DMX Making Progress In Rehab

Rapper DMX’s stint in a drug rehabilitation in an Arizona jail is going very well, according to a judge handling the rapper’s case.
The judge denied DMX’s original request to leave the jail and appear on Dr. Drew Pinsky’s Celebrity Rehab television show.

DMX, born Earl Simmons, has infamously battled substance abuse over the past decade.

He is currently serving six months in prison for violating his probation after he admitted to using cocaine.

Before entering into prison, Dr. Drew offered to treat DMX at his center in California.

TMZ.com reports that the a Maricopa County judge denied DMX’s request to appear on Celebrity Rehab because he is making good progress in the rehab program he is currently enrolled in, which ends in July.

Game Looked Forward To Chart Battle With Drake

Rapper Game was looking for a friendly chart battle with Drake when both men had albums set for a June 15 release date.

The R.E.D. Album has been pushed back, but his Canadian peer is still set for the summer release.

Before the change in date, Game anticipated going head-up with Drake.

“It's all in the love of Hip-hop I'm a fan of Drake,” the Compton rapper told AllHipHop.com “It's not even a competition its more like go out and get both albums because they're both good.”

Game suggested that Drake would sell more, due to his buzz, but said his own was growing rapidly.

“Usually I say [I will sell more] but that ni**a's buzz is [very loud] but we'll see. One thing about it though I’m about to pound the streets so whoever is on his team better be ready because that's the competition. 400 bars was just the beginning,” Game said.

The Game recently released a popular mixtape, The R.E.D. Room, which has sustained his popularity in the streets and internet. Furthermore, he has released a number of videos.

The R.E.D. Room is set for a June 29 release date now

Will Smith Goes 3D For Men In Black 3

Will Smith has signed on to star in Men In Black 3, which will be released in 3D.

Smith will be reunited with director Barry Sonnenfeld in the movie, which will feature a plot centered around the rapper/actor traveling back in time, to 1969.

According to sources, producers of the 3D flick are currently negotiating with MIB’s previous co-star, Tommy Lee Jones and actor Josh Brolin, who will play a younger version of Jones’ character.

MIB in 3D will be executive produced by legendary filmmaker Steve Spielberg and is slated to hit theaters on May 25, 2012, during Memorial Day weekend.

Ex-Prison Guard Denies Spying On Lil Wayne In Jail

A former guard at Rikers Island may sue after she was terminated for allegedly spying on rapper Lil Wayne.

Officials at Rikers Island, the New York jail that houses the rapper, charged that Amelia Negron went into the unit where Wayne stayed without appropriate authorization.

Negron denied the charges.

“I don’t even like rap. I like rock and alternative music and didn’t know much about him when they said I tried to see him. None of it’s true,” she told the New York Daily News.

Negron admitted to going into the ward that held Wayne, but she said she was there to speak to a co-worker, not the multi-platinum artist.

“The door to the area was unlocked, and so I went in to say hello, and that officer said, ‘Hey, you can’t be here. We’ve got a celeb here.’ I said, ‘Okay, no problem,’ turned around and left.”

She said afterwards, she was subsequently threatened.

“ did nothing wrong, but [I was] threatened with criminal charges, transfers, suspensions.”

Officials in the Correction Department maintain that the firing was just.

Negron is consulting her lawyers with the expectation that she will sue.

Kelis Asks Judge To Terminate Marriage With Nas Immediately

R&B singer Kelis is seeking to make her divorce from Nas official immediately, as opposed to going through with legal proceedings.

TMZ.com reports that Kelis filed court documents last week seeking to have their marriage “terminated as soon as possible.”

Kelis told the court that she believed there is no chance of reconciliation with the rapper and is asking the court to wait until a later date to address all “other issues.”

Just last week, a judge in Los Angeles Superior Court ordered Nas to pay Kelis over $299,000 in child support costs, spousal support and also to cover her legal bills.

The rapper was ordered to pay $155,787.28 for Kelis’ lawyers, $48,549.83 in accounting bills, $47,249.42 in back child support and $40,454 in back spousal support.

Nas was cleared of a contempt of court charge last week, after he paid the entire balance of the child support bill.

"All I want to do is make music and raise my kids. Nothing else matters,” Nas said in a statement last week.

Nas also owes an estimated $3 million dollars in back taxes to the IRS.

He is currently preparing to release his highly anticipated album with Damian Marley titled Distant Relatives, which is due in stores May 18th.

Kelis' new album Flesh Tone is due in stores July 6th on the will.I.am Music Group.

Jim Jones Heading To High School To Teach Music Class

Harlem, New York rapper Jim Jones will begin teaching a 6-week high school course to educate students on the inner-working of the music business.

Jones was cleared by the Board of Education in New York to teach the class, and he will begin teaching Music Business 101 on Tuesday (April 27th) in New York.

The course is being presented by Entertainers 4 Education (E4EA), a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2005 by entertainment executive, Tonya Lewis and educator J.P. Taylor.

The rapper is on the board of the non-profit organization, which educates students on the importance of education and self development.

After Jones finishes teaching the high school students on Monday, he will head over to Fordham University, to speak to college-level students about the music industry.

At both events, Jones will specifically teach the kids about artist management, creative control over content, intellectual property, production, distribution, music operations and music business “threats.”

“Jim has been a longstanding E4EA board member,” said Tonya Lewis, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Entertainers 4 Education Alliance Inc. “He is a true hip hop talent who will teach and inspire kids about the many aspects of the music industry. We know he will have a positive impact on the kids.”

Jones’ Music Business 101 is a six-week course that starts April 27th and will be taught every subsequent Tuesday for the next six weeks.

Other members of E4EA’s board include MTV personality Sway Calloway, NBA legend John Starks, R&B singer/rapper Tyrese Gibson and others.

Remy Ma Victim Suing Rapper’s Label Over Shooting

Remy Ma shooting victim Makeda Barnes-Joseph has renewed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the jailed rapper’s label Universal Music Group.
In 2007, Barnes-Joseph was shot twice in the abdomen by her former friend Remy Ma (real name Reminisce Smith) over a financial dispute. The crime resulted in Remy being sentenced to 8 years in prison, which the she is currently serving in New York’s penal system.
Barnes-Joseph filed her suit against Universal in 2008, claiming the company encouraged Remy’s criminal behavior by allowing violence in her music and retaining her as an “employee” during the criminal investigation.
The label countered with a motion summary judgment to have the complaint dismissed, which Judge Betty Owen granted last April.
Barnes-Jospeh’s attorney, Lauren P. Raysor, filed an Appellate Brief on February 2 to appeal the decision, arguing her client’s case was not given due process as “the Court either disregarded or misunderstood the employment status of Remy Smith, aka "Remy Ma," with Universal Music Group at the time of the shooting.”
Earlier this week, opening oral arguments began in New York State Supreme Court.
Remy Ma also has an ongoing appeal regarding her conviction. If it fails, she can be eligible for release in 2013.