While Miami Boss Rick Ross has been quietly prepping his upcoming album Deeper Than Rap, he promises to stir up some trouble soon when he releases two new tracks in the coming weeks.

MTV News reports that Ross, who has recently split with longtime label Slip-N-Slide Records, will drop his latest disc on his own imprint Maybach Music Group. And with the new direction, the gangsta rapper plans on addressing several situations and people on the song “Mafia Music.”

“It’s a scathing four-and-half-minute nonstop flow, me being autobiographical about my life and my come-up and my triumph,” he told MTV. “Of course, I had to address a few things, I had to address a few people. I love it. The thing is, some people are gonna be — um —they’re gonna be fucked up. That’s the best way I can put it.”

It’s official, after being nominated in September, legendary hip-hop group Run DMC has earned a spot at the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame according to New York’s Daily News.

The trio hailing from Hollis, Queens are largely credited as the first major rap act to crossover in to the mainstream with such hits as “My Addidas,” “Run’s House,” “King of Rock,” “It’s Tricky” and “Walk This Way.” Consisting of Run (Joesph Simmons), DMC (Darryl McDaniels) and the late DJ Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell), Run DMC will be the second hip-hop group to make to make it in to the hall. In 2007 rap pioneers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were honored.

Nas and Kelis are reportedy are on their way to becoming parents.

According to Us Weekly the hip-hop power couple, who got married 3 years ago in Atlanta, are extremely excited about the birth of their first child together. “It’s all they are talking about,” a close source told the celebrity publication. “She is carrying hip-hop royalty!”

Many of the items set to hit the auction block later this month from Suge Knight’s famed West Coast rap label Death Row Records have been announced.

According to radio personality Miss Info, the public auction will allow fans to take home a piece of hip-hop history. Attendees will get the chance to place their bid on many of Suge Knight’s former possessions, including Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre’s “Source Awards,” Tupac Shakur collectibles and framed gold and platinum records. Also up for sale is the actual Death Row Records electric chair, 300,000 sealed CDs, and promotional materials from throughout the company’s history.

For those interested in taking a sneak peak at all the above pieces a public inspection will take place on Friday, January 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 pm at 1930 W. Malvern Ave in Fullerton, CA. The auction is at 11 a.m. on Sunday, January 30 at the same warehouse.

While awaiting sentencing for several charges in Arizona, DMX granted his first interview behind bars since being arrested.

X opened up with Phoenix station KSAZ about many subjects including his problems with controlled substances, his religious aspirations and plans for an upcoming gospel album and TV show.

The troubled rapper, whose exploits in AZ, were chronicled in the BET reality series “DMX: Soul of a Man,” is ready to return to the small screen. “I’m gonna start a TV show while I’m in here, [called] ‘Pain and Perseverance,’” he told the news network. “It’s about how I can reach people the average person can’t reach because I’m grounded, and I’m gonna give my first sermon in the church

[Without any new rap releases on the charts this week, many hip-hop artists were able to hold on to their Billboard 200 position.

Continuing to lead the rap pack is Kanye West who sits tight at the number 3 position for the second week in a row. According to the Nielsen SoundScan 808s & Heartbreak managed to sell around 50,490 additional copies this week making his total numbers round out at 1,145,350.

Moving up one spot is Akon who just made it into the top 10 this week. 26,880 copies of the Senegal sensation’s third solo disc, Freedom flew off shelves this cycle, bringing the Senegal sensation’s overall sales to approximately 377,180.

Like Kanye, T.I. also stays put at 13 again this week as Paper Trail moved 22,360 units. After 15 weeks on the charts, Tip has managed to scan over 1,576,640 copies of his latest effort.Falling 6 spots to number 20 is fellow ATL giant Ludacris. With only 18,850 units sold this go-around, the rapper/actor is about 10,000 units shy of Theatre of the Mind officially reaching gold status.

After failing to pay a $337,500 judgment, a tax accountant that was shot by Rich Boy’s brother, is pursuing the Alabama rapper all the way to Atlanta to pay up.

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that Chaz Mosley won a lawsuit against RB (born Marece Richards) and his brother Irving O. Richards in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama four months ago, for a shooting incident that occurred in ’05. The rapper has not made good on his payment, so Mosley’s legal team have packed up their bags and followed him to the ATL - where the rapper is known to stay - and filed a lawsuit in the county in hopes to collect.

2008 was a phenomenal year for New Orleans rapper Lil’ Wayne. Along with having one of the highest selling albums of the year with his multi-platinum effort Tha Carter III, Weezy also picked up the most Grammy nods of any other artist. Now MTV news has confirmed that the self described “greatest rapper alive” will be performing at the prestigious event.

Wayne was nominated for eight awards, including Song of the Year, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and the coveted Album of the Year.

Koch Entertainment has just inked five labels, whose collective roster includes such rap acts as Bun B and his Middle Fingaz crew, MJG from veteran Memphis duo 8 Ball and MJG and former Ultramagnetic MC Kool Keith.

Under the agreement, the indie powerhouse will now distribute all releases from Nina Easton’s IMG International/404 Music Network, Tenacity Records, Unruly Records, Greenstreets Entertainment and Doc Music Group

Days after it was announced that Jermaine Dupri was fired from his position at Island Records, the Atlanta producer/music exec has spoke to Essence magazine to tell his side of the story.

JD, who served as the president of urban music at the label for the last two years, said he just wasn’t happy there anymore. “It was a situation where it felt very stagnant to me,” he told Essence. “As a person who is used to putting out new records and continuing to do that, it just wasn’t turning over as being that place to me where I should stick to it and see if it was going to turn around.”

Known for heading his own So So Def record company and crafting hit records for Jay-Z, Da Brat, Bow Wow and Mariah Carey, among others, the industry vet revealed that he was very disappointed with the way business was handled at Island Def Jam. “It wasn’t giving me the open door that I thought it was going to,” he continued. “It wasn’t aggressive enough and it was a big letdown for me. I thought I was going to a place that understood the times we were in as a music business and how aggressive we needed to be with putting out new projects and records.”

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony rapper Bizzy Bone was reportedly robbed last week in California.

The Los Angeles Times blog reports that the Midwest MC was assaulted and choked by several men in his Universal Hilton hotel room before getting his jewelry stolen. Authorities believe an anti-gang worker is responsible for the crime that occurred on January 5, and have already arrested the man, identified as Marlo “Bow Wow” Jones.

BET announced today plans to premiere a new series that finds celebrities playing tricks on their biggest supporters.

Titled “Played By Fame,” the show follows fans as they think they are getting invited to spend a day with their favorite artists, only to hit by a series of pranks.

With barely a week before President-elect Barack Obama is officially sworn into office, many of today’s biggest hip-hop stars including Jay-Z, T.I., Young Jeezy and Common have all confirmed that they will all be celebrating the historic date at capital city’s Love nightclub.

For five consecutive days leading up to Obama’s inauguration, Love will be playing host to the visiting rappers. Starting on Friday (1/16) Jay-Z will kick off the festivities with his inaugural gala. The celebration continues on Saturday with the “BET Honors” ceremony hosted by Diddy. On Sunday T.I., Young Jeezy and Akon will be performing with DJ Cassidy and on the following day Chicago rapper Common will be hitting the stage.

Since appearing in XXL’s Freshman Class of ’09 cover story, Bronx-bred rapper Mickey Factz has been doing big things, most recently partnering with Honda for a national campaign advertising their 2009 Accord.

Factz hit up XXLmag.com to talk about his commercial with the car company and how the deal came about. “People see that I’m a sensible character as far as an artist,” he said. “The music that I make is inspiring to a lot of people. I’m not talking about driving in a Bentley or having crazy chains on. Everybody knows Honda is a sensible car for a sensible people. Most artists are portraying this lifestyle that they are ballin’ out of control and most of the fans are [sensible] fans and they purchase regular stuff… and that’s why they picked me.”

In the ad Factz portrays a paralegal by day and by night he runs the biggest “hip-hop internet radio show in the country.” “Honda serves as the sensible, everyday car for the everyday man, so you’ll see Mickey Factz using the Honda to get to work and then you’ll see Mickey Factz using the Honda to get to his radio show,” he says of he clip. “The Honda plays the integral part in the commercial and in my life too.”

As T.I. prepares to go behind bars in March, he will have the cameras rolling in an effort to set teens on the right course.

The Associated Press reports that Tip’s upcoming MTV reality show “T.I’s Road to Redemption: 45 Days to Go” will be premiering next month, and the Atlanta rap giant hopes the show will scare teens straight.

The rapper, born Clifford Harris, was convicted of felony gun charges last year and as part of his plea deal was sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service, to be completed before his March 27 prison date, as well as a year and day behind bars.

Koch Records announced today that Dipset capo Jim Jones will be the new vice president of urban A&R at the label.

Under the new role, Jones will be responsible for signing new acts. Jim has long history at the label, along with releasing a handful of records, he also put out the DVD for the indie called A Day In The Fastlife.

“Jim Jones put Koch on the map,” label prez Alan Grunblatt said in a statement. “He truly knows what it takes to make a hit record. I am thrilled to be working with him for many years to come.”

ESPN has tapped Lil’ Wayne and Wyclef Jean to join in on their Big Weekend event set to go down during Super Bowl weekend.

Clef will be performing for ESPN The Magazine’s NEXT party on January 30 at 9 p.m. Along with the Haitian sensation, celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson will be spinning at the event, presented by Ford F-150.

Southern rapper Flo Rida is currently gearing up for the release of his follow-up to last year’s Mail On Sunday.

The July ’08 XXL cover star – where he appeared alongside Miami hip-hop heads Rick Ross, DJ Khaled and Trina – will be dropping the new project entitled R.O.O.T.S. (Routes of Overcoming the Struggle) on April 7th via Poe Boy/Atlantic according to Billboard.

Rida’s first single has already debuted on the net. Titled “Right Round,” the song which can be found on his website and MySpace page, is a take on the 80s hit “You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record),” bey Dead Or Alive.

It’s official, Atlanta music executive Jermaine Dupri has been dropped from his position at Island Records.

Variety reports that after nearly two years the hip-hop mogul’s role as the president of the urban music division at Island was cut short yesterday (1/8).

Chicago super producer/rapper Kanye West has added another title to his resume.

The Fader reports that Ye recently linked with Wallpaper magazine to help pick the winners for their annual Design Awards. West was the only musician judge among a panel of international designers from France, Britain, Italy and Australia.

Atlanta rapper Ludacris is opting to upgrade his theater - Theater of the Mind that is.

CNET reports that the self-proclaimed “mouf of the south” has partnered with audio company Monster Cables to release his latest album in high definition stereo surround sound. The album was mixed by Monster head, Noel Lee, and reportedly makes listeners feel as if they are in the studio with Luda.

SRC rapper Asher Roth was among several passengers who helped detain a man who made a bomb threat during a recent ATL to LA flight. Looks like Roth was not the superhero he was made out to be.

The Atlanta-based rapper went on the airwaves to clarify his role this morning on DJ Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg’s Hot 97 radio show and denied any involvement. “Apparently I’m [24's] Jack Bauer,” he said. “Really man I had nothing to do with that. I mean that’s all my dude Chris Llewellyn. The guitarist/bassist in the band. He held it down dude, he also ripped a solo on the Carson Daly show. It was a beautiful day for him. He’s a hero.”

Voletta Wallace, Biggie’s mother, is concerned about her son’s former relationship with Lil’ Kim. During the making of her son’s biopic, Notorious, she learned more about the two rapper’s infamous connection, and was not happy.

In an interview with Essence, Wallace revealed that she discoverd a lot about her son during the movie’s filming. “There were things about him [B.I.G.] that I never knew that I wanted to see for myself on film,” she said. “I saw a side of my son that I heard of but I haven’t accepted. I’m angered by certain things, disappointed and shocked. So this film taught me tolerance and to be less critical.”

She was especially surprised with the way B.I.G. treated Kim. “I would love to speak to Lil’ Kim, because I need to ask more about this love relationship because I really didn’t like the way he treated her and I’m praying that that’s not it,” she continued. “Only she can answer those questions. She’s a sweet girl and I didn’t think she deserved to be treated the way he treated her, if that’s the case.”

Asher Roth to the rescue. Roth’s publicist confirmed that the PA rapper was among several passengers who helped detain a man who made a bomb threat during a recent ATL to LAX flight.

Roth was reportedly on his way to Los Angeles to film an appearance on NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daily” when the incident took place. The Los Angeles Times‘ Blog reported details on the incident.

The nominees for the NAACP’s 40th annual Image Awards have been announced today with several rappers, including Common, Mos Def and Kanye West, garning nods.

With categories ranging from film to music to literature, hip-hop was heavily represented his year. Variety reports that Com and will.i.am are both competing in the male artist music category while Kanye’s 808s & Heartbreak is up for best album. In addition Ye’s collaboration with UK singer Estelle is up for honors for their song “American Boy.”

In the motion picture category Brooklyn rapper Mos Def has been nominated for his supporting role as Chuck Berry in Caddillac Records. Diddy has gained a nod for his acting in the TV version of A Raisin in the Sun, while Queen Latifah has been recognized for her work in The Secret Life of Bees.

Many rappers have climbed the charts this week, including Kanye West, T.I., Ludacris and Lil’ Wayne.

On this week’s Billboard 200, Ye continued to lead the rap pack, moving up 2 spots to number 3. After officially snatching his fourth platinum plaque last week, West moved an additional 70,930 CDs this go-around. After 6 weeks 808s & Heartbreak has sold 1,094,860 discs according to Nielsen’s SoundScan.

Jumping up 5 spots is Akon, coming in at number 11 this week after scanning 36,670 albums. Kon’s third effort, Freedom, has pushed a total of 350,290 copies in 5 weeks on the charts.

Atlanta giants T.I. and Ludacris have also moved up the charts this week landing in the number 13 and 14 position respectively. Tip sold 32,180 copies of Paper Trail this cycle, and after 14 weeks moved a grand total of 1,554,280. Right behind him is Luda, who’s Theatre of the Mind album sold 31,350 this week. After 6 weeks Luda is a heartbeat away from gold status, sitting on 470,400 copies sold.

T.I. wrote an $8,000 check to the mother of two of his sons today, after making an appearance in an Atlanta courtroom.

The Associated Press reports that Tip was ordered to court after his ex, LaShon Dixon, asked a Fulton County judge to intervene when the rapper failed to pay her attorney fee in a prior child support case. During the four hour hearing, Tip said that when he switched assistants the order to pay got lost in the shuffle. He then quickly wrote the check.

After two tracks leaked onto the net by an indie band called Japanese Cartoon many fans speculated that the singer of the group was Lupe Fiasco. The Chi-Town rapper took to the Okayplayer.com forums to dismiss the rumors, among a list of other topics including his new album,the current state of hip-hop and new Interscope signee Charles Hamilton.

Over the weekend music by the British band hit the net and many sites said that it featured Lupe singing under the moniker Percival Fats. Yet according to the group’s MySpace page, Fats is a real person and while Lupe is not in the band, he is involved with the group financially.

“Percival Fats (Born Percival Hindenburg-Fats) Is NOT Lupe Fiasco (Born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco). Although he is a dear friend,” it read. “Lupe does finance the band but is NOT I REPEAT NOT THE SINGER IN JAPANESE CARTOON. He is however the producer and we value his participation very much.”

Lu, under the moniker FNF Up And Away ok, also cleared the air himself on the Okayplayer.com forums– where he has been known to post in the past. “I like those kids a lot,” he wrote. “Met the bass player overseas last year and their publicist/manager is a good friend from like childhood. May sign them. Not me singing though.”

Avid Obama supporter Jay-Z is headed to Washington, D.C. later this month to perform on the eve of the President-elect’s inauguration ceremony.

The Baltimore Sun reports that the Brooklyn MC will be rocking the Warner Theatre on January 19 along with a live band. Tickets for the show, sponsored by Hov’s business partners, Live Nation, will go on sale this Friday (1/9) at 10 a.m.

[Snoop Dogg will be following In Dr. Dre’s shoes as he is set to release his own line of headphones, via audio company Skullcandy.

Scheduled to hit shelves later this year, the “extreme bass amplified headphone” will be part of Skullcandy’s artist collaboration line. Headphones by Beastie Boys DJ, Mix Master Mike, are also currently in development.