372609

The evolution of a stage name is usually an interesting story. Eminem, for example, was taken from the rapper's real initials: (M)arshall (M)athers. 50 Cent -- real name Curtis James Jackson III -- adopted his stage name to preserve the legacy of an infamous Brooklyn robber who earned the nickname from robbing just about anyone, even if all they had was spare change...

Dr. Dre will retire in 2008. But first, he'll release one final album, his first in eight years, called 'Detox.' And then there's that little matter of two more months work on Eminem's upcoming album. "I think it's time to move on," the 42-year-old rap icon told the Los Angeles Times, calling rhyming "a young man's game...

The race is over, and it wasn't even close. Kanye West sold a staggering 957,000 copies of his 'Graduation' CD last week, according to Neilsen Soundscan, squashing rival 50 Cent, whose 'Curtis' CD sold a respectable but inferior 691,000 copies...

The 'TV Guide' Emmy afterparty scored quite the coup when, following John Legend's nearly hour-long performance -- which included covers of the Beatles and Sly Stone -- Kanye West came out and set Hollywood off with his own four-song set. Opening with 'Stronger,' and sporting his now signature shades, West was heavy with impact, prompting a room full of television celebrities and industry folk cla

After more than three years since the release of his platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated album 'Encore,' Eminem is ready to get back in the rap game. "Im always in the studio," he told New York's Hot 97 Thursday when he called in during the radio station's interview with 50 Cent, and cited "personal things" as the reason he's been gone for so long...

Today's the day that Kanye West's 'Graduation' faces off against 50 Cent's 'Curtis.' The publicity-savvy pair feuded in a war of words, with Fiddy claiming he'd retire if West sold more albums. They appeared head-to-head on the cover of Rolling Stone...