Friday, January 13, 2012

Essence Festival 2012 Lineup: Mary J. + More to Perform

undefinedJim Spellman, WireImage | Tom Briglia, FilmMagic
The lineup for the 2012 Essence Music Festival has been announced and the array of performers are notable for their power-packed vocals. Set to take place during the heart of summer 2012 -- July 6-8 -- this year's event is touted as "The Power of Our Voice" and will be be held at the Louisiana Superdome.

Performers include Mary J. Blige, Keyshia Cole, Ledisi, Luke James, Estelle, SWV, the Stylistics, Fantasia, Goapele, Raheem DeVaughn, Charlie Wilson and Aretha Franklin.
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Loon: Belgian Prison Stay Will Be for 'Unspecified Time'

undefinedAl Pereira, Michael Ochs Archives
For the time being, former Bad Boy rapper Loon won't be sent home from Belgium -- where he was arrested late last year -- to face drug charges in the States. That's the good news. The bad news: He won't be leaving jail in Brussels anytime soon.

As BallerStatus.com reports, the embattled MC has been ordered by a grand jury to remain in prison "for an unspecified time frame." His lawyer is appealing that decision with Belgium's Supreme Court, and U.S. authorities have yet to file extradition documents.

Loon, born Chauncey Lamont Hawkins, fled the country in May 2011, after he was arrested and charged with "knowingly and intentionally" possessing and intending to sell heroin in North Carolina. After seeking asylum in Algeria, he landed in Belgium, where he was arrested in November.

Ol' Dirty Bastard: FBI File on Wu-Tang Clan MC Revealed

RJ Capak, WireImage
Ol' Dirty Bastard was a man of lyrical talents during his storied music career. He also was a man who found himself in a string of legal troubles. Seven years after his death, the Wu-Tang Clan member's FBI files are being disclosed.

In the 94-page file, which was obtained by a man named Rich Jones, who used a Freedom of Information Act request to get access, a look is given into ODB's troubled life through police reports and detailed accounts of his arrests.

Some of the writeups include shootouts, high bail money and links to murder. On March 12, 1999 -- six months before his sophomore LP, 'N---- Please,' debuted -- ODB, born Russell Tyrone Jones, was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of body armor. He was held on $115,000 bail. In November 1999, the 'Got Your Money' rapper was the victim of an in-home robbery, where his jewelry was stolen and he was awakened by a masked man pointing a gun at his face.

Chopper City Shot Over 'Nothing' in Lamborghini

undefinedBen Rose, Getty Images
Former 'Making the Band 2' star Chopper City was shot while driving his Lamborghini in Michigan this past weekend, in what appears to have been a botched robbery attempt.

According to a recent interview with MTV, Chopper was driving through Michigan on his way to a show, when he got lost, his GPS failed and his phone died. Noticing that he was being followed by another car, he pulled his Lamborghini into a gas station, in an attempt to lose his pursuer, but found himself on the receiving end of a hail of bullets instead.

"He acted like he was walkin' past me ... and I seen him reach for a strap," Chopper explained from his hotel room in Chicago. "He started shootin' at me, and he shot inside my Lamborghini, and he hit me on my side. He looked at my jewelry, but I gave him that look like, 'You gonna have to kill me if you want this.'"

Yelawolf 'Let's Roll' Video: Kid Rock & Rapper Ride in Style

Astrid Stawiarz, Getty Images
There are several hints of awesomeness in Yelawolf's new music video for 'Let's Roll,' a single off his debut LP, 'Radioactive' that features Kid Rock.

The visuals, released today (Jan. 11), take viewers on a ride from the rapper's native Gadsden, Ala., to the Bronx, N.Y., with Yela behind the wheel of several different suped-up vintage rides. Our favorite? The stretch white limo and monster truck hybrid he floors along a dirt speedway.

'Let's Roll' embraces all things redneck: Rock, rifles, ATVs and hunting fatigues. From there, Yela-"two-punch"-Wolf heads up North to the streets of the Big Apple where hip-hop legend DJ Kool Herc drops in for a cameo.

Theophilus London 'Last Night': 'LVRS Anthem' Is a Good Time

undefinedGetty Images
New York rapper Theophilus London had kicked off his North American tour in Cleveland Wednesday night (Jan. 11) and to celebrate, he's dropped his latest single, 'Last Night (LVRS Anthem).' The synth-heavy, intricately produced, introspective club banger comes with a rambunctious beat and a catchy chorus: "Sippin' that good drink in my cup/ Got that purple, roll it up/ See that party from last night, it got me f---ed up."

That said, the song -- the first single off his upcoming 'Lovers Holiday II: Rose Island' project -- will get you ready for that next one. Listen to him recollect his wild "last night" below.

Beyonce: Health Officials Dismiss Hospital Complaints

undefinedJim Spellman, WireImage
Beyonce and husband Jay-Z came under fire during the birth of their daughter Blue Ivy for the way New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital reportedly shut down access to other areas, which prevented parents from seeing their own newborns. The New York State Department of Health is waving away complaints they received from patients claiming they were mistreated as a result of the increased security measures surrounding Bey's baby's birth.

Billboard.com reports that Jeffrey Gordon, a department spokesman, revealed that the Health Department received two complaints about Lenox Hill Hospital. According to Gordon, both were dismissed by Wednesday night (Jan. 11).