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Jay-z recently revealed more details to Power 105.1's DJ Clue about his upcoming conceptual album, American Gangster, for which he says he's going back to his street roots.

As previously reported, American Gangster is inspired by the upcoming flick of the same name, which stars Oscar Award winner Denzel Washington.

"My name is Jigga right now," Hov explained. "I just stripped it back down and took it all the way back to the basics, four sounds, you know, the running man and all that.... It's a conceptually themed album."

When asked how many songs will be on the album, Jigga replied, "I'm at 12 [songs] now but I'm in such a zone I might go 14. I wanna keep it short and sweet and try to keep the story line." [Watch the interview here]

American Gangster, the film, is based on the true story of 1970's drug kingpin Frank Lucas (played by Washington) who brought heroin into Harlem by sneaking it into the coffins of American soldiers coming home from Vietnam.

Hov revealed to The New York Times last week that the movie mirrored his drug dealing past and that the songs he crafted for the album were inspired by specific scenes from the flick.

Giving fans a sample of the street oriented rhymes on the new project, Jay rapped a few lines from a track called "No Hook," to The Times writer.

"Please don't compare me to other rappers / Compare me to trappers,"Jay spit. "I'm more Frank Lucas than Ludacris. And Lude is my dude, I ain't trying to dis / Just like Frank Lucas is cool, but I ain't tryin' to snitch / I'm-a follow the rules, no matter how much time I'm-a get / I'm-a live and die with the decisions that I'm-a pick."

American Gangster, the movie, will open in theatres on November 2 while Jigga's project of the same name drops on November 6.

In related news, Jay-Z's clothing line Rocawear is one of three suitors vying for naming rights for The Continental Arena an in New Jersey. Hov is facing stiff competion from South Pole and Izod.

The arena, which is home to the NBA's New Jersey Nets, where Jay-Z owns a minor share, could have a new name by October 4.

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House Panel Debates Hip-Hop Lyrics

Two rappers, sitting side-by-side in a House hearing room, went in different directions Tuesday on the need for hip-hop artists to expunge their work of sexist and violent language.

One, Master P, apologized to women for past songs that demeaned them, while another was defiant.

Former gangsta rapper Master P, whose real name is Percy Miller, told a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing that he is now committed to producing clean lyrics. The angry music of his past, he said, came from seeing relatives and friends shot and killed.

But he said now that he doesn't want his own children to listen to his music, "so if I can do anything to change this, I'm going to take a stand and do that."

"I want to apologize to all the women out there," he said. "I was honestly wrong."

But rapper and record producer Levell Crump, known as David Banner, was defiant as lawmakers pressed him on his use of offensive language. "I'm like Stephen King: horror music is what I do," he said in testimony laced with swear words. "Change the situation in my neighborhood and maybe I'll get better," he told one member of Congress.

The two rappers were joined by music industry executives and scholars. They disagreed over who was to blame for sexist and degrading language in hip-hop music but were united in opposing government censorship as a solution.

"If by some stroke of the pen hip-hop was silenced, the issues would still be present in our communities," Crump said. "Drugs, violence, sexism and the criminal element were around long before hip-hop existed."

At the hearing, music videos showing scantily clad women were played; music executives in dark suits testified on the uses of the "B," H" and "N" words, and black civil rights leaders talked of corporate exploitation.

"From Imus to Industry: The business of stereotypes and degrading images" was the title of the hearing, referring to former radio host Don Imus, who lost his job after making derogatory comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. The Imus incident has sparked debate within the music industry about black artists using offensive, misogynist and violent language.

"This hearing is not anti-hip-hop. I am a fan of hip-hop," said subcommittee chairman Bobby Rush, D-Ill., who gained national prominence in the 1960s as the founder of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers. But he said there was a need "to address the issue of violence, hate and degradation that has reduced too many of our youngsters to automatons."

Record company executives defended the parental guidance labels and edited versions they said keep the more controversial material away from children and stressed that uniform standards or censorship won't work.

In the '50s people were deeply offended by Elvis Presley, and a decade later many were scandalized by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, said Edgar Bronfman Jr., chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group.

"We have a responsibility to speak authentically to our viewers," said Philippe Dauman, president & CEO of Viacom Inc., which owns such cable networks as MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET.

He said his company takes an active role in editing obscenities out of music videos and excising gang symbols or portrayals of violence, but "we also believe that it is not our role to censor the creative expression of artists."

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The Game entered a not guilty plea yesterday (September 25) to three felony charges stemming from an altercation during a pick-up basketball game in Los Angeles earlier this year.

As previously reported, the charges, which include making criminal threats, possessing a firearm in a school zone, and exhibiting a firearm in the presence of an officer, are a result of an incident that took place at South L.A.'s Rita Walters Educational Learning Complex in February 24.

According to the Associated Press, Rodrick Shannon, the alleged victim, testified at a preliminary hearing on September 4 that he exchanged words with Game (born Jayceon Taylor) who was playing for an opposing team.

Shannon claimed that Game told him that his team was garbage and punched him in the left cheek. Shannon then said that when he put himself in a fighting stance to defend himself, people from the rapper's team grabbed him while Game left the court.

Shannon also alleges that when he went too look for his son in the parking lot, he saw the rapper reach into a Cadillac Escalade and brandish a firearm.

"He started proceeding towards me," Shannon testified. "The gun was still in his hand. He yelled that I'm a ... fool. I turned around and ran because I feared for my life."

The Game is currently free on $50,000 bail and a pretrial hearing has been set for October 30. If convicted, he could face more than five years in prison.

In related news, The Game was recently let off the hook in a separate charge accusing him of impersonating a police officer while in New York. The judge dismissed the case on the grounds that the Black Wall Street rapper stay out of trouble for the next six months.

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After coming under intense scrutiny for being nothing more than a showcase for music videos that some people consider demeaning, BET is in the midst of trying to alter its image. The network's still taking heat for the likes of "We Can Do Better (aka Hot Ghetto Mess)," despite the life lessons viewers are supposed to take away from that series' parade of the problem-prone and fashion-challenged.

But there's also "Baldwin Hills," which shows that black teen life can be as simultaneously idyllic and stupefying as the white teen life depicted on MTV's "The Hills," "Laguna Beach" and "Maui Fever." Even better is "S.O.B.: Socially Offensive Behavior," which has a terrible title but actually turns out to be a pointed, "Punk'd"-style reality-TV take on race and racial assumptions.

In that vein comes "Hip-Hop Vs. America," a three-part panel discussion about hip-hop's cultural reverberations through such issues as its treatment of women, crime and violence. Hosted by journalists Jeff Johnson and Touré, "Hip-Hop Vs. America" offers a wide spectrum of voices, including those of rappers (T.I., Nelly, The Poetess, Chuck D, Mike Jones), media commentators (Stanley Crouch, Jeff Chang, Keith Boykin, Farai Chideya, Nelson George), reverends (Al Sharpton, A.R. Bernard), activists (Hip-Hop Summit Action Network's Valeisha Butterfield, NAACP's Ben Chavis) and at least one well-known academic (Michael Eric Dyson).

As hip-hop deals with a decline in sales and a crisis of conscience, discussions such as this about where the music and culture are going serve a purpose. Though, as is often the case in situations such as these, the discussions can end up shedding more heat than light.

Also problematic is how BET is showing "Hip-Hop Vs. America": The first two chapters air on BET, but the finale will be shown on its broadband channel, BET on Blast, following Part 2 on Wednesday. This is all needlessly confusing and irritating to viewers who don't have broadband access.

Still, BET needs to be applauded for realizing that it, too, can do better.

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Manhattan downtown venue S.O.B.'s was the setting of rap's latest drama last night, when a physical altercation broke out onstage between New York rappers Saigon and Prodigy after an impromptu performance by Sai during a C-N-N/Mobb Deep show.

While conflicting videos of last night's face-off hit the Internet this morning, Saigon spoke to SoHipHop exclusively to clear the air about what really happened and why things went down as they did.

"I performed my record ("C'mon Baby") and it was all love at first," Sai recalled. "I was onstage by myself and then I noticed all of Mobb Deep dudes getting onstage."

"We had a problem before that. He said something about 'suck his @#*$' in an interview he did before and I told him I was going to get him," he said. "He don't like me 'cause I'm friends with Tru Life and Tru Life and them robbed the @#*$%s. There was always animosity there. I'm not thinking they are gonna let it get to this point. I went to they show, with four people...I was about to get offstage and all his peoples come at me from behind. I got loose and put my back to the wall and who comes in firing range - Prodigy."

According to Saigon's description, despite being far outnumbered - "30-4" - he hit Prodigy twice in the face, and Sai's friend clothes-lined P before members of Mobb Deep's entourage began throwing bottles and debris at him, forcing him to flee the club.

"I didn't even want to bring it to the public, but when y'all go make a video try to get props off of it and make it into a marketing tool," Sai exclaimed. "Before they @#!* come on it says 'Havoc album in stores now.' They just show them chasing me, they don't show me punch this @#*$%. That's gay. They chased me out the club after I punched Prodigy in the face."

"Let's be real here, they don't show that in their video," he continued. "That's what made me even make a blog. I hit that @#*$% two times. If you watch they video they left all that out and they put they @#!* on YouTube first. I didn't want to do that blog @#!* I'm not with all that computer gangsta @#!*, y'all @#*$%s got to be @#*$in' kidding me. I just punched ya main man in the face and the only reason I got low is y'all throwing bottles and @#!* and I'm not about to get bust in the head and get stitches in my face for this @#!*%&. Not about to do that so call me what you want. Call me the road runner but I got my rocks off kiddo!"

With last night's fight behind him, Saigon says he isn't looking for any ongoing problems with Prodigy.

"It's over on my part, @#!* is getting tired, it's stupid," Saigon said. "All it's going to lead to is somebody really getting hurt then everybody gonna be like 'damn we should've just deaded it.' It was dead on my part. I wasn't even being the aggressor, they started with me. I was defending myself at that point."

When I seen him that close to me all I can remember is that suck my @#*$ @#!*," he added. "Prodigy told me to suck his @#*$. If Hulk Hogan tells me to suck his @#*$ I'mma try him for that. That's just how I grew up. You don't invite a man to your penis, that's like calling me a @#*$%. A lot of @#!* I'll tolerate, but in jail that means you telling a @#*$% I don't respect you at all."

Saigon also told SOHH his long-delayed album Greatest Story Never Told is currently being mixed and is scheduled to go to mastering next week. The video shoot for "C'mon Baby" will be held this weekend. Sai is also on the cover of the November issue of XXL magazine alongside nine other MC's who are lauded as the "future of rap."

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Jay-Z Celebrates Kanye West's Growth, "'Big Brother' Is The Best Song He's Written Since 'Jesus Walks'"

With Kanye West emerging as the victor in the first week sales battle against 50 Cent, Jay-Z recently praised West for his success and discussed his collaboration with the G-Unit boss in a candid interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"It makes me proud as someone who's watched his growth from the beginning, when he came in as a hungry producer, to now he's a rock star," Hov said about Kanye. "I'm happy for him on that level. And I'm excited for creativity as well, because I think that's a win for that as well. You know, people mimic success. And in order to mimic that success, you have to put in a lot of work. You have to really care about the music."

According to Jay, Kanye's love for music played a bigger role in the sales department than the publicity surrounding the rivalry with 50.

"It's pretty much how much [Kanye] cares about it," Hov emphasized. "It's not done for any other reason but to be the best music out at that specific time. You know, at times you could hear other people's music, and you hear, 'Okay, that's your girl single, that's the thug single'. It's none of that. Every single song he makes, he makes because he thinks it's the best record at that specific time. He may not think it next week, but that week, he thought that was the best record that he could make."

Graduation features a track titled "Big Brother," which Kanye dedicated to Jay-Z. Hov revealed that it's one of his favorite songs on the album.

"'Big Brother' is the best song he's written since 'Jesus Walks,' as far as structure, emotion, everything," Jay explained. "I think it's a fair portrayal from a little brother's perspective. You know, you've got your big brother and you want to go out with him, he's like, 'Nah, get back in the house!' Things like that, until you come of age."

"At Roc-A-Fella, we've always lived by tough love," Jay continued. "Everyone knows that. It's nothing given. Everyone has to work for theirs, and that's how you make strong individuals, by not carrying them. That's how you make a Kanye West. You make him fight for his position."

On Monday night (September 17), a remix to 50 Cent's "I Get Money," featuring Jay and Sean "Diddy" Combs, leaked onto the internet. Hov divulged to EW why and how the track came about.

"I just wanted to show that we're not enemies," he explained. "[50 Cent] called me to ask for the remix, and I told him he couldn't put the remix out until the first week came. I didn't want it to affect any type of numbers. [Laughs] So as you see, it came out the 17th, when the SoundScan cycle is finished. So just to show, I'm still competing! We're not enemies, we're just competing." [Read the entire interview here]

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Underground favorites MF Doom and Phaorahe Monch, along with and Star Trak Records's own Roscoe P Colchain, are slated to perform at the New York -Tokyo Music Festival this weekend.

The event, which will take place in New York at Central Park's Rumsey Field on Saturday (September 22), will also feature performances from The Teriyaki Boyz, DJ Red Alert and Collie Buddz .

The event will have various exhibits displaying art, fashion, a skate zone and a video game area for EA Sports' award-winning SKATE video game.

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Rapper 50 Cent has postponed a tour of Europe, just days after Kanye West's album Graduation stormed to the top of the U.K. album charts, putting 50 Cent's album Curtis in second place.According to 50 Cent's label representatives, a last minute change in his schedule resulted in the postponement of his European trek, which was supposed to run September 18- 25.50 Cent nixed a highly anticipated performance at the MOBO's this Wednesday (September 19) as well as an appearance at the Vodafone Live Music Awards, which take place this week in Germany.The cancellation comes as West's album Graduation opened the week at #1 on the UK Album's Chart yesterday (September 17), while 50 Cent's album Curtis landed at #2. West's album Graduation is also expected to top the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart in the United States tomorrow. The album outsold 50 Cent's Curtis by over 170,000 copies according to recent sales data.

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"Magic Stick" Producer Pulls $2 Mil Suit Out Of His Hat, Names 50 Cent & Lil Kim

A New York based producer has reportedly filed a $2 million lawsuit against 50 Cent, Lil Kim, Atlantic Records and Rotten Apple Records for failing to pay royalties for his work on the song "Magic Stick."

According to the Associated Press, Carlos Evans, also known as Fantom of the Beat, claims that Rotten Apple contracted him on January 2003 to produce, engineer and mix "Magic Stick", for a $7,500 advance and royalties for working on track. Evans asserts that after receiving the advance his requests for a royalties audit have been ignored.

Evans claims that "Magic Stick" was initially set to appear on 50 Cent's debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', but instead it appeared on Lil' Kim's 2003 album, La Bella Mafia, which was recorded and distributed by Atlantic Records. The song would go on to sell 2 million copies.

"It was one of the hottest tracks on that album, and I didn't collect my royalties," Evans told the Associated Press Thursday (September 14).

Evans is seeking $1 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages from all the parties mentioned in the lawsuit.

Theodore Sedlmayr, a lawyer for Rotten Apple Records told the AP that Evans' royalties were delayed because he used a large sample which had to be paid for and licensed.

"Atlantic is trying to get it straightened out," Sedlmayr explained. "If after the accounting Mr. Evans is entitled to anything, he'll get it then."

A spokeswoman for Atlantic said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

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Ah yes, another Kanye West album with so many familiar touches: a college-themed title, lyrics letting the listener know just how impressive West's skills are, and that oh-so-cute teddy bear gracing the cover.
Thankfully, on "Graduation" West continues his streak of masterfully intelligent hip-hop records that focus on originality rather than on radio play.

Much like a college student on the verge of graduation, West faced immense pressure in the creation of his latest record. Not only was he expected to surpass his past two albums, both of which were immensely popular, but fellow hip-hop heavyweight 50 Cent also released an album the same day "Graduation" hit stores. Amidst all this, West is certainly graduating with honors.
On "Graduation," West is able to combine superior lyrical content with his signature style and flair. West is one of the most prolific MCs to grace a mic in recent memory, and he is not afraid to let the listener know it.
Sampling is also a huge part of West's game, and on "Graduation" he continues to show more brilliance with his choices. Who would have thought the likes of Daft Punk, Elton John, Michael Jackson and Steely Dan would flow so effortlessly on one hip-hop record?

"Graduation" wastes no time in building its momentum with the intro track "Good Morning." The song has somewhat of a gospel-like feel to it and begins to set the mood for the rest of the record.
The intro flows perfectly into the next two tracks, "Champion," a synth-laden romp talking about how Kanye is, well, the champion, and "Stronger," the Daft Punk-sampled single that is tearing up the charts as I write this.
It immediately becomes clear, especially on the fourth track, "I Wonder", that West is not concerned about overpowering you with heavy beats, but would much rather let each track develop on its own terms. The result is a natural-sounding and flowing record where the songs seem to get better with each listen.
Production value is top-notch, with West pulling double duty and producing many of his own cuts while Timbaland, DJ Toomp and others also help him out behind the boards.

On the other hand, guest appearances are hit or miss. The "Good Life," featuring hook master and voice-enhancer addict T-Pain, works well, but "Barry Bonds" featuring Lil Wayne and "Drunk and Hot Girls" featuring Mos Def both become weaker due to the artists "helping" West out.

The album loses some of its steam toward the middle, as a few of the tracks are more vocally dominated by the background artists than by West himself, but fortunately the album closes with its strongest song, "Big Brother," a tribute to West's mentor Jay-Z. The track features a slow, heavy beat over a soft piano line and features some of West's best lyrics on the album. While West will certainly never have the flow or lyrical ability that Jay-Z maintains, he still is one of the top hip-hop artists in the game.

Overall, "Graduation" is a risk for West. And while, for the most part, the album is strong, it does have its weak points, especially toward the middle of the album where the pace hits a few speed bumps. But then again, this is Kanye West. A mediocre West song is most likely better than most of the hip-hop airing on MTV.
"Graduation" is an excellent third album to complement West's first two brilliant affairs. With his three albums, he has essentially created a graduation path for MCs who need some type of direction to take. It will be interesting to see where West takes us during his grad school years.

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Kanye West's Graduation has reportedly trumped 50 Cent's Curtis in first week sales and is on pace to be the No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 next week.

According to Billboard, Nielsen's SoundScan recently launched Building Charts, a program that tracks weekly sales from eight leading accounts set up by music retailers nationwide including Trans World Entertainment, Best Buy, Borders, CircuitCity, iTunes and Target.

The Building Charts reading for Wednesday afternoon (September 12) revealed that Kanye's Graduation had first week sales of 437,000. Sales for 50 Cent's Curtis sales read off at 310,000 and country singer Kenny Chesney's album, Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates, shifted 107,000 copies.

A poll and a survey conducted by SOHH before and after both albums from West and 50 leaked onto the internet predicted that Kanye would outsell 50 Cent in the first week.

If Graduation sells over 468,000 copies before Sunday (September 16), when the Nielsen SoundScan week officially ends, the album will snatch the title of rap's biggest first-week sales in 2007 from T.I.'s latest effort, T.I. vs. TIP.

Graduation features appearances from guest spots from Mos Def, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, T-Pain, Lil' Wayne, Daft Punk and DJ Premier.

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The plot thickens once again, as early sales projections are reportedly putting Kanye West's Graduation sales slightly ahead of 50 Cent's Curtis first-week numbers.

According to Billboard, executives with three major record labels, whose job duties include projecting first week scans based on early store sales reports, are projecting that Graduation could tally up sales in the 575,000-700,000 range, while Curtis is being projected to come in at the 500,000-600,000 range. While these figures are merely estimates of what each album will sell, the actual finalized sales statistics will be computed on Sunday at midnight when the Nielsen SoundScan week officially ends.

The early sales predictions seem to be in accordance with the data that SOHH collected during a poll which asked fans which artists' album they would buy when they were officially released as well as who they thought would come out on top after first week sales had been finalized.

According to our poll, offered directly after both albums had found their way to the internet, 57% of respondents have heard both albums and 52% believed Kanye will have the higher first-week sales.

A survey taken last month before the leaks, the fans were also betting on Kanye to pull it out, with 51% of respondents saying that Kanye would outsell 50 Cent in their first week.

The two mega-stars both appeared on BET's "106 And Park" yesterday (September 11) to promote their respective albums. While Kanye won the battle of the surprise guests, bringing Jay-Z out on stage with him after his performance, both premiered new videos - with 50 showing off his clip for his Robin Thicke collaboration "Follow My Lead" and Ye revealing his visual interpretation of his T-Pain collaboration, "The Good Life." [View Kanye's Video Here]

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Hip-Hop fans in the Boston area will not be treated to a performance by Ludacris as one of the rapper's upcoming shows has been cancelled.

According to the Boston Herald, the would-be concert, that was scheduled to be held on September 30, was cancelled by the Eastern States Exposition reportedly due to a lack of interest and poor ticket sales. Exposition president Wayne McCary said fewer than 700 tickets had been sold for the arena that seats 6,100 people.

As a stipulation for the concert, local officials said the rapper would have to keep his act clean and family-friendly. The West Springfield licensing commission also ordered that all concert-goers be screened by a hand-held metal detector and that no beer be served in the arena.

Refunds will reportedly be issued to those who already bought tickets for the performance.

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Mos Def Stands Behind The "Jena 6," Asks Jay-Z & 50 Cent To Join "Fight Against Racial Equality"

Brooklyn rapper/actor Mos Def has recently wrote an open letter seeking support for six black students that face serious charges in an attack on a white schoolmate in Louisiana.

According to NME, the Brooklyn-bred lyricist, who has been known for his social and political activism, is extending a public invitation to "African-Americans of influence, and all concerned parties" to use their power in order to "fight against racial inequality and show solidarity for these young people, who are being treated very harshly by the law."

The group of black students in question, commonly known as the "Jena 6," refers to a group of high school students in Jena, Louisiana who were arrested after beating up a white classmate that reportedly taunted them with racial slurs.

The fight occurred after a black student sat under a particular tree on the school grounds where white students traditionally sit. Following his presence there, 3 nooses were hung from the tree. The students accused of hanging the nooses were suspended from school for a short period of time, obviously causing racial tensions to rise in the neighborhood.

The six teens in question were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder but following protests from civil rights advocates, some of the charges were reduced - yet many feel as if they are still being treated more harshly due to their skin color.

Charges against Carwin Jones, Mychael Bell and Theo Shaw have been reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. Bell, who has already stood trial and found guilty, will be sentenced on September 20, the day Mos will be attending a rally.

Robert Bailey Jr. and Bryant Purvis are still facing attempted murder charges, while the sixth student, an unidentified juvenile, faces undisclosed juvenile charges.

Mos is asking for those concerned with the treatment of the students to join him it the rally in Jena on September 20. He recently appeared alongside Princeton professor Dr. Cornel West on political satirist Bill Maher's show this past Friday (September 7) to bring attention to the situation. While on the show, Mos issued a challenge to celebrities and artists including Will Smith, Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Kanye West to take some form of action against the injustice. [Watch Here]

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Rihanna's "Umbrella" single featuring rapper Jay-Z took home top honors at the 24th Annual MTV Video Music Awards last night (September 9) at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

"Umbrella" took home awards for top Video of the Year, as well as the Monster Single of the Year. Justin Timberlake won Male Artist of the Year honors, while The Black Eyed Peas' Fergie won Female Artist of the Year. The evening featured performances and showcases in "fantasy suites," hosted by artists like Kanye West, 50 Cent, Foo Fighters, Timbaland, Linkin Park and Alicia Keys, but the most talked about performance came from Britney Spears.

Spears gave a lukewarm performance of her latest single "Gimme More," lip-synching the words to the song, while dancing halfheartedly around the stage."Feuding" rappers 50 Cent and Kanye West stood face-to-face together on the stage, while presenting the Most-Earth Shattering Collaboration Award, which went to Beyonce Knowles and Shakira.

A real scuffle broke out in the crowd during the awards ceremony between rival rockers Kid Rock and Tommy Lee, ex-husbands of Pamela Anderson Lee, who also presented during the show. Prior to the Best New Act Award, which was won by Gym Class Heroes, rock/rapper Kid Rock allegedly punched Tommy Lee in the face, during the awards ceremony. According to reports, Tommy Lee initiated the fight.

"When Tommy stands up is when Kid hit him the first time with a backhand," producer Rich Nice told the Associated Press. "Then Tommy Lee looked like he was trying to get at him to aggressively retaliate and then Kid Rock hits Tommy Lee again -- bong. And then security grabs Tommy Lee in a headlock and pulls him off."Foxx later cracked a joke to the crowd stating: "Stop all this white-on-white violence," while Combs "It's not just hip hop artists that sometimes has problems, rock and roll artists, yall sometimes have fights too. You got to stop the violence in rock n roll."Kid Rock was cited for misdemeanor battery after the show. This is the second incident between the two artists. Tommy Lee was assaulted last year after bad mouthing Kid Rock during Eminem's Shady Bowl Super Party at the State Theatre in Detroit."There was not one f***in’ word spoken about Kid Rock, D-12, Detroit-anyone for that matter," Tommy Lee told AllHipHop.com after the Feb. 2006 assault. "S**t, I was just chillin’ and havin’ a cool time. I love Detroit! All I can say to that f**k who sucker-punched me is: 'Karma kills those who can't kill themselves..."

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Foxy Brown Sentenced To A Year In Prison, Judge Says Pleas "Too Little, Too Late"

A pregnant Foxy Brown's plea to a Manhattan judge for freedom fell on deaf ears today (September 7) as the Brooklyn bred rapper was indicted on assault charges for hitting her neighbor with a cell phone and sentenced to spend a year in prison.

Foxy (born Inga Marchand), who is currently pregnant, has been detained in Rikers Island since last month after Judge Melissa Jackson remanded her to the custody of the state for parole violation.

According to the Associated Press, Brown appeared in court today (September 7) in shackles and begged Jackson for a chance to be freed, promising to straighten out her life.

"I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to change," Brown said. "I realize that's not where I want to be. It's humbled me in ways I never imagined."

"Ms. Marchand, it's too little, too late," replied Judge Jackson. "I'm glad you're learning something; that's a positive."

Brown, who was on probation for assaulting two manicurists in Manhattan's Bloomie Nails in 2004, was warned by Jackson in March that if she got into any trouble with the law, she would be sent to jail for a year.

Since the warning, Brown has been arrested for the aforementioned assault of her neighbor, attacking a Florida beauty store employee and giving police false information after a traffic stop in New Jersey.

Probation Department lawyer Matilda Leo revealed that the aforementioned indictment charges Brown with second and third degree assault, attempted second degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon, the cell phone.

Leo also read out four violations the Probation Department filed against Brown which included leaving New York twice and changing her address from Brooklyn to Mahwah, New Jersey without notifying the court or the Probation Department.

Clinical psychologist Carol L. Friedland also tesfied that Brown stopped attending anger management sessions with her and she was unable to contact the rapper to learn why.

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Rapper Tony Yayo appeared in court today (September 6), in regards to assault charges stemming from an incident in which he allegedly slapped the teenaged son of music mogul Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosemond.
The boy claims Yayo and several associates surrounded him and threatened him for wearing a Czar Entertainment shirt, a label/management firm run by Rosemond that represents a number of rappers, including G-Unit rival The Game.
The incident escalated to assault when Yayo allegedly backhanded the boy, knocking his head into a wall.
The teen also claims Yayo and associates flashed handguns tucked into their waste.

Yayo's attorney Scott Leemon said he provided the District Attorney's office with an affidavit from a witness who knows both Yayo and Rosemond's son.
"He stated [in the affidavit] that he saw the entire thing and [that] Yayo was not the person who slapped the kid," Leemon revealed to AllHipHop.com.
The judge ordered the DA to investigate the credibility of the claims of the alleged witness in the affidavit.A judge dismissed a motion by Leemon to subpoena emails sent between publicity firm 5W Public Relations and Rosemond, which the attorney sought for unknown reasons.In March, Yayo was charged with assault, harassment, and endangering the welfare of a child.
In July, the 29-year-old rapper rejected an offer of nine months in prison, in exchange for pleading guilty to slapping the boy.Yayo is currently free on $5,000 bond and is due back in court on October 30th.
A judge will decide if Yayo's case should be tried with another defendant in the case, Lawell Fletcher.

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Apple just delivered music lovers a double treat by dropping the price on the iPhone just as a new line of iPods prepare to hit the market.

Now that the frenzy has died down since its June release, the cost of Apple's iPhone has fallen significantly. When it landed in stores two months ago, the iPhone cost a whopping $599, but it's now available for only $399.

For the same price or less, music lovers can also purchase a new iPod Touch mp3 player. Available for $299 (8GB) or $399 (16 GB) iPod Touch has less memory than a regular iPod (80 or 160 GB) but adds many of the same features as the iPhone - motion sensors, a similar screen interface and Wi-Fi web browsing that will allow music purchases directly from Apple's iTunes store, instead of requiring users to download music on a computer and transfer it to the player.

While iPod Touch doesn't offer a phone, Apple and Starbucks have teamed to give Touch owners access to a very special iTunes service. Beginning October 2, New York Starbucks customers will be introduced to the new service, which displays the name of the song currently playing in that Starbucks store when an iPod Touch owner walks in. The customer can then purchase the song using the "buy" button on their iPod touch screen. Over time, the new iTunes service will roll out to Starbucks nationwide.

Apple is also planning to introduce a new $199 iPod Nano that is equipped to play movies and games.

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Busta Rhymes' trial for charges of assault and traffic violations was postponed until November by a New York judge yesterday (September 5) after both the prosecution and the defense stated that they were not ready to begin.

Busta (born Trevor Smith) is accused of drunk driving and driving with a suspended license. Busta is also accused of attacking his former driver during a dispute over back pay and assaulting Roberto Lebron, a fan who accidentally spit on his car.

According to the Associated Press, the judge ordered Busta to appear in court on November 7 for hearings on the aforementioned charges. In July, Busta rejected a prosecutor's plea deal that would have required him to serve a year in jail for all four cases.

Lebron filed a lawsuit against Busta last month. The amount of damages being sought by Lebron were not disclosed.

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Kanye West will continue the worldwide promotion of his upcoming album Graduation with the launch of his "Glow in the Dark UK" tour, an exclusive series of performances in the United Kingdom. On November 1, West will kickoff the seven-date series, performing singles from Graduation, including his hit single "Stronger," which shot to #1 in the European country. Tickets for each date on the exclusive concerts are expected to sell out when they go on sale tomorrow (September 7), at 9:00 am.Fans interested in attending can purchase tickets by calling a 24-hour hotline at 0871 230 4422 or by visiting www.aeglive.co.uk.

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Misogyny in Hip-Hop music will be one of many topics explored as Congress prepares to hold its first hearing on media "stereotypes and degradation" of women.According to Variety, the hearing, titled "From Imus to Industry: The Business of Stereotypes and Degradation," will focus primarily on Hip-Hop lyrics and videos.Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, has a deeper objective in mind.

"I want to look at not only the problem caused by misogynistic content in some Hip-Hop music but also some of the pain that emanates from this degradation," the politician said, adding that the inquiry is "not an anti-artist hearing, or anti-music or anti-youth hearing."In fact, Rush would prefer to have voluntary solutions for the issue rather than regulatory solutions."I respect the First Amendment, but rights without responsibility is anarchy, and that's much of what we have now," he said. "It's time for responsible people to stand up and accept responsibility."

Despite its focus on Hip-Hop, other media will be face scrutiny at the hearing, which is being held by the subcommittee."I want to engage not just the music industry but the entertainment industry at large to be part of a solution," said Rush.Witnesses for the hearing include Philippe Dauman of Viacom, Doug Morris of Universal Music Group and Edgar Bronfman Jr. of Warner Music Group."I want to talk to executives at these conglomerates who've never taken a public position on what they produce," said Rush, who added that it was "surprisingly very difficult to get them to commit to appearing."Despite the struggle to get leaders and artists to commit to the hearing, Rush has received confirmation from one artist, Percy "Master P" Miller.The rap mogul, who started out as a gangsta rapper, has recently made news for his new focus on creating positive images and message in his music.Although witnesses have been named, a final list is still being developed, according to Rush's spokesman.

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More details have surfaced in Lil Kim's traffic violation and run-in with the law from last week.

Kim (born Kimberly Jones) was stopped by New York police officers for driving her Lamborghini without license plates. The Queen Bee was pulled over by police at around 6 p.m. on Thursday (August 30) as she was entering a gas station. When asked by cops why she did not have her driver's license with her, the rapper said she mistakenly left it at home.

TMZ recently revealed that Kim was lying, stating that the rapper does not possess a driver's license at all. In addition, Kim also told police the car, which was a gift from her boyfriend, recently arrived from California, and according to Kim, cars do not need to display plates in Cali.

TMZ also said that after cameras showed up on the scene on Thursday (August 30) the bite-sized rapper became "belligerent, loud and obnoxious," saying that if she was the average person, this wouldn't have been a problem."

It was not revealed whether Kim was issued a ticket for not having plates or a driver's license with her.

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American gangster rapper The Game didn't perform as scheduled at a concert in Auckland on Saturday night, and there appears to be no official explanation for his disappearance.
The Game was due to perform alongside hip-hop stars Akon, Naughty By Nature, Pitbull and Sisqo at Vector Arena as part of Roc Tha Block - a concert dubbbed "the ultimate urban experience". But fans have been left in the dark as to why The Game - one of the concert's headlining stars - didn't perform. No mention of The Game's disappearance was made at the concert.

Universal music publicity manger Jesse Peters said "there is no official statement" and Mai FM spokeswoman Amber King said she hadn't been told why The Game didn't perform. Concert promoters could not be contacted. Fans who contacted Stuff.co.nz weren't happy about The Game's disappearing act. "I flew up from Wellington especially to see The Game (and had to pay to have my ticklets changed when they changed the date) so was gutted when he didn't play," said one fan. "I think it's appauling on the organisers behalf not to have given more info and I'm disappointed in The Game for letting his fans down like this," said another. The concert had already been delayed by two weeks after Akon had problems with his immigration Visa in Australia. That delay resulted in rappers Mims and Juelz Santana being replaced by Pitbull and Sisquo.

Saturday night's show was poorly attended, with Vector Arena just one-third full. To make up for The Game's non-appearance, the four acts played longer sets to make up the show's advertised three-hour time.

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House Panel Debates Hip-Hop Lyrics

Hip-hop under a microscope on BET