Hip-Hop Kings Unite

In a rare and likely final time, hip-hop had its biggest names on stage at one time. The four biggest names -- 50 Cent, Kanye West, Diddy and Jay-Z (also, included T.I.) appeared at 2007 Screamfest at Madison Square Garden. (More at MTV.com)

Here's a look at history.


Photo Credit: Getty/Scott Gries

Jay-Z tops Diddy on Forbes Hip-Hop Cash Kings

In the latest Forbes Magazine edition, they take a look at the highest earning hip-hop moguls. The publication calculated the entertainers 2006 earnings, and income. Jay-Z pulled in an estimated $34 million, followed by 50-cent with $32 mil. and Sean "Puffy" Combs at an estimated $28 million. Although Forbes reports, Combs' representatives insist the figure is higher.

Forbes with E! will feature a one-hour special about the list, which will air tomorrow, at 6 p.m. ET on E!.

One thing is for sure, these mogul are sitting on a stack of cash.. They all represent the American Dream, though.
;)

Diddy and Others Secretly Surveillance by NYPD

In a report by allhiphop.com, Bad Boy CEO and 'Vote or Die' organizer Sean "Diddy" Combs with others, including Jay-Z, Alicia Keys were secretly surveillance by NYPD months prior to the Republican National Convention in 2004.

"These documents paint a picture of a surveillance program that was broad, clumsy, and often unlawful," said Donna Lieberman, NYCLU Executive Director. "The NYPD failed to differentiate between unlawful behavior and behavior that is not only lawful but should in fact be cherished and protected. Today the public can finally bear witness to that failure."
From: AllHipHop.com

Diddy, Notorious, Jay-Z Sampling Music

A interesting piece from the Slate.. On Bridgeport Music Inc. suing artist for sampling, which is a industry norm in hip-hop.. It turns out the same company, sued over the Notorious B.I.G. album Ready to Die for illegal sampling, the album later pulled from shelves. The company was later awarded over 4 million in damages..

Last week, a mysterious company, Bridgeport Music Inc., sued hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, accusing him of breaking the law when he recorded his 2003 single "Justify My Thug." The song is an obvious nod to Madonna's "Justify My Love," but she is not the plaintiff. Instead, Bridgeport is suing because Jay-Z did something that is normal in hip-hop: sampling. He took a few notes, looped them in the background, and produced the tune. Bridgeport claims to own those notes, and is demanding a fortune in damages and a permanent ban on the distribution of the song. Bridgeport is an unwelcome addition to the music world: the "sample troll." Similar to its cousins the patent trolls, Bridgeport and companies like it hold portfolios of old rights (sometimes accumulated in dubious fashion) and use lawsuits to extort money from successful music artists for routine sampling, no matter how minimal or unnoticeable.

March of this year, Bridgeport cashed in. It convinced a court to enjoin the sales of the best-selling Notorious B.I.G. album Ready to Die for illegal sampling. A jury awarded Bridgeport more than $4 million in damages.