Latest Hip Hop News Blog, Rap Beefs, Hip Hop, Urban & Rap Blog

US rapper’s Jay-Z and P Diddy and a host of other big name supporters of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign have been asked not to attend the candidate’s proposed victory rally, according to reports.

Mr Obama is due to hold a ticket-only event in Chicago’s Grant Park this evening where Democrat’s hope he will be unveiled as America’s next President.

Although the candidate is grateful for the musicians’ support, his campaign team is said to be keen on having just one star – Mr Obama – in attendance.

A source told the Chicago Sun-Times: ”There will be plenty of time for a new President Obama to be surrounded by famous fans, all hopeful about a new administration.”

Hollywood actors Ben Affleck and Susan Sarandon are also cited by the newspaper as names who have been advised to miss the rally.

Mr Obama has received widespread support from musicians and celebrities during his campaign to become America’s first black president.

WASHINGTON — Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and singer-actress Beyonce Knowles married Friday in New York, People magazine reported on its Web site, citing an unidentified friend of the couple.

The report quoted the friend as saying, “It happened earlier this evening. Jay wanted it to be a really private affair — close friends and family.”

Representatives for the couple were unavailable to confirm the report, which added that the ceremony was followed by a party at the rapper’s TriBeCa apartment.

Guests included Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles, her father and manager Mathew, her sister Solange, Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and friend Gwyneth Paltrow, it said.

The report followed widespread speculation that drew swarms of media to the street outside Jay-Z’s penthouse Friday.

A parade of sport utility vehicles with tinted windows was seen coming and going from the garage late in the afternoon, one of them carrying two people dressed in chef’s uniforms carrying large, square, white boxes on their laps.

And men dressed in tuxedos were spotted on the roof of the building, where a white tent was erected.

People touched off the celebrity wedding watch this week when it reported the couple, who have been dating for several years, had taken out a wedding license in Scarsdale Village, New York, valid for 60 days.

Gossip blogger Perez Hilton fanned the flames when he reported the wedding would take place Friday, then followed up by posting the address of Jay-Z’s apartment as the location.

Matrimonial union between Jay-Z, 37, whose real name is Shawn Carter, and Beyonce, 26, also known by her full name Beyonce Knowles, would mark one of the highest-profile celebrity unions in recent years.

The two have been romantically linked since September 2002, and they performed together in music videos for two of her hit singles, “Crazy in Love” and “Deja Vu.”

Beyonce rose to fame as a member of the glittery R&B act Destiny’s Child but emerged as a superstar in her own right with her big-screen turn as Foxxy Cleopatra in the 2002 film comedy “Austin Powers in Goldmember.” The following year Beyonce scored a hit with her debut solo album, “Dangerously in Love,” collecting five Grammys along the way.

The Houston native earned a Golden Globe nomination in 2006 for her role as a Diana Ross-like character in “Dreamgirls,” a big-screen adaptation of the Broadway hit musical.

Her marriage to Jay-Z comes as the hip-hop artist and record executive is in talks with concert promoter Live Nation for a deal reported to be worth about $150 million, rivaling the biggest music contracts ever.

The onetime street hustler from Brooklyn ran the landmark rap label Def Jam Records as president for several years, but stepped down from that post in December.

Rapper runs through all his hits for star-filled Apollo Theater crowd, including LeBron James, Chamillionaire.

NEW YORK — A few weeks ago, the film “American Gangster” had its premiere at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. On Tuesday night, Jay-Z closed out his American Gangster there.

His mini-tour made its last stop in front of a sold-out audience that included Chamillionaire, Beyoncé and LeBron James. While waiting for Jay, a house DJ spun tunes, and later DJ Clue came on to play some records.

You could see James in the balcony sitting by Jay-Z’s family, dancing in his chair to “Crank That.” “Soulja Boy up in this, ohhhh!/ Watch me crank it, watch me roll.” Number 23 bounced to the beat and even tried the famous “Superman” dance.

Just before the real music came on, you could see other various music-biz pals filing into their seats, such as Diddy, Ed Lover, L.A. Reid and Warner Music Group President Kevin Liles.

The Apollo’s crimson curtain opened, and out strolled Jay, background singers and band behind him, showering the theater with the rock-hard opening of his latest LP, “Pray.”

“This is the genesis of a nemesis/ Mother America’s not witnessed since/ The Harlem renaissance birthed black businesses/ This is the tale of lost innocence/ As the incense burns and the turntables turn, and that Al Green plays.”

Jay delivered his rhymes with his usual swagger-drenched poise, while his fans rhymed in their seats with vigorous approval.

Hov moved his play list to “No Hook” before chants of “Broooook-lynnnnn, Broooook-lynnnnn” started filling the Apollo when Jay asked where everybody was from. He also warned those who weren’t giving off enough energy to “cut that cool sh– out. … If you ain’t here to see Hov, you might wanna leave.”

Jigga then hand-delivered the crowd some never-before-heard lyrics: “N—a, this sh– right herrre/ Make you wanna go throw on your fly gearrr,” he rapped a cappella. “Put fly girls in the mirror/ Double-checking their rearrr/ N—a, this sh– right herrre/ Make you wear your sunnies at night, no glarrre/ Nowhere in site, you act like I don’t carrre/ I’m so fly, y’all have no idearrr.”

“Blue Magic” and “99 Problems” preceded one of his time-tested concert show-stoppers, “You Don’t Know.” As always, the song ended with the audience putting up their Roc signs.

“Don’t f— around, that’s what I’m talking about,” Hov said to the theater when the enthusiasm went up a couple of levels.

Jay fluctuated between his various albums, performing American Gangster’s “I Know,” Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life’s “N—a What, N—a Who (Originator 99),” Kingdom Come’s title track, The Black Album’s “Public Service Announcement” and The Blueprint’s “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love).”

Hov then circled back to his current LP. “Can I play something off there real quick?” he asked before the intro for the song “Success” started.

“I got watches I ain’t seen in months/ Apartment at the Trump I only slept in once,” he rapped. “N—as said Hova was over, such dummies/ Even if I fell, I’ll land on a bunch of money/ Y’all ain’t got nothing for me.”

Jay then signaled for Nas and started looking to his right for him to come out. But Nas came up behind him, holding a huge cigar and bottle of champagne. It was a huge moment, but the giddiness of seeing the two New York giants together lasted only momentarily, because Nas could not remember the lines to his verse.

Hov did his best to cover him with ad-libs, but it wasn’t quite the same impact as if Nas would have remembered his chilling rhymes. God’s Son did quickly recover on “Black Republican,” another show-stopper.

The old regime of Roc-A-Fella records — Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel (who wore a State Property T-shirt), Freeway and the Young Gunz — came out minutes later for a flurry of the teams’ classics, including “Change the Game,” “You, Me, Him, Her,” “What We Do,” and “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.”

Some guys in the front started chanting “Ignorant Sh–,” pleading for Jay and Sig to do their collaboration from American Gangster.

The lights went out, and you could see shadows of Jay and Beans conferring in front of the drummer. They were obviously throwing a hip-hop audible. The two then walked to the front of the stage, and the song started. The duo even did a unified two-step before the verses started.

“I got you,” Sigel said, letting Jay know he knew the lyrics, even though they may not have practiced. Hov knew his rhymes as well.

“Party Life,” “Give It to Me” and “Show Me What You Got” followed the collabo.

“I got a lot of records,” Jay smiled. “I got a lot of f—in’ records.”

Later, Diddy came out and acted as Jay’s hypeman for “Encore.”

“Now can I get an encore, do you want more?/ Cookin’ raw with the Brooklyn boy/ So for one last time I need y’all to roar,” Jay and the crowd chanted while Diddy spun in circles.

“They love you Jigga,” Puff said when the song ended.

Jay confirmed the crowd’s by telling everyone that American Gangster opened at #1, tying him with Elvis for the most solo #1 debuts of any artists.

“Without a #1 record, I’m the number-one man,” he began rapping. ” … I’m so cool, I’m my number-one fan/ … Now I’m standing on Elvis’ blue suede shoes, ’cause I’m #1 again.”

The celebration ended with a song Jay described as being the height of revelry: “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is …).”

Jay’s whole team, including LeBron, who was wearing a Roc-A-Fella chain, came onstage as the record played. Diddy even gave James the mic, and he began rapping some of the words along with Jay.

“Rich n—as, black Bar Mitzvahs/ Mazel tav, it’s a celebration, bitches/ La cheim/ I wish for you a hundred years of success, but it’s my time.”

Jay-Z’s name has been all over the news recently. Why not? The rapper has a new album out based on one of the most publicized movies of the year. Now, Jigga is speaking out on a lot of issues.

Recently Jay visited Los Angeles radio station KPWR Power 106’s Big Boy’s Neighborhood. The morning show asked Jay many intriguing questions and Jay did his best to answer.

When asked who he would retire, he paused for a long time. Without naming names, he simply said “It’s a lot of them.”

Later, he was asked if Beyonce and Jay were on tour, who would headline?

“She would, of course,” he said. “She absolutely headlines that tour. [I’d be] the supporting act.”

In response to Kanye West’s Big Brother, he clarified some stuff. He was asked if they really told Kanye to buy two tickets. He said that they did, but it wasn’t entirely as Kanye presented it.

“He had 4 tickets. He wanted 6,” he noted.

In a surprising twist, Jay also mentioned who he would have in a super-group.

“Eminem for some cross over money. Then, we’d have Andre 3000 for that alternative money,” he added.

Jay’s new album American Gangster is in stores now.

When will Beyoncé, 26, and boyfriend of more than four years Jay-Z, 37, finally say “I Do”?

“One day soon — let’s leave it at that,” the usually tight-lipped rapper told reporters earlier today at a press conference in Las Vegas, where he announced plans to open his third 40/40 Club at the luxury Palazzo hotel.

Would they tie the knot in Sin City?

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s kind of comfortable here. If [Palazzo President Rob Goldstein] throws in the ring, who knows?”

At least they’d have somewhere to celebrate: His new $20 million, 24,000-square-foot club — slated to open December 20 — will come complete with 24-karat gold and platinum floors, 85 plasma TVs and — count ‘em! — five VIP rooms.

“Las Vegas is like no other place in the world,” he said.

In fact, he says he may even snap up digs there eventually.

“I’m going to ask [Goldstein] for advice,” Jay-Z said. “He’s pretty good with the real estate. We’ll see what happens”

Another song produced by superstar rapper Timbaland is in question, as rap star Jay-Z and the producer have been hit with a lawsuit over the single “Big Pimpin.”

Copyright co-owner Osama Admed Fahmy filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Federal Court, claiming that Timbaland illegally replayed portions of “Big Pimpin” note-for-note, using a melody lifted from the song “Khosara, Khosara” which was written by composer Baligh Hamdi and performed by Egyptian star Abdel-Halim Hafez in 1957.

“Big Pimpin,” which is taken from Jay-Z’s hit album Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter also features Texas rap legends UGK and hit #1 in 1999.

Jay-Z, Timbaland, Linkin Park, EMI Music Inc. are among the defendants named in the lawsuit over the hit single, which was also mashed up on Linkin Park’s song “Papercut” on the EP Collision Course.

On August 3, 2007, a similar lawsuit was dismissed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, when EMI won a summary judgment in the case.

Plaintiff Ahab Joseph Nafal also sued Jay-Z, Timbaland Productions, Linkin Park, EMI Music Inc., EMI Music Publishing, Ltd. and EMI Blackwood Music, claiming that the artists infringed on the copyright to “Khosara, Khosara.”

Lawyers argued that “Khosara, “Khosara” was created in 1957 and was governed by the 1909 Copyright Act and not the 1976 Copyright Act.

The lawsuit was subsequently dismissed because Nafal failed to join all individuals with rights to the composition in the lawsuit, as the 1909 Act mandates.

Other copyright owners of “Khosara, Khosara” include Magdi El-Amroussi, owner of the legendary Soutelphan (Voice of the Artist) record label, which launched in 1961 and ironically, operates as a unit of EMI Arabia.

The original lawsuit was filed in April of 2005.