MTV News |
- What Can Chris Brown, Rihanna Expect At Today's Hearing?
- 50 Cent Says <i>War Angel LP</i> Proves He's Just As Hungry As New MCs
- Young Jeezy Brings Out Lil Wayne At Birthday Bash
| What Can Chris Brown, Rihanna Expect At Today's Hearing? Posted: 22 Jun 2009 03:51 AM PDT Rihanna could testify, while Brown is expected to plead the Fifth, legal experts tell MTV News.
There have been leaked photos and information from the police report, but the first major details stemming from Chris Brown's alleged assault of Rihanna back in February may be made public for the first time Monday afternoon (June 22). That's when Rihanna is scheduled to take the stand during Brown's preliminary hearing. Brown is facing felony charges of assault and making criminal threats. The charges are a result of an incident that allegedly happened on the eve of the Grammy Awards between Brown and Rihanna; the two were dating at the time, and Rihanna reportedly suffered injuries from the altercation. So what will happen for the former couple at the hearing? Brown is expected to invoke his Fifth amendment rights and not testify, according to legal experts who spoke to MTV News. Rihanna, on the other hand, has been subpoenaed by the prosecution and is likely to be questioned about the events of that night. A photo of Rihanna after the alleged altercation revealing multiple scratches and contusions on the singer's face was posted on TMZ.com shortly after the incident. A Los Angeles Police Department report revealed that Brown allegedly bit Rihanna and threatened to "kill her" after she made a phone call during the melee. And Rihanna's reported trip to the hospital following the incident led to speculation that the singer was punched by Brown during an attack. All of that information could be used by the prosecution to make their case that there is enough evidence present to take Brown's case to trial, according to Peter T. Haven, a legal expert based in Los Angeles who worked on O.J. Simpson's controversial book "If I Did It." "During the preliminary, which is significant, the prosecution puts the case in front of the judge to convince the judge that they have sufficient evidence to go forward with a criminal prosecution," Haven explained to MTV News. "The defense then tries to kill the case. [But] if there's enough evidence, the prosecution could then get a trial date." Haven called the process a "speed bump," essentially. From what has reportedly been gathered, Haven said it "sounds like the prosecution thinks it has serious evidence for a fairly serious crime, and they aren't backing down." That could explain why a plea deal has yet to be reached between the two sides, he speculated. Previously, it had been reported that Brown's legal team and the state were working furiously to reach an agreement. It's unlikely at this point that the two sides will reach a plea deal before Brown's preliminary hearing, according to Haven. After the hearing, however, there will still be time for a plea deal to be reached. If the judge in the case, Patricia Schnegg, rules that the next step in the process is a trial by jury, then Brown will likely have 30 days before he will be arraigned again. During his second arraignment, some of the charges may be altered or dropped, Haven suggested. During that process, Brown will be "held to answer," meaning he would be required to enter a plea once more; Brown pleaded not guilty when he was first arraigned. Barring any surprises, once Rihanna testifies Monday, Brown's attorney Mark Geragos may question the singer. It's more likely, though, that police will be called to testify. According to Haven, police may be asked questions by the prosecution to corroborate either Rihanna's testimony or information found in the police report. Although Haven has not had access to the evidence, from what has been presented so far in the case, the lawyer said he predicts the prosecution's challenge will be a "fairly easy burden" to prove. It was reported last week that Judge Schnegg has barred video cameras from the courtroom during the testimony. Media will still be allowed to attend the hearing, however. The hearing will be the third time Brown and Rihanna have reportedly been in the same building since the incident; the first was when they briefly reconciled at a Miami mansion owned by Diddy, then the two separately attended an NBA Finals game last week. "There's an eagerness to see what's there," Haven said of the preliminary hearing. "It's the first chance for people to get a sense of what evidence the prosecution has. There will be some attention afterward. You have to expect it when someone suggests a violent crime has been committed." Related Videos Related Photos |
| 50 Cent Says <i>War Angel LP</i> Proves He's Just As Hungry As New MCs Posted: 22 Jun 2009 03:51 AM PDT 'I'm writing like I need a record deal,' Fif tells Mixtape Daily.
Street King: 50 Cent Holding It Down For: Hardcore Hip-Hop Street Album: War Angel LP Real Spit: Original hard beats, two new verses on each record and 50 Cent talking at the end of a lot of the songs. Admit it: Sometimes hearing Fif speak at the end of records is just as entertaining as hearing him rap. "That's when I don't have to be in song format," 50 said last week from his new G-Unit Manhattan office. Yeah, he and his crew packed up from their old 34th Street digs and have a better spot. "I can say exactly what I mean, and people are entertained by that too. That's also a sign that you're a star."
50 is using his star power to help accomplish his mission. We've been telling you for a week now what the Southside Queens native wants: a resurgence in hardcore hip-hop. That soft stuff is saturating the music right now, he said. Last week, he dropped his first of three mixtapes this summer, War Angel LP. There's definitely some joints on there. "Redrum (Murder)" is pretty mean. Sincerely Southside Part 2 is dropping next week, and a full G-Unit mixtape is coming in August. They're all his "writing assignments" to keep him from overworking his September release, Before I Self Destruct. That project is in a very healthy space and just about ready to go, he said. "The guy that's trying to get a record deal right now, he should be writing with very strong passion," 50 said. "Right now, he's in competition with 50 Cent, and I'm writing like I need a record deal. It's tough for him." He's hungry. "I can write at that pace and achieve what I want," 50 continued. "You won't say there's a lack of quality in [War Angel]. That's why I called it an LP instead of a mixtape. They need to hear that." Joints To Check For » "I Line N---as." "That joint was creating a description of actually doing your homework and finding your enemies or the person's whereabouts you got issues with," Fif explained. "You seen a small example of that on 'A Psychic Told Me.' It's not as intense as the actual issues on the actual song. [The song] shows you gotta be resourceful and it's dangerous to isolate yourself because you close yourself off from information. When you in those types of situations, you gotta abide by the codes of the actual streets. Where I grew up, it's kinda mandatory if you got issues with these kinda people, you get to them before they get to you." » "Cream 2009." "That was my spin off of [Wu-Tang Clan's] 'Cash Rules Everything Around Me [C.R.E.A.M.],' " the G-Unit General explained. "It's a little more aggressive than the original one. But the whole concept of this record was a little more aggressive. As a full body of work, this is probably one of the hardest CDs. 'Cause I always had something commercial. On 50 Cent is the Future, I had the Raphael Saadiq 'You Should Be Here.' I had the 'Luv U Better' [beat] from LL Cool J's album. It was more of 'She's after my cheddar' from my perspective. It was a record that was working commercially at the time. At this point, I wanted to do something that was commercial-free, a whole CD. My closest thing to a commercial hit record [on this CD] would be 'I'll Do Anything.' The lyrics [from the original] was a huge commercial hit record, but I flipped it." » "OK, Alright." "If I ask you to name a hip-hop record that didn't have an R&B chorus that made it into the top 10 within the last two years, it's difficult," 50 said. "It's been two years since my last album came out. So I'll make 'OK, Alight' work it until they're actually ready for a hip-hop record. You see how much harder that record feels to the other records that's playing before and after it [on the radio]. They're all R&B records. 'OK' is working. That's what's missing." For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines. Related Videos |
| Young Jeezy Brings Out Lil Wayne At Birthday Bash Posted: 21 Jun 2009 12:42 AM PDT Atlanta's annual concert also features Gucci Mane, Plies, Rick Ross, Fabolous and Soulja Boy Tell'em.
ATLANTA — On Saturday, there was definitely a little tension in the air, mixed with excitement and anticipation for the city's annual super show, radio station Hot 107.9's Birthday Bash at the Philips Arena. For a decade and a half the station has brought together the best of the best in hip-hop and R&B for one gigantic shindig.
This year, the city was anticipating two of their hometown bigwigs, Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy. The two rocked the concert last year and, for Gucc, it was almost like a coming-out party — the fans sang along to all his mixtape hits and Mane reestablished himself as being very hot in the streets. Jeezy was actually elevating to the next level of his career — already huge in the 'hood, the Snowman gave the mainstream a wake-up call, bringing out his Grammy Award-winning peers Usher and Kanye West to join him onstage. Young stole the show and was rewarded with the headlining spot at this year's Bash. Recently, problems that Young and Gucci have had with each other in the past have been brought back to the forefront with the release of Mane's The Writing's on the Wall mixtape and Jeezy's retaliation song, "24-23 (Kobe, LeBron)." So would these two bring the beef to the Bash? No dis records — just good music, as both Gucci and Jeezy showed up with big sets. Jeezy did it again, with undoubtedly the biggest surprise and most talked about money moment of the night — bringing out Lil Wayne. The two, who are going out on tour this summer as part of the America's Most Wanted Music Festival, shook hands center stage. Wayne hit the crowd with a nice set-up jab, his verse and chorus to Birdman's "Always Strapped," then ended his mini-set and the show with one of rap's summer anthems, "Every Girl." Shortly before bringing out Wayne, Jeezy introduced Mary J. Blige to the audience. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul didn't perform, but expressed adulation for the Snowman as she told the crowd that he was "Mr. Birthday Bash." Young started his set with hits such as "Who Dat," "Bottom of the Map," and the always reliable crowd pleaser, "Bi--- Get Your Mind Right." A couple of hours before Jeezy, the duo calling themselves the Birthday Bash Boys had major shine onstage. OJ Da Juiceman warmed the audience with records such as "Washing Powder Money." When the music for "Make the Trap Say Aye," began, the crowd started to stir a bit more — they know who the guest star on the track is: Gucci! As the song stopped on Gucci's part, the Mane himself came out — the fans knew the songs line for line and cheered Gucc on. "Ridiculous," "Freaky Girl" and "Wasted" took the energy up a bit higher, until ultimately Gucc and OJ left. Not to be outdone, Plies was a one-man event during his set. The Florida MC went back and forth between raunchy songs for the ladies and cement-hard records for the fellas. "Plenty Money" popped off big time, as he held two huge stacks of ones in his hand, which he said totaled $50,000 — he then made it rain on the crowd. The Grand Hustle family were early show-stealers, as Young Dro captained a fast-paced, well-received performance that included Yung L.A., guest Maino, and new Grand Hustle family members the Rich Kids. The bill for Birthday Bash was loaded. The show started at 6:00 p.m. and didn't slow down until after Jeezy's set, just shy of 1:00 a.m. Other acts on the roster included Rick Ross, Fabolous, the G.S. Boyz, Trey Songz, Jeremih, Twista, Keri Hilson, Pleasure P and F.L.Y. (who provided another major moment by bringing out hometown legend Pastor Troy), Soulja Boy Tell'em (who performed with former foe and now current ally, Bow Wow), and more. Big Boi and Andre of Outkast were in the crowd, but did not perform. Maybe next year? Related Videos Related Artists |
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