After being shot nine times and surviving, 50 Cent said he often finds himself begin compared to the late Tupac, who endured after bullets hit him five times. However, the Queens-bred rapper said he is nothing like his predecessor. “I think Tupac was cool as a rapper, nah’meen, and I think, in his heart, he wanted to change a lot of things. 50 Cent is a bit different. I’m not with the “Save The Children’s Fund. I don’t give a f**k about another ni**a kids, just my kid,” he said in an interview with Don Diva magazine. While he churns out music in mass like his West Coast counterpart, 50 said he is completely prepared for his untimely death should it happen. ‘ “What these ni**gas (rich rappers) car notes are, its my life insurance policy. So (my family is) set up. My moms died when I was eight. My son is five, if that’s the same situation for me,” he expounded. “I’ve seen enough in my life.” Continuing, he said with his life insurance policy, he was confident his family would be taken care of in the event of his premature death. Incidentally, 50 thanked the assailants that riddled his body with bullets, including one in the cheek. “I look at it like they made me able to do what I’m doing right now. So, I love ‘em for that. They (the attackers] gotta know that there’s truth to what I’m saying. They’re watching it like it’s a f**kin’ sit-dram (sitcom).” In addition, 50 said he is always armed, doesn’t keep his firearm on safety and is always on the lookout for “strange faces” or potential hits on his life. 50 Cent’s first album, Power Of The Dollar (October 1999), was an unfortunate release due to poor promotion, massive bootlegging and industry backlash from the hit song “How to Rob.” The song, which depicted 50 robbing some of rap’s biggest names, was detested by rappers like Jay-Z, Ghostface Killah and the late Big Pun for encouraging people to stick up artists for their money and expensive jewels. In May of 2000, 50 Cent was shot in the face, hand and legs while sitting in a car in Queens. While the culprits were never found, it is suspected to be revenge of someone unhappy with “How To Rob.”

Nelly will become the first rapper to participate in the "Got Milk" Milk Mustache campaign, which in the past has featured such celebrities as Tyra Banks, Venus and Serena Williams, MTV host Carson Daly and others. Nelly’s ad will premiere in the December 6 issue of Rolling Stone magazine. His advertising copy will appear as a tattoo on his chest and will read "Nine essential nutrients, what active bodies need. got milk?" – illustrating that good nutrition, including drinking milk, is engraved in his hip-hop lifestyle. "If you’re always on the go like me, a glass of milk helps boost you up and helps you build the bones you need … strong bones," Nelly told AllHipHop.com in a statement. The National Academy of Sciences recommends teenagers get at least 1,300 milligrams of calcium per day, the equivalent of at least four 8-ounce glasses of milk.

Slick Rick’s lawyer has filed an Emergency Stay of Deportation in hopes of keeping the embattled rapper in the United States. The INS ruled last Wednesday to deport the rapper back to England. According to the law, the INS now has 14 days to respond to the request, while Rick is still in detention in a federal prison in Bradenton, Florida. “It’s been over six years [since I got out of jail]. I have a wife, kids, a whole family, real estate, a rap career – Slick Rick. It’s strange that they open such a heavy watch [against me],” Rick told AllHipHop.com in a previous interview, echoing the sentiments of other rappers, who claim that the Federal government has a bias against them. “Everybody agrees this is totally unfair,” Rick continued. “My crime happened over a decade ago, you know what I mean? A decade is a change.”

Reebok has signed Jay-Z to a multi-year deal, giving the rapper his own "signature" line of sneakers. Jay-Z’s "S.Carter Collection by RBK" is scheduled to hit stores nationwide in June. "The collection is an authentic reflection of my personal style," Jay-Z told AllHipHop.com in a statement. The shoe will sell for around $150. Reebok says it will also market a $95 version to attract kids. A special CD single from Jigga written specifically about the sneakers will be included with every pair sold for a limited time. Jay will start appearing in the Reebok advertisements in February. The campaign will start running during the NBA’s All-Star weekend, which takes place February 7-9.

Last night (Dec 3), the 7th annual Mixtape Awards were marred by violence as minor altercations and random acts caused organizers to put a halt to the event shortly after is started. The cancellation was sparked when DJ Kay Slay (The Drama King) and DJ Pudgee P had a verbal dispute that escalated into chaos. The event, which took place at the Hammerstein Ballroom, honors the influential mixtape DJs for their contributions to hip-hop. While producer Easy Mo Bee was reading the list of nominee’s for Best Artist on a Mixtape, the confrontation spun out of control. But, in the pressroom, when a member of Kay Slay’s entourage struck P in the cheek, the unnamed individuals began fighting and smashing DJs awards, effectively ending Justo Faison’s annual Mixtape Awards. As the crowd speculated what was going on, Kay-Slay came to the stage and announced that the show was over. A few moments later the founder of hip-hop DJ Kool Herc took to the stage to issue troubled words of criticism to the DJ’s. "Leave that ni**a s### outta here, we all fu**in’ brothers. Clue and Kay need to stop that sh*t," Herc said in regards to the beef that has spawned between Clue and Kay-Slay. "If Clue was about anything, his ass would be here and this would be televised on MTV." According to insiders, Clue boycotts the awards, claiming that the voting process is tainted. Taking the mic from Herc, Kay Slay then returned to the stage stating, "I’m not going to let no f**kin’ punk from nowhere talk no sh*t to me. F*ck the Drama King, my name is Keith, man. Respect comes first. If a ni**a disrespect me, he gets the sh*t beat out of him right there." Of the incident, many artists and spectators were bewildered as to the reasons for the outbreak. “Why,” inquired radio personality Steph Lova without further comment. “There is rap and entertainment,” Capone from Capone-N-Noreaga said. “Don’t get it all confused.” Capone went on to say that people should exercise more restraint when attending hip-hop events. Others, like Gangstarr, were appreciative of the awards, but had concerns with the disorganization. “I was chosen to be presenter at the awards but I can’t get in to get a ticket. It’s messed up that Chuck Chillout is not recognized to get in by the people that’s working the door. They paved the way. You gotta know these cats. That’s a red flag right there for the Mixtape awards,” Gangstarr’s Premiere said to AllHipHop.com. “At the Apollo, it was a lil’ more organized, you got security that don’t know nobody, you got people coming up the back way, you got people stressing. It’s a lil’ extra,” Guru, the other half of Gangstarr said. Others complained about not being able to get in the event effectively. “Man, it was cold as sh*t out there. A riot almost broke out and I’m trying to write about this event,” said a writer. Still, Busta Rhymes remained optimistic about the awards and the DJ’s relevance in the industry. “This here is hip-hop here. That’s the quote you are going to get from me. This is probably the most untainted form or hip-hop that’s left. Aint no politics involved here. If there is, I don’t know what level its on,” said Busta Rhymes. Nevertheless, the other awards were given out at the after party, which took place at Nyla. J-Love won for Best Graphics, Best DJ Producer honors went to Ron G and Best Radio Mixtape DJ was bestowed on Enuff. Finally, Kay Slay won honors for best Mixtape DJ amid all the drama.

Nas has made the decision to change the release date of his latest album God’s Son, due to rampant bootlegging. The album will drop on Friday December 13, four days earlier than anticipated. "God’s Son is my most personal album," Nas told AllHipHop.com. "I poured my heart and spirit into it. It’s important to me that the fans hear my album the way I intended." Various versions of the Queens bred rapper’s 7th album have appeared on the street and on the Internet. Nas said that he decided to break the music industry’s tradition of releasing records on Tuesday, to thwart any future sales losses. "When you buy a bootleg or pirate a download off the net, you don’t get the real thing," Nas continued. "The sound sucks, the sequencing is wrong, you’re probably missing some tracks, and you don’t even get the artwork and CD bonuses." God’s Son features production from Eminem, Alicia Keys, Salaam Remi and the Alchemist.

The Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) issued a ruling last week to deport rapper Slick Rick back to his birthplace of England. Rick’s lawyers filed a motion to stay the deportation, but the judge has not ruled, which means the Bronx-bred rapper could be sent back at any moment. He has been a resident of the United States Since 1976, but never became a citizen. Today (Dec. 3), The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and John Conyers, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus and ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, issued a plea to stop the INS deportation proceedings and at least grant Rick bond while the case is still being heard. Conyers has been a vocal critic of the Justice Department’s policy of secrecy in regards to immigration hearings since 9-11. “Slick Rick is one of our leading hip-hop artists,” Minister Ben Muhammad, President Of HHSN told AllHipHop.com. “We in the hop hop community will not stand idle and allow his deportation to go unchallenged.” Slick Rick was detained by the INS six months ago after he left America, venturing into international waters to perform aboard a cruise ship. The rapper is being held in a federal prison in Bradenton, Florida. “I feel like if this case was judged by the public, this would be an open and shut case,” Rick told AllHipHop.com. “I took the law into my own hands. I shouldn’t have, but I served my time. Even the public as a whole has to see that this is an injustice. Like I said, there’s other cases that’s worse than this.” Supporters of Slick Rick maintain the rapper the rapper has preserved an extremely stable home life with a wife and children and managed a successful recording career. The rapper has not broken the law once since being released. “Slick Rick has already served six months in prison, with no bond hearing,” Minister Ben continued. “We feel that his lengthy detainment with no bond hearing alone is a violation of his civil rights. Now he may be deported at any moment.” Rick served 5 years and 12 days in prison. According to United States law, any non-citizen who serves more than 5 years in prison must be deported.

"Tha Corner" will be Music Choice’s second edition of the new monthly audio program that will feature exclusive, unedited interviews with today’s hottest rap artists and celebrities, along with the latest rap music, news and industry buzz. The Music Choice Rap channel will be available in 25 million digital cable and DIRECTV homes. The December edition will feature Fat Joe, Jurassic 5, DJ Kay Slay, along with a music dedication to slain Hip Hop Pioneer Jam Master Jay. Platinum-selling artist Fat Joe will discuss his new album Loyalty and give his perspective on the media’s coverage of violence in Hip Hop. Jurassic 5 will discuss their new album Power in Numbers and the pitfalls of being in the record business. DJ Kay Slay will discuss the controversy between Jay-Z and Nas. He’ll also give "Tha Corner" the latest on his on-going feud with DJ Clue. Also, Light Heavyweight Champion Roy Jones Jr., will discuss his dual boxing and rap career. "Tha Corner" airs on the first Tuesday of every month at 8:00 pm (ET) starting December 3rd at 8pm, December 11th at 4pm, December 21st at 10am, December 22nd at 11pm, and December 30th at 10pm and will be rebroadcast throughout the month. Music Choice is the largest digital audio service, providing cable and satellite customers with 54 channels of commercial free CD-quality music in a wide variety of music genres and original programs 24 hours a day. Music Choice produces an exclusive concert series through a nationwide network of cable systems. The MUSIC CHOICE® audio service reaches 25 million households and the Music Choice Concert Series airs in 30 million homes nationally. Headquartered in Horsham, PA, Music Choice is a partnership among subsidiaries of Microsoft Corporation, Motorola, Inc., Sony Corporation of America, Warner Music Group, Inc., EMI Music and several leading U.S. cable providers: Adelphia Cable Communications, Comcast Cable Communications, AT&T Broadband, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable.

Rapper X-Raided, who is serving a 31 year prison term for murder, is saving the proceeds from his albums in an attempt to hire attorney Johnny Cochran. X-Raided, born Anerae Brown, was convicted of shooting community activist Patricia Harris, 42, in March of 1992, after he and fellow gang members allegedly stormed her house seeking rivals. X-Raided was one of the first rappers in the world to have his lyrics used against him in court. X-Raided has recorded 10 albums behind bars over telephone lines. The combined sales of his albums have sold over 300,000 copies and hopes that his earnings can help hire Johnny Cochran. "Money speeds up everything," X-Raided told the Los Angeles Times. "I want my albums to make enough to pay Johnnie Cochran or an affiliate of his to help me. I just need to get my music out there. I’ll be the biggest story in hip-hop." X-Raided’s mother is the CEO of his Madman Records, while X-Raided takes the title of consultant. This was done due to the California Attorney General’s office atempting to sue X-Raided. Under the Son Of Sam law, the Attorney General wanted to seize the profits made by his recordings and set them aside for the victim’s family. X-Raided’s releases have drawn controversy over the years and the rapper has often been accused of commiting murder to promote his career. X-Raided maintains that he was there when Harris was murdered, but that he was not the triggerman. "I felt like the world was after me, because at first the judge was not going to allow the evidence to be used, but the district attorney, he found ways to get stuff into the trial," he told the Sacramento Bee after his trial.

Boasting an impressive roster of hip-hop journalists, independent filmmakers and a regional hip-hop pioneer, the Art Sanctuary in Philadelphia hosted a panel discussion recently on hip hop and film, which featured a concert afterward by dead prez. Sheena Lester, founder/editor-in-chief of Rap Pages, moderated the panel comprising of Source staffer Akiba Soloman; Selwyn Sefu Hinds, former Editor-in-Chief of The Source; Bonz Malone, writer and co-star of Brooklyn Babylon; independent filmmaker David Velo Stuart; and MC Breeze (of old school Philly fame, not the one that collaborated with 2pac.) The event started by screening portions of films such as Philly Boy and State Property before Lester asked the panelists to discuss what constitutes a hip-hop film. Solomon pointed out the importance of context in film, noting that although Love & Basketball was not considered a hip-hop film, the backdrop of the movie was hip-hop. Exhibiting the power of hip hop, Hinds recalled his childhood days in Guyana where he first viewed Beat Street and the cultural mixer it created for him. His recently released a book, “Gunshots in My Cook Up,” detailing his account of his travels from his native country to Brooklyn, that focuses on hip-hop and film. The panelists all made sure to distinguish the differences between hip-hop inspired movies versus movies with just rappers in them as AllHipHop.com asked their opinions of rappers acting in lieu of Samuel L. Jackson’s comments. “To me it’s not a problem for rappers to act if they can,” Soloman said. “Movies are product and having rappers star in them brings in capital.” In response to whether rappers respect acting if they refuse to be billed under their real names rather then their emcee names, Hinds reasoned their rap monikers establish their roles to an extent. “To some degree, the persona they put on establishes the characters they can be.” Malone, who had a role in Shaft with Jackson, defended the actor explaining the intensity he brings to his set and his demand that all involved do the same, whether rapper or not. “He takes his s### seriously, he wanted to remove a top actor he felt wasn’t cutting it and bring in a B actor cause he said he’ll get more out of them from the performance.” Bringing the discussion to a close, Lester remarked the quality of acting overall could use an improvement. “There’s a lot of bad actors in Hollywood, and they ain’t all rappers.”

Lil Kim is putting the final touches on her latest album, titled Hollyhood.. She recently cut tracks with Timbaland, as well as group/production team Full Force. While members of the group wouldn’t reveal the name of the song, group member Bowlegged Lou was confident that Lil Kim’s fans will like the song. "I don’t even want to say the title of the joint or even give u an idea of what type of joint it is," Bowlegged Lou told AllHipHop.com. "Just rest assure that once again Full Force will surprise the musical masses and so will Kim. We personally recruited Lil Kim to work with us the first time when we produced a cut off the new 3LW album entitled "I Like That (I Want That). Kim came in and blazed that song. We might be doing another joint with her as well for this album." Despite criticism for being too raunchy, Kim said she would not be changing her image anytime soon. "I don’t think my image is dirty,” Kim said in a recent interview with Sister 2 Sister magazine. “If it’s what helped me get here and if that’s what the people love, then why would I want to clean it up? That makes no sense." Despite her racy image, Lou said that Kim was still a "prolific lyricist." "Kim is such a versatile performer and so multidimensional when it comes to hip hop," Lou continued. "She’s still a raw, gritty talent, still one of the hottest rappers on the earth. She’s so much more than a sexy persona, she’s one of the most down to earth people we ever met in this business." She’s been releasing just small teasers right now to mix tapes and what not, but they’re just appetizers." Full Force was conspicuously absent from the black music scene after releasing several albums and producing smash singles by Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam. The group went on to produce songs for The Backstreet Boys, N*Sync and Brtiney Spears and are now returning to their hip-hop roots.

A Christian hip-hop artist has penned a track dedicated to Eminem, urging the Detroit rapper to listen to the message of the gospel. Eminem was given a copy of KJ-52’s "Dear Slim" backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards. The record is not a dis to Eminem, yet Em’s fans post vulgarities on the KJ-52 website. KJ-52 told the Charisma New Service that he was sincere in his message and that he was not trying to capitalize on Eminem’s success. "Come on, I do Christian rap. I live in a one-bedroom apartment and drive a beat-up mini van. How much money am I going to make? People download the song [from my Web site] anyway." "This song was written to Eminem, but the ramifications have been so much bigger than him. I may never get a response from him. But the response I’ve gotten from people saying how much the song changed their lives, to me that was the bigger picture." While KJ-52 admits that he is not an advocate of Eminem’s lyrics, he says that Em shouldn’t be condemned for his controversial rapping. "[Am I] saying go out and buy your kid an Eminem CD? Definitely not. But I am saying, at least understand why somebody’s doing something before you condemn them."

Various rappers have the holiday spirit this year. DMX, Jay-Z and The Nappy Roots will all give back the their communities by offering performances, and actually serving food. The Nappy Roots are going to serve dinner to the homeless at the Wayside Christian Mission House in Louisville. After the dinner, they will give a free performance to their hometown fans. DMX will continue with his annual "Thanksgiving Dinner With DMX," at the Nepperham Community Center in Yonkers, New York. Four hundred people will be served Thanksgiving dinner. There will also be gift giveaways and DMX and other Ruff Ryders will perform. DMX will also launch the Mary Ella Foundation, named after his deceased grandmother. The foundation will give out $500 scholarships to high school and college students. "(My grandmother) would be so proud of these efforts because they are the direct results of her giving spirit, her devotion and her commitment to helping others," DMX said. "I could still remember her home cooked meals with generous portions of love . . . and everyone was welcome! I thank my grandmother for giving me a heart, a soul and a passion for helping others. I hope that this day is as special to (the residents) as it is to my family and me." Finally, Jay-Z is performing at the Hammerstein to raise funds for underpriviliged children. Jay pargered with the New York Mission Society to produce the sold out show. In addition to Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Freeway and other Roc acts will perform. A portion of the proceeds will also go to the newly created Jay-Z Scholarship Fund.

Lox member Styles P surrendered to authorities yesterday (Nov. 26), to start his 8 month bid at the Valhalla Correctional Facility in upstate New York. P is serving the time for stabbing a man in the buttocks. "Somebody got me aggravated [and] I did somethin’," Styles told AllHipHop.com. "Now I gotta pay the consequences and repercussions. I wish it wouldn’t have happened. I hope the shorties out there know you gotta pay your consequences and repercussions when s### happens." On Sunday (Nov 24), Styles had a going away party at Club Chaos in New York City, which was attended by his Lox crew members, as well as various rappers and industry types. While Styles admitted that he wasn’t afraid of doing the bid, he said that losing his freedom was the thing that bothered him the most. "I ain’t got no fears! I’ma be sad ‘cause I ain’t got my muthafuckin’ freedom and I’ma miss my family, that’s about it. Other than that I’ma sit down and get my mind right. I ain’t got no fears ‘cause there’s guns on the streets [and] ain’t no guns in jail. There’s a couple bangers here and there, but I fear life more on the streets than in jail." P said that despite his celebrity status, he had no reservations about any possible danger that may confront him while he serves his time. "I’m already respected in there. Whether I was a rapper or not, just when you a man you gonna be the same kinda man you are in the street," P continued. "Don’t nothin’ change. If anything you better be more of a man than you are regularly. You betta step your s### up because you surrounded by nothin’ but other men! It’s forty four men in the block. You surrounded by forty three other men. I’m gonna be the same person [in jail that] I am every where."

Andre Benjamin, OutKast’s Andre 3000, will make his film debut with acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman in "Love Haters," set to be released in 2003 in association with Dre’s first solo project in March. Incidentally, the title track is "Love Hater." Dre’s character "Valentine" falls in love with a lower-class Caucasian girl and they encounter problems with both families opposing their relationship along the way. The girl’s brother causes a deadly shooting and this causes the couple to run. Morgan Freeman, who co-stars with Dre says this is the type of movie he’s been hoping to make for a long time. Freeman told the Hollywood Reporter, "I’ve been planning on making a film in the vein of ‘Badlands,’ ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ and ‘Midnight Cowboy’ for years, a character-driven adventure that feels as if it were actually made in the ’70s. I’m extremely excited to work with [Dre 3000], whose message behind his solo single ‘Love Hater’ is the same as my vision of the film’s message. Both are asking the same questions – questions we don’t understand regarding love and how it can hurt us more than help." In addition to Dre’s solo project, he is scheduled to provide the film with a soundtrack.

With seven platinum-plus albums, his stakes in Roc-a-Fella Records and Rocawear clothing, producing films and a distribution deal with Armadale vodka, Jay-Z’s future looks brighter than ever. Sales for his combined interests in 2002 are projected at more than $300 million. And yet, amongst all this success, there is talk of retirement. "My next album will be ‘The Black Album’ and then that’s it. I want to make it a prequel to Reasonable Doubt, leading up to me having an idea for a song…and that’s how the album’s going to end," Jay told the Los Angeles Times. He continued to explain that he wanted to "loop the whole thing back together, make it a nice package, and that’s it – it truly, truly is." Jay wants to move on to different things. At this point in his life, Jay-Z is ready to offer his expertise to the rap game as an executive. His hopes include to become more involved with Roc-a-Fella’s business element so that he can work with new artists, watch them grow, help them along the way and ultimately succeed. Currently, Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 2 hit #1 on the charts and sold 545,000 copies in its first week. He also appears on the 8 Mile soundtrack and on Missy’s and Snoop’s new albums.

Monday, Pres. Bush passed a controversial Home Land Security Bill that has many people, including rappers, concerned. The law passes after the federal government admitted they have been probing various rappers for almost a year. The bill combines 22 federal agencies, including the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, the Customs Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Immigration and Nationalization Service and will employ over 170,000 people. The bill allows for unprecedented freedom in the monitoring of American citizens. The government has been reportedly investigating several unnamed rap entities and production companies, seeking to find out how they obtained guns and drugs. The probe also is seeking to determine whether money laundering operations are taking place. "They are close watching [rappers]," Nore told AllHipHop.com. "It’s not rap music. They automatically point the finger at a rapper," Nore said of the recent violence that has been plaguing hip-hop. Nore is not one to shy away from his well documented encounters with the law, but says that he has changed, since he was married August 30. "I got kids and a wife. So, I’m just cool. I’m not a sucker, don’t get me wrong, but I’m living for the kids now. I can remember coming off a tour and the first thing I do is go to the hood. Now, its nothing like that." Nore was skeptical of the governments probe into rap, saying that there were too many circumstances and causes to just blame rap. "Anything can happen around you and you get blamed for it, you dig?" Nore continued. "Something can happen at a club and just the fact that my name is on a flyer or I’m in there [they can blame me]. I stay outta trouble period because I have things to live for." Nore elaborated on the Hot 97 shooting incident that allegedly took place between members of Nore’s crew and members of Lil’ Kim’s entourage, which left a man shot in the back. "You know what’s the thing about it [the shooting at Hot 97] is, no artists had anything to do with anything, you dig? I wasn’t even there. They really took care of CNN and Lil’ Kim just to pull our names apart. They never mentioned I wasn’t there." He also revealed that after an Atlantic City, NJ concert, which was supposed to feature Nore, Styles and Khia was canceled because police feared that the venue would breakout with gang violence, he contemplated suing the city. "That was one of the worse, like the worse ever. I was gonna sue the whole town behind that because they slandered my name. I was scared of myself reading that article. I was going to sue but it turns out that I am never going to do a show in that town again." "For people to just make up stuff like that is sad. I took it like a man. I took all the bad press. I don’t even take it as being towards me, I take it as being towards rap music. We’re so far beyond that." Nore is currently finishing up the latest CNN album and his solo album. He is also featured on Dru Hill’s Dru World Order, which hit shelves today (Nov. 26).