2009 BET Awards Dedicated to Music Icon Michael Jackson

The 2009 BET Awards will be dedicated to the life, legacy and legend of music icon, Michael Jackson. Jackson’s impact on our lives has been significant. Whether exhibited by his humanitarian efforts, his ability to reshape the concept of a music video, or his engaging star power, “The King of Pop” is unlike anyother artist, defining the very fabric of what popular music is today. MichaelJackson’s influence is undeniable, as traces of his style are prevalentin a number of today’s top artists. But his significant impact on this network will also forever be etched into the history tablets of Black Entertainment Television.   "Michael’s influence is felt every day in so many ways at BET Networks, and it’s been that way through out our network’s entire 29-year history. We watched him grow up, and he truly feels like he is a member of ourfamily," Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BET Networks, DebraLee, said in a statement. “He will be missed more than we can say…but his legend and memory live on in the artists, musicians, producers,dancers, fans, and everyone else who looks to him for inspiration.”       Who could forget that one of the most memorable milestones in BET history was Michael Jackson's surprise appearance during the tribute to James Brown at the 2003 BET Awards? His impromptu performance with the“Godfather of Soul” left everyone breathless.It is hard to believe that both the “Godfather of Soul” and “The King of Pop” are now both gone – but never, ever forgotten.Jackson has done more for music and popular culture than any other artist; his influence crosses generations, races, genders and even continents. That incredible global reach matched with decades of musical integrity and genius is why Jackson was the very first artist inducted into the BET Walk of Fame back in 1995. Takingall of his monumental contributions into consideration, the 2009 BETAwards will be dedicated to the unparalleled “King of Pop” and we will spend the evening paying tribute to the legacy of Michael Jackson. MICHAEL JACKSON R.I.P.

MC Hammer Recalls Recording With 2Pac, 'He Was One Of The Hardest Workers I Knew'

In a recent interview with The Las Vegas Journal, MC Hammer recalled his relationship with late rapper 2Pac Shakur. Hammer was signed to Deathrow Records between 1995 and 1996 but never officially released an album via the label. During his time with Deathrow, Hammer established a bond with 2Pac and recorded various songs with him. "He was one of the hardest workers I knew. Over the course [of] seven months, I was in his studio while the man did over 100 songs. It was unbelievable," Hammer recollected. "You come in the studio. Pac sits down, cracks open a bottle, rolls him up a joint, tells the producer, 'Play some tracks.' They play a track. They might play 20 tracks. He'll say, 'All right, now, I like track number three, eight, nine and 14, so put back on number nine' ". "And he would say, 'Anybody in here who wants to collaborate on this -- get a verse. You're welcome to join with me.' They play the track, and everybody gets their pen and pad out. And 15 minutes later, Pac would say, 'I got a verse.' He would go in and rap his verse and come back out and say, 'Anybody got a second verse?' And everybody would say, 'I'm working on it.' "And Pac would sit down, take a couple hits of his joint, take another drink, and 10 minutes later, he'd pop up: 'I finished the second verse, let me go spit this one. If y'all got a third verse, let me know.' "So in the course of an hour, Pac would have written all three verses and recorded them. And you're still trying to be technical on your prolific first verse that you're gonna write. And he'd be so nice about it," Hammer says. Hammer also recalled when 2Pac wrote and recorded a song for him which was inspired by the Ohio Players. "He had literally done the whole song -- rapped like he was me. So it's Tupac rappin' like he's Hammer off an Ohio Players record. He did vocal arrangements, he had the women sing the background, he did the whole thing, it was done," Hammer said. "Literally, the only work for me to do was for me to come in (and rap). He knew we had similar vocal tones. He said, 'Hey Hammer, when you come in, if you like it, I would love for you to do this song. It's a gift.' "I cherish that," Hammer emphasized. “I don't know of anybody else period that he wrote a song for." Hammer revealed that he got along with 2Pac because they had instances where they showed their true characters to one another.   "[Pac] knew where I stood and I knew where he stood," said Hammer. "We were both stand-up cats. And we liked that about each other."   Hammer also revealed that he last spoke to 2Pac minutes before he was shot on the Las Vegas strip on September 7th 1996.   Hammer said he had driven to Vegas for a night out with 2Pac and they met up at the Luxor hotel. Before meeting with Hammer at the hotel, 2Pac had gotten into a brawl with a Crip at the lobby of the MGM hotel after a Mike Tyson fight. "Pac came up to my Hummer and told me what had just happened with the fight he just had at the MGM," Hammer recalled. Hammer said he asked 2Pac to wait for him to change clothes but when got back down, 2pac had taken off but left a message for them to meet up at a club. Minutes later, 2Pac was shot and rushed to a hospital, where he died six days later. Prior to coming to Vegas, Hammer said that 2Pac had given him a song. "He said, 'Hammer, I wrote this song. I need you to rap it. It speaks about some things. ... It's better for you to address as my "big brother," than it is for me to address them right now, and it's called "Unconditional Love". It very well could be one of the last songs he could have written," Hammer said. "When I heard it, it blew me away," Hammer added. "And you gotta know it blew me away more listening to it with him laying in a hospital bed, as I drove around the hospital. ... I got the song on repeat. And it was fresh from his heart. ... It'll always be something that lives deeply, deeply in my soul."

Rapper Trina Denies Kobe Bryant Affair

Rapper Trina has slammed online reports suggesting she once romanced Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant behind his wife’s back.MediaTakeOut.com claims the Here We Go rapper, real name Katrina Taylor, had enjoyed a sexual relationship with the married Lakers star, referencing lyrics from her 2004 track Heated.In the song’s lyrics, she raps, “I was the first B***h Kobe cheated on his wife with.”The Web site alleged Trina clashed with Bryant’s wife Vanessa over the affair at a recent NBA game when the Lakers went head-to-head with the Denver Nuggets - the team Trina’s boyfriend Kenyon Martin plays for.But the hip-hop star has blasted the allegations, insisting there was no truth to her song words and denying claims of a fight.Her representative says, “Trina does not know Kobe Bryant in either a personal or business manner.”“Any basketball or NBA sports event Trina is seen at she is there in full support of her boyfriend, Denver Nuggets basketball player Kenyon Martin, and for no other reason.”             “The 2004 Trina song, entitled Heated, was for ‘entertainment purposes’ only. As (with) other rapper/raptresses (sic) in today’s society, Trina’s rap lyrics are a result of entertainment and a fabricated ‘image’ and not real life experiences or (subject) matters.”Bryant was caught up in a sex scandal in 2003 when an 19-year-old employee of a Colorado hotel he was staying in accused him of assaulting her. Bryant denied the charges but confirmed he had cheated on his wife.

Pharrell On Usher's New Album, 'It's Mean'

Super producer Pharrell Williams recently revealed to Billboard that he is helping Usher put together his latest solo album titled Monster. The beatmaker divulged that Usher has chosen a new direction with his latest project. "The Usher album is crazy. His album is the review of the mind of a  monster," said Pharrell. "He's somewhere else right now...like a whole different kind of R&B," he added. "Its really great, its super edgy. He's taken alot of time to really sit and study and we really built something that is like...it's just...it's mean. Pharrell is also working on Rihanna's upcoming album as well forthcoming projects from Shakira, Incubus, The Clipse and N.E.R.D.

Kanye West's Book "Thank You And You're Welcome" to hit stores in July

Kanye West's 'Thank You And You're Welcome' Makes Philosophy 'Simple'After selling it online, book will hit stores July 7. Kanye West loves to collaborate, whether it's on music, album artwork or tour lighting. Last year, he teamed with marketer/philosopher J. Sakiya Sandifer to write a book of "Kanye-isms" called "Thank You and You're Welcome." After selling it on his Web site, the multi-Grammy winner told MTV News the book hits stores July 7. "He inspired the format of the book, because he wrote a book called 'Think, Think, Think and Think Again,' " West said Friday morning (May 22) about Sandifer. "[He did] bullet points in bold graphics, and he expounded upon them ... whereas books hide the main points chapters in. You have to read so much to get so much out of it. We wanted to make it simple for people who are non-readers, who don't feel like doing all that, and still get the point across." One of Kanye's favorite philosophies in the book is "Get used to getting used." "To use someone is necessary. What's negative is to misuse, overuse or abuse somebody," West said. "To use is necessary. If you can't get used, then you're useless." "That really came from my entrepreneurial journey," Sandifer said. "I would complain when my phone wasn't ringing. 'No, I want to be used.' Being the resident philosopher, I put it in that context." West and Sandifer call working together a "great collaboration." They've also collaborated on some of 'Ye's acceptance speeches and a line from "The Good Life" " 'Having money's not everything; not having it is,' " Sandifer repeated of the line he came up with. "That's where the real problem is — when you don't have it." While West and Sandifer might make another book, it probably won't be a sequel to "Thank You." "It's just gonna be another collection of our ideas and theories," Sandifer said. "It's not gonna be like 'Thank You and You're Welcome Volume Two.' I think that would be limiting." By Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Sway Calloway