ENTERTAINMENT
BRIEFS
- complied by K. earke
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Chuc D. fll
5 million
R pper Chuck D. of Public
Enemy made good on hi
promise to go after malt liquor
compani . He' filed a $5
million law uit gainst the
McKenzie River Corporation.
They market St. Ide malt
liquor.
Chuck lieges the
comp ny ired a radio
commercial with him
endorsing the project. The
rapper i uing on vario
counts, including violations of
publici ty, copyright
infringement and damage of
his reputation.
Coming-of-age
film: Juice
Eric Die er on, who's
Spike Lee's
cinetnentographer, ha a
distributor . for hi
coming-of-age film, "Juice".
Paramount Pictures has
picked up the dome tic
distribution righ1S.
The company is backing
the film with a reported $10
million print and dverti ing
budge. "Juice", which i
Dicke t dlrectina debut, is
about four Black ldds from
Harlem. They briefly get
involved in a crime and it has
some deadely results. The
film is cheduled to be
released in January during the
Martin Luther King Jr.
weekend.
Kingpin
Imp r onator
nabbed after a year
Con man Barry Hodges is
sitting in a Philadelphia jail
today after being arrested for
impersonating Virgin
recording artist, Redhead
Kingpin. The 19-year old
Hodge has been posing as
Redhead for nearly a year,
even booking concert
appearances as the rapper!
The lights went out on
Hodges' masquerade party
when he contacted
independent promoter and
"Impact" Magazine rap editor
Jaclde Paul. Paul happens to
be a personal friend of
Redhead's. Jackie, Red's
manager Floyd Norris and
Detective Sergeant Dennis
McCauley organized a sting
operation, and Hodges. was
caught red-handed.
New African
American doll
Mattei Toy Company (the
makers of Barbie) i now
reaching out to the Black
community with a new line of
African-American dolls, The
"Shani" doll has been
designed to reflect the real-life
feature of African-American
women.
Shani, which mean
marvelous in Swahili, is the
ignature name for three
character dolls which include
Shani, Aha, and Nichelle.
Mothers are looking for more
than a chocolated-coated
white doll for their girls to play
with says Mitchell, product
manager for the new line.
Production for an
African-American male doll is
already in the works.
·1
Musical Gala to feature
superstar performances
and appearances
Top B,jazz, roc pop and country
join with e legendary d influential y
Ch ric to celebrate hi h If-century of
mak:in m ic with unique evening of pe­
cial performances in "Ray Chart : 50 Years
in M Ic," to air on Fo Bro d ling Com­
pany on Sunday, October 6 9:� 11:00 P .
(ET1P1).
Stevie Wonder, Michael Bolton, Randy
Travi , Willie Nelon, Micba I McDonald,
Jam Ingram and Tevin Campbell are among
the artists scheduled to perform at th event
Whoopi Goldberg. Quincy Jon and Robert
Townsend. Also schet1uled to m e pecial
appearances are Paul McCartney, Bill Co by
and Gloria Estefan.
"I didn't tart playing music to become
famous, but I did want to be recognized by my
peers, " said Mr. Charles about the event. "To
celebrate my accomplishments with these
great entertainers' fantastic. I am truly
touched:"
Mr. Charles' timeless talent and indelible
influence on music ill be recognized in the
pecial with performances by the arti and
the star himself. Higb.ligh1S will include a
first-ever duet by Mr. Charles and Stevie
Wonder of the Grammy Award-winning
"Living For the City," as well Mr. Charles
Y urvived 0 many m ical e
ith hi own tyle in t," explained Execu­
tive Producer Greg Willenborg bout the
pecial' focm. "Hi m ic, and this bo ,
11 cover that imp ive pectrum."
ping event on September 19 will
benefit the Starlight nd STARBRIGHT
Pavillion Foundations, non-profit organiza­
tio which grant wi h and provide pecial
entertainment ervice to thousand of
rio ly-ill children.
Ray Charles began his 50-year career in
Tampa a m ician performing in local
club ,and landed his first major recording hit
with "1 Got A Woman" in 1958. He hasn't
topped performing inee - he continues to
tour throughout the U.S. and around the
world. Mr. Qwi bas been recognized with
every tribute in the entertainment Industry,
including nine Grammy and that
organization' Lifetime Achievement Award;
a Kennedy Center Honor; induction into The
. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the NAACP
Image Awards' Hall of Fame Award.
.Executive Producers of "Ray Charles: 50
Years in Music" are Gregory H. Willenbotg
and Ray Charles, Jr. for WtUenborg Produc­
tions.
----bo� he Law
Livin' Like Hu tier.
"When people think of Above The Law they think
we're like N.W.A. We're not. We're from the same
streets but we're not about gangs. We're about hustlers.
We lived like hustlers to do what we could to get of South
Central L.A.," state Cold 187um of the Ruthless/Epic
group Above the Law (A. T.L.)
Livin' Like Hustlers, the group's debut, repre ents life
in South Central Lo Angeles from the eyes of a group
who grew up there in a time (Reagan/Bush era) and place
(poor and hard) where music became one way to wealth
and power for young Black men.
A. T.L.'s music is created by two expert OJ' Go­
Mack and Total K-Oss. Botb mix up a whirlwind of
un toppable beats and previously-undiscovered in-
trumental samples. On the microphones are Cold
187WJl and KM.G The Illustrator: The first runs down
the action in a bold, high-pitChed voice, while the second
offers a cool-and-deadly commentary.
Livin' Lik« Hustlers was produced by Dr. Ore, and
co-produced by A.T.L. and LayLaw for Highpowered
and Lawhouse Productions. "Murder Rap" i the
premier single and video, with guest appearances by
N.WA's Eazy-E, Dr. Ore, M.C. Reo, and The D.O.C.,
But, A.T.L. doesn't top there. Are the rhymes they pin
a glorification of the hustler's violent life, or a cautionary
tale? Only the listener can say.
"YOU GET A certain mentality from living where
we did," states Cold 187um. "YOU leam to work within
the y tem-a ystem that w not set up for us-and
find loophole to get you into the system, and rap is our
way in. .
"We aren't hiding from reality. The worst thing is for
people not to know what's really happening, and we
came out to tell it the way it really' ."
The way it i range from such. lices of reality Uke
"Another Execution, "an all-loa-typical tale of how every
drive-by shooting that occurs in South Central L.A. is
viewed by it's re idents as just another execution; "Un­
touchable, "a statement about when you're living within
the law you're untouchable, but-when the actions you
take are illegal you're going to get caught. "It's not what
you know, it's what you can prove," states Cold 187um.
II Freedom" harply questions the meaning of the work in
American society, and "Ibe Las: Song"-a graphic ex­
ercise of out highly-touted freedom of speech-will not
be heard on any radio station so long the F.C.C. holds
way over tbe airwaves. .
"We look at Lawhouse like a fraternity at U.S.C.
When you pledge A. T.L. you've graduated from South
Central. We're all graduates ofU.S.C. (�n UniveJlity
of South Central), and now we're all mega's of rap,"
In the Ruthl /Epic tradition of busi ness each rele e
goes one step ahead. Livin' Uke Hustlers, the debut by
A.T.L., ets the new standard for.Ruthless/Epic records.
.THE GREATEST
He Is Down tb wo d ov " Grea t." But Mu am d All
ucb ore a box • l1li extraordinary fe to d te chronicled In
aD all· w episode of BIOGRAPHY, Oeto 8, 1991, at 8pm and 12&
ET/9pmandl PT,o ARTSAENTERTAINMENTNETWORK
(A&�. k
ABOVE THE LAW MEMBERS - (I-r) Go M ck, KM.G, Cold 187u ,and t I K·
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