Rapper Kanye West has been charged with assault, theft and vandalism following an airport fracas with a photographer.
The hip-hop star was arrested at Los Angeles airport days after performing at September's MTV Video Music Awards.
A video shot by the gossip website TMZ appeared to show Mr West, 31, smashing the flash of a photographer's camera while inside the airport terminal.
The rapper, whose road manager was also charged over the event, could face two and a half years in jail if convicted.
The video tape of the 11 September episode appeared to show the road manager Dan Crawley breaking the photographer's camera.
Mr Crawley is accused of two counts of assault, two counts of theft and two counts of vandalism and could face up to five years in prison.
The rapper and his team were waiting to clear security before boarding an early morning flight to Hawaii.
Mr West's lawyer, Blair Berk, had no comment following the charges.
The Grammy award-winning musician and Mr Crawley are set to appear before the judge on 14 April.
Via bbc.co.uk
Kanye West denies assaulting a photographer in a "bogus" incident outside a Newcastle, England, bar that led to the rapper's second paparazzi-related arrest.
"When I left the club," he writes in his blog, "I was encountered by a thirsty paparazzi as usual. He felt he had more rights to my space than me, so I put my hand up to prevent him from taking my image. I didn't assault him."
The hip-hop star, 31, who is currently performing in the U.K. as part of his Glow in the Dark tour, goes on to say, "I guess in all the commotion the camera scraped his nose."
Three hours later, West states, five "very cordial" police officers arrived a his hotel room and explained that they had to arrest him because a complaint had been filed.
"That was the bogus part," he says. "They placed me in handcuffs and drove me to the station. They spoke about how this was obviously a publicity stunt by the photographer but they still had to go through the motions."
Although arrested on suspicion of assault and detained, West was released without charge. He says, however, that his reputation has taken a hit.
"Sure enough the next morning, plastered across every media outlet... Kanye Gets Arrested. It didn't matter that I wasn't charged or that I hadn't assaulted anyone," he laments. "All that mattered was that I was arrested."
In the blog post, he also calls for strict laws to crack down on shutterbugs whose practices he deems intrusive.
"When will there be a law passed that simply enforces that someone has to ask to have a photograph of you?" he wonders. "That would seem like common courtesy. Right now the paps are above the law and the people they shoot are below it."
This run-in with the authorities marked West's second arrest this year, following a similar incident in September at Los Angeles International Airport, for which he was accused of damaging a photographer's camera. He has not been charged in that alleged altercation.
Via people.com
Kanye West has spoken out against paparazzi following his arrest on Friday morning (November 15).
The rapper, who is set to release his fourth album '808s And Heartbreak' later this month, asked for a law to protect celebrities from paparazzo's intrusions.
Writing on his blog Kanyeuniversecity.com, West, who was arrested by police in Newcastle after an incident with a photographer, said: "Who's winning, me or the media? Regardless of how much light I put out, there are people working just as hard to only deliver darkness.
"If you listen to my music, how could I deliver so many positive uplifting messages and be the monster that the media paints? Paparazzi give real photographers a bad name."
Suggesting that a law needs to be passed to limit paparazzi, West added: "Let us not forget the paps killed Princess Diana. When will there be a law passed that simply enforces that someone has to ask to take a photograph of you? That would seem like common courtesy. Right now the paps are above the law and the people they shoot are below it."
Referring to the incident on Friday, where a photographer's nose was cut in a scuffle, the rapper said: "I put my hand up to the camera in self-defence! Here's what happened...when I left the club, I was encountered by a thirsty paparazzi as usual. He felt he had more rights to my space than me, so I put my hand up to prevent him from taking my image.
"I didn't assault him but merely putting my hand up to cover his lens. My security yelled, 'get the camera off him'. I guess in all the commotion the camera scraped his nose."
Via nme.com
US rapper Kanye West has been arrested at an airport on suspicion of vandalism after an altercation with a photographer.
A Los Angeles International Airport spokesman said police also arrested West's road manager in the incident on Thursday morning.
Marshall Lowe said that West got into an altercation with a photographer and a camera valued at more than 10,000 dollars (£5,700) was broken.
The incident happened before West and his manager, who was not identified, cleared a security screening at the airport.
Mr Lowe said police are continuing to interview witnesses and West may be charged.
West has had hits in the UK with Stronger and Gold Digger, as well as a number one collaboration this year with British singer Estelle on American Boy.
Via ukpress
Kanye West stormed off stage at a gig in Houston, Texas, after a technical glitch threatened his performance.
The Touch The Sky rapper was playing a concert at the city's Woodlands Pavilion on Friday (02May08) when side screens at the venue, which were supposed to show West, failed to work.
Mid-performance, he shouted, "Turn the f**king screens off," before stopping the show and exclaiming, "If the s**t's not working just turn it off," and storming off, reports celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.
However West then re-emerged and finished his set.
Via contactmusic.com
Kanye West is back to blogging, and as always he's extremely humble! Also, today is backwards day.
West's "Glow in the Dark" tour got less than an A+ review from Entertainment Weekly, and the rapper took to blogging it out, letting the critic know they're full of it:" Yo, anybody that's not a fan; don't come to my show ... Ya'll rated my album s**tty and now ya'll come to the show and give it a B+. What's a B+ mean? I'm an extremist. It's either pass or fail! A+ or F-! You know what, f**k you and the whole f**king staff!!!" Ya gotta respect a man that prefers an F- over a B+! College dropout is right!
Kanye ends his blog with a classy, "Never come 2 one of my shows ever again, you're not invited and if you see me...BOW!!" Maybe EW can grade on a curve next time!
Via tmz.com
Kanye West is a single man according to a new report.
West’s fiancee of almost two years, designer Alexis Phifer, and the superstar rapper have gone their separate ways, the designer herself confirmed to People.
“It’s always sad when things like this end…we remain friends,” Phifer said. “I wish him the best in his future and all of his endeavors. He’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met.”
People reported that the designer hit the red carpet last week for a New York City event, without her engagement ring.
A source close to Kanye said the former couple’s relationship had been unsteady for some time.
“They’d been having problems,” a friend of the rapper told People. “Kanye is really focused on his show; he’s putting everything into the show right now. Alexis is a nice girl, but Kanye has been going through a rough time. They hit a rough patch and for now they’ve split.”
A rep for West, would not comment, when contacted by People.
Via accesshollywood.com
The exact cause of rapper Kanye West's mother's death is unclear, but there was no sign of "surgical or anesthetic misadventure", a coronor has said.
Dr Donda West died in November, a day after the 58-year-old underwent liposuction, breast reduction and tummy tuck procedures in hospital.
A Los Angeles coroner said Dr West probably died of heart disease coupled with complications after her surgery.
Kanye West's spokesperson declined to comment on the post-mortem findings.
Medication
In a 17-page final report, medical examiner Dr Louis Pena, a noted that Dr West had coronary artery disease, was overweight, and had developed several complications after surgery, including bronchopneumonia in one lung.
The investigation found "therapeutic levels of medication" in Dr West's body but no unusually high levels and no internal bleeding.
Dr Jan Adams, who operated on Dr West - a former English professor - had previously denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement to the Associated Press news agency, Dr Adams said: "The coroner's report confirms what we have always believed. Until further discussion with the West family we have no additional comment."
Via bbc.co.uk
Kanye West's mom dies after cosmetic surgery
martes, 13 de noviembre de 2007 | Etiquetas: Kanye West
Hip-hop superstar Kanye West was mourning the death of his beloved mom Monday night, who died after cosmetic surgery that at least one doctor told her could be dangerous.
Sources say Donda West, 58, received a combination breast reduction and tummy tuck and likely suffered uncontrolled bleeding after going home to recover from the radical operation.
One plastic surgeon who saw Donda West in June said he recommended she first get a cardiac stress test from an internist because of her age. He said she also asked if she could recuperate at home. He said no.
"Donda was pushing me, 'Can I go home after surgery?' But I told her it just doesn't work that way," said Dr. Andre Aboolian of Beverly Hills. "The most dangerous time after surgery is the first 48 hours. I told her you have to go to an overnight care facility with nurses who look after you."
Aboolian called West a "sweet" woman who almost talked herself out of the procedure during their conversation.
"She said she didn't deserve to have this done. She kept asking, 'Do I really need this?'" he recalled. "It's not like she was being vain. It was heavy on her body."
West, a former chairwoman of the English Department at Chicago State University, died at 8:29p.m. Saturday at Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center in Marina Del Rey, Calif.
"She was brought by paramedics to our emergency room on Saturday evening. She was in full arrest when she arrived," a hospital spokeswoman said. "She had a cosmetic surgery, but not at our hospital."
The Los Angeles County Coroner plans an autopsy by tomorrow, said LAPD Lt. Fred Corral. "We're looking at possible complications of surgery."
A spokesman for Kanye West, the top-selling singer and producer, said the family "asks for privacy during this time of grief."
Death from cosmetic surgery is relatively rare, occurring in just one of 51,459 operations, according to the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
"If, for God's sake, the surgeon tells you it's too risky, don't find someone who will do it for you," said Dr. Richard D'Amico, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Via nydailynews
Hey, Mama, you'll be missed.
Donda West, the former Chicago State University English professor who left higher education to guide her son to a Grammy-winning hip-hop career, died Saturday evening in Los Angeles.
She was 58.
According to Patricia West, a spokeswoman for Donda West, the cause of death was complications stemming from a "cosmetic procedure." No other details were disclosed.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office confirmed Monday that the death is under investigation but initial indications are that she succumbed to complications from surgery. Lieutenant Fred Corral, the watch commander, declined to elaborate, only saying that West was pronounced dead at Centinela Marina Hospital in Marina Del Rey at 8:20 p.m. Saturday.
Her remains will be brought to the coroner’s office later Monday and the autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, Corral said.
"The family respectfully asks for privacy during this time of grief," said a statement released by Kanye West's record label, Island Def Jam.
The 30-year-old rapper reportedly got the bad news while in London on the eve of a U.K. tour; he immediately boarded a plane for Los Angeles.
Mother and son's bond grew stronger after West's photojournalist father, Ray, left them when Kanye was 11 months old. Ray and Donda West divorced two years later, and she relocated Kanye from Atlanta to Chicago. There, she raised him as a single parent during his formative years—a time the rap star recounts with pride, citing her struggles to provide for him while working hard to forge a successful career as a teacher.
After he gained fame, first as one of hip-hop's most sought-after producer's and then as a solo artist with his 2004 debut album, The College Dropout, Kanye celebrated the positive role Donda played in his upbringing in the track "Hey Mama" off 2005's Late Registration.
"Hey, Mama, I wanna scream so loud for you/ Cuz I'm so proud of you/ I know I act a fool/ But I promise you I'm going back to school/ I appreciate what you allow for me/ I just want you to be proud of me," goes the refrain.
Later in the song, he raps: "My mama told me go to school/ Get your doctorate/ Somethin' to fall back on, you could profit with/ But still supported me when I did the opposite."
He performed the tune in his mom's honor during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, while she beamed on in the audience.
After 31 years rising through the teaching ranks to chair the English Department at Chicago State, Donda West retired in 2004 to manage her son's burgeoning career. She also headed up Super Good, the parent company of the emcee's fast-growing business empire, which includes apparel, accessories and other lifestyle products, and was the chairwoman of the Kanye West Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to increasing literacy and preventing youth from dropping out of school.
Donda West cowrote a book about their close relationship in Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar.
"I never make any important decision without consulting her," the entertainer told the Chicago Times two years ago.
Kanye West's songwriting partner, Rhymefest, appeared on Chicago radio station WCGI Sunday and paid tribute to Donda.
"She was everyone's mom," he said. "A spirit never dies, a spirit lasts forever."
No word yet on funeral arrangements.
Via eonline
