C-MURDER OFFERS TO BECOME REMY MA'S PRISON PEN PAL/MENTOR.

Rapper C-Murder has offered to help Remy Ma cope with jail life after her partner Papoose approached him for advice. The New Orleans, Louisiana star is currently under house arrest - awaiting a retrial - after a life sentence for second-degree murder was overturned in 2006. And he's using the time between jail and court to mentor other rap stars who have been incarcerated. He says, "Papoose had a lot of questions about Remy's situation, so any kind of way I can help, even if it's just words and advice, that's what it is." C- Murder, real name Corey Miller, admits he's a little concerned that so many of his peers have been locked up in the past two years. He tells XXL magazine, "It seem like we targets (sic). Everybody blames hip-hop for all the problems in the world, so whenever a situation happen with a hip-hop artist, they gon' make it seem so drastic. "They judge a book by its cover, off top. And definitely with the rap game, they feel like we out there thuggin', wildin' out, and that ain't really what we about. We don't want to be put in these situations, but once we there, we just gotta deal with 'em."

Remy Ma, real name Remi Smith, was sentenced to serve eight years behind bars earlier this year (May08) after she was found guilty on weapons and assault charges. The 26-year-old hip-hop star shot Makeda Barnes Joseph in the abdomen last year (07). She is awaiting an appeal.

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REAL OR RUMOR: DA BRAT TO SERVE 3 YEARS IN THE SLAMMER ON AN AGGRAVATED ASSAULT CHARGE.

While LisaRaye is traveling from city to city living it up in clubs, taking shots to the head (which some would consider unbecoming of a First Lady) with the likes of Lil Kim, Queen Pen, Missy Elliott and Gabrielle Union, and waiting for the day when she can throw her cheating hubby and his alleged mistress under the bus, her half-sister, rapper Da Brat could be walking in the same footsteps as fellow rappers Foxy Brown and Remy Ma. Word around the web is that the washed up rapper from Chicago has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors to serve three years behind bars due to an assault charge she picked up after knocking a cocktail waitress out cold for bumping into her at Jermaine Dupri's costume party last Halloween. Da Brat, real name Shawntae Harris, got into fisticuffs with the waitress and by the end of the night and after a bunch of shoves, pushes and windmill shenanigans, Da Brat had clocked the waitress in the face with a champagne bottle.

Since the incident Da Brat has been out on bail and will allegedly turn herself in to law authorities by the end of this week. But considering Brat's 'preferences,' could this really be considered as punishment?

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REMY MA MAKES MOVES BEHIND BARS IN ORDER TO WIN APPEAL .

Rapper Remy Ma has been busting her ass behind bars in an effort to obtain a 'get out of jail' free card. According to eurweb.com, Remy has hired lawyer William “Billy” Murphy, Jr. to handle her appeal on charges of assault, illegal weapons possession and attempted coercion. Murphy's name first made headlines when he successfully defended fight promoter Don King on federal charges that he defrauded Lloyd’s of London. Recently, he reversed a $1.6 million verdict against rapper DMX and secured a civil judgment of $35 million for former Ravens Defensive End Michael McCrary. “With the addition of Mr. Murphy, Ravenell, and Levitt, I now believe I have assembled a team that will have the might and expertise to tell my side of the story,” stated Remy Ma, according to Allhiphop.com. “I am confident that after hearing everything my side will prevail. Mr. Murphy comes highly recommended and I am pleased that he has agreed to lead my defense team.”

Murphy is a senior partner in the Murphy Firm and represents DMX, Redman, Mary J. Blige, and Missy Elliott. “We are pleased to handle Remy Ma’s appeal,” Murphy explained to AllHipHop.com. “We are confident that when we present all the facts, the public for the first time will get a true picture of what actually happened; and Remy will be vindicated.” Remy Ma is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in Westchester County, New York.
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REMY GETS 8 YEARS IN PRISON; PAPOOSE TELLS JAIL OFFICALS TO LOCK HIM UP; REMY TELLS JUDGE, 'I'M NOT A THUG, I'M NOT A HARDCORE ANYTHING.'

Tuesday (May 13) was a rough day for Remy Ma. One day after her planned jailhouse nuptials to fellow rapper Papoose were called off due to a misunderstanding about an alleged skeleton key Pap was wearing when he showed up at Rikers Island prison, the MC was sentenced to eight years in prison. According to Remy Ma's lawyer, Ivan Fisher, the New York Supreme Court sentenced her to eight years in prison on Tuesday for charges of assault, weapons possession and attempted coercion. Fisher said the prosecution had originally requested a 13-year sentence — less than the max of 25 years she was facing — but the judge in the case gave the rapper eight years, which Fisher plans to appeal very soon. Though he couldn't say for sure, Fisher said it's possible the judge in the case was swayed by an emotional address Ma gave the court during the proceeding, during which she addressed the victim directly. "Remy Ma spoke to the court and movingly spoke to the victim, who was in court, to share with her how sorrowful she was about what happened to her," Fisher said. "It was an extremely moving moment, where she expressed how badly she felt about the tragedy of being shot and that she was very, very sorry it happened to Makeda."

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Smith, 26, begged the judge for leniency for the sake of "my little boy," saying she grew up "surrounded by failure, violence and poverty," but "made something out of nothing" from her life. The rapper burst into tears as the sentence was read, and Fisher described her state as "benumbed," "very emotional" and "sobbing." According to xxlmag.com, Remy also told the judge, "I'm not a thug. ... I'm not a hard-core anything, I have feelings. I'm a wife, mother, daughter, big sister." The site also reported that supporters of the rapper were in the courtroom wearing red-and-white T-shirts that read, "Free Remy."

After the sentence was handed down, The Associated Press reported that Papoose screamed, "All you want is money!" in the hallway outside the courtroom, seemingly addressing Barnes-Joseph, whose civil suit against the Grammy-nominated Ma has been dropped but could be refiled in the future. Barnes-Joseph was in the courtroom for the sentencing, but was not in the hallway when Papoose began shouting, the AP reported. As he was escorted out of the courthouse by court officers, Papoose reportedly added, "Lock me up! Lock me up!"

Fisher denied that the key Papoose wore to the prison over the weekend could unlock handcuffs, as was widely reported. "I don't know much about it," he said, "but I know that if the corrections folks thought this was a key used to open their handcuffs, I doubt very much that they would have released Papoose." The lawyer added that the two still plan to wed, but maybe not until Ma is transferred to an upstate prison.

On March 27, Remy Ma (born Reminisce Smith), 26, was found guilty of two charges of assault, in connection with an argument she had with a friend, Makeda Barnes-Joseph, last July, during which Barnes-Joseph was shot two times while the two women struggled in a car.

SOURCES: MTV.com, The Associated Press

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*UPDATED* REMY MA'S JAILHOUSE WEDDING CALLED OFF DUE TO PAPOOSE SMUGGLING IN A HANDCUFF KEY; PAPOOSE BANNED FROM RIKERS FOR 6 MONTHS.

First of all, let me say that I refuse to believe a man could be stupid enough to believe he could actually pull off something like this. To think you could break your fiancee out of Rikers is beyond dumb. Moving on....Rapper Remy Ma's wedding has been called off after her husband-to-be was caught by prison officials smuggling in what appeared to be a handcuff key. Seriously? "A wedding was scheduled today and a visitor to that wedding service was found to be in possession of jail contraband so the wedding was canceled," a corrections official told the New York Daily News. "The key that was found today easily opened handcuffs that we and other law enforcement officials use," the official said. The Brooklyn-born Papoose - real name Shamele Mackie - won't be able to see his finance now until November. "The visitor was sanctioned by not being able to visit Rikers Island again for 6 months," the official said. "He was asked to leave." So was Papoose trying break his rap queen, whose real name is Remy Smith, out of the joint? Neither his or her camp were saying - but she has every reason to be eager to break loose. The 26-year-old Terror Squad rap princess faces up to 25 years at her sentencing Tuesday for shooting her friend Makeda Barnes-Joseph in the stomach last July in the Meatpacking District.

Papoose was not charged after he voluntarily surrendered the key to authorities. He was quickly ushered out of the jail and never made it to the Rose M. Singer chapel where the two were set to say their "I dos."

Now, I know I ain't the only person who laughed out loud after reading the aforementioned foolishness.

SOURCE: The New York Daily News.

According to Gothamist.com, rappers Remy Ma and Papoose are finally tying the knot today at a ceremony on the exclusive Rikers Island. Papoose, who recently duped the Bed-Stuy volunteer EMTs for his video, has been planning the big day as his lady resides behind bars. This would have made for a fantastic hour of reality television had they filmed the process for Bridezillas, considering on just an average night out Remy Ma shot her friend in the stomach. Since no reality television deal came through, The NY Times has a piece on what it's like to get married on Rikers Island:

The long walk to the Rose M. Singer chapel on Rikers Island starts after the wedding party passes through metal detectors.

When the bride and groom reach the altar, the chapel doors are locked behind them.

Both Remy and Pap will reportedly each be allowed two guests at the jailhouse ceremony.

Marriage vows are uttered in a windowless room with cinder-block walls.

The couple have permission for nothing more than a kiss after the pastor declares them husband and wife.

“Once you say ‘I do,’ he is going his way and you are going your way,” said the Rev. David Staton. “They are not going home together.”

As bleak as it sounds, weddings on Rikers are common; there were 180 last year alone -- though unlike Remy Ma's case, it's the groom that's usually incarcerated. Some other fun facts should you be considering a destination wedding on Rikers: The Department of Corrections sets your date, no flowers, no wedding cake and no photography allowed, a gown can be brought in but the ceremony is so brief that some just wear jail-issued jumpsuits. That's a stress-free wedding right there, especially when The NY Post (see photo above) takes care of your invites. Will the happy couple procreate? There's no getting pregnant on the Island (conjugal visits aren't allowed), however, once married "the couples can apply for a chance for time alone if the incarcerated spouse is moved to one of the state prisons that allow such visits."

Remy Ma is currently awaiting her May 13th sentencing after being convicted of shooting Makeda Barnes-Joseph in the Meatpacking District last year.

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REMY MA SPEAKS FROM JAIL: 'AIN'T NOTHING CHANGED BECAUSE I'M ON THE ISLAND....I'M STILL THE QUEEN OF NEW YORK.'

“Ya’ll already know, May 13 I’m in court. I need ya’ll to come out there and support. Just because 12 people say something, who weren't there, does not mean nothing. I'm not even mad at people. I'm mad at money or what lack of does to people. It's really sad. Ain't nothing changed, because I'm on the Island... (I'm) still the Queen of NY. Don't be mistaken about a jury that was not my peers. There was no tan (or) dark brown, Black - nothing - on that jury. It's a whole conspiracy against rappers right now so I already knew what it was."

--Imprisoned rapper Remy Ma in an interview with DJ Kay Slay from (Rikers Island) on why she expected the jury to return a guilty verdict, claiming they were biased against her skin color and chosen career path. The rapper, who is currently being locked down for 23 hours a day until her sentencing on May 13, 2008, faces up to 25 years behind bars after being convicted of shooting acquaintance Makeda Barnes Joseph in the abdomen following an argument over money outside a club in New York City.

Listen to entire interview by clicking HERE.

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NEW YORK JUDGE WANTS FOXY BACK IN JAIL; ISSUES ARREST WARRANT ON RAPPER FOR FAILURE TO APPEAR AT COURT HEARING.

I knew it was a matter of time before I'd be able to use the picture on the left (Thanks RoyaleWithCheese!). I also knew Foxy Brown won't be satisfied until she's back at Rikers Island bunking with Remy Ma. A New York judge has issued a warrant for rapper Brown's arrest, after she failed to turn up to court to face allegations of assault, in relation to an incident last year. The emcee, real name Inga Marchand, is accused of hitting 25-year-old Arlene Raymond with her Blackberry cell phone in Brooklyn on July 30, 2007, when a heated argument between the two got out of hand. Raymond was taken to Brooklyn Hospital following the incident, and was treated for loose teeth and swelling around her lip and right eye. Brown was subsequently charged with felony assault, menacing, harassment and criminal possession of a weapon when she turned herself into police. She was released on bail and pleaded not guilty to the counts in October (2007). But Brown failed to show for her latest court date at Brooklyn Criminal Court today (Monday, 5.5.2008), and, as a result, a judge has called for the star's arrest. Brown's own defense attorney admitted he didn't know of her whereabouts and had not heard from her recently.

Meanwhile, Raymond has filed suit against Brown for unspecified damages connected to the alleged assault. The hip-hop star was recently (April 2008) released from New York's Riker's Island Prison after serving eight months of a 12-month sentence for probation violations.
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PIC: REMY MA'S (JAILHOUSE) WEDDING INVITATION.

(CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE)

Since we may never see images of how beautiful of a bride Beyonce was on her wedding day, here's a spoofed picture of what rapper Remy Ma's--currently behind bars on Rikers Island while she awaits sentencing (April 23rd) on two counts of assault for shooting a former friend at an afterparty--wedding invitation....and what she may look like on her wedding day when she marries her fiancé and fellow Brooklyn rapper, Papoose, behind bars later this month. Remy and her hubby-to-be, initially made plans to become husband and wife on April 27th aboard a yacht. According Newsweek, about 200 weddings are performed each year at Rikers Island, which offers chaplains and chapels, said city Department of Correction spokesman Stephen Morello. Still, the rappers' nuptials will reflect the setting in some ways. Only two guests will be permitted, and the couple won't be allowed to wear rings with protruding gems.

In all seriousness though, Remy's charges stem from an incident last July when the rapper and Makeda Barnes-Joseph argued after leaving a mutual acquaintance's birthday party. Remy Ma (real name: Reminisce Smith) alleged Barnes-Joseph stole several thousand dollars from her purse that night; Barnes-Joseph was shot after the two struggled in her car. Remy Ma fled the scene in an SUV but crashed nearby. Neither the money nor the weapon have been found. The 26-year-old performer is being held without bail until her sentencing. She faces the possibility of up to 25 years in prison.
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REMY MA TO GET WIFE'D UP BEHIND BARS; RAPPER'S BOO, PAPOOSE, ASKS FANS FOR SUPPORT.

Wanna know what unconditional, true hood love looks like? If so, take a close look (if your ass can stand it) at rapper Remy Ma--who was found guilty on two counts of assault and is currently being held in prison until her April 13 sentencing--and her soon-to-hubby rapper Papoose. On Friday, Papoose confirmed to MTV News that he and Remy are, in fact, a couple and had plans to marry next month. Pap also revealed he and his imprisoned wifey are moving forward with their nuptials despite Ma's predicament and are making arrangements to marry in prison. "We always wanted to keep our personal lives personal, so that's why we never went public with our relationship," he wrote in an e-mail to MTV News. "Right now, I just feel like she gotta live through me. Yes, we were scheduled to be married on a yacht April 27th. But due to circumstances beyond our control, we are now making arrangements to be married in prison."Papoose closed his message by reiterating that Remy Ma would be appealing her case. He also asked for fans to write letters on her behalf, perhaps for a petition to the judge. Remy Ma is scheduled to be sentenced April 23.

"All her supporters who feel Remy had an influence on their life should write a short letter to the judge asking for the shortest sentence possible," he wrote. "Send it to LettersForRemy@gmail.com." Earlier this week, in an interview with MTV News prior to Remy Ma's conviction, Papoose declined to comment on her pending case. He explained that the two were friends. With the recent turn of events, the rapper felt it was time to reveal their relationship.

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The couple rebutted rumors earlier in the year when New York radio personality Egypt reported that the two would wed. The next day, Papoose told media outlets the reports were false. He shied away from the relationship question in spite of the affection he showed the former Terror Squad star in lyrics. "Remy look good in person, just like she do in the magazines/ So I'mma stay close to Miss Martin like Dr. King," he spit on "Bonnie N Clyde," a mixtape collaboration between the two. The pair also filmed an online video clip of them sparring when Papoose was embroiled in a lyrical slugfest with Remy Ma's former mentor, Fat Joe.

Remy's charges stem from an incident last July when the rapper and Makeda Barnes-Joseph argued after leaving a mutual acquaintance's birthday party. Remy Ma (real name: Reminisce Smith) alleged Barnes-Joseph stole several thousand dollars from her purse that night; Barnes-Joseph was shot after the two struggled in her car. Remy Ma fled the scene in an SUV but crashed nearby. Neither the money nor the weapon have been found.

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RAPPER REMY MA LEAVES COURTROOM 'WAILING' AND 'OPENLY SOBBING' AFTER BEING FOUND GIULITY ON 2 CHARGES OF ASSAULT.

Maybe if Remy Ma had attended Easter Sunday services with T.I. in Atlanta earlier this week, she wouldn't have been seen letting her 'I'm So Hood' guard down before 'wailing loudly' and openly sobbing after being found guilty on two charges of assault Thursday (3.27.2008) in a Manhattan Supreme Court room. According to MTV News, the 26-year-old rapper faces up o 25 years if convicted on both counts. The charges stem from an incident that occurred last July when the rapper and Makeda Barnes-Joseph argued after leaving a mutual acquaintance's birthday party. Remy Ma alleged Barnes-Joseph stole several thousand dollars from her purse that night; Barnes-Joseph was shot after the two struggled in her car. Remy Ma fled the scene in an SUV but crashed nearby. Neither the money nor the weapon have been found. Charges of tampering and gang assault, related to the case, were thrown out, the rapper's attorney, Ivan Fisher, told MTV News on Thursday. Sentencing for the case is scheduled for April 22. Fisher intends to file an appeal for his client immediately. "The jury acquitted the second half of the indictment," he said, referring to the tampering and intimidation charges. "That will help the appeal because that evidence, those charges, shouldn't have been in the case to begin with. And there are other issues we think may turn the conviction around." However, he conceded, "It's a bad day."

The back-and-forth in the case has been contentious from the beginning. During the opening arguments, Fisher characterized Barnes-Joseph as a celebrity groupie. He told the jury Barnes-Joseph was misrepresenting events in an effort to win a big financial payoff. She filed a $10 million civil lawsuit against the rapper but later withdrew it, according to Fisher.

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Prosecutors attempted to paint Remy Ma as a gun-toting intimidator. Assistant District Attorney Jason Berland told jurors the rapper was calculating and bullying, citing an August incident during which a group of men allegedly close to Remy Ma assaulted Barnes-Joseph's boyfriend and broke his nose. Charges were brought against the rapper for intimidation but were thrown out in the conviction. Prosecutors also noted the gun Remy Ma carried was loaded with hollow-point bullets, intended to severely cause injury.

From the beginning the former Terror Squad rapper maintained her innocence, telling a group of reporters at her New Jersey home shortly after the incident that she did not shoot her friend. During closing remarks, however, her attorney conceded his client did in fact shoot Barnes-Joseph, but labeled it an accident. Fisher told jurors the weapon went off while the two women struggled with each other during their argument.

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RAPPER REMY MA ENGAGED TO MARRY RAPPER PAPOOSE.

Papoose and Remy Ma will be man and wife this summer if all goes according to plan for the Hip-Hop couple, AllHipHop.com has learned. The pair is now formally engaged to be married, according to recent reports. Egypt of BET’s The Black Carpet confirmed the news with AllHipHop.com, saying that Remy Ma shared the exclusive with her. Egypt made the announcement on her highly rated television show last night (March 6). The strength of their relationship will certainly be tested, as jury selection has begun for Remy Ma’s trial for the alleged shooting of an acquaintance over money. The Grammy nominated rapper is accused of shooting a woman twice in the abdomen after leaving a party in Greenwich Village. Remy, 26, who allegedly accused Makeda Barnes-Joseph of stealing $2,000 from her purse, has pleaded not guilty to assault and related charges.

The pair will probably be using their superior lyrical abilities soon after another alleged assault occurred between Papoose and Fat Joe. Fat Joe and Papoose recently clashed in a physical altercation that has sparked an intense beef. (Click here to listen to Papoose's version of what happened and click here to listen to Fat Joe’s recollection of the altercation.) Remy Ma, once a member of Fat Joe’s Terror Squad, has released several diss records towards her former counterpart.

Papoose has long expressed he affection for Remy, as the two have been dating for an unspecified time. In Bonnie N Clyde, a duet with Remy, Papoose says, "Remy look good in person / just like she do in the magazines / so I’ma stay close to Ms. Martin like Dr. King.
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VIVICA'S B-DAY PARTY IN NYC; REMY MA CRASHES PARTY, GETS TOSSED OUT.

According to the New York Daily News, Vivica A. Fox 's glam New York birthday party Tuesday night turned into a thorny mess of allegations yesterday, with her own stylist claiming she was drinking alcohol in violation of a court order. Guests including Shaquille O'Neal, Brooke Hogan and Swizz Beatz were enjoying the festivities at Sol nightclub for her belated 43rd. But the first bump in the evening came when a promised Rolls-Royce Phantom failed to appear at Mr. Chow to take Fox to the party. Her dinner companion, Star Jones, dropped her off instead.

Then there was a red carpet kerfuffle when Bronx rapper Remy Ma arrived uninvited. "Remy and her management were asked not to attend by the club in advance, due to her pending court case for attempted murder," says an organizer. But like any good diva, the songbird strutted her curves in a tight dress on the red carpet until "she was turned away at the door by a wall of security."

The next day, a check for Fox's $2,500 appearance fee was rejected by her bank because it was drawn on a closed account. When contacted, celebrity stylist Messiah McNair admitted he bounced the check, and promised to replace the money. But a little later he called back, clearly irked at Fox that the information had got out. "You can say she was drinking," McNair claimed. Earlier this month, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge barred Fox from consuming alcohol, pending her upcoming arraignment on a March DUI. "I poured red wine for her into a can of Red Bull so she could drink," McNair claimed. "She asked me to do that."

Fox was on a plane to Los Angeles late Tuesday and unable to respond before press time. But a pal who was by her side during the party denied she imbibed any alcohol.

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