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Brandy and Monica's 'It All Belongs to Me': Singers Offer 'Boy Is Mine' Sequel

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Jason Merritt, Getty Images

What a difference 14 years make. Back in 1998, Brandy and Monica went head to head on 'The Boy Is Mine,' their chart-topping hit about two gals competing for one (very lucky) dude's affections. Now, we finally have the sequel, 'It All Belongs to Me," and the R&B divas are rivals no longer. They've been burned by their fellas, and they they're not shy about showing some sisterly solidarity and standing up for themselves.

"You must be tripping/ You must be crazy/ To think I'm gonna let you off that easy," they sing, later telling their men-folk to give back all the fancy stuff -- including their Macbooks -- they bought for them.
Nicki Minaj 'Marilyn Monroe': Tribute to Fallen Sex Symbol -- Listen

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After performing with Madonna and M.I.A. during the controversial Super Bowl halftime show Sunday night (Feb. 6), Nicki Minaj dropped off a new song entitled 'Marilyn Monroe' to whet fans' appetites for her highly anticipated sophomore album 'Pink Friday:Roman's Revenge: Roman Reloaded.'

The somber piano-driven track serves as a melancholy backdrop for Minaj's musings on her personal struggles and the price of fame on 'Marilyn Monroe,' a notable about-face from her foul-mouthed new single 'Stupid Hoe,' which was recently banned from BET.
Nick Cannon Shows Up to Super Bowl XLVI, Is '100 Percent' Healthy

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Mike Coppola, Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - What do you do after recovering from a serious illness? If you're Nick Cannon, you celebrate by attending the Super Bowl.

The entertainer was hospitalized last month after suffering from a form of mild kidney failure, but he says he is now fully healed.

"This is a great place to get back and debut the healthy Nick," he said on Sunday during a break as the host of NBC's pre-show. "Everybody's out here having a good time, and you know people were worried like, 'Is he going to be able to do the Super Bowl pre-show?' But I am 100 percent feeling good right now."

Cannon attributes his improved health to a change in diet, but says he does not eat the same food as wife Mariah Carey, who recently lost weight after giving birth to their twins Moroccan and Monroe.
Kanye West Super Bowl Ad: 'Runaway' Used to Sell Bud Light Platinum

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Victor Boyko, WireImage

On his 2010 track 'Runaway,' Kanye West asks us to "have a toast" for all the "douchebags," "a--holes" and "scumbags" of the world. Now, thanks to a Super Bowl ad that aired last night and featured the tune, we know what type of beverage we should be hoisting and clinking: Bud Light Platinum.

The folks at Budweiser used just the first 30 seconds of Kanye's nine-minute epic track, so we don't get to hear his voice. Instead, we get a spare, chilly piano -- a fitting accompaniment for the robotic beer factory depicted in the commercial. There's not a person in sight -- just blue bottles being formed by machines, filled with golden brew and etched with the company logo.

"Man has long dreamed of turning lead into gold," the voiceover narrator tells us. "We dreamed of turning gold into platinum."
Bow Wow: Judge Orders Rapper to Be Arrested

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Jason Merritt, Getty Images

Bow Wow, 24, is set to release his seventh studio album, 'Underrated,' March 13 but he may be locked up when the project finally debuts.

The Ohio native has a warrant out for his arrest, according to TMZ. A judge in Georgia has ordered that Bow Wow be arrested on sight, due to a legal matter dating back to 2009.

The 'Sweat' creator was the subject of a $100,000 lawsuit filed in Tennessee in 2009, after he failed to pay a tour bus company a bill he owed. The company then took the case to Georgia -- where he lived at the time -- in hopes that a court near his residence would uphold the decision.

Since he never produced documents regarding the lawsuit, the tour company filed a motion to have the rapper held in contempt. As a result, a Georgia judge ordered Bow Wow's arrest. He won't be released until he delivers the proper documents.
Amber Rose 'Loaded': Singer Likes to 'Party,' 'Works Hard' for Money

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Michael Stewart, Getty Images

Amber Rose is serious about a music career. Critics obviously aren't thrilled she's getting behind a microphone but she's not the first to capitalize on her time in the spotlight. Last month she released the Wiz Khalifa-assisted track 'Fame' and now she delivers a follow-up with 'Loaded,' a track that sounds much like something pop star Ke$ha would put out.

The song, produced by The Crew, finds Amber giving listeners an earful of the size of her bank account. The blonde model-turned-TV personality isn't hitting high notes here but rather uses a conversational tone to let the public know "I work hard for the money so listen to me honey."

As she moves over the uptempo dance floor ditty, Amber boasts about her fit frame -- "My fine ass is high class and there's nothing I'm missing" -- and the goods she splurges on -- "Gold watches, Margiela frames/ Lamborghinis in St. Tropez, tell the waiter to keep the change."
Kanye West: Middle East Film Project in the Works?

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Randy Brooke, WireImage

In its relations with the Middle East, the West hasn't always fared particularly well. Maybe Kanye West will have better luck. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the hip-hop superstar recently dispatched scouts to Doha, Qatar, and the UAE cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai -- all of which are possible locations for the film he hopes to begin shooting in March.

"They did a full round of meetings, speaking with various government agencies, institutions and private investors," a source told the website. "They toured each area and met with all the major players."

Yeezy is evidently plotting a 30-minute production "in between a long form music video and a short film." The lightning-rod rapper is certainly familiar with the region, having played there several times. Late last year, he and 'Watch the Throne' partner Jay-Z took home a rumored $6 million for the private concert they gave a wealthy sheik's family.
DJ Envy: Inside the DJ Booth

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Shareif Ziyadat, FilmMagic

DJ Envy thought he'd be in the NBA by now. It was a chance meeting at a Queens bus stop that prompted him to reconsider his lifetime goals as a teen. "I was on the way to school, and I saw this friend of mine, Ernesto. He used to always drive around in these expensive cars: Beamers, Lexuses, Mercedes...," Envy tells The BoomBox. "So I ran over to his car and asked what he did. He told me he was a DJ but I didn't believe him. I thought he was selling drugs." After school that day, Ernesto invited Envy to his family's house just across the street, where he was spinning records in the basement. Envy's longtime friend and neighbor ended up being DJ Clue. "He's showing me all his records and his turntables, and from that point on that was what I decided I wanted to do," says Envy, "Clue told me what equipment to buy, which turntables and which mixer."

The fledgling DJ set out battling on the turntables. He remembers the first record he bought: The Gap Band's 'We Can Make It Alright.' He also remembers winning his first showcase and being awarded a paltry $100. "I was like, 'Well, this ain't gonna pay the bills...' So I started doing mixtapes but it was hard because at that time Clue was the only one people wanted to buy," he recalls. Shortly after, he left New York City to attend Hampton University in Virginia. His fellow schoolmates unveiled an abundance of new artists from all over the south, including the Cash Money and No Limit rosters. "It opened me up to a whole different group of people, so I started throwing that on my mixtapes."
Madonna Super Bowl Halftime Show: Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.'s Middle Finger

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Christopher Polk, Getty Images

Life is a mystery. Everyone must stand alone. Except Madonna. Performing at this year's Super Bowl halftime show, Madge rolled up with voguing Roman soldiers, old-school breakdancers, tightrope walkers, cheerleaders, a marching band and special guests Nicki Minaj, M.I.A. and Cee Lo Green. She reworked some old tunes, played her new single and then disappeared into the floor, leaving us with the words "World Peace" spelled out on the field.


If Madonna, once the ultimate pop provocateur, seemed a risky choice for the halftime spectacular, NBC censors likely breathed a sigh of relief. Save for MIA's middle finger during the brand-new 'Give Me All Your Luvin',' Madonna played it safe. Opening with 'Vogue,' she writhed and gyrated as much as might be expected, at one point riding the members of LMFAO, but the whole thing was pretty tame.
Cee Lo's Super Bowl Strip Club Outing: Singer Reportedly Drops $10K

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Isaac Brekken, Getty Images

At this years Super Bowl, there are players -- dudes who put on helmets and pads and run around for 60 minutes -- and then there are players. Cee Lo Green is the latter. According to TMZ, the singer and rapper hit up an Indianapolis strip club in the wee hours of Thursday morning (Feb. 2) and dropped some $10,000 in cash.

The sometime Gnarles Barkley frontman rolled up with his homeys from the reunited Goodie Mob, and upon entering the house of gyration, sources say, Cee Lo asked for lap dances from "the baddest bitches in the club."
Drake: Ex-Girlfriend's 'Marvin's Room' Songwriting Lawsuit 'Without Merit'

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Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Reps for Drake have denied allegations that the Canadian hip-hop phenom cheated Ericka Lee -- a woman who claims to be both his ex-girlfriend and the co-writer of his hit 'Marvin's Room' -- out of songwriting royalties, TMZ reports.

"This claim is entirely without merit and our client has not engaged in any wrongful conduct," reads the statement.

According to Drizzy's peeps, Lee agreed to lend her voice to the track and initially sought no compensation. It was only after she lawyered up, reps say, that she started asking for money.
Lil Kim's Tax Trouble: Queen Bee Owes IRS More Than $1 Million

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Steve Mack, FilmMagic

Bow Wow has been grabbing headlines for his troubles with the IRS, but he's just a pup compared to Lil Kim. When it comes to owing money to the government, the Queen Bee is top dog. According to TMZ, the rapper owes the feds the astounding seven-figure sum of $1,026,862.42.

As per documents obtained by the gossip site, Kim owes money for every year spanning 2002 to 2009. In the last of those years alone, she wracked up $86,347.85 in tax debt -- an amount just recently heaped onto the total.

Between the colossal tax liens and her ongoing battle with Nicki Minaj, who disses her mercilessly on the track 'Stupid H--,' Lil Kim is going through a bit of a rough patch. Perhaps her long-awaited autobiography and documentary will help remind her of past glories and point the way toward the future -- and earn her some cash to pay off Uncle Sam.
Drake Sued: Ex-Girlfriend Seeks Royalties for 'Marvin's Room'

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Drake sued Marvin's RoomBarry Brecheisen, Getty Images

Drake has already admitted to making his ex-girlfriends cry with his close-to-home song lyrics based on past relationships. The candid rapper has said he gets "so immersed" in his songs that he forgets about what the subjects of his lyrics might feel when they hear the track -- until they call, that is. Or in the latest case of the ex, file a lawsuit against him!

Drake is being sued by Ericka Lee, who claims to be both his ex-girlfriend and the voice on the other end of the phone call in the rapper's emotional 'Take Care' hit, 'Marvin's Room.' Lee filed a suit in a Los Angeles court claiming she was excluded from sharing co-writer royalties for the drunk dial-inspired song.

According to the court papers, Lee and Drizzy shared both a romantic and professional relationship from early 2010 until mid-2011, calling it quits shortly after the June 2011 release of 'Marvin's Room.' Lee alleged that during that time, the two collaborated on a collection of song lyrics and poems, and that Drake agreed to split the 'Marvin's Room' earnings with her as a co-writer.
Rap Genius Lines of the Week From Pusha T, Joe Budden, Rockie Fresh

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Moses Robinson, Getty Images

Rap Genius is supplying The BoomBox with the top lyrics of the week and serving a meaning behind the raps in the process. This week had more than its fair share of exceptional punchlines. However, there seemed to also be something a bit more serious in the air, as several of our top lines are concerned with topics more weighty than how many synonyms for a kilo you can fit into one bar. While Pusha T talks money, Saigon tells us about animal flatulence -- no, really! -- Rockie Fresh shouts out Ed Norton, and Black Spade and Joe Budden provide a glimpse of other, more bleak sides of life.

5. "Used to be a college girl eating Lunchables/ Now your Phillip Lim sweats fitting comfortable" -- Pusha T, 'Untouchable'

Despite the "coke rap" tag often hung on Pusha's group The Clipse, the Thornton brothers have always been comfortable talking about subjects other than drugs. For example, clothes. Pusha, a clothing magnate himself via his Play Cloths brand, is always up on the latest trends. Here, P promises his lady designer sweatsuits, while drawing a hysterical contrast to her Oscar-Meyer-eating days a poor student.
John Legend Helps Kids Confront Social Issues With Marvin Gaye Song

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Mike Coppola, Getty Images

WASHINGTON (AP) - Grammy award-winning singer John Legend surprised a high school choir Tuesday at the Kennedy Center to help start a program encouraging young artists to confront social issues with their art, in honor of the late Marvin Gaye.

The project, 'What's Going On ... Now,' echoes Gaye's lyrics and asks young people to express how things have changed in the four decades since Gaye's hit album, 'What's Going On.'

Students can upload videos, photos, poems, music or any recordings of creative expression to the project's website to answer that question.

Gaye's groundbreaking 1971 Motown album tackled difficult social issues such as war, drug addiction and poverty, and asked audiences to reflect on the times. His 1972 performance at the Kennedy Center in his hometown was a historic comeback for Gaye - his first live performance in two years since the death of his singing partner and friend Tammi Terrell. It's also believed to be the only time Gaye sang his entire 'What's Going On' album in concert.