Breaking News for Black America » Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne’s Entourage Accused of Assaulting Paparazzi

Ruth Manuel-Logan — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:32:42 +0000

Lil Wayne‘s entourage is accused of physically assaulting a photographer and destroying his bicycle, according to TMZ.

A police report obtained by TMZ states that Wayne and his crew were skateboarding outside of a Miami Beach church, right near a sign that clearly reads, “No skateboarding.”

The unidentified paparazzi began snapping away at the men. Soon it began to rain and the men made a beeline for their car.

The photographer continued snapping away the Grammy Award-winning rapper even when he and his entourage were already in their car.

Wayne allegedly ordered his crew to confiscate the photographer’s camera, according to the police document. Reportedly, eight men surrounded the photographer and tried to bully him into deleting his pictures of Wayne. The victim went on to state that he was spat on, pushed to the ground and that his bicycle received a vicious battering by someone using a skateboard.

The photographer stated that he somehow managed to escape the violent incident and went directly to the Miami Beach Police Station where he filed a complaint.

Wayne is an avid skateboarder. Just last summer, he received nine stitches after falling from his board. He told MTV News in an interview last year, “I always get injured, but I never get an injury where I can’t get back on the board.”

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Hip-Hop Takes Over SXSW

NewsOne Staff — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:18:58 +0000

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Lil Wayne was feeling inspirational while making an appearance at South By Southwest. Snoop Dogg admitted he was too high to notice he was performing on a stage six stories tall that looked like a vending machine. And rumors that Eminem would make a surprise appearance continued to swirl around 6th Street.

Hip-hop stars completed a near takeover of the music conference and festival overnight Thursday and early Friday with Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, B.o.B., T.I. and Wale all playing bass-booming showcases just blocks from each other into the early morning. And later in the day, Nas would be the subject of a Q&A interview and 50 Cent was expected to headline the Shady Records showcase where he would perform his iconic album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” live in its entirety for the first time.

Posters teasing Lil Wayne’s concert at Austin Music Hall appeared Thursday all over town and Weezy was in high spirits as he played his hits, introduced fellow rappers Chanel and Birdman, kicked off a partnership with Mountain Dew and introduced his new clothing line.

“If you get anything from me, it’s to find your name and do you because, ladies and gentlemen, that’s what I do,” he told the crowd in what he said was a commercial for the new soft drink partnership.

As Weezy wound down, Snoop Dogg held court about six blocks away. There, he regaled reporters with tales of his love for the long-gone sour cream and onion Doritos rather than the new “JACKED” flavor he was promoting, his requirement that the company give him a couple of vending machines so his friends can have some and how he couldn’t see the five-story stage on which he performed a set that stretched into Friday.

He also didn’t exactly deny he’s reuniting with Dr. Dre at Coachella, talked about a new project with producer Diplo, his upcoming movie release in June with Wiz Kalifa, gave a shoutout to Virginia Commonwealth basketball coach Shaka Smart and talked of sharing a bucket of fried chicken in Amsterdam with Willie Nelson.

He also explained hip-hop’s takeover of Austin and the big-money deals he, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z – who was brought to SXSW on Monday by American Express – are landing.

“You know, it’s a hip-hop world,” Snoop said in an interview as he stretched out on an orange couch at Carmelo’s in a Texas Longhorns basketball jersey next to a surreal 5-foot-tall snack bag. “I don’t mean that in a cocky way, I mean that in a real way. If you watch TV, anything that’s got to do with a commercial or selling something, it’s hip-hop orientated, whether it’s the music we personalize, the artists involved, even attention on football and basketball. Whatever it is, it’s trying to be something that’s hip-hop.”

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Lil Wayne Lands Huge Media Blitz Deal With Mountain Dew

NewsOne Staff — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:28:48 +0000

Lil Wayne and Mountain Dew have inked a deal that is being referred to as one of the biggest hip-hop/soft drink media coups ever, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The mega push, DEWeezy, will begin next week at South by Southwest, an annual film and music conference and festival, in Austin. Teaser wallscapes from the campaign have already begun to appear in cities like New York.

The media blitz was created by Mountain Dew and Wayne’s management firm, the Blueprint Group, in partnership with the Glu Agency, and it will be managed by hip-hop business veteran Derek Jackson.

The advertising campaign, which is said to be very extensive, will include public appearances, ads, a possible touring component, and the creation of a skate park in Wayne’s hometown of New Orleans.

The soft drink’s parent company, PepsiCo, has tapped hip-hop performers in the past to promote its products. In 2002, rapper Ludacris was featured in an ad campaign that fizzled fast due to some alleged racy lyrics that Fox-TV’s Bill O’Reilly did not approve of and criticized to no end. The company then signed on the rap/pop group the Black Eyed Peas in 2007, then the following year Busta Rhymes was hired to pump Diet Pepsi Max.

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Lil’ Wayne “Proposes” To His Girlfriend on Valentine’s Day

NewsOne Staff — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:14:29 +0000

In an attempt to prove to his reported girlfriend, Dhea Sodano, that he really does know “how to love,” Lil Wayne surprised her with a gigantic yellow diamond ring on Valentine’s Day during a romantic dinner at the swanky Barton G restaurant in Miami, reports TMZ.

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With the assistance of the wait staff, Lil Wayne hid the enormous rock in the ritzy restaurant’s signature sundae and once his date realized what was inside of the dessert, the Cash Money rapper shouted to the entire restaurant, “SHE SAID YES!”

According to TMZ, everyone thought that he had just asked Dhea to marry him and the rumor was solidified when he took to Twitter later that night and repeated, “She said yes!”

But the joke is on Wayne watchers. The rapper later clarified that he hadn’t proposed at all:

“I meant ‘she said yes’ to being my valentine!!! Hahahahahahaha! Y’all krazy!”

In retrospect, Lil Wayne proposing to someone is kind of a stretch. As it stands, the rapper has four children with four different women. Toya Wright, of Toya and Tiny fame, actress Lauren London, singer Nivea and former college student Sarah Chapman.

Sodano is reportedly pregnant with his fifth child, but only time will tell.

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Young Money To Gear Label Towards Gospel Music?

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:01:55 +0000

From HipHopDetroit - Recently YMCMB‘s Birdman and his brother Ronald “Slim” Williams sat down with Billboard, where they were honored for ranking number 25 on the “Power 100” most influential people in the entertainment business. During their interview Birdman stated YMCMB has dominated the hip-hop, pop and R&B charts for a while now, and now Birdman reveals that the label is looking to make the jump to gospel. Click here to read about their plans for the label in the Gospel space.

NFL Player Dez Bryant Reportedly Fought With Lil Wayne At Nightclub

cganemccalla — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:41:42 +0000

MIAMI-Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, Dez Bryant was reportedly involved in a fight with rapper Lil Wayne and his entourage at club Liv on South Beach in Miami. Bryant was detained by police but not arrested.

According to reports the fight was over a debt Bryant had to a firm that was linked to Lil Wayne’s Young Money Records.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:

According to a source, the firm, which works with athletes and entertainers to help them purchase luxury items such as cars, yachts and vacation homes, is linked to Lil Wayne and his record label Young Money Entertainment.

Wayne and Young Money President Mack Maine and Cash Money Entertainment CEO Brian “Baby” Williams and their entourage were present and involved in the fracas with Bryant, the source said.

The Autobiography Of Lil Wayne Dropping Soon

NewsOne Staff — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:49:05 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — Lil Wayne is offering a literary tour of his prison days.

The million-selling rapper has signed with Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, for the memoir “Gone Till November.” Hachette announced Thursday that the book will tell of his eight months spent at the Rikers Island complex on a gun possession charge. Scheduled to come out in November, two years after his release, the book will be an “internal monologue,” based on diaries he kept while in prison.

Born Dwayne Carter Jr., Lil Wayne had the best-selling album of 2008 with “Tha Carter III,” which won a best rap album Grammy.

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Top 5 Black Embarrassments Of 2011

cganemccalla — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:51:09 +0000

While there were numerous African Americans who made us proud in 2011, there were a select few who were embarrassments. This “exclusive” group, while saddled with privilege and opportunity, squandered their blessings due to their own stupidity and arrogance.

1. Herman Cain

Once Herman Cain decided to run for president, he not only aligned himself with the Tea Party, but also defended them and the Republicans against charges of racism. And to add insult to injury, Cain proved that he didn’t have any knowledge of foreign policy and touted his “9-9-9″ deal like it was a special campaign for pizza. Then came his sexual harassment allegations, which he adamantly denied with his trademark hubris. What finally brought Cain’s sideshow to a close, though, was Ginger White saying she had a 13-year affair with the psuedo-politician.

2. Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne, a rapper who is marketed to young children, regularly brags about his gang ties, guns and use of cough syrup as an illegal drug. While he may occasionally have a politically significant song, such as “Georgia Bush,” the majority of his offerings are misogynistic and related to gangs and drugs. The biggest embarrassment about Lil Wayne is not just the rapper himself, but the mainstream media company that promotes and markets him to children.

3. Kwame Kilpatrick

Kwame Kilpatrick got out of jail this year but still remains in the news. While the once-promising “Hip-Hop Mayor of Detroit” was lucky to have his killing-a-stripper case thrown out, yet another stripper claims she was paid $1,000 to perform at his mansion for an alleged drug-fueled party. Rather than atone for his past transgressions, Kilpatrick continues to blame his troubles on a “conspiracy against him.”

4. Sam Hurd

As a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, Sam Hurd had a signing bonus of more than $1 million. Yet, Hurd chose to allegedly enter the Chicago drug game in spite of his already lucrative career with the NFL. While many people in the inner city turn to drug dealing due to the lack of opportunities, Hurd had a job that put him on easy street. Hurd could have easily used his money to start a legitimate business, but instead, he reportedly decided to poison his community.

5. Brittany Smith and Jabrai Copney

Brittany Smith (pictured) was a senior at Harvard about to graduate with a world of opportunities waiting for her. One week before Smith was to graduate, boyfriend Jabrai Copney, a talented musician who had produced a song for New Edition at the age of 14, decided to rob a pound of marijuana from a local dealer. The robbery went bad and Copney wound up shooting and killing the man. Since Smith helped Copney hide the gun and escape from campus, she is serving two years in prison, and Copney is in jail for life.

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Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj Named “Teachers of the Year”?

Abena Agyeman-Fisher — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:00:30 +0000

Better Education Place, a South Florida-based education company, has named both Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj their “Teachers of the Year.” According to the company’s media page, in order to receive the award, nominees, which included actual teachers, were judged against seven categories:

The duo along with several other teachers were judged based on seven different categories including, ability to capture and maintain attention, the ability to move their audience or create interaction, the ability to inspire, effective use of language, use of memory devices, ability to transform behavior or make them do as you do and the quality of the content.

Of all of the categories, Lil Wayne and Niki Minaj had the lowest scores in … wait for it … “Quality of Content.” The company’s CEO, Melvin El, said the controversial MCs were chosen because of their “swagger” and their “methods” in connecting with youth:

… The methodologies the two stars are using are undeniable forces in learning. Children learn their stuff because they have all the right methods. Apparently students are drawn in by the “swagger….” If you are a teacher today and you don’t have any swagger, you are going to struggle to get your students attention. It turns out a teacher can learn a lot from Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.

Better Education Place uses media, such as TV, film, and theater, to create products that will facilitate literacy and promote culturally diverse entertainment. El adds:

With the help of hip hop we can make education fun again. Better Education Place is a company with a vision of helping children to develop a passion for reading and learning so they can excel at education and ultimately succeed.

Do you think this self-described “hip-hop education company” should be celebrating Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj as “teachers” other instructors should emulate or is this award a disgrace? Sound off below.

Lil Wayne: “Republicans Are Never Going To Like Us”

NewsOne Staff — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:32:20 +0000

Rapper Lil Wayne recently shared his thoughts about the Republican debate held on Monday night, in an interview with VIBE magazine.

The Rapper spoke about health care, and how race plays in President Obama’s presidency.

During one instance the debate moderator posed a hypothetical question asking what a young, uninsured American in a coma should do, “Society should just let him die?” Cheers were heard and some members in the audience shouted “Yes!”

The rapper said, “I feel like as a people the most that we can do is better ourselves and learn. Then look at yourself and ask ‘Am I the person they’re talking about or am I not?’ You have to make the most of who you are because the Republicans are never going to like us.”

Is Stereotypically “Gay” Style Growing On Hip-Hop?

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:26:02 +0000

At the recent MTV Video Music Awards, the world witnessed a new fashion trend that has many Hip-Hop heads scratching their heads — Jeggings.

Otherwise known as the lovechild of jeans and leggings, Jeggings are a hybrid of denim and spandex loved by teenage girls, stick-thin fashionistas, and somewhat surprisingly, Lil’ Wayne.

After his performance at the award show, writers and tweeters alike took to the web to make fun of the leopard pair of skin-tight Jeggings that Wayne was wearing. One enterprising person even created a fake Twitter account for the pants,@Waynes_Jeggings.

The irony of Lil’ Wayne is that he will wear a pair of jeggings but still attempt insult a foe by calling him a fa**ot in one of his lyrics. But then his own fans will question his sexuality for his fashion choices. Lil’ Wayne knowingly wears clothing that will bring about that attention, aware of the fact that in hip-hop, defending your masculinity is crucial to credibility. However it’s a risk he’s willing to take, perhaps a privilege of having a well-earned reputation of being a thug.

Lil Wayne Disses Jay-Z On The Carter 4 Track

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:04:00 +0000

Lil’ Wayne takes a shot at the throne dissin Jay-Z on the latest Tha Carter IV leak “It’s Good” featuring Drake and Jadakiss. Once again its on!

According to hip hop fans, Jay-Z started throwing jabs with his verse on “H*A*M” stating, “I’m like really half a billi nigga/ really you got baby money/ Keep it real with niggas, Niggas aint got my lady money.” Now Lil’ Wayne sent a shot at the throne.

“Talkin’ bout Baby money, I got your Baby money. Kidnap your b*tch, keep that, how much you love your lady money?, I know you fake ni**a, press your brakes ni**a, I’ll take you out, that’s a date, ni**a.”

Listen to the track at The Urban Daily

Lil Wayne Dancers Charged With Beating Up Waitress

cganemccalla — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:32:51 +0000

WEST HARTFORD — Two dancers for rapper Lil Wayne, Della Hamby and Jennifer Slaughter, have been charged with beating up a waitress at a P.F. Chang’s in West Hartford, Connecticut over an argument about splitting the check.

The Hartford Courant reports:

The women paid and left, but they later returned to retrieve a cell phone that one had left behind. They swore at the waitress and threatened her. Then, witnesses told police, one pulled the waitress’s hair while the other punched her. They threw the waitress to the floor and continued punching her, police said.

Read The Whole Story At The Hartford Courant

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Will Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins Blow Up Women’s Basketball?

cganemccalla — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:39:14 +0000

INDIANA-Notre Dame women’s basketball pointguard, Skylar Diggins is receiving a lot of attention after he stellar performance in the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament. Diggins is also receiving attention due to her looks and rapper Lil Wayne reffered to her his “wife” on Twitter. Yahoo Sports reports:

The Notre Dame sophomore’s smooth playmaking skills, Madison Avenue smile and effortless charisma give her more crossover appeal than any other women’s college basketball player.

In the three weeks leading up to Tuesday’s national title game against second-seeded Texas A&M, Diggins has gone from 6,000 followers on Twitter to more than 45,000. Searches for her name on Yahoo spiked 2,700 percent on Sunday and went up another 17 percent on Monday.

Diggins is the subject of a new rap song inspired by her NCAA tournament performance. She has her own blog on ESPN.com. And in addition to her shout-out from Lil Wayne, singer Chris Brown also saluted her on Monday, telling her “congrats beautiful.”

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Girls Who Denounced Lil Wayne: “We Were Mad”

NewsOne Staff — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:22:47 +0000

Watoto From the Nile, the young sisters from Baltimore who created the “Open Letter to Lil Wayne” video that went viral on the Internet last week, have finally given their first on-camera interview.

In this NewsOne exclusive, meet 10-year-old Nia, 9-year-old Nya, and their father Jabari Natur, who reveal how they conceived the song and video, and discuss the reaction to it — the good, bad, and ugly.

Check the exclusive video below:

Check the original video below:

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Lil Wayne To Kick Off First Tour Since Jail

NewsOne Staff — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:01:10 +0000

Rapper Lil Wayne watches an NBA basketball game between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks in Miami, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

NEW YORK — Fans who missed Lil Wayne during his yearlong stint behind bars will get a chance to show their love for the multiplatinum rapper in person: He’s kicking off a 25-city tour in March with an all-star supporting cast.

Nicki Minaj (mih-NAHJ’), Rick Ross, Travis Barker and Mixmaster Mike will accompany Lil Wayne on his “I Am Music II” tour, which will start in Buffalo, N.Y., on March 18 and hit cities such as Atlanta, Miami, Washington and his hometown of New Orleans.

Although Lil Wayne released the album “I Am Not a Human Being” while in a New York jail for a weapons charge last year, he’s gearing up for a big return to the scene in 2011. He’s got a hit “6 Foot 7 Foot” and is due to release “Tha Carter IV” this spring.

Bill Clinton Praises Lil Wayne And Offers Advice

cganemccalla — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:25:43 +0000

Bill Clinton was asked by the hosts Pittsburgh’s 96.1 Kiss Morning Freak show what he thought about Lil Wayne being released from prison and Clinton had words of encouragement for the controversial rapper:

I tell you what I think about that. I know this is kind of a funny question for you to ask me. But I think—you know, my daughter introduced me to rap and hip hop music after I said some things she thought were not very smart. She said, “Dad, you need to listen, all these people are smart.” This guy’s smart. And he’s got abilities. And he’s got a new chance now. And what I hope is that this is not just something to brand him as a cool guy, but that it’ll never happen again to him.

You know, I think a lot of these people, they don’t get successful in that—just like in any other area of life—by being really dumb. They’re really smart. But a lot of them had tough lives and they almost think it’s cool to get in trouble every now and then, or they don’t know how to stay out. But what I hope will happen is that he has a good life now.

Fox News: “President Obama Loves Gangster Rap”

Fox News: "President Obama Loves Gangster Rap"

cganemccalla — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:14:00 +0000

After an interview with Rolling Stone magazine where President Barack Obama admitted to having Lil Wayne and Nas in his iPod, Fox News ran a headline, “The President of The United States Loves Gangsta Rap” which they have since pulled down.

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Is T.I. The Latest Victim Of The ‘Hip Hop Police’?

NewsOne Staff — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:13:23 +0000

At the risk of offending my buddy Dubs—who understandably doesn’t like seeing his government name in print—I’ve gotta reproduce this stellar piece of insight he hit a bunch of us with in an e-mail earlier today.

The topic was T.I. and the fact that the rapper was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and two possibles (codeine and ecstasy; pardon the Spades slang).

Here’s what Dubs wrote:

T.I. and the rest of his ilk still don’t believe in the hip-hop police. It is amazing [that they find the fact that] there is a dossier on every well-known rapper and their movements are tracked by most major police departments hard to believe. How the hell do you think Lil’ Wayne got popped in three different states on the same charges, weapons and drugs, and none of the stops have been deemed “stop for cause”?

Now, most of us have heard of the Hip Hop police. I doubt however that many people have considered why there would be a need for such an entity.

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If you were thinking that the Hip Hop police exists to protect rappers who, for some reason, tend to face violent death with more frequency than do other musicians, then you’d be wrong.

The Hip Hop police exists for the same reason that the FBI’s old COINTELPRO existed: to discredit anyone in the Black community with the intelligence, charisma and natural leadership ability necessary to inspire a movement.

‘Discrediting’ being only the first goal, of course. If you lived like a monk (see: Malcolm X, the later Dr. King, Fred Hampton), you had to be killed.

Murder could be tied in with the Hip Hop police as well because after seeing that a rape accusation, multiple shooting and subsequent conviction didn’t diminish Tupac’s standing in the Black community—in fact, it did just the opposite—was anybody surprised that Pac died violently?

Were or are we surprised that of the only men ever accused—and even this is done clandestinely—of killing the Notorious B.I.G., David Mack and Amir Muhammad, one of them, Mack, is a former cop?

Or should the murders of Biggie and Tupac even be considered “crimes” since a crime is a transgression against the State and, all things considered, those two deaths seem so obviously State approved?

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Lil Wayne Expected To Be Released From Prison In November

NewsOne Staff — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:22:08 +0000

From SFGate.com:

Rap superstar Lil Wayne is expected to walk free from jail in November after serving eight months of his yearlong sentence.

The “Lollipop” hit maker, real name Dwayne Carter, Jr., has been serving time at New York’s tough Rikers Island prison since March, after pleading guilty to charges of gun possession.

Click here to read more.

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White Student Impersonates Lil Wayne In Blackface At Bethel College

Lil Wayne Begins Year-Long N.Y. Jail Sentence

NewsOne Staff — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:45:03 +0000

NEW YORK — Lil Wayne was sentenced Monday to a year in jail in New York City for having a loaded gun on his tour bus in 2007, then was taken away in handcuffs to begin his term immediately.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper, born Dwayne Carter, was sentenced in Manhattan after pleading guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He admitted having the loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun on his tour bus.

The rapper will serve his sentence in city jails, not a state prison. He could be released in about eight months with good behavior.

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Before Monday’s court appearance, it had proved difficult to actually begin Lil Wayne’s agreed-upon sentence.

First, the rap star’s sentencing was postponed in February so he could undergo surgery on his bejeweled teeth. Then, a fire shut down Manhattan’s main criminal courthouse while he was on his way there last week.

Lil Wayne has been one of music’s most prolific and profitable figures in recent years. His “Tha Carter III” was the best-selling album of 2008. His latest album, “Rebirth,” was released last month.

Facing jail with his career in full throttle, Lil Wayne has prepared with a burst of work and farewell shows and videos for fans. He said in a video clip sent last week to MTV News that he shot footage for seven music videos with various artists in one night over the weekend.

He told Rolling Stone for a story last month that he planned to keep working while behind bars.

“I’ll be still rapping in there, have a gang of raps ready when I come back home,” he said.

With good behavior, he could be released in about eight months.

City jail officials haven’t said where the multiplatinum-selling artist will be housed among their roughly 13,000 inmates. His lawyer has said she plans to ask for protective custody out of concern for his safety and health following his extended oral surgeries.

Lil Wayne Pleads Guilty To Gun Charges, Expects 1 Year Sentence

Fire Postpones Lil Wayne’s Incarceration

NewsOne Staff — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:04:34 +0000

NEW YORK — A court spokesman says rap star Lil Wayne’s sentencing in a New York City gun case has been postponed because of a courthouse fire.

The rapper had been expected to start a one-year jail term after sentencing Tuesday. He pleaded guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon.

Courts spokesman David Bookstaver said the sentencing was among proceedings canceled due a basement fire at a Lower Manhattan courthouse.

The 27-year-old rapper entered his plea in October. He admitted having a loaded gun on his tour bus in July 2007.

He has become one of rap’s biggest names and music’s biggest sellers in recent years.

OPINION: Lil Wayne’s Gun Charge Is Real Life 101

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Lil Wayne Will Begin Prison Sentence Today

Smokey D. Fontaine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:06:49 +0000

From CNN:

New York — Rapper Lil Wayne will go directly to jail after he is sentenced by a Manhattan judge Tuesday afternoon for a gun conviction, according to a person familiar with the case.

Dwayne Carter, as he is known legally, pleaded guilty to felony gun charges in a deal with prosecutors October 2009. He is expected to get a one-year prison sentence.

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His sentencing was delayed three weeks so he could get some dental work done, including removal of his diamond-studded braces.

The person familiar with the case would not confirm where Wayne would serve his sentence.

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Lil Wayne Gives “Farewell” Concert In New Orleans Before Prison

UPDATE: Lil Wayne's Sentencing Postponed Until March 2

NewsOne Staff — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:56:38 +0000

From MTV News:

NEW YORK — Lil Wayne’s sentencing has been delayed until March 2 due to dental surgery, his attorney announced in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday (February 9).

The rapper was scheduled to be formally sentenced by a judge and begin serving his one-year term stemming from a 2007 arrest that resulted in a guilty plea in October for attempted weapons possession.

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The Cash Money MC arrived shortly after 2 p.m. with his label heads Birdman and Slim. He quietly entered the courtroom as photographers snapped pictures from the hallway. Wayne wore a navy coat and black-framed glasses, and he sat still while his lawyer Stacey Richman spoke.

She informed the judge that she sent a notification to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office that the rapper is suffering from a cracked tooth and would need to postpone his sentence. The judge agreed and ruled to reschedule for March 2.

Click here to read more.

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[2/9/2010 - 1:53 p.m.] – Lil Wayne To Be Sentenced In NYC Gun Case

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK — Lil Wayne, one of music’s biggest sellers and rap’s hottest stars, will appear in court Tuesday for sentencing for a gun possession charge.

The Grammy-winning artist’s plea deal calls for a year in jail, though good behavior could shave that to as little as eight months.

“This is Lil Wayne going to jail. Nobody can tell me what that’s like,” the rapper told Rolling Stone magazine for its latest issue. “I just say I’m looking forward to it.”

He’s likely to start serving his sentence immediately, making him the latest in a string of rap stars to do time after topping the charts.

His plea deal calls for him to serve his sentence not in state prison but in the city jail system, where rapper Foxy Brown spent about eight months in 2007 and 2008 for a probation violation involving a fight she had with manicurists in a nail salon.

Rapper Remy Ma spent several months in a city jail in 2008 while awaiting sentencing for shooting a woman outside a nightclub. She’s now serving an eight-year sentence in state prison.

City Department of Correction spokesman Stephen Morello wouldn’t discuss any arrangements being made to house Lil Wayne among the roughly 13,500 inmates in the massive Rikers Island complex and other jails. Most inmates are awaiting trial.

Some inmates, including Foxy Brown, are separated from the general population because of their celebrity or other reasons, but “there’s no special-inmates wing,” Morello said.

Lil Wayne’s attorney didn’t return telephone calls seeking comment Monday.

Lil Wayne, 27, pleaded guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon, admitting he illegally had a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun on his tour bus in July 2007. Police found the weapon when they stopped the bus after a Manhattan concert.

Little more than a week ago, Lil Wayne was reinforcing his place in rap’s pantheon with a commanding performance at the Grammy Awards ceremony. His latest album, “Rebirth,” was officially released Feb. 2.

A rapper since he was a teenager, Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Carter, became known for his voluminous output and collaborations with other artists.

His career has hit a peak in the last two years. His “Tha Carter III” led 2008 album sales with 2.8 million copies sold and featured such hits as the No. 1 smash “Lollipop.” His Grammys include 2008′s best rap solo performance award, for “A Milli.”

Lil Wayne Gives “Farewell” Concert In New Orleans Before Prison

NewsOne Staff — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:05:49 +0000

NEW ORLEANS — Lil Wayne emerged as a top-selling musician known for his clever wordplay and risque lyrics, but like rappers before him, he’s staring down a year behind bars at the peak of his career.

The artist returned to his hometown of New Orleans for a performance Monday on what he’s calling his farewell tour.

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“I’m nothing without you,” he told the screaming crowd of thousands of fans at the New Orleans Arena after opening the concert with “A Milli,” which last year earned him a Grammy for best rap solo.

The 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, pleaded guilty in October to a weapons possession charge and will be sentenced Feb. 9. His plea deal calls for a year in jail.

The charge stemmed from a 2007 traffic stop of his tour bus in New York when authorities said they smelled marijuana, and as they approached, he tossed aside a bag with a loaded .40-caliber handgun.

In a separate case, he also faces trial in March on felony drug possession and weapons charges in Yuma County, Ariz. More recently, he had to postpone a show one day after authorities stopped two of his buses in Texas and found marijuana. The case has been referred to the sheriff’s office.

Some of those at Monday’s concert said they were disappointed with the rapper’s legal troubles.

“It’s kinda sad, the stereotype and that he fell into it,” said 19-year-old Lee Farrell of New Orleans.

Lil Wayne is set to follow some of rap music’s biggest names — from Tupac Shakur, Lil’ Kim, Beanie Sigel and Shyne to New Orleans natives Mystikal and C-Murder — who have served a few months to several years behind bars for crimes committed after they became famous.

Corey “C-Murder” Miller was convicted earlier this year of second-degree murder for the 2002 shooting of a fan during a nightclub brawl. He was sentenced to life in prison.

T.I. reported to a federal prison in May for his conviction on weapons charges. He is expected to serve a year and a day.

“I hope Lil Wayne will follow in T.I.’s footsteps,” said 32-year-old Jed Wright of Metairie, who brought his 11-year-old stepson to the show as a Christmas present. “T.I. promised to turn his life around. Lil Wayne can do the same thing.”

Lil Wayne has been rapping since he was a teenager. Over the past two years, his career has reached new heights with several Grammys and gold records. His “Tha Carter III” topped all album sales in 2008 with 2.8 million copies sold. The record had the No. 1 smash “Lollipop.”

“He’s very unique,” said 18-year-old April Nguyen, of Metairie, La. “He expands his genre, even does rock music, and is constantly reinventing himself.”

Lil Wayne’s next album, “Rebirth,” is due for release Feb. 1. After New Orleans, he is scheduled to play a couple of dates in Texas and another show in southern Louisiana.

NFL Cheerleader Causes Controversy With Blackface Lil Wayne Costume

Smokey D. Fontaine — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:19:53 +0000

From CBS News

ARLINGTON, Texas (CBS/CBS11) Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Whitney Isleib has inadvertently stepped into a Halloween controversy by reportedly dressing up as soon-to-be incarcerated rapper Lil’ Wayne in black-face.

Photos of the blonde-haired cheerleader turned hip-hop impresario were posted to Facebook and eventually made their way to sports blog Deadspin.com.

Offensive or just plain fun? Dallas fans are split.

Click Here For The Whole Story

JUST CURIOUS: Is Blackface Always Racist?

OPINION: Lil Wayne’s Gun Charge Is Real Life 101

NewsOne Staff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:36:24 +0000

I am good friends with “Charlamagne Tha God,” morning host for 100.3 “The Beat’ in Philadelphia. When asked about Lil Wayne’s gun charges, Charlamagne didn’t spare the proverbial rod. Smacking Lil Weezy across the forhead, “Tha God” went at the rapper hard, saying that by getting a year in prison, Wayne “got exactly what he deserved.”

Charlamagne is stricter than I am when it comes to discussing ways to manage potential poisons in our society. He is a righteous brother and stands up for what he believes in. He also represents a breath of fresh air in hip-hop, where it seems that everything has to always be “100 percent hood, 100 percent of the time.” The hood is not nearly as violent, promiscuous and chaotic as commercialized hip-hop has made it out to be. I don’t always see eye to eye with Charlamagne, but we have respect for one another’s viewpoints.

When it comes to Lil Wayne being sent to prison, part of me feels bad for him. Wayne has become a living, breathing, over-tattooed personification of the most detrimental elements in our society. He has somehow been convinced that he should live his life in the most destructive manner possible, without regard to how his choices might affect his children, his future and his community. To be quite honest, I see death in Lil Wayne, the same way I saw death in Tupac before he was shot in 1996. If Weezy lives past the age of 35, I will be absolutely shocked. I sincerely hope my instincts are wrong.

Although I don’t agree with the messages in Lil Wayne’s songs, my disposition toward Weezy has grown from flat out anger to one of cautious, mildly frustrated, creative respect. I know that there is a reason that millions of people love his music, and he is certainly talented. At the same time, our culture cannot fully embrace the likes of Lil Wayne without seriously considering the long-term consequences our society will face as a result of black youth emulating Lil Wayne’s behavior. Sometimes, a prolonged moment of silence can help a man reconnect with his conscience, which makes me pray that Lil Wayne emerges from prison a more thoughtful and socially productive man.

Outside of the message in Wayne’s lyrics, the real-life price he is paying by going to prison sends an even greater message to those who follow him. Lil Wayne’s recent gun charge communicates a simple fundamental truth: if you break the law, you are going to be incarcerated. My favorite rapper, TI, is also feeling real-life effects of the fact that he too has been tempted to allow the hyper-masculine fantasy arena of gangster rap to spill over into the real world where people actually go to prison for carrying firearms. At the same time, it must be recognized (as TI eloquently describes in his album “Paper Trail”) that in the game of hip-hop, trouble can sometimes follow you. So, most of us should be careful about judging the manner by which an artist responds to the threats around him. The solutions are not always as simple as they might seem.

When Ice Cube and NWA (the “gangster rap grandparents” of Lil Wayne and TI) came on the scene, I thought that this art form was exciting and brilliant. I still think it is. But there absolutely, positively, must come a day where rappers do not have to risk being shot or going to prison in order to prove that they are men. Lil Wayne’s gun charge and TI’s conviction for attempting to buy machine guns didn’t seem necessary, and I’ve noticed that hip-hop is the only genre where every song is about either sex, violence, making money or bragging about how great you are. There is nothing creative about an industry where every song covers the same topic.

I agreed with Charlamagne’s critique of Lil Wayne and I’ll share that with him when we’re on the air together Thursday. When I see Lil Wayne, I see the productive genius of Tupac and undisciplined behavior of Eazy-E, mixed with the wild times of any rock singer featured on a Vh-1 “Behind the Music” Special. There is deeper part of me that cries for Lil Wayne, for I feel that he too is trapped by the image that he himself has created. Even Weezy will get tired of this life at some point.

Lil Wayne Pleads Guilty To Gun Charges, Expects 1 Year Sentence

cganemccalla — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:05:40 +0000

Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted weapon possession Thursday, and expects to receive a one-year jail sentence.

He previously had pleaded not guilty to illegal gun-possession charges that carried at least 31/2 years in prison upon conviction.

Police said a gun was found on his tour bus in Manhattan in 2007.

The rapper, born Dwayne Carter, won last year’s best rap solo performance Grammy for A Milli . His albums include Tha Carter , Tha Carter II and Tha Carter III .

His trial had been due to start Jan. 20.

The judge had been holding a hearing on a debated DNA profiling technique used to tie the rapper to the gun.

Lil Wayne, 27, also is scheduled for trial in Arizona on felony drug-possession and weapons charges. He has pleaded not guilty in that case, which arose from an arrest at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in January, 2008.

Manhattan prosecutors said small amounts of DNA found on the loaded weapon connected it to the platinum-selling artist. Defence lawyer Stacey Richman said the gun wasn’t Lil Wayne’s, and the testing technique was too problematic to prove otherwise.

Police pulled over Lil Wayne’s tour bus in Columbus Circle on July 22, 2007. They said they had seen and smelled marijuana smoke wafting out the door before the bus left a concert venue minutes earlier.

Police said that as an officer approached, the rapper tossed away a Louis Vuitton bag containing a gun.
The defense disputed officers’ basis for searching the bus and noted that more than a dozen other people were aboard.

NEW YORK — Lil Wayne has a date in a Manhattan courtroom, but DNA science will take center stage.

A hearing on a DNA profiling technique used in the rapper’s 2007 gun-possession case was due to start Wednesday. It concerns a process used for identifying people from tiny amounts of DNA — including some that prosecutors say ties the Grammy Award-winner to a gun found on his tour bus after a concert.

The 27-year-old has pleaded not guilty. He faces at least 3 1/2 years in prison if convicted.
The hearing aims to establish whether what’s known as low copy number DNA profiling has general scientific acceptance.

Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Carter, won last year’s best rap solo performance Grammy for “A Milli.” His albums include “Tha Carter,” “Tha Carter II” and “Tha Carter III.”

OPINION: Do You Know the “7 Dirty Words”?

NewsOne Staff — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:55:42 +0000

Keri Hilson’s “Knock You Down” was on for the millionth time yesterday and I didn’t mind because I like the song and all but there’s one thing that does bother me about when that song is played on the radio; censors blank out two words that aren’t even obscene!

When Ne-Yo sings, “I used to be commander and chief of my pimp ship flying high…” they blank out the word “ship”.

Then when Kanye spits, “How can you ask someone who’s only average…?” they blank out the word “ask”.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that hyper sensitive censors hit the mute button on words that might have sounded like fouler words or words that were innocuous in most cases and only sometimes slightly risky due to context. Heck, Wanye and Baby’s “Always Strapped” has the second word in its title blanked depending on the time of day or which station you catch it on.

If you think back to 2003, in the chorus to 50 Cent’s “What Up Gangsta“, when 50 spit, “What up Blood, what up Cuz…” the “Blood” part always got blanked. This I found particularly disturbing because the censor, who was clearly showing his affinity for street gangs by omitting the reference to a popular one, also blatantly missed the fact that “Cuz” is just another word for “Crip” (the rivals to the Bloods). This could make it seem as if the radio endorsed the Crips over the Bloods.

By far, in my opinion, the worst case of runaway censorship however had to be on The Notorious B.I.G.’s “One More Chance” remix when Big spit “Navajos creep me in their teepee…” “Navajos” would get garbled-which is similar to being blanked, just with distorted audio- thereby rendering an entire nation of Native Americans too perverse to mention aloud.

The late great comedian George Carlin had a standup routine where he listed the 7 words that were, under all circumstances, too offensive to ever say on television or the radio. I’m not gonna write them here (just click on Carlin’s name if you’ve absolutely GOTTA hear them), but I will give you their cleaner alternatives: feces, urine, womb, copulation, chicken lollipop, female-parent fornicator and the palindrome for “breast”.

What do ya’ll think of censorship? Are there truly such things as “bad” words and if so, which words are they?

OPINION: Can a Good Song Have Bad Lyrics?

NewsOne Staff — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:12:23 +0000

Back when I still had my looks and used to hit the downtown Manhattan club scene with a book in my back pocket, there was a song that, whenever played, would get the biggest reaction from the ladies in the house. It was bonus cut on Dr. Dre’s Chronic CD; a song known quite unprintably as “_______ Ain’t ____.”

Imagine my amazement! I would have thought that women would hate this song. But they’d go running out there on the dance floor, dancing with each other and singing all the lyrics! To my thinking at the time, this would have been akin to me starting to pop and lock to a song called “Hang Me a Darkie”.

Of course, this song had one of the best beats on the entire Chronic CD and when I finally did get around to asking one of the young lovelies how she could ignore the obvious insults that the lyrics flung at her gender she replied simply, “The song’s not talkin’ about me!”

“Oh,” I said, starting to dance myself. “You sure?”

Now, if we were face to face and you asked me right now what my favorite radio song was I’d lie and say it was John Legend moaning like Jeffrey Osborne after a bad car accident and then, thankfully, letting Estelle get busy on “No Other Love.”

Of course, the truth is, it’s not that song. It’s actually Lil Wayne and Birdman with “Always Strapped”. I know, I know, I know…

In this song, you have all the worst: crass materialism, forced lesbian acts, drug abuse, violence involving “soda” and a coerced Young and the Restless lifestyle. Yet despite the dreadful subject matter, the lyrics are actually a perfect study in minimalism, with Weezy proving that the wordier is not always the better by delivering a 16 as good as I’ve heard all season.

That was a tough confession for me to make. Somebody please admit to liking “Birthday Sex“ or something worse so I can feel a little bit better about myself.