July 28th, 2010

Law enforcement officials have found the body of missing Memphis basketball star Lorenzen Wright in a wooded area at Hacks Cross and Winchester in southeast Memphis.

A law enforcement source confirmed the body was that of Wright, 34, who has been missing since July 19, though the Memphis Police Department won’t officially comment. Police are referring to their ongoing investigation as a “death investigation.”

Curtis Wright, Lorenzen Wright’s uncle told The Associated Press that police called the player’s father, Herb Wright, a couple of hours ago.

According to sources, a 9-1-1 call was made from Wright’s cell phone on July 19. A Germantown dispatcher could hear the loud blasts of several gunshots. The cellphone call ended at that point.

The dispatcher called back, but no one answered.

The body was found by someone who called police today.

At the Collierville home of Wright’s ex-wife, Sherra Robinson Wright, white bed sheets covered the windows.

A woman who arrived just as the family heard the news, said, “I’m just here to see my sister.” She left about 10 minutes later, with two children, a girl and a boy wearing a Lorenzen Wright Grizzlies jersey.

About 4:45 p.m., eight or nine adults and children left the house in a caravan of cars, including two identical black Porsche SUVs and a green sedan.

A large crowd of onlookers had gathered by late afternoon along Hacks Cross. There were adults with small children, even their pets. Many did not personally know the former basketball star but milled around the scene anyway. Cars lined the street. Among those gathered were former University of Memphis basketball stars Penny Hardaway and Elliot Perry, as well as family members and friends.

Wright was thought to be carrying some amount of cash when he was last seen leaving his ex-wife’s Collierville home, fueling concerns he may be the victim of foul play, according to a Collierville police report released today.

He recently flew from Atlanta to Memphis to visit friends and his six children, friends said. He was scheduled to drive back to the Atlanta area July 19, with his six children and a friend. He was last seen at about 2 a.m. July 19, leaving his ex-wife’s Whisperwood Drive home. His former wife told police she doesn’t know who he left with or what type of car they were in, according to the missing person’s report.

Wright played 13 years in the NBA, including five with the Memphis Grizzlies, after playing two seasons at the University of Memphis.

Wright kept up an active Twitter feed that he often updated several times daily. It featured a picture of him playing in the old Grizzlies uniform, wearing No. 42 and guarding Shaquille O’Neal. It includes observations about his kids (playing Monopoly with them, teaching them to swim), including a picture from July 14, just days before his disappearance, featuring a smiling Wright and six kids wearing Japanese chef hats at a hibachi restaurant.

The feed went suddenly dormant on Sunday, July 19, with a timestamp of 12:22:41 p.m., with a response to someone with a handle of THEonlyMARY_P.

It is just one word: “why.” It is the last update from his feed, which had 125 followers and 375 tweets.

Wright’s standing comment for the page: “Entering a new part of my life with my eyes wide open!”

Former University of Memphis standout Chris Douglas-Roberts posted on his Twitter account: “RIP Memphis Tiger alum Lorenzen Wright.” Douglas-Roberts said he didn’t know what had happened to Wright or want to know.

“Lorenzen never backed down from any challenge given him, whether it was guarding Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) or anyone else,” Grizzlies’ owner Michael Heisley said by phone from London this afternoon shortly after learning of Wright’s death. “He was a team player, a great locker room guy. There was never an instance that I talked to him when he wasn’t a positive, outstanding guy. “I am heartbroken today. I’m sure there’s a lot of people in Memphis who are very, very sad. He was a good man who had his share of tough times, and I’ve got to believe he’s in a better place.” Memphis Commercial Appeal

This story appeared on ESPN Los Angeles this morning and was quickly removed from the site. It is presented here in its entirety.

LeBron James leans against a waist-high stone wall with a 16-foot-tall Buddha hovering over him.

He’s at Tao, a bustling restaurant and nightclub inside the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, and his arms are crossed as he listens to Lynn Meritt, senior director of Nike Basketball, and Charles Denson, president of Nike Brand.James is quiet, occasionally applying Chap Stick on his lips and nodding when he hears something he likes.

Five security guards are stationed around him, one at each corner of the table he’s about to sit at and another roving around with him, watching his every move. Anyone who takes two steps toward James is stopped and must have James’ approval to come closer.

The waiter bringing him his cup of green tea with a spoonful of honey and a dash of lemon juice makes the cut, as does the scantily clad brunette with a tattoo of a heart on her right shoulder.

She wants to take a picture with him. “I can’t right now,” says James. “Maybe later, upstairs, I’ll remember you’re the one with the tattoo.”

James will host a party later in the upstairs nightclub at Tao, but he is currently hosting a dinner for his friends and family in the downstairs restaurant. Wearing a gray striped shirt and gold crucifix around his neck, he bobs his head to music played by an amped-up saxophonist who weaves his way around the table like a one-man mariachi band.

I have somehow found myself at this exclusive table, seated beside Eddie Jackson, who is introduced to me as James’ father (though he actually began dating James’ mother, Gloria, after LeBron was born and the two are no longer together). Jackson, wearing a muscle shirt accentuating his large biceps, looks like a member of James’ four-man entourage, like one of his childhood friends.

James’ circle includes Randy Mims, seated to his right at the center of the table, Maverick Carter, seated at the head of the table, and Richard Paul, seated in front of James. The quartet makes up the initials behind LRMR Marketing, the management firm James founded almost four years ago with his buddies. Their offices in downtown Cleveland gained notoriety this month as the location teams flocked to for their meetings with James.

LeBron James partied at Tao last weekend, complete with a kings’ cake and an entourage to make heads of state jealous.

Seated to the right of James is Chris Paul, whose brother, C.J., is seated across from him. The New Orleans Hornets point guard has seen how James has positioned himself to win a championship by signing with the Miami Heat and joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and has reportedly considered a similar move himself.

The truth is, in James’ dream world, the duo he would love to play with for the next decade would be Wade and Paul, his two closest friends in the NBA. Paul has been like a brother to James since the two were in Las Vegas four years ago for USA Basketball training camp, when as a rookie he carried James’ and Wade’s bags to and from the team bus.

James and Paul are fairly quiet at the center of the table as they take in the scene around them. As family style plates of miso-glazed Chilean sea bass and crispy lobster and shrimp dumplings are brought to the table, James effortlessly picks up the food with his chopsticks and occasionally raises his cup of green tea to passersby as they raise their martinis and mojitos in his direction before being helped along by security guards.

When trays of dessert plates are brought over, James gets up, preferring to start his party upstairs instead of indulging in the giant fortune cookies and chocolate cake. A security guard comes over and puts plastic wristbands on our wrists and escorts us through the back of the restaurant, up a flight of stairs in the bowels of the hotel and through a back entrance into the club. About a dozen security guards, moving their flash lights, direct us to a roped off section on the dance floor of Tao next to a couple of apparently nude women in a bathtub full of water and rose petals.

James, now wearing sunglasses in the dark club, immediately stands up on the couch and folds his arms high on his chest and nods his head. He smiles as he looks at the dozens of people crowded on the dance floor. Noticing him, they stop dancing and snap pictures as the DJ screams out, “LeBron James in the building!” and plays LMFAO’s “I’m in Miami.”

Carter, LeBron’s childhood friend and manager, begins dancing around James like Puff Daddy in a Notorious B.I.G video. A giant red crown-shaped cake is brought over to James while go-go dancers dressed in skimpy red and black outfits raise four lettered placards that spell out, “KING.” Carter grabs a bottle of Grey Goose and pours a quarter of it on the floor and raises it up before passing it off.

James’ infamous one-hour special, “The Decision,” was reportedly the brainchild of Carter, a 28-year-old who has never managed anyone outside of his friend James. This three-day party marathon in Vegas (which James is being paid six figures to host) is also Carter’s idea.

Bottle after bottle of “Ace of Spades” champagne is delivered to the table by a waiter flying down from above the dance floor like some overgrown Peter Pan on a wire. One time he’s dressed like a King, another time as Indiana Jones and another in a replica of James’ No. 6 Miami Heat jersey.

James, who can hardly see the flying figure through his tinted glasses, almost gets kicked in the head on the waiter’s last trip down. He looks at the girls around him and says, “I wish they’d have one of these girls with no panties do that instead of the guy.”

Toward the end of the night, Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis walks past James’ party and looks at the scene up and down several times like a painting in a museum, soaking in the images of the go-go dancers, the “King” sign and the costumed man delivering bottles of champagne.

Davis shakes his head and walks on.

James dances on the couch and sings along with the music blaring from speakers all around him.

The more you hang around James, the more you realize he’s still a child wrapped in a 6-foot-8, 250-pound frame. The night after the party at Tao, he and his crew walk through the casino at the Wynn and Encore and he pretends to dribble a basketball as he walks past ringing slot machines and tourists who do double-takes. In a Nike T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, James’ pantomime seems unconscious. He stops every few feet to shoot a jump shot, his right hand extended above his head on the follow through. He weaves through a pack of a dozen friends and pretends to connect on a layup as he walks past a gift shop. He passes overhead casino signs and jumps up and slaps them, pretending to dunk. Columns covered with advertisements for lounge acts become stationary defenders, chumps to fake out before connecting on imaginary mid-range jump shots.

James probably goes through a practice’s worth of shots as we walk from the XS nightclub at Encore (James left his poolside table when he saw the club was practically empty), through Wynn and over the bridge to the Palazzo.

Soon after arriving at Lavo, a restaurant and nightclub at the Palazzo, a scene straight out of “West Side Story” breaks out when James and Lamar Odom, seated at a nearby table, engage in an impromptu dance-off to California Swag District’s “Teach Me How To Dougie.”

Odom, smoking a cigar, can’t quite keep up. James celebrates by crossing himself and taking a shot of Patron. Moments later, a handful of girls dressed as cheerleaders walk toward his table with someone dressed in James’ Heat uniform. Someone throws talcum powder in the air as James does before every game, while his new unofficial song, “I’m in Miami,” plays.

Odom casts a glance James’ way before looking in the opposite direction and raising his glass at a couple on the dance floor who point to their ring fingers and smile.

Back at his table, James and his crew sing every word to Rick Ross’ “Free Mason.” LeBron raps every line to former teammate Damon Jones (who played with him in Cleveland). Jones, puffing on a cigar, nods.

James rips out the lines:

“If I ever die, never let it be said I didn’t win/ Never, never say/ Never say legend didn’t go in/ I just wanna die on top of the world.”

While he looks at club-goers flashing the LA and Westside signs at him, James smiles and points to Jackson’s T-shirt, which reads, “Another Enemy,” and raises his glass of champagne.

Finally, Carter tells James it’s time to leave the club and they do, LeBron pretending to cross-over tables and shoot over slot machines all the way back to his room.

Hosted by both Drama and Whoo Kid, here is the latest installment of Gotti’s Cocaine Muzik series. Sniff away and download here. Tracklist after the jump.

01. Yo Gotti – Chapter 1 Intro
02. Yo Gotti – Fishcale Dreams
03. Yo Gotti – Where They Do That At
04. Yo Gotti – Mirror
05. Yo Gotti – Bang Bang (Feat. Gucci Mane & Zedzilla)
06. Yo Gotti – BMF Memphis
07. Yo Gotti – Chapter 2
08. Yo Gotti – Thin Line
09. Yo Gotti – Right Now
10. Yo Gotti – White World
11. Yo Gotti – Make It Work
12. Yo Gotti – Chapter 3
13. Yo Gotti – Millionaire
14. Yo Gotti – Cocaine Muzik (Feat. Young Jeezy, Rick Ross & The Clipse)
15. Yo Gotti – I Go Ham (Feat. All-Star & Gucci Mane)

New York rapper Shyne has lived up to his word by releasing a new record called “Belize” which takes subliminal jabs at 50 Cent and Rick Ross.

Within the track, Shyne reflects on his life in Belize while also calling out Ross’ former employer as a corrections officer and taunting 50 Cent’s rap alias.

“I be smoking trees in Belize when they find me,” Shyne raps, “Dude, dude, did everything he said, I’m about a dollar what the f*ck is 50 Cents…They want to know what I’m up to, sh*t, I’m living like I’m accustomed — in and out of customs, what the f*ck you thought fool, I’m a hustler, no, no, no, not the CO, bro, bro, it’s the C-E-O…”

Now that’s facing the music in style!

Like a red carpet arrival, Foxy Brown rolled up to court in a black Lamborghini Tuesday.

She emerged from her fly ride dressed to the nines in a teal dress, plunging neckline and heels to the heavens.

Her fans loved it, but Judge Geraldine Pickett couldn’t care less, instead extending an order of protection a neighbor took out against Brown in 2007 when the raunchy rapper beaned her with a BlackBerry.

Brown was in Brooklyn Criminal Court for a status hearing on allegations she violated the original order when she tangled with Arlene Raymond outside her Prospect Heights home last week.

Brown cursed Raymond out, bent over and thrust her exposed butt out, authorities said.

“B—-, what are you looking at?” she snarled, according to the criminal complaint. “Kiss my a–.”

Foxy, whose real name is Inga Marchand, was represented by a new lawyer, Salvatore Strazzullo, hired Sunday after Bruce Barron surprisingly announced he was no longer working with her.

“We deny the allegations that she mooned Ms. Raymond,” Strazzullo said. “Ms. Marchand is innocent, absolutely innocent.”

Prosecutor David Weiss said evidence would be presented to a grand jury.

“Yes, I will testify before a grand jury,” Foxy said outside the courtroom.

“We just had a sold out concert at B.B. King’s,” she added.

“LeBron James couldn’t make it, but I’m here.”

Strazzullo also asked that an an order of protection be issued against Raymond.

The judge denied it.

He writes a thank you note to his fans and Facebook via his blog:

To all my friends at Facebook,

Many times in life I’ve had to deal with moments of doubt. And as it’s been a minute since I’ve performed any fresh material in front of an audience, this could’ve been one of those moments… but it wasn’t. Your energy was a gift so electric, so genuine, that it really helped me give my best. The energy was so inspiring I had to keep going!

I just hope you got as much from me as I got from you…which was everything!

Love to all my fans, especially at Facebook.

Kanye West

The album is scheduled for release in September and will feature verses from Rick Ross and T.I. as well as production from DJ Premier and Q Tip.

Just a couple of months ago, everyone was looking for Kanye West and now he’s pretty much everywhere. He stopped by Facebook headquarters yesterday to perform new songs off his upcoming album.

Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z upset that newly minted Miami Heat player LeBron James didn’t consult him

“Jay never expected LeBron to sign with the Nets. He knew that no 25-year-old kid with James’ profile was going to spend years in Newark,” the source tells Gatecrasher. “But he’s pissed, or at least disappointed, that LeBron didn’t consult with him.”

Still, our source says, “I don’t think it’s going to affect their friendship.”

According to insider, James’ silent treatment made Jay-Z look bad with Nets’ management. While LeBron was making his decision, “he didn’t even take calls. It made look like he couldn’t deliver to the Nets management. If Jay-Z could have landed a star player, “he could have been seen as a legitimate asset to the team,” the source said. “Now they see him as just dead weight.”

Perhaps, but our source points out that given Jay-Z’s minuscule $1 million investment in the Nets, the responsibility to put together a killer team doesn’t really lie with him.

“It’s not Jay’s team,” says the source. That dubious honor goes to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who paid $200 million for an 80% stake in the Nets.

Another NBA insider says Jay-Z’s real source of dissatisfaction should be Prokhorov. “The Nets have no basketball team,” the source says, saying that Prokhorov “overpromoted and overmarketed” the team, but wasn’t able to deliver a player with genuine box-office appeal.

Jay-Z’s spokeswoman did not respond to our request for comment by deadline, and a spokesman for James declined to comment.

THE NUMBERS ARE IN…RICK ROSS IS NO. 1
Here’s the numbers!

Rick Ross sold – 188,816

Eminem sold – 187,958