New York’s Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced a settlement with investment bank Morgan Stanley after the company came under scrutiny for fraud, when one of its brokers defrauded 15 customers out of $740,000.Gabriele Tamar Smith, who counted DJ Clue, Fabolous, Kevin Liles and other Hip-Hop stars and executives as clients, ran Premier Business Management L.L.C. […]

Jay-Z officially kicked off his new partnership with St. Louis-based brewer Anheuser-Bush with a commercial spot that aired last night (Oct. 16) during ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast.As the rapper/Def Jam president’s latest single, "Show Me What You Got," played in the background, the 60-second spot highlighted scenes from the video, which was shot in […]

The season finale of Flavor Flav’s VH1 reality series Flavor of Love 2 drew over 7.5 million viewers, making it the year’s highest watched non-sports telecast on basic cable, according to VH1. The show featured Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav on a quest to find love. During the competition, the rapper made a connection with contestant […]

Snoop Dogg will premiere his new movie Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror tomorrow (Oct. 18) as part of the independent horror film festival, Screamfest 2006. Hood of Horror is a collection of three tales about neighborhood residents whose actions determine their fate in the afterlife. Snoop executive-produced the flick, which blends live action with animation. […]

Rapper Fabolous was shot early this morning (Oct. 17) as he left Justin’s, a popular New York eatery owned by Sean “Diddy” Combs. A man with a gun approached the Brooklyn-bred rapper, whose real name is John Jackson, and shot him once in the thigh as he departed restaurant. After he was wounded, the rapper […]

Yonkers, New York-based rap crew D-Block will give back to their hometown community this Saturday (Oct. 21) when the group launches their latest venture, the D-Block Shell Car Wash/Detail Center. The grand opening will feature performances by various artists. The new flagship business is a partnership between D-Block and New York entrepreneur Sammy “Sasso” El […]

Amid an ongoing sexual harassment trial against The Source, the magazine’s ousted co-founders Dave Mays and Raymond “Benzino” Scott have officially resurfaced with their new magazine, Hip-Hop Weekly. The publication, which launched today (Oct. 16), is designed to provide readers with “an informative and entertaining treat on every page, giving you the hottest pictures and […]

Producer/rapper Kanye West will be recognized for his charitable contributions at this year’s Action Awards, an exclusive fundraiser/dinner that supports the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network’s work in utilizing the power of Hip-Hop for social change. Other award recipients include Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Debra Lee and BET Networks, Steve Stoute, HSAN co-chairmen Russell Simmons and Dr. […]

St. Lunatic member Ali was arrested over the weekend for minor traffic violations and during the arrest, the rapper claims police brutalized him by stunning him almost 50 times with a 50,000 volt taser gun. Ali, born Ali Jones, was pulled over Saturday (Oct. 14) afternoon in Hazelwood, Missouri, for driving his Chevy Corvette with […]

Chicago rapper Rhymefest will act as an international spokesman for Hip-Hop culture when he meets with Conservative Party leader David Cameron in the United Kingdom this week.Rhymefest will meet with Cameron at the House of Commons on Thursday (Oct. 19) to help change the politician’s view of Hip-Hop music, according to UK daily The Sun. […]

Busta Rhymes is expanding the sounds of his Flipmode Squad to include R&B and has inked a deal with former Blackstreet frontman Chauncey Black. Black’s solo debut Church Boy features guest appearances by The Game, Young Buck, Rah Digga, Labb, Spliff Star and Busta Rhymes, while Dr. Dre, LT Hutton, Davel "Bo" McKenzie and Teddy […]

And it don’t stop. Rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was celebrated today (Oct. 13) in Chicago with his own day–his second such honor. According to the Associated Press, Mayor Richard Daly declared today as Diddy Day and presented Diddy with a set of cuff links bearing the city’s seal. He also called the entertainer "a […]

Trick Daddy will release the DVD, The Real Entourage, on Oct. 31, the same day as his new album, Book of Thugs II. The DVD, which will be issued via 845 Entertainment, shows the Miami rapper in his day-to-day dealings. In addition to candid interviews with Trick Daddy and his father about a number of […]

Atlanta rapper Young Dro will soon be shoulder-leaning around the country, as he plots his first major tour in support of his Atlantic Records debut Best Thang Smokin’. The colorful rapper is set to hit the road this fall for a major U.S. tour with labelmate T.I. The arena trek will kick off Oct. 27 […]

DMX’s statements in a recent interview with Sister 2 Sister Magazine may come back to bite him. The Yonkers, N.Y., rapper has been named in $2 million defamation lawsuit filed Thursday (Oct.12) by Monique Wayne of Prince George’s County, Md. The woman is claiming to be the mother of DMX’s two-year-old son Javon Micai Wayne. […]

Rap-A-Lot CEO James "J. Prince" Prince has denied that the legendary Houston-based label is co-owned by convicted drug kingpin Michael "Harry-O" Harris.Prince did not attend a hearing in Los Angeles today (Oct. 12) relating to the matter but he and his attorney offered up a challenge to settle Harris and his attorney Steve Golderg’s claims […]

Outkast’s Big Boi is finding good fortune through his alliance with Russell Athletic. The company, which outfits more than 500 men’s and women’s athletic teams on 49 HBCU campuses and provides more than over $350,000 in scholarship money each year, has partnered with Big Boi in support of his Big Kidz Foundation, a philanthropic project […]

Jin is planning to take full advantage of the MySpace phenomenon by releasing his new album I Promise via his MySpace page.The album, which has no ties to MySpace or any record label, will feature new music the rapper recorded over the last month and boasts production by Bangout, Canei, Obi & Josh, Younglord, Music […]