By Hillary Crosley, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

Get ready to "Fly" Barbz.

As Nicki Minaj mentioned in an interview this week, she and pop star buddy Rihanna began shooting the video for one of their collaborations, "Fly." "Raining Men" is the pair's other duet from Rihanna's Loud LP.

"We're shooting the video with Rihanna for 'Fly' this weekend," Nicki told E! News on Thursday. "We're going to save the world in more ways than one with the video, and that's all I can say about that. ... I love Ri Ri! I mean, when she's not grabbing my ass, she's a sweet girl." Read More...

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On January 5, Foxy Brown promised via Twitter that her "Christmas Massacre" track would arrive via Hot 97, however a snippet of the dis track aimed at Lil' Kim leaked to the web on Saturday.

"That bullsh-- 'Black Friday' sh-- was garbage, how the f--- you love Big and sh-- ... Ballerina dancing bitch, not a hip-hop artist," Foxy rhymes. "Been lame bitch stutting the hardest, ain't nothing changed c---suckers still pop big sh-- n---a with the red bottoms on, still raky raky." Read More...

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By Hillary Crosley, with additional reporting by Jim Cantiello

Taylor Gang isn't just a catchphrase, it's a way of life ... that's reached the "Jersey Shore."

On the heels of Wiz Khalifa releasing his "Black & Yellow" remix video featuring Snoop Dogg, T-Pain and Juicy J, cast member of MTV's Garden State reality show Vinny Guadagnino took to the web and dropped a remix of his own entitled "Black & Guido."

"You know what it is, I met a black girl and her booty big ... Now I'm taken, when you see us on the block, honey stop hating," he raps. "Me and my lady, we got 'em going crazy ... We keep it real because color doesn't matter." Read More...

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By Hillary Crosley, with additional reporting by Gil Kaufman

Remember when Eminem hit the screen for the first time in the 2002 biopic, 8 Mile? Now, nine years later, the Detroit MC has since popped up on HBO's "Entourage" and recently he's been linked to appear in the crime thriller film, "Random Acts of Violence." But back in 2002, Em was a shy actor who was saw himself as more studio rat than screen god. RapFix dug in our archives to bring you a throwback look at Marshall Mathers, circa "Lose Yourself." Miss him?

"Of course I watched my own videos and it's a little weird to see that still, but to see yourself on the big screen? When I first seen the trailer for ["8 Mile"] I was like, 'Oh ... wow,' " he said. Read More...

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By Hillary Crosley, with additional reporting by Jayson Rodriguez

On Wednesday (January 5) Nicki Minaj tweeted that her Pink Friday album had achieved what many new artists pray for.

"Pink Friday certified Platinum by the RIAA," she wrote, meaning the LP has sold one million copies to-date, including the boxes of albums stores have purchased to sell along with the number of albums she's sold according to Nielsen SoundScan.

This milestone shouldn't be surprising since the Queens native has broken quite a few records recently. In addition to becoming the first woman on MTV News' Hottest MCs In The Game list — she checked in at #6, just ahead of her Young Money label head Lil Wayne — she's also the first female rapper to sell such a large amount of records in eight years.

Oddly enough, Barbie's nemesis Lil' Kim was the last woman in hip-hop to garner the same ecord sales with a solo album. Read More...

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By Hillary Crosley, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

The drama just rolls on, doesn't it? Foxy Brown's former manager Bernadette Brennan is not the only one planning a lawsuit against the MC, producer Daddy Digg$ is also toying with a similar idea. The gentleman says that Fox duped him into financing her Christmas Massacre LP  and now he is in debt after she did not fulfill their studio time.

"She can't meet deadlines on anything," the beat-maker told the New York Daily News.

In 2010, Fox Boogie and Brennan stopped by MTV News to chat with Sway about allegations that she'd "mooned" her neighbor in Brooklyn, NY just before her arrest in 2010.

"Foxy likes me to be here because she wants everyone to know that she's a pillar of her community, Read More...

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By Hillary Crosley, with reporting by Mawuse Ziegbe

On Wednesday (January 5), Queen Latifah hosted the People's Choice Awards, which aired on CBS. The New Jersey native kicked off the festivities with a huge musical number, barreling down the aisles of Los Angeles' Nokia Theater in a black suit, big jewels and casual kicks, flanked by scores of dancers thrusting their fists in the air to Taio Cruz's "Dynamite." The Queen even got the audience, which including Kim Kadashian and her sisters Kim and Khloé, to join in the fun, as the sea of celebs waved their hands in the air as the hip-hop legend-turned-Hollywood player rhymed over the peppy track.

The performance set the tone for a night big on lighthearted appearances from entertainment A-listers. Read More...

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In addition to gents like Kanye West and Swizz Beatz, 2011's musical landscape was also led by another gentleman, Lex Luger. The Virginia native-turned-sometimes-Atlanta transplant produced Waka Flocka's "Hard In Da Paint" and Rick Ross' "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)," and since we based our 2010 Mixtape Daily Year-End Awards Top Producers selections on beats that utilized samples, we couldn't include Lex. So to begin the new year properly, we're saluting the 19 year-old — and so is Kanye West.

"In 2011, I don't want to speak too much on it but Jay-Z and Kanye West working on an album and he's really messing with me, so I got Kanye West," said Lex, when asked what he's serving up this year. "I've been working more with Fabolous. I've been working with everybody, a lot of people been saying that 'Lex Luger only got that Waka sound' so I'm trying to take it somewhere else because I do have another sound, and that's where I want to take it for 2011." Read More...

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By Hillary Crosley, with additional reporting by Jim Cantiello

Have you seen Eminem's new commercial advertising the Grammy Awards, airing on February 13 on CBS? We just premiered the spot, shown above, on MTV News on Wednesday (January 5). The clip gives a svelte look at the MC's journey through music and imagery. However our question is: Does this commercial mean that Eminem will take the stage at the Grammy's?

"The artists are still being chosen," said Evan Greene, chief marketing officer for the Recording Academy.

In early December 2010, Em picked up a staggering 10 Grammy nods, including Song and Record of the Year (for "Love the Way You Lie") and Album of the Year (for Recovery, which is also up for Rap Album of the Year). He also scored noms for Best Rap Solo Performance (for "Not Afraid"), Pop Collaboration With Vocals (for his turn on B.o.B's "Airplanes Part II") and Best Rap Song (for "Lie"). Read More...

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By Hillary Crosley, with additional reporting by Jayson Rodriguez

Kanye West might be relatively quiet following the release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but the Chi-Town MC is ever-present on the Internet. His track "Eyes Closed" featuring John Legend surfaced on Tuesday (January 4). MTV News caught up with Legend about the track's origin.

"I went in and cut the vocal in a few minutes," the singer said. "It was among a bunch of stuff we did
around the same time, including 'Blame Game.' "

One of the standout tracks on West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, "Blame Game" has been one of our favorites here at 1515. We can't stop playing it, in part, because Legend's chorus is so infectious, Chris Rock's skit is so hilarious and Selita Ebanks looked so sad as a heartbroken phoenix in 'Ye's short film, "Runaway." Read More...

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