Snoop Dogg is going through some major changes in his music and personal life and the metamorphosis manifests itself in a new reggae album,Reincarnated.

Snoop spoke to a small group of journalists at Miss Lily’s, a popular Caribbean restaurant in New York and explained his new-found attitude.

“When I make records I like to come from the heart and records that means something, that’s gonna really change the world. And on this particular project, I had no planning on going to Jamaica, making a reggae record. The spirit called me. And, you know, anytime the spirit calls you, you gotta know that its serious.”

Snoop continued saying that the spirit he felt in Jamaica moved him in such a way that he evoked the late Bob Marley. “I’ve always said that I was Bob Marley reincarnated.” Incidentally, Rohan Marley was also in attendance, supporting Snoop’s new incarnation.

After speaking with his business manager, he decided to reach out to super producer Diplo and artist Major Lazer to begin crafting the album.

He said he had to establish some rules to the people that were working with him on the project.

“I basically let them know what I want. Its not that I want to become Snoop Dogg in a reggae track…I want to bury Snoop Dogg and become Snoop Lion.” The Long Beach representative said that after a spiritual meeting with a high priest his old name was discarded and replaced with “Lion.”

The rapper said that he’s “tired” of rap music and that he had seen the highest levels of achievement in the genre that make him famous.

“Rap is not a challenge to me. I had enough of that. It’s not appealing to me no more. I don’t have no challenges,” he insisted. “I’m ‘Uncle Snoop’ in rap. When you get to be an uncle, you need to find a new profession so you can start over and be fresh again. I want to be a kid again.”

Snoop said that his Hip-Hop life has also made it difficult for him to offer live shows that weren’t inundated with profanity, sex and violence.

“I’ve always wanted to perform for kids, my grand mother and people around the world that love me, can’t accept the music that I make. This reggae music is the music of love, happiness and struggle.”

Snoop made it clear that he wasn’t fully retiring from Hip-Hop, but that he felt a need to express his personal growth through the music.

“Now as a 40-year-old man, the artists call me Uncle Snoop, I gotta give ‘em something. I can’t keep taking them to a dead end street and dropping them off. I gotta teach ‘em how to fish, teach ‘em how to grow…”
Reincarnated was also produced with a DVD movie that documented the creation of Snoop Lion.

Never short on controversy, Lupe Fiasco opines on President Obama’s ordered drone attacks.

As Lupe Fiasco has conducted his media rounds in preparation for Food & Liquor 2: Great American Rap Album, Part 1, he has issued a slew of controversial statements, calling “ninety-seven percent of Hip Hop is terrible.”

In an interview with Philadelphia’s Power 99 FM’s Mina SayWhat, Lupe revisited criticisms that he had of President Barack Obama last year: “One hand, you have someone who is a great speaker, but kills little children – our president.”

“I’m not talking about an accident,” continued Lupe. “I’m talking about ordering a drone attack. Ordering drone attacks that go and kill mothers, innocent bystanders, children. Militants too, but the collateral damage. You’re responsible for that, too.”

Lupe’s was questioned about whether he thought Obama’s intentions were to kill innocents. “Drug dealer can say the same thing,” countered the Chicago emcee. “I didn’t mean to kill all the people in the restaurant. I was just trying to get that one dude who killed my cousin. Just so happened that that little girl was there. Same thing.”

In 2011, Lupe called Obama “the biggest terrorist,” drawing criticism from Bill O’Reilly and others.

 50 Cent recently signed boxer Billy Dib of Australia to TMT Promotions (The Money Team), a new company the rap star is running with world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather.

50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather’s TMT Promotions have already received its promoter’s license in New York and has another application pending in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Mayweather is finishing an 87-day prison sentence for spousal battery.

In addition to Billy Dib, TMT Promotions has already snagged featherweight boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa and super middleweight boxer Andre Dirrell.

According to 50, it was Floyd’s idea to start TMT Promotions as an alternative to the current promotional deals that are being offered to boxers today.

Billy Dib

“I mean, outside of the fact that it was Floyd’s concept, and that it was his idea initially that he wanted to develop a company for himself and for other talent that can execute things without having to be within a traditional situation where you have to completely watch your back, 24/7,” 50 Cent told RingTV.com. “From a fighter’s perspective, you know, it’s going to be exciting to be a part of our company and something like that. When you achieve a certain level of success with your career, you start to do some soul-searching and you start to figure out what you’re actually after.”

50 told RingTV.com that Floyd can spot talent in upcoming boxers, which was another reason that two famous friends decided to go into business together.

“Floyd has an eye. He has the knack,” 50 Cent said. “He can kind of point out talent and things and see things within himself that he sees in some other fighters. Floyd can pin-point something in a fighter and say, ’50, go after that,’ and he can say, ‘go and get him.’  So I went out there and I got him [Dib].

Snoop Dogg has been barred from entering Norway for two years and you’re never going to be able to guess why!!!! Nevermind, you probably can. 

Snoop was stopped at customs at the Kjevic Airport in Kristiansand on June 28 where officials discovered 8 grams of weed. He was fined a little less than $2,000 and paid it on the spot.

 Bone Thugs-n-Harmony rapper Krayzie Bone was arrested for drunk driving this morning in Los Angeles.

The rapper was driving his vehicle about 12:30 am and police pulled him over in a “routine” traffic stop, according to TMZ.com.

Krayzie Bone, 39, was suspected as being intoxicated, authorities said.

The police asked the rapper to perform a sobriety test and a breathalyzer came in over .10, which is over the legal limits in California.

The rapper was arrested and taken to jail.

He was cooperative.

AllHipHop.com was unable to obtain a statement from Krayzie Bone at press time, but the rap star recently conducted an interview with AllHipHop.com that was published earlier this week and revealed he was working on a double LP titled Chasing The Devil.

“I’m going to release the first one for free digital download,” Krayzie Bone told AllHipHop.com. “Just to give something back to the fans. I actually forgot to mention that it is going to be a double CD when I made the announcement, so I’m clearing that up now so everybody knows it’s going to be a double CD, and the first CD is going to be released for free digitally. However, I am going to have the whole double CD album available for physical purchase if people would like to do so.

James “Jas” Prince claims that Drake’s management also owes him money.

James “Jas” Prince, who is credited with discoveringDrake and introducing him to Lil Wayne, has sued him on grounds that he has not been monetarily compensated for his efforts.

According to THR, Prince says that the managers around Drake have tried to “loot” his finances and “put the entire Drake business in jeopardy.” Prince and his father James Prince Sr. were going to sit at the helm for business dealings with Wayne’s labels. Cortez Bryant, Wayne’s manager, had an oral agreement with Prince to “develop and exploit Drake’s entertainment services together and split profits therefrom accordingly” in around 2007 and ’08.

Bryant then signed Drake to his roster and inked an exclusive recording deal with his company Aspire, and then signed him to Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records. Prince realized that he was going to get cut out in July 2009, and worked out a “Settlement Agreement & General Release Agreement” to receive a share of Aspire’s profits, a majority share in Drake’s masters and a share of his gross compensation.

Prince is not claiming that they have failed to compensate him and “stymied” his payments by using the same business affairs lawyer that the record label employs.

Drake is also reportedly unhappy with the defendants and has already put them on notice for withholding money. He is allegedly thinking about negotiating his record contract for his third album, which Prince seeks to halt because it jeopardizes his financial standing with the rapper.

Prince is suing Bryant, Aspire and associated management firms for breaching the settlement agreement, oral agreement, the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and their fiduciary duties. He seeks an injunction to prevent the renegotiation of Drake’s agreement, as well as his owed money.

Former G-Unit member Young Buck is reportedly going to gather up a majority of yesterday’s IRS-helmed auctioned items which rounded up to the amount of $53,000.

According to reports, Buck Marley’s manager purchased various items so he could once again own them.
An eye witness at this week’s IRS auction of Young Buck’s possessions told HipHopDX that many of those items will be returned to the rapper. M-Eighty, a record-breaking emcee and manager to Canibus, reported that Buck’s manager, G, purchased “a lot of items,” including the rapper’s Cashville chain. The chain takes its name from Buck’s label. (HHDX)
Reports of the sold items emerged online after yesterday’s publicized auction.
The Internal Revenue Service said they took in $53,000 during an auction of rapper Young Buck’s jewelry, recording equipment and other seized possessions. The IRS said the highest priced item, a 615 Cashville necklace the rapper wore in some of his videos went for $12,600. It had been appraised at approximately $20,000. The agency held a preview of the merchandise on Wednesday. It included TVs, gold albums, jewelry, and recording equipment. The rapper’s trademarked “Young Buck” name was also sold. (News Channel 5)
A former Buck associate weighed in with his reaction to the ex-G-Unit member’s stuff getting auctioned off this week.
“He came up from the streets and I guess he made it the best way he knew how to do it and that was with his music,” said recording engineer Gerald Holt who worked with Brown before he made a name for himself. Holt toured the auction items Wednesday in disbelief. “It’s just hard to see him rise to the top like this and then see all of his stuff just being sold at auction,” he said. (News Channel 5)
The auction received widespread publicity and promotion beginning earlier this month.
The agency said the sale will be held in Nashville and a preview of the merchandise is scheduled for July 25. The items can also be seen online here. In December, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in Nashville converted the bankruptcy of David Darnell Brown – the rapper’s legal name – from a Chapter 11 reorganization to a Chapter 7 liquidation. The trustee administering his estate said she planned to sell the trademarked “Young Buck” name along with other assets seized for non-payment. Creditors submitted claims totaling $11.5 million, including $10 million that the label G-Unit Records said Buck owed them over a contract dispute. (WRCB TV)

Rick Ross recalls his seizure and says he is “trying” to work on his health.

Last October, Rick Ross suffered two seizures before acknowledging that it was due to sleep deprivation. Recently, Rick Ross recalled this time period and expressed that exhaustion played a major role in the seizures. He also talked about how he’s trying to improve his health.

“I was just extremely exhausted,” Ross told Chelsea Handler in their Chelsea Lately interview. “That’s what the doctors basically told me so I had to change up a few things.”

Ross continued by sharing that he has not fully changed his lifestyle and expressed that he hasn’t lost much weight since the incidents, despite having a personal chef. However, he added that he is trying to make things better.

“I’m trying,” he said. “I’m not all the way there but I’m trying. …I’m trying. I’ve got great intentions.”

Game and his fiancee have apparently worked out whatever issues they had, as their wedding is back on.

It’s a well-worn cliche that all relationships have their ups and downs, but Game and his fiancee are a stark example.

TMZ reports that a week after Game announced via Twitter that he and fiancee Tiffney Cambridge were no longer getting married, the couple is back together.

Game and Cambridge will be wed in August, according to sources. Additionally, the reality show based on the couple’s trek towards tying the knot has resumed.

Last week Game took to Twitter, explaining that it was his fault that the wedding was canceled. At first, he didn’t go into details, but the next day, he provided some insight:

Cambridge is the mother of Game’s two youngest children.

 Telephone maker HTC has sold back half of their stake in Beats Electronics, the company co-owned by producer Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine.

According to the Chicago Tribune, HTC sold 25% of their shares back to Beats Electronics for $150 million.

HTC originally purchased a 50% stake in Beats Electronics for $309 million, in August 2011.

According to HTC, the sale “provides Beats with more flexibility for global expansion while maintaining HTC’s major stake and commercial exclusivity in mobile.”

Today (July 23), HTC’s shares fell almost 4% because of the news, with investors being concerned about HTC’s strategy for the future.

Curren$y says that he was “too cool” for a lawsuit and that they’ll “figure that out.”

In March, Curren$y filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against Damon Dash for releasing two of his albums without permission. But after the two recently started talking again, Spitta says that he’s entirely backed away from the suit.

During an interview with MTV News’ Sway Calloway on“RapFix Live,” Andretti explained that he and the music mogul will patch up their differences out of court.

“I rolled that up too, that’s in the ashtray,” he said. “I’m way too cool for a lot of that stuff, because I would always have to talk about it. I didn’t even do it because I didn’t feel like talking about that. So we’ll figure that out. We’re men.”

Curren$y recently revealed that he’s in talks with Dash and Ski Beatz to record Pilot Talk III. He will also release Puff Daddy with Chuck Inglish and Live in Concert with Wiz Khalifa in the near future.

The Chicago emcee, Common, is said to be facing foreclosure on a condo he owns in Chicago with his manager.

According to reports, Common is allegedly in danger of having his Chicago condo foreclosed. TMZ is reporting that legal documents show the Chicago emcee has not paid mortgage for months.

The reports indicate that Common and Derek Dudley, his manager, have not paid the $2,285 monthly mortgage since March. As a result, the reports state that Bank of America is filing foreclosure documents.

Bank of America would then sell the condo and add up the payments which haven’t been made along with other fees for more than $345,000.

Common has not officially responded on the matter as of yet.

The director for Rick Ross’ “Hold Me Back” video says that BET has banned the clip.

BET has reportedly banned the upcoming video for Rick Ross’ “Hold Me Back.”

According to the video’s director TAJ, the network has refused to air the video, though there was no reason given for the ban. TAJ took to Twitter to explain his dissatisfaction with BET’s decision, but has since deleted the tweets.

“So BET rejected Ross’ ‘Hold Me Back’ video. It’s incredibly sad, because the video is incredibly special & real,” he wrote. “You’re killing US BET. Smh. Everybody ask BET why it’s ok for them to play ‘Boyz N the Hood’, ‘Menace to Society’, and ‘South Central’, but not Ross’ video. What does BET stand for? You should have two answers for that question.”

He later addressed BET’s President Stephen Hill with a tweet, asking him to support the honesty in the video.

Miami rapper Rick Ross will head to Nigeria to headline the Summer Jam Fest 2012 concert in August. Rick Ross will be performing in Lagos, at the Eko Hotel and Suites, where this year’s Summer Jam Fest will take place. The 2012 edition of Summer Jam Fest is aimed at promoting a healthy and proper lifestyle. The concert is being sponsored by St. Eve Concepts, a wellness and enzymatic weight management company in West Africa. The news of Rick Ross’ headlining performance at Summer Jam Fest 2012 comes just a week after the rap star was sued by a different Nigerian promoter, for skipping out on last year’s festival, due to “security concerns.” Rick Ross will headline the 2012 Summer Jam Fest on Friday, August 17, 2012.