The family of Keith Bender Jr. filed a lawsuit today (Aug. 22) in Wayne County Circuit County against the estate of rapper Proof. The lawsuit, which seeks an undisclosed amount, is seeking damages for a fatal shootout at the CCC Club on Eight Mile Road on April 11. The lawsuit alleges Proof was responsible for […]

DMX will perform for American troops stationed in the Persian Gulf region, as the rapper is preparing to embark on his first United Service Organization (USO) tour. The event, which is sponsored by AT&T, brings entertainment to troops stationed througout the world. Past guests include Master P., Lil’ Romeo, Shinedown and La Mafia. DMX recently […]

Flipmode Squad leader Busta Rhymes will be the subject of a civil lawsuit to be filed this week by a man who said Rhymes assaulted him on Aug. 12.The incident occurred after Robert Lebron accidentally spit on the vehicle the lyricist was riding in."Me and my friends were walking across the street. I spit on […]

Mos Def has been selected to join an all-star cast for a new comedy called Be Kind Rewind, which will begin shooting in early September and is scheduled to release in 2007.In the New Line Cinema film, the Brooklyn-born emcee plays a video store employee who has to deal with a mischievous customer named Jerry […]

Do or Die member Belo is preparing The Truth, due out on The Legion Records/Asylum/WMG.The album could be the final release before a stint in prison as the Chicago-based rapper, born Darnell Smith, is charged with the first-degree murder for the Nov. 2002 murder of Raynard Pinkston.Belo’s murder case drew national attention, when the rapper’s […]

Brooklyn bred rapper Talib Kweli is preparing to release Ear Drum, which is the follow-up to 2004’s critically acclaimed release Beautiful Struggle.The album is being released on Kweli’s own imprint Blacksmith Music Corporation, which is distributed by Warner Bros. Records. "This record [Ear Drum], I just tried to make it about the sounds and about […]

The National Voter Coalition announced that it will premiere its taping of The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network Town Hall Meeting on Community Empowerment to east coast homes on August 21 at 10:00 pm on CN8, a Comcast network station.The town hall meeting was shot live in Philadelphia on July 12th at the University of Pennsylvania […]

Indie hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks is slated to drop their new album Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell, Sept. 19 on Babygrande Records.The group’s fifth album, which includes collaborations with ILL Bill, Sean Price and R.A. The Rugged Man, will also feature tracks with noted indie rock artists like Sufjan Stevens and vocalist […]

Rapper Busta Rhymes was arrested shortly after an appearance at Heineken’s AmsterJam Festival last night (Aug. 19) on Randalls Island. While details of the arrest were not immediately available, police claim Rhymes may have assaulted a concertgoer that allegedly spit on his car, after his performance around 5 p.m.The New York Daily News reports that […]

New Orleans Rapper Young City, formerly known as Chopper, attended a hearing yesterday (Aug. 18) in Baltimore County Circuit Court for armed robbery charges dating back to September of 2001.Kevin Lamont Barnes, Jr., who gained widespread popularity as the young, rambunctious rapper known as Chopper on Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ MTV series Making The Band, faced […]

Slip-N-Slide Records’ rap diva Trina, born Katrina Taylor, has officially cut ties with her distributing label Atlantic Records, and is now searching for a new recording home.Ted Lucas, owner of Trina’s label Slip-N-Slide Records, said that Atlantic was no longer able to assist the rapper in her upcoming endeavors.“We decided to look for another label […]

Producer and Virgin Records president of urban music, Jermaine Dupri, has signed on to be musical director of the 2nd annual AmsterJam, an 8-hour music festival at Randalls Island.The concert pairs musical acts together from various genres of music. As musical director, Dupri will be responsible for helping artists like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers […]

No Limit Records artist Corey “C-Murder” Miller has been ordered back into house arrest. The one-page order was handed down yesterday (Aug.17) by 24th Judicial District Court Judge Martha Sassone in response to a 5th Circuit Court of Appeal’s ruling on Tuesday (Aug. 15). “Corey Miller is to be placed on complete home incarceration and […]

C&C Music Factory’s Freedom Williams and noted producer/pioneering New York rapper Duane "Spyder D" Hughes have joined forces to create Atlanta Krunk Basketball, LLC, a new Continental Basketball Association (CBA) franchise.Originally called The Charlotte Krunk, the team was forced to move when other teams in the American Basketball League division shut down and canceled numerous […]

Rap mogul Sean “Diddy Combs will team up with Essence magazine to help kick off New York’s Fashion Week. Combs will host the Essence -sponsored Black Style Now opening gala from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Museum of the City of New York. The event will celebrate the opening of Black […]

Vivendi Universal announced that 50 Cent’s video game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, will now be available on Play Station Portable (PSP) and will include newly-designed features game options. The new video game, first released in 2005 for Play Station 2 and X Box, will feature 36 new counter-kill moves and a large variety of melee and […]

A host of top-selling rappers have been nominated for AskMen.com’s annual Top 49 Men list. Over 15,000 nominations were submitted for the list of men that best represent the male gender. Russell Simmons, Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Timbaland and others made the semi-finals, which have been narrowed down to just over 100 candidates. […]

DJ Jazzy Jeff and Koch Records have teamed to release The Death of Willie Lynch, the debut album of Def Poetry Jam alum Black Ice. Due to arrive in stores on September 5, the new disc features collaborations with Musiq Soulchild, Natalie Stewart of Floetry, Vee and Chyna Black. The CD also features production from […]

Award-winning writer and Hip-Hop historian Kevin Powell is set to release his seventh book, Someday We’ll All Be Free, a collection of three essaysinspired by 9/11, the 2004 presidential election and Hurricane Katrina.The three essays, inspired by Powell’s personal visits to New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Houston during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, are a […]