News: BREAKING: Akon's Artist Dolla Fatally Shot, Murder Suspect Identified

Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Mon, 18 May 2009 22:00:00

Akon 's Konvict Music recording artist Roderick "Dolla" Burton was fatally shot Monday (May 18) afternoon after an altercation took place in a California shopping center.

Dolla was reportedly with another artist when the incident took place.

According to his publicist, Sue Vannasing, she said Dolla was shot in the head around 3:10 p.m. while he and another rapper, DJ Shabbazz, waited in the Beverly Center mall area after shopping. About two hours later, Los Angeles police detained a "person of interest" as he attempted to board a plane out of Los Angeles International Airport. The man allegedly drove his silver Mercedes SUV from Beverly Center to the airport. Vannasing said Dolla had gotten into an altercation with other passengers on a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles, but it's unclear if that was related to the violence. (Sun Sentinel)

Employees around the area have commented on the shooting.

At a Chipotle restaurant in the mall, several people were eating when the shots rang out. "The customers were yelling 'close the store, close the store, because somebody is shooting,'" said Elsa Hernandez, general manager of the restaurant. An employee who was behind the restaurant, near the mall's valet parking service, saw the tail end of the dispute, Hernandez said. He saw a lady ... shooting a handgun, Hernandez said. (Los Angeles Times)

The murder suspect's name was revealed shortly afterward.

The suspect goes by the name Aubery Berry. Here's what went down. Sources say after the shooting, the LAPD put out an alert that the suspect may have fled to the Los Angeles International Airport and the LAX police spotted a man who matched the description, sitting in the lobby area of Terminal 1. Cops approached Berry and almost immediately he said he knew why cops were there and then raised his hands and told them he had a 9 millimeter handgun in his waistband. Berry (we have not confirmed if this is his legal name or an alias) -- a 20-year-old African American male -- was taken into custody. (TMZ)

The rapper was an established artist associated with Akon's Konvict label.

The 21-year-old rapper, born Roderick Anthony Burton II, was signed to Akon's Konvict imprint through Jive Records. He told Rap-Up about his harsh upbringing in an article that appeared in the magazine last year. He was born into death when his twin died at birth, he witnessed his father commit suicide, his sister is incarcerated, and he had been shot previously. His single, ?Who the F*** Is That?? featuring T-Pain, was released in late 2007. (Rap-Up)

He built connections within the industry amongst hip-hop moguls like Diddy.

Atlanta rapper Dolla played talent shows and showcases as a member of Da Razkalz Cru. They released the 2003 single "So Fly" on the major-label imprint Elektra, but it went nowhere and the band was dropped from the label that same year. In the end, the best thing that would happen to Dolla as he was hanging with Razkalz was meeting both Akon, who was producing for the label, and Diddy, who would take Dolla under his wing not as a rapper, but as a model. (All Music Guide)

No further information has yet been released to the media.

News: Rick Ross Buttons Up Fashion Ideas, "I'd Love To Put Something Together For Just The Big Guys"

Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Mon, 18 May 2009 17:34:10

Rick Ross recently shared his thoughts on fashion and expressed his desire to possibly venture out with his own clothing lines for larger men.

The Miami rapper also revealed the clothing lines he has helped inspire.

"I would just love to target a big and tall audience," Ross said in an interview. "A lot of times, big dudes can't walk in these stores and get these sizes of the fly sh*t. So I'd love to put something together just for the big guys. I've endorsed one or two fashion lines before for some little dudes in Miami, just showing them love. Luxury Tax, I actually gave [that] name to one of my homeboys from Haiti and helped him out with that. And another one called Foreign Lavish. You never know what the future holds." (Rap-Up)

DJ Smallz recently previewed the Boss' co-signed line, Luxury Tax.

"I know you probably seen the ads," he said in a video clip. "Luxury Tax, Rick Ross new clothing line. Well I just wanted to show you a couple pieces real quick. Luxury Tax sh*t. This sh*t is for ballers only. Different colors, you feel me? Wanna make sure you cop that, make sure you go to DeeperThanRap.com. Get all the Luxury clothing and Rick Ross' album, it's coming real soon." (Smallz TV)

Ross has also expressed his interest in working with the recently released ex-drug kingpin Freeway Ricky
Ross.

"I mean most definitely," Ross said regarding a possible business relationship. "You know I'm a business man so any business we could do, you know, it is most definitely something I look forward to doing. I mean a dude that just did a little time he could really reflect on different things, I don't know what kinda business ventures he know but me, we in to films and different things like that. You'll never know what a man is up to. Of course not , [I haven't met him.] But you know I been in the game a few years, shout-out to him, he's doing his thing. Do we have any business together? No we don't, but you know, we both hustlers. So I wish him the best, so you know, that's what I say on that." (Jenny Boom Boom)

The rapper celebrated his third album, Deeper Than Rap, reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 earlier this month.

Rick Ross' Deeper Than Rap led the way this week landing at No. 1 with 158,000 scanned discs followed by the Hannah Montana soundtrack which landed at No. 2 with 104,300 copies and Depeche Mode's Sounds of the Universe at No. 3 with 80,100 copies. Asher Roth's Asleep in the Bread Aisle debuted at No. 5 with 62,000 copies while Chester French's Love the Future opened at No. 77 with 6,300 copies. (Sales Wrap)

News: T.I.'s Prison Sentence Reportedly Cut Short, 60 Days Behind Bars

Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Mon, 18 May 2009 17:15:13

Grammy-winning rapper Clifford "T.I." Harris will reportedly serve around 60 days behind bars, 305 days less than his original sentence for felony gun charges case.

The reduced sentence was reportedly dolled out as a result of time already served on home detention.

The rapper had faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge in his three-count indictment but Harris will be credited for 305 days of home detention he already has served after being charged, so his stay at the Forrest City prison likely will be only two months. R.D. Weeks, a spokesman for the Forest City, Arkansas prison, said Harris likely would be treated like any other prisoner coming into the facility and that each cell at the prison is double-bunked. He also will have the opportunity to use the recreation yard, as well as take part in counseling or participate in the one of the facility's 14 religious groups, Weeks said. (Associated Press)

Tip will turn himself in at the end of this month.

The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford J. Harris Jr., will be serving his year-and-one-day sentence at the Forrest City low-security federal prison. Paperwork filed in his federal court case shows he has until noon on May 26 to report for his sentence. Prison officials did not immediately return a call for comment. (USA Today)

Information on the facility has emerged online including the daily life of the inmates.

T.I. has eleven days to report to his one year and one day prison sentence -- and we know where he's going. No special treatment here -- he'll likely have a roomie, be kept in the general population, which includes about 1,500 inmates, and be assigned to work detail. (TMZ)

The "King of the South" will reportedly complete two music videos before beginning his stay.

Tip?s rep told XXL that the Atlanta rap giant has already shot one video and will shoot another clip for ?Don?t Forget,? his duet with Mary J. Blige on Thursday (May 21) in Los Angeles. Both new songs will appear on the re-issue to T.I.?s multi-platinum selling album Paper Trail. While there is no official release date as of yet, they are hoping to drop the album sometime this August. (XXL Mag)
Tip was originally slated to serve 366 days in prison.