On one of the the more recent episodes of Ray Daniels’ Goats and Underdogs podcast, former Source Magazine owner Ray Benzino claimed that Outkast’s Andre 3000 and his “The South got something to say” speech at the 1995 Source Awards was aimed directly at him.
Benzino said, “The reason why André 3000 said what he did, I’ma have to tell y’all this story. When they was giving OutKast 4.5 mics, I remember, I didn’t understand it. I didn’t understand the music and I was the one who kinda raised some situations up at ‘The Source,’ I’m gonna admit it. And I was wrong. I think it got to OutKast. And I think that’s why André said what he said. I think that was kinda directed toward me.”
On one of the the more recent episodes of Ray Daniels’ Goats and Underdogs podcast, former Source Magazine owner Ray Benzino claimed that Outkast’s Andre 3000 and his “The South got something to say” speech at the 1995 Source Awards was aimed directly at him.
Benzino said, “The reason why André 3000 said what he did, I’ma have to tell y’all this story. When they was giving OutKast 4.5 mics, I remember, I didn’t understand it. I didn’t understand the music and I was the one who kinda raised some situations up at ‘The Source,’ I’m gonna admit it. And I was wrong. I think it got to OutKast. And I think that’s why André said what he said. I think that was kinda directed toward me.”
On one of the the more recent episodes of Ray Daniels’ Goats and Underdogs podcast, former Source Magazine owner Ray Benzino claimed that Outkast’s Andre 3000 and his “The South got something to say” speech at the 1995 Source Awards was aimed directly at him.
Benzino said, “The reason why André 3000 said what he did, I’ma have to tell y’all this story. When they was giving OutKast 4.5 mics, I remember, I didn’t understand it. I didn’t understand the music and I was the one who kinda raised some situations up at ‘The Source,’ I’m gonna admit it. And I was wrong. I think it got to OutKast. And I think that’s why André said what he said. I think that was kinda directed toward me.”
Just a year short of a decade ago, we received an early morning phone call that BX rapper Timothy “Tim Dog” Blair, who gained fame from his East Coast vs. West Coast shot “Fuck Compton”, died suddenly at 41 years old. There was no other report of Blair’s death aside from the article on TheSource.com.
It wasn’t discovered until September 2014 that Tim Dog did indeed pass away in Atlanta Hospice on February 14, 2013 when his actual death certificate surfaced. Source staff writer Sha Be Allah, the writer who broke the story, was interviewed and featured in best-selling author Elizabeth Greenwood’s book Playing Dead as a result of the unfortunate events surrounding the death of Tim Dog. The entire 2013 article about Tim Dog can be found HERE.
All eyes are on a Petition filed in the Superior Court of The State of California by Tupac’s only sister, Sekyiwa ‘Set” Shakur. Several media reports have already confirmed this lawsuit, which involves a dispute over the duties, control, finances, and rights related to the Shakur family’s estate, which comprises most of Tupac’s music and other cherished assets.
In the lawsuit filed this week, on Monday, January 10, Set Shakur (a/k/a “Set”) and The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (“TASF”) has sued the family estate’s executor and Trustee, Tom Whalley, for allegedly violating his duties, including failure to provide “compliant” accountings required under the Trust, failure to provide Set and the Foundation with an inventory of estate assets, violating the wishes of Afeni Shakur, misappropriating estate assets, converting and withholding personal assets Set claims to belong to her (not under the control of the Trustee), and creating a “conflict of interest” by serving as Executor and Trustee while also placing himself as the sole manager of Amaru Entertainment (the music and entertainment company that operates all of Tupac’s music and intellectual property). When Tupac died in 1996, his mother, Afeni Shakur, was named the beneficiary of the estate and fought tirelessly to acquire all of his music rights and assets to benefit her family and preserve Tupac’s legacy. When Afeni passed away in 2016, Whalley was named the beneficiary of the estate.
The Petition alleges that “Whalley has already received more than $5.5 million that he has paid himself in the last five years through Amaru…[and] he has effectively embezzled millions of dollars for his own benefit well in excess of what would be reasonably necessary to retrain a property qualified third-party to perform such services.”
In the Petition, Set alleges that Whalley has refused to give up property that was inherited by their mother Afeni, including Tupac’s cars, jewelry, his RIAA certified gold plaques, Tupac’s artwork and sculptures, items of Tupac’s clothing, shoes, and accessories, and furniture taken from his homes.
The TASF Foundation, reportedly an additional beneficiary of the Trust, is a party to the lawsuit due to the community service work it provides coming from the funds it receives from the Trust and Estate.
Set and the TASF Foundation have assembled an all-star lineup of attorneys, including prominent attorneys L. Londell McMillan, who represented Prince, Michael Jackson, and Prodigy of Mobb Deep before their untimely deaths (and represented their families following their deaths), and Donald David, who formerly represented Afeni Shakur in a number of her legal cases including her lawsuit against Death Row.
In a statement to The Source, McMillan stated: “Set and the Foundation deserve the care, accountings, property, funds, and trust that Afeni expressly required and bequeathed, as well as the respect Tupac’s legacy and family deserves. That’s a fact.”
Howard King, an attorney for the executor, denies the allegations raised by Set and TASF, describing Whalley as a “long time friend and confidant” of Tupac and his mother. King states that “these legal claims are disappointing and detrimental to all beneficiaries of the trust. We are confident the Court will promptly conclude that Tom has always acted in the best interests of Amaru, the trust, and all beneficiaries.”
The suit requests that Whalley be ordered to “recompense” the estate in a minimum amount of $4 million and provide a full accounting in connection with his role as executor of the Shakur estate.
A hearing on the Petition has been scheduled for March 21, 2022, and TheSource.com will update the story as further details become available. Attorney McMillan is also the owner of The NorthStar Source Group, the parent company of The Source.
Reality TV star and Former Source Magazine owner Benzino was arrested on Friday for disorderly conduct after he allegedly confronted his child’s mother, Althea Eaton, and her male friend in a threatening manner and hit the man’s truck multiple times with his fists.
The confrontation occurred in Braselton, GA, when Benzino, whose real name is Raymond Scott, approached the apparent couple in a “threatening and harassing manner while they were taking a walk through the neighborhood, according to the police report.
The man attempted to retreat to his truck, but Scott hit his truck multiple times with his fists, leaving at least two dents in the driver’s side of the vehicle.
Benzino denied the confrontation, but witnesses saw him, thus, prompting his arrest. Benzino was charged with one count of 2nd-degree criminal damage and one count of disorderly conduct and was taken to Gwinnett County Jail. His bail was set at $8,450.
On this date in 1995, The Source Awards changed not only the perception of award ceremonies in music, but the acceptance speeches contained more braggadocios and challenging than some battle lyrics.
In the heat of the East Coast vs. West Coast beef Death Row head honcho Marion “Suge” Knight, draped in all red reppin’ his hometown Piru Blood set, took a blatant jab at Bad Boy Records founder Sean “Puffy” Combs aka Diddy after accepting the Best Movie Soundtrack of the Year award for the Above The Rim soundtrack.
With the awards taken place in NYC, the venue erupted with boos as Suge walked off the stage with Source’s coveted Mic and the momentum of the coastal beef only increased ten fold following this moment.
