Big Mo's Blog

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are divorcing after five years of marriage.

"This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family," Holmes' attorney Jonathan Wolfe told People. "Katie's primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter's best interest."

The couple, who married in November 2006 in a lavish Italian ceremony, are parents to daughter Suri, 6.

According to TMZ, Holmes is the one who filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences," and is asking for sole legal and primary residential custody of Suri. Their sources add that Cruise apparently did not see the divorce coming.

Cruise's rep issued a statement Friday afternoon (via Gossip Cop): “Kate has filed for divorce and Tom is deeply saddened and is concentrating on his three children. Please allow them their privacy.”

Cruise and Holmes started dating in 2005 and were very public with their relationship. They became engaged in Paris, and Cruise couldn't contain his excitement.

"Yes, I proposed to her. ... It was early this morning at the Eiffel Tower, so I haven't slept at all," Cruise told People at the time, adding, "Today is a magnificent day for me, I'm engaged to a magnificent woman."

Holmes was equally taken with Cruise and talked about him with W magazine in its August 2005 issue.

“I've found the man of my dreams,” Holmes said. “From the moment I met him, it just felt like I'd known him forever. I was blown away. He's the most incredible man. He's so generous and kind, and he helps so many people, and, um, he makes me laugh like I've never laughed, and he's a great friend."

Cruise, who stars in "Rock of Ages," recently spoke about Holmes in Playboy, saying: "She is an extraordinary person, and if you spent five minutes with her, you’d see it. Everything she does, she does with this beautiful creativity. She’s funny and charming, and when she walks into the room, I just feel better. I’m a romantic. I like doing things like creating romantic dinners, and she enjoys that."

After admitting to a judge that she intentionally chose not to pay taxes, Lauryn Hill could face three years in prison.

Singer Lauryn Hill may soon be facing serious time in prison, three years to be exact, for intentionally failing to file taxes starting in 2005. TMZ reports that Hill pled guilty while appearing in front of a judge earlier today (June 29).

HipHopDX previously reported that between 2005 and 2007 the singer earned $1.8 million but willingly chose not to file taxes all three years.

Following news of Hill’s tax woes earlier this month the singer turned to her Tumblr account to give fans her side of the story.

“My intention has always been to get this situation rectified.  When I was working consistently without being affected by the interferences mentioned above, I filed and paid my taxes,” Hill explained. “This only stopped when it was necessary to withdraw from society, in order to guarantee the safety and well-being of myself and my family.”

On top of possible prison time the singer could also be forced to pay almost $100,000 in fines. Sentencing will be revealed during a hearing in November.

Flo Rida gets his fourth single to the charts, as Meek Mill sells 30,000 off a mixtape track.

Pop group Maroon 5's collaboration with Wiz Khlifa continues to be an unshakable chart-force. This week the song appeared at #4, in its double-platinum glory. Pitbull and Flo Rida were close behind, as they've been for a month. Flo added another track to the charts, as Meek Mill was the other Hip Hop act to debut a new single, Justin Bieber collaborations aside.

Meek Mill Tells The Charts "Amen"

Offered for free on Dreamchasers II, Maybach Music Group's Meek Mill added the Drake and Jeremih-assisted "Amen" to the digital marketplace. Over 30,000 fans ponied up for the Key Wane-produced record. The MMG squad released their second compilation volume earlier this week, including a bulk of new Meek material.

Flo Rida Is A Digital Dealer

Flo Rida's fourth single from the upcoming Wild Ones garnered a Top 100 debut. The Dance-inspired "Let It Roll" sold over 20,000 units for the Atlantic Records rapper-turned-Pop star.

Hip Hop Digital Singles Sales: The Week Ending 6/24/2012

#4. Maroon 5 f. Wiz Khalifa - "Payphone" - 171,000 (2,335,000)

#7. Pitbull - "Back In Time" - 113,000 (1,078,000)

#13. Flo Rida f. Sia - "Wild Ones" - 98,000 (2,815,000)

#18. Kanye West f. Pusha T, Big Sean & 2 Chainz - "Mercy" - 73,000 (953,000)

#24. Nicki Minaj - "Starships" - 62,000 (2,328,000)

#31. Justin Bieber f. Nicki Minaj - "Beauty And A Beat" - 53,000 (53,000)

#36. 2 Chainz f. Drake - "No Lie" - 43,000 (308,000)

#56. Meek Mill f. Jeremih & Drake - "Amen" - 31,000 (31,000)

#78. Lil Wayne f. Big Sean - "My Homies Still" - 24,000 (166,000)

#80. Flo Rida - "Let It Roll" - 23,000 (23,000)

Mary J. Blige admits that participating in the controversial Burger King campaign

Mary J. Blige caused controversy when she appeared in a Burger King commercial, inciting reactions that deemed the advertisement as racist. MJB finally broke her silence on the controversy during an appearance on Hot 97’s The Angie Martinez Show, explaining that the backlash to the ad “broke my heart.”

"I just felt like there was no need for me to say anything, because everyone was crucifying me and going crazy,” she said. "I pulled back and watched everyone and everything, [because] it's just something that I thought would've been a great branding opportunity. I went online to listen to the remix that I did with Fat Joe, I'm looking for 'Another Round,' and all I could see is Burger King, chicken and buffoonery, and it just broke my heart.”

She explained that she understood why people would react to the commercial in that way, but was offended that some were making nasty comments about her when she wasn’t the culprit. Blige considered it a lesson in who her true friends really are.

"I understood the laughter and the jokes and the stuff that was happening — you're supposed to do that when something like that happens — but the thing that hurt me is when people were starting to say vicious, negative things that didn't have [anything] to do with that," she continued. "It exposed everyone and everything in my life and showed me who my friends are."

The Queen of Hip Hop/Soul acknowledges that it was a mistake for her to participate in the campaign, and that she was “crushed” by it for several days.

"It was a mistake and I did it because I thought it was something that wouldn't come out like that. No one had mercy, and it's cool, it was a learning experience. It hurt my feelings, it crushed me for two days, but after those two days, I got up and I kept going. I want to apologize to everyone that was offended or thought I would do something so disrespectful to our culture. I would never do anything like that purposely."

Even though Nicki Minaj is riding the charts thanks to her hit single, “Right By My Side” with Chris Brown, she is still Young Money till she dies! In a recent interview with Tim Westwood, Nicki Minaj is clearly siding with Drake in regards to the Chris Brown vs. Drake bottle throwing fight. Check out what she told the UK journalist below:

“You know, Young Money till the death of me. I don’t approve of talented people doing things that aren’t conducive to an amazing career. So I spoke to Drake and I told him from the bottom of my heart how I felt. I’m like “Baby you are a superstar, and I need you to realize that.”

“He did nothing wrong of course. Rumors are rumors and that’s what it is, but I just told him to remember who you are. Not that he did anything wrong. Sometimes you just need to go to bed, have an early nap, I do it all the time.”

Legendary producer Quincy Jones wants Diddy to learn his craft. During the launching of Spotify’s new app yesterday, Jones told Bruno Mars that, “P. Diddy wouldn’t know a B-flat if it hit him.“ Coming from one of the most respected producers in history, that’s got to hurt!

Jones, who has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Ray Charles, went on to say, “P. Diddy has a doctorate in marketing…. He’s got clothes companies and Ciroc vodka.”

It’s obvious Jones has no love for Combs.

Although Quincy Jones was just speaking the truth, Diddy can’t read music like him, but he makes hits – point blank, period.

According to TMZ.com, Snoop was busted at an airport In Norway this morning 8 grams of marijuana on his person, at the Kjevic Airport in Kristiansand.

Snoop, who reportedly cooperated with authorities, was fined $1,980 and released from custody.

The internationally known rapper is in the country, booked to perform at the Hove Festival.

Waka Flocka Flame continues to lead the pack of Rap releases in a week of transition. Kid Ink is Hip Hop's latest DIY success story, as B.o.B. gets a nice surge in the rankings for "Strange Clouds."

For the first time in several months, there were no Hip Hop/Rap albums debuting in the Top 200. In fact, no releases even showed up in the Top 25, another rarity in this year's  Waka Flocka Flame's latest studio album led all Rap releases for a second consecutive week. Los Angeles, California DXnext emcee Kid Ink continued to move independent units digitally, staying high in the pack. B.o.B.'s sophomore project received a nice boost with its latest single, climbing 17 spots and even passing his collaborator and peer Drake, with his own second studio album.

Waka Flocka Flame's Triple F Life Comes First In The Charts

At just under 50,000 overall units, Waka Flocka Flame weathered the storm to lead Rap albums sales for a second consecutive week in his sophomore studio album, Triple F Life: Fans, Friends & Family. This is Waka's third Warner Bros. Records release, following last year's Ferrari Boyz project with early mentor Gucci Mane, and it's his second Top 10 album. Backed by the eventually-Drake-featuring single from 2011, "Round Of Applause," the album features Meek Mill, Nicki Minaj and the late Brick Squad member Slim Dunkin.

Kid Ink Wants To Permanently Tattoo Hip Hop With Up & Away

Producer/emcee Kid Ink may be the latest DIY Hip Hop success stories. The tattooed sensation's Up & Away crossed the 25,000 mark this past week, a powerful feat for Tha Alumni imprint. The 26 year-old did also work with Jahlil Beats and Cardiak on the 13-track effort backed by singles "Time Of Your Life" and "Lost In The Sauce."

Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 6/24/2012

#26. Waka Flocka Flame - Triple F Life: Fans, Friends & Family - 14,000 (47,000)

#27. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - 13,000 (547,000)

#49. B.o.B. - Strange Clouds - 8,500 (164,000)

#55. Drake - Take Care - 8,200 (1,788,000)

#63. Big K.R.I.T. - Live From The Underground - 6,600 (60,000)

#68. Kid Ink - Up & Away - 6,200 (26,000)

#93. Curren$y - The Stoned Immaculate - 4,600 (49,000)

#107. Tyga - Careless World: Rise Of The Last King - 4,000 (253,000)

#110. Future - Pluto - 4,000 (111,000)

#198. Travis Porter - From Day 1 - 2,200 (25,000)

R.Kelly autobiography, Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me, is out July 28, and Rolling Stone got its hands on some interesting excerpts from the book, where R.Kelly reveals that Jay-Z wasn’t his original choice for the ‘The Best Of Both Worlds’ album. The Chicago crooner says that the rapper that originally sparked the idea for him was Tupac Shakur.

In the book, Kelly recalls a 1996 chance meeting with ‘Pac in front of a hotel. He says they planned to release a collaborative album at that meeting, but the idea came to a tragic end after Shakur was murdered later that year.

“Come September, and it looked like my schedule was opening up just before the holidays. I set up a meeting with Pac for us to plot our strategy, get firm dates and make the musical bomb that we both know would explode all around the world,” Kelly wrote. “But another bomb exploded that no one saw coming.”

The story is all detailed in the book’s chapter titled “Yo Pac! Yo Biggie!” In that same chapter, Kelly also recalls a moment when he made Biggie Smalls cry after he played him a few notes from a song that would become “I Believe I Can Fly”. Check out the except below:

“One time, we were on tour together and we were staying at the same hotel in Detroit. It was late and the after-party was over. The hotel-lobby party was over. The hotel-room party was over. There were still people hanging out in the lobby. And I was back in the lobby where they had this piano. I had just recalled that childhood dream with the cartoon characters chasing me. I remember the melody from that dream and was trying to figure out the rest of the lyrics, working on what would become “I Believe I Can Believe Fly.” Biggie and his crew came in the lobby about four in the morning.

“What’s up, baby! Great show, baby! What you doing?

“He came over to the piano, and I started to play it for him: “I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky . . .” but so far that’s all I had.
“I’m gonna tell you right now, B, that’s a smash. That’s a big hit right there. That’s a Grammy winner, Rob.”
When I was playing it for him, I was thinking – he’s a hardcore rapper; this is gonna be too soft for him – but when I got through and looked up, his face was wet with tears.

“My brother,” he said, “they gonna be playing that when you and I have moved on to the other side of time.”

It sounds like R.Kelly has a lot of great stories to tell. Imagine how different the Best Of Both Worlds‘ album would have been if it was ‘Pac instead of Jay-Z?

The singer’s new album, Write Me Back, is out now.

LA rapper The Game borrows Meek Mill and Big Sean’s beat to call out rapper Nelly and NBA star Tony Parker. In the track, Game raps, “Nelly, where the f*ck is Nelly/ Got a b*tch yelling E.I./ While a n*gga watching Belly.”

The Game goes on to clown NBA player Tony Parker for planning to sue the nightclub for his injury’s in the Chris Brown/Drake bottle fight. The Game raps:

“We ain’t throwin’ bottles, ni**a/ We gon’ get them hammers in/ Tony Parker’s suing/ Real ni**as know that’s that hoe sh*t.”

“Love & Hip Hop Atlanta’s” resident gigolo, producer Stevie J, was engaged to rapper Eve back in the late ’90s, and became infamous in 2005 when a sex tape featuring the two of them leaked online. For years, the media has blamed Stevie J for leaking the tape, but now Stevie is coming clean about how the tape became public. Check what he told Kenny Burns from V103 below:

“…that was a girl with Eve who leaked that tape, Eve’s girlfriend leaked that tape. They was on the tour bus watching it and she must have felt some type of way and she wanted it for herself.”

Wait a second, so is he saying that Eve was/is a lesbian? Do you believe him?

You guys remember that beef between Ludacris and Big Sean that went down late last year? It all came to light when Ludacris released his new mixtape, 1.21 Gigawatts, which contains a diss record to Drake and Big Sean called “Bada Boom”, accusing the rappers of stealing his flow. Big Sean spoke about it in a few interviews, but we’ve never heard Luda speak about it until now.

In a recent interview with Bootleg Kev, Luda revealed that he and Big Sean actually had a sit down talk about their issues and resolved them. That’s what I call manning up! Check out what Luda said below:

“We can keep is positive right now, we gonna stay off the negativity. We just gonna keep it in a positive direction. Let’s do that — [Did we chop it up?] We actually did, man, and he just addressed it, I believe, on BET.”

“So, we had a show in Australia, yeah, we had a show in Australia and we actually got a chance to sit down. So that’s why I said we gonna keep it positive right now. Everything’s positive.”

50 was rushed to a Queens hospital on a stretcher to check for neck and back injuries, although a source said that the rapper was “fine.”

The accident occurred along New York’s Long Island Expressway.

50 was not driving his bullet-proof SUV at the time of the incident.

Although he has not commented or tweeted about the accident at the time of print, photos were released via ThisIs50.com showing him being rolled out on the stretcher.

This is the second time that 50 has been hospitalized in the past two months, as recently he made a trip to the hospital for a nagging stomach virus.

Yesterday, news broke that rapper Soulja Boy crashed his Bentley, after the luxury vehicle crossed a yellow line at a red light and struck a pregnant woman driving another vehicle.

Beyonce was spotted enjoying the final show for Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Watch The Throne” tour in the LG Arena in Birmingham UK with none other than Kim Kardashian! Rumors have been swirling for months that Beyonce did not want anything to do with Kim K. because she felt like Kim didn’t deserve her success – after all she really doesn’t have any talent besides…well, never mind.

A source told the NY Daily News that, “Beyoncé is careful with who she surrounds herself with, but she never hated Kim.”

Kanye was desperate to get Beyonce to accept Kim K., and according to The Sun, he finally convinced Bey to sit down with Kim K. and air her grievances, in hopes of the two becoming friends. Kanye allegedly set up a private dinner for the two in his hotel suite last week, and the two got along so well that Bey decided to let Kim K. sit with her at the concert.  Check out a few pics of the two at the concert below:

Those two sure look chummy – it looks like Kanye got his wish.

The NY Daily News reports that Kim Kardashian is abiding by the “unwritten rule” that “she is not allowed to blast to the world her business with Bey and Jay,” who are obsessive about their privacy.

“She’s hung with them a few times already, but she isn’t saying peep about them,” says the source.

“She’s not tweeting or taking pictures with (Beyoncé) because she doesn’t want to seem desperate,” the Kardashian confidante explains.

Do people even care if Beyonce and Kim Kardashian are friends? I just don’t want to see Jay-Z and Beyonce end up on “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.”

Drake and Chris Brown got into a now infamous nightclub bottle fight a few weeks back, and now we hear they are being offered big bucks to take the fight into the boxing ring. According to Celebzter.com, Celebrity Boxing Founder Damon Feldman has offered Drake and Chris Brown $1 Million each to step into the ring and fight each other like real men. The winner will get Rihanna! Just kidding.

The fight, if the two accept, would take place on Saturday August 25 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. A portion of the proceeds would go to a charity for abused women.

Feldman says that he has left voice mails for both stars’ reps and is waiting for them to return his calls.

Do you think either Drake or Breezy would even consider this offer? C.B. may not even entertain it since the charity is for battered women, and he may take that as a subliminal diss. I think they should organized a boxing match themselves, put it on pay-per-view and donate all of the proceeds to Tony Parker, ha ha!

But seriously, if they set it up themselves and donated the funds to a charity of their choice, they may be able to come out of this scandal unscathed. Would you pay to see Breezy and Drizzy in the ring together?

While his son Cordell Broadus is still a sophomore at Diamond Bar High School, the young footballer is listed at 6’2″, 185 lbs and is expected to lead his team this fall.

“We’re expecting him to really lead us the next three years,” Diamond Bar High School football coach Ryan Maine explained to ESPN LA. “Hopefully [our athletes] get bigger , stronger and keep leading this team.”

This is the second high profile offering from UCLA this off-season, as Hip-Hop mogul Diddy’s son, Justin Combs, is expected to attend UCLA this fall after his highly publicized signing with UCLA

Combs looks to turn things around for UCLA this season as the Bruins have struggled over the last few years.

Last year the Bruins won six games, competing in the Pac-12 championship only to lose to Oregon.  The Bruins did make it to a bowl game, but came up short losing to Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

Jonathan Lee Riches, who has filed over 5,000 lawsuits in the past eight years, filed his latest against Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the Northern District of West Virginia on June 21, claims that he and all American citizens are an eminent danger and bodily harm from the defendants.

The lawsuit, which also names Kris Jenner, Bruce Jenner, Khloe Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian, claims that all of the defendants are “terrorists.”

“On 6/17/2012 I was in West Virginia, deep in the hills and I stumbled upon the defendants who were all at a Al-Qaeda secret training camp,” Riches wrote in his latest frivolous lawsuit.

Riches, who filed the lawsuit under the alias Gino Romano, claims that the Kardashian’s and Kanye West pleaded their allegiance to Al-Qaeda, burned the U.S. flag and stomped their feet on Barack Obama’s picture.

The lawsuit claims that Kanye West then performed a concert for all Al-Qaeda members and shot AK-47s in the air.

Riches, who was recently released from prison for fraud, also claims that Kanye West is now the new leader of notorious Chicago Street gang, the El-Rukns.

Check out a copy of the bizarre lawsuit below:

Jonathan Lee Riche aka Gino Romano vs Kanye West And the Kardashians

Jonathan Lee Riche aka Gino Romano vs Kanye West And the Kardashians

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian

NBA commissioner David Stern has been vague on the league’s motivation for pushing to enter an under-23 team for future Olympics and shifting the sport’s biggest stars to participation in the world championships, but the change of course is largely motivated by financial benefits, league and international sources told Yahoo! Sports.

NBA commissioner David Stern wants the U.S. to enter an under-23 team in future Olympics. (Reuters)For months, the NBA has been discussing an end to the Olympic basketball Dream Team movement and delivering its superstars to a proposed rebranding of the world championships called "The World Cup of Basketball."

For the use of its most marketable players, the league office and many NBA owners are determined to create a financial partnership with FIBA for a World Cup that would allow the NBA to significantly share in the windfall of revenues.

"The owners would be a lot more comfortable letting star players play internationally if they’re sharing in the revenue," one league source told Yahoo! Sports.

As constituted now, the International Olympic Committee has control of the Olympic basketball tournament and most of the revenue it generates.

Stern says the NBA will take time to deliberate how it will proceed in the future, but multiple league and international sources insist there’s little chance the league will ever send its best players to the Summer Olympics beyond the 2012 London Games. The NBA has long wanted to best protect its financial investments in players by better controlling the medical and training staffs used in international competition.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told Yahoo! Sports he isn’t aware of the NBA’s specific intentions in possibly moving its star players to the rebranded World Cup, but says he has lobbied for much more complete control of the tournament. He sees no reason to partner with FIBA or anyone else. He wants the NBA to own, operate and profit on a global tournament using the league’s stars.

"The question is: Why would we partner with a current tournament rather than start our own?" Cuban said. "If done correctly, it can be NBA-owned and operated and have the potential to be just as large as the World Cup of soccer. That is a product, in my opinion, we want to own, not share.

“I don’t know what the NBA plan is, but the above is what I will be pushing for."

[Also: With eye on record Olympic haul, Michael Phelps enters seven events at swim trials]

The NBA started the Dream Team concept in 1992, insisting it was at the behest of the rest of the world’s desire to compete against the NBA’s best players. As much as anything, it was a reaction to USA Basketball failing to win a gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Games, and an understanding that America’s college players could no longer compete with professionals around the world.

"I do know that USA Basketball should have no say in the matter," Cuban said. "It’s completely separate from the NBA. They are a different financial entity. They would just be another country that could play in our tournament. Just like FIFA does the World Cup, the NBA could do a global tournament.

"There’s no more reason to deal with USA Basketball than there is to work with the Peruvian Basketball or Kazakhstan Basketball Committee."

Bubba Sparxxx can be added to the who's who list of people who owe money to Uncle Sam.

Bubba Sparxxx is now officially a member of a group with a dubious distinction: emcees who are in tax debt.

Like Bow Wow, Nas, Mase, Lil' Kim, and many others before him, Bubba owes back taxes.

TMZ.com reports that Timbaland's former artist owes $29,266.88 in back taxes from 2006. Originally, the amount was only $15,000, but interest and fees have accrued, doubling what the rapper owed.

The State of Georgia is now reportedly garnishing the rapper's wages through BMI, taking $3,622.45 since March of this year thus far. BMI is responsible for sending out royalties to artists, and the amount garnished was all the money Bubba was owed during that period.

Sparxxx's camp has yet to comment on the matter.

The-Dream is being sued for a car crash that occurred when the singer wasn't even there.

The-Dream is facing a lawsuit from the victim in a car crash - for which the singer wasn't even present.

TMZ.com reports that Elaine Nowells filed a suit in Georgia, claiming that one of The-Dream's record label employees, Patrick Thrall, ran a red light at an intersection, striking Nowells' vehicle in the process.

Nowells claims she broke her back in the accident, and has suffered mental and physical pain as a result.

In the suit, Nowells claims that Thrall was distracted by his GPS, but has added The-Dream and his company as defendants as well, because Thrall was acting in his line of work while driving.

The-Dream responded to the suit, sending the following email to TMZ:

"Pat Thrall Is NOT an EMPLOYEE of Radiokilla Records, IDJ, or any of its affiliate companies. He is an independent contractor (engineer) who was on the way to his hotel when the accident occurred. We are sorry to hear about her injuries and we hope she gets better."

The-Dream added, "We are almost certain that her attorneys put pressure on her to file a lawsuit. Unfortunately, that's the NEW American Dream. Can't win in life, sue someone who can."

That fool is going to spend the rest of his days in JAIL. Good for him. Shame it took so long for him to finally be found and fully exposed. Too bad his acts tarnished forever the greatness of Penn State football. Anyway. Jerry Sandusky has been found guilty on 45 of the 48 charges against him. Good for the jury, who came back with a verdict a short time ago. I don’t think they even announced it, but dude was lead away in CUFFS and that can only mean one thing. You SHALL DIE IN JAIL, BUDDY! he allegedly abused 10 boys during his lengthy tenure at Penn State under the rule of football giant Joe Paterno. Paterno was like “F**k this s**t. I’m out.” He died earlier this year at the age of 85. Trust and believe the scandal sped up his death. Anyway. Justice has been served and yet and still IT HAPPENED. A sign that the world is slowly but surely coming to an end!

Jail will not be kind to you, old sir.

James Rosemond was officially indicted for the murder of Lowell Fletcher, who was gunned down in the Bronx in September of 2009.

Lowell Fletcher, aka Lodi Mack, had served almost two years in prison, for striking Rosemond’s young son, James Rosemond Jr.

The assault happened at the height of a bitter feud between 50 Cent and Game, who was managed by Rosemond’s company, Czar Entertainment.

Authorities claim Rosemond arranged for the murder as retaliation for the assault on his son, which occurred in front of the offices of Violator Management.

At the time, Rosemond’s Czar Entertainment and Violator Management were both located on 25th street in Manhattan.

During Rosemond’s cocaine distribution trial, violent acts
were not introduced as evidence against the mogul.

But testimony indicated that Rosemond purchased a cache of weapons and delivered them to Queens.

Once there, two associates, Brian McCleod and Torae Jackson, allegedly carried out the murder, in exchange for a few kilos of cocaine.

In related news, James Rosemond, who was convicted of cocaine distribution earlier this month, is facing a life sentence in prison.

Rosemond was found guilty of running “The Rosemond Organization,” a cocaine-based operation that imported hundreds of kilograms of he drug from the West Coast.

The gang then distributed the drugs
throughout New York City while funneling the proceeds back West and through Czar Entertainment.

TMZ.com reports that Tony Parker filed a $20 million lawsuit in New York Supreme Court yesterday (June 21), claiming that W.i.P’s security was negligent in preventing the fight, in addition to allowing both artists into the club at the same time, considering the publicized tension between the two over R&B songbird, Rihanna.

Parker suffered lacerations to his cornea when he was struck by shards of glass, from bottles being thrown by members of both artists’ entourage.

The NBA star is supposed to play with France during the Summer Olympics, but he now needs an extra week to heal from his injuries and must wear a special contact lens as the wound heals.

“I’ll be missing the start of the French team because I can’t do anything for a week except keep the lens in and then take drops,” Tony Parker said, according to published reports.

Parker’s lawyer told TMZ.com that both Chris Brown and Drake could end up as defendants in the lawsuit, pending the outcome of the New York Police Department’s investigation into the incident, which took place in the early morning hours of June 14.

In related news concerning the fall out over the violent brawl, W.i.P. and Greenhouse have been shutdown indefinitely by New York Civil Enforcement Unit, for a number of violations.

Jay-Z’s new 40/40 Club in the Brooklyn Nets’ new arena at the Barclay’s Center will not be offering bottle service as a result of the fight.

The autobiography will tell the untold story of R. Kelly’s controversial career and life.

“Soulacoaster,” will detail R. Kelly’s “conflicting realities of ‘Bump and Grind’ sexuality” and his “soul stirring ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ spirit.”

R. Kelly details his rise to fame, the fact that he has a learning disorder that has left him unable to read or write, how h has managed to sell over 35 million records and the darkest period in his life, that almost ruined his career.

The book details R. Kelly’s six-year ordeal over allegations that he had sex with and urinated on, a 14-year-old, an act caught on tape.

R. Kelly was eventually found innocent of all criminal charges in 2008, but the allegations permanently tarnished his name.

“In the tradition of legendary soul singer/songwriters, R. Kelly has defined his own unique style of genius while influencing an entire generation of singers,” said chairman and CEO of Epic Records, Antonio “L.A.” Reid. “He is the pure essence of soul, and in ‘Soulacoaster’ you’ll discover the untold story behind every song.”

R. Kelly wrote his “Soulacoaster” memoir in three different acts, utilizing the same plot twists and turns that made his “Hip-Hopera “Trapped in the Closet,” so popular.

Act 1 in the book focuses on the musician’s early life on the Southside of Chicago.

Act 2 focuses on Kelly’s struggle as a homeless musician on Venice Beach, in addition to his rise to fame.

In Act 3, R. Kelly discusses the end of this 12-year marriage, as well as the inner workings of his failed “Best of Both World’s” tour with Jay-Z.

The singer delves into the infamous pepper spray incident involving Jay-Z, which marked the end of the botched tour.

“Soulacoaster” includes over 130 photographs of R. Kelly, who will launch a “Soulacoaster” book tour that will visit four cities.

“Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me” is due in stores on June 28 via SmileyBooks.

R. Kelly will release Write Me Back, a new twelve-song CD collection, on June 26.

Check out the dates and times for R. Kelly book tour below:

New York -Thursday, June 28

Chicago – Saturday, July 14

Washington, DC – Saturday, June 30
Los Angeles – TBD

The Heat defeated The Thunder 121-106, taking game 5 and winning the series 4-1.

“Congrats to da Homie [LeBron James] he deserve that Ring!! Might see me in da club tonight Holding the championship Trophy,” said Miami rapper Ace Hood.

The Heat shot with laser-like precision during the game, landing 7-14 from downtown.

Miami’s Chris Bosh scored 24 points, Mike Miller scored 23 and Dwayne Wade contributed 20.

“My niggaz deserved that!!!! Congrats to the Heat great season to the Thunder!!! Great series great basketball!!!,” tweeted Young Money’s Mack Maine.

LeBron James, who scored 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, was named MVP of the finals.

‘‘It means everything,’’ James said after the win. ‘‘I made a difficult decision to leave Cleveland but I understood what my future was about. I knew we had a bright future. This is a dream come true for me.’’

“It’s good 2 see relief n joy on LeBron’s face! Now he can be crowned king 4real! 1 day Knicks,1 day!,” tweeted sports enthusiast, Knicks fan/Tribe Called Quest member Phife Dawg.

“Humble speech but Lebron shoulda taken off his headband and shined that trophy with it just to stunt on all doubters,” said Chamillionaire.

Producer 9th Wonder applauded Kevin Durant’s performance for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Durant contributed 32 points and 11 rebounds, despite his team’s loss.

“Round of applause for Kevin Durant,” 9th Tweeted. “He is a class act…and has NOTHING to hang his head about.”

Boo Rossini, an artist on Young Jeezy’s CTE imprint, celebrated Miami’s victory by sending out a new track titled “Going Pro.”

Lil Wayne scores his hundredth hit on the chart with a feature on French Montana's "Pop That."

Lil Wayne has scored his 100th hit on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as a feature on French Montana's "Pop That," which also features Rick Ross and Drake.

Weezy is the second rapper to achieve this milestone with "Pop That," which debuts at No. 57. Jay-Z holds the title of most hits to crack the chart with 108 titles.

The Young Money rapper, who has been the lead act on 31 tracks and featured on 69, first made his appearance on that chart 13 years and one month ago, when he made a cameo on Juvenile's "Back That Thang Up" on May 31, 1999. He is also currently tied with Ludacris for most top 10 singles on the chart, and has had eight number ones.

Pusha-T kept it all the way real in an interview with Funkmaster Flex on HOT 97 in NYC last night. The G.O.O.D Music rapper spoke on an array of issues, including Nicki not performing at Summer Jam and the Drake/Chris Brown fight.

But first things first, we all want to know what Pusha-T thinks of the Lil’ Wayne’s diss record, “Ghoulish”. Check out what he said about the diss below:

“It was horrible. It was trash. It wasn’t great. I haven’t said anything about it ’cause I didn’t think it was good enough to respond to.”

That was a brutally honest answer. Pusha-T admitted that he was still confused about the whole thing and wants to know what was it that caused Lil’ Wayne to go off.

“He’s already said what he’s said. At the end of the day, I think him saying what he said was in his best interest, to admit that you were emotional in reacting to something. I still want to know what part pertained, what hit you? I wanna know.

“I was surprised by anybody, Wayne specifically, answering ‘Exodus.’ I’ve never seen one record that didn’t say a name cause so much of a firestorm.”

Pusha-T revealed that G.O.O.D Music label head Kanye West and he have never spoken about his beef with Lil’ Wayne.

“I don’t talk to ‘Ye about rappers. I blacks out. I get busy. I stand by myself. We ain’t talked about it once.”

Pusha-T also spoke his mind about the Chris Brown vs. Drake beef and may have taken a shot or two at Drake in the process.

“I would have never thought that the two was at it like that. I really wouldn’t have put them together and that whole situation. I didn’t like it. You know Chris from Virginia. I ain’t like that. You know, bottles and cuts and all that… That’s weak.”

But when it came to Nicki Minaj pulling out of Summer Jam, Pusha seemed to be riding with Nicki on this one.

“I thought it showed a real level of camaraderie by her listening [to Wayne] and not performing, and sort of banding together like, ‘Yo, we ain’t doing it.’ There was some solidarity there. I thought that was fresh.

“Let’s call a spade a spade. [Peter] Rosenberg attacked her. Rosenberg was doing him, but that’s what he does. He’s an outspoken guy, everybody knows that. … I definitely would have performed, just for the sake of my fans. I know Rosenberg’s personality well enough to know that this is what comes with the territory. It’s a cruel world out here. Everybody got their own opinions. When Rosenberg disses me, I’ma black out in a verse immediately the best way I know how.”

Was that a warning shot to Rosenberg to keep Pusha’s name out his mouth, unless he wants to end up on a song?! Pusha also said that there will “definitely” be another Clipse album on the way, and he cleared up any rumors that he and (No) Malice have broken up.

“A lot of people get that twisted and they say, ‘You and your brother broke up.’ We can’t break up, we brothers. It doesn’t happen that way. He went and did his book and I went on a solo venture. We definitely coming back with another Clipse album.”

I can’t wait for that Clipse album! Side note: do you think Drake is going to respond to Pusha calling his actions “weak?”

Lil’ Wayne, Drake, and Rick Ross have all shouted out this popular Miami strip club in their music, and Tyga is even dating one of their popular strippers. Yes, I’m talking about the King Of Diamonds. KOD is rumored to be getting its own reality show – AMEN!

The show, which is appropriately titled “Make It Rain”, will focus on club host and booty bass legend Disco Rick, the in-club barber shop, and footage of star dancer Tip Drill, the stripper who became famous after she almost broke her neck sliding down a KOD pole.

Baller Alert reports that “a big network picked up the show.. and I’m not talking about VH1 or BET.“

I wonder if any of KOD’s more famous celebrity and athlete patrons will be making any special appearances? We do hear that the show will feature fights between strippers! That alone will have me tuning in. Are you planning on watching the show?

The platinum-singer’s awards show performance will be the his first live television appearance in over a decade. BET’s President of Music Programming Stephen G. Hill said of D’Angelo’s highly anticipated performance, “Usually, we love to keep surprises…but this year we want EVERYONE watching when D’Angelo takes the stage at the BET Awards!”

Hill continued, “His talents have been away from us for far too long, and we’re excited and honored that he’s decided to make his American re-entry at this year’s BET Awards.”

Recent additions to the performers list for the 2012 awards show include G.O.O.D. Music, Usher, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, MMG, Chris Brown, and Nicki Minaj.

The 2012 BET Awards will air live from the Shrine Auditorium on July 1 at 8p.m.

The two men infamously squared off at nightclub W.i.P. on June 14, resulting in at least six people being seriously injured by flying glass.

During an interview with the Phoenix New Times, Lil Kim commented on the altercation, which reports say was fueled by her Young Money rival, Drake.

Lil Kim clearly took Chris Brown’s side in the incident.

“I mean, people are so hard on Chris (Brown). He made a mistake, he owned up to it, and he and Rihanna have moved on with their lives,” Lil Kim
said. “But since that incident it’s so easy to blame Chris. What I know about Drake is he is bitch-made.”

Lil’ Kim justified her accusations about Drake, by claiming that he is an instigator.

“He’s an instigator, and a pu**y. He had no issue stepping to Lil Kim, I’m like five feet tall. But he didn’t try stepping to Chris, a man, because he’s simply a coward,” Lil Kim snapped.

The rapper, who is preparing to release her new single “Look Like Money,” continued her insults against Drake during the Phoenix New Times interview.

The Queen Bee also questioned the Toronto-bred rap star’s sexuality.

“You don’t gotta be a tough guy to be a rapper, but don’t dress up in Gangsta Drag when you a bi**h,” Lil Kim continued. “Drake’s a bottom – y’all know what I mean when I say that.”

Lil Kim’s new single “Look Like Money” is due to be released on June 22, 2012.

The article will be published in the August issue of Phoenix New Times

Jim Carrey just pulled out of the sequel of "Dumb and Dumber" just a few months after the project was announced. The reason: Carrey became progressively more frustrated with New Line and Warner Brothers' apparent lack of enthusiasm for the project (according to ETOnline sources).

UPDATE (6 p.m. PST): Sources close to the project tell Yahoo! Movies the film will not be made without Carrey.

"I would have thought 'Dumb and Dumber To' [the sequel's title] was a no-brainer, after all it's implied in the title," a clever Carrey told ETOnline through his spokesperson.

[Photos: 'Dumb and Dumber' movie stills]

In early April, director Peter Farelly confirmed that both original leading men, Carrey and Jeff Daniels, would reprise their roles in a "Dumber" sequel to begin shooting in September.

It's unclear whether the project will continue without Carrey's involvement. (See update above.)

Fans shared their thoughts on Twitter, largely expressing disappointment:

"Boo!" tweeted Alina Marie, while Nathan Spicer typed, "Definitely not seeing it now..." Brandon Night simply tweeted "Sad day," while Josh Schlag took to Twitter to criticize the Farrelly brothers, saying they "...dug their graves with 'The Three Stooges'." Hael Abdulrazed, instead, criticized Carrey himself: "...his whole life is about disappointing fans."

Carrey hasn't completely burned his bridge with New Line and Warner Brothers: He appears next year in their film "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone."

"Dumb and Dumber" was the third in a string of hit comedy films Carrey starred in during the year of 1994 -- launching him from mere comedy skit show actor on Fox's "In Living Color" to A-list movie star. "The Mask," and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" preceded "Dumber" that year.

Waka Flocka Flame's "Triple F Life" earns the rapper his second Top 10. Meanwhile, Kid Ink sold as records independently as many fellow Freshmen are at the majors, and Stevie Stone is back in black.

Three new Hip Hop projects debuted on the charts this week. Waka Flocka Flame's second studio album maintained his Top 10 debut status. Meanwhile, Strange Music's latest convert, Stevie Stone scored a Top 100 debut after two years of touring with Tech N9ne and a previous tenure on Ruthless Records. Lastly, Los Angeles, California DXnext emcee Kid Ink released his independent debut digitally, and earned himself a highly-respectable Top 20 debut.

Waka Flocka Flame's Triple F Life Starts With Fans

Less than two years since his debut album Flockaveli released, scoring a #6 debut, Brick Squad's Waka Flocka Flame returned with Triple F Life: Fans, Friends & Family. This is Waka's third Warner Bros. Records release, following last year's Ferrari Boyz project with early mentor Gucci Mane, and it's his second Top 10 album. Backed by the eventually-Drake-featuring single from 2011, "Round Of Applause," the album features Meek Mill, Nicki Minaj and the late Brick Squad member Slim Dunkin. The project sold approximately 33,000 first-week units.

Stevie Stone Sees The Industry Is Ruthless, As Well As Strange

One of the year's bigger comebacks has been Columbia, Missouri's Stevie Stone. In 2009, Stone released sophomore album The New Kid Comin on Ruthless Records, the onetime power-house home to N.W.A., Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Above The Law. The label run by Eazy E's widow Tomica Wright-Woods and Stone failed to reach the Top 200, despite some assistance from several artists, including Tech N9ne. Three years later, Stone is signed to Tech's label, and went as far as releasing his third album as "Tech N9ne Presents..." The results appear to have given Stone his first Top 200 appearance, at #73. Rollin' Stone features Yelawolf, Kutt Calhoun and former Ruthless label-mate Hopsin. The album sold over 6,000 first-week units.

Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 6/17/2012

#10. Waka Flocka Flame - Triple F Life: Fans, Friends & Family - 33,000 (33,000)

#20. Kid Ink - Up & Away - 20,000 (20,000)

#29. Big K.R.I.T. - Live From The Underground - 12,000 (53,000)

#31. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - 12,000 (534,000)

#51. Drake - Take Care - 8,900 (1,779,000)

#56. Curren$y - The Stoned Immaculate - 8,200 (44,000)

#66. B.o.B. - Strange Clouds - 7,300 (156,000)

#73. Tech N9ne Presents... Stevie Stone - Rollin' Stone - 6,600 (6,600)

#96. Tyga - Careless World: Rise Of The Last King - 5,000 (249,000)

#156. Travis Porter - From Day 1 - 3,100 (23,000)

In what some are saying is a straight business move, rumor has it that Lil’ Wayne and Bridman are pressuring Drake to end his beef with Chris Brown asap!

According to TMZ, sources close to Drake say Drizzy has received several calls from Weezy, Birdman, Mack Maine, and more – urging the rapper to extend an olive branch to Brown after last week’s nightclub brawl in NYC.

The source says that Weeezy is worried about the beef’s effect on his bottom line. Bottom line being that Chris Brown makes hits! And with Breezy being on Nicki Minaj’s single, “Right By My Side” as well as his features on several Young Money artists tracks, including Wayne himself, Weezy is not taking any chances and wants the issue resolved.

We hear Drake is skeptical on reaching out until he knows that Chris Brown doesn’t blame him for their huge bottle melee in NYC last week. Young Money’s on Drake’s side no matter what – but as one source put it, “Making money matters most.”

In a phrase popularized by Nas, Chris Brown is now proclaiming that “Hip-Hop is dead.” In a rare interview, Chris Brown explains how the music industry is “broke,” and how that fact affects artists’ creativity. Check out what he said below:

“You know how they said Hip-Hop is dead, certain sh*t is dead? It’s really dead because nobody believes in the brand anymore.”

Breezy also goes on to chat about his belief in “ancient aliens”, and how his Fortune album artwork reflects that belief with a secret code in each album which his fans can decifer. Each album has a different message. Interesting.

Ever since Ma$e tweeted that he “just got a G.O.O.D offer,” rumors have been swirling that Kanye West was looking to sign him to his growing roster. News broke yesterday that G.O.O.D Music will be performing at the 2012 BET Awards, and an exclusive source has told us that Ma$e may be performing with the G.O.O.D Music crew on stage.

Ma$e has been in talks with Kanye West about jumping on the “Mercy” remix and performing it at the award show. But just because Ma$e may come out with the crew doesn’t mean he’s signed yet.

“Kanye wants to see how the people respond to seeing Ma$e perform again” said our source. “His fate with G.O.O.D Music depends on how hot his verse is on the “Mercy” remix as well as how he performs on stage.”

After seeing Ma$e perform at HOT 97′s Summer Jam, there’s no doubt that he still has the crowd on his side – so it all depends on whether or not he delivers a hot 16 on the “Mercy” Remix or not.

But if it doesn’t work out, there’s always MMG right?

Director F. Gary Gray is looking for new actors and actresses to star in “Straight Outta Compton.”

Gray, who has lensed movies like “The Italian Job,” “The Negotiator,” and “Friday,” is seeking talent aged 18-25 for the flick.

Roles are open for the parts of Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Yella and MC Ren.

Talent is encouraged to submit a video audition to the address below:

Winning a state high school track title when your team doesn't have a track isn't as strange as it may seem. Training on an access road is underrated, particularly once you know where all of the oil spots are. After you realize the sewer grate is in Lane 6 and the manhole cover is in Lane 5 -- or is it the other way around? -- the rest is a breeze.

Except when the occasional vehicle makes a wrong turn. Or when the city bus arrives, to pick up students. Or when the school bus does the same. How many running tracks make the afternoon traffic report?

"As you can see, it is not smooth,'' said coach Gerald Warmack, unintentionally metaphorical.

We stand on 200 meters of asphalt, out behind Shroder High in Cincinnati. Six running lanes are neatly and perfectly defined by white paint. A bend in the asphalt does actually approximate a turn on a track. It looks OK, at first glance. Then, we walk some, down the asphalt, a few hundred meters, to where the lanes ... dip.

"It's not level, either,'' Warmack said.

Maybe your high school football team shared its field with a herd of cows. Maybe your centerfielder dodged used cars on the warning track, or your basketball team played a 2-3 zone in between the first- and second-chair violins in the symphony. Slide your feet. Don't hit the tuba.

Everyone has played a sport in less-than-ideal surroundings. A slightly bent rim, base paths rutted by rain. If you haven't taken a bad-hop, must-of-hit-a-rock grounder to the face, you haven't played hardball.

This is different.

This isn't just an inconvenience, though everyone involved at Shroder calls it that. This is running as fast as you can while wondering: That school bus that was there a minute ago ... did it leak any grease on my lane?

This is making a baton exchange through a dip in the asphalt. The runner with the baton is sprinting downhill; the runner receiving it is trying to do the opposite. There is some science to passing a baton efficiently. The rest is purely physical. Unless, you know, there's a car in your lane.

"Sometimes, people looking to go to Fifth Third will miss the turn,'' Warmack explained. "That's when we stop practice.''

We should explain that Fifth Third is a bank, and that Fifth Third Bank's check processing center is next door. And that Shroder High is not in an urban area, but a commercial one. Fifth Third is here; a Coca-Cola bottling plant is there. In between those two substantial islands of commerce is a sea of parking. Shroder abuts both, and a busy road out front. It's a new school, built in 2007. It remains immaculate. It just doesn't have any land for athletic fields.

Its football field is just outside the back classroom windows. They call it The Clover Patch.

"We're kind of landlocked,'' Warmack explained. If you want to coach track at Shroder, you'd better be flexible."

Oh, one more thing.

The Shroder High girls' 4-x-100-meter relay team just won the Ohio Division II state championship. It burned up the 400 meters in 48.8 seconds, even with an imperfect exchange. "They truly earned that title,'' said Warmack.

Shroder High School, with the bend of the track in the upper left corner.

Well, yeah. They paid the price in shin splints. And general soreness, hips to hamstrings. Tracks are rubber. Rubber relents. Asphalt is somewhat less forgiving. "I hate running on that driveway,'' said team member Toni Harkness. "But when I got on that track at state, it was a whole lot easier. I could just run.''

After dodging bus bumpers, an actual track felt like wind beneath her wings. I'm not sure what it says about a bunch of kids who catch a dream while running on a driveway. But it's not bad. What's even better, they're not impressed. "We set out to win it,'' said senior Domynique Shelby, "and that's what we did.''

The Shroder High girls' 4-x-100 relay team posed with their medals after winning the Ohio Division II state championship in 48.8 seconds.

Courtesy of Gerald Warmack/Shroder High

The girls each won a medal. I asked Shelby where she keeps hers.

"On the printer,'' she said.

What?

"On the printer at my house. It's holding down some papers. At least I think that's where it is.''

Shelby has suffered the most for her success. While teammates had occasional injury issues from running on the pavement, hers were chronic: "Both shins, hamstrings, hips and a quad,'' Warmack said.

Shroder underachieved in the regional meet last year, because so many of its athletes were recovering from asphalt wear and tear. This year, Warmack scaled back workouts. What had been 3,000 meters a week was cut to 2,000. They ran just one hard day a week. Also once a week, Warmack and his assistant, Chris Bishop, loaded up the 20 or so athletes in their two vehicles and shuttled them 10 minutes to a nearby high school with a track.

Warmack also entered his team in nearly twice as many meets as most high school teams typically enter, simply so his kids could have tracks to run on. He paid the entry fees himself.

That didn't solve the problem of the baton exchanges entirely. There is a 10-meter "acceleration zone'' in a relay, where the exchange must take place. If it doesn't, you're disqualified. Actual tracks have this area clearly marked. Warmack spray-painted red triangles at each end of his acceleration zone. Problem was, he didn't measure correctly at first. And because he's only working with 200 meters, his teams can't run an entire race. Exchanges are done individually in practice. There isn't much flow.

Two years ago, Shelby fell during an exchange. She didn't take off fast enough. The runner in the previous leg ran up Shelby's back. Literally. The accident haunted Shelby, even this year, Warmack said.

Then there was the dip and rise in the pavement, which happened to be right in the center of the acceleration zone. "The run-up was faulty all year long,'' Warmack said. "Practicing here made it next to impossible to get their marks correct.'' That is, the delicate timing was perpetually wobbly. In races decided by fractions of seconds, that could be a problem.

"If we can get the baton exchanged, we can outrun most people,'' Warmack said.

They didn't get it right in the state finals. Shelby ran the first leg. Her split time -- 11.8 seconds -- was the fastest of the race. But the exchange with Harkness was flawed. The girls were in fourth place, halfway through the race.

The previous year, they'd finished sixth in the state, less than three seconds behind the winner. Their two fastest and most experienced runners -- Harkness and Shelby -- returned. Warmack knew a state title in the 4-x-100 was in reach. "That's all we talked about,'' Warmack said. So much that, at one point during the season, Shelby told her coach to stop talking about it. "We know,'' she said.

Anyone heard using the word "can't'' was forced to do push-ups, coaches included. Bishop, a Cincinnati firefighter who doubles as assistant track coach and supervisor of Shroder's weight room, swears the relay team worked harder on lifting than the football team. "They knew what they wanted,'' Bishop said, "and what they needed to do to get it.''

It might be easy to forget the pain of running on asphalt, when you're gliding on rubber. The motivation was never forgotten, however. "We do wonder what we could do if we had a real track,'' said Bishop.

No better than what they did. No better than first place. The Jaguars went from fourth to tied for first in the third leg, then brought the title home in the anchor leg. Their winning time was 1.1 seconds faster than the second-place team. That was pounding some serious pavement. "Ran their hearts out,'' Warmack said.

There are no plans for Shroder to build a track, not unless Fifth Third Bank or Coca-Cola cede some of their extensive parking-lot acreage. The best Warmack and his athletes can do is what they've been doing. Negotiate the peaks and valleys and watch out for the oil slicks.

"The kids don't complain,'' said Warmack. "They just run.''

The G.O.O.D. Music family will take the stage at this year's show.

G.O.O.D. Music is slated to perform at the BET Awards 2012.

According to VIBE, the team will make their debut television performance during the show, taking place on July 1st at 8 p.m. EST. Additional performers include Usher, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj and 2 Chainz.

The event, which will take place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, will feature presenters Taraji P. Henson, Meagan Good, Kevin Hart and Cedric the Entertainer. Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and Reverend Dr. Al Sharpton will receive the Cadillac Lifetime Achievement Award and 2012 Humanitarian Award presented by State Far, respectively.

Lil’ Wayne wants to make peace with Pusha T and “move on” from their back and forth lyrical battle. Check out what he told the AP below:

“I just finished recording my “I Am Not a Human Being II” album. And we’re starting to work on the Young Money album. … It really wasn’t no beef, you know. It was just me. I just reacted. Just a reaction, a simple reaction. I don’t apologize for it because I’m human. But it was just my human reaction. I don’t take it back. But there’s no beef. Beef is a whole different thing. … I’ll move on.”

Is Wayne backing down from Pusha-T because his sub-par diss, “Ghoulish,” was no match for Pusha’s clever word play in “Exodus 23:1″? What are your thoughts on Weezy ending his beef with Pusha-T?

The rap star was looking to serve 180 days behind bars after he owed his children’s mother $111,186. Earlier today, Flavor Flav appeared in Albany County Family Court and paid a lump sum that deferred his bid, according to TMZ.

The amount of the payment was not disclosed at press time.

A court clerk told TMZ that the Public Enemy hype man “took care” of his child support obligations with the mother of his three kids, Angie Parker.

Flavor Flav is due for another date in court this upcoming September to ensure he has continued to pay as scheduled.

The world's highest-paid athlete is in jail. The guy in second place just lost a title fight, and the man who held the distinction for a decade is now third.

Forbes has released its list of the 100 highest paid athletes, and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., nicknamed "Money," is No. 1.

Mayweather, who made $85 million for two fights last year, is currently serving a three-month jail sentence in Las Vegas for domestic battery.

Boxer Manny Pacquiao is second on the magazine's list at $62 million from earnings and endorsements. Pacquiao lost his WBO welterweight title to Timothy Bradley earlier this month.

Tiger Woods, No. 1 on the list since 2001, made $59.4 million to place third.

LeBron James of the Miami Heat is fourth ($53 million). He is one of 13 basketball players on the list.

Tennis star Roger Federer is fifth at $52.7 million.

Thirty football players made the top 100, with Peyton Manning tops among them at No. 10. The Denver Broncos' new quarterback made $42.4 million during his last season with the Indianapolis Colts, even though he sat out the entire season while recovering from a neck injury.

David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy was No. 8 overall and the highest ranked soccer player at $46 million.

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was tops among baseball players and No. 18 overall with $33 million.

Two women, both tennis players, made the list. Maria Sharapova ($27.9 million) comes in at No. 26, and Li Na ($18.4 million).

Lil Wayne says that he honored Nicki Minaj's feeling of being disrespected by pulling her from the show.

Shortly before Nicki Minaj was scheduled to take the stage at Hot 97's Summer Jam, Lil Wayne tweeted that he pulled her from the lineup. It was later revealed that radio personality Peter Rosenberg had made comments about her single "Starships" being "bullshit," and that she felt disrespected and decided not to perform.

Weezy broke his silence on the matter during an interview with MTV News, stating that he was honoring his associate's feelings by canceling her appearance.

"First of all, I approached the situation like this: that's a female, first and foremost," he said. "Nicki Minaj is a female. I don't know what anyone else believe, but I believe that females deserve the ultimate respect at all times no matter what, where, when or how. So as soon as she called me and said she felt disrespected, I just declined everything and pulled her from the show because first of all, no person that works with me - because no one works for me - no person that works with me will be disrespected in my presence as long as I'm on this planet."

He also said that he has no hard feelings towards Hot 97, but that he stands by his decision.

"And like I said, she's a female, first and foremost, so I expect the red carpet - in her manner, the pink carpet - to be laid out for her. But like I said, it's just an executive move, no bad feelings, no hard feelings. It's just like I said, in my opinion, she says she was disrespected. That's a woman. I feel like a woman is supposed to be respected at all times. Therefore, I feel like I made the right decision."

MMG artist Meek Mill has decided to finally speak to the press about the bottle melee between Chris Brown and Drake, and is placing the blame at the females in their entourages versus the two stars themselves. Check out what he said below:

“Things just happen in the club. I seen girls in there throwing bottles, all types of sh*t. All types of people. I never seen Chris Brown or Drake throw a bottle and I was there.”

“Chris and Drake, them two was there, but it’s other people that be around that take sh*t to the next level.”

Meek was reportedly one of the main instigators in the fight, but when asked if he threw a bottle, Meek replied, “F*ck no.”

Meek Mill claimed that he spoke with Chris Brown on the phone directly after the brawl, and both sides agreed they had no problem with the other.

“Chris Brown be in clubs. He be around situations like this. Things get out of hand … that don’t mean it’s out of hand with me and him or whoever, not even him and Drake.”

So many sides to this story, my head is spinning. Do you believe Meek’s recollection of the incident? Could it had been a woman who split open Big Pat’s head like that, or a woman who clocked Breezy with a bottle in the chin?

Cash Money head honcho, Birdman, has spoken out against the OKC Thunder arena for treating Lil’ Wayne “like sh*t”. Baby feels that the OKC Thunder need to pay for the way they treated his son, Weezy. Check out what he told MTV News in a recent interview below:

“OKC gotta pay for their disrespect that they did with my son — that never would be honored,” he said.

Baby, who regularly attends Heat games, makes it clear that his issue isn’t with the people of Oklahoma City or the team’s individual players.

“The arena, just the arena because I love the people of OKC — it’s the arena and how they been disrespectful,” he said.

“F— them, I have no respect for them and the way they just disrespected another black man who tryin’ to come to their arena that happens to be my son. It’s Miami Heat all day every day anyway, but that’s just how I feel personally.”

We all know Baby is always going to ride for Lil’ Wayne, but how exactly does he expect the OKC Thunder “to pay” for not accommodating Weezy?

Micah S. Carver filed a lawsuit against Juicy J, DJ Paul, Lord Infamous, and their company Tear Da Club Up Tours LLC.

The lawsuit, which was filed on June 8, claims that the pair were booked for an April 2011 show in Orlando, Florida, but never made the date.

The lawsuit claims that Three 6 Mafia ditched the Orlando performance, in order to “attend another activity and appear on VH1 subsequent to executing the agreement,” Carver claims in the lawsuit.

To make matters worse, Three 6 Mafia never returned a $9,000 advance for the performance, which was to take place at a venue named Firestone Live.

Carver is suing for a total of $50,000, for economic loss, out-of-pocket expenses and loss of income and revenue.

The longtime political activist will join a list of previous honorees that include Magic Johnson, John Legend, Quincy Jones, Denzel Washington,  Muhammad Ali, Wycelf Jean and others.

According to THR, Sharpton was specifically selected for “his work as the founder and president of the National Action Network, a nonprofit civil rights organization based out of Harlem, as well as his radio talk show (Keepin’ It Real) and his national cable television show (Politics Nation on MSNBC).”

In addition, following yesterday’s (June 17) troubling news that Rodney King was found dead at his home on Father’s Day at age 47, Sharpton has gone on record in a statement to call King a “symbol of Civil Rights.” He stated  that King made the country “focus on the presence of profiling and police misconduct.”

He later praised King for spreading peace in the years following his vicious beating nearly 20 years ago by the LAPD that ultimately set off the infamous L.A. Riots. ”Through all that he had gone through, with his beating and his personal demons, he was never one to not call for reconciliation and for people to overcome and forgive,” Sharpton proclaimed.

The 2012 BET Awards will air live from the Shrine Auditorium on July 1.

According to a lawsuit filed on June 13, Patrick White claims that portions of “Decoded” were somehow stolen from him.

The lawsuit, which was filed in United States District Court, Central District, claims that White’s laptop was stolen in 2009.

“In 2009, my personal computer was compromised, resulting in my personal work to be used in Jay-Z’s book Decoded which was released in 2010,” White claims.

In the hand-written lawsuit, White claims he was shocked when he saw that portions of a book he had been working on were strikingly similar to portions of “Decoded.”

“The book contains various expressions/colors/phrases, which correlates to my work,” White alleges. “After contacting or attempting to contact the co-author, I got no reply.”

White is suing for copyright infringement and invasion of property.

In addition to Jay-Z, author Dream Hampton and Random House are also named in the lawsuit.

Check out the lawsuit below:

Jay-Z “Decoded” Lawsuit

Jay-Z “Decoded” Lawsuit

Jay-Z “Decoded” Lawsuit

Jay-Z “Decoded” Lawsuit

Lucy Pavlovsky, 24, was at club W.i.P. at a table with rapper Fabolous, when the altercation ensued.

She needed 12 stitches to close a gash on her arm.

Pavlovsky, a buyer for Macy’s, is the second victim with confirmed plans to sue.

“My plan is to sue anybody who threw a bottle, anybody who created that dangerous atmosphere,” Pavlovsky’s lawyer, Javier Solano told The New York Daily News.

On Friday, a model named Ingrid Gutierrez also revealed that she planned to sue anybody involved in the incident.

As for W.i.P. and Greenhouse, which is above the club, both have been closed for up to 235 days.

One of the managers has been arrested on unrelated warrants and the owners of the club have already been fined $45,000.

“It was like a war zone,” Pavlovsky’s lawyer, Javier Solano told The New York Daily News. “You had guys there 300 pounds, 6-foot-5, throwing these bottles as hard as they can.”

“A lawsuit will be filed against the club and every person who threw bottles and class, injuring my client,” said Gutierrez’ lawyer, Sal Strazzullo.

Chief Keef makes a jump to the majors.

Speculation was rampant in recent weeks a Chief Keef revealed he was in talks with three labels about a record deal.

Initially a viral sensation, Keef's "I Don't Like" was remixed by Kanye West, and is now burning up the airwaves. The track caused controversy as Young Chop, who produced the original cut of the song, disapproved of West's remix, drawing the ire of Pusha T in the diss track "Exodus 23:1."

Now, Keef has revealed to MTV's RapFix that he has chosen a new home: Interscope Records.

"I've been talkin' to a lot of labels, but I just noticed that Interscope got people like 50, Eminem," said the young rapper, who revealed that he also signed a publishing deal with Dr. Dre.

Ultimately, it was Interscope's way of addressing Keef that won him over. "They was talkin' good to me," he said. "They was talkin' like I was talkin' and I liked that. All these other labels, I was talkin' to 'em, but it's time anyway for me and I'm goin' with Interscope."

Everyone knows that Jay-Z and Beyonce are ballin’, and Beyonce’s rumored gift for her hubby for his first Father’s Day showcases that like nothing else. Rumor has it that Bey has gifted Jay with a $40 million private Jet!

According to a source at MediaTakeOut, the jet is a brand new Bombardier Challenger 850 and has a living room, a full kitchen, a bedroom . . . and TWO FULL BATHROOMS. Check out a few photos of the Jet below:

Now that’s what I call wealthy! Happy Father’s Day, Jay-Z!

A disgraceful Pennsylvania mother of two is accused of getting her teenage daughter hooked on drugs, including heroin, crack cocaine, prescription drugs, and marijuana. Police say that Brandi Baumgardner, 38, of Beaver Springs, has injected her daughter over 200 times with heroin and has prostituted out her daughter in exchange for drugs.

According to The Daily Item, the girl told police that her mother began giving her marijuana at 12 years old, and by the time she reached her current age of 14, she began using harder drugs like crack cocaine and heroin. She said her mother would shoot her up when she was “too sick” to do it herself, and police estimate that the mother had shot up her daughter with drugs over 200 times!

The daughter told authorities that her mother would sometimes take her to the hospital with a fake illness to get prescription drugs.

The 14-year-old confessed that she and her mother would share Fentanyl patches. Fentanyl is a prescription pain killer that is 100 times more powerful than morphine.

I hope this woman gets locked up for the rest of her life. How can she live with herself knowing that she made her underage daughter into a drug addict, a problem that she will most likely be fighting with for the rest of her life. Shameful!

Rodney King, whose videotaped beating by police in 1991 sparked the L.A. riots, was found dead at his California home on Sunday. He was 47.

Police said King's fiancée discovered him at the bottom of the swimming pool at their Rialto, Calif., home, about 55 miles east of Los Angeles.

Police responded to a call at 5:25 a.m., pulled King out of the pool and attempted CPR, but could not revive him.

King's representative Suzanne Wickman confirmed to his death to KABC-TV. According to TMZ, King's fiancée, Cynthia Kelley, told friends King spent the bulk of Saturday drinking and "smoked marijuana at some point," before she went to went to bed at 2:00 a.m.

The cause of death is unknown, but police are investigating it as a drowning. Rialto Police Capt. Randy DeAnda told CNN there were no preliminary signs of foul play.

King was beaten by four white LAPD officers following a DUI stop on March 3, 1991. Footage captured by an amateur videographer showed the officers hitting King 56 times with wooden batons.

"I just got lucky that night to have the cameras on me," King said in April, marking the 20th anniversary of the L.A. riots. "When I saw the tape, I was so happy that it was on tape and then looking at it, it was like I was in another body. I felt like I had died in that one, and was just watching it."

"It felt like Armageddon," King said of the acquittal. "It felt like the end of the world. I was hurt. I was past upset.

"I was raised not to be violent, and not to be rioting and carrying on like a wild man," he added, "but at the same time, there was a side of me saying, 'What else can you do?' I didn't agree with it, but I understood."

During the five-day riots--marked by widespread looting, arson and racially-charged beatings throughout South Central L.A.--King made his famous public plea for peace: "People, I just want to say, can we all get along? Can we get along?"

"Through all that he had gone through with his beating and personal demons, he was never one to not call for reconciliation and for his people to overcome and forgive," the Rev. Al Sharpton said in a statement on Sunday.

King had long struggled with alcohol abuse, much of it detailed in his 2012 memoir, "The Riot Within." According to KABC, he was arrested or detained by police at least a dozen times on charges ranging from DUI to domestic violence.

In 2011--the 20th anniversary of his beating--King was arrested in California on suspicion of DUI.

According to TMZ, King was scheduled to compete in a celebrity boxing match against Jose Canseco in August.

"Wild Thing" rapper Tone Loc collapses during a show from what is being called oeheat exhaustion.

Veteran Los Angeles, California Tone Loc was performing on Friday (June 15) at The Moody Theater in Austin, Texas, when he suddenly collapsed.

TMZ reports that Loc’s collapse is being blamed on heat exhaustion. Loc’s manager reportedly said that the venue was extremely hot.

After falling, the longtime Delicious Vinyl Records rapper was helped off stage, given water. He returned to perform the rest of his set 30 minutes later. He allegedly performed the same songs as before he fell.

This is at least the third time Loc has collapsed during a performance. In 2009, he was rushed to a hospital in Florida after collapsing, and the same happened in 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Cash Money Records CEO Birdman claims that while he thinks Drake did nothing wrong, "A lot of niggas be playin', pitty-pattin' with Drake. I don't like that shit, period."

A report emerged this morning from Fox News stating that Drake was to be arrested over the Chris Brown altercation in New York, where the two artists engaged in a reported brawl.

TMZ later contradicted the report, stating that the Young Money artist was not facing an arrest, confirming the matter with “well-placed law enforcement sources.”

Now, Birdman has come to the defense of his artist.

“Well, to me, I think niggas got Drake twisted,” said the Cash Money CEO and rapper to MTV News. “A lot of niggas be playin', pitty-pattin' with Drake. I don't like that shit, period.”

“Drake is one of us, so if you fuckin’ with Drake, you fuckin’ with us, period,” he added.

Birdman, who was not at the fight, said Drake was not at fault. “To me, Drizzy ain't did nothin' wrong, he ain't done nothin' wrong to nobody. He just doin' great music.”

“He's not a reckless guy out there just wildin' out; he's a humble kid makin' great music.”

The aftermath of the Chris Brown Vs. Drake “bottle melee” looks to be even messier than the actual altercation itself. Chris Brown’s rep released a statement to CNN that implies that Breezy is pursuing his options to press assault charges on Drake. Check out the statement below:

Brown, his model girlfriend Karrueche Tran and other friends “sustained several injuries,” Brown rep Jeff Raymond said. “Chris and his party are cooperating with New York authorities who are pursuing this incident further.”

TMZ is reporting that Breezy has already spoken to detectives and has presented evidence showing that Drake and Meek Mill were the aggressors. Chris is not currently a suspect, but rather “a witness and a victim.”

Drake, who reportedly started the whole thing by putting his middle finger in Chris’ face while saying, “I’ma whoop that ass,” had his rep release a statement yesterday saying that he had nothing to do with the physical altercation. Drake has also been “cooperating” with authorities, but we do not know if he has spoken to cops – it appears his representatives have had conversations with detectives. Cops say that Drake is currently not a suspect.

In related news, photos of a woman who was injured in the “bottle melee” have been released by TMZ, and she looks a hot bloody mess. Check out the photos below:

Drake, Breezy, Meek Mill, and the venue better get their lawyers ready, because I’m pretty sure they are going to have quite a few lawsuits heading their way.

According to the New York Post, if Drake does not agree to surrender by next week, police are considering arresting him at his concert at Jones Beach tonight (June 16).

A Lawyer for Chris Brown labeled Drake and his posse “thugs.”

Brown is being represented by high-powered attorney Mark Geragos, who has represented clients like ask Michael Jackson, murderer Scott Peterson, Roger Clinton Jr. and others.

“I believe the police are building a case against Drake and his thugs,” Geragos told the New York Post. “Clearly, Drake was the instigator, and there is evidence he threw glassware.”

Meanwhile, the fall out continues over the brawl at W.i.P., which left one concertgoer with 16 stitches in her head.

NBA star Tony Parker was injured in the incident, as well as Chris Brown bodyguard Big Pat

One injured attendee has said that she already plans on filing a lawsuit against both parties, due to injuries she sustained in the massive fight.

Chris Brown is not out of the clear as of yet either.

Authorities are investigating if one of the men in his entourage was a Crip gang member.

If so, Brown would have violated his probation, as he is barred from associating with gang members.

Police are also investigating if a gunshot was fired in the club during the brawl.

Drake will be hosting his own Summer Jam Reloaded at Jones Beach Theater on June 17th in New York, because they “f**ked it up,” according to Drake’s recent vlog post that can be seen below.

Drake will be bringing a host of guest artists to perform alongside his Young Money family in response to the Nicki Minaj situation that occurred after Peter Rosenberg dissed Nicki’s song “Starships.”

In the video post its stated that Drake told DJ Scoob Doo and Bread Over Bed That Summer Jam 2012 will be “brought back to life at his upcoming tour date at Jones Beach NY, to compensate for Young Money fans not seeing their favorite artists after a business feud with Hot 97 FM.”

More news as details emerge.

And the information just keeps coming in. Check out the footage below which shows Drake, Meek Mill and Chris Brown exiting the club after the “bottle melee” last night. Meek looks like he’s out of breath and someone from his entourage is telling the camera guy to stop shooting because Meek “just had a fight.” Chris Brown takes off his jacket in front of his truck and is standing next to one of his friends who is heard saying, “them n*ggas is pu**y.” Drake is shown in the video surrounded by security while he’s standing by a woman.

Skip to the 2:40 mark to see the footage:

 

We’re not sure why, but singer Roscoe Dash has inserted himself into the “bottle melee” situation by being the first celebrity to speak out about the violence that took place last night involving Drake, Chris Brown, and Meek Mill. In a series of tweets, Roscoe Dash @’ed both Drake and Meek Mill’s Twitter accounts and says that he “can’t support sucka sh*t” as well as explains that he’s “lost alota respect” for the two.

Check out what he tweeted below (read from the bottom up):

Meek Mill caught wind of the tweet and denied any involvement, while telling Roscoe Dash to “stay in ya lane.” Check out his tweet below:

Check out Roscoe Dash’s response below:

Okay.

So now both Meek Mill and Drake are denying any involvement. Bottles can’t throw themselves now, can they? Who do you think is ultimately going to have to pay the price for the attack against Chris Brown and take responsibility for injuring five other people in the process?

After a disastrous stint on VH1 reality show, “Couples Therapy,” DMX’s long suffering wife announced that after 14 years of marriage, she was filing for divorce. DMX, who was just announced as one of the headliners for the “Rock The Bells” tour, has had his business affairs in order as of late and recently released a mixtape.

Unfortunately, a recent interview with HOT 97′s Peter Rosenburg has some people jumping to the conclusion that he is back on drugs. Check out the video interview below and judge for yourself:

 

Man, all h*ll broke loose last night when Chris Brown and Drake got into a nasty scuffle at a NYC nightclub that included bottles being thrown and hundreds of people running out of the club and onto the streets to escape the “blizzard of bottles.”

More details are emerging regarding what initiated the fight which left Chris Brown with a gash on his chin and sent five innocent bystanders to the hospital, one of whom is currently in critical condition.

The club WIP NYC (the bottom level of Green House) was packed with celebrities, including, Fabolous, Maino, Ne-Yo, Trey Songz, Teyana Taylor, Meek Mill, Tony Parker, Drake, and Chris Brown. According to a source on Sandra Rose.com, Chris Brown was already in the club with some Bloods gang members as was Meek Mell, who was in the club with his “grimy Philly n*ggas.” Drake arrived later and the DJ announced that “DRAKE IS IN THE HOUSE!”.

After playing a few Drake songs, the DJ then played one of Meek Mill’s tracks. After that, the DJ played a Chris Brown record. Drake, who was dancing on a table, jumped down off the table, like, “Naw, I don’t f*ck with that n*gga!”

Then, according to a NY Daily News police source, a round of drinks with a note about Rihanna was sent between the two groups before the fight began.

Drake allegedly approached Chris Brown and threw the first punch, as well as clocked Brown over the head with a bottle, according to GlobalGrind.com.

At that point, bottles start flying like a blizzard around the club.  A source inside the club says that said Drake ran into a bathroom as the melee started — a melee that he initially started.

Meek Mill’s people started throwing bottles as security escorted Chris Brown’s frightened girl, Karrueche Tran, out of the club to safety.

Brown allegedly shouted: “Pu$$y ass ni**a hiding in the bathroom!” and tweeted about the incident. Check out his tweets below:

Chris Brown’s security landed in the hospital, but Chris suffered a laceration on his chin.

Four of the injured people taken to local hospital were innocent bystanders, while the fifth was believed to be involved in the fight, police sources said. One of the injured, a 25-year-old man with a head wound, was in serious condition at Bellevue Hospital this morning.

New York party promoter Jessica Rosenblum tweeted Meek blaming him for the whole thing. “Really??? FU Meek Mills – u know how many f*cking years we worked to have fly hip hop sh*t in downtown NYC? GTFO if u don’t know how 2 hang”

Meek then tweeted out, “It wasn’t me…. (shaggy voice) lol” and also tweeted about Rihanna goodies being the reason behind the fight tweeting - “That p*ssy must be good LOL” along with a photo of the club after the bottle fight. Check it out below:

This is madness! The Chris Brown/Drake camps will meet again at the BET Awards on July 1. I think BET better look into hiring some extra security, stat!

And side note…isn’t Chris Brown still on probation??

Chris Brown suffered a nasty gash on his chin, after being struck by a bottle inside of W.i.P, after his entourage brawled with Drake and his crew inside the venue.

Early reports suggested that rapper Meek Mill started the altercation and eventually struck Chris Brown with a bottle.

But the two men agreed that Meek wasn’t involved via Twitter tonight (June 15).

“Me and @MeekMill ain’t on that bullshit. Real respect Real,” Chris Brown tweeted.

Meek replied to Brown’s message immediately, after denying involvement earlier in the day.

“We just getting money,” Meek Mill replied.

According to the latest reports, representatives for Drake are now cooperating with the investigation into the brawl, which sent several people to the hospital.

One female partygoer required 16 stitches after being hit by a flying bottle in the club and five others were injured.

W.i.P also suffered major damages as a result of the fight.

Reps for Drake issued a statement TMZ.com, in regards to a brawl that broke out between the entourages of Drake, Meek Mill and Chris Brown last night (June 14) at club W.i.P. in New York.

“Drake did not participate in any wrongdoing of any kind last night at W.i.P.,” a rep said. “He was on his way out of the club when the altercation began.”

While the catalyst for the altercation has yet to be revealed, many sources are pointing to tension between Chris Brown, Drake and rapper Meek Mill, over R&B singer Rihanna.

According to reports, all three men reportedly dated the famous songbird at one point or another.

Drake, who was joined at the club by Meek, has denied any wrongdoing in the incident.

“[Drake] did not engage in any activity which resulted in injury to person or damage to property,” the rep added.

A witness at W.i.P. who refused to be identified stated that Meek started the verbal confrontation, which led to Chris Brown being struck in the face with a bottle.

Police are currently investigating the incident.

Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa wrote in her late Wednesday decision that water has been made available to Mayweather around the clock and the only reason he isn't eating properly is because he refuses to eat the provided meals. Saragosa said Mayweather's complaints that he is unable to exercise in jail are also unfounded.

"While the physical training areas and times provided to (Mayweather) may not be consistent with his prior regimen, he is indeed provided sufficient space and time for physical activity if he so chooses," Saragosa wrote.

A mere 10 days after Mayweather turned himself in to begin his three-month sentence, his legal team filed an emergency motion Monday asking the court to put him under house arrest or move him into the general jail population -- something that jail officials had avoided to protect the celebrity fighter. The motion claimed the undefeated champion might never fight again because he was getting out of shape in solitary confinement.

Mayweather lawyer Richard Wright didn't immediately return a phone message late Wednesday. Wright said earlier this week that he was not seeking special treatment for the 35-year-old fighter.

Mayweather pleaded guilty last year to reduced domestic battery charges stemming from an attack on his former girlfriend while two of their children watched. The plea deal allowed him to avoid trial on felony charges that could have gotten Mayweather up to 34 years in prison if he was convicted. Mayweather was sentenced Dec. 22, but was allowed to remain free long enough to make a Cinco de Mayo weekend fight.

Mayweather's legal team told the court this week that his personal physician, Dr. Robert Voy, visited the jail Friday and determined the fighter had lost muscle tone. Voy estimated Mayweather was consuming fewer than 800 calories a day instead of his usual 3,000 or 4,000 calories. Mayweather also wasn't drinking enough because he wasn't allowed bottled water and doesn't enjoy tap water.

"I am concerned about Floyd withdrawing, developing anger he cannot dissipate through the usual means of dedicated exercise and training," Voy wrote in an affidavit. "Boxing has been Mr. Mayweather's life since he was a young man and we need champions of this type to continue to their natural retirement and hopefully their contributions to society thereafter."

Prosecutor Lisa Luzaich scoffed at the complaints during a court hearing Tuesday.

"It's jail," Luzaich told the court. "Where did he think he was going? The Four Seasons?"

Big K.R.I.T.'s "Live From The Underground" and Curren$y's "The Stoned Immaculate" crush the charts and expectations. Tyga's "Careless World" also gains some strong ground after months at retail.

Two major label albums debuted in the Top 10 this week. Meridian, Mississippi's Big K.R.I.T. has won Mixtape Of The Year at HipHopDX for the last two consecutive years. With his first studio album, the Cinematic Music Group/Def Jam Records sensation snagged a Top 5 debut by a margin of less than 2,000 units. His friend and collaborator Curren$y's second Warner Bros. Records release, billed as his first official album, The Stoned Immaculate , was three spots behind. This is Spitta's first Top 10 appearance, in a lengthy career of physical and digital projects, several of which appeared on the Top 200. Both of these albums were available for free stream online prior to release, perhaps hinting to a new promotional method proven successful. Also noteworthy, Tyga gained an impressive 14 spots, while label-mates Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne all lost chart places from the previous week.

Big K.R.I.T. Might Not Be So Underground After All

DXnext alum Big K.R.I.T.'s Live From The Underground sold over 41,000 first-week units. The major label release featuring 8Ball & MJG, Ludacris and Blues icon B.B. King was less than 2,000 units behind Neil Young & Crazy Horse's latest album as well. The breakthrough album from the emcee/producer features 2011 single "Money On The Floor," and solo single "I Got This." The album has pulled critical acclaim from a number of media outlets, including a 4.5 out of 5 at HipHopDX.

Curren$y's Breakthrough Scores A Top 10

After two Def Jam-distributed albums in 2010 and a charting mixtape last year, New Orleans, Louisiana veteran Curren$y has billed The Stoned Immaculate as his official debut. The response showed, giving Spitta not only his first Top 20 appearance, but a coveted Top 10. Now backed by Warner Bros., the release features Rap peers Wiz Khalifa and K.R.I.T., in addition to '90s stars Fiend and Daz Dillinger. Curren$y told DX last month, "I went a lil' further than I usually do," and the fans seemed to have responded.

Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 6/10/2012

#5. Big K.R.I.T. - Live From The Underground - 41,000 (41,000)

#8. Curren$y - The Stoned Immaculate - 36,000 (36,000)

#22. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - 35,000 (522,000)

#42. Drake - Take Care - 8,300 (1,770,000)

#43. B.o.B. - Strange Clouds - 8,200 (149,000)

#70. Tyga - Careless World: Rise Of The Last King - 5,600 (244,000)

#72. Travis Porter - From Day 1 - 5,500 (20,000)

#86. Future - Pluto - 5,000 (102,000)

#106. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne - 4,200 (1,445,000)

#192. Childish Gambino - Camp - 2,200 (160,000)

Machine Gun Kelly has been sued for damages in excess of $15,000.

Machine Gun Kelly has been sued for allegedly throwing a bottle at a bouncer and cutting open his finger.

According to TMZ, a security guard named William Long filed suit against the Bad Boy rapper in Florida. He claims that in January, MGK used a liquor bottle as a weapon to slice his finger during a bar fight. His lawyer James Flynn says that the Cleveland, Ohio native chucked a bottle and the shrapnel cut through his digit.

MGK was initially arrested for disorderly conduct following the incident. Long was hospitalized for eight days for two separate injuries. He is now suing for damages in excess of $15,000.

Justin Bieber and Ludacris give Maroon 5 and Wiz Khalifa a run for their money, while Lil Wayne and Big Sean's "My Homies Still" makes six-figure noise.

Pop/Rap collaborations continue to top the charts. While Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khlifa held the #3 spot for a third consecutive week, Ludacris' appearance on Justin Bieber's "All Around The World" gave chase at #5, just over 20,000 downloads behind. Meanwhile, Lil Wayne and Big Sean's public display of YMCMB x G.O.O.D. unity moved six-figures in its first week at online retail, while Waka Flocka Flame, Rick Ross and Sean Kingston also delivered new hits to the masses.

Ludacris & Justin Bieber Sell Singles "Around The World"

The album opened to Justin Bieber's third release Believe, features DTP's head honcho Ludacris. "Around The World," the latest single from the work moved to the charts at #5 this week. Produced by Pop vets The Messengers, the song marks the sequel to the multi-platinum appearance on "Baby." Believe also features Big Sean, Drake and Nicki Minaj.

Lil Wayne & Big Sean Are "Homies Still"

In the wake of the presumed Pusha T attack on Drake, and Lil Wayne's reply to Pusha T, many fans perceived a Rap war looming between Young Money and G.O.O.D. Music. Soon after, Lil Wayne released new track "My Homies Still" featuring G.O.O.D.'s Big Sean. The song led to 100,000 digital units sold, and that anticipated war has yet to have an official declaration.

Hip Hop Digital Singles Sales: The Week Ending 6/10/2012

#3. Maroon 5 f. Wiz Khalifa - "Payphone" - 178,000 (2,004,000)

#5. Justin Bieber f. Ludacris - "All Around The World" - 157,000 (157,000)

#6. Pitbull - "Back In Time" - 133,000 (839,000)

#11. Flo Rida f. Sia - "Wild Ones" - 102,000 (2,643,000)

#13. Lil Wayne f. Big Sean - "My Homies Still" - 100,000 (100,000)

#26. Waka Flocka Flame f. Nicki Minaj, Tyga & Flo Rida - "Get Low" - 66,000 (66,000)

#50. Rick Ross f. Meek Mill - "So Sophisticated" - 36,000 (36,000)

#67. Sean Kingston f. T.I. "Back 2 Life (Live It Up)" - 28,000 (28,000)

#158. Machine Gun Kelly - "Wild Boy" - 10,000 (14,000)

#196. Drake f. The Weeknd - "Crew Love" - 7,300 (196,000)

Usher is expected to top the charts next week.

The first-week sales projections for new releases from Usher and Waka Flocka Flame have been revealed.

According to HDD, Ursh’s latest album, Looking 4 Myself, is slated to unseat Adele’s 21 from the top of the charts with 120-130,000 sold in its first week. It’s 200,000 copies less than his previous album, 2010’s Raymond v. Raymond.

Meanwhile, Waka Flocka Flame’s sophomore LP Triple F Life: Fans, Friends & Family will have a considerably smaller first-week run with a projected 25-30,000 albums expected to sell. His last album, Flockaveli, bowed with 37,000 copies sold.

It looks like Jay-Z will be taking on a major role as one of the directors of the Brooklyn Nets's soon-to-be stadium.

He runs his own label, hocks luxury liquors and even occasionally raps, but now it looks like Jay-Z has a new job to add to his resume. In a recent report from the New York Post, it was revealed that Hova will be the new director of the Brooklyn Nets's Barclay Arena.

The news came about when Forest City Ratner Cos., the company developing the arena, filed for a liquor license with documents naming Shawn Carter as one of the arena's seven directors. The newly announced position will find the Brooklyn emcee attending board meetings as well as directing aspects of the sports center's daily upkeep.

Although the heads behind the Barclays Arena did not comment on what Jay-Z's specific duties will be, he has already aided the stadium with certain aesthetic elements. In addition to overseeing the recent re-design of the Nets's logo and jerseys, he additionally helped furnish the arena's 11 luxury box seats, dubbed "The Vaults."

Despite his major public presence, Jay owns a minority share of the team, with Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov holding 80% of the team's shares.

Dr. Dre started a huge trend when he brought out hologram Tupac for his Coachella performance a few months back. The estates of several deceased legends began to see dollar signs, and Digital Domain Media Group, the visual effects company that created the hologram, has been bombarded with calls from the estates of everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Rick James.

According to Billboard, the first hologram to come will be the Elvis hologram, which is already in production and will reportedly cost millions to produce.

“This is not repurposing old footage that the world has already seen,” Digital Domain chief creative officer Ed Ulbrich says, referencing how the recent Tupac projection was also built from scratch. “We’re making totally original and exclusive performances so that fans can have new experiences.”

The estates for other artists, including Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Marilyn Monroe have also been considering the idea of holographic live performances.

Janie Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix’s sister and Experience Hendrix president/CEO, has been working with London-based company Musion Systems for about a year to create a virtual version of her late brother. “For us, of course, it’s about keeping Jimi authentically correct,” she says. “There are no absolutes at this point.”

Would you pay to go see a hologram performance from Rick James, Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, or Marilyn Monroe?

As if Kanye West and Kim Kardashian don’t get enough attention just being themselves, Kanye accidentally tweeted a naked photo of Kim Kardashian yesterday. The tweet was deleted almost immediately, but not before hundred of people re-tweeted the image and “Kim Kardashian” became a trending topic on Twitter. Check out the photo below:

The thing is, the photo Kanye tweeted was not of Kim Kardashian, but of a look-alike porn star named Amia Miley. Miley tweeted the photo out in March of 2011 along with the caption, ‘Eat Food’. How weird?! Miley quickly sent tweets out claiming that it is her in the photo. Check out her tweets below:

Alrighty then. If you want to see the full photo you can check it out here.

In related news, Kim Kardashian and her entire family will be the next celebrities featured on Oprah’s “Next Chapter” series on OWN. At the same time that Kanye was tweeting out fake Kim K naked shots, Kim K was gloating about Oprah being at her mom’s house tweeting, “Ummmm no big deal Oprah just left my mom’s house #Dreamscometrue

Oprah’s “Next Chapter” with the Kardashians will run this Sunday, June 17. Check out the photo Kim Kardashian tweeted of his and hers Air Yeezy’s:

Those two attention-seekers are made for one another!

Police in Los Angeles, California are investigating an early morning burglary at Kanye West’s mansion.

TMZ.com is reporting that a 911 call was from the mansion this morning, in regards to a break in.

When police arrived, the thieves had already departed the residence, but they dropped some of Kanye’s belongings as they fled.

Kanye West is currently in Birmingham, England where he is on tour.

TMZ spoke to Hill’s girlfriend who told the media outlet that “he had been sick for a long time…his heart gave out.”

The site reports that they were told that Hill had begun focusing “on mending relationships with estranged family members in recent years,” an act that his girlfriend said Hill made “tremendous progress with before he died.”

The film Goodfellas was adapted from crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi’s book Wiseguy, which documented Hill’s life story as an American mobster turned FBI informant.

Hill, who was most famously portrayed by Ray Liotta in Scorsese’s Goodfellas, passed away two days after his 69th birthday.

According to MTV News, J. Money is currently in stable condition and remains hospitalized after having bullets go through his arm, back and calf.

“[They] just started coming from everywhere,” he told MTV RapFix. “Like a hundred shots. It just came from everywhere, man. It was crazy. It was a nightmare.”

J Futuristic will continue to release music and anticipates that “Hold Up,” will be the turning point for his career going forward.

“I’m here for music, so that’s what I’m going to do till I die. And God ain’t ready for me to die,” he said. “I just want to touch people through my music and put out a positive message.”