Apr 25

Prince’s Estate To Release Original, Exclusive Material

Minneapolis, Minnesota –

Fans of The Purple One may have new memorabilia to swoon over sooner than later.

According to TMZ, boxes of unreleased photos and writings have been found by the Prince Estate in Minnesota. Paisley Park Enterprises, the merchandising division of Prince’s Estate, intends to cash in on the discoveries, having just filed documents for clearance to release the handwritten poetry, lyrics, journals and never-before-seen photos. The estate plans to produce a collector’s book of this original printed material, though there has been no word on when the book will be available.

The announcement comes after the criminal investigation into Prince’s death was closed. Last week (Thursday, April 19) TMZ has reported that after a two-year investigation into Prince’s death, no one will be held responsible, due to insufficient evidence of who provided the fentanyl-laced Vicodin that killed the legendary singer. According to Carver County District Attorney Mark Metz, Prince was likely unaware that he was taking fentanyl, but had been taking opioids for quite some time for “significant pain.” Prosecutors allege he did not have a Vicodin or fentanyl prescription on record.

Just hours prior to this decision, court documents revealed that Dr. Michael Schulenberg had agreed to pay $30,000 in a federal civil violation suit for illegally prescribing Prince Oxycodone. Schulenberg had treated Prince at least twice, and had written Oxycodone prescriptions to Prince’s bodyguard, Kirk Johnson as a cover, claiming he used Johnson to protect Prince’s privacy. Though Oxycodone was not found to play a role in the musician’s death, this violated the Controlled Substances Act. This case differs from Michael Jackson’s, in which the doctor responsible for administering MJ a deadly dose of propofol was eventually sentenced for involuntary manslaughter.

In a statement Thursday (April 19), U.S. Attorney Greg Brooker said, “Doctors are trusted medical professionals and, in the midst of our opioid crisis, they must be part of the solution. As licensed professionals, doctors are held to a high level of accountability in their prescribing practices, especially when it comes to highly addictive painkillers. … We are committed to using every available tool to stem the tide of opioid abuse.”

The decisions come around the two-year anniversary of Prince’s death, when he was discovered unresponsive in an elevator of his Paisley Park estate in April 2016, aged 57. The singer has continued selling albums and racking up streams – an April 2017 Billboard report showed that he surpassed Drake and Adele to total $7.7 Million in sales in the first year after his passing.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46615/title.princes-estate-to-release-original-exclusive-material

Apr 25

Kanye West Aligns Himself With Donald Trump & Says He Can’t Be Managed

Kanye West isn’t backing down from his support of Donald Trump.

The G.O.O.D. Music founder’s Twitter spree continued on Wednesday (April 25), affirming his love for Trump and addressing a recent report about West cutting ties with his management.

“You don’t have to agree with trump but the mob can’t make me not love him,” he tweeted. “We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.

“If your friend jumps off the bridge you don’t have to do the same. Ye being Ye is a fight for you to be you. For people In my life the idea of Trump is pretty much a 50 50 split but I don’t tell a Hillary supporter not to support Hillary
I love Hillary too.”

He continued, “I love when people have their own ideas. You don’t have to be allowed anymore. Just be. Love who you want to love. That’s free thought. I’m not even political. I’m not a democrat or a republican. And also I’m all the way out the sunken place. And I’m not scared anymore. I’m not scared of the media. I’m not scared of the past and I’m optimistic about the future. This tweet is in love not fear.”

Later in the day, the music superstar tried to clarify his aligning with Trump — thanks to prompting from his wife, Kim Kardashian-West.

“My wife just called me and she wanted me to make this clear to everyone,” he noted. “I don’t agree with everything Trump does. I don’t agree 100% with anyone but myself.”

Early on in West’s latest string of tweets, he took aim at TMZ’s report about him splitting with management. Although he took exception with being called “erratic,” ‘Ye largely confirm much of the reporting.

“I no longer have a manager,” he wrote. “I can’t be managed. I’m nobody’s ‘client.’ yes I got rid of my last lawyer why? Because he wouldn’t come to work full time. I also asked my last manager to come work full time for Yeezy of course the last lawyer and manager said no. So now I hired a CEO and a CFO and i have two full time lawyers as of now.”

He added, “We have 160 positions to fill by the end of the year. Yeezy will hit a billion dollars this year. It is the 2nd fastest growing company in history. It is a unicorn on its way to becoming a decacorn.”

West also boasted about his Yeezy brand.

“I am currently the single highest paid person in footwear,” he said. “That means I make more money on shoes than Michael Jordan. there’s been a lot of fake news so I just wanted to give you the facts. Yeezy will become the biggest apparel company in human history by working with the most genius level talents and creating product at an affordable price. I hired the head of supply chain from the Gap. We will reach the prices I’ve promised.”

After declaring himself “this generation’s Ford Hughes Jobs Disney,” West directed a message to TMZ founder Harvey Levin.

“Harvey Levin of TMZ your hearing from your future president,” he wrote. “Let’s be friends. Please never use the word erratic to describe a person who is economically and psychologically empowered.”

West claimed he’s not afraid of any negative reaction to his tweets. He referred to himself as a free thinker and joked again about the “sunken place” from the hit film Get Out.

“I’m used to the heat of independent thoughts,” he said. “Free thinkers don’t fear retaliation for your thoughts. The traditional thinkers are only using thoughts and words but they are in a mental prison. You are free. You’ve already won. Feel energized. Move in love not fear. Be afraid of nothing.”

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46616/title.kanye-west-aligns-himself-with-donald-trump-says-he-cant-be-managed

Apr 25

$5M Russell Simmons Rape Lawsuit Dropped

Los Angeles, CA – According to a new finding by The Hollywood Reporter, Jennifer Jarosik, the aspiring filmmaker who accused Hip Hop mogul Russell Simmons of raping her in 2016, has dropped her $5 million lawsuit.

On Wednesday (April 25), all parties filed a joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice.

In the official court documents, Simmons maintained that his sexual relationship with Jarosik was consensual and revealed that she sent text messages saying how much she missed him.

Despite the imminent victory for this particular case, Simmons, 60, isn’t totally in the clear just yet. He still faces a $10 million lawsuit from an unnamed accuser stemming from a 1980s encounter.

An encounter he calls an “extortion attempt.”

(The original version of this article was written by Trey Alston on January 25, 2018, and can be found below.)

Russell Simmons is facing more sexual assault allegations, according to TMZ. Another woman has come forward and is pursuing more than $5 million from Simmons for an alleged sexual assault.

In the lawsuit, the woman — identified as Jennifer Jarosik — claims Simmons invited her to his house and attempted to have sex with her in 2016. After refusing his advances, she says Simmons suddenly became aggressive, forced her onto the bed and knocked her off of it in a subsequent scuffle. She alleges he then raped her as she was in a state of “shock and fear.”

Jarosik revealed she first met Simmons in 2006 and the two struck up a friendship due to their love for yoga, vegan food and meditation.

After her 2016 encounter with the Def Jam Recordings co-founder, Jarosik says she suffered from both internal and external distress. Consequently, she’s seeking $5 million in punitive damages and unspecified actual damages.

Jarosik’s explosive claims have added her to a list of fourteen women who’ve come forward with accusations of sexual assault aimed at Simmons. Simmons denied the claims against him.

“I vehemently deny all these allegations,” Simmons told TMZ earlier this month. “These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core. I am blessed to have shared extraordinary relationships, whether through work or love, with many great women; and I have enormous respect for the women’s movement worldwide and their struggle for respect, dignity, equality, and power.”

Simmons, who stepped down from Def Jam and some of his other companies last November, has vowed to prove his innocence.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.45783/title.russell-simmons-faces-5m-lawsuit-for-another-alleged-rape

Apr 25

Wu-Tang Clan, Lil Wayne & Dipset To Headline 2018 A3C Festival

Atlanta, GA – The 2018 A3C Festival has booked the Wu-Tang Clan as one of its headliners to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The legendary group will be joined on the bill by Lil Wayne and Dipset.

PRhyme, J.I.D, Curren$y, Young M.A, Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, Childish Major and Deante Hitchcock round out the lineup as of April 24. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Y’all ready for A3C this year? Tickets on sale now (link in bio) #A3C18 #a3cfestival

A post shared by All 3 Coasts (@a3cfestival) on Apr 24, 2018 at 8:21am PDT

This year’s A3C Festival takes place on October 6 and 7 at the Georgia Freight Depot in Atlanta. Before the musical festivities, A3C will host a three-day conference across multiple venues in the ATL, which begins on October 3.

Tickets for the 2018 festival and conference are available at A3C’s official site.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46606/title.wu-tang-clan-lil-wayne-dipset-to-headline-2018-a3c-festival

Apr 25

Meek Mill Makes First Post-Prison Appearance At Philadelphia 76ers Game

Philadelphia, PA – Meek Mill made his first public appearance since being released from Chester State Prison on Tuesday afternoon (April 24). According to Meek’s publicist, after stopping at the barber to get his hair cut, he was taken to the Philadelphia 76ers game at the Wells Fargo Center where the Sixers are playing the Miami Heat.

In a video shared to Twitter, Meek was all smiles as he rang the Liberty Bell to start the game.

“Give it up for Meek Mill,” the announcer says.

The Sixers ran out to the court blasting Meek’s track “Ima Boss,” a cut from his 2012 album, Don’t Panic. 

The Sixers’ co-founder Micheal Grubin picked Meek up from the prison and quickly posted a photo of the Wins Losses rapper in his car.

(The original version of this article was published on April 24, 2018 at 2:22 p.m. PST and can be found below.)

The day has finally arrived — Meek Mill is now a free man. After the Philadelphia Supreme Court granted Meek’s bail on Tuesday (April 24), Twitter exploded with excitement for the Philly rapper who’s been incarcerated since last November.

Judge Genece Brinkley had initially ruled he’d stay in prison until his next appeal hearing but the Supreme Court threw her decision out.

In a statement to HipHopDX, Meek’s publicist said the rapper will likely be at the Philadelphia 76ers game on Tuesday night. His first stop was the barber where he got his haircut for the game.

From Funkmaster Flex, Dave East and YG to his loyal fans, hundreds of people are rooting for Meek on social media, and there’s no doubt he’s feeling the love.

Check out the reactions below. 

Bro Free @meekmill that’s a blessing. NEW LIFE!

A post shared by YG (@yg) on Apr 24, 2018 at 1:44pm PDT

THE STREETS MISSED YOU KING!!!

A post shared by Freaky Forever Mugga ? FTD ENT (@daveeast) on Apr 24, 2018 at 1:45pm PDT

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46604/title.meek-mills-prison-release-has-twitter-in-party-mode