Friday, November 21, 2008

LUDACRIS FOUNDATION TO FEED 500 FAMILIES THIS THANKSGIVING



By Mike Winslow
Ludacris will bring holiday cheer to 500 Atlanta families this Thanksgiving, via his non-profit organization, The Ludacris Foundation.



This weekend (November 22 & 23rd), Luda and the foundation's LudaCares program will distribute Thanksgiving turkeys and pies to underprivileged residents of metro Atlanta.



"This is the foundation's sixth year giving away turkeys and distributing food boxes for Thanksgiving," Ludacris revealed. "I especially look forward to this time of year because it allows me directly touch the people we are trying to help."



On the 22nd the foundation will distribute food items to areas on the Southside of Atlanta.



On the 23rd, Ludacris will be on the North side of Atlanta, distributing more food to local residents in need of a hand this holiday.



The events are private, for recipient families who have been pre-selected by community organizations who have partnered with the Ludacris Foundation.



"Our major focus is youth – at the holiday time we uplift youth by uplifting the family" added Ludacris' mother Roberta Shields, who is also President of The Ludacris Foundation. "The Foundation helps people year around through our LudaCares Program. We want to do something to help families have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day – It's a great feeling to sit with your love ones and share the many blessings that God has bestowed upon us. If we add to their blessings in a small way then we have accomplished our goal."



Sam's Club, The Schwan Food Company and GM are sponsors of the holiday food boxes that needy families will receive.



The Ludacris Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization which was founded in 2001 by Ludacris.



Black Enterprise magazine recently named The Ludacris Foundation as one of the top twenty "Leading Philanthropy Foundations" this year.

Friday, September 12, 2008

RUSSEL SIMMONS CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY IN ATLANTA SEPT 29TH!!!

Immediate Media Release

Russell Simmons Birthday Bash
w/ Argyle Collection & Global Grind Launch Party in Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. Russell Simmons (American Entrepreneur, Music Mogul, Author & Philanthropist), is
scheduled to celebrate his birthday and the launch party of Argyle Collection & www.GlobalGrind.com (a community based website allowing
people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web in a social and democratic way on issues and news related to the world of
Hip-Hop) in Atlanta, Sept. 29th 2008.
USA Today named Russell Simmons one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People of the Past 25 Years,” calling him “a hip-hop pioneer for his
groundbreaking vision that has influenced music, fashion, finance, television and film, as well as the face of modern philanthropy.” He shares
his personal thoughts to all of us as an author with the New York Times bestseller Do You!: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to
Achieve Happiness and Success. He lives his life as a vegan and yoga enthusiast with a deep dedication to bring all ethnicities together
through his charitable foundations.
This party is considered exclusive with especially invited celebrities, and will be open to the public who RSVP in advance for a chance to
celebrate with Russell Simmons and socialize with entertainment VIPs/personalities invited by the respective partnership companies: Upscale
Entertainment, Furious Entertainment, OffDaBloc co., Image Makers Media Group and our PR Firm: PR-Franchize, Inc.
WHEN: Monday, September 29th, 2008 @ 10pm
MEDIA PRESS: Check-In @ 11:30pm w/ Credentials in Advance via Email
WHERE: Tongue & Groove Ultra Lounge @ 2420 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, GA 30324
RSVP@PR-Franchize.com | Before Guestlist is Closed!

The ambiance will include socialites of Atlanta coming together to have a great time to celebrate with Russell Simmons. There will be a red
carpet and marquee for approved press outlets and celebrities only. All VIPs attending will be organized by CEO & PR Executive Coordinator,
Toni-Mateo @ 516.298.3633 and all Media-Press will be handled by Journalist/Publicist, Darnell Clark @ 404.849.2451.
ABOUT GLOBAL GRIND
Global Grind is a community based website allowing people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web by linking to, voting for,
and commenting on each others content, in a social and democratic way. You view the media content with full global grind links to the
website that published the story, driving traffic to that website and creating a larger market for sites that publish their own news stories,
photos, and videos. Headquartered in New York City, Global Grind is a privately held firm funded by the Silicon Valley venture capital firm,
Accel Partners and Hip-Hop Mogul Russell Simmons. For more information please visit: www.globalgrind.com

PR-Franchize, Inc. is a private based PR Firm specializing in public relations and media management of high-end programs produced by
clientele across the globe related to special projects inside the business of corporate entertainment. Our PR Firm provides PR representation
in charge of overall public relations activities and programs. The programs normally include media relations, community relations, corporate
communications and strategic planning w/ special events. CEO & PR Executive Coordinator: Toni-Mateo* #516.298.3633

(*) For more information including: media inquiries, investors, sponsorships, business engagements, or electronic press kits (EPKs) of clientele
contact our main office or go online to our official website @ www.PR-Franchize.com. Media Profile @ www.myspace.com/ceotonimateo

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

'Suge' Knight arrested in Vegas drug, assault case


By KEN RITTER, Associated Press Writer


LAS VEGAS - Rap music mogul Marion "Suge" Knight was jailed Wednesday on assault and drug charges after he was accused of beating his girlfriend while brandishing a knife, police said.



Knight, 43, the founder of bankrupt Death Row Records in Los Angeles, was arrested about 6:40 a.m. on a busy street near the Las Vegas Strip. Police responding to a domestic violence call found Knight standing over his longtime girlfriend with the knife in his hand.

"He did not stab her," said Officer Jacinto Rivera, a department spokesman.

Police did not release the identity of the woman, who told officers she was Knight's girlfriend of three years.The woman was treated at a hospital for minor injuries, according to Rivera.

Knight was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Clark County jail on felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor charges of possession of dangerous drugs without a prescription and domestic violence.

Knight had the drugs Ecstasy and hydrocodone when he was arrested, police said.

Lawyers David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, who are representing Knight, said they wanted to gather information about the arrest and talk with Knight before commenting.

Rivera said Knight would be held at the jail for at least 12 hours on the domestic violence charge.

It was not immediately clear if Knight would appear in person when a judge was scheduled to review his arrest Thursday morning.

Police said Knight and the woman argued in the car while Knight was driving before he allegedly punched her in the head.

"The victim purposely grabbed the steering wheel and caused the vehicle to hit the curb," police said in a statement. Police said the woman tried to run away, but Knight caught her.

Knight has a history of legal problems and was with Tupac Shakur when the rapper was gunned down in Las Vegas in 1996.

Knight was convicted of assault in 1992 and placed on probation, then jailed for five years in 1996 for violating that probation.

He was returned to jail in 2003 for again violating parole for punching a parking attendant at a Hollywood nightclub. He was released the next year.

Knight was wounded during a shooting at a party in a Miami nightclub in August 2005.

His former record company was auctioned in June for $24 million to New York-based Global Music Group Inc.

Daniel McCarthy, a lawyer handling a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing for Knight and the record company, said Wednesday that the sale is pending.

Death Row Records was known for releasing seminal gangster rap albums by Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and sold tens of millions of albums in the heyday of early 1990s rap.

In 2006, a federal judge ordered a bankruptcy trustee takeover of Death Row Records, saying the label had undergone gross mismanagement. Knight's decision to file for bankruptcy protection staved off a move by the court to appoint someone to take control of the record label and his assets.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

SONY/BMG'S NEW LABEL



Sony/BMG has launched a new Hip-Hop label called Battery Records.

Heading the imprint will be Neil Levine, most recently the head of Capitol Music Group's urban division. Levine now assumes the title of Senior Vice President and General Manager of Battery Records, reporting to recently appointed BMG COO Ivan Gavin. Levine's rap roots trace back over twenty years, when he formed Round The Globe Music, a marketing and promotions company aimed at championing the then-fledgling art form. He then spun that into founding Penalty Records.

Says Neil: "I'm thrilled to be re-united with [BMG COO] Ivan Gavin and to work with CEO Barry Weiss, the best record man in the business. I 'm also excited to be part of a winning team with Tom Carrabba [EVP & GM, Zomba Label Group] and Tom Corson [EVP & GM, RCA Music Group]."

Battery Records shares New York offices with Sony/BMG's RED Marketing Group. The synergy between RED and Battery Records allows Levine and his staff to move within Sony/BMG's ranks for talent. Battery's first crop of artists will be: Sunny Valentine from Texas, Sir Will from Atlanta, and Nashville's Lil' Goonie, signed to Jive/Zomba.

Battery will also welcome established artists still viable in the marketplace and who seek new situations that include non-traditional deal models. These models, intended to revitalize the flagging music industry and promote across multiple platforms, include: touring/ merchandising arrangements and DVD releases. Other tasks under the Battery banner include releasing material from the BMG catalogue, and overseeing the early-stage development of certain acts signed to labels such as RCA's J Records or Zomba's Jive Records.

"This will provide a broader platform and offer a greater margin of success for our evolving urban artists and new artists in general," said Tom Carrabba, Zomba Label Group's executive vice president and general manager.

DAMON DASH GOES INTO FORECLOSURE



Reports say that two of Damon Dash's Manhattan apartments have gone into foreclosure after the Roc-A-Fella co-founder failed to pay the mortgages

According to iht.com, the bank holding the mortgages says in a court filing that Dash and his wife Rachel Roy owe $7.3 million on the two properties.

Their monthly payments were listed as being $78,500 by Eastern Savings Bank.

Representatives for Damon Dash have yet to comment on the court filing