anya Stephens, a Jamaican based reggae artist, has filed a lawsuit against Lil' Kim alleging that the Brooklyn bred rapper stole a song from her. According to The New York Post, Stephens' suit, which was filed in Manhattan federal court last week, claims Kim stole lyrics from her 1997 song "Mi and Mi God" and used them on the song "Durty", which is featured on the rapper's 2005 album, The Naked Truth. The suit also claims Kim (born Kimberly Jones) flew Stephens to New York in 1999 to sing on one of her earlier albums and revealed she was a fan of the reggae singer when they officially met by singing "Mi and Mi God." The song the two recorded was never released. Stephens is seeking to gain ownership of "Durty" and receive all past and future royalties. "The lawsuit against Atlantic Records and Lil Kim is the result of Royaty Networks Inc's failed attempts to extract unreasonable sums and percentages of Lil Kim's new song for an interpolated use of a song which happens all the time in hip-hop," Kim's entertainment attorney L. Londell McMillan said in a statement. "There are no damages to Tanya Stephens, they never objected until after their efforts failed, and Kim was and remains willing to be fair. This matter should have been resolved but it appears to be another money and media play at Lil Kim's expense. This issue was no secret. Kim was advised licenses were obtained by those who handle clearances at the time. We shall defend this action." As SOHH previously reported, Kim is in the process of signing a lucrative record deal with Interscope Records and plans to release an album via the label in the summer of 2007. The Grammy Award winning rapper is also is readying to launch the second season of her BET reality show, "Countdown to Lockdown". The first season, which debuted earlier this year, captured footage of the petit lyricist before she turned herself into the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center to serve her 366-day sentence.

Comment! (0) | Recommend! | Categories: HIP HOP NEWS [t]

Friday - August 25, 2006 by Carl Chery Chingy Two years after delivering the commercially disappointing Powerballin, Chingy is ready to redeem himself with a new LP, Hoodstar. In this SOHH exclusive, the St-Louis rapper speaks on the pressure to succeed and one hit wonders. Roughly a year after the monstrous success of 2003's Jackpot, Chingy returned with Powerballin. Though the CD was lead with "Balla Baby," which faired decently on radio and video outlets, Chinga-ling's sophomore disc fell way under the 3 million units sold by its predecessor. Now with the Tyrese-featured "Pullin' Me Back" bubbling, Chingy is confident he's poised to return to glory. "I don't feel no pressure, cause the only reason Powerballin had mixed reactions is cause I came out with one single. The label messed that up. It was too much trying to make a decision on what second single to drop," Chingy told SOHH.com. "They waited too late and they just messed the whole process of it. They know they messed up with the second album, so they ain't got no choice." Though Jackpot quickly reached commercial success, Chingy's credibility has arguably never matched his record sales. Critics are usually pretty stingy with the praise while heads have questioned his longevity since his first single, "Right Thurr" came out. But Chingy doesn't sweat it. "I don't know how you can call somebody a one hit wonder that came out with four hit songs. And that's from my first album to my second album," Chingy explained. "A one hit wonder comes out with one song and you don't hear nothing from them. And when people talk crazy and be hating and all that shit, I don't even worry about that. That don't do nothing but give me drive." Misconceptions seemingly abound when it comes to Chingy. Ask anybody and they'll tell you his music caters to women. Yet, Chingy says he gets plenty of love from the fellas as well. "I would rather for all the women to like my music. I don't care. It's fellas that like my music too. I ain't fin to be mad cause mostly women listen to my music. That's what I want to hear my music," Chingy shared. "I always got dudes who came up to me and said they like my music. I figured it's vice versa like with this "Pulling Me Back" song, you wouldn't believe the dudes that come up to me. Some of the hardest dudes come up to me and tell me they love that song. It's more women because I think I attract women. The ladies love my music." Chingy's Hoodstar featuring production from Timbaland, Kwame, Mr. Collipark, Jermaine Dupri and Three Six Mafia hit stores September 19th.

Comment! (0) | Recommend! | Categories: HIP HOP NEWS [t]

Friday - August 25, 2006 by Carl Chery P. Diddy In this week's Pulse Report, the streets are buzzing about Diddy making a fool of himself, Loon and 40 Cal's conflicting reports about their beef and an altercation breaking out at NYC's Idlewild premiere. 1. Diddy demands Proactiv bragging rights. Diddy, Diddy, Diddy. He allegedly invented the remix and now Puff claims to be the first to use Proactiv skin care. Take that! Take that! A drunken, platinum-teeth sporting, doo-rag wearing Diddy recently made the revelation in a clip presently floating on the net. "Ya'll know damn well that Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Simpson is not using no Proactiv til Diddy wore Proactiv. Now, ya'll into skin care products. Now ya'll think it's official," Diddy complained. "Well ha! I was on Proactiv for seven years. That's why I got the silky smooth, cocoa butter skin. So Lindsay, Jessica, you're late. You should have followed my pretty ass from the beginning." O...K! Moving along. Your boy is so concerned with being stuntastic that he recently posted a clip of him waking up on Myspace. The subject at hand? Well, the Puffster reveals that he doesn't like having crust in the corner of his lips and suspects that his morning breath may be kicking. Eeeewwww! TMI, Diddy. TMI! Diddybop then talked about his breakfast preferences. Sausage, egg and cheese anyone? Look for more online clips from Diddy. The mogul swears that his myspace page will stay updated with fresh new videos. But just as Puff was putting new stuff up, old items resurfaced. Some may remember that shock jock Wendy Williams was allegedly suspended from New York's Hot 97 because she accused Puff of being gay. The photos that apparently lead Williams to that assumption are now posted online. One photo pictures Puff's lips uncomfortably close to those of his former protégé, Mason Betha, while another has him unintentionally mooning a crowd on an unknown beach. 2. Loon gives his side of the story. In recent weeks, 40 Cal has been making the media rounds, claiming that Loon took off running during an altercation the two had in a Harlem, NY barbershop. The Dipset young gun even stopped by SOHH.com to detail the encounter last week. Not so fast, according to a recent New York Hot 97 interview, Loon claimed otherwise. The former bad boy's account had him busting 40 in the head with a shovel. A woman, who claimed to be waiting on 40 outside of the shop when the fight took place, phoned into Hot 97 to corroborate Loon's story. Minutes into the interview, 40 called into the station. The two proceeded to discredit one another, speak on top of each other and issue threats for the remainder of the interview. So why are these two even feuding? Well, according to Loon, Cal set it off when he began taking shots on record. "Me and Jim Jones had a little friction between us and the kid 40 Cal supposedly had got on a few records with Jim Jones... talking about me and stuff," the Harlemite told Miss Jones on the morning show. "I knew Cal for a long time so when I seen him I just felt kinda disrespected with him trying to acknowledge me as a friend...you know partake in a conspiracy to try and assassinate my character, embarrass me or whatever the case may be. Dude knew he was out of order for partaking in this type of situation then when you see me, you just think you gon give me a pound." 3. Fight breaks out at Idlewild screening. Who ever said journalists are punks? Well, SOHH.com was present when a fight broke out during a press screening of OutKast's Idlewild in the big apple yesterday ( August 23rd). It is actually uncertain whether the two pugilists were writers or not. According to a SOHH correspondent on the scene, the scuffle coincidentally jumped off during one of the movie's most violent scenes. As two men duked it out in the front row, one stood with his shirt off, yelling, "he jumped me, he jumped me." As bullets flew on screen, attendees began moving around nervously, wondering if anyone actually had a gun in the theatre. Security guards eventually intervened and threw the boxers out. According to the guards, the fight was sparked when one of the two men repeatedly bumped his knee into the other sitting directly next to him. 4. Def Jam prevents Ye from rhyming in Khaled clip. Perceptive heads may have noticed that Ye only raps the chorus in DJ Khaled's video for "Grammy Family." No, it's not another one of Kanye's brilliant left concepts. A source at Koch Records recently told SOHH.com that Def Jam allowed the Louis Vutton Don to appear in Khaled's clip, but wouldn't let him perform his verse, hence the collection of Good Music artists reciting his raps throughout the video. 5. Pete Rock signs to Violator Management? DJ Premier just helped Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics reach the top spot on the Billboard 200... and Pete Rock may just be next. A source close to SOHH recently bumped into the Chocolate Boy Wonder and learned that he was heading to the Violator offices. Apparently a management situation is on the table. The powerhouse management company could definitely help Pete return to the forefront. Regardless, the legendary producer has been doing quite well for himself. In the past year, Pete has upped his mainstream contributions, producing for Jim Jones and 50 Cent among others. [For any questions, comments or criticisms, hit up Carl Chery at www.myspace.com/hdottt]

Comment! (0) | Recommend! | Categories: HIP HOP NEWS [t]

Tuesday - August 29, 2006 by Janeé Bolden Dem Franchize Boyz Dem Franchize Boyz member Parlae, and six others appeared in a Fulton County courtroom yesterday for a plea hearing, only to have their charges reduced. As SOHH previously reported, Parlae (whose real name is Maurice Gleaton) was arrested along with seven other men at an Atlanta recording studio this June when police searched Making Big Moves Entertainment and discovered several pounds of marijuana. Yesterday, August 28th Parlae appeared before Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore at his plea hearing, which had previously been rescheduled from an earlier date. When the defendants' charges were read they had been reduced from drug trafficking to the charge of possession with the intent to distribute. "The crime lab responsible for weighing the drugs has determined the amount of drugs recovered was below ten pounds," Parlae's attorney Ash Joshi told SOHH. "The change in the charge is significant because trafficking carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years but the new charge of possession with the intent to distribute carries no minimum sentence." The case will also be moved to a new judge (Judge Craig Shwall) because fellow defendant, Making Moves Entertainment CEO Anthony Blalock (who was the target of the June 13th police search warrant) has another open trafficking case from a previous arrest. Joshi told SOHH that it's possible the courts may decide to charge Blalock separately from the other six defendants but either way Parlae probably will not have to report back to court for another three to four weeks. Joshi expects the case will go to trial within the next month and a half. Parlae will be returning to tour with the rest of Dem Franchize Boyz on their Up Close and Personal Tour this Friday, September 1 in Virginia Beach, VA. The remaining dates of the tour are listed below: 9/1 Verizon WirelessVAVirginia Beach,VA 9/3 Alltel Pavilion Raleigh, NC 9/4 Boutwell Auditorium Birmingham, AL 9/7 American Airlines Arena Miami, FL 9/8/ Ford Amphitheatre Tampa, FL 9/9 ChastainParkAmpitheater Atlanta, GA 9/10 Verizon WirelessNCCharlotte, NC 9/12 Germain Ampitheater Columbus, OH 9/14 FedEx Forum Memphis, TN 9/15 UMB Bank PavilionMOMaryland Heights, MO 9/16 DTE Energy Music Theatre Clarkston, MI 9/17 Charter One Pavilion Chicago, IL 9/21 Verizon WirelessTXSelma, TX 9/22 Cynthia Woods Pavilion The Woodlands, TX 9/23 Smirnoff Music Centre Dallas, TX 9/24 Verizon WirelessKSBonner Springs, KS 9/28 Gibson Amphitheatre Universal City, CA 09/29 Verizon WirelessCAIrvine,CA 9/30 Cricket Pavilion Phoenix, AZ 10/1 Journal Pavilion Albuquerque, NM 10/6 Sleep Train/Chronicle Pavilion Concord, CA 10/8 Sleep Train Amph. (Marysville) Marysville, CA

Comment! (0) | Recommend! | Categories: hip hop news [t]

Tuesday - August 29, 2006 by Janeé Bolden Master P New Orleans native, Master P, has recently penned "Uncle Willy's Family" a hip-hop gospel comedy play about one family's post Hurricane Katrina experience. The play stars comedian Terry Miles as Vietnam veteran Uncle Willy, who takes in several members of his extended family when their home is destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. "The moral of the play is put your trust in God, believe in your family. Nothing is impossible. Use hard times as an opportunity to grow," Master P told Yahoo!Music. Clearly the rapper, who was raised in New Orleans' 3rd Ward Calliope Projects, is putting this belief to practice. Master P, whose real name is Percy Miller, appears as an actor in the play, as does his son Romeo and his brother Silkk the Shocker who both rap as well. Master P also credited the success of Tyler Perry's Madea franchise for building up the gospel theater audience. "Madea opened the door, and there hasn't been another character who could stand on his own. This is a great opportunity to open up a lot more doors for other people to have a play based around a character," Master P told Yahoo!Music. "Uncle Willy's Family" is scheduled to go on the road touring the Gulf region during early September. The play is scheduled to visit Meridien, Jackson and Greenwood, Mississippi in addition to Beaumont, Texas. Additional performances are expected in New Orleans, Houston, Baton Rouge, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. For more information about "Uncle Willy's Family" please visit: www.unclewilly.com. In related news, Master P is also planning to begin casting his reality TV series next month. The show "America's Next Hip-Hop Stars". Snoop Dogg, Romeo, Paul Wall and former BET personality Free have been tapped to judge the competition on the TV show. Those interested in trying out can register at the official website for the series.

Comment! (0) | Recommend! | Categories: hip hop news [t]

By Nolan Strong
Date: 9/2/2006 5:00 pm

xml


Ludacris and Disturbing Tha Peace will face 50 Cent and G-Unit on the basketball court during Ludacris' Labor Day weekend celebration titled Luda Day Weekend.

Ludacris will coach his DTP team against 50 Cent's G-Unit squad during the celebrity basketball game, which also features NBA ball players Ron Artest and Kevin Garnett.

"This weekend is a celebration and a release (Release Therapy) - pun intended - for me, my friends and my fans," Ludacris told AllHipHop.com. "I am getting ready to start promo tour for my album Release Therapy on September 26 and I am gonna let my hair down. So for all who can make it come ready to let go. If u can't make it you will hear about it or read about it."

Luda Day Weekend features various friends the rapper/actor celebrating the Labor Day weekend holiday in the Atlanta.

Luda Day Weekend kicked off last night (Sept. 1) with a "Black Hollywood" event hosted by actor Terrence Howard, who starred along side Ludacris in Hustle & Flow as well as Crash

Today (Sept. 2) the events continue with The Aphilliates Block Party featuring Ludacris, DJ Drama, Cannon, DJ Sence and Sticks Malone.

The Block Party is hosted by the Clark Atlanta University Student Government Association at the CAU Promenade.

Later in the evening, an invitation-only event titled "We are the Champions" is being hosted by Jerome Bettis and Ludacris at Hotel 12.

Tomorrow (Sept. 3) actress Gabrielle Union will host an "All White Party" at Club 1150.

On Monday (Sept. 4), Luda Day Weekend culminates with the celebrity basketball game at Clark Atlanta's Epps Gymnasium.

"We are finally gonna have the long awaited battle between DTP and G-Unit," Ludacris told AllHipHop.com. "They have been talking so much s**t about playing us in ball, that we had to bring it to the test. We sent the challenge and they accepted it, so its on and yall will see what DTP can do. Yall don't wanna miss this Luda Day Weekend."'

G-Unit member Tony Yayo shrugged off Ludacris' challenge with a friendly taunt. "I heard Ludacris is going to be the coach. Why don't he play some ball?" said.

On Monday, Luda Day Weekend ends on Sept. 5 with Martinis Monday's at Justin's with DJ Red Alert and Ludacris.

"Luda Day Weekend is a celebration with Luda and his friends from music, TV, and film. He brings that star power and everything that he received back to the ATL, so that his hometown can enjoy," said DTP CEO Chaka Zulu.

Ludacris' latest album Release Therapy is slated to hit stores Sept. 26.

Tickets to the basketball game can be purchased at the CAU Student Center.

Below is a full schedule of events:

Sat. Sept. 2nd- Aphilliates Block Party @ Clark Atlanta University w/DTP, DJ Drama, Cannon, DJ Sence, Sticks Malone. 2pm-7pm

Sat. Sept. 2nd- Champions Party @ Hotel 12 w/ Jerome Bettis and Ludacris. 8pm-1am.

Sun. Sept. 3rd- All White Party @ Club 1150 w/ Ludacris and Gabrielle Union . 10pm-3pm

Mon. Sept. 4th- DTP vs. G-Unit Basketball Game @ Clark Atlanta University w/ DTP and G-Unit 4pm-7pm

Mon. Sept. 4th- Martini Mondays @ Justin's w/ DJ Red Alert and Ludacris.

Comment! (0) | Recommend! | Categories: HIP HOP NEWS [t]