free dallas austin!!
it appears that legendary hip-hop producer and atlanta native dallas austin has gotten himself into a little hot water.
austin is now sitting in a dubai prison, awaiting trial for apparently transporting a few illicit party favors for naomi campbell’s birthday party*.
apparently it hasn’t been written about much because austin’s people are really trying to keep it quiet, see fox news.
atlantans, it is clear that we need to take action immediately to get one of our famed citizens out of this ‘midnight express’ situation. I suggest an email to the government of dubai expressing your outrage.
of course, maybe the real outrage is that dallas austin wasn’t arrested for this.
thanks, john, for the tip.
Do the crime, do the time. The man is an idiot for smuggling drugs into Dubai.
well, i think my suggestion to contact the dubai emabssy was probably a tad bit tongue and cheek.
and i would agree, smuggling drugs into dubai is probably third behind singapore or the kingdom of saudi arabia ad the stupidest places to try it.
Let the idiot ROT in Dubai.
He deserves EVERY BIT of punishment Dubai puts on him.
Guess he thought that since he was BLACK and some kind of music ‘mogul’ he could do what he wanted.
Again, let him ROT.
let him fry there…. he deserve to get all the punishment he’ll get…. its their country and they have full right to do anything to him….. that really shows how stupid and dumbass americans are…..
Dear John Steven, Lori, et al,
What this incident shows is how little thinking the man did before making a poor choice. We all make choices and sometimes some are poorly made. Big deal. His action, however, does not speak for all Americans nor does it speak for “Blacks”. Curiously, the readers of this blog recently condemn large groups of people for the bad choices of one person. Where’s the logic, folks? Has it evaporated in the Southern heat?
I think you folks have been listening to inflated amounts of Green Day songs, think American is synonymous with “idiot” and are embarrassed to be Americans. Like the Hummer in Paris with Cobb plates. That was one moron. Here is another.
after having lived in dubai for over a 10 year period of time and being an american, he is an idiot. He deserves everything he gets, you dont go bring drugs into other contries period. What the hell does he expect? Emailing the country? HA. Yeah like that will work, welcome to a country that will actually follow its drug laws and not listen to what the people of ANOTHER country says about their laws. Do you think they care what you have to say? He broke their laws not ours. Either way, I find this funny, as you can get drugs fairly easily there espically if you have money.
“I think you folks have been listening to inflated amounts of Green Day songs, think American is synonymous with “idiot” and are embarrassed to be Americans.”
Aw, Wo, that’s cute. Thanks for your concern, but I think one of the many great things about being an American is that we can make fun of *our*selves. We’re all a bit stupid in one way or another. Seriously.
And Greenday? Are you kidding me?
What an idiot! He has everything going for him: wealth, fame and he blows it! What a jerk. I hope he stays in prison for a long time! Oh but then Jessie Jackson will be protesting and he will get out!
Please, I am sure you would not say the same thing if it was your kid,husband, the father of you child. So please think about what you are saying because karma will come back on you. He made a mistake that he has to deal with, let the goverment punish him and keep you idiot comment to your self. What are you mad about that he has wealth or fame? You people sound like a bunch of losers and haters. he is a good family dude, and god will set him free!
story continues to develop here in the ajc, with some very insightful commentary from lil john.
“he is a good family dude, and god will set him free!”
I don’t know what standards you set for being a family man, but a good family man doesn’t get busted for drugs. String him up.
I think you have issues just like anyone else. He may have committed a crime, but he does not deserve to rot any where. Nor do we know for sure if the drugs were his or if they where planted. Don’t think it can’t happen. Try to let love be your guide before you pass on such negative thoughts.
Dallas Austin deserves everything he gets, the hotel he was going to be staying at offers massages for men only, and he thinks he can get leniency for cocaine!!?!? I hope he gets what he deserves, nothing more, nothing less.
Some of you folks are kinda mean. I don’t think possession of personal use amounts of drugs should result in incarceration. The offenders are usually just a danger to themselves as long as they are not driving a car. What threat does he pose to the UAE by bringing in a small amount of drugs. None. They, however, are very religious over there and religion and extremism are best pals. He made a very stupid mistake. I can’t believe it because I have met him on a few occasions and he is an intelligent, articulate guy. Oh, the tangled webs we weave. He has clearly been living a dual life. He did not have a rep for drugs. So he was a careful guy. How this happened is incomprehensible to me. Apparently, a gram of heroin and some mdm drug, I assume they meant mdma (ecstacy), and steroid capsules were also found. Talk about blowing your cover to the world. I predict he will be pardoned because Naomi Campbell has the Prince of Dubai wooing her and is dating an oil heir from there. If that doesn’t work, Dubai must decide if prosecuting him is worth the hit their tourism industry would take. They have been wooing American celebrities and VIP’s. This will surely keep them away.
I hope for the best for him. A dumb, harmless mistake should not destroy someone’s life for 4-5 years.
One more thing… 3 actually.
To those of you who say let him rot over there, you should get therapy for your anger issues and not derive pleasure from the suffering of others.
Yeah, drugs are bad… but whether they are prescribed legally or not, Much if not most of America uses them. Maybe some of y’all should try some and calm down. Your excitement at someone’s misfortune is a little disturbing. I know you little guys take much pleasure in seeing a big shot go down,( and that’s what makes you a little guy.) But Why? His status does not affect you at all. Its not like affirmative action gave him his producer gig over you or something. So ease up. If you were able to do what he does, you’d be living in your own little world just like him. Occasionally making stupid mistakes yourself.
To that guy who said he thought he could do anything because he was Black and a music mogul. What world do you live in?
Why should he be an exception just because he has a family and is a known person? If you ever read the news from that city on a regular basis (which i doubt anyone else here does) you would see how many people there do get busted and thrown in jail there for drugs. Yeah, he should think about his actions, hes a grown person, and should be able to deal with his mistakes like that instead of being set free with a slap on the wrist. Ive had friends thrown in jail there for smoking weed, and they were in jail there for 3 years. I do not want him to “rot” but he should be punished for what he does.
Just for your info, a headline from the online newspaper in dubai…
“Dallas Austin may be pardoned, feel lawyers”
http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Police_and_The_Courts/10050463.html
just throwing another match into the gasoline :-)
http://www.7days.ae/2006/06/28/vips-try-to-aid-musician.html
So it looks like they(UAE) are going to try him, convict him, and then probably deport him back here. Now that we know he’s been staying in a “nice hostel” , as opposed to a dungeon, I’d say the little sympathy he was getting is fading fast. However, he will be punished. He occasionally does some philanthropic things for kids and whatnot. Often, this involves a local politician of some sort as well. Well, that’s over with. He had some stuff scheduled with Sonny Perdue about music in the schools or something. I don’t see Sonny going through with that. Everybody he knows is aware that his dumb ass seriously slipped. I mean, he went back to the plane to retrieve something he forgot. How do you forget your blow getting off a plane. He even made it through security before turning around. He would have made it off safely. He must have been doing it on the plane. He had his pocket stash, and more in capsules in his bag. He had a situation where he could be a cool music producer, yet still join forces with politicians for some charity work. He’s going to hide out for awhile. I would. He’s 35(although his age is different in every article, he’s 35). That’s a 22 year olds mistake. He’ll get off, I think… but not really. The embarassment is going to sting for quite a while. He will no longer just be the guy behind hits for all those artists. Now he’s the producer who got locked up in the Middle East for being completely stupid… and always will be. Future conversations about him will go a little like this: “Who produced this?”. “Dallas Austin.” “Oh the dude who got popped with coke in that Arab country.” “Yeah, that’s him.” Yeah, he will be punished.
I’ve posted on other sites that this is POETIC JUSTICE!!! Several of his friends/ associates have served prison time and he has distanced himself for fear of tarnishing his reputation.
I’m sure the politicians etc.. will now distance themselves. It’s absurd that everyone seems so suprised…dude is a pill and coke head!!!Trust me I know firsthand and no I’m not a hater.
From our local paper, this was yesterday in court.
“Austin, sporting a suitably ‘bling’ diamond earring and wearing a white dress shirt and jeans, stood flanked by Dubai police looking confident, at one point even appearing to wink at his lawyers.
After the judge had read the charges against him, Austin, who has worked with stars including Madonna and Michael Jackson, answered: “I’m guilty, but it was a mistake. I didn’t realise I had the drugs with me and I didn’t intend to use them here in the UAE” Austin claimed.
“He didn’t know that he was breaking the law here,” his local lawyer, Mohammad Al-Reda said, adding that it should also be taken into consideration that Austin is a “celebrity”. “He has done a lot of good things in America, he is a famous guy, and I’m pleading for mercy for the accused, especially as the crime’s motivation wasn’t wicked” the lawyer said.”
I fail to see how ignorance/arrogance combined with “celebrity” makes a good defence. If he does not get the standard 4 years he has been a lucky man.
damn.. i hate to see this.. but what the fuck was he thinking. he had it all… i hate to see anybody bo bad. what a shame.
“I fail to see how ignorance/arrogance combined with “celebrity” makes a good defence. If he does not get the standard 4 years he has been a lucky man.”
Posted by: UK Guy in Dubai at July 3, 2006 06:31 AM
It only works when you are known enough to draw attention to scary possibilities in Dubai for rich American playboys who the UAE want to patronize their tourism industry. It is what it is. Do big things in life and you catch a few lucky breaks because of it. Fair? No. But that doesn’t matter. Plus, ya know, I think Michael Jackson lives there as a guest of a prince, or something. Dallas worked with him. (You (UK Guy) would probably know better than I, so correct me if Michael has now moved on from there.) Naomi Campbell dates an oil heir from there. Things could have been discussed behind the scenes that we are unaware of. Strings do get pulled in this world. Dallas has friends even in Dubai. Clearly, from the easy-going attitude of Dallas in court, arrangements have probably been discussed about a pardon. I could be wrong. But that’s how it looks considering he is getting his sentencing done much more quickly than most convicts there. He’ll pay a big fine and he did 6 weeks in jail. Thats more than he would have received here for possession. Nevertheless, Anybody knows when they’ve got coke in their luggage. (except that one time I got lucky coming back from Cancun, but it was just residue at that point. Nothing substantial. Came out in the wash later. Woops.) And everybody knows its illegal everywhere. I mean, come on. He must have had his judgment impaired by it upon arriving in the UAE. He’s really a smart guy, from my experience of him anyway. I can’t believe he slipped like this. Sure, he’s got the celebrity attitude a little, when not around people he needs to respect anyway. For example, He’s always late by at least an hour or two. Always. That’s just disrespectful and inconsiderate. But when its time to act like super-responsible, super-producer, super-philanthropist helping the kids… he simply puts on that hat and wears it. Then he takes it off, goes to the club, gets f**cked up, and brings home some freaks to entertain him and his crew. (How do i know? I’ll never tell.) Respectfully, I thought he handled his duality like a pro… while it lasted anyway. Its gonna be tough to go the the next NARAS event or the Mayor’s office for a press conference on his foundation helping kids get music classes. Fortunately, he’ll still help the kids. He ain’t about the fame. He only has a little of it anyway. Just enough to catch a few lucky breaks that aren’t available to most. This reality check might have a positive effect. Or he’ll think if he can work the system in Dubai, he could do it anywhere. Yeah, that’s probably what I would think. Well, I got to get back to work on writing these hits so I can get those special priviledges. It’s America. May the best man win… and get away with doing a little dirt from time to time. God Bless America. Happy 4th of July. (I’m serious, that’s not sarcasm).
P.S. I was kidding about the Cancun thing. I hope you laughed at what an idiot I might have been. Sorry to disappoint.
Victor,
Well he gets sentenced in the next couple of hours so we will soon find out.
Michael Jackson lives in Bahrain but does sometimes fly down here. Has not been here since he was caught in a shopping mall in full Abaya, ie dressed as an arabic woman and covered from head to foot, in the WOMENS TOILETS!!!
Once again had i done that I’d still be in jail. He really is a sick man.
quick update on dallas austin’s sentencing….
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/0704metaustin.html
Music producer Dallas Austin pardoned from drug charges
By Bassam Za’za’, Staff Reporter
Dubai: Music producer Dallas Austin has been pardoned following his conviction for possessing drugs, judicial sources told Gulf News.
Dubai Public Prosecution charged Austin, 34, with possessing drugs for personal use after his arrest on May 19 at Dubai International Airport when he was coming to attend Naomi Campbell’s private birthday party in Dubai, which is disputed by Austin’s lawyer who says the producer was in Dubai to attend concerts.
Austin was carrying 1.26 grammes of cocaine and five-and-a-half capsules of cocaine and an MDM drug when he was detained.
According to the arraignment sheet, Dubai Public Prosecution charged the suspect with possessing and bringing in illegal substances for personal use.
Austin’s pardon came just hours after he was sentenced to four years in jail to be followed by deportation on Monday.
The producer has worked with a string of big names in the music business, among them Madonna and Anastacia, and Janet Jackson.
because i know all of you are hanging on the edge of your seats, the man behind the ATL is free :-)
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/0705metaustin.html?cxntnid=amn070506e
for those of you that were sincerely hoping dallas would “rot” over there, sorry. just remember though, that fame can be a two-way street. ask martha stewart.