RIP Coolio, whose one massive hit overshadowed a formidable run of classic West Coast bangers. An original member of the Maad Circle & Compton representative – with an undeniable star quality, humor, charisma, and a gift for making street tales mainstream without sanitizing them Before there was "Gangsta's Paradise," there was Coolio's debut single, "County Line," which encapsulated all the qualities that explained his success. A heavy subject matter – being broke and needing welfare & food stamps – but making it an anthem about scamming the government.

As sinister as you think the L.A. Sheriff's Department is, they somehow manage to keep out-eviling themselves.

This new article counts 17+ gangs currently operating in the LASD, using lethal violence and violating civil rights for fun. #AdiosVillanueva latimes.com/california/sto… The 3000 Boys, the Vikings, The Banditos, the Spartans, Regulators, Grim Reapers. All are known LASD gangs. The same department that classified and criminalized a rap group, The Stinc Team, for being a gang -- and slapped gang enhancements on them for holding guns in music videos

Bad news to report: 03 Greedo has been denied parole. He won't be eligible again until next June.

A tragic & punitive decision that highlights how evil our criminal justice system is. One of the most gifted artists of his generation is losing his life over a drug charge #Free03 Spoke to Greedo yesterday before they took away his phone privileges for the next 40 days. Texas prisons are a special rung of Hell. At his facility, they're using Covid to deny inmates all liberties and human rights. Rather than clear out the jails, they're tightening control.

So let's get this straight: deputies approached and confronted a security guard at work -- a man w/ a spotless record and no reason to be suspected of anything -- and shot him dead in cold blood.

These men need to be arrested and the LA Sheriff's Department needs to be defunded

https://twitter.com/EricWasserman1/status/1273871899202748417

The LASD are murdering 18-year old kids working two jobs trying to survive. They did this the day after they killed Robert Fuller's brother under murky circumstances. The week after they declared Robert Fuller was a suicide. This is an evil corrupt department and always has been.

By quitting, Deadspin's staff aren't just principled, they sent a critical fuck you to every private equity ogre that desecrates great publications. The only way 2 stop it from happening is stopping them from being able to turn a profit. Long live Deadspin. They were the realest It's what we did at LA Weekly. If you buy a publication to dismantle it & exploit its legacy to grift gullible advertisers, the only response is for the staff to quit, freelancers to stop freelancing & their "investment" is suddenly worthless. It's the only thing they understand.

The imagination deficit of the corporate stooges who own local media is staggering.

YOU CANNOT SAVE A PAPER BY GUTTING ITS STAFF

That only hastens the death spiral. Papers can only be saved by becoming more vital to the communities they serve. By actually mattering again.

https://twitter.com/badlin/status/1100101744015564800

The thing about print is that 97 percent of people aren't on Twitter. They miss almost everything on the Facebook or IG timeline.

Most readers are regular people who aren't subsumed by online discourse. People love print media. You just have to give them something to care about

I guess Suge taking the plea deal and serving out the rest of his natural born life for running over a man at Tam's over a beef regarding the NWA biopic is really the only way it could've ended. We'll remember Suge as the most terrifying boogeyman in LA rap history, but there was obviously another side. He had a brilliant ear for talent, immense savvy and built one of the best independent labels of all-time from scratch. Plus, my dad swears that he's a really nice guy.

A few thoughts on the closing of the Village Voice (which have already been echoed elsewhere):

Obviously, the internet destroyed classified ads & ended print media’s ability to effectively print money, but any autopsy has to squarely blame the ravenous ghouls at New Times Media. Even a decade ago, it felt like a lifetime achievement to get a byline at the Voice. Sure, it was past its prime but it still employed brilliant writers & editors, & still represented a glamorous bohemian ideal to a naive writer staring across the continent.

Ok, some good news to announce.

Introducing The LAnd, a new publication being launched by former staffers, editors, and contributors to LA Weekly, along with many other stellar LA journalists.

By locals, for locals.

In print and online.

First issue before year's end. I'll be editing the publication alongside @jenn_swann and @thesarahbennett.

We're grateful for logistical support, sage wisdom and guidance courtesy of @EPICMAGAZINE -- specifically, @fierman and @joshbearman, two of the finest journalists in this city or any other.

So one of the LA Weekly owners is suing the rest of the LA Weekly owners because....EVERYTHING THE BOYCOTT WAS SAYING WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG. latimes.com/business/la-fi… SELL THE LA WEEKLY YOU FAKE ARMANI CROOK @briancalle

ICE is out in full force throughout LA. LAUSD grapples with future insolvency. Greedo has less than 1 week left of freedom.

And today, this is all Vichy LA Weekly has tweeted. A music video premiere of a New York pop artist and a riveting dispatch from AlienCon. #BoycottLAWeekly Some news to announce that I’ve confirmed from two different sources: Semanal Media, the incompetent frauds that own Vichy LA Weekly, allegedly made a recent offer to buy the OC Weekly in cash. The offer was thankfully turned down, saving that paper from total ruin.

Please RT to let the new @LAWeekly owners and their public face @briancalle know that the city of Los Angeles will not tolerate their attempts to destroy one of its most important civic institutions. #BoycottLAWeekly Going to keep going here because I think it's important to keep highlighting how entrenched and pernicious the conservative consolidation of the media has become.

This is one of the most difficult and depressing evenings of my journalistic career, so forgive the imminent tweet storm. (1/) Many of you reading this aren’t from LA, but it’s where I was born and raised, third-generation local, loyal to the soil—the people, cultural institutions, artifacts, franchises, and native eccentricity that make it unique. (2/)