Here's the explanation for the canceled Jay-Z concert in Atlanta this past weekend...


"Fans hoping to see Jay-Z and Ciara over the weekend in Atlanta were forced to take a rain check, literally. The concert was scheduled to take place at Chastain Park Amphitheater Sunday night. Extreme weather conditions including thunder and severe lightning made it impossible for the show to happen and the concert was called off. Speculation circulated as fans wondered if the Jigga man even made it into town. There were reports that his private jet was grounded in New York and that he couldn't make it because of the weather conditions. In an effort to clear the confusion, Jay called into V-103 Atlanta's Ryan Cameron show. He explained to Cameron that he was in town and was in the dressing room before deciding to pull the plug.

"I actually came up to the venue...walked into the dressing room and everything. Soon as I got there it was a big pow-wow, the meeting and everybody was tryna to figure out what's the movements and they said this storm is going to last another 2 or 3 hours, and it's lightning and I was like man that's dangerous. Let's just cancel it right now man."

He then went on to deny rumors that the show would not be rescheduled.

"We looking at some dates in August to come back and do it."

Feeling better having cleared his name, Jay joked around that he was upset with JD and Jeezy for the inclement weather.

"Jermaine called me and I had him meet me in one of those parking lots by there, then he took me over to his house and the excitement was crazy....everyone was calling and I spoke to Jeezy as well. I was upset at them that they let it rain on me. If they came to my town I wouldn't let that happen. I got control over such things..."

The southern (Atlanta) rapper who was supposed to be Grand Hustle's biggest find, only to get dropped from the label because of his past with the law, has denied that his new song was directed at his former boss, T.I...


"Alfamega is denying that his new song is directed at T.I. Over the weekend a song by the ex- Grand Hustle rapper was released called "I Apologize." A statement was released as well explaining the intentions of the song.

"This song, is an apology to anyone from age 8 to 80, that's affiliated with or in any gang," he wrote. "To every parent (mother or father) that has lost a child to gang violence, every sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, partner or whomever that has lost a loved one or a friend to gang violence either by death or prison. Even if I never met you or have known you personally, I want to apologize for being the root of the evil that is plaguing the youth of today, & I beg you for forgiveness the same way i would beg GOD to forgive me for every sin that i have committed, because i am 37 years old now, & i have finally become to realize by watching my own children that i wasn't teaching something positive i was only teaching negatively.

Sincerely yours,
Alfamega

P.S. I would like to end by saying, "Violence Only Begots Violence", let's move to a more positive direction & I sincerely, hope that people understand me & what I am trying to say in this song. GOD BLESS US ALL."

Despite Alfamega's statement, rumors quickly surfaced speculating that the song was aimed at his old boss and Grand Hustle frontrunner, T.I. In an attempt to clear his name, a rep for the rapper spoke out.

"It had nothing to do with T.I. in no way, shape or fashion. I Apologize' was recorded earlier this year before any of the current situations came about. Alfa is out of jail. He is still recovering from his injuries and working to the best of his abilities right now."

The rapper broke his ankle in April after jumping off a 25 foot garage running from police. He was captured and charged with felony gun and obstruction charges. In May he was dropped from Grand Hustle after being outed by the Smoking Gun as a former DEA informant."

Hip-Hop legend Ice Cube has partnered with TBS to premier the TV version of Are We There Yet? TBS secured the 10 episode contract after a bidding war with USA and BET. The network also retains the option to order 90 more episodes. Ali LeRoi, writer of the acclaimed Everybody Hates Chris sitcom, will handle scripting duties. Executive producer credits are split between Cube, LeRoi, and Matt Alvarez. Debmar-Mercury, which backs the Tyler Perry sitcoms (House of Payne, Meet the Browns), will distribute the series. Although Cube has confirmed that he'll made sporadic appearances on the show, it won't be in his movie role as Nick, the protagonist father from the films. Replacing him will be Terry Crew, who received kudos from critics and fans for his breakout role as the father on Everybody Hates Chris. "Terry Crews is the perfect person to replace me as Nick," Ice Cube disclosed in a statement. "His physical comedy is undeniable. [And] no one runs a show like Ali. We are dedicated to creating a new template for family comedy."

Way to go Cube.

Twelve people tortured and killed in a cartel-plagued Mexican state were federal agents investigating organized crime, the government said Tuesday, marking one of the boldest attacks on federal forces since President Felipe Calderon launched his war on drugs.

Mexico's national security spokesman, Monte Alejandro Rubido, said the 11 men and one woman were off duty when they were ambushed and abducted by members of the La Familia drug cartel in Calderon's home state of Michoacan, which has been a center of his crackdown on drug traffickers.

Their bodies were found piled up along a mountain highway late Monday near the town of La Huacana. Michoacan state prosecutor J. Jesus Montejano initially said Tuesday that they were soldiers, but the army denied that.

Initial reports indicated the victims were likely killed over the weekend, when federal agents arrested Arnoldo Rueda Medina, a reputed chief of operations of the Michoacan-based La Familia cartel.

Police say his arrest Saturday set off a string of brazen attacks against federal forces that left six federal police officers and two soldiers dead. Gunmen threw grenades and fired on federal police stations and hotels where the agents were staying in three states.

"This marks an important change in the drug war in that they are attacking federal forces directly," said Jorge Chabat, a Mexican drug expert. "It also suggests the capture of this person has affected the operations of the cartel. It was a major blow and this is a reaction out of weakness not strength."

Federal forces arrested politicians in several Michoacan cities, including La Huacana, during an unprecedented sweep in May against local officials believed to be cooperating with drug traffickers. Seven mayors, one former mayor and the state prosecutor remain jailed on charges of protecting the La Familia cartel.

Rubido said Tuesday that an arrest warrant for alleged links to La Familia has been issued for Julio Godoy, half brother of Michoacan state Gov. Leonel Godoy and a federal lawmaker for the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD.

Julio Godoy, who has gone into hiding, is allegedly one of several people in charge of seeking government protection for the cartel, Rubido told a news conference in Mexico City. Julio Godoy was elected to Congress a week ago.

A PRD spokesman said the party wouldn't comment on the case.

"Any person from Michoacan who is responsible for a crime has to face the consequences and if they are innocent they also should get a fair process," Leonel Godoy said in Mexico City after meeting with federal Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora.

A former Green Party congressional candidate from Michoacan state has also been accused of collaboration with La Familia, Rubido said.

Since Calderon took office in December 2006, he has sent more than 45,000 troops to drug hot spots. More than 11,000 people have been killed in drug violence.

Michoacan, located on Mexico's western coast, has been wracked by a wave of killings and arrests in recent weeks. Federal forces there are fighting La Familia, which is locked in a battle with the Zetas drug hit men, who form a branch of the Gulf cartel. On Tuesday, three bodies were found in the town of Nuevo Urecho.

In the northern state of Chihuahua, meanwhile, gunmen killed the mayor of the town of Namiquipa, officials said.

Hector Mixueiro was driving his pickup truck near Namiquipa when gunmen opened fire Tuesday. A message left on a Ciudad Juarez bridge hours earlier threatened Mixueiro saying he had helped soldiers arrest 25 gunmen last month in the town of Nicolas Bravo, said state prosecutors spokesman Fidel Banuelos.

In neighboring northern Coahuila state, four police officers in the border city of Piedras Negras were kidnapped hours after the police chief was pulled from his patrol car, Piedras Negras' Public Safety Director Jose Castillo said Tuesday.

Gunmen kidnapped Piedras Negras Police Chief Rogelio Ramos on Monday morning.

Officials said the kidnappings could be related to efforts to curb corruption by militarizing the police force in Piedras Negras, across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. The city is one of many in Mexico that have turned to the armed forces for help controlling cross-border drug trafficking.

Castillo's predecessor, army Col. Arturo Navarro, was shot and killed in April — less than three weeks after he took over the local force with the aim of purging alleged corruption.

Also Tuesday, soldiers detained 19 police officers from the wealthy Monterrey suburb of San Pedro who are suspected of links with organized crime, authorities said.

The San Pedro officers were detained Monday evening and Tuesday morning, said a spokesman for the state attorney general's office on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give his name.

The detentions follow the June 26 capture of a Beltran Leyva cartel operative in San Pedro who police said was carrying a list with the names of San Pedro police officers.

In the Gulf coast state of Tabasco, prosecutors announced homicide charges Tuesday against five alleged Gulf cartel hit men for allegedly killing two policemen and 18 of their relatives in massacres carried out in February and May.

They had been arrested in recent days but held at a nearby military base, where a sixth man who was allegedly the leader of the group died of a heart attack while in army custody.

Tabasco state Attorney General Rafael Gonzalez refused to take questions about the death of suspect Raul Martinez, who was arrested Friday. Gonzalez said Martinez reported feeling ill Sunday and was taken to a military clinic, where he died. Gonzalez said an autopsy revealed Martinez had an enlarged heart.

The Mexican army has been accused in the past of mistreating suspects.

Most weddings go off without a hitch. But every once in a while, the blessed event gets a surprise twist. This past weekend, NBA star Richard Jefferson's wedding left guests asking a big question: "Where the heck is the groom?"

According to the New York Post, Jefferson was scheduled to marry former New Jersey Nets dancer Kesha Ni'Cole Nichols. Alas, a few days before the big day, Jefferson called off the ceremony and broke up with his fiancée.

Unfortunately, nobody told a significant number of guests. Many showed up at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City expecting to see a bride, a groom, some vows, and a kiss. Instead they found that Jefferson had gone MIA. However, he did lend his friend his AMEX Black credit card and told him to treat the guests to a fun night without him.

The confusion led to some spectacular spikes in Search. Lookups on "richard jefferson wedding" surged 5,687%, and interest in the jilted bride was similarly enthusiastic. Queries on "kesha ni'cole nichols pictures" went from zip into the thousands overnight.

According to various sources from the Buzz, the wedding cost around $2 million. Next time, may we suggest city hall?

The rumors have been out there for a week or so now, but today the Hawks made it official, inking free agents Mike Bibby and Zaza Pachulia to deals that will keep them in Atlanta threads for the foreseeable future.

These moves are incredibly important for the franchise and help keep momentum going this offseason (along with the trade for Jamal Crawford and the drafting of Jeff Teague) after reaching the second round of the playoffs in 2008-09. Let's take a look at them one-by-one:

Mike Bibby - Bibby is the perfect fit for the offense Mike Woodson runs - he is a terrific outside shooter, and is the perfect antidote to make opponents think twice about doubling Joe Johnson. One of the biggest reasons for the Hawks' success (last year in particular) was an improvement in 3-point marksmanship, and with Bibby back in the fold, there is no reason to think that will drop off.

Bibby will also be a great mentor for Teague to learn under, since neither is your prototypical pass-first point guard.

There is another reason I like this signing, and I haven't really seen it talked about anywhere, so here is as good a place as any.

Bibby came to the Hawks with a chance to serve potentially two purposes - one, to make them better on the court (mission accomplished there), and two, if it didn't work out, to provide the team with an incredibly valuable expiring contract.

As it turned out, Bibby did play well for Atlanta, making it very unlikely that the team would think about trading him before his contract expired. And while it is fortunate that he excelled, it also meant that the Hawks would risk losing him in free agency for nothing. Taking that risk was well worth it - as two playoff appearances would attest - but re-signing him afterwards makes the original deal all that much sweeter.

Zaza Pachulia - Skilled big men don't just grow on trees (no matter how many times I try), and with the market for available frontcourt players dwindling, it was pretty important that the Hawks bring back a guy who is not only a legit center but one of the best offensive rebounders in the league. After the injuries to the frontcourt during the playoffs, we all saw how valuable post-depth can be, and losing Pachulia would have stung.

Fortunately that didn't happen, and Zaza now returns to be not only a valuable contributor but also a fan favorite at Philips Arena.

One of the biggest contributing factors to success in the NBA is continuity, and by keeping two players who've been a part of the team's nucleus for a combined 5 1/2 years, the Hawks have saved themselves a lot of time and effort that might have been spent trying to acclimate new (and potentially unknown) players into the departed roles.

Congrats to the Rick Sund and company for getting these deals done, and welcome back to the Highlight Factory guys!