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Jay-Z performed at NYC's Carnegie Hall on Feb. 6, 2012.

+ Jay-Z performed at NYC's famed Carnegie Hall for the first of two benefit shows last night. Alicia Keys, Nas, ?uestlove and Young Guru were all part of the festivities. (MTV News)

+ Last night's episode of "The Voice" featured judges Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton singing a Prince medley. Check out highlights from the show here. (MTV News)

+ Peep Kelly Clarkson's PSA for dosomething.org; they're holding a "Battle For The Bands" campaign where folks can enter video about the importance of music education for a chance to win grants, concert tickets, instruments and scholarships. (Just Jared)

+ Drake's hitting the road, and you can enter to win a chance for a pair of tickets to one of 18 cities he'll be visiting during his "Club Paradise" tour. (Rap-Up)

+ Watch Miley Cyrus' sweet performance of Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" from yesterday's "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." The song is from Amnesty International's charity compilation. (Neon Limelight)

+ The Shins are readying to release Port of Morrow in March. In the meantime they've announced tour dates and also given us B-side "September" to check out. (Pitchfork)

+ Curren$y subtly dropped some new free music in the midst of Super Bowl madness. "uh...... #Here...." he tweeted with a link to download his Here EP. You can get it, uh..... here. (Pitchfork)

Photo credit: Arthur Elgort

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Tags Adam Levine, Alicia Keys, Blake Shelton, Bob Dylan, Buzz Bites, Cee-Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Curren$y, Drake, Jay-Z, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Nas, Prince, Questlove, The Shins, Young Guru

Credit: Getty Images

+ Justin Timberlake's grandmother, Sadie Bomar, confirms that he and Jessica Biel are engaged. "He called me on Christmas Day and told me he's engaged," she revealed. Congrats, and thanks for spilling the beans, Nana! (MTV News)

+ As we mentioned, Jason Derulo fractured his neck while rehearsing for his upcoming European tour. The injury led him to cancel those dates. "I'm praying for a speedy recovery in order to perform for you in the near future," he said in a statement. (E!)

+ Rick Ross' "Rich Forever" mixtape drops today, apparently at 3:05 p.m. It features collabs with Drake, Nas, Kelly Rowland, Diddy, Pharrell Williams, John Legend and more. Peep the official track list. (Rap-Up)

+ Jack White has paired with wide-ranging folks from Insane Clown Posse to Stephen Colbert. Next up for his Third Man Records 7-inch singles series is the 71-year-old icon Tom Jones. (Rolling Stone)

+ The Weeknd's mixtape trilogy -– "House of Balloons," "Thursday," "Echoes of Silence" -- were remixed, chopped and screwed by Slim K. Get 'em here. (Pitchfork)

+ East Coast, West Coast, no matter. From Notorious B.I.G. to Dr. Dre, when it comes to rappers they're unified in their love of spelling in songs, their names to be specific. Watch this "Rapper Spelling Bee" video for a rapper's ABCs refresher course. (Idolator)

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Tags Buzz Bites, Diddy, Dr. Dre, Drake, Insane Clown Posse, Jack White, Jason DeRulo, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Rowland, Nas, Notorious B.I.G., Pharrell Williams, Rick Ross, The Weeknd, Tom Jones

Credit: Getty Images

Amy Winehouse's posthumous album Amy Winehouse Lioness: Hidden Treasures is slated for release December 5, but today we get to hear a sample of what's to come. "Like Smoke," a Salaam Remi-produced track, features the late singer's signature bluesy growl alongside close pal Nas rapping on some verses. Amy's vocals were recorded in 2008 while Nas recorded his rhymes after the singer's tragic passing.

Amy opens the track, and it's almost like she's still here -- her voice is as gritty and as moving as it was on 2006's Back To Black. She calls upon her past experiences to sing of a tortured love: "I never wanted you/To be my man/I just need your company/Don't want to get dependent on your time/Then lose the way you love me." Nas is up next, and his verse is clear, crisp and composed. He raps about life, women and money, and as expected, the tragic passing of his friend Amy: "I be out in London, Camden/Hunting for the answers/Why did God take away the homie/I can't stand it/I'm a firm believer that we all meet up in eternity/Just hope the big man show me some courtesy."

The forthcoming Amy Winehouse Lioness: Hidden Treasures won't fill the void left by Amy, but her songs have made an undeniable impact. Her unearthed material will undoubtedly continue to preserve her legacy.

+ Listen to Amy Winehouse's "Like Smoke" featuring Nas.

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Tags Amy Winehouse, Nas

Credit: Getty Images

+ There aren't many details yet, but reportedly Rihanna will be releasing a new full-length studio album soon. She recently tweeted in response to a fan that her next album will drop in the fall. (MTV News)

+ Kelly Clarkson unveiled the tracklisting(s) to Stronger, which drops October 24. The album will come in multiple formats: standard, deluxe and a bonus EP. (MTV News)

+ Happy birthday, Nas! He, Jay-Z, Common, Ne-Yo, DJ Khaled and other friends celebrated last night. Peep the photos and his shout-out to Amy Winehouse, who would've turned 28 yesterday. (Rap-Up)

+ On September 23, VH1 Classic will broadcast a never-before-seen 1991 Nirvana concert, which was filmed in Seattle. September 24 marks the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's landmark Nevermind album. (VH1)

+ T.I. is out of prison... again. After returning to prison after a brief stay in a halfway house, it looks like T.I. is back in a halfway house and should be a free man by the end of the month. (MTV News)

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Tags Buzz Bites, Celebrity, Common, DJ Khaled, Jay-Z, Kelly Clarkson, Nas, Ne-Yo, Nirvana, Rihanna, T.I.

Credit: Getty Images

+ Viacom is featuring PSAs from Lady Gaga, Nas and others that encourage volunteerism, good deeds and charity to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. You can also participate via an "I Will" widget; uploading your response to the question, "What will you do on 9/11 in tribute?" (MTV News)

+ Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV officially bows at No. 1 the first week it debuts. It sold 964,000 in its first week. It's the first hip-hop and male-fronted album to sell that much in one week. (Billboard)

+ Ke$ha just became the Humane Society International's first Global Ambassador. "One of the main underlying sentiments of my music is to respect all living creatures just as they are," she said in a statement. (E!)

+ Hell to the yeah: PJ Harvey won the prestigious Mercury Prize for Let England Shake. The award is bestowed to the best British album of the year as chosen by a committee of music industry representatives. This is her second Mercury Prize. (Pitchfork)

+ If you were snoozing when Hannah Montana grew up, this will wake you up. Check out the pretty Prestige magazine spread featuring Miley Cyrus. (ONTD)

+ The 45th Country Music Awards announced their nominees yesterday. Among them are Taylor Swift, who received 5 nods along with Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Jason Aldean. Kelly Clarkson received two for her collaboration with Aldean. (Neon Limelight)

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Tags Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Buzz Bites, Celebrity, Jason Aldean, Ke$ha, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Miley Cyrus, Nas, PJ Harvey, Taylor Swift

(Credit: Splash News)

It was fun while it lasted, Jay-Z. You made some friends, designed a mad functional denim line and released some memorable jams. But all that is over now. You have come between the crosshairs of a sleeping giant. MC Hammer has dissed you, and you have, to borrow a term Nas once aimed at you, been ethered.

Well, not really. It seems you can take away a man's parachute pants and make him file for bankruptcy, but you can't rob him of his God-given right to diss another rapper. And that's exactly what the "2 Legit 2 Quit" legend, MC Hammer, has done.

Below you will find a link to the video for "Better Run Run," MC Hammer's out-of-left field swipe at Jay-Z. This all stems, apparently, from a throwaway reference to Hammer's lost fortune that Jay-Z made on Kanye West's "So Appalled."

So irate did this make Hammer that the '80s icon decided to make a track that asserts that Jay-Z sold his soul to the devil. Chillax, Hamm!

Now might be a good time to point out that the music video seems to be nothing more than an extended advertisement for his MMA fighter management company, using Jay-Z's name to grab headlines. Just saying...

Watch MC Hammer's "Better Run Run," below. I'm sure Jay-Z is quaking in his flip-flops. On his yacht. With Beyoncé.

+ Watch MC Hammer's "Better Run Run" video.

Tags Beyonce, Jay-Z, MC Hammer, Nas, video

When it comes to rap videos, they don't really make 'em like the used to. Before the late '90s Bad Boy/Diddy/Notorious B.I.G. era, hip-hop videos were largely made up of rugged dudes hanging out in rugged locales with their rugged friends. No glossy cinematography, magnums of champagne or shiny suits.

So call Sykzoo and !LLMiND's "Speakers On Blast" a throwback. Heck, that's what the Brooklyn-born Skyzoo calls himself! "Now they wanna bring the 90's back/That's okay, 'cause that's where they designed me at," he raps from a Brooklyn rooftop.

This is Brooklyn jeep music, the kind of Wu-Tang Clan-, Mobb Deep- and Nas-inspired East Coast hip-hop that will make the heart flutter for anyone who grew up on the golden age of hip-hop.

"Speakers On Blast" is a collaboration between Skyzoo and acclaimed producer !LLMiND, who laces the song with a cracking throwback beat.

Watch Skyzoo and !LLMiND's "Speakers On Blast" video below. The track is taken from the duo's Live From The Tape Deck, which is out now.

Tags !llmind, Diddy, Mobb Deep, Nas, Notorious B.I.G., Skyzoo, video, Wu-Tang Clan

Kelis has never shied away from the literal. I'm thinking, specifically, of the presence of milkshakes in her video for ... wait for it ..."Milkshake."

But if you've come to her new clip for "4th Of July" (off her new album Flesh Tone) expecting fireworks or hot dogs or kids waving tiny American flags, you will be sadly disappointed.

Which isn't to say there's not a lot to love about this desert-set dance anthem. Directed by Rankin, this clip finds the ex-Mrs. Nas in the sandy mountains and dry plains doing some interpretive dance, rocking her patented nose-to-earring-chain and generally being a diva (in the best way possible).

After our desert interlude, Kelis spins the imagery roulette wheel, landing in the club amid flashing lights, a Native American headdress (holler at Ke$ha!) and some fiery dance moves.

It's a lot to take in, but the journey is worth it for the song alone.

Flesh Tone is out July 6.

Tags Ke$ha, Kelis, Nas, video

Rap and reggae may have a common ancestor -- Jamaican toasting –- but that wasn't the inspiration for Nas and Damian Marley’s partnership on their new album, Distant Relatives.

“He’s a G,” says Nas about Damian, when asked about what brought the two together. Damian returns the love, noting one of his earliest tracks was recorded over a Nas beat and that the two often cover similar issues in their rhymes.

Distant Relatives focuses on Africa's potential and how even the poorest ’hoods in America have much more than many townships in the Land of Kings. You can hear Nas and Damian talk more about their collaboration and plans for improving life in Africa -- from supporting education to pumping up the economy. For example, Nas, the kid from Queensbridge, wants to tap the African oil business. Really. He wants to be an oil man. Check it out for yourself ...

Tags Damian Marley, Distant Relatives, Nas, video

(Credit: Thierry Le Goues via KanyeWest.com)

A picture says a thousand words, which is good because Kanye West usually has a lot on his mind. In the past, back in the halcyon days when KanyeUniversecity was his main online thought depot, Kanye would regularly blast off on one topic or another usually in ALL CAPS (see some of our favorite Kanye rants here).

These days, Kanye is moving into a more visual medium to express himself, perhaps saving all his words for his raps. KanyeWest.com is his new-ish outpost, and it is, for the most part, made up of hi-res, high quality images ... of ladies. Because Kanye West LOVES the ladies.

Even without words, this cat is outrageous. Kanye's site currently features naked girls dressed in chain mail, Amber Rose rocking a zorro mask, a scene from the Nas/DMX gangster flick "Belly," some cute babies (!!!??!) and pretty much an entire page dedicated to Grace Jones. It's funny and pretentious and a bit ingenious. Much like the man, himself.

We've selected a few PG shots for you to see. Take a gander for yourself at KanyeWest.com. Warning: The site has some NSFW stuff. It's all in the name of art though.

Tags Amber Rose, DMX, Grace Jones, Kanye West, Nas