Hip Hop News

Label President Has Officially Stepped Down
5:00PM ET May 21st, 2011
Contributor : Martin James
A Rocky Williform Company

Universal Motown president Sylvia Rhone has officially stepped down. There had been speculation that she was leaving the label since last year. Rhone had been the head of Universal Motown since 2004.

There has been no official statement from Rhone or Universal Motown as of yet, but a source close to Rhone confirmed the news to XXL. Barry Weiss came to UMG as chairman/CEO of Island Def Jam and Universal Motown Republic Group, so it had been somewhat expected that Rhone’s tenure would soon be ending at Universal Motown. There were reports that execs had been trying to keep her around in a somewhat diminished capacity or in a completely new position, even negotiating with her to build a new company affiliated with UMG. It is unclear as to whether or not any of these developments will remain in play going forward.

There is also no word as to who will be her immediate replacement.

Former Murder Inc. Stars Record ”L.O.L.”
2:00PM ET May 21st, 2011
Contributor : Stephen Willis
A Rocky Williform Company

Fans of early 2000s Murder Inc. hits like “Always On Time” should be happy to know that the label’s two biggest stars, Ja Rule and Ashanti, have reunited for their first collaboration in almost seven years.

Ja Rule has reportedly recruited Ashanti for his new song “LOL.” The song, which is produced by none other than Ja himself, will be included on one of his two upcoming albums, The Renaissance Project and Pain is Love 2.

“It’s a fun record,” Ja Rule told Rap-Up. “It’ll definitely be on one of the albums…but I’m not sure which one yet.”

The rapper is preparing to serve a two-year prison sentence for possession of a weapon. He turns himself in on June 8th.

Man Convinced Promoter To Send Him $500,000
3:00PM ET May 20th, 2011
Contributor : Stephen Willis
A Rocky Williform Company

A man named Andrew Wilson is being sought by Toronto police after it was discovered that Wilson ha scammed over $500,000 from a South African promoter. Wilson conned the promoter by claiming to be affiliated with rappers Drake and Nicki Minaj.

According to authorities, Wilson was associated with Drake early in the rapper’s career, but the two severed their business ties years ago. Wilson used old copies of a contract with Drake to convince the promoter in South Africa that the two were still affiliated. The promoter sent $500,000 in an account in Singapore, with the money subsequently being transferred to a Lebanese bank. The money then seemingly ‘disappeared,’ before turning up in a bank account owned by Wilson’s 76-year old aunt.

The elderly woman has been arrested, and the police are still after Wilson himself, who is wanted for two counts of fraud.

DJ Quik, Lupe Fiasco Among Other Performers
5:00PM ET May 19th, 2011
Contributor : Martin James
A Rocky Williform Company

Power 106 in Los Angeles has announced the superstar lineup for this year’s Powerhouse 100 concert. The show takes place June 25th at Honda Center in Anaheim, California on June 25th. Ice Cube will be headlining, online with fellow hip hop vet DJ Quik, Wiz Khalifa, Lupe Fiasco and Big Sean.

Lupe Fiasco will be participating in a joint performance with special guest Trey Songz, and T-Pain, LMFAO, Mann and Rejectz will also make appearances.

Tickets for this year’s event go on sale May 21st at 10 a.m.

Rapper Stars As A Blind DJ
6:00PM ET May 18th, 2011
Contributor : Chris G.
A Rocky Williform Company

50 Cent continues to build his acting resume, while his fans patiently wait for his next album. The rapper will be starring in the upcoming film Odd Thomas alongside Willem Dafoe and Anton Yelchin.

50 will be playing a blind DJ named Shamus Cocobolo who unearths a Satanic cult.

The film is a supernatural thriller that is an adaptation of Dean Koontz’s novel. It starts shooting soon in Santa Fe, New Mexico.