KANYE NUDE PHOTOS LEAK?
Explicit photos of rapper Kanye West showing off his genital are reportedly being shopped around. One source reports that the alleged images were snapped by the rapper himself as he allegedly showed his genitals and later sent them to a number of women. The reported X-rated photos are now being shopped to various media outlets. The source mentioned that they have seen two of them. One image allegedly shows Kanye completely nude from the chest up while putting on sunglasses and a gold chain. Another pic allegedly shows the rapper's private part exposed from his boxer briefs. "These pics have been floating around since he hit so many girls up on MySpace," a source of the images said as quoted by the site. The source further said that Kanye "probably sent them to many, many women." Coincidentally, Kanye's new song "Runaway" dishes out his alleged habit of sending females he was pursuing pictures of him and his junior. The song's lyrics say, "She find pictures in my email/ I sent this girl a picture of my d**k." Keep in mind this is strictly rumors at this point..and He does have a new album on the way. Promo stunt? You be the judge.

LIVE NATION APPOINTS INTERIM CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD.
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) announced today that its Board of Directors has named Dr. John C. Malone as Interim Chairman of the Board effective immediately. Barry Diller made his resignation official at a Board meeting yesterday afternoon, and Dr. Malone agreed to serve in an interim capacity to permit the Board adequate time to select a new Chairman. Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the largest live entertainment company in the world, consisting of five businesses: concert promotion and venue operations, sponsorship, ticketing solutions, e-commerce and artist management. Live Nation seeks to innovate and enhance the live entertainment experience for artists and fans: before, during and after the show. In 2009, Live Nation sold 140 million tickets, and promoted 21,000 concerts.

ROC-A-FELLA CO-FOUNDER ARRESTED IN FED DRUG BUST.
A rap mogul who helped launch Jay-Z's career was busted Friday (Oct. 15) with 42 other people when the feds rolled up a drug ring that controlled the marijuana market in New York City. Dubbed operation "Green Venom," the feds rousted Kareem "Biggs" Burke - co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records with Shawn (Jay-Z) Carter and Damon Dash - from his home in North Bergen, N.J. They also arrested the fearsome head of the narcotics network, Geovanny (Manny) Rodriguez Perez, and Matthew Stang, an ad executive for pot-promoting High Times magazine, and seized $1 million in drug profits and 177 pounds of pot. "This isn't just a group that controlled one block, one neighborhood," said Jim Hayes special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "They dominated the wholesale marijuana market in New York for 20 years." Burke has been part of the ring since 1992 and was spotted loading a bag of pot into his Toyota SUV, court papers state. Hayes said the feds have had their eyes on Perez, aka "Shorty," for years and that he had a simple business model. "They grow the pot, they ship it up north, they sell pot, and send the money back to South Florida," Hayes said. And Perez was also not afraid to use muscle. "He has either wiped out or threatened to wipe out competitors," said Hayes. Perez trucked the pot up from Florida "in tractor trailers with cover loads of legitimate merchandize," the criminal complaint states. They also trucked the drug money back south or used couriers who took "commercial flights with large amounts of cash hidden in their luggage." Stang was also a long-time member of the ring, according to the criminal complaint, which revealed that he was called "Magazine Guy" and that his middle name is Woodstock. High Times editor Dan Skye said "he was an ad guy" for the magazine and has not heard from him since his arrest. During an 18-month operation, investigators used 20 wire taps to gather evidence against the drug suspects, Hayes said. "Rodriguez was intercepted over the wiretaps discussing violent acts, including his threat to "hunt" a customer who was late paying for marijuana," according to court records. Seven other suspected drug ring members were still being sought, Hayes said. The suspects face 10 years to life in prison if convicted of conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilos of marijuana. Source: New York Daily

SONY TO NAME NEW CEO NEXT WEEK?
Sony Music executives will reportedly hold a management summit next week, where the label is expected to determine who will be the company's next CEO. Among the candidates vying for the top job are: RCA Music Group Chief, Barry Weiss; Rob Stringer, who runs Columbia/Epic; and Martin Bandier, who oversees Sony/ATV, Sony's music-publishing unit, according to sources. Bandier, who joined the company in 2007 after running EMI Music Publishing for 16 years, is gaining support within Sony's ranks. He wouldn't be the first publishing boss to take the reins of a major music label. Roger Faxon ran rival EMI's publishing arm until recently, when he was upped to CEO of the company. Source: New York Post.

QUEEN LATIFAH SPEAKS ABOUT HER NEW VENTURE INTO THE VITAMIN WATER INDUSTRY.
Today, Queen Latifah issues her first executive statement on behalf of her new company New York Spring Water. This is the first time the Cover Girl speaks out about her new investment venture. Queen Latifah says..."Favor Unit is thrilled to announce our partnership with New York Spring Water. New York Spring Water is a great company that has creative and exciting ideas regarding product development, which is exactly why they are a great fit for us and our brand. "

New York based beverage company New York Spring Water Inc, revealed details on their new partnership with Flavor Unit Entertainment and reported plans to expand globally this fall. According to executives at New York Spring Water, Flavor Unit Entertainment is now part owners in the business and will be an integral part of the company’s strategic mission to expand internationally. Flavor Unit is ran by Grammy Award winning artist and Oscar nominated actress, Queen Latifah, and her business counterpart Shakim Compere. Details on the amount of Flavor Unit’s capital investment are still undisclosed. At press time, Shakim Compere states, “Latifah and I are really excited about this partnership. New York Spring Water is an innovative company and is definitely at the forefront of new product developments in the industry.” Other sources have also revealed that the marketing company United Entertainment Group is also a part of the investment team. Industry insiders forecast the brands most popular product, VBlast, will become a market leader in the Vitamin Water industry due to the innovative packaging. Unlike competitive brands, VBlast stores liquid vitamins in the cap of each bottle that are released when opened by the consumer. Therefore, VBlast vitamins are not diluted in the water where they can lose potency over time. In coming weeks, 7-Eleven convenience stores will be the first national retail chain to house New York Spring Water products on their shelves. Management also reports plans of working with high profile entertainers on marketing and global philanthropic initiatives in coming months. New York Spring Water will showcase its products in booth number 5648 October 5th - 8th at the NACS Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia.

FAR EAST MOVEMENT UP TO BAT.
Far East Movement has released their debut album Free Wired via Cherrytree Records/Interscope. The LA based group who have been dominating the charts with their smash single "Like A G6" are ready to unleash their full album on the world featuring appearances by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, Snoop Dogg, Lil Jon, Keri Hilson and more. The guys are currently on the "Up In The Air" tour with Mike Posner and are giving fans an inside look at their tour bus. Check out a new behind the scenes video to learn more about their "free wired" life on the road. WATCH HERE

BLACK ROB INKS WITH DUCK DOWN.
Black Rob is the newest affiliate of Duck Down Music. The former Bad Boy, Harlem rapper is poised to release his first studio album in over five years. This past May, Black Rob was released from prison after serving four years for failing to show up to a previous sentence hearing for a grand larceny charge. Over the past seven months Black Rob has returned to the studio where he's always felt most comfortable. Black Rob explains the LP is a "testimony of what I stand for and how I feel. The people have been asking for true hip hop music, and that's what I'm giving them. I stayed away from features. I've been away for 4 joints, so I feel the people deserve to hear me. When I came home, I went right to work, and didn't have time to reach out to cats. On my next project you will get that. As for producers, I have some up-and-coming cats on there. I believe in giving cats a chance. As far as named producers you may hear a joint or two from Buckwild, Self Service, Bishop, Scram Jones and Pete Rock." On his decision to work with Duck Down Music, Black Rob reveals that he "always respected their movement and also been a fan of their music. If I'm going independent why not go with a team I respect, and they have always had a true family setting & environment." During the course of his career, Black Rob has recorded several successful projects. In 2000, he released 'Life Story,' which has sold over 1 million units & featured the well-known single, "WHOA!" Five years later, he returned with 'The Black Rob Report,' which surpassed sales of 100,000 units. Again, five years later, Black Rob is readying a new album entitled 'Game Tested & Street Approved.'

2010 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS' NOMS ANNOUNCED.
The 2010 American Music Awards® (AMAs) nominees were announced from the JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE. P!nk and Usher were also announced as performers for the 38th annual AMAs. Additional acts and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. Eminem and Lady Antebellum lead the nominations race this year with five (5) total nominations each, Justin Bieber follows with four (4) nominations and B.o.B., Katy Perry, Ke$ha and Usher collected three (3) nominations respectively. Justin Bieber, Eminem, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry make up the highly talented roster of 2010 Artist of the Year nominees. Orly Adelson, executive producer of the show and Larry Klein, AMA producer jointly stated, "We are happy to congratulate all of the nominees for their accomplishments in 2010. We look forward to an exciting night of music and celebration on November 21st." The live broadcast will take place at the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21st (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on ABC.

PETEY PABLO SET TO SURRENDER TO AUTHORITIES.
Petey Pablo is set to surrender to authorities on Wednesday, October 13 morning after cops issued a warrant for his arrest over gun charges. The rapper (real name Moses Barrett III) was detained at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina last month after security officers allegedly found a pistol in his carry-on luggage. He was later released on $50,000 bail. Pablo's representative claims the pistol does not belong to the star and he forgot the firearm was in his bag after taking it from a pal. A federal judge has now issued an arrest warrant for Pablo after government officials claimed the star was fully aware he was in possession of "a concealed dangerous weapon that was and would have been accessible to him in flight". Pablo is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a stolen firearm and attempting to take the gun onto an airplane, reports TMZ. A spokesperson for Pablo says he was unaware of the warrant but now plans to surrender to authorities early on Wednesday.

AKON ANNOUNCED AS MUSIC GUEST FOR VICTORIA SECRET FASHION SHOW.
Akon will be the musical guest on THE VICTORIA'S SECRET FASHION SHOW, taped in New York, to be broadcast Tuesday, Nov. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Supermodels Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Rosie-Huntington-Whiteley, Candice Swanepoel, Chanel Iman, Erin Heatherton, Lily Aldridge, Behati Prinsloo and a bevy of other Victoria's Secret Angels will star in this lingerie runway show, which will also include red carpet interviews, model profiles and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the world's most celebrated fashion show. The runway show will also feature the $2 million Bombshell Fantasy Bra designed by renowned Italian jeweler Damiani and worn by Supermodel Adriana Lima. Akon is the first solo artist to twice hold both the #1 and #2 spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. He has since founded two record labels, KonLive and Konvict, that are home to talents including Lady Gaga and T-Pain, as well as his own youth-focused charity, Konfidence Foundation. With over 40 Billboard Hot 100 songs and 300 guest appearances with a diverse mix of artists from icons Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Quincy Jones to Gwen Stefani, R. Kelly and Leona Lewis, Akon is one of the most popular artists in music today. Akon will perform "Angel," the first single off his upcoming album, Stadium, at the fashion show.

JAY-Z WINS BIG AT U.K. MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS.
Jay-Z was among the big winners at the U.K. Music Video Awards in London on Tuesday, October 12. The hip-hop star landed two trophies for the Best Urban Video and Best Editing in a Video for his "On to the Next One" music promo. Meanwhile, British rapper Plan B, real name Benjamin Drew, was the night's big winner at the ceremony, picking up a total of four prizes - he was handed honors for Best Pop Video and Best Art Direction in a Video for his track "Prayin' ", and Best Cinematography in a Video and Best Styling in a Video for "Stay Too Long". OK Go were awarded Best Video of the Year and Best Rock Video for their track "This Too Shall Pass".

50 CENT LANDS $200 MILLION FOR FILM COMPANY.
50 Cent has secured $200 million in funding for his film company Cheetah Vision. Rapper and producer Randall Emmett, who launched the venture with 50 Cent in 2009, negotiated the multi-million dollar sum for a 10-picture deal, backed by George Furla's Hedge Fund Film Partners. The cash injection will enable Cheetah Vision bosses to produce roughly five films a year, with a budget of about $20 million, reports Variety. And the "In Da Club" hitmaker, real name Curtis Jackson, has already begun production on his first film as part of the deal - he's set to start shooting heist movie "Set Up" in November. His producing partner Emmett tells Variety, "The thing about 50 Cent is that, just like in his music career, he isn't someone who sits around and waits for things to get done. He came to me and said, 'How do we move quicker on projects?' With this new fund, we are able to do that." 50 Cent's previous acting credits include 2008's "Righteous Kill" and "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " in 2005.

JIVE ARTISTS MATISSE JOINS FORCES WITH KONVICT MUSIC.
New York based singer/songwriter Matisse joins forces with Konvict Music, international pop star Akon's label, to remix her No. 1 dance hit "Better Than Her." The remix features Akon and is currently exploding at Top 40 radio. "I'm extremely excited about working with Matisse!" says Akon. "Konvict Music has played a major role in breaking a number of artists over the past couple of years including Lady GaGa and T-Pain. I think Matisse has the potential to be America's next pop darling and a global superstar," professes Akon. Other top writers and producers on her forthcoming debut album include Dallas Austin (TLC, Pink, Gwen Stefani), Tricky Stewart (Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Beyonce) and breakout pop singer/songwriter Bruno Mars. Kevin Rudolf (Lil' Wayne, Jesse McCartney), who produced "Better Than Her," says, "Matisse is one of my favorite new artists. She brings a playful energy back to pop music that's reminiscent of early Madonna." Last month, Matisse embarked on a radio tour that included stops in Denver, Dallas, Miami, San Antonio and other select markets in support of "Better Than Her" and the single is becoming a breakout viral hit with over 1 million collective online plays on YouTube alone.

EMINEM'S PUBLISHER TO ENFORCE SETTLEMENT IN APPLE LAWSUIT.
Eminem’s music publisher has asked a U.S. District Court judge in Detroit to enforce a settlement reached in a lawsuit against Apple Computer Inc. totaling more than $2.2 million. The request by Ferndale-based Eight Mile Style LLC, filed under seal last Tuesday, asked the court to enforce a settlement stemming from a lawsuit over downloads of the hip-hop star’s music on iTunes. The settlement — never previously disclosed — has grown to more than $2.2 million, including attorney fees, according to court records. It was unclear which company was responsible for paying the settlement, but the only defendants in the case are Apple and Aftermath Records. The motion was filed less than a month after a federal appeals court in California found Eminem’s former production company is entitled to more money from downloads of the rapper’s songs and ringtones. A federal jury last year had ruled against F.B.T. Productions LLC in its suit against Universal Music Group seeking a greater share of revenue from downloads made between 2003 and 2008. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found last month that F.B.T.’s contract entitled Eminem and his producers to a 50-50 split with Universal for recordings licensed to digital distributors such as iTunes. The record label had paid F.B.T. and Eminem 12 percent of sales, the agreed-upon rate for physical albums. In the Detroit case, Eight Mile Style and Apple reached a settlement in early October 2009 following a brief trial. The central issue was whether a record deal between Aftermath Records and an Eminem representative gave copyright licenses to the hip-hop artist’s musical compositions that allowed digital downloads through Apple’s iTunes store. Eminem was not a party to the lawsuit. Source: Detroit News.

BIRDMAN TRYING TO BUY-IN MIAMI DOLPHINS OR NOT?
Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan “Baby” Williams is seeking to join Venus and Serena Williams, Gloria Estefan, Fergie, Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony to become a shareholder in the Miami Dolphins football team. Birdman is in negotiations with billionaire real estate developer Stephen M. Ross, who owns the majority stake in the sports team. “It’s in the works,” he told Angela Yee on the Morning After Show on Sirius Radio. “You have to get clearance from the NFL and we’re waiting for clearance. Once we get clearance, we good....“You got Venus and all them other people involved. We wanted to be part owners in the Dolphins.” Birdman is a savvy businessman who recently set up his own oil and gas company, Bronald Oil & Gas, with his brother Ronald 'Slim' Williams. Miami Herald Reporter Armando Salguero denies the accuaracy of this story and says not to believe Birdman's story. The Miami Herald writer says he called the NFL to ask what is the deal with Birdman and a spokesman told him the league has no knowledge of any approval process for Birdman. The reporter continued Birdman apparently isn't at all involved in the approval process he said he was, according to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross... "I have NEVER spoken to him or any representative," Ross said in a statement released by the team. "Not considering or looking for any celebrity limited partners."

REPORTLINKER ADDS GLOBAL DIGITAL MUSIC FORECAST FOR ONLINE, MOBILE, AND SUBSCRIPTION CHANNELS, 2010-2014. Global Digital Music Markets will see Retail Revenues increase to $32 billion by the end of 2014. This Digital Music Forecast provides a comprehensive forecast of global, regional, and country-specific digital music markets. There are now 823 million paid users of digital music worldwide and that number is expected to almost double to 1.55 billion in 2014. While there has been much debate about the impacts of the global recession on consumer discretionary spending, IEMR is forecasting a significant increase in the number of users who will be accessing their music through various digital channels, including online downloads, mobile downloads, and subscription downloads of online portals. The report estimates that the total number of paid users of digital music worldwide will reach 823 million in 2010, and this number is going to increase to 1.55 billion by the end of 2014, for a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.0%. While the number of music users downloading their music through their mobile handsets will increase from 483.8 million in 2009 to over 1 billion in 2014, the greatest growth in the global digital music industry will happen through subscriptions to both online and mobile music channels While the mobile channel will continue to account for a large share of music downloads (its current market share is 70% of all users), The report predicts that both the online single download users and online subscription users will see a higher growth rate over our forecast period. Online digital retail spending (which includes digital downloads of full tracks, albums, music video and streams over the fixed network) was $3.5 billion in 2009. This particular market segment will see retail revenues grow by a CAGR of 32.7% to $13.4 billion in 2014. Digital Music Revenues at Record Companies to reach $21.1 billion at the end of 2014. IEMR is forecasting Record company revenues from downloads of full tracks, albums, music video and streams over the fixed and wireless network will reach $21.1 billion in 2014, from the current estimated $4.8 billion in 2009. The report predicts that over the next five years, record companies will do a better job of increasing their subscription customers (subscription revenues will increase to $1.8 billion for record companies) and they have also seen the writing on the wall in terms of online access and will begin exploiting this channel more thoroughly over the forecast period. This will result in increased online revenues from digital music downloads of $8.1 billion in 2014 (for a CAGR of 30.6%).

North America
There are now 105 million paid users of digital music in North America and that number is expected to grow to 227.4 million in 2014. Despite the global economic slowdown, the North American digital music market remains strong. The report predicts that digital music paid download users in the United States and Canada will increase from 105 million to 227.4 million over the forecast period, 2010 – 2014 (Compound Annual Growth Rate is 17.0%. This is higher than our previous forecast of a CAGR of 12.9%).

Online music download users in North America will increase dramatically from 50.4 million in 2009 to 135.0 million in 2014. The report predicts that music users downloading their music through their mobile handsets in North America will increase significantly from 52.9 million in 2009 to 83.3 million in 2014 (CAGR of 8.6%, previously 4.5%). However, the greatest growth will happen through online and mobile subscription users. We forecast that digital music download subscription users will increase from 1.9 million in 2009 to 9.1 million in 2014 (CAGR of 44.6%). Digital music retail revenues in North America to reach $11.87 billion in 2014. The forecast predicts that digital music retail revenues in the United States and Canada will increase from $4 billion in 2009 to $11.87 billion in 2014, for a CAGR of 26.8% (previously 33.4%).

In particular, revenues from online single download users of digital music will increase from $2.4 billion in 2009 to $8.3 billion in 2014, for a CAGR of 30.9% (previously 44.0%). The strong growth in the use of the online channel is caused by high broadband penetration in North America. Revenue will continue to grow as illegal file sharing becomes more difficult with various legislation and enforcement.

Digital music revenues at Record Companies in North America to reach $7.3 billion in 2014.
Forecasting that record company revenues from downloads of full tracks, albums, music video and streams over the fixed and mobile networks in North America will reach $7.3 billion in 2014, from $2.53 billion in 2009.

Record companies will be gaining more subscription customers over the next five years. Forecasting that subscription wholesale revenues (received by record companies) will increase from $108 million in 2009 to $528 million in 2014, for a CAGR of 45.8%. Source: Report linker

NAS' EMAIL TO DEF JAM LEAKS?
Earlier this morning (October 7) an email allegedly written by Nas to the execs over at Def Jam was circulated on the Internet. In the letter, Nas vents to the record label for refusing to release a sequel to his 2002 compilation, The Lost Tapes. (See Below) Sources say the email was not to become public.

From: Nas
To: LA Reid, Steve Bartels, Steve Gawley, Michael Seltzer, Joseph Borrino, Chris Hicks Subject: PUT MY SHIT OUT!

Peace to all,
With all do respect to you all, Nas is NOBODY’s slave. This is not the 1800's, respect me and I will respect you. I won’t even tap dance around in an email, I will get right into it. People connect to the Artist @ the end of the day, they don’t connect with the executives. Honestly, nobody even cares what label puts out a great record, they care about who recorded it. Yet time and time again its the executives who always stand in the way of a creative artist’s dream and aspirations. You don’t help draw the truth from my deepest and most inner soul, you don’t even do a great job @ selling it. The #1 problem with DEF JAM is pretty simple and obvious, the executives think they are the stars. You aren’t…. not even close. As a matter of fact, you wish you were, but it didn’t work out so you took a desk job. To the consumer, I COME FIRST. Stop trying to deprive them! I have a fan base that dies for my music and a RAP label that doesn’t understand RAP. Pretty fucked up situation

This isn’t the 90's though. Beefing with record labels is so 15 years ago. @ this point I just need you all to be very clear where I stand and how I feel about “my label.” I could go on twitter or hot 97 tomorrow and get 100,000 protesters @ your building but I choose to walk my own path my own way because since day one I have been my own man. I did business with Tommy Mottola and Donnie Einer, two of the most psycho dudes this business ever created. I worked well with them for one major reason……. they believed in me. The didn’t give a fuck about what any radio station or magazine said….those dudes had me.

Lost Tapes is a movement and a very important set up piece for my career as it stands. I started this over 5 years ago @ Columbia and nobody knew what it was or what it did but the label put it out as an LP and the fans went crazy for it and I single handlely built a new brand of rap albums. It’s smart and after 5 years it’s still a head of the game. This feels great and you not feeling what I’m feeling is disturbing. Don’t get in the way of my creativity. We are aligned with the stars here, this is a movement. There is a thing called KARMA that comes to haunt you when you tamper with the aligning stars. WE ARE GIVING THE PEOPLE EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT. Stop throwing dog shit on a MAGICAL moment.

You don’t get another Nas recording that doesn’t count against my deal….PERIOD! Keep your bullshit $200,000.00 fund. Open the REAL budget. This is a New York pioneers ALBUM, there ain’t many of us. I am ready to drop in the 4th quarter. You don’t even have shit coming out! Stop being your own worst enemy.

Let’s get money!

-N.Jones

EMINEM UP FOR 4 NOMS AT MTV INTERNATIONAL AWARDS.
Eva Longoria will host the 2010 MTV EMAs, the music web's international awards. Taking place in Madrid, the kudocast will be aired live on Nov. 7. Artist performing will include Kings of Leon, Ke$ha and Kid Rock, alongside the previously announced Katy Perry and Linkin Park. Katy Perry and Lady Gaga lead the chase for kudos with five noms each, while Eminem has four noms, and Rihanna, Muse, Justin Bieber, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Usher all have three noms apiece. Winners in all categories -- including song, live act and new act, and for the different genres, as well as best male and female artists -- will be decided by public vote.

SMIRNOFF ON DECK WITH NEW REALITY SHOW GEARED TOWARDS DJ'S.
SMIRNOFF®, the world's best-selling vodka, is launching a new reality television show, Master of the Mix. In a quest to crown the hottest DJ in the world, Master of the Mix is hosting multiple DJs in cities throughout the world to determine the ultimate mix master. Hosted by Grammy nominated producer/DJ, Just Blaze, and world famous DJ, Kid Capri, the show will pit the world's most prominent DJs against each other in head-to-head competition. The show is produced by GTM and Ben Silverman's next generation studio, Electus. "Master of the Mix marks the brand's first venture into reality television and we couldn't be more thrilled at the opportunity to work with some of the most influential leaders in the music industry," said David Tapscott, Brand Director, SMIRNOFF. "SMIRNOFF has always been a part of the nightlife culture, encouraging responsible partying for years and since we're working with some of the most influential DJs who control the night, the partnership between the two spaces feels natural to us." The competition kicks off at the DJ's base camp for the show, a luxurious home in the Hollywood Hills, and quickly moves to Sin City where the DJs spin at The People's Challenge, a massive vodka tasting event for SMIRNOFF at Tao Nightclub in Las Vegas. From there, the show follows the DJ's from city to city - and party to party - including Miami, Los Angeles, New York and London, where contestants will put their skills to the test in a series of challenges. Judged on their technical ability, track selection, originality, and crowd response, DJ's will be competing for the title of Master of the Mix, as well as $250,000 in cash and prizes, including a personalized SMIRNOFF bottle. Kid Capri will anchor the judging booth, while notable industry veterans such as Biz Markie will make guest appearances throughout the season. The Master of the Mix cast competing for the ultimate DJ title includes:

2010 BET HIP HOP AWARDS RECAP.
The 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards went down in Atlanta on Saturday night. Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj took home three trophies each and were the night's biggest winners. Hov won for Perfect Combo for "Empire State of Mind" with Alicia Keys, CD of the Year for The Blueprint 3 and Best Live Performer, while Nicki Minaj earned Rookie of the Year, People's Champ and the Made You Look award. Other winners on the night included Rick Ross, who took home two awards for the song "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" for Club Banger of the Year and Track of the Year (for producer Lex Luger). Salt-N-Pepa were honored with the I Am Hip-Hop award, while Diddy won the Hustler award, Swizz Beatz was named Producer of the Year, and DJ Khaled won for Best DJ. Rick Ross opened the show as he, Diddy and DJ Khaled showered the crowd with pyrotechnics during "B.M.F." and B.o.B brought his hometown crowd to its feet with a rendition of his next single, "Don't Let Me Fall." Big Boi, Soulja Boy Tell'em, J. Cole, Cali Swag District with Digital Underground, Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame were among the evening's other performers. The BET Hip-Hop Awards, hosted by Mike Epps, will air on the network on October 12 at 8 p.m

PITBULL TO OPEN HISPANIC ADVERTISING INDUSTRY CONFERENCE.
Ruben Leyva, President of Sony Music U.S. Latin, Joins Pitbull to Discuss the Evolution of Music and Entertainment with the Cultural Transformation of Society Singer, songwriter and host of his own Spanish-language program La Esquina on Mun2, Pitbull will share his experience and success story with advertising professionals at the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) Annual Conference. The hip-hop rapper will be joined by Ruben Leyva, president of Sony Music U.S. Latin, and together they will address the challenges, opportunities and compromises, both personally and professionally, involved with creating stellar performers in today's changing entertainment marketplace. "Music and entertainment are at the forefront of the Hispanization of America. Pitbull epitomizes the success Latino entertainers have had not only in the music industry but in the Hispanic consumer market as well," says Gisela Girard, AHAA chair and president/COO of San-Antonio based Creative Civilization. "The stories of Pitbull and Leyva are similar to the challenges we overcome daily in our fight to establish Hispanic marketing within the advertising industry and within our client organizations. As entrepreneurs, we can learn a lot from the experiences, adversity and ultimate achievements of these entertainment icons. Like our advertising agencies, they are thinking critically about culture and the rapid transformation of our society, as well as the cultural breadth and diversity within the U.S. Hispanic population. It will be a dynamic opening to a high-energy AHAA Conference unlike anything you have experienced at other industry conferences." The session kicks off the AHAA Conference October 6-8 at the HyattRegency in Miami. The conference is designed to tackle tough issues facing Hispanic-specialized advertising agencies, and prepare advertisers and marketers for the next phase of growth and change in the industry. The theme of the conference, Natural Selection, is in essence what is happening in American culture and the advertising industry: Hispanic culture and traits are becoming more common over generations, and Hispanics are surviving and thriving with more influence than ever before.

MTV PRESIDENT IS OUT.
After more than 20 years at the network, MTV President Tony DiSanto and longtime lieutenant Liz Gateley are teaming to form a production shingle dubbed DiGa. With DiSanto exiting, it's believed that David Janollari, who joined MTV in January, will step in as MTV's new programming topper, but no deal has been made yet (and it's unclear what his title may be or whether he'll assume all of DiSanto's old duties). DiGa -- the first two letters of both producers' last names -- has set up shop at Ben Silverman's Electus production entity. MTV Networks Music/Film/Logo Group prexy Van Toffler told Variety that planning for DiSanto's turn to producing has been ongoing for a year. "The plan was always to build a great team around Tony, and we knew, and expected, all along that his real strength was as a producer of programs," Toffler said. Toffler declined to comment on who may replace DiSanto but said an official announcement would come within the next few weeks. DiSanto and Gateley leave MTV in a blaze of glory: Thanks to the success of Snooki, the Situation and company at "Jersey Shore," as well as other entries like "Teen Mom," MTV's ratings are up. DiGa will focus on producing reality and scripted series for primetime cable and network outlets and also plans to enter the feature film and digital domains. Under the deal, Electus will hold on to exclusive distribution rights for all content created by DiGa. Electus will also work with DiGa on bringing marketing and advertising partners to the duo, and Electus Distribution will handle DiGa programming internationally. DiSanto and Gateley aren't severing ties with MTV. They'll remain at the network through the end of the year to tie up loose ends and assist with the transition. The duo are also now expected to serve as exec producers on four upcoming series. DiGa has also secured a commitment from MTV to produce two more scripted projects. DiSanto and Gateley will also serve as consultants for the channel. As for Janollari, the move to assume much of DiSanto's job would make sense, as the exec took a bit of a title cut -- to exec VP of scripted development -- when he first joined MTV. It's believed that MTV topper Van Toffler has been specifically grooming Janollari to take over once DiSanto exited to pursue his producing ambitions. Janollari has both production and executive chops, having served as WB Entertainment president and a Warner Bros. TV exec, as well as a producer with Bob Greenblatt at their now-defunct Greenblatt/Janollari Studio label. Since hopping to MTV in January, Janollari has moved quickly to ramp up MTV's scripted output. As for DiSanto, rumors of his exit have swirled for some time, and he was believed to have been pursued by several entities. At different periods of time, he's been chatted up for broadcast network gigs; at one point he was rumored for a job at the CW, but he ultimately wanted to try his hand at being an independent producer. "He's a producer at heart," said one insider. "It's good for him and good for MTV." Most recently, when "Jersey Shore" launched, the show opened to mountains of criticism and so-so ratings. But DiSanto stood by the show, and it soon blossomed into a cultural phenomenon. DiSanto first joined MTV in 1989 as an intern. He worked his way up through production, eventually co-creating "Total Request Live" with Bob Kusbit and overseeing production for MTV's Times Square studio, music specials and series, special events and video programming. He later headed up MTV's East Coast development and programming for MTV2. DiSanto was named president of programming in 2007 and given the challenge of reinventing the MTV brand. Source: Variety

T.I. AND WIFEY LINK UP FOR ALZHEIMER'S EVENT.
T.I. and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris will get together this weekend to fight against Alzheimer’s.
The late Clifford Smith, Sr., father of T.I. battled with the elderly disease, while Charles Pope, Tiny’s dad continues to battle the disease. In honor of both their parents struggle a private lunch will be held on Sunday, October 3 at Luckie Lounge. Reservations are $100, which serves as a pledge to fight Alzheimer’s. Amongst those expected to attend are: Community Alzheimer’s Advocate, Tena Walker, Dr. Patrick Griffith, the Division of Neurology Chief at the Morehouse School of Medicine and Jamie Foster, Founder of Sister 2 Sister magazine. There will also be performances by the OMG Girlz and QT Jazz.

106 & PARK CELEBRATES 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
This Fall marks the 10-year anniversary of BET Network's wildly-successful music countdown show, 106 & PARK. "Who would have thought that this little show that began September 11, 2000, with nervous producers and even more nervous first time hosts would turn into this highly successful, influential, game-changing daily energetic program about, from and to youth culture?" said Stephen G. Hill, President of Music Programming and Specials. "We are proud to reflect and represent every day for our incredible audience that still, after over 2500 episodes, still fuels the show....for this show was built and still rests on the BET audience." 106 & PARK is the #1 Music Variety Show on cable for 13 consecutive quarters among Adults 18-49, according to Nielsen and has been integral in launching the careers of numerous hip-hop and R&B artists. Music executive Kevin Liles once told EW, ''There are five things you need to do to be successful -- Sign a superstar with a great image, have a great first single, get great word of mouth, get them on the radio and get them on '106 & Park.' Those things start projects.''

PLAY N SKILLZ GETTING MT REALITY GIG.
Hot off shooting the video for Bun B''s new single "Ridin Slow", which they produced and are featured on, Dallas natives and 2X Grammy Award winning producers Play-N-Skillz are getting their own Reality Show on MTV. The show will be based on their lives as top producers living in Dallas. They are looking for a talented female to co-star with them on the show and will be holding auditions at their Downtown Dallas studio (2822 Commerce Street) on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1ST from 7PM-9PM. MTV camera's will be shooting them throughout the process for their new show. ABOUT THE PRODUCERS: Two-time Grammy Award winning producers and rap duo, Play-N-Skillz consist of brothers, Juan "Play" and Oscar "Skillz" Salinas who hail from Dallas, Texas. These super producers have worked with some of the top names in music including Lil’ Wayne, Nelly, Pitbull, Bun B, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Slim Thug to name a few. Play-N-Skillz recently signed a record label deal with SRC/Universal Records for their own label imprint, G4 Muzik. The deal has allowed the dynamic duo the opportunity to sign, develop and market artists with distribution through SRC/Universal Records. Their first signee rap phenom “Inertia,” has been burning up the charts with his hit song “Beddy Crocker” produced by Play-N-Skillz. Play-N-Skillz are currently working on their sophomore album entitled G.I.R.L.S., an acronym for Guys in Real Life Situations. Play-N-Skillz also teamed up with rap legend Too $hort and Kendra Wilkinson from E!’s The Girl’s Next Door to record the theme song for her E! reality show, “Kendra”.

NE-YO LINK WITH ISLAND DEF JAM FOR NEW JOINT VENTURE.
Ne-Yo has entered into a joint venture agreement that will bring Compound Entertainment to the Island Def Jam Music Group, it was announced today by Antonio 'L.A.' Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group. The first artist signed to the Compound Entertainment joint venture is Loren Allred, an accomplished pianist, singer and songwriter based in Salt Lake City, whose debut album will be released early next year. Under terms of the agreement, Ne-Yo - whose first three studio albums debuted at #1 on the Soundscan chart, Year Of The Gentleman (2008), Because Of You (2007), and In My Own Words (2006) - will continue as a core artist on the roster of Def Jam Recordings. His brand new fourth studio album, LIBRA SCALE is scheduled for November 23rd release. "Ne-Yo is truly one of the greats, and it has been a privilege to work closely with him, from the early stages of his songwriting career through his extremely successful recording career," said Mr. Reid. "He is a unique artist, not only crafting his own series of brilliantly produced albums, but also providing big songs and hit duets for many of today's biggest stars. We fully anticipate this to be a very successful partnership." Ne-Yo founded The Compound Foundation which is committed to service at-risk and disadvantaged youth. The Compound Foundation sponsors performances, motivational speakers and mentorship opportunities with leaders and business people within the community.

LL COOL J AND BEASTIE BOYS UP FOR ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME.
Nominees for the 2011 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been announced. This year's candidates for the Cleveland hall include R&B and soul performers Chuck Willis, Darlene Love and Joe Tex; singer-songwriters Donovan, Neil Diamond, Laura Nyro and Tom Waits; disco goddess Donna Summer; and '70s dance group Chic. Also in the running are rap acts LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys, New Orleans singer-pianist Dr. John, shock-rocker Alice Cooper, blues-rock unit the J. Geils Band, and '80s headbangers Bon Jovi. Inductees will be selected by 500 Hall of Fame voters and will be announced in December. The 2011 induction ceremony will be held March 14 in New York.

NICK CANNON TO FIGHT EMINEM?
Nick Cannon has challenged Eminem to a boxing match. "I'm on some Harlem Nights type sh*t I'm putting my money on @Eminem to win!! LOL," Cannon tweeted (September 27). "One things for d*mn sure @Eminem has way more fans than I do! They go hard! I don't want it with #Teamshady LOL. It will be all for charity! Like when Screech fought Horshack on celebrity boxing!" Cannon has even gone so far as to create a website to promote the 'fight.' The blurb reads "The time has come! Boys talk the talk, but men walk the walk. Nick has laid down the challenge to meet Eminem in the ring," reads a post on Cannon's official site. "Nick and the rest of the crew on Rollin' With Nick Cannon think it's time for the feud to be over once and for all. And to draw Slim Shady out of hiding, Nick has decided to do it all for charity." Cannon has even set up a Facebook page to hype the unlikely event.

THOUGHT PROCESS: Game Over For The Grand Hustle King
So is it safe to say T.I has not learned his lesson? How many more times must he get arrested before he realize he needs to make some serious life changing decisions? He can't be a father and a husband behind bars. Without going on tours and interviewing to promote his album, no money can be made, and the record sales alone is not enough. On top of that you can't expect the youth to listen to you, when you are doing the same thing you've encouraged them not to do. Just out of curiosity, how does T.I think the high school students he spoke to, look at him, now that he has gotten himself in trouble again? GRAB THE FULL REPORT HERE

LLOYD BANKS CELEBRATES GOLD.
G-Unit's first independent release with multi-platinum recording star LLOYD BANKS' hit single, "Beamer, Benz Or Bentley," has recently been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association In America, with over 500,000 copies sold. The Prime produced "Beamer, Benz Or Bentley" is the first official song to be released off BANKS third studio album, H.F.M. 2 (Hunger For More 2), which is slated for release on November 23rd, 2010 on G-Unit Records. The single reached Top 5 (#5) on Billboard's Rap Songs chart and Top 20 (#19) Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart and internationally reached Top 5 (#4) on the German Black Chart. "Climate wise, as far as the economy goes, it's a beautiful thing man. When you are coming from an independent standpoint, an independent gold record is really a platinum record and a platinum record is a double platinum record. This record was recorded in my home, mixed and mastered out the pocket. G-Unit as a record label worked it, and here we are: 500,000 copies sold a few months later," Banks says.

RADIO ONE ANNOUNCES NEW VP.
Radio One, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROIAK; ROIA) announced that Christopher Wegmann has been named Vice President/General Manager and Alan Leinwand has been named Director of Sales for Radio One's five-station cluster in Washington, DC. Mr. Wegmann, a broadcasting veteran of 30+ years, joined Radio One in March 2009 as Vice President/General Manager of St. Louis and Regional Vice President over Dallas. He continues to hold these positions. "I am excited to have Chris assume the position of General Manager of our five-station cluster in DC," said Barry Mayo, President, Radio Division. "His ability to increase revenue and market share is amply evident in the results that our St. Louis and Dallas markets have posted in 2009 and 2010, and I anticipate the same outcome in DC.".. "I am fortunate that after only a short time with Radio One I have been given the opportunity to oversee the Company's heritage market," said Mr. Wegmann. "I look forward to working with the dedicated staff of the DC market to achieve our collective goals of increased ratings, revenue and market share." Alan Leinwand stated that, "I am thrilled to be joining Radio One and excited about returning to the DC radio market where I spent over 20 years. The Radio One DC cluster is loaded with heritage brands that consistently deliver, and I feel fortunate to have been afforded this wonderful opportunity. I can't wait to start working with our team as well as with our advertising partners on building great programs together... all while helping Radio One develop the best sales effort in DC radio."

R&B SOUL SINGER LYFE JENNINGS SENTENCED TO SERVE 3 1/2 YEARS IN JAIL
On September 22, 2010, just a few weeks after releasing what he has called his "final" studio album, I Still Believe, platinum-R&B-soul-crooner Lyfe Jennings was sentenced by Cobb County Superior Court Judge, Lark Ingram, in Marietta, Georgia to serve 3 1/2 years in jail for his role in a 2008 domestic dispute. In court, Lyfe spoke to the judge, accepting full responsibility for his actions and apologized for what he had done. After serving a 10 year prison sentence for arson from 1992-2002, Lyfe has not had any trouble with the law except on this one occasion. Lyfe is eligible for parole and according to his attorney, Don Samuel, will most likely serve about one-third of his 3 1/2 year sentence. Mr. Samuel also stated that "Although it had been reported otherwise, there were no allegations of physical abuse or violence whatsoever against my client in this case". He also added, "Lyfe wants his family, friends and fans to know that he is a changed man, but all it takes is one mistake and one bad day to lose your freedom." He is currently in the Cobb County jail, where he will remain for approximately 30 days. Then will be moved to what is known as the Diagnostic Center where he will serve about two months, and then he will be designated to a minimum security prison for the remainder of his sentence. After being handed down his sentence, Lyfe sent this message via Twitter: "This will be my last post. To everyone who gave me a chance I am forever in your debt. I have had a fabulous career because of you. All I can say in parting is that I have been honest with [y'all]. I didn't sugarcoat a word didn't hold back a single [syllable] of my life from [y'all]. I've lived a hundred lives in these 6 [years] so I not only won't, [I] don't have the right to complain. I would like to think that I've changed lives by changing my own, [though] I can't be sure. But one thing I am sure of is God gives and takes away in measure. He is fair, just and forever. Amen from [a man]... Smile, its [contagious]:)" As a result of this news, all remaining shows left on Lyfe's current National tour have all been canceled. On his latest LP, Lyfe touches on the incident that has now sent him to jail in the song "If Tomorrow Never Comes". Lyfe addresses his mother, his aunt, his ex-girlfriend and his kids singing, "If tomorrow never comes/ And you never see me again/ I don’t want your last memories of me/ To be filled with negativity."

RICK ROSS, WAKA FLOCKA, AND GUCCI MANE CONFIRMED.
The fifth annual BET HIP HOP AWARDS '10 is charged and ready to deliver the most electrifying show yet. Rick Ross, Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane and Swizz Beatz are the first acts confirmed to perform during this year's event on Saturday, October 2 with the network premiere on Tuesday, October 12 at 8:00 p.m.* Oscar-award winning actress, comedian and BET late-night host Mo'Nique and R&B sensation Keri Hilson are confirmed presenters with special appearances by breakout female rap star Nicki Minaj, rapper and actor Common, Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson, actor and comedian Martin Lawrence and multi-platinum selling artist Missy Elliot. Hosted by actor and funny man Mike Epps, the BET HIP HOP AWARDS '10 is ready to salute the best of the best in hip hop culture from the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Legendary female rap trio Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton) and Spinderella (Deidra "Dee Dee" Roper) of Salt-n-Pepa will be honored as this year's I AM HIP HOP AWARDS ICONS.

ANTONIO (L.A.) REID TO BE FIRED?
Rumors surfaced yesterday that Reid had been fired from his job as chairman of Island Def Jam Records, which was speculated to be tied to Reid's discussions with producers of both "American Idol" and "The X Factor" about becoming a judge on one of the shows. A source close to the situation says that if "X Factor," which is produced by rival Sony, makes Reid a firm offer, he'll have to leave Universal to take it. Initially, music industry insiders said that Reid's desire for a TV closeup had angered other UMG label executives because of Island Def Jam's recent poor performance. As critics are happy to point out, Reid lost Jay-Z to Warner Music Group last year, Mariah Carey's most recent album tanked, and Rihanna's second release underwhelmed. Those execs, we're told, couldn't understand why Reid should be allowed to moonlight on TV - for the competition, no less - when his day job isn't going well. But a source close to the scene says, "There's no plan to fire Reid or move him out of Universal Music Group." Indeed, the source says, it was the company's new CEO, Lucian Grainge, who suggested that Reid might be a good fit as an "Idol" judge now that UMG has become the series' music partner. Since then, the source says, Reid has had talks with the producers of "American Idol" about being that show's fourth judge - though it's unlikely such a post will materialize. (The show Wednesday named Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as judges, and also announced that UMG-owned Interscope starmaker Jimmy Iovine will work as a mentor to "Idol" contestants.) After Reid talked to "American Idol," the source said, Simon Cowell, who departed the show to launch a U.S. version of "The X Factor," also spoke to Reid about becoming a judge. At this point, Reid does not appear to have a firm offer from either show. But a source says the Island Def Jam chairman would not be able to take "The X Factor" gig and remain with Universal. Should that happen, Reid would be leaving of his own accord and not with Grainge's footprint on the seat of his pants. "At the end of the day, it's going to be what Reid wants to do," the source says. A spokesman for Reid referred to a UMG corporate spokesman, who declined to comment. Source: NY Daily news

DJ HERO® 2 UNVEILS SOUNDTRACK.
In an all-new, unparalleled music experience featuring 83 original, exclusive mixes that spin together 105 speaker-blaring tracks and club-shaking anthems from over 100 of the biggest artists in hip hop, pop and dance, Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) has dropped the needle on DJ Hero® 2’s full mix list that will transform living rooms into nightclubs with the best soundtrack in entertainment. Taking the soundtrack to “the most innovative and immersive music experience of 2009”* to the next level, when the party starts on October 19, budding beat chemists, singing sensations and all their friends will join together and experience these original, exclusive mixes such as Lady Gaga Mixed With Deadmau5, Iyaz Mixed With Rihanna, Eminem Mixed With Lil’ Wayne, Kanye West Mixed With Metallica and a host of others magical musical creations. With in-game appearances, music and mixes from DJs keeping the speakers thumping in the world’s hottest clubs, Deadmau5, David Guetta, DJ Qbert, DJ Shadow, DJ Z-Trip, RZA, and Tiësto among many others will start the DJ Hero 2 party off right. “Whether it’s Pussycat Dolls Mixed With Pitbull, 2Pac Mixed With B.o.B., or a all-new remix of a Daft Punk anthem, in DJ Hero 2 we have created 83 mixes that are not only incredibly fun to play, but will allow everyone to experience the music they know and love in an all-new way,” said Dan Neil, Music Director, FreeStyleGames. “The amazing soundtrack, coupled with the new social gameplay modes and all-new levels of creative freedom, make DJ Hero 2 the ultimate interactive music experience.” With the highly skilled DJs and music producers at FreeStyleGames – joined by Deadmau5, David Guetta, DJ Qbert, RZA, Tiësto and a crew of world renowned mixologists – dropping the beats, everyone will have a chance to experience their favorite music like never before. The DJ Hero 2 soundtrack mixes together some of the biggest hits currently dominating airwaves including Eminem’s ‘Not Afraid’ Mixed With Lil’ Wayne’s ‘Lollipop,’ Rihanna’s ‘Rude Boy’ Mixed With Iyaz’s ‘Replay,’ and an exclusive remix of David Guetta’s hit ‘Memories’ featuring Kid Cudi, among a host of others and delivers new musical content only available in our game,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs, Activision. “Individually these songs create a massive soundtrack in its own right, but with the biggest DJs in the world mixing and mashing them exclusively for DJ Hero 2 we’re delivering an all-new spin on this music in what promises to be the best soundtrack in entertainment.” SEE THE TRAILER

BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT BUYS PAC, MC HAMMER COPYRIGHTS?
BMG Rights Management (”BMG”) announced today (Monday Sept 20) the signing of a Purchase Agreement with funds managed by Trilantic Capital Partners and other sellers under which BMG has agreed to acquire Evergreen Copyright Acquisitions LLC. Evergreen Copyrights is a US-based full service independent music company. Founded by Richard Perna (former COO of Hamstein Music), David Schulhof (former Motion Picture Music Executive at Miramax and Dimension Films), and Joel Katz (Chair Global Media and Entertainment Practice, Greenberg Traurig), the firm has grown to become a sector leader in the US with over 65,000 titles across diverse genres. “We are excited to add another highly-regarded rights catalogue to our portfolio. Evergreen is known for its successful rights acquisition track record. With this acquisition BMG continues its growth path to become one of the leading global music rights players”, said Hartwig Masuch, CEO of BMG Rights Management. Schulhof and Perna, Co-CEOs of Evergreen, stated: “We are proud of the company we have built and thank all of the great songwriters and artists we’ve had the opportunity to work with. We wish to thank Trilantic Capital Partners for their unwavering support as we built Evergreen into the well-established global music publisher it is today. Most of all, we would like to thank all of our exceptional employees, without whom we could not have built this great company. We wish BMG continued success. We are very honored that they have selected Evergreen to join their growing family.” Evergreen Copyrights holds the rights to a variety of compositions performed by MC Hammer, Eric Clapton, Teddy Riley, Nick Drake, Bill Monroe and 2Pac. It also includes interests in compositions written by Emmy-nominated TV writer and producer Scott Schreer. Acquired music rights include well-known pieces such as “U Can’t Touch This”, “Cocaine”, “Kiss Me’”, John Waite’s “Missing You”, Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful” and Michael Jackson’s “Remember The Time”. Following the acquisition of Cherry Lane and the Adage IV catalogue in the US and more recently of UK headquartered Stage Three Music, this is the fourth acquisition of significant size in 2010 for BMG, which now controls and administers more than 200,000 songrights and masterrights. The closing of the Evergreen transaction is expected to be completed at the beginning of October. Following this transaction, Trilantic Capital Partners will reinvest part of its proceeds to acquire a single-digit stake in BMG. This move does not affect the operational business and the partnership structure of the joint venture. The investment ratio of the lead partners Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) and Bertelsmann AG will remain unchanged. “Trilantic’s co-investment in BMG validates the attractiveness of our joint venture. We are pleased that we have found another partner who shares our view of the opportunities in the evolving music industry”, said Thomas Rabe, BMG Chairman. “We are extremely pleased with the accomplishments of the Evergreen management team, who have done an outstanding job in growing the business,” said Charlie Ayres, founding partner and chairman of Trilantic Capital Partners. “We are thrilled to embark on a new joint venture partnership with KKR and Bertelsmann as we look for new opportunities for growth in the global music rights business.”

SOUL TRAIN AWARDS SET FOR NOVEMBER.
CENTRIC announces the return of the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS, the classic music awards show that highlights R&B music's finest and bridges the gap between the soulful sounds of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Academy Award-nominated actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson will return to co-host the music special, which will tape at the Cobb Energy Center in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday, November 10 and will premiere on both CENTRIC and BET in a special simulcast at 9:00 PM* ET on Sunday, November 28. The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS special will honor the longstanding careers and musical influences of legendary artists Anita Baker and Ron Isley. The special will also celebrate soul music's legacy and the hottest stars who have helped pave the way for today's crop of performers. "We are excited to welcome the return of the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS to CENTRIC," stated Paxton Baker, CENTRIC's General Manager and Executive Vice President. "Last year's show was a stellar success and we're charged to be better this year. The Soul Train brand is part of the very fabric of American Culture, and has played a vital role in shaping the cultural framework and musical tastes of CENTRIC's 25- to 54- year old audience. It is our goal for this show to become a staple among television viewers." .. "As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Soul Train, we are excited to have the opportunity to partner with CENTRIC again to present the iconic Soul Train Awards," said Kenard Gibbs, CEO of Soul Train Holdings. "The team at Centric clearly respects the legacy of the brand and we are eager to return this year with an even stronger show. This year's Soul Train Awards will embody the same energy, passion, and excitement that became the hallmark of the brand throughout its rich history." The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is produced by Sunseeker Media and directed by Jonathan X, in collaboration with BET Event Productions. Paxton Baker, CENTRIC Executive Vice President and General Manager, Tami Willis-Arasli, CENTRIC Vice President of Special and Music Programming; Bart Phillips, Sunseeker Media; and Soul Train Holdings' Kenard Gibbs, and Anthony Maddox will all be the executive producers of the network telecast. Tickets for the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS show are by invite only and not available for purchase.

JAY-Z, MJ, AND OTHERS TOP LIST OF CELEBRITY RECORD BREAKERS.
Who is the world's highest earning celebrity? Which power couple dominates the entertainment world? What pop star commands the most searches on the Internet? The new Guinness World Records 2011 edition out now reveals all this and more in its celebrity-filled pages. As one of the most talked about pop stars in recent memory, it should come as no surprise that Lady Gaga earned two records for the new book - "Most Searched-For Female" on Google and "Most Weeks On UK Chart In Any Year" with an astounding 154 weeks. Gaga shares her place in the new book alongside two of music's superstars - Jay-Z and Beyonce. Named the year's biggest "Power Couple", Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Beyonce Knowles earned an astounding $122 million through June 2009. Two celebrities this year making headlines for their high profile personal lives also made the book. Lindsey Lohan, takes the dubious honor as "Most Infamous Female Celebrity" thanks to her run-ins with the law and the unfortunate performances of her latest movies and Tiger Woods, who ruled the tabloids for his extramarital affairs, didn't see an impact on his earnings yet as he assumes his place as the "Most Powerful Sports Star". The golf phenom raked in an impressive $103 million and topped the 2010 BusinessWeek Sports Power 100 list. In tribute to the "King of Pop", the new Guinness World Records book features a special page devoted to Michael Jackson. The untimely death of MJ made the entertainer the "Most Searched-For Male" on the web and earned him several posthumous records reinforcing his spot at the top of the entertainment world. MJ, a fan of the Guinness World Records book, is a multiple record holder receiving eight over his lifetime for his chart achievements, album sales, earnings and charity donations.

MJ'S MOTHER SUES AEG LIVE.
Michael Jackson's mother has sued the promoters of her late son's planned concert tour, saying they did not live up to a promises to provide him proper physical care and negligently hired Dr. Conrad Murray as his personal physician. The Jackson family matriarch filed the suit against AEG Live in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of herself and her son's three children. She is seeking unspecified damages. The suit alleges AEG is responsible for the medical decisions made by Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. AEG spokesman Michael Roth said company officials had not seen the lawsuit and had no immediate comment. The London concert tour was canceled after Jackson's June 25, 2009, death at age 50. The suit portrays the singer as being "confused, easily frightened, unable to remember, obsessive and disoriented" in the months before his death. "He was cold and shivering during the summer rehearsals for his show, and as shown in photographs of him, he uncharacteristically wore heavy clothing during the rehearsals, while other dancers wore scant clothing and were perspiring from the heat," the suit states. Rather than cut back on the rehearsal schedule so that Jackson could recuperate, AEG "insisted that he attend every rehearsal in a grueling schedule, threatening that if he missed even one more they would cancel the tour ...," his mother alleges. AEG, "so that it could reap staggering profits from the tour," instructed Jackson to stop taking medication and that he be treated only by Murray, according to the complaint. One of Jackson's sons, Michael Jr., "witnessed his father suffering and accordingly has suffered great trauma and severe emotional distress," the suit says.

WARNER BROS. RECORDS DOES A REVAMP
Warner Bros. Music Group announced today a new senior management team for Warner Bros. Records. The Warner Bros. Records label group includes the Warner Bros., Asylum, Nonesuch, Reprise and Sire imprints. Composed of some of the industry's most accomplished creative executives and label operators, the new executive team at Warner Bros. will be Rob Cavallo (currently WMG's Chief Creative Officer), who will serve as Chairman, Todd Moscowitz (currently Executive Vice President of Warner Bros., CEO of WMG's Independent Label Group and President of Asylum Records) who will serve as Co-President and CEO and Livia Tortella (currently Executive Vice President and General Manager of WMG's Atlantic Records) who will serve as Co-President and Chief Operating Officer. Tom Whalley, who has served as Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records since 2001, has decided to leave the company. In addition, given that the new executive structure substantially alters management responsibilities, Diarmuid Quinn has decided that he will be stepping down from his position as Chief Operating Officer of Warner Bros. Records and President of Reprise Records. In making the announcement, Lyor Cohen, WMG's Vice Chairman and Chairman and CEO, Recorded Music - Americas and the U.K. said, "The new Warner Bros. executive team represents the ideal combination of skills to operate a successful music company in today's radically evolving industry environment. With Rob's creative brilliance, Todd's proven ability to develop and execute new business models and revenue streams and Livia's established track record of building lasting artist careers, we have in place a group of executives who are uniquely positioned to continue to strengthen the reputation of Warner Bros. as an artist-friendly haven with a visionary approach to discovering and nurturing new talent." ... "Tom Whalley is one of this industry's most accomplished executives and his contributions to WMG are enormous, having restored Warner Bros. to its leadership position," said Cohen. "Just consider his near-decade of creative and operational success at Warner Bros., including ranking as one of the country's top three labels every year since 2003 and as the country's top label in two of the last five years. Tom embodies a rare combination of great creative instincts with a deep understanding of the music business, and we are privileged to have had him lead Warner Bros." Cohen stated, "Since joining Warner Bros. in 2001, Diarmuid Quinn has successfully guided the development and marketing of the company's roster, resulting in numerous global artist successes. We wish both Tom and Diarmuid all success." ... "I leave here extremely proud of what we've accomplished," said Tom Whalley. "I don't know a more talented group of professionals than the WBR team. After working with them for almost a decade, I'm awed by what they've done and by the roster we've built together. I'll miss them and our amazing artists, and wish them all the best. I'd like to thank both Edgar and Lyor for their leadership and their acceptance of my decision. I also want to thank all of the men and women whom I've had the great privilege to work with at WBR through the years." Cavallo said, "It is truly an honor to be named Chairman of a company that I've grown up in, that has played such an important role in shaping my career and embodies what it means to be an artist-oriented organization. The team at Warner Bros. has never lost sight of its core mission of serving artists and supporting the creative process. I'm so incredibly proud to have the opportunity to continue the legacy of the many great leaders of this company, from Mo Ostin to Tom Whalley, who exemplify this artist-centric mission in every aspect of their work. With Todd and Livia, and all of the great executives at the company, I'm confident that we can further enhance Warner Bros.' position as the preeminent home for artists, not just with respect to their work in the recording studio, but in all facets of their careers.".. Moscowitz said, "Warner Bros. is one of the most respected brands in music, and with that comes a profound responsibility to insure that this company continues to be progressive and innovative in its approach to artist development, and treats its artists as true partners. There's a great entrepreneurial spirit which lies at the foundation of this company, one that is more critical in today's industry environment than ever before. I look forward to enhancing that sense of entrepreneurship and to creating the most effective platform possible to translate Rob's creative vision into global artist successes. I want to thank Tom for his leadership and for helping to make Warner Bros. the remarkable organization that it is today." .. Tortella said, "Working at Warner Bros., with its legendary artist roster and its talented employees, is truly a dream come true for me. The Warner Bros. logo stands for the finest music, regardless of genre, and most importantly for a commitment to building artist careers. By supporting Rob's amazing skills as one of our industry's most consistent discoverers and nurturers of talent, I'm confident we can achieve new levels of growth by continuing to focus on long-term artist development. I can't think of a better, more passionate, talented and hardworking group of people to carry out that mission than the team at Warner Bros. Records."

FAT BEATS SCHEDULES LAST WEEK INTORE PERFORMANCES IN L.A.
Fat Beats is excited to present yet another send-off worthy of their hip-hop legacy. Following the recent close of their New York location and a successful string of in-store performances from such artists as Just Blaze, DJ A-Trak, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier, Fat Beats is planning a week long series of in-store performances and music industry panels for to close out the Los Angeles location. These in-stores will provide an opportunity for fans to celebrate the legacy of one of the strongest music brands in the company of their favorite artists, while learning about the history of Fat Beats and what the future holds for the music industry. Everyone is welcome to come and all events are free. Today marks the official start of the week and a half long in-store series for the Los Angeles location. This location will host artist performances every day starting this weekend until it closes its doors for the final time on Saturday, September 18th, 2010. Additionally, the Los Angeles Fat Beats location will be selling limited edition commemorative t-shirts, as well as discounted music and merchandise. Says owner, Joseph Abajian aka DJ Jab, "California has supported us since day one and we're looking forward to putting on great shows for our final week."

The schedule for the Los Angeles location is as follows:
Tuesday, September 14th: Trek Life, Percee P & Mellow Man Ace & others
Wednesday, September 15th: Tiron, Ayomari, Bambu, Tunji, & others
Thursday, September 16th: Producer Showcase - Exile, Rhettmatic, HouseShoes, Shafiyq, & others
Friday, September 17th: Kurupt, Bishop Lamont, Dilated Peoples, EM Eiht, Ras Kass, Planet Asia, Affion Crockett, Funkdoobiest, Strong Arm Steady, & others
Saturday, September 18th: Special guest DJ's and performers all day
*FINAL DAY* Sunday, September 19th: DJ's Showcase - DJ Revolution, Rhettmatic, J Rocc,& others

BMI CROWNS LIL WAYNE URBAN SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Lil Wayne was crowned BMI's urban songwriter of the year at the performing rights org's 2010 Urban Awards ceremony Sept. 10 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Honored as urban song of the year was the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow," written by will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo and published by Cherry River Music Co., Jeepney Music Inc., Tab Magnetic Publishing and will.i.am music. Industry leader EMI Music Publisher scored urban publisher of the year. Polow Da Don (Polow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones), architect of recent hits by Robin Thicke, Christina Aguilera, Usher and 50 Cent, was named producer of the year. Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas received the BMI President's Award for his artistic and humanitarian efforts. Lil Wayne repeated as songwriter of the year with six of the most-performed songs of the year: Drake's "Best I Ever Had," "Every Girl," "Forever" and "Successful," the Game's "My Life" and Keri Hilson's "Turnin' Me On." He has been jailed at Rikers Island in New York since March. The event was hosted by BMI President/Chief Operating Officer Del Bryant and VP of writer/publisher relations Catherine Brewton with performer Ray J.

EMINEM TO OPEN UP VMA'S
MTV general manager Stephen Friedman said Wednesday that the rapper, who's nominated for eight trophies and continues to sit atop sales charts with "Recovery," will open Sunday's ceremony at the Nokia Theatre, which has been transformed with a sprawling white set reminiscent of the out-of-this-world Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport. "We thought that there's no better way to kick off the show than a performance from Eminem," said Friedman. The enveloping stage design includes a giant rotating billboard, curvy catwalk, circular performance space and two massive video screens that will serve as curtains. VMA executive producer Jesse Ignjatovic said the undulating space, created by German designer Florian Wieder, required about 2,000 orchestra seats to be removed from the Nokia Theatre. "Every year, we try to have a theme and purpose beyond just giving awards away," said Ignjatovic. "This year, being back in Los Angeles, we really gravitated toward mid-century modern architecture and the pop culture of the '50s, like the youth-oriented rebellion films 'Rebel Without a Cause' and 'Wild Ones.' It's a very L.A. kind of a set." Other performers on the show include Linkin Park, Usher, Eminem, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Drake, Paramore, B.o.B, Florence + The Machine, along with Travie McCoy, Jason Derulo and Robyn who will perform with this year’s VMA house artist, deadmau5.

JAY-Z SIGNS WILL SMITH'S DAUGHTER TO ROC NATION.
Jay-Z has confirmed reports and rumors that he has signed actor Will Smith’s 9-year-old daughter Willow to his new Roc Nation label. “First off, I heard the record first, before I knew that it was recorded by a nine year-old,” Hov said in an interview with radio host Ryan Seacrest. “I was like, ‘Man, that record is a smash.’ — I went to Japan to do some stuff and they were out there and I met Willow and she walked in and the first thing she said was, ‘I’m really nervous,’ and I thought that maturity, explaining exactly how she was feeling as she was walking in the room, I knew right there she was a star. I believe in super stars and I believe in big records on super stars…Yes, I signed her and we plan on helping her facilitate all her ideas. As you’re going to learn today, if you sit with her for a half hour, you’ll see, she’s just a wealth of information and ideas…She’s a child, she has child innocence but she has a refreshing clear vision of what she wants to be…And I imagine that’s how Mike Jackson was as a kid.”

BET AWARDS 2010 ARE AMONG US.
The fifth annual BET HIP HOP AWARDS '10 returns and the chemistry will be explosive. Celebrating the biggest names in the game, newcomers on the scene, and shining a light on the community, THE BET HIP HOP AWARDS '10 is ready to salute the best of the best in hip hop culture. Back for a second round of show stopping tributes and fiery performances; host, actor and comedian Mike Epps is ready to lead hip hop's main event from the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta on Saturday, October 2 with the network premiere on Tuesday, October 12. Released yesterday on on 106 & PARK, hip hop heavy weight, Jay Z leads the 2010 nominations list with 10 nominations and breaks the BET HIP HOP AWARDS record for highest number of nominations in the history of the five year old awards show. This year, Young Money's Drake follows behind with eight nominations, and Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj tie with seven nominations each. This year, BET once again teams up with Cossette Productions, the famed producers of the GRAMMY Awards® and the record-setting BET AWARDS shows, to handle production of the telecast. Stephen G. Hill, BET President, Music and Programming, along with Lynne Harris-Taylor, BET Vice President of Specials, are executive producers of the telecast.

MORE DEATHROW DRAMA?
There has been a surprising change in the weather in the ongoing Death Row Records owner dispute between the company’s former CEO/President Laura Lavi and Canadian banker, Ron Ovenden who is also the Chairman of New Solutions Capital, the private lending company that loaned part of the money to purchase the Death Row Records and Suge Knight Publishing Assets in a California Bankruptcy Proceeding in January 2009. On August 31, 2010 by electronic filing Laura Lavi filed a lawsuit against Wideawake Deathrow Entertainment LLC (“Deathrow”) to “compel inspection of books and records to investigate potential self-dealing and breaches of fiduciary duty by Ronald Ovenden, a member and manager of the Death Row LLC.” Today, the registered agent for Deathrow was served with the complaint. This new lawsuit comes after a succession of favorable court results for Ms. Lavi starting with the Canadian Court’s ruling on February 17, 2010 where Mr. Ovenden did not win confirmation that he has control of the Delaware LLC and instead Justice Campbell has sent the case to trial at the end of this year to determine if Mr. Ovenden rightfully removed Ms. Lavi. Then in June 2010, Mr. Ovenden lost his onerous sanctions motion against Ms. Lavi when Judge Barbara Kapnick ruled that Ms. Lavi did not lie to the New York court. What is at stake here is control of one of the worlds greatest urban music catalogs. Death Row Records and Suge Knight Publishing which includes the music of multi platinum artists Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Tupac Shakur. Despite being the “David” to Ron Ovenden/New Solutions Capital’s “Goliath”, Ms. Lavi appears to be tenaciously holding on to what seems to still be her desire to keep her promise to all the former Death Row artists when she publically stated last January 2009 that acquiring the Death Row Assets from bankruptcy would bring a “new day” for the artists and producers that made Death Row great. These artists are all still waiting for that “new day.” Death Row is distributed by E-1 Entertainment in North America and the lawsuit references E-1 as another possible source of the company’s books and records. Explains Ms. Lavi’s Delaware Counsel David L. Finger of Finger & Slanina, “The Delaware lawsuit is the first step towards getting to the truth about what Mr. Ovenden and his company New Solutions Capital did with the $5million in advances Ms. Lavi raised to capitalize the Death Row LLC. Only the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware has jurisdiction over a complaint to compel inspection of a Delaware LLC’s books and records. Ms. Lavi has every right to these documents as she is an owner and a managing member.” Death Row’s President John Payne and New Solutions’ Managing Director, Robert Thompson-So continue to run the day to day operations for Death Row but neither could be reached for this story. Ms. Lavi was not available for comment either.

UMG LOSES LAWSUIT VS EMINEM.
A federal appeals court in California has ruled in favor of Eminem and his producers in a court battle against Universal Music Group (UMG). The decision, which one Eminem attorney calls an “earthquake” for the music industry, could transform the online song business and boost the fortunes of untold numbers of artists. Reversing a lower-court jury decision from last year, the court ruled that Eminem and his production company are entitled to nearly triple the royalties they've been receiving for track sales and ringtones on online services such as iTunes. For Eminem, who has sold more than 6 million downloads this year alone, that could mean tens of millions of dollars in new income. Universal Music Group, the defendant in the case, said that it will petition for a rehearing. The suit was filed by Ferndale's FBT Productions, which administered Eminem's record deal with Universal. The ruling could have fallout in the evolving world of digital music, experts said, pushing other artists to negotiate with their labels for higher online royalty rates. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously reversed a 2009 federal jury decision in a lawsuit filed by Ferndale’s FBT Productions, Eminem’s former production company, against his label, Aftermath Records. The jury had ruled in favor of Aftermath and its parent company, Universal Music Group. Eminem was not a direct party in the suit, but he benefits through FBT, which shares his contract with Universal. “This potentially readjusts the economics between the artist and the record company, and that’s been long overdue,” said FBT’s Joel Martin. “It puts Eminem in a position he should have been in to begin with, which is to receive a larger portion of the download royalties.” The suit sought damages for songs and ringtones sold via iTunes and other online services, claiming that Universal had applied an improper royalties scheme. Eminem is one of the era’s top-selling digital artists. Song download sales from this year’s “Recovery” album top 6.3 million, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Universal argued that Eminem should be paid a standard 18% royalty rate for those sales, as he is for physical copies. FBT contended that providing a song to iTunes was actually a third-party licensing situation, similar to film and television deals, which calls for a 50% royalty rate. The appeals court has agreed with FBT, reversing the jury’s decision and sending the case back to the lower court for a damages trial. It also vacated the lower court’s order that FBT pay $2.4 million in attorneys fees to Aftermath. Universal said it will petition for a rehearing. “In the meantime, it should be noted that this ruling sets no legal precedent as it only concerns the language of one specific recording agreement,” Universal spokesman Peter Lofrumento wrote in a statement. But Gary Stiffelman, a Los Angeles attorney who has represented Michael Jackson, Eminem and other acts, said the ruling could nevertheless have practical consequences. “If downloads are the way of the future, this is going to have massive implications,” said Stiffelman. “It changes the playing field.” Though the suit centered on details in Eminem’s contract, the basic principles involved could be relevant for other acts, especially those with deals made prior to the advent of digital downloading. Stiffelman and other experts said most newer artists have contracts that specify compensation for downloads. The central question: When a label provides a track to an online distributor such as iTunes, is it licensing the song rather than selling retail copies? In Eminem’s case, the appeals court wrote in its ruling that yes, “the transaction is a license,” a conclusion it said is supported by federal copyright law. Source: Detroit Free Press

EMINEM AND JAY Z MAKE MILESTONE IN DETROIT.
Hip-hop history was made as Jay-Z and Eminem co-headlined the Motor City's Comerica Park on Thursday night (September 2), the first of two shows on consecutive nights. Guests that came out were D12, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and G-Unit, and Young Jeezy. Em and Jay-Z had been building to a breakthrough like this for many years, securing their place in the larger pop culture and pulling hip-hop to a transcendent new level. Jay-Z, recognizing the magnitude of the moment, paused his set and urged the show's directors to bring up the house lights. He took in the roaring crowd. "This is hip-hop music," he said, "and this is how far we've come." He'd begun his set at 8:40 p.m. to a blast of lights and squalling rock, alone at center stage to rap the intro from his album "The Dynasty." From there it was a fast-paced, at times poignant, set of hits and medleys that led to a closing climax of "Empire State of Mind" and "Numb." Backed by a tight live band, Jay welcomed guests Young Jeezy and Memphis Bleek and paid tribute to fallen stars, including Detroit's Proof and Aaliyah. It would be Eminem's hometown crowd to own a half-hour later. Tightly gripping his mic and tensely pacing the stage in his Tigers hoodie, he launched into a fierce performance of "Won't Back Down," instantly converting Jay-Z's warm vibe into a sharper, darker tone. Before him in Comerica Park was a predominantly white crowd composed of Eminem's original crop of fans -- now in their 30s and 40s -- and many who were just toddlers when he was working Detroit clubs down the street. They'd come armed with ample enthusiasm. Some had waited in line since early morning, rushing to the field when gates opened at 6 p.m. It was an eclectic, career-spanning set: Em quickly dipped back in time, ripping through 1999's "Kill You" with slinky backing from the live band behind him. He jumped through the years, placing older tunes ("Cleaning Out My Closet") next to songs from his new "Recovery." For all the nostalgia of the older material, it still came with a bite. Em's new live band brought organic textures to vintage fare like "Without Me," "Stan" and "The Way I Am," the last as potent Thursday night as it was 11 years ago. Tens of thousands of fists pumped in unison for the anthem "Not Afraid," the song proclaiming Eminem's recent rebirth. As he gazed out from the stage, you sensed it was an emotionally powerful personal moment. "Got dammit, Detroit, I'm back," Em said early on in the night. "Did you miss me?"

T.I. AND WIFE ARRESTED ON METH CHARGES?
Rapper T.I. was arrested along with his wife on suspicion of possessing methamphetamines, five months after the hip-hop star finished a prison stint on weapons charges. The 29-year-old rapper and his wife, Tameka Cottle, were arrested Wednesday night in West Hollywood after deputies smelled marijuana and pulled the couple over, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. They were released from jail at about 4 a.m. Thursday after posting $10,000 bail each, sheriff's Deputy Luis Castro said. T.I.'s publicist declined to comment. Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney in Atlanta, had no immediate comment Thursday on whether the rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, Jr., violated the terms of the judge's order.

SNOOP AND 7-ELEVEN LINK UP.
7-Eleven, Inc. has scored Snoop Dogg as the fourth designer in their charitable "Coffee Cup With A Cause" program. Proceeds from Snoop's cup will benefit the Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL), a Los Angeles-based football club founded by the entertainer himself 6 years ago to help inner-city kids spend their free time in a healthy, safe environment. Snoop fans who want to support the SYFL can head into any participating 7-Eleven store across the U.S. to purchase his signature cup, on sale from Sept. 1 through Oct. 18 or while supplies last. 7-Eleven guarantees a $250,000 minimum donation to SYFL, but the support could increase depending on the number of cups sold. Consumers can increase the contribution by purchasing the cup. To celebrate 7-Eleven's donation and the launch of his cup, Snoop will make a special announcement at the beginning of his SYFL team's practice. The kids of the SYFL program - the true beneficiaries of the donation - will learn firsthand about the program and associated donation, as well as get to be one of the first to get their hands on one of the Snoop-designed 7-Eleven cups. "We've been running this league for 6 years now with more than 3,500 kids participating in that time, but our partnership with 7-Eleven's 'Coffee Cup with A Cause' program is huge for us," Snoop said. "It means many good things are in store for the players, and the league can reach out to more kids and touch more lives." Snoop has recently seen the seeds of his namesake league come to fruition as four of the former players have gone on to play football at NCAA Division I colleges. "The Snoop Youth Football League serves an important role in the community by helping kids focus their energy on something positive," says Rita Bargerhuff, 7-Eleven's vice president and chief marketing officer. "We believe our customers will want to help make a difference in the lives of these youth by supporting Snoop's football league through his 'Cup With A Cause.'"... "I'm just so proud of my league and my players right now, and designing a 'Cup With A Cause' is really an exciting opportunity for us," Snoop added. The entertainer plans to expand his youth football program to other cities across the country, beginning in Chicago this fall.

UNIVERSAL REVENUE UP?
Universal Music Group's revenues for the first half of 2010 declined to $2.4 billion, down 5.4% on a year earlier. The decline was 7.9% on a constant currency basis. In parent company Vivendi's first half results, it said that UMG benefited from strong growth in merchandising sales and increased digital sales, but that overall results were hit by fewer major local and international releases and reduced demand for physical product. UMG's EBITA was $203.6 million, a 24.6% decline compared to the first six months of 2009. The performance was better in Q2, with UMG's revenue up 2.8% on the prior year quarter to $1.3 billion. It was down 3% on a constant currency measure. Titles by Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Florence and the Machine, Drake and Coeur de Pirate were identified as the big sellers in the first half of the year. The Vivendi statement looked forward to UMG releases from Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Michel Sardou, Florent Pagny, Akon, Zazie, Maroon 5 and Duffy in the second half of 2010. It also noted that UMG has agreed mobile music service deals with telcos such as Singapore's SingTel and India's Reliance Communications this year. "Vivendi is investing and innovating in content and platforms to accelerate its growth," said Jean-Bernard Lévy, CEO of Vivendi, in a statement. Source: Billboard

DRAKE OFFICIALLY PLATINUM
Two months since the release of his debut album, Thank Me Later, Drake has finally earned his first platinum plaque. (selling 1 million copies).

TWISTA ON DECK FOR DOCUMENTARY.
Chicago rapper Twista will be the subject of a new documentary produced by the Vladar Co., slated for an October release in conjunction with the musician's new album. EMI Label Group will handle physical and digital distribution. EMI will also handle the the licensing, retail marketing, licensing and synchronization. “EMI is excited to continue working with Twista and are excited to be involved with Vladar’s film".. "We think Vladar’s documentary will truly capture what a unique and creative artist Twista is,” said Mike Harris, Executive Vice President and General Manager, EMI Label Services and Caroline Distribution. “We’re looking forward to all the exciting possibilities of working Twista’s next music project and Vladar’s film.” The Doc was shot in the Windy City, New York, Los Angeles and Miami. The filmmakers accompanied Twista to his old West Side stomping grounds and explored how the neighborhoods have changed during his 20-year career. Vladar principal Vlad Yudin said, "The objective of this film is to cover various social topics such as the city's history of violence and also to explore Chicago's influence in music and culture." In 2009, Vladar released "Big Pun: The Legacy," an homage to the late rapper Christopher "Big Punisher" Rios. Pic was released by Vivendi Universal; Vladar co-produced the soundtrack with Sony Music's Legacy Recordings.Yudin is producing (with Ed Mejia) and directing the feature "Last Day of Summer" for release via E1 Entertainment. Cast includes DJ Qualls ("Hustle & Flow").

JOELL ORTIZ STILL A FREE AGENT?
Rumors and various reports surfaced that Joell Ortiz is working a deal with Steve Rifkind, founder of SRC Records. Looks like the deal isnt a lock just yet.. earlier this morning (August 30), Steve Rifkind, founder of SRC Records, tweeted at Joell, “great read hope to have this deal done soon”— implying that the two would soon be working together.... “We’ve just been talking to people, and Steve has been a good friend and a huge supporter of Joell from the very beginning,” explained Ortiz’s manager, Mike Heron. “It’s very informal with Steve. We’ve been talking to him, but when we talk to Steve it’s not as if we’re talking to a record label head, it’s more like talking to a friend—so we kick ideas around. It’s never been anything on paper or anything like that; it’s very, very informal with Steve. We’re having conversations with people. If I told you who we’ve talked to about possibly doing a deal with Joell, you’d be shocked.” Heron also commented on rumors that Ortiz’s label obligations are holding back a deal that would bring the Slaughterhouse group to Shady Records. “There’s a lot of rumors going around about how we’re jammed up, or we’re jamming up the Slaughterhouse deal,” he continued. “I think this story helps clear that up, as well. Joell is 100% free to sign with Slaughterhouse at Shady. We are 100% free to do whatever we want as far as Slaughterhouse is concerned.”

THOUGHT PROCESS: 50 CENT THE KING OF BEEF?
It is obvious 50 is unhappy with the success of his rap career because why else would he create so much tension between himself and other hip hop artists? All he has done was cause controversy between himself and other rappers, for unknown reasons. It makes you wonder is he in it for the love of hip hop or for the fame! GRAB THE REPORT HERE

BIG BOI SETS DATES FOR SON OF CHICO DUSTY U.S TOUR
One half of Grammy Award winning Diamond selling hip-hop duo Outkast, Big Boi, sets dates for the Son Of Chico Dusty U.S nationwide tour in support of his critically acclaimed debut album Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. Starting August 26th Atlanta, Big Boi(Antwan Patton) will be performing hits from his debut solo album along with Outkast classics in select cities across the US (see dates below). Recently headlining Pitchfork Festival act, Big Boi also performed with HP & Myspace Music stopping in Miami (Aug.18th) for the most viewed hip-hop show in Ustream history. Drawing in 1.5 million total streams during the live show and the rebroadcast running immediately following, the show ranks as the #3 most viewed music performance ever on Ustream, only behind Kiss (2 million in Nov. 2009) and Bon Jovi (1.5 million in March 2010). In total, the live stream and immediate rebroadcast garnered 2.6 million tune-ins in 30 hours. Recently, Big headlined the Pitchfork Music Festival and will be making more festival appearances during the tour at Epicenter, MoogFest, and TCT9. Also, Big Boi collaborated with Converse to create a limited edition pair of sneakers paying tribute to his debut album.
Remaining Tour Dates

EMINEM STILL TIPPIN @ #1
Eminem's Recovery album is still the country's best seller and holds on to the #1 spot on the charts with another 116,000 units sold (2.3 mill total), according to Nielsen SoundScan. This is Recovery's seventh non-consecutive week at #1 -- the most weeks atop the list since Taylor Swift's Fearless spent 11 non-consecutive weeks there in late '08 and early '09. Recovery also grabs the most weeks at #1 for a male artist since Usher's Confessions earned nine weeks at the top in '04.

PRODUCER RedOne INKS DEAL WITH UNIVERSAL.
Universal Music is honored to announce their joint venture with super producer RedOne and his new record label 2101 Records. The international Grammy winning hitmaker, who was recently honored as Billboard Producer of the Year and BMI Songwriter of the Year, is famed for his work with Michael Jackson, Sean Kingston, Enrique Iglesias, Akon and Lady Gaga. The venture is with Universal Music International and each artist signing to 2101/Universal will be released by a label within the UMG Group. RedOne will A&R, executive produce and produce all artists signed to 2101 Records. "I am so privileged to be in business with the Universal Family in this new venture. We already have had so much success together; I know that this is the best home for my music and for my artists. Lucian (Grainge) and I share a common vision for creating sounds and platforms for new artists, not only writing hit songs, but building brands. We are incredibly fortunate to be launching with an artist like Mohombi, who has so much potential. He is a powerhouse talent ... writing, singing, performing, and dancing ... a true entertainer. Mohombi lifts my spirits and I believe he will elevate the world with his music. DANCE ON :-)" - RedOne

KANYE SAYS NEW SONGS EVERY WEEK UNTIL XMAS?
Kanye West recently posted on his Twitter how busy he's been in the studio, recording with Nicki Minaj, John Legend, Mos Def, Swizz Beatz, as well as doing his upcoming Justin Bieber remix with Raekwon. After tweeting that "I might have to put out 5 albums this year... People want new music... I can't hold it back," looks like he's doing something with all this material.. West tweeted on Sunday that he plans to release a new song online every single week until Christmas. He wrote, "I know y'all need the music so I'm dropping 1 new song every weekend until Xmas. It may be my song it may be a new Jay-Z song etc..." He said that he's calling it "G.O.O.D. Fridays," after his G.O.O.D. Music label. West said, "Y'all know every Friday y'all gone have a new joint from our family. We look at the game completely different now. It's about the fans. No more holding back. That's why I dropped 'See Me Now'... It wasn't about me it was about the Summer the BBQs etc..."

JAY Z LINKS UP WITH U2 ON TOUR THIS FALL.
Multiple reports confirm Jigga is joining U2 on tour hitting five cities in Australia and New Zealand. Starting November 25, they will team up to take over the “land down under,” beginning at Auckland’s Mount Smart Stadium. They will then take their combined 32 Grammys to Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth’s Subiaco Oval.

EMINEM RULES THE CHARTS, THE HIP-HOP UNIVERSE AND NEXT... THE STAGE AT THE “2010 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS”: The biggest night in music just got even hotter as MTV confirms Eminem will perform LIVE at the “2010 MTV Video Music Awards.” Known for his fiery live performances and captivating lyrics, Eminem is sure to ignite a twitter storm at this year’s show. With a #1 album on the Billboard charts, his #1 single “Love The Way You Lie” and 8 VMA nominations, Eminem remains unstoppable as he joins an incredible line-up of performers including Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Drake, B.o.B and Florence + The Machine. Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj, Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Trey Songz, Ashley Greene, Selena Gomez and Ne-Yo are confirmed to present. As previously announced, comedienne Chelsea Handler will host the show. The “2010 MTV Video Music Awards” will air live from Nokia Theater L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 9PM (Live ET/Tape delayed PT.) MTV will announce additional performers and presenters on a later date.

BRANDY SUED FOR $6 MILL.
Marc Mysterio and his Stockholm-Based management Joia Records, are seeking up to $6,000,000 for "Breach of Contract" from Brandy Norwood for breaching a deal to feature on 'Shout It Out', the lead single from Marc's forthcoming album 'Redemption'. Papers were filed this morning at The Central District of the Los Angeles Superior Court. For over 10 years, Joia Records, has been the pre-eminent name in house music attracting elite talent, including: Eric Prydz, Steve Angello, Axwell, and Sebastian Ingrosso. Top 10 Hits to their credit including 'Feel The Vibe' by Axwell, while their global label-partner network includes: Universal, Ministry of Sound, Cloud9Dance and more. Brandy was next. "After Sam Fox, Timbaland's people told me to take a look at Brandy, and gave me her contact info." said Mysterio. "Hey Marc, I'm really excited about this project, and look forward to meeting you." said Brandy in an August 3rd phone call taped by VH1 Cameras. However, despite invoicing, receiving and confirming a $10,000 side-artist fee; Brandy's manager/cousin Ryan Ramsey reneged on the deal, refusing to send over the vocals for her verses. Mysterio's Attorney Laurence Clarke is very confident his clients will come out on the winning end of their case: "They had a contract, it's quite clear what the arrangement and terms were -- they were supposed to provide (vocals.) Marc and his colleagues are very established globally, and already made arrangements for international commercialization with Major Label Partners like Cloud9Dance (NL) whom also release music from Cascada, Agnes and Lil Wayne." "We are presently at a revolutionary stage with House music and DJ culture cementing itself in the mainstream, similar to the Urban Revolution of the early 90s. It's depressing that Brandy apparently doesn't wish be a part of history and embrace this new revolution in the pro-active way will.i.am has." says Mysterio noting will.i.am's current DJ Tour and
embracement of house music.

DJ ETRONIK WINS THE 2010 DMC US FINALS
Congratulations to DJ Etronik from Pico Rivera CA the first DJ in the USA
to represent in the DMC World Finals in all 3 Battle Categories!
- 2006 DMC US Supremacy Champion (head to head battle)
- 2008 DMC US Team co-Champion (The Angry Exs)
- 2010 DMC US Champion (showcase battle)

On Oct. 18th, he will battle in London against DMC National Champions from all across the Globe at KOKO in London England.

The DMC DJ Battles are the longest running most prestigious DJ Battles in the world. From DMC battles, legends are made. Being a DMC World or National Champion continues to be one of the most sought after titles for turntablists worldwide!

WYCLEF JEAN REPORTEDLY DENIED HAITIAN PRESIDENTIAL BID.
According to a Reuters report, a member of the provisional electoral council in Haiti revealed that Jean does not meet the legal requirements to run in a presidential election on November 28. This was most likely due to the fact that Haitian candidates must have lived in the country for at least five consecutive years leading up to the election. However, the reason why Jean was rejected has not yet been confirmed.

FAT BEATS CLOSES ITS DOORS AFTER 16 YEARS.
After 16 years, Fat Beats has announced the closing of the legendary label's two remaining retail locations in New York and Los Angeles. Fat Beats will celebrate the legacies of the stores, which are scheduled to close in early September (New York: September 4th, Los Angeles: September 18th) by throwing a series of blow-out sales and tribute parties open to the public during their last weeks. Fat Beats’ longest running and most famed location is at 406 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. Since the 1994 opening of Fat Beats' flagship retail location, hip-hop fans have traveled far and wide to visit the iconic store. With locations soon following in Los Angeles (7600 Melrose Ave.), Atlanta, Amsterdam, and Tokyo, the record stores were a place to experience hip-hop culture and its legacy, which became a global phenomenon. “The closing of Fat Beats is just like one of my friends passing away. They promoted vinyl at its highest degree for the culture of good music and that makes it more difficult to say goodbye," says DJ Premier. The announcement of the closings is a reflection of the woes that have been plaguing the industry for years. Global chain HMV closed their last US location in 2004. Tower Records shuttered in 2006. Last year saw the close of the last Virgin Megastore, and the story is no different in 2010. For Fat Beats, maintaining two stores well into 2010 is a testament to the stores' importance to the music and to fans and consumers continuing to support independent hip-hop. While news of the stores' closing marks the end of an era, the future is not doom and gloom. Digital sales continue to increase industry-wide; for Fat Beats, currently operating a profitable and growing online retail store, this has provided a boon to business as fans continue to order mp3s, vinyl, and CDs. Although digital sales continue to grow, executives at Fat Beats understand the importance of independent retail stores and are planning to re-open a brick and mortar hip-hop lifestyle location sometime in the near future. The future looks just as bright for Fat Beats Distribution and the label. Fat Beats Distribution, which has been renamed FB Distribution, continues to strike noteworthy distribution deals with independent and major labels worldwide and is now working with different genres of alternative music. Fat Beats Records will continue to release notable albums from their own impressive roster of artists including ILL BILL, TruMaster/KRS-One, Black Milk, Trinity, Sha Stimuli, Q-Unique, and more. Fat Beats owner and President Joe Abajian says, “This is the start of a new era for Fat Beats. We’re adapting to meet the needs of our demographic by revamping and improving our existing systems... we’re still exploring our options for alternate retail locations in the future. We’re proud of our legacy and will continue to re-invent ourselves.”

EM HITS DOUBLE PLATINUM.
According to Nielsen SoundScan report, released this morning, Eminem moved an additional 132,600 units over the last seven days, making his overall total 2,113,00. In addition, Shady secured the #1 spot on The Billboard 200 sales chart, after slipping to No. 2 last week.

Q-TIP ON BOARD WITH HENNESSY.
Hennessy will bring cities around the U.S. a truly unique experience that blends the world's best music, culture and art through Hennessy Artistry 2010. Hosted exclusively by Hennessy, the
five-city, invite-only tour will be co-curated by Grammy Award-winning group, The Roots and multi-faceted artist Q-Tip. Making stops in Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York City, each show will feature special emcees and musical guests and friends of the curators. Now in its fifth year, Hennessy Artistry promises to be an innovative musical platform that brings together emerging performers and the most popular music artists of today, giving fans a once in a lifetime experience. To keep the energy going from city to city, feature performances will vary at each show with several iconic artists and surprise guests slated to appear including Big Krit, Daniel Merriweather, DJ Irie, Jay Electronica, Kat DeLuna, Kid Sister, Marsha Ambrosious, Mike
Posner, Travie McCoy, YahZarah, and more. "I am thrilled to be curating this electrifying tour," said Q-Tip. "Hennessy and the Hennessy Artistry series is all about the experience of blending together cultural, musical and artistic talents - and as a curator for this tour, this is what I'm going to bring to life in each city for the fans.".... "For us, it's not just about curating at the events. Our bond with Hennessy grew stronger with our trip to Cognac, France in July where we experienced first-hand, and really learned to appreciate, the art of how Hennessy is created," said members of The Roots. "The process of blending Hennessy cognac is similar to the process of putting together a new song or album - it takes the right amount of each element to reach perfection." This year's Artistry Series builds on the successes of previous years with a new component called Artistry GIVES. This charitable partnership with Americans for the Arts recognizes and fosters arts education. It also supports local emerging artists and art organizations, and creates an opportunity for them to display their works at Hennessy Artistry events. "Hennessy's art of blending goes far beyond the talent of the cellar master to include Hennessy Artistry - unforgettable experiences of world-class music, art and culture," said Andy Glaser, senior vice president Hennessy Business. "Working with this year's curators, Q-Tip and The Roots, Hennessy Artistry and Artistry GIVES is all about the understanding of how these unexpected blends help bring more to life." These not to be missed events kick off at the Blackhawk Building in Chicago on September 18 followed by performances at the Ice Palace in Miami on September 25, Bert's Warehouse in Detroit on October 2, and conclude at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on October 14.

JAY-Z TOPS FORBES HIP HOP LIST.
Forbes magazine released their annual Hip Hop Cash Kings list today highlighting hip hop’s top 20 earners. Jay-Z tops that list, earning an estimated $63 million. Other hip hop heavyweights with New York ties made the list, including Diddy (2nd, $30 million), Swizz Beatz (12th, $9 million) and 50 Cent (14th, $8 million). Forbes credits artists who have diversified their monetary holdings “beyond musical recordings” for the rap stars ability to weather rough economic times, both overall and in the music business specifically. The top 20 earners on this year's Cash Kings list racked up about $300 million in earnings, an average of $15 million per artist. Remarkably, the total is roughly the same as last year, despite a troubled economy and a music industry thrown into flux by new technology. "There aren't many artists selling 250,000 albums in the opening week, and that used to happen all the time," says entertainment attorney Donald David. "The rise of iTunes means people don't have to buy whole album ... and that has changed the business dramatically." Jay-Z and Diddy are two artists who've taken the changes in stride. In addition to releasing an album and launching a worldwide tour (average gross: more than $1 million per show), Jay-Z co-owns the 40/40 nightclub chain and has a stake in the NBA's New Jersey Nets. Diddy continues to cash in on Diageo ( DEO - news - people ) vodka, Ciroc and roles in television and film, including this year's Get Him to The Greek. He also hawks Diddybeats ear-buds, part of the headphone line established by Dr. Dre, who ranks fifth on our list with $17 million. Akon ranks third with $21 million, thanks to his Konvict Clothing label, a lucrative World Cup soccer ad campaign for Pepsi ( PEP - news - people ) and Kon Live, his Interscope-backed imprint that's home to Lady Gaga and others. Fourth on the list is Lil Wayne, who managed to pull in $20 million from his new album, Rebirth, and heavy touring before the start of his one-year jail stint in March for weapons charges. Ludacris ranks sixth with $16 million, a total fueled by movie roles and a new cognac line, Conjure. "There's a lot of cross-branding and cross-marketing that's going on these days," notes Troy Marshall, vice president of promotions at Interscope Records. Along with touring, he says, "those are very important components for artists as far as spreading the message of their music and spreading the message of their brand." Kanye West's earnings fell from $25 million last year to $12 million this year in the wake of his highly publicized outburst during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 Video Music Awards. With a new album and world tour in the offing, he should be back toward the top of next year's list along with 50 Cent, who took a break from touring and recording to concentrate on film roles over the past year, earning $8 million, a relatively paltry total for the 2008 Cash King. Source: Forbes

T.I. PERFORMS SECRET SHOW.
AXE, the iconic men’s care brand, launched its “One Night Only” concert series last night with acclaimed rapper T.I., who took the stage for an intimate secret show performing in front of lucky fans and tastemakers at New York City hot spot Capitale in China Town. Marking T.I.’s highly anticipated return to the stage, the show was filled with surprise appearances from artists B.o.B., Keri Hilson and Swizz Beatz, and T.I. debuted tracks from his soon to be released album, “King Uncaged.” Building on the launch show’s success, the AXE Music “One Night Only” concert series will hit the road with additional secret shows across the country. "AXE is known for delivering unexpected and memorable experiences that help bring guys and girls together,” said Mike Dwyer, AXE marketing director. “The ‘One Night Only’ concert series delivers in signature style by partnering with some of today’s top artists to headline secret, exclusive shows that promise to be unforgettable.”

SNOOP AND QUAZEDELIC LINK UP.
While producer and all-around artist Quazedelic has played a crucial role in the Snoop Dogg's music behind the scenes, a full on collaboration between the fonk monk and Doggfather was destiny waiting to be fulfilled – until now. “Hold On,” [ LISTEN HERE ] off Quazedelic’s upcoming debut LP Stan Sly: AnuthaWorld, has the artists combining their smooth, similar styles from separate genres for the album's first single. Similar to Snoop Dog’s appearance on of The Gorillaz’s Plastic Beach, the result is soothing combination of funk and hip-hop that takes listeners to another place; in this case, Anuthaworld. About his own style for the upcoming album, Quazedelic says, “I bridge the gap between serious real life songs with fantasy funk tracks.” That is exactly what he does with “Hold On.” The track opens with a deep, sensual voice, “Looking back in my conscious mind, digging back and searching to find...” The lyrics set up a mystic atmosphere where anything can happen. However, many of Quazedelic’s lyric’s are grounded in reality: “I’m Working hard, praying night and day, that something good might come my way.” Snoop Dog’s lyrics serve as an alternative reality, the id of the song, so to speak. He raps, “So raise up off of me, and let me dip up the streets in my 73/ Grey on black interior, black like me, chandeliers hanging with the ass swinging,” while Quazedelic harmonizes in the background. The spectacular dream-world that snoop dog raps about plays against the pain-filled sound of Quazedelic’s harmonies. “Hold On,” helps explain the purpose of funk, and how it can be used as a vehicle to escape from reality. Quazedelic's Stan Sly: Anuthaworld drops this October.

G-UNIT INKS DEAL WITH EMI
G-Unit Records has entered into an exclusive agreement with EMI Label Services in which EMI will distribute and promote releases on the G-Unit roster in North America. EMI will release the Grammy nominated multi-platinum rapper Lloyd Banks' third solo album "H.F.M. 2" (Hunger For More 2) on November 23rd, 2010, and Tony Yayo's as yet untitled sophomore album, which is scheduled for early 2011. G-Unit, formerly with Interscope Records, is joining a growing number of third party labels and artists to ink deals with EMI Label Services. EMI Label Services' unique approach gives independent artists and labels creative freedom along with access to the expertise, marketing and promotional muscle of a major label. The release Banks' "H.F.M. 2" (Hunger For More 2), which will include the smash single "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley," featuring Juelz Santana. The single has generated sales of more than 500,000 downloads, making it one of the biggest tracks of the year. EMI Label Services team will begin promoting a second track, "Any Girl," at Urban and Rhythmic radio formats this month. A Tony Yayo album, which will include the single, "Pass the Patron" (featuring 50-Cent) is slated for release in early 2011. "We are delighted to join forces with G-Unit and artists who aretruly marquee names in hip-hop," said Mike Harris, executive Vice President/General Manager for EMI Label Services and Caroline Distribution. "G-Unit is a huge force. Lloyd Banks knows how to deliver a lyrical punch and his single has already generated huge anticipation for the album.. Tony Yayo is a totally unique talent, and 'Pass the Patron' already has the hip hop world buzzing about his album coming out next year." According to Lloyd Banks, "It's refreshing to see the EMI staff excited about my project, they have the passion and energy I haven't seen in while". Per Tony Yayo, "the EMI staff is creative and willing to think outside the box. They are fans of my music and career. I'm looking forward to marketing and promoting my upcoming album with them." Banks solidified his star power with the release of his double platinum solo debut, "Hunger For More" in 2004, selling more than 450,000 copies its first week of sales making it the #1 album in the country. The album garnered Banks a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance for "On Fire," and included singles "Karma" featuring Avant and "I'm So Fly." Tony Yayo was catapulted onto the music scene in 2005 with the release of his debut album "Thoughts of a Predicate Felon" which went certified gold, and his smash hit single "So Seductive."

KANYE TALKS NEW ALBUM AND MORE.
Kanye West visited Hot 97 radio station in New York on Wednesday. West debuted a brand new song, "See Me Now," featuring Beyoncé and Charlie Wilson, saying that B just finished recording her vocals for the track that morning. "See Me Now" was co-produced by West, No ID and Lex Luger (a producer, not the wrestler). He spoke on the still as-yet-untitled new album..saying that the new album will be out November 16 and also features appearances from Nicki Minaj and Kid Cudi. He praised Minaj's skills to the Hot 97 host Angie Martinez, saying, ""This is gonna be such a big statement, and such a big thing to fill: The scariest artist right now is definitely Nicki Minaj. I think she has the most potential to be the number-two rapper of all time. Nobody's gonna be bigger than Eminem." He also discussed his controversial appearance last year at the MTV Video Music Awards with Taylor Swift. West said, "I needed that. I have to have humility. I had truth and confidence, but I had to add humility and empathy. I added those after I got beat up. It is what it is, and I grew from it." MTV has confirmed recent reports that West will indeed perform at the 2010 VMAs on September 12. Drake was also added to the lineup today as a performer. West also explained his recent, prolific use of Twitter. "I got to the point where I didn't even wanna do interviews anymore because I would have the interview and we'd be laughing, me and the reporter, and that's funny, and then you read it and they completely just demolished all of my jokes," he told Martinez. "I couldn't communicate and now I can communicate just in a sound bite and give people a glimpse of everything. It's good."

THOUGHT PROCESS: No Competition for Nicki Minaj
At this year’s Bet Awards Nicki Minaj had the honor of winning an award for best female hip hop artist. The other nominees were Ester Dean, Rasheeda, Lil Kim and Trina. Now, let’s be realistic, who else would have won that award other than Nicki Minaj if there’s no competition?
GRAB THE REPORT HERE

SHYNE RESPONDS TO 50'S PRANK CALL
Shyne comments on 50 Cent's Prank call that went down during a press invited conference call: “Wow. That’s like an all-time low,” Shyne said. “I didn’t know he was so desperate. He’s gone from confidential informant, witness-protection program dude, getting order [of protection] on muthaf—as. Now he’s a stalker. I was in shock. He called up saying he was ‘Jamal from Harlem.’ He didn’t call up saying he’s Curtis Jackson, Hawaii 5-0. He’s a busta. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe he would stoop to that low. Then again, a guy in the witness-protection program, he has no shame.”

KILLAH PRIEST - "THE DESTROYER", THE MAKING.
"The Destroyer" Production Notes: From the Making of Killah Priest's "The 3 Day Theory": The song "The Destroyer" came about in weird way. Both Kount Fif and I are big fans of Onyx and we were having a discussion about how dope and slept on Sonny Seeza was. At that time we were working on "The Swashbuckler" and had been looking for another artist for the song "Return of the Duck Alert" with RA The Rugged Man. I contacted Sonny and he told me he was available to come down in the next week or so. Plan was Sonny would come down for a couple of days and we would lay down a couple of verses. I got a call about a week later and Sonny was on his way. During the phone conversation he mentioned Killah Priest was coming with him. Sonny and Priest had been friends for years but had never done a song together. Also in the car was Steven King, an MC that Sonny had been working with. Sonny got in to town and went right to work. During the whole time Sonny was writing for the tracks, Steven was also writing, we hadn't asked him to record any verses or even made any mention of it. After Sonny would deliver his verses, Steven would then do his in the control room. We had not heard of Steven before then, but he quickly impressed us with his fast pen and clever punch-lines. Priest would record next and would deliver an aggressive, violent verse that was penned on the back of a UPS Envelope. Steven then shared with us his brutal punch-line riddled offering which we then recorded. In the course of everything going on I had spoken with Philly and now internationally known MC, iCON The Mic King. Mic was in or around town and came through the studio. We played him what we were currently working on for "The Destroyer" track and in a matter of minutes he came up with the hook. Lastly Empuls laid down his unforgettable verse were he states he wishes "Pocahontas would've killed John Smith" this line alone melts most of modern MC's whole verses. Kount Fif and I picked out a boxing sample and the track was done. To us it is a major stand out on "The 3 Day Theory."

JAY-Z JOINS NIKE, INC. AND USA BASKETBALL
On Thursday, August 12, NIKE, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) will bring together the world of sport and entertainment in an unprecedented way as one of basketball's most prestigious teams shares the stage with one of the world's greatest entertainers. Music mogul and multi-platinum selling recording artist JAY-Z will take the stage at New York's Radio City Music Hall for an electrifying musical performance following a one-of-a-kind, on-court showcase featuring finalists for the 2010 USA Basketball World Championship Team as part of the inaugural World Basketball Festival - brought together by Converse, the Jordan Brand and Nike Basketball. "We're excited to bring together the international prestige of JAY-Z and the USA Team on stage at famed Radio City Music Hall to open the first World Basketball Festival. This will be a historic night," said Trevor Edwards, Nike VP Global Brand and Category Management. "We're also honored to collaborate with JAY-Z on limited edition Air Force 1s that celebrate the countries participating in this inaugural event." Nike has distributed tickets for the Radio City Music Hall events to a number of New York area community groups and charitable organizations, as well as youth clubs and youth basketball leagues. Distribution to the general public has been driven through on-going promotions with radio station Hot 97 and through retailers. In addition to his performance at Radio City Music Hall, JAY-Z has joined forces with Nike to create an iconic collection of Air Force Ones - the All Black Everything collection inspired by the World Basketball Festival. Nike has donated the shoes to the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation who in turn have linked up with eBay on a charity auction where the five unique pairs will raise funds for its mission to provide financial assistance to promising individuals upon acceptance into any accredited institution of higher learning. One hundred percent of the funds raised will support the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. After the tip-off event at Radio City Music Hall on August 12, the action moves uptown to New York City's legendary basketball courts at Rucker Park in Harlem, Friday and Saturday, August 13 and 14. The World Basketball Festival concludes Sunday, August 15 with an exciting exhibition double-header featuring the United States taking on France (1 p.m. EDT) and China meeting Puerto Rico (3:30 p.m. EDT) at famed Madison Square Garden. Tickets for the exhibition doubleheader, which start at $15, are available @ Ticketmaster and at the box office at Madison Square Garden. The exhibition games are being utilized as part of the teams' preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Basketball Championship in Turkey, August 28 to September 12.

HOUSE OF PAIN AND EMINEM LINK UP?
Epicenter 2010 has announced House of Pain, along with Against Me and Crash Kings to the already eclectic line up of EPICENTER Twenty Ten. This will be House of Pain's first show in a decade and the group's only Southern California appearance of 2010. They will join Eminem (only 1 of 3 performances in the US this year), Blink-182 (their only 2010 concert in North America), KISS (their only 2010 California appearance), the reunited Bush (their first show in 9 years), Rise Against (their only concert in California this year) and many more acclaimed artists. The two-day event will be held on Saturday, September 25th and Sunday, September 26 at Auto Speedway in Fontana, CA.

TECH N9NE & CO. ARE TAKING OVER
This fall, TECH N9NE hits the road with the some of the biggest names in independent Hip Hop. Starting Sept. 15 for six weeks, the Kansas City star brings audiences that West Coast rap and the hottest Midwest Hip Hop. “TECH N9NE’s Independent Grind Tour 2010” melds a wide range of audiences into a single, unified Hip Hop crowd. TECH N9NE has earned the title of hardest working Hip Hop artist. He recently wrapped his “Strange Days Tour,” went into the studio to complete his latest collabos album, The Gates Mixed Plate, and then hit the road for a five-week European tour. His hustle and flow has paid off: He’s racked up over 80.8 million song plays on MySpace, ranking him #1 on the list of Top 10 Indie Artists. The Gates Mixed Plate – featuring Jay Rock, Glasses Malone as well as familiar Strange Music cohorts Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun and Big Scoob – provides the basis for “TECH N9NE’s Independent Grind Tour.” Each of the featured artists has gained popularity through their own sweat and skills. E-40 needs no introduction as the Rap Ambassador of the Bay Area, while Cash Money’s Glasses Malone and Jay Rock rule the streets and airwaves of L.A. Long known for sharing the stage with TECH N9NE, Strange Music’s Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun and Big Scoob will again treat fans to the high-energy, crowd-hyping, hit-delivering performances they expect.

Independent Grind Tour 2010 Dates:

BMI HONORS will.i.am.
The Black Eyed Peas' will receive BMI's President's Award at the performance rights group's Sept. 10 Urban Awards, to be held at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. Kudo, presented only on unique occasions, honors the musician's work as artist, producer and humanitarian. Previous honorees include Jaunes, Taylor Swift, Willie Nelson and Brian Wilson. The Black Eyed Peas' Interscope album "The E.N.D." is one of the biggest sellers in recent memory; it stands at No. 14 on the U.S. album chart this week, 60 weeks after its release, and has sold 2.7 million copies domestically, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Songwriter-producer will.i.am has won seven Grammys and countless BMI awards. He co-wrote the Peas' hits "Boom Boom Pow," "Don't Phunk With My Heart," "Where Is the Love," "I Gotta Feeling," "My Humps" and "Let's Get Started," and wrote or co-authored solo hits for bandmate Fergie and for Usher. He has produced such top acts as John Legend, Carlos Santana, U2, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Mary J. Blige. His charitable Peapod Foundation is active in such children's issues as housing, hunger, health care, education, poverty and music and arts education. The Urban Awards ceremony will honor writers and publishers of the most-performed urban songs of the previous year. Source: Variety

MARY J SHATTERS NEW RECORD.
HSN, a leading multichannel retailer, has announced that its exclusive launch of Mary J. Blige's My Life fragrance on July 31 drove the sale of more than 60,000 units with about 6 hours of air time, shattering fragrance records at HSN for units sold and placing the launch amongst the most successful in the prestige fragrance market. "I am thrilled with the success of My Life, the experience on HSN with Carol's Daughter and the overwhelming donations to FFAWN," said nine-time Grammy Award winner Mary J. Blige. "I can't wait to share another touch of my heart. Thank you to all my fans - new and old - for being there for me." The launch of My Life helped support the Foundation of the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN), a non-profit created by Ms. Blige and Chairman & Lead Investor of Carol's Daughter Steve Stoute to assist women in need. For every unit of My Life fragrance sold, HSN Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of HSN, will donate $1 to FFAWN. "The groundbreaking success of My Life on HSN changes the existing business model for a prestige fragrance launch and reinforces our role as a retail innovator," said HSNi CEO Mindy Grossman. "We were thrilled that Mary's inspiring story, her character, and, ultimately, her fragrance drew such an enthusiastic response.".. "The fragrance industry is excited to explore the opportunities of new channels of distribution with supportive, creative and innovative partners like HSN," said Rochelle Bloom, President of The Fragrance Foundation. "The success of Mary J. Blige's fragrance and her personal message proves their power to reach out and entice a vast, broad consumer who loves and wants fragrance. Bravo HSN and Mary J.!"

FOR THE 3RD TIME IN A ROW, TECH N9NE HAS #1 INDEPENDENT ALBUM IN THE COUNTRY It’s official: TECH N9NE has the Hip Hop Midas Touch. Every CD he has touched for his past three releases has reached # 1. And once again, the first week Billboard Chart results for Tech N9ne Collabos: The Gates Mixed Plate are in – #1 Indie Album, #4 Rap Album, #13 on Billboard’s Top 200. After the release of last year’s K.O.D., TECH N9NE made it clear that he was done with the darkness and ready to party – a mission that definitely comes through loud and clear on Tech N9ne Collabos: The Gates Mixed Plate. With a list of features that reads like a rap menu, including Devin The Dude, Watts’ Jay Rock and Glasses Malone, Yukmouth and Stevie Stone, as well as Strange Music label mates Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun and Big Scoob, The Gates Mixed Plate also pays tribute to local KC barbecue and promotes TECH N9NE’s latest beverage concoction, KC Tea (Hennessey, Sprite and lemon juice). When Lil’ Wayne called in to New York’s Hot 97 radio station this week from Rikers Island, he shared some thoughts about dream collaborations upon his release from prison. Funkmaster Flex asked Weezy who he was most looking forward to working with and he said, “I've been saying to myself that I really want to do a song with either Andre 3000 or TECH N9NE.”

WYCLEF CONFIRMS HAITIAN PRESIDENTIAL RUN.
Wyclef Jean confirmed he will attempt to become the next president of his native Haiti. The confirmation ends weeks of speculation, as Jean is expected to make another announcement during an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live" Thursday, August 5. "If not for the earthquake, I probably would have waited another 10 years before doing this," Jean said Tuesday night. "The quake drove home to me that Haiti can't wait another 10 years for us to bring it into the 21st century," Wyclef told Time magazine. Haiti's former Chamber of Deputies leader Pierre Eric Jean-Jacques also recently told the Associated Press that his Ansanm Nou Fo party has an agreement with Wyclef Jean regarding his presidential run. "If I can't take five years out to serve my country as president, then everything I've been singing about, like equal rights, doesn't mean anything," Wyclef added. "My decision is a draft...I've been drafted by the youth."

LADY GAGA AND EMINEM LEAD 2010 MTV VMA NOMINEES.
Eminem is behind Gaga with eight VMA nominations. Florence and the Machine and B.o.B. each received five VMA nods, with Ke$ha receiving three. "Apparently MTV doesn't care that I have two massive stadium shows on the other side of the country the day after the VMA's. F me, right?!?!," said Eminem. "I mean, I'll be there but don't expect me to be nice about it."

STIK FIGA & D/WILL - Alive & Well
As a follow up to their previous EP, HelloGoodbye, Stik Figa & D/WILL bring us their latest project, Alive & Well. With their last release being themed as a suicide note to Stik Figa's son, Alive and Well provides a much different perspective on life, yet equally thought provoking. The EP is filled with substantial lyrics, and serving as a true concept-related project, each song is significant to the overall message: Stik Figa & D/WILL are alive and well. Entirely produced by D/WILL, the beats on the EP show expansive variety, equipped with unique flips on soul samples and steady loops as a soundtrack to Stik Figa's thoughts. "Alive and Well picks up right where the last one left off," says D/WILL, continuing, "then it leads into a blast of soulful feel goodness!" The project leads off with "Alive", a song with chronological rhymes of Stik Figa's own birth, followed by the birth of his son. As the album continues, Stik Figa keeps it personal, addressing everything from his native Topeka, Kansas in "Be Like That", to his female encounters in "Fone Tag". "I'm very well-rounded for being a square," says Stik Figa on his versatility as a lyricist and songwriter. While he demonstrates his ability to rhyme about anything and everything, D/WILL demonstrates similar dynamics on the boards, providing an array of mood-altering beats. The combination brings listeners deep into the hearts of both Stik Figa & D/WILL.

MESSY MARV USHERS IN A NEW ERA OF SAN FRANCISCO RAP WITH THIZZ CITY
After 2 years of developing the buzzing Town Thizzness imprint for Oakland, San Francisco gets it shot with the launch of Thizz City. Thizz City's debut release is Messy Marv introduces Thizz City. A compilation focusing on the promising crop of talent signed to Thizz City. The 18-track album features all new material from Marv alongside Thizz City newcomers Roach Gigz, Hustle Boys, Killa Kiese, Cam City, Pac B and other SF giants. TC, who played a key role in RBL Posse & 11/5, Dre Dog & Cold World Hustlers classic albums, was brought in to Executive Produce the project and ensure that the young roster had all the necessary guidance for their proper debut. The combination of brilliant new city talent and the grandiose legend of past San Francisco hip-hop greats, marks a milestone which has helped to bridge the gap between the new trends of current rap music and the forever immortalized classics. "Thizz City's sole purpose is to discover and develop the next stars of San Francisco," reveals TC. "The City is so diverse and has so much texture and it really needs its own label to focus solely on it. We've been working on this launch for two years and have finally aligned all the pieces we need for Thizz City to be successful. To say we're excited is an understatement"

NEW MJ ALBUM IN NOVEMBER?
A new Michael Jackson album of 10 unreleased songs will be released in November, according to a news report from Rolling Stone. Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo says he estimates that Jackson's vaults contain more than 100 completed and unreleased songs, including old tracks as well as more recent collaborations with Akon, Will.i.am and Ne-Yo. "There are a couple of songs we recorded for the Bad album that we had to cut that are just sensational," DiLeo said. Earlier this week, producer Rodney Jerkins also promised that unreleased material from the King of Pop was definitely on the way. "I'm about to work on an unreleased project that we're talking about doing right now. It's definitely going to come, but it takes time," he said. "You got to do a lot of the red tape but there's definitely going to be an unreleased Michael Jackson album. There's definitely going to be stuff to come and hopefully I'll be a part of that."

SWIZZ BEATZ AND ALICIA KEYS TIE THE KNOT.
Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys were married in Corsica, France. Keys walked down the aisle on Saturday in front of family, friends and A-list stars including U2 rocker Bono and Queen Latifah. Congrats to the two. Keys and Swizzy are expecting their first child later this year.

BLACK EYED PEAS MAKE HISTORY.
For six-time Grammy Award winning multi-platinum megastar group The Black Eyed Peas - will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie - it has been a year to remember. This week, as the Peas' worldwide 7.33 million-selling #1 album The E.N.D. moves into its 59th week on the Billboard 200 albums chart (still bulleted inside the Top 20 after more than 13 months out), its landmark single "I Gotta Feeling" (released June 2009) becomes the first digital download ever to pass the 6 million threshold. "It's incredible to have the Black Eyed Peas put their first album out 12 years ago and evolve into what they are today; it's a sign of true greatness," commented Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M. "I just want to take this opportunity to congratulate some people I really care about.".. "I am so proud to be leading our industry with 6 million digital sales," said will.i.am. "It means so much for the future of the music industry.".. "This is an incredible accomplishment for us," said Taboo. "Of all the exciting news that has happened to us over the past year, reaching this 6 million mark with 'I Gotta Feeling' stands out as one of our proudest achievements." "Congratulations to all the people behind the scenes who made this happen, and most of all the fans - they are the best!" added Fergie. At the same time this week, The Black Eyed Peas move into the final month of North American concerts on their sold-out 100-date tour: BlackBerry® Presents "The E.N.D. World Tour 2010," supported by BACARDI® Rum, the official spirit of the tour, and Outspoken by Fergie, the exclusive fragrance by Avon. The tour is already ranked as one of the most successful - if not the most successful - of the year, having grossed $47.7 million (as of the end of June) and drawn 740,000 fans to 54 shows,
including 53 sellouts, according to Billboard Boxscore. The tour ends on August 23rd at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). Released June 2009, the Grammy-winning Best Pop Vocal Album The E.N.D. debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with the highest first-week sales of the group's career (over 300,000). At the time of the album release, "Boom Boom Pow" (which also received a Grammy) was starting its 12-week reign at #1 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Top Digital Tracks chart, while also topping the UK national chart. "I Gotta Feeling" (also a Grammy winner) debuted at #2 on the Hot 100 in June 2009, marking the first time in five years that any act held the #1-#2 spots with songs from their #1 album, which feat has only occurred less than a dozen times in Billboard history. "Boom Boom Pow" was supplanted by "I Gotta Feeling," which then spent a record-breaking 14 weeks at #1. Target launched the single "I Gotta Feeling" in a nationwide television campaign and subsequently CBS used the song to promote their fall 2009 lineup. The Peas' 26 consecutive weeks at #1 was the longest stay for any act in 51 years of Billboard chart history. Both tracks also held the #1 spot at Top 40 radio for 6 weeks each, and each was eventually certified RIAA 5x-platinum. The streak was extended with the November release of the third single, "Meet Me Halfway," RIAA double-platinum and the Peas' next #1 UK hit. Into early 2010, the fourth single "Imma Be" returned the Black Eyed Peas to #1 on the Hot 100 with a new triple-platinum seller, making them the first group or duo in nearly 20 years to place three #1's on the Hot 100 from one album. The E.N.D. also became the first album in 23 years to chart three #1's in the U.S. and three #1's in the UK (since Madonna's True Blue in 1986-87). When "Rock That Body," the fifth single, reached the Top 10, The E.N.D. became the first album by a group or duo in 20 years to spin off a quintet of Top 10 hits. To date, as the YouTube video numbers continue to pile on, "Boom Boom Pow" has over 64.7 million views, "I Gotta Feeling" over 36.6 million, "Meet Me Halfway" over 31.6 million, and "Imma Be/Rocking That Body" over 22.4 million. The Black Eyed Peas have sold over 27 million combined units worldwide, led by sales of The E.N.D. - double-platinum in the U.S., France and Australia; platinum in the UK; triple platinum in Canada; and gold in more than 15 other countries. Total digital single sales in the U.S. alone are over 18 million.

EM #1-- 5 WEEKS IN A ROW!
Eminem's Recovery is still the top seller in the country for the fifth straight week. The album sold another 187,000 this week, down only four percent from the week before, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It has sold more than 1.6 million copies so far. Rapper Rick Ross' Teflon Don took #2 with 176,000 sold. Ross' last three studio albums all debuted at #1, however, the opening sales number for Teflon Don is Ross' best week since 2008's Trilla arrived with 198,000. Drake's Thank Me Later grabbed #4 with 49,000 unit sold (880,500 total). Big Boi's Sir Luscious Left Foot took #17 selling 18,400 copies sold (107,000 total). The Roots' How I Got Over grabbed #47 selling 8,700 copies (106,000 total). Damian Marley & Nas' Distant Relatives grabbed #72 selling 5,800 copies ( 159,00 total). Paul Wall's Heart of A Champion took #124 selling 3,800 copies (11,000 total).

THE LEGENDARY COLD CRUSH BROTHERS - 32nd Anniversary Concert + Party
Featuring KOOL DJ RED ALERT kicking off the party from 9pm-10pm, followed by one pioneer DJ every hour, rockin the wheels, until the Cold Crush Brothers & Friends performance! Just added GRANDWIZZARD THEODORE and JAZZY JAY! The COLD CRUSH BROTHERS (DJ Tony Tone, DJ Charlie Chase, Almighty Kay Gee, Easy A.D., J.D.L. & GrandMaster Caz) will perform ALL of their classic routines and have invited some very special guests perform routines with them, including:DMC, BIG DADDY KANE and more to be announced. At the Hip Hop Culture Center (at the Magic Johnson Theater) in New York, Friday July 30.

RIHANNA TO MAKE FILM DEBUT.
Rihanna will make her feature film debut in Universal's "Battleship" alongside Alexander Skarsgard and Taylor Kitsch. The deal was announced Monday. Variety reports that Director Peter Berg is expected to soon begin shooting the project based on Hasbro's naval combat board game. Universal has set a May 25, 2012, release date for "Battleship," which takes place across the seas, over the skies and land in a battle for planet survival against a superior force. Kitsch, who also works with Berg in the NBC series "Friday Night Lights," stars as a naval officer who leads the fight. Skarsgard will play his brother. Berg is producing along with Sarah Aubrey of Film 44; Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir of Hasbro and Scott Stuber of Stuber Pictures. Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber wrote the screenplay, with revisions by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Rihanna has charted seven No. 1 singles since debuting in 2005. She's repped by WME. In other Rihanna news, she recently sat down with Access Hollywood to talk about her collaboration with Eminem on the song "Love The Way You Lie." The song addresses domestic violence. "It's something that Eminem and I have both experienced, you know, on different sides, different ends of the table," she explained. "It just was authentic. It was real. It was believable for us to do a record like that, but it was also something that needed to be done and the way he did it was so clever. He pretty much just broke down the cycle of domestic violence and it's something that a lot people don't have a lot of insight on, so this song is a really, really powerful song and it touches a lot of people."

MYSPACE "LIVE" AND HP PRESENT FREE B.o.B CONCERT
MySpace Music and HP today announced a special performance by B.o.B on Saturday, July 31 at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA. The performance is part of HP's Summer Music Campaign to promote better sounding music. B.o.B will take the stage in his hometown to perform tracks from his recently released debut album titled B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray (Grand Hustle/Atlantic Records), an album MySpace Music recently named one of its "Best of 2010 (so far)."

DIDDY BOPPIN WITH THE NEW YORK FINANCE COMMISIONER.
Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment, is facing legal action. According to the New York Daily News, Finance Commissioner David Frankel is attempting to collect more than $1.9 billion in debts owed to the city and has accused the firm of failing to pay a fly-papering fine... "We are going to find these people. We're going to turn them upside down by their ankles and we're going to shake them until the money comes out of their pockets." A spokesman for Combs’ company has dismissed the bill as a “bureaucratic error,” insisting the fine was paid by a partner firm three years ago and claiming city officials must have failed to update their records.

THOUGHT PROCESS: Bring That Group Back!
Over the past decade many hip hop artists who started out in groups have either gone solo or just aren’t making music anymore. As a solo artist you either quickly rise to the top or slowly fall to the bottom. Some artists are smart enough to learn the game and do what it takes to stay in it, while there are others who are in the game for the love of hip hop rather than for just the money and fame. However not all rappers who started out in a group have bad luck as a solo artist. Rapper Lil Wayne who began rapping with the group Hot Boys presented by Cash Money became a huge success when.. GRAB THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

DJ QBERT ADDED TO DJ HERO 2
legendary turntablist DJ Qbert has been added to DJ Hero® 2. A defining member of DJ culture, having been crowned the best in his craft in multiple world championship competitions and revolutionized turntablism, DJ Qbert joins the distinguished rank of playable characters that will appear in-game, including Deadmau5, David Guetta and others, and will deliver two scratch intensive mixes to the best soundtrack in entertainment. "I'm excited about finally getting to bring the art of turntablism's defining skills, as well as two exclusive mixes, to DJ Hero 2," said DJ Qbert. "It's been a dream of mine as a gamer to battle myself on the turntables and now millions of fans around the world and their friends will get their chance to also." ..."As a pioneer of his craft, DJ Qbert's one-of-a-kind scratch and battle skills made him an amazing partner and prefect representative of DJ Hero 2's new multiplayer modes, especially the unique DJ vs. DJ battle mixes," said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs, Activision. "We're bringing together the biggest and best DJ's from around the globe, having already announced Deadmau5 and David Guetta as part of our incredibly talented crew, and having DJ Qbert cut up records in his signature style will help us put an indelible stamp on the DJ Hero 2 soundtrack."

EMINEM #1 4 WEEKS IN A ROW.
Eminem's "Recovery" held onto the #1 chart slot for a fourth straight week. The album sold 195,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures for the week ending July 18. While title dipped 15%, it was still the only album to move more than 100,000 units last week. Total units - 1.5 million. Rapper Drake's "Thank Me Later" (Young Money) dips to #3 in its fifth week, declining 32% with sales of 50,000. M.I.A.'s "Maya" (XL) makes debut at #9, moving 28,000 units. Big Boi's Sir Luscious Left Foot took #15 moving 24,081 units. Rick Ross' Teflon Don is on track to sell around 170,000 to 180,000 units in his first week on shelves.

JAY Z AND BEYONCE TOP FORBES MUSICIANS LIST.
Beyonce, Jay-Z and the Black Eyed Peas all made the top 10 on a new Forbes 2010 list of top earning musicians. Beyonce was the list’s highest-earning female at #3. She made $87 million through major endorsement deals with Nintendo and L’Oreal, as well as her House of Dereon fashion line and world tour. Jay-Z came in at #6, earning $63 million from his stake in NBA team the New Jersey Nets, his 40/40 nightclub chain, “The Blueprint 3" album sales, and his investment in the Broadway musical, “Fela!” Britney Spears took #5 scoopin up $64 million earned through endorsements, particularly her Elizabeth Arden fragrance and spokesperson deal with Candies. A three-way tie between Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, and Toby Keith rounds out the top 10. Each earned an estimated $48 million thanks to various tours, endorsement deals, merchandise sales, and publishing royalties.
Here's the list
1. U2 ($130 million)
2. AC/DC ($114 million)
3. Beyoncé ($87 million)
4. Bruce Springsteen ($70 million)
5. Britney Spears ($64 million)
6. Jay-Z ($63 million)
7. Lady Gaga ($62 million)
8. Madonna ($58 million)
9. Kenny Chesney ($50 million)
10. Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay and Toby Keith ($48 million)

SNOOP DOIN' THE SUPERDRAFT.
BIG Entertainment & Media Group ("BIG") have announced that Snoop Dogg will be the headline musical performer at its second-annual Fantasy Football SUPERDRAFT(TM) at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Snoop Dogg will perform at the outdoor SUPERDRAFT Tailgate Party on Friday, August 27, and the concert will be exclusively available for SUPERDRAFT attendees only. "This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity in a very unique setting," said Eric Simon, CEO of BIG. "Imagine going to a great tailgate party at the hottest hotel in Las Vegas with Snoop Dogg performing 30 feet away from you and your friends. It's the perfect way to kick off football season." The Tailgate Party and concert is just one part of the Fantasy Football SUPERDRAFT, which is being hosted at the Palms after a successful debut in 2009. SUPERDRAFT is the premier live entertainment celebration to kick off the 2010 football season for fantasy football participants and casual football fans alike. SUPERDRAFT attracts fantasy leagues from around the country to conduct their drafts in an affordable, one-of-a-kind party environment. SUPERDRAFT also provides an unmatched atmosphere of music, events hosted by Stacy Keibler and other celebrities, and VIP access for all football fans to enjoy. will also include celebrity-hosted VIP parties at Vegas' top nightclubs, poolside festivities throughout the weekend and a live webcast of the Katalyst-produced show "Fantasy Football Live!", hosted by Ashton Kutcher and fantasy expert Nathan Zegura.

GRAB YOUR FAVORITE FOOTBALL JERSEY

THE DREAM RELEASES STATEMENT.
Everyone knows that The Dream confirmed that he had officially broken up from Christina Milian. The-Dream has released a statement explaining the breakup. "First I want to thank God for the trials of life, without them we can’t know purpose! I would love to tell the truth as to why my relationship wasn’t successful, but today that is between me and Christina. Its easy to say that it’s because of another woman or a new relationship but truthfully, IT’S NOT. I take FULL RESPONSIBILITY for misleading everyone into thinking everything was fine and okay when we knew problems existed for awhile! I wanted to speak up but we decided it wasn’t for anyone to know. I would NEVER intentionally hurt a soul and everyone around me knows that! There was so much going on in me and Christina’s personal world that I tried to deal with it as delicately as I could and tried to regain my footing. Instead of being direct in order not to cause even more hurt or hurt someone’s feelings, I carried the weight in secret! I am Human and people fall in and out of Love all the time… This is Life. Nothing’s promised or perfect, neither am I. I am not proud that I lost something we once had…LOVE! I’ve always been a Loving Father, Hard Worker, Generous, Stern and Eager to prove myself. My faults are I can be irresponsible and an ass sometimes, but I HAVE NEVER and WILL NEVER be a malicious person or wish harm to anyone, especially those I love or the mother of my child. I’m sorry for the embarrassment to everyone involved! If there’s anyone to blame and you can’t fathom this happening, please blame me and me alone for not being upfront! Even though we were trying to overcome personal things between us, I was just simply scared and embarrassed to let everyone know we WERE FAILING and HAVE NOW FAILED! This is not to justify anything, it’s true emotion! It’s a real thing that involves real people! I’ve cried about this for months, after interviews, after prayer and I’ve tried to take my own life at a point because of the failure that was looming. But I was reminded by my MOTHER that I am not “Superman” and its okay to lose sometimes… This too shall pass! And everything will be fine!" ~ Terius Nash ~

DJ HERO® 2 TO MIX HITS FROM OVER 100 TOP-SELLING ARTISTS
When the party starts this October, budding beat chemists, singing sensations and all of their friends will fire up two turntable controllers and a microphone and experience hits from the biggest names in music as they’ve never heard them before in Activision Publishing Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) DJ Hero® 2. Taking the soundtrack to “the most innovative and immersive music experience of 2009”* and recipient of over 20 “Best Music Game” awards to the next level, DJ Hero 2 spins together tracks from over 100 of the biggest artists from around the world – who have combined U.S. full albums sales alone in excess of 375 million. Featuring the hottest hits from artists such as B.o.B., Pitbull, David Guetta, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and classic anthems from legendary artists including 2Pac, Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and LL Cool J, the DJ Hero 2 soundtrack mixes the perfect blend of pop, dance and hip hop music. “With DJ Hero 2, we wanted to create the ultimate party experience of 2010, and that meant not only revamping and adding social and multiplayer game modes, including full microphone support, and all-new levels of creative freedom, but also mixing and mashing hits from over 100 of the biggest and most popular artists on the planet,” said Dan Neil, Music Director, FreeStyleGames. “We can’t wait to drop details on which of these artists’ hottest tracks, as well as how we’ve mixed them together exclusively for the game, later this year.” ..“With the success of DJ Hero and overwhelming response to its soundtrack, we are excited to be working even more closely with our label partners, including Interscope Geffen A&M, on DJ Hero 2 to hand-pick the best music from the most recognizable artists in the world,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs, Activision....“We’re excited to bring the hottest hits from our biggest artists to DJ Hero 2 including Eminem, Lady Gaga, Soulja Boy, 50 Cent, M.I.A., Timbaland, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and many more,” said Steve Berman, Vice Chairman, Interscope Geffen A&M. “The blockbuster lineup of music we’ve contributed, when mixed by world renowned DJs exclusively for the game, will help deliver one of the best soundtracks in all of entertainment.”

WARREN G SAYS REGULATE 2 IS COMING.
Warren G, has announced that he will be releasing “Regulate… G Funk Era: Part. 2”, an E.P. to be made available at digital retailers later this year. Multi-platinum recording artist Warren G, has announced that he will be releasing “Regulate… G Funk Era: Part. 2”, an E.P. to be made available at digital retailers later this year. “Regulate... G Funk Era”, was the debut album from Warren G, in 1994 on Def Jam. The album went triple platinum stateside, selling over 4.5 million units worldwide, and debuted at Number 2 on the Billboard 200 after selling 176,000 in its release week. The lead single "Regulate" w/ Nate Dogg, was certified platinum, reached Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and received a Grammy Award Nomination in 1995, for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The album also birthed the hit singles “Do You See”, and “This D.J.”, which reached Number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, being certified gold. It is noted that in the early 1990’s, Def Jam created "Rush Associated Labels," a larger moniker under which Def Jam and its various auxiliary labels would operate as subsidiaries under the PolyGram umbrella. By 1992, despite recent multi-platinum selling releases from LL Cool J., Public Enemy, and EPMD, Def Jam ran into severe financial troubles and was faced with folding. Salvation came in 1994, however, when PolyGram purchased Sony's 50% stake in Def Jam Recordings — subsequently bringing the label into their fold. Following PolyGram’s acquisition of the company, Def Jam released Warren G's "Regulate... G Funk Era", which went triple platinum and effectively revived the label. With seven LP’s (his reunion disc with Snoop and Nate Dogg 213' "The Hard Way" was released in 2004 and quickly went Gold) already under his belt, Warren G is expected to release the new set sometime this year. “Regulate… G Funk Era: Part. 2”, coming soon.

EMINEM STILL TIPPIN AT #1
Eminem’s Recovery moved 229,300 units after going platinum last Wednesday (1,287,000 total). The Relapse album has now reached double platinum. Drake’s Thank Me Later grabbed #2 with 73,900 copies sold (782,800 Total). Big Boi’s Sir Luscious Left Foot…The Son of Chico Dusty grabbed #3. The album debuted with 62,400 copies sold. The Black Eyed Peas take #24 after moving 14,300 copies of The E.N.D.(2,654,500 Total). The Roots’ ninth studio album, grabbed #25 selling 13,800 units (86,000 Total). B.o.B.'s The Adventures of Bobby Ray took #28 selling 12,900 units (296,000 Total). Juvenile’s new album, Beast Mode, debuted at #58 with 6,400 in sales.

TREK LIFE ON DECK.
California bred emcee Trek Life is excited to announce the release of his latest album, Everything Changed Nothing. Produced entirely by Oddisee, the album will be released July 27th via Mello Music Group. The album is the culmination of years of collaboration between Trek and producer Oddisee that began with the remixes of Price I've Paid, Trek's debut LP. Undaunted by the thousands of miles separating them, the pair have crafted yet another example of how a producer and an artist with the right chemistry can maintain a winning streak. "We both knew exactly what we were trying to do from the beginning," explains Trek. "Oddisee is a producer in every sense of the world. He had a direction and it was my job to manifest it lyrically." Oddisee's sonic backdrop invoked a verbal assault from Trek that remains raw, and unapologetic throughout the album as Trek sheds light on the "ugly nature of the world" with his gritty but poignant lyricism. "So Supreme", the album's lead single has generated a powerful buzz. The track was featured on ESPN recently for the network's coverage of the Stanley Cup and NBA Playoffs. The track was a perfect fit for video clips that thrive on ideas of competition and perseverance; with a hard-hitting beat and aggressive rhymes complimenting the action on screen. In regards to Trek's original intent of the track, he says, "This song is really just re-establishing my footing as an emcee. Strictly raw rhymes." Certainly having the lead single of your new album catch the attention of the world's premier sports broadcasting network is a good early indication of the album's merit. The album's title stems from the emcee's role as a father. Speaking affectionately of his daughter, Trek says, "I was thinking how much she means to me and how she's literally everything I ever wanted, but the reality is life, in general, goes on." The album speaks to the real life of nearly everyone. The personal struggles, trials and tribulations quite simply don't act as roadblocks to the freight train that is life. It’s a sobering fact that Trek seems to have a good handle on. On tracks like "So LA" and the soul-scorching "Jump Out There" Trek makes clear his reality-to-fantasy ratio is stacked well in favor of the former. Gritty tracks of urban reality cross-pollinate with songs that deal with romantic desire such as the Bootsy Collins inspired "I'd Rather Be". Trek Life has worked with several known artist from Bishop Lamont to Kev Brown and rocked over production from DJ Khalil, DJ Babu, Evidence, Oddisee and many more. With a growing global fan-base that has resulted from consistently touring the United States, the UK, and Europe, Trek Life is planning on releasing 3 projects in 2010 with J.Bizness (Rhymes Within Reason EP), Oddisee (Everything Changed Nothing), and Babu (Fire Outside), all through Mello Music Group.

KEVIN LILES RECEIVES HIGHEST HONOR IN PARIS.
Kevin Liles, President and CEO of KWL/Def Jam Enterprises received the Medaille de la Ville de Paris, the highest honor an individual can receive for their contributions to Parisian culture. Liles was recognized for his role in helping to globalize the cultural phenomenon of hip hop to Paris. He joins the ranks of past winners that include fashion designers Valentino and Gianni Versace, actress Jane Fonda, and Nobel Prize winning scientist Linus Pauling. Liles was presented the Medaille de la Ville de Paris by Christophe Girard, Paris' Vice Mayor, at an intimate ceremony at City Hall. In addition to the extraordinary distinction associated with the award, Liles is now an honorary Parisian citizen. He is the first of the award's many prestigious winners to have been chosen specifically for his influence on hip hop culture in Paris. "Kevin Liles represents for me hope and talent, energy and commitment. He never gave up his battle for hip hop and today hip hop is a fully recognized art," said Christophe Gerard, Vice-Mayor of Paris. "He is an example for the new generations and now he is my friend and a friend of Paris." "I am profoundly honored to receive the Medaille de la Ville de Paris, especially for my role in helping to make hip hop a mainstream art form globally," said Liles. "Spreading the message of hip hop and what it can mean to anyone has long been a personal passion of mine. To be given such a special honor in one of the world's best cities for just that purpose is genuinely overwhelming." Kevin Liles is an entrepreneur and former president of Def Jam Recordings. He was the executive vice president of the Island Def Jam Music Group from 1999 to 2004. He served as executive vice president for Warner Music Group before stepping down to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors in September 2009, founding his own company, KWL Enterprises. Liles recently orchestrated a new partnership with 4mm games, launched by former Rockstar Games founders Jamie King and Gary Foreman. 4mm's first release, the highly anticipated Def Jam Rapstar is scheduled for October 5, 2010. Liles also hosted a VIP event at Palais de Tokyo in the heart of Paris to jumpstart European excitement for the upcoming videogame release of Def Jam Rapstar. Local celebrities, athletes, hip hop tastemakers and socialites alike attended to get a sneak peak of the game, the first music console game to allow players to rap along with the hottest hits from the history of hip hop music. Liles received the award during his visit where he served as Honorary President of Paris Hip Hop 2010, appointed by CEO of Generations FM, and Founder and President of Paris Hip Hop, Bruno LaForestrie, and Generations FM Vice Chairman, Francois LaForestrie. Paris Hip Hop 2010 marked the fifth year of the cultural celebration and took place from June 22nd through July 4th. Over 50,000 fans attended 10 different venues in Paris, including the Centquatre, the Zenith and the Elysee Montmartre, to celebrate this versatile culture through dance, painting and photography. Highlights of the festival included the Nas and Damian Marley concert at the Zenith, French artist Roce at the Point Ephemere as well as a DJ Day that featured 9th Wonder. While in Paris, Liles also attended a prestigious panel discussion about hip hop and its evolution both in Paris and around the world. United States Ambassador to France, Charles Rivkin, hosted the discussion and was joined by the President of La Villette among other intellectual and cultural luminaries.

DIGITAL ALBUMS ON THE RISE?
Physical album sales continued to decline and digital album sales grew during the first six months of 2010, according to data released Wednesday by Nielsen SoundScan. Through the end of June, album sales (physical and digital) were down 11% overall, with 154 million units sold. Physical albums declined 17.7% (112 million sold), while digital albums rose 13.7% (42 million sold). Digital track sales were flat during the first half, with 597 million sold. CD sales dropped 17.9% during the first six months, with more than 110 million units sold. Current CDs were off 14.7%, while catalog CDs plunged 22.1%. However, the vinyl LP continued to gain, rising 9.1% (1.3 million units sold). Digital albums now account for 27.4% of all album purchases, up from 21.5% at the same point last year. Universal Music Group was the market share leader in album sales for the first six months of the year, with 29.41% (vs. 30.7% for the same period last year). Sony Music Entertainment was second with 28.28% (vs. 26.46 in '09), followed by Warner Music Group with 15.5% (vs. 16.4% in '09) and EMI Music with 10.79% (vs. 8.84% in '09). Up nearly 2%, last-place EMI showed the biggest album market share gain. Nielsen Entertainment senior vp of analytics David Bakula noted, "Strong releases in 2010 have helped to slow the decline of new album sales. Albums by Eminem, Justin Bieber, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga and Sade have each sold more than a million copies so far this year, and Lady A's 'Need You Now' has sold more than 2.3 million albums, surpassing last year's best seller of this time period by a million units."

EM PLATINUM IN 2 WEEKS, DRAKE RIGHT BEHIND.
For the second week in a row, Eminem's Recovery and Drake's Thank Me Later are the two best selling albums in the U.S. Recovery remained at #1 this week with 313,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, for a total of 1.1 million sold in two weeks. It's the first release to sell in excess of 300,000 for multiple weeks since Susan Boyle's I Dreamed a Dream did it for five weeks last December. Drake's Thank Me Later was the runner-up again this week, moving another 105,000 units for a total of 709,000.

LIL KIM AND RIHANNA TO WORK TOGETHER?
Lil Kim recently spoke about her relationship with Riahnna… “I’m a huge Rihanna fan, and she’s a friend of mine, so if I had to guess, I’m 90 percent sure that song is probably in the works,” she said. “I look at it this way: if it happens, it happens. And it should be a surprise. It shouldn’t be something that people are anticipating, or have their own personal opinions on it before it even comes out. So I probably won’t ever mention that again…I just love Rihanna, I think she’s great. Lil Kim also spoke on changing with the times and continuing to remain relevant as a hip hop vet. “I’m constantly growing, my album came out in ‘97 but I started doing music in the early ’90s. One reason that I’m still here and I’m still relevant to this day – probably even more relevant than a lot of new people who come into the industry – is because I know how to reinvent myself, I know how to change with the times. I think that, no matter who you are these days – you could be young, you could be old, you could be new, you could be an artist that’s been in the industry for a minute – I think it’s all about a hot record these days, it’s different. I think that’s the only difference I could point out – you know, you could have a hot song back in the day but it may not break through. But now if you have a hot song – it doesn’t have to have a lot of thought behind it, it doesn’t have to be a deep record, you don’t even have to be very talented as long as you come up with something that’s catchy and, you know, something that is now.”

JABBAWOCKEEZ TO APPEAR AT ULTIMATE B-BOY CHAMPIONSHIP.
UBC International announced today that the world-famous dance crew, The Jabbawockeez, will make a special guest appearance at the Ultimate B-Boy Championship being held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, August 6 and Saturday, August 7. As the original champions of Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew, the Jabbawockeez were the first crew to leave the ABDC stage victorious. With sold-out runs of their inspirational show "Jabbawockeez presents MUS.I.C" already completed in May and June, they will return to MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre after UBC for a third run from August 19 to 25. As the Jabbawockeez continue to bring hip-hop dance into a wider mainstream audience, UBC is honored to feature a dance crew of their caliber. The Ultimate B-Boy Championship will feature the best break-dancers from around the world as they battle for the UBC title and more than $80,000. The eight competing crews will be judged on electrifying dance moves, freestyle flavor, and athletic power stunts. This B-Boy event will be the first of its kind, recognizing and promoting break-dancing on a mainstream, international scale. This first-ever UBC event will now showcase an appearance by the Jabbawockeez at the hip-hop competition.

HIP HOP HEADING 3D?
Director James Cameron is reportedly gearing up for another 3D movie: the Black Eyed Peas concert film. The documentary-style movie will focus on the Peas' latest world touring, etc. The project is scheduled to hit theaters early next year. "We have the biggest director, because we are the biggest group on the planet," Will.I.Am told Vibe magazine. "The Peas are filming it in South America. People will be able to see us in the theater with the 3D glasses and everything. It's a full-length film, and it's based around our tour activities. We've toured from America and Europe, to the Middle East, South America, Asia and Africa. It's not like we go, 'Yo, we are international, you know what I'm saying? London and Paris!' Nah, that's just two cities. We want to go across the planet." Will.I.Am also says that Fergie wants to do a second solo album, and "We have material ready for that. But right now, we are focused on the Peas — our world tour and the movie." There have been numerous rumors lately that Fergie would be exiting the group, but Will says that is just not true. "Don't believe gossip about Fergie leaving the group," he wrote on Twitter. "We are never breaking up – it's all lies!"

LIL WAYNE JUST GETS PROBATION IN AZ CHARGE.
Lil Wayne, already serving one year in a New York jail for a gun-related crime, was sentenced on Wednesday to three years probation in Arizona on a drug possession charge. Weezy was spared time in an Arizona jail under a plea deal stemming from his January 2008 arrest at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in the state. Under the deal, the 30-year-old Grammy winner pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a dangerous drug. Three other drug and weapons charges were dismissed. Wayne appeared in court via a video hookup from New York, where he has been jailed since March after pleading guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. James Tilson, Carter's Arizona attorney, said he was pleased with the court's action. "We're quite glad that we were able to wrap everything up," Tilson told Reuters. "It's a favorable plea agreement that will allow Mr. Carter to pursue his career." Carter will begin his Arizona probation following his New York sentence, Tilson said. The rapper's tour bus, carrying 11 others, was stopped and searched by Border Patrol authorities after they said they were alerted by a drug-sniffing dog. Agents found nearly four ounces of marijuana, an ounce of cocaine, 41 grams of Ecstasy and a .40-caliber pistol registered to Carter.

EMINEM IS #1
Eminem, the Nielsen SoundScan Artist of the Decade for 2000-2009, is already kicking off the new decade with more of the same. His latest album, Recovery (Aftermath Entertainment /Interscope Records), makes its debut atop the charts this week with sales of 741,000 copies; easily outpacing any other release for this year, and setting a bar that no other album has reached for first week sales in almost two years. The album's first single, "I'm Not Afraid," debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May. The song was only the 16th in the 52-year history of the Hot 100 to debut at the top spot, and the first rap song to do so in 13 years. The second single from the album, "Love The Way You Lie" (featuring Rihanna), is already showing tremendous growth at radio, and debuts at #1 on the Singles chart this week, with sales of 337,000. "It's been 12 years since Eminem signed to Aftermath and Interscope," remarked Jimmy Iovine, Chairman, Interscope Geffen A&M Records. "This is a real watershed moment in his career. In my opinion, with this album Eminem's impact on popular culture, and as a lyricist and writer, puts him on course to be mentioned in the same sentence as Dylan, Springsteen, and Bono." Eminem performed "Not Afraid" on the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater for an appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman" that aired Friday night, as well as at Sunday night's "2010 BET Awards." He heads to Europe next week for headlining slots at Switzerland's Freuenfeld festival (July 9), T In The Park in Scotland (July 10), and wraps up in Ireland at Oxegen (July 11). Eminem and Jay-Z also will perform co-headlining dates at Comerica Park in Detroit (September 2 and 3) and New York's Yankee Stadium (September 13 and 14). Tickets for the four shows went on sale late last week and quickly sold out.

RÉMY MARTIN COGNAC AND T.I. ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP
Rémy Martin Cognac and Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I. announced they have formed a partnership to collaborate on creative projects and further the work of T.I.’s K.I.N.G. Foundation. T.I. has been named Global Creative Consultant to the iconic Rémy Martin brand. Rémy Martin and T.I. will work together on several events and personal appearances in conjunction with T.I.’s August 17th release of his highly anticipated album, KING UNCAGED. “T.I. is a powerful voice in the entertainment world as a recording artist, actor and producer. And Rémy Martin recognizes the similarities between the art of producing fine cognacs and blending music and words to create hit songs. Both crafts demand skill and attention,” says Lamar Johnson, Director of Marketing and Branded Entertainment, Rémy Cointreau USA, Inc. “We are very pleased to partner with T.I. to build upon our successful ‘Things are Getting Interesting’ marketing campaign.” Rémy Martin will also help raise awareness and funds to support the mission of the K.I.N.G. Foundation. T.I. started the Foundation to help low income families with an emphasis on mentoring, positive intervention and community outreach. T.I. will work across the range of Rémy Martin cognac marques and will offer creative thinking on marketing initiatives including promotions, merchandising and digital media. T.I. has long been a fan of the brand and recently visited Rémy Martin headquarters in Cognac, France where he learned about the brand’s heritage and production process. “I’ve been a fan of Rémy Martin for many years so I’m honored to be working with them as creative consultant. And now after my trip to Cognac, I admire the brand’s genius even more. I’m excited about all the possibilities of this partnership,” said T.I. He offered Chelsea Handler a magnum of Rémy Martin V.S.O.P and teased his upcoming signature blend of the premium cognac when he visited the E! talk show host last night on Chelsea Lately.

ASCAP HONORS DR DRE AT ASCAP AWARDS.
Eminem, T.I. and Big Boi Joined in to Celebrate Dr. Dre, Janelle Monáe and Other Top Names at ASCAP’s Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. Ne-Yo, C. "Tricky" Stewart, The-Dream, Jermaine Dupri, Johntá Austin and Manuel Seal Receive Top Honors. Celebrity attendees included Prince, Jimmy Jam, Gucci Mane, DJ Kid Capri, LA Lakers’ Ron Artest and actor Ryan Phillippe. On June 25, 2010: ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers hosted its 23rd annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. The star-studded event, which was attended by over 650 leading songwriters, recording artists and music industry notables, paid special tribute to Dr. Dre and Janelle Monáe, and honored the songwriters and publishers of the most performed ASCAP songs on the 2009 R&B/Hip-Hop, Rap and Gospel charts. The evening featured performances by rapper Gucci Mane, R&B singer/songwriter Dondria and R&B artist Miguel, and was attended by some of the top names in music, including Dr. Dre, Eminem, Prince, Janelle Monáe, Big Boi, Ne-Yo, T.I. Flo Rida, Gucci Mane, DJ Kid Capri, Jermaine Dupri, Johntá Austin, Manuel Seal, C. "Tricky" Stewart, The-Dream, Jimmy Jam, Bruno Mars, Jeremih, Twista, Keyshia Cole, Kandi Burruss, Warryn Campbell, Dorrough, Dre & Vidal, James Fortune, Chuck Harmony, Thaddis “Kuk” Harrell, Rob Knox, Matthew “Boi-1da” Samuels, and Terence Vaughn among many others.

Top awards were handed out to:
• Songwriters of the Year (tie): Ne-Yo, C. "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream
• Song of the Decade: "We Belong Together" written by Jermaine Dupri, Johntá Austin and    Manuel Seal
• Top Rap Song: "Best I Ever Had" written by Matthew “Boi-1da” Samuels
• Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song: "Blame It" written by Christopher Henderson, Brandon “Note”    Melancon, The-Dream, C. “Tricky” Stewart     and Nate Walka
• Top Gospel Song: "Souled Out" written by Ernest Estee Bullock
• Publisher of the Year: EMI Music Publishing

One of the evening's highlights was a special tribute to hip-hop pioneer Dr. Dre, who was honored with ASCAP's Founders Award in recognition of "his achievements as a producer, rapper, entrepreneur and icon whose creative genius continues to shape the course of music." To celebrate the legendary producer, Kid Capri performed a DJ set chronicling his career, and surprise guest Eminem shared some personal remarks and co-presented the award with ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams. The ASCAP Founders Award is among the most prestigious honors that ASCAP gives to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators. Each recipient is a musical innovator who possesses a unique style of creative genius that will enrich generations to come. Past recipients include Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Smokey Robinson, Paul McCartney, Ashford & Simpson, Patti Smith, and Berry Gordy Jr. and Motown Industries. Singer, songwriter, producer, and performer Janelle Monáe was presented with ASCAP’s Vanguard Award, which recognizes the impact of musical genres that help shape the future of American music. Big Boi, one half of the famed duo OutKast, spoke fondly about the success of his good friend and co-presented the award with ASCAP Vice President of Membership, Rhythm & Soul Nicole George. Past ASCAP Vanguard Award honorees include The Killers, Santigold, Sara Bareilles, The All-American Rejects, The Strokes, and the Beastie Boys. Jimmy Jam presented ASCAP's coveted Songwriter of the Year award to R&B superstar Ne-Yo and songwriting/ production duo C. "Tricky" Stewart & The-Dream, who tied with six award-winning songs each. Ne-Yo was honored for “Mad,” “Miss Independent” and the bonus track “She Got Her Own” from his platinum-selling album Year of the Gentleman, as well as for three songs that he penned for other artists -- “Epiphany (I’m Leaving)” by Chrisette Michelle, “Knock You Down” by Kerri Hilson featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo, and “Spotlight” by Jennifer Hudson. This is Ne-Yo’s first time being named Songwriter of the Year. C. "Tricky" Stewart & The-Dream were honored for “Blame It” by Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain, “Just Like Me” by Jamie Foxx featuring T.I., “Rockin’ That Thang” by The-Dream, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” by Beyoncé, “Throw It In The Bag” by Fabolous featuring The-Dream and “Trading Places” by Usher. Atlanta rapper T.I. presented the Song of the Decade Award to fellow Atlantans Johntá Austin, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal for their work on Mariah Carey’s massive hit, “We Belong Together.” The song topped the Billboard charts, won two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and was named ASCAP Pop Song of the Year in 2006. Top Song Awards went to Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” written by Matthew “Boi-1da” Samuels, which was named Top Rap Song and also claimed an award in the R&B/Hip-Hop category; “Blame It” by Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain, which earned writers Christopher Henderson, Brandon “Note” Melancon, The-Dream, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Nate Walka the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song award; and Hezekiah Walker’s “Souled Out” written by Ernest Estee Bullock, which was named Top Gospel Song. ASCAP Publisher of the Year honors went to EMI Music Publishing who was honored for 22 award-winning songs. This is the 16th consecutive win for EMI and the 18th time in the 23-year history of the awards show that they have received this honor. ASCAP CEO John A. LoFrumento presented the award to EMI’s President of North American Creative Jon Platt and his creative team.
** SEE PHOTOS AND FOOTAGE FROM THE EVENT **

BET AWARDS 2010 RECAP
There was not a dry-eye in the house at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 27, 2010 when Chris Brown took to the BET AWARDS '10 stage to honor the late Michael Jackson. Kanye West opened the show with a monumental performance of "Power" atop a smoky crag of rocks marking his return to the Awards show spotlight and circuit. King of the South T.I., backed by Travis Barker on drums and flaming pyrotechnics, tore the house down with his first national TV performance since being released from prison. Brown, West and T.I.'s show-stopping performances at this year's tenth anniversary BET AWARDS '10 provide platform for these three artists to re-emerge from the ashes for the negative publicity they recently faced to reclaim their status as superstars. Just two days after the one-year anniversary of the death of Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson introduced Chris Brown who channeled the legendary Michael Jackson while dancing to classics like "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Remember The Time," "Billie Jean" and an out-of-this-world silhouetted-in-white-lights version of "Smooth Criminal." But it wasn't until Chris Brown fell to his knees visibly broken down in tears, tortured with what could only be described as self-reflection during his own rendition of "Man In The Mirror," did the audience come to his rescue and help him finish the song in an ominous choir of song that would have truly made Michael Jackson proud. Later in the show, when accepting his 2010 Fandemonium Award, Chris Brown said, "I just want to say, I let you all down before and I won't do it again." Trey Songz's soulful performance of "Yo Side of the Bed" illustrated just why he was named the 2010 Best Male R&B Artist before transitioning into Prince's classic "Purple Rain," which led into one of the undeniable standout performances of the night. Legendary musician Prince was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and his tribute was a performance of a lifetime. Beginning with a remote video message from a legend himself Stevie Wonder, Janelle Monae dazzled with her signature feminine tomboy threads and eccentric dance moves on "Let's Go Crazy." Esperanza Spalding jazzed up the room with her electric upright bass and Afro while singing "If I Was Your Girlfriend" before Alicia Keys crawled barefoot on her piano bringing Prince to his feet with "Adore." But it was Patti LaBelle who literally kicked off her heels, which Prince caught, to honor the pop culture icon with his classic "Purple Rain." Chaka Khan was also on hand to help pay respects. Additional highlights of the 10+ performances include: El DeBarge bringing the audience to their feet to dance in the aisles during his medley of his classics like "All My Love" and "Rhythm of the Night;" Usher, dressed in all white levitating high above, commanding the BET Awards '10 stage with a sizzingly sultry performance of "There Goes My Baby" backed by a 12-piece string section; Alicia Keys, poised at a black piano adorned with blue lights, opening up her medley of hits with "No One" followed by "Try Sleeping" before being joined onstage by Kim Burrell on "If I Ain't Got You;" 10-year-old Gabby Wilson singing a shockingly spot-on rendition of Alicia Keys' "Fallin'" on her 10th birthday to help Queen Latifah introduce Keys' performance; Monica dressed in a gravity-defying black ensemble dueting with Deniece Williams. Ludacris and DJ Khaled closed the show with a high-energy performance of "My Chick Bad" followed by beats from an asylum-straight-jacket-bound Nicki Minaj. Bringing a rock-fueled edge to the final song of the night with Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, T-Pain and Diddy on "All I Do Is Win" was Motley Crue's Tommy Lee backed by a drumline. This year's in memoriam tribute was led by Todd Bridges paying respects to his former co-star Gary Coleman followed by a photo montage of those who passed this year and a Teddy Pendergrass tribute performance by Tyrese who sang "Come Go With Me" and "Close The Door." In continuing the good that BET's S.O.S.: Saving Ourselves telethon started back in February 2010, which raised over $1 Million for Haitian relief efforts, the BET AWARDS '10's contained a special Haiti memorial performance of "Are You Listening" from gospel greats Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, Yolanda Adams, Marvin Sapp, Kim Burrell and Karen Clark Sheard.

TUPAC NAMED TO NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY.
2pac’s “Dear Mama” will be amongst 25 recordings to be inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. In this moving and eloquent homage to both his own mother and all mothers struggling to maintain a family in the face of addiction, poverty and societal indifference, Tupac Shakur unflinchingly forgives his mother who, despite a cocaine habit, "never kept a secret, always stayed real." The song displays further evidence of hip hop as a musically sophisticated and varied genre that can artfully encompass a wide variety of themes and musical influences. Pac joins a prestigious group of only 300 songs that have been inducted into National Recording Registry in history. "It is time to once again celebrate the nation’s rich sonic history and the importance of sound recordings in our lives," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "This latest list of selections showcases the diverse beauty, humanity and artistry found in the American soundscape. The Library’s Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation will partner with many individuals and organizations to preserve and sustain these significant examples of our creative spirit so that they can inform and enrich the lives of modern and future generations." Nominations were gathered from online submissions from the public and from the NRPB, which comprises leaders in the fields of music, recorded sound and preservation. Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions.

EMINEM ON TRACK TO SELL OVER 600K 1ST WEEK.
Eminem is once again on track tp take the highest first week sales record as his latest,“Recovery” album is currently on pace to sell over 615,000 copies in it’s first week. Based on one-day sales number estimates it looks like the rapper will grab Gold in just 7 days.

LAWSUIT SEEKS TO STOP GAME'S RED ALBUM.
A company claiming to have discovered GAME has sued Aftermath Records, Interscope, Universal Music Group and Dr. Dre's company ARY, Inc. alleging it has been pushed aside and stiffed on royalties. As a result, it wants a court to halt the upcoming release of "The R.E.D. Album," currently scheduled for August. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Desperado Entertainment, which claims it found Jayceon Taylor and helped turn him into mega-selling rap star The Game, says in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court that a series of agreements entitle it to share in licensing and publishing income from the former G-Unit member's records. The lawsuit doesn't reveal who is behind Desperado or whether Game himself is involved (that seems unlikely considering a letter attached to the lawsuit complains that certain monies have been paid directly to Game and his reps instead of Desperado). Desperado claims that despite efforts to work with the UMG labels, it has been cut out of the development of the new album in violation of its rights of approval. In addition, Desperado says the labels have breached the agreements by failing to account and pay proper royalties. The defendants have allegedly claimed "'budget overages' for all LPs but have not provided supporting documentation," according to the complaint. Desperado's agreements allegedly allowed the UMG labels to recoup advances "solely from record sales and not from publishing earnings or royalties," the complaint states. "Royalties from the sale of Game LP's have never been paid to Plaintiff." The amount of those royalties are not specified, nor are damages, although a letter attached to the complaint demands an immediate $275,000 "advance" payment on the new album. This is one of those lawsuits that feels like it merely scratches the surface of a deep underlying feud. Game has a history of various fracases. We've reached out to UMG for comment. In addition to requesting an injunction, the suit alleges causes of action for breach of contract, fraud/failure to disclose, unfair business practices, negligent misrepresentation, accounting and declaratory relief. It was filed by LA attorneys Christopher Pham, Christopher Johnson and Susan Rabin at Johnson & Pham.

DRAKE DEBUTS @ #1 ON CHARTS.
Drake's debut, Thank Me Later scored the #1 slot which sold 447,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Thank Me Later also marks the third-highest debut week of the year. The only two albums to beat Drake were Lady Antebellum's Need You Now, which sold 481,000 in its first week, and Sade's Soldier of Love, which opened with 502,000. He thanked his fans thru Twitter saying, “Thank you for the support…thank you for the memories…thank me later,” adding “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

EM AND HOVA SHOCK GUESTS AT NEW YORK HOTEL.
Monday evening guests of the New York Ameritania Hotel got the chance to catch a surprise performance of top recording artists Jay Z and Eminem during a recent taping for CBS Television Late Show with David Letterman. The early evening performance took place upon the rooftop of the Ameritania Hotel which is located at 230 West 54th Street in Manhattan. The hotel shares a common roof with the famous Ed Sullivan Theater, home of the Letterman show, and seemed the perfect solution to Jay Z's recent "Empire State of Mind" claim to being able to make it anywhere. The performance was meant to be unannounced, but as with any New York minute, word spread quickly. Manhattan-based hotelier Hank Freid, owner of the Ameritania Hotel, along with several other boutique hotels, threw an intimate party from the property rooftop to share in the entertainment and excitement. "It was the experience of a lifetime," one guest quoted. "Jay Z and Eminem performing live on top of the greatest city in the world!" The scene was a mix of who's who in the Manhattan society scene and the entertainment fields, with such guests as Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, Ashlee Dupre, even talk show host David Letterman. The performance is scheduled to air this coming Friday (June 25, 2010) during "The Late Show with David Letterman".

LIVE NATION APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT.
Live Nation announced today the appointment of arena management veteran Mike Evans as the company's newly created President of Arenas. Evans will be responsible for managing Live Nation's dealings with Live Nation's North American arena partners. In 2009, Live Nation promoted more than 1,000 North American arena shows, attracting more than 9 million fans and generating net gross ticket sales of approximately $600 million. Evans will report to Live Nation CEO of Concerts, Jason Garner. Evans comes to Live Nation from his previous position as Executive Vice President of Sports and Entertainment for SMG, where he was responsible for heading SMG's Booking Division for stadiums, arenas and theaters worldwide. With a background as a concert promoter and tour manager, Evans has interacted with a full spectrum of sports league commissioners, concert producers, tour promoters and talent agents. "Mike Evans has distinguished himself as a leader and specialist for successful arena relationships nationwide," said Jason Garner. "His expertise makes him the right man to oversee Live Nation's North American arena business. We want to thank SMG for working with Live Nation in aiding a smooth transition. We look forward to Live Nation's continued relationship with SMG and the arenas they manage."... "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Wes Westley and the entire SMG team for the last 10 years, and feel that my experience there created the perfect platform to launch this new phase of my life and work at Live Nation," said Mike Evans. "I'm thrilled to continue my successful relationships with the many hard-working professionals who help create great shows at arenas throughout North America."

AEG GOIN' IN ON MAJOR LABELS?
AEG Live, the second-largest live entertainment company in the world, is talking to the major music companies about taking a minority stake in the business, reports the NY Post. The Los Angeles-based company, a unit of AEG, an owner of sports teams and concert and sport venues, has been talking to Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music, sources familiar with the situation said. The talks could result in either a sale to one of the major music companies or possibly a consortium of bidders, one executive close to the matter said. The discussions are said to have been on and off with Universal for more than a year, but have broadened recently to include other labels. "The talks are still going on. There is no definitive agreement," warned one person close to the discussions. While no one is clear on the rationale for AEG's stake sale, some suggest it could be driven by the desire to raise capital while the business is still robust -- despite the recent slowdown. Others suggest a deal with the music companies could also help shore up AEG Live's competitive position with the world's No. 1 promoter, Live Nation, which recently gained federal approval for its merger with Ticketmaster. AEG Live was behind the comeback tour by the late Michael Jackson and is fronting tours by Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull and a host of others. A spokesman for AEG Live confirmed it had talked to some companies. "There are a variety of substantial organizations that have contacted us over the years and recently about investment opportunities in AEG Live," the spokesman said. "While we happen to have all of our funding in place and have no need for additional investors and have never found anybody to be a good fit, we continue to speak to many to determine if they would bring proper assets to the table to warrant consideration." The spokesman added: "We're having the best run that we've ever had and the future is incredibly bright but you always look for ways to strengthen the organization." A spokesman for Universal Music said: "We are not in discussions with them." Executives at Sony and Warner had no immediate comment. AEG owns, manages or programs roughly 29 venues across the country, including the Nokia Theater Times Square and the High Line Ballroom.

EMINEM LAUNCHES "EMSEE" BATTLE
Red Bull EmSee: The Road to 8 Mile is a freestyle rap battle of sight and sound, curated and directed by Eminem. The national battle series features the rawest lyricists competing for the honor of being named the illest freestyle MC in the country. This invitation-only competition has a unique format that challenges MCs to bring the true freestyle spirit back. Building upon the traditional head-to-head battle by adding an innovative twist, MCs will be tested on the sickest flows they can create on the spot based on spontaneous cues -- making it not only a battle against each other but also against the clock and the mind's eye. Qualifying battles will be judged by a variety of industry heavyweights including Just Blaze, Alchemist and Craig G. The ultimate winner of the national championship will be determined by Eminem. "I'm looking for somebody to stand out, to be unique and to say the sickest, most ridiculous, most retarded s#%! you can say, something that makes somebody want to quit," explained Eminem. Three distinct rounds of battle will challenge MCs to be nimble, sharp and witty while dominating the stage. In round one, MCs will showcase their best flows over beats. In round two, their freestyle skills will be further challenged as they rap about themes that are texted to a screen by judges and the live audience. The third and final round is a head-to-head, acapella, take no prisoners battle-to-the-end. Lyrical prowess during these rounds will advance the most skilled MC to the national finals in Detroit where the gloves come off. Red Bull EmSee: The Road to 8 Mile begins in New York and will travel through San Francisco (July 16), Philadelphia (July 20), Orlando (July 29), Atlanta (August 3), Greensboro (August 5), Houston (August 12), before ending in Detroit on August 26 at the legendary St. Andrews Hall. The MC left standing walks away with bragging rights and an opportunity to record with a headlining producer at Red Bull Studios.

DOUG E FRESH ADDED TO ESSENCE FESTIVAL.
Doug E. Fresh have been added as Superlounge artists during the 2010 Essence Music Festival. The artists, who will both perform on Sunday, July 4th, will join a stellar line-up of artists performing during the annual event over the Fourth of July weekend, including: Janet Jackson; Mary J. Blige; Alicia Keys; Earth, Wind & Fire; Gladys Knight; Trey Songz; Chrisette Michele; Estelle; Irma Thomas; Melanie Fiona; Mary Mary; Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra; Arrested Development and many more. The presenting sponsor for the 2010 Essence Music Festival is Coca-Cola. Other 2010 sponsors include Coors Light, CoverGirl Queen, Ford,
McDonald's, Olay, Pantene, Tide, U.S. Army and Wal-Mart; AARP, CNN, HBO, My Black is Beautiful, TBS, TVOne and Visa. The 2010 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL is executive produced by Essence Festivals LLC and produced by Rehage Entertainment. Essence Festivals LLC is a division of Essence Communications Inc. (ECI).

RIHANNA VIBING IN THE LAB.
Rihanna has reportedly been in the studio and working on some new music. The next album will reportedly show and happier Rihanna who is in a much better place in life, according to songwriter and collaborator Sean Garrett. "I can definitely say that her album is definitely gonna be way more exciting, happy," Garrett told MTV. "I hope she doesn't mind me saying this. I love Rihanna. She's fun, she's like a sister, and I tend to think she doesn't really take herself too seriously. And I think that's what this album is gonna be about. Remember when Rihanna was just the little girl from the island and she was just having fun with 'Pon de Replay' and enjoying life? It always seemed like, 'Dag, she has that thing.' And it wasn't so serious until the [Chris Brown] incident happened. And everything became so serious. That's just life. But I'm just happy to see her back. And I can definitely say the records that we've been working on are very positive and very explosive. Heavy in the club."

LIL BOOSIE INDICTED FOR MURDER!
An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury has indicted Torrance Hatch otherwise known as "Lil-Boosie" on a first degree murder charge. Hatch was indicted in the October 21st shooting death of Terry Boyd. Michael Louding and Adrian Pittman are also indicted on first degree charges on Boyd's murder. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore says all three of the alleged killers meet the criteria of first degree charges. Moore said that the death penalty is not out of the question. Hatch and girlfriend Walnita Decuir along with a former Dixon Correctional Institute guard and an inmate were also indicted on drug charges. "I gotta go away for, like, 10 months to a year," Boosie told MTV News in October last year. "It's just a minor setback for a major comeback. I was gonna take 'em to trial, but I'm not gonna take them to trial. They offered me a deal. In Louisiana, you can't really win, bruh. So I'm gonna do my year, come back home, step it up even more. I leave on November 9." Source: CBS

LLOYD GOIN IN ON 2010.
In 2009, Lloyd assisted the Young Money crew with one of the years biggest collaborations, the BET Viewers Choice nominated “Bedrock”, and with the recent release of 4 new single collaborations, it appears that he hasn’t slowed down in 2010. From East to West to South, Lloyd heats up the summer with features on 4 new singles; “Feelin’ Myself” from South Central’s own Nipsey Hu$$le, the Jim Jonsin produced “Go, Go, Go” by Atlanta new comer J. Futuristic, Chamillionaire’s “Make a Movie” which also features Twista, and the most surprising of the 4, a collab with G-Unit veteran Lloyd Banks on “Any Girl”. When asked about working with Banks, a pairing that wouldn’t have been possible a couple years ago due to the tension between G-Unit and The Inc., Lloyd had this to say, “There was no hesitation on my part because we never had direct issues. We met for the first time in the studio and everything just clicked. It felt like it was our 10th song together.“ As for his other features, Lloyd credits time well spent in the “off season”, working hard while in between deals, “I was independent for about 6 months and we just tried to stay as busy as possible with shows and collaborations. It’s starting to pay off now”. He went on to say, “I like working with talented artist that are on their grind, whether they’re newcomers or veterans”. With this host of new collaborations, his Mystikal assisted buzz single “Set Me Free”, and still more summer collabs on the way, including a rumored Rich Boy and Drake record, Lloyd plans to stay in the public eye as he readies the first official single from his Interscope debut and 4th studio album.

QUE RECORDS INKS DEAL WITH EMI.
Que Records has entered into an exclusive distribution deal with EMI Label Services that is designed to maximize the exposure and sales for artists under the Que Records umbrella. The first act signed to Que Records is the sophomore album from platinum-selling Hip Hop artist Huey, to be released later this year on Que as a joint venture with Huey’s label, OMG Media. Under the new deal, Que Records will develop, and release albums in a variety of genres. Huey is a talented young St. Louis-born artist best known for his chart-topping hit “Pop Lock and Drop It,” which was a top 3 single on the [category] Billboard charts and has been blowing up the charts in the rap scene ever since. His new album is titled, “Redemption,” and the first single is “Smile and Wave” featuring Dorrough. Other guest artists featured on the album include Colby O’Donis. “Huey’s ‘Redemption’ is party-feel-good, make-you-want-to-dance music, and it’s being released just in time to make the summer hit lists,” said Que Records’ CEO Quayshaun Carter. “I am very excited about this joint venture between my label and OMG Media and our distribution deal with EMI. Huey is next in line to impact the music industry… be warned.” Que Records is here to stay.”

“THE SITUATION” LINKS UP WITH FATMAN SCOOP.
Jersey Shore’s Mike “THE SITUATION” Sorrentino is bringing his wise-guy rhetoric to this season's hottest dance club mix, firing up the fists, and banging the floor with a track that brings worldwide artists DJ Class, Fatman Scoop and The Disco Fries together on one label. “The Situation” as it is properly titled, is being released this week in all digital retail oulets via AV8 Records/The Orchard. “It was incredible that I was able to just have fun with some artists that I really respect. We connected in the studio and had a great time putting together something that fans can just have a good time and dance to,” said Sorrentino. Featuring verses from DJ Class, (I’m the Ish” ft. Lil Jon - Universal Records), and celebrity radio personality, Grammy award winner Fatman Scoop, Sorrentino’s hard hitting theme song is a situation that is sure to set the summer club scene on fire! According to Class, “This is a great record for the clubs – it’s not rap, it’s all about the party. We’ve linked it all up and created a situation right here.” Known for their heavy hitting remixes for Usher (OMG), Selena Gomez (Naturally) and Flo Rida (Sugar), double platinum production duo The Disco Fries brought the electronic, club edge to“The Situation” in a style all their own. “Working with Class and Scoop is always a pleasure, but bringing Sitch' into the mix brought a whole new dynamic,” said the Disco Fries duo, known worldwide for their work with top artists in the industry. They added, “We premiered it out this past weekend and had the dance floor rockin’ – it was obvious we had to get this out for the DJ’s ... all the haters need to smile when they listen to this one.” According to Fatman Scoop, currently performing in South Africa as part of the 2010 World Cup club scene, “Most people know me as the voice of the club. It was only natural to hook up with the king of reality tv to do this record.” Scoop is currently touring through Shanghai, China, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Australia with artists Ne Yo, T Pain and Big Boi and working on tracks with Diddy, David Guetta, Kat Deluna, and DJ Class. “The Situation” appears in MTV’s Jersey Shore Season 2 based in South Beach Miami premiering on July 29th.

B.o.B. INKS WORLD-WIDE PUBLISHING DEAL.
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), the world's leading global music publisher, today announced details of a world-wide co-publishing agreement with international breakthrough artist B.o.B., as well as an exclusive world-wide publishing deal with Alex da Kid, who co-wrote and produced B.o.B's Top 5 single, "Airplanes." The deal with B.o.B. was signed through UMPG's joint venture with Eminem's Slim Shady Music Publishing, LLC. UMPG has been fortunate to sign very early key artists, writers, and producers that have taken the global music scene by storm, including recent breakthrough artists and writers Justin Bieber, Owl City, Florence & The Machine, and The XX, and now B.O.B and Alex Da Kid, to name a few. Said Jessica Rivera, Senior Director, Creative Affairs, Universal Publishing Group: "Both B.o.B. and Alex Da Kid are talent that we recognized early and helped develop as their music publisher. It's rewarding to sign such amazing talent and see their efforts grow into major international pop success. We look forward to supporting their future efforts as they develop long careers making music that will be heard around the world." The publishing deal encompasses B.o.B.'s platinum selling debut album, B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray (Grand Hustle) which reached No. 1 on three Billboard charts - U.S. Billboard 200, Top R&B / Hip Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums. The No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single, "Nothin' On You," was the first single released on B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray. The current breakout hit, "Airplanes," featuring Hayley Williams (Paramore) and Eminem (published by UMPG), was co-written and produced by Alex da Kid, and is a Top 5 smash on the Billboard charts. Since signing to UMPG, London native Alex da Kid has worked with a wide range of artists including Diddy, Akon, Young Jeezy, Jazmine Sullivan, Jennifer Lopez, Estelle, Paramore, Slash, Rob Thomas, Nicki Minaj, and most recently with Eminem for an upcoming single titled "The Way U Lie" feat. Rihanna. Atlanta, Georgia native B.o.B. emerged as a young musician in grade school by playing numerous instruments including trumpet. His immense musical talent led him to having artist management by the time he was in high school. At 21, the platinum selling artist has now worked with a long roster of artists including Lupe Fiasco, T.I., Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, Paramore's Hayley Williams and Eminem, among others. B.o.B. and Alex da Kid join UMPG's long list of chart-topping urban artists including 50 Cent, Ciara, Eminem, Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole, J. Cole, Jeremih, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo,
T-Pain, and many more.

INDUSTRY VET STARTS OWN LABEL.
Gary Marella is a music entrepreneur responsible for breaking some of the biggest artists in the music business (such as Lil Wayne, Akon, Drake, Nelly, 3 Doors Down, Erykah Badu, Jack Johnson, Blue October, Birdman, Kid Cudi and more) over the past decade at Universal Motown Records. Before his departure in 2009, Marella was most recently the Senior Vice President of Promotion where he oversaw the radio and video promotion departments for the US market in addition to signing 2 bands, Tamarama and Barcelona. During his years at Universal Records Marella moved up the corporate ranks quickly being promoted several times from National Director to V.P. Rhythm Promotion then to V.P. Promotion then most recently Senior V.P. of Promotion which was announced in 2006 by Chairman Sylvia Rhone. "Gary possesses the rarest of qualities in a promotion executive. He has a special insight into the changing complexities of promotion and exemplary instincts when it comes to expanding the reach of our artists," said Rhone. Marella is now the founder of his own record label, Roma Records as well as his management, marketing and touring company, Del Mar Entertainment. Roma Records is distributed through Blackground/ Interscope Records where his first artists Jordy Towers is slated to come out the end of 2010 or early 2011. Del Mar Entertainment has already packaged tours with Live Nation and consulted such record labels as Cash Money, Konvict Muzik, J Records, Sony, Atlantic and Def Jam. Del Mar's artist management division continues to grow beyond just music to include artists in varying realms of entertainment such as his newest signing, international star Lior Suchard who Marella just recently signed to a new deal with United Talent Agency for representation. Previous to his tenure at Universal Motown Records, Marella worked at Priority Records, specializing in Hip Hop where he was influential in breaking the careers of such acts as Jay-Z (the label of his first release, 'Reasonable Doubt'), Master P, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube, to name a few. Marella first entered the music industry over 15 years ago through Interscope Records, where he started in publishing and eventually discovered promotion. As an active member of the community, Marella is involved with charities such as The Art of Elysium, an arts-based charity that encourages working artists to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical illnesses.

BET AWARDS '10 TO HONOR PRINCE.
This year, BET Awards '10 will honor the musical legacy and genius that is Prince as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor bestowed to the most significant and influential individuals in music history. A musical legend, Prince is one of the most talented, successful and prolific musicians ever, producing ten platinum albums, thirty Top 40 singles to this point in his career. His unique, individual and stunningly original musical style broke barriers and has influenced almost every music maker of the past 30 years. Prince's music transcends all generations. Since its inception, the BET AWARDS has given the Lifetime Achievement
Award to the most deserving artists in music history. Whitney Houston (2001), Earth Wind & Fire (2002), James Brown (2003), Isley Brothers (2004), Gladys Knight (2005), Chaka Khan (2006), Diana Ross (2007), Al Green (2008), The O'Jays (2009)... and now Prince is inducted into this elite group. "We are humbled that Prince will be our lifetime achievement award recipient," said Stephen G. Hill, President of Programming, Music and Specials. "Genre smasher, virtuoso musician, one of the most emotional singers of all time; words are too weak to describe just what he means to our culture. We have a different kind of tribute planned for him as his unique style deserves a unique honor. Prince is dynamic. Prince is genius. Prince is music." It's going down June 27.

ACTIVISION ANNOUNCES ROSTER OF AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL TALENT
Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that its highly anticipated games Call of Duty®: Black Ops™, DJ Hero® 2, Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock and True Crime®: Hong Kong will feature music from some of the most popular and successful recording artists including Grammy® Award winners Usher, Eminem, Soundgarden, Pharrell Williams, David Guetta and other world-renowned musical talents. “Activision’s fall titles are set to give gamers an unparalleled musical experience,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “We have assembled an exceptionally talented roster of artists, many of whom have created exclusive or originally recorded tracks for our games. We are sure our titles will offer a variety of tracks that will appeal to our wide consumer base and delight the most passionate music and gaming fans.“ Players will party together this fall, firing up two turntables and a microphone in DJ Hero 2, the follow-up to the #1 new videogame IP of 2009. Picking up where the award-winning DJ Hero® soundtrack left off, DJ Hero 2 spins together the hottest tracks blazing up the charts and legendary club anthems from the biggest artists in pop, dance and hip hop including R&B superstar Usher’s chart-topping hit “OMG,” with a current audience reach of over 160 million, which will be involved in an upcoming DJ Hero 2 project. The game will feature a host of new world-class DJ’s, including an in-game appearance and hit music from Grammy Award winning artist and multi-platform producer David Guetta. He joins progressive house producer Deadmau5 who delivered some of his hot new tracks and will also be an in-game playable character. Z-Trip spins his encore as part of the DJ Hero crew, having consulted on the game’s development and is delivering two exclusive new mixes. Grammy Award winning recording artist, producer and musician Pharrell Williams brings his unique blend of pop, hip hop and soul to headline the soundtrack for True Crime: Hong Kong the company’s forthcoming open-world/action game. Also on the soundtrack is up and coming R&B, pop and jazz singer Rhea who frequently collaborates with Williams and has performed with N.E.R.D. With orders to “do whatever it takes to become one of them,” players assume the role of undercover detective Wei Shen as he engages in visceral, fast paced martial arts combat, explosive gunfights, high-octane action driving and acrobatic free-running chase sequences in order to infiltrate and bring down one of Hong Kong’s most notorious Triad organizations. In order to survive, Wei must think like them, fight like them, and even kill like them. On November 9, 2010, the newest installment in the biggest action series of all-time and the year’s most anticipated title, Call of Duty: Black Ops, will insert players behind enemy lines during the most dangerous time period mankind has ever known. An epic single player campaign filled with heart-racing action, Call of Duty: Black Ops puts players in the boots of elite special forces units engaged in covert warfare, deniable operations, and explosive conflicts around the globe. The title features an edgy new track from Eminem’s upcoming album “Recovery” scheduled for release June 21st.

UMG PROMOTES NEW VP.
Mitch Rotter has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Marketing and Product Development for Universal Music Distribution (UMD), the major label distribution division of Universal Music Group Distribution (UMGD). The announcement was made today by Amanda Marks, Executive Vice President & General Manager of UMD, to whom Mr. Rotter reports. Formerly, Mr. Rotter served as Vice President, Marketing for the company. With this promotion, Mr. Rotter will add the development of new products, services, marketing tools and systems to his existing responsibilities, which include oversight of central marketing support for all products. "Since joining the company last year, Mitch has quickly proven himself to be an invaluable resource and innovative executive," stated Ms. Marks. "His experience, insight and fresh perspective have created real value for us and our labels.".... "I'm thrilled be taking the next step in my career here at UMD," stated Mr. Rotter. "Amanda and Jim (Urie, President and Chief Executive Officer, UMGD) have built a solid, industry-leading team and I'm proud to be a part of it. Together, we will continue to lead our company's and our industry's evolving distribution activities." Prior to joining UMD, Mr. Rotter served as Senior Vice President of Content Acquisition and Strategy for Thumbplay, where he was responsible for the company's overall content, merchandising, and storefront strategy. He also oversaw Thumbplay's numerous media, marketing and content partnerships. Formerly, Mr. Rotter served as Senior Vice President of Music Development and Soundtracks for New Line Cinema, responsible for monetizing New Line's music assets and overseeing music supervision and soundtrack releases for the studio while launching its first record label, New Line Records. He has also held positions at Capitol Records and American Recordings.

DJ MUGGS & ILL BILL PREP COLLABORATIVE LP
DJ Muggs is one of the industries most talented and best known producers. Since Cypress Hill’s formation in 1991, the pioneering rap-rock quartet has come a long way from the streets of South Central L.A. Over the course of its 19-year history, Cypress Hill has sold more than 17 million albums worldwide, including more than 11 million records in the U.S. alone. The group has garnered 15 multi-platinum, platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA; headlined Lollapalooza, Woodstock and the group's own Smokin' Grooves tour, appeared on "Saturday Night Live," made the late-night talk show circuit---all the while breaking down the musical and cultural barriers between hip-hop, alternative, metal, rock, reggae, ska and Latin music. In 2008, DJ Muggs, along with Cypress Hill received a VH1 Hip Hop Honors, to celebrate the vision and innovation that the group continues to bring to Hip Hop, strengthening its force around the world. Yet, that only touches on what Muggs has done as a member of Cypress Hill, as his highly-influential solo-projects (Soul Assassin Series, Grandmaster’s with Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA) and not to mention producing hits for House of Pain “Jump Around” and Ice Cube “Check Yo Self” among many others. Ill Bill was obviously honored to be working with Muggs, as he affirms “I've always been a huge Muggs fan and his Vs. series is one of the last places to hear the vibe that made albums by Cypress Hill & Gang Starr so dope. Not too many producers can craft an entire album on their own, let alone an album that's a classic. Muggs has done it many times over the past 20 years. It's an honor to be part of that legacy." For the vast majority of his career, whether solo or in a group capacity, Muggs has established a precedent for working hand in hand with artists and creating cohesive bodies of work, rather then spreading around beats from project to project and that rings true once again on Kill Devil Hills "I prefer getting in the lab and actually creating projects with people instead of just sending out beat CDs. I'm a producer in the fullest extent, where I like to not only produce an album; but craft an album. Being able to start a record from the beginning and following through with it, making sure that all the songs compliment each other. I've always come from making albums and producing my records---I'm still into that” relays DJ Muggs. Ill Bill was a founding member of Non Phixion who released their seminal debut, The Future Is Now, in 2002 and has also released two influential solo LP’s. Bill has also released an LP as a member of the bi-coastal conglomerate La Coka Nostra (which also includes Everlast, Danny Boy and DJ Lethal of House Of Pain and newcomer Slaine). Ill Bill’s The Hour Of Reprisal (2008) showed flashes of what the future would hold, as Bill & Muggs collaborated on two tracks (“This Is Who I Am” & “Only Time Will Tell”) for Bill’s most recent solo-LP. CHECK OUT VIDEO ON DJ MUGGS DISCUSS HIS PROCESS ON THE PROJECT - WATCH HERE

RECENT CHALK TALK WITH DRAKE.
In a recent interview with Variety, The 23-year-old Canadian singer-rapper-actor Drake dropped a few comments on his recent success and his upcoming album "Thank Me Later"... "There is a lot of song crafting involved on the new record," he says. "There is a lot of music that will hopefully spark an emotional journey." .. "I try to really capitalize off of what other rappers really can't do," he says. "There are opportunities that rappers I love simply can't get, because… you know...I don't have the tattoos; I have a different image." Among them are a long-term endorsement deal with Sprite, which has sponsored his Away From Home World Tour. "The minute we heard him, we knew he was not the average rapper," says Al Branch, who with hip hop moguls Gee Roberson, Kyambo Joshua and Cortez Bryant, form the management team guiding Drake's career. After gaining the support of controversial rapper Lil Wayne when an associate gave him his mixtape 19 months ago, Drake's career has since been a whirlwind ride driven by his association and collaborations with Rap's Big Four: Jay Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy. "These are the most powerful people in hip hop," says Branch. "In society, you hear how successful black men in American can't work together. In Drake's case, you've got these educated, successful black men all collaborating together for a common goal."

TEAIRRA MARI HEATING UP 2010.
Teairra Mari is sizzlin up 2010. With good-look guest spots from Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy, “Sponsor” has quickly moved into the Top 20 at Urban Radio, prepping Teairra for a scorching summer full of sought after concert performance dates and her appearance on the big screen. August will find the sultry songstress in a substantial role in Warner Bros. Films’ The Lottery Ticket. Opening August 20, The Lottery Ticket features an all-star cast that includes Ice Cube, Bow Wow, Loretta Devine, Mike Epps, and Charlie Murphy. Teairra beat out a number of other high profile young actresses to land the role of sponsor-iffic Nikki Swasey. “I’m like the hot chick in the projects,” laughs Mari, “but something’s not right because I’m still in the projects!” Teairra Mari is no stranger to rocky roads. Signed to Roc-A-Fella Records at just 16-years-old, the Detroit native burst onto the scene in 2005 with her debut album, Roc-A-Fella Presents: Teairra Mari. The album debuted at #2 and spawned a Top 10 single with “Make Her Feel Good,” and a crossover hit with “No Daddy.” But things went awry shortly thereafter prompting the “Princess of the Roc” to receive the phone call, as she was dressing for her senior prom, that she was getting dropped from the label. After a brief dark period, Teairra pulled herself up by her bootstraps. “Name it and claim it!,” she recently told Academy Award winning actress and talk show host Mo’Nique. “No one’s going to pull you up but yourself. No one’s going to give you confidence but you.” It was during that period that she connected with music industry veteran Cudda Love (Mase, Nelly), who quickly signed Teairra to his Fo’ Reel imprint. Cudda and Teairra spent the next two years reintroducing her to fans with buzz tracks "Hunt 4 U" featuring Pleasure P and “Cause a Scene” featuring Flo Rida. "This world is a place where you have to show people. And you have to keep showing them,” says Teairra. “I know people counted me out. I want people to know this is in my heart and this is not something I decided to do just because someone decided to give me a track. This is something I wanted to do my whole life.” So what does Teairra make of all the “Sponsor”-versy? “Personally, I prefer a corporate sponsor,” she told Mo’Nique. “So, right now, Warner Bros. is my sponsor. But no matter what you do – doctor, lawyer, board of education – wherever you get your coins from to pay your bills, that’s your sponsor. Work it!”

JA RULE COULD FACE 4 YEARS ON GUN CHARGES.
Ja Rule could be heading to prison for firearm slash weapons charges. Back in July of 2007 after a show at the Beacon Theater, Ja Rule had his $250,000 Mercedes Maybach pulled over by the police and a .40 caliber pistol was found with the serial number scratched off. Ja Rule later plead not guilty to criminal possession of a weapon and on Ttuesday (June 8.) he suffered a loss in his case as the judge ruled against his challenge of the DNA testing procedure. Although Ja Rule and his lawyers plan to appeal the ruling, Ja Rule faces up to four years in prison when he stands trial on August 18th.

SWISHA PRESENTS YUNG REDD'S EVICTION NOTICE 4
While most of us were taking it easy over the holiday weekend, Yung Redd of Swisha House was wrapping up his latest mixtape Eviction Notice 4, slated to drop this summer Tuesday, July 6th. EV4 will be another classic for Yung Redd while he is rapping over original beats and features artists: Paul Wall, Lil Keke, Trae, Z-Ro and Yung Problems to name a few.

KANYE TO PERFORM AT BET AWARDS 10.
BET is proud to announce and welcome Kanye West to the stage at The 10 year celebration of the BET Awards '10; making this his first major awards show appearance since his appearance on the 2009 MTV VMAs. While West received much backlash and criticism following the VMAs, BET decided to give the performer a spot in music history during its 10 year anniversary special. Viewers can anticipate a dynamic comeback performance. Newly added performances also include Ludacris, DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Drake and many more. Also, slated to perform are T.I., Diddy-Dirty Money, Nicki Minaj, and Trey Songz. The BET Awards '10 will be hosted by Queen Latifah and some presenters confirmed are Taraji P. Henson, and Mike Epps, as well as this
year's Humanitarian Award will be given to John Legend. The BET Awards '10 airs live, Sunday, June 27th 8:00 PM*, from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA.

PRODUCER JAYWAN LANDS DISTRO DEAL WITH UNIVERSAL.
BMI Publishing and Divine Management are pleased to announce that hip hop producer Jaywan has secured a six figure distribution deal with Universal Music Group for his newly created Jaywan Inc. production company. In addition to his distribution deal, Jaywan will also produce tracks for current Universal artists and serve as A&R for future projects as well. This distribution deal comes on the heels of producing the new Jim Jones single “Gift of God” (set to be released through Byrd Gang/E1) and two unspecified tracks off Young Jeezy’s new album Thug Motivation 103. Universal Republic Executive Vice President Cameo Carlson was on hand to congratulate Jaywan on his accomplishments and future success. “I am excited to work with Universal, Cameo and their whole team of music professionals, as we share the same vision for Jaywan Inc. and strive to make major moves in the industry moving forward” added Jaywan. “I believe in the Universal system, and look forward to having the Jaywan brand a stable for many years to come.” Commenting on the signing to Universal Republic, BMI Urban President and Chairman Catherine Brewton said, "Jaywan is one of the fastest rising producers in urban music today. He has created a unique and recognizable sound that is paving the way for hip hop’s newest talent as well as its established veterans. He has played a major role in developing and launching the careers of some of the South’s next up and coming artists in the business today, such as Swazy Baby and JW. We are very proud to have him a part of the BMI Family." Producer Jaywan has enjoyed both critical and commercial success throughout his career, changing music, culture, and perceptions while always remaining true to himself and his vision. Jaywan began his career creating groundbreaking music as a dj at some of Atlanta’s and Chicago’s hottest and most influential nightclubs. He moved on to produce tracks for Gucci Mane, Swazy Baby, JW, Paul Wall, Bone Thugs n Harmony, Trey Songz, Twista, Jim Jones, Cam’Ron, Young Jeezy, and many others.

LOWEST WEEK IN ALBUM SALES HISTORY!
Billboard Magazine reports show that the last full sales week (the week ending May 30th) was the fewest number of albums sold in a one-week period since Soundscan started keeping track of data back in 1994. In reality the industry thinks this is the lowest amount of albums sold since the early 1970s. Last week only 4,984,000 albums were sold, compared to the same week last year which saw almost six million units scanned (5.76). The highest one-week sales total was in late December (of 2000) in which 45.4 million albums were sold.

DESTINY'S CHILD REUNION RUMORS ARE FALSE - Statement from Mathew Knowles:
"Contrary to rumors online of a Destiny's Child reunion, there are no plans for the group to reunite for a performance or album. The rumors are false. Destiny's Child made an unprecedented impact in contemporary music, becoming one of the best-selling groups of all time. Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams have each moved on to successful solo careers. The members remain close, but will not reunite as a group."

LIMEWIRE HIT WITH A 2 WEEKS NOTICE.
Thirteen big record companies want to freeze assets of the provider of file-sharing service LimeWire, accusing its founder of fraudulently trying to evade hundreds of millions of dollars in damages over copyright infringement. U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood last month found that Lime Wire LLC assisted users in pirating digital recordings, and that founder Mark Gorton personally "directed and benefited from many of the activities" that resulted in liability. In papers filed on Monday in Manhattan federal court, lawyers for the record companies said Gorton has moved "significant" assets, including nearly 90 percent of Lime Wire's ownership stakes, to an entity he "openly" hopes will be shielded from damages that could top $1 billion. The assets allegedly moved were blacked out in the papers. Gorton and affiliated defendants "have engaged in a series of fraudulent actions" to "frustrate a legal judgment in this case," the papers said. "An asset freeze is required in order to ensure that plaintiffs recover at least some of the monetary compensation they are entitled to." Last week, the record companies also sought a permanent injunction to halt piracies. It said that despite Wood's ruling, Lime Wire appeared to have done nothing "to change its illegal ways," and that every recording on Billboard's Top 40, Top 40 Country, Top 40 Rock and Top 40 Latin Pop charts were still available to download through LimeWire software. According to court records, Wood on Monday also granted the requests of two law firms to stop representing Lime Wire: Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, and Porzio, Bromberg & Newman PC. A Lime Wire spokeswoman said: "We will continue to stay focused on the development of our new music service and ensure that the company continues business as usual." She added that the change in law firms had been planned before the latest court filings, saying: "We were looking for a better firm." The file-sharing service has been given at least two more weeks to live. District Judge Kimba Wood gave LimeWire's laywers two weeks to respond to the RIAA's motion. Once LimeWire files its response, the RIAA gets another two weeks in turn to reply to that response, though Judge Wood could theoretically make a ruling any time after the LimeWire filing. After Monday's hearing, LimeWire released a statement, saying, "We feel a permanent injunction is not the best course of action," the company said. "It could hold back the creation of new digita-music technologies that LimeWire is in the process of developing, and it does not benefit the industry as a whole. Following today's court appearance, we will be submitting our opposition brief."

RHYMEFEST DROPS REVOLUTIONARY 3D VIDEO
Rhymefest continues to build anticipation for the highly anticipated LP with the announcement of Hip Hop’s first three-dimensional music video. The video, produced by veteran videographer Konee Rok, features Rhymefest and Little Brother’s Phonte for El Che’s first official single, “Say Wassup.” The first in a series of graphically groundbreaking videos, “Say Wassup” is predicted to change rap videos in the same light that Avatar changed motion pictures. Following “Say Wassup,” fans can expect to see a video for every song on El Che. With the comic book themed “Chicago,” and the Merry Melodies inspired “Give It To Me” already buzzing online, Rhymefest promises to deliver more visual gems with “Prosperity,” “City is Falling,” and “Talk My S**t” hitting the net soon. According to Rhymefest, “because my fans have been so patient with El Che, I want to give them things they’ve never seen or heard before. That’s what makes El Che revolutionary on multiple levels.” In addition to the world class visuals that will accompany El Che, Rhymefest’s label, dN|Be Entertainment, also recently announced that a limited quantity of red cassettes will be released for the album. Dubbed the “Red Tape,” the cassette will feature all 16 tracks from Rhymefest’s long awaited sophomore effort. As well, a transparent, prison-safe cassette will also be released for El Che. The clear cassettes will feature no screws and are approved for usage by inmates in most prisons. WATCH THE 3D VIDEO HERE

BAY AREA POWERHOUSE KMEL ANNOUNCES THE BAY'S TOP FRESHMEN.
KMEL 106.1 FM, one of the nation's premier Urban Contemporary stations serving over 1 million listeners in California's Bay Area, released their first annual list of the Bay's fastest rising hip-hop stars. The list is the brainchild of DJ Amen, one of the station's on-air talents. When asked about the criteria for choosing artists, DJ Amen commented, "We searched for artists who, despite having little to no radio play, have a strong presence and the potential to be the next big thing locally, and hopefully beyond." With growing national recognition for artists like DaVinci and international buzz for artists like Nio Tha Gift, KMEL's choices echo a growing consensus from the global hip-hop community on who will be the next generation of stars from Northern California. KMEL has been instrumental in launching the careers of other Bay Area greats like Tupac, MC Hammer, E-40, and Too $hort. The station's Freshmen list is likely to follow in this tradition, by tipping off record executives and media outlets nationwide to Bay Area acts they should be aware of. DJ Amen will host a media mixer on June 17th at SOM in San Francisco to celebrate the list and allow the press to become more familiar with these rising stars. Bay Area based record labels Interdependent Media and SWTBRDS, who both have artists on the coveted list are pleased with KMEL's commitment to supporting local talent. Says Interdependent Media’s Ian Davis, "The Bay Area has always had a strong rap scene and it is always growing. Every so often we have a wave of new artists who come out and leave their mark. This latest batch selected by KMEL, including our artists Moe Green and TRUTHLiVE, are some of the most exciting, creative, and talented artists to hit the scene in some time.” SWTBRDS artist DaVinci adds, “To have a major radio station like KMEL support me is immensely humbling and motivating because we are as indie as it gets, we don¹t have deep pockets; we just have ears for making good music and market ourselves well.” While the labels that represent The Freshmen see the marketing and commercial potential of inclusion on the elite list, some artists are simply proud to receive the honor. “Its a blessing. You remember listening to 106 when you were just a kid, and then to hear yourself on that same station... its unexplainable. I just appreciate people like DJ Amen, the people at KMEL, and everybody else involved for taking notice to what I got going,” exclaimed San Francisco based rapper Roach Gigz. The Freshmen list is another benchmark for KMEL which celebrated 20 years of urban programming in 2007. The Clear Channel Communications company was instrumental in popularizing the Bay Area's "hyphy" movement in the early 2000’s, and is the longest tenured urban station in California.
The full KMEL Freshmen 10 list in no particular order is:

KIDZ IN THE HALL INK DEAL WITH MTV/VH1.
MTV & VH1 have acquired Kidz In The Hall's complete album, Land of Make Believe, for upcoming placement opportunities in the Network's original programming. Over the next 6 months, Kidz In the Hall's music will be tastefully incorporated into MTV, VH1 & Comedy Central shows & specials. This Sunday, June 6th, during the MTV Movie awards (9PM EST/8PM CST), Kidz In The Hall's song "Running," from their recent album, Land of Make Believe, will air during a Jersey Shore special. Snookie & J Wow are leaving the rainy north for a road trip to sunny Miami. The segment may be the opening scene for the first episode of the upcoming Jersey Shore 2 season.

PLIES AND YOUNG JEEZY BACK OUT OF VH1 HIP HOP HONORS.
Florida's hottest rapper Plies explains why he didn't perform at the 2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors show. apparently there was a scheduling conflict since Plies had to push the release date of his latest album from May 25th to June 8th in order to lower the album street price for his fans. As a result, Plies feels that it is important to focus on his fans and the days leading up to the release of his fourth album Goon Affiliated. "I had to make a choice between personally meeting with my fans during my album promo tour or performing at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors and the choice was easy -fans come first," explains Plies. Ironically, not only will Florida's biggest rapper Plies not be attending or performing, but Young Jeezy, Georgia's hottest rapper right now will also not be in attendance at VH1's Hip Hop Honors specifically celebrating The South. Young Jeezy is one of the rappers featured on Plies fourth album dropping June 8th with their collaboration Look Like also featuring Fabolous.

EMI APPOINTS NEW EVP/GM.
EMI Music has appointed Mike Harris as EVP/GM for EMI Label Services and Caroline Distribution, the company’s third party artist and label unit. Harris will lead the division on a worldwide basis from New York City. He will report to Dominic Pandiscia, who since 2008 has led EMI Label Services’ expansion and was recently named EVP for EMI Music Services in North America. In his new role, Harris will take on worldwide responsibility for EMI Label Services’ full-service division that provides independent labels and artists with a global menu of services and access to an expanding range of revenue streams. "Mike was invaluable in helping me define EMI Label Services’ unique blueprint and he knows what’s important to independent labels and artists. He’s the perfect guy to continue our expansion. Mike also has great relationships throughout the industry," said Pandiscia. "He’s been a big part of building global careers for many artists and he knows what it takes to help labels excel on a worldwide stage."... "I’m really excited to work with the growing number of artists and labels who’ve responded to EMI Label Services’ flexible approach," said Harris. "What we offer is truly unique: a global, customized strategy and execution to support independent artists and label groups. I have worked with Dominic closely for many years. He’s built a great foundation that has really resonated with independent community, and I’m looking forward to extending our services to even more artists and labels around the world."

50 CENT TALKS WEIGHT LOSS AND NEW ALBUM
50 Cent recently spoke on his massive weight loss, new album and new movie. 50, who normally weighs 214 lbs dropped down to 160 lbs just after nine weeks on a liquid diet. 50 said his upcoming film, which he wrote, that he tried to emmulate what his character looked like during the illness which centers around the films plot. "Yeah, it was a lot for me to actually get there. After the second week, it was crazy. They say it takes 30 days to make a habit, but man. I was on the Internet and I was looking at Christian Bale, while The Machinist was out, he almost killed himself...."I was feeling like maybe I'm overdoing it and I'm dropping 54 pounds, but I was in such a good physical state prior to me deciding to go down on the weight." Beyond his liquid diet, 50 said his upcoming album “Black Magic” is in the works. 50 says he was inspired by singers Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield. “It’s still got a soulful vibe to it and that’s why I called it Black Magic. I had some Marvin Gaye-inspired stuff, some things that content-wise would feel like something Curtis Mayfield would do from my perspective, and just the choices of how the cadences on the records were like performance music that they did in the past. It feels brand new. If I didn’t tell you it was inspired by that, you wouldn’t know that I got it from that. I didn’t say the same things that they said; it’s just my perspective on what they offered.”

NEW TUPAC BIOPIC ON DECK.
Antonie Fuqua (Director of “Training Day),” says he is currently working on a Tupac Shakur biopic that should going into production this fall. “It looks like we’re doing Tupac Shakur’s movie next in September, that’s what I’ve been starting up and working on now,” he said. “I’ve been working on that for a while with Morgan Creek and Jim Robinson. I just got the greenlight from him and we’re going in September. I’ve just started to prep that.” Fuqua added that he is hoping to find an unknown actor to portray Pac. “That’s the goal, I want to discover someone new,” he explained. “I want to discover a lot of new people if I can. Obviously I’m going to have to put some people in it that you know, just because actors have different skills. I want to go to the streets and find him anywhere he might be in the world.”

PRESIDENT LEAVING WARNER MUSIC'S CATALOG DIVISION.
Rhino Entertainment president Scott Pascucci will be replaced by executive VP/general manager Kevin Gore at the top of Warner Music Group's catalog division. Pascucci will remain on board as a consultant through the transition. He joined Rhino, briefly known as Warner Strategic Marketing, in September 2001 from Sony Music Entertainment, where he had been senior VP of business affairs, new technology and business development. Gore moved to Rhino in 2002 from Universal Classics Group, where he was president. Pascucci's exit comes nine months after the company laid off 30 to 40 staffers in the face of waning sales for physical catalog product. A statement from the division said in part, "Rhino's long-term strategy remains on course and our commitment to our core principles -- creating the best most informative, innovative, and fun CD, vinyl, and digital music products, and doing everything we can to showcase the amazing artists, music and brands with whom we work -- is unwavering."

RIHANNA AND WEEZY LINK UP WITH EM.
Eminem has posted on his site the track list and album cover for his new album, Recovery. The album is due on June 22 and will feature Lil Wayne on "No Love," Rihanna on "Love The Way You Lie" and P!nk on "Won't Back Down." The album features production from Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Boi-1da, DJ Khalil, Jim Jonson and D12's Mr. Porter. The lead single, "Not Afraid," is already a hit-- it debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart earlier this month. Released digitally on May 3, "Not Afraid" sold 380,000 downloads in its first week.

R.I.P. GARY COLEMAN.
Gary Coleman has died at the age of 42 after suffering a brain hemorrhage that left him in a coma and on life support, multiple news sources have confirmed. The 'Diff'rent Strokes' actor was taken to the hospital on Wednesday, and his condition deteriorated as the days went on. After being on life support for at least a day, his family made the decision to pull the plug. Coleman was taken to the hospital on May 26 after injuring his head during a fall, resulting in a brain hemorrhage. A spokesman for the actor said that he was "conscious and lucid" upon his arrival at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah, but later slipped into a coma.

SKYZOO X ILL MIND PREP NEW ALBUM.
Skyzoo has joined forces with highly producer/beat smith Illmind (G Unit, Boot Camp Click, Red Man, Little Brother) for what will be an exciting producer/MC album. Dropping on Duck Down Music in the Fall, the full length LP, 'Live from the Tape Deck,' will see the Brooklyn-based duo of Skyzoo and Illmind doing what they do best -- dropping hard-hitting beats over ‘rewind factor’ rhymes. “It’s not rocket science,” says Skyzoo. “There won't be any deep undertones or personal records like The Salvation; just dope beats and rhymes that's better than everything else out.” And with a history of dope collabo joints in the bag and a chemistry that can’t be replicated, these two creative forces plan to present raw hip hop with a unique, cohesive sound only they can produce. “Back in the day, it was always like that,” stresses Skyzoo. “When you look at Eric B and Rakim, EPMD, NWA, A Tribe Called Quest and groups like that -- you had one producer with one sound and one theme. That’s what we plan to bring with this project.” But don’t get it twisted; Live from the Tape Deck isn’t a throw back to that 90’s sound. Skyzoo explains, “The reason it’s called Live from the Tape Deck is because when labels made cassette tapes, it just so happens that was when records were dope. Once the option of buying a cassette in a store was gone, that’s when things changed and music got whack.” Illmind elaborates, “You know it’s not going to be some typical shit -- it’s going to be honest. Not throwback. Not boom bap. It’s going to be some 2010 shit with one of the best MC’s in the game.”

SWIZZ BEATZ & ALICIA KEYS ENGAGED & PREGNANT?
Looks like the rumors are true. The Associated Press reports that Alicia Keys is pregnant after reps for the couple confirmed the news last night. The couple are scheduledto be married this summer. This will be Alicia Keys’ first child and Swizzy’s third. Swizz Beatz already has two sons, one from his previous marriage with Mashonda.

WYCLEF AKA DR.FUGEE?
Wyclef Jean can now add another distinguished honor to his long list of achievements: The Haitian-born Jean was awarded an honorary doctorate on May 23 from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. Dr. Jean delivered a commencement speech, titled "Vision for the Future," to the graduating class of 2010 and was presented a check from the university in the amount of $9,500 for his organization, Yéle Haiti. Founded in 2005, Yéle Haiti was one of the leading organizations that stepped up to the plate in the aftermath of this year's earthquake in Haiti. Jean, who came from humble beginnings, stated that he had to "ride a donkey to school in Haiti" and stressed the importance of perseverance. "I lived in a one-room shack. When I came to America, I didn't speak a word of English. Today I am able to travel the world, reach people with my music, work on behalf of my native Haiti and even speak at a college commencement." Challenging WCSU's class of 2010 to have a vision for the future and embark on their dreams, Jean stated: "Create a vision based on your specific gifts, talents and tools. There is greatness in simply being you and using your skill to do something with your vision -- and to put your personal plan in motion."

BRANDY & RAY J, CHILLI, BASKETBALL WIVES RE-UP.
VH1 announced today that its latest hit series "Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business," "Basketball Wives" and "What Chilli Wants" have all been picked up for second seasons.
Closing out their first seasons, "Basketball Wives" and "What Chilli Wants" finale on Sunday, May 30th at 10PM* and 10:30PM* respectively. "Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business" will finale on Sunday, June 27 at 9PM*. "VH1 viewers connected strongly with these three new series this year, and we're so happy that we can continue to share these real-life stories from the worlds of music and celebrity. Will Chilli really ever let down her guard in her quest for love? How well will Brandy and Ray J step up in their family business? And how will the 'Basketball Wives' move forward in their complicated lives? We're looking forward to answering those questions in their next cycles," said Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President, Original Programming & Production, VH1.

THE PACK RELEASE WEST COAST TOUR DATES.
Bay Area trendsetters, The Pack, are preparing to hit the road with Chiddy Bang, the buzzworthy hit makers who are currently enjoying rave reviews of the mash-up styled sound. The 'Opposite of Adults' tour, will also feature performances by XV and 2am Club. The first leg of the tour hits 15 cities beginning on June 6 at Nuemos in Seattle, and is tentatively scheduled to hit the Midwest and East Coast starting in August. The Pack Tour Dates With Chiddy Bang:

TRINA TO LAUNCH AMAZIN’ COSMETICS
Katrina “Trina” Taylor, whose still reeling from the success of her 5th album AMAZIN’ which was released this month and debuted #1 on the Independent Billboard charts and #2 on the Billboard Rap Charts, is launching a cosmetics line this June titled Amazin’ Cosmetics. In conjunction with the launch of Amazin’ Cosmetics, Trina is joining forces with the Carma foundation for Amazing Gloss for An Amazing Cause to help raise funds to assist the orphans of Haiti devastated by the earthquake. Trina’s “Baddest Chick” Collection includes two lines: Amazin Cosmetics and Million Dollar Girl apparel. The Amazin Cosmetic line debuted with Amazin’ Lip Wear which consists of a modern palette of vibrant lip glosses with a built in sponge applicator to give your lips an extra luscious boost of shine; Amazin’ Eyelashes which are re-usable glamorous diamond studded eyelashes that instantly give a stunning beautiful look. Each set comes with tweezers and adhesive; Finally, the Amazin’ Perfume line currently includes two fragrances Diamond Princess and Diamond Doll. Coming this fall the line will introduce a new fragrance “Pink Diamond”. Amazin cosmetics reflects Trina’s iconic presence and sex appeal as seen on stage or as she dazzles them on the red carpet. Amazin’ Cosmetics will partner with Melky Jean’s (Wycleff’s sister) Carma Foundation to assist orphans who continue to be impacted by the catastrophic event in Haiti. Trina was moved by the countless number of abandoned children left on the streets of Haiti and decided to “do something”. She pledged her support by donating a portion of the proceeds from gloss sales to assist Carma Foundation and the Mayor of Port Au Prince Haiti in restoring hope for the children of Haiti.

LIL KIM ON BOARD WITH JAY-Z?
Lil Kim has reportedly joined Jay-Z's Roc Nation (New York based Roc Nation is management, music publishing and Entertainment Company founded by Jay-Z in 2009). The Label has the following signed artists Jay-Z, Rita Ora, J.Cole Bridget Kelly, Alexis Jordon, Range, Hugo And Kanye West. According to various reports, Kim becomes the Roc's latest signee, and will have the pleasure of Jay-Z executive-producing her next solo album. Nothing has been officially announced by Kim or Roc Nation, but industry insiders have confirmed the deal has been inked. Not sure if Roc Nation will serve as Kim's management or if she is signed as an artist to the record label arm of the company. We'll keep ya posted.

AL COE ON DECK.
Hot newcomer Al Coe is bringing his A-game with his hot new single "Gucci Shoe Shopping" packed with fresh beats and Al Coe's unique musical style, making what's sure to be a nationwide hit while still being as unique as the artist himself. Born “Alex Aiken” known to the streets as “AL Coe” began making music a couple years ago when he started to realize that he had a unique gift that he wanted to share with the world and that’s when his journey began. Al would stay in the studio for many hours at a time perfecting his craft, working on songs whether for himself or for other artists. He loved writing songs and bringing it to life with the artist. Al would always say “Everybody wants to rap but everybody can’t make good music”. When he makes music, he incorporates his personality and flavor to create his own unique sound. He strives to one day touch people all over the world from all walks of life. In 2008, he started working with producers in the industry who have worked with major artist like: LL Cool J, DMX, Nas, Fifty cent and many more. Al also opened shows for artists like Plies, Shorty Lo, Trina, Remy Martin (just to name a few). Now, he is currently living in Atlanta, GA. He’s networking, meeting new people and bringing his project to life. His Hot Single “She a Freak” is currently being played on Hot 107.9 Atlanta Hip Hop Station on the 9’ o clock music mix daily. In the past decade, footprints have been left from many entertainers like Fifty Cent, Kanye West, and Chris Brown. Every few years someone new steps on the scene: “Do we really have to ask whose next?” "Gucci Shoe Shopping" featuring Trina is the new hit single is taking over the charts right now in Atlanta as well as New York with it's catchy style. The single features a fresh beat as well as a catchy hook. Al Coe's hit making prowess is evident in this song.

JURY ACQUITS MAN IN DOLLA KILLING
A jury has acquitted a man of killing Atlanta rapper Dolla during a shooting at an upscale Los Angeles mall. Jurors on Friday rejected prosecutors' contentions that the killing of Dolla, whose real name was Roderick Anthony Burton II, was a callous act of apparent revenge. Burton and his accused shooter, Aubrey Louis Berry, had been involved in a fight at an Atlanta club less than two weeks before the shooting last May. Berry hugged his attorney after the verdict was read while Burton's family sobbed. Berry's attorney had contended the shooting was an act of self-defense, emphasizing that Burton glorified a violent gangster lifestyle in his rap lyrics and online videos. The rapper was a protege of hip-hop artist Akon.

THE PACK LANDS NEW DEAL.
SMC Recordings continues to attract some of the hottest artist’s out-adding to its already stellar roster. Their most recent signee is former Jive Records act, The Pack. The young group first made headlines in 2006, when their trendsetting hit single “Vans”, took over the airwaves. It was named #5 in the Rolling Stone’s Top 50 songs list for that year, and has sold 300,000 to date. The Berkeley, CA based group, comprised of members; Lil Uno, Young L, Lil B and Stunnaman were discovered by Hip Hop legend Too $hort, who signed them to Jive Records. They released an album and an EP with the label, quickly achieving a large following for their unique and edgy sound created by in-house producer and group member Young L. They appeal to everyone from hip hop heads to skate boarders. Their music’s influence has had great reach; even making its way into famed comedian; Dave Chappell Skits, who brought up their popular song “Vans” to the delight of the audience at a recent show. "I tried signing The Pack when “Vans” broke but how could I compete with Too $hort?” remembers SMC Recording’s Chief Operating Officer, Will Bronson. -- “The Pack has always been ahead of the curve and with this new album, the songs are stellar and they've truly evolved into stars. We've got so much in store for these guys its incredible," The Pack’s first album on SMC Recordings, Wolfpack Party, features production by Young L with additional help from hit making new comers The Cataracs keeping them musically as leaders of “the pack”. “The Pack is a great fit for our label, as we have proven success with these niche groups of Hip Hop artists. With their crossover appeal and a sound that stays one step ahead of the trends, they add incredible depth and prestige to our roster” said SMC CEO Ralph Tashjian. The group has is currently putting the finising touches to their SMC debut and preparing for their Summer tour.

NECRO RESPONDS TO HUMAN TRAFFIC KING PETITION.
Hip-hop's own King of Death Rap recently released his sixth full-length album, DIE!
Recently, Necro's video for the song "Human Traffic King" has become the object of controversy and an online petition to force a venue to stop him from performing the song. Necro has responded by releasing this statement: "Okay, for the record, I will officially say, I DO NOT SUPPORT HUMAN TRAFFICKING! I am not making this statement to censor myself, or to try to make anyone happy. I am doing this to set the record straight, and to address the organization petitioning me, The Barnaba Institute: am a rap artist from the streets and I always speak the truth as I see it. I do not support women being kidnapped and used for prostitution by organized crime. I run a record company and release brutally explicit hip-hop albums for a living. I have a mother and niece I love, as well as female fans all over the world that I love and I would never want to see them in a position where they were victims of human trafficking. My female fans support me 100%. They understand my sick insane art, and they know it's just that: art. They are intelligent enough to recognize the difference. Let me make something else clear: I DO SUPPORT insane explicit brutal art, and everything I record and release is based on reality. Human trafficking is a very real and serious subject that has never been touched on by any hip-hop artist. I am the first, but you shouldn't crucify me for showing you the brutal truth. My "Human Traffic King" video is not anti or pro, it's just art, it just is. It's viewing reality and brutal like a horror movie. Do we persecute movie directors for making brutal gore films with people being viciously killed? NO, these movies are in movie theatres and retail stores all over the world raking in millions, so why when a musical artist does that same form of art through music should it be judged differently? I was raised on gore flicks and low budget horror movies, so when I make art it has that exploitational feel to it because that's how I like to paint pictures. The thing that always made exploitational films so good is that they were more true to life than blockbuster movies; more dark, gritty, and realistic. So yes, my video is fucked up. Why? Because human trafficking is fucked up, plain and simple. Any female watching the video can see what could happen if she isn't careful in this world. I DO NOT SUPPORT HUMAN TRAFFICKING, but I DO SUPPORT FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE RIGHT TO CREATE ART THAT IS TRUE TO LIFE. You have the right not to watch it, or to watch it and learn from it, you can even hate me, but don't misunderstand the director or writer for his creation or depiction of reality You heard it from me personally, if you wanna debate my views, fine, but don't twist my words into what you want them to be.

HOV AND WIFE BE GO HEAD UP.
Jay-Z tops the list of nominees for the 2010 BET Awards with five noms. Him and wife Beyonce go head up in three categories, including video of the year. Beyonce, Melanie Fiona, Alicia Keys and Trey Songz each have four nominations. Other multiple nominees include Rihanna, Maxwell, Drake and Fabolous. Films competing for the BET Award for film are "Avatar," "Law Abiding Citizen," "Michael Jackson's This Is It," "Precious" and "The Blindside." Noms were announced Tuesday in New York. The BET Awards will be held June 27 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Queen Latifah will host.

FONTANA PARTNERS WITH RAP-A-LOT
Fontana, the independent distribution arm of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, has signed an exclusive distribution deal with critically-acclaimed Rap-A-Lot Records, it was announced today by Ron Spaulding, President of Fontana, and James Smith (a.k.a. J. Prince), Founder of Rap-A-Lot Records. Rap-A-Lot Records was created in Houston in 1986, putting the South on the hip-hop map with its most famous act, The Geto Boys. Rap-A-Lot has
continued to focus on rap by navigating the careers of Devin The Dude, Tela, Yukmouth, Do or Die, Scarface, Z-Ro, Bun B, Pimp C, and Trae Tha Truth, among many others. Rap-A-Lot has released almost 200 titles to date and recently launched the upcoming celebration of the label's 25th Anniversary. The company will mark the anniversary with releases from Z-Ro, Bun B, Pimp C and several themed compilations using select songs from Rap-A-Lot's extensive catalog. "I have been doing business with James Prince and Rap-A-Lot for a long time and it is an honor to welcome his entire team to Fontana. James is a true music visionary and has established Rap-A-Lot as one of the great pioneers of southern hip-hop, a true original," stated Mr. Spaulding. "And
as they approach their well-earned milestone of 25 years in the industry, Fontana is thrilled to embrace their innovation, rich catalog and talented artists as we play a role in the next exciting chapter of their history." "I am excited about Rap-A-Lot Records' new journey and the opportunity
to work with Jim Urie (President & CEO, Universal Music Group Distribution) and Ron, two music executives that I have the utmost respect for," added J Prince. "I believe in the Universal/Fontana system and I look forward to having the Rap-A-Lot brand be a part of the #1 music company."

T.I. CHOPS IT UP WITH LARRY KING
T.I. chopped it up with Larry King last Thursday night for his first in-depth interview since leaving prison. T.I. spoke about the circumstances that led to his arrest for attempting to illegally purchase firearms in October 2007, as well as how he has grown and moved on from the incident. T.I. said he has truly put the "trouble" behind him and that he does not own a weapon now. But his desire to purchase one stemmed from the shooting death of his best friend. "It came from an attempt that was made on my life," T.I. explained to King on CNN. "My best friend [Philant Johnson] had died in my arms. It caused a state of depression and paranoia. My judgment was jaded, and I felt my life was in danger. At the time, when I felt the need to have these things, I never took into consideration the legalities; I only took into consideration the protection of my life and family." He added that being in jail gave him plenty of time to get introspective. "In having time to sit and reflect, if you take the time and use it to your advantage, you see [that], even though all those rounds were fired that night, you didn't have a firearm and you're still here," T.I. said. "Obviously, the firearms aren't what's keeping you alive. I had to take that into consideration. I had to apply it to the way I live my daily life." T.I. said he is now focusing on his future, working with at-risk youth and taking care of his six children. However, he did not shirk any of the responsibility for what happened. "The main thing I can do to protect myself in the future is to understand my position," he said. "I can't put myself in an environment where it will require me to have a handgun. I just stay places where I can be cool. I have security now. I take full responsibility for everything that happened to me. I'm a full believer that your life is what you make it. Society doesn't owe you anything."

HOV AND EM ANNOUNCE STADIUM SHOWS.
Jay-Z and Eminem announced that they'll co-headline two shows at their hometown baseball stadiums. The Rap vets will play Detroit's Comerica Park on September 2 and New York's Yankee Stadium on September 13. The last time Eminem headlined a show was at the New Orleans Voodoo Music Experience in October 2009. "This is a once in a lifetime set of shows, and I know we're both really going to bring it to our hometowns," said Eminem. "The fans are going to love this, and so am I. It's gonna be historic."... "These shows are like a dream come true," Jay-Z added. "I've always hoped that hip-hop could play any stadium like other genres of music. How perfect is it that Eminem and I get to play our hometowns and show how far the live rap experience has come?"

DETROIT RAPPER J CLEAR ON DECK.
The rap world is at a crossroads. In the face of shrinking budgets, music executives, resting on their laurels, search out the next YouTube sensation with a catchy hook and dance move in order to amass digital single sales. While many artists have tried to break through despite an industry melt down, few have been met with praise... and the applause for those that have has not been loud enough to sway the course of the current rap market. Looking to excel where his contemporaries have failed, Detroit native J Clear brings promise of a new day in hip hop music. Choosing his name because, the twenty-something describes himself as a versatile lyricist who can touch on numerous topics while maintaining his own identity. After a brief hiatus J Clear returns with his mixtape "The Greatest Rapper You've Never Heard". A mash up of soul filled sound beds, raw, energetic drums and an endless range of topics.

GUCCI MANE RELEASED FROM JAIL.
Gucci Mane was released from prison today after serving six months for violating his probationon an assault charge. The Atlanta rapper scheduled a press conference early this morning to announce plans for a nationwide tour this July to promote his forthcoming album "The Appeal. Around 12:30, Gucci Mane walked out and, with his nose buried in a piece of paper, quietly read a statement amid flashing lights and a sea of tape recorders. "I have made some mistakes in my life that have hurt a lot of people who care about me. I have worked very hard to get past them, but those mistakes have brought me to where I am today, and they will not be repeated. These past six months have been a difficult time, but fortunately I have learned a great deal from my experience. I was able to do a great deal of soul searching; I am coming out with a new attitude towards life." After pleading guilty to assault in 2005, he was sentenced to serve time for a probation violation -- failing to fulfill his court-ordered community service. He went to jail right as his latest album, "The State vs. Radric Davis," which features Keyshia Cole, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, Keri Hilson and Usher, was being released. "I was forced to miss what should have been one of the proudest moments in my life. This is something that I will make sure never happens again. My time in jail was trying, but I grew from it and am now a stronger and better person. I want to continue on a positive track and truly focus on being a role model to my fans and my community." The rapper said he has launched a new label, 1017 Brick Squad Records in affiliation with Asylum/Warner Brothers Records and that he would be recording with rapper Wacka Flocka Flame in the near future. He told the crowd that his new album, The Appeal, is scheduled for a summer release and that he would be going on a nationwide tour starting in July to promote it. SEE VIDEO HERE

RZA AND UNIVERSAL FORGE MOVIE DEAL.
Universal is making a deal to finance and distribute The Man With The Iron Fists, a stylized martial arts film that will mark the feature directorial debut of RZA, the Wu-Tang Clan co-founder who has written the screenplay with Eli Roth. RZA will play the title character, a blacksmith who forges weapons for the inhabitants of a village in feudal China. They are forced to defend themselves, and before you know it, everybody is kung fu fighting. Roth will produce with Strike Entertainment's Marc Abraham and Eric Newman. RZA will also produce the soundtrack. The film shoots in September in Hong Kong at a budget under $20 million. Roth said that Iron Fists was forged under the creative godfathering of Tarantino and has the stylized period vibe present in Kill Bill. "It started with a trip RZA and I took with Quentin to Iceland in 2005," Roth said. "We flew back, ended up snowed in in Boston, staying at my parents' house in Newton. Turned out that my dad and RZA grew up in Brooklyn and went to the same Brownsville junior high school and swam in the same public pool. He hooked me on his dream of directing and reinventing the Kung Fu movie genre. It reminded me of my love of horror. RZA went to the set of Kill Bill, and got a master directing course from Quentin. Nothing was happening with the script, and I formed this company, Arcade, with Eric Newman, that made Last Exorcism, a film that comes out in August through Lionsgate. We were looking for projects and I suggested RZA's script. I wrote the latest draft with him. While I was away shooting Inglourious Basterds, RZA went to China to shoot test footage on his own, with all the choreography. It was very visual and I think he will bring to life a script that mixes kung fu with a spaghetti Western mindset and a hip hop influence. "RZA has imagined every tribe, every fighting style, every costume," Roth said. "He knows kung fu like I know horror."

DMX REFUSES CELEB REHAB--JUDGE DENIES BAIL
An Arizona Judge has reportedly denied locked up rapper, DMX, bail and the opportunity to leave jail to attend Dr Drew’s “Celebrity Rehab” television show. DMX is already in a rehab while he’s in jail. According to the local paper, the judge denied DMX petition for simply one reason, he’s already doing well in the substance abuse program in prison. Previously we reported that DMX had filed a lawsuit from jail. According to the New York Times, DMX has reportedly filed a $1 million dollar lawsuit against Rich Kid Entertainment over unpaid royalties. He filed suit Monday against Rich Kid Entertainment, charging that the entertainment company pocketed 100% of the funds from a contract signed a decade ago that was only supposed to provide a 10% cut. “DMX has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has had #1 singles and albums on the Billboard charts, which in turn have generated a great amount of revenue for Defendants, but has left DMX with nothing,” the suit says. The suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, says DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, didn’t even become aware of the “fraudulent acts” until last year – because he had bigger problems. “From 2000 through 2008, Simmons was in and out of jail and changed representatives numerous times,” the suit says. Source: NY Daily News

YUNG JOC AND SWAGG TEAM ENT INK RECORDING AND PRODUCTION DEAL.
Yung Joc has inked a recording deal through his own imprint, Swagg Team Entertainment with Polo Grounds Music/RCA Music Group and a production deal with Battery/Jive Records for emerging acts through Swagg Team Entertainment. "It is my pleasure and honor to announce my affiliation and new partnership with Polo Grounds Music/RCA Music Group and Battery/Jive Records,” states Yung Joc. “Now I can actually work and not wonder if I'm going to be held back from building my own brand as well as the Swagg Team brand. I'm very excited to work with this team.” As an artist signed to Polo Grounds Music/RCA Music Group, Yung Joc is currently working on his new album tentatively titled Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood, slated for a late 2010 release. “Joc is a triple threat. As an artist, executive and personality, he is now entering a higher phase of his career and I’m happy to play a part in it,” affirms Bryan Leach, President, Polo Grounds Music. “I feel with Pitbull, Yo Gotti and now Yung Joc, Polo Grounds has an amazing front line of smart, talented, hungry artists that will continue to show why it’s still all about making hit records and outworking everyone else.” Tom Corson, EVP, General Manager, RCA Music Group cites “The signing of Yung Joc as both an executive and entertainer is a testament to the great talent that he possesses. His addition to the Polo Grounds Music roster will further establish the label’s strong foothold in urban music.”

FORMER FLIPMODE MEMBER - BABY SHAM ON DECK.
Baby Sham, a former member of Busta Rhymes', now defunct, FlipMode Squad, is currently readying the release of his long-in-the-making, "official" solo outing, Fabric Of Time. The set is being introduced by its impressive lead offering, "So Fresh," and is scheduled to bow this July. Sham grew up on the 41st side of the Queensbridge housing projects, which also birthed the likes of Hip-Hop pioneers MC Shan, Roxanne Shante', Nas & Marley Marl, and at age fifteen took up the art of emceeing full-time. As one sixth of the, then, popular Killa Kids collective, Sham and company quickly made a name for themselves in and around the five different boroughs. Unfortunately, due to creative differences amongst one another, Killa Kids soon disbanded. A chance encounter with Rhymes, who visited Sham's projects to film a Benny Boom directed video, led directly to a coveted spot in the, then, fledgling FlipMode crew. Baby Sham's first appearance on wax was Busta's platinum-plus When Disaster Strikes... LP, followed by '98's E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front. The Imperial, FlipMode's gold certified debut, also dropped that same year, spawning a pair of hit singles; "Everybody On The Line Outside" & "Cha Cha Cha." In addition, Sham was featured on a number of movie soundtracks, including; Slam, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, Dr. Doolittle 2, and Friday After Next. 1999 brought Baby Sham a Source Award, as FlipMode Squad was named 'New Artist of the Year,' and in '04 he earned a pair of ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Awards for his contribution to Rhymes' Mariah Carey assisted, "I Know What You Want." On July 4th, and as a precursor, of sorts, to Fabric Of Time, Sham will drop Get To Know Me, a DVD mix-tape, where every track will be accompanied by a visual clip. Baby Sham is also presently working with Dolten Brothers Entertainment, an upstart production company that assists artists in filming and editing videos.

DIDDY LANDS EXCLUSIVE GIG WITH MACY'S.
Macy's Inc. has signed a deal with Diddy's Sean John line to be the exclusive retailer for its men's sportswear collection. The deal begins next spring. The move is the latest exclusive deal for Macy's, which over the last two years has signed similar arrangements with such labels as Tommy Hilfiger and Ellen Tracy. As part of the pact, Sean John's men's sportswear collection will be available online at macys's website and in 400 Macy's stores with additional stores to be added. Currently, the men's brand is in 375 Macy's stores. Sean John's men's wear brand is currently being sold at such stores as Dillard's and Belk Inc. Those retailers will no longer carry the men's wear collection starting in October, according to Dawn Robertson, president of Sean John. The Sean John brand generates sales of about $525 million from a variety of products including fragrance, women's sportswear and outerwear. Menswear accounts for a big chunk of sales, said Robertson, declining to be more specific. In an interview, Robertson said that the brand, founded in 1998, struggled in recent years, but over the past six months, the business has seen a resurgence as the company has reinvented its fashions and found a broader audience. "It was a difficult decision" to pull out of the other stores, Robertson said. But she said Macy's plans to focus on increasing sales within each of Macy's locations and eventually expanding to all 800 Macy's stores. As part of the agreement, Sean John will get more prominent placement in advertising and will move to a more visible area on the selling floor, she said.

B.o.B TOPS THE CHARTS.
B.o.B. scored a #1 debut this week as his first album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, sold 84,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It marks the first time a solo male artist has earned a #1 album on the chart with their debut release since August 26, 2006, when Rick Ross did it with Port Of Miami, according to Billboard.

BAD BOY/INTERSCOPE RECORDS SIGN BROOKLYN'S RED CAFÉ
BAD BOY/INTERSCOPE RECORDS have announced the signing of rapper Red Café to their new label partnership which was cemented late last year. Red Café is preparing for the release of his debut album, Red October. His current single, “I’m I’ll” features Fabolous and is produced by hot newcomer Boi-1da (Drake’s “Best I Ever Had,” “Forever” and “Over,” and Eminem’s new single “Not Afraid”). The video, directed by Edwin Decena, has jumped to the #9 spot today on BET’s 106th & Park. Red October will be co-executive produced by Diddy and Akon. “I’m so excited. I’ve got the best of both worlds,” stated Red Café. “Diddy representing the streets and Akon bringing a worldly perspective to the project.” "Today, I can officially announce the signing of Red Café to the Bad Boy/Interscope family. Red's lyrical skill and passion is unique", says Sean "Diddy" Combs. "Red's raw talent brings a new sound and fresh perspective from the streets. I look forward to him sharing his talent with the world."

TRAE THE TRUTH SUES HOUSTON RADIO STATION 97.9 KBXX
Houston rapper “Trae Tha Truth” (nee Frasier Thompson) will be holding a press conference at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at the Harris County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline, Houston, Texas, to announce the filing of a lawsuit in the 189th District Court of Harris County Texas against Radio One Inc., which owns and operates Houston radio Station 97.9 KBXX, The Box. The civil case alleges a consistent pattern of business disparagement, conspiracy and tortious interference. Defendants include Radio One, the radio station’s general manager Doug Abernathy, program manager Terri Thomas and morning show radio personality Nnete Inyangumia. Trae decided to file the lawsuit after the radio station officially banned his music from receiving airplay, and then began to interfere in his relationships with other music industry professionals. Radio One is the seventh largest radio broadcasting company in the country, and is the largest one targeting African American audiences in the U.S. The Box is the only hip hop radio station in Houston. The suit, which was filed by Houston attorney Warren Fitzgerald Jr., alleges that Trae was the subject of a radio ban after Nnete falsely accused Trae during an on-air interview of causing the violence which occurred at public festival which he sponsored. Ironically, Trae has arguably been the most active Houston rap artist when it comes to serving the local community. In 2008, Trae was honored by Houston Mayor Bill White and Council Member Peter Brown with his own “Trae Day” in honor of his outstanding community service. After Nnete had made the disparaging remark about Trae on the radio, he later released a “mix tape” that had a humorous lyric about Nnette’s weight. Trae notes, “I would not have filed a lawsuit, but when other people started being hurt by this ban, I knew I had to stand up.” The suit also alleges that a radio station staff member was suspended for a week and a half without pay for making a mixtape outside of work that had Trae’s music in it. The employee, in fear of losing his job, and the ability to feed his family, had to end his relationship with Trae. Another alleged incident occurred when rapper 6tre Gangsta, an artist signed to Battery/Sony Records, asked Trae to be on his new single. However when KBXX found out about the song, they notified 6tre that the song would be banned. This resulted in the record community scrapping both the song and the music video that had been slated for B.E.T. Even Haitian earthquake victims lost out, due to the station refusing to advertise Trae’s appearance at a benefit fundraiser. Other alleged incidents are listed in the lawsuit, the most recent being the firing of the “Kracker Nuttz,” an on air DJ tandem, for their accidentally playing a song on the air by “Chamillionaire”, which they did not realize had Trae on one of its verses. Ironically, the “Kracker Nuttz”, who were 12-year veterans of the station, had the Number One rated radio show there. Rap-A-Lot Records CEO James Prince states, “I had been excited about being involved with the next Trae album, but with this ban taking place, not only in his home town, but likely also in the second best place for airplay, which is Dallas, it would be impossible to promote the album. This ban is sabotaging his career, because those cities are the foundation for breaking his records.” Prince adds, “Having run a record label for over twenty years, I’ve never seen anything like this.” Says Trae, “I just could not let any more people suffer and be punished by the radio station over this ridiculous vendetta.” Trae’s attorney Warren Fitzgerald Jr. comments, “We believe that the defendants have gone beyond the parameters of legally sanctioned activity in first banning Trae’s music, then going so far as to intentionally interfere with his business relationships and thus destroy his career. I find this behavior repulsive, especially for a radio station that daily champions itself as music artists’ “best friend.” Trae is suing for general damages to his reputation, character, standing in the community, mental suffering, loss of professional opportunities, performance revenue, record royalties and other damages. Judge Randy Williams issued a restraining order prohibiting the radio station from destroying any evidence, including memoranda or emails surrounding the ban on Trae’s music. A preliminary hearing is set for May 14, 2010 at 1:30 pm. SEE HERE

FORMER DRUG KINGPIN CHALLENGES FRANK LUCAS (SEE FOOTAGE BELOW)
Former Drug Kingpin Ike Atkinson Challenges "American Gangster" Frank Lucas with Release of New Book "Sergeant Smack. In April of 2007, 84-year old Ike Atkinson was released from federal prison after serving a 32-year prison term. There were no cameras and little fanfare as the man deemed the biggest American drug kingpin ever to operate out of Asia was set free. Atkinson, who operated the largest drug smuggling enterprise in the 1970s, never carried a gun, never committed murder and never bowed down to the infamous Italian La Cosa Nostra. As a U.S. Army Master Sergeant, he utilized his intellect and charm to, by conservative estimates, smuggle over 1000 pounds of heroin annually from Bangkok, Thailand, through U.S. military bases into the United States. Atkinson's legendary enterprise was so complex and profitable, it easily rivaled that of modern day hoodlums, the Black Mafia Family. And no dead cadavers were involved in the process. A few years after his release from prison however, Hollywood released a blockbuster film entitled "American Gangster." The film not only distorted Atkinson's historical role in the international drug trade, but falsely depicted a snitch by the name of Frank Lucas as the pioneer of the Asian heroin connection. With the release of an explosive literary documentary, "Sergeant Smack: The Legendary Lives and Times of Ike Atkinson, Kingpin, and His Band of Brothers" award-winning author and investigative journalist Ron Chepesiuk, unravels and unveils the inner mechanics of the "true" story of the international chess game between the Ike Atkinson's organization and the DEA agents who took it down. In addition, he lays bare the history behind one of the biggest urban myths ever, that of the cadaver-heroin smuggling connection conspiracy, pimped by Lucas to achieve Hollywood fame, wealth and notoriety! Chepesiuk is no newcomer to uncovering crime. Having penned some 25 books including titles, "Gangsters of Miami," "Drug Lords, the Rise and Fall of the Cali Cartel," "Gangsters of Harlem" and "Gangsters of Chicago" and over 4000 articles and features, who better to lay it on the line about what really went down during one of the most tumultuous time periods in the urban community. "Frank Lucas is the gang bangers version of Walt Disney's Pinocchio," Chepesiuk states. "The more Lucas has lied about his story, the taller his tale has become." --- The recent movie, "American Gangster," which depicted the criminal career of Frank Lucas, greatly distorted Atkinson's historical role in the international drug trade. "Sergeant Smack" exposes the lies about the Ike Atkinson-Frank Lucas relationship and documents how Ike, not Lucas, pioneered the Asian heroin connection, with intelligence and not violence. "I, along with Lucas, played a crucial role in a significant part of American, be it, gangster history," Ike explained. "What's done is done. But for Lucas to twist and distort the truth in an effort to manipulate history for his own personal gain is just as despicable as the drug dealing we were both engaged in. We are both just old men now. But I am anxious to sit down with him and a third party reporter and chat about old times. I seriously doubt if he will want to do it. I'm here though and my book, thanks to Ron Chepesiuk, is a vivid documentation of the truth, not the big screen fairytale he has sold to Hollywood and the world at large." SEE FOOTAGE HERE

GUCCI MANE STARTS NEW LABEL/PARTS WAYS WITH OLD MANAGEMENT.
Gucci Mane launches new label 1017 Brick Squad Records and a new team of industry heavyweights behind him. 1017 Brick Squad Records, Inc., is prepping new releases from Gucci, Wacka Flocka Flame and Brick Squad, a super group consisting of Gucci Mane, Wacka Flocka and OJ Da Juiceman. Gucci will serve as President & CEO of the label in addition to being the marquee artist. Gucci has restructured his team from top to bottom, signing an exclusive management deal with First Avenue Management, Inc., and bringing on board powerhouse agency CAA, which represents artists such as Usher, Justin Bieber and Anthony Hamilton, to handle all booking and appearance scheduling. Rounding out the new cast behind Gucci is business manager David Bolno, Managing Director at Nigro, Karlin, Segal, & Feldstein and top entertainment law firm Davis Shapiro Lewit & Hayes, LLP. Gucci has parted ways and is no longer affiliated with his former management company Mizay Entertainment and booking agency Hitt Afta Hitt Enterprises (also known as HAH). Gucci is also no longer affiliated with or an officer of his former record label So Icey Entertainment. "The rest of 2010 is going to be real major," says Gucci Mane. "I'm taking control of all of my business properties and keeping the focus on my career, my music and my artists. All the pieces to the puzzle are finally in place and once I get home it's Gucci time."

FLO RIDA AND T PAIN LINK UP WITH PORNSTAR
Starring in the just-released Flo Rida music video "Zoosk Girl,"
featuring T Pain, Bree Olson dances, sucks on a lollypop and basically does what Bree does best! "It was an amazing experience being a 'Zoosk Girl,' and I am a huge fan of both T Pain and Flo Rida," says Bree. "So when Adam & Eve set this up, I jumped at the chance to be involved." ... "The music video market is something we've looked into for quite some time," says Adam & Eve Marketing Director Chad Davis. "This seemed like a great way to introduce the Adam & Eve brand, along with Bree Olson, to a new customer base." SEE THE VIDEO HERE

CURTIS YOUNG (Dre's kid) ON DECK
Curtis, currently in the studio working on his anticipated debut album "Product Of My DNA", just released his lead single "Muzik", produced by St. Nick, which is heavily impacting radio, not only on the West Coast, but nationwide. "I represent a new era of positive feel good music for the West Coast -- I am a new generation of Left Coast artists who can not only rap but produce as well." Check out the joint and some raw footage HERE

NECRO SIGNS NEW DISTRO DEAL.
Independent rap legend Necro has signed a distribution deal with Universal Music Group subsidiary Fontana for his Psycho+Logical-Records. The deal was brokered by RBC Records, who handles General Managerial duties for Psycho+Logical-Records. The first release under the freshly minted agreement will be DIE!, the sixth solo album from the Brooklyn-based rapper, whose given name is Ron Braunstein. DIE! Is slated for a May 18th release. “I am thrilled to be in business with Necro, RBC and Psycho+Logical-Records,” says Ron Spaulding, President of Fontana, which also distributes Strange Music(Tech N9ne), Psychopathic Records(ICP), Mos Def, Rakim, Rammstein and Mannheim Steamroller, among others. “Necro and his team have been working and consistent in their delivery on all fronts. Psycho+Logical- demonstrates the kind of movement Fontana can really get behind to add value. This is the beginning of a long term partnership.” Necro creates the most extreme brand of hardcore hip-hop available. It’s violent, explicit, insane and at times, pornographic. The music is mental (psychological) but also insane (psycho) and intelligent (logical), hence Psycho+Logical-Records. Necro launched his label in Nov. 1999 and his five albums -- I Need Drugs, Gory Days, The Pre-Fix For Death, The Sexorcist and Death Rap -- are must-haves for fans craving rap at its most brutal. Necro’s new deal with Fontana sets the stage for DIE! The angst-filled collection features Necro’s signature blend of topics: death rap, porn songs, thug joints, a pimping anthem, a boxing track and a song about war, among other volatile subjects. With the best distribution of his career, Necro is looking forward to generating new fans and thrilling those who have been following him throughout the last decade. “Many incredible artists have had issues coming up with their fifth and sixth records because they had come so insane on the first few records,” Necro says. “I wanna be one of those artists that can deliver 10 in a row, show the people that love me that I got it for 10-plus records. That would be an accomplishment.”

BATTLE METHOD MAN ON MODERN WARFARE 2
Fresh off the release of Wu Massacre, the new album that reunites legendary Wu-Tang Clan brothers-for-life Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon, Method Man will visit Xbox LIVE® to play Gold Members in Modern Warfare® 2. If you're a Gold Member join in on Friday, May 7, starting at 5:00 P.M. ET and meet the hip-hop legend. Send a friend request to the following gamertag and be online half an hour before (4:30 P.M. ET) the Game with Fame session starts:
* GWF Method Man

Wu-Massacre Game With Fame on Xbox LIVE
Date: May 7th
Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (EST)
Game: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
GAMERTAGS: GWF Method Man

RICK ROSS TALKS JAY-Z COLLAB
Rick Ross recently sat down to talk about his collaboration with Jay-Z, He says he's waiting on the right time to release it. “The majority of the details of the album I’ve been trying to keep under wraps so the fans can savor the music that much more,” Ross said in a recent interview. “I most definitely have confirmed Jay-Z being on the album. The song is like an atomic bomb. I’m just waiting to push the button. Shout-out to Roc Nation. Shout-out to Kanye West… The funny thing is the way the record was done. I followed him to a few Blueprint 3 tour dates. I was chillin’ in the back, smoked out. As soon as he gets offstage, we was chillin’, vibing. His last date, which was in Vegas, he killed the show. We left the show, went to Tao for the afterparty. It was 30 bottles of Ace of Spades champagne. He left there, went and killed the craps table, the poker table. Then we got in the studio, and he laced me. It was the most phenomenal verse….It’s not ‘Maybach Music 3.’ You could kill the rumors. This is something totally unexpected, and we talking that talk. I’m just excited, man. I’m expecting big things from this Teflon Don project.”

GLOBAL MUSIC SALES STILL ON A DECLINE.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has published its annual report, the Recording Industry in Numbers 2010 (RIN), and the organization says that global recorded music sales fell 7 percent to $17 billion in 2009, with the world's two biggest markets, the U.S. and Japan, making up 80 percent of the decline. The worldwide fall in revenues outside the U.S. and Japan was 3.2 percent, but physical sales fell by 12.7 percent globally. Digital music sales did rise by 9.2 percent to $4.3 billion, more than ten times the digital market value in 2004. Digital channels now account for 25.3 percent of all trade revenues to record companies. In the U.S., digital sales account for 43 percent of the recorded music market. The RIN report also showed that there are now more than 12 million tracks available from over 400 legal music services worldwide. As for the broader music industry, which takes into account radio advertising, live performances and the sale of audio equipment, it fell as a whole by 8 percent to an estimated $140 billion in 2009. Live music, songwriters' music copyrights and the performance rights market were the only sectors showing growth in 2009, although growth in live music revenues has slowed significantly in the last three years. Chairman and CEO John Kennedy pointed to the continued practice of music piracy as part of the problem for music sales -- "The global music business is continuing to fight its corner, investing in talent and developing new business models despite the problems of a market rigged by piracy. Music companies are investing over $5 billion a year in developing and marketing artists, licensing hundreds of services and adapting their distribution channels to meet changing consumer demand," he said. "Global music sales in 2009 fell by 7 percent. This is disappointing, but amid the decline there are some very positive points. No fewer than thirteen countries saw music sales grow in 2009, including important markets such as Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Sweden and the U.K. Digital sales in some of those markets rose at very encouraging rates, reflecting the new opportunities of online and mobile channels. South Korea and Sweden in particular saw striking returns to growth, showing how an improved legal environment can help impact on legitimate music sales."Kennedy added, "Reducing piracy is critical if these improvements are going to translate into long term recovery for our global business. Here too there are encouraging developments. France and the U.K., in particular, are leading the way with new legislation. There is a huge battle ahead, but also signs that the tide of opinion among governments is shifting as piracy's impact on the economy and jobs becomes clear. There is no doubt in my mind that growth is within reach for the music business - it depends, to a large extent, on how quickly governments can act to deal with piracy and, in doing so, tackle a market distortion that overshadows not just music but all the creative industries."

#'S FOR THE WEEK.
According to the Nielsen SoundScan the Black Eyed Peas’ E.N.D. album sold 21,400 units, making their 46-week total stand at 2,456,300. Right below is Ludacris at #17. Luda’s Battle of the Sexes LP sold 21,100 in sales, bringing his overall numbers to 355,600. Cypress Hill grabbed # 19 with Rise Up, selling 18,300 units in the group’s first week sales. Devin the Dude’s new album Suite #420 Debuted at #87 selling 6,100 units. Also debuting this week is Little Brother’s final project as a group, Leftback taking # 134, after moving 4,400 units. Although Westcoast vet Kurupt failed to make The Billboard 200 with his new LP, Street Lights-- The indie release did sell about 3,000 units in its first week.

GAME CHIMES IN ON SHYNE.
Game recently gave his input to Shyne's 50 Cent and G-Unit diss. Game says he likes the new diss and says Shyne will improve in time. “He’s just a good friend of mine, sort of like a brother to me in hip-hop and, you know, doing all that time, everybody expected him to just come out and be like the old Shyne, but it’s gonna take a while,” Game said in an interview. ”I’m sure he’s rough around the edges. It’s kinda like if Kobe Bryant just decides to sit it down, and you come back out your first three, it’s probably gonna be an airball, you know? You just gotta give him a little room, a little space, let him breathe and I’m sure you’ll get the old Shyne back. That’s him man with the beef, and I’m glad he can take that 50 Cent beef with him. I’m slowly but surely phasing it out, and I might poke a little fun here and there but for the most part I’m over it.” Game says “Shyne has been away for a long time and he will refind himself soon. It will probably come off a little ruff at first but give him some time and he will find his old self.” Game also spoke on the “Shake” music video, Game says that he shot some of the video at Dre’s house, but “he don’t even know yet.” GRAB THE RED ROOM MIXTAPE HERE

YOUNG DE ON DECK.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native, by way of Los Angeles, California, emcee, Demerick "Young De" Shelton, is already somewhat a seasoned veteran at his craft, despite the fact that he has yet to release an album of his very own. With a string of high profile collaborations; most notably, Cypress Hill, Krayzie Bone, Royce Da 5'9", Crooked I, Freeway, among others, Young De is eager, and more than ready to take the industry by storm. Young De's first release, the DJ Skee presented/Kurupt hosted, Audio Hustlaz, Volume 1, was his premier mix-tape, followed by the DJ Whoo Kid offering, Homeland Security, a popular duet project with Shady Records' signee', Cashis. He was also prominently featured on his mentor, B-Real's 2009 solo LP, Smoke N Mirrors. Most recently De can be heard on Cypress' lead entry, "It Ain't Nothin'," from their latest collection, Rise Up. In addition, late last year Young De, B-Real & Xzibit formed a super-group, Serial Killaz, and are planning to drop a full-length before year's end. Currently hard at work on his "official" still untitled, Audio Hustlaz Entertainment solo debut, led by the fiery warm-up joint, "Blaze of Glory," Young De is about to be a serious problem! Peep his video - "BLAZE OF GLORY" WATCH HERE

50 CENT GETS INTIMATE ON TOUR.
Fresh off the heels of a two month-long European trek, 50 Cent is ready to connect with American audiences on a personal level with his upcoming 18-city US tour. Starting in Cleveland on May 28 and culminating in Atlantic City on June 25, the tour will take 50 across the country to mid-size theatres and venues. Focusing on a more intimate, unique experience for his fans, The
Invitation will feature 50 performing hits spanning his multi-platinum catalogue and most recent platinum selling album Before I Self Destruct. The Queens rapper will be joined on select dates by openers Monica, Soulja Boy Tell'Em and G-Unit cohort, Lloyd Banks. The dates for The Invitation Tour are as follows:

LITTLE BROTHER HIT THE ROAD.
North Carolina duo Little Brother just released their fourth and final LP, LeftBack. Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh were joined by producers Denaun Porter, Symbolic One, Jbizness, Zo!, and longtime collaborator Khrysis as well fellow Hall of Justus members Chaundon, Darien Brockington, and Trunk North. The group has been a force to be reckoned with since their 2003 debut, The Listening, with producer 9th Wonder at the helm. That album garnered critical acclaim, received nods from hip-hop legends such as DJ Premier and Pete Rock, and landed them on tour alongside The Roots. Little Brother’s following album, The Minstrel Show earned a Thumbs up from Rapindustry.com. LeftBack finds the MCs saying goodbye after more than 7 years in the game. Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh will be hitting the road this month to give fans one last performance as they close the curtain on their time together as Little Brother. Little Brother on Tour:

JUST BLAZE & ALCHEMIST UNLEASH “SOUNDCLASH” ON EUROPE
Two of the world’s most legendary producers have joined forces to create a show like no other. Just Blaze is one of the most creative forces in the game. Having cut his teeth in the late 90’s creating underground bangers for the likes of Buckshot, his distinctive sound soon caught the ear of the major players in the game and he soon had beats featured on albums from the likes of Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Big Pun & Jadakiss. However, it was as an in-house producer for Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records imprint where he initially became a household name, producing instant classics for Kanye West, Cam’ron, Freeway, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel; and of course the main man himself, Jay-Z, who has featured Just Blaze’s epic production on six of his last seven albums--all of which have gone platinum! The Jersey born producer, also known as the Megatron Don, has a distinctive sound drenched in soul that still bangs so hard it rocks dance-floors across the globe while simultaneously influencing many of the biggest producers in the game. Just Blaze will undoubtedly be treating a packed house to a fantastic mix of his own productions and the influences behind them in this exclusive sound clash set. The Alchemist has a knack of turning things into gold, in his case samples and loops. Having got his start in the production game under the tutelage of two of the biggest names in the game (DJ Premier and DJ Muggs), this California native has made a name for himself for his trademark rough Boom Bap style hits. Through his work on albums for underground favorites Dilated Peoples & Defari he came to the attention of Mobb Deep who chose to feature his beats on their classic Murda Muzik LP; and he has has not looked back since. With a resume that now reads like a who’s who of Hip-Hop’s elite; including work with Nas, Ghostface, Lil-Wayne, Emimem (The Alchemist serves as his tour DJ), Big Pun, Fat Joe & Raekwon to just name a few. Just Blaze and Alchemist’s “Soundclash Tour” promises to be a legendary performance from two of the most respected names in Hip-Hop history; its also one that needs to be both seen and heard to be believed.
The Just Blaze & Alchemist “Soundclash Tour” is set to hit the following cities/venues in May 2010:

BIGGIE SMALLS WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT DISMISSED.
A long-running federal wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles over the fatal shooting of Notorious B.I.G. has been dismissed, although the move is not likely to be the last legal word in the rapper's death. Bradley C. Gage, an attorney for the rapper's estate, said Tuesday that the dismissal could clear the way for investigators to make arrests in the B.I.G.'s 1997 death. The case was dismissed April 5 after attorneys for the estate and the city agreed that it could be refiled later. The case included allegations that Los Angeles Police Department officers were involved in the killing of B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace. Also known as Biggie Smalls, he was 24 and an extremely popular musician when he was gunned down in March 1997 after leaving a late-night party at a Los Angeles museum. City attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan confirmed the dismissal and said a police investigation into Wallace's shooting is ongoing. The lawsuit was first filed in 2002. A federal judge declared a mistrial in 2005 after attorneys for Wallace's family discovered the city had withheld a trove of LAPD documents. A judge ordered the city to pay more than $1 million in sanctions. Gage said he still doesn't have access to some records because of ongoing police and federal investigations. He said dismissing the case gives authorities time to investigate the killing without worrying whether their agency will be found liable at a trial, Gage said. He also said it ensured that the case wouldn't place blame on someone who might ultimately be exonerated. He predicted it could take two or three years before the case would be refiled, depending on the criminal investigation. He declined to say who he thought was responsible for Wallace's death, although he said after years of work on the case, he had some pretty strong suspicions. "I believe our civil lawsuit was going on the right path," Gage said. The lawsuit named several former LAPD officers and Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight, who the suit accused of ordering Wallace's killing. Several of the officers named were key players in Los Angeles' Rampart division scandal, which exposed police corruption. The case was brought on behalf of Wallace's family, including his mother Voletta and widow Faith Evans, an R&B singer. Gage said that for Wallace's family, the case wasn't about winning money but finding out the truth. "I think that the family is interested in justice," Gage said. "They want to find the killer or killers and have those people put behind bars. That can help them to put this tragic situation behind them." Smalls was killed when he was immensely popular and Gage noted that he was likely to earn hundreds of millions of dollars over his lifetime, money that could be recouped in a wrongful death lawsuit. But he added that it was important that the right people and agencies are found liable. "I think that this is an important case," Gage said. "It's important because it can help to protect society. It's important to show areas where the police department would seem to have failed some of its obligations to its citizens."

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM DJ PREMIER ON THE PASSING OF GURU
"IT WAS A SAD DAY FOR ME TO GET CONFIRMATION ON THE DEATH OF A MAN WHO I WILL CONTINUE TO CALL MY BROTHER, KEITH ELAM, BETTER KNOWN AS GURU OF THE LEGENDARY GANG STARR.

FROM 1988-2004, WE EXPERIENCED SO MUCH SUCCESS TOGETHER THAT WE WERE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR BUSINESSES INDEPENDENTLY AND GIVE EACH OTHER WHAT GURU CALLED "CREATIVE SPACE," BEFORE PLANNING TO REUNITE FOR OUR 7TH LP WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT. TRAGICALLY, WE WILL NEVER REACH THAT DAY.

I'VE BEEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON A LETTER SPEAKING ILL OF ME WHICH WAS SUPPOSEDLY WRITTEN BY GURU IN HIS DYING DAYS. ALL I WILL SAY ABOUT IT IS THAT OUR TIME TOGETHER WAS BEAUTIFUL, WE BUILT A HIP HOP LEGACY TOGETHER, AND NO ONE CAN RE-WRITE HISTORY OR TAKE AWAY MY LOVE FOR HIM. ONE THING I WOULD NEVER DO IS PLAY AROUND WITH THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS LIFE.

I WILL CELEBRATE GURU'S LIFE... I WILL HONOR HIS MEMORY... I WILL GRIEVE WITH THE ELAM FAMILY OVER HIS UNTIMELY DEATH... I WILL REMEMBER THE GANG STARR FOUNDATION AND ALL OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF GANG STARR WHO CAME BEFORE ME - WE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER.... MOSTLY, I WILL CHERISH EVERYTHING WE CREATED TOGETHER AS GANG STARR, FOREVER. I'M GONNA MISS HEARING HIS SIGNATURE MONOTONE VOICE WHEN HE WALKS IN THE ROOM, BUT THE SONGS WILL ALWAYS BRING IT BACK TO ME....HIS RHYME FLOWS WERE INSANE, AND I WILL NEVER REMOVE HIM FROM MY HEART AND SOUL.......REST IN PEACE TO THE MAN WHO FELT "SATISFACTION FROM THE STREET CROWD REACTION" ... I LOVE YOU GOO" - DJ PREMIER

R.I.P. GURU
Rapper Keith "Guru" Elam, best known as the former frontman of the group Gang Starr has died after a long bout with cancer on April 19. He was 43. He left behind a letter to his fans and prompting an outpouring of love on the web: "I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world," the letter began. "I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options." It continues: "Solar and his family is my family and I love them dearly and I expect my family, friends, and fans to respect that, regardless to anybody's feelings on the matter. It is my wish that counts. This being said I am survived by the love of my life, my sun KC, who I trust will be looked after by Solar and his family as their own. Any awards or tributes should be accepted, organised, approved by Solar on behalf of myself and my son until he is of age to accept on his own." Guru's longtime collaborator Solar released a statement, saying, "The world has lost one of the best MCs and hip-hop icons of all-time -- my loyal best friend, partner, and brother, Guru. Guru has been battling cancer for well over a year and has lost his battle!" In the letter, Guru distanced himself from former partner DJ Premier. "I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events, tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this," wrote Guru. "I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ." Grab his new mixtape The Timebomb

VH1 ANNOUNCES NEW LINE-UP
VH1 will produce a record 44 original series in 2010 to further build on the network's connection to young adults and their hunger for programming centered around music, celebrity and real life stories. Year-to-date, VH1 has launched 18 series - 8 of those projects are brand new original franchises featuring such new faces to the channel as Fantasia Barrino, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas from TLC, Brandy, and Jessica Simpson. Later in the year, VH1 will introduce more new faces such as NFL player Chad Ocho Cinco as well as shows demonstrating additional formats including "Dad Camp" and "The OCD Project." VH1 also continues to develop the previously announced scripted movie Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit Entertainment. VH1's programming build-out reflects the network's commitment to its adult audience and what they want to see now on the network. To understand the "core of its core" audience, the network did an extensive study focusing on what VH1 calls "Gen Mix" - the young adults who make up the tail-end of Generation X and the very beginning of Gen Y or the Millennials, covering the ages between 25 and 34. "They told us that they want to connect even more with our characters, our artists and our celebrities - but in a more genuine way. They still enjoy VH1's signature sense of fun and irreverence, but they also want more storylines that reflect the issues and challenges they are experiencing in their own lives," said Tom Calderone, President, VH1... "As a result, we're taking our signature storytelling strengths and amplifying them through three distinct areas: music, celebrities and real life stories," said Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Production, VH1. "And we're expanding the ways we tell a story so that we have more ways to reflect on what's happening in the music and pop culture that our viewers love." The "VH1 Divas" music event returns in December as a salute to American troops in a multi-platinum artist tribute being produced with the USO. "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" returns in June to honor the genre's artists from the Southern states. "Behind The Music" is back with brand new installments spotlighting Academy, Grammy®, and Golden Globe Award winners and nominees. Christina Aguilera gets the ultimate star treatment with a full night devoted to her with the premieres of her own "VH1 Storytellers" and "Behind The Music." The Emmy Award-winning "Rock Doc" series delivers new installments featuring 50 Cent and Rush. The "Friday Night Alright" concert series continues with top artists from around the world. In September, Mark McGrath begins hosting the music game show "Don't Forget The Lyrics" in a daily strip series. New Show Announcements:

"Diary of a Hip Hop Girlfriend": This docu-soap series follows four women who share a common bond: they understand the joys and pains of being in love with a big name rapper. Sure, there's the glamorous lifestyle - full of bling, Bentleys and mansions. But behind closed doors, they struggle against shifting loyalties, baby-mama drama and the huge shadow cast by their larger-than-life partner. This 8-part series charts the women as they navigate their relationships with the men they love while they try to maintain a sense of self in the eye of the hip hop hurricane. Executive produced by Mona Scott of Monamie Ent. and Toby Barraud and Stefan Springman of NFG-TV.

VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South" - Monday, June 7: VH1's annual tribute to the force that is hip hop music returns in June for a seventh time with a tribute to "The Dirty South" to honor those who infused the southern story into hip hop's global message. Jermaine Dupri, J Prince of Rap-A-Lot Records, Luther "Luke" Campbell AND 2Live Crew, Master P, and Organized Noize are all being recognized through performances in collaboration with some of today's hottest talent. Last year's edition was the highest-rated "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" yet. "VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South" will tape on June 3rd at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom and will air on VH1 on Monday, June 7 at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

"Behind The Music" - new episodes begin airing in June. VH1's series "Behind The Music" returns after a successful re-launch last summer with a new group of artists including Courtney Love, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Eve, Jennifer Lopez and DMX. VH1 has re-imagined "Behind The Music" to now focus on some of the top current artists of today who have had a major impact or contribution to the music scene from rock to hip-hop to pop.

VH1's "Rock Doc" Franchise: "50's Roots": 50 Cent has always been framed - and defined - by the cold grim reality of coming up in South Jamaica Queens. But 50's not merely a product of the street and his incredible, death-defying story of survival and success does not just begin with him. Like all African-Americans, there's a greater journey...across thousands of miles...back through several family generations to slavery. Here, the legendary rapper, actor and business mogul will make an unprecedented trek to the Deep South in search of his family's slave lineage. He'll re-unite with living family members, and connect the dots on his ancestral heritage. "50's Roots" is a real-time journey into past lives and a shared history...of horror and hope, pain and perseverance. "50's Roots" is produced by Roadside Entertainment.

DJ VLAD CASHES IN AFTER BEATDOWN?
A judge ordered Rick Ross to pay $300,000 for unleashing his entourage on DJ Vlad at a past awards show. The New Yoek daily reports that a Manhattan federal jury found Ross liable for his crew breaking Vlad "DJ Vlad" Lyubovny's eye socket at the Ozone Awards in Houston, Texas, in 2008. Ross' crew was furious that Vlad Lyubovny had reported Ross was a correction officer before he became a hard-core rapper. "As an individual that covers breaking news in the hip hop world...I am grateful that the jury punished Rick Ross for setting me up, when all I was doing was covering the news and making commentary," Lyubovny said after the verdict. The jury awarded Lyubovny $50,000 in compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages for the assault. "There is no place in civilized society for members of the media to have to fear retribution for their news coverage and commentary," said lawyer Brian Caplan of Caplan & Ross. Ross could not immediately be reached for comment.

LLOYD BANKS TALKS NEW JOINT
After experiencing commercial success with 'Beamer, Benz or Bentley', the streets are going crazy over 'Rather Be Me' - song produced by Balkan Beatz. It is a street anthem that all fans want to see a video for. "My record is gonna sound like that. How it's put together from top to bottom and ends like a movie,' the Punch Line King told Mtv. 'That's the route I wanna take my album. 'Rather Be Me,' is a deep record. It's one of the joints. I didn't let nobody hear it when I was recording it. I was in the zone. It felt like a movie to me. It's crazy, because a lot of people think I'm talking to somebody in particular, but it's not. It's talking to anybody that's a coward. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. When you hear the little funny things like, 'Banks doesn't want to be G-Unit.' N---a, I am G-Unit. This tattoo been right here on my hand. Before anybody was signed, it was me, Tony Yayo and 50 Cent. To take that away from me is like taking away my legacy, to a certain extent. We worked too hard for somebody to tell me to drop my G-Unit.'

GANGLAND KILLER TURNS RAP CEO?
You may remember the street infamous Sean Lee (Aka Dai Lo), once convicted of 1st degree murder in the city of Vancouver, B.C. Making front page news with headlines like “Gangland Shootings” across numerous papers. Pleading his innocents the entire time, after 3 grueling trials, and 5 years behind bars, Mr. Lee was finally acquitted due to lack of evidence. Flash forward to 2010 and out of nowhere leaks a record called “V.I.P” featuring California's own “Crooked I”, and the voice of Sean Lee himself. Both making shout outs to Vancouver and an unfamiliar label... Hempire Records. Very little information was available on who Hempire Records really were until we looked into the main artist on the track, Kryptik. Turns out Kryptik has signed a non-exclusive deal with Mr. Lee and his newly founded production company Hempire Records. Kryptik announced via facebook and twitter news of a fully stacked official album due out late 2010, featuring Crooked I, Shade Sheist, Bizzy Bone, and many others, all under the production guidance of Hempire Records. This may just be Vancouver's chance to enter the rap music scene, and shake the stereotype of only having “back pack” rappers with little American appeal. The first song “V.I.P” was mixed by Roger Swan (Gold & Platinum Record holding engineer), and word is he will be involved with the rest of the album as well. Obviously this alleged gangsta turned CEO plans on only working with the best. It'll be interesting to see if we hear more about him and the new Hempire Records in the headlines.

EMINEM SCRAPS THE SEQUEL - PLANS NEW ALBUM.
The much-anticipated new album from Eminem, Recovery (Aftermath/Interscope), will be released June 22, 2010, it was announced today by Interscope Records. On Recovery, his seventh major label studio album, Eminem has reached out to an exciting list of first-time collaborators, including DJ Khalil, Just Blaze, Jim Jonsin and Boi-1da, among others. Eminem releases Recovery just over a year after his last album, 2009's Relapse. Relapse put the cap on an impressive ten years of recorded output, and contributed to Eminem being the biggest selling artist of 2000-2009. In recognition of this, Neilsen SoundScan named him their Artist of the
Decade. Relapse entered the charts at #1 and, at nearly double platinum, was the best selling rap album of last year. It also earned Eminem his 11th Grammy award, winning in the Best Rap Album category. Relapse's first single, "Crack A Bottle" from Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (Eminem's second #1 after 2002's "Lose Yourself") and
set a SoundScan record at the time of its release for opening week download sales (418,000). The album also spun off two other hits; the Top 10 "We Made You" and Top 20 "Beautiful." "I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year," remarked Eminem. "But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title." Eminem has sold more than 78,000,000 albums worldwide. After 1999's quadruple platinum The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002) became two of the Top 5 best selling albums of the 2000s, with approximately 10,000,000 copies of each sold in the U.S. alone.
2004's Grammy-nominated Encore reached #1 and was certified quadruple platinum. The #1, double platinum, 2005 greatest hits collection Curtain Call: The Hits and #2, platinum, 2006 various artists compilation Eminem Presents: The Re-Up followed.

GAME SET FOR JUNE.
Game (Jayceon Taylor) is set to release his R.E.D. Album on June 15th. The album will be executive produced by Game and Pharrell Williams who jumped at the opportunity to collaborate. "Game is good kid...and I'm excited for the world to hear the many facets of his character... what's even crazier is that as a fan, I cannot believe I am actually producing songs on the same album as Dr. Dre. Humbling, man...I owe Game for that one. His album is gonna be a problem," states Pharrell. Leading off the R.E.D. Album will be the Pharrell produced street anthem It Must Be Me, a West Coast influenced trunk rattler that features Game spitting venomous lyrics reminiscent of an early, I got something to prove, Ice Cube. Following will be the Justin Timberlake assisted Ain't No Doubt About It where the two J.T.'s sing and rap over a radio hit that will be blasting out of car windows and club speakers this spring. "I never thought I would have the chance to work with Justin, but to come up with a smash like we did, it's only fitting," Game asserts. In addition to working closely with Pharrell on the project, Dr. Dre is back to lend his hands and voice, producing and rapping on the R.E.D. Album. And Game couldn't be more thrilled to work with his mentor again stating, "Dre is a hip hop legend and one of the reasons I'm
making music. To be working so closely with him again...man, I don't even have words to describe it." Game is now ready to let the world hear the R.E.D. Album saying it's shaping up to be the biggest of his career, "my two favorite producers are helping me with the direction of this album, I couldn't be in a better position."

NAS/KELIS SETTLEMENT REACHED?
TMZ reports, Nas was forced to pay more than $47,000 in back child support and more than $40,000 in back spousal support. He is also being asked to make $10,000 payments per month in spousal support until he pays off the $299,015.50 he owes Kelis. Nas is also expected to pay more than $155,000 dollars for 90 percent of Kelis’s legal fees and more than $48,000 to cover her accounting expenses.

ISLAND DEF JAM APPOINTS SENIOR VP OF FILM/TV/SOUNDTRACKS.
Veteran exec Jonathan McHugh has been named senior VP of film, TV and soundtracks at Island Def Jam Music Group. L.A.-based McHugh is charged with developing placements for IDJ acts in film, TV and videogames. He will report jointly to IDJ president-chief operating officer Steve Bartels and chairman Antonio "LA" Reid. McHugh most recently headed Song Stew Entertainment, an independent film and TV production and music supervision company. The company's projects included Lionsgate's "Repo! The Genetic Opera," "Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror," Lifetime's "Flying By" and Discovery's "Battleground Earth," which co-starred IDJ's rap star Ludacris. McHugh previously served as VP of visual media at Zomba Label Group, where he launched Zomba Films and co-produced "Crossroads," and as VP of soundtracks at New Line Cinema. Source: Variety

KONAMI AND DEFJAM TEAM UP FOR RAPSTAR.
Konami Digital Entertainment Inc., is excited to announce that it has entered an exclusive distribution agreement with Autumn Games, 4mm Games and Def Jam Interactive for the upcoming music videogame Def Jam Rapstar. Developed by 4mm Games, Def Jam Rapstar will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation3 and Nintendo Wii this Fall. "Hip Hop music has for 30 years re-defined the sound, boundaries and culture of popular music," said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. "We look to bring that ambition to fruition by pushing the boundaries of music games with Def Jam Rapstar. The star power development teams of 4mm Games and Def Jam Interactive are going to bring a music game experience that no one has seen to date, which is why we are so excited to be a part of such a unique game." ..."Hip Hop is a global phenomenon that has permeated pop culture to become the most important youth movement of our generation. We are proud to deliver the first authentic Hip Hop music experience to gamers that will undoubtedly change the way music games are played," stated Kevin Liles, President and CEO of Def Jam Enterprises. "It is an incredible opportunity to work with 4mm Games and Terminal Reality in developing Def Jam Rapstar, and by partnering with Konami we ensure that everyone around the world will have an opportunity to compete with the best of the best. So show us what you got!"...."4mm was founded with the intent of bringing the experience of Constantly Connected Gaming to the next generation of gamers," said Nick Perrett, CEO of 4mm Games. "We look forward to providing Hip Hop fans worldwide a powerful example of that vision this fall with Def Jam Rapstar."

R.I.P. MALCOLM MCLAREN 1946-2010
Malcolm McLaren, creator of the 1983 "Buffalo Gals," hip hop hit has died (April 8). McLaren certainly was one of the first figures outside of the burgeoning NYC street communities to dabble in hip-hop and DJ scratching, well before Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys made that an international phenomenon by 1987. He was 64 years old. Reports show he was recently diagnosed with Cancer. According to the BBC's report, family members are "devastated." The '70s and '80s icon died in New York, but will reportedly be returned to his native England for funeral services. Our thoughts and prayers go out to family and friends.

HELL RAZAH HAS BRAIN ANNURISM.
Keep Hell Razah from Sunz of Man in your thoughts. He had a brain annurism on April 6th and is in a coma. He was operated on Wednesday and the doctor said he is responding. He should be coming out of it in a few days.

RIHANNA AND NICKI MINAJ TEAM UP ? GUESS NOT
Nicki Minaj Cancels joining Rihanna’s Last Girl on Earth Tour this summer.
She broke the news to her fans on Twitter. “Barbz I’m sorry 2 say I will not be going out on RiRi’s tour,” she wrote on Twitter. “I’ve decided 2 use that time 4 the completion of my album. Hope u understand.” Rihanna, in the midst of her 4th critically-acclaimed album release Rated R, a smash #1 single with "Rude Boy," and a highly anticipated upcoming international tour, has confirmed dates for her 2010 North American tour, Last Girl On Earth. The multi-platinum and Grammy award winning superstar, who recently broke a Billboard record with her current number one single "Rude Boy," becoming the only female artist of the past decade to have six #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, will be joined by rising star Ke$ha and female rapper Nicki Minaj, who will open all dates on the LiveNation produced tour. "We've never done a tour to this capacity. The production is unbelievable and the costumes, we just took it to a whole new level. Visually and sonically it's going to be a big step up from the last time. We just keep growing and this time it is a massive production that I cannot wait for," said Rihanna in a recent interview. With a total of over 121 million in audience nationwide - up over 25 million this week alone - "Rude Boy" continues its chart onslaught as the #1 Hot 100 Airplay song and the #1 Greatest Gainer/Airplay on the chart for the 7th week in a row. Set to launch her sold out spring European tour on April 16th in Antwerp, Belgium, before heading overseas Rihanna will perform on FOX's American Idol on Wednesday, April 7th. Rihanna's Last Girl On Earth tour will make 25 stops, at mix of top amphitheaters and arenas throughout North America this summer, beginning on July 2nd at the White River Amphitheater in Seattle through August 25th at the United Center in Chicago, with more dates to be announced soon. A dynamic performer renowned for her cutting-edge stage looks and designs, Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth promises to be a visual spectacle on a scale unlike anything she has accomplished in her already legendary career.

SCARFACE BACK WITH DOPEMAN MUSIC.
With over seven million albums sold, Scarface returns with his latest release Dopeman Music, a tribute to the streets. This is number twelve for the legendary Houston lyricist who had previously declared 2008’s Emeritus his final album. With a career that started in the 90's, the former Geto Boy has worked with everyone from 2-Pac to Jay-Z to Miri Ben-Ari and has gained unmatched respect amongst his peers, as he has been dubbed The Godfather of the South. Dopeman Music is due out May 4th on Scarface’s own Facemob Music label, distributed by Deep Distribution Worldwide. Scarface shed some light on the new album in a recent interview.."I feel that I need to move on to another stage with the way I deliver my music to the public. I got a lot of sh*! and I'm using about 3 percent of what I know about music. I'm not using it all. I'm music. I can play that sh*! long enough for a real musician to catch it and feel me, where I'm going, and we make magic like that."

EMI IN TROUBLE?
With a potential sales and licensing deal between EMI Music and Universal Music Group off the table, execs at debt-wracked EMI are concocting a new business plan, seeking a cash infusion needed to meet a huge mid-June payment on its bank loan. A source familiar with recent discussions said Thursday that UMG had opened informal discussions with EMI late last month. These talks advanced by the beginning of this week into a proposed two-pronged deal between the two music companies. In the U.S., EMI would have outsourced its sales and distribution functions to UMG, while still retaining its own sales staff. In international territories, there would have been a separate agreement to license EMI's current releases and catalog to Universal. The deal would have brought around $304 million to the coffers of EMI, which is scheduled to make a payment of about $183 million in June to Citigroup, the lender in equity firm Terra Firma Investments' 2007 purchase of the company. However, according to the source, EMI walked away from the deal early Wednesday, because there wasn't enough value for the firm or its acts. An EMI spokeswoman had no comment. A spokesman for UMG could not be reached for comment; as recently as Tuesday, Reuters reported that a spokesman denied Universal was in talks with EMI. Sony Music Entertainment also approached EMI to explore a pact last weekend, according to the source, but the talks never moved past the informal stage. A Sony spokesman declined to comment. EMI chief executive officer Charles Allen and the top brass must now come up with a new plan to keep the fiscal wolf from the door. Allen, previously EMI's non-executive chairman, took over as CEO after his predecessor Elio Leoni-Sceti abruptly exited (Daily Variety, March 10). Should EMI fail to pay its note, Citigroup could seize control and sell it, either as a whole or its label and publishing sides could be sold separately. Speculation has focused on Warner Music Group -- which has made several unsuccessful attempts to merge with EMI over the years -- as the most likely buyer, but the company's strong roster and deep catalog would attract the other majors and firms outside the music business as well. Terra Firm purchased EMI for about $6 billion in late 2007, just before the credit market crash. Since then, amid an ever-softening market for music, the company has struggled to secure the financing it needs to meet its Citigroup bank covenants. In December, Terra Firma sued Citigroup Inc., claiming it paid a "fraudulently inflated price" for EMI's label and music publishing interests as a result of misrepresentations made by the lender (Daily Variety, Dec. 14). The action is set for trial in October in New York. Ironically, EMI's cash crunch persists as the its commercial fortunes are on the rise. Though still No. 4 among the majors, it boasts nearly 12.2% of current album market share, up nearly five points from the same time last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan data for 2010 sales through March 28. Source: Variety

JACOB THE JEWELER RELEASED FROM PRISON.
Jacob the Jeweler was transferred from federal prison to a halfway house on March 25. The King of Bling, 44, real name Jacob Arabov, was sentenced in 2008 to 2½ years for lying to investigators probing money laundering by Detroit's Black Mafia gang. The New York Post reports the judge cut the sentence by seven months citing Jacob's good works for charity. Arabov, who is given shout-outs in 62 different rap songs, is scheduled for full release in September. Meanwhile, during the day he can help wife Angela run Jacob & Co. He just has to return to the "residential re-entry facility" each night.

MC GURU AKA MR. GANGSTARR CONTINUES TO RECOVER
UPDATE: Recent MRI test results are very encouraging. All medical history will show that Guru is not and has not been placed in a medically induced coma ever. MC Guru and producer Solar will be releasing official documents which will confirm and verify everything that has been addressed in the official press releases regarding Guru's health. Furthermore it will show the hoax that has been played by certain media outlets who have not provided Guru or Solar a chance to refute the lies being perpetrated against them. and the immoral and dishonest behavior by some people from Guru's past. The official documents, according to Solar, will clearly and undeniably show that: ...there has never been any hospital guest list recorded by Solar to prevent anybody from visiting Guru ...all visits have been recorded and they will also reveal that somebody from Guru's past misrepresented himself as his attorney to get access to Guru which is illegal by law, as well as numerous people saying they are Guru's family who they are not. …Guru has made his proxy on his own in conjunction with hospital personnel as required by law and outside of Solar’s presence....Guru has had no conversations with his nephew, Justin Elam, on anything that he is lying about in his published YouTube video. They were not close at all and Guru's nephew has never known Solar on a personal level.… Justin Elam is using Guru's name to advance his selfish needs and has no right to use the brand Guru or GangStarr in any way, shape or form, on YouTube or anywhere else. Guru continues to recover from his heart attack. Recent MRI test results, which is a magnetic resonance imaging like a high tech X-ray, are encouraging. Solar, who is Guru's official spokesperson, visits his longtime partner and best friend everyday to support him. Unfortunately certain people try to shed bad light on Solar by broadcasting wrong rumors and allegations regarding the producer’s involvement in this tragic situation. "It is more than obvious that certain disgruntled people from Guru’s past are trying to use this tragic situation to settle a score with Guru and myself for whatever reason which is shameful," says Solar. "We want to thank everyone who is showing support! Keep sending your prayers, thoughts, and wishes to Guru and his loved ones." Solar continued.
CHECK OUT THE WORDS FROM SOLAR HIMSELF ON GURU'S UPDATE AND RECOVERY WATCH HERE

NAS, SAADIQ, AND MARLEY HEADLINE JAZZREGGAE FEST.
The critically acclaimed JazzReggae Festival at UCLA is pleased to announce that the headliners for the 2010 festival are Raphael Saadiq on May 30th Jam Day, and Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley on May 31st Reggae Day. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and UCLA's Central Ticketing Office. California native Raphael Saadiq, is currently on tour showcasing his Grammy nominated album, The Way I See It. Saadiq has been playing and composing music since the age of six and has extensive experience as a singer, songwriter, musician and producer. The recipient of several Grammy's, Raphael Saadiq is truly a musical icon. His production resume
includes groups such as the Roots, TLC, and Macy Gray. As an artist, Saadiq has constantly shown his passion for all styles of music, from jazz and blues to classical and everything in between. His funky, soul infused style makes Raphael Saadiq the ideal headliner for 2010's Jam Day. Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley are coming together to support their upcoming album, Distant Relatives. Nas, who has been active in the Rap Industry since 1991, has worked with artists such as Jay-Z, Ludacris, Dr. Dre and Young Jeezy. Nas has definitely established himself as one of the founders of modern hip-hop. Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, the youngest son of Bob Marley, has won multiple Grammy's for his album Welcome to Jamrock, making him one of the most famous and celebrated reggae artists in the world. The collaboration album, Distant Relatives, has been highly anticipated for over a year, and promises to impress with guest musicians including Stephen Marley, Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne. Reggae Day assures a groundbreaking performance with this revolutionary duo in attendance. With more great acts being announced soon, the 24th annual JazzReggae Festival guarantees to be dope!

NNEKA JOINS NAS ON DISTANT RELATIVES TOUR
Nigerian-born singer-songwriter to hit the road with Nas and Damian Marley starting May 22nd. Fresh off of the release of her first US album debut Concrete Jungle, Nneka has been announced as the support act for the historic Distant Relatives Tour with Nas and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley hitting the road May 2010. The tour will stop in major cities across the country in support of their Distant Relatives album, which is a celebration of not only to the bond between the two artists, but the connection to their African ancestry, which inspired the album both musically and lyrically. Born and raised in Nigeria, Nneka is deeply influenced by her roots. The political and social states of her home country are often prevalent in her music and live performances. It is this message of awareness, hope and love that made her a perfect fit for a collaboration with Nas and Damian Marley, both legendary artists and personal influences of Nneka’s. “With this tour,” Nneka explains, “we represent the fact that we are all connected to one another, all part of one entity and one source – which is love.” The tour extends Nneka’s highly successful introduction to the United States, having been heralded among many Industry Insiders as the next “it” artist of 2010. Concrete Jungle is in stores now on Epic/Decon.

50 CENT WANTS A 4-SOME WITH BEYONCE RIHANNA, AND LADY GAGA..
50 Cent says he wants a 4-Some with Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, and of course it would all be unprotected. “I would kiss Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna,” he said in an interview when asked which he would kiss, marry and avoid amongst the threesome. ”I would marry Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna in Africa, I’d have 3 wives! And I would avoid wearing condoms and have really big families! I think it’s hot [the 'Telephone' video]. But there’s a shot in the video in the diner that’s just breasts. And it looks great, but if I shot the same shot in my music video, they would make me edit that immediately.” Last Year, 50 Cent spoke about Jay-Z and Beyonce’s marriage and their popularity overseas. “There’s not another artist in New York City that generates more interest than 50 Cent,” Fif said in the interview. “If we go international, Jay-Z is Beyonce’s husband. He became more popular and relevant based on the work that Matthew Knowles made Beyonce do.”

9TH PRINCE GETS REVENGE.
On April 20th 9th Prince, founding member of Killarmy and younger brother to Wu mastermind the RZA, will release his third solo album entitled Revenge of the 9th Prince featuring appearances by the RZA, Killah Priest, Killarmy, Planet Asia, Shyheim, and more. He launched his career with hip-hop group Sons of Man before moving on to start Killarmy in 1995. The group’s first album, Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, rose up the charts, hitting #34 on Billboard’s Top 200 and #10 on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts on the strength of singles “Swinging Swords,” “Wake Up,” and “Wu-Renegades” with the next two albums following suit. In 2003, 9th embarked on a solo career and has since released Grandaddy Flow (2003) and Prince of New York (2008). “I started out in the early days, like the late 80s, coming to the house. You see RZA, Old Dirty Bastard, the genius the GZA all in the studio recording. That right there, just watching them come together and do their thing, influenced me to want to be an MC. Ever since then I decided to pick up the pen and let the words begin,” 9th explains. WATCH the ‘Revenge of the 9th Prince’ EPK

ETERNIA & MOSS “AT LAST” SET FOR JUNE RELEASE ON FAT BEATS RECORDS. Produced Entirely By MoSS, “At Last” Features Guest Appearances from Joell Ortiz, Ras Kass, Termanology, Tona, Rage, Rah Digga, Jean Grae, Tiye Phoenix, Reef The Lost Cauze, Maestro Fresh Wes, and more. MoSS is one of Hip-Hop’s fastest rising producers (see his work with Raekwon, Obie Trice, Ghostface, Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, AZ, Slum Village, Havoc, Kool G Rap, KRS-One, Buckshot etc) and the first producer signed to DJ Premier’s “Works Of Mart” production company—needless to say, the classic boom-bap aesthetic is a lane MoSS is more then comfortable in.

March 25 MARKED THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF EAZY-E'S UNTIMELY PASSING.
Ren reflects on EAZY-E, "(My) mind often turns to memories of (my) friend; hanging at the swap meet, listening to music in the garage, cruising around Compton. Eazy wasn't the glock-toting thug people think. He was just a cool dude. A real cool dude.""Eazy be in my dreams sometimes. It's like he's still alive, the dream be so real," CHECK THE INTERVIEW HERE

KURTIS BLOW TO CO-HOST HIP HOP HALL OF FAME SHOW.
Hip Hop legend and Rap icon Kurtis Blow to co-host the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Awards Television
Show in June 2010 in NYC! This will be the first broadcast of the HHHOF Awards show since airing in National and International Syndication, as well as on the BET Cable Network now owned by MTV/Viacom. The HHHOF Awards Show will feature a "Week of Activities" throughout New York City. They will include Community Outreach Events, a Forum, VIP Reception, Artists Showcases, Parties, and other Programs featuring Pioneers, Celebrities, Community, Industry, and New York City Leaders. The week will culminate with the unveiling of the Manhattan Home of The Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum & Entertainment Complex that will bring in over 120 jobs, job training, local vendor contracts, community outreach programs, tours, and bring in an estimated $400 million per year in economic impact and tourism value to New York City! Hall of Fame Executives are actively finalizing television airing rights with broadcasters and will make that announcement in late April 2010!

T.I. COMPLETES PRISON SENTENCE.
On Friday (March 26), T.I. has completed his prison sentence, stemming from a 2007 arrest for attempting to illegally purchase firearms. The Georgia courts deemed his jail term as complete, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records. Originally given 366 days in prison, T.I. was released to a halfway house in December but according to his lawyer Steve Sadow, Tip has been on home incarceration for the past 30 days. Under the terms of his home confinement, Tip had to sleep at his house and be home by 11 p.m., or 1 a.m. if he was working. T.I.'s lawyer told MTV News that Tip now has three years of "supervised release," a.k.a. probation. This includes 23 more days of home incarceration under the aforementioned terms, regular visits with a probation officer and he must have permission to travel. T.I. also must complete approximately 400 more hours of community service. Before his prison stint began, T.I. made an "arrangement" with prosecutors in which he would complete 1,500 hours of community service, 1,000 of which needed to be completed before he would be formally sentenced. In exchange, he was given the 366-day jail sentence, which allowed him the opportunity for early release. T.I. officially began serving his time in May, meaning he ended up doing 10 months of the year-and-a-day bid. Since being moved to the halfway house in December, T.I. has been recording the follow-up to his 2008 album, Paper Trail, and earlier this month, he released a brand-new single titled "I'm Back." The record is the first release from Tip's forthcoming, still-untitled album, which is scheduled for release in August. His film, "Takers," co-starring Idris Elba, Chris Brown and others, is scheduled to come out on August 20.

LUPE FIASCO TO HEADLINE B.O.M.B.
Lupe Fiasco is set to headline the Connecticut B.O.M.B. Fest 2010 (Bring Our Music Back) being held on May 30 at The Durham Fairgrounds, in Durham, CT. Lupe Fiasco hit the airwaves in 2006 with his critically acclaimed album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor and has been climbing the charts ever since. In fact, climbing is something he recently did to bring awareness to
the clean water crisis affecting billions of people worldwide. On January 7, 2010, Lupe joined other musicians, actors Jessica Biel and Emile Hirsch, other celebrities and activists for an expedition to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was called "Summit On The Summit" which is also the title of a documentary airing this month on MTV. His philanthropic soul is a great match with festival sponsor Bring Our Music Back Inc., a 501c3 whose mission is to enhance life and healing through music. It donates over 70 percent of all proceeds - raised through B.O.M.B. Fest - to select national and local charities. This year's beneficiaries include Hole In The Wall Camps, Connecticut Children's Medical Center and YPI, a children's camp for artistic development. BOMB Fest 2010 promises to deliver a music extravaganza with as many as 20 local bands sharing the stage with the likes of Mute Math, of Montreal, The Cool Kids, Girl Talk, Roots of Creation and Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez. Gates open at 10:30 am with music from noon to 10 pm.

UNIVERSAL NOT GOING AFTER EMI PURCHASE?
Universal Music Group (UMG) reportedly is not holding talks with private equity group Terra Firma about a deal for struggling EMI. There have been many rumors in recent weeks that Terra Firma could look to sell certain EMI assets or break up the group as it faces not being able to cover its debt with Citigroup. However, "We are not in talks with Terra Firma," a UMG spokesman told Reuters. Bertelsmann Finance Officer Thomas Rabe said on Tuesday that the BMG Rights groups would look at EMI if it was for sale, but there are no formal talks at the moment, according to Reuters. Various reports also have said that Warner Music Group (WMG) is talking with private equity firm KKR about making a joint bid for EMI, as KKR would be interested in acquiring the music publishing arm of EMI, while WMG wants the recorded music division. Most recently, EMI held talks with rival record labels (including WMG, UMG and Sony Music) about licensing its music in North America for a five-year period. Terra Firma believes it can raise £400 million from such a deal and this would be enough to stave off a looming takeover by its lender, Citigroup.

LLOYD LINKS UP WITH MYSTIKAL.
Lloyd has enlisted fellow New Orleans native Mystikal on his new track, “Set Me Free”, a fitting title for both, as the 24 year old Lloyd was freed last year from his contract with Irv Gotti's The Inc. Records, and Mystikal was released from prison earlier this year after serving six years. In his first verse back, it's clear that Mystikal hasn't lost a step. He raps in his signature rough & energetic style, “Y’all was out here eatin’ shrimp. I was on that workout bench. But I’m back on the beach, muscle up bitch!”, while Lloyd, referencing his former label, sings, “The Inc. done set me free. I’m feelin’ like Ali, in his prime, baby I’m a P.I.M.P.” After assisting Young Money on their #1 hit “BedRock”, Lloyd says that “Set Me Free” is another one of many surprise collaborations to come, and a small sample of what you will find on his forthcoming studio album due out this year through his newly inked Interscope Records deal. While most figured Lloyd to sign with the Young Money/Cash Money machine, Lloyd explained that while that’s where his heart was, the business couldn’t be worked out. He says, "The problem is that Young Money/ Cash Money is exclusive to Universal/ Motown. As you and I know, that's where I did my last two albums. I wasn't excited about going back.” Of his signing to Interscope, Lloyd says, "I love the way Interscope gets down. I love the way Jimmy [Iovine, label head] gets down. I've always had a good working relationship with Polow [da Don, producer]. Having that creative partner is something I wanted to have, since the very beginning, to have that one creative partner. Mike [Jackson] had it with Quincy [Jones], Janet [Jackson] had it with Jimmy [Jam] and Terry [Lewis]. Justin has it with Timbaland. I feel that me and Polow have something special. I'm really looking forward to that.”

GAME SPEAKS ON UPCOMING "R.E.D." ALBUM.
Game says he has everyone on the upcoming “R.E.D.” album including features from Dr Dre, RZA and others. “I feel great about this album,” he said recently after going over tracks at Dr. Dre’s house. “It’s back full-force Aftermath and I’m conjoined with Star Trak.” (Pharrell Williams is one of the LP’s executive producers.) “I got this colorful movement over here where it’s beautiful music on this side [with Star Trak] — then when I need to go dark or super grown and sexy, I got Dre over here. The combination is crazy — mixed in with a Cool & Dre track and RZA track and all the sh– I been doing. The only person I’m upset I didn’t work with on this album is DJ Premier. I feel his sh– would have been perfect for this all-star producer cast that I have. One Premier track would have did me just fine. I would have murdered that sh–. But we ain’t get it in, ’cause he was doing a whole bunch of sh– for Christina Aguilera. I’m just Game. So I gotta just wait for the next album.” Game first talked about thte intro producers cool & dre did. “They got the intro to the album, which is titled ‘Infrared,’ ” Game said. “It’s one of them joints that Shaheem is gonna love. All the real hip-hop fans, to hear me rap, how I’m rapping on my intro, it’s gonna f— people up. Before you get to #2, you gonna already know I’m serious. I’m spitting. I go in. I done played this for RZA, Dre, Pharrell — all the people who heard this is like, ‘N—a, that’s crazy!’ I haven’t spit like I’m spitting on the intro since ‘300 Bars.’ I touched every topic. Everything involving me, I touched.” “‘Shake’ is bad, man,” Game said. ” ‘Shake’ is crazy. Cool & Dre brought it in and I went through the ’shakes.’ I told the story, cutting myself off right before the ’shake’ came in [on the track]. I didn’t write none of that down. I went in and said the whole sh– straight through.” “You know what it is about them?” he asked about Cool & Dre. “They are more like my brothers. I can go in with the any moment and make a song. The streets is gonna f— with it.”

RICHIE RICH IS BACK ON THE SCENE
West Coast Living Legend, Richard "Richie Rich" Serrell returns to the limelight after a more than nine year musical absence. On his just released mix-tape outing, the appropriately titled Town Bidness, Dubble R continues to bless the masses with his reality fueled street narratives, delivered in that all-too-familiar raspy vocal tone. On the thirteen track extravaganza, Rich enlists the help of a few of his homies and colleagues in the biz; Snoop Dogg ["I Fux Wit You"], B-Legit & Erk Tha Jerk ["Doe (Remix)"], but in true actuality this audio affair is strictly about the man himself. Summing it up best on "#1," He professes, "40 Water sprinkled me, $hort blew the whistle, Dubble got caught with a half thang and a pistol. Now, I'm an ex-felon with a gun, but in my mind, shit, I'm still #1." Richie Rich first rose to prominence as a lead member of the popular Oakland, California, quintet, 415, back in the late eighties. The underground collective's heralded debut, 41Fivin, which spawned a succession of popular singles; "415," "Groupie Ass Bitch," & "Side Show," is still considered, to this day, a Bay Area classic. It also sparked plenty enough interest and fanfare to enable Rich with the opportunity of recording his first solo LP. That project, Don't Do It, with its excellent title track, followed in 1990, and was an instantaneous success. Unfortunately, with triumph often times comes tragedy, and while 415 were in the midst of signing with, then, indie giant, Priority Records, Richie Rich was arrested for drug possession. For him, everything came to a complete standstill. Upon his release from incarceration, Rich quickly began building up his name again by appearing on records from the likes of Tupac Shakur, who was one of his best friends till the very end, and the Luniz. Soon, he found himself in the midst of a vicious bidding war, with Def Jam Records eventually coming out the victor. Richie Rich's, then, highly anticipated Seasoned Veteran bowed in November '96, and was met with gracious reviews. The set's second offering, "Do G's Get To Go To Heaven?," was dedicated to the memory of his fallen comrade, 2Pac. A follow-up release was recorded for the label, but due to problems with the company's infrastructure at the time, it was ultimately shelved. So, Rich, along with his longtime business partner, producer Lev Berlak, formed their own imprint, Ten-Six Records. The Game, which featured several tracks left over from the Def Jam era, dropped in 2000, and Nixon Pryor Roundtree, followed nearly two years later. Currently hard at work on his "official" still untitled, solo release, consider the more-than-impressive Town Bidness a true gift of appreciation from Richie Rich to his die-hard fans, as they anxiously await the arrival of his upcoming sixth studio opus...

GURU'S HEALTH STATUS IS STABLE, NOT IN COMA; ISSUES OFFICIAL STATEMENT
UPDATE: Guru is diagnosed by his doctors as ailing from Anoxia due to his history of lung problems and asthma. Guru is NOT in coma and he continues to recover. The doctors are hopeful for a full recovery. Thoughts and prayers have been with legendary Hip-Hop emcee Guru since his hospitalization earlier this month due to a heart attack. Solar, the rapper's longtime partner and best friend, said Guru has a history of lung problems and asthma and is slowly recovering. Guru, born Keith Elam, recently disclosed his first statement, assuring the public that he is recuperating, and that his producer Solar will stand as his representative during his recovery. "I am doing fine and I am recovering! I'm weak though," Guru said. "Solar is the only person who has the accurate info on my situation. Any info from anybody else is false. I appreciate your well wishes and all the love!" The producer expressed similar sentiments about the rapper's health status, saying: "Guru is resting and doing well. The doctors say that he will fully recover from his illness. We thank everyone who send prayers our way and we appreciate the outpouring of love from fans around the world!" There are a lot of rumors and false allegations circulating around, but Guru explicitly named Solar his official spokesperson and the hit producer is taking this position very seriously. "Guru has entrusted me to be accurate and truthful in relaying information to the media," Solar said. The producer is in constant contact with Guru's relatives like the MC's father and brother who have visited the legendary rapper numerous times. "When a patient is in such critical conditions it is very common that not everyone is allowed to enter the room, especially when Mr. Keith Elam doesn't want to see certain people," one of Guru's doctors said. Many Hip-Hop artists from around the world sent well wishes to Guru but some people from his past are trying to shed bad light on his partner Solar for his position in this situation. Doctors have not given any indication as to when Guru might be released, but the rapper is touched by the fan support. "The outpouring of love from around the world has been tremendous," Solar said. "I'm reading some of the best e-mails, texts and Twitters that come in and Guru enjoys them. I think that's what has been helping his recovery and what's got him in there fighting."

BIZARRE IS BACK FOR NEW SOLO ALBUM
From the early years of the Motown era, Detroit has always been a hotbed for great music. Multi-platinum recording star BIZARRE proves this holds true in 2010 by welcoming the newest and brightest stars from "The D" to join him on his third solo release, FRIDAY NIGHTS AT ST. ANDREWS that will be released on his new label home, AVJ Records, on May 18th. "When it comes to unique creativity in music, Bizarre stands out. With his success with the multi platinum-selling group D12, we felt he would make an incredible addition to our growing roster here at AVJ," states CEO Shannon Houchins. Guests on the project include his D12 band mate Kuniva, King Gordy, 7 Da General, and Royce Da 5 9, Non-Detroit standouts include Nate Walka, Tech N9ne, Red Man, Nipsy Hussle, Yelawolf and Honorable C-Note. FRIDAY NIGHTS AT ST. ANDREWS is a metaphor for Detroit's liveliest spot for hip hop music: St. Andrews Hall. "When D12 was coming up, St. Andrews was the kind of place that people would literally walk miles to get to and be a part of. No lie. It's so special that in a city that is as violent as Detroit is, you could go to St. Andrews and find peace and incredible music," says a passionate Bizarre. "I've tried to bring that element to Friday Nights At St. Andrews." The first single to be released from FRIDAY NIGHTS AT ST. ANDREWS is "BELIEVER," featuring Tech N9ne & Grammy nominated newcomer Nate Walka (co-wrote Jamie Foxx's "Blame It On The Alcohol") and produced by Honorable C-Note. "Detroit, Michigan, home of the broke dreams, abandoned houses, known crack fiends... ain't no salary, they done closed down the plants, I'm staying with my aunt, Who gon' give me a ride, who gon' take me to school, who gon' help mama out when daddy acting a fool. The D, watching my people get slaughtered hurricane Katrina without the water..." The video for "BELIEVER," directed by A. Earnest Garth, is set in a grimy Detroit that is thick in content and performance and filled with shadowy images. While the NorthStarz-produced Street single "RAP'S FINEST," featuring Kuniva, 7 Da General, Red Man and Royce Da 5 9 is a collection of Detroit's illest MC's on a track. The video for "Rap's Finest" is also directed by A. Earnest Garth and is performance visual in its most raw form. LISTEN TO RAP'S FINEST Ft. Kuniva, Royce da 5'9, Redman CLICK HERE

NEW MJ DOC COMING SOON - His last days.
The author behind "Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson" is tackling the King of Pop's last days for the bigscreen. Author-filmmaker Ian Halperin is behind "Gone Too Soon," an 88-minute documentary about Jackson that is culled from 300 hours of footage shot inside the singer's camp. Varity reports, Shine Intl., which holds global distribution rights to the doc, will unveil "Gone Too Soon" at next month's Mip TV confab in Cannes. Pic is set for a theatrical run in Canada and France, via Transit Medias, on June 25 -- the first anniversary of Jackson's death. Halperin wrote "Unmasked," which hit No. 1 last year on the New York Times' bestsellers list, after spending five years investigating Jackson. Footage in "Gone Too Soon" includes video and audio of Jackson shot before his death. It also includes interviews with Jackson's personal manager, chef, spiritual adviser, hairstylist, trainer, protective agent and attorney. According to the filmmakers, Jackson family members were not involved but are aware of the film. Family attorney Brian Oxman is among the interviewees. Despite its depiction of the more scandalous aspects of Jackson's life, Halperin called the movie "a balanced tribute to the King of Pop." "This is the film Michael and his fans deserve," Halperin said. Shine Intl. president Chris Grant said the doc would "eventually be known as a really important piece of the Michael Jackson saga." "Ian's done an incredible job telling the story of what actually happened to Michael," Grant said. "We've teased it a bit and the reaction has been tremendous." Halperin reported in December 2008 that Jackson was in weak health -- and was quoted in a celebrity mag at the time predicting that the pop star would be dead within six months. Halperin's shingle and Objective Films are behind the doc, which will be distributed for TV in some territories and as a theatrical release in others. Halperin's credits include co-authoring two books about the death of Kurt Cobain, as well as the doc "His Highness Hollywood." Halperin and Grant are producing "Gone Too Soon" along with Jarred Weisfeld and Sarah Girgis.

PHAROAHE MONCH PREPS FOR W.A.R.
Pharoahe Monch is on the front lines once again and this time it's bigger than just album talk. Monch is gearing up to release his new project W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) through a partnership with Duck Down Music, while establishing his company W.A.R. Media as a viable entertainment portal. W.A.R. is the follow-up album to Pharoahe's "Desire" project from 2007. Fans can expect what they've come to love from Pharoahe on the new LP; complex rapping techniques that are both intricate and intelligent. Monch states, "I'm incredibly excited about my upcoming release W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) and my new partnership between my company W.A.R. Media, LLC, and Duck Down Music. This album deals with conflicts and resolutions of the spirit, the soul, the government, and the industry among other things. Thus far it features Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, Jean Grae, Styles P, Phonte, Black Thought, with more to come. It also features production from M-Phazes, Marco Polo, Mike Low, Fatin, Lee Stone, Exile and others to be announced. I am working diligently to finish the work for a summer release and I am honored to join forces with the Duck Down family during their 15 year anniversary."

ISLAND DEF JAM TOPS BILLBOARD, SOUNDSCAN, AND ITUNES.
IDJ's hot streak carries over to the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, as "Rude Boy" by Rihanna jumps into the #1 spot, the 22-year old star's 5th #1 solo single (and overall 6th #1 career single) in less than four years. At #3 this week is "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris,
which formerly held the #1 spot on the Hot 100 last week. On the iTunes list Top 10 singles, "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris owns the #1 position for a third consecutive week. Rihanna's "Rude Boy" comes in at #4. And Teen Island star Justin Bieber has an unprecedented two singles in the iTunes Top 10 for a third consecutive week, "U Smile" at #3, and "Baby" featuring Ludacris at #9.

LUDA IS #1 ON THE CHARTS.
Ludacris earns his fifth #1 debut album with THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES (released March 9th), as it enters the Billboard 200 albums chart in the top spot, on first week sales of 137k units. THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES, the 7th solo studio album from Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam artist Luda, and his fifth #1 Soundscan debut, features "How Low," the #1 Urban Radio smash,
certified RIAA platinum for U.S. sales in excess of one million units. The album's second single pick is "My Chick Bad" featuring Nicki Minaj, impacted radio on February 22nd making the single the greatest gainer at radio last week. Ludacris is in his second month as special guest on the Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. Tour of North America, which began early February. The 10-week, 32-city tour of stadiums and major arenas runs through April 11th in Vancouver.

VH1 ANNOUNCES NEW TV LINE-UP
The month of April brings a few new series to VH1. Beginning on April 11, Sunday nights offer "Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business," -- Superstar siblings Brandy and Ray J Norwood are famous for their incredible vocal talent on the stage and screen. But they wouldn't be anywhere without the support and guidance of their parents - entertainment manager and mom, Sonja, and talented musical father, Willie Norwood. In this new VH1 series, viewers will get a first hand glimpse into the lives of the Norwood family unit and their family business - Rn'B Productions.
Run by Sonja, Rn'B Productions features an impressive roster of musical artists including Brandy, Ray J and their father Willie, who also serves as the company's vocal coach. But with Sonja ready to take a step down, Brandy and Ray J will have to fill her shoes quickly, while taking the family business to the next level. Will they have what it takes to continue to stay in the limelight while growing an entertainment empire? "Basketball Wives" follows the extraordinary lives of seven women who are best friends and either the wife, ex-wife or girlfriend of an NBA
superstar. This new series will showcase the inside lives of these ladies who are with some of the biggest ballers in the game. These ladies live the life. They drive the best cars, live in the biggest mansions, wear designer clothes and jewelry and only travel first class. But living the high life
is not all glamour. In order to protect it, they have to deal with the jealousies and dramas of living in -- and staying in -- the inner circle. Viewers will watch as these women juggle between stress and success while raising their children, building their businesses, fending off groupies and
finding stability in an unstable atmosphere. In "Basketball Wives" viewers will finally get a glimpse into the secret lives of the women behind these men, and realize that it's not just the players they date or are married to... but also the game. and "What Chilli Wants." --- Beauty, success, money... Chilli has everything she's ever wanted, except a good man. Her friends say she is single because her "Chilli's Checklist," a catalog of standards and traits any potential dating prospect must meet, is too high and unrealistic. According to the expansive list, he
must have eight-pack abs, a gorgeous face, has to be funny (like Marlon Wayans funny), has to love kids, has to be religious, can't smoke, can't drink, and can't eat pork, just to name a few. Now, as a last resort, Chilli has enlisted the help of relationship expert Tionna Smalls. Over the course of eight weeks, Tionna will break down Chilli's impossible criteria and the emotions behind them, introduce her to hundreds of men and hopefully find her that perfect guy.

SNOOP DOGG SET TO PLAY SUPERHERO
Snoop Dogg is preparing to add the role of superhero to his growing list of titles with the forthcoming release of More Malice: Deluxe Album and Movie on March 23rd. Accompanying the eight song disc is a 40 minute mini-movie entitled "Malice N Wonderland The Movie" with Snoop playing the lead as a superhero on a mission to save his city. In the film, the safety of the city is up to Malice (Snoop Dogg) who fights crime and strives to bring peace back to his neighborhood. Music from the accompanying album is featured throughout. Cameos in the action packed flick include Jamie Foxx, Xzibit, Nipsey Hussle and more. More Malice: Deluxe Album and Movie features 5 songs from the previously released "Malice N Wonderland" along with 5 entirely new songs and 2 remixes. The movie will be brought to national audiences with multiple television and online airings. BET's popular show "The Deal" will be airing a three-episode special about the movie dedicating two entire shows (March 18th and 19th) to Snoop while he walks viewers through the making of and vision behind the film. The third episode (March 23rd) will play the movie in it's entirety. Spike TV will also air the entire film for their viewers on March 24th. Check your local listings for air times.

MURS PARTNERS WITH 9TH WONDER
Underground rap stalwart Murs reunites with 9th Wonder for ForNever, the pair’s third collaborative album. The 10-track collection features “I Used To Luv Her,” a remake of Common’s mid-1990s classic, as well as “The Problem Is…”, a powerful examination of the struggle to make an honest living. ...“I think when I work with anybody, my ability to be flexible is what helps make things work,” Murs muses. “When it comes to 9th, I pretty much just let him run the whole show. That’s why it works with us. I’m one of the few rappers out here secure enough to relinquish some control in the studio. I mean, I’m still a total control freak. I’m just not as bad as the rest of them.” Due in stores April 13 from SMC Recordings, the eclectic yet soulful ForNever also includes collaborations with a diverse guest list highlighted by Kurupt, Suga Free, Verbs, Sick Jacken and Uncle Chucc in what could be the duos bets collaborative effort to date.

FUNKMASTER FLEX TEAMS UP WITH FLOWMASTER
Flowmaster Mufflers and DJ Funkmaster Flex team up to create a TV, radio and event trifecta of high impact media campaigns. Flowmaster has long been recognized for creating innovative high performance products that improve power, torque and mileage of both street and racing vehicles. Funk Flex is a proven innovator in Hip Hop culture and modern automotive styling with a world renowned automotive TV show, Hot 97 radio show and eight city explosive car and bike tour to
showcase his ideas and passions. This is a perfect fit for both Flowmaster and Flex! "We're really pleased to have connected with Flex for 2010 and see the bond between our groups as a great way to further increase the Flowmastermessage and brand to a loyal audience of fans and soon to be fans of our product," stated Winnie Flugger, CEO of Flowmaster, Inc. "We know that
'Flex' will help us reach a new and diverse audience of enthusiasts and others not aware of our products increasing our credibility with this audience and introducing us to an exciting youthful market." "Flowmaster gearheads, customizers, rodders and young tuners are a group of unique individuals that are defining the creative future of the auto industry each time they step on the gas pedal," said Funkmaster Flex. "I hope my tour, radio and TV shows provides an excellent platform for Flowmaster to showcase their products and inspire these aficionados with
new exhaust technology ideas and keep things poppin' in 2010." For 2010, Funkmaster Flex will make eight stops on his hard-driving car and bike tour and Flowmaster products will be used on all of his project cars ranging from a 1965 Buick Riveria to a 2010 Ford Mustang and 2009
Dodge Challenger. Each ride will be featured on Flex's newest TV show "Funk Flex Full Throttle" to air on a major cable network in April. In each episode, he will detail the customization of the cars and the performance enhancements he makes including the use of Flowmaster products. Finally, Flex will talk with his fans about each ride and where he's showcasing them on his popular radio show.

LAFFAPALOOZA LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS- HOSTED BY TRACY MORGAN.
Hosted by brilliant comedian Tracy Morgan (30 Rock, Cop Out), this laugh-out-loud comedy concert was taped before a live audience in Las Vegas and includes performances by Lavell Crawford, Mark Curry, Earthquake, Corey Holcomb and Sheryl Underwood. The crowd is hyped and the comedians are no joke! We’re coming into your home and taking no prisoners, so strap yourself into your seat and hold on to your stomach because you are about to experience the true power of LAFFAPALOOZA! This a must have for all you dvd collectors. Tracy and Mark Cury, and others kill it! The DVD is available In Stores and Online 3/16. Codeblack Entertainment / Vivendi Entertainment SEE THE TRAILER HERE

BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY TO HEAD OUT ON NATIONAL TOUR
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will launch a 34-city U.S. tour this spring in support of their long-awaited reunion album entitled Uni5: The World’s Enemy set for an April 27 release on BTNH Worldwide/Asylum/Warner Bros. Records. Krayzie, Wish, Layzie and Flesh-N-Bone will kick off the tour on March 24 in Minneapolis, MN and wrap-up in Phoenix, AZ on May 2. The album is a 15-year reunion that chronicles the unity and adversity issues that have rifled the group’s successful, often turbulent career while opening up a broader discussion on how these same themes manifest themselves in society. “You go through things to make you stronger,” Layzie says. “All your obstacles, all the things you go through that don’t seem positive at that particular time are only to get you ready for your next phase of life.” With more than 30 million albums sold worldwide and a very active (almost cult-like) loyal fan base, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have become one of the most popular hip-hop groups in the genre’s history. The recipients of numerous awards and accolades, the Bone Thugs are also the only artists or group to collaborate with icons Eazy-E, 2Pac, Big Pun and the Notorious B.I.G. while they were still alive. These Midwest franchise players, most revered for popularizing staccato rhymes with melodic vocals, have influenced the cadence and delivery of many of today’s MCs. “With the contributions we have made through songs, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will live forever in music. We’ve made our mark in history,” says Krayzie. “To me, that is the most valuable thing.”

DJ HERO™ EXPANDS WITH NEW MIXES!
Joining the critically-acclaimed, 93 original mix soundtrack on DJ Hero™ – the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009 – are chart topping hits from hip-hop legends and DJ Hero Renegade Edition headliners, JAY-Z and Eminem. Starting March 18, 2010, living room DJ’s can mix, scratch and battle with the JAY-Z vs. Eminem Mix Pack, featuring the following exclusive mash-ups:
“Shake That” by Eminem Mixed With “Show Me What You Got” by JAY-Z
“Without Me” by Eminem Mixed With “Encore” by JAY-Z
“Can I Get A…” by JAY-Z Mixed With “Lose Yourself” by Eminem

The JAY-Z vs. Eminem Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft on March 18, 2010 for 640 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system on March 25, 2010 for $7.99. All mixes will be released as downloadable singles for Wii™ on March 25, 2010 for 300 Wii Points each.

The DJ Hero Extended Mix Pack 01, featuring two party rockin’ grooves: 50 Cent featuring Mary J. Blige “All Of Me” mixed with Queen’s “Radio Ga Ga” and “DARE” by Gorillaz vs. Public Enemy’s “Can’t Truss It;” and the David Guetta Mix Pack 01 containing remixes of his hot tracks “When Love Takes Over” featuring Kelly Rowland, the chart-topping “Sexy Chick” featuring Akon and “On The Dance Floor” featuring will.i.am and apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas; are available now. For information on how to connect your console and access DJ Hero downloadable content, please visit: djhero.com/support/

NEW REPORT SHOWS HOW MUCH LABELS ARE INVESTING IN ARTISTS.
A new report from the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) breaks down how much the music industry spends annually investing in their artists. According to the IFPI report, approximately $5 billion is "invested" in artist rosters, with 30 percent of the labels' revenue spent on artist development and marketing. This includes approximately 16 percent of sales revenue going to A&R, which the IFPI says "exceeds the proportionate research and development expenditure of virtually all other industries." The IFPI breaks down the costs in "breaking" a new artist, figuring that it takes approximately $1 million to do so in the U.S. and U.K. The breakdown includes the artist's advance, recording, filming three videos, tour support and promotion/marketing. John Kennedy, IFPI Chairman/CEO says, "Investing in music is the core mission of record companies. No other party can lay claim to a comparable role in the music sector. No other party comes close to the levels of investment committed by record companies to developing, nurturing and promoting talent." ....... "One of the biggest myths about the music industry in the digital age is that artists no longer need record labels. It is simply wrong. The investment, partnership and support that help build artist careers have never been more important than they are today. This report aims to explain why. Investing in Music is about how the music business works. It explains the value that music companies add, helping artists to realise a talent that would typically go unrecognised and get to an audience they would otherwise not reach."....."Much of the value added by music companies is invisible to the outside world. Yet it is the investment and advice from labels that enable an artist to build a career in music and which, in turn, creates a beneficial ripple effect throughout the wider music sector." How the investment breaks down: Investing in Music outlines the very substantial investments involved in developing and marketing successful artists. In the UK and US, it is estimated that it typically costs more than US$1 million to break a pop artist. This is spread across an advance paid to the artist, recording costs, video production, tour support and promotional work. A typical example of the breakdown of the costs of breaking a new pop act in major markets is as below:
Advance- US$200,000
Recording- US$200,000
3 videos- US$200,000
Tour support- US$100,000
Promotion/marketing- US$300,000
TOTAL- US$1,000,000

D'ANGELO'S MANAGEMENT RELEASE STATEMENT.
"We know there is a lot of speculation in regard to the arrest of D'Angelo in New York City this past weekend. We would like his fans and the public at large to know that D'Angelo has pled not guilty -- and is contesting the allegations made against him. Also know that, he is in good health and extremely excited about his forthcoming new album. D'Angelo would like to personally thank all of his fans for the outpouring of concern, and appreciates if all would allow the American justice system to resolve the matter before jumping to any conclusions."

D'ANGELO ARRESTED FOR SOLICITING COP?
Grammy Award-winning R&B singer D'Angelo was arrested early yesterday after allegedly offering an undercover policewoman $40 for oral sex while cruising alone through the West Village -- with $12,000 stashed in his SUV. According to the New York Post, D'Angelo, 36, whose real name is Michael Archer, was in his top-of-the-line Range Rover at Greenwich and Horatio streets at about 2:30 a.m. when he spotted a woman he took to be a prostitute, sources said. He was arrested and charged with solicitation after asking the woman for sex, the sources said. His manager declined to comment.

SOLAR ISSUES OFFICIAL STATEMENT ABOUT GURU'S HEALTH STATUS & FALSE RUMORS: There are a lot of rumors and wrong information circulating around about Guru's current situation and health status. Hit producer and Guru's longtime producer and best friend, Solar addresses these false rumors in an official statement and during an interview with CNN. "Guru is recovering and his doctors are guarded, but hopeful for his recovery," Solar told the news network. Solar said the rapper has a history of lung problems and asthma and has been guarded about revealing his health issues. "Guru has entrusted me to be accurate and truthful in relaying information to the media," Solar said. The legendary MC always tried to keep his private life behind closed doors and Solar said he was confused as to why Guru's nephew, Justin Nicholas-Elam Ruff, accused Solar of withholding information about the rapper from his family and not allowing them to see him, given that Ruff's mother, Trish, and other family members have visited with Guru. "It's very, very baffling to me because his mother [Trish] was at the hospital not even a week ago with Guru's brother and his sister," Solar told CNN. "I speak to Guru's father and his brother daily. This is amazingly untrue and I have no idea what this is about.".. "I have nothing but the deepest love and respect for the Elam family but I have not stopped them from seeing Guru!" Solar added. Doctors have not given any indication as to when Guru might be released, Solar said, and the rapper is touched by the fan support. "The outpouring of love from around the world has been tremendous," Solar said. "I'm reading some of the best e-mails, texts and Twitters that come in and he enjoys them. I think that's what has been helping his recovery and what's got him in there fighting." During what must be an incredibly hard and stressful period in life, keep sending your prayers, thoughts, and wishes to Guru, Solar and his loved ones.

MORE VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN CONNECTION WITH WAKA FLAKA.
Eight teenagers were shot after a performance by Atlanta rapper Waka Flocka Flames late Friday evening (March 5) in Gary, Indiana. Waka Flocka Flames performed at the World of Skates skating rink. During the event, a fight broke out, prompting security to order all patrons to leave the venue. As 200 teens waited in the parking lot, a gunman or gunmen opened fire on 200 teenagers who were waiting for their rides. "Our kids are kids. "They're teenagers that came to a venue and saw a rapper perform and then went home. As far as I'm concerned, my kids have nothing to do with what was going on," World of Skates manager James Sisson told the Post-Tribune. The wounded teens were taken to St. Catherine Hospital, Methodist Hospitals and Saint Margaret Mercy in Hammond, Ind, where they were treated for non-life threatening wounds. Police accused Waka Flocka’s hype man of inciting the crowd by pitting the “East side” against the “West side,” which may have started the fight Police Cmdr. Michael Mallett told the Post-Tribune. "The kids have separated themselves into east and west sides," Mallet said. "They've been doing it for many years now, but it's gotten worse, especially when you have entertainers making references to East Side vs. West Side. The youth in our community have taken it to heart." No arrests have been made as of press time.

DIDDY THROWING BIGGIE BASH IN BROOKLYN.
Harlem-born rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs is crossing the bridge to throw his first-ever Brooklyn bash as a tribute to his late friend, rapper Notorious B.I.G. "Everybody in Harlem knows you don’t usually go over the bridge to Brooklyn," Diddy said to MTV News. "It’s a big, big deal.” The invite-only bash will honor the 13th anniversary of the death of B.I.G., a.k.a Biggie Smalls, and will be held at Bed-Stuy club The Lab. Diddy is calling the dress code for the event to be Biggie-inspired. He is also pushing for March 9th to become "Biggie Day," a national hip-hop holiday.

WAKA FLOCKA FLAME'S CREW ALLEGEDLY FIRE SHOTS AT JEEZY'S CREW?
According to the Atlanta Journal, shots were fired, though no one was hit, during an altercation between groups affiliated with local rappers Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy that closed Walter's Clothing in downtown Atlanta for about 30 minutes. The fight started around 4 p.m. Thursday when Mane's group walked into the store -- popular with celebrities -- and spotted Jeezy's associates, said witness Patrick Morrison. "There was a physical altercation inside the location between several men," Atlanta police spokesman James Polite confirmed to the AJC. One of the men produced a weapon "and as a result a private armed security guard of a local entertainer discharged his weapon." Polite said the security guard, employed by local rapper Waka Flocka Flame, has been detained. The fighting was intense, witnesses said. "They just started going at it," said Morrison, a Walter's employee. Waka Flocka Flame, aka Juaqin Malphurs, is a member of Gucci Mane's 1017 Brick Squad. His pseudonym alludes to the sound of cocking a semi-automatic pistol. "Whoever he is he's got a big swollen eye now," Morrison said. In January, Malphurs was shot in the arm while washing his car on Old National Highway. Police said he was approached at the Bubble Bath car wash by armed men demanding his jewelry. Meanwhile, Gucci Mane, aka Radric Davis, is serving time at the Fulton County jail for a probation violation. He is set to be released in May.

SNOOP OUT THE BRITISH DOGHOUSE.
Snoop Dogg -- who was banned from the United Kingdom after a brawl at London's Heathrow Airport in 2006 -- has reportedly won his legal battle to return. The New York Post reports The 38-year-old hip-hop megastar, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus, argued that his role in the clash was "relatively minor," according to The Sun newspaper. The brawl, in which seven cops were hurt, erupted over access to British Airways' first-class lounge. The government said it was considering an appeal.

GLASSES MALONE SAYS HE READY.
Glasses Malone is ready to give the world what they've been waiting for. The new project Beach Cruiser is set to release The west coast rap scene buzzing as the long-awaited, highly anticipated debut release from Cash Money recording artist Glasses Malone, Beach Cruiser is arriving. Leading off with the single "Eastsidin" featuring Snoop Dogg. Beach Cruiser will take listeners on a Westside ride thru life of the Southern California native. Fresh off the mixtape release Nightmare on Seventh Street, and the grass roots tour with Tech N9ne and Kottonmouth Kings, Malone s Beach Cruiser will give the rest of the world an even greater glimpse into the highs and lows of life on the Westside. The strategic delay positions Malone to end a reigning decade for Cash Money Records and bring Hoobangin Records back to the top of the game. With high caliber guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Birdman, and Akon and creatively conceptual lyrics, every song can easily become an instant favorite. In addition to releasing Beach Cruiser, Malone has created a partnership for the ages, teaming up with SixThreeZero to create his own edition of the classic beach cruiser. The G7 Beach Cruiser "It will be the cleanest beach cruiser in history, unless Puff Daddy decides to make a bike." Glasses exclaims. The G7 was released in October 2009 and is available for purchase.

PLIES GETS SUED.
Victims of a 2006 Florida nightclub shooting are suing the rapper Plies. The claim is that Plies has increased his credibility in the rap game and made money because of their suffering from the incident. The five victims all had non-life threatening gunshot wounds after a fight broke out between the entourage of rapper Plies and another rapper at the club in Gainesville. An amended lawsuit filed Wednesday in Alachua County Circuit Court adds the rapper's brother and his record label, Big Gates Records, to an existing civil suit against Plies, whose real name is Algernod Lanier Washington. The lawsuit was originally filed in April 2008. Plies pleaded no contest to illegal possession of a concealed weapon found after the shootings and served no prison time. His brother, Ronell Levatte, served three years in prison after pleading no contest to weapons charges. The plaintiffs' lawyers say the rapper makes references to the shooting in his lyrics and has generally used it to promote his street cred. "The irony is that when you criminally prosecute (gangsta rappers) their stock goes up," said Chad Roberts, a Jacksonville-based attorney representing the shooting victims. "It's hard to punish them. The only way to punish is them is to hold the record company accountable." Robert Rush , Washington's Gainesville-based attorney, called the suit "baseless propaganda." He said his client didn't have a gun in the club and that it's not clear who fired the shots that harmed the plaintiffs. He also accused the plaintiff's attorneys of trying to grab publicity by amending a lawsuit that had been stagnant for months in a county court. "This is defamation of character and it is all false. If his music wasn't any good, he wouldn't have gotten anywhere. This happened four years ago, his record sales are not doing great because of this," Rush said.

UP-AND-COMING RAPPER DONNIS GETS SIGNED TO ATLANTIC RECORDS;
Atlantic Records has announced the signing of their new artist Donnis who has released the details of his first-ever US tour. The rising rapper will be among the multi-artist hip-hop bill entitled the “Crowd Control Tour,” also featuring Kidz In The Hall, 88-Keys and Izza Kizza. The 16-city trek kicked off on Sunday, February 28th at New York City’s Highline Ballroom, with dates then continuing through early April. "Now that we’ve sealed the deal, we’re looking forward to watching Donnis take it to the next level” proclaimed Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman." While hard at work completing his Atlantic debut album, Donnis will keep listeners entertained with his new mixtape “Fashionably Late” set to be released this month. Currently featured in the March issue of XXL’s “Show and Prove”, Donnis will also be included in the magazine’s “Freshmen 10” alongside West Coast rapper Nipsey Hussle and J. Cole from North Carolina. The talented rapper who has already shared stages with such luminaries as T.I., Chingy, and 112 – will also be among the new stars performing at the upcoming South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas.

UPDATE: GURU RELEASES STATEMENT ON CONDITION.
“I am doing fine and I am recovering,” he said. “I’m weak though. Solar is the only person who has the accurate info on my situation. Any info from anybody else is false! I appreciate your well wishes and all the love!”

LIL WAYNE 'S JAIL TIME DELAYED AGAIN?
Lil Wayne's jail time gets delayed again..He was scheduled to be sentenced and report to jail today on weapons charges, but the whole thing had to be delayed again because of a fire at the courthouse. Wayne was originally supposed to be sentenced and report to jail in early February, but his lawyer argued that he needed important dental surgery, and Weezy was excused in order to undergo eight root canals. The new date was rescheduled for today, which looked rock solid until hundreds of people were evacuated from the New York courthouse. The fire was apparently started in a wooden contractor's shed, causing the evacuation around 10:30 a.m. after the building filled with smoke. NY1 reported that the courthouse would be closed for the rest of the day as a result of the blaze, which caused injuries to five firefighters, two civilians and one prisoner. Wayne's lawyer, Stacey Richman, told MTV News, "We have no idea when things will normalize." Around 1 p.m., Richman said in an e-mail that she was still trying to figure out what would happen with the court appearance. Wayne was ready to formally turn himself in to begin his one-year prison term after pleading guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. Lil Wayne also Tweeted to his fans late on Monday, saying, "Yesterday i smiled, today i smirked, tomorrow i stop... Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, they're needed. The F is for family, friends, and fans. thank u. your love and prayers are felt. They kant lok up my heart bekuz y'all already have it on lok. thank u." UPDATE: Lil Wayne will be sentenced to prison on Monday (March 8).

BLACK EYED PEAS DRUMMER INKS DEAL
Universal Music Publishing Group has signed a deal with Keith Harris which encompasses Harris' catalogue, including the Black Eyed Peas hit “Imma Be.” Through the agreement, UMPG now represents Harris’ publishing rights for the US and Canada and will represent Harris’ worldwide publishing in July 2010, upon completion of his deal with EMI Music Publishing. Harris also has co-writing credits on songs by Mariah Carey, Estelle, Chris Brown, Kelis and Mary J. Blige among others. He's been the drummer for the Black Eyed Peas and Fergie since 2003 and is currently on the road with Black Eyed Peas for The E.N.D. World Tour 2010.

MC GURU UPDATE: LEGENDARY MC GURU SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK, OFFICIAL STATEMENT RELEASED: Hit producer and Guru's longtime partner Solar released a statement that reads, "Guru is struggling with a serious health issue. We, the whole 7 Grand Records family, appreciate all your love and well wishes. We continue to hold out hope that Guru will make a full recovery from this. We ask that his privacy on this matter will be respected. Again, thank you for all your support through this trying time."

MISTER CARTOON LINKS UP WITH METRO PCS.
MetroPCS , in partnership with SA Studios Global, today announced the launch of its second Sanctioned by Mister Cartoon mobile phone, the MOTO(TM) VE440. Available this week in select stores and online, the limited edition handset features artwork and pre-loaded digital content
designed by legendary tattoo and graphic artist Mister Cartoon, along with two exclusive tracks from legendary hip hop personality, Snoop Dogg. Mister Cartoon is a renowned tattoo artist, car customizer, illustrator and designer and has worked with numerous entertainment icons including
Eminem, Beyonce and film producer Brian Grazer. Mister Cartoon most recently worked with television star George Lopez to help create the branding and identity for Lopez's new talk show, "Lopez Tonight." "It's great to collaborate with MetroPCS again, and we are very excited about the opportunity to work with Motorola on this handset," said Mister Cartoon, creative director of SA Studios Global. "The mobile phone has become so much more than just a communication device; it's a way for people to express themselves. The design I created, along with the cool features and music that Snoop Dogg added will allow fans to show people who they are and what they're passionate about." A portion of the revenue generated from the handset sales will go directly to funding community art centers, outreach programs for at-risk youth and art supplies for schools in many of the MetroPCS markets. "Our customers want their mobile phones to express their personality, and our partnership with Mister Cartoon allows us to meet that desire with
a unique, graphically intense mobile device that speaks volumes about its owners," said Phil Terry, senior vice president of corporate marketing for MetroPCS. "After the success of the first Mister Cartoon offering last year, we are excited to continue our partnership with him and SA Studios and fully expect this device to echo the success of the previous device."

GURU SUFFERS HEART ATTACK - IN COMA!
Reports have surfaced that Rapper Guru suffered a heart attack and is in a coma. While details remain sketchy, the rapper apparently suffered the heart attack in New York City and is in serious condition. Guru (real name Keith Elam) is a founding member of Gangstarr, which also features legendary producer DJ Premier. Questlove of The Roots said via twitter, "So Primo confirmed on Sirius radio that Guru had heart attack and is in a coma and will undergo surgery tomorrow."

JUVENILE ARRESTED FOR MARIJUANA
Juvenile was arrested on marijuana charges Thursday afternoon in St. Bernard Parish. Steve Cannizzaro, of the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office, said someone on Livingston Avenue in Arabi smelled marijuana smoke at a neighbor's house and called police at about 3 p.m. Leroy Edwards, producer for Juvenile, answered the door and a cloud of smoke came rushing out, Cannizzaro said. Police said they found a small amount of marijuana on Edwards and he was handcuffed and questioned. Cannizzaro said Edwards wouldn't cooperate, so police obtained a warrant to search the home. When they did, Cannizzaro said they found half an ounce of marijuana in the kitchen. Juvenile, whose real name is Terius Gray, claimed the marijuana was his, Cannizzaro said, and both he and Edwards were arrested sometime after 6 p.m. They have since posted bond. The house in which they were arrested belongs to a friend of the 34-year-old rapper, Cannizzaro said. Juvenile told police that he was using the house to record his new CD. Police said they found recording equipment in the home. Several other people were in the home at the time of the arrests. Juvenile was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Cannizzaro said neither Juvenile nor Edwards was expected to stay in jail overnight.

SNOOP DROPS THE WESTCOAST BLUEPRINT.
In commemoration of Priority's silver anniversary, Creative Chairman Snoop Dogg has compiled 16 classic tracks from the Priority Records catalog for the Snoop Dogg Presents: The West Coast Blueprint, which also features a new recording by Snoop featuring The Hustle Boyz of Ice Cube's classic "Check Yo Self." LISTEN HERE Snoop has also hand-picked three classic albums to be reissued today including Eazy-E's Eazy-Duz-It, EPMD's Strictly Business and Master P's Ghetto D. "You will hear how many different facets of hip-hop Priority had a hand in. Fans who might not have heard these records in a long time. I know they're going to love hearing them again," says Snoop. "And the youngsters who've never heard of them before, it's an important education. See? Learning can be fun." Snoop Dogg Presents: The West Coast Blueprint features classic tracks from West coast rap legends like N.W.A, Yo-Yo, Ice Cube, and Mack 10, as well as crucial but lesser-known artists including King Tee and Ras Kass. The compilation showcases the diversity of sounds and styles within the now universally-known gangsta rap aesthetic. "Priority's always been associated with the west coast," explains Snoop, "but now with the power of EMI behind it, we can take this international." Snoop also talks about the relaunch of Priority Records - WATCH HERE

NEW CYPRESS HILL ALBUM COMING.
CYPRESS HILL returns April 6th with RISE UP (Priority/EMI), an album with guest appearances from Rage Against The Machine/Street Sweeper Social Club guitarist Tom Morello, Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda, System of a Down guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian, singer-songwriter Marc Anthony, rapper Pitbull, Everlast, Young De, Evidence, The Alchemist and comic legends Cheech & Chong. "We spent time in the studio with some of our favorite artists and friends and we're really proud of how the album turned out," says Cypress Hill emcee B-Real. "We're looking forward to taking these songs on the road and playing them for our fans around the world."

EMINEM TO HEADLINE THREE MAJOR FESTIVALS.
Eminem will descend upon European soil to headline three major festivals this summer - Scotland's T In The Park, Switzerland's Openair Frauenfeld and Ireland's Oxegen - giving hundreds of thousands of fans a live dose of select tracks from his impressive catalogue. First, the hip-hop icon storms the UK, headlining the mainstage at Scotland's T In The Park in early July. This marks Eminem's first European show in five years and his first-ever appearance at the festival. He then continues his European return with appearances at Gampel, Switzerland's Openair Frauenfeld and Dublin, Ireland's Oxegen 2010. Much like the blistering show he performed at New Orleans' Voodoo Fest in October 2009, Eminem will be performing with a live band, bringing a new and different level of intensity to his music. He will also be joined on by his group D12 all the dates. "I'm excited to get back to Europe to rock some shows," said Eminem. "The crowds there are always big, crazy and dedicated...it's going to be great to feel that energy again." At the 16th annual Openair Frauenfeld, Eminem is set to share the stage with another hip hop legend, Jay-Z. His headlining set is expected to draw 40,000 fans. Mathers will also take the stage in Dublin, closing out Oxegen with a highly anticipated mainstage headline set. It's Eminem's first appearance in Ireland since his phenomenal sold out shows to over 200,000 fans in Marley Park in 2004. Eminem will follow an Oxegen tradition that's included unforgettable performances by previous headliners The Who, Muse and Kings of Leon. Since dropping his classic debut The Slim Shady LP in 1999, Eminem has sold over 75 million albums worldwide, and over 30 million in the United States. He is the biggest selling artist of the last 10 years, a feat that resulted in him being recently named Artist of the Decade by Nielsen Soundscan.

UPDATE: SHYNE SIGNS 7 FIGGA DEAL WITH DEF JAM?
7 News Belize reports that Shyne has inked a multi-million dollar recording contract, bringing his Gangland Records imprint to Def Jam. The signing took place this evening inside Shyne’s penthouse at the Renaissance Tower. The signatories were Shyne and L.A. Reid – the Chairman of Island Def Jam Records. It is big news not only because of the signing but also the presence of Reid. He is one of the most powerful music executives in the United States – having signed artists ranging from Mariah Carey to Outkast. Well today he signed Shyne. Keith Swift was at the airport and has the story. Keith Swift Reporting: Island Def Jam boss L.A. Reid arrived at the Phillip Goldson International Airport at 4:20 this afternoon on his private jet. Reid, casually dressed in a jeans, was met by Shyne – dressed formally in a suit with bowtie and a matching hat. Reid says he came here for Shyne to sign on the dotted line of a multimillion dollar recording contract.

L.A. Reid, Chairman - Island Def Jam Records
“I have come here to stand by Shyne and to officially kick off our partnership with Island Def Jam Music Group and Gangland Records and so it is really an honour to be here, really very special place.”

Keith Swift,
“Why did you find it necessary to come here yourself?”

L.A. Reid,
“I am here because great people are worthy of travelling many many miles for it and I come here to say that your country is great and I hope you guys know that this is a great man from your country who deserves this kind of respect and who deserves this kind of support. So that is why we are here.”

Reid wouldn’t discuss particulars of Shyne’s contract with Gangland Records – reported to be worth US$5 million.

L.A. Reid,
“We don’t talk about things like but only that there is one and that we are intend to do great things and we are very committed to Shyne’s career.”

Keith Swift,
“Should we expect a big comeback from Shyne?”

L.A. Reid,
“I don’t expect it, I can promise it.”

Keith Swift,
“How soon will he be hitting the studio to begin recording, when should we hear something on the radio or the internet?”

L.A. Reid,
“We’ll see. Stay tuned.”

L.A. Reid – who is a legendary producer -says that he will be working personally with Shyne on the project.

Keith Swift,
“You’ll be working with him? Who will be his producers?”

L.A. Reid,
“Look around….who do you see. You see me right.”

Keith Swift,
“Shyne how do you feel to be signing the contract?”

Jamal Shyne Barrow, Signed Record Deal with Gangland Records
“It is an honour and a pleasure, not just for me but for Belize. Chairman Reid is on the level of Berry Gordy, Clive Davis, the biggest music men in the history of music, and so to have a partnership with Gangland Records and Island/Def Jam is incredible for me.”

LA Reid was scheduled to leave Belize this evening. Shyne who arrived in Belize this afternoon from Mexico is expected to record the album in London. While no figures were discussed – it has been rumoured to be US$5 million while MTV is reporting that it is a US$10 million contract.

Man, that’s a cold one right there. I’m going to be real with you, I haven’t watched "The X-Files,” but I really liked the name “The G-Files.” It just sounded right.

What do you think distinguishes this album from your previous material?

As you grow up, your music has to grow up with you. It’s still the same basic G-Funk sound, but it’s a more modern version. It’s got a taste of that modern electro sound that everyone likes but it’s still got that classic soul-vibe. I wanted to do something that matched up to the current sound of music these days.

One of the strongest songs on the new album is “100 Miles and Running” featuring Chef Raekwon and Nate Dogg. How did the collaboration with Raekwon come about and was the song recorded before Nate Dogg had his stroke?

Well, as you know, Nate had two strokes, so right now, he’s still in recovery. He’s progressing and hope to get him back on the streets soon. But before he had those strokes, we’d done six or seven songs in the studio. When I was coming home from the All-Star Game, I was stopped at a rest stop and saw Raekwon with a friend of mine. We said what’s up, mentioned that we wanted to work with each other and exchanged numbers. Two weeks later, I called him up and told him that I had a song for him. He went into the studio, laid it down, and it made for a great record.

The first song on the album is called “The West Is Back.” Did you think it was a matter of the West having fallen off?

It was just my way of saying that it was time that the original guys who really made the West Coast pop show how to get back in the groove. A lot of the music these days is not like how it was -- everybody thinks it’s OK to throw together some drums and one synth sound and it’s a hit record. It’s trying to take it back to that great soulful sound and giving props to the things that Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube, Ice T and everyone mentioned in the song did.

After giving an interview in Vanity Fair recently, you came under fire from gay rights advocates who called you homophobic for saying that you didn’t want to see gay people kissing on TV. What did you mean by that?

They’d asked me about gay people and I said that I didn’t have a problem with gay people. All I was saying was that I didn’t think it was right to have shows on television where they show two men kissing. I wasn’t saying that it was because I have a problem with it, but because I don’t think it’s right to show that sort of thing to the youth. I have no problem with gay people. I have gay family that I’m close with. I’m not a gay basher and I’d appreciate if people stopped blowing up my Twitter and e-mail with the accusations that I am.

WARREN G TO BE HONORED BY LONG BEACH BOYS & GIRLS CLUB.
On December 18th, Long Beach native Warren G will be honored with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach Image Award for his commitment to the youth and community of Long Beach. The event, which will be held at the John C. Wallace/Petrolane Club, is set to include an awards presentation at 4:30 p.m. followed by a toy give-away to local youth at 5:00 p.m. Also in attendance will be Percy Daggs, Jr. (actor) and Samie Parker (NFL Wide Receiver) who will be honored with Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach Alumni awards as well as Jeremy Williams (professional boxer) and Daniel Crockett (actor) who will be presented with Community Leadership awards. “There is so much greatness that comes out of Long Beach,” said Branch Director, Keith Lilly. “It’s a good feeling knowing that no matter how successful our honorees have become in life, they still continue to give back to their hometown. There’s something very humbling about that. Especially at this time of the year.” The Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach have provided after school programs to the Long Beach community for 70 years.

NICK CANNON GETS NEW YORK RADIO GIG.
CBS Radio’s 92.3 NOW (WXRK) New York has announced the addition of Nick Cannon as the station’s morning drive host, beginning on Tuesday, January 19. Cannon will be heard from 6 to 10 a.m. on-air, online and through a variety of mobile devices including the iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry and Zune. The four-hour program anchored by Cannon will feature a mix of popular music, celebrity interviews, pop culture and lifestyle discussions. "I have been immersed in the entertainment business for more than half my life," said Cannon. "With continued success in television, film and music both on and off camera, in addition to directing, writing and producing, radio is both an exciting and natural next step in my career. I look forward to waking up audiences and making friends across the tri-state area on New York’s Hit Music Channel, 92.3 NOW."

SHYNE BACK IN THE LAB.
Former Bad Boy rapper Shyne is already recording new material barely three months after being released from a New York prison and deported back to his native home. According to reports, Shyne has requested producer Shawty Redd to travel to Belize to executive produce his upcoming album. Shyne is not only working on his own project but,the rapper will be appearing on DJ Khaled's fourth compilation titled Victory which hits stores in February 2010. Shyne appears on a track titled 'All My Life" which features Akon and dancehall star Mavado.

QUEEN LATIFAH AND MARY J BLIGE TO BE HONORED.
Essence magazine has announced its third annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon to be held during Oscar Week on March 4, 2010 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Honoring four extraordinary women making a significant impact in Hollywood, this star-studded event commemorates the magazine's annual Hollywood issue and will pay tribute to a special milestone in 2010; the 40th Anniversary of the magazine. The esteemed honorees for the 2010 event include: Queen Latifah (Power Award), Zoe Saldana (Star to Watch Award), Mary J.
Blige (Songstress of the Year) and Gabourey Sidibe (Best Breakthrough Performance). "Our annual Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon is taking on special meaning in 2010 as we are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Essence magazine by paying homage to phenomenal women throughout the year," said Essence editor-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray. "We are proud to carry the Essence legacy into the future by honoring the accomplishments of such brilliant performers as Latifah, Zoe, Mary J., and Gabourey, whose incredible talent and sheer grit are serving to change the face of Hollywood."

GUCCI MANE HAS #1 RAP ALBUM IN THE COUNTRY
Gucci Mane’s The State vs. Radric Davis is the #1 rap album in the country with 89K units sold in its first week of release, making it the #10 album overall according to Billboard’s Top 200.
The album features Gucci’s first single “Wasted” featuring Plies, a #1 song at urban mainstream radio, and the crossover smash “Spotlight” featuring Usher. Amongst the album’s cameos is a who’s-who of urban music with guest spots from Lil Wayne, Keyshia Cole, Soulja Boy, Rick Ross, Trina, Cam’ron, Nicki Minaj, E-40 and laugh out loud skits with comedian, Mike Epps.
Even those outside of the hip-hop Diaspora have begun to take notice of Gucci Mane’s rising profile. His work has caught the attention of the larger musical community including revered DJ/producer Diplo who recently announced a project where he will remix Gucci’s acclaimed Cold War mixtape series to a backdrop of eclectic soundscapes. On November 12, 2009, Gucci Mane was sentenced to 12 months in Georgia’s Fulton County Jail for violating his parole mandates. Pending a review of his case, Gucci is eligible for an early release from custody in 2010.

LIL WAYNE HEADEDTO SLAMMER IN FEB 2010.
The 27-year-old Grammy winner, whose government name is Dwayne Carter, was sentenced to a year in prison today after he pleaded guilty to felony gun charges in Manhattan Criminal Court earlier this year. Carter, who is free on bail, will head to jail on Feb. 9. Carter's attorney, Stacey Richman confirms that not only will Weezy be officially sentenced, but he is also scheduled to surrender himself to authorities and be shipped off to prison on that same day. He is expected to face 366 days behind bars. Cops discovered a loaded 9-mm handgun on Carter's tour bus when he was headlining a show in Manhattan two years ago. Officials pulled over the bus near Columbus Circle in July 2007 after claiming they saw and smelled marijuana smoke wafting out of the door outside the concert venue. Carter's guilty plea may have helped the artist beat a 7-year rap. Wayne's new album "Rebirth" drops Feb. 1.

CITIGROUP ACCUSED OF FRAUD OVER EMI SALE.
British equity firm Terra Firma Investments has sued Citigroup Inc., claiming it paid a "fraudulently inflated price" of 4 billion pounds for EMI's label and music publishing interests in 2007 as a result of misrepresentations made by the lender. In the action, filed Friday in New York Supreme Court, Terra Firma claims to have lost equity in the billions of dollars as a result of its heavily leveraged purchase of the struggling music company. The suit adds that Citi has "sought to wrest control of EMI by pushing it into, or to the brink of bankruptcy." The lender could then sell the insolvent firm to its competitor Warner Music Group, "thus maximizing its recovery on its EMI-related loans, and generating additional investment banking fees from Warner." As noted in the action, EMI and WMG have repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempted to merge since the '90s. Terra Firma alleges that at the time of an auction of EMI's assets in the spring of 2007, all the other private equity companies that had expressed interest in the firm had dropped out of the bidding. However, Citi executive David Wormsley purportedly told Terra Firma chief executive Guy Hands that another equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management, planned to place a bid on EMI. In response to this false information, Terra Firma placed a binding bid on EMI. As a broker and lender in the deal, Citi earned some 95.2 million pounds, according to the suit. "Citi has gone on to intentionally interfere with Terra Firma's economic interests," the suit goes on to claim. It notes that the bank recently refused to restructure Terra Firma's debt, and has engaged in a "smear campaign" to erode EMI's position in the marketplace. Terra Firma seeks actual and punitive or exemplary damages to be determined, plus all monies received by Citigroup in connection with the EMI sale and trading in EMI stock in the fall of 2007, as well as pre-judgment and post-judgment interest. Representatives of Citigroup could not be reached for comment. Source: Variety

UNIVERSAL MOTWON APPOINTS NEW VP.
Universal Motown Records, a division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, has appointed Pat Monaco to Executive Vice President & General Manager of the company. The announcement was made today by Sylvia Rhone, President of the label. Formerly, Mr. Monaco served as Executive Vice President of Sales & Field Marketing for Universal Motown Republic Group. "Pat has a breadth of experience and a depth of knowledge that truly sets him apart," said Ms. Rhone. "With extensive experience and a background that encompasses both the creative and business spheres, he is ideally suited for the post of General Manager. Since joining Universal Motown ten years ago, Pat has taken the lead in exploring new business models and dramatically strengthening our artists' presence across multiple platforms. He is a consummate music man with strong leadership capabilities who has earned enormous respect throughout the industry. I join the entire Universal Motown family in congratulating him on this much-deserved promotion.".. "I am grateful to Mel Lewinter (Chairman, Universal Motown Republic Group) and Sylvia for their continued confidence and trust in me as I enter this next phase of my career," added Mr. Monaco. "I believe that Universal Motown is poised to take great strides as an industry leader and I am privileged to be part of the new leadership tasked to keep us in the forefront." Prior to joining Universal, Mr. Monaco served as General Manager of
Island Records. His background also includes a number of senior positions within Island Records and PolyGram Distribution, as well as serving as President/Owner of Landmark Distributors.

TIMBALAND SAYS HE'S DONE WITH HIP HOP.
Producer Timbaland insists the genre is "just not the same" as when he started out. After working with Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and the Pussycat Dolls, the star believes he's found his niche - insisting there are only a few of his hip-hop contemporaries who are still relevant. He told MTV, "I was done with hip-hop a long time ago. Once my generation left, I left. I do it, but there's nobody from my generation besides Jay-Z who's doing it. I look at Lil Wayne as being from my generation. Some people are still acceptable. Kanye West is acceptable from my generation. It's just not the same. By it not being the same, I kind of fade to black. I did music that fits where I was going to in my age bracket..."I figured it out a couple of years ago with Nelly (Furtado) and Justin Timberlake and myself. We had a tremendous run. I think it was good for me to do that. But I got this run, I'm not gonna stop until I wanna stop."

GANGSTA BOO RELEASES STATEMENT INVOLVING ROBBERY.
Gangsta Boo (AKA Lola Mitchell) a former member of the Three 6 Mafia camp now with the Drum Squad, turned herself into police this week after she learned she had a warrant for her arrest on the charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery of a Dollar General Store in Olive Branch from back in July..In a statement released to a FOX news station in Memphis, Mitchell says: "I, Lola C. Mitchell pka Gangsta Boo, was not, I repeat, was not involved in any kind of conspiracy of any kind involving a robbery. I am being implicated false on statements and terms. I have no connections with any unlawful activities with the suspect Marcus Curtis or anyone else involved in this matter. I was neither questioned nor informed of any such charges brought against me before a warrant was issued which lead me to turn myself in. I feel like I have been publicly slandered and targeted because of my career, I am innocent on all charges and the truth will prevail in the end." Gangsta Boo was later released on $100,000 bond.

50 CENT FILLS IN THE BLANKS.
In this months issue of Essence mag, 50 Cent sat down to explain why the best hip-hop artist in the world is white, why studios were scared of him because he’d been shot and more.. Here's the piece.. “WHAT IVE LEARNED” - "It’s Fifty, not Fiddy. My mom chose the lifestyle because she didn’t choose welfare. Every time I seen her, it felt like Christmas. Everything that was nice in my life was gone when she left, and the only people I saw that had nice things were people from the lifestyle. And they’d look at me and go, Why you look like that? Why your shoes run-down? What led my mom into the lifestyle that got her killed was what led me into the lifestyle: to prevent needing things so much. If I’d had a choice, I would’ve been a college kid. I would’ve majored in business. Sometimes you do need to convince yourself through convincing others. I never saw drug use as a good option. I’d rather have an additional ten dollars than smoke. It wasn’t a decision to not smoke weed. It was a decision to hustle. It was a business decision. Hustling was my internship. Being shot defines how strong I am. It prepares you for the confusion of being an artist. The adrenaline doesn’t allow the bullets to hurt as much as being afraid hurts. Columbia Records shied away from me. They were afraid of someone who would actually come from the real shit. You know what happens right after you assess me being shot? You go, Wow, so he’s really down there with the people who will just shoot you nine times? Will they shoot me, too? Why sell 50 when we can sell Kanye? There’s people who are considered intelligent who are idiots. People who raise their hands deserve to be ahead of people who don’t. Money is freedom. Money is a private plane. Money is no metal detection. I sign autographs because there will be a moment when no one asks me to. Don’t wait for them to tell you. Tell them. There are too many entrepreneurs. We need the worker to make the process function properly. The first time I felt rich was when I had $80,000 inside my house. I saw it as a means to more money. Money is not going to make you happy. A new idea is what makes you happy. When I got shot, it was a $5,000 exchange. The price of a life is cheap. Obama takes away the excuses. The best businessmen in the world make a bad deal sometimes. And it’s not usually in a boardroom. Most of them marry the wrong woman. That business deal is the worst business deal of all. All the women have contributed to my success. Every one. In my house, Carmelo Anthony is bigger than 50 Cent. My son is more important to me than I am to him. Always have bail money. Curtis Jackson. I identify with the name. When I look in the mirror, I see Curtis. Am I an honest man? I’m a selectively honest man. Am I being honest right now? Yeah. Most people would answer that question with a yes. Even the liars. Jay-Z is as politically correct as some of the politicians. He’s safe. There’s points when you’re acquiring financing, you make adjustments. He’s made those adjustments. It’s his choice. For me, it’s not a necessity. When you’re safe, people start walking on the stage because they feel safe with you. People don’t walk on the stage at my shows. Air Jordan. Tiger Woods. You know how a person is made for something? Eminem is made for hip-hop. The best rapper is a white man. My music is a soundtrack. The film is my life. My music matches things I’ve experienced or felt. Even if the whole thing is made up. When you get hurt as bad as I got hurt, the idea of hurting someone as bad as they hurt you is no longer out of the question. Depression is a luxury I still can’t afford. I like generals. I like Napoleon. I like strategy. The majority of them are praised for mass destruction, but it’s exciting to see how it comes to the mind mentally. Is Charles Manson a serial killer? No, he isn’t, because he ain’t do no killing. He’s a coward. He was just crazy enough to influence people to kill for him. There were a lot of Charles Mansons in my neighborhood. There were no Napoleons. Hip-hop is arrogant because people are arrogant. Rap artists are like fighters. They don’t need a coach to call them champ for them to believe it. You need a respectable opponent, but you don’t have to respect ‘em. In the end you’re gonna finish ‘em anyway, right?"

SNOOP NATION INVADES SIRIUS XM RADIO.
SIRIUS XM Radio announced today that it will launch Snoop Dogg Nation, a week-long, commercial-free channel featuring music, interviews and specials celebrating the career of the hip-hop icon, from his early days with Dr. Dre to his newest album, Malice N Wonderland. The limited-run channel will launch on Monday, December 14 at 12:00 pm ET and will run until Sunday, December 20 at 10:00 pm ET on SIRIUS channel 40 and XM channel 67. Snoop Dogg Nation, hosted by Snoop Dogg himself, will feature everything from his early collaborations with Dr. Dre, to Snoop's first release in 1993, Doggystyle, which was certified multi-platinum and
includes the chart-topping hits "What's My Name" and "Gin & Juice," through his new album, Malice N Wonderland, released on December 8. Listeners will hear Snoop Dogg host an audio tour of his entire catalog, sharing stories about each album, including a track by track listen of his latest album. Snoop Dogg Nation will also feature a special countdown during which Snoop will count down his top 20 favorite hip-hop songs of all time. Additionally, Snoop Dogg, who was recently appointed Creative Chairman of Priority Records, will sit down with Hip-Hop Nation host Renada for an in-depth and revealing interview. Snoop will discuss creating his new album, his life as a 'family man,' his views on the music industry and more.

NELLY GETS LOOTED?
St. Louis County police were on the scene at St. Louis rapper Nelly's home in Wildwood, Missouri this morning (December 11). Police say they were searching for an intruder who got into the rapper's home and fled with a duffel bag of goods. County police spokesperson, Officer Rick Eckhard said that it's believed the suspect entered and left through a window in the home. Eckhard also said people inside the residence called police during the break-in. Police describe the suspect is described as a black male in his 20's or 30 with a mustache and glasses. He was wearing a black coat. Police searched a nearby wooded area for any clues or suspects. A search dog and the St. Louis County helicopter was also used. The bag was full of electronic and game items, and fled the scene possibly in a black GMC Envoy. A vehicle matching that description was seen in the area a short time later. No one was injured.

R.KELLY TO REVEAL TELL-ALL BOOK.
According to an announcement released Wednesday, the book, due in 2011 from SmileyBooks — the book imprint of radio/TV host Tavis Smiley — will be authored with celebrity writer David Ritz, who has collaborated on autobiographies with Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin. "I'm writing this book as Robert, not R. Kelly," the singer said in announcing the untitled book. "I'm tired of being misunderstood. I will show you the tears, fears and sweat. I will open my heart and reveal the good in my life as well as all the drama. I want to tell it like it is."

DRAKE SIGNS WITH ICM.
Management company ICM has signed Aubrey Graham, otherwise known as Drake, the fast-rising, Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist whose "Best I Ever Had" single hit #1 on the Billboard Rap Charts and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- all without having been signed to a label. ICM will rep the rapper-actor in all phases of his career, reports Variety. Until last summer, Drake was best known as Jimmy Brooks in his role on Canada's "Degrassi: The Next Generation." But all that changed this year when his mentor Lil Wayne and Lil Wayne's longtime manager Cortez Bryant assisted in launching Drake's hip hop career, and the success of Drake's "Best" single helped land a deal with Young Money Entertainment, with distribution through Universal Motown, resulting in a $2 million development payday, as reported by the LA Times. The song is nominated for two Grammy Awards: best rap solo performance and best rap song. He also received an American Music Award nom for hip-hop newcomer of the year. Drake is working on his label LP debut, "Thank Me Later," which will be released later this year. The artist's self distributed mix-tape compilation, "So Far Gone," has sold 267,484 units to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Drake is co-managed by Bryant Management and Hip Hop Since 19.

NAS ORDERED TO PAY INCREASE IN MONTHLY SUPPORT.
A judge has decided that the $44,000 in child support a month that Nas was paying to estranged wife Kelis was not enough. According to the Associated Press, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Cunningham III raised Nas’ monthly support payments to $51,101. After a two-day hearing in court Cunningham determined that Nas made enough money in the last several months to increase the sum.

EMINEM NAMED TOP SELLING ARTIST OF THE DECADE.
Nielsen SoundScan has released their lists of the best-selling artists, albums and songs of the '00s. Eminem has been named America's top-selling act of the decade. The rapper has shifted more than 32.2 million albums since 2000 to take the official top spot in Nielsen SoundScan's list of biggest-selling acts. The We Made You star - whose 2009 album Relapse took the No 1 spot in the US and the UK - beat The Beatles to become the highest-selling artist of the last 10 years. The Beatles came second with US sales of 30 million and they had the best-selling album of the decade with their hits compilation 1, which sold 11.5 million. Eminem had two records in the Top 10 best-selling list - 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP and 2002's The Eminem Show. Other artists whose albums were included Britney Spears, Usher and Norah Jones. The song Low, released by rapper Flo Rida in 2007, was the decade's most successful digital song, shifting 5.2 million copies. Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas and Coldplay all appear in the list of America's top-selling digital songs of the decade.

TIMBALAND TO HOST THE FINAL WWE RAW!
Producer Timbaland will reportedly get in the ring later this month when he hosts the final broadcast of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Although details are still being finalized, Timbaland should get in the ring in late December to host WWE RAW on the 28th. In related news, Timbaland released his “Shock Value II” album today which features “Say Something,” a track with Young Money star Drake.

THE POPE RIDIN' TO PAC?
Almost exactly eleven years after its posthumous release, legendary rapper Tupac Shakur's 1998 hit "Changes" has been selected by the Vatican as one of the institution's "12 Favorite Songs" as part of a playlist for MySpace's new streaming service MySpace Music. The distinction is the first time the Catholic Church has officially recognized the work of any popular American artist. With it, the song joins the ranks of works such as "Don Giovanni" by Mozart, the Vatican's own "Advocata Nostra," featuring the voice of Pope Benedict XVI, and "After The Rain," by Dame Shirley Bassey. "The genres are very different from each other, but all these artists share the aim to reach the heart of good minded people," the Vatican explained on its official MySpace Music page. The playlist, compiled by Father Giulio Neroni, was released Thursday, December 3 - and "Changes" has received nearly five million plays since then. "This came as such an amazing surprise - it's not something I would have ever thought possible," says the late rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur. "I give thanks every day, knowing Tupac's words and music continue to have such an incredible effect on people worldwide. My son was always striving to reach out to as many people as he could, and he changed the world in doing so." ...... "It's a testament to Tupac's genius that his music can have this kind of impact more than ten years after the fact," says Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine. "This is an unprecedented honor to his legacy, as well as for those who had the privilege of working with him during his lifetime." Most of Shakur's recordings are owned and controlled by Afeni Shakur's Amaru Entertainment and Interscope Records. The Death Row albums "All Eyez On Me" and "Makaveli - The Don Killuminati 7 Day Theory" are owned by Death Row/Wide Awake Entertainment, but controlled by Afeni Shakur and are exclusively administered worldwide by ICG/Evergreen Copyrights. Both albums are distributed in North America by E1 Entertainment.

IS A LOX REUNION GOING DOWN?
Sheek Louch Confirms Rumors of a D-Block/Diddy Deal For Lox Reunion Album. "Yo word up, top of the year, Lox album is coming," Sheek said, during an interview with Hot 93.7 radio show, On-Air Idiots. "I would love for it to come then, we're working actually with Puff, with Sean Combs. We working out that. Puff Daddy, we working that out. We working that out and hopefully it goes down. It's gonna be Interscope/Bad Boy/D-Block. Oh yo, slash Ruff Ryders. I'm sorry, I can't leave my boys out. It's like a big thing because we still Interscope. We still Ruff Ryders. It'll be a nice thing." In a recent interview with Power 99, Jadakiss also spoke on the Lox reunion. He said it's the trio's main focus right now, and even if they're unable to work out the details with Diddy, he promises the project will be coming soon. "Our main focus right now is that Lox album," Jada stressed. "It might be coming out through Diddy, it might be coming out through some other people, but it's going down..."Diddy just did a new deal with Interscope, as y'all know with his Dirty Money and all his other stuff," the rapper cotinued. "He put an offer out there for a one album deal over there, so you know, we thinking about making it."..."If it don't make dollars, it could make cents and we'll do it again," Jada said. "It's about the evolution, it's about growing. We came into the business with him (Diddy) -- despite our differences because of our lack of knowledge in the game and other shit and what so -- we still learned a lot from him. To work all them things out and make a full 360 and possibly work again with him after ten years, that would be incredible. It shows maturity as artists, it shows respect as men and it's good for the outside far as what he can do for us and what we can do for him." Diddy also expressed his interest in working with his former labelmates again to Mtv.. "I would definitely love to do the next Lox album," Diddy said. "I would love to collaborate with them. I think it's important just to do ... I would look forward to it ... We been talking about it."

JAY-Z LEADS THE HIP HOP GRAMMY PACK.
Jay-Z tops the list of rap artists who are nominated for the 2010 Grammy Awards with 4 nods. The rapper's nominations include 'Best Rap Song' (Death Of Auto-Tune) and 'Best Rap/Sung Collaboration' (Run This Town). Beyonce topped the overall Grammy nomination list with 7 nods. Her nominations included 'Album of The Year (Sasha Fierce) and 'Record Of The Year' (Halo)

Here is the list of rap nominations:

On her message to young women: "My story was broadcast all over the world for people to see, and they have followed every step of my recovery. The positive thing that has come out of my situation is that people can learn from that. I want to give as much insight as I can to young women, because I feel like I represent a voice that really isn't heard. Now I can help speak for those women."

On her new album: "I've put everything I've wanted to say for the past eight months into my music. [My new album] is super fearless -- which is exactly how I feel right now. I am in a really good place."

On relationships: "I want to find love in the next 10 years -- that will be pretty annoying if I am 31 and still have never been in love!"

On how she made it back: "My friends and family have been extremely supportive, and everyone has been there for me. But at some point you are there alone. It's a lonely place to be -- no one can understand. That's when you get close to God."

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP'S CEO TO STEP DOWN.
Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris will be stepping down from his position in the summer of 2010. Morris will be succeeded by international chief Lucian Grainge. BusinessWeek says that Morris who has overseen Universal Music’s operations for the last 15 years—plans to step down as CEO next summer; he will hold on to the title of chairman. Grainge, the former chairman and CEO of Universal Music U.K. and Ireland, was promoted to his current position as chairman and CEO of Universal Music International in May 2005. As BusinessWeek points out, at Universal, Morris has been known for his efforts to introduce digital music offerings—including the soon-to-launch music video site Vevo. Morris turns 71 this month.

EMINEM ADDED TO AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS LINEUP
Eminem will perform at the American Music Awards, making him the latest addition to a line-up of previously announced acts that includes Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, The Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, and Adam Lambert. The news that Lady Gaga will also perform at the show leaked on Friday. The American Music Awards will air live from the NOKIA Theatre L.A. Live on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

50 CENT, B.E.P, AND SCHWAYZE CONFIRM VEGAS FOR NEW YEARS EVE.
Nightlife and entertainment leader PURE Management Group (PMG) today announced that
50 Cent will ring in 2010 at PURE Nightclub with a very special New Year's Eve performance. "We are thrilled to welcome 50 Cent to PURE Nightclub to be a part of one of the most exciting nights of the year in Las Vegas," said Michael Gilmartin, director of public relations for PURE Management Group. "50 Cent is one of the top artists in the world, so what better place for him to perform than at PURE Nightclub, one of the hottest nightlife venues in the world." PMG also announced that The Black Eyed Peas will help patrons ring in 2010 at a very special New Year's Eve celebration at LAX Nightclub. "Las Vegas is the ultimate destination for New Year's Eve and what better place to celebrate than one of the city's hottest nightlife venues," said Michael Gilmartin, director of public relations for PURE Management Group. "We are very excited to welcome The Black Eyed Peas to LAX Nightclub, a group that has essentially coined the upbeat party anthem for today's generation." Shwayze Will also Keep the Crowd 'Buzzin'' With a New Years Eve Performance at Christian Audigier The Nightclub "We are thrilled to welcome Shwayze to Christian Audigier The Nightclub for this very special occasion," said Michael Gilmartin, director of public relations for PURE Management Group. "Shwayze's fun and eclectic music
pairs perfectly with the vibe of Christian Audigier and we look forward to an unforgettable New Year's Eve celebration."

CAPITOL RECORDS TEAMS UP WITH BLOCK ENTERTAINMENT
EMI Music's Capitol Records continues building its urban roster by teaming up with Atlanta based Block Entertainment, the formidable label with chart topping success from artists such as Yung Joc, Boyz N' The Hood, and Gorilla Zoe For its first project together, Block,will work with Capitol on a new release from new rap artist Kollosus, whose album will debut in the spring of 2010. Kollosus recently gained attention with his buzzworthy song, "Settin' Standards," which featured fellow Atlanta all-star Gucci Mane. The single, "Breakin' Bread," is heating up in the streets and headed to radio in January 2010. "Block Entertainment is a force to be reckoned with in the hip hop arena; they have continuously churned out undeniable hip hop stars," said Leonard Brooks, SVP Urban A&R, EMI Music. "As we grow Capitol's urban roster, this association with Block Entertainment makes perfect sense. We are excited to sign Kollosus as well; he has a skillful flow that reflects his years growing up in Atlanta and his Jamaican-born roots. He has a unique sense of street swagger with a global appeal." "I am tremendously excited to partner with Capitol Records, a company with a proven track record in recognizing talent," said Russell "Big Block" Spencer, CEO of Block Entertainment. "As an emerging voice of hip hop, Kollosus promises to capture the attention of the discerning hip hop audience. The collaboration between Capitol and Block Entertainment is vital to introducing him to a wider audience."

THIS IS IT BRINGS IN OVER $100 MILL 1ST 5 DAYS.
After Michael Jackson's This is It raked in $101 million worldwide in its first five days, Sony has decided to extend the run of the film beyond its originally planned two-week engagement. This Is It now will be in U.S. theaters through Thanksgiving weekend, and Sony plans to extend the run of the movie overseas on a country-by-country basis. The movie earned $21.3 million domestically over the weekend, bringing its U.S. total to $32.5 million since it was released on Wednesday. The totals easily made This Is It the #1 movie in America, beating out the #2 thriller Paranormal Activity, which brought in $16.5 million. This Is It also pulled in $68.5 million overseas, including $10.4 million in Japan, $6.3 million in Germany, $5.8 million in France and $3.2 million in China, according to Billboard.

DIDDY BRINGS SUCCESS TO CIROC.
According to Bloomberg, sales for Circoc Vodka have jumped from 60,000 cases to 400,000 since Diddy's venture with liquor company Diageo in 2007. Diddy is a 50% equity partner of Ciroc and receives half the brand’s profits. Diddy and Diageo now plan to launch two new Ciroc flavors, coconut and red berry, later this year.

FAT JOE ASSOCIATE MURDERED.
Brooklyn-bred rapper Mike Beck—a member of Fat Joe's K.A.R. (Kill All Rats) crew—was shot dead over the weekend. As of press time the exact details are unknown, but several sources report that Beck fell victim to a botched robbery attempt in his hometown late Friday night (October 30). Several rappers have sent their condolences to the fallen MC over Twitter. N.O.R.E. was the first to confirm Beck’s passing, typing, “Rest in peace he was a real dude mike beck I did records for him n he ate in my crib n drank 2 fucked up my weekend r I p.” Joey Crack, simply posted, “R.I.P. Mike Beck” at about an hour and a half after Noreaga at 9 a.m. last Saturday.

HOV RESPONDS TO SIGEL DISS.
Jay-Z says he did his part when it came to supporting Beanie Sigel. Over the weekend, footage hit the Net of Jay at a press conference that reportedly took place on October 30 in Toronto. A journalist asked Jay for his reaction to Beanie going public with some grievances against Jay in his new song, "What You Talkin' About (Average Cat)." Beanie apparently feels his material wasn't promoted as heavily by the Roc boss as it could have been. "He has a lot to complain about, not me," Jay started out in a jovial manner. Then he got a little more serious. "Well, Beanie Sigel, at the time — and you can look it up if you like, just to be honest — was driving two Bentleys. I don't know how; it's impossible to drive two cars at one time. With his momma in the sticks and selling 800,000 records, I don't know what more you can do for somebody. What people choose to do when they attain of success ... at some point you have to look in the mirror, and look at yourself. Beanie Sigel had a record deal, a record label, and a clothing line — and never went platinum, ever. I don't know in the history of rap has anyone done so much with so little. I don't even know what more can you do for a person at that point. A record deal, that's normal. A record label and a clothing line? If that's not pushing a person, sh-- ..."

RAPINDUSTRY.COM TALK RADIO (The Halloween show)
The Halloween Show.. Lil Wayne's Jail time, Wayne VS Jay-Z debate.. Drake, is he a front? Kid Cudi, Mase, Gucci Mane, Is too much access to hip hop good or bad?, Whats what in the news and more... LISTEN HERE

BEANIE SIGEL EXPLAINS JAY-Z DISS. LISTEN HERE
Beanie Sigel goes in at Hov on a new joint "What You Talkin Bout (I Ain't Your Average Cat)." Sigel gives his take on his split from Jay-Z. "I'm a grown-ass man, I don't sit on n---as' laps/ I ain't looking for no gifts out of Santa Claus' sack," he raps. Sig dropped those same lines during the Powerhouse Concert last Friday in Philadelphia when he came out as Jadakiss' guest. The words were obviously a response to Jay's lines on "What We Talkin' About" off of The Blueprint 3. "How it feel to get exposed?" Sigs rhymes. "Don't you feel naked?/ I was a fly on the wall, sh-- I witnessed/ I can say sh-- that will make B look at you different." Beanie goes on to say that Jay-Z called the police to get him out of the recent Powerhouse concert in Philadelphia. Friday morning (October 30), Sigel called up Philadelphia radio station 100.3 and spoke with Charlamagne Tha God about how hard he used to ride for Jay and how Hov disappointed him. "I backed all his plays without even asking him. Jadakiss is not no walk in no park. Nas is not no walk in no park. These are dudes that could have ended my career," he said, referring to former Roc-A-Fella rhyme wars that have long since been buried. Beanie got into the heart of his falling-out with Jay during his interview with Charlamagne, saying that he hasn't spoken to Jay in more than two years. "I'm not really dissing Jay," Sigel explained. "It's certain parts in there where my emotions. ... It's an emotional record for me. When I listened to The Blueprint 3, I heard a lot of shots directed towards people. "I feel he gave out a lot of pairs of shoes on that album," Beanie added. "I felt my feet was meant for a couple of them." Beanie specifically mentioned the line "I heated up the Roc already, why can't y'all get hot already?" from "Already Home." "I understand Jay, you at a certain place in your career where everyone can't go," Sigel said. "You don't need Beanie Sigel in the building with a pre-perception that 'this crazy dude might do anything.' ... We taint his image, State Property and the place that he's at." Sigel also told Charlamagne that neither Jay-Z nor Dame Dash were fair when it came to paying State Property during their time on Roc-A-Fella Records. "I love the way 50 Cent did with his dawgs," he said. "If you look at it, them dudes got more money and more bread than anybody in State Property 'cause 50 made sure of that. 50 went on tour and paid them, not [telling] them 'it was a good look for them to be on the tour' and things like that. True story, I'm sitting on house arrest and the Young Gunz call my phone 'cause Jay-Z is only paying them $1200 a show and they had to split it." Source: Mtv

THIS IS IT GROSSES 2.2 MILLION.
On Tuesday night, Sony Pictures and Sony Music held 18 nearly simultaneous premieres around the world, with the biggest bash -- in Los Angeles' downtown L.A. Live complex -- sending a satellite simulcast to the other 17. Meanwhile, "This Is It" events were held in an additional 15 cities. The 6 p.m. Tuesday start time in Los Angeles translated to 2 a.m. Wednesday over most of Europe, meaning thousands of fans flocked to screenings in the middle of the night. The film is playing in roughly 3,500 theaters domestically. It opened in 99 countries including the U.S. and Canada, and expands to 110 territories around the world, with 15,000 prints, this weekend. Plans are for a two-week run. Sony already is starting to generate big returns for the $60 million it paid concert promoter AEG Entertainment for 100 hours of footage and distribution rights. The first showings of the film earned an estimated $2.2 million in Tuesday night shows domestically and roughly the same amount Wednesday, for a total $4.4 million for two days. Sony didn't have an international number as of midday Wednesday, but said the pic was doing equally well overseas, given the interest from fans in seeing what could have been Jackson's final concert. "The film was always about letting the fans see what Michael's dream for the show was all about," said director Kenny Ortega. The movie should easily top the $31 million opening weekend of Disney's 2008 "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour," which reps the highest-grossing opening for a concert film. "There was no runway for this, no two years of development," said Peter Schlessel, prexy of worldwide affairs for Sony Pictures' Worldwide Acquisitions Group. "From acquisition to release was three months. When we put our minds to something, we get it done." Sony executives declined to disclose financial details of the big-scale premiere, but the studio did manage to contain costs in several ways. The only after-party for the premiere took place in L.A., with food catered by Wolfgang Puck, who has a deal with L.A. Live for events, as well as by In-n-Out, Hot Dog on a Stick and Korean BBQ vendor Kogi. Sony turned L.A. Live's main courtyard into a glitzy red carpet, complete with crystal-clad women performing acrobatics inside massive Swarovski chandeliers hanging over the celebrities making the press rounds. The L.A. event boasted 5,500 guests and 120 new crews -- almost half of them from overseas, which was just one clue to the global blitz for the pic.

EM PLOTTING HORROR SERIES?
Reports are surfacing that Eminem is prepping the release of a series of horror films titled "Shady Talez". Reports say that the Detroit MC has plans to develop an anthology of flicks paying homage to some of the genre’s cult favorites, like Christine, Aliens and The Lost Boys. According to reports, Em would even have multiple acting roles in the project. XXL Mag spoke to the rap superstar’s publicist, Dennis Dennehy, who said nothing is set in stone thus far. “There’s been talks,” he said, “but I can’t confirm anything yet.”

SHYNE IS FREE IN BELIZE.
Rapper Shyne arrived in Belize at 2:40 pm local time Thursday evening October 28 on a Continental flight from Houston escorted by a U.S. Marshall following his deportation from the U.S. after serving almost nine years in a New York penitentiary for his role in a nightclub shooting in New York city. "Shyne is home. He wants to say how happy he is to be home and to be a free man. He would love to have a conversation with the media but because he was legally advised by Professor Ogletree, he must not speak to the media because he doesn't want to prejudice his situation with the US government or with the Belize government," said Shyne's uncle, Michael Finnegan, current Minister of Housing. The rapper was processed by local police authorities at the airport's V.I.P. lounge after which he was welcomed by his father Dean Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize, his mother Imeon Myvett and other members of his family and well wishers. Shyne arrived wearing a Harvard Law School sweatshirt, a full head of hair, headphones wrapped around his neck and sporting tzitzis reflecting his conversion to Judaism while in jail. "His residence at my place is two weeks away from completion so he has rented a complete floor at the Radisson Fort George Hotel," Finnegan added. " So every room on a floor was taken by him whether he will use it or not. He said that after going through the eight and a half years he has gone through, he needs some privacy, he needs not to be around anybody, he needs just to sit down in isolation and contemplate." The rapper, born Jamal Barrow, has relayed through his handlers that while Shyne is his stage name he would like to be called Moses Michael Leviy to reflect his conversion to Judaism. The government closed down the airport's public waving gallery and attempted to prevent the local media from covering his arrival but enterprising T.V. cameramen managed to get some footage through a chain link fence of Shyne entering the V.I.P. lounge and later exiting the airport. The rapper, contrary to previous reports, was not accompanied on the trip by Harvard Law Professor Charles Ogl etree who is trying to obtain a pardon to allow Shyne to get back to the U.S.A. One local radio station reported that Ogletree will visit Belize on Saturday and make a statement to the media.

MAN INVOVLED IN T.I.'S ENTOURAGE ATTACK PLEADS GUILTY.
The driver of a vehicle involved in an Ohio gun battle that killed a member of the rapper T.I.'s entourage during a wild highway chase has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges. Forty-one-year-old Padron Thomas was initially charged with murder. But he struck a deal with prosecutors that allowed him to plead to lesser charges in exchange for testifying in December against his brother, who pulled the trigger. A judge on Wednesday scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 17. Thomas faces 10 years in prison. He's already serving 17 years on unrelated federal drug charges. Thomas's younger brother, Hosea Thomas, was sentenced to 66 years in prison for shooting Philant Johnson in May 2006 after a T.I. concert in Cincinnati. Three others were injured in the shooting. The Grammy-winning Atlanta rapper wasn't hurt.

TWISTA TARGETS YOUTH VIOLENCE IN CHI TOWN.
Twista is aiming a message of peace at Chicago students in an effort to change the lives of troubled teens. Twista recently took a trip to Chicago's Roseland neighborhood to meet two of the teens involved in the fight that killed CPS student Derrion Albert in September. Carl Lowery and Eugene Bailey told the rapper about their efforts to put their lives back together after the incident. For Lowery, it meant getting expelled from school last week. "It's unfair," he said. "They're trying to make it seem like we weren't the victims when we really was." For Bailey, it meant jail time. We talked to him just 24 hours after he was released and the murder charge against him was dropped. He said during the weeks in jail, he sat awake worrying about his slain friend. "It wasn't really no sleep," Baily said. "Two or three hours of sleep and wake right back up. I was thinking no, this couldn't have happened." The teens seemed happy to meet Twista, who was raised on the West Side and grew up with similar obstacles. "I came up the same way you did," he said. "Public aid, drug problems in the family, you know, out there dealing with people selling drugs." Twista says his life as a teenager made him want to change his path in life. He's used music as a vehicle for that change and wants teens to understand that the life entertainers often portray on stage is a kind of financial tool. He says teens should use the tools they have to become successful the right way. A few weeks ago, the artist released a special mix "Save Our Students" -- a collection of rap releases devoted to Chicago Public Schools students. It's an effort to try to reach kids who are sometimes unwilling to listen to advice from ministers and other community leaders. "You've got to kind of figure out a cool way to talk to the kids sometimes," Twista said. In Roseland, students told us they realize they need alternatives to trouble. "We need activities," Baily said. "Things to do like basketball, football. Activities that we can get together and get involved in." And Twista pledges to meet the kids halfway. He says he's collaborating with Kanye West and other artists to raise money for activities for Chicago students. Five Star Limo pitched in, providing limousine service for Twista's trip to Roseland. The company says it's one of many willing to commit resources for Chicago youth. Meanwhile, Twista told us his next plan for his message of peace includes touring the country to visit youth centers.

CAMEO CARLSON PROMOTED TO EXECUTIVE VP OF UMRG.
Cameo Carlson has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Universal Motown Republic Group (UMRG), it was announced by Mel Lewinter, Chairman and CEO of the company, Sylvia Rhone, President of Universal Motown Records, and Monte Lipman, President of Universal Republic Records. Formerly, Ms. Carlson served as Senior Vice President of Digital Business Development for UMRG. Ms. Carlson currently manages digital music initiatives for all of the labels and artists under the UMRG umbrella. Since joining the company in 2007, she has aggressively pursued mobile, online and digital sales and promotions for artists such as Colbie Caillat, Kid Cudi, Drake, Amy Winehouse, Lil Wayne and Jack Johnson. "Cameo is a consummate professional whose expertise and commitment to our artists and our business have been invaluable," stated Mr. Lewinter. "We are pleased to expand the playing field for her even further with this well deserved promotion. In this new role, she will not only work to further integrate our digital initiatives across all of our labels, but will serve as our company's liaison with VEVO when it launches later this year." "The opportunity to work with Mel, Monte, Sylvia and the entire UMRG team has been a high-point of my professional career," added Ms. Carlson. "Our continuing investment in artists and digital initiatives provides us with a real formula for success that is unique to UMRG." While at UMRG, Ms. Carlson has enjoyed success with three of the ten biggest digital albums in history (Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, Jack Johnson's In Between Dreams, and Jack Johnson's Sleep Through the Static), breaking mobile ringtone records for first week sales (Lil Wayne's "Lollipop"), as well as achieving top-selling sales of all time (Lil Wayne's "Lollipop") and number of multi-platinum sales (Akon). In September 2008, Ms. Carlson was named one of the Top Mobile Executives by Billboard Magazine for her work at UMRG.

JAY-Z AND ALICIA KEYS TO PERFORM AT WORLD SERIES.
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys are set to perform "Empire State of Mind" on Wednesday, as the Yankees take on defending World Series champs, the Philadelphia Phillies. “Thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee,” Hov said in an interview Monday. He calls the opportunity a “once in a lifetime experience” and says though the jam has become an unofficial New York anthem, he’s not pushing for it to be the city’s theme song. “I’m not pitching it for anything, it’s just a song I made for New York City,” he said. “Really it’s about inspiration, it’s about hope — I think that’s what connects with people." The song connects outside of New York. Jay-Z will also be getting involved in the Broadway play, “Fela,” an Afrobeat musical about the life of Nigerian musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. “It’s kind of early,” he said of his involvement in the musical, which also finds Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith participating. “I went to see the play a couple months ago and it was fantastic,” he said. “Fela” opens Monday, Nov. 23 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.

CHRIS BROWN ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM.
Chris Brown has announced the release of his first CD since his February altercation with then-girlfriend Rihanna. "Graffiti," the singer's third album, will be released on Dec. 15, he said via Twitter. The CD's first single, "I Can Transform Ya," features Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz. The 20-year-old will also kick off his "Fan Appreciation" tour in Houston on Nov. 14. See the video I can Transform Ya HERE

MICHAEL JACKSON WAX FIGURE TO BE ON DISPLAY.
Universal CityWalk®, in partnership with Madame Tussauds Hollywood, will roll out the red carpet for a $350,000 Michael Jackson wax figure which will be exclusively on display for one night only at the Universal CityWalk Cinemas to coincide with the world-wide movie release of "This is It," on Tuesday, October 27. Michael Jackson fans will be able to pose for photos with the lifelike Madame Tussauds wax figure, which features an authentic costume from the
planned "This is It" concert tour.

FLO RIDA PARTNERS WITH ADULT FRIEND FINDER SITE.
Poe Boy Music Group/Atlantic Records recording artist Flo Rida and adult social networking website AdultFriendFinder have partnered on a hot new video for the artist's single Touch Me off his current album R.O.O.T.S. Touch Me marks the sixth single off the certified Gold album which debuted earlier this year with the Platinum single Right Round. The video for Touch Me has a spy-themed storyline and features recording artist Trina as well as many beautiful models referred to as the AdultFriendFinder girls. "We are thrilled to have AdultFriendFinder on board for Flo Rida's Touch Me music video as it is always great to combine a very sexy high octane record with a very sexy brand," says Adam Kluger, founder of The Kluger Agency. "We are very confident this partnership will prove beneficial for both Flo Rida and FriendFinder Networks and we look forward to continuing the relationship." See the Video HERE

SOUL TRAIN AWARDS ARE BACK!
CENTRIC announces a prestigious list of nominees to be recognized in the Network's first special, CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS SHOW. Beyonce, Keri Hilson, and Maxwell lead the pack with four nominations each. Hosted by Academy Award-nominated actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, the return of the Soul Train Awards promises to be a soulful music event acknowledging R&B music's finest. Taping at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, November 3, the show will premiere on both CENTRIC and BET in a special simulcast on Sunday, November 29 at 9:00 PM*. The show will honor the longstanding careers and musical influences of legendary artists Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds in special music tributes. The special will also
showcase a Motown Records 50th Anniversary musical celebration. The show will also recognize the outstanding musical work of selected artists in ten prestigious music categories and will honor the phenomenal star power and showmanship of the late Michael Jackson with the special Entertainer of the Year Award. Featuring a star-studded lineup of performers, including Toni Braxton, Trey Songz, Erykah Badu, Robin Thicke, Fantasia, Ryan Leslie, Chrisette Michelle, Raheem DeVaughn, Karyn White, Boyz II Men, Ledisi, Chico Debarge, Angie Stone, Brian McKnight, Ginuwine, Melanie Fiona, and Johnny Gill among others, the show is guaranteed to take viewers on a soul-stirring ride.

WMG CEO TO STAND TRIAL.
Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. has been called to stand trial, as part of a French case investigating potential financial wrongdoings at Vivendi. Former Vivendi CEO Jean-Marie Messier has also been ordered to stand trial as well, also with other former executives at the multinational company, which also owns Universal Music. According to Reuters, the charges against the executives include divulging misleading information, stock price manipulation and misuse of corporate funds. The investigation looks at Vivendi's growth earlier this decade from a French utility company to a conglomerate, buying up entertainment and telecommunications companies while running up its debts. "We are just now reviewing the court filing, but as we've said all along Mr. Bronfman's transactions have at all times been proper and at no time did he contravene any French laws or regulations," Bronfman's lawyer Thierry Marembert told Reuters.

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