AHH Stray News: DMX, Ludacris, Radio One, Irv Gotti

DMX will perform for American troops stationed in the Persian Gulf region, as the rapper is preparing to embark on his first United Service Organization (USO) tour. The event, which is sponsored by AT&T, brings entertainment to troops stationed througout the world. Past guests include Master P., Lil’ Romeo, Shinedown and La Mafia. DMX recently dropped his sixth solo album Year of the Dog…Again, which debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, which relies on donations from the American people and strategic corporate partners. Ludacris will have the honor of being the first artist to perform at University of Texas at Arlington’s new Maverick Stadium. While general admission prices are being negotiated, students of UTA can catch the rapper on stage for $15. Students were polled about what performer they would like to see live on campus, with Ludacris winning almost 400 of the 700 votes completed online. The rapper will earn a reported $100,000 for his appearance, which takes place Sept. 7. Radio One, the African-American radio media powerhouse, celebrated it’s 25th anniversary Thursday evening (Aug. 17) in Washington. Beyonce Knowles, P. Diddy, Jay-Z and Aretha Franklin were all on hand for the event in the nation’s capital. Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole and Beyonce, who performed a three-song set just after midnight, were among the performers at the elaborate event. Other notables who joined the anniversary celebration of the African-American focused media company included Reuban Studdard, Ciara and Janet Jackson. Sean “Diddy” Combs paid tribute to the legacy of Cathy Hughes, who started the network, which is a lifestyle and entertainment network targeting African-Americans. The network has nearly 14 million listeners each week and now includes a television cable network, TV One.Irv "Gotti" Lorenzo is finalizing negotiations with Universal Music Group to become the chief of a new profit-sharing venture with the Universal/Motown label. According to the New York Times, Universal will advance Gotti almost $10 million under terms of the deal, which could allow him to eventually purchase Murder Inc.’s master recordings. The new deal with Universal comes after a massive federal probe into Murder Inc. Records, which was accused of laundering money for convicted drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff. Gotti was acquitted of all charges after a highly publicized trial. Ja Rule and Ashanti are still on the roster and Gotti is currently negotiating with various new artists. “It’s like a rebirth," Gotti told The New York Times. "It feels like God put me through hell, showed me a lot of things, showed me who the good people and bad people are around me, and lined me up to do what I’m put here to do.” Gotti had been in talks with Warner Music Group, where former Def Jam president/CEO Lyor Cohen is currently head of North American operations. Gotti told The New York Times he passed on WMG’s offer, labeling the proposed deal as "extremely disrespectful."

DMX will perform

for American troops stationed in the Persian Gulf region, as the rapper is preparing

to embark on his first United Service Organization (USO) tour. The event, which

is sponsored by AT&T, brings entertainment to troops stationed througout the

world. Past guests include Master P., Lil’ Romeo, Shinedown and La Mafia. DMX

recently dropped his sixth solo album Year of the Dog…Again, which debuted

at #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable

organization, which relies on donations from the American people and strategic

corporate partners. Ludacris

will have the honor of being the first artist to perform at University of Texas

at Arlington’s new Maverick Stadium. While general admission prices are being

negotiated, students of UTA can catch the rapper on stage for $15. Students were

polled about what performer they would like to see live on campus, with Ludacris

winning almost 400 of the 700 votes completed online. The rapper will earn a reported

$100,000 for his appearance, which takes place Sept. 7. Radio

One, the African-American radio media powerhouse, celebrated it’s 25th anniversary

Thursday evening (Aug. 17) in Washington. Beyonce Knowles, P. Diddy, Jay-Z and

Aretha Franklin were all on hand for the event in the nation’s capital. Smokey

Robinson, Natalie Cole and Beyonce, who performed a three-song set just after

midnight, were among the performers at the elaborate event. Other notables who

joined the anniversary celebration of the African-American focused media company

included Reuban Studdard, Ciara and Janet Jackson. Sean “Diddy” Combs

paid tribute to the legacy of Cathy Hughes, who started the network, which is

a lifestyle and entertainment network targeting African-Americans. The network

has nearly 14 million listeners each week and now includes a television cable

network, TV One.Irv

"Gotti" Lorenzo is finalizing negotiations with Universal Music Group

to become the chief of a new profit-sharing venture with the Universal/Motown

label. According to the New York Times, Universal will advance Gotti almost

$10 million under terms of the deal, which could allow him to eventually purchase

Murder Inc.’s master recordings. The new deal with Universal comes after a massive

federal probe into Murder Inc. Records, which was accused of laundering money

for convicted drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff. Gotti was acquitted

of all charges after a highly publicized trial. Ja Rule and Ashanti are still

on the roster and Gotti is currently negotiating with various new artists. “It’s

like a rebirth," Gotti told The New York Times. "It feels like God put

me through hell, showed me a lot of things, showed me who the good people and

bad people are around me, and lined me up to do what I’m put here to do.”

Gotti had been in talks with Warner Music Group, where former Def Jam president/CEO

Lyor Cohen is currently head of North American operations. Gotti told The New

York Times he passed on WMG’s offer, labeling the proposed deal as "extremely

disrespectful."