(AllHipHop News) Mike Epps has reportedly been sent a cease-and-desist letter by producers who claim he stole their idea for a TV awards show.

Executives at network BET announced at the start of the December that they had teamed up with “The Hangover” actor and comedian, who will serve as executive producer of the BET Social Awards, a televised awards show which celebrates the best and worst people, and moments on social media over the past year.

However, producers Calvin Valrie, LaMichael Finney and Bervick J. Deculus have accused Epps of stealing their idea and have hired a legal team and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Epps.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ.com , they claim they pitched a similar show, titled Social Media Awards, to Epps’ cousin in the hope of getting the funnyman onboard back in February.

They never heard back and were shocked when BET executives announced their similar awards ceremony.

The producers have told the website they are willing to continue working with Epps, but had planned on selling their show to FOX instead.

They have given him until today (December 29) to yield to their demands or they will pursue legal options.

The BET Social Awards are currently set to air live on February 11 on BET.

(AllHipHop News) Atlanta rap star Lil Jon could end up in a Super Bowl commercial during next year’s big game in February.

Papa John’s is considering a spot during Super Bowl LII, which could feature the hit producer/rapper.

A relationship between Lil Jon and Papa John’s started, unexpectedly, shortly after CEO John Schnatter step down from the company after he criticized NFL protests and blamed players for disrupting his businesses pizza sales.

The company’s image was further tarnished, when they were slow to reply to proclamations from racists, claiming Papa John’s was the official pizza of the “Alt-Right.”

Last week, a user on Twitter sent a message to Papa John’s, suggesting Lil Jon should take over as the CEO.

While the relationship may not go that far, Papa John’s Chief Marketing Officer Brandon Rhoten has confirmed the company is working with Lil Jon.

“He’s really excited. He likes the brand and wants to get involved,” Brandon Rhoten told AdAge.

Even if Lil Jon does not make a coveted spot during Super Bowl LII, fans can expect the rapper and Papa John’s to be highly visible during the matchup on February 4, 2018, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“It’s the kind of fun we should be having,” since pizza “isn’t something serious or deep,” Brandon Rhoten said.

(AllHipHop News) Rapper Gucci Mane’s new wife Keyshia Ka’oir is wishing for a baby boy for her upcoming birthday.

The “I Get the Bag” hitmaker, real name Radric Davis, took to Twitter to field gift suggestions from fans for Keyshia’s special day, tagging the model in his post.

“What y’all think I should get babe her birthday in 10 days? @KeyshiaKaoir,” he tweeted.

Fans were quick to suggest a romantic vacation, jewels, cars, and designer clothes, but Keyshia had something completely different in mind.

“I want a Lil boy (sic),” she responded.

If Keyshia gets her 33rd birthday wish, the baby will be the couple’s first together.

She and Gucci, who tied the knot in October, both have kids from previous relationships, but Keyshia recently explained she wanted to keep them out of the public eye so they could enjoy a regular childhood.

“It’s a situation where I am proud to be a mother but, at the same time, I need it to be private,” she told New York radio show The Breakfast Club shortly after the wedding. “I don’t want them in the limelight. I don’t want them to be on social media. I need them to go to school and to just be children.”

(AllHipHop News) Beyonce has lost a bid to keep details from an upcoming deposition in her trademark battle confidential.

The “Drunk in Love” hitmaker filed legal papers with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark “Blue Ivy Carter,” the name of her five-year-old daughter with Jay-Z, earlier this year – so she could reserve the rights to use the moniker in beauty, fashion, and electronics ventures or to prevent others from cashing in on her daughter’s identity.

However, Beyonce’s application didn’t go down well with Veronica Morales, who said the trademark was too similar to the name of her event planning firm, Blue Ivy Company, and took legal action.

Morales served the singer with a notice to sit for a deposition in the case, and shortly after, in September, Beyonce’s lawyers filed court documents requesting a protective order which would ban details about the time and location of the session and what she says about her family during the round of questioning being made public – as she was concerned for her family’s safety.

Their request has now been shut down by members of the Trademark Trial and Appeal board, who ruled earlier this week that they didn’t find their arguments about Beyonce’s fears for her family’s safety persuasive and denied the motion.

When Beyonce’s lawyers filed the request, they said the order would help minimize the “intrusive use for security” for Beyonce and the venue and “reduce the dangerous pandemonium that so often marks Mrs. Carter’s public appearances.”

Morales claims she started her company three years before the child was born and had already secured a trademark.

It’s the second time the party planners have objected to Beyonce’s trademark attempts – the singer previously lost her bid to secure the rights to “Blue Ivy” for commercial use shortly after her little girl’s arrival in 2012.

(AllHipHop News) Jaden Smith has revamped his debut album Syre: A Beautiful Confusion as an a cappella project for 2018.

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s son launched the album in November, but he is now planning to follow it up with a deluxe version of the record, which will be all about his vocals.

He will also reportedly release a project titled Erys, which is his middle name spelled backwards.

“Full Acapella Bonus Album Coming Next Year Along With ERYS,” he wrote in a Twitter message. He also revealed he may wear a skirt in his next video.

The news comes a month after Jaden announced he is releasing a film project inspired by the album.

“(Visuals are) where SYRE’s true colors (lie),” he told Billboard. “It’s an actual film that plays out that has characters… It’s just about the story of Syre.”

The 19-year-old started working on his full-length music debut three years ago, and the songs mainly focus on his upbringing.

“It feels good to have it out into the world,” he said. “It’s been a long three years.”

“It’s really just become a legacy of this guy, this kid, who chases the sunset,” he continued. “And then one day, it chases him back and he can’t get away. It really is the story of me coming to be a young adult, and it wasn’t easy at all.”

In addition to his mainstream projects, Jaden is planning to release an exclusive version of the album in Asia in the hopes of launching a K-Pop career in South Korea and beyond, while he also has ambitions to star in a Bollywood film.

​https://twitter.com/officialjaden/status/946469021708206080
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(AllHipHop News) Singer Lauryn Hill is starting 2018 with a clean slate after reportedly paying almost $900,000 to settle her tax debt in New Jersey.

The former Fugees star owed officials at New Jersey’s Division of Taxation a total of $895,000 for back taxes relating to earnings for 2012 and 2016.

Hill addressed her tax issues in a post on Instagram last year, insisting she was working towards a resolution, and now, she has settled her debt.

The singer recently paid off the bills on the same day and her case has reportedly been closed.

In 2013, Lauryn served three months behind bars after pleading guilty to three charges of failing to file her tax returns between 2005 and 2007.

(AllHipHop News) The family of the late veteran DJ Pam the Funkstress has launched a fundraiser to help pay for medical bills.

Pam the Funkstress who was the DJ for Bay Area hip-hop group The Coup, as well as Prince, died on December 22, 2017.

Pam, born Pam Warren, had recently undergone transplant surgery, after revealing her illness and canceling her bookings, in mid-November.

The hospital stay left Pam with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills before she passed away.

Her mother, Helen Warren is seeking to raise $50,000 through a GoFundMe campaign , which so far has raised over $6,000.

Meanwhile, a candlelight vigil for Pam the Funkstress is scheduled to take place tonight (December 29th) at 30th and West Street in her hometown of Oakland.

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(AllHipHop News) Incarcerated rapper Kevin Gates has had his parole eligibility date moved up by six months to early January.

The hip-hop star, real name Kevin Gilyard, was ordered to serve 30 months in prison for felony gun possession back in April, shortly after completing a six-month sentence in Florida for kicking a woman in the face at one of his shows.

Authorities discovered he had an outstanding weapons-related warrant out for his arrest as he was preparing to walk free, with the order dating back to a missed court appearance for a 2013 gun case in Illinois.

The “Time For That” MC subsequently pleaded guilty to the weapons charge and was locked up at East Moline Correctional Center in Illinois.

Over the summer, Gates was given a projected parole date of 22 June 2018, with a potential discharge date for a year later, in 2019.

However, officials at the Illinois Department of Corrections have since brought forward the dates, with the 31-year-old now able to apply for parole from January 10 for a projected release in January 2019.