On this day in 1995, Compton’s own DJ Quik released his third album entitled Safe + Sound. Released on Profile Records, it peaked at number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA by July 11. Executive produced by Suge Knight, the LP featured the singles “Dollaz & Sense” and “Safe + Sound”.
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Some say he was 50 Cent before 50 Cent. Some called him “the Robin Hood of The Ghetto”, while the establishment dubbed him “the crack city terminator.” In the hood, his solution is considered the only possible answer to a continuous epidemic of police brutality. Some of your favorite rappers from French Montana to Lloyd Banks to Jay-Z have name-dropped him on their tracks and BET felt he was so important to American culture that their American Gangster series had to open with him, but only an educated few know why the name Larry Davis continues to ring bells more than three decades after that fateful night in November of ’86.
On February 20, 2008, Adam Abdul Hakeem aka Larry Davis, was stabbed to death in Shawangunk State Prison in New York by a fellow inmate after serving 23 years for an illegal weapons charge. Most would say that people die in American prisons daily, so what’s the big deal about another dead prisoner? Well, it must first be explained why Mr. Davis was in prison for so long on a mere gun charge in the first place.
As he said on camera after his capture in 1986, “the police gave me the guns!”, that Davis was finally charged with after being acquitted for shooting 6 NYPD officers. The then 21-year-old BX native’s defense was that he shot the officers in self-defense. Davis exposed that he sold drugs for these Bronx precinct officers, claiming that they wanted to kill him because of what he knew about the drug operation within the department and a Bronx jury believed him. This case was the first and very possibly the only time in American history that a civilian was cleared of all charges in the shooting of a police officer.
The NYPD and then-Mayor Edward Koch were outraged at the outcome. After Larry’s death, the former Mayor Koch was quoted as saying, “The prison system did what the criminal justice system could not.” It’s safe to say that with the endless accusations against the NYPD and other police departments around the country for brutality against Black and brown people, the sentiment of sympathy for Larry Davis has been met with fierce opposition.
With the recent killings of Black youth by police and civilians becoming the norm, the question in the urban community is whether or not Larry Davis’ solution to police brutality is the only option left. With normal citizens being given the option to shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to Black youth and the prison industrial complex as the penalty for defending yourself, the bare truth is that it has become the only option to some. With landmark cases from Emmitt Till to Botham Jean, history reveals that people such as Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey, and even Larry Davis will always be heroes. We’ve heard Larry’s name come from the mouths of everyone from ATCQ to Jay-Z.
Check out Larry’s story on Troy Reed’s Street Stories Larry Davis: A Routine Typical Hit, BET’s American Gangster series and is also rumored to be in the hands of several filmmakers, which could possibly spawn the story on the silver screen.
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A recent report from The New York Post has confirmed that the federal prosecutors have charged almost a dozen “Woo Gang” members and affiliates from Brooklyn for illegally obtaining COVID-19 relief funds, which the feds believe amassed over $4 million.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York says that the gang allegedly flaunted the money in a music video titled “Trappin” as well as their individual social media pages.
The $4 million was obtained through a government program between March 2020 and October 2021. Part of the alleged scam involved a man buying identity information for $150, which turned out to be a pivotal part in how the federal authorities uncovered their scheme.
Court dates have yet to be set for the group, but TheSource.com will bring you updates to the story as details develop.
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Today we celebrate the birth of one of the most influential figures in Hip-Hop. Not only was this man the first rap billionaire, but he was also an instrumental part (literally and figuratively) in the creation of a new sub-genre of rap known as G-Funk. The living legend is described is none other than Dr. Dre.
Andre Romelle Young was born in Compton, California on February 18, 1965. He was the first child born to Theodore and Verna Young. His father had a history in music and was a member of an amateur R&B group called The Romells from which Dre gets his middle name.
In 1986, Dre met O’Shea Jackson aka Ice Cube while collaborating on some music for Ruthless Records. Ruthless Records was a famous record label founded by N.W.A. member Eazy-E and west coast rapper Ice-T. These two are widely credited with starting the gangster rap movement on the West Coast. This meeting and the addition of MC Ren birthed one of the greatest music groups of all time, N*ggaz With Attitude.
After a disagreement with Eazy-E, Dre decided to leave N.W.A. to build his own musical empire. Due to advice given to him by his close friend and fellow rapper, The D.O.C., and his bodyguard at the time, Suge Knight, Dre became the flagship artist of Death Row Records, a label started by Knight in 1992. On Death Row Records, Dre released his first solo album titled The Chronic. This album cemented Dr. Dre’s place as one of the top rappers out of California. While working with Death Row, Dre produced the majority of new artist Snoop Dogg’s music helping him in his rise to superstardom, along with tracks for 2Pac who was also a label member.
In ’96 due to a disagreement between Knight and Dre, Dre left Death Row to build his own label called Aftermath Records. This changed the path of Dre’s career forever. The growth began when the head of Interscope Records, Jimmy Iovine, suggested that Dre sign white rapper Eminem. The success of Eminem’s music made Dr. Dre not only one of the most respected rappers/producers in the game but also one of the more powerful moguls.
Dr. Dre was set to release his third album Detox in 2007 but decided to not and instead produce for other artists. Since then Dre has been mostly behind the scenes shaping the current state of rap music. Most recently he produced the uber-successful N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, which has created a rise in N.W.A. support from a new generation. His third studio album, Compton, was released shortly after the film and finally ended the long wait for more work from Dre.
The life and career of Dr. Dre is one that has been able to make Rap and Hip Hop what they are today. Without his influence, who knows where rap music would be today. From everyone at The Source, Happy Birthday Dr. Dre, may you have many more success filled years.
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Several reports have confirmed that the prosecution in the shooting death of 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright is seeking a 86-month prison term for the ex-cop convicted of killing him after previously stating that they would pursue a sentence well above the state’s sentencing guidelines.
Two months after former police officer Kim Potter was convicted of first and second-degree manslaughter, she will be sentenced by Judge Regina Chu tomorrow(February 18). After the smoke created by the prosecution during Potter’s trial, they filed a motion on February 15 for a standard presumptive sentence of 86 months.
The Attorney General’s office stated about the sentencing, “the appropriate sentence has to be the presumptive sentence set by the legislature until Defendant Potter can convince the Court that society’s interests, including those of Daunte Wright’s family and friends, can be met by some other disposition.”
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Newly-elected NYC Mayor Eric Adams has reason to be concerned about the growing number of violent and often deadly incidents surrounding the city’s drill rap scene. In a late night meeting, Adams met with Brooklyn rapper Maino, Fivio Foreign and other NYC artists who are familiar with the genre and the culture.
Maino vowed that those in attendance would “roll out something together” with the mayor to quell the violence. Maino also said, “There’s been a lot of talk about drill rap, drill music in New York City, connecting violence with the culture, and I just wanted to create a conversation with the mayor.”
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According to several confirmed reports, a woman was stabbed several times near a Los Angeles Foot Locker during the long wait for a Nike SB Dunk release.
TMZ reports that the woman was stabbed by a man following an argument while standing in line. Video surveillance shows the man with a knife and not long after the video was released to authorities, the man was taken into custody.
The woman was taken to a nearby hospital, but her condition is currently unknown.
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On this day in Hip-Hop History, Texas OGs The Geto Boys released their debut LP Making Trouble 31 years ago. Although the start of the career of one of the most prolific southern rap groups to ever grace the mic, this project may have been their least heard and most unknown album.
Coming at a time in the group’s history where they were referred to as the more conventionally spelled “Ghetto Boys”, this album showcased the lyrical ability of a then four-member underground group. At the time the group was composed of DJ Reddy Red of Trenton, NJ(RIP), Prince Johnny C, and the Slim Jukebox, with Bushwick Bill on the roster as a hypeman and a dancer. It wasn’t until after the release of this project that Rap-A-Lot Records dropped Reddy Red, Johnny C, and Slim Jukebox to add Scarface and Willie D.
On this project, the group used a style of rap and aesthetics that resembled the legends Run-DMC. The mimicry of the New York rap trio was deep. The group wore all black with top hats and thick gold chains, their music featured heavy rock influence with guitar riffs and high energy drum patterns, and their group dynamic of two emcees and a DJ is exactly what Run-DMC sported.
This album was not the most popular album from the Geto Boys camp, but it is, however, an interesting piece of the group’s history. This project shows the growth and development it took for the group to grow to become the legends that they are respected as today.
The post Today in Hip-Hop History: Geto Boys Dropped Their Debut LP ‘Making Trouble’ 34 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.
A recent report from TMZ has confirmed that R&B crooner Trey Songz is being sued by an anonymous woman who claims that Songz raped her back in 2016 and is now seeking a $20 million settlement.
The Jane Doe, who says she had a consensual sexual relationship with Songz before the alleged rape, claims the singer invited her to a house party and admittedly led her upstairs for consensual sex. Jane Doe claims Trey repeatedly asked her if he could “get that a**” as they headed to the bedroom, to which she says she repeatedly told him “no” and to stop asking.
In the suit, Doe claims that Songz’s attitude changed when they entered the room, claiming he threw her to the ground, ripped her clothes off, and forced himself into her anus without her consent. Doe contends that someone entered the room during the alleged incident but says they quickly left the room, and Songz continued raping her.
Doe claims that her only opportunity to escape was after Songz finished raping her, after which she gathered all her clothes except her underwear and ran outside to call an Uber. Her driver allegedly says she was in distress and took her to the hospital, where she claims a sexual assault exam was performed, and the police were summoned.
The suit claims that the exam showed “severe anal tearing that could require surgery” but alleges that she didn’t give Trey’s name to authorities out of fear for her life.
The woman’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, also represents two women who are suing Trey for other alleged assaults in Miami and New York.
TheSource.com will update this story as details develop.
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A recent report from TMZ has confirmed that R&B crooner Trey Songz is being sued by an anonymous woman who claims that Songz raped her back in 2016 and is now seeking a $20 million settlement.
The Jane Doe, who says she had a consensual sexual relationship with Songz before the alleged rape, claims the singer invited her to a house party and admittedly led her upstairs for consensual sex. Jane Doe claims Trey repeatedly asked her if he could “get that a**” as they headed to the bedroom, to which she says she repeatedly told him “no” and to stop asking.
In the suit, Doe claims that Songz’s attitude changed when they entered the room, claiming he threw her to the ground, ripped her clothes off, and forced himself into her anus without her consent. Doe contends that someone entered the room during the alleged incident but says they quickly left the room, and Songz continued raping her.
Doe claims that her only opportunity to escape was after Songz finished raping her, after which she gathered all her clothes except her underwear and ran outside to call an Uber. Her driver allegedly says she was in distress and took her to the hospital, where she claims a sexual assault exam was performed, and the police were summoned.
The suit claims that the exam showed “severe anal tearing that could require surgery” but alleges that she didn’t give Trey’s name to authorities out of fear for her life.
The woman’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, also represents two women who are suing Trey for other alleged assaults in Miami and New York.
TheSource.com will update this story as details develop.
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