It's not fair. Akon gets to have multiple wives. I don't. Akon gets to hump teenage girls on stage and throw teenage boys off. I don't. Akon gets to write a hit song about how he didn't respond to the press furor about his wanton ways because he was on tour with Gwen Stefani. I don't, and I wasn't. I bet you don't get to do any of these things either. Now Akon says he's about "to break into a genre that no black artist, producer or writer ever broke into, ever": Country. I'm worried he's going to do this by going back in time to the early sixties and killing Ray Charles. Based on his claim to already have a hit single under an alias, I keep checking Charles' Wikipedia page to see if he already did.  read more »

Nominations for BET's Hip-Hop Awards were announced yesterday, and, unsurprisingly, Lil Wayne walked away with the lion's share of the nods, to the point where I have to wonder if the nomination committee was trying to figure out a way to shoehorn him into the Best UK Hip-Hop Act category. Weezy got 12 nominations; Kanye West, meanwhile, received seven nods, and Jay-Z six. Full slate of nominees after the jump. Best Hip Hop Video David Banner f/ Chris Brown and Yung Joc Get Like Me Common I Want You DJ Khaled f/ Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Birdman and Rick Ross Im So Hood (The Remix) Lil Wayne f/ Static Lollipop Snoop Dogg Sensual Seduction Kanye West f/ T-Pain Good Life Best Hip Hop Collabo David Banner f/ Chris Brown and Yung Joc Get Like Me DJ Khaled f/ Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Birdman and Rick Ross Im So Hood (The Remix) Flo Rida f/ T-Pain Low Plies f/ Ne-Yo Bust It Baby Pt. 2 Kanye West f/ T-Pain Good Life Best Live Performer Busta Rhymes Jay-Z Lil Wayne T.I. Kanye West Lyricist of the Year Jay-Z Lil Wayne Nas T.I. Kanye West Video Director of the Year Gil Green R. Malcolm Jones Rage Chris Robinson Hype Williams Producer of the Year Akon Bangladesh David Banner J.R. Rotem The Runners MVP of the Year DJ Khaled Jay-Z Lil Wayne T.I. Kanye West Track of the Year A Milli Lil Wayne produced by Bangladesh Dey Know Shawty Lo produced by Balis Beatz Good Life Kanye West f/ T-Pain produced by Kanye West and DJ Toomp Lollipop Lil Wayne f/ Static produced by Jim Jonsin & Deezle Roc Boys (And the Winner Is) Jay-Z produced by Sean Combs & The Hitmen CD of the Year Jay-Z American Gangster Lil Wayne Tha Carter III Lupe Fiasco Lupe Fiascos The Cool Nas Untitled Kanye West Graduation Rookie of the Year Ace Hood Flo Rida Maino Rocko Shawty Lo DJ of the Year DJ Drama DJ Felli Fel DJ Khaled DJ Tony Neal DJ Greg Street Hustler of the Year 50 Cent DJ Khaled Jay-Z Lil Wayne P. Diddy Alltel Wireless Peoples Champ Nominees Lil Wayne A Milli Lupe Fiasco f/ Matthew Santos Superstar Plies f/ Ne-Yo Bust It Baby Pt. 2 Rick Ross f/ Nelly and Avery Storm Here I Am Young Jeezy f/ Kanye West Put On Yung Berg f/ Casha The Business Hottest Hip Hop Ring tone of the Year Flo Rida f/ T-Pain Low Lil Wayne f/ Static Lollipop Plies f/ Ne-Yo Bust It Baby Pt.  read more »

To be honest, when I first read the headline Akon Stunned After Michael Jackson Takes Him To Cinema In Pyjamas I expected the report to end with the words "when he came round, it was after midnight and someone had stolen his popcorn..." but instead, it turns out that it's just a report on going to the cinema with Jackson: "He actually took me to the movies with him, that was an experience, Akon said. I was like, 'Are you going out like that?' He was in his pyjamas and I was waiting to see if he was going to change. He grabs a scarf and puts it around his head. Then, he grabs the kids and puts a scarf around their heads.  read more »

Akon, you've got some explaining to do!  read more »

Plus: D.O.E. gets a new lease on life, thanks to Timbaland.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes

src="http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/bands/l/ludacris/perf_08232008/281x211.jpg" />



Ludacris


Photo: Bob Levey/ WireImage

Artist: Shawty Lo

Representing: You have to ask? "Baaaayyynk-Headdddddd!"

Mixtape: I'm Da Man 2K9  read more »

Video: Nelly feat Ashanti & Akon - Body On Me(live)
This is from the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno". With his new album, "Brass Knuckles" in stores this week, Nelly is promoting all over.

Unfortunately the chemistry that Ashanti and Nelly exudes offstage is not translated onstage. Everybody looks a little uptight and uneasy. It's nice to see them all come together and perform this though. Tomorrow the trio will perform on the "Ellen" show.  read more »

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R&B singer Akon hopes to get the one and only Michael Jackson on his first single for his upcoming album, "Acquitted" due this May. Akon recently worked with Jackson the re-release of his mega-selling "Thriller" album. While there is no official word on the album's first single, Akon revealed that he and buddy T-Pain will tour later in the year and that Pain is working on a new album, the follow-up to his RIAA Gold-certified, "Epiphany" album which contained the hit singles, "Buy U A Drank" and "Bartender".  read more »

According to the Weekly Poll Question, Common came in with 39% when asked "Who has the best style?".

Has anybody here heard the leaked Akon and Jacko tune called Hold my hand? I heard it on a London radio station a couple of days ago and it received great feedback from the listeners. Its a good summer track, but its no Billie Jean. Jackos part in the song is small (tho bigger than Wanna Be Startin Somethin 08), with him singing first verse and then backing for the rest of the record. The radio said it will be released as a single by Akon and Appear on Akons album later this year. Also said it will be released as a single.