Usher’s mom named in police claim. A driver who formerly freelanced for the mom of singer Usher at her transportation company says she never paid him. Georgia detectives are reportedly checking into the matter that allegedly took place during an October BET awards show. The driver claims Jonetta Patton didn’t cut the $1,668 check he’d earned. But a spokesperson for Patton’s company says the allegation is groundless: “The drivers were hired as independent contractors and are paid 30 to 45 days net when working on special events of the magnitude of the BET Hip Hop Awards that took place on Oct. 18. They were hired…and are disgruntled that their services are no longer being used by the company as a result of the unprofessional nature of the fired employee.”

Ex-label head is serious about his ear attire. If you were wondering what to buy former Death Row Records boss Suge Knight for Christmas, wonder no more. Barely a week after word of the burly ex-football player’s lawsuit against rapper Kanye West after Knight lost an earring at West’s 2005 party, he’s got another beef: Cali cops who had him in custody in 2005 allegedly let his diamond stud out of their sight. Knight claims in his U.S. Bankruptcy case, which led to Death Row’s slip from his control, that the cops are responsible. He’s hoping a court will award him $135,000 over the bling he lost at Kanye’s gig, where he was shot in the leg. Apparently, it’s less than gangsta to walk around with bare lobes.

Tyrese says he and Brandy are like siblings. Despite being spotted publicly with the recently reclusive star, actor Tyrese Gibson says he and singer Brandy are just pals. “Brandy and I have been the best of friends since we were 14 years old,” Gibson tells Usmagazine.com. “I would never date her. It would be like dating my sister.” Brandy, who only recently emerged from a low profile after her involvement in a fatal car wreck, reportedly says she hasn’t dated in three years. Police found that she was not at fault for the accident.

DMX gets sweet plea deal on Miami drug charges. After cursing at his recent bond hearing and saying he wasn’t coming back to a Florida court on pending drug charges, rapper DMX has been proved correct. X’s lawyer Brad Cohen, who once competed on Donald Trump’s show “The Apprentice,” got the hook-up: a deal letting the rapper plead guilty to attempted purchases of cocaine and weed, in exchange for time already served in jail and a $483 fine. If he’s not returned to Arizona on a bench warrant within 15 days, the performer is free. Not a bad look after Judge Lawrence Schwartz warned Cohen about X’s mouth; the rapper had muttered, “I ain’t coming back on f–king Oct. 3,” the date Schwartz set after denying bond. “You need to tell your client that I’ve heard the ‘F’ word before,” Schwartz told Cohen. “…He can send it to me anytime he wants to come in, if that’s what makes him happy, but he certainly didn’t help his stature any with what he mumbled as he left the podium.” Apparently, something did help the rapper’s “stature” – he could’ve faced six years in prison, if convicted.

Tyrese Gibson: “Racing is what I do…for real.” Maybe the adrenaline from shooting scenes in his current flick simply hasn’t worn off, but singer-actor Tyrese shows little concern about admitting to an illegal pastime: street racing. The former Guess jeans model says he’s challenged his Death Race co-star Jason Statham to a contest off the set. Nevermind the danger, possible jail time or less-than-exemplary image, the singer says he literally wants to take it to the streets with Statham: “He’s like this big rock star, but let’s take it to the freeway for real. Let’s go get us a high-speed speeding ticket. Let’s go dip in and out of the traffic. So let’s go make it happen. I’m calling him out, and I’m gonna keep calling him out until he accepts my offer because I’m ready. Racing is what I do in the streets for real.” Keep an eye out for Tyrese at a courthouse near you.