A new collections of songs by rapper Big L is due in stores today (August 31st). The rapper, who was killed when an unknown gunman shot him to death in February of 1999, is regarded as one of the best rapper’s to ever touch a microphone. Now, a new 12-song collection titled 139th & Lenox, a tribute to the rapper’s old stomping grounds. The unreleased tracks feature Big L during his height, with producers like Buckwild, Hi-Tek and the late Roc Raida lending tracks to the collection. 139th & Lenox is in stores now. Grammy Award winning producer Jim Jonsin recently commented on the success of his debut artist, B.o.B., who has been nominated for five MTV VMA Awards from his hit debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray. Jonsin executive produced the album for his own label, Rebel Rock Entertainment. “It’s great to see a true talent like B.o.B succeed, and it’s equally as fulfilling to see a great person win,” Jonsin said of B.o.B’s success, which includes a pair of #1 singles. “I’m really proud of my label, Rebel Rock Entertainment, for continuing to put out great music that the fans are loving.” Jonsin is currently in the studio making tracks for T.I., Pitbull, R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg and Yelawolf. Ice Cube revealed Details surrounding the release of his highly anticipated ninth studio album, I Am the West. Ice Cube unveiled the record yesterday (August 31st) in New York, to an elite group of executives and journalists. The rapper played tracks from the 16-song album, which features guest appearances from WC, Jayo Felony, Young Maylay, Doughboy and OMG.The tracklisting for I Am the West is listed below: 1. A Boy Was Conceived2. Soul On Ice3. Life In California (feat. Jayo Felony & WC)4. She Couldn’t Make It On Her Own (feat. OMG & Doughboy)5. Urbanian6. Y’all Know How I Am (feat. OMG, WC, Doughboy & Maylay)7. Too West Coast (feat. WC & Maylay)8. I Rep That West 9. Drink The Kool-Aid 10. No Country For Young Men11. It Is What It Is12. Hood Robbin13. Your Money Or Your Life14. Nothin’ Like L.A.15. All Day, Everyday16. Fat Cat

(AllHipHop News) Although he is still riding the wave of praise from his critically acclaimed debut album The Salvation on Jamla/Duck Down Music, rapper Skyzoo has joined forces with highly regarded producer, Illmind.   Illmind, a Filipino American producer from New Jersey, is well known for his beats for G-Unit, Boot Camp Click, Red Man, Scarface, Eminem and Little Brother. The pair will drop Live from the Tape Deck on Duck Down Music in the Fall. The Brooklyn-based duo of Skyzoo and Illmind dropping what they call “just dope beats and rhymes.” “It’s not rocket science,” said Skyzoo. “There won’t be any deep undertones or personal records like The Salvation; just dope beats and rhymes that’s better than everything else out.”  Skyzoo, a well known student of the game, wants to pay homage to an era when a producer and MC duo worked on a whole project together to create a uniform sound. “Back in the day, it was always like that,” stressed Skyzoo. “When you look at Eric B. and Rakim, EPMD, NWA, A Tribe Called Quest and groups like that — you had one producer with one sound and one theme. That’s what we plan to bring with this project.”   Still, Skyzoo has made it clear though that this album isn’t a throw back to that 90’s sound.  “The reason it’s called Live from the Tape Deck is because when labels made cassette tapes, it just so happens that was when records were dope. Once the option of buying a cassette in a store was gone, that’s when things changed and music got whack,” declared Skyzoo. Illmind elaborated on the project. “You know it’s not going to be some typical s### — it’s going to be honest. Not throwback. Not boom bap. It’s going to be some 2010 s### with one of the best MC’s in the game.”

(AllHipHop News) Tax documents related to the raid of rapper Young Buck’s home have hit the Internet. The IRS raided the former G-Unit rapper’s home on August 3rd, to satisfy a $300,000 tax bill from 2008-2009. Among the items IRS agents seized included a $31,000 chain, watches, recording studio equipment, furniture and other items. But all is not lost for Young Buck. According to the Nashville’s City Paper, Young Buck filed for bankruptcy protection shortly after the raid, listing $6 million in assets and liabilities under $1 million. Sources stated the IRS raid and bankruptcy may have opened a path for Young Buck to finally find a new recording home and free him from his deal with G-Unit.   

(AllHipHop News) Despite early weekend box office estimates reported Monday morning (August 30), Takers has actually edged out The Last Exorcism as the highest-grossing film for the weekend ending August 29, AllHipHop.com has confirmed. Takers raked in an impressive $20.5 million, beating it’s rival opening film by just shy of $200,000. The independently-produced crime drama originally drew attention for its diverse ensemble cast. In addition to movie vet Matt Dillon, franchise stars Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen, and award-winning actors Idris Elba and Zoe Saldana, Takers also features singer Chris Brown and rapper T.I. in their second and third major film roles, respectively. Both artists also served as executive producers for the project, which was produced by Rainforest Films and T.I’s Grand Hustle Films. Box office estimates originally had Exorcist leading the weekend by $300,000 over Takers, bringing in $21.3 million. And while the numbers may have been close, the significance is greater for Takers, which went into theaters as the weekend’s underdog. “It’s really an incredible testament to the power of the people,” Rainforest Films co-founder Will Packer told AllHipHop.com. “Hollywood expected us to do closer to $10 million since we were smaller and on far less screens.” Perhaps more powerful than any advertising campaign was an aggressive Twitter campaign led by cast members TI, Idris Elba and Chris Brown. With the support of their fans, the movie’s three stars kept Takers a “trending topic,” by having movie-goers tweet photos and reports from theaters across the country.T.I. even tweeted about the film’s success today. “The real #’s are out and we did it!!! #TAKERS is #1!!!”“We all expected to win,” added Packer. “It was so close that every dollar counted. And I thank every single person that bought a ticket. This means there will be more movies like Takers.”  In addition to being T.I.’s first released project since completing legal obligations tied to his 2007 arrest, the film is also the first in a three-picture deal signed with Screen Gems in June 2008. According to Variety, T.I.’s second Screen Gems offering will be a drama titled Boulevard, which was being developed at the time the agreement was signed. At press time, no details were available on the film’s progress. In interviews discussing Takers and his seventh studio album King Uncaged, due out September 28, T.I. has also hinted at a possible sequel to his 2006 film debut ATL.

(AllHipHop News) Yonkers Hip-Hop label Ruff Ryders has relaunched its recording business as Ruff Ryders Indy and will officially launch its new roster of artists currently on the label. The principles in the new label are CEO/President Joaquin “Waah” Dean, Director of Operations Dedra Tate and Directors of Marketing, Tenisha Rae and Alimah Samsid-Deen. According to representatives from Double XXposure PR, the company that officially represents Ruff Ryders Indy, the label will be distributed by Fontana/Universal, with a focus on mentoring new and independent labels. Ruff Ryders Indy will provide marketing, street promotion, radio promotion and product management, in addition to educational programs offered to label CEO’s to help build their brands. As one of the founders of Ruff Ryders in 1988, Joaquin Dean helped introduce artists like DMX, Eve, Swizz Beatz, The Lox, Drag-On and others into pop culture, selling over 20 millions of records in the process. Ruff Ryders Indy’s roster consists of Drag-On, Mook, Shella, Flashy and Lil Joaquin. This week, the label will conduct a press day to reveal more details about their roster and the new label’s plans for the future.

(AllHipHop News) A number of world renowned Hip-Hop artists and producers will gather in New York all this week, to pay homage to legendary record store Fat Beats. The legendary record store, which was launched in 1996, announced they would close their remaining physical locations in New York and Los Angeles. To celebrate the company, artists like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Just Blaze, Rob Swift, Ras Cass, Immortal Technique, Da Beatminerz, Artifacts, Bobbito, Masta Ace, J-Live, Pacewon and others will perform in-store at the New York location.  The events, which are free, begin today (August 30th) with Artifacts, Da Beatminerz and Immortal Technique and end on the store’s final day on Saturday (September 4th), with Just Blaze, A-Trak, Pete Rock and DJ Premier.Organizers are in the process of launching a similar farewell event later this month, leading up to the stores final day on September 18th. All performances take place from 4-9PM and are free to the public. The schedule for the New York location is as follows:Monday, August 30th: Artifacts, Da Beatminerz, Immortal Technique, and moreTuesday, August 31st: Ras Kass, Sav KIllz, DJ Ready Cee, panel discussion, and moreWednesday, September 1st: Bobbito, Mayhem, Riz, Juggaknots, Sputnik Brown, and moreThursday, September 2nd: Rob Swift, Torae, DJ Concept, DJ Amir, and moreFriday, September 3rd: Masta Ace, J-Live, Pacewon, Tanya Morgan, and more*FINAL DAY* Saturday, September 4th: Just Blaze, A-Trak, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and more

Twista has released details behind a new bio-documentary, focusing on the chart-topping Chicago rapper’s rise to fame. The documentary was filmed in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Miami by The Vladar Company, the organization behind Big Pun: The Legacy.The film will be distributed to physical and digital retailers by EMI Label Services, which will also distribute Twista’s upcoming album.“The objective of this film is to also cover various social topics such as the city’s history of violence and also to explore Chicago’s influence in music and culture,” said producer/director Vlad Yudin. EMI will also handle the the licensing, retail marketing, licensing and synchronization for the Twista documentary, which will be released in October along with Twista’s new untitled album. “EMI is excited to continue working with Twista and are excited to be involved with Vladar’s film.  We think Vladar’s documentary will truly capture what a unique and creative artist Twista is,” said Mike Harris, Executive Vice President and General Manager, EMI Label Services and Caroline Distribution.  “We’re looking forward to all the exciting possibilities of working Twista’s next music project and Vladar’s film.”

(AllHipHop News) Former G-Unit member Young Buck is releasing a new mixtape titled The Rehab, on the heels of his latest single “Hood Documentary,” which is a diss to G-Unit’s frontman, 50 Cent. The Rehab features Young Buck rapping over 14 tracks, produced by Big Hollis, Cozmo and Vince V. The album is being released through Real Talk Entertainment, which is headed up by Derrick “Sac” Johnson. “We are very excited about working with Young Buck on this project,” Sac told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “This project has been in the works for years, before 50 Cent and G-Unit. Young Buck is an international superstar and we are extremely proud to be releasing his street album, The Rehab.”Today (August 30th) on Twitter, Young Buck was clear that The Rehab wasn’t his official album. “It’s a MIXTAPE with new production over some old tracks. Let’s Make This Clear,” Young Buck tweeted. Young Buck’s mixtape The Rehab is due in stores September 7th.