DMX Charged in Med-Bill Dodge

From condoms and KFC to Cuban cigars and Hennessy

(NEWSER) - Drawing on the Smoking Gun ’s collection of concert riders, Sam Greenspan of 11points.com offers a list of the 11 craziest demands made by rappers:

• DMX: Three boxes of condoms and a gallon of Hennessy—that’s anywhere from $300 to $800 worth of cognac.
• Public Enemy: Kosher food—odd, because “Public Enemy is famously associated with anti-Semitism”—and a bucket of KFC.

'Young Buck' will be sold along with other assets: trustee

(NEWSER) - Rapper Young Buck could lose more than just his stuff in his bankruptcy liquidation case—he could lose the very right to be called “Young Buck.” His trademarked name will be sold off, along with his other assets, according to the trustee administering his estate. His financial woes stem largely from a beef with onetime mentor 50 Cent ... and Fiddy’s G-Unit Records, with which Young Buck is still under contract. A comment he made in 2007 (about how touring was the only way he could make money) offended 50, who booted him from the G-Unit group but wouldn't release him from the label ... or green-light any new albums, putting his career on ice. More»

Increasingly, rappers sing about brands they sell

(NEWSER) - Rappers have always name-checked alcohol in their music, but nowadays many artists are going beyond references to actually selling their own brands. From the way the Los Angeles Times describes it, Pitbull’s latest hits sound more like advertisements for Voli vodka. He’s part owner of the liquor brand, meaning he’s more than happy to rap about the low-calorie, flavored vodka as the new “it” drink. Ludacris and Snoop Dogg both push cognac, with both artists releasing mixtapes and music videos promoting the drinks. More»

She's 'a male lady,' has a you-know-what, Em raps

(NEWSER) - Eminem, famous for dissing other celebrities via song, has some words for Lady Gaga in new tune "A Kiss." He takes aim at the Gaga-is-a-hermaphrodite rumors with the line, "Tell Lady Gaga she can quit her job at the post office / She's still a male lady," then goes on to note he "wouldn't f*** her with her d***." The song is from Hell: The Sequel, an EP Eminem made with rapper Royce da 5'9" as rap duo Bad Meets Evil, PopEater reports. More»

Common once rapped anti-Bush sentiment, but Dems note outrage is silly

(NEWSER) - Michelle Obama invited rapper Common to the White House for a poetry event tonight, reports the Chicago Tribune, and conservatives are none too happy about it. Why? Well, to start, Common, AKA Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr., has a song that apparently tells people to "burn" George W. Bush. Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller first snarked about the issue, reprinting lyrics from "A Letter to the Law" that reference Uzis, Bush, and Saddam. Sarah Palin was quick to tweet a link to the piece with her own two cents thrown in: "Oh lovely, White House..." More»