When the President laid out his plan for America during last night's "State of the Union" address, he took direct aim at the notorious Bloods and Crips gangs -- and indirectly - Hip-Hop music.

President George W. Bush interrupted our regularly scheduled programs last night to present his second term initiatives, including an anti-gang proposal to be helmed by First Lady Laura Bush and aimed at the notorious Bloods, Crips and other inner-city gangs. Under the umbrella of his "faith-based" initiatives, the President introduced a three-year plan to "help young people out of gangs," a problem once confined to areas like California but now spreading rampantly to densely-populated cities like New York.

"Our government will continue to support faith-based and community groups that bring hope to harsh places," said the President to a rousing round of applause. "Now we need to focus on giving young people, especially young men in our cities, better options than apathy, or gangs, or jail."

The President proposed outreach by parents, pastors, coaches and community leaders to "show young men an ideal of manhood that respects women and rejects violence." Hip-Hop music, often criticized for its misogynistic lyrics and violent content, would be the indirect target of this new initiative. Jeff Chang, hip-hop journalist and author of the new title, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop," believes Bush's policies have a role in the proliferation of the gangs and violence he's trying to address.

"For hip-hop generation youths caught in the cycle of violence, positive messages alone won't solve the problem," Chang told SOHH.com. "As Bush's tax cuts and war economics continue to make many youths of color expendable, the level of violence and desperation has been creeping back up in many inner cities. The hip-hop generation needs real jobs and resources in the neighborhoods, community-centered problem-solving, and a long-term commitment to their emotional, mental, and physical health. Anything less is bad faith."

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Hours after R&B singer Houston's failed suicide attempt, Bushwick Bill of Geto Boys has released a statement commenting on the incident.

Yesterday, Houston was stopped by his bodyguards when he reportedly tried to jump out of the window of his 13th-floor hotel room overseas. The crooner was then moved to a lower floor and locked into a room where he reportedly gouged his eye out. Reports later surfaced that he was under psychiatric supervision for manic depression last year and is presently struggling with PCP addiction. Sources say the singer thought "he was Jesus and wanted to go home to his father."

Similar to Houston, Bill lost his right eye when he forced his girlfriend to shoot him in a failed 1991 suicide attempt. As Bill was rushed to the hospital, Geto Boys took a picture capturing Scarface and Willie D pushing their injured group mate on a hospital gurney. The photo was later featured on the group's 1991 We Can't Be Stopped album cover and the incident was documented on "Ever So Clear" from Bill's solo Little Big Man LP. Upon hearing of Houston's troubles, Bill felt the need to speak on the perils of fame and the pressure it brings.

"I wouldn't wish that on anyone else, to force the hand of death. Fame will make you crazy. Fame isn't for everybody. There are people who have a fear of fame, those who want fame, and those who don't understand fame. It drives them crazy, because it is a lot of responsibility to be all things to all people, and you can lose yourself in the shuffle, where there are no longer fifty-two cards in the deck," Bill said in a statement. "There is the added insanity of having a big selling record and fame, yet somehow, you don't have any money to match what you have accomplished. You are going through that misery with your label, and it makes utterly no sense."

Bill also took the opportunity to counsel the singer and provide some a few tips for up-and-coming artists.

"The advice I would give to Houston or to any other artists who are either up and coming, or who are already established, and are going through mental storms right now, is this. You need to be rooted and grounded with the same love you have your family and God to yourself. Since God wanted you to be an entertainer, you need to look to God more and less to yourself, because we as artists are confused as human beings, and then lack of knowledge pulls us into different directions. You are put in the position where you have to smile when you are sad and be gracious when you are depressed, and not everybody knows how to play the roles that fame requires," Bill explained.

"Some people wear their life on their sleeves, and they wear their emotional life on their face, which broadcasts their situation like a news station. When some people can't handle that, can't cope, they start to fall apart. I want Houston to know that he is in my prayers, and that I will ask God to give him peace of mind and peace of heart, and I hope his eye heals as well as his mind and his emotions.
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Tray Dee of Tha Eastsidaz has just been sentenced to 12 years in prison in relation to a 2003 shooting.

Tray Dee aka Tracy Lamar Davis was sentenced to 12 years after pleading guilty to shooting at an occupied vehicle. Prosecutors dropped two counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon and one count of possession of a firearm as part of the plea bargain. Tray Dee allegedly shot at two car occupants back in 2003; the victims were uninjured.

After appearing on several West Coast-related projects, Tray Dee joined longtime friend Snoop Dogg and upstart Goldie Loc to form Tha Eastsidaz in the late 90s. The trio released Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz in 2000 and followed-up with Duces N' Tray: The Old Fashioned Way in 2001. Though the group's status is uncertain, Dee and Loc had been at odds with Snoop as of late.

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