(AllHipHop News) Bronx Hip-Hop legend KRS-One has finished a new EP focused on calling out rappers that have questioned or challenged him over the last several years.

Named Back to the L.A.B. (Lyrical Ass Beating), the EP features 6 tracks and as of press time no confirmed guest appearances.

KRS launched his career in 1987 on the strength of the now legendary Bridge Wars, a lyrical battle his BDP (Boogie Down Productions) camp initiated against Queensbridge pioneers Marley Marl and MC Shan, and their affiliates in the Juice Crew.

KRS also defeated legend Melle Mel in a live head to head battle at NY’s famous Latin Quarter nightclub that same year.

The following year in 1988, the Blastmaster would use the lyrics from that encounter for the official track “I’m Still #1,” off BDP’s sophomore LP By All Means Necessary.

In the early 90’s KRS-One had another famous beef moment, this time a physical confrontation with alternative R&B group PM Dawn. Having his credentials questioned by the duo in Details magazine, KRS crashed their show and tossed member Prince Be off the stage before immediately performing “The Bridge Is Over.”

KRS-One’s latest battle was in 2002, when he launched several diss tracks (“Ova Here,” “The Real Hip-Hop,” and “You Don’t Really Want It”) at Nelly over a perceived slight on the St. Louis rapper’s “Number 1” song.

In addition to the new EP, KRS-One plans to re-release his albums such as Criminal Minded, Spiritual Minded, and Hip-Hop Lives.

Back to the L.A.B. has production from DJ JS-1 and the Beatminerz. A release date has not been announced, nor has KRS or his representatives confirmed which emcees may be addressed on the EP.

Below is the project’s tracklisting, which has been verified by AllHipHop.com.

1. Who Da Best

2. Omnihood

3. Wolf

4. Show Shocked

5. Nevver Afraid

6. Tek-Nology

(AllHipHop News) Sean “Diddy” Combs has announced that his Sean John line will be exclusively distributed by Macy’s, the nation’s biggest department store chain. According to Combs, Sean John will be sold at over 400 Macy’s,  with the line being rolled out to all stores over the next year. During a press conference, Combs said that Sean John has done over $1 billion dollars in business with Macy’s “and we plan to do a couple billion more,” Combs said.”I got my start at Macy’s when I was 16, selling shirts and ties,” Combs told The New York Post. “To come full circle like this is a dream come true.” Macy’s will build exclusive Sean John shops at key Macy’s locations across the country, with Sean John retaining creative control over all display designs. In addition to Sean John, Macy’s also distributes Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, Martha Stewart, Ellen Tracy and others.

(AllHipHop News) Efforts to follow a court order to pay child and spousal support to the ex-wife of rapper Nas have gone south.TMZ.com reports that Nas admitted he is unable to maintain payments of back spousal and child support due to R&B songstress Kelis.Last month, a judge ordered the New York rhymesayer to pay Kelis $47,249.42 in back child and support and $40,454 in back spousal support.In addition to the back support payments, Nas was ordered to pay $10,000 a month in spousal support until he pays off the $299,015.50 he owes Kelis. It is unclear how much the rap star is required to pay in monthly child support Nas’ total debt continued to increase as the judge ruled that the rapper has to pay 90 percent of Kelis’ legal fees, which amounted to $155,787.2,. as well as the singer’s acounting expenses, which totaled $48,549.83. The hefty amounts have resulted in a request from Nas’ lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, for the judge in the case to take another look at the total amount of the payments and its impact on his client’s finances.Although the judge predicated the order on Nas making $152,031 a month, court documents obtained by TMZ paint a different picture with the rapper saying he makes “substantially less than that amount.” Nas’ admission is the latest in a string of developments revolving around his  divorce from Kelis after four years of marriage.  The couple, who have one son from their union, ultimately split in 2009. A spokesperson for Kelis cited irreconcilable differences as the reason behind the break-up. Despite their marital parting, Nas and Kelis are preparing to release new music for fans.  Nas’ collaborative album with reggae superstar Damian Marley, Distant Relatives, is slated to hit stores May 18. Kelis’ upcoming release, Flesh Tone, is scheduled to arrive July 6 to stores in the US and Canada.  Fans of the vocalist who live in other countries can purchase the album on May 17.

(AllHipHop News) Eminem shot the video for his new song “Not Afraid” on the

streets of Newark, New Jersey today, as people from the city watched intently.

The video was shot on Market Street, a popular strip in the

city. Em was joined by Royce Da 5′ 9″, longtime friend and Slaughterhouse

signee.

Fans of the rapper were held at bay by police barricades and

a strong security presence, which upset some of them. However, Eminem calmed

many of them simply by waving to those across the street and behind the

barricades.

Clad in all black, Eminem walked up the Market Street block

as a camera and crew taped his stroll. A number of people served as extras in

the video.

According to sources, the crew had been there since early

morning and the officers had blocked off the streets well into the afternoon

while Eminem shot the video. Others, who requested anonymity, said that Eminem

choose Newark because it was more lowkey than nearby New York City.

Many of the fans attempted to slip the reclusive star a CD

of their demo songs, but were promptly stopped by police.

Eminem’s Recovery album is slated for a June 22 release.  

(AllHipHop News) Yesterday (May 4), Bone Thugs N Harmony reached a milestone in releasing their eighth studio album Uni-5: The World’s Enemy, the first to feature the full 5-man lineup since 2000. As the group continues touring and promoting the project, the group still occasionally finds itself at odds with member Bizzy Bone.

On their recent promotional tour last month, the group had to contend with Bizzy Bone opting to miss several tour dates over rumored monetary issues, despite the tagline for the new album being the Cleveland collective was again a unified front.

“[With this album] we had to keep each other in line and in check with concepts,” Flesh N Bone laughed in an exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com. “Nah that’s never a problem but every now and then we gotta pull Bizzy’s card and let him know ‘this is what we’re on, B!’ But nonetheless making the album was magic. The energy was even crazier than it was back in the 90’s. That never changes. It’s like magic, it’s so powerful.”

Bone released 3 singles (“See Me Shine,” “Rebirth,” and “Meet Me in the Sky”) preceding the May 4 release. While all 5 members are present on nearly every song, questions persist if they’ve been able to maintain chemistry on the road with Bizzy jumping in and out of the lineup.

According to Layzie Bone, after close to 20 years together the issue is a non-factor in their live performances.

“It doesn’t really bother us because we’re family,” he explained. “We’ve been doing this together forever. It can be any one of us that has different circumstances. Bone Thugs N Harmony has a revolving door. We might fall out and have discrepancies, but all and all we show unity and work it out. So at the end of the day what you’ll see is brotherhood.”

Uni-5 boasts 11 full songs, but the group revealed they recorded hundreds of songs for the project and have 2 full additional albums set to drop.

“Oh man that’s an understatement!” Krayzie Bone exclaimed. “All the songs that didn’t make this album, we got at least 2 more albums. And we’re starting a special edition of our mixtape series. Everyone heard the first one. You’ll hear everything that we didn’t put out on Special Delivery Part 2.”

“And not to mention the s**t we got with Swizz [Beatz],” Flesh added, speaking on the material recorded while the group was under Swizz’s Full Surface label.

Bone Thugs N Harmony’s Uni-5: The World’s Enemy is available now.

(AllHipHop News) Former Cash Money super producer Mannie Fresh has opened a new chapter in his musical evolution with a new group called Sole Fresh. The group, comprised of a pair of New Orleans teenagers, garnered Mannie’s attention as they found a following on the local music scene. Knoxx St. Peter told AllHipHop.com, “We just created some buzz in the city. We were opening for Drake, Knuxx and Tyga and Mannie is like the kingpin of New Orleans, like the Hip-Hop scene. He ended up signing us to his label.””These are white kids that wear skinny [jeans]. When I met them, they didn’t feel out of place,” Mannie Fresh told AllHipHop.com. “[Sole Fresh] just like ‘Hey, dude, this is what we do.’ I feel you have to have courage these days anyway.” The pair said Mannie Fresh took them to his new studio in Houston, where they found they worked well together. The pair impressed Mannie and he signed them to his Chubby Boy Music imprint. “[Our sound] is something different, its something new,” said Leonardo “Nardo” Jonze. “What he really liked was we were just doing ourselves. He liked that we weren’t trying to be anybody. He appreciated the originality in the music. That kind of sparked his interest. We went from there.” “I caught an interview and he said our diversity kind of caught his eye. We have rap songs but we also have songs that are definitely rock influenced. Its just a whole variety of different things.” The group call themselves a blend of their “Hip-Hop base” with pop and some rock influence. Much of their base in the music game comes from Mannie Fresh, Nardo said. “Mannie throws the stardust in there,” he explained. “I produced our single, ‘I Don’t Want To Grow Up,’ and he came in and touched it up. But he produced the majority of the album.” Barely, college age, Nardo and Knoxx said they may one day seek to do more conscious songs, but for now, they simply enjoy making music. “We just do us and have a lot of fun while doing it.” Sole Fresh’s debut Peace, Love & Overweight Babies is due in June. video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

(AllHipHop News) Atlanta booking agency owner Johnnie Cabbell has responded to Gucci Mane’s jailhouse announcement that he has severed his ties with Cabbell’s booking agency Hitt Afta Hitt Entertainment. Gucci released a statement yesterday (May 4th) announcing the formation of a new label, 1017 Bricksquad and a new management team. The rapper also announced he had severed ties with manager Debra Antney of Mizay Entertainment and Cabbell’s Hitt Afta Hitt booking agency. According to Gucci, his new booking agent is CAA, a Los Angeles based firm that represents major acts like Drake, Ludacris, Usher, Young Jeezy and a host of other superstars. In an exclusive statement issued to AllHipHop.com, Cabbell said that he has received no correspondence from Gucci Mane or his legal team as of press time to support the claim. “While it is being widely reported that my booking agency Hitt Afta Hitt is no longer working with Gucci Mane, I have yet to receive any type of correspondence from Gucci, the label or anyone else that supports that,” Johnnie Cabbell told AllHipHop.com in a statement today (May 5th).  “I have known and worked with Gucci for over a decade.  I have seen his career grow from being a local phenomenon into a household name and I feel like I helped play a minor role in his success.”Cabbell also shot down reports that there were outstanding lawsuits against himself or Hitt Afta Hitt, although his statement did not address a lawsuit filed in Allegheny Superior Court last week, surrounding a missed show in August of 2009. According to Cabbell his company is still handing the booking for Nicki Minaj, who made headlines in April, when she fired Antney and Mizay Entertainment and announced new management. “There are no federal criminal or civil lawsuits pending against me or my company Hitt Afta Hitt.,” Johnnie Cabbell told AllHipHop.com. “My booking and management agency is still one of the largest in the south and we are still the official booker for rapper Nicki Minaj. We look forward to continued success and growth.”According to reports, Gucci Mane is scheduled to be released from the Fulton County Jail on Wednesday May 12th, after serving a year in prison for violating his probation. Meanwhile, AllHipHop.com has learned that at least two other lawsuits have been filed against Cabbell.

In March, Sha’Nod Johnson filed a breach of contract complaint against Cabbell and Shawty Lo for allegedly failing to honor a contractual agreement not to perform two weeks before, or two weeks after his event.

On April 10th, All Hood Entertainment filed a lawsuit against Gucci Mane, Mizay and Hitt Afta Hitt, claiming Gucci missed a show in Louisville, KY in November of 2009, resulting in a $61,000 dollar loss.

(AllHipHop News) Toronto’s Marco Polo is back with another album entitled The Stupendous Adventures of Marco Polo, a collection of unreleased and rare tracks. The producer has logged a back catalog of unreleased material since his first release in 2003, titled Pumpkinhead’s Orange Moon Over Brooklyn.The unheard works will now be available in stores via Duck Down Records, on June 29th. Guests featured on Marco Polo’s new project include Large Professor, Skoob of Das EFX, Grand Daddy IU, Royce da 5’9,” Elzhi, Torae, Skyzoo, Ruste Juxx, and Diamond District. The album also features MC’s like Red Clay, Shylow, Saga, Promise, Surreal, D-Story, Bad Seed and Arcee who Marco Polo has worked closely with, while residing in Brooklyn. “My crew and I, which includes Shylow and DJ Linx, put a lot of work into this music and just because something is older and has never been released doesn’t mean it’s scrap — we put a lot of work into it and we want people to hear it,” explained Marco Polo.Many of the songs are tracks that are being released for the first time and have never made it to iTunes or a CD.  “I want people to know that when they see my name attached to something, they’re getting quality and consistency. This album is for the hardcore Marco Polo fans out there that just wanna have something to rock while I’m working on Port Authority 2. I’m locking myself in the lab on some caveman status for that one.”Below is a tracklisting for The Stupendous Adventures of Marco Polo:D-Stroy & Bad Seed – Buggin OutLarge Professor –  The Radar RemixPromise – The BridgeRed Clay – OfficialRuste Juxx – Bomb Sh*tShylow – Whylin OutSaga – Think of You NowTorae – Combat DrillsDJ K.O. – Best To Do It ft Royce Da 5’9,” Elzhi & Supastition (Marco Polo Remix)Skyzoo – Block Sh*tDiamond District –  Who I Be (Marco Polo Remix)Skoob of Das Efx – How I Get Down (Marco Polo Remix)Surreal – So BasicGrand Daddy I.U. –  The VeteranArcee – AmbitionExile – Radio ft Ruste Juxx & Torae (Marco Polo Remix)

(AllHipHop News) Rakaa of Dilated Peoples has announced plans to release his debut solo album Crown of Thorns this July. Rakaa was featured on four albums as a member of Dilated Peoples. For his first solo album, he will touch upon political issues, relationships, family and culture. Production on Crown of Thorns will be handled by Evidence, The Alchemist, DJ Babu, El-P, Eric Bobo & DJ Rhettmatic, Exile, King Jahzzy, Sid Roams and !llmind.”This record is my opportunity to give context so people understand more what I’m trying to do,” Rakaa stated. “It’s the first time I’m really making a conscious decision to sit down and let somebody come into my house, and after all of this time, I’m welcoming all guests.”The rapper’s debut solo album already features guest appearances by KRS-One, Defari, Chali 2na, Fashawn, Aloe Blacc, Roscoe Umali, Tasha (Yoon Mi Rae), Tiger JK and Tablo and Mithra Jin of Epik High. In related news, Rakaa has almost earned his black belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Crown of Thorns is due in stores July 20th on Decon Records.