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| Kanye West Inspires The Question: Should Rappers Sing? Posted: 24 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Kanye's recent artistic choices inspired us to take a look at MCs singing in hip-hop.
The majority of the hip-hop community hardly batted an eye when Everlast did it as Whitey Ford, and they cheered Lauryn Hill when she did it. And Andre 3000? He did it so big and brilliantly that no one could be mad at him. So, now that Kanye West is doing it, why is everyone up in arms? Maybe because 'Ye literally was the hottest MC in the world when he said that he would be singing for the majority of his latest album 808s & Heartbreak. The Grammy-winner was coming off planetary dominance with a classic, multi-platinum rap album (2007's Graduation), an unforgettable tour of Earth (the Glow in the Dark Tour) and a string of hard-hitting guest appearances on such hits as T.I.'s"Swagger Like Us" and Estelle's"American Boy." Then, at the VMAs in September, we heard him debut "Love Lockdown" — and the banter began between his fans and his peers. "I don't think the fans will forgive him for this," 50 Cent, one of 'Ye's most vocal detractors, told MTV News. "I don't think it's cool," 50 added, unabashed as ever. "I like Kanye as an artist. I don't like the record, to be honest — the entire record, I heard seven of them [songs] already. But I love him as an artist and I'd like to work with him in the future. It's a tough time for him. He's realizing the pressure of being in competition with the best artist he can be in competition with — that's Kanye West. When [the fans] put you up against your best material, you really realize what it's like." For his part, Kanye is probably coming from his most honest point with 808s. The music was conceptualized from the pain of losing his mother and the breakup of his engagement, all while having to deal with his fame growing to out-of-control proportions. Singing, he says, wasn't a move to try and get more fans — call it divine intervention. "It was just what was in my heart," West told MTV Europe two weeks ago. "The type of ideas that it was coming up with, the melodies that were in me — what was in me I couldn't stop. I think it's a path; it's a road that's been paved and given by God. There's so many signs, and I just have to follow the signs and the arrows of where he wants me to go and just be fearless about it. It's so crazy — hip-hop used to be about being fearless, and now it's, like, all about being afraid. It used to be about standing out, now it's all about fitting in. Like, you know, I wear my tight jeans and stuff, and stand out, and people want to talk about me. ... Because when I had my baggy clothes and I was hip-hop, people talked about me too. Now hip-hop is like a big high school or something. So that's why I respect people who just do whatever they want to do." Disses or applause aside, everyone has been interested in what the entire 808s album is going to sound like. 'Ye's first-week album sales are projected to be high — #1-album-in-the-country high. Another question is, will his new artistic turn hurt his credibility as an MC? You're talking about a guy who was able to break just about every barrier he faced as a rapper — 'hood or hipster, they loved Kanye's raps. And they'll still love them, if you ask some of his other peers — the Louis Vuitton Don has been keeping his weight up as a rapper through more guest spots. He has a video out for DJ Khaled's "Go Hard," appears on "Therapy" off of T-Pain's Thr33 Ringz LP and will appear with two of the game's best rhyme-snipers, the Clipse, on their 2009 LP Till the Casket Drops. "I think he's a great MC," the youngest Clip, Pusha T, says. "When people tried to deny him in the past, he came with back-to-back-to-back great albums and songs to make you say, 'Damn, he's nice.' All the features and all of that, it just solidifies him. For him to come with 808s & Heartbreak, I feel he's so proven in one lane. ... He's a creative guy. He does what he wants. He's proven himself to me — not that he has to prove himself to me, but he does what he wants to. This 808s album is hot. 'Heartless' is my sh--." Rick Ross, who attended an early listening session of the record some months back, says Kanye's new album is incredible. Lil Wayne agrees. "Do I love the music that's out right now? I love it with a passion. I can sing your single word for word with you," Lil Wayne recently explained to Mixtape Monday. "Am I excited by it?" Does it motivate me? Not one bit. That's because 808s & Heartbreak hasn't come out." Weezy appears on the 808s track "See You in My Nightmares," and "innovator" is one of the first words that comes out of his mouth when asked to describe his friend. The New Orleans Fireman has hinted that he, too, will be singing heavily on Tha Carter IV, which he has confirmed will have a rock edge. Wayne's had success with his singing over the past few years, smashing the game with choruses on records such as "Duffle Bag Boyz" and "Can't Believe It." His most successful turn at singing was the #1 single "Lollipop." However, before "Lollipop" and before T.I. had a singing hit with "Whatever You Like," Diddy surprised everyone in 2006 with his singing on the sleeper blockbuster "Last Night." Chairman Combs recently revealed to MTV News that his next record will be singing-heavy. "To be honest, even when 50 [sings on his songs], we have vulnerability," Diddy offered. "We are cats that always looked up to Mary J. Blige, or always looked up to Sam Cooke or R. Kelly. We always wanted to sing, like singers wanted to rap. When we sing, we singing from the heart. It ain't about the key — you're getting exactly the rawness of how it feels. That's why people are digging it. Thank God for Auto-Tune and thank God for T-Pain." Pain, who is the new Auto-Tune king, has not only given his blessing to Wayne, Kanye and Diddy, he's been working with all three. Diddy even paid Pain some extra points for teaching him how to use the voice-enhancement device. The CEO of Bad Boy surmised that regardless of how you deliver your music — singing or spitting — if it's hot, it's hot. "At the end of the day, it's about hit records," Diddy said. "Whether he's singing on it, he's going to the left, he's going to the right, his base is energized. He's gotta energize his base on the hit records they already bought from him. You gotta hit them with hit records. A hit is a hit. If Kanye's 'Heartless' breaks through, it ain't because he's singing, not singing, it's a controversy with the Auto-Tune — it's because it was a hit record." Related Videos Related Artists |
| No Doubt Planning Comeback Tour, First Studio Album In Six Years Posted: 24 Nov 2008 05:49 AM PST 'It's time for some rock and roll,' bassist Tony Kanal writes on band's Web site.
Quite simply, "it's time for some rock and roll." That what No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal wrote on the band's official Web site about the group finally getting back together after several years apart while singer Gwen Stefani released a pair of solo albums and became a mother. "We need to play, it's been too long," Kanal wrote. The group announced that they plan to end their four-year hiatus by going on tour next year. "I don't think we should wait. Pack up the babies and get a bunch of nannies," Stefani wrote on the site during a chat Friday night. "So fun! Would be so inspiring to get out there and play all those songs again." No cities or dates have been announced yet, but sources told People.com that the outing will likely kick off next summer.
Stefani added that "if we go on tour, it will inspire us to write. I need to see the fans out there." The playful chat began with the group trying to figure out when they should convene in the studio, with Kanal suggesting 3 p.m. and guitarist Tom Dumont complaining that he wanted to meet later because he was out late at a show the night before. Stefani answered that her son Kingston, was up at 4 a.m., so she too was worn out. Drummer Adrian Young said he was "nursing a hangover," but Dumont admitted, "I have cabin fever, maybe we should play shows or something." Young said he loved the idea of going on the road again, and Dumont suggested the group could write and record new tunes while on the road, in an attempt to finish their first new album since 2001's Rock Steady. "Yeah, totally, I think playing some shows will make the studio time even better. Playing shows, writing songs, kicking ass, ND 2009," Kanal wrote. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2008 04:53 AM PST Plus: Charles Hamilton morphs into Sonic the Hedgehog; Asher Roth denies Eminem comparisons.
Artist: Charles Hamilton Representing: Frederick Douglas Academy Mixtape: Sonic the Hamilton 411: He's signed to Interscope, but that isn't the only thing Charles Hamilton has in common with 50 Cent — they also have the same lawyer and management team. Make no mistake, though: C. Ham is his own man and thinks a lot differently from me, you or anybody else. "I believe God is a woman, and pink is the color of life because it's the color of inside a woman's womb," he said about his affinity for the hue. He won't be caught dead without it. On the day he talked to Mixtape Monday, he sported custom-made pink Dr. Dre headphones to match his iPod cover and his shirt. "The womb is where all life passes through — leave it to a woman to make something so complex where we would all be fighting over it. God is woman because woman is complex."
Insert disclaimer here: Hamilton isn't a nut. "I'm not crazy," he claimed, before explaining the concept of the latest mixtape in his series of what he calls the Hamiltonizataion process. " 'Sonic' means 'sound.' Hedgehogs bury themselves under the ground. I bury myself into sound. So Sonic the Hamilton, [the concept is] one morning I woke up physically as Sonic the Hedgehog. That's it. ... Every song is like a scene in this movie. I'm dealing with literally being Sonic. My feet look like sneakers, but they are my feet. The white gloves are actually my hands. I'm physically that. "It's an anthropomorphic creature," he continued. "I'm not human, but I have to live in a world that's human. How are they gonna respond to me? Am I gonna still have fans? Is the government gonna try to get me into some crazy experiment? Am I gonna be killed? All types of crazy stuff is gonna be put into music because that's all Sonic knows how to do. If you think about it, they make it seem like all Sonic's power is running — but, if 'sonic' means 'sound,' wouldn't his power be everything you heard in that game? Music is power. I used to get my ass beat every day after school until I started rapping." Just a few years ago, the now 21-year-old was cutting class at Harlem's Frederick Douglass Academy to go the school auditorium to play the piano. Instead of detention, the principal nurtured his young pupil's zeal for music and encouraged Charles to take a leap of faith and pursue it professionally. The road from first period to burgeoning Internet sensation was rough for the Cleveland transplant, who once battled heroin addiction and survived a stint of homelessness. He spent plenty of nights at the FDA, recording out of necessity. He had nowhere else to go.
"I learned to sleep standing up," he said, remembering one night where he caught a few winks in the vocal booth. "I could have said no to the first blunt, I could have said no to the first needle," Hamilton insisted, advising no one to cry any tears for him. "I had my reasons, which made sense at the time. Now I'm feeling the aftermath of it. So I'm not proud of it. I'm proud of how strong I am now. If I can do it again, I'd had a clear mind from the get-go. I'm coming back to reality, slowly but surely, and I'm making this music. If I always had a clear mind, I'd be the Yanni of this generation. It scares me sometimes when I write stuff down." Charles gets the Mixtape Monday co-sign for being nice. Don't believe us, though: Ask Kanye West, Game, Joe Budden, Pharrell Williams or his cousin — yeah, his blood cousin — MC Lyte, who have all endorsed the young maverick. His album, which he says will be titled The Pink Lava Lamp, will be out next year sometime — he's not rushing it. Hamilton is more than happy to wait for Interscope's three-headed monster of 50 Cent, Eminem and Dr. Dre to put out albums first. In the interim, more mixtapes. Joints To Check For » "Two Left Feet (Swaggerless Swag)." "I'm talking about how much swag I don't have," Hamilton said. " 'Swag' is the new word for cool. I'm know I'm not cool. I just do music to the best of my ability. I don't think anybody who's focused on their craft should be worried about how much swag is on the corner for somebody to get." » "Happy Ending." "[This song] is me being happy to not be human," Charles explained. "Are you ever going to see anything as astonishing as a video game character sitting right in front of you, with the same features you've come to know, love and wonder about? How wonderful would that be? If he has the ability to be a human being, why wouldn't you give him some civil rights to live?" » "Lemme Know." "That song is my race between me and my imaginary girlfriend who is being personified as a Maserati," he said. " 'Cause I'm Sonic, I can race a Maserati." Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week » DJ Drama and Lil Wayne - Dedication 3 'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar » DJ Drama (featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon) - "Day Dreaming" The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music stable is growing by the minute. A few weeks back, we told you about 'Ye signing Kid Cudi. Now we get word that the Chi-town homie found a diamond in the rough all the way out in the U.K. — the blond-haired, blue-eyed soulful singer Mr. Hudson.
"Ah, he's an incredible artist," Kanye told MTV during the MTV Europe Music Awards in Liverpool. "I believe Mr. Hudson has the potential to be bigger than me, to be one of the most important artists of his generation. ... He's playing these songs, he's playing them back-to-back-to-back — 'Dude, I'm telling you, your problems are not going to be getting hit records, blowing up and being a big star — your problems are going to be living real life, and dealing with real life, so just prep yourself.' Everything I hear [from him] is a smash." Earlier this year, Hudson spent over six weeks in L.A. and Hawaii, working on his second album Now I See. The first release, "There Will Be Tears" (Hudson wrote and produced it himself), is already out overseas and will be dropping domestically soon. Kanye wrote a track on the album called "Supernova" and has about three more songs he wants to do tracks for. The project is set to wrap production at the end of this month. The Brit appears on West's "Paranoid," from 808s & Heartbreak, and the word from his camp is that Kanye threw him on several of Jay-Z's records for the upcoming Blueprint 3. Hudson joined Kanye, Consequence (Con, what up?) and the rest of the G.O.O.D. Music family on a recent international run of the Glow in the Dark Tour. Kanye says he's been able to incorporate his fresh material into the concert, changing it up from the trek he made earlier this year. "Well, it's just a completely different show," Kanye said of the international Glow tour. "It's like if you had a new album — it's a completely redesigned show. It's very theatrical. It has a lot of sensibilities — just things that I loved when I was a child that I applied. I'm infatuated with sunsets, so it's pink skies and clouds, and it mixes it with a vibe of space travel and it tells a story line and all the music has been reorchestrated to sound like it was one piece. A lot of times you get songs from different albums and it's just, like, 'That doesn't have anything to do with this, and this didn't have anything to do with that.' " ... It's always a special occasion when the Clipse drop a mixtape — you know you're going to get a ton of quotables. This time around, though, it really is just the Clipse: Malice and baby bro Pusha T. Unlike the We Got It 4 Cheap series, Re-Up Gang don't appear on this one, for the most part. "He's on one or two [tracks]," Pusha said of Ab-Liva's contribution — Sandman bolted a few months back. "There is still a Re-Up Gang and a Re-Up Records," he explained. Clipse are dropping the Road to Till the Casket Drops mixtape in a couple of weeks as a prelude to their album Till the Casket Drops. "The mixtape itself is serious business, lyric-driven," Pusha described. "The energy is there. The energy alone, it's gonna show you the space that the Clipse are in. I feel good right now." The guys released the mixtape's intro last week, and the full thing should be out right after the Thanksgiving holiday. "We did the 'Art of Story Telling [Part 4],' " Push divulged. "I love that record. [It] was a task because I think that [Andre 3000] bodied it. Yeah. He bodied it so well that it was tough. I think we did well. Game's 'Big Dreams' was another beat we used. That record was wild. I think we did our thing on there. We did R&B, dawg. We did 'So Fly' and 'Addiction.' The whole process was like picking good records that we heard that were amazing to us. Good music is few and far between these days. ... Oh, we did Lupe's 'Dumb it Down' beat, too. We did a few joints." Push is hoping the official album comes out on March 10 (one day after the 12th anniversary of the death of his favorite MC, Notorious B.I.G.), but says Sony is looking more towards the beginning of April for the drop date. "It's like weathering a storm, coming out of it," Push said, talking about his new record deal. "It's a new start, it's fresh. You're around creative people, people like hip-hop executives who understand music. Good vibes around everything. Everybody wants to see us win and [they're] willing to entertain trying a multitude of things to make it happen." One move was getting Kanye West to cameo on the LP. "The album is coming along good," Push said. "We got Kanye West on it, rapping. I'm scheduled to get with him and get some music as well. We sort of brought him into our world a little bit and he got off. He's definitely on his rap/hip-hop mode and bodying you with those lines and the quirky cleverness Kanye hits you with. He's the pop-culture king — when it comes to rapping about today and incorporating popular life into verses, he's the greatest." ... "Van Wilder"? OK, maybe he could see that. But Eminem? Just 'cause he's white? Really? Morrisville, PA, native Asher Roth says that, as an MC, he shouldn't be compared to the iconic Marshall Mathers. "My music ... I feel has a warm approach to it," Roth began, when discussing the contrasts between his style and Em's. "It's very uniting. Obviously Em is very influential, but his music has an angry tone to it — and it's passionate, so I can't take anything away from that. My whole tip is very relaxed and warm and weed-influenced. I mellow out and enjoy life and not sweat the small stuff. That's all I can do, man — be who I am. Let people say what they want to say. You have to take the love and disregard the hate.
"You have to differentiate yourself," he added. "You say there are preconceived notions about, 'This is a white rapper, he's Eminem.' Now I have to go ahead and say, 'Let me show you why I'm not.' Everyone has their challenge musically. I have to challenge myself and challenge my listeners to understand that this is an entirely different project." Although the 23-year-old has different subject matter from Em, he will definitely remind you of a young Slim Shady some of the time. Hey, nobody says he's biting the style, but the voice — and the way he can bend abstract metaphors — will draw honest comparisons until Roth completely carves out his own niche and drops his solo debut. SRC, his record company, says to look toward March 17 for that release. "If you just look at me, man, I'm a white college kid from the 'burbs," Roth continued. "It's visual music. You'll start to see it. That's the thing: As more of my music starts to get released, you get to see the image of who this kid is, through the music. That's my challenge — being able to get people to see and feel and visualize me through my music." We got a taste of Ash's steez in the hilarious "Roth Boys" Internet video several months ago. Since then, he's been getting co-signs from O.G.s like Cee-Lo, and he and his peer group (which includes Wale, Charles Hamilton and B.o.B) have been mainstays on the Net, becoming blog favorites. That popularity is translating off of cyberspace with an XXL magazine cover and his new video (not the unofficial video that's been floating around) for "I Love College" approaching. (You'll hear a new beat on the video version and album version of the record, because Weezer wouldn't clear the sample of "Say It Ain't So.") "I feel like as time goes on, people are gonna understand who Asher Roth is as an individual," the smart-aleck MC concluded. For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Britney Spears Invites Superfans To Times Square <i>Circus</i> Bash Posted: 24 Nov 2008 06:19 AM PST Contestants in 'Britney's Greatest Fan Contest' can win tickets to her 'Good Morning America' performance.
If you've ever dreamed of running away and joining the circus, December 1 is your night. Assuming, that is, you're near New York's Times Square and you are a Britney Spears superfan. A post on Brit's MySpace page invites her supporters to be part of "Britney's Greatest Fan Contest & Birthday Celebration," asking them to congregate outside the Virgin Megastore in Times Square to celebrate the release of Circus, which hits stores December 2. At the event, Britney will be looking for her biggest fan, so contestants are being encouraged to "sing, dance, imitate or even profess their love for Britney Spears." The winner — to be determined by a panel that includes Heatherette's Richie Rich, Daniel Vosovic of "Project Runway" and other guest judges — will get a pair of tickets for Britney's "Good Morning America" performance at the Big Apple Circus on December 2. Sign-ups for the contest begin at 9 p.m. that night, and the contest will run from 10 to 11:30, with contestants also getting a chance to score some autographed items. "Afterwards, help us celebrate Britney's Birthday with a countdown to midnight for the release of her new CD," read the post. "Cupcakes to the first 100 fans to purchase the CD from Billy's Bakery. Special guest DJ Xavier will be spinning Britney mixes and tunes all night long with your hostess for the evening, 'America's Got Talent' 's Shequida!" That afterparty will last until 1 a.m. And that's not the only Britney contest that's going on. Britney.com and Buzznet are sponsoring a Photoshop contest in which fans are invited to slip themselves into one of Buzznet's Circus-themed layouts, with the singer's label judging the best efforts and awarding a popcorn machine and other Britney-related prizes. And if none of that floats your boat, since Spears' birthday happens to be December 2, she's also invited fans to sing "Happy Birthday" to her and post it on YouTube. The winning entry may get posted on Brit's YouTube channel. Getting pumped about the Britney Spears documentary? Share your thoughts by uploading a video to YouRHere.MTV.com, or sound off in the comments section below. "For the Record" airs Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Posted: 23 Nov 2008 10:05 PM PST The Jonas Brothers perform, Taylor Swift wins, and Kanye speaks his mind during L.A. show.
At the American Music Awards on Sunday (November 23), Miley Cyrus, celebrating her 16th birthday, broke character a bit, performing a saucy, seductive version of her new single, "Fly on the Wall"; Mariah Carey delivered a riveting rendition of "I Stay in Love"; and a barely lucid Scott Weiland ironically introduced Pink's performance of "Sober," calling her "one of the greatest artists of our time." Later, Pink even joined Sarah McLachlan for a duet on "Angel." The New Kids on the Block and Christina Aguilera both performed medleys of their most beloved tunes. Justin Timberlake gave us a lesson on Annie Lennox, while Beyoncé rocked booty shorts and gyrated eagerly across the stage while suggesting we "put a ring on it." Rihanna dressed up like GWAR and played on scaffolding, while the Jonas Brothers phoned in a performance of "Tonight." The Pussycat Dolls pole-danced, and Jamie Foxx plugged the crap out of his upcoming album. And, thankfully, Kanye West went on another one of his infamous, extraneous rants. It all went down inside Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre during the 36th annual AMAs, hosted by the brilliantly offensive Jimmy Kimmel and decided, in part, by the public, who voted for the nominees on the show's Web site. It was an evening full of stars, confetti and Jonas Brothers sex jokes ("For a bunch of virgins, these Jonas boys are mowing through women like Madonna goes through the Yankees' starting lineup," Kimmel cracked). But mostly, it was a self-congratulatory night honoring American (and sometimes British) music. And West made note of it in his acceptance speech. West, who releases his fourth LP, 808s & Heartbreak, on Monday, beat out Jay-Z's American Gangster and Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III as his Graduation took home the award for Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album. Here is West's speech in full: "I would like to thank everybody who accepted me trying to break new boundaries in music," he said. "I wake up in the morning just thinking about which stereotypes I want to break. And, you know, we pushed the envelope with the last album, with 'Stronger,' with records they thought wouldn't play on urban radio, and it's our responsibility as musicians to keep pushing each other and keep competing with each other. "It's a really great competition," West continued. The win marked his first at the AMAs. "I see artists like Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Chris Martin all in the same room, and we're going to push this music to the point where it was like in the '60s, in the '70s, where you talk about Led Zeppelin and Hendrix and the Beatles. We will be the new Beatles, the new Hendrix. They say in every other industry, you're supposed to do better than the past. Like, computers should get smaller and faster. But whenever you say, 'I want to be Elvis,' they say, 'What's wrong with you?' But I don't want to be Elvis." And two of music's current heavyweights, according to 'Ye, won early in the evening: Rihanna edged out Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys for the Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist, and Brown won his first AMA for Best Pop/Rock Male, downing Usher and Kid Rock for the prize. Keys' LP As I Am would later pick up an award for Favorite Pop/Rock Album, besting the likes of Coldplay and the Eagles, and another for Favorite Soul/R&B Album. Other big winners Sunday evening included Taylor Swift, who was named Country Music's Favorite Female Artist over Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood, and Rihanna, who took home another prism-like statuette for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. Daughtry, one of the true "American Idol" success stories, took home the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group, winning over Coldplay and the Eagles. The Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist went to West, not Flo Rida or Lil Wayne. But Kanye wasn't keen on keeping the award. "I'm a fan of music," said West, who performed "Heartless," a cut from his new one. "I got my opinion. And I want to give this award to Wayne, for this year. If it was last year, this would have been my award. This year's Wayne award; we'll see what happens next year." The T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist Award, which fans voted on via text message, went to the Jonas Brothers — which was obvious before Ashley Tisdale revealed the results. The other nominees were Colbie Caillat, Flo Rida, Paramore and The-Dream. The big honor of the evening, though, awaited Chris Brown. He was shocked when it was revealed he was the Artist of the Year; the other nominees included Wayne, the Eagles, Keys and Coldplay. "I would have gave it to Coldplay," he said, before thanking his fans and walking off the stage, clearing the way for closer Keys, who performed her hit "Superwoman" with cameos from Queen Latifah and Kathleen Battle. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| R. Kelly's Nephew Charged With Attempted Murder After Barbershop Shootout Posted: 24 Nov 2008 08:15 AM PST Brayel Kelly, 16, was shot while allegedly attempting armed robbery.
R. Kelly's 16-year-old nephew Brayel Kelly has been charged as an adult with attempted murder, according to authorities, after an incident in the Chicago area earlier this month in which the teen was shot. Calumet City police told MTV News that on November 6, Brayel Kelly — the son of R. Kelly's estranged brother Carey Kelly — went into a barbershop and allegedly tried to rob the owner by producing a gun and demanding that the owner place his money and jewelry in a plastic bag. Though the owner complied, he also took out a weapon. Police said Kelly fired, and the victim returned fire, shooting Kelly in the back. Carey Kelly told reporters that one bullet collapsed his son's lung and the other pierced his liver, and the boy remains hospitalized in intensive care at Advocate Christ Medical Center. Brayel has been charged with attempted murder, attempted armed robbery, and aggravated discharge of a firearm. Cook County Judge Reginald Baker set his bond for $200,000 on Friday. A preliminary hearing on the matter is scheduled for December 3. He faces six to 30 years in prison if convicted, according to the Cook County state's attorney's office. Brayel's older brother Brandon, who allegedly acted as a lookout, has not been charged. Brandon and Brayel are among Carey Kelly's six children. Carey previously told MTV News in 2006 that his sons, but not his daughters, used to have a close relationship with their famous uncle. "My boys have been around Robert to go to his house, shoot pool, play basketball, before all this," he said, referring to the child pornography allegations against R. Kelly. After Carey and his brother had a falling out, those visits were no more. R. Kelly had no comment regarding the arrest or charges at press time. Related Artists |
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