BREAKING: Man Spreading HIV Story Is A HOAX

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Unfortunately, sometimes fact-checking goes wrong. Or not at all. As we were one of the many sites to mistook the main source for something it wasn’t, we have to apologize for posting the story as well. From Examiner:

Friday, a news report from an NBC affiliate in New York circulated the web via blogs claiming that police were searching for a man named Isaac Don Burks for intentionally spreading HIV in the NY Tri-State area. Over the weekend the story spread like wildfire via blogs, Facebook, Twitter, even Michael Baisden and Steve Harvey shared the “story”. On Monday, the original source was called into question when the link being shared redirected to an Augusta news site.

The original source came from a fake site made to look like the NBC New York 4 website. The slight difference was in the domain. The real NBC affiliate’s domain is www.nbcnewyork.com the fake site used www.nbcnewyork4.com. The original story url still shows up in Google search as http://nbcnewyork4.com/news/local/fugitive-wanted-for-intentionally-spre… yet you no longer go to the original report. Instead, when you click on the link you are directed to an Augusta story about the same man, but for a different incident in 2010 involving identity fraud and forgery.

Let’s not forget that there was a picture used (above) fron a guy that might now be having the worst year ever due to the hoax. He took to his Facebook page to address the matter.

Big Boi Shoes For Running Tour Dates

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Starting next month, Big Boi will be heading the road on a 45 city tour. Killer Mike will also join him on tour. Check out the dates below.

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4/18 Athens, GA – Georiga Theater
4/19 Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
4/20 Charlottesville, VA – University of Virginia
4/21 Baltimore, MD – Sound Stage
4/23 Providence, RI – Lupo’s
4/24 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
4/25 Williamsburg, VA – College of William & Mary
4/26 University Park, PA – Penn State University
4/27 Philadelphia, PA – TLA
4/30 Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
5/1 Chicago, IL – Vic Theater
5/2 San Francisco, CA – San Francisco State University
5/3 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
5/4 Memphis, TN – Beale Street
5/5 Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater
5/7 Denver, CO – Cervantis
5/8 Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theater
5/9 Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
5/13 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
5/15 Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
5/15 San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine
5/18 Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues
5/19 Albuquerque, NM – Observatory
5/23 Houston, TX – Bayour Music Hall
5/24 Austin, TX – The Backyard
5/25 Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom
5/26 Chillicothe, IL – Summer Camp Fest
5/30 Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
5/31 Chattanooga, TN – Track 29
6/1 Mobile, AL – Soul Kitchen
6/2 Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Co.
6/4 Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live
6/5 Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution
6/6 Jacksonville, FL – Brewsters Megaplex
6/7 Altanta, GA – Masquerade
6/8 Charleston, SC – Music Farm
6/9 Wilmington, NC – Brooklyn Arts Center
6/11 Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theater
6/12 Charlotte, NC – Amos
6/14 Washington D.C. – Howard’s Theatre
6/15 Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
6/16 Toronto, Ontario – North By Northeast
6/19 Boston, MA – Paradise

Sway Responds To Kanye West’s ‘Hottest MC’ Rant

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UPDATE: Sway has since deleted the below Tweet, but as usual, someone with too much time dedicated the TV in question to a brand new Twitter account:

 

Sway decided to take the high road…..sort of…..by bouncing Kanye West’s rant off as a lighthearted joke while promoting the final episodes of this year’s Hottest MC list (which premieres on MTV Jams this Thursday).

 

UPDATE: 50 Cent Says He Would Fight Flo Rida; Flo Rida Responds

UPDATE: Flo Rida says he’s down. Let’s see if it really happens.

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From Fox 5 (in wherever….too lazy to check):

50 Cent is a hip hop superstar and a successful entrepreneur. Now he is hoping for a knockout in the ring.

“Me, I just love the sport so it’s exciting to be a part of it,” 50 Cent said.

This was no video shoot at the Judah Brothers gym in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

The punches were real. 50 Cent watched closely as the trainers put the boxers he’s now promoting through their paces. At one point he couldn’t resist jumping into the ring.

“I’m aware of fighters because I travel so much,” he said. “When I was in Australia, Billy is the one.”

Billy “The Kid” Dib is training hard. He’ll defend his IBF featherweight title Friday night at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods casino in Connecticut under the banner of SMS Promotions, which is 50’s boxing management company and his latest venture.

“He knows we’re going to go out and do the business,” Dib said. “We’ve got a great training team. We just have to go out and make sure we secure the victory for SMS Promotions.”

50 Cent is now a licensed boxing promoter and says the connection between the sport and hip hop music is strong. He even plans to sing a song as his boxer comes into the ring at the Friday night fight.

“The music’s playing when the training is there to take away from how tough it is, the discipline, and even the running, the roadwork, the music is playing,” he says.

Who would be the one other hip hop star, he’d get into the ring with?

“Flo Rida would be the toughest guy to fight because he trains that way,” he says. “It would be real entertaining. We need to get pay per view going right now. Let me call Flo Rida, let’s see what we can do!”

50 Cent is hoping that by bringing some flavor to the world of boxing, he’ll introduce the sport to a whole new generation.

Keri Hilson Spazzes On Twitter

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In response to everyone trying to get her to publicly beef with Beyonce (too many news stories to name, which really says something), Keri Hilson took to Twitter to address her frustration:

“It’s TOO much!! Please! Is everything I tweet gonna be ‘intentionally misinterpreted’ as a statement abt someone/drama I know nothing about?,” she tweeted.

“You have no idea what your hateful words could do to someone’s spirit. Years of verbal abuse from strangers all day long. Enough is enough!” she added. “I’m here for MY FANS! I’m stronger than you imagine, but waking up/goin to bed to your ugliness is just TOO MUCH.”

“As far as WHATEVER ur really mad about, I had my reasons. It’s been yrs! Just chalk it up to your ignorance of my reality and LET…IT…GO.,” Hilson went on. “As for my mistakes, God has dealt with me.”

“I’m at peace. I’m fine. I’m fulfilled. Truly happy. Grateful. Ready. Stepping back in. The best is yet to come…..don’t balee me juh watch!”

Lil’ Wayne Postpones European Tour

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Weezy was headed overseas with Mac Miller & 2 Chainz but apparently changes his mind, in only temporarily:

I am rescheduling my European tour in order to release my album, I Am Not A Human Being II, world wide on March 26th. I didn’t want my tour or album to be rushed, so despite my best hopes, I have made the decision to push back the tour to October 2013. I cannot thank my European fans enough for their patience and look forward to performing in the fall with Mac Miller. I never do anything halfway, and I promise to bring what will be an incredible live show experience.

TWITTER RIFF: Tanika & Misha B

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Looks like Tanika didn’t like Misha B’s rendition of Drake’s single. Below are a few direct shots sent on Twitter but there were definitely more on their respective pages:

Kelly Rowland Responds To Keyshia Cole’s Super Bowl Diss

Kelly Rowland recently said this in Rolling Stone in response to Keyshia Cole’s comments toward her Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams.

“It didn’t even make it on my radar until other people brought it up. It didn’t even matter. We had a wonderful performance, and that’s all I cared about. I was with my sisters and the three of us matter to each other, and that’s all that counts. We matter to a lot more people, with all due respect, than her. So, I really don’t care what she said”

Mannie Fresh Speaks On Collab Project With Mos Def/Yasiin Bey; Says It’s Complete

We previously posted some footage of them in the studio last year. From HipHopDX:

What all Mannie Fresh fans have wanted since last summer is Mannie’s much-anticipated collaborative project with Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) titled OMFGOD.

“We actually mixing it right now,” said Fresh.

Mannie and Mos “decided to keep it simple” and therefore a feature-less 10-track release will soon be making its way to the public.

“We recorded way more than that,” clarified Mannie. “But rather than to [just] have somebody say like, ‘Oh, wow’ – I think a lot of times when you do that you throw away music. So, I just wanna give people like ten bangers and let’s be out.”

Psy To Release ‘Gangnam Style’ Remix EP Featuring 2 Chainz, Tyga & More

Republic Records is dragging this shit into the ground. The EP drops tomorrow, by the way…from MTV:

The EP features remixes by Diplo and Afrojack, not to mention that much-discussed collaboration with 2 Chainz, which now also features a verse from Tyga. According to Republic, the reworked versions take the song “straight to the dance floor with propulsive production and uncontainable club energy,” which is good, because we definitely didn’t hear “Gangnam” in every club on the planet last year.

Newborn Baby Cured Of HIV

In our second HIV/AIDS news story (though this one is much, much better), from Telegraph:

A baby girl who was born with HIV has been cured after very early treatment with standard drug therapy, US researchers have said, in a potentially ground-breaking case that could offer insights on how to eradicate HIV infection in its youngest victims.

The child’s story is the first account of an infant achieving a so-called functional cure, a rare event in which a person achieves remission without the need for drugs and standard blood tests show no signs that the virus is making copies of itself.

More testing needs to be done to see if the treatment would have the same effect on other children, but the results could change the way high-risk babies are treated and possibly lead to a cure for children with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

You can read the full article here.

French Montana Announces UK Tour Dates

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If you happen to be in London this month, you can catch French Montana as he promotes his forthcoming Excuse My French project which is due 21st May (assuming that it hadn’t been pushed back again). Check out the dates below and get your tickets here, here or here.

Friday 29/03/13 – London Indig02
Saturday 30/03/13 – Manchester 02 Apollo
Sunday 31/03/13 – Manchester 02 Academy

Nick Cannon To Play Freeway Ricky Ross In Biopic

You serious? If this is the case (and why wouldn’t it be — check out the video), Nick Cannon might get an Oscar, no lie:

Nick Cannon is about to play Freeway Rick Ross time to tell the Story of Cocaine, Contras and America. As stated by Freeway Rick Ross This is more than a MOVIE its a movement. THIS IS THE STORY OF THE REAL SCARFACE.

“I’ve been wanting him to play my role since ’96. We got hooked up, I met him I love his personality, know what I’m saying?” said Freeway in a YouTube clip. “We family now, we are going to get this thing right. However long it takes, his story has got to be told,” Cannon added.

Warning: 31-Year-Old Man Allegedly Wanted for Spreading HIV

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According to a local report, authorities are offering a reward up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of 31-year-old Isaac Don Burks. Burks is accused of intentionally infecting hundreds of men and women in the Tri-State area with HIV.

On Friday, officials announced eight charges of Criminal Transmission of HIV have been filed against Burks. Police say Burk’s potential victims could date back as far as 2003. Burks is described as an African-American male, six feet two inches tall, weighing 185 pounds. He is 31 years old with medium brown skin. Burks had accounts on Adam4Adam.com, BGCLive.com, Grindr or the popular app Jackd, as he met four of the eight victims on these platforms who have since come forward to authorities.

He’s sick in the head!” the alleged victim, who didn’t want to be identified, told NBC News. “He told me that he was recently tested and was negative, and then I found his AIDS meds hidden in his closet. He confessed everything when I confronted him.” The man, who was diagnosed with HIV in October 2012, said Burks told him there were more than 300 victims including men and women. “He has been in a drug fueled downward spiral since his mother died. He loves to party with cocaine, crystal meth, ecstasy, or weed,” said the alleged victim. “Once you’re inebriated you let your guard down. He goes after people who are negative. He mostly sleeps with men, and from what I understand, he sometimes prostitutes

Health officials released an alert to residents of New York stating that “possibly hundreds have been exposed to HIV,” and encouraged possible victims to come forward and be tested. According to New York City Health Department spokesperson Kate Caraway, this is the first time they have seen someone deliberately trying to spread HIV to so many people. ”We want to make sure that anyone who may have injected drugs with , who may have had s*x with him, does come forward and get tested,” Caraway told the TV station. “We want to make sure that they’re not spreading the virus to anyone else.”

 

Burks has gone by several alias throughout the years including: Stephawn Burks, Stefan Levine, Isaac Levine, Stefan Burks, and Walter Brooks. He also has numerous outstanding warrants in several states for Fraud, Forgery, Identity Theft, and Financial Identity Fraud.

 

Burks is still at large. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Isaac Burks is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIMESC (888-274-6372). Your call will remain anonymous.

 

UPDATED: Lil’ Wayne – I Am Not A Human Being 2 (Tracklisting)

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UPDATED: New tracklisting below.

I’m going to assume that this isn’t the official artwork, but no matter: I Am Not A Human Being II drops March 26th.

01. IANAHB

02. Curtains f. Boo
03. Days And Days f. 2 Chainz

04. Gunwalk f. Gudda Gudda

05. No Worries f. Detail
06. Back To You

07. Trigger Finger f. Soulja Boy
08. Beat The Shit f. Gunplay

09. Rich As Fuck f. 2 Chainz

10. Trippy f. Juicy J

11. Bitches Love Me f. Drake & Future

12. Romance

13. God Bless Amerika

14. Wowzers

15. Hello

16. Lay It Down f. Nicki Minaj
17. Hot Revolver f. Dre
18. My Homies Still f. Big Sean

Gucci Mane Changes Name To ‘Guwop’, Changes Name Back To Gucci Mane

As you can see above, Gucci Mane planned on changing his name to Guwop only to be steered back to Gucci Mane due to overwhelming response. Whatever.