In celebration of Black History month Hot 97’s Mister Cee welcomed legendary producer and DJ onto the first Black Fist Friday Takeover to spin during the Throwback At Noon mix. After taking over the airwaves, Pete Rock sat down with Mister Cee to talk about his iconic career. Rock also talked about working with Heavy D and if the unreleased tracks will ever surface.

“We did one song, it’s like popp-ish hip hop, but it’s dope. God does things for a reason, before he passed, I spent hella time with him. Like one whole weekend with him, spent the night, made the music, ate well, drank well, we did it up.”

Full audio interview with Pete Rock and Mister Cee after the jump.

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Last month, we caught wind of the details of Pill’s departure from Maybach Music Group and his reasoning for leaving. Through it all Rick Ross has remain silent until recently when MTV News asked Rozay to speak on the situation. Looks like all is fine and both are moving on.

“Pill’s situation was a special situation because he was already signed to Warner before I did my label deal at Warner. So when I did do my deal, it was a business opportunity that was presented where Pill could run with the team for a year. Certain things happen for certain people at certain times and none of us could really predict that,” he explained. I couldn’t predict that Meek Mill would bring ‘Ima Boss’ to me or we couldn’t predict that Wale would bring ‘That Way.’ ”

“Hopefully, in the future he’ll bring him a hit record, and get him some paper and do his thing,” he said. “I wish him much success.”

Previously: Pill Says He Never Signed With MMG and Doesn’t Talk to Rick Ross

After selling nearly 300,000 units of their self titled album, Bon Iver is nominated for four Grammy awards this year. However, Justin Vernon said the indie-collective will be on pause for quite some time. Briefly speaking on the growth of Bon Iver in an interview with USA Today, Vernon says he’s working on a few other collaborative musical projects. Most hip-hop fans probably know him because he worked with Kanye West on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. He also announced plans to work with Alicia Keys.

“I have a big idea to do an American songbook of the greatest women singers. There are so many: Casey (Dienel) from White Hinterland, Bonnie Raitt, Alicia,” and that he’d like to make “a one-off charity album to have an excuse to work with a bunch of people that I’d choose to work with, all at once.”

Hit the jump to read when Vernon thinks Bon Iver will reunite.

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2 Chainz was finally able to formally announce some big news with MTV’s Sway Calloway on RapFix Live Wednesday afternoon. A few seconds before officially declaring his roster spot on Def Jam Recordings, 2 Chainz revealed he’s been recording with Kanye West for the past year and hopes to release one of their collabos sometime soon.

“One thing that people may not know is that I’ve been working with Kanye West for the past year. We have records together, we have ideas that we’re planning on releasing to the world real soon. I’m tryna get my ‘N in Paris’ swag up. So at the end of the day, my new home and who I’ve been comfortable with is Def Jam Records.

Watch his performance at SOB’s after the jump.

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(photoshop via EgoTrip’s video montage)

Let us quickly recap the season of Common vs. Drake Beef thus far:

Common dates Serena Williams. Drake dates Serena Williams. Common is down with Kanye. Drake is down with Young Money. Common spits subliminals at Drake on “Sweet.” Drake makes subliminal outburst onstage in Cali. Common admits to Drake subliminal disses on the song “Sweet”. Drake spits subliminal lyrics in “Stay Scheming.” Common disses Drake by name on “Stay Scheming” remake. Common tells interviewers the beef is just normal “hip hop competitiveness” and that he’s done….

But does Drake see this as just rap battling? Will there be a rebuttal? Nahright’s Nation (a liner-noted friend of Drake’s) got an exclusive comment from Drake on the set of “The Zone” video:

Nation: So people want to know: will you respond to Common?
Drake: No. Because despite how it’s been worded by him that situation is not a “hip hop moment” or a “battle for the sake of musical integrity”…it’s a ploy for attention around the release of an album. More than anything it was just disappointing cause what kid isn’t a fan of what Common has done for our genre. A guy who made such an incredible career for himself based off expressing genuine feelings about life and love is now targeting me for sharing my story.

Oh. Dang.

After the jump, Drake explains why he took a shot at Kobe’s wealthy ex-wife on “Stay Scheming”….
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With a successful 2011 highlighted by big releases from Lil’ Wayne and Drake, YMCMB plans to start off 2012 strong. Birdman recently spoke with Complex and gave an update on his new solo album, Nicki Minaj’s sophomore release, the oft-delayed album from Juelz Santana and Lil’ Wayne, and Tunechi’s new solo project coming this spring. Don’t take the last point too serious as release dates come and go.

“Wayne’s got an album he’s about to drop real soon. Its called I am not a Human Being 2. It’s gonna be before the summer for sure. We haven’t picked the date yet. Whenever he’s ready to drop his album, we’re gonna make it do what it do. He’s definitely got an album done and ready to go. Wayne works a lot. There’s no telling [if Rebirth 2 will happen]. But I know for sure we’ve got I Am Not A Human Being 2 ready to go. That’s the next project.”

Photo Credit: Derick G.

Read the rest of the interview, and footage from YMCMB’s Australia takeover after the jump….

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(French Montana backstage with Kanye West)

Back in Nov. of 2011, French Montana was being courted by Rick Ross, Def Jam, Diddy, and Kanye West….And at one point, French was confident enough that he would be the next member of GOOD Music, that he even hinted it to Angie Martinez. A a month later, French was up on 106 n Park with Diddy plotting the future of Bad Boy….so what happened? Like a line out of Cool Hand Luke…a failure to communicate, lol….
French explained the problem to Angie Martinez in this hilarious snippet:

Angie: “You and Kanye, I thought this was happening…”
French: “Yeah, we all big fans of Kanye, Jay-Z and everything. My thing was, I met up with him one time, and then I met up with him again. But it’s like…Kanye doesn’t have a phone. Let’s just put it out there like that. So, in order to get in contact with him, you have to email him. I mean you can’t tell me to do that. I don’t know how to use an email. So I guess me and him was never gonna talk? And I’m putting my career in your hands?…You know what I’m saying. But he’s definitely talented, I feel like if I had went there we would definitely have made history….”

Haha! One man refusing to be tethered to a phone. The other man refusing to adopt  “email.” I actually think it would make for an amazing social experiment. If you think about it, being disconnected is the most extravagant luxury of all. (ps: I think French is exaggerating about his lack of email skills. I mean I hope. Let us pray ; )

Listen to the rest of French’s interview with Angie Martinez after the jump.
They talk about his new found celebrity, what he thinks about Drake vs. Common, and what it was like to meet Rihanna…..
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Following the trashing of his stage set during The Heatwave Festival in Melbourne over the weekend, Kid Cudi spoke on the incident. According to Cudder, his mic was cut short as he was asked to end his set early due to poor time management by the organizers. That didn’t go well, as he felt fans were robbed by the promoters. Read his statement below, which includes a future warning.

If my set is EVER cut short at any show, im trashing the stage. Not out of anger, it takes a lot to get me furious nowadays, but out of principle. The fans always deserve a full set at all shows, especially when they spend their hard earned money on expensive tickets.

A lot of artist wouldnt do what I did in Australia, but I will. Spread the word. No matter the circumstance, cut my set short, im breaking shit. And next time im startin a riot. Me and my fans. Cause promoters will sometime take advantage of the artists, and u gotta let em know what time it is. Cutting nobody any slack.— Rager

via Kid Cudi’s Tumblr

View the official tracklisting to Cudi and Dot Da Genius’ WIZARD album after the jump….

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Harlem up start Azealia Banks has officially signed to Universal Music, which she announced earlier today. Taking to her Twitter account, the 20-year-old rapper/singer broke the news saying “God just dealt me a new hand today I reaaaaaaaaaaallllly good hand,”she tweeted. “I am now officially signed to Universal Music.”

Previously signed to XL Recordings under Miss Bank$, she caught worldwide attention with her “212″ video and more recently Kanye West dubbing her “the future of music.” The new year will be busy for Azealia as she’ll be performing at Coachella in April, touring the U.K. starting on February 7th, and is planning to drop her debut album around May or June.

Watch her “212″ video after the jump…..

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Shyne told MTV News in what looks like a skype-call…that he felt some regret about how his relationship with Diddy went up in flames after the two former buddies were tried separately for the 1999 shooting at Club New York. He said he also had a dream about Anthony “Wolf” Jones (Diddy’s longtime bodyguard who was killed in 2003 in Atlanta during a dispute with the BMF). So Shyne says he called Diddy recently and reconciled. Not only that, but the man that Shyne waged many a character attack on, is allegedly going to sit down with Shyne in person….in Paris, where he’s living.

“For me, the conversation was a confirmation of what I felt. Son kept it super tall, and that’s what it’s about. When a man says, ‘Listen, as a man, I make mistakes and I own that.’ What could you do?”

Well, peace is always preferable to war, but for anyone who has followed this relationship, this is all kinds of surprising. Especially Shyne’s reveal that Diddy reached out to him in prison, and offered his help. Remember when he said that any conversation with Diddy was “a figment of his imagination”?

Related:
Shyne says convo with Diddy “is a figment of Sean Combs’ imagination” (Update: Shyne’s father speaks)
Shyne Update: According to Belize media outlets, Shyne will be in Belize on Weds, already has music plan
Shyne Update: He will be sent to Belize and will continue fight to get back to US from there