They

lived the life most rappers only fantasize about in the booth. For

nearly five years, the Black Mafia Family flaunted their lavish

lifestyle, barely covering up the illegal activities that afforded them

that life.

This

year, an unraveling that started in 2005 came to a close. Demetrius

“Big Meech” Flenory and his brother Terry “Southwest T” Flenory were

sentenced to 30 years in prison for their role as the leaders of a

cocaine empire valued at nearly $270 million. Their sentence came a

year after the brothers pleaded guilty to Continuing Criminal

Enterprise and money laundering charges under which they were indicted

in 2005.

Despite

a plea agreement, prosecutors obtained the long sentence by presenting

evidence of BMF’s 20 year history, gathered over the course of several

years.

The

brothers, who launched their enterprise in Detroit in the late 1980s,

started drawing the attention of federal authorities around 2000, after

Southwest T relocated to Los Angeles, leaving Big Meech in Atlanta.

Their prolific organization drew even more unwanted attention in 2003,

when Meech established BMF Entertainment and began living a life that

did not fit that of an up-and-coming record executive with only one

artist, Bleu DaVinci, signed to his label.

To

make matters worse, Meech was tied to a 2003 shootout outside an

Atlanta-area nightclub, which left two men dead, including Sean “Diddy”

Combs’ former bodyguard, Anthony “Wolf” Jones.

Just as they spread the wealth in their hay day, the Flenory brothers did not go down alone.

After

the 2005 raids of BMF’s key operations in Georgia, Michigan, Florida,

South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri and California, over 150 members or

associates of the Black Mafia Family were indicted.

Three notable members of the organizations also saw sentences handed down this year.

Jacob

“The Jeweler” Arabov, indicted in 2006, was sentenced in June to two

and a half years in prison. Arabov admitted to falsifying records and

giving false statements to federal prosecutors, in exchange for the

dismissal of more serious money laundering charges. He was ordered to

pay a $500,000 fine and to make a $2 million forfeiture payment to the

government.

Bleu

DaVinci was sentenced to five years and four months in federal prison

back in October, after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute

cocaine. The rapper, born Barima McKnight, was also suspected of having

taken control of BMF’s operations while Big Meech and Southwest T

awaited their sentences.

The

most recent sentencing came on December 17. Fleming “Ill” Daniels was

ordered to serve 20 years for conspiring to distribute cocaine.

Prosecutors maintained that Daniels was personally responsible for the

sale of nearly $1 million worth of cocaine. His trial made headlines

over the summer, when a prosecution witnessed alleged that Jeezy

received kilos of cocaine from BMF.

Despite

boasting of his affiliation to the crew during his early career, Jeezy

has managed to steer clear of their legal troubles.

When they are released from prison in 2031, Big Meech and Southwest T will be in their 60s.

With the support of Hip-Hop tycoon Russell Simmons, DJ Whoo Kid debuted the next phase in his career on Tuesday (December 23) with the launch of RadioPlanet.tv.

The new website will offer viewers 24-hour access to exclusive interviews, sketches and music videos, in a way that Whoo Kid says will change the face of the online urban landscape.

The network will utilize the G-Unit DJ’s extensive connections in the sports and entertainment world, to bring together unlikely group of interview subjects.

The launch broadcast will feature interviews with Cedric the Entertainer, Jamie Foxx, Russell Simmons, 50 Cent, and Robert Patterson, known for his role in the Harry Potter franchise, and star of the new movie Twilight.

According to Whoo Kid, RadioPlanet.tv will offer fans of Whoo Kid’s Sirius Satellite on-air antics a visual alternative.

“My radio show is really out of control. Imagine if you’re watching it now,” Whoo Kid told AllHipHop.com. “I’m just there to make people laugh…It’s been a long time coming, ‘cause we’ve been filming for like years…the comedy is hilarious, definitely not what you see all the time. It’s all gonna be in Hi-Def.”

As an additional endorsement, PlanetRadio.tv will be connected to Russell Simmons’ popular Global Grind platform.

Whoo Kid will also be utilizing his extensive Shadyville DJs network to generate content for the show.

Eighty to a hundred DJs from across the globe will have the opportunity to submit their own interview footage, giving the fans additional access to the celebrities they want to see and widening the DJs’ reach.

“I’ve been doing radio for the last ten, fifteen years,” Whoo Kid shared. “I feel like I should provide other DJs who are big in their markets opportunities for people all over the world to hear and see what they’re doing also. I’m just trying to do something that everybody else is not doing. And I always been doing it, I always been creating new stuff. This is just another platform to promote what I do.”

Before launching this project, he is already on to his next entrepreneurial endeavor.

Whoo Kid has partnered with the New York Knicks’ Tim Thomas to create Nutso, a new clothing line, which they will begin promoting soon.

Hosea Thomas was sentenced today (December 23) to 66 years in prison for the murder of Philant Johnson, best friend and assistant to Atlanta superstar T.I.

In May 2006, assailants stalked T.I.’s entourage following an after-hours party at the Club Ritz, located in the Roselawn section of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Along highway I-75 the rapper’s entourage was fired upon, mortally wounding Johnson and injuring several others.

In June, Hosea and his brother Padron Thomas were arrested and charged with murder and felonious assault.

According to police, the shooting stemmed from several incidents involving the brothers and T.I.’s entourage at the Club Ritz.

First, the Thomas brothers were allegedly barred from entering T.I.’s VIP area that night, and an ensuing scuffle resulted in one of them being struck with a bottle.

Later, the Thomas brothers allegedly became more enraged once T.I. began throwing money into the crowd during his performance.

During the trial, T.I. assisted prosecutors by testifying about his recollections of the deadly shooting.

Since the murder, the Atlanta star has spoken often about how losing his best friend to violence caused him to reevaluate his life and the messages he conveyed in his music.

Along with the murder conviction, Hosea Thomas was found guilty last month of felonious assault and illegally having a gun after a felony conviction.

Previously, Thomas was convicted of drug possession and trafficking.

His brother Padron, who at press time has not been sentenced, is a listed sex offender with convictions on robbery and rape charges.

Additionally, Padron was charged with tampering with evidence pertaining to the Johnson murder.

He remains in the custody of US Marshals for an unrelated drug case.

In

a way, 2008 could be called the year of the Hip-Hop comeback. Several

well respected “Old School” acts made a return to the limelight this

year, many announcing plans for new projects.

The

first to announce such a comeback was Heavy D, who tested the waters in

January with his performance as a rapper in over a decade. Upon

announcing the show, for which he tapped Big Daddy Kane and Doug E.

Fresh for support, Heavy D announce plans to release a follow up to his

1999 album Heavy. But Vibes  would

be a little different, he promised. The project, which was released via

iTunes on September 30, finds Heavy D tapping into his Jamaican

heritage to create a Roots/R&B blend that many found surprising.

Shortly after Hev’s announcement, Crucial Conflict released their first album in nine years, dropping Planet Crucon on January 29. Rakim was next, partnering with Koch records to release Live, Lost & Found,

a collection of 17 tracks from the legend’s 20-plus year career, as

well as four previously unreleased tracks. And just in time for their

induction into the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors class of 2008, Naughty By Nature

revealed they were putting the finishing touches on their first project

as a trio since their breakup in 2000.

Bigger

than reunion projects and new releases was a general acceptance of

seasoned acts in the mainstream. M.O.P., Nice & Smooth, Bun B, and

Big Daddy Kane were among the acts to take part in Scion’s Metro Live

series, bringing their classic hits to a new generation with the

support of a live band.

Smirnoff Vodka tapped KRS-One, Q-Tip and Common to recreate some of their

greatest songs as part of a new marketing strategy. T.I. signed

Eightball & MJG to his young Grand Hustle roster, and even Ruthless

Records saw a reemergence thanks to a partnership with Sony Records.”I

don’t believe that Hip-Hop is only for kids, because you have people in

their 30s and 40s, some in their 50s, that grew up off of Hip-Hop

music,” says Kane, who celebrated his 20-year anniversary in November

with a live performance in New York, and is contemplating a new live

album. “They want to hear the music that they grew up on. And they’re

willing to come out and support those shows. Therefore, it creates a

market. You have a lot of artists who are active and doing shows, and

they’re creating a [larger] fan base. I think that what’s real stands

out. These are people who didn’t get record deals because they wanted

to get rich. You got into it as an artform. You wanted to be

recognized. It was something that you had a love and passion for. And I

still have that love and passion for it, especially when I see it

reflected in the fans.”

As Craig G and Marley Marl’s 2008 collaboration Operation: Take Back Hip-Hop offers, here’s hoping that a look back at the old will inspire the new.

Hip-Hop Soul queen Mary J. Blige and rapper Jay-Z are at the center of a new federal lawsuit involving allegations of song theft.

According to the suit Jermaine Jumpp and Michael C. Adams, claim they gave a “compact disk” to the “office” of hitmaking producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, that contained a song called “On My Grind.”

The New Jersey pair further state that Blige’s single “Enough Cryin’,” which was recorded four years later and produced by Jerkins, sounded very similar to “On My Grind.”

The new lawsuit comes months after Blige was hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit over her hit song “Work That.”

That song’s owner, Drama Family Entertainment, filed its lawsuit against Blige in August, claiming the songstress used “Work That” without its permission.

Music for the single was allegedly written by producer Theron “Neff-U” Feemster.

Despite Blige being prominently named in Jumpp and Adams’ lawsuit, TMZ.com reports that Jay-Z’s role in the situation is unclear in the suit.

Philadelphia rapper/actress Eve will star in an upcoming episode of CBS’ series Numb3rs. During the episode, Eve plays a representative at a sneaker company who becomes a suspect, after a pair of valuable sneakers is stolen and passed through the hands of a criminal network. Numb3rs is a drama centered around an FBI agent and his brother, who is a mathematical genius. Together they help the Bureau solve crimes throughout the Los Angeles area. Numb3rs stars Rob Morrow, David Krumholtz, Diane Farr and others. Numb3rs airs each Friday at 10:00 PM EST.

The government of Germany is facing criticism for sponsoring a West Bank tour featuring militant, German-Palestinian rapper Massiv.

Massiv, real name Wassim Taha, is viewed as one of the more popular and controversial emcees from Germany.

His songs heavily critique social discrimination and advocate armed revolution.

The rapper has refered to Al-Qaeda and other militant groups as freedom fighters who deserve to be praised for “their fight against the Israelis, the Americans, and the West.”

Massiv often wears a Palestinian keffiyah, a traditional garment, during his shows in support of the Palestinian’s fight for independence.

In one of his promotional posters, the rapper imitates the stone-throwing gesture seen by many Palestinian youths against Israeli forces.

Massiv and three other Palestinian rappers were sponsored for the West Bank tour by Germany’s Goethe Institute, a government backed organization which aims to promote cultural dialogue and understanding.

The institute claims they weren’t aware of Massiv’s controversial lyrics, or the fact that German authorities allege he is connected with Arab street gangs in Berlin.

During the tour the rapper did refrain from making controversial statements, but the outing still drew the ire from German political and parliament members, when participating London rapper Shadia referred to suicide bombings as “the weapon of the oppressed.”

Goethe Institute President Klaus-Dieter Lehmann conceded that his organization made an error in selecting Massive for the tour.

“Some of Massiv’s texts are not free of violence,” Lehmann stated. “In the future we should be more careful with whom we invite.”

At press time Massiv has not commented on the tour’s fallout.

In a continuing effort to focus his court-appointed community service sentence towards the youth, rapper T.I. will be on hand Tuesday (December 23) to speak to a group of students who almost lost their local community center this month.

The Grand Hustler/Atlantic Records artist will help the children at Booker T. Washington Community Center in Macon, Georgia understand the importance of the center, which announced earlier this month that it would shut down due to financial difficulties.

On Friday, however, an emergency contribution of $15,000 from the city of Macon helped the center get back on track.

After spending the weekend reconnecting utilities, the Center opened its door this morning (December 22) to children whose parents cannot afford alternative childcare during the holiday break.

The Booker T. Washington Community Center offers after-school programs throughout the school year as well.