Frank Ocean: 'No Criminal Charges, No Civil Lawsuit'

Frank Ocean arrives at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards on September 6th, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.

Despite recent reports that Frank Ocean wanted to press charges against Chris Brown over the fight that allegedly broke out between the two earlier this week, Ocean appears to be seeking peace instead.

In an entry posted on his Tumblr page this weekend, Ocean ruminated on his response to getting jumped. "As a child I thought if someone jumped me it would result in me murdering or mutilating a man," Ocean wrote. "But as a man I am not a killer. I'm an artist and a modern person. I'll choose sanity. No criminal charges. No civil lawsuit. Forgiveness, albeit difficult, is wisdom. Peace, albeit trite, is what I want in my short life. Peace." 

50 Best Albums of 2012: Frank Ocean, 'Channel Orange'

Although he does not mention Chris Brown by name, Ocean seems to be referring to last Sunday's scuffle outside a West Hollywood recording studio, which reportedly broke out over a parking space. Ocean tweeted on Monday morning that he "got jumped by chris and a couple guys," and police investigating the fight cited witness accounts of Brown punching Ocean during a brawl that involved four other men from their entourages.

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Frank Ocean: 'No Criminal Charges, No Civil Lawsuit'

Frank Ocean arrives at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards on September 6th, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.

Despite recent reports that Frank Ocean wanted to press charges against Chris Brown over the fight that allegedly broke out between the two earlier this week, Ocean appears to be seeking peace instead.

In an entry posted on his Tumblr page this weekend, Ocean ruminated on his response to getting jumped. "As a child I thought if someone jumped me it would result in me murdering or mutilating a man," Ocean wrote. "But as a man I am not a killer. I'm an artist and a modern person. I'll choose sanity. No criminal charges. No civil lawsuit. Forgiveness, albeit difficult, is wisdom. Peace, albeit trite, is what I want in my short life. Peace." 

50 Best Albums of 2012: Frank Ocean, 'Channel Orange'

Although he does not mention Chris Brown by name, Ocean seems to be referring to last Sunday's scuffle outside a West Hollywood recording studio, which reportedly broke out over a parking space. Ocean tweeted on Monday morning that he "got jumped by chris and a couple guys," and police investigating the fight cited witness accounts of Brown punching Ocean during a brawl that involved four other men from their entourages.

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El DeBarge Drug Charges Dropped

El DeBarge attends the BET Hip Hop Awards.

R&B star El DeBarge will not face charges for his arrest for drug possession earlier this week, TMZ reports. The singer was busted by officers in Encino, California on Monday and was released on $30,000 bail. The police caught DeBarge and another man in a hand-to-hand narcotics transaction and he was charged with possession with intent to sell.

According to official Los Angeles Distict Attorney documents obtained by TMZ, the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence. The papers say police never gave DeBarge and the other man involved in the transaction a reason for a search, which resulted in them finding a small bag of rock cocaine hidden underneath a nearby car.

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El DeBarge Drug Charges Dropped

El DeBarge attends the BET Hip Hop Awards.

R&B star El DeBarge will not face charges for his arrest for drug possession earlier this week, TMZ reports. The singer was busted by officers in Encino, California on Monday and was released on $30,000 bail. The police caught DeBarge and another man in a hand-to-hand narcotics transaction and he was charged with possession with intent to sell.

According to official Los Angeles Distict Attorney documents obtained by TMZ, the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence. The papers say police never gave DeBarge and the other man involved in the transaction a reason for a search, which resulted in them finding a small bag of rock cocaine hidden underneath a nearby car.

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'American Idol' Contestant Jermaine Jones Booted Over Criminal Charges

Jermaine Jones has been kicked off 'American Idol.'

American Idol contestant Jermaine Jones will be kicked off the show tonight after producers learned that the singer lied about his criminal history. The singer confirmed his exit last night in a Twitter post, though his account was deleted within a few hours.

According to TMZ, Jones was arrested twice last year and has outstanding warrants, and one of the incidents involved violence, which was especially troubling to Idol producers. Jones apparently used fake names both times he was arrested.

It also appears that Jones lied about his relationship with his father. Though he told producers that his father abandoned him 10 years ago, his father has told TMZ that they see each other regularly. Suspicions about this issue led Idol producers to more closely investigate Jones' background, which led to the discovery of his arrests last year.

This isn't the first time an Idol contestant was dismissed over past criminal charges. In season two, the show dismissed semifinalist Jared Andrews on assault charges and finalist Corey Clark over pending battery charges. Another contestant, Frenchie Davis, was kicked off the show when sexual photos of the singer turned up online.

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'American Idol' Contestant Jermaine Jones Booted Over Criminal Charges

Jermaine Jones has been kicked off 'American Idol.'

American Idol contestant Jermaine Jones will be kicked off the show tonight after producers learned that the singer lied about his criminal history. The singer confirmed his exit last night in a Twitter post, though his account was deleted within a few hours.

According to TMZ, Jones was arrested twice last year and has outstanding warrants, and one of the incidents involved violence, which was especially troubling to Idol producers. Jones apparently used fake names both times he was arrested.

It also appears that Jones lied about his relationship with his father. Though he told producers that his father abandoned him 10 years ago, his father has told TMZ that they see each other regularly. Suspicions about this issue led Idol producers to more closely investigate Jones' background, which led to the discovery of his arrests last year.

This isn't the first time an Idol contestant was dismissed over past criminal charges. In season two, the show dismissed semifinalist Jared Andrews on assault charges and finalist Corey Clark over pending battery charges. Another contestant, Frenchie Davis, was kicked off the show when sexual photos of the singer turned up online.

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String Cheese Incident Eliminate Service Charges for Summer Tour

Keith Moseley performs with The String Cheese Incident.David Gordon Oppenheimer/Getty Images

The String Cheese Incident have announced a summer tour that focuses on unusually scenic outdoor venues and festivals, including a three-night stand at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado and stops at the Greek theaters in both Los Angeles and Berkeley, California.

The jam band's ethic has always leaned to the left; taking the lead from Pearl Jam, the band sued Ticketmaster in 2003 and won – sort of. They settled out of court and got what they wanted, which was a larger-than-normal allotment of tickets to sell directly to their fans, through their own in-house ticketing system. It was a quiet victory, however, as they agreed to not publicize the outcome. The nuts and bolts of the lawsuit have since been exposed in detail in the book Ticket Masters by Dean Budnick and Josh Baron.

For this upcoming summer tour, the band was able to go an extra step towards their vision of fan-friendly ticketing: They’ve eliminated all service charges – including credit card fees and handling expenses – thereby making the final ticket cost the same as the advertised price. A $49.95 ticket for one of the shows at Red Rocks will cost $49.95. 

"We're proud that, ten years after we filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster, we still have control over some of our tickets," bassist Keith Moseley tells Rolling Stone. "It's important stuff, not just for us but for all artists."

In order to take advantage of the deal, fans have to purchase their tickets directly through String Cheese Incident's official website, beginning March 6th. The remaining tickets will be available through Ticketmaster, service charges and all, beginning March 10th.

On a different note, the band jokes on their website that, in honor of New York Knicks' fast-rising point guard Jeremy Lin, they plan to rename themselves the String Cheese Lincident.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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String Cheese Incident Eliminate Service Charges for Summer Tour

Keith Moseley performs with The String Cheese Incident.David Gordon Oppenheimer/Getty Images

The String Cheese Incident have announced a summer tour that focuses on unusually scenic outdoor venues and festivals, including a three-night stand at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado and stops at the Greek theaters in both Los Angeles and Berkeley, California.

The jam band's ethic has always leaned to the left; taking the lead from Pearl Jam, the band sued Ticketmaster in 2003 and won – sort of. They settled out of court and got what they wanted, which was a larger-than-normal allotment of tickets to sell directly to their fans, through their own in-house ticketing system. It was a quiet victory, however, as they agreed to not publicize the outcome. The nuts and bolts of the lawsuit have since been exposed in detail in the book Ticket Masters by Dean Budnick and Josh Baron.

For this upcoming summer tour, the band was able to go an extra step towards their vision of fan-friendly ticketing: They’ve eliminated all service charges – including credit card fees and handling expenses – thereby making the final ticket cost the same as the advertised price. A $49.95 ticket for one of the shows at Red Rocks will cost $49.95. 

"We're proud that, ten years after we filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster, we still have control over some of our tickets," bassist Keith Moseley tells Rolling Stone. "It's important stuff, not just for us but for all artists."

In order to take advantage of the deal, fans have to purchase their tickets directly through String Cheese Incident's official website, beginning March 6th. The remaining tickets will be available through Ticketmaster, service charges and all, beginning March 10th.

On a different note, the band jokes on their website that, in honor of New York Knicks' fast-rising point guard Jeremy Lin, they plan to rename themselves the String Cheese Lincident.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Rapper Cory Gunz Arrested on Weapons Charges

Cory Gunz at the Reality Rocks Expo in Los Angeles.

Rapper Cory Gunz was arrested in the Bronx on Saturday for carrying a loaded firearm. According to MTV News, the police detained Gunz yesterday afternoon around 2 p.m. and found the loaded gun in his backpack.

Gunz, who was featured in Lil Wayne’s single "6 Foot 7 Foot" and Rihanna’s "If It’s Lovin’ That You Want Part 2," signed last year to Lil Wayne’s label Young Money Entertainment. In April, he starred in Son of a Gun, a reality series on MTV that chronicled his rise in the music industry.

The 24-year-old’s father, rapper Peter Gunz, is claiming that the arrest came about as the result of an illegal search.

"I spoke to the arresting officer, and so far, what I’m hearing from him is that they got a phone call at the station saying they should ‘look out’," Peter Gunz told MTV News. "According to [the officer], they didn’t know he was Cory Gunz. They just saw a bunch of kids following him around."

The younger Gunz is currently being held in Central Booking in the Bronx. He has no prior criminal record, but New York law mandates a prison sentence of three and a half years for illegal possession of a loaded weapon.

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Rapper Cory Gunz Arrested on Weapons Charges

Cory Gunz at the Reality Rocks Expo in Los Angeles.

Rapper Cory Gunz was arrested in the Bronx on Saturday for carrying a loaded firearm. According to MTV News, the police detained Gunz yesterday afternoon around 2 p.m. and found the loaded gun in his backpack.

Gunz, who was featured in Lil Wayne’s single "6 Foot 7 Foot" and Rihanna’s "If It’s Lovin’ That You Want Part 2," signed last year to Lil Wayne’s label Young Money Entertainment. In April, he starred in Son of a Gun, a reality series on MTV that chronicled his rise in the music industry.

The 24-year-old’s father, rapper Peter Gunz, is claiming that the arrest came about as the result of an illegal search.

"I spoke to the arresting officer, and so far, what I’m hearing from him is that they got a phone call at the station saying they should ‘look out’," Peter Gunz told MTV News. "According to [the officer], they didn’t know he was Cory Gunz. They just saw a bunch of kids following him around."

The younger Gunz is currently being held in Central Booking in the Bronx. He has no prior criminal record, but New York law mandates a prison sentence of three and a half years for illegal possession of a loaded weapon.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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