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[WATCH] Pretty Ricky’s Baby Blue Receives Early Prison Release, Changes Name To “Bigg Money Blue”

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News reports have confirmed that Baby Blue from the millennial R&B group Pretty Ricky was granted an early release today (February 7) after spending exactly one year behind bars for fraud charges in connection to an alleged Payment Protection Program (PPP) scam.

Blue, whose given name is Diamond Smith, was sentenced to 20 months for his role in a $24 million dollar Payment Protection Program, but Blue told The Shade Room that his reduced time was granted under the First Step Act, which was enacted by Donald Trump in 2018. The Pretty Ricky singer also said that he is officially changing his name to “Bigg Money Blue” and that he has new music and a book on the way. 

The post [WATCH] Pretty Ricky’s Baby Blue Receives Early Prison Release, Changes Name To “Bigg Money Blue” appeared first on The Source.

Boom Pacino, Director Of ‘Respect Life’, Web Series Dead At 35

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According to several confirmed reports, Boom Pacino, the director and star of the Brooklyn-based web series Respect Life, has died. Pacino was 35 years old.

His cause of death has not been confirmed.

Fans have flocked to the internet to pay their condolences. There has been concern among Respect Life fans for several years about Boom Pacino’s wellbeing. This was as new episodes of Respect Life stopped shortly after they became popular. Pacino returned with new episodes of Respect Life in November 2018. Since then, he has been largely AWOL online.

Respect Life is a gritty drama set in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, in which P played lead character and also wrote and directed all of the material. 

His mixtapes and albums have also made him well-known enough to perform with many great rappers, including Rakim and Gucci Mane.

Salute to this legend and condolences to his family.

The post Boom Pacino, Director Of ‘Respect Life’, Web Series Dead At 35 appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Grandmaster Flash Releases Part 2 of his New Vignette Series

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Fresh off his 2023 GRAMMY awards performance, Grandmaster Flash talks the history of Jay-Z, the proficiency of Eminem and his discovery of Drake in Part 2 of his 10-part vignette series. Click below to watch now!

The post [WATCH] Grandmaster Flash Releases Part 2 of his New Vignette Series appeared first on The Source.

Bandman Kevon Wants A Refund From Gunna For $250K Feature

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We haven’t heard much from Gunna these days, but he may be lying low. In December, Gunna was the first YSL co-defendant to be released from jail after accepting a plea deal. Seven others would follow suit, and since then, Gunna has faced “snitch” accusations. He and his lawyers have denied cooperating with the authorities, but the very allegation casts a dark shadow.

The controversy has reached Bandman Kevo, who is demanding his money back for a feature from Gunna. He took to Twitter to voice his frustrations. “I paid gunna last year for a feature 250k,” Kevo wrote. “And months later he got a caught case which put my feature and everything else got put on hold , just for him to get released and snitch.”

Read More: YSL Co-Founder Mondo Claims D.A. Fani Willis Used To Be His Lawyer

“I can’t do a song with dude I need my bread back asap,” Kevo also shared. “And if they cap im going big lawsuit.” This may seem like an innocuous tweet, but Kevo’s sentiments may be felt by others in the industry. Although there isn’t proof that Gunna snitched, artists have seemingly been distancing themselves from the “Pushin P” hitmaker. Fans have noticed that rappers have unfollowed Gunna on social media, while others have condemned his plea deal in interviews.

Meanwhile, Young Thug and over a dozen co-defendants face RICO charges that could lock many of them up for life. It has been maintained that YSL is a record label and not a criminal organization, but prosecutors are committed to convincing a jury otherwise. Upon his release, Gunna shared a statement saying he took an Alford plea in his best interest.

Read More: YSL Mondo Details Lil Wayne Allegedly Disrespecting Young Thug & Calls Out Gunna

“My focus of YSL was entertainment – rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and ‘glorified’ urban life in the Black community,” he said at the time. “While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have NOT made any statements, have NOT been interviewed, have NOT cooperated, have NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way.”

Despite the statement, he still faces scandal. Gunna has also advocated for Young Thug’s release.

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Rapper Leshaun Finds Peace After The Music Industry In New Tiny Home

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Brooklyn-born rapper Leshaun who once toured with LL Cool J and performed on the triple platinum single “Doin’ it,” has found a peace of mind away from the music industry. After purchasing a 2700-square ft house to help her daughter she decided the space was too big once her daughter moved out. Now she’s found a simpler way of living but she kept it glamourous downsizing to her new way of living.

The femcee is now a Tiny House builder & lives in one that she designed to fit her personal taste. 
She just expanded her tiny living with her newest RV renovation, which is (a little) bigger and more glamorous than her last one. She lives in this tiny home full time and calls the space “Dream.” Leshaun wowed fans with her last tiny home creation about her toy hauler conversion which received 1.4 million views. While she received tons of love following her video of course social media came with their negative comments as well. 

Watch her tour her new Tiny Home and hear her response to critics.

Check out Leshaun’s first tiny home ‘Jewel’.

Check out her DIY Tiny Home modeling tips on her YouTube own page.

Check out her classic vocals on LL Cool J’s hit single ‘Doing it’.

Check out Leshaun back in the day.

The post Rapper Leshaun Finds Peace After The Music Industry In New Tiny Home appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: The Sugar Hill Gang Released Their Self Titled Debut LP 43 Years Ago

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This particular passage takes us on a journey all the way back to February 7, 1980, when The Sugarhill Gang, comprised of Michael “Wonder Mike” Wright, Guy “Master Gee” O’Brien, and the late Henry “Big Bank Hank” Jackson – all of whom hailing from Englewood, New Jersey – dropped their self-titled debut album, Sugarhill Gang, which is widely regarded as the very first full-length Hip Hop album to ever be released.

Distributed via Sugar Hill Records – founded by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson along with Milton Malden – and at 39:17 in length, the project featured six records, including “Rapper’s Delight.” Ranked No. 251 on Rolling Stone Magazine‘s “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list, while not exactly the first track to feature rapping – Fatback Band‘s “King Tim III (Personality Jock),” released six months prior, is actually credited for such – “Rapper’s Delight” is however typically considered to be the first song that popularized Hip Hop, and was also the first to become a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Sugar Hill Gang Released Their Self Titled Debut LP 43 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Happy Heavenly Birthday J Dilla!

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On this day in Hip Hop history we recognize and remember the birth of one of the most prolific producers in the game. James Yancey, better know as J Dilla, was born today [February 7] in 1974.

J Dilla was the first born of four children to a Detroit family rooted in creativity. His mother was an opera singer and his father a jazz bassist. According to his mother, Dilla could “match pitch perfect harmony” at two months old. Dilla started collecting vinyls at the young age of two and would spend a lot of his free time spinning records at the park. It can be said that J Dilla’s “career” began after he transferred high schools from Davis Aerospace Technical High School to Detroit Pershing High School. At Detroit Pershing, he met fellow members of Slum Village, T3 and Baatin. During the rest of his teenage years, Dilla spent the majority of his time alone in his basement perfecting his craft.

In 1992, J Dilla met experienced Detroit musician Amp Fiddler who let Dilla use his MPC for the first time. In 1995, J Dilla and MC Phat Kat formed the first rap group from Detroit to get signed to a major label, 1st Down. The record deal with Payday Records ended after one single when the label folded.

In 1996, Dilla officially formed Slum Village with his longtime friends T3 and Baatin and recorded their debut, Fan-Tas-Tic Volume 1. The album, released in 1997, gained a lot of support from Hip Hop fans everywhere and the attention of Q-Tip, who was quick to call the group a successor of A Tribe Called Quest.

Throughout the 90s, J Dilla was known as a huge prospect in Hip Hop. He gained the public’s attention with his singles and remixes of records by Janet Jackson, Pharcyde, De La Soul and Busta Rhymes. Although Dilla rose to stardom with these remixes, he was rarely given singular credit. Instead the production team of The Ummah, a collective including Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, and Raphael Saadiq, often received the credit.

The post Happy Heavenly Birthday J Dilla! appeared first on The Source.

Happy 56th Birthday Kid Capri!

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Today, the illustrious and world famous DJ Kid Capri celebrates his 56th birthday!

David Anthony Love Jr. aka Kid Capri has had one of the most successful careers in Hip-Hop history. As a pioneer in the mixtape game, Capri has inspired generations of rappers thus creating an imprint in the game that few can measure up to. He’s worked with an army of OG’s including KRS-1, Heavy D, and Slick Rick. He’s also worked with game-changers like Jay Z, Ghostface Killah, Styles P, and Big L. Capri was also the sole DJ on HBO’s long-running, Def Comedy Jam, which recently hosted its 25th Anniversary to which the Brooklyn-born/Bronx-raised DJ served as the honorary man on the 1s and 2s.

The new generation of Hip Hop wouldn’t be where it is without Capri blazing the trail.. The Prime Minister of mixtapes set the standard for every upcoming rapper or producer that wanted to put their music out there for the public. He was and still is one of the game’s original influencers.

The post Happy 56th Birthday Kid Capri! appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: The Source Magazine Remembers the Legacy of Big Pun 23 Years Later

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On this date in 2000, the Hip Hop community was both shocked and saddened by the untimely death of lyrical giant Christopher “Big Pun” Rios. As the premiere artist for Fat Joe’s Terror Squad, Pun became the first Latino Hip Hop artist to go platinum and discovered TS’ First Lady, Remy Ma.

Pun is regarded as one of the game’s best lyricists to ever do it, or as he is aptly described, one of the best “dead or alive”. His only two full-length releases, Capital Punishment and Yeeahhh Baby, are considered classic albums among true Hip Hop aficionados and continue to get radio play on his smash singles “I’m Not A Player” and the posthumous “It’s So Hard”.

Rest In Peace to Pun and sincere condolences to the Rios family from the entire Mind Squad.

#RIPBIGPUN

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Source Magazine Remembers the Legacy of Big Pun 23 Years Later appeared first on The Source.

Black Colorado Ranchers Arrested After Domestic Terrorism From Locals

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Black Colorado farmers Courtney and Nicole Mallery were arrested after making complaints about harassment on he and his wife’s farm. A case involving racial tensions between a Black family and their predominantly white neighbors has escalated to multiple restraining orders and now felony arrests.

Courtney and Nicole relocated to Colorado after a hurricane displaced them. Part of the mission of his farm, Freedom Acres Ranch, is the education of inner city youth and underserved communities about where food comes from to encourage everyone to grow their own foods and pursue careers in agriculture.

On Monday, Courtney and Nicole Mallery were arrested on felony warrants and were each booked by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. The Mallerys were each expected to face two felony charges of stalking, according to online court records.For the past two years, the Mallerys have complained people have targeted their farm through acts of vandalism and animal mutilation of their livestock.

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In a statement sent to 9NEWS in December, the Mallerys outlined allegations against an El Paso County deputy, claiming he was instigating attacks.

“Unfortunately, there are still corrupt police and racist people out there who are trying to block minority farmers from using their agricultural land because of their race. In Colorado Springs, the Mallery’s are the most recent victims of this blatant racism and vitriol,” the statement from the Mallerys said.

The Mallery’s told Ark republic, “Once or twice a week, strange white people drive slowly by their ranch, stop and take pictures or video, and sometimes brandish guns at them. The couple is frequently followed; especially while they are in town. As a result, they rarely travel and are mindful at what time. Clearly, they are unwanted. Even the post office workers ask us why we’re here,” says Courtney. A regular phrase told to Courtney is that “he has a lot of the balls” to purchase land in the mostly white community.

“What puts me on edge is that everyone knows us and how we look, but we don’t know them,” Courtney tells Ark Republic.

This is just some of the reports of terror the Houston transplant says his family has experienced since the purchase of a 1,000 acre ranch in El Paso County Colorado in August 2020. Courtney Mallery alleges he and his wife have been the target of local whites who want them off of their land.

“It’s like I’m being tormented for doing God’s work,” says Mallery who is exhausted because his family has not slept for months from keeping night watches.

The sheriff’s county released a statement, “The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office vehemently denies these allegations.”

CLICK HERE to see the arrest video.

The post Black Colorado Ranchers Arrested After Domestic Terrorism From Locals appeared first on The Source.