In a revealing episode of Lead By Example with GS Warriors General Manager Bob Myers, rap wunderkind and b-ball enthusiast J. Cole told Myers he believed he had a real shot at the NBA, but a cigarette habit at the tender age of 6 made that dream in particular a little harder to reach.
Cole, a Fayetteville, NC native, revealed that by six years old, he had already developed an unhealthy habit; smoking cigarettes. “At 6 years old, I was smoking cigarettes regularly around the neighborhood,” says Cole. “I was always hanging around the older kids in the neighborhood that [my older brother, Zach] was hanging around and they were smoking. And I was young and fearless and trying to be cool.”
Brooklyn rapper Casanova, born Caswell Senior, is back in the news again this week awaiting sentencing for the ongoing Gorilla Stone Nation case. Casanova is among the 18 individuals charged as members of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone gang in a comprehensive RICO case that emerged in December 2020.
The gang is accused of various crimes, including drug trafficking, violent assaults, and the murder of a 15-year-old boy in Upstate New York.
Initially, Casanova faced charges of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to knowingly and intentionally manufacture, distribute, or dispense, or possess with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense, a controlled substance (crack cocaine, cocaine, and marijuana), and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
He initially pleaded not guilty, and the rapper asserted his innocence, arguing that his high-profile status and connections to specific individuals made him a target for the authorities.
In November of 2021, Cas was hit with another indictment that claimed Casanova and another Gorilla Stone member named Jarrett “Jayecee” Crisler shot a member of the Crips in front of the King of Diamonds strip club during a dispute over gang signs.
The rapper also admitted to being the shooter in a July 5, 2020, incident at a Florida party involving other gang members. During the altercation, Casanova fired at a rival over a gambling disagreement.
Additionally, the rapper acknowledged his involvement in a 2018 robbery in Manhattan that left a woman named Niya Rucker severely injured.
Rucker claimed that Gorilla Stone members attacked her, breaking her jaw, as she was restrained for recording the rapper during a meal.
Casanova also confessed to conspiring to traffic a minimum of 100 kilograms of marijuana and being a key figure in the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation.
He has now pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to conduct and participate in the affairs of a criminal enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity and one count of conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana.
His new sentencing date is now scheduled for June 27, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. Casanova faces up to 60 years in prison.
On Friday, rapper 6ix9ine found himself dodging a beer can tossed at him while he taunted a crowd of fans at a ball game. Reporter Aram Leighton shared a video on his Twitter of 6ix9ine at the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals match-up between Mexico and Puerto Rico at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Fla. In the clip, the controversial rapper is waving the Mexico flag at people behind him who are booing at him.
Soon after, a beer can flies right by him nearly hitting him in his head. Some say you can see the man who allegedly threw the can in the video.
According to Leighton, Puerto Rico fans weren’t feeling the Brooklyn rapper, taunting them with the Mexican flag at the game.
“6ix9ine is in the building and waving a Mexico flag. A Puerto Rico fan wasn’t having it and threw a beer can right by his head,” he tweeted.
What you also don’t see in the video is 6ix9ine reportedly being relocated to another area to avoid any more confrontation with fans.
Despite 6ix9ine’s disruption, Mexico defeated Puerto Rico 5-4 to reach the semifinals for the first time ever. Do you think he will ever get to go out in public without any incident?
6ix9ine is in the building and waving a Mexico flag. A Puerto Rico fan wasn’t having it and threw a beer can right by his head pic.twitter.com/NfFn2fgGH2
A federal judge in Amarillo, Texas, heard arguments in a court case that could force the FDA to revoke its approval of mifepristone, which is used as one part of a two-pill regimen for medication abortions.
On Wednesday the judge questioned lawyers for President Joe Biden’s administration on whether the federal regulatory approval given to the abortion pill mifepristone 22 years ago was proper as he considered a request by anti-abortion groups to ban sales of the drug nationwide.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk during a hearing in Amarillo also pressed the groups, led by the Texas-based Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, to explain how he could reverse approval of a long-established drug. The judge raised the possibility of a more limited ruling, keeping the drug on the market but re-imposing some restrictions lifted by Biden’s administration, including requiring it to be dispensed in person rather than by mail.
Walgreens CEO made the decision to stop selling mifepristone – an FDA-approved medication used for abortion and treating miscarriages. It’s an outrageous decision based entirely on pressure from anti-choice politicians – not science.
Arguably the most consequential abortion case since the U.S. Supreme Court, powered by its conservative majority, last year overturned its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had recognized a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy.
Medication abortion is the most common abortion method in our country. It’s safe. It’s effective. And it’s been widely used for the past 20 years.
And yet, Walgreens made the decision to not sell mifepristone, which will affect access to reproductive care across the country. The plaintiffs are asking Kacsmaryk for a preliminary order halting sales of mifepristone nationwide – even in states where abortion is legal – while their lawsuit proceeds. Twelve of the 50 states now ban abortion outright while many others prohibit it after a certain length of pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. A ruling against the FDA would hinder abortion access in every state as medication abortion – with mifepristone part of a two-pill regimen – accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions.
Mifepristone is available under the brand name Mifeprex and as a generic. Used in conjunction with another drug called misoprostol, it is approved to terminate a pregnancy within the first 10 weeks of a pregnancy. The FDA in January said that the government for the first time will allow mifepristone to be dispensed at retail pharmacies.
Major medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have weighed in on the side of the FDA, saying mifepristone “has been thoroughly studied and is conclusively safe.”
Abortion rights supporters, contending that the lawsuit is a baseless attempt to slash abortion access, protested outside the courthouse on Wednesday morning. One dressed as a kangaroo and carried a gavel, suggesting that the hearing was a “kangaroo court.”
Do you think this will help or hurt our community?
Rapper NBA YoungBoy has been granted a modification to his house arrest rules after being arrested on a prior gun charge in Baton Rouge, LA.
Court documents obtained by AllHipHop show that Judge Shelly Dick decided to make YoungBoy’s house arrest less restrictive on Wednesday. The Louisiana judge removed two conditions from the rapper’s supervised release — as a result of the ruling, he’ll be allowed to have more than three visitors without a curfew at his home
“The Court issues this written Order modifying condition number 18 and condition number 19 of the Order Setting Conditions of Release, Document 142 filed on October 27, 2021, for the Defendant, [NBA YoungBoy (real name Kentrell Gaulden)],” the documents read.
They continued: “It is hereby ordered that condition number 18 and condition number 19 of the Defendant’s Order Setting Conditions of Release are modified as follows: (18) No more than three persons may visit Gaulden at his home at any time. (19) No visitors are allowed at the Defendant’s home before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m. ‘Home’ is defined as the Defendant’s residence and all property and appurtenances of the residence. It is so ordered. Signed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this 15th day of March 2023.”
In October 2021, YoungBoy, who was facing two federal gun charges at the time, was released on $1.5million bail and ordered to live under house arrest. His release limited him to three visitors at a time, in addition to his wife, a producer and his business manager, who also shared his home. The rapper fought back and petitioned to get off house arrest this past July, but was denied.
Last month, the rapper spoke with Billboard about his recent situation. YoungBoy, who has been living in Utah under house arrest, called it his “best experience.” Additionally, he noted that the experience changed his perspective on life and music.
“I’m very scared right now,” he said later in the article. “It’s just natural. I’m not big on people. I never knew why once I walked on the stage, I could get it done and leave — but I am terrified of people. People are cruel. This is a cruel place.”
He added: “You’ve got to be thankful for it. It’s very beautiful, you know? There’s so much you can experience inside of it. But it is a very cruel place. And it’s not my home.”
Check out where Youngboy spends most of his time below.
Three years ago Shreveport rapper Hurricane Chris was arrested on murder charges after he killed a man who he claimed was trying to take his car at a gas station. Chris states his actions were in self-defense, however, according to The Shreveport Times, security cameras show a different result.
“Investigators were able to secure video footage of the incident that detectives believe showed that Dooley did not act in self-defense,” authorities said in a news release.
Now he has been acquitted in the murder.
KSLA reports:
A Caddo District Court jury has acquitted 34-year-old rapper Christopher Dooley, aka Hurricane Chris.
The five-man, seven-woman panel found the Shreveport native not guilty of second-degree murder and possession of stolen things.
Dooley had been on trial for more than a week in connection with the shooting death of 32-year-old Danzeria Farris Jr. The latter died after having been shot multiple times June 19, 2020, at a gas station at Hearne Avenue at Hollywood Avenue in Shreveport.
In between, prosecutors called nine witnesses while the defense presented two, including Hurricane Chris himself.
The ‘A Bay Bay’ rapper was exonerated on all charges.
Al Harrington, a former NBA player, is making a homecoming moment by bringing his Viola brands to his home state of New Jersey.
Customers can shop Viola, the premier premium Black-owned cannabis brand with a purpose founded by New Jersey native Al Harrington, starting on Friday, March 24, at RISE Paterson (196 3rd Ave #3c). Starting on Saturday, March 25, Viola’s premium flower will also be offered at RISE Bloomfield (26-48 Bloomfield Ave), with an exciting launch event that includes a visit from Harrington and friends.
After growing up in Orange, New Jersey, Harrington spent 16 seasons in the NBA with clubs, including the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers. Inspired by his grandmother of the same name, who battled diabetes and glaucoma but found comfort in cannabis medicines, Harrington developed Viola after retiring. The brand’s main goal is to improve the representation of communities of color in the cannabis market through educating, empowering, and lifting them up.
The Green Thumb Industries subsidiary RISE Dispensary is pleased to add Viola’s expertly grown indoor and outdoor flower to its very varied inventory. 1/8oz of mixed bud in several strains will be available at both sites, including Chauffeur and Strawberry Jamz for Good Times, G31 for kickin’ back, and Grapes and Cream for Lights out.
Shocking video of teens attacking a 15-year-old in an uptown train station has spurred an NYPD hate crime investigation.
A group yelled anti-Black slurs before brutally attacking the boy in the Manhattan subway station on Friday afternoon, police said on Monday as video of the incident circulated on social media. Video shows a black teen attempting to board the train while a young woman in a Chicago Bulls sweatshirt forcefully pulls the teen off an A train. A large group of teens surround the teen screaming repeatedly, “Get off” and “Ni***r Alert!!”
]The group passes at least 20 other kids and 10 adults standing on the uptown platform, video shows.
The teen tries to get back on the train, but the girl drags him off again, another teen throws a punch and then the group tackles him, the video shows.
“Fight back” someone screams in the video.
The teen tries to defend himself as he’s thrown on a bench and his glasses are knocked from his face, the video shows.
The 15-year-old’s lip was cut and, according to police, his attackers broke his glasses.
Uptown’s 34th Precinct released photos on Monday afternoon of three suspects wanted in connection to the attack.
WANTED FOR ASSAULT On 3/10/23 at approx. 5:30 PM inside the 181 Street & Ft. Wash. Ave. subway station, the subjects pictured punched the victim causing injuries. Any info call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). https://t.co/KYi0L4Wrfo or on Twitter @NYPDTipspic.twitter.com/nujJRiB43P
Comedian/Activist Rosemary Serevino is holding a ‘Call To Action’ outside of the 181st A train station where the incident occured. “It is sad to see all these things happening to our youth.” She wrote on her Instagram page. “I don’t know all the facts but what is clear is the youth is screaming for help. We need to listen to them and do something. The city is lacking so many programs.” Severino told PIX News 11. “We’re not for bullying.”
Rapper Troy Ave took the stand at Taxstone’s murder trial to testify about the events that caused a fatal shootout at a 2016 concert at Irving Plaza in New York City.
According to the New York Post, Troy Ave finally had his day in court on Monday (March 13), testifying that he shot simply out of fight or flight response after Taxstone allegedly shot at him first.
He said there were about 100 people in the greenroom when he heard Tax yell, “What’s popping?” in what he perceived to be a “threatening” way.
“Banga turns around to me and says, ‘I’m gonna rock him,’ which means, ‘I’m gonna hit him,’” he testified. “And then I wink at him — I tell him, ‘Do your thing.’”
He alleges that’s when Tax reached for his gun and the melee began.
Detailing the gripping situation, he said, “When the shot goes off I see the light from the spark and I hear the shot. This is all happening fast. I get up and start fighting Taxstone, trying to take him, grab the gun, and another shot goes off. I put my leg up to kind of block the shot from hitting me in the face or chest.”
According to Troy, that’s when Tax shot him in both legs.
“If it’s fight or flight I’m always going to fight because at that point you could die,” Ave reportedly told the Manhattan Supreme Court. “I’d rather die fighting. People die from leg shots. I’d rather die fighting than laying on the ground.”
Troy Ave said he was then able to wrestle the gun out of Tax’s hands – but it then misfired and that’s when he noticed his bodyguard laying face down on the ground.
Ronald “Banga” McPhatter was pronounced dead in the aftermath. Two bystanders were also wounded.
Troy Ave was initially charged with attempted murder and gun possession for his role in the incident. While the Brooklyn-bred rapper was put behind bars at first, his legal team negotiated a one-year sentence — instead of the 15 years he could have faced — in exchange for his testimony at Tax’s trial.
Taxstone (real name Darryl Campbell) and Troy Ave had a history of beef that came to a head over when they ran into each other backstage at T.I.’s show. Troy— who said he wasn’t supposed to be there —was set to be an opening act. Tax was charged in January 2017 after police said they found his DNA on the gun used in the shooting.
He faces murder, attempted murder, assault and weapons possession charges.
Westcoast veteran DJ Quik recently revealed that he almost fought with hip-hop legend Tupac over a misunderstanding. “Outside the studio, he was a jokester – bagging on ns — joking, fun — we toured a little bit. He got in my ass one time too — we were about to get into a fight because he thought I was stealing his stage show — like when he would rap and jump up on the speakers. I had to tell him ‘bro I got that off of Bobby Brown my n — off of the ‘My Prerogative’ shit.”
The DJ then shared the way they resolved the conflict. “Come here, Quik. Let me holler at you — How am I stealing the show — this n**** hot; he ready to fight. So, instead of us fighting, we went into the weight room and just started lifting weights and shit. You know what I’m saying? Just go in there like ‘knock it out, dog.’”
Quik said “‘Ay, you know ni*as up here playin’ that new Tupac sht y’all in there workin’ on?’ He’s like, ‘What!?’ What!?. So I get a call, ‘Hey man, come up to the office.’ I already know with them Death Row meetings, when they call you randomly at 4:20 to fight traffic and get up here, ‘Aw, this finna’ be some bullsh*t.’”
The west coast producer then talked about getting into a life-threatening altercation after he asked the security guard who received the aforementioned CD from him. “So I fight the dude, and he dropped his Hennessy, and I think he was more mad that he dropped his Hennessy than me actually swinging on him or whatever. So he told his homeboy, ‘Man, blast this mothaf*cka!’ My man just pulled out a Tec and cocked it. I just [stopped and became] cold over this dumb-ass Tupac tape. So my man didn’t shoot me. My security got the gun from him and was like, ‘Y’all just go ahead up.”
WANTED FOR ASSAULT
