Nicki Minaj Gets XOXO's From Hollywood Starlet

Young Money's Nicki Minaj continues to become a favorite of fans and celebrities alike as Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan has now acknowledged her shout-out on the rapper's "I'm The Best" Pink Friday record.

Via Twitter, Lohan displayed her appreciation for Minaj.

"Love Nikki Minaj for the shout on her track "im the best" xox so cool! - http://say.ly/APE7yR," Lohan tweeted Monday (January 31).

"I heart @nickiminaj - thanks for the shout! "I'm the best" by nicki minaj. Check it. - http://say.ly/don7za" (Lindsay Lohan's Twitter)

On Minaj's "I Am The Best" track, the rapper is heard referencing hanging out with Lohan.

"See, you told me I would lose but I won/ I might cop a million Jimmy Choo's just for fun," Minaj raps, "'Cause b*tches couldn't take what was in me/ Australia, Sydney, might run up in Disney/ Out in L.A. with Lindsay/ Got the eye of the tiger, the lion of Judah/ Now it's me in my time, it's just me in my prime." ("I Am The Best")

Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, recently expressed her enthusiasm for Minaj and her Pink Friday debut album.

"I listen to everything," Paltrow said in an interview. "I probably have the most schizophranic [sic] iPod. My biggest obsession right now is the Nicki Minaj album. She's a genius. I'm also obsessed with Kanye's album. I really like Dierks Bentley. He has a bluegrass record that I really love...I watched Beyonce a ton because I think she's the best live performer happening right now. She has this amazing confidence..." (Stumble Upon)

To date, Minaj's Pink Friday debut has sold over 950,000 copies since its release.

Young Money artist Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday slid four positions down to No. 9 with 28,400. After nine weeks on the chart, her solo debut album 950,900 sold records. (SOHH Sales Wrap)

Listen to Nicki Minaj's "I Am The Best" down below:

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Cam'ron Ends Silence On Kanye West Beef, "The Reason I Took A Shot..."

Dipset leader Cam'ron has ended his silence on calling out Kanye West last summer over a "Runaway" instrumental and said the matter has since been resolved.

According to Killa, his issue with Ye stemmed over a favor not being met.

"The reason I took a shot at Kanye, he needed something done for his album [a couple of years ago, and] when he needed it, I sent it back to him in about an hour," Cam told MTV News during his appearance with Dipset on "RapFix Live" on Thursday. The Harlem MC was referring to the song "Gone" from West's 2007 LP, Late Registration. "I needed something for my record and he was in Honolulu; he has to do this, he has to do that," Cam recalled. "And I'm one of those people, I do a favor for a favor. When you need it, I got it back to you. When I needed something, you couldn't get back to me?" Eventually matters were settled with help from Don C., a Yeezy insider who has a longstanding relationship with Cam'ron. Now, with their differences mended, the Diplomats frontman suggested they could work together again soon -- possibly for the Harlem collective's reunion project. (MTV)

In the fall, Cam went after Ye on his "Runaway" freestyle and accused him of dissing Roc-A-Fella co-founder Dame Dash.

Jim Jones and Cam'ron leaked a new song today (September 15) dissing Kanye West over the instrumental to "Runaway," a song Ye premiered this past Sunday at the MTV Video Music Awards. On the track Cam spits, "Kanye you a sucka n*gga/Dissed Dame [Dash], so my attitude is f*ck the n*gga/Stuck to Jigga. How you gon' live with that? Took the beat, now come get it back." (XXL Mag)

West later came forward and downplayed having any ill will toward Cam.

"You don't understand how much I love Dipset," West told radio personality Funkmaster Flex. "Dipset are so necessary. It's like when Jay-Z did 'Death of Auto-Tune.' That was a necessary moment. It's people who completely don't agree anything that I'm doing. But I agree with it so I'm gonna keep doing it. What makes that such a great hip-hop moment is that you have to be expressive. What do you feel? Don't think about the political, whether or not I can do a beat for you or what that would mean. Just express how you feel -- people are not gonna agree with everything I do. I look back and look at stuff I do and don't agree with it. If I made a diss record of myself, I would kill me. I would be extremely good at it...I use to spit my verses at Baseline [Studios], and just to be able to spit a verse in front of Cam was such a big deal to me and just for him to appreciate any of my lines coming from where I came from." (Hot 97)

Both artists eventually collaborated together on their track "Christmas In Harlem."

Kanye West wishes you G.O.O.D. tidings on the finished version of his seasonal tune "Christmas in Harlem." On the epic affair, Yeezy Claus buries the hatchet with Dipset's Cam'ron and Jim Jones, roping in G.O.O.D. Music's Pusha T, Big Sean, and CyHi the Prynce. Teyana Taylor and Musiq Soulchild add some R&B spice to the wintery track, harmonizing with one another about spending the holidays with family. (Rap-Up)

Check out Cam'ron's "Runaway" freestyle below:

The Fugees Are Not Meant To Be, Says Wyclef

Rapper Wyclef Jean may have finally put all Fugees reunion hopes out to pasture as he vents his frustrations with attempting to re-group with former collaborators Lauryn Hill and Pras.

Although he does not see a Fugees reunion taking place, Jean still holds the two estranged members in high regard.

"When it comes to Lauryn and Pras, it's my childhood, they always bring me to that place. Bono's U2 calls The Fugees the hip-hop version of the Beatles. It was the first band of hip-hop in our generation...At the end of the day Pras is my brother and Lauryn is my sister, despite what the media say. The Fugees are not meant to be. We're rock stars from a locked group. You're going to have egos and differences but at the end of the day I love them both very much." (Star Pulse)

Jean reportedly killed reunion talks two years ago.

Wyclef has expressed the unlikeliness of a reunion before. In a 2009 interview with Angela Yee's "The Morning After" show, saying a Fugees reunion is best left "a myth." The group's 1996 sophomore album, The Score, is considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever, and has sold over 18 million copies worldwide.
(Baller Status)

However, later in 2009, Jean expressed his desire to reunite with Hill.

"Let me play you a classic record," Clef told his crowd of fans. "This group still sold 22 million copies and the reason I'll never go broke, I'm still living on they publishing check. See. So right here, Wyclef passing number one -- and if Lauryn Hill is listening, get the group back together too!" (YouTube)

Jean previously explained how he hoped new music would inspire Hill and Pras to join forces.

"Yeah. And it's actually a good question, because people within hip-hop don't really care about groups like that, you know what I mean?," Jean said in an interview with DJ Booth. "Once you're done in hip-hop, you're done. But somehow the Fugees is the soundtrack to everyone's house. What I'm hoping is that this group really gets inspired by the new movement that I'm on right now, with the whole Warriors movement, the new music that I've got comin' out, the movement with the youth, and I'm hoping they'll get inspired and be like, 'Yo, let's find Clef and let's get this thing crackin'.' And it would be an honor to go in and make it a super album."

On Aaliyah's 32nd birthday, a celebration of 'Try Again'

On this day in 1979, Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born. Known simply as Aaliyah, the so-called "Princess of R&B" would have been 32 years old today. She died along with eight other people in 2001 when the plane she was on crashed in the Bahamas, but not before helping define a sound. Despite her youth, in the years leading up to her tragic death Aaliyah changed the face of R&B, first with R. Kelly, who signed her, and then, more prominently, with producer Timbaland and rapper Missy Elliott, who helped her craft some of the most innovative hits of the decade.

It's one of those latter collaborations, "Try Again," that's embedded above. The song, a jerky, catchy, electro-R&B jam, was released in 2000, and went to No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart. And why wouldn't it? Check the video above. The song is instantly sticky, with its robo-bluster tone, squirrelly synth lines, off-kilter rhythm and Aaliyah's delicate voice offering the advice, "If at first you don't succeed, pick yourself up and try again." Her voice was never huge, but it had a kind of urgency all its own.

The video features Jet Li -- who starred with Aaliyah in the movie "Romeo Must Die," for which the song was recorded -- and the Princess dancing in a hall of mirrors. Aaliyah moves gracefully and with such natural ease, her arms floating along with the synthesizer lines, her legs stepping to the Roland 303 beat. Timbaland shows up to mumble 16 bars, as was his wont on nearly all of his productions of that time, and combined, the yin and yang of A and Timba creates magic. The song cemented Timbaland's spot as the producer of the moment when it landed at No. 1, and he went on to rule hip hop and R&B over the next half decade.

And, heck, because, well, why not, here's another Aaliyah-associated early classic from her, Timbaland, Missy Elliott and Magoo. It's called "Up Jumps Da Boogie, and is an underappreciated hip hop/R&B gem.



Happy Birthday "Baby Girl!"....Aaliyah, forever our Angel

Uncle Luke Considers Freaking M.I.A. As Mayor

Rap veteran Uncle Luke has announced his intention to put on for his city by possibly running for the mayor of Miami this spring.

According to a Miami New Times column he penned this week, Luke is serious about making positive changes by running for office.

“If Carlos Alvarez gets recalled, I will seriously think about running for Miami-Dade County mayor,” . “And should I win, I would make everyday I am in office a reality show. Everyday, Miami-Dade residents will have transparency in the mayor’s office…I’ve been a successful businessman in this community for years. I was born and raised in Miami-Dade. No one can question the love I have for my home county.” (Miami New Times)

The hip-hop legend also stressed the importance of reforming school.

“I have a plan for the schools. We need to have three types of them: one for kids who plan to attend college, one for those who don’t, and a third for the knuckleheads. A big reason F-schools exist is that you have a lot of knuckleheads bringing good students down. These are realistic goals. If our leaders don’t see fit to implement them, then I’ll be forced to run for mayor myself.” (Miami New Times)

The run for mayor would take place if Miami’s current mayor is removed.

The recall for Mayor Alvarez has been set for March 15. There have been efforts to recall Alvarez since December 2009, but there were initially not enough signatures necessary. The possibilities of a recall gained steam again this past September when county commissioners passed a budget that raised property taxes and increased the salaries of county employees. (XXL Mag)

Renowned in the South, he is also recognized for his achievements with rap group 2 Live Crew.

Campbell formed the Miami-based quartet in 1987 and they were the centerpiece of a national campaign against allegedly obscene lyrics. He was embroiled in a volatile trial pitting him against then-Florida attorney general Jack Thompson. Campbell later became a solo artist, issuing his own discs as Luke Featuring 2 Live Crew. (All Music)

Nicki Minaj On Rihanna's Advances, "When She's Not Grabbing My A** She's A Sweet Girl"

Young Money's Nicki Minaj recently discussed her relationship with R&B star Rihanna just weeks after causing an uproar after the singer inappropriately touched her hind parts on live television.

In addition to speaking on Rihanna, Minaj also talked about artists she favors outside of the urban genre.

"We're shooting the video with Rihanna for 'Fly' this weekend," Minaj said in an interview last Friday. "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 a** [at the American Music Awards] she's a sweet girl...I like everyone. I don't listen to music based on genre. Like, I'll hear a song and then I'll live for that song for like months and I'll be like, 'Who the h*ll is that?' I listen to Taylor Swift. I like Coldplay. I listen to gospel a lot. I listen to anything that's just beautiful music." (E! Online)

Last year, Minaj opened up about her relationship with Rihanna.

"She didn't wind up using the things that I sent for that [Rated R] album at that time, but we wound up having a mutual respect for each other. So I knew eventually something would happen. And so now when she sees me she fondles me and stuff like that. She fondled me at the MTV Video Music Awards and the American Music Awards. I love her...Right now she's the girl that everybody loves. I'm so proud to have worked with her. Let's just say she's the best fondler ever." (RWD Magazine)

Over the weekend, Rihanna tweeted a photo she took while posing next to Minaj.

"http://twitpic.com/3o9l94 - Me and Nikki in our new crib, lol! Gettin busy on set of FLY!!! Its so hard to keep my hands off!," Rihanna tweeted Saturday (January 8).

"#RihannaNavy #TeamMinaj #Rinaj @NICKIMINAJ b*tch don't u hear me askin what my OWN name is??? Lol! My bad, I'll make it up to u *wink*" (Rihanna's Twitter)

Minaj added on to the hype by confirming a move-in with Rihanna.

"@rihanna lol. If we're gonna liv 2gthr and hook up u gotta learn how 2 spell my name! Lmaooooooo. ---- Gossip Gossip ni#@a just stop it! :p" (Nicki Minaj's Twitter)

Check out Rihanna and Nicki Minaj down below:

Soulja Boy Still Pissy Over Grammy Loss To Kanye West, "[I] Should Have Got That"

Southern rapper Soulja Boy Tell Em has revealed harbored frustrations over losing a 2008 Grammy award to Kanye West.

According to Soulja Boy, he deserved to win a Grammy for his 2007 hit, "Crank Dat".

The rapper's breakthrough song, "Crank Dat (Soulja Boy)", was up for the best rap song Grammy in 2008, but lost to West's party anthem, the T-Pain-assisted "Good Life". Soulja Boy says initially he "wasn't really thinking about it" and was optimistic that he would "get it next year." Now, the 20-year-old says while recording his recently released third album, "The DeAndre Way," he felt like "he should have got that Grammy." (Associated Press)

While West has received 14 Grammy nods throughout his career, Soulja Boy has only garnered a single nomination.

Thinking optimistically, Soulja recorded the song, "Grammy" on his latest release, The Deandre Way, in a plea to win something the next time he's eligible. (Since his disc came out on November 30, 2010, he missed the September 30 cut off date for this year's ceremony). SB has not been nominated for the prestigious award since his debut in 2008. (XXL Mag)

Soulja Boy's new album, The DeAndre Way, debuted on the sales chart during its opening week last year.

Rapper Soulja Boy Tell Em's The DeAndre Way also debuted on the chart at No. 90. With seven days down, the rapper's new album has sold 13,400 copies. (SOHH Sales Wrap)

Despite the negative perception of selling just over 13,000 records in his opening week, Slaughterhouse's Joe Budden spoke up for Soulja Boy.

"When he has done so much more than that," Budden asked in an open debate regarding Soulja Boy's 13,400 first-week sales. "Soulja Boy is getting his money from other areas -- A recession has something to do with it because every one of these n*ggas drop 70 percent the very next week. I don't think [sales] are any reflection of the music at all. Sales have absolutely nothing to do with music. He's 20-years-old on the Forbes list. What are you talking about right now? Clearly he's not making his money [from album sales]. He's getting his money from elsewhere. But it all starts from the music. I'm lost as to why we're standing around saying, 'D*mn, Soulja Boy sold 13,000 copies.' Soulja Boy is standing somewhere saying, 'Word.' There's nothing to say when you're counting money. Soulja Boy's not mad. His label's not mad. Nobody that has anything to do with Soulja Boy is mad. Trust me. Trust me, nobody involved with Soulja Boy, in his camp, is mad. Nobody. Soulja Boy is a 20 year-old millionaire. Let's really start putting things into perspective here. I can't imagine what that's like." (JumpOff TV)

Listen to Soulja Boy Tell Em's "Grammy" down below:

T.I.'s Wife Gets Off Clean As A Whistle

Incarcerated rapper T.I.'s wife, Tiny Cottle, will reportedly avoid punishment for drug possession charges dating back to a summer 2010 arrest in Los Angeles.
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Charges against Tiny were nixed Thursday (January 6) afternoon.

T.I.'s wife Tameka "Tiny" Cottle just scored a major victory -- the drug possession case against her has been dismissed ... TMZ has learned. The L.A. County District Attorney's office tells TMZ the case was dropped because Tiny completed 24 sessions of a certified drug diversion program in Georgia. T.I. and Tameka were pulled over and arrested on Sunset Boulevard back in September. They werebooked for possession of a controlled substance. The D.A. dropped the case against T.I. since he was already headed back to prison ... the arrest alone was enough to violate his federal probation. (TMZ)

Tiny and T.I. were initially arrested in Los Angeles last September.

After getting arrested for possession of what was confirmed to be ecstasy pills earlier today, the married couple was taken to the police station to have these sad-looking pics snapped. The newlyweds, who were pulled over in their Maybach on Wednesday night (Sept. 1) after making an illegal U-turn in West Hollywood, were cuffed after police detected the smell of marijuana from the car. Cops claimed that the arrest was made on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, which sources told TMZwere ecstasy pills. (Rap-Up)

Following the arrest, the couple tested positive for drugs in their body.

Pills found in the car of rapper/actor T.I. and his wife Tameka Cottle have tested positive as a type of Ecstasy, RadarOnline.com has learned, and the case has now been turned over to the District Attorney's office which now must decide what, if any charges will be filed against the couple. As RadarOnline.com previously reported, T.I., who's real name is Clifford Harris, Jr. was arrested Wednesday night, along with his wife, in West Hollywood, California. (Radar Online)

Ex-United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young previously questioned the real reasoning behind the couple being pulled over in Los Angeles last summer.

"I assume that you're innocent until you're proven guilty," Young told the Associated Press in a telephone interview. "If he was driving and smoking marijuana, that is absolutely stupid. But why was he pulled over in the first place? Because he had a Maybach? Because he was black? Because they know who he is and resent his success?" (CBS News)

Although Tiny is hook the off, T.I. is currently serving an 11-month jail sentence for violating probation.