DMX, Eve Join "Rock the Bells" Roster

Veteran hip hop stars and former Ruff Ryders DMX, Jadakiss and Eve have been announced as joining the lineup for the 2012 Rock the Bells festival. Rappers Pusha T and Future have also been added to the lineup.

2 Chainz, J. Cole, Common, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Jadakiss, Sheek Louch and Styles P are all among the artists featured.

The shows will be at San Bernardino, California's NOS Events Center (August 18-19), Mountain View, California's Shoreline Amphitheatre (August 25-26) and Holmdel, New Jersey's PNC Arts Center (September 1-2).

Ghostface Killah Into Skateboarding?

Skateboard culture has been embraced by hip hop's younger generation to the point where the two are practically joined at the hip; but fans rarely see hip hop veterans acknowledge skateboarding. But its not just for hipster kids anymore. Ghostface Killah revealed in a recent interview that he is a fan of boarding and has been for a long time.

"Skateboarding and hip hop is one and the same," he explained. "Hip hop is a way of life. It's our way of life: how we walk, dress, talk, how we do things, b. Y'all say swagger - I don't like to say that word 'cus I've been using that shit a long time ago - but, you know, it's just what it is. When we was break dancing, that was hip hop. Skateboarding, that's still hip hop. I had a skateboard, too, when I was younger, you know what I mean…all that shit is all together. It's a culture, yo. Whether you skiing or whatever b, it's all together."

Ghostface Killah Disses Mark Sanchez?

Rapper Ghostface Killah had some critical words for New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. In a recent interview, the sports enthusiast talked elite NFL quarterbacks and said that Sanchez has room to grow but he hasn't shown him much yet.

He says Mark isn't ready to be included among the top-tier QBs in the league.

"I love sports," Ghost said in an interview. "Any real man is gonna love some type of sport...[I like] the Jets. [Sanchez isn't as good as we thought?] That's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking that he's still young and I'm thinking that his arm is really not that strong like that. I don't see no missiles really like - he's got a couple of nice touchdowns, but it's not really like the elite. You got [Drew] Brees [of the New Orleans Saints], you got Aaron [Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers], I miss Peyton [Manning], but you've got guys like that that's just gunning it, gunning it, and it's like, I don't know, he just kinda folds at the last minute."

Ghostface Killah On Luda/Drake Feud

Ghostface Killah addressed the feud between veteran rapper Ludacris and Young Money star Drake. Ghost, for his part, dismissed the subliminal disses between the two rappers and says hip hop stars with influence should be focused on bigger things than beefing.

"It is what it is, it's rap music. I'm not trying to get into any little kid sh*t. You know what I mean," he said in an interview. "I'm a grown man, B. You know what I mean? Grown men do grown men things. We don't got no time. We gotta get this money, man. Unless these n*ggas are already sitting on it, you know what I mean, but enough of that. You know what I mean? We should be getting at the real enemy, you know what I mean? That had us oppressed for all those years. Not at each other right now."

Cool Kids Release Date Set

The Cool Kids have finally announced the release date for their long-delayed debut album,When Fish Ride Bicycles. The album will be released on June 12th via Green Label Sound.

The Chicago duo's battles with former label Chocolate Industries led to the extensive delays, while the Kids attempted to keep their buzz alive with mixtapes. The Cool Kids were one of the most talked-about indie acts in 2007 and 2008, only to watch a lot of their momentum die with the album continually being pushed back.

Bun B., Ghostface Killah, Mayer Hawthorne, Travis Barker and Asher Roth are all featured on the project.

Rock the Bells Lineup Announced

The Rock the Bells 2011 Festival lineup has been announced. Series. This year's event, presented by Boost Mobile, will feature the usual bevy of stars, including Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas, Cypress Hill, Mos Def & Talib Kweli, Raekwon & Ghostface Killah.

The stars will be performing their most beloved classic albums in their entirety; a relatively new tradition that began last year. Lauryn Hill will perform The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, while Cypress Hill will perform Black Sunday, Mobb Deep will perform The Infamous, Black Star will perform Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star, and Nas will treat the crowd to a performance of his masterpiece, 1994's Illmatic, alongside DJ Premier, Pete Rock and AZ.

“For years people have been asking me to do Illmatic in so many ways, from stage plays to movies to books, but the time wasn't right. Where music is going now, the time is right,” said Nas in a statement. "This will be my biggest production and it only makes sense to do it on the best rap tour which also happens to be a brand I've built and am a partner in. Can't wait to kill it with my comrades AZ, Premo & Pete Rock!"

The 8th annual RTB festival will also feature the Paid Dues Stage, curated by Murs, the GrindTime Now Stage (showcasing battles), and the 36 Chambers Stage, featuring Wu-Tang Clan members and affiliates. “I am excited that I once again have the privilege of hosting the Paid Dues Stage,” he said. “We will have the honor of showcasing some of the best talent in independent hip hop as part of the worlds largest and longest running hip hop festival... the Paid Dues stage is gonna be the one to watch this year.”

Rock the Bells 2011 will be hitting San Bernadino and Mountainview, CA, Boston and New York City.