GINUWINE SHOCKED TO DISCOVER RECORD LABEL HE SIGNED TO ISN'T GENUINE.

I really don't understand how a seasoned R&B artist could not know that a record label ain't all its cracked up to be. Moreover, aren't you supposed to have people to check this sort of thing out before you go jumping in head first into something that seems to be too good to be true?

Ginuwine says he was duped into signing a contract with a record company that doesn't exist. In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, the R&B singer says he was persuaded to sign on May 8, 2007, with King Music Group Inc., a company that a personal acquaintance, Michael Bourne of Memphis, Tennessee, said he owned. The When We Make Love singer signed up with King Music because he was friends with Bourne, the "company's" chief. "He'd known Michael for a while. They were friends," said his lawyer, Corey Boddie. "[Bourne] promised him the world, and nothing happened."

Terms of the contract gave Ginuwine, whose real name is Elgin Baylor Lumpkin, $1.75 million to record his first album with King, including a $500,000 advance, according to court papers. In nearly five months, the singer hasn't made any records and hasn't been paid a cent, the lawsuit said. In addition, the lawsuit said, there is no corporate record for King Music Group Inc. anywhere in New York, California, Florida or Tennessee.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY AFTER THE JUMP!

The lawsuit accuses King Music and Bourne of breach of contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation. It asks for a total of $4 million in damages for the company having essentially put his award-winning career on hold. Boddie said Thursday that his client is now unable to record anywhere else. He said the singer could be sued if he made records for another company while under contract to King. Boddie said he has been unable to contact Bourne. Bourne's telephone number in Memphis was unlisted and directory assistance had no listing for King Music Group.

Ginuwine's albums include Back II Da Basics, Ginuwine...The Bachelor and The Life.

SOURCE: http://www.wral.com/entertainment/story/1896548/

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

RUMORS & TRUTHS: MEAGAN GOOD'S GOODIES GET GOT?; LAYZIE'S BENDED KNEE; PAULA'S READY FOR KIDS.

Is actress Megan Good pregnant? Her boyfriend, NFL player Thomas Jones, refused to comment either way when the question was posed to him directly from Hot 97 radio host Miss Jones, who had him as a guest on her morning show Tuesday.


Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member Layzie Bone got down on bended knee at the red carpet premiere of his group's new film, I Tried, and proposed to his girlfriend of 13 years, Felicia. The rapper, born Steven Howse, presented the mother of his children with a 5-karat cushion diamond ring. She accepted the proposal. I Tried, meanwhile, is a fictional story about how the lives of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony group members would've been different had they never met Eazy E and signed with his Ruthless Records.


American Idol softie Paula Abdul, currently dating restaurateur J.T. Torregiani, tells USA Today that she's ready to have kids, and soon. “That’s the next step in my life,” says the 45-year-old former Laker Girl. “Definitely within the next two years. I thought by now I’d have three grown children. With modern medicine, people are having kids in their 40s and even up until their late 40s. In their 50s, they’re having their second child.”

...

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

FOXY BROWN DISCOVERS A WAY TO REACH OUT TO HER FANS BEHIND BARS.

Looks like Foxy Brown has just figured out a way to keep her ear to the streets while behind bars on Rikers Island. The tiny, temper-tantrum titan has launched a new Web site, FreeFoxyBrown.com, that is designed to keep fans updated with her latest news, as well as allow folks to send messages to the rapper while she's on lockdown at Rikers Island. "I devoted my career to building an affinity with my fans who have supported me unflinchingly and no barbed wire fence or prison wall will stop that," Brown said in a statement. "I am in great spirits and very focused, and needed a forum to communicate to the people."

Foxy, born Inga Marchand, was personally involved in crafting the Web site, which allows fans to hear new tracks from her upcoming CD, Brookyn's Don Diva, due Nov. 20 from KOCH Records/Black Hand Entertainment. Visitors are immediately welcomed with the track We Don't Surrender, featuring Grafh. The site also features news and press sections and an area for ringtone downloads.

Brown was sentenced to one year in jail on September 7th for violating her probation that stemmed from a fight with two manicurists in a New York City nail salon back in August 2004.

Brown first made a name for herself after winning a talent contest in her hometown of Brooklyn and was soon featured on tracks by LL Cool J, Nas, Case, Toni Braxton and more. She later joined the hip-hop supergroup The Firm in the late '90s with Nas, AZ and Nature. The group released an album in 1997 titled The Firm: The Album, which sold over 900,000 units. Brown released three solo albums: Ill Na Na (1996), Chyna Doll (1999), and Broken Silence (2001) which sold a total of 3 million records and propelled her to stardom. Foxy was the first female rapper to release an album that debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 with Chyna Doll.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!