Wednesday, December 23, 2009

WERD!

Back from Illadelph, yes I got caught in the Tundra last weekend.............Fun to see the fam up there and build. Flix coming soon.
Yeah, a brief sec in ATL then off to New Orleans for Xmas.............Had to get my shopping on and get extra fresh in Philly, copped alot of new gear. Now bout to go get my eat on in N.O. The kid is blesssssssssssed.


Raekwon breaks down the classics




J Rocc playing some new Madvillain

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Wintertime Whip security


Ran into a couple car myths online......I could use em, figured y'all could too.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, it's not what you don't know that can come back to bite you; it's what you know for sure that ain't true. When it comes to maintaining your car, misconceptions abound. And even the best intentions can lead you to spend more money than necessary or even compromise your safety. Here are common myths that can do more harm than good:

Myth: Engine oil should be changed every 3,000 miles.
Reality: Despite what oil companies and quick-lube shops often claim, it's usually not necessary. Stick to the service intervals in your car's owner's manual. Under normal driving conditions, most vehicles are designed to go 7,500 miles or more between oil changes. Changing oil more often doesn't hurt the engine, but it can cost you a lot of extra money. Automakers often recommend 3,000-mile intervals for severe driving conditions, such as constant stop-and-go driving, frequent trailer-towing, mountainous terrain, or dusty conditions.

Myth: Inflate tires to the pressure shown on the tire's sidewall.
Reality: The pounds-per-square-inch figure on the side of the tire is the maximum pressure that the tire can safely hold, not the automaker's recommended pressure, which provides the best balance of braking, handling, gas mileage, and ride comfort. That figure is usually found on a doorjamb sticker, in the glove box, or on the fuel-filler door. Perform a monthly pressure check when tires are cold or after the car has been parked for a few hours.

Myth: If the brake fluid is low, topping it off will fix the problem.
Reality: As brake pads wear, the level in the brake-fluid reservoir drops a bit. That helps you monitor brake wear. If the fluid level drops to or below the Low mark on the reservoir, then either your brakes are worn out or fluid is leaking. Either way, get the brake system serviced immediately. You should also get a routine brake inspection when you rotate the tires, about every 6,000 to 7,000 miles.

Myth: If regular-grade fuel is good, premium must be better.
Reality: Most vehicles run just fine on regular-grade (87 octane) fuel. Using premium in these cars won't hurt, but it won't improve performance, either. A higher-octane number simply means that the fuel is less prone to pre-ignition problems, so it's often specified for hotter running, high-compression engines. So if your car is designed for 87-octane fuel, don't waste money on premium.

Myth: Flush the coolant with every oil change.
Reality: Radiator coolant doesn't need to be replaced very often. Most owner's manuals recommend changing the coolant every five years or 60,000 miles. Of course, if the level in the coolant reservoir is chronically low, check for a leak and get service as soon as possible.

Myth: After a jump-start, your car will soon recharge the battery.
Reality: It could take hours of driving to restore a battery's full charge, especially in the winter. That's because power accessories, such as heated seats, draw so much electricity that in some cars the alternator has little left over to recharge a run-down battery. A"load test" at a service station can determine whether the battery can still hold a charge. If so, some hours on a battery charger might be needed to revive the battery to its full potential.

Myth: Let your engine warm up for several minutes before driving.
Reality: That might have been good advice for yesteryear's cars but is less so today. Modern engines warm up more quickly when they're driven. And the sooner they warm up, the sooner they reach maximum efficiency and deliver the best fuel economy and performance. But don't rev the engine high over the first few miles while it's warming up.

Myth: A dealership must perform regular maintenance to keep your car's factory warranty valid.
Reality: As long as the maintenance items specified in the vehicle owner's manual are performed on schedule, the work can be done at any auto-repair shop. If you're knowledgeable, you can even do the work yourself. Just keep accurate records and receipts to back you up in case of a warranty dispute on a future repair.

Myth: Dishwashing and laundry detergents make a good car wash.
Reality: Detergent can strip off a car's wax finish. Instead, use a car-wash liquid, which is formulated to clean without removing wax.

Monday, December 7, 2009

A sad state

This is one of the reasons why I tell the kids and aspiring artists to have a solid foundation before they start "dreaming" about music. Especially in this digital age where physical product isn't selling just off the merit of it being dope. Even indie groups who make their living on the road are having a time of it keeping up their lifestyle. Notice how many multi-multi millionaires you see in the industry working like they have $20 in their bank accounts and freezing out new talent or competition unless they are directly affiliated with the artist, and even then, the artist is still going to have to wait on the premier artist to want to give up some of the ever addictive limelight or shine. I was a fan of G-Dep because I could feel the streets in his flow. The grilch that comes from sharpening swords in the streets and not in a home studio. His pre diddy mixtape appearances made me a believer. His bad boy album had a few joints too, "Child of the Ghetto" in particular, but G-Dep is also an addict. His addiction is a character weakness, a destructive one. Usually fueled by fame's fleeting glance. The fame biz is one of highs and lows, Extreme High's (in St. Bart's wit Puff having menage's) to being back freestyling in front of the corner store with nowhere else to be and people not returning your phone calls. Everyone is a little bipolar, but it's things like this that will push you over the edge that you are already dangling off of.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Freeze vs Rhymefest

Rhymefest best known for helping Kanye write his raps and Freeze an artist my homie C Rayz Walz put me on to duke it out on some mc shit....enjoy

Griff speaking the truth again

Real ASS VS Fake Asss

Good judge here....Roxy Reynolds

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Minaj

Bottom line is she's dope..........with the volume on mute.

neo

Wassssup!!!! introducing the SCALPEL....that's my new concept. I'm cutting thru the bullshit. Been on a hell of a creative spurt of late, but with great creativity and energy comes alot of stress and exhaustion. I've been chilling but my mental energy has been drained. It's dealing with a lot of artists on different schedules. It's all good, my vision came out how I wanted and I'm thankful. I actually been laying off the web as a whole as well, limiting my internets time to reflect on stillness of mind. I was scouring the web checking out 100 sites a day, even that shit can strain your mental, reading a book a day type shit. Anyways, just checking in, feeling good cuz I got a call from my fams from Phila who been bidding and is free, and spitting!!!!! It was a strong convo....He actaully told me I been a thoro dude since back day and in this day and age, to get respect from a homie I aint spoken too in 10 yrs is real as fuck. So many fly by night folks and fake outnumber the real...so it's def a good look.

Heres some cake


Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Where u been at

I'm here, just been wrapping this project and shillling. Been doing more and more drops at THEGRITTYCOMMITTEE . more up to date shit. Haven't really had the time, due to some temporal displacement because my molecules are moving more rapidly at the moment.....fell back off twittering and pretty much everything else online....I'm around but not hardbody. A few things in the works, but I'm feeling a lil burned out. I'm on sabbatical soon s tis tape is done. Back to traveling and expanding. Since I've beenlocked in at the gig and with the art my movements haven't been as O.T as the past few years. That will be changing in December. I'm back on that gristle. First Philly,then NJ, then NY then Outside US then the West.........That's the plan and I plan on sticking to it. Been working out staying chisel. The bornday is less than a month away and I feel a year younger. Been reading the Rza book, writing for delf, excercising and vibing on all the yesterdays new quintet eps.................Heres a curveball tho'.......take it away and give it up for Mr. Gary Wilson.- If you want a tone to describe my vibe........this is it.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

the new hustle

The economy has everything depreciating except the value of gold and asscheeks.........

Saturday, October 17, 2009

In the DC area >>>>over wale

I'm feeling the gutternesss over the tight jeaninessss

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Me:Revisited

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Aiight, whattup to my g's who follow the kid!!!!! Nothing moving but the $. Been on my heavy excercise regiment, no dranking, no smoking, just stacking.....Clearing my head of all the bullshit....Enjoying listening and reading more than spitting and speaking. I've been working on art and just gaining knowledge, same time reflecting on past losses and triumphs. I don't know what it is but shit is seeming really blase to me at the current moment. Shit just doesn't move or excite me like that. NOTHING. I'm not depressed, I'm in a good place actually, but I feel like I need a major trip. Nothing fuels me like travel and with the new gig I've undertaken I haven't really been able to jetset like I had been the last few years....I've gone to New Orleans and Florida alot, but I needs to go home, sink into that east coast vibe and fully recharge my battery. Every time I go back to the crib (Philly,NJ,NY) I soak it up fully and bottle it and take it with me and become damn near unstoppble....Not to say I can be stopped already, but we move a lil differently, vibrate at a different speed, plus I get to build wit my crimey's I ran the streets with as a youth. Sometimes u need that perspective as well. I know for a fact, I can't do uptop for longer than a week or two tho' because u start falling into routine and that is never a good thing. I remember the routine for uptop and being settled and comfortable with shit, even tho' there is always something to do and the energy is crazy...once you adapt to it, it becomes boring. Trust me I know. Now I'm a minamalist, happy to just chill in the castle with the queen and get out every once in a while, still remaining low key. Trust, I feel that alot more than my previous life of running the streets crazy and sharpening my game by talking to multiple chicks and still going out to bag more.

Now I feel like a Jedi. One who has soaked up some wildlife and is rich with experiences on a global level. I give thanks to have lived a lifetime before the age of 20. In my 20's I did exactly what I was supposed to do as well. Take chances, go out on my own and make mistakes. Take advantage of opportunities and fully sharpen my blade. I was cool with hustlers who were in their 30's when I was 17 and 18 yrs old. I was wit a chick who was 37 when I was 18. I was in desolate hoods seeing shots pop peoples tops off and at the same time was connected in the burbs as well, being in million dollar homes.Seeing shit like red rock opium and being in the hoods where the labels on the baggies was the rep. "Yo got them Batman baggies over here", "Yo this that, choclate,skunk, afghani,hydro,Kill,Lah,etc. etc. These types of experiences allowed me to relate to folks on many different levels and being on the entertainment industry grind helped me to see through people very quickly. Even to this day, I meet the people who I admire in different professions and they always pull me to the side to build and drop jewels. I always feel good about the fact that people give me the time of day moreso than some pedestrian hi and bye shit. It shows that the energy I've harnessed still glows. Yeah, sometimes I test myself to see if I still got it. Really I don't care. It takes alot to be a dude who can bag a chick, get her wrapped up, then delete the number or throw it away quicker than it took to get it. You gotta test your discipline and set higher standards for yourself to truly be considered a champion. To the insecure, your humbleness may come across as arrogance....fuck em tho'.

My circle gets smaller and smaller as I grow, just like how the earth looks smaller and smaller the more you blow and elevate. I'm talking about space folks.....The planet is small, the galaxy is big. I ain't got time to sweat the terrestrial small shit. I may do my lil twitter rant and move on, but trust, I don't take none of this shit serious. Humor to me is when I see straight thru folks who do take themselves too serous and scream out for attention. The music industry is full of folks who just now are starting to develop an "ego". You can tell just by how they act and carry themselves now that they have a little bit of light on them, that they were totally unaccustomed to anyone ever paying attention to them. Some people may not be able to see through it but I can and have always been able to. It's humor. Same time tho' I take it as the fact that you are supposed to laugh alot during your day and these jokers and jesters provide the fuel for that comedy.

Nothing I love more than just sharpening the tip of my bullets, loading up and taking aim with the confidence that I'm gonna hit my mark. 1 shot 1 kill!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Superb

Yeah some grilchy east coast shit. Perb been down with the Wu since the 90's, you heard him all over Supreme Clientele and Bulletproof wallets......he supposedly cowrote and helped Ghost steeze his shit out more....that whiny crying style is what he specialized in.....As some of the best mcs wit the most potential always do, he went and did a prison bid. Now home and back on the streets he has just released a mixtape called "Supreb Clientele" which isn't half bad. I support the raw no matter what so heres a quick taste...Love it or hate it, Perb is Perb...Far Rockaway stand up!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

MEGA SEAN






Not too many cats inspire me these days...I mean literally as far as mc's less than a handful........Sean Price is a special case. Dude has that energy in the rhymes, not just pure lyrical or just raw steeze, but that good mix of both that you need as a well rounded mc. This is an Mc's Mc.....I feel blessed to say that I've rhymed along side him before on a track......Son is a Monster and to be respected. I salute, because between his upcoming project and the Cuban Linx 2 that Rae just dropped, it aint really too much hardbody HipHop that give you that grilchy feeling. I know in my case, as a kid who holds the pen like a fucking gattling, it takes a lot to move me. You can't just say you rhyme, because nowadays who doesn't...but it's a big difference between sounding like a fan and sounding like an mc.

Also peep the latest interview he did that I jacked from XXl.com
What a difference a decade makes. Back in 1996, Sean Price (then known as Ruck) was merely one-half of Boot Camp Clik’s dynamic duo Heltah Skeltah. He and partner Rock, made their mark on the game with gritty bars, hardcore beats and an unmatched chemistry. The duo was a (magnum) force together, but Sean P eventually became a movement by himself when Rock went on to a pursue a solo career outside of their label home Duck Down Records.

Sometimes overshadowed by Rock’s heavy baritone, Sean was now able to have his voice heard loud and clear. The Brooklyn MC quickly earned critical acclaim for his string of successful solo albums (2005’s Monkey Barz and 2007’s Jesus Price Supastar) and mixtapes (2004’s Donkey Sean, Jr. and 2007’s Master P). Thanks to his consistency and continued growth as a lyricist, Sean positioned himself as the anchor artist on the Duck Down roster.

Despite his accolades and a trio of releases on the horizon—including his Kimbo Price mixtape and Mic Tyson LP, as well as a group project with Detroit’s Guilty Simpson and Black Milk—Sean is not happy. The lyrical pugilist talks to XXLMag.com about rap retirement, how come there’ll never be a Fab 5 reunion and why a Costco job application might be in his future.

XXLMag.com: You’re known for real unique titles for your projects. Where do the ideas come from?

Sean Price: Just how I be feelin’ at the moment, man. I’ma ape, man—not on no monkey, Black racist shit—but I’m out there in the streets hard body. I’m more than a rapper, man. I’m out there in trenches, I’ma gorilla, so that was the whole thing behind the Donkey Sean Jr. mixtape and the Monkey Barz album. For the second go round I just felt like people thought it was a fluke so I hit them with Jesus Price Supastar because I’m the god of this hardcore shit. Then I dropped the Master P mixtape ’cause I’m the master. Now I feel like the fuckin’ game is bunoodles and I don’t really want nothin’ to do with this shit no more, but before I go out I’m going out with a bang, hence the name Kimbo Price.

XXL: What should fan expect from the Kimbo Price mixtape?

Sean Price: I can’t even describe it, man. I’m just rhymin’ and havin’ fun, B. I really have fun in this hip-hop shit, so you know… Actually, I don’t have fun in this hip-hop shit at all besides me going in the studio and putting these words together. So I had fun makin’ it, but after that the fun is over.

XXL: What do you mean by that? You getting ready to retire on us?

Sean Price: No, I’m not retiring—don’t get it twisted like I’m retiring or quitting—it’s just that, me and [Duck Down CEO] Dru Ha have talks and I’ll be like, “What can I do with this, that, and that?” Everything he told me I need to do to improve the Sean Price brand I don’t wanna do, so guess what? That means it’s time to leave.

XXL: What exactly was he telling you to do that you weren’t feeling?

Sean Price: I don’t even want to get into detail and expose my homie like that ’cause besides being my manager and my boss, Dru Ha’s my friend. He didn’t say nothin’ wrong to me I just don’t wanna do [industry] shit. If someone hire me to give them a verse, I’m with it and I’ma still do music but I just don’t wanna play the game. All I wanna do is rap, do a show, come home, smoke my weed, play with my kids, and fuck with my wiz—that’s it, man. I don’t wanna front like I’m somebody’s friend and I don’t wanna hang out at your fuckin’ party. I’ve been in the game too long for that.

XXL: What’s the status of the Mic Tyson album and the Random Axe project with Guilty Simpson and Black Milk?

Sean Price: The Random Axe project got delayed because Black made his little boo-boo and erased all my vocals. I’m not trying to throw him under the bus ’cause I didn’t even discuss it until he said it in another interview first, but he erased my vocals. I had my lyrics on my Sidekick and then I upgraded to the G1 so I’m actually rewriting all my verses. While I was reworking on Random Axe, Alchemist and Evidence started sending me some [beats] and I started working on Mic Tyson. It’s about 14 songs on that album, ’cause a fight is 12 rounds, plus the intro and outro so that’s what it’s gonna be.

XXL: How’d you even link up with Guilty and Black in the first place?

Sean Price: I was on tour and some dude called my man Dan Green and asked me did I want to do a song with Guilty Simpson. Me being the rap whore that I am I was like, Sure. Then, I hung up and was like, “Who the fuck is Guilty Simpson?” [Laughs]. My man had a whole bunch a Guilty Simpson shit so I listened to it on the ride to the show and was like, “Damn, this nigga’s nice.” Then we met up and it just went from that. We real good friends now.

XXL: After a 10-year hiatus, you and Rock reunited last year for a Heltah Skeltah album. Will we hear more from y’all in the future?

Sean Price: I don’t know. If Rock wanna do it, I’ll do it. I’ll be in the studio, I’ll rap, I’ll do my part, and then whatever happen happen.

XXL: Does the same apply for a Fab 5 reunion with you, Rock and O.G.C.?

Sean Price: You can forget about that Fab 5 shit, that ain’t happenin’, bruh.

XXL: Word? Why not?

Sean Price: ’Cause it ain’t, just straight like that. I ain’t mad at none of them—Top Dog my nigga, Louieville my nigga, Starang my brotha from another mother, but that ain’t happenin’. I can’t even get into why, but trust me, it’s not like I’m just sayin’ no and shuttin’ it down ’cause them dudes don’t wanna do it neither. We was never a group anyway. We was on Priority Records and Dru wanted to announce the new acts on the label so we did an A and B single together and it took a life of its own.

XXL: Since you’re growing tired of the politics of the rap game what’s on the horizon for you after these releases?

Sean Price: Next year you might find me workin’ in Costco or some shit. I’m dead ass serious, ’cause I don’t got money like that to retire and fall back on a yacht. People might say, “Yo, man, you supposed to be here and blah blah.” Yeah, I’m supposed to be but guess where I’m at? Costco. Now don’t get it twisted, I’m not starvin’ and I’m good, but I don’t give a fuck about pride. My kids can’t eat pride so as long as I take care of my family I don’t give a fuck. —Anslem Samuel

Saturday, October 3, 2009

IRON

early leak....peep while u can....looks like its gonna be dope

Friday, October 2, 2009

Freeeekey Zeke



easily 1 of the most unintentionally funny cats in HipHop....the days of Dipset are long past, but the comedic value of Cam,Jim Jones,Zeke and Juelz remains.........First we had Biz Markie, then N.O.R.E, then Dipset...The Kings of HipHop Comedy

Friday Workout



I been feeling clear.....on my workout regiment and eliminating suckaz from my cypher.....I also been grinding extra hard, getting up early and starting my days on that power trip. I'm keeping it extra grilchy these days and have no time to be bothered by the nonsense. I don't even wanna shake hands, give out pounds, bearhugs or none of that shit except for meeting with a select few. I have hundreds of associates, less than a hand full of friends and then I have family. Only winners in my circumference. Isn't it funny how that circle gets smaller and smaller as you get older? I grew up being a pretty popular dude. Known for being mischievous, but good hearted. Wicked, yet kind. I was blessed to have been someone fellas wanted to be cool with and girls wanted to kick it with. I've had some of my dreams come true, I've also gone thru my share of struggles. What keeps me motivated, being the somewhat bi-polar artist I am is the fact that I always leave myself open for that next thing. Like I said, I've been blessed to experience alot at a young age. Alotta shit that most reg average people may not ever have the pleasure of experienceing, let alone know enough to even care about the experience in the first place. With me, I have to set the bar higher for myself constantly. It's what made me a good hustler. I constantly would have had enough(in someone elses standards) but I always wanted more. These days I am seeing on the web how things are overrated in my book. I'm thinking it's because people are settling for something and want other folks to settle as well or the fact that people have not experienced other things to know the difference between Filet Mignon and plain flank steak(I'm a NY Strip dude myself), but I feel a little bit jaded by it. I'm feeling like I may come off as a little arrogant at times, a little conceited other times, shit I may be at times.....I'm also a humble cat tho'. Dunno what it is, but I think it stems from being used to Better, because I've always PUSHED for better.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

BATMAN DUMBING OUT

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spotted at cracked....lolz

REAL HIPHOP in the Flesh yo!

Thanx to Philaflavas.blogspot.com and Digiwaxx

A Treat

Monday, September 28, 2009

WILDING!!!! P.R Parade edition



I've seen some shit like this go down at the Greek Picnic in Philly. When women wanna chill out amongst the Mob mentallity of dudes getting drunk,high and beligerant.......The scene in Philly was damn near broad day rape......chicks wearing little to nthing, shaking their asses and stopping to take pictures, then getting they asses grabbed then getting they clothes riped off and trying to complain......never dangle raw meat in the jaws of a canine.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

GLENNNNNNNN BECCCCCCKKKKKKKK

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I used to work detailing cars part time in the early 00's and they used to have the radio turned on to Mr. Gennnnn Beexxxcks show......to call him a raving lunatic would be an understatement. He is a schizofrenic and admitted drug and alcohol abuser, easily someone in tune with the views and politics of Mainstream Middle America. He is also the Right Wings most venemous voice at the moment, given his launch pad via Fox News.Found a nice article on exactly who he is....
Read it
HERE

Friday, September 25, 2009

LOLZ!!!! eat



glad I'm not the only 1 who thinks thse cats r silly

Friday, September 11, 2009

HIPHOP 2day



CAM Interview!!!!! funny shyt


B SEIGEL

Rosa Acosta

Just some rounded up vid I wrangled from the web.....peep the Cam video especially, that shit had me in tears today...aint peep Sieg yet and Rosa is bottom line carrying the vaton from Vida Guerra as eatable new HipHop jawn...at least thats the word on the streets...lets get this weekend started!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

REALER TV


Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

clawwwd a mercy!!!!!!!

mo inspiration for your day

Honorable Mention to Bubbles

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ANYONE CAN USE A WEAPON

But the NINJA IS A WEAPON............



They reallly, trying hard to bring back the 80's huh.....It's 2010 this shit, tho dope is unnacceptable.....I expected some futuristic shit right about now...District 9 was dope by the way

Secret Menu Items

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Go beneath the surface....the No code words you just have to know to ask

1. In-N-Out Burger’s “secret menu” isn’t so secret these days – in fact, they’ve posted it on their website. But in case you’re not in the habit of surfing fast food sites, here’s the skinny on the rather un-skinny items: ordering something “Animal Style” at In-N-Out means you’re going to get it with lettuce, tomato, a mustard-cooked beef patty, pickles, extra spread (it’s sort of Thousand-Islandy) and grilled onions. You can even get your fries Animal Style. “Protein Style” is a burger wrapped in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun. A Grilled Cheese is two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and spread on a bun (grilled onions if you so choose). And you can get just about any combo of meat and cheese that you want if you order it like you’re ordering lumber: 3×3 gets you three beef patties and three slices of cheese, 4×4 gets you four of each, and so on. It doesn’t stop there – one gluttonous patron requested a 100×100 at an Las Vegas store a couple of years ago. One item not listed on the website secret menu: the Flying Dutchman, which is two slices of cheese sandwiched between two patties, hold the bun.

2. If you’re at Starbucks and in need of just a little caffeine, don’t worry – there’s a tiny option for you. It’s the Short size, and they don’t advertise it. It’s like a little baby cup of coffee. It also comes in handy when you’re scrounging for change and don’t have enough for a tall… not that that has ever happened to me.

3. It’s a good thing we don’t have Jamba Juice here in Iowa, because I would be all over candy-based smoothies. Because it’s considered a health-food chain, Jamba Juice doesn’t officially list these on their in-store menus, but Mighty Foods assures us that the secret flavors exist. The ones they confirmed with the company’s headquarters include Strawberry Shortcake, White Gummy Bear, PB&J, Various flavors of Starbursts, Fruity Pebbles, Push-Up Pops, and Skittles. Other tantalizing flavors that are rumored to exist: Chocolate Gummi Bear, Apple Pie, Sourpatch Kid, Tootsie Roll, Chocolate-covered strawberries, and Now and Later.

4. Chipotle has a whole secret menu that is limited only by your imagination – they have a store policy that says that if they have the item available, they will make it for you. Things that have been tested include nachos, quesadillas, taco salads and single tacos. Some stores are testing out quesadillas as a regular menu item, however, so maybe someday soon you won’t need a super-secret handshake to order one.

5. If you’re at Wendy’s and you’re really hungry – like, three-patties-just-won’t-cut-it hungry – go ahead and order the Grand Slam, which is four patties stacked on a bun. It’s also known as the Meat Cube. Gross.

6. Several places, including McDonald’s and In-N-Out, will serve you the Neapolitan milkshake. It’s just what it sounds like – chocolate, vanilla and strawberry shakes layered in a cup. This gives me a great idea… I wonder if they would make me a mint-chocolate shake when they have the Shamrock Shake in March. Hmmm. (Picture from Flickr user Mrjoro.)

7. Feeling a little health-conscious at Popeye’s? If you are, you really should have gone somewhere else. But there’s a little hope for you – ordering “naked chicken” will get you breading-free poultry. The word is that this is on the menu at some Popeye’s, but not all of them, although it is an option at all of them.

8. Like Chipotle, Taco Bell will make you just about anything within reason as long as they have the ingredients for it. Since most of the food at Taco Bell is made out of the same basic items, that means you can probably ask for most discontinued items and get them. One “secret,” though, is that they have a not-advertised green chili sauce at most locations, and apparently it’s excellent.9. Some Subways will still make you the popular pizza sub from the ‘90s. Once the chain decided to make their focus healthy eating, the pizza sub disappeared from the menu in most places (the word is that Canadian and Mexican Subways still offer them on a regular basis). But if you ask, lots of places will still make it for you. Be warned, though – Jared would not approve of the nine slices of pepperoni and copious amounts of cheese slathered in marinara sauce.10. This one might be my favorite. At Fatburger, you can order a Hypocrite – a veggie burger topped with crispy strips of bacon.

swiped from Mental Floss

Friday, September 4, 2009

The Wave Crashed

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Say what you will about Max B, but love him or hate him, you can't deny he was entertaining. I personally like the vibe he was bringing to the music and was listening to Max in 2005 when he had no mixtapes out and would drop a crazy ignorant freestyle verse here and there. I thought dude had some talent and style....Even his slang was a fresh approach. WAVY!!!! OOOWWWW!!! yeah it was wild but the way music has been these last few years has been straight up boring and non exciting. Anyways...Max hold your head!!!! 75 yrs. is a looong time in prison.

Spotted at http://coolehmag.com

WIPEOUT
THE FALL OF MAX B
words: CHRIS BENSON & D. PORTER
photos: ALEXANDER RICHTER
The sky was crystal clear on the morning of June 9th, 2009 in Hackensack, New Jersey. With an entourage including his lawyer and a camera crew, Charly Wingate, a.k.a. Max B, confidently strode through the parking lot of the Bergen County Courthouse. As he approached the fortress-like building he told the camera that he’d be found innocent and leave a free man. His attorney, Gerald Saluti, bragged about his cross-examination of the state’s star witness and was pretty sure of a victory. The mood in Max’s camp was extremely optimistic as they walked towards the courthouse’s thick stone walls.

But the wave that Charly Wingate had been riding would abruptly knock him over that morning. In the Hackensack courtroom of Judge Harry G. Carroll, Max would be found guilty and possibly spend the rest of his days in a New Jersey prison. Like most other court proceedings it was mundane, almost boring. Judge Carroll read the charges and the jury’s forewoman replied “guilty” to nearly every one. Then the jury was polled and they all agreed that Max and his stepbrother, Kelvin Leerdam, had planned a crime that resulted in one David R. Taylor II losing his life. The jury exited, Max and his lawyers embraced, and a stoic Mr. Wingate kept his composure as he was placed in handcuffs, unlikely to be a free man ever again.

On January 18, 2005, Inmate 97A2823, a.k.a. Charly Wingate, walked out of the Oneida Correctional Facility a free man. He had “maxed out”, no pun intended, on an eight-year bid for robbery in the 1st degree. It would appear that Max came out determined to make up for lost time. How he got involved with Diplomats “capo” Jim Jones is anybody’s guess, but Max certainly must have made an impression. Seven months after his release from prison, the rapper/singer was heavily featured on Jones’ second solo album Harlem: Diary of a Summer. In fact, the lead single “Baby Girl” was co-written by Max and got fairly significant radio play, considering the independent nature of the release.

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Whatever else one might say about Joseph Guillermo Jones, a.k.a. Jim “Capo” Jones, no one could say that he is a man who would let an opportunity pass him by. Having started his career as a hypeman for his friend, Harlem rapper Cam’ron, Jones did not hesitate to walk through the doors Cam opened for him. Along with another Cam’ron protégé, Juelz Santana, they formed The Diplomats—once Cam’ron strong-armed his way out of a bad record deal with Sony/Epic. Almost immediately Cam signed with Rocafella Records, through his long time affiliation with Rocafella co-founder Damon Dash, and the Harlem group’s debut went platinum. Jones had bigger plans though. When the majors weren’t interested, he launched his solo career through indie label Koch (now d.b.a. E1) Records. His first album sold surprisingly well, but Jones was still mostly known for being Cam’ron’s sidekick. It was not until he began working with Max B that Jones would come within striking distance of the level of wealth and fame he so clearly wanted.


Starstruck


This complex, interwoven tale starts in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Baltimore native Gina Marie Conway was living in North Carolina in 2005 with her common-law husband of nearly ten years. She was a huge fan of the Diplomats, the Harlem-based rap crew fronted by Cam’ron, Jim Jones, and Juelz Santana. Her admiration for ‘Dipset’ was evident in the amount of time she spent in chat rooms singing their praises. Ms. Conway had to have been thrilled when she heard that the Dipset was to perform a show in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The fact that she was able to get a backstage pass to the show no doubt added to her elation. This excitement was tempered when she realized that she would not be meeting Cam or Juelz, as the show was headlined by Jim Jones. Disappointed about not meeting her rap idols, Ms. Conway did take the time to introduce herself to the Diplomats that were there. Among the performers she interacted with was Charly Wingate, a.k.a Max B. While she would claim later in court that she only talked to him in order to smoke his weed, Gina and Max’s relationship would end up being something neither party would soon forget.



It was only about a month after this initial meeting that Max convinced Gina to move to New York to live with him. So she packed her life up and left her “husband” in North Carolina to cohabitate with Max at his residence at 1950 Andrews Ave. in the Bronx. By all accounts it was a sordid affair. Max was busy getting his rap career together while Gina was plying her trade as an exotic dancer at the Bronx gentleman’s club Sin City. Neither of these professions makes monogamy easy, and beyond that, neither person seemed like the marrying type, a fact that came up repeatedly in the trial. With various boyfriends and girlfriends in the picture, this initial arrangement did not last long. About six months after moving in, Gina and Max parted ways. Gina returned to her native Baltimore to live with family.

Gina Conway

This first break-up was only the beginning of end for this couple. After a few months apart Max was once again able to convince Gina to move back to New York to live with him. But this time there was one small caveat. Max was now living with another woman, by the name of China. But as we would find out, Gina is an open-minded woman, so this fact did not deter her. She jumped at the chance to join Mr. Wingate’s harem. While the exact arrangements aren’t clear, both women considered themselves to be Max’s girlfriend and didn’t mind the presence of the other—or the various other women that he dealt with.




Like all good things Gina and Max’s second act did not last. China, a woman so striking that Saluti prefaced her every mention in court with that fact, became pregnant with Max’s child. Max and China thought that Gina should no longer live with them, so Ms. Conway was forcibly thrown out of the apartment. At this time, it is about a month before David Taylor’s death.

But again the story of these two lovers did not end there. Gina was determined to stay in New York and carve out her niche in Harlem World. In August of 2006 she moved in with one Michael “Murda Mike” Wingate at 480 St. Nicholas Ave. Murda Mike is one of Max’s Brothers. Also living there at the time was Max’s Uncle Hassan, and one of Mike’s girlfriends. The fact that she lived with people related to Max says a lot about Gina. She still had very strong feelings for Max; she still called herself his girlfriend and saw him on a daily basis. Despite their rocky relationship the two remained very active in each other’s lives.

At this point in her life Gina seemed very driven to remain in New York. The life she always wanted was starting to become a reality in her mind. But New York is an expensive town, even if one doesn’t have a 4–6 pill per day Ecstasy habit like the one Ms. Conway was allegedly nursing. In order to support her addiction and establish herself in the NY, Gina supplemented her dancing income by pushing coke for Uncle Hassan. It became clear that Ms. Conway would be down for just about anything that would help her stay in NY and remain in Max’s life.

JIM JONES

Early 2006 was the calm before the storm for Charly “Max B” Wingate, in more ways than one. We can only assume that having gone from prison inmate to somewhat successful rapper/ghostwriter/hook specialist in only one year must have been a nice turnaround. But at the same time, Max was thirsty for the limelight, and in the grand scheme of things, he was still just the sidekick of a sidekick. While the rapper was undoubtedly getting some money from Jim, clearly in Max’s mind it was not enough—unsurprising given his appreciation for the finer things in life. Still, Charly was heavily involved in working on Jones’ forthcoming album and had snagged an attention-grabbing feature on the chorus of a Cam’ron song attacking Jay-Z, called “You Gotta Love It.” The song was getting spins due to the controversial subject matter and Max’s slurred sing-song flow stood out; people began to mention his name. Jim Jones also paired him with the Byrdgang, a crew of street-rappers that Jones was trying to form into a new wing of the Diplomats movement. Things seemed to be headed in the right direction.





The seeds to this crime were first planted in April 2006, when a man who would cross Gina’s path began making money hand over fist. According to court documents, this was when Allen “Jay” Plowden first began his mortgage and mail fraud scheme. Using the name of a fictitious closing agent, Harrison and Associates, Plowden received a loan from Novastar Mortgage in the amount of $300,000. The proceeds were then wired to an account in a California bank held by Virtual Automated Technologies. VAT, as it’s called, produces stored value cards, SVCs, which function like ATM cards but are pre-paid through VAT, not linked to a bank account. Plowden, via Harrison and Associates, had these cards sent to a mailing address in Atlanta. From April 9th to April 12th, the funds that Novastar mortgaged to “Harrison and Associates” were withdrawn through numerous ATM transactions.



Emboldened by the success of his first scam, Plowden sought to do it again. This time he upped the ante significantly. Court documents allege that in August of 2006, another fake company, “Williams and Associates” applied for a home loan from Countrywide Financial. This time Plowden struck it rich, obtaining a loan worth $1,426,769.62. On August 10th this money was wired to United Community Bank. Four days later the funds were wired to Vida Mejor, a subcontractor of Virtual Money, Inc, who issued SVCs paid for with the proceeds of this loan. On the 17th the cards linked to this “virtual money” were mailed to an address in Bethesda, Maryland. Over the course of the next week this money, like the money from the Novastar loan, was made available to Plowden via numerous ATM withdrawals.



Despite the attentions spent on this case, exactly what David Taylor’s role was in Plowden’s scheme, and his past in general, remain murky—at least in the documents and testimony COOL’EH was able to procure. What we do know is that in death, Taylor was found in possession of a falsified passport and other materials related to the mortgage scam his partner was running. It seems safe to assume his association with Plowden must be connected to the fact that both men are from Florida. Whatever their past was, once they began making the rounds in New York City, Plowden and Taylor stuck close together.




Getting the money turned out to be the easy part of Jay Plowden’s scheme; holding onto it would prove to be an entirely different matter. Like the suitcase in Pulp Fiction, Plowden’s bags of money would attract problems from all directions. While he was orchestrating the withdrawal of his cake, Plowden and Taylor met with an individual who, unbeknownst to them, was actually an undercover FBI agent. According to the numerous conversations that were recorded on that day, August 16, 2006, Plowden was seeking to launder large amounts of the cash. The U.S. Attorney’s office was unwilling to discuss how the FBI identified the two men or the details of how they were lured into this money-laundering sting, but we do know that Taylor and Plowden revealed that they got the money through ATM withdrawals, and agreed to the undercover agents’ fee for washing the loot.

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The two men continued to attract attention—attention that would cost Jay Plowden his freedom and David Taylor, much more. At some point after arriving in New York City, and during the months before the Bergen County robbery, the two out-of-towners frequented a motor vehicle accessory business in the Bronx. It was there that they met Julio Cruz and Edward Blancaneaux, two New Jersey residents who are referred to in the U.S. Attorney’s charging documents as “the car thieves.” Plowden was allegedly at the “rim shop,” in words of Kevin Leerdam’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean, “to get his Mercedes Benz tricked out.” While Bonjean believes that they may have had other illicit business with Plowden and Taylor, all we know for sure is that the two Dominican men eventually introduced Plowden and Taylor to two women, Maite Castro and Gisselle Nieves. It would appear that the purpose of the introduction was of an amorous nature. Whether the two women were indeed prostitutes or merely posing as such is hard to assess, but we do know that they were soon conspiring with Cruz and Blancaneaux to rob the two Floridians.

Amazingly, Plowden was not done making bad decisions or making new friends. Around the time of the meeting with the supposed money launderer, Jay Plowden would have another fateful encounter. Gina Conway was standing on the corner of 126th and Lexington on September 20, 2006, waiting to be picked up by Max. Plowden was also on that corner, sitting in his white 2007 Mercedes-Benz S55. Conway would later recall in court that she felt like something shady was going on in the car. Other unknown males were in the car with him and she thought some sort of black market transaction was going down. But Jay saw something he liked in Gina, and approached her. By this point Max had told Gina he couldn’t pick her up and in her own words she “had nothing better to do.”

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Undeterred by his shadiness, or perhaps more impressed with his vehicle, Gina got in Jay’s car. Their first stop that night was a bar. While there, Gina noticed Jay talking to another sketchy character, a man referred to in court as “G-Head.” Ms. Conway would later share that, again, she felt like her new friend was into something illegal. But that did not stop her from putting her number in one of Mr. Plowden’s phones.

After a few drinks the two got back in the Benz. Gina claimed that she told Mr. Plowden to take her to her job at the strip club Sin City. But he had other ideas, and made a beeline for a motel in Mahwah, New Jersey. According to testimony “Jay” was very aggressive in his romantic approach to Ms. Conway. His fruitless “courting” was so forward that when she left, he felt obliged to give her money as a way to make amends. By this point Gina was starting to notice the stacks of cash that her new friend had. Gina returned to city around 4 that morning. She shared some of her cash with Max, a common practice as she claimed he was broke and always “took” money from her, then headed to Sin City. There she waited for a new romantic partner/Sin City bouncer, Turon Gholston, to get off work. The couple made a rendezvous at a seedy uptown motel before going their separate ways.



September 21st, 2006, was the beginning of the end for this circle of Harlem hustlers. The scenario started when Allan “Jay” Plowden called Gina. He wanted to further apologize for his actions the last time they met by taking her shopping. Once again showing a severe lapse in judgment, despite the fact that this man had almost raped her, Conway agreed to meet and told him where she lived. When she got in the white Mercedes she began to fathom the sheer abundance of Plowden’s ill-gotten revenue. He had a black bag stuffed with thousands of dollars and she saw large amounts of cash stashed in the car’s glove box and center console. Jay was going to put all that money to good use in the form of a shopping trip to one of Jersey’s more expensive malls, Paramus Park.



The trip to the mall was not unlike Michael Jackson’s shopping spree in the documentary Living with Michael Jackson. Money was no object, and Jay made that abundantly clear. He purchased everything that he and Gina wanted. Money was so far from his mind that on more than one occasion he forgot to take his black bag of cash with him. All sorts of cash register bells and whistles had to be going off in Gina’s head at this point.

The two left the mall and headed for a Holiday Inn on Route 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Mr. Plowden checked in, had the Benz valet parked, and his luggage portaged. For some strange—and fateful—reason he gave Ms. Conway a keycard to the room so she could use the bathroom without having to wait on him. Jay took a shower and emerged, seemingly ready for Gina to “pay him back” for his generous nature at the mall. According to Gina, this did not happen and Jay decided it best that she head back to the city, as he had a long night of clubbing ahead of him.

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At this point events become complicated. Attorneys for Mr. Wingate and his co-defendant/stepbrother Kelvin Leerdam cast doubt on events as Ms. Conway recalled them, without providing much of an alternate narrative. What follows is largely based on her testimony.

Gina met up with Max at the basketball courts at the Lincoln Houses, a housing project on 132nd St. between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Max was upset that she had been out of touch and demanded to know where she had been. In an attempt to make him jealous Gina told him about Jay and his fancy Benz and the bottomless cash he had on hand. As luck would have it Gina went in her purse for a lighter and found the keycard Jay had given her. She also shared with Max that Jay would not be in the room for a while as he was out clubbing. This prompted Max to make a comment, according to Gina, along the lines of “getting this dude for his guap.” One of the trial’s lighter moments occurred when Conway explained to Bonjean, Kelvin Leerdam’s lawyer, the meaning of guap.

Subsequently, Gina went with her and Max’s mutual friend, Chinchilla, to get some E pills. Ironically her pill spot was on the same corner where she had met Mr. Plowden. She returned to Max around midnight on what is now the twenty-second of September 2006. She took one of her four to six E pills and imbibed some Hennessey with the crew as they watched the games. Around this time Leerdam, a.k.a. Sims, was summoned by his stepbrother and soon arrived at the basketball courts. Gina would testify that Max said if she took Leerdam to the hotel room, he would love her forever. Since she had the keycard and Plowden was thought to be out of the room, it was to be a simple burglary. She would jump at the chance to earn Mr. Wingate’s undying affection.






Gina recalled that Charly Wingate’s next move was to call a cab driver he frequently employed, one Mamdou Gbenga. Mr. Leerdam and Ms. Conway then piled into the Lincoln Navigator and headed for the Holiday Inn on Route 4 where Plowden and his partner in crime, David Taylor where staying. All the pills and drinks fogged Gina’s sense of direction, making what should have been a quick cab ride into a two-hour sojourn. The trio rode all over the upper Northeastern corner of New Jersey, even venturing across the state line into lower New York. This wasted time proved to be a costly error, as it allowed Mr. Plowden time to return from the club.

When the Navigator finally made it to the right hotel, Mr. Leerdam had the driver pull into a side parking lot and told him they’d be right back. She went inside with Leerdam and proceeded to room 408, where Plowden was staying. They were unable to open the door because of a problem with the keycard, so Gina claimed that Sims (as Leerdam was known to her) told her to call Jay’s phone. They heard it ringing, confirming he was in the room but were undeterred. Leerdam came prepared, bringing with him a handgun, gloves, and duct tape just in case.




Gina knocked on the door and was greeted by Giselle Nieves. Unbeknownst to them, Ms. Nieves was there as part of a plan to obtain the Plowden and Taylor’s car keys in order to abscond with the luxury vehicles (In addition to Mr. Plowden’s Benz, Mr. Taylor had purchased a 2007 BMW 750). Kelvin Leerdam burst from behind Gina Conway brandishing his pistol. With Jay still sound asleep, Mr. Leerdam kept a gun trained on Ms. Nieves while she and Ms. Conway searched the room for the cash. It is believed that at this time Ms. Conway filled a Louis Vuitton duffle bag with the valuables she did find, clothes, jewelry, and a laptop used by Jay in his various fraudulent schemes. Gina maintained that during this time she tried to comfort her visibly distraught captive, Ms. Nieves. Angered about not finding the cash, Mr. Leerdam confined their hostage to the bathroom and told Gina to wake up the man she knew as “Jay.”

Jay was woken and bound with duct tape. At Max’s trial Plowden testified that he refused to acknowledge the presence of any cash in the room and told his assailants that his partner, David Taylor had the money. According to his testimony, they demanded that he call Mr. Taylor—who was in a room on a different floor with Maite Castro—and tell him to bring the cash to the room. Mr. Taylor, who was about six foot four inches tall and weighed about 270 pounds entered room 408, only to have a gun jammed in his face. Apparently he reacted instinctively and struggled with Mr. Leerdam, himself a big guy, before being shot in the face. However, according to all available testimony, Taylor did not bring any significant amount of money up to the room. In the version of events supplied by the survivors Plowden had removed a few hundred dollars from his main stash and secured it under the mattress. Conway and Leerdam allegedly took this money, along with the aforementioned designer luggage, jewelry, and laptop. Gina would later testify that she took cash from the dead man’s pockets but couldn’t stand to take the watch off his wrist, a task more to Mr. Leerdam’s temperament. At the end of the day, it was this relative pittance that the state contends Leerdam and Conway were forced to abscond with after inadvertently killing David Taylor.

Accorfing to her own testimony, upon returning to Manhattan, Gina did not meet up with Max B. This seems counterintuitive since her entire story is based on the fact that Mr. Wingate planned and put her up to this robbery. Instead of bringing her bag of goodies to him, a man she loved who told her he would love her forever if she pulled this heist off, she sought out her new flame, Turon Gholston. The two met up at Sin City and returned to Gholston’s place in Bloomfield, NJ. When they got there Gina gave him some of the items from room 408, including clothes and the laptop. This is interesting to note due to the size of the men involved. Mr. Gholston and Mr. Plowden are similar in size, with both men being about six feet tall. Max B, for lack of a better term, is quite diminutive, topping out at about 5’ 7” and weighing around 140 pounds. Why Gina would take the clothes of a much bigger man if they were to be given to Max is unknown. From there Gina went to the apartment of “Murda Mike” Wingate, where she stashed the LV duffle bag and its remaining contents. Charly Wingate never received any property or cash that had been taken from room 408 the night David Taylor was killed.






As it turned out, “Jay” Plowden’s thirty grand had been in the room all along, hidden under the plastic liner in the trashcan. But instead of fleeing the scene of the crime or calling the police, his behavior after the robbers left was inexplicable. On the stand, Plowden claimed that he freed himself and attempted to chase Conway and Leerdam. A motel employee stated that he saw a partially clad Plowden behaving suspiciously in the hallway and that Plowden told him to call the police. The police arrived to find Allan barricaded in his room with Ms. Nieves and the corpse of Mr. Taylor. He eventually came out of the room and was detained by the Fort Lee police.

Things certainly did not look good for Plowden. Taylor’s dead body and tens of thousands of dollars in ill-gotten cash had been found in his room. As it turns out, the items he was missing would prove to be his undoing. The Toshiba laptop and thumb drive, which were later found in the possession of Gina’s friend Turon Gholston, provided the F.B.I with a detailed record of his crimes. The proverbial smoking gun, as it were. Among the items on the computer were files relating to the opening and closing of mortgages, invoices for the shell company Harrison and Associates, and the picture of a US passport issued to one Justin Lieberman. The hard drive also contained copies of agreements for the mailboxes that the suspects used and the card numbers for the SVCs that were sent to said mailboxes. For good measure much of this information was also found on a Sony Vaio laptop discovered in David Taylor’s BMW. The feds had already been sizing Plowden up for a fall and eventually took him into custody, where he remained through his guilty plea on charges stemming from the fraudulent mortgage schemes. But Allan did not go into federal custody quietly. He cooperated with New Jersey authorities and once he began spilling the beans, the police immediately began searching for Gina Conway.




On September 26th 2007, the search for Conway brought Bergen County Prosecutors Office Detective Dave Borzotta to Max B’s residence at 1950 Andrews Avenue in the Bronx. According to the detective, Mr. Wingate was very helpful. “Mr. Wingate dealt himself in,” Borzotta would later recall at trial. He was forthcoming about his dealings with Ms. Conway and even told them addresses she was known to frequent. Max revealed that she could be at “Murda” Mike’s, where stolen property was later found. Max also told them about Sin City, close to where they ultimately caught her. Max gave the officer his cell number and even called him on more then one occasion during the preliminary investigation. Borzotta recalled one instance when he went to interview Max and the rapper was outside his Bronx residence, talking on the phone with Jim Jones. “The police talking to me about some bullshit,” Max was overheard telling his future nemesis. Max even let the police search his apartment to look for Gina. It was clear from the officer’s testimony that Max was not considered a suspect at this time.



The search for Gina Conway ended on September 28th 2006 around 12:30 a.m. when she tried to borrow money from Mr. Gholston. She was placed under arrest and taken to the 32nd Precinct. Conway was cooperative with the officers who interrogated her. It is at this point that things get complicated. Gina was Miranda-ized at 12:58 a.m. and the tape of her confession started rolling at 1 a.m. Whatever was said during those two minutes, Ms. Conway proceeded to sing like a bird, painting Mr. Wingate as the mastermind behind the botched burglary that left David Taylor dead with a gunshot wound to the face.

After interviewing Ms. Conway, officers proceeded to Max’s apartment and arrested him at about 6 a.m. that same morning. The long arm of the law caught up with Kelvin Leerdam at his aunt’s apartment on Flatlands Ave. in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn, where he was also taken into custody.





Only weeks after Max was arrested and charged with a slew of felonies, including murder, Jim Jones released the first single for his upcoming album. The song, entitled “Ballin’,” quickly became a nationwide hit with the help of the New York Football Giants. On their way to the franchise’s first Superbowl victory in seventeen years, the Giants players began pantomiming jump-shots to celebrate big plays. The move was an obvious reference to the song, which was already popular on local radio. Giants Stadium soon began playing the song over the PA system. The Giants success on the field certainly paid off for the Capo, who watched as his song hitched a ride with one of the NFL’s most popular teams as they tore through the playoffs on national television. The single gained a traction unlike anything Jones had been able to generate before, from strip clubs to sporting events, “Ballin” was everywhere. Meanwhile the man who claimed (quite credibly, since he is credited on the album) to have written the song for Jones, was sitting in a New Jersey jail cell under a $2 million dollar bail. The single would peak at a meteoric #5 on the Billboard charts and Jim’s subsequent LP commercially outperformed all his previous work, selling over 100,000 units in it’s first week. Max B was featured on seven songs of the albums songs and claims he ghostwrote or collaborated on many more. Regardless of exactly what he did, Max’s influence on Jim’s music is plain to hear, and Jim was no fool, he clearly saw Wingate’s talents and put them to good use. The problem was, Max was in prison now, and seemed to think that what with all he had done to ensure Jim’s success, it was time for some payback. But for Jones, the $2 million bail was likely starting to seem like a lot to pay for someone who could be on their way back to jail for a very long time.

It is possible that had he never been arrested, Max and Jim would have fallen out anyway but Max’s prison stint made it a certainty. The friction started when, after months in the can, Max began publicly airing his grievances at having not been bailed out yet. Apparently, sitting in the jail day room and watching Jones pose in front of luxury vehicles while reciting lyrics Max wrote rubbed him the wrong way. Go figure. While stopping short of outright disrespecting his former boss, Max made it clear that he felt something fishy was going on and seemed to impugn Jones’ financial dealings with him. Jones copped various pleas in interviews about why he hadn’t put up his protégés’ bail money, alluding to wanting to wait until the bail was lowered or wanting to give Max the money once the rapper was released. What spurred him to finally act, we may never know, but at least one party has alleged that Jim only decided to bail Max out after he found out somebody else might. Whatever his reasons, Jones’ next move would make Iago blush, Suge Knight blanch, and even the infamous Morris “Mo” Levy tip his fedora. Jim “Capo” Jones went to the jail and gave Max the $90, 000 he needed to get out of jail in return for Max inking a new contract. When the relationship between Max and Jim later turned to outright acrimony, Jones would tell radio disc jockey Funkmaster Flex that:

“He’s signed to my label and I bought his publishing for roughly $90,000 which he cried over the phone to get out of jail for…he sold his soul, the stupidest move I’ve ever heard anybody make in their entire life.”







It did not take long for Max to realize that he had made a costly mistake. He would later claim that Jim had been eager for him to get back in the studio after bailing Max out, but Max felt he was owed more money. He also seemed to be becoming leery of continuing to do Jim Jones albums when his own solo work was getting scant attention from the Capo. For his part, Jones would later imply that the wisecracking rapper was attempting to rise above his station and being unappreciative of what Jones had done for him, before and after the arrest. By this time, Jim had parlayed the success of “Ballin’” into a financially significant deal with Columbia Records. Roc-A-Fella was already history and Dame Dash was more than happy to hitch his wagon to Jim’s; they began working not only on his album, but a documentary and a potential reality show. Meanwhile, the Diplomats as a crew had pretty much ceased to function as Jim and Cam’Ron slowly grew apart and Jones made it clear that he had every intention of being bigger than Cam ever was. The most successful personalities in Dipset, Cam’Ron, Jones and Juelz Santana parted ways and began promoting their own new crews. The second-tier Diplomats artists like 40. Cal, Hell Rell and J.R. Writer, were left to largely sink or swim on their own. So when Max began to disassociate himself from Jim and Byrdgang /Diplomats, it made sense that Jones had neither the time nor the desire to try and placate his former weed-carrier. However, the more he nonchalantly dismissed Max as a “twerp” and a “nobody”, the more lyrical gasoline Max poured on the fire he was attempting to light under the so-called Capo. Suddenly, Jim, whose whole career had been filled with disrespectful interviews and vendettas against some of New York’s more respected rappers, was getting a taste of his own medicine. If Jones had set the bar high for ignorant foolishness and blatant “goonery”, Max B cleared it on his first try. His claims were legion; he wrote all of Jim’s songs, he pepper sprayed Jim at an event, Jim’s “wifey” tried to seduce him on numerous occasions, Jim was a homosexual, Jim couldn’t come to Harlem anymore, Jim needed police protection to keep Max from getting “at him”…and so on. To Wingate’s credit, people started to notice and pretty soon Max was omnipresent in the hip-hop blogosphere. His non-coastal style and easily digestible lyrics won fans in this age of hook-driven, regional hip-hop. His amusing interviews and on-camera antics kept the Internet turning to him for ready-to-post controversy. It did not hurt that veteran beat maker Dame Grease was backing him, giving the mixtapes an additional level of credibility. The timing of Max’s feud against Jim Jones also gained him additional listeners because of the controversies surrounding the dissolution of the Diplomats. At least some hip-hoppers tuned in to Max’s schtick simply because Jim Jones is a polarizing figure in hip-hop and, generally speaking, everyone likes to see a bully get bullied. All this, combined with his distinctive slang, surfing-related catchphrases, and ongoing murder case meant that Max’s visibility was at an all time high.



Unfortunately for Max, no matter how many graphic verbal attacks he made against Jim and his “wifey,” and regardless of how many hours of anti-Jones DVD footage he compiled, the Capo held one hell of a trump card. The entirety of Charly Wingate’s publishing was now the legal property of Jim Jones. This meant that anything he had done in the past put money in Jim’s pocket, and anything he would ever do was essentially under Jim’s direct control. Max could put out free mixtapes (and did he ever!) or other penny ante deals that Jim couldn’t be bothered to track down and stop, but any hope for mainstream or even independent success would have to come with Jones's blessing. By now however, Jones had clearly had enough of Max’s antics and had no inclination to be charitable. He made it clear that Max had passed the point of no return in an interview with Worldstarhiphop.com, saying:

“Maxi-Pad? He’s like finding Nemo right now, where is that faggot? [Actually] he is on the shelf right next to my Nike boots, we ain’t never letting him come out”




With little more than the word of Gina Conway, the trial of the State of New Jersey v. Wingate, Leerdam, and Conway began. The fact that Max and Kelvin were tried together raises the first set of eyebrows. As attorney Jennifer Bonjean would argue on her client's behalf, the two men’s defense strategies should’ve kept the trials separate. Gerald Saluti, Esq. argued that Gina was a woman scorned and that Mr. Wingate was never at the crime scene and was not involved in the crime at all. Ms. Bonjean’s argument was that whomever Ms. Conway brought to the Holiday Inn as muscle, it was not Kelvin Leerdam. After all, the police were unable to find a murder weapon, or any physical evidence tying Leerdam to the crime scene. Although Leerdam had a drug conviction, there was no previous involvement with violent crime on his criminal record. When reached for comment Ms. Bonjean pointed out that there were significant irregularities in the witness identification, as well:

“Allan Plowden was presented with two photo arrays in the hopes of making an identification of the shooter. The first photo array contained a photo of my client and he did not identify my client. He did not identify anybody. They showed him a second photo array where they put an updated version of my client, in the array and Plowden actually identified somebody else. He identified one of the fillers. So that was very problematic for the investigation; the lead victim, the person with supposedly the best ability to identify the man in the room, not only was unable to do so in one array but actually identified the wrong person in a second photo array.”

Nevertheless, when he appeared as a prosecution witness during the trial of Wingate and Leerdam, Allan “Jay” Plowden readily fingered Kelvin as the shooter. Bonjean considers the testimony “laughable”, given Mr. Plowden’s failure on two occasions to pick her client out of a photo array and said she argued that “the state did not have a good faith basis to ask [Plowden] to make an identification in court” after his earlier failures. And as far as cab driver Mamdou Gbenga’s identification of Leerdam, Ms. Bonjean had the following to say:

“What the police did, which I think is very…I think, improper…is they did not show him a photo array, because, I think they questioned his ability to make an identification. So he was never shown a photo array or asked to identify the person who he drove in the cab that night with Gina Conway. But come trial they put him on the stand and he made an in-court identification of my client. I argued that it was improper to even elicit that testimony and, in fact, it is going to be an issue on appeal. That it was improper to have him identify someone from a suggestive situation where you have him sitting at counsel table with two white lawyers. The only black people sitting at counsel table were Charly Wingate and my client. The cab driver knew who Charly Wingate was and had driven him on prior occasions, so there was only one person left to choose. When I questioned Mr. Gbenga on cross-examination about his recollection of the person he drove in the cab, he had no ability to describe him, and in fact, described him differently to police.”



Reviewing the records of the trial it is clear that both defenses would’ve been better served if the trial had been split. One instance involved cell phone records. Detective John Haviland of the prosecutor’s office testified that on the night of the crime Ms. Conway “chirped” Mr. Leerdam about the time they should’ve been in the cab looking for the hotel. While possible that they could’ve been playing as they drove around, it is curious that they would chirp each other on the way to commit a felony in the same vehicle. The prosecutor did say that it could’ve been the two talking to each other as they fanned out across the Holiday Inn, but it still didn’t add up. Points such as this could have been better argued if the defense co-counsels didn’t have to worry about implicating the co-defendant. When asked, Jennifer Bonjean detailed several other ways that the joint trial hurt both Wingate and Leerdam:

“I felt strongly that the trials should be severed. [Both men’s] defenses were limited by virtue of the fact that they were sitting next to each other. Speaking hypothetically, Mr. Wingate could have, he did not, but he could have tried to point the finger at Gina and Mr. Leerdam. But that would have been more easily done had they been severed. Similarly, we argued before the judge that we intended to present a defense which centered around third-party culpability, meaning that Gina Conway did this crime with somebody else. And that one of the possible people she could have done it with was Charly Wingate, or other persons associated with Charly Wingate. Ultimately, that was not necessarily the defenses’ pursuit but we didn’t want to be limited in our defense…but [the court] denied it and as I understand it, getting a case severed in New Jersey is pretty difficult.”


Another quirky aspect of the trial was that the prosecution’s entire case is based on a witness that is sketchy for more than one reason. As noted before, Ms. Conway loved her Ecstasy and her alcohol. She was drunk and high when the crime was committed and when she gave her statement to the police. At more than one point she testified that the intoxicants had clouded not only her memory but also her perception of events as they happened. For instance, she said on the stand that Mr. Leerdam threatened her with his gun and directed her to do things in the hotel. She had never before stated that she was under duress during the crime. Her testimony is seemingly riddled with enough inconsistencies to cast a shadow over everything she said under oath.

During Gerald Saluti’s cross-examination Ms. Conway stated that she did not commit the crime, despite the fact that she plead guilty and faced up to 18 years in prison. When asked who did the crime she pointed to the defense table and said, “They did." Saluti continued, reminding her that she signed a document saying she did commit the crimes and that what she signed and said in her statement was the truth. The truth didn’t matter much to her, as she explained repeatedly that the main reason she copped her plea was to avoid life in prison. She continued to hedge her bets throughout her testimony, claiming that the plea is “basically true” but that she signed it in an act of self-preservation.

When Giselle Nieves, the woman who was held captive along with “Jay” Plowden during the robbery, took the stand, she only added to the murkiness. At one point she testified that, in her opinion, Plowden had been in on the robbery from the beginning. She went on to state that he seemed unperturbed when Taylor was killed and was mostly concerned with his notorious “bag of money”. Of course, according to her own testimony, she herself was only in the room as part of a wholly unconnected scheme to rob Plowden and Taylor.



Neither Charly Wingate nor Kelvin Leerdam took the stand during the trial to explain the nature of their relationship with Ms. Conway, or offer an alibi.

The whereabouts of the duffel bag of cash David Taylor supposedly had in his own hotel room are not known. If indeed such a bag did exist.





Perhaps most surprising is that none of the many people involved in this convoluted Venn diagram of a case seems to have benefited at all from their respective schemes. As of this writing, Max and his stepbrother await sentencing later this month from inside a jail in northern Jersey. They continue to protest their innocence and say they will be filing appeals. Gina Conway also awaits sentencing, although having co-operated with the authorities as part of her guilty plea should ensure that she does significantly less than the 18-year maximum penalty that she copped out to. Since she has already done about three years inside and is being credited with time served, a lenient sentencing might mean that she would be out in 7-10 years. Attorney Gerald Saluti has spoken at length about his close relationship with Wingate and has vowed that he will not rest until he sees Max’s convictions overturned. Unfortunately for Saluti, the press has roundly criticized his actions before, during, and after the trial. As of press time we were unable to reach him or even determine if he was still employed with his last known firm. When we called the only number we could find, a woman would only tell us that she had been instructed to say that Mr. Saluti “no longer worked there". Allan Plowden is in Federal prison facing decades behind bars on a host of interstate fraud charges. Being that he is forty-four years old and there is no parole in the federal system, Allan may very well die inside. Jim Jones got his big shot as a solo artist on Columbia but without Max the album flopped hard, and he has not yet managed a hit single on par with “Ballin”. He still owns Max’s publishing but being that the permed rapper may never get out of jail and has dependents to support, Jim may be forced to sell it back at cost or run the risk of appearing to be taking food out of the mouth of Wingate’s newborn.



Most people seek to take advantage of their opportunities, everyone connected to this saga sought opportunities to take advantage. Each actor here established an interlocking web wherein they took turns playing and being played. Jim Jones has nothing to do with the murders in Jersey but his attempt to rise from middling independent artist to hip-hop mogul on par with Jay-Z and 50 Cent was greatly aided by the writing talents of Max B. Then, when Max sought Jim’s help in making bail, the Capo obliged by pulling off one of the rap industry’s more noteworthy shenanigans when he obtained Max’s publishing rights in return. This wasn’t all bad for Max, as this provided him with a soapbox from which to rail against Jim Jones, the very person who co-signed his entry into the music game. His feud with Jones raised his profile considerably, which in the end may help his dependents (assuming Jim ever gives up the publishing). Charly Wingate and Gina Conway in turn used one another for all they were worth. Max provided Gina a way out of the boondocks and the chance to live the life of a rapper’s girlfriend. That was fine with Charly, as Gina offered a ready supply of sex and pocket money. For Gina, opportunity knocked when she met Jay Plowden and his bottomless bag of cash. Taylor and Plowden took advantage of stolen identities and pocketed a lot of cash in the short run but they both paid a steep price in the end. The lawyer who presented Charly’s case, Gerald Saluti, also knew a good business opportunity when he saw one. Whether he was in YouTube videos outlining his defense strategy, announcing a new career as a hip-hop manager, or tweeting during trial; Saluti made sure everyone knew he was defending Mr. Wingate. As for Mattie Castro, Julio Cruz, and Eddie Blancaneaux, their case is still pending for a robbery they claim they never even got the opportunity to execute.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

X needs a exorcism

I can see the demons dwelling

Monday, August 24, 2009

OUTFORMATION





Prof Griff speaking on some things. Whether you believe it or not- interesting none the less.

NO IMAGES

Feeling a lil blah today.....totally not caring......I ate a beef hamburger for the first time in years(been eating turkey burgers) and I can say that it is adversely affecting my body and my mood. I'm on detox mode again after that. I thought it would be good to switch it up, but It's got my gut feeling heavy, my attitude like fuck everybody and it's got me stuck like I just smoked a blunt. Maybe all that with a feeling of....hhmmmmm, best way to describe it is hmmmm dunno, boredom perhaps.....I been on intense paper chase for the last few months.......I fell back off twitter, been creating with the fam, have a special gem of a person holding down the bed and am relatively healthy....MOOD SWINGS, yeah, Idunno.....aint been piffing and I know that chemical withdrawl, aint been sipping but don't miss it. Maybe just a time to be reflective......ahhhh there it is. Time to totally fall back off the web, skip the bullshit people are talking about and read a few books and come up with some additional hustles. I'm definitely in a better place than I was last year, but everybody go thru some form of nuerotic depression even when everything is going good. I'm blessed, not depressed just really feeling like "who cares"

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Sunday, August 16, 2009

for dem FB junkies

just to add on. You catching me on my Facebook Page is a rare thing.............I feel like that world is connected in it's own way and that's good, but at the same time.....meh

that said....peep this

BOCKLE YA SELVES



MAJOR LAZER!!!!!!! ZAP!!!!!!nu

Friday, August 14, 2009

new beginnings

Flash Forward
Photobucket
Re emerging is always a great blessing. The greatest people in the world have all at 1 time faced great adversity. The biggest difference between them and everyone else is that they took the opportunity to pick themselves up off of the ground after they fell. They took things in stride no matter how hard they stumbled. They took that stumble and made it into a flip.......Fall back Move forward. The whole premise to being a winner and great champion in everything you do is to move like one in all instances.....There are historically some defeats that are actually greater than victories. Here inside the depths of the circle, there has been some deep quality control going on. I'm one who strongly feels that when you get that instinct and vibe to go a different way, then you should heed it. I often get these vibes when I feel like the writing is on the wall. I like to move freely and to transition. As a youth I used to hate change. That inevitable change.......That shit had me going to different schools, going to different states and never being comfortable. I moved all throughout the tri state as a youth and went to various different schools(only got kicked out of 1 FTW) and experienced a lot of different cultures. At the time it felt like I would never settle, never meet 1 REAL chick and never have true PEOPLES.....

The gem was that little did I know, that all of the moving around I was doing was grooming me to be able to adapt and to also renew myself. I always had to stay sharp. I also learned that no matter what and no matter where, 1 rule never changed and that was your respect has to be earned from day one. That REAL Respect, not that sociable,network,political,transparent,cordial respect. It's times I look back at all of that shit and see that this game is basic. I also know that when I start feeling like I'm comfortable, I know that I can do MORE. Once you start getting to that point, you know it's on. Rest your brain, that's necessary too. I been re evaluating and working so hard that I feel like I'm back on grind mode........time to update again. Some folk are cool with complacency and that's good. Change is good as well tho. Continue Evolving.

Easy Stars.......