Jadakiss Blames Hip-hop Decline On NYC Who’s to blame for the decline of hip hop? Jadakiss places the blame on New York rappers. Read.

 
Who’s Next? Which singers and songwriters are ready to become the next big star? The BMI showcase brought together some talented artists.  Get more.
 
 
It’s Deeper Than Rap Everything you need to about Rick Ross in one place. See photos, watch videos and read articles before the special tonight. Read more.

Sha Money XL Talks 50 Cent-Rick Ross Beef
G-Unit President Sha Money XL gives his take on 50 Cent’s new music and 50’s beef with Rick Ross. Click here.

Will Rihanna Cooperate With D.A.?
New reports indicate that the “Umbrella” singer is a “cooperating victim” in the case against Chris Brown. More here.

Pimp C To Lil Wayne: Don’t Battle 50
On “Let’s Get Money,” Lil Wayne cites a conversation with the late rapper Pimp C of UGK fame, stating that the Underground King told him to avoid a battle with 50.  More here.

 
Rick Ross Talks About BET Special
In an interview with Los Angele’s radio personality Big Boy, Rick Ross spoke on his upcoming BET special that features him coming clean about his past. Click.

Rick Ross Responds to 50 Cent
Rick Ross responds to 50 Cent’s video during an interview with Miss Info. Read what he says, here! 
 

Usher is Preparing His Return
Usher and Jermaine Dupri are preparing an incredible comeback. Find out who Usher is working with on his new album, here!

Rick Ross finally comes clean.

Miami MC Rick Ross is admitting what anyone who’s not blind has known for months: He’s the chubby, clean-cut guy dressed as a prison guard in widely circulated Web photos. Ross repeatedly had denied his corrections-officer past, despite numerous documents including a job application with his legal name that were published on the Smoking Gun Web site. Apparently, the rapper, who borrows his stage name from notorious Los Angeles cocaine dealer “Freeway” Ricky Ross, thought that acknowledging his old gig would cost him street cred. “Yes, it’s me,” Ross tells Don Diva magazine of the photographs. “…I done been up and I done been down, and that’s what makes me what I am. I never ratted on a n*gga. I never prosecuted a n*gga. I never locked up a n*gga. That’s first and foremost. …When I say that I’m rich off cocaine, it’s because I did it.” But he never “locked up” a person? Isn’t that what COs do?

Smoking Gun reveals that Rick Ross was prison guard

Maybe it’s time for MCs to revisit a few old-school party rhymes. If not, The Smoking Gun Web site is around to keep those claiming hardcore, thug backgrounds as honest as Boy Scouts. For the second time this year, Smoking Gun has outed a performer who appears to have embellished his street credibility. Rick Ross had previously denounced photos that surfaced last week as “Photo Shop fakes created by fake people to entertain fake people.” But TSG reports that the pics, showing a younger, clean-shaven Ross in prison-guard gear, are authentic. The site indicates that William Leonard Roberts, aka “Rick Ross,” has a social security number and employee record matching those of a man who worked in corrections for 18 months in 1995. Ross reportedly earned $22, 913.54 a year. TSG previously blew singer Akon’s false claims of prison time and having master-minded an auto theft ring out of the water. Crime may not pay, but lying about it apparently does.

RZA to make directorial debut

While many rappers make the leap to acting, few have gone the route of directing films. Wu Tang Clan’s RZA, having studied filmmaking with Quentin Tarantino and having made a recent appearance in American Gangster, is set to helm a forthcoming martial arts feature. RZA joins Ice Cube, Will Smith and Queen Latifah in the ranks of hip-hop veterans who’ve moved beyond acting to executive roles in the film industry. He also made an appearance in Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai.

Ashanti takes on a new role
Grammy-winning singer and Long Island native Ashanti has a new gig: tourism ambassador. The R&B singer was introduced Tuesday at a news conference as one of nine ambassadors who will promote tourism in Nassau County on Long Island. County Executive Thomas Suozzi placed an orange blazer with a tourism patch over her white dress at the event at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, where 16 tourists were offered an all-expenses-paid tour of Nassau. Ashanti sang at Suozzi’s two mayoral inaugurals in her native Glen Cove.Ashanti says it’s “amazing” to be asked to “give something back to the community.” The singer recently released her fourth studio album, “The Declaration.” The tourism campaign pitches Nassau as “The Island Next Door” and is targeted at visitors to the city.