September 27, 2005

Law & Disorder

• Lil’ Kim won a court order preventing Lil' Cease from releasing an upcoming DVD using her name and image, after Cease failed to show up at a court hearing to answer a civil suit Kim had filed against him in July, The AP reports. Kim reports to the big house on Sept. 19th. 

• The AP reports a makeup artist dropped a lawsuit alleging she was drugged and raped by Snoop and several of his crew after a taping of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.' In a statement, Snoop's accuser said "the matter has been resolved amicably." Snoop's publicist said "absolutely no money" was paid by Snoop. 

• Beanie Sigel was released from a New Jersey prison after serving one year on federal gun and drug charges. Sigel still faces a Sept. 19th retrial on an attempted murder charge in Philly. 

• Lloyd Banks and Young Buck were arrested on felony gun possession charges after performing at Madison Square Garden on the Anger Management 3 tour. They were later released. 

• New York authorities charged DMX with violating the conditions of a plea deal. 

• Suge Knight pleaded no contest on to driving without insurance and making an illegal U turn and was fined $691, The AP reports. Knight was arrested in February and spent a week in jail after San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies pulled him over and allegedly found marijuana in his truck. A female passenger was charged with providing false information to police and released. Her case is still pending. 

• Diddy was hit with a lawsuit over the slogan for his Sean John line. Gregory Hilderbrand filed a lawsuit in Chicago, claiming that the brand’s slogan “It’s not just a label, it’s a lifestyle” violates his registered trademark “It’s a lifestyle.” Hilderbrand alleges that his own clothing line has been cast as knock off Sean John due to the similarities of the slogans and is seeking an undisclosed amount. 



Oh Shat

The Daily News reports that the report in The Sun claiming Puffy and Kim Porter got in a fight that left her with a broken nose was reported by MSNBC, but the cable network issued an apology after Puffy's reps confirmed the two are happily on family vacations. The Sun reported that Puffy broke Kim’s nose after the two were heard arguing on his yacht in St. Tropez. A source told “The Sun” newspaper, "By 2 a.m. they were arguing loudly. This went on for several hours. Then at 7 a.m. there was screaming." Porter said she “banged her nose on a table” after the argument. Puff reportedly flew in a plastic surgeon from Geneva to address Porter’s injury.

Lil' Mo intends to sue Ja Rule, Murder Inc. and Def Jam for $15 million dollars in unpaid royalties stemming from the hit song "Put It On Me." The song was a huge hit in the summer of 2001 and helped Ja and company become household names. "That [song] helped boost his career." Lil' Mo told Allhiphop.com. "That was a huge song. I helped make him an icon - so they have to pay." Mo claims that she owned 10 percent of the song's publishing and has sought a lawyer to attempt to acquire the money owed her. "I had to search for the right lawyer that would take the case so they wouldn't have any ties to Murder Inc. or Def Jam or anything to do with that song," Lil’ Mo revealed. "I told the lawyer 'it's not about the money, it's about the principle.' Technically, off of that I could have retired or I could have gotten a crazy publishing deal." According to Mo, letters of intent to sue have been sent to Murder Inc. and Def Jam. “They never took any of my calls,” Lil’Mo said. “I wasn't even going to do that, but I believe in giving people that common courtesy like 'this is what is going down.'" Mo states that while Ja and company where getting paid upwards of $50,000 a show, she was performing for free. "This is beyond personal, this is business," Mo told Allhiphop.com. "This is my livelihood as an artist. We don't make money until the label makes money so as a songwriter that was a part of my career that I was supposed to receive a substantial amount of money." Representatives for Murder Inc. and Def Jam didn't return requests for comment.

The Post reports that Michael Jordan and his golf buddies may have accidentally start a forest fire. Investigators want to talk to Jordan because witnesses said Jordan and his group were at the 10th tee at Rancho San Marcos right before the blaze erupted and charred 40 acres. It took 200 firefighters using planes and helicopters to douse it. Jordan was in town for a basketball camp at the University of California campus. Reps for Jordan couldn't be reached for comment.

The NY Times’ Jeff Leeds filed an extensive report on one Gabriele T. Smith, a now-disgraced business manager/financial advisor whose offices were raided in connection with the federal money-laundering probe of Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff whose dealings with Irv Gotti and The Inc. allegedly involved cleaning up drug money. Smith, whose client roster once included Kevin Liles, Jasmine Young Trinidad, Walter Berry and many others, is accused of stealing more than $3 million from those she advised, according to lawsuits filed in NYC. She also faces federal charges of a similar nature, but those complaints have been sealed—a sign, according to Leeds, that the Feds want to deal in order to pump her for information on McGriff.


Music World/Bizz Updates/Ventures

The Bizz: Reggae artist Sizzla recently signed with the Damon DashMusic Group, which will release his next album in early 2006. Sizzla is currently on tour in the U.S. 

• Quincy Jones will compose the score for 50 Cent's flick, "Get Rich or Die Tryin’." Jones' publicist said. Jones will work with Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer on the project. 

The Buzz:The Post reports that Jay-Z is spending $750,000 for 500 platinum key invites made by Jacob the Jeweler for $1,500 each to the grand opening party of his 15,000-square-foot, 40/40 Club in Atlantic City on Oct. 18th. Each key will have a number to be placed on a roulette wheel provided by Caesars Hotel/Casino, with the winner getting a Mercedes Benz TL. 

• There are rumors circulating that Mase is about to sign with G-Unit. In other G-Unit rumor, Young Buck has reportedly left G-Unit over money. 

• The Post reports that Usher has plans to become an executive. Usher cornered Steve Stoute at Mimi Valdes' party. He told Stoute he's moving to New York and "wants to really concentrate on playing a more executive role and not just be an artist," our source says. 


Upcoming Projects/Shows/Movies Etc.

Flicks/Projects: 

Alicia Keys will make her big screen debut in Smokin’ Aces, director Joe Carnahan's follow-up to Narc. Keys joins Ryan Reynolds, Jeremy Piven and Ben Affleck. Keys will be playing the part of an assassin. 

• Former Brownstone singer Nicci Gilbert is about to give Pussycat Dolls a run for their money. Gilbert is producing a soulful show called 'Soul Kittens Cabaret,' which is set to launch in Jan. 2006. 'Soul Kittens Cabaret' will star Monifah, Taral Hicks, TonDalaya Gallant, Sara Stokes and Demetria McKinney. The musical journey of 'Soul Kittens Cabaret' begins in the 1920s in Harlem, moves through the Motown era, makes stops in the '70s and '80s, and concludes with original hits from the upcoming 'Soul Kittens Cabaret' soundtrack. 

Shows: 

MTV gave the greenlight to Yo Momma, a trash-talking competition series to be hosted by Wilmer Valderrama. The network ordered 20 episodes. 

• UPN has added some fresh faces to the "One on One" cast this fall. Ray J, Kel Mitchell, Nicole Paggi, Camille Mana and Jonathan Chase. Ray J plays D-Mack, a hip-hop-obsessed college student from the suburbs, while Mitchell plays the landlord Manny, a washed-up former child star who spends his days watching reruns of his old TV show. The season premiere airs Sept. 19th. 



ETC: 

Ciara leads the list of nominees for the 10th Annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards with five noms. Destiny's Child, Amerie and Fantasia scored four noms, while Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott and Nina Sky earned two each. The show will tape Sept. 7th in Pasadena (CA), and air in syndication the following week. • Destiny's Child will make their last televised appearance as a group (AGAIN) at the 2nd Annual Fashion Rocks concert Sept. 9th at Radio City. The show kicks off New York's Fall Fashion Week and air live on CBS. Alicia Keys, Nelly, Gwen Stefani, Shakira, Tim McGraw and Joss Stone will also perform. 

• Kanye West, Missy Elliott, Nelly and Common are among the performers scheduled for the 2ndAnnual VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, slated to tape Sept. 22nd in New York.



Albums/Music Etc.

...The debut from Big Boi's Virgin Records imprint, Purple Ribbon, will be a compilation called The Purple Ribbon All-Stars, featuring the label's roster, due Oct. 4th. The label includes Killer Mike, C-Bone and Rock D, Bubba Sparxxx, Sleepy Brown, Janelle Monet, Scar and Koncrete. 

• Miri Ben-Ari will release her debut album The Hip-Hop Violinist on Aug. 23rd. The album features Styles P, Kanye, Twista, Mya, Anthony Hamilton, Scarface, Musiq, Fabolous and more. 

• David Banner will drop, Certified, on Sept. 20th. Guests include Twista, 8Ball, Dead Prez and Jadakiss. 

• Sean Paul will drop The Trinity on Sept. 27th. 

• So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross hit stores Sept. 20th. The album features Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Usher, Jamie Foxx, Elton John, John Legend and Mary J. Blige. 

• John Mayer, Carlos Santana and Keith Richards are among the guests on Buddy Guy's new album, Bring 'Em In due out Sept. 20th. 



QuickBits

…Allen Iverson and wife Tawanna welcomed a daughter Messiah Lauren on Aug. 22nd. A statement released by the family says that "Mom, Dad, sister Tiaura, and brothers Allen II and Isaiah Rahsaan, along with baby Messiah, are all doing well." 

• Pharrell Williams topped Esquire’s 2nd Annual list of "Best Dressed Men in the World." 

• P. Diddy announced that he will now be known simply as Diddy. ••• 50 Cent and Usher took home three awards at the Billboard-American Urban Radio Networks 2005 R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. 

• Kanye, Maroon 5, Green Day, Santana and Trisha Yearwood are set to perform a series of free concerts to kick off the NFL's 2005-2006 season. 

• Dame Dash and Beanie Siegel made personal contributions to a reward fund for information in Latoyia Figueroa's missing person case. The fund had reached $100,000, but her story had a tragic end. Police recovered Figueroa‘s remains in Chester (PA) and arrested the father of the unborn child. StephenPoaches was arrested in Chester wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a pistol.