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Eminem, Nas & Dr. Dre Among Performers At Beats Music Launch Party

Busta Rhymes, Pharcyde, Bone thugs-n-harmony, Method Man & Redman and Scarface also performed at the "Live Playlist" event in Los Angeles. With the launching of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s Beats Music streaming service this past Sunday (January 20), ABC is now reporting that Grammy winner and longtime Dre collaborator Eminem performed alongside other Hip Hop luminaries at the service’s Los Angeles launch party last night (January 24). Eminem joined a cast of performers on the set list that included but was not limited to Nas, Teddy Riley & Blackstreet, members of Pharcyde, and Busta Rhymes. Ma$e and Diddy also reportedly reunited on stage to perform their collaboration “It’s All About The Benjamins.” MTV reports that Macklemore attended the party, but did not perform on stage. Last night’s launch party closely precedes the airing of the 56th Annual Grammy Awards tomorrow evening (January 26). Eminem, who has been nominated for an award within the Best Rap Performance category for his hit song “Berzerk,” unveiled his public affiliation with the company in August of 2013 with a collaborative commercial during the MTV Video Music Awards announcing his latest album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2. Billboard cites a previous interview with the rapper’s manager, Paul Rosenberg, in an explanation of the partnership. "The partnership with Beats is the relationship with Em, Dre and Jimmy from the beginning of time," he said. "That’s really where that comes from. When we were discussing who the potential partners were going to be for this record, it was the first time that Beats was able to come in and say ‘Hey, we’re the right partner for you, because there’s obvious natural synergy, and by the way, we’re a really big company now and we can do this.'” Beats Music, a paid, subscription-based streaming service, was spawned from Dre and Iovine’s Beats Electronic. Beats Electronic, which is best known for its line of personal headphones named after the rapper/producer, joined with Monster Cable in an exclusive manufacturing partnership for three years between 2009 and 2012. Since the resolution of that contract, Beats has manufactured its own products. In late 2013, the company appointed a new Chief Operating Officer in Matthew Costello, a man previously employed by Ikea and the cell-phone manufacturer HTC which formerly owned a majority stake in the company. Beats Music is currently available for $9.99 per month and is advertising a catalog of 20 million songs. The service hopes to distinguish itself from other streaming subscriptions like Pandora, Spotify, and Slacker Radio with its own proprietary algorithm of curating music for customers. Despite its launch earlier in the week, the service has already suffered connectivity issues for some users. The company issued a statement encouraging users that were able to connect to continue utilizing the service and promised a swift fix for those who were unable to use the subscription. Beats Music also extended its free trial period to 14 days from its original week-long promotion following the announcement. The service was launched with the help of a $60 million investment from Warner Music Group owner Leonard Blavatnik’s Access Industries. Billboard also reports that besides advertisement slots throughout the NFL playoffs, Beats Music has purchased a $4 million 30-second Super Bowl advertisement slated to run on Sunday, February 2. HipHopDX has obtained a photograph of the setlist for the Los Angeles event, which can be seen below.

No Malice Says "There Is No Clipse Album In The Works"

Rumors of a Clipse reunion have intensified this month, but No Malice says that there is no validity to those rumors. “There is no Clipse album in the works,” No Malice said in an interview with Fader. “It’s not going down. I don’t know where the rumor stems from. And I don’t know how this keeps coming back up. This isn’t the first time. But I would never play with the fans like that and act like something’s about to happen and it’s not.” Earlier this month, a rumor of a Clipse reunion spread when a status update was posted on Pusha T’s verified Facebook page stating, “It’s coming…” The caption was accompanied by a picture of Clipse and a link to a KarenCivil.com story titled “Clipse End Hiatus, Set to Release Independent Album?” Soon after this post was made, Pusha denied leaking information about a reunion album. “I never leaked anything about the Clipse,” he said. “I didn’t do that. All I did was tell everybody I was in the studio for 20 days with Pharrell and Chad. And then there was a leak that happened and other people just found out that other people were down. But I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t do that. So, right now I’m on my Pusha T right now. I don’t wanna mislead nobody, but we just working.” No Malice also previously addressed a potential reunion album. "My brother and I are taking two different approaches to music," No Malice said in an interview with Pow TV Rap Show. "I'm very proud of the Clipse catalog. I really enjoyed that music and most of all, it's made me who I am today. That's not the kind of music I'm doing. I still hold out hope for a Clipse reunion. I really believe that we will be able to do it, but any music that I make is totally 100 percent going to glorify God. That's what I do. That's what I'm about. I'm still holding out hope that can happen."

Kendrick Lamar Discusses Hip Hop's Role In Black History

Kendrick Lamar covers "Jet's" Black History issue and describes Jay Z's influence. Kendrick Lamar appears on the cover of Jet's Black History issue. In the magazine, Kendrick Lamar discusses the impact that Hip Hop has on Black history. “Hip Hop plays a huge part in Black history," Lamar says in the Jet piece. "It’s bigger than music. Entertainers are actually leading a generation today as role models, whether they want to or not." One of those entertainers is Jay Z, a fellow rapper who has earned success after an upbringing in poverty. "People forget that Jay Z is from the projects, but that inspires me," Lamar, who also appears on the cover of ESPN The Magazine's Music Issue, says. "If this guy can go from the streets to the corporate world, that lets me know I’m open for anything." Lamar also says he is open to more than simply "clever line" writing in the article, where he explains how he views the songwriting process. “The songs aren’t for me," Lamar says. "They are for that person who needs to hear them. People who live their lives to this music. So I take it a little further than just coming up with a clever line." The full article is set to be released in the February 17 issue of Jet, which is slated to hit newsstands January 27. The cover can be viewed below.

50 Cent Addresses G-Unit Reunion & Relationship With Game

50 Cent says he'll "never work" with former G-Unit affiliate, Game. G-Unit's status as a Hip Hop collective is up in the air as neither they nor 50 Cent have released a studio album in almost five years. In a recent interview with Complex, the Queens native addressed his group and says there needs to be better cooperation for any possible future work to happen. "G-Unit is something that I built, with the momentum of 50 Cent and the music I created," 50 Cent said when asked about G-Unit. "They had the opportunities. The object was to grow it outside from the people that was around me, but people change and won’t stay the same. As relationships grow older, everyone is off into their own little things. "Tell me where’s the interest from G-Unit members. You got new guys out there that don’t have the support of record companies and are working, just to sustain and generate that energy that’s there. I like to collaborate with them, did it for a long time. Maybe there’s a point that we’ll come back together and make a disc." 50 Cent also mentioned former clique member Game when addressing the group and said he'll "never work with Game." Fif's fifth studio album, Street King Immortal is slated for a 2014 release. Preceding the album, a project called Animal Ambition is scheduled to be released. 50 also recently released a song called "This Is Murder Not Music," which gave fans an opportunity to hear what recent 50 Cent music sounds like.

We’re gonna cut to the chase on this one: What’s good with G-Unit right now?

G-Unit is something that I built, with the momentum of 50 Cent and the music I created. They had the opportunities. The object was to grow it outside from the people that was around me, but people change and won’t stay the same. As relationships grow older, everyone is off into their own little things. Unless you gonna hold them into the way they think like—“you better not think you gonna do something else,” like that—that was the Death Row motto. They kept them in check so they didn’t move out of the way. And if you don’t do that because you wanna see them grow to their highest potential, and they don’t want it: Where is it?

Tell me where’s the interest from G-Unit members. You got new guys out there that don’t have the support of record companies and are working, just to sustain and generate that energy that’s there. I like to collaborate with them, did it for a long time. Maybe there’s a point that we’ll come back together and make a disc. And whom do you mean when you say the whole G-Unit?

We can talk about the big three or the infamous five. Shoot.

It’ll never be five. That’ll never happen. I don’t even know if that’s possible because I don’t talk to them. I haven’t had communications with Young Buck since he been out of jail. I’ll never work with Game.

True. But you know Buck trying hard right now to get back in the game.

I hope he get it. But for me, I couldn’t move forward with the things that I want if I was concentrating on holding someone else back. Buck is out and active, but even when saying you seen him doing stuff: Where are the other members? See what I’m saying. You see the news and all the video stuff, I guess they expect me to shoot it and do it.

But let me ask you a question: How would you feel if you were a boss of a company, which you had to pay for, and the people who work for you switched to you work for them? If they are not moving and waiting for you to do it, that means you actually did the work. So it’s like, “you can call me when you’re ready to work for me.” If they are sustaining energy and building their own thing, we’re talking a different thing.

Daylyt Discusses Drake's Singing, Mannerisms & Battle Rap Potential

Daylyt praises Drake and examines his suitability for the Battle Rap ring. Drake is unquestionably a polarizing figure in Hip Hop, drawing praise, as well as ire, from his peers. In an interview on Vlad TV, Battle Rap emcee Daylyt provided his perspective on Drizzy. "I like Drake," he said. "I like Drake a lot. He was supposed to be at the last [King of the Dot] event... He would've actually gotten to witness what I did. ...He couldn't make it because of the [MTV] VMAs. I fuck with Drake. I actually like his music a lot, a whole lot. "A lot of people is like, 'He too bitchy, he sing a lot,' ...I don't think so," Daylyt added. "I like it. What's the name of his single? 'Just Hold On.' Alright. With that song alone, that let me know that he's here to stay for a long time. That's in the Michael Jacksons and all that shit. That song is in that area, and rappers don't get shit like that. As a rapper, you don't get them type of songs that go into that field. I'm a real nigga, and I find myself singing that shit." When asked whether he though Drake could succeed in a battle setting, Daylyt pointed to Drake's mannerisms as the biggest issue. "Now, there's elements to this Battle Rap shit," he said. "Drake, indeed, he sounds very appealing behind the booth, behind the Pro Tools. Battling, there's a lot of things that play a factor in battling. Your arm movement, your body language. I've seen Drake, a couple of Drake interviews, of just his body language. I watch his body language, and I notice a few things about Drake. Drake my boy, don't be offended when I say this, but you know, last interview I seen from Drake... I was like, 'Ooh, Drake, that don't look too mannish.'" Ultimately, Daylyt believes that Drake's acting chops could serve him well in the Battle Rap ring. "But, Drake in the ring? I don't know. I don't know. He's an actor. People don't remember this. The guy is an actor. The nigga played [a person] in a wheelchair... This man is an actor. So if he can fake being in a wheelchair... then he can go through some training to learn how to battle. Easily." In August 2013, Drake was meant to attend King of the Dot's "World Domination 4." He was unable to attend due to an appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards. He made a YouTube video addressing the Battle Rap event. "It's killing me that I'm stuck in New York right now, rehearsing for VMAs," Drake said in the clip. "I've been watching the pay-per-view on live stream. Me and Organik spent so much time going back-and-forth on the phone trying to piece these battles together. Some of these battles are like dream battles that I wish I was there to see in person." Watch the interview below:

Bone thugs-n-harmony Hopes For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction

Bone thugs-n-harmony is known for their rapping style and numerous hit singles that've inspired many rappers of today. Recently appearing on The Arsenio Hall Show, Bone talked about aiming for one of their goals–an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "We feel blessed to be contributed something so substantial to music and now we aiming for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is in Cleveland," Layzie Bone said when asked about the group's unique style. "We marching for it and we want that star on Hollywood." The group also talked about how they developed their rapping style and their impact on Hip Hop music as a whole. "We were around the burning barrel in our neighborhood, over the years putting more and more words into our sentences and them flipping them into the cadence of the beat, double-timing and then over the years, with the singing and all it just all started blending," Layzie said. "We married hardcore rap and melodic sounds together and it was the first time it was did so now you've got your R&B doing Bone thugs-n-harmony, you've got every Hip Hop artist that's out being influenced by what we did so it's just like we very happy to be here." Bone thugs-n-harmony has recently been touring. Krayzie Bone recently told HipHopDX Art of War III is not "what everyone thinks" it is. The group headlined “West Coast Feast” in November with DJ Quik and performed at Rock The Bells with a hologram of Eazy-E in September. Watch the full interview with Arsenio Hall below:

50 Cent Still Facing Sex Tape Lawsuit

A judge ruled that 50 Cent still faces charges of posting without permission a video online of one of Rick Ross's former girlfriends having sex.

A New York judge ruled Thursday (December 2) that 50 Cent still could face charges for posting without permission a video online of one of Rick Ross's former girlfriends having sex, nydailynews.com reports.

The judged denied 50 Cent’s motion to dismiss the case, which was filed in 2010 after 50 Cent allegedly posted a 2008 video of Lastonia Leviston having sex with then-boyfriend Maurice Murray. She is suing 50 Cent for unspecified damages due to the mental and emotional distress she says the video’s release caused her. The clip logged more than 3 million hits online, according to nydailynews.com.

The judge said Thursday that there was sufficient evidence to allow a jury to decide whether or not Leviston’s claims are valid.

Murray gave the tape to 50 Cent in 2009, according to court documents. The rapper recognized Leviston as a former girlfriend of Rick Ross, with whom 50 Cent was feuding at the time, nydailynews.com says.

50 Cent said in a sworn deposition that he edited the tape and inserted himself into as a character named “Pimpin Curly” in order to mock Ross. 50 Cent also said he is not the one who posted the video.