A member of the Louisiana-based Jena Six is being treated at a local hospital after shooting himself in the chest.

The Associated Press reports that Mychal Bell injured himself Monday night (December 29) at his grandmother’s house in Monroe.

According to a police report, the shooting was reported at 7:40 p.m. At the time of the incident, Bell was staying at his grandmother, Rosie Simmons,’ home as his mother, Melissa Bell, arrived for a visit.
Melissa Bell told authorities that she and Simmons heard a gunshot coming from Mychal’s room and found him on his bed with a wound to his upper right chest.
Despite recovering a .22-caliber handgun, police were not clear on Tuesday (Dec. 30) as to who owned the gun.

Bell’s wound was not life-threatening, authorities said. Louis Scott, a lawyer who represented Bell and five other Jena High School students during the Jena Six case in 2006, revealed the shooting stemmed from his former client being upset that his recent arrest for shoplifting would ruin his dream of playing football for the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

“When it was broadcast that he was charged with shoplifting he just felt that the whole year had been wasted and that he had worked all of that time for nothing,” Scott said.

The police report on Monday’s shooting noted that the shoplifting arrest eventually took its toll on Mychal Bell.

Mrs. Simmons and Melissa Bell disclosed to police that “Mychal had made comments over the past two days that, because of the current media attention he had because of the shoplifting arrest, he didn’t feel like he could live anymore.”
Bell was arrested on Christmas Eve after he allegedly tried to steal several shirts and a pair of jeans from a department store.
The 18-year-old was later found hiding under a car after fleeing from a security guard and an off-duty police officer who tried to detain him.

Prior to the alleged shoplifting, Bell was known as one of the Jena Six. The group, comprised of black teenagers, garnered headlines after being charged with attempted murder for the beating of a white classmate at Jena High School in 2006.

Charges from the case, which centered on nooses being displayed at the school, resulted in national outrage and criticism that led to a civil rights march involving more than 20,00 people who traveled to Jena for the protest.

Although charges for all members of the Jena Six were later reduced, Bell was sentenced to 18 months as a ward of the state after pleading guilty to juvenile charges and moved to Monroe to be placed in foster care.

He was released from state supervision on Dec. 4.

Bell, who spent 10 months in prison awaiting trial after the 2006 arrest, is scheduled to graduate from Carroll High School in the spring.

Source: TMZ

Super-producer Timbaland will ring in the New Year with a newly processed $11,450 lien against his mansion, courtesy of an ongoing florist bill dispute.

The White Tulip Florist, a company based in Miami Beach, filed legal papers against Timbaland claiming the star purchased $25,850.00 in trees, flowers, and lights from their organization.
According to the company, these goods were to be used for Christmas decorations, and to date the producer has only paid $14,400.00 of the outstanding bill.
As the result, the White Tulip filed and received court-ordered lien on Timbaland’s Miami mansion.
Although representatives for the producer could not be reached, early reports allege the Timbaland is vehemently denying the florist’s claim of non-payment.

The Virginia native has requested the company provide a full wholesale cost disclosure of the alleged outstanding goods.

The lawsuit comes as Timbaland works on Shock Value Volume 2, the follow-up to the platinum 2007 original.

The new LP is tentatively set to feature appearances from Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Jordin Sparks, Beyonce, and the Jonas Brothers.

Timbaland has also confirmed a reuniting with former protégé Ginuwine.

Their new work is set to appear on the singer’s sixth studio album, due out in 2009’s first quarter.

The super-producer’s high-profile work for Madonna, Ashlee Simpson, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, The Pussycat Dolls, Flo Rida, and New Kids on the Block helped make Timbaland one of the music industry’s top earners in 2008.

According to Forbes, the producer grossed $22 million for the calendar year.

Source: TMZ

Artist: Murs
Song: Can It Be
Featurings: None
Album: Murs For President
Genre: Hip-Hop

Artist: Kottonmouth Kings
Song: Where I’m Going
Featurings: None
Album: The Green Album
Genre: Rap/Alternative Rock

 
Artist: Wiley
Song: Cash In My Pocket
Featurings: Daniel Merriweather
Album: See Clear Now
Genre: Hip Hop

Artist: Mike Jones
Song: Cuddy Buddy
Featurings: T-Pain and Twista
Album: The American Dream
Genre: Rap

Artist: Keri Hilson
Song: Return The Favor
Featurings: Timbaland
Album: In A Perfect World..
Genre: R&B

Artist: Hollywood Undead
Song: Undead
Featurings: None
Album: TBA
Genre: Rap/Alternative Rock

Artist: DJ Unk
Song: Show Out
Featurings: None
Album: 2econd Season
Genre: Rap

Artist: Big Kuntry King
Song: Da Baddest
Featurings: Trey Songz
Album: My Turn To Eat
Genre: Rap

Teknikz - Tek Claus

Rondon - Culture Mix Vol.18

Coast 2 Coast 62 (Hosted By Swizz Beatz)

Artist: Lil John
Song: Put Yo Hood Up
Featurings: Eastside Boyz
Album: Put Yo Hood Up
Genre: Rap

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Pimp - RnB Touch 21

Rondon - The Best Of Mavado

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Southern Style DJ’s - Dat Shit

Artist: Young Jeezy
Song: Who Dat
Featurings: None
Album: The Recession
Genre: Rap

 Jay-Z’s plans to add the title of hotelier to his ever-expanding empire has been halted, the New York Times reports.

The rapper/mogul’s planned J Hotels, which was scheduled to break ground this year, has been postponed indefinitely, as New York’s real estate development market takes a heavy hit.
 

The luxury hotel was proposed as the first five-star property in Manhattan’s developing High Line neighborhood, on the city’s Westside.

After purchasing the location, a former Time Warner Cable warehouse, for nearly $66 million, longtime developer Charles Blaichman enlisted partners Jay-Z and Abram and Scott Shnay to create the new full service J Hotels brand.
Blaichman, who is responsible for SoHo House and Spice Market, two of the biggest draws in the Meat Packing district, was also planning two other properties in the High Line neighborhood.

However, the struggling economy can no longer support the $370 million in loans and investment he would have needed to undertake the endeavor.

Still, Blaichman remains optimistic that his plans have been delayed rather than cancelled.

“It’s one of the greatest stretches of undeveloped areas,” he told the Times. “I still think it’s going to take off.”
Still, with the growth rate of construction in New York City down to .08 percent from 11.3 percent last year, experts say it may be as much as two years before any new buildings appear on the city’s sky line.
 

Source: TMZ

 Talib Kweli’s Blacksmith Music imprint has dissolved its distribution arrangement with Warner Brothers Records.

The Brooklyn MC confirmed the split to cnn.com today after rumors surfaced online that he had been released from his contract with the label.
 

“My label Blacksmith is no longer distributed by Warner Brothers, which means they will not put out Blacksmith future projects,” Kweli told AllHipHop.com. “I still have a deal to put out Talib Kweli and Reflection Eternal thru Blacksmith/WBR.”

Blacksmith Music was born out of a partnership between Blacksmith Management, originally established by Kweli’s partner Corey Smith, and Warner Brothers in 2006.

The roster includes Jean Grae, Strong Arm Steady and Guyanese/Canadian import Anjulie, the label’s sole non-Hip Hop act.
Since its launch, the label has released a compilation album entitled Blacksmith: The Movement, collaborative projects between Kweli and Madlib, and Jean Grae’s critically acclaimed, 9th Wonder-assisted Jeanius.
The label is also planning a new album by Strong Arm Steady, entitled Arms & Hammers and Party Robot, the debut album by Idle Warship, Kweli’s new group with singer Res and Canadian singer/rapper Graph Nobel.

While release dates have yet to be announced, all three projects were originally slated for 2008 releases, which would lend some truth to rumors that the split was related to the current economic situation.

Kweli’s fourth solo album, Prisoner of Consciousness and Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought II were also scheduled for 2008 releases.
At press time, comment from Warner Brothers Records was not available. 

Source: Warner Bros

Artist: Soulja Boy
Song: Bird Walk
Featurings: None
Album: ISouljaBoyTellem
Genre: Rap

Artist: Q Da Kid
Song: On A Mission
Featurings: Jermaine Dupri
Album: TBA
Genre: Hip Hop

Artist: Murphy Lee
Song: My Shoes
Featurings: None
Album: You See Me
Genre: Rap

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 Fast & Furious is the latest film in the The Fast and the Furious film series, the fourth produced but sequel to the first and second, and prequel to the third film. The film is currently in production and is scheduled for release in the United States on June 12, 2009. The plot connects with the original film of the series from which Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster are reprising their roles.

Among others cast in the film are reggaetoneros Don Omar and Tego Calderon, Sung Kang will reprise his role from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift as Han, Israeli model Gal Gadot, Lil Wayne, T.I., and actor Mine. In an interview, Tyrese Gibson stated that he would make a cameo to reprise his role as Roman Pearce from the second film. The actor stated that it will be “kind of like what Vin Diesel did in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Main Theme Of The Movie

Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and Brian O’Connor (Walker) are forced to confront a mutual enemy, despite their lack of trust in each other.

CAST (alot of rappers in this movie!!)

Vin Diesel - Dominic Toretto
Paul Walker - Brian O Connor
Michelle Rodriguez - Letty
Jordana Brewster - Mia Toretto
Laz Alonso - Fenix
Gal Gadot - Gisele
Tyrese Gibson - Roman Pearce
Sung Kang - Han
John Ortiz - Antonio Braga
Don Omar - Rico
Tego Calderon - Sunny
Ja Rule - Edwin
Lil Wayne - Alex
Xzibit - Danny
T.I. - Troy
T-Pain - Johnny
Akon - Dwayne
Vanilla Ice - Fred
Danny Trejo - Carlos

I have a mypace link if you wana see the teaser trailer http://www.myspace.com/fastandfurious

Source: Myspace

 Eminem has revealed details of his long-awaited new album, “Relapse,” in an exclusive interview with Billboard, conducted via email. The set is due next spring from Shady/Interscope.

Eminem is working on “Relapse” with longtime collaborator Dr. Dre, who put his own album, “Detox,” on the backburner to help bring the project to completion.

“Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days, man,” Eminem says. “Just him banging away on tracks and me getting that little spark that makes me write to it. I don’t have chemistry like that with anyone else as far as producers go — not even close. Dre will end up producing the majority of the tracks on Relapse.’ We are up to our old mischievous ways … let’s just leave it at that.”

A handful of songs intended for “Relapse” have leaked online, most recently “Crack a Bottle,” leaving Eminem “really heated. It wasn’t close to finished, and it even has me doing guide vocals for Dre as a suggestion of how he could lay his verses down. It’s like someone catches you peeping in your window before you got the Spider Man costume all zipped up! Nobody is supposed to see that. We are gonna finish it up though and get it out there how it’s supposed to be.”

Eminem also responded to producer Swizz Beats’ recent comment that he’d submitted a track for the project described as a sequel to the hit single “Stan,” telling Billboard, “I haven’t worked with Swizz on this album.

“There isn’t a ‘Stan 2,’ and there won’t be,” he says. “Stan drove his car off a bridge and I’m not writing a song as Stan’s ghost. That would just be really corny.”

While working on “Relapse,” Eminem was also writing his autobiography, “The Way I Am,” with Sacha Jenkins. The book has received favorable reviews and has spent time in the top 20 of the New York Times hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list.

“For me, writing an album is an entirely different process from making this book,” he says. “The album requires a certain focus of mine that I can’t really explain — let’s just say it’s all I can really do while I’m doing it. With the book, the process was much more spread out, like, ‘Let’s get you together with Sacha for a few hours next week. Let’s go thru these photos and artwork, etc.’ The book was a lot more of a focus here-and-there thing as opposed to music, which totally consumes me every second.”

Eminem goes into great detail in “The Way I Am” about how much he was impacted by the 2006 shooting death of fellow Detroit rapper Proof, who was one of his best friends.

“Opening the book with Proof’s chapter was real important for me,” Eminem says. “Everything from my past moving into my future is marked by his passing. It’s sort of like life when Proof was with us, and life after — a real dividing factor. He means more to me than a book chapter could describe, but I’m glad I was able to put him first, like he did for me so many times.”

As for Shady Records’ 2009 roster, Eminem says 50 Cent’s delayed “Before I Self Destruct” will be out in February. “He’s still working on it and getting back together with me and Dre next week to finish up,” he says. “I have a couple of tracks on there with him. It’s sick.”

Afterward, Ca$his will release the follow-up to his 2007 “County Hound EP.” Says Eminem, “People are going to be surprised what he is capable of. I produced a bunch of records on there as well.”

Source: MTV