Filed under: Hip-Hop, Essays

On any day of the week it seems like there are more than a handful of songs featuring 2 Chainz making their onto the Internet. It's ridiculous.

Has 2 Chainz sold out? Probably, but you can hardly blame him, even if his Instagram photos are more exciting than his career these days. The guy has definitely been through the music industry wringer.

Successful as he is now, you have to keep in mind that this isn't the Atlanta-bred rapper's first rodeo. He was previously in Playaz Circle, a group on Ludacris's DTP imprint, and managed to surf the Lil Wayne hook wave at the precise moment with "Duffle Bag Boys." The song became a smash and Playaz Circle's debut, Supply & Demand, sold relatively well. Then the hit records dried up and the group's follow-up LP, Flight 360: The Takeoff, bombed.

While many doubted that a Tity Boi solo career would take off, a spectacular grassroots marketing campaign -- including the wise decisions to ditch the Tity Boy name for 2 Chainz, and to carefully study Lil B videos -- allowed his workman-like approach to help him somehow acquire the top spot in rap.

But that sort of fame comes with a price -- now everyone wants in on the 2 Chainz brand. And it's getting out of hand. From questionable features to random TV appearances, here are 5 things 2 Chainz has recently done that are tragically uncool and downright silly.
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Filed under: Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop News, interviews

Snoop Lion's much-publicized reggae LP, Reincarnated, is finally in stores today.

We're capping off our Snoop Lion 'takeover' of our site with an exclusive interview with the Doggfather.

Read on to learn about what Snoop wants people to take from the album, what he thinks he needs to do to looked at as more than just a rapper, why he started the "No Guns Allowed" initiative, and how Jay-Z may find himself with some company in the sports management agency business soon.
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Filed under: Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop News

DMX wants to sue Oprah Winfrey's OWN network over his episode of Iyanla: Fix My Life.

"Iyanla set the whole thing up to make me look bad for ratings," he tells TMZ. "That lady is toxic ... My last words to her were that she can suck my d**k and she still can."

Previously, X's rep insisted that the footage used in the show was never cleared.

"Iyanla did not 'fix' DMX's life," he explained. [She] just made his image worse, and does not have DMX's personal written consent to use the footage."
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Filed under: Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop News, Soul/R&B, R&B News

Music fans are anxious to get a listen to the full version of Beyonce's cover of Amy Winehouse's "Back To Black," off The Great Gatsby soundtrack.

But the anticipation is much ado about nothing, according to Winehouse's dad Mitch.

"I don't think she brings anything to it,' he tells the Daily Mail.
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Filed under: Soul/R&B, R&B News, Soul/R&B Videos

Beyonce strikes again! The singer released her newest song, "Standing on the Sun," via an H&M ad this morning -- and it's pretty hot (the video that is).

Mrs. Carter dances and writhes about in the sand, while modeling several fashionable bikinis from the H&M Summer Collection on the shores of Nassau.
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Filed under: Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop News

NEW YORK (AP) - Chris Tucker will host this year's BET Awards.

The network announced Tuesday that the comedian-actor will host the show June 30 from the Nokia Theater L.A. Live.

Tucker is riding high off of his supporting role in the Oscar-nominated film "Silver Linings Playbook," which starred Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. The 41-year-old is best known for starring in the "Rush Hour" film franchise opposite Jackie Chan.
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