Thursday, December 15, 2022

Eddie Murphy to Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2023 Golden Globes

Photo Courtesy of Netflix
Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 80th Golden Globes.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the news on Wednesday (Dec. 15).

“We’re honored to present this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award to the iconic and highly esteemed Mr. Eddie Murphy,” HFPA President Helen Hoehne said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be celebrating the lasting impact on film and television that his career — in front of and behind the camera — has had through the decades.”

The 61-year-old performer will accept the award — which is given to honor “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment,” according to the HFPA —Tuesday, Jan. 10, at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards Ceremony.

Hosted by comedian Jerrod Carmichael, the event will be televised live (5-8 p.m. PT/8-11 p.m. ET) on NBC and available for streaming on Peacock.

Murphy has previously been nominated six times for a Globe. His only win came in 2007 for his inspired and critically acclaimed performance as James (Jimmy) "Thunder" Early in the movie musical "Dreamgirls."

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Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Gunna Released From Jail After Taking Plea Deal in YSL Case

Photo Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Atlanta rapper Gunna has been released from a Georgia jail after pleading guilty to a single count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

The 29-year-old platinum-selling artist was arrested in May along with Grammy Award-winning rapper Young Thug, after a 56-count grand jury indictment naming 28 members and associates of the record label imprint YSL (Young Stoner Life) was filed in the state.

"I have chosen to end my own RICO case with an Alford plea and end my personal ordeal by publicly acknowledging my association with YSL," the rapper said in a written statement shared with the media on Wednesday by his attorney Steve Sadow. 

"An Alford plea in my case is the entry of a guilty plea to the one charge against me, which is in my best interest, while at the same time maintaining my innocence toward the same charge."

Thanks to the plea Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens, will serve no prison time.

One year of his five-year sentence was commuted to time served and the rest was suspended. While the musician does not face any more time behind bars, he does have other obligations to keep as conditions of his release.

As part of the 500 hours of community service he is beholden to, Gunna is required to spend 350 hours speaking to young men and women about the hazards and immorality of gangs and gang violence.

The grand jury indictment that led to his arrest and that of his associates claims that the record label imprint YSL is "a criminal street gang" that "claims affiliation with the national Bloods gang."

The indictment cites numerous gang-related incidents, spanning years, that include criminal actions by YSL operatives in coordination with the Bloods gang, including murder.

"When I became affiliated with YSL in 2016, I did not consider it a 'gang'; more like a group of people from metro Atlanta who had common interests and artistic aspirations," Gunna said."My focus of YSL was entertainment — rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and 'glorified' urban life in the Black community."

I love and cherish my association with YSL music and always will. "I look at this as an opportunity to give back to my community and educate young men and women that 'gangs' and violence only lead to destruction."

The "Drip Too Hard" artist made it clear that even though he took a plea that he will not be involved in the prosecution of his co-defendants.

He added, "While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have NOT made any statements, have NOT been interviewed, have NOT cooperated, have NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case, and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way."
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Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Legendary Rapper and Producer, Grand Daddy I.U., Dies at 54

CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Grand Daddy I.U., a veteran of golden age hip-hop label Cold Chillin' Records and a member of the legendary Queensbridge, New York, rap collective Juice Crew, has died. He was 54.

The rapper, ghostwriter and music producer's daughter, musician Yaya Bey, confirmed he died Monday night after rumors of his death began to circulate online.

"My dad passed away last night," she posted on Twitter. "I know he’s popular and some of you might already know but it’s only been a few hours so please I don’t want to talk to you about it."

Born, Ayub Bey, the New York native was signed to Cold Chillin' Records by Biz Markie in 1989. His debut album “Smooth Assassin" followed in 1990.

Produced by Biz Markie, it produced two minor hits, "Something New" and "Sugar Free." which peaked at No. 11 and nine respectively on Billboard's Rap chart.

Grand Daddy I.U. went on to release three more albums, with the final one, "P.I.M.P. (Paper Is My Priority)," coming in 2017.

Initially, a ghostwriter and producer for Biz Markie before a falling out over album credits, he also did prolific work as a producer for acts like Das EFX, Ice T, KRS-One and Heltah Skeltah.

Legendary producer Pete Rock, who once called Grand Daddy I.U. one of the most slept-on MCs and a great lyricist, lamented the news on Twitter.
"GRAND DADDY IU YOU WERE A GREAT PERSON AND IM SAD RIGHT NOW," he wrote.

DJ Chuck Chillout, a longtime friend of the rapper, captioned a picture of his on Instagram, "Man this one hurts RIP to coldchillin artist MC @granddaddy_iu rest well bro u will be miss."

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