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 […]

Eric "Lil’ Eazy-E" Wright, son of the late Eazy-E, hopes to be the next rap delegate of Compton, Calif., and now he’s well on his way.The 22-year-old rapper recently inked a deal with Blackground/Universal and is currently preparing his debut album Prince of Compton, due early next year.Lil’ Eazy-E, who was 10-years-old when his father […]

Sexual harassment versus meeting professional expectations–those were the points raised during opening arguments in the sexual harassment trial against The Source Magazine yesterday (Oct. 11). Lawyers for former Source editor Kim Osorio alleged that their client was forced out of her position amid verbal abuse and threats of physical violence, the New York Post reports. […]

Block Entertainment/Bad Boy lyricist Yung Joc has teamed with the Raw Report to give viewers an inside look at his life in the new DVD, The Jocumentary, scheduled to arrive in stores on Nov. 14.Produced by the Raw Report, the new documentary follows an uncensored Joc in his travels and contains interviews and exclusive behind-the-scenes […]

The driver of a truck that critically injured Philadelphia rapper Cassidy has been issued a summons for making an improper turn. According to police, Javier Trujillo Gonzalez, 36, of Carson City, MI, was issued the ticket for his role in the accident, after his truck ran a red light and crossed into a an intersection, […]

Rapper Jay-Z has responded to the recent announcement that the Chinese government would not allow him to perform a date in Shanghai. According to local promoter Sun Yun, China’s Ministry of Culture denied Jay-Z’s performance because of the "vulgar language" in some of his lyrics. Jay-Z was confident he would soon land on China’s mainland […]

G-Unit’s Lloyd Banks and the G-Unity Foundation recently donated $10,000 to August Martin High School in Jamaica, Queens last week. Banks’ donation to his alma mater will be used to bolster the library. "I wanted to start something new," Banks told Fox 5 New York. "I will make sure I come back here every year, […]

Rapper-turned-actor Ice-T will return to his Hip-Hop roots with his ninth studio album Gangsta Rap, which arrives in stores on Halloween (Oct. 31) via the Los Angeles-based Melee Recordings.The new disc will be Ice-T’s first album since 1999’s The Seventh Deadly Sin and contains 17 tracks that were mostly recorded in New York.Known for trailblazing […]

Ex-Ruff Ryders affiliate Drag-On is creating a new buzz with the establishment of his own record label, Hood Environment. The rapper, who has sold more than a million albums over his 10-year career, will release his first album since 2003 under the new label."HE is Hood Environment and the reason I named my label that […]

A proposed concert in Shanghai by rapper Jay-Z has been denied by the Chinese government. by the country’s Ministry of Culture.The rapper was supposed to make his debut in China at Hongkou Football Stadium on Oct. 23, but the country’s Ministry of Culture denied local promotional company KS Productions the needed permits.Government officials banned Jay-Z’s […]

A new battle is brewing in rap and this time it’s between Rap-A-Lot/J. Prince Boxing CEO James Prince and incarcerated drug dealer Michael "Harry-O" Harris.According to Harris’ attorney Steve Goldberg, Harris has laid claim to a 50% stake in Rap-A-Lot Records, alleging that he provided seed money to launch the label in the mid-’80s, similar […]

Queen Latifah and Tyrese Gibson are among the artists nominated for Film Life’s 2006 Black Movie Awards–A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present and Future.Hosted by Tyler Perry, the show will honor creative achievements by African Americans in feature-length motion pictures, both in front of and behind the camera, as well as recognize outstanding films […]

For those who can’t afford the platinum grillz, Paul Wall’s got you covered.The Houston rapper, who operates a grillz shop in his hometown, is launching a new, low-cost line of gold teeth called Ballin’ On a Budget, which will be priced at $50-$75 per tooth."They’re a one-size-fits-all type of grill," Paul Wall told AllHipHop.com. "We […]

Virgin/EMI is preparing to release a greatest hits collection from Gangstarr titled Mass Appeal: The Best Of Gang Starr. The CD features 21 of Gangstarr’s greatest hits, spanning their 20-year-career. Included on the CD are two bonus tracks. "Tha Squeeze" is from the Training Day soundtrack, while "Natural" was taken from the Spin This soundtrack. […]

Rap superstar DMX is facing a misdemeanor traffic charge after police stopped him yesterday (Oct. 9) in New York and impounded his vehicle for various driving infractions. Police stopped the rapper for driving his 2001 Chevy Suburban uninspected, as he was traveling on the Saw Mill River Parkway in Yonkers, New York. When police ran […]

After her 10-month stay in prison, Lil’ Kim said she found a new mission–to help guide foster children in the right direction. In an effort to spread awareness about the state of foster care, the Brooklyn rapper recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak and participate in the second annual Keeping the Promise to At-Risk […]

Queen Latifah will continue to promote female empowerment by honoring five more women at the second annual Curvation Project Confidence Awards luncheon, which takes place in New York in early 2007. Queen Latifah, along with a panel of experts, will choose five women from across the country who helped others gain confidence and self-esteem through […]

A new cast of Hip-Hop pioneers were celebrated at VH1’s third annual Hip-Hop Honors Saturday night (Oct. 2) at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom. The show paid respect to the visionaries that helped shape Hip-Hop into a global phenomenon. The class of 2006 included Afrika Bambaataa, Beastie Boys, Eazy-E, Rakim, MC Lyte, Russell Simmons, and Wu-Tang […]