By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

So apparently it’s okay to start rocking 80s throwback fashions. From that shag that Kanye was rocking awhile back to will.i.am’s  asymmetrical cut that has the makings of an undercover gumby, the 80s are slowly encroaching on the new millennium. What’s next, a resurgence of jheri curls? I shudder at the thought. Read the rest of this entry »

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!

Bring That Week Back! Kanye’s going to court; Obama’s daughters might be going Hollywood; and Beyoncé wants to be a superhero. Get these stories with photos and more!

Def Jam Battle? Def Jam’s key artists are squaring off for a Thanksgiving showdown by releasing their albums on Nov. 24. Find out why!

T-Pain creates a scene? On the eve of releasing his third LP, Thr33 Ringz, T-Pain and friends takeover NYC night club. Check out this exclusive footage right here!

Brooklyn MC, Jay-Z revisits Obama.

During a recent radio interview with Hot 97’s Angie Martinez, Jay-Z reveals his feelings about Barack Obama’s win and dismisses Blueprint 3 2008 release. Read more!

Ludacris prepares to go head to head with Kanye. Luda discusses dropping Theater of the Mind on the same day as Kanye’s 808’s & Heartbreak and his upcoming album’s co-stars. Read more here.

Beyoncé to sing at inauguration? Who’s going to sing at Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration? Beyoncé says she’ll gladly accept if the offer presents itself.

Ludacris &, Floyd Mayweather team up for new video

Check out these exclusive pictures of Ludacris and Floyd Mayweather at their video shoot for Ludacris’s new song, Undisputed! Check Music News for the latest.

Louis Vuitton don, Kanye West talk new album

Still riding the success of his third album, Graduation, Kanye West is prepping his fourth LP, 808’s and Heartbreak, for a Dec. 16 release. Here’s more.

Beyoncé is set to release third LP

R&B songstress Beyoncé Knowles is prepping the release of her third solo project this November. BET.com/Music News has more here!

Jamie Foxx says talk show queen helped refine him

Even though the new reality show he helped conceive is just “Flavor of Love: Charm School” with a new name, Jamie Foxx says it was inspired by personal experience. Foxx’s friend Oprah Winfrey helped groom the Oscar-winner before he started producing “From G’s to Gents,” which debuted on MTV last week. “Oprah Winfrey said, ‘Before they give the Oscar out, there’s a certain way you have to campaign and carry yourself,’” Foxx recalls. “Being a comedian, (I was) sort of looking at everything as like, ‘Oh, it’s a joke,’ and she said, ‘No, you really need to take it seriously,’ and she took me and introduced me to Sidney Poitier and all these other different actors. I had to change.” Foxx won the Oscar for his portrayal of singer Ray Charles in Ray.

Kanye West, Wyclef will perform in support of Obama

Rapper Kanye West and singer Wyclef Jean will join N.E.R.D. at the 2008 Democratic Convention to perform in support of Barack Obama. West reportedly appears on behalf of singer Bono’s One Campaign, while Jean and N.E.R.D. will co-headline a party thrown by MTV’s popular “Rock the Vote” effort. The convention will begin Aug. 25 in Denver, ending in the party’s historic nomination of the first Black presidential candidate three days later.

Soul singer’s estate auction generates less cash than expected.

A projected $1 million to $2 million payday from the late James Brown’s estate auction has landed only $857,688. Brown, who died on Christmas of 2006, owed significant tax debts for his home. The legendary singer’s offspring complains that the valuables, including clothes Brown wore and hair grooming items, should’ve been kept from auction. Adult children of the late singer hoped to create a museum for the Godfather of Soul.

The rap super star denies rumors that he’s planning to get therapy

So he’s known for throwing a fit every once in a while. What grown man doesn’t? Rap star Kanye West has put to rest rumors that he has any plans of seeking anger management. The man who recently filled his blog with profanity after he was criticized for taking the stage late at a Tennessee music festival has posted the following kinder, gentler clarification on his official site: “Now the media is saying I’m going to anger management something or ‘nother. I have never had any conversations about anger management. If anything, I need anger enhancement! lol! I get off the plane in Hawaii today and the world is saying my management team said blah blah blah… Oh and a sidebar – I don’t know if everyone has realized this yet, but I don’t do interviews; if there’s anything I wanna say, I’ll say [it] right here on my own blog.”

“Boss Lady” won’t face drunken driving charges.
Maybe she was only doing her mug shot impression of a person who’d been driving drunk. A Cali court has thrown out charges against rapper Snoop Dogg’s wife Shanté Broadus, following her arrest for alleged DUI. Citing a lack of evidence – apparently including her booking photo – a judge dismissed the count against “Boss Lady,” as she’s known on Snoop’s reality series. Guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover, if “Boss Lady’s” best drunk woman pose is any indication.

Nelly joins singer Sheryl Crow on Olympics CD

The rap world is making its contribution to the U.S. Olympics through Nelly’s contribution on a forthcoming, exclusive CD. The St. Louis rapper joins pop singer Sheryl Crow and other artists to lay tracks that will be used to help motivate athletes bound for the Games in Beijing. “I know this soundtrack is something we will all be able to enjoy while we’re in Beijing and will help motivate us to compete at our very best,” says swimmer Michael Phelps. The Olympics begin Aug. 8.

Actor seeks permission to leave the country, despite bond

Saying he needs to visit London and Bangkok to work on two films, actor Wesley Snipes wants a court that let him go free on bail to let him leave the country. Snipes was convicted this year on charges of failing to file tax returns and appeared headed to prison. But lawyers convinced a judge that he should be free while appealing the decision. The “Blade” trilogy star is hoping to sit in on editing for “Gallowwalker” and to film “Chasing the Dragon.” Meanwhile, prosecutors recently argued that he should be put in custody, let alone having his terms of bail relaxed.

A former “American Idol” gets married at Alabama church.
Ruben Studdard is a married man after exchanging vows in Alabama this past weekend. The former “American Idol,” who’s set to release a CD this year, wed Surata Zuri McCants in a 30-minute ceremony outside his hometown Birmingham. There was no singing during the program, only quiet string performances. Studdard and McCants were spotted together taking out a marriage license earlier this month.

Kanye West’s mom owed $600 G’s
Rapper Kanye West has been issued a court order demanding that he pay his late mother’s debts, including $600,000 on the Illinois condo she owned. As the executor of Dr. Donda West’s estate, the rapper is responsible for his parent’s outstanding bills. In related news, Dr. Jan Adams, the cosmetic surgeon who operated on Dr. West before her death, was recently arrested on suspicion of DUI. Adams allegedly tried to enter a California freeway by driving onto the off ramp.

Woman purchases Death Row Records for $24 million

Susan Berg may not have much in common with Tupac or Snoop Dogg, but she owns the label responsible for most of their music. The suburban California beautician was the only bidder in an auction of bankrupt Death Row Records this week, which she scooped up for $24 million. With the purchase, Berg comes into control of 20 unreleased potential Tupac hits – which means a second knockout against ex-CEO Suge Knight, who was left unconscious in a recent street scrap with a barber. How does a 300-pound former bodyguard keep getting chumped by hairstylists?

Kanye West strikes back against festival critics
Remember when fans at the Bonnaroo festival dissed rapper Kanye West for taking the stage hours after he was scheduled? Well Kanye remembers, too. ’Ye put on the caps lock in his blogged rebuttal for anyone who may have missed just how offended he was: “I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying [to] plot my downfall. I understand if people don’t like me because I like me, or if people think tight clothes look gay, or people say I run my mouth too much, but this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I’ve ever had in my life. This is the most offended I’ve ever been … this is the maddest I ever will be. I’m typing so fucking hard I might break my f–king Mac book Air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want….arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, f-g , whatever you can think of…. BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL! NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL!” He wrote it twice, so, apparently, that means you have to pay attention.

Barack Obama’s iPod reflects “pretty eclectic tastes”
Hip hop could have a home in the White House. You may have heard that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is a fan of Jay-Z. Sen. Barack Obama tells Rolling Stone magazine that he also enjoys Ludacris and admires Russell Simmons. “I have pretty eclectic tastes,” Obama says in an interview set for publication tomorrow. Among others in his iPod, the politician names Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Obama’s smiling face is featured on the cover of the latest edition of Rolling Stone.