KELLY & BEYONCE CONFIRMED AS PERFORMERS AT UPCOMING BET AWARDS

After much speculation about who was confirmed to perform at this year’s BET Awards, just a week before the show is supposed to air live from Los Angeles at the Shrine Auditorium on June 26th, BET finally announced that both beyonce and Kelly Rowland are performing.

Although Beyonce will not be physically at the awards, she will perform via satellite from Glastonbury in the UK, since she was scheduled to perform at the festival earlier this year.

In addition, Kelly Rowland will also give the first televised performance of her #1 single,“Motivation,” from her third studio album, Here I Am, which will hit stores exactly a month after the awards.

Lil Mama Says Nicki Swagger Jacked Her

After Lil Mama recently said she might not do music anymore, she sat down with Vibe to speak about fellow female rapper Nicki Minaj. Lil Mama basically says that Nicki copied her.

Vibe:Very valid point… I think the biggest style criticism was thrown at you this past MTV Movie Awards. Bunch of people thought you jacked Nicki’s haircut.

Lil Mama: But my cut is blunt and futuristic and Nicki Minaj started wearing that bob on her head after she came to my show, so at the end of the day I know what I do and I know what I possess and I know who I am. I’m a trendsetter. The biggest form of flattery is imitation so I’m flattered. I understand the universal law. I’m not confused, I don’t feel like a follower. I started so many things that new artists are doing now anyway –my style, the way I’m aggressive on a track, the way I come through, the way my beat bangs. There are so many things that were borrowed, that I influenced that’s happening in music right, so I’m far from discouraged.

Forbes' Highest Paid Musicians Of Last Year

Forbes has released their annual list of the highest paid musicians of the last year. We included some of the top names we figured you would be interested in but if you want to check out the whole list, click the link below!

Lady Gaga – $90 Million
Black Eyed Peas – $61 Million
Justin Bieber – $ 52 Million
Usher – $46 Million
Jay-Z – $37 Million
Diddy – $35 Million (Music now accounts for less than 20% of earnings )
Beyonce – $35 Million

Rick Ross Tried To Sign DMX To Maybach Music

It looks like Wale and others aren't the only rappers that Rick Ross tried to sign to his newMaybach Music Group label. According to DMX, Rick Ross tried to sign him.

Earlier this week, VIBE was granted an exclusive interview prison interview with DMX. The troubled East Coast rap legend is currently less than a month away from being a free man. He was sentenced to a year for violating his probation last Dec.

During our talk with X, he revealed that a certain Miami rapper extended an invitation for a fresh start with his emerging label.

Meth Talks Odd Future & Wu Tang Comparisons

Wu-Tang member Method Man recently spoke about what he thinks of the media's comparisons between upcoming rap group Odd Future and his Wu-Tang Clan. Despite feeling its a little bit too early to compare the two, Method Man did admit to listening to their new music.

"That's what media does," Meth said in an interview. "They compare sh*t. Like when [retired boxing legend Mike] Tyson first came out, I remember them saying, 'He reminds me of a young Joe Frazier.' They always gotta compare something to something to give you a scale sort of speak -- If I was Odd Future, I wouldn't want to be compared to anybody. I love that group by the way, I love Odd Future. I like Tyler the Creator, that song 'Yonkers,' -- they're good, they're different. It's a breath of fresh air. Tyler the Creator. Very weird. But I'm into weird sh*t." (Soul Culture)

Nasty Nas Is Back With New Single

Nas is back with a new single, "Nasty" and he is wasting no time proclaiming his greatness. Paying homage to the late Notorious BIG, Nas says its just the beginning.

Nasty Nas is back to claim his throne with the first street single from his upcoming album Life Is Good. Over an old school, gritty production from Salaam Remi, QB's Finest spits verse after verse without a hook. "I'm not in the winters of my life or the beginning stage/ I am the dragon/ Maserati, pumpin' Biggie the great legend, blastin'/ I'm after the actress who played Faith Evans," he rhymes before declaring, "Make room for the king."

50 Cent's Manager Says New Album "Sounding Great"

50 Cent's manager Chris Lighty recently spoke with fans giving them an update on his upcoming new album. Despite not having a release date, he did talk about the sound of the music and it's current state in whole process.

According to Chris Lighty, 50's almost finished with his fifth album, which is "sounding great." "We're rolling out the marketing partners and everything now," Chris Lighty told AllHipHop.com. "Once we put the stake in the ground on a date, we're gonna try and stick to it so we can use our marketing dollars around that date." According to Chris Lighty, 50 Cent's album Black Magic will hit stores this Fall.