Max B speaks on prison life preparing for second appeal

Max B speaks on the realities of prison life, and says he's working hard on his case.

Max B is currently serving a 75-year sentence for his role in a a 2006 robbery which resulted in a death. The rapper sent his girlfriend, Gina Conway, and his stepbrother, Kelvin Leerdam, to rob two men for $30,000 at a Holiday Inn in New Jersey. A man named David Taylor lost his life in the events that took place.
Max B checked in with AHH recently from prison, and gave out a warning to the hip-hop community that prison is no joke. Max B has already tried appealing his life-time sentence once, unsuccessfully, but he has not given up hope for a second appeal. He is currently working hard to prepare a case for the appeal.
The Dipset affiliate said, "It ain’t really nothing to glorify, it aint hip. Everyday is the same in the system. I’m just trying to go home. I’m working on my case, I’m reading case-law and I am in the library."
Max also spoke on avoiding prison politics, and ultimately avoiding trouble, "I don’t really keep up with the prison politics or what's going on around here, I ain’t into that, my thing is getting back to the streets doing what I do," he said. "It ain’t nothing going on in here, just so you all know. This ain’t nothing sweet it's real up in here, they trying to keep me, they trying to kill a nigga. They trying to kill me in here."

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Slim Dunkin's killer sentenced to 25 years

The man charged with shooting and killing BSM rapper Slim Dunkin, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

In December of 2011, Brick Squad rapper Slim Dunkin was shot in a recording studio and subsequently died.  The man who shot him, a fellow rapper named Young Vito, was found not guilty of murder, but will still serve 25 years in prison.
A jury found Vito, real name Vinson Hardimon, not guilty of murder, as the gun and the shells from the shooting were never recovered.  However, witness who testified against Hardimon, were enough to get him convicted of aggravated assault and possession of a hand gun during the commission of a felony. 
The shooting stemmed from an argument the two rappers had in the studio apparently over candy, and although he avoided the murder rap, the judge threw the book at Hardimon and he was given the maximum 25 year sentence.

Top 11 Jay-Z Quotes

Below is a list of inspiring Jay-Z quotes. It was hard to whittle it down to just eleven as there are so many and these are in no particular order.It’s a new year and as I often do I look for motivation in songs. So I was trying to think up some inspiring Jay-Z songs when this post came about.Check out the List of Inspiring Jay-Z quotes after the jump.

Top 11 Inspiring Jay-Z Quotes

1. “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business… man.”- Diamonds from Sierra Leone Remix.How could you not like this line. Jay-Z highlights the fact that he is a walking business. His carefully crafted name, brand and image makes money and thats just by being himself.
2. “One million, two million, three million, four, In just five years, forty million more, you are now lookin at the forty million boy, I’m rapin Def Jam ’til I’m the hundred million man” – You Don’t Know.Jay counts up his short rise to success with this line and his ambition to keep going til he reaches 100million. Needless to say he hit his target. Moral – Set targets and keep striving for more .
3. “I’d rather die enormous than live dormant.” – Can I Live.From Jay-Z’s first album “Reasonable Doubt”. This line shows Jigga’s ambition to live life to the fullest even at the risk of death. Moral – Don’t sit back and let life fly by. Take massive action with all your effort.
4. “I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell, I am a hustler baby, I’ll sell water to a well” – You Don’t know.So many quotables in this one song. Highlights Jay’s self confidence and hustler mentality. Moral – Have self belief.
5. “Everything evens up, you just wait, Even a garbage can gets a steak, You ain’t even a garbage can, you have faith!”– Guns & Roses.From Blueprint 2 with Lenny Kravitz. Everyone gets a break once in a while and you are far from garbage as you have faith.
6. “I will not lose, for even in defeat, there’s a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me.” – Blueprint 2.Moral – Learn from your mistakes and never give up.
7. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with the aim, just gotta change the target.” – American Dreamin’.Jay-Z started out as a drug dealer and was aiming for success at selling drugs. This line highlights his realisation that he needs another target like music.
8. “Remind yourself. Nobody built like you, you design yourself.” – A Dream.Moral – You make the the decisions which dictate your life. You’re responsible for your own success.
9. “I’m not afraid of dying. I’m afraid of not trying” – Beach Chair.Moral – It’s better to try and fail than not to try at all.
10. “I believe excellence is being able to perform at a high level over and over” – Oprah Masterclass Documentary.Not a lyric but a quote from an interview with Oprah. Jay-Z has realised that consistency is key to success and you have to give it all every time.
11. See what I discovered is yall snitch lovers I might speak, but I don't fuck with nobody - He’s saying that rap fans in the past few years have become more tolerant of snitches. He himself might mention some subs in a song, but not enough to actually be considered snitching.

This is my list of inspiring Jay-Z quotes. In the process of writing this post I thought of so many other quotes and was chopping and changing the list constantly.Of course please drop your favorite inspirational Jay-Z quote in the comments and let me know what you think. Will start writing more list posts soon

KG turn down offer to join CP3 in LA

The Boston Celtics weren’t dormant at Thursday’s NBA trading deadline—notably flipping the injured Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins to the Washington Wizards for volume scorer Jordan Crawford (h/t ESPN)—but they didn’t make any of the blockbuster moves rumored in the weeks leading up to it.

However, there is a strong chance that Kevin Garnett could have wound up with the Los Angeles Clippers—if only he had the desire to waive his no-trade clause.

Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald found that Chris Paul spoke to KG prior to the deadline and made it clear that if Garnett wanted to become a member of the Clips, the superstar point guard would make it happen.

CP3 didn't get his wish of bringing KG over for a playoff run in 2013.
Harry How/Getty Images
Fortunately for Celtics fans, the Big Ticket declined the enticing offer and held true to his vow that he “will retire a Celtic and be buried in green” (per ESPN).

Had KG elected to accept CP3’s proposal, C’s general manager Danny Ainge would have likely gunned for DeAndre Jordan and/or Eric Bledsoe in a possible deal, as Murphy reported these two players were atop Boston’s wish list.

Despite the long odds, it seems that the veterans inside the Celtics locker room are not abandoning their goal of competing for a championship in 2013.

After Rajon Rondo went down for the season and many wrote this group off, they responded by winning seven straight, a stretch that included victories over the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and Clippers.

Rondo's torn ACL was devastating for the C's, but they have soldiered on.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Garnett and Paul Pierce are setting the tone for the rest of the veterans and youngsters in the locker room, with Doc Rivers putting together yet another brilliant coaching performance during the 2012-13 campaign. It’s impossible to count the Celtics out now that they’ve been able to reload with Crawford and retain KG at the deadline.

While KG would have surely had an easier road to a potential championship by jumping ship to the 39-18 Clips, he proved his pride and mettle by choosing to remain with the 28-26 Celtics.

It was the type of decision rarely seen in today’s NBA, with LeBron James and other “me-first” superstars playing the role of mercenary—willing to ply their trade in any city in order to increase their odds of winning a title.

NBA Denies Banning Lil Wayne

If Lil Wayne wants to attend future NBA games, he ain’t got no worries. Despite his claims, league rep Mark Brossuard told the Thirty Mile Zone that Weezy isn’t banned from any events. He might want to stay out of the America Airlines Arena though.

Joe Johnson Nail Buzz Beater Against The Bucks In OT

Joe Johnson had no plans of letting his Brooklyn Nets lose to the Milwaukee Bucks at the Barclays Center on Tuesday night.

After the Nets had surrendered their 10-point halftime advantage in a frustrating third quarter that saw the Bucks outscore them 30-19, Johnson knew he needed to take over.

He connected on three of his six fourth-quarter attempts, none bigger than his game-tying three over the outstretched hands of the lengthy Luc Richard Mbah a Moute with just 1.3 seconds left in regulation.

Despite having a raucous home crowd behind them, the Nets looked gassed in the extra session.

Keith Bogans opened the scoring in the overtime, burying a triple on the period's first possession. But Brooklyn's next four trips went scoreless, while Milwaukee opened up a three-point advantage heading into the game's final 90 seconds.

Bogans once again answered the bell, as he corralled Larry Sanders' block of Gerald Wallace's attempt and hit a game-tying three with 1:03 left on the clock. The teams traded missed field goals and Gerald Wallace's rebound of an errant Brandon Jennings attempt with 10 seconds left gave Brooklyn the final possession.

Everyone knew where the ball was going for the final shot, including Bucks coach Jim Boylan, who once again assigned his best defender, Mbah a Moute, to Johnson. A Brook Lopez screen freed up Johnson to make the catch, and a few hesitations and crossovers gave him all the space he needed to send the Bucks home with a back-breaking 113-111 loss and Twitter into a frenzy.

Knicks, Nets enter bids for 2015 ASG

There is a good chance the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend will be in New York City.

In response to a question about the All-Star festivities likely being at Barclays Center or Madison Square Garden, NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said, "Yes." The comment came during Silver and commissioner David Stern's annual All-Star press conference on Saturday at the Toyota Center.

"There are two applications in, one from Brooklyn and one from the Garden," Stern said. "And I really think that Commissioner Silver is going to have a great time with those applications, I really do, and I asked him to send me a postcard to tell me how they go."

The last time All-Star Weekend was held in New York came in 1998 at Madison Square Garden, where Michael Jordan was named game MVP during his last season with the Chicago Bulls.

Bucks Shopping Ellis Around Before Deadline

The Milwaukee Bucks could look like a very different team next season.

We’ve already told you how Brandon Jennings — frustrated he wasn’t picked to be in Houston this weekend for the All-Star Game — is a restricted free agent next summer and has a new agent known for getting his clients to big cities. Jennings denies that’s the plan, of course. The Bucks can match any offer other teams make for Jennings so he doesn’t want to burn that bridge.

Now comes a note from the Boston Globe that Monta Ellis may become a free agent as well, reports the Boston Globe.

Also, guard Monta Ellis has an $11 million player option that he is expected to reject to become a free agent this summer. Ellis, like Josh Smith, has been productive throughout his career but elicits different opinions about whether he can contribute to a championship-caliber team.

Golden State felt it had to choose between Ellis and Stephen Curry, and it went with Curry. Milwaukee may ultimately see it’s backcourt the same way.

Ellis is averaging 18.4 points a game but is shooting just 40.1 percent on the season,

If Ellis opts out — and while he might well make less money next season he could get the security of a multi-year deal worth more in total — it seems it would be more likely the Bucks would match any offer for Jennings. The team has already made it clear they are not moving Jennings before the trade deadline Thursday.

We’ll see how it all shakes out. But with coach Scott Skiles out as coach and likely player shakeups, it’s going to be an interesting time in Milwaukee this summer.

Kobe Bryant passed on trade after this lesson from Jerry Buss: It's good to be a Laker for life

After all the anger and angst and fury of the immediate post-Shaq era had inspired Kobe Bryant to make a trade demand, Jerry Buss finally called his superstar guard to the owner's home in the Los Angeles hills on an autumn evening in 2007.

The Los Angeles Lakers had found a trade for Bryant, but Buss warned him that it wasn't to one of his selected destinations.

"Detroit," Buss said.

The Lakers had agreed to a deal to send Bryant to the Pistons and needed Bryant's approval to waive his no-trade clause. The package included a combination of Detroit's core players and draft picks, sources say. Buss and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak needed an answer soon, because they refused to let the issue linger into training camp.

Looking back, Bryant isn't sure it would've mattered whether it was Detroit or Chicago, Dallas or New York. In that moment, in Buss' house in the hills, it washed over Bryant how much staying a Laker for life meant to him, how no matter how dire the state of the franchise seemed, that Buss had a history of restoring the Lakers to championship contention.

"It hit me that I didn't really want to walk out on Dr. Buss," Bryant told Yahoo! Sports on Monday