Murs & 9th Wonder Take Two

Thought Murs 3:16 the 9th Edition was hot? Well now you have a reason to live another month or so becuase the pair have teamed up again and are delivering the realness in the form of a new LP. Dropping in March and entitled "Murrays Revenge" the album will once again feature complete production from the Little Brother beatsmith and vocals from the Living Legend Murs.

Termanology Out the Gate

After dropping three volumes of "Hood Politics" and generating a monsterous buzz, Termanology has officially hit the streets with a new street LP entitled: "Out the Gate", releasing 1/31/06 via Statik Selektah's Showoff Records and distributed by Amalgam Entertainment, LLC. The two years of pounding the pavement has paid off for the Mass state lyricist, as he has graced the pages of The Source's Unsigned Hype, received heavy rotation from DJ's Geespin and Chubby Chub, and has been featured on tapes by heavy hitters such as Big Mike, Premier, Kool Kid, and DJ Envy. Out the Gate features collabs with Krumbsnatcha, Akrobatik, Esoteric, Prospect (Terror Squad) and many more. For more info, hit up the Termanology/UndergroundHipHop.com In-Store 1/31/06.

Kanye West Gets Familiar

Mr. "Get Familiar", Beantown's own Clinton Sparks has teamed up with Kanye West to drop the "Touch The Sky" mixtape, a preview of Clinton's official album release "Get Familiar Vol. 1" set to drop later this year. The mixtape features all new, exclusive tracks from D-Block, Freeway, Nas, Dipset, new artist Bossman, and more. Despite entering the game with no industry connects, Clinton has worked his way up to becoming an award winning mixtape DJ, as well as being named one of Hip Hop's top 10 Mixtape artists by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Masai Bey Drops Natural Magic

Masai Bey of The Weathermen, is set to release "Natural Magic Music" on Raptivism Records. Known for creating a buzz with the Def Jux release "Paper Mache", the new album is set to hit stores on January 31. He has produced tracks for Smut Peddlers, appeared on Definitive Jux Presents II, and rocked many stages throughout the Tri-State. In 2004 Masai released "Masai Bey's Goldmind" and it's success lead to the release on Raptivism.

Three 6 Mafia's Crunchy Black Blamed For Shootout

A Memphis radio DJ believes he may have been the intended target of a recent shooting, after receiving threats from Three 6 Mafia's Crunchy Black.
Memphis' Fox 13 recently reported that on January 24 gunshots were fired at the Flinn Broadcasting sales office, home of Memphis radio station HOT 107. At least 15 bullets pierced the walls of the office, leaving some serious damage to the station, including a transmission line that will need repairs. Fortunately no one was injured in that shooting.
According to a police report, D.J. 'Lil' Larry' Armstrong, stated that he'd received death threats from Black after a nightclub concert by rapper Project Pat last weekend. Armstrong said Black accused him of disrupting the event. He says he also received threatening cell phone calls from Black.
Armstrong was in an adjoining studio when the shots were fired.
In related news, ex-Three 6 Mafia member Koopsta Knicca also has beef with the group. The Memphis MC says DJ Paul and Juicy J are having him blackballed by local radio stations

Teamsters Knock Lil Wayne's "Hustle" At Video Shoot

The Theatrical Teamsters Union of New York was not feeling Lil' Wayne's video shoot for his new single, "Hustler Musik." The union put a halt to the two-day Benny Boom-directed video until the production company responsible for the video settled their dispute with the union.
According to a source close to the union, a dispute over the number of union bus drivers hired to work on the set is what caused the brief strike. Union officials attempted to work things out amicably with FM Rocks, the video's production company, but after being "blown off" they shut the video down by picketing and inflating a giant rat, a trademark of the union's protests, on the street.
"These video companies are always trying to take advantage of a situation and they tried that with the union,". "But one phone call was made [by the union] and 60 guys showed up. [FM Rocks] signed the proper paperwork and it was over, but it could have gotten ugly."
Director Boom was heated about the video's shut down. "He just wanted to shoot his video," the source said. There's no word as to Weezie's reaction.

Dirt

I heard that 50 Cent wants to release a children’s book series just like Madonna, I don’t quiet know what he will put in there. Hood stories?But I think this rumor is very true, I guess we’ll see what happens. I also would like to know if Olivia’s lingerie line is ever gonna come out, or even 50’s sex toy line? Ideas over ideas with those rappers.Y’all will love this… I hear that after one of my favorite rappers, mister Kanye West and miss Pamela Anderson had a photo shooting together for the first Issue of ATL Peach Magazine. He was flirting with her heavy. In fact eyewitnesses say that there were even sparkles between the two. I don’t know what to think of this, he’s nothing like Kid Rock or even Tommy Lee… I say good for Kanye!And last but not least this is a juicy one. As you might or might not know, world famous video vixen or Superhead, Karrine Steffans dumped her “fiancé” Bill Maher just before the Golden Globes, to get back together with old-time Boyfriend, Ray-J. Now, I really don’t know how true that is, but, DAYUM! Apparently they have been seen dining together in L.A… if this is true, I can finally DIE happy my folks!For some reason I have a lot of sympathy for miss Steffans.You gotta love me for this weeks’ rumors.

JD Talks Janet, New Music

Jermaine Dupri is currently in the studio with many artists. While trying to break new acts, Dupri also knows what established singers can do. "I'm kind of off the market and in producer mode [right now], so I'm just in one studio to the next trying to mold artists. I've got so many that are in the stables, and they gettin' real antsy, like, 'Hey, it's our turn to go,'" he said of his new acts. Fans of Dupri are also anticipating some work from his love interest, Janet Jackson. "We're in the studio every day trying to get her record together," he said. For her album, he will team up with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. One highly anticipated track would be a collaboration in the works that matches Janet Jackson up with Mariah Carey. "The hardest part is figuring out a song that fits both of them, because you have two different styles of artists, and the thing when you're dealing with divas is you don't want to overshadow either one, so if you were to do a song for them, it would have to work where both of them would feel they were on the same pedestal, or else someone's gonna have a problem."Besides the Janet album, Dupri also noted that he is in the studio with Monica working on an album called Street Butterfly. If that isn't enough, he's also talking to Usher about his next project. "I think [Usher's] getting the bug again," he said. "It's kind of boring for him to just be sitting around. He wants to hear himself on the radio and see himself [back] on television."To top everything off, he's also penning an autobiography. "I wanted to put a book out because I feel like I'm one of the leaders in the industry right now, and I think kids have been missing a person to follow," he said of his book.

Coretta Scott King Dies

Coretta Scott King, widow of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. died Monday night. She was 78.Her last public appearance came a couple weeks ago, January 14 at the Salute to Greatness dinner at the Martin Luther King celebration in Atlanta. Although Mrs. King was not as recognized as her husband, she played a pivotal role in his quest and continued being an activist up until her death. "She was the glue. Long before she met and married Martin Luther King Jr. she was an activist," U.S. Rep. John Lewis said today."She would always admonish us that ... one of the ways you bring about change is, you must change yourself so that you're prepared to lead people in the direction they should go. If your emotions are as bad as those you're fighting, even if your cause is just, you disqualify yourself from being effective," the Rev. Al Sharpton told CNN.After Martin Luther King’s death in 1968, it was Coretta who lobbied for more than a decade to have his birthday be made a national holiday. In 1986, her hard work payed off, as MLK day was observed nationally. ”She was strong if not stronger than he was," former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young said. "She lived a graceful and beautiful life, and in spite of all of the difficulties, she managed a graceful and beautiful passing."

Koch Announces Release Date For Album By Scarface & The Product

Scarface and rap duo the Product have teamed with Koch to release One Hunnid, the debut album from Scarface's new venture, The Underground Railroad Movement. The Product features Bay Area rapper Will Hen and Jackson Mississippi native Young Malice. "We are very excited to work with Scarface and his [new] label Underground Railroad," Alan Grunblatt, general manager and executive vice president of Koch, told AllHipHop.com, adding that Scarface is "one of the greatest rappers of all time." The rapper appears on almost 90 percent of the songs on One Hunnid, which boasts production by Tone Capone, John Bido, The Alchemist and Scarface himself.

Former Pimp Of The Year Busted, Police Seek Clues In Ozone Interview

Matthew Thompkins may be a high-rolling two-time Pimp of the Year, but the 35-year-old Bronx, N.Y., native has earned a new title: federal inmate. Last month, Thompkins was arrested in a nationwide federal operation called Innocence Lost, which targeted individuals who pimp underage girls. The Philadelphia Daily News reported that Thompkins and seven others were charged in a Camden, N.J., federal court with running prostitution rings in New York, Boston, Las Vegas and Atlantic City. One of the keys to the arrest case came through a federal complaint as well as an interview Thompkins gave recently in the December issue of Ozone. The Florida-based hip-hop magazine, founded in 2002, chatted with a pimp named "Brandon" who cruises around Las Vegas in his white Range Rover, offering a string of one-liners and holding forth on his "pimptuition." Brandon was described in the story as overweight. FBI lists Thompkins as 6-foot-3 and 350 pounds. Ironically, Thompkins told Ozone that the only boundary he wouldn't cross was the age of consent when choosing his women. The article read: "Brandon believes that anyone who pimps a woman under 18 deserves to go to jail." The federal complaint that was filed described one girl working for Thompkins who told him that she was 14. "A lot of girls started working for me when they were young also," Thompkins told her, according to the complaint, which described the 14-year-old girl as screaming and crying because she wanted to go home. "Thompkins slapped her in the face and told her to shut up and to not disrespect him," the complaint stated. There was no doubt that Brandon was Matthew Thompkins, according to the FBI; one of his aliases is Brandon Williams. The U.S. Attorney's office acknowledged that it knew about the Ozone article but would not comment further. Nevertheless, the article has been turned over to defense attorneys and could become evidence at trial. Prosecutors have moved to seize five homes, eight luxury vehicles, two bank accounts, and a money market account connected to Thompkins. Thompkins, who remains in federal custody, kept an expensive house in Philadelphia, where his prostitutes stayed when they worked in Atlantic City, authorities said. Five of the women in his stable were snared last month in a state police sting at one of the casinos. Although Thompkins' attorney Mitchell Elman declined to comment, Rocco Cipparone, a Haddon Heights lawyer, said that it was unlikely that the article would be used at Thompkins' trial. "How do they prove he is Brandon? To do that and to use his words, they'd have to bring in the reporter, because the article would be hearsay--double hearsay, actually," Cipparone said. "I see a couple of thorny legal issues they'd have to resolve to even use the article." The FBI would not say how agents know that Thompkins is Brandon, but agents had tapped two of Thompkins' cell phones since August, listening to 4,100 calls. For his work, Brandon was honored twice as Pimp of the Year at a "Pimps & Hoes Ball." Federal authorities who found the trophies during Thompkins arrest described one of the trophies as standing four feet tall, topped with a scepter-wielding figure in a crown and cape. The Pimp of the Year trophy is given out every year at the annual Players Ball to the pimp who convinces his fellow pimps that he has made the most money and the biggest name for himself during the previous year. Julia Beverly, Ozone's editor and publisher and author of the Brandon article, refused to comment on the piece. Despite the image of his profession, Brandon told Ozone he didn't smoke, drink or use drugs and that his prostitutes were free to come and go--another statement at odds with the charges against Thompkins. "I'm one of the most disciplined pimps that's ever done it," Brandon told the magazine. "I've had women for years that I've never touched."

Lil' Flip/Sony BMG Music Found Guilty Of Copyright Infringement.

A jury in Houston Federal Court has found rapper Lil' Flip and Sony BMG Music Entertainment guilty of willful copyright infringement.
Lil' Flip (real name Wesley Eric Weston) was sued in Nov. 2004 for alleged unauthorized use of three melodies on his major label debut, Undaground Legend.
The lawsuit, filed in Federal Court in the Southern District of Texas, claimed that the melodies were the creation of Tommy L. Granville, a songwriter and music producer based out of Shreveport, Louisiana.
The jury verdict found that Suckafree Records, Lil' Flip, his manager Estelle Douglass Hobbs, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Columbia Records, Loud Records, Lucky Publishing and Hobbs Publishing willfully violated the copyrighted music of Tommy Granville, when the Defendants included it on Lil' Flip's platinum-selling CD, Undaground Legend.
The lawsuit sought $1.5 million in damages and an unspecified amount for alleged willful infringement of Granville's copyrights.
The Houston jury awarded Granville $150,000, the maximum statutory damages under the law.
Magistrate Judge Stacy also fined Sony $12,000 for their failure to adhere to the court's orders to turn over financial documents.
"We're very pleased that the jury agreed that Tommy Granville's music was illegally taken by these Defendants," Scott Hemingway, attorney for the plaintiff, told AllHipHop.com. "Sony is one of the world's biggest enforcers of its copyright rights and it files 1000's of copyright infringement lawsuits against Internet file-sharers to protect its rights. It is nice to see the jury tell Sony and the other Defendants that they should respect the copyrights of others the same way they want their own copyright rights respected."
In a separate action in Sept. 2004, NamCo America sued the same set of defendants for copyright infringement over Lil' Flip's hit song, "Game Over."
In that lawsuit filed in US District Court, Southern District of New York, Namco alleged that their copyright was infringed upon when sounds from the game "Pac-Man" and "Ms. Pac-Man" were included on "Game Over" and its remix.

Sticky Fingaz Pays Homage To Jam Master Jay, Encourages Kids To Read

To commemorate what would have been Jam Master Jay's 41st birthday, Sticky Fingaz and Canadian music personality Raoul "Deejay Ra" Juneja have recorded a public service announcement in honor of the late co-founder and DJ of Run-DMC.
In the PSA, Sticky praises DJs for keeping the memory of the hip-hop icon alive. The tribute was recorded for Deejay Ra's "Hip-Hop Literacy" campaign to encourage youths to learn more about Jam Master Jay's legacy through his biography, The Heart of Hip-Hop.
Jay (born Jason Mizell) was killed in a Queens, NY studio in 2002 and his murder still remains unsolved.
In 2003, Deejay Ra launched a Run-DMC tribute with the support of Adidas Canada, and has since continued setting up giveaways of Run-DMC's recordings and biographies, to give students "a dose of hip-hop history and a love of reading at once."
Jam Master Jay is credited for discovering Sticky through the group Onyx and playing a huge role early on in 50 Cent's career.
Sticky will play the title role in Spike TV's "Blade" which premieres in June. Later on this year, he will be seen in the movie Karma, Confessions and Holi, which wrapped up shooting in November.
While filming the movie in New York, Sticky was charged with gun possession, after an unlicensed and unregistered 9mm was found in his hotel room by a housekeeper.

Pimp C Out Of Jail And In The Studio

Rolling Stone Magazine recently reported that the underground king recorded three cuts within a week of his release from prison. Pimp also laced a remake of UGK's 1994 classic "Front, Back and Side to Side" with T.I., a remix of partner Bun B's "Get Throwed" and a new song with Webbie.
"I did all that last night," Pimp told the magazine on his way to a studio session. "I'll knock three more out tonight and three tomorrow. I'm trying to average three a day. I'm trying to get it all out."
In addition to extensive studio work, the rapper is also launching Laca, a Houston-based hip-hop magazine.
Meanwhile, his untitled solo album is expected to hit stores late this year. Pimp should have plenty of rhymes to pick from since he's been writing songs since he was incarcerated in 2001 for failing to complete a community service requirement stemming from an aggravated assault charge.
"I put together over 2,500 songs in jail," Pimp revealed. "I did them all on loose-leaf paper. When I'd get ten songs ,I'd mail them home so that they wouldn't get lost in the sauce. They're still all in the envelopes. I got a shopping bag full of rhymes."

A New G-Unit First Lady??

G-Unit began as a crew of a tight-knit few. After success came, the company expanded to bring in artists of different genres and styles. With Mase, Mobb Deep and M.O.P. on the line-up, G-Unit has a roster full of potential stars. Now, Vibe.com is reporting that another star may be heading over to the Unit.No, DMX won’t be going over, but a female will. That female happens to be none other than R&B star Keyshia Cole. The singer and her people have not confirmed any of the reports, but Vibe remains confident that Cole will be leaving to go to G-Unit soon. In an interview, Cole dispelled rumors that she would be leaving her current home at A&M Records.However, Cole did say she would leave if the money was right. Sounds like bad news for Olivia who was previously deemed the first lady of the crew. Still, reports say Olivia hasn’t been dropped and most likely will stay. However, it seems as though G-Unit is seriously interested in Cole.

Juelz Speaks on Cam, Calls Out Eminem

Dipset artist Juelz Santana seemed to be in the middle of a beef between rappers. His group's leader Killa Cam went on to diss his label's President, Jay. That could have made for some conflict between Jay & Juelz but Santana firmly believes nothing will change. "We don't really deal hands-on with Jay," he said. "It's not going to affect me." When he was asked to comment on the quarrel between the emcees, Juelz chose to shy away from the light. "It's not really about my take," he claimed. Still, he was firm about his stance as Cam's close friend and partner in rhyme. "My man did what he had to do, so I'm here to support him by any means necessary. He's like a big brother to me. He's the one that's the founder of my whole career. We stick by each other no matter what it is."Rumors were circulating about a Jeezy/Juelz mix-tape, but now we find another match-up: Lil' Wayne & Juelz. The pair will team up in a new mix-tape titled I Can't Feel My Face. "We already got seven joints done," Juelz noted. Moreover, Juelz is planning to come back with solo mix-tapes after his Back Like Crack Series. The two mix-tapes that will follow are "Rehab" and "Relapse."He is currently working with many artists including E-40, Ludacris, Cool J and Ice Cube but one emcee/producer he really wants to work with is Eminem. "Eminem is the one person I want to collaborate with," he said to MTV. "I think that would real crazy. Em, holla at your boy."

Sharpton Can't Stop The Boondocks

Not even criticism from Al Sharpton can stop the wave that Aaron McGruder is riding with his hit cartoon show, The Boondocks. The Cartoon Network ordered 20 more episodes of the show, the network announced last week. 10 of the shows 15 episodes have already aired and the next set of 20 will air later this year at its usual time of 11 p.m. The show made national headlines recently when Al Sharpton accused McGruder of “desecrating” the name of late civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. The episode in question aired one day before the U.S. recognized &Martin Luther King Day.Return of the King saw the late leader come out of a 30 year coma right before the 2000 presidential election. King also gave a fiery speech which included several uses of “the ‘n’ word.” "Cartoon Network must apologize and also commit to pulling episodes that desecrate black historic figures," Sharpton said in a statement. "We are totally offended by the continuous use of the N-word."With Cartoon Network green lighting a second season, it doesn’t appear that Sharpton will get the apology that he’s looking for.

Diddy Planning Lavish Super Bowl Weekend

Sean "Diddy" Combs is planning a lavish Super Bowl Weekend in Detroit, Michigan.

Combs will renovate Detroit's Captain's Bar & Grille, which holds 700 people and transform the venue into "Diddy's House" starting Feb. 3.

As part of the re-design, Combs will extend Captain's Bar & Grille's floor to host 2,500 VIP Super Bowl fans.

Young Jeezy will kick the weekend off by hosting "A Black Affair" on Friday, Feb. 3, which will feature a performance by UGK's Bun B.

On Saturday, Feb. 4, Combs' 5th Annual Players Ball will commence and on Sunday, Feb. 5, Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick will host Diddy's Diamonds & Furs, where one male and female patron will win a mink coat.

A portion of the proceeds from the 3-day event benefit Detroit's St. John's Hospital and the Coalition of Temporary Shelter (COTS).

Tickets for Diddy's weekend range from $150.00 to $28,000 for the weekend.

All Elite VIP packages include 10 VIP tickets, a $2,500 bar tab, a personal menu selection, a personal chef and waitress.

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com

Flavor Flav, Bad Boy, Da Brat, Jay-Z

SWEETIE’S A RAPPER!?! So, I know some of you are avid watchers of Flavor Flav’s “Flavor of Love” reality show. You will find there is very little reality associated with that program though. As is the case with “Sweetie,” who Flav dissed and dismissed, she is a rapper now! Until the very end, she was soft as Twinkie filling and now she is spitting hardcore. I recall her being a singer, but I could be wrong. Maybe she thought she could get Chuck D and Flavor Flav on a song, because these raps she has are public enemy no. 1! Still, I think Flav should have kept her, because some of the others are really wack.

BAD BOY, WHATCHA GONNA DO? What is the real deal? I heard Killer Mike and Diddy might be real cool peeps, but Killer won’t be leaving Big Boi’s stable of purple artists. I heard he’s staying put. Maybe he’ll be doing some writing like Loon. I previously stated that Loon was possibly back over at Bad Boy, but that’s not quite the case. If my source is correct, which I believe to be. Loon is going back to Bad Boy in a writing capacity, not as an artist. This isn’t anything big, because he was there in a writing capacity before. There you go.

KISS AND DON’T TELL NEXT TIME… Did anybody check out those pictures of Da Brat kissing David Gest, the former hubby of Liza Minnelli? Now, it is more than possible that it was merely a lucky click for a photographer! However, that lip-lock really looked more than a brief embrace. I just can’t see that Botox-man being involved with Brat-tat-tat-tat, a gangsta rap chick. No way! I liked the rumor about Brat and DJ Greg Street much more.

HMMMMM…BEATDOWN RUMORS! According to the rumor mill, New York rapper Mense was beat down yesterday by 25 men out in the Bronx on Sunday afternoon. Now, I don’t know exactly why this occurred and I’ll leave my opinions outta this. Still, I think it may have something to do with a long-running feud with another NYC rapper, or so says the rumors. Other sources say that the incident was captured on tape and may very well find its way to the Net like an R.Kelly video. Hope homeboy is all right though. Props to the prophets EPMD, who said, “Rap is out of control.”

BE A FAN, CHUMP! This goes out to nobody in particular. Pal, you are not a rapper. You are not a rider. You are a FAN. With that in mind, it’s OK to like your favorite artists a lot. Me for example, I admit that Jay-Z is one of my favorite rappers. Guess what? Its really acceptable in normal society to be a fan, but in Hip-Hop it becomes “your on so and so’s nuts” or something disrespectful. These individuals that refuse to let out their inner-fan are the very person that become “Stans” or are in the bathroom mirror with a brush lip-synching Jay-Z’s raps. Be easy, you can shamelessly respect artists, and not have to say “no homo” after your mirror performance. It’s OK you aren’t riding...I promise.

Swizz Beatz Says He's Eager To Lay Down Beats With Cassidy

Swizz Beatz says his friend Cassidy should be out of prison in less than two months and have a new album out by the summer."ASAP," Swizz said earlier this week about when Cass wants to start recording again. "He's ready. He said he wants to spend a week or two with his family [when he gets out], then [record]. He said he wants 200 beats. When he's in the shower, he wants to hear a beat. When he's playing with his son, he wants to hear a beat. He wrote so much stuff when he was in [jail]. He has a lot of explaining to do to his fans. He has a lot of stuff to get off his chest."On Tuesday Cassidy was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to at least 11 months in jail with time served (see "Cassidy Convicted Of Involuntary Manslaughter — Will Be Eligible For Parole Soon"). He should be eligible for parole "in the near future," according to his defense attorney."[The judge had to] give [Cassidy] something to make an example," Swizz said. "But he's not guilty of the major charges. He will be a free man. I talk to him every day. He's feeling he should have been [innocent] of everything. I had to let him know he was facing major charges and there's a person not on this earth anymore. But these things are worked out in the court. It worked in our favor, he can't wait to get out and put out his music. We might repackage [2005's I'm a Hustla] with a couple of new cuts."Swizz says Cass' new LP will definitely have more conscience-oriented material on it. "Not to say he won't still spit those bars to bite people's heads off lyrically — he's preparing for that, but he's preparing to be an example out there for the youth," Swizz said. "He wants to share his experience so they won't be in an experience he was in."Beatz is enjoying success this week after stepping out from his Full Surface Records and Ruff Ryders camp. "Check Up on It," a song he produced for Beyoncé, is the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Swizz is also working on albums by DMX, Styles P., Drag-On, Eve, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and hopes to start working on a new LOX album as well.

JR Writer: Million Dollar Dipset

The newest member of Harlem’s Dipset crew is ready to make his mark on the hip hop world. With his Uptown movement behind him and a new album set for release in January (ed note: which has reportedly been pushed back since this interview took place last month) on KOCH Records, 20-year-old Writer has a game plan and is set to execute it. HHDX sat down with the future of Harlem to find out how he got his start, and where he plans to be in 10 years.Battle Zone…I didn’t necessarily come up as a battle MC, but that’s how I got my recognition, by battling and being on Public Access shows and DVDs. I think it helps me with the things that I could talk about, and expands my options. I can rap about my battling days, where I was just grindin’ and doin’ what I had to do, going through what I had to go through as far as on the streets, to get my recognition. I can go back in the studio and put that on wax and tell people what I had to go through. I just had to perfect my own style – just write and write every day. I was in a two bedroom apartment with my moms and I got two little brothers and an older sister, so there was always a lot of fighting in the house and screaming and someone wanna listen to the radio in one room and watch TV in another room. So I always had to go lock myself in the bathroom and just write. And everyone would always be like, “what you doin’ in there?!” Nobody understood. But you just gotta go hard, man. Know what you wanna do and focus on that and just keep on going. Don’t let nobody stop you. It’s hard – even when you get there. It’s still hard to get over that hump. It’s always gonna be hard, even when you get signed. Harlem Love…We got that swagger! As far as the Diplomats, we’re not just a rap label. When we move, other people want to move with us. We got this affect on Harlem. Harlem got our back 100%. Some of the biggest rappers come from there: Cam’ron, Big L. We got that swag, we fly, we look good, and we nice. We’re a movement. We’ve been a movement, and we’re just getting bigger and stronger by the day. Every time we move, it’s like the million man march, and by the time we’re done, it’ll be like the million man march. I just came back from Canada and it was crazy. I got a lot of love. It was the first time I been out there. I hosted a Much Music countdown [Canada’s version of MTV] of my favorite videos and had people following me with cameras. They love me out there, and I don’t even have a single out yet. My first album is done. I already turned it in and it’s gonna come out on KOCH/Diplomats. It comes out in January and I’m trying to put out the second album in May. I’m about to get my second deal in a couple days. It’s over at Asylum – for a million dollars. So, it’s about to be crazy. The May album is gonna be on Asylum.Bright Lights, Big City…Sometimes it’s not glamorous at all and other times it is. Like Fashion Week was everything I was dreaming it was. They took me to Fashion Week, red carpets and VH1, MTV and all that. As far as going on the road and being in the studio everyday, doing this rap thing, it’s not as glamorous as that. It’s not all peaches and cream. It’s hard work. But at the end of the day, it’ll pay off. It’ll be glamorous for you if you just work hard enough. I’ve met a lot of people and been to a lot of places, and I’m just waiting on what’s next. I still want the glamour. I want to have my own label, just like Cam, my own clothing line, cologne, my own business period. I’ll still be putting out albums, because, and no disrespect to people who are selling records and doin’ good as far as 50 Cent and Jay-Z and them, but you gotta look at them, and all the vets and all the people that are selling records in their 30’s. Eminem, 50, Jay-Z… no disrespect to them but I’m 20 years old. 10 years from now, I’ll be their age and still be selling records. That’s a decade from now, and I’ma still be sellin’ records and still doin’ what I do. I’ll just have a lot more experience and I’ll have a label. That’s where I wanna be at 10 years from now.

No New Jay Z Album in the Works

Jay-Z has revealed that he does not plan on making another album anytime soon, deciding to put the success of Def Jam before his personal glory.In an exclusive interview with MTV, Jay-Z spoke about his time and experiences so far as President of Def Jam, revealing that he will not be making another full-length LP just yet.“We’re [Def Jam] coming up with so much good shit at the start of the year, I ain’t gonna lie, I don’t want to miss it,” he said. “We got so much going on, I’m focused on the team and making sure everybody is focused.”“I’m not even thinking about [putting out an album] right now,” Hov said, a statement which is sure to disappoint fans. “But, for a second, I was like, ‘Damn, I can’t let all this good shit pass me by. I want some!’”Despite his craving for a slice of the rap pie, President Carter has resisted his urges as an emcee, and is instead ready to put all his efforts behind former rival, Nas’ new album, in a joint distribution deal with Sony.Speaking on what the icebreaker was that brought the two former rivals together, Jay said, “That was Mark Pitts, who used to manage Biggie and now manages Nas. He arranged that meeting. He’s a friend of mine and said, ‘Will you sit down with Nas?’ I said, ‘Yeah, no problem, of course’, because… there’s always been a respect thing. I’m sure he probably went to Nas and said, ‘Would you sit down with Jay?’ He probably Don King’d the whole thing. I didn’t even ask him that,” he laughed.So, with all the talk of Nas’ new album, can fans expect a Hov/Esco collabo? “We gonna be in the studio working, so we’ll see what happens,” he said coyly. “I just don’t want to do nothing forced. I been through that before with Best of Both Worlds [his two collaboration albums with R. Kelly]… But I’m telling you, we’re gonna be in the studio and I’m sure the vibe is going to be right. If I had to place some money on it – and I’m a betting man – I would bet on it.” According to President Carter, producers Just Blaze and Kanye West will get first shot at Nas’ album, before Jigga takes it outside the camp to beatmakers like Timbaland, Dr Dre and DJ Premier. ”I’mma give everybody a shot, new producers. I’m accustomed to working with new dudes who got that sound. Hopefully we’ll find a new Kanye, a new Just. But I’m going to Just and Kanye first,” Hov said.After all the talk of Nas’ album, Jigga even commented briefly on his current beef with Cam’Ron, further pushing the idea that it’s all a publicity stunt, as he previously stated. “I think this Cam shit is gonna blow over once his album drops,” he told MTV.

Hip Hop In The West

The first ever performance by Felt, [Murs 3:16 (Living Legends) with Slug & Ant (Atmosphere)] will be among the highlights of Paid Dues, a new independent Hip-Hop festival. Aesop Rock, Living Legends and EL-P will be among the acts taking the stage for the festival, which is the result of a partnership between rapper Murs 3:16 and Guerilla Union's Chang Weisberg, who spearheaded the Rock The Bells festival. Paid Dues will take place Mar. 11 at the National Orange Show pavillion in San Bernadino, CA. Murs came up with the idea for the Paid Dues festival as a way to offer something different for rap fans. "After going on the Vans Warped Tour a few years back, I thought it would be great to do something similar for our fans-something outdoors during the day and at a great price, making it a refreshing change for our die-hard fans who are used to seeing us in the dark dank nightclubs. At the same time, it's a great and inexpensive introduction to live Hip-Hop for the young fans." Other performers include Brother Ali, Cage, Grouch, Blueprint, 3MG, 2 MEX and Chingo Bling along with DJ Rhettmatic & Mr.Dibbs. Paid Dues corresponds with the release of Murs' new album Murray's Revenge on Definitive Jux. Tickets for Paid Dues, which go on sale Friday (Jan. 27), are $25. On Monday (Jan. 30), tickets will be $30 and $35 at the door the day of the show. Limited VIP tickets are $85. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and various local Hip-Hop shops in the Southland area. Murray's Revenge hits stores March 21. Doors open at 4 p.m. for the festival, which ends at midnight

Last Call For Alkaholiks

West Coast legends Tha Alkaholiks are releasing their fifth and final album entitled "Firewater". To thank their fans that stuck with them throughout their careers, they are also doing a farewell tour and plan to retire the group after this last go-around. The Likwit Crew feels the need to represent on the last album. E-Swift mentioned, "We knew there was never going to be a second chance and we owed it to our fans to put everything we could into it right here, right now." Fans can hear early samples of the album at their website Alkaholiks.com

Kanye back in controversial hot seat

Wasn't Ye done with interviews? Oh yeah, the Grammys are coming. "I'm trying to promote myself for more Grammy votes," West told Entertainment Tonight. Promotion, controversy, Ye is sure to get a bit of both as Rolling Stone Magazine's new cover pictures him as Jesus Christ, blood trickling down his face, crown of thorns and all. Religious groups have not been too pleased with the stunt. "Using the suffering of our Lord to sell their magazines is cheapening," Kiera Mc Caffrey, director of communications for The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, told ET. "They think, 'Hey, this is really going to turn heads. This is going to sell magazines. Why don't we do it?' But they're so careful not to offend other groups. There really isn't this fear with Christians. I doubt they'd ever do something similar with Mohammad. You just wouldn't see it. But with Jesus and Christianity, it's just open game." Interestingly, other groups are painting West as the victim. "This kind of thing has become commonplace," William Donohue, of the Catholic League, told New York's Daily News. "It's one thing to rip off Catholic iconography. It's quite another to exploit a poor soul like Kanye West. Anyone who is this morally and mentally challenged deserves our sympathy not our derision."

Nas signs to Def Jam: 50 doesn't get it

As news that Nas signed to Def Jam spread earlier this week, Fiddy shook his head in disbelief. According to the Queens mogul, God's Son regressed by inking a deal with the legendary label. "I don't understand that," Fif said on Holland's Juize.FM. "To be honest with you, I think Nas won the battle and lost the war cause now he's signed to Jay-Z. What [it] tells any hip-hop artist or anybody that's involved that enjoys the music [is] that they gotta stay involved in the business end also." The muscle bound rapper added, "Creatively Nas did a good job with "Either" and then cause he wasn't handling his business, he gotta go work with Jay-Z."
Considering the battle's back story (Jay-Z had an affair with Nas's baby mother), Fif just doesn't see what would push Nas to sign a deal with Hov. "I can't understand because Jay-Z slept with his baby's mother," 50 explained. "It's a difference between writing a punchline, disliking an artist from afar, being competitive and writing lines to say something about it and going as far as running into this artist's daughter's mother and having sex with her." Curtis "Interscope" Jackson added, "For the rest of his life, every time he looks at his daughter, his daughter is a product of the relationship between Nas and Carmen. Now when he looks at her face, he has to see Jay-Z."

Where Have You Been?: Black Sheep

Back when high top fades and dookie braids were prevalent on the hip-hop scene, and before African medallions got replaced by iced-out spinning neckwear, there was a time in hip-hop when it was cool to be the Black Sheep. But in today's climate of copy-cat emcees with identical sounds and subject matter, there seems to be little room for those willing to step outside of the box and be themselves.
Lucky for us mere mortals, after sitting out for a few plays, the duo of Dres and Mista Lawnge has decided to jump back in the game with their newest release, 8WM/Novakane. Poised to bring flavor, originality and substance back to what they feel is an ailing art form, we caught up with the Native Tongues affiliates to see just what the guys have been up to since their departure and why Michael Jordan is a sellout.
"We really never felt like the game defined us," Dres explained. "There was a lot of bullshit going on as far as the industry, our label, the sound of music, where cats heads and priorities were at. We felt like it was a good look for us to kind of give it a breather. It was just a little easier for us to step away from it for a little while. And a little while ended up becoming a long while."
After hitting the masses with their 1991 critically-acclaimed debut, A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, the group looked to be destined for success. But after admittedly getting "caught up in the politics" of the major label shuffle on their sophomore release, Non-Fiction, their visibility began to fade.
However, stepping out of the limelight hasn't been all bad for the two. They've continued to tour, popping up on MTV2's Sucker Free Tour and recently sharing the stage with the likes of Common, De La Soul and John Legend. And though they feel at times that the atmosphere in hip-hop has become severely polluted since their self-imposed exile, they also recognize the opportunity for growth that has been afforded to many because of the culture.
"Monetarily, [hip-hop] is in a whole different world now," said Dres, "We have hundreds of black millionaires now and that's something that didn't exist when we were coming in the game. It's a beautiful thing that in our community we have the chance to do some of the things that hip-hop was meant for, but at the same time cats have to now go through the initial phase of not knowing what to do with their money. So they'll go and buy a $50,000 bracelet or a $250,000 car, instead of putting up a community center."
Never ones to shy away from kicking knowledge, the lack of guidance and leadership in the hip-hop community has been one of the catalysts for Black Sheep's return. Pulling no punches, they even criticize mega-superstars like Jordan and Tiger Woods as being sellouts.
We have a song on our album called 'Novakane' because we feel like [Black people] are breathing Novocain because we're so numb to everything," said the emcee. "It says 'Now days they pay my people money, not to make waves' now that's a sellout.' I feel like a Michael Jordan or a Tiger Woods, they're sellouts. Like, they don't speak on the real issues that we go through as a community [for fear of] losing their status. Now you're a billionaire and you'd rather not say what's afflicting our community not to lose your stature. And I'm sure he does a lot of beautiful things for the community, but those are the issues that don't hit the table." Remembering the days when artists commented on social issues, the group has stayed true to form and continue to give fans a little bit more to chew on in the way of real life lessons mixed in with the boom bap.
"You shine by polishing up the insides of a people... telling them relevant things and helping them," said Dres.
Mista Lawnge added, "The problem is people respecting a person's bank account instead of the person or their talent."
Black Sheep aren't just talking the talk, they're doing something about it in the only way that they know how, through their music. After teasing fans by reuniting in 2000 to record a joint for the soundtrack to Once in The Life, a film that also featured a cameo by Dres, and guest appearing on Handsome Boy Modeling School's White People in 2004, the time has now come for the fellas to drop 8WM/Novakane.
With a single, "Wonderful," due out in March, the group is attempting to make fans remember why they fell in love with them in the first place. "Our music isn't for everybody," Dres shared. "You have to have a certain sense of intelligence, a certain sense of integrity to really appreciate our music."
Not to put an S on their chests or play the role as the mad rappers, but Black Sheep wants to save the listener that is tired of hearing the same 'ole same.
"Back then, people appreciated you because you were talented," Mista Lawnge lamented.
"Back then you got a deal because you didn't sound like anybody," added Dres. "Now, you get a deal because you sound like everybody."
Black Sheep refuses to adhere to the current criteria for success and are bound and determined to do it their way-and make some good music in the process. Not trying to convert any new members to their already solid following, they are simply giving you the option to either tune in or tune out. As always, the choice is yours.

File This One Under: Wait And See

Well it's that time of year again. The ol' rumor mill is churning out some goodness these days. A source close to UGHH.com who works for Dr. Dre's production team out in L.A. has announced that the good doctor is going to be producing a majority of Jay-Z's upcoming LP. Yep, you read right; Jay-Z's upcoming LP. Rumors of Jay's return to the game have been rampant since the moment he announced his retirement, but the source confirms that Jay-Z has already laid down at least two Dr. Dre laced tracks for the LP, and states that the tracks are molten lava! Of course, nothing has been confirmed officially from either camp. If the rumor proves true, prepare for the Jiggaman to shut down the game in the oh-six.

Apathy All Philosophical And Sh*t

Hailing from the state that brought the country the Hartford Whalers, UCONN basketball, and two Indian Casinos, Apathy is now prepared to take Connecticut to the next level in the rap game. After years of anticipation, numerous delays, and several teaser releases, the man from the nutmeg state has announced a March 21st release date for his debut solo LP, ‘Eastern Philosophy’. A lot of you are probably wondering why Ap is dropping the debut on Babygrande instead of Atlantic Records. Well, the Atlantic release is still coming, Apathy simply wanted to satisfy the hunger of his huge underground fan base first. Apathy believes he’s delivered a future classic piece of hip hop history and explained the concept behind the title track, “It sets the tone for the rest of the album. Hard drums, slightly retro east coast 90's boom bap and I talk about the little details people forget about the east”. Yo Apathy, holla @ yo boy next time you roll through East Hartford!

Vakill 'Em All

Never copped anything by Vakill? Smack yourself. On January 31st, you’ll have a chance to salvage your credibility as a hip hop fan because Vakill is dropping his long awaited sophomore release, “Worst Fears Confirmed”. The album features the Chi-City native spitting alongside the likes of Royce 5’ 9” and Ras Kass, and drums handled mostly by in-house Molemen beat beasts Panik and Memo. Check for it.

Kanye's dad lashes out at son's lyrics

Rapper Kanye West's sociology professor father is urging his son to stop degrading African-Americans in his songs.Ray West, a former Black Panther activist, smarts every time his son uses the word 'n**ger' in his hits and wishes the Jesus Walks star would refrain from using the term.He tells Rolling Stone magazine: "I've stated to him very clearly that he needs to move beyond the negative language and the 'n**ger' statements."It's alright to say 'bitch' and 'motherf**ker' on the corner, but when you start operating on a different level you can't talk like that."Fine, you're trying to get some street acceptance. Now that you got that, get back to your roots. You know that's not where you came from. You know that's not how you were raised."

From Hammer to hyphy, Bay Area is getting noticed

Will 2006 be the year when the Bay Area's burgeoning hip-hop scene finally gets the national attention and respect it deserves?All the signs seem to say ``yes.''MTV will come to the Bay Area over the next couple of weeks to document a scene that many are saying can no longer be ignored.Why?In recent weeks, we've seen Bay Area groups such as Flipside, featuring Oakland rapper the Piper and popular DJ D-Sharp, on the Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien shows. The group's popular song ``America'' has been chosen as the U.S. theme at the Winter Olympics.Other groups such as Hieroglyphics and Lyrics Born not only have sold more than 100,000 albums each, a phenomenal feat for an independent act, but each is touring overseas, letting folks know about Bay Area hip-hop.Still other acts such as Paris are contributing to the scene: The long-awaited album he produced for Public Enemy, ``Rebirth of a Nation,'' will be out soon, and there's a lot of buzz about it.Even icons like MC Hammer are getting warm receptions when they return to the scene, as evidenced at the BET (Black Entertainment Television) anniversary show and Hammer's recent concert in Concord.But generating the most buzz is the recent release of E-40's song and video ``Tell Me When to Go,'' which captures the spirit and essence of the Bay Area's ``hyphy'' movement.Often described as the Northern California version of crunk, except more up-tempo, hyphy has been known to hip-hop fans here for several years but is relatively new elsewhere.I recall when the Federation and E-40 released the anthem-type song ``Hyphy'' in 2004. It became a monster hit here but received only a lukewarm response beyond the Bay Area. It barely got any airtime in Los Angeles. But nowadays, hyphy artists like Keak Da Sneak, who is featured on E-40's new song, are heard all the time on radio stations in Southern California and around the country. That's a welcome change.Keak's current song ``Superhyphy,'' produced by San Jose's Traxamillion, has helped heighten the growing excitement about Bay Area hip-hop. A quick look at Keak's ``My Space'' Web page (www.myspace.com/keakdasneak), which lists more than 40,000 ``friends'' and gets an astronomical number of visits daily, is a testament to that.San Jose artist Shamako Noble, president of the Hip Hop Congress, points out that while the hyphy movement is huge, it is getting some unfair resistance from the San Jose City Council and downtown authorities, who seem uneasy about an increasing number of Bay Area hip-hop artists converging on the city and its nightclubs. One result of this apprehension is an overabundance of police officers projecting a ``You are not welcome here'' attitude, he says.Despite that obstacle, Noble notes that other factors helping raise national awareness of hip-hop in the Bay Area include the presences of renowned authors and professors such as Jeff Chang, Tricia Rose, Ricky Vincent, Adisa Banjoko and Oliver Wang. The Stanford Hip Hop Archives, led by Professor Marcyliena Morgan, is planning a number of high-profile events, including the Bridging the Gap Conference in March. Watch this column for more details.All these developments suggest this region's hip-hop is set to explode in 2006, and it looks to be one heck of a ride.

The Game Gets "Played"

The Game has inked a voice/likeness deal with Matty/Markus Games, a Playstation Portable (PSP) video game production company.
The upstart L.A.-based company plans to feature Game in their premiere title. The signing of Chuck Taylor is a major step in the progression of Matty/Markus Games, whose stated goal is to "produce [a] stylish, streetwise brand of original games."
Described as a street racing game, the untitled game will also have a soundtrack produced by Game along with his managers Jimmy Henchman and Delaney McGill of Czar Entertainment. The game is scheduled to be released in late 2006, however the soundtrack will drop prior to that.
In addition to The Game, Matty/Markus Games has partnered with R&B singer Brandy, who is also represented by Czar Entertianment, to produce an untitled sci- fi/action game set to be released in early 2007.

Nas Launches New Label Under Def Jam

Nas announced his signing with Def Jam earlier this week. His new contract involves a joint venture between Island Def Jam and Sony Records, Columbia's parent company, with the companies working as financial partners on Nas' first two albums under a four album deal. For the initial two albums Def Jam will provide A&R, promotion and distribution and the labels will both share in the marketing costs.
"I've been in this business a long time and know what a great deal is," Nas told Billboard Magazine. "I signed a significant and excellent situation."
While each album reportedly has a recording budget of $3 million including advances for Nas, other sources say he has already received a substantially higher advance. Sony will still own the masters from Nas' 11-year career at Columbia and also retain the right to release a greatest-hits collection not shared with Def Jam. The Queens, NY MC would be responsible for delivering two new tracks for the Sony hits set and Sony would be allowed up to three tracks from the albums released through the joint venture.
Nas' move to the Hov-helmed Def Jam has been highly controversial, since the two rappers once faced off in one of the most heated verbal sparring matches in hip hop history. Last fall, Nas' managers, Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow, arranged a meeting between Nas and Jay-Z, prior to the Jay-Z "I Declare War" concert where the two rappers publicly squashed their beef.
Barrow told Billboard he's hoping the truce will take hip-hop's attitude toward beef back to its origins. "Battling over lyrical prowess is one thing, but to turn it into a violent scenario is another. Kids are mimicking these situations as if they're real."
Pitts added, "Hip-hop needed this."
Nas told Billboard that the Jones Experience imprint will focus "first and foremost on hip-hop" although he's open to other genres. Signings will be announced shortly.
"This is so much bigger than me and Jay-Z," Nas said. "We're both excited by what this could potentially mean for hip-hop as a whole."

D.C. Trip May Get Cam’ron Jail Time

Cam’ron’s impromptu trip to Washington D.C., which resulted in him getting shot, may find the rapper serving time in prison for violating a court appointed probation order, he revealed in a news conference on Wednesday (Jan. 25)."The D.C. police are putting pressure on the New York police," the rapper told a group of reporters during a press conference. "I go to court on Tuesday. They're going to try and give me 30 days because I won't talk."After being convicted for criminal weapons possession in 2004, the rapper has been forbidden to leave New York State without the permission of New York City’s Department of Probation. He said that he normally complies with the requirements, but was informed of a scheduled performance in the nation’s capital when it was too late to report. The Harlem-bred rapper was shot last November in Washington D.C. and revealed a bullet wound on his right arm from his surgery. He said his recuperation would take about one year for him to fully recover, but he should regain full activity in his whole hand. The rapper’s legal and health problems were a mere sidebar to his current beef with Jay-Z, which was the dominant topic of discussion.When asked to address the notion that the event was a publicity stunt, Cam’ron stated, “ If everything I say [about Jay-Z] is the truth, then I can’t say anything, publicity stunt? My album doesn’t come out until April, why would I do it now, we’re wearing furs now [in the winter], when my album comes out we’ll be wearing shorts and sandals.” As previously reported, Cam’ron alleged that Jay-Z attempted to find old Catholic school pictures of Diplomat members and also video footage of him and Jim Jones, a Diplomat executive, being beaten up. Cam’ron concurred it was inappropriate for Jay-Z to host a peace treaty on stage with Nas after deeming the October show “I Declare War.” As retaliation, Cam released the track “Gotta Love It,” a song that berates the Def Jam president on a number of fronts. Cam’ron said he is prepared for a Jay-Z response, but will not continue to release dis tracks unnecessarily. “I’m not just gonna keep beating up on an old man. I’m gonna wait, if he retaliates then I’m ready.” Jay-Z told MTV News that he’s not anxious to reply."My thing is, it's such an obvious ploy for attention and to get people to talk about it and for [Cam to] sell albums," Jay-Z said. "N**gas is holding press conferences behind [the dis record]. That's not even a good dis record. That s**t is trash. Maybe on my time we'll deal with it, but I'm not really pressed. I'm inspired by good artistic s**t. Cam's s**t is not artistic. There's nothing good about it. Everything about it is an obvious ploy to get attention."Beef aside,The Diplomats have stuffed 2006 with numerous album releases from Hell Rell, Juelz Santa, Jim Jones, and Duke Da God. A new website will also be launched, Killacam.net, where fans can find clothing and music video shows. Cam’ron will also be releasing a DVD warning against the dangers of child molestation by predators that stalk via the Internet. Cam’ron’s new album and movie, both called Killa Season, are slated for release in April.

The Songstress of Floetry To Sign With Dr. Dre

Aftermath CEO and super producer Dr. Dre has struck an informal deal with Marsha "the Songstress" Ambrosius of Floetry fame, and the two will produce a solo album for the London-born singer.Dre, who recently attended one of the group's Los Angeles shows, already has a working relationship with Floetry. Futhermore, Ambrosius laid down backing vocals on the Dr. Dre-produced song "Start From Scratch" by The Game. "I have been offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to create my own album," Ambrosius stated. "Along side the mastery of Dr. Dre's magic and the collaborative efforts of my choice, I shall make my personal mark in music history. Of course, the type of person that am, I took a lot into consideration. Whereas many wouldn't have even blinked an eye lid before saying yes, I actually did."Ambrosius firmly stated that she was still a member of Floetry, a group that has accumulated seven Grammy nominations, most recently for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "SupaStar," from the new album Flo'Ology. "I've dreamt a long time that my chance would come and I deserve the opportunity to really tell my story," Ambrosius continued. "I believe that this would be completely beneficial to Floetry as well as my long term goals. I instantly got butterflies when I heard about the offer. I believe that the collaboration between myself and the powerhouse of Aftermath will put a glitch in the Matrix."Sources told AllHipHop.com that a deal was still being negotiated, yet the two were still in the studio recording tracks for Ambrosius' debut solo effort, which does not have a release date at press time.Floetry also received a nomination for Outstanding Duo or Group for the 37th Annual NAACP Image Awards, which airs on FOX in March