Ciroc Vodka must have had Phoenix on lock this weekend because they hosted yet ANOTHER party at the W Hotel. The second party was also hosted by 944 Magazine (who co-hosted the first party). And your girl Aubrey O’Day was front and center, and you know she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Other celebrity attendees included: Akon, Common (who also performed), Jermaine Dupri and more. Continue reading to peep the rest of the pics!

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Jermaine Dupri has made it known that he isn’t speaking out about his abrupt departure from Def Jam records because he’s bitter. In an exclusive interview with Essence, the rapper said that he owes it to his fans that see him every day on the Internet. He also mentioned how he feels as if Def Jam is one big clique and the fact that he hasn’t spoken with L.A. Reid in over 3 months.

ESSENCE.COM: The blogosphere has been abuzz recently about your exit from Island Def jam Records as president of urban music. Why did you leave the label?

JERMAINE DUPRI: It was a situation where it felt very stagnant to me. As a person who is used to putting out new records and continuing to do that, it just wasn’t turning over as being that place to me where I should stick to it and see if it was going to turn around.

ESSENCE.COM: What would you say was your biggest problem with the label?

JERMAINE DUPRI: It wasn’t giving me the open door that I thought it was going to. It wasn’t aggressive enough and it was a big letdown for me. I thought I was going to a place that understood the times we were in as a music business and how aggressive we needed to be with putting out new projects and records. This is the reason I’m speaking out; not because I’m bitter, but because I owe it to my fans that see me every day on the Internet. I wanted to let them know because they’ve left a lot of comments on my YouTube saying, “JD, you talk about everything else; why aren’t you talking about this [label] situation?”

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Our boy Jermaine Dupri was spotted enjoying lunch at the Ivy on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon. News broke earlier today that he had been removed from his post as President of Island Def Jam’s urban music division. He held the position for nearly two years, a source revealed to All Hip Hop. No word yet on whether or not this will affect his TAG Records venture. Oh, and I’d also like to note the fact that Janet Jackson is nowhere to be seen… Continue reading for the rest of the pics!

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Bow Wow has just premiered his new music video to his latest single, “Roc Da Mic,” featuring Jermaine Dupri. The new track is definitely a banger! You usually don’t hear Bow Wow flow so smooth. Bow Wow’s upcoming album, New Jack City Pt. II, is set to be released in March 2009. Make sure you check out the video and tell us what you think!

Beyonce and Jay-Z together, without a doubt, is the definition of “black love.” For our generation at least! They’ve been together for over 5 years, and have close to $170 million in the bank (combined), making them Hollywood’s richest couple! Much of their relationship is kept private, but their lives as celebrities, coupled with their fame and huge success as artists and entrepreneurs, makes it hard not to want to know more about them! We put them at the top of our list this time last year, but the only difference between then and now is that they are married. The two decided to tie the knot in a “private” ceremony in April 2008. And if you were around and living on planet earth, you definitely heard about it! After People.com announced that the two had taken out a marriage license in New York, the events that happened the weekend of April 4th 2008 were inevitable. After several black SUVs with heavily tinted windows were seen entering Jay-Z’s Manhattan apartment, in addition to the dozens of vans bringing in wedding decorations, we all knew what was going on.

Every paparazzo in the world set up shop outside of the apartment and snapped photos of Solange Knowles (Beyonce’s sister), Tina & Mathew Knowles (Beyonce’s parents), Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland, Irv Gotti, and more entering the apartment building’s ground-level garage. The list went on and on, but after seeing all of these people entering one place, we knew Beyonce and Jay-Z were DEFINITELY getting married. People.com actually confirmed it the next morning, and shortly after, we spotted the two wearing their wedding bands. These two getting married was definitely the talk of the blogosphere for the months to follow. And even though “Jayonce” never really confirmed their wedding, in several interviews that followed (Oprah, The Tyra Banks show, Essence Magazine, etc.) they were referred to as husband and wife, and neither contested it. But these two are the same people who never confirmed their initial relationship, so we’re definitely used to it!

Who else made the cut as GOT’s hottest couples of 2008? Continue reading to see!

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Is that Spike Lee and Bow Wow on the set of a music video together? Oh, wait … that’s Jermaine Dupri! Easy mistake to make, right? Well, anyway, the two were spotted on the set of Bow Wow’s new music last Friday (Dec. 19th) for his latest single, “Roc the Mic.” The video was filmed in Los Angeles and directed by the extremely talented Hype Williams. More photos when you continue reading…

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JERMAINE DUPRI SUES ATLANTA NIGHTCLUB FOR USING HIS NAME » Atlanta native Jermaine Dupri is suing a nightclub and a promoter in his hometown for using his name without permission. The producer turned record executive filed the lawsuit last Tuesday (December 9th) against Pure Atlanta, a popular nightclub in the city, and Binyam Yayine from Elite Entertainment Group, LLC for using his name to promote a weekly “Industry Thursdays” event. When Yayine and his company contacted JD’s management to ask that he make an appearance at the party, they declined explaining that he’d be out of the country on the night of the event, and wouldn’t be able to make it. But Pure Atlanta went ahead and promoted the party with Dupri’s name, saying that he’d be hosting the “All Black Affair” on November 20th.

When JD and his people found out about the club using his name without permission, they contacted Elite Entertainment Group, asking that they immediately cease using his name and image to promote the event. But they ignored JD’s request and went on with the party anyway. And now Dupri and his management are suing Elite Entertainment Group and Pure Nightclub, asking the court to render a judgement against the defendants for “all profits received from their unauthorized use of Dupri’s name and image, including false designations of origin and false descriptions and representations of endorsement, approval, and/or sponsorship by Dupri.”

JD’s attorneys are requesting that this matter be decided by a jury in Fulton County, Georgia. He’s also seeking punitive damages, though no specific dollar amount was requested, in addition to legal fees being reimbursed.

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Jermaine Dupri wants us all to know that Janet Jackson is NOT pregnant! The Atlanta rapper spoke to Usmagazine.com exclusively, denouncing any and all rumors relating to a Janet Jackson pregnancy. He had a special message for blogger Perez Hilton.

“Does Perez know that lying destroys the credibility of a blogger?” Dupri quipped to Us on Sunday. Rumors began to swirl after Jackson canceled a string of tour dates in October due to a mystery illness. Still, that doesn’t mean Jackson and Dupri aren’t excited about starting a family in the future.

“I’d love to have children,” the singer has told Us. “It’s just up to Jermaine, what he wants to do.” Jackson also spoke about motherhood in an interview with Sister 2 Sister magazine. “Everyone tells me that there will never be a good time, that I will always be busy, but I just think when the stars are aligned it will happen,” she revealed.

The internet is gonna go crazy when it finally happens! We’re prepared to live on our computers when they and the Carters decide to procreate.

With the assistance of Jose Cuervo Platino and Bud Select, rapper Nelly hosted the 3rd Annual Black & White Ball in St. Louis Monday night. Murphy Lee, Ashanti, and Jermaine Dupri were a few of the celebs included on the guest list. Continue reading for more photos form the shindig!
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According to SOHH, Rapper/producer Jermaine Dupri is set to receive the prestigous Bill of Rights Award next Monday, December 8th, in California. The award will be presented by The American Civil Liberties Union and will pay homage to Jermaine Dupri and his accomplishments having worked with superstars like Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Usher and more.

He will be sharing the award with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and the two of them will join the likes of Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Antonio “LA” Reid, Rosa Parks, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Stone, and more people who have received the award in the past.

Congratulations on the award, JD!