mariemarie
Guests
Brafman Hiring Puts Burress in Company of Diddy, Sammy the Bull
Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Plaxico Burress has joined the high- profile client roster of attorney Benjamin Brafman, who will defend the Giants wide receiver on handgun charges that may bring him 3 1/2 years or more in jail if found guilty.
Brafman, 60, a former assistant Manhattan district attorney, counts pop star Michael Jackson and Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano of the Gambino crime family among his past clients. He also won an acquittal for rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs after a 1999 shooting inside a Manhattan nightclub.
The 31-year-old Burress, charged with two counts of second- degree handgun possession, has hired an “absolutely relentless” advocate, said Roland Riopelle, a former Manhattan assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted one of Brafman’s clients.
More http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=acNgMVRvxfn4&refer=home
‘I’m confident about everything’
Aliaune Thiam has been playing up his criminal past since he officially arrived on the music scene in 2004 as Akon.
The first single from the Atlanta rapper-singer-songwriter-producer’s debut album “Trouble” was titled “Locked Up.” The Atlanta-based labels with hip-hop/R&B artist T-Pain, reggae star Kardinal Offishal and pop newcomer Colby O’Donis are named Konvict Entertainment and Kon Live. And the title of his sophomore CD, which sold 3 million copies? “Konvicted.”
Q: And yet, again, you call yourself Akon to remind yourself of that troubled time in and out jail.
A: “[Nods again] And to give those people hope who I met behind bars who were so talented. ‘Locked Up’ was like an anthem to them, before it was a hit record. I’m not trying to glorify convicts and jail life and gangsters.”
Q: Most of your hits are actually partying and/or sexual in theme.
A: “I want to do something positive with my music. That’s what ‘Freedom’ is about. But you have to get people’s attention first, so they can hear you. It’s sad, but like jail, the music industry is a trap, too. Like movies, positive stuff doesn’t get the promotion that action movies, guns and violence gets. So I jumped the gate, and gave it to ‘em just like that. I did a song called ‘I Wanna [Expletive] You,’ and it’s a success.”
Q: Next thing you know, you’re selling millions of records… in the studio with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Gwen Stefani. Buying million dollar-plus mansions. It seems like you’ve gotten through this knock at your “street credibility,” so to speak, unscathed. Except Dec. 1 —- the day before “Freedom” —- a court date for throwing a teenager off the stage.
A: “And you know, I wish I could talk about that. Clear that up, too. But, the lawyers…What I can say is I think it will be a simple process. I’m confident. I’m confident about everything these days.
“Because you know what’s funny? When I was in and out of jail and decided to go full-speed at this music business thing, I came up with this plan where the top goal was to work with Michael Jackson, and retire in like 2018. Now I’ve already worked with Michael. And it’s looking like retirement might happen earlier.
“I’ll admit I may have said some things in the beginning just to get people to talk to me —- just to keep people talking about me. But while I’m doing that talking I’m also promoting whatever I’m working on musically; and in the end, making more money.”
Full interview http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/12/02/akon.html
Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Plaxico Burress has joined the high- profile client roster of attorney Benjamin Brafman, who will defend the Giants wide receiver on handgun charges that may bring him 3 1/2 years or more in jail if found guilty.
Brafman, 60, a former assistant Manhattan district attorney, counts pop star Michael Jackson and Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano of the Gambino crime family among his past clients. He also won an acquittal for rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs after a 1999 shooting inside a Manhattan nightclub.
The 31-year-old Burress, charged with two counts of second- degree handgun possession, has hired an “absolutely relentless” advocate, said Roland Riopelle, a former Manhattan assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted one of Brafman’s clients.
More http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=acNgMVRvxfn4&refer=home
‘I’m confident about everything’
Aliaune Thiam has been playing up his criminal past since he officially arrived on the music scene in 2004 as Akon.
The first single from the Atlanta rapper-singer-songwriter-producer’s debut album “Trouble” was titled “Locked Up.” The Atlanta-based labels with hip-hop/R&B artist T-Pain, reggae star Kardinal Offishal and pop newcomer Colby O’Donis are named Konvict Entertainment and Kon Live. And the title of his sophomore CD, which sold 3 million copies? “Konvicted.”
Q: And yet, again, you call yourself Akon to remind yourself of that troubled time in and out jail.
A: “[Nods again] And to give those people hope who I met behind bars who were so talented. ‘Locked Up’ was like an anthem to them, before it was a hit record. I’m not trying to glorify convicts and jail life and gangsters.”
Q: Most of your hits are actually partying and/or sexual in theme.
A: “I want to do something positive with my music. That’s what ‘Freedom’ is about. But you have to get people’s attention first, so they can hear you. It’s sad, but like jail, the music industry is a trap, too. Like movies, positive stuff doesn’t get the promotion that action movies, guns and violence gets. So I jumped the gate, and gave it to ‘em just like that. I did a song called ‘I Wanna [Expletive] You,’ and it’s a success.”
Q: Next thing you know, you’re selling millions of records… in the studio with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Gwen Stefani. Buying million dollar-plus mansions. It seems like you’ve gotten through this knock at your “street credibility,” so to speak, unscathed. Except Dec. 1 —- the day before “Freedom” —- a court date for throwing a teenager off the stage.
A: “And you know, I wish I could talk about that. Clear that up, too. But, the lawyers…What I can say is I think it will be a simple process. I’m confident. I’m confident about everything these days.
“Because you know what’s funny? When I was in and out of jail and decided to go full-speed at this music business thing, I came up with this plan where the top goal was to work with Michael Jackson, and retire in like 2018. Now I’ve already worked with Michael. And it’s looking like retirement might happen earlier.
“I’ll admit I may have said some things in the beginning just to get people to talk to me —- just to keep people talking about me. But while I’m doing that talking I’m also promoting whatever I’m working on musically; and in the end, making more money.”
Full interview http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/12/02/akon.html
Today in
Michael Jackson History
Michael Jackson History
1983 - Michael Jackson's "Thriller" short film debuted on MTV.
1993 - In Norwalk, CT, the newspaper "The Hour" reported that Michael Jackson had checked into Silver Hill psychiatric hospital in New Canaan, CT, on November 29.
Last edited:
