mZeus.com News

Mary J. Blige Hitting the Road with Fall Tour - The Love Soul Tour

2008-08-24T15:34:48Z

Mary J. Blige is hitting the road again with a fall tour (The Love Soul Tour) to promote her eighth studio album, "Growing Pains." The Love Soul Tour which will start September 13 in North Charleston and will feature Robin Thicke and Dave Young. The tour will visit cities from coast to coast through mid-October. The tour is a followup to Blige's tour with Jay-Z on the "Heart of the City Tour".

]]> Below the the tour dates for The Love Soul Tour:

September 2008
13 - North Charleston, SC - North Charleston Coliseum
19 - Virginia Beach , VA - Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
20 - Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion
21 - Raleigh, NC - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
26 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
27 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte
28 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre

October 2008
2 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
8 - Baltimore, MD - 1st Mariner Arena
10 - Sunrise, FL - BankAtlantic Center
11 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
12 - Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre
14 - Chicago, IL - Arie Crown Theater
17 - Las Vegas, NV - Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort
18 - Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion

Madonna Madness

2008-08-20T23:09:51Z

On August 16th, 1958, a star was born. And at the time, the world was completely unaware of her. Her name was Madonna Louise Ciccone. We now know her simply as Madonna. Madonna was born and raised in Michigan. She convinced her father to let her take ballet lessons and she eventually received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan. At the urging of her ballet teacher, Madonna moved to New York City to pursue a dance career.

]]> She danced with dance troupes for a while, and then eventually formed a rock band that received local attention in the New York dance clubs. In 1982, Madonna’s music career officially began. She signed a deal with Sire Records and released her first single, “Everybody.”

Most people have come to know Madonna from her second album, “Like a Virgin”, which went to number one in the United States. Teenagers loved her bleached hair, lace tops, leggings, jewelry, and Boy Toy belt. Madonna was no one-hit wonder. Her success continued. “Like a Virgin” was followed by 12 more albums, 19 films, and too many number one hits to count.

Through it all, she has been married to and divorced from Sean Penn, and linked to stars such as Warren Beatty, Dennis Rodman, and Vanilla Ice. Madonna has 3 children. Her relationship with fitness trainer Carlos Leon produced her daughter, Lourdes in 1996. In 2000, she bore a son, Rocco, with current husband Guy Ritchie. In 2006, Madonna and Guy Ritchie adopted their son David, from Africa.

Madonna is no stranger to controversy. Though she has regularly received criticism for her provocative style of dress, her first big controversy arose in 1989 when Madonna signed an endorsement deal with Pepsi to do a commercial using the song “Like a Prayer.” The commercial was almost exactly the same as the music video, which the Vatican condemned due to the Catholic symbols and sensual undertones. Pepsi, unable to distance themselves or their commercial from the controversy, cancelled their contract with Madonna. This did nothing to slow down her career. She moved on, only to find that the Pope encouraged Italians not to attend her concerts. She remained unaffected, and then MTV banned her Justify My Love video due to the same sex kissing, brief nudity, and bondage. Looking back, it seems that all this controversy only served to make Madonna more popular. Those who loved her before still loved her, and those that hated her couldn’t ignore her.

Despite all of the above, Madonna is mostly revered for her music and sensational dance performances. Her music never goes out of style – she still has her fans from the 80’s. And since she keeps reinventing herself, she also has new fans. She performs with current pop stars, which is only fitting, since she has paved the way for so many of them. She has received an exhaustive list of awards, including numerous Grammy’s and MTV awards. Madonna turned 50 last week and is currently on her “Sticky and Sweet” tour. 50 years and Madonna’s star is still shining brightly.

The Material Girl is on the road again this year so get your Madonna Tickets.

Madonna - Vogue MTV

Eminem Being Sued for Punching Man in Bathroom 2 Years Ago

2008-07-08T01:47:15Z

Eminem (A.K.A. Marshall Mathers) is being sued for more than $25,000 by a man that claim the rapper sucker-punched him at a bathroom urinal two years ago at a Detroit strip club. Come on give me a break. It's been 2 years! Miad Jarbou filed a lawsuit Thursday in Oakland Circuit Court accusing Emine of assault and battery on July 13, 2006. Jarbou claims he was in the restroom when the rap star walked in with a large man he took to be a bodyguard.

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According to Jarbou, Eminem then stepped back from a urinal and "without warning or provocation ... drove his fist in a violent punching manner" into Jarbou's face, knocking him to the ground. Eminem and his bodyguard then left the men's room.

Jarbou claims he's "undergone physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, ongoing serious injuries requiring medical treatment" and "embarrassment, humiliation, medical expenses, wage loss and other economic and non-economic" damages.

R. Kelly Found Not Guilty in Child Pornography Case

2008-06-13T23:22:45Z

Great news for R&B Superstar R. Kelly! Today a jury acquitted him of all charges in his child pornography case. The jury found that he did not make an explicit videotape showing him having sex with a 13 year old girl who called him "godfather." R. Kelly cried and whispered "thank you Jesus" several times after each not guilty finding was announced in the 14-count case. If he was found guilty, Kelly could have faced a 15-year prison term.

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The case was a result of a 26-minute videotape showing oral sex, masturbation and other explicit acts which was given to police by a Chicago newspaper reporter in 2002. The video was then widely circulated on the underground video market and on the Internet.

The tape was replayed in court and the girl, Roshona Landfair, could be heard whispering "daddy" several times. Some of the girl's family members testified in court that Landfair considered Kelly her "godfather," who frequently gave her cash gifts.

Landfair had previously denied she was the girl on the tape in testimony to a grand jury that indicted Kelly. Her father is a musician who has worked for Kelly. Landfair, now 23, and her parents did not testify at the three-week trial. Kelly also did not testify.

Kelly previously settled at two civil suits involving women who said they were underage when he had sex with them. He married R&B singer Aaliyah in 1994 when she was 15, but the marriage was quickly annulled. Aaliyah died in a plane crash seven years later.

50 Cent Being Accused of Burning Down Baby Mama's House

2008-06-02T22:56:48Z

Talk about "baby mama drama"! 50 Cent's ex-girlfriend, Shaniqua Tompkins, is accusing him of being involved in burning down their Long Island home. Shaniqua lives at the house with her 2 children and boyfriend which include 50 Cent's 10 year old son, Marquise.

]]> 50 and Shaniqua has been in a nasty legal battle for the $2.4 million mansion where 50 Cent has been trying to evict her. Shaniqua has countersued claiming she's entitled to half of 50 Cent's assets.

The house fire started days after Shaniqua's boyfriend and two of his friends got into a fight with 50's bodyguard at the Manhattan office of Shaniqua's lawyer.

Last Saturday when Shaniqua returned to the burned Dix Hills house to retrieve some items she screamed out to reporters "Tell him to call his son! He didn't even attempt to call his son to see how he was doing. A good father would do that!"

A 5-gallon gas container was found on the edge of the property hours after the fire erupted about 5 a.m. 50 Cent has denied he had anything to do with the fire. He issued a statement Friday expressing gratitude that his son escaped the fire.

Last February Shaniqua Tomkin was awared $6,700 per month in child support after she wanted $50,000 per month.

Sean "Diddy" Combs Buys $33 million Yacht

2008-06-02T14:48:19Z

This is when you know you are living large; when you can afford to purchase a $33 million yacht like Sean "Diddy" Combs. According to Britain's Daily Mirror, Diddy has named the 54-foot motor yacht "The Maraya" and was being built over the last 3 years. Britain's Daily Mirror is reporting that Sean "Diddy" Combs recently purchased a new 54-foot motor yacht for $33 million.

]]> The yacht includes a top-deck party floor with bar, stage and projector screen. The living area features creamy leather sofas accented with pillows. Giant jars of dried apricots adorn the mantelpieces and books about Africa are displayed on tables.

Each deck comes with a private quarter behind sliding doors. Electric blue lights beam, greeting those guests invited inside. In one secluded space, Diddy's emperor size bed is decorated with monogrammed pillows.

There is a 10-member staff is on hand to maintain the ship, with duties that include baking chocolate chip cookies. Now that's living large!

The Maraya

Slick Rick Pardoned by New York Governor

2008-05-28T00:35:04Z

Slick Rick (A.K.A. Ricky Walters) has been fully pardoned by New York Governor David Paterson. Back in 1991 the rapper was convicted of attempted murder and spent five years in prison. However, the 43 year old rapper had faced numerous attempts to deport him although he lived in the U.S. since he was a child. Slick Rick was again arrested in 2002 by Immigration agents who stopped him after he returned to Miami from a 1 week Caribbean cruise where he performed on-board. He spent 17 months in jail which stemmed from a 1997 Immigration and Naturalization Service warrant that was not been pursued earlier.

]]> In announcing the pardon Governor Paterson stated that Rick Slick is now a rap artist and landlord in the Bronx who has not had any other criminal problems since his release from prison. He also stated that Slick Rick has volunteered at youth outreach programs to counsel against violence.

Governor Paterson stated, "Mr. Walters has fully served the sentence imposed upon him for his convictions, had an exemplary disciplinary record while in prison and on parole, and has been living without incident in the community for more than 10 years...I urge federal immigration officials to once again grant Mr. Walters relief from deportation, so that he is not separated from his many family members who are United States citizens, including his two teenage children."

Slick Rick responded to the Governor Paterson statement: "This has been a long and difficult road and I am happy for this to be settled once and for all. I look forward to enjoying this time with my family and friends and to continue leading an honest and productive life."

Lil Kim Awarded $500,000 in a Lawsuit Against Junior M.A.F.I.A.

2008-05-18T04:01:18Z

Lil Kim has been awarded $500,000 last Wednesday in a lawsuit accusing one of her former Junior M.A.F.I.A. members of using her name and image for an unauthorized DVD. In July of 2005 Lil' Kim had won a temporary restraining order against Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Ground Zero Entertainment to stop the DVD from being sold.

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Manhattan federal Judge Jed Rakoff found that Cease and his company, Ground Zero Entertainment, wrongly capitalized on Lil' Kim's fame with the DVD, "The Chronicles of Junior M.A.F.I.A. Part II: Reloaded."

Video - No Time by Lil Kim

R. Kelly Jury Has Been Selected

2008-05-18T03:48:01Z

Well it’s about time they get the show on the road with the R. Kelly child pornography trial. How many years have it been? Too many to count! The jury has been selected which consists of 8 whites and 4 blacks. However, since the jury selection began five days ago R. Kelly's defense team has accused the prosecutors of intentionally striking minorities from the jury pool in favor of whites.

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Foxy Brown to Release Her New Album on May 13

2008-05-08T00:14:32Z

Former inmate Foxy Brown, just weeks out of jail for violating probation, is set to release her new album, "Brooklyn's Don Diva," on Tuesday, May 13. The album will be launched by Black Rose Entertainment/KOCH Records. The album features guest appearances by Lady Saw, Lil' Mo, Dwele, AZ, Kira, Graph, DeMarco, and more. The track "We Don't Surrender" featuring Graph was leaked last August as Foxy began her one year prison jail sentence.

]]> The current single is "Bulletproof Love/One Love" featuring Lil' Mo.

The tracklisting for "Brooklyn's Don Diva" is listed below:

1.    Brooklyn's Don Diva
2.    We Don't Surrender feat. Graph
3.    We're On Fire feat. Movado
4.    Dreams of F****** A D-Boy feat. Jay Rush
5.    When the Lights Go Out feat. Kira
6.    Never Heard This Before feat. Dwele
7.    Too Real Feat. AZ
8.    Star Cry
9.    Why
10.   She Wanna Rude Bwoy feat. DeMarco
11.   The Quan feat. Lady Saw
12.   Bulletproof Love/One Love feat. Lil' Mo
13.   How We Get Down feat. Graph and Prinz
14.   We Set The Pace feat. Morgan Heritage & Spragga Benz
15.   The Quan ft. Lady Saw (Hip Hop Mix)

Akon Busted by TheSmokingGun.com for Lying About His Past

2008-04-20T01:54:00Z

Is Akon a fraud? According to TheSmokingGun.com Akon has lied about his so-called past criminal lifestyle. Akon has claimed that he served 4 1/2 years in prison for various felonies, including running car theft operation. However, he was convicted of one felony for gun possession which ended in a guilty plea with three years probation.

]]> Akon was also arrested for stealing a BMW. As a result he was held in an Atlanta jail for several months before charges were dropped against him. That’s his criminal past!

According to TheSmokingGun.com "Akon's ad nauseum claims about his criminal career and resulting prison time have been, to an overwhelming extent, exaggerated, embellished, or wholly fabricated.....Police, court, and corrections records reveal that the entertainer has created a fictionalized back-story that serves as the narrative anchor for his recorded tales of isolation, violence, woe, and regret. Akon has overdubbed his biography with the kind of grit and menace that he apparently believes music consumers desire from their hip-hop stars."

Tell us it aint so Akon! You have been busted! Read the entire article at TheSmokingGun.com.

Akon - Smack That (f/ Eminem)

Bill Cosby Releasing Rap Album Next Month

2008-04-17T00:40:14Z

Ok, is this a joke? Bill Cosby will be releasing a rap album titled "Cosby Narratives Vol. 1: State of Emergency." Bill Cosby wants to be a rapper. Ok Bill we get the message, you don't have to rap to us about it. According to the Associated Press, the 70-year-old tv/movie-star/comedian and outspoken opponent of profanity-laced, misogynistic rap has put together an effort that blends his concepts and stories with a hip-hop, pop and jazz soundtrack.

]]> Bill telling the Associated Press, his album is "the opposite of what I think is the profanity for no particular reason, the misogyny for no particular reason....It really looks at the frustration and the anger that a young man may have...I do not rap on any of these things. I wouldn't know how to fix my mouth to say some of the words."

Bill as stated that the subject matter is "The value of an education. The value of respecting one's self and ... giving (listeners) a chance to raise their self-esteem and confidence."

Bill Cosby Gangster Rap Best Version

Bobby Brown's Tell-All Book About Marriage to Whitney

2008-04-06T21:10:49Z

Bobby Brown has released a tell-all book about his life and marriage to Whitney Houston. The title of the book is "Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But." I guess Bobby can also use the money, so why not. In the first chapter, Bobby claims that it was Whitney who introduced him to cocaine.

]]> Other people suspected that it was Bobby's idea, since at the time Whitney had an image of the girl next door.

According to Bobby, "I never used cocaine until after I met Whitney. Before then, I had experimented with other drugs, but marijuana was my drug of choice”.

Whitney has responded to the allegations from Bobby by telling People magazine in a statement: "Miss Houston is sad that Bobby feels he needs to say such things but she chooses to take the high road and will not speak badly about the father of her child even if it's to set the record straight."

Bobby also talks about problems in the couple’s marriage by stating the marriage "was doomed from the very beginning. Within the first year we separated, with several more to follow.....I think we got married for all the wrong reasons. Now, I realize Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married . . . I believe her agenda was to clean up her image, while mine was to be loved and have children."

Bobby also states that Whitney was under "a lot of pressure. The media was accusing her of having a bisexual relationship with her assistant, Robin Crawford. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn't go too well with her image . . . In Whitney's situation, the only solution, was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation, whether it was true or not. In the short, I think I got caught up in the politics and ended up marrying one of the biggest stars in the world."

Brown also admits to cheating on his ex-wife on several occasions, stating: "I am guilty of sleeping with other women . . . Women are always throwing themselves at you. I'm only human, so I would make the mistake and bite the hook sometimes . . . I let the testosterone take over."

Bobby also talks about his sexual relationship with the former exotic dancer Karrine "Superhead" Steffans. He stated, "Yes, I've slept with her," he confesses. "Yes, I've spent several nights at her house. But she was only good for what her nickname stood for."

Brown also claims he dated Janet Jackson and Madonna before marrying Houston.

Check out the videos below of Bobby losing his cool in an interview.

Remy Ma Found Guilty, Faces Up to 25 Years in Prison

2008-04-01T00:48:22Z

Remy Ma (A.K.A. Remy Smith) is on her way to doing some serious time in prision. The Bronx rapper cried tears last Thursday after she was found guilty on all four charges of assault in state Supreme Court in Manhattan. She was convicted on two counts of first-degree assault, attempted coercion, and criminal possession of a weapon in the shooting of Makeda Barnes Joseph outside a night club last summer.

]]> Friends and family of Barnes Joseph cheered and taunted Remy when the verdicts were read. Some were said to have chanted "bye, bye" in a singsong tone as Smith left the courtroom in handcuffs. Remy was immediately jailed without bail while awaiting sentencing on April 23. Remy faces up to 25 years in prison.

On July 14, 2007 Remy accused Barnes Joseph of stealing $3,000 from her purse and shot her in the stomach. The defense argued that the gun carried by Remy went off accidentally during a struggle, striking Barnes Joseph in the abdomen.

Remy was however acquitted of gang assault and witness tampering, among the nine total charges she faced. Prosecutors had also accused her of dispatching friends to harass and beat up the boyfriend of a witness in the case. A man who tried to help the boyfriend was also attacked.

T.I. Pleads Guilty toFederal Weapons Possession Charges

2008-04-01T00:39:32Z

T.I. (A.K.A. Clifford Harris) has pleaded guilty to federal weapons possession charges and will spend one year doing community service while awaiting a sentence that includes prison time. The 27-year-old rapper pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of machine guns and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

]]> T.I. must complete at least 1,000 hours of a total 1,500 hours of community service. He plans on talking to children about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs.

After the community service, T.I. will be sentenced to serve about 1 year in prison. His prison sentence could be increased or reduced, depending on his fulfillment of the terms of the deal and good behavior.

T.I. was charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon following his Oct. 13 arrest in an ATF sting in Atlanta. He faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.