Explosives Found Outside T.I.'s Grand Hustle Office

WTH?!
Explosives were reportedly discovered around incarcerated rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records office building today (November 19) which required a call-in to a SWAT team.

Reports of the incident landed online early Thursday afternoon.

Atlanta police said they discovered two Molotov cocktails Thursday at an office belonging to Rapper TI. A SWAT team was called in to remove the explosives from the scene at the 1700 block of Defoors Ferry. Officials said the Molotov cocktails were not lit. The incident is under investigation. (My Fox Atlanta News)

An officer covering the scene also confirmed the existence of explosives.

"One of the occupants came out early this morning to start his car up," officer Otis Redmond told media, "and noticed two suspicious bottles sitting on the front portion of the walkway." (Fox 5)

However, Grand Hustle representatives have reportedly disputed the claims.

Sources for Grand Hustle dispute the reports however and told HipHopWired that the explosives were near the office and not in front of the building. (Hip Hop Wired) (From Sohh.com)

Cam'ron Squashes Reunion Rumors, Juelz Responds

I have this crazy feeling that Cam might be the only one with the real beef. He just seems a bit off to me. He might be the one on that sizzzurp.

In light of Cam'ron's recent "Dipset is over" remarks, estranged member Juelz Santana has shared his response to the Diplomat leader's choice words.

Despite Cam's feelings on the Dip movement, Santana said he maintained his loyalty and helped the four-member crew reach success.

"I put a lot of bricks in that building," Juelz stated in an interview. "So my work was more than put in, so even if you can say you brought me to the game, well guess what, I gave you everything for bringing me to the game. I helped build that Diplomat building to the top floor. When you think of Dipset I'll always be in your brain. If Cam feels like for whatever reason he is too big to get over whatever happened, or he's too stubborn or whatever the case may be, so be it. At the end of the day, I am comfortable. I can look in the mirror." (All Hip Hop)

Earlier this week, Killa said spectators should give up on a Dipset reunion.

"When I shake somebody's hand, [my Diplomat tattoo] is what you see," Cam said in an interview. "Shake hands. The only thing that bothers me is when n*ggas be like, 'Oh, so you can be down with Dipset? They gonna put you back down?' How can you put somebody back down for something that they own? Keepin' it a hundred, Dipset is Dipset but Dipset is over. They gotta get over it." (World Star Hip Hop)

Cam previously addressed the fans and said getting back with his old crew was not possible.

"Look, I hear the deejays, I hear the fans, I hear everybody," Cam said in an interview last spring. "I'm not doing a Diplomats album. I'm not rhyming with Jim or Juelz or nothing. I wish them all the best of luck. Accept it people. The people don't wanna seem to accept it. I don't have time to do that, it's not happening, I'm not doing it." (NowWutTV)(Compiled by Sohh.com)

Video: Conversations with 50 Cent

I kinda like this series and as usual 50 Cent does not disappoint in an interview. I really appreciated the moments when he wasn't 'on'---talking about his son, ex, and Vivica Fox. Check it out for yourself!

Katrina Ruling Could Cost Gov't Billions

I guess they better warm up those printing presses...

The federal government could be vulnerable to billions of dollars in claims after a judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers' failure to properly maintain a navigation channel led to massive flooding in Hurricane Katrina.

U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval on Wednesday awarded seven plaintiffs $720,000, but the government could eventually be forced to pay much more. The ruling should give more than 100,000 other individuals, businesses and government entities a better shot at claiming damages.

Duval sided with six residents and one business who argued the Army Corps' shoddy oversight of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet led to the flooding of New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward and neighboring St. Bernard Parish. He said, however, the corps couldn't be held liable for the flooding of eastern New Orleans, where two of the plaintiffs lived.

The ruling is also emotionally resonant for south Louisiana. Many in New Orleans have argued that the flooding in the aftermath of Katrina, which struck the region Aug. 29, 2005, was a manmade disaster caused by the Army Corps' failure to maintain the levee system protecting the city.

"Total devastation could possibly have been avoided if something had been done," said Tanya Smith, one of the plaintiffs. "A lot of this stuff was preventable and they turned a deaf ear to it."

The 36-year-old registered nurse anesthetist lived in Chalmette close to the channel when Katrina hit. She was awarded $317,000 in property damages, the most of any of the plaintiffs.Duval referred to the corps' approach to maintaining the channel as "monumental negligence."

Joe Bruno, one of the lead lawyers for the plaintiffs, said the ruling underscored the Army Corps' long history of not properly protecting the New Orleans region.

"It's high time we look at the way these guys do business and do a full re-evaluation of the way it does business," Bruno said.

He said he expected the government to appeal.

The corps referred calls seeking comment to the Justice Department. Spokesman Charles Miller said the government would review the judge's ruling before making any decision on how to proceed.

During trial testimony, government lawyers and experts argued the levee system was overwhelmed by the massive storm, and levee breaches couldn't solely be blamed on the shipping channel dug in the 1960s as a short-cut between the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans.The corps had also unsuccessfully argued that it is immune from liability because the channel is part of New Orleans' flood control system.

In his 156-page ruling, Duval said he was "utterly convinced" that the corps' failure to shore up the channel "doomed the channel to grow to two to three times its design width" and that "created a more forceful frontal wave attack on the levee" that protected St. Bernard and the Lower 9th Ward.

"The Corps had an opportunity to take a myriad of actions to alleviate this deterioration or rehabilitate this deterioration and failed to do so," Duval said. "Clearly the expression 'talk is cheap' applies here."

Ahead of Duval's ruling, experts had said it would likely have consequences for the way the Army Corps does business nationwide.Pierce O'Donnell, another lead plaintiffs lawyer, said the ruling was the "first time ever the Army Corps has been held liable for damages for a major catastrophe that it caused."

The plaintiffs lawyers would like Congress to set up a compensation fund to speed up payments to the thousands of others whose claims must still be heard in court.

At a one-month trial in May, experts clashed over the causes of flooding and the channel's contribution to it.Government experts argued the levees and floodwalls would have failed regardless of whether the channel had been dug.

By contrast, the plaintiffs' team of experts said the outlet became a "hurricane highway" that funneled storm surge into New Orleans. They said that without the channel, the flooding would have been minimal.

The lawsuit was the first major case against the federal government over Katrina flooding to go to trial. A decision rested with Duval because a jury cannot try a case against the federal government. (From AP/AOL News)

Wale's Manager Blames Poor Sales on Under-Shipment

Wale I wanna see you win! Maybe Wale fans are just too tech-savvy---as in they love the music but are probably getting it for free and sharing abundantly. They're showing love just not with their dollars, and therein lies the rub. Go support good music people! I promise you won't regret it.

Wale's manager, Daniel Weisman, has shared his reaction to the rap newcomer's Attention: Deficit album selling over 28,000 copies its first-week in stores.
Click here to find out more!

According to Weisman, the Washington, DC-based artist could have sold more copies.

"Wale's the type of artist who is bigger than the metrics say he is," Weisman said in an interview. "That puts the label in a tough position in terms of physical distribution and because of Twitter we are able to hear direct feedback from the fans about the problems they had actually finding the CD. But 64 percent of Wale's sales came from digital outlets which makes sense for Wale. It's a testament to Interscope and their confidence in Wale's brand that they put the record out without a big single." (XXL Mag)

Early projections showed Wale moving around 25,000 to 28,000 records.(From Sohh.com)

The Roots and Alicia Keys Lighting Tree in Rockefeller Center

If I could get off work early and I knew there wouldn't be mass hysteria..I'd try to witness this. Luckily, they invented those uber convenient gadgets---hmm TVs I think they call them.

Philadelphia Hip-Hop band The Roots will be one of many star acts performing at this years Christmas in Rockefeller Center special which will air in NBC this December.

The annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special will feature performances and appearances by The Roots, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Barry Manilow, Shakira, actor James Tupper and NBC news anchor, Brian Williams.

The Roots, who act as house band on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, will perform during the 77th annual tree lighting ceremony, which was originally started during The Great Depression, in 1933.

The ceremony also serves as a promotional event for Arbor Day and the Arbor Day Foundation.

Viewers will be asked to text NBCU to have a tree planted on their behalf, to raise awareness for the environment and Arbor Day's goal to have up to 500,000 new trees planted.

NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center is set to air December 2nd from 8:00 to 9:00pm EST on NBC.For more details, visit www.nbc.com. (From Allhiphop.com)

Video: Shakira feat Lil' Wayne 'Give It Up to Me'

Weezy's pimping don't stop smh...Shakira what is this---the second coming of J.Lo?! (sidenote: why are all her dancers black? just sayin)

Nivea Gives Birth....Allegedly

I can't find a valid confirmation for this but eff it...I won't be mentioning this again so I'll just mention it now however premature lol Nivea supposedly gave birth over the weekend. I'm about to make a separate subheading on my blog entitled: Congrats again, Weezy! hahaha

R&B singer Nivea and rapper Lil Wayne celebrated the birth of their son over the weekend, according to reports.The child is the second son to be born to Lil Wayne in 2009. The rapper also welcomed a son in September, with actress Lauren London.

Reports stated that Lil Wayne missed the birth of his son with Nivea due to a prior engagement in Atlanta with Young Money artist Shanell, with whom he is rumored to be romantically involved with.

The child is Lil Wayne’s third son and fourth child in total. He also has a ten-year old daughter named Reginae, with reality star Toya Carter of BET’s reality show Tiny & Toya.Nivea also has three children from a previous relationship with hit producer The Dream, who is currently married to R&B singer Christina Milian. (From Allhiphop.com)

Nas, Damian Marley Gather Rap Pioneers for Debate

I love it when Nas uses his power for good. If only we could get a release date on this collaborative album! I'm done waiting :-/

Nas and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley have teamed with National Geographic and V-Tech to present the “Distant Relatives” panel debate in Washington, DC next month.

The “Distant Relatives” panel debate will feature DJ Kool Herc, DJ Red Alert, dance hall legend Daddy U-Roy , Jeff Chang, Rakim and King Jammy.The discussion will be moderated by radio personality/MTV host Sway Calloway. The event, which is being filmed for a documentary, will explore the origins of Hip-Hop in addition to the global impact the genre of music has had around the world.

For those who cannot attend the actual event, the discussion will also be streamed live and broadcast via National Geographic’s natgeomusic.net website.An after party and open-mic show at DC nightclub Zanzibar will take place following the discussion.

Nas and Damian Marley’s “Distant Relatives” panel is slated to take place at National Geographic's Grosvenor Auditorium on December 12.Tickets are limited as tickets are going for $25 and also include entry into the after party.

Nas and Damian Marley’s collaboration album Distant Relatives is due out in 2010. (From Allhiphop.com)

Gym Class Heroes Frontman Releasing Solo Album

I respect his honesty...hahaha Maybe he's under-promising so he can over-deliver?

Gym Class Heroes' frontman Travis McCoy has announced plans to release a debut solo album, The Lazarus Project, and explained the lack of acknowledgment he receives as an emcee.

According to McCoy, he didn't place a strong emphasis on snagging collaborations for his first album.

"I tried to keep the guest appearances at a bare minimum because this is my first effort away from Gym Class Heroes, so I didn't want it to be super appearance-driven," McCoy said in an interview. "It's me showing another side of Travis. There's a lot more singing and a lot more melody, but I think the guests that are on the record are there for a reason and are meant to be on the record. I feel like a lot of people in the hip-hop world don't take me seriously as a rapper. And I feel that first-and-foremost I came up as a rapper before I started singing. All a lot of people know from me is 'Cupid's Chokehold,' and they don't scratch the surface and see beyond that dude who sings the song about his girlfriend. With this record, I feel like people are going to take me more seriously as a rapper and hopefully, as a singer as well." (Billboard) (Compiled by Sohh.com)