Rapper Juvenile was arrested before a performance in Ocala, Florida on a child

support warrant on Friday (Jan. 13).

The New Orleans born rapper was arrested on a writ of bodily

attachment child support warrant and was taken into custody at The Ritz Hotel

in Ocala.

Juvenile, born Terius Gray, was released on his own recognizance

that evening and performed at the Ghost House Night Club.

In a separate October 2003 incident, an arrest warrant was issued

for the rapper in Gwinnett County, Georgia, on charges of abandonment of a dependent

child.

Juvenile is preparing

to release his latest album, Reality Check.

DMX officially rejoined

Sony/ Columbia as a recording artist yesterday (Jan. 13) at Sony Recording studios

in New York.

The rapper started his career on the Ruffhouse/Sony imprint

in 1992, with the release of his single “Born Loser.”

“Sony Music was the first company to ever pay me,”

DMX said. “[It] feels good to have my career come full circle by being

back home, where I started.”

DMX, accompanied by Swizz Beats, Ruff Ryder co-founder and CEO

Joaquin “Waah” Dean, was welcomed back into the Sony fold by a slew

of Sony/Columbia execs.

“DMX has continually redesigned the rap genre and dramatically

expanded the possibilities for creative expression,” Sony Chairman Steve

Barnett told a packed auditorium.

The first album under the three-album Sony/Columbia deal is

titled Here We Go Again, which was previously recorded for Def Jam.

Sony bought DMX’s previous contract with Def Jam, but

most of the album will be re-produced for his Sony debut. In published reports,

the rapper said he could not work with Def Jam president Jay-Z because they

were both “too big.”

DMX was recently

released from Rikers Island, where he served a 70-day sentence for parole violations.

Joshua "Fahiym" Ratcliffe has been hired as the Editor-In-Chief of Smooth men’s magazine after suddenly departing The Source in August of 2005.

The editorial vet intends to offer his Hip-Hop background with a more adult approach to the content of the sexually driven publication.

“Hip-Hop is the dominant counter-culture that has gone global, and Smooth has always had an urban edge,” Ratcliffe told AllHipHop.com. “But as the music and the lifestyle continues to grow by leaps and bound, steadily mesh into the mainstream, it’s only right that we try to be on the cusp of what’s hot. Given my background working at The Source, you will see a lot Hip-Hop representation, but with a mature feel.”

Although he was a frequent reader of Smooth, Ratcliffe said he began working at the magazine in an editorial capacity after the termination of former Editorial Director Sean Cummings. After a period of consulting, he was offered the position to run the magazine’s editorial interests and has done so since November.

As a leader, he must also contend with the critics of men’s publications that believe magazines like Smooth objectify African American women only as sexual objects and foster misogynistic views in men.

“I understand the criticism and I see the arguments. Shoot, not to long ago, I was one of those critics, but what got me to come around was two things,” Ratcliffe explained. “First, men wanting to see beautiful women of color and second, the response the magazine gets when I mention it to many brothers. Its a men’s magazine, with interests and tastes skewed to men within the 21 to 40 demographic.”

The present issue of Smooth features a scantily clad, voluptuous video model Esther Baxter, rapper Tony Yayo, R&B group Black Buddafly, NBA player Ron Artest and other articles.

“Here’s a magazine that captures how we feel and what [African American men] think…even if it borders on the scandalous side,” he said laughing. “But really, Smooth is not some T & A magazine with nothing else to offer editorially. At least, not under my tenure as E.I.C. We’re men. Why should hide being a man?”

To balance the imagery with the content, Smooth will run more thematic stories like a Black History Month quiz dedicated to Black Women. “Women of color have contributed so much to civilization, and Smooth wants to balance their beautiful bodies and their beautiful mind,” he said.

Ratcliffe resigned his position as Editor-in-Chief of The Source Magazine in August because of a disagreement with company heads over album review for Little Brother’s album, The Minstrel Show.

Mystikal was sentenced

to a year in prison for tax violations yesterday (Jan. 12). U.S. District Judge

James Brady sentenced the rapper for failing to report $824,916 in earnings

in 1998 and $930,953 that was earned in 1999. He must pay back taxes in the amount

of $271,000 in addition to penalties and fines. Mystikal will serve the one-year

sentence concurrently with a state sentence for sexual battery against his former

hairstylist. The rapper pleaded guilty in 2004 of forcing a woman to perform oral

sex after he allegedly caught her writing $80,000 in checks. He was sentenced

to six years in prison. On Jan. 19, the rapper has a parole hearing at the Elayn

Hunt Correctional Facility in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, where he is currently incarcerated.

Electronic Arts and Def Jam Enterprises announced Def Jam Fight

For NY: The Takeover will hit stores this spring for the Play Station Portable

gaming system. The latest installment is the prequel to Def Jam Vendetta. Fans

can assume the roles of Busta Rhymes Lil’ Kim, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and

others. "Def Jam Interactive’s first PSP title has proven to be an exciting

and entertaining product. Again, EA has developed an unparalleled title and

we are confident that Def Jam Fight For NY: The Takeover will go far beyond

everyone’s expectations," said Lauren Wirtzer, VP of Marketing for Def

Jam Enterprises.

Award wining rapper Ms. Dynamite pleaded guilty today (Jan.

13) in Bow Street Magistrates’ Court to assaulting a female police officer

after an altercation outside a West London nightclub. Ms. Dynamite, 24, became

verbally abusive with officers after they spotted her kicking the front door

of The Paragon Lounge nightclub on Jan 6. As she was in custody, she allegedly

smacked a female officer in her face. Ms. Dynamtie’s brother Kingsley

Daley and another female associate were also charged with obstructing the police.

Ms. Dynamite will be sentenced on Jan. 17 and is facing prison time. Her brother

pleaded not guilty. Ms. Dynamite’s attorney said the situation arose from

another incident where she and her 18-year-old sister were racially abused.

The New Jersey

rapper El Da Sensei, former member of the legendary Hip-Hop duo The Artifacts,

is preparing his second solo album, The Unusual. El Da Sensei began

his career as a part of The Artifacts with partner Tame-One. El Da Sensei released

his independent solo debut album, Relax, Relate, Release in 2004. His

second solo album, The Unusual will display just how multifaceted his

talent is. “I definitely didn’t want to come like the last album,”

explained El. “I felt like Relax, Relate, Release was a little

bit personal for everybody. With this album I just wanted to go back to basics

and bring a certain kind of fire back to myself.” The Unusual

features guest appearances from O.C., Sean Price and features production by

Illmind, Jake One, Saukrates, DJ Revolution, K-Def and J Rawls. The Unusual

hits stores February 28th on Fat Beats Records.

A recent Rolling Stone magazine article examining the murder of rap legend, the Notorious B.I.G. has ignited a war of words between the Los Angeles Times and author Randall Sullivan.

In a letter to the editor, Marc Duvoisin, assistant managing editor of the L.A. Times, wrote that Randall Sullivan’s accusations of the Times’ efforts to “keep the lid on evidence implicating rogue police officers in the murder of Notorious B.I.G. lacks any foundation in fact.”

Duvoisin goes on to say the theories brought out in Rolling Stone were initially reported in his newspaper in 1999.

“The Times was the first to report this information. When subsequent developments cast doubt on the conspiracy theory, the Times wrote about those as well. But Sullivan makes no mention of the original articles, even as he parrots their contents (without acknowledgment).

“In so doing, he forfeits any claim to be taken seriously.”

The origin of the dispute stems from Biggie’s 1997 murder, a crime that remains unsolved.

The rapper was murdered after attending a Soul Train Music Awards after party in California.

Biggie’s estate filed a civil lawsuit against the LAPD in 2002, claiming the organization failed to properly investigate her son’s slaying.

Last year, a mistrial was declared after it was discovered an LAPD detective withheld crucial evidence that would have supported the Wallace family’s claims against the LAPD.

Duvoisin saw no point in detailing “all of Sullivan’s factual errors and false accusations,” despite criticizing Sullivan for not getting all the facts before disputing Chuck Phillips, who implicated B.I.G. in Tupac Shakur’s fatal 1996 shooting in Las Vegas in his 2002 story.

“Sullivan writes that the piece relied entirely on two named sources. In fact, as Philips’ article made clear, he drew on multiple sources, including gang members who witnessed the shooting and one who helped plan it. Their identities, for obvious reasons, could not be revealed.”

Despite Sullivan’s criticism, Duvoisin stood by his writer’s account, saying the piece has “withstood all challenges to its accuracy, including Sullivan’s. It remains the definitive account of the Shakur slaying.”

In response to the letter, Sullivan counters Duvoisin in his own letter by acknowledging the 1999 article in his story as well as his book, “LAbyrinth.”

“It’s irritating to have to waste time defending myself against ridiculous accusations when the real issue is the dishonest reporting of The Los Angeles Times,” wrote Sullivan, who goes on to call the Times’ 2002 story “one of the worst reported news stories I’ve ever read, riddled with factual omissions, and failing to address any of the questions raised by (former LAPD detective Russell) Poole.”

“The Times 2002 article that implicated B.I.G. in the murder of Tupac Shakur was as reckless a piece of reporting as I’m aware of by a major American newspaper. I did not write that the Times relied entirely on two named sources, but merely that only two sources were named in the article. In fact, neither of these two individuals were the source of the claim that B.I.G. paid gang members to murder Tupac; that information came entirely from an anonymous Crip whose claims are so obviously dubious that to rely on them in even a limited sense was questionable, and to make them the sole basis of such a sensational story was utterly irresponsible.”

Sullivan wrote that he spent hours talking to Duvoisin on the phone prior to the story’s publication in what Duvoisin insisted must be “off-the-record” conversations about the sources for the story.

Nevertheless, Sullivan felt the talks had less to do with protecting the Times!sources than shielding the paper from ” the humiliation of having their shoddy work made public.”

To read the letters in their entirety, visit www.rollingstone.com.

The Source co-owners

David Mays and Ray “Benzino” Scott obtained a temporary restraining

order against The Source Entertainment Inc.’s board of directors yesterday (Jan.

12), in an attempt to stop The Board from ousting them from the company.

Mays and Scott

were given 48 hours to appear at a special meeting called yesterday by The Source

Entertainment Inc., the parent company of The Source magazine.

The Board is attempting to boot Mays and Scott from the company, claiming their

involvement in the company hurts “not only the employees of The Source,

but all of its investors, vendors, subscribers and readers.”

“The Board unanimously concluded that various acts of mismanagement and

breaches of fiduciary duties to the Company by both David Mays and Raymond Scott,

who head the company, were in violation of their employment contract, and that

cause existed for their termination,” The Board said in a statement released

to AllHipHop.com.

Mays and Scott however, obtained a temporary restraining order against the

Board of Directors. "They can want to do that all they want, but it’s not

happening," Mays told The New York Post.

The magazine defaulted on an $18 million loan from Textron Financial Partners

last year. Textron filed a lawsuit in Oct. of 2005, asking The Source to be

placed into receivership.

The Black Enterprise/Greenwich Street Corporate Growth Partners L.P. is a $91

million private equity investment fund created in 1997 to finance the growth

of established minority-owned, managed, or targeted businesses.

Black Enterprise invested an initial $12 million dollars in The Source in return

for a minority stake and seats on the board of directors.

In order to qualify for the fund, businesses must have at least $10 million

in annual revenue.

“To date, the once highly profitable publication has been sued by its

primary lender, Textron Financial Corporation of Providence, R.I., for failure

to meet ongoing financial obligations, have been evicted from their offices,

and owe $9-12 million to various vendors,” the Board of Directors continued.

“The Board decided this was the only feasible course of action as Mays

and Scott could not continue their series of financial recklessness and negligence

that, in the end, hurts not only the employees of The Source, but all of its

investors, vendors, subscribers and readers.”

The Board is attempting to

permanently implement internal management changes, which “will restore

The Source to greater profitability while allowing the publication to regain

the prominence it once enjoyed within the industry and by its readers.”

Roc-A-Fella Records

and Def Jam have been hit with a lawsuit by a man who claims he was stiffed out

of payment for acting in Jay-Z’s 1998 movie “Streets Is Watching.”

Malcolm Crenshaw filed a $1 million dollar lawsuit in Manhattan

Federal Court against Roc-A-Fella Records, Island Def Jam Music Croup and Universal

Music & Video Distribution.

Crenshaw claims he was never paid for appearing in four scenes

in "Streets Is Watching," a semi-autobiographical short film about

Jay-Z’s life in Brooklyn, as narrated by the rapper himself.

The straight-to-video release chronicles Jay-Z’s rise from street

hustler to rap superstar.

Jay-Z co-wrote the movie with Damon Dash and Abdul Malik Abbott,

who also co-wrote “State Property.”

Jay-Z and Damon Dash also served as executive producers of the film, which also

featured Dash, Pain in da Ass and Rell.

The film also produced

the Streets Is Watching soundtrack, which featured the hit single “It’s

Alright” featuring Memphis Bleek.

An appeals court ruled

in favor of Sean “Diddy” Combs yesterday (Jan. 11) in Manhattan Supreme

Court, tossing a civil lawsuit filed by former Bad Boy Entertainment executive

Kirk Burrowes.

Burrowes filed a $25 million

lawsuit against Combs , claiming the CEO of Bad Boy was also head of a violent

group of thugs dubbed “The Enterprise” that forced him out of a

stake in Bad Boy Entertainment.

The former Bad Boy executive

claimed that Combs threatened him with threats of physical violence using a

baseball bat and forced him to relinquish a 25% interest in Bad Boy Entertainment.

Burrowes also claimed that

Combs thwarted a management deal he had in place with hit R&B singer Mary

J. Blige and that Combs never followed through with a profit-sharing agreement.

The lawsuit garnered significant

amounts of press in 2003, when Burrowes claimed “The Enterprise”

was responsible for the murders of Suge Knight affiliate Jake Robles in 1995

and later Tupac Shakur in 1996.

Combs immediately shot down

the allegations, as did a judge in 2003, when the lawsuit was dismissed because

of a "limitless number of deficiencies."

"The allegations are

pure fantasy," Combs told AllHipHop.com shortly after Burrowes filed the

initial lawsuit. "Kirk Burrowes hasn’t been employed (with Bad Boy) for

seven years and now he makes up a fictional story for financial gain. He should

be ashamed of himself.”

Burrowes appealed the decision,

but yesterday an appeals court ruled that the allegations, which are almost

10-years-old, are too old for the case to proceed.

Burrowes was later charged

in August of 2004 with laundering $1 million dollars in drug money through a

bogus company known as Gutter Keys.

He was freed on

a $250,000 bond and claimed he was setup by an informant with faulty information.

Rapper Snoop Dogg

and rockers 3 Doors Down will take center stage Feb. 3 and 4 for Bud Bowl 2006,

a pair of invitation-only concerts presented by Budweiser and Bud Light.

Snoop will perform Feb. 3, while 3 Doors Down will take the

stage the following night on Feb. 4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan.

The Detroit Tigers moved from Tiger Stadium, known as “The

Corner,” for the modern stadium at Comerica Park after the 1999 season.

“The Bud Bowl events at Tiger Stadium will allow our friends

in Detroit to experience ‘The Corner’ one more time and will provide top entertainment

perfect for a championship weekend," stated Phil Kazer, region vice president,

Anheuser-Busch. "Our company is also excited to give Detroit sports fans

a rare glimpse of Tiger Stadium, one of sports greatest venues, by reopening

it during this historic weekend."

The concerts will precede the Super Bowl, which takes place

on Feb. 5 and airs on ABC.

Snoop and 3 Doors Down will perform on the infield in Tiger

Stadium, enclosed in a 132-foot by 230-foot climate-controlled expo hall.

Budweiser will air the equivalent of 10 30-second “Bud

Bowl” spots, including the coveted first ad after the opening kickoff

during the 2006 game broadcast on

ABC.

Doors open at 8:30

p.m. for both shows, which take place at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan.

Pennsylvania Governor

Ed Rendell signed the execution warrant yesterday for former Philadelphia rapper

Christopher "Cool C" Roney.

Roney, 36, is currently an inmate at Pennsylvania’s State

Correctional Institution at Greene and is set to die by lethal injection on

March 9.

In October 1996, Roney was found guilty of first-degree murder

in the killing of Philadelphia police officer and nine-year veteran Lauretha

Vaird during a botched January 1996 bank robbery that included rap partner Warren

"Steady B" McGlone and a third man.

Vaird was Philadelphia’s first female officer ever killed in

the line of duty.

While McGlone was convicted as an accomplice and getaway driver,

later receiving life in prison, prosecutors asserted that Roney was the triggerman

and sentenced him to death.

The sentence was affirmed by the state’s Supreme Court a year

ago, and a subsequent plea to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied in October 2005.

Roney was a member of rap crew The Hilltop Hustlers in the late

1980s and helped put Philly rappers on the map with singles such as

"Juice Crew Dis" (which was later used by Philadephia rappers Beanie

Sigel & Peedi Crack on ‘When You Hear’), as well as 1989’s#### single, "Glamorous

Life."

As a rapper, Roney released two albums, 1989’s I Gotta Habit and 1990’s

Life in the Ghetto.

In 1993, he joined

Steady B and Ultimate Eaze to form the group C.E.B. and released the album Countin’

Endless Bank in 1993 on Ruffhouse Records.

After 8 years of broadcasting, Emmis Communications and Power 106 have canceled Friday Night Flavas, a signature Los Angeles Hip-Hop show hosted by the legendary Fantastik 4our.

On Wednesday (Jan. 4) Power 106 canceled the famed Hip-Hop show, which aired on 105.9 FM (KPWR) in Los Angeles every Friday night from 12am to 3am since 1998.

For the past 8 years the Fantastik Four Crew, which features DJs Mr. Choc and J. Rocc of the Beat Junkies and C-Minus and Truly OdD, has provided a critical outlet for underground Hip-Hop in the www

nation’s second largest market.

According to Fantastik 4our group members, there was no official warning of the cancellation and that listeners will not receive a farewell show.

“One of my main concerns is what’s going to happen to the LA Hip-Hop movement now? There’s no more radio shows besides The Wake Up Show that caters to underground music,” Mr. Choc told AllHipHop.com. I feel like a lot of the artists that are trying to make a difference have lost their home.”

Shortly after its exception, Friday Night Flavas experienced major success and helped Power 106 to open its door to Hip-Hop and drop their slogans “Dance Now” and “Pure Energy” to the slogan “Where Hip-Hop Lives.”

While Power 106 has not indicated reasons for the cancellation of the weekly three-hour show, industry insiders speculated that the reason for the move is to make room for a more commercial oriented radio show.

“We would like to thank the Los Angeles Hip-Hop community, all our listeners, fans and supporters of the Fantastik 4our,” Fantastik 4our said in a statement. “All of the artists, DJ’s, producers, graff artists, labels, street teams and all who have graced the airwaves with us. We repped for the Hip-Hop culture and we hope that you enjoyed listening as much as we enjoyed bringing it every Friday for the last 8 years.”

While the radio show has been yanked from the airwaves, Mr. Choc said the there were no internal problems with the Fantastik 4our and that they would continue as a collective.

“The guys I do the show with are my best friends,” Mr. Choc said. “It’s hard to work with people when they don’t share the same passion as you do. I never had that problem with the Fantastik 4our. J Rocc, C minus & Truly OdD are some of the best DJ’s on the planet hands down!”

Kanye West earned four nominations for the recording category of the 2006 NAACP Image Awards.

The Roc-A-Fella MC was nominated for Outstanding Male Artist, Outstanding Music Video and Song for “Diamonds From Sierra Leone,” as well as, Outstanding Album for Late Registration.

West will compete against Common, who was also nominated for Outstanding Music Video for “Testify” and Outstanding Male Artist.

The award nominations were announced yesterday (Jan. 10) in Beverly Hills, California by a star-studded cast including Aisha Tyler, Kimberly Elise and Randy Jackson of American Idol fame.

Presented annually, the NAACP Image Awards is the nation’s premier event celebrating the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice.

This year, more than 1200 entries were received.

From those entries, a special committee of 300 industry professionals and NAACP leaders from across the country selected five nominees in each category.

The final selections are voted on by NAACP members, and winners will be announced during the taping of the 37th NAACP Image Awards.

The 37th NAACP Image Awards will tape February 25th at the Shrine Auditorium and broadcast on Friday, March 3rd from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EST on FOX.

Eminem and ex-wife Kim Mathers seek to remarry, as the pair has applied for a marriage license in Michigan.

The license was formally submitted by Kim to marry Marshall Bruce Mathers III, the multi-platinum rapper’s legal name.

The request was filed at the Macomb County clerk’s office and will likely be ready by Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

After the application is prepared, the pair will have 30 days to remarry.

According to previous reports, the couple will be married again on January 14, but details are scarce.

Em and Kim have been together since they were teenagers. Their union has yielded a 10-year-old daughter named Hailey and Kim also has a two-year-old daughter named Whitney from another relationship. Originally, the couple was married in 1999, but divorced in 2001.

“We have reconciled and are probably going to remarry,” Eminem told Detroit radio station WKQI-FM in December.

BET announced the acquisition

of three new reality series yesterday (Jan. 9), including one starring imprisoned

rapper Lil’ Kim.

Famed director Reginald

Hudlin of the directing team The Hudlin Brothers, was named President

of Entertainment of BET in July of 2005.

Yesterday, Hudlin appeared

before TV critics for the first time since being appointed to the position.

He announced the acquisition

of “Lil’ Kim: Countdown to Lockdown” as well as two other

reality series, “Season of the Tiger” and “Meet the Faith

for BET’s 2006 season.

Hudlin said he aimed to

re-brand BET as a “leader of the new school” that will become a

“repository of all black culture.”

“Lil’ Kim: Countdown

to Lockdown” follows the rapper before she was sentenced to 366 days in

prison for perjury, after being found guilty of lying to a federal grand jury

about her knowledge of a broad daylight shootout in 2001 in New York.

“Mouth shut, head

held high, as she refuses to snitch” was the description Lil’ Kim’s

show, when it was presented to critics.

The series features Lil’

Kim at recording sessions, listening parties and spending time with family and

friends before she entered The Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[Lil’ Kim: Countdown

to Lockdown] takes a very serious look at her life and her choices, and the

consequences of those choices,” Hudlin told critics. “It’s absurd,

and it’s tragic.”

“Season of the Tiger” focuses on the lives of three students from

Grambling State University, while “Meet the Faith” is a Sunday talk

show that will feature various religious leaders discussing the issues of the

day.

Hudlin has experience in television production as well as movie making.

He has directed episodes

of The Bernice Mac Show, Everybody Hates Chris as well as the classic movies

“House Party” “Boomerang” “The Ladies Man”

and others.

“Lil’ Kim: Countdown

to Lockdown” will debut on Mar. 9.

B.G. is set to

release his new single “Move Around” and in the coming weeks, the

rapper will shoot a video for the new single, taken from his upcoming release,

The Heart of Tha Streetz: Vol. 2 (I Am What I Am) in the coming weeks.

Produced by Mannie Fresh,

“Move Around” marks the first time B.G. and Mannie Fresh have collaborated

since both left Cash Money Records.

"Mannie Fresh created a certain sound for each Cash Money artist and even

though I’ve worked with damn near everybody from Swizz Beats to DJ Smurf, Fresh

is Fresh," B.G. said. "We kept in contact over the years and after

he left the label, it was on and popping.”

The video was scheduled

to be filmed entirely in New Orleans, but B.G. was denied a permit by the city

because the area where he wanted to shoot was in the most devastated parts of

New Orleans.

The video, directed by Gil

Green, will be shot in parts of New Orleans and Atlanta over a two-day period.

B.G., now living in Detroit, confesses that he’s still affected by the disaster

that happened in his hometown.

"It can’t get no realer

than what happened to New Orleans,” B.G. continued. “I came to Detroit

about three years ago and it’s been like my second home ever since, but everyday

I wake up, I’m wishing I can go down to the projects and see my people.”

In related news, B.G. is schedule to return to court on Feb. 6th to answer to

charges of possession of a firearm and drug possession.

The former Cash Money Records

artist was arrested by police on last month (Dec. 18) in Detroit, after police

stopped his car and found a concealed weapon in his vehicle.

The Heart of

Tha Streetz: Vol. 2 (I Am What I Am) will be released March 21, 2006 on

Chopper City Records.