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Gangsta
Profiling | Jerome Almon
| DMX | Steven
Skurka on Informants |
Ja Rule
Ja Rule apologizes for
club altercation
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, March
7, 2005
TORONTO -- Ja Rule apologized
to the city of Toronto after pleading guilty to assault in an
altercation at a downtown nightclub last year.
"I'm just sorry about
my actions," said the 29-year-old rapper, whose real name
is Jeffrey Atkins, as he stood on the courthouse steps Monday
with his lawyer, wife and bodyguards.
He received a $1,200 fine after
pleading guilty to assault for an incident that took place at
La Rouge Nightclub in June 2004. He had been facing a more serious
charge of assault causing bodily harm, which could have resulted
in jail time.
"Hopefully this was a
one-time outburst," Justice W.P. Bassel told him.
Ja said he was provoked by
a crowd that had formed near him at the nightclub, shouting "derogatory"
comments about his public feud with rapper 50 Cent, said prosecutor
Mary Humphrey, reading from an agreed statement of facts. As
he was leaving, he punched someone standing nearby, the court
heard.
The victim ended up with a
black eye and some cuts to the eyelid.
The judge apologized to Ja
for the "disgraceful" comments shouted at the nightclub,
calling them an "embarrassment" for the city.
The rapper, whose hits include
"Holla Holla," was shooting a film in Toronto when
the incident occurred. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and
children.
Ja Rule in da courtroom
By JASON BOTCHFORD, SUN
MEDIA, Mar. 7, 2005
Straight from celebrating his
birthday with his pal Chingy in Australia with cigars, cognac
and Veueve Clicquot, rapper Ja Rule will find himself in a Toronto
courtroom today. The "gangsta" hip-hop star, whose
real name is Jeffrey Atkins, is scheduled to be in court this
morning to face a charge of assault causing bodily harm.
"He will be (in court)
and we are ready to go," his lawyer Steve Skurka said yesterday.
The matter relates to an incident
at the La Rouge nightclub on Adelaide Street in the city's entertainment
district last June.
Skurka said an alleged punch
is at the centre of the charge.
The incident was originally
reported in some media outlets as a stabbing at the Toronto club.
Some reports have even said Atkins was "charged specifically
for the stabbing." Skurka said that is not accurate. The
New York native is out on $10,000 bail.
Last week he was in Australia
celebrating his 29th birthday and headlining the Roc Tha Block
Tour in Melbourne.
Skurka would not say yesterday
how Ja Rule would plead but said last year that the rapper, whose
signature phrase used to be "Murda," would plead not
guilty.
Atkins has been before the
courts before for pot possession and resisting arrest. This year,
Irv "Gotti" Lorenzo, founder of his record label, was
charged with laundering drug money.
Ja Rule recently launched a
film production company, Focus Vision, and has vowed that his
first project would catapult him into film stardom.
But Atkins's star power has
been greatly diminished during the past two years, partly because
of an ongoing war of words with superstar rapper 50 Cent.
Ja Rule was on top of the rap
world before 50 Cent attacked him in his song Wanksta, released
in 2003.
Ja may not Rule in Toronto courtroom
ASHANTE INFANTRY, Toronto
Star, ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER, Mar. 6, 2005
Ja Rule's career may be in
a slump, but he is scheduled to begin a starring role in a Toronto
courtroom tomorrow.
The New York native is supposed
to be on his way here from Australia, after headlining the Roc
Tha Block Tour in Melbourne last night. He faces a charge of
assault causing bodily harm.
The matter relates to an incident
at the La Rouge nightclub at 257 Adelaide St. last June 5 when
the performer, legally named Jeffrey Atkins, was in town shooting
the film Assault on Precinct 13.
With a publication ban in
effect, there have been few details about the allegations against
Rule, 28. His Toronto-based criminal lawyer Steve Skurka has
said the married father of three plans to plead not guilty. The
trial is to take place before a judge alone at Old City Hall.
During his July 27 bail
hearing the courtroom was packed with reporters and court employees.
Rule hugged fans and signed autographs after being released on
$10,000 bail.
The gravelly voiced rapper
has experienced the highs and lows of the entertainment industry
since his 1999 debut.
His first three albums earned
him multi-platinum sales, hit collaborations and minor roles
in films such as The
Fast and the Furious. But 2002's The Last Temptation and the
following year's Blood in My Eye tanked and he found himself
on the losing end of a lyrical battle with 50 Cent. His latest
disc R.U.L.E. failed to restore his position.
There have been other brushes
with criminality: court appearances for pot possession and resisting
arrest; a fatal shooting outside a New York nightclub party he
was hosting in December; and this year, Irv "Gotti"
Lorenzo, founder of his record label, The Inc., was charged with
laundering drug money.
Court date set in Ja
Rule trial
CBC Arts, Oct. 6, 2004
TORONTO - New Jersey-based
Ja Rule, the hip-hop star known for songs like Holla, Holla,
will face assault charges in a Toronto court early next year.
The week of March 7 to 11 was
set aside for the trial at a hearing on Wednesday.
The dates are tentative. One
of Ja Rule's lawyers asked for time to contact him to make sure
he would be able to attend for the duration of the trial.
The hip-hopper was charged
with assault causing bodily harm after an altercation at a downtown
Toronto nightclub on June 5. The 28-year-old's real name is Jeffrey
Atkins.
He did not appear at Wednesday's
hearing, although his lawyers say he will plead not guilty.
A publication ban has been
placed on evidence in the case.
Copyright ©2005 Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation
The Elimination of Hip-Hop
February 2, 2005 by Robert,
from Thug
Life Army
In October of 2003 Min. Louis
Farrakhan said in an interview with Ja Rule " Hip-Hop is
being threatened today-the future of it," Min. Farrakhan
told Ja, "And I don't want to see you lose your life or
50 Cent lose his life, or any of the rappers lose their life.
I think we've paid a price now to go to a higher level."
Min. Farrakhan continued to
explain that those who govern and control see hip hop as a threat
to their rule, because its culture is captivating the minds of
all youth, regardless of class or color, and is causing them
to reject the system of White supremacy, as it is portrayed in
hip hop lyrics. The recent 'Vote' campaigns showed hip-hop's
potential in political affairs.
"Hip hop has taken White
children away from those who would shape them into oppressors,"
he said, adding that hip hop is a force the government can't
control and so the government seeks to eliminate it.
If we look at some of the news
since these statements were made by Min. Farrakhan we can only
wonder if he foretold the future with his words.
There have been rap artist
who seem to foretell the future in their rap. Tupac Shakur being
one of the most talked about and adored.
Since Min. Farrakhan spoke
these words we have seen many things that seem to point to the
'government' seeking out hip hop artist for persecution.
The recent cases of Beanie
Sigel, Rakim, Lil Kim, Irv Gotti, T.I. and many others only point
to an assault on the 'head' of the beast known as rap and hip
hop. Then there are the law suits that threaten to put a 'damper'
on the lives of some rappers. Nelly, Ludacris, Kayne West more
recently Snoop Dogg are all being sued. And conservative radio
and TV host take shots at rappers all the time. Trying to make
them look like gangstas and bad role models, ( O'Reilly and Rush
Limbaugh being some of the top haters).
Then there is the 'Hip Hop
Binder'; the ' surveillance ' material collected by police on
rap and hip hop artist. This is a six-inch thick black binder.
It includes the arrest records and photos of dozens of rap artists
and their companions. Also, the Village Voice newspaper recently
revealed the existence of a Hip-Hop Intelligence Unit within
the New York Police Department.
Why is all this happening now?
I am not saying any of the artist that are mentioned above were
framed nor am I saying anything about guilt or innocence. But
it is amazing how many of these cases start to fall apart when
they finally get to trial. Of course there are some who are doing
time. And there are some that we hear about; that the police
want to question a certain rapper and give them 5 days to turn
themselves in and then we hear no more of it. I guess there are
two groups of rappers and hip hop artist; one to watch out for
and one to look the other way for.
Separate the force and you
have a better chance for overcoming them. This is a famous war
strategy. Or pit us against each other is another. These tactics
have been used by the government against the Black Panthers,
the NOI and even farther back - The American Indian.
The Vibe Awards incident happened
and everyone pointed at Suge Knight, Death Row Records CEO; just
because he was there. Many news agencies fueled that story for
weeks and then the one who started the 'fight' said Suge Knight
paid him and the news agencies were off again. But that
has been weeks and we have heard nothing official about it. So
there is a case of pitting us against one another.
The Eminem racist factor has
been thrown into the mix now too. Imagine race playing a factor
in hip hop? A culture based on being real and one love.
So we have the ones who side
with Eminem and those who side with the Source. We have those
who flip flop on this subject and we have those who really don't
care. The diss tracks are still being dropped. Maybe not by Ja
or 50, but it seems there are plenty of rappers who want to make
a diss track just for the 'buzz' it will create.
Maybe Min. Farrakhan did foretell
the future. It seems the government is taking a stance against
the 'head' of the beast: rap and hip hop, basically because rap
and hip hop really does scare the majority. No matter how widely
accepted you believe hip hop is there are still many who wish
we all would just go away.
They are finding ways to lock
up some of the artist. They are causing others hardship. And
they are watching and keeping records on most of them. It is
time for all of the culture of hip hop to realize that we are
being sought after to. Not just the artist, but look across the
country. Shows are having problems, fans are having problems,
and still the record labels and the police seem to maintain their
standard of living as we struggle just to enjoy our culture of
hip hop.
Min. Farrakhan was right and
we should examine what else he had to say in Oct. 2003 - "We're
tired of allowing people to use our pain to get rich and then
watch us die and then hold our masters and keep making money
for themselves and their families at our expense," he said.
(Min. Farrakhan was talking about the record companies, but this
can also apply to the government)
Be aware that all this is happening
and don't let the main stream press make your mind up on a lot
of the issues that affect the hip hop community. Whether it be
if Eminem is a racist or if this rapper is guilty or not - make
up your own mind. By looking into the allegations for yourself
and forming your own opinion based on the evidence, you can assure
yourself that you will not fall victim to the governments 'witch
hunt' on rap and hip hop. Nor will they be able to separate us
or pit us against each other.
And of course there are those
in the hip-hop culture who really do the culture more harm than
good. Look at Hot 97 and the recent ignorant practices at that
station. It is true things like this hurt the culture of hip-hop
and the perspective the mainstream puts on it, but there are
also many good things going on that are not reported on or if
they are they are twisted to fit the mainstream agenda.
But it is also true that there
is a time to listen and learn from our mistakes. Min Farrakhan
may not be a hip-hop mogul or a rapper with a story to tell;
but his spoken word does bare truth and he is not afraid to tell
it like he sees it. Isn't that one of the mainstays of hip-hop:'
keeping it real'?
Min. Farrakhan told us this
was going to happen, he pointed it out years ago and now we can
see it all happening. Listen and learn and preserve the culture
while we still have it to appreciate. Music videos and some of
the lyrics we hear today do not reflect the 'real world' or what
is going on in it. We must become aware and be aware to survive.
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Truth can never be
told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd. William Blake, The Proverbs of Hell
