New York City tabloids briefly went berserk this weekend when reports emerged that the Black Guerrilla Family, or BGF—a powerful prison gang that got its start in California—might be targeting New York Police Department officers in the wake of the non-indictment of the cop who choked Eric Garner.

Now it seems like the BGF is threatening Baltimore cops, which makes sense given that the group’s historically firm stranglehold on that city’s jail system is in doubt.

Black Guerrilla Family shot-caller Tavon “Bulldog” White testified in federal court last week, in the process describing his rise to power and the inner workings of the prison-based gang. Prosecutors say the BGF smuggled contraband like drugs and cellphones into various Maryland correctional institutions. Perhaps most inflammatory is the claim prosecutors have made involving sex between inmates and guards, which apparently led to four female officers being impregnated by White. He was the “city-wide commander” of the gang and allegedly seduced the guards by buying them cars. In his testimony, White detailed how his agenda was to “make money” and “run the jail, pretty much. I wasn’t trying to be some flunky.”

By turning on his gang and serving as the prosecution’s star witness, White has become what criminals detest the most: a snitch. Still, it’s not clear how much one leader’s defection will matter to a criminal enterprise like the Black Guerrilla Family.

White testified that he joined the gang in 1997 “because they was, at the time, pretty much running the institution.” After reentering prison in 2009, he got involved with the gang again. “I stepped back for the first week, watched who was who, who was doing what, and I made myself into what I was. They put their stamp of approval on me.”

What he did not explain was how the BGF ended up in Maryland in the first place.

The Black Guerrilla Family was founded in 1966 by former Black Panther George Jackson, who wrote the seminal prison memoir Soledad Brother in California’s infamous San Quentin facility. The late Edward Bunker, an ex-con author who found success in Hollywood, described George Jackson in his memoir, Miseducation of a Felon: “George Jackson, I remember plain as day, him and maybe six or seven others, ran down a tier and started stabbing white guys just because they were white.” But like a lot of the gangs that were formed on strict racial lines in California’s brutal prison system, the BGF turned to drugs to gain power inside the netherworld of corruption and violence.

The BGF took a particularly strong hold on Maryland’s prisons, where in return for membership and status in the gang, prison recruits enjoyed power, prestige, influence, and protection. The Los Angeles street gang the Crips are strongly aligned with the BGF, along with other black gangs and organizations. The BGF acted as an anchor in prison to unite the street gangs on racial lines to stand tall against the Mexican Mafia and Aryan Brotherhood, rival California race-based prison gangs.

The BGF traces its roots in Maryland through Eric Brown, who was locked up in the Metropolitan Transition Center in Baltimore in the late 2000s and oversaw the writing of The Black Book, a BGF manifesto intended to empower blacks in prison and in the community. As the book spread through the system, new recruits flocked to the BGF banner, and Brown became a very powerful man.

“Eric Brown was the one who started the BGF in the Maryland system,” a prisoner and BGF member we’ll call B-More says. “He’s in the feds now, but when he was in the Maryland system, he was running shit. He started all that corrupting officers and bringing in drugs shit. He showed the brothers how to do it right and get away with it.” All it takes is a single charismatic leader to bring a gang together and shape its reputation.

Using cellphones smuggled in by corrupt officers, Brown organized drug deals and authorized beatings of wayward members and enemies of the gang. He also had officers bring him meals of crab imperial and Grey Goose Vodka to wash it down, according to court documents. But Brown and two dozen associates were indicted in 2009 and pled guilty to racketeering two years later.

When Brown was shipped into the Federal Bureau of Prisons, White emerged as the new leader for the BGF in the Maryland system. Prison officials were doing all they could to limit the gang’s activities, but arrests did little to slow the BGF’s rise. “The BGF is strong in Maryland,” B-More tells me. “It started in the jails and prisons and moved out to the streets. It was a movement from the inside out.”

Right under the noses of correctional officials, the gang took root, with new prisoners recruited to serve as BGF couriers or to pay a monthly fee. “You gotta pay to play,” B-More explains. “It ain’t pretty. You either do what the BGF wants or it’s your ass.” Prisoners who refuse to play the BGF’s game are targeted for violence. And correctional officers aren’t immune to the gang’s tactics.

“The problem is you got all these dudes in prison and all these females from the same neighborhoods working there,” B-More says. “What do you think is going to happen? These dudes got power, even in prison and the home girls, correctional officers or not, are attracted to powerful men.” Nearly 7 percent of inmates at the Baltimore City Detention Center reported having sexual contact with officers. Nationwide, the rate is less than 2 percent. “They are fucking in that jail,” B-More says. “Everyone knows that.”

BGF members at the detention center used sex to secure the allegiance of some of the 13 indicted correctional officers, all of whom are women. The gang recruited prison employees and used hidden compartments in shoes to smuggle heroin, ecstasy, tobacco, cellphones, and other contraband.

It’s been reported that over half of the approximately 650 officers at the Baltimore City Detention Center were involved in contraband smuggling. Court documents substantiated this, contradicting claims by prison officials that the majority of staff members at the jail were clean.

Authorities claim that the gang’s revolutionary stance and rhetoric are a big attraction for those who want to be affiliated with the legacy of radical black insurgency. The tale of the Black Panthers and the BGF is romantic to many inner-city residents trying to fight their way out of poverty. The infamy adds excitement to an otherwise mundane existence. The American Gangster–type urgency is a strong influence for many in troubled urban environments.

But all the corruption has turned the Maryland state prison system into a haven for the gang. “The BGF run the Maryland system,” B-More says. “Everyone knows that.”

As the Washington Post reported last year:

White bragged about earning $16,000 during a slow month. Percocet pills that cost $10 outside the prison walls, for instance, went for three times as much behind bars. One-gram bags of marijuana sold for $50, a profit of about $1,000 per ounce, according to court documents.

“It’s all about the hustle. Dude had power for real,” B-More says. “He talked real sweet to the girls and they fell for it. He was fucking like six or seven of them. He was having it his way. And all the homies were getting some too. We had that shit on lock. When they shipped me into the feds to serve out my sentence, I was mad. I wanted to stay in the city to do my time.”

When charges in the case were first made public in the spring of last year, a 98-page affidavit filed in connection with the indictment detailed allegations of drug smuggling, small fortunes electronically laundered, and amorous encounters between inmates and jail officers. Lawmakers and corrections officials moved to boost security at the Baltimore City Detention Center, installing a $4 million system to cut off the contraband cellphones used to arrange drug smuggling and changing entrance security procedures. But as criminals tend to do, the prisoners adapted. With nothing but time on their hands, it was easy to come up with new ways to circumvent every security precaution prison officials could implement.

“It ain’t change nothing,” B-More says. “Niggas still getting shit in, niggas still getting pussy. The game don’t stop. Only the players change. I be hollering at my little cousin who is there right now. He got a phone. He says you can get whatever you want.”

The BGF in Maryland may be stronger on the streets now than the original chapter in California. In Baltimore, the gang has taken over many established drug markets just as they took over the city jail. And with its Maryland founder, Eric Brown, in the feds, the gang is now spreading into the upper tier of the American prison system. The recent hype surrounding the gang has fortified their already legendary status. It’s increasingly clear that despite all the recent indictments, the mystique of the gang is only growing.

In other words, the Black Guerrilla Family isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Follow Seth Ferranti on Twitter. This article was originally published on vice.com on December 8, 2014

The post How the Black Guerrilla Family Turned Maryland’s Prison System into Their Personal Playground appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

With a glaring increase in drug overdoses gripping our national consciousness, a spotlight is shining brightly on an epidemic of opiate addiction that has soared through the roof over the past decade. Nationwide, law enforcement, political and health officials are sounding an alarm over heroin abuse and it’s time that we started looking at possible treatment methods since methadone clinics are outdated when it comes to addiction treatment drugs.

With police officers and EMT’s arming themselves with Naloxene to combat overdoses on the spot, the second phase of fighting addiction will fall to the new anti-addiction drugs. Buprenorphine is a relatively new medication used to treat addiction to heroin and other narcotics. Sold under the brand names, Suboxone and Zubsolv, buprenorphine has fewer side effects compared to some of the older anti-addiction drugs, but even though it’s meant to help people get off drugs it is still being abused.

Buprenorphine is a semi-synthetic opiate that was invented by the British pharmaceutical company Reckitt and Coleman in 1992 as a painkiller. Congress cleared it for use in the United States in 2000, and in 2002, the FDA approved it under the names of Subutex and Suboxone. The drug works in the same way as methadone, blocking the brain receptors that produce the craving for heroin and limiting the withdrawal symptoms. Each pill lasts between 24 and 60 hours.

The drug comes in pill form and can be prescribed by private doctors, offering a different way to reach addicts who are hesitant to be part of a methadone treatment program. It can be addictive, especially in those who aren’t already addicted to opiates, but is far less so than methadone. It also has been shown to cause fewer overdoses than methadone does, but for those addicts who have built up a high tolerance, buprenorphine is not as effective a treatment.

“Our experience in the treatment world is that people will use it when they can’t get their drug of choice or if they can’t get into a legitimate treatment program,” said Dr. Jason Jerry, a professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic’s Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center. “Only 10 to 20 percent of patients who completely detoxed off everything manage to stay clean for an extended period of time. But research shows that about 60 to 70 percent of the people who use medications like buprenorphine are still in treatment after one year.”

And taking larger doses doesn’t produce a bigger high, so there’s a lower risk of overdose and less incentive for an addict to abuse the drug. Despite being safer than heroin, the drug isn’t without risks. It can still be habit forming and using it in the wrong combination with other drugs, can cause severe breathing difficulties.

Amazingly buprenorphine is the only new drug used in addiction therapy since the War on Drugs began. Which reflects the fact that the focus of American anti-narcotics policies is in enforcement, where billions have been spent, rather than treatment, so little attention has been paid to the health care aspect of the narcotics problem that prior to buprenorphine, the major medical achievement in drug treatment was the acceptance of needle exchange programs.

That’s a sad state of affairs for our country but as the War on Drugs wanes, a brighter future is ahead. A future where we help our addicts get the tools they need to fight their addictions instead of locking them up and throwing away the key and perpetuating the cycle of crime, addiction and drug abuse.

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The U.S.National Security Agency has the ability to eavesdrop on most of the world’s computers by hiding spy software deep within hard drives made by Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba and other top manufacturers. They figured out how to lodge malicious software in the obscure code called firmware that launches every time a computer is turned on.

Personal computers in 30 countries were found infected with one or more spying programs. Most of the infected computers were in Iran, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Syria.  The owners of the computers were government agents, military institutions, telecommunication companies, banks, energy companies, nuclear researchers, media, and Islamic activists.

Technical details of this research suggest there are spying programs that trace back to 2001.

The disclosure could hurt the NSA’s surveillance abilities, already damaged by massive leaks by former contractor Edward Snowden. Snowden’s revelations have upset some U.S. allies and slowed the sales of U.S. technology products abroad.

Western Digital, Seagate and Micron said they had no knowledge of these spying programs. Toshiba and Samsung declined to comment. IBM did not respond to requests for comment.

The NSA declined to comment on any allegations they claim the agency complies with the law and White House directives to protect the United States and its allies “from a wide array of serious threats.”

The post NSA Has Ability To Hide Spying Software Deep Within Hard Drives appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

Who would have ever thought that estate planning would one day include social media. Facebook has released a new feature called Legacy Contact. The new feature gives users the ability to name a friend or family member to manage their account once they pass away.

Your digital contact is personal property that is owned by you. It consists of photos posted on social media as well as posts and updates. It also includes music owned on iTunes, Pinterest pins and emails, etc.

Up until recently Facebook just froze an account upon the owner’s death. The account would stay visible, but nothing could be changed on it.

Facebook’s new legacy contact will be able to write a post to display at the top of the memorialized timeline, respond to new friends and family and update the profile and cover photos. You can even give your legacy contact permission to download an archive of the photos, posts, and profile information you once shared on Facebook.

You’re not simply handing over your Facebook profile, though. There are also things the legacy contact can’t do. The legacy contact will not be able to delete posts or pictures, or remove friends. They will also not be able to access or view any of your private messages in Facebook Messenger. So your secrets will remain safe.

The legacy contact you select will not be notified that he or she has been selected. You will have to let the person know that you’ve designated him or her as your legacy contact, but Facebook won’t notify them until it receives proof of your death and memorializes your Facebook profile. Someone has to let Facebook know you’ve died and initiate a request for your Facebook account to be memorialized.

If you don’t have anyone that you want to act as your act when you pass on, you can tell Facebook to permanently delete your account.

The post Choose your Facebook Heir appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

Men are taking nearly double the amount of selfies per week as women, and sharing them on social media… Even President Obama takes selfies.

While Instagram is full of millions of photos of scantily dressed women with their asses faced into the camera, younger guys are twice as likely to post a selfie. Men post selfies at a rate of approximately three times a week.

The majority of the photos posted (76%) show off their bodies, while less than half of women’s selfies (45%) do the same.  Seems unimaginable with all the booty shots women put up, but according  to the Irish Examiner it’s true.  More specifically, men are mostly likely to show off their chests (20%), while women are most likely to feature their faces (55%).

And what’s behind all the men’s selfies? Women, generally. About a quarter of the male respondents ages 18 to 30 say they’re posting to make a current or former partner jealous—that’s about twice as high as the percentage of women who do the same—and another 10% say it’s to make themselves appear more desirable to a potential mate.

The term “selfie” was first used in a forum post on an Australian website in 2002, but has since exploded. With social media networks such as Facebook and Instagram as well as dating apps growing in popularity, having the best possible photos of ourselves is now more important than ever.

What type of man posts selfies? According to a new study led by Ohio State University Professor Jesse Fox, men who post a lot of selfies to the web tend to exhibit higher levels of narcissism and psychopathy. LOL

The post Men Take Way More Selfies Than Women appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

Being frugal in today’s economy is a necessity. Disposable income is scare in most households.  With so many demands on your limited budget, the last thing you want to do is spend money where you don’t have to. There are many small, hidden costs, you can cut out with little hassle or fanfare. Just stop paying and save.

Here are 10 things you should be getting for free.

Books: Don’t buy books. Instead, borrow them from the library or from a friend, and explore sites that will let you swap books with other people such asBookMooch and PaperBackSwap.

Cable: Paying for cable almost seems pointless when you look at all the free options out there such as Hulu and network websites that offer free streaming of their hit shows online. You can subscribe to Netflix for under $10 dollars a month for unlimited streaming of movies and tv shows.

Credit report: Get your free credit report from freecreditreport.com, which allots you a free report per year.

Shipping: Free shipping is a big marketing tool for online sellers.. Most products you want to be purchased can be found somewhere on the net from a seller who is offering free shipping. Hunt around the web for free shipping when you’re shopping online. Go to freeshipping.org and find promo codes for free shipping on the website; you can even subscribe to get free shipping alerts from the site. Be sure to also check out retailmenot.com for free shipping codes.

Water: Invest in a water filter if you don’t like the taste of tap water. Just don’t buy bottled water, it’s an absolute waste of money. You should also take into account that you really don’t know where bottled water comes from, probably the tap.

Baggage on board: Purchase luggage that fights the carry-on size requirements for the airlines you use.

Texts: If you opt for a smartphone, then you can download one of the free texting apps such as WhatsApp to your phone, so you won’t have to pay for texts. There are even apps that allow you to make free phone calls, so there is no need to use your cellular minutes. You can get the lowest minute plan and just use wifi to make calls.

Bank accounts and credit cards: Do some research to sign up for bank accounts and credit cards without annual fees. There are plenty of great options out there.

Cleaning supplies: DIY cleaning supplies with things you already have in your pantry for a natural and free alternative.

Exercise: There is no need to pay for a gym membership. Working out has never been easier. Follow personal trainers on Instagram. Most post exercise videos and tips. You can also find excellent workout videos for free on Youtube. Check out Fitness Blender.

International phone calls: Don’t pay for international phone calls. There are dozens of smartphone apps that will allow you to make international phone calls. Just do some research.

The post 10 Things You Should Not Be Paying For appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

Every year, in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, thousands show up and show out for Carnival, one of the world’s largest Mardi Gras celebrations. Celebrants party with music,  bands and parades with big floats made by the people. Carnival is normally a joyous occasion, but this year, the party was cut short due to tragedy. 16 people were killed in a freak accident.

At 2:48 AM, a sound truck carrying the popular Haitian hip-hop band Barikad Crew with massive speakers struck a power line. As a result a good number of people were electrocuted. In addition to the 16 killed, 78 were injured. Officials are calling the incident an accident.

Christian Lemaine, who was walking alongside the float, described, “It all happened suddenly and quickly. I heard a loud noise, like an electric explosion, felt a quick electrocution through my body, particularly through my elbows and I automatically ducked away.”

“There is nothing like carnival in Haiti. It is the most enjoyable moment for the people. So when something like this happens, it is sad, really sad,” said Gregory Saba, president of the National Carnival Committee.

In honor of the victims, mourners dressed in white and holding candles gathered on the Champ de Mars, “the vast network of public squares where the three-day pre-Lenten national carnival kicked off Sunday” and the scene of the tragedy.

[The Miami Herald]

The post More Than A Dozen Killed In Haiti’s Carnival Celebration appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

The Northeast has been slaughtered with snow this winter. On Sunday, a reported 16.2 inches of snow fell on the Boston area, a record amount. That’s enough to make life difficult for anyone. As a result, Boston had to shut down its public transit system completely on Sunday. On Monday, they started to run buses and trains on a limited schedule. To help get everything back to normal, the city has enlisted the public for snow removal for a generous wage. However, there are reports that prisoners have also been tapped to help, but for significantly less.

The MBTA has called on a mixture of union workers, students and others for snow removal from the tracks. They offered $30 an hour to these people, a wage that many would gladly take during these days and times. Boston has also pulled 50 prisoners. According to activist Shaun King, these men are not being paid anywhere close to what the free helpers are making. He writes:

[The prisoners] aren’t even being paid minimum wage. Hell, they aren’t even being paid what minimum wage was decades ago. Go lower, much lower. $1 an hour would 5x more than what prisoners are making shoveling snow in Boston.

They are making $0.20 per hour. Yes, you read that correctly – twenty cents per hour. In other words, those making $30 per hour are making 150x what the prisoners are making for the same work.

This pittance the prisoners are being paid for snow removal is just another entry into the long list of violations for people critical of the prison industrial complex. People believe that prisoners are the new slaves and their labor is being exploited as cheap labor to build businesses and industries.

[DAILY KOS]

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As the days go on, it seems every other one, an NYPD officer is being accused of misconduct of some sort. There is a clear problem with police who can practice their profession and abide by the laws of the land. Now, an NYPD sergeant and 10-year veteran of the force faces charges including rape.

Sgt. Vladimir Krull  was arrested in the Hunters Point section of Queens Tuesday for allegedly committing various sex crimes. His arrest comes as the result of an investigation by the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau. The litany of charges he faces are two counts of rape, two counts of criminal sex act, two counts of sexual misconduct, forcible touching, endangering the welfare of a child and sex abuse.

It is reported that Krull committed these crimes on the teenage child of a the woman he was in a relationship with. The teen is reported to be a 13-year-old girl and the abuse occurred over a span of two years. DNAInfo reports that it is believed that sexual abuse happened six times between September 2013 and September 2014 at various locations in the Bronx,including the teen’s own home.

NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said, “It is a very unfortunate circumstance and we’ll be working very closely with the district attorney’s office on that case moving forward.”

Krull was once a celebrated officer for stopping a bank robbery. He was assigned to the Midtown North Precinct before his arrest. There will be more to come as this story develops.

[CBS New York]

The post NYPD Sergeant Faces Charges Including Rape appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

Don Diva has always been a magazine for the fellas (the Dons) and the ladies (the Divas.) The Diva’s Corner has always kept the ladies up to speed on the latest in trends and fashion, and offered some real talk as well. What to do when he gets caught cheating? Am I a side chick? Why Won’t He Marry Me? No matter the question or topic (or how raunchy or ratchet), the Diva’s Corner has always had the ladies covered. (Incidentally, the Diva’s Corner has put a lot of the fellas up on game too.) What about the fellas, though? The mag is called Don Diva, right? So where is the love for the men? How are the men going to stay fashionable? Who is going to help the men decipher the hidden language that women speak? Who is going to rep for the Dons?  Where is our voice? Well, worry no more. I got you covered!

This is the inaugural post of the new Don’s Corner. Every Thursday, The Don’s Corner will speak for the fellas. Some of it will be advice. Some of it will be trends. Some of it will be the masculine side to some of the entries in the Diva’s Corner. For instance, “Am I a Side Chick?” will now be complemented with, “Yes, You are a Side Chick…and This is Why.” The Don’s Corner will sometimes speak to the fellas, and sometimes it will speak for the fellas.  This is the corner where the Dons hang out. So to all the dons, tilt your hat, this corner is for you.

Now, since this is the inaugural post of the Don’s  Corner,  it’s only right that we define what a don is.

Historically  speaking, in multiple cultures from Italy to Jamaica,  the term Don is used to describe a man of considerable influence and respect.   A Boss. A Leader.  A Chieftain. The H.N.I.C. Simply  put,  a don is that guy – the man other men want to be like,  and women want to be with.  But what makes a don a don? Is it money? Is it power? Respect? Hmm…let’s see. Let’s dig deeper.

While a don is definitely about handling his business, money alone does not make a don. Bernie Madoff  amassed millions with his Ponzi scheme, but he was a rogue  that defrauded  the same people who put their trust in him. A Don? Not hardly. So, just having money doesn’t make you a don. After all,  in this day and age,  you could suck  d!#&$ for dollars.  Clearly, money alone does not make a don. So, is it power?

Power is a relative term.  After all, one man’s boss  is another man’s lackey. Everyone answers to someone,  somewhere. (Unless you are a Rothschild  or Rockefeller.) Also,  power is an intangible thing that constantly shifts with the state  of the world.  The thing that gave you power today,  could be the same thing that render you powerless tomorrow.  For example,  in any city in America,  street generals rise to power on the backs of  a strong  team and a strong connect. However,  what happens when the connect dries  up,  and the team becomes disloyal? You’ve read enough of the stories in this very mag to figure out that answer. No, power alone, does not make a don. So, is it respect?

Respect is earned not given,  and it has to constantly be earned. However,  respect  is tricky, as it is often conditional. Some would say that  money and violence are the only two things people respect. I would tend to agree, but with a caveat: people respect what you can do to, or for them. Once your ability  decreases, your respect  is soon to follow (in most cases.) So,  respect alone, does not make a don.

So what is a don? Simply  put,  a don is a man operating at the pinnacle of his ability. The best him that he can be. On the journey to becoming the best person he can be, if he applies himself, he will more than  likely  attain  money,  power, and respect. He will also obtain things  that can’t be measured  outside  of himself .  Things like discipline,  integrity,  and vision. The things that are obtained on the journey,  coupled  with money,  power ,  and respect are what make a don.  A don is you. A don is me. A don is what we all aspire to be. Dons. Welcome. . .to our corner.

The post The Don’s Corner: What Is a Don? appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

Rappers and shoe deals practically go hand in hand these days. Whether they are still on the shelves or have since been debunked, odds are, every rapper you know has had a shoe deal. Obviously we all know and recognize the timeless ones like Kanye West’s Nikes (now Adidas), Run DMC’s classic Adidas and Pharrell’s Ice Creams but what about the bad ones? The ones that were either so ridiculously impractical or so outrageously bland that they had a shelf life of about a week. lets take a look at the worst rapper shoe deals of all time.

Nas & 310 Motoring

 Back in 2007, Nas decided to get in on the kick game, teaming up with 310 Motoring for this sneaker/dress shoe hybrid called The Disciple. For some strange reason this shoe is still available from online retailers. So feel free to cop a pair if you find yourself looking for something you can wear for job interviews and pick up basketball.

Nelly & Reebok

 Mr. Air Force One couldn’t ink a deal with Nike so defaulted to Reebok back in 2005 to created the Derrty One. The shoe came in a ton of different colorways that made literally no sense. I mean, a low cut sneaker with a top strap? C’mon Nelly. No wonder they were debunked almost immediately.

Dame Dash & Pro-Keds

Dame Dash might have created one of the most aesthetically off-putting shoes in hip-hop history. Teaming up with Pro-Keds for more than just an endorsement deal back in 2007, Dame’s first order of business was making a “hot” sneaker. The result? Just look below. They look more like a bag of Wonder Bread than shoes.

Daddy Yankee & Reebok

What was Reebok thinking? Daddy Yankee? Sure, he had a hit once upon a time but that doesn’t deserve a shoe deal. His collection cleverly entitled DY were pulled off the shelves quicker than his CDs.

Birdman & Lugz

Birdman teamed up with the Timberland copycat, Lugz, to make some of the most painfully generic shoes of all time. Surprisingly enough, these shoes did well online and in retail stores. So much so that Birdman was given a boot and dress show line shortly after. How? Beats me.

Hurricane Chris & Fila

Hurricane Chris capitalized on his 15 minutes of fame with a show deal with Fila. The abnormally tall basketball sneaker fell flat on its face right after its release. Probably due to the fact that it looks like an elongated water shoe. On the upside, they could probably keep your foot dry in a hurricane.

The post The Worst Rapper Shoe Deals Of All Time appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

Usually, if somebody makes a move to escape lock up, they try to keep a low profile so that they stay off of law enforcement’s radar. This is because escaping will only mean more time on top of their current sentence. Kelvin Wells, a 26-year-old man from New Jersey was able to do so for a year, but was busted for 2,258 bags of heroin and other drugs in Paterson.

Wells escaped from a halfway house last year without completing his sentence. He is a drug dealer who was serving two years on drug charges that occurred in 2010, 2011 and 2013 in Passaic, Bergen and Mercer counties.

Paterson police set up surveillance at the corner of 11th Avenue and East 35th Street after being made aware of drug dealers meeting out-of-town customers on side streets in the area. Wells’s car was stopped outside of that area and he was charged for having “six glassine packets” of heroin on his person.

Wells fled and was part of a dramatic chase before he was apprehended in the backyard of a Paterson home. Police ran a search of the home where Wells had been prior to the chase and found the thousands of bags of heroin as well as 45 MDMA, or “Molly,” capsules.

According to police, Wells caught eight more drug charges as well as a charge of resisting arrest. Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale said of the incident, “Community collaboration is paramount in our efforts to combat the illegal sale of heroin. Based on the amount of Heroin, this is a significant source of illegal distribution in the area. I commend the community for their information and detectives’ hard work and tireless efforts.”

[NORTHJERSEY.COM]

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It’s no secret, professional athletes get it in. Their money and status gives them access to a broad selection of women, but sometimes, things just don’t go as planned. Two weeks after former NBA star and CBS analyst Greg Anthony was busted for soliciting a prostitute in Washington, DC, former NFL star and NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp was busted for a the same kind of infraction hours after the Super Bowl in Arizona. Warren Sapp was arrested in an Arizona hotel room after soliciting and assaulting a prostitute. Sapp told police that he met the two women, (23 and 34 years old) at the bar in his hotel. He reportedly offered the women $300 a piece for oral sex. The women then went to Sapp’s room with him and performed oral sex on him while he recorded on his cell phone. However, an argument ensued after the 23-year-old asked Sapp for the money that he promised. Sapp refused and a fight broke out between him and the jilted prostitute. Ater that, she called the police on Sapp and he was arrested. The woman told police, “I do what I do, but that doesn’t give him the right to put his hands on me.” Sapp is due in court in Arizona on Monday according to reports. If found guilty, he faces a potential six months in a jail cell for the transgression. Warren Sapp is a former Super Bowl champion from his time on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is was recently inducted into the Football Hallread more

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The state of Washington is proving to be one of the more progressive states in the country. Along with Colorado legalized the use of marijuana for recreation, but yesterday, the state’s House unanimously passed House Bill 1148 that gives leniency to people who are sentenced for crimes while using a gun, such as armed robbery.

The courts in Washington currently handle armed crimes under the a 1995 initiative called “Hard Time For Armed Crime.” It requires mandatory sentence enhancements for crimes involving guns. Now judges don’t necessarily have to give convicts the mandatory 18 months to five year sentence for each gun-related felony an individual is convicted of. Now, if the judge deems that time “clearly excessive,” they have the freedom to impose lesser sentences.

An example of a case that could be influenced by HB1148 is that of Jacob Korum, a stick-up kid convicted for 30 crimes involving robbing drug dealers in 2001. Though he and four accomplices didn’t kill anybody during their spree of jacking, under “Hard Time For Armed Crime,” he was sentenced to 100 years and eight months in prison. Though his sentence has been drastically reduced after some charges were dropped, state officials feel that the initial sentence was excessive.

For example, if a person robs five different people at gunpoint, “Hard Time For Armed Crime”  requires that enhancements be imposed for each person he/she robbed. Korum robbed hit the same victims multiple times, but enhancements were placed on each crime separately.

This is a big move forward in criminal justice reform. Will more states follow suit? Stay tuned.

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Yet another police officer finds himself in hot water. This time, it’s James Edwards III, a Miami-Dade sergeant. Edwards was already facing charges of lewd and lascivious conduct and exhibition for luring a 15-year-old boy to hang out with him and masturbating in front of him. Now, he is charged with 12 counts of possessing child porn.

Miami-Dade Det. Juan España says that child porn videos found on Edwards’s personal computer as part of a 69 video collection. They were found in his home when officers searched after he was arrested for the previous crime. España wrote, “The videos found depicted pornography involving young males naked and engaged in sexual acts, including oral and penile.”

Michael Catalano, the lawyer defending Edwards said of the videos, “Given everything I know about his case, whatever video is in question, I don’t think it depicts people under the age of 18. They’re probably 19.’’

The Miami Herald reports:

According to España, the detective who arrested Edwards last summer, the case was bolstered by a visit to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where Dr. Walter Lambert analyzed the videos and concluded they met the criteria for child pornography.

Lambert deemed the videos depicting male-on-male sexual acts child porn because of the facts supporting the arrest warrant.

In the previous situation involving a teen, Edwards invited the kid to his home to do some landscaping work, then offered him “honey whisky,” weed and MDMA (“Molly). He then masturbated in front of the teen, then started touching and caressing him as well as asking him for oral sex. All of this made the teen uncomfortable and he left. Detectives monitored a phone call between Edwards and the teen confirming that it happened.

Edwards has been on house arrest since posting $85,500 bond. The child porn may get that revoked.

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In the chronicles of gangster lore and hip-hop legend some gun thugs, drug barons and crime bosses have stood the test of time and their mythologies have towered above their contemporaries. Here at Don Diva we have written about many of these modern day outlaw heroes and have recognized the part they play in the folklore that has developed around them in the streets and prisons. Much like Robin Hood, Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Bonnie and Clyde, Lucky Luciano, John Gotti and Pablo Escobar they are icons in their own right and have the press clippings and notoriety their status has earned. Ride shotgun with a hood star and see what all the hype is about.

1. Wayne “Silk” Perry, Washington DC
   Hitman, Martinez Organization

Claim to Fame: Wayne Perry has been called the Michael Jordan of the murder game. A professional head hitter and stone cold killer. The Washington Post called him one of the District’s most heinous murderers. Jay-Z recently dropped Wayne’s name in his song, Tom Ford. His story has been profiled in Don Diva and As Is magazines, numerous street DVDs and in Street Legends Vol. 1: Death Before Dishonor.

Stomping Grounds: Wayne Perry is the most infamous gangster to ever walk the streets of Washington DC aka Drama City. In the Chocolate City, things were going down by any means necessary and Silk took this attitude to new extremes with broad daylight killings. He would literally walk right up and blow someone’s head off. Murder, robbery, drug dealing and extortion were said to be his business and he took them all dead serious.

Downfall: Silk is the man who protected self-proclaimed Harlem drug lord Alberto “Alpo” Martinez. Working as a bodyguard and hitman for Alpo, Perry met his downfall. Alpo repaid Silk’s loyalty by snitching him out to the tune of multiple life sentences.

Story: He has gone down in infamy as one of the top soldiers from the Murder Capital. It was said that when Wayne was on the streets, certain hustlers wouldn’t even drive nice cars because they didn’t want Wayne to think they were getting money and take their shit. He put fear into the hearts of people in DC like no other during his run. After being buried in the BOP’s Supermax prison in ADX Florence for almost 20 years, Wayne is now in the Washington State system serving out his life sentence.

2) Peter “Pistol Pete” Rollock, Bronx, New York
Gang Leader
Sex Money Murder

Claim to Fame: Pistol Pete acquired a reputation as a ruthless killer, who made millions in the drug game in the late 80s and early 90s. He was known for busting his guns with no conscious, a modern day Billy the Kid. Pistol Pete was quick to draw and quicker to blast someone. He was featured in Don Diva and As Is magazines, in several street DVDs and in Street Legends Vol 1: Death Before Dishonor.

Stomping Grounds: Pistol Pete and the Blood affiliated Sex Money Murder gang were the scourge of the Soundview section of the Bronx back in the day. He was known as one of the most feared and powerful men in New York during the crack era and could get people killed on his word alone. He turned his neighborhood red in more ways than one and continued to exert his influence even after his incarceration.

Downfall: During his incarceration at Rikers Island in 1996 he turned Blood and brought Sex Money Murder into the fold. OG Mack and Deadeye Mackenzie recruited Pistol Pete and he turned his whole area onto the Bloods. He continued to run his drug empire from his prison cell using letters and the phone but cooperators put his name in the mix and he was indicted in North Carolina and eventually in New York City for several murders.

Story: At twenty years old Pistol Pete went down and the charges kept coming. A bunch of his comrades in arms turned on him and now he is serving multiple life sentences at ADX Florence, the BOP’s supermax with limited communication. It was said he was about to get out of the supermax, but the feds reconsidered when America’s Most Evil Gangsters did a recent segment on Pistol Pete and they realized the influence he still holds. Pistol Pete remains a revered figure in New York and by Blood factions all over the East Coast. He is a street star and icon to this day. His name has become a part of hip-hop love in rhymes by gangster rapper Nas.

3) George “Boy George” Rivera, South Bronx, New York
Drug Lord
Obsession

Claim to Fame: Boy George was a multimillionaire by the age of 21. Barely out of his teens, he built himself a reputation as one of the wealthiest drug lords to come out of New York and the youngest to be charged with the kingpin statute. The press called him the Puerto Rican James Bond due to his fleet of cars and all the gadgets he accessorized them with. His story has been profiled in Don Diva magazine, Street Legends and Random Family.

Stomping Ground: His Bronx, New York heroin operation grossed $250,000 a week. Boy George was the master of the Bronx universe. He carved out an empire and flooded the streets of Manhattan and the South Bronx with high quality heroin with the brand name Obsession.

Downfall: He flaunted a lifestyle as lavish as a New York socialite, like those portrayed on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Flamboyant and charismatic, the Puerto Rican drug baron was one of a kind. His cars were straight out of a James Bond flick and his illicit wealth attracted the wrong kind of attention from law enforcement with led to his downfall to the tune of a life sentence in the feds.

Story: Equal parts gangster, CEO and gentleman, Boy George juxtaposed street smarts, innovative marketing and ruthless efficiency to create a heroin empire, while other kids his age were still worrying about what clothes to wear or what girls to date. As a teenager Boy George had it all. He has been incarcerated in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, currently housed at USP Big Sandy.

4) Howard “Pappy” Mason, Queens, New York
Enforcer, Gang Leader
Fat Cat Crew, The Bebos

Claim to Fame: In one of the most violent eras in New York city history Pappy Mason rose above his peers to cement his reputation as one of the most feared men in the five boroughs. He was an enforcer for the premier drug dealer of the day, Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols, and leader of his own gang, The Bebos. Pappy was known as the crazy guy that crazy guys were scared of. He has been featured in F.E.D.S. magazine and profiled in Queens Reigns Supreme and The Dope Game Misadventures of Fat Cat and Pappy Mason.

Stomping Grounds: Originally from the Jamaican Crown Heights area of Brooklyn, Pappy made his name in Queens when the South Jamaica crack wars were in full swing. He held down “The Block” for Fat Cat and his crew and had his own spot in Forty Projects, where the Bebos held sway. When Pappy was in the streets dudes were shook and wouldn’t dare to cross him.

Downfall: When Fat Cat got locked up on a violation by his parole officer, Pappy Mason killed the PO in retaliation. He eventually took it one step further and had a New York City police officer killed when he got locked up. Sending out the chilling message from prison, “We lose one, they lose one.” He was tried and convicted on all counts.

Story: Pappy Mason was a diehard drug game soldier. When the crack vial spawned violence and bloodshed in the mid-80s he was the baddest man on the block and his name has been lionized in verse by Jay-Z, Nas and 50 Cent. His story has been covered in numerous DVD’s and books like Copshot. He is currently doing life at ADX Florence.

5) Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, Queens, New York
Crack Lord, Gang Leader
The Supreme Team

Claim to Fame: Supreme is a towering street legend immortalized in both hip-hop and hood lore. An infamous drug lord with ties to both major players in the rap industry and a notoriously profitable and ruthless drug crew. To both law enforcement and a generation of rappers and hustlers, Supreme is a black John Gotti.

Stomping Grounds: The Supreme Team ruled the same Queens streets that later produced platinum selling artists like Run DMC, Nas, Ja Rule and 50 Cent. Supreme was one of the most notorious street figures out of Southeast Queens and his name has transcended New York City due to the countless namedrops of his crew, the Supreme Team in hip-hop and popular culture.

Downfall: After serving a 10 year bid in the late 80s and early 90s Supreme got out, went legit and made a film, Crime Partners, with the backing of Irv Gotti and his Murder Inc. record label. But the feds couldn’t let Supreme live. They investigated him and Murder Inc. for years, eventually convicting Supreme on a bogus murder for hire case. His downfall was that he was a larger than life figure who couldn’t outlive his past.

Story: Now serving a life sentence in the BOP at USP Lee, Supreme remains a legend in hip-hop and the streets. Don Diva, F.E.D.S. and As Is have all told his story as has numerous DVDs and BET’S American Gangster series. Before 50 Cent became a megastar its alleged Supreme has him shot and rumors allege he had a hand in Jam Master Jay from Run DMC’s demise also, but this has never been proven. Check out his full story in The Supreme Team: The Birth of Crack and Hip-Hop, Prince’s Reign of Terror and the Supreme/50 Cent Beef Exposed.

The post The 10 Most Infamous Street Legends- Part 1 appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

In the chronicles of gangster lore and hip-hop legend some gun thugs, drug barons and crime bosses have stood the test of time and their mythologies have towered above their contemporaries. Here at gorillaconvict.com we have written about many of these modern day outlaw heroes and have recognized the part they play in the folklore that has developed around them in the streets and prisons. Much like Robin Hood, Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Bonnie and Clyde, Lucky Luciano, John Gotti and Pablo Escobar they are icons in their own right and have the press clippings and notoriety their status has earned. Ride shotgun with a hood star and see what all the hype is about.

Part 2

6) Kenneth “Boobie” Williams, Miami, Florida
Street Boss Gangster
Boobie Boys

Claim to Fame: Boobie and his crew built an $80 million dollar drug empire that smuggled over 5 tons of cocaine from Panama and the Bahamas. He was the namesake of the gang and the alleged mastermind behind the Carol City organization that left a trial of bodies on Miami’s streets. The rapper Rick Ross has chronicled Boobie’s exploits in verse and continued to keep the legend alive.

Stomping Grounds: Miami police linked as many as 35 murders and 100 shootings to the Boobie Boys as they unleashed what the papers called an eight year barrage of murder and mayhem on the city in the 90s. A Decade of Death the newspapers called it, as the savage drug gang killed to establish their turf and retaliate against rivals with AK-47 blasts.

Downfall: Warring with other drug factions in the Miami-Dade area the Boobie Boys left death in their wake as AK-47s sprayed rapid fire cutting down all in their path. By turning their neighborhoods into virtual narco zones and killing fields, the Boobie Boys hastened their own demise.

Story: Boobie and all his comrades are now serving life sentences in the BOP. Mostly at USP Coleman in Florida. They have been mentioned in countless rap songs, interviewed in magazines like Don Diva and had documentaries like MIYayo put out by the rapper Rick Ross, glorifying their exploits in the drug game. They are true street legends from the crack era in Miami, modern day Tony Montana’s. Check out their story in Street Legends’s Vol. 2: Original Gangsters.

7) Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols, Queens, New York
Drug Lord, Hustler
Fat Cat Crew

Claim to Fame: As the Southside of Jamaica Queens became ground zero for hip-hop hustlers, the mythology and legend of Fat Cat has grown and taken on an Al Capone type level. Fat Cat was the star of the dope show in the 80s. He had more money, more bling, more cars and more power than all his contemporaries. He was the first and most successful of the crack era gangsters. Numerous rappers like 50 Cent and Nas have dropped his name in verse.

Stomping Grounds: The Southside of Jamaica Queens and more specifically “The Block” on 150th Street, was where Fat Cat held reign. The area brought in millions annually due to the drug trade and Fat Cat pocketed most of these ill-gotten gains. In a time dominated by the Italian mafia, Fat Cat got his and set the stage for the rappers and the burgeoning hip-hop scene with his attitude, mentality and style.

Downfall: Fat Cat was too big and too known. He made too much money and had too big a profile. He got busted and continued to run his empire from prison, he had his parole officer whacked for violating him and killed at will, trying to take out all the witnesses against him. He was eventually tied to the murder of the New York police officer with Pappy Mason that shocked the nation and ushered in the current War on Drugs.

Story: Fat Cat is serving a life sentence in the New York state prison system for multiple 25 to life charges despite cooperating with the feds in the Pappy Mason murder case. Fat Cat and his supporters dispute this but he was in the BOP Witsec program for over 20 years before being shipped to the state to finish out his time. He has been profiled in numerous magazines like King and F.E.D.S., books and DVDs and most likely is never coming home. Check out his story in The Dope Game Misadventures of Fat Cat and Pappy Mason.

8) Freeway Ricky Ross, Los Angeles, California
Godfather of Crack
Freeway Boys

Claim to Fame: Freeway Rick go so rich, so fast that he used to tell people that God put him on earth to sell cocaine. He’s been called the Wal-Mart of Crack and was the biggest black drug dealer of recent history, he was a trailblazer in the crack trade and reaped millions as an unknowing pawn of the CIA, who used the millions he generated to fund the CIA sponsored Contra war. Several rappers have taken Ross’ name as their stage monikers to capitalize off his notoriety.

Stomping Grounds: At the birth of the crack epidemic in LA, Freeway Rick found himself at the helm of a multimillion dollar criminal enterprise. By the mid-80s Ross was LA’s Godfather of Crack. Jumping into the role of drug lord with a passion he used his sharp mind to organize a criminal operation that franchised crack outlets across the nation like McDonald’s.

Downfall: He was arrested by the Freeway Ricky Ross Task Force and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. After winning his release, due to police corruption Ross sought his redemption, but fell victim to the drug game and got a life sentence. After almost two decades in prison Ross got his case overturned and is now back in the real world, using his expertise to change lives and make his fortune.

Story: An epic and controversial figure, Freeway Ricky has single-handedly been blamed for the crack epidemic. He moved tons of cocaine, made millions of dollars and supplied the Crips and Bloods with enough product to saturate and infect every inner-city neighborhood across the nation with crack. With drive-bys, gang proliferation and the crack plague his legacy Freeway Rick has turned his life around and now is doing all he can to overturn his legacy as a drug dealer. His story has been told in numerous magazines, books and DVDs and countless rappers have name-dropped him in verse.

9) Rayful Edmond, Washington DC
Kingpin
Rayful Edmond Crew

Claim to Fame: At his peak Rayful sold 2000 kilos a week, reaped gross profits of $70 million a month and ran an operation with over 150 soldiers to support him. In the high profile and glamorous life he led, champagne flowed like water, trips to Las Vegas, New York and Los Angeles were commonplace and $50,000 shopping sprees at Trump Plaza were the routine. 60 Minutes called him the $300 million dollar man.

Stomping Grounds: To his hometown of Washington dc, during his 1980s reign as the city’s biggest cocaine dealer, Rayful Edmond was public enemy number one. At the height of Dodge City’s brutal crack epidemic, Rayful distributed 60 percent of the cocaine that flooded the city’s streets. Historians have blamed the crack storm that engulfed DC on Rayful.

Downfall: Rayful was the president and CEO of what authorities called the largest network for cocaine street sales in Washington DC. As a teenager he did business with Colombian cartels and ironically destroyed the same Northeast neighborhood he grew up in, but at the same time helping residents by paying rents and buying clothes and food for them. He was a contradiction in terms, a Robin Hood for the hood.

Story: Edmond has emerged as one of the most recognized people of the last 50 years in Washington DC. His story has been told and retold in numerous books, magazines and DVDs. Rayful was DC’s gangster legend until he tarnished his reputation by snitching after getting busted again moving more cocaine into the city from his prison cell then he did or the streets. He is currently serving a life sentence in the BOP’s Witsec program. Check out his story in Rayful Edmond: Washington DC’s Most Notorious Drug Lord.

10) Richard “White Boy Rick” Wershe,
Detroit, Michigan
Kid Kingpin
Best Friends Associate

Claim to Fame: Very rarely does a teenager attract the attention that White Boy Rick garnered during his heyday in the streets; he became a local pop culture touchstone as he rocketed to stardom in the vicious and brutal urban underworld of Detroit in the mid-1980s. Not only was he a teenager, but he was white and these unlikely circumstances led him to the top of the black underworld at the age of 17.

Stomping Grounds: White Boy Rick came to dominate Detroit’s streets in the rough and rugged crack era. A time marked by massive bloodshed and death as a result of the burgeoning cocaine trade. By the age of 17, White Boy Rick was one of the most powerful kingpins in Detroit. Associating with a colorful cast of drug and gun thugs that held sway in the city like Maserati Rick, the Chambers Brothers, Best Friends and D. Holloway.

Downfall: At the age of 15 White Boy Rick was meeting with Detroit police and federal agents and getting paid for information. Yanked out of high school, he was groomed as a high profile drug dealer and transformed into the notorious White Boy Rick. When the feds no longer needed him they cut him loose and busted him for drug trafficking. He got in the game as an informant, turned into a legend and is now serving life because of his notoriety in the Michigan State system.

Story: His story has been profiled in numerous books, magazines and DVD’s. Two major movies studios have films about White Boy Rick’s life in development. With all the conflicting mythology White Boy Rick remains a controversial and intriguing figure to this day. He has been connected to rap stars Eminem and Kid Rick who are attracted to his infamy and iconic status. It’s said that during his trial in 1988 he was rocking Armani suits and had throngs of teenagers packing the courtroom and chanting his name. He has gone down as an infamous street legend of epic proportions.

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@yogottikom With @sharponeent @DonDivaMagazine shot by @rafeese from rafeese on Vimeo.

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Hip-hop, along with all other genres of music experience something called the ‘One Hit Wonder’. In short, this is an artist or group that makes one massively popular song and then proceeds to musically fall off the face of the earth. It isn’t an uncommon phenomenon and has been going on for years. The difference between one hit wonders in hip-hop compared to one hit wonders in any other genre is that they are often deemed “the best new rapper” without a second’s hesitation. In hip-hop, we love to throw around titles, labels and predictions like crazy. If someone has a hot song and a viral video that goes along with it, we automatically start pilling on accolades and predictions about how likely it is that they will become “the greatest of all time”. Need an example?  Do the names Vanilla Ice, Shop Boys, Cali Swag District, Afroman or Chamillionaire ring a bell? If not, that’s probably because their one hit song is on that first generation iPod that you lost a decade ago. So before you go giving out “greatest rapper of the year” titles, here is a little guide on how to spot a one hit wonder in hip-hop.

First, that one hit song needs to be outrageously catchy. In most one hit wonder cases, the song that propels them to the top of everyone’s playlist has an infectious hook with an easy to follow beat. This makes it easy to sing along to and with a clean edit, the song can take over the radio. If you find yourself repeating the hook over and over again in places other than your shower, odds are, the song will be a hit. However, no all catchy songs are one hit wonders. Every veteran rapper from Jay-Z to Raekwon has an arsenal of catchy songs but they are done in a tasteful and timely manner. Take a look at 2007’s smash hit “Party Like A Rockstar” by the Shop Boys. The song was literally built around the catchy chorus. The most simplistic hook is repeated over and over again until you have no choice but to put it on your iPod in order to satisfy the repetition.

Another way to spot a one hit wonder in hip-hop is if the hit song has some type of catch phrase, dance or viral video attached to it. Songs can become instantly hot if there is some type of gimmick to it. Whether that be a new type of dance, a funny video, or any hashtag-able phrase that gets plastered all over social media. This is a clear sign of a one hit wonder because not only is it kind of corny, the gimmick becomes a short lived fad. The fad eventually fades out, and the people associate the fad with the artist; ipso facto, the artist fades as well. Just take a look at this summer’s smash hit “Hot N***a” by Bobby Shmurda. The song itself was mediocre at best BUT it was the dance that launched his career into the stratosphere. I’m not saying all dances are corny or are fads because hip-hop should embrace the element of dancing/breaking. That being said, always be skeptical when GIFs and Vines of this new rapper’s dance are clogging up your timeline overnight.

Another way to catch a one hit wonder in hip-hop is if a record label gives them a deal within weeks of the hit song dropping. These days, rappers get record deals much quicker than earlier years due to things like the Internet, social media and the fast paced society we live in. However, always be weary of the rapper who gets singed off of one song; especially if that song fits the criteria above. Of course there are exceptions to this rule but for the most part, rappers who get deals of a smash hit singles lose that same deal in less than a year. This is all thanks to the hype machine. Label executives may have a more experienced view on up and comers but they are still human which means they still buy into the hype of a hit rap record. They invest tons of money and resources into rappers who practically got lucky with a song and the result is crippling for both parties. Look at Trinidad Jame$. He got hot with song “All Gold Everything” and immediately got signed by Def Jam only to get dropped from the label 20 months later. That’s got one hit wonder written  all over it.

Finally, a sure fire way to tell if a rapper will be a one hit wonder is if their follow project, or in some cases their debut project, is a complete flop. The real definition of a one hit wonder is an artist that has only one hit, therefore anything they follow it up with is trash. If whatever they drop after that one smash hit single isn’t even relatively as popular or good then it would be safe to assume they will fade into that notorious “where are they now?” category. Whether it’s a strong follow up single or quality debut album/mixtape, rappers must realize the importance of consistency. One duo that got it right is southern dup Rae Sremmurd. Their breakout single “No Flex Zone” was catchy, had a dance, a viral video and a hashtag worthy phrase. Almost everyone, myself included, read all the signs and pushed them into the one hit wonder pile until they dropped a follow up smash hit “No Type”. They went on to have a pretty good debut album and avoided the dreaded one hit wonder title. Their 15 minutes just got extended to a half hour. Let’s see what they do next.

Let us know on Twitter who you guys think will be hip-hop’s next one hit wonder!

The post Reasons & Rhymes: How To Spot A One Hit Wonder In Hip-Hop appeared first on Don Diva Magazine.

We’ve all heard the phrase: “men lie, women lie, numbers don’t lie.” The phrase has become so commonplace that the facts of the statement are not even questioned anymore. Assuming it is true that men do lie (a large amount of them do), we thought it fitting to list the Top 5 reasons men lie.

1.) She can’t handle the truth. Regardless of how cool she seems to be in the beginning, and insists that she can handle a no-strings-attached affair, after enough sexcapades, feelings will come into play. Men have been through these scenarios enough times to know that too much truth can quickly lead to disaster. (Tires flattened, blades wielded, drama at your job, etc.) Sure, she can handle you seeing other people – until she sees you with other people. So, the defensive mechanism of most men is to lie because men feel most women can’t handle the truth.

2.) He’s just not ready to settle down. In this society, most men grow up defining their manhood by their amount of conquests. From their teens through their twenties, men are encouraged to experience as many women as they can. Imagine the confusion when they meet, “the one”. Most men know from the jump when they meet that woman that is “wife material.” Problem is,  most men aren’t husband material right away (that’s why it’s called SETTLING down.) The woman can look like Amber Rose, have the morals of Coretta Scott King, and a mind like Sister Souljah, and it would still be difficult for the average man to get it right in the beginning. It’s just hard for a man that has been philandering for over a decade to turn that switch off. Of course,  he doesn’t want to lose his jewel, so he lies to keep her until he is ready to settle down.

3.) He doesn’t want to lose everything. Fact. Men do stupid things without reason. They hang around the booty-shake clubs knowing they have an affinity for big-booty women. Then, when they get caught up with the big-booty girl, they offer stupid excuses. (“She was coming on to me.” “Tyrone must have gave her my number.” “Nah, I wanted her to be in my video.”) Or,  they delete the text in front of their woman, and when they get caught, they try to Jedi mind-phuck her. (” Text? What text? I ain’t get no text.”) We look stupid! Relationships get deep.  Over time,  when two people are together, they are going to amass some things together. It could be children, a house,  cars, or even the big screen TV that he covets so much. Most of the time,  it’s the bond that is forged with his woman that most men fear losing. She is his woman for a reason, and nobody wants to be the old guy in the club looking for love. Nobody wants to lose his kids,  possessions,  and most importantly, his respect,  behind a bone-headed move that he feels will pass in time – as long as his lady doesn’t find out. Sometimes, these foul-ups are not even that sinister enough to be deal breakers,  but men are control freaks, so they try to control all the cards. They don’t want the choice taken out of their hands, so they construct beautiful lies to protect themselves.  Why not just be smart and honest,  you ask? See: #2.

4.) Because we don’t think we will get caught. Men have been lying to women since men have had penises. Most of the time,  men get away with it,  not because they have a super gift of gab, but because they have our history on our side. Bottom line: If they have never been caught in a lie and they appear somewhat honest,  then their women have no reason to second-guess their tales. So, men get away with the lies for awhile, and this emboldens them to tell more lies.  Pretty soon, the lies are compulsive and useless. However, most men don’t think the lying is that serious.  Until they get caught.

5.) Because women allow it. It has been said that some women will take a piece of man over no man at all. As crazy as this sounds, we all know at least one woman that has taken a lying cheater back time and time again. Men weave masterful tales of deception and a lot of women gobble the stories up. It has nothing to do with women being gullible.  Some women just don’t want to be alone, and with the real man-shortage women are faced with, some women would rather keep the devil they know,  than risk things with a devil they don’t know.  A lot of men recognize this (although they may not know why she allows him to get away with the lie) and use it to their advantage.  They know she isn’t going anywhere, and once they realize that,  lying season is in full effect.

One of the hardest things to be in this world is a man- in full. As if it’s not enough to have to be concerned about being an able provider and other social issues that come along with being a man,  women put a lot of  unrealistic expectations on men. This is not to say that men cannot live up to the expectations, but the average man has to do a lot of growing until he is the man most women desire.  Until then, he will probably lie his way through the growth. I’m not advocating being a liar, I’m merely listing some of the reasons why men lie.

Here is some additional information on the subject. Or maybe you can help us out and chime in with your own reasons on our social sites. Twitter and Instagram @Dondivamagazine and Facebook @Don Diva Publisher. 

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