THE KING'S BACK!

Paper Trail is ATL born rapper T.I.'s sixth studio album from Grand Hustle/Atlantic Records. Paper Trail is scheduled to be released on Sept. 30, 2008 in North America. TI was originally set to release the album in early August and then early September, before settling on the September 30th release date. TI's Paper Trail album is scheduled to feature 14 tracks which TI wrote while locked down at his home under house arrest after being arrest for gun posession charges. The album's title comes from T.I.'s decision to write down his lyrics on paper, for the first time since his first album, instead of hitting the studio and coming up with rhymes off the top of his head.

Confirmed guests on TI's Paper Trail album are set to include: Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Swizz Beatz, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Fall Out Boy and John Legend. Production is set to feature: DJ Troomp, Scott Storch, Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Drumma Boy, Just Blaze and J.R. Rotem.

To date there have already been 3 singles released off Paper Trail before it's even been released. These singles, in order, are: No Matter What, Whatever You Like and Swagga' Like Us, the underground hit featuring Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne. It's said that a music video for Swagga Like Us' is scheduled to appear in September or October. A song or music video is scheduled to be released every week, for 6 or 7 weeks, leading up to the release of Paper Trail, in what is known as the Countdown To Paper Trail.

Paper Trail is set to be one of the biggest hip-hop albums of 2008 and is predicted to sell around 400,000 copies in its first week of release. Whatever You Like sold 205,000 digital downloads in its first week.

T.I. is scheduled to start serving his one year sentence in jail at the end of 2008 or in early 2009.










JAY-Z IS SIGNING JANET JACKSON, BEYONCE & 50 CENT

According to reports, Jay-Z is setting himself up to cement his status as one of the best businessmen in the game.
Rumor has it that Jay is looking to create a super roster by signing Janet Jackson, Beyonce, and possible 50 Cent.

"Jay-Z approached 50 Cent [whose contract ends with Interscope in December] earlier this year and now he's talking to Janet [Jackson] and Jermaine Dupri..." a senior record executive allegedly told Mediatakeout.com. "It seems like a difficult task to get so many big artists under one roof, but I wouldn't put anything past [Jay-Z]."
"[Jay-Z] is probably the only person in music that could put together the financing to make [signing] talent of that caliber possible," the source continued.




LUDACRIS’ ATLANTA HOUSE GOES UP IN FLAMES

A fire broke out at rapper/actor Ludacris’ home just South of Atlanta Wednesday night. According to Fulton County Fire Department spokesman Gregory Chambers, the fire was first reported by a neighbor, even before the alarm system at the home was triggered. Authorities arrived at the scene on DeMooney Road near College Park around 11:30pm and were able to put out the fire within 30 minutes.
The fire, described by authorities as a “significant fire,” destroyed the residence’s pool house, but did not affect the main structure on the property. Ludacris was in New York at the time of the fire, where he is scheduled to host a private “screening” for his forthcoming album Theater of the Mind, which hits stores November 11.




KANYE HITS COMEDY CENTRAL

Kanye West has shot a half-hour pilot for Comedy Central called “Alligator Boots.” Described as “hip-hop meets the Muppets,” the project is being produced by Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla’s Jackhole Productions, the production company behind Comedy Central’s “Crank Yankers.”
The show, which is under consideration for the network’s 2009 schedule, would feature music produced and performed by West and rapper Rhymefest. Watch a preview below.






I WILL NOT LOSE

Hip-Hop mogul Jay-Z and Iconix Brand Group, owner of Rocawear Clothing, are being sued in federal court on copyright infringement charges. The case was filed last Thursday (September 18) in Georgia Northern District Court by I Will Not Lose, LLC, a company claiming that Iconix Brand Group and Jay-Z, adopted the exact same “I Will Not Lose” trademark.

I Will Not Lose, LLC (www.iwillnotlose.net) CEO Reggie Tucker alleges in the lawsuit that his company trademarked the brand first and were subsequently ignored throughout 2007 after attempts were made to settle the matter out of court.




DR. DRE DETOX SINGLE IN NOVEMBER AND ALBUM IN DECEMBER!

Although albums from Jay-Z, Kanye West, 50 Cent and even Eminem are expected this year, the highest anticipated album of all seems to be Dr. Dre's "Detox." Bishop Lamont, the only other artist on Dre's Aftermath label besides Eminem (as Lamont says), recently released a video [watch here] where he says Dre is turning the album in soon, with a single coming in November and the album in December.

Dre previously told USA Today back in July that he was "shooting for a November or December release." Dre went on to talk about the album saying "We have an entirely new thing going with the drums that's incredible, and we're still developing that." Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Nas are just some rappers who have been rumored to be on the album.







LEFT EYE IS BACK

'Left Eye' Lopes of TLC will have her last solo album released on November 11th on Mass Appeal Entertainment. The 12-song album called "Eye-Legacy" features Miss Elliot, Chamillionaire, Lil Mama, and Bobby Valentino. Missy Elliot is featured on the first single "Let's Just Do It" while the entire album will feature unreleased material from Lopes.








BUSTA CAN PLAY IN THE UK

Busta Rhymes has now been cleared to enter the UK. After being detained for serveral hours at London City Airport because of "unresolved convictions," a local court just issued an order giving Busta the right to enter the country.






TONY YAYO IS HELPING THE POLICE

G-Unit soldier Tony Yayo will host a special live edition of MTV's new show "Busted" next month from their studio in Times Square. "Busted" is the newest reality-type show that MTV has came up with to replace music related programs. Like FOX's "Cops," the show captures police officers corning criminals.

Isn't Tony Yayo supposed to be true Gangsta in rap, or at least G-Unit? I don't think it's Gangsta to host a show where police try to bust criminals. Either way, check out the Tony Yayo "Busted" show from 7-10pm ET on October 4th.




USHER LADIES ONLY TOUR

Usher is preparing to go on a tour that is set up for "ladies only." Today the R&B singer announced the dates, cities and venues for the tour sponsored by Sony Ericsson. The tour will start in Atlantic City on November 3rd and end in Dallas on the 25th.

“I’m so looking forward to getting out there and doing what I do best…up close and personal. I have a long-term partnership with Sony Ericsson that started back in March this year,” said Usher via a statement. “This tour is the next phase in our relationship - and I am delighted to have them out on the road with me as the headline sponsor of the 'One Night Stand Ladies Only' tour.”

November 2
Atlantic City
Borgata Event Center

November 3
New York
Hammerstein Ballroom

November 4
Washington, DC
Warner Theatre

November 5
Philadelphia
Electric Factory

November 7
Mashantucket, CT
MGM Grand Theatre at Foxwoods

November 8
Toronto, ON
Kool Haus

November 10
Atlanta, GA
The Tabernacle

November 12
Detroit, MI
The Fillmore

November 13
Chicago, IL
House of Blues

November 18
San Francisco, CA
The Warfield

November 21
Las Vegas, NV
The Pearl

November 24
Houston, TX
House of Blues

November 25
Dallas, TX
House of Blues




50 CENT IS A HATER

According to PR-Inside 50 Cent says that marrying Beyonce made Jigga famous. "I'm a big fan of Jay-Z, but outside of the States and Hip Hop circles, no one really knew who he was until he married Beyonce." When asked about Jay-Z's estimated worth of $1 billion dollars, 50 says "I don't believe he's worth that much! It's all been exaggerated. I'm comfortable. I don't want for anything so I'm not in a race."

In related news, 50 Cent was recently given his own day and a key to the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut. 50 not only lives in the state but also recently filmed the movie "Righteous Kill" there. October 12th will officially be Curtis Jackson Day and 50 says "I’d probably just have a nice picnic! But everybody should have a block party - with just my music being played!




AKON PLANS ON HIS FREEDOM

Akon is preparing to release his new album called 'Freedom' on November 25th. Previously titled "Acquitted," the new album from the R&B star will feature fellow singer T-Pain plus Lil Wayne will also make an appearance on a track called "I'm So Paid." The first single from Akon's third studio album "Right Now (Na Na Na)" is currently available on iTunes.






SEAN KINGSTON LOSES HIS $500,000 CHAIN!

Sean Kingston lost his $500,000 64 Crayon chain. Kingston was in New York when he had his sister FedEx his chain to him. The only thing is is that when he went to go pick it up the package was empty. But that’s not it tell me why Kingston sister only insured the chain for $500. I guess theres no getting that back.






WHOS MAKING TH BIG BUCKS

Beyonce has landed at the #2 spot on Forbes' annual "Worlds Best-Paid Music Stars" list. The former Destiny's Child singer comes in second, raking in $80 million during the 12-month period, thanks to her endorsement deals with L'Oreal, American Express and Armani.

Justin Timberlake comes in fourth with earnings of $44 million. Rounding out the top five is Madonna, who took home $40 million during the year.




WHAT WOMAN WILL DO

A woman who sued Diddy and Vibe after the magazine published a topless picture of her at a Hampton's party has had her $3 million lawsuit thrown out.
According to The New York Daily News, Maria Dominquez slapped Diddy and the mag with a $3 million lawsuit claiming they invaded her privacy when they ran her bare breasted photo, with the caption "Mermaids gone wild" in the November 2006 issue of Vibe.
"When that picture came out, she wasn't too happy about it, that's for sure," said Dominguez's lawyer, Albert Maimon.
Justice Doris Ling-Cohan, the judge who threw the case out, said that Dominguez's expectation of privacy was forfeited when she decided to take off her shirt at Diddy's 2003 East Hampton White Party.
"Sean Combs and his renowned annual White Party are subjects of tremendous public interest, attracting the steady attention of the public and many news organizations," Ling-Cohan wrote.
In the suit, however, Dominguez claimed that she was not told she was going to be photographed and did not give permission for her pic to be published.
But Vibe maintained that they did not need permission because it was a "newsworthy" event. The judge apparently agreed.
"If you need to call Mr. Gorbachev to ask permission, you'll never get anyting published," said David Korzenki, one of Vibe's lawyers.
"When you come to a party and you dress provocatively and you see a swarm of photographers there, you would know what you're getting yourself into," said Jonathan Davis, a lawyer for Diddy.




BEFORE I SELF DESTRUCT

50 Cent has just announced that he will be releasing a movie with the same name as his new album "Before I Self Destruct." But in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the rapper says that he will be cutting Interscope out of the movie's profits.
"It's not 'Purple Rain'," 50 said about the movie. Instead, he says that the flick is "... inspired by the actual music" and shows the harsh realities of "urban life" in a new way.
"I showed characters under pressure in scenarios where they felt like there were no other options, even though there were," he added. "There are always options. People just usually start to see them while being incarcerated-for not seeing them in the first place."
50 said the movie will hit theatres around the same time as his new album (which will serve as his last under his current contract with Interscope) on December 9th.
But Fif says that he is not using any of the songs from "Before I Self Destruct" in the movie because he doesn't want the label's hand in his cookie jar. "Then Interscope would automaticall have the rights to it, when they had absolutely no ownership of the actual material," he said. Instead, 50 opted to write a separate score and get unsigned talent to record the vocals. By Erin T. McMillon OF YA RAPS




BIG BOI DROPS MANAGER, RUMORED TO BE JOINING GRAND HUSTLE

Big Boi, of OutKast fame, has reportedly decided to cut ties with Family Tree Entertainment, his long time manager.
According to reports, Big Boi has decided part ways from Family Tree (which is run by Blue Williams), leaving his branding and career in the hands of T.I.'s manager Jason Geter.
Although the reports have yet to be confirmed by either party, word on the street is that Williams had no idea this was taking place and is said to be "on his way back to the ATL to get sh*t straight."
In other Big Boi news, the rapper is set to release his new CD, "Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty" on October 28. The 16-track album features "Something's Gotta Give" with Mary J. Blige and "Royal Flush" with Andre 3000 and Raekwon.




DID DMX OVER DOSE?

Reports from TMZ say that rapper DMX was rushed to a Florida hospital Monday, the 23rd for allegedly collapsing in an undisclosed location. Could it be that his collapsing was due to the fact that he was intoxicated. Come on now X didn’t you just come from court earlier this month where you plead guilty to drug charges.