(AllHipHop News) The feud between rappers Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj intensified last night (June 10th), when Lil Kim made a surprise appearance at a local Detroit club to address the matter. Lil Kim performed a variety of her hits during a show at a club named Blondie’s when she addressed Nicki Minaj, whom she claims has ripped off her style. With the help of a back up dancer, Lil Kim put on a blonde bob-weave.“Yall know where this came from. I love when people copy me, that’s a compliment. But when you bust shots at me and throw pebbles at me like as if I don’t even exist and you don’t see me standing here, I’ma bite you. I’ma bite you,” Lil Kim promised, before launching into her hit single “Crush on You.”In published interviews, Lil Kim has denied being the aggressor in the escalating war of words between herself and Nicki Minaj, who is now being managed by Kim’s former mentor, Sean “Diddy” Combs. Lil Kim claims that Nicki Minaj has been taking subliminal shots at her over the last year, during interviews and on various records. She also took issue with Nicki Minaj remaking her famous posters promoting her album Hard Core in addition to rhyming over Lil Kim’s songs, early in her career.Additionally, in an interview with Thisis50.com, Lil Kim pointed to a tweet where Nicki Minaj said “f**k all the Lil Kim fans.” Nicki Minaj’s label mate Drake recently took up for her during an interview with MTV earlier this week. “Lil’ Kim is a G in the game. She’s part of an era that’s classic, that we’ll never forget as young kids, me and Nicki,” Drake said, adding that he didn’t respect Lil Kim’s “beef” approach to her issue with Nicki Minaj.Lil Kim shot down Drake’s explanation, pointing to Nicki Minaj’s unprovoked insults, in addition to a backstage incident in which she slighted the rapper, similar to an incident involving Hip-Hop legend Eric B..“I don’t go off for no f**king reason, aight,” Lil Kim told the crowd. “If I go off, it’s a reason behind it. I spread love and I love my ladies. And I love for us to get along in the game. But you not gonna come in this game and s**t on me and take my s**t and run with the s**t. And I’m gonna tell these motherf**kers. I’m ready cause I hope they ready.In related news, Lil Kim was recently named the spokes model for the Purple label 3 Olive Vodka and is part of the “Purple” advertising campaign. Lil Kim is currently on a promotional tour across the United States this month, followed by dates in Canada, as well as Australia in July.

The Black Eyed Peas, K’Naan, Alicia Keys and Shakira were among the international artists who performed in front of 34,000 people in Soweto, South Africa, to kick-off the World Cup. This year is the first time The World Cup is being held on the African continent. To celebrate the event, fans from across the world packed the Orlando Stadium. “On behalf of the government and people of South Africa, it is my great honour to welcome the teams, soccer fans, tourists and the entire football fraternity to our beautiful country South Africa,” President Jacob Zuma said in a statement. “We are truly pleased and humbled to host the world in our country for this historical and extra-ordinary event.”K’Naan performed the official “Wavin’ Flag (The Celebration Mix),” which is the anthem for the entire advertising campaign between FIFA and Coca-Cola.The Black Eyed Peas electrified the crowd with “I Gotta Feeling (Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night).” “We came here in the name of love for South Africa, for the World Cup and South Africa,” said will.I.am as the group launched into their song “I Gotta Feeling.”Alicia Keys performed an acoustic version of “Empire State of Mind,” while other artists like Lira, Hugh Masekela, BLK JKS, John Legend, Shakira an others performed. “As South Africans we are proud to be hosting the first ever World Cup on African soil,” said legendary trumpeter Hugh Masekela.Millions of people watched the concert, which was broadcast live on SABC 1Proceeds from the concert will be donated to the World Cup’s 20 Centres for 2010. The social organization is dedicated to positive change throughout Africa and is raising funds to build 20 facilities across the African continent to provide training, healthcare options and soccer instruction.

(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop mogul Marion “Suge” Knight is off the hook in a recent altercation with another man in Los Angeles, California last month. Knight was arrested while driving his by a half-dozen police officers from the Robbery and Homicide Unit, for allegedly pointing a gun at a man during an argument in Los Angeles. Police never recovered a weapon from Knight’s White Cadillac Escalade, although he was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Knight was released from jail hours later, after posting $65,000 bail. From the outset, Knight denied the charges through his lawyer, Marc Brumer. During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Knight was harassing a man named Elwood E. Chatman, his wife and their 12-year-old son. According to Chatman, Knight has threatened to take his life multiple times and that he has an open case with the LAPD for an assault that allegedly took place on April 4th, although he did not identify if Knight was the assailant or not. Knight has been ordered to stay 100 yards away from Chatman.

(AllHipHop News) Producer Dr. Dre was delivered a minor loss in court earlier this week, when a Los Angeles judge dismissed claims that the “new” Death Row Records illegally re-released his hit 1992 album The Chronic. Dr. Dre was one of the original owners of Death Row Records when the legendary label launched in 1992 with Marion “Suge” Knight.After Dre’s departure in early 1996 to form Aftermath, the label continued into a spiral, starting with the September 1996 unsolved murder of Tupac Shakur. Knight eventually filed for bankruptcy when he lost a $107 million default judgment for refusing to show in court to answer claims that the label was funded by money provided by Michael “Harry-O” Harris and his wife Lydia. Death Row Records and the label’s assets were sold to Wideawake-Deathrow Entertainment in January of 2009.The label began re-releasing material from Death Row’s catalog, including The Chronic. Dr. Dre sued Wide-Awake/Death Row in February 2010, claiming they released the classic album without permission. Dre also claimed he had received no royalties from the sale of the record since he left Death Row in 1996. Reuters reports that a California court dismissed Dr. Dre’s allegations on Monday, based on a similar case in 1976, involving a comedy series by Monty Python.The judge ruled that the changes to Dr. Dre’s album The Chronic were minor, although they ruled in favor of Dr. Dre in regards to his fight to recover unpaid royalties from sales of the album.

(AllHipHop News) In his upcoming cover story with Rolling Stone, Jay-Z opened up on wife’s creative influence, competing with younger emcees, and Hip-Hop losing creative ground to indie rock.

Dubbed the “King of America” in the article’s title, the normally guarded Jay-Z was more candid about his married life with fellow superstar Beyonce. He explained they occasionally seek each other’s input on their musical directions, and marveled at her eye for talent.

“Sometimes on creative stuff, one of us will ask, ‘Do you think this is cool?'” said Jay, who married Beyonce in 2008. “She’s a magnificent A&R, if she ever decides to do that, for things like pitch. So I defer to her on those sort of questions.”

21 years since his first recorded song, the 40 year old Jay-Z remains an elite and commercially viable emcee in a culture driven by youthful musical expression. His last album, 2009’s Blueprint 3, has sold 1.7 million copies and produced 5 singles. He hopes to continue breaking ground and redefine the expectations of aging emcees.

“For me to be able to compete at Lil’ Wayne’s level at my age, that’s rarefied air,” he explained. “It’s never been done.”

Regarding Hip-Hop’s creative health, the Brooklyn mogul believes the culture’s rebellious edge has been lost to indie rock. In past interviews, he’s theorized indie rock’s growth may possibly push Hip-Hop to become more creative and competitive.

“I love the energy coming out indie rock right now,” Jay-Z told Rolling Stone. “It has this rebellion thing that Hip-Hop is missing now, the thing that made Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop.”

The full interview will be available in Rolling Stone’s June 24 issue.

Here’s a few things to ponder …

Where’s PETA and the

Tea Party?

Where the hell is PETA? Yeah i said it? Lemme repeat that incase I was misunderstood.. Where is PETA? You know them, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals… Where are those guys around this Gulf Oil Spill Issue?

For many of us this disaster didn’t hit home until we started seeing dead turtles and pelicans immersed in oil come washing up on our shores. I mean we lost 11 people and for the majority of us, it was in one ear and out the other.. People losing jobs…Again-it was in one ear and out the other. But all those dead animals struck a chord. It was exasperated when we heard idiots like Alaskan Congressman Don Young try to explain this off as if it was natural and the animals killed weren’t no big deal. Sounds to me some serious animal rights violations took place, both by BP and those who support and explain away their actions.

When the oil spill started and was said to be headed toward the wild-life packed marsh lands of Louisiana, I half jokingly and half seriously tweeted ‘Where’s PETA?’ I was joking that if folks like a ‘dog killing’ Michael Vick and a fur coat wearing Jennifer Lopez could incur this organization’s wrath, wait till Tony Hayward CEO of BP crossed paths with PETA. I even included PETA  (@Peta) on the tweet and never heard back.

That was a good 50 days ago. Here we are on day 60 and as I perused their website I see there’s still no mention of the Gulf Oil Spill, which I find to be beyond strange. As you can see from the front page of their website which was taken today June 10th, they have updated information including the recent passing of Golden Girl Rue McClanahan. There’s also a recent story of p### star Jenna Jameson and her doing a shocking video about how chickens are treated, but no Gulf Oil Spill…

The website PETA.org has an action center page where people can join campaigns against KFC, Petsmart and others but no BP. I don’t wanna be petty and I realize some of these campaigns are probably worthwhile but to see how vehement PETA was over Michael Vick and the NFL where members could be found picketing outside games and stepping to fans who supported Vick, why so silent on BP and Hayward? Will members show up at his next outing and throw blood on him for all the oil soaked rare Brown Pelicans his company’s negligence harmed and killed? Will they be picketing BP stations the way they did NFL games? Thus far I haven’t seen them at the BP in my area..They were out and about during the NFL games when Vick returned..

Not to be unfair with PETA, I have to also ask this question about the Tea Party crowd? It was just a few months ago we saw a big Tea Party rally in New Orleans where folks skewered Obama for giving away government money. Some went so far as to have Obama’s face made to look like Hitler… Where’s the Tony Hayward posters that vilify him? Where’s the Tea Party  crowd whoo-riding the CEO’s press conference or townhalls like they did during the healthcare debates? Where’s the venom and outrage being directed toward BP executives who seem tell endless lies about the spill to people who live in regions that the Tea Party found major support?

One has to wonder if these organizations are all hype, scared or in the back pockets of a multi-national like BP and their friends. In any case, it was bugging me to see these outspoken groups  absent from the fight while others like the Hip Hop Caucus in Washington DC picketed Hayward’s New York office last week and attempted to secure a citizen’s arrest.  CNN did a story on a young girl who was 10 or 12 years old launching some sort of protest for the destroyed wild life..Rap star Talib Kweli stepped to the plate and dropped a searing song called Ballad of the Black Gold which deals with issues around oil. Everyone’s been stepping up..Just wondering why we haven’t seen and heard more from these two groups that garnered reputations for kicking up dust?

(AllHipHop News) A variety of Detroit rappers will unite this Saturday (June 12th) for the free Heal Detroit Rally, an event aimed at increasing peace in various violence plagued neighborhoods in the city. Organizers announced that rappers like Al Nuke, Trick Trick, Royce, Lodge Boyz, Seven The General, Big Herk, Stretch Money, DJ Fingers, DJ Detroit Streets of WJLB FM 98, will attend the Heal Detroit Rally. The rappers plan to convene on 7 Mile Road on the Westside starting at Greenfield and on the Eastside starting at Van D### at 12:00 PM. Performers will encourage students to stay in school and find non-violent ways to resolve conflicts. During the march, rappers will protest corruption, violence and the recent murder of 7-year-old Aiyana Jones, who was killed by police on May 16th during a raid of a home in search of a murder suspect.Organizer LaKeisha Harris is working in conjunction with the Detroit Police who have donated time to help with crowd control, while others sponsors have donated water for the marchers. Rapper Al Nuke heads up Operation Hip Hop, a non-profit that tours high schools in the area to encourage students in addition to clothing and school supply drives. “I came from those types of broken homes; that’s why every year I make it my duty to have school supply drives and food drives for homeless shelters,” Al Nuke said. “These are things I take the initiative to do if nobody else does.”Other sponsors and participants include Yusef Shakur, Custom Whips, Good Fella Clothing, Leg Work Inc., Hot Sams Clothing, Ruff Riders Bike Club, Ron Scott (CAPB) and others. The event starts at 12, while the march/performance kicks off at 3:00 PM.