my-HipHop - my-HipHop

Paul Wall Blasts His Former Labelmate
2:00PM ET August 23rd, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff

Back in 2005, MTV and VH1 were seemingly taken over by a portly Texas rapper with a very average-sounding name and a knack for self-promotion. The "Who Is Mike Jones" campaign was inescapable, and when Mike Jones' hit "Still Tippin'" hit radio airwaves, the chopped and screwed movement had it's poster child.

But then, all of a sudden--he was gone.

Jones' Swishahouse labelmate Paul Wall recently discussed his former comrade's disappearance and the way that Jones mishandled friends and associates during his brief time in the sun. But he admits he hasn't talked to the rapper in years. "Ever since he left Swishahouse, I haven't really kept track of him," Wall admitted to Ozone Magazine. "I really didn't know him too well before he came to Swishahouse."

"I'd say he dug his own grave. He lied to a lot of people, he turned his back on a lot of people, and he burned a lot of bridges. He kinda wanted it to all be about him. If that's how you want it, I'm not gonna be the one to beg you to stay around, especially since all my major success came not too long after the break up with me and Chamillionaire. I was in a mindframe where it was like, 'If you don't want to be here, I'm not gonna force you.' If you don't want to be on the Swishahouse team together, I'm not gonna force you. I've gotta do me and focus on what's best for me."

"I would've loved for us to be a unit but he didn't want that, so that was his choice. When he left Swishahouse, he was dropping salt on everybody from Swishahouse and not giving us any credit at all. He was talking down on a lot of us and he would never directly say our names, but he was still hating. There were times when I felt disrespected and I would call him out on it, and he'd be like, 'Nah, I wasn't talking about you. I would never do that.' I'm sure there's a psychological term for this problem that Mike Jones has. He has a problem. His perception of reality ain't the real perception of reality."

Reunited Group Performs In Atlanta
6:00AM ET August 23rd, 2010
Contributor : Todd Williams

Grammy Award-winning Hip Hop act Arrested Development held an intimate performance and interview session in Atlanta's eclectic Little Five Points district to announce their long-awaited return to recording. The band's new album, Strong features a return to the sound that made them famous; an earthy blend of soul, Hip Hop and folk with an unmistakable socially-aware perspective.

The band delighted all in attendance with an acoustic set of songs and discussed it's origins and current renewed focus and vision. "We started working on [this album] last year and its the same Arrested Development," said dancer Eshe. "We're still talking about social issues, but it's a fun record and it feels good and your whole family can listen to it; it's not just for black people--it's for all people."

Arrested Development were among the first Hip Hop acts to emerge from Atlanta's music scene, and the group was one of the most acclaimed artists of the 1990s before disbanding late in the decade. Frontman Speech believes that the band's unique makeup helped it regain it's old form. "How we first started was here in Atlanta in 1987 and basically we would invite dancers, visual artists and we would get them onstage with us," he explained. "It basically was energy and vibing together. That's why it's so easy for us to be together [again] because it's based on that individual talent and energy that each one of us bring to the [table.]"

Singer Suspected of Driving Under the Influence
6:00AM ET August 23rd, 2010
Contributor : Stephen Willis

Singer Faith Evans was arrested for on Sunday (August 22nd) for suspicion of DUI. The R&B star was taken into custody after being stopped at a checkpoint when officers detected alcohol.

Formerly married to Christopher "Notorious B.I.G. Wallace, Faith had a string of R&B hits in the 90s and early 2000s before falling on hard times, and bottoming out with an arrest for possession of marijuana and cocaine with and her husband/manager Todd Russaw in Atlanta in 2004.

It is not known what Evans' blood alcohol level was at the time of her arrest.