Jay-Z Leaves Def Jam

After months of speculation, Hip-Hop mogul Jay-Z announced on December 24 that he will officially vacate his position as President of Def Jam Records at the end of his term.

The 38-year-old rapper issued a statement today (December 24) stating he will step down as president in 2008.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have served as President of such a culturally-defining label as Def Jam over the last three years," Jay-Z said in a statement. "During that time, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many of the world’s most dynamic artists and many of the most dedicated and talented executives in the music business today, including Antonio “L.A.” Reid. But now it’s time for me to take on new challenges."

Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, took over as President of Def Jam in 2005.

Under his guidance, the rapper signed his former rival Nas to Def Jam and oversaw the release of hit records by Kanye West, Rihanna and Ne-Yo.

The announcement serves to cap off a very turbulent year that saw Def Jam artists like LL Cool J protest that Jay as an artist and executive presented a unique conflict of interest. Additionally, a number of traditionally successful Hip-Hop acts like The Roots, Redman and Method Man failed to get traction under his reign.

Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid said that Jay-Z felt it was time to take on "different challenges in his life."

"While we regret his decision to move on, we certainly respect it," Reid said in a statement. "Since Jay joined us as President of Def Jam in 2005, we have all benefited from his leadership, sense of spirit and invaluable friendship. While he will continue to be one of our signature artists, he will nonetheless be missed in this executive capacity. The entire Island Def Jam family joins me in wishing him the very best in all of his future business endeavors.”

Jay-Z will continue running and recording for his Roc-A-Fella imprint, which is distributed by the Island Def Jam Music Group. The mogul is rumored to be making a transition to the urban division of Sony Records with Rick Rubin.

"I am pleased to have had the opportunity to build upon the Def Jam legacy, helping to move the company into a new era of artistic success," Jay-Z said.

Jay-Z's American Gangster, inspired by the movie of the same name, has been received to critical acclaim,

Jay-Z to Open Chain of Luxury Hotels

Jay-Z and his financial partners, Charlie Blaichman and Abraham and Scott Shnay, have announced plans to launch a chain of high end five-star hotels. According to Globest.com, the chain will be called J Hotels and the flagship location will be developed on the 150,000 square foot property that the group recently purchased in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. Jay and his partners plan to expand J Hotels into other cities following the opening of the New York location. The property stretches from 510 W. 22nd Street to 512 W. 21st Street and is currently the occupied by a five story warehouse and parking facility that is under lease to Time Warner Cable. Ronald Solarz and Eric Anton of Eastern Consolidated closed the $66.4 million deal which included the property and air rights. “West 22nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenue, is arguably the heart and soul of the West Chelsea High Line district and is a perfect location for an upscale life style-oriented five star hotel,” Solarz said of the location. In related news, Jay recently landed the No. 4 spot on Forbes Magazine’s list of the 20 Biggest Celebrity Paydays of 2007. The mogul’s sale of his Rocawear clothing line to the Iconix Brand Group netted him $82 million, placing him just behind radio personality Howard Stern and 50 Cent.

Lil Wayne’s The Leak Quietly Hits Stores

Back in October, Lil Wayne informed MTV News that while his highly anticipated Tha Carter III LP would not be hitting stores this year, he would appease fans in the fourth quarter of 2007 with a special mixtape album called Tha Carter III: The Leak. The release was to include a number of completed songs that have leaked throughout the year, in addition to four brand new tracks. The Leak was supposed to hit stores on December 18, but as the Holiday season approached and the public was yet to see a video or hear an official single, most fans gave up on the prospect of a new Weezy project seeing the light of day in 2007.

Then, in early December, sources at Universal confirmed to XXL editor-in-chief Elliott Wilson that no Lil Wayne LP would be released until the official Carter III hit stores in February of 2008. Now, with just a week left until the new year, a five song Lil Wayne EP called simply The Leak has quietly appeared on the websites of online digital music retailers such as Amazon and Rhapsody. The EP includes tracks such as “Gossip,” which was supposed to be the first single off Tha Carter III: The Leak, and “Kush.” Amazon lists The Leak’s official street date as Tuesday, December 25 and Cash Money Records as the label. It is unclear whether the EP will ever be available in stores, or why no official announcement accompanied its release.

Here is the tracklisting for Lil Wayne’s The Leak:

1. I’m Me

2. Gossip

3. Kush

4. Love Me Or Hate Me

5. Talkin’ About It

Sacramento Father Shocked to Discover Dipset Music on Disney CD

A father in the Roseville section of Sacramento, Ca. was shocked to discover explicit music from the Diplomats on a Disney Channel Hits CD that was supposed to contain music from Hannah Montana and High School Musical. According to CBS 13, Jeremy Danielson purchased the CD for his daughter at a local Toys R Us store, but received quite a surprise when his family opened it up on Christmas morning. “It was definitely not Hannah Montana, it was like graphic lyrics, like gangsta rap,” Danielson told a reporter. “Real explicit lyrics, sexual content, just stuff you don’t want your little kids to hear.” In a video report posted on the CBS website, the song “I Love You” from the first Diplomats group album, Diplomatic Immunity, can clearly be heard playing in the background. “We are a Christian family and we don’t bring media like that into our house,” Danielson said. The father of three contacted the Toys R Us store where the CD was purchased, but a representative explained that they are merely the distributor and are not responsible for the product. A call made to Disney by CBS was yet to be returned.

Lupe Fiasco Debuts At #15, Chingy At #84

According to numbers released by Neilsen SoundScan, Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco sold 144,079 copies of his sophomore album The Cool this week, debuting at #15 on the Billboard chart. While his 2006 debut album Food & Liquor debuted at #8 last September, it sold significantly less than The Cool, moving nearly 81,000 units after it was leaked months in advance.

St. Louis rapper Chingy’s fourth album Hate It or Love It, his first on Def Jam since reuniting with Ludacris’ Disturbing Tha Peace, also debuts at #84 this week after selling 31,517 copies. This is less than half the sales of his 2006 album Hoodstar, which sold just over 70,000 copies to debut at #8.

Is this Nas’ “NIGGER” Album Cover?

This is the alleged album cover for Nas’ NIGGER Album. It’s pretty cool, but something tells us this isn’t the finished album cover.

Lupe Fiasco Announces Nationwide Tour for 2008

In support of the December 18 release of his sophomore solo LP, The Cool, Chicago MC Lupe Fiasco will head out on a nationwide tour in January. Prior to the New Year, Lupe will celebrate the album’s release date with a show at New York’s Fillmore Theater, followed by his first Hawaiian gig in Honolulu on December 27. The acclaimed rookie, who recently received a Grammy nomination for his single “Daydreamin,’” will then officially kick off the outing in Seattle on January 11 and continue with dates all the way through late March. Additionally, in January, Lupe will be featured on “52 Bands,” a new segment from MTV that will profile one new artist each week. Finally, he is also planning a re-launch of his website, lupefiasco.com, complete with an array of brand new, interactive features, including a video game called “The Coolest.”

Jay-Z Announces New Year’s Weekend Concert in Las Vegas

Jay-Z announced this week that he will be bringing his successful American Gangster tour to Las Vegas for New Year’s weekend. The superstar MC and Def Jam president will perform at the Pearl at the Palms Casino on Saturday, December 29. Tickets for the engagement will cost $128, $178 and $228, and go on sale this Saturday (December 15) through Ticketmaster. Hov’s American Gangster LP, which was released on November 6, clocked in at No. 30 on the Billboard 200 this week, having sold 740,351 copies to date. In related news, Jay will also host the grand opening of his third 40/40 Club sports bar on December 30. The 24,000 square foot high end sports bar will be located in the brand new Palazzo, a 53-story extension of the Venetian and Sands casino complex.

Scarface, Drama & Wyclef Lead Chart Debuts

In one of the busiest weeks of the year for hip-hop releases, nine new rap albums debuted on the Billboard 200 charts. Leading the charge is Scarface’s M.A.D.E., which sold 63,084 copies in its first week to land at #17. DJ Drama, who released his retail debut Gangsta Grillz under simply “Drama,” moved 48,848 units, debuting at #26. Following close behind is Wyclef Jean at #28, who sold 46,519 copies of Carnival 2: Memoirs Of An Immigrant, the sequel to his 1997 solo debut.

Ghostface’s Big Doe Rehab, the Wu-Tang MC’s second album in less than a year, moved 35,671 albums, coming in at #41. LOX rapper Styles P’s independent debut Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman) comes in at #52 with a total of 29,047 units sold. 2Pac also released two new Best Of CDs last Tuesday, one called Thug, and one called Life. They sold 22,539 and 18,943 copies, respectively, coming in at #65 and #77. Hip-hop legend Too $hort released his 17th album Get Off The Stage, which sold 8,101 copies, coming in at #160. Rounding out the chart at #196 is the TVT compilation Crunk Hits Vol. 4, which moved 6,463 copies.

Jay-Z Closes $66 Million New York City Real Estate Deal, Launching New 40/40 in Las Vegas

Jay-Z and a group of partners recently finalized a $66 million deal for a piece of prime property in New York’s trendy Chelsea neighborhood. According to the New York Post, Jay teamed up with J Hotels to purchase the property which stretches is located at 510 W. 22nd Street and stretches to 512 W. 21st Street. His partners include real estate developers Abraham Shnay and his son Scott, and Charles Blaichman, all of whom have previously been involved with high profile development projects in the city. “It’s a great piece of property adjacent to the High Line in a great neighborhood,” Scott Shnay told the Post. The group is currently trying to figure out what to build on the property. Options currently being considered include an art gallery or possibly a high end hotel.

In related news, Jigga and his business partner Juan Perez will host a grand opening party on December 30 to celebrate the launch of their third 40/40 franchise in Las Vegas. The 24,000 square foot high end sports bar will be located in the brand new Palazzo, a 53-story extension of the Venetian and Sands complex that is scheduled to open the same night. “We represent what the entertainment capital of the world is all about, it’s only natural we open here,” Jay said in a statement. The $20 million club will feature 85 plasma TV’s, 5 exclusive VIP rooms, 24-karat gold and platinum floors and five 40 foot bi-level bars.

Pitbull Debuts At #50, Freeway Slips To #80, Jay-Z Holds Down Top 20

In a slow week for hip-hop sales, Miami rapper Pitbull had the week’s highest Billboard chart debut at #50, selling 22,398 copies of his third album The Boatlift. This was less than half of the first week sales of his 2006 album El Mariel, which sold 48,000 copies and debuted at #17 on the Billboard chart last October.

In other chart news, Jay-Z remains the only hip-hop act in the top 20. His album American Gangster sold an additional 51,979 units, bringing it down three spots to #17 with total sales of 694,954.

The only other rap releases still in the top 50 are Soulja Boy’s Souljaboytellem.com, which sits at #36, and Kanye West’s Graduation, which sits at #48. Soulja Boy sold an additional 34,303 units, bringing his total to 415,549. Kanye moved 23,425 albums, giving him a total of 1,737,445.

Freeway’s sophomore album Free At Last, which debuted last week at #42, slipped down to #80 this week with an additional 13,271 units sold. His total sales now sit at 49,384.

Pimp C Found Dead In Hollywood

After an early report from TMZ, sources inside the rapper’s label have confirmed that UGK’s Pimp C has passed away. TMZ reported that Pimp, real name Chad Butler, was found dead this morning in his room at Hollywood’s Mondrian Hotel. After responding to a 911 call, L.A. County Fire found him in his bed. The cause of death is unknown at this point. He was 33 years old.

Pimp C was one of the most influential rappers and producers in hip-hop’s history. His work with his partner Bun B in UGK over the last 15 years helped lay the foundations of Southern rap.

Lil Jon Narrates American Eagle Commercial

National clothing retailer American Eagle Outfitters announced today that Atlanta producer Lil Jon will be narrating a promotional animated short on the company’s website. The clip, titled “Snowman,” is part of their ongoing “AE Winter Tales” series, which is comprised of five stop-motion animated shorts that use claymation to tell humorous holiday-themed stories. “Snowman,” which puts a dark twist on the classic 1969 children’s cartoon Frosty The Snowman, follows the story of a snowman who comes to life after putting on a magical hat. While the clip won’t be released on the American Eagle website until December 11, a trailer for the series features Lil Jon saying, “A talking snowman?! This was some messed-up sh*t!!”

For more information, check out: http://www.ae.com/web/77e/winter-tales/

Luther Campbell Takes Luke Entertainment Group Public

On Monday (December 3) Luther Campbell announced that his company, the Luke Entertainment Group, will be publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange pink sheets under the stock symbol LKEN. The company is comprised of a digital media arm, a sports management division and an independent music division. Shares will begin trading in this month. Luke, who will serve as chairman and chief creative officer, has appointed internet entrepreneur Victor Nappe as CEO. Nappe has consulted for Fortune 500 companies and has chaired e-commerce advisory panels for the U.S. Congress, Kaiser College Business School and others. “The Luke Entertainment Group going public is an important milestone for Hip-Hop music,” Luke said in a statement. “The Luke Entertainment Group will be an example of the influence Hip-Hop music has on the economy and how our culture directly impacts technology and consumer spending. This will also serve as an opportunity for me to teach the Hip-Hop culture the power of investing, as many people are probably unfamiliar with Wall Street and how it can help improve your long term wealth.”

Wyclef Blasts Report Suggesting AIDS Entered the U.S. Through Haiti

In a statement released today through his Yele Haiti foundation, Wyclef Jean slammed a recent study that suggests the AIDS virus made its way into the U.S. through his native country of Haiti. “World AIDS Day (December 1) is an opportunity to evoke the progress and challenges that Haiti must confront in order to fight this epidemic, but also the recent news that unjustly targeted our country and showed serious prejudice,” Clef said in the statement. According to the Associated Press, Clef’s remarks were in response to a study released by Michael Worobey, an assistant professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, back in October. Worobey’s report called Haiti the “stepping stone” for the deadly virus as it made its way from the African continent into North America. Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, has been particularly hard hit by HIV and AIDS. “AIDS is a worldwide illness that does not discriminate. Making Haiti the scapegoat only gets in the way of world progress in AIDS research,” Clef reasoned. The former Fugees frontman was appointed as Haiti’s goodwill ambassador by the country’s president Rene Preval earlier this year.

Cops Think Murdered Fabolous Associate Tried to Steal Chain

The NYPD now believe that Shamel “Money Mel” McKinney, the 25 year-old associate of Fabolous who was stabbed to death at the Duvet nightclub on November 23, was killed after he tried to rob a man of his jewelry. According to the New York Post, unidentified law enforcement sources claim that McKinney was acting on behalf of Fab’s Street Family crew, whom authorities have long suspected of targeting celebrities with expensive jewelry in the New York area. “These guys have no money,” the law-enforcement source told the Post about the crew. “They go to New York to get paid, because that’s where the money is.” Initial witness accounts suggested that McKinney, an aspiring rapper who went by the name “Money Mel,” was stabbed while trying to break up a fight between two women. Investigators now believe that the man who McKinney was trying to rob knifed stabbed him and tossed a 7-inch switchblade into a nearby dumpster. Fab’s lawyer has denied that the rapper was ever at Duvet that night, but promoter Andre Faria says he definitely saw the rapper at the club that night. When questioned about the new allegations, the rapper’s attorney, Alberto Ebanks, said he was unaware of any such claims. The paper also reports that the FBI once considered a probe into the Street Family crew, but backed out after deciding that the crimes were not organized enough to warrant federal prosecution. Cops also believe that Fab was shot near Sean “Diddy” Combs’ now shuttered Justin’s Restaurant last October after his associates robbed Boston Celtics guard Sebastian Telfair of his $50,000 necklace.

Ghostface Scammed on eBay

Back in October, Ghostface put a prized Atlanta Backwoods fitted cap up for sale on online auction site eBay. In a video clip posted on Youtube (view the original video here), Big Ghost enticed possible buyers by nothing that the cap had recently been “sweated out” and was once in the presence of Halle Berry and Nia Long. The bidding eventually reached $335 dollars, but it turns out that the transaction was never completed. According to New York Magazine, the winning bidder backed out of the purchase at the last minute.