No Bond For DMX, Rapper Could Be Jailed Until October



Legal drama for rapper DMX continues to unfold as the entertainer sits in a Florida jail under a no bail hold status.
TMZ.com reports that DMX, born Earl Simmons, appeared in court on Friday (August 15) after a bench warrant was issued against him in Arizona for drug charges.
The rapper was arrested Thursday (August 14) while attempting to leave a Wal-Mart in Miami, Fla.
The arrest came as result of Simmons skipping a court date on Tuesday (August 12) for a pretrial conference on allegations of marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession.
The rapper had reportedly tried to surrender to police, but was taken in before negations with his lawyer were completed.
Simmons’ lawyer, Brad Cohen, waived extradition for his client and contested a no bond hold, after a $25,000 bond had previously set for Simmons
Despite Cohen's attempt to get a fugitive bond in the state of Florida for Simmons to return to Arizona to bond out, Judge Lawrence Schwartz upheld the no bond status, which was issued by the State of Arizona.
"I am not questioning the veracity of anything you just said to me. I would absolutely have no reason to do that," Judge Schwartz said. "But until state of Arizona lifts its no bond status, it’s a no bond status at this point."
As a result of the ruling, Simmons will have to stay in jail in Florida until his October 2 court hearing for a possession charge he obtained in Miami.
Cohen later told TMZ he would have the rapper released before the hearing if everything is straightened out.



T.I.: Southern Gentleman



The T.I. that you read about in the media is presently the exact opposite of the T.I. that sits before you to discuss his upcoming album Paper Trail. Perhaps that’s a continuation of his T.I. vs. T.I.P. alter ego, or maybe he’s just growing up. T.I.’s “paper trail” runs thick, including banknotes and legal documents, but none that would call him a snitch. Regardless of the media hype – from tons of guns to Shawty Lo and 50 Cent drama to bitch slapping Luda’s manager Chaka Zulu – T.I. is as calm as ever, reflecting on the past, accepting it, and moving forward.
T.I.’s involvement with the law reads like a well-dressed crime novel, inevitably forcing him to lose his right to vote. That doesn’t stop him from respecting yours, as his Respect My Vote campaign with the Hip-Hop Caucus is currently one of his main focuses, among other things. He even proudly dons a Respect My Vote t-shirt.
Besides that, T.I. has a budding acting career, a new son, and a love life that he chooses to play like Jayonce and keep on the low. Let’s not forget the album, Paper Trail, available on “Grand Hustle Day” September 30th – a release date that he shares with labelmate Big Kuntry. As T.I. sits back and reflects on the past year, he explains his formula for peace – accepting God in your life, and letting your momma do whatever she wants with the house you bought her.



Maino: Say Hello



Maino’s rep on those Brooklyn streets is thorough. But while it may garner him a certain level of credibility (he speaks on that below), it doesn’t have anything to do with making hit records. A few years back on the strength of “Rumors,” a brash, industry gossip smackdown of a song, Maino caught a deal with Universal Records that only managed to make his buzz stall out.
Now riding with Atlantic Records and his “Hi-Hater” single—and now the prerequisite remix with Swizz Beatz, T.I., Jadakiss, Plies & Fabolous—being a certified smash, it’s looking like Maino’s musical output may soon match and eclipse his block infamy. All good for Maino since establishing a legal legacy for his peeps is one of his stated goals. His debut album, If Tomorrow Comes…, drops September 23 but despite the title, his future is looking bright. Say hello.

Maino "Rumors"

Seeking to end much of the media speculation surrounding a shooting at his August 6 event, Rick Ross has elected to emphasize the positive work done by his charity organization that day.


Ross, who remained to meet with fans and do a short performance after the shooting, felt obligated to end the event on a positive note after tragedy was averted.
“Some of these people were here before the event started, I couldn’t leave them hanging because of any disturbance,” Ross explained .. All“I’m glad no one was hurt and most importantly I’m glad we were able to provide the Carol City Community with some needed services.”
The 2nd annual “Be Out Day” was hosted by Rick Ross Charities, Inc., which provided complimentary health screenings (HIV, onsite insurance) and voter registration to over 2,000 people who attended.
The organization’s 2008 scholarship recipient was Carol City High School graduate Diamond Excel, who will attend Florida A&M University this fall
The positive event was marred in controversy, after shots rang out during presentations from City of Miami Gardens Mayor Shirley Gibson and State Representative Oscar Brayon II.
In light of recent criticism against Ross’s street credibility, many speculated that the shooting was staged to take heat off the smokinggun.com expose, or the result of angry local fans no longer receptive to Ross’s persona.
These accusations were immediately dispelled by Jonathan Cunningham, a writer for the New Times Broward-Palm Breach who attended the event.
“Since I was on the ground, I can tell you that all of that is garbage,” Cunningham stated. “The shooting had nothing to do with Ross and came from outside of Carol City Park (venue location), not inside as was reported yesterday. It was basically an argument between some young dudes to the right of the stage, outside of the park, when one person let about 12-15 rounds up in the air.”
No one was injured during the gun discharges. Rick Ross Charities, Inc, founded in 2006, is already planning next year’s “Be Out Day” event at press time.



Mary J. Blige Sued For $2 Mil Over 'Work That'


A Hip-Hop production company filed a $2 million lawsuit against singer Mary J. Blige and producer Theron “Neef-U” Feemster, over the track “Work That” from the R&B star’s Growing Pains album
Dream Family Entertainment filed the lawsuit in Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday (August 5), claiming that Feemster created the music while he was still under contact to Dream Family
According to The New York Daily News, Dream Family Inc. alleges that they never granted Feemster or Blige’s label Geffen permission to release the song, which was also featured in a popular commercial for Apple’s iPod and the iTunes store.
Growing Pains, which is Blige’s eighth album, debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart and #1 on the R&B Hip-Hop charts.
In related news, Blige is up against Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Flo Ride for Best Hip-Hop Video for her single “Just Fine” during the MTV Video Music Awards, which air September 7.




Young Jeezy: Hard Times



It takes a thorough and savvy individual to prosper during an economic downturn. Considering the current conditions within the music industry, Jay Jenkins certainly feels no pressure. But Young Jeezy has always made good out of any situation. Still under his original moniker, Lil J, he would make his name early on with his independent releases Thuggin’ Under The Influence and Come Shop Wit’ Me. Selling over fifty thousand copies on the street combined, the rep grew bigger and so did the label offers.
Monopolizing on his buzz, Jeezy would sign into Bad Boy group Boyz N Da Hood and his respective solo deal. Now with a classic debut and a respectable follow up in the bank, he is considered one of the Rap game’s brightest stars. As he walks into the conference room of his recording home Def Jam Records, the work never leaves his mind as he greets everyone in the room and makes sure bring up his upcoming album The Recession.
Attempting to further connect with his listeners, the subject matter on the upcoming disc will relate to the everyday struggles of the streets during the current economic slump. Jeezy does exactly that as he details his come up, stresses the importance of maintaining and why quitting school was possibly his worst decision.

On June 2008 at the FedEx Forum Arena in Memphis Tennessee, two warriors faced off to become WBC Welterweight Champion of the World. Miguel Rodriguez was forced to sing the Memphis City Blues while Andre Berto orchestrated an ending to the bout in the seventh round by technical knockout.
Andre Berto is the newly crowned WBC Welterweight Champion of the world and today’s most sought out fighter to watch as he shines his flawless record: 22 wins, 19 KOs, 0 losses. Andre has been setting his claim to his position in boxing history by punishing his opponents with the tools of fast feet, a good chin, a whip snapping right, vicious left hook and a deadly uppercut becoming a dominating force within the ring.
Throughout his amateur career he won a bronze medal in the 2003 World Amateur Championships. He is a two-time National Golden Gloves champion, two-time National PAL Champion, three-time U.S. amateur championship medalist, and won 22 state titles in Florida.
Due to his parents' Haitian decent, Andre was able to represent Team Haiti in the 2004 Olympics after being disqualified and given a flagrant foul in the U.S. Olympic Trials for throwing Juan McPherson to the canvas.
Andre Berto has fought his way through the ranks of fighters. His first 13 of 15 bouts were knockouts. He was deemed ESPN.com’s “Prospect of the Year,” he has fought Norberto Bravo of The Contender, David Estrada NABF Welterweight Title and defended his title this year against Michael Trabant.