LUDACRIS "LUDAVERSAL" RELEASED DATE REVEALVED

UPDATE: Ludacris announces the release date for his upcoming LP.

Ludacris has confirmed that his eight album Ludaversal is slated for release in May.

Speaking with Billboard.com’s The Juice, Luda said that he’s already collaborated with Usher for the project, but that he’s hoping to surprise listeners with a handful of guests.

“Usher is one person that I've already worked with," he says, "and in terms of other artists, you can say that there's going to be a lot of surprises on here."

Ludacris, who recently released his 1.21 Gigawatts: Back for the First Time  mixtape, previously collaborated with Ursh on “Yeah!” and Lil Jon’s “Lovers and Friends.” He further says that the album is “about 40 percent done” and that The Neptunes have produced for the project.

“I've pretty much collected about 80 percent of the beats that I need and I've started writing ideas on them. First I have to love the beat, absolutely love it,” he said, noting that the first single will drop in March. “It's been a minute since I've been away from music, and there is just so much to talk about… So [the album] is mostly about my personal life, my travels, my experiences, rumors, gossip -- you know, everything coming together in one."

RICK ROSS UPDATES ON MAYBACH MUSIC GROUP, PILL DEF JAM & MORE

Rick Ross discusses his past relationship with Pill and clears up rumors about problems with Def Jam.

Rick Ross recently touched down in New York to speak on many of the topics surrounding his MMG brand. The Miami emcee spoke on former MMG affiliate Pill, his own relationship with Def Jam and more.

When asked to clear up information about Pill, Ross explained that he was only obligated to work with Pill for a year.

"When I did my label deal over at Warner, Meek Mill and Wale was who I was bringing to the table," he explained to Funk Flex during his interview. "When I sat down to do my deal, they had Pill as an artist already there. They just thought he may have needed a little work or whatever and we could've got that in with the team. So, we worked out a one year situation."

He also added that he's unsure as to what Pill's future holds but maintains that his time working with Pill has ended.

"I'm not even sure if it's still going to come out through Warner," he said of Pill's album. "I'm not really sure what final decision they made with him but the year ran its course with MMG."

Ross also cleared up rumors about any problems between him and Def Jam. He noted that there was an issue over a contract renegotiation but that "it's all love."

"Me and Def Jam [are] one hundred...Over the last year, I quadrupled my net worth," he shared, before adding that he thought they needed to take another look at his deal. Apparently, it all worked out in the end.

"It's all love," he added. "We made history together but at the same time, respect the momentum. Respect what we're doing and we're going to keep getting this paper."

RAP RELEASE DATES: TECH N9NE, AZEALIA BANKS, SNOOP DOGG, PEP LOVE, STALLEY

This week Tech N9ne surprises us with an EP, while Stalley gets a release date, Pep Love moves his, plus Snoop Dogg's album is coming and so is Azealia Banks.

For a while there, it was looking like no new albums were going to be announced. All of the dates were locked, nothing was really pushed back, and it was merely a game of hurry up and wait. This week, though, we have some announcements of projects, some pushbacks, but generally it's all good news. Starting with today. Tech N9ne surprised us that he'd be dropping his EP titled Klusterfuck. Tech mentioned this one over the Summer, but now it's a reality. Not too many tracks, but that's what an EP is, right? Another EP out today is Teyana Taylor's The Misunderstanding Of Teyana Taylor. Let's not get into her titling it similarly to Lauryn Hill's epic The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. Bow Wow's Underrated is also out today.

Stalley finally hit 50k on Twitter, so he announced that his album Savage Journey To the American Dream would be arriving March 30th. He also provided the cover art. Ten days prior, though, Hieroglyphics' Pep Love moved Rigmarole to March 20th. Snoop Dogg dropped a single last week "Stoner's Anthem" off Reincarnation that is supposed to get a release date very soon. Everyone's new favorite Azealia Banks announced her debut album Broke With Expensive Taste will arrive sometime in September. Meanwhile, Kardinal Offishall will be collaborating with producer Nottz on a project called A.M.T.R.I.M. (Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself), along with Murs and Fashawn who announced a double-EP project going on. Not too many official dates to mark on the iCal, but enough to definitely look forward to.

ASA, NNEKA, ODEWINGIE VERIFY TWITTER ACCOUNTS

 

It looked like it would never happen, but Micro-blogging site Twitter has finally verified official accounts of some Nigerian celebrities.

And the first set of celebs include international singers Asa, Nneka and Premiership footballer Peter Odemwingie.

In June 2008, Twitter launched a verification program; allowing celebrities to get their accounts verified as a way of helping users verify which celebrity accounts were created by the celebrities themselves.

Prominent Nigerians and celebs such as Paul Okoye, Jim Iyke, and Wole Soyinka have all suffered from fake or parody accounts on Twitter which often mislead and confuse followers. With the new development this might stop soon.

Interestingly, the three new verified accounts are owned by people who have plied their trade in the international scene and have less than 50,000 followers as compared to the likes of Don Jazzy, Wizkid, and Banky W who have well over a hundred thousand followers but are more rooted in Nigeria.

The Nigerian with the highest Twitter followers so far is popular Pastor, Reverend Chris Oyakhilome totalling over a million.

FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA: WHAT YOUR POST SAY ABOUT YOU?

We are living in the height of the digital age and everyone is getting in on the action. Using social media has become as commonplace and necessary as air and we participate as if our lives depend on it.

From young, old and everyone in between, Tweeting on Twitter and updating our status on Facebook have become a daily must-do for millions. Many see it as harmless fun, others use it to network for business or moonlight for pleasure while still others use them as a tool of activism or to make a political statement.

Twitter's 140 characters or less, makes ranting through tweets quite interesting and many celebrities and mere mortals have gone after each other with an unabashed viciousness that they would not normally do out of cyberspace. Why?

Now there is a study which claims that our Facebook status reveals a great deal about who we are and some employers may be using what we say or rant about to profile us psychologically and decide whether we would make great employees, team players or not.

These days, Facebook and Twitter feuds are erupting all over and even killings have resulted from Facebook fights. Then there are the political posts pet peeves. Some users are complaining about political rants getting out of hand and personal ideology and activism being crammed down their throats by their 'Friends" on Facebook.

So how much is too much?

More importantly, what does your status or tweet say about you? Do you post excessively or hardly--and if you do, what exactly do you post? What your 'friends' might consider mindless drivel, numerous games, a stream of daily living quotes that you do not live by or endless YouTube videos clogging the news feed? Are you the nurturing type who like to post affirmations or words of encouragement? Or are you one of those users who stay quietly in the background, observing but saying nothing?

Then again you may be the life of the party on the Social Network where your status updates rank you among the 'popular,'--you know--akin to the high school hierachy-- with a friends list to match. Or the ones with the nude or drunk party pics? Or the the opposite side of the spectrum where the extreme religious reside and every post tells how good God is?

The study say they are a few types of users in social media. The neurotic, the narcissist, the extrovert, and the closeted introvert, the overblown egos and those with a sense of grandeur clearly lacking in their real lives but oozing online. Then there is the cowardly bully, who hides behind aliases to spew hateful vitriol, insults and loud nothings.

Where do you fit in? Or are you completely outside all of the boxes above?

MYSTIKAL ANNOUNCES ALBUM TITLE FOR CASH MONEY RECORDS DEBUT

Following the release of his single "Original," Mystikal gears up to release his comeback album.

Mystikal has revealed the title for his upcoming Cash Money Records debut - his first album since 2001's Tarantula.

During an appearance on BET's "106 & Park," the New Orleans, Louisiana native, who was on set to debut the video for his single "Original" featuring Lil Wayne and Birdman, announced that the LP's title will also be Original.

“I know y'all been waiting on that thing, and it’s gonna be titled Original,” he said. "Those six years I was gone, I never cried. I pouted and fussed, but during the making of this video, I was fighting back tears like Diana Ross."

THE-DREAM & THE WEEKND ENGAGE IN TWITTER BEEF

The-Dream and The Weeknd engage in R&Beef on the social networking site.

After The-Dream fired shots at The Weeknd for jacking his sound during a show at New York City's S.O.B.'s earlier this week, the latter artist has responded to the subliminals. Taking to Twitter, the elusive Canadian singer-songwriter unleashed a brief tirade, calling the Def Jam artist a "ham burglar lookin' ass nigga."

ham burglar lookin’ ass nigga… all i need are my brothers and my fans… fuck the bullshit. just gimme that gat damn allderdice god damm it! i’m too turnt up right now!! this nigga is so hood, he thinks my name is the weekender…i was raised old fashioned, you get at me, i get at you… ain’t no sideways shit about it…

The-Dream responded shortly after, posting a long series of tweets. He said that he wasn't being petty about Weeknd adopting his style, but rather being honest. Terius Nash said that he has nothing but love, and that he "think the world of the boy."


Read the full series of messages below.


Like my father said. Say ur piece son if a man feel uncomfortable enough a cheat, and a liar will identify his self. Amen. Now I know 4 Sure. I said I was Honest not petty. Joke all you want. Grown Man. Love killed Hate. I’m going to support the movement where if u can’t say it in person don’t say it. Nothing but love from here lil homie. Don’t get fooled or tricked and try to come up on a nigga like me , won’t work just do you if u truly are then what we talkin bout. Now ima leave it at that. Ill call ya phone if you wanna chop it up or if you feel a way. Seek knowledge at all times “if you have a unknowing of a mans true will Use the Word as a tool to unveil the shadow of a enemy. Naw…….I’m signed to my self. Selfmade, I built it ground up, you brought it renovated. Nice. Love kills Hate I’m going to prove it! Watch. Move back from the move the word is Permanent! The assumption of your move was merely a thought and now you know for sure….. Now we move. In silence the right way! We on a whole other level ova here. No Calculated moves just Absolute ones. Yall better quit hypin niggas up. Can’t beef by ur self. Beef wld have to mean insecurity R Jealousy two things I knw nthing about Im Dope! Like I said I think the world of the boy. And nothing will change that. He’s very talented. And its nothing for me to Say that. Aint enough RandB too Beef. And its no fun ballin by yourself. Retore Order. I will not do what the RandB nigga before me did. I’m Dope….. Enough to share the success with any man Worthy! LoveCult! #TheLoveGang But as my mother would Don’t Take my Sweetness for a Weakness!

BOBBI KRISTINA VOWS TO CONTINUE THE WHITNEY HOUSTON LEGACY

 Oprah Winfrey talks with Patricia Houston and Gary Houston, sister-in-law and brother of the late singer Whitney Houston, during an interview in Atlanta, Georgia 

At the end of the day this is a young girl that has just lost her mother. The press has been beastly and she has been accused of falling her mother’s downward spiral into drug addiction. For a time it was said that Bobbi Kristina had slipped away from the funeral in order to have her fix. Later on her grandmother and friends disputed these sensationalist accounts. Now we hear that Whitney Houston’s only child is vowing to protect her mother’s legacy by changing her surname from that of Bobby Brown to her mother’s. She also states that she feels a compulsion to continue her mother’s destiny. The critics are not too sure that she will be able to mix with one of the greatest divas of all time.

Celebrity children who are burdened with expectations

There is no guarantee that a talented parent is going to produce children who are anywhere as good as them. In the case of Whitney Houston, the task is even harder given the fact that there are pretty much no musicians who can quite capture that voice. At the best of times Bobbi Kristina is just another celebrity child who is being burdened by the overwhelming charisma and talent of their parents. It is almost certain that she will have to work very hard indeed to get any sort of recognition. Already the skeptics are saying that her only legacy will be a troubled teenage background.

It is rather encouraging that Whitney Houston chose to leave everything to her daughter. In a will that was signed way back in the period of her marriage to Bobby, the star made it known that she was leaving everything to her only child. At that time it was estimated that she was worth at least $200 million. By the time of her death, Bobbi Kristina was being unofficially encouraged to expect a modest fortune of about $6 million which would be paid out in installments. It is not yet clear whether she will get a cut of the royalties.

D'BANJ'S SHOCKER - 'I OWN MO'HITS AND DON JAZZY IS MY ARTISTE

It looks like things are about to get worse in the Mo’ Hits camp, as D’banj seems to be fanning the flames of the on-going controversy regarding him and hit producer Don Jazzy parting ways.

In a recent interview on Ebony Magazine’s official website, published on March 12, 2012, D’banj claims to own the record label Mo’Hits, and also says he was responsible for signing the label’s artistes, including Don Jazzy.

‘Coming from Africa I’m my own manager, I have my own label called Mo’ Hits with my artists Dr. Sid, Wande Coal, Don Jazzy, D’Prince and K-Switch. I own Mo’ Hits and we’ve won numerous awards by the grace of God’, D’banj told music journalist Hillary Crosley.

The pop star goes on to talk about his entrance into the US market and his signing with Kanye West’s label G.O.O.D Music.

It remains uncertain whether D’Banj was actually laying claim to fully owning Mo’Hits, attempting to set the records straight, following recent controversies surrounding he and Jazzy, or he was quoted out of context by the interviewer. But, curiously, apart from referring to Don Jazzy as ‘his artiste’, D’banj doesn’t mention or credit the producer in any other part of the interview.

It is generally believed that D’banj and Don Jazzy co-own the label, with Don jazzy acting as President while D’Banj is Vice President. They’re the label’s only known directors.

The pair, who started out about nine years ago when D’banj released his single ‘Tongolo’ have made headlines in recent times. Sources say they’re currently on the verge of breaking up, following seemingly irreconcilable differences.

I DON'T KNOW HOW WHITNEY GOT IN THE TUB - WHITNEY HOUSTON'S SISTER

Whitney Houston's sister-in-law Pat is throwing more fuel on the fire for those people who think Whitney may have been murdered ... saying she does not know how Whitney ended up in the bathtub of her hotel room on the night she died.

As TMZ first reported, the L.A. County Coroner's Office has received phone calls and emails from people claiming to be relatives of Houston ... who say they believe Whitney was murdered.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired tonight on OWN, Pat described the scene that night, saying, "Don't know how she got [in the tub] ... I just know they had to pull her out of [the tub]."

The Coroner has already said there was no sign of foul play or trauma, but the official cause of death won't be determined until toxicology results are in.

RIHANNA'S SHEER, SEXY DA SILVANO BIG APPLE DINNER

 After jetting into town earlier in the day, Rihanna got settled into her hotel before heading out for a dinner on the town in New York City on Sunday night (March 11).

Putting her provocative ways on display, the 24-year-old gave onlookers quite the view while clad in a sheer black knitted sweater, ripped blue jeans and tan Timberland boots as she headed into one of her favorite Big Apple eateries, Da Silvano.

Having made her way to NYC after performing at the Brad Pitt hosted New Orleans fundraiser "A Night to Make It Right," Radar Online reports that RiRi was asked by shutterbugs at the airport to share her thoughts on MTV reality star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi's pregnancy.

Without w minute's thought, the "We Found Love" singer gave her stamp of approval, as she replied, "That's dope. We need more Snookis in the world!"

Enjoy the pictures of Rihanna at Da Silvano restaurant for dinner in New York City (March 11).