MC Hammer Released From Charges

It appears that Dublin police did not want to touch the charges against rapper MC Hammer.

Taking to his Twitter audience to announce the news Friday, MC Hammer, whose birth name is Stanley Kirk Burrell, simply stated: "Thank You to all my friends and supporters. All CHARGES DECLINED. Dropped. Have A great Weekend. #OutOnBail."

Dublin police could not immediately be reached for comment.

Hammer, 50, has kept his 3.1 million followers on Twitter up-to-date on his feelings and the goings-on in the bizarre case that began Feb. 23 when he was pulled over by Dublin police and subsequently arrested on suspicion of obstructing an officer in the performance of their duties and resisting an officer.

On Twitter, the artist best known for his 1990 hit "U Can't Touch This" lashed out at police, saying the arrest was unjustified and even suggesting he was accosted without cause by a "chubby elvis looking dude" who he said tapped "on my car window," and, when Hammer rolled his window down, the officer asked, "Are you on parole or probation?"

Dublin police have refuted Hammer's claims, saying the rapper was blasting his car stereo and was also driving a vehicle that was not registered under his name. When Hammer became uncooperative and argumentative, police said, they arrested him.

Rapper Kenny Clutch Died In Vegas Shootout

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kenny Cherry was an aspiring rapper who moved from the Bay Area to Las Vegas to pursue his career. His music videos online show him cruising the Strip in his Maserati.

Michael Boldon was a family man and taxi driver who hailed from Michigan and loved fast cars.

The two men's lives — along with that of an unidentified passenger in Boldon's cab — ended in violence normally seen only in movies: gunfire, a fiery crash and an explosion before dawn Thursday on the neon-lit Las Vegas Strip.

As investigators Friday tried to find the gunman in a black Range Rover SUV who triggered the shocking chain of events, families and friends tried to grasp the blink-of-an-eye finality of it all.

"Right now my heart is breaking," said Cherry's great aunt, Patricia Sims, of Oakland, Calif. "This has really been a tragedy. Kenny was just a delightful kid."

Sims, 75, said Cherry moved to Las Vegas from Northern California, though she didn't know her nephew was a rapper using the name Kenny Clutch.

Cherry's parents were traveling to Las Vegas on Friday to claim his body. The 27-year-old, whose full name is Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr., was driving a Maserati that was peppered by gunfire before it sped through a red light and smashed into Boldon's taxi.

The taxi exploded into flames, killing Boldon and a female passenger, as four other vehicles crashed like pinballs at an intersection overlooked by some of Las Vegas' most famous hotel-casinos: Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Bally's and the Flamingo.

Police think an argument at the valet area of the upscale Aria resort-casino led to the shooting, but they haven't shared details. The shooting happened the same night that Morocco-born rapper French Montana was playing at Aria's signature nightclub, Haze.

"What the original disagreement was is crucial to the ongoing investigation and the identification of the suspects," said Las Vegas police officer Bill Cassell.

He said investigators were examining surveillance video and enlisting help from federal authorities and agencies in neighboring states to look for the distinctive Range Rover. It had blackout windows and custom black rims and was last seen speeding away from the fiery scene around 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

Court records show Cherry had no criminal cases or convictions in Las Vegas, and Cassell said there was no record of arrests.

The police spokesman wouldn't say whether investigators determined if Cherry owned, rented or borrowed the Maserati. Cassell called that information "integral to the investigation."

Meanwhile, Boldon's family struggled to cope with his death.

"It's very devastating for us, for my family," said Tehran Boldon, 50, younger brother of the 62-year-old taxi driver. "Our family has no history of violence or gang membership that would predict losing a family member to such an event."