Update: Jay-Z/Diamond Sign Controversy Continues, Rocawear Added To Copyright Lawsuit Tuesday. 12.12.06 8:36 am 
Tuesday - December 12, 2006 by Jolene "foxxylady" Petipas
Jay-Z - Press Conference
A federal judge recently added Rocawear's owners, Roc Apparel Group LLC, Urban Menswear LLC and Rocawear Licensing LLC, to a trademark and copyright infringement suit filed by former WWE superstar Diamond Dallas Page against Jay-Z.
As SOHH previously reported, Page filed the suit in December 2005 claiming Jay-Z illegally adopted his trademark hand gesture, the "Diamond Cutter," as his own. Page claims he was the first to use the "Diamond Cutter" hand symbol in 1996 and asserts that the sign has long been trademarked.
Jay-Z has used the diamond hand sign frequently as a symbol of his Roc-A-Fella Records dynasty and can be seen flashing it on the covers for The Dynasty: Rock La Familia 2000 CD and Jay-Z: Fade To Black DVD.
According to Page, he recently discovered that Rocawear manufactured and sold merchandise displaying the "Diamond Cutter" hand symbol. The wrestler is seeking unspecified monetary damages and an injunction to prohibit Jay-Z from using the hand gesture.
In a radio interview last year, Page named entertainers and athletes, including former NBA great Karl Malone, who have acknowledged him by throwing the ``Diamond Cutter`` sign up. The wrestler said he first uncovered that Jay used the symbol after seeing Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lebron James throw it up during a game. Hov reportedly said, "that's my sign" when asked why James used it.
Comment! (2) | Recommend! | Categories: muzik news [t] Ludacris, Dallas Austin Judge Rising Musicians In New Talent Sunday. 9.24.06 1:37 pm 
By Alexis Jeffries
Date: 9/23/2006 9:00 am
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Ludacris, mega-producers/songwriters Dallas Austin (Brandy, Michael Jackson), Sean Garrett (Usher, Beyonce) and Block (Young Jeezy, Jazze Pha) have signed on as celebrity judges for the “How Down Is Your Sound?” talent contest sponsored by Atlanta media personality Ryan Cameron and Kaneva.com.
The online contest, open for submissions until October 9 and open to everyone in the U.S., asked the celebrity judges to assist in searching for singers and musicians with uploadable songs and music videos that display their skills.
Online voters at Kaneva.com will vote for their favorite entries through October 25, and the top 10 contestants will be invited to perform “live” in front of the four celebrity judges who will determine the winner of a grand prize valued at over $60,000.
"'How Down Is Your Sound' represents the talent search of the future," said Ryan Cameron, official host of "How Down Is Your Sound." "Where else in the world can someone off the street with literally no entry barriers, get the chance to share their sound and performance -- whether it is rap, Hip-Hop, or rock -- with millions of people worldwide, as well as with hit making producers who can help rocket them into celebrity status."
The grand prize package will include a $7,500 studio recording session in Dallas Austin’s DARP studio, a one-day internship with Sean Garrett, a demo deal that includes a 5-song package with Block’s producers, and a professional photo shoot.
The winner’s music will be showcased on Kaneva.com at the contest’s conclusion.
In related news, Ludacris is preparing to release his new album Release Therapy on Sept. 26, and will sign autographs at 6 pm at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square in New York City.
The album’s first single “Money Maker” made a debut on Billboard Hot 100 charts at #2.
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Comment! (2) | Recommend! | Categories: HIP HOP NEWS [t] Jay-Z's African Tour Gives Props to Local Act Friday. 10.6.06 10:12 pm
Friday - October 6, 2006 by Alexis Chase
NBA LIVE 07 - IN STORES NOW
Jay-Z - Press Conference
Rapper and Def Jam label president Jay-Z is touring several countries in Africa this week making stops in Tanzania, Angola, Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria.
When Jay-Z performs in the Nigerian capital city Lagos this Saturday, he will share the bill with nine Nigerian artists, including female rapper Word MC, who is currently one of the hottest artists on the charts of Nigeria's flourishing hip-hop scene.
"To be mentioned alongside him at all - I feel privileged," Word MC told the BBC. "I just want to go out and sell Word MC and sell Africa with the best of my ability. I want it to be a crazy, Afrocentric multimedia experience. I want people to come and go, 'Wow' - we went to Nigeria and this is what we saw."
While 50 Cent was accused of failing to pay African artists their proper respects when he toured Africa, Jay-Z is being applauded for his inclusion of local artists and the artists seem to be just as excited about the visit as audience members.
"It's going to be my first time seeing him," renowned Nigerian rapper Rugged Man told BBC World Service, "I'm hoping he will give Nigerians their money's worth... this is a different crowd to what he's used to."
Getting their money's worth comes at a high price. VIP tickets for the show have been priced at $800 and regular tickets cost $200, so there have been plenty of complaints about the expense of attending the show being too much for many Nigerians to even consider.
"A lot of people have chosen to call it selective audience participation," Journalist Henry Ekachegu told the BBC. "How many people can afford this? People are struggling to get through daily living and the prices are like this?"
Still, Ekachegu acknowledged that Saturday's show in Lagos has generated "a huge media buzz" in the country, leaving many Nigerians feeling that the country has been deemed worthy of recognition as a cultural center for show business.
The African leg of Jay-Z's tour is part of an international stretch of shows that has already visited European countries including France, Holland, England and Germany and will also reach Asia and Australia later this month.
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16 USER COMMENTS
The comments written below do not reflect the opinions of SOHH.com, 4CONTROL Media, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Comments may be deleted in our sole discretion.
* Medfire says...
* Jay - Z doesnt give a f about his black people. Ima hustler baby!!!
* Friday, 10-06-2006 @ 1:46pm
* THACEO says...
* lol $200/ticket for nigerian audience is like $1000 for an american audience.
* Friday, 10-06-2006 @ 2:01pm
* Breads says...
* It's Weird MC - not Word stupid. Why give props and get their name wrong?
* Friday, 10-06-2006 @ 2:03pm
» read all 16 comments Comment! (2) | Recommend! | Categories: HIP HOP NEWS [t] Yung Joc Preparing 'The Jocumentary' Sunday. 10.15.06 4:57 pm 
By EbenGregory
Date: 10/12/2006 9:50 am
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Block Entertainment/Bad Boy lyricist Yung Joc has teamed with the Raw Report to give viewers an inside look at his life in the new DVD, The Jocumentary, scheduled to arrive in stores on Nov. 14.
Produced by the Raw Report, the new documentary follows an uncensored Joc in his travels and contains interviews and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.
The DVD boasts guest appearances by Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jim Jones, Kevin Liles, Rick Ross and Paul Wall among others.
"People only hear the hit records but I wanted them to know what it takes to get there,” Yung Joc said. "From the video shoots to the performances, now the fans can see firsthand how it really goes down."
"Now the world can see up close the drive that Diddy and I first saw in Joc," added Russell "Block" Spencer, CEO of Block Entertainment. "It's one thing to watch a music video, but the Raw Report shows the uncut truth like nobody else."
Viewers will also be able to access current and future episodes of the Raw Report DVD Magazine through MixCast’s online video portal or download it through MixCast's video on demand service.
In June, Yung Joc’s debut album New Joc City landed at number one on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Album Chart with 149,000 units sold, as well as number three on the Billboard Top 200.
To view the latest clips from The Jocumentary, log onto www.mixcast.tv.
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Comment! (0) | Recommend! | Categories: HIP HOP NEWS [t] Busta's Flipmode Jumps Into R&B With Former Blackstreet Member Chauncey Black Sunday. 10.15.06 4:59 pm 
By Nolan Strong
Date: 10/14/2006 9:00 pm
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Busta Rhymes is expanding the sounds of his Flipmode Squad to include R&B and has inked a deal with former Blackstreet frontman Chauncey Black.
Black's solo debut Church Boy features guest appearances by The Game, Young Buck, Rah Digga, Labb, Spliff Star and Busta Rhymes, while Dr. Dre, LT Hutton, Davel "Bo" McKenzie and Teddy Riley handled production of the album.
“Seeing what he did with Blackstreet and knowing dude’s talent first hand, I knew without a doubt he would represent the Flipmode squad well,” Busta Rhymes told AllHipHop.com in a statement.
As a member of Teddy Riley's group Blackstreet, Black hit the charts with songs like "Before I Let Go" and "Booti Call," which were featured on the group's 1994 self-titled debut.
Blackstreet found mainstream success in 1996 with the #1 single "No Diggity," which featured Dr. Dre and Queen Pen. The group won a Grammy Award for "No Diggity" in 1998, taking the Best R&B Performance by a group or duo category.
“I’ve been all over the world with Blackstreet and I feel good about stepping in my own lane and showing people what I can do,” Black said of Church Boy, which will be released through Flipmode/Motown/Universal.
The first singles from the album are "Ride or Die" which features Young Buck and Rah Digga and a balled titled “Everyday Is Your Birthday.”
Church Boy is slated to hit stores in early 2007.
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Comment! (0) | Recommend! | Categories: HIP HOP NEWS [t] Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt" Concert Hits the Net Monday. 8.28.06 6:13 pm
Monday - August 28, 2006 by Anthony Roberts
Jay-Z - Press Conference
Footage from Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt 10th Anniversary concert at Radio City Music Hall will now be available to fans on the internet.
The concert, in which Jay celebrated the 10th anniversary of the release of his classic debut, Reasonable Doubt, by performing the entire album live, will be made available simultaneously to peer-to-peer services as well as to Coca-Cola's video site stageside.com. The clip will also feature the artists that performed with the Jigga man as well, including Mary J. Blige, Memphis Bleek, Foxy Brown and Sauce Money.
Stageside launched in March of this year and features exclusive videos, performances, backstage footage and interviews with many of today's top artists. The videos are available to fans for download at no cost at Stageside.TV.
As previously reported by SOHH, Jay-Z will be embarking on an upcoming seven-week world tour beginning on September 9 in Krakow, Poland. During the tour, Hova will visit parts of both Eastern and Western Europe, Africa and Asia before wrapping up in Melbourne, Australia on October 28.
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