-Producers of the upcoming Broadway musical Fela! have confirmed that rap mogul Jay-Z and Hollywood couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have joined the show’s producing team….

Here’s the trailer for the Jam Master Jay documentary, 2 Turntables and a Mic, that will come packaged with 50 Cent’s fourth LP Before I Self Destruct.

A documentary about the life of late rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard is set to premiere at the National Black Theatre in New York City (2031 5th Ave. between 125th and 126th streets) on Nov. 10.

Directed by ODB’s cousin Raison Allah, Dirty: One Word Can Change the World celebrates the rapper’s life though personal interviews with the Wu-Tang Clan, Sunz of Man, Killarmy, the Black Knight, and the Brooklyn Zu.

For ticket information visit www.imagenation.us or call 212-340-1874…..

In an open letter penned to her fans and supporters this week, hip-hop legend Roxanne Shante reveals her personal fight with breast cancer.

The 40-year-old first noticed a lump in her breast earlier this year, but did nothing about it for months.

“In March, I noticed a lump in my left breast, rather small at the time and didn’t really know what I was feeling. So instead of going straight to the doctor’s office, I started asking friends their opinion and trying to go by their experiences. It was such a stupid move. Well, I figured I was just getting older. A hysterectomy in my early thirties led me to believe that I would be fine. Another stupid move.” Read the rest of this entry »

Looks like Cassie’s getting the last laugh. After six months on the air as host of his own morning show on Philadelphia’s The Beat 100.3, controversial on-air personality Charlamagne Tha God was fired this morning.

While the official word is for Charlamagne’s ousting is: “The Beat said they want to move in a different direction,” word on the streets is the former Wendy Williams sidekick was bounced because of his exclusive interview with Beanie Sigel, criticizing Jay-Z, that aired last week.

This isn’t the first time Charlamagne’s mouth has gotten him into hot water. Several years ago, the South Carolina native was booted from a local station after a run-in with former video model Buffie The Body. And just a year ago, WBLS in New York dismissed Charlamagne from The Wendy Williams Experience.

For his part, it seem Charlamagne is taken unemployment in stride:

“I hope don’t nobody important die in the next couple of days and steal my thunder. I can ride this promo wave @ least until Wed,” he Tweeted this afternoon.

The Wire is about to become a course at Harvard.

The class, about HBO’s gritty se ries about life in the Baltimore ghetto, will be taught by sociology professor William J. Wilson, one of the most well-known Black professors of history in the country. He’s also a huge fan of the show.

The announcement came at a panel discussion at the school featuring several of the show’s stars, according to the Harvard student newspaper, The Crimson.

“I do not hesitate to say that it has done more to enhance our understanding of the challenges of urban life and the problems of urban inequality, more than any other media event or scholarly publication,” Wilson told the audience before poking fun at himself.

Harvard will be not the first college course on The Wire. Courses on the TV show already exist at Duke University and Middlebury College.

Jay-Z served as Drake’s hypeman during a live Halloween night performance of the former actor’s smash hit “Successful” in his hometown of Toronto.

Mike Beck, an up-and-coming hip hop artist from the gritty streets of Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood, died overnight.

News of the former K.A.R. (Kill All Rats) member’s death broke on Saturday after his MySpace page was updated reflecting the title: “R.I.P Tha Big Homie Lou.” Word is, Mike was gunned down during a botched robbery attempt in BK late Friday, but at this time it is not known how he died.

It took an extra 24-hours, but Brooklyn native Jay-Z and Harlem’s own Alicia Keys got to perform their hit hometown anthem, “Empire State of Mind,” before Game 2 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies in the Bronx on Thursday night.

Hov and A. Keys had been due to take the stage at last night’s World Series kickoff, but their performance was delayed due to inclimate weather.

Shyne was officially deported to his native Belize on Wednesday, according to reports. He arrived in the nation around 2:40pm local time Thursday, escorted by a U.S. Marshall. He was processed by local authorities at the airport, then was welcomed by his father Dean Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize, his mother Imeon Myvett, as well as other members of his family.

Reps for the once promising rapper tell the media that he would now like to be called Moses Michael Leviy to reflect his conversion to Judaism.

“Shyne is home. He wants to say how happy he is to be home and to be a free man,” said the rapper’s uncle, Michael Finnegan, current Minister of Housing. “He would love to have a conversation with the media, but because he was legally advised by Professor Ogletree, he must not speak to the media because he doesn’t want to prejudice his situation with the US government or with the Belize government. So he asked me to ask you that he does not want to disrespect you the media, but please to understand what is going on.”