News Exclusives

Suspect in Custody Following Fourth of July Parade Shooting in Highland Park, IL

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A July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois erupted into chaos when a man positioned on the roof of a business opened fire on the crowd with a “high-powered rifle.”

According to the Sun-Times, six people were killed and over 25 were injured in the shooting. The suspected gunman was apprehended on U.S. 41 in Lake Forest, Illinois, following an 8-hour manhunt, which asked for citizens to shelter in place.

The arrested suspect is Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III. He is 22 years old and was arrested without conflict after a brief chase occurred. Crimo was spotted by a North Chicago police officer leading to the chase. After the arrest, Crimo was taken to the Highland Park police station. As of 7 p.m. Monday no charges were filed as confirming of Crimo as the shooter still needed to be done.

The gunman climbed to the rooftop using a ladder. The rifle was recovered at the scene.

At the scene of the parade, five people were pronounced dead. A sixth died in transportation to the hospital. A majority of those wounded but still alive had gunshot sounds. Others were injured by the chaos of people scrambling for their lives. Victims ranged from as young as eight to 85.

Additional coverage of the shooting in Highland Park is available below.

The post Suspect in Custody Following Fourth of July Parade Shooting in Highland Park, IL appeared first on The Source.

Today in Hip-Hop History: Run-DMC Dropped “Walk This Way” Featuring Aerosmith 36 Years Ago

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On Independence Day in 1986, Daryl McDaniels, his partner in rhyme Joseph Simmons and their DJ Jason Mizell, who are best known as the legendary Hip Hop group Run-D.M.C., released one of the most successful singles of their career; “Walk This Way”, which guest stars rock n’ roll vets Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.

The rap version of the single, which appeared on Run-D.M.C.’s third album Raising Hell, was a very groundbreaking track that helped pioneer the fusion of rock n’ roll and Hip Hop. The original song of the same name appeared on Aerosmith’s 1975 Toys In The Attic album.

The post Today in Hip-Hop History: Run-DMC Dropped “Walk This Way” Featuring Aerosmith 36 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Today in Hip-Hop History: Nas Dropped His Sophomore Album ‘It Was Written’ 26 Years Ago

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On July 2, 1996, Nas unleashed the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut, 1994’s Illmatic entitled It Was Written, the album featured production from DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, and Havoc.

This time around, the fresh-faced, 22-year-old Brooklyn-born emcee consciously pushed the album in a more mainstream direction, hoping to secure a wider fan base. It worked.

The album proved to be Nas’ most commercially successful release, debuting at #1 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It’s viewed by music critics as one of Nas’ strongest records and remains his best-selling release, with over four million copies sold in the U.S. alone.

One of the album’s standout singles, “If I Ruled the World,” featured Lauryn Hill, who (at the time) was riding the wave of her recent success with The Fugees. Other guests included Foxy Brown, Dr. Dre, and Mobb Deep.

The post Today in Hip-Hop History: Nas Dropped His Sophomore Album ‘It Was Written’ 26 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Lil TJay Shooting Suspect Arrested, Rapper Remains Hospitalized Following Surgery

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According to a recent report from TMZ, the alleged shooter who pulled the trigger shooting Bronx rapper Lil TJay several times, which landed him in the hospital to undergo emergency surgery, has now been apprehended and charged with attempted first degree murder.

Mohamed Konate has been charged with three counts of first degree attempted murder for his alleged involvement in the shooting that stemmed from an attempted armed robbery in Edgewater, New Jersey. TJay, whose given name is Tione Merritt, was shot multiple times and one of his acquaintances was shot once.

Both of TJay’s acquaintances were also arrested and charged with second degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

As originally reported, Lil TJay was shot several times Wednesday night in New Jersey and remains hospitalized following an emergency surgery to save the rapper’s life. The surgery was reportedly a success, as TJay appears to be doing better, however, the extent of his injuries are still unknown.

TheSource.com will update this story as details are still developing.

The post Lil TJay Shooting Suspect Arrested, Rapper Remains Hospitalized Following Surgery appeared first on The Source.

Today in Hip-Hop History: Eric B. and Rakim’s Final Album ‘Don’t Sweat The Technique’ Turns 30 Years Old!

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The Microphone Fiend and his silent cohort drop their fourth and final album together on this date.

On this hot summer day in 1992, Rakim, who is widely recognized by some as the greatest MC of all time, released his fourth studio LP with William “Eric B.” Barrier entitled Don’t Sweat The Technique. This was the long-awaited follow-up to Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em, which was a critically acclaimed album, but that was not reflective in record sales.

This album was also the last LP that Eric B. & Rakim recorded together as a duo. Produced by Eric B. with some production assistance from an up-and-coming producer by the name of Large Professor, Don’t Sweat The Technique solidified Rakim as THE best lyricist in Hip Hop.

Tracks such as “What’s On Your Mind”, which appeared on the House Party II soundtrack, “Know The Ledge”(theme from Juice), and the title track are eternal lyrical masterpieces that are unparalleled to this day. Even songs like “Casualties Of War” depicting the mentality of a conscious Black male during the era of Operation Desert Storm and the war in Iraq were instructive as well as entertaining, while virtually predicting the 9/11 tragedy almost a decade before it happened.

Salute to Rakim Allah and Eric B. for this classic album!

The post Today in Hip-Hop History: Eric B. and Rakim’s Final Album ‘Don’t Sweat The Technique’ Turns 30 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

OneOf In Partnership With The Christopher Wallace Estate Reveal ‘Sky’s The Limit: The Notorious B.I.G. NFT Collection’

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OneOf has announced Sky’s the Limit: The Notorious B.I.G. NFT Collection, a first-of-its-kind NFT in partnership with The Christopher Wallace Estate. Bringing music to Web3 in a way that only OneOf can, the platform will host a generative profile picture (PFP) NFT collection that honors and celebrates The Notorious B.I.G. as one of the most influential rappers and cultural figures of all time.  

The Sky’s the Limit: The Notorious B.I.G. NFT Collection features unique 3D NFT characters inspired by his life, style and lyrics, and crucially gives each NFT holder the right to collectively license the audio of Biggie Smalls’ most famous freestyle, filmed on a street corner in Brooklyn when he was just 17. Despite its legendary status, the freestyle has never been officially released or made available for other musicians to sample and use in their own songs.  Until now.  

All NFT holders automatically become part of a revolutionary new Sky’s The Limit collective, with Web3 putting fans in the driver’s seat of this piece of hip hop history.  With the approval and oversight of the collective (and estate), musicians can license and include Smalls’ iconic freestyle in their own recording. The song can be released on music streaming services with a “featuring The Notorious B.I.G.” credit in the song title.

The Sky’s the Limit: The Notorious B.I.G. NFT Collection will be available at: http://oneof.com/biggie

Today on OneOf, fans are able to sign up for the allow list.  The collection will be available to purchase on July 26.  NFT holders will also have first access to The Brook, a lifestyle, fashion, culture, music, entertainment metaverse experience launching soon with BIGGIE’s hyper realistic avatar as a character.

“We named this collection ‘Sky’s The Limit’ because we believe this is a watershed moment in NFTs where seminal artists like Biggie and their truest fans can drive culture and drive value together,” said Joshua James, OneOf Co-Founder & COO. “We’re thrilled to work with The Christopher Wallace Estate to honor Biggie’s enduring legacy, in web3 and beyond, and we have some amazing surprises for NFT holders along the way.” 

“Biggie’s music is a very important part of hiphop culture and it’s global impact,” said Wayne Barrow, Manager of Voletta Wallace/BIGGIE’s estate. “Our business partner, Elliot Osagie of Willingie Inc, came up with the concept of coming together with OneOf to share the infamous freestyle that showcased to the world the icon that Biggie would soon become through an NFT, and sharing it with his fans in this way we are certain would make him proud.”

The post OneOf In Partnership With The Christopher Wallace Estate Reveal ‘Sky’s The Limit: The Notorious B.I.G. NFT Collection’ appeared first on The Source.

Mugshots Of Slim 400 Murder Suspects Surface, Bail Set At $3.025M And $1M

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As previously reported, two people have been arrested in connection with the murder of Slim 400 in Inglewood, California in December and now the mugshots of both suspects have been released.

Michael Lanell Terry, 33, of Los Angeles, and Tamra Lynn Bell, 42, of Inglewood were both taken into custody at the Inglewood City Jail and booked on murder charges on June 9. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Offices filed criminal charges against the pair, which includes a murder charge against Terry. His bail was set at $3,025,000. Bell was charged with being an accessory to the murder after the fact and her bail was set at $1 million.

Vincent Cohran, known as rapper Slim 400, was shot and killed while exiting his car in the 8600 block of South 7th Avenue in the city of Inglewood shortly before 8 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2021, according to the report from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office.

The post Mugshots Of Slim 400 Murder Suspects Surface, Bail Set At $3.025M And $1M appeared first on The Source.

DJ 50 Grand, Produced Notorious B.I.G.’s Demo Tape, Dead At 55

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According to several confirmed reports, DJ 50 Grand, the man who produced and put the “Microphone Murderers” demo tape from Biggie Smalls in the hands of Mister Cee, has passed away. 50 Grand, whose given name is Kevin Griffin, was 55 years old.

Griffin first learned of a 15 year old emcee that lived nearby in his Bedford-Stuyvesant and eventually connected with the young wordsmith through a mutual friend who used to sell drugs with the late Christopher Wallace in 1991. it didn’t take long before Biggie was in 50’s basement on Bedford Avenue and Quincy Street recording what would become the launching pad to the career of the game’s most revered emcee in its history.

Griffin managed to get the tape into the hands of DJ Mister Cee, Big Daddy Kane’s DJ, who slipped the tape to Matteo “Matty C” Capoluongo, who ran the “Unsigned Hype” column in The Source Magazine. The feature article caught the attention of a young exec at Uptown Records by the name of Sean “Puffy” Combs and the rest is history.

50’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood showed out for the legendary neighborhood DJ, coming out in droves to the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Monroe Street to show their respects to their fallen legend. Salute to 50 Grand and condolences to his family and friends.

The post DJ 50 Grand, Produced Notorious B.I.G.’s Demo Tape, Dead At 55 appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Fat Joe Says He Tricked Rappers Into Rhyming With Big Pun

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Undoubtedly, Big Pun was one of the most lyrically feared emcees to ever touch the mic. His mentor, Fat Joe, talked about Big Punisher with Angie Martinez the week of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in an interview, reminiscing about how hard it was to get certain rappers to jump on a track with the late Terror Squad lieutenant.

Back in 1998, Joe Crack dropped “John Blaze”, which featured some of the illest lyricist in the game at that time, including Jadakiss, Raekwon The Chef and Nas. “In the most respectful way it’s kinda like I set up Nas on that record,” Joe remembered. “Because Pun really wanted to get on a record with Nas…Nas did the record one million percent but there was artists, not Nas, but there was artists that was really scared to jump on records with Pun. So we almost had to like gas guys like, ‘Yo it’s my record’ and then throw Pun on it. The story is you know he waited for Cannabis about 30 to 100 sessions and he never walked in the door to do the song with Pun.”

Watch the entire interview with Angie Martinez below.

The post [WATCH] Fat Joe Says He Tricked Rappers Into Rhyming With Big Pun appeared first on The Source.

Happy 54th Birthday To West Coast Legend The D.O.C.!

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On this day in Hip Hop history, Dallas-bred West Coast rapper The D.O.C. was born.Known for his work with N.W.A. and as a huge influence to the G-Funk era as a writer for a number of artists, The D.O.C. is one of the West Coast’s unsung heroes.

Before embarking on a solo career, The D.O.C. was a member of the Texas trio The Fila Fresh Crew consisting of The D.O.C. (then known as Doc-T), Fresh K, and Dr. Rock. The group got their break appearing on NWA’s N.W.A. and the Posse compilation album. Following the album’s success, the group was able to sign a deal with Macola Records and release three studio albums before disbanding in 1988. Shortly after the split, Eazy-E recruited The D.O.C. to work with him on his solo project Eazy-Duz-It on the track “Nobody Move.”

In 1989, The D.O.C. released his debut solo album No One Can Do It Better which spent 2 weeks in the Top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart and claimed the top spot on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop chart. Following his freshman success, West Coast rappers began to reach out to The D.O.C. to work with him on their own projects.

The D.O.C. has made appearances on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle, and N.W.A.’s 100 Miles and Runnin’ and Niggaz4life. He has also released two addition studio albums Helter Skelter and Deuce which have both appeared on the Billboard 200 chart. It is reported that The D.O.C. is currently working on a fourth and final album with Dr. Dre titled Voices through Hot Vessels who’s released date is still to be determined.

Aside from music, The D.O.C. can be recognized from his song appearances in the popular video games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Tony Hawk Underground 2, Madden 2005, and NBA Live 2005, his guest spot in the film “We From Dallas”, or his past relationship with neo-soul songstress Erykah Badu. The two share a daughter named Puma who was born July 5th, 2004.

Regardless of how you may know or have heard of The D.O.C. , his influence on West Coast Hip Hip culture is one that would have definitely been missed. From everyone here at the Source Magazine, Happy Birthday D.O.C. may you see many more years of success.

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