Wiz Khalifa Signs Female Rapper Lola Monroe

Wiz Khalifa has added a female component to his Taylor Gang label imprint with rap artist Lola Monroe.
“We got it in with Taylor Gang. We Taylored now,” the 25-year-old former model told DJGreg Street of Atlanta radio station V-103. “Wiz is like a positive free individual that’s about his business and that matches everything I’ve created on my side. When he reached out, he was like, ‘I feel as though our movements represent the same thing, so I want you to rep Taylor Gang.’ And I agreed, so it’s only right.”
Monroe has been on the scene as a rapper for years after abandoning her career as a model named Angel Lola Luv.
She was renown for having a huge backside.
Monroe expects to release a pair of new mixtapes.

Jay-Z Announces Brooklyn Nets; New Colors, New Marketing Campaign

Hip-Hop mogul Jay-Z held a press conference this morning (September 26th) in Brooklyn, New York, where he officially announced that the New Jersey Nets are now The Brooklyn Nets.

The rapper held a press conference at Atlantic Terminal to make the announcement, in addition to revealing he would open the new Barclay's Center that will house the Nets, with a series of concerts.

"I'm going to open the building with a couple of concerts, maybe like eight," Jay-Z told reporters, according to MyFoxNews.

"Biggie had a line 'spread love that's the Brooklyn way. It's a deep love we have for our heroes. We walk around with that," Jay-Z told reporters.

According to Jay-Z, the Brooklyn Nets will sport all new colors, although the rapper refused to divulge anymore details.

Today's announcement kicked off a major marketing campaign surrounding the Brooklyn Nets, who are expected to play in the 2012-13 season.

Jay-Z who owns a 1.7% percent stake in the company, is also the face of a massive marketing campaign promoting the new team.

“Jay-Z will be the face of the team’s fourth-quarter campaign” to sell 4,400 “All-Access” premium seats at the rapidly rising 18,000-seat arena," CEO Brett Yormark told the New York Post.

For the marketing campaign, the Brooklyn Nets are planning on distributing 250,000 coffee cups to local stores, in addition to placing billboard ads throughout New York, along with telephone booth ads and ad placements on taxicab tops.

T.I. Released From Federal Custody; Sent To Halfway House

T.I. has been released from federal prison and sent to a halfway house, almost two weeks after he was accused of improper behavior, by leaving the Forrest City, Arkansas prison on a luxury tour bus.

The rapper's lawyer Steve Sadow told TMZ.com that they proved to officials that T.I. did not intentionally violate the conditions of his transfer to the halfway house.

"We have good reason to believe that this favorable result was reached because of the proactive and assertive approach taken to protect T.I.'s rights by providing B.O.P. officials and the media with reliable and accurate information and that T.I. did not intend to violate his transfer furlough or any other B.O.P. rules en route from the prison facility in Arkansas to the halfway house in Atlanta," Steve Sadow told TMZ.com

In related news, T.I. has teamed with HarperCollins to release new book titled "Power & Beauty."

The work of fiction tells the tale of two friends who grew up in Atlanta. The book, which was authored by T.I. and co-writer David Ritz, is due in stores in October.

T.I. is also working on a new reality show on VH1 that will follow this post prison activities.

Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter IV" Nears Platinum In Its First Week

Lil Wayne has earned a platinum plaque thanks to the first-week sales of his latest album Tha Carter IV.

According to Hits Daily Double, Weezy sold 1,000,690 copies of his newest offering since hitting stores last week. The album previously broke the iTunes record for most digital albums sold within the first four days of its availability.

His 2008 release, Tha Carter III, achieved the same accomplishment as its successor, moving 1,005,545 units in its first week.

Drake Is "80 Percent Done" With "Take Care," Talks Recording In Toronto, Canada

Drake is currently gearing up for the release of his sophomore album Take Care, which he claims is “80 percent done.” Speaking with Hip Hollywood, Drizzy explained that he’s the “most confident I’ve ever been” with the album, which benefitted from him recording in his native Toronto, Canada.

“I’ve been in Toronto the longest time since I started my career, I’ve been there for four months. The album is a genuine reflection of my life past and my life present, and I have a line on the album where I say, ‘I feel like I was numb to it last year, but I think I feel it now more than ever,’” he said. “That’s the best way I can paint the picture for you for this album. I got to reconnect with a lot of people I haven’t seen in years, I got to see my family a lot, it stirred up a lot of emotions that I probably wouldn’t have had if I’d been on the road traveling everywhere. It’s almost there. I got some great things, I’m very excited. I’m most confident I’ve ever been, including So Far Gone, including any mixtape.”

Survivin' the Era of Terror: How 9/11 Missed Hip-Hop

September 11, 2001 is a day that will never be forgotten. On that day, an event happened that will effect the lives of generations for decades to come; socially, politically and economically. No, I'm not talking about the attack on the World Trade Center, 9/11/01 was also the day that Jay Z released The Blueprint...

This week, when many people reflect on what they were doing the moment the Twin Towers fell that faithful Tuesday in '01, most won't admit that they were standing in line trying to be the first person on their block to get the new Jay Z CD but that pretty much sums up the collective attitude of Hip Hop during a 10 year period known as the "Era of Terror." It can be argued that The Blueprint had more of an impact on Hip Hop than the attack on the World Trade.

While the 9/11 attack sparked a "War on Terror" that would have a major impact on nations around the planet for decades to come, the effect on the Hip Hop Nation has been minimal, at best.

But was this a matter of apathy or fear?

Maybe the streets just didn't care. For residents of the hood who were constantly trapped between gang wars and crooked cops, 9/11 was just another day in the neighborhood. One more problem to add to the 99 others that we faced on a daily basis. As long as it didn't mean that cable would get cut off or the club would shut down for the weekend, it was what it was.

The fear factor probably played a greater role, especially among the rappers, themselves. And who could blame them? Historically, Uncle Sam has never taken too kindly to being dissed in front of the world.

Dr. Martin Luther King did not really start catching major heat from the Feds until he spoke out against the Vietnam War and Muhammad Ali got his world championship belt snatched because he refused to fight a bunch of Vietcong who "never called him a **** ."

Rappers weren't the first artists to punk out when the price of Freedom of Speech got too high. During the 60's even outspoken artists such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan were accused of abandoning the anti-war struggle to either smoke dust or start making nonpolitical, country music. Not much different than the rappers of today who would rather smoke blunts and go jewelry shopping than fight the power.

We have to remember that the period immediately following 9/11 wasn't the best time to attack America's domestic policies as the general public was out for blood and George Bush was playing an international game of "Who Shot Ya." If the good ol boys would call for the heads of the Dixie Chicks for chin checkin' G-Dub, imagine what they would have done to the brothers on the block?

Although, not totally clear on the legal ramifications of the Patriot Acts, rappers were pretty clear that political Hip Hop was deemed illegal in at least one of them. Nobody wanted to be seen as part of Bush's Axis of Evil. Spending a few months on Riker's Island was one thing but nobody wanted to wind up in a cell in Guantanamo Bay, never to be heard from again.

Remember, we saw how the face of terrorism could change overnight from "Middle Eastern" to a young black male in the hood when back in 2006, seven black men in Liberty City Florida were brought up on trumped up charges of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago.

So most in mainstream Hip Hop decided it was best to keep quiet in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. (Unless, you count Petey Pablo doing his ultra-patriot USA remix to "Raise Up. Making him the first rapper to raise his hand when Bush threw down the mandate "you are either with us or against us.")

A few artists did speak out against America's foreign policies. The usual rap revolutionaries like Public Enemy, Paris and a few others continued to do what they did best; challenge the staus quo. Also, relative newcomers like Immortal Technique began to make their fans think that there was more to the story than what they were seeing on the news. In the mainstream, fueled by the popularity of documentaries like Fahrenheit 9/11 and Loose Change, a few mainstream artists such as Eminem and Jadakis began to either literally or figuratively accuse Bush of "knocking down the towers." Also, a new group named the Black Eyed Peas asked "Where is the Love" but perhaps the most hardcore hate letter to the Prez was penned by Fredwreck and the STOP Movement.

The period has not been without it's random Sister Souljah moments such as KRS's "chickens coming home to roost-like " statement at a New Yorker Magazine panel discussion or the infamous Kanye West post- Katrina revelation that "George Bush doesn't like black people,"

However, these were exceptions to the rule of a Hip Hop "culture" that has been increasingly more obsessed with producing materialistic, Maybach music instead of message music. Instead of dealing with serious issues it is safer and easier just to simply pretend that they do not exist and the world is no bigger than the block on which one lives.

For the most part over the last decade, Hip Hop has remained mostly apolitical and detached from reality. A great escape to a mystical land where the champagne is always flowing and the strip clubs never close. Even when the rest of the world is at war.

Trey Songz Says He Would Like To Collaborate With Drake For A Full-Length LP

Trigga Trey says the resulting album would be "very authentic."

With Jay-Z and Kanye West recently conquering the charts with their collaborative LP Watch the Throne, Trey Songz says that he would love to collaborate with Drake in the same capacity. Speaking with TheSource.com, Trigga Trey explained that the musical chemistry is there and that the results would be “authentic.”

“When thinking along the lines of that, Drake is the first person that comes to mind that I am that musically comfortable with in that space,” he said. “He is a friend of mine as well, and I think we can pull something off like that could sound very authentic.”

Like with Jay and ‘Ye, he said that he couldn’t force a collaborative LP, and that it would have to come organically.

“I mean, you got to look at (Kanye and Jay-Z) and see how long it took them to do it, you know? So it has to be organic in whatever way it happens. It can’t be a business decision and you can’t look at it in a way of making it lucrative. I think it has to be something that you are definitely going into for music’s sake. It has to be something real, because if it’s not authentic you can hear it.”

Rapper K'Naan Visits Somalia At The Height Of Its Devastating Famine

K'Naan pays a visit to Mogadishu during famine, meets with malnourished children at a local hospital.

At the height of a deadly famine, Somali-born rapper K’Naan took time off to visit his native country which has been ravaged by a famine brought on by drought and the inability for aid to reach those most devastated because of militant groups.

Forbes.com reports that the rapper, who now resides in Canada, visited Mogadishu and the city’s Banadir Hospital on Sunday (August 21).

"I came to Somalia to see the situation here and give any donation I have to the people and anything else available," said the rapper, according to Forbes.com. "I will do all I can to help my people in Somalia."

K’Naan’s visit over the weekend marks his first visit to Somalia in over two decades.

A report by MSNBC on August 5, 2011 states that 29,000 children under the age of five have died as a result of the famine.

Kanye, Jay-Z Get Involved With East African Drought Relief Effort

Rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z are putting their newest video “Otis” to good use, beyond the typical marketing promotion for their new album Watch the Throne.

Reps for the rappers have confirmed that the vehicle used in the “Otis” video will be going up for auction.

Proceeds from the sale of the customized, flame spitting Maybach that is featured in the video will be donated towards the East African drought disaster.

Due to constant war and the worst drought in decades, over 2 million people have recently fled their homes in Somalia.

Over 12.4 million people have been affected by the East Africa drought and famine, which is affecting countries like Somalia, South Sudan Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya.

"What is happening in the Horn of Africa is the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world today, and the worst that East Africa has seen in several decades," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement, after revealing the U.S. was donating an additional $17 million to the nations around the Horn of Africa, bringing the U.S.'s aid contribution to over $500 millions dollars.

In related news, a Watch the Throne Pop-up Gallery Open House opened on Mulberry Street in Manhattan today (August 12th).

The Pop-up Gallery will be open until 10:00 PM today and will open tomorrow and Sunday at 11:00 AM.

REVIEW: Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne

Rating: 9/10

Watch The Throne, the first full collaborative effort from Jay-Z and Kanye West, has been deemed by many as an instant classic and others as an overly hyped product by two vets. But, the fact is, most opinions are rooted in baseless or biased opinions, having little to do with the actual music. Most people tend to love or loathe Mr. West and Mr. Carter with very few gradients of gray. Watch The Throne is the most ambitious effort the pair have joined forces on and the world awaits to hear it. The dynamic duo do not disappoint.

The album jump starts with “No Church in the Wild” which features Frank Ocean crooning a contagious, thoughtful hook, over production by Kanye West and 88-Keys. Ocean sings: “What’s a king to a God? / what’s a God to a non-believer?” and suddenly Jay-Z goes into a first verse that delves into philosophers, thinkers, and religion. Jigga raps,“Tears on the mausoleum floor, blood stains the coliseum doors / lies on the lips of the priests, Thanksgiving disguised as a feast.” Then, Kanye graces the first track off Watch the Throne with his presence. Ocean croons as wild animal noises chirping and screeching in the background.

Beyonce owns “Lift Off,” an epic anthem that grabs hold of the listener from the first few chords the heavy synths. Beyonce starts off the song with an operatic chorus. Kanye spews the song’s first verse, as he switches between straight raps and some melodic singing of his own. Jay comes in next and compliments his cohorts well. The song closes with an actual voice counting down a lift-off sequence and then “N***as In Paris” begins, a Southern-styled bouncy track. However, there is just a certain level of musicality to this track that feels light-years beyond the average rap songs of the day. The beat, which induces heavy head-nodding, officially drops halfway through Jay’s verse. Kanye comes through: “Prince Williams ain’t do it right if you ask me / If I was him I would have married Kate and Ashley.” The track then breaks down a Blades of Glory movie reference before concluding with a slowed-down crash reminiscent of the 80’s instrumentalists Art of Noise.

“Otis,” has Jay and Ye in more traditional territory than the aforementioned songs. The Kanye-produced song samples Otis Redding's “Try A Little Tenderness.” After a soulful intro, Jay and Kanye trade verses over a very classic Roc-A-Fella days type of record. Both sound like they’re having fun with lines like: “Photo shoot fresh, looking like wealth / I’m bout to call the paparazzi on myself,” and “can you see the private jets flying over you / Maybach bumper sticker read ‘what would Hova do?’” Some have expressed concern over the materialistic content, but the vibe of "Otis" doesn't last for long on Watch The Throne.

The Neptunes-produced “Gotta Have It” is pleasant, but the real gem is “New Day,” a song Jay and Kanye pen to their fictional unborn sons. It shows both as vulnerable and honest, backed by RZA and Kanye’s production. Kanye starts, “And I’d never let my son have an ego, we gon, be nice to everyone wherever we go / I mean I might even make him be Republican, so everybody know he love white people.” Jay vows to his son, ”Promise to never leave him even if his momma tweaking / Cause my Dad left me and I promised never repeat him.”

“Who Gon' Stop Me” is a song tailor made for the big cars with the big systems. With its heavy synths, deeply monophonic bassline, and dubstep roots, this song thumps. Over a sample of Flux Pavilion’s “I Can’t Stop,” Kanye, Sak Pase, and Mike Dean produced a true “banger.” Jay brags: “So many watches, I need eight 8 arms / One neck, I got eight charms.” The verses are cut in and out with the chorus of “who gon stop me now?” Kanye goes back to the speakerphone rap as the beat begins to morph and change in the background. In the best way possible, this one will do some damage to your speakers. (The co-writer of this piece, Jigsaw, deemed this his favorite track in the WTT preview last month.)

"Welcome To The Jungle," which almost didn't make the album, explodes onto WTT as one of the best songs on the album. Jay-Z is more emotive on this song than we've seen from him in a long time. “My uncle died, my daddy did too, I’m numb from the pain, I can barely move. My nephew gone, my heart is torn. Sometimes I look to the sky, ask why I was born," he sulks. But in the same song the self-proclaimed Black Axel Rose spews, "I look in the mirror, my only opponent." That’s My B*tch is a pretty cool frenetic record that borrows a lil' Public Enemy and a dash of Justin Vernon. Its quite possible that this song could unwittingly get play in the club.

Against a soft-electro and piano-laden beat, Jay tells the success story we’ve heard many times before on "Sweet Baby Jesus," one of transforming from the corner to a mogul. It is a very “if we made it so can you, but you have to work for it” kind of song. Ocean sings: “Sweet King Martin [Luther King, Jr.], sweet Queen Coretta [Scott King] / Sweet brother Malcolm [X], sweet Queen Betty [Shabazz] / Sweet Mother Mary, sweet father Joseph / Sweet Jesus, we made it in America / Sweet Baby Jesus.” The song is special and introspective. Still, Ye takes a bit of time to stunt after reminiscing over the early days with his mother and mentor NO I.D. He raps, “N***as hustle everyday for a beat from Ye / What I do? Turn around, give them beats to Jay / Now I’m rapping on the beats people supposed to buy / I guess I’m getting high on my own supply.” The song oozes soul and, with his second appearance on the album, Frank Ocean’s inclusion alone proves he is a force to be reckoned with.

“Why I Love You,” which features G.O.O.D. Music's Mr. Hudson, offers a pleasing return the worldly musings offered throughout Watch The Throne. The song chorus repeats, “Ooh, I love you so, but why I love you, I never know.” Jay handles the first verse and most of the second with lines like: “Charge it to the game, whatever’s left on it / I spent about a minute maybe less on it / Fly pelican fly, turn the jets on it / But first I shall digress on it.” Before the verse is over Kanye joins and weaves lines in and out of Jay’s. They continue this pattern for most of the third verse amidst the elevating beat and violins. All to soon it ends and Watch the Throne comes to a screeching close.

“Why I Love You,” is a fitting finale for Watch The Throne. Jay-Z and Kanye have taken a creative position where its impossible not to care. Love and hate are close relatives and both can succumb to emotional notions in fans and critics alike. This album is a creative victory at worse and at its very best, a paradigm shift for Hip-Hop. Now, it is time for the listeners to contend with their real feelings towards Watch The Throne.

Click here to purchase Watch The Throne, exclusively on iTunes.

Watch the Throne Tracklisting (Deluxe Version)

1. No Church in the Wild (Feat. Frank Ocean)
2. Lift Off (Feat. Beyoncé)
3. Ni---s in Paris
4. Otis (Feat. Otis Redding)
5. Gotta Have It
6. New Day
7. Prime Time
8. Who Gon Stop Me
9. Murder to Excellence
10. Welcome to The Jungle
11. Sweet Baby Jesus (Feat. Frank Ocean)
12. Love You So (Feat. Mr Hudson)

Bonus

13. Illest Mother----er Alive
14. H*A*M
15. That’s My Bi---
16. The Joy (Feat. Curtis Mayfield)

Jay-Z Talks Watch the Throne; His Relationship With President Obama

Rapper Jay-Z stopped by Hot 97 yesterday (August 2nd), where he discussed a number of topics, including reports surrounding his upcoming album with Kanye West, titled Watch the Throne and his relationship with President Barack Obama.

During the interview with Angie Martinez, Jay-Z addressed growing reports that he and Kanye West were feuding over details of the upcoming Watch the Throne tour, which is slated to kick off September 22nd in Detroit, Michigan.

"We have a healthy respect for one another and I know exactly where he's [Kanye] coming from," Jay-Z said. "It's always about the art and you have to respect that. And again, I've said that people who don't respect that, don't enjoy being pushed in that way."

Jay-Z also addressed criticism surrounding the pre-release of Watch the Throne, which angered a number of independent record stores across the country, who believe they will lose out on physical sales due to the Internet.

“As far as making this album, we took eight months," Jay-Z continued. "We should be able to release it the way we like, without everybody being up in arms. The real reason behind it is that we didn't want it to leak. We wanted to present it to the people in its entirety."

As for Watch the Throne leaking, Jay-Z said that would not happen.

According to Jay, the album has been guarded tightly since the initial recording sessions began.

Jay-Z also discussed his relationship with President Barack Obama, who he has met on several occasions.

Jay-Z detailed a trip to Washington D.C. , where he dined with Mayor Adrian Fenty and then headed to the White House, for a meeting with the Commander in Chief, of the United States of America.

According to Jay-Z, President Barack Obama is the “second coolest person in the world…," next to himself, noting that he received a "positive reaction" from the President.

"It's very humbling, it's weird, but I love it," Jay-Z said.

Game Says He Will Sign With Cash Money Records After Interscope

Game has revealed that he is considering signing with Cash Money Records after his Interscope Records contract is fulfilled. With only one more album left on the plate following the August 23rd release of R.E.D. Album, the Compton, California native explains that he plans on abandoning Interscope and signing with the house that Birdman and Slim built.

"We been playing with the idea of going over to Cash Money or trying to marry that and Black Wall Street,” he told XXLMag.com. “So, we’ll figure it out before the end of the day. I definitely think that’s where I’ll probably end up. Cause they winning, they want to win and I been winning and want to continue to win.”

Game, who explained that his relationship with Birdman dates back to before he dropped his debut The Documentary, has collaborated with Cash Money's Lil Wayne several times throughout his career. On an unreleased track from R.E.D. Album titled "All I Know," Chuck Taylor speaks on the label proposal.

Wiz Khalifa Earns Gold Certification For "Rolling Papers"

Wiz Khalifa has earned gold certification for his debut album Rolling Papers, released March 29, 2011. The Taylor Gang leader celebrated crossing the 500,000 units mark with a celebration at Rostrum Records and Atlantic Records.

So far, Wiz has several platinum plaques thanks to the success of the album. His smash “Black and Yellow” has been certified triple platinum for sales of over three-million units, while his follow-up “Roll Up” earned platinum status in June.

Rolling Papers bowed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 197,000 copies sold in its first week.

2Pac's "Greatest Hits" Goes Diamond Status

It's been 15 years since his murder, but Tupac's legacy continues on. Just weeks after his 40th birthday anniversary, which featured a performance of Meek Mill and Rick Ross's "Tupac Back," the late Shakur gets another victory, with his Greatest Hits album reaching Diamond status on the Billboard charts.

Earlier this June, the RIAA announced that the two-disc collection sold another million copies, pushing its total sales since its 1998 release to 10 million. The album has ultimately edged-out '96s All Eyez on Me to become Shakur's biggest selling album and marks his first time reaching Diamond status in his career.

Greatest Hits is noted for featuring four previously unreleased tracks from the legendary rapper and a number of re-edited versions of previously released songs. The album's single "Changes" also helped earn Pac the first and only posthumous Grammy Award nomination since for Best Rap Solo Performance.

The song "God Bless the Dead" is particularly well known for a lyric in Pac says, "Rest in peace to my motherfucker Biggy Smallz." While many misinterpreted to be a reference to former foe Notorious B.I.G., who passed after Pac's death, the lyric was actually a reference to an assoicate of Stretch of the Live Squad, who was featured on the very song.

Jay Z Teases Journalist with "Watch the Throne" Private Listening Party

Jay-Z and Kanye West are finally ready to let heads into their proverbial Throne Room. A listening session for their collaborative album Watch The Throne—easily one of the most anticipated albums of the year, regardless of genre—is going down for select media tonight at a secret location in New York City. I will be there on behalf of MTV News to get a first listen in on the project that Yeezy and Hova have been working on for a good minute, keeping fans and media alike wondering what the final product will sounds like.

As for the visuals, the album’s artwork—created by Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci—was revealed over the weekend. Rumors that circulated previously saying the album would be released over the July 4th holiday proved to be suspect, but the album will be shipping on August 2, 2011. That’s the date given to customers who have already chosen to pre-order the album, which comes in a standard and deluxe edition. Also, there is no solid tracklist that has been made available, yet.

While Jay-Z and Kanye are the epitome of Hip-Hop cool with plentiful hits between them, you can’t help but feel that the pressure is on to deliver a grand slam with Watch The Throne. Jay-Z’s star power has only escalated through the years, eluding the usual trajectory of the older rapper whose luster and skills, and fanbase, has faded over the years. As for Kanye, he’s gone from being the Roc’s go-to producer with rapping aspirations to becoming one of music’s biggest stars.

Considering that Watch the Throne morphed from an EP to a full on album, then took longer than expected to get a legitimate release date, the two marquee Hip-Hop artists are keenly aware only exceptional music will be tolerated. Even Yeezy’s protégé Big Sean, who didn’t make the cut (neither did Pusha T), is saying that “the intro is like, damn!" Jigga also appears to be taking special care on the business side of the project, too. He raised eyebrows by opting to forgo iTunes with this release.

So will this Hip-Hop dream tandem live up the stratospheric hype? Stay tuned to MTV RapFix and on Twitter at @MTVRapFix as I will be relaying a play by play (who made the beat, who drops a guest verse, etc) of the long player the good Hov and Yeezy are set to deliver. Keep watching.

Eminem Becomes First Artist To Sell 1 Million Digital Copies In U.S.

Detroit rapper Eminem has become the first artists ever, to sell 1 million digital copies of an album in the United States.

Eminem's latest album Recovery has sold over 1 million copies since being released in June of 2010.

The Grammy award-winning album debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 charts upon its release.

Recovery is now the best-selling digital album of all time.

His latest album Hell: The Sequel with Royce Da 5'9 as Bad Meets Evil, also debuted at #1 when it was released in June of 2011, making Eminem the first artist in the past five years to score two #1 albums, within a 12 month period.

"Recovery selling one million digital albums is an incredible achievement by an incredible artist," added Interscope Records' Vice Chairman Steve Berman. "I have had the pleasure of working with Eminem throughout the course of his career, and I'm delighted to be a part of yet another milestone on his amazing journey."

In related news, Bad Meet Evil recently released a new single titled “LEighters,” featuring Bruno Mars.

Eminem has become the first artist to sell one million digital copies of an album in the United States with his 2010 release Recovery.

With his collaboration Hell: The Sequel with Royce Da 5’9 hitting the top of the charts in its first week, Em also became the first artist in five years to have two No. 1 albums within a 12-month period.

“Recovery selling one million digital albums is an incredible achievement by an incredible artist,” said Interscope Records’ Vice Chairman Steve Berman in a statement. “I have had the pleasure of working with Eminem throughout the course of his career, and I’m delighted to be a part of yet another milestone on his amazing journey.”

“We are thrilled to congratulate Eminem on the history-making digital sales success of Recovery,” added Em’s manager Paul Rosenberg. “Over the years we've made a concerted effort to engage Em's online fan base so this achievement is especially rewarding. Eminem made an amazing album with Recovery and the fans responded in record numbers."

Jay-Z Partnering With Soccer Player Ashley Cole To Open 40/40 Club In London, England

Jay-Z is planning to expand his 40/40 franchise, partnering with soccer player Ashley Cole to open The 40/40 London next year.

The multi-million pound deal, brokered by the NVA Entertainment Group, will be the first of several ventures between Hov and Cole. "London is one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the world and the perfect location for our new venue," Jay-Z said in a statement. “I'm excited about working with Ashley and NVA Entertainment Group on a range of new projects and The 40/40 London is going to be the hottest place in town."

The new 40/40 club will feature an American-themed menu for its restaurant/bar, with a location to be announced in August. Jay and Cole will hold a grand opening party for the latest addition to the franchise, which already includes establishments in five U.S. cities.

Lil Wayne, Eminem Go Into Guinness World Records on Social Media Day

World famous rappers Lil Wayne and Eminem have made the Guinness World Records, the company announced today (June 30th), to coincide with Social Media Day.

According to Guinness, Lil Wayne's Facebook page has the Most "Likes" on a Facebook Item.

The rapper's fans posted 668,198 comments, in response to a post made on February 15, 2011, challenging the previous record set by Oreo cookies.

Lil Wayne's fans took the award away from the iconic cookie brand by posting over a half-a-million comments, in less than 24 hours.

Eminem's official page is in the Top 5 pages on Facebook, with 42.5 million "Likes," alongside major brands like Facebook's own page, YouTube.com, Zynga and pop artist, Lady Gaga.

While these records were impressive Guinness world records is community manager Dan Barrett said that more records would be broken over the next five years.

"There's still a world of possibility in the social media space for new records as services emerge and existing ones increase their penetration," Barrett told AllHipHop.com in a statement. "There are a few landmark figures which will surely be passed in the next few years, who will be the first Twitter user to amass 100 million followers? Which Facebook page will be the first to reach 100 million likes? Whoever it is, you can be sure that Guinness World Records will be there to recognise all of these milestone achievements."

50 Cent Talks His Relationship With Eminem And Dr. Dre, Nicki Minaj's Ass

50 Cent speaks on his mentors and discusses Nicki Minaj's infamous backside.

In a recent interview on "Big Boy's Neighborhood" on radio station Power 106, 50 Cent discussed a gamut of topics, including the other two parts of Aftermath's "three-headed-monster," Eminem and Dr. Dre.

"You don't really expect to have someone come into your life... that you know has nothing but good intentions," said 50 of Eminem. "He made so much money selling records that he don't really have interest in a lot of the other stuff... So for me, they'll be asking me questions...about the deals I do away from music. For Dre, the big thing was the 'Beats,' the headset."

50 also touched on Dr. Dre, with whom he had a brief spat about becoming a potential competitor with Dre's headphone line. "I love Dre...Without 'In Da Club' and Dre's guidance on the first record...none of those other things would've happened!" explained Fif. "That's the biggest record of my career still! Dre can be difficult at times, and not intentionally. He can be on his own and in his world...like the [headphone thing], we had to clear that up face-to-face, me and Dre, personally." 50 stopped short of saying he was surprised that he was not included in the "Beats by Dre" headset line, but he did point out that Diddy was given an opportunity to get involved, which may appear odd as he is outside of the Aftermath family.

The Queens emcee was also asked about Nicki Minaj's ass, and whether it was the real deal. "I don't know. Does it matter?" he asked, before opining that many in the industry were guilty of getting butt implants.

J. Cole Talks Touring With Rihanna, Jay-Z And Kanye West's "Watch The Throne"

The Roc Nation artist explains how touring has helped him grow, as well as his mentor's collabo album with Kanye.

While Hip Hop fans await J. Cole's debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story, the North Carolina rapper has been busy on tour.

"I felt like they had me on the road too much," said Cole in an interview with Billboard.com."I was getting frustrated because they didn't have me in the studio as much as other artists. I was working every chance I could, but I was also on the road so much."

Cole explained that Jay-Z changed his opinion of touring. "But Jay said, 'you need to be on the road, because that's when you're going to get the best material. Just living and being on tour, experiencing all these different cities and seeing what works.' And he's right, that's how 'The Blow Up' came [about]."

J. Cole has been the opener for Rihanna's "Loud" tour, a spot previously held by Cee-Lo, who had to give it up due to other obligations. "It's amazing. Every night I'm performing in front of a ton of people who've never heard of me and have the opportunity to win a lot of people over."

And, as rumors heat up about Jay-Z and Kanye's Watch the Throne, Cole could offer little more than, "I don't know a date, but I asked him [Jay-Z] how it was and he just had that look on his face like it was fucking crazy."

J. Cole's Cole World: The Sideline Story is due in stores September 27.

Diddy Selling New Jersey Mansion For $13.5 Million

Hip-Hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is selling his opulent, Alpine, New Jersey mansion for $13.5 million.

The New York Post reports that Combs has put the 12,000 square-foot, Colonial style home up for sale, after paying $6 million for the residence in 2004.

Combs originally lived in the house with his longtime girlfriend, Kim Porter and their son Christian.

According to The Post, the mansion is being put up for sale because Combs and Porter spend more time in Los Angeles.

But the rap mogul will not be without a roof over his head after the sale of his New Jersey mansion.

In addition to his mansion in Los Angeles, Combs has residences in Miami, New York and Atlanta.

As for Porter, Combs purchased her a $5 million, 9,655-square-foot, six bedroom, mansion in Toluca Lake, California last year.

Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music Lands Worldwide Deal With Island Def Jam

Rapper Kanye West continues his business affiliation with the Island Def Jam Music Group, as his imprint G.O.O.D. Music has inked a worldwide, long-term deal with the major label.

The first release under the new agreement will be Big Sean's highly anticipated debut, Finally Famous, which features the award-winning hit single “My Last,” featuring R&B singer Chris Brown.

"G.O.O.D. Music is an exciting new chapter in the long and successful association of Kanye West and Island Def Jam," said Island Def Jam's current CEO, Barry Weiss, who left Jive to take over as CEO at the label in March of 2007.

"As a recording artist and a producer over the past eight years, there is no one who has made a greater impression on the game than Kanye," Weiss said. "We look forward to working closely with the new and established artists that he will be bringing to G.O.O.D. Music, which is already off to an impressive start with Big Sean."

Kanye West has been labeled “an integral core" artist on the Island Def Jam Music Group, having sold over 20 million records since his debut in 2004, with the critically acclaimed album The College Dropout.

According to Steve Bartels, President and CEO of Island Def Jam Music Group, the investment into Kanye West's label is based on his proven success as a hit maker.

"Kanye's genius has been proven time and time again on records and onstage," said Bartels of the 14-time Grammy Award winning rapper/producer. "He not only pours it out for himself, but he has made the difference with his presence on innumerable projects with other artists who are indebted to him.

Big Sean's debut album Finally Famous is due in stores on June 28th via G.O.O.D. Music/Island Def Jam Music Group.

Drake To Release "Take Care” Single In Two Weeks, Discusses Album

Drizzy also reveals that The Weeknd will appear on several tracks on the LP.

After releasing “Marvin’s Room” and “Trust Issues” over the past few weeks, Drake is gearing up to drop the first official single off his sophomore set Take Care. Speaking with The Fader, the Young Money rapper explained that the album features The Weeknd on several tracks and that the single will arrive shortly.

“The single’s dropping a week-and-a-half, two weeks. It’ll be fun. It’s going to be a blast,” he said. “It’s great. I’m really excited about it. Just trying out different things, different sounds, different flows... We’re all in a really great place in our lives just as a team, the team’s coming together. 40’s doing really well. We’ve got new editions. We have this affiliation with The Weeknd. It’s really great. He’s on the album a bunch. I’m excited about it just for the people to hear the evolution of the music.”

He also touched on being considered “emo,” agreeing with the assessment. “I only really know how to do one thing. I don’t know how to make generic songs about the struggle and things that aren’t about me, I just know how to make songs that are about me,” he continued. “If I make a song that’s emo or emotional, then I guess yeah, I’m going to stick to that. I make songs about my life, because if you want me to be honest with you, that’s the best way I know how. The things I’ve experienced and the things I’ve lived. That’s what I like to do.”

As for the amount of singing and rapping fans can expect on the next LP, he remained mum. “When I sing, they tell me to rap, and when I rap, they tell me they want to hear more melodies. You can’t please everybody all the time,” he said. “I’m just having fun making music, I feel like I know what it’s like to drive around at night in Toronto and think about life. I just make music for those kids who are doing that right now, just driving around reflecting on life who want to help the people around them. Just that kind of thing.”

Buju Banton Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison On Drug Charges

Reggae star Buju Banton was convicted on Tuesday in a Florida court on drug charges. He now faces up to 15 years in prison, stemming from three of four federal counts.

"Obviously, we are all upset and disappointed and emotional," said Banton's lawyer, David Markus, after the jury spent 11 hours deliberating the verdict. "The only person who seems to be okay is Buju. He told us he was happy that he fought, knowing he was innocent."

In 2009, the singer was arrested during a Drug Enforcement Agency sting operation after police claimed he tried to buy cocaine from undercover officials. Banton went to trial for the matter but the case was declared a mistrial when the jury failed to reach a verdict.

"Our life and destiny are sometimes pre-destined and no matter where this journey takes me, remember I fought the good fight," said Banton in a statement. "It was a great man that said 'my head is bloody but still unbowed.' I love you all, thank you for your support."

Buju Banton's contributions both politically and musically have been celebrated today in Jamaica, where radio stations continuously played his music. He also won a Grammy this past month for his album Before Dawn. Although he will likely make bail before his sentencing, it is not clear when the sentencing is scheduled.

Rick Ross Gets a New Face Tatoo

It looks like Rick Ross has joined Gucci Mane, Game and Yung LA in the regrettable face tattoo club thanks to his love of vintage eyewear.

Rick Ross has apparently taken his love of expensive and vintage eyewear to another level after recently getting the Cazal logo tattooed under his left eye. Ross reportedly owns a huge collection of the designer frames, which were made popular by artists such as Darryl “DMC” McDaniels made Carl Zalloni’s signature eyewear famous during the 80’s and 90’s.

J. Cole Preps Solo Debut "Cole World: The Sideline Story," Due September 27th

J. Cole has revealed that he has finished recording his Roc Nation debut and plans to put out the album in “three months,” or in September. Taking a break from performing at the Bonnaroo Arts & Music Festival, the Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper explained that he’s not excited about having to wait to put out the album.

“The only thing I’m not looking forward to about the album... I just finished the album last week,” he said. “It’s weird. It didn’t feel like it because I’ve got to wait three months for it to actually come out. I’m used to putting out a mixtape I’ve been working on for a year and instantly see the response. I can instantly follow everybody’s response to all the songs.”

With the instant responses from releasing mixtapes, J. Cole isn’t content with sitting back. “With this album, when you gotta release it commercially, I gotta sit around and wait and see what people think,” he continued. “I know it’s incredible, but I probably won’t really feel it until that two-week period when an album usually leaks and I see the responses, or the day it drops and I see the responses. I’m excited, but the real excitement comes when the people hear it.

40 Things Tupac Shakur Would Have Done By 40

June 16, 2011 marks what would have been the 40^th birthday of rap’s late, great fallen son, Tupac Amaru Shakur. His short but polarizing life – mixed with brilliant music and acting, personal triumphs and tragedies, and mysteries yet to be unraveled – is still fodder for media hounds and fans across the globe even today.

Some speculate that the ensuing rumors and beefs may have led to both Tupac’s Vegas murder in September 1996 and Notorious B.I.G.’s L.A. murder the following March. Truth is, we may never know the full story.

All told, Tupac is a real-life persona who lived his life to the fullest. His name is nearly always listed among the Top Rappers Dead or Alive by just about everyone, and he left behind a catalog of thoughtful, controversial, raunchy, and political albums that will live on for generations to come.

On this bittersweet Hip-Hop born day, AllHipHop.com pauses to celebrate Tupac’s life and to imagine – in both a funny and nostalgic way – what he might have accomplished had he lived to see age 40:

1) Tupac would have made peace with all of his enemies had he lived to 40. He was already doing this with groups in the east like Duck Down and Busta Rhymes, and he even reportedly made peace with Nas before he was gunned down in Vegas.

2) Perhaps, Tupac would have returned to his East Coast origins and aligned with Nas and one of the Marley sons to form a supergroup.

3) There was strong evidence that 'Pac was going to move into some form of community activism had he lived.

4) ‘Pac probably would have started a revolution somewhere.

5) Tupac would have been a strong advocate for education equality, specifically targeting kids growing up in the inner city, as he understood the advantages of being in the know.

6) Tupac would have started a foundation geared towards drug rehabilitation, ex-offender reentry, and/or fatherhood given his experience growing up with a drug-addicted mother and absent father. He understood the implication on children and the overall family unit. Tupac loved the kids!

7) He would have received an NAACP Award or Nobel Peace Prize for having contributed to stop the violence campaigns across urban areas of the United States.

8) Tupac would have fully revived the Black Panther movement with the Thug Life movement, and they would have made social progress with respect to bettering race relations through understanding all cultures.

9) Tupac would have made a life-changing, international pilgrimage, returning after his experiences to record some of his best work ever and then retire.

10) Tupac would have lobbied on Capitol Hill for civil rights for ex-felons. Heck, why shouldn’t ex-cons carry guns?

11) Tupac would have endorsed a push for arts education funding for schools that are missing it, and boy dancers would still be cool.

12) While he once rapped "I Get Around," 'Pac would have undoubtedly settled down with a wife and a family had he lived. He was engaged to Quincy Jones' daughter Kidada.

13) Tupac would have no less than two kids by now and be looking to give up the "Thug Life" at around 40.

14) OR, Tupac would have never married.

15) He would have definitely left Death Row Records, and probably the record industry period, to pursue entertainment in Hollywood as an actor. There's great evidence that he could have even worked with his old friend Jada Pinkett.

16) Tupac would have released a catalog of over 1,000 original songs by his 40^th birthday – sealing his place as the hardest working, “Most Recorded Rapper” in Hip-Hop history.

17) ‘Pac would have denounced most new school representations of his image or music – such as Soulja Boy in “Juice” and “Tupac Back” by Meek Mill.

18) Conversely, Tupac would still be willing to get in the studio with today’s progressive MCs who rose after him…like Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Killer Mike, J Cole, and the likes of Young Jeezy, who rep a different side of the streets.

19) Tupac would have started his own label to further develop the talent he surrounded himself with once he decided to put the mic down (if he ever would have done such a thing, considering Jay-Z is still running things at age 41).

20) He would have recorded a collaboration album with Notorious B.I.G., produced almost entirely by Dr. Dre and DJ Premier. Diddy would have tried to get an Exec. Producer credit (mostly wishful thinking).

21) ‘Pac's new beefs would have been Will Smith (because of Jada), 50 Cent (just because 50 would have dissed him first), and The Game since he wouldn't have gotten the attention from Dr. Dre. Game would subsequently start a West Coast beef with ‘Pac.

22) He would have developed The Outlawz as a bigger group and found three more artists or groups similar to the likes of Jay-Z/Kanye. He definitely would have ushered in a crop of new artists.

23) Tupac would have released a collaborative album featuring all West Coast legends, including but not limited to Snoop, Dre, DPG, Nate Dogg, E-40, and Warren G etc.

24) Tupac would have outsold and surpassed your friendly mogul/rapper on the Forbes list, and most of them wouldn't be nearly as huge as he is now.

25) He would have had the biggest world tour in the Hip-Hop industry. With his catalog in music and still being in the Top Five Selling Rappers of All Time, he would have been doing world tours bigger than Eminem and Jay-Z.

26) Tupac would have started producing music. And he would have kept a harder sound going in rap these days. Dudes are soft nowadays compared to ‘Pac.

27) He would have been the originator of "artists with a clothing line" (pre-Roc-A-Wear, Play Clothes, Sean John, etc.).

28) Tupac might have even created a line of fashionable, non-gang colored headband/jersey combinations.

29) Tupac would have created a special school in Baltimore for pregnant teens a la “Brenda’s Got a Baby.”

30) Tupac would have been great, old comrades with Biggie – who quite possibly would have still lived if Tupac had never been shot that first time.

31) OR, Tupac would've helped to solve Biggie's murder considering they were not actually intertwined with each other. We mustn't forget, they were friends before enemies.

32) He would have tamed his wild tongue by now, accepting several offers to speak in university classrooms and on panels with O.G.’s like Cornel West.

33) Tupac would have run for some governmental office. He was a wordsmith with a conscience and ultimately wanted to help his community thrive. Shoot – he would have been no worse than some of these scandalous dudes in office today.

34) Tupac would have had a political show. He was very politically savvy and had the platform to speak to the current politic environment and its impact on the common man. Maybe he would've beat Bill O'Reilly to the punch with “The Shakur Factor.”

35) He would have starred in countless films – likely written, and directed some as well...possibly even been nominated for an Oscar, whether it be for acting, writing, directing, or creating original music scores.

36) Tupac would have received an Oscar for his role in a Hip-Hop inspired movie similar to “Get Rich or Die Trying,” “8 Mile ,” and “Hustle and Flow.”

37) He would have become a consistent NY Times Bestselling author (novels, poetry, autobiography).

38) As an example, ‘Pac would have finished his first book. The nature of it would have been autobiographical, and it would go into all the details of his split from Death Row, his mysterious persona, and his beef with Biggie.

39) Tupac would have partial ownership of an NBA or NFL team, and if it was an NFL team, L.A. would have a football team again.

40) Tupac would likely have gone to jail again or have been arrested. We’re thinking the IRS would have come after him, too. He was too volatile a character at times and too polarizing to have not gotten into more trouble.

Rappers React To Dallas Maverick's Victory | Birdman Loses $2 Mil

A number of rappers have weighed in on tonight's NBA championship finals, which saw the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Miami Heat.

The Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in game six of the NBA finals, winning the game 105-95.

For Dallas rapper Dorrough, the victory, which was the first championship title for the Mav's in franchise history, was a longtime coming.

"I been a Mavs fan since a kid even when we were the sorriest team in the NBA, to see my hometeam win the NBA Finals is epic! The world should be playing my 'Mavs Anthem' All Week!!," a proud Dorrough explained to AllHipHop.com.

"We have always been proud to be from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex," Play-N-Skillz told AllHipHop.com in an exclusive statement.

"Today I am honored to say I represent Dallas, Texas and am playing 'WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS' from my ipod! Congrats Dallas Mavericks," Play added.

"Never underestimate the heart of a champ... D-Town stay down," Tum Tum told AllHipHop.com in a statement about the victory.

DJ Khaled remained loyal to his home team, despite the disappointing loss.

"Big up miami heat amazing team Miami-Dade county 305! Every great team has a great story!

LL Cool J appeared to support the Mavericks, since Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd are expected to retire.

"Jason Kidd got his ring…The Heat are young & they have plenty of time…Nothing to be ashamed of..Great series."

Jim Jones was obviously rooting for the Mavericks, based on the tweets he sent out about LeBron James.

"I'ts over for labronda, I bet u he cry like a girl at the end…told u he crying already," Jim Jones tweeted.

Bryan "Birdman" Williams' Twitter remained quiet as of press time, after the Cash Money Records CEO lost a $2 million bet on the Miami Heat.

MTV Movie Awards Spikes Sales for Lupe Fiasco

After performing this past weekend live at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles, rapper Lupe Fiasco (@lupefiasco) saw a large increase in awareness, website traffic, and most importantly, album sales.

The spike in sales can be attributed to this year's ceremony being the most watched MTV Movie Awards since 2004, with over 4.5 million viewers.

Lupe Fiasco performed “Out of My Head” with Trey Songz (@treysongz), and “The Show Goes On," both, of which are off his current album Lasers.

It did not take long for the album to jump from #60 to #25 on the Billboard Top 200. The rapper also has the #1 Rap album in the nation.

"This performance came at the perfect time for Lupe," Atlantic Records’ David Saslow said. Just as 'The Show Goes On' hits #1 at radio, & we begin the campaign on 'Out Of My Head' with Trey, the Movie Awards comes in with a sledgehammer! Lupe Fiasco is having an incredible summer with his third album, Lasers. Many thanks to MTV."

“The Show Goes On” moved from #18 to #11 on the singles charts both “Out of My Head” and “Words I Never Said” had significant jumps on the Hip-Hop chart as well.

Kanye West Signs Dbanj & Don Jazzy To G.O.O.D Music Label

American multiple awards winning artist and producer, Kanye West has today finalized his interest to sign one of Nigeria’s biggest hip-hop artistes, Dapo Oyebanjo popularly known as D’Banj & Don Jazzy to his Good Music Entertainment, a production, management and record label outfit. “GOOD” is an acronym for “Getting Out Our Dreams”.

Speaking to D’Banj’s manager, Sunday Are of List Entertainment, he confirmed that there have been talks recently but D’Banj officially signed the contract today. “Yes there have been discussions between the two parties lately. They have been exchanging contracts but now the wait is over, he said.

Sources also revealed that Kanye is interested in working with Don Jazzy. We heard he wants him to produce a song on the collaboration album he is working on with Jay Z.

John Legend and Common were the first to sign to the management and production company. Their albums “Get Lifted and Be” (both executive-produced by West) were both critically acclaimed and combined were nominated for 7 Grammy Award nominations. “Get Lifted” had three nominations and “Be” had four.

As if Mo-Hitts wasn’t big enough already. They are setting trends, and that’s just the fact.