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2pac ft. Lil Scrappy Bounce

 Get Right - J.Lo ft. Usher Remix

The Game - Street Hit [Joe Budden Diss]

50 Cent ft. Tony Yayo n Banks - We Gon Hit Yo Ass Up

Joe Budden - Game Over [dissin G-unit] 

50 Cent YoungBuck Game Lloyd Banks - Fuckin Wit Us     

Young Buck ft. Snoop Dogg - Chronic

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50 Cent's Exclusive interview wit HipHopgame.com

Ok first of all, just to confirm, your next album is now titled 'The Massacre', right?
Yes, the release date is March 8th

Are you disappointed not being able to drop it under its original title, 'the Valentine's Day Massacre' on the 15th?
Not disappointed because I'll still be able to use a lot of things I had planned for it but I really did want a release on February 15th. I had to move it back because of my Game record.

Ok, is it 100% finished or are you still recording?
I'm still recording; I got a deadline like the end of this week.

Have you picked a cover for it yet?
Yeah.

Can you give us some info about what it will look like?
It's a continuation from Get Rich or Die Trying; I took a photograph and added illustrations to it. It got a flip-off cover and then there's a whole other artwork. It's exciting cause what I did for my album insert is I picked photographs to go inside with the lyrical content of some of the songs to give you a visual of what I'm saying. You know, I listen to the music when I buy a CD and I stare at the pictures so what I do is I make the pictures actually feel like they're tied to the songs.

Is it gonna come with a DVD?
Shortly after the album is out, probably like a month down the line, we're gonna re-release a DVD audio visual.

Now you know we gotta talk about the song Piggybank, it seems like the DJs don't want to play it are you mad at them?
Oh no no no, cause they don't have it.

But they've heard it, right?
y…well….yeah… So it's like, they don't have it to actually…play it but they'll play it when it comes out, trust me.

Do you know when you're gonna leak it?
Well it should be like a week before the album goes on sale but right now it hasn't been decided.

And is it gonna be on the album?
There's a strong possibility that it will be on the album

Jadakiss responded saying he was on Ja Rule's 'New York' purely for business, what do you have to say about that?
I mean, some people listen to me when I say things and they're like 'he's a bully', see what I'm saying? They assume I'm just bullying around but their actions is what made me write, I use my real life experiences to create my music so after watching them do the things they was doing, I just responded and I wrote the record. I write about what's goin' on with me.

Do you still think that D-Block is a dope crew, like you've said in past interviews?
Yeah they're good… but not better than me!

Fat Joe said you've gone crazy and that he never wanted to have beef with you…
His actions say something different…of course you don't want the actual problem when you're trying to sell a CD. You know, behind the scenes he says things that just don't coincide with what you just said.

Ok now let's talk about the album, how different do you want it to be from Get Rich or Die Trying?
Oh man, there's some major differences between these records. I went back, I put the things that I missed on Get Rich Or Die Trying and I added a lot of details. I feel like this record is better than Get Rich Or Die Trying. I can't wait to see how the general public embraces it.

Can you tell us about the guests and producers you have?
Oh man, producers: Eminem, Dr Dre, Scott Storch, Hi-Tek, Needlz, Buckwild, 4 or 5 new producers cause when I listen to the beats, I have [people] take off the names of where the music came from, so when I listen to it, I'm just listening to it for the music, not for who made it.

Do you already have a favorite track?
Oh, one of my favorite songs is A Baltimore Love Thing.

Can you give us a few details about this song?
Well, A Baltimore Love Thing is, it's titled that because in Baltimore the heroin addiction rate is really high. So the song is about the relationship between an addict and the drug. I give this drug a motion, feelings and at some point in the song, the drug actually becomes mad at the addict for trying to leave. It's like a real vivid description of what it would be like if it was human.

So it's a really clever song then
Yeah, you hear people make references to drugs-talking and people who are addicted to it. So what I did is I created a song where I'm actually the drug talking to the person.

Kind of like what Nas did on 'I Gave You Power' with a gun?
It's different cause Nas was just being a gun, like how often have people made a reference to the drug talking to a person, right? They say it's not them, it's the drug making them do it. You know when someone's high and does something, they have a sickness, they have a problem. That situation is a little more deeper than just pretending you're a gun.

How many tracks can you record in one day?
You know what I did? I recorded 11 records in 3 days, I really did! And then I kept 4 of 'em cause I felt they were a good representation of me, from Get Rich Or Die Trying till now. But the records are great so in the future you'll probably hear some of those records.

Is Game really like Lloyd Banks or Tony Yayo in G-Unit or is it more business?
You know what it is? We have a different relationship, I've known Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo all my life, Young Buck isn't so closely into the camp, he's spent the last 2 years around me. So it will take time for me and Game to develop the same relationship that me and the rest of the crew have but he's a part of the crew like everybody else and I want to add it to you that his first week sales just came and he sold 586,933 records.

What would be your reaction if your second album sold less than that in its first week?
Anything less than 11 million records would be a failure, I'm talking about the end of the record. With the first album I felt like I failed because anything I was doing, I was doing for the first time. I know what I'm doing this time, last time I was like 'ok, what am I supposed to do?' and I didn't really know. But to go back to Game's first week, it's exciting for me to have an artist come out and go gold the first week, especially when Ja Rule's record is out there and he's at 538,000 records right now, Game's sold more than Ja Rule in his first week after his album's been on sale for 10 weeks.

Game also said that he sold more than Joe Budden's album in one day
Yeah!

Have you already started working on Tony Yayo's album?
Yeah (getting excited), with Tony Yayo's album, I saved the best for last, ha ha.

How would you compare it to the albums released by Lloyd Banks, Young Buck or yourself?
Totally different! I mean, we're similar because of what we say when we rhyme, to an extent but the perception of it and the way he writes it is so different from Banks and myself that I'm so excited about this record. Following my album, I feel like I'm gonna have the biggest year in my career possibly this year. Having this music, having Tony Yayo on deck and ready to go, following my album, after having Game sell 586,933 his first week, I'm anticipating selling even more than that my first week and then Yayo could possibly make more than that too, we're going uphill right now.

What do you think about the state of the hip hop press right now? I mean your album comes out in March and I doubt that you'll have the Source cover…
You know, I think the state of the Hip-Hop press is good…outside of the Source magazine (laughing). You know what, that sounds crazy, it's awkward they've altered, they're not even a publication anymore, they're a tabloid. They've stopped reporting news and they report what they wanna report.

What was the latest album you thought was dope outside of the G-Unit/aftermath camp?
Outside of the G-Unit? It's the Snoop album. I listen to it. I think this record got a real old school feel. He's one of the most talented artists out there right now.

Speaking of talented artists, Saigon has been compared to you many times, have you ever checked his music?
Nah, I don't know the dude.

Do you consider hip hop like a religion, a girl or a way to make money?
I don't know if I could pick one, probably closer to a religion than a girl. I wouldn't call it my religion but I would say something close to that, cause that's the most important.

When do you think will be a good time for you to retire?
Retire? I'm not even gonna retire. I'm only dropping my second album, I'm so early in my career. Because my first album was such a big success, people start asking 'when you're gonna retire?' But I'm not even thinking about that, I'm more in the mind frame 'when do I come out again.' (Laughing)

Now most major record companies aren't owned by people coming from the hip hop scene, why don't we see people like you start a major record company on their own, do you really need a huge machine behind you today?
You know, it's difficult enough to have the proper staffing, it's not easy to have knowledgeable people and it's expensive. And you need to have connections so you gotta come with the money. So, independently, when you come out, you can't just jump into that seat and then become a major. Look at majors as National Saving Banks. They got the money in order to allow you to create new projects. And the more success you have with them, the more finance they'll give you. When you do a subsidiary they kinda give you a 50 percent profit split and what that is is they'll give you the money to make the project, cover the expenses to actually create the product and after they get their money back and you split the profits. So if you took yourself away from that, you have to have all the money upfront to make the record, to market it, all the money to transport the artists-flying, hotels, cabs, limousines and you need to pay your staff at the same time. I mean, I'll be a major, I think G-Unit ain't Interscope records, it's just 2 years old, and Interscope is 13 years old.

What can we expect from your camp in 2005?
2005, Game's released, you can look forward to me, my new album The Massacre, scheduled March 8th, shortly after you'll see the first female solo artist of G-Unit, Olivia. After that you can look forward to Tony Yayo and when he comes out, I think a lot of the creativity is gonna shift, the same way the album Get Rich Or Die Trying came out and artists changed their lyrical content. They started getting aggressive again because they thought it was okay, seeing someone being aggressive and having the success I had.

So Tony Yayo is gonna change the game then?
Yeah.

Any last words?
I'm really excited; I can't wait to see how the general public embraces my album. I'm just ready now; I've sat already long enough, almost 2 years.
 

Dame Dash Announces New Ventures With N.O.R.E., RZA, Beanie

Damon Dash officially began life after Roc-A-Fella on Wednesday (January 26), holding a press conference to unveil new ventures in music, sports, fashion, film, jewelry and electronics.

At first it felt more like a party than a press conference as freestyles from Dame's new mixtape blasted through club N/A by everyone from Joe Budden and Raekwon to Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek. Industry tastemakers, athletes and artists all filled the club as Dame and company took the small stage.

Dash's biggest announcement was the formation of the Dash Music Group, which will be distributed by Universal Records and will incorporate several smaller labels under its umbrella. Included under the Dash-led group will be N.O.R.E.'s Militainment Musica, producer 7 Aurelius' Dream Factory, M.O.P.'s First Family and an unnamed label spearheaded by the RZA that will release a posthumous LP by ODB. Dame also said Beanie Sigel has a label within his structure and strongly hinted that the Dash Music Group may be the new home for Diplomat Records.

"I was thinking to myself, 'What can I do to compare to what we just did with Roc-A-Fella as far as being a label and empowering people who deserve to be empowered?" Dash said after the conference. "I affiliated myself with people who deserve to be empowered. I affiliated myself with people like 7, Noreaga and RZA and gave them labels."

One of the first acts coming from the Dash Music Group will be the Dream Factory's female act, a soul singer/gypsy from London named Anita. There's also a movie in the works called "The Dream Factory," loosely based on the life of 7.

The press conference started with Dame and boxing promoter Lou DiBella announcing they're joining forces to form Dash/DiBella Promotions. The roster of boxers they will promote and market include Andre Berto, Jaidon Codrington and Curtis Stevens; the latter two are managed by Chris Gotti.

Gotti, who had been in court earlier Wednesday with his brother Irv answering to money-laundering charges, showed no signs of being shell-shocked. He was all smiles as he took the stage with his fighters.

Dame spoke of the Gottis as being stand-up individuals.

"I think it's unfair," Dash said of the indictments. "I don't think they should black-eye our culture like that. I think Irv Gotti will stand strong, and I'll stand by him. Once he gets through this, I think he'll be an amazing force in the business as he has always been. I grew up with Irv Gotti as far as the business. He taught me all about it and he's always been a good friend."

On Friday, Dash is releasing his new Pro-Keds sneakers to stores and soon to follow will be a new version of the Roc Box portable music player with a color screen and a line of watches.

Dash also said he and Yankees slugger Gary Sheffield, who was in attendance, are putting their heads together on a line of Pro-Keds for the slugger. "I've always admired him from afar," Sheff said. "I like the way he conducts himself, businesswise."

Credit: Shaheem Reid for MTV News
Photo: MTV News

Game Sells More Than Top 10 Combined, Police Investigate Assault

G Unit/Aftermath artist The Game landed at the top of Billboard’s Top 200 Chart yesterday (Jan. 26), moving almost 600,000 copies of his debut album The Documentary in one week.The Compton, California native shipped 700,000 copies according to representatives for G-Unit/Aftermath/Interscope and in many cases, stores were sold out the demand was so high.

The album actually scanned 587,000 copies, selling more copies than the remaining Top 10 combined. And while Game should be celebrating, the party could be spoiled due to an altercation at a Washington D.C. radio station that left a popular radio host with injuries.

Game and several associates appeared Xzulu’s radio show and according to representatives from the station, Xzulu, known as “The Big Lipped Bandit” made an off color remark about Game’s manager’s cell-phone headset.

Shortly afterwards, Game and a group of men confronted the DJ about his remark in the lobby of the radio station.Xzulu was allegedly kicked and beaten by a group of men in Game’s entourage and sent to an area hospital with serious injuries.

“There was an incident and he [Game] is among the people identified,” a spokesman for the Prince George's County Police stated. “There is an ongoing investigation.”Representatives for Game declined to comment on the altercation.

Irv Gotti And Brother Christopher Surrender To FBI

Irv “Gotti” Lorenzo and his brother Christopher surrendered to authorities in a murder conspiracy and money-laundering probe, while alleged drug kingpin Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff was formally charged with murder. The Lorenzos surrendered to the FBI today (January 26) at 10:00 am on various counts of money laundering.Federal investigators accuse McGriff and the Lorenzo’s of laundering millions of drug proceeds through the The Inc. label that Gotti owned jointly with Island Def Jam.

McGriff, who is in prison on a gun charge, is charged with murder, racketerring and other crimes. Police also suspect McGriff in a drug-related double slaying in Owings Mills, Maryland.In that incident, police found $30,000 in cash in a Baltimore house allegedly used by McGriff. They also found large amounts of cocaine and heroin and promotional items from the "Crime Partners" movie that McGriff allegedly funded.

McGriff was an executive producer of the film, and Murder Inc. signed on to market the movie and release the soundtrack. A $500,000 cash advance was paid to McGriff from Murder Inc.’s parent company, Island Def Jam.In the same house, police found a surveillance videotape which bears the recording dates of July 13-16, 2001.

On the tape, Eric “E-Money Bags” Smith is captured parking his SUV on the Queens street where he was gunned down on July 16th, 2001. Informants have told authorities that McGriff allegedly admitted to the slaying of rapper Smith, who was shot 10 times in his SUV. In November of 2004, a Queens, New York couple was charged with the murder of Smith, who authorities say was shot out of revenge for alleged drug kingpin Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff.

Law enforcement officials claim that McGriff ordered Smith's murder to avenge the murder of a friend, Colbert “Black Just” Johnson.Sources stated that Smith shot Colbert in the leg, fatally striking a main artery.

Gotti has denied any knowledge of McGriff dealing drugs while working with The Inc."I never saw Supreme with no bags of cash,” Gotti told the Los Angeles Times last year. “To be honest with you, though, I can't swear he never sold drugs after he got out of prison. I'm not going to sit here and say I definitely know he didn't. But I'm going to tell you this: If he did, he wasn't doing it very good. Because he was always broke. That much I can attest to. The Supreme I know in 2003 isn't the rich, powerful drug dealer with the $200,000-a-day crack enterprise the government busted in the 1980s. The Supreme I know did not have a dime."

According to investigators, couriers carried almost $1 million in cash to the label’s offices at 825 Eighth Avenue. Police believe the money was laundered through the record label and then funneled back to McGriff. Investigators claim that McGriff was really in control of the Murder Inc. label and that the label was funded by McGriff’s drug proceeds.

Gotti has denied those charges, claiming that Island Def Jam provided the intitial startup cash for the label, which is home to Ashanti, Ja Rule and others.Officials are now seeking to confiscate all assets of The Inc.

Artists give up their one week pay to Tsunami victims [26 Jan 05]

Hot 97 personalities involved in a parody of the disastrous tsunamis in South Asia have agreed to donate one week's pay to tsunami relief. Controversy erupted when the Morning Show crew, led by host Miss Jones, made slanderous remarks in a spoof of the 1980s hit “We Are the World” last week. The skit substituted racial slurs and lyrics reportedly stating, "Go find your mommy/I just saw her float by/a tree went through her head/and now the children will be sold to child slavery." After verbal opposition by morning show member Miss Info, who is Asian, comic Todd Lyn said, "I'm going to start shooting Asians." WQHT posted an apology on its website. Sources with AllHipHop.com said that some of the DJs were unaware of the paycut when station management announced it. An online petition had over 10,000 “signatures” at press time and leaders in the Asian community are calling for Miss Jones’ dismissal.
 

The hip-hop film “Hustle and Flow” starring Ludacris was sold for $9 million to Paramount Pictures and MTV Films, the Atlanta rapper announced Sunday (Jan. 23) during a performance at the Sundance Film Festivals. The transaction was the biggest in Sundance history. The film’s producer John Singleton also inked a two-picture deal worth $3.5 million each. Ludacris said he jumped on when he heard Singleton was filming in the South. Luda’s role in “Hustle & Flow,” which cost $2 million to make, is a southern rapper named Skinny Black who motivates a pimp to pursue a career in hip-hop. Terrence Howard, Taryn Manning, Anthony Anderson and DJ Qualls also star in the film.

Rappers Fat Joe and the Game are part of headwear designer New Era 59FIFTY’s new celebrity design series. Fat Joe says he wanted his cap design, which premieres Thursday (Jan. 27), to represent his home town and honor his two friends, in addition to being stylish. The black faux suede cap features the Terror Squad logo, "TS,” on the front panel, and also bears the number and signature of Joe’s close friend, Knicks Guard Stephon Marbury. Embroidery on the cap, reads “Big Pun 4-Eva,” a tribute to Joe’s comrade, deceased rapper Big Pun. The Game launches his New Era 59FIFTY design February 24.

Nas and his father Olu Dara, a legendary jazz musician, made a surprise appearance at Atlanta’s Morehouse College as part of MTV's "Stand In" event series on their 24-hour college network, mtvU. Nas and Olu Dara dropped in on Morehouse's "Improvisational Jazz" class as substitute professors and offered their views on music, jazz and culture. The pair also compiled an original music piece. The mtvU "Stand In" featuring Nas and Olu Dara premieres February 1 at 1 p.m. ET and airs throughout the week as part of mtvU's Black History Month programming.

After a 10 year hiatus, The Geto Boys’ highly anticipated reunion LP “The Foundation” hit stores today (Jan. 25). “What we’re doing is reminding today’s generation where their heroes got their talents from,” Bushwick Bill told AllHipHop.com. “The Foundation” features production from Mike Dean, Scarface, Tone Capone, Cory Mo & Mr. Mixx.

Feds expected to make some Murder Inc arrests [25 Jan, 05]

According to sources, Murder Inc mogul Irv “Gotti” Lorenzo, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, and Ja Rule’s manager Ron “Gutta” Robinson will be arrested shortly for allegedly laundering millions of dollars in illegal drug money.

Federal agents will definitely make arrests this week, the source stated, but didn’t indicate when nor the exact charges that would be levied. This alleged plan does not include rapper Ja Rule or singer Ashanti, sources with AllHipHop.com said.

The federal government will reportedly persecute the Hip-Hop mogul and his cohorts under the RICO Act (The Racketeering In Corrupt Organization Act), usually reserved for organized crime outfits.

In Jan. 2003, the government raided the Manhattan offices of Murder Inc. seeking to solidify their investigation. Agents where probing whether or not Gotti helped Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff in laundering funds from drug sales through his successful record label.

Lorezno and those that support him have vehemently denied any wrongdoing, but maintained that McGriff was an associate that no longer sells drugs. Gotti also alleges that his start-up funds were derived from distributor Def Jam, not drugs.

Despite his claims, the government has tightened its case against the mogul and his associates.

Ron “Gutta” Robinson of Murder Inc. was arrested and indicted on money laundering on Nov. 17, 2004 by federal prosecutors. They charged that the 29 year old conspired with others to transfer over $1 million through the label. Murder Inc. Prior to that, bookkeeper Cynthia Brent, 39, was arrested and indicted on Nov. 8, 2004 on similar charges.

Later in 2003, Gotti attempted to shed the negativity surrounding him by changing the name of his label Murder Inc. to The Inc. At a press conference, he also denounced the name Gotti, saying he would use his real name Irv Lorenzo.

At press time, representatives for Irv Gotti and The Inc were not available or refused request for comment.
 

Usher Accuses J.lo Of Song 'theft' [25 Jan,05]