After rumors of Whitney Houston’s death hit Twitter, our inboxes were flooded with all kinds of reports both denying and verifying claims. However, the AP has officially confirmed the legendary singer has died. Whitney’s publicist spoke to the outlet earlier this evening. Stay tuned for more details as no further information has been released on her death at this time.

Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown.

UPDATE: Whitney’s body was found at the Beverly Hills Hotel at 3:55pm PT. Paramedics could not revive her.

• CNN confirms Whitney’s bodyguard, named Ray, found her body. It was not Ray J as first reported.
• CNN also says Jennifer Hudson may perform Whitney tribute during Grammy Awards
• Simon Cowell says he had Whitney in mind for the next season of X-Factor.
• CNN says the Clive Davis party will be happening tonight. Info says invited guests have told her the same thing.
• Watch: Live Stream for Clive Davis’ Grammy Party
• Whitney’s last Film, Sparkle, will be released in August as planned.
• The LA Times says Whitney was spotted displaying erratic behavior before her death

Mariah Carey tweeted: “Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston. My heartfelt condolences to Whitney’s family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.”

Whitney was just spotted at Grammy rehearsals with Brandy and Monica…
She also performed “Yes, Jesus Loves Me” at a Grammy party 2 days ago…
Kelly Price spoke about hanging with Whitney a few nights prior…
Simon Cowell and Lionel Ritchie comments to CNN…
footage after the jump…

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WOW! Beyoncé and Jay-Z are sharing their world in a way we’ve never seen before. The happy parents debuted photos of their newborn daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, and don’t even front…the baby is adorable : )

I also think it’s a nice change that the Carters eschewed the whole tabloid bidding war tackiness, instead choosing to post the photos on the Blue Ivy’s own tumblr page, lol. (Do you think tumblr had to come up off something though?)

Check out more super cute photos of hip hop’s first family: Jay-Z holding his daughter, close-ups of Blue Ivy’s face and more…
After the jump

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Beyoncé made her first public appearance since giving birth to Baby Blue Ivy Carter on Feb. 7, 2012! Beyoncé joined hubby Jay-Z at the after-party for his United Way Carnegie Hall charity concert. Are you even surprised that she looked completely flawless less than one month after having a baby? I’m not.

The lighting and the background, plus the fact that we know all the styling credits of her outfit, point to these photos being more planned than impromptu but no matter, fans have all been eager for a glimpse of Mrs. Carter. She’s curvier than her standard “promo-weight” and glows with that new-mom confidence : )
Beyoncé’s dress is by Temperly, jewelry by her pal Lorraine Schwartz, clutch by Alexander McQueen and embroidered shoes by Louboutin…

But Beyoncé had her baby on her mind tonight…
She paid tribute to her daughter with her manicure, of course!

Check out Beyonce’s amazing post-baby figure…
After the jump!
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T.I. and Tiny maybe expecting a new member to their big family soon. In episode nine titled “Baby Fever,” Tiny is flirting with the thought of having a baby. When she reveals what’s on her mind the family doesn’t seem to sit well with the idea.

Previously:
T.I. & Tiny: ‘The Family Hustle’ (Episode 8 )
T.I. & Tiny: ‘The Family Hustle’ (Episode 7)

After all the highs and one particular low in 2011, it’s only right that Rick Ross celebrate his birthday with lots of pomp and circumstance…and famous people…and sparklers! And white satin.
If you weren’t lucky enough to get into Miami’s Club Amnesia to party with Rawse, MMG’s DreFilms put together a slick 6-minute recap of Ross with Styles P, Jadakiss, Wiz Khalifa, Amber Rose, French Montana, Diddy, Sway, my buddy Rahman, Cassie, DJ Khaled and more…
But the highlight was when Dr. Dre gave his new work-bestie a shockingly generous birthday gift: an iced-out Hublot watch!

Which reminded me of another recent token of bromance affection….
Didn’t Floyd Mayweather give 50 Cent that very same watch too?

TWINSIES!
After the jump…
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Back in December A$AP Rocky hit up Hot97 for his first interview with the one and only Angie Martinez. During their chat, Rocky revealed that he was named after the legendary Rakim and his sister was named after Eric B (Erica B). Angie was pretty damn amazed and promised to make his first real encounter with Rakim happen. They met once before, but Rocky was just a baby and doesn’t remember any of it (Rakim actually signed his diaper during a chance meeting in Harlem). Well, earlier this week Angie made good on her promise and surprised Rocky with a studio visit with the MC, himself. Check out the footage above.

(via AngieMartinez)

Watch part 2 of the interview…
Check out additional footage from A$AP Rocky’s performance in Toronto…
Complex’s A$AP Rocky Cover Story Uncut…
New track from Rakim’s own son…
all after the jump…

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It’s the holiday season in the Harris household. In their new episode, “Tip Clause” and family get taught a valuable lesson in charity while performing a Christmas play for the less fortunate.

Thanks to Yardie/MWP

Previously: T.I. & Tiny: ‘The Family Hustle’ (Episode 7)

(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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(Jay-Z and his billionaire pal Warren Buffet)

After not-giving-a-cheesy-tabloid-her-first-interview since the birth of Blue Ivy Carter, rumors were buzzing that Beyonce would step out for her first public appearance since the birth….to support her hubby Jay-Z’s 40/40 club re-opening. So many red-carpet watchers were disappointed when Bey did not attend. It seems like a lot of us were caught up in in the hysteria. Mr. North pointed out that health-wise, it was probably too early for Beyonce to go anywhere. The club was still packed, though. Celebs like Warren Buffet, Spike Lee, Questlove  and more all came out to show their support.

UPDATE 1/21/12:
One day after this grand opening party, the NYC Dept of Health reportedly swept in and shut down the newly renovated 40/40 Club for varying degrees of eww. Under the NYC restaurant rating system, if you score higher than 28, you get a C-Grade….
The 40/40 Club scored a 69.
Some of the violations sound mild, like “thermometer not used during cooking…”
But others like a refrigerator being kept at 60 degrees, bare-hand salsa mixing, and “inadequate personal cleanliness”!?!?
*dry heave*

More details….
And more photos from the opening…
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