The Hip-Hop Herald 09.24.09: It's An Award Show!

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 09.24.2009

This week, we're looking at the BET nominees with Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z leading the nominations, 50 Cent talks about his new book, Killer Mike changes his name, Jay-Z dismisses 50 Cent and Raekwon and Ghost to sign with Diddy?

I went to the bank yesterday and withdrew all the cash I'm going to exchange when I'm in Singapore. Walking around with $2500 in your pocket isn't as fun as you would imagine because every person is a potential criminal. EVEN THAT OLD LADY STRUGGLING TO PUSH HER SHOPPING TROLLEY!

Those old people ya know…they'll get you when you least expect it.

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BET Releases Its Nominees Lists



And naturally, I'm going to give them the third degree!

Mike Epps will host this year's BET Hip Hop Awards show, which will take place in Atlanta next month, honoring artists and producers who've contributed most to the Hip Hop genre in the past year. Kanye West received the most nominations, with total of nine nominations including recognition for best lyricist, and 808s and Heartbreak for CD of the Year. Jay-Z and Lil Wayne trail close behind with seven nominations including those for Track of the Year and rap's MVP. Drake, Wale, and Kid Cudi will go head to head for the Rookie of the Year honor while Eminem's Relapse vies for best album.

Ice Cube will also be honored with the "I Am Hip Hop" icon award for his contributions to Hip Hop, and for his work outside of music including film and philanthropy. He will join Grandmaster Flash, KRS-One, and Russell Simmons as the fourth recipient of the award.

In addition to the mentioned awards, BET will introduce two new accolades. The "Made-You-Look" award will go to the rapper with a knack for trendsetting, and the "Best Hip Hop Blog Site" will be given to the most up-to-date Hip Hop Blog. BET's Hip Hop Awards '09 will broadcast on Oct. 27, at 8 P.M. ET. Nominees in each category are listed below (my prediction of winner in bold, not necessarily who I WANT to win mind).

Best Hip-Hop Collabo

Jim Jones & Ron Browz f/ Juelz Santana – Pop Champagne
Lil Wayne f/ Bobby Valentino – Mrs. Officer
Rick Ross f/ John Legend – Magnificent
T.I. f/ Rihanna – Live Your Life
Young Jeezy f/ Kanye West – Put On

I think T.I. will take this one personally, although I'm going off how much exposure the songs have had here in Australia. Personally, I don't like any of the other songs anyway except T.I.'s. "Pop Champagne" is funny but certainly not best collaboration track worthy. Lil Wayne has a funny line about fucking the police but Bobby Valentino and that hook really wreck the track. "Magnificent" wasn't too bad, it was one of the better tracks off Ross' album. Jeezy could take this although I'm not sure how Kanye's VMA actions will affect his chances here at the BET awards. If the voting has already been done I imagine Jeezy still has a chance, if it hasn't happened, some people might spite-vote and not choose it because it has Kanye on it. I'll say T.I. here.

Best Live Performer

Busta Rhymes
Jay-Z
Lil Wayne
T.I.
Kanye West

Having not seen any of these artists live, I can't really say much, but based on what I've heard, Jay-Z or Kanye could take this as I often hear they put a lot of effort into their live performances. If Lil Wayne wins this, it will be a clear example that BET has no idea what they're doing considering Lil Wayne hasn't exactly TURNED UP to many live shows recently. Busta could easily take this as well as, judging by his music anyway, I'm sure he does an excellent live show as well. I'm going to go with Jay-Z on this one.

Lyricist of the Year

Drake
Eminem
Jay-Z
Lil Wayne
Kanye West

Interesting choices here. Drake is certainly a favorite to win it I'd imagine given how popular he is at the moment, depends on who is voting exactly. Eminem came back with Relapse which was quite a strong album, not as good as what he's done in the past, but certainly good considering his time away from the mic. Jay-Z certainly has the freshest album in everyone's minds so that puts him in a fairly good position. Kanye hasn't done much in the way of his own music since 808s dropped, and again, this really depends on the voting crowd but I can see Lil Wayne taking this one unfortunately. I say unfortunately because he's not exactly a LYRICIST. He's got some funny lines and certainly flips some clever wordplay (the fuck the police line in "Mrs. Officer" for example), but he has an equal if not greater amount of WTF lines. I'll go with Eminem.

Video Director of the Year

Gil Green
Anthony Mandler
Mr. Boomtown
Chris Robinson
Hype Williams

I actually don't know which videos they are being nominated for, if it is for an individual video at all. Hype Williams has been around forever though so if people are voting based on a name they recognize, expect Hype to win.

Producer of the Year

Ron Browz
Cool & Dre
Tha Bizness
T-Pain
Kanye West

Well this is a fairly WTF category. T-Pain? Seriously, gah…dude's production is bland and virtually the same and forgettable on every track. Kanye could easily take this, regardless of his auto-tuney mess, he has done some excellent production still in the past year. Tha Bizness' biggest track would certainly be "Every Girl" but that shouldn't be enough to warrant a Producer of the Year award. Cool & Dre have been doing very well lately and are producing for a variety of artists including Busta Rhymes, Wale, Lil Wayne and even Queen Latifah. I'd personally choose Cool & Dre because they did "Don't Believe ‘Em" off Busta's album which is one of my favorite tracks this year but I think that Ron Browz could take this one…although T-Pain could just as easily.

Track of the Year

Day "N" Nite – Kid Cudi
D.O.A. (Death of Auto Tune) – Jay-Z
Every Girl – Young Money (Lil Wayne, Drake, Jae Mills, Gudda Gudda & Mack Maine)
Live Your Life – T.I. f/ Rihanna
Turn My Swag On – Soulja Boy Tell'em

Oh for the love of…NO SOULJA BOY PLEASE! Give the award to Kid Cudi, an upcoming artist deserves an accolade like this and "Day N Nite" actually got heaps of airplay here in Australia as well. T.I. will probably take this one though, although Jay's track might have struck gold in the sense that it got T-Pain riled up so people might go for that. "Every Girl" though has also been popular, but I think it will come down to T.I. and Kid Cudi. I'll go with Cudi because I'm giving the nod to T.I. earlier on.

CD of the Year

Eminem – Relapse
Q-Tip – The Renaissance
T.I. – Paper Trail
Kanye West – 808's & Heartbreak
Young Jeezy – The Recession

Q-Tip's album was certainly one of the best I've heard, although I didn't enjoy it on a personal level as some might have. Relapse was huge and will most likely take the award based on how well the singles did, the fact that it's a comeback album and it did big numbers. I don't think Kanye will have much of a chance considering how widely criticized 808s was so I think this one will come down to Eminem and T.I. but I think Eminem will take this one when it's all said and done.

Rookie of the Year

B.o.B.
Dorrough
Drake
Kid Cudi
Wale

I haven't really heard anything from Dorrough to say if he deserves it or not. I'd love to see Kid Cudi win because it would be a nice indication that alternative hip-hop such as his has a chance of becoming a mainstay in the mainstream hip-hop world. "Chillin" is pretty popular here at the moment, not sure how it fared in the US, but I think Drake is going to take this one.

Best Hip-Hop Video

Dorrough – Ice Cream Paint Job
Eminem – We Made You
Jay-Z – D.O.A. (Death of Auto Tune)
Kid Cudi – Day "N" Nite
T.I. f/ Rihanna – Live Your Life

This is a hard one. On one hand, people might go for Eminem's video because it was very reminisce of what he'd done in the past. Jay-Z with hair is scary so I don't expect that to win, also it kind of lacked a gimmick/story to draw people in. No that's a lie it did somewhat, but I don't think it was strong enough in that sense. I haven't seen Kid Cudi's video, only the remix with The Crookers version. T.I.'s had a bit of a story to it so it was interesting in that sense, but I think unless Cudi's video was something mind blowing, Eminem is going to take this one.

MVP of the Year

Drake
Jay-Z
Lil Wayne
T.I.
Kanye West

You know, the problem I'm noticing throughout these awards is that the same names are appearing almost every other category. T.I. has been out of the spotlight since he started his jail term and likewise Kanye hasn't been in the public eye until the VMAs recently. Again, depends if the voting has happened or not and if people are going to applaud Kanye for being Kanye and giving us something to laugh about. Lil Wayne shouldn't get this, again because of his no-shows constantly so I think it will either be Drake or Jay-Z, a veteran of the game versus the upcoming artist. I think this will a narrow decision as I imagine a lot of the younger hip-hop fans will go for Drake given how everywhere he's been lately, whereas the older fans will go for Jay. I'll say Jay will win this one though.

DJ of the Year

DJ AM
DJ Drama
DJ Khaled
DJ Tony Neal
DJ Greg Street

I think DJ AM will take this one as a posthumous award. Drama doesn't deserve it, and neither does Khaled as they haven't exactly done anything of worth recently. Tony Neal and Greg Street probably don't have much of a chance in the face of "Mr. Thanksgiving" and "Mr. WE THE BEST", but it's going to pale as DJ AM will most likely get the award.

Hustler of the Year

Diddy
Drake
Jay-Z
Lil Wayne
Kanye West

Drake has put out quite a few quality mixtapes from what I've read but I honestly think this will come down to who's put in the most work, whether for themselves, other artists or their outside ventures. Lil Wayne's antics may prevent him from winning and Kanye probably won't take it so I think it will be either Diddy or Jay. They're two of the biggest businessmen in hip-hop – Jay with his work on his own album and also the fact that he has Rihanna, Kanye and Ne-Yo in his ranks. Diddy has been Diddy all year and is putting in constant work, but I think Jay will take this as I don't think anybody really views Diddy as a hustler in any sense of the term now.

Made-You-Look Award (Best Hip-Hop Style)

Jay-Z
Kid Cudi
Lil Wayne
Soulja Boy Tell'em
Kanye West

Well, Jay-Z brought hair back and scared the hell out of me with it. Lil Wayne somehow managed to get Lauren London so there must be SOMETHING to the "grungy, alien-like and appear to be covered in a fine layer of goo" look we're all missing. Most people on message boards hate Kanye's style in the same vein they hated Andre 3000's calling it gay etc. as ridiculous as that is so sadly, I think Soulja Boy could take this one. I'm hoping and praying that the people go for Kid Cudi but depending on the average age of the voters, I'm expecting Soulja Boy to take it. He'll get on stage and make a complete dick of himself by saying something incredibly idiotic though so I'll certainly have something to laugh about while I'm in Japan.

Best Hip-Hop Blog Site

All Hip Hop
Nah Right
SOHH
This Is 50
World Star Hip Hop

Oh if only 411Mania was a so-called blog site! Anyway, I have a personal vendetta against AllHipHop for feeding into ridiculous rumors and also posting incorrect news pieces before checking sources (something I'm guilty of occasionally, but not as much as AHH has been in the past) and also they have a pretty crappy review system. Then again they might have changed it since I haven't been to the site in probably 3 years.

I don't go to Nah Right or World Star Hip Hop, but This Is 50 shouldn't win, not because it's 50 Cent, but because it's got a bias for him. It wouldn't matter who it was, but when a website is nominated and is based off of a particular artist, there's too much bias to be a fair site. SOHH deserves it and SHOULD get it because they are actually a quality website.

People's Champ (Viewer's Choice)

Dorrough – Ice Cream Paint Job
Fabolous f/ The-Dream – Throw It In The Bag
Kid Cudi – Day "N" Nite
Soulja Boy Tell'em – Turn My Swag On
Kanye West f/ Young Jeezy – Amazing

Oh…so this is the only one viewer's vote for, or am I confused about something? Basically that makes a lot of my above choices moot because if it's artists or people in the industry voting, basically go for every ‘Flavor of the month' option unless they're up against Jay-Z in terms of the winners.

Anyway, hopefully Kid Cudi wins this one then. I think Fab's track is too new, I don't know about Dorrough's track, Soulja Boy MAY win depending on BET's viewership and whilst I actually like Kanye's track the most out of all of them, I don't think he'll take this one.

It'll be interesting to see how wrong I am in the end hahaha.

50 Cent Talks New Book And Pirating



50 Cent made a recent appearance on MSNBC to speak about his success as a businessman and the release of his new book, The 50th Law.
Promoting the book with co-author Robert Greene, 50 first spoke on his staggering $100 million dollar profit as an original investor in Vitamin Water before its sale to Coca-Cola.

"It's an exciting deal. The opportunity to get in [during] the infant stages of that company was amazing for me," 50 Cent stated. "It's the biggest deal [for me]."

Well, $100 million PROFIT is a fair return on investment I'd say. I'll say it again, I think he's a terrible rapper, but when it comes to business, there are few like him.

With the music industry struggling overall for sales, 50 reflected on how personal brand extension is essential when previously it was frowned upon in Hip-Hop.
"The technology is absolutely shifting things. The marketing dollars that the major companies would provide for artists in the past is gone with the actual record sales," 50 explained. "This is taboo; this is almost like selling out. 5 years ago what is great business from an artist perspective now would be absolutely going in the other direction of what they think is cool."

Ok that's not worded terribly well, but what he's basically saying is that if we were to go back in time five years ago, and look at the business model record labels and artist's are using NOW, we'd consider it wack. I mean, most of us still consider it wack, but a lot of the artists and record labels certainly don't.

See this is the 50 I want to hear more from. Not the dumb pointless beef starting moron, but the dude who has his ear to the ground and has come up in one of the biggest times in hip-hop (2001-2005 was pretty big commercially) and as a result, KNOWS what he's talking about.

As an innovator of the mixtape scene, 50 views piracy as a reality that should be embraced by artists.

"I see it as part of the marketing. Because even the people who purchased the music from a pirating perspective end up at the concert. They can't help but fall in love with the material at that point whether they consumed it from downloading it on the actual Internet or they went and purchased the material. We can't stop it. If the major record companies could, they would."

Another point for 50. It's not ALL the people who download the music of course, but a LOT of them DO end up at shows, buy merchandise etc. Look at artists like Raekwon, the last time he even got a hint of a RIAA certification was 10 years ago! But is Raekwon broke? I'm only assuming, but I think far from it. You hear of so many artists on the underground scene and wonder, "how the hell can they afford to tour, buy beats, and book studio time etc. when they sell like 10,000 copies of their album total?" Simply put, the money is in the merchandise and the shows.

In The 50th Law, 50 and Greene hope to empower those who feel economically lost by the nation's current recession.
"We're living through times where people are very frightened," Greene explained. "The message of the book is you need to move past that fear. Because in a couple of years this recession will be over, and will you be in a position to seize the moment? I think it's going to be a new entrepreneurial era. Or are you just waiting on some job?"

Yes it's what I've been saying about the Real Estate market to people asking me why on Earth I'd be doing training for it now. The market hit, almost in Australia, rock bottom. There is only ONE WAY TO GO when you hit rock bottom, and that is UP. Over the next few years, the people who have consolidated their funds during this recession and purchased a small business or investment are going to be the best off as the value of that place is only going to increase, excluding external factors such as someone being murdered inside the building for example.

"And I think the majority of the companies who are the Fortune 500 were established during a recession," 50 added. "The recession is predominantly for the middle class. Where I come from the majority of those people have always lived in a recession."

50 Cent and Robert Greene's The 50th Law is available now.

Honestly, from this small interview alone, I'd be very interested to read it. I'll be honest and say that I thought it would be a joke last week, but now, I think it would actually be worth a read. If anyone gets a copy, let me know what it's like.

Killer Mike Changes Name

Killer Mike has built a reputation and following that has earned him a solid standing among music fans throughout his career. Now, the Atlanta rapper is literally expanding his horizons with a new moniker, Mike Bigga.

According to Bigga, the decision to drop his former name has been bubbling for quite some time.
"I wanted to do it for a long time," Mike Bigga, p/k/a Killer Mike said. "I read all the comments all hip-hop sites. And I love how smart the hip-hop fans are and they say ‘Man, this guy is dope. Why he so slept on.' Then, it always be a comment under there that be like ‘I don't suppose the name Killer Mike be holding him back? You can't get corporate sponsorship with that.'"

I also read a comment that said that he's changing his name in case he catches a murder case like C-Murder. Face it, the jury aren't going to look kindly on someone with ‘killer' or ‘murder' or ‘serial rapist' in their stage name. I know it's in the sense of "killing them dead on the mic" or something, but then you'll get some smart-ass lawyer flipping it on you and you're screwed.

Bigga opted for the new name as a reflection of his current mind state, one that reflects his desire to leave a bigger mark on the rap community.
"I'm going with the name Mike Bigga because I really feel like I'm bigger than what I have been in the past and I've managed to get legendary status from being a raw rap guy in terms of being able to come out of the shadows of the hardships I've had," the entertainer said as he referenced recent tragedies that have occurred in his area.
"I've become my own boss in a bigger partnership with Grind Time Official and Grand Hustle now and I'm just on to bigger and better things," Bigga continued. "And I figure what better time now, going into this new season that's going to be coming up in January when Tip get out and let the world know I'm on to bigger and better things."

Killer Mike signed with T.I.'s label if you were wondering why he was bringing up T.I.

Anyway, Mike Bigga sounds alright. I think it actually makes him sound more carefree and fun as an artist so that will hopefully help him in his career without people thinking he's an actual ‘Killer'.

Scott Storch On The Way Back



After a public bankruptcy and fall from elite producer status, a reinvigorated Scott Storch is looking to make a comeback. In a recent interview with Details Magazine, Storch revealed how his cocaine addiction and lavish spending lend to the dissolution of a $70 million empire grossed through hits from Beyonce, Chris Brown, Dr. Dre, and various others.
"I was clubbing, drunk, and had more money than I knew what to do with," Storch admitted. "We'd be at a club and I'd decide to take everyone to Las Vegas. Do more coke, f**k a bunch of girls. Be up for two days and decide at 11AM in the morning to go buy a Rolls-Royce. I probably bought 10 cars when I was high."

I wish I had that much money that you could just, ‘decide to buy them'.

Last year, Storch's financial woes became public via news that his $10 million dollar Palm Beach, Florida mansion was in danger of foreclosure.
With the housing market in shambles and $7 million remaining on the mortgage, Storch elected to move in with a friend while hoping a miracle sale happens.
"I was burning through about $250,000 a month, mostly on partying. I was spending money I had no business spending," he stated.

Yeah, the market is going up, but you shouldn't be expecting anything over say $3 million selling quickly if at all. If I was to give advice to him, I'd say wait out the recession then try selling the house again.

Aside from the money issues, Storch is now attempting to rebuild his industry reputation. To that end, he's secured recent production for Usher, Gucci Mane, and Jennifer Hudson. For Storch, the focus is now proving to major labels his sound can still be viable in today's market.
"People have too short a memory," he explained. "People will see that everything is intact". This year, Storch has already placed production for The Game, Ludacris, Ne-Yo, Mario, and Robin Thicke.

The problem is that he just hasn't done anything on the same level as "Lean Back" or "Candy Shop" in terms of addictiveness in the clubs. If he can make a BIG comeback in some way, he'd get some money and be able to turn his life around. It's good hearing that he's TRYING though, so many celebrities end up in rehab constantly but at least Storch appears to be on the right track.

Jay-Z Dismisses 50 Cent



In an upcoming interview that will air on Trevor Nelson's BBC radio show next week, Jay-Z once again addressed Kanye West's antics during the 2009 VMA's and also spoke on 50 Cent. During the interview, Jay-Z stated that he believed Kanye was rude for snatching the microphone from country singer Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for Best Female Video.
West felt the award should have went to Jay-Z‘s wife, Beyonce Knowles for her video "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)."

Jay-Z seemed to become a little irritated during the interview, when Nelson suggested that Kanye was picking his battles and would not have grabbed the microphone from a rapper like 50 Cent. In a recent interview, 50 Cent stated he would have assaulted Kanye West in the same situation.
"I wish he could come take one of my awards so I could black his eye in front of everybody," 50 Cent stated.
"I think he would have done that if that was 50 Cent," Jay-Z told Nelson during the interview. "No one is scared of 50 Cent. I want everyone to be clear. No one is scared of 50 Cent."

This is 50 Cent, the idiot, talking. Quite frankly, if someone came on stage, grabbed the microphone from you, by turning around and punching that person in the face, YOU end up being the bad guy! I mean, what Kanye did was wrong yes, but does it deserve a punch in the eye? No, just tell him to get off the damn stage and be done with it. The same goes for any combination of artists. If you want to look like the better person, don't resort to violence, it's what we're told as kids growing up and what adults should tell their children when they have them. Be the bigger person and let the slight against you go unpunished. The backlash from the media has been enough punishment for Kanye if you ask me.

50 also recently took a shot at Jay-Z when he name checked him and labeled him as "Urkel" in the video for "Flight 187."
Jay-Z also revealed that he chastised West for interrupting Taylor Swift's speech, which caused worldwide uproar. "I just think that that's what he believed," Jay-Z told Trevor Nelson. "I thought it was rude I thought it was inappropriate and I told him as much. But I don't think he was wrong."
Jay-Z is currently gearing up for a performance on Friday, October 9 at Penn State University.

Now I'm assuming that Jay means he didn't think Kanye was wrong in the sense that he wanted Beyonce to win the award, considering he's married to her and all and there's nothing more to it. Bringing in any other argument at this point from Jay's perspective is pointless – the man wanted his wife to win the award and that's it.

News Styles P. Album



Styles P. aka "The Ghost," has teamed with "The Evil Genius: DJ Green Lantern" to create a "sinister," dark, new album titled The Green Ghost Project, which is slated for a November release. The album features original production from an all-star cast of noted Hip-Hop producers, including The Alchemist, Statik Selektah, Scram Jones and DJ Green Lantern himself.
"Don't call me ‘The Ghost' right now, call me ‘The Green Ghost'" Styles P. said in reference to the new release. "It's a different display of talent. We got together and brainstormed about it and it came out crazy."

The album features guest appearances by LOX group members Jadakiss and Sheek Louch, in addition to guests like N.O.R.E., M.O.P., Uncle Murda, Junior Reid and others.
The Green Ghost Project is due in stores November 17 via Invasion Records/The Orchard.

This sounds like an awesome release in the making. Listening to Ghostface Killah's album (review coming next week), Scram Jones is impressing me more and more after his work on Raekwon's album recently. I found a track called "Critically Acclaimed" that features Lil Fame, Saigon and Sean Price that I would DEFINITELY recommend downloading as it's fantastic and features production from Statik Selektah (I'm assuming). Seriously, get it. NOW!

I've liked all of Styles P.'s albums so far so I'm certain this one won't be any different.

C-Murder Filing Appeal



C-Murder will be appealing his murder charge conviction, which was given last month. The charge stems from a 2002 nightclub shooting in which C-Murder was charged with the shooting of 16-year-old Steve Thomas. C-Murder was found guilty, and subsequently was given a life sentence with no parole.

Describing C-Murder's conviction as "racist," close associate and TRU Records artist Tomeka feels the local Louisiana government was against C-Murder's innocence from the beginning, saying, "It is time that the public is educated on how this case was handled, and how an innocent man has been put behind bars because he is an African-American rapper whose case is unfortunately being tried in Jefferson Parish. The racists have gone so far as to put up a billboard stating 'Corey Miller is guilty.'"

Director of Online Marketing for RBC Records, Brett Morrow, has likewise explained that C-Murder believers are planning to take action in order to show their support.

"We have contacted the NAACP and are currently organizing the community for several protests of his arrest," Morrow said. "We hope to have Corey home soon and once and for all vindicated in the court of law."

In related news, RBC Records will be releasing a new album from C-Murder entitled Calliope Click on September 29. The albums first single, "It's So Hard," has recently hit the Internet.

Well, I thought the case was closed but I guess not. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Raekwon's Entourage Explain Joe Budden Assault



After a controversial incident between members of the Wu-Tang Clan and Joe Budden left the latter rapper assaulted backstage at a Rock The Bells concert, Wu affiliates are finally giving more details about what happened that night. A member of Raekwon's Ice Water entourage, who goes by the name of Hanz, revealed that he was the one who punched Budden, his reason being that the rapper was being disrespectful.

The beef between Budden and members of Wu-Tang, specifically Method Man, Raekwon, and Inspectah Deck, stemmed from comments Budden made questioning Method Man's position on Vibe's Best Rapper Alive tournament. Since then, the tension between the two has created conflict, prompting a confrontation between Raekwon and Budden backstage at Rock The Bells last month.

"To say something about a n**** like Meth is crazy," said Hanz, explaining to VladTV why he assaulted Budden. "Meth don't fuck with nobody and that's my big brother...[Budden] got punched in his face not only for being disrespectful to my big brother Rae, but he got punched in his face because he tried to throw it off on Meth and throw it off on Deck and all of that's family."

Many wondered whether Raekwon had initiated the assault, but Hanz assures that his actions were of his own doing.

"I'm not gonna sit here and say Rae made me do it," he admitted. "That was a spontaneous decision on my own because I felt like he was being disrespectful to my big brother. Did it happen because of Rae? Yeah, because I'm not gonna allow someone to disrespect my big brother in front of me."

He went on to add that, although Wu members reprimanded him for his violent actions, he was not regretful for what he did. Joe Budden and members of Wu-Tang Clan have yet to speak on recent developments.

This is an even more pointless beef than anything 50 has come up with in recent years. Both sides agreed to drop it, then Budden gets decked and it's probably going to be on again. Then again, Budden DID say he'd go all out if someone mentioned his name disrespectfully, but didn't say what would happened if he got punched in the face. Hopefully it will quiet down and everyone will move on and make music instead of starting fights.

Murs Leaves Warner Bros.

Murs has indeed left Warner Bros. records, after reports surfaced that he had been dropped from the label. Murs denies being dropped, and confirmed that the move was a mutual decision, following a "difference in opinion."

Despite the news, the rapper has no plans to slow down, as he spoke on several projects, including sequels to previous albums with 9th Wonder and Slug of Atmosphere.

"Murs and 9th Wonder coming next year. Felt 3 coming out this year," he said. "I got a punk rock group called The Invincibles with this gang called Whole Wheat Bread coming out this year. I've also been working on some stuff with DJ Quik and Terrence Martin. We're doing a whole ghetto, hood, electro, dance, sex, party record. We've been working on that. We've got a few songs knocked out. I've also got Varsity Blues 2, man. So, I got like four records coming out. I'm going to have like, 10 records in the next year, man."

I've said it before but Murs putting out this many projects is cool and all, but I think by about the 6th he will be running out of things to say that people will find interesting. There's a problem when you go HARD like that because you get burned out and the end records suffer a little. Needless to say though, I think Murs has a fantastic work ethic so I'm sure if HE feels the album is going to turn out like crap, he'll push the release date back rather than disappoint the fans with a subpar release.

Nas And Kelis Back Together?



Nas and Kelis caused a media frenzy when they got married and a seemingly bigger one when they filed for divorce. The two seemed to be over for good but recent rumors have been forming with unidentified "sources" telling media outlets that the two are reconciling their differences.

"Nas and Kelis were celebrating his birthday with some friends and you couldn't tell they were divorcing to look at them. They seemed very intimate and were kissing and hugging and even left together," a source told WENN.

TMZ also reported that the two may have reunited, showing an image of the couple at the opening of a hair salon on September 16.

Hahaha I find this to be very random, what a great place for a makeup date!

This may bring back memories of previous happy moments between the two on Nas' birthday, but it's a shock for those who thought the duo would not be on good terms again. Shortly after the birth of their son Knight, the two split and a very public argument unfolded involving financial worth and compensation.

As all of this unfolds, Nas is still prepping the release of Distant Relatives, his project with Damian Marley. He is also gearing up for shows including the Common & Friends Benefit Show in Los Angeles.

As someone said last month when the news broke they were getting divorced, usually when we hear about Nas' personal life, it's something negative, so it's good for a change to hear a positive about it. I hope they work something amicable out for the child's sake at least.

Raekwon And Ghostface To Bad Boy?



Incessant rumors of Bad Boy founder Diddy signing Ghostface and Raekwon to his label have been around since the early '90s. Further fuelling these rumors is Raekwon, who recently recruited Diddy to host his album-release party for his fourth solo album, Only Built For Cuban Linx II as he recently spoke with MTV on the matter.

"We did a show at the Palladium [years back], and Puff had security with him that was from Staten Island. When we got back to Staten Island, we bump into the kid, and he told us while he was up there performing, Puff said, 'I need them two. What I gotta do?' He was excited about working with us [and] signing us too. I don't know why it ain't happen, either. You never know," stated Raekwon. "I'm independent, baby. So let's get it right. Let's cut them checks, Puff. We know what time it is," he continued.

I'm not really sure what to make of this. Diddy's marketing machine is phenomenal, just look at how well Danity Kane and Day26 did with their first week sales for each of their albums. More recently however, the releases have been low profile artists. Two veterans like Rae and Ghost could fit in nicely on Bad Boy as I think Diddy would really want to promote them, especially in the New York area at least. Face it, Ghost isn't exactly getting great promotion at Def Jam and Rae's independent at the moment, so a major label, even one that's seen better days like Bad Boy might not be a bad thing. Just don't let Diddy jump on your records guys.

Roc Raida Passes Away



The New York-based deejay, Roc Raida was most known for his years with the award-winning X-Men (b/k/a) The X-Ecutioners. This crew, whose legendary lineup included founder Rob Swift, Total Eclipse, Mista Sinista and Roc Raida (Steve Dee, DJ Boogie Blind and DJ Precision were also members at various times).

Last month, it was reported that the deejay was hospitalized as a result of a spinal injury. Although those reports have yet to be officially confirmed, the Hip Hop industry began a campaign wishing the innovator for a speedy recovery.

At 37 years old, Roc Raida won numerous ITF and DMC championships for his turntable skills. Although he is remembered for his jovial character away from the decks, Raida was an innovator in cut-throat deejay battles that often involved incorporating competitor's names into his mixes. Raida's also known for his agile spin-moves, and often making acrobatic cuts on the turntable, through legs, over the shoulder, and using his mouth to cut the fader.

Through his AdiarCor imprint, Roc Raida released over half a dozen CDs and DVDs that were both mixtapes, documentaries and instructional pieces for aspiring deejays. His mixtapes, including Crossfaderz, and WHAT! 187 FM are also remembered for their comedic interludes, often making mock commercials for malt liquors, car services and Jamaican nightclubs.

On records, Raida was present for The X-Ecutioners' 2002 album Built From Scratch released on Loud/Sony Records. Previously, the deejay crew was infamously recruited by Rick Rubin for his Def American imprint, but failed to reach an agreement.

With his scratching abilities, Roc Raida worked on dozens of classic albums. Highlights include O.C.'s Word...Life, Big Pun's Capital Punishment, Buckshot Lefonque's self-titled debut and Immortal Technique's two Revolutionary volumes. As a producer, Roc Raida worked with numerous members of D.I.T.C. and Smif N' Wessun.

Last week, via Grandmaster Roc Raida's MySpace page, his family said this: "Anthony Williams p/k/a/ GM Roc Raida is in the hospital. His family thanks all of his fans for the well wishes and prayers. At this time please allow him and his family privacy to deal with the matter. The rumors and chatter is not accurate and we will release something more in detail at a later time. Thank you on behalf of the family and close friends."

Roc Raida's family released a statement confirming the tragic loss. "Anthony Williams p/k to the world as The Legendary Grandmaster Roc Raida has passed away unexpectedly today September 19 2009. He is survived by his wife, three lovely daughters, mother and friends. Raida was recently in an mixed martial arts accident, something that he has been practicing for several years. Although he had under gone two surgeries with great success, was released to an inpatient physical therapy facility and was in great spirits the past few days. This morning he started to have complications and passed. The family asks for privacy at this time."

At APT in New York City on September 22 a benefit was to be held in honor of DJ Roc Raida who passed away on Saturday, September 19.

DJ Eclipse, DJ Premier, DJ Finesse, and DJ Rachel will all be in attendance at the event which will last from 10:30 pm - 4:00 am.

The benefit cost ten dollars to enter and 100 percent of the proceeds were to be given to Roc Raida's family. Aside from the benefit taking place, there is also a benefit concert scheduled for October 22 at B.B. Kings in New York City.

It's been a tragic year for hip-hop and music in general as it seems that at least once a month I've jumped onto the Internet only to discover an artist has passed away.

Sales Figures

Jay-Z remained Number 1 this week again, selling 298,000 copies of Blueprint 3 and giving him a total now of 774,000. Raekwon had a decent second week, selling 21,000 copies of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II and giving him a total of 89,000. Eminem's Relapse continues to plod along, selling 14,000 copies this week for a total of 1,438,000.

There were quite a few debuts this week with Kid Cudi taking the highest honors with 104,000 copies of Man On The Moon: The End Of The Day. If you're like me, you did the opposite of dying a little inside...living a little more?

Anyway, in the total WTF moment of the week is the fact that Drake's EP of the mixtape of the same name, So Far Gone sold 73,000 copies! It was only priced at $6.99 at Best Buy but still, I didn't think people would actually pay for an EP that only had 2 new songs on it. But congrats to the dude anyway.

Lil Boosie also debuted this week on the charts with 49,000 copies of Superbad: The Return Of Boosie Bad Azz. Trick Daddy continues his trend of releasing albums with the word 'thug' in the title with Finally Famous: Born A Thug, Still A Thug selling 13,000 copies. Despite having a new dance craze going for them based off "You're A Jerk", the New Boyz only managed to sell 10,000 copies of Skinny Jeanz & A Mic. That album doesn't even sound appealing at all. Finally, KRS-One and Buckshot's collaborative effort, Survivial Skills sold 8,400 copies.

Next week, will Jay go Platinum and how will Kid Cudi fare?

The Signoff

That's it from me folks, you'll catch me in about 3 weeks next. Stay tuned though, I've got 37th Chamber columns still scheduled as normal and Ghostface Killah's review coming next week!