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T.I. LAWYER CONFIRMS POSSIBLE EARLY RELEASE DATE

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T.I.’s lawyer Steve Sadow spoke to XXLMag.Com and elaborated on SandraRose’s scoop that T.I. is working to move from his federal lock-up to a half-way house as early as January, 2010….

“The attorney is optimistic that the Grammy-award-winning artist may be out sooner than expected. “We are hopeful that T.I. will be placed in a halfway house within the next month or so, which would be about two or three months before his projected release date. We are hopeful for that, we do not have any control over it. The Bureau of Prisons makes that decision entirely on its own, they don’t share that decision with the public and they don’t share that decision with the defense lawyers,” he said. “But we are hopeful because we know that T.I. has handled himself accordingly and conducted himself correctly while he has been incarcerated, we are hopeful that the bureau of prisons will give him two or three months of halfway house.”

“According to Sadow, T.I. has a projected release date in “approximately the fourth week of March 2010.” This takes into account Tip’s original 366-day sentence, which he began serving on May 26, 2009, minus 54 days for good behavior and 14 days “that he had in custody prior to sentencing.”

SNEAK PEAK: SADE’S SOLDIER OF LOVE

Vibe.com got an exclusive peek at Sade’s new album Soldier of Love. Here is how the magnificent event transpired.

Few recording artists in the time of continuing shrinking record distribution, digital music downloads, and a never-ending recession, would receive the posh red carpet roll-out exhibited last night (Dec. 14) at New York’s historic Lincoln Center. But not every artist has the immense mystique and event-like cache of Sade, an act who has meticulously stayed away from the proverbial spotlight since her neo jazz-based 1984 debut Diamond Life.

At an exclusive listening party for the Nigerian-born British singer-songwriter’s sixth studio release Soldier of Love (due Feb. 8), the atmosphere was as elegant as the 50-year old singer herself. Pink roses, pear bellinis, and a mammoth window overlooking a postcard-worthy view of Manhattan’s bustling Columbus Circle proved to be a savvy backdrop. But you get the sense that the diverse range of individuals who made it out to hear Sade’s first new studio album in nearly a decade (who else could get the likes of golden age hip hop producer DJ Marley Marl, legendary radio personality Tom JoynerNew York Times‘ respected veteran music critic Jon Pareles in the same room together?) would have gladly listened to the album at a greasy hamburger joint in Queens. and the

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LIL WAYNE APPEARS IN COURT; FEBURARY SENTENCING DATE

Lil Wayne appeared in a New York court today, where he received a February sentencing date for a weapon violation last October.

The rapper, born Dwayne Carter, appeared in court around 10:30 AM, flanked by members of Cash Money Records, including label CEO’s Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams.

Lil Wayne  remained silent as the judge set a February 9th sentencing date, where he is expected to be sentenced to at least a year in prison for weapon possession in New York.

In October, the rapper pleaded guilty to one criminal count of attempted possession of a weapon.

The charges stem from a 2007arrest in which a .40 caliber gun was found on the rapper’s tour bus.

In a popular remix to “O Let’s Do It” featuring Georgia rapper Waka Flocka, Lil Wayne references the crime.

“Lock the CEO up/and I’m the CEO f**k/prison in February and I aint in no rush…” and later: “Hit them with the shotgun/call that s**t the spot bust/Call me Doctor Carter/aka young wild n***a/aka no trial n***a/aka click clak blow n***a/”

The news on Wayne’s sentencing date comes as a new track featuring the Young Money Records’ CEO and Eminem titled ”Drop The World” hit the internet.

In related news, Lil Wayne’s album Rebirth has been pushed back to a February 1st release date. The album will land in stores just days after Wayne begins his jail sentence.

Busta Rhymes and Akon Contribute to Bury Unclaimed Deceased Detroit Residents

Busta Rhymes may be known for his lively stage persona, but the Flipmode Squad leader has put his energy towards a different cause by supporting former Universal/Motown Records music executive Shanti Das’ efforts to bury unclaimed deceased residents of Detroit.

Rhymes, along with R&B hitmaker Akon, were among the artists who helped Das raise more than $20,000 for May We Rest in Peace, a recently launched initiative designed to aid those who cannot afford to properly lay their loved ones to rest.

To date, the nonprofit organization has been able to cover 20 burials in Detroit in its first two months of existence.

May We Rest in Peace resulted from Das’ desire to help the city of Detroit after reading a CNN Money story about the location’s struggle to handle it’s growing number of unclaimed bodies.

The story, which came out in October, highlighted Detroit’s economic hardship as it noted the increasing number of unclaimed bodies piling up in the city’s morgue freezer, some of whom have been dead for up to five years.

Realizing the financial challenge for loved ones as well as her own experience of paying to bury deceased family members, Das launched May We Rest in October.

While she is not from Detroit, the music executive found a common thread with which to create her organization.

“What if it was my mother, father, or loved one lying there in the morgue and I couldn’t afford to properly lay them to rest?” Das explained. “There were just a lot of things that hit home for me, and I just wanted to immediately take action.”

Within weeks of starting May We Rest, Das provided burials for six of Detroit’s unclaimed deceased amid raising $6,000 via early support from family, friends and loved ones as well as donors such as Rhymes, Akon and the Kid Rock Foundation in the name of Detroit Clothing Company.

The support of the entertainers and the community has impacted the number of unburied bodies in Detroit, which is now down to 50.

AMAZON ACCIDENTALLY RELEASED LIL WAYNE’S ‘REBIRTH’ ALBUM!

Earlier this week, roughly 500 Amazon customers were treated to a special early leak of Lil Wayne’s Rebirth LP due to a shipping mistake.

Those select Amazon customers, who pre-ordered the February 2010 project, began informing media outlets and blogs of the mailing mishap this past Monday (December 14).

In spite of the huge success of Wayne’s Carter 3, the best selling album of 2008 (2.4 million), the rock-inspired Rebirth was unable to secure a release date in 2009 after suffering six delays.

The latest one was December 21, and one-third of the estimated 1 million manufactured copies have been sent to select retail outlets.

Because of the leak, there is speculation the album may be reworked further for additional tracks.

The first single, “Prom Queen,” debuted in January.

The latest official single, “On Fire,” was released on December 3 but overshadowed this week by the recent leak of the Eminem collaboration “Drop the World.”

Lil Wayne’s last full project was October’s anticipated No Ceilings mixtape.

He will be sentenced on February 9 per his October guilty plea for attempted criminal possession of a weapon.

At press time, Lil Wayne nor Amazon representatives have commented on the leak.

VERSE

On a different note, the song on the ‘Rebirth’ album is the stuff Hiphop classics are made of. Check it out.