Busta Rhymes And Funk Flex Clash Over Leaked Song
Busta Rhymes’ lengthy hiatus from rap has seemingly caused the supply to exceed the demand and Hot 97 DJ Funk Master Flex has leaked a new song from the Aftermath rapper without permission. Flex premiered the Scott Storch-produced "I’ll Hurt You" on Wednesday and Busta has reluctantly started to promote his next album. "Somehow, some […]

Houston Rapper Kiotti Inks Major Label Deal
Houston, Texas Rapper Kiotti has inked a deal with Unauthorized Entertainment and has secured major label backing from Asylum/WEA. Kiotti, who was featured in The Source’s “Unsigned Hype,” rejected offers from Def Jam, J Records and Sony, after his single “H##### H#####” dropped and was well received by rap fans. Shortly afterwards, Kiotti signed with […]

AHH Stray News: Bone, Twista, Nelly, Billboard Mag
Rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony was hit with a $43, 219 lawsuit by their lawyers Walter & Haverhill. The lawsuit, filed in Cleveland’s Cuyahoga County Court, claims that the multi-platinum rap group owes money for unpaid legal services. Representatives for the group declined comment. At an event celebrating his first ever Grammy nomination, Twista and luxury […]

Queen Of Denmark Takes On Missy Elliott In Logo Dispute
Missy Elliott’s line of clothing Respect ME with sports giant adidas, hit a bump in the road – courtesy of the Queen of Denmark. Queen Margrethe II complained that Elliott’s logo, which the superstar rapper/producer designed herself, infringed on the Royal monogram. “Adidas has never intended to copy the crown or any other symbols of […]

Reebok Launching New Campaign Featuring Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Allen Iverson, Others
Reebok is launching a $50 million dollar ad campaign, “I Am What I Am,” which will feature rappers Jay-Z, 50 Cent, NBA stars Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, tennis star Andy Roddick, soccer star Iker, skater Stevie Williams and actress Lucy Liu. The global campaign kicks off February 20th, with television ads running during the NBA’s […]

Scam Artists Get Over $9G’s With Fake DMX Concert
Though DMX’s tardy appearances and no-shows at scheduled performances have been well documented, the Yonkers rapper was the victim of a real concert scam in Springfield, Illinois this past weekend. Booking agents spent at least $1,325 to arrange DMX’s performance at the Orr Building on Illinois State Fairgrounds, according to Springfield’s State Journal-Register. The phony […]

Game Hits No. 1 Again, Addresses Namedrops Criticism
The Game re-took the top slot on the Billboard charts this week with his seminal work, The Documentary, a work that moved over 190, 000 more units according to data derived from SoundScan. And while the album is already heralded as one of the best offerings of the year, Game took a second to address […]
Rza’s Ex Wants More Child Support
Rza has a ominous date in court with the mother of his four-year-old daughter as she is seeking more financial support from the Wu-Tang Clan co-founder. Jamie Summers, the ex-girlfriend of the Rza, is taking the rapper to court the day after Valentine’s Day next week in an effort to get more money to support […]

Sway & King Tech Go ‘Back 2 Basics’
Sway & King Tech, legendary hosts of the syndicated rap radio program “The Wake Up Show,” will showcase up-and-coming artists alongside veteran acts with the release of their second album Back 2 Basics. The title is intended as a return to focusing more on lyricism, the pair explains. “[It’s] all about giving talented MCs with […]

B.I.G.’s Brooklyn Mint Clothing Line Debuts, Jay-Z Gets Down
Brooklyn Mint, the clothing line launched by the late Notorious B.I.G. in 1996, will debut during the Magic Convention from February 14th-18th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Under the watchful eye of B.I.G.’s managers Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow, Brooklyn Mint will drop several T-Shirts with images of B.I.G. with the approval of B.I.G’s mother, Voletta […]

P. Diddy Turns Down Warner, Says Offer Was Undervalued
Hip-Hop and Fashion entrepreneur Sean “P. Diddy” Combs recently turned down an offer from the Warner Music Group to purchase his Bad Boy recording label. The proposal was initially offered to acquire Combs’ share of the imprint, which is presently being distributed through Universal until early next year. The New York Times reported the deal […]

Tupacs Father Seeks Release From Jail
Dr. Mutulu Shakur, stepfather of Tupac Shakur, will report in for a parole hearing today to appeal for a release from an Atlanta-area prison. The elder Shakur was arrested on Feb. 12, 1986 and was subsequently sentenced to 60 years in jail for an alleged conspiracy against the government according to his website. The feds […]

Hip-Hop A Major Player In Superbowl
As the NFL put its best on display at Super Bowl XXXIX Sunday (Feb. 6) in Jacksonville, Florida, hip-hop, too, made its presence known. With about 140 million viewers expected to tune in, rap stars and R&B singers alike materialized in high quantity at the biggest football match-up of the year between the New England […]

Suge Knight Arrested In California
Marion “Suge” Knight was arrested Saturday (Feb. 5) evening for suspicion of violating his parole after police found marijuana in his Ford pickup truck during a traffic stop, according to reports. Knight, 39, was arrested in Barstow, about 100 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The rap mogul is currently awaiting transfer to state prison […]

RZA Signs Autographs In NYC For Wu-Tang Manual
Founding Wu-Tang Clan member RZA will return to his native New York City Saturday (Feb. 5) to sign copies of "The Wu-Tang Manual: Enter the 36 Chambers, Book One." "The Wu-Tang Manual: Enter the 36 Chambers, Book One" is RZA’s introduction to Wu-Tang Clan’s history. The first book chronicles the philosophy of the band of […]

Jermaine Dupri Signs 106 & Park Champion To Virgin
In another classic BET “106 & Park” moment, Hip-Hop mogul Jermaine Dupri announced that he has signed freestyle champion SunNY, who was officially named to “Freestyle Friday” Hall of Fame Friday (Feb. 4) after a seven-week winning streak. Dupri surprised the “106 & Park” audience by appearing on stage, presenting SunNY with a chain and […]

Actor/Activist Ossie Davis Dies At 87
Renowned actor Ossie Davis, who advocated social and racial justice in life and on stage, has died at the age of 87. Davis was found dead Friday (Feb. 4) in his Shore Club Hotel room in Miami Beach, Florida, according to the Associated Press. Davis’ grandson called officials early morning after Davis would not open […]

AHH Stray News: Master P, The Roots, Kurupt
Master P has commented on a recent arrest and has proclaimed his innocence in a statement. “Black man with gun, white cop panic. I’m a businessman. If the cops stopped panicking for one minute, they would’ve realized that the guns were registered, and that is legal in America, said Master P. Officers on the campus […]

“The Godfather” Video Game On The Way
The gangster flick many rappers swear by is finally coming to video – games that is. A video game version of the classic "The Godfather" book/film is in the works, Electronic Arts and Viacom Consumer Products announced Wednesday (Feb. 2). "The Godfather," written by Mario Puzo and developed into a Paramount Pictures motion picture is […]

Tray Dee Gets 12 Years For Gun Case
Rapper Tray Dee of Snoop Dogg’s West Coast-based crew, Tha Eastsidaz, was sentenced to 12 years in California state prison Wednesday (Feb. 2) in relation to a 2003 shooting. Tray Dee, born Tracy Lamar Davis, appeared in Long Beach Superior Court and pleaded no contest to the shooting, which allegedly occurred near an occupied vehicle, […]