A phone meeting between Kanye West and former Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight ended in a stalemate and produced no results involving Knight's $1 million dollar lawsuit against the Chicago rapper.
 
The Associated Press reports that the latest meeting took place yesterday (August 26th) in Miami, with Knight present and West attending by telephone.

According Knight's attorney Marc Brumer, the two sides could not reach an agreement over Knight's allegations that West is responsible for injuries he received after he was shot at VMA party West hosted at The Shore Club, in 2005.

In addition to being shot in the leg during the star-studded party, Knight claims he lost a diamond earring that was valued at $135,000.

Knight's lawsuit claims West is responsible for his injuries because there was allegedly not enough security at the event.

According to Brumer, the case will most likely go to trial.

This is the second attempt to reach a settlement over the dispute. The pair met in a lawyer's office in New York in June, but an agreement could not be reached.
 

Forbes has dropped its annual list of the top money makers in Hip-Hop music and rap mogul Jay-Z has topped the list for a second straight year.

According to the report, Jay-Z, born Sean Carter, raked in $63 million over the past 12 months.

He will pay the government about $22 million, more than any other artist earned on the entire list, excluding Sean "Diddy" Combs, the #2 earner with $30 million. 

"We put together this list by applying the same rigorous methodology we apply to our research for the Forbes 400, the Celeb 100 and other specials," Forbes writer Zack O'Malley Greenburg told AllHipHop.com.

Greenburg, who is also penning a business-focused biography on Jay-Z told AllHipHop.com that information was gathered "concrete data" provided by companies like Billboard, Pollstar, Niesen Soundscan, the Recording Industry Association of America.

Additionally, Forbes conducted its own investigative research through interviews with executives, lawyers, media buyers, label executives and various artists.

"This year's rankings show that Hip-Hop's most financially successful artists continue to be the ones who've diversified their revenue streams," Greenburg told AllHipHop.com.

This year, the rappers earned a combined $300 million in earnings, which is almost equal to the amount that was generated last year, despite a troubled music business and an ailing economy.

Both Jay-Z and Diddy's income was generated by their various business ventures.

Jay-Z still has a stake in Rocawear, owns the 40/40 nightclub, is still touring and owns a stake in the New Jersey Nets.

Diddy made his cash from his television businesses, including his Diddybeats earbuds and his partnership with Ciroc vodka.

"Ten or fifteen years ago, everyone had to have their own record label; a few years later, the trend was to have a clothing line," Greenburg continued.  "Now, those are prerequisites for a Hip-Hop empire, and the new must is having your own brand of alcohol. Diddy made more from his Ciroc deal than from any of his other sources of income, and Ludacris, T.I. and others are following suit."

Akon checked in at #3 with $21 million earned through a deal with Pepsi, his Konvict Clothing line and his Kon Live record label, which is home to Lady Gaga, T-Pain, Kardinall Offishall and others.

Lil Wayne checked in at #4 with $20 million earned from his hit album Rebirth and through his endless touring schedule.

Super producer Dr. Dre was #5 on the list with $17 million earned, while Ludacris was #6 with $16 million earned off movie roles and his exclusive new line of cognac, Conjure.

West coast rap veteran Snoop Dogg's appearances on television and in films and a worldwide tour landed him at #7.

Famed Producer Timbaland is listed at #8 with $14 million, followed by fellow producer Pharrell Williams, who raked in $13 million to take the #9 position through his Ice Cream/Billionaire Boys Club clothing line, as well as his involvement in creating the soundtrack to the animated hit, Despicable Me.

Despite a low profile over the past 12 months, Kanye West landed at #10 with $12 million earned through his various business endeavors, including producing hit records.

The rest of the Top 20 are listed below:

11. Drake $10 million
12. T.I. $9 million (Tied)
13. Swizz Beatz $9 million (Tied)
14.Eminem $8 million (Tied)
15. 50 Cent ($8 million (Tied)
16. Young Jeezy ($8 million) (Tied)
17. Common $7 million
18. Soulja Boy $ 6 million (Tied)
19. T-Pain $6 million (Tied)
20. Lil Jon $ 5 million, Tied with Gucci Mane, who earned $5 million despite being incarcerated most of the year.
 

A man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin is being sued for posing as the manager of Lil Wayne and Drake to dupe promoters out of thousands of dollars.

According to a complaint filed by Eagles Entertainment Inc. in Milwaukee County Court, the defendant, Joey Turner Jr. (aka Jo Flowroshus), impersonated Cortez Bryant to book Canadian rapper Drake.

Turner allegedly contacted Eagles Entertainment and misrepresented himself, by claiming that he was Cortez Bryant

He told Eagle Entertainment that Drake's asking fee was $90,000 and collected a $9,000 deposit, for a show that was supposed to take place September 1st in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

"In making his statements said defendant knew that said statements and misrepresentations of defendant were in fact false and intentionally fraudulent," lawyers for Eagles Entertainment said in the lawsuit.

In February, Drake addressed a string of organized, fake bookings that were concentrated in the South. In all instances, a man posed as Cortez Bryant and took deposits for phony shows.


“It has been brought to my attention that false promoters and booking agents are illegally using my name and likeness to promote concerts and club appearances for their own financial gain,” Drake told AllHipHop.com. “It is frustrating for me to hear that many of my fans, who like myself are innocent victims in these scams, have been misled due to the greed of these promoters,” Drake stated. “I apologize to any fan that has been a victim of these circumstances or feels let down by false advertising.”

Eagles Entertainment is seeking a total of $27,000 in damages, plus lawyer and court costs.

Drake's bookings are handled by International Creative Management (ICM).
 

 Atlanta rapper B.oB. Has announced his first major headlining tour will start this August on the “Shootin’ For Stars" tour. 

B.o.B. will hit the road from August to November, when he finished up his current tour of Australia, New Zealand and Japan. 

The tour announcement comes amidst a busy schedule for B.o.B., who has dates lined up with The Black Eyed Peas (August 1st), Lollapalooza (August 6th) and the 5th Annual Summer Spirit Festival (August 7th) and other one-off dates. 

"I just want to show people that there are endless possibilities of what you can do," B.o.B said in a statement. "You don't just have to be a rapper, you don't just have to be a trapper; you can be anything you want to be and whatever you do, just love it and it will show."

B.o.B. is riding the success of his debut album B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, which hit #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart when it was released in April. 

Additionally, B.o.B.’s latest single “Airplanes” featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore, is currently #1 in the U.K. 

Tour dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Snoop Dogg and a number of other West Coast rappers are being sued by a legendary bassist who claims the artists illegally sampled a record and never paid him.

Michael Henderson cut his teeth touring with Stevie Wonder and recording extensively with Miles Davis, before he launched a successful solo career and released eight critically acclaimed albums.

His music has been sampled by artists like Jay-Z, Eminem, Notorious B.I.G. and others.

Lawyers for Henderson filed a lawsuit against Snoop Dogg, MC Eiht, Goldie Lo, Kam, Doggy Style Records and Universal Music on Tuesday (July 6th).

According to the lawsuit, which was filed in the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District, Snoop and company illegally sampled “Riding,” a song on Henderson’s 1979 album Do It All.

Henderson accuses the rappers of incorporating his music into their song “Riding” and also “Hands on the Wheel,“ which were both available for stream, download and purchase.

In the complaint, Henderson claims “Flashbacks” featuring Warzone (Goldie Loc, Kam and MC Eiht) was released on a mixtape, which was used to promote Snoop’s album Ego Trippin’, which was released in March of 2008.

Henderson also says “Hands on the Wheel” illegally incorporated his music and was used to boost ticket sales for Snoop’s West Fest tour in June of 2008.

Henderson is suing for copyright infringement, unfair competition and unjust enrichment. He  is seeking unspecified damages in a trial by jury.
 

Rapper Lil Wayne entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors in Yuma, Arizona on Friday (June 18th) in Yuma County Superior Court.

The rapper has began serving a one-year prison sentence on Riker’s Island in New York for a separate gun charge.

On Friday, Lil Wayne appeared in court via a video feed from the New York jail and pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a dangerous drug.

As a result, a number of other felony charges were dismissed, including misconduct involving weapons, possession of a narcotic for sale and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Lil Wayne was originally arrested in January of 2008, when his tour bus was stopped near a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint outside of Yuma, Arizona.

A search of the bus uncovered a .40 caliber handgun, four ounces of marijuana, over an ounce of cocaine, 41 grams of ecstasy.

Lil Wayne is expected to be receive up to 36 months of probation in exchange for the guilty plea when he is sentenced, June 30th.