Ray J Discusses Fabolous & Ortiz

Ray J addressed his bizarre altercation with rapper Fabolous and its even stranger aftermath of Charlie Sheen-esque radio interviews. The singer/reality star told Shade 45 that he's ready to move on from the incident and that he regrets the way the entire thing happened.

"You gotta grow from that," he said. "That was me letting my frustrations take over. Whatever situations happen behind closed doors [Fab and I] should have left it at that. So as a man I'm accepting my responsibilities on that end and just growing from it."

Ray J also denied recording with boxer Victor Ortiz. It was reported last week that the two had been in the studio together and a track, allegedly featuring the both of them, was released online.

"I don't know how the media even comes up with these crazy stories," Ray J said. "We ain't never been in the studio together not one time."

Wiz Khalifa: A Day In the Life

Wiz Khalifa's reputation as a pothead is well-deserved. The rapper who's debut album is calledRolling Papers shared some of the details of his daily routine. Not surprisingly the Pittsburgh native is a notorious 'wake & baker.'

"I wake up like any old normal person, open my eyes and then I roll over and smoke some weed," he said. "It's either already rolled, or I roll it, or I put it in the bong and just like anybody else does, put fire to it and smoke, and then I start my day. I usually eat some breakfast, make a couple phone calls, check some emails and then the wheels are moving."

He added, "I am guilty of smoking before brushing [my teeth]. Honestly if you're gonna smoke and then brush so you can get [the smell] out of there, instead of brushing then smoking and dirtying it back up."

Lil Wayne Discusses Jay-Z Beef

Lil Wayne says that he knew his Jay-Z diss on "It's Good" was going to get attention, but he doesn't really believe in competing with other rappers. He says he's focused on his own career and that competition in hip hop is dead now.

“There’s no competition [with any artists]. Music isn’t about competition no more. All the gangster rappers are happy, all the skateboard rappers are happy, all the white rappers are happy…,” he said. “Everybody just happy to do music these days. There are no problems. That shit died a long time ago with them old-ass rappers. We are just making music, making money and having fun feeding our families. Competition is for the old guys.”

He also says he's still not worried about any backlash for the diss.

“I know for a fact, music is about perception. You can't do anything but perceive what you hear. If I know that for a fact, I can never be upset about someone's reaction to it. I'm not gonna say I don't know what will happen before I say it [on record]. I do know what will happen. I am aware of it. It is what it is,” he continued. “Well, I'm a man. I believe as a man you should know that. Every man should know the repercussions and consequences behind whatever they do before they do it. And of course, I know there won't be any repercussions behind what I did.”

Angela Simmons On Going Nude

When PETA debuted its latest ads featuring a naked Angela Simmons, more than a few people wondered what Poppa Run had to say about his daughter being in the buff for the animal rights organization. According to Angela, she didn't have a problem with going naked for a good cause and neither did her legendary father.

"Well, I like what PETA stands for as far as the animal cruelty thing and all that stuff. I felt like anywhere I could help to raise awareness for them, I wanted to be part of that and being a vegetarian came natural. Obviously, since I'm a vegetarian I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to collaborate and do something. I know that they already to do that. Obviously, anything that would bring attention to them would be being naked. I think it's really been a good response from everybody."

"My dad knew I was doing it for a good cause. For him, he was very supportive. He's been very supportive in everything I do. He made it easy for me," she added. "[Future PETA involvement?] Yeah, definitely. I think we have a long, bright future ahead of us, you know. My uncle has been dealing with them forever, so it's like passing the torch."

Lil Wayne On Drake

Lil Wayne was asked about Drake's career, and the Young Money superstar was quick to praise his labelmate and friend. Weezy says that Drake can't lose--and he gave a very interesting reason as to why.

"Drake is my artist. If he wasn't my artist, then yeah maybe," Lil Wayne says. "But that's my artist. He's not [just] a friend. We're more than friends. It's business. It would be impossible for it to be a competition. I mean, I'm the guy's boss."

You can't argue with the guy's logic.

Game Responds To 50 Cent

50 Cent is once again up to his old antagonistic tricks. The rapper released his latest track, "Love, Hate, Love" on yesterday (September 29) and caused quite a stir. The song features jabs at two of hip hop's most well-known rappers, superstar Lil Wayne and 50's longtime rival, Compton rapper Game.

50 Cent mocked Weezy's latest clothing choices and extracurricular activities, ("Actin' like a white boy bored/ Now you wanna jump a flight of stairs on a skateboard" "Why the f**k your pants so tight?/ You trying to show n***as your ass, your alternative life?")

He hit below the belt with Game: "You said you was gonna see me when your homie got shot/ It's been a while so I'm guessing you must've forgot/ Once again you forget ain't this some sh*t/ You forgot about me b*tch I wrote your hits."

Game responded to the track immediately via Twitter.

@50cent I'm on tour doin shows," he tweeted. "But soon as @avanterose find a studio for me I'm killin yo "Planet Of The Apes" face havin ass nigga #MEunit

Somaya Reece Returning To Reality?

Somaya Reece is planning to return to reality TV. Namely the outspoken model/femcee says she will be back on the new season of VH1's hit reality show "Love & Hip Hop." She recently opened up about the new season and her approach to reality TV.

"It's funny because so many people have asked me, 'How does it feel to not be the villain?' [Laughs] I will say no matter who decides to come to our show, be yourself," Reece said in an interview. "Don't try to be a wh*re or act like you're going to bust a cap in somebody. Don't turn into somebody else because you're on television."

"If you're going to come on this show with a bunch of strong women, you better know to just be yourself," she added. "Especially for [Kimbella], if you're coming into a situation where you don't know anyone, be honest because neither of us on the show likes dishonesty. It's really important to remain honest and true to yourself."

Jeezy Dating Chris Brown's Ex?

Young Jeezy celebrated his birthday with a party and dinner in Atlanta and DJ Frank Ski's restaurant. While there were numerous A-listers at the event--Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris, Ne-Yo and others all made an appearance--there was one slightly-less well-known person in attendance that got people's attention.

Jeezy reportedly showed up with a new girl, model Jasmine Sanders.

Sanders dated Chris Brown for most of last year. The relationship came to an end due to rumors of Sanders getting cozy with Rob Kardashian. Now, apparently, she's been scooped by the Snowman.

There's a word for that...but I can't quite remember what it is...

First Wiz Khalifa scooped up Kanye’s ex-girl…now Young Jeezy is running around with one of Breezy’s exes.

Drake Featured In NBA 2K12 Commercial

Although the NBA lockout has set things back, that’s not stopping 2k Sports from releasing their annual title. In this ad, Drake along with Michael Jordan debate on the Greatest Team Ever. MJ’s right, those ’96 Bulls were a problem.

Sylvia Robinson, ‘the Mother of Hip-Hop,’ Dies at 75

Sylvia Robinson, the singer, songwriter and record producer who formed the Sugar Hill Gang and made the first commercially successful rap recording, died early Thursday morning at a hospital in New Jersey. She was 75.

Ms. Robinson had a notable career as a rhythm and blues singer long before she and her husband, Joe Robinson, formed Sugar Hill Records in 1979 and served as the midwives for a musical genre that came to dominate pop music.

She sang with Mickey Baker as part of the duo Mickey & Sylvia in the 1950s and had several hits, including “Love Is Strange,” which was a No. 1 R&B song in 1956. She also had a solo hit, under the name Sylvia, in spring of 1973 with her own composition “Pillow Talk.”

But Ms. Robinson was revered as “the mother of hip-hop” for her decision to record the nascent art form known as rapping, which had developed at clubs and dance parties in New York City in the 1970s. In 1979, the label Ms. Robinson and her husband had founded, All Platinum, was awash in lawsuits and losing money.

Facing financial ruin, Ms. Robinson got an inspiration when she heard people rapping over the instrumental breaks in disco songs at a party in Harlem. Using her son as a talent scout, she found three young rappers from the New York City area – Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike and Master Gee – and persuaded them to record improvised raps as the Sugar Hill Gang over a rhythm track adapted from Chic’s “Good Times.” The record was called “Rapper’s Delight” and reached No. 4 on the R&B charts, proving rap was a viable art form and opening the gates for other hip-hop artists.

Ms. Robinson later signed Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, recording their seminal 1982 hit, “The Message,” the groundbreaking rap about ghetto life that became one of the most powerful and controversial songs of its time and presaged the gangsta rap movement of later years.

A full obituary will appear later.

Source

Amber Rose On Funkmaster Flex

Amber Rose has no love for Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex. The vixen and the DJ have had their differences in the past. mostly stemming from comments Flex has made about Rose during his radio show. But during an interview with Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg, Rose explained her distaste for the Funkmaster.

“I hate Funkmaster Flex, but I love you guys,” Rose explained. “He’s an a**hole, man. He’s just ignorant in every single way possible. Everything that he says is just rude and ignorant. When people come in to talk to him, he kisses everybody’s ass, and then when he leaves he talks about everybody.”

In 2010, Flex called Rose an “extra" before going on a tirade about her character.

“She seems like she’s not smooth, my brother,” Flex explained. “She’s on Twitter…she just seems like, a little unhappy. The movie dropped, and then she said she’s coming out with the reality show. There’s no closure to her.”

Rose still claims she wants to make peace with Flex, however. “I will give him that benefit of the doubt because people really don’t give me that,” she says.

Lenny Kravitz Lives In A Trailer?

Lenny Kravitz is the cover story in the latest issue of lifestyle publication THE BLOCK. The fortysomething rocker revealed some details about his personal life that make him sound like a less-than-typical superstar. Kravitz doesn't live in a mansion or in a swanky penthouse or some secluded villa.

Nope, Mr. Kravitz likes his digs a little more modest.

"Well, I live in a trailer, like a little Airstream on the beach," he shares. "First thing I do is get out and look at the sky, thank God for the day, get into the water, sit, think, make music, think about where I’m gonna get lunch from. Go to the studio, make some music. In and out. Whatever I feel like doing. Hanging.”

9th Wonder Wants Mainstream Love?

9th Wonder recently opened up about his new album The Wonder Years. The superproducer says that he hopes hip hop fans delve more into albums as an artform, and he name-dropped some high profile hip hop stars' recent works as example of albums that deserve to be appreciated as albums.

"Your album has to be an event. It just can't be a collection of songs," he says. "If it's just a bunch of songs on a CD, it doesn't flow together [and] no one will [play] it from front to back. I appreciate [projects] like Section 80, Thank Me Later and records like that. I praise records that you can put in, play and it becomes an experience. Records that allow you to find out more about that person. You can't find out nothing about a person that just puts out a bunch of singles ... and maybe that person doesn't want you to, either. I praise those records."

"I praise Deeper Than Rap and Teflon Don," he says. "Records that are experiences. I want the Rick Ross experience ... to go into his world, and when the album's over, I come out of it."

Amber Rose On Loving Wiz Khalifa

In case you didn't know, Amber Rose loves Wiz Khalifa. Like, really, really loves him. The voluptuous starlet reiterated her neverending affection for the skinny rapper from Pittsburgh in a recent radio interview with Hot 97.

Amber says that this is the strongest love she's ever felt in her life.

"I never loved like this in my life. He is my life," she says. "I would die for him. That’s how much I love him. We will get married. We will have babies but we have time. We have the rest of our lives. We always say, we are going to be together forever, but when it happens it happens. We’re not in a rush."

Victor Ortiz Recording With Ray J

Ray J may be buddies with boxer Floyd Mayweather, but the man Mayweather defeated two weeks ago is collaborating with Ray J on a new song. In a strange turn of events the R&B singer/reality star and the boxer have recorded a song together.

The two have teamed to record a new song titled “Baddest Girl.”

DJ Ian Carey released the track, which features Ray J. singing and Victor Ortiz rapping.

Ray J partied with Mayweather following his bout against Ortiz two weeks ago and was involved in an altercation with rapper Fabolous.

Lauryn Hill Sued By Stylist

Lauryn Hill is being sued by a former fashion consultant who styled her during her 2007 European tour. Davia Vintage filed suit against the former Fugee, saying that Ms. Hill never returned clothes that she outfitted for her during the tour.

Vintage gave Ms. Hill “an entire wardrobe of high fashion items” and says that there was an agreement to pay a fixed weekly fee for a month. According to Vintage, after the timeframe elapsed, Hill kept the clothes for three months and only paid a fraction of what she owed.

Vintage also is accuses Lauryn of returning only 30 percent of what was provided. The 2007 tour has become a source of constant controversy for Hill, who was also sued by a former member of her band from the tour who claimed she had refused to pay once the jaunt was over.

Pusha T Dissed Drake?

Pusha T caught a lot of people's attention with his latest freestyle. The rapper's "Don't F--- With Me" features some anonymous digs at unnamed foes over Drake's "Dreams Money Can Buy" beat. But many people are interpreting some of the song's lyrics as darts thrown at Drizzy Drake himself.

"The nerve of ya, he'll sit and clip at your lines like he ain't heard of ya/ I seen it happen before that man will murder ya," T raps, in what some fans are interpreting as a subliminal diss at former G.O.O.D. Music artist Consequence. But what really got tongues wagging was the following lines: "Rappers on their sophomores, actin' like they boss lords/ Fame such a funny thing for sure, when n*ggas start believing all them encores/ I'm just the one to send you off, bonjour/ See yourself as I pull up in that mirror tint/ Skins vs. blouses, you mirror Prince, 'Chappelle's Show,' all of you Neal Brennans, sketch comedy, who is for real penning?"

Do you think Pusha T was taking shots at Drake?

Lil Wayne, Kanye Love Women's Fashion?

Many people have started noticing that several top rappers are rocking lady's clothing lately. With a recent report by ABC calling out the trend, jewelry designer Elena Kiam gave her two cents on the phenomenon. She says, while it is a little strange for a genre that has always been known for hyper-masculinity, she doesn't think it's a big deal.

"When we were designing these really beautiful, sparkly necklaces, we thought more for top editors, maybe a celebrity movie star. We really weren't thinking about hip-hop," said Kiam, who also said Beyoncé, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus have worn her designs. "There was a rapper wearing the same piece as a soccer mom from Ohio," she added.

Rihanna Too Racy For Irish Farmer?

Rihanna was shooting a video for her new single "We Found Love" outside of Belfast in Ireland. But her see-through top was a bit much for the farmer who agreed to let Rih-Rih and Co. shoot on his property. After deciding it was against his beliefs, he asked the star and her crew to leave the property.

"I requested them to stop filming and they did," he said. "I had my conversation with Rihanna and I hope she understands where I’m coming from. We shook hands. I didn’t know who was coming. If the name Rihanna had been mentioned, well no disrespect, but it wouldn’t have meant anything."

"From my point of view, it was my land, I have an ethos and I felt it was inappropriate," he continued. "I wish no ill will against Rihanna and her friends. Perhaps they could acquaint themselves with a greater God."

Common On Erykah & Serena Stories

Common explained his decision to talk openly about his past relationships in his autobiography,One Day It'll All Make Sense. The rapper's memoir has already landed on the New York Times Bestseller List, and he says that this was the best way for him to share his experiences.

He also said that he wanted to show people that he goes through relationship issues the same as anyone else.

"I feel like this is the medium to do it," Common said in an interview. "When I'm in a relationship, I'm not going to parade that relationship. It's not for public consumption. It's my life. But when I'm talking about things that happened in the past, this is perfect for me...The stories I'm telling are not only to entertain," he continued, "but they're there to inspire and to relate to and to say, 'Man, this guy is not perfect, this guy been through some of the same things I've been through and he just decided to make some choices and is doing well. But he's still a work in progress."

Lil Wayne Set To Tour South Africa

Rapper Lil Wayne will be heading to South Africa in December, as part of his "I Am Still Music" tour. The Young Money CEO is taking his successful tour worldwide.

Wayne will be playing the Bellville Velodrome on December 7th, before heading to Johannesburg for a date at the Coca-Cola Dome on December 9th. There will also be a third show in the city of Durban. The venue for the third show is not yet determined.

More dates will be announced.

J. Cole Explains Delays

J. Cole's long-awaited debut album,Cole World: The Sideline Story, drops today (September 27), but the rapper still feels the need to explain himself to his fans. Cole told Power 98.3’s Yaya Martinez what caused his project to take so long. According to Cole, politics kept him from dropping the album.

“I always been ready to go. At all points. Even if I didn’t have a release date right now, if the album wasn’t coming out, I’d be ready. At all points during this process, I was ready,” he said. ”It’s just a matter of expectations. When you have the expectations of a whole label and how they look at you and perceive you and what they want your success level to be, then you’re going to have a lot of opinions on singles or whatever.”

“‘Can’t Get Enough’ is out of here. As soon as ‘Work Out’ finishes what it’s going to do on radio, which it looks like it’s going to go, ‘Can’t Get Enough’ is next," he continued. "I had ‘Can’t Get Enough’ last year, a year ago from now or whatever. But, it’s just how the cookie crumbles. I don’t have that type of power to put out the album. So my response to ‘Can’t Get Enough’ not being a single was Friday Night Lights, which had some songs that were originally going to be on the album.”

The Black Keys Pull "BlakRoc 2"

Indie rock act the Black Keys have confirmed that they will not be releasing Blakroc 2, a sequel to their first pairing with Dame Dash's Roc-A-Fella Records. A trailer landed online at the beginning of February, but the band says it is unauthorized.

During an interview with WZGC 92.9 FM (via Consequence of Sound), Keys' Patrick Carney denied that the album will see be released anytime soon.

"'Blakroc 2' is not coming out soon, although somehow a trailer that was made two years ago without our permission and then recirculated without our permission,” he said. ”We have stuff recorded for it — about eight songs that I guess are done — but those were all recorded two years ago. So there are no plans for Blakroc 2 to be released as an album.”

Drake Performing On "SNL"

Drake has landed a performance slot on "Saturday Night Live" for mid-October, just a few days before his sophomore album Take Care. The Toronto-born rapper will be performing on NBC's long-running comedy program on October 15th alongside host, actress Anna Faris.

Take Care, meanwhile, arrives (Oct. 24th.)

This will be Drake's first appearance on "SNL." His fellow Young Money star Nicki Minaj was a musical guest last season, in one of the series' most-watched episodes of the year.

Eve STILL Promising Album?

Eve must've learned a thing or two about album delays while working with Dr. Dre at Aftermath. The Philly-born femcee is still assuring fans that her album is 'coming' at some point in the near future. When asked about the project during a recent trip to Australia, Eve gave a teeny update on the album's status.

She says its coming in 2012. For sure.

“I been saying my album was coming and it was, but I left Interscope and now, I’m on EMI so the album is definitely coming at the top of the year," Eve says. "It’s called Lip Lock, it’ll be out at the top of the year in March. I don’t have a date yet.”

Nicki Minaj Getting Into Character?

Nicki Minaj is keeping mum about her highly-anticipated follow-up toPink Friday, but the Young Money starlet did reveal in a recent interview that her infamous alter-ego 'Roman Zolanski' will be a possible focal point of the album. Will she record as her alter ego? Is the album a concept album?

Nicki's not saying much.

"All I can say is that Roman will definitely be a humongous part of the follow-up to Pink Friday," says Minaj in her trademark Roman accent. "All I can say is that I'm working on it, and the fans are gonna get their life and then some."

Angela Simmons Gets Naked?

Rev. Runs lil girl Angela Simmons bares it all in a new ad for PETA. Well, not really. But Ms. Simmons does go nude for the animal rights organization, without showing too much skin. She joins a long list of celebs, including Taraji P. Henson and Waka Flocka Flame recently, who have joined PETA's cause.

“As a devout Christian, I feel it’s very important to show compassion for all of God’s creation—and adopting a vegetarian diet is the best way to keep innocent animals from suffering," Simmons explains in the ad. "I eat pretty well, I’m a vegetarian. Hopefully I’ll be a vegan in a couple of years, but I’m taking it one step at a time. My uncle inspired me to become a vegetarian, a vegan, when I was young. He had me watch this video, I can’t remember the name of it, but I was only about 12 or 13 and he gave it to our family. No one else watched it except me."

"At that age, I tried to be a vegetarian and I couldn’t do it because I was in a family that ate so much meat," she continued. "But I finally made the change and it’s been like a year and a half now and I’m pretty proud of myself. I’m feeling good and I do work out a lot."

Carmelo Calls Out Athletes

With the NBA currently in the midst of a lockout, Carmelo Anthony was asked if his fellow superstars were 'afraid' to speak out publicly about the dispute between players and owners. Melo said that NBA stars and other athletes don't have the moxie to step up and speak out these days, unlike the heyday of a certain loud mouth heavyweight champion.

Carmelo says that ballers are scared.

““We’re not allowed. We’re not allowed. I mean everybody has their own opinion…you hear people talk here and there…but nobody don’t really come out and say what they really want to say. That’s just the society we live in," Melo says. "Athletes today are scared to make Muhammad Ali type statements.“"

Fabolous Praises AZ

Rapper Fabolous had nothing but words of praise for fellow NYC rhymer AZ when recently asked who was the most underrated lyricist in hip hop. Fabo singled out the Queens emcee, in particular, saying that AZ had a huge effect on him as a younger rapper.

"I grew up listening to AZ and Nas, you know, he's one of the lyricists that I feel doesn't get a lot of recognition, but I know a lot of people listened to him coming up," Fab said in an interview referring to AZ. "His word play and the way he made words rhyme was particularly how I [modeled my word play]. I always paid attention to anybody who raps in a similar format, similar approaches to styles."

"Salute [to] AZ," Fab added. "I seen [him] a couple times in the supermarket, we both live in the same kind of neighborhood. I don't want to disclose where he lives-- I really don't know where he lives -- but, I seen him out at the supermarket before."

Drake – Take Care (Artwork)

Feels like it’s been so long. Is life moving so fast in this generation that when we desire something it begins to move in slow motion? Are we just used to getting what we want right away? Or do we require one another to feel right about all that is going on around us? Maybe our anticipation is justified by the fact that we genuinely cannot wait to share a moment again? Either way, your life and mine are scheduled to meet on October 24…I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

See you soon.

Drake

Drake Always Gets Picked On?

Young Money's Jason Stein shared his perspective on Drake being the butt of jokes amongst hip hop fans due to his 'sensitive' image.

"Drake is a very emotional rapper, bordering R&B melodrama, and was a child actor," Stein posits. "When you couple that with being on the Young Money label, which is considered a pretty tough group, and his swagger or braggadocio, there's are unusual juxtaposition that people start to question, and then poke fun at."

He's just a big ol' softy. Just admit that.

Kreayshawn Explains Kreayshawn

Kreayshawn gave Carson Daly the low-down on exactly who she is during a recent appearance on his show. The Oakland upstart emphasized her array of 'talents.'

For everyone who didn't know.

"I'm a rapper, I'm a graphic designer, director, model, DJ and a professional b*tch snatcher," Kreayshawn said. "There's a lot of people that want to push you down. One, for being a female and one for being white. It's hard but I don't see it like that. In Oakland, that's how you grew up...The best about everything that's going on is I have my head on my shoulders, I know what I want, I know my vision and it's not like I signed this record deal blindly -- whatever happens, happens. I know that I'm a good person and that I'm smart and funny. If the music thing doesn't work out, I'm talented at a million other things."

Top 10: Philly upsets Melo for 131-122 victory

Highlights from the battle of i95 charity game. philly beat team melo

Ray J Responds To fabolous Again

Direct Link

Robin Thicke & Lil Wayne Re-Team

Robin Thicke and Lil Wayne have a long recording history. Thicke produced tracks for Weezy as far back as 2004 and appeared on Wayne's 2008 blockbuster Tha Carter III. For his part, Wayne appeared on Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke and Sex Therapyalbums. The pair will be collaborating again on Thicke's upcoming album Love After War.

The two appear together on the track "Pretty Little Heart," which Thicke has premiered online.

There looks to be a bevy of guest stars on Love and War including Pharrell Williams, Faith Evans, Usher and Maxwell. There is no official release date currently set for the project.

Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, Trey Songz and Ciara 'Get Schooled'

Entertainers Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, Trey Songz and Ciara all helped launch the Get Schooled Foundation's "Wake Up and Get Schooled" campaign this week. Celebrities record phone calls that will be played for young students in the mornings that encourage them to start their day and get to school.

“The pre-recorded messages, running throughout the school year until June 2012, stress the importance of getting up and going to school every day," according to Executive Director Marie Groark. "Studies show that students with more than 10 absences in a school year risk falling behind. Students with more than 20 absences have only a one-in-five chance of graduating.”

“One of the key factors in students graduating and succeeding in their educational goals is merely getting them to campus in the first place," Executive Director Marie Groark, of the Get Schooled Foundation. "By using the power of celebrity and persuasion, we are encouraging students to wake up and get schooled!”

T.I. Prepping New Single

DJ Drama informed Power 105's DJ Clue on Thursday that, not only is he working with several young artists including Roscoe Dash on new projects and hosting his syndicated radio show; he's also been prepping some tracks with recently-released superstar T.I.

Though T.I. is in a halfway house for a few more days, he's still been able to produce music.

"Tip just came home. I was in the studio with him," Drama said. "He's actually about to drop a new song next week."

"He's in a halfway house but when you're in a halfway house you can still get to work," Drama added. "So he's been in the studio during work time and he's banging out. Actually [his time in the halfway house] ends next week. So he'll be in the streets by the B.E.T. Hip Hop Awards."

Amber Rose Visit Angers Ghanaians

Amber Rose's recent visit to Ghana sparked some controversy. The voluptuous model posted pictures of herself posing with children, but some took exception to the fact that she only posted pictures of herself with poorer citizens. Some felt that it promoted negative stereotypes about Africans, while Rose says she had no intention of doing anything other than trying to raise awareness.

"People have to understand that this is my first time in Africa. This is not my culture," she added. "I have never been here so if I said anything to hurt anyone’s feelings then I am really, really sorry. I saw that a lot of people on twitter said ‘don’t just show the poverty, show the rich people’. But for me, the rich people aren’t doing anything for the little kids and the people that are living in poverty so I don’t want to go hang out with the rich people."

"I wanted to see the kids in poverty. I grew up very poor," she added. "So I wanted to go see them, help them, talk to them and inspire them to let them know they could possibly be somebody great. They can be somebody great. So I want everyone in Ghana to know that I wasn’t just saying that ‘Ghana is a poor country and no one should ever come here.’ Anyone that I have spoken to about Ghana since I have been here, I have been saying that it’s such an amazing place. And I’m sorry for not posting pictures of rich people, but it just wasn’t for me to do."

Frank Ocean On Odd Future Beefs

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All member Frank Ocean recently spoke on group leader Tyler, the Creator and his tendency to get involved with gripes with other celebrities. Despite the fact that Frank and Tyler both had words with R&B singer Chris Brown back during the summer, Frank says he's not trying to share every beef that Tyler gets himself into.

But that doesn't mean there's dissension within the crew.

"That's family. It's a crew, but it's not like a boy band where we're like this cohesive thing that moves and does everything together," Ocean said when asked about Odd Future. "We're like a crew of a bunch of different artists who create their own thing and their own wave -- I definitely won't go on the record and say that I latch on to every beef or confrontation or scuffle that Tyler gets into, maybe in the streets, but not in the matrix or the Internet. I can't keep up with that."

Common's Favorite Rapper Is Nas?

Common cited Queensbridge lyricist as his all-time favorite rapper. As has been the norm since 2001, the Chicago emcee felt the need to explain why he picked Nas over Jay-Z. The two New York legends have seemingly been joined at the hip in the minds of hip hop heads ever since their infamous feud a decade ago, and Common shared he sided with the man formerly known as Escobar.

"I would say Nas, that’s my favorite rapper. It’s tough, because [Jay-Z] is one of the greatest and many can argue,” he said, “But Nas is so poetic with it and I feel like his lyrics, you can write them down on paper and they will last for time. It would be like literature that we read.”

DJ Khaled Discusses the N-Word

Miami's DJ Khaled defended his constant use of the N-word in an interview with DJ Green Lantern on Invasion Radio [video here]. Khaled, who is Palestinian, says he grew up using the word and thinks people should look at context. He feels he's earned the right to use the term as long as it's not negative.

"I'm a n*gga," Khaled said. "If somebody ever took that in an arrogant -- If someone thinks it in another way, they dumb. I grew up like that. It's slang. It's actually a positive word the way that I use it, the way that Ace [Hood] is using it. If you think like that, that goes back to the Internet. The hate."

"For me to say 'We the best, oooo weeee n*gga, we the best!' You know what I'm talking about," Khaled added. "N*ggas that's thinking that is dumb f*cks. Once again, I'd like to shout out the fans who love this music. What makes me mad, when I grew up, n*ggas was calling me sand n*gga. That's ignorant, because there's only one way to say it. You can't say, 'Yo what up my sand n*gga?' That's not the way we grew up in the streets -- When I say 'What up my n*gga,' I say that to Green all the time. 'What up my nig?' That's just me greeting you with love. But if somebody takes it another way, they dumb."

Beyonce Following Daddy's Example?

While Beyonce is taking it easy on the singing and dancing while she's preggers, the superstar is looking to expand her repertoire as a businesswoman and--a labelhead? Bey says that she could be taking a page out of her father, Matthew Knowles' playbook and begin shepherding new acts.

"I am starting my company, my label," Beyonce says. "I want to create a boy band. I want to continue to produce and do documentaries and music videos. I eventually want to start directing for other artists. Once I know that I have my stuff together and I trust that, I can do it for other artists. I see so many male artists building these empires and passing their knowledge on to other artists and development. I see myself doing the same thing and hopefully other younger artists when they grow up and they have been around for 15, 20 years, they can do the same thing."

Papoose Misses Remy Ma

There's nothing like thug love. Papoose is still loyal and in love with his incarcerated wifey, fellow rapper Remy Ma. Papoose talked about how difficult it has been dealing with the fact that his woman is locked down, a gender reversal for what typical goes on in hip hop.

"Definitely, it's hard. But how we got our life constructed is as if she's there, even though she's not there. Basically, my phone line is open 24 hours a day. Just like a regular family would function, I don't make decisions that would concern our family without her," Pap explains. "She's involved in everything in our household. Even though she's incarcerated, she's only 40 minutes away. I take the kids to visit her, and like I said, I don't make any decisions that concern my life, her life or our kids' lives without her."

"Even though she's behind that wall, we still live our life like that wall don't exist," he says. "I got my closet behind the wall on one side, and her closet is on the other side, as if she's still there. All her sh*t is hung up nice and neat. There's certain times I gotta do things without her. There's definitely times when the kids need a woman's opinion more than mine."

Troy Davis Executed, Hip Hop Reacts

Death Row inmate Troy Davis was executed last night (September 21) shortly after 11pm, much to the shock and dismay of supporters around the world. Over 1,000,000 people had signed a petition to prevent Davis' execution and a crowd of protesters had gathered outside of the prison in Jackson, GA where Davis was to be executed in the hopes of stopping the killing. Despite everyone's efforts, the Supreme Court denied a stay of execution and Davis' life was lost. Davis was convicted of killing a security guard in 1989, but several witnesses later recanted their stories and another suspect reportedly even confessed to other people that he had pulled the trigger.

Davis had garnered support from former United States president Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, former FBI director William Sessions and others. Several hip hop notables tweeted their reactions to the news:

"May God be with Troy Davis!!!!" Cash Money/Young Money President Mack Maine tweeted.

"REST IN POWER AND IN PEACE #TROY DAVIS!!! BLESSINGS 2 UR FAMILY AS WELL," Busta Rhymes responded once the news had broken. "I think executions should be broadcast live on television," Russell Simmons tweeted. "Let us see the barbarianism we've sanctioned."

"Troy Davis was executed six minutes ago...Wow. The American Justice System. SMH," Ice-T tweeted about the execution.

J. Cole Announces $1 Show

J. Cole has announced that he will be performing this coming Sunday (September 25) in New York City for $1. The rapper will be taking the stage at the Roseland Ballroom to support his upcoming album, Cole World: The Sideline Story.

The concert has been dubbed 'A Dollar and a Dream.'

Cole's album leaked online prematurely, but the Roc Nation star hasn't missed a beat. In addition to the Saturday show, there will be an official signing in New York City on Tuesday at J&R Music World.