Last year Kanye West battled with 50 Cent to see who was the top star in hip hop. Now Hood-Hop is hearing that Kanye is looking to step it up a notch. According to a very trusted insider Kanye West is looking to move up his new album release date to compete against the top selling artist Beyonce Knowles.

The insider tells Hood-Hop, “Kanye West doesn’t want to be considered just the best hip hop artist - he wants the title of the best artist.” And that title, according to our insider, is held by Beyonce.

And you thought the Kanye vs 50 stuff was big …. This is about to be ENORMOUS!!!

Rappers are getting rid of the trunk jewels. The recession is real… 

How much would you pay for Lil Jon’s 12-pound “Crunk Ain’t Dead” pendant, which holds the Guinness Book of World Records mark as the largest diamond pendant ever? You can get your shot at the signature piece during the Hip-Hop’s Crown Jewels auction from the contemporary art auction house Phillips de Pury & Company, which will take place March 5 in New York.

The sale, which was originally scheduled for October 1, was pushed back due to the overwhelming interest in the catalog, according to a spokesperson. While the spokesperson would not discuss what pieces will be in the auction because the catalog is still being finalized, in addition to Jon’s piece, which has more than 3,700 diamonds in it, the auction will also reportedly feature Missy Elliott’s signature black-diamond-and-gold mini-turntable pendant, a diamond-and-platinum bracelet that was owned by Diddy and one of Kanye West’s diamond-studded black Jesus pendants. Prior to the auction’s move to next year,the Washington Post reported that other items expected to go under the gavel included a mix of pieces donated by the artists themselves and their jewelers. Some of the proceeds go to establish a permanent hip-hop exhibit and Russell Simmons’ Rush Community Affairs charity. MC Lyte, 50 Cent, Biz Markie’s, are some other rappers selling jewels in the auction along with some owned by the late Notorious B.I.G.

Turns out 50Cent is finally going to make good on his promise to leave the rap game after losing the sales war to Kanye West. Well sort of. According to thisis50.com, the heavyweight MC is planning to step away from the rap game a la Eminem and Dr. Dre after the release of his forth-coming album Before I Self Destruct.

“The luxury that Eminem and Dr. Dre have now, I’ll soon have,” he said. “I’ll only be putting out music when I have a masterpiece ready… those guys are ready to put out their masterpieces very soon. Eminem’s album is going to blow people away… Like him, I’ll only be coming back when people miss me.”

Whoa. So let me get this straight, the future of 50 Cent’s rap career will hinge on whether hip-hop fans miss him when he’s gone. How will he know when he’s missed? Do we have to sign a “50 come back” petition? Hold rallies outside the G-Unit office hoisting “We Want Change” signs. This sounds like the beginning stages of another marketing scheme. I don’t know if I’d go this route until I saw how much fans actually miss Marshall. If Em doesn’t get back to where he once was, then Fif may have to go back to the original marketing scam of beef, beatdowns and SoundScan showdowns.

Whuttha?!...i watched this damn video bout seven times and still aint figured it out...

Hood-Hop just caught wind that hip hop pioneer Shawn “Jay Z” Carter may be on the verge of pulling off the biggest deal in the history of hip hop. According to people extremely senior at a major record label, Jay Z is looking to sign some of the top artists in urban music to his newly launched label. The executive, who spoke to Hood-Hop on the condition of anonymity explained, “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 … It seems like a difficult task to get so many big artists under one roof, but I wouldn’t put anything past [Jay Z].”And another industry insider was far more optimistic about the prospects of the new label. That insider told Hood-Hop, “[Jay Z] is probably the only person in music that could put together the financing to make [signing] talent of that calibre possible.”

Earlier this year in February, G-Unit clothing parted ways with Mark Ecko’s Mark Ecko Enterprises, a move that decidedly had people scratching their heads despite its successful capital gains. With the split, it was reported that 50 Cent also walked away with full ownership rights.
After speculation as to where G-Unit clothing would find its new home, 50 Cent has finally made his decision; back with Mark Ecko Enterprises.
The re-launch of G-Unit clothing comes at an opportune time for 50 Cent, who took a marketing strategy class from Snoop Dogg with plans to integrate his clothing line into different ventures including his soon to be released album Before I Self Destruct, video game Blood In The Sand, tour, book, and other media outlets he partakes in.
Wearers of G-Unit clothing can expect the new line to be released with Ecko’s spring 2009 collection.

Pitbull is set to return to the rap scene with a new album in early 2009 through his new label, Mr. 305, in conjunction with Famous Artist Music and The Orchard, which purchased his TVT Records earlier this year.

The Miami rapper will release his new single, “Krazy,” featuring Lil Jon on September 30. The Crunk producer also manned the boards for the track. Both artists were label mates on TVT before joining The Orchard. TVT Records filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February of this year resulting in a number of staffers being laid off.

“I am excited about my new single,” Pit said in a statement. “I wanted to show my fans that Lil Jon and I are still rocking after the drama with our former label. Now that I am emancipated, I cannot wait to give the fans more of what I have in store, so y’all better be ready!”

A clip for “Krazy” will be directed by David Rousseau and feature appearances by Fat Joe, Rick Ross, and Hurricane Chris. The was shot mostly on green screen and is scheduled to premiere in October.

In addition to starting his label, the bi-lingual lyricist also recently started a digital platform with the launch of PlanetPit.com.

After learning a surprising number of Major League Baseball players, including Tampa Bay’s B.J. Upton, Boston’s Coco Crisp and Philadelphia Phillies’ 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins play his tracks during batting practice, ESPN The Magazine asked Lil Wayne to write a blog on their website. The double-platinum rapper, who has cited ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption and SportScenter as his favorite TV shows, gave his thoughts on everything from playing football as a child to his NFL fantasy picks. Wayne’s blog could raise a few eyebrows, as he unexpectedly turns out to be an avid tennis fan.
“I had a lot of people over to my place to watch the Wimbledon final this year, and we went crazy,” writes Wayne. “I love [Roger] Federer but [Rafael] Nadal is my favorite. He’s the man. I love his motivation and his heart is big. He leaves it on the court. And when I found out he still lives with his family despite his success, that was it for me.”
ESPN The Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Gary Belsky says he was honored Wayne offered to blog for the digital version of his magazine.

After less than two weeks on the air, Microsoft’s newest advertisements with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld will be pulled from the air.

Who will be taking Seinfeld’s place? Rapper/producer Pharrell, Deepak Chopra and Eva Longoria, according to reports. The tech giant’s $300 million ad campaign is underway, and the Seinfeld commercials, in which Gates and the comedian engage in humorous and sometimes inane discussion, were apparently the first phase of the project.

A spokesman for Microsoft said that the advertisement campaign was “completely in accordance” with company’s plans, denying that the first batch of commercials was taken down due to a lukewarm response from viewers.

Pharrell will be taking part in the “second phase” of Microsoft’s advertising campaign, which features the tagline: “Windows. Life without walls.”

This is not Pharrell’s first time working with Microsoft, as he assisted in launching Microsoft Xbox 360’s game Halo 3 in the United Kingdom.

okay...im lightweight intrested...we'll see! 09, Bay-ba-Baaby!