The straight dope on what's going on in Hip-Hop, Media and Entertainment

Oct 29, 2004

Approximately a year after the release of Trap Muzik, T.I. is scheduled to drop its follow up, Urban Legend on November. In addition to reaching gold with his latest, T.I's buzz has intensified courtesy of countless guest appearances and his recent battles with Ludacris and Lil Flip. Now word is T.I. has lived up to expectations with another solid LP. The record features production from David Banner, The Neptunes, Swizz Beatz and Jazze Pha with guest spots from Nelly, Pharrell and Daz Dillinger among others. Stand out cuts include the DJ Toomp produced "A Prayer For Help" and "King Of The South."

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After a successful run with the double platinum Jackpot, Chingy and Disturbin' Tha Peace have decided to part ways. In XXL Magazine's December issue, Chingy cites money mismanagement for departing from the Atlanta based crew. Chingy is now exclusively signed to Capitol Records and his next LP Powerballin is scheduled to drop on the label. On the other hand, DTP's Chaka Zulu argues that the album will still feature a DTP logo.

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Though heads have been largely disappointed with Talib Kweli's The Beautiful Struggle LP, they are now buzzing about the second installment of his mixtape series. Once again, the mixed CD promises to be another star-studded affair featuring underground staples like Wordsworth, Jean Grae and Saigon as well as Ludacris, Ghostface, Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, Kardinal Offishall, Hi-Tek, David Banner, Musiq, dead prez. The Game and Common who appeared in the first volume will once again appear on the CD.

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With Def Jam reportedly close to buying out Roc-A-Fella Records, word is that the label is continuing to sign new acts and plans to drop a few. Rumors are already spreading that Joe Buddens is likely to become Roc-A-Fella's newest artist. On top of additions, word is the label is poised to get rid of several artists on their roster. Aside from Jay-Z, the label's biggest selling artists are Kanye West, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel and Young Gunz.

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The family of Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks released a statement about the defamation of character lawsuit against Outkast.

The lawsuit came about when the Atlanta duo used Parks’ trademarked name on their hit record "Rosa Parks," taken from their 1998 multi-platinum album, Aquemini.

"We believe our aunt would appreciate the fact that (Outkast's) artistic gesture was designed to keep her legacy alive and fresh in the mind of this generation and generations to come,” the family said in a statement. “These lawsuits are only about money and they [Park's attorney Gregory Reed and her caregiver Elaine Steele] are trying to acquire it from Outkast."

Gregory Reed denied the family’s allegations and said that Outkast was not even a focus of the lawsuit. The company that released their music, BMG was the actual target.

“Why is it that we have them speaking now as opposed to earlier when she filed it?” Reed said to AllHipHop.com. “I don’t blame the family, I just think there is lack of understanding and they don’t know what the facts are.”

Reed said that Parks hired his office to protect her name and said the notion of Outkast being sued was the handy work of the label that distributes their music, BMG.

“BMG has been hiding behind Outkast," Reed alleged. "We know the language is not about Ms. Parks, it’s about musicians and emcee's who are inferior for sampling and not using live instrumentation, to 'get to the back of the bus.'”

Reed also defended Elaine Steele, pointing out that the Parks and Steele had been life-long friends.

“They founded The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, to educate young people throughout the country,” Reed pointed out. “The company needed a marketing device in order to help their artist to sell a certain amount of units. BMG, not Outkast. Outkast had sold only 10-13 million albums [worldwide] prior to this record. When they put Ms. Parks' song on, there was a worldwide marketing campaign and when they did that, Outkast jumped to 70 million records sold. Their music is great, they really didn’t need that. It gave them leverage with Ms. Parks name and it also gave them their first Grammy.”

Reed alleged that BMG sought to profit off the use of Parks’ name in a defamatory manner, by associating her name with objectionable language in Outkast’s song.

“She has nothing against Outkast, or the Hip-Hop generation. She has issue with people would market her with language she doesn’t approve of. Ms. Parks doesn’t want her name associated with the words bulldogs and hoes. Why would anyone associate the mother of the Civil Rights movement with this language? The company that marketed this record is the world’s largest German company and they are not sensitive to the African-American legacy or culture.”

Reed has mobilized some of the most noted African-American lawyers in the country to fight the German conglomerate when the trial starts January 10th. In addition to Reed, Johnny Cochran, Willie Gary, Richard Manson and Stephanie Hammonds will defend Parks.

“We are geared up to deal with this German machinery, in order to protect the legacy of Ms. Parks and African-Americans," Reed said. "There is a bigger picture, this isn’t just about Ms. Parks, its about protecting Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, it’s protecting that whole movement that connects the older generation to this younger generation. They have different standards and means to bastardize our race.”

Parks, 91, helped spurn the Civil Rights Movement when she refused to relinquish her city bus seat to a white man in December 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama.

A subsequent boycott by African-American’s led to the eventual court-appointed desegregation of public transportation across the country.

Recently unsealed medical records said Parks suffers from dementia and will not be able to answer questions relating to her lawsuit against the multi-platinum group.

Last week, a judge presiding over the case asked Dennis Archer, former mayor of Detroit and former Michigan Supreme Court justice, to handle the paperwork pertaining to the lawsuit.