Rapper 50 Cent charged with domestic violence in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. Rapper 50 Cent has been charged with domestic violence and vandalism in Los Angeles after an alleged altercation with the mother of his child, the city attorney's office said on Wednesday.

The rapper, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, is accused of kicking the woman and destroying $7,100 worth of property in her condominium on June 23 in the Toluca Lake community of Los Angeles.

The 37-year-old rapper, who has sold about 20 million albums worldwide, has been charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic violence and four counts of vandalism, Los Angeles City Attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan said.

The "Candy Shop" rapper allegedly kicked open a door in the condo and destroyed a piece of furniture, a chandelier and television.

"The altercation apparently started from an allegation of infidelity on her part," Mateljan said, adding that the Grammy-winning rapper left the condo before police arrived.

The city attorney's office described the victim, who is unnamed because it is a domestic violence case, as a former girlfriend of the rapper, who is affectionately called "Fiddy."

The rapper's publicist and attorney were not immediately available to comment.

Queens, New York-born 50 Cent shot to fame with his 2003 debut studio album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," which has sold about 15 million copies globally, making it one of the best-selling rap albums of all time.

He also starred in the 2005 semi-autobiographical film of the same name. He has had roles in the 2006 war drama "Home of the Brave" and the upcoming crime-thriller "The Frozen Ground," which stars Nicolas Cage and John Cusack.

The rapper will be arraigned on July 22 in Los Angeles Superior Court and faces a maximum penalty of five years in jail and $46,000 in fines if convicted on all counts.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey)

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Rapper Ordered To Take Etiquette Classes 'To Refine His Use Of Social Media'

PHILADELPHIA ? A judge has ordered rapper Meek Mill to attend etiquette classes and notify his probation officer before he takes any trips outside of the commonwealth.

Common Pleas Court Judge Genece Brinkley on Friday told the rapper, whose real name is Robert Williams, he must complete the classes before Aug. 4, The Philadelphia Inquirer () reported. http://bit.ly/15REv46

The orders came at a probation violation hearing for Williams, who is on probation for a 2008 gun and drug conviction for which he was sentenced to 11 to 23 months in prison. He served eight months in jail and began five years of probation in the fall of 2009.

Assistant District Attorney Noel Ann DeSantis said Williams' statements on Twitter and other social media had been followed by threats to his probation officer from some of his fans.

Williams told the judge at the contentious hearing that detailing his travel plans was difficult because many of his business activities are arranged on short notice.

"I have my own record label with seven artists. ... I do radio. I do interviews," he said.

The judge said Williams needed etiquette classes to refine his use of social media and to help him explain the nature of his business to the court, adding that the etiquette classes were "more important than any concerts he might have."

Brinkley in December barred the rapper from touring for a month after finding that he violated probation restrictions. Williams' attorney argued at the time that the restrictions were preventing his client from earning a living, and said Williams didn't need to check in with his probation officer because his fans frequently take pictures of him when he's touring.

Williams' "Dreams & Nightmares" album debuted in October and he appeared in Jay-Z's Made In America festival earlier this year.

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Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.philly.com/

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Pollo Del Mar: Gay Rapper Cazwell Duets With Electro Queen Luciana; Drag Race Favorite Manila Luzon Is Next

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"I feel like I'm having social media overload right now," Cazwell admits.

Whether through interactions with more than 55,000 Facebook fans or nearly 40,000 Twitter followers, the undisputed king of New York's underground gay hip-hop scene is "hustling now even more than before." Playing club gigs and summer LGBT Pride events around the country Thursdays through Sundays, Cazwell spends his weekdays recording new tracks and music videos.

"I feel even more of a need to keep people aware of my presence, videos, what's going on, stay active with my fans online," the star explained during a recent telephone interview. "I'm just trying to stay -- no, I'm not even trying to stay busy, I just am.

"It's good," Cazwell notes. "It's way, way better than being dead."

Cazwell's anything but that! In keeping with his goal of releasing new music every eight weeks for the rest of the year, "Guess What?" -- his collaboration with Luciana, dance music's Queen of Electro -- hit social media June 17. The track's official video, which ends with a random 40-second voiceover from quirky RuPaul's All-Stars Drag Race favorite Tammie Brown, has already racked up an impressive 41,000-plus views.

"It was all kind of lined up in the stars," Cazwell says of working with Luciana, best known for Billboard Dance Chart-topping favorites like "I'm Still Hot" and "We Own the Night." When friends of friends suggested the pairing before a Hawaiian get-away, and still others encouraged it again during the vacation, the rapper took note. When he returned home, the connection was made - and the rest is history.

"She's really positive," Cazwell says of the British sensation. "She's really positive about being positive. She's good energy."

Fans of his most recent work, those who helped push last year's single "Rice & Beans" toward a healthy half-million total YouTube views, for example, might be taken aback by the frenetic pace of "Guess What?" Cazwell acknowledges the song's electro vibe definitely matches Luciana's signature, but it was a cut he couldn't pass up.

"Songs like 'Rice & Beans' and 'Ice Cream Truck' are a little more 'player' tracks and don't sound so dance club or EDM [Electro Dance Music]," says the singer, who loves to put his white boy swagger on display, "But I'm no stranger to house music -- whether it's 'All Over Your Face' or 'Get My Money Back.'"

Indeed, with more than 1.2 million YouTube views, "All Over Your Face" is Cazwell's biggest hit to date. But he's certainly not willing to rest on his laurels. He's already hard at work on his next two videos -- and looking toward his next big release.

"I have a track coming with Manila Luzon which really sounds like an old-school house track," he says. In addition to Luzon, runner-up on Season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race, the song also features New York drag celebrity Roxy, who experienced '90s house music success as a featured vocalist on hits by The Ride Committee.

"If I stay the same for too long, people are going to get bored with me," Cazwell says of dabbling in so many genres and his massive musical output, "So I've just got to keep it moving!"

Watch the "Guess What?" music video here.

Follow Pollo Del Mar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheGlamazonPDM

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