Jay Z’s Business Partner Charged With Murder!
The Hip Hop police never sleep. While former drug dealers-turned-rappers cavort onstage flashing the products of their ill-gotten wealth, the feds are meticulously gathering evidence against them.
According to The Sun, British police arrested Jay Z associate Chris Nathaniel, 39, and charged him with the stabbing of Danny O’Shea, 18, in East London.
The police nabbed Nathaniel yesterday when he landed at London’s Heathrow airport on an international flight from the United States.
The entertainment guru — linked with a host of sports idols, showbiz stars and leading politicians — was held with a pal aged 33.
Both were quizzed over the killing of Danny O’Shea, who was stabbed in the neck after being chased by a gang for 300 yards.
The teenager bled to death outside his mum’s home in Canning Town, East London.
Nathaniel was instrumental in brokering a business deal to open a London branch of the “Throne” rapper’s 40/40 restaurant and bar franchise.
Ne-Yo Named VP of A&R at Motown Records
R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo, 32, has been appointed Vice President of A&R at Motown Records, according to published reports. Ne-Yo, born Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr., left Def Jam Records after 6 years and 4 albums.
Ne-Yo will work closely with former LaFace Records intern Ethiopia Habtemariam, who was appointed senior VP of Motown last September. She also holds the title of executive VP/head of urban music for Universal Music Publishing Group.
Ne-Yo said: “I’m honored that I¹ve been given such a prestigious title and trusted with such responsibility; terrified because I know that playing this role in the fashion of one of my career role models, Mr. Smokey Robinson — these are big shoes to fill. But trust, I can handle it.”
Ne-Yo’s album Year of the Gentleman and Young Jeezy’s album, The Recession, were both cited by insiders as part of the reason for the fall out between then Def Jam label head LA Reid and his Executive VP Shakir Stewart.
Both albums, which were A&R’d by Stewart, dropped in September 2008 and failed to go gold by the time Stewart shot himself to death in the bathroom of his Marietta, Ga. home on Nov. 1, 2008.
Photo: Splash News Online
Jay Z’s 40/40 Club Shut Down by the Health Dept
How ironic that Jay Z once said “I’m not a businessman/ I’m a business, man.” How right he was.
Rap mogul Jay Z, 42, is a former crack dealing rapper turned businessman who doesn’t have a clue what it takes to run a business.
The majority of Jay Z’s business holdings were acquired to boost his image and increase his visibility in the corporate world. That explains why his businesses often fail.
Take for instance his 40/40 sports bar in New York city. Jay Z threw a splashy Grand reopening bash for the restaurant/lounge earlier this week. But it was more of a show to make himself the center of attention. It’s hard to say who is the biggest fame whore: Jay Z or his wife Beyonce.
Photos of Jay Z schmoozing with billionaire Warren Buffet were splashed all over the media on Wednesday. But within 48 hours, Club 40/40 was shut down by the city’s health department for violating a number of health code violations.
Apparently, 40/40 wasn’t expecting a visit from the health inspectors so soon.
If Jay was really an astute businessman he would have made sure his establishment was prepared to open to the public, rather than using the reopening as a vehicle to flaunt his wealthy friends to the media.
I’m embarrassed for him.
Swizz Beatz Unmasked As Content Pirate Kingpin
Music producer Swizz Beatz, who is married to musician Alicia Keys, is on the run from federal prosecutors, according to the Associated Press. Beatz, real name Kasseem Dean, 33, is listed as the CEO on the website of the Hong Kong-based file sharing website, Megaupload.com, which was shut down by feds today.
The indictment accuses the company of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and other content. The indictment was unsealed Thursday, one day after websites shut down in protest of two congressional proposals intended to thwart the online piracy of copyrighted movies and TV programs.
Yesterday, Swizz Beatz was unmasked as the CEO/owner of the world’s largest file sharing website by the NY Post, which alleged that Beatz got some of his celebrity friends to appear in a star-studded promotional vehicle for Megaupload.com.
High powered celebrities such as Sean “Diddy” Combs, Kanye West, Floyd Mayweather, Serena Williams and others are seen happily promoting the illegal service in the video.
Feds Shut Down Swizz Beatz File Sharing Site; Employees Indicted
No wonder Alicia Keys is hanging on tightly to music producer Squid Beaks: he’s worth untold millions!
According to the NY Post, Swizz is one of the owners (along with a German guy) of the world’s largest file sharing site, Megaupload.com. Unfortunately, Megaupload.com was shut down today — and its employees were arrested and indicted by the feds for moving mass quantities of illegal music and movie files online.
Ironically, Swizz Beatz is exactly the type of shady individual that the anti-piracy SOPA bill is targeting. This means Mr. Beaks himself could be in handcuffs very soon!
Swizz Beatz has Sean “Diddy” Combs, Kanye West and Will.i.am in hot water with their label by getting them to promote his site, MegaUpload. The CEO of the Internet company, Beatz — also a recording artist, producer and DJ — persuaded the stars to appear in a “Mega Song” video promoting his service, intended to send large media files. The catch is the music industry has been fighting against file sharing, accusing the services MegaUpload offers of supporting piracy. Beatz’s wife, Alicia Keys, has also promoted the site with her picture and a quote. Swizz had also asked Mary J. Blige, Kim Kardashian, Lil Jon and Macy Gray to promote MegaUpload. Source
It’s a shame that Negroes will do anything for money. 
Is Microsoft’s ‘Ghetto App’ Racist?
British tourists James Cooper and James Kouzaris were on their way back to their hotel after an evening of drinking at a bar in Sarasota, Florida last year. Unfamiliar with the area, the two friends took a wrong turn and ended up in the ghetto where they were ambushed by a criminal minded ghetto dweller who riddled their bodies with bullets fired from an AK-47.
A new and controversial Smartphone app probably would have saved the men’s lives. The Microsoft app helps unsuspecting tourists (as well as longtime residents) avoid the ghetto in cities across America.
The name of the app — ‘Avoid The Ghetto’ — doesn’t sit well with critics who fear the app will drive tourists away, thereby hurting the economy in impoverished areas.
“It’s appalling,” says Sarah E. Chinn, author of ‘Technology and the Logic of American Racism.
“Of course an application like this defines crime pretty narrowly, since all crimes happen in all kinds of neighborhoods,” she told AOL. “I can’t imagine that there aren’t perpetrators of domestic violence, petty and insignificant drug possession, fraud, theft, and rape in every area.”
Grand Reopening of Jay Z’s 40/40 Club
Jay Z put his businessman face on to attend the Grand reopening of his 40/40 sports bar in NYC last night. Celebs such as billionaire Warren Buffet (pictured with Jigga), Ashanti, rapper Wale, producer Rico Love and others attended. The bar was closed last year for renovations because business was so slow. Jay Z hopes the bar’s new facelift will inject life into the place.
The dapper Jay Z turned heads when he pulled up to the club with a mystery LSLH woman. Beyonce’s surrogate, perhaps?
