Idolator: Drugs

Yesterday, former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven ...

Maura Johnston — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:45:00 EDT

Yesterday, former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler pleaded not guilty to a felony drug possession count and a misdemeanor intoxication charge stemming from a July arrest in a California court. The presiding judge ordered that he stay in rehab at the Pasadena Recovery Center—where, not coincidentally, Celebrity Rehab is shot—for at least the next month. [MTV]

How About That: Young Jeezy May Have Been Involved In Trafficking Massive Amounts Of Coke

Maura Johnston — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EDT

A witness in the Feds' trial against Fleming "Ill" Daniels, the alleged third-in-command of the Detroit-based criminal organization Black Mafia Family, has claimed that the self-proclaimed snowman Young Jeezy may have, in fact, received multiple kilos of cocaine from the BMF. Creative Loafing Atlanta reports that Ralph "Ralphie" Simms, who is testifying after receiving a plea bargain on another drug case, said under oath that part of his job involved unloading coke from secret compartments in limos; once, at an Atlanta-area mansion that was nicknamed "Space Mountain," two people stopped by to pick up a multi-kilo shipment. And one of them looked kinda familiar!

When asked by assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBurney who the customers were, Simms gave two names: William "Doc" Marshall, a high-level BMF co-conspirator who testified earlier in the trial, and "Jeezy."

"Young Jeezy the rapper?" McBurney asked.

"Yes," Simms answered.

Aside from his whole "snowman" motif, which filled many a shop with angry-Frosty-emblazoned T-shirts for a long time, Jeezy and the BMF have something of a history, and it was chronicled in part in a 2006 Vibe article by investigative hip-hop journalist Ethan Brown:

Just after 9 p.m. on a hot and muggy night in late July 2005, a pair of chartered tour buses pulled up to Vision Nightclub & Lounge on Atlanta's Peachtree Street for a party celebrating the release of Young Jeezy's major label solo debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. Yet when the bus doors opened, it was not Jeezy who emerged but members of the storied ATL street crew Black Mafia Family (BMF).

Dressed in head-to-toe black, the hundreds-strong posse strode toward the megaclub in almost choreographed unison. "They moved like one mass, one organism," remembers one of the party promoters. "I had never seen anything like that." The club had expected BMF in force—they were even comped on the guest list as "+100"—but it was not prepared for an army. Panicked promoters hustled BMF through a special side entrance, VIP treatment that even Jay-Z, Ludacris, Fabolous, and Slim Thug did not receive.

Once inside, BMF awed partiers by tossing fistfuls of cash as they awaited Jeezy, who, though not officially a crew member, was considered "family." And by the time he arrived, just after 1:30 a.m., the crowd was stoked and ready to receive him as A-town royalty. Jeezy took the stage surrounded by BMF members and employees of his Corporate Thugz Entertainment label and tore through songs like "And Then What" and "Go Crazy" with such swagger that the success of Let's Get It seemed all but assured. Indeed, the 25-year-old rapper would move an impressive 172,000 copies of the album in its first week.

Witness: Young Jeezy received kilos of BMF coke [Creative Loafing via Gawker]

Admittedly only surface LOLz to be had in ...

Jess Harvell — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:45:00 EDT

Admittedly only surface LOLz to be had in this familiar story about a "new" study tracking hip-hop's increased number of drug references over two decades—"The word 'flinging,' for example, means selling drugs. Some slang words for marijuana include 'broccoli,' 'trees' and 'chronic.' 'Fat sacks' and 'strapped horns' refer to cocaine smoking pipes, according to the study."—but hey, it's a slow afternoon at best. [Yahoo via Reuters]

Popbitch schools EMI chair Guy Hands on his ...

mjohnston — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:00:11 EST

Popbitch schools EMI chair Guy Hands on his label's soon-to-be-slashed fruit, flowers, and candles budget: "We wonder if Guy knows that while fruit, flowers and candles are often bought in the music industry, popbitch readers will know it has also been a useful accounting loophole that allowed unlimited money to be spent legitimately purchasing drugs and hookers. Primal Scream and Suede were defrauded by an accountant who used this 'fruit and flowers' loophole to steal half their money while Billy Idol supposedly favoured 'champagne and flowers.' Wonder who prefers candles?" [Popbitch]

Urban's Cowboy Ride To Rehab: What Will The Fallout Be?

mjohnston — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 18:39:10 EDT

Australian cowboy/Nicole Kidman arm candy Keith Urban checked himself into rehab last night, canceling all appearances promoting his forthcoming album, Love, Pain And The Whole Crazy Thing in the process. We're the first to admit that we don't know much about country music, but we're pretty sure that this news can't be good for Capitol Nashville, Urban's label. While it's poised to nab a top-five slot on next week's chart with an album by Dierks Bentley—who we thought was a Gnarls Barkley side project—Love, which is slated to come out on Nov. 7, is its premier fourth-quarter release. (Urban's last album, 2004's Be Here, went triple-platinum.) Urban's battled drug problems in the past, so this news isn't likely to shock his fans. In a world where records have less time than ever to prove their mettle, canceling appearances could result in Urban's sales sagging.

Keith Urban Checks Into Rehab [People]

Jimmy Buffett's Drug Bust: Get Ready For A Weekend Of Bad "Margaritaville" Jokes

Brian Raftery — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 10:22:14 EDT

Ever wonder how middle-aged I-banker icon Jimmy Buffett always manages to keep it so chill? How he looks as though he could strum a ukelele, pilot a low-range chopper, and belly-rub a manatee—all at the same time? Well, now you know:

Forget Margaritaville - French authorities reportedly seized more than 100 tabs of club drug "ecstasy" from Jimmy Buffett's luggage this week.
The Grammy-winning singer got into trouble when he flew into Toulon-Hyères International Airport in the South of France on a rented private jet and customs officials started poking around in his suitcases. According to local press reports, they uncovered more than 100 tablets of the mind-bending substance.

This is a big embarrassment for old Jimmy, so if you happen to see him this weekend down in the South of France, give him a hug. Just be aware that he might want to hug you back for approximately 14 to 16 hours.

Buffett Caught With Club Drug [Page Six]

The Greatest Musical Drug-Bust Of All Time

Brian Raftery — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 14:43:19 EDT

A headline like this just makes all the broken hearts in the world alive with joy. The full story's here, but the link doesn't seem to be working properly. Make sure you post your guesses regarding the "Clown"'s identity before jumping!