On Monday’s airing of the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards, the “Shady 2.0 Cypher” featuring Shady Records artists Yelawolf and rap quartet Slaughterhouse has been all the buzz on the Web, in particular Slaughterhouse rapper and Detroit mainstay Royce Da 5’9’s now infamous “Hi, Rihanna” line. Although the line itself became a brief top trending topic on Twitter, it appears that the carefully aimed bars reached their intended target – and even yielded a response.

Yesterday, Barbadian pop princess Rihanna tweeted a simple “Hi, @RoyceDa59” to the rapper, resulting in a multitude of retweets of the salutation. Royce, a heavy user of the social media network, responded back with a retweet of the greeting with a simple reply of “*Waves*” added as a comment. As a result, the ex of his Slaughterhouse team Tahiry joined in on the jokes and even Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons hopped on the “Hi, Rihanna” bandwagon. Read More...

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In the tough guy arena of hip-hop music, Canadian heartthrob Drake exhibits a rare sensitivity and humility not easily expressed amongst his peers. In his songs and interviews Drizzy has often revealed that for all the bravado that exists in the game, there is still room to show a little vulnerability along with the chest thumping. In a revealing interview with Elle magazine, the Young Money star opens up about some of his romantic affairs – which include two of the biggest names in entertainment today. Read More...

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By D.L. Chandler

Last night’s (October 11) airing of the ‘11 BET Hip-Hop Awards was sparked by the much discussed “Cyphers” that were aired in between segments of the actual ceremony. Although fans on Twitter and other social media outlets have debated loudly amongst themselves who had the best showing, many have declared that the “Shady 2.0” cypher as their favorite of the night. Read More...

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Hip-Hop magazine XXL has pulled out all the stops for the November issue by having Queens rap legend Nasir “Nas” Jones on the cover in recognition of his staggering 20 years in the rap spotlight. Starting his career in 1991 as a teenager, Nasty Nas has blossomed into one of Hip Hop’s most significant and influential rappers and continues to captivate audiences with his poignant rhymes. Read More...

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Last night’s (October 11) pre-taped airing of the BET Hip-Hop Awards 2011 was accented by what has become a growing tradition at the gathering of rap music’s elite in the Cypher segments that air throughout the program. Over the course of the program, rap's biggest names were placed alongside up and comers to display their skills with legendary producer DJ Premier holding down the wheels of steel.

In the first cypher of the night, Atlanta MC B.o.B., Kansas City native Tech N9ne, Mississippi spitter Big K.R.I.T., Compton’s own Kendrick Lamar and new kid on the block Cleveland’s Machine Gun Kelly all traded bars while Primo manned the decks. Read More...

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The BET Hip-Hop Awards 2011 in Atlanta were packed with plenty of star power with the recently freed T.I. acclimating himself again with rap’s elite and troubled rap vet DMX giving a passionate performance with some assistance from Swizz Beatz. But it appears two of the game’s biggest stars weren't present for the celebration.

R&B star and budding rapper Chris Brown won three BET Hip Hop Awards trophies at this year’s showing – however, the Virginia native was not in the house to accept any of his awards. Hip-Hop veteran and collaborator Busta Rhymes was gracious enough to accept the awards on behalf of the F.A.M.E. singer. Read More...

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It appears that at this year’s BET Hip Hop Awards, Detroit rhyme slinger extraordinaire and Shady Records boss Eminem and his roster of heavy hitters are attempting to bring lyrics back to the mainstream.

During the fan favorite cypher segment, Slim Shady, Yelawolf and the Slaughterhouse quartet of Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Royce Da 5’9 and Crooked all torched the microphone during what was dubbed the “Shady 2.0 Cypher” – and each of the rappers showed why Shady Records should be a force to be reckoned with.

Alabama’s Yelawolf kicked things off with his multi-syllabic flow and ended off his blistering verse with a cleverly timed prop-assisted freestyle line that made the crowd erupt in approving applause. New Jersey native Joe Budden went next after some playful nudging from Em in the background. Jumpoff Joey throws what could be perceived as a light jab in the direction of The Throne (Jay-Z and Kanye West) and showed off his double-timed rap skills as well towards the end of his verse. Read More...

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Pioneering female rapper Lana “MC Lyte” Moorer has led the charge as a fresh and distinctive voice in the male-dominated genre of Hip Hop in the 80s while also remaining a living inspiration to newer icons such as Nicki Minaj and fellow Brooklyn native Lil’ Kim. Today (October 11), the longtime rap veteran celebrates her 40th birthday, reaching yet another milestone in the midst her storied and ongoing career.

A pre-teen Lyte began writing raps at age 12, eventually releasing her first single in the old school classic “I Cram To Understand U (Sam)” on her father’s Nat Robinson’s First Priority label. The younger sister of Brooklyn duo Milk Dee and Gizmo of the Audio Two got plenty of assistance from her brothers on her 1988 debut album Lyte As A Rock. Although the album hit a peak of 50 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop charts, the record is largely considered a classic by many. Read More...

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Onetime musical power couple Rihanna and Chris Brown appeared to be the vision of love and happiness – until an unfortunate spat in early '09 during the annual Grammy Awards weekend between the lovers got physical, resulting in Brown landing a domestic violence charge after the singer turned himself in. After a serious career rehab for Brown, interviews and counseling, the Barbadian pop princess has moved on from the incident and even has managed to remain supportive of Breezy's success despite their marred past.

Rihanna revealed to Men’s magazine Esquire that she is a fan of Chris Brown’s current musical output and continues to wish him well, even after the assault. “It was too much anger. I’m really excited to see the breakthrough he’s had in his career,” said the island beauty.” Read More...

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Many fans have been wondering when power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé would expect their first child almost immediately after their intimate New York wedding back in April of 2008. After plenty of speculation on the media’s part, the big day was finally revealed last night by the mother-to-be herself.

Beyoncé was a guest on Australian network Channel 7’s “Sunday Night HD” talk show and the glowing diva proudly showed off her baby bump in a short simple fuchsia dress with her blond tresses styled in a curly flowing fashion. Although the interview jumped around and touched various subjects such as Beyoncé’s dance moves and her Destiny’s Child days, the announcement of the baby’s arrival in February of 2012 trumped all other news. Read More...

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