(AllHipHop News) FIFA, the international governing body of football announced that rapper K’Naan will perform at the Fifa World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert next month at Orlando Stadium in Soweto/Johannesburg. K’Naan’s song “Wavin’ Flag (The Celebration Mix)” is the anthem from the entire advertising campaign between Fifa and Coca-Cola. Other artists previously announced to perform during the World Cup concert include Alicia Keys, The Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Shakira, Parlotones, Amadou & Mariam and legendary South African trumpeter, Hugh Masekela. “As South Africans we are proud to be hosting the first ever World Cup on African soil,” said Hugh Masekela. “I am very humbled and flattered to be part of this global event and am looking forward to the concert with great interest and excitement.”Fifa’s World Cup Kick-Off Celebration is being produced in conjunction with global events company Control Room. The concert will be broadcast live on SABC 1 on Thursday, June 10th. K’Naan’s “Wavin’ Flags” earned the rapper a Juno for Songwriter of the Year last month during the Juno Awards. In related news, a Spanish song writer named Rafael Vergara Hermosilla is suing Coca-Cola, claiming he was never compensated for the use of his Spanish version of “Wavin’ Flags.”

(AllHipHop News) Former Bad Boy rap star Black Rob has been released from prison, after seven years of incarceration on a grand larceny charge. Black Rob is best known for his hit single “Whoa,” taken from his platinum-selling 1999 album Life Story. According to Black Rob, his fame followed him behind bars, where some inmates acted like “groupies” upon seeing the rapper. “You had people in there man who felt like groupies every time they said hi to me,” Rob told BET News. “‘Why you saying hi to him? You’re a groupie.’ You got certain brothers man, real dudes got pride. They’re going to approach me regardless. ‘What’s up man? How are you doing?’ Basically me, I had a couple of problems. But it never resulted into anything physical.”According to Black Rob, his time behind bars was no walk in the park. Although he managed to avoid any serious confrontations during his seven years down, there was plenty of friction. “You had officers in there being real disrespectful ripping pictures of my family off the wall and doing disrespectful things,” Black Rob said. Black Rob is no longer signed with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy imprint. Black Rob said he was “disappointed” with Combs and  claimed “turned his back” on him while he was locked up.“I’m from the streets so if you tell me you love me and you tell me you my man, I’m going to take that and run with that, feel me?” Black Rob said. “When something happens to me and you turn your back on me, regardless of the situation, regardless of what we been through, I mean I don’t appreciate that…I don’t respect that. If you my man, I’m going to always be your man unless you flip on me. I was under the assumption that I was family.”Black Rob made it clear that he was not blaming anyone for his actions and that he had no “hatred” in his heart towards Bad Boy. “I don’t want to retaliate and I don’t want to make any records about Bad Boy,” Black Rob said.

(AllHipHop News) The murder trial of Aubrey Berry, the man accused of shooting Atlanta rapper Dolla in broad daylight at the Beverly Hills mall, started today (May 4th). Berry, 24, is being tried by a jury for committing the 2009 murder, after the two had allegedly been involved in an altercation at a strip club in Atlanta. Berry claims Dolla, who was shot from behind, was threatening his life, while acting in self-defense. Prosecutors accused Berry of shooting at Dolla eight times. Four bullets struck the aspiring rapper, as he attempted to run from the valet area of the mall. The trial, which started today, is expected to last a week. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.Berry is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is convicted of Dolla’s murder.

(VIBE.COM) Lil Wayne may be locked in Rikers Island away from the industry, but that’s not stopping some of his associates from handling business with him. Grammy award-winning producer, Shondrae “Bangladesh” Crawford has a bone to pick with Mr. Dwayne Carter. A $500,000 bone. “I don’t f### with [Lil Wayne]… and you can print that,” Bangladesh told VIBE, when asked if fans should anticipate a reunion come his 2011 release. “Cash Money don’t pay royalties. The Carter III, [is] his biggest album probably because of “A Millie.” [But] you have to sue these guys so that they pay up.”The Atlanta beatmaker disclosed that he is suing for an estimated 500 Gs in owed royalty checks for his work on “A Millie,” one of Wayne’s most revered records of all time. A single that earned him Best Rap Solo Performance at the 2009 Grammy’s and gave The Carter III ammunition to sell a million records it’s first week of release in June 2008. “It’s [Wayne and Baby‘s] responsibility to pay [me] because all the money from album sales goes to Cash Money. I get checks from Sony for Beyoncé, checks from different labels for different artists, it just comes to you. You don’t have to call them, sue them and all that junk. This is what you’re owed.”He continues, “I don’t really give a f### about [Wayne]. I can’t give a f### about somebody that don’t give a f### about my situation, I have kids. In the hood, people get killed for ten dollars. I couldn’t imagine owing someone hundreds of thousands of dollars and just walking around in front of them. I’m so confident in myself, that I don’t need Lil Wayne. There’s gonna be so many opportunities. I can create a Lil Wayne.”A nominee for VIBE’s Best Producer of All-Time, Bangladesh went on to explain the corrupted process of Cash Money, centering on Baby. “This is why Manny Fresh don’t f### with [Cash Money] because he never got any royalty money. That’s why Baby can go around flaunting this cash, because that’s everyone else’s money… It’s not even Wayne’s fault. Wayne is not getting money. He is given money, he’s not getting money. If Baby gets a million dollars he’ll buy Wayne a Phantom, but that’s in Cash Money’s name. That 14-bedroom mansion isn’t Wayne s###,” he says. “That’s why he have his own company, because he was trying to leave Cash Money and the only thing that would keep him there was [if they] gave him his own thing. But Baby still controls that. All those Young Money artists don’t even know that they not getting royalty money.”And the beat goes on. According to the New York Post, fellow Carter III producer, Jim Jonsin—responsible for Wayne’s infectious lead single, “Lollipop”—filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Wayne on April 20 for missing royalty payments. In May 2009, Dallas production duo Play-n-Skillz also mentioned to a local radio station that they were yet to reap any monetary benefits from their work on Wayne’s third single featuring, T-Pain, “Got Money.”Bangladesh, who secured his placement on The Carter III when his friend and Young Money artist, Shanell suggested the “A Milli” beat to Wayne, recalls the first time he met self-proclaimed Best Rapper Alive. “Wayne is a different guy. I first stepped to him years ago. Don’t know if he was on drugs, but he ignored me,” Bang says. “This was before ‘A Milli.’ I didn’t sweat it because I told myself that one day, I aint gotta say nothing, he’s gonna like the music.” The premonition came to life indeed. However, it’s been almost two years since “A Milli” made it’s game-changing impact and Bang says the New Orleans MC has still never uttered a ‘Thank you’ his way. “This industry is a devilish game. And these are devils controlling the game,” says Bangladesh who swears by self-rule. “I don’t wanna be caught up in it. I don’t wanna break bred with devils.”A rep for Lil Wayne did not respond to a request for comment.