Written by Cyrus Langhorne

Former Roc-A-Fella artist Roberto “Tru Life” Rosado has reportedly been indicted on a murder charge and is being forced to remain behind bars in a New York prison.

The rapper was officially indicted days after allegedly turning himself into police last week.

A rapper once signed by Jay-Z was indicted yesterday on a charge of fatally stabbing a man at Club Pacha in Hell’s Kitchen on June 15. Tru Life (real name Robert Rosado) is being held without bail for allegedly murdering Chris Guerrero, 20, and stabbing Jason Grey, 27, who is in critical condition. The rapper’s brother, Marcus, is being held for allegedly jumping in on the attack. (New York Post)

Details on his arrest spread online last Thursday (June 25).

Roberto Guzman Rosado Jr. – better known as the rapper Tru Life – was arrested three days ago for the June 15 stabbings that left a second victim in critical condition. Rosado, 33, is jailed in Rikers Island on charges of murder, assault and weapons possession, police said. The stabbings occurred around 9:30 a.m. as part of an ongoing dispute that began earlier at the Club Pasha on W. 46th St., police sources said. (New York Daily News)

Hip-Hop personality Miss Info recently reported on the incident.

Tru Life, along with his brother and 2 other associates, have turned themselves into NYPD for questioning. They are suspects in last week’s 9:30am stabbing of two men in an apartment lobby on the east side of Manhattan. A 30-year-old man is still being treated at Bellevue Hospital, but an 18-year-old man died from his injuries. (Miss Info TV)

Tru’s brother has been associated with other high profile cases involving violence, including an altercation with Cam’ron.

According to investigators, the men retaliated against the earlier shooting of a man named Michael Slater. The man authorities say is a suspected drug dealer was shot in abdomen outside nightclub Pacha, and is listed in critical condition. The brother, whose name has also not been disclosed, was first introduced to hip-hop fans in 2007 courtesy of the punching incident between then rivals Tru Life and Cam’ron. According to various reports, the brother joined Tru Life in confronting Cam’ron outside of Club Stereo and after an escalation of words and some reports alleging the brother even threatened to shoot up the venue, Tru Life assaulted the Dipset founder with a single punch to the face. (AllHipHop)

No further information has been released on the rapper.

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

Former D-Block member J-Hood has called out Joe Budden‘s rap group Slaughterhouse and held their age against their rap image.

Speaking in an on-street interview, Hood revealed his issues with group members Budden, Royce Da 5’9 and Crooked I.

“N*ggas thought I wasn’t gon’ say nothing, like I wasn’t gonna address it,” Hood said in an interview. “F*ggot a** H*e Buddens, Joyce Da 5’9 and motherf*cking, what’s that n*gga’s name? Slanted I, Crooked I, whatever the f*ck your name is my n*gga. Y’all n*ggas are a** my n*gga. Y’all n*ggas are rolling with a n*gga that got a n*gga locked up, got the homie Ransom locked up after he went to your homie’s house and smacked the sh*t outta him, he ain’t smack the sh*t outta him, his man smacked the sh*t outta him. Next couple days after that the n*gga was locked up. I don’t want no beef with y’all n*ggas, you getting n*ggas locked up. Plus y’all n*ggas is 30 plus my n*gga. Old head a** n*ggas. ‘Pump Pump Pump It Up,’ f*ck outta here…You and your mans talking that Slaughterhouse bullsh*t, get outta here with that. You trying to come at Method Man and Wu-Tang, they paved the way for you. How the f*ck you gonna try to disrespect a legend?” (Major Moves DVD)

Joe Budden responded to fans regarding Hood via Twitter Sunday (June 28) night.

“HOLY PIGFEET & PORKCHOPS BATMAN,” he wrote. “..noticed some loser made a vlog dissin slaughterhouse, would luv 2 respond but wont..we need better foes ! this gets better by the second…dude that dissed us got raped ? when he was 12 ? by his father ??? somebody tell’em quit while he’s behind.” (Joe Budden’s Twitter)

Royce also released a diss song towards the rapper earlier this year.

“Your nose in the shotgun like J-Hood,” Royce rapped. “Speaking of him, he’s a bum/Hundred rounds, hundred pounds of punks get done/Rap n*gga rappin’ his way to his demise/I ain’t Ransom, chump, I don’t shoot in the sky…J-Hood, you lunch/Lil five foot n*gga type you could rob at punch point/Ha, laugh at you, ain’t got the heart to pull a piece and blast you/Smaller than my niece…For the cake, I’ll battle a savage/F*ck a cop, show me the green I’ll bring malice/You trying to drop hip-hop, I’m trying to grab it/From you ringtone n*ggas, fake G’s and f*ggots.” (“Hottest In The Hood”)

Hood was featured in a video clip last April dissing both Budden and Royce.

“Out with the old, in with the new,” Hood said. “Talking greasy about your boy man, Joe Buddens and that Royce Da 5’6 n*gga on stage at S.O.B.’s performing that wack a** sh*t…You feel a way about what I’m saying at you, get at me. I hit you on MySpace, I told you you was p*ssy and you wanna get at me directly, you wrote me back with the paragraph…get the f*ck outta here before I slap your whole f*cking head off.” (Trilla DVD)

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

Hip-Hop super couple Beyonce and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter ignited the BET Awards 2009 ceremony Sunday (June 28) night along with performances by Lil Wayne, Drake, Ne-Yo and more.

Taking place in Los Angeles, California, Beyonce led the evening in awards followed by a variety of other winners.

Beyonce won Video of the Year for “Single Ladies” and Best Female R&B Artist, Ne-Yo won Best Male R&B Artist, Lil Wayne snagged Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, Day26 won Best Group, Keri Hilson walked away with Best New Artist as T.I. and Rihanna won Viewer’s Choice for “Live Your Life.” Additional winners included Jamie Foxx and T-Pain‘s “Blame It” securing Best Collaboration, Taraji P. Henson winning Best Actress and LeBron James landing Male Athlete of the Year. (BET Awards 2009)

Additional awards were also given throughout the evening.

Meanwhile, The O’Jays, Alicia Keys and Wyclef Jean were handed special awards. The O’Jays got Lifetime Achievement Award for their notable contributions to music industry, while Alicia and Wyclef received Humanitarian Award for their contributions to charitable causes. (AceShowbiz)

In honor of Michael Jackson, the show paid homage to his legacy and featured various aspects of his image and career.

The show opened with a medley of songs from the star’s youth in the Jackson 5, performed by a reunited New Edition performing with former member Bobby Brown. Host Jamie Foxx entered to Michael’s “Beat It,” wearing the singer’s trademark red zippered jacket from his “Thriller” years and a single white glove. Joking about Michael’s shifting appearance over the years, Jamie said, “I loved the old nose and the new nose,” before calling attention to the music – and his status as a style icon. (NBC)

Despite numerous awards, the show was highlighted by Jay’s solo set for “Death of Autotune.”

Live performances by Jamie Foxx, Beyonce, Maxwell, Ne-Yo – and a surprise appearance by Jay-Z – rounded out BET’s wall-to-wall Michael Jackson tribute. In yet another surprise appearance, Michael’s sister, Janet Jackson made a brief appearance near the end of the awards presentation to address the audience. “To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael was family, and he will live forever in our hearts….thank you.” (Chiff)

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

Fabolous recently spoke on the rap game’s need for balance and why, he says, New York rap styles are not getting their fair share.

In addition to balance, Fab also pointed out what he ?believes is a?lack of Southern radio support for New York artists.

“I’m just trying to hold it down for the city, you know what I mean,” he told radio personality DJ Kay Slay. “We gotta keep pushing from all angles, they trying to force us out. Not really trying to force us out, but take over. We need balance. Everybody can shine but we need balance and New York gotta get in where we fit in, too…[Listening to New York radio] I hear all the people they try to keep away from mainstream radio. I love everything that everybody’s doing but you definitely need balance ’cause I come from that era where you had balance in hip-hop. You had De La Soul but you had hardcore stuff too…You don’t hear nothing [on Southern radio]. You might have something classic, like iconic, they don’t cross that line…It’s a balance too with me because I came from the mixtapes and the streets, but at the same time, I knew once you get to a bigger level and can get seen on TV, you wanna appeal to the ladies as well.” (Streetsweepers Radio)

Fellow Brooklyn, New York emcee Maino recently talked about the hardships of new rappers in the game stemming from the Big Apple.

“Who’s New York’s biggest star, Jay-Z right?,” Maino asked in an interview. “So you mean to tell me that there is no one capable of becoming a Jay-Z? The problem with New York is that we don’t produce stars no more we still stuck on the old stars. I don’t think that it’s just that n*ggas can’t make good music. Take me for example. I have proved hands down that I make good music right? But when Jay-Z puts out a record its gone be like, the biggest thing since the steering wheel…I’m glad Diddy signed Red Cafe cause nowhere [else] is opening up an avenue for a new n*gga. Instead of concentrating so much on his self, he opening it up for a new n*gga. [Uncle] Murda was signed nothing came out of that…The OG’s school you…So it being no camaraderie and no connection it makes it that much harder for a n*gga to make it to that point to be a Jay-Z.” (Rap Radar)

Maino also talked about the lack of New York rap newcomers.

“When you think of New York, you think of certain artists that have been around for years,” Maino explained in an interview. “I don’t have no problems with them because they paved the way for a dude like me. But all I’m saying is they’ve done what they’ve done already. They made their mark in the game, they made their money, they made the opportunities, they fed their family, it’s time to bring New York forward…I feel like right now I’m the future. I’m one of the new faces of New York, if not the only one right now. What other new artist you seeing from New York who has music that’s rapping, not singing?” (Hard Knock TV)

With an upcoming album on the way, SOHH recently spoke with Fab and learned about why he turned down an touring opportunity with Rick Ross and Juelz Santana.

“The thing with the Rick Ross tour, I think it was like a two-week run and I felt like I just wanted to go a different way,” Fab explained. “I didn’t really want to do an arena tour or any kind of mixture of that. I wanna do something more intimate, you know, House of Blues type of setting , theater kind of setting and something that complimented me supportive-wise. Not to say Rick Ross and Juelz didn’t, hip-hop’s so sensitive that you have to do a disclaimer for everything you say. And this project, Loso’s Way, I also wanted to do a show with a band…Some hip-hop acts need to try that as well, ’cause it’s really instrumental…I just wanted to do something different, so I’m not gonna be on that tour, but look for me to be out on the road late July.” (SOHH)

Loso’s Way is currently scheduled to hit stores Tuesday, July 28th via Def Jam Records.

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

G-Unit leader 50 Cent has released a new song hours after the passing of Michael Jackson in honor of the iconic singer’s memory.

Reportedly titled “Where You Are,” the song samples Jackson’s original of the same name and features Fif exchanging bars with the late pop star.

“They say I ain’t lyrical, they say I ain’t a miracle,” 50 raps. “I say some hard sh*t, then they say I ain’t spiritual/They act like they know God better than me, I know God a lod, I used to pump crack up the street…N*gga you ain’t ever gonna see me in the hood, f*ck that sh*t, n*gga I’m too good/Run and go tell 50′s boogee, don’t buy his CDs, don’t go see his movies/Don’t act like you used to in juvie, on that medication, that n*gga be looney…Can it be I’ve been away too long/I’ve been away man, did you forget me? I’m back baby, I’m back…Oh, I’m in Southside, this is that sh*t right here.” (“Where You Are (MJ Tribute)”)
Fif announced his tribute-based song via Twitter.

“new track ‘Where You Are’ – Michael Jackson Tribute,” he wrote. “2 new tracks! ‘Where You Are – Michael Jackson Tribute — ‘Respect It Or Check It Ni**a’” (50 Cent’s Twitter)
G-Unit associate DJ Whoo Kid voiced his thoughts on Jackson’s passing.

“WOW I feel bad for losing mike!,” he wrote via Twitter. “I am alone in my den just sittin here lost! he brought the reality of death to my mind! I feel like somebody stole 25 years of history and experience from my life ! Michael Jackson – D*mn !Can’t believe that he was aware of me! What a wack confusing feeling – this thing called DEATH! What a wake up call! RIP MJ!!! RIP Michael Jackson – MY N-Word FOR Life !” (DJ Whoo Kid’s Twitter)
The “King of Pop” died yesterday (June 25) afternoon.

[Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.] [Updated at 2:46 p.m.: Jackson is in a coma and his family is arriving at his bedside, a law enforcement source told The Times. (Los Angeles Times)

By Anthony Springer Jr

Like Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G. and others, record sales for the late pop icon Michael Jackson have spiked in the days following the singer’s untimely passing.

According to new reports, the demand for Jackson’s music has far exceeded the supply, leaving retailers rushing to fill backorders for The King of Pop.

Several Best Buy outlets are completely sold out of Michael Jackson albums and the 25th anniversary edition of Thriller is currently out of stock at online retail outlet Amazon.com.

Bill Carr, vice president of music and video at Amazon says, “This is simply unprecedented.” In addition to the legendary Thriller album, Amazon is also out of all Jackson and Jackson 5 albums.

“We’ve seen the death of Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra and many other artists, but none of them compare to what we’re witnessing today,” Carr added.

So exactly how popular is Jackson’s music these days?

“In the last 24 hours, we’ve actually sold more Michael Jackson albums in our MP3 and CD stores than we have in the 11 years since the launch of our music business,” he said.

For those who cannot get enough of Michael Jackson music, there may be one—or several—posthumous albums released.

Michael Jackson was 50-years-old.

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

Jay-Z‘s upcoming controversial “Death of Autotune” music video has leaked online featuring nearly a minute of footage from the rapper’s upcoming Blueprint 3 album.

While the originator of the leak has yet to be determined, the music video snippet only shows Jay-Z.

Opening with an abandoned alley way with a car pulling up, the rap mogul is seen dressed in all black with shades and his latest grown-out hairstyle as he enteres through a graffiti-laced door. Just over ten seconds into the clip, a subtitle reads “After The Show’s Over” which is followed by “The Show Begins!” Moving across an open room softly lit, Jay is both heard and seen saying “Nah nah nah nah….hey, hey, hey…good-bye” illustrating the song’s introduction. Giving viewers a quick collection of still shots of Jay-Z in a restaurant, explosions and the New York City skyline, a message follows at the end promising the video’s full premiere will follow-up this Sunday’s BET Awards 2009 showcase. (SOHH)

News broke out earlier this month with photos from the video shoot and reactions.

“On the set of Jay-Z’s video for ‘D.O.A.’ at secret location shhh,” Nelly of SecretLifeBaby wrote via Twitter yesterday (June 16). “Just got back to the video shoot for Jay-Z’s D.O.A. song….ya’ll r gonna luv this video..shhhh can’t tell u about it u’ll have to wait! Patron must be so happy rappers are constantly mentioning their stuff! Of course it’s in Jay’s video…free marketing is priceless. Hova pouring some of that Patron….yeaaaahhhhh…@djcamilo Keep that D.O.A. record spinning! Hov’s still filming the video as we speak. Lol, can’t sorry : ) u’ll have to wait 2 weeks like everyone else….it’ll be worth it!” (Secret Life Baby’s Twitter)

Hip-Hop journalist Dream Hampton also confirmed the video shoot.

“Headed to the set of D.O.A. to check the young homie [Jay-Z],” she wrote yesterday via Twitter. “Gonna let him peak @ some stuff I’ve been writing, help him w/ his rhymes (teehee).” (Dream Hampton’s Twitter)

Takaing aim at the recent upsurge in autotune usage and calling for its “death,” Jay’s street record has struck a cord with select rappers including Jim Jones.

“We’re getting money off of autotune, it’s just sounding like somebody’s trying to knock a hustle and I don’t think that’s a little bit gangster if you ask me,” Jones explained. “We getting money. He’s knocking the hustle, ya dig? If these young men are making money off of autotune why would you try to stop that, when you got all the money already? I seen him [at Summer Jam], I don’ think he wanted to see me. He almost stopped the whole concert because he said I was in the way of him getting on stage and all of that. But that’s politics for the game, ya dig? How you doing? We back, we ballin’, we poppin’ champagne.” (“106 & Park”)

The BET Awards 2009 takes place this Sunday (June 28) from Los Angeles, California.

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

The Lox‘s Styles P recently spoke on the misconception of “platinum status” and why his rap group has always placed power and respect over the money.

In addition to describing the differences between financially successful and having longevity within hip-hop, the “Ghost” also pointed out his commercial and street respect.

“I’ve been with people I’ve seen who sold multi-million records,” Styles explained in an interview. “I’ve known people who have had multi-million dollars, I’m still here. I’ve seen people do that and shoot down. I’ve seen people on top and say, ‘D*mn I wish I could still go back to the ‘hood or walk through the hood or have a certain amount of respect in the hood. I feel proud we’ve been able to stay here and remain who we are…We went platinum, we ain’t go multi-platinum but I’ve been platinum. People who went multi-platinum could never say they got what I got, like sometimes, I was raised to be able to see what you have and appreciate that. Some motherf*ckers will look like ‘D*mn, they ain’t gonna be rich ’til they get 10 million, 20 million. I can tell you today that if I had f*cking zero dollars in lint, I’m still rich because of the kind of person I am…I got the power of the streets and sometimes you can’t buy love. Give me all the respect and half the money, any day, before you give me all the money and half the respect.” (All Access DVD)

Former rap rival 50 Cent recently spoke on artists’ lack of creativity and focus on album sales.

“What I fell in love with and inspired me to get into hip-hop is dwindling away,” he explained in an interview. “I’d like to be a representation of that, because there isn’t much of that left. I think people are so conscious of the numbers they’re not being creative anymore.” (Billboard)

Styles also said his D-Block focus was now developing the younger emcees rather than aiming for big record sales.

“Things aren’t going to happen overnight,” he said in an interview. “If they don’t get enough then we just have to keep on working harder. But the D-Block fans are embracing them. Are we going to do big, incredible, crazy numbers? No, we’re not…We’re out to get people to know them and we’re out for them to establish a career for longevity. We’re not here to hit a homer right away.” (Hip Hop Game)

Aside from music, Styles is currently prepping his upcoming book, Mr. Invincible.

“I also got a fiction book coming out,” Styles confirmed in an interview. “A fiction novel called Mr. Invincible. That’ll be in a couple months, so go support that. I’m getting my author up. I just wanted to make sure I’m comfortable and got a few things I could do that I enjoy doing. I’m a creative person and I like creating. So I just wanted another job where I could create and make some money and doing something that I like to do.” (Forbez DVD)

A confirmed release date for Mr. Invincible has not yet been announced.

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

Mobb Deep associate The Alchemist recently updated fans on the well-being of incarcerated rapper Prodigy and promised, despite serving a prison sentence, P has been working on his rhymes.

In addition to revealing how he’s sending Prodigy beats, Alchemist also said any production he makes for the rapper will be off-limits to other emcees for the time being.

“In all actuality, I am actually putting beats on cassettes and sending them to P,” Al revealed in an interview. “P made a couple of power moves and he got himself a hold of some paper and he wrote…there’s a good chance that he’ll still have them when he’s released. Anybody who’s that interested [with the beats] will just have to wait until the god P comes home and then we’ll see what happens. But just know that music doesn’t stop. We have telephones and paper and communication and he’s writing and I’m making the beats and you can pretty much gurantee that we’re going to make some pretty good sh*t. We’re both conscious of what we’ve already made and we’re not going to make the same sh*t. We’re both staying working and it’s nothing. The world ain’t ready.” (Hip Hop Game)

Al previously spoke on visiting Prodigy and the change in music since he reported to jail in early 2008.

“Free P,” Al exclaimed in an interview. “That’s my man. I support him all the way. I see him frequently and he’s doing real good just as far as the fans who wanted to know what’s up, he’s doing real good, he’s healthy. It’s working out, his mind is right. He’s on some real positive, like the only way I can say and the way I feel is the way the music is, in general these days, not saying it’s good or bad but by the way the current state of music is and how I feel it’s gonna get in the next year or so, by the time he comes home which should be about a year, a year and a half, he’s just gonna be like medicine. (The Maguire)

He recently expressed his feelings on the hip-hop police trying to draw illegal connections to rappers.

“They profile rappers,” Al said in an interview. “They are knowledgeable of who is in the rap game…They know who Alchemist is. They know who Prodigy is so when they drive around New York they see ‘em, they follow where they’re going, they take pictures, they put together a book…cause they know all the rappers are friends with people in the street, they come from the street…They wanna make connections now so when somebody gets shot or some drug deal goes down, they got all the info…They wanna know the guys in the streets that hang out with the artists. If you listen to rap, nine times outta ten we’re snitching on ourselves…Like Supreme who was connected with Ja Rule…They start saying f*ck that, we’re gonna start watching all these rappers and see who they’re friends with.” (Vod Pod)

Mobb Deep‘s Havoc previously spoke with SOHH about past rumors revolving around Prodigy’s health condition behind bars.

“His health is good as far as I know,” Havoc revealed last November. “He’s in good spirits. He wants to get the f*ck out but he’s feeling good. We just want to hurry up and get him home and get back to normal life.” (SOHH)

Prodigy is reportedly set to be released in 2011.

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

*Updated

Michael Jackson‘s doctor is reportedly been sought after by police today (June 26) and is being linked to having a possible role in the iconic singer’s untimely passing.

The doctor reportedly stayed with Jackson until paramedics arrived at his home yesterday.

We’ve learned law enforcement is looking for a doctor who lived at Michael Jackson’s home — and the doctor is nowhere to be found. The man is Dr. Conrad Robert Murray, who had been living with Jackson in his rented mansion. We’re told Murray attempted to revive Michael until paramedics showed up at the scene. The car that was towed from Michael’s house last night was registered to Murray’s sister. Law enforcement is looking for the doctor so they can question him. A law enforcement source says the doctor gave Jackson an injection before he died. (TMZ)

An autopsy for the singer reportedly began Friday morning.

The Los Angeles County coroner has started the autopsy on Michael Jackson. The doctor performing the autopsy, Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, was a star witness in the O.J. Simpson case. Officials are trying to clear up the facts surrounding the King of Pop’s sudden death, which seemed to be due to cardiac arrest. One big question is whether prescription drugs could be a factor. (OK Magazine)

Reports of drug abuse have been speculated as to causing Jackson’s death.

While Jackson family insiders suggested prescription drug abuse – specifically Demerol – might have caused the 50-year-old superstar’s heart to stop, Lt. Brian Elias said it will be several weeks before toxicology results are ready. (New York Daily News)

Jackson passed away Thursday (June 25) afternoon.

[Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.] [Updated at 2:46 p.m.: Jackson is in a coma and his family is arriving at his bedside, a law enforcement source told The Times. (Los Angeles Times)

No further information has been provided as of now.