Rap star 50 Cent will pay homage to Michael Jackson during a charity performance at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey at the end of the month. 50 will be joined on the stage with LeAnn Rimes, Brandy, Flo Rida and Gym Class Heroes on August 31, a date that marks Michael Jackson’s 51st birthday. 50 recently dropped “Forever King” a new mixtape that the Jamaica, Queens rapper dedicated to Jackson. A portion of the proceeds from the show will be donated to 50 Cent’s G-Unity Foundation.
The Core DJ’s will celebrate their 5th year anniversary and celebration of the Core DJ Retreat this September. The Core DJ Retreat XI aims to unite the top DJ’s from across the country, regardless of their affiliation. The event, which takes place September 25-28 in Las Vegas, as the Red Rock Casino and Resort, is described as a weekend of networking, listening sessions, pans, seminars and more. Representatives from labels like Interscope, Def Jam, Atlantic Records, J Records, So So Def, Rap-A-Lot, Bad Boy and numerous others are scheduled to participate in the annual event. For more information or to register log on to http://www.coredjs.com.
The lawyer that helped defend Irv Gotti and his Murder Inc. imprint from federal money laundering charges, is on trial himself. Robert Simels represented Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, and successfully defended him against charges that he laundered drug proceeds through Irv Gotti’s record empire. Simels is now facing life in prison, for allegedly plotting to silence witnesses with Shaheed “Roger” Khan, a businessman from Guyana who is also accused of using his businesses as front to import cocaine with the notorious Phantom Squad paramilitary group. Prosecutors accuse Simels of being complicit or having knowledge of a plan to bribe or kill witnesses. “Obviously, any witness you can eliminate is a good thing,” the informant recorded Simels saying. Simels denied he was sanctioning anything illegal. “It’s part of the vernacular of being a lawyer,” Simels told jurors. Simels is currently free on $3.5 million bond.
Angela and Vanessa Simmons, daughters of pioneering Run-DMC co-founder Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons return to MTV with the second season of their show Daddy’s Girls. The show features the girls exploits, mainly in Hollywood and New York. In the upcoming season, the girls move into a new house in the Hollywood Hills and attempt to open a retail store to sell their clothing line Pastry. Daddy’s Girls, which is executive produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs and Rev Run, will debut with two back-to-back episodes on MTV on August 11 at 10:00 PM.