50 Cents In The Bank

50 Cent's been ordered to pay $5 million in damages to Rick Ross' baby mama Lavonia Leviston. "The Manhattan Supreme Court has ordered 50 Cent to pay Lavonia Leviston, Rick Ross' baby mama, $5 million in damages for uploading her sex tape to the internet in 2009. According to a report by New York Daily News, $2.5 million of the sum is for "violating her civil rights for using her image without her permission," and the other $2.5 million is for "intentional infliction of emotional distress." Leviston's lawyer originally sought $20 million total in damages. 50 was absent during the court proceedings, not attending to testify nor hear the verdict. He has denied publishing the tape online, though it undeniably features 50 Cent in his "Pimpin' Curly" outfit providing commentary from start to finish."

Hip Hop and the illuminati conspiracy.

There's a lot that can be said about the music industry as it stands today. Some of it positive and some - well negative. We also need to bear in mind it also depends on our perspective as music fans. Are we looking for positive attributes or negative ones? That being said, there's been a lot of conspiracy talk surrounding the industry. Very interesting how the regular fans' impression on music - is now tied into the view of various conspiracy groups who claim, to uncover the perceived rotten underbelly of this industry. We are not conspiracy theorists so we can only guess as to what these groups wish to achieve. Maybe it's the very same goals some of these artists who are involved wish to gain too? Money, fame etc? If you dig around, the prevalent theme seems to be the connection with the so called Illuminati. Very funny but interesting facts have been pointed out by conspiracy theorists regarding this, that they claim are genuine. They use religion and other fanciful methods to do this. No hard facts except their own opinions and analysis. Can you spell bias? When approached with a sane and logical mind - the whole thing becomes downright laughable, to say the least. Hip hop it seems - is taking the brunt of this mambo jumbo. A few artists linked to this so called - Illuminati conspiracy - figure prominently. Mainly Jay Z - successful entrepreneur and founder of the Rocafella music label. The list of other artists and labels involved/affected, is a sizable one - (Bad Boy, Cash Money, Eminem etc) and can't be dismissed. Other genre's within music (eg R'nB) -are not exempt either. We will focus here on hip hop. At the end of the day, these theories (which are denied and at time's perpetuated by the artists themselves), make financial sense for the artists, who are laughing all the way to the bank. This is all based on the hype, generated by these ideas. Jay Z's use of the so called "all seeing eye" and some of the lyrics he and other artists spit on tracks, is generating more interest in their music. It's keeping them relevant in the industry - whether negative or positive. Artists like Drake Lil' Wayne and Eminem add fuel to the issue, intentionally or not - same result: Money. Clearly you can see, who mainly benefit's from this - the industry, record labels - and the artists themselves. The industry is now overflowing with new artists and acts. Artists are struggling to remain relevant, in an industry where they can be overshadowed by the next big MC or DJ. As for conspiracy theorists and fans - they need to realize that all they are doing, is adding fuel to this vicious cycle themselves. Stop writing and pointing fingers at this ridiculous phenomena that the music industry has created to generate more sales. If this happens, you'll see just how fast artists drop the whole - scam - and move on with their creativity. Artists will clearly see they can't enthrall audiences with implied - Illuminati (if the group even exists at all) ties, and will need to be genuinely creative to keep on top of the game. Many music lovers are well aware of how stagnant hip hop in particular has become. Artists now rap about 3 main things - Money, women and fame. This has always been true from the jump - except now that everyone is doing it - certain rappers (a damn shame) need something else, to get an edge over the next lyricist that walks into a recording studio. Enter the Illuminati theories! And you wonder why people say hip hop is dead. Its not dead - just stuck in a spot where it will never move on unless fans realize this about what's happnin' and move on from these ridiculous ideas. Don't forget that the conspiracy theorists themselves, benefit from the whole issue - with all the hits they get discussing this crap. You want hip hop - and our artists to move on? Ignore the whole issue - or better yet support and listen to artists that are relevant, based on their message. Artists that have never jumped on this stupid bandwagon. Tupac Shakur (RIP) ~ "That's why I'm putting the K to it, because I'm killing that illuminati shit, that's just another way to keep us down. They are always talking about the eyes and a face on the dollar bill. I don't care who's eyes are on the money, as long as people accept that money when I try to buy something." Let Hip Hop, keep moving us and evolving. Not stagnating!

The Race: Wiz Khalifa

Wiz Kalifa is just killin it at the moment. So be prepared to hear and see a lot more from him. I had to post "The Race" just so yall could see why he keeps raking in the ratings right now - enjoy!!

Nate Dogg (R.I.P)

Biography:

Some say the highly sought after Nate Dogg was born with the Midas touch. Born in Long Beach CA, but groomed in the legendary flood plains of Clarksdale, Mississippi, you can also bet he was schooled on the importance of another kind of power, eminating from the church where his father preached. Choir skilles may not necessarily be a prerequisite for shaping and redifining The West Coast rap sound (Nate's role in West Coast Hip hop lore has been duly logged and categorised), but those memories served him well as he prepared his much-anticipated solo journey for Elektra. A quick read of the lyrics of the new album's pivotal title track "Music and me" reveals a more reflective Nate Dogg paying homage to the deep, rich roots of his past:

/Without my music, where would i be, you taught me how to cry and still remain a G.../

Make no mistake about it, Nate Dogg is still the embodiment of G-funk flash and finesse, from the top of his emblematic bowler to the soles of his silver-tipped gator shoes. "I'm not saying i invented the shit, " he purrs, "but when you think of it, there's no mistaking that I've always held my own. " The new album, if nothing else, is a testament to the influence Nate Dogg now wields. Armed with a signature voice and as always - impeccable timing, he now steps into the arena waiting on him, with the charasmatic superstar ready, willing, and able to cast his own giant shadow throughout the R&B and Hip hop universe.

The disc is jam packed with a host of superstar guests who are eager to pay him back for countless cameo contributions on an amazing array of hits. Backed by a diverse production team on the new one, and exhibitng multi-regional influences that showcase Nate Dogg's indestructable voice, Music and Me, features the production talents of Dr.Dre, Jermaine Dupri, Bink, Mike City, Megahertz, Damizza and many more.

Nate Also collaborates with a slew of top-notch hip hop stars, including Ludacris, Dr.Dre, Snoop Dogg, and labelmates Lil Mo and Fabulous, among others. "I didn't want guest shots just to have them, " says Nate Dogg. " I wanted to call on some people that could contribute what i needed, but at the same time, you hear this album and you know I'm my own artist with my own vision. " Songs like "Keep It G.A.N.G.S.T.A" (featuring Lil' Mo and Xzibit), "Your Wife" (featuring Dr.Dre), "Ditty Dum Ditty Doo" (featuring Snoop Dogg and Tha Eastsidaz), and "Another Short Story," confirm Nate's growing stature as a songwriter. But as someone who has always lent his own hooks to new school rappers, the challenge was to fill his own album with just as many contagious songs. "Going in the studio, my goal was to make fifteen singles and that's what I did," he says proudly. "The album is a reflection of what's been going on in my life, and i dont ever run out of material when it comes to that."

The unflappable performer has indeed sparked many inspired 'moments' along the way. Nate Dogg - aka Nathaniel Hale - moved early from Long Beach to Mississippi where the rambunctious Nate would be surrounded by religion. But a return to Long Beach when he was a teenager would soon find Nate in the company of another potential superstar, Snoop Dogg. He hooked up with Snoop and Dr.Dre's half-brother, Warren G, to form the group 213. They became a staple at the local block parties and clubs. Meanwhile Dr.Dre would go on to change the face of music forever with the contraversial group NWA.

Dr.Dre and his label home, Death Row Records, kept their eye on 213. But it was Nate Dogg's debut on Dre's first solo release, The Chronic, that it turned the rap world's attention to Nate Dogg. His appearance on Warren G's breakthrough hit, "Regulate," furthered his growing rep. But Nate was still eager to shine on his own. After Death Row Records failed to ignite Nate's solo career, he left the infamous label and went on to release the acclaimed G-Funk Classics Vol.1 & 2 on Breakaway Records. Though now considered a cult classic, its lack of major lebel support would mean that mainstream success would still elude the dedicated vocalist.

Soon, Nate began to build a solid rep doing guest shots for other artists. His legend began to grow, with underground and aboveground record industry movers and shakers taking note that his presence on record often meant the difference between a brick and a hit. Over the last couple of years, his resume has included collaborations on songs such as Ludacris' "Area Codes," Dr.Dre's "Next Episode," Snoop Dogg's "Lay Low," and Fabolous' "Cant Deny It," among others. "It never bothered me that i got known for appearing on other songs, because it was always my goal to let people know what I could do as my own artist," says Nate Dogg. "I've been building for this moment all my life. Anyone who knew me knows I've always been ready."

A recent fact-check shows that Nate Dogg's collaborations with the hip hop elite have totaled close to 60 million records sold over the past decade. From the Delta, to Death Row, and now to the front row of the hip hop and R&B landscape, Nate dogg has always been able to seamlessly link the often desperate worlds of urban music. His first single, the mesmerizing "I Got Love," just might be the ultimate ode to a career that seems to be finally getting its due. "I've matured a bit, grown a lot," says Nate Dogg philosophically. "In the end, everything happens for a reason. I'm just happy to be in the position where i can sit back, relax, and produce my music. "

D'banj.

Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo (popularly known as D'banj, born June 9, 1980), is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and harmonica player. He has won several music awards including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007 and Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009. He adopted the stage name D'banj, a combination of his first name Dapo and his surname Oyebanjo.

Wiz Khalifa

Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Brother Records in 2007. His techno-influenced single, “Say Yeah”, received urban radio airplay, charting on the Billboard Hot 100, Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008. Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, Deal or No Deal, in November 2009. He released the mixtape, Kush and Orange Juice, as a free download in April 2010, which became a top trending item on Twitter and Google. Wiz Khalifa recently signed with Atlantic Records and will be releasing his highly anticipated “Rolling Papers” album on March 29th. Random Facts: -Wiz Khalifa was born in Minot, North Dakota -Wiz Khalifa lived in Germany, England, and Japan before settling in Pittsburgh, PA. -His stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning “successor”, wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was fifteen.

Blaque!

In 1997, the late Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes of the girl group TLC would discover another female R&B group known as Blaque and launch their successful but short-lived career. The group's name Blaque, an acronym for " Believing in Life and Achieving a Quest for Unity", consisted of Shamari Fears (lead singer), Brand Williams (singer), and Natina Reed(rapper/songwriter). Selling an estimated 2 million albums during the peak of their carer (1997-2000), the girl group yielded two hit singles and reached platinum success with their album. Their eponymous debut album, Blaque, recorded in 1998, produced the lead hit single 808 and peaked at #8 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. After receiving a Gold certification by the RIAA, the follow-up single to 808 would be an even more successful song entitled Bring It All To Me. The single, featuring N Sync's JC Chasez, peaked at #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 and was also certified Gold. The final single of the album, I Do, experienced little success and failed to chart on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. The lack of success for their last single marked the sharp decline in their career. Although their second album, Blaque Out, was set to be released in 2001, Columbia Records dropped them from their label for reasons that were never disclosed. Many have suggested that the death of their mentor, Lisa Lopes, who was killed in a car crash in 2002, severely affected the success of the band. Upon her death, Blaque signed with Elektra Records but still found very little improvement in their sales and promotion. Their next effort came in 2003 with their third album, Torch. Although much hype was made surrounding the album, the release date was pushed back two times and was never physically released. The digital music company, iTunes, had secured a deal with Blaque to release Torch in 2008 as a digital album, but this too never came to be. Now, seven years after the album's recording, the album is set to be released digitally through Beechurst Inc. music label in 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfkF977UhRo&feature=player_detailpage

Nicki Minaj.

Nicki Minaj (born Onika Tanya Maraj; December 8 1984) is a rapper and singer. In August 2009, Minaj signed to Young Money Entertainment with distribution from Universal Motown, who will release her untitled debut studio album in 2010, which will consist of the hit "Your Love". Onika Maraj grew up in Queens, New York . She is of mixed Afro-Trinidadian and Indo-Trinidadian descent. According to Minaj, she grew-up in a home with an abusive father who drank alcohol, did drugs, and once tried to kill her mother by setting the house on fire. She graduated from LaGuardia High School in Manhattan where she studied singing and acting. Music career 2004 –2008: Career beginnings Nicki Minaj began her career in 2004 singing background vocals and hooks for local rappers. She was discovered on MySpace by Dirty Money CEO Fendi, who signed her to that label. After appearing on "The Carter Edition" of Young Money's The Come Up DVD series, Minaj was contacted by Wayne. The two collaborated on a number of mixtape tracks. In April 2007, she released her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over posing as a Barbie doll on the cover. Lil Wayne appeared on the track "Can't Stop, Won't Stop." In 2008 , Minaj released the mixtape Sucka Free . She appeared in the July issue of XXL magazine, giving a brief overview of her life thus far. Later that year, she won Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards. Nicki Minaj released Beam Me Up Scotty, another mixtape, in 2009. It received generally positive coverage on both BET and MTV. Minaj was also featured on Jeffree Star 's 2009 album Beauty Killer on the track "Lollipop Luxury." Collaborations and debut album Before Minaj released any solo material besides mixtapes, she was featured on 18 album tracks and 11 remix's singles with high- profile acts including " Up Out My Face (Remix) " with Mariah Carey , My Chick Bad Minaj released her first single "Massive Attack" on April 13 , 2010. The song features Sean Garrett , who produced the song along with Alex Da Kid. A music video for the single was shot on March 16 in the desert near Lancaster, California with director Hype Williams . The music video for the single premiered on BET's 106 & Park on Wednesday, March 31 and features Sean Garrett, with a cameo appearance by Amber Rose . The song is the lead-off single from Minaj's as-yet-untitled debut album that is set for a summer 2010 release. Although the album was scheduled for release as early as March 2010 , Minaj does not see any reason to rush it, stating she did not feel pressured to prematurely release the album. Minaj released " Your Love as the second single from her debut album, after the leaked version started receiving heavy airplay on the radio after being released on the Barbie World mixtape. The single went on to become Minaj's most successful single so far, peaking at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Rap Songs chart. A music video for the single is set to be shot as confirmed by Minaj.While working on her solo debut album, Minaj featured on additional high-profile acts including Christina Aguilera 's " Woohoo " and Sean Kingston 's "Letting Go (Dutty Love)". Musical style and image Image In an interview with Vibe Minaj discussed her sexual image stating "When I grew up I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot... and I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn’t have to represent the same thing." In addition to her funny voices and on-screen character she stated "I'm not abandoning the funny voices. ... But it’s coming up more with the album. I had a teacher in elementary who would stand on her table and whisper. We’d all turn around like, ‘What is this lunatic doing?’ But she would achieve what she wanted. She wanted us to stop talking and listen. I feel like I need to mellow it down so people can hear what I have to say." In an interview Minaj commented on her sexual image again stating, “I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness, I want people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You’ve got to have something else to go with that." Minaj has cited various artists who have influenced her musical style. Among others, she has cited Lil Wayne and Lauryn Hill as major influences. In an interview with VladTV. com, Minaj also mentioned Natasha Bedingfield as a musical favorite, and Jada Pinkett Smith as a major influence on her desire to be an actress. She is influenced by the unpredictable rhymes of Missy Elliott and has been compared to the sexually charged attitudes of Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown.

Yama Ninja - Dominant 1 and Third Eye

Nas discusses Distant Relatives with Jessie Maguire

Nas & Damian Marley Perform At The Distant Relatives Album Release Concert

The Ecstatic: Mos Def.

People looking for offhanded symbolism can feel free to try tracking Mos Def's career trajectory as an MC through his album covers. Iconic solo debut Black on Both Sides: a stark, immediately-striking photo portrait that renders the attribution of his name unnecessary. Aggro experimental follow-up The New Danger: that same face now obscured by a stick-up man's mask, his bright red bloody-looking index fingertip pointing to his own head on some Taxi Driver shit. Contractual obligation mishap True Magic: no actual album art whatsoever, with a blank looking Mos staring into space off the surface of the disc itself. And now -The Ecstatic, which depicts not MosDef himself but a red tinted shot from Charles Burnett's classic 1977 film Killer of Sheep. You might go so far as to say this indicates that the best way for Mos Def to reassert what he really means as an artist would be to take his as-seen-in Hollywood face out of the equation entirely, replacing it with a shot from an entirely different strain of independent, neorealist cinema that more clearly gets at what he represents as a lyricist. Maybe it's a stretch, but what the hell. And while Burnett's Watts isn't quite the same place as Mos Def's Bed-Stuy, it does exist as one of many geographical reference points in The Ecstatic's international style. This is Mos Def's small - globe statement, an album that comfortably jumps stylistically across continents on a hip-hop goodwill-ambassador tour,prefaced by a statement from Malcolm X during his 1964 appearance at Oxford: "I, for one, will join in with anyone, I don't care what color you are, as long as you want to change this miserable condition that exists on this earth." It's a high-minded intro for an album that most people will hearfirst and foremost as the comeback bid of a rapper-turned-actor, but it also serves as an important indication that Mos actually gives a shit here, and that he has a stake in something greater than just one corner of the rap world.

Digable Planets.

Listened to some Digable Planets the other day. damn - wat they dropped is still relavent today - "timeless". So I thought I'd put them down in the blog. This short "Bio" is from: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jpftxqt5ldke

Though they were not the first to synthesize jazz and hip-hop, Digable Planets epitomized the laid-back charm of jazz hipsters better than any group before or since. The trio's 1993 debut album, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space), was a mellow ride packed with samples from Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, and Curtis Mayfield, and the single "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" became a Top 20 pop hit. After earning a Grammy for Best New Duo or Group and embarking on an ambitious tour that included several live musicians, the Planets returned in late 1994 with their best album yet. Blowout Comb continued the group's jazz-rap fusion, but also saw them branching out to embrace the old school sound of the street ...

Check out "where am from" at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2q8q73t-aM

Whatever happened to them?

Pacific Division.

Pacific Division started out as a 10-man crew in 2002. After realizing that only the Wu-Tang Clan could possibly get away with such a large army, they trimmed the crew to three. Pac Div as we know it today consists of brothers Mibbs and Like, and their friend BeYoung. They launched an online campaign and generated an enormous buzz with their 2006 mixtape, Sealed for Freshness: The Blend Tape. The group's penchant for lyricism and infectious beats earned them a spot on Two Tones Production roster, readying Pac Div to make some noise in '09 with their upcoming debut, Grown Kid Syndrome.

Eve.

Eve Jihan Jeffers or better known as Eve was born on November 10, 1978 in Philadelphia. In high school she was part of a group called EDGP(pronouced Egypt) where she aslo adopted the name Gangster. In the end she decided to go solo, and is now a well-known actress, and rapper who has sold millions of albums.

Before she returned to hip hop, she worked as a stripper. Since then she has worked with Ma$e, DMX, Janet Jackson, Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige, Pharell, and many more. Eve was in XXX with Vin Diesel, Barbershop 1 and 2 with Ice Cube, The Cookout with Queen Latifah, and The Woodsman with Kevin Bacon.

In 2003, a photo of Eve naked with another woman leaked onto the internet. She stated that she did used to strip, but she did not state if it was her in the photo. She simply said, 'it could be me or it could not be me.' In 2005, a sex tape that she made in 1999 was put onto the internet. Eve took legal actions to have those websites remove the clip. Eve's album , 'Let There Be Eve...Ruff ryders first Lady.' entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 1. She had become the second woman to release a hip hop album, and reach number 1. The first woman was Foxy brown. She has one Grammy Award and in 2003, she was the lead actress in the TV Show, 'Eve'. Her albums include Let There Be Eve...Ruff ryders first Lady, Scorpion, Eve-Olution, and Here I am which is said to be released in late 2006.

C - Murder trial.

GRETNA, La. (AP) – The jury in the second-degree murder trial of rapper Corey “C-Murder” Miller plans to continue deliberations.Saying they were exhausted and wanted to rest and make a fresh start, the jury said they were unable to debate further Monday. The judge reluctantly let them call it quits after nine hours of deliberation and sent them to a hotel for the night.


Jurors are trying to decide whether Miller is guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Steve Thomas, but were having trouble reaching a consensus. At least 10 of the 12 jurors must agree on a verdict.>The 38-year-old Miller would face a mandatory life term if convicted. The jury could also find him guilty of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years.

Kid Cudi.

Claim to Fame: A trippy psych-rap smash titled "Day 'N' Night"

For Fans Of: The Knux, Cool Kids, Wale Cleveland,

Ohio is not exactly your typical breeding ground for rappers. Besides Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Bow Wow, Cleveland hasn't produced a notable hip-hop figure in years. Enter Scott Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi. Cudi captivated the music world with his 2007 stoner anthem, "Day 'N' Night." Kanye noticed the kid and gave him a spot on 808s & Heartbreak's introductory cut, "Welcome to Heartbreak." Of course, one hit does not a good rapper make. So, Cudi teamed up with Plain Pat & 10.Deep for 50 minutes of bliss on his impressive street album, A Kid Named Cudi. As Cudi demonstrates on this mixtape, he's as pure as progressive-rap lyricists get. His debut, Man on the Moon, is set to drop on Kanye's GOOD Music imprint in Spring 2009.

Shakur Biopic At Center Of Legal Battle.

A legal turf war has broken out between production company Morgan Creek and the estate of Tupac Shakur. Morgan Creek has sued Amaru Entertainment, the company run by Afeni Shakur, the late rapper’s mother and executor, alleging in a Los Angeles Superior Court filing that the company has backed out of an agreement to sell his life rights for a film adaptation.

Negotiations between Morgan Creek and Amaru began in November for life rights that would form the basis of the untitled project. According to the complaint, a written contract was in place for life rights, with Morgan Creek claiming that Amaru is “refus(ing) to honor and perform a contract of a production of the film based on the life of Tupac Shakur.” The company seeks damages and other relief.

But late Wednesday, Amaru’s lawyers denied the existence of a deal. “There is no agreement with Morgan Creek, there never was, and there never will be,” said Amaru attorney Skip Miller, adding that the court filing is an attempt to force his client’s hand.

Miller said negotiations for a biopic on the controversial rapper were underway at several studios and that Morgan Creek attempted to sabotage those talks with threats of litigation. “They have scared away Paramount, Fox and others, and we are going to sue them and recover millions (in damages),” Miller said.

Morgan Creek and lawyer Patricia Glaser declined comment. The timeline laid out in the company’s complaint presents a complicated series of events, but the key moment came in December, when Morgan Creek said it requested a term sheet from Amaru and was given a counterproposal that “set forth, in meticulous detail, the precise comprehensive terms, including material terms, that (Amaru) required to enter into a contract for the project.” Those familiar with the case said that negotiations broke down in January, after Fox Searchlight released “Notorious,” a biopic about Shakur rival Biggie Smalls. The movie underperformed at the boxoffice, and a rift between the parties developed shortly after.

Shakur, who has sold more albums worldwide than any other hip-hop artist, led a colorful, made-for-Hollywood life. The New York-born, Oakland-raised rapper was a prolific artist at the dawn of the gangsta rap era and was charged with and incarcerated for a number of crimes. He also sold millions of records based partly on his experiences, including chart-toppers “Me Against the World” and “All Eyez on Me” and several posthumously released albums.

Shakur died after a 1996 shooting that likely was the result of an East Coast-West Coast rap feud. He acted in a number of Hollywood roles, including the romantic drama “Poetic Justice” and the basketball drama “Above the Rim.” His music has appeared in countless pics, including “8 Mile,” “Friday After Next” and “Blood Diamond.”

Over the years a number of scripts have gone into development on the rapper’s life, with none gaining traction. A documentary, “Tupac: Resurrection,” made $8 million for Paramount in 2003, and Sylvester Stallone was at one point developing a project about Shakur’s death and the subsequent killing of Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G.

Other hip-hop tales in development include “Tougher Than Leather,” the story of ’80s hip-hop pioneers Run-D.M.C., which “Notorious” scribe Cheo Hodari Coker is attached to write for Davis Entertainment.

Life rights and collaboration with an executor are not always necessary with a public figure like Shakur, though they would be essential if the filmmakers hope to include music, as they would in this case.

From - http://streetknowledge.wordpress.com/

Profile on Lil' Wayne.

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is a rapper. Formerly a member of the rap group the Hot Boys, he joined the Cash Money Records collective as a teenager. He worked with B.G. on the album True Story and eventually recorded for the label. Get It How U Live, released in 1997, was Lil Wayne's first album with Hot Boys, and Tha Block is Hot, his solo debut, came out 1999. Block debuted in the top ten on the American Billboard 200 chart and Lil Wayne was nominated for "Best New Artist" from The Source magazine the same year. Following this success, Wayne soon featured on other rappers' singles, including "Bling Bling" by B.G. and "#1 Stunna" by the Big Tymers in 2000.

After his hit debut solo album Tha Block Is Hot in 1999 and two others, Lil Wayne reached higher popularity with 2004's Tha Carter and its two subsequent albums Tha Carter II (2005) and Tha Carter III (2008). He earned various accolades, including being nominated for eight Grammy Awards. He will release a rock album titled Rebirth in 2009.

Proverb.

It’s no wonder 23 year old ProVerb was chosen as one of the faces and voices of Africa’s hottest music TV channel “Channel O” as the presenter of the hip-hop show “Nasty” since June 2003. This guy has a way with words - after all he’s one of South Africa’s hottest rappers. But aside from that he’s multi skilled, multi talented and full of dreams and ambition. South Africans will already recognize ProVerb from the video to his breakthrough track Attention - a hit track by Amu that features him and Selwyn.ProVerb is deep in the music and media game. Aside from working as a technical producer (he’s a qualified sound engineer) on DJ Fresh and Thatho’s Freshest Breakfast show at Gauteng’s biggest Youth station YFM, ProVerb has some superb tracks on groundbreaking SA hip hop albums Expressions (Right Wrong) and Maximum Sentence (Letter To My X). His lyrical abilities have been recognized by other recording artist who have invited him to feature on their projects, artist like Zubz - Performance of your life, Optical illusion - Bars of steel, Twistyle - Lovey dovey remix, Selwyn- Soweto Spanish and he also did a song with the punk rock band Tweak on the Coca-cola collaborations album.

Between February and May 2004 he was involved in the Love life concept called Scamtho groundbreakers which saw him traveling to various parts of the world as part of their Love to be there campaign. It culminated in him recording a song about teenage suicide with a Ugandan MC Lyrical G which they performed at high schools in Kimberly. His love for hip-hop was recognized when he was invited to be part of the South African delegation at the Global hip-hop summit held in Spain in September 2004.It is now a new year and Proverb is not slowing down at all, he has just released his highly anticipated debut album The Book Of ProVerb on March the 4th.

It has been a labor of love album with the emotional MC pouring his soul into the project and touching on a variety of issues that are personal to him. It is a 16 track album that features production from one of South Africa’s leading beat makers Battle Kat (He has produced for H2O, Zubz, Optical illusion and all the compilations from Outrageous Records). The first single from his album Microphone Sweet Home is already getting a lot of air play on regional and national radio stations alike. Television and radio show producers have already started clamoring for interviews and this is only the beginning.This is a continuation of the beginning of a music career that is only going to get bigger not only in South Africa but in Africa as a whole.

From: my.opera.com