Rapper Remy Ma Pleads Not Guilty To Attempted Murder

NEW YORK (AP) _ Grammy-nominated rapper Remy Ma pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other counts Sunday in the shooting of a woman in a trendy Manhattan neighborhood. <br/><br/>At the rapper's

Sunday, July 15th 2007, 4:54 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Grammy-nominated rapper Remy Ma pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other counts Sunday in the shooting of a woman in a trendy Manhattan neighborhood.

At the rapper's arraignment, a judge granted the prosecution's request for bail to be set at $250,000. Martin was jailed while the judge reviewed her bail offer.

Police found a woman with a gunshot wound to her lower torso early Saturday in the Meatpacking District, which is usually crowded with late-night revelers on weekends.

Three blocks away, officers discovered a luxury SUV owned by Remy Ma, whose real name is Remy Smith. The vehicle was involved in a single-car crash and abandoned, police said.

The victim, Makeda Barnes-Joseph, 23, was hospitalized in stable condition Sunday. Prosecutors said she and the rapper knew each other.

Remy Ma turned herself in Saturday night. She was charged with attempted murder, assault and weapon possession.

``I ask everyone to keep an open mind,'' said Scott Leemon, her attorney. ``Things are not always as they seem.''

Remy Ma, 26, is promoted on her Web site as an up-from-the-streets artist who escaped the hard-knock life of the Bronx to become a hip-hop star. She was nominated for a Grammy as part of the Terror Squad for the 2004 summer smash ``Lean Back.'' She also earned the Best Female Hip-Hop Artist award at the 2005 BET Awards.

The singer went on to a solo career, releasing last year's ``There's Something About Remy.'' She has appeared on recordings with best-selling performers including Fat Joe, Eminem and R. Kelly, according to her Web site.