Brooklyn Protest, Police Brutality
A Brooklyn man being apprehended during protests in Brooklyn, NY.
    Kimani Gray was a 16-year-old boy who was shot and killed by NYPD officers last Saturday, March 9th. According to New York Times:

"The 16-year-old boy who was killed in Brooklyn by the police in a hail of 11 bullets on Saturday night was hit by seven of them, three entering his body from the rear. One bullet entered his left shoulder in the rear, exiting in the front; two other bullets struck the back of his thighs, one in the left thigh and one in the right. Two bullets struck from the front, hitting his right thigh; one bullet entered his left side, striking his lower rib cage; and the last bullet hit his left lower forearm.”



 
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah returns to her daytime television show.
    Hip-Hop royalty returns to daytime television. Sony Pictures Television announced the senior staffing of the reboot of the daytime talk series, The Queen Latifah Show.

    The staff resembles that of a talk show All-Star team. The show's executive producer and showrunner Corin Nelson is a five-time Emmy award winner whose worked on The Chelsea Lately Show. The writers, co-executive producers and filmmakers have all worked for acclaimed shows such as The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. The Oprah Winfrey Show, and The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn.

    The "U.N.I.T.Y." MC's weekly talk show originally aired from September of 1999 to August of 2001 on syndication. Former guests included Puff Daddy, Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill and more Hip-Hop luminaries.


 
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Run-DMC will throw first show in over 12 years in Atlanta, Georgia.
    Legendary Hip-Hop group Run-DMC has teamed with the Atlanta Braves to give their first performance in the city since 2001. Since then, they have only done a handful of shows, including Jay-Z's "Made in America" festival. Now, Run-DMC will take part in the Atlanta Braves' 2013 Summer Concert Series.

    Run-DMC is just one of the high-profile acts taking part in the Atlanta Braves' 2013 Summer Concert Series. Also performing during the summer will be The Steve Miller Band, as well as country stars Big & Rich. Each concert takes places after the Braves play a home game.
   


 
Cymphonique Miller, Master P Daughter
Cymphonique Miller is the daughter of legend Master P.
    The No Limit Family legacy continues on as Master P's daughter Cymphonique has become heavily involved in Dance for Change Unite: A Day of World Peace.

    The initiative is dedicated to world peace as professional dance choreographers and dancers come together with inner city youth.

     In promoting world peace and education through their mutual love for the art of dance. hundred gathered to experience the many cultures of dance from Bollywood to Hip-Hop, salsa and modern dance.


 
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Gunplay, born as Richard Morales, shares his new found freedom.
    It has been a long battle for Richard Morales better known in rap circles as Gunplay. Gunplay surrendered to police on October 9th on an outstanding warrant stemming from armed robbery and assault chargers on April 13th, 2012.   

    Allegedly, the Cops & Robbers rapper assaulted and robbed Miami accountant Turron Woodside. Less than a week later, TMZ leaked incriminating video footage of the alleged robbery./assault. Gunplay was facing life in prison and went into court-mandated exile with his house arrest.

    He has returned a free man with the case being dismissed after reports from TMZ of Woodside being "uncooperative" released.


 
9th Wonder
9th Wonder, from North Carolina, is a beatmaker in urban music.
    This year will be the 10th anniversary of the release of Jay-Z's seminal The Black Album. The names on the production credits for that LP read like a first-ballot induction list for a Hip-Hop Producers Hall of Fame. Timbaland, The Neptunes, Kanye West, Rick Rubin, Just Blaze, and DJ Quick all contributed tracks to what Jay presented as his "retirement album." There was also a relative newcomer that made the album as well, and since then North Carolina's 9th Wonder has become one of the most sought after beatmakes in urban music.

    Recently, 9th sat down with Life+Times to discuss how he hooked up with HOVA and the process for making the R. Kelly sampled track "Threat" for The Black Album.


 
Machine Gun Kelly, MGK
Machine Gun Kelly, or MGK, was signed into Bad Boy records by Diddy.
    When you think about a label like Bad Boy records and all the great legendary acts that the label has produced in the world of music, it's only right that Diddy turned it up a level by signing Cleveland's own MGK. He also signed NY heavyweight French Montana around the same time. With a mix of braggadocio, lightning fast bars and an attitude so compelling that he's probably the only white boy that has torn down the infamous Rucker Park in NYC in a vivid performance from atop the basketball rim.

    Richard Colson Baker was born on April 22, 1990 in Houston, Texas to missionary parents and is better known by his stage names, Machine Gun Kelly and MGK. Baker and his family moved all around the world including Egypt and Germany, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, and Cleveland. Since he lived the first four years of his life in Egypt, he spoke Arabic before English. He started becoming obsessed with rap in sixth and seventh grade where he attended Hamilton Middle School in Denver, Colorado and the first two artists that got him hooked on Hip Hop as a child were Ludacris and DMX.

 
"Freeway" Rick Ross
    Nick Cannon might not have been old enough to drink milk alone when convicted drug kingpin "Freeway" Rick Ross was at his height, but now he will be able to see what is like to be a major dealer in a new film. The charismatic comedian/rapper/actor/host will depict the street legend in the "real Rick Ross" upcoming biopic, as well as being installed as Executive Producer of the movie.

    While on the surface some may believe Nick Cannon seems like an odd choice to play a drug lord, the man born Ricky Donnell Ross believes it was perfect. "I chose Nick based on a few factors. The role is 17-25 in age, many of our award-winning actors are much older than that range. Nick is a guy who captures my character when I was in custody in San Diego."

 
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Dr. Dre and Jimmy Fallon collaborate on streaming service Daisy.
    Music moguls Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine have officially launched a new streaming service titled "Daisy" backed by $60 million in funding.

    The pair's company Beats Electronics secured the investment from Access Industries and a group of private investors, who will launch "Daisy" sometime in late 2013. "Daisy" is being launched off of the streaming service MOG, which Beats Electronics purchased in 2012 for an undisclosed sum.

    "Beats was always about helping people re-discover the magic in the experience of listening to music," Jimmy Iovine said. "Now that we are well along the way to addressing the quality of audio playback with Beats headphones and speakers, Daisy allows us to re-introduce the same magic into the process of music discovery and consumption."


 
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    Kim Kardashian returned from Paris' fashion week with a nearly devastating pregnancy scare. According to New York Post Page Six, Kanye West's baby mother was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday following her return.

    An anonymous insider claims the Keeping Up With The Kardashian media mogul was experiencing complications before her plane even touched down in Los Angeles: