High-level sources at Def Jam recently told the LA Times they didn't expect Shyne's new album to pick up steam at this point and are prepared to abandon the project.
Shyne's album, Godfather Buried Alive, was released on August 10th after an extensive media and marketing blitz including the cover of Vibe's Juice issue, an MTV special and radio and web interviews. But despite the hoopla, the album sold a disappointing 158,000 CDs units the week of his August 10th debut and has sold only 354,000 copies to date.

For Def Jam, the Shyne album is unhappily a financial failure. The label spent $3 million to sign Shyne after a bidding war last year. An additional $1 million was spent to market and record the record. Based upon record sales revenue alone, the album has only recovered about $1.3 million of the cash invested in it. And with the current downward sales trend - just 15,000 units sold last week - Def Jam is reportedly preparing to abandon the project.
Shyne stated early on that he wasn't in it for the sales, happy with the opportunity to be relevant and record again after four years in jail.
"Wherever I go motherf#@$ers respect me," Shyne told SOHH.com in an exclusive interview. "You have ni99as go their whole careers to get that type of respect and admiration. For me just to have one album... sh!t I don't care what the sh!t do."

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Ja Rule is campaigning to stop killings among young blacks, mainly in his native Queens, New York neighborhood.
According to police, 17 homicides were committed in Queens' 113th precinct last year. In his quest to stop the bloodshed, Rule founded the Love Ignites Freedom and Education (LIFE) Foundation two years ago. The organization provides arts, sports, counseling and other activities for kids who have behavior, attendance problems or are underachieving in school


"It's hard growing up where we come from," Ja Rule recently told community leaders and elected officials. "We have to get together and give back, especially the ones with a little more time and money. That's what the LIFE Foundation is about."

The LIFE Foundation is presently in progress at August Martin High School in Jamaica, Queens and Baisley and South Jamaica housing developments. There are also plans to bring the foundation to Far Rockaway High School in Queens and Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn.
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Russell Simmons and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs are likely to team up for an upcoming reality TV series.

Simmons is presently talking to MTV about possibly starring in a series tentatively entitled, "The First Family Of Hip-Hop." The program is said to be similar to MTV's hit reality TV series, "The Osbournes."

Simmons' has been successful in the past with previous television ventures. His first effort, "Def Jam Comedy", ran for nine seasons and dominated the comedy circuit. His second television project "Def Poetry" has been a HBO mainstay for four seasons. His next show will be a Court TV documentary entitled "Hip-Hop Justice".

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Ruffryder MC Jin defeated Shells, Jae Millz, and Wreckonize in a Fight Klub rap battle that took place at the Mixshow Power Summit on Saturday.

In the battle, which took place in Puerto Rico, Jin bested Wreckonize, known for winning the Roc-A-Fella/MTV contest. After Jin won, he observed J Records’ Shells win over Jae Millz by a slim margin.

Jin and Shells went toe to toe, but Jin's clever punchlines and lyrical ferocity gave him the unanimous win from the judges. Intense onlookers tore down tables and placed bets by throwing money into the ring as Jin slowly overpowered Shells line for line. "This is just one chapter of everything I've been through, and what I'm going to go through," Jin told Allhiphop.com.

"I've always felt that the record deal and all of that is a blessing, but I never take it for granted, and at the end of the day I know there's one thing that they'll never take away from me. Even if I don't do no numbers, even I never drop another record, I know that they can't take [the battle] out of me." Attendees included Game, Cassidy, Alchemist, Swizz Beats, Cuban Link, Nick Cannon, Canadian rapper Kardinal Official, and hundreds of DJ's and MC's from around the world. Along with the respect of his win, Jin took home a prize of $50,000 and a new Chevrolet Colbalt.

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Rapper Foxy Brown has signed a deal with Jay-Z’s new label, S. Carter Records.

A source revealed that the deal has not been officially announced, because Carter has not settled on a distribution deal for his new imprint.

“Lyor [Cohen] was with Jay-Z in Chicago on tour and LA Reid was with him soon after,” a source speaking under the condition of anonymity told AllHipHop.com. “He is getting offers from everybody but since the Roc-A-Fella deal is not really done nothing can be made official.”

The signing reunites the Brooklyn pair, both of whom at one point were both under contract to Def Jam.

In previous reports, LA Reid made it known that he was seeking to buy the Roc-A-Fella imprint from partners Dame Dash, Kareem “Biggs” Burke and Jay-Z.

Sources stated that deal hit a snag because the Roc-A-Fella partners felt the amount Reid was offering, which is stated to be around $20 million dollars, is too low for the label.

In early 2003, Brown had a nasty public falling out with former Def Jam chairman Lyor Cohen. The two clashed shortly after Brown re-signed with Def Jam Records in a joint venture with Sean “P. Diddy's” Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment.

She also negotiated an Ill Na Na Entertainment label deal with the Universal Music Group.

Her highly anticipated album Ill Na Na 2: The Fever was shelved and eventually Foxy was released from her contract with Def Jam.

Cohen later departed from his Island Def Jam position and now heads up the North American operations of Warner Music Group, taking top executives Kevin Liles and Julie Greenwald with him and LA Reid took over Island Def Jam.

Brown has kept busy, launching a line of custom furs and accessories and is currently developing a reality series for MTV. Album details were not available as of press-time

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The X-ecutioners have gone the Destiny Child route and have shaken things up a bit within the group. Rob Swift departed to focus on his own music career which made way for not one, but two new additions to the group of turntablists. DJ Boogie Blind and DJ Precision will fill the void left by Swift.This will mark the first time that the group has been a four member crew since the Mista Sinista was a part of the group. DJ Boogie Blind is the 2000 Vestax DJ World Champion was the DJ for Pharoahe Monch.DJ Precision has appeared previously on tour with the group and is one of the proteges of Rob Swift. Both are members of NYC DJ crew The Low Lives.Swift will not accompany the group on its tour promoting their latest album.