Justin Bieber Headlines 1^st Tour
12:00PM ET March 17, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

America’s favorite little guy Justin Bieber will head out on tour this summer for the first time in support of his sophomore album My World 2.0. The 16-year-old pop sensation’s fans will have a chance to see him first as pre-sale tickets will be held via the musician's fan club, Bieberfever.com on March 18 at 10 a.m.

He will be joined by Sean Kingston as a supporting act.

Full tour date information:
Wed 06/23/10 Hartford, CT XL Center
Thu 06/24/10 Trenton, NJ Sun National Bank Center
Sat 06/26/10 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena
Sun 06/27/10 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheater
Tue 06/29/10 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
Wed 06/30/10 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
Fri 07/02/10 Moline, IL i wireless Center
Sat 07/03/10 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Omaha
Mon 07/05/10 Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Theatre At Grand Prairie
Tue 07/06/10 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Thu 07/08/10 Broomfield, CO 1STBANK Center
Sat 07/10/10 West Valley City, UT The E Center
Tue 07/13/10 Everett, WA Comcast Arena At Everett
Wed 07/14/10 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena
Sat 07/17/10 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
Sun 07/18/10 Reno, NV Reno Events Center
Tue 07/20/10 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE
Wed 07/21/10 Paso Robles, CA Grandstand @ California Mid State Fair
Sat 07/24/10 Las Vegas, NV Planet Hollywood Theatre For The Performing Arts
Sun 07/25/10 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena
Wed 07/28/10 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Thu 07/29/10 North Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena
Sat 07/31/10 Memphis, TN FedExForum
Sun 08/01/10 Lafayette, LA Cajundome
Wed 08/04/10 Orlando, FL Amway Arena
Thu 08/05/10 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center
Sun 08/08/10 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
Mon 08/09/10 Duluth, GA The Arena At Gwinnett Center
Wed 08/11/10 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Thu 08/12/10 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse
Sat 08/14/10 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
Sun 08/15/10 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills
Sat 08/21/10 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Sun 08/22/10 London, ON The John Labatt Centre
Tue 08/24/10 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
Wed 08/25/10 Albany, NY Times Union Center
Fri 08/27/10 Providence, RI Dunkin' Donuts Center
Sat 08/28/10 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Sun 08/29/10 Syracuse, NY New York State Fairgrounds
Tue 08/31/10 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena
Wed 09/01/10 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
Fri 09/03/10 Essex Junction, VT Champlain Valley Exposition

Wayne Wanted In Arizona
06:00AM ET March 17, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

An Arizona judge issued a bench warrant Tuesday for Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne after he failed to appear for a hearing on drug and weapons charges the only problem is, he's always in jail.

Lil Wayne was arrested in January 2008 at a border checkpoint after authorities say they found cocaine, Ecstasy and a handgun on his tour bus. However he plead not guilty to the charges.

Tilson said he has filed motions to have Lil Wayne's March 30 trial date vacated, and asked the court that his client be allowed to appear in Yuma when he finishes his New York jail sentence.

Michael Jackson Estate Signs Big Deal
06:00AM ET March 17, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Michael Jackson's estate signed the most lucrative record deal in history by agreeing to a seven year contract with Sony Records worth an estimated $250 million.

The contract Sony access to MJ's back catalog (for two additional years on the existing deal) granting them permission to release unreleased music from the King of Pop.

The deal also calls for 10 additional CD's of old and new Jackson music.

Jackson's catalog has sold 31 million records since his death some 9 months ago.

Akon Branches Out
06:00AM ET March 17, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

According to thesundaily.com R&B superstar Akon will be contributing to the soundtrack for an upcoming Bollywood movie. Akon's song will be featured in the film RA.One, a sci-fi action film currently in production starring Shah Rukh Khan as a flying superhero and actress Kareena Kapoor as his love interest.

Akon will sing in the local Hindi language on the track and appear in the video for the song.

"India is my next focus area," Akon told reporters. "I want to try different things, want to explore ... want to enjoy my work. We have the same kind of entertainment; the only difference is of tradition and language."

Props to Akon for taking his flavor to an international level.

Lil Wayne Goes Gold With 'Rebirth'
09:00PM ET March 16, 2010
Contributor : Madame C
A Rocky Williform Company

Rocking an orange jumpsuit and sitting in a jail cell has not stopped Lil Wayne from topping the charts and selling records. His latest rock-inspired album, Rebirth has just been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Rebirth has sold over 500,000 copies since it debuted five weeks ago at number 2 on the Billboard charts, selling 176,000 copies in its first week. The album has spawned chart-topping singles including "Prom Queen," "On Fire," and "Drop The World" featuring Eminem. The album's next single will be "Knockout" featuring Nicki Minaj.

Trading 808s for guitar riffs, many critics were hesitant of the rapper entering new territory with this album's sound but it is apparent anything that Lil Wayne touches turns to gold. Literally.

Jay-Z Expands Tour
03:00PM ET March 16, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Jay-Z has added a few dates to his already busy international schedule. Already scheduled to play a few large festivals in the UK in June, he has added more dates in Germany, France, Scotland, Switzerland and Ireland to the tour.

Here is the full slate of Europe dates:
6/4/10: Rock am Ring, Germany
6/5/10: Rock im Park, Germany
6/6/10: Paris Bercy, France
6/7/10: Manchester Arena, UK
6/9/10: Birmingham LG Arena, UK
6/11/10: Isle of Wight, UK
7/2/10: Eurockéennes Belfort, France
7/4/10: Wireless, UK
7/9/10: Oxygen, Ireland
7/10/10: Frauenfeld, Switzerland
7/11/10: T in the Park, Scotland

Luda Ties Record
12:00PM ET March 16, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Ludacris reached a milestone last week when Taio Cruz single "Break Your Heart" reached number one on Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Luda believed he became the first rapper to have 5 number 1 pop singles but quickly found out that he had just tied the record.

Luda tweeted about a call he received from frequent collaborator Diddy clarifying his error. "That nigga Diddy just called me & said "Nigga I got 5 # 1's on Billboard too & I ain't goin out without a fight." Now I gotta get 6! It's on."

Here are the songs that tied Luda with Diddy:
Taio Cruz Ft. Ludacris "Break Your Heart" (March 11, 2010)
Fergie Ft. Ludacris "Glamorous" (March 24, 2007)
Ludacris Ft. Pharrell "Money Maker" (October 28, 2006)
Usher Ft. Ludacris & Lil Jon "Yeah!" (March 6, 2004)
Ludacris Ft. Shawnna "Stand Up" (December 6, 2003)

Mike Tyson's New TV Show
06:00AM ET March 16, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Today Animal Planet announced the beginning of production on "Iron" Mike Tyson's show Taking on Tyson. The show follows the former champ as he takes the audience inside the intensely competitive world of pigeon racing.

Taking on Tyson is slated to film this spring in New York City and debut in early 2011. Tyson, who has a love for birds, will compete as a novice pigeon racer against several individuals in hopes of being crowned a champ all over again.

"I'm honored to be a part of this monumental show on Animal Planet," said Tyson in a press release. "I feel a great pride acting as an official representative for all the pigeon fancier's out there. I want people to see why we love these birds. It feels good returning to the rooftops of the city where it all started for me — New York."

Serato And Stones Throw Dilla Project
06:00AM ET March 16, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Serato and Stones Throw have teamed with the J Dilla Estate for the official J Dilla Serato release, Donut Shop. This is 2 discs with six J Dilla tracks, 2 sides with Serato Control Tone (for use with Serato Scratch Live DJ software), and 2 Donut slip mats.

The J Dilla tracks consist of three previously unreleased instrumentals ("Safety Dance", "Sycamore", "Bars & Twists") selected by J.Rocc from the Dilla archives and three unreleased instrumental versions of Dilla's production for Mos Def, Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes, each remastered by Elysian Masters.

The package will be released May 10th. The pre-order is available now on stonesthrow.com for $34.99.

Lady Gaga Summer Tour
06:00AM ET March 16, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Lady Gaga is not giving the competition any room to breathe. A few weeks after her international tour ends Gaga will begin the US leg of the Monsters Ball Tour. According to Gaga the show will be more musical and less theatrical than past outings. The storyline is that Gaga and a friend get lost in NYC on the way to the Monsters Ball. Who knows what mishaps will happen along the way.

Monster's Ball North American Tour Dates:
June 28   Montreal
July 1   Boston
July 4   Atlantic City
July 6   New York City
July 11   Toronto
July 14   Cleveland
July 15   Indianapolis
July 17   St. Louis
July 20   Oklahoma City
July 22   Dallas
July 25   Houston
July 28   Denver
July 31   Phoenix
August 3   Kansas City
August 11   Los Angeles
August 13   Las Vegas
August 16   San Jose
August 19   Portland
August 21   Tacoma, WA
August 23   Vancouver
August 26   Edmonton, AB
August 30   St. Paul, MN
Sept. 1   Milwaukee
Sept. 4   Detroit
Sept. 5   Pittsburgh
Sept. 7   Washington, D.C.
Sept. 8   Charlottesville, VA
Sept. 14   Philadelphia
Sept. 16   Hartford, CT
Sept. 18   Charlotte
Sept. 19   Raleigh, NC

Ricky Leigh Dies of Heart Attack
09:00PM ET March 15, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

News of the passing of one of rap radio's unsung heroes surfaced earlier today. Ricky Leigh (49) died of an apparent heart attack last Thursday. Leigh was responsible for the invention of the DJ radio call, which is a marketing tactic to break new records that is still used to this day.

Two of the DJ's that Leigh helped out tremendously are Sway and King Tech. Leigh helped the duo take their Wake Up Show program national many years ago.

Sway spoke to MTV News about the loss today. "Ricky Leigh was a very close friend of Sway and Tech that championed 'The Wake Up Show' from its early beginnings," Sway said. "He was the first to mobilize mixshow DJs on a national level and gave us the power and recognition that we deserved. There was a point where radio stations and record companies didn't value the role of the mixshow DJ until Ricky Leigh gave us a platform and voice. Ricky Leigh was a visionary with his Mixshow column in Hits magazine and made a path for future DJ organizations like the Technicians, Core DJs and the Mixshow Power Summit. He was a great friend of mine. R.I.P Ricky Leigh."

Leigh's legacy lives on.

SMC Invades SXSW
03:00 PM ET March 15, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Bay Area based super indie label SMC Records will present one of the many big hip hop showcases later this week at Austin's annual music festival South by Southwest (SXSW).
The Bay Area and Southern hip hop heavy show features Mike Bigga (bka Killer Mike), Mistah Fab, The Jacka, The Pack and freshman top 10 rapper Pill, plus many more special guests.

The show takes place at Klub Krucial on Thursday, March 18^th.

Other notable acts set to perform during SXSW include The Cool Kids, U-N-I, Reflection Eternal, Strong Arm Steady, 8Ball & MJG, Redman, Donnis, Kurupt, Jay Rock, Freeway and Jake One and the previously reported Paul Wall and Chamillionaire reunion.

Nas On Getting His Diploma
12:00PM ET March 15, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Yesterday QB's own Nas recently spoke to a large group high school students at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's annual National Keystone Conference in Pittsburgh, PA. The rapper appeared before over 900 students and spoke on the importance of getting a degree, though he did not receive his own one of his goals is to do so.

Nas was of several celebrities who spoke to high school students during the conference that also included retired NBA Hall of Fame player Bob Lanier and Grammy Award-winning artist Ne-Yo.

The 43rd annual event also included several workshops and a fundraiser for Haiti relief.

Soulja Boy Changes Name Of Album
06:00 AM ET March 15, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Soulja Boy Tell 'Em has been touting his upcoming 3^rd album as an offering that will focus more on his lyrical development than his past offerings. The album which was to be called The DeAnrdre Way, a play off of his birth name will now simply be titled Dre.

The Rap-Up reported the name change announcement as part of the rappers recent Vegas performance at Eva Longoria's club Eve.

Soulja Boy has expressed interest in getting Eminem and Jay-Z on the album in the past. So far he has enlisted Kanye West on production.

Drake Films New Clip
06:00 AM ET March 15, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Over the weekend hip hop rookie of the year Drake filmed the video for his latest single "Over."
The Anthony Mandler ("Russian Roulette," "Irreplaceable," "Snoop Dogg's Fatherhood") clip was directed In Los Angeles on Friday.

"Over," produced by longtime collaborator Boi-1da is the first single from Drake's upcoming debut Thank Me Later, which is due in stores this May.

Brooklyn MC G Baby Killed
06:00 AM ET March 15, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Aspiring Brooklyn, NY rapper Gregory "G Baby" Brown was gunned down this weekend at a Fabolous concert at the Amazura nightclub in Jamaica, Queens. G Baby was signed to QBB/ Memphis Bleek's Get Low record label and was a fixture on the East Coast underground hip hop scene.

No information has been released about the actual incident but many of hip hop's finest have released statements about G Baby via twitter including Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Fabolous and Bleek.

"I'm in mood I can't explain I lost a real nigga 2day R.I.P to my nigga who was like a bro to me!! G.BABY.. Love u G," wrote Memphis Bleek on Saturday March 13th." 2nite goes out for the baby boy G I got u my nigg see u on the other side! Thx to those who showed me love...getlow we to strong to break!!"

Lloyd Signs To Interscope
09:00PM ET March 12, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

After he blessed Young Money with the hook for their current Top 10 hit "Bedrock" many expected singer Lloyd to sign with Wayne's label. However, Lloyd respectively turned down Baby and Wayne's offer to join the family because he did not want to stay under the Universal Motown umbrella where he had released his last two albums.

Lloyd revealed to MTV that he has signed with Interscope records instead and he will be featuring the Young Money family prominently on his next album.

Irv Gotti Donates To D.C. Mayor's Campaign
03:00PM ET March 12, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

The Washington Post is reporting that producer Irv Gotti contributed $1,000 to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's reelection campaign, at least according to the mayor's latest campaign finance report.

Gotti contributed $1000 by credit card late on Wednesday of this week. Fenty is a noted old school hip-hop head but that alone has not endeared him to a large segment of Washington D.C.'s voters.

Fenty, who of mixed race, has been receiving heat from the African-American community in D.C. for not appointing enough people of color to positions in his cabinet. However according to many political analysts he will most likely be reelected due to the lack of a strong candidate to oppose him.