Posted Jun 25th 2009 4:00PM by TMZ Staff
We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50. Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived. A cardiologist at UCLA tells TMZ Jackson died of cardiac arrest.Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.A source inside the hospital told us there was "absolute chaos" after Jackson arrived. People who were with the singer were screaming, "You've got to save him! You've got to save him!"We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.
Click--http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
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Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Cooking Tips for Heartburn-Friendly Meals
Having heartburn doesn’t mean you have to give up eating well
By Peter JaretWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
Cooking for family gatherings at my house is a little like trying to negotiate an international truce. My father says garlic and onions give him heartburn. My brother-in-law won’t touch anything with tomato sauce. He says it gives him heartburn. And after years of priding myself on having a cast iron stomach, I’ve begun to have problems after very spicy meals. That’s right. They give me heartburn.
What’s an avid home cook to do? The challenge is all the more difficult because there’s no single food or type of food that can be labeled “heartburn food.”
Some people get heartburn, a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), from citrus. Others have trouble after drinking alcohol or caffeinated coffee. Even chocolate can cause heartburn for some people.
And a particular ingredient that bothers someone after one meal may cause no problems at all after another. Still, a few tips can help you serve up a healthy, hearty, heartburn-friendly meal that won’t leave your family and friends suffering afterwards.
Heartburn-Friendly Meals: Avoid the Top Offenders
By Peter JaretWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
Cooking for family gatherings at my house is a little like trying to negotiate an international truce. My father says garlic and onions give him heartburn. My brother-in-law won’t touch anything with tomato sauce. He says it gives him heartburn. And after years of priding myself on having a cast iron stomach, I’ve begun to have problems after very spicy meals. That’s right. They give me heartburn.
What’s an avid home cook to do? The challenge is all the more difficult because there’s no single food or type of food that can be labeled “heartburn food.”
Some people get heartburn, a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), from citrus. Others have trouble after drinking alcohol or caffeinated coffee. Even chocolate can cause heartburn for some people.
And a particular ingredient that bothers someone after one meal may cause no problems at all after another. Still, a few tips can help you serve up a healthy, hearty, heartburn-friendly meal that won’t leave your family and friends suffering afterwards.
Heartburn-Friendly Meals: Avoid the Top Offenders
The list of heartburn-inducing foods is long. But some ingredients stand out as frequent heartburn triggers. These include tomatoes and tomato-based sauces, citrus, chocolate, and mint. If someone in your household suffers from acid reflux, try avoiding these items. Then watch to see if doing so provides heartburn relief. Some alternatives:
At breakfast, serve apple, pineapple, or other non-citrus juices.
Offer tea as an alternative to coffee.
Check out recipes for no-tomato casseroles, lasagna, homemade pizzas, and other main courses. For example, pesto or olive oil combined with parsley and garlic makes a great pasta sauce.
For desserts, serve fruit slices or cooling fruit ices instead of chocolate-rich items.
Heartburn-Friendly Meals: Lighten Up
“Fatty foods can increase the risk of heartburn because they take longer to digest, lingering in the stomach and putting more upward pressure on the valve that leads up to the esophagus,” says dietitian Elaine Magee, MPH, RD. Magee is author of Tell Me What to Eat If I Have Acid Reflux. Her advice?
Bake or broil foods instead of frying them.
In recipes that include cream, try substituting low-fat yogurt.
In casseroles and stir-fries, cut back on the meat portions and add more vegetables.
Include whole grains such as brown rice or quinoa in place of refined grains. The added fiber is healthy in its own right and can make a meal more filling with less fat and fewer calories.
Heartburn-Friendly Meals: Trim Down Portion Sizes
Perhaps the most effective way of preventing heartburn is to limit portion size. “The bigger the meal, the greater the risk of reflux,” says Yale University gastroenterologist Anish Sheth, MD. It’s easy for portion sizes to creep up in the kitchen. Magee advises:
Use measuring cups to limit how much you cook.
Dine on smaller plates so that less still looks like a lot.
Go for intensity over quantity. For example, if you love chocolate -- frequently cited as a heartburn trigger -- enjoy a small square of dark chocolate instead of a big chocolaty dessert.
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Lakers Back Atop the Mountain
By Michael LeeWashington Post Staff Writer Monday, June 15, 2009
ORLANDO, June 14 -- It had been seven years since Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson had been fitted for championship rings, a drought that seemed even longer given the arduous road for the Los Angeles Lakers since Shaquille O'Neal steamrolled through the New Jersey Nets in 2002. O'Neal left. Jackson left and came back. Bryant thought about leaving, stayed, demanded a trade, but still stayed.
But while Bryant expressed his hunger for a fourth title with a clench-jawed glare this season, Jackson maintained the calm, cool demeanor that brought him nine championships. No matter their approaches while leading the Lakers back to the top, it led to the same gratifying result. With a 99-86 victory against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night at Amway Arena, the Lakers won the NBA Finals in five games and added a 15th championship banner to a storied franchise that has stayed relevant through the days of George Mikan, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal and Bryant, and now Bryant.
After stumbling his past two trips to the Finals against Detroit and Boston, Jackson finally broke his tie with Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach now has 10 championships -- which is more than 28 other NBA franchises.
Bryant, the Finals MVP, led the Lakers with 30 points and won his first ring without O'Neal. When the game and the series appeared to be in his grasp with less than two minutes remaining, Bryant couldn't contain his joy as he anxiously rocked and smiled on the bench during a timeout.
But Bryant didn't do it alone. He needed some help all series from two players who got the blame for the Lakers' loss to Boston last June (Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom); an old backcourt mate for 10 of his 13 years in the league (Derek Fisher); and a Los Angeles native who grew up idolizing him (Trevor Ariza).
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com/
ORLANDO, June 14 -- It had been seven years since Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson had been fitted for championship rings, a drought that seemed even longer given the arduous road for the Los Angeles Lakers since Shaquille O'Neal steamrolled through the New Jersey Nets in 2002. O'Neal left. Jackson left and came back. Bryant thought about leaving, stayed, demanded a trade, but still stayed.
But while Bryant expressed his hunger for a fourth title with a clench-jawed glare this season, Jackson maintained the calm, cool demeanor that brought him nine championships. No matter their approaches while leading the Lakers back to the top, it led to the same gratifying result. With a 99-86 victory against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night at Amway Arena, the Lakers won the NBA Finals in five games and added a 15th championship banner to a storied franchise that has stayed relevant through the days of George Mikan, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal and Bryant, and now Bryant.
After stumbling his past two trips to the Finals against Detroit and Boston, Jackson finally broke his tie with Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach now has 10 championships -- which is more than 28 other NBA franchises.
Bryant, the Finals MVP, led the Lakers with 30 points and won his first ring without O'Neal. When the game and the series appeared to be in his grasp with less than two minutes remaining, Bryant couldn't contain his joy as he anxiously rocked and smiled on the bench during a timeout.
But Bryant didn't do it alone. He needed some help all series from two players who got the blame for the Lakers' loss to Boston last June (Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom); an old backcourt mate for 10 of his 13 years in the league (Derek Fisher); and a Los Angeles native who grew up idolizing him (Trevor Ariza).
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 08, 2009
Republicans Regain Control of New York State Senate
ALBANY — The Democrats’ tenuous control of the New York State Senate abruptly collapsed on Monday, throwing the Legislature into chaos with just two weeks remaining in its session.
Two dissident Democrats, who had been secretly strategizing with Republicans for weeks, bucked their party’s leaders and joined with 30 Republican senators to form what they said would be a bipartisan power-sharing deal. But the arrangement effectively re-establishes Republican control.
The change upends the agenda in Albany, where Democrats had assumed power in the Senate in January, with 32 seats, after more than 40 years in the minority. Democrats were pushing bills to give tenants more rights, strengthen abortion rights and legalize same-sex marriage this session. And the move underscores the continuing tumult of New York politics, where there have been three governors in less than three years and four Senate presidents since last summer.
Democratic leaders were caught off guard as the Republicans and the two Democratic dissidents, Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens, moved to topple them, and at one point became so flustered that they turned out the lights in the Senate chamber to try to prevent Republicans from installing new leaders.
Asked by a reporter what was occurring, Senator Malcolm A. Smith, leader of the Senate Democrats who was huddled in the hall with his staff, responded, “I’m trying to find out right now.”
A spokesman for Mr. Smith, who lost the titles of majority leader and Senate president in the shakeup, issued a statement later saying that Democrats would challenge the vote, but it was not clear that they had grounds to do so.
Gov. David A. Paterson, at a news conference Monday evening, called the move “an outrage” and said Albany had become a “dysfunctional wreck.”
The governor also said “I will not allow this,” but then conceded that there was nothing he could do to stop it.
The toppling of Democratic control unfolded in swift and dramatic fashion shortly after 3 p.m. as senators gathered in the lofty oaken chamber for what seemed like small-bore legislative action on an uneventful afternoon.
Then, Senator Tom Libous, a Binghamton Republican, offered a resolution to reorganize the Senate leadership, a parliamentary maneuver that captured the entire Capitol’s attention. Within minutes, reporters, staff members and Assembly members rushed to the Senate, crowding the chamber floor.
Democrats tried to stall the move, storming from the chamber and turning out the lights, but the Republicans continued the session as the two Democrats joined with them to elect new leaders.
Quickly and without a numerical majority, Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican, reclaimed the title of Senate majority leader. Mr. Espada was made Senate president.
Both Mr. Espada and Mr. Monserrate said they would remain Democrats even as they work with Republicans to run the Senate.
Both men have legal troubles. Highlighting the often elastic nature of ethical stands and alliances in Albany, Republicans who earlier this year were calling on Mr. Monserrate to resign after his indictment on felony charges that he stabbed his companion with a broken glass are now welcoming him as part of their power-sharing coalition.
Asked about the reversal, Mr. Skelos said, “He’s an elected member, and the reforms are more important.”
Mr. Espada has been fined tens of thousands of dollars over several years for flouting state law by not disclosing political contributions.
The state attorney general’s office is also investigating the Soundview HealthCare Network, a nonprofit organization that Mr. Espada ran until recently.
The new leadership structure means that Mr. Espada would become governor if Gov. David Paterson were incapacitated.
Mr. Espada, who is the first Latino Senate president, called his ascension “a sobering moment.” He predicted that other Democrats would decide to join the coalition, saying there is broad frustration with Mr. Smith’s leadership.
“Frustration was obviously building,” he said later, in an interview. “There was little prospect for change on a number of fronts. We experienced five months of the budget process and the absolute lack of transparency and the hypocrisy, and the rhetoric grew too much for me.”
But money also played a part. Mr. Espada said he was angered that a top aide to Mr. Smith had threatened to hold up his legislative earmarks, known as member items.
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com/
Two dissident Democrats, who had been secretly strategizing with Republicans for weeks, bucked their party’s leaders and joined with 30 Republican senators to form what they said would be a bipartisan power-sharing deal. But the arrangement effectively re-establishes Republican control.
The change upends the agenda in Albany, where Democrats had assumed power in the Senate in January, with 32 seats, after more than 40 years in the minority. Democrats were pushing bills to give tenants more rights, strengthen abortion rights and legalize same-sex marriage this session. And the move underscores the continuing tumult of New York politics, where there have been three governors in less than three years and four Senate presidents since last summer.
Democratic leaders were caught off guard as the Republicans and the two Democratic dissidents, Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens, moved to topple them, and at one point became so flustered that they turned out the lights in the Senate chamber to try to prevent Republicans from installing new leaders.
Asked by a reporter what was occurring, Senator Malcolm A. Smith, leader of the Senate Democrats who was huddled in the hall with his staff, responded, “I’m trying to find out right now.”
A spokesman for Mr. Smith, who lost the titles of majority leader and Senate president in the shakeup, issued a statement later saying that Democrats would challenge the vote, but it was not clear that they had grounds to do so.
Gov. David A. Paterson, at a news conference Monday evening, called the move “an outrage” and said Albany had become a “dysfunctional wreck.”
The governor also said “I will not allow this,” but then conceded that there was nothing he could do to stop it.
The toppling of Democratic control unfolded in swift and dramatic fashion shortly after 3 p.m. as senators gathered in the lofty oaken chamber for what seemed like small-bore legislative action on an uneventful afternoon.
Then, Senator Tom Libous, a Binghamton Republican, offered a resolution to reorganize the Senate leadership, a parliamentary maneuver that captured the entire Capitol’s attention. Within minutes, reporters, staff members and Assembly members rushed to the Senate, crowding the chamber floor.
Democrats tried to stall the move, storming from the chamber and turning out the lights, but the Republicans continued the session as the two Democrats joined with them to elect new leaders.
Quickly and without a numerical majority, Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican, reclaimed the title of Senate majority leader. Mr. Espada was made Senate president.
Both Mr. Espada and Mr. Monserrate said they would remain Democrats even as they work with Republicans to run the Senate.
Both men have legal troubles. Highlighting the often elastic nature of ethical stands and alliances in Albany, Republicans who earlier this year were calling on Mr. Monserrate to resign after his indictment on felony charges that he stabbed his companion with a broken glass are now welcoming him as part of their power-sharing coalition.
Asked about the reversal, Mr. Skelos said, “He’s an elected member, and the reforms are more important.”
Mr. Espada has been fined tens of thousands of dollars over several years for flouting state law by not disclosing political contributions.
The state attorney general’s office is also investigating the Soundview HealthCare Network, a nonprofit organization that Mr. Espada ran until recently.
The new leadership structure means that Mr. Espada would become governor if Gov. David Paterson were incapacitated.
Mr. Espada, who is the first Latino Senate president, called his ascension “a sobering moment.” He predicted that other Democrats would decide to join the coalition, saying there is broad frustration with Mr. Smith’s leadership.
“Frustration was obviously building,” he said later, in an interview. “There was little prospect for change on a number of fronts. We experienced five months of the budget process and the absolute lack of transparency and the hypocrisy, and the rhetoric grew too much for me.”
But money also played a part. Mr. Espada said he was angered that a top aide to Mr. Smith had threatened to hold up his legislative earmarks, known as member items.
See---http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com/
Friday, June 05, 2009
Mideast Leaders Impressed, Waiting for Action on Obama Speech
By Reena Ninan
Middle East leaders waited with great expectation to hear what President Obama would say in his address to the Muslim world on Thursday. Now they're eager to see him act on his words.
"Obama was charismatic and convinced the Arab world he is with us," said Essam El-Erian, head of Egypt's Islamist opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood. "It's a good start, but we're waiting for action on the ground, like closing Guantanamo, withdrawal from Iraq and ending the war in Afghanistan."
Click here for video.
Yet one of the main thrusts of Obama's speech was the need to first settle disputes in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Obama called for an end to Israeli settlement development in the West Bank.
"Now the ball is in the Israeli court," said Amr Mousa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, in an interview with FOX News. Moussa said it is time for Israel to advance peace efforts.
"If they want to play ball with us, with Europe, with America, with the whole world, they have to come up with something serious, not something that is just peanuts. They need to stop settlements."
The Israeli government, for its part, released a statement hours after the speech highlighting Obama's insistence that Arab states recognize Israel's right to exist.
"We share President Obama's hope that the American effort heralds the beginning of a new era that will bring about an end to the conflict and lead to Arab recognition of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, living in peace and security in the Middle East," read the statement.
Middle East analysts are now looking to see if Obama's words or actions will make any difference in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Another closely watched speech delivered four years ago by an American leader in Cairo made waves in the Middle East and called for democracy in the region — but those good intentions may have backfired.
In June 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a landmark address at The American University in Cairo criticizing Egypt's authoritarian government and pressing for democracy in the Middle East. Seven months later, Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the State Department, rose to power in Gaza through democratic elections.
Video
Waiting for Action
Despite Obama's outreach to the group during his speech, a spokesman for Hamas in Gaza said they were not pleased and expected the president to seek penance for American foreign policy.
"We're disappointed that Obama didn't apologize for American policy in Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sudan," Hamas spokesman Fouzi Barhoum said in an interview with FOX News. "There should also be more pressure on Israel to accept Palestinian rights."
But the crowd's response to Obama was sometimes rapturous. The president quoted lines from the Koran three times, and elicited a shout of "I Love You, Obama" from one man in the crowd.
Missing from the speech was any call for Iran to stop its nuclear program. Obama said that "we have reached a decisive point" on the question of nuclear weapons, but defended the Islamic republic's right to pursue a civilian nuclear energy program.
But even before Obama delivered his address, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that speeches would not be enough to repair relations with the Muslim world.
"The nations in the region hate the United States from the bottom of their hearts because they have seen violence, military intervention and discrimination," Khamenei said.
Only actions will be able to change that hatred — not words and slogans, he said
From Foxnews.com
Middle East leaders waited with great expectation to hear what President Obama would say in his address to the Muslim world on Thursday. Now they're eager to see him act on his words.
"Obama was charismatic and convinced the Arab world he is with us," said Essam El-Erian, head of Egypt's Islamist opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood. "It's a good start, but we're waiting for action on the ground, like closing Guantanamo, withdrawal from Iraq and ending the war in Afghanistan."
Click here for video.
Yet one of the main thrusts of Obama's speech was the need to first settle disputes in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Obama called for an end to Israeli settlement development in the West Bank.
"Now the ball is in the Israeli court," said Amr Mousa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, in an interview with FOX News. Moussa said it is time for Israel to advance peace efforts.
"If they want to play ball with us, with Europe, with America, with the whole world, they have to come up with something serious, not something that is just peanuts. They need to stop settlements."
The Israeli government, for its part, released a statement hours after the speech highlighting Obama's insistence that Arab states recognize Israel's right to exist.
"We share President Obama's hope that the American effort heralds the beginning of a new era that will bring about an end to the conflict and lead to Arab recognition of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, living in peace and security in the Middle East," read the statement.
Middle East analysts are now looking to see if Obama's words or actions will make any difference in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Another closely watched speech delivered four years ago by an American leader in Cairo made waves in the Middle East and called for democracy in the region — but those good intentions may have backfired.
In June 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a landmark address at The American University in Cairo criticizing Egypt's authoritarian government and pressing for democracy in the Middle East. Seven months later, Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the State Department, rose to power in Gaza through democratic elections.
Video
Waiting for Action
Despite Obama's outreach to the group during his speech, a spokesman for Hamas in Gaza said they were not pleased and expected the president to seek penance for American foreign policy.
"We're disappointed that Obama didn't apologize for American policy in Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sudan," Hamas spokesman Fouzi Barhoum said in an interview with FOX News. "There should also be more pressure on Israel to accept Palestinian rights."
But the crowd's response to Obama was sometimes rapturous. The president quoted lines from the Koran three times, and elicited a shout of "I Love You, Obama" from one man in the crowd.
Missing from the speech was any call for Iran to stop its nuclear program. Obama said that "we have reached a decisive point" on the question of nuclear weapons, but defended the Islamic republic's right to pursue a civilian nuclear energy program.
But even before Obama delivered his address, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that speeches would not be enough to repair relations with the Muslim world.
"The nations in the region hate the United States from the bottom of their hearts because they have seen violence, military intervention and discrimination," Khamenei said.
Only actions will be able to change that hatred — not words and slogans, he said
From Foxnews.com
Guns and drugs? Some rappers inflate hustler image
Fri Jun 5, 2009 3:05am EDT
By Christine Kearney
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rick Ross sold hit albums rapping about selling crack cocaine but a revelation that he once worked as a prison guard threatened to end his career.
For a rapper cultivating a bad-boy image, a uniform put him on the wrong side of the law.
U.S. rappers often sell songs about drugs and guns based on "real-life" stories, but increasingly some of those stories are being exposed as embellishments aimed at helping them build successful careers, experts say.
"Some of the stories are fabricated and some of it is reality, and what they are doing is mixing the two," music executive Devyne Stephens said. "When you say you shot and killed somebody and you put it on a CD, nine times out of 10, you really didn't shoot and kill anybody."
Ross is a bearded, burly Miami rapper who brags of a cash-fueled, drug-boss life. His real name is William Leonard Roberts II but he takes his stage name from a drug trafficker.
So he was publicly humiliated when pictures surfaced of him last year through The Smoking Gun website looking clean-cut in a correctional officer's uniform.
Ross at first denied his past, then admitted it but maintained his drug-dealing tales of the street were true.
His third album, released in April and featuring titles such as "Rich off Cocaine," still sold well.
HUSTLING TO ST. TROPEZ
Stephens, who has been hailed as an image branding king and has worked with artists including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Nelly, said many rappers mix lines in their songs that aren't literally true but draw from real experiences or stories they have heard.
He says "probably 85 per cent" of rappers embellish stories in songs and calls the current trend "reality music" which, like reality television, is something of a misnomer.
Stephens helped groom another successful U.S. rapper, Akon, who has had hits like "Locked Up" and "Ghetto." Akon was ridiculed last year and accused of dramatically enhancing claims of belonging to a car theft ring and having served prison time.
The new crop of rappers want to emulate the success of rappers-turned-moguls like former New York drug dealers Jay-Z and 50 Cent, who both sold albums based on their transformations from street hustling to popping champagne.
"You formulate that story to make it just as interesting as the Jay-Z story," Stephens said, describing an outline of: "I am a hustler, I came from nothing and turned it into something and now I am on yachts in St. Tropez."
Jay-Z, married to superstar Beyonce Knowles, is now one of the world's wealthiest musicians, having signed a deal reportedly worth $150 million with concert promoter Live Nation.
By Christine Kearney
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rick Ross sold hit albums rapping about selling crack cocaine but a revelation that he once worked as a prison guard threatened to end his career.
For a rapper cultivating a bad-boy image, a uniform put him on the wrong side of the law.
U.S. rappers often sell songs about drugs and guns based on "real-life" stories, but increasingly some of those stories are being exposed as embellishments aimed at helping them build successful careers, experts say.
"Some of the stories are fabricated and some of it is reality, and what they are doing is mixing the two," music executive Devyne Stephens said. "When you say you shot and killed somebody and you put it on a CD, nine times out of 10, you really didn't shoot and kill anybody."
Ross is a bearded, burly Miami rapper who brags of a cash-fueled, drug-boss life. His real name is William Leonard Roberts II but he takes his stage name from a drug trafficker.
So he was publicly humiliated when pictures surfaced of him last year through The Smoking Gun website looking clean-cut in a correctional officer's uniform.
Ross at first denied his past, then admitted it but maintained his drug-dealing tales of the street were true.
His third album, released in April and featuring titles such as "Rich off Cocaine," still sold well.
HUSTLING TO ST. TROPEZ
Stephens, who has been hailed as an image branding king and has worked with artists including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Nelly, said many rappers mix lines in their songs that aren't literally true but draw from real experiences or stories they have heard.
He says "probably 85 per cent" of rappers embellish stories in songs and calls the current trend "reality music" which, like reality television, is something of a misnomer.
Stephens helped groom another successful U.S. rapper, Akon, who has had hits like "Locked Up" and "Ghetto." Akon was ridiculed last year and accused of dramatically enhancing claims of belonging to a car theft ring and having served prison time.
The new crop of rappers want to emulate the success of rappers-turned-moguls like former New York drug dealers Jay-Z and 50 Cent, who both sold albums based on their transformations from street hustling to popping champagne.
"You formulate that story to make it just as interesting as the Jay-Z story," Stephens said, describing an outline of: "I am a hustler, I came from nothing and turned it into something and now I am on yachts in St. Tropez."
Jay-Z, married to superstar Beyonce Knowles, is now one of the world's wealthiest musicians, having signed a deal reportedly worth $150 million with concert promoter Live Nation.
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