On September 10, hip hop king, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, was arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana. Recently, a video surfaced on the web of this event (does it look like he passed the sobriety test to you? Some think so). In the video you will see the cops asking him to count from 1001, 1002, until they said stop, while standing on one leg with both arms out and had him walk a straight line back and forth while counting to nine. Nas tells the cop that he always had “weird balance”, but guess that didn’t work out so well. At the time, he was in the car with his brother Jabari, also known as Jungle. They checked his pulse, eyes and had him stick out his tongue (which was supposedly a bit green with raised taste buds). Then what really gave it away was the smoke filled SUV they were driving. He and his brother were both arrested and released later. There are rumors that the charges are being dropped.

Of course, this isn’t the most important of Nas’s worries at the moment, especially with the case he has with his ex-wife Kelis. He has to face a lien that’s worth $2.5 million — this accumulated over 2006 and 2007 for spousal and child support. Other than the trouble he is facing, he is still working hard in the studio, trying to bring out more songs and his next album. Word has it that he is collaborating with Damian Marley for the “Distant Relatives” album and documentary. Hopefully none of this drama will faze him because he has a lot of work to do…plus I know we all can’t wait to hear what the rapper has conjured up for the new album and documentary.

We’ve heard those words before,”I’m going into retirement”, from sooo many different hip hop artists, such as Jay-Z, Master P, Eminem and so forth. But for some reason, they just can’t leave the game alone. They all come back one or two years later with a debut album. Jay-Z is by far the worst, if you ask me. He has retired like 4 times, but just keeps coming back. I don’t and won’t believe it anymore if he says it again. Now, it just seems like a big publicity stunt to get people to buy their CDs because it’s the last time they will hear from them.

Now, Lil Wayne is claiming that he will retire, but no time soon. His retirement plan says that he will stay in the game no longer than 8 more years.Wayne claims that he always said that he wouldn’t rap anymore after the age 35. Ha, he says that now. A lot of people agree that rappers and hip hoppers shouldn’t be old and should retire to allow new game to come into the industry. But Jay-Z being an old head, of course, doesn’t agree. He says that it shouldn’t be made easy for the youngsters coming into the hip hop game. If they want to be on top, they’re going to have to work hard for it. Heck, it wasn’t made easy for Jay. Back then, there wasn’t as much competition as there is now, even if a lot of them are low-level rappers. People like these stars because they make good club bangers. After Lil Wayne retires, he’s looking to own a basketball team.

Rapper Baatin was found dead in Detroit on August 1st. He was 35 years old and helped to create Slum Village, a hip hop group. The death was confirmed by a friend of the family, Ty Townson. So far little details have been given about his death. If you aren’t sure who he was, here is some info about him. In 2003, he left the hip hop group he co-created, Slum Village. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and dealt with various emotional problems as well. He went on a solo journey looking to establish his own career, but recently rejoined Slum Village. Baatin, born as Titus Glover, was born in 1974 in Detroit. In the 90s he obtained the name Baatin, which represented his new look upon spirituality. Baatin is an Islamic term for “hidden”.

Baatin went to high school on the east side of Detroit, where he first began rapping. Also in the group was Jay Dee, who died in 2006 from lupus complications and T3. They honed their rap skills as a group in front of the Hip-Hop Shop alongside other up-and-coming rappers like Eminem. Slum Village was known as one of the top hip hop groups from Detroit, according to Soren Baker in The Times back in 2000. Eminem is known for using violence and frustration as a way to fill his lyrics, but the trio in Slum Village utilized a more universal approach. They delivered a soulful and balanced sound that set them apart from other rappers who used either glamor or hard-core attitudes. Baatin will truly be missed — a young star that has faded so quickly.