50 Cent is hurling barbs at some of the biggest names in hip-hop, even as he continues to recruit rappers away from rival rosters. First LL Cool J hopped ship from Def Jam to sign with G-Unit, suggesting that label head honcho Jay-Z was too busy promoting himself to remember his commitment to other artists.
Now rapper-turned-preacher-turned-rapper Mase is trying to make the jump from Diddy sideman to G-Unit, and complications with that deal have led to some harsh words from 50 Cent to the Bad Boy boss on a new mixtape.

"Who shot Biggie Smalls?" raps Fiddy on one of the tracks featured on Hip-Hop Is Dead: G-Unit Radio Part 22. "[If] we don't get them, they gonna kill us all / Man, Puffy knows who hit that n---a man, that's n---a's soft / He's scared them boys from the west side gonna break him off." ...

R.E.M.  will perform three songs with original drummer Bill Berry to celebrate its induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, to be held September 16 in Atlanta.

Berry has played only three times with his longtime colleagues since exiting the band in 1997, most prominently at the October 2005 wedding of R.E.M.  guitar tech Dewitt Burton.

At that performance, the foursome played a seven-song set of classic early material, including "Sitting Still," "Radio Free Europe " and "Wolves, Lower." In April, Berry joined vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills to perform R.E.M. 's "Country Feedback" at an Athens, Ga.,.....

Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) Chairman Russell Simmons and President and CEO Dr. Benjamin Chavis are continuing their rounds on the "Get Your Money Right" national tour, by stopping in Atlanta on September 16, 2006.
The two leaders are taking their message of financial empowerment to Morris Brown College on Saturday, September 16th. They will be joined by a number of hip-hop's elite, including Jermaine Dupri, Young Jeezy, Disturbing Tha Peace's Chaka Zulu, Ludacris and Bobby Valentino, Paul Wall, Remy Ma, Chingo Bling, producer Bryan-Michael Cox, President of the Ludacris Foundation Roberta Shields;...

Meanwhile, Jessica Simpson denies that she is dating singer John Mayer. Simpson told The View host Rosie O'Donnell this week that the pair are – and we quote - "just friends." Last Thursday, Mayer had posted a note on his MySpace page in response to the dating rumours, saying "don’t believe the hype."

Paris Hilton occupies a high spot on the Billboard album charts this week, but her debut album doesn't look like it will be setting any sales records.
The currently celibate (so she says) hotel heiress and "Simple Life" star's debut album, "Paris," joins the Billboard 200 album chart at No. 6 this week. It sold 77,000 copies in its first week in stores, which isn't bad but is hardly earth-shattering.
She's not even the top-charting reality TV star this week. That honor goes to the members of Danity Kane, the female group formed in MTV's "Making the Band III." Their self-titled album opens at No. 1, selling 234,000 copies, according to the music-biz bible.
OutKast's soundtrack to the movie "Idlewild" is No. 2 on this week's chart, while last week's top seller, Christina Aguilera, falls to third. Mexican group Maná's record "Amar Es Combatir" is fourth, and another TV-related album, the soundtrack to "The Cheetah Girls 2," sits one spot above Hilton at No. 5....

The rumored collaboration between Chamillionaire and 50 Cent has been officially confirmed. 
we recently caught up with Chamillionaire during "MTV's Video Music Awards" press forum and the Houston bred emcee revealed that he and the G-Unit honcho have worked on some material.
"I bumped into 50 in NY a couple of weeks ago, and he hollered at me and said he wanted to do some stuff, next day Sha Money hit me up and put me on some records," explained Cham. "I really don't like to say nothing until it gets cleared, and everything goes through cause I don't like to say I'm a be on something and then get pulled off."
"So yeah, I'm definitely been messing around with them," Cham continued. " They been showing love, and I've been messin' with his DJ, DJ Whoo Kid and Lil' Scrappy, he just shot a video, he's with G-Unit now and he put me in the video, so it's a good look," he added.

The prestigious Video Vanguard Award was given to Hype Williams at August 31 2006 MTV Video Music Awards for the first time since 2003, when Duran Duran received the honor.
Williams was presented the award by Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes, who have both starred in some of Hype's greatest masterpieces. Since1994, Hype has directed over 200 videos for No Doubt, Aaliyah,
anye West, Outkast, Nas, DMX and many others. Past Video Vanguard recipients include David Bowie, Madonna, U2 and Michael Jackson.
"I'm very excited to get here," Hype told....