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Source scores a victory in Battle against Eminem (Dec. 29)
 A Manhattan federal judge who last week blocked The Source from releasing an early and controversial recording by Eminem has now allowed the magazine to go forward with limited excerpts.
Last week Judge Gerald E. Lynch, in U.S. Federal Court for the Southern District of New York, issued a temporary injunction against the hip-hop magazine, which wanted to include a CD copy of an old Eminem freestyle with its February issue, which hits stands January 12.
On Monday (December 22) Lynch authorized The Source to release up to 20 seconds of the recording, according to a spokesperson for the magazine, saying it fell within the magazine's right to fair use for the purpose of criticism. Eminem's lawyers, in papers filed December 15, had argued The Source's desire to distribute the recording amounted to copyright infringement.
Last month The Source unveiled the recording, in which the rapper can be heard making offensive comments about black women. The tape was apparently procured from three people who made the recording with him.
As of Monday evening, The Source was still deciding how to respond to the judge's decision. Spokespeople for Eminem had no comment.
DMX not stars but produces (Dec. 29)
 DMX is set to produce and star in two new movies, adding to an already impressive résumé that includes roles in "Cradle 2 the Grave" and "Exit Wounds." Hollywood's premiere Ruff Ryder will battle a Hong Kong gang leader in "Past Tense" and play an architect in "Winners." No further details when shooting begins or even when is the expected release.
 The two rapper/actors, Method Man and Redman will star as themselves as they move into a big house in a predominantly white New Jersey suburb. Based on an idea by Method Man, the untitled project will incorporate their unique brand of humor as they wreak havoc in this posh neighborhood. A special twist for the storyline has Method Man's mom moving in with them to balance and straighten things out.
Common collaborators Method Man and Redman have appeared together in such movies as "How High" and "Scary Movie 3." The two also are attached to topline an untitled comedy at New Line Cinema described as an urban version of "The Producers" and Miramax's remake of the South Korean comedy "Jail Breakers."
Method Man, of Wu-Tang Clan fame, next appears in MGM's comedy "Soul Plane" and Miramax's "My Baby's Mama." And his long awaited album Tical: O The Prequel is expected to drop in early 2004.
Trick Daddy avoids jail time (Dec. 29)
 Rapper Trick Daddy avoided prison by pleading guilty to cocaine and weapons charges, but he will make 24 free appearances to speak to children about the dangers of guns, AIDS, drugs and violence. Assistant State Attorney Stacy Glick said (Dec. 22) that Trick Daddy, whose real name is Maurice Young, will speak at high schools in troubled neighborhoods.
"I hope that these youngsters will learn lessons from his life that they don't want to happen in their own lives," she said.
Glick said the rapper, 29, entered his plea Thursday. Under the plea bargain, the most serious felony charge, aggravated assault with a firearm, was reduced to a misdemeanor, improper display of a deadly weapon or firearm. He also pled guilty to two felonies: possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of cocaine, as well as misdemeanor marijuana possession.
The prosecutor said Trick Daddy will be placed on three years of supervised probation and also will have to attend an anger control course.
The artist was arrested after a February dispute and then again in September after police found cocaine and marijuana in his shirt pocket. In 1991, he was convicted of cocaine possession, carrying a concealed weapon and violating probation and served 30 months in state prison.
The rapper's attorney, David S. Markus, did not immediately return a call today seeking comment.
 On Tuesday (December 16 )a federal court judge granted Eminem an injunction against The Source, blocking the hip-hop publication from releasing a CD containing a controversial freestyle by the rapper.
Last month the magazine's owners, Ray "Benzino" Scott and David Mays, held a press conference to expose the old recording in which a young Marshall Mathers talks disparagingly about black women. The Source's owners said a CD of the freestyle would be included in their February issue, due on newsstands January 13.
Attorneys for Eminem and his Shady Records imprint filed papers for the injunction in Manhattan on Monday, citing copyright infringement. Eminem is also seeking unspecified damages.
A spokesperson at Eminem's label, Interscope, had no comment Wednesday (December 17). A Source spokesperson had no comment on the injunction but said the release of the February issue would not be delayed.
 According to his spokesperson, Sean Combs is in final negotiations to take the lead role in the play "A Raisin in the Sun." His rep says that if and when the deal is sealed, Diddy could be acting on Broadway in the spring, when the play is scheduled to ramp up with director Kenny Leon.
Although he's had small parts in the movies "Made" and "Monster's Ball," should he agree to do "A Raisin in the Sun" it will certainly mark his most challenging role yet. According to reports in the New York Post, P.D. has already auditioned and impressed the play's producer, David Bender.
"A Raisin in the Sun," written by Lorraine Hansberry, ran on Broadway in the late 1950s and was adapted to the big screen in 1961 with Sidney Poitier as the star. The plot centers around a frustrated man named Walter Lee Younger who takes his aggravation out on his wife and mother, with whom he shares an apartment. The Youngers eventually come into money, and what seems like the family's big break turns into more drama. Combs has been tapped for the part Poitier popularized.
Outkast are going to be in pictures (Dec. 22)
 After hearing its brand name shouted out in one of 2003's most popular songs, Outkast's "Hey Ya!," Polaroid has recruited Andre 3000 and Big Boi as spokesmen for their Polaroid cameras. Hopefully, this will be during their live shows. However, recent press has Andre promising not to tour in support of the critically acclaimed album Speakerboxx/Love Below.
Mr. Cheeks embarks on an independent journey; plans dis track against 50 Cent (Dec. 22)
 Mr. Cheeks has left Universal Records and is putting out his next LP independently. The former Lost Boyz frontman is currently recording tracks for the March release Ladies and Ghettomen. The first single is called "What We Do," but we'll hear new Cheeks lyrics before that: He has a dis track going at none other than 50 Cent hitting the streets soon.
 Pharrell Williams, of the Neptunes and CEO of the Star Trak recording label, is about to show his fashion sense to the masses. Reebok and Williams have entered into a long-term licensing partnership that includes Ice Cream, a collection of men's and women's Rbk footwear, and Billionaire Boys Club, a men's apparel collection.
The collections will be launched next summer with limited distribution to select high-end boutiques and better department stores worldwide. Pharrell and Reebok are currently developing an integrated global marketing and grassroots campaign to promote the collections.
Nas gets in trouble with the law over club incident (Dec. 22)
 Nas was charged with assault Wednesday (Dec. 17) stemming from a Dec. 10 conflict in a New York nightclub. The New York Daily News reports that the artist, whose real name is Nasir Jones, allegedly smashed a bottle against the head of a fellow patron who entered the VIP area of the club Cielo. The unidentified victim reportedly suffered minor injuries.
Nas reportedly surrendered to police Wednesday (December 17) and was arraigned last night before posting $7,500 bail. He is due back in court Jan. 20.
 Jay-Z has teamed with Nokia on a special edition wireless device, the Black Phone. A version of the company's 3300 Music Phone, the Jay-Z-linked edition will be sold exclusively through Sam Goody and Media Play retail outlets beginning Friday (Dec. 19).
"Technology now provides us with the opportunity to deliver music in new ways," Jay-Z says in a statement. "The Black Phone is at the forefront of the future which includes buying music instantly and taking it with you wherever you go."
Selling for $124 after rebates, the Black Phone comes with a multimedia card preloaded with "The Black Album." Released in late November, the Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam final project debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 1.1 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The phone also features Jay-Z True Tones ring tones and registered owners will receive weekly text and monthly voice messages from the artist for a limited time. In addition to its digital music player, the Nokia 3300 phone also features a stereo FM radio, a full messaging keyboard and high-resolution color display.
 N.E.R.D’s next album, Fly or Die, is due March 9. The shocking success of In Search Of ... has prepared everyone for the level of music they plan to bring with the new album.
N.E.R.D., Pharrell, Chad, and childhood friend Shay, who is a vocalist promises more rock-tinge flavor. The N.E.R.D. rock experience will include Lenny Kravitz where he plays a guitar on the track “Maybe.”
An important ingriedient missing from the first album will be the band Spymob. Originally, Pharrell and Chad recorded the songs of In Search Of ... with programmed beats, making the tunes sound similar to the hit tracks they produced for artists like Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Kelis and N.O.R.E. Eventually they re-recorded the songs with live instruments courtesy of the Minneapolis funk outfit Spymob (also signed to the Neptunes' Star Trak Records).
"I Love the Way She Dance" takes it to the disco era — Studio 54. It's an instrumental and classic jam.
Fly or Die deal with issues related to adolescence — bullies ("Thrasher"), rebellion ("Drill Sergeant") and awkward first-time love ("Backseat Love").
Jay-Z goes to phase 2 of bid for New Jersey Nets (Dec. 15)
 Jay-Z has joined an investment group that has put in a bid for the NBA's New Jersey Nets. The investors, led by Brooklyn developer Bruce Ratner, intend to move the team from Newark, New Jersey, to the borough of Brooklyn, Jay-Z's hometown.
Ratner's group is considered to be the front-runner to buy the Nets from George Steinbrenner's YankeeNets company, with a bid estimated at $250 million. An announcement is expected by the All-Star break in February.
It had been reported that Jay-Z retained an investment bank to explore the possibility of putting in a bid for the Nets. But in recent weeks Jay has had a series of meetings with Ratner and his fellow investors, with both sides strategizing on how Jay's involvement could enhance their bid. Jay would not reveal how big of an investment he's making in Ratner's group.
Queen Latifah to jazz it up for next album … and more movies in 2004 (Dec. 15)
Queen Latifah plans to drop a jazz album in June or July. Mervyn Warren (Whitney Houston) and Arif Mardin (Norah Jones) will share production duties on the album, which will include guest singers and players.
In addition to this project, Latifah is recording her two albums in between filming an avalanche of upcoming movies. She just finished the ensemble comedy "The Cookout," which she wrote and produced, and is currently shooting "Taxi" with Jimmy Fallon.
Next up will be "My Wife Is a Gangster", followed by the action comedy "Bad Girls" with Jada Pinkett Smith.
Latifah will be seen next in "Barbershop 2," due in February. She has a supporting role that will spin off into her own "Beauty Shop" franchise.
 CEO Irv Gotti held a press conference Wednesday (December 3) to explain the name change, and the event drew a crowd that included Ja Rule, Ashanti, Russell Simmons, reps for the Minister Louis Farrakhan and Lyor Cohen, the head of Island/Def Jam.
Gotti said his original intention with the name was to shock people and give them a catchy name to remember, but as of late, he said, "no one was looking at the talent" of his roster and people were just focusing on the negative connotations of the name. The hip-hop community understood that by using the word "murder," his artists meant they were "killing it" with their records, he said, but the mainstream media misconstrued the term. So after consulting Minister Farrakhan, the hitmaker changed the name. "My sole purpose is that everyone will focus on our talent and not our name," he remarked.
When the floor was opened for questions, the focus turned toward the Inc.'s notorious conflict with 50 Cent. Ja refused to comment, but Gotti said, "Everything with 50 is quiet. Maybe it could die down."
The first release of all-new music from The Inc. will drop in the next few months — Ja Rule is working on an LP due early next year.
P. Diddy will design the Dallas Mavericks' alternate uniforms for the 2004-2005 season, representatives of the NBA team said Friday (December 5).
The two sides are talking about Diddy designing ancillary pieces to accompany the jerseys, such as shooting shirts and shorts. But first the jerseys are expected to be unveiled at the annual Magic fashion convention in February. The jerseys should be available in stores with other NBA attire next fall. Mavericks players will begin wearing their new gear in the 2004 preseason.
Henning the Mavericks spokesperson clarified that the uniforms will not bear the Sean John clothing line logo because of Reebok's licensing deal with the NBA, but he said there'll be some element on the garments that identifies them as Sean John.
Neither Diddy nor his spokesperson at Bad Boy could be reached at press time, and Diddy's rep at Sean John said he hadn't heard about the Mavericks deal.
Diddy's next Bad Boy release will be Carl Thomas' Let's Talk About It, due February 10.
Former No Limit Artist Soulja Slim Murdered (Dec.1)
Soulja Slim, whose real name was James Tapp, was shot Wednesday night on the front lawn of the two-story duplex he'd bought for his mother in New Orleans' Gentilly neighborhood.
His stepfather said people envy of Slim's swift rise may have motivated the killing. The 25 year old rapper was shot at least three times in the face and once in the chest. Witnesses said they saw a man in dark clothing fleeing afterward. Police had no suspects in custody on Friday.
Tapp's stepfather said the performer's dark themes weren't meant to incite violence, but rather to expose the chaos of "ghetto life" so it might be cured. He said Tapp broke no laws after ending a four-year prison stint in 2001 for a parole violation. Tapp had been convicted of armed robbery in 1995.
Master P, New Orleans' most famous rapper, appeared on several tracks of Tapp's first album, "Give It 2 'Em Raw." Tapp's second album, "The Streets Made Me," was released by Master P's No Limit Records. Tapp left No Limit in 2002 and released "Years Later" on his own Cut Throat Committy label.
Eminem fights racist tape allegations (Nov.24)
Eminem found himself on the defensive Tuesday (November 18) after The Source magazine owners Ray Benzino and Dave Mays held a press conference to play a recording of the MC delivering racial slurs.
On the first of two tracks purportedly recorded in 1993, an audibly young Slim Shady raps, "All the girls I like to bone have big butts/ No they don't, 'cause I don't like that n----- sh--/ I'm just here to make a bigger hit."
The second track featured Eminem rapping about a black girlfriend he broke up with. "Blacks and whites, they sometimes mix/ But black girls only want your money, 'cause they're dumb chicks," he rhymes. Later in the freestyle Em raps, "Never date a black girl, because blacks only want your money/ And that sh-- ain't funny."
The first track was only a few lines long, but the second track went on for several minutes with Em — seemingly rhyming off the top of his head — repeatedly saying he did not like black girls and that they were only out to get money. Both tracks sounded amateurish.
"Don't make this right now a double standard," Benzino said at the press conference. "We gotta treat this the same way you treat Mike Tyson, like you treat Kobe Bryant, like you treat R. Kelly, like you treat O.J. Simpson."
Eminem responded by insisting he isn't racist and explaining that the recording was made when he was young, foolish and angry.
"Ray Benzino, Dave Mays and The Source have had a vendetta against me, Shady Records and our artists for a long time," Eminem said in a statement. "The tape they played today was something I made out of anger, stupidity and frustration when I was a teenager. I'd just broken up with my girlfriend, who was African-American, and I reacted like the angry, stupid kid I was. I hope people will take it for the foolishness that it was, not for what somebody is trying to make it into today."
Eminem, 50 Cent and the rest of the Shady/Aftermath team have had a long-running feud with The Source, fueled by Benzino's accusations that the media operate on a double standard when it comes to the multiplatinum white MC and that an artist of color could never get away with saying some of the things Em says in his music.
Benzino and Mays refused to entertain questions about the tape and its origins. They did say they plan to include a CD of the Eminem recordings in February's issue, and they promised another press conference concerning Eminem will be held in the future, when they'll answer questions and have civic leaders and members of the hip-hop community on hand.
Wu-Tang Clan back (Nov.24)
 After a tumultuous recent history which has seen its members incarcerated, dropped from record labels and at odds with one another, pioneering hip-hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan will embark on what is said to be its final tour next year. The 60-city outing will likely get underway in May or June, coinciding with Riverhead Books' release of the comprehensive group history, "The Wu-Tang Manual."
"The Wu-Tang Manual" will be issued as a slightly oversized paperback and will also sport an autobiographical entry on each member and a lyrical encyclopedia with annotations.
The group has not released a studio album since 2001's "Iron Flag," which has sold just 445,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. "Enter the 36 Chambers" and its 1997 follow-up, "Wu-Tang Forever," have sold 3.7 million copies combined.
Jay-Z’s final album debuts big at #1 (Nov.24)
 The Black Album" gives Jay-Z his sixth No. 1 release as it debuts atop The Billboard 200 this week. One of six top-10 debuts, the Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam set sold 463,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, to lead the field, despite being released off-cycle on Friday (new albums are typically released on Tuesdays). Jay-Z's latest single, "Change Clothes" featuring Pharell, is up 10-8 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks tally this week.
Hyped as Jay-Z's final album, "The Black Album" narrowly bests the first-week numbers of 2001's "The Blueprint," which bowed at the top with sales of 462,500 copies. Yet it fell a bit short of those posted by "The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse," which opened at No. 1 last year with sales of 545,000 copies. Together, the two have sold more than 4 million to date.
Outkast allows fans to pick next singles (Nov.17)
 The fans will be the authority on selecting the next dual singles from Outkast's Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below. On their Web site, the Dirty South duo are asking fans to vote on one of four possible second singles from both Big Boi and Andre 3000's discs. The choices for Big Boi are "Church," "Unhappy," "Bowtie" and "Reset"; Andre's are "Behold a Lady," "Roses," "Prototype" and "Spread.
 A New York Post photographer James Alcorn filed a lawsuit in Queens County Supreme Court seeking damages from the multiplatinum rapper 50 Cent. This is after 50's bodyguards, he claims, roughed him up on August 27, 2003. Alcorn had been taking photos of 50 Cent exiting the store of Jacob the Jeweler in midtown Manhattan.
Alcorn and his attorney filed the complaint against 50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson), his record companies — Interscope, Aftermath and Shady Records — and seven unnamed security guards that the plaintiffs hope to identify.
Alcorn claims he suffered "severe and serious injuries" from the assault, which the suit states was done "knowingly, intentionally and willfully." The complaint asks for a little over $5 million for each of four causes of action: assault and battery, negligence, loss of service and punitive damages.
While no criminal charges have been filed against 50 Cent or any of his bodyguards, the New York Police Department's investigation is ongoing. Alcorn is hopeful. "No photographer should have what happened to me, happen to them," he said in a statement.
50 Cent's spokespeople had no comment on the suit.
Ja Rule tops the chart but not huge units (Nov.17)
 Ja Rule's latest, Blood in My Eye, didn’t get the blockbuster sales as expected, since each of his last four albums placed higher with more weekly sales. With the single "Clap Back," Murder Inc.'s magnet for controversy sold more than 139,000 copies of his follow-up to The Last Temptation, which landed at #4 with more than 237,000 copies sold in its first week in 2002.
Anthony "Wolf" Jones, 36, and another man, identified by police as Lamont Girdy, were shot and killed in an incident outside the Chaos nightclub in the Buckhead area around 4 a.m. following a party thrown by So So Def Records.
Police arrested a man named Demetrius Flenory, also injured in the exchange, and charged him with two counts of murder. Another man was treated for injuries but not charged. Police believe one other person along with Flenory initiated the gunfire after a verbal altercation earlier in the evening spilled out from the club.
A So So Def spokesperson said there was no connection between the record label and any of the people involved in the shooting.
Jones was the bodyguard for Sean "P. Diddy" Combs during a December 27, 1999, incident in which Diddy and protégé rapper Shyne (Jamal Barrow) were accused of firing weapons inside a Manhattan nightclub. Diddy and then girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, plus Jones and a driver, were caught fleeing the scene.
Jones was acquitted of criminal possession of a weapon in the second and third degrees when the trial ended in March 2001. Diddy was acquitted on five counts of criminal possession and bribery. Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
 Rapper Mos Def has been tapped to star with Alan Rickman in "Something the Lord Made," an original movie for HBO about the true story of heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas, a white surgeon and a black lab technician.
Multiple Emmy winner Joseph Sargent will direct the film, which is still in the early development stages. Peter Silverman (Lifetime's "We Were the Mulvaneys") created the script for the project, which has been around for six-and-a-half years.
The affiliation between Blalock (Rickman) and Thomas (Mos Def) began in 1929 when the then-19-year-old Thomas' dreams to go to college and medical school were dashed after he lost his tuition savings in the October stock market crash. He then took a job as a lab technician at Vanderbilt University's medical school, working for Blalock, a resident surgeon.
At Vanderbilt and later at John Hopkins University, Blalock and Thomas worked on several breakthroughs that modernized cardiac surgery, including the wider use of plasma or whole-blood transfusions to prevent surgical panic, which saved millions of lives during World War II.
Mos Def most recently co-starred in the hit "The Italian Job." His upcoming features include "The Woodsman," "The Sky Is Green" and "A Confederacy of Dunces."
Mobb Deep is Amerika's Nightmare (Nov. 9)
 The infamous Mobb Deep are almost done cooking up their latest serving of macabre street tales and battle rhymes. Their next LP, Amerika's Nightmare, is now due early next year with the first single "Gangsta Roll" dropping soon.
Mobb Deep received assistance from Nate Dogg appears on a track called "Dump," and Nelly and Lil’ Jon appear on two other records that have yet to be titled.
Productionwise, Havoc did most of the beats as usual, while Alchemist contributed two tracks. Another producer they hope to secure before wrapping up is Eminem.
Mobb Deep are getting ready to join the G-Unit on the road. Originally Mobb Deep's camp and the LOX's camp said both groups would be touring this fall with 50 Cent and company, but the LOX have yet to be added.
The G-Unit have been on this particular run by themselves since October 27. Mobb Deep join the bill on Thursday for 14 dates. Havoc said more road stops will likely be added.
Mobb Deep's tour dates with the G-Unit, according to Jive Records:
· 11/6 - Chicago, IL @ Congress Theater
· 11/7 - Minneapolis, MN @ Quest
· 11/9 - Philadelphia, PA @ TBA
· 11/14 - Denver, CO @ Paramount
· 11/15 - Tucson, AZ @ Pima County Fairground
· 11/16 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theater
· 11/17 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA
· 11/18 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA
· 11/19 - San Francisco, CA @ TBA
· 11/22 - Boyton Beach, FL @ Ovasion
· 11/23 - Orlando, FL @ Hob
· 11/24 - Jacksonville, @ Plush
· 11/25 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
· 11/26 - Detroit, MI @ State Theater
P. Diddy, suffering from leg cramps for more than half the race, finished the New York City Marathon on Sunday (November 2) with an official time of four hours, 14 minutes and 54 seconds. More significantly, the hip-hop entrepreneur said he raised $2 million for the city's children.
"I've never experienced mental or physical pain like that," Diddy told reporters after completing the 26.2-mile race. Diddy came in 11,359th out of 35,100 entrants to cross the Central Park finish line. But runner No. 30972 achieved another goal, beating Oprah Winfrey's 1994 Marine Corps marathon time of four hours and 29 minutes. Diddy appeared on Winfrey's TV show last Monday.
Despite eight weeks of intensive training and dieting, two weeks abstention from sex and limiting himself to one party per week, Diddy clearly felt painful leg cramps during his first marathon bid. "I was in real trouble and I wanted to stop," he told reporters. "It was a life-changing experience because I did not stop." Besides the onset of cramps 12 miles into his run, Diddy, sporting a streamlined Mr. T-style Mohawk haircut, also aggravated his already injured right knee during the race.
Diddy received personal contributions from his ex, J. Lo, as well as friends Busta Rhymes, Ashton Kutcher and Jay-Z and corporate sponsorships, Combs set out to raise more than $1 million for New York's public schools, the Children's Hope Foundation for children suffering from HIV/AIDS and his own Daddy's House youth organization. Diddy touted his charity run for several weeks leading up to the race through media appearances, an 800 number and the Web site www.diddyrunsthecity.com.
Though Diddy said he came to understand the art of long-distance runners during his training period, when asked if he might participate again next year, the rapper was quoted in New York's Newsday as replying, "No, no, no, no, no."
Jay-Z's new Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam set "The Black Album" -- which was originally planned for an off-cycle release Nov. 28, or "Black Friday" -- may be coming out earlier, apparently due to piracy fears. Island Def Jam Music Group at first considered a Nov. 18 release, but is now also eyeing Friday, Nov. 14.
The original release date of "The Black Album" was the day after Thanksgiving -- the biggest shopping day of the year, called Black Friday because it pushes many retailers out of red ink into black. However, that day also presented problems, with some merchants fearing they wouldn't receive product in time because of the holiday.
"The Black Album" is slated to be Jay-Z's final release. He will commemorate the album with a star-studded Nov. 25 performance at New York's Madison Square Garden, and will also play local radio station Z100's Dec. 11 Jingle Ball at the same venue.
 Monday's sentencing hearing for Mystikal, who pleaded guilty to extortion and sexual battery in June, was adjourned again until December 1. The rapper faces up to 10 years for his involvement in an attack on his hairstylist in July 2002.
Just recently, Jay-Z announced he was pushing his The Black Album release up two weeks from Friday, November 28, the G-Unit are bumping their due date for Beg for Mercy to November 14 as well.
Originally, Beg for Mercy was supposed to come out on November 18, but the LP has been leaked to the Internet and the streets already, thus the need to get it in stores officially.
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