Ne-Yo Arrested!

Well daaamn Ne-Yo. What’s really hood with getting popped for wreckless driving and not having a license? I just want to know what he was so pressed to get to at 3:14 am on a Tuesday morning (Feb. 19th) that he couldn’t have a driver do for him? Possibly wanted to hit up a CVS to take care of that foolishness that is his head. Is this what 28 year old men have to look forward to? Damn. He was released about an hour after he was booked. Let’s do better peoples.

Will Smith Wins Suit over Adolf Hitler Remarks

A judge in London has awarded Will Smith an unspecified amount of damages in a lawsuit brought by the actor and rapper against entertainment news agency World Entertainment News Network (WENN). According to Reuters, Judge David Eady agreed that WENN had “wholly misrepresented” Smith’s statements and caused him “acute embarrassment.” The suit stems from a story printed by the agency in which it was claimed that Smith had praised German dictator Adolf Hitler as a “good person.” Smith’s actual comments read as follows: “Even Hitler didn’t wake up going, ‘let me do the most evil thing I can do today.’ I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was ‘good.’” Although WENN later printed a retraction, Smith’s attorney Rachel Atkins contended that it went largely ignored by most media outlets. John Melville Smith, the attorney representing WENN, offered apologies on behalf of the agency and accepted that the story was misleading and erroneous. Atkins stated that the monetary compensation awarded by the court will be donated to charity and cover the legal costs of the lawsuit.

Snoop Dogg Ticketed for Smoking Weed in New York

Snoop Dogg was issued a desk appearance ticket on Wednesday night (February 20) for smoking marijuana in front of an unidentified Manhattan club. According to the New York Post, the rapper’s attorney, Donald Etra, informed the newspaper of the incident. Etra would not identify which club his client was allegedly smoking in front of, and believes the summons was issued in error. “He did not get arrested. He received a ticket for possession of marijuana,” Etra told the Post. “We are contesting the ticket.” Snoop’s last marijuana related run-in with the law was in Sweden in March of 2007. He and a female companion were held overnight by Stockholm police, who said they appeared to be under the influence of narcotics.

T.I. Talks Paper Trail With Rolling Stone

Since being arrested on weapons charges and being placed on house arrest, Atlanta rapper T.I. has been understandably quiet in the press. But now, in a recent interview with Rolling Stone Tip breaks his silence. The interview begins with his thoughts on working with Denzel as well as his take on Jay-Z’s American Gangster. Then, he goes on to confirm various details about his upcoming follow-up to T.I. Vs. T.I.P., which he has been recording in his home studio. Check this excerpt:

RS: Are you still working on your album?
T.I.: Absolutely. It’s called Paper Trail. It’s going great.

RS: How many tracks do you have done already?
T.I.: I’ve got about thirty-some tracks done, but I’ve got like sixteen that I’m in love with and I’m still working. After you get those sixteen, you try to make sixteen more to top them and you pick the best.

RS: Who have you been working with?
T.I.: I’ve got records with Danja, I’ve got one record so far from DJ Toomp. I’ve got records from Little C and Keith Mack from Grand Hustle Productions, and records from J.R. Rotem and Jay Rock [Phresh Juice ED NOTE: We believe that T.I. meant Miami-based producer “JRock,” not the Cali rapper “Jay Rock,” as Rolling Stone printed]. Quite a few people.

RS: Do you have a sense yet of how this album is going to be different from the last one?
T.I.: I don’t know if I can put into words how it will be different from the last album, but I know you’ll definitely be able to tell the difference. The people who I’ve played it for, they say it reminds them a lot of the earlier albums I’m Serious and Trap Muzik. It’s called Paper Trail because for the first time since my very first album, I’m actually writing the lyrics down, pen and pad, old school style. I used to just listen to the music and go in the booth and rap. And now that I’m writing things down, I think it’s a little more eloquent.

Chris Lighty & Violator Back Hip-Hop Horror Film

Chris Lighty and Mona Scott of Violator Management, home to clients such as 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott; are set to executive produce an upcoming Hip-Hop themed horror film called Shady Talez. According to Daily Variety, the film will feature three separate stories that will pay homage to classic horror films with a Hip-Hop spin. Paramount Pictures will distribute the project, which is being written by producers Dallas Jackson and Marlon Chapman. Jackson—who has worked on projects with Master P and Lil Romeo—heads DJ Classicz, the urban arm of production company Davis Entertainment. While no casting announcements have been made as of yet, there’s a good chance you could see some of your favorite rappers in Shady Talez. “We intend to marry each of the stories with a hot director from the musicvideo and/or film world along with Violator’s hip-hop talent roster,” said Jackson.

VH1 Helps Flavor Flav Find A Beat

Flavor Flav and cable network VH1, which airs his Flavor of Love reality series, are teaming up to find an aspiring producer to help create his new single. The competition, called “VH1’s The Track with Flavor Flav,” launches today (February 20) on flavorffloveworld.com. To enter, participants must submit an original audio composition without vocals between now and March 13. At that point, Flav will select three finalists who will go up against each other in an online poll. The winner will then work with the Public Enemy hypeman to record and produce his new single. All contestants must be 18 years or older and live within the continental U.S. A grand prize winner will be announced on April 1. Visit flavorffloveworld.com for more information.

Will.i.am Lands Role in X-Men Origins:Wolverine

Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am has landed a role in an upcoming X-Men prequel that focuses on the character of Wolverine. According to Daily Variety, the rapper and producer joins actors Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Kitsch as the newest cast members. All three will portray superheros based on original Marvel comic book characters, with will tackling the role of teleporter John Wraith in what will be his feature film debut. Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine in the first three X-Men films, has also signed on for X-Men Origins. The film will reveal how the character of Wolverine came to exist in the X-Men universe and will introduce a number of characters that are yet to appear in the previous films. Filming is already underway in Australia and New Zealand and will eventually move to New Orleans. Twentieth Century Fox is planning for a release on May 1, 2009.

Timbaland Recording First “Mobile Album” for Verizon Wireless

Timbaland has entered into an agreement with mobile carrier Verizon Wireless to create the first ever “mobile album” which will only be available through the company’s V Cast content service. According to Billboard.com, Timbo will record a new song each month while traveling the country on the Verizon Mobile Recording Studio Bus. The super-producer will work with a different artist on each track and footage will be recorded and made available on V Cast’s Timbaland channel. Upon completion of the tracks, they will be made available for download as full tracks, ringtones and ringbacks. A compilation album including all of the resulting tracks is expected to be released at the end of the year. Known for his diverse musical tastes, Tim tells Billboard that he won’t be concentrating on any particular genre. “I’m just going to have fun with it,” he says. “I’ll just do what comes in mind.” The first track, featuring Tim’s artist Keri Hilson, has already been completed and will be introduced at a Verizon and People magazine Grammy party tonight (February 8).

Jay-Z & Steve Stoute Launch Translation Advertising

Jay-Z and marketing executive Steve Stoute have teamed up to launch a new ad agency called Translation Advertising. According to a report in the New York Times, the agency will operate as part of Translation Consultation and Brand Imaging, which Stoute founded and continues to head after selling to the Interpublic Group last October. Interpublic, which is the industry’s third largest ad agency group will own 49% of Translation Advertising while Stoute and Jay will retain the majority stake and serve as chairmen. The new company will help clients reach the young, multicultural consumers that have long eluded major corporations looking to cash in on the estimated $2 trillion that this demographic spends each year. While Interpublic currently owns stakes in several agencies that market to the Hispanic and Asian-American consumer, they are underrepresented in the African-American market. Jay feels that with his intimate knowledge of the culture these advertisers are trying to reach, he can help companies communicate on a more genuine level. “If we sit in a room,” Hov explained to the Times, “and offer our ideas of how to reach consumers, how to speak to them—and this is not a cocky statement—put us up against anything, and we’ll win our fair share of battles.” He explained that his role at Translation will include providing input on creative and entrepreneurial ideas rather than the day-to-day operations. Stoute already has a proven track record in the marketing arena, with a client list that includes General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, McDonald’s and Reebok. Translation is expected to announce its first clients sometime in the near future.

Rick Ross to Release M.I.Yayo Documentary in March

Miami native Rick Ross has inked a distribution deal with Boston-based Traffic Entertainment for the release of his documentary M.I.Yayo. The film explores the billion-dollar cocaine industry that helped build the rapper’s hometown by examining the city’s 10 most notorious drug lords. Director Chris Larceny has compared it to the wildly popular documentary Cocaine Cowboys, but with a greater emphasis on the actions and mind states of the people intimately involved in the business. The film uses news footage, first hand accounts and interviews with the friends and families of those involved to document the influx of money into Miami in the 80’s and 90’s and its effects on the city. “When I was touring in Europe with Port of Miami, the media question of the day was, “What is the ‘other side of the bridge?’” Ross explained in a statement announcing the release. “People all over the world want to know about this side of Miami, I give it to them in M.I.Yayo. “It is incredibly shocking, and many think Miami is South Beach, that’s it. The world wants to know the real deal and this is it with M.I.Yayo.” Ross will be hosting screenings of the film in cities across the country, and it will be available for purchase through music retailers, the iTunes Music Store and maybachmusicgroup.com.

50 Cent Says Young Buck is Still with G-Unit

During a recent interview with DJ Kay Slay on his Streetsweeper Radio show on Shade45, 50 Cent shot down recent rumors of a rift between himself and rapper Young Buck. When the new G-Unit mixtape—Return of the Bodysnatchers—hit the internet earlier this week, Buck’s absence on all but one track fueled speculation that the Nashville MC was leaving the label. But according to 50, that is not the case. While discussing the mixtape, Curtis explained that himself, Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks threw the mixtape together over the course of one weekend in New York while Buck was in Nashville. He said that the one track featuring Buck, “Make Me Feel Good,” was actually recorded some time ago, separate from the rest of the material that made the final track listing. The G-Unit boss also explained that Buck’s noticeable absence from the recent G-Unit tour was due to nothing more than a scheduling conflict. “During the actual international tour, Buck was scheduled to go on the Young Rich tour,” 50 explained. “That was the tour that Sha Money [former G-Unit president] was putting together for him and Rich Boy. And then, you know, I didn’t know that [the tour] didn’t actually materialize while I was overseas, but that’s why they didn’t see Buck overseas with us.” He went on to note, that while he understands how people might view the situation a certain way, things were not always how they appeared.

Lil Wayne Preps First Carter III Single

Lil Wayne is preparing to drop the first single for his highly anticipated and much delayed new LP, Tha Carter III. Weezy recently shot a video in Las Vegas for the first single, “Lollipop,” which was produced by Deezle and features singer Static. In a new interview with Billboard magazine, Wayne explains that he doesn’t want to rush the project. “It’s one of those albums people are really waiting on, so I made it so that whatever is on it will stick with you forever,” he tells Billboard. “I’m taking my time with it. And I’m giving artists I respect and people I want to do songs with—not songs the label fixed—an opportunity to collaborate.” He goes on to say that he is interested in working out a deal with his label, Universal Records, that will allow him to shoot videos for each song on the album. “Every one of them is a movie,” he says of the tracks. Guests scheduled to appear on Tha Carter III include Hurricane Chris, Corey Gunz, Tyga, Jibbs, Shanell, Kidd Kidd, Mack Maine and Lil Mama. Producers including The Alchemist, Cool & Dre and Jim Jonsin have already contributed tracks.

Swizz Beatz Working on Ruff Ryders Reunion Album

Swizz Beatz recently confirmed that he is in fact working on a Ruff Ryders reunion album that has been rumored to be in the works for the past couple of months. Speaking to MTV News, Swizzy explained his vision for the project. “I’m in my zone,” he explained to MTV. “I’m bringing the Ruff Ryders back real major in ‘08. It’s gonna be a lot of Ruff Ryders shit in ‘08. Not taking away from D-Block, not taking away from Bloodline. It’s stamping the brand that started all this shit.” The super-producer says he wants the album will have 10 tracks and he revealed that he has already reached out to DJ Premier, Dr. Dre and Dame Grease for beats. Most of the original Ruff Ryders crew are expected to appear, including The Lox, Drag-On and DMX, who Swizz says has already contributed five verses. The Full Surface CEO is also working with X on his upcoming Gospel themed double LP, Walk With Me Now, Fly With Me Later. The first disc, Walk With Me, will be comprised of typical X fare, while the second, Fly With Me Later, will feature the Yonkers MC’s unique brand of spiritual rap. “I’m helping him out with it,” Swizz told MTV. “ just hooked him up with Pharrell for the gospel joint.”

Unreleased Jay-Z Song Leaks, Fuels Blueprint 3 Rumors

A previously unheard, Timbaland produced Jay-Z song called “Ain’t I” leaked onto the internet and immediately fueled rumors that the former Def Jam president was preparing a third installment in his Blueprint series of albums. The leaked version of the track includes vocal drops from DJ Clue in which he announces that it is “off that Blueprint 3.” The song appears on Clue’s new mixtape, Desert Storm Radio 8: I Am Legend. But when MTV News reached out to a rep for Jay, they were informed that the track is actually old but never made it onto an album. The rep went on to say that Jay has not indicated that he would be releasing any new album in the near future. Nonetheless, some of the lyrical content of “Ain’t I” seems related to recent disparaging remarks made by former Roc-A-Fella artists such as Peedi Peedi and Beanie Sigel. Over a signature Timbo beat Hov raps, “I took a pay cut to become a exec/So the next motherfucker can earn his pay check/And even though these niggas talk greasy ‘bout me/Ask these niggas how they gonna eat without me.”

Diddy Teams with VH1 in Search for New Assistant

Sean “Diddy” Combs is teaming up with the VH1 network for an upcoming reality show that will chronicle his search for a new personal assistant. Open calls already started on February 2,2008 in New York and Atlanta, with additional calls in Chicago, Los Angles, Houston, Boston and Miami in coming weeks. Applicants must arrive with an application, which can be downloaded from workforpdiddy.com, along with a current resume. Alternately, applicants can create and submit a DVD or mini-dv in which they explain who they are and why they are right for the job. As noted on the website, prospective candidates must be over the age of 21, have a “whatever it takes” attitude, and be available and on call 24/7. The pool will eventually be narrowed to 20 finalists, all of whom will appear on the as of yet untitled show on VH1. For more info visit workforpdiddy.com.

Jacki-O to Release Novel Through C-Murder’s TRU Publishing

Miami native and former TVT Records artist Jacki-O is set to embark on a new career as an author with the upcoming release of her first book, a work of fiction called Grown & Gangsta. Scheduled to hit stores on February 15, the project will be the first release from C-Murder’s recently launched TRU Publishing. The book tells the story of six friends, Monique, Tatiana, Inch, Malcolm, Quentin and Iz, who support each other through trying times on the streets and in their personal lives. Grown & Gangsta is currently available for pre-order through Amazon.com and trupublishing.com. Here is an excerpt:

“The pop pop pop of the paparazzi’s cameras lit up the night like diamonds made of light. Each flash was like a bling. Many celebrities, athletes and popular rappers had come out to P-Nice’s Hampton mansion. P-Nice owned the hottest rap label in the game, Street Life Records, as well as the trendy clothing label Pierre Wear. To be invited to his Fourth of July party meant you were somebody in the industry or in the streets. Monique was of the former. She was the A & R rep. from the up and coming Harlem World Records and had been responsible for the signing of one of the best new singers in the game, Joi Black, and a rapper out of Jersey named Lucky Malone. Monique wasn’t a heavy weight by a long shot, neither was she raking in the dough, but her name was ringing bells and with the contacts she was making, she had her eyes on her own label.”