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Rolling Stone’s recent headline “Lil Wayne Goes to Jail” has finally come true: After a pair of temporary reprieves, Lil Wayne was officially sentenced to a year behind bars in a New York courtroom today after pleading guilty to weapons charges stemming from an incident in the Big Apple in 2007. Following the sentencing, Wayne was handcuffed as he exited the courthouse en route to New York’s Riker’s Island, the city jail where the rapper will serve his prison stint. According to the AP, Weezy’s legal team requested that he be placed in protective custody as opposed to the general population due to his status as a celebrity and the numerous dental surgeries the rapper underwent prior to his sentencing.

USA Today reports that while Wayne was given a year-long sentence, there’s a good chance he’ll only spend two-thirds, or eight months, of his term behind bars, as in these situations inmate often get time off for good behavior. Wayne sat quietly next to his legal team during his sentencing, opting not to address the court and simply nodding his head when the judge asked whether he understood the charges he was facing. Upon exiting the courthouse, his hands handcuffed behind his back, he gave the crowd of 100 fans and supporters a slight bow before heading off to prison.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Weezy managed to avoid sentencing twice prior to finally being shipped off to prison today: Wayne’s initial sentencing was postponed three weeks so the rapper could undergo dental procedures — reportedly eight root canal surgeries — before starting his jail term. Last week, a courthouse fire forced Weezy’s sentencing to be postponed yet again, and Wayne celebrated his unexpected freedom by appearing onstage with Young Jeezy and Drake at Jay-Z’s Madison Square Garden concert. Wayne spent the rest of his last week of freedom on Twitter and Ustream, and unveiled on last pre-prison video for “Drop the World.”

Grammy award winning R&B singer D’Angelo was arrested early Saturday morning after allegedly soliciting a police officer for sex. D’Angelo, whose real name is Michael Archer, had been driving through the city alone that evening with $12,000 in cash when he propositioned the woman.

According to the New York Post, the 36 year-old artist offered the female police officer $40 for oral copulation. He was immediately apprehended and charged with solicitation, the sources told New York Post.

This is not the first time that D’Angelo has been in trouble with the law. Over the last five years the singer has been arrested and charged with a slew of offenses as well as admitted to drug addiction including marijuana and cocaine.

D’Angelo is currently working on a follow up studio album to Voodoo, which was released in 2000. James River, the tentative name of the forthcoming album does not have a release date and has experienced countless delays because of his prior legal woes. No comments have been made to the public at this time by his management.

With a courthouse fire giving Lil Wayne at least another day’s reprieve before going to jail on gun charges, Weezy enjoyed his surprise freedom by making what will likely be his last pre-incarceration live appearance at Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 tour stop in New York City last night. According to MTV, after Jay-Z handed the mike over to his tourmate Young Jeezy about 45 minutes into his set, Jeezy informed the crowd of Weezy’s unexpected situation and brought out Wayne’s Young Money teammate Nikki Minaj, dedicating “Bedrock” to Tha Carter III rapper.

Following the song, the beat for “I’m Goin’ In” started up, and as evidenced by the shaky video above, Lil Wayne suddenly emerged from the area where Jay-Z’s backing band was assembled and a shocked Madison Square Garden crowd loudly welcomed the rapper. If Weezy alone wasn’t enough, he was also joined by his protégé Drake, who donned an all-white suit. “We with you 100 percent,” Jeezy told Wayne onstage after the performance.

As Rolling Stone reported yesterday, Wayne was set to be formally sentenced after pleading guilty last year to weapons charges stemming from a 2007 incident, but the fire at the courthouse postponed Weezy’s sentencing for a second time. Wayne was originally supposed to be sentenced on February 9th, but dental surgery for a reported eight root canals pushed back the hearing until March 2nd. As the 100 Centre Street courthouse fire was fairly serious — eight people reportedly suffered minor injuries from the blaze — it’s unclear if the courthouse will be reopened today. When Weezy is finally sentenced, it’s expected he’ll spend a year behind bars at New York’s Riker’s Island.

With various sites comprising lists of artists, it’s an interesting find when rapper Lil Wayne sits between the iconic Tina Turner and legendary Beatle Paul McCartney. But, this may make sense once you know the list we are talking about. Every year, Billboard releases a Money Makers list, a group of individuals in the music world who have made their money through sales, touring, publishing royalties and “all forms of streaming.” Recently, Billboard released their Top 40 Money Makers, a list that features U2, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Beyonce and Lil Wayne.

1. U2 $108,601,283
2. Bruce Springsteen $57,619,037
3. Madonna $47,237,774
4. AC/DC $43,650,466
5. Britney Spears $38,885,267
6. Pink $36,347,658
7. Jonas Brothers $33,596,576
8. Coldplay $27,326,562
9. Kenny Chesney $26,581,141
10. Metallica $25,564,234
11. Fleetwood MAC $24,751,540
12. Nickelback $23,674,124
13. Beyoncé $23,658,131
14. Elton John $22,141,315
15. Miley Cyrus $21,285,996
16. Il Divo $20,909,735
17. Dave Matthews Band $20,046,148
18. Andre Rieu $19,468,768
19. Rascal Flatts $17,996,964
20. Michael Jackson $17,301,639
21. Taylor Swift $17,204,646
22. Depeche Mode $16,035,102
23. Billy Joel $15,721,607
24. Trans-Siberian Orchestra $14,606,313
25. Kings of Leon $14,421,763
26. Celine Dion $14,326,129
27. Brad Paisley $14,299,322
28. Keith Urban $14,075,581
29. Tina Turner $13,169,806
30. Lil Wayne $12,866,174
31. Paul McCartney $12,203,170
32. Green Day $12,152,004
33. Toby Keith $11,941,345
34. Kiss $11,833,930
35. Cher $11,421,553
36. Andrea Bocelli $10,711,746
37. Phish $9,998,242
38. Bob Dylan $9,610,011
39. Leonard Cohen $9,511,958
40. Bette Midler $9,421,947

Billboards of another kind are causing outrage in Newark, New Jersey. Akoo Jeans, T.I.’s clothing line, has caused a bit of a stir over a billboard that depicts a woman on her knees with her face by a man’s legs, his jeans down, his underwear showing. A local ABC affiliate did a story on the billboard, which is on the corner of Market and Washington streets. Newark’s Mayor, Cory Booker, released a statement on the matter.

“So often when I am out in the community, I see kids wearing their pants too low and others using inappropriate language in public. I will work with my city council to see if we can address it so we don’t see these types of advertisements displayed in our city in the near future.”

While longtime-but-former Disturbing Tha Peace artist Shawnna is notably absent, Ludacris has enlisted some of the biggest female emcee talent from the last three decades of his forthcoming Battle Of The Sexes album. While the project first was introduced to the public as featuring Shawnna, the March 9th album instead features female talent including Lil Kim, Trina, Eve, Lil Mo, Crime Mob’s Diamond and DXnext alum Nicki Minaj.

For male assistance, Luda’s enlisted Trey Songz, Gucci Mane and Flo Rida for his March 9th DTP/Def Jam album.

The following is a tentative tracklisting:

1. Intro [Prod. by Xcel (for The Beatbangers)]
2. How Low [Prod. by T-Minus]
3. My Chick Bad (feat. Nicki Minaj) [Prod. by The Legendary Traxster]
4. Everybody Drunk (feat. Lil Scrappy) [Prod. by DJ Montay]
5. I Do It All Night (feat. Shawnna) [Prod. by B-Crucial & Tony Dinero]
6. Sex Room (feat. Trey Songz) [Prod. by Kajun]
7. I Know You Got A Man (feat. Flo Rida) [Prod. by Infinity]
8. Hey Ho (feat. Lil’ Kim & Lil’ Fate) [Prod. by Khao]
9. Party No Mo’ (feat. Gucci Mane) [Prod. by Bangladesh]
10. B.O.T.S. Radio (feat. Shawnna & I-20) [Prod. by The Runners]
11. Can’t Live With You (feat. Monica) [Prod. by Khao]
12. Feelin’ So Sexy (feat. Shawnna) [Prod. by Gaggie]
13. Tell Me A Secret (feat. Ne-Yo) [Prod. by Swizz Beatz]
14. My Chick Bad (Remix) (feat. Diamond, Trina & Eve) [Prod. by The Legendary Traxster]
15. Sexting (Bonus Track) [Prod. by The Neptunes]
16. How Low (Remix) (Deluxe Version Bonus Track) (feat. Ciara & Pitbull) [Prod. by T-Minus]
17. Rollercoaster (Deluxe Version Bonus Track) (feat. Shawnna & Dru Hill) [Prod. by Bangladesh]

Bryan “Baby” Williams, co-CEO of Cash Money Records, has made his first public statement on reports last month on the label’s foray into the oil and natural gas industries.

As first reported on AllHipHop.com, Cash Money opened a website for Bronald Oil & Gas, an independent company focused on finding and utilizing oil and gas reserves in North and Central America.

In an interview with Ozone Magazine, Williams revealed that he also has his own oil company, and that he’s been involved in the business for close to 5 years.

“I’ve been in the oil business about 4 or 5 years now. That’s something me and my brother decided to do outside of music,” Baby explained. “I read about oil a lot and I was able to get in business. [My company] is called Browner Oil, and I’m making good money off that; that’s something for my kids and my kids’ kids. They can live off that money forever.”

The Bronald Oil & Gas company has been looking for investors to expand drilling opportunities that are both environmentally safe and lucrative.

With new albums from Drake and Nicki Minaj under development, and music to be released from Lil Wayne while he serves a 1 year jail sentence, Baby admitted that his oil business has not gotten as much attention as he would prefer.

But with the return he’s had on it to date, Williams plans to put more resources into the project.

“I did a few different deals. That was just one of them. When you’re dealing with oil, you buy in different areas,” Baby detailed. “Right now I’m active; I got pumps and s**tthat are getting money monthly. I like that oil shit. I’m gonna put some more time into it.”

Potential investors can contact Bronald Oil at http://bronald.com/about.php

(AllHipHop News) Dr. Dre has filed a lawsuit against Death Row Records, the legendary record label he co-founded with Suge Knight.

Dre, born Andre Young, filed a federal lawsuit against the company that purchased Death Row out of bankruptcy, WideAwake-Death Row LLC.

According to the lawsuit, Dr. Dre has not seen any royalties from his groundbreaking hit album The Chronic since 1996, the year he left the label due to a strained relationship with Knight.

Death Row Records was put up for sale, when Knight lost a $107 million dollars default judgment to Michael and Lydia Harris.

The Harris’ claimed they invested $1 million dollars, but were cut out of profits by Knight.

WideAwake-Death Row Records LLC purchased the storied gangsta rap label and all of its assets for $18 million dollars during a sale in 2008.

Dre claims the new owners, who have issued releases and reissues by Snoop Dogg and Kurupt, are selling digital, remastered copies of The Chronic and The Chronic Re-Lit, both without his permission.

Ownership of the label is still in question.

In November of 2009, Laura Lavi, who claims to be the sole CEO of Wideawake-Death Row LLC., accused co-owners New Solutions Financials of diverting funds and assets illegally.

(AllHipHop News) Former Shady Records artist Bobby Creekwater is starting off the New Year with a new track, titled “Exhibit B.C. (Squared).” According to Bobby Creekwater, he has been maintaining a low profile while he continues to develop his career after being signed to Eminem’s record label. “First and foremost, I would like to say I truly appreciate the people that identify with me,” Bobby Creekwater stated. “My struggles, my short comings, and all the other s**t that makes me a human being. I appreciate the patience and the support at a time where I’m simply trying to find myself and my way. I’m not quite sure that will happen anytime soon, but until then I’ll keep giving you an ear full.” To check out Bobby Creekwater’s latest single, click here. http://www.sendspace.com/file/28uhhh

Hip Hop Karaoke has revealed that Big Daddy Kane and Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg have been added as celebrity judges this month at New York’s Irving Plaza. The pair join Black Moon’s Buckshot as judges of the popular event, which takes place this Friday (January 29). The three judges will decide which of the 12 regional finalists in Hip Hop Karaoke will take home the $1,000 grand prize and title of “Hip Hop Karaoke Champion.” Tickets to the event cost $13 dollars. For more information or to purchase advance tickets, click here: www.hhkchampionship.com

50 Cent will perform at a number of venues in Europe as part of a new International tour that will take place in March. 50 Cent has been confirmed to perform at Tesla Arena in the Czech Republic on March 5th, to support his new album Before I Self Destruct. The rapper will tour Europe and Africa to promote his album. 50 will kick off the tour on February 23 in Berlin, Germany and wrap it up April 15 in Moscow, Russia. A listing of 50 Cent’s confirmed upcoming tour dates are listed below:

Tue 02/23/10 Berlin, Germany Columbiahalle
Thu 02/25/10 Paris, France Zenith Paris
Fri 02/26/10 Brussels, Belgium Forest National
Sat 02/27/10 Essen, Germany Grugahalle-Messe Essen GmbH
Sun 02/28/10 Zurich, Switzerland Hallenstadion Zurich
Thu 03/04/10 Neu-Isenburg, Germany Hugenottenhalle
Sun 03/14/10 Hamburg, Germany Docks Konzerte Disco
Fri 03/19/10 Birmingham, United Kingdom LG Arena
Sun 03/21/10 Dublin, Ireland The O2 Dublin
Mon 03/22/10 Belfast, United Kingdom Odyssey Arena
Thu 03/25/10 Manchester, United Kingdom Manchester Evening News Arena
Thu 04/01/10 Belgrade, Serbia Belgrade Arena
Sat 04/03/10 St. Petersburg, Russia Ice Palace
Mon 04/05/10 Moscow, Russia Olympiiski

Washington D.C. rapper Wale has announced a fundraiser to benefit Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti non-profit organization. Wale will be joined by D.C. artists like Tabi Bonney, D.C. Don Juan, Phil Ade, XO, Kingpen Slim, K-Beta, Que (formerly of Day 26) and other surprise guests tonight (January 18) at the 9:30 Club. The event, which will be hosted by College Hill South Beach’s Chris Cole, is being organized by DMV Helps Haiti. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Haiti Earthquake Relief effort. Doors to the DMV Helps Haiti Benefit Concert open at 6:00 PM. Tickets start at $20 and all proceeds will be donated to Yele Haiti.

Haiti’s Hip-Hop community is mourning the loss of Evenson “Shacan Lord” Francis, an important figure in the country’s scene. According to reports, Shacan Lord was killed when his recording studio collapsed on him during the 7.0 earthquake, which completely destroyed Port-Au-Prince last Tuesday (January 12). Shacan Lord, 31, was a member of the popular rap group Gasoline Clan. His fellow rap group members gave him a private burial, an extraordinary feat, considering the destruction of the city and the chaos that has fallen upon the country. “We couldn’t bury him like the others,” Shacan Lord’s producer, Roosevelt Francois told the AFP. “We wanted to do something special for him.”

Pioneering rap star Africa Bambaataa has joined the board of directors of Mojofiti, a language technology company. Mojofiti is currently developing la range of language-enabled technology solutions and platforms designed to promote collaboration and communication across the globe. “As we further develop our plans to expand Mojofiti on a global basis, we are focused on ensuring the leadership of our company is comprised of global thinkers and people who can make an impact on an international scale,” said Dennis Wakabayashi, founder of Mojofiti. “Afrika’s worldly views and incredible career spent reaching people across borders with new cultural expressions and messages of peace makes him an ideal fit for our board of directors. Afrika is truly an inspiration to us all, and we look forward to working with him and the members of the UZN [Universal Zulu Nation] to achieve our common goals.”

The Hip-Hop has mobilized and joined relief efforts in the wake of Haiti’s devastating earthquake that’s left the nation’s capital Port-au-Prince in shambles.

The efforts are led by Haitian-born Wyclef Jean, who reached out on CNN immediately after the magnitude-7 quake hit on Tuesday (January 12).

“I’m in the process of looking for a young rapper who went to Haiti to do a mix tape. His name is Jimmy O – it came through on a text that he died,” Wyclef explained to journalist Anderson Cooper. “He was part of my foundation Yele Haiti. I’m trying to verify this information – it would be a terrible loss for us. I was on the phone to a friend in Haiti and she said ‘I think an earthquake is coming ….’ Then the phone went off. After that I texted and it took 45 minutes to get a text back. She told me she was outside with her kids and the buildings had started collapsing. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now.”

Jean’s organization has been accepting donations at www.Yele.org, and automatic $5 donations by texting “Yele” to 501501.

As of today (January 14), humanitarian relief from other nations such as the U.S., Cuba, and China have begun arriving.

The International Red Cross estimates 3 million people are in need of help, and many of the dead litter the streets and rubble of collapsed buildings.

“This is much worse than a hurricane. There’s no water,” doctor’s assistant Jimitrre Coquillon told the Associated Press. “There’s nothing. Thirsty people are going to die.”

Although Haiti President Rene Preval declined to commit to a casualty total, estimates are as high as 500,000 fatalities.

To help the effort, Akinah Rahmaan, founder of The iCase Place Premium Mobile Phone Case Boutique announced that the company will donate 100% of the proceeds from the Haiti iCase to Clef’s Yele Haiti non-profit, from now until Sunday.

100% of the proceeds from the Haiti iCase from now through Sunday will go to Yele

AkiNah Rahmaan
Founder of The iCase Place Premium Mobile Phone Case Boutique

The Rev. Al Sharpton announced that he is traveling to the country on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, for a “mercy mission.”

“There will be no better way to say happy birthday to Martin Luther King,” Sharpton said in front of the Haitian Consulate in Manhattan yesterday (January 13). “We all have some Haitian in us, and we stand in solidarity with the Haitian people until Haiti is restored.”

Haitian rap legend Kangol Kid of UTFO is also an Ambassador of Hope for Haiti. He almost missed the chance to visit the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, due to media portrayal and stereotypes.

“This is an absolute tragedy for my brothers and sisters in Haiti,” Kangol Kid told AllHipHop.com. “These are people that made the best of having nothing and circumstances still find a way to take even more away from them. That’s just real evil and plain wrong…I had the pleasure of visiting Haiti this past October for the first time since I was 8 years old. I feared the visit because I was ‘Media-Washed’ (in other words I was brainwashed by the media) and believe every stereotypical rumor society had to offer about the country. My manager, Shaunda Lumpkin, convinced to go and that visit changed my world so much that I’ve become proud to be Haitian! Moreover, I am currently an Ambassador of Hope for Haiti.”

The incident has affected Kangol Kid personally, as his father has been missing in the country since the earthquake hit.

“Today, I feel great sadness for my people as my mother who lives in Miami, Florida, is frantically trying to reach my Father who is currently visiting Port Au Prince with no word of his condition. I asked that my Hip-Hop Community, my fellow Haitian-Americans and people alike pray for the safety of Haiti and for my father,” Kangol Kid stated.

Rap mogul Russell Simmons called upon the Hip-Hop community to act immediately to help the millions of people affected by the devastating earthquake, the worst to ever strike the country.

“We must do all that we can as individuals and collectively to help save the lives of our brothers and sisters in Haiti,” Simmons stated. “We know Haiti will need increased attention and resources from the international community to help it recover from this disaster, so let us ensure that our country does right. My thoughts and prayers are with the Haitian people whose suffering I can only imagine, and the Haitian Americans who have lost their loved ones.”