Throughout

2008 T.I. found himself alternating between personal and professional

challenges in the form of promoting a new album, legal woes, and a persistent

Bankhead rival.

On

March 27, T.I., real name Clifford Harris, was sentenced to 1 year in prison

for two counts of illegally possessing machine guns and silencers, and one

count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Pending

fulfillment of all requirements under his plea agreement, T.I.’s sentence will

commence on March 27, 2009.

In

addition to being fined $100,000, the Atlanta star was required to complete

1000 hours of community service, which included speaking to at-risk youth and

public service announcements.

During

this time, Bankhead rapper Shawty Lo repeatedly baited T.I. with video taunts

and accusations that the Grammy-winning emcee was lying about his past.

The

feud simmered over the summer, most notably at radio station Hot 107.9’s

Birthday Bash. There, Shawty Lo boldly proclaimed over the big screen that “A

New King Is Born,” and featured a video of an inept FBI agent resembling his

rival. T.I. responded in kind during his set by mocking Lo’s trademark dance.

Although

the beef was allegedly squashed various times after sit-downs between the men,

T.I.’s blockbuster album Paper Trail

showcased numerous veiled and blatant jabs at Shawty Lo.

The

tension spilled over into violence at Radio One’s 4th annual Dirty

Awards (November 24).

During

a Shawty Lo performance of “Don’t I,” a direct diss record to T.I.’s camp,

Grand Hustle member Alfamega reportedly hurled a chair onto the stage.

As

other Grand Hustle members attempted to confront Lo’s camp, police moved in to

break up the potential melee.

Later,

T.I. and Lo again met backstage and supposedly agreed to stop any further

derogatory comments against each other. T.I. then publicly on stage reiterated

the feud should end and denounced the violence that had taken place.

The

truce proved short-lived, as T.I. drew the ire of Lo’s entourage while

performing his verse from “Ain’t I.” According to Shawty Lo’s camp, T.I.

allegedly changed lyrics to take some verbal jabs at his rival.

The

police weren’t quick enough this time, as Alfamega allegedly assaulted Shawty

Lo’s brother before being pepper sprayed and jailed along with Grand Hustle

member Big Kuntry.

In

the fallout from the incident, both sides chose to blame the other for another

Hip-Hop awards show being ruined by unnecessary violence.

“I

didn’t go and start nothing. If they rewind the cameras, they’ll see how it

started,” Shawty Lo explained. “I’m a man. I respect every man as a man. If a

man disrespects me, what am I supposed to do?”  T.I. needs to contain his people. We’re not

standing down. I performed my music. I didn’t come to start no beef with him.”

Alfamega

countered by speculating that the months of feuding stems from Shawty Lo being

jealous of T.I.’s success.

“I think [Lo] feels like he ain’t getting his just due,” Alfamega

stated. “I can understand, but God will give you blessings, and your blessings

might not as be as big as the next man. Be thankful for what you got… I’m embarrassed by the

whole situation.”

Since the incident Shawty Lo has made

several videos speaking on the matter, and it appears this feud will continue

well into 2009.

Multi-platinum rapper DMX entered a guilty plea today (December 30) before a Phoenix judge on four counts of theft, drug, and animal cruelty charges.

Per the plea agreement, DMX (Earl Simmons) will be sentenced on Friday January 30. The agreement will cover one count of possession of narcotic drugs, a misdemeanor county of animal cruelty, possession of marijuana, and one count of theft.

DMX was extradited back to Phoenix 10 days ago after skipping a scheduled court date.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio offered a $5000 award for the rapper’s capture, which lead to an unidentified Georgia women revealing DMX’s location at producer Scott Storch’s Florida mansion.

The animal cruelty charges are the result of a May 9 raid of the rapper’s Arizona home, where police seized 12 dehydrated and underfed pitbulls.

Although 3 pitbulls were found buried around the property, police declared there was no evidence of dogfighting.

The ID theft charges stem from DMX’s April visit to a Scottsdale, Arizona hospital.

Authorities accused the rapper of giving a someone else’s name and social security number to avoid paying a $7,500 medical tab.

At press time, DMX is still scheduled to release a Hip-Hop album (Walk With Me Now) and gospel album (You’ll Fly With Me Later) in January 2009.

Even a full year after its release, Flo Rida’s smash single “Low” continues to be a cash cow in overseas ringtones for the Miami rapper.

Telstra, Australia’s largest provider of long-distance and local telephone services, officially recognized “Low” as the top-selling ringtone of 2008.

The country’s ringtone purchases peaked in 2007 at $50 million.

Although sales were down in 2008, ringtone purchases still grossed $30 million in revenue.

According to Australian Performing Rights Association manager Frank Roveta, “Low” might be the last of the huge selling ringtone singles.

“The novelty of phones being able to play songs for ringtones may be wearing off,” he stated.

Flo Rida’s “Low” successfully beat out other blockbuster songs from Pink (“So What”), Rihanna (“Don’t Stop the Music”), and Leona Lewis (“Bleeding Love”) to secure the top spot.

To date, “Low” has exceeded over 1 million ringtones in the U.S. and is ranked by Billboard #1 on its Top 100 Hits of 2008.

Outside of the U.S., the track has hit #1 in Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, Romania, Greece, and Israel.

Additionally, Billboard ranks the song as #23 on its All Time Top 100 list.

Flo Rida is currently planning a Spring 2009 release for his sophomore album R.O.O.T.S. (Routes Of Overcoming the Struggle).

Confirmed producers for the project include J Rock, Doctor Luke, and DJ Montay

Super-producer Timbaland will ring in the New Year with a newly processed $11,450 lien against his mansion, courtesy of an ongoing florist bill dispute.

The White Tulip Florist, a company based in Miami Beach, filed legal papers against Timbaland claiming the star purchased $25,850.00 in trees, flowers, and lights from their organization.

According to the company, these goods were to be used for Christmas decorations, and to date the producer has only paid $14,400.00 of the outstanding bill.

As the result, the White Tulip filed and received court-ordered lien on Timbaland’s Miami mansion.

Although representatives for the producer could not be reached, early reports allege the Timbaland is vehemently denying the florist’s claim of non-payment.

The Virginia native has requested the company provide a full wholesale cost disclosure of the alleged outstanding goods.

The lawsuit comes as Timbaland works on Shock Value Volume 2, the follow-up to the platinum 2007 original.

The new LP is tentatively set to feature appearances from Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Jordin Sparks, Beyonce, and the Jonas Brothers.

Timbaland has also confirmed a reuniting with former protégé Ginuwine.

Their new work is set to appear on the singer’s sixth studio album, due out in 2009’s first quarter.

The super-producer’s high-profile work for Madonna, Ashlee Simpson, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, The Pussycat Dolls, Flo Rida, and New Kids on the Block helped make Timbaland one of the music industry’s top earners in 2008.

According to Forbes, the producer grossed $22 million for the calendar year.

West Coast rap star E-40 is speaking out regarding his role in a recent shooting, following a sold-out performance at a Denver, Colorado nightclub.

According to his manager, Chaz Hayes, “E-40 and his camp were uninvolved in the unfortunate incident at Club Vinyl in Denver on Dec. 27, 2008.”

“Neither E40 nor anyone traveling with him was in the venue at the time. In fact, E-40 had concluded his performance and been back in the hotel room,” Hayes told AllHipHop.com via a statement as he noted the reception the rapper received from his visit.

“During his time at the venue, and in fact during the trip to Denver as a whole, he encountered nothing but love and gave nothing but love back. E-40 had a crowd pleasing and peaceful show,” Hayes said. 

E-40’s statement is the latest development following Saturday’s shooting, which occurred at 1:45 a.m. in front of Club Vinyl, as concertgoers were leaving the venue.

One person is currently in critical condition following the shooting, while four other people were released from the hospital after being treated for minor wounds at the Denver Health Medical Center.

At this time, police are continuing to investigate the shooting.

The Denver Post reports that no new information was made available to the public regarding a motive or suspects in the shootings.

Although E-40 “certainly regrets that this incident took place,” Hayes stated that his client and his camp are “unable to control the poor and tragic choices that other adults choose to make.”

News of the shooting comes as another mark against Club Vinyl. The club, located at 1082 Broadway in downtown Denver, has been the site of various incidents over the years.

Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting after an altercation two years ago on New Years Eve that took place across the street from Vinyl.

Denver city records reveal that 14 criminal incidents have taken place at Vinyl’s location from January to November, with three of those cases happening around closing time.

President-elect

Barack Obama’s landmark 2008 presidential run not only galvanized the

nation, but ignited a renewed sense of political awareness and music

from Hip-Hop artists.

                The

noticeable trend began slowly at the end of 2007 through artists such

as Common and Talib Kweli, both of whom publicly supported Barack

Obama’s then perceived long shot bid to become the first

African-American president of the United States.          

                “He’s

fresh, you know, he’s got a good style,” Common explained to CNN. The

Chicago emcee was one of the first artists to mention Obama in a

Hip-Hop song courtesy of Jadakiss’ 2005 “Why (Remix). “As far as people

in my age group and people that love Hip-Hop, there’s a love for Obama.

He represents progress. He represents what Hip-Hop is about. Hip-Hop is

about progress, the struggle.”

                Talib Kweli added on that Obama’s appeal can be traced to his youth and multicultural roots.

“His

youth, his being black, the way that he speaks, they way that he lays

out his point of view,” Kweli detailed. “It’s someone who looks more

like you. I don’t mean black, but I mean the young thing. And his name

is Barack Obama. This country has become more and more multicultural.”

                One

of Obama’s first public displays of support for Hip-Hop came courtesy

of Chinese rapper Jin’s tribute song “Open Letter to Obama.” The

president –elect offered the track as a free ringtone on his website

and used it as an introduction song before several speeches.

                Aware

of Hip-Hop’s influence among young people, Obama praised the culture

and publicly met with its biggest stars while still offering

constructive criticism on their materialism and misogynist themes.

               “I’ve

met with Jay-Z; I’ve met with Kanye. And I’ve talked to other artists

about how potentially to bridge that gap,” Obama stated to BET earlier

this year. “I think the potential for them to deliver a message of

extraordinary power that gets people thinking [is huge]. There are

times, even on artists I’ve named, the artists I love, that there is a

message that’s sometimes degrading to women, uses the N-word a little

too frequently. But also something that I’m concerned about is

[they’re] always talking about material things about how I can get

something; more money, more cars.”

                Despite

these concerns and the potential political fallout, Obama made sure his

campaign kept a strong presence in the Hip-Hop world throughout 2008.

His campaign allowed Nas to sample his voice for the triumphant track

“Black President,” off the lyricist’s controversial but critically

acclaimed Untitled album. Mogul Jay-Z constantly referenced his support for Obama at many concerts and on his first Blueprint 3

single “Jockin’ Jay-Z.” Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy recently did the

same with the video for his black-nationalism ode “My President Is

Black.”

                Obama’s

relationship with Hip-Hop was occasionally tense, as the senator over

the summer had to condemn a tribute song from one of his favorite

emcees, Ludacris. In the celebratory song “Politics: Obama Is Here,”

Ludacris referred to President Bush as “mentally handicapped,” and

Hillary Clinton as a “b*tch,” prompting Obama to state “while Ludacris

is a talented individual he should be ashamed on these lyrics.”

                Even with that setback, Obama’s campaign still reached out to Hip-Hop just days before the November 4thelection.

In a nationwide conference call to DJs and radio personalities,

Democractic strategist/CNN correspondent Donna Brazile and Bad Boy CEO

Sean “Diddy” Combs urged a final push before the election.

               “Remember,

as DJs you hold a powerful voice as representatives of the people,”

Brazile stressed. “You all hold more power in your words than any

politician simply because you have more credibility being in these

communities.”

                Combs added a somber note to put the campaign in perspective.

                “If

our forefathers can get killed fighting for us during the Civil Rights

Movement and dragged to jail, the least we can do is stand in line for

a few hours,” Combs stated. “We do more just to get tickets to a Mary

J. or Jay-Z concert.”

                It

remains to be seen if Hip-Hop’s high political consciousness will

continue into 2009 and subsequent years while Obama is in office.

                According to Common, the “change” Obama promised will not just affect politics, but Hip-Hop culture as a whole.

               “I

think Hip-Hop artists will have no choice but to talk about different

things and more positive things,” Common predicted earlier this week.

“Try to being a brighter side to that because, even before Barack, I

think people had been tired of hearing the same thing.”

                President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn into office on January 20, 2009.