By:Rizoh Rapper Cassidy was involved in a severe car accident on Wednesday night en route to a Yonkers, New York recording session. A U-Haul reportedly swerved into Cassidy’s SUV and crashed into the side of the vehicle he was sitting on, according to a J Records’ spokesperson. Cassidy was immediately taken to the hospital, where doctors found that he suffered a fractured skull. Several bones on his face were also broken, according to his camp. Cassidy is now in critical condition, but is said to be undergoing a CAT scan. None of the four other passengers sustained any injuries. The Philly rapper was released from prison back in March after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter and other charges stemming from a 2005 shooting death of Desmond Hawkins.

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno On Wednesday, Suzuki introduced the hip-hop version of its 2007 Grand Vitara at the Orange County Auto Show. Designed in partnership with SiTV, an English-language Latino cable network, the vehicle is targeted towards the urban teen and young adults. The "Hip Hop" Grand Vitara features a customized interior, 20-inch customized painted wheels and tires, Gull wing window features slide out audio mixing equipment with a drum machine, microphone boom and digital recorder, an in-dash touch screen video monitor, a 20-inch video screen in back door panel, a Nokia 770 Internet tablet, rear exterior mounted speakers and chrome antenna housing, exhaust and mirrors. The graffiti paint job was done by NY graf artist Fetus. Suzuki isn’t the only car company courting hip-hop heads. For the past two years Toyota’s Scion ad campaign has been heavily directed towards the hip-hop nation. They’ve even gone as far as throwing free shows featuring some of hip-hop’s hottest DJs like 9th Wonder, DJ Premier, Pete Rock and DJ Evil Dee.

By: Rizoh "Oprah’s great. I just think the only misconception is that she’s a Black woman." Those were 50 Cent’s words backstage at "106 & Park" last Thursday, according to BET.com. 50 added that Oprah has been catering to a demographic of middle-aged white women for so long that he now believes she’s a middle-aged white woman herself. You would recall that the G-Unit General spoke out against Oprah back in April, 2006, after word began to spread about the talk show host’s anti-hip-hop sentiments. Oprah will have a rapist on her show and have a discussion about why they do it, but won’t have a rags-to-riches story on her show," 50 quipped. He also had some harsh words about Kanye West’s appearance on the show. "She’ll have Kanye West on her show. I think middle America would rather have they kids be gay than have them aggressive." The verbal war against Oprah began after rapper/actor Ludacris complained that Oprah had been unfair to her during an appearance with his "Crash" co-stars on the talk-show. 50 Cent then joined the outcry saying that Oprah "caters to older white women." Oprah responded to 50′s outcry during a surprise appearance on Power 105.1 FM, stating that she even has 50 Cent’s "In da Club" on her iPod. "I listen to some hip-hop," she told DJ Ed Lover. "You know, I’ve been accused of not liking hip-hop and that’s just not true." She also shot down the anti-hip-hop rumor, citing Jay-Z and Kanye West as some of her favorite rappers.

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno There comes a time where every musician or artist needs a shot of inspiration from someone on the outside looking in. Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond got that from Rick Rubin, Common got it from Kanye West and Mariah Carey got help from Jermaine Dupri. Recently Canadian songbird Nelly Furtado and former boy-bander Justin Timberlake tapped Timbaland to produce their latest albums and now 80’s superstar band Duran Duran has called upon the producer to help breathe new life into their sound. "This is the best thing that could have happened to us. It relights your fire, baby,” Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon told the L.A. Daily News. “[Timbaland] works very quickly. We’re usually slow as snails. It’s quite a challenge, and we had to change the way we play, really. Particularly me. I had to be able to come up with ideas very quickly on the microphone. Just do it. Have new lyrics the next day — or that evening." They’ve recorded three songs for their next album and also plan to work with Timberlake, Gnarls Barkley, and will.i.am (of Black Eyed Peas). You can check out Duran Duran along with the Wu-Tang Clan, Flaming Lips and Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Voodoo Music Experience on October 28 and 29 at the New Orleans City Park.

by: Rizoh Ludacris powers on to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his fifth album, Release Therapy. The Def Jam South release sold over 309,000 units in its opening week, thanks to the success of his Pharrell-assisted single, "Money Maker." Janet Jackson’s Virgin LP, 20. Y.O., bows at No.2 with a little over 296,000 scans. Chingy finishes at No. 23 with 34,000 scans of Hoodstar. With last week’s conflicting soundscan reports on Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor now behind him, the Atlantic rapper manages to shift 31,000 copies this week to take the No.32 spot. Other highlights include Rick Ross, whose Port of Miami LP sold 28,000 to land at No.34 and Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere at No. 41 with 21,000 units.

by:Rizoh Rap battles these days conjure images of two aspiring emcees exchanging bars on Freestyle Friday or at Fight Klub. That wasn’t the case in the Fort Worth, Texas rhyming contest that left one of the teenagers fatally shooting the other in the head. According to the Houston Chronicle, a 17-year old high school junior, Christopher Smith, was shot last month after a rap battle escalated into fisticuffs. Witnesses informed Haltom City police that Christopher Smith and Samuel Jones, 18, met on September 15th for a rap contest in an open field. "They knew each other, and they had an ongoing rap battle," said Sgt. Terry Stayer, Haltom City police spokeswoman. "They were involved in these impromptu raps that took place in parking lots, at someone’s house. They had ongoing back-and-forth issues, and they didn’t like each other." Smith reportedly rapped first, and then Jones rapped and pointed a gun at Smith. According to the police affidavit, Jones then handed his gun to a bystander and Smith and Jones had a fistfight. When the fight ended, Smith was collecting his personal belongings when Jones allegedly shot him in the head. According to the affidavit, Smith had filed a police report about a week before his death accusing Jones of threatening his life. Sgt. Stayer said police followed up the report but didn’t find enough evidence to charge Jones. Smith, a high school junior, had just recorded his second rap album and hoped to be a professional musician, family members said. Jones was serving eight years probation at the time of the shooting on drug and deadly conduct charges, according to Tarrant County criminal court records.

by: Rizoh More ‘drama’ at Raymond "Benzino" Scott and Dave Mays’ post- The Source publication, Hip-Hop Weekly. Barely two weeks before the release of their maiden issue, widespread reports indicate that the mag’s Editor-in-Chief, Mimi Valdes, may have walked away from Hip-Hop Weekly. That leaves a team which includes radio motor mouth Wendy Williams and DJ Star to propel the virgin tabloid. The Source co-founders, Mays and Scott, were kicked out of the premiere rap rag’s board of directors earlier this year. The duo’s attempt to obtain a temporary restraining order to prevent them from being ousted was rejected by the court. Hip-Hop Weekly provides them with an avenue to rebuild and start anew.

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno Houston emcee Baby Bash has signed a deal with Arista/J Records after previously releasing two albums with Universal Records. Although his debut album, Tha Smokin Nephew, went gold, his follow-up records Mènage a Trois and Super Saucy didn’t do as well despite spawning a couple of hits. "I feel ultra blessed to be with Clive Davis and the Arista Records familia," Baby Bash said. "I look forward to Arista elevating me to a higher level. This business is crazy and it feels good to have people on my team who see and understand my vision.” Bash first started his career in northern California as part of the group Potna Deuce and then Latino Velvet. After moving back to Houston to work with underground artist South Park Mexican, his popularity grew with the buzz eventually leading to his deal with Universal. There’s no word on when his new album will drop.

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno New York radio personality Wendy Williams hooked up with Alize to create a tour called The Wendy Williams Experience, a five-city tour promoting the “Go On! Alize” campaign. The tour launched on September 15 in Philly featuring Keyshia Cole, Ne-Yo, Kindred the Family Soul, comedian T.K. Kirkland and other surprise guests. "The idea of putting my show on stage is a thrill for me," says Wendy Williams. "It’s great to bring ‘the Experience’ into a forum that puts a face to my listeners. These are people who are already friends in my head so seeing them just reaffirms our connection. It’s like having a giant party in the studio!" The remainder of the cities and dates: October 7, 2006 in New York, NY October 20, 2006 in Chicago, IL November 3, 2006 in Miami, FL November 17, 2006 in Los Angeles, CA

by: Rizoh It’s hard to find a playing field that Snoop hasn’t already covered. From movies and music to sports and cartoons, the Long Beach, CA wordsmith has dabbled in everything but the book publishing industry. Well, that’s about to change, as Snoop—in conjunction with award-winning writer David E. Talbert—prepares to take on the literary world with his Doggie Tales series to be released. The first book in the series will be a hardcover titled "Love Don’t Live Here No More," which is set in 1989 and centers around a character named Ulysses Jeffries. The book is expected to drop on October 17, 2006 via Simon & Schuster.

By: Rizoh Fiends of crack-rap favorites the Clipse will have to endure yet another waiting period for the oft-delayed sophomore album, Hell Hath No Fury. The Virginia duo’s second go-round was previously scheduled to drop two years ago, but has since been pushed back repeatedly due to a bitter legal battle with Jive Records. Hell Hath Fury is now slated for December 12, 2006. Citing poor promotion, Malice and Pusha T once attempted to extricate themselves from the clutches of Jive, but the lawsuit fell through. Their contractual differences were later settled with a distribution deal for the duo’s Re-Up Gang Records. The brothers are also working on a movie musical, "Hell Hath No Fury," which will accompany their new album.

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno Last month the Ying Yang Twins announced that their new album, to drop in late November, was going to be called “2 Live Crew”. But this week they made known that they were changing the name of the album to “Chemically Imbalanced”. "We renamed it [that] because we’re totally opposite, we are never on the same page but we wind up in the same place,” Kaine said. “It has everything to do with chemistry and how we interact with each other ­ individually we are imbalanced but together we equal each other out.” The album will be produced by longtime Ying Yang producer Mr. Collipark and Wyclef Jean and Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis, which is an attempt to gain a wider audience. "Working with Wyclef and Jerry Wonder has pushed Ying Yang Twins and our sound to a whole another level,” Mr. Collipark said. The new single, “Dangerous” features Wyclef and can be heard HERE

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno A U.S. District Court in Houston dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit brought against Beyonce, Jay-Z, Sean Paul and the producers of the smash “Baby Boy” last week. Singer-songwriter Jennifer Armour said in a lawsuit filed in July 2005 that the song “Baby Boy” was substantially similar to her song “Got a Little Bit of Love For You”, which she submitted as a demo to Beyonce’s father, Matthew Knowles. Through litigation, however, it came to fruition that “Baby Boy” was recorded on February 10, 2003, one month before Armour gave Knowles her demo. In addition, when the court played both songs side by side, it was ruled that the songs didn’t sound substantially similar at all. "It’s unfortunate that lawsuits such as this one occur, but I am grateful and relieved to have this behind me and I am eager to move on," Beyonce said after the decision. "Baby Boy" was written and produced by Beyonce, Jay-Z, Sean Paul, Scott Storch, and Robert Waller.

By: Rizoh Diddy urged "rich white kids" to tear the store up for Press Play. Since he started working on his new, star-studded album, Press Play, Diddy has been sharing some behind-the-scenes events with his fan base. In his latest video, the Bad Boy mogul had a message specifically for "rich white kids": "When you see this out there, you make mommy and daddy buy you ten copies," said Diddy while holding up the album art for Press Play. "Or else you tear that m****f****n’ store up, you hear me? You just act like a fool in that store, especially all you rich, white kids," he added. Press Play is scheduled to hit stores on October 17th, 2006. WATCH VIDEO

By: Rizoh Wondering where all the female rappers are lately? Well, one of them recently quit her day job to make a comeback to the rap game. We’re talking about Eve Jihan Jeffers. Even though her titular UPN series won’t be making a comeback after three seasons, the 27-year old Philly rapper/actress recently disclosed that she’s now working on her new release. Here I Am, Eve’s first album in four years, is expected to feature production from Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Neo—not the R&B singer, Cool ‘N’ Dre, and of course, Swizz Beatz. Here I Am is due out early next year on Full Surface/Aftermath. But, the Swizz Beatz-laced "Tambourine," rumored to be the lead single, is expected to drop sometime this fall.