US rap star Tony Yayo has been arrested and charged with misdemeanour assault and endangering the welfare of a minor, after he was apparently involved in an altercation with the fourteen year-old son of Czar Entertainment CEO Jimmy 'Henchmen' Rosemond.
The teenager claims that he ran into Yayo, who was allegedly accompanied by fellow rapper 50 Cent at the time, as they were leaving the offices of Violator Management in New York last Tuesday. Seeing young Rosemond garbed in a Czar Entertainment T-shirt, it's alleged that Yayo, real name Marvin Bernard, asked him why he was wearing the T shirt, badmouthed the company, pushed him up against a wall and slapped him.
Yayo, released on $5,000 bail, denies the charge - his lawyer Scott E Leemon telling AllHipHop.com: "We adamantly deny the allegations as put forth by the District Attorney's office today". The hip hopper will appear in court on 25 Apr.
Meanwhile, 50 Cent has distanced himself from any involvement in the case, his lawyer Benjamin Brafman saying in a statement: "We are conducting our own investigation to determine exactly what happened in Manhattan on Tuesday, Mar. 20th. One thing I can say with absolute certainty, however, is that at the time of the alleged incident, 50 Cent was not in New York State".
Mother of the fourteen year old, Cynthia Reed, has spoken out angrily about the fact that her son was allegedly attacked in this way. She released a statement which read: "As a mother I am concerned that my son, who is a fan of Hip-Hop, would be attacked by the same artist whose music he listens to. It's a shame that 50 Cent and Tony Yayo could feel comfortable slapping and physically attacking an innocent 14-year-old minor that they market and promote their records to. This is a cowardly act on my son, who has done nothing to warrant the verbal and physical abuse he received. This issue should not be taken lightly and these men should be looked upon as a serious threat to society, having taken their relentless public rants towards their rivalries to a level of extreme. This should be looked as a step away from child molestation. I seek justice in the form of restoring my son's dignity and making sure any child can wear whatever they want without fear of bodily injury".
G-Unit has a history of conflict with the boy's father, of course, which may explain why the conflict might have arisen - especially if Yayo recognised the teenager as Rosemond's son.