DMX Pleads Guilty *
DMX pleaded guilty Wednesday to driving under the influence of drugs when he plowed through the gates of an airport parking lot after claiming to be a federal agent. The 33-year-old rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, also pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, prosecutors said. The DUI charge was for the rapper's admission that he was on Valium during the incident. Both charges are misdemeanors.
DMX was sentenced to a conditional discharge, meaning any violations within a year would land him in jail. He also was fined and ordered to forfeit his 1998 Ford Expedition sport utility vehicle which was equipped with a flashing light and siren.
DMX allegedly crashed the SUV on June 24th.
Daz Preps 2 Albums*
West coast rapper/producer Daz Dillinger will be a busy man in 2005, when he plans to drop two new albums and join Snoop Dogg on the road for an extensive tour. "It's going to be a real big show," Dillinger tells Billboard.com of the outing, which will also feature Pharrell Williams and Soopafly. "It starts Jan. 20 and will run for about four months. We'll be doing some overseas stuff, too."
Dillinger promises the shows will feature material from his earliest collaborations with Snoop as part of Tha Dogg Pound
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RONG>. "We'll rock a lot of old school stuff from that," he says, adding with a laugh, "we've been around for a decade!"
As for his upcoming releases, the first, "Tha Dogg Pound Gangsta LP," will arrive Jan. 25 via Gangsta Advisory. The 19-track set features guest spots from George Clinton, Nate Dogg and Shorty B, among others.
Later in the year, the artist will release an album under the moniker Daz via Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label, his first as part of a deal signed in October 2003. Nate Dogg is set to appear on a track titled "Boyz in Da Hood."
Dillinger is also working on hip hop's teenage rapper Bow Wow's next So So Def release, due in the first half of 2005.
Camron Leaves Def Jam***
Cam'ron has reportedly been granted a release from Def Jam Records. The rapper just released his fourth album, Purple Haze, on Tuesday, December 7th, on Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records but the rapper told a New York urban radio station (WQHT) that Island Def Jam Music Group CEO LA Reid recently granted him a release from the label without the rapper having to deliver the three remaining albums due under the five-album deal he signed in 2001. Purple Haze is Cam'ron's second CD since joining the Def Jam roster through Roc-A-Fella Records in 2001. The rapper's first release for the label was 2002's Come Home With Me, which was certified platinum for sales of one million copies.
Label woes are nothing new for Cam'ron. Following the release of his gold-certified debut, 1998's Confessions Of Fire, Epic Records terminated its distribution agreement with Lance "Un" Rivera and his Untertainment imprint, which was Cam'ron's label home. Cam'ron subsequently signed directly with Epic and released his sophomore set, S.D.E., in 2000.
After the lackluster sales of S.D.E., Cam'ron negotiated a release from Epic and inked a deal with Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records. Calls to Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Records were not returned at press time.
Credits: BillBoard**/ Associated Press*/ PlayaHata News***
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