In another case of rappers and R&B artists getting caught up in the Matrix, music master Cee Lo Green pleaded not guilty to giving a woman ecstasy at a Los Angeles restaurant during a 2012 dinner.
According to reports, the two had already been sleeping together for a month when they went to a Sushi restaurant in Downtown, LA over a year ago. But the woman claims she was drugged and taken advantage of. This initially seems strange if they’d already been intimate several times. But we’re not detectives here at The Shadow League. This just sounds like an all too familiar situation for a black entertainer.
We know about Mike Tyson rape conviction in 1992, Tupac's in 1994, and even G.O.O.D. Music rapper Big Sean was caught up in this tricky web of accusations in 2011. Of course, that's just to name a few. But one thing for sure is that there's always a risk when male artists indulge in sexual activity with the women enamored by their celebrity. There’s a thin line between consenting sex with a groupie and what could really be a twisted plot by an opportunistic gold digger.
Green, 38, whose real name is Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, appeared in court hours after prosecutors charged him with one felony count of furnishing a controlled substance. Although they declined to file a sexual assault count against the singer because of insufficient evidence, he could still face four years in prison if convicted on the drug charge.
The five-time Grammy winner rose to prominence as a member of the southern hip hop group Goodie Mob, and as part of the soul duo Gnarls Barkley with Danger Mouse. He's also known for his hits “Crazy” and “Fuck You,” which popped in the U.S. and were international smashes, spurred by his You Tube popularity.
Green spoke only once during a brief arraignment hearing saying, "Yes," acknowledging he understood the court's scheduling of his case. He sat in a front row of the courtroom with his girlfriend while waiting for a bondsman to post his $30,000 bail, probably wondering how the hell he allowed himself to get in this position.
"Mr. Green encouraged a full and complete investigation of those claims and he was confident once conducted he would be cleared of having any wrongful intent," his attorney, Blair Berk wrote in a statement noting that any sexual contact with the woman was consensual.
But isn’t it strange how these life-crippling things often occur when an artist is at their height? It’s a trend that almost seems too common to be coincidental. Unfortunately, the damage to his public image has already begun. Cee Lo’s career is booming and there’s no shortage of checks for the singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor and judge on the popular NBC reality talent show, The Voice. He’s working with artists of every musical genre from Alien Ant Farm to Red Hot Chili Peppers to Laurina Mae, who he collaborated with on “Only You,” the debut single off his fourth album, ironically titled “Girl Power.” The single was released by Atlantic Records in January.
Green is truly feeling that superstar power right now, but he’s on the wrong end of the experience. If he is proven to have given the woman ecstasy, which is not far-fetched considering the multi-cultural, glitz and glamorous social cliques that Cee Lo travels in — even if he ducks prison on the controlled substance charge, the woman will likely hit him with a civil suit that will put a dent in his platinum wallet, once good image, and marketability.
His case is due back in court on Nov. 20, while he vehemently denies all accusations, but refuses to publicly comment on the foul situation.
