“Suge Knight takes on Kanye West in legal battle over ... - Republic” plus 2 more

Suge Knight takes on Kanye West in legal battle over ... - Republic

Posted: 07 Apr 2010 07:09 AM PDT

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2005 file photo, rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight is taken away by paramedics after he was shot in the leg at the Shore Club in Miami Beach, Fla. Knight, was shot once in the upper right leg by an unknown assailant at the star-studded party hosted by Grammy-wining hip hop artist Kanye West. More than four years later, Knight is claiming in a lawsuit that West and the Shore Club's owners failed to provide adequate security. Knight is seeking more than $1 million, including a 15-carat diamond earring he lost in the chaos. (AP Photo/Kim Tumey, File) NO SALES

MIAMI — A rap music smackdown looms in a federal courtroom between oft-troubled impresario Marion "Suge" Knight and controversial star Kanye West over a shooting at a star-studded Miami Beach party.

Knight, founder of Death Row Records and promoter of some of rap's biggest acts, was shot in the right leg in August 2005 by a still-unknown assailant at the ultra-trendy Shore Club. West was hosting the party before the MTV Video Music Awards held that year in Miami.

No one has ever been arrested, and like many other shootings in the rap world, police found few witnesses although the club was packed with partygoers, including celebrities Jessica Alba, Eddie Murphy, The Black Eyed Peas and Paris Hilton. At least six shots were fired, police said.

More than four years later, Knight is claiming in a lawsuit that West and the Shore Club's owners failed to provide security necessary to keep out people with weapons. Knight's attorney, Marc Brumer, said Tuesday that Knight had $200,000 in medical bills from a gunshot that shattered his femur and will seek total damages of well over $1 million.

"He's an icon in the music industry. He walks in a room and he lights it up," Brumer said. "He had an expectation of security there. How someone came with a gun into a very VIP party, that just doesn't meet the smell test in life."

U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz has scheduled a Dec. 6 trial date in Miami.

West's attorney did not immediately return a telephone call Tuesday seeking comment. In court papers, West and the Shore Club ownership have denied Knight's claims of negligence.

The damages total includes a 15-carat diamond earring valued at $135,000 that Knight said came loose during the shooting chaos and was picked up by an employee who promised to return it. Knight doesn't know the identity of the employee but has never seen the earring since, according to court papers.

Knight claims in his lawsuit that it should have been obvious to West and the Shore Club that the party could produce a "dangerous environment" because of well-known feuds between East and West Coast rap figures that have triggered a lot of violence.

One of Knight's biggest stars, Tupac Shakur, was shot and killed in 1996 while riding in Knight's car. At the time, Knight was feuding with Sean Combs' Bad Boy label, and Bad Boy's top artist, the Notorious B.I.G., was gunned down months later in Los Angeles. Relatives of B.I.G. have accused Knight of involvement, but police have never named him a suspect.

"Prior to the party, defendants knew that it was critical to screen guests, employees and others entering the party premises for weapons," Knight's lawsuit says.

In fact, Knight said in the lawsuit that he and his entourage were patted down by security personnel before they went inside, leading him to assume that was true for all guests.

The burly Knight, nicknamed "Suge" for Sugar Bear, was one of the most powerful music figures of the 1990s. With superstar rappers like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Shakur in his stable, plus Bloods gang members on his payroll, he made millions and enemies in equal abundance.

West, meanwhile, is a multiple Grammy winner and one of today's biggest stars, but is prone to boorish behavior in public. These stunts include a 2005 comment that former President George W. Bush "doesn't care about black people" because of the slow government response to Hurricane Katrina and West's heavily criticized decision to grab the microphone from singer Taylor Swift during last year's MTV awards. West has previously lashed out at awards shows when he didn't win.

The lawsuit was originally brought in Los Angeles as part of Knight's 2006 filing for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws, which resulted in an auction of Death Row Records assets and sale of Knight's mansion in Malibu.

The Shore Club's owners, Philips South Beach LLC and Morgans Hotel Group Management LLC, successfully petitioned to have the lawsuit moved into federal court and transferred from Los Angeles to Miami.

If Knight wins, he'll have to share damages with the bankruptcy trustee and the Internal Revenue Service.

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Singer Badu charged over nude music video shoot - BBC Entertainment

Posted: 03 Apr 2010 02:28 AM PDT

US neo-soul singer Erykah Badu has been charged with disorderly conduct for stripping naked on a street among pedestrians for her music video shoot.

She ended by re-enacting receiving a fatal gunshot to the head at the spot in Dallas where President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Sergeant Warren Mitchell said Badu was charged after a witness offered a sworn statement to police on Thursday.

Badu's spokeswoman had no immediate comment on Friday.

The singer, who was born in Dallas, performed a walking striptease in front of tourists and pedestrians during the shoot in Dealey Plaza on 13 March for her video for the song Window Seat.

Sgt Mitchell added that the police department has had "people calling from all across the country to express their concern".

"Having a fact witness that was there, is what let us file the charges," he said.

"After much discussion, we feel that these charges best fit her conduct. She disrobed in a public place without regard to individuals and small children who were close by."

He said Badu can either fight the charge or pay the fine. Disorderly conduct is punishable by a fine of up to $500 (£328).

Witness Ida Espinosa, 32, declined to comment to The Associated Press on Friday.

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Wanda Sykes Takes On Erykah Badu's Controversial Music Video (VIDEO) - Huffingtonpost.com

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 04:12 AM PDT

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