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

Aug 17, 2005

As if abandoning a sinking ship, after serving as Cash Money's exclusive producer for years, Mannie Fresh has revealed to Ozone Magazine that he has left the label.

Following Juvenile, B.G. and Turk, the go-to Cash Money beatmaker Mannie Fresh has left the imprint. Yet, unlike the aforementioned artists, Mannie contends that he's leaving on good terms.

"It's official that I'm not with them [Cash Money] no more, but I'm doing my own thing," Mannie told Ozone Magazine. "It ain't a situation where we gonna be name-calling and going back and forth. It's just me maturing. It's time for me to do me. It's no bad blood."

Mannie, B.G., Turk and Wayne also confirmed that they were working on a Hot Boys reunion. However, according to most members, the project isn't likely to be released on Cash Money.

"There's four different people, so there's negotiations from four different angles. I'm ready to do it if they're ready to do it. It's easy for us four to get in the room and agree to do it, but since pretty much everybody is signed with a different record company, we've got to work that out first. But Baby don't have no say-so. That's part of the deal," Mannie revealed. "Everybody wants to do it, but they fact is, they don't want [Baby] him involved. That's how the whole thing came to be. They asked me if I wanted to do it, and since three of the four Hot Boys don't want Baby to have no part of the project, that's the way it's gotta happen."

However, Weezie told Ozone, "Maybe we will do a reunion album. That's what I heard, but the boss [Baby] gotta agree on that first. They could say he's greedy or whatever, but the boss still gotta agree on that for me to do anything," Wayne stated. "I could say I agree and I wanna do it, but still, if he don't agree, I can't do it. And I'm the President of Cash Money Records now, so it'll have to be released under Cash Money. Baby would have to sign off on it cause he gonna have to get his too."

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Mike Tyson denied allegations that he recently forced a woman onto his yacht and beat her when she refused to take drugs and have sex with him.

Reports say that Tyson, 39, allegedly snatched a woman off the dance floor of a night club in Italy and then dragged her back to his yacht. After being tracked down, Iron Mike cooperated with the authorities. Word is Tyson's 100-foot yacht, the Summer Wind, was in the Mediterranean when police caught up to him

"He was more than happy to talk to police and invited the officers on board, saying he was a 'good boy' and not a 'killer,'" an Italian cop told The Scotsman newspaper.

A magistrate is presently contemplating whether to bring charges against Tyson.

The alleged victim, Florence Botoli, 33, is originally of Cameroon, but lives in Nice, France. She told police that she was dancing with friends at the Billionaire nightclub in Sardina, Italy when Tyson dragged her off the floor. According to LaStampa newspaper, socialite Paris Hilton was sitting at a table nearby, but Mike didn't recognize her when she waved. Botoli claims that Tyson took her to the yacht and beat her up when she refused to take drugs and have sex with him.

"There was a white powder on a tray. It was cocaine. Tyson took some, a lot, and then started hitting me," Botoli stated, according to a police report obtained by The Scotsman. "He tried to force my head down into the powder, but I don't do drugs. He said he wanted to have sex with me. But when I said 'no' and didn't take the drugs, he went mad. He punched me and then threw me to the floor."

Botoli later posed for Italian newspapers to show the bruises on her left side. "Tyson kept shouting at me until his bodyguard told him to calm down and stop because he was going over the top," she added.

She also claims Tyson's bodyguard helped sneak her off the yacht in a small row boat. She later went to the emergency room in Olbia hospital in Porto Cervo, Sardina.

The alleged incident occurred on August 6th, but wasn't made public until a Sardinian newspaper reported the news. Tyson's attorney could not be reached and his manager didn't return calls.

Tyson was in the Mediterranean partying alongside Anthony Kiedis of the rock group the Red Hot Chili Peppers and former sp!ce Girl Victoria Beckham. Local newspapers have constantly been reporting on the stars' partying since their arrival.

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Joshua "Fahiym" Ratcliffe resigned his position as Editor-in-Chief of "Hip-Hop Bible" The Source Magazine today (Aug. 16). According to Ratcliffe, the reason for his abrupt departure is a difference of opinion between himself, Chief Brand Executive Raymond "Benzino" Scott and CEO Dave Mays.

Ratcliffe said Little Brother’s album,The Minstrel Show, was to receive a rating of 4 and 1/2 mics in the magazine's October 2005 issue, but Mays and Scott disagreed.

"It's a situation were I believed in Little Brother and the rating we attempted to give them," Ratcliffe told AllHipHop.com via phone. "After speaking to Ray and making sure that was okay, I moved forward with that. Then it was decided that they wanted to change [the rating]. I told [Little Brother] that this is what they're getting and for me to go back on that is a challenge to my own personal integrity. Whether they deserve 4 and half mics or not is debatable; though I believe in it, though most of the staff believes it deserves 4 and half mics, as well as the writer. For me to tell someone this is what you're getting and to go back on it after I got confirmation, I just could not stomach that at all."

According to Ratcliffe, despite the magazine closing the issue last week, today Mays and Scott expressed their intention on reducing the The Minstrel Show's rating down to 4 mics (the same rating their debut, The Listening, received in The Source's May 2003 issue).

"The Source of the past was always about breaking groups. Little Brother got accolades from MTV2 and other outlets based on the 4 mic review [they received] for an independent album. We felt like they and their crew The Justus League, their movement was something similar to what was going on with Native Tongues in the early 90's. Just with the whole creative monotony and rut that Hip-Hop is in right now, they really brought a breath of fresh air."

Before landing at the top of the magazine's masthead in the June 2005 issue, Ratcliffe served most recently as its Deputy Editor after joining the magazine as its Culture Editor in February 2003.

Despite the abrupt split, Ratcliffe said he harbored no anger towards his former employers.

"I still think The Source is a top-notch Hip-Hop publication," says Ratcliffe. "I would say to anybody-be it journalist, rapper or whatever profession-there are certain things you have to stand up for, whether it's popular or not. It was not popular with my employers and that's why I'm not with this company today. It's no personal malice towards Dave Mays or Raymond Scott. I thank God that they gave me the opportunity to be the Editor-in-Chief for my tenure their. I enjoyed it, I learned a lot. Now I'm moving on."

Ratcliffe plans to pursue freelance opportunities as well as continue working on a book about character development aimed at high school and college students. "It's something that Hip-Hop is missing, character."

Inquiries to The Source for comment were not returned at press time.
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Eminem has cancelled his European tour with Anger Management 3 amid reports of exhaustion and other related medical issues.

The rapper’s label, Interscope Records, issued a statement revealing that the Detroit-bred rapper is currently being treated for a myriad of medical ailments. Those additional issues were not specifically named.

Eminem was slated to travel to Europe from Sept. 1 to 17, but it’s unlikely that the rapper will reschedule the dates. The 12-date excursion was a part of the Anger Management 3 tour, which featured 50 Cent, D-12, G-Unit, Lil’ Jon, Ciara and others.

According to Billboard, the tour may continue with 50 Cent as the headlining act. The domestic tour ended on Aug. 15 with the rapper and others performing for 40,000 at Comerica Park in Detroit.