Ludacris Reveals Partial "Battle Of The Sexes" Tracklisting

Grammy-winning rapper Ludacris recently offered select media an opportunity to preview a portion of his Battle of the Sexes album.




Many of the seven tracks Luda played at the listening session were collaborations with other artists.



Noting that the tracklisting was subject to change before its tentative March 16 release date, Bridges thanked the crowd for supporting him over the last decade and offered his latest battle footage. 1. "Hey Ho" featuring Lil Kim 2. "Tell Me a Secret" featuring Ne-Yo 3. "My Chick Bad" featuring Nicki Minaj 4. "Got a Man" featuring Flo Rida 5. "Can't Live With You, Can't Live Without You" featuring Monica 6. "How Low" (Remix) featuring Ciara, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Twista 7. "Sex Room" featuring Trey Songz (Los Angeles Times)

Reports last month suggested production from hitmakers like Swizz Beatz.



Ludacris is waging an all-out war with the opposite sex. The Atlanta rapper has challenged some of female rap's biggest stars to a battle on his new album. Lil' Kim, Eve, Trina and Nicki Minaj are among those getting in the ring with the Grammy winner on his seventh studio album Battle of the Sexes, due March 16. Previously planned as a joint album with femcee Shawnna, the set will also include appearances from Ne-Yo, Ciara, Flo Rida and Plies. Bangladesh, Swizz Beatz and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League have all contributed to the project. (Rap-Up)

Luda has also decided to put in studio time with The Neptunes' Pharrell Williams.



"Just left Baton Rouge for a show. No work or school tmrw so come Check out Live Jazz Sundays at Straits Atl 793 Juniper St & 5th Ave! In the studio with Pharrell my good people. And my n*gga has a mustache!! Ha!," Ludacris wrote on Sunday (January 17). "Pharrell and his mustache working on Battle of the Sexes Album. Coming March 2010! http://yfrog.com/4axkunj." (Ludacris' Twitter)

Speculation has begun to grow that rapper Shawnna will not take part in the project.



For those of you don't recall, Shawnna chose to diss Luda and the DTP family for T-Pain's Nappy Boy imprint. While details are sketchy at the moment, not really, but I'm afraid to say too much, what is known is that instead of Luda teaming up with the Chicago-native for the co-ed inspired rap album - she's been replaced with a plethora of young and old female MC's. Tenatively, rappers like Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim, Eve and a few others are being tapped for the project, which is set to hit stores in early 2010. (Gyant Unplugged)

T-Pain Puts Collabos On Hold For Famous Country Singer, "Everyone Else Can Suck It"

R&B hitmaker T-Pain has decided to place all music collaborations on hold until he gets a duet with country singer Carrie Underwood.

Speaking from last night's Grammy Awards ceremony, Pain also touched on his performance with rocker Slash.



"It's fun to work with Slash," T-Pain said in an interview, "but kind of embarrassing because no one knows who I am. But, I think it's cool as f*ck. Next person I want to work with, and I won't work with anyone else until I get her, is Carrie Underwood. Everyone else can suck it until I get to Carrie." (The Boom Box)

Underwood is known for taking her music talent from reality television to retail stores.



As a senior just a few credits short of her degree, Underwood heard about the auditions for the 2005 season of "American Idol." She tried out for the show at the St. Louis, MO, auditions, and her innocent charm and pure, pretty voice ended up winning her not only a place among the 12 finalists, but the title of 2005's American Idol. Her debut single, "Inside Your Heaven," was released that summer, and she began recording her debut album after completing the American Idols Live! tour. Some Hearts was released later that fall and became a smash hit, selling over 300,000 copies in its first week and eventually going platinum a whopping seven times. (All Music)

Pain recently spoke on his forthcoming cartoon special, "Freaknik."



"You can't do what you want to do, you can't be as silly as you want to be (and) people won't take you seriously in music," T-Pain said in an interview. "It was a gift...I always wanted to do a cartoon and I didn't know it would be this good...Some people are going to hate it, some people are going to think it's funny." (ABC News)

The special will feature a variety of celebrities and entertainers.



The cartoon, rated TV-MA, follows students who are looking to resurrect the now-defunct street party, and T-Pain is the "party ghost." It also features Andy Samberg, Lil' Wayne, Bill Hader, Kelis, Snoop Dogg and George Clinton, among others. Lil Wayne voices the character Trap Jesus, who T-Pain describes as having "a Jesus-type aura to him." Samberg portrays a "frat boy" while Kelis plays the role of Tyra Banks, whose televisionshow T-Pain's character appears on. (Seattle PI)

Young Buck Blasts G-Unit At Detroit Concert, "Eminem Don't Even Agree W/ The Bullsh*t 50 Cent Is Doing" [Video]

Young Buck Blasts G-Unit At Detroit Concert, "Eminem Don't Even Agree W/ The Bullsh*t 50 Cent Is Doing" [Video]  Young Buck dissed 50 Cent and his G-Unit camp during a performance at a Detroit, Michigan concert over the weekend.




Buck Marley also made sure to show his respect for Detroit native Eminem.



"I'm a real life n*gga," Buck told a crowd of Detroit fans. "For real. I wanna clear this sh*t up real quick because I see a lot of real n*ggas in here, you understand me. Let me tell you something. I don't f*ck with that n*gga 50 Cent for real. F*ck that n*gga. For real though, look, I got a lot of love for Eminem, that's my n*gga. You understand that? You understand me? Eminem don't even agree with the bullsh*t 50 Cent is doing with me. You understand me -- don't worry about Buck, I'm good with or without some b*tch a** n*gga named 50 motherf*cking Cent...F*ck you, f*ck the contract, I'm in Detroit, I'm in Eminem's hometown...A lot of these n*ggas can't come to Detroit, this is a no fly zone...I promise you, you will not see Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, none of them b*tch a** n*ggas out here without some motherf*cking security..." (BC)

Last fall, Buck clarified speculation of dissing Em on one of his mixtape tracks called "If I Have To."



"Man, I would never diss Eminem," Buck promised. "You know what? I would never diss Eminem. I'ma be real, what had happened was I got a white producer that's from my town -- that actually produced that track. So when I went into the booth, I'm like 'Eminem, we after your a**' basically speaking on the production side of things because the producer of the track is a white dude and Eminem is his favorite and just f*cking with him. And actually, I still slam the sh*t outta his a** for keeping that sh*t on there, you feel me? [laughs] Once I saw how the track got out there like it did, I got at Trick Trick real quick, that's one of my homeboys and I know he's right there with Em [so] he don't take that sh*t the wrong kinda way 'cause how that fumbled. I ain't got no problems with Eminem. He's one of the realest motherf*ckers with me in this rap sh*t. There's only a handful of 'em." ("G-Unit Radio")

Aside from name dropping Slim Shady in the track's intro, Buck used the song to describe his street credentials.



"Cool, turn me up my n*gga," Buck says in the beginning. "[laughs] Eminem, we coming for your a**, ain't that right Coop? Man, we go too hard, for real. Shoot a n*gga dead right now if I had to/Hop out, walk up and just blast you/Snatch him out his Chevy/Take what's on his wrist, let the young n*ggas strip it...I'm pissed, you don't want your name on that list/'fore we come through, n*gga, we don't miss/Throwing shells out the chopper..." ("If I Have To")

Tony Yayo recently said he would not offer a response to Buck's disses as of late.



"Look, I told you, I'm not talking about a n*gga that has zero, nothing," Yayo told radio host DJ Whoo Kid. "I'm good man, rest in peace to Tick man...He frustrated. N*ggas know it's rough in the rap game right now, only the strong are surviving. Riding in nice cars, rappers are gonna have to start rapping for food soon...A n*gga can keep saying what he wanna say, but as long as those checks keep coming for me, I'm good...He's broke, what do you want me [to say?] How you spell broke? B-r-o-k-e. What do you do when a n*gga's on his last legs, don't have nothing, baby mom's all over the place, you was eating Olivia." (Radio Planet TV)

: Maino's Personal Struggles Dig Deeper Than Rap, "My Closest Cousin Committed Suicide"

recently opened up about his recent family loss and how music has provided him with an escape from his troubles.




According to Maino, he has had to deal with unexpected family deaths.



"I'm really going through it," Maino said in an interview. "Even right now, my closest cousin committed suicide. He's been on the road with me. You probably seen me with him...You get in the game, you think you escape all this. This is not a distant relative of mine. This is my closest cousin. We grew up together. My mother and his mother are sisters. Just thinking about that and going through that while I'm trying to attain fame and this lifestyle, it's two worlds. One side, everything is all good. On my personal, it's really not. My cousin was just here; now he's not...It's almost like no time to grieve. What are you gonna do? What am I gonna tell MTV: 'I can't do an interview. I'm going through something in my personal life. Everybody in my family is crying right now'? You still gotta work, you still gotta achieve, you still gotta win. Under no circumstances do we stop for one minute. This is the theme of my new album -- really giving it up and showing you what a person really goes through to get to that point. I was starving to get here. Now that I'm here, it's like, man, it's not what I thought it would be. It's not really that good. It's great, but personally, you go through things regular people go through." (MTV)

The rapper recently discussed the status of his upcoming reality show.



"All I'mma say is I shot something and it'll be out in a few months," Maino told radio host Jenny Boom Boom. "I'm sneaky, I feel like a lot of people sleep on me and I like to sneak up on them and just hit them with stuff that just comes out of nowhere. So I don't like to just really put out my moves where they see me coming. I'm a thinker, so I try to strategize my moves and not really put them on blast because as long as a person is sleeping, he puts me at the advantage. [Expect a new album] very soon. Like I said, the movement is not stopping any time soon. As long as you keep playing them records, we're gonna keep grinding and we gonna keep making videos..." (Jenny Boom Boom TV)

Last summer, Maino gave details surrounding the reality show.



"It's 90 percent solidified," he told radio host Angela Yee. "This is why I haven't really spoke on it because it's not etched in stone yet. But there's something reality-based and around MTV 'ish. It's about a white dude, he doesn't come from my culture. He doesn't understand the rap game, he doesn't understand what it means to be a rapper everyday. He lives with me and tries to like, understand what goes on in our world...Nothing I do is scripted. So if you see smack somebody then maybe it's really going down." (Shade 45 Lip Service)

Maino's debut album, If Tomorrow Comes... debuted in the Top 50 last year.



"Hi Hater" hitmaker Maino's long-awaited If Tomorrow Comes... album also debuted this week resting at No. 25. With a week under his belt, the Brooklyn, New York-bred emcee's debut has sold 18,300 records. (SOHH Sales Wrap)

Murders Of Pac, B.I.G. Featured On ‘Famous Crime Scenes’

The murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. will be subjects of a new VH1 documentary series that will premiere next month.






The new documentary series, titled Famous Crime Scenes, will look into the murders or deaths of a number of famed celebrities.



Shakur was gunned down on the Las Vegas strip in September of 1996 and died from his wounds on September 13 at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.



His rival, Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, was gunned down just six months later, in front of the Peterson Auto Museum in Los Angeles, California, on March 9, 1997.



Their murders have been extensively reported on and investigated, yet no one has ever been charged in the deaths of either superstar rapper, both of whom are among the top-selling Hip-Hop artists of all time.



Five other artists who died violently will also be featured in Famous Crime Scenes, which includes pieces on John Lennon, Anna Nicole Smith, Selena, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson.



The show is part of VH1’s new programming lineup, which features the debut of nine new series, including Famous Crime Scenes.



Other shows set to debut in February include Transform Me, a series about for trans gendered women who give fashion tips to one of their friends.



Another is “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” which is a game show that challenges contestants to remember the words to various songs.

The Game Answers Tila Tequila Accusation of Child Paternity

The Game Answers Tila Tequila Accusation of Child PaternityThe Game has answered allegations made from celebrity Tila Tequila that he is the father of her unborn child.






Yesterday (January 29), Tequila posted dozens of Tweets on her Twitter page (twitter.com/officialTila) detailing the situation. Earlier in the day, both parties were speaking cordially with Tequila announcing she would be going to Game’s Dr. Dre studio session later that night.



Initially, the reality TV star/model flip-flopped of the rumors of Game’s paternity, denying it herself but posting conflicting information from other sources.



“Why do y’all think that @ihateGame is the father of my child??? I NEVER said anything about him! Why do ya’ll say that??? Lol,” she Tweeted before reposting a Game tweet stating “To My Unborn child (2Pac’s voice).”



The Game himself did a short interview on TMZ clarifying Tequila’s quotes, after additional statements from her detailed she was going to Game’s studio and his promise to take her shopping for baby clothes.



“I was actually in the studio thinking about the song Tupac made about his unborn child. My son’s mother is pregnant, so I’m in that lane,” Game explained. “I guess she took it and ran with it…Recently she was in the studio to mess with my boy Avante Rose. I didn’t see her, I was there with Dre. I wouldn’t use 50’s stick [to sleep with her]…I never seen her. But you know [the wrestler] Hunter Hearst Helmsley also goes by the Game, maybe she’s talking about him”



Following the video clip, Tequila was furious and Twitter-blasted Game as a deadbeat father and liar.



“Game not only lied to the world, to you guys, to me, but he also lied to his other baby mama which I didn’t know he had! So he fucked himself,” she chastised. “I was there all last night too and pictures on TMZ even show me leaving his studio at 6am!!! That’s a punk b***h there. COWARD. GAME=DEADBEAT DAD. Just wait. 9 months from now I’m gonna take the paternity test to PROVE IT. Game just fucked himself. SMH…”



Furthermore, Tequila boasted of making Game “relevant” again, and alleged he was calling her attempting to apologize.



At press time, Tequila is scheduled to appear on TMZ on Monday (February 1) to give her side of the situation.

Jay-Z, Eminem Win Big at The Grammys

Jay-Z and Eminem added to their legacy last night (January 31), bot walking away with the top rap honors at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards.






The Brooklyn-bred legend took home three trophies—two for “Run This Town” (Best Rap Song and Best Rap Sung Collaboration) and one for “D.O.A.” (Best Rap Performance)—while Eminem racked up two golden gramaphones—Relapse won Best Rap Album and “Crack a Bottle” was selected as the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.



Eminem, was among the artists included in the show’s grand finale. The Detroit lyricist first joined Lil Wayne and Blink 182’s Travis Barker for a rendition of the New Orleans MC’s song “Drop the World,” and later Drake was added into the fold as all four stars performed their hit “Forever.” Kanye West, who is also featured on the track, was absent from the event.



Other highlights included Jamie Foxx and T-Pain’s performance of their smash single “Blame It” and a futuristic medley by the Black Eyed Peas.