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Former Hot Boy group member Tab “Turk” Virgil has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, after being convicted of three weapons charges stemming from a Jan. 2004 shootout with Memphis, Tennessee SWAT Team members...

In August, the 24-year-old was convicted of being a felon, a drug addict and a fugitive in possession of a handgun in relation to the shootout, which left a SWAT Team member seriously wounded.

The 10-year sentence is the maximum the judge could issue and Virgil must also pay a $200,000 fine.

The sentencing stems from a Jan. 2004 raid on an apartment in Memphis. When SWAT Team members entered the apartment seeking drugs and weapons, they were greeted with gunfire.

Virgil has maintained his innocence and denied being in a closet or firing a 9mm handgun that was found in the closet.

The rapper apologized to the officer that was shot, asking for forgiveness.

The apology brought more scrutiny from prosecutors, who believed the apology was an admission of guilty.

“What are you sorry about?” Prosecutor Terry Harris asked Virgil. “Who shot him?"

Virgil maintained his innocence stating: "I don't know. I didn't shoot Officer Harris, and I wasn't in the closet."

Officers testified Virgil was not in the bathroom and others testified they saw the rapper crawling out of the closet.

The rapper was also chastised for allegedly recording rap music over Shelby County Jail telephones, with lyrics that include "shoot first, before they shoot you."

Virgil said he could not recall recording the rap, but officials are now going through jail phone records to see if the rapper took advantage of phone privileges to record an album.

Virgil is still facing an attempted murder charge in Tennessee state court, but his attorney, Jay Bailey said the rapper is negotiating a guilty plea to avoid going to trial.

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“What is Jay-Z going to do tonight?”

The question appears to be the primary query on the minds of hip-hop fan as the Def Jam president and “Carter Administration” will perform at the Continental Airlines Arena tonight (Oct. 27).

Last month, the rapper/mogul told Power 105’s Ed Lover, “I gotta put [my adversaries] in the choke hold, the Boston crab. I gotta smash a couple of people. ... Everybody better make up and be my friend."

Still the self-proclaimed “god MC” didn’t state whom he intended to annihilate under the show theme, “I Declare War.”

Bun B appeared on Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’” and his own “Get Throwed,” from the Houston veteran’s album Trill. Bun said he’ll be at the venue with the stars, but won’t be fully involved, because of the nature of the show.

“I was planning on rocking with [Jay-Z], but I understand that there may be some circumstances of what he may do on stage. He may not want me to be included in what he’s go going on,” Bun Told AllHipHop.com. “He’s about to go to war and I have a pretty good sense of the people he is going to call out. [They] are pretty good friends of mine.”

With a grin, Bun refused to divulge what may occur or who may be targeted at the 105.1 Powerhouse concert, but suggested that the rumors have some basis.

“I ain’t heard nothing,” he said chuckling. “I ain’t heard nothing more than what illseed is saying,” Bun said of AllHipHop.com’s rumor columnist. “That’s where I get all my info.”

Insiders have speculated that Jay-Z will “declare war” on 50 Cent and G-Unit and convene a whole group of artists that support the notion. Hood hearsay has also suggested that this group will consist of rappers like Nas, Fat Joe, The Lox and others including Sauce Money.

Representatives at Def Jam wouldn’t reveal any information on the matter, however the matter will all unfurl 8 p.m. (est). AllHipHop.com will give continued coverage on the “I Declare War” PowerHouse with Jay-Z and Friends.

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YOU ONLY GOOD AS WHAT YOU COME UP AGAINST

LL Cool J is at work on his as-yet-untitled next Def Jam album, which is expected to be released sometime in 2006. Backstage last night (Oct. 26) at the BET 25th anniversary celebration in Los Angeles, the rapper said the set will feature guest appearances from Mary J. Blige, 112 and Teairra Mari...

The album will be the follow-up to 2004's "The DEFinition," which debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 743,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Meanwhile, the rapper said he has signed a nine-picture deal with Lions Gate Film to produce movies, and also has the option of acting in the projects.

LL Cool J will next be seen in "Last Holiday," which stars Queen Latifah and is due Jan. 13 in U.S. theaters. He also appears in "Edison," which marks the film debut for pop star Justin Timberlake.

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Hip-Hop Harmony: Jay-Z And Nas Officially Dead Beef

Jay-Z warned everyone that he was "getting the itch" for a good show in New York, and the rapper came out swinging with the first of a pair of concerts initially to air his grievances with rival rappers.

The highly publicized event, which was sponsored by New York's Power 105.1, eventually became somewhat of a peacefest. The biggest shock of the night at Jay-Z's "I Declare War" Concert was when the megastar announced, "It's bigger than 'I declare war.' It’s like the muthaf**Kin’ president presenting the United Nations. Let's go, Esco!"

The stunned crowd of thousands inside the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ screamed in approval as Jay and his former nemesis Nas appeared onstage together, signifying that two of rap's biggest names had finally deaded their once-bitter beef.

"A lot of ni***s is makin' money and still f***in' mad at the world!" Nas said. "We [are] savin' the East Coast with your help."

Nas performed the hook to Jay’s "Dead Presidents," followed by his own classic, "The World Is Yours." Jay-Z exited briefly and gave his counterpart time to rock his classic songs like "It Ain't Hard to Tell" and "New York State of Mind."

Jay-Z rejoined Nas onstage and said, "Damn, this is some s**t right here!" Nas spun into "They Shootin'" with Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs, who also performed "Hate Me Now" with the Queens superstar.

"We all in this s**t together," Jay-Z said after the songs. "Y'all witnessed history. Everybody in this building is a part of history. All that beef s**t is wack." He then concluded the show, leaving some beef-seeking fans to grumble.

But, the show was far from a disappointment. The hip-hop icon's concert kicked off with a bang as throngs of eager concertgoers poured into Powerhouse, the annual mega concert by Power 105.1.

At the show's opening, Jay-Z emerged onstage seated in a presidential setting reminiscent of the Oval Office, with a voiceover of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech blaring in the background.

From the very beginning, the crowd threw their Roc signs in the air while chanting "Hova, Hova, Hova," signaling that the rap megastar has lost none of his shine during his semi-hiatus from the mic.

"I don't think y'all muthaf***as [are] ready tonight!" Jay-Z proclaimed above the screams of the crowd, as two staunch security guards manned the rear of his Oval Office. "'This is my house in this muthaf***a...y’all don't understand...I own the Nets! (whose regular season home games are played in the Continental Arena)." When the "god MC" performed songs like "You Don't Know" the audience held on to his every word. Eventually, Jay plucked a young boy out of the crowd, who played impromptu hype man. "Don't stage dive. Don't try to upstage me with none of that cute kid stuff...you like summer?" Jay-Z asked. The rapper then spun into "Dear Summer," one of the biggest songs of 2004.

Aside from Jay-Z and Nas, solidarity was a common thread through the evening.

During the show's other surprises, Freeway burst from backstage to perform his verse from "What We Do." Looking at Freeway, "Jay-Z said, "We missing some sh*t (on this stage) to make this whole thing complete!" A hooded Beanie Sigel, who once played mentor to Freeway, came out to perform, throwing up the Roc diamond sign to the crowd's delight. "Roc for life, n***a.you already knew," Beanie said.

The Lox and Jay-Z's old friend Sauce Money also graced the stage to perform Jay's classic posse cut, "Reservoir Dogs" to everyone's surprise. They were followed by a quick impromptu appearance by Diddy, who was once the subject of The Lox’s scorn, and a stirring rendition of “The Benjamins.”

Jay-Z also paid homage to those that have passed.

"We also got to pay respect to the pioneers of the game, and that's Jam Master Jay and Run DMC," Jay-Z said as he rolled into a set paying homage to JMJ, Big Pun, Big L, Aaliyah, Biggie, Tupac, and even Civil Right icon Rosa Parks.

Shortly after, Kanye West emerged from below the stage floor to perform for "President Hova," and was joined by Houston rapper Paul Wall on the track "Drive Slow."

Over the course of the night, he brought out special guests Teiarra Mari, Ne-Yo, Peedi Peedi, Memphis Bleek and along with a four-song set by T.I. T.I. was joined by Young Jeezy, who was a fan favorite with the hook-heavy songs from his debut album Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. Jay, with a fresh set of clothing, returned on the tail end of Young Jeezy's set to perform "Go Crazy."

Initially, fans and gossip mongers thought that Jay-Z was going to “go crazy” and wage a personal beef with a number of artists in the rap community.

At an earlier appearance at Power 105, the Def Jam president revealed that he would address some of whom he called "hard-headed" critics of his "Carter Administration" during the show, but never revealed those people he intended to disrespect. Many fans and gossip mongers speculated he would go after The Game, 50 Cent, Jim Jones, Cam’ron or others.

"I gotta put 'em in the choke hold, the Boston crab," the rapper told Ed Lover of Power 105.1. "I gotta smash a couple of people. Everybody better make up and be my friend."

A second show, set for October 28, is slated for Philadelphia's Wachovia Center in conjunction with Power 99, another Clear Channel radio station.

The last time Jay-Z declared war he jumpstarted a long-running feud with Nas and Prodigy of Mobb Deep, unleashing such hits as the mixtape-gone-mainstream "Takeover."

“As it was coming together, I seen Puff perform with The Lox, T.I. perform with Jeezy, the return of Beanie Sigel…so I said f**k it,” Jay-Z said. “So you know what I did for y’all, what I did for Hip-Hip?”

And, one era ended as another began.

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YOU ONLY GOOD AS WHAT YOU COME UP AGAINST

Snoop's Label Inks Deal With Koch

Snoop Dogg and his Doggystyle Records have entered into a joint partnership with Koch Records. The first release as part of the multi-album deal, "Snoop Dogg Presents Welcome To Tha Chuuch Tha Album," will hit stores Dec. 13...

The disc is an expansion of Snoop's "Welcome to Da Chuuch" seven-volume mixtape series and includes new music from The Dogg Pound Fam, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Lady Rage, and Daz Dillinger, as well as newcomers Tiffany Foxxx, RBX, Soopafly, Half-Dead, Mira-Mira, Mykestro.

Doggystle was previously affiliated with TVT and most recently with MCA, with whom Snoop Dogg signed in 2001. His most recent solo album, 2004's "Snoop Dogg R&G: Rhythm & Gangsta -- The Masterpiece," was released by Geffen, to whom he remains signed.

Snoop also recently formed the Snoop Youth Football League, which aims to involve underprivileged children in competitive sports.

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Quelle: www.chambermusik.com

The biggest question in hip-hop after Nas got onstage with Jay-Z last week. Will their apparent friendship turn into a business relationship? Is Nas officially signed to Def Jam? Island/ Def Jam chairman L.A. Reid seems very open to having the legend on his team, but would not say for sure...

"I don't know if I have a comment for that," Reid said last week in New Jersey about Nas' possible signing. "I'll tell you what, I absolutely love him. He's an amazing artist. I have loved him and supported him for years. He's been a great supporter of mine. And obviously he and Jay-Z have a mutual respect and love and admiration for each other. So let's just see. I really don't know. Let's see what happens."

As the first anniversary of the Shawn Carter administration at Def Jam approaches, Reid applauds the job the Jiggaman is doing.

"I liken him to Michael Jordan in that winning is just an innate part of his personality," Reid said. "But he also knows what to do and what not to do: A part of winning is knowing what you can win at. Being blessed, talented and all of the above doesn't hurt either."

When asked the best thing about working with Jay, Reid said, "The wisdom. At such a young age, he's amassed an amazing amount of wisdom — a lot more than you should expect from someone of his age."

And although Jay hasn't said whether or not he's working on a new album, Timbaland said last week that he's going to make some beats so crazy that Jay will have no choice but to rap on them and put them out.

"We working on that one now," Tim said. "We're magic together. Jay brings a lot of stuff out of me; I bring a lot of stuff out of him. I feel like I work under Jay and he's Keyser Soze [from "The Usual Suspects"]. He's a mastermind."

We just might see a minor N.W.A reunion soon. Eazy-E's son (who sounds very similar to his pops if you ever talk to him), Lil Eazy-E, has already been working with Ice Cube and wants to round up Dr. Dre, MC Ren and maybe even DJ Yella for a song on his debut, Prince of Compton. The album doesn't come out until 2006, so he still has time to get it together. E currently has a record out, "Gangsta Sh--," that was produced by Cool & Dre.

Ed O.G. couldn't have said it better: Lil' Flip's got-ta have it! Flip's titled his new double-LP I Need Mine. He renegotiated his deal with Columbia Records earlier this year and is ready to release his new project on December 6. He says with all he does, he deserves everything he gets.

"When you get grown, everything that's rightfully yours — whether it's publishing, endorsements deals, advances — I Need Mine," he said by way of explaining the album's title. "I'm one of the few artists that, I produce, I draw my own album covers, all the videos you see — from 'Game Over' to 'Sunshine' to the new 'What it Do' — I write the treatments, I direct my own videos. Some artists, they feel they too big to give stuff back to the fans. I still do the same thing I did when I came in the game. I feel I should be appreciated for the work I put in."

Flipper is getting ready to go into full-overdrive mode. Before the end of the year he's putting out a DVD with eight videos from his new album and eight ones from his last double album, U Gotta Feel Me. He's also working on a myriad of mixtapes with the likes of DJs Whoo Kid and Ideal.

Slim Thug lashed out at him on a mixtape last summer, but Flip says he's shrugging it off.

"When you on top, everybody is trying to get your spot," he said. "When I came in the game, I was taught no matter how much money you give a person, how much exposure you give a person, everybody ain't gonna like you. I'm here to try to bring Houston up, not down. For me to try to step down and battle somebody that's, like, in the CBA [Continental Basketball Association] and I'm in the NBA Hall of Fame right now, it wouldn't help me. As far as that whole situation [with Slim], SoundScan tells all the truth."

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