This year’s Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (BHF) will showcase different vibes on the Hip-Hop soundscape with the addition of rappers Pharaohe Monch and Styles P.

The fifth annual event, which takes place from noon to 8 p.m. June 20 at Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, marks the latest endeavor for Monch, who is best known for his classic hit “Simon Says” as well as his popular collaboration with Mos Def and Nate Dogg, “Oh No.”

In addition to the BHF, the Organized Konfusion co-founder is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming opus, W.A.R. (Let My People Go).

The album, which includes production from Black Milk, Mr. Porter, Lee Stone & M-Phazes, is slated to come out this year.

“Monch is a conscious rapper who is at equal ease on the bully pulpit as he is in the club. Some know him for Organized Konfusion’s ‘Releasing Hypnotical Gasses.’ Some know him for the anthem ‘Simon Says,’” BHF executive director Wes Jackson told AllHipHop.com in a statement.

For this year’s event, BHF organizers hope to unite Monch onstage with Styles P to perform the D-Block affiliate’s 2002 hit, “My Life.”

The pair, along with famed mixtape DJ J. Period, joins previously announced performers Smiff N Wesson as they take the stage for the BHF.

According to Jackson, the new additions represent an effort to give festival attendees more bang for their buck and a well-rounded dose of Hip-Hop in all its forms.

“We are more than pleased when we look at our lineup so far. Our goal has always been to unite the Hip-Hop audience under one banner,” Jackson said. “Monch, Styles and Smif N Wessun represent different branches of the Hip-Hop tree… And J Period is the glue that keeps us all connected. This lineup is diversity. This is Hip-Hop.”

Tickets the fifth annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival start at $10.

A state court has refused to block the upcoming release of a new controversial documentary on Lil Wayne named The Carter.

The film is being released by QD3 Entertainment, a company owned by producer Quincy Jones III, which has also released Hip-Hop themed titles like Thug Angel, The Freshest Kids, the Beef series and others.

Lil Wayne filed a lawsuit against QD3 Entertainment, claiming the company reneged on a deal that would have allowed him to have approval over the films final cut.

The rapper reportedly took issue with certain scenes displaying his drug use in the documentary, which follows him all over the country and to Amsterdam.

According to the lawsuit, Lil Wayne’s manager reviewed The Carter in December and requested that the scenes in question be removed.

A second cut also failed to live to his manager’s expectations in January and the scenes in question were still in the film when it premiered during the Sundance Film Festival a few weeks later, prompting the lawsuit.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Mink denied a request for a preliminary injunction, paving for the way for QD3 to seed distribution for the project.

“We’re very pleased with the court’s decision,” Quincy Jones III told Variety. “We made a great film, which was incredibly well received at Sundance, and showcases Lil Wayne’s extraordinary talent.”

The Carter, which was directed by Adam Bhala Lough, has no scheduled theatrical release date as of press time.

Last night former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson was the talk of the evening as a gaggle of celebrities convened in Manhattan’s downtown AMC theater to celebrate the release of the documentary called “Tyson.”

Celebrities included Nas, Mario, Jimmy “Henchmen” Rosemond, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, Ice-T and wife Coco, TV host Sway, media personality Egypt, boxing legend “Smokin’” Joe Frazier, Christopher Walken and several others.

Film director James Toback managed to capture the many facets of Mike Tyson from his early beginnings to his present existence as a family man. Much of Tyson’s family and friends were present for the premier as well.

Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, said that seeing Tyson resurrect his career was a joyous reason for celebration and one that he’s very familiar with.

“Mike is family. Mike and I have a long history together. Of course, he was married to my sister Monica,” Steele told AllHipHop.com. “I’m excited for Mike. He’s got a lot of things going on and, you know, he’s pulling all the ends together and this documentary is kind of a way to help him do that.”

Rapper Nas served as one of the movie’s producers and he also crafted the theme song of the movie, a rap tune called “Legendary.” Other producers included basketball player Carmelo Anthony, Hip-Hop producer Salaam Remi Gibbs and Toback.

Rappers like LL Cool J, Tupac Shakur and Canibus all had some form of relationship with Tyson and the icon’s name has been mentioned countless times in rap songs. Nas explained that the Hip-Hop generation has a special affinity for Tyson, as he emerged during a period where Hip-Hop was exploding on the scene.

Nas said, “We never had anybody represent us in the way that Mike Tyson represented. He’s a leader. I think it’s a great thing to…give the people his life. It takes a brave man and an intelligent man [to do that]. You get to see the real side of Mike.”

In “Tyson,” the Brooklyn native cries, expresses rage over his rape conviction, self-doubt, fear and an entire spectrum of seemingly conflicting emotions. He even admits he contracted a sexually transmitted disease prior to winning the heavy weight belt at 19. He was the youngest to do so.

Nas suggested that Mike Tyson could venture into acting, stating that the boxing champ was equipped for everything from drama to comedy.

“Just go back on what Mike has meant to us thought all the years. Mike has been the first baller of our generation, the first champion of our generation that stood for the common man,” he continued.

“I don’t think legacies can be defined. It’s something that we witness. The rise and fall of a man and a boxer and to see him rise again,” said Anthony Anderson, who admitted that his favorite Mike Tyson moment was when he defeated Trevor Berbick.

Ultimately, many felt the film served to give fans a deep dive into the mind of a man mistakenly vilified as a monster.

“A lot of people have an idea about him that’s not correct,” Nas concluded.

“Tyson” will start screenings in Los Angeles and New York on Friday.

Click here for images from the premiere in New York.

West Coast legend Snoop Dogg is currently being considered to host this year’s MOBO awards.

The MOBO (Music Of Black Origin) Awards was founded in 1995, and is an annual UK event that celebrates the music achievements of elite artists, regardless of race, who perform what is deemed “black music.”

Genres that fall under this classification include jazz, soul, R&B, and Hip-Hop. For the last 13 years, the show has run exclusively in London.

This year, organizers have moved the event to Glasgow, Scotland, and are keen on bringing in Snoop due to his past successful hosting duties.

“It would be a huge coup to get Snoop,” an anonymous “insider” explained to The Mirror. “He’s such a crowd pleaser and was a great host of the MTV awards in Munich.”

Three years ago, the UK permanently banned Snoop from entering the country due to an alleged entourage brawl at Heathrow Airport.

Last January, the Long Beach emcee recruited celebrity friends David Beckham and Paul McCartney to assist in having the travel ban reversed.

The 2009 MOBO Award will commence this year on September 30 at Glasgow’s Scottish Exhibition Conference Centre.

At press time, organizers have not announced any performers or award nominees.

Rapper C-Murder is facing serious financial trouble as his upcoming murder trial looms, in addition to prosecutors renewed efforts to jail the rapper for allegedly violating a gag order.

In a bombshell announcement in court yesterday (April 20), C-Murder’s longtime attorney Ron Rakosky announced that he wants to withdraw as Miller’s attorney.

Rakosky successfully represented the rapper during his first trial in October 2003.

C-Murder, born Cory Miller, was originally convicted of shooting and killing 16-year-old Steve Thomas during an altercation in a now defunct Jefferson Parish nightclub in 2002.

He was immediately sentenced to a mandatory life sentence.

Thanks to Rakosky, the verdict was overturned in Louisiana Supreme Court in March of 2006, after it was proved that prosecutors expunged the records of several of their witnesses to bolster their credibility.

Yesterday, Rakosky said that C-Murder has not paid him for hundreds of hours in legal fees over the past three years.

According to the Times-Picayune, the attorney asked for permission to be removed from the murder trial, which is scheduled to go before a judge and jury in August.

C-Murder’s need to fund his murder trial may also send him back to jail for violating a gag order.

Prosecutors claim C-Murder used the website to indirectly proclaim his innocence.

“Let me finally take a moment to personally thank all of you for the outpour of love and support you have given me in the past seven difficult years, due to postponements and red tape,” the rapper’s website www.corymillerinnocencefund.com states. “When justice is delayed, then justice has been denied. Had this faulty Justice system been as slow arresting me as they have been in validating my innocence, it would’ve known they had ‘the wrong man’. As the evidence shows, ‘ I am innocent!…As my day in court approaches, my family and I pray and are confident I will be acquitted and cleared of all alleged incidents. When that day finally comes, we’ll be looking forward to celebrating with you in prayer. ”

A news conference the rapper recently held with Reverend Toris Young is also being scrutinized. The rapper participated in an anti-violence/crime rally last week.

Prosecutors say the gathering was a violation of C-Murder’s probation because of Rev. Young’s criminal past.

Three years ago, Young pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts of identity theft and access device fraud. Miller is prohibited from associating with felons.

C-Murder’s murder trial is slated to start on August 3.

Jurassic 5 founding member Chali 2na has announced the release of Fish Outta Water, his first solo outing since founding the revered Hip-Hop group in 1993.

The new release is an introspective look into Chali 2na’s life and contains various social and political messages.

Fish Outta Water boasts an all-star lineup and includes guest appearances by Talib Kweli, Damian and Stephen Marley, Elzhi, Beenie Man, Anthony Hamilton, while production chores are handled by Scott Storch, Cut Chemist and Jake One.

In addition to the new album, Chali 2na will hit the road on the Rock The Bells tour this summer, where he will perform tracks from Fish Outta Water.

Fish Outta Water track listing is below:

Get Focused International ft. Beenie Man So Crazy Lock S### Down ft. Talib Kweli Don’t Stop ft. Anthony Hamilton Keep Goin’ ft. Choklate Comin’ Thru F.O.W. Love’s Gonna Getcha Righteous Way When Will I See You Again ft. Elzhi Guns Up ft. Damian Marley & Stephen Marley Graff Time Controlled Coincidence ft. Kanetic Source 4 Be Be ft. Ming Xia