The Inc. founder Irv Gotti continues to rebuild his musical empire with the signing of singer/songwriter Vanessa Carlton, the first new artist on the label since Gotti entered into a joint venture with Universal Motown Records. The classically-trained musician hit the pop charts in 2002 with her debut, Be Not Nobody, which yielded the Top […]

The family of late R&B singer Gerald Levert will publicly celebrate his career Friday (Nov. 17) with a musical tribute in Cleveland. Stevie Wonder, Johnny Gill, Angie Stone, Angela Winbush and others are expected to attend the event, which will honor Levert’s legacy. The ceremony starts at 12:00 p.m. at the Cleveland Music Hall in […]

The late Ol Dirty Bastard will be remembered tonight (Nov. 15) as part of a memorial birthday party hosted by the rapper’s Brooklyn Zu crew and Wu-Tang Clan. The two groups will celebrate the late lyricist’s life at a gathering at the Canal Room in New York City. The event will feature performances by the […]

Miami rapper Rick Ross is organizing the Rick Ross Charities, which aims to create educational, social and mentoring programs to help improve the quality of life for youngsters.Ross will officially launch the organization Dec. 2 during the Florida Entertainment Summit at Rain night club."I started Rick Ross Charity to give back a positive influence to […]

Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ghostface Killah is making his new album a family affair with the addition of his 17-year-old son Sun God.The duo joins forces for two tracks on More Fish, the sequel to Ghostface’s previous Def Jam effort, Fishcale.In addition to Sun God, who appears on the tracks "Miguel Sanchez" and "God 2 God," […]

The divorce between Kevin “K-Fed” Federline and Britney Spears may be nasty, literally. According to reports, K-Fed may have a tape of he and soon-to-be ex-wife Britney Spears having sex. He has allegedly threatened to release the tape unless Spears gives him custody of their two children and pay an undisclosed amount of cash. Last […]

DMX is reportedly selling his three-story Harlem, N.Y., brownstone for $1.9 million, having realized that he hasn’t utilized the space. The Yonkers, N.Y., rapper (born Earl Simmons) bought the Fifth Avenue spot, which is opposite Mount Morris Park, in 2001 for $750,000 in cash, according to the New York Times. It was purchased during what […]

Amid several recent arrests, Snoop Dogg continues to build his brand with the launch of a new line of pet products. The Snoop Dogg Pet Line will start taking pre-orders Nov. 21 via a partnership with Amazon.com. The new line features various accessories for dogs, including toys, apparel and a sound chip that plays signature […]

Rapper/actor Ludacris is aiding in the search for runaway youth through his nonprofit, Ludacris Foundation, teaming up with Along with the National Runaway Switchboard, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and Essence Cares to bring awareness to the issue. The effort is part of the Switchboard’s public education campaign to increase awareness of issues facing America’s […]

UK Rapper Ms. Dynamite was injured in a high speed car crash, while filming for the UK reality TV show The Race. Ms. Dynamite, born Niomi McLean-Daley, was treated at the track’s medical center and was unconscious after the accident. Shortly after, the north London rapper was airlifted to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, and […]

Jacob "The Jeweler" Arabo filed a lawsuit against Scarface last week, claiming the pioneering Houston-based rapper owes over $37,000 for jewelry purchased in 2002. The famed jeweler to the stars claims that he repeatedly asked Scarface, born Bradley Jordan, to pay for the undisclosed items without success, so he filed the lawsuit in an attempt […]

Jay-Z and Russell Simmons have teamed up to produce a public service announcement aimed at combating anti-semitism. In addition to running his non-profit organization The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, Simmons serves as chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. The foundation’s mission is to foster and develop positive relationships with other ethnic groups. The Foundation […]

A week-long celebration to mark the release of Tupac Shakur’s newest posthumous release Pac’s Life kicked off today (Nov. 11) at the Vaknin Gallery in Atlanta. The event, titled All Eyez on Me: Hip-Hop’s Legendary Performers and Photographers, photographers, was the first in a series of occasions organized by the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (TASF). […]

R&B singer Gerald Levert died today (Nov. 10), after suffering a fatal heart attack. Levert, also known as “G-Bear” to his fans, is featured on Styles P upcoming album Time Is Money . He was 40-years-old. The R&B singer was working on a reality show that featured him losing weight along with 12 of his […]

Radio shock jock Star of "Star & Buc Wild" has stamped a February 2007 release date on his autobiographical manifesto, Objective Hate. The three-part book series will detail his rise to prominence in urban radio, as well as recount the May 8, 2006, incident that led to him being fired from New York’s Power 105.1."’Objective […]

Fans awaiting a new album from rapper TechN9ne can rest easy. The Kansas City lyricist has officially returned to the independent rap scene with the release of Everready, his first studio album in four years.Among the tracks featured on the disc, which is currently in stores, are "Jellysickle" and "Bout Ta’ Bubble," two popular selections […]

Juvenile won a victory in Duval County Court in Florida yesterday (Nov. 9), after the chart-topping rapper was found not liable for injuring a Jacksonville police officer’s knee during a scuffle at a local mall in 1999. Police officer Mellisa Huxley-Bujeda filed a lawsuit against Juvenile in 2003, claiming he was responsible for her knee […]

Rapper Ludacris will embark on a four-date speaking engagement that starts in Los Angeles and ends in Washington DC on World Aids Day, as part of YouthAIDS "Kick Me!" Campaign.Ludacris, who serves as an ambassador for YouthAIDS, will speak to students at UCLA, Northwestern University, NYU and George Washington University about the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which […]

Pioneering rapper Schoolly D and The Cartoon Network are being accused of copyright violations over the theme song to Cartoon Network’s hitseries Aqua Teen Hunger Force.In a lawsuit filed Nov. 7 with U.S. District Court in Eastern Pennsylvania, Terrence Yerves claimed that he co-authored the untitled song with Schoolly D in 1999, while recording at […]