Shyne while in the midst of his 10 year sentence has reportedly changed his name to Moses Michael Leviy after converting to Judaism. He is heading to civl court to challenge a court ordered injunction freezing his assets under the "Son of Sam" law which prevents prisoners from receiving profits from their crimes. By freezing his assets, Shyne has been unable to afford proper legal representation or support his family. His assets include a $500,000 advance he received from Island Def Jam

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Justice League's Median has signed a multi-album contract with Halftooth Records.

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Mos Def is in final negotiations to star in Stringbean and Marcus, an independent film that focuses on the relationship between two former Black Panther members who fall out of love.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sophie Okonedo, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Hotel Rwanda, is also in final talks to star in the drama.

The movie is set in 1978 and is told through the eyes of a young girl.

"It's not so much about the idea of race," director Tanya Hamilton told The Hollywood Reporter. "I just wanted to show this world of ordinary people living under extraordinary circumstances."

Although neither star is under contractual obligation as of press time, producer Sean Costello said both actors were committed to the project.

"Mos is one of my favorite actors; he's fantastic," said Costello. "Sophie has to play this character who's both closed off and being open to helping people yet not being an angry woman. That's what she did in Hotel Rwanda as this maternal, yet emotionally conflicted woman."

Stringbean and Marcus is scheduled to start shooting this July in Philadelphia.
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Voletta Wallace, mother of slain rapper Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, told AllHipHop.com in a recent interview that critically acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua well direct an untitled picture based on the life of the slain rapper.

The movie, which is funded by Fox/Searchlight Pictures, is being produced by Ms. Wallace and B.I.G.'s former managers, Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts and will tell the life of the legendary Brooklyn rapper, who was gunned down Mar. 9, 1997 in Los Angeles, after attending a party by Vibe magazine at the Peterson Automotive Museum.

"The film [will be] directed by Antoine Fuqua - a very nice director. He's very talented," Ms. Wallace told AllHipHop.com. "Who is gonna play Biggie? I don't know yet. Who is gonna play me, I don't know yet. But we are in the process of casting now."

Fuqua has directed such critically acclaimed films as The Replacement Killers, the Bruce Willis driven Tears Of The Sun, and Training Day, which starred Denzel Washington, who won an Oscar for his role in the film.

While many suspect B.I.G. was murdered as a result of his feud with Tupac Shakur, police have never solved either murder. Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sept.7 1996 and died from his wounds on Sept.13, 1996.

Smalls was gunned down just six months later on Mar. 9, in Los Angeles after attending the 11th Annual Soul Train Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Center.


In June of 2004, Ms. Wallace won a decision to bring a wrongful death suit against the LAPD, which the Estate accuses of being complicit in Smalls' death.

The investigation into both murders continues and in July of 2005, the Estate of Christopher Wallace won a major victory against the city of Los Angeles, after it was learned that the Los Angeles Police Department withheld evidence that could have linked two police officers and Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight to both murders.

In a dramatic turn of events, an unnamed tipster told the court that a significant amount of evidence had not been given to lawyers of the estate.

The unnamed source offered evidence that disgraced LAPD officers David Mack and Rafael Perez worked in cahoots with Knight to gun B.I.G down.

U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper declared a mistrial in the case, after Detective Steve Katz allegedly "forgot" about critical documents pertaining to the trial that were found in his desk drawer after a search of his office.

The city of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department were ordered to pay the legal costs the family of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” incurred during the trial, for withholding the evidence about the rap star’s murder.

Wallace said a new lawsuit was being planned to include Mack's former partner Perez. The trial is scheduled to resume this summer.

"All I want, all I ever wanted is justice for my sons death," Ms. Wallace told AllHipHop.com. "All I ever wanted was the truth. And that's not asking too much."

In related news, The Notorious B.I.G.'s posthumous album The Notorious B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter, has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies.

The album spent seven consecutive weeks on top of Billboard's Top Rap Album chart when it hit stores in Dec. of 2005. The album debuted at #3 on Billboard's Top 200 charts and featured the hit "Nasty Girl" featuring Diddy, Nelly and Jagged Edge.

The album took two years to craft and features verses B.I.G. recorded during his career paired with new versions from a who's who in Hip-Hop, including 2Pac, Big Pun, Scarface, Ludacris, Snoop, Eminem, Jay-Z, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Nas, Juelz Santana, T.I., Missy Elliott, Jim Jones and many others.

B.I.G.'s three previous albums, Ready To Die, Life After Death and Born Again are also certified platinum by the RIAA.

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Hip-Hop legend Biz Markie is releasing a limited edition run of the Diabolical Biz Markie Beat-Boxing Doll.

Biz Markie and Extended Play have teamed up to create 1,000 hand-crafted Biz Markie action dolls, which come complete with accessories and custom packaging.

The doll is outfitted in a crisp mesh jersey, hand-tailored jeans and old school kicks (circa 1987).

Standing at nearly 2 feet tall, the Diabolical Biz Markie Doll comes with a three-finger "BIZ" ring as seen on the "Just a Friend" 12" cover, the classic BIZ hat and a detachable microphone that fits in either hand.


While the doll is cast from a hard mold, the body is plush and when the belly is squeezed the doll makes beat-boxing sounds.


The action figure is also exclusively packaged in its own custom-made cereal box.

As the Ambassador of Hip-Hop, Biz Markie first surfaced on the music scene in the early '80s as a pioneer of Beat Boxer & Emcee with DJ Marley Marl & the Legendary Juice Crew All-Stars.

Biz's humorous, innovative and unorthodox approach has influenced generations and led Biz to countless guest appearances with Hip-Hop's biggest stars.

For more information, including product details, photos and how to order the doll, visit www.bizmarkiedoll.com.