Chris Lighty, a hip-hop mogul who helped the likes of Sean “Diddy” Combs, 50 Cent and Mariah Carey attain not only hit records, but also lucrative careers outside music, was found dead in his New York City apartment Thursday in an apparent suicide. He was 44. He was found at his home in the Bronx with a gunshot to the head and was pronounced dead there, police said. No note was recovered, but a 9 mm handgun was found and there was no sign of forced entry, said Paul Browne, New York police spokesman. The shooting appears to be self-inflicted, authorities said.

The outcome for the man who broke into LL Cool J‘s home gets bleaker with each day. After getting the smackdown laid upon him, Jonathan A. Kirby is facing life in prison for breaking into the home of the rapper/actor. We reported a man broke into LL Cool J’s Sherman Oaks, California mansion a few days ago.

Snoop Dogg has rapped in songs where gay slurs have been tossed about. He’s even said them, part of a long list of rappers who have freely fuck and fag in a rhyme.For years, anti-gay epithets and sentiments in rap have largely been accepted, along with its frequent misogyny and violence, as part of the hip-hop culture — a culture that has been slow to change, even as gays enjoy more mainstream acceptance, particularly in entertainment.

As the countdown to the “American Idol” premiere inches closer, Fox desperately tries to solidify a third judge for the talent show. Kanye West is reportedly in talks to become one of the coveted panelist, says TMZ who also claims West is “on the fence,”about joining the show.

You’ve seen and read thousands of interviews with Stange Music’s main man Tech N9ne, but what you haven’t read is an interview like this. In Tech’s own words, “..This is the best interview I’ve ever done.” So, as always we bring you another exclusive, up close and in-depth interview with one of the world’s favorite rap artists.

This week saw the release of Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange, a record that caught the imagination of a controversy-primed world and has already drawn the 24-year-old singer comparisons to Prince and Stevie Wonder. In its wake, plenty of other great music came out as well, though to less fanfare than on perhaps any other week of the year. Below the lines of Frank Ocean’s album release week.