Sean “Diddy” Combs spent a whopping $3 million on his champagne-flooded 40th-birthday party at the Plaza for 500 guests.
He created a fantasy Garden of Eden-themed room with a $30,000 orchid display, installed his own black dance floor and black chandelier and treated guests — including Jay-Z, Bono, Nelly, Martha Stewart, Christy Turlington, Zac Posen, Kim Kardashian and Denzel Washington — to a silver confetti-drop, courtesy of lighting wizard Bentley Meeker, and a performance by Al Green.
Security was tight and even Tyrese Gibson and “Twilight’s” Kellan Lutz had to talk their way into the VIP area.
Rapper Fabolous flirted with Rachel Hunter after asking Diddy who the leggy beauty was, while DJ Cassidy was working his charms on Adrienne Bailon.
“It’s amazing how when I get around n*ggas, it’s all good, when I leave, n*ggas do all their secret talking.” The second return of Harlem rapper Mase has been one that has baffled fans and artists alike as the former Bad Boy artist has changed his skin on many occasions from rapper to pastor to rapper as if he was on the fence in terms of which lifestyle he preferred to embrace. Since his second arrival, he has squashed his beef with Cam’Ron and Jim Jones, given the ability to work with other artists through a paperwork signing with Diddy and has ultimately been gearing up to hit the music scene once again. Most recently, the rapper dropped a mixtape with 5 different DJs titled, I Do the Impossible. Catching up with DJ Drama last Friday on Shade 45, Betha spoke on the shady business that happened behind closed doors with particular people when he tried to come back the first time. That’s when he tried to have people “Breathe, Stretch, Shake”, but some had to just let that one go. “Every time I get involved with somebody, I’m good. When I get out of business with everybody, I’m not good. Anytime somebody can make money with me, they big the homie up. Every time n*ggas can’t get money with me, they throw their little shots at me. That lets you know. For ten 10 years, I haven’t been on the scene, I don’t sell cologne, I don’t sell sneakers, I don’t sell no video games, I don’t sell music and I’m still one of the hottest topics anywhere you go.” The rapper also spoke on his brief stint with 50 Cent and G-Unit where he was scrutinized and labeled as being fake for “ditching” his religious teachings and being engulfed by the gun and drug rap revolutionized by Mr. Jackson. “Me and Fif spoke in 2007 I think. I think, realistically, a lot of larceny was thrown in that. People didn’t really see me get a shot. Fif ain’t do nothin’ but take me on the road and gave me exposure and gave me the opportunity to do what I’m about to do now. I guarantee I’m about to burn it down.” The deal was for a moment as 50 stated that Diddy wasn’t willing to compromise which resulted in Mase parting with G-Unit Records. “I think a lot of things were said when I wasn’t there that swayed the deal away from happening and Fif is his own man, he made his own decision. I’m glad he made the decision he made because now this is the destiny. The destiny was for me to stand on my own and burn the joint down and give niggas that 9 months that Tupac gave them.” Now on his own, the rapper seems to be traveling his own road and now has clarity as to which path he wants to lead in his musical career. Welcome back…again.
Dashawn Vasconcellos, 18, was shot after allegedly pointing this 9mm pistol at police.
According to the NY Post, Three officers fired 14 shots at Dashawn Vasconcellos Saturday night after he ignored orders to drop his weapon, the NYPD said.
Vasconcellos, 18, and two friends were leaving Bayswater State Park in Far Rockaway, Queens NY at about 11:30 p.m. when four cops from the gang unit spotted them, police said.
The officers, who were in an unmarked car at Beach 32nd Street and Beach Channel Drive, jumped out to question them about why they were in the park after it closed for the night
The youths all tried to flee, but one of the cops was able to grab two of them, police said. Vasconcellos managed to run away.
The other three officers chased the teen, who suddenly spun around and aimed the 9mm weapon at them, according to police.
When Vasconcellos ignored repeated orders to drop his gun, the cops opened fire, police said.
A spokeswoman for the Medical Examiner’s Office said he was hit 11 times.
Three bullets struck him in the back, one in the chest, one in the right arm and the rest in the legs.
Vasconcellos was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital about 45 minutes later.
Police said he had an arrest record for robbery and trespassing and that his gun was recovered at the scene.
His two friends, Derbie Michel, 18, and a minor whose name was withheld, were charged with trespassing and resisting arrest.
Vasconcellos’ mother was too distraught to talk to reporters yesterday at a vigil near the entrance to the Beach 41st Street Houses, where he lived.
Family friend Arleaner Cannon said, “He was a good kid. He would not pull a gun at cops. If he had a gun, it was for protection. He’s not crazy.”
Vasconcellos’ next-door neighbor, Axel Figueroa, 31, said the teen, “didn’t seem troubled at all.”
“He’s not the kind of person who would point a gun at anyone,” the neighbor said. “Why would you do something crazy, almost suicidal?”
Another resident, who asked not to be identtified, said, “Eleven shots was excessive, it doesn’t take that many bullets to take someone down.”
LOS ANGELES — 50 Cent is a busy man — he just released a new album, Before I Self Destruct, and film of the same name, and he’s working on several other movies in various stages of development. He’s also an unpredictable man — as evidenced by his double-take-inducing appearance at last week’s “New Moon” premiere. So, it makes sense that the rapper/actor/mogul would show up at the American Music Awards with Val Kilmer as his “date,” eager to tell everyone that he’s even busier and more unpredictable than they think.
“It’s exciting,” he said of the 2009 AMAs, walking down the red carpet alongside a grinning Kilmer, who could best be described as being dressed like Truman Capote’s evil twin. “We came out here to enjoy the festivities. Val and I are going to sit and see what’s going on. Are you wondering why we’re together?”
Well, yeah. And with that, 50 revealed that he had written a screenplay for a movie in which he and Kilmer are set to star.
“We’re here because we’ve got a project that we’re working on together,” said 50, who took the stage later that night with Eminem. “It [starts] in December.”
“It’s called ‘The Gun,’ and it’s about a gun,” Kilmer added. “It’s a really good title. He wrote it.”
According to 50 Cent, who has written three feature-film scripts recently, the role Kilmer will be playing was transported from a different screenplay. “He’s actually a character from a different project, but I got him to come out of there when he saw the value of what he was looking for.”
Fitty explained that “The Gun” has a “socially conscious” theme. “It’s about how a weapon goes from manufacturing to its distribution point, to being in a citizen’s custody — and how it ends up in the wrong hands,” he said. “We watch the actual gun travel through a few different people’s hands.”
“I’m a criminal,” explained Kilmer, saying he gets the gun at one point. “And we’re friends.”
“Gun” would mark the second time 50 Cent and Kilmer have collaborated, following their recent straight-to-DVD release “Streets of Blood.” And if all goes well, the rapper said, perhaps 50 will ask the veteran actor to collaborate in the medium that made him famous.
“I know [Val can sing],” grinned 50 Cent, thinking back to films like “Top Secret!” and “The Doors,” in which Kilmer played Jim Morrison. “You think I don’t know?
“Yeah, there’s a possibility … you could hear something from us on this next album, if I can work that into the situation,” he promised. “But that’s hard.”
With a smile, the actor added that he’d be up for it if Fif would only ask. “I do whatever he says,” Kilmer explained.
New York police arrested Anthony Brioridy for drug dealing this week and he now faces 22 counts of it. According to police, he had lots of narcotics for sale. You could buy cocaine, Percocet, Xanax, oxycodone, ecstasy and ketamine, and of course, Liquid Marijuana. That’s right, liquid marijuana!
His alleged specialty, however, was a brownish-green “homemade remedy” that supposedly launched users on an hallucinogenic eight-hour high — at a price of $120 for a 15-to-20-ounce shot.
Undercover cops trailed Brioridy for a number of months as he allegedly peddled drugs from his car, before invited them to his home on 76th Street in Bensonhurst.
There, he allegedly brewed the distilled resins of pot fermented with 180-proof grain alcohol.
The concoction was supposed to be mixed with juice or soda.
Even the cops were surprised by this.
“It has not been seen around here before,” Capt. Gerard Dowling of Manhattan South narcotics stated.
E! Online: Buying a pair of gloves for the winter: $19.99.
Owning Michael Jackson’s infamous moonwalk glove: priceless $350,000 plus tax.
The King of Pop’s rhinestone-studded white glove fetched that whopping price at a New York auction on Saturday.
The iconic accessory became the late star’s signature after he wore it while moonwalking through “Billie Jean” at Motown’s 25th anniversary TV special in 1983.
So who was the lucky (and well-heeled) bidder?
Hong Kong native Hoffman Ma, who after taxes, will pay $420,000 for the “Thriller” crooner’s glove—a price, the 36-year-old winner said, was a bargain.
Ma purchased the glove on behalf of the Ponte 16 Resort Hotel in Macau.
While there were more than 300 items from the likes of The Beatles to Elvis Presley in the “Music Icons” sale held by Julien’s Auctions, Jackson’s items seemed to be the most coveted.
His fedora, also worn during the Motown special, sold for $22,000, and a jacket from his 1989 Bad tour fetched $225,000.
I bring the heat that the game missin
the leak on that mint leaf got my brain twitchin
tell Bleek stop bitchin, stop pissin
I bare long arms like Scott Pippen, stop shit short like Cal Ripken
this is not just sport I post pivot
peep how I backed down Jigga, put my nuts on that nigga neck
Shoot up the Roc never hit the net
Dame Dash’s latest project is gearing up to hit stores. As previously reported, Dame’s been busy preparing a collaboration with rock/blues group the Black Keys. Now as the holiday season kicks in to full swing, the final project between the mogul and the band is set to hit stores. BlakRoc Records is preparing to release their collaborative effort, BlakRoc on “Black Friday” on November 27, the day after Thanksgiving.
Independent record stores that carry the album will appropriately deem the day “Blak Friday.”The album will be exclusive to iTunes digitally upon release. Produced by and featuring music by The Black Keys, BlakRoc hosts a star-studded line up of MCs including Mos Def, Q-Tip, RZA, Raekwon, Pharoahe Monch, Jim Jones, NOE, Nicole Wray and Billy Danze. The album will feature no samples and incorporate all live instruments and vocals.
The Charles H. Wright Museum received an early Christmas present from the federal government with a $603,802 price tag attached to it, allowing the museum to run it’s new exhibit.
Groundbreaking in design, the museum is partnering with Eastern Michigan University to create and interactive, “cooperative” Underground Railroad experience that is sure to wow visitors.
The project will fabricate online resources, activities, and other materials to give students a 21st century lesson on the Underground Railroad and various other aspects of Black American history.
So far the exhibit is scheduled to have an online course for students K-12, a touch screen multimedia gallery that will feature the entire history of the secret routes slave took to be reach freedom, and a scholastic game for high school-aged students.
Cleveland Cavaliers center
Shaquille O’Neal is moonlighting as
a curator overseeing an art
exhibition titled “Size DOES Matter,
” coming in February to New York’s
nonprofit Flag Art Foundation.
Retired NBA star Jayson Williams
has agreed to a plea deal that
would send him to prison for up to
three years for accidentally
shooting a driver at his New Jersey
estate in 2002.
WILMINGTON, NC – United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court yesterday, Senior United States District Judge James C. Fox sentenced JAMAL MONTA WATSON, also known as “Gunna,” 31, from Greensboro, North Carolina, to 188 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release. The Court imposed restitution in the amount of $2,800.00.
On March 1, 2009, WATSON pled guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of heroin and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The investigation, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF) investigation entitled Operation Face Off, centered around a violent Raleigh/Durham-based drug organization responsible for the multi-kilogram distribution of heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base. Drug Enforcement Administration agents utilized a wiretap in the investigation. WATSON was the last of the named defendants in a superseding indictment that charged the leader of the Face Mob Family, Donald Stanton Shealey, and members and associates, Gilbert Ernesto Sherwood, Salahudeen Abdul Abdallah, Khalid Usama Abdallah, Tyrone Ricardo Lawrence, Timothy Lamont Hargrove, Samara Scott, and Leketa Smith with a drug distribution conspiracy, drug distribution, money laundering conspiracy and money laundering crimes. The Government also charged a related defendant, Shawn Brown, with engaging in a money laundering conspiracy with Shealey. WATSON’S role was that of a drug distributor and enforcer.
The investigation is ongoing. The law enforcement agencies conducted the investigation include the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Bureau of Investigation, the Raleigh Police Department, and the Durham Police Department.
Fabolous celebrated his 32nd birthday last night with a huge party with his friends at Hotel on Rivington in NYC. Our source on the scene tells us it was completely packed out and def some fun times. Amber Rose was there in her usual spandex and hot pink lipstick. Jay-z, Diddy, Rick Ross & all came out to wish Fab a happy birthday. Take a look below.
There is no doubt that Hurricane Katrina was a storm of colossal proportions, a rarity even in the current climate of super-charged storm fronts, but it is the ruling of a judge that has given a target for all of those affected by the damage left in its wake.
In a monumental ruling, U.S. District Judge Stanwood R. Duval declared that the government, via negligence on the part of the Army Corp of Engineers, is directly responsible for many of the issues that people encountered after the winds settled.
In his 156-page decision, Judge Duval proceeded to rip the Army and U.S. Government a new one, using words such as “myopia, insouciance, and shortsightedness,” to describe the corps quality of work ethics.
“For more than 40 years the corps had known that a crucial levee protecting suburban St. Bernard Parish and the Lower 9th Ward neighborhood would be compromised by deterioration of the channel. The corps had a myriad of ways to address the problem but failed to do so.”
On the same day, Judge Duvall awarded $719,000 to a group of flood victims that sued the government in April of 2006.
The ruling creates a clear path for anyone effected by Katrina who would like to take legal action against the government in the storm’s aftermath.
With the inefficiency that was FEMA, I am sure that there will be more lawsuits in the near future.
DMX may have wanted to fix his fight to avoid an ass-beating, but now he’s really cruisin’ for a bruisin’ — legally — because the promoters that hired X are suing him for chickening out last minute.
According to docs filed Friday in Birmingham, Alabama — Thunder Productions wants $1,000,000 from the rapper, claiming he’s a fraud and led them on … because as soon as they refused to fix his fight, he backed out.
The company says DMX’s jitters really put them under the wire and cost them a ton of moolah because they had to switch gears late in the game and find a celebrity replacement.
But if you want our opinion — DMX isn’t half the man who’s fighting in his place on December 12 … because that man is Coolio!!!
Rap-Up.com has learned that Slim Shady will tear up the stage on Sunday with “Crack a Bottle” and “Forever.” Don’t be surprised if he’s joined by Lil Wayne and Drake on the latter. Both artists are scheduled to attend.
Em’s performance is in support of Relapse: Refill, a re-release of his latest album Relapse, due December 21 with seven bonus songs including “Forever.”
Also on the star-studded bill are Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Rihanna, Shakira, Lil Wayne, Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, and the Black Eyed Peas.
The 2009 American Music Awards will broadcast live from the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
We’ve all been w/ the wrong person at least once. When we break up and we look back like what the hell was I thinking. Now, personally if one of my chicks have any of this flag pop up! Imma Jay-Z that trick and be on to the next one. Check em out tell me what you think.
1. Her body issues exceed normal limits.
Who wants to spend time with a girl who constantly asks you if you think she’s fat? Every girl’s got her insecurities, but if she can’t eat a meal without calculating calories, cancels dates with you so she can get in those extra workouts, or walks backward when she’s naked because she’s afraid you’ll see her non-existent cellulite, we don’t care how skinny she is — she sucks.
The Story: “My ex didn’t eat pizza, but not because she didn’t like it. In fact, she loved it. She swore off pizza because of the calories. Then she swore off beer, also because of the calories. I understand not wanting to gain weight but come on, splurge once in a while. If your girl won’t chill on the couch eating pizza and drinking beer every now and then, you may as well swear off the relationship because you’re dating a total Debbie Downer.”
2. She doesn’t have a mind of her own.
If you’re talking to a girl and she thinks everything you say is interesting, she probably isn’t thinking at all or is too inarticulate or insecure to share her opinion with you. This inability to think for herself will likely snowball with time — soon she’ll be adopting your interests and agreeing with everything you say, which is a lot more boring than it sounds.
The Story: “I was dating this girl who was totally high maintenance but claimed to be a great athlete. She said she played softball, basketball and ran track in high school. For her birthday, I planned a special sports-oriented day. For the first half, I packed a picnic basket and brought two mitts and a softball. Once we got to the park, I grabbed a mitt for myself and tossed the other one her way … and she ducked … I called her out on it and she said she had lied because she knew I was really into baseball and wanted us to have something in common.”
3. She’s obsessed with marriage.
When a girl says she isn’t thinking at all about marriage and just wants to enjoy the moment, do not believe her. She is lying to you and herself — all girls think about marriage. The chicks you need to look out for are those who plan their entire wedding and are merely looking for a man to insert into their delusional fantasy.
The Story: “Considering proposal to my then girlfriend, I went window-shopping for rings. Finding not one perfect diamond, I took it as a sign that the relationship was flawed and decided to slow things down a bit. Well, I knew I had made the right decision when just a few weeks later she asked me where her ring was. Not, Are we going to get married and spend the rest of our lives happy together? but Where’s my ring? Then, when I told her I had to use the money to pay off some bills, she became outraged, throwing a fit.”
4. She tells you not to wear the condom on your first night.
Yes, in the heat of the moment, people make mistakes. If you’re both wasted and it accidentally happens, OK, we get it. But if a chick specifically tells you not to worry about wearing a condom, you need to worry about it — how many other guys has she said that to?
The Story: “At a Super Bowl party my buddies and I were playing flip-cup outside at a friend’s beach house and I charmed some girls into hanging out with us for the day. Things between me and this hot redhead were clicking … After a few games and some witty banter we ended up in my buddy’s bedroom fooling around. After an exhaustive search to find condoms at the house and asking everyone there to no avail, I told her, ‘Oh well, I guess no sex, no big deal.’ To this I got the response: ‘If you promise to be careful you can go right ahead.’ If a girl is willing to let a stranger go raw, and all you have to do is remember to pull out, you should run like I did. Or give her a fake name so then she can’t find you for the child support payments.”
5. She thinks her dog is your child.
You’re not living with the girl but somehow you end up being the one walking her yappy dog (and cleaning up after it) when you’re over at her place. Why? Because you’re its daddy.
The Story: “I’d been seeing this girl for a couple weeks when she decided to spend $400 on a hypoallergenic dog about the size of my fist. The first red flag was the fact that she spent that much on a pet, when I’d been helping her pay rent for three months. Then, she started calling her dog her ‘baby,’ and referred to me as the dog’s ‘daddy.’ I hit the road, knowing the longer I stayed, the more ‘children’ I’d have to support and rent I’d have to pay.”
6. She “doesn’t give blowjobs.”
What does this mean exactly? Like she doesn’t give head, ever? We don’t get it.
The Story: “I once dated this chick who stopped blowing me after a few months because she ‘didn’t like the taste.’ No offense, but that labyrinth you call your vagina doesn’t taste like sweet, delicious candy. If you don’t want to drop to your knees anymore, you probably shouldn’t expect me to have any more dinners at the Y.”
7. She has a record of dating jerks.
Girls with sketchy dating histories, particularly those who have subjected themselves to serious degradation in multiple relationships, present some major red flags. No, you’re not going to save her; you’ll just end up being the nice guy she once dated.
The Story: “Shortly into a relationship a girl told me that she had had a number of shitty boyfriends, among them a guy who used to make her do push ups and ab exercises every night to keep a lean figure. I obviously laughed when she told me this but seriously, what girl allows herself to be treated so poorly? The answer: the type of girl that, one week post break-up, calls at 3 AM hysterically crying and looking for consolation because the condom worn by some random dude she just met at a bar broke during intercourse. Needless to say, I was glad she was no longer my problem.”
Heather Ellis has reached a plea deal with the state of Missouri. As previously reported, Ellis, a young college student was facing up to 15 years in prison after an altercation at a local Walmart that started from cutting the line.
After the dust settled, Heather was arrested and charged with trespassing, disturbing the peace, and two felony counts of assaulting a police officer. These charges delayed her education and cost her potential employment opportunities. Black activist Boyce Watkins also held a march and protests to help bring light to this case.
When Heather refused to sign a plea deal (she insists upon her innocence), prosecutor Stephen Sokoloff chose to prosecute Heather for the original felony counts. If convicted, she could have faced up to 15 years in prison. When Heather protested her trial publicly, she was threatened by the Ku Klux Klan.
From reports we’ve received from this region of the country (Rush Limbaugh was born roughly 100 miles away), the treatment of African- Americans in the criminal justice system is abominable.
Under the new plea deal, Ellis will serve a year of unsupervised probation, attend an anger management course and serve four days in jail before the end of the year. If she remains out of trouble for a year, the charges will be sealed and the arrest will be abolished from her permanent record.
Speaking after the trial, the young sister still held her ground and seemed pleased with the settlement. She stated,
“I didn’t break the line, she actually broke in front of us. We also found out that I was shoved first and that I didn’t yell or curse. I was speaking in a loud tone as I do always. And i still think that it’s important that my story got out and that people understood the truth and heard it. If I would have signed a plea bargain or anything before, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to let the world know now and let the jurors know what actually happened.”
We’ll take a victory however we can get it because it’s apparent this was about to be modern day lynching.
Police are investigating Fabolous and his entourage for a car stolen in early January of this year in an upscale Atlanta hotel. According to Channel 2 Action News, Atlanta police claim that Fabolous’s crew stole a 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. The rare vehicle was only 1 of the 2 brought into the United States last year.
Surveillance footage shows two members of Fabo’s crew approaching the bellman and receiving keys to the Lambo. They then hop in it and drive away as if it was their car and it was just a daily exit for them. Fabolous and the rest of his crew would then follow behind them in a minivan making Fab well aware that they had stolen the car. After some investigation and promising Fab no jail time if he told the location.
Although investigators tried to sue the rapper and his gang for criminal charges once the car was discovered, Attorney Paul Howard cited the investigators and claimed he would not go back on his promise.
The actual Lambo owner Eric Vargosko is now pressing charges on the hotel for giving away his rare car while asking for no kind of proof or identification. The Intercontinental hotel has put out the statement, “We hold the safety, comfort and well-being of our guests and employees as our top priority and concern. We have taken several measures, including heightening security, so that a repeat of this incident does not happen.”
This is not the first time Fabo’s goons have been accused of robbing people. In October of 2006, Fabolous’ gang was caught on camera snatching a $50,000 dollar chain right off the neck of the Boston Celtics NBA player Sebastian Telfair. That night would later on escalate to the result of Fabolous being shot.
Big Boi from OutKast is the latest rapper to run afoul of the tax man. According to reports, the 34-year-old rapper owes more than $55,000 in delinquent taxes to the state of Louisiana. This past June, the state of Louisiana filed a lien against Big Boi and his wife for $55,727 in Fulton County Superior Court.
Big Boi has not commented on the situation.
Aside from tax problems, Big Boi has been hard at work on his long-delayed solo album, Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, which is expected to drop late this year.
However, there’s no official date as of press time.
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