Best Rap Performance

3005
Childish Gambino

Track from: Because The Internet
Label: Glassnote

0 To 100 / The Catch Up
Drake

Label: Cash Money/Young Money

Rap God
Eminem

Track from: The Marshall Mathers LP2
Label: Aftermath

I
Kendrick Lamar

Label: Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records

All I Need Is You
Lecrae

Label: Reach Records

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Blak Majik

Common Featuring Jhené Aiko

Track from: Nobody’s Smiling

Label: Def Jam Recordings

The Monster

Eminem Featuring Rihanna

Track from: The Marshall Mathers LP2

Label: Aftermath

Tuesday

I Love Makonnen Featuring Drake

Label: OVO/Warner Bros.

Studio

Schoolboy Q Featuring BJ The Chicago Kid

Track from: Oxymoron

Label: Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records

Bound 2

Kanye West & Charlie Wilson

Track from: Yeezus

Label: Def Jam Recordings

Best Rap Song

Anaconda

Ernest Clark, Jamal Jones, Onika Maraj, Marcos Palacios & J. Solone-Myvett, songwriters (Nicki Minaj)

Label: Cash Money/Young Money

Bound 2

Mike Dean, Noah Goldstein, Malik Jones, Che Pope, Elon Rutberg, Sakiya Sandifer, John Stephens, Kanye West, Charlie Wilson, Ernest Wilson & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West & Charlie Wilson)

Track from: Yeezus

Label: Def Jam Recordings; Publishers: Please Gimme My Publishing/EMI Blackwood Music, Inc./John Legend Publishing admin. by BMG Chrysalis/Monarchy Music/Abou Thiam Publishing/Universal Publishing/Jabriel Iz Myne/Let The Story Begin Music Publishing/Chrysalis Songs/EMI Blackwood Music obo Papa George Publishing/Noah Goldstein Music/Reach Music Publishing/Dust Index/Gambi Music, Inc./Songs of Universal, Inc.

I

Duckworth & C. Smith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)

Label: Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records

We Dem Boyz

Maurice Brown, Kemion Cooks, N. Fisher & C. Thomaz, songwriters (Wiz Khalifa)

Track from: Blacc Hollywood

Label: Rostrum/Atlantic; Publishers; Wiz Khalifa Publishing admin. by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./IFYOUNEEDMEDONTLEAVEME

0 To 100 / The Catch Up

Feeney, Aubrey Graham, A. Hernandez, P. Jefferies, M. Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters ( Drake)

Label: Cash Money/Young Money

Best Rap Album

The New Classic

Iggy Azalea

Label: Def Jam Recordings

Because The Internet

Childish Gambino

Label: Glassnote

Nobody’s Smiling

Common

Label: Def Jam Recordings

The Marshall Mathers LP2

Eminem

Label: Aftermath

Oxymoron

Schoolboy Q

Label: Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records

Blacc Hollywood

Wiz Khalifa

Label: Rostrum/Atlantic

2 Chainz made his argument that legalizing pot across all states could reduce the overcrowding of prisons, and help smokers from blighting their lives with criminal records.

Nancy Grace will have none of it.  Producers of the legal commentator’s HLN show convinced the rapper to take part in a televised showdown on marijuana.  Here’s how it went down…

Business is going rather well for 50 Cent these days… A 78 Million dollar deal for underwear just about says it all… However… 50 is complaining… According to Billboard… The rap artist/actor has gone online talking about how promotions for Empire were similar to those for Power, the Starz network action series that is about to begin its second season. Jackson is an executive producer who also acts in the series, and he’ll be appearing more frequently in the second season.

After Jackson used his social media account to point out the similarities recently, Henson responded on Twitter: “I pay attention to $, not cents,” adding a peace sign emoji.  Let the battle begin between actors and networks…

MC Shan brought life to the Hip Hop game and QB in the mid 80’s… But he never imagined that some dudes from the Bronx wanted to tell their story about where they come from…

You know this is Hip Hop so Shan had to respond…

Big up to Nas…. Because “Illmatic” reminded me of this and how much of an impact it had… And every battle has to come to an end… And BDP did just that…

J. Cole comes in at #2 with “Forest Hills Drive”

Ward is the latest high profile athlete to sign with Roc Nation…

Snoop will add some flair when he joins the cast in episode 11.

Empire airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.

The sanctuary was located on the fourth floor of 320 West 37th Street… D&D Studios. Some of the best Hip-Hop music ever made was recorded there.  Unfortunately…  new building ownership had a different idea… not a hip hop idea… The home of the historic studio will become luxury apartments… DJ Premier… the name synonymous with  D&D will relocate to Kaufman Astoria Studios in Long Island City, Queens.

For nearly 25 years, the studio was a second home to artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Jay-Z, KRS One, Big L and Gang Starr, to name a few.

It’s being alleged that Dre and Iovine duped their former partner prior to the sale of Beats to Apple.

The complaint filed Tuesday (Jan. 6) in San Mateo Superior Court accuses Dre and Iovine of double-crossing Noel Lee, the founder of audio cable maker Monster.

According to Billboard, Lee once held a 5 percent stake in Beats as part of a partnership between the headphone maker and Monster that ended in 2012. The lawsuit alleges Dre and Iovine orchestrated a “sham” deal that helped terminate the Monster alliance.

The suit alleges the shady maneuvering cost Lee tens of millions of dollars.

Apple Inc. declined to comment on the lawsuit.

According to Billboard, Philadelphia rapper Cool C is set to be executed by lethal injection on Thursday.  The execution comes 19 years after Cool C conviction for first-degree murder of Police Officer Lauretha Vaird during a bank robbery attempt.

Cool C is known for his contributions to the Philly rap scene since the late ’80s.  Cool C  garnered success with songs that are still heard today, “I Gotta Habit” and “Glamorous Life”.