Results tagged “israelramirez”

Having "Bodyguard for Busta Rhymes" on one's resume may be more than a career killer. One of the rapper's former body guards was found dead in the back of a Lincoln Navigator in Queens Wednesday. 35-year-old Jermaine Williams of the Bronx had been shot multiple times--at least once in the head--and wrapped in a blanket before being placed in the SUV.

In exchange for guilty pleas on a number of charges including assault of a fan, assault of his chauffer, driving with a suspended license and DUI, rap star Busta Rhymes avoided jail time and was sentenced yesterday to 10 days of community service. Sadly, we’ll be denied the publicity circus that swirled around Boy George and Naomi Campbell during their very public community services; Rhymes will have the privilege of choosing his own method of service at a “private, court-approved location.” (Will there be an after-party?) He’ll also pay fines and court costs amounting to – yes this figure you're about to read is correct – $1,510.

Just when we thought we couldn't possibly hear about more troubles for Busta Rhymes, he's now facing four separate trials in New York for past incidents. E Online recaps the rapper's rap sheet: "The first assault complaint was filed last summer by a 19-year-old man, who claims he was roughed up by the entertainer after spitting on Rhymes' SUV. The second complaint came from a 39-year-old man, reportedly Busta's former driver, who says he was beaten up by Rhymes last Christmas in a beef over money." The third and fourth charges are for driving drunk and driving with a suspended license.

After previews of the segment last week, The Rap Up shares video of Anderson Cooper's chat with Cam'ron on 60 Minutes to discuss the "no snitching" rule prevalent in the rap community. Tupac, Notorious B.I.G. and Jam Master Jay are all examples of murders that have gone unsolved. More recently, Busta Rhymes bodyguard, Israel Ramirez, was shot and killed at a video shoot; out of the 25 people believed to be present during the crime - no one has come forward.

Busta Rhymes, also known as Trevor Smith, is in trouble with the law again. Since Rhymes refused to cooperate with the police regarding the shooting death of his bodyguard on the set of his music video for the song "Touch It {Remix}" earlier in the year the NYPD has been looking for an excuse to bring him in for questioning. They found that reason last week when a concert-goer was allegedly assaulted after spitting on Rhyme's car. Cops arrested Rhymes last night around 8 P.M. and questioned him for over three hours.

That's what the NYPD is complaining about - the complete lack of cooperation from Busta Rhymes in the investigation of his bodyguard's murder during a video shoot two weeks ago. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly implied that Rhymes (aka Trevor Smith) was withholding information about the shooting of Israel Ramirez. There have been conflicting accounts as to where Rhymes was during the incident - he told detectives he was on set, but he reportedly told others that he was outside when it seems that Ramirez got caught in an argument between other rappers. The NY Times looked at the habit of those in the rap world to keep quiet during police investigations, lest they look like a snitch:

Busta Rhymes, 33, whose given name is Trevor Smith, faces a dilemma that is has a particular resonance to the hip-hop world. By remaining silent, he is angering the family of Mr. Ramirez and a good number of his fans. But if he speaks to the authorities, he risks harming his so-called street credibility, which is cultivated by many rap artists and demanded by millions of their fans. Yet even on some urban radio talk shows and Internet chat rooms, a growing number of fans have called his silence cowardly and amoral, and in New York, a group of ministers and anti-violence advocates have called for a boycott of his music.

And in an interesting coincidence, a few hip-hop magazines will publish interviews with Rhymes where he claims he is "perfect"; the Post also reports that he slams "fellow New York rappers for becoming bogged down in a world of drugs and guns." In a world that models itself after the mafia (or at least ganster movies), we'd wonder if the various rap power brokers are having underground meetings for a stalemate to stop the madness.

The latest news in the fatal shooting during a rap video shoot in Brooklyn is that Busta Rhymes may have witnessed his bodyguard's death. Police Commissioner Kelly announced as much yesterday, and other police sources are saying that Rhymes (born Trevor Smith) may have been playing "peacemaker" between some other rappers. Rhymes had been shooting a video for his song, "Touch It {Remix)," and there were a number of music stars on hand to do cameos - Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and DMX; he originally told police that he was on set during the shooting, but the widow of Israel Ramirez says that Rhymes called her and said he saw it all. Most of the attention is being put on Tony Yayo (part of 50 Cent's crew) and Swizz Beatz (who has produced for Jay-Z and DMX) respectively, who may have had an argument. The Post has a who's who of some of the characters and a timeline of events while the Daily News's Errol Louis says Rhymes and other hip-hop artists should create a fund for Ramirez's chlidren, citing the "criminal irresponsibility of so many of the people who make money creating and marketing hip-hop music."