Lil Wayne and Kanye West are Back
Rap acts, Kanye West and Lil Wayne return to the Billboard charts, but where did they land? Click here.
 
Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and Eminem Return
After a long hiatus, Eminem is back with his new single, “Crack A Bottle” featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. Check it out.

What’s going down in 2009?
Check out BET.com’s predictions for 2009, right here!

It only took a month for MTV to pull the plug on rapper 50 Cent’s reality show, “The Money and the Power.” Officials with the station attributed the decision to poor ratings. MTV Entertainment President Brian Gradenthe also cited the network’s desire to find shows that better “reflect Generation ‘Why Not?’—living, working and playing on their own terms, ‘adventure capitalists’ if you will, pursuing a variety of thrill-seeking, 2.0, express-yourself enterprises.”

Rapper, ex are due back in family court in custody dispute.
 A rapper’s ongoing battle with his ex over the couple’s son has led to another date in family court. Eleven-year-old Marquise’s dad 50 Cent reportedly wants visitation every other weekend and one month during the summer. The performer recently re-connected with Marquise after weeks of a lengthy separation and such high-profile incidents as the house fire that Marquise’s mom accused Fiddy of orchestrating. He denied any involvement. Fiddy’s lawyer Brett Kimmel says the rapper’s visitation request “maximizes the time the child can spend with his father while remaining sensitive to the child’s own schedule.” The matter is due back in court on Monday.

50 Cent discusses fire that claimed his crib

Days after it was reported that he hadn’t made himself available to investigators, 50 Cent reportedly has discussed the fire that claimed his home. Lawyers for the rapper’s ex, Shaniqua Tompkins, recently put out word that Tompkins had been questioned about the spring blaze on multiple occasions, but that Fiddy wasn’t talking. Tompkins, who lived with their son at the home the rapper owned, suggested that 50 was behind the fire. The house was the subject of a heated legal dispute between the rapper and his son’s mom. No charges have been issued in connection with the blaze, but investigators called it suspicious.

Rapper attacked before annual “Summer Jamz” concert.

It’s been a heck of a year for Yung Berg. After suffering the apparent fan backlash from his public dis of dark-skinned women – for which he apologized – Berg was recently charged with threatening his limo driver, and now is the rumored victim of an assault. Detroit rapper Trick Trick is alleged to have jumped Berg while the performer was in Michigan for a Radio One station’s annual “Summer Jamz” concert. Trick Trick is developing quite the reputation for his temper after jumping Miami rapper Trick Daddy in Detroit a few years ago. Maybe they got a little territorial about that “trick” thing.

Privately owned LPs, CDs slated for non-profit archive. The man whose private music collection of 3 million records and 300,000 CDs includes hip hop and all forms of American music wants to sell. Paul Mawhinney’s 60-year-old treasure trove houses everything from Jay-Z to Enelmedio and plenty of other artists you’ve never heard of. It’s appraised at $50 million, but Mawhinney hopes to donate the collection to a museum or similar non-profit that can archive it efficiently. He’s offering a bargain price of $3 million.

Oprah continues reign as top TV earner.

TV Guide reports that Oprah Winfrey is still queen of the ratings and takings. The talk show diva has pulled in $384 million from her talk show, according to the publication. The gross profit makes Winfrey TV’s top-earning celebrity.

Singer signs on for “Dancing With the Stars.”

Singer Toni Braxton is apparently feeling much better since her cancelled string of Las Vegas concert performances, due to a heart condition. The vocalist has signed on to appear on TV’s “Dancing With the Stars.” Braxton, whose “Revealed” show was enjoying a successful run of Vegas dates this spring before she fell ill, will compete among other celebs. Viewers decide which duo of stars are best in performing choreographed routines before a live audience.

Fiddy, child, hang out for first time since legal dispute. Rapper 50 Cent, who’s been back and forth in various courtroom beefs with his ex, has retrieved his son Marquise for visitation. The rapper’s former lover, Shaniqua Tompkins, had reportedly argued against letting the child see his dad since a fire at their home, which she alleged that Fiddy caused. Marquise and his dad are expected to spend time together until next week when 50 leaves the country to film a movie. Tompkins and Fiddy are due back in court on another matter next month.