Juelz Santana Talks About JoJo Incident Via Power99FM

Juelz Santana stopped by Power 99 for a quick chat. The Dipset rapper was asked about Atlanta rap star Waka Flocka Flame's recent appearance at a Dipset reunion show in New York City, where Waka took the time to diss his former associate Gucci Mane.

"I mean, it wasn't that it surprised me," Santana said of Waka's diss. "Waka's Waka, Waka wants to do what Waka wants to do. That's nothing to do with me."

But Santana was also asked about the recent altercation between JoJo Simmons and Hyneif--an affiliate of Santana's. JoJo was allegedly attacked over the diss record he released earlier this year, which took aim at Juelz.

"Nothing, nothing," JoJo said of the incident. "It's just, you know? It's cool, he's cool, we cool. It's cool. Nothing happened, nothing's going on."

Waka Flaka Tour Dates Announced

Rapper Waka Flocka Flame has announced the dates for his upcoming "Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family" tour. The tour kicks off in Norfolk Virginia and stretches through to two international tour stops, at Amsterdam and Paris, in early December.

The tour begins October 2nd and continues for two months until December 3rd.

Selected tour dates below:

Oct. 2 – Norfolk, VA – The Norva Theater
Oct. 9 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Oct. 10 – Philadelphia, PA – TLA
Oct. 14 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
Oct. 16 – Montreal, Quebec – Tellus Theater
Oct. 17 – Toronto, Ontario – Kool Haus
Oct. 19 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall
Oct. 21 – Chicago, IL – Congress Theater
Oct. 22 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
Oct. 23 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Oct. 25 – Denver, CO – The Ogden
Oct. 28 – Seattle, WA – Showbox Sodu
Nov. 1 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
Nov. 4 – Los Angeles, CA – Club Nokia
Nov. 5 – Phoenix, AZ – Celebrity Theater
Nov. 9 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues
Nov. 10 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
Nov. 11 – New Orleans, LA – House Of Blues
Nov. 18 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
Nov. 21 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
Dec. 2 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
Dec. 3 - Paris, France - Bataclan

Rhymefest Blasts Chief Keef

Rhymefest posted a fiery message on his blog taking aim at fellow Chicago rapper Chief Keef and the music industry as a whole. Fest blasted the young rhymer for perpetuating an image that negatively affects Black youth in Chicago and feeds into stereotypes.

"Chief Keef is a "Bomb", he represents the senseless savagery that white people see when the news speaks of Chicago violence. A Bomb has no responsibility or blame, it does what it was created to do; DESTROY! Notice, no one is talking about the real culprits, the Bomb maker or the pilot who is deploying this deadly force (Labels, Radio Stations). Its easier to blame the bomb. Bombs are not chosen for their individual talents, they are tools used for collateral damage. To think of the persona of Chief Keef as a person would be the first mistake, he will more then likely come and go without us knowing much of anything about his personal pains, struggles, great loves and ambitions beyond rap. He is a spokesman for the Prison Industrial Complex. Every corporation is expected to grow at least 4% each quarter, many prisons are privately owned with stock being traded on the open market. If these corporations were to do commercials, jingles and promotions who would they hire? You got it, most of the main stream rappers we salivate over like Rick Ross the former correctional officer turned Drug Lord Boss rapper. Waka Flocka Flame gang bang "GO HARD IN THE PAINT" and Chief Keef the newest lottery pick in the "Get paid to destroy young minds, like we destroyed yours" Sweepstakes."

"Many people will say 'Chief Keef is a young black man making money who wouldn't have had any other opportunity, why isn't this a good thing?". Which brings us back to the question, who is bank rolling this operation and why? This could only be described as an opportunity for this young man if he was receiving artist development, responsible mentorship and counseling for his obvious trauma. By the way, Major Record labels always put million dollar life insurance policies on artist of this nature so that they get paid one way or the other. My suggestion to the rest of us who would love to see the mushroom cloud from this explosion, BE CAUTIOUS! The affects from this type of Bomb can last for centuries. Lets stop giving our intellectual power resources and admiration to destructive forces while ignoring and starving out the good that is being done,sung and rapped about by artist like Killer Mike, Lupe Fiasco, RhymeFest, Dead Prez, Brother ALI, Maimouna Yusef, Invincible, Jean Grey, Mikkey Halsted etc."

Waka Flocka Feels Disrespected

Waka Flocka Flame is demanding respect. The Atlanta rapper says that he invented the word "H.A.M." and his friend and collaborator Lex Lugar has breathed new life into hip hop production. But the world refuses to give him credit for introducing the slang and the sound.

"What are y'all gonna say now?" he says. "Jay-Z stupid as hell? My sound is wack? You gonna say that? They love the sound. They can't run away from it. That sh*t re-sparked n***as' careers. My sound put life into a lot of people's careers. I feel like my sound changed hip-hop. Period. It's crazy when I came out with it everybody laughed at it, but the next year everybody's doing it. They getting credit for the sh*t you started. You be like, 'D*mn, how is this n***a a genius for doing something I started?'"

"That's crazy," says Waka. "But what you gonna say? This n***a [Rick Ross] out here making 30 f*cking sounds with your sound. He watering it down, just putting words together that sounded good. Sh*t would be harder if it was the truth."

"That sh*t made me tight," he says. "N***as built labels off our sound--like, literally. You know how many n***as sound like Lex Luger and Southside? I go in n***as' studios, all their beats sound like my producers. I be like, 'What the f*ck?'You can't be mad at something you can't control."

Waka Flocka Discusses Fame

Waka Flocka Flame has forged a very successful career as a rapper, but the Atlanta recording artist doesn't want to be known as a star. He spoke extensively about his aversions to fame in the current cover story in XXL.

"I don't feel like a celebrity, or this quote-unquote star everybody talk about," he says. "I guess Waka Flocka like a job, honestly. I'm at my job right now, so I gotta do it to my fullest. ... I got a whole label, man. We fire. We the new Wu-Tang, Roc-A-Fella. We what these labels are trying to create right now. We the new Cash Money. Squad! Flockaveli was the return of gangsta. I brought gangsta back, man."

Waka also discussed how the death of his friend Slim Dunkin affected him.

"Dunk died, I couldn't do sh*t four months, almost five moths straight," he reveals. "I couldn't stay down long forever, cause bills gotta be paid, mouths to be fed. But that sh*t took a toll on us, man. Like right now, from December to f*ckin' April...That's how long it took me to bounce back my n*gga. That sh*t crazy."

Drake Forced To Cut Show Short

Young Money rapper Drake was forced to hit a show on his "Club Paradise" tour short this week. The star was performing in Irvine, CA at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheater when the police ordered Drake to end the show early, according to HipHopWired.

While no in-depth details were given, Drake confirmed the story via Twitter.

"Police made me cut the show short but I love you all for rocking with me Irvine!" he tweeted.

THe show also featured J. Cole, French Montana, Waka Flocka Flame, Meek Mill and 2 Chainz and heads to Phoenix, AZ for the next stop.

Waka Flocka Isn't Retiring

Waka Flocka Flame became the latest rapper to threaten retirement late last year when he alleged that he'd 'rather work at Wal-Mart' than continue rapping. But, of course, now that his tantrum is over, the Atlanta rap star has backed off of his earlier statement.

He says that he's focused on his second album and has worked too hard to walk away.

Yet.

“I’m on my second one, so the third one might be true," he told Hip Hop Wired. "I don’t know. The way they treat me, I spent my lifetime trying to do this. I don’t see myself quitting no more, it’s over for that. On to the next one.”

Rappers never retire when they say so.

Waka Flocka Speaks Up For PETA

Waka Flocka Flame is making sure everybody understands that his appearance last year in a PETA "I'd Rather Go Naked" ad was no one-off. The Atlanta star has spoken up again on behalf of PETA and animals. The rapper issued a PSA condemning animal cruelty.

"If you’re going through different stuff and feeling a certain way, an animal is always going to be the same way. No matter how you feel, an animal ain’t going to curse you out. An animal ain’t gonna fight you. He’ll show you nothing but love," says Waka. "They’re not you’re size. They can’t talk like you. They ain’t got arms like you. They don’t have the strength you got to beat on them. It’s lame. It’s like beating on a baby that ain’t do nothing wrong. It’s important not to abuse dogs because physical discipline always makes a dog lash back at you. Just pick on someone your own size."

Snoop Defends Wiz Khalifa

Waka Flocka Flame blasted fellow hip hop star Wiz Khalifa a couple of months ago for having 'no swag,' and it looks like Wiz's big buddy, Snoop Dogg, felt the need to come to Wiz's defense. Wiz and Snoop partnered up for the stoner comedy movie and soundtrack Mac and Devin Go To High School.

"I'ma holla at Waka Flocka. That's where big Uncle Snoop come in at, 'cause we ain't about that negativity and none of that beef. We too old for that," said Snoop on Big Boy's radio show. "I'ma snatch him up by the collar and say, 'Look here, partna. You got somethin' to say to Wiz, get at him personally.' We peaceful. We on nothing but peace right now."

"This is my guy right here," added Snoop. "I love Wiz 'cause he got the right spirit that Hip Hop needs. Too much negativity in the industry that always overwhelms his kind of spirit, and I'm here to let people know that this is the right kind of spirit.

Waka Flocka Wants Nas & Kanye Collabo

Christmas may be over, but Waka Flocka Flame still has stuff on his wish-list. Namely, the Atlanta rapper would like to see one of hip hop's greatest rhymers team up with one of hip hop's biggest producers/stars to collaborate on a project.

Waka tweeted that he wants Nas and Kanye West to put together a 'tape.'

"Nas and my boy West need to drop a tape #classic," he tweeted December 29th. "You dont have 2 wear tight jeans to get a bigger crowd #beyoself"

The Muppets Dissed Waka Flocka Flame?

Many have noticed the connection between Waka Flocka Flame and famous Muppet character Fozzie the Bear's signature catchphrase "Waka, Waka, Waka!" Well, the minds behind the Muppets latest movie, entitled simply The Muppets, decided to have a little, subtle fun with the rapper's persona.

In the film, bad guy Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) shows off his fake, evil Muppets called "The Moopets." The Moopets includes a fake Fozzie Bear, who calls himself 'Waka Waka' and has a deep voice and wears gold chains.

The bear's pendant looks to be a very large "WW." It looks like a parody of Waka Flocka--in which case, you have to find it at least a little funny.

Waka Flocka Praises Brick Squad

Despite the fact that he keeps claiming to retire within the next year, Waka Flocka Flame seems to be committed to promoting his Brick Squad crew--at least until he walks away from the game. The rapper tweeted some words of confidence for Brick Squad.

He compared the imprint to some of hip hop's most iconic labels.

"IM A TURN MY CITY UP CLAYTON COUNTY / ATLANTA SHINE LIGHT ON THE REAL GROVE STREET AND ATLANTA N***** #MARKMYWORDS #BRICKSQUADMONOPLY," he tweeted October 23rd. "WE THE NEW CASHMONEY BADBOY ETC. #SQUAD."

"Brick Squad Monopoly #thisTheLife" he added.

Waka Flocka Flame On Rick Ross

Rapper Waka Flocka Flame shared his concern for fellow hip hop star Rick Ross and the latter's ongoing health issues. Ross suffered two seizures last week, spawning widespread speculation about his health. Waka says he doesn't want anything bad to happen to the Miami rapper.

He also praised Ross' music over the last several years.

"My thoughts on that situation, you gotta watch your health," Waka said. "Watch what you take in your body; that's it. I hope he gets well. I hope sh*t like that never happens. That's a powerful person in hip-hop. We lose Ross, there is gonna be a gap. Ain't too many people who can go hard like him. You probably haven't heard a wack song from Ross in three or four years. Every verse he came out with, hard as f*ck!"

Waka Flocka Flame Got Punched?

Waka Flocka Flame has been shot, shot at and involved in numerous scrapes since he's risen to fame. This weekend a new altercation was added to the list, as the rapper was involved in a fight during his own charity bowling event in Atlanta[video here].

TMZ obtained footage of a brawl that broke out during the event.

The man who allegedly punched Waka was apparently one of his former proteges. The man claimed Waka Flocka owes him money.

Of course.

Introducing the King of Hip-Hop

Now more than three decades old as a recorded medium, hip-hop is deeply embedded in popular culture – to the point where its stars seem not only larger than life but also, as Rick Ross once put it, "deeper than rap." But even as they sell out arenas and top the pop charts, rappers still court the respect and esteem of their hip-hop peers. The title King of Hip-Hop still means something.

In that spirit, just as we did in June with the Queen of Pop, we've crunched a pile of data to try to determine who is the current King of Hip-Hop.

We're not looking for the all-time greatest, although many of our contenders would vie for that crown. Some of them have only been recording a couple of years; others have been in the game since the 1990s. But that's what makes hip-hop exciting – it's plausible for someone who was watching cartoons when Jay-Z dropped his debut album to emerge as a contender for the title.

As with our Queen of Pop tally, in naming the King of Hip-Hop we focused on the very recent past: from 2009 through the first seven months of 2011. We ranked 20 solo rappers (no groups – sorry, Beasties) who have dropped an album during that time. We looked at album sales, rankings on the R&B/hip-hop and rap charts, YouTube views, social media, concert grosses, industry awards and critics' ratings. In alphabetical order, our contenders are: Big Boi, B.o.B, Diddy, Drake, Eminem, Fabolous, Lupe Fiasco, Gucci Mane, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, T.I., Waka Flocka Flame, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa.

All of our contenders are men except for Minaj, who reappears from our Queen of Pop survey. We like to think of "King" as a gender-neutral term, and the fact is that Minaj has earned the right to compete in this arena. It would feel strange to leave her out – as a rapper, she's had a world-beating couple of years, with a chart-topping album, block-rocking singles and a slew of killer guest appearances. Frankly, she deserves to be called a hip-hop king just for her giant-killing appearance on West's hit "Monster," in which she crushed West and fellow guests Rick Ross and Jay-Z with one blow.

Fans of the rappers, and the acts themselves, take these sorts of rankings pretty seriously. (We learned that firsthand in the comments section of Queens of Pop.) We stand by our data, but of course we know that no King of Hip-Hop index can capture swagger or flow – if it could, the all-time title might go to Q-Tip or Rakim. As you'll see, it turned out to be a fairly exciting contest. Our top overall contenders were pretty evenly matched, with five different rappers leading at least one tally each.

Let's start with the tally that comes with the biggest bragging rights: album sales.

9 pages of FACTS By ---> Rolling Stone

Gucci Mane On Waka's 'Retirement:'

Gucci Mane claims his fellow Atlanta-born rap star Waka Flocka has gotten better as a lyricist. Gucci shared his thoughts on Waka's talent in a recent interview--and also shared that he'd hate to see Waka hang up his mic--as the rapper has threatened to do numerous times in recent months.

"He's got very, very, very, very, very good," Gucci told SOHH. "You know what I'm saying? He was already good when he started but now when he goes to the studio, he's so focused. He's doesn't even write down lyrics anymore. You see him just going in off the top of his head sometimes. He's putting every line together, smiling."

"Me just being honest, I'm one of Waka's biggest fans," Gucci added. "I'm a huge fan of his music, you know what I'm saying? Me just being a fan and seeing how he is when he goes into the studio, I would hate for him to stop rapping because I like what he's doing. Every song he's every made, I've liked. He goes hard. So I would hate for him to leave the game because I think he's bringing a whole new thing to the rap game. He's got his own style."

Waka Flocka Flame Done Rapping?

Waka Flocka Flame has used his Twitter account to lash out at critics--and he has many--and now it seems like he's used the popular networking site to announce that he will no longer be dropping bars. The Atlanta rapper claims he's had enough of hip hop.

But it sounds like he just had a bad day.

"This game 2 fake I [quit] rap after this year," Flocka tweeted.

He offered no further elaboration on why he would be leaving the game--but here's hoping he makes good on his promise.

Waka Flocka Flame Dissed Jeezy?

Waka Flocka Flame is denying that he took a verbal shot at fellow Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy during Waka's performance at Hot 97’s Summer Jam this past weekend. Waka Flocka Flame seemed to reference Jeezy before going into his hit “Hard in the Paint."

“These n***as talkin ‘bout ‘The Real Is Back,’ n***a," said Waka. "If it ain’t Brick Squad, it ain’t real!” Jeezy's new mixtape is called "The Real Is Back."

But Waka denied he was trying to start anything. "Yo 4 da record I anit taking no shots at no 1 kill that #sqaud," he tweeted.

Lil Wayne Headlining Summer Jam

Hot 97 has announced that Lil Wayne and Dipset are among the headliners for this year's Summer Jam. The annual show is taking place at East Rutherford, New Jersey’s New Meadowlands Stadium on June 5th and will also feature Wiz Khalifa, Lloyd Banks, Birdman, Young Money and Chris Brown.

Returning from last year's concert are Drake, Fabolous, Waka Flocka Flame and Rick Ross.

Last year’s event featured performers including Drake, Nicki Minaj, T-Pain, Fat Joe and DJ Khaled, Tickets are on sale now for the event.

Gucci Mane On Waka Flocka Flame

Isn't it nice when rapper downplay a beef like it never happened?



Gucci Mane dismissed any notion of bad blood between he and Waka Flocka Flame in a recent interview with Complex magazine. The Atlanta rapper not only says he and Waka are 'feeling each other right now,' but does everything but sing a Trey Songz-assisted love song to his buddy.



"Me and Waka were never not cool so I don't know where you get that from," Gucci said in the interview. "There was a period of time I wasn't speaking to him. But it wasn't no bad thing about that. We just wasn't talking at the time...We feeling each other right now. I'm feeling his swag. He's feeling mine. I'm feeling his music right now and he's feeling my music right now so we just came together and said let's combine."



"We've been talking about putting this album out for the last two years," Gucci added. "Since we formed Brick Squad, we been saying we're gonna come out with a group album. So the perfect time is now. We're gonna come out with our group album and then we'll come back out with our solo albums."