Top

The Notorious B.I.G.

March 9, 2012 by · Comments Off on The Notorious B.I.G. 

The Notorious B.I.G., Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls (after a character in the 1975 film Let’s Do It Again), Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White (after the main character of the 1990 film King of New York).

Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. When Wallace released his debut album Ready to Die in 1994, he became a central figure in the East Coast hip-hop scene and increased New York’s visibility at a time when West Coast artists were more common in the mainstream. The following year, Wallace led his childhood friends to chart success through his protégé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A. While recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the East Coast/West Coast hip-hop feud, dominating the scene at the time.

In March 2005, the relatives of Wallace filed a wrongful death claim against the city of Los Angeles based on the evidence championed by Russell Poole. They claimed the LAPD had sufficient evidence to arrest the assailant, but failed to use it. David Mack and Amir Muhammad (a.k.a. Harry Billups) were originally named as defendants in the civil suit, but were dropped shortly before the trial began after the LAPD and FBI dismissed them as suspects.

The case came for trial before a jury on June 21, 2005. Several days into the trial, the plaintiffs’ attorney disclosed to the Court and opposing counsel that he had received a telephone call from someone claiming to be a LAPD officer and provided detailed information about the existence of evidence concerning the Wallace murder. The court directed the city to conduct a thorough investigation, which uncovered previously undisclosed evidence, much of which was in the desk or cabinet of Det. Steven Katz, the lead detective in the Wallace murder investigation. The documents centered around interviews by numerous police officers of an incarcerated informant, who had been Rafael Perez’s cellmate for some extended period of time. He reported that Perez had told him about his and Mack’s involvement with Death Row Records and their activities at the Peterson Automotive Museum the night of Wallace’s murder. As a result of the newly discovered evidence, the judge declared a mistrial and awarded the Wallace family its attorneys’ fees.

Famous People Who Died Too Soon

March 9, 2012 by · Comments Off on Famous People Who Died Too Soon 

Famous People Who Died Too Soon, Bobbi Kristina shared some very personal moments of her and her mother with her followers on twitter. Pictures of dinner with Bobby Brown, her mother Cissy and more.
“I’m not a person who wants to die, I am a person who has life and wants to live,” Whitney once said. The passing of the legendary and regal Whitney Houston left a dark cloud hanging over the biggest weekend in music. We have come to realize that we are so sick of adorning ourselves in black for back-toback funerals. The sudden losses of greats like Heavy D, Etta James, Don Cornelius and now Whitney Houston have left most of our hearts heavy.

Tony Bennett recently sounded off in efforts to legalize drugs. “First it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now the magnificent Whitney Houston. . . I’d like every person in this room to campaign to legalize drugs,” says Bennett.

We have romanticized the music industry to be something that glitters, not knowing that, it is the people at the top that suffer the worst. Unfortunately, in spite of tragedy the oft-quoted famous line “the show must go on,” is the appropriate title to summarize this past weekend. Despite the fact that we lost one of the greatest voices the world may ever hear on Saturday afternoon (Feb 11) the show still went on.

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was pronounced dead at approximately 3:55 p.m. inside a Beverly Hills hotel room, hours before Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy party, which took place in the same location. CNN confirmed that Whitney’s remains were still on the 4th floor of the Hilton hotel while the Clive Davis’ event was underway. This may sound cold that Davis continued as scheduled but he had a reason “Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on.”

Famous Who Died Young

March 9, 2012 by · Comments Off on Famous Who Died Young 

Famous Who Died Young, It’s as common in Hollywood as the rags-to-riches tale: stories of stars who died young.

Actor Heath Ledger, who died Jan. 22 in New York, and Brad Renfro, who died just one week earlier, join the ranks of artists, actors and musicians who died before their 30th birthdays, often during the prime of their careers.

Heath Ledger, 28

Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Jan. 22, surrounded by bottles of prescription drugs. An initial autopsy was inconclusive, and a medical examiner said further tests would be needed to determine Ledger’s cause of death. The actor, recently separated from actress Michelle Williams, his former fiance and mother of his 2-year-old daughter, is expected to be remembered as one of best of his generation. He got an Oscar nomination for playing a gay cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain” and is slated to appear as the Joker in the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight,” this summer..

Brad Renfro, 25

Renfro made his acting debut in 1994 at age 11, playing the title role in “The Client” alongside Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. He went to on star with Brad Pitt, Robert DeNiro, Kevin Bacon and Dustin Hoffman in the 1996 film “Sleepers.” Renfro quickly became a teen heartthrob, and his acting talents had critics thinking he’d last in Hollywood. But legal troubles and struggles with drugs and alcohol hindered his prospects.

In December 2005, Renfro was arrested during an undercover drug sweep in Los Angeles and charged with attempted possession of heroin. He later admitted to having used heroin and methadone and was sentenced to three years’ probation. Renfro went to rehab in 2006, but in 2007 he violated his probation by not enrolling in a long-term drug treatment program, People magazine reported. He was found dead in a Los Angeles apartment Jan. 15 after a night of drinking, according to the Los Angeles county coroner. An official cause of death has yet to be determined.

Aaliyah, 22

Aaliyah Dana Haughton, known simply as Aaliyah by hip-hop and R&B fans, was one of the industry’s most promising female stars. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she appeared on “Star Search” at age 10 and performed with Gladys Knight at age 11. But it was her debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number,” that got the attention of hip-hop heavyweights. The album went platinum within months.

R. Kelly, the singer who helped write and produce Aaliyah’s album, married the 14-year-old singer. (He was 27 at the time.) Vibe magazine published a copy of their Illinois marriage license, dated Aug. 31, 1994, which showed the starlet’s age had been listed as 18. Their marriage was annulled in February 1995. Aaliyah went on to release “One in a Million” at age 17, which was certified double-platinum within a year. She followed that up with “Aaliyah” in July 2001, after landing her first major film role in 2000’s “Romeo Must Die.” One month later, shortly after wrapping production of her music video for the single “Rock the Boat” in the Bahamas, Aaliyah and members of her record company boarded a small plane to fly back to the United States. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, and all aboard were killed.

Bottom