(AllHipHop News) Superstar rappers Jay-Z and Eminem kicked off the first musical performance to be held at the new Yankees Stadium in the Bronx last night (September 13th). A variety of rappers joined Eminem on the stage during the historic concert, including D12, 50 Cent and B.o.B. Jay-Z performed an electrifying set that thrilled the crowd as well, as guests like Drake, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Kanye West joined Jay-Z on the stage. A second and final show will take place tonight (September 14th) at Yankee Stadium. Representatives for Petey Pablo have attempted to explain an incident on September 11th, in which the North Carolina-based rapper attempted to smuggle a stolen pistol on board a flight to Los Angeles. According to a rep for the rapper, the gun belonged to one of his friends. Reps told TMZ.com that Last month, Petey Pablo learned the close friend was going to do something “crazy” with the gun, so the rapper hid the weapon in a luggage bag, out of the friend’s reach. Petey claims he grabbed the bag by mistake, as he was rushing to catch a flight to Los Angeles for the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Petey Pablo is charged with suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a stolen firearm. Petey Pablo’s next court date is October 4th. Record distributor Fat Beats has announced the lineup of performers, who will celebrate the store’s 14-year existence, which will come to a close on September 18th, when the store closes the L.A. location for good. For the Los Angeles shows, rappers like Kurupt, Dilated Peoples, Percee P., Mellow Man Ace, Planet Asia, Bishop Lamont and Strong Arm Steady will perform, while DJ’s like Rhettmatic, DJ Revolution and J Rocc will hold down the turntables during the events. “California has supported us since day one and we’re looking forward to putting on great shows for our final week,” said Fat Beats’ owner Joseph Abajian aka DJ Jab. The show schedule is listed below:Tuesday, September 14th: Trek Life, Percee P & Mellow Man Ace & othersWednesday, September 15th: Tiron, Ayomari, Bambu, Tunji, & othersThursday, September 16th: Producer Showcase – Exile, Rhettmatic, HouseShoes, Shafiyq, & others Friday, September 17th: Kurupt, Bishop Lamont, Dilated Peoples, Eiht, Ras Kass, Planet Asia, Affion Crockett, Funkdoobiest, Strong Arm Steady, & othersSaturday, September 18th: Special guest DJ’s and performers all daySunday, September 19th: DJ’s Showcase – DJ Revolution, Rhettmatic, J Rocc,& others

(AllHipHop News) Representatives for a British soap opera have denied reports that superstar rapper 50 Cent will be featured on their show. Reports have been circulating claiming that 50 Cent will make a cameo appearance in the BBC show EastEnders. A tabloid reported that the rapper was introduced to the show by his friend Rio Ferdinand, who plays for Manchester United. After following the show, the rapper reportedly became a huge fan of the show, particularly Barbara Windsor’s character, Peggy Mitchell. “We’re flattered he’s a fan, but there have been no talks about him appearing in the show,” a rep for the EastEnders said in a statement.

(AllHipHop News) Incarcerated rapper Lil Boosie has revealed details behind his upcoming album Incarcerated, which will be released as the rapper serves a four-year sentence for drug possession and awaits trial for 1st-degree murder. Boosie, born Torrence Hatch, was sentenced to prison after police arrested the rapper in October 2008 and found marijuana and a gun in his vehicle. In June of 2010, as he was serving his sentence for the guns and drugs, the district attorney’s office indicted Lil Boosie on 1st degree murder charges, for allegedly hiring gunmen to shoot and kill a 35-year-old Baton Rogue man named Terry Boyd in December of 2009. Lil Boosie claimed the charges against him were the result of a conspiracy against Hip-Hop music. “I’m innocent; I’m completely innocent” stated the rapper. “My situation is one that is unjust, unfair and based on an attack against hip-hop and rap as a whole.”Incarcerated will contain all new tracks that Boosie recorded just days before he surrendered to authorities in November of 2009. Additionally, Lil Boosie has reconnected with his Trill Entertainment label to release a new compilation CD this October. The first single is titled “Turn Tha Beat Up” and funds from the projects will go to the legal defense fund for Boosie and the other men that have been indicted. Finally, a new DVD from Trill Entertainment titled Ghetto Stories: The Movie. The flick will star Lil Boosie, Webbie, actor Tyrin Turner and Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander. “Even through these circumstances my family, labels and fans have stood by me and I thank you for that.  My album Incarcerated comes at a real changing point in my life,” Lil Boosie said. 

(AllHipHop News) Entertainment One Music/Krossover Entertainment/Larsiny Family recently announced the release of a new studio album from Cassidy.  His fourth studio album, C.A.S.H. (Cass A Straight Hustla), is set to be released on November 2nd, 2010 on Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony’s new label, Krossover Entertainment.    “I’m happy to be in business with E1,” Carmelo Anthony said. “I came to E1 because I know all the hard work they are going to put into the project and I’m glad to have an artist like Cassidy. Cassidy has been through so much and has a tremendous story to tell.”  Cassidy recently released a new EP titled “Face 2 Face” on iTunes, which features the rapper’s latest single “Face to Face,” which is on radio now.  The latest single by Cassidy is titled “Drumma Base,” which will be serviced to urban radio in the coming weeks. “My album is C.A.S.H. It stands for ‘Cass A Straight Hustla’,” Cassidy said. “Cash is a street hustla, the best album I ever put together. It is executive-produced by myself and I wrote 99 % of the verses.”As far as the production, Cassidy worked with Top Notch and Neo da Matrix who Cassidy has worked with since his first album.  “C.A.S.H. is a classic,” exclaimed Cassidy, whose debut album Split Personality entered the Billboard 200 chart at #2 and was certified Gold-certified. His sophomore album, I’m a Hustla, was released through Swizz Beatz’s label, Full Surface, and included the hits “I’m a Hustla” and “B-Boy Stance.”  Cassidy’s third album, B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story included the single, “My Drink n My 2 Step,” also produced by Swizz Beatz.

(AllHipHop News) A number of music industry executives have come out in support of manager James Rosemond, after an article in the New York Daily News ran today (September 13th), accusing him of cooperating with the government in a variety of cases. The New York Daily News reported that Rosemond served as an informant in at least three cases since the mid-1990’s including one, in which he received leniency for a Los Angeles gun case.People who were actually at his sentencing have come forward with statements to clear Rosemond of the allegations contained in The Daily News’ piece. “I was inside the courtroom at Jimmy Rosemond’s sentencing and nothing that the NY Daily News alleges took place,” former Haitian Presidential candidate Wyclef Jean told AllHipHop.com. “Looking from the outside within, the way the judge and prosecutor were beating on this man, if at any time there was such cooperation it would have been made crystal clear in the courtroom. I speak as a witness that was in the courtroom that day and it deeply saddens me that whenever we do the right thing, people want to put us on the wrong path.” Representatives for Rosemond said that the rapper has suffered from years of bad press, since rapper Tupac Shakur name checked him on the songs “Against All Odds” and “Hit ‘Em Up.”On the songs, Shakur claimed Henchmen was a co-conspirator in his 1994 shooting in front of The Quad recording studio in New York, while a number of top rappers were present, including Notorious B.I.G., Lil Cease, Andre Harrell and Sean “Diddy” Combs.In May of 2008, the Los Angeles Times released explosive documents claiming to prove an undeniable link between Shakur’s 1994 shooting and Jimmy Rosemond, as well as Sean “Diddy” Combs.Both Rosemond and Combs vehemently denied the reports, and it was later learned that the information was based off fake documents forged by an incarcerated con man named David Sabatino.The L.A. Times was forced to retract the story.Ironically, today’s story in the New York Daily News coincides marks the 14-year anniversary of Shakur’s death. The rapper was gunned down on the Las Vegas Strip on September 6th, 1996 and died from his wounds on September 13th. Rosemond’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, also denied the claims in The New York Daily News and said that his client had never signed any cooperation agreement with the state of federal government.”The article in today’s New York Daily News about Jimmy Rosemond is nothing short of a targeted assassination attempt by the government, with an assist from their favorite daily newspaper,” Lichtman told AllHipHop.com in a statement.  “Due to the government’s inability to convict Jimmy in a court of law, they have stooped to trying to get him lynched in the street,” Lichtman fumed. “We are weighing our legal options at this time but we can say in no uncertain terms: Jimmy is not and has never cooperated with law enforcement.  If you noticed the article never stated one named person that Mr. Rosemond allegedly informed upon. Any suggestion otherwise is a damnable, actionable lie.” Aaliyah’s uncle Barry Hankerson, a veteran music executive and owner of Blackground Records was also in court with Rosemond, where he testified as a character witness on his behalf.  “I attended the sentencing hearing for Jimmy in the capacity of a character witness and in the courtroom I observed a judge that was moved by the number of people that had experienced Jimmy over time, particularly me who worked very closely with him. Jimmy is clearly a man that impacted the court by the way he lived. At one point during the sentencing the judge responded that the fact that everyone was there on Jimmy’s behalf was impressive and Jimmy deserved leniency in his sentencing. It was obvious to all of us as observers that the sentence was not handed down based upon reports or intrinsic findings but based upon the obvious character and rehabilitation that Jimmy portrayed through his friends, associates and family members.” Hip-Hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy also vouched for Rosemond and shot down the reports, which he “vividly remembered” because an R&B legend also appeared in court to support Rosemond. “I was there at Jimmy’s sentencing hearing as a character witness and nothing like what is purported in the New York Daily News actually transpired in the courtroom,” Fab 5 Freddy said. “I vividly remember one of the highlights that day was when Gladys Knight appeared on Jimmy’s behalf and he had a huge showing of support. At one stage the prosecutor was trying to be aggressive because of contempt that Jimmy had won other cases and the judge had to scold her for being too aggressive. It was a memorable moment. Jimmy finished the remaining term and has since been on the right path. This seems like a complete smear job and what the Daily News did resembles what was done to him at the Los Angeles Times which resulted in the firing of a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and a retraction from the newspaper.”Eric B. of the legendary Hip-Hop group Eric B. & Rakim also said that the Daily News’ story about Rosemond ever cooperating with the government was full of inaccuracies. “I was there from day one for Jimmy and as one that was at his sentencing I can say that it was never mentioned in court that he cooperated with the state,” Eric B. stated. “In fact, the prosecutor said that the courts had let Jimmy slip through the cracks. There was unequivocally never any dialogue in the court sentencing that even remotely resembles what was written in the Daily News article and the story clearly didn’t point to any evidence. How do you have a case with no evidence? It just doesn’t add up.”Musician, producer and songwriter Bryce Wilson also expressed support for Rosemond, who manages the career of Compton rapper The Game, Sheek Louch, Mario Winans, Blood Raw, Rich Boy and others.”Absolutely none of this was ever brought up in the courtroom and what the Daily News asserts is absurd,” Wilson stated.