50 Cent Page 7

Rapper 50 Cent has defended ‘X Factor’ contestant Honey G, whose act has been branded ‘racist’ by some viewers.

The 35-year-old, whose real name is Anna Georgette Gilford, has become this year’s most controversial contestant, thanks to her take on a number of rap tracks.

But 50 has hit back at accusations that Honey G is ‘appropriating black culture’ or making a mockery of rap and hip hop, by saying that anyone who thinks the act is racist doesn't ‘know what racism really is’.

Continue reading: 50 Cent Defends 'X Factor's' Honey G After Some Viewers Brand Act 'Racist'

50 Cent is once again hitting out at Fox series ‘Empire’, accusing the show of suffering from a drop in ratings. But what 50 probably didn't count on was actress Taraji P Henson, who plays the feisty Cookie Lyon on the hit show, firing back at the rapper with some shade of her own.

Taraji P Henson hit back at 50 Cent’s ‘Empire’ shade on Instagram

According to E! News, in a now deleted post, 50 shared a screenshot of Taraji along with a headline claiming ’Empire’s’ ratings were falling.

Continue reading: Taraji P. Henson And 50 Cent Feud On Instagram Over 'Empire' Ratings

A judge in Connecticut has approved 50 Cent’s plans to re-organise his finances and pay back creditors after he filed for bankruptcy last year.

Despite being declared one of the richest rappers in the world just a few years ago, in July 2015 the star, real name Curtis Jackson III, applied to be declared bankrupt, citing debts of $36 million and assets of less than $20 million.

To commence the bankruptcy plan, approved by a federal bankruptcy judge on Wednesday (July 6th), he will make a $7.4 million payment, according to the Hartford Courant. Under the plan, creditors who hold unsecured claims will received between 74% and 92% of what they are owed, depending on how quickly Jackson makes the payments.

Continue reading: Federal Judge Approves 50 Cent's Bankruptcy Re-Organisation Plan

You'd think that most rappers would know by now to moderate their language when performing in less tolerant nations than the USA, but 50 Cent apparently forgot all about that when he rapped along to his hit single 'P.I.M.P.' in St. Kitts and found himself arrested when he failed to skip the profanities in the track.

50 Cent's bad language gets him arrested

The rapper was ordered to pay a fine after being arrested in St. Kitts in the Caribbean on Saturday night (June 25th 2016) for using the word 'motherf***ing' in public. 50 Cent was performing 'P.I.M.P.' from his 2003 debut album 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'', and he - whether intentionally or obliviously - finished off the hook with 'No Cadillac, no perms, you can't see/ That I'm a motherf***ing P.I.M.P.'. 

Continue reading: 50 Cent Arrested For Cursing On Stage In The Caribbean

Controversial rapper 50 Cent has made headlines for a positive reason, fronting an advertising campaign for budget accommodation company Hostelworld with an amusing video that parodies ‘MTV Cribs’.

Fiddy, real name Curtis Jackson, appears in the short video giving a tour of one of the Hostelworld locations in Barcelona, which was shot and edited as a parody version of the legendary noughties staple ‘MTV Cribs’ in which the rich and famous let cameras into their homes.

50 Cent performing in March 2016

Continue reading: 50 Cent Parodies 'MTV Cribs' In New Hostelworld Ad

Rapper 50 Cent has apologised for mocking an airport employee who suffers from autism, after he received a furious backlash for posting a video of the incident last week.

The 40 year old rapper, real name Curtis Jackson, posted a video of himself on Twitter and Instagram poking fun at 19 year old janitor Andrew Farrell at Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky airport as he walked past him.

50 Cent has apologised for mocking airport employee Andrew Farrell

Continue reading: 50 Cent Apologises For Making Fun Of Airport Employee With Autism

Rapper 50 Cent has claimed the money that he’s flaunted in recent Instagram posts is actually fake and not real currency. The rapper, who filled for bankruptcy in June 2015, was asked to explain where the money in the pictures came from by a bankruptcy court in Connecticut.

Continue reading: 50 Cent Tells Bankruptcy Court His Instagram Cash Is Fake

Oscars host Chris Rock is coming under increasing calls to boycott the awards ceremony in the aftermath of the controversial nominations last week, in which none of the 20 acting nominations went to a black or ethnic minority actor.

#OscarsSoWhite and #OscarsStillSoWhite have kept the furore going on social media since the announcement of the major acting and directing categories happened a week ago, and now a number of celebrities including Furious 7 star Tyrese Gibson are arguing that Rock ought to step down as host.

Chris Rock is under pressure to step down as Oscars host after the diversity row over nominations

Continue reading: Chris Rock Under Pressure To Step Down As Oscars Host In Diversity Row

Despite claiming bankruptcy earlier this year, it would seem that 50 Cent has a lot of cold, hard cash – quite literally. The rapper has bundles of $100 bills and keeps them inside a refrigerator, according to a new video he posted.

On Friday (November 27th), the supposedly cash-strapped star – whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III – put up a video on his Instagram account showing him opening his fridge looking for some cheese. Indeed, he can be heard saying “Get me a piece of this cheese” in the clip. However, all the shelves were full of wads of $100 bills.

Continue reading: 50 Cent Keeps Bundles Of $100 Bills In His Refrigerator

Ciara is dating Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, multiple sources confirm. The 29-year-old 'Body Party' singer was first linked to Wilson last weekend when a woman sitting next to Wilson at a Seattle Mariners game was identified as Ciara. She is also down as Wilson's guest at the 2015 White House Correspondents Dinner, due to take place in Washington D.C. on Saturday (25th April).

Ciara is dating Russell Wilson, according to multiple sources.

Read More: Ciara Flaunts Her Calvin Klein's & Incredible Post Birth Figure.

Continue reading: Ciara And Seattle Seahawks Player Russell Wilson Are Dating, Sources Confirm

50 Cent reunited with most of the original G-Unit members at Summer Jam over the weekend, performing a slew of hits with Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks and Young Buck - though no Game.

50 Cent performing on 'Good Morning America'

The clique were the surprise package after Nas had finished up his set. Fabolous, along with dozens of other guys joined the crew on-stage for the big-reunion though the celebratory atmosphere went south pretty quickly. 

Continue reading: G-Unit Reunite With 50 Cent, But Fight Breaks Out At Summer Jam

50 Cent may not be a comedian, but he sure made a LOT of people laugh earlier this week when the rapper threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game for the New York Mets. You’d think a guy his size would have enough arm strength to whip that ball perfectly down to home plate. Well, distance wasn’t the problem. Somehow, someway, 50 decided to release the ball way before he should have. As a result, it kind of flew from his hand a good 20 feet to the left of home plate, easily making it one of the most shameful celebrity first pitches in recent memory. “I’m a hustler, not a damn ball player,” the rapper light heartedly defended himself on Instagram. 50 Cent’s new album is scheduled to come out next month -- titled Animal Ambition -- but the only animal ambition he showed with his throw was that of a baby walrus.

50 Cent's first pitch was really, really bad

Okay, okay, maybe we should give 50 a break and stop being so mean. After all, he’s not the only celebrity that has miserably botched their first pitch. Plenty of other stars deserve ridicule, too! In all honesty though, the subject at hand needs to be met with a certain level of seriousness and understanding … like seriously understanding how NO celebrity has ever apparently taken baseball lessons before. For what it’s worth, I guess there has been some decent first pitches in the past. Like last week, for instance: Randy Johnson threw out a pretty great pitch before an Arizona Diamondbacks game. Johnson is also a future Hall of Fame pitcher though. He might not count for this. Whatever. Talking about the worst ones is way more fun anyway, and there’s actually a couple that have put 50 Cent’s to shame.

Continue reading: 50 Cent, And Other Terrible First Pitches From Celebrities

We hope there's no hard feelings! Dr Dre has overtaken Sean Combs AKA Puff Daddy (or is it P. Diddy, or Puffy, or Diddy?) to become hip hop’s richest man. The rapper has finalised a deal with Apple to sell his stake in Beats Electronics, which will give him a personal fortune of $800 million. Apple are allegedly purchasing Beats Electronics, which produce the popular Beats headphones, for $3.2 billion.

49 year old Dr Dre has become hip hop's first billionaire earner

Upon hearing the news Dre picked up a few bottles of champagne and headed down to the studio with friends Tyrese and F. Gary Gray, where he partied the night away, at one point announcing, “The first billionaire in hop hop…right here from, the mother f**king West Coast!”

Continue reading: Dr Dre Is Hip Hop's First Billionaire, Meet Hip Hop's Five Richest Artists

Rapper 50 Cent, AKA Curtis Jackson, has managed to avoid jail after being sentenced on Monday to three years probation and 30 days of community service.

50 Cent Will Serve 3 Years Probation To Avoid A Jail Sentence.

In a case pertaining to events that were said to have taken place in July, the 38 year-old pleaded no contest to a single count of misdemeanour vandalism while three vandalism counts and one count of misdemeanour domestic violence were dropped, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Superior Court said, via Reuters.

Continue reading: 50 Cent Swerves Jail After Being Handed Probation & Community Service In Domestic Violence Case

An unnamed woman went to the police claiming that her ex-boyfriend, mother of her child, and successful rapper 50 Cent AKA Curtis Jackson began to destroy property at her L.A condo, including a chandelier, furniture and a TV, before he broke down the door to the bedroom she was hiding in and kicked her causing injury, according to USA Today. A police estimation of the total damage to her possessions and property stands at $7,100 (£4,700) but if convicted of multiple counts of vandalism and domestic violence, Jackson could face up to five years in jail and $46,000 (£30,000) in fines.

50 Cent AKA Curtis Jackson Has Denied Attacking The Mother Of His Child.

According to Jackson's attorney's statement, as reported by TMZ.com, "Curtis Jackson denies these allegations as made against him. It is important to note, Mr. Jackson has not been arrested and there is no warrant outstanding for his arrest," adding "We have been in contact with the LA City Attorney's Office and are currently conducting our own investigation into these allegations."

Continue reading: 50 Denies Attack On His Ex, And Mother To His Child

50 Cent – or to use his real name, Curtis Jackson – has been charged with domestic violence. He was accused by a prosecutor Wednesday of kicking a woman and destroying her bedroom during a fight in a condo last month.

He will now face one count of domestic violence and four counts of vandalism, and if found guilty onn all counts could face five years in jail and $46,000 in fines.

"The female had previously been in a three-year relationship with Jackson and they have a child in common," a news release said. Los Angeles police went to the home in response to a domestic violence call on June 23, it added. "During an argument, Jackson allegedly began destroying the female's property," the prosecutor said. "Allegedly when the female locked herself in her bedroom, Jackson kicked-open the bedroom door and kicked her, causing an injury."

Continue reading: 50 Cent AKA Curtis Jackson Charged With Domestic Violence

Chief Keef indulged in a pretty sick Twitter tirade against clean-cut pop star Katy Perry after the 'Fireworks' singer joked about the rapper's new song this week. Tweeting after hearing Keef's tack 'Hate Bein' Sober,' Perry told followers, "I now have serious doubt for the world."

Keef caught wind of the jibe and resorted to a sickening verbal attack, tweeting, "Dat bitch Katy Perry Can Suck Skin Off Of my Di*k," before adding, "Ill Smack The Sh*t out her." Bizarrely, it was the pop star who ended up apologizing, replying "Mr. Keef! I'm sorry if I offended you. I heard a lot of people guesting on the song & didn't even know it was you in particular," in reference to the Wiz Khalifa and 50 Cent parts on 'Hate Bein' Sober.' She backtracked further, saying, "Actually... I'm a fan of your 'Don't Like' video tbh. I was really just having a general opinion on our generations desire to be constantly intoxicated... Believe me, I'm a lover not a hater."

No word on whether Keef accepted the apology, though he did re-tweet the message. A few hours later to he openly expressed his lust for NFL start Reggie Bush's fiancee Lilit Avagyan. Oh Keef.

Continue reading: Chief Keef Threatens To 'Smack' Katy Perry (And Other Things)

Taken and its wildly successful sequel have paved the way for revenge thrillers. Fire With Fire is the latest in this trend and with an impressive cast including stars Bruce Willis, Josh Duhamel and Rosario Dawson, one would hope it will prove to be a rip-roaring ride of suspense and intense action.

The story follows Jeremy, a firefighter who, through a stroke of terrible luck, witnesses the murder of a boy and his father in a store committed by an Ayran crime mob boss through apparently racial motives. Jeremy identifies Hagan, the man who committed the murders, in a lineup but Hagan lets Jeremy know that he knows exactly who he is by reciting his name, address and social security number. In the run up to the trial Jeremy needs to change his name and enter a witness protection programme when he begins a romantic relationship with a member of the police force. It all goes belly up though and he ends up saying words very similar to those heard in Taken, "I'm gonna find you, I'm gonna kill you.... to hell with witness protection, you're gonna need protection from me."

Continue reading: Josh Duhamel, Rosario Dawson And Bruce Willis Fight 'Fire With Fire' (Trailer)

Well, this is awkward. At yesterday's (Feb 24) Daytona 500 race rapper 50 Cent was given the cold shoulder by Fox Sport correspondent Erin Andrew after the 'In Da Club' hit-maker tried to swoop in for a kiss.

Andrews was scouring the pits for speedracer Danica Patrick after the driver had competed in her first ever Daytona 500, but whilst she was looking for the speed queen she coincidentally bumped into Fiddy, and thats when things got a whole lot more awkward (and hilarious).

The rapper immediately went in for a smooch when he was found lurking, but luckily Andrews was too quick for him and managed to get away with just a peck on the cheek. The presenter politely asked him what he was doing there, to which he responded 'I'm enjoying myself, I'm enjoying all the festivities.' Whilst he was answering the question towards the camera, Andrews saw her moment to escape and she made a dash to the side to hopefully find Danica at last, only to end up being trailed by the rap star.

Continue reading: 50 Cent Turned Down By Erin Andrews After Rapper Swoops In For A Kiss At Daytona 500

Video footage of that awkward-as-hell kiss between 50 Cent, Erin Andrews has made its way online, prompting 50 Cent to defend himself on Twitter by saying “Hey I wanted to kiss her so I did.” Someone needs to tell Fiddy that that isn’t really how it works, but in the meantime, it’s worth checking out the biggest car-crash moment of Saturday’s Daytona 500, courtesy of the rapper and FOX’s sports reporter Erin Andrews.

As Erin made her way through the crowds, desperately trying to locate the driver Danica Patrick, she spotted 50 Cent in amongst the throng. Danica Patrick had made history by becoming the first female driver to win a Sprint Cup series pole and finished eighth overall, against all expectations. 50 Cent was just… there. Watching. Nonetheless, when Erin pointed him out to the crowd, 50 Cent decided to go in for a kiss, on camera. Right in the middle of all the actin. What ensued was a cringe-worthy battle of wills as Fiddy tried to plant a kiss on Andrews’ lips, as she desperately tried to dodge that outcome. 50 Cent failed to land the kiss on her mouth and seemed to settle for “ok, anywhere on her head will do,” and managed an awkward peck on the cheek.

As Erin headed off into the crowd to locate Danica Patrick, 50 Cent followed her. Now, in amongst the hustle and bustle of the crowd at the Daytona 500, it was hard to hear everything that Andrews said… but we’re pretty sure she didn’t invite Fiddy to follow her. Creepy, Fiddy. Pretty creepy. And did we mention ‘awkward?’ 

Continue reading: 50 Cent, Erin Andrews: Awkward Kiss Was Biggest Car-Crash Of Daytona 500

50 Cent has endured one of the more embarrassing things in life. To be left hanging for a high-five is one thing, walking on stage before your name is called is another (and this writer has done both those things) but to have a kiss rejected ON CAMERA – that’s the definition of embarrassing.

So when 50 Cent tried to give Erin Andrews - former sideline reporter and host of Fox Sports' college football show - a peck on the cheek, and she swerved to avoid it, he officially became the most embarrassed man in the world. For a while anyway. "I've gotta go talk to Danica Patrick," she said while desperately moving out of the way of his kiss. Fiddy didn’t seem too perturbed, though, giving the camera a big old smile after the awkward moment. "Hey I wanted to kiss her so I did" he tweeted hours later. You didn’t really, though did you?

Continue reading: Ouch! 50 Cent’s Attempted Kiss Evaded By Erin Andrews

Whoever emptied their weapon - allegedly an AK47 - in the direction of Rick Ross' Rolls Royce on Monday (January 28, 2013) was not fully trained in how to use his or her firearm. In fact, we're pretty sure they'd never, ever, picked one up before. In their search for the criminal, investigators should make it mandatory that all potential suspects take a test in which they shoot at a cardboard cut-out of the Miami rapper. The attempted murderer is the one that misses completely.

Ross was returning home from birthday celebrations when a car travelling in the opposite direction opened its window and shot in the direction of the rapper. Fred Grimm of the Miami Herald - a journalist who lives two blocks from where the incident took place - said he heard ten gunshots. "An outbreak of gangsta rap warfare in the old hood," he wrote. The problem is, not only did the ten shots miss the fairly sizeable Rick Ross (or his girlfriend), they missed the entire Rolls Royce. And Rolls Royce's are massive. The sheer incompetence of the gunman left Rick Ross' rival 50 Cent concluding that the whole thing must have been a set up. "Hahaha fat boy hit the building? Lol it looks staged to me. No hole's in da car," he said on Twitter, before adding, "Hahaha that boy was spooked. I ride like OBAMA level 6 bulit proof bomb proof, you already know. [sic]"

Despite 50 Cent's doubts, police say they are treating the shooting as an "an active and ongoing criminal investigation." Experts have advised Ross to step up his security in the coming days.

Continue reading: Dear Whoever Tried To Kill Rick Ross, You're A Terrible Shot

Whilst everyone else was breathing a sigh of relief that rapper Rick Ross had managed to escape a drive-by shooting attempt on Monday morning (January 28, 2013) 50 Cent reckoned he’d spotted something that we’d all missed – the whole thing was a set-up, a hoax. Oh.

That’s right, after taking a cursory look at some blurry Instagram photos of the crime scene, which showed Ross’ Rolls Royce smashed up and riddled with bullet holes, Fiddy – presumably aping TV detective Hercule Poirot right down to the squint - concurred that the whole thing was fake. “Hahaha fat boy hit the building? Lol it looks staged to me,” tweeted the rapper. “No hole's in da car. Hahaha that boy was spooked” he continued, adding “I ride like OBAMA level 6 bulit proof bomb proof, you already know. [sic]” We’re not sure quite what that last bit means.

Of course, as the Daily Mail points out, the last person Ross would be expecting any sympathy from would be 50 Cent. The pair have been locked in a dispute ever since Ross mouthed off about his contemporary in the song ‘Mafia Music’ back in 2009. No comments as yet as to whether officials have asked for Fiddy to bring his quick-sharp eye and devilish perception to the investigation, though they are treating the incident seriously. Ross’ girlfriend Shateria L. Moragne-le was also in the car but emerged unscathed from the incident.

Continue reading: Sherlock Homes: 50 Cent Decides Rick Ross Hit And Run Incident Was 'Staged'

A mixed week for US albums releases; old classics given an airing, a major movie soundtrack launched and hip-hop arTIsts new and old having a stab at chart success. Currently, the top of the US album chart is dominated by Taylor Swift, who’s back at the top with Red, Wiz Khalifa, riding high at number two with O.N.F.C. and Rod Stewart’s festive compilation album, Merry Christmas, Baby.

Eric Clapton’s Slowhand gets a 35th anniversary reissue, having been remastered from the original “1/4 tape. There are four album session outtakes, entitled ‘Looking at the Rain,’ ‘Alberta,’ ‘Greyhound Bus,’ and ‘Stars, Strays and Ashtrays.’ A second disc contains a live performance at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, from April 27, 1977.

One for the completists, then – and more a case of Clapton’s record label rubbing their hands in glee at a cash in, than any real significant moment in his career. The re-release of Slowhand has hardly set the music press alight and we probably don’t need to fetch any fire blankets for the albums chart, either.

Continue reading: Out Now: US Album Releases, Django Unchained OST Features Rick Ross, Chief Keef Banks On Hip-Hop Heavyweight Support, Eric Clapton's Slowhand Revisited

James Arthur wasn't the only celebrity out clubbing in London on Sunday (December 16, 2012), with 50 Cent and his massive entourage also partaking in some end-of-the-week drinking and dancing. The superstar rapper turned up at DSTRKT nightclub in Soho with a pretty heavy looking crew and an army of fans.

In Da Club: 50 Cent Hits Up London's DSTRKT nightclub

Managers at the London nightspot were probably rubbing their hands together when Fiddy walked into the place, given his history with Soho clubs. Back in 2009, the hip hop star took bar tabs to a whole new level following the premiere of his movie Dead Man Running. Joined by 15 girls in a VIP booth at the Alto Club, the 33-year-old ran up a £75,000 bill. A guest at the party told the Daily Mail, "When he arrived at the club it was mayhem. The area was cleared for him and security ushered him straight through. On his table were bottles of champagne but he wanted a magnum bottle of Ace Of Spades champagne.You could tell that he was loving all the attention as people were trying to take pictures on their phones and were shouting his name." Things were a little different on Sunday, though 50 Cent still caused a stir at the club, with hundreds of girls pictured taking snaps with their smartphones. 

Continue reading: Pictures: 50 Cent Goes Clubbing In Soho, London

Despite the recent resurgence of battle rapping making it's name in popular culture once again, unfortunately these rappers battling are leaving it to the sale numbers of albums rather than the ascerbic wit, tight bars or impeccable delivery that we'd expect from hiphop artists of this calibre. 

Twitter has made the lives of entertainment writers exponentially easier and more interesting. No long do journos need to follow celebs around like a pack of lost puppies, instead we can sit back, sheltered from the harsh outdoor seasons and watch as events unfold online. Currently, the most fun feud to witness is the one between the middle weight rapper French Montana and heavyweight 50 Cent. 

Although many of the tweets between them have been deleted now, here are a few gems:

Continue reading: French Montana Challenges 50 Cent To A Battle, Of Sorts.

50 Cent and Eminem are getting deep, with their new music video, featuring Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. The video for ‘My Life’ premiered on MTV yesterday and Eminem told MTV that it's one big expensive metaphor for his and Fiddy’s lives. Okay, so he didn’t use the words big or expensive but he definitely said the rest. And we reckon it was probably dead expensive, that video. It looks very slick.

“The video is kind of abstract; it's kind of metaphoric in a sense, like the paranoia of feeling like we're being chased,” says Eminem, who probably has been chased before. By police. And women. Maybe dogs. “Whether it's true or not, it's kind of how we feel. It's kind of a metaphor for us running for our lives. Personal lives and from fame, everything that goes with the game.” Ah, ‘the game.’ We love it when rappers talk about ‘the game.’ No one has a clue what they’re on about but it’s very important to them so it must be respected at all times. Compared to their collaborations in the past, ‘My Life’ is pretty personal. “Me and Fif can probably go on forever talkin' about our lives,” said Eminem, though we reckon that an MP3 that lasted “forever” probably wouldn’t sell very well, so it’s best that they didn’t do that.

In the video, 50 Cent and Eminem play a pair of fugitives on the run from the cops, who are chasing them with helicopters. The song is taken from his forthcoming album, Street King Immortal, scheduled for release in February 2013. 

Continue reading: Eminem And 50 Cent Get Personal In ‘My Life’ Video, Ft. Adam Levine

On the hunt for a thanksgiving recipe? Want to know how to cook a turkey? Well, 50 Cent served up a pretty fine looking Thanksgiving bird to hungry new Yorkers and victims of Hurricane Sandy at the 'Our Table Is Yours' event at Cipriani Restaurant in Manhattan this week. The G-Unit mogul partnered with Feeding America, The Food Network and SMS Audio to make sure everyone had a swell Thanksgiving holiday.

"I'm able to provide meals for victims of Sandy or other people in New York City that don't actually have food," 50 told MTV News. A keen charity donor, the rapper also uses proceeds of sales from his SK Energy Drink and headphones range to provide meals for those in need. "[Hunger,] it's a world issue, it's not a third-world issue. One in six Americans are actually going hungry. You got kids that's surviving based on their school lunch and more than one out of five kids are experiencing hunger." Though he's helping out those less privileged than himself, how do things go down in the Jackson household at Thanksgiving? "I don't cook. I'll go to my grandmother's house; it's always safe there to eat. You know the food is always decent. Sometimes she'll allow my aunts and uncles to bring food there and I can tell when she didn't do it. It doesn't taste the same."

However you spend your festive holiday, it's a big Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at Contactmusic.com!

Continue reading: How To Cook A Turkey The 50 Cent Way! Thanksgiving Recipes By The G-Unit Star

Eminem could very well be readying himself to release album number 8 as early as next year, and the clue to its release may very well be found in a piece of merchandise of his.

Earlier this week, Exclaim reported that a ‘baseball tribute hat’ had become available on the rapper's online store, with the side of the hat listing ‘world championship’, or rather album release dates. Starting with 1996's Infinite, the list goes up to 2013, which potentially means that Marshall Mathers is all but done with recording the follow-up to 2010’s Recovery and is just applying the finishing touches already. Em had already discussed his plans to make a new album in the near future during the summer, with the hat further cementing his claims.

He discussed his upcoming work with US radio DJ Whoo Kid, saying at the time he had not yet made any progress thus far, but is planning on sending his stuff over to Dr Dre when he thinks they're done so he can “listen and see what he thinks I'm missing." Producer No ID and fellow rapper 50 Cent have also spoken about the upcoming project and their contribution to it, with 50 saying that he is set to appear on either the album’s “first or second single.”

Rick Ross is slowly but steadily working his way around the globe, evidently aiming to offend and irritate as many people as possible. Ross has had 'beef' with 50 Cent, Young Jeezy, “Freeway” Ricky Ross and now the world's entire Jewish community, particularly one of it's converts, fellow rapper Shyne.

Rick Ross is releasing a mixtape entitled 'The Black Bar Mitzvah' which continues the vaguely religious theme set out in 'God Forgives, I Don't', his album released in July of this year. Shyne, who converted to Judaism while in prison on an attempted murder charge, paying homage to his great grandmother who was also Jewish, spoke out against the tactless title of Ross's EP. He spoke to MTV News saying: "I ain't mad. It's just, I think he's corny. ... I have no respect for what he represents, for who he is, let's just start with that”. He continued: “you're on me, you're obsessed with everything Shyne. All of a sudden, you running with the Star of David and dudes is Jewish now all of a sudden?"

The cover of the mixtape shows Ross wearing fur, emblazoned in the gold of a Star of David. Though perhaps paying tribute to Jay-Z's reference to the phrase 'black Bar Mitzvah' in one of his songs, the choice by Ross is almost as bizarre as 'Teflon Don'. Much of Shyne's criticism of Rick Ross stemmed from the revelation that Ross, real name William Leonard Roberts II, worked as a correctional officer in the early '90s, a career that very few members of the hip-hop community accepts or respects.

Continue reading: Rick Ross, Slowly Working To Offend The Entire World.

While there have been wide reports of the brawl between Rick Ross and Young Jeezy, the scuffle between 50 Cent's entourage and Gunplay had been largely ignored. Now, Gunplay has spoken out to on radio in a comedic explanation of the events, referring to all partipants as 'donkeys'. HipHopDX reports that he said:

"So the donkey walks with eight other donkeys. I see him, I was getting ready to go catch my ride... I turn around and see the donkey with eight more donkeys and it was either me jump the barrier and run or stand, pull up my pants and knuckle it out with the donkey... He walks up to me with about eight donkeys and he nodded to one of the donkeys set it off and we rumbled."

Clinton Yates, in the Washington Post, made an apt comparison between the contemporary world of rap with wrestling. He said "More than ever, the game has become more about viral popularity, perceived image and one's ability to pack shows. While I genuinely think the music coming out of the speakers is as good as ever, the sideshows are reminiscent of the theatrics of [WWE]"

Continue reading: BET Awards Backstage Brawls- Gunplay Speaks About Rumors

Gunplay has denied any shots being fired during the BET Awards brawl between him and 50 Cent’s security guards, reports MTV. Another scuffle broke out when Rick Ross and Young Jeezy clashed backstage in what turned out to be a bad night for the Stop the Violence Movement

"I don't know nothing about no shots fired, I'm a be totally honest with you, but all I know, I had to fight off five dudes," the MMG rapper explained in an interview with TMZ. "I never liked [50], I've always wanted to kick his ass. I finally got the opportunity to get close to him, he was hiding behind all his security. I couldn't get to him." Gunplay was pepper sprayed and left the awards in cuffs with the Atlanta cops. Though he lost his diamond studded MMG chain, Gunplay did not suffer any injuries, and was not charged. "If you're playin' with me, you're playin' with fire. Might get gunned down, ya never know," he added, which has done little to dispel the rumours of gunshots.

Gunplay was too busy scrapping with “refrigerators” as he referred to some of the guys involved, so he missed the fisticuffs between Rick Ross and Young Jeezy, which occurred backstage. "I ain't get to see what happened. Ross and them walked up ahead of me and security was still patting me down," he said. "By the time I got there, I seen a melee." BET have issued a statement addressing the conflict, calling it "unfortunate."

The BET Hip-Hop Awards attracted all the wrong kinds of attention at the weekend, as the event held in Atlanta, Georgia descended into farce when police were called in to break up a spat that took place at the ceremony.

Already suffering from bad press with the news that Kanye West wouldn't be attending the awards despite leading the way on nominations with 17 nods, the event was plunged into further disrepute when police confirmed to the Press Association that they'd been forced to respond to a scuffle that took place at around 7:30pm on Saturday evening (September 29th). No names were disclosed regarding who was involved in the scuffle, but it was revealed that the fight took place during a tribute performance to the late hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty, who committed suicide just last month. Gossip website TMZ.com say Rick Ross and Young Jeezy were the main offenders.

Leading the tribute performance were rappers Q-Tip, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott and 50 Cent; LL Cool J paid homage to him with some words beforehand. Away from the fights and the tributes, Rakim was given the "I Am Hip-Hop Icon" honour by fellow wordsmith T.I, with Kendrick Lamar coming away with lyricist of the year. The recording of the event will air on BET on October 9th, it's unknown whether the scuffle will be included, though officials said it did not interrupt the running of the awards.

Curtis Jackson - better known as 50 Cent - became the aggressive bad boy rapper he is today when his mother was tragically and brutally murdered. The rapper lost his bisexual mother when he was eight-years-old, to be brought up by his grandparents in Queens, New York. 

Related: 50 Cent Bets $750,000 Against Floyd Mayweather Reading A Page Of Harry Potter

50 Cent explained the murder, saying: "Someone put something in her drink and turned the gas on. After that, every time something went wrong I'd think, 'If my mother was here it wouldn't be like that.'"

Continue reading: 50 Cent Talks About His Mother's Death