Not everyone in hip-hop is happy that Bill Cosby wants in.

In an open letter addressed to the famous entertainer and community activist, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons called out Cosby for what he perceived as efforts to consistently insult and downgrade young African-Americans.

As Cosby and his group, The Cosnarati Band prepare to release their album, “State of Emergency,” they respond to Simmons’ criticism.

From HipHopWired.com

Jumping to their leader’s defense, Supa Nova Slom and Jace The Great of the Cosnarati Band have both released statements on the issue.

Slom contends that while he respects Simmons, he should focus on the positive contributions that Cosby’s made to the community rather than critique his efforts.

“I respect Russell Simmons for all of his contributions to Hip Hop culture but I hope that people do not get distracted and lost in his critiques of Cosby’s past comments but instead they are able to acknowledge what Cosby is doing RIGHT NOW! Cosby is taking a whole other route by investing in politically-charged Hip Hop that does not condemn but instead inspires and uplifts during a time when there is next to none of that happening in the music industry.”

Jace The Great did not acknowledge the Hip-Hop veteran, instead he sang his praises to Bill saying,

“Point blank the problem right now is there is a state of emergency in our communities and we need to act fast. Cosby knowing the power and importance of Hip Hop culture is using it as a means to reach more youth not to condemn them.”

Bill has yet to release a response of his own.

Hip-Hop artist Lupe Fiasco said that emcess and radio stations must do more to curb violence in urban communities.

Speaking about the death of Derrion Albert during an interview on 107.5 WGCI in Chicago, Fiasco said that some of the lyrics in rap music is influencing youth to do negative things.

From HipHopWired.com

“Hip-Hop has to take some fault for that. Just in the fact that the amount of violence and the amount of negativity that’s in Hip-Hop and the music, it attributes to so much that goes on, negatively, in the hood,” said Fiasco who added that radio stations need to be more selective on what music plays on air.

Lupe added that another overlying issue is the fact that positivity is not endorsed as heavily in outlets such as the radio. Oddly enough, people must not want to be lifted and told that there is a better way.

“It lacks entertainment value. It lacks a certain kind of hype around it. A certain “coolness” about it. So it doesn’t fit on the radio.”

The radio personality who interviewed Beanie Sigel hours after he released his controversial “diss” record aimed at Jay-Z has been fired.

Charlamagne tha God, the morning show host of 100.3FM The Beat in Philadelphia has been relieved of his duties, according to an announcement Charlemagne made on his Twitter on Monday.

“Don’t believe the hype. This is not a publicity stunt. They fired me this(Monday) morning,” Charlamagne tweeted.

Many Hip-Hop insiders believe the firing was a direct result of Charlamagne giving Beanie Sigel an audience to discuss his Jay-Z diss record “Average Cats.”

Charlamagne said the firing is just “the nature of the business.“

One of Jay-Z’s former Roc-A-Fella artists lets loose on his feelings about the demise of a musical dynasty.

Beanie Sigel (Dwight Grant) released “Average Cats” early Friday morning (Oct 30) in which he accuses Jay-Z of calling the police on him during the premier concert of Blueprint 3.

He also accuses Jay-Z of keeping him tied to the label when Sigel had an opportunity to go elsewhere.

AllHipHop.com

According to Sigel, Jay offered him a financial incentive to remain on the struggling label’s roster. “I told you I ain’t want your money,” he said addressing Jay-Z directly.

“But you was in a position to let me get my own money, and you couldn’t do that,” Sigel claimed.

Whatever issues remain between the two artists, who have always appeared to be very close, Sigel has made it clear that they can be resolved.

The diss record was released hours after Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed at Yankee Stadium.

Jay-Z has yet to respond.

It looks like “America’s Pastime” will share the same stage with America’s favorite rapper.

Jay’z and Alicia Keys will perform their hit single “Empire State of Mind” at Yankee Stadium in New York this Wednesday to kick off the 2009 World Series.

The song has been adopted by the New York Yankees who will play defending World Series champions, the Philadelphia Phillies in the best four out of seven series.

“Thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee,” Jay-Z said in an interview Monday.

I wonder if Will Smith will perform when the series goes to Philadelphia??????

In an effort not to end up like former NFL receiver Plaxico Burress, rapper Lil’ Wayne has taken a plea deal in in a New York Courtroom on Thursday from charges stemming from a gun found on a tour bus by NY police in 2007.

From RollingStone.com

Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a weapon in the second degree this morning in a New York courtroom; the plea bargain carries a sentence of up to a year in prison. Wayne had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were filed after the NYPD found a .40 caliber handgun on Wayne’s tour bus in July 2007. But after the court ruled that DNA evidence found on the gun would be admissible — evidence obtained by techniques Wayne’s lawyer Stacey Richman has called problematic — Wayne opted to take the plea bargain, AllHipHop reports. If Wayne was found guilty following the trial, which was set for January 2010, the charges carried a three-and-a-half year sentence.

Lil Wayne is also facing felony drugs and weapon charges in Arizona for having marijuana, cocaine and loaded guns on a tour bus.

Percy Miller, known also as Master P will join OneMillionGifts.org to help needy children and families with presents and food during the holiday season.

In a statement, Master P said he remembers how the holidays can be a stressful time for poorer communities and he wants to do something about it.

HipHopWired.com

“Growing up in poverty made me realize that most crimes are committed during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not only will we feed and clothe one million but also we can help prevent a lot of those in need from committing crimes like robbing and stealing the food or gifts they can’t afford during the holidays.”

Kudos to Master P for stepping up and reaching out. Nice to start off the morning with some good news.

By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

Reggae fusion singer Sean Kingston wants you to flex your skills with him at his next performance…sort of. The “Beautiful Girls” crooner’s sophomore album, “Tomorrow”, is set to hit stores September 22nd and he wants his fans to get on the action. Packaged with the CD will be a special image that Kingston fans can hold up to their webcams to have a virtual karaoke session with the artist.

Dubbed as “augmented reality”, wannabe singers can record themselves performing to Kingston’s hit single,  “Fire Burning”, teaming up with an animated version of the artist named Lil Sean. And if they’re really feeling creative, the karaoke heads can also choreograph Lil Sean’s dance moves. When the video is done, Lil Sean will be placed into a pre-recorded video. His superimposed image will have a 3-D quality seeming to jump off the screen. Users can then posts their masterpieces onto SeanKingston.com or any social networking site. Videos posted to Kingston’s site will be voted on as fan favorites.

According to Reuters, the artist is excited about the venture. “It’s going to be dope,” says 19-year-old Kingston, whose music merges reggae with hip-hop, R&B, rock, pop, electro and other genres. “No one has done this before. It’s different and I think it’s going to blow up.”

While we’ll have to wait and see whether this marketing venture has that fiyah. It’s great to see record companies thinking outside the box to reengage fans, who thanks to the digital age are happy to cherry pick songs instead of investing in a whole album. Kingston has also utilized YouTube in his viral marketing campaign, launching a “Fire Burning” dance contest where the winner was awarded an autographed pair of Yum sneakers.

In addition to the special image included in the CD booklet, fans will also receive 3-D glasses that can be used to watch their Lil Sean video and other 3-D effects throughout Kingston’s website.

BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective.  They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.

By Robin Caldwell, BlackWeb20.com

Everyone should know the words to Common’s I Use to Love Her and if you don’t you can view them everyday, if not wear them, with Microsoft’s Softwear clothing line. Common designed several of the shirts and is the spokesperson for the new line of gear inspired in part by an era when both hip hop and PC technology were renegade and new.

A Microsoft spokesperson offered the following, “Softwear by Microsoft is a graphic t-shirt line that showcases the iconography and heritage of Microsoft.  It offers a creative way for Microsoft to share its brand and history. Common is a talented Grammy Award winning recording artist and actor; a leader in hip-hop. Believe it or not, there are parallels between Microsoft and hip hop: enabling human potential by connecting people and providing platforms for creativity. Working with Common on the line lets our young customers make a statement about themselves and the brand.”

The t-shirts are made from 100% cotton and while no price information is yet available they can be purchased in the following cities: Alameda, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, Pittsburgh, New York, Brooklyn and Fountain Valley.

Yes, yes, ya’ll and you don’t stop… Softwear with the help of Common celebrate an evolution of two brands: Microsoft and hip hop. It’s the sure shot.

BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective.  They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.

By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

Music apps are always fun. They combine two of our greatest loves — music and tech. But as our tech gets more sophisticated, it’s not enough just to listen to our favorite tracks, we want to make our own knockin’ beats. With increasing amounts of developers putting out sofware willing to oblige our fancy, those big name music producers may need to watch their back. IK Multimedia, maker of music programs Total Studio 2 and AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix has announced the release of a new application for iPhone and iPod Touch. Groovemaker is an application that lets fans of Hip-Hop, Electronic, and Dance music take the reins and create their own knocking beats.

A full port of the original Mac/PC version, lucky users get to play with the the eight available tracks along with an extensive gathering of loops.  Creating full length tracks is as simple as dragging and dropping loops. Just about everything can be tweaked including tempo and volume. Users can isolate various parts of the tracks, increasing and decreasing values to their liking. All changes occur in real time so you don’t have to keep stopping and starting to figure out how your new composition sounds.

And thanks to IK Multimedia’s patented “groove technology” aspiring djs and producers can remix all the loops and tracks with the touch of a button creating millions of possibilities. Currently there are four versions of Groovemaker. FREE features House and Hip-Hop music, Club has Techno, House, and Trance while Groovemaker Hip-Hop and House feature those genres exclusively. Groovemaker Hip-Hop and Trance are $9.99 each while Club is avialable for $4.99 and FREE is well, free!

Tracks made on the Groovemaker can be uploaded onto your computer as high quality WAV files that can be shared with other music lovers. Challenge your peeps to a beat battle — hottest track wins or just keep your creations to yourself and wait for the day you can get it in front of the right person and achieve superstar status. Hey, it could happen.

BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective.  They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.