What an awful low point to end 2011 with….Police in Atlanta are still trying to track down the man who shot and killed Bricksquad rapper Slim Dunkin this past Friday. Slim had just recently shot a video with his longtime friend Waka Flocka, Jadakiss and Styles P, and he was featured on Gucci Mane and V-Nasty’s BAYTL EP. But the events leading up to his death are increasingly disturbing.
According to homicide detective, David Quinn:

“The victim, Mario Hamilton, known as Slim Dunkin,….according to witnesses, someone came into this room, struck him and a fight ensued. The information we’re getting, it’s unconfirmed, but witnesses are saying this whole thing started over a piece of candy….“

It’s naive to reduce the entire motive to candy. Obviously, this is about pride, jealousy, possession, posturing in front of others, and so many other machismo elements that cause trivial things to spark unthinkable violence.
But for a piece of candy to be the catalyst for hate like this…in a studio filled with folks who could have stepped in with voices of reason (or how about stepping up in the past 4 days with information?!)….just every thing about this is a disgusting shameful tragedy.

If you know anything helpful, call Atlanta’s crimestoppers 1-404-577-TIPS (8477)

More on the ongoing investigation into Slim Dunkin’s death…
And his public viewing…
After the jump
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Last night, Jon Stewart appeared on The O’Reilly Factor to further defend Common on his appearance at The White House late last week. The invite from Michelle Obama caused some noise in the media, mainly with FOX News, O’Reilly and others like him who felt Common shouldn’t have been invited. To me, Nas explained this whole thing perfectly in his recent sitdown with Sway of MTV. If you missed it, MissInfo also addressed this in her Celebrity Drama Report last week which you can listen to below.

Miss Info Celebrity Drama Report, 9pm:

Watch part two of Jon Stewart’s interview and Common’s performance at the White House, after the jump….

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In today’s New York Times Style section, music industry mogul Steve Stoute took the liberty of taking out a full page ad to voice his displeasure with the NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) over the Grammy’s shutting out more popular artists to lesser unknowns in some of their big categories. This falls on the heels of last week’s 53rd annual Grammy Awards where artists such as Justin Bieber, Drake and most notably Eminem, lost out on wins such as Best New Artist & Album of The Year to less popular artists like Esperanza Spalding and Arcade Fire. In the past, artists like Kanye West and 50 Cent have experienced the same shut out for categories in which the masses felt they were clear cut favorites to win.

Over the course of my 20-year history as an executive in the music business and as the owner of a firm that specializes in in-culture advertising, I have come to the conclusion that the Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with contemporary popular culture. My being a music fan has left me with an even greater and deeper sense of dismay — so much so that I feel compelled to write this letter. Where I think that the Grammys fail stems from two key sources: (1) over-zealousness to produce a popular show that is at odds with its own system of voting and (2) fundamental disrespect of cultural shifts as being viable and artistic.

Props to TheLifeFiles

You can read the full submission from Steve Stoute, after the jump….

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Release the doves! Tina Knowles will have to wait a little longer for a grandchild to spring forth from her elder daughter’s fertile loins.

TMZ has styled on US Weekly’s morning Beyonce-pregnancy scoop, by crushing it with their own scoop…..that Mama Tina visited the Ellen Degeneres Show to deliver the news, the pregnancy rumors are false! Again! The washboard abs spotted in Miami today prevail!

(and perhaps, this will also be an opportune time to promote the Miss Tina line for full-figured women, available on the Home Shopping Network. Now that’s how you spin a public relations opportunity. The Knowles-Carters are an army, better yet a navy.)

UPDATE: Videoclip of Tina Knowles’ response to the Beyonce pregnancy rumors…
after the jump
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(Oksana Grigorieva and Mel Gibson making happy face)

Mel Gibson’s disgusting phone rants:

By now I’m sure you’ve heard the sweet sounds of Mel Gibson’s phone jonesing with his Russian ballerina babymama, Oksana Grigorieva.
Ladies, it’s okay to admit that you were entranced by Mel’s breathless terms of endearment, as he berated his girlfriend for not going to the jacuzzi with him, as he admitted that he knocked out her teeth while she held their infant daughter, and as he suggested that her fashion sense might get her raped by some men of color.

But as disgusting as this neverending stream of audio is, the plus side is the flood of Mel Gibson mockery. For instance….Someone was genius enough to create posters of Mel Gibson’s choice quotes with kittens. Verbal abuse can be adorable!
(for the record, though: it’s actually not adorable, it’s frightening and anyone who is experiencing this in their own relationship needs to run in the opposite direction….but that black and white kitten is SO CUTE.)

But there’s more….what about the Mel Gibson x Christian Bale mash-up, twice the crazy! And then there’s the overdub masterpiece Mel Gibson rant x What Women Want…etc.

UPDATE: DJ Brainchild also made a Mel Gibson x Kat Stacks mashup! Lawd.

after the jump
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wow….so not only does Christina Milian have to suffer the humiliation of seeing her husband and baby father, The Dream, cheating on her with his own personal assistant Melissa Marie…..but we, the innocent public, have the image of these two porpoises doing remedial kama sutra in the ocean.

double indignity.

And just to think that a year and a half ago, it was The Dream was canoodling with Christina in Maui. Let’s compare the visuals.

I must be doing something wrong in my life because I’ve never been courted with a sensual headlock on a tropical island. *deep sigh*

UPDATE: Soon after the photos leaked, Christina Milian reacted on twitter….and basically agreed with the general consensus….

UPDATE 2: Now The Dream’s reps have released a statement to US Magazine, claiming that he and Christina have been “separated” since late 2009…..word?

read both, Christina’s reaction and Dream’s statement….after the jump
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On Monday, TMZ and other outlets reported that Fat Joe and his traveling party were detained by police in Madison, Wisconsin because a 33-year-old woman claimed that she got into a limo with Joe and crew after a local show and was “inappropriately touched.” But after questioning Fat Joe and his crew, the police did not arrest anyone, and no charges have been filed….making the woman’s claim quite suspect. Today, Joe’s lawyer Dawn Florio released this statement:

Rapper Joseph Cartagena, known as Fat Joe, members of his entourage and security staff were briefly questioned by members of the Madison, Wisconsin Police Department who were investigating false allegations made by a woman who initially posed as a fan and later claimed to be the victim of an assault after demanding money.

At no point did Mr. Cartagena or any member of his entourage assault or have any improper contact with the woman. It is truly unfortunate that false allegations such as these cause the public to doubt the claims of actual victims of sexual assaults.

(Tobias Fünke, left, Michael Bluth, right, in “Arrested Development.” Pic via IGN)

This is hard for me to say because I loved the short-lived TV show “Arrested Development” so much (so so much)….but after reading David Cross’ flippant statement in this interview with serially-sididdy Pitchfork (via less-sididdy Vulture)….I kind of don’t like him anymore. Hopefully that’s just specific to Cross in relation to music of any kind. It shouldn’t really cross over to my feelings for Cross, the odd comedic actor. Plus, I know everyone has different opinions. And I’m definitely guilty of not being wild about someone that other folks think is the bees knees (i.e. Lupe *shrug*). But, I’m human, and hyper-sensitive about the late great Frank White. (Happy Birthday Biggie, R.I.P.!) So I can’t promise fairness. Also, I hate over-analytical music-snob types as a species.

Pitchfork: Do you remember any examples of not liking an album everyone else did?

David Cross: I can’t think of one off the top of my head, although I do think Biggie Smalls is overrated. I just don’t think he’s as good a lyricist as people say he is.

Pitchfork: You’d prefer a Jay-Z maybe?

DC: Yes. I love a good Jay-Z. I love a Kanye, I love a Lupe Fiasco.

psssh tosh! That’s moronic.

For now, you’re dead to me, Cross….

but Tobias Fünke lives on…FOREVER…after the jump…
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Obviously I’m disturbed by the recent developments in Arizona, which is basically a legalization (even encouragement) of racial profiling. And I love the fact that the Phoenix Suns made their own visible statement to show solidarity with Arizona’s many Latino citizens (the Washington Post had a nice piece on why politics belong on the court).

But I also got a kick out of this special AZ-Cinco de Mayo trailer for the upcoming Robert Rodriguez “Grindhouse”-style mexploitation and timely immigration-themed flick, Machete. It’s way over the top and campy, but hilarious. And what a cast! Robert Deniro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, the guy who plays the pilot on LOST, Lindsay Lohan (looking less crackish than usual), Don Johnson (!), Cheech….and Machete himself, Danny Trejo. That guy is the ultimate leathery character actor. Remember Trejo’s Mobb Deep videos??….

watch (along with the original Machete trailer, after the jump…

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Mikey: DJ Premier gave VIBE some more insight into the tragic loss of Guru, the controversy surrounding Solar, and  future of the Gang Starr legacy.

On Guru’s Deathbed Letter
“Well, I would love to see that letter. I would love to see the handwriting. Because I know Guru’s handwriting like the back of my hand with all the bills we had to pay together. I know it’s not him.”

On Solar Tarnishing Guru’s Legacy
“Guru was able to get two gold albums; he was able to do the Jazzmatazz album. So everything that we gained makes you think, “You mean to tell me you are going to blow it all away and act like that’s not an important part of what made us who we are?” With a silly ass letter like that??? When you say ‘Ex-DJ’ where is my name at? Because there are two other DJ’s that was DJing with Guru besides me. There was Doo Wop and Shawn Ski, who was our backup DJ when I had to go back to college. He always held us down. Calling me the ex-DJ doesn’t mean anything to me. Why don’t you just say Christopher Martin?”

(Read more after the jump)

Related: On the topic of Guru, the sad saga continues with a shocking and disturbing HipHopDX interview with Tasha Denham, Solar’s alleged baby-mother, who claims she witnessed Solar being physically and mentally abusive towards Guru. (read more after the jump)

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