Str8HipHip

Pop singer Rihanna is due to speak for the first time about the night she was beaten by her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, saying in a TV interview that this could happen to anyone. R&B singer Brown, 20, was sentenced to five years probation and community service in August for attacking Rihanna, 21, on the eve of the Grammy Awards in February. He has since apologized for the assault but has remained largely out of the media spotlight. In an interview with Diana Sawyer due to be aired on ABC's program "Good Morning America" on Thursday and Friday this week, the Barbadian singer says Brown was "definitely my first big love."

Google Wednesday announced a widely anticipated addition to its popular search engine that reduces the number of steps one has to take between hearing about a piece of music and actually hearing it, thanks to partnerships with a bevy of music services: imeem, Lala, MySpace's recently-acquired iLike, Pandora and Rhapsody. Search for any artist, album or song in the regular Google search box, and Google's new "OneBox" music search feature ? rolling out to U.S. users starting now ? displays a box of playable search results, so you can hear what something sounds like with one click of the play button.

Shyne was released from the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials today (October 27) and deported to Belize, his original country of origin, where his father Dean Barrow serves as Prime Minister. The rapper boarded a Continental Airlines flight in Buffalo, New York with Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree. He is slated to enter Belize City around 5:00 PM EST, where he will be interviewed and processed by Belize police. Shyne, born Jamal Barrow, served almost nine years in prison for his role in a violent nightclub shooting in 1999 involving Bad Boy mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and his ex-girlfriend, actress Jennifer Lopez.

Jay-Z loves to take hip-hop where it has never gone before — well, how about the World Series? Hov and Alicia Keys will be performing the Big Apple anthem "Empire State of Mind" on Wednesday at the new Yankee Stadium before game one's first pitch is thrown, Jay confirmed to MTV News on Monday (October 26). "First of all, the new [Yankee] Stadium — it's the Yankees and it's game one of the World Series," Jay said while promoting his "DJ Hero: Renegade Edition" video game, which sees him teamed up with Eminem. The Yanks happen to be Hov's favorite baseball team. "I'm beyond excited about it, and on top of that, it's a New York record. It's a record that pays homage to New York [and which was also performed at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards]. The timing of that couldn't be better," Hov enthused.

With four nominations each, Beyonce, Keri Hilson and Maxwell head the list of nominees for the Soul Train Awards. The awards ceremony, hosted by actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, will be the first special aired on BET's recently launched CENTRIC Network. Taping November 3 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, the "CENTRIC Presents: 2009 Soul Train Awards" will premiere on both CENTRIC and BET in a special simulcast on November 29 at 9 p.m. In addition to awards presented in various categories, the show will salute the careers of Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, Antonio "L.A." Reed and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. The Soul Train Awards will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of Motown Records and honor the late Michael Jackson with the Entertainer of the Year Award.

Apple Inc's profits and sales streaked past Wall Street forecasts as iPhone and Mac sales hit quarterly records, sending its shares rocketing to all-time highs. Sales of Mac computers -- the largest single contributor to Apple's revenue -- jumped a better-than-foreseen 17%, but shipments of the closely watched iPhone were held back by problems in producing enough to meet demand, particularly abroad. "The big story is the renewed ascendancy of the Mac," said Barry Jaruzelski, a partner at consulting firm Booz & Co. "The only surprise would be when Apple doesn't surprise on earnings... The Mac and iPhone continue to grow and take share, and they're taking share with premium pricing."

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit emcee P Money is hip hop. He is bringing back the “real” hip hop sound as some would call it. His passion for music and drive are sure to make him a well known brand within hip hop culture, thus making him one of today’s rising stars. P Money’s lyrical content can be compared along to some of the hottest artist out today. His charm and passion will draw you in but his music will keep you. Ladies love him guys respect him but this is only the beginning.

WHAT HIP HOP CRITICS ARE SAYING

Michael Jackson didn't do it his way after all. Hours after the pop singer's first posthumous single "This Is It" was released amid great hype on Monday, it emerged that the tune had been recorded 18 years ago by an obscure Puerto Rican singer. Moreover the co-author of that tune, "My Way" songwriter Paul Anka, threatened to sue Jackson's estate for proper credit and his share of royalties. The administrators of the estate quickly acknowledged Anka's claims and granted him 50 percent of the copyright, a potentially massive payday for the 68-year-old Canadian crooner. And an equally massive loss for the estate.

As the recorded-music business continues its migration to the digital domain, and relies less on sales of physical music formats, the big companies in the sector are developing strategies that position advertising and branded content as core revenue streams. Up until now, neither area has been very significant to music-industry coffers, analysts and executives said. The shift in strategy, sources said, should result in a boost of online music-video ad spending in the next three years of between $100 million to $500 million across the music business. Some say the figure may be even higher. By comparison, eMarketer predicts that total online video sales will grow from $850 million this year to $3 billion in 2012.

NEW YORK & LONDON—September 30, 2009—I-play, Oberon Media’s publishing division and the world’s leading multi-platform casual games publisher, today launched Hip Hop All Star for iPhone™ and iPod® touch. 

Featuring an original playlist with some of the biggest names in hip hop including Busta Rhymes and Kid Cudi, Hip Hop All Star introduces an all-new way for fans and hip hop enthusiasts to experience their favorite tracks.  Turning the iPhone into virtual turntables, players use the touch screen to scratch and spin their way to DJ stardom.  Hip Hop All Star brings the swagger back to music games with a playlist starring hip hop chart-toppers alongside old-school hip hop classics, some of them exclusive to the game.