africa, with conscious artists in America, as well as street-oriented artists and industry professionals (who are not steeped in geopolitics) with those working with groups like the HipHopRevolucion collective in Venezuela (http://www.hiphoprevolucion.org/blog) over Haiti has been an honor and joy.

There is something very profound about the unity that Hip-Hop culture has embodied and produced that continues to impress me. It is as if a new people are being formed out of a generation – across, racial, religious, ideological and class lines. It reminds me of the phenomenon that took place in the 1960s and 70s in the Black community in the United States and around the world.

It brings to mind a portion of an answer in an interview of Minister Farrakhan conducted by Brother Jabril Muhammad, which appeared February 15, 2005 Volume 24 Number 18 edition of The Final Call newspaper that now appears in the book, Closing The Gap [http://store.finalcall.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BK-CLOSING] (bold emphasis is mine):

Minister Farrakhan:…In New York City I took time with a friend, Gil Noble, with whom I spoke with privately and later with the leaders, to show them how language is used to change perceptions of our people and the realities of what we’re looking at.

I talked about how the word ‘Negro’ was used and how limited that term was and how the Honorable Elijah Muhammad used the term “Black” in such a way that it developed in us a body and the nervous system that connected us to our people all over the world.

So that when something was done in the Congo, years ago, in the killing of Patrice Lumumba, there was a demonstration by Black people at the U.N. When Martin Luther King was murdered a hundred cities were set on fire because we had developed a nervous system that allowed us to feel the pain of one another through the language that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad used.

So the enemy stepped up his studies of us. He wanted to know what was it and who was the leader that ignited us to burn up a hundred cities when all of the people that were burning the cities were not followers of Martin Luther King Jr.

They concluded that it wasn’t a specific person that was causing this as much as it was the way the media was used. It had given us as a people one shared attitude toward white people and toward what we called ‘the establishment.’

These attitudes hardened into a system of belief that all of us shared, no matter where we were in America—a belief about police; a belief about government; a belief about white people—that was very real. That attitude and belief grew into ideology—a common idea—that all of us shared and we had become a national community, even though we were in different groups; different churches and mosques, etc, there was something that bound us altogether.

When the enemy saw that television had served that purpose and the name “Black, Brother and Sister” had caused us to see ourselves as kin to people of color all over the world, they decided after the assassinations of Malcolm (X) and Martin (Luther King Jr.) and the departure of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, they had to change language.

They started that by again using the term ‘minority.’ Once we accepted the terminology, ‘minority’, a certain frame of mind came with accepting that language.

The fact that we are the ‘majority’ was destroyed. Then we became the ‘disadvantaged.’ Then we became ‘the largest minority in America.’ Then we became ‘African Americans’ and there we’ve stayed—‘minority, disadvantaged, African Americans.’

But what happened to us as a result of accepting that language? It killed the nervous system that the language of Blackness created. Then, every television show with Black as an adjective describing it, such as ‘Black News’ in New York; ‘Black Journal,’ ‘Black Star’ program in Baltimore, every city had something “Black” as a description of the main noun, and so ‘Black Journal’ became ‘Tony’s Journal;’ and ‘Black News’ was eventually taken off the air. “Black Star” was gone. Now you have no program anywhere on television with the name “Black” in front of it.

So the subtlety of the enemy, in deceiving us, was that he knew the value of language and that if you shift the language you shift perceptions. What he did was to create the death of our nervous system that connected us as a family. Then we could become tribes and kill one another and not feel the pain of our Brothers in the Caribbean, our Brothers in Brazil or our Brothers in Africa.

We began to be less and less global and more and more narrow in our focus, to be narrower right down to gang and tribes in terms of denomination and organization, and kill each other throughout America and not really feel the pain.”

[Perhaps it is no accident that one of the best received pieces I have ever written at BlackElectorate.com was “The Basis Of Black-Latino Unity Is Not Political,” (http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=378)]

Evidence that something similar has taking place in Hip-Hop can be found in the numerous relief efforts – some mainstream and well publicized and others lesser -known – organized by Hip-Hop artists, opinion leaders, and industry professionals and entrepreneurs. One that stands out is the ‘Hip-Hop For Haiti’ (http://hiphop4haiti.ning.com/) effort, scheduled for January 30th, convened by Queen Yonasda Lonewolf. I asked her how it all came together so rapidly, and here is what she shared:

“I’m a rap artist/activist/writer/mother and when I saw the earthquake on the news, I was devastated, like I know many are! Within the small confine of those that support me on my music and activism work I just couldn’t sit back and donate $5 through my cell phone company. I had to do more! I just know too many people to not do more! So, it started as a clothing and food drive in Phoenix and bringing the Hip Hop community together, but within a week grew into something so much bigger after I used social networking sites, email, and texts to ask a question – ” ‘Hip Hop 4 Haiti’ who’s down to host an event in your city on Jan.30th?” Within 7 days we officially organized 34 cities that are all hosting hip hop fundraising events on Jan.30. It’s amazing how under a state of emergency the Hip Hop community can come together and unify and get involved on donating food, clothing and money for Haiti! We are also ustreaming (http://ustream.com/) all the events on this day! And now we have merged with the Hip Hop Caucus’ “Hip Hop Help Haiti” to continue the efforts after Jan.30, because Haiti is going to continue to need our help and our unity”

Things like this can happen this fast not just because of technology but because a new body and nervous system has been created by a cultural phenomenon that speaks and understands a common language that connects the minds and hearts of people – across barriers and boundaries.

The result – my pain is your pain.

There is still a lot of work to do, but I just don’t know what else to say about how moved and proud I am of my culture.

Perhaps Treach said it all in 1993:

Cedric Muhammad is a business consultant, political strategist, and monetary economist. He is also a former GM of Wu-Tang Management and a Member of the African Union’s First Congress of African Economists. He is author of the book, The Entrepreneurial Secret (http://theEsecret.com/). His talk show, ‘The Cedric Muhammad and Black Coffee Program’ can be viewed every Wednesday from 12 to 5 PM EST (USA) at: http://www.cedricmuhammad.com/media/. He can be contacted via e-mail at: cedric(at)cmcap.com

Hip-Hop Rumors: Rick Ross Takes Over! Dr. Dre Jokes Illseed! Epic Fails & Wins!

DISCLAIMER:

 

All content within this section is pure rumor and generally have no factual info outside of what the streets have whispered in our ear. Read on.

THE DAILY TWO SENSE!

 

I FEEL LIKE A LOSER!

 

This kid raised $200 THOUSAND for Haiti. Damn.

 

Well, AHH has a few events on deck where we are doing our part, helping Haiti.

Here is the first event, a very posh and upscale affair:

Thursday, January 28th – New York, NY – 6pm

 

ANSWERING THE CALL – A fundraising Initiative benefiting earthquake victims in Haiti

 

M2 Ultra Lounge – 530 W. 28th St., New York, NY 10019

PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS: The NBA Wives — Project Save the World, Hollywood Unites for Haiti, World Policy Institute, The Council of Urban Professionals, Harvard Black Alumni Society of NY, National Urban League, NAACP Brooklyn Branch, Carma Foundation, ACA United, Haitian Memorial Foundation, SIMACT, Harlem Jets, New Heights Youth, Inc., Haitian Americans for Humanitarian Action, Metro New York Chapter NBMBAA Association, Inc., Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, ConceptLink Consulting, RG & Associates, Haiti Cultural Exchange, MIHventures, KYA Entertainment, AllHipHop.com

 100% of proceeds will go to the following beneficiaries: The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Project Medishare, Yele Haiti, and The Haiti Support Project.

 

TICKETS: Level I ~ $25 // Level II ~ $50 // Level III ~ $100 // VIP I ~ $250 // VIP II ~ $500

 Click here for more info! 

HERE IS THE OTHER EVENT

 SOB’S! NYC!

 

DR. DRE IS PLAYING GAMES! LOL! Check out the quotes from Dr. Dre regarding Detox! LOL! Come on, son!“Once that sound is right, once that mix is right, it’s a feeling that you get, here — It’s unexplainable,” Dre said about putting together his records. “I have to go out to clubs now…You need to understand what people are listening to. I’m working hard on it. I’m stopping to work on other artists in-between, but the minute it’s done and I feel it right here. I don’t think I’ve done that [perfect] record yet. I’ll know what it is when it comes; I know exactly what it is in my head, but I haven’t done it yet. It’s close…I got some sh*t coming, believe me.”

 No Detox until 2011! LOL! (Shout out to http://www.guardian.co.uk/)

 

RICK ROSS’ NEW MOVIE

 

 ILLSEED’S QUICKIES

 DMX showed up to Club Myst in Scottsdale,AZ and the dog decided to show up and give fans some of his favorite raps for free.

 

I meant Jessica Biel yesterday. I really don’t know that chick anyway. Jennifer Biel – even google images mixes her up!

 Looks like Tahiry got the reality show and there is no Joe in sight. Sheeesh!

 False alarm..Brad and Angelina are still a couple.

 Man, Diddy gave Justin a silver Maybach for his 16th birthday. What’s the boy got to look forward to? A SPACESHIP?

 Shout out to Donnie Simpson. The OG of TV and Radio has retired. He was the best!Tiger’s wife busted him by texting one of his hoes, but pretending to be him. Tiger, Tiger, Tiger! Somebody failed him in the life skills department!

 Arnold…I mean Gary Coleman is out of jail. Damn, that guy is my homey, but I wish he’d stay out of the news.Man, I just can’t believe what the world is coming to. I used to think I was ill. This 21-year-old dude took a pee on $600 in steaks at Wal-Mart. He was arrested and charged with a felony, among other crimes.EPIC FAIL OF THE DAY!

 Aw man, I missed this when it came on, but this Rob Kardashian dude got his tail beat on TV. LOL! It was supposed to be a celebrity charity event, but the “fans” went in for the kill.

 

 

Bonus:

 

Kim Kardashian definitely got beat too, but she got props since she is a pretty female.

 

 

EPIC WIN OF THE DAY!

Shout out to Olivia for her new look! Looking good, my dear! It would seem like her G-Unit days are really gone.

 

 

 

MIKEY T TALKS TO MIKE SHOREY ON MAX B

 These guys talk about Max B the night before he went to jail.

 

 

 

RICK ROSS AND CHRISETTE MICHELLE ON THE SET OF THE BAWSE’S NEW VIDEO!

(ExclusiveAccess.net)

DONNIE SIMPSON, WE LOVE YOU!!!

They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!

-illseed

WHO: illseed.com

WHAT: Rumors

WHERE: AllHipHop.com, MySpace.com/TheIllseed

HOW: Send your rumors and ill pics to illseed at [email protected].

Ludacris Turns ‘Battle of the Sexes’ Into Compilation

Rapper Ludacris has reworked his Battle of the Sexes album into a compilation album featuring the Atlanta rapper collaborating with today’s top female Hip-Hop artists.

 

Artists like Eve, Lil Kim, Trina, Nicki Minaj and R&B singer Ciara are featured on the release, which is rounded out by guests appearances from Ne-Yo, Plies and Flo Rida.

 

The first single from the album is Ludacris’ single “How Low,” which is #1 on iTunes’ Hip-Hop Chart, moving over 500,000 copies.

 

Battle of the Sexes is Ludacris’ 7th official solo album and his first release since 2008’s Theater of the Mind.

 

The album was originally supposed to be a collaboration between former Disturbing Tha Peace artist Shawnna, who is absent from the new version of the release.

 

Battle of the Sexes is due in stores Tuesday, March 16.

P.Miller Announces Benefit Superbowl Concert for Haiti Teens

(AllHipHop News) Fresh off the New Orleans Saints securing their first Superbowl berth, entrepreneur P.Miller will helm a Superbowl benefit concert to assist in rebuilding Haiti’s schools.

 

A New Orleans native, Miller witnessed the destruction of Hurricane Katrina firsthand, and has made it a goal to prevent Haitian children from losing their education needs during the rebuilding process.

 

“Seeing the process that the Hurricane Katrina victim kids have gone through, I understand the importance of the immediate need to help start the recovering and rebuilding process for education and getting kids back into the school system,” Miller explained to AllHipHop.com. “The earthquake has destroyed many schools. I’m teaming up with young entertainers, throwing a concert, and reaching out to young stars that want to make a difference. Kids can get involved and make a difference in Haiti.”

 

Miller’s work will be filtered through iHeartHaitiKids.org, which offers donation opportunities ranging from $25-$1000.

 

As with peers Wycelf Jean and Trina, Miller hopes everyone in the Hip-Hop community will mobilize long-term relief efforts well beyond Haiti’s front-page news coverage.

 

“Your donation will also be used towards the rebuilding of their schools, school supplies and books; putting these devastated kids on track to receive a proper education in their recovery process,” Miller continued. “This is definitely not an overnight process, this will take several years. You can log onto iHeartHaitiKids.org to do your part. I’m also proud of the way that the Hip-Hop industry has stepped up with all of the celebrities making a difference. Just remember, there are so many kids in Haiti that still need help. Donations big and small, together we can make a difference.”

 

For further information and donation opportunities, please visit iHeartHaitiKids.org.

 

At press time, P.Miller has not announced the concert’s full lineup for Superbowl weekend.

Hip-Hop Rumors: Mims Working On “Pants On The Ground” Dude?

DISCLAIMER:

 

All

content within this section is pure rumor and generally have no factual

info outside of what the streets have whispered in our ear. Read on.

HAITI EVENT ALERT!!!

ANSWERING THE CALL – A fundraising Initiative benefiting earthquake victims in Haiti

M2 Ultra Lounge – 530 W. 28th St., New York, NY 10019PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS: The NBA Wives — Project Save the World, Hollywood Unites for Haiti, World Policy Institute, The Council of Urban Professionals, Harvard Black Alumni Society of NY, National Urban League, NAACP Brooklyn Branch, Carma Foundation, ACA United, Haitian Memorial Foundation, SIMACT, Harlem Jets, New Heights Youth, Inc., Haitian Americans for Humanitarian Action, Metro New York Chapter NBMBAA Association, Inc., Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, ConceptLink Consulting, RG & Associates, Haiti Cultural Exchange, MIHventures, KYA Entertainment, AllHipHop.com

100% of proceeds will go to the following beneficiaries: The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Project Medishare, Yele Haiti, and The Haiti Support Project.TICKETS: Level I ~ $25 // Level II ~ $50 // Level III ~ $100 // VIP I ~ $250 // VIP II ~ $500

Buy Tickets for this Event

For more information, go to: http://www.theglobalsyndicate.org/index.html

MIMS IS WORKING WITH THE “PANTS ON THE GROUND” GUY?

Peep this! I am getting wild rumor that MIMS (Remember him?) is working with the dude that did the song “Pants On The Ground.” General Larry Platt is the man and he is a 62-year-old lyricist. I heard that they have actually gone into the studio already and started the recording process. I mean, this sounds as nutty as anything I have ever heard, but there may be something to it. Who knows!

ILLSEED’S QUICKIES

Looks like Johnny Depp is alive and well. People made up some dumb rumor that he died in a car crash. They can’t even be creative!

Somebody was shot in Atlanta and my sources are saying it was somebody in the Hip-Hop game. Stay tuned for more drama.

I can’t verify this, but did Briscoe diss Gucci first? Somebody told me that’s what actually happened and then Gucci replied with “Heavy.”

Javaris Crittenton, the other gun-toting Washington Wizard, has been slapped with gun charges.

HELL RELL CLEARS UP RUMORS

SIGNS THE WOLRD IS COMING TO AN END

When the police brutality strikes a young, Black violinist, you know the world is coming to an end.

This kid was beat down by the cops, because the cops thought he had a gun on him. What they assumed to be a gun was soda bottle. This high school student was beaten viciously as you can see from the picture and his dreds were ripped from his scalp. But, here is the scoop. Jordan Miles said he didn’t even have the soda bottle in his coat! They lied on that too! He’s got no reason to lie, but these cops certainly do. They needed some reason to justify the beat down. Basically, the cops missed a court date and they are scrambling. They know they are dead wrong.

“I feel that my son was racially profiled,” Terez Miles (mother) said. “It’s a rough neighborhood; it was after dark. … They assumed he was up to no good because he’s black. My son, he knows nothing about the streets at all. He’s had a very sheltered life, he’s very quiet, he doesn’t know police officers sit in cars and stalk people like that.”

JAZZY F’S RUMORS

So here is the Jazzy F. Scoop of the day. My sources tells me that Queen Bey aka Boss Bi#ch made it her way for the Haiti Relief concert that aired or shall I say Mattew Knowles way. What my source tell me is that Bey’s people made sure she was able to sing her own song “Halo” for the massive exposure which an event like this could only help your song have extra life on the billboard charts. I say very smart Bey.

Levi Johnston you know Sarah Palin’s daughter baby daddy is writing a tell all book. Its funny because homie can’t even see his child but he rather write a book before he take care of that. I say must be the money.

Oprah is trying to get Rosie O’Donnell on her new network on the low. I assume O wants all the big dogs.

Jennifer Aniston is suppose to be dating Gerard Butler. I also heard Kate Hudson was making out over the weekend with him at a party.

Kelis is back to looking weird and acting crazy telling people off. I heard the music is actually gonna be as usual out of this world.

Tiger Woods is suppose to be hooked up to a lie detector test. Everyone in sex rehab is suppose to do this to reveal the truth. I wonder what will be revealed.

Jazzy F. Leader of The Society signing off catch more @ TheSocietyOnline.biz & FOLLOW on TWITTER @ twitter.com/itsTHESOCIETY

MIMS, WE LOVE YOU!!!

They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!

-illseed

WHO: illseed.com

WHAT: Rumors

WHERE: AllHipHop.com, MySpace.com/TheIllseed

HOW: Send your rumors and ill pics to illseed at [email protected].