Warwick pot charges are dropped. 

 

R&B singer Dionne Warwick has had the drug charges against her dropped on June 5 after a Miami-Dade County judge agreed to a plea bargain deal. The deal includes her taking a drug treatment program. The singer, who was not in court, was arrested May 12 at Miami International Airport after baggage screeners said they found 11 suspected marijuana cigarettes inside her lipstick container.

Her lawyer, H.T. Smith, presented the plea deal to the judge and Dionne said "To this day, I am puzzled about exactly what happened at the Miami International Airport," Warwick said in a statement. "But through the grace of God, I can now put this unpleasant chapter behind me."

As part of the agreement, Warwick has completed a drug treatment and evaluation program and made a $250 donation to Project Cradle, an organization that supports children born with HIV. The entertainer also is required to make an anti-drug public service announcement directed at youth, according to a spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office.

Source: soulnotes.com  

 

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Roberta Flack to create new label to develop new artists 

 

Roberta Flack's rendition of Alicia Keys's "A Woman's Worth," which she performs on the 2002 Essence Awards Thursday (June 6), hints that the cherished singer has a thing for youth. The singer, known for songs such as "Killing Me Softly" and "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face," plans to help new young artists get into the music business via a new label.

Flack recently discussed her new venture: "I am working on my new label, which is called R.A.S., which stands for Real Artists Symposium, and that's because I'm going to give all of these young people who have come to me throughout my entire career and given me a chance to share their talents. I'm trying o find some place to put that. So they won't be exploited, abused, and not appreciated."

Flack added that her experiences as a performer, teacher, educator, author, songwriter, and producer have prepared her for her role as record label executive. "I have some good stuff to offer," Flack added. "I just want to share it with some younger artists who said to me, 'How do you do that?' I think I'm a good candidate because a lot of the younger artists who are already successful appreciate what I've done, and if that is the case, I think I'm going to got be swamped with beautiful young people who want to give me a change to help them get out there. And I'm ready.". 

Source: SpotlightonR&B.com.

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Usher grabs the most nods for upcoming Billboard R&B/Hiphop Awards   

 

R&B singer Usher leads the field of finalists for the second annual Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards be held Aug. 9 at the Billboard live venue in Miami Beach, at the close of the three-day Billboard-AURN R&B/Hip-Hop Conference, which is to be hosted at the nearby Eden Roc Resort. 

The now Arista artist is a contender for eight awards, including top artist, top single for "U Got It Bad," and top album for "8701." Other multiple-award finalists include Ja Rule with six, Alicia Keys and the late Aaliyah with five, and Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z with four.

Presented by Heineken, the American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) will provide coverage of the conference and the awards ceremony to more than 400 U.S. radio stations. 

 Here are the 2002 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards finalists:

Top R&B/hip-hop album: "Pain Is Love, Ja Rule  "The Blueprint," Jay-Z  "Songs in A Minor," Alicia Keys "8701," Usher	Top R&B/hip-hop single: "Rock the Boat," Aaliyah (Blackground) "Family Affair," Mary J. Blige (MCA) "Differences," Ginuwine (Epic) "U Got It Bad," Usher (Arista)
Top R&B/hip-hop artist: Aaliyah  Alicia Keys Ja Rule  Usher	Top R&B/hip-hop artist - male: Ja Rule  Jay-Z  Ludacris  Usher
Top R&B/hip-hop artist -- female: Aaliyah  Mary J. Blige Faith Evans Alicia Keys	Top R&B/hip-hop artist - duo or group: 112  Destiny's Child Jagged Edge The Isley Brothers feat. Ronald Isley
Top R&B/hip-hop artist - new: Ashanti Fabolous  Alicia Keys Mr. Cheeks	Top R&B/hip-hop singles artist: Aaliyah  Mary J. Blige Ja Rule  Usher
R&B/hip-hop album artist: Ja Rule  Jay-Z  Alicia Keys  Usher	Top rap album: Ja Rule - "Pain Is Love,"  Jay-Z - "The Blueprint,"   Ludacris - "Word of Mouf,"   Nas - "Stillmatic,"
Top R&B/hip-hop single - sales: "Loverboy," Mariah Carey w/Da Brat & Ludacris  "Bootylicious," Destiny's Child "My Baby," Lil' Romeo  "U Remind Me," Usher	Top R&B/hip-hop single - airplay: "Rock the Boat," Aaliyah  "Family Affair," Mary J. Blige  "Differences," Ginuwine  "U Got It Bad," Usher
Top rap single - sales: "Round and Round," Jonell & Method Man  "My Baby," Lil' Romeo  "Lights, Camera, Action!," Mr. Cheeks  "Raise Up," Petey Pablo	R&B/hip-hop songwriter of the year: R. Kelly Alicia Keys Timothy Mosley (Timbaland) Pharrell Williams
R&B/hip-hop producer of the year: Dr. Dre Irv Gotti The Neptunes Timbaland	R&B/hip-hop major label of the year: Arista Columbia Records Group Epic Island Def Jam Music Group
R&B/hip-hop indie label of the year: Koch Landspeed Tommy Boy TVT

 

Source: billboard.com    

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R. Kelly arrested on 21 counts of child pornography, released on bail.  

 

R. Kelly was arrested in Florida June 5th, hours after he was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography stemming from a videotape that allegedly shows him having sex with an underage girl, officials said. A spokeswoman for the Polk County Sheriff's Office said R. Kelly was taken into custody there, but would not elaborate. 

Allan Mayer, an attorney for the Grammy - winning singer, also confirmed he is in custody. An Illinois grand jury charged the 33-year-old singer -- whose full name is Robert Kelly - with 21 counts of child pornography based on the videotape, which police said was recorded sometime between November 1997 and February. Investigators said the girl depicted in the video was born in September 1984, which would make her 17 now.
Chicago Police Superintendent Terry Hillard said FBI evidence technicians have examined the videotape and consider it authentic. "It's unfortunate to see Mr. Kelly's talents go to waste, but it becomes a tragedy when behavior damages the community," Hillard said.

If convicted, Kelly faces a prison term of up to 15 years and a fine of up to $100,000. His lawyer, Ed Genson, said he would disprove the child pornography charges. "The charge is that there's a young lady under the age of 18 on that tape and there isn't," Genson told The Associated Press. "That's simply the stance that I'm taking. We're going to court and we'll disprove that she was underage." The girl's family members also have denied that she is featured on the video.

Source - spotlightonR&B.com.