Jay-Z Out on Bail

Jay-Z (a.k.a. Shawn Carter), along with his bodyguard and two other associates, were arraigned April 13th in a New York City courthouse on charges of third-degree weapons possession. The rapper was pulled over in the early hours that day after an undercover officer claimed to see his bodyguard, Hamza Hewitt, place a firearm in the waistband of his trousers. The group was leaving the Club Exit in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, where Carter had just performed with Ja Rule. The four men entered their vehicle but were quickly pulled over by police who recovered a handgun in the car.

Carter was freed on $10,000 bail by Judge Laura Ward and ordered to return to the courthouse on June 26th. "[My mother] can go anywhere she wants and hold her head up, because her son is 100 percent innocent," he told reporters outside the courthouse.

The incident isn't Carter's only legal tangle in Manhattan. This week he must appear in court to answer to allegations that he stabbed a record company executive, Lance "Un" Rivera, at a December 1999 release party for Q-Tip at New York's Kit Kat Club. The rapper has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault. The $50,000 bail that Carter posted on those charges may be affected by his latest arrest.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV 10 Shows to Watch This Summer
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter