Nicki Minaj Scores No. 1 Album, Rick Ross Has a Seizure, Brandy’s Singing for Santa & More

The first-week numbers are in, and Nicki Minaj has officially snagged her second No. 1 album with Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which sold 253,000 copies according to SoundScan. Huzzah! [Billboard]

Rick Ross has canceled yet another round of shows after suffering a seizure (temporary setback) before his scheduled appearance at the Bayou Music center in Houston on April 7. He was forced to skip out on the event, and subsequent Easter Fest Rozay (seriously) in Guyana Monday (April 9). Ross, we're worried man. [HipHopDX]

Q-Tip has officially signed with longtime collaborator Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint to release his fourth solo The Last Zulu. [AllHipHop]

Usher: not dead, just shirtless. [SingersRoom]

Friday director F. Gary Gray has signed on to direct New Line Cinema's N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. The film's producers include Ice Cube and Eazy-E's widow, Tomica Woods. Hopefully it doesn't suck. [TheHollywoodReporter]

Good news, fans of Brandy and the Christmas holiday! The "It All Belongs to Me" singer has announced that she will be releasing a long "overdue" holiday album. "I need to do a Christmas album," she revealed. "That Christmas album is overdue." [SingersRoom]

Think you know rap lyrics? Fancy yourself a literary scholar? Can you tell the difference between Kool Keith lines and James Joyce passages? Test us. BoomBox editor Georgette Cline scored 9/10. Beat that. [HudsonHongo]