The federal government has charged Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff with the murder of a Queens, New York drug dealer adding to a list of charges the Murder Inc. associate faces in his upcoming March trial.

McGriff and five associates were arraigned today (Jan. 26). McGriff has officially been charged with the murder of a Southeast Queens drug dealer named Troy Singleton, a man 50 Cent mentions on his song "Ghetto Qu'ran."

/I'm forgettin Lefty and Jazz, Pretty Tony and Lance Head Lou, Mel son, Troy and E Money Bags/ 50 Cent raps.

Singleton was murdered execution style on Oct, 28, 2001. He died from four shots to the body and one to the head outside a sports bar, the Club Van Wyck.

Prosecutors allege McGriff ordered Singleton's slaying as revenge for an earlier double homicide Singleton allegedly committed.

According to Ethan Brown's book "Queen's Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip-Hop Hustler," Singleton and an unknown accomplice allegedly murdered two men named Pierre Mitchell and Jamal Adams, during a basketball game near the Baisley Park Houses.

Prosecutors also claim Singleton was murdered for pistol whipping Ja Rule's manager Ron "Gutta" Robinson outside a Queens, New York nightclub.

"The feds were going to introduce the Troy Singleton murder as so-called 'uncharged evidence' in Preme's trial," Ethan Brown told AllHipHop.com. "But clearly, given their loss in the Murder Inc. case they are taking no chances and firming up whatever allegations they have against 'Preme [McGriff] into actual charges."

The charges are the latest against McGriff, who could be charged with the death penalty if convicted. In Dec. of 2005, the U.S. Attorney's office confirmed they will introduce evidence that McGriff orchestrated the May 2000 shooting of rapper 50 Cent.

Prosecutors have already charged McGriff with the slaying of Queens, New York rapper Eric "E Money Bags" Smith. Prosecutors claim McGriff ordered the murder of E Money Bags in retaliation for the murder of his closest associates, Colbert "Black Just" Johnson.

E Money Bags was murdered in May 2001. He was shot 10 times after gunman open fire on the rapper's SUV, as he sat parked on a Queens street.

The government attempted to introduce 50 Cent's May 200 shooting during the federal money laundering charges of The Inc.'s Irv and Chris Lorenzo.

Prosecutors accused the Lorenzo brothers of helping McGriff launder millions in drug proceeds, but a jury acquitted the brothers of all charges in Dec. of 2005.

During the trial, the government accused Ja Rule’s bodyguard, Robert “Sun” Lyonsof shooting 50 Cent at McGriff's behest.

50 Cent has stated in numerous printed interviews and in songs that the person who shot him was Darryl “Hommo” Baum.

In addition to the murders, McGriff is charged with racketeering and various narcotics charges.
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Cutting Edge, a documentary about barbershop culture in the African-American community, will premiere on Cinemax in February.

The one-hour documentary shows a day in the life of a New York City barbershop in the historic community of Harlem. The film captures the role barbershops play in the Black community, as a forum for Black male discussion.

Although macho attitudes often prevail in Cutting Edge-as in most barbershops-women do play a role in the shop's conversations, and with the increasing gentrification of Harlem, a number of diverse clients, including a white gay man, occasionally enter the fray.

Hollywood has recently become fascinated with barbershop culture. Ice Cube scored on the big screen with his Barbershop films. On the small screen, UPN has "Cuts," starring Marques Houston, and MTV is debuting "The Shop," a reality series about a barbershop, next month as well.

Cutting Edge premieres Monday, February 6 at 7 pm on Cinemax.
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Aftermath CEO and super producer Dr. Dre has struck an informal deal with Marsha "the Songstress" Ambrosius of Floetry fame, and the two will produce a solo album for the London-born singer.

Dre, who recently attended one of the group's Los Angeles shows, already has a working relationship with Floetry. Futhermore, Ambrosius laid down backing vocals on the Dr. Dre-produced song "Start From Scratch" by The Game.

"I have been offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to create my own album," Ambrosius stated. "Along side the mastery of Dr. Dre's magic and the collaborative efforts of my choice, I shall make my personal mark in music history. Of course, the type of person that am, I took a lot into consideration. Whereas many wouldn't have even blinked an eye lid before saying yes, I actually did."

Ambrosius firmly stated that she was still a member of Floetry, a group that has accumulated seven Grammy nominations, most recently for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "SupaStar," from the new album Flo'Ology.

"I've dreamt a long time that my chance would come and I deserve the opportunity to really tell my story," Ambrosius continued. "I believe that this would be completely beneficial to Floetry as well as my long term goals. I instantly got butterflies when I heard about the offer. I believe that the collaboration between myself and the powerhouse of Aftermath will put a glitch in the Matrix."

Sources told AllHipHop.com that a deal was still being negotiated, yet the two were still in the studio recording tracks for Ambrosius' debut solo effort, which does not have a release date at press time.

Floetry also received a nomination for Outstanding Duo or Group for the 37th Annual NAACP Image Awards, which airs on FOX in March.

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The City of Los Angeles has sued the makers of popular video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," claiming the company misled consumers about pornographic content in order to get the game in stores.

L.A. City Attorney Rockard Delgadillo accused Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive Software of failing to disclose pornographic content included in the games original code, simply to sell the game in major retail outlets that do not carry games rated for adults 18+.

In July of 2005, The Entertainment Software Ratings Board changed the rating of the game from Mature (17+) to Adults Only (18+) after the questionable content was discovered.

The lawsuit demands that Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive Software return almost $10 million in profits the game made in California and stop marketing the game to under-age children.

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating advertising claims related to the game and in New York, consumers have sued the company and are seeking to file a class-action lawsuit against the companies.

In December of 2005, a group of senators in the United States introduced a bill that would outlaw the sale of violent or sexually-explicit video games to under-aged consumers.

The bill was introduced to congress after the pornographic content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" was discovered. Senators sponsoring the bill include Hillary Rodham Clinton and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.

"The content of many cutting-edge games is becoming more and more vivid, violent and offensive to our most basic values," Lieberman said in a statement shortly after announcing the bill.

Since Jan. of 2006, at least 55 new bills to restrict the sale of video games were introduced to congress by various politicians.

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U2 lead singer Bono recently cited rapper Kanye West as one of the artists he admires during an Associated Press interview. The revelation came on Thursday (Jan. 26) as the 45-year-old singer and activist expressed an interest in working with hip-hop music.

"I happen to be in really a truly great band, and experimentation has been the lifeblood of this band," said Bono, who also dismissed the idea of doing a solo album. "We of course will look and are looking across at hip-hop and see the amazing innovation in the studio...”

In addition to his hip-hop desires, Bono admitted the other members of U2 were afraid his activism would take its toll on the band and their music.

"Early on they thought it would completely wipe us out, and wipe me out," said Bono, who in Switzerland promoting a new program in which American Express, Gap and other companies will give a portion of the proceeds from specific products to efforts to fight AIDS in Africa. "They know I'm a fairly far-fetched character. But recently ... they feel from our audience a sense that that's what they would like us to be doing.”

Although he knows his band mates spiritually feel as strongly about the issues he champions as he does, Bono confesses “they just don't like the high profile and they don't like me hanging out with really uncool politicians."

Nevertheless, the fact that U2 is looking into hip-hop opens new possibilities for the band.

"I don't know where we're going to go with all our new information and all our new friends ... but it will be somewhere very special or you won't hear about it, because there's no reason for you to put out an album now unless it’s very special,” Bono said. “You know, we don't need the cash."

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Jay-Z and Nas spoke to the USATODAY about the recent news that Nas had signed with Def Jam, the label his one-time rival Jay-Z, now presides over.

In an article published today (Jan. 25), Jay-Z said his feud with Nas ended after the two met at the urging of Jive Records executive Mark Pitts, who was the former manager of Notorious B.I.G. and Nas' current manager.

"Everybody talks about Big and Pac and how that ended," Jay-Z told the USA Today. "We talked about showing a different side and what it would mean to the culture of hip-hop. It was bigger than just us and our trivial little beefs. Hopefully, it shows another way."

Nas said Def Jam was a more hip-hop oriented label that will allow him to explore new ways of expressing his creativity.

"I wake up every day in a new world that new children are growing up in," Nas said "Growing up in the '80s and '90s, it was one way, and now it's a whole new world with the things that these kids listen to or watch on TV."

Jay-Z also spoke to MTV News about Cam'ron's recent dis track "Gotta Love It."

Cam'ron released the seven minute song last week, which among other things, accuses Jay-Z of stealing Roc-A-Fella, Roc-A-Wear and Kanye West from former partner Damon Dash.

"My thing is, it's such an obvious ploy for attention and to get people to talk about it and for [Cam to] sell albums," Jay-Z told MTV News "I'm torn...I feel like I would be stupid to even pay that any attention, because it's such a ploy. N**gas is holding press conferences behind [the dis record]...That's not even a good dis record. That s**t is trash. I'm torn. We'll see what happens. Maybe on my time we'll deal with it, but I'm not really pressed. I'm inspired by good artistic s**t. Cam's s**t is not artistic. There's nothing good about it. Everything about it is an obvious ploy to get attention. Nobody wants to get used."