Rapper MC Breed will be laid to rest on Tuesday (December 2) in Flint, Michigan, the family has announced.

The rapper will be laid to rest at the House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church in Flint Michigan.

Memorial services will take place from 12 – 2:00 PM. MC Breed, born Eric Breed, was born June 12, 1971, in Flint, Michigan.

He rose to stardom in 1991 with the hit single “Ain’t No Future in Yo Frontin,” which peaked at #66 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

During the course of his 15-plus-year career, Breed released 13 albums and collaborated with a who’s who in Hip-Hop, including Too $hort, Warren G., The D.O.C., Jazze Pha and Tupac Shakur.

Breed was hospitalized in September, after he collapsed from kidney failure during a pickup basketball game.

MC Breed, 37, is survived by his parents, Roy LeEster and Willie Breed. He also leaves behind five children: Kiara Monique, Erica Ariel, Alexis Cymone, Marco “MC” Chene, and Eric Jalen and three siblings: Pete, Kevin and Bridgette Breed.

MC Breed died November 22 from kidney failure.

The family urges fans of MC Breed’s music to support Kidney Research by donating at www.kidneyfund.org.

Iconic sport lifestyle brand Puma will celebrate 60 years of existence with a series of free concerts featuring rapper Charles Hamilton and New Orleans rhyme duo The Knux.

The entertainers will join pop collective Chester French and DJ Jus Ske on Monday (December 1) for the Happy Birthday Puma concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York.

The New York show will be followed by happy birthday concerts at the Roxy in Los Angeles, the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco and the Metro in Chicago.

Performers include Plain White T’s with DJ Adam 12, who will take the stage December 8 for the Los Angeles show and Steve Aoki, who will be with special guest Lady Gaga for the San Francisco concert on December 9.

The Bravery will headline the Chicago show on December 10.

The Happy Birthday Puma concerts are among a string of events lined up to commemorate the creation of the Puma brand in 1948.

In honor of the milestone, the company will launch a footwear, apparel, and accessories collection called the “I Am 60” decades collection.

The line, inspired by classic Puma styles from the 1940’s to the 1990’s, will consist of three mini-collections that will feature accessories, footwear and apparel.

Each collection will represent two decades: the 1940s-50s, the 1960s-70s and the 1980s-90s.

Tickets for the Happy Birthday Puma concerts are available now at Puma concept stores in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco.

For details on the atletic brand’s 60th birthday celebration and to RSVP for events, visit www.puma.com/bday48.

A jury has convicted the man accused of gunning down rapper T.I.’s assistant last May after a show in Cincinnati. Hosea Thomas, 35, was found guilty on all counts – including murder – today (November 26).

Prosecutors alleged that Thomas was the triggerman in the May 3, 2006 shooting, while his brother Padron drove the Jeep that followed two of the rapper’s vans down I-75.

The incident stemmed from an earlier altercation inside of Club Ritz, where Hosea was struck in the head with a bottle.

Hosea Thomas was convicted of firing the shots into T.I.’s van that struck and killed Philant Johnson, who died from a gunshot wound to the left temple.

Three other members of T.I.’s entourage were injured during the exchange, which took place on the interstate.

Hosea Thomas was convicted after a number of people testified he was the shooter, including his own brother Padron, who will receive a lesser sentence for his cooperation.

Thomas faces 20 years to life in prison when he is sentenced December 23.

In related news, T.I. and his Grand Hustle cohorts plan to give back to their Atlanta community through a series of charitable events this Thanksgiving.

Following a press conference, which kicks off at 9:00 am, T.I. and his

entourage will help serve food and will also speak encouraging words to

the children and parents in attendance.

At 7:00 PM, T.I. will head to Adamsville Recreation Center, where he and members of his Grand Hustle imprint will host a turkey giveaway.

Later, the rapper will head to Turner Field, where he will take part in the Feed The Hungry & Homeless event.

The decade-plus wait for the follow-up to the classic Only Built for Cuban Linx will end next year, as Raekown has confirmed the release of Cuban Linx 2 for March 2009.

The original 1995 full length remains widely praised by fans and critics alike, and is considered to be one of best LPs ever released by the Wu-Tang camp.

For the sequel Raekwon has opted for a conglomerate of decorated producers to compliment the RZA, who served as executive producer on the previous project.

The staggering list of producers includes Dr. Dre, DJ Scratch, Marley Marl, Pete Rock, Scram Jones, and the late J Dilla.

As with the original, Rae will retain the philosophy off “quality over quantity” in regards to non-Wu guest appearances.

At press time, those confirmed guests are Busta Rhymes and Travis Barker.

Many remain hopeful of Nas returning to deliver another memorable guest spot akin to the seminal “Verbal Intercourse.”

However, neither side has revealed if a possible sequel is in the works.

Clan members scheduled to appear for the album include Method Man, The GZA, Inspectah Deck, and Ghostface Killah.

To further build anticipation, Raekwon will embark on a nationwide tour with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan.

The tour debuts November 29 in Portland, OR and aims to hit most of the major markets throughout the country.

See below for the complete tour itinerary:

November 29 Portland, OR Roseland Ballroom November 30 Boise, ID Knitting Factory December 1 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo December 3 San Francisco, CA Grand Ballroom/Regency Center December 4 West Hollywood, CA House of Blues December 5 San Diego, CA House of Blues December 6 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues December 7 Tempe, AZ Marquee December 8 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre December 10 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre December 11 Fort Collins, CO Aggie Theatre December 14 Chicago, IL House of Blues December 15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue December 17 Cleveland, OH House of Blues December 18 Rochester, NY Main Street Armory December 19 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero December 20 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place December 21 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom December 23 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom December 27 Lancaster, PA Chameleon Club December 28 Poughkeepsie, NY venue to be announced December 31 Baltimore, MD Sonar January 1 Washington, DC 9:30 Club January 2 Providence, RI Lupo’s January 4 Burlington, VT Higher Ground January 7 Norfolk, VA The Norva January 8 Richmond, VA National January 9 Greensboro, NC N Club January 10 Charleston, SC Music Farm January 11 Charlotte, NC Amos’ Southend January 12 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre January 13 Columbia, SC LEVEL January 14 Atlanta, GA venue to be announced

Kanye West’s much publicized confrontation with paparazzi photographers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is among a series of recent incidents motivating an L.A. city councilman to push for a new law regulating access to celebrities in public settings.

According to The LA Times, Councilman Dennis Zine is taking the lead in proposing the law, which would restrict commercial photography and video recordings 20 feet away from schools, hospitals and medical facilities.

The ordinance, Zine said, was created in response to complaints from celebrities and other citizens regarding “swarms” of paparazzi.

The main goal of the effort is to have a “safe area where people can conduct themselves . . . so we don’t have the chaotic circumstances we now encounter,” Zane said.

The politician’s quest comes just months after West and his road manager Don Crowley were arrested after an altercation with paparazzi, as he arrived at the airport for a flight in September.

West and Crowley were charged with felony vandalism, after grabbing photographers cameras and breaking them.

West was later released on $20,000 bail bond.

Although the LA County District Attorney’s office decided against filing felony counts against West, the rapper/producer could collect misdemeanor charges in light of the case being transferred to the city attorney’s office.

West’s troubles with the paparazzi continued November 14, when he encountered a photographer in an incident outside a Newcastle, England nightclub.

According to a police spokesperson, the entertainer was released “with no further action.”

Zine’s proposal has received support from legal experts who have signed off on its constitutionality.

Despite its restrictions, the council member noted that his ordinance would not stop photographers from using long lenses to do their job.

One of the most infamous paparazzi incidents involved Princess Diana, whose 1997 death came as she tried to escape tabloid photographers in Paris.

In April, a jury concluded that the Princess of Wales had been unlawfully killed by the grossly negligent driving of chauffeur Henri Paul and press photographers.

Defense attorneys for Hosea Thomas presented a surprise witness yesterday (Nov 25) who countered the entire case presented by the prosecution.

A woman claiming to be Thomas’ former girlfriend offered him an alibi for the night he is accused of shooting at two vans carrying T.I. And his entourage.

Twenty-five year-old Kim Sweeten, who now resides in Atlanta, stated in court that she returned to Cincinnati as soon she found out about the trial.

Sweeten says that on the night of the shoot out that left T.I’s friend Philant Johnson dead and three others injured, she and Thomas left Club Ritz together and headed straight home.

Her testimony comes in direct contradiction to the theory presented by the prosecution’s star witness, Thomas’ older brother Padron, who testified that he drove the Jeep Cherokee which followed the Atlanta rapper and his entourage unto I-75 on the fateful May 2006 night.

However, prosecutors noted that Thomas never offered up this alibi when he was arrested and charged with murder.

As part of a plea agreement, Padron Thomas identified his younger brother as the one who fired several shots into the two vans in which the Grand Hustle camp were traveling.

During his testimony on Friday (November 21), T.I. told the court that he believed those shots were meant for him.

Another 17-year-old witness in the backseat of the Jeep claimed Hosea Thomas was the triggerman, but he was not present to testify, because he feared for his life and had left Cincinnati.

Thomas’ lawyer Charles Isaly claimed there was not enough physical evidence to convict his client and he doubted prosecutors’ main witness, Hosea’s brother Padron.