LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Superstar US rapper Kanye West has been charged with assault, theft and vandalism related to a September 2008 incident involving paparazzi at Los Angeles’ LAX airport, prosecutors announced Wednesday.The 31-year-old Grammy-award-winning musician could face up to 30 months in prison.West was arrested on September 11 after the airport altercation in which West and his manager Don Crawley “confronted, and engaged in an altercation with, two photographers,” the LA attorney’s office said in a statement.Crawley, 33, was also charged on two counts of battery, two counts of theft and two counts of vandalism, and faces a possible five years in prison.The incident was caught on video tape, widely viewed on the Internet, which shows West and Crawley wrestling camera equipment from photographers and smashing it on the ground.The two men are set for arraignment in Los Angeles on April 14.The incident took place early in the morning as West prepared to board an airplane, while paparazzi tried to photograph and film him.Reports at the time found the camera equipment was valued at over 10,000 dollars. Police arrested West as he tried to board his plane. {Source}
Akon, super producer and international rapper has signed up to help produce Alexandra Burke’s debut album.
Only yesterday it was reported that Miss Burke would also be working alongside none other than N*E*R*D and The Neptunes front man Pharrell Williams.
Akon has already worked with Leona Lewis and told tabloid newspaper The Daily Star: “I’ve had calls to work with Alex and I’m going to do it. I love the X Factor and I love helping to break new artists.”
The newspaper claims that Alexandra is over the moon about working with Skateboard P “She can’t believe her luck. She’s a massive fan and thinks Pharrell will help her distance herself from Leona (Lewis) comparisons.”
With Pharrell onboard as well, the record label are basically making sure that Burke’s debut album is an international hit. {Source}
“What they don’t know … the new announcement is that I’m dropping two albums,” Fif smiled. “I’ve had an opportunity to record since I thought I was releasing an album in December. But the portion of my record that I recorded with Dr. Dre was incomplete, because there was no opportunity to mix it. The only song that was mixed that I worked on with Dr. Dre is ‘I Get It In’ — that one is out now. It’s cool, but I need the rest of them to be mixed before I can present my project to the public.”
Fif projects Before I Self Destruct will drop in June, after Eminem’s Relapse hits stores on May 19 — and 50’s second album will come one month after Em’s second album, according to the current game plan.
With 50’s relevance in today’s Hip-Hop world dwindling at a rapid rate, I’m itching to see how well these records perform. Ol’ Curtis couldn’t catch a hit with any of his recently released material (See: ‘I Get It In’)and yet still feels 2 albums are gonna do something. I guess time will tell, but I can’t say it’s looking good.
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