Reports TMZ:

Our sources say … the NFL has indemnified NBC … because the NFL is responsible for the halftime content.

But the NFL was smart, given the history of performers who wanted to do something shocking to get attention during the biggest TV event of the year. So we’re told … M.I.A. signed a contract with the NFL for the halftime performance, and in that contract M.I.A. agreed to indemnify the NFL for any money it might be forced to pay if the FCC comes down on the Peacock Network.

Remember, CBS was hit with a $550,000 FCC fine after Janet Jackson’s famous wardrobe malfunction, but that fine was thrown out by a federal appeals court.

Sources tell us … aside from the fact that the NFL doesn’t want to pay a huge fine, the organization wants to send a message to performers — don’t you dare screw with us.

We don’t know if the NFL got a similar indemnity clause from Madonna.

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you you can’t talk your way out of what you’ve behaved yourself into.

Reports TMZ:

According to court documents filed in Florida, as part of his divorce judgment back in 2007, Sapp was ordered to pay $15,000/month in support for his two kids and another $45,000/month in alimony.

But Sapp’s ex, Jamiko, claims that since March 2010, he hasn’t been following the terms of the judgment. She claims he’s been paying random amounts each month and NOTHING at all for two of the months.

Jamiko claims Warren’s missed payments amount to $728,100 and filed a motion asking a judge to enforce their divorce agreement.

In October 2011, Sapp filed documents of his own … asking a judge to lower his monthly payments.

A judge has yet to rule on either request.

And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you a condom would have cost him $20.00.

Reports TMZ:

Bow Wow was ordered by a Tennessee court back in 2009 to pay almost $100,000 to a tour bus company for allegedly not paying his bill. The company then took the case to Georgia to try and get the court where Bow Wow lives to enforce the judgment.

He was ordered to produce documents in his home state regarding the lawsuit, which he never did. As a result, the tour company filed a motion to have the rapper held in contempt.

Finally back in October, the judge granted the motion and ordered Bow Wow be arrested and held until he produces the necessary documents the tour bus company asked for.

Bow Wow has not been taken into custody so far, or responded to the lawsuit.

And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you if the judge’s order was in OCTOBER why is this news in FEBRUARY? But I digress.

Reports TMZ:

Multiple sources tell TMZ, two men — who appeared to be intoxicated — approached Ray J’s Rolls Royce on the street in Hollywood early Friday morning.

It’s unclear why the men approached the vehicle but law enforcement sources were told Ray’s bodyguards quickly got out of the car to fend them off, and a fight ensued … during which the two alleged drunkies got their asses handed to them.

Paramedics were called for help — but we’re told Ray and his bodyguards didn’t stick around, taking off before an ambulance arrived. Despite the emergency call, we’re told neither one of the alleged victims was transported to a hospital.

Law enforcement sources tell us the LAPD is currently investigating the situation — and wants to speak to both Ray J and his bodyguards to sort everything out. Calls to Ray J’s people were not returned.

And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you Ray’s got an indoor bodyguard and an outdoor bodyguard.

Reports TMZ:

Lil Kim is going to the tax lien Hall of Fame — because the Queen Bee has run her bill with Uncle Sam into the seven figures … TMZ has learned.

Lil Kim’s tax problems are well-documented and go back nearly 10 years. According to documents filed with the L.A. Recorder’s Office, Kim owes money every year from 2002-2009.

The 2009 amount, $86347.85, was just recently tacked on — bringing her total $1,026,862.42.

Congratulations?

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling Lil Kim accountants are less expensive than lawyers. PS, Nicki wants to tell you something:

Reports HipHopDx:

Ericka Lee, who is credited in the liner notes of “Marvin’s Room” as a vocalist under the name “Syren Lyric Muse,” believes she is entitled to a larger share of the song’s royalties. Lee filed her initial claim in July of 2011, and was met by a counterclaim from Cash Money/Universal Records roughly six weeks later. According to Lee’s suit, she believes her “contribution is highly significant to the overall work.”

Lee reports that after the song was released, their relationship ended and got ugly fast. The two discussed meeting in Los Angeles, but it never happened.

“Drake allegedly agreed to work with Lee on ‘Marvin’s Room’ and split the proceeds,” writes Eriq Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter. “Lee says she was asked to record the song’s ‘hook’ as well as the opening monologue that would serve as the thematic framework for a song about Drake’s yearning for an ex-girlfriend and how his fame interfered with his love life.”

By November, Lee hired a lawyer, which allegedly caused Drake to make threatening phone calls. “What the f–k is your problem?” he said to her, according to the complaint, then offering her “4-5%” of publishing monies plus a $50,000 payout to go away. “Marvin’s Room” peaked at the number 21 spot on Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 singles chart.

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you to watch the video just for kicks.

Reports TMZ:

According to court papers obtained by TMZ … Iverson was sued back in 2010 for allegedly stiffing Aydin & Company Jewelers on a $375,000 bill.

The records show … A.I. never responded to the lawsuit … so a default judgement was issued in favor of the jewelry store … allowing A&C to collect $859,896.46 for the bling, court costs, interest and attorneys fees.

But A.I. still didn’t pay … so earlier this month .. the judge signed off on an order which allows the store to recoup their loss directly from Iverson’s Wells Fargo bank account.

So far, it’s unclear if the store has received its money. Calls to Iverson’s rep have not been returned.

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling AI you f*cking up.

Reports The Urban Daily:

Westmoreland alleges she had the opportunity to give a business presentation to the Williams brothers and instead was “exposed to illegal drugs and explicit sexual activity” prior to the incident.

Westmoreland identified Alfred Cleveland, a Cash Money employee, as her attacker. She recalled the events in court: “I was followed into the restroom, where he bit me on the cheek. I tried to pull his hands down, but he turned me around and pulled my jeans down.”

Westmoreland maintains Birdman wasn’t at the studio when the attack happened, but believes he had to have known it was going to happen. She is seeking an undisclosed amount of damages.

And now…the video.

Lawsuit Against Cash Money Records Alleges Liability in Sexual Assault: MyFoxATLANTA.com

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you rich people problems.

Reports TMZ:

Sources connected to the couple and with direct knowledge of the situation tell TMZ … the property settlement agreement is signed, sealed and delivered — a done deal.

Vanessa is walking away with $75 million, which we’re told represents close to half of their total assets, estimated at around $150 million.

TMZ previously reported several transfers of property earlier this year between Kobe and Vanessa. It turns out, based on the property settlement, Vanessa scored a clean sweep, snagging ALL THREE of the former couple’s mansions in the Newport Beach area.

Vanessa gets the estate the couple was living in, the estate her mom is living in, and she gets the new estate that had been under construction for 2 years and was just completed. We were told Kobe was moving into the new estate, but that’s not true. It’s Vanessa’s crib, lock stock and barrel.

Vanessa just scored 3 … where it counts.

And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you that’s better than hitting the lotto.

Reports Sohh:

Details of a court’s decision in Belgium’s capital have emerged online.

The American rapper Loon must remain in custody. The grand jury in Brussels confirmed the decision of the chambers, as has his lawyer Isa Gultaslar. The lawyer took note of the decision Thursday by the AI. The pantry was on Dec. 13 ruled he temporarily stay behind bars. Gultaslar appealed against this decision before. The case was argued Monday. The lawyer is now considering going to the Supreme Court against the decision of the AI.

In late November, reports of Loon’s Brussels arrest began spreading.

So much for being on his deen. While entering Belgium last Friday, former rapper Loon, now known as Amir Junaid Muhadith was arrested while at a Brussels airport for drug trafficking. Various sources report the arrest stems from an indictment back in May for distributing heroin three years ago in North Carolina.

And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you sucks to be him.

Reports This is 50:

Allocco said when he landed at Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport on December 30 he found out Nas and the opening act Jemiah Jai were not coming. When Miguel was informed there would be no concert he became furious. Fearing for their safety, Allocco and his son hailed a cab to take them to the U.S. Embassy, but instead of taking them there the cab driver drove them to a parking lot where they were surrounded by two dozen gun-toting men. The men turned out to be Miguel’s boyguards. They took the Allocco’s to the police who interrogated them in Portuguese–which they do not speak for seven hours.

“When we first arrived at the jail for questioning, they made sure to show me where I would be staying if I couldn’t get the act or the money right away,” Allocco told New Jersey.com. “It was a Third World holding cell that smelled of sweat and human body odor.”

U.S. Embassy Vice Consul David Josar intervened and had the pair moved to a hotel in the capital city of Luanda, where they are holed up. Aside from battling dysentery the pair are said to be fine, but no resolution has been reached to get them home. They haven’t been arrested but their passports are being held.

Alloco says Nas has sent $200,000 of the money to his attorney.

“He is supposed to send another $100,000, but now he is reneging,” Allocco said. “The investigation could last forever.”

Allocco’s wife has spoken to representatives from the State Department and U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen’s (R-11th Dist.) office.

“I just want them home,” she said.

“After we became aware last week of Mr. Allocco’s predicament in Angola, Congressman Frelinghuysen reached out to Ambassador Christopher McMullen and our office has been in regular contact with U.S. embassy staff,” said Steve Wilson, a spokesman for the congressman. “We understand that Mr. Allocco and his son are safe and negotiations to allow them to return home will hopefully be concluded soon. In the meantime, we remain in touch with the Allocco family here in New Jersey.”

Allocco has worked in Colombia, Trinidad and India without incident in the past. Booking shows for acts like Jermaine Jackson, James Brown and Earth Wind & Fire.

And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you I think I would have rather had the $300k then go to a party. But that’s just me.

Reports Sohh:

According to Mannie, his problems with Cash Money still rest over unpaid dues.

“We still have money issues. We will always have them, as long as Cash Money is selling anything that has Mannie Fresh on it. ‘Til this day, I’m like, “Dude, what’s going on? Where are the statements for this?” There’s always some kind of complication, that’s all I can say,” Fresh said in an interview. “Everybody has to get paid. It would be something large if Cash Money did a tour with the first generation of artists, but with everything that’s happened, we need money upfront and on top of that we all need our own attorneys. You don’t get my money and pay me-I get my money directly.”

In November, he blamed Cash Money for botching a potential longstanding relationship with Def Jam.

“I got this deal with Def Jam through Jay-Z,” Fresh said during the Red Bull Music Academy 2011 in Madrid. “Jay-Z reached out, he was like, ‘I’ll do a deal with you. You come to Def Jam and you do your thing. And I’m over there and I talk to Lil Wayne. I’m like, ‘Hey dude, I got a deal with Def Jam and they pretty much are going to give me my situation, do what I want to do.’ They were like, ‘Just deliver a big song.’ So I go to Lil Wayne, he does the song with me and soon as I get ready to put it out, Cash Money shuts it down. They were just like, ‘Nah, you didn’t get permission from us to do that.’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s really that serious? That’s kinda ugly of y’all to do that.’ And I’m like, ‘Wayne agreed to do the song.’ And they were like, ‘Well, Wayne can’t speak for Wayne. We speak for Wayne.’ … So that was a learning lesson for me and it kind of gave Def Jam a salty taste too because they was just like, ‘Every time we do something, if it’s going to get shutdown, we really don’t want to do this with you.’”

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you talk is over-rated as a means of settling disputes.

Reports The Boom Box:

According to reports, the Maybach Music Group boss has been named in a potential lawsuit filed by the Cross River State Government for breach of contract. The government has sought legal representation in the U.S., to pursue suit against the corpulent MC, after he failed to perform at the Calabar Festival on Monday (Dec. 26), without giving sufficient notice.

In a BlackBerry Messenger broadcast on Wednesday morning (Dec. 28), the government announced the cancellation, citing “reasons unknown” for his unexpected no-show, and claiming the ‘Hustlin” rapper “cancelled his performance at Calabar Festival after accepting a full performance fee.”

“The rapper, Rick Ross, has issued a statement cancelling his performance at the Calabar Festival, scheduled for December 28, 2011, for reasons not related to his recent surgery and seizures,” the statement explains. “The performer’s cancellation is unexpected and the reasons are unknown to Cross River State since he has confirmed receipt of his entire performance fee many weeks ago. Currently, Cross River State and its agents have retained counsel in the United States to pursue their legal and monetary remedies against the artist.”

AllHipHop reports that a representative for the rapper “was forced to cancel” his appearance, just days before.

“Rick was very excited to attend this event as it is the biggest festival in Nigeria and he is quite disappointed that he will not be performing,” his rep explained.

The rhymer, who just shot a music video with Drake, French Montana, Meek Mill and DJ Khaled for his ‘Rich Forever’ mixtape, has yet to address the potential lawsuit. His fifth album, ‘God Forgives, I Don’t,’ will be in stores in 2012.

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you let em eat cake.

Reports TMZ:

The credit card company filed a lawsuit against Nelly (real name Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr) in Missouri back in October to try and get their money back (plus another $3,000 in attorney’s fees). So far though, they claim Nelly has refused to pay what he owes.

A court hearing is scheduled for January 9. Calls to Nelly’s camp were not returned.

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you to bad he can’t pick up a quick million posing for Playboy.

Reports Vlad:

A close friend of Vanessa revealed that she estimated that Kobe had over 100 affairs over the course of their 10 year marriage.

“[Vanessa] estimated that he was averaging at least 10 affairs a year with different women over the course of their marriage and puts his number of conquests at 105.”

The friend also said the affairs left Vanessa devastated and hopeless for her marriage.

“The lies and deceit hurt, of course, but racking up those kinds of numbers is mind-blowing and left her devastated. And when she discovered he was cheating during the recent NBA lockout, that was the final straw. Her private detective caught him red handed with incriminating photos.”

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling Vanessa it was a lot more than that.

Reports AllHipHop:

According to Washington D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, D.C. police and ATF agents acted as undercover officers and “music industry insiders” during the year-long sting.

The police created the “Manic Enterprisess” studio in Northeast Washington, for fictional rap artist Richie Valdez in November of 2010.

Agents then told the underground world and black market that they were seeking to purchase weapons and drugs.

Over the course of the year, agents confiscated 161 firearms (including a rocket launcher), 29 assault weapons, 80 pounds of methamphetamine, 21 pounds of cocaine, 1.25 gallons of PCP, 24 pounds of marijuana, heroin and Ecstasy.

“If these drugs and guns had made it to our streets, the impact would have been devastating to community,” Police Chief Lanier told AllHipHop.com in a press release on Monday.

“This was an extremely dangerous operation. These suspects had bragged about other violent crimes they had committed and had no qualms about killing police officers, guards and other innocent people,” Chief Lanier continued. “All the law enforcement members involved in this operation are to be commended for their bravery.”

In addition to the seizures of drugs and weapons, police said many of the 70 suspects detained bragged about other crimes and reportedly stated they would kill police officers or other innocent people if necessary.

Undercover officers arrested one group of assailants in a preemptive attempt to stymie a robbery of the studio.

The depth of the investigation went one step further, when officers ventured to Atlanta with suspects claiming to be associated with the Mexican Drug Cartel “La Familia”.

The Mexican cartel members unknowingly introduced agents to the source that was supplying guns from Georgia.

“These investigations have proven very effective in targeting criminals and keeping drugs and guns off our community’s streets,” said US Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. “The US Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners and the citizens of the District of Columbia to bringing those who traffic in narcotics and firearms to justice.”

The recording studio was located at a rowhouse in Northeast Washington and was equipped with hidden audio and video equipment.

“It was just about two years ago to the day that we stood here with Chief Lanier and talked about our commitment to the safety of the citizens in the District of Columbia,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Rich Marianos. “Today’s event shows that the men and women of ATF kept their word, and continue their work in making the citizens of DC safer.”

I see said the blind man. And now…

This is EbenGregory.com…telling you don’t go near bees and you won’t get stung.