50 Cent is running his mouth again, this time about fellow rapper Nas. Speaking to XXL magazine, 50 had the following to say about the ‘Hip Hop Is Dead’ rapper:

You have different kinds of people. You have people that are extremely book smart that lack common sense so they don’t know what’s going to affect their audience. They have more information than me based on reading. For instance, Nas is a really smart guy. He reads books constantly. We were around him on the Nastradamus tour. He was almost weirder than me ’cause we would go to breakfast and he’d be there reading a book. Conceptually, I think that’s what made him drift away from what his initial audience enjoys from him and why he’s not hot right now.

Aside from the fact that Nas tops 50 in just about every way, shouldn’t the G-Unit leader be worrying about his own career? With the released material from 50’s upcoming ‘Curtis’ CD flopping all over the place, you’d think he’d look at himself first. I guess he thinks his tired routine of calling out other rappers to generate buzz will work this time. He doesn’t seem to get it – no one cares for his music anymore.

What do you think of 50’s comments?

Lil Wayne and Baby feature on the cover of XXL’s upcoming Anniversary issue. No words for this one….damn.

What do you think of the cover?

I’m kinda surprised Marques Houston actually managed to release a third single from his ridiculously titled album ‘Veteran’ (his last hit was…?) – especially since the CD’s first two singles tanked. However, the Ne-Yo penned ‘Wonderful’ is a great single choice, seeing as it’s one of the few standout tracks from the album. The video isn’t bad either; I’m really liking the choreography -although it’s all becoming a bit ‘samey’ with Marques nowadays. To be honest, I can’t see the song/video doing anything to rescue the album (which disappeared from the charts almost as quickly as it debuted); however it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

What do you think of the video?

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of rapper Remy Ma in connection with a shooting in Manhattan during the early hours of this morning. The shooting is alleged to have occurred during a dispute over $2000 – money Remy claimed was stolen from her by the victim. According to reports, the former ‘Terror Squad’ member fled the scene in a dark blue Cadillac Escalade, which she crashed a few blocks away -opting, then, to flee by foot. The 23 year old female victim – who was shot twice in the torso – is said to be in a stable condition and recovering in hospital. {Click here to read the full story}

UPDATE: Remy surrendered herself to police yesterday (July 14th). She has been formally charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Click here to read the latest update.

Your thoughts?

Wyclef – Sweetest Girl (ft. Akon, Lil’ Wayne & Nia)

17 year old Lil’ Mama got me -as well as everyone else – with her inescapable debut hit ‘Lip Gloss’ and the New Yorker is set to continue her rise with ‘Make It Hot. Though not as instantly likable as ‘Lip Gloss’, the production on the track is on-point, as is Lil Mama’s flow. Aside from the slighly annoying singing parts, the track is great. Her album ‘The Voice of The Young People’ is set to hit stores later this year.

LISTEN: Make It Hot

Usher has released an open letter to his fans and critics, regarding his personal life – more specifically his relationship with Tameka Foster. Check out the statement the singer released to PEOPLE Magazine on July 12th:

“It has already been announced that I plan to marry this year. However, since my wedding day will be special to Tameka and I, this is information that we would like to keep private. It’s disturbing that the media and bloggers (under the guise as ‘fans’) continuously speculate on the personal aspects of my life, therefore making assumptions and wrong insinuations that my fans are subject to believe.

“I am happy, excited, completely clear and independent on my direction, feelings, decisions and I am NOT BEING LED. Some media and bloggers have been totally intrusive, they have misconstrued aspects of my personal life and, because of this, my ‘true’ fans are not sure about what is fact and what is fiction. There is a difference in stating an opinion versus drawing a conclusion that is incorrect.

“As previously reported, I have NEVER threatened or harassed anyone from any media format – print, radio, television or Internet media. At this point the best thing to say to my fans is just because it sounds enticing and it MAY sound ‘true,’ that does not make it truth. I understand the fact that I must sacrifice some anonymity for the career I love, however some things are personal like having a child or a marriage. These aspects are not for the public and, to me, are sacred. I would hope my privacy in these areas would be respected.”
– Usher

It seems all the media scrutiny is getting to him. Oh well…This is a classic case of using the media when you want e.g. the Chilli/’Confessions’ saga, but when it doesn’t favour him then he starts to rant. He needs to realise that it all comes with the territory of celebrity, then again he claims to know this already. I’m thinking this may be a PR ploy in the lead-up to the release of his new album later this year.

Is Usher right to rant?