Creative Commons and Wired Magazine have launched “The Fine Art of Sampling” contest, encouraging fans to sample works from such well known acts as The Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Chuck D., Danger Mouse, Le Tigre, My Morning Jacket and others. Creative Commons was founded by Stanford Law School professor Lawrence Lessig, one of the nation’s […]

50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and super producer, Swizz Beats teamed up with celebrity sports agent Glenn Toby and NY Jets #91 Josh Evans, to open the "2004 Book Bank Foundation Holiday Superstore for the Homeless," over the Christmas holiday. New York’s Bowery Mission housed the superstore which provided over 300 New York City homeless children […]

Geto Boys member Bushwick Bill will be featured as a celebrity guest model at the First Annual Makaveli Branded Fashion Show, the clothing line launched by Tupac Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur. “It is significant that this event is being held in Los Angeles on New Years,” Bushwick Bill said. “This day represents the birth of […]

Rock/rap group Linkin Park has formed Music for Relief and has partnered with the American Red Cross with hopes of raising funds for the victims of a massive tsunami which so far has claimed over 175,000 in Southern Asia. The group has donated $100,000 for victims of the incident, which was triggered by a 9.0 […]

Former New York State Sen. Guy Velella, convicted of bribery charges, is reportedly sharing the same prison unit at Rikers Island as former Bad Boy rapper Shyne, who is incarcerated for his role in a club shooting. Upon returning to jail Monday (Dec. 27) to finish a one-year sentence for conspiring to funnel public contracts […]

Russell Simmons and Kenard Gibbs, President of Vibe Magazine, will be honored at Jesse Jackson’s Eighth Annual Wall Street Project Conference, which will take place January 11-13 at the Hilton New York Hotel, in New York City. The theme of the conference this year is “Beyond Diversity, Equity and Parity: A New Covenant.” Doug E. […]

The hit movie franchise “Barbershop,” which starred Ice Cube, will be developed into a half-hour comedy series, utilizing the films’ original producers and writer John Ridley. Ridley penned the screenplays for “Undercover Brother,” “Three Kings” which starred Ice Cube and UPN’s short-lived “Platinum” series, which focused on the exploits of a Hip-Hop record label. "’Barbershop’ […]

Queens duo Mobb Deep are set to tour in the UK with renowned DJ/producer Alchemist from January 31 February 2, 2005. Havoc and Prodigy will perform songs off their latest album Amerikaz Nightmare as well as classics from Murda Muzik and The Infamous. Following their sold out July concert in London, the duo and their […]

When he’s on the court he is a highly paid superstar, but behind the sound boards Chris Webber tries to remain as anonymous as possible. The Sacramento King and NBA all-star has been making beats under a secret name for some time the athlete revealed. “I make beats under an alias,” Webber told Dime magazine […]

A week after violence erupted at an after party that was to feature The Inc. rapper Ja Rule in Peoria, Illinois, more violence occurred last night in Ja’s hometown of New York, this time resulting in death. Two men left the LQ club on Manhattan’s Eastside and opened fire on two men they argued with […]

Rapper Kurupt has signed on to showcase his acting skills in a new movie “Click,” set at the end of the Civil War. Kurupt will star opposite of veteran actor David Carradine, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill – Vol. 2.” The movie centers […]

Rapper 50 Cent heeded the advice contained in his major label debut, Get Rich or Die Trying, and has earned over $50 million dollars in the past year. Through various endorsement deals, films, record label, clothing and a sneaker line, the self-admitted former crack dealer had a remarkable year. According to the New York Times, […]

Nigerian rapper Eedris Abdulkareem addressed an altercation with 50 Cent, which took place at The Star Mega Jam, which was staged in four Nigerian cities between December 1 and 5, 2004. According to Abdulkareem, he had been asked by concert promoter Nigerian Breweries to perform at the concert, as one of Nigeria’s most popular rappers. […]

Rapper Ras Kass has been released from Corcoran State Prison in California, after serving almost 2 yearsfor a third DUI conviction. The rapper was released on December 21, 2004. In January of 2003, Ras Kass was supposed to surrender to California authorities to serve a mandatory 9 months for the conviction. Instead of surrendering, the […]

America’s Next Top Model champ Eva Pigford may be a promising model, but the 19-year-old beauty says she’s also an avid fan of Hip-Hop, naming entrepreneur P. Diddy as her number one artist. "That man is a hustler," Eva told AllHipHop.com. "He has a great smile, and he saved so many lives and touched so […]

ABC’s investigative news show “Prime Time” reported the present status of John Forte, a rapper serving 14 mandatory years in jail on drug charges. A first-time offender, Forte is trying to ease his lengthy sentence, a weighty endeavor under the current legal system. However, the rapper stated that his optimism of getting out keeps him […]

Nas, who lyrically attacked basketball superstar Kobe Bryant among others in his song “These Are Our Heroes (Coon Picnic),” appeared on ESPN’s Sportscenter to share his thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers forward. Nas addressed Bryant’s rape allegations, which were recently dismissed in court, as well as Bryant’s blemished character in “These Are Our Heroes” […]

Tupac Shakur’s seventh posthumous release, Loyal to the Game, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Charts Wednesday (Dec. 22), making the album Pac’s third chart-topper since his murder in 1996. Loyal to the Game (Amaru/Interscope), a compilation of Pac’s unreleased vocal tracks over new production, sold 330,000 units in the week ending Friday (Dec. […]

As she was trying to spread some holiday cheer, Terror Squadian Remy Martin was involved in a traffic accident that required that the Bronx native be admitted to a New York Hospital, her representatives have revealed. Manager Shonte Armstrong explained that Rem was recovering from the crash that wrecked the female lyricist’s BMW 645i. “Early […]

UK newspaper The Guardian named rapper Estelle along side various global women personalities as Women of the Year. “A few years ago she was depressed and penniless, unable to break through the underground garage scene, but she listened to her mum and kept going,” the Guardian said. “And now we bow down to this year’s […]