King Tut, a Dipset affiliate close to Freeky Zeeky who was born Darnell Brittingham, shot himself in the head when confronted by police. I guess the big business that is America's prison system will have to make a little less money this year.
It all went down in upstate New York when NYPD discovered the 23-year-old rapper was hiding out in a motel in White Plains. After watching him and a female friend get into a cab they surrounded the vehicle and ordered him to get out. Rather than face the music, Tut committed suicide there and then. Condolences to his family and anyone else who has to deal with the aftermath.
Internet heads may remember when Tut and a friend were arrested just over a month ago after police searched his car and found a teddy bear full of Tony Montana's favourite drug. Digital scales, mary jane and empty plastic bags were also found in the car. The only reason the car was searched in the first place was because New York's finest smelt the unmistakable aroma of the stickiest icky. Peer pressure continues to be a mofo fo' sho', tho'. Couldn't one of them have said, "Yo, why don't we wait until we get home, or at least off a busy main road, before we light this?" Or at least wait until they weren't riding dirty before lighting it up? But no-one did, and Tut and his bredrin got sent to jail. After posting $25,000 bail, Tut went straight to New Jersey and, for whatever reason, stabbed a lady seven times. He then went on the run like Kool G Rap. And you all know how the story goes. The worst thing about all this is that it was completely avoidable.
Kanye's arrest and upcoming court date for the ruckus at LAX that he and manager Don C were involved in towards the end of last year may seem like another case of keeping it real going it wrong. But how many times can you put up with one of those paparazzi cameras in your face before you smash it the uff up? I don't know 'cos no one has ever tried to stick a camera in my face - I ain't important like that. But 'Ye is one of the biggest stars in the world of music right now. Plus, would anyone bothered with keeping it real wear the clothes he does? And allow themselves to be photographed wearing those clothes? And talk, quite seriously, about posing naked? You have to give him props for not being scared to change up the game. If things go wrong in court, he could find himself in the big house for a couple years. His manager may join him. But as a wise man once said, it's LA and he's rich and famous. So they'll be cool.
Away from the legal dramas, Mos Def has just announced a new album. Thought he hadn't been in many films recently. Is it really ten years since his debut Black on Both Sides, and eleven since Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star? (And what's the deal with their second album?) Lord have mercy. Mos' fourth long player, The Ecstatic, is tentatively set for a June 30 release - so it'll probably arrive some time around Christmas. Thus far, producers meant to contribute include J Dilla, Kanye and Chad Hugo. Are The Neptunes over? We've got a reliable source who's heard Pharrell's next album - made totally solo and with a movie in the works to accompany it (and we gather it's phenomenal) - which suggests that whatever else is going on, the dynamic duo are spending less time together in the studio.
The promised album from KRS-ONE and Buckshot is now apparently set for an August release. It's quite fitting that the man responsible for the hip hop classic Duck Down should record an album on the label named after the song. I wonder if him and Buckshot will do an '09 remake?
Best of all though is the news that veteran Grand Puba, formerly of the mighty Brand Nubian, is going to release a new solo album. Retroactive is set to drop at the end of June on Babygrande, but so far there's not much news about what to expect. Anyone who has Reel to Reel and 2000, not to mention One for All, in their record boxes will know what time it is.
Still on the forthcoming album tip, and as promised last week, we've heard some rumblings of news about the status of Raekwon's years-in-the-making project, Cuban Linx 2. Those of you whose memories stretch back to the early part of this decade will remember the news: Rae was to reunite with Rza and a cast of thousands to make the sequel to his 1995 magnum opus, Busta Rhymes was in the chair as exec producer, it was coming out on Aftermath with Dre involved too, and the Wu were going to save hip hop again a generation after they "formed like Voltron". Well, it didn't quite work out like that, and from what HIPHOP.COM has pieced together over the past two years from interviews with Rza and Rae, the album - which has been finished for ages - has been in a holding pattern, looking for the right deal, as that Aftermath contract never got signed. Earlier this month Busta confirmed some of the rumours exclusively to us. "Deal offers are bein' made right now," the big fella told us. "There was a time when it was supposed to be goin' through Aftermath, but it's a different thing now. Rae's got a lot o' offers for that project right now because he got momentum in the street with those two new records [the leaked Criminology '09 and The New Wu, featuring Method Man and Ghostface]. Cuban Linx 2 is one of the most unbelievable albums - it makes you feel fuckin' crazy." Sounds promising, though we thought that when we first heard about this album four years ago, yo.
But we end this week with a real cause for celebration - happy birthday Flavor Flav. The best hypeman in hip hop marked his 50th birthday in style in New York this week. Apart from anything else, how many rappers admit their age? BB King's was the venue for the party/concert which featured a whole host of classic hip hop peeps and Flav in the finest form. Check Hardeep Phull's review here. The day after Flav's celebrations PE dropped in on the Jimmy Fallon show where they teamed up with Fallon's house band The Roots for a hyper-live version of Bring the Noise. Could this be a precursor of what to expect at The Roots Picnic Festival, scheduled for Philly on June 6, when what many would consider the two greatest hip hop bands of all time are next due to perform on the same stage? When we find out, we'll let you know.
If you missed last week's news, catch up HERE.
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