Busta Rhymes and Lebron James Featured in Unique Whips Third Season
Twelve episodes are slated for Unique Whips,which features various athletes, entertainers and celebrities who bring their cars into New York’s Unique Autosports for customization. The show will air on Speed, a 10-year-old cable network dedicated to motor sports and everything automotive. "We are taking season three of Unique Whips to the next level with more […]

New York Judge Issues Arrest Warrant For DMX
An arrest warrant has been issued for DMX after the rapper missed a scheduled court date on Wednesday (June 21) to answer charges of speeding and driving erratically on June 2 in White Plains, New York. DMX, born Earl Simmons, was originally due in court on June 16, but was granted a one-week extension by […]

Common Tapped To Headline Europe’s Largest Anti-Racism Festival
Chicago rapper Common has been added to London’s anti-racist festival, Rise: London United. The event is Europe’s largest anti-racism festival, taking place in Finsbury Park. The rapper, known for his conscious lyrics and positive stance, joins London rapper Sway, Killa Kela, DJ Kayper, jazz legend Roy Ayers, The Wailers, Graham Coxon, Buzzcocks, MC Inja and […]

Damon Dash Sponsors ‘Kingdome Basketball Tournament’, Giving Away Free Sneakers
Mogul Damon Dash and Pro-Keds will launch "Pro-Keds Day" on July 1 as part of a celebrity basketball tournament taking place during New York’s Kingdome Basketball Tournament. The ten-week basketball competition which is in it’s third week, features top talent from high school, college and the NBA. For the third year, Dash and Pro-Keds are […]

Juvenile, Youngbloodz To Peform At Free Concerts For U.S. Military
New Orleans rapper Juvenile is hitting the road this week to perform a series of free concerts for members of the United States military. On Friday (June 30), the UTP/Atlantic artist will travel to the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, to perform at Bayfest Hawaii 2006 to support his latest album Reality Check. The rapper will […]

DJ Quik Sentenced To 5 Months In Prison
Rapper/producer DJ Quik has begun a five-month stint in jail for assaulting his sister. The rapper (born David Marvin Blake) surrendered in Fontana Superior Court last week to begin his sentence. The incident occurred in 2003 when Blake pulled a gun on his sister during a family argument, according to police reports. The rapper was […]

Kanye West, Chris Brown & Mary J. Blige Big Winners at 2006 BET Awards
Rapper/producer Kanye West and singers Mary J. Blige and Chris Brown emerged as the big winners Tuesday (June 27) with two awards each at this year’s BET Awards. West, who grabbed the award for Best Duet/Collaboration with Jamie Foxx for “Goldigger,” tied with Blige for the Video of the Year award. The songstress garnered the […]

LL Cool J Earns ASCAP’s Golden Note Award
Rap legend LL Cool J was honored with ASCAP’s Golden Note Award last night (June 26) at the 19th Annual ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Kevin Liles, former Def Jam president and current VP of Warner Music Group co-presented the award to LL Cool J […]

D.M.C., Photographer Ernie Paniccioli Ink Deal With ‘Omage’ Clothing Line
Rapper DMC of Run-D.M.C. and longtime Hip-Hop photographer Ernie Paniccioli have entered a deal to license images to Omage, a new retrospective line of clothing. The collection features graphic t-shirts inspired by Hip-Hop’s five elements: break-dancing, graffiti, deejaying, emceeing and knowledge of self. The shirts, priced at $24-$32, are currently available at select retail locations. […]

Rapper Monsieur R Avoids Prosecution By French Government
French rapper Monsieur R has avoided prosecution by the French government for controversial lyrics that compared France to a s### and the government to Germany’s infamous Third R####. In the song, FranSSe, Monsieur R (born Richard Makela) makes reference to relieving himself on Napoleon and General Charles De Gaulle while repeatedly referring to France as […]

Lil’ Scrappy Shoots Two Videos Off New Album ‘Bred 2 Die, Born 2 Live’
Rapper Lil’ Scrappy is setting the mood for his forthcoming sophomore album, Bred 2 Die, Born 2 Live by shooting videos for two of the album’s tracks. The Atlanta native will travel to Los Angeles, CA this week to shoot videos for “Money in the Bank” and “Gangsta Gangsta.” Both clips will be helmed by acclaimed […]

Supreme Court Refuses TVT Appeal Of Def Jam Ruling
The United States Supreme Court has decided against hearing a petition filed by TVT Records to overturn a legal decision, which voided a $132 million jury verdict to TVT from Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG). According to reports, the decision comes after a June 2005 ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, […]

Foxy Brown To Perform At AIDS Benefit Concert, Sources Say Hearing Regained
Rapper Foxy Brown has been tapped to perform at the first HIV/AIDS awareness reggae concert by LIFEbeat’s Hearts & Voices Benefit Concert Series. The concert, dubbed "Reggae Gold Live 2006 Summer Jumpoff," is presented in conjunction with E.A.R.S. Entertainment Group and New York’s Power 105.1 FM. The sixth annual Hearts & Voices AIDS Benefit Concert […]

Pharell Williams Tapped For Louis Vuitton 2006-2007 Fall/Winter Ad Campaign
Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams has been tapped to appear in Louis Vuitton’s new fall 2006 and winter 2007 ad campaigns. The nationwide advertisements will feature the rapper/producer surrounded by monogrammed Louis Vuitton suitcases, as well as the fashion house’s new Innsbruck carryall bag. “We brought to this campaign a touch of the street, elevated […]

Babs Bunny Arrested In Brooklyn
Bad Boy rapper Babs of Making The Band fame was arrested early Saturday (June 24) after an altercation at a Brooklyn, N.Y., house party. According to representatives, Babs spent the night in jail after an incident involving two unidentified women. One woman allegedly believed Babs had stolen her former boyfriend. The two women showed up […]

Wyclef, Ying Yang Twins, Luke, Trina To ‘Sting Miami’
A host of rappers will lend their talents to Sting Miami 2006, an event organizers described as a "Woodstock style peace festival" scheduled to take place in September 2006 at the Miami Bayfront Park in Miami. Wyclef Jean, Ying Yang Twins, Beanie Man, Luke, Trina and others are featured in the lineup for the event, […]

Juelz Santana Hooks Up With German Record Label; Label Fights Against Government Ban
Dipset rapper Juelz Santana is featured on a new German rap single, titled "Gangzta Mucke" ("Gangsta Music"), a track from the album Trendsetter by rapper Fler. Trendsetter is a CD/DVD released by Aggro Berlin, one of Germany’s top rap labels. which has distribution by US-based distribution company, Caroline. The project, which features a DVD of […]

Rhymefest Sets July 11 Date For ‘Blue Collar’
Grammy Award winning writer and MC, Rhymefest, has signed to Allido/J Records to release his highly anticipated album, Blue Collar. Production credits on the album, which hits stores July 11, include Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Just Blaze, NO-ID, Cool & Dre, Mike Payne and John Henry (Animal House Productions) and Emile. Rhymefest co-wrote West’s#### "Jesus […]

Dallas Austin Arrested In Dubai For Drugs
Revered R&B and Hip-Hop producer Dallas Austin has been detained in a Dubai prison for allegedly transporting illegal drugs into the Arab country. According to the New York Daily News, the producer was traveling to model Naomi Campbell’s birthday party last month when he was incarcerated. The report did not indicate what illicit drugs the […]

Rapper The Game To Wed Actress Valeisha Butterfield In March 2007
Compton rapper The Game has confirmed that he is engaged to actress Valeisha Butterfield and the two will be married in March of 2007. In a recent edition of Sister 2 Sister magazine, the rapper confirmed rumors that he was engaged. He also revealed that he gave Butterfield a 19-carat engagement ring. The two have […]