”I started as a writer, since I was little kid I've been telling stories and Hip-Hop has been an extension of me telling stories…”While several artists like Soulja Boy TellEm have decided to write tell-all books, Lupe Fiasco is doing something different and diving into the world of fiction.Announcing plans to write a novel, Lupe speaks on his plans to 3News New Zealand saying, ”I started as a writer, since I was little kid I've been telling stories...

The two alarm blaze that destroyed the third floor of the Philadelphia International Records (PIR) office building has officially been ruled as “incendiary.”Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers stopped short of calling the fire arson but the official cause was upgraded yesterday from "suspicious" to "incendiary.""It was set in a way that was not normal. It was set by a human being," Ayers told the Philadelphia Daily News, "Now whether or not it is going...

Former Cash Money Hot Boy Juvenile and his producer Leroy Edwards were arrested Thursday (February 25), for possession of marijuana.According to reports, police responded to a call from a neighbor who reported that they smelled marijuana smoke coming from the rappers home.When police arrived at the house, according to reports, they were not only greeted by Juve's producer who had a small amount of marijuana “on his person,” but a published report...

Two years after 50 Cent's baby mama's (Shaniqua Tompkins) mansion went up in smoke; police have finally discovered a possible accomplice.According to published reports, G-Unit associate and 50 Cent's assistant, Dwayne McKenzie is being accused by his ex-girlfriend, Shana Chin, of playing a role in the torching of the mansion.The 5,200-square-foot home that was gutted by a suspicious fire was at the center of an antagonistic legal battle between...

Imagine an 80-year old woman ransacking and stealing cash from a major medical office in Torrance, Calif., with an extensive rap sheet stemming all the way back from 1955. Sounds incredulous, right? Not. Meet 80-year-old Doris Thompson, a tiny, feeble old woman with a hearing impairment. From the outside, Thompson seems harmless, but boy, looks can be deceiving. On Wednesday, February 25th, Thompson was sentenced to three years in prison for burglarizing...

NEW ORLEANS — In Hurricane Katrina’s chaotic aftermath, police shot six people – killing two – as they crossed a bridge in search of food. For years the case was a shocking symbol of the confusion and violence that swept through the flooded city. On Wednesday it became a mark of shame for the police department.As victims’ relatives watched from the courtroom gallery, a retired lieutenant who supervised the department’s probe of the shootings pleaded...

Little has been written about Richard Spikes in terms of his childhood, education and personal life. What is known is that he was a engineer from San Francisco, California, an incredible inventor and the proof of this is in the incredibly diverse number of creations that have had a major impact on the lives of everyday citizens. He was a engineer from San Francisco, CaliforniaOver the course of his lifetime, Spikes developed the following inventions...

Visit any of the nation's more than 100 historically black colleges or universities and you'll see clusters of men and women engaged in the rhythmic clapping and foot stomping routines known in black Greek circles as "stepping."Now a white Arkansas team's win in an Atlanta step competition has started a fiery debate over the African-inspired tradition and whether the integration of a once-ethnically exclusive activity constitutes a form of cultural...

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The assistant principal of Central Cabarrus High School in North Carolina is facing several charges in connection with alleged sexual contact with two students.Investigators say 37-year-old Aaronson Franks had sex with one of the students multiple times at the end of last school year, and he had sex with another student this year -- each time on school grounds."It happened in a part of the building that was removed where no one else had access,"...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House social secretary is stepping down three months after taking heavy criticism for allowing gate crashers into the administration's first state dinner, for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama issued a statement Friday thanking Desiree Rogers, their longtime friend from Chicago, for doing a "terrific job " organizing hundreds of events during her little more than...

Chile's president declared a state of catastrophe in the aftermath of a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake Saturday that left bodies, crumbled buildings and outages in its wake.The country's national emergency office said more than 300 people were dead, and the pre-dawn quake — the most powerful quake to hit the country in a half century — also cut electricity, water and phone lines to many outlying areas, meaning there was no immediate word of death...

A Capitol Hill couple got more than they bargained for after what they thought was a routine Fed Ex delivery. The box they received contained $120,000 worth of pot.Melanie Sloan knows a scam when she sees it. She's a former prosecutor and works for the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, so when a big package was dropped on her porch Monday evening, something didn't seem right."I noticed that the package was ours but the name...

What do you think Edgers is it a hi...

The Los Angeles Times reported today that the student who admitted to hanging a noose in the library at the University of California-San Diego has been suspended.The student, who remains unnamed, faces significant punishment:Under state law, hanging a noose, a symbol of racism and lynchings for many African Americans, if done with "intent to terrorize," is considered a misdemeanor that can bring up to a year in county jail and a $5,000 fine.The...

The mother of Rick Ross’ daughter is suing 50 Cent for disseminating her private sex tape over the internet last year.Lastonia Leviston processed her complaint yesterday (February 24) in Manhattan, alleging that 50 Cent used the tape without her permission, and has caused her to suffer “emotional distress.”Last March, 50 Cent posted the video on his affiliate site www.boobootv.com as a form of psychological warfare with then rival Rick Ross.The...

A SMARTLY-dressed man found on a beach has NO IDEA who he is, say cops.The freezing mystery man was rushed to hospital in Brighton, East Sussex, with severe hypothermia when he was discovered unconscious two weeks ago.But when he came round he appeared to have suffered total memory loss.Police say he speaks very good English without an accent but he cannot remember his name or where he lives.Officers today released a picture of the mystery man in...

Former WABC sports anchor, Marvell Scott – who left television to practice medicine – was charged today with raping with a 14-year-old hooker he picked up near Times Square.Scott, 36, allegedly met the girl, who had run away from upstate New York, when a pimp offered up her services in June 2008. The sportscaster-turned sports-medicine expert worked out "a money amount" with the pimp, and then took the girl up to his West 47th Street apartment,...

It was ten years ago that we were introduced to R&B singer Keke Wyatt, who, at the tender age of eighteen, covered the René & Angela classic “MY FIRST LOVE” with R&B crooner Avant, which helped propel them both to success. But a lot has happened in the last decade, though.In 2001, Keke released her certified gold debut album, Soul Sista, which was recorded in only two weeks. On Christmas Day 2001, she stabbed her husband and manager...

The kids are calling it “Two Teachers, One Chair,” and it has all the makings of a YouTube hit.But school administrators and parents are hard pressed to find humour in a graphic lap dance caught on video between two teachers at a spirit rally at Churchill High School in Winnipeg last week.The two teachers, one of whom was identified by students as phys-ed instructor Chrystie Fitchner, have been sent home without pay after the spirit dance before...

Elijah Muhammad was born Elijah (or Robert) Poole on October 7, 1897, near Sandersville, Georgia. His parents were former slaves who worked as sharecroppers (farming the owner's land for a share of the crops) on a cotton plantation; his father was also a Baptist preacher. One of thirteen children, his schooling only lasted until he was nine; then Elijah had to work in the fields and on the railroad. His light skin color made him even more aware...

Rebecca Lee Crumpler challenged the prejudice that prevented African Americans from pursuing careers in medicine to became the first African American woman in the United States to earn an M.D. degree, a distinction formerly credited to Rebecca Cole. Although little has survived to tell the story of Crumpler's life, she has secured her place in the historical record with her book of medical advice for women and children, published in 1883.Crumpler...

ORLANDO -- One person is dead after an incident at SeaWorld.According to a witness, one of the trainers got pulled into the Shamu tank in Shamu Stadium and was killed. It happened during a Dine With Shamu event.Orange County EMT officials were called out to SeaWorld after it was reported a woman was not breathing. Around 2:30 p.m. News 13 received confirmation from Orange County Fire Rescue that it was a fatality.Including today, there have been...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Police say two Florida teenagers are facing charges after 911 dispatchers heard them talking about breaking into cars when one teen's cell phone accidentally called 911 during the heist.Daytona Beach police say 19-year-old Stefanie Vargas and a 13-year-old are charged with burglary to a conveyance.Police spokesman Jimmie Flynt says dispatchers listened as the pair discussed what was worth taking while rummaging though a vehicle...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Puppet cleavage has been ruled out for advertising posters in Colorado Springs bus shelters.Lamar Advertising rejected posters for a touring production of the Broadway show "Avenue Q" because they show the cleavage of a fuzzy pink puppet.Lamar account executive Jeff Moore says the company takes a conservative approach in Colorado Springs. The city is known for its political conservatism, and some conservative Christian...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - A Florida woman said her love handles saved her life when she was shot entering an Atlantic City bar. Samantha Lynn Frazier said she heard two pops when she walked into Herman's Place early Saturday. The 35-year-old then felt pain and saw blood on her hand after she grabbed her left side. Atlantic City police said Frazier was an innocent bystander.Detective Lt. Charles Love said the gunman was aiming for a man who escaped with...

VILLE PLATTE, La. - A Louisiana woman has pleaded guilty to selling two children for a cockatoo and $175 in what her attorney called an attempt to do a good thing that went wrong."It was a really clumsy attempt at an adoption proceeding," said Steve Sikich, attorney for Donna Louise Greenwell of Pitkin. "She was trying to help the children and get them situated."Greenwell, 53, was sentenced Monday to 15 months of hard labor on each of two criminal...

Prince is set to debut a brand new song, “Cause And Effect,” on Minneapolis radio on Friday, February 26th.National Public Radio station The Current, 89.3 FM in Minneapolis will debut a brand new song from the legendary funk/rock/pop/soul/you-name-it musician this Friday at 7AM. It’s unknown whether or not the song is a single from a new album, or just a one-off.The song is called “Cause and Effect,” and it’s a rocker – filled with virtuosic guitar...

Ghostface stopped by Shade 45 along with Method Man & Raekwon to talk to Angela Yee and promote the upcoming Wu Massacre album and talked about his cameo appearance in Disney’s forthcoming film When In Rome.Ghostface appears in a party scene as a DJ in the upcoming “chick flick,” as Ghost calls it, starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel.“They wanted me to get in there. I didn’t really get paid for the s**t or nothing, but I just thought, just...

Scholar and political activist W.E.B. Du Bois helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). DuBois attended Harvard University and in 1895 became the first African-American to receive a doctorate from the school. He became a university professor, a prolific writer and a pioneering social scientist on the topic of black culture. DuBois particularly disagreed with black leaders such as Booker T. Washington who...

A violent criminal used a spoon to dig her way out of a Dutch prison, officials said on Tuesday.The 35-year-old woman, held for an unspecified "violent crime,” fled Saturday night through a tunnel she had dug with a spoon, prosecution spokesman Wim de Bruin, told AFP.The tunnel linked the inside of the prison in Breda in the southern Netherlands to the outside world, he said, without specifying if it started in the woman's cell.Justice ministry...

SOMERVILLE, N.J. — Former NBA star Jayson Williams was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for fatally shooting a hired driver in 2002, ending an eight-year legal odyssey by tearfully apologizing to the victim's family. He will be eligible for parole in 18 months.Williams, avoiding a retrial on a reckless manslaughter count that deadlocked the jury at his 2004 trial, pleaded guilty last month to aggravated assault in the death of Costas...

VANCOUVER – Vanessa James says she had two big reasons to feel proud on the ice Monday: she was part of the first black figure skating pair in Olympic history, and she did it in the country of her birth.Toronto-born James and partner Yannick Bonheur, skating for France, delighted the crowd at the Pacific Coliseum with an elegant and technically rich routine in their free skate. They are among the few black skaters who have climbed the ranks of international...