UNCUTmag.net

(Props to worldstarhiphop) Read more here

SINBAD, STILL NOT DEAD

An e-mail proclaiming that comedian Sinbad had died of a heart attack Wednesday morning spread like wildfire across the Internet Thursday and had folks as famous as Lionel Richie calling the comedian/actor to find out if it was true.

Well, it most certainly was not.

As reported yesterday, Sinbad, born David Atkins, is very much alive and had nothing but jokes about his untimely demise while speaking via phone with EUR’s Lee Bailey Thursday afternoon.

“So what did you tell Lionel Richie?” asked Bailey.

“I told him you’re talking to a ghost,” Sinbad joked. “I’m trying to get a track from him, so I said I’m real sick. I need some music for my daughter.”

Sinbad’s brother and manager, Mark Adkins, told us yesterday afternoon that he began receiving calls about the death rumor on Saturday.

“I started getting a lot of comedians calling me saying that they heard Sinbad had passed away,” said Adkins. “Then it had died down for a couple of days, and we thought it was just a little local rumor, but then it went across the country. I got calls from Detroit and New York; radio stations calling. I guess there’s some sort of obituary or something on the e-mail blast that people had that made it seem real.”

Moved by the widespread concern, Sinbad told us: “I wish that people would’ve called me back like this when I was alive. I gotta die more often.”

He also joked that people were taking his death so hard because he owes those people money.

“Seriously, folks are worried that they ain’t gonna get their cash back,” he said.
“I’m writing a movie about this now,” he continued, noting that he hasn’t made a film in 10 years. “Seriously, my death is gonna be my comeback.”

The rumor seemed to have come from a hacked-into page on Wikipedia, a widely used Internet encyclopedia that allows anyone to contribute information. The page, seen here, said Sinbad “succumbed to a fatal heart attack on the morning of March 14, 2007.” The page also lists a biography and filmography for Sinbad, which seemed to offend him even more than the fake death.

“They had some jacked up stuff there, man,” he said. “Like come on, man. Give me a good sendoff. …They had me in Maxim magazine interviewed, they said [I was] the worst comedian of all time. I was like, don’t put that on the obituary. You supposed to like a man in death.”

Considering even more benefits of his fake passing, he said: “I’m hoping the IRS don’t know. Hopefully, I can keep this death thing going a little while longer.”

Getting serious for a brief moment, Sinbad admitted that this was actually the second time he has been the subject of a death rumor, and the news is always hardest on family members, close friends and the people who aren’t aware of the truth.

Sinbad said of the person who started the rumor: “If somebody has nothing better to do today, then I’m happy that it gave you something to do. Because if that’s all you have to do in your life, you have a sad life. If the best you could do is create a page that said somebody is dead, then your life is already dead.”

“Think about the energy it takes to do something like that,” he continued. “You have to have so much negative energy in your system, that you’re the walking dead.”

Tyrese Comes To The Defense Of Oprah

Tyrese has come to the defense of Oprah Winfrey over criticisms leveled against her in respect to her school in South Africa. The media has been critical of the various rules and regulations placed upon the students and have questioned Oprah's motives for opening the school.

Tyrese released the following statement through his publicist:

"There is a staggering amount of millionaires and billionaires out in the world that do nothing to effect positive change within society. The fact that Oprah Winfrey took a monumental step to create a school in South Africa for the betterment of African children rather then just speak of change is commendable. The bible says- ‘No good deed shall go unpunished,' and there are many critics out in the world turning up negative stones to find a flaw in this wonderful gift donated to South Africa by Oprah Winfrey. I stand with Oprah in the fight for change and positive world reform and I hope that people realize there will always be struggle and without struggle there is no progression. Please leave her alone and let the blessings she is offering outshine the public scrutiny she is facing."


Ludacris, Russell Simmons Honored For National Poetry Month

The two will be honored for their philanthropy and encouragement of spoken word.

America SCORES, a group that uses art to empower students in urban communities, is honoring Russell Simmons and Ludacris for their encouragement of spoken word and the performing arts. They will be honored in a ceremony on April 30 at the HBO Theater in New York City, an occasion will also signify the end of national poetry month.


For the past three years, a joint grant initiative between Simmons' Rush Philanthropic Arts and the Ludacris Foundation (along with the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and Pepsi), have donated to America SCORES; most recently, they enabled 30 young poets to participate in a National Poetry Slam.

The ceremony will include the America SCORES National Poetry Slam!, and a meet-up with the participating young poets and their coaches. Benefit tickets are available for $1000 by calling 646-660-0407.

Busta Rhymes Shoots Film In NJ, Despite NYPD Beef

Undeterred by the New York Police Department's gripes that prevented him from participating in the production of a movie in NY earlier this week, Busta Rhymes wrapped up three days of filming in New Jersey yesterday (March 14).

As previously reported, Busta (born Trevor Smith), who is a cast member of the crime drama Order of Redemption, was not allowed to partake in the film's production in Manhattan after the police department raised public safety concerns.

Busta and the NYPD have been at odds due to his lack of cooperation in the investigation of the shooting death of his bodyguard Israel Ramirez early last year.

According to The Newark Star-Ledger, Busta shot scenes at the Riviera Hotel and on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Newark on Wednesday. The rapper plays a murderous villain who crosses paths with a once-prominent defense attorney, played by Tom Berenger, who is attempting to resume his career after struggling with drug addiction and a family tragedy.

Jason Webb, a producer of Order of Redemption, revealed Busta throws a baby out of a windo in one scene. "Busta Rhymes is an extremely talented actor, "explained Webb. "He is appreciative of us sticking with him."

Lupe Todd, a spokeswoman for Mayor Cory Booker, said the city of Newark had no problem with Busta shooting in their city.

"As far as we know, Busta Rhymes was acting accordingly and we thank him for his business," said Todd.

Slip-N-Slide Records Awarded $9.1 Million Judgment Against TVT Records

Miami-based Slip-N-Slide Records is $9.1 million richer, thanks to a federal court settlement on Wednesday (March 14).

The Miami Herald reports that the label, which is home to Trick Daddy, Trina and Rick Ross, will receive ($2.3 million in compensatory damages and $6.8 million in punitive damages from TVT Records, the nation's largest independent record label.

The jury decision marks the end of a two-year legal battle between Slip-N-Slide and TVT over the TVT's blocking of Slip-N-Slide's release of rapper Pitbull's album Welcome to the 305.

The dispute stemmed from claims that TVT acted inappropriately when they sent over 90 desist and cease letters addressed to Slip-N-Slide's distributors and wholesale buyers.

In those letters, the New York-based label, which claimed to own the rights to Pitbull's logo and trademark, expressed that the purchase of Welcome to the 305 would break its contractual and trademark rights.

Pitbull was discovered by Jullian Andres Boothe, who recorded songs featured on Welcome to the 305 in 2001 and 2002, pursuant to a contract with the rapper. Pitbull later released two albums through TVT, M.I.A.M.I.

Money Is A Major Issue and El Mariel. Boothe then brought Welcome to the 305 to Slip-N-Slide through his own company Rude Bwoy Entertainment for distribution.

Wednesday's decision in the 11-day trial was summed up in three words by Slip-N-Slide CEO Ted Lucas as he told the Herald that "God is Good".

"The jury accepted that Slip-N-Slide did everything properly when we attempted to distribute "Welcome to the 305" through our distributor," he said.

Wyclef Steps Up For Haiti

Grammy Award winner and Fugees member, Wyclef Jean, testified on Capitol Hill yesterday (March 14) about development efforts in Haiti.

During his testimony before the Subcommittee of the Western Hemisphere Committee on Foreign Affairs at the U.S. House of Representatives, Wyclef addressed Haiti's need for economic and social development. "After some 200 years of neglect, almost everything is a priority in Haiti: health, education, infrastructure, jobs, security, justice — all that's needed to achieve a healthy economy and a stable, vibrant society," he said.

After the hearing, Wyclef also announced that his foundation — Yele Haiti — was forming a new partnership with KATA, a U.S. development program. The partnership will advance economic stability in Haiti through job creation and education. Haiti, which is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, has been a big focus for Wyclef. His foundation, Yele Haiti, was formed in 2005 and funds projects in education, healthcare and community development.

Kid Rock Accused Of Assault

A 28-yearold Milford woman claims Kid Rock assaulted her last week at his home, according to a report filed with the Oakland County Sheriff's Department.

The alleged assault is still under investigation, and a person has yet to be interviewed by deputies as a possible witness, Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said.

McCabe said that Kid Rock, whose real name is Bob Ritchie, invited the woman and a man to his home to listen to music after meeting them the night of March 8 at the Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen on Main Street in Clarkston. Members of the group have admitted to drinking alcohol the night of the alleged assault, McCabe said.

According to the woman's allegations, they were listening to music when she decided to go home to be with her children, McCabe said.

That is when Ritchie allegedly became angry because he wanted her to spend the night, McCabe said.

According to the woman's report, the rock star allegedly became loud and verbally abusive when she refused to stay, McCabe said.

The woman also claims Ritchie grabbed her by the back of the neck twice when she was outside his home and pushed her toward her car, he said. That push, the woman alleges, caused her to fall into a snow bank, McCabe said.

She has also claimed her nose was hit, but no information as to how that happened was given, he said.

Ritchie has admitted to deputies the woman and man were invited to his home to listen to music, McCabe said.

According to his statements, the group was listening to songs from his upcoming album when she began acting rudely, critiquing his music and acting obnoxious, McCabe said.

Ritchie claims he asked her to leave because of her behavior and she allegedly made claims she was going to accuse him of assaulting her, he said.

The man who was with the woman has corroborated her story after being interviewed by deputies, McCabe said.

But a third man, claiming to be witness, has sided with Ritchie and deputies are expected to interview a woman who was there, as well, McCabe said.

"At this point, we have two people who say one thing and two other people that say something else," he said. "Once the investigation is completed, a report will be given to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office."

TERRENCE HOWARD TURNED DOWN BY BERRY AND UNION


In the new April issue of Essence magazine, on stands now, actor Terrence Howard admits that he tried to talk to two Hollywood beauties, and was ultimately shot down both times.

"I tried to talk to Halle [Berry] for a bit. Didn’t call me back," the married man says in the cover story. "Tried to talk to Gabrielle Union. Didn't call me back, either."

Regarding his estranged wife Lori, the star of new film “Pride” said: "The only woman I really love is my wife. The hardest thing to do is to let go of somebody you really care about."

Funkmaster Flex interviews Fabolous part 1



part 2




Young Buck - Reality TV show snippet

Props to the Folks at hybirdnation. for posting this 1st.


Damn, Jay was Raw. This was before he became Hova, before Beyonce, Before Def jam. This is my Favorite Jay-z song of all time. This and "People Talking." Read more here

Props to the homie Tim From Laurel, Md



and for the homie Jay in Cypress, Ca. All the tru Pac-a-holoics gonna love this one

2pac The Real Greatest Rapper of All time) When My homies call



if you have any old vids you wanna see shoot me an email at imhiphopnews@gmail.com make sure you put throwback in the subject. The best ones i'll post. Read more here

First George Mason, now Duke. Virginia Commonwealth sophomore guard Eric Maynor sure has a flair for dramatics in big games.

Hustlenomics Magazine is having Ice-T's Wife Co Co grace the cover of their next issue. Its a Special Collectors Edition, so they did 3 different covers. Check em out.

Jadakiss and Super Nova Slom - Gangstas Salute










Ghostface - Chunky (Prod. by Pete Rock)













Joe Budden - My Life















Redman - Gimme One (Prod. by Pete Rock)











Mims- It’s Alright








Omarion feat. Usher- Ice Box Remix










DJ Drama ft Young Jeezy, T.I. & Rick Ross -Takin Pictures











Fabolous feat. Ne-Yo “Make Me Better” Snippet







(props to eskay, and realtalkny) Read more here

GRANDMASTER FLASH ROCK HALL SCANDAL?
Less than 48 hours after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five as its first ever hip hop act, there is talk that the group did not actually earn its fifth place vote.


Fox411.com columnist Roger Friedman quotes sources who say British group The Dave Clark Five actually placed fifth in the final voting of the nominating committee, not Grandmaster Flash. But the final count was ignored by Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, who recently appointed himself chairman of the Foundation after the death of Ahmet Ertegun, according to Friedman.


R.E.M., Van Halen, The Ronettes and Patti Smith received the most amount of votes, with Grandmaster Flash finishing fifth when the votes were counted on the first date ballots were due in to the Rock Hall office, Friedman writes.


“But when all the ballots were counted a few days later, the DC5 had pulled ahead,” writes Friedman. “Wenner decided to ignore that and stick with the earlier tally.”


A source told Friedman: "We begged Jann to allow all six acts to be inducted. But he insisted that he couldn't because there wouldn't be enough time. He wanted to have Aretha Franklin come and perform in memory of Ahmet Ertegun."


"Jann went back to a previous ballot instead of taking the final vote as the last word," the source continued. "He used a technicality about the day votes were due in. In reality, The Dave Clark Five got six more votes than Grandmaster Flash. But he felt we couldn't go another year without a rap act."


Providence, RI Officials Cancel 'Street Dreams Concert'

The Street Dreams Tour date in Providence, RI was canceled yesterday (Mar. 14), when city officials could not reach an agreement with the 18-year-old promoter on a license restriction.

According to The Providence Journal, an earlier agreement reached between the Board of Licenses and promoter Lowell Williams fell apart, causing the Mar. 29 date at the Dunkin Donuts Center to be canceled.

The board demanded that none of the artists appear at any after parties in the area, to reduce the risk of violence.

The artists agreed, but the deal fell apart when the board also demanded that performers be paid their remaining fees at least 12 hours after their performances, in order to guarantee that the rappers abided by the terms of the agreement.

Last week, The Providence Police Department voiced their concerns and objected to the Mar. 29 Street Dreams Tour date, which features headliners Young Jeezy, Jim Jones, Lil' Wayne, Baby, Fat Joe and Rich Boy.


Police said Jones' association with the Bloods street gang could cause bloodshed, because the Providence metropolitan area is mainly Crip territory.

The police also labeled Cash Money Records CEO Bryan "Baby/Birdman" Williams and platinum selling rapper Lil' Wayne as gang members.

Williams lawyer Robert D'Amico said that the performers were unwilling to wait that long to be paid the remaining balance of their performance fees, where are normally paid prior to the artists performance.

Despite the fact that The Street Dreams Tour has played two dates with no issues or reports of violence, Deputy Police Chief Paul J. Kennedy was pleased with the board's decision to revoke the license and cancel the concert.

Kennedy said the decision was made on Jones' and the other rappers ties to gangs and had nothing to do with Hip-Hop music.

“It’s really important that the city and the Police Department look at the history of specific bands and specific acts," Kennedy said.

C-Murder Granted Permission To Leave House


Two weeks after he was allowed to promote an album and a novel in media interviews, rapper C-Murder got permission Tuesday to leave the confines of house arrest so he can continue his recording career.

However, Corey Miller did not get all he wanted; a Jefferson Parish judge denied his request for free travel throughout the New Orleans area four days per week, including trips to a recording studio in St. Tammany Parish and to Baton Rouge to seek a new home for his children.

"He'll be allowed to go to work, but we'll have to know the exact time and location," 24th Judicial District Judge Martha Sassone said in reining in Miller's request to modify the rules of home incarceration.

Miller, 36, is awaiting retrial on a second-degree murder charge in the Jan. 12, 2002, killing of Steve Thomas, 16, who was shot in the chest during a brawl in the now-closed Platinum Club in Harvey.

For the past year, Miller has been under house arrest as a condition of the $500,000 bail Sassone set after the state Supreme Court upheld her order granting him a new trial.

Miller already is allowed to attend religious services on Sunday mornings and Bible study on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Sassone noted.

But she declined his latest request to leave his residence from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., four days per week. She told him and his attorney, Ron Rakosky, that she will consider each request to work "as it comes."

Though home incarceration is rare for people charged with murder in Jefferson Parish, it is not unheard of for judges to allow people under house arrest to leave their residences to work, court records show.

The house arrest "severely and adversely" affects Miller's ability to earn money to pay for his defense and support his family, Rakosky said. "He needs to be able to get back to work."

Miller also wanted permission to help his ex-wife and their three children, displaced to Houston by Hurricane Katrina, find a new home in Baton Rouge, Rakosky said. He also told Sassone that Miller might eventually want to move to St. Tammany Parish, where he wants to work in a recording studio, which was not named.

Jermaine Dupri Signs His First Artist As President Of Urban Music At Island Records

Not wasting any time, Jermaine Dupri has signed his first artist in his new position as President of Urban Music at Island Records.

JD has inked a deal with Compton based rapper Hot Dollar. Dupri officially announced the signing on his blog yesterday (March 14th) at his Myspace page here:

http://tinyurl.com/2urc89

Dollar's debut Island single will be called "Streets On Lock" and his album is expected to drop in the fourth quarter of '07.

For more information on Dollar, visit www.myspace.com/hotdollar

Diddy Still Tempted By Other Women

Hip-hop mogul SEAN 'DIDDY' COMBS is still tempted by other women, regardless of his serious relationship with former model KIM PORTER.

The star admits he can't cope with monogamy - despite being the boyfriend of four years to Porter, the mother of his nine-year-old son CHRISTIAN and twin girls D'LILA and JESSIE, who were born in December (06).

And Combs confesses he can't even get ready for a night out without an all-female entourage keeping him company.

He says, "When I dress, I like to put on some MARVIN GAYE. I invite a few women into my room and we have a few drinks.

"We sort of have a little party getting dressed. For me, it has to be a very sensual experience, so of course I have to have some women around me as I dress. I don't just find women beautiful to look at - I love their company.

"I try to be good, I really do. But sometimes that's just too hard."


WHO HUNG THE DOGS OUT...
The group Baha Men, best known for their hit “Who Let the Dogs Out,” are suing their management company for holding out on thousands of dollars owed to them for an album they were producing and ruining their reputation within the music industry.


According to TMZ, the group filed the $500,000 lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Activate Entertainment. They claim the company never paid them the promised thousands of dollars to cover production costs for an album, which caused the group to spend their own money for expenses. According to the lawsuit, "This led to overdrawn accounts," which in turn led to rubber checks.


Also in the lawsuit, the Baha Men say they "did not receive the additional $180,000 that was owed to them," and lead singer, Isaiah Taylor lost "his home to the bank for lack of funding."

The band also says they were unable to pay their production crew, which "severely damaged the reputations of the Baha Men group members within the tight knit music community."

Timbaland Teams Up With Rockstar Games For Beatmaking Game

Producer Timbaland has announced that he is teaming up with Rockstar Games to create Beaterator, a new music maker for the PSP (Playstation Portable).

Rockstar, who is responsible for the wildly popular Grand Theft Autu (GTA) series, describes Beaterator as a powerful music mixer with robust beatmaking features that is accompanied by a collection of original music and rhythm games, and challenge modes.

"Two years ago, we launched a web-based version of Beaterator on our own website and people really embraced it," said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. "That inspired us to build and create something very interactive and unique. Having Timbaland involved in the game is a real honor and only adds to our excitement about the title."

Timbo is equally excited, stating he's been a fan of the company for quite some time. "I've always been a huge fan of Rockstar and love playing their games," said Timbaland. "I'm thrilled to be partnering with them and making music for Beaterator. I cannot wait to get this in the hands of our fans."

The game is scheduled for release on the PSP in the summer. In the meantime, fans can check out an online version of Beatertor at RockstarGames.com/Beaterator.

Video:Ne-Yo - Because Of You




50 says June 19th is the day

Fabolous -From Nothin to Somethin Tracklisting, Release April 17th
1. Yep, I’m Back
2. Return Of The Hustle - (featuring Swizz Beatz)
3. Change Up
4. Make Me Better - (featuring Ne-Yo)
5. So Fabolous
6. Diamonds - (featuring Lil Wayne)
7. Hustler’s Poster Child - (featuring Cassidy)
8. Real Playa Like - (featuring Lloyd)
9. Foggin’ Up The Windows - (featuring R. Kelly)
10. What Should I Do
11. Back To School
12. All Jokes On You
13. I Shine, You Shine - (featuring Makeeba)
14. First Time
15. Paperman - (featuring Ne-Yo)
16. Brooklyn
17. Chirp Back - (featuring Blue DaVinci)
18. Gangsta - (featuring Junior Reid)
19. This Is Family - (featuring Freck The Billionaire/Ransom/Joe Budden)
(Props to realtalkNy)

The Notorious B.I.G. Resurrects New York, Akon Continues His Reign, Young Jeezy Keeps Gettin' It

In this week's Hip-Hop Charts, Biggie snatches the crown, Akon contimues his dominance and Young Jeezy slides.

Debuting at No. 1 on the charts this week is The Notorious B.I.G. According to Nielsen's SoundScan, the late rapper's Greatest Hits compilation sold 99,100 copies in its first go-around.

The CD includes bangers like "Hypnotize," "Big Poppa" and "Who Shot Ya," as well as two unreleased tracks featuring Fabolous, Snoop Dogg and Ja Rule.

Young Jeezy continues to reach for platinum status despite falling five spots to No. 27 this week. The Inspiration scans 22,800 discs in its 24th week on the charts, bringing the albums total sales to 931,000.

After keeping the No. 52 spot warm for the past two weeks, Eminem and the Shady crew drop twelve slots to No. 64. The Re-Up has moved 915,100 units thus far, with 11,900 representing the week-in total.

Birdman and Lil' Wayne slide six spots to No. 66. Like Father, Like Son pushes 11,800 discs this week. To date, the album has sold 658,300 copies.

Hanging close by at No. 67 is Nas. Hip Hop Is Dead bagged up 11,700 units in its twelfth week, bringing the album's total sales to 672,800.

Diddy's momentum has begun to fade as he slips eight seats down to No. 75. Press Play hustles 10,600 discs this week. So far, the album has sold total of 564,800 copies.
After making a noteworthy debut at No. 21 last week, B.G and The Chopper City Boyz plummet sixty six spots to No. 87. We Got This only moved 9,400 units this week, rounding up the albums total to 37,800.

Toppling nineteen spots to No. 89 is Snoop Dogg. Tha Blue Carpet Treatment reels in 9,300 copies this week, bringing the album's tally to 815,900.

A sharp decrease in sales pushes Jay-Z twenty three spots to No. 92. Kingdom Come only ropes in 9,100 units this week. After 16 weeks, the album has sold a total of 1,388,300 copies.
Also hurting the sales department is The Game who plunges twenty two slots to No. 101. Doctor's Advocate shifts 8,000 discs this week. The total for the album reads off at 878,000.
Making a weak debut at No. 113 this week is Consequence with his first studio album, Don't Quit Your Day Job. The CD shells out 7,000 copies in its first week

Slim Thug & The Boss Hogg Outlawz, who debuted at No. 63 last week, sunk seventy four levels to No. 137 this week. Serve and Collect lugs in 5,900 discs in its second week, pushing its total numbers to 19,000.

Turning the page, Akon "loses one," Robin Thicke descends and Justin Timberlake follows suit. Dropping one spot to No. 4 doesn't stop Akon from keeping cash registers ringing. Konvicted scans 76,000 discs this week. After seventeen weeks, the album has sold 1,792,400 copies. Slipping five spots to No. 10 is Robin Thicke. The Evolution of Robin Thicke continues to sell like hotcakes pushing 47,200 discs this week. To date, the album has sold 772,000 copies. Justin Timberlake loses his swagger and slips five slots to No. 11, FutureSex/LoveSounds shifts 46,100 discs this week, bringing the albums total sales to 2,917,500. Posted at No. 13 this week is Fergie. Duchess moves 42,600 units. So far, the album has sold 1,562,400 copies. Corrine Bailey Rae staggers six spots down to No. 15. Her self titled album sells 41,100 discs this week, bringing its tally to 1,263,200. Slow sales trips the Dreamgirls soundtrack which falls sixteen steps to No. 24. The disc ropes in 25,000 units. After 14 weeks, the soundtrack has sold 886,900 copies. Gerald Levert slides nine spots to No. 25. In My Songs snares in 25,070 units this week. The total for the album reads off at 279,900. Standing at No .32 is Pretty Ricky. The group's sophomore project, Late Night Special, shells out 18,800 CDs. After 7 weeks, the album has a sold a total of 355,700 copies. Beyonce falls seven spots to No. 33 after moving only 18,700 units this week. After 27 weeks, B'Day has sold 2,330,600 copies. After an impressive jump last week, Ciara tumbles fifteen slots to No. 44. Evolution has moved 1,042,100 units thus far, with 16,100 representing the week-in total.

Next week look for 8Ball & MJG, Lloyd, Rich Boy, Musiq Soulchild and Amy Winehouse to shake things up on the charts. Read more here

(props to onsmash)

Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five Inducted Into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

Hip-Hop history was made last night (Mar. 12), as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As Hip-Hop pioneers, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were one of the first Hip-Hop groups to incorporate deejaying and emceeing in a group.

The groundbreaking group went on to create such hits as "The Message," "Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel," and countless others.

Rap mogul and Def Jam Records president Jay-Z introduced the group during the introduction ceremony. Jay read their induction speech from his Blackberry. "Thirty years later rappers have become rock stars, movie stars, leaders, educators, philanthropists, even CEOs," Jay-Z said. "None of this would have been possible without the work of these men."

Formed in the South Bronx, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five have come a long way since their first single "Superrappin" hit the streets in 1979.

The annual event took place at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel and other inductees included R.E.M., The Ronettes, Patti Smith, and Van Halen.

Give R. Kelly A Call At The Chocolate Factory!

It seems as if R. Kelly has taken a page from Mike Jones’ book as the R&B singer has a phone number for anyone to reach him. While you don’t get to speak to Kells personally, you do get to hear a message from the singer as he previews songs from his new album, Double Up:

“What’s up yall’, this Kells, I’m glad ‘yall called. I’m in the studio right now…since ‘yall called, I’ma give ‘yall a snippet of what I’m about to hit ‘yall with. Hold on, turn it off…this song called ‘Blow it Up’ with Jeezy…and I got Young Dro on here, they killin’ it.”

Following this message is a brief sound byte of the song Blow it Up. After the song finishes playing, R. Kelly comes back on:

“Can’t give ‘yall the whole song. This next song I’m doin, it’s called ‘Leave ya name,’ you feel me?”

The song Leave Ya Name plays out like a musical version of an answering machine message. In a similar fashion, R.Kelly previews the songs Double Up ft. Snoop Dogg, Freakin’ In the Club, Put Some Money on It ft. Rick Ross, Hookin’ Up with Kanye West, and Rock Star with Ludacris.

As for the album, Kells promises the fans that it is “about 70% hip hop,” though it is not exclusively upbeat hip hop tracks, and will include some slow R&B.

After the message ends, you can leave your own message for R. Kelly. If you’re calling from a cell phone, the messaging system will text you with information following the call.

The phone number to reach the Chocolate Factory Hotline is 312-278-3965.
The album Double Up is set to be released May 29th.

Jim Jones Speaks On 50 Cent, Timbaland and New Album

Jim Jones is still celebrating the chart topping success that came from Baallin. Now, he's got his sights on bigger things, new music and Timbaland beats.

"I been thinking about my next album, thinking about the music I wanna hear, the production...All my albums been about my life, so I'm not worried about the content. I'm living fast, having fun, so it's always a story to tell. But I been thinking about the music — the production, where I want to take it. Every album I've evolved or I've felt like I've evolved. I don't know if everybody else felt like that, but I wanna take them all the way there next time. ... I'm not trying to offend nobody, but y'all know what I am capable of," he told MTV recently.

He also went on to speak on a producer that he's wanted for some time.

"Right now I would like to get a Timbaland beat...That's something I been thinking about for years. The boy got it! Let me get some of that Timbaland music. I'm just trying to have fun...It feels good, me getting called to get on people's records is amazing...I hope they keep calling."

He also made time to speak on the current beef between his label and 50 Cent.

"I been telling people that this music game is built on aggressive competition," he noted. "Just like basketball is a full contact sport. Sometime you might catch a elbow or a little foul pick. Most people that play the sport, they kill each other on the courts, afterwards it's all good. If that's the direction we going in, I'm good with it."

So, how does he feel about the way Cam is handling the situation?

"Cam could never do no wrong in my eyes...If that's how he's feeling, that's how he's feeling. That's my brother. But it was two dons going at it — 50 and Cam — nobody else got in it. It's all good. Me, I'm into my money."

Camron Makes Another Hot 97 Appearance

Cam'Ron has hit up Hot 97 once again to talk shit about 50. Last night he talked with Angie Martinez in the studio and he of course had more words for Curtis. Audio Cam revealed that the C.U.R.T.I.S. disses are coming in a six part series. And we're only on part 2.

Full Interview

Ice Cube Producing New Reality Series 'Good in the Hood'

Ice Cube continues his push on to the small screen with a new hour long reality television series on A&E titled Good in the Hood.

Ice Cube will introduce each episode, which features a different reformed gang member, drug dealer or criminal, who takes on the responsiblity of rehabilitating another person with similiar circumstances.

Good in the Hood is being executive produced by Ice Cube & long time collaborator Matt Alvaraz, along with Dave Broome, Colleen Conway and Rob Sharenow.

"One of the most powerful elements in the show is the personal connection of the two subjects." People who are still in thrall to drugs or violence are more apt to respond to someone who has walked in their shoes," Co-executive producer Rob Sharenow told Variety.

A&E currently reaches over 91 million homes. The network hopes Good in the Hood will help the network continue to capture a younger demographic.

Last year, shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter, Intervention and reruns of The Sopranos helped improve A&E's viewing audience by 4% among adults 25-54, 13% among adults 18-49 and 24% among adults 18-34.

"This show is a way to demonstrate what is going on in a positive way in the urban community," Ice Cube said in a statement.

Good in the Hood is Ice Cube's latest foary into reality television.

In 2005, the rapper rapper/actor/filmmaker teamed with R.J. Cutler and produced the series Black.White, which was broadcast on FX and featured a white family and a black family sharing a home in the San Fernando Valley.

Aftermath Signee Joell Ortiz Is No Sellout, "Dr. Dre Makes You Bigger, He Doesn't Change You"

Though the days of artists yelling "please listen to my demo" may be fading, don't tell that to Joell Ortiz. This Brooklyn lyricist caught the ear of Dr. Dre after the super producer heard his CD and in no time Ortiz went from ashy to classy. While J.O.'s "not eating Spaghetti O's out the can no more," he can still eat up your favorite rapper without breaking a sweat.

"My deal didn't come from me running around New York all crazy everyday rhyming everywhere. Mine came from Dre getting the CD and saying 'play that again, he's crazy, let's fly him out,'" Ortiz said
"The mistake that people make is that they start rhyming about what happens to them, cars, house, etc. None of that helped you get here," Ortiz continued. "I rap for the audience who loves the art. You ain't gonna hear flossy shit from me cause that's not my style. I'm raising the bar. Dudes are out here doing 16's, I'm doing 125's."

Though signed to Aftermath, Ortiz will be delivering fans his frist album via Koch Records. The Brick (Bodega Chronicles), which takes it's title from O's 125 bar verses, features guest spots from Big Daddy Kane, Maino, Ras Kass, M.O.P. and Immortal Technique and beats by Showbiz (of D.I.T.C.) and The Alchemist.

"I wanted to drop an indie [album] to get my fan base up, but it so happened that Dre was feeling it and they came at the same time," the rapper explained. "With The Brick, I wrote it when I was still on the grind, before the deal. People been beating me in the head with 'you gotta bring New York back' but New York never died, you can't kill it."

"This album got that early New York feeling, cause we've been shying away from what we do [lately]," Ortiz said. "I'm a nice MC, not a rapper, an MC. I know what's missing and I'm trying to start something here."

With The Brick serving as a preview to his Aftermath project, some may suspect that Ortiz would be feeling the pressure of trying to live up to a Dr. Dre co-sign. But for Ortiz, it's just another day in the studio.

"What I found out about Dre is, he makes you bigger, but he doesn't change you. He makes you a better artist but it's still you, he says. " I don't know how not to be hip-hop. I don't know how to sellout, dude. When you're lyrical like I am, you gotta be nice and say something. I just want people to say I'm consistent, that I broke down barriers and that I'm nice, and not just for a Spanish rapper. It's my turn. They better put their rain jackets on 'cause it's about to be a storm."

The Brick (Bodega Chronicles) hits shelves on April 24.

Lupe Fiasco to Testify in Business Partner's Drug Conspiracy Trial

Lupe Fiasco is reportedly expected to testify in a drug conspiracy trial involving a partner in his first & fifteenth imprint.

According to the Chicago Tribune, producer Charles "Chili" Patton and his wife Inita were charged in 2003 for allegedly running a drug enterprise supplying over 900 grams of heroin. The drugs purportedly had a street value of nearly $950,000 at the time.

The couple's trial began in Cook County Court on Wednesday (February 28) with prosecutors claiming in their opening statements that Patton was the mastermind in a conspiracy that involved cellular telephones and coded language, picked up by police listening in on wiretaps.
Former Chicago Police Lt. Robert Grapenthien testified that investigators had a wiretap on Patton's cell phones for about a month when on March 25, 2003, they heard him set up a drug sale with Jerry Warren. The day before Patton was heard making Amtrak train reservations for him and Lupe Fiasco.

Jerry Warren, who was convicted in the case in October, set up a meeting in Hyde Park, which was under police surveillance, Grapenthien revealed. After receiving the drugs, authorities pulled over Warren's pickup truck and found a plastic bag containing drugs, he said.

Patton's lawyer, Todd Pugh, countered the prosecutor's accusations by painting his client as a hard working man who was striving to be successful.

"Charles 'Chili' Patton was targeted because he was a successful African-American businessman," Pugh told jurors. "He is a young African-American man from the West Side of Chicago with braids in his hair, which lives in a middle-class home in Olympia Fields with his wife and three children. You will not find one speck of heroin in Charles Patton's hands."

Prosecutors also claimed Inita Patton played a major role in finding a storage facility in south suburban Glenwood where authorities found more than 6 kilograms of heroin. Police found a key to the storage unit while conducting a May 2003 raid on the Pattons' home.

Inita's lawyer, Glenn Seiden, said her client allowed a friend to store his furniture in the storage unit and did not know drugs were in the locker.

The Pattons' trial is expected to last several weeks. According to prosecutors, the couple could face 15 to 60 years in prison if convicted.

THREE 6 MAFIA ‘ADVENTURES’ COMING TO MTV

It’s kind of like the TV show “The Beverly Hillbillies” meets “Rap City.” Rap duo Three 6 Mafia, who won an Academy Award for their track “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” is coming to television with their very own comedic reality series on MTV.

The show is called “Adventures in Hollyhood,” premiering tonight at 10:30pm (E/P), and it follows Juicy J, DJ Paul and their entourage as they pick up from Memphis and head to Los Angeles.

The series, shot over a two-month period, chronicles their exploits as they try to cash in on their Oscar, work on their new album, try to get along with their new neighbors, and find out if it’s harder out here for a pimp.

The duo admits that even a year later, they have still not come down from their big Oscar win, and hope that fame will bring viewers to their show. And in describing the series, the two likened it to life immediately after winning the Oscar:

“The first week after we won the Oscar we partied, drank, met some new girls – we still had the old ones, too. We had a lot of fun,” DJ Paul said. Juicy J added, “It’s real. We just kicked it; we cut the cameras on and partied. It’s everyday life with Three 6 Mafia.”

The duo say they left Memphis with both good wishes and not-so- good wishes, with some fans calling them sell-outs for heading to LaLa Land.

“There were a few people who were a little upset,” Juicy J joked, “but we went back two or three times during the show – for pork ribs and Kool-Aid.”

On the other had, Juicy’s father was one of the well wishers:

“My dad’s a preacher and he’s proud of me. Everything I’ve done, all of my achievements and everything we’ve done as a group. He always gives me advice.” The two didn’t really comment on having a big culture shock when they talked with reporters about the new show, but said that there were certainly some differences. In one clip, the two decide to throw a party – expecting a packed house like the response they get back home. But it didn’t turn out quite like they expected – with only one guest attending

“Coming from Memphis and moving to Hollywood it’s different; it’s kind of weird. We passed out flyers, but maybe they didn’t want to come to a rap party,” Juicy J said.

The show, premiering tonight at 10:30pm Eastern/Pacific with eight episodes lined up, also features the rest of their crew: Big Treice, their personal assistant; Computer, their internet consultant; and finally Project Pat, Three 6 Mafia's rap protégé and underground hip-hop superstar. And also has appearances by rap cohorts such as Lil’ Jon and Chamillionaire, and other celebrity friends

Meanwhile, the two are still doing what they’ve become famous for – writing and recording songs for soundtracks – perhaps in hopes of getting another movie award. They wrote an original song for “Rocky Balboa” and “Jackass 2” and are currently working on some other projects.

“We have some other stuff in the works,” Juicy J said, “but I don’t want to say anything because the checks haven’t cleared yet.

The funny duo are counting on those witty answers and antics to get a good following for series, but in answering the question of pimp hardship, the two acknowledge that Hollywood is bit harder than home.

“It’s harder out here for a pimp,” DJ Paul confirmed. “This place is high out here for a pimp; everything’s more expensive.”

Viacom Inc. Sues Google For $1 Billion Over YouTube

Media conglomerate Viacom Inc. filed a lawsuit against Google on Tuesday (March 13) for a reported $1 billion for its use of copyrighted material on its YouTube website.

According to Reuters, Viacom accuses Google and YouTube of "massive intentional copyright infringement" of the company's entertainment assets and seeks an injunction against further violations.

They claim more than 160,000 unauthorized clips of its programming have been uploaded onto YouTube's site and viewed more than 1.5 billion times.

Timbaland Moves "Shock Value" Release Date To April 3rd; Says It's A "Greatest Hits Album"

Where can you hear the hottest new songs by Justin Timberlake, Dr. Dre, Nelly Furtado, 50 Cent, Nicole Scherzinger from The Pussycat Dolls, Fall Out Boy, Elton John, The Hives and more all in one place? Timbaland's Shock Value (Mosley Music Group/Blackground/Interscope), which is now set for release on April 3, 2007."

I wanted to make sure this thing was ready to drop, and pushing it back a week gave me time to do some last minute polishing. Look at all these people on Shock Value...this isn't a dj compilation, it's a greatest hits album," says Timbaland of his album

The album's first single, "Give It To Me," featuring Furtado and Timberlake, is already a hit, nearing the Top 40 of the Billboard Pop 100 chart.

Just before the album's release, Timbaland, one of music's most acclaimed innovators, will be coming off his special guest stint on the first leg of Timberlake's 2007 FutureSex/LoveShow World Tour, which concludes its North American swing at the end of March.

WHITNEY HOUSTON BACK IN THE STUDIO

Whitney Houston has officially begun work on her comeback album under music mogul Clive Davis.

Following a year of rehab in California, the soon-to-be ex-wife of Bobby Brown will start off collaborating with writer-producer Johnta Austin, who won a Grammy for helping Mariah Carey pen “We Belong Together.”

Friedman writes: “I already told you in this space about a month ago that Davis has already settled on roughly seven songs for Houston, including those by R. Kelly, Diane Warren and other big-name producers. Another name in the hat: a writer called Fernando.

BET's Spring Bling '07 Returns to Sunny Florida

WHAT: Spring breakers from across the country gather in sunny Florida for BET's weekend getaway, SPRING BLING '07. With whirlwinds of top performances by the best in hip-hop and R&B, outrageous games, car shows, competitions, and newly added surprises this year's beach fest will be the best yet.

SHOW HOSTS: BET VJ's: Terrence & Rocsi (106 & PARK), Julissa (BET HOST), Alesha Renee & Lamorne (HOTWYRED), Danella (THE BLACK CARPET), Big Tigger (BET VETERAN), and more celebrity surprises

WHERE: Singers Island at Riviera Beach West Palm Beach, Florida 33404

WHEN: Tapings - Friday, March 23, 2007 @ 11 a.m. Saturday, March 24, 2007 @ 11 a.m. Sunday, March 25, 2007 @ 11 a.m. Premiere Telecast - April 5th-8th 2007 (check Local Listings for Times)

EVENT INFO: http://www.bet.com/ AUDIENCE Free audience ticket requests for persons 18 and older who TICKETS: are able to present a valid state ID, school ID or passport may be submitted via email to audience106@bet.com with the text "SPRING BLING" in the subject line.

1st off I wanna say i got all of your emails. Due to Circumstances beyond my control there was no MidWeek MaMi, Last Week, But i Believe i made up For it. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you.......

Jamie Marie

Full name- Jamie Marie
Age-22
Zodiac Sign-Aries
Home Town-Va
Interest-I love to dance, I'm the type of girl that hears music no
matter what song or what beat, has got to drop it like its hot!..:-) I also love to sing as well as meet new people.

Ladies if you think you have what it takes to be The Mid-Week Mami, Email L with the subject MidWeek Mami at ImHipHopNews@gmail.com. Only The Sexiest Of The Sexy will make it. all pics become property of ImHipHop. Thanks and good luck.

Possible Set Back For 'Street Dreams' Tour Date Due To Drug Bust

The Street Dreams Tour featuring headliner Young Jeezy, Jim Jones, Rich Boy, Lil Wayne and Fat Joe, has suffered another possible set back, as a man affiliated with a Cincinnati promotions company promoting the event was arrested over the weekend, when police found 64 pounds of cocaine in the trunk of a car.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Joel Gomez, 31 and Vernon Garnett, 25, were arrested when police found the drugs, worth an estimated $2.9 million, in the vehicle they were traveling in.
Police also found found a gun in the car and passport applications. Garnett and Gomez were charged with drug possession and drug trafficking.

Garnett is affiliated with local company Garnett Entertainment, a company that is promoting the Mar. 23 date for the Cincinnati stop on The Street Dreams Tour, which is slated to take place at the US Bank Arena.

The date also features several artists on the Garnett Entertainment label, including Cross, Showtime and Tocka, who recently released his first music video for the single "Down Da Way."
Garnett Entertainment is an independent record label that was established in 2001 by CEO Alex Garnett and VP Gerald Tucker.

The company is also promoting the the "Nasty Nati All You Can Drink Remy Martin," which is also slated to take place at the US Bank Arena on June 4.

The Street Dreams Tour was recently the subject of scrutiny by the city of Providence, RI.
The public's safety came into question by the city's Board of Licenses during a public hearing, due to Jim Jones' affiliation with the Bloods street gang.

The show was approved, but security has been increased for the Providence, RI show, which takes place Mar. 29.

PARENTS SAY OPRAH’S SCHOOL IS TOO STRICT

Looks like the honeymoon is over for Oprah Winfrey’s state-of-the-art school for girls in South Africa, as some parents and students are now complaining that the rules are way too strict, reports a South African news Web site.

First on the list of gripes is the visitation policy, which had originally allowed parents to see their kids once every two weeks, but will soon be changed to once a month. Angela Conradie, whose daughter Michelle is at the school, says she’d like to visit her daughter more frequently.

"Michelle phones me in tears sometimes, and then I don't know what to say to her," Conradie tells South Africa’s news24.com.

The school also caps the number of visitors at four per student, and all visits must be approved by the school at least two weeks in advance. The names of visitors must also match those on the security guard's list before guests are allowed in.

Frances Mans, foster mother of student Gweneth Mulder, said she was held up at the security gate for half an hour during a visit on Sunday. She said she would take Gweneth out of the school if the rules don’t loosen up

"It was a nightmare,” Mulder told news24.com. “We had only two hours to see my child. Surely this isn't a prison or an institution?"

According to reports, the students are not allowed to use cell phones or send e-mails during the week, and can call their parents only on the weekends.

Another bone of contention is the food situation.

"The poor children are not even allowed to have any treats. Their diet is fruit, yogurt and sandwiches,” Mans told the Web site. “When they go on holiday for a month in April they'll be stuffing themselves with sweets and chocolates in any case."

According to news24.com, absolutely no junk food is allowed on campus, and parents aren’t allowed to even gift snacks to their kids. Any child caught with so much as a Snickers bar will lose points, which are obtained for "good behavior" and can be exchanged at a school shop for clothes and caps.

News24.com says the children were to share their concerns with Oprah herself during a satellite interview on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” last week, but it was reportedly cancelled at the last minute by the school's management.

John Samuels, the executive head of the school, says the rules were carefully chosen and implemented for a reason.

"We have the security and well-being of the girls at heart, in every respect,” he explained. “They are our priority. If there's too much movement on the premises at the weekend, it disturbs the school spirit."

Kelly Rowland's New Album Due In June; Tracklisting Leaks

"Ms. Kelly" is finally set to drop June 26, according to Music World/Columbia Records, and the ex-Destiny's Child assures she's put "her heart and soul into this record."

During a Billboard interview last year, manager Matthew Knowles insisted the decision to push the release date from July 11, 2006, was because more time was needed to set up the project. "We want to make sure our marketing strategy is a multi-tiered approach that capitalizes on the synergies afforded by her other projects," he said.

But now, Rowland admits she is ready for the rest of the world to take a listen, especially since she decided to make this album very personal. "This album is very different from the last record. It was so alternative and this record is urban," she told Billboard.com. "I wanted to go back to my roots [because] that's where I started and that's what feels natural to me.

The first single from the album, "Like This," features rap artist Eve, and is currently being promoted on AOL Music's New Songs page and on Rowland's Myspace.com site. The second single "Ghetto," guest stars Snoop Dogg. Other tracks include the Tank-penned and produced "The Show."

Tracklisting:
"Gots To Go"
"Work Her Man"
"Still in Love With My Ex"
"Ghetto"
"The Show" featuring Tank
"Every Thought Is You"
"Better Without You"
"Wat It Do""
Flashback"
"Tell Me"
"Can't Do It Again"
"Just Me"
"Back On"
"This Is Love"

SNOOP SAYS HE WAS NOT ‘ARRESTED’ IN SWEDEN

Not only is it illegal in Sweden to use narcotics, but it is also a violation if the drug is detected in your system, which brings us to the latest drama regarding rapper Snoop Dogg.

Early reports say the artist and a female companion were arrested for suspected narcotics use while in Stockholm for his concert tour with Diddy. However, the Long Beach rapper released a statement late Monday denying that an arrest ever took place.

"Contrary to erroneous press reports, Snoop Dogg was not arrested in Sweden,” said the statement via his publicist, Tracy Nguyen. “He was questioned and released with no charges filed. He is excited to continue his successful co-headlining European tour with Diddy."
According to Swedish police, Snoop and the companion were picked up after police noticed what appeared to be weed-like behavior.

"You can see that a person indicates that he has used narcotics in looking at his eyes or his movements. (Police) suspected that he had taken drugs," explained duty sergeant Mats Brannlund of the Ostermalm police.

Both Snoop and the woman, a foreigner, were taken into custody at 1:25 a.m. while en route to an afterparty following his gig at Stockholm's Globe Arena. He was released about four hours later after questioning and a drug test.

"He underwent some tests that will now be sent away for analysis," Brannlund said. "In two to three weeks, we'll know if he was on something."

If he is found to have been on something, the rapper could face a fine. The amount of the fee is usually based on the wealth of the offender, therefore "if he earns a lot, it can be a couple of thousand (Swedish crowns) ($280)," Brannlund said.

As of press time, he was scheduled to make Monday night’s tour stop at Norway’s Oslo Spektrum, said concert promoter Atomic Agency.

The entertainer was arrested in Los Angeles in January for deadly weapons possession after airport security found what police said was a collapsible baton in his luggage.

Jennifer Hudson turns down $3 Million Role Over Nudity

Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson has turned down a $3 million role in a Warner Bros. movie because of a nude scene. Ready for the twist? It wasn’t Jennifer’s character that gets naked.

The Dreamgirls star says that she will never appear in a film that features nudity because she is a role model to aspiring young black women. So I guess we won’t be seeing a Jennifer Huson nude scene anytime soon. As stupid as that may be, you must applaud her for sticking to her convictions especially when a big paycheck it being flaunted under her nose.

Snoop Dogg Presents ''The Big Squeeze''

KOCH Records and Doggy Style Records announce the release of "The Big Squeeze," a new compilation album presented by Snoop Dogg. The album features up-and-coming West Coast acts Westurn Union (Damani, Soopafly, and Bad Lucc), The Warzone, Terrace Martin, Azuré, and will be released on Tuesday April 24th, 2007. Snoop produced 16 of the tracks on the album and is featured on 12 tracks.

Snoop weighs in, "I basically wanted to produce these tracks from up and coming West Coast acts. I see a new West Coast and it's right here -- and it's brought to you by the King of the West Coast..."

After 15 years in the game, 9 albums to his credit, 15+ million units sold worldwide, few rappers can match Snoop's track record. His current hit album, "Blue Carpet Treatment," has re-cemented his status as THE premier rap icon of the West. On the heels of a sold-out European tour, Bigg Snoop Dogg continues to bring the heat with "The Big Squeeze."

This latest collection of bangers from his label Doggy Style Records features an all-star roster of the Best-in-the-West, featuring tracks by Snoop, Kurupt, Warzone, Westurn Union, Chuck, Terrace Martin, Azuré, Ray J and more!

The first single, "Hat 2 Tha Bacc," by Westurn Union produced by Niggaracci and will be serviced to radio shortly.

The tracklisting for "The Big Squeeze" is:

1. The Big Squeeze Intro (Snoop Dogg)
2. Killaz (War Zone, Westurn Union, and Snoop Dogg)
3. We Came to Bang Out (Dogg Pound, Soopafly, and Snoop Dogg)
4. Shackled Up (War Zone)
5. We Go Hard (Katt Williams, Soopafly, Kurupt, and Snoop Dogg)
6. Hat 2 Tha Bacc (Westurn Union and Snoop Dogg)
7. Pop Pop Bang! (Kurupt, Kam, and Snoop Dogg)
8. 31 Flavors (Kurupt and Snoop Dogg)
9. All About Damani (Damani and Snoop Dogg)
10. Like Rock Stars (Bad Lucc, Damani, JT Tha Bigga Figga, Chuck, and Snoop Dogg)
11. Spend Some Time (Ricky Harris, Chuck, Kurupt, Soopafly, and Snoop Dogg)
12. F***in' Is Good for U (Damani, JT Tha Bigga Figga, Kurupt, Soopafly, and Snoop Dogg)
13. Get Your Body Moving (MC Eiht, KAM, Chuck)
14. Get Closer (Azure and Snoop Dogg)
15. Can U Get Away? (Goldie Loc, Ray J, and Snoop Dogg)
16. U In Trouble (Kurupt and Snoop Dogg)
17. Mr. Vice President (JT Tha Bigga Figga)
18. Get It Started (Azure and Snoop Dogg)
19. Be Thankful (Terrace Martin, J. Black)

KATT WILLIAMS AND EDDIE MURPHY TEAM FOR ‘MARSHALS’

"Norbit” co-stars Eddie Murphy and Katt Williams will work together once again in the upcoming DreamWorks comedy "Marshals," which follows the first black marshals of the Old West.

Williams will also write the script, while Murphy has signed on as a producer for the project.

In the meantime, Williams just sold-out two shows at Radio City Music Hall last weekend to launch his U.S. stand-up comedy tour. He also just finished the Chicago-filming of “The Pimp Chronicles Part 2,” a follow-up to his HBO special “The Pimp Chronicles.”

Raising Kanye Book Cover

40 Glocc "So Hyphy"

Foxy Brown Racks Up Over $4K In Traffic Tickets

Brooklyn rapper Foxy Brown shouldn't be driving in New York at all, but the unlicensed rapper has tallied up some 16 traffic violations over the past three years.

According to New York's Daily News, DMV officials say Fox Boogie (real name is Inga Marchand) owes New York State $4,780 in fines and surcharges, having drawn citations for running red lights, crossing lanes of traffic without a signal and operating without a license, inspection or insurance.

Officials at that Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) say Foxy has only a learner's permit in New York after her right to get a license was revoked for failing to answer traffic tickets.
"She has to answer all these different summonses before she's allowed to drive," DMV spokesman Ken Brown told the Daily News.

The New Jersey license that Foxy received in 2003 has been suspended since March '06 for failing to appear on a summons, New Jersey DMV officials said. Since that suspension, the rap bombshell has received three moving violations. Foxy was also charged with driving without a license in 2000 when she drove her Range Rover into a fence near Flatbush Avenue in downtown Brooklyn.

As previously reported, Brown is currently on three year's probation for a fight she had at the Chelsea Bloomie's nail salon in August of '04. More recently she received two misdemeanor charges for putting her hands on a beauty store owner in Florida last month.

Columbia Pictures Trys To Halt Mistah F.A.B.'s 'Ghost Ride It' Video

Bay Area rapper Mistah F.A.B. cannot escape the scrutiny he's continued to receive for his first national single, "Ghost Ride It."

After facing possible banning on MTV for his ghost riding 101-type music video and receiving backlash from national new networks, due to the influence the ghost riding phenomenon has had on middle-America, the rapper has just hit yet another wall.

Columbia Pictures, the studio who owns the rights to the "Ghostbusters" movie franchise, threatened legal action because the video showcases the "Ghostbuster's" car and logo, as well as the theme song from the film incorporated into the single's production.

Columbia has demanded the video be pulled from all media outlets including television and the Internet.

Mistah F.A.B.'s introduction to controversy began this past December when the media linked F.A.B.'s video to two tragic deaths connected to the Bay Area movement

The video for F.A.B.'s regional break out single, "Ghost Ride It," was already shot and MTV seriously considered banning the video due to pressure from the media. After 52 edits, the video found itself on MTV2's "Unleashed," MTV Jams "Jam Of The Week," MTVU and finally made its way onto MTV's "Sucker Free Countdown."

"I'm getting flack for it," Mistah F.A.B. told BallerStatus.com in a recent interview. "People are saying what they wanna say, but it is what it is. For my video, they made me edit hella stuff. I had to edit the video like crazy. People always gonna stop something. When you infiltrate pop culture and cross over to other areas and other demographics, they like, 'Woah'.

It's a cultural shock right now. If you not a part of it, you're trying to stop it. That's what you call a movement, and I'm just happy to be at the forefront of it. People just gotta be responsible for what they doing and how they do it," the rapper continued.

The unedited version had 600,000 views on YouTube just weeks before Columbia Pictures sent F.A.B. a cease and desist letter.

"Publicity in the music industry, good or bad, is great. My momma always say, 'When they stop talking about you is when you get worried,'" F.A.B. confessed.

Mistah F.A.B. is currently readying an independent release from Favea Afta/Thizz/SMC Recordings called Da Baydestrian, which is slated for release May 15. The indie release will serve as a prequel to Da Yellow Bus Rydah, the rapper's major label debut with Atlantic Records. It is slated for later this year.

See the Video Here:


NYCKZ-JA RULE DISS


Man Shot At Pretty Ricky Concert Overseas

A British student who was acting as a member of security staff was shot in the stomach during a Pretty Ricky concert.

According to The Sun, the unidentified 21-year-old man was shot on Saturday ( March 10) after several fights broke out when someone threw a tear gas canister in the crowd during the group's performance. The LoughboroughUniversity student is now recovering in hospital. His injuries are not life threatening. The incident, which occurred at the school, also sent six others to the hospital with injuries.

BEYONCE, BLIGE, LEGEND WIN TOP SOUL TRAIN AWARDS

Apparently, there is such a thing as award show fatigue.

Its latest victim, the Soul Train Music Awards, took place over the weekend without much pre-show hype and with very little of the award recipients in attendance.

Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson was in the house to receive her pre-announced Entertainer of the Year honor, but eight of the 10 winners in major categories were no-shows – including Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, John Legend and Gnarls Barkley.

The press room at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium was also a virtual ghost town, as many of the celebs who showed up to Saturday’s ceremony did not come backstage for interviews, including Hudson, and fellow Soul Train honorees Jermaine Dupri and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. But, the “Chicken Noodle Soup” duo, Webstar and Young B, came back to discuss their prize for Best Dance Cut.

Understandably, Ronald Isley avoided reporters following his performance in tribute to James Brown, who was finally laid to rest Saturday after two months of court battles over his estate. Isley is about to begin his 37 months in federal prison for tax evasion. In perhaps his last televised outing of the next three years, he and his brothers won the best album (group) award for "Baby Makin' Music."

Beyonce, who picked up a best single (female) trophy for her song “Irreplaceable,” was busy in New York shooting a commercial for Samsung cell phones. An appearance at the ceremony would’ve been awkward anyway, as her former Destiny’s Child bandmate, LeToya Luckett, was hosting the show with Omarion.

Getting back to the press room action, one of the celebs who did visit was comedienne/actress Kym Whitley, accompanied by two male contest winners that she poked fun at. But that was before EUR's Lee Bailey asked her to reflect on her friend, the late Gerald Levert.

At that point, Whitley became visibly overcome with emotion and went to on deliver a moving tribute to the late singer as she recalled that it was Levert who brought her LA for the first time and to of all places, the Soul Train Awards.

The 21st annual Soul Train Music Awards will be broadcast in national syndication from March 17 through March 24. Here is the complete list of winners:

BEST R&B/SOUL SINGLE, FEMALE
"Irreplaceable" - Beyonce
BEST R&B/SOUL SINGLE, MALE
"Save Room" - John Legend
BEST R&B/SOUL SINGLE, GROUP, BAND OR DUO
"Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley
BEST R&B/SOUL ALBUM, FEMALE
"The Breakthrough" - Mary J. Blige
BEST R&B/SOUL ALBUM, MALE
"Unpredictable" - Jamie Foxx
BEST R&B/SOUL ALBUM, GROUP, BAND OR DUO
"Baby Makin' Music" - The Isley Brothers, featuring Ronald Isley
BEST R&B/SOUL OR RAP, NEW ARTIST
"Sexy Love" - Ne-Yo
BEST R&B/SOUL OR RAP MUSIC VIDEO
"Show Me What You Got" - Jay-Z
BEST R&B/SOUL OR RAP DANCE CUT
"Chicken Noodle Soup" - Webstar & Young B featuring the Voice of Harlem
BEST GOSPEL ALBUM
"Songs for the Storm, Volume 1" - Kirk Franklin
OUTSTANDING CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
Jermaine Dupri
OUTSTANDING CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN SONGWRITING
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jennifer Hudson

It's Offical, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff Sentenced To Life In Jail

Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff was officially sentenced on Friday (March 9) to life in prison without any chance of parole for his conviction in February 2007.

As previously reported, McGriff will be spending the rest of his life behind bars because of racketeering charges, narcotics trafficking and conspiring to murder aspiring Queens rapper E-Money Bags and a former associate Troy Singleton.

Following Supreme's conviction, a jury in Brooklyn federal court was unable to reach an undisputed verdict regarding the death penalty, prosecutors said. As a result of the deadlocked deliberations, McGriff faced an obligatory sentence of life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf stated that after serving a jail sentence on a previous conviction, McGriff established another violent organization and again became involved in a variety of criminal acts including racketeering; drug trafficking, homicide and money laundering. McGriff's new organization trafficked in wholesale quantities of heroin and cocaine from New York as far south as North Carolina, prosecutors said.

"He devoted the better part of two decades to gangs, drug trafficking and violence, treating his prior sentences as mere interruptions in his pursuit of a life of crime," Mauskopf.stated.

Nas Shrugs Off Kelis Arrest, Gets His 'Greedy On' With Tour, New Album

Nas has already had an active 2007. He's still releasing singles from Hip Hop Is Dead, he's hitting the road for a 26-date tour and he's planning to release his next album in the summer or fall.
But there's one part of the year he'd rather just forget. His wife, singer Kelis, was arrested a couple of weeks ago in Miami after shouting at undercover police officers. Nas simply shrugged the incident off with a chuckle.

"It's a lot of sh-- out there circulating about her that she finds pretty funny," the MC said Thursday. "It'll be cleared up soon."

Nas is escaping the drama by getting back in the studio this week, and this time all bets are off. If you can't keep up with his lyrical content, that's on you.

"I'm looking forward to having a summer or fall release," Nas said. "But summer, that's the time of the year I wanna crack it open. I'm having such a good time. Like I said years ago, it's about having fun now. I'm having such a good time, and with the music, I've gotten ahead of myself. I'm just trying to share that with the people now. Because the way I've been feeling after I did [Hip Hop Is Dead], I wanted it to flow a lot freer. I had to get some sh-- off my chest about hip-hop being dead. I know I was gonna be over n---as' heads with the title, so I didn't want to just leave n---as and they couldn't catch up. Now I don't care if they don't catch up. I don't care. I'm all the way gone. When I do this next sh--, I'm outta here. I'm not holding back on this one.
"I did what I had to do," he added. "I'm free with it. I've got the fame, I've had the paper for over a decade. I got the love. A n---a is just flying free and having a bunch of fun. I'm getting my greedy on this year and having a ball. I'm getting my greedy on in a good way, though. I'm having fun. I'm like, 'Could it get any better?' In life, you got ups and downs. I'm enjoying the ups."

Nas' transition to the next album is definitely not going to be a swift one. He said he's not done with Hip Hop Is Dead yet. There are still a few songs that he wants to get a big look before he closes it out.

"We're getting ready to shoot the next video now," he said. "I got two directors working on two songs. I don't know which [song] is coming first, so I don't want to say what's coming first, but it's 'Black Republican' and 'Hustlers.' It's looking good. It's looking larger than life. It feels good. I'm probably going to get another single after the next two. 'Cause usually I drop two singles and I'm out of your face until the next album. But I'm getting so many requests to release so many different singles, so I'm gonna try to give this one life before the next one comes out. You gonna probably see a flurry of sh-- right before the next album, just so I got it all off on this album."


Esco will hit the road in the next few weeks in support of Hip Hop Is Dead and his whole legacy. He'll be by himself, so he says there will be plenty of time to run through his catalog on the One Man, One Mic, One Night Tour. "My underground hits are way stronger than all my singles have ever been," he said. "But I never been able to [perform] them all because my singles would pull in a certain crowd that only wanted to hear the singles. This type of show is mainly about my street hits — my 'hood anthems.

"I just picked good times to go out in the past," he added about previous outings. "But it's been a long time since I did a long, extensive run. It was time to get my weight up on a run this year. The sh-- is different because the way I'm laying it out is different. I've had a format with the way I laid it out for a long time, but I'm switching it up. So since I'm one of the guys that's lucky enough to have a serious catalog, you have to give the people what they haven't heard in years. It could really be their sh--. It could be the song that they played at their man's funeral or their man's wedding. Just songs to take you back. That's the type of records I'm trying to pull out."

Nas' tour starts March 31 in Pittsburgh and ends May 3 in San Francisco. Also coming this year is the MTV reality show "Mr. and Mrs. Jones," which will feature the legendary MC and Kelis.


Suge Knight Wants To Close Up Shop At Death Row?

The death of a dynasty may be coming real soon, and that dynasty is Death Row Records.

According to NYPost.com, 42-year-old Marion "Suge" Knight said in a recent interview with Page Six that he's ready to close up shop at the label he founded in 1991 after making two visits to the City of Refuge Church, near his hometown of Compton, California.

During preacher Noel Jones sermon, he talked about letting "the past go, and move forward to the future." Two weeks later, Knight heard T.D. Jakes, who was visiting from Texas, say, "You can't keep living in the past. God gives you a chance to move on."

After hearing the eerily similar messages, he felt it was a message directed toward him.

"They talked about the same thing, and it felt like they were talking straight to me," Suge Knight told Page Six. "I don't want to be tied up with this for years. I want to move on with my life in a more positive direction.

"Over the past few years, the Death Row Record founder has been in a legal battle in bankruptcy court since Lydia Harris won a $106 million judgment against Death Row in March of 2005, after she claimed that her imprisoned husband and alleged drug kingpin, Michael "Harry-O" Harris, helped start the label by providing Knight with the seed money, entitling them to 50% ownership.

Although Knight says he gave Lydia a $1 million several years ago, she sued again "once the money ran out."

In July of 2006, a federal judge ordered a bankruptcy trustee to takeover Death Row Recordsbut wanted knight to keep operating it under Chapter 11 reorganization. He now wants to liquidate his publishing rights, pay off the creditors, and end his Death Row troubles.

"I want to take care of the creditors. I'm saying I don't want to keep living in the past, with the negativity," Knight said. "We shouldn't be constantly feeding negative energy to these kids," he said. "You can get rich with the devil's money, but you can only be happy with God's money."

Kody "Monster" Scott Apprehended In Los Angeles

Police arrested Kody "Monster" Scott on Wednesday (Mar. 7) after police received an anonymous tip that the author and alleged gang member was in a South Los Angeles neighborhood.

Scott, also known as Sanyika Shakur, authored Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member from prison, which detailed his life as a child and young adult growing up in Los Angeles as an Eight-Tray Crips gang member.

Police believe Scott, who converted to Islam and denounced his violent ways, has maintained his ties to the Eight Tray Crips since being released from prison in 1995.

He served four years in state prison for armed robbery and possession of an AK-47.

An arrest warrant was issued for Scott on Dec. 15, after he allegedly struck an associate in the face and took his car. He was also wanted as a material witness in a homicide case.

According to the Associated Press, police converged on a home and after about 30 minutes, Scott showed up riding a bicycle and wearing a disguise.

He tried to escape, but soon gave up without a fight, because the area had been tightly secured by police officers.

"Scott has a reputation for running and fighting," Detective Bill Mixer said. "We went to great lengths to contain the area and safeguard the neighborhood."

Scott's book has moved over 300,000 copies since its initial release in 1993. The book was also reprinted in 2004.

The book never impressed Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, who told reporters he read the book shortly after taking over the Los Angeles Police Department in Y.

"I didn't like his book, and I didn't like him," Bratton said. "Now we got to put him back behind bars again."

Ja Rule shows 'em Style with new song

It seems the Hollis rapper has learned his lesson with "Style On Em" going back to his roots; concerned more with being entertaining than hardcore.

Check out "Style On Em,"
Ja's comeback album, The Mirror, comes out June 26th.Click here to download.










Bobby Valentino Addresses Album Delay

As DTP Soul crooner, Bobby Valentino prepares Special Occasion, he and Ludacris got together to address the project's repeated delays and what fans can expect from the sophomore release.

Originally slated for release in October 2006, Special Occasion was first pushed back to February '07. After several of the tracks leaked to the Internet, fans thought the album would never officially come to fruition.

"Because of the success of my debut album, and the love for my fans, I wanted to take my time with this new album Special Occasion. So in the meantime, I put out a couple of songs that I knew weren't going on the album on my myspace & mixtapes to give to my fans," says Bobby about the misconception his official album leaked. "This was just a little something for them to ride to until the album is released."

"His new material shows even more growth and maturity and the songs that where leaked to internet were a tease compared to what he has on album," Ludacris said, listing "Let 'Em Go," "Anonymous" and "Home Is Where U Belong" as his favorite tracks from Bobby's forthcoming CD.

According to Bobby, fans can rest assured that, "Special Occasion consists of brand new songs. It will feature cameos by DTP leader Ludacris, Shareefa and Fabolous, and production by Tim & Bob, Timbaland, Dre & Vidal, Brian Cox and Rodney Jerkins."

Special Occasion is due in stores on May 8.

Snoop Dogg Arrested In Sweden

Stockholm police arrested rap star Snoop Dogg and a woman in her early 20s early on Monday for suspected narcotics use, a police official said.

Snoop Dogg, 35, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, was detained at 1:25 a.m. and released nearly four hours later, duty sergeant Mats Brannlund of Ostermalm police said.

"He was arrested for use of narcotics. It's illegal in Sweden to use them, even to have it in your system," he said.

"You can see that a person indicates that he has used narcotics in looking at his eyes or his movements. (Police) suspected that he had taken drugs."Snoop Dogg played Stockholm's Globe Arena on Sunday and was due to play the Oslo Spektrum later on Monday with fellow rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs as part of a joint European tour. Oslo-based concert promoter Atomic Agency said Snoop Dogg was en route to the Norwegian capital.

Media representatives for the rapper were not immediately available for comment.

Brannlund said police took body samples from Snoop Dogg and the woman and sent these to a laboratory for tests. Results are due in two to three weeks and the rapper could face a fine if the tests confirm drug use.

Busta Rhymes Banned From Movie Set

Rapper Busta Rhymes was banned from a Manhattan movie set earlier this weekend by police.

Busta Rhymes, who was arrested by police last month for driving with a suspended license, was banned from the movie set due to security concerns police had over public safety.

''This is tremendously unfair to Busta, who has been nothing but professional during this project,'' said director Jeff Celentano in a statement released through his publicist. ''This is a bigger loss for the city of New York.''

The film Busta Rhymes was cast in, Order of Redemption, is a crime drama starring Academy Award nominee Tom Berenger.

The film will continue filming in Manhattan until early April even though Busta Rhymes will not be present for filming.

Aside from being arrested by police due to a suspended license, Rhymes has also upset police for his refusal to cooperate with police after his bodyguard was shot and killed on the set of the video shoot for his "Touch It (Remix)" single.

John Legend Builds Label; Hooks Up With Whitney, Jennifer Hudson

John Legend sang with British export Corinne Bailey Rae at the Grammys, and he's taking her on tour with him this spring. Now Legend is looking to the U.K. for an even bigger venture: a leadoff artist for his label, Home School.

The R&B singer has signed British MC Estelle to the imprint. "She's got a great album," Legend said from England recently. "We've already gotten close to finishing the album, and she's got some great material. Estelle is an extremely talented writer and performer, rapper and singer, all of that, and she's got a great ear. She really gets music, so I think she's going to do very well."Estelle's the first artist we've signed," Legend continued. "My younger brother, Vaughn Anthony, is also gonna get signed soon, and I got a couple of MCs that I'm working with as well. We're growing, and I'm just trying to find great talent and bring it to light.

It's a lot of fun."Legend, who says his friend Will.I.Am has been in the lab with Estelle, adds that the name of his imprint is a tribute to a part of his childhood. "I was homeschooled as a kid — my parents taught me and my brothers at home for a while," he explained. "The idea is having this home factory of making music, where there's attention to detail and an authenticity, a soulfulness, to it. There's an independent spirit to it. That's the reason for the name."

Back in the United States, Legend said he'll be putting pen to paper with some of the finest artists R&B has to offer. He and Alicia Keys have discussed working together again, and he has more concrete plans with two other powerful women."I'll be writing with Whitney Houston and Jennifer Hudson," Legend revealed. "You never know with those things — you see what happens. If it comes out hot, it will make the album. If not, then it will just be an experience."

"Heaven," the second single from Legend's Once Again album, is fading out, but Legend has his next offering ready to go." 'P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)' is the new single — it's a song about public displays of affection, which is kinda fun," the singer said. "It's a playful song, a romantic song, and we wanted the video to reflect that. We shot it down in Rio when I was there for a concert for New Year's Eve, and it just has a really cool vibe.

The cinematography reminds you of an old Italian film or something. It's kind of unironically romantic. It was a lot of fun to make, and I think it's one of my favorite videos I've done so far."

Legend's tour with Corinne Bailey Rae kicks off April 3 in Irvine, California, and ends in mid-May.
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