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Mase And Kanye West News



It seems as if the race towards eternal damnation is on the agenda for Kanye West and Mase...



Joining the likes of Nas during his "Hate Me Now" days, from the looks of it, a recent sense of “holiness” has apparently struck the man formerly known as Minister Mase and the other known for making it cool to sing “Jesus Walks” in the club, both of which have recently appeared on media related covers dressed as none other than, you guessed it: Jesus Christ.

Mase, who surprised the world a few months ago by signing to G-Unit and dropping the song “Check Cleared,” is on the cover of the latest DJ Whoo Kid mixtape (DJ Whoo Kid & Mase – 10 Years of Hate: G-Unit Radio Part 1), in full Jesus gear. The album, which includes songs titled “Got My Nine” and “Don’t Need Security,” among others, features a drawing of Mase equipped with Christ-like details such as bloody gashes and a crown of thorns, in addition to his rotating G-Unit chain.

As if that wasn’t sacrilegious enough, as backdrop to the track-list, there’s an image of Mase’s back with the names of all those in hip hop he’s currently beefing with - including Jim Jones, Cam’ron, Black Rob, and Fat Joe - in red ink, emulating the gashes on Jesus’ back.

Kanye, who doesn’t stay too far behind with the Jesus imagery, was shot for the cover of the February 9th issue of Rolling Stone wearing nothing but a one-shoulder rag, and the conventional Jesus' costume must-haves - the crown of thorns and gashes on his face - for a piece so appropriately titled, “The Passion of Kanye West.”

The image has sparked anger in America’s Catholic league. Spokeswoman Kiera McCaffrey told www.undercover.com: "It's moronic. I mean, Kanye West as Jesus? He's a pop star.”

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Juelz Santana, Pimp C, Young Jeezy & More News



MTV News was the first to get Pimp C and Bun B together after Pimp's release from prison...



"It's a blessing, being able to come home and be treated this way," Pimp said in Houston.

"Somebody passed me a cell phone and said, 'This is yours,' " he continued, describing the day he got out and was greeted by Bun and others. "I hadn't saw no money, and Bun gave me a stack. So I fit back into the swing of things kind of fast."

C says he was a little a rusty on the mic because he had not rapped in the four years he was away, but after a couple of takes, he was ready.

"It wouldn't have been to my advantage to promote that [in jail]," he said. "I just kind of wrote. I hadn't heard my own voice [rapping] in four years."

Pimp and Bun recorded new lyrics for a remix of Bun B's "Get Throwed" (which no longer features Jay-Z) and for T.I.'s "Front, Back and Side to Side." UGK also just signed an endorsement deal with Dame Dash's Pro-Keds line of sneakers. ...

If you're wondering why in the world Juelz Santana is wearing that big ol' iced-out "A" around his neck, just know it stands for his trademark call out, "Aiyie!"

And on to the real news: Last week at Cam'ron's press conference, Santana insisted that he won't be leaving Def Jam, despite Cam's differences with Jay-Z.

"We don't really deal hands-on with Jay," Santana said. "It's not going to affect me."

Asked what he thought about the beef, Juelz played it like a real diplomat. "It's not really about my take," he determined. "My man did what he had to do, so I'm here to support him by any means necessary. He's like a big brother to me. He's the one that's the founder of my whole career. We stick by each other no matter what it is."

This year look for Juelz to collaborate outside of his camp more often. He's probably going to get on Ice Cube's new record and has already recorded tracks with E-40, Ludacris, LL Cool J and Trick Daddy for their upcoming albums.

Santana and Young Jeezy have recorded even more songs together, and there's going to be a Santana and Lil Wayne mixtape coming soon called I Can't Feel My Face. "We already got seven joints done," Juelz said. He has his own solo mixtapes coming as well: Rehab, followed by Relapse.

Now that the young Dip Set soldier has had his status elevated a little, he feels he's ready to begin working with big-name producers. Before, he didn't want people to think he was using A-list beatmakers as a crutch. Now that he's proven himself, he wants to get in the lab with the likes of Pharrell Williams, Dr. Dre and Swizz Beatz.

"Eminem is the one person I want to collaborate with," he added. "I think that would real crazy. Em, holla at your boy." ...

You think Kobe can hit the three? Peep DJ Drama. Dram has a trifecta of mixtapes dropping right in time for Super Bowl weekend. His next one, Can't Ban the Snowman — a collaboration with Young Jeezy — is probably the most anticipated.

A lot of people are still bumping the Drama/ Jeezy classic Trap or Die, arguably the best mixtape to drop last year. It certainly helped kick off Jeezy's movement.

"We were thinking about naming it Trap or Die 2," Drama said. "But we didn't, and I'm glad. It stands on its own. This sh-- might be better than Trap or Die. [Jeezy] stepped up. The tape is heat from beginning to end. It shows what zone he's in. He's touching on his life, the streets, his baby's mom. From a fan's perspective, they love when a n---a keeps it real. ... Last go around we did a smash campaign for the tape. This sh-- is just gonna hit, and I put everything on it, 27 tracks, all new exclusive music.

The other two mixtapes are Welcome to Detroit by Trick Trick, and Young Buck's Gangsta Grillz: Case Dismissed. Buck is on there showing his G-Unit South movement and all the artists under his umbrella: Lil' Scrappy, Hi-C, All-Star and D-Tay.

Later this year, Drama is putting out Gangsta Grillz discs with Busta Rhymes, Little Brother and Pharrell Williams (Pharrell and Drama are already 17 songs into the mixtape and are pulling together collabos). "You're not going to put me in a box," the DJ said, answering those who'll say he's going pop because he's making tapes with people like Pharrell and Little Brother. "I'm into good music and quality hip-hop. If you hear a tape and it has DJ Drama on it — Gangsta Grillz or not — believe if I cosign it, it's quality music."

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