Chrysler's new 300c car is quickly becoming one of Hip-Hop's most wanted vehicles as Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent have shown interest in adding it to their collection.

According to the Associated Press, Snoop recently left a message on CEO Daimler Chrysler's voicemail to request the 300c.

"What I gotta' do to get that brand new 300 up outta' you?" Snoop asked in the message. "Get back in contact with my nephew so he can make it happen, then it's official like a referee with a whistle."

Since hitting the streets last March, the 300c, which strikingly resembles past Bentley models, has been selling well and building waiting lists across the nation. The luxury car's base price presently ranges between $23,000 and $35,000.


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A man was shot and killed near an expressway exit in Miami on his way to a Memorial Day Hip-Hop festival this weekend.

According to police, Malcolm Marshall and three friends were driving in a 1999 Buick when he began flirting with a car load of women who were driving along the car. Moments later, passengers of the Buick began arguing with Willie James Lumsdon, one of four passengers in a Chevrolet Tahoe that pulled up alongside the Buick. Minutes into the argument, Lumsdon fired a shot at the Buick -- consequently striking and killing Marshall. Police quickly caught up to Lumsdon, who admitted to the crime.

According to Miami authorities, the Miami Beach festivities had been relatively calm before the shooting. 61 arrests had been made halfway through Sunday and 51 of the arrests were for misdemeanors like disorderly conduct.

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After raking in $5.7 million over the holiday weekend, "Soul Plane" appeared to stall at the theaters to the glee of critics, but its defenders claim people are taking the imagery far too seriously.


The movie, which was shot on a budget of $16.5 million, drew harsh criticism from various African-American watch groups, as well as prominent movie critics.


"Instead of talent, 'Soul Plane's' short attention span director [Jesse] Terrero tries to make up for it with volume in racially charged jokes – a few inspired, most expired," scathed Edwardo Jackson of popular e-zine The Reel Deal. "Terrero's flashy showy extended music video has drowned us with stupidity."


Terrero defend himself against critics and said that the movie was simply meant to be taken in the same context as the classic 70’s comedy "Airplane!" and "Saturday Night Live."


"I'm part of Generation X, part of the hip-hop culture, and I just wanted to make a good comedy for my generation," Terrero told the Chicago Tribune. "I don't see this as a movie about race; it's a movie about class."


Terrero said that the movie contained less jokes, after he decided to cut them down. Peter Adee, a high ranking MGM executive also defended the film.


"First and foremost, this is a comedy that is an equal-opportunity offender," Peter Adee, MGM's President of Worldwide Marketing said. "It takes shots at everyone."


Earl Ofari Hutchinson of the National Alliance for Positive Action President said the offenses weren’t funny, especially the ones that deal in racial pigeonholing.


"The rejection of Soul Plane is a wake-up call to MGM and film industry executives, and those black writers, directors, and actors that lend their name and talent to racially degrading films that they can no longer make a fast buck profit in perpetuating vile and insulting film stereotypes,” said Hutchinson.

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ESPN2's "Block Party" makes its return tonight (June 1) at 7:00 pm. The new season features fresh 2004 episodes of "Street Ball: The AND 1 Mix Tape Tour."

Jermaine Dupri hosts "Cuttin1 Up," the barbershop segment & "The Hook Up," which pairs athletes & celebrities for a day-in-the-life swap.

"Block Party" will air in two-hour segments for six Tuesdays & two Fridays for eight weeks straight.

Snoop Dogg will swap lives with Randy Moss, Master P. with Baron Davis and Roc-A-Fella CEO Damon Dash will switch with boxer Winky Wright, who is also a spokesperson for Dash's "Team Roc" clothing line.

Other notable appearances come from Eric Sermon, Babs, Doug E. Fresh, Pastor Troy and others.

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T.I., who was sentenced to three years in Cobb County, Georgia, last month, was recently moved to a work-release program for the rest of his sentence. He'll now be able to go back to recording. A spokesperson for the Cobb County district attorney's office noted it was a common occurrence, saying they like to encourage those with jobs to continue working. T.I. is expected to only serve nine months to a year of his sentence.


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Jadakiss isn't too big for his britches — he does listen to criticism. He hears the people who buy his music and he hears the people who write about his music. As much acclaim as he gets for his rhymes, Jada says he's taken note of his lyrical flaws. So on his upcoming LP, The Kiss of Death, Jada opens up.

"I been getting a lot of criticism [about my lyrics] with the media," he said a few weeks ago in New York. "They said the only thing that was [hindering] me from being one of the greats like Rakim, Jigga and 50 Cent was that I never let [the listeners] inside my world, my life. Plus, you gotta charge that to 50, Eminem and DMX. They came out with pain, gave the world their pain. Em with his moms and his baby's moms, X with his whole life, 50 with whatever happened to him. They made it a little more personal, that's what the fans want."

Although Kiss is being heard on the radio these days, largely via his emphatic freestyle session "The Champ Is Here" (which has been reworked to be a remix of "Time's Up"), Jada's next single, "Why," finds him reflecting less on himself and more on society.

"To be critically acclaimed, to get a Grammy, to be on MTV, you gotta talk about current events," he said. "You gotta talk about controversy, just stuff people want to hear. At the same time, you gotta get a message across."

But when making The Kiss of Death, due June 22, the LOX member did have some questions and doubts, in particular with Neptunes producer Pharrell Williams. It took the two several tries before they came up with the Neptunes' lone record on the album, "Hot Sauce to Go."

"The Pharrell experience was crazy," Kiss said. "I worked with him before, but I actually turned down seven or eight Pharrell tracks before I got the one I got. It's a blessing to keep hearing different ones, but one of my New Year's resolutions was that if I ain't feeling it, I gotta let you know right there. I can't hold it in.

"It was a little bit of turmoil, but not really," he added. "It was the artist/producer turmoil, it wasn't nothing personal. At the end of the day we worked it out. [The beat for 'Hot Sauce to Go'] sounded different, he felt good about it."

The video for "Why" was shot last week in Los Angeles by director Sanaa Hamri.

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It's been rumored previously, but it seems like Jay-Z's talk about retiring was just that - talk. Jay-Z is back as S. Carter and is signing a one album deal with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records, AftermathMusic.com reports.

The album would be entirely produced by Dr. Dre, who was also supposed to produce a song for last year's The Black Album. Unfortunately, the song didn't make the cut.