(AllHipHop News) Veteran West coast Hip-Hop group Cypress Hill has revealed the lineup of the annual Cypress Hill Smokeout festival at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California on October 16th. Nas and Damian Marley will hit the stage alongside Incubus, Slightly Stoopid, Atmosphere, Manu Chao, DeadMau5, MGMT, ‘unhooked’ and Cypress Hill themselves.Other acts that will hit one of the concert’s three stages including revered Cali group Living Legends (The Grouch, Aesop, Bicasso, Eligh, Luckyiam, Murs, Scarub and Sunspot Jonz), Living Colour, Against The Girl and others.  The 2010 Cypress Hill Smokeout is produced by Guerilla Union, the live event company behind the Rock The Bells festival and the Paid Dues concert injunction with rapper Murs. Fans of Cypress Hill will be treated to a full rendition of their classic 1991 double-platinum debut album Cypress Hill for the first time. The group will perform favorites like “Hand on The Pump,” “How I Could Just Kill A Man,” “Stoned Is the Way of the Walk,” “Latin Lingo” and others. “Performing our self-titled album in its entirety is going to be a celebration and opportunity to treat our fans that have been supporting our music for nearly twenty years,” B-Real told AllHipHop.com in a statement. The festival will also serve as a platform for Cypress Hill to express their support for the legalization of marihuana for medial usage. “We have a few more surprises to unveil as we prepare for SmokeOut and the upcoming vote in November,” B-Real said, referring to November’s vote to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California. “The SmokeOut exists to protect medical marijuana patient’s rights and we encourage our fans to go to AmericansForSafeAccess.org to learn how they can make a difference,” B-Real said. “There are a lot of artists on this year’s show that we love and respect. I can’t wait to see all our fans, friends, and family back at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino.”According to Chad Weisberg, Guerilla Union’s Founder, another lineup of artists will be announced in the near future. “The Smoke Out is one of Guerilla Union’s most successful live music artist partnerships and this year’s show may be our most important and historic ever. It represents our company’s independent spirit and passion for creating unique live experiences,” said Weisberg. “It’s truly an honor to work with Cypress Hill and all of this year’s world-class artists. SmokeOut is not only a well respected music festival, but also a platform for compassion, activism, and education for the entire medical marijuana community.”Tickets to the Cypress Hill Smokeout 2010 will go on sale on August 12th at 10:00 AM PST.

(AllHipHop News) The Black Eyed Peas’ frontman will.I.am continues to make strides in the music industry and has been named to the board of the Grammy Foundation. The rapper/producer was named director of the Grammy Foundation, along with singer/songwriter Darryl Brown, Daniel Cherry of Anomaly and Michael Rapino, CEP of Live Nation. The Grammy Foundation promotes the appreciation and advancement of recorded music on American Culture, by engaging the music industry and the general public around the world, about the value and importance of music and the arts. The Grammy Foundation and Musicares are the two charities affiliated with The Recording Academy, the organization that hands out Grammy Awards each year.”Now in their 21st year, both MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation are vibrant and mature nonprofit organizations,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the GRAMMY Foundation, MusiCares, and The Recording Academy. “Our Board members reflect this core strength, and we look to them for creativity and stewardship as we continue our growth. The talent and vision of our Board members is truly inspiring, and we are very fortunate to have highly respected individuals working with us.”In related news, will.I.am will honored with BMI’s President Award during the performance rights organization’s annual Urban Awards, which takes place Friday, September 10th at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California. will.I.am, who has won seven Grammy’s, will be recognized for his influence on the entertainment industry. Past recipients include Willie Nelson, The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Taylor Swift and others.

(AllHipHop News) Waka Flocka Flames’ mother Debra Antney of Mizay Entertainment has responded to a recent Vibe article, in which her son claims he and longtime affiliate Gucci Mane were no longer speaking. In the latest issue of Vibe, Waka Flocka is quoted as saying he and Gucci no longer speak after Gucci Mane parted ways with Antney and Mizay Ent. "Yeah, all the way … All the way," Waka is quoted as saying in reference to his relationship with Gucci Mane. "I ain’t got beef or anything but it has changed…there is [no relationship]. We don’t talk anymore," Waka said. Debra Antney commented on the situation in an exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com."This is what I have to say to Vibe magazine. I am really kind of p##### off at you, for twisting the words up of Waka of  the stuff he said," Debra Antney told AllHipHop.com. "Like he [Waka] don’t mess with Gucci, no he hasn’t spoken to him in a minute. Y’all stop using the s**t of what happened, like Gucci fired me. "Echoing Waka Flocka in the Vibe article, Debra Antney clarified that she had no beef with former client Nicki Minaj.According to Antney, their amicable parting of ways occurred because it was time for both artists to move to the next phase of their careers. "Things change, people went their separate ways and moved on. That doesn’t’ mean you got a g###### beef," Antney fumed to AllHipHop.com. "Everybody’s cool and alright. I think people need to get their s**t straight. People don’t have anything better to do than run around with this negative s**t, then all you little a**holes get together and join in, like y’all know so much."As for Mizay Entertainment, the company is hard at work overseeing Waka Flocka Flames’ debut album Flocaveli, in addition to working with a crop of new acts, including Cartier, Muffy, Slim Duncan, Woo the Kid, Frenchie, French Montana, Cartel, Sugar Shane, DJ Speedy and others.

(AllHipHop News) A controversial concert featuring St. Louis rapper Nelly will continue, after another local venue agreed to host the event. The concert, which is the first major Hip-Hop concert to be held in the popular midwestern resort, was almost canceled. Promoters wanted to hold the concert in the parking lot of The Grand Palace Theater, because the interior of the building is being renovated. City council members voted unanimously to ban the outdoor concert, citing noise and safety concerns. The show has been moved to the Mansion Theatre on the same date, August 21st.”The Mansion Theatre has stepped up and agreed to allow us to bring the event to their beautiful state-of-the-art theater which is also located in the heart of Branson.”

(AllHipHop News) BET Networks will debut its first ever original music documentary when My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip-Hop, premieres later this month. The documentary, which was directed by Ava DuVernay centered around the impact women have had on the genre of Hip-Hop, since its inception in the early 1970’s.  Mc Lyte, Yo Yo, Rah Digga, Eve, Missy Elliot, Trina, Jermaine Dupri, Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles, ?uestlove, and a variety of rappers, executives and journalists are featured in My Mic Sounds Nice. “This is a story that could not be told by one voice. It required a chorus. And although this story is comprehensive, it is still likely one of many truths about the role of women in hip-hop” Stephen Hill, President of Music Programming and Specials, told AllHipHop.com. In related news, Mike Epps has been tapped to host the fifth annual BET Hip-Hop Awards, when the show returns October 16th.My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip-Hop will air August 30th at 10:00 PM EST.

(AllHipHop.com) Wyclef Jean has been publicly criticized for his presidential aspirations in Haiti and fellow Fugee Pras has been one of the loudest voices.

Both men are natives of Haiti, but Pras says Wyclef doesn’t have a plan that properly address the enormous needs of the disenfranchised nation.

“You’ve got 1.2 million people living in tent city right now. What are the plans to get these people out,” Pras said of the survivors of a January earthquake that devastated the already impoverished nation.

Pras is supporting the presidential bid of Michel Martelly, who announced his bid on Thursday.

Wyclef has not addressed Pras criticism, but he has emphatically stated that he is qualified to lead his homeland.

“I have no qualifications for president; I have qualifications for a leader,” he told CBS. “The reason why I even entertain this idea is education, job creation, agriculture, bringing security into the country.”

“He’s more popular in Haiti than Wyclef,” said Pras.

(AllHipHop News) “Decoded,” the memoir of Jay-Z’s life, will finally make it to stores in November even though it has been finished for a number of years.

The book, written by author and film maker Dream Hampton, will examine the history of the Hip-Hop mogul though a series of extensive interviews from Jay-Z, his family and friends.

The Brooklyn native explained his reluctance to release the book before now.

“It’s too much. For the book, I was interviewed, people close to me were interviewed. So I was learning a lot of things I didn’t know as a child,” Jay told Rolling Stone in the June issue. “It’s not anything i haven’t said in the past, in songs. It’s just more detailed. A song is three minutes long. A book doesn’t have to rhyme, and it has no time limit, so you can say exactly how everything went.”

The book will also delve heavily into Jay-Z’s lyrical content.

“Decoded” will be in stores on November 16.

(AllHipHop News) Wyclef Jean is speaking out against those who have questioned his motives with his Yele Haiti non-profit, as well as his bid for election as Haiti’s President.Just one day before he announced he would run for President of Haiti, the IRS filed liens against Jean’s Yele Haiti, claiming the organization owes $2.1 million in back taxes. “I guarantee you within the next two or three days, what I want you to do is look at the statements from my accountants and everything. Everything is clear as far as I am concerned when I spoke with my accountants on the phone,” Wyclef Jean said. Actor/activist Sean Penn, who has been managing a earthquake survivor camp in Port-Au-Prince since the early spring, questioned Wyclef’s motives for running for President.He also pondered the legality of Wyclef’s bid for President, due to his duel citizenship with the United States. While Jean commended the efforts of Sean Penn he also chastised the actor for not reaching out to him before making such public statements. “I just want Sean Penn to fully understand that I am a Haitian and born in Haiti and I have been coming into my country ever since I was a child,” Jean told the Associated Press. “I told my wife when was  going into this, its like a combat sport, so Wyclef Jean’s life has always been in the open. I have to take a position in office so that the youth population that is in Haiti, that is over 50% of the population, we can start to provide a way to get them out of the mess they are in.”Wyclef still must be approved by the provisional electoral council in order to be able to run for office, according to Haiti’s electoral process.In an exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com, Wyclef’s Presidential rival Michel Martelly also questioned the rapper’s ability to help Haiti recover from a devastating earthquake in January, which killed 250,000 people and displaced another 1.5 million. Former Fugee group member Pras Michel is backing Martelly in his run against Wyclef Jean for President of Haiti.Martelly, who is also an award-winning Haitian musician, first became familiar with The Fugees after the release of their hit 1996 album The Score. According to Martelly, he has been a very close friendship with Wyclef and the rapper’s family for years and his son even attended the Fugees reunion concert in 2006 in California.However, Martelly questioned Wyclef’s ability to really lead the country. “I know that Clef is well intentioned. But, I believe that not having been raised here, not being familiar with any neighborhood – because I don’t think Clef can drive anywhere here on his own – he can’t speak the languages, I agree that those are handicaps, Martelly told AllHipHop.com in an exclusive interview. “I’m not saying that he couldn’t surprise the world and be a good president. I cannot say that; I would be speculating. I’d be speculating if I said he couldn’t deliver. But there are things about him that raise concerns for us here in Haiti. Because he doesn’t know the country. He doesn’t know who are proper political allies, who he can trust. He doesn’t know our culture, he doesn’t know our way of life, he doesn’t know what we expect. He doesn’t know our needs. He doesn’t realize that some people may never truly accept him.”To read AllHipHop.com’s exclusive interview with Michel Martelly, click here.