(AllHipHop News) Harlem, New York rapper Jim Jones will begin teaching a 6-week high school course to educate students on the inner-working of the music business. Jones was cleared by the Board of Education in New York to teach the class, and he will begin teaching Music Business 101 on Tuesday (April 27th) in New York. The course is being presented by Entertainers 4 Education (E4EA), a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2005 by entertainment executive, Tonya Lewis and educator J.P. Taylor. The rapper is on the board of the non-profit organization, which educates students on the importance of education and self development. After Jones finishes teaching the high school students on Monday, he will head over to Fordham University, to speak to college-level students about the music industry. At both events, Jones will specifically teach the kids about artist management, creative control over content, intellectual property, production, distribution, music operations and music business “threats.”“Jim has been a longstanding E4EA board member,” said Tonya Lewis, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Entertainers 4 Education Alliance Inc.  “He is a true hip hop talent who will teach and inspire kids about the many aspects of the music industry.  We know he will have a positive impact on the kids.”  Jones’ Music Business 101 is a six-week course that starts April 27th and will be taught every subsequent Tuesday for the next six weeks. Other members of E4EA’s board include MTV personality Sway Calloway, NBA legend John Starks, R&B singer/rapper Tyrese Gibson and others.

(AllHipHop News) The principal of Woodland Middle School in Henry County, New Jersey, has come under fire over rapper T.I.‘s recent appearance. T.I., born Clifford Harris Jr., appeared at the school on March 5th and spoke to students. Parents of some students took issue with the fact that they were not notified of who would be speaking to their children. T.I., who was recently released from a halfway house to house arrest with a curfew, served a year in prison for attempting to purchase multiple machine guns with silencers. As part of his probation, the rapper was sentenced to 1,500 hours of community service, 1,000 of which were completed prior to his prison sentence. He flew around the country visiting middle schools, recreational centers and various Boys & Girls Clubs, where he encouraged teens to stay away from drugs, violence and gangs. Tom Myers, who has four children in the school, was one of several parents who complained about T.I.’s appearance in a letter to principal Dr. Terry Oaks. “In the future, if T.I. or any other convicted felon needs to perform community service, ask for parental permission to allow our children to be exposed to these questionable individuals,” wrote Tom Myers, who has four daughters in the school. According to Atlanta’s Channel 2 Action News, Dr. Oates sent a series of questionable replies in defense of the rapper that upset parents. “I thought about asking a guy who snorted cocaine and got arrested for DUI when he was 30 to come and speak to our kids, but President George W. Bush was not available,” Dr. Oates allegedly replied. In another letter, Dr. Oates again defended T.I.’s appearance and noted that the rapper had never been convicted of “homicide.”“Mr. Harris has never been convicted of homicide. We would not be able to adequately staff our states general assembly, our U.S. Congress or the executive branch of our government using your apparent standards,” Dr. Oates allegedly wrote in an email. School officials are investigating the emails sent by Dr. Oates. They are also looking into their speaker’s policy, which does not require administrators contact parents when a guest comes to the school to speak.

(AllHipHop News) Sean “Diddy” Combs has issued an apology for making disparaging  statements about rival vodka’s that set off the “vodka wars” earlier this month between Combs’ Ciroc brand and a number of other spirit makers. Combs released the statement via YouTube, which features the entertainment mogul soaking in a bubble bath surrounded by Ciroc bottles, while taunting his competition with the “apology.”“Ladies and gentlemen, I come to you today as a man. I feel like only a true man steps up to the plate and people may not agree with his position. And that man says ‘I’m sorry,’ I’m sorry to all I may have offended. We’re sorry for being the best. I am sorry that just that just this weekend, we got awarded the prestigious Double Gold Medal from the San Francisco World Spirits Award for the best ultra premium vodka. This is a fact, you can Google it. I am sorry I came out with these flavors that taste so good.”The words will surely aggravate liquor tycoon M.J. Silver, who declared a “vodka war” on Combs’ Ciroc, after Combs was quoted as saying “if you’re not drinking Ciroc vodka, then you’re drinking pee pee.”Last month Silver, who owns Georgi Argent and members of his staff attempted to deliver a toilet full of Ciroc vodka to Combs’ Manhattan offices, but was rejected by the mogul’s burley security guards. “I am sorry that the competitions sales are down and we are up,” said Combs as he held a champagne glass of Ciroc in the tub. “There’s nothing I can do about that. I am sorry that I am coming to you live from my bubble bath. I’m not really sorry. It tastes good.”Combs is putting the finishing touches on his upcoming album Last Train to Paris, which is due in stores June 22nd. video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

(AllHipHop News) Dr. Dre’s biological son Curtis Young hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father, with the launch of his new record label, Young Entertainment Inc. Like his famous father, Curtis Young, formerly known as Hood Surgeon, also hails from Compton, California. His debut solo album, titled Product of My DNA, will be released this summer on his Young Ent. Label. “My world became complete when I finally met my father at the age of 21,” Curtis Young told AllHipHop.com. “I am extremely grateful for my father paving the road for me and many other artists. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to take over a legacy. As a producer, my father has set extremely high standards to existing and upcoming producers all over the globe but my hard and dedicated work will show everyone that I deserve the name Young.”Young has been active on the West coast mixtape scene with several releases over the past year. Mixtapes like Family Tree Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Son of A Doctor and Billionaire Dreams have helped Curtis Young gain a local following. According to Young, he has reshaped his image and his sound represents a “new era of positive feel good music for the West Coast.” “People can expect a new trendy look from me…I am a new generation of Left Coast artists who can not only rap but produce as well. In the future, my company Young Entertainment Inc, will set high standards and create another element for the Hip-Hop world so get familiar.”As for Product of My DNA, the album has no release date, but is due in stores sometime this Summer. The album will reveal intimate details about his relationship with his father Dr. Dre and how the two met for the first time. “For my debut album, you can expect to learn about the making of Curtis Young,” Young promised. “The story of actually becoming a product of society. People can expect to hear the true meaning of ‘Product Of My DNA’ that will let people know who Curtis Young is and how I learned about my father, Dr. Dre.”

(AllHipHop News) Producer Solar has addressed the intense criticism directed at him shortly after the passing of revered Gang Starr Rapper Guru, who died on Monday (April 19th) from cancer. Solar, who was Guru’s partner in his recording venture 7 Grand Records, has come under scrutiny over a series of press releases allegedly penned by Guru shortly before his death. In each release, Guru repeatedly snubbed Gang Starr co-founder DJ Premier, referring to the producer as his “ex-DJ,” while showering attention on Solar and his increased role handling Guru’s personal affairs. Solar told MTV that his relationship with Guru started in 2002, when the pair met through a mutual friend. “Me and him just hit it off as men. I got to know him as a man, he got to know me as a man. We were both going through tricky periods in our lives,” Solar told MTV News. “I was working with homeless children at the time. It’s a heavy problem … Guru was dealing with certain situations. We started hanging out, hitting the clubs in New York. We needed to lighten it up a little bit.”Solar admitted that Guru battled substance abuse, using weed, liquor and other drugs, although Guru had been sober since 2003. In 2009, Guru found out he had cancer after developing a consistent pain in his back. An MRI revealed that Guru, born Keith Elam, had cancer, leaving him “upset and distraught.”Guru underwent surgery in July of 2009, but according to Solar, the operation and the ensuing chemotherapy proved unsuccessful.Although medicated, Guru continued to tour and withheld the information from family members, even as the cancer spread throughout his body, as he was optimistic he could beat the disease. Solar shot down reports that he was taking advantage of Guru while he was sick or weak and also denied reports spreading that he and Guru may have been romantically linked. “He knew exactly what he wanted to do, not only his business but his personal life…I don’t want to say anything against anybody living a certain type of lifestyle — everybody is free to live their life how they choose to live it — but that’s not my lifestyle or Guru’s lifestyle. We’re straight men. He dealt with women and family. I dealt with women and family. There’s never been any blurring of the lines whatsoever.”