Nas has inked a one-year partnership with athletic apparel company Fila, Billboard reports.Fila will offer reciprocal financial support for Nas’ print and TV ad campaign as well as his upcoming tour in support of his untitled album, due July 15 via Def Jam. In return, the MC will wear Fila products and co-create an apparel line that draws from fashions of the late ’80s.

“My best friend Will and I loved Fila,” Nas tells Billboard. “It represented prestige and everything that was cool to us. When Will passed, we buried him in a black Fila sweat suit, so doing a deal with them has a lot of significance for me.”

According to Fila president John Epstein, it was a natural match. “One of my executives spotted Nas shopping in our Manhattan store and struck up a conversation with him,” Epstein says. “Nas isn’t interested in selling out. He’s interested in being true, and that fits with our brand.”

Obie Trice is officially a free agent now. Our insiders say he left Shady with no hard feelings and is going to go the independent route like so many artists are doing these days.

After over 20 years of being the backbone of the legendary EPMD, DJ Scratch has announced a shocking split from the group.Scratch detailed the circumstances that have led to the current rift and why he will not be participating in any form, on the group’s forthcoming album and shows.
“I had been finding out through my peoples that Eric Sermon and Parrish Smith have been doing shows and recording an album without me,” Scratch explained. “Then I’m getting emails from fans telling me that Eric said on stage I’m not there because ‘I’m missing flights.’ And I’m like ‘c’mon E that’s not f**king cool.’ I’ve never missed a flight in my whole career.” As with many groups, Scratch stated his absence from the group’s reunion stems from money issues.
“Eric doesn’t want to split the money three ways,” DJ Scratch claimed. “And that’s fine, but be a man about it. We’re supposed to be a crew. Don’t lie and make me seem incompetent and disrespectful to the fans.”
EPMD is one of the most consistent groups in Hip-Hop history, with five successive gold selling albums from 1988-1997, and such classic singles as “It’s My Thing,” So Wat Cha Sayin’,” “Rampage,” and “Crossover.”
Fans know this is not the first time the group has had a public dispute, as the collective split on acrimonious terms in 1993. According to Scratch, despite a reunion those tensions remain unresolved. “I’m cool with both of them [but] with the first breakup, Parrish was the problem and now after the reunion, Eric’s the problem. They don’t like each other but with any group [when] the members don’t get along, you just don’t see that s**t. When you’re on stage you’re not supposed to show that s**t because you’re there for the fans. EPMD’s new album will have no cutting, scratching, or production contributions from DJ Scratch, who since his days in the group has produced for a number of artists, including 50 Cent, Jay-Z, DMX, Talib Kweli, The Roots and numerous others. Since the other members have not made an announcement, Scratch feels it is only fair to the fans and his reputation to clarify the situation.
“If the album came out and I ‘m not on there, the obvious question will be ‘where’s Scratch?” he reasoned. “I think the reason they’ve not said anything is they know the fans wouldn’t be f**king with them like that without me. It’s like Run DMC without Jam Master Jay, we’re a three member group. Eric has the money issue, but I don’t think he realizes he’d make more money together than apart.”
Still, despite the alleged professional betrayal Scratch, is open to working with Smith and Sermon in the future.
“This is only permanent if they want it to be that way,” Scratch said diplomatically. “I make more money on my own than with EPMD. I came back with them for Hip-Hop and the fans, money isn’t an issue for me.”
In the meantime, Scratch will being doing a collaboration album with fellow boardsmith DJ Premier. He’ll also be producing on upcoming albums from Busta Rhymes and LL Cool J.

Had to share this. Young Buck showed weakness and thats all it takes to lose your Hood pass.

New York’s own, D-Block is set to drop a new album on August 19th, entitled “Prepare For Glory,” on the independent label Babygrande.The core of The LOX Jadakiss, Styles P, Sheek Louch will be anchoring the album while D-Block artists such as Poobs, Trav, Straws, A.P., T.Y., Bucky, Bully, Don D. & Large Amount will be featured on the album. We at Hiphopspy look forward to it. We wont buy it but we will definately have a copy soon as it leaks and they all leak.

RZA’s in the midst of his Bobby Digital tour for the release of Digi Snax. He’s getting quite a bit of press attention and appears to be taking the opportunity to dig into past history quite freely.RZA spoke recently on the unlikelihood of another Wu-Tang Clan album:

“I don’t know, really, to tell you the truth…Wu-Tang is forever, I think, and we’ll be making the same sounds, whether we make it together or separately. But as far as making an album together, I don’t know.”

“I wouldn’t want to get into a business relationship with the Wu-Tang Clan because it hurt my business, Universal Music’s business, the record business. It hurt a lot of people when they wouldn’t show up for music videos, for press. It (wastes) a lot of people’s money. A lot of people got fired — the guys don’t even know how many people got fired because of them.”

“That’s just not good business, and I’m a businessman. I need to keep my name clean, so I can go anywhere in the world and do anything and people know there’s professionalism behind it.”

That comes after quite a bit of messiness around 8 Diagrams that seemed to leave everyone dissatisfied, from musicians to fans, and RZA having to address a wide range of brand attacks from fellow Wu-Tang members.

Sounds like he’s finally moving on with his own business.

Snoop Dogg recently left the recording studio, recording tracks for Dr. Dre’s highly anticipated album, Detox. “That record is real it’s coming,” Snoop Dogg said during an interview today (June 25). “You know me, I was starting to doubt it myself and then I went up in there and he played so much music for me it knocked my head off.”Snoop Dogg confirmed the fabled, decade-long project was finished and that the Doctor was selecting tracks for the album.

“I see what he got them waiting for, it’s on and poppin,” Snoop Dogg said. “He got records, he got heat.”

Dr. Dre will also sit in the producer’s seat for Snoop Dogg’s upcoming album.

“Yea he’s doing my next album. I got the title and everything,” Snoop confirmed without revealing the album’s title. We at Hiphopspy hope Dre brings the heat, we been waiting along time.

Take it away, Kanye:

I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall… Why???? I understand if people don’t like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much, But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I’ve ever had in my life. This is the most offended I’ve ever been… this is the maddest I ever will be. I’m typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want…. arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, fag whatever you can think of…. BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL! NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL! THIS SHOWS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THERE TO LIE ABOUT YOU AND BRING YOU DOWN! LIKE WAYNE SAYS PLEASE DON’T SHOOT ME DOWN CAUSE I’M FLYING! I’M FUCKING HURT BY THIS ONE. ALL I CARE ABOUT ARE THE FANS. JUST SAY THIS OUT LOUD IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, “KANYE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT GIVING A GOOD PERFORMANCE.” CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THAT ????????? HAS ANYONE EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO AT LEAST DO THE MATH??? BONNAROO SHOULD HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT IN MY DEFENSE BUT SINCE THEY HAVEN’T LET’S BREAK DOWN THE WALLS ON THIS TRUMAN SHOW AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY OCCURRED!!! FOR OVER A MONTH WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON WETHER OR NOT WE COULD EVEN FIT MY STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL. ONE DAY THEY WOULD SAY YES… WE’D SEND THEM OUR SPECS THEN THEY THEY’D SAY OK… THEN THEY WOULD SEND SPECS BACK THAT DIDN’T FIT THE STAGE. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH FUCKING IDIOTS WHO DIDN’T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY. THEY TRIED 2 GIVE ME A TIME SLOT WERE IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE … I HAVE A FUCKING LIGHT SHOW DUMB ASS, IT’S NOT CALLED GLOW IN THE DARK FOR NO REASON SQUID BRAINS! MY PEOPLE WORKED OUT A COMPROMISED STAGE PLOT AND A 3AM TIME SLOT AND I AGREED. FAST FOWARD TO THE DAY OF THE SHOW. MY PRODUCTION MANAGER TRIED TO LOAD IN FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE BUT THE FESTIVAL WOULDN’T ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING UNTILL PEARL JAM LEFT THE STAGE. PEARL JAM ENDED ONE HOUR LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT THAT POINT WE’RE RACING AGAINST THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 4:20AM DON COMES BACK 2 THE BUS AND TELLS ME, ” IT WOULD TAKE 45 MORE MINUTES TO PUT ALL YOUR PYRO IN!” I SAY I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . I HIT THE STAGE AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN THROWING SHIT ON THE STAGE AND HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE JANE SCREEN WITH, I GUESS BOTTLES OR SOMETHING AND HAD BROKEN MY FUCKING SCREEN. REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A SHORTY AND WATER WOULD HIT THE TV?????? WHEN I GOT 2 “THROUGH THE WIRE” I STEPPED ON THE FRONT PART OF MY STAGE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH LIQUID ON THE STAGE I COULDN’T MOVE WITHOUT SLIPPING. I HAD TO ADJUST MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE STYLE BECAUSE OF IT. A FEW MORE SONGS IN AND THE SONG WAS ON IT’S WAY UP.. I CUT A FEW SONGS FROM THE SET BECAUSE I WANTED PEOPLE 2 EXPERIENCE STRONGER WHILE THERE WAS STILL SOME DARKNESS TO PERFORM IT IN. I’VE STRUGGLED WITH STRONGER FROM IT’S CONCEPTION. REMEMBER LAST SUMMER WHEN I CANCELED SOME TV APPEARANCES. IT WAS BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT TO PERFORM STRONGER IN THE DAYTIME. ANYONE WHO CAME TO THE GLOW TOUR CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE IT PROPERLY. IT BROKE MY HEART THAT I COULDN’T GIVE THESE FANS STRONGER IN IT’S GREATEST FORM… BY THE TIME I GOT TO STRONGER IT WAS DAYTIME AND IT BROKE MY HEART. I’M SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT I DIDN’T HAVE THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORMANCE I WANTED TO. I’M SORRY… SOMETIMES I GO 2, 3 DAYS W/O SLEEP WORKING ON MY PERFORMANCE… I HAVE TO ICE MY KNEES AFTER EVERY SHOW AND THEY HURT WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT… HAVING AN EXPENSIVE STAGE CUTS MY PAYDAY IN HALF… CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL!!!

Shaquille O’Neal will lose his special deputy’s badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant.Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center’s use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in 2006 and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse later that year.

“I want his two badges back,” Arpaio told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “Because if any one of my deputies did something like this, they’re fired. I don’t condone this type of racial conduct.”

Shaq was seen in a video posted on the celebrity news and gossip Web site TMZ rapping that “Kobe couldn’t do without me.” O’Neal skewers the Lakers’ star, with whom he won three straight NBA titles from 2000-2002 while with Los Angeles, for not being able to win a championship without him.

“I was freestyling. That’s all. It was all done in fun. Nothing serious whatsoever,” O’Neal told ESPN Monday. A call to the Suns on Tuesday seeking comment from O’Neal was referred to his public relations firm, which didn’t immediately respond.

Arpaio, who describes himself as “America’s Toughest Sheriff” and is best known for feeding jail inmates green bologna, clothing them in pink underwear, and making them work on chain gangs, said he didn’t expect his actions would teach Shaq a lesson. But he hoped he learns that as a role model who wants to someday be a full-time sheriff, he needs to know his words matter.

“Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I don’t think that either conduct should be out there publicly, even if media wasn’t there,” Arpaio said.

O’Neal previously served as a reserve officer with the Miami Beach Police Department while playing for the Miami Heat. He also volunteered with the Tempe Police Department after being traded to the Suns in February.

The Video is a little fuzzy but its clear Shaq let Kobe Know he cant get it done without him.