In February, Island Def Jam Chairman L.A. Reid brought Jermaine Dupri over to Island to be president of urban music, and now it looks as if JD’s girlfriend, Janet Jackson, is not too far behind. The longtime Virgin Records artist has been in talks to switch label homes.

“Definitely Janet will end up at Island,” Dupri told MTV News recently. “That’s without a doubt. L.A. always wanted to sign her regardless [of whether] I was there or not. I don’t know where that deal is — I left that in the hands of L.A. and Janet’s people — but more than likely, he’ll get what he wants.”

Whether or not the deal is completed, Jackson will put out a song this summer. Dupri just finished a deal for his company to release the “Rush Hour 3” soundtrack (the first two soundtracks were released on Island during its old regime).

“Janet will have one of the first singles off the album,” he said. “Bow Wow will be on the soundtrack. A couple usual suspects should pop up on the soundtrack, but I want it to be something unique [to] incorporate the new [Island Def Jam] family I’m with. I’mma see what Luda’s doing, what Jay is doing. I’mma see if I can get some records from people.”

And Janet Jackson isn’t the only girlfriend switching over to her man’s label! But you didn’t hear that from me…

I know ya’ll been hearing all of these rumors about Usher firing his Mother as his manager well, it’s official and here is what he had to say about it …

“She and I are on great terms and support each other in our life’s endeavors. We are both very happy but are now working in different areas of the business,” [he] said in a statement to the Associated Press. “This is great for me because it means I now get to have my mother strictly as my mother with no added pressure.”

I for one am happy, although … NOTHING quite says “Happy Mother’s Day” Mom like a swift kick in the ass with Usher’s “business” decision, but I know it must have been hard for him I guess, and it appears it was all for the best, he adds …

“At this time in my life, I am simply more interested in building the strength of my family. And in order to do that, I feel it’s best to separate my business life from my personal life,”

Well good for him! I hope it all works out for the best, I feel him on that part though, as long as his Mom is cool with it.

While rap’s young guns are appeasing critics and vowing to keep it clean, one of hip-hop’s elder statesmen isn’t about to let Al Sharpton, Oprah, or anyone else for that matter tell him what he can and cannot say. In a recent interview with SOHH, Ice-T said that he’s going to continue to use the N-word when he’s got the mic in his hand, claiming that the word’s OK when used by someone from the ‘hood.

“I’m (going to) say ‘nigga’ til the wheels fall off,” said the Original Gangster. “My daddy used to say it. I believe that, if it doesn’t apply to you, don’t say it. If you ain’t from the hood, don’t say nigga. That’s where it lies.”

Ice-T then went off on sellouts, saying that he thinks “a lot of black people are too overly concerned with what white people think about them.”

 I wouldn’t exactly word it that way, but I’m kind of on the fence about this. In a way, I don’t think we should use it, but in another way I see nothing wrong with the damn word. It is what it is … a word! “Nigga” is like those surfer boys’ “dude” in my opinion. Now if somebody came up to me and was like “nigger,” then hell yeah! It’s on and poppin! NO ONE should be able to use the “-er” version freely.

Damn, can this girl catch a break? While her brother’s out running around producing porn flicks and having release parties and shit, she’s sitting in a corner hyperventilating and I’m sure good ol Ray J doesn’t give a flip. Sad story…

Brandy is being sued for negligence and wrongful death by the husband of a woman killed in a car crash involving the singer. Marouane Hdidou filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday (May 2), and is seeking unspecified damages. According to a California Highway Patrol report, the singer failed to slow down on December 30 while driving her Land Rover in traffic. She was travelling at approximately 65 mph when her vehicle hit the back of Awatef Aboudihaj’s Honda.

If Brandy is charged and convicted, she could face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, reports the Associated Press. Brandy is also facing a $50 million lawsuit from the victim’s parents, as previously reported. The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office is now considering whether to charge Brandy with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.

My question is, would they be pursuing this case as much for an average Joe? Probably not! I guess that’s one of the downsides of being a celebrity. The poor girl already got booted off of “America’s Got Talent.” Now, she’s got nothing…

Okay, the Janelle Monáe interview is finally up and ready for you guys to read and/or listen to! It was definitely an interesting interview is all I can say. Soulful, spunky, and colorful with her style as well as sound IS Janelle Monae Robinson. She is a “modern day Dorothy (Wizard of Oz)” in search of that which is Metropolis, also the name of her upcoming album, off to the WAS – the Wondaland Arts Society that is – she went to get those creative juices following. In the interview we talked about everything from where she got started originally to her expectations prior to the near future. The soft spoken angel was not too shy to express her take on today’s society and profoundly had me second guessing on just about damn near everything. As usual, you can’t leave comments here, but you can definitely leave all feedback on the interview page!

CLICK HERE FOR THE JANELLE MONÁE INTERVIEW IN AUDIO & TEXT

Nas cancelled a recent Hip-Hop Is Dead tour date in San Diego, CA amidst claims that he and wife Kelis encountered racist club employees, who treated them like terrorists.

“We came to the club, all excited. Couldn’t wait to get here. [The tour venues] have been sold out every night. We go to the venue and they ain’t let me in. I was outside with my wife and they treated us like terrorists,” Nas explains. “It was a little racist and we just don’t tolerate that. I just want everybody to know, don’t tolerate any form of racism. “There is no other side of the story. We had a whole bunch of security guys rush outside to me and my wife like we were terrorists. It’s not like I came with 50 guys or nothing. It was just me, my wife, my DJ and my staff for the Hip-Hop Is Dead tour and they came at us like we was Osama Bin Laden or somebody.” (Source)

San Diego’s Z-90.3 night radio host Tre interviewed the Queens-bred rapper and Nas expressed his grievance with the House of Blues on Wednesday night (May 2), the evening the show was to occur. I’m surprised Kelis ain’t set it off on them! We all saw when she got Punk’d, Lol, urrrgh I love Kelis.

 

Aww, poor Paris … not! I have no sympathy for this bitch. If it were anybody else, yeah, but Paris Hilton? I just throw it over my shoulders and keep it movin. I hope her girlfriend (in jail) treats her right 😉 But yeah, check it out below…

The hotel heiress, 26, was stunned and shaken when Judge Michael Sauer yesterday told her to report to jail by June 5.
“I don’t know what happened . . . I did what they said,” she said in a quivering voice. Then The Simple Life star broke down, sobbing loudly as her socialite mum Kathy hugged and comforted her in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Court. HILTON SHOWED UP 20 MINUTES LATE FOR THE 1:30 PM HEARING, POWDERING HER NOSE ON THE WAY IN. On the way out, she donned dark sunglasses to hide her tear-streaked eyes and runny makeup. During the hearing, Hilton blamed misinformation from her “advisers” for her two forays behind the wheel while her licence was suspended for an alcohol-related reckless driving conviction late last year.

When a prosecutor asked if she had read the licence suspension notice mailed to her from the Department of Motor Vehicles, she replied: “I HAVE PEOPLE DO THAT FOR ME.” Hilton said she didn’t read her plea agreement either. “I JUST SIGN WHAT PEOPLE TELL ME TO SIGN,” she said. She looked genuinely confused when the prosecutor told her she had “waived her rights” when in January she pleaded no contest to the booze-related driving charge. She looked genuinely confused when the prosecutor told her she had “waived her rights” when in January she pleaded no contest to the booze-related driving charge. Her publicist, Elliot Mintz, tried to take the fall, testifying he told Hilton it was OK to drive after 30 days for “work-related” purposes. He claimed he was misinformed. Assistant City Attorney Dan Jeffries argued: “We are asking that she be held to the same standard as everyone else who goes through this system.”

Judge Sauer did not buy Hilton’s shaky claims her advisers told her she was allowed to drive, especially after she received a written warning, which she signed, from a California Highway Patrol officer on January 15. The next month, on February 27, she was stopped and cited when she drove her Bentley again — THIS TIME WITH THE HEADLIGHTS OFF EVEN THOUGH IT WAS 11 PM. Noting the form Hilton signed when she was pulled over in January, Judge Sauer said: “That exhibit is the smoking gun in this case. She carried this in her car for two months . . . in my opinion there is no doubt she knew her licence was suspended.” The judge blasted her publicist. “Mintz threw himself on his sword . . . his testimony was worthless,” he said. When Hilton saw the writing on the wall and sensed the judge’s mood, she tried pleading with him. “I just want to say I’m sorry and I didn’t do it purposely at all,” she said. Hilton’s lawyer, Howard Weitzman, vowed to appeal and said the sentence bordered on the ludicrous.

Damn! This bitch is dumber than bricks. No wait, I can’t insult the bricks on my house like that. There’s nothing to compare her ignorance to, other than maybe George Bush. These two are on the same level of blatant stupidity. When I was reading the quotes and stuff (check out the bold) I got kinda confused to whether or not it was her or good ol G-Dub himself. Anyhow, do YOU thinks he deserves 45 days?? I mean (1) She was caught driving under the influence, (2) the ho was driving with her damn lights off!, (3) and to add fuel to the fire, she showed up 20 minutes late and came in putting on makeup. What the flip?! I wonder how many paparazzi are gonna go broke this summer while their main target is being Big Bertha’s girlfriend.