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Judge: The Source in contempt in Eminem case

New York, NY - A federal judge found the hip-hop magazine The Source in contempt of court for violating an order not to publish racially charged lyrics from a recording made by rapper Eminem as a youth.

The magazine published the full lyrics on its Web site in January, violating a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Gerard Lynch in December in a copyright dispute between the magazine and the rapper.

In a pair of rulings made public Wednesday, Lynch ordered The Source to pay legal fees to Shady Records Inc., Eminem's label.

But the judge denied a request by Shady Records to fine the magazine thousands of dollars because the magazine quickly removed the lyrics in January when lawyers complained.

The dispute concerns two recordings made by Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, as a teenager. They included lyrics that deride black women.

Eminem, now 31, has said the recording was "foolishness" that he made as a teenager out of anger and frustration after breaking up with a black girlfriend.

In a companion ruling, the same judge dismissed a countersuit filed by The Source against Shady Records and Eminem himself, in which the magazine claimed it held the rights to the songs.

The judge compared Eminem to Benny Goodman, Elvis Presley and Paul Simon in finding success in musical genres pioneered by black artists. But he said the First Amendment protects the rapper's "musical commentaries on life."

"It is for fans of hip-hop, and not for this court, to decide what if anything this episode means for their opinions of Mathers as a man and as an artist," the judge wrote.

In a ruling in December, the judge, allowed the magazine to publish limited excerpts from the lyrics and to distribute CDs containing small clips of the songs.

Michael S. Elkin, a lawyer for The Source, defended the publication of the lyrics.

"The Source had every right to publish the material it did release to inform the public about who Eminem is," he told The New York Times for Thursday editions.

Shady Records declined comment.


Source: Hollywood Reporter


Rapper Beanie Sigel gets shooting-trial date in January

Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel is scheduled to face trial again Jan. 12.

Sigel's first trial on charges of attempted murder ended in April with a mistrial when jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Sigel, 30, whose real name is Dwight Grant, is accused of shooting Terrance Speller, 27, last July near a West Philadelphia bar. Sigel is free on $150,000 bail.

Common Pleas Court Judge Karen Shreeves-Johns set the new trial date yesterday, in accordance with the attorneys' and the court's trial schedules.


Source: Philly.com


Superstar rapper Nelly makes history with the release of two new CD's on the same day

Three-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Nelly will make musical history on September 14th when he simultaneously releases two new albums entitled Sweat and Suit. While he joins Bruce Springstein and Guns'n'Roses, who have also released two albums on the same day, Nelly becomes the first rapper to join their exclusive ranks.

Conceptually and creatively, Sweat and Suit showcase the multi-platinum St. Louis native's diverse musical styles. "I had so much material that at first I thought about releasing a double CD, but then I thought it would be better to release two albums separately to show fans the best of both sides of 'Nellyville,'" says Nelly.

In describing how the two albums are different, he characterizes Sweat as having more "up-tempo club bangers that are more street-oriented songs like 'Hot In Herre,' 'Air Force Ones' or '#1,'" while Suit is more "'grown and sexy,' along the lines of 'Dilemma' or "Ride Wit Me.'" Both albums showcase Nelly's trademark melodic lyrical style that gives him a broad-based appeal. "When I first came out I was representing my city hard, now I'm trying to explain so much more. I think both albums show my growth creatively and personally," he adds.

"Flap Your Wings" is the set-up single from Sweat, and Time magazine says, "word has it that this Neptunes' produced track is in the same vein as Country Grammar and Hot In Herre, the rapper's previous summer hits." The lead single for Suit is "My Place" featuring the R&B; singer Jaheim- who Nelly calls "the Teddy of our generation." In fact, "My Place" is a re-working of the Teddy Pendergrass' classic, "Come On And Go With Me."

As part of an innovative campaign to cross-promote the two albums at once, Universal Records plans an aggressive organic, street-oriented campaign for Sweat, leading off with "Flap Your Wings" and a more traditional set-up for Suit with "My Place."

Nelly first came to national attention when he released his 9x platinum-selling 2000 debut Country Grammar. In 2001, as a member of the St. Lunatics (which includes fellow group member Murphy Lee), Universal Records released the group's platinum-certified debut Free City. The next year, he released his 6x platinum-certified sophomore album, Nellyville followed by the platinum-certified re-mix album, Da Derrty Versions in 2003. Cumulatively, Nelly has sold close to 30 million singles/albums worldwide establishing him as one today's top-selling artists. Sweat and Suit will be his third and fourth studio albums respectively


Source: Motown / Universal Records


MTV edits Eminem mooning from awards

MTV plans to edit out a shot of the rapper exposing his rear end to the audience at the 2004 Movie Awards when the show is broadcast Thursday at 9 p.m. EDT, a network representative confirmed Monday.

Eminem, who performed at the Saturday night taping with his group D12, appeared onstage dressed in a long red wig and jeans in a parody of Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose.

He repeatedly groped and flashed a studded codpiece in front of the cameras and the thousands of people in the live audience. Toward the end of the performance, he pulled down his trousers and flashed his bare backside at the audience.

Representatives for MTV immediately said on Saturday night that Eminem's act would be sanitized for broadcast by editing around the stunt.

Eminem's representatives declined immediate comment.

Eminem also dropped trou earlier this year during a performance in Germany, but ever since Janet Jackson's Super Bowl stunt, broadcasters have tried to keep everyone's clothes on -- at least while they're on camera.


Source: cnn.com


Hot rapper Kanye West adds clout to DJ contest

While cigarette-sponsored DJ competitions aren’t exactly the epitome of cool, Kool Mixx 2004 — where four amateur DJs will battle it for turntable supremacy, not to mention $2,500 — has an ace up its sleeve in Kanye West.

West is the Chicago rapper/producer who’s turned the rap game on its ear and become one of the genre’s biggest stars since unveiling his debut album “The College Dropout,” which has spawned three hit singles and sold more than 1.7 million copies since its February release.

West will perform at the DJ competition, which starts at 9 p.m. Saturday at Detroit’s St. Andrew’s Hall. Admission is free and open to adults 18 and older. The competition will feature winners from two local preliminary rounds, held in May at St. Andrew’s Hall.

A panel of judges will score the DJs on creativity/originality, scratching/beat juggling and crowd response. The winner will advance to the competition’s finals in Chicago, where he’ll battle for a $10,000 prize.


Source: www.detnews.com


Outkast Star Launches Ralph Lauren-Inspired Fashion Label

Andre 3000 of the hip-hop duo Outkast is busy working on his new fashion label. The clothing line, set to launch next spring, will be a mix of street fashion and haute couture and, according to NME.com, is somewhat inspired by Ralph Lauren, who, Andre 3000 says, is his fashion idol.

“There will be something for whether you want to dress up or down, and there will be a lot of classic finery. It will make an impact,” the Grammy winning rapper, which has always been known for his eccentric fashion choices, says.

The label will presumably be called Designs by Benjamin Andre (Andre 3000`s real name) unless the rapper comes up with another, shorter title.

The hip-hop duo are set to release two more albums and a movie called Speakerboxxx that will feature both Andre and OutKast's other half, Big Boi, next year.


Source: Fashiongates.com