Ashanti will release her long-awaited fourth album,, The Declaration, on June 3rd. You Tube is offering Ashanti fans a chance to sample the star’s new disc before it hits stores.

Lil Wayne’s in trouble again; but this time it’s copyright infringement that could land the “Lollipop” star back in a court of law. Country singer Karma Ann Swanepoel has filed a lawsuit in Louisiana alleging Wayne jacked her track “Once” for his single “I Feel Like Dying,” TMZ.com reports.

Groundbreaking record producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is getting ready to be a father again. The fifty year old music legend is reportedly expecting a baby with girlfriend Nikki Pantenburg this Winter.

“Babyface is thrilled about the pending bundle of joy,” a celebrity mole revealed to In Touch Weekly.

Nikki, a thirty-five year old actress who co-starred with Brandy on three episodes of the first season of Moesha, first met the “Shoot ‘Em Movies” singer when she performed as a backup dancer on his 2001 tour to Japan.

Bill Cosby is selling his sweaters for charity. The legendary patterned sweaters the outspoken comic wore as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable on his long-running television series The Cosby Show will be auctioned off next month to benefit education charity Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation, a charity set up in memory of the actor’s late son. Three of the sweaters featured in the 80s-90s Thursday night hit will be sold in an eBay auction beginning June 2nd. Opening bids will start at $5,000 per item on www.eBay.com/cosby before shutting on June 12th.

Have you heard Rihanna’s new song, “Disturbia.” On Tuesday, the Barbadian-bombshell released a revamped, remixed edition of her platinum-selling 2007 album, Good Girl Gone Bad. After taking radio by storm this Spring with the release of tracks like “Take A Bow” and “If I Never See Your Face Again (Ft. Maroon 5), Rihanna is unleashing her third single from the Good Girl Gone Bad Reloaded album; check out “Disturbia.”

Listen To “Disturbia” By Rihanna

Tyra Banks on the June 2008 cover of The New York Times Magazine-on newsstands Sunday, June 1st.

Fugees alum Pras has released a new Summer single in anticipation of his forthcoming new album.

“This is an unapologetic, hot record!” Pras says of “My Ex.” “It’s been a long time coming, and I’m very excited to finally share it with my fans.”

Listen To “My Ex” By Pras

Rock It or Drop It?

The little Asian lady formerly known as Lil Kim will release her first solo album, Ms. G.O.A.T., via Amalgam Entertainment on June 3rd. The LP will feature collabos from 50 Cent, Brooklyn-based rapper Maino, and pop singer Britney Spears.

50 Cent is launching a scholarship fund via a new MTV reality show partnered after Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, Billboard Magazine reports. The still-untitled series will feature sixteen street savvy students vying for a a full scholarship to a university course of their choice.

Check out this video from Usher’s Here I Stand Special on BET this week. Read the rest of this entry »