Str8HipHip

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.

Jim Jones pleaded guilty in a New York courtroom on Monday (October 5) to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from an incident last December involving a member of Ne-Yo's entourage, according to The Associated Press. According to police, Jones allegedly kicked and punched someone traveling with the R&B star. Police did not release the man's name at the time, but it was widely believed to be someone (now identified as Jayvon Smith) who was related to an associate of Jay-Z's (Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith). The two rappers have long been at odds. The scuffle occurred in front of the Louis Vuitton store on Fifth Avenue in New York, though according to the AP, Jones' attorney denied that his client initiated the December 22 fight.

Rapper makes an appearance on 'Raditude' Weezer's Rivers Cuomo has revealed that Lil Wayne has recorded a guest rap on a song on the band's forthcoming new album, 'Raditude'. The singer/guitarist told MTV News that he enlisted the rapper to give the song "edge" – although did not reveal which specific track he guests on. "We got Lil Wayne to come in and do a rap on it," he said. "Any other rapper would've just done, 'Yay, we're partying! Let's drink and have fun,' but he gave it the edge I was looking for. "You can hear in his voice, it sounds so dark, like he was gonna get shot or something when he walks out of the studio. So I was real happy that everyone involved got what we were going for."

Kanye West and Lady Gaga's highly anticipated tour is over before it even began. Just days after announcing dates for an ambitious joint show that was to kick off next month, the tour was canceled. Live Nation announced the news in a brief statement Thursday that did not offer any explanation. Refunds are available for those who brought tickets for the tour. It was to kick off Nov. 10 in Phoenix and was scheduled to run through at least January. The name of the tour was to be "Fame Kills" — a sentiment West may have been feeling in recent weeks. The Grammy-winning rapper has endured a firestorm of negative publicity since he hijacked the award-winning moment of country-pop sweetheart Taylor Swift at last month's MTV Video Music Awards.

With its 14th week at the Hot 100 summit, "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas matches Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" for longest No. 1 stay this decade. The Peas have now held firm at No. 1 for 26 straight weeks, with "Boom Boom Pow" preceding "Feeling" with a 12-week run, making them the second act in the 51-year history of the Hot 100 to remain at No. 1 for a half a calendar year or more. The other was Usher, who spent 28 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2004 with four tracks. On the wings of strong first-week download sales (110,000), Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova" makes the Hot 100's biggest leap (96-11). The song opens at No. 8 on Hot Digital Songs, Underwood's eighth top 10 on that list since it launched in February 25. That sum ties her with Beyonce for second most top 10s among females, trailing only Rihanna who's reached the upper tier 12 times. "Casanova" previews Underwood's third studio album, "Play On," set to hit retail on Nov. 3.

YouTube and Warner Music Group made it official today, announcing a new content licensing deal that will bring the label’s content back to the popular video streaming service after a nine-month absence. The main difference of the new deal is that Warner will now be the one selling advertising around its videos rather than YouTube. This will allow the label to set its own prices for those advertisements as well as keep the majority of the ad revenues that result. YouTube will receive an undefined cut of all revenue under the terms of the agreement. “We feel this is a sustainable model that works for both parties,” says YouTube head of music Chris Maxcy. “It puts control and success of their future in their own hands.”