Lloyd Banks Talks G-Unity And Indie Success

Blue Hefner says his low sales in 2006 created the hunger for more, and now he's ready to spread the wealth for the holidays.

Lloyd Banks says his theme of The Hunger For More isn’t just a convenient sequel he chose to link his first and third albums, but also a mindset created by tough love from his mentor, 50 Cent. When Banks was dropped by Interscope following the lackluster sales of his sophomore effort, The Rotten Apple, he says a quote from 50 stuck with him.

“When you win, we all win together. When you lose, you lose by yourself,” Fif told Banks. While the quote didn’t offer much in the way of sympathy, Banks says he’s thankful for it in hindsight.

“But it's the truth. (50 Cent) is supportive, but to a certain extent,” Banks explained to the Associated Press. “He couldn't overextend himself. I was confused at the time. But it's what I needed. I became more hungry.” And so, the theme of a hunger for more was resurrected. And while Banks’ figurative hunger paid off with a gold single and another major distribution deal for his third album, the Queens native hasn’t forgotten about impoverished families who literally have a hunger for more during the holiday season.

Along with the G-Unity Foundation, Banks gave out dozens of Thanksgiving turkeys to families in need. Lloyd Banks also handed out a few scholarships to college-bound students in Queens. When asked for his motivation, Banks was quick and direct with his response.

“I remember when I was a little kid and never really had anybody to come and talk to me…not that I would listen to at least.”

Soulja Boy Addresses Kat Stacks, Cocaine Allegations

While he denies her Cocaine allegations, Soulja Boy has some kind words for Kat Stacks as she faces deportation.

Kat Stacks kept Soulja Boy’s name in Internet search engines for all the wrong reasons when she posted a video to the Web alleging the Rap star used cocaine during a weekend fling with her. Now that Hip Hop’s most infamous groupie since Karrine “Superhead” Steffans faces deportation back to her native Venezuela, Soulja Boy has some interesting thoughts.

“It’s sad that she’s getting deported,” Soulja Boy told Angie Ang of Washington D.C.’s WKYS 93.9 FM. “They taking my baby away…don’t want me to see her no more. When you love somebody you don’t argue; you’re gonna have arguments. I meant everything that I said. She’s all of that and more—scum of the Earth. That’s my baby though, man. I love her.”

The allegations led to a short-lived feud with Fabolous, which has since ended. Meanwhile, Kat Stacks was reportedly arrested in Nashville, Tennessee for immigration-related issues. As for Kat’s cocaine allegations against Soulja Boy, the rapper maintained his innocence and looked at the rumors as a positive.

“I ain’t never did coke a day in my life,” he added. “I ain’t never been in a rehab center a day in my life. Shouts out to the blogs making up stories on me. But at the end of the day it’s publicity. I got an album coming out November 30. Say whatever you want to say, because I know what’s true. I sold 22 off ‘Crank Dat,’ 10 million off ‘Turn My Swag On,’ 10 million off ‘Kiss Me Thru The Phone.’ Three years later I’m chillin, and they hating me. I ain’t never did no coke. I just hopped off a plane. I was talking to Wall Street Journal!”

Rick Ross To Perform At MTV African Music Awards

The Boss crosses the ocean to next month's Lagos, Nigeria awards ceremony, reportedly being his first trip.

With Eminem recently performing at the MTV Europe Music Awards, it has now been announced that another U.S. Hip Hop star is headed abroad to honor MTV's foreign awards. It has been announced that Miami, Florida emcee Rick Ross will perform at December 11's MTV African Music Awards, which will air the following Saturday, December 18 on MTV's Base.
The event will take place in Lagos, Nigeria, and marks Rick Ross' reported first trip to the continent of Africa. The full nominations and performances are available at MTV Base's website.
This summer, Rick Ross released Teflon Don on Def Jam Records.

T.I. Explains Drug Addiction, Says He's Been Treated Unfairly

Tip sits down with Vibe to explain how prescription drugs pushed him to addiction, and says a troubled past also influenced him.

In a telling interview this month, T.I. disclosed his feelings about his recent drug charges and subsequent jail time. Before the Atlanta rapper headed off to jail earlier this month, he'd sat down with Vibe magazine to describe what he thinks about the public's perception of him, and if he feels he's being treated unfairly.

"If I place my value in the way humans treat me, then maybe. But they're human, man--they can't help themselves," T.I. said. "They do that to people they know personally. So how can I expect them to treat me, only knowing me through television? They did that to Jesus. They did that to Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali. They did it to every great person you could possibly think of. When it was all good, they was with them. When things got bad, then they was against them."

While public sentiment has been one of disappointment with T.I.'s actions, the rapper has remained relatively quiet in explaining his behavior. However, he finally tried to vocalize why he thinks he's fallen back into old habits and also takes umbridge with those who've spoken against him.

"Let me just say this," he began. "If you look at a guy who came up, no pops in the house, moms on welfare, food stamps, started selling dope when he was 12, 13 years-old, came up handling guns, being in shoot-outs, started going to jail when he was 15. In all of this chaos and this mischief and lawlessness, the person who was just in jail for machine guns and silencers turns his life around. And now you want to crucify him--for what? Three pills. I mean, of course it's wrong and unacceptable and inexcusable. No problem. But in the grand scheme of things, it's rather petty. It's rather petty to hold someone's feet to the fire for something so small when they have overcome things that were so big. All that could have been going wrong--if I was riding with more guns, or if I had gotten into a shoot-out and killed somebody, then I could see that. But just think about it. I've gotten it down to this much."

Although T.I. and wife Tameka Cottle were arrested for possession of ecstasy, he says he first got into the drug habit because of prescription drugs.

"I had a lot of work done to my teeth. Oral surgery, extractions, six, seven, eight root canals. Between January to February. As soon as I got out, I had a lot of stuff done. In the joint, you eat shit that is unhealthy for you. I had fillings that fell out and stuff that had to get dealt with. Of course for the pain they gave me oxycotin and hydrocodon. And, mind you, on October 13, 2007, I had cut off everything--weed, alcohol. Then I get these pills and I start taking them for the pain at first. And then, I'm like, 'Wait--this shit makes me feel good. And it's legal.' After the pain went away, I kept taking it. I had like five, six prescriptions. So I had, like 80 pills. Everybody else might have a drink or smoke a blunt, I took a pain pill. Times when I had 18-20 hour days, I'd take a pain pill. And eventually I developed--I guess--the beginning stages of dependence."
The Vibe cover story will appear in next month's issue.

by Salima Koroma

Is Nicki Minaj The Hip-Hop Lady Gaga?

By Chris Yuscavage

For Nicki Minaj, there is no comparison.
When Billboard proclaimed her the "First Lady (Gaga) of Hip-Hop" last week, Nicki Minaj jumped on her Twitter account immediately to refute the comparison.
"I didn't 'borrow a page' out of anyone's book," she tweeted, before adding "It's ok 2 give everyone their individual props. No need to lump them all into 1. Undermines the work I've put in."
That's all well and good but, in a way, Nicki should have been flattered to be compared to one of the biggest pop stars in the world right now. With Lady Gaga recently nominated for the TIME Person of the Year award, it's actually a good thing for Nicki to be in the same category as her, especially given that she's a new artist and Pink Friday is her first project. She must be doing something right in the eyes of fans and critics.
We also happen to agree with the comparison. To show you why, RapFix gathered a list of the 10 reasons that Nicki Minaj is the second coming of Lady Gaga. No need to get your (pink leopard?) panties in a bunch, Barbies. This is one comparison Nicki can use to her advantage.

1. She has a rabid core fan base that are extremely loyal
It's wrong to insinuate that Nicki used the same exact approach to gain fans—or "Barbz" as she calls them—as Gaga. But they've certainly gotten the same result. Miss Minaj has gained much of her popularity by getting a rabid fan base behind her and letting them do some of her promotional work for her. Like Gaga, she's put her career into the fans' hands and let them mold her into a superstar. Just like a real-life Barbie doll.

2. She also has a laundry list of haters
Any successful person needs a ton of fans—and a ton of haters. Why else do you think rappers talk about all the "hate" they get so often? When Gaga's stock started to rise a couple of years ago, there were throngs of music fans who stood up and openly questioned everything from Gaga's sexuality to her ability to sing in order to try and discredit her as an artist. But by doing it, they only made her core fans that much more die-hard. The same thing has effectively driven Nicki's name to the top of the rap charts.

3. She has a unique sense of style that she sticks to religiously
People can clown Nicki for her colorful wigs and her sometimes—"Mad Max" stretch pants all they want. All she does is go back into the closet and pull out something even more outrageous. She hasn't quite come around to the idea of wearing a "meat dress" yet, but if she did, would you really be surprised?

4. She has worked hard to build an identity
To some degree, every famous person on the planet has to put on an act in order to entertain the masses. It just so happens that Gaga and Minaj have found the act—or, in their cases, the acts (what up, Roman Zolanski?)—that have worked best for them. And once they found their identity, they kept it up and kept at it until the world was forced to pay attention.

5. When she makes a guest appearance on a song, you know it
When is the last time you heard a song featuring Lady Gaga and walked away from it talking about the main artist? When is the last time you heard a song featuring Nicki Minaj and walked away from it talking about the main artist? Never and never. These two both make the most out of a guest appearance and leave people talking. Talking about them, of course.

6. She knows how to move a crowd
No matter how dope you are on a record, it does you no good if you can't perform it live. And both Nicki and Gaga have shown that, for as eccentric as they are on a song, they're just as eccentric in person. Nicki has her funny faces, Gaga has her crazy outfits and they've both garnered a huge audience as a result.

7. She thinks outside the box when it comes to recording music videos
Male singers and rappers could learn a thing or two from watching music videos by these two. Gaga's are usually ridiculously long and involve a whole lot of symbolism that we don't always get. Likewise, Nicki's usually try and follow some type of storyline that takes some deciphering to figure out exactly what she's portraying. But in both cases, they get the blogs and the message boards popping with people spewing their opinions on them. Love them? Hate them? Doesn't matter. You're talking about them.


8. She used a male cosign to get on—but didn't use it to stay there
At the beginning, Lady Gaga had Akon in her corner. Nicki had Lil Wayne cheering her on. Neither has moved away from her male mentor, but they've both made us forget that they were once so closely associated with them. They're strong, viable and, most importantly, independent artists that don't need a man to stand behind them to get things done.

9. She loves making music, but wants to do more
Nicki makes music ... right now. In the future, she also wants to star in movies. And run a clothing line. And make makeup for girls. And  ... well, she wants to do a little of just about everything. She wants to turn the Nicki Minaj brand into the Nicki Minaj empire, just as Lady Gaga has started to do.

10. She is the most polarizing female artist in her genre
In the rap world, people love her. People hate her. People want to see her succeed. People want to see her fail. But if you mention her, people will talk about her, just like Lady Gaga.

KAT STACKS MAY NOT BE DEPORTED!

Oh nooooo! This is proof that there is a conspiracy against Hip-Hop! They have called off a deportation order against Stacky! Earlier in the week, Stacks said, ""the judge called OFF the deportating order , im just waiting for them to give me a bond price [sic]" According to VIBE, Andrea "Kat Stacks" Herrera-Cardena was detained in Nashville, Tennessee just three days after celebrating her 21st birthday.Technically, she is being held without bail at the Nashville Correctional Development Center For Females and SHOULD have been deported! Not looking good right now for America.

B.M.F. Story To Big Screen

The exploits of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family have already been turned into a hit single by Rick Ross and a critically acclaimed book by Mara Shalhoup and now, the story of the drug dealing crew is coming to the big screen.

Award winning Producer/director James DuBose is currently working on his first feature film, "B.M.F.," along with BMF Entertainment's Tammy Cowins.

Rep's for DuBose told AllHipHop.com that the flick will center around the life story of Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory.

Flenory and his brother Terry "Southwest T" Flenory were both sentenced to 25-30 years in prison in 2007, for their role in leading BMF, which distributed thousands of kilos of cocaine around the country, earning over an estimated $270 million in the process.

According to DuBose, who produced the BET reality series Trey Songz: My Moment, The Michael Vick Project, Monica's Still Standing and Tiny & Toya, he has learned to appreciate Big Meech as a "mathematical genius."

In related news, James DuBose, an alumnus of Wake Forest University, will return to campus tomorrow (November 18th) to encourage the student body during the "Journey to Success Speaker Series."

The speaking engagement is part of DuBose's Entrepreneurial Nationwide College Tour, which is slated to take place throughout February and March.

During the tour, DuBose and a revolving panel of film, television and music executives will speak to students to inspire their creativity and entrepreneurial desires.

In 2011, DuBose will introduce his newest reality show "Young Moguls" starring Sean "Diddy" Combs' son Christian Combs.

A release date for the B.M.F. movie was not available as of press time.

Wiz Khalifa Lands Publishing Deal

The Pittsburgh emcee is making moves with Warner/Chappell.

Wiz Khalifa has singed worldwide co-publishing deal with Warner/Chappell, following an extremely successful 2010 which saw the release of numerous mixtapes, including the acclaimed Kush and Orange Juice.
The news came via press release, which highlighted Khalifa's now-massive online presence. With "more than 470,000 fans following him on Twitter, more than one million 'Likes' on his Facebook page, and nearly 9 million profile views and 33 million plays at his official MySpace page," the young rapper has certainly mastered the blueprint for emcees entering the game in this decade.
"Wiz Khalifa is one of those true, internet-success stories you always hear about. He released his music through the Web, it spread like wildfire, and his fans rallied around him until he broke through to the next level. He has worked extremely hard to get where he is and Warner/Chappell is a great place to ensure that that momentum keeps going," added Scott Francis, President, Warner/Chappell Music, and Chairman and CEO, Warner/Chappell Music U.S.
Currently Khalifa's single "Black & Yellow" is No. 29 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and No. 17 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Suspect Charged in Akon's Road Manager's Murder

Six years after Robert Montanez's death in New Jersey, police have charged Almalik Ward with the murder.

Newark, New Jersey police have arrested and charged Almalik Ward with the murder of Akon's road manager, Robert Montanez, who was gunned down six years ago. According to reports, Montanez tried to prevent Ward from robbing Capone of C-N-N (Capone-N-Noreaga) outside of a bar in Jersey City. During a recent interview with AllHipHop.com, Rodini Almonacy, a co-Publisher of Promo Mag spoke on the incident.
“It was about 5 of us in front of the spot. We were discussing putting Capone in the magazine. This guy went through us and tugged on Capone’s chain. Capone said, 'You got one more time to touch my chain.' The guy was like, 'What?' That’s when Screw [Montanez] came in between them.”
According to Almonacy, a fight broke out that resulted in gun shots to Montanez's chest.
"The guy who shot him wasn’t threatened; all he had to do was walk away. Not only did he try to take the chain, he shot somebody," Almonacy added. "I think it was premeditated and they were scheming on Capone.”

While police say that Ward has been a suspect in the incident, witnesses recently identified him as the shooter.

Waka Flocka Flame Accused Of Skipping Out On Shows

Waka Flocka Flame is reaching near-MF DOOM levels of achievement when it comes to not attending shows, according to recent reports.
The young rapper apparently failed to preform at a charity concert in Melbourne, Florida due to a dispute with the event's promoters.
Waka Flocka reportedly refused to perform at Levelz nightclub's charity event "Hip Hop For Hunger" when promoters failed to hand over $10,000 in cash.
According to the event's promoter, Christopher Duncan, there was nothing in the contract that required him to pay the money in cash, and  he intends to file suit against the rapper to retrieve the deposit.
The rapper's booking agents were sued, again, just two months ago for similar issues.

by Slava Kuperstein

Nicki Minaj Officially Responds to Lil' Kim

Nicki finally goes at Lil' Kim openly.

Nicki Minaj has finally made an official response to Lil' Kim.
While Kim has made no secret of her distaste for the Young Money emcee, Nicki Minaj has remained more guarded about overtly dissing Kim, preferring thinly-veiled subliminals in songs such as "Roman's Revenge" and "Monster."
In an interview with Angie Martinez, when asked about Kim, Nicki was more forthcoming than she had been in the past. "[Kim] just really jumped out the window. You gotta be really careful when you pick fights...I think people get me mistaken with a real Barbie. They forget where I'm from. And if I have to [respond], I can and I will. Don't play with me. It's one of those moments when you say, 'Don't play with me.'"
Minaj, who claimed Kim as an influence earlier in the interview, continued: "I respect you, I love you, I've said it in every interview time and time again. And if that's not good enough [for] you, mama, that's something deep-rooted in you. You need to get your -- something is bothering you inside. That's your insecurity bothering you. It's not Nicki Minaj, it would've been any girl that started poppin'. She picked a fight with Foxy, then she picked a fight with Eve, then she picked a fight with Remy, then it was Mrs. Wallace, then it was Nicki Minaj! Everytime you in the news, it's because you gettin' at somebody! Where is your music? ...When I see your name on Billboard, that's when I'll respond to you."

Wiz Khalifa Explains Why He Dismissed Drake's Tour Offer

Rap newcomer Wiz Khalifa has revealed the truth behind his decision not to join Drake for his recent Light Dreams & Nightmares tour and discussed the aftermath of his choice.
"I went out on a limb and went with my gut feeling," Wiz told MTV News. "It was risky when you go for what you know, but it's really easy to take the hand from someone. Not saying I didn't want it or couldn't use it, but I figured I'd try a different method, and it ended up working for me."
"It just lets me know that I'm doin' what I need to be doin' as far as stayin' relevant and stayin' poppin'. But I think to keep me poppin' and keep me relevant I gotta stay buildin' on top of what I'm doin' and what I been doin'. No disrespect to Cuz or anybody else who might wanna see me do some more collaborative things, but to keep buildin' and keep my brand as strong as what it is, I gotta keep focusin' on what it is. This is my first tour that I got comin' up, the Waken Baken tour, I gotta at least kick that off and make that it what it is so we can do ten more...I'm real happy for Drake and real proud of Drake. I was lookin' on the Internet and that [he] made $10 million this year. So maybe when I make $10 million then we can tour."

Eyedea's Death Ruled An Accidental Overdose

Veteran rapper Michael "Eyedea" Larsen died of an accidental overdose medical officials have disclosed.

Eyedea, 28, was found dead in his St. Paul, Minnesota apartment on October 16th. According to Ramsey County medical examiners office, the rapper died from opiate toxicity.

Chief investigator Don Gorrie told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that the specific drugs found in Eyedea's body was not disclosed because it is not public information.

Eyedea, who released three albums as Eyedea and Abilities with the Rhymesayers label, was a revered emcee who had been recording since the late 1990's.

DMX Arrested In Arizona Thursday Night

A week after his Scottsdale performance, DMX faces felony charges for another probation violation.

After expressing hopes of “staying under the radar” before a show in Scottsdale, Arizona last week, DMX found himself arrested in Maricopa County for the sixth time. Fox affiliate, KSAX, reports that officers arrested DMX—real name Earl Simmons—at his home after he failed to check in with his probation officer.

“I know if I was to get caught driving without a license or something, it would be on the news instantly and I would be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” X said last week. “I say I’ve been given a lot of unfair treatment. But I’m not gonna let that dictate where I go or what I do. If I like a place, I’m gonna stay there.”

DMX had his court appearance late Thursday night, since X was already on probation for aggravated assault, it’s unclear how the latest arrest will impact him.

R&B Singer Ne-Yo Is Father Of Baby Girl

Singer Ne-Yo is the proud father of a baby girl, as the child’s mother Monyetta gave birth to the child late Friday night in Atlanta.

The singer was at a charitty event for his Ne-Yo Foundation when he got the news that Monyetta went into labor.

He and his mother then left the event to see the child being born in an Atlanta hospital.

The is the first child for the entertainer.