Jay-Z Close to Sony Deal— or Maybe Warner

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.

Rap Genius breaks down Jay-Z, Ghostface Killah, and more

(NEWSER) - Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ song “Empire State of Mind” is everywhere, even at the World Series. But do you know what the lyrics mean? If not, Rap Genius (formerly Rap Exegesis) can clue you in the way it educated Nick Antosca of the Huffington Post. Some of the explanations the site offers:

• Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind”: “Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons whipping pastry” refers first to cooking up crack, second to fellow rapper Rev. Run’s daughters and their clothing line.

Rapper will keep his language PG while performing for Yanks

(AP) - The lyrics to Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" are sometimes as raw as New York, but it looks like the rapper will clean things up when he performs his city anthem at the World Series. A source close to the rapper says Jay-Z won't utter curses or other raunchy stuff in his hit when he and fellow New Yorker Alicia Keys sing at Yankee Stadium tomorrow night. More»

Hip-hop artist does an awful lot of entertaining TV cameos

(NEWSER) - In anticipation of Snoop Dogg’s cameo on tonight’s episode of Brothers, the Huffington Post runs down the hip-hop artist’s best—that is to say, Snoop Doggiest—TV guest moments to date:

• The Martha Stewart Show: “Oh, you want me to take the skizin off it.”
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: “I stay ready so I ain't gotta get ready.”

Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne among those referencing sour economy

(NEWSER) - The ugly economy is making more than a cameo in today’s hottest rap music, with Young Jeezy taking the cake by naming his latest album The Recession. Rap’s often been a barometer of such huge swings, Sara Libby writes, noting the impact last year of Barack Obama’s rise. Now, Jeezy, Jay-Z and others have their mind on their money, and their money on their mind. More»