Swizz Beatz, Megaupload In Legal Battle

Hip hop superproducer Swizz Beatz has been revealed as the acting CEO of Megaupload. The news hit the Web amidst news of many websites blacking out in protest against the controversial SOPA/PIPA legislation. Swizz and the popular filre sharing site are in the midst of a major lawsuit against Universal Music Group.

Megaupload has come under fire in the past for music and video piracy.

Nonetheless, Swizz enlisted several notable artists for a YouTube video that supported the controversial site, only for Universal Music Group to issue a lawsuit for the video to be taken down. Swizz and Megaupload responded with a counter-suit.

SOPA/PIPA Sparks Hip Hop Artists

SOPA/PIPA legislation has been decried by Internet users and websites like Wikipedia and Facebook, who believe it will only lead to censorship and information restrictions online. With many sites 'going black' yesterday (January 18) in protest of SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act), several hip hop artists also voiced their opinion on the issue.

"I'm not usually into politics but .... this has gone too far... we have to fight for our freedom," B.o.B. tweeted. "How do you guys feel about this?"

"This a blow to the heart of the American people who have been able to put food on the table from the opportunities provided by web." he added.

Pop rap star Kreayshawn also tweeted about SOPA. "#StopSOPA #STOPSOPA #stopsopa," she tweeted. "Don't let the government take away our power to share art, music, creativity and individualism. #StopSOPA"

Hip hop veteran MC Hammer rallied in San Francisco and spoke out against the legislation. "We don't want people who spend their days legislating trying to control creativity," he said. "I speak on behalf of a lot of artists ... who would like to be able to continue to utilize the valuable tools that the Internet has brought."