Atlanta-based rap producer Shawty Redd has been found not guilty of a murder charge related to his 2010 New Year’s Day arrest. As we previously reported, Shawty Redd (born Demetrius Lee Stewart) was accused of shooting 35-year-old Damon A. Martin of Detroit during an argument at Stewart’s home in Hampton, located in Henry County. Henry County District Attorney Tommy Floyd told the AP that Redd was cleared of the murder charge Thursday after judge Wade Crumbley determined that the producer acted in self-defense. Redd has produced tracks for Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane and others. His breakthrough came when he produced Snoop Dogg’s 2007 hit single “Sexual Seduction.” RELATED: UPDATE: Shawty Redd Bond Set At $200K UPDATE: Shawty Redd Makes First Court Appearance On Murder Charge Producer Shawty Redd Turns Himself In After Homicide On New Years Day
In the latest issue of GQ Magazine singer Erykah Badu tells writer Sean Fennessy about her early days working at Steve Harvey’s comedy house. The artist said she was doing more acting at the time and even tried her hand at stand-up. Given her sense of humor we think she should give it another shot. Read on… GQ: You were a rapper at one point, too. Was there a time when being an MC seemed more likely for you than being a singer? Erykah Badu: That was back when I was in college. I went to [Grambling State] university from 1989 to ’93 to study theater, so I was an actor at that point. It wasn’t my aspiration to be a singer, it was to be an artist. When I was 23 or 24, I was rapping and emceeing a lot with Free, but I was also working at Steve Harvey’s comedy house. He was my boss—the best boss ever. Funny, generous, considerate, and he knew I was an artist. When I started working there I was a waitress, and somehow I became a hostess. When he knew he could trust me, he moved me to the ticket booth. I handled money and helped organize transportation and hotel reservations for the comedians that came in. I noticed Steve didn’t have a stage manager, so I got that job, making sure everybody was taken care of. I love being of service to people—the whole act of it is really great to me. One day Steve was late going onstage, so I went out to the mic and threw out some jokes and stuff. People were laughing and heckling and having fun and Steve came onstage and scolded me in front of everybody. It was so funny. We started doing it every night. [Laughs] It felt like, This is where I want to be . Steve was really inspirational in that. Read More At GQ RELATED POSTS: Black Hollywood Attends Black Girls Rock! [PHOTOS] Erykah Badu Broke Up With Common Over The Phone Erykah Badu “Out My Mind, Just In Time” [MUSIC VIDEO] Get The Inside Scoop On Dallas, TX
